The First Race (1/9)
The First Race
by Saramund
TITLE: The First Race (part 1 / 9 chapters)
Author: Saramund
Email: saramund@hotmail.com
Status: Complete
Category: Humour/Future Fic/Alternate Universe
Pairings: S&J
Spoilers: Seasons 1-4
Season: Future Fic
Sequel: To be advised
Rating: PG - some swearing.
Content Warnings: Language, some adult concepts
Summary: SG-1 discover a Celtic society that worships benevolent 'sky gods', who have an ancient relationship with the people of Earth.
Disclaimer: Lets stop and think for a minute, here, okay? One, if I owned these characters, would I be writing this fanfic? Or would I be hassling the writers into finding some way to get Jack and Sam to get rid of this UST?!! So by that, I would say it's obvious that they're not mine and never will be. MGM Viacom own these characters. Although I do take pride in owning Shier.
Author's note: I was dying to do a dragon story, and didn't have the time or room in my head to start another world, with all new characters (it's loud enough inside my head with the one's that are already in residence). So I figured I'd do a nice little story, combining SG-1 and dragons. Hey, I think it works rather well. R&R pls. Oh, and it's a POV story, from Jack's POV.
The First Race Chp 1 - The Green, green grass of P4M 983
We'd decided several months ago to take turns being first through the Gate. It seemed to work, even the days when it was Daniels' turn. Somehow we always managed to have Teal'c go through slightly in front of Danny on those days. Just in case. Now don't get me wrong, the boy has grown up a lot since that first mission to Abydos. Repetitive ribbon torture and death will do that to a man. But much as I trust and respect Daniel, I just can't let him go through that gate first. Luckily, Teal'c and Carter agree with me. Not that I need their approval. I'm their CO. They do what I tell them to. Sometimes. Every now and then.
"Colonel?" I heard Carter call my name. I turned to see her staring at me, a smile lighting her face.
"Yes, Major?" I was dying to tell her about her forthcoming promotion, but decided against it. I just loved it when, for once, I could surprise her, instead of the other way around.
"It's your turn, Sir." I stared at her, blankly. Obviously she knew what we were talking about. I hoped that if I stayed silent long enough, she'd explain it to me. It usually worked. "To go through the Stargate, Sir. Remember?" She was openly smiling now.
"Of course I remember, Major." See? It always works. "It's not something I'm likely to forget, now is it?" I looked at the other two members of SG-1. Daniel had his handkerchief out, taking one last blow before departure. It was so much part of his routine, and therefore SG-1's, that when he wasn't part of the team (which did occur with frightening regularity given the amount of times he's been injured) I tended to miss it. Another reason why we won't let Daniel through the gate first. His first instinct is to sneeze. Which isn't a good thing when you're supposed to be on the lookout for bad things. I walked towards the Stargate, taking a slightly deeper breath than normal just prior to stepping through the event horizon. As always, now, there was no stumble (or rather, flinging of the body several feet away from the Stargate) as I exited the other side. It had taken time, but we now knew how to adjust our body weight, in transit as it were, for an easier 'landing'. Carter had explained it. At least, she'd explained something. I'd tuned out within the first few sentences.
"Six is clear, Sir." Carter said, checking out behind the Gate. I scanned the immediate area, noticing the presence of trees. Once again. Big, hulking trees. Conifers of some sort. Did I ever tell anyone that I hate trees? Anyway, aside from the distinct lack of open space, I couldn't see any threat. Just....trees.
"Okay, kids, let's move out. The village is a good hour away." Again with the walking. I've asked Daniel why people don't populate the area directly near the Stargate. It would make visiting so much easier on the feet. He'd said something about worship and ritualized journeys. I'd tuned out again. I've realized I do that a lot with Jackson and Carter. Must be the whole Scientist thing.
*****
The walk to the village was uneventful. Just a lot of footsteps, one after the other. Very repetitive. Like tree's, really. We stopped on the rise just outside the village. The first thought I had was that the village would be very hard to defend from attack. There was a rise before the village, hiding the forest floor from view, and the slope leading into the common square meant that villagers, if they were fighting, would be fighting up-hill. And that's never a good thing. I shut off my military examination as Daniel, with typical enthusiasm, walked down the rise and started across the large field, heading into the village proper. I sighed.
"We're going to have to have another word to him about that."
"I concur." I loved it when people agree with me. Sam just smiled slightly, and we three that were left on the rise followed after the archaeologist. The village square was full of people. They looked to be Caucasian. Daniel was talking rapidly with them, his tongue rolling smoothly over the language. I listened for a minute, then decided not to try to emulate him. I hate spraining my tongue. It hurts.
"Dr Jackson?" I asked dryly. Daniel looked up, slightly startled. He went into his own little world when we met knew people.
"Jack! This is Dennis! He's the Laird here." Daniel introduced me to a tall man, about my height, with thick black hair and very suspicious eyes. I liked him immediately.
"Any idea who they are, Daniel?" Sam asked, turning to watch the rest of the village. Teal'c was standing silently by, his hand braced on his staff weapon.
"They're speaking Gaelic. I think they're ancient Britons." He pushed his glasses up, a habit he had when he was excited about a new discovery. "It's a slightly altered version of Welsh. They seem to-."
"Ach!" I held up my hand, stopping his lecture. They were Gaelic. Fine, good. I had all the information I needed. "They're Gaelic? From Britain? Good. Do they speak English?"
"No. They're Celtic. Not English. The English language came about through the influence of many cultures on the English Celtic tribes, like Gallic and Nordic. The Scottish had Viking influence among others. The Welsh remained as close to pure Celt as you can get."
"Daniel. This is fascinating. But can we proceed?" I waved my hand at the villagers surrounding us. They copied me. Great.
"They are very colourful, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c observed, staring at the group en large. Now that Teal'c mentioned it, they were dressed very brightly. Lots of greens and yellows, with reds and blue's scattered here and there. Daniel was chattering in what was obviously Gaelic to Dennis, pointing at the villagers. Dennis nodded, twisting his tongue around his answer. You gotta respect a guy who can speak such an.... interesting language without spitting. Well, I respected it, anyway. Daniel turned back to me, a frown developing behind his glasses.
"They're celebrating some sort of event. Dennis calls it the... Iun llan ddyrin. I think it means Sky Gods. The day of the Sky Gods."
"Goa'uld?" Sam and I asked at the same time. I looked up instinctively, expecting to find one of those big pyramid ships just hanging there. I was ecstatic not to find one.
"I don't think so. These guys seem to be very eager to celebrate this ritual. Usually, when we've come across Goa'uld rituals, it involves fear and reluctance. I'm not getting that from Dennis." He turned back to Dennis and continued the tongue-mangling conversation.
"Get as much info out of our friend as you can. We're going exploring." Daniel nodded, but I knew he was already deeply involved in finding out about the new culture. At least he remained constant.
"Carter." I called my 2IC over to me. She wandered over, smiling at the children who were watching us intently.
"Yes, sir?" She asked, standing next to me.
"See if you can find any evidence of Goa'uld occupation. I want to figure out who these Sky Gods are. They could still be Goa'uld."
"Yes, sir." I watched her walk away. I just wanted to make sure I knew which direction she was headed. Really. It had nothing to do with her..... Jonathon O'Neill with two L's. Get your eyes off your 2IC!
"O'Neill. You are staring again." Teal'c announced from just behind me. I jumped. I know I did. I hate it when I'm surprised.
"Dammit, Teal'c! Don't do that! And I wasn't staring." Teal'c just raised that damned eye-brow at me. How the hell can one eye-brow say so much? I want to know where he learned that trick. "I wasn't. I was merely.... Assessing in which direction the Major was headed."
"Indeed. If that is the case, please excuse my presumption that you were in fact observing Major Carter's backside." Teal'c walked away, but not soon enough for me to miss the slight smile cross over his face. Sanctimonious bastard. Just because he was married. With a son. And no regulations.....Ja-ack!
*****
Right. Job. Place of Employment. Leadership duties. What to do? Stand around and listen Daniel yatter in Gaelic? Maybe. Check perimeter with Teal'c? Nah, boring. Bug Sam? Even I could feel the grin cross my mouth. I was just heading off to find her when Daniel called me over. As ever, perfect timing on the Doctor's part. Damn him.
"Yes, Daniel?" I wandered over, absently holding the rifle in my hands.
"Dennis tells me that the ritual will be taking place as the sun reaches it's Zenith." I stared at him. "Midday, Jack. Noon. When the sun is at it's peak. In about ten minutes. He's not telling me much more. Other than that 'they will come to us'."
"Who will come to us, Daniel? It's the who I want to know about."
"All I can get out of him is the Sky Gods. He doesn't know what else to call them." I looked around at the cheerful village and made my decision.
"Okay, kids." I called across the radio. "We're going to go and play a little hide and seek over the other side of the rise. See just who these Sky Gods are. Move out, people." I shut the radio off and jerked my head at Daniel to follow. After doing that silent objection dance that he's so fond of (and that I just love to make him do) he followed, telling Dennis something. Probably something derogatory about his oh-so charming leader.
*****
The rise was comfortable. For dirt and grass and stones. So, actually, not that comfortable. Rocks poking in at odd places across the body can make for an interesting pattern of bruises. I know. I've had them before. The things we do for our work. According to Daniel, the sun was about to reach it's zenith. Why he didn't just say it was midday, I'll never figure, but who am I to argue with a linguistic genius? (Just never say that out loud, Jack O'Neill. He'll never let it go.) We waited, watching through our binoculars as the villagers chanted and danced. It looked like fun. I was almost tempted to say, 'bugger regulations an OH&S, let's join in!' But I didn't. Who says I don't have restraint?
"Sir." Carter whispered, pointing with her .... pointer finger (hah! I cracked a joke!) off to the horizon. There were dim shapes. Small at the moment, but gaining in size. Wings out wide, with a thick body. Crescent shaped. They looked a lot like death gliders. That did not bode well for the villagers. We continued to watch silently, as the objects approached.
"O'Neill, I believe that their wings are moving." Teal'c said quietly from beside me. I'd just noticed the same thing, and was glad that he'd confirmed it.
"What the hell are they?" I squinted, in the vein hope that making my eyes smaller would allow me to see further. Hey, I never said I was smart! They were approaching fairly quickly now, and I saw that there was about half a dozen of them. Flying in low over the mountains.
"Oh, God!" Carter breathed from beside me. "Sir, I think they're...." She faded off. Not fair. She has better eyesight than me. And she's got the binoculars...
"They're dragon's." Daniel said in a shocked voice. I stared at him, convinced he'd finally lost it. Overdosed on Anti-hystamein. Dragons. Uhuh. Yup. I turned back to have a look at the approaching death-gliders and nearly had a heart-attack. Which isn't a good thing to do when you're on another planet, a long way from the Stargate. Trust me.
************************
The First Race Chp 2 - Introductions
The........dragon's flew in over the village at a very slow pace. I've seen the pictures. I've read the folktales. They're always a good way to leave reality. Yes, I read. And not just Hockey Magazines. So, I'll admit that these........ things looked a hell of a lot like the dragon's from the illustrations. There were four glossy silver dragons and two matte black one's. The silver dragon's were smaller than their black counterparts. The only thing I could think was that they were immature animals.
"I can't believe this." Sam whispered, the binoculars hanging limply from her hands. I glanced at her, then back at the village, in time to experience another semi-attack to my poor old heart. One of the large black dragons was flying over to the rise, it's eyes intent on the little piece of dirt we were hiding behind. I had a vague (okay, massive, barely controllable) urge to run and not look back. Before I could action my instinctive need to flee, the black creature had landed with a dull thud, kicking up dirt before it's.....really large clawed feet. Do you have any idea how disturbing it is to see claws on a paw that's the size of an arm-chair? It took a lot to not imagine how easily those claws could rip a man in two (or three or four) without even thinking about it.
"Oh, shit." I heard someone say. It could have been me. Or Carter. Or Daniel. I think it was all of us. Probably was all of us. The dragon bent it's.... okay, words fail me here, so I'll use one of Carter's. Gargantuan. It had a gargantuan head. Which it bent down to the ground, snuffle the earth and nosing about with it's pointed snout. Then I noticed the eyes. Placed on either side of the head, they were whirling yellow. Almost gold. And I had the feeling they were staring right at me. We all stared back for a long time. I could hear what I could only guess to be it's tail, moving in the earth and grass behind it. I thought about a cat when it was hunting. The only thing to move was it's tail as it prepared to pounce. I did not want to be dragon food. Thanks all the same. I've got a hockey game to watch this weekend. Semi-final. Need to be there. Okay?
"Um.... Hi." Oh, for crying out loud! Daniel frigging Jackson. At it again. "My name is Daniel. This is Teal'c, Jack and Samantha. We're explorers. We mean your people no harm." Daniel faded off, and I breathed what I was sure was going to be my last breath. I sent a prayer up to the heavens (if they're still here, we're a long way from earth right now), hoping that Chicago would win and play in the finals, then closed my eyes and waited for the bite........ Hello, ready now? Dragon? Anyone out there?
"I AM SHIER." Mother of God! What the hell was that? "YOU ARE NOT FROM HERE." I looked around, trying to find the stupid idiot with the mega-phone.
"Ah, Jack? I think......." Daniel pointed mutely to the dragon. "You are Shier?" Daniel asked the massive black animal in front of us. I think, by this time, I was just lying there with my mouth hanging open limply. Not much else to do, really.
"I AM." The dragon lay down abruptly, settling it's head on it's paws. Much like a dog. Okay, dog I can handle. It's much easier to associate with a dog than with a lion or something hunting. Liking the dog analogy. "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" Now, that voice was getting loud. Blocking the ears wasn't helping either. Perhaps I should try cutting them off. The ears, that is.
"Sir." Carter whispered beside me. I turned to see her 'concentration' face on. She was thinking something through. Normally, it was an idea or theory that had never been proven (or thought of) that she was discovering was an actuality. Like those Alternate Reality thingies that she and Daniel love to get into arguments about. "I think this Dragon."
"SHIER."
"Shier, is communicating to us through some sort of psychic link. Telepathy. It's talking in English, isn't it, sir?"
"Yes."
"You are incorrect. I do believe it is talking in my language, O'Neill." Teal'c told me. He'd flipped as well. The Dragon (Shier) was talking in English. Okay. I think there's something in the water. I'm now thinking about a talking dragon. A DRAGON that talks. And not just out loud, but telepathically.
"Does some one want to explain what the hell is going on?" I cried, throwing my arms up in the air.
"Jack. I think that this dragon, Shier, is one of the sky gods that Dennis was talking about."
"Ya think?" I know, I use that saying way too often, but it's such a good expression. Besides, in this case, it was apt. It was about then that Dennis finally came up the hill, panting from his run. He chattered away, waving his hands.
"Daniel?" Interpreter needed. Now.
"He's telling the dragon about our trip through the gate. That we're good people." Daniel listened further. "He's asking Shier to not ... jump to conclusions." The dragon , who had stopped watching us to talk to Dennis, turned back and regarded us. Again. Still not liking being the center of attention when something is that big.
"YOU CAME THROUGH THE ACCESS OF ANCIENTS?"
"The Stargate? Yes. We're from Earth." Daniel opened his mouth to continue, but the dragon stood up (oh god!) and flexed it's wings. The wingspan looked to be about that of a C5/AB Galaxy. For those of you out there that have no idea about aircraft, the Galaxy has a lift to get from the floor to the flight deck. We're talking seriously large...
"FOLLOW." The dragon waddled in the direction of the village. We followed. I don't think any of us even debated arguing with the command. I know I wasn't going to. Remember those claws? Cause I certainly did. We followed.
*****
Dennis and Shier led us to one of their .... houses. I'm sure Daniel has the right word for them, but they just looked like mud houses to me. With straw for a roof. Dennis said something to Daniel, who hesitated, then nodded and ducked inside.
"Daniel?" I asked when I got inside. There was a fire in the middle of the house, and much to my surprise, there was no smoke inside. I looked up at the center of the roof, but there was no hole to let the smoke through. Stuffed if I know why there was a fire and no smoke. Made that saying, where there's smoke there's fire kind of false, though.
"Dennis said that this ritual is all about introducing the new members of the clan to Shier. He said that they were a little hesitant to bring out their infants with strangers around. They'd had bad experiences before. Men with weapons of fire."
"Now that sounds like Goa'uld!" Yay! Something I understood.
"Yeah. So Dennis asked us to stay in here for a brief time, while the infants are introduced to the... dragons. Then I think we'll be facing some questions."
"Good, cause I have a few of my own." Like, can we take some photo's? Cause I know that no one's going to believe us if we don't have proof. Silence prevailed. For a while, anyway. Then Carter spoke up.
"I've been thinking, sir." Now there's a surprise! But I managed to restrain the instinctual response.
"What, Carter?"
"Well. There are a lot of legends of dragon's in societies over the world. Right, Daniel?"
"Right. The Chinese Dragon is one of the more famous icons. But there's the water dragons of South America and the mystical dragons of legend within the Dark Ages of Western Europe. The Pacific islands-."
"Daniel...." I whined. Yup, even I'll admit to whining now and then. But he was lecturing. So really, it was all his fault. He knows how I hate lectures. There is a reason that I've not got any sort of university degree. Four years of lectures? On a voluntary basis? No thank you. Gun, radio and a field pack and I'm happy.
"Sorry. You were saying, Sam?" That's not fair. Daniel gets to call her Sam. I wish I could. She suits the name ....Jack!
"Yes. I was thinking. It seems, from what Shier indicated just before we came here, that Shier or their race, knew the Ancients who built the gates. What if our legends of dragons came from this planet? It's possible that some of those immature dragons, the silver ones, could have flown through and stayed on earth. It would make the disappearance and lack of evidence for dragons easier to explain. They went home. Here. To P4M 983."
"I don't think that even the silver dragons could fit through the 'gate, Carter. They're fairly large. Alright, not as large as Shier, but still. Large." It was kinda obvious, even to me
"Well, studying the size of Shier and the other Black Dragon, I'd have to say that birthing a dragon the size of the silver one's would still be impossible. So they must be smaller, and grow rapidly. Or something. I don't know. I'm just hypothesizing." Carter brushed her hand through her hair. She'd cut it again. Not that I notice when she cuts it. Really, I don't.
"Isn't that a mathematical term? The sum of a square is equal to other two.... Somethings." I never really paid attention in maths much.
"That's the hypotenuse, sir. And the formula is A squared plus B squared is equal to C2. In a triangle, not a square."
"Did you know that it wasn't actually Pythagoras that discovered that? The Babylonian's had used that formula well before Pythagoras came along."
"Daniel." I cried, shutting my eyes. Thankfully, he shut up. I opened my eyes up again and looked at Carter. "So, Major. What you're saying is that it's possible that dragons did exist. On Earth."
"Yes sir. I don't see why not. How else would explain the mythical creature appearing in so many cultures around the world?"
"Much like the image of the snake in worship. Somehow, the snake managed to appear as a benevolent higher being in both the South American and Egyptian cultures-" Daniel started again. What was it with him today?
"Ach!" I said to him. It's a very descriptive noise. Much like Teal'c's eye-brow raise. "Okay. Let me get this straight." I pointed at Carter. "You think that our Dragon myths stem from this world. That they flew or even walked-" both my eye-brows were raised now "-through the gate and stayed in our world for eons. Then just disappeared?"
"Yes sir. It makes sense."
"Then what happened? Why'd they leave? Why not just hang around. I mean, Earth's a good place to live. Sure, the crime rate is a little high in places, but I don't think Shier would have any problems." There was a thoughtful silence. Imagine that, I asked a question that they couldn't answer. Call Guinness Book of Records.
"The goa'uld." Daniel blurted. Damn. Re-call Guinness. Apologise for false claim. "It must have been the goa'uld. First evidence that we know of goa'uld occupation was several hundred thousand years ago, right? Before the Pharoah's of Egypt. Before Babylon and Sumaria. Before civilsation as we know it. But they left." Daniel was pacing now, and the frown was back in place. He was concentrating hard. "Why did they leave?"
"The ancients?" Sam put in her two cents worth.
"No. I don't think that's it." Daniel stopped and looked at us. "What if it was the dragons' from here. What if they came through to Earth and rid the planet of the goa'uld threat."
"It would explain the goa'uld departure from a planet rich in new hosts." Sam agreed. "If what we've seen here on P4M 983 is true, these dragon's seem to protect and guide humans. What if-."
"We were right about the Dragon's knowing the ancients? And deciding to help the humans out? They could have come through the gate and defeated the goa'uld and forced them to retreat." Daniel had that glow about him. The 'I'm solving a mystery that has perplexed scientists and archaeologists for decades, but no one can know about it' glow. It was very similar to Carter's 'new technology' glow.
"Allowing the gate to be overrun by the ice-cap that was taking over the surface of the continent. Leaving the dragons' trapped on Earth with us." Sam grinned at Daniel.
"Until the goa'uld came again. But with more weapons. More technology." That I understood.
"You mean the stuff the snakes stole from others?" I put my two cents worth in.
"Yes. Exactly." Daniel said excitedly. "So, the goa'uld came back several thousand years later, probably closer to one hundred thousand years ago, with a lot more fire power than the dragons' were anticipating, and-"
"Wiped them out. That must be the reason for the two Stargates. The first one. Or rather, the second one we found in Antarctica must be the original Stargate. The one that we got sent to when the gate malfunctioned. Then, when the goa'uld came back, around the time of the Pharoah's, they brought a second Stargate. Our Stargate." Sam grinned at him. As usual, they had the scientific buzz.
"Teal'c? Could what we're all conjecturing here have actually happened?" Daniel looked at Teal'c, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"It could indeed have, Doctor Jackson. The goa'uld would feel the need to revenge what they see as a defeat from an inferior race."
"So. What have we figured out, now?" I kind of understood what Carter and Daniel had just discussed, but just in case, I thought we should get a summary.
"These Dragon's are real. They are benevolent. They help humankind." Daniel explained to me. It was about then that Dennis, the Clan Laird (as least, that's what Daniel called him) came into the.... hut. He watched us closely for a moment, then smiled. He faced Daniel and spoke rapidly in Gaelic. Daniel replied in kind.
"Daniel?" I prompted. Daniel turned to me, looking a little uncomfortable. That did not bode well. That never bode well.
"Um. Shier would like to talk to us." He cleared his throat. "Outside." Dennis smiled, then gestured for us to proceed him out of the hut. I hesitated, then shrugged. We couldn't stay holed up in here forever. The Stargate, and therefore our way home, was out there, so I figured we had to leave sometime.
"Come on kids. Lets go face the dragon." Carter nodded and Teal'c just re-gripped his staff weapon. I figured that, seeing as how we still had our weapons, we weren't in that much trouble.
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The First Race Chp3 Ancient News
Dennis led us out into the substantial clearing beside the village, where the villagers were gathered to one side of Shier. They were all talking quickly in their own language. Call me paranoid, but I hate it when people are talking about me and I can't understand what they're saying. Dennis stepped out in front of us and held up his hand, and there was quiet. Yippee.
"YOU ARE TAU'RI?" Shier asked us. The dragon was lying down like a dog again, it's wings folded up on it's back. The golden eyes were looked straight at us, whirling slightly. They were fascinating to watch.
"Yes." Daniel stepped forward to talk to Shier. "We are explorers. We travel to planets to meet and trade with cultures and hopefully find allies against the goa'uld."
"Daniel." Carter said softly, in warning. I knew that she was thinking that we didn't know how this creature would respond to the name. We soon found out. The dragon reared back, and villagers cried out. Shier bellowed loudly, her snout raised to the sky. I thought the mind-voice was loud, but it had nothing on the cry it was giving now.
"MARKOR!" Shier boomed inside our skulls. There was a feeling of devastation and loss that almost overcame me. I recognised that feeling. I felt it whenever I thought of Charlie. Whomever Markor was, Shier had loved him/her/it. I stepped forward, for some reason needing to help the dragon.
"Shier!" I yelled up to the bellowing dragon, which was now on it's hindlegs, wings outspread and fluttering. "Shier!" The head snaked down, and I knew I was the sole object in Shier's vision. I felt a presence in my mind, and realised that Shier was there, waiting for me to talk to it. "We are Tau'ri. How can we help?"
"YOU CANNOT HELP ME. I HAVE BEEN ALONE SINCE MARKOR OFFERED AID TO YOUR PEOPLE AGAINST THE GOA'ULD INFESTATION........." There was immense pain in the words, and for the first time, I sensed gender within the dragon. Shier was female. There was a sense of partnership when she mentioned the name Markor. I had a feeling that Markor was her mate. And if Daniel and Carter's theory is right, then he died on Earth, trying to defend against the Goa'uld..... I think my eyes must have popped out of my head when my brain took in that information. Daniel said the first gate was closed over one hundred thousand years ago. Which means that Markor would have been there before then. If Shier was his mate, then that would make her over..... I needed a chair. My legs were way too weak. I tried to comfort her again.
"The... contingent of dragons' you sent through did succeed for many, many, many, many generations, in defeating the goa'uld. Lots and lots of years later, they returned, with more fire-power. More technology. We believe that your people were unable to defeat the goa'uld a second time."
"AND WHAT OF MY PEOPLE?" It almost crippled me to hear the devastation in her voice.
"They are extinct on our world, Shier." Carter piped up, stepping forward. "We think that... after the goa'uld succeeded in taking over the tau'ri, they systematically destroyed your people. We only have legends and folktales of your kind left to us." Shier finally dropped onto four feet, making it easier to talk to her. The villagers around her were solemn. Several children were weeping quietly. Dennis walked up to the black Dragon and placed a hand on her front foot. Brave man. There was a sudden wind, and I looked behind me to see the other black dragon and the four silver arranged behind us, staring at Shier.
"SHIER. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" One of them asked. The smallest of the silver dragons stepped forward, still the size of a decent 707 commercial airliner. We all stepped back (several yards) as the silver dragon closed up and nuzzled the snout of Shier. The others gathered around, pushing us far back, into the village itself. It looked like a parking lot for really large, bizarre looking planes. I looked at the villagers, who were watching with very sad eyes.
"Carter?" I turned to my 2IC, who stood with tears in her eyes, watching the dragons.
"I can feel their grief, Sir. It's so all-encompassing. They must have been waiting for news for so long now, and to finally receive word that there is no one left." She clamped up, a mask shutting down over her emotions. I turned to look at the rest of my team. Teal'c stood silently by, but his usual emotionless face held a hint of compassion and understanding. Daniel was standing there, watching raptly. His eyes were a little red, as though he were suffering a bout of hey-fever. He had lost so much in his life that I had a feeling he understood better than any of us what they were feeling. I turned back in time to see the dragon's lift up, their wings a silver and black pattern that covered the sky. Within seconds, they had disappeared over the horizon, I heard, distantly, one last message.
"WE WILL RETURN IN THREE SUNS." With that, there was silence, save for the snuffling of a few children. Several minutes later, I decided to stop looking at the horizon. It wasn't going to change soon.
"Well, kids, I think we need to go back and report to General Hammond. I have a feeling we're going to be back in about three days."
"We're going back, Jack?" Daniel looked at me, disappointment written across his features. I smiled back, sarcastically.
"What did you think we were going to do? Move in?"
"But, Jack.... We've never come across Celtic societies before. I'd like to be able to study their lifestyle. Get to know their beliefs."
"The usual." I replied, thinking it over. "Fine, you and Teal'c stay here, talk your heart out with the locals. Carter and I will return to the SGC and have a talk with Hammond. We should be back in two days. Call if you need anything." Daniel grinned at me, delighted. It never took much to make him happy. "Carter." I got her attention.
"Yes, sir?"
"We're heading back to the Stargate." I hitched my pack and started off, settling my ever-present sun-glasses into place. Carter followed. We walked for a few minutes in silence, ducking branches and stepping over tree roots. I have mentioned my love of trees, haven't I?
"So, sir. How are we going to explain the existence of dragons to the General?" Carter asked me. I could just hear the amusement and laughter in her voice.
"I was hoping you could explain it to him, Major." I told her, giving her a winning grin. She just looked at me. I grunted and continued walking.
"I can't believe that we just saw an actual dragon!" Carter enthused, walking beside me. I looked at her, and she was smiling brightly. You know that smile that lights her face. The one that makes her eyes shine.........
"She was so big! And the males were so silver."
"Males? The silver dragons' were male? I thought you said that they were immatures. Like little dragons. Okay, big little dragons...."
"I don't think so, sir." How many times have I heard that phrase, Carter? "You saw how that male reacted when Shier found out about Markor. I think that the silver's are the male of the species."
"But, they're so small." Males being smaller than females? Isn't that against the law?
"Sir, in nature, the males are often smaller. And more... showy than the female. Think of the Peacock. The female bird is plain brown. The male is mutli coloured, with the huge tail."
"True."
"And in several spider species, the male is a fraction of the size of the female." Carter plucked a leaf from on of the trees and started stripping it. "I think that Shier and the other female are the dominants in a matriarchal society."
"That still doesn't help me when I start to explain it to the General." I complained, ducking under a branch. Carter just grinned at me. She's really not a nice person.
************************
The First Race Chp 4 Base, Sweet Base
I stumbled through the gate behind Carter, slightly off my footings. Carter looked back and there was a slight smile, but then she turned back to face the General.
"Where is Dr Jackson and Teal'c?" Hammond asked me as I walked down the ramp.
"They've stayed behind so that Daniel can get friendly with the natives." I pulled down my sunglasses to stare at the General. Eye to eye. Or rather, eye to bald spot.
"General, we need to talk."
"Debriefing in one hour." The General confirmed, then walked back to his office.
"Bags shower first." I told my 2IC, grinning at her. She just grunted delicately and headed off in the direction of the infirmary. We always took turns. One got medically checked out, the other got a shower. Normally us guys got checked out first, to give Carter more time in the shower. For some reason, women love to spend twice as much time in the shower as us guys do. Never did understand that.
*****
"Are you kidding me, Colonel?" Hammond demanded in that disbelieving voice of his. He'd had a lot of practice perfecting that tone of voice. I think he sat at home and just repeated that phrase, over and over again. Just to make sure it was perfect.
"No, sir." I was actually enjoying this more than I'd anticipated. From the smirk on Carter's face, she was enjoying it as well. "I'm absolutely serious. There are dragons on that planet. Hulking great big black and silver ones."
"Dragons? You expect me to believe that there are dragons? Real, live dragons that live on this planet?" Hammond frowned, ironing out the wrinkles on the top of his head, forcing them down to his forehead.
"Sir, he's not delusional. I saw them as well. We've got to go back to pick Daniel up tomorrow, but I'd like to do some research, if I can? We have some theories that I want to check out." I watched as Hammond considered this, then cheered (internally, anyway, General Hammond doesn't like it when I make weird noises out loud) then he nodded.
"Fine, Major. But I want some solid proof of these... dragons, when you return to P4M 983. Is that understood?" The General stood up, and automatically, so did Carter and I.
"Yes sir." We both repeated dutifully. The General walked outside, and Carter and I suppressed our chuckles as we made quickly for her lab.
"Did you see his face?" I asked, still chuckling. Carter's lab was almost as comfortable to me as my house is. If you discounted the amazing array of doohickeys and thingamabobs that I really don't like to play with -they tend to beep and alarm whenever I go near them. Need to ask Daniel if he thinks Carter could have set up some kind of O'Neill alert on them.
"Yes sir. I was there, remember?" Carter was nose deep in one of Daniel's books, scribbling madly in a notepad next to her. She had answered me absently, most of her concentration on the text in front of her. I'd tried helping for the first half hour, reading through lots of books that were way too heavy to be any good to any one. Then I'd given up. For the last hour, it had been my mission to distract Carter in any way I could. I wasn't getting very far.
"Do you know that you had a similar look on your face when we first saw Shier?" I prompted again.
"No, I didn't." She replied, turning a page and reading briefly before scribbling with the afore mentioned pen.
"Did too." This was good. She was interrelating with me.
"Sir, you couldn't know what my face looked like. You never glanced away from the dragons." She chewed briefly on the end of her pen with small white teeth, then frowned and went back to the top of the page, trailing her finger down the text.
"How do you know that?" I asked. I really didn't have her attention. She was still mostly absorbed with the damned research.
"Cause I did look away."
"Did not."
"Did too...." She sighed heavily, then looked up at me. Yippee! I got eye contact! "Sir, I'm a little busy here. Can you go bug someone else?" She waved at all those big books I mentioned before, eyes snapping. I grinned, triumphant. I stood up and bowed myself out of her lab, grinning like an idiot. When I heard her sigh again and chuckle, I almost went back in. Love Carter when she's laughing.... Oops. Like (not love, Jack. Don't use that word) Carter when she's laughing.
*****
The commissary was pretty much empty at this time of day. Or was that night? You never could tell down here. Having no windows down here can do some whacky stuff to the psyche. Trust me, I'm an expert of whacky psyche's. I'd made my way to the gym from Carter's lab, and had spent a good two hours there, beating the crap out of the offensive punching bag. And skipping myself into a lather of sweat. Okay, that sounded really... bad. But trust me, it's good for hand/foot co-ordination, balance and fitness. Really. Shut up, okay?.............. So, anyway. I was in the commissary, on a mission to find food and drink. Two hours of hard work can make a man thirsty and hungry. I figured Carter must be hungry by now, as well. She'd been researching for a good three hours, and that can bore the spit out of you (and I mean that literally by the way). So I was searching for food. And I found it. Fancy that. Food in a commissary. Who'da thunk it? I stacked a tray high with all sorts. Roast beast, Shepard's pie and something that looked like stew. Plate piled high with vegetables (Carter likes them) and 2 chocolate moose's (meese? What is the plural of moose?) for desert. All I needed was a pot of coffee and some soft drink, and we had a meal fit for a king. I gathered them up on the way out and steadily walked my way back to Carter's office. Lucky for me, it's on the same level as the commissary. I'd always grumbled about that. Why does she get to work so close to the food? Why not me? 'Cause you'd eat us out of our budget, Colonel' I could hear Doc Fraser answer. True, but still, it's not fair.
*****
"Dinner is served, Major." I announced, marching in with tray held on my shoulder, waiter style. Carter looked up, surprised, then grinned.
"Perfect. My stomach was wrapping itself slowly around my spine. Whatcha got?" She rubbed her hands together in eagerness. I put the tray down and handed her the vegetables.
"There you go." I said.
"That's it? Don't I get some roast? Or a bit of the pie?" She was drooling over the steaming dishes. I grinned to myself.
"Nope. I'm hungry." She scowled at me. I mentioned fairness? Another thing to add to that list. It's not fair that Carter can scowl, cry or even be sunburned badly and still look damned attractive. Why couldn't I have an ugly 2IC? Or even Kowalski? I never noticed how attractive he looked when he was scowling, did I? No, cause that would have earned me immediate dismissal back then. Aside from the fact that I'm not that way inclined. I came back to the here and now to realize that Carter had taken advantage of my day-dream and had nicked half of the roast beast (still couldn't tell the difference between most of them) and most of the stew. That just wasn't fair.
"Carter!" I complained, then dived into my share. She just grinned at me, and slurped up a bit more stew.
"So, find out anything to confirm Danny's theory?" I asked, sipping at my coffee.
"Yes, sir. The texts of..." I held up a hand.
"You found proof. That's all I need to hear." Carter grinned at me, then popped one of the vegetables that looked like a miniature tree into her mouth. I don't like to eat a lot of fresh foods. God knows what's shat on them.
"So, sir. Who have you been bothering for the past two hours?" Carter took a sip of her diet coke. Ack, horrible stuff.
"Well, the punching bag is sufficiently subdued. And I now know that I can skip for an hour straight. That must be a record, huh?"
"Skip, sir?" An eyebrow raised over her blue eye. Someone's been taking lesson's from a certain Jaffa.
"It's good for fitness." I protested. She just grinned and nodded again. I grunted and polished off what was left of the stew. The moose was calling me. Carter watched me as I put down my fork and went immediately for the spoon.
"That's so unhealthy, sir." She commented as I polished off one and reached for the next. What, you thought I'd brought CARTER desert? Please. She's a health nut. No way would she be eating desert.
"I know." I replied, unfazed. Chocolate moose is nice, but it just isn't the same as a great big piece of chocolate cake. Or a pile of profitteroles. Or even a gateau. Drooling now. I sat back and nursed my coffee, noticing that Carter had been watching me with hawk-like eyes. I did my own brow-raise, and to my extreme delight, she flushed and looked away. Bad thoughts, Major?
"Well. Thanks for bringing me dinner, Colonel." Carter started to dismiss me. I thought about calling her on her thoughts, then decided to be nice for once.
"Not a problem, Major." I crossed my arms after putting my coffee down and waited. Carter tried to read for a while, then slapped her pen down on the counter.
"Sir. Do you have to sit there and watch me read?" She cried, looking at me.
"I've got nothing better to do." Which was completely true. Admittedly, I had reports that were over a month due, and several RF's to fill in (requisition forms), but nothing was better than having an uninterrupted view of Carter and being able to enjoy it, knowing that most of the SG teams were off base, and Danny and Teal'c were no where near me.
"Well, in that case, I have several reference DVD's that I need you to have a look through." I groaned. Dammit, I hadn't seen that one coming. She's getting more cunning. She handed them to me and smiled. "Daniel's got a DVD that you can play them on." She prompted. Subtle, Major. Subtle. I shuffled them and sulked my way out of her lab, leaving her the dirty dishes. Hey, I've got to get my revenge somehow. I grinned to myself as I walked into Danny's office. A plan was forming.
*****
Okay, so I admit it. I didn't even open the DVD's. Watching historical DVD's was not my idea of fun. But then I had a master plan. Carter was here on base, not going to leave any time soon, right? We had three days (or was that two now?) until the dragon's came back to the village. And surely it wouldn't take that long to figure out the history of these things, right? So here I was, organizing her promotion party. Great Master Plan. HAH! I had no concept of how detailed something like this would be. I mean, there's food, alcohol. The date and time. People to invite. More alcohol (we are the air-force after all). Oh, and of course, the venue that I knew she would have wanted was booked solid for months. So then I had to go searching. Me!? Who's happy with a barbeque out the back. Gah!
If it wasn't for that fact that this 'do' was for Carter, I would have given up long ago.... okay, and asked for Carter's help. Daniel wasn't even here to give the horrible jobs to. Like.... all of them. I think George must have known what I was in for when I asked for the time off to do this. He'd gotten this horrible, downright evil, glint in his eye and had rushed me out of his office. I swear I heard him laughing as I walked through the briefing room. That man is evil. So I've been running around Colorado Springs for the last eight hours, trying to get everything ready. I swear, my feet hurt more than they do after a 10 mile hike. With full kit on. In new boots. That were wet and two sizes too small. Getting the point? The base never looked so welcoming as when I pulled my car up at the entrance. Home sweet home. Well, base sweet base, anyway. Standing up in the elevator on the way down was painful, but then my quarters beckoned me and I succumbed to the delightful temptation of sleep.
*****
Ahh, sleep. Love the stuff. Never get enough, which is more than likely why I love it so much. The pillow was lumpy, though, so I shuffled it around in a vain attempt to fall back into that place of dreaming. It had been a very good dream. Though not one that anyone under 18 could watch. Even with parental guidance. It was about then that I realized that I had woken from my oh so interesting dream for a reason. Someone was shaking me awake. As my brain slowly woke up, I realized that I was in one of two places. My quarters on SGC, or at home. If I'd fallen asleep anywhere else, then I would have woken up at the slightest sound. I don't know how my body does it, but if I'm not on base or at home, then sleep is almost a non-event for me.
"Colonel." It was Sam. Which said a lot about my sub-conscious and dreams. Luckily for me, I was lying face down. I decided to stay that way. Just for a few minutes.
"I'm up." I said hoarsely. A hand, which I now realized was on my shoulder, retreated, and I reluctantly opened my eyes. Sam was squatting down in front of me, a cup of coffee in her hand. She knew me very well. I reached for it, propping myself up on an elbow. I took a sip of that delicious brew, sighing as the caffeine coursed through my veins, waking me up in increments. Then I looked back at Sam.... Sam? Since when have I called her Sam in my head?
"So, Carter. How long have I been out for?"
"About 8 hours, Sir." She replied, standing up. I was stunned. 8 hours? Damn.
"I don't normally sleep that long."
"I figured you must have needed it." She said kindly. "You know, what with your advanced age and all." She grinned and rapidly exited the room. I threw the pillow at the door. It landed with a less than satisfying thump on the floor a few feet away. I grunted, took another sip and eased out from under the light blanket, rotating my head to loosen the knots in my neck. That woman was getting cheekier by the day. I refused to look in the small mirror on the grey wall, having a fair idea how I looked. Grey hair (yes, even I've had to admit defeat and let it grey naturally) flattened on one side and sticking on end on the other. Eyes like pits in my skull. Stubble that was a patchwork of blonde, red and grey on my chin. Even I, stud muffin that I am, am not at my most attractive in the mornings. I gulped at the cooling coffee, feeling the warm liquid drop into my stomach, and cleared my throat.
"Shower." I decided and picked up my towel and spare uniform and headed for the shower room.
A hot shower does wonders for waking a person up. As does a shave and another cup of coffee. I'm not addicted to the substance, though. I just like the tas..... Okay, I'm addicted. But I can control it. It doesn't control me. I made my way to Carter's lab, coffee in hand, to find it empty. Carter was missing. She wasn't in the commissary, as I'd just been there to fill up. Sleeping? No, cause I'd seen her not half an hour ago, and she looked more than rested. She looked like she should be on a catwalk. Or one of those sirens. You know, that seduced and killed pirates and sailors with their song and beauty.......... Ja-ack!
Okay, so we're looking for your Second in Command to find out what she learned over night. Information. That's all. I made my way to Level 28, looking in places here and there, yelling her name every now and then. I got a few looks from the Base Staff, but I'm used to that. I found her, finally, in the briefing room with General Hammond.
"Ah, Colonel. Good of you to join us." The General said sarcastically. I saluted. Well, kind of. I had the coffee cup in that hand, so it joined in. Coffee goes up, waves close to the forehead - don't want to burn myself if it spills - drops down - slowly! No liquid spilled. Perfect. Carter just raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.
"Thank you, General." I said magnanimously and took a seat. It looked like Carter had just finished briefing the General.
"So, General. As I was saying. We think the Goa'uld, when they returned with our Stargate the second time round, systematically killed the dragon populations, starting with those in South America. By the time those on P4M 983 found out, it was too late. Markor and his people were destroyed."
"So, what are we supposed to do about it, Major?" The General rumbled.
"Well, sir. I think we should at least be able to give them some sort of history on what happened to their people. Some legends, if you will."
"Like St George and the Dragon?" I asked facetiously.
"Yes, sir, exactly. I don't think that St George was human. It talks about him destroying the dragon, right? Well, if they were so benevolent, why would some knight come along and kill it? The only thing I can think of is that St George was actually a Jaffa, sent by his Master to kill it." Carter shuffled some papers. "Look, there's evidence everywhere you look. Here, see?" She handed a book to the General and pointed. "Sir Michael did the same thing, it's just not as famous. But if you look to Chinese legends, the dragons are bringers of good luck and the banishers of evil karma. And here, in Australian Aboriginal legend. The Rainbow Serpent. It flew through the sky and carved valleys and gorges in the desert. It was a kind spirit, one they revered."
"Okay, Major, we get the point." The General held up his hand. "You argue almost as eloquently as Daniel does."
"Thank you, sir." Carter said, sitting back. The General thought for a time, his brows ticking slightly as he did so.
"Fine. Go through with these texts. Give these.. dragons the history of their people here. But I want you all back on earth by 2300 hours, is that clear?"
"Yessir!" We both barked out.
"Fine. You have a go for 1100 hours. Dismissed." We stood up and I managed to perform an accurate salute (having finished the coffee) before exiting the briefing room.
*****
Boots on? Check. Weapons loaded? Check. Pack full? Sunglasses and hat? Check. Check. 2IC? No. Where the hell was the Major?
"Where the hell is the Major?" I asked a passing corporal. He looked at me, startled.
"I don't know, sir. I can find out, if you like."
"No, it's alright." I replied when I heard her talking to Sergeant Siler. She and the technician walked through the door.
"No, the cylinder is basically cactus, Major." Siler said, examining some piece of metal in his hand.
"Damn. Can I ask you to..."
'Sure, Major. I'll take a look at it when I get off shift." The Sergeant smiled at Carter, flashing white teeth.
"Thanks, Michael." Michael? The Sergeant's name was Michael? And why was Carter calling him by his first name?
"Carter? When you're ready." I drawled out. She looked at me, a little surprised, then shrugged.
"Sorry, Sir. Ready now." Siler walked away quietly, taking the doohickey with him. Lieutenant Simmons started counting chevrons upstairs. The gate started moving, that crunching moaning noise it made, as though it were annoyed at having been woken up. I could understand that.
"What's that you got, Carter?" I pointed at her video camera.
"A video camera, sir." She replied. I could see she was hiding a grin. I didn't appreciate it.
"Very funny."
"Thank you, Colonel. Actually, it a recording of some of the movies that have had dragons in them. And some historical documentaries. The one's you........ looked through yesterday."
"I looked through them." It was an instinctive protest. Defend yourself at all costs.
"Really sir? Then why wasn't the seal broken on any of the DVD's? They were all new, sir."
"Well....."
"Chevron Seven, locked!" Thank god for Simmons. The gate exploded (not literally, just the wormhole horizon thingy) and the gate room was all ripply blue.
"Time to go, Carter." I said in relief. Saved by the gate, once more. We both clumped up the ramp and stepped through the gate, stepping out after what seemed like a second of frozen nothing, onto Puff Planet. You know, Puff? The Magic Dragon.... Okay, you obviously had to have been there. Never mind.
"Carter. Why is it dark?" It looked like the middle of the night.
"Because it's night, sir." She replied, pulling her night vision goggles out of her pack.
"But... It's only eleven in the morning."
"On earth. Here, it's a different time zone." Oh, okay. That makes sense. This had just never happened before. Stepping through from one part of the day into a complete different part. Like night and...... (he he) day! The pun had me chuckling as I reached for my goggles and followed Carter into the woods.
************************
The First Race Chapter 5 -Reveille
By the time we approached the Celtic village, dawn was rising over the horizon. Which dawn this was, I had no idea. But it looked pretty. All blues and purples. Much like the Aurora Australis over the Antarctica. Or so Daniel had described it to me. I was pretty much out of it when I last visited Antarctica. Internal bleeding, a broken leg and hypothermia will do that to you.
"That's an amazing sunrise." Carter said softly from just in front of me.
"Yup." Well, what else could I say? She was right. Nothing unusual about that. "Think Danny-boy's awake?"
"No." We were both grinning now.
"Shall we get him up?" I put up the night vision goggles to wiggle my eyebrows at her. She just laughed, softly. Ahh...........
"Why not?" She gestured for me to have the honors. I put the radio to my mouth and licked my lips. I held down the button and whistled shrilly, then released to hear the reaction. We waited about five seconds before Daniel erupted over the radio, snarling obscenities in every language he knew. And after 7 years of exploring the galaxy, that was more than his recognized 23. Many more. Carter and I laughed and continued our journey into the village, to the accompaniment of Daniel's lyrical swearing.
Teal'c was waiting on the outskirts, his face impassive as usual. But there was a note of amused chiding when he spoke.
"Daniel Jackson has awoken." He told us. I laughed evilly. Sam just tried to look guilty and amused at the same time. Carter, dammit!
"Isn't it a beautiful morning, Teal'c old buddy?" I put an arm around his shoulders (well, I tried. He's got a lot of muscle on those things...)
"It is indeed, O'Neill." He replied, non-plussed.
"So, what's for breakfast?"
"Sir!" Carter laughed. "You had breakfast less than four hours ago. Why do you need to eat more?"
"Cause it's breakfast time, Carter! And I must have breakfast at breakfast time. Otherwise my body clock will be all screwy." I puppy-dogged her. No, get your mind out of the gutter. I merely meant that I did my big, 'I'm a big fluffy puppy with big brown eyes' look. What did you think I meant? Carter threw up her hands in what I read to be defeat and walked away. Presumably to find me breakfast.
The village woke soon after, and there was a vibe in the air. Anticipation? Apprehension?
"Daniel? What's got everyone so high?" I asked, after making amends with breakfast. Daniel swallowed coffee.
"Well, Shier is coming back today, with her clan. This has never happened before, not to anyone's knowledge. As far as Dennis can remember, it has always been a once yearly event. That was it, all they ever saw of them was the introduction ceremony. So now, they're coming back within a week? I'm jazzed, so God knows' how they're feeling."
"Do we know when today they're going to turn up?" I squinted at the horizon, hoping to see some dark shapes approaching. There wasn't. Damn.
"Dennis thinks it should be about lunch time. They never turn up at any other time. It could be different this time, of course, but we're going to assume the same and anticipate them then."
"Fine." What to do until then? "So Dr Jackson. What has the past three days taught you?"
"Not to leave my radio on any more when I go to sleep." Daniel muttered. I still heard him. "Well, I've been talking to Dennis and his cualchan's. From what I've been able to figure out, they're like his advisors of sorts. Their history is no different to the others we've heard. Men with glowing eyes came to their ancestors and took them to this planet, which is called Duenna, by the way." Well, there goes my effort of naming this rock. "The first people were met by several large flying creatures, in black and silver, who spoke into their minds. Figuring them to be underworld spirits, the people started babbling about these evil entities back on their world. It gets fuzzy there."
"Fuzzy?" My, wasn't that a scientific term? Much like Carter's 'nudge'.
"Well, this is all spoken word. Bard and minstrels and that. Songs, Jack. Songs of history." I nodded. I knew what he was talking about. Really, I did. "So, the ancestors tell that several dragons took shape and vanished through the ring of water, leaving the people here in peace."
"That would be Shier's mate and friends, yes?"
"From what we can tell, Jack."
"What did they mean by the dragon's taking shape?" Carter was sitting on a 'chair' opposite Daniel and me. I use the term chair loosely. It was more like a block of wood with a seat carved out of it, but hey, it was somewhere to sit, right?
"I wish I knew. Dennis can't really tell me, cause that was lost years ago."
"Great." I took my hat off and scrubbed my hair briskly. "Okay. So, the dragons' aren't turning up for at least another five hours. What are we supposed to do until then?" I looked from Teal'c to Daniel. Teal'c didn't say anything. Not much of a surprise there.
"Well, actually, I've found this tablet...." Daniel started, excitedly. I sighed. Rocks.
*****
I'm sorry, but rocks are rocks. No matter what planet we're on. What part of the galaxy we're in. Daniel always seems to find rocks to study. I can't figure out how he does it. It drives me nuts! However, it did give me a good excuse to go wandering. I moan and whinge about trees every chance I get, I know, but they're very good to go wandering about in. You can wander only a few metres away, and it feels like you're alone in the world. Sometimes, I think that's a good thing. Especially when I can hear Daniel exclaiming over some magnificent find.
After two hours of wandering, I decided that I wasn't going to find anything interesting, aside from more of Daniel's rocks. More's the pity. I'd already annoyed Carter to the point where I feared for my health, and teasing Teal'c is teasing a brick wall. He's so.... Monotonous. So here I am, back at the rocks, watching as Danny-boy 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over some dirty old pieces of stone. I've still to understand how the hell the four of us can be such a close knit group of friends.
"Colonel?" Carter walked up to me. "It's almost noon, sir." I automatically looked at my watch, which informed me that it was in fact about 1700. Then I remembered the time difference and nodded.
"C'mon, Danny. Back to the village." I yelled at the absorbed archaeologist. He looked up, his eyes glazed. I pointed to the sky. "It's noon. Time to talk to the dragons." Danny hesitated, looking from his rocks to the blue sky and back again. I cleared my throat warningly and he stood up. Reluctantly, but he did stand up.
The walk back to the village was uneventful. Pretty much like the walk to the tablet place-thingy. About twenty minutes. I think I found a few more trees though. Dennis was waiting at the edge of the village for us, his eyes wide and bright. Like he'd had just that little bit too much beer. Not drunk, just not quite sober any more. Like Daniel after his first sip, cadbury that he is. Daniel spoke to Dennis briefly, then turned to us.
"Dennis tells us that Shier is approaching." Carter and I immediately scanned the horizon, but stuffed if I could see anything.
"Carter?"
"Nothing, sir. Wait. There!" She pointed off to the west and I could just make out four dim shapes.
"You got that video ready, cause I want some footage." I said quietly to my Second in Command. She just nodded, already pulling out the video camera. The dragon's approached quickly over the horizon then swooped down into the field outside the village. The villagers and my team turned as one, watching their approach. One of the black dragons - Shier I presumed - came forward a few steps and regarded us through dull yellow eyes.
"YOU ARE STILL PRESENT." She announced. I refrained from making comment. Carter cleared her throat and stepped forward, in front of Daniel and the village elders.
"Shier, I'd like to express how sorry we are that we brought you this horrible news." She started. That humongus black head dipped slightly in acknowledgement, then turned to Dennis, as if dismissing us. Carter cleared her throat again, obviously nervous. Who wouldn't be?
"Shier, in the time that you've been away. Colonel O'Neill and myself returned through the Stargate to gather some history of your people from our planet." She had the dragons attention now. All of them. "We... we brought back some.. footage to show you. And some details of what occured to your people." Carter's voice faded away, unsure of how to begin. Shier turned to look at her fellow dragons, and I guessed they were talking in teleken? They were talking silently, anyway. Then she turned back to us, and bowed her head.
"THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED." She roared softly in our heads. Trust me, you have to listen to her talk to understand how something can roar softly. But she managed it.
"Where? I mean, how do you want to do this? Here? Or on the field over there?" Carter pointed to the open field where Shier and her... friends had gathered before.
"FOLLOW." Shier ambled to the clearing and settled down, her massive jaws resting on her front.....paws. We followed and stood before her.
"So, Major." I turned to Carter. "Just how are we going to show these dragons those DVD's you've brought? On the video recorder?" Okay, so maybe I should have asked that little detail earlier, but I figured she had that covered. I just wanted to know how.
"Do you remember that planet that was being used to train Jaffa to infiltrate earth that we discovered a few years ago, sir?"
"The one with the fake SG teams? Sure."
"Well, you remember how we used a ... mixture of goa'uld and our technology to show them Apophis dieing?"
"Yes, Carter. I do remember that."
"I kinda kept the device." She held up the small silver ball, a small smile hovering about her lips. "We're going to do the same thing again." I grunted and decided once again, not to respond. Sam stepped forward slightly and put the ball on the ground, activating it with a quick press of one of her fingers. Light shot out of the ball, arcing upwards in a fan. The screen flickered, then the image appeared. Carter quickly pressed something else on the ball, and the image paused.
"Shier, what I'm about to show you is a historical representation of the myths of dragons throughout the histories of the world. Understand, until three days ago, we believed your ... people to be a legend, something out of imagination. But... I thought this would help you understand the effect your people had on our world." The image continued, and on went the documentary. Voiced by some other archaeologist that had managed to get some BBC big-wig to give him some money and a film crew.
So we sat back and watched the DVD. I think it's the first time I've sat through an entire documentary that had nothing to do with the stars. But then again, considering where we were sitting while we were watching this documentary, I figured that this one was included in star-watching. In a warped kind of way. The credits started to roll, and Carter switched the ball off. There was a brief silence, then Shier bowed her head, her golden eyes closing briefly.
"THIS HELPS. I THANK YOU." She paused, glancing at the other dragons, then continued. "YOUR MATE AND HIS FRIENDS ARE CONSIDERED FRIENDS OF OUR FRIENDS. WE WELCOME THEM INTO OUR PROTECTION." What?
"What?" I sat forward, a little stunned. "Who's mate? What mate?"
"YOU AND THIS FEMALE." Shier's voice held a puzzled tinge to it.
"Ah...." Carter began, but Daniel continued.
"They're not... mated, Shier." He told the Dragon. "They're..."
"Officer and Commanding Officer." I supplied in a tart tone of voice. Daniel grunted and twitched his eyebrows. I'd growl at him if I didn't feel so... uncomfortable.
"Yes. That." Daniel agreed.
"MY PARDON, THEN. I FEEL THAT YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OF ME AND MINE? AND A FAVOUR TO ASK?"
"How did you.... Oh, the mind reading thing, right?" Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up. No need to remind Daniel and Carter that this dragon could read minds, and could have got the impression from my own thoughts that Carter and I were...... Never mind.
"Right, questions. Look, Shier... Other Dragons..." I addressed them all. "Right now, the Tau'ri are in a pretty big fight with the Goa'uld. Teal'c here is a Jaffa that once served the Goa'uld Apophis. He's fighting with our cause now. But it's a little difficult. The Goa'uld over the past ....oh, couple of thousand of years have scattered our race to the bloody ends of this galaxy, and pretty much forced them into slavery. Right now we're concentrating on freeing Earth, where we come from. But I figure we owe it to the others to pretty much wipe the Goa'uld from existence."
"I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS PLAN."
"So... That's good." I thought quickly. "Is there anyway your people can assist with this fight. What I mean is, you assisted before, right?" I hesitated to bring this up, as she'd just found out about her mate, but I didn't really have a choice. Standing orders are standing orders, after all. "Or, if you can't help, is there anyone else that you are aware of that is sympathetic to our cause?" Hey, you never know.
"WE CAN HELP." Another voice announced in his mind. A small silver advanced to stand beside the larger female. "OUR KIND HAS EVOLVED SINCE THE DEPARTURE OF MARKOR AND HIS CLAN TO YOUR WORLD." There was understanding and resolve in the mind voice.
"If you don't mind me asking, in what way? I'm sorry, but I don't see any evidence of technology, and the Goa'uld are very advanced." Carter said quietly and apologetically.
"THAT IS TRUE. WE HAVE NO NEED OF.......... TECHNOLOGY, AS YOU NAME IT." Shier responded. "WE HAVE EVOLVED AS A RACE, AND HAVE MORE POWER TO CALL TO OUR AID."
"Don't forget our lesson with the Nox." Daniel muttered to both of us. Like I needed reminding. But Daniel just loves to remind me of when I've made a blunder. I grunted at him, waving him into silence.
"Then I thank you for your......" I broke off, turning back to the dragon's. I admit, I was speechless once more. The dragons had changed. Grown smaller and... stranger. They weren't dragon's anymore. They weren't human, either. They were definately alien.
"Oh." I heard both Daniel and someone else, more than likely Dennis, utter behind me. I'd have loved to been able to say that. The one that had been Shier blinked at me. The one eye placed in the centre of the forehead remained open. The other two blinked, and I found that completely disconcerting. The lips curled up (all three of them) and I saw a flash of vivid blue behind. I glanced at Carter, to note she was doing a very apt impression of a landed fish. I've landed enough in my time to recognise the look. I turned to study the other six forms before us. The four silver were still silver, glistening softly in the midday sun. They, like Shier, had three eyes. Two which blinked, the last did not. It remained passive, staring straight ahead. As if it were decoration. The dragons (?) no longer had ears, but sweeping folds of skin that undulated, as though a breeze had caught them. The folds gathered in at the neck, absorbing back into the body close to the shoulders. The bodies were elongated, tapering down into four legs. It reminded me of those horse/men things from ancient Greek.... Centaurs. But these guys weren't even half human.
"Oh." I heard Daniel repeat.
"Uhuh." I agreed. Whoopee, I had control of my vocal chords again.
"We are Unyo." Shier sang. Her voice was soft (thank god) and it was audible (repeat praise). "You know us as the Ancients."
************************
The First Race Chp 6 - Shock
"Holy Hannah." Sam breathed. It wasn't often I heard her say it, but I figured now was as good a time as any.
"Um. Pleased to meet you." I ventured. What else could I say to these guys? Take me to your leader? Done that one already. If we were to believe Shier (and I could see no reason not to) then these guys were the people that built the Stargates. And downloaded all the information into my head a few years ago. That was a lovely experience. A person never realizes how much they rely on language until they can't use it.
"How?" Daniel asked what was in all our minds. I glanced at Teal'c and even he was showing expression. Shock and awe came to mind.
"Our previous form, that of what you call Dragons, was a state that all of our people go through until they mature. We have been waiting for these last millennia for news of Markor and his people. Now that we have this knowledge, we will commute to join the rest of our people and pass this knowledge on." Shier told us. She was much more eloquent now that she spoke aloud. I have to admit that watching the three lips move was hypnotic. And considering their appearance, when you took each feature separately and discovered it not to be attractive, the overall impression was one of grace and peace.
"Okay." I responded. My vocal chords had finally come fully back online, and joy was felt. Really. "So, what? The rest of your buddies went on without you?"
"That is correct, Jonathon." One of the silver's responded.
"Ahh, Jack. My name is Jack. Who are you?" I realized that I didn't know any of the other Ancients names'.
"My name is Diam. And if you wish to be known by your idiom, we will abide by that decision. Know that your birth name has true power, however, and that to use it gives you strength."
"Fine. Thanks. I'm strong enough, though. So, you're Diam? Who are the others? Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I kinda like to know the names of the people I'm dealing with, you know?" Diam bowed his head and then gestured towards the other black being.
"This is Wei." He then pointed in turn to his other silver companions. "This is Rhun, Cai and Iain."
"All Celtic." I heard Daniel mumble.
"Pleased to meet you." I muttered. Then I frowned. "So, you offered us your protection, Diam. What exactly does that involve? Just for curiosity's sake?" Diam looked from Shier to Wei and back again, then turned back to me after a nod from Wei.
"We will be in contact with our people within the day. Once we have gained their permission, we will bind you under our Llangoch." I turned to Daniel, an eyebrow raised.
"Directly translated it means The Cave Church. Probably shelter both physically and emotionally?"
"Probably more like physical and spiritual. That other eye there?" Sam was quiet, but nodded toward that eye that I was still uncomfortable looking at. "That eye is where traditionally we believe the third eye is. The spiritual eye. But I think these guys have matured enough that the belief we have is an actuality." Sam quickly shrugged, signaling that she'd offered her opinion and had nothing more to add. I turned to Teal'c, who had more knowledge of the spiritual than us. Hell, I'd only just managed to achieve Kelnor'eem the once, and that was only because I was almost knocked out with fever anyway.
"It does make sense, O'Neill." Was all Teal'c had to say. Damn that guy can be laconic sometimes.
"Llangoch is how we refer to our protection. And Samantha was indeed right. It is our protection both physically and spiritually." Rhun spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and hoarse, as though he'd been eating gravel. Who knows, he may have been. What do dragon's eat? Aside from sacrificial virgins, that is. A thought occurred to me.
"Um." I put up my hand slightly, and received everyone's attention. Including Dennis. "Just a quick question. But this Clangok?" Daniel muttered the correct pronunciation, but I thought I'd gotten it fairly right. It sounded the same, didn't it? "It offers us your protection, right?" Rhun and Cai nodded. "What do we give back in return? I mean, the chances of us getting something for nothing here are fairly low."
"We require only that you learn and unite." My heart stopped for a second. Unite? Unite what?
"Unite what, exactly?" Daniel asked for me. The boy's getting suspicious in his old age. I'm proud.
"Do not worry, Daniel. We do not mean for the two-who-are-not-mates to unite." There was a smile on Wei's face. Even with the extra eye and lips, I could tell she was enjoying our discomfort. Damned higher beings with telepathy.
"We are referring to the images we receive from you of your planet and it's disputes."
"Oh." Daniel replied. Then hesitated. "Oh." Yes indeed. A minor problem, that. I had great difficulty in seeing the Muslims and Jew's putting down their weapons and playing 'house' merely because some small US Military force said please. And we won't even think about the Russians and all the other little -'istans that they're still fighting to get back into the 'fold. So to speak.
"Ahh. Wei. Shier. All of you. What you're asking......" I faded. How to tell them?
"It's pretty much impossible." Sam finished. Okay, that worked.
"Indeed?" Cai spoke. "We do not believe this, Jonathon."
"Jack. My name is Jack." I hate Jonathon. It reminds me too much of an apple.
"Jack. You are a warrior. You have fought for your entire mature life. Yet your greatest desire is to put down your weapons and never have to pick them up again. You have a sense and a dream of unity. It is what you want more than any other thing you know of." Shier spoke gravely. It was a little uncomfortable hearing what you always dreamed of out in the open like that. Thank God, she's turned her attention to Carter. Umm, maybe not so good. "Samantha. You are also a warrior, yet you are also a scientist. Your desire is as Jonathon's is." Really? Well....... "The two of you desire greatly-." Now hang on! "to never have to pick up your weapons of destruction or to leave your homes again." Oh.
"Teal'c of Chulac." Iain turned our attention to Teal'c, who remained silent. "You have seen death and destruction en masse . You yourself have handed out violent and merciless ends to countless men, women and children. Others with your training, with your once strong and immovable beliefs would revel and thrive under the mantel of violence. Yet you, like your team-mates here, wish only to be done with this dispute and go back to your wife and child."
"And Daniel." Rhun regarded the archaelogist. Daniel sneezed and wiped his nose. Allergies. "You who are not a warrior, but whom circumstances forced into a warriors group. You grow tired and sick at each thought of those you have killed or assisted into death. You have never wished this battle. And in that, you have always desired unity."
"The four of you are as different as the directions of the wind. Yet you all stand here, wishing for the same thing. We merely wish it for all of your people." Iain looked at each of us in turn.
"All of them?" Daniel picked up the wording.
"All of them." Cai confirmed. I had the feeling he wasn't just talking about Earth anymore. This was without doubt the most bizarre negotiation I have ever held. To be told that we will be granted complete protection and assistance in the fight with our enemy on one hand, and to be told that the only way to receive this protection would be to establish the time-old dream of peace on earth on the other was a very bitter pill. Very bitter. We had what I believed was the best hope of riding ourselves of the snakes in our sight, but the catch to that was something that was completely unattainable.
"We do not believe that we ask the impossible. To do so would be unjust, and in that we would be just as barbaric as the Goa'uld. You ask for our assistance in defeating the Goa'uld. We do not ask the impossible. Merely the... difficult." Iain told us with a smile. Well, at least these guys had a sense of humour, right? I was just about to reply to that when my watch went off. I checked the time - 2130 hours. We had an hour and a half to get back to the 'gate before the General started having kittens. Again. I've made it a point to try to be on time if I could help it. So that when we did run into trouble, Hammond had a pretty good idea straight away. And in most of the places where we ran into trouble (and it did happen at least once every couple of months) we usually needed help pretty quickly.
"Um... Iain, right? We kinda need to report back to our commanding officer."
"George." Iain confirmed. I started, surprised, but continued.
"Right. We need to have a serious discussion with him. And our leader."
"Martin." Rhun told us the name of the President. That was scary. Hearing an alien naming the president by his first name. Not something I'd like happen every trip through the 'gate.
"You will take Rhun with you." Shier announced. I looked at her, shocked. We would what? "We will what?"
"You will take Rhun with you. It is the only way to convince George and Martin of our authenticity." Shier gestured to Rhun, who nodded, his front legs bending slightly in a bow. "Now, if you will excuse us, we must talk to Dennis and his people. There are explanations and plans to be made." Shier and the others walked away, Dennis following quietly behind. I turned and smiled with supreme discomfort at Rhun, then jerked my head for the others to follow me a short distance away from the... from Rhun.
"It doesn't look like we have any choice but to take Rhun back with us. I'm not happy about the conditions these guys have laid down, but maybe if we take Rhun back with us, we can show him just how impossible world peace would be." Sam and Daniel nodded, while Teal'c just bowed his head slightly. I turned back to Rhun and jerked my head in the direction of the Stargate.
"Well, c'mon then Rhun. We're off to see the wizard." I stepped forward, pulling my rifle up across my body, in a pose that was as natural to me as breathing. It was more than unnerving to find that between one step and the next I'd somehow managed to wind up on the first step leading up to the 'gate.
"What the...." I heard Daniel asked behind me. I spun around, stunned. Rhun stood there, a small smile on his face, his ear-flaps rustling softly.
"I have merely moved us to this destination in a much more efficient manner. Please, take me to your leader." The funny thing was, he wasn't joking. The phrase was delivered in complete seriousness. Which just made me laugh. Carter just tried to hide a smile.
*****
I stepped through the 'gate to the sound of a dying claxon and the General's command to put weapon's down. It was, scarily, the familiar sound of home. The others clattered down the ramp behind me, towing a wide-eyed Rhun with them.
"General Hammond." I greeted my boss, flipping him a casual salute. He returned it, formal and perfect as always. He wasn't paying much attention to me, however. He, like everyone else in the 'gate room, was gazing raptly at Rhun. I didn't really blame them. He was a very curious sight.
"General, sir. This is Rhun. He's a dragon." Rhun walked forward, his feet pinging lightly on the metal ramp, a hand (well, for ease of description, let's call it a hand) outstretched to take the General's.
"It is an honour indeed, George." Rhun replied, bowing his head low. Hammond blinked, but other than that showed no reaction. I was impressed.
"General, I think we should take this upstairs." I suggested, cocking my head in the direction of the de-briefing room. He nodded in reply and invited Rhun and the rest of SG-1 with him up to the board-room overlooking the Stargate. I closed the door behind me, leaving the requisite guard outside. I turned around to see the General looking at me. It wasn't a happy face.
"Colonel, do you want to tell me just what the hell is going on here?" He grated at me in his Texan voice. I winced slightly, glancing at Carter. Bless her, she picked up my signal and cleared her throat.
"General, this is Rhun. He's an Ancient, sir." The General stared from Rhun to Carter and back again. He didn't look as though he'd comprehended what she'd just said.
"An Ancient." He repeated, dully.
"Yes sir." She replied. Daniel, Teal'c and I were silent.
"As in..."
"As in the Gate builders. Yes sir." The General gaped briefly, then pulled himself together and turned to Rhun, who was standing at one end of the table, waiting. For what, I didn't know.
"It is an honour to meet you, Rhun. I am General George Hammond of the United States Air Force. Welcome to earth." It was a speel he had made a few times now. It still sounded funny. I mean, sure, we go 'off-world' once a week. Visit alien planets, alien species and all that. But it was those three words 'welcome to earth' that really made me shudder. Don't ask, I never said I was logical.
"It is an honour to be welcomed by one such as you, George." Rhun said formally. Then he blinked all three eyes and looked at me.
"Please, make your request, Jack." He asked me. Why me?
"Um... General. These guys have something to ask us." George flicked a brief glance at me, then looked back at Rhun.
"Go ahead." He permitted.
"Our people are eager to assist yours in the battle against our ancient foe. However, we cannot and will not give our protection to a race of people that will not commit equally to such protection. While we understand that your people are territorial and therefore argue amongst yourselves, we cannot justify expending our energies and Llangoch to those who would not honour it. We must have unity between you all, or we cannot give you Llangoch."
"Dr Jackson? What did he just say?" Danny cleared his throat and began to explain just who and what Rhun was, and what his people wanted. There were days when I wondered what SG-1 would do without Drs' Jackson and Carter. Carter was putting her own thoughts in on the briefing, while as usual Teal'c and I remained silent unless asked a specific question. It wasn't that we didn't know what the others were saying (okay, so most of the time we didn't, but I had a fair idea this time round), it was just that both of us knew that the other two would explain it all a hell of a lot cohesively than either of us.
"You're not serious, are you?" The General asked when Danny and Carter had finished. He looked at me, and I had a feeling he was waiting for the punch line.
"Yes, sir. He is." I replied, leaning forward and placing my hands on the table in front of me. "Sir, these guys believe that we can achieve....ach, I hate cliché's. World Peace."
"World Peace." The General repeated, then turned to Rhun. "Will you please excuse me for a moment, sir?" Rhun nodded his head, and watched as the General almost physically dragged me into his office.
"Colonel, what the hell is he talking about?" Hammond demanded once the door had closed.
"I know, it's a lot to ask, sir."
"A lot to ask? He's asking the impossible, Jack." Hammond perched on his desk, rubbing a hand over his glowing scalp. "Can we even be certain that he could do what he's promising?"
"Sir," I said with great patience. "This guy's race *built* the Stargate system. They're one of the four races. These guys are serious. I think they can. Besides, I have a feeling we'll be getting an official delegation and 'proof positive' once we've agreed to the terms."
"Agreed to the terms." Hammond repeated, again. I was beginning to feel sorry for my CO. It was a lot to take it. Now that I thought about it, I was accepting it a lot easier and quicker than I usually accept these kind of conditions. I frowned, suspicious.
"Sir, can we just talk to him, see what he has to say, then talk again?" I asked him soothingly. The poor man was getting red in the face. I think it's the stress of dealing with my lovely, challenging team.
"I'll listen, but I can't promise anything. This kind of condition is one that I can't approve myself."
"I kind of figured that out myself, sir." I replied with a grin, and opened the door back up again. I sat down next to Carter, who was watching us with a concerned look in her blue eyes. I smiled in reply, then turned my attention to Rhun.
"Okay, Rhun. We've got a few questions for you guys."
"I am aware, Jon-Jack." Rhun acknowledged. And he got my name right. Almost. "The knowledge that you will have to talk amongst your world leaders and make my existence known to the populace is acknowledged. That is why I came back through the Stargate with you. Your people have been sheltered for more turns that even your historians can remember, and they need to be brought out into the wider universe slowly. Unfortunately, with the Goa'uld threat, you cannot introduce them to the idea of alien cultures as slowly as would deem effective. We must..... throw the Tau'ri in at the deep end and assist them, as you would say."
"You will be the Tau'ri assisted floatation devices." Teal'c observed.
"Life-jackets, Teal'c." Danny replied.
"That is what I said."
"Oh. I admit, I hadn't thought of that part of it." Carter confessed. She had a point. Things could get a little weird. The Tau'ri can be a little xenophobic when it came to alien concepts. Rhun was speaking again, so I paid him some more attention.
"In five solar days, one of our .... Vessels will be within orbit around your satellite. This will give your leaders the knowledge that they require, and assure you all that we do indeed have the capability to protect and assist in the destruction of your enemy, and ours, the Goa'uld. I would ask that you also notify the Asguard, Nox and Tok'ra and apprise them of our intended assault."
"Um...." Daniel interrupted. "I have a question. You guys have been around for millennia, right?" Rhun nodded his head, the ear-flaps rippling gently. "So, if we've just given you notice that your.... Mates and family perished on Earth eons ago, how come it's only now that your seeking revenge? I mean, if you had the power, the ability to do this, why not make a stand centuries ago? Hell, why did you let them get so much of a foothold over the universe? These guys have been raping, pillaging, murdering and enslaving our race and many others for centuries, and you guys have done nothing. Why should we trust you? Can you do anything to help the people that the Goa'uld have destroyed? Can you bring back my wife? Skaa'ra's lost years? Why haven't you done anything?" Carter spoke Danny's name softly and put a hand on his, silencing him. Rhun's head was bowed, in shame, I hoped.
"It is true. We have done nothing to prevent the Goa'uld rise. We have not even protected our own against them. We have no excuse, no reason that could possibly alleviate your pain. But please, know that we also endure pain. Our people have been decimated by the very threat that holds you within it's grasp."
"The Goa'uld." Hammond butted in. "If your own people have been decimated, as you say, by the Goa'uld, how can you help us? Surely if you have such weapons on hand, you would use them for your own defense?"
"We cannot."
"What?" I must have looked like an idiot, mouth agape and eyes wide. "Why the hell not?"
"Part of our... spirituality is to never inflict harm on others for our own well being. It is fatal to us."
"Fatal?" Carter repeated.
"Yes. To inflict harm to protect ourselves is the height of closure. Of selfness. Our race has evolved past that, and to our own horror, we cannot fight back against any offence."
"So how are you going to help us?" Daniel asked, eyebrows raised past his glasses.
"We cannot defend ourselves and inflict harm, but we can defend others. It is that difference that allowed Markor to assist you in your fight before."
"So, the whole reason you guys are so pumped to help us is to assist you?" I asked him, leaning back. He shook his head, flexing and retracting his ear flaps.
"No. Our people had given ourselves to our fate, and were content to move on, move forward. However, before we do, we will assist the Tau'ri through this and offer succor to you."
"Succor. What kind of succor." Daniel asked.
"We will come to that in time. For now, I would ask that you set up a conference with Martin, Simon and Pieter for five solar days from now. That will give Simon and Pieter time to arrive, and myself time to explore this new world."
"Now hang on a second, mister." Hammond ground out, putting a hand up. It was too late, however. Rhun had done that vanishing trick he'd performed on us not an hour ago, and left the five of us staring at the space that was once Rhun.
"Did he mean who I think he meant when he said Simon and Pieter?" I asked Daniel, who nodded gravely.
"Yes. The Head and Director of the UN."
"And we're supposed to ring them up and ask them to fly to Colorado and have an un-defined meeting with some very interesting people?" I continued. Carter and Daniel both nodded. I looked at the General and flung up my hands, effectively handing him the ball. There were days when I was glad I wasn't in charge of the SGC. This was one of them. The General was still looking a little stunned.
"Sir?" Carter prompted him, her voice mirroring her concern. Hammond cleared his throat and looked at us, his number one team.
"Right. Jack, I want you to get in touch with the Asgard. Major Carter, you will contact your father, and Daniel, if you could contact the Nox. Teal'c, please return to Chulak and retrieve Master Bratak and his followers, I think we're going to need every faction of resistance group in on this meeting." Hammond took a deep breath and looked at the *red* phone through the office window. "I'll go and make the call." We all stood up as he walked out of the briefing room, and walked straight over to the Presidential Phone, picking it up after one last deep breath. I wished him silent luck, and then turned to my team.
"Right, you heard the General. Let's get some asses on chairs for when Rhun returns, huh?" They all nodded and we trotted down the stairs.
************************
The First Race Chapter 7 - It's Raining, It's Pouring
I returned from the top of the mountain, having had a brief council with Thor. I'm stuffed if I know how that guy can respond to my hail so damned fast. But he did, and he was going to return in another four days. Carter was still off-world, talking to the Tok'ra council, or so I imagined. Those snake-guys always took longer than necessary to make a decision. Teal'c had returned within hours of going to Chulak, Bratac and friends in tow. We'd put them in visitor's quarters and hadn't really told them anything. We figured we should tell everyone at the same time. Well, not everyone. Pieter and Simon didn't even know aliens existed, so Daniel and Teal'c were preparing a briefing to fill them in.
"Where to, Colonel?" A lieutenant asked. I shook my head to clear it and glanced at her.
"22, please, Lieutenant." I replied, and she punched the button. I watched the floors tick over, about a second a floor. My floor came first, and I exited to the grey tunnels that made up the senior officer quarters. Left, left, twenty paces, right, left, three doors. My quarters. I didn't even think about the directions any more. After eight years of working in this facility, it was instinctive. Eight years. Charlie would be 16 now. Old enough to drive. I quickly thought of something else before I got somber. Or would that be somberer. Is that even a word? I opened the door to my quarters and stepped inside.
I spent almost as much time in this room as I did at home, so over the years I'd made it a bit more Jack-friendly. Hockey sticks and puck against one wall, looking decorative, but every now and then Teal'c and I would go up into the carpark and have a game. Usually when Carter and Daniel were hip deep in research. A few rugs to warm the concrete up, and a Jasmine plant. Night blooming, so it was almost always in flower. I had installed a UV lamp that I had going on autopilot, three hours a day. It worked, and the Jasmine looked fairly happy. Although how you can tell when a plant is happy is beyond my description. I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the roof. Ahh, more concrete. Almost as popular with me as trees. And of course, this oh so comfortable 'bed' that we all get to sleep in. Designed by engineers to achieve the most uncomfortable night's sleep possible, while still coming within the description of a horizontal surface. I'd been lying here about two hours ago, listening to the Doors on CD, when I'd been beamed up into Thor's ship. He and his mate had demanded to know what was so important as to ruin their relief from duty. I'd been very quick to tell them, and they'd decided that it was worth the interruption. However, to make sure I understood just how annoyed they were at the timing, they'd beamed me back to Cheyenne, but above the mountain complex. Hence the walking back to the base. I turned on the CD, and got back to my own brand of meditation. Also known as dozing.
There was a knock on the door a few minutes later, and I called for whoever it was to come in. An airman popped his head around the door and told me that Major and Generals' Carter had arrived on base. I thanked him and headed down to 28 to greet them.
"Hey, Dad!" I called, loping into the briefing room. The ex-General grinned and stood up to pump my hand in greeting.
"Hey, Jack. How are things on the home planet?" He asked me.
"A little not-so-normal, sir." I replied with a grin, and sat down next to him, glancing a smile briefly at my Twic. Cassie had called Carter that one day, then had to explain where it had come from. Apparently, she'd read some book where this child had seen the abbreviation 2IC written down, and had abbreviated it to Twic. I loved the name, and used it regularly, just to get that glare from Carter. The one where her eyebrows lowered, and her eyes glittered with suppressed amusement.
"So what did the snakes say, Carter?" I asked, eyebrows raised. She frowned at me and then looked at her father.
"The Tok'ra Council are a little.... Skeptical about your claims." Jacob replied for his daughter.
"Skeptical?" I repeated. I don't know why I was surprised. Yeah, they were the Tok'ra, but they were still snakes. "Look, we had one of them in this room, not eight hours ago!" I tapped the desk, making sure Jacob knew exactly which room I was talking about. Jacob bowed his head, then lifted it and Selmac was in control. No way on earth, no matter how long I got to live, would I agree to have one of those 'symbiotic' relationships with a snake. No way, no how.
"I'm sure you think you did. But you are very easily fooled. The Tau'ri are a very gullible race, and very naïve." Jacob's voice had that hollow sound to it, which made me shudder. It was an easy way to identify who was speaking, but it still sounded creepy.
"So we're naïve now, huh?" I demanded, incensed. "Look, Selmac, if it wasn't for us, you and your buddy here would be roasting slowly in the deepest pits of hell, with Sokar as company, and your Tok'ra buddies would be no better off!"
"Sir." Carter tried to stop me quietly. I wasn't listening. I was on a roll, and enjoying it.
"For all everyone says we're too 'young', too *naïve*, we've saved numerous butts countless times. And not just Tok'ra butt, but Asgard, Tollan and even Nox butt every now and then. We may not have the technical advances that you guys have stolen from others, but we've got the bloody mental know-how to equal any race out there!"
"That's enough, Colonel." Hammond barked at me. I sat back reluctantly, but hopeful that I'd gotten my point across. Jacob was back in control, and cleared his throat.
"Be that as it may, the council did allow me to come through the Stargate to attend this meeting, so that I could assess if this claim is a true one." I opened my mouth to say something, but the ex-General barreled over me. "It's the best you're going to get from us, trust me, Jack." I grunted in reply, sourly. What else could I say?
"Well, Jacob." Hammond turned his attention to General Carter. "You've got four days until we all convene back here. Why don't you and your daughter go visit Mark? We can do without her for that long." Hammond smiled at Carter as he said this, and she smiled back in reply.
"Jack, wanna come with us?" Jacob asked, and I jerked in surprise. Go with the Carter's to Seattle? Sam looked a little surprised too.
"Ahh, Dad. I'm not sure that I want to intrude on your time with Mark and the kids." I replied, doubtfully. Okay, so maybe the Blackhawks were playing a game in Seattle this weekend, but I wasn't going to let that influence me. Really, I wasn't.
"It's probably a good idea, Sir." Sam replied for her father. Okay, now I'm getting worried. Carter, wanting me to go with them to visit her brother? Yikes...
"That way we can skip out and watch some hockey when the going gets tough." Jacob continued with an evil glint in his eye. Damn the man.
"Sir?" I turned to the General, and he shrugged.
"Teal'c and Dr Jackson are organising the briefing for Sir Andrews and Dr Du Vierte, so I don't see why not. Be back in three days, though." Back by Tuesday. Sweet.
"Weekend away it is!" Jacob declared and stood up. "Hammond, may we commandeer a small plane for the trip?" Hammond hesitated, then nodded.
"I'll notify the local air-base." That was it. We were off to see Mark in Seattle. Me, Dad and Carter. Me and Carter. Me and Sam. Oh God. Is it too late to change my mind?
*****
I was sitting in the second-pilot's seat, with Carter behind me and next to me. Okay, so Jacob next to me and Sam behind me. It was a four seater, had some sort of Indian name that I hadn't paid any attention to. Jacob was tweaking and turning nobs and adjusting this and that, all the while talking to the Tower, and plotting his course to Seattle.
"These things are so quaint." He muttered at one point. I looked at the controls and had to agree. When you looked at a death glider or the Pel'tak console, this would look very... quaint. But it worked. The propellers were spinning madly, now just a circular blur of movement, and the airman below removed the chocks from in front of the wheel and we eased out into the taxiing lane and towards the strip we were to take off from.
"This is Echo Foxtrot Niner Alpha Zero. Clearance requested for take off." Jacob said through his headset. I heard the tower reply, granting us the right to take off. Jacob taxied onto the runway and thrust the plane forward, the little chassis shuddering and shaking as it sped down the runway. I think I may have closed my eyes. Big planes are fine, but these little things always give me the jitters. They're just too small to be of any comfort. We leveled off, and I saw the Moutain in the distance, looming over Colorado Springs.
"Well, you haven't forgotten how to fly these things, even if they are quaint Dad." Sam said from the back seat.
"Like riding a bike." He replied with a grin. Both Carters had their licenses and it had been a coin toss as to who got to fly to Seattle. Jacob had obviously won. The rest of the trip was fairly smooth going. A bit of turbulence half way to the coast, but Jacob managed to bring us into Seattle Domestic without any serious dramas.
It was raining, and believe it or not, I was actually surprised. Prior to leaving, I'd checked the forecast, and it did say that Seattle was expecting a fair day. I said as much to Carter and Jacob, and they both smiled back at me.
"This is a fair day, Jack." Jacob replied as we ran for a taxi, hunching our shoulders from the drizzle. "When Seattle weather mentions rain, other cities would call it a monsoon." Jacob got in the front seat and gave the driver Mark's address. Twenty-five minutes later, we were there. I was a little uncomfortable, but Sam assured me that Mark was fine with me barging in on them. I was withholding judgement.
"Grandad!" A little boy yelled, tearing out of the house and running full tilt at Jacob, who laughed and picked him up.
"Auntie Sammy!" The same boy yelled upon seeing Carter. Then he looked at me and fell silent. "Is this your husband, Auntie Sammy?" He asked. I swear, I wasn't even standing close to her! Jacob cast me an amused glance while Sam explained to her nephew that I was her boss. Mark and his wife, Janelle, were standing on the porch with their youngest. I'd forgotten her name, but smiled at her anyway. She smiled back, then hid her face behind her mother's skirts. I'd seen that reaction all over the universe. Maybe we did have a chance of unity, after all.
"Come in, Dad, Sam. Colonel O'Neill." Mark called, and stepped back inside. We walked in, little Timothy swinging between Sam and Jacob.
"Hello Mrs. Carter, Mark. Thanks for letting me tag along." I shook Mark's hand and nodded at his wife, feeling very outnumbered by Carters.
"It's not a problem, Colonel." Janelle replied, taking my jacket along with Carter's.
"So, what brings you all out here this weekend?" Mark asked, sitting down with his daughter on his lap.
"Well..." Jacob hesitated.
"Dad was in the country and we both got the weekend off, so we figured we'd come down and see you all." Carter looked at me, and I shrugged. "Jack is just tagging along for the hockey."
"Jack, huh?" Mark muttered, looking at me. I was wondering about that as well, but figured I'd ask her later. "That's good. I mean, that you're all here." He looked at his wife, and I saw the discomfort at having both of his family in the house at the same time. Jacob and Carter came as moral support for each other, but I'm sure Mark saw it as the descending Valkyries. Or something else Danny-ish.
"Can I get any of you a cup of coffee? Tea? Water? Something to eat, maybe?" Janelle offered, standing up. I shook my head, checking my watch.
"Thank you, but no, Mrs Carter. I've got a game to catch in about 2 hours, and I need to check into the hotel before then."
"Oh." Janelle tried to make it seem as though she was disappointed that I wasn't staying for dinner, but I could see the relief in both their eyes that my presence wouldn't have to be suffered for too long. Sam nodded at the tea, and Jacob asked for a glass of water, then started in on a mad tickling session with Timothy, who giggled in a high pitch tone that made Mark wince. Too bad, that's what Grandfathers are for, in my opinion. After half an hour of inane conversation and awkward silences, I'd had enough and stood up, clearing my throat gently.
"I suppose I'd better make a move. Gotta game to catch." Thank God. Janelle got my coat, Mark was dialing for a cab before I'd even got the jacket from his wife, and within minutes, there was a blaring horn outside. I walked out on to the porch, with the Carters just a step behind me. "Thank you for having me, Mark, Mrs Carter. Hopefully I'll see you again before we return to Colorado." They both nodded, and I shook Marks hand before I stepped onto the grass, towards the waiting taxi.
"Sir." Sam said softly, and I turned. She looked back to make sure her brother and sister-in-law were gone, then stepped close. "We.. won't be staying with them tonight. I was wondering if we could get together for drinks tonight, after the game... You, me and Dad? Hash this thing out." What thing. Oh, the World Peace thing. Right.
"Good idea, Major. I'll give you a call when I reach my hotel." I pattered her on the shoulder and got into the taxi, giving him my hotel address. She watched me go, a small pout on her lips.
*****
I'd called Carter on her cell, and discovered she was staying in a hotel just down the road. Okay, so maybe it was a twenty minute walk, but it was still closer than her brother's house. I walked into the foyer, a little stunned. These guys were staying in five-star luxury. The lounges looked like genuine antique leather lounges, and the polished wooden floor was covered in thick Persian rugs. It was still 'drizzling' outside, so I was glad of the thickness of the carpet. It soaked up the water pouring from my jacket very well. I did a quick scan, and started in the direction of the desk, when I saw a flash of blonde hair. Carter was waiting by the bar entrance, a smile on her lips as she watched me check out her 'digs'. I ambled over to her, one eyebrow raised in surprise.
"You guys win the lottery or something while I wasn't looking?" I asked, stepping up beside her. I couldn't see Jacob anywhere, but figured he was probably at the bar, grabbing a drink.
"No. But Dad is still getting paid by the military. And he's only on-world every now and then, so he tends to spend up big when he can. Hence this....place." Carter looked around at the décor, and shrugged.
"Nice." I reply. "Where is Dad, anyway." I lead her into the bar, grabbing a table by the wall, facing the entrance. I can't stand having empty space at my back. It's instinctive. And Carter has been out with me often enough to know that I need to face the entrance. I need to know who's around.
"He's not coming. He's gone shopping for the kids." She replied to my question. "And to buy his store of chocolate for the return. Selmac was pestering him." I grinned. Much as I hated to admit it, when Selmac wasn't being all arrogant and Tok'ra-ish, she had a good sense of humour.
"So, what'll you have?" I asked, picking up the liquid menu.
"Whiskey, rocks, please Sir." I nodded, grabbing a waiters' attention, and ordered two Whiskey's on the rocks. We both drank the same thing. Not all that unusual, really. He came back within minutes, drinks on a silver platter. Sweet.
"So, you think we've got a chance at pulling this off?" I asked her after my first sip. Glenfiddich. Damn, this place had taste. She shrugged, playing with her glass.
"To tell you the truth sir, I don't know. It's all well and good for us to want peace and no more war, but what about the other countries? We're American, we're used to the thought that peace and freedom is a God given right. But there are some countries out there that still run on fuedal systems. How are we supposed to convince them that their entire system of government is wrong?"
"It's not just that, Carter." I add, jiggling my own glass to hear the chink of ice, and smell the, oh, so sweet smell of a good Malt Whiskey. I'm Irish, remember? My blood is alcohol. "You think of how long some of the countries in Western Europe and around the Mediterranean have been at war for. God, I was involved in operations in Iraq and Iran during the 80's, for crying out loud. There are men in those countries who have never known anything but war. How the hell are we supposed to go in and say 'hey, you guys are all wrong. We want you to stop fighting the people who have murdered your kith and kin, and put down your weapons. Oh, and we need your help in destroying this big bad alien race, while we're at it.'?" I stared at Carter, trying to get my point across. "How can someone understand what peace is, if they've never had it?" Carter watched me gravely, sipping quietly at her own whiskey. I sat back, a little sheepish. "Sorry, Carter. Didn't mean to go all preacher on you." She shook her head, crunching harshly on an ice cube.
"You didn't, sir. It's just a side of you I've never really seen before." Her head was cocked slightly to one side, regarding me. It was a little disconcerting.
"What side?"
"This desire for peace. You've got some very strong opinions on the subject." I shifted, feeling a flush rise up my neck. Damned fair skin.
"It's not that. It's just...." I faded off, stumped. "Okay, subject change now." I cleared my throat, suppressing a mischievous grin. "So, barring all things falling down around our ears, and not achieving unity, as Rhun puts it. What are we going to do with the rest of our lives, once those pesky snakes have been put to the ground?" It was something I'd been conscious of since Shier and Wei had offered us Cla...clu.... That shelter thing. I watched as Carter frowned, then her eyes widened as she realised what I wasn't saying. She cast her eyes around the room, looking as uncomfortable as I'd felt seconds ago, then downed the remainder of her Glenfiddich in one gulp.
"I hadn't thought that far ahead, sir." She replied softly, her eyes a twinkling blue. I nodded gravely in reply to her unspoken message. Give me time to adjust, she was saying.
"Well, I suggest you do think about it. I have a feeling we'll be out of a job, as such, very soon." I toasted her and drank the rest of my whiskey in one gulp, feeling the fire burn all the way down
*****
It was raining, and I'm talking the Seattle version of rain, buckets and gallon-drum drops of rain pelting the pavement and turning the roads into rivers, when I left Carter's hotel for my own. I stood under the shelter of the front pagola-thing, looking out at the sheets of rain, and then shrugged, stepping out into the wet evening. I didn't care. I'd had a good couple of hours in both the Carter's company, (Jacob having arrived a few hours into the night, and joining us for a few drinks before heading upstairs for a chocolate binge) a few good whiskeys and was feeling mellow. Okay, so slightly 'tispy' as Carter had so charmingly slurred. And yes, she did mispronounce the word. I grinned, remembering her very sloppy salute as I left her at her hotel room door, having opened it for her seconds before. I trudged back to my hotel room, oblivious of the pouring rain that soaked me to the skin. My team had won the game, Carter had declared her undying love for (no not me, unfortunately) oysters kilpatrick, and I could see the end was nigh for the Goa'uld. The world couldn't get better. Well, it could, but that was against regulations, so best not to think about that too much. For now anyway.
*****
Mark had invited us all to an indoor barbecue. The concept alone was enough to boggle the mind, but we'd all agreed. It was some kind of huge indoor funpark for children. I suppose with the amount of rain Seattleans' get during the year, they had to do something radical to allow the kids to play. I didn't mind. The thought of spending the day with little Timothy and Shanelle was nice. I always got on with kids. They were uncomplicated and very easy to love. So I rocked up at the swanky hotel of Jacob and Carter's at about 0900 the next morning, all kitted out for a day of fun. Carter had just shaken her head, and Jacob had smiled. I didn't care, I had a reputation to uphold. Scuffed boots, jeans that I'd had since last millennia, polo shirt and of course, my leather jacket. Don't leave home without it, as the saying goes.
"Nice jacket, sir." Carter remarked, getting in to the front seat of the hire car, grinning at me. So I was never without it when in civvies. Sue me.
The place we were going to was a twenty-minute drive from the hotel, and of course it was raining. It was a huge ware-house like structure, with a glass dome on the roof, letting in natural light, I presumed. I got out of the car and heard screaming kids and sighed contendedly. It was a sound that I never grew tired of. We walked around the funpark for about ten minutes before giving in and ringing Mark's cell. Carter and her brother had a half-yelled conversation over the din of the funpark and I saw him finally, waving from about thirty metres away. I waved back and started in his direction, Jacob dragging Sam behind him.
Three hours later, I was exhausted, Timothy and Shanelle were greadily eating their burnt sausages, and the rest of us were digging into salads and steak. If nothing else, playing with the kids allowed me to mostly ignore Carter's brother. I love Carter and Jacob, don't get me wrong, but Mark is a bit too much to take. No scratch that, he's way too much in anything but the smallest of doses.
We escaped back to our hotels, and I decided to get some shopping done. It was Cassie's 'nominated' birthday in a few weeks, and by the look of things, I wasn't going to get another chance to get her anything. I mentioned as much to Carter, and she begged to come along. What is it with women and shopping centers, anyway? I thought I go in, suss out the DVD she's been crying for, for the last three months, along with those little purple cushions Janet said I should get from that furniture shop that's the latest craze right now, and get out again. 30 minutes, tops. That was the idea. Then Carter came with me, and I ended up standing outside dress shops while she ummed and ahhed over colours. For three hours. She finally decided on the dress that she'd seen first. Yep, you guessed it. We could have been out of there in time for the highlights from the game the day before, but Carter just had to make sure it was the best dress for Cassie in the place. I had debated ordering her to buy something after the first hour, but I didn't think she'd follow my command. She'd had that hunting look in her eye. I remembered that look from when we got that savage-inducing virus a few years ago. At least I learnt something from that day. Don't get between a female and what she wants.
Carter and her father had made plans to go out that night, and I spent my night in the hotel room, eating room service and watching some kind of Australian football on Fox. And what the hell are Warratah's when they're at home? It hurt just watching. The following day we were headed back to the airport, with a quick stop by to Mark's again for a farewell, and a few presents for the kids that Carter 'just had to pick up' while we were shopping yesterday. I'd stubbornly refused to make any correlation between our shopping excursion yesterday and my efforts with my ex-wife in that aspect. Being Irish can come in handy for that kind of thing.
The little plane took off into the howling rain and we were air-born once more. I breathed a sigh of relief, still uncertain as to why I'd been asked along for this weekend. It was about an hour into the flight, and Carter was asleep in the back of the plane, her head pillowed on my leather jacket, when Jacob cast a quick glance back at his daughter, then turned to me. Suddenly he was no longer Jacob, the guy I called 'Dad' and joked around with. He wasn't even the retired USAF General, or Tok'ra Council representative. Suddenly he was Mr Jacob Carter, Samantha Carter's Father. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the next few minutes of conversation. I looked bleakly at the clouds and land below us, wishing desperately for a parachute.
"What do you think you're doing, Colonel?" He grated in the voice that all good officers cultivated. The one that said 'you will answer me or pay dearly, boy'. I swallowed and obeyed the silent command. Well, kind of.
"Sir?"
"Don't 'sir' me, Jack. Answer me. What do you think you're doing?"
"Ahhhh..." It was pointless, but I had this impulse to continue playing dumb. That is until he glared at me, both Tok'ra high-councilman and General of the US Air Force aura's combined. No one can resist that glare. Trust me, I tried. "Sir, I'm not doing anything, really." I reassured him. Those clouds were looking more attractive, even without the parachute.
"So you're playing with her?" He grated, twisting the controls slightly and dipping the plane gently sideways. I swear it was to get rid of temptation, because the clouds disappeared and all I saw was wing and sky. Damn.
"No, sir!" I objected to his accusation. Playing with her? God, do I wish!
"Then what?" The clouds were back again. But they offered no escape now. I was trapped in this tiny tin can with one slumbering Carter, and one annoyed Father. Not a good place to be.
"Sir, nothing has happened, I swear it. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her career. Besides, regulations....." Names hadn't been mentioned, but we both knew exactly who we were talking about. My heart was beating like a machine gun.
"So what Anise reported when Martouf died was incorrect."
"What exactly did she report, sir?" I asked in return, glancing back at Carter when he mentioned Marty. I hadn't been his most ardent fan, but Carter had been attached to him. She had snuggled further into my jacket, dreaming something good. Or so her smile told me.
"A certain confession from you concerning her." Jacob replied in answer to my question.
"Concerning Anise?!" I was shocked. Okay, so she'd tried something on, but I thought we'd gotten past that without too much egg on either face and with my tonsils intact, as well. Bonus.
"Jack!" Jacob snapped. "Pay attention." He stayed silent for a moment, thinking. I waited, holding my breath.
"If regulations......" He started again, after glancing at the clouds below us. I wasn't the only one looking to end this conversation, and fast. It made me feel a little better. "If regulations were not a problem....." He left the rest up to me.
"Sir, you wouldn't see either of us for dust, if not for the regs." I replied. "Of course, she'd have something to say about it as well." I glanced again at Carter, and saw her blue eyes staring back at me, perfectly composed and aware.
Oh, shit!
I panicked, and felt my heart stop for a few precious seconds, but then her mouth curled slightly in reply to my look, and her eyes closed again, the smile staying about the fringes of her lips. The minx had been faking sleep all along. The part of me that wasn't completely freaked by what she had heard was proud of her acting ability.
"Good. I'm glad you remembered that she has a say in this as well." And that was the end of the conversation. A few minutes later, he spoke again.
"I thought you'd want to know that it's raining in Colorado."
"What else is new?" I replied, hulking down in my seat and staring grimly at the clouds below us.
************************
The First Race Chapter 8 - Unexpected News
Jacob was right. It was raining in Colorado Springs. Which was just fine with me. What's a bit more rain? Jacob had landed wihout much more conversation, concentrating solely on getting the plane touched down without any major thuds or bumps. He succeeded, kind of. I exited the plane, rubbing my forehead to ease the slight stinging from hitting the roof and was instantly reminded that I didn't have my jacket on. It was freezing cold, the rain driving hard against my back. I swear the bloody rain was frozen by the time it hit me. I snarled, reaching back in to pull my jacket from the seat, and grimaced at a snickering Carter.
"Shut up, Major." I growled, then dashed for my truck. Ahh, warmth. Well, lack of rain, any way. I jerked my car keys out of my pocket and started her up, letting the engine purr into life. Nothing like the sound of a well kept Chev. The heater was turned on within seconds, and I backed her out and drove over to the plane, close to the cargo hold. Jacob dashed out and opened the cargo hold door on the plane, and we both threw the luggage into the back of the truck and ran for the warmth of the cab again. Sam had already settled in in the passenger seat, and was fiddling with the radio, moving it from my station to hers. Jacob hopped in beside his daughter, putting us all nice and close together. I put the truck in gear and left the airfield behind us.
The drive to the base was quiet. There wasn't much any of us wanted to say to each other. At least, not with the third present. I had plenty to say to Carter, but not with Jacob present, and more than plenty to say to Jacob, but not with Carter present. I had a feeling it was the same for the other two, as well.
We all flashed our security badges and I opened the tailgate when we got to Cheyenne, letting the air-men inspect the vehicle under the shelter of the guardhouse overhang. Normally we didn't need to do this. There was a carpark outside the perimeter, and the staff would all park out there and walk in, but with the rain lashing the car and road as it was, I wasn't going to make Jacob walk in it. We got the go-ahead, and I continued on into the mouth of the mountain.
"See you tomorrow, Dad." Carter said, rolling down the window after her father had gotten out. I'd pulled over outside the first entry into the underground complex.
"That you will, Sammie." He replied, touching her cheek softly. He nodded at me and entered the base. I backed the car up, did a three point turn and drove off base, turning left towards Carter's place to drop her off. I hesitated about mentioning the conversation Jacob and I had had in the plane just an hour ago, but Carter brought it up anyway.
"Dad is very protective of me." She said quietly, watching the wind-screen wipers clearing the rain away. I nodded in reply, my free foot tapping along to the song on the radio. It sounded familiar, but don't ask me what the name was. It had a beat and a tune. Unless it was pre-1980 I didn't have a clue.
"He.... He just wants to know that I'm not...."
"It's okay, Sam." Somehow, when we were talking about.... what we were talking about, using the name Carter, or even Major, seemed wrong. She flashed me a quick look, then returned to window-watching. "Everything I said back there was the truth....." I quickly did a mental recall of the conversation and sighed in relief. Nothing too revealing.
"Oh, I know that, si....Jack." It looked like she had the same opinion I did. Talking, even in this constrained way, made it hard to use official forms of address. "He's always been like that. My first ever boyfriend, Erik, was grilled like a recalcitrant recruit when he came by to pick me up. He was put on the couch, and Dad gave him the twenty question talk. Literally. He had a list of questions that he asked Erik, and rattled them off so quickly the poor boy was a gibbering mess by the time I got downstairs. I was just 15, and Erik was barely 16." She smiled in memory, and I could understand Jacob's reaction. I wouldn't want anyone I didn't know taking my Sam out without grilling him. My Sam. Oops, getting a little too possessive there, Jack.
I pulled into her suburb, and realised we only had a few minutes left to talk before I had to leave her. I cleared my throat and checked the traffic, then slowed down a little. Really, I was driving too fast. The speed limits are just that. You should really drive under the speed limit. It's safer, really. No, it had nothing to do with prolonging the trip to her house. Nothing, ya hear?!
"Why did you and Dad want me to come this weekend?" I asked, finally voicing the question that I'd been dieing to ask all weekend. Sam shifted slightly, turning towards me.
"I don't know about Dad's reasons, but Sir, you've been working non-stop for the last nine weeks. You haven't had a break since before Christmas and I figured the only way to get you to stop for a few days was to take you out of the way of temptation."
"Carter, I'm not you. I'm not a workaholic. I just went fishing....." Then I counted the weeks since I'd last been to the cabin and blanched. She was right. There wasn't even snow on the ground, last time I'd been to the cabin.
"Exactly." She said with a smile. "Since before we went to PB9 831 and got caught in that little debate." Little debate. Huh, more like World War III. We'd gone through the Stargate into what looked like a nice peaceful planet, and ended up in the middle of a war that covered the two major continents. It took us over a week to get home, and by that time Danny was limping (again), I was black and blue and Teal'c was in dire need of a haircut. An unshaved Jaffa is not an attractive sight, let me tell you. Sam had somehow managed to get through the entire week unscathed. I never did ask her how she managed that.
"But that was early December." I objected.
"Sir, after that we had debriefing, and then you had to go on the debriefing to the Joint Chiefs with General Hammond. Then we went back to P3W 752 to continue the negotiations we'd started in November. Which you then had to table and report on. Meanwhile, Daniel and I went with SG6 back to Sumora to get some more data on that new metal we'd found. And then the Tokra thing."
The Tokra thing had involved all of SG teams 1, 2, 5 and 8 as well as a few Tok'ra guys in a full-on assault of a Goa'uld stronghold to free about 5 Tokra representatives and a phase shifter... thing. Our newest Tokra ambassador, Portia, had somehow managed to convince Hammond that this was a good thing that we both needed access to, so off we went, once again at the snake's beck and call. Although kicking so much Goa'uld butt was a lot of fun.
"Then, just before this last mission, you and Teal'c were training up the new Shol'va Jaffa that have defected. How many hours a day were you out training? And how long?" Carter continued her point. I coughed, uncomfortable.
"About 15 hours. And about two weeks." I confessed.
"Right. So when I told Dad how much work we'd all been doing, and he saw you, he figured you needed a break."
"What do you mean, when he saw me?" I pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine, insulted.
"Sir, the bags under your eyes have 60 litre backpacks." She told me, smiling. She opened the door slightly and turned to me.
"I'll see you tomorrow at 0800 on base, Colonel." Then she grabbed her bags from under the tarp on the tray and dashed for her front porch. I stayed and watched her go in, then started the truck up and went home, myself.
*****
Danny and Teal'c had done a fair job of getting together a presentation to explain who the SGC was, and what we'd been doing in the last 8 years. I was impressed, as was the General. Once they'd finished their final run through, with the rest of us as captive audience, Hammond nodded his approval.
"Very good, Dr Jackson, Teal'c. Sir Andrews and Dr Du Vierte are due to arrive at approximately 1000 hours this morning. We've organised for them to be shown directly into the breifing room. I want you all to be on your best behaviour for this meeting." For some reason, the General cast a quick glance in my direction. Like I'd do anything to screw this up? ...... On purpose, I mean.
"Major, I want you to give Dr Du Vierte a more indepth explination of the functions of the Stargate. Nothing too heavy, just remember that Dr Du Vierte is a mathmetician as well as a ecologist." Carter nodded, and I could see the thoughts already running around in her head. The General checked his watch and then stood up.
"Right. Be back here in one hour please, people." And we were dismissed. Daniel held true to form, and immediatley asked for more reassurance for his presentation.
"It was alright? I mean, it didn't get bogged down in the whys and hows?"
"It was fine, Danny." I reassured him, patting his shoulder.
"I wouldn't worry, Dr Jackson." Janet told him. "I found out more about how the Stargate works in the last 20 minutes than I ever knew before. It'll be fine." He smiled at her, and then pushed his glasses up nervously.
"This is almost worse than the original presentation I did when I figured out how to work the damned thing." He complained, and I immediately smiled.
"At least you don't have to hand out starcharts to everyone this time." I told him, remembering the bumbling scientist I'd first known. To look at him now, you wouldn't recognise the Dr Jackson from the first mission. It was almost like he was a different person. "C'mon kids, let's go get ready for the party."
*****
I fiddled with the collar of my Dress A's once again. I hate wearing them almost as much as I hate the Goa'uld. I'd once imagined that my definition of hell would be a Goa'uld blending with me while I was in dress uniform. And staying in dress uniform for the rest of it's life. Shiny medals included. Carter saw me fiddling and smiled at me. She hated her uniform as much as I hated mine, she was just better at hiding it. Daniel got the best of the deal, being civilian. He was wearing his usual coat and slacks, no tie. There are days that I envy the man. The breifing room had changed slightly in the last hour. The blast doors were shut, and everything had been given the once over. The smell of polish and cleaning fluids hung in the air, as did the smell of coffee that was drifting over from the percolator. I'd seen Daniel raise his head and sniff the second we'd come in and then his shoulders had relaxed slightly. I imagined he figured he had a ally in there, aside from us.
General Hammond had gone topside to meed Sir Andrews and Dr Du Vierte and escort them down, so for now it was just us. Teal'c wasn't in the room, and wouldn't be until later. Our coupe de grace, as Carter had put it. If they don't believe us prior to Teal'c, they gotta believe after. Juniour is a very convincing little snake.
I started pacing again, trying to relax. It was a vain hope, but it let me do something. I hated meetings, and this kind of meeting never went smoothly. The two best outcomes were out right disbelief or extreme xenophobia. Neither is really a good option, when you consider what we're up against. Carter and Daniel watched me for a few rounds, then started talking quietly to each other. Not that I blamed them. It would be boring watching your CO walk up the room, then down the room, then up the room..... you get the picture. I finally heard General Hammond's voice and stopped, looking at the door, waiting for them to come through.
"Inside, please gentlemen." Hammond said, and in walked the UN Chief and Deputy. It was interesting to see them in the flesh. They weren't quite as overpowering in person, which helped us all, I'm sure.
"Sir Andrews, Dr Du Vierte, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter and Dr Daniel Jackson." Hammond introduced us, and we all shook hands and finally sat down. Daniel, Carter and I on one side, Hammond, Andrews and Du Vierte on the other. There was a brief silence, then finally Daniel spoke.
"Would either of you like a cup of coffee?" He asked, and then dashed to the perculator. I hid a smile in a cough, and then picked up a glass of water to wet my throat.
"Thank you, but no." Du Vierte said, in a soft French accent. "I would, however, like to know what this is all about. Three days ago, Simon and I got a message from the President of the United States, saying that he had a matter of international security that needed to be discussed, and then gave us instructions to come here. I'd like to know what you all know that Simon and I do not." Hammond and I hesitated, unsure. How do you tell someone something like this? Daniel took the situation out of our hands, bless the boy.
"Sir Andrews, Dr Du Vierte, we have a presentation that we would like to show you, that will explain everything. It should answer a lot of the questions that are plagueing you right now. However, I do ask that you save all your quesitons for the end of the presentation, and suspend all doubts until that time. You may have difficulty believing what we have to tell you, but please be reassured that all we are about to tell you is true, with absolutely no fabrication." Daniel took a deep breath and picked up the remote, dimming the lights and turning on the screen in front of us all.
"In 1922 in the Giza strip, an ancient artifact was found........." Daniel started the presentation and I sat back to watch their faces.
*****
Fourty minutes later, the two UN representatives sat there, speechless, staring at the display, a continuous loop of the Stargate engaging and shutting down. There was silence for several minutes, broken only by Daniel heading once more to the percolator to refill his mug.
"I.... I would claim that you are indeed trying to fool us, save for the fact that Martin called us himself to request this visit." Andrews shook his head, stunned. "This is very... hard to take in, you understand. There are ... alien's out there. Real little green men."
"Not green, sir." I told him. "We've found grey, blue, a couple of humanoid races but no green men. Green insect things that are invisible.... Ahh, never mind." I faded off after a glare from Hammond. I was trying, give me that much.
"And they're not all out there, as you put it." Daniel added. "One of our team, SG-1, is a Jaffa." Daniel sat down and looked at Andrews and Du Vierte. "You remember how I explained the Jaffa? Enslaved humans that have been genetically altered to hold the larval Goa'uld until maturity? Well, one of our team is a Jaffa. His name is Teal'c. If you wish, you may meet him. It may help you to accept this story if you meet one of the characters, as it were." Du Vierte and Andrews exchanged galnces, and then both nodded. Daniel reached for the phone, and muttered a short request into it. Within seconds, there was a knock on the breifing room door.
"Come in, Teal'c." Hammond called. Teal'c opened the door and came in. I was suddenly looking at him through the eyes of Andrews and Du Vierte. He was an imposing sight. His size was not due to anything but breeding, but he had an air of alienness that could not be duplicated. Add to that the gold emblem and the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, so his pouch was clear for all to see, Teal'c at this moment in time was very much an alien. Andrews blanched slightly, and Du Vierte stared with mouth agape. Daniel stood up and walked over to Teal'c, who stood blandly, his eyes resting on the blast doors opposite him.
"Teal'c has requested that we prove to you beyond doubt of the existence of the Goa'uld." Daniel explained to Andrews and Du Vierte. "Remember, this is an immature symbiote, so it will not harm you. However, it is ..."
"Icky." I supplied for him. Daniel glowered at me briefly, then returned to his lecture.
"It is a little off-putting. So please, bear with me." Daniel took one last look at Teal'c who nodded his head calmly. That he was allowing Daniel anywhere near his pouch told me of his desire to see these two men convinced. Daniel reached in and I stopped looking. I heard the high pitched squeal of Junior as Daniel took him out. Within seconds, Junior had been returned to the pouch, and I watched as both Andrews and Du Vierte took a long gulp of their water. Not that I blamed them. I tended to have that reaction myself. Teal'c bowed and exited briefly, returning with a shirt once more over his torso. Thank God for small mercies. A man can feel inadequate against that kind of physique.
"Why.... why have you told us this now. I can understand the need for secrecy. If this was to get out into the general populace, we could have anarchy. But I cannot understand why Martin feels the need for us to know now." Andrews looked at Hammond, wiping his sweating upper lip with his forefinger.
"We have recently come into contact with a race that call themeselves the Ancients. They are the race who built the Stargate. These beings have offered us their assistance in defeating the Goa'uld. However, they have a condition to that help."
"And that is?" Du Vierte was bracing himself, I could see.
"World Peace. Or rather, Universal Tau'ri peace." I supplied.
"Tau'ri?" Andrews repeated.
"It is what the others, Goa'uld, Asguard, call us. Tau'ri. 'Of Terra'. Terra being another word for Earth." Daniel explained.
"They want peace? As in....." Du Vierte faded off, unable to voice the rest of the sentence.
"As in." I confirmed.
"Let me understand something." Andrews was massaging his forehead. "The Goa'uld are a race of.... those things in this man's stomach. And they are on the verge of an all out war with us?"
"That's right, Sir Andrews." Carter spoke up. "The Goa'uld are a symbiotic race that use humans, among other races, as hosts. Since we've been exploring the galaxy we have destroyed several highly placed Goa'uld system lords, and the others now see us as an extreme threat that they must destroy."
'But didn't you mention some sort of treaty that we signed, Dr Jackson?" Du Vierte asked.
"Yes, we did sign a treaty that included us in the Protected Planets listing between the Goa'uld and Asgard. But I believe, as do the Tok'ra, that the treaty is soon to become obsolete. We have become too much of a threat, and the Goa'uld are beginning to realise that the Asguard are not quite as much of a threat to them as they had previously believed. We think it's only a matter of time before the Goa'uld get the courage up to come here and destroy this planet. And with our defences the way they are, it wouldn't be hard." I remembered Daniel telling us about that dream he'd had that his step-son Shifu had given him. How he'd destroyed Moscow with a single shot from one of the Goa'uld weapons. A Goa'uld weapon that he'd devised.
"So the treaty can only keep us safe for so long." Andrews clarified. We all nodded. Teal'c added his own opinion.
"It can only be a matter of time before the System Lords become angry enough to mount a full attack on the Tau'ri and their allies. Since the number of Jaffa defections grow daily, and our destruction of the stronghold of Yu, I believe that we are in more danger than ever before."
"He speaks English." Du Vierte sounded stunned.
"I do indeed." Teal'c confirmed, and I suppresed a smile. It had taken a few years, but it was now easy to see the Jaffa sense of humour. I had noticed, however, that it was only our team that understood his jokes. One of those team-bonding things again.
"So what are we going to do about it?" Andrews got down to business. He looked at Hammond, who looked at me. I debated continuing the chain by looking at Sam, but decided not to.
"Tommorrow, we're going to be having a meeting between all our allies. The Tok'ra, Asguard, Tollan, Reetou and Nox, along with the representative from the Ancients, Rhun. We need to make a concentrated effort to rid ourselves of the Goa'uld. But before we can do that, the Ancients demand that unity thing. World Peace and all that. So we need to get the Asguard and Nox assistance in convincing the people of Earth that there are better things to fight for than a pair of shoes."
"Essentially tomorrow will be a meet and greet. The President will be attending, as will the rest of our allies. We have requested that you both attend on behalf of the rest of the world. Once the meet and greet has been completed, we will go about the rest of the challenge." Hammond told our two guests. He was about to say something else when the klaxon blared announcing an incoming wormhole.
We all looked up. My team and I, because we knew no one was due back in for another eight hours. The two UN guys glanced at the General, looking a little white about the eyes.
"Would you like to see the Gate in action, Sirs?" Carter reasured them by asking. They nodded mutely. She stood up and pushed a button to open the blast doors. They slowly opened, showing the room below us. The grey concrete and metal ramp looked just as sparce and utilitarian as always through the thick glass of the briefing room, but it was, as always, the Stargate that held everyone's attention. The iris was closed, so there was only the blue rippling pool like effect of the gate inside the room. The iris opened within seconds, and SG4 stumbled through, holding up Captain Jones. It looked like he'd broken his ankle, but otherwise they seemed to be unharmed. I glanced at Andrews and Du Vierte and noticed they were wide eyed and open mouthed, staring at the blue pool of the Gate.
"Pretty, isn't it?" I asked, noticing that Hammond had left to find out what had happened to SG4. They both nodded dumbly, still a little shocked. The Gate disengaged, and once again it was a dull concrete room.
"Where.... where did they come from."
"They've just been on an archelogical dig on P4C 653. It's a populated planet in the Orion belt." Carter pointed it out on the star chart off to the side. It wasn't one of the furtherest planets we'd been to, but it was a fair way out.
"How long does it take them to get there?" Andrews asked, looking at the chart.
"We've measured it as about five seconds, give or take a few micro seconds. It doesn't matter where you go within the galaxy, the time is constant." Carter replied. She and a few other SGC members had taken to timing the trip a few years ago, curious about any anomalies within Gate Travel itself. After months of timing and testing, it was discovered that there wasn't any real difference in time when it came to the wormhole travel itself.
"Why is that, Major Carter?" Andrews looked at Carter, his interest sparked.
"It's because of the wormhole itself, Sir. We figure that because the wormhole travels outside physical space, it compresses the distance between here and here." She pointed out Earth and P4C 653. "So that the only time we experience is the actual decomposition and recomposition of the particles of our body. Two and a half seconds for either." I tuned out then, and turned back to the French guy.
"So, Doctor, what do you think?" I asked him.
"I'm.... amazed. Stunned. Speechless. This is unbelievable. And you have been travelling through this....Gate for the last eight years?"
"Yes. The first mission to Abydos was in 1996. A year after that, the SGC was formed, and we've been continually travelling through the Gate since then. I think SG-1 have done over 300 missions in that time." I replied, a little gloatingly.
"342, to be exact." Teal'c told me.
"What does it feel like?" The Doctor wanted to know.
"Cold." Daniel replied, from his other side. "Very cold. The first few times we went through, it was all we could do to move afterward. But Sam figured out a way to fix that. It was actually our decomposition process here that was falling down slightly. Something to do with the power fluxuations.... Anyway, it's better now. It's like a rollercoaster in the dark. With no sound, and no feeling. A sensory deprivated rollercoaster."
"Only better." I added with a grin. "You get out the otherside, and you're on some distant planet, where no American has ever been before, and there's all these different suns and planets and stars that you can see."
"Indeed, since joining SG-1, I have seen more unique cultures than in my capacity as First Prime of Apophis." Teal'c agreed.
"Colneal, Sir Andrews wants to have a look at the cartouche we retrieved from Abydos." Carter stated. I nodded and we filed out to give the VIP's the grand tour.
Daniel, Janet and I were talking in hushed tones, seated round one of the metal tables in the commissary, polishing off what was left of our lunch. There weren't that many personnel in the room at this time of the afternoon, but voices carry, and we didn't want just anyone listening in.
"Well, it was easier than I thought it would be." I confessed to Daniel. He was nodding, gulping down some of his chocolate cake.
"If you explain in enough detail, there shouldn't be too many questions." He confirmed.
"So what's going to happen now?" Janet asked, sipping her herbal tea, looking from me to Daniel and back again. It was a good question. Luckily, I'd had enough time to think this through a little bit over the last few hours. Carter had been involved with Andrews, explaining the technical wonders that we'd brought back through the gate, and Daniel and Hammond had been taking Du Vierte through the cultural and alien relations we'd made.
"Well, all the teams are in, barr SG-11, so I've sent out a couple of messages ordering everyone to gather in the Gate room at 1700 hours."
"Are you sure we want to do this now?" Daniel asked me, sitting back and glancing at the swinging doors, checking for unwanted visitors. I nodded at him.
"Hammond asked me to arrange it for tonight. We're going to all be far too busy for anything else tomorrow, and it's been waiting for three weeks now." I checked my watch and groaned.
"Fair enough. Don't you have something you need to write?" Daniel arched a brow at me and I nodded reluctantly, getting up and leaving them alone.
*****
By 1630 hours, I had a rough draft that would just have to do. I wasn't a speech maker by anybodies standard, so people tended to cut me some slack when it came to things like this. As orded, all the on-world SGC teams had gathered in the Gate room, along with General Hammond and myself. I had no idea where Andrews and Du Vierte where, and didn't really care. Daniel and Carter came in a little late, Daniel having distracted her momentarily. She stopped and stood wide-eyed for a second, then carried on.
"Major Carter, front and center." Hammond commanded from beside me. I was surppressing a grin, but I knew that I looked slightly smug. I couldn't help it. Carter walked up the ramp and stood in front of Hammond, sharply at attention. Hammond looked at the others assembled and cleared his throat.
"One month ago, SG teams 1, 2, 5 and 8 went through the Stargate on a mission that was fraught with danger. It was a mission to infiltrate and destroy the stronghold of the System Lord, Yu. Not only did those teams achieve the objectives of the mission, but they also put the other Goa'uld Systrem Lords on notice. And for that, they all deserve commendations!" Hell, even I gave a little cheer at that. The rest of the place went off briefly, before Hammond brought them back under control with an up raised hand.
"However, one officer performed above and beyond anyones expectations. Major Samantha Carter single-handedly created the opportunity to not only destroy the stronghold, but to rid us of the threat of Yu himself. She showed extreme courage, initiative and intelligence-." There was a feeling of mirth in the gate room, all of us thinking 'as if Carter could show anything but intelligence'. "- in the face of extreme odds and extreniating circumstances. It is thus, with great pleasure that I received this letter." Hammond held up the letter from the 'man upstairs'.
"Major Carter, it is with great pleasure that I tell you that you have been promoted to the rank of Leiutenant Colonel." With those few words from Hammond, I could finally let go the beaming grin I'd been holding in. Daniel joined me and even Teal'c managed a delighted smile. Carter did a wonderful impression of a landed trout. The rest of the SGC started cheering and yelling. She was a popular Major, and I had a feeling she'd be even more popular as a LC. The General handed me one of the badges for Carter's epaulettes and simultaneouously we removed her current flases and replaced them with the Lieutenant Colonel badges. I was still grinning as I did up the flap and patted her shoulder, then stepped over to the centre of the ramp, getting everyone's attention.
"You all know how short my speech was last time, so I have no hope of beating it." There was a ripple of amusement. Last time, I'd managed half a sentence, before Thor had beamed me up onto his ship. I'm sure it was the shortest speech in military history. "Major... Excuse me, Leiutenant Colonel Carter has been under my command for the last seven years. I can honestly say they have been the most ..... interesting of my career." Again, there were a few smiles scattered around the crowd. "I was a little reluctant to have two scientists on SG-1, but Carter has proveen herself to be more than that. Better than that." I grinned, looking at her blonde head. "She's a soldier. And her tactical ... what was it again? Oh yeah, her tactical suppositioning is a talent that I am in awe of. I know of no-one on this base who is more deserving than Lieutenant Colonel Dr Samantha Carter." The cheers were raucous this time. Daniel grinned and hugged her, and Teal'c stood by looking arrogantly happy. As if to say, she is my team member, of course she deserves it. I didn't blame him one bit. I knew how he felt. Accolades for one of us was accolades for all of us. I was about to announce the presence of alochol and food in the commisary when the General yelled for silence. I turned in surprise.
"Colonel O'Neill, front and center." He barked out, an echo of his ealier command to Carter. I frowned at him, but obeyed. I heard whistles and jeers from behind, which were promptly and efficeintly silenced by a glare from our CO.
"As we are all aware, Colonel O'Neill has been working alongside Leiutenant Colonel Carter for seven years now. It has come to my attention that in the past seven years, Colonel O'Neill has vastly surpassed our expectations. He has helped established many vital allies amongst variuos alien species, and has, with the aid of his team, rid our planet of several 'end of the world' threats. It is because of this, and his .... Unique abilities, that I recommended he be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General."
Holy Mary, Mother of God!
"What!?" Daniel cried for me. Hammond just smiled and pulled out the two .....stars. I admit, I don't remember much after that, but when my mind started functioning on the higher levels again, I had these shiny new badges on each shoulder, both stars. And I needed a chair. I turned to see my team, who were beaming, and smiled nervously back at them. B...Brigadier General. Me. Oh God. Daniel came up, a huge smile fixed on his face, and gave me a rib cracking hug. Teal'c patted my shoulder, almost buckling my knees in the process. That Jaffa just doesn't know his own strength. Then Carter came up, her eyes beaming. She stood in front of me, and saluted smartly. Then we both grinned, laughed and hugged each other. Quickly, platonically, but we hugged each other. And it was just what we both needed.
************************
Chapter 9 - The Summit
Waking up with a hangover the day that we were supposed to hold the conference probably wasn't the smartest idea I'd ever had. But wake up with a hangover I did. A whopping great big one. My head felt like a balloon full of concrete. Add to that the guy with the jackhammer buried in the middle of said concrete trying his hardest to get out, and I was not a happy Colonel. I shook my head, then winced. Not Colonel. Brigadier General. I glanced at my jacket hanging on the coat hanger, and saw the single General's star gleaming from the overhead light. I still couldn't believe it. But the star was evidence. As was the hangover. It had been a large party the night before, all my efforts in arranging Carter's party coming off beautifully. We had run out of alcohol sometime in the early morning, and SG4 had gone searching for more. Which they'd found. In the General's office. I sent a fleeting prayer to all the gods, real and faux pas, that he didn't find out who suggested where to find it. It wasn't a good career move to get busted back to lieutenant the day after you'd been made a General.
I got out of bed and stumbled towards the showers and stood under the hot spray for more than twenty minutes. It didn't help the headache, but it seemed to help with the nausea. Until Captain Saunders and the rest of SG-11 came in smelling like....something.
"Sorry, Colonel. We fell into some marsh land that smelled a little..."
"A little?" I winced, then ran for the stalls. I made it, barely. After cleaning out my mouth, I headed for the commissary, wondering about the phenomenon of throwing up and hangovers. You fight it and fight it, and then when you give in and 'worship the porcelain god', you feel better immediately. I shrugged and opened the doors, heading for the greasy bacon and eggs. Grease after a night of alcohol. God's way of rewarding you for the pain you will feel for the rest of the day. Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were already eating, and they all shot me equally queasy smiles. Aside from Teal'c, that is. He can get as drunk as the rest of us, just as easily. But Junior takes care of the hangover. That is something that I'll never forgive Teal'c for. Never. Daniel wordlessly handed me a memo a few minutes later, after I'd silently and efficiently devoured my breakfast. I read it as I sipped the life giving coffee. I looked up with a raised brow, and both Carter and Daniel nodded.
"That's quick." I said.
"Ya think?" Carter replied, and in my slightly hung-over state, I found her imitation hilarious. I laughed until my ribs ached, then sobered when I noticed the entire commissary staring at me. I gulped the rest of my coffee and 'vamoosed', my team following on my heels.
*****
I tapped on the General's office door and poked my head in. He looked up from his discussion with Sir Andrews and nodded.
"Come in Col-General." He said, and I felt another funny shudder down my spine. I had a feeling it wouldn't go away any time soon.
"You wanted to see us, Sir?" I asked as we all filed into his office.
"Yes, thank you Jack. We've just received word from the Tollan and the Nox that their representatives will be here within the hour. President Bartlett is currently being escorted to this level, and the Ree'tou and Asguard are yet to send word. So, with that in mind, I'd like to get the meet and greet started as soon as possible. I think it would be easiest if we introduce the President and Sir Andrews to the Tok'ra first, then each of the allies in turn. Jack, I want you and your team to keep the others in a holding pattern while each group of allies are introduced." I nodded mutely. Carter and Daniel agreed with slight murmurs.
"Teal'c has already informed me that he believes the Jaffa you helped train will be in position to infiltrate the Goa'uld fleets at any moment, which greatly assists our position."
"Really, T?" I asked, looking at the big black man. He nodded in reply, gravely smug.
"Indeed, Brigadier-General O'Neill." Now that was a mouth full.
"Teal'c, call me O'Neill or Jack, okay? There's way to many syllable's in my new ti-." A white light surrounded me, and the General's office disappeared. Thor. No-one else had the habit of kidnapping me in the middle of a sentence.
Yup. There was that view again. I'd seen it a lot in the last few years, but it was still awe-inspiring. Thor's ship was orbiting earth, and right now we were passing over Africa. I stood watching the view until I heard the door open and figured Thor had turned up. I turned around and there he was, in all his grey glory, with another Asguard following. I know that they didn't feel the cold as we did. He'd explained it to me once, but I'm sorry, the thought of a guy walking around in the middle of space with absolutely nothing on is bound to make one cold. And the grey skin and clammy complexion just added to the feeling of downright frigidity. And I knew all about that, having almost been frozen to death. Not once, but twice. Not an experience I'm keen to re-enact.
"Greetings, O'Neill." Thor said softly.
"Hey, there, buddy. How's it hanging?" I couldn't help it. He never got my sense of humor, and there was no one else around to appreciate it, but I just couldn't help it. It's instinctive. Like breathing.
"I am.... well, thank you O'Neill. My wife, Sif, and I are willing to attend your conference now." Oh.
"Oh...." I went to explain the scattered introductions but before I could get more than that out we were standing in the briefing room and Carter bumped into me as she, Daniel and Teal'c came out of the General's office. I smiled at them, flicking my eyes over when I heard the Gate disengage, and saw the Tollan delegates walking down the ramp. Good, we can introduce them next, at least we won't be hitting Du Vierte and Andrews with the really bizarre aliens right off. Start them off slow.
"Ahh, Jack?" Daniel prompted me for introductions.
"Oh. Daniel, Colonel Carter, this is Thor's wife, Sif. And Thor, of course."
"Greetings once again, Samantha Carter. Daniel Jackson."
"I am honored to finally meet the one who destroyed our most recent replicator threat." Sif said to Cater in a deep, gravelly voice. Turns out that the female of the Asguard had the deeper voice. Go figure.
"Thank you." Carter blinked in surprise, then grinned and held out a hand to Thor's wife to shake.
"Did you say her name was Sif?" Daniel asked. I nodded. "Then that proves the theory!" He cried in a delighted voice.
"What theory?" Carter replied slightly baffled, and I swear, feelings or no feelings, I was tempted to stuff a sock in her mouth for that question. One that SG-11's Captain Saunders had been wearing for the last week on that swamp infested planet. That question just begged a lecture in return.
"In Norse mythology, Sif was the wife of Thor. But Sif translates to mean relative. So many historians didn't think that Sif existed, as a person, per se. A lot of them believed that she was just a convenient way to fill the gap in the family tree. As in Thor and Wife of Thor. But there are a few myths that think she had a bigger role. In *Skaldskaparmal*, which means the Language of Poetry-."
"Daniel! Enough!" I cried, hands held over my ears and my eyes shut.
"Sorry, Jack." I didn't believe him for a second, and scowled at him to show him that. He just smiled innocently back at me.
"Shall we begin, O'Neill?" Thor asked me. I hesitated, glancing at Carter for help.
"Ahh, Thor. General Hammond thought it was best for our representatives to meet each race separately, in an effort to reduce the ..."
"Shock?" I blurted.
"Quite." Carter agreed, with a small grin in my direction.
"So you wish for us to remain in waiting while your representatives are being introduced to a race that is more like to humans?" Sif asked in her gravelly voice.
"Exactly. I hope you understand, but these guys only found out yesterday that aliens existed. Introducing them straight off the bat to you guys would be a little overwhelming." I smiled, winningly.
"That is understandable, O'Neill." Thor bowed his head, then sat on one of the chairs to wait, his feet dangling a foot above the floor. His wife sat next to him, and that was that.
*****
A few hours later, everyone had been introduced to everyone else, and we were all sitting around the briefing room table, one big happy family. Rhun had appeared right in the middle of the Asguard meeting, which had led to a little bit of confusion for the President, Dr Du Vierte and Sir Andrews, but we all survived. Currently, we were all sitting around the large conference table above the Gate room. A brief lull in the discussions had given me the chance to fill my water glass, for which I was grateful.
"Look, this is all wonderful, but there's one more little hurdle we need to get over before we can start celebrating." I announced, after I'd wet my throat. "Unity? Remember, people? Our friendly Ancient over here demands that all Humans unite and 'be at peace' or whatever before he can help."
"So why are we here?" The Tollan representative asked in a snarky tone.
"Because we may just need your help in convincing the people of earth that there is a danger and that aliens do actually exist." Carter replied.
"Look, for decades, we, as a planet, hoped that there were sentient, hell any beings out there. Now we're going to come out of the closet, on the International stage, and say that we were right, and that they're coming to destroy us." I continued. "Either they're going to be so busy laughing that they can't hear us any more or they're going to lock us up in a funny farm and throw away the key."
"We're going to be telling the world that there are aliens, and that they want to destroy us. We need to prove that there are good guys out there too, who are willing and able to help us." Daniel continued. The three of us had been very vocal in this meeting. It was unusual, but none of us could help it. I felt President Bartlett looking at me, and shifted slightly. I knew he was assessing me, and it was uncomfortable. He knew who I was, knew what I'd been, and had probably read every report every written that included my name. That was slightly disconcerting.
"Historically speaking, any new idea, any new theory has been met with ridicule and derision. The world is round? Please! The earth isn't the center of the galaxy? I don't believe you." I took up the slack.
"That's all well and good, Jack." Jacob replied. "But this is an internal problem. It has nothing to do with the Tok'ra, or anyone else."
"That's where you're wrong, General." The President replied. Good, about time someone else got into the fight.
"How so, Sir?" Jacob replied.
"The conditions that Rhun has set down require that the Earth, and all it's descendants unite as one, correct?" We all nodded. "And to do that, we've decided that we have to give the people something to fight against. The Goa'uld is the obvious enemy. But they're not just our enemy. They are the adversaries' of all of us here at this table. So do not sit there, General Carter, and tell me that this is not your fight. We have the chance to rid the galaxy of the influence of a monstrous race that has dominated and enslaved more races than any of us can conceive, and I do not want to sit here and discuss semantics and god-damned political lines." The President looked at each of our allies in turn, his eyes glassy. "We have contributed much to your individual causes, and have taken on high tolls to assist you all, of our own volition. We are asking less of you in return. Civility and honor demands that you reply in kind." He sat back, having made his point. I looked around, and saw a few shamed looks. Good.
"It is time." Thor announced reluctantly.
"Time?" The Nox representative asked.
"The Tau'ri have become a force to be reckoned with in this galaxy." Thor acknowledged. We have? Good on us. "It is thus that we recognise and accept that the Tau'ri are equal, and therefore demand the same regard as the remaining members of the Alliance."
"What alliance?" I asked in chorus with the President.
"Many thousands of years ago, after the departure of the ancients from this galaxy, the Nox and the Asguard formed a new alliance to assist the development and protection of those races that were less advanced than ourselves."
"But we don't have any where near the kind of technology your races do." Carter blurted.
"We do not mean technologically speaking, Colonel Carter." The Nox guy, Flyn, said. "We are speaking in a spiritual sense. Consideration and understanding for fellow beings is the first step. However, concern and empathy for other cultures, other beings' is the second, more important step. Ten years ago, you did not have this understanding."
"That would be because we didn't know aliens existed." I pointed out.
"Precisely, Brigadier-General O'Neill. It has been a very fast learning curve for you all. However, we believe that you have achieved this understanding."
"Sweet."
"Who else is in the alliance?" Daniel asked Thor.
"The Nox, the Furries, the Tok'ra and ourselves." I was so tempted to ask why the Tollan were not part of the alliance, but decided that diplomacy was the word of the day and held my tongue.
"How come we haven't met the Furries yet?" Daniel muttered and got a glare from Carter for his efforts.
"What exactly, does this mean for us?" Hammond asked, sitting forward. "What obligations does this place on us."
"None that your conscious does not already place you under." Flyn reassured the General. Like we all believed that. But for now, it would do. President Bartlett stood up, making the rest of the Human's do the same.
"I would like more information on this alliance, if it pleases you, Thor." He said softly to our grey buddy. Thor nodded in response. "Until such time as we have achieved unity, please go about your normal routine. We will contact you again once we have achieved our first goal." However long that took. We all thought it, but no one uttered it. Aren't we all well behaved? The officials all filed out, Thor and Sif taking the easy way home by beaming up to their ship. Which just left us SGC members in the board room.
"God, I'm glad that's over." Hammond sighed with a huge breath. I agreed.
"So now what?" Daniel asked, getting a third cup of coffee.
"We wait for the President to organise an international press conference. Which we will all attend. Along with Teal'c." He looked in mute apology at the big Jaffa. Looks like he was going to be monkey boy again. Teal'c just bowed his head in acknowledgement of the apology, fully understanding what was likely to happen.
"How long?" Carter asked, staring at the water patterns she'd been making with the condensation from her glass.
"A day. His staff have been preparing for this day for seven years now. They've pretty much gotten the speeches down pat."
"A day? Damn."
"I suggest you all go and get some time alone. After tomorrow, you're not going to be able to scratch your..... blink without someone knowing about it in Argentina." Hammond stuttered over the word blink, and I had a feeling that wasn't the first word that came to his mind. He may be a General now, but he was a young officer once.
"Sir." I saluted and exited, my team following on my footsteps.
"Dinner at my place, guys. BYO." I told them, then headed for my quarters to get out of my uniform and into something comfortable.
".........he only means alcohol, Teal'c. BYO generally means bring your own alcohol. Nothing else......" I heard Daniel explaining to the big man as I turned the corridor. I grinned. Some things never change.
*****
*****
WOO HOO end of Part 1!!!!!!!!
Part 2 UNITY up whenever I get around to finishing it...... lol
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