continued from above
“General Hammond wants me to return to the SGC. Daniel found a Goa’uld artifact in Chicago.” Sam told Jack.
“Chicago? What’s he doing in Chicago, I thought he was supposed to be on Abydos with Sha’re?” Jack exclaimed.
“The General said something about Daniel’s old college professor dieing…or something.” Sam said squinting at the note.
“Oh man…poor Daniel.” Jack said sadly. “Well let’s go then.” Jack said, lifting Sam down from the counter.
“The General only ordered me to return…sir.” Sam said, kissing Jack on the cheek to soften her words. “I think it best if only I go back; it might arouse suspicion if you come with me…we knew that this would happen eventually.”
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t have to like it.” Jack muttered, kissing Sam on the lips. “But call me if you need me…my, uh…help, that is.”
“Yeah…your help…I’ll do that…since I’m needy for you already.” Sam said before scampering out of his reach and out the back door.
“Oh man, why’d she have to tell me that?” Jack groused.
“Women can be evil that way.” Michael said, thinking of his own fiancée, Maria. “See ya later.” He said before following Sam out the back door.
Jack did not respond; his mind occupied with finding ways to survive this first hurdle in his and Sam’s new relationship.
~*~*~*~
Back at the SGC, the Stargate opened to allow Sam Carter to come through the worm-hole.
“Welcome back, Major.” The General greeted her from the foot of the ramp.
“Thank you, sir.” Sam replied. “What’s this about Daniel and a Goa’uld artifact, sir?”
“Let’s go up to the briefing room and I’ll bring you up to speed. How’re things going back on Antar?” The General asked as they both walked out of the Gateroom.
On the way, Sam explained the trouble they had been having with training the Anterian soldiers and then gave an edited version of how she and Jack had overcome the problem. No reason to tell Hammond how the two of them had finally admitted their mutual attraction and love for each other, while they demonstrated martial-arts techniques…each of them sweaty…and sexy as all get out. As they entered the briefing room, a sergeant was hanging up the phone.
“Dr. Jackson’s on his way down, sir.” He said.
“Thank you, Sergeant.” General Hammond said, dismissing him with a nod.
“So…what’s going on with Daniel?” Sam asked again.
“Just before he and Mrs. Jackson were due to leave for Abydos, Dr. Jackson found out that his old archeology professor…his mentor, had been in an accident and was in critical condition in a Chicago hospital. He was desperate to see Dr. Jordon before it was too late, or…to attend his funeral if he was. Dr. Jackson escorted his wife through the Stargate to Abydos and into the care of her father, Kasuf before returning to the SGC. I had arranged a flight for him and he left as soon as he could. Now…a few hours ago, he called me to tell me that he had found some sort of Egyptian artifact at the University’s museum…and it had Goa’uld symbols on it. He’s bringing it here and wants you to analyze it for him.”
“Of course, sir.” Sam agreed understanding. “Hey, Daniel!” She greeted her friend as he entered the room.
“Hey, Sam; General.” Daniel greeted them, a brief smile on his face.
“Dr. Jackson, could you please explain in greater detail what exactly is going on here?” Hammond asked.
“Yes, sir.” Daniel said as he placed his carry-on upon the table and opened it.
Out of the bag he pulled the box containing the Isis jar and opened it in turn. He then proceeded to explain the use of canopic, or burial jars in ancient Egyptian burial ceremonies wherein the deceased’s organs were removed and placed in these jars before the body was mummified. But, Daniel explained the Stewart Expedition had found no sarcophagus…so what was in this jar?
“These Goa’uld symbols say ‘Hako Kra Kera’k Shree’, which means ‘banished to oblivion’…I should have double-checked with Teal’c, but I’m reasonably sure that I’m correct.” Daniel explained. “The Egyptian hieroglyphs on the sash identify the jar as belonging to Isis, who was the Egyptian mother-goddess.”
“A Goa’uld?” General Hammond asked.
“That’s possible, see Isis was a consort of Osiris, supposedly the first Pharaoh of Egypt and according to legend he was placed in a magic box and dropped into the Nile by his brother, Seth.” Daniel explained.
“Now there’s a name I recognize.” General Hammond said remembering SG-1’s run-in with the Goa’uld only a few months before.
“The Goa’uld symbols indicate that Isis and Osiris suffered some sort of punishment or…banishment.” Daniel continued.
“Where to?” Sam asked.
“I have no idea.” Daniel admitted.
“Major, I want the contents analyzed.” General Hammond ordered.
“Yes, sir.” Sam said.
“Uh, now I’d be careful if I were you. For all we know it could be some sort of Goa’uld booby-trap left behind by Osiris as a means of revenge. Also, it’s…it’s cursed, so…” Daniel petered off.
“Thanks for the warning, Daniel.” Sam said as she picked up the jar and left to take it up to her lab.
“General, there’s something else.” Daniel said. “The inventory of the Stewart Expedition lists two jars.”
“Can you find the other one?” Hammond asked, concerned.
“Well, I can try; I was going to head back to Chicago tonight.” Daniel answered. “But before I go…there is one more thing I should tell you…” Daniel admitted. “Um, uh, before I flew back here, I stopped in to see Dr. Jordon. He was much the same; unconscious, barely holding onto life and I…I found myself telling him something about what I’ve been up to for the last three years. I thought it was safe; he was unconscious, dieing and no one else was nearby, but then…he woke up for a few minutes.”
“WHAT?” The General bellowed.
“His eyes opened up; they were perfectly clear and it looked as though he were perfectly conscious, lucid. I…think he may have heard everything I said, General.” Daniel said, looking down at his shoes.
“Oh of course he did.” Hammond said irritably.
“But, but he lost consciousness just a few minutes later and the nurse I called in said that a lot of terminal patients do that, before…before they…die. Sir, I don’t even know if he’ll still be alive when I return.” Daniel said, all but pleading.
“Very well, Doctor, but Dr. Jordon will need to be watched…I’ll make the arrangements.” Hammond said grudgingly. “Just don’t go telling anyone else our secrets, alright?”
“Yes, sir…um, uh…no, sir…thank you General.” Daniel stammered before scurrying out the door.
Daniel returned to Chicago and went to his hotel to crash for a few hours. But then unable to sleep very well with uncomfortable thoughts and memories flying around in his brain and no beloved Sha’re to sooth him, Daniel got up out of bed to face the day. It was six-thirty, but the Curator had told him that she usually started work between seven-thirty and eight o’clock, while the building was mostly empty and quiet, so he showered, dressed and had breakfast before driving over to the museum to speak to her.
When Daniel arrived and was let in by the security guard, he found the storeroom in total darkness and the lights did not come on when he flipped the switches by the door a few times. Years ago, Daniel had known that a flashlight was always kept in a toolbox, on the table by the door and by the light coming in from the hallway behind him, could see that the toolbox was still there. He opened it and found the flashlight inside; switched it on and saw that it still shown brightly. Obviously someone kept it filled with fresh batteries for just such an eventuality. Daniel started walking down the aisle trying to remember if he had ever seen the circuit-box down there. Suddenly though, he felt more than saw something or someone dash in front of him.
“Hello? Anyone down here?” He called out, but no one responded.
Daniel figured he had been in one too many old temples and that his imagination was playing tricks on him. He walked on, but then he saw a shadow in front of him again and shown his flashlight in that direction again.
“Stephen!” Daniel exclaimed as the flashlight picked out the form of is old colleague. “What are you doing down here?”
“What are you doing down here?” Stephen asked as well, ignoring Daniel’s same question.
“I asked first.” Daniel reminded him. ‘And why didn’t you answer me when I called out?’ He thought to himself. ‘Funny that Stephen didn’t find the flashlight, what did he think he was doing, stumbling around in the dark?’
“I work here, Daniel, which is more than I can say for you.” Stephen said and then relented a little. “I was…looking for the circuit breaker.”
“Um, uh, yeah…I wanted to speak to the Curator, she told me that she’s often in her office by now.” Daniel said as both men set off to find the circuit breaker, Daniel in the lead with his flashlight.
“I don’t think she’s here yet, all of the lights were out when I arrived here.” Stephen said. “Why did you want to speak to her?”
“Um, uh, two artifacts are missing from the Stewart Expedition.” Daniel answered.
“Nothing’s missing form the Expedition.” Stephen contradicted.
“An Osiris jar…” Daniel began, but Stephen interrupted him.
“Destroyed in the explosion.” He said.
“Really? Oh, uh, what about a gold amulet of Osiris with ebony…” Daniel asked and Stephen interrupted him again, but did not answer his question.
“Daniel, if you’re looking to get back together with Sarah that’s your business; I really couldn’t care less, but I do have a problem with you coming here and involving yourself in my work!” Stephen said angrily. ‘And you don’t need to know where the amulet is…or what I believe it’s used for.’ He thought to himself venomously.
“Don’t you mean Dr. Jordon’s work?” Daniel asked.
“No! My work! Sarah and I are Dr. Jordon’s assistants; you haven’t been involved since you walked out on him.” Stephen all but yelled.
“I didn’t walk out on him; I was…trying to protect him.” Daniel countered.
“You mean you distanced yourself in order to spare him the embarrassment of being associated with you. Daniel, you really should not have come back.” Stephen said.
Daniel did not reply; he found the circuit breaker and switched it back on and the lights overhead flickered to life.
“Look, I don’t want to get into this with you right now, but you need my help.” Daniel said.
“Why? Do you think there’re aliens involved?” Stephen sneered.
Just then, the large freight elevator came to a rest in front of them and both Stephen and Daniel could see the body of the Curator laying there, through the wooden slats which made up the elevator door.
“Oh my God!” Stephen exclaimed before hurrying away. “Gotta call the Police.”
The Police came and questioned both men, but Daniel was shocked to hear Stephen trying to shift suspicion onto him.
“He disappeared off the face of the Earth for three years, but he returned in a suspiciously short time after Dr. Jordon’s accident…or was it an accident? I’m beginning to wonder…artifacts are missing and a dead body shows up…ask Dr. Jackson where he was last night, why don’t you?”
In the end, Daniel was taken to Police headquarters for questioning. He was not arrested but he was given the chance to make one phone call anyway. Instead of calling a lawyer, Daniel called the General and reported this new set of circumstances. General Hammond huffed in irritation, but then assured Daniel that he would “rattle a few cages” and that he would be released as soon as possible. Daniel was taken into an interrogation room and told to sit down at the table in the middle of the floor while two police officers stood facing him from the other side of the table.
“So, Dr. Jackson, what kind of doctor are you anyway?” One cop asked.
“I have a Ph.D. in archeology.” Daniel answered readily enough, but did not mention his other two Ph.D.s in anthropology and linguistics; no need to intimidate them with his intellect, as Jack would say.
“And where were you last night from six o’clock in the evening, when the security guard let you out of the building, to seven-thirty this morning, when he let you back in?” Cop-two asked.
“I flew to Colorado Springs last evening and returned several hours later.” Daniel answered.
“Why did you fly to Colorado Springs, Doctor?” Cop-one asked.
“I live there.” Daniel answered.
“Yeah, but why did you fly there and then return here in time to enter the University Museum, just over twelve hours later?” Cop-two asked.
“There was something I had to do.” Daniel answered.
“And what was that important thing you needed to do?” Cop-one asked.
“I…needed to speak to my superior.” Daniel answered but winced inside. This situation was spiraling downwards quickly.
“Haven’t you ever heard of a telephone, Doctor?” Cop-two asked sarcastically. “Just who is your superior?”
“Major General George Hammond.” Daniel said.
“You’re in the Army?” Cop-one asked disbelieving.
“Air Force; I’m a civilian consultant.” Daniel corrected automatically…man, he had been around Jack too long, he thought.
“What does an archeologist do for the Air Force?” Cop-two asked and Daniel squeezed his eyes shut; they were not going to like his answer.
“That’s…classified.” Daniel said opening his eyes and looking up at the two officers. Yeah, they were getting angry.
“Classified? What kind of game are you playing here, Jackson? We’re talking about a murder here!” Cop-one shot off.
“I realize that and I’m sorry, but what I do for the Air Force is a matter of national security.” Daniel said firmly.
“Okay, why don’t you tell us what air-base you work at and we’ll call that General Hammond ourselves.” Cop-two challenged.
“I’m sorry, but where I work is even more highly classified than what I do there. And it wouldn’t help you to call General Hammond; he wouldn’t tell you anything anyway and once he had your names, you’d be in more trouble than you could believe. That might come to pass anyway, since the General is who I called first thing anyway.” Daniel said.
The two police officers hid their worry behind disdain and retreated, telling Daniel that they were going to let him “think things through for a while and get his priorities straight” before he was led back to a holding-cell and pushed inside.
“So, uh, guys, did you ever get around to asking Stephen Raynar where he was last night?” Daniel managed to ask before the cell door was locked and the two officers left him alone.
Daniel was relieved to see that he was not sharing his cell with anyone else and lay down on the thin mattress. ‘Hmm, better than anything the Goa’uld provide anyway.’ He thought silently as he made himself comfortable; trusting in the General to get him out soon.
Indeed, as soon as General Hammond had hung up his call from Daniel, he picked up the handset to his red phone; his direct link to the White House and the President of the United States. He was put through immediately and explained the situation to his good friend and Commander-in-Chief. The President promised to help and the General hung up.
In the Oval Office, the President thought about Dr. Jackson. They had never met, but he felt as if he knew the brilliant young man anyway. He and the Secretary of Defense pored over every mission report from SG-1 as if they were the best block-buster, action-adventure novels they had ever read…and every word was true. Then a bad memory came to him, he was still kicking himself over allowing Senator Kinsey to talk him into closing down the SGC…and how Daniel Jackson had almost paid the ultimate price to save this country, hell the entire world. If it had not been for there being an alien sarcophagus on board that mother-ship, Dr. Jackson would have died…permanently.
He shook the awful memories away; Daniel Jackson and the rest of SG-1 had saved the world that time and many times since…and Senator Kinsey was out of his hair, having voluntarily (and inexplicably) transferred himself out of his position, overseeing the SGC’s budget. The President picked up his phone and asked his secretary to get him the Governor of Illinois. And the phone calls continued; from the President of the United States, to the Governor of Illinois, to the Mayor of Chicago, to the Chief of Police and finally to Captain Miller, head of the precinct in which Daniel was being held. Two hours after the police officers had left Daniel to stew in his cell, Captain Miller called them into his office.
“Men, you’re going to have to release Dr. Jackson and I advise you to be very polite to him when you do.” Captain Miller told them.
“What? No, sir! Jackson has refused to answer any of the important questions we asked him. You can’t believe the classified and matter-of-national-security-crap he tried to throw at us.” Cop-one exclaimed.
“Did you even bother to check out his claim of flying to Colorado Springs, yesterday?” The Captain asked the officers.
“What? Cap’n how’d you know that’s what he claimed?” Cop-two asked, getting a sinking feeling in his gut.
“I’ll take your reply to mean ‘no’, you did not follow procedure by checking out his story.” Miller said as he pulled forward two pieces of paper. “Medical Examiner’s preliminary report says that several bricks from the elevator shaft came lose and fell into the freight elevator; he believes that one of them hit the Curator, killing her instantly; it was a freak accident…And that is what I’ve already told the Press. But here’s more, the ME figured the time of death as being between 9 pm and midnight. Dr. Jackson boarded a private Air Force flight at seven thirty last night and returned in the same private Air Force jet early this morning at three.” The Captain glanced up at his two officers, face blank and waited for them to respond.
“Where…where did you find that information, Captain? I doubt we could have tracked him down on a private flight even if we had eight hours.” Cop-one asked.
“I received a phone call…” Miller glanced at his watch. “…twenty-two minutes ago…from the Chief of Police. He had received a call from the Mayor…who had received a call from the Governor. Care to guess who called him?”
“Jackson said that he did call a General Hamock…Hanlan…or something…” Cop-two mumbled.
“Not even the Joint Chiefs could call up a state’s governor and request that a suspect be set free.” Miller reminded them sarcastically. “Only the Pres-i-dent can do that!” He barked. “Now, take this paperwork and release Dr. Jackson…right away. And make sure that you’re extremely polite to him when you do!”
The two officers released Daniel who only said “thanks” to them as they returned his belongings and left.
“Who’d a thought a geek would have such high-up friends?” Cop-one asked.
“It’s like they been saying for years; ‘the geeks will inherit the Earth’.” Cop-two reminded his partner and they both nodded.
TBC Feedback please, oh please!
Stargazers Stargaters TEEN XO/AU/CC M/L [COMPLETE]
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Okay here it is Finally! This finishes up "The Curse, Cured", Daniel's little side trip to Chicago. Hope you like it; please let me know!
Stargazers Stargaters Part 35
Disclaimer: I am using some of the dialogue from the “Stargate” episode “The Curse”, which does not belong to me. This story is being written just for fun with no copyright infringement or dishonor intended to anyone.
The Curse, Cured Part 3
Daniel managed to arrive back at the University just in time to follow Sarah into the building; he could hardly believe that it was only nine thirty, so much had already happened that morning. Sarah had brought the newspaper and there was a brief story in it already about the Curator's death.
"The Police are now saying...to the Press at least...that the Curator suffered a fatal blunt-trauma to the skull." Daniel said after reading the story.
"They don't think that you had anything..." Sarah asked, concerned.
"No, they don't think that...now...but of course Stephen did everything he could to make them suspect me and take me in for questioning, but fortunately, I know...a few people." Daniel smiled to himself. 'Thank you General, Mr. President.' He thought to himself. "Anyway, they found some bricks at the bottom of the freight-elevator shaft and they think that they may have come from the wall above...a freak accident." Daniel finished.
"You know, the papers are saying that the Curse of the Mummy strikes again...first with Dr. Jordon, although he wasn't killed...outright..." Sarah said fluttering her gossip column.
"Well the Stewart expedition never found a mummy in the first place, so I don't know where they're getting all that." Daniel said, in deep thought.
"It's just their way of selling papers." Sarah replied.
"Mmm...do you have pictures of the Osiris jar; the one that was destroyed in the explosion?" Daniel asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, here." Sarah handed him a set showing both the Osiris and Isis jars.
"Hmmm, I can't make out the inscription around the collar." Daniel said.
"We were unable to identify the symbols, but Dr. Jordon copied them down in his note book." Sarah said handing it to Daniel. "Those markings are unlike anything we've ever seen before. They're not Egyptian."
"No they're not Egyptian." Daniel agreed, wincing inwardly; he was straying onto dangerous ground again.
"So what are they?" Sarah asked.
"What are they?" Daniel repeated not wanting to have to tell Sarah.
"You know? How?" Sarah asked, bewildered.
"Let's just say I can't really go into that right now, but this is really important. Did Dr. Jordon do any kind of preliminary tests on the jar?" Daniel asked.
"No not that I know of, but he kept all his lab results on his computer." Sarah said.
She sat down at the desk and booted up the computer. After a few minutes of tapping away at the keys, she looked up at Daniel with a frown on her face.
"Something's wrong; Dr. Jordon's files are gone. Everything's wiped clean, including his e-mail account!" Sarah said working frantically.
"Do you keep back ups?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, but they're not here either." Sarah said and typed some more, searching for something. "But there might be...found something! The computer hadn't written over the space where the files used to be yet, so I was able to retrieve them. The Professor received one message on the night of the accident. Well, I'm guessing he never got around to reading it." Sarah said, triumphantly.
"That's the results of the carbon-dating analysis on the ebony portion of item 14C." Daniel said, reading over Sarah's shoulder.
"The missing amulet." Sarah said, nodding as she opened the e-mail and read it. "Oh my...Daniel, it's over ten-thousand years old! This means you were right all along!" Sarah exclaimed grinning.
"Yeah, I know." Daniel admitted reluctantly. 'We're on Very soft ground now.' He grimaced to himself.
"The Egyptian civilization must be thousands of years older than we've ever assumed!" Sarah rattled on in her amazement and Daniel winced once more.
"Sarah, you can't...tell anyone about this." He warned and she goggled up at him.
"What are you talking about? This is exactly the evidence you've been looking for! This completely validates your theories!" Sarah exclaimed as if Daniel somehow did not understand this.
"Look, all we have are the results of one carbon-dating on a missing artifact." Daniel said, trying to calm down Sarah's reaction.
"So we can contact the technician who performed the analysis." Sarah said, undaunted, but when she turned back to the computer screen she gasped.
"What?" Daniel asked, bending to read over her shoulder again.
"Dr. Jordon wasn't the only one to get these results...Stephen received them as well."
"Oh...man..." Daniel groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I'm going to have to make some calls and check some things out. I'll see you later."
"Daniel!" Sarah called after him in disbelief and outrage as he opened the office door to leave. Daniel stopped and glanced around.
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but there's some stuff I have to do; it's really important. I'll return when I can." Daniel apologized before letting the office door close behind him.
Daniel went out to sit in is car, where he felt he could have some privacy and pulled out his cell-phone.
"This is Dr. Daniel Jackson; can I speak to General Hammond, please?" Daniel asked the SGC's base operator.
"Dr. Jackson, this is Hammond; I'm glad you called, I have the report from Major Carter and Dr. Fraser on the artifact you brought us and it doesn't look good."
"Things aren't great here either, sir, but what did Sam and Janet find out? ...Oh by the way, thank you very much for getting me out of jail!"
"It was a pleasure, son, for myself and the President to help you out...but we'd better get down to business." The General said pulling forward Sam's report. "Major Carter MRIed the artifact and found a Goa'uld symbiote inside. She believes that the jar was in fact some sort of stasis chamber which kept the symbiote alive over thousands of years."
"The Goa'uld was still alive inside that jar? General...!" Daniel exclaimed.
"No, Doctor, the symbiote was dead when Dr. Fraser dumped it out of the jar, but she believes that it only died recently, when the seal on the jar was broken at some point; perhaps in transport." The General told him. "So, what's happening at your end?"
"General, the gold Osiris amulet is still unaccounted for and since whoever took it stole nothing else..." Daniel began.
"...You believe that this amulet is some sort of Goa'uld device, Doctor?" Hammond asked.
"I - yes, I do, General. Carbon dating puts the amulet as being ten thousand years old, but the report was sent to Stephen Raynar as well as to Dr. Jordon; whom Sarah thinks never saw the message. But I believe that Stephen did and with the way he's been acting ever since I returned, I think he bears watching."
"Done; what about Sarah Gardner?" The General asked.
"Um, well she's very curious and rather hurt that I won't confide in her, but I think she'll be okay, but..." Daniel broke off as a thought came to him.
"What is it, Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked; he could all but feel the waves of anxiety coming off of Daniel even though they were separated by hundreds of miles.
"Stephen was the one who told me that the Osiris jar was destroyed in the explosion...what if...it wasn't? What if the Goa'uld inside took over Stephen? What if the explosion in the lab wasn't an accident?" Daniel asked out loud.
"Why wouldn't the Goa'uld have tried to finish the job of killing Dr. Jordon in that case?" General Hammond asked.
"He is trying to hide his existence, so he made the explosion appear to be an accident. No one expects Dr. Jordon to live and...Osiris...would be trying to gather information and find a way...back to...Egypt? General, Stephen, I mean Osiris may try to return to the temple where his canopic jar and the other artifacts, were found. He may even have some sort of Goa'uld weapons or a space craft hidden there." Daniel said.
"...And the Goa'uld would only need to reveal himself by killing Dr. Jordon if the Professor woke up before Osiris could get away." The General answered his own question before following up on what Daniel had just told him. "I can order a detail from the nearest airbase to protect Dr. Jordon if necessary and I'll have a watch put on Dr. Raynar and any flights to Egypt." He promised.
"Thank you, General." Daniel said. "I'm going to take another look down in the museum storeroom. Sam gave me a scanner which will detect naquada. I know it's a long shot, but maybe I'll be able to find another Goa'uld artifact among all the other stuff. Will you let me know if you find anything out about Stephen?"
"Of course; and you call me if you find anything also." General Hammond agreed before they both hung up.
Twenty-five minutes later, General Hammond called back; Daniel put the latest artifact he had been testing back on the shelf and then answered his cell.
"Dr. Jackson, this is Hammond. We just traced Dr. Raynar to a flight bound for Cairo. He has a three hour head start, but I've ordered the fasted jet I had available to come and pick you up. If we move quickly on this, you may even catch up with him before he reaches the temple. Be at the airport in two hours to catch the flight."
"Have you recalled Jack and Teal'c from Antar?" Daniel asked.
"There's no time; Major Carter and Dr. Fraser have already left the SGC for the airbase and besides, we have to keep this a low-profile operation. I've notified the Egyptian government so you can be taken straight through Customs with your weapons; just handguns and a tranquilizer gun Dr. Fraser will brief you on in route, but otherwise we can't afford to attract too much attention to ourselves." The General explained. "One more thing, Doctor; the technician who did the carbon-dating was found dead just a short while ago." The General told him.
"I understand, General." Daniel said, glancing down at this watch and trying to think positive thoughts. "That gives me a few more minutes to check out a few more artifacts down here before I'll have to check out of my hotel and make it to the airport."
"Very well, Godspeed, Dr. Jackson." Hammond said before they hung up.
Daniel had just started scanning the artifacts again when he heard someone come down the stairs to the storeroom and hid the device in his back pocket.
"Daniel? There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Sarah said as she came into the room.
"Yeah, I'm just doing a little extra research." Daniel replied, trying to sound casual.
"I went to Stephen's place and he's gone. He packed up everything and left." Sarah said.
"I know." Daniel said flatly, glancing down at this watch.
"You think he stole the amulet don't you?" Sarah asked.
"Yes." Daniel said, looking anywhere but at Sarah.
"To stop your theories from being proven correct?" Sarah asked concerned.
'Yeah like "publish or perish" is all I have to think about right now.' Daniel thought sarcastically to himself. He had been around Jack too long. But instead he said. "It's possible...Anyway I have to find him."
"Well, I'm coming with you." Sarah said decisively.
"No...no, it's too dangerous." Daniel countered emphatically.
"We're talking about Stephen, here." Sarah reminded Daniel.
"Sarah, there have been two deaths already..." Daniel said sadly.
"Two?" Sarah asked aghast.
"They found the body of the technician that did the carbon-dating on the amulet." Daniel told her.
"Daniel, I know Stephen; he may be capable of a lot of things but he's no murderer." Sarah said.
"Well, you might not know him as well as you think you do...at least...not anymore." Daniel said.
"What's that supposed to mean? Oh, let me guess; you can't explain, right?" Sarah exclaimed angrily.
"Sarah..." Daniel sighed.
"Well what do you expect, Daniel? You show up after three years, but you can't say where you've been! You've this mysterious ability to read this ancient language nobody's ever seen before but you can't explain how! Then when we finally find the evidence to vindicate you to the entire archeological community you want to cover it up! What's going on? This is me, Daniel." Sarah said, hurt showing through her anger.
"I know." Daniel said sadly.
"Then why can't you trust me? What have you been doing for the past three years?" Sarah pleaded.
"I want to tell you, Sarah. Really I do; believe me; I wish you could see some of the things I've seen. But the world is not ready to know. Not yet." Daniel said, begging for understanding.
"I'm not asking you to tell the world, I'm asking you to tell me. This is my life's work, too Daniel. So you're working for the government, or what?" Sarah asked but he only looked down at his shoes. "Daniel!" She exclaimed.
"I'm sorry!" Daniel exclaimed; hating this situation he was in.
"You're just going to disappear again, aren't you?" Sarah asked resignedly.
"Yes." Daniel said, baldly.
"I think Stephen was right; you never should have come back." Sarah shot back before running out of the room.
After Sarah stormed out of the room, Daniel glanced at his watch, winced at the time and left as well. He was running late and would have no time to check in on Dr. Jordon's condition, but held to the hope that the hospital would have called him if anything had changed in regards to his mentor's condition. Daniel picked up his luggage from his hotel room, checked out and was on his way to the airport in good time, but freeway traffic was against him and he barely made it to the airport, turned his rental in and arrived at the gate which handled private flights, on time.
"Daniel, great you made it." Sam said as her teammate settled into a seat across from her and Janet in the comfortable cabin area.
"Wow, the General wasn't kidding when he said we had to move fast." Daniel said as the hatch was secured and the plane immediately moved back away from the gangway; ready to taxi back out to the runway and take off again. "Will we have enough fuel to make it all the way to Cairo?" He asked uncertainly.
"We're scheduled to meet up with a refueling tanker somewhere over the Atlantic; it's faster." Sam said casually.
"Uh, huh." Daniel said still uncertain.
"Relax Daniel; these guys have refueled in mid-air many times. So have I." Sam said, referring to the pilot and co-pilot up front as well as her experience as a combat pilot.
"Oh-kay." Daniel said, relaxing just a little. "So, can you bring me up to speed on the latest? General Hammond said something about our only carrying handguns and a tranquilizer gun...no zats?"
"We can't carry alien technology outside of the SGC, Daniel; you should know that. Besides, our weapons always have better luck against Goa'uld personal-shields. But we do have something new; Janet has synthesized a Goa'uld tranquilizer for us." Sam explained.
The plane had already taxied out and taken off by then, so Sam got up and opened up a storage locker. Out of a duffle she pulled a tranquilizer rifle and a case of darts.
"As I recall you checked out with high marks using one of these?" Sam said as she handed the rifle over to Daniel who checked it out.
"Yeah, I know how to use it pretty well." Daniel said modestly. He always scored higher when using weapons which were not designed to kill someone...right away, such as tranquilizers and zats.
"These darts are filled with a substance I synthesized from a liquid I found within the Isis jar." Janet explained. "Sam and I believe that Isis was drugged with this stuff while still inside her host. It's the only explanation for how someone could have taken Isis, involuntarily, according to the legend you told Sam...out of her host and placed her in that jar. Then the rest of the space inside was filled with the tranquilizer-liquid to keep the symbiote dormant."
"You see, the jar looks like an ordinary ceramic container on the outside, but inside is a highly advanced...stasis chamber, which gives off a mild electrical current, which could keep the symbiote alive and yet asleep for thousands of years!" Sam finished and Daniel nodded, trying to take it all in.
"We're hoping to take the symbiote alive with the dart-gun, so that it can be removed from Stephen Raynar without harming either one of them..." Janet explained.
"But General Hammond ordered that Goa'uld and host were to be neutralized, killed if necessary." Sam added seriously.
"Yeah...I know the risks." Daniel assured them.
The long flight was taken up with Daniel refreshing his memory on firing the dart-gun and telling Sam and Janet everything that had happened in Chicago. The plane was indeed refueled over the Atlantic and Daniel was allowed into the cockpit to watch. They rested and ate and then took turns changing into fresh clothing, yet not uniforms, designed for desert travel; white T-shirts, sand-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants, desert boots, wide brimmed hats and goggles...and sun-block everywhere in between.
The rifle, their automatic pistols and gun-belts were all secured within a duffle bag and Janet's medical supplies and emergency rations were secured inside a second one. When they landed the three of them were met by a high-ranking government official and escorted past Customs and out to where a four-wheel-drive desert-ready truck was parked and waiting for them. More supplies were already loaded in back under tarps; they saw as Daniel got in behind the wheel with Janet beside him and Sam jumping in, to sit in the back. Daniel double-checked the map, along with Janet, who would navigate for him and they were off. The official had informed them that Stephen Raynar had come through Customs but had been allowed to pass through unchallenged as instructed. The-powers-that-be had not wished to precipitate a stand-off between the unprepared Egyptian military and an angry Goa'uld...in a public airport.
They drove for mile after sandy mile; hour after scorching hour; the women enduring the heat, sand and bumpy drive as they had been trained to do, keeping their hats and sunglasses securely on, while Daniel soaked up the sun. He was hatless and only used his goggles when necessary, enjoying the blessed dry heat which he had grown up with, while traveling with his parents all over Egypt; from dig to dig and then returned to during university-sponsored expeditions and the glorious year he had spent on Abydos with Sha're.
"Almost there." Janet said looking at the map. "Maybe thirty minutes more."
Meanwhile, Stephen Raynar was just about to pull up to a mostly buried temple; flat roofed and thickly walled, out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but sand dunes to see for miles. All through his long flight and then the drive out over the desert, he had been keeping his extreme envy of Daniel Jackson, almost an hatred alive within his heart; prodding at it like one does with a loose tooth...Daniel Jackson; Dr. Jordon's golden-boy-who-could-do-no-wrong. Even three years of slavish devotion to the older man had not brought him to the level of trust and respect which Jackson had held, seemingly without any effort at all in the Professor's heart. And now he was back; all concerned and worried about Dr. Jordon, cozying up with Sarah...And poking his nose into Stephen's research, where it did not belong. Daniel-damn-Jackson was not the only Egyptologist who knew his way around a pyramid. All Jackson had were a bunch of unproven theories; it was he, Stephen who had figured out what the amulet truly was...not Jackson, not Dr. Jordon...Stephen Raynar had and here he was, on his way to the temple from where he would turn the entire archeological community upside down. He would turn Jackson's unfounded theories into fact and claim the credit for himself. Jackson might have begun this race at super-speed, but he had hit a brick wall somewhere during the last three years; no new research grants, no publications, not a word from Dr. Daniel Jackson...and now here came Stephen Raynar, sprinting over the finish line to fame.
Stephen arrived at the temple and entered; a grin of wonder, excitement and self-satisfaction spread across his face as he looked around at the interior, shining his flashlight over the walls, floor and ceiling. The air was stuffy, but wonderfully cool; with only the front door and a hole in the ceiling to give light and ventilation. Stephen unslung the nap-sack from his back and from inside the bag, he pulled an object wrapped in cloth; carefully pulled back the folds of the material and gazed down as the golden Osiris amulet glittered in the sunlight coming in through the door. It showed Osiris; his face in profile, wearing an Egyptian crown and false-beard of kingship. Around his neck was a wide collar, he was holding the crook and flail and an ankh hung down over his chest. The ebony, which had been carbon-dated was in the form of a ring and made up the body of the amulet.
Stephen had pondered and obsessed over this amulet as much as Sarah and Dr. Jordon had studied and treasured the Osiris jar...until suddenly it had come to him that this amulet must be more than just a piece of jewelry. Out of the blue, the idea had come to him that this was some sort of key and that the only way he was going to find any answers was for him to travel here, to the temple where the amulet had originally been found, so long ago.
But then the accident had occurred with Dr. Jordon; good thing he had taken the amulet out of the lab that night or it would have been blown to pieces only an hour later. Too bad the old man had been hurt though, Stephen thought. Although he would be in deep trouble if Jordon survived and realized that he had stolen the golden treasure...Unlikely though, according to all of the doctors.
Stephen looked up from the golden glitter of the amulet and saw what appeared to be an altar, built up against the back wall of the temple. There was a fresco over the altar, lit from above, which depicting Isis and Osiris, facing each other. With thoughts of glory, fame and riches streaking through Stephen's imagination, he walked over to the altar and inspected it. He saw a small golden circle protruding from the altar and realized that the ebony circle on the amulet would fit over it. He reached out, placed the amulet to fit over the circle and gasped when the altar began to move. The back half of the central portion of the two-step altar slid upward and a light turned on from within. The opened section contained what looked to Stephen as rank upon rank of shelves made up of square pieces of glass, stuck horizontally into slots in the back of the altar-wall. On one of these shelves lay a strange artifact; a strip of gold; fashioned to coil around someone's wrist, with golden fingertips attached by thin chain and a large red jewel, smoothly rounded, set into the middle of this strange-looking glove, where someone's palm would be.
Stephen reached out to pick up the artifact, but never got the chance to try it on. All of a sudden he heard something behind him and turned to see what it was. A hand clutched him by the throat and then threw him backwards until he thudded loudly against the wall behind him. The metallic-glove-thingy had been torn from his hand before he was thrown and now in the shadowy interior of the temple, all Stephen could see of his attacker was the golden hand coming closer...and the red jewel beginning to glow.
With the strength born of a desperate need to escape, Stephen managed to get back up to his feet and tried to get past the shadowy form, but he made it only a few yards when a force spun him around to face his attacker and then it was as if a truck hit him squarely in the ribs and stomach; he felt several ribs crack and was thrown into the air again to land painfully on the floor several yards from where he had been standing. The figure drew closer, but Stephen could barely see it through the haze of pain and the dark clouds which were floating over his vision.
"Where is Isis? Where is my queen?" A deep, hollow-sounding voice asked from above. "Where is the Chap-ai?" It demanded.
"Don't...know...what...you're...talkin'...'bout." Stephen said, hissing sharply when inhaling made pain stab through his lungs. "Isis...'s myth." He said last before succumbing to unconsciousness.
"Pity...these Human bodies are as fragile as ever..." Osiris murmured to himself as he moved back into the shadows, fairly certain that someone else would come looking for Stephen Raynar sooner or later...perhaps even his host's former lover, Daniel Jackson.
Time blurred for Stephen as he lay on the cool temple floor; his thoughts switching between crystal clarity and foggy confusion as he rode out the pain in his ribs and abdomen. This creature who had attacked him was hiding in the shadows, seemingly waiting for someone else to come after him, but Stephen knew that no one would. No one knew where he had gone and even if they figured it out and were curious enough to follow after him, he figured that it would be days...or even weeks before they did...and...they would find his body because he was going to die here, he thought, without emotion; nothing could get past the icy shock which was trying to swamp his brain, as yet. So much for trying to steel Daniel's glory; look where his theories had brought both of them. Daniel laughed out of academia and himself dieing alone in a forgotten tomb, how appropriate.
But then, just a few minutes later, a noise filtered through the air towards Stephen's ear...could that be a...car engine? His mind warred between calling out for help and warning whomever was out there, not to come into the temple; that it was a trap, but no sound of entreaty or warning passed through his lips: Stephen could not muster the energy to do more than moan.
Now he was hearing the faintest sounds of shifting sand near the doorway and then three figures moved down the steps; plastering themselves to the sides. They were back-lit and all he could see was that there were three of them; two were tall and one was short; two of them were wearing hats and...they were all armed. Two of the figures were carrying guns, while the other had a riffle; his sidearm holstered at his hip. The figures moved into the temple, checking out every corner and the ceiling with their flashlights; their guns ready. One of the tall guys passed his light over the ground where he lay and gasping, ran over to him.
"It's Stephen!" The man called out and to his dismay, Stephen recognized Daniel's voice.
But what a changed Daniel from the man he had ridiculed years ago and as recently as yesterday, back in Chicago. This Daniel carried a riffle and looked as though he knew how to use it, as well as looking comfortable with the holster strapped to his hip and leg. The other two people came forward; the tall blond...woman? ...surveyed him intently.
"I don't sense anything, he's not a Goa'uld." She said before backing off to keep an eye out for any danger around her and her team-mates; her flashlight and gun systematically searching the interior of the temple.
'What did That mean?' Stephen wondered as he tried to find the strength to ask, but could not.
The third figure, also a woman, moved in quickly, knelt beside him and gently probed and examined him; he moaned.
"Easy Stephen, she's a doctor." Daniel told him as he patted his shoulder.
'Why are you being so nice to me, Daniel?' Stephen asked silently. 'You must know what I've done...if I were in your place, I'd be spitting in your eye right about now.'
But then the urge to confess what he had done inexplicably overcame Stephen and he summoned up the strength to speak.
"...Took am'let...figured...was a key...want'd to make...disc'vry...s'ry." Stephen's strength gave out and his vision grayed out for a moment, but then came back.
"Stephen, did you open the jar; the Osiris jar?" Daniel was asking him urgently.
"N-no." Stephen managed to say. 'What were they talking about?' He wondered again.
"He's bleeding internally; we need to get him out of here." Janet said, standing up to reach for some of her supplies.
"Stephen, who did this to you?" Daniel asked; half urgency, half concern.
Stephen tried to concentrate; to find the strength to speak, but could only stare over Daniel's shoulder at what...who was coming forward out of the shadows. He tried to warn Daniel using his eyes; glancing back and forth, but the creature came forward too quickly.
"I did." The low, echoing voice of a Goa'uld said from behind them.
Daniel spun to his feet and Janet, who was already standing, turned and instinctively took several steps away from her patient, hoping to draw the Goa'uld away from him. Sam also turned and gasped.
"Sarah?!" Daniel cried out in shock and pain. Here was someone else he had cared about, drawn into the Goa'uld abyss; and taken to be host to the parasite inside her.
Sam and Janet's training clicked in; Sam raised the pistol she had never put down while Janet quickly drew hers out of the holster and began firing. Sarah, who was now host to Osiris, lifted her arm and the hand-device, the golden glove with the red jewel in the center, fired back an invisible wave of energy, which sent Sam and Janet hurtling through the air. Jack's voice screamed inside Daniel's head for him to lift, aim and fire his rifle, holding the tranquilizer-dart...Not to pay attention to what was happening anywhere else around him...just Focus and fire. Daniel did so and while Osiris' attention was caught by the bullets shooting towards him, the slower, almost silently fired dart flew through the air and imbedded itself in Sarah's slim neck.
Stephen fought to stay conscious as this creature that looked like Sarah turned on Daniel. He saw it; this mixture of his colleague and some other dark force, flash its eyes menacingly at Daniel, just as it had while questioning him.
"What is this inssolencce?" Osiris asked, the words all but hissing out between Sarah's lips as the dart was pulled out and thrown away.
Then the hand wearing the device was lifted, the red jewel glowed and Daniel was thrown several yards through the air. He landed and rolled to dispel some of the impact, but stayed down, kneeling on the floor.
"Daniel Jackson, you seem to know much of the Goa'uld; much more than any other Human I have met since my awakening...tell me...where is the Stargate?"
"I - don't know what you're talking about." Daniel said, trying to get back some of the air which had been knocked out of him as he landed.
"Inssolencce." Osiris hissed out as he paced agitatedly around the floor.
'Why hasn't the tranq worked yet?' Daniel wondered as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Where is my brother, Setesh?" Osiris asked.
"Oh you mean Seth...oh he's dead...we killed him." Daniel said in a dismissive tone.
"You lie!" Osiris spat out.
"Uh, no he's dead...uh, who else did we kill...uh...Ra...Hathor..." Daniel said.
"Then you have done me a great service." Osiris said. "I shall rule without opposition..." Osiris continued as he walked towards Daniel.
continued in the next post
Stargazers Stargaters Part 35
Disclaimer: I am using some of the dialogue from the “Stargate” episode “The Curse”, which does not belong to me. This story is being written just for fun with no copyright infringement or dishonor intended to anyone.
The Curse, Cured Part 3
Daniel managed to arrive back at the University just in time to follow Sarah into the building; he could hardly believe that it was only nine thirty, so much had already happened that morning. Sarah had brought the newspaper and there was a brief story in it already about the Curator's death.
"The Police are now saying...to the Press at least...that the Curator suffered a fatal blunt-trauma to the skull." Daniel said after reading the story.
"They don't think that you had anything..." Sarah asked, concerned.
"No, they don't think that...now...but of course Stephen did everything he could to make them suspect me and take me in for questioning, but fortunately, I know...a few people." Daniel smiled to himself. 'Thank you General, Mr. President.' He thought to himself. "Anyway, they found some bricks at the bottom of the freight-elevator shaft and they think that they may have come from the wall above...a freak accident." Daniel finished.
"You know, the papers are saying that the Curse of the Mummy strikes again...first with Dr. Jordon, although he wasn't killed...outright..." Sarah said fluttering her gossip column.
"Well the Stewart expedition never found a mummy in the first place, so I don't know where they're getting all that." Daniel said, in deep thought.
"It's just their way of selling papers." Sarah replied.
"Mmm...do you have pictures of the Osiris jar; the one that was destroyed in the explosion?" Daniel asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, here." Sarah handed him a set showing both the Osiris and Isis jars.
"Hmmm, I can't make out the inscription around the collar." Daniel said.
"We were unable to identify the symbols, but Dr. Jordon copied them down in his note book." Sarah said handing it to Daniel. "Those markings are unlike anything we've ever seen before. They're not Egyptian."
"No they're not Egyptian." Daniel agreed, wincing inwardly; he was straying onto dangerous ground again.
"So what are they?" Sarah asked.
"What are they?" Daniel repeated not wanting to have to tell Sarah.
"You know? How?" Sarah asked, bewildered.
"Let's just say I can't really go into that right now, but this is really important. Did Dr. Jordon do any kind of preliminary tests on the jar?" Daniel asked.
"No not that I know of, but he kept all his lab results on his computer." Sarah said.
She sat down at the desk and booted up the computer. After a few minutes of tapping away at the keys, she looked up at Daniel with a frown on her face.
"Something's wrong; Dr. Jordon's files are gone. Everything's wiped clean, including his e-mail account!" Sarah said working frantically.
"Do you keep back ups?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, but they're not here either." Sarah said and typed some more, searching for something. "But there might be...found something! The computer hadn't written over the space where the files used to be yet, so I was able to retrieve them. The Professor received one message on the night of the accident. Well, I'm guessing he never got around to reading it." Sarah said, triumphantly.
"That's the results of the carbon-dating analysis on the ebony portion of item 14C." Daniel said, reading over Sarah's shoulder.
"The missing amulet." Sarah said, nodding as she opened the e-mail and read it. "Oh my...Daniel, it's over ten-thousand years old! This means you were right all along!" Sarah exclaimed grinning.
"Yeah, I know." Daniel admitted reluctantly. 'We're on Very soft ground now.' He grimaced to himself.
"The Egyptian civilization must be thousands of years older than we've ever assumed!" Sarah rattled on in her amazement and Daniel winced once more.
"Sarah, you can't...tell anyone about this." He warned and she goggled up at him.
"What are you talking about? This is exactly the evidence you've been looking for! This completely validates your theories!" Sarah exclaimed as if Daniel somehow did not understand this.
"Look, all we have are the results of one carbon-dating on a missing artifact." Daniel said, trying to calm down Sarah's reaction.
"So we can contact the technician who performed the analysis." Sarah said, undaunted, but when she turned back to the computer screen she gasped.
"What?" Daniel asked, bending to read over her shoulder again.
"Dr. Jordon wasn't the only one to get these results...Stephen received them as well."
"Oh...man..." Daniel groaned, running his hands through his hair. "I'm going to have to make some calls and check some things out. I'll see you later."
"Daniel!" Sarah called after him in disbelief and outrage as he opened the office door to leave. Daniel stopped and glanced around.
"I'm sorry, Sarah, but there's some stuff I have to do; it's really important. I'll return when I can." Daniel apologized before letting the office door close behind him.
Daniel went out to sit in is car, where he felt he could have some privacy and pulled out his cell-phone.
"This is Dr. Daniel Jackson; can I speak to General Hammond, please?" Daniel asked the SGC's base operator.
"Dr. Jackson, this is Hammond; I'm glad you called, I have the report from Major Carter and Dr. Fraser on the artifact you brought us and it doesn't look good."
"Things aren't great here either, sir, but what did Sam and Janet find out? ...Oh by the way, thank you very much for getting me out of jail!"
"It was a pleasure, son, for myself and the President to help you out...but we'd better get down to business." The General said pulling forward Sam's report. "Major Carter MRIed the artifact and found a Goa'uld symbiote inside. She believes that the jar was in fact some sort of stasis chamber which kept the symbiote alive over thousands of years."
"The Goa'uld was still alive inside that jar? General...!" Daniel exclaimed.
"No, Doctor, the symbiote was dead when Dr. Fraser dumped it out of the jar, but she believes that it only died recently, when the seal on the jar was broken at some point; perhaps in transport." The General told him. "So, what's happening at your end?"
"General, the gold Osiris amulet is still unaccounted for and since whoever took it stole nothing else..." Daniel began.
"...You believe that this amulet is some sort of Goa'uld device, Doctor?" Hammond asked.
"I - yes, I do, General. Carbon dating puts the amulet as being ten thousand years old, but the report was sent to Stephen Raynar as well as to Dr. Jordon; whom Sarah thinks never saw the message. But I believe that Stephen did and with the way he's been acting ever since I returned, I think he bears watching."
"Done; what about Sarah Gardner?" The General asked.
"Um, well she's very curious and rather hurt that I won't confide in her, but I think she'll be okay, but..." Daniel broke off as a thought came to him.
"What is it, Dr. Jackson?" Hammond asked; he could all but feel the waves of anxiety coming off of Daniel even though they were separated by hundreds of miles.
"Stephen was the one who told me that the Osiris jar was destroyed in the explosion...what if...it wasn't? What if the Goa'uld inside took over Stephen? What if the explosion in the lab wasn't an accident?" Daniel asked out loud.
"Why wouldn't the Goa'uld have tried to finish the job of killing Dr. Jordon in that case?" General Hammond asked.
"He is trying to hide his existence, so he made the explosion appear to be an accident. No one expects Dr. Jordon to live and...Osiris...would be trying to gather information and find a way...back to...Egypt? General, Stephen, I mean Osiris may try to return to the temple where his canopic jar and the other artifacts, were found. He may even have some sort of Goa'uld weapons or a space craft hidden there." Daniel said.
"...And the Goa'uld would only need to reveal himself by killing Dr. Jordon if the Professor woke up before Osiris could get away." The General answered his own question before following up on what Daniel had just told him. "I can order a detail from the nearest airbase to protect Dr. Jordon if necessary and I'll have a watch put on Dr. Raynar and any flights to Egypt." He promised.
"Thank you, General." Daniel said. "I'm going to take another look down in the museum storeroom. Sam gave me a scanner which will detect naquada. I know it's a long shot, but maybe I'll be able to find another Goa'uld artifact among all the other stuff. Will you let me know if you find anything out about Stephen?"
"Of course; and you call me if you find anything also." General Hammond agreed before they both hung up.
Twenty-five minutes later, General Hammond called back; Daniel put the latest artifact he had been testing back on the shelf and then answered his cell.
"Dr. Jackson, this is Hammond. We just traced Dr. Raynar to a flight bound for Cairo. He has a three hour head start, but I've ordered the fasted jet I had available to come and pick you up. If we move quickly on this, you may even catch up with him before he reaches the temple. Be at the airport in two hours to catch the flight."
"Have you recalled Jack and Teal'c from Antar?" Daniel asked.
"There's no time; Major Carter and Dr. Fraser have already left the SGC for the airbase and besides, we have to keep this a low-profile operation. I've notified the Egyptian government so you can be taken straight through Customs with your weapons; just handguns and a tranquilizer gun Dr. Fraser will brief you on in route, but otherwise we can't afford to attract too much attention to ourselves." The General explained. "One more thing, Doctor; the technician who did the carbon-dating was found dead just a short while ago." The General told him.
"I understand, General." Daniel said, glancing down at this watch and trying to think positive thoughts. "That gives me a few more minutes to check out a few more artifacts down here before I'll have to check out of my hotel and make it to the airport."
"Very well, Godspeed, Dr. Jackson." Hammond said before they hung up.
Daniel had just started scanning the artifacts again when he heard someone come down the stairs to the storeroom and hid the device in his back pocket.
"Daniel? There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Sarah said as she came into the room.
"Yeah, I'm just doing a little extra research." Daniel replied, trying to sound casual.
"I went to Stephen's place and he's gone. He packed up everything and left." Sarah said.
"I know." Daniel said flatly, glancing down at this watch.
"You think he stole the amulet don't you?" Sarah asked.
"Yes." Daniel said, looking anywhere but at Sarah.
"To stop your theories from being proven correct?" Sarah asked concerned.
'Yeah like "publish or perish" is all I have to think about right now.' Daniel thought sarcastically to himself. He had been around Jack too long. But instead he said. "It's possible...Anyway I have to find him."
"Well, I'm coming with you." Sarah said decisively.
"No...no, it's too dangerous." Daniel countered emphatically.
"We're talking about Stephen, here." Sarah reminded Daniel.
"Sarah, there have been two deaths already..." Daniel said sadly.
"Two?" Sarah asked aghast.
"They found the body of the technician that did the carbon-dating on the amulet." Daniel told her.
"Daniel, I know Stephen; he may be capable of a lot of things but he's no murderer." Sarah said.
"Well, you might not know him as well as you think you do...at least...not anymore." Daniel said.
"What's that supposed to mean? Oh, let me guess; you can't explain, right?" Sarah exclaimed angrily.
"Sarah..." Daniel sighed.
"Well what do you expect, Daniel? You show up after three years, but you can't say where you've been! You've this mysterious ability to read this ancient language nobody's ever seen before but you can't explain how! Then when we finally find the evidence to vindicate you to the entire archeological community you want to cover it up! What's going on? This is me, Daniel." Sarah said, hurt showing through her anger.
"I know." Daniel said sadly.
"Then why can't you trust me? What have you been doing for the past three years?" Sarah pleaded.
"I want to tell you, Sarah. Really I do; believe me; I wish you could see some of the things I've seen. But the world is not ready to know. Not yet." Daniel said, begging for understanding.
"I'm not asking you to tell the world, I'm asking you to tell me. This is my life's work, too Daniel. So you're working for the government, or what?" Sarah asked but he only looked down at his shoes. "Daniel!" She exclaimed.
"I'm sorry!" Daniel exclaimed; hating this situation he was in.
"You're just going to disappear again, aren't you?" Sarah asked resignedly.
"Yes." Daniel said, baldly.
"I think Stephen was right; you never should have come back." Sarah shot back before running out of the room.
After Sarah stormed out of the room, Daniel glanced at his watch, winced at the time and left as well. He was running late and would have no time to check in on Dr. Jordon's condition, but held to the hope that the hospital would have called him if anything had changed in regards to his mentor's condition. Daniel picked up his luggage from his hotel room, checked out and was on his way to the airport in good time, but freeway traffic was against him and he barely made it to the airport, turned his rental in and arrived at the gate which handled private flights, on time.
"Daniel, great you made it." Sam said as her teammate settled into a seat across from her and Janet in the comfortable cabin area.
"Wow, the General wasn't kidding when he said we had to move fast." Daniel said as the hatch was secured and the plane immediately moved back away from the gangway; ready to taxi back out to the runway and take off again. "Will we have enough fuel to make it all the way to Cairo?" He asked uncertainly.
"We're scheduled to meet up with a refueling tanker somewhere over the Atlantic; it's faster." Sam said casually.
"Uh, huh." Daniel said still uncertain.
"Relax Daniel; these guys have refueled in mid-air many times. So have I." Sam said, referring to the pilot and co-pilot up front as well as her experience as a combat pilot.
"Oh-kay." Daniel said, relaxing just a little. "So, can you bring me up to speed on the latest? General Hammond said something about our only carrying handguns and a tranquilizer gun...no zats?"
"We can't carry alien technology outside of the SGC, Daniel; you should know that. Besides, our weapons always have better luck against Goa'uld personal-shields. But we do have something new; Janet has synthesized a Goa'uld tranquilizer for us." Sam explained.
The plane had already taxied out and taken off by then, so Sam got up and opened up a storage locker. Out of a duffle she pulled a tranquilizer rifle and a case of darts.
"As I recall you checked out with high marks using one of these?" Sam said as she handed the rifle over to Daniel who checked it out.
"Yeah, I know how to use it pretty well." Daniel said modestly. He always scored higher when using weapons which were not designed to kill someone...right away, such as tranquilizers and zats.
"These darts are filled with a substance I synthesized from a liquid I found within the Isis jar." Janet explained. "Sam and I believe that Isis was drugged with this stuff while still inside her host. It's the only explanation for how someone could have taken Isis, involuntarily, according to the legend you told Sam...out of her host and placed her in that jar. Then the rest of the space inside was filled with the tranquilizer-liquid to keep the symbiote dormant."
"You see, the jar looks like an ordinary ceramic container on the outside, but inside is a highly advanced...stasis chamber, which gives off a mild electrical current, which could keep the symbiote alive and yet asleep for thousands of years!" Sam finished and Daniel nodded, trying to take it all in.
"We're hoping to take the symbiote alive with the dart-gun, so that it can be removed from Stephen Raynar without harming either one of them..." Janet explained.
"But General Hammond ordered that Goa'uld and host were to be neutralized, killed if necessary." Sam added seriously.
"Yeah...I know the risks." Daniel assured them.
The long flight was taken up with Daniel refreshing his memory on firing the dart-gun and telling Sam and Janet everything that had happened in Chicago. The plane was indeed refueled over the Atlantic and Daniel was allowed into the cockpit to watch. They rested and ate and then took turns changing into fresh clothing, yet not uniforms, designed for desert travel; white T-shirts, sand-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants, desert boots, wide brimmed hats and goggles...and sun-block everywhere in between.
The rifle, their automatic pistols and gun-belts were all secured within a duffle bag and Janet's medical supplies and emergency rations were secured inside a second one. When they landed the three of them were met by a high-ranking government official and escorted past Customs and out to where a four-wheel-drive desert-ready truck was parked and waiting for them. More supplies were already loaded in back under tarps; they saw as Daniel got in behind the wheel with Janet beside him and Sam jumping in, to sit in the back. Daniel double-checked the map, along with Janet, who would navigate for him and they were off. The official had informed them that Stephen Raynar had come through Customs but had been allowed to pass through unchallenged as instructed. The-powers-that-be had not wished to precipitate a stand-off between the unprepared Egyptian military and an angry Goa'uld...in a public airport.
They drove for mile after sandy mile; hour after scorching hour; the women enduring the heat, sand and bumpy drive as they had been trained to do, keeping their hats and sunglasses securely on, while Daniel soaked up the sun. He was hatless and only used his goggles when necessary, enjoying the blessed dry heat which he had grown up with, while traveling with his parents all over Egypt; from dig to dig and then returned to during university-sponsored expeditions and the glorious year he had spent on Abydos with Sha're.
"Almost there." Janet said looking at the map. "Maybe thirty minutes more."
Meanwhile, Stephen Raynar was just about to pull up to a mostly buried temple; flat roofed and thickly walled, out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but sand dunes to see for miles. All through his long flight and then the drive out over the desert, he had been keeping his extreme envy of Daniel Jackson, almost an hatred alive within his heart; prodding at it like one does with a loose tooth...Daniel Jackson; Dr. Jordon's golden-boy-who-could-do-no-wrong. Even three years of slavish devotion to the older man had not brought him to the level of trust and respect which Jackson had held, seemingly without any effort at all in the Professor's heart. And now he was back; all concerned and worried about Dr. Jordon, cozying up with Sarah...And poking his nose into Stephen's research, where it did not belong. Daniel-damn-Jackson was not the only Egyptologist who knew his way around a pyramid. All Jackson had were a bunch of unproven theories; it was he, Stephen who had figured out what the amulet truly was...not Jackson, not Dr. Jordon...Stephen Raynar had and here he was, on his way to the temple from where he would turn the entire archeological community upside down. He would turn Jackson's unfounded theories into fact and claim the credit for himself. Jackson might have begun this race at super-speed, but he had hit a brick wall somewhere during the last three years; no new research grants, no publications, not a word from Dr. Daniel Jackson...and now here came Stephen Raynar, sprinting over the finish line to fame.
Stephen arrived at the temple and entered; a grin of wonder, excitement and self-satisfaction spread across his face as he looked around at the interior, shining his flashlight over the walls, floor and ceiling. The air was stuffy, but wonderfully cool; with only the front door and a hole in the ceiling to give light and ventilation. Stephen unslung the nap-sack from his back and from inside the bag, he pulled an object wrapped in cloth; carefully pulled back the folds of the material and gazed down as the golden Osiris amulet glittered in the sunlight coming in through the door. It showed Osiris; his face in profile, wearing an Egyptian crown and false-beard of kingship. Around his neck was a wide collar, he was holding the crook and flail and an ankh hung down over his chest. The ebony, which had been carbon-dated was in the form of a ring and made up the body of the amulet.
Stephen had pondered and obsessed over this amulet as much as Sarah and Dr. Jordon had studied and treasured the Osiris jar...until suddenly it had come to him that this amulet must be more than just a piece of jewelry. Out of the blue, the idea had come to him that this was some sort of key and that the only way he was going to find any answers was for him to travel here, to the temple where the amulet had originally been found, so long ago.
But then the accident had occurred with Dr. Jordon; good thing he had taken the amulet out of the lab that night or it would have been blown to pieces only an hour later. Too bad the old man had been hurt though, Stephen thought. Although he would be in deep trouble if Jordon survived and realized that he had stolen the golden treasure...Unlikely though, according to all of the doctors.
Stephen looked up from the golden glitter of the amulet and saw what appeared to be an altar, built up against the back wall of the temple. There was a fresco over the altar, lit from above, which depicting Isis and Osiris, facing each other. With thoughts of glory, fame and riches streaking through Stephen's imagination, he walked over to the altar and inspected it. He saw a small golden circle protruding from the altar and realized that the ebony circle on the amulet would fit over it. He reached out, placed the amulet to fit over the circle and gasped when the altar began to move. The back half of the central portion of the two-step altar slid upward and a light turned on from within. The opened section contained what looked to Stephen as rank upon rank of shelves made up of square pieces of glass, stuck horizontally into slots in the back of the altar-wall. On one of these shelves lay a strange artifact; a strip of gold; fashioned to coil around someone's wrist, with golden fingertips attached by thin chain and a large red jewel, smoothly rounded, set into the middle of this strange-looking glove, where someone's palm would be.
Stephen reached out to pick up the artifact, but never got the chance to try it on. All of a sudden he heard something behind him and turned to see what it was. A hand clutched him by the throat and then threw him backwards until he thudded loudly against the wall behind him. The metallic-glove-thingy had been torn from his hand before he was thrown and now in the shadowy interior of the temple, all Stephen could see of his attacker was the golden hand coming closer...and the red jewel beginning to glow.
With the strength born of a desperate need to escape, Stephen managed to get back up to his feet and tried to get past the shadowy form, but he made it only a few yards when a force spun him around to face his attacker and then it was as if a truck hit him squarely in the ribs and stomach; he felt several ribs crack and was thrown into the air again to land painfully on the floor several yards from where he had been standing. The figure drew closer, but Stephen could barely see it through the haze of pain and the dark clouds which were floating over his vision.
"Where is Isis? Where is my queen?" A deep, hollow-sounding voice asked from above. "Where is the Chap-ai?" It demanded.
"Don't...know...what...you're...talkin'...'bout." Stephen said, hissing sharply when inhaling made pain stab through his lungs. "Isis...'s myth." He said last before succumbing to unconsciousness.
"Pity...these Human bodies are as fragile as ever..." Osiris murmured to himself as he moved back into the shadows, fairly certain that someone else would come looking for Stephen Raynar sooner or later...perhaps even his host's former lover, Daniel Jackson.
Time blurred for Stephen as he lay on the cool temple floor; his thoughts switching between crystal clarity and foggy confusion as he rode out the pain in his ribs and abdomen. This creature who had attacked him was hiding in the shadows, seemingly waiting for someone else to come after him, but Stephen knew that no one would. No one knew where he had gone and even if they figured it out and were curious enough to follow after him, he figured that it would be days...or even weeks before they did...and...they would find his body because he was going to die here, he thought, without emotion; nothing could get past the icy shock which was trying to swamp his brain, as yet. So much for trying to steel Daniel's glory; look where his theories had brought both of them. Daniel laughed out of academia and himself dieing alone in a forgotten tomb, how appropriate.
But then, just a few minutes later, a noise filtered through the air towards Stephen's ear...could that be a...car engine? His mind warred between calling out for help and warning whomever was out there, not to come into the temple; that it was a trap, but no sound of entreaty or warning passed through his lips: Stephen could not muster the energy to do more than moan.
Now he was hearing the faintest sounds of shifting sand near the doorway and then three figures moved down the steps; plastering themselves to the sides. They were back-lit and all he could see was that there were three of them; two were tall and one was short; two of them were wearing hats and...they were all armed. Two of the figures were carrying guns, while the other had a riffle; his sidearm holstered at his hip. The figures moved into the temple, checking out every corner and the ceiling with their flashlights; their guns ready. One of the tall guys passed his light over the ground where he lay and gasping, ran over to him.
"It's Stephen!" The man called out and to his dismay, Stephen recognized Daniel's voice.
But what a changed Daniel from the man he had ridiculed years ago and as recently as yesterday, back in Chicago. This Daniel carried a riffle and looked as though he knew how to use it, as well as looking comfortable with the holster strapped to his hip and leg. The other two people came forward; the tall blond...woman? ...surveyed him intently.
"I don't sense anything, he's not a Goa'uld." She said before backing off to keep an eye out for any danger around her and her team-mates; her flashlight and gun systematically searching the interior of the temple.
'What did That mean?' Stephen wondered as he tried to find the strength to ask, but could not.
The third figure, also a woman, moved in quickly, knelt beside him and gently probed and examined him; he moaned.
"Easy Stephen, she's a doctor." Daniel told him as he patted his shoulder.
'Why are you being so nice to me, Daniel?' Stephen asked silently. 'You must know what I've done...if I were in your place, I'd be spitting in your eye right about now.'
But then the urge to confess what he had done inexplicably overcame Stephen and he summoned up the strength to speak.
"...Took am'let...figured...was a key...want'd to make...disc'vry...s'ry." Stephen's strength gave out and his vision grayed out for a moment, but then came back.
"Stephen, did you open the jar; the Osiris jar?" Daniel was asking him urgently.
"N-no." Stephen managed to say. 'What were they talking about?' He wondered again.
"He's bleeding internally; we need to get him out of here." Janet said, standing up to reach for some of her supplies.
"Stephen, who did this to you?" Daniel asked; half urgency, half concern.
Stephen tried to concentrate; to find the strength to speak, but could only stare over Daniel's shoulder at what...who was coming forward out of the shadows. He tried to warn Daniel using his eyes; glancing back and forth, but the creature came forward too quickly.
"I did." The low, echoing voice of a Goa'uld said from behind them.
Daniel spun to his feet and Janet, who was already standing, turned and instinctively took several steps away from her patient, hoping to draw the Goa'uld away from him. Sam also turned and gasped.
"Sarah?!" Daniel cried out in shock and pain. Here was someone else he had cared about, drawn into the Goa'uld abyss; and taken to be host to the parasite inside her.
Sam and Janet's training clicked in; Sam raised the pistol she had never put down while Janet quickly drew hers out of the holster and began firing. Sarah, who was now host to Osiris, lifted her arm and the hand-device, the golden glove with the red jewel in the center, fired back an invisible wave of energy, which sent Sam and Janet hurtling through the air. Jack's voice screamed inside Daniel's head for him to lift, aim and fire his rifle, holding the tranquilizer-dart...Not to pay attention to what was happening anywhere else around him...just Focus and fire. Daniel did so and while Osiris' attention was caught by the bullets shooting towards him, the slower, almost silently fired dart flew through the air and imbedded itself in Sarah's slim neck.
Stephen fought to stay conscious as this creature that looked like Sarah turned on Daniel. He saw it; this mixture of his colleague and some other dark force, flash its eyes menacingly at Daniel, just as it had while questioning him.
"What is this inssolencce?" Osiris asked, the words all but hissing out between Sarah's lips as the dart was pulled out and thrown away.
Then the hand wearing the device was lifted, the red jewel glowed and Daniel was thrown several yards through the air. He landed and rolled to dispel some of the impact, but stayed down, kneeling on the floor.
"Daniel Jackson, you seem to know much of the Goa'uld; much more than any other Human I have met since my awakening...tell me...where is the Stargate?"
"I - don't know what you're talking about." Daniel said, trying to get back some of the air which had been knocked out of him as he landed.
"Inssolencce." Osiris hissed out as he paced agitatedly around the floor.
'Why hasn't the tranq worked yet?' Daniel wondered as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Where is my brother, Setesh?" Osiris asked.
"Oh you mean Seth...oh he's dead...we killed him." Daniel said in a dismissive tone.
"You lie!" Osiris spat out.
"Uh, no he's dead...uh, who else did we kill...uh...Ra...Hathor..." Daniel said.
"Then you have done me a great service." Osiris said. "I shall rule without opposition..." Osiris continued as he walked towards Daniel.
continued in the next post
Last edited by jane on Sat Aug 02, 2003 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
continued from above
"No...I don't think so..." Daniel said, looking squarely up at Sarah's empty eyes. "You see we don't worship false-gods anymore."
"It is true, you have come far...but you are still weak." Osiris said. "Even now you are torn between wanting to kill me and your concern for my host; she who freed me from my long sleep." Osiris smirked and then asked. "What do you know of my queen?"
"Um, she was trapped like you...we have the jar." Daniel answered.
"Where is it?" Osiris asked urgently while trying to deny the weakness in his host's limbs, he was just now becoming aware of.
"I'm not going to tell you." Daniel answered defiantly.
"Oh yes you..." Osiris began to say as he raised the hand-device to use on Daniel, but then Sarah's knees collapsed suddenly and he fell to the ground, struggled for a moment and then toppled over to land face down on the floor.
"No...I won't." Daniel said decisively, jumping up. "Sam, Janet, are you okay?" He called to his friends in concern.
"Yeah...we're...okay, Daniel." Janet groaned a little as she and Sam stood up.
"Good work Daniel; looks like Jack's training sessions are really kicking in." Sam half praised, half teased her friend.
"Thanks Sam." Daniel said, smiling shyly, but then frowned in thought. "We're going to have to think up a story to tell Stephen."
"No...truth..." Stephen said faintly.
"Oh man, it looks as though he was conscious through the whole thing." Janet said checking on her patient.
"Well in that case Stephen, what you're told or not told isn't up to us." Sam said ominously.
"Rats, I was really hoping that we'd be able to tell him some story and then leave him in the capable hands of the American Hospital in Cairo, but I guess we'll have to take him back with us." Daniel said frowning.
"Huh?" Stephen managed to ask, he did not like how Daniel and these two women were sounding.
"Don't worry, we're going to take good care of you; you'll be fine." Janet said switching from her Air Force officer personae, back to her doctor-personae. "Come on we need to get him out of here, he's still not out of the woods yet."
Stephen watched groggily as Daniel and the blond expertly secured Sarah with hand cuffs at her wrists and ankles and then picked her up and carried her outside.
"Don't worry, we've handled this before." The short woman who had stayed with him, said. "I'm Dr. Janet Fraser by the way and the other woman is Dr. Samantha Carter."
Janet did not give Sam's rank or mention that they were Air Force, just in case they could salvage the situation at all.
"As you saw, your colleague, Sarah Gardner is a danger to herself and to others, but we know some people who should be able to help her." Janet said soothingly. "I'm going to give you a sedative, okay? The ride back to civilization will be a hard one and will be easier for you if you can sleep through it." Janet said as she slipped a needle into his arm.
Just then Sam and Daniel returned, carrying a folded tarp.
"Um...Sarah...has been secured in the truck and made as comfortable as possible...good thing she's unconscious though." Sam said.
"We jury-rigged the second tarp into a sort of hammock for Stephen to lie in, that might save him from some of the jouncing on the return trip and I figured that we could use this tarp as a stretcher." Daniel suggested.
"Good idea, Daniel." Janet said.
Stephen had succumbed to the sedative and the three of them carefully shifted him onto the tarp and then carried him out of the temple. The first tarp had been lashed to the truck's roll-bar with rope and then the foot would be tied to the gate, once they had lifted him up into the truck-bed. They positioned him on the tarp/hammock and eased the stretcher/tarp out from under him. While Sam and Daniel supported his weight, Janet lashed the gathered foot of the tarp to the gate, which she had pulled closed.
"There, that should work great." Janet said. "Let's wrap him in one of our emergency blankets and see if we can rig a shade out of the second tarp. I want to start an IV before we set out, too." Janet said.
"We took the hand-device off of Sarah, but I need to go and retrieve the amulet from the temple." Daniel said.
"You have five minutes, Daniel and then we'll leave you behind." Janet ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Daniel said before running back inside.
Inside, Daniel picked up Stephen's nap-sack and found the amulet, but curiosity got the better of him and he placed the ebony ring over the gold circle on the altar to activate it. Besides the altar moving, a hidden door swung open as well and Daniel stepped inside for a quick peek. The room was empty, but the walls were covered in Goa'uld writing. Perhaps General Hammond would allow him and the science-oriented SG-team to come back and study this temple, but for now, Daniel made himself exit the room, close the door and the altar and walk out of the temple to join is friends.
Stephen had been secured in his hammock and Sam and Janet had managed to jury-rig a sun shade for him. An IV was hanging from the roll-bar as well and Janet had made herself as comfortable as possible in back, so she could keep an eye on Sarah and Stephen.
"Everything's closed up inside, but I hope I'll be allowed to come back and study all of this." Daniel said, taking his place behind the wheel. "Everybody ready?"
"Ready." Sam said. "Oh, one thing though...I called General Hammond to report on our situation and he told me that he had a premonition about us getting into a lot of trouble here, so he ordered a hospital-plane to fly out to Cairo, an hour after we left the SGC. It should be waiting for us at the airport."
"Good thing General Hammond listens to his gut." Daniel said.
"Yeah, I was concerned about what we were going to tell the staff at the American Hospital if we'd needed to take Stephen there." Janet said.
"Plus what would we have done with Sarah...uh...Osiris in the meantime? There's no telling how long that tranquilizer will last." Sam said.
"Well, if that's all the news, we'd better get going." Daniel said and they took off.
When they arrived at the airport and were passed through Customs, Janet immediately had Stephen transferred on board the hospital-plane; an aircraft fitted out with everything needed to handle medical emergencies, including beds, supplies, staff and even an operating room. Sarah, who was still unconscious, was carried on board as well and secured to a hospital bed. The plane took off as soon as everyone was aboard and as soon as they had reached their cruising altitude, Janet began operating on Stephen to find and stop his internal bleeding.
Daniel and Sam were no longer needed, once Sarah was secured with an SF to guard her and Janet was in surgery, so they begged some MREs from one of the remaining crew and found two crates to sit on while they ate. The drive across the desert had been a long, hard one; both ways and they were exhausted, dehydrated and ravenous. Sometime later, Janet came out to tell them the operation had been a success and that Stephen was stable. She begged an MRE for herself and chowed down, but was still on the alert for any trouble with her patient.
~*~*~*~
Sarah Gardner was having a nightmare as she lay, secured to a bed in the SGC's Infirmary. She was watching her dream-self as with curiosity burning in her heart, she opened the Osiris jar.
"No, no, NO...don't open that!" Sarah screamed at her dream-self...But it was too late as the frilled, snake-like creature struggled sluggishly out of the jar and moved across the table to dream-Sarah.
"Move you idiot! Why are you just sitting there watching that thing? MOVE!"
But the snake suddenly launched itself from the table, landed on dream-Sarah's shoulder, squirmed its way around her neck and entered Sarah's body through the neck, near her spinal column...
...The next scene Sarah saw in her nightmare was having to watch seemingly from the back of her own skull as the creature...the Goa'uld, which called himself Osiris, who had total control of her own body, flirt and subtly question Daniel Jackson about where he had been for the last three years and how he knew what the mysterious symbols from the Osiris jar, were. Sarah had tried to resist; to block her mind and memories from Osiris as he went searching for information about his new host, but had been unable to stop him. Sarah cringed mentally as she watched this...male...alien use her own body and feminine wiles to try and coax information out of Daniel...But to no effect, Sarah smiled smugly from within her own mind.
...The third and final scene of her nightmare was from the temple; watching Daniel's two friends shoot guns at her, but the bullets bouncing off of some sort of shield and then seeing Osiris throw them backwards until they hit the wall behind them and fall to the ground. She was so afraid that the two women were dead and that Osiris would kill Daniel next, but then she felt a sharp pain in her neck and her body was turned until she saw Daniel pointing a rifle at her. Would it be better to die, even at his hands than to live, trapped within her own body, Sarah wondered? She had thought that it would...but she had not died after Osiris had pulled a tranquilizer dart?...from her neck. Instead, Osiris had started asking questions of Daniel. What was this thing Osiris called the Stargate? Why was Daniel telling Osiris that he had killed all of those mythic, Egyptian gods; Seth, Ra and Hathor? But Sarah had found out the hard way that Osiris actually existed...had all of the other ancient gods actually lived as well? And what was Daniel really mixed up in; that none of what Osiris was saying...surprised him?
The nightmare ended as Sarah woke up, but she was terrified that she would have to continue living it when she realized she was strapped to a hospital bed. Her wrists, ankles, middle and even her neck had been strapped down. But Daniel was nearby and so were the two women who had been with him at the temple.
"Help me...please help me." She cried out, mentally pounding on the inside of her own skull, but no one heard her...except for Osiris, who laughed at her before speaking to the people in the room.
"What is this insolence?" Osiris barked out in his deep, echoing voice. "I am your god; release me at once!"
"Oh man, the tranquilizer's worn off." An older man with short gray hair exclaimed.
Janet came forward quickly with a hypodermic needle in her hands and quickly stuck it into Sarah's neck. Osiris continued to struggle as Sarah's vision clouded up again, but just before her eyes closed, she saw the old man's eyes flash and she panicked.
"No, No! Who are you people? Daniel..." she cried out silently, but could it be that the old man had heard her, because he came forward and took her hand?
"You're going to be okay, Sarah Gardner." He promised as her eyes closed tightly shut.
The next thing Sarah knew, she was floating upwards, towards consciousness and she felt the soothing comfort of someone wiping her face with a cool cloth and a blanket being tucked in snuggly around her...and...glory of glories...she told her feet to flex and her toes to wiggle...and they did! Osiris was nowhere to be found within her mind and she was in complete control of her own body again!
"She's coming around." Someone said as she blinked her eyes open and looked around.
She was in some sort of medical clinic; everything was stripped down, bare and utilitarian, with ugly cement walls and old fashioned folding screens to separate bed from bed in this ward-like space. Where was she?
"Sarah, you're safe...you're going to be okay, Sarah." Daniel said as he walked up to her bed and took her hand, smiling gently.
Sarah smiled faintly at him, but then took a closer look at him and the other people around her. Daniel was wearing a gosh-awful-looking outfit consisting of an unbuttoned, long-sleeved, olive-green shirt over a black T-shirt and olive-green pants...in fact...everyone in the room, except for the short woman wearing a white lab-coat...was wearing olive-drab. Oh man, they all looked like something out of a M*A*S*H episode. She could not believe it; had Daniel joined the Army?
"Am I in a M*A*S*H unit or something? What is this place?" Sarah gave her thoughts voice.
"This is a military facility, yes." The short woman said with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. "I'm Dr. Janet Fraser and this is Major Samantha Carter...we're friends of Daniel's."
"You were at the temple with him...you were shooting at me." Sarah said trying to concentrate.
"Um...yes...we were..." Janet said uncomfortably.
"What do you remember about the temple, Sarah?" Sam broke in to ask gently.
"I had followed Stephen to the temple..." Sarah started to say, rather confused...and then it all came back to her. Osiris! "I know that this is going to sound crazy, but this...ugly snake...thing forced its way into my body through my neck-and-and-it took over my body...I c-couldn't d-do anything t-to s-st-stop it! It made the lab b-blow up, h-hurting Dr. Jordon...and k-killed the technician and our Curator. It was trying to get information out of Daniel, because he seemed to know so much more than anyone else did about what was going on with other s-snakes like itself. And then it figured out that Stephen had left for Egypt and so it made me follow him and when we got to the temple, it...b-beat Ss-Stephen up trying to mm-make him talk...and then you were s-shooting at me and Daniel hit my neck with s-some kind of dart...But Osiris kept on asking Daniel these s-strange questions...and then everything went black...and I woke up here." Sarah finished with an uncertain tone in her voice; frightened that they would all think she was crazy.
"Sarah..." Daniel said gently. "You're not crazy; we know all about Osiris and what he is...and you don't have to worry anymore, he's gone...we removed him from you and he won't hurt anyone every again."
"You removed...it's gone...for good?" Sarah asked and then frowned. "There was someone else here...an old man with short gray hair..." Sarah started to panic as she remembered. "He sounded just like Osiris and his eyes flashed! He was another creature just like Osiris...where is he?" She cried.
"Sarah...Sarah...calm down, you're safe...you're safe..." Daniel soothed.
"That other man was my father, Sarah; Jacob Carter and he is not a Goa'uld like Osiris was." Sam told her. "He's the one who removed Osiris from you."
"But...but I saw his eyes flash...his voice..." Sarah said uncertainly.
"Okay...yes...Dad does carry a symbiote within his body, but Selmac is a Tok'ra, not a Goa'uld. Tok'ra are physiologically the same as a Goa'uld parasite, but they do not believe in taking unwilling hosts. Dad became a willing host to Selmac when her old host was dieing...and Selmac cured Dad of his cancer." Sam explained.
"Where is he now?" Sarah asked, still fearful.
"He took Osiris back to the Tok'ra base." Sam said.
"So...those things...the Goa'uld...and, and Tok'ra are living all over this planet?" Sarah asked.
"Uh...no..." Daniel said thoughtfully, even though Sarah had been cleared to hear all of this by the President, how much could she take in one telling? "Uh...a few Goa'uld did live here on Earth back in ancient times; back in the time of the pharaohs...and they took on the personae of the ancient gods and made the people worship them as such...and worked them like slaves...but the ancient Egyptians overthrew the Goa'uld and made them...uh...leave this planet for good. Only a few of them managed to hide themselves or, like Isis and Osiris...were imprisoned here...but mostly, we're safe."
"I think it's time my patient got some rest; she's been through an awful lot." Janet said, breaking up the question and answer session.
"But Janet..." Daniel complained.
"Don't tell me that you aren't exhausted Daniel Jackson; I know for a fact that you haven't slept since that cat-nap you took on the plane, flying to Egypt. Dr. Gardner needs rest and so do you and Major Carter...Now if you don't at least go to your base quarters and get six to eight hours sleep, I'll have you strapped down to one of these beds and sedate you." Janet threatened and Daniel's shoulders dropped in resignation.
"Come on Sam...you know Janet's serious when she calls you by your salutation or rank and not by your first name...Sarah, don't worry; you're perfectly safe here and I'll just be a couple floors up if you need me, okay?" Daniel squeezed her hand and Sarah smiled faintly. "Good, now get some rest." He said before he and Sam left the Infirmary under the firm gaze of Janet Fraser.
But then Janet turned back to Sarah and smiled as she fluffed up her pillows for her and gently pulled up the blankets and tucked them in.
"I have to be stern with those two or they'd work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Daniel lives on coffee too much as it is." Janet's eyes twinkled. "Now, I want you to get some sleep...and don't worry...I or one of my nurses will always be nearby, plus there are two SFs out in the hallway, okay? You're perfectly safe here." Janet soothed as she dimmed the lights around Sarah's bed and Sarah nodded, but then asked.
"What are...SFs...Doctor?"
"Air Force Special Forces...their sort of like Marines." Janet told her.
"And...Daniel...is he a part of the Air Force? I noticed that he has the same patch on his uniform sleeve that Major Carter has." Sarah asked.
"No, Daniel's not Air Force, but he and Sam are on the same team...he's a civilian consultant." Janet said cautiously.
"But...at the temple...he carried a gun and used a rifle?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, Daniel does know how to use weapons...when you're on a team; your teammates have to know that they can count on each other; that they'll keep each other safe, no matter what. And Daniel's teammates respect and trust him a great deal." Janet said and then held up her hand to shush Sarah. "Now, no more questions...sleep...I could give you a sedative, if you'd like?" She offered, but Sarah shook her head and closed her eyes to indicate that she could fall asleep without any extra help.
~*~*~*~
For Stephen, it seemed as if one moment he had been laying on the temple floor, bleeding to death and the next, he woke up to the sight of a modern hospital room. What was going on, where was he...what country? There was an IV pole by his bed and two plastic bags were hanging from it; one clear, an IV he supposed and the second; red, blood. He weakly lifted the sheet and blanket which covered him and realized that he was only wearing a baggy pair of shorts and that his ribs and abdomen were wrapped in bandages.
Stephen looked around and saw a button on the bed-rail with the symbol of a nurse on it and managed to press it. A moment later, the door to his room was opened by a soldier...with a gun holstered at his hip...what the hell? And not only a nurse, but a doctor came in and over to his bed, followed by another soldier, who stood quietly up against the wall...and it required a double-take on Stephen's part before he realized that the guy wearing soldier-green...was Daniel Jackson.
"Well Dr. Raynar, how're you feeling?" The doctor asked, drawing Stephen's attention away from Daniel and onto him.
"I-I'm...okay, I think...kind of weak..." Stephen answered and the doctor nodded.
"Any pain?" The doc asked and Stephen shook his head. "Good, good." He muttered and went on to examine his patient; poking and prodding here and there, while explaining to Stephen about his condition. The doctor then explained the patient-controlled analgesia pump, attached to the IV pole before moving as if to leave the room.
"Hey, wait a minute...I have some questions..." Stephen insisted.
"About your health?" The doctor asked cautiously.
"Uh no...about where I am, how'd I get here, where's Sarah, why's there a guard outside my door and what exactly happened in Egypt?" Stephen demanded.
"Um well...all I can tell you at this point is that you're in Colorado Springs; in the Air Force Academy Medical Center." The doctor answered. "As to your other questions...I don't know the answers to any of those...you'll need to ask Dr. Jackson."
"I don't want to talk to Dr. Jackson. I want to speak to whoever's in charge here and I want some straight answers Now." Stephen said, getting angry.
"Stephen..." Daniel said gently. "Not even General March, who's the CMO here at the hospital knows anything but the medical aspects of your case; he doesn't have high enough security clearance to be told anything else...but I do and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can...I won't lie to you either; if I'm not allowed to tell you something, or if I don't know the answers, I'll tell you so. Now why don't we let these people get back to their work and then the two of us can have a little talk." Daniel suggested.
Stephen nodded, the doctor and nurse left and the guard outside shut the door to the room behind them.
"Now, to your questions..." Daniel began. "After you lost consciousness in the temple, Dr. Fraser, Dr. Carter and I carried you and Sarah out to our truck and drove you back to Cairo. We had a hospital-plane waiting for us at the airport; we boarded it and flew back to the States. While on board, Dr. Fraser performed emergency surgery on you, to stop your internal bleeding...there was an O.R. and medical staff on board the plane and everything went fine...Janet saved your life...Anyway, once we landed here, you were brought to this hospital and we've been waiting for you to wake up ever since. Sarah is being well cared for at a nearby facility and no doubt you'll be able to see each other once your both feeling better." Daniel assured him.
"Why's Sarah at a different hospital from this one?" Stephen asked.
"Because...she needed a special procedure done, which they don't perform here." Daniel answered.
"Man! Is she going to be okay?" Stephen asked, envisioning a heart transplant or something equally serious.
"She's going to be fine...the procedure has already been performed and she came through it with flying colors." Daniel assured him.
"What procedure did she have done?" Stephen asked.
"I'm...sorry Stephen, I can't answer that...patient confidentiality and all that." Daniel answered and Stephen had to accept that...for now.
"So, what's with my having a guard outside my door?" Stephen demanded.
"Actually Stephen...there are two guards outside your door...and they're there because...you're in a lot of hot water, actually. What you did; steeling that amulet, taking it with you to Egypt...and what you would have no doubt have done with the knowledge you would have learned in that temple...was a big no-no." Daniel said.
"WHAT?" Stephen exclaimed loudly. "What I did can't be All that bad, can it?"
"True...you were probably unaware of the consequences which could have come from your actions but...if you had managed to take your findings to the Press...you would be facing a charge of treason by now, Stephen." Daniel said seriously.
"Treason? Oh come off it, Jackson! My taking one amulet out of the country isn't an act of treason and you know it." Stephen exclaimed, his voice getting louder with each outburst.
"Hmmm...that's what my superior and the President are trying to decide now." Daniel said, shrugging.
Stephen needed to understand the seriousness of his situation, but Daniel was certainly getting a lot of satisfaction out of being the one to explain it to him.
"The President...of the United States?" Stephen smirked. "Now I know your lying...you're just getting back at me for having you taken in for questioning by the Police, aren't you?"
"This has nothing to do with me, Stephen." Daniel said in a patient voice but he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This is all about your trying to use top secret information to your own advantage...even if what you know represents only the tip of the pyramid, you're still accountable..."
"You are So Full of it, Daniel." Stephen's voice rose in anger. "You're a Nobody who's trying to use veiled Threats against Me to get back into the University's Good Graces...This is all about You're wanting My job, right?"
Stephen was yelling and Daniel motioned for him to calm down, but not before the door opened and one of the soldiers stepped inside.
"Everything okay in here, Dr. J?" He asked courteously towards Daniel, while scowling menacingly towards Stephen.
"Everything's find, Sergeant Andrews; Dr. Raynar isn't feeling well and it's making him kind of cranky." Daniel explained.
Stephen wanted to tell Daniel and the hulking Sergeant to stop treating him like a little boy, but something else distracted him for a moment.
"The way the Sergeant is sooo respectful of you, Daniel; don't tell me that you're actually some sort of military officer?" Stephen scoffed.
"No, Stephen I'm not..." Daniel began, but was interrupted by the Sergeant.
"No, Dr. Jackson is not in the military, but he is one of the most respected men at our base, being on SG-1 and...and having saved the world...and..."
"Thank you, Andrews." Daniel jumped in before the other man could say anymore, but Stephen was smirking anyway.
"Oh my, now you've done it Sergeant; leaking top secret information...hey maybe we can be cell-mates, once I've been tried for treason and you've been court-martialed." Stephen said nastily, but Daniel did not rise to the bate.
"See...just like I said before...cranky...Don't worry Andrews, everything's okay." Daniel said, patting the younger man on the shoulder as he led him towards the door. "Just don't go telling Dr. Raynar anything else...like what we do to snakes." Daniel said.
Andrews laughed at the in-joke and went back to his post, determined not to say another word to that creep in the hospital bed, while Daniel turned back to Stephen.
"Back to your earlier accusation, Stephen..." Daniel said patiently. "I have no wish to take your job away from you...my work here is so much more important and exiting than anything you'll ever do. I may not own a Porsche, but I have a great job, a beautiful wife and a whole bunch of good, loyal friends, who would do anything they could for me...and that's all I need." Daniel said. 'Well, that and a fully charged zat-gun.' He thought before continuing with a shrug. "And those are all the questions I'm willing to answer today. Good-bye Stephen; take it easy." Daniel said and headed towards the door.
"Hey, wait; I have more questions for you." Stephen yelled, half belligerent, half panicked.
"I'll tell the General and Colonel O'Neill and maybe they'll come by...in a day or two...meanwhile, rest and heal, Stephen." Daniel said casually; shutting the room door behind him.
~*~*~*~
As he checked in at the final security point to the SGC, Daniel was asked to report directly to General Hammond's office.
"You wanted to see me, General?" Daniel asked, once he had made his way down to the General's office door and knocked.
"Yes, please come in and have a seat, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond said from behind his desk. "How is Dr. Raynar doing?"
"Uh well, pretty well, I guess...he um woke up finally and started making demands and asking questions right away." Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders. "I answered a few of his questions and tried to put him in the picture of what sort of trouble he's in, but I don't know if I helped matters or made them worse."
"Whatever his attitude, we'll deal with it, after he's healed a little bit more." The General said confidently. "But let's get down to the real reason I called you here, shall we? I've received the security checks on Drs. Raynar, Jordon and Gardner and I wanted to go over them with you and tell you what the President's decisions were about each of them."
"Okay, good." Daniel said, sitting forward in his chair as the General pulled three folders towards him.
"Dr. David Jordon; double Ph.D.s in archeology and linguistics...he doesn't seem to speak quite as many languages as you do, but he does have quite a few of them under his belt. Head of the Archeology Department at University of Chicago for fifteen years; an impressive list of published works...He looks like an excellent candidate...except perhaps for his age...and he may not whish to leave such a prestigious position as he has now. Perhaps he could be called in as a consultant. The President has cleared Dr. Jordon to be told the entire truth about the SGC and we can put our job offer to him afterwards.
"Dr. Sarah Gardner looks very good as well, from a security standpoint. From what little she's told Dr. Fraser and Major Carter, she opened the Osiris jar purely out of curiosity. Unlike Dr. Raynar, Dr. Gardner had no clue as to what the jar held. There is also the added benefit of her being able to use Goa'uld technology now, just like Major Carter can...But she has been badly traumatized by all of this, she may not want anything to do with the SGC."
"True..." Daniel said thoughtfully. "What about Stephen?"
"Dr. Raynar is a different case all together." The General said. "He is very well known; rather popular right now with his books on the Best Seller's lists. It would not be easy for him to come into the SGC completely as you did...disappear so to speak." The General frowned as he watched Daniel's arms go around himself in a self-hug. "And we must remember that he has always shown himself to be firmly rooted in conventional, conservative academic thought; I'm told that there isn't an original theory or even a bit of speculation in any of his published works...Hardly the type of personality which would work around here." George smiled as Daniel looked up at him and relaxed his arms a bit.
"There is also his criminal behavior to consider." General Hammond continued. "He willfully hid away and then stole the amulet; took it out of the country...and not for its financial worth alone, but for the premeditated wish to prove Your theories correct, take all of Your well-earned glory...And would have caused an international panic and security risk in the process! No...the President and I do not want this man anywhere near the SGC."
"He'll have to be told some of the truth." Daniel said.
"Yes, he will, but we'll keep it to a minimum and he will not be told anything about this facility. We'll decide who should tell him later." General Hammond said. "Meanwhile, you've been cleared to tell Dr. Jordon the whole story whenever you think the time and location is right."
"Well, uh...the location should be here, don't you think, General? Could he be...is he well enough to be transferred to the Infirmary here?" Daniel asked.
"As I understand it, Dr. Jordon is doing very well, although he still has a way to go...at his age, healing takes longer. I'll speak to Dr. Warner about arranging it." The General said decisively.
"Thank you, sir." Daniel said grinning.
~*~*~*~
continued in next post
"No...I don't think so..." Daniel said, looking squarely up at Sarah's empty eyes. "You see we don't worship false-gods anymore."
"It is true, you have come far...but you are still weak." Osiris said. "Even now you are torn between wanting to kill me and your concern for my host; she who freed me from my long sleep." Osiris smirked and then asked. "What do you know of my queen?"
"Um, she was trapped like you...we have the jar." Daniel answered.
"Where is it?" Osiris asked urgently while trying to deny the weakness in his host's limbs, he was just now becoming aware of.
"I'm not going to tell you." Daniel answered defiantly.
"Oh yes you..." Osiris began to say as he raised the hand-device to use on Daniel, but then Sarah's knees collapsed suddenly and he fell to the ground, struggled for a moment and then toppled over to land face down on the floor.
"No...I won't." Daniel said decisively, jumping up. "Sam, Janet, are you okay?" He called to his friends in concern.
"Yeah...we're...okay, Daniel." Janet groaned a little as she and Sam stood up.
"Good work Daniel; looks like Jack's training sessions are really kicking in." Sam half praised, half teased her friend.
"Thanks Sam." Daniel said, smiling shyly, but then frowned in thought. "We're going to have to think up a story to tell Stephen."
"No...truth..." Stephen said faintly.
"Oh man, it looks as though he was conscious through the whole thing." Janet said checking on her patient.
"Well in that case Stephen, what you're told or not told isn't up to us." Sam said ominously.
"Rats, I was really hoping that we'd be able to tell him some story and then leave him in the capable hands of the American Hospital in Cairo, but I guess we'll have to take him back with us." Daniel said frowning.
"Huh?" Stephen managed to ask, he did not like how Daniel and these two women were sounding.
"Don't worry, we're going to take good care of you; you'll be fine." Janet said switching from her Air Force officer personae, back to her doctor-personae. "Come on we need to get him out of here, he's still not out of the woods yet."
Stephen watched groggily as Daniel and the blond expertly secured Sarah with hand cuffs at her wrists and ankles and then picked her up and carried her outside.
"Don't worry, we've handled this before." The short woman who had stayed with him, said. "I'm Dr. Janet Fraser by the way and the other woman is Dr. Samantha Carter."
Janet did not give Sam's rank or mention that they were Air Force, just in case they could salvage the situation at all.
"As you saw, your colleague, Sarah Gardner is a danger to herself and to others, but we know some people who should be able to help her." Janet said soothingly. "I'm going to give you a sedative, okay? The ride back to civilization will be a hard one and will be easier for you if you can sleep through it." Janet said as she slipped a needle into his arm.
Just then Sam and Daniel returned, carrying a folded tarp.
"Um...Sarah...has been secured in the truck and made as comfortable as possible...good thing she's unconscious though." Sam said.
"We jury-rigged the second tarp into a sort of hammock for Stephen to lie in, that might save him from some of the jouncing on the return trip and I figured that we could use this tarp as a stretcher." Daniel suggested.
"Good idea, Daniel." Janet said.
Stephen had succumbed to the sedative and the three of them carefully shifted him onto the tarp and then carried him out of the temple. The first tarp had been lashed to the truck's roll-bar with rope and then the foot would be tied to the gate, once they had lifted him up into the truck-bed. They positioned him on the tarp/hammock and eased the stretcher/tarp out from under him. While Sam and Daniel supported his weight, Janet lashed the gathered foot of the tarp to the gate, which she had pulled closed.
"There, that should work great." Janet said. "Let's wrap him in one of our emergency blankets and see if we can rig a shade out of the second tarp. I want to start an IV before we set out, too." Janet said.
"We took the hand-device off of Sarah, but I need to go and retrieve the amulet from the temple." Daniel said.
"You have five minutes, Daniel and then we'll leave you behind." Janet ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Daniel said before running back inside.
Inside, Daniel picked up Stephen's nap-sack and found the amulet, but curiosity got the better of him and he placed the ebony ring over the gold circle on the altar to activate it. Besides the altar moving, a hidden door swung open as well and Daniel stepped inside for a quick peek. The room was empty, but the walls were covered in Goa'uld writing. Perhaps General Hammond would allow him and the science-oriented SG-team to come back and study this temple, but for now, Daniel made himself exit the room, close the door and the altar and walk out of the temple to join is friends.
Stephen had been secured in his hammock and Sam and Janet had managed to jury-rig a sun shade for him. An IV was hanging from the roll-bar as well and Janet had made herself as comfortable as possible in back, so she could keep an eye on Sarah and Stephen.
"Everything's closed up inside, but I hope I'll be allowed to come back and study all of this." Daniel said, taking his place behind the wheel. "Everybody ready?"
"Ready." Sam said. "Oh, one thing though...I called General Hammond to report on our situation and he told me that he had a premonition about us getting into a lot of trouble here, so he ordered a hospital-plane to fly out to Cairo, an hour after we left the SGC. It should be waiting for us at the airport."
"Good thing General Hammond listens to his gut." Daniel said.
"Yeah, I was concerned about what we were going to tell the staff at the American Hospital if we'd needed to take Stephen there." Janet said.
"Plus what would we have done with Sarah...uh...Osiris in the meantime? There's no telling how long that tranquilizer will last." Sam said.
"Well, if that's all the news, we'd better get going." Daniel said and they took off.
When they arrived at the airport and were passed through Customs, Janet immediately had Stephen transferred on board the hospital-plane; an aircraft fitted out with everything needed to handle medical emergencies, including beds, supplies, staff and even an operating room. Sarah, who was still unconscious, was carried on board as well and secured to a hospital bed. The plane took off as soon as everyone was aboard and as soon as they had reached their cruising altitude, Janet began operating on Stephen to find and stop his internal bleeding.
Daniel and Sam were no longer needed, once Sarah was secured with an SF to guard her and Janet was in surgery, so they begged some MREs from one of the remaining crew and found two crates to sit on while they ate. The drive across the desert had been a long, hard one; both ways and they were exhausted, dehydrated and ravenous. Sometime later, Janet came out to tell them the operation had been a success and that Stephen was stable. She begged an MRE for herself and chowed down, but was still on the alert for any trouble with her patient.
~*~*~*~
Sarah Gardner was having a nightmare as she lay, secured to a bed in the SGC's Infirmary. She was watching her dream-self as with curiosity burning in her heart, she opened the Osiris jar.
"No, no, NO...don't open that!" Sarah screamed at her dream-self...But it was too late as the frilled, snake-like creature struggled sluggishly out of the jar and moved across the table to dream-Sarah.
"Move you idiot! Why are you just sitting there watching that thing? MOVE!"
But the snake suddenly launched itself from the table, landed on dream-Sarah's shoulder, squirmed its way around her neck and entered Sarah's body through the neck, near her spinal column...
...The next scene Sarah saw in her nightmare was having to watch seemingly from the back of her own skull as the creature...the Goa'uld, which called himself Osiris, who had total control of her own body, flirt and subtly question Daniel Jackson about where he had been for the last three years and how he knew what the mysterious symbols from the Osiris jar, were. Sarah had tried to resist; to block her mind and memories from Osiris as he went searching for information about his new host, but had been unable to stop him. Sarah cringed mentally as she watched this...male...alien use her own body and feminine wiles to try and coax information out of Daniel...But to no effect, Sarah smiled smugly from within her own mind.
...The third and final scene of her nightmare was from the temple; watching Daniel's two friends shoot guns at her, but the bullets bouncing off of some sort of shield and then seeing Osiris throw them backwards until they hit the wall behind them and fall to the ground. She was so afraid that the two women were dead and that Osiris would kill Daniel next, but then she felt a sharp pain in her neck and her body was turned until she saw Daniel pointing a rifle at her. Would it be better to die, even at his hands than to live, trapped within her own body, Sarah wondered? She had thought that it would...but she had not died after Osiris had pulled a tranquilizer dart?...from her neck. Instead, Osiris had started asking questions of Daniel. What was this thing Osiris called the Stargate? Why was Daniel telling Osiris that he had killed all of those mythic, Egyptian gods; Seth, Ra and Hathor? But Sarah had found out the hard way that Osiris actually existed...had all of the other ancient gods actually lived as well? And what was Daniel really mixed up in; that none of what Osiris was saying...surprised him?
The nightmare ended as Sarah woke up, but she was terrified that she would have to continue living it when she realized she was strapped to a hospital bed. Her wrists, ankles, middle and even her neck had been strapped down. But Daniel was nearby and so were the two women who had been with him at the temple.
"Help me...please help me." She cried out, mentally pounding on the inside of her own skull, but no one heard her...except for Osiris, who laughed at her before speaking to the people in the room.
"What is this insolence?" Osiris barked out in his deep, echoing voice. "I am your god; release me at once!"
"Oh man, the tranquilizer's worn off." An older man with short gray hair exclaimed.
Janet came forward quickly with a hypodermic needle in her hands and quickly stuck it into Sarah's neck. Osiris continued to struggle as Sarah's vision clouded up again, but just before her eyes closed, she saw the old man's eyes flash and she panicked.
"No, No! Who are you people? Daniel..." she cried out silently, but could it be that the old man had heard her, because he came forward and took her hand?
"You're going to be okay, Sarah Gardner." He promised as her eyes closed tightly shut.
The next thing Sarah knew, she was floating upwards, towards consciousness and she felt the soothing comfort of someone wiping her face with a cool cloth and a blanket being tucked in snuggly around her...and...glory of glories...she told her feet to flex and her toes to wiggle...and they did! Osiris was nowhere to be found within her mind and she was in complete control of her own body again!
"She's coming around." Someone said as she blinked her eyes open and looked around.
She was in some sort of medical clinic; everything was stripped down, bare and utilitarian, with ugly cement walls and old fashioned folding screens to separate bed from bed in this ward-like space. Where was she?
"Sarah, you're safe...you're going to be okay, Sarah." Daniel said as he walked up to her bed and took her hand, smiling gently.
Sarah smiled faintly at him, but then took a closer look at him and the other people around her. Daniel was wearing a gosh-awful-looking outfit consisting of an unbuttoned, long-sleeved, olive-green shirt over a black T-shirt and olive-green pants...in fact...everyone in the room, except for the short woman wearing a white lab-coat...was wearing olive-drab. Oh man, they all looked like something out of a M*A*S*H episode. She could not believe it; had Daniel joined the Army?
"Am I in a M*A*S*H unit or something? What is this place?" Sarah gave her thoughts voice.
"This is a military facility, yes." The short woman said with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. "I'm Dr. Janet Fraser and this is Major Samantha Carter...we're friends of Daniel's."
"You were at the temple with him...you were shooting at me." Sarah said trying to concentrate.
"Um...yes...we were..." Janet said uncomfortably.
"What do you remember about the temple, Sarah?" Sam broke in to ask gently.
"I had followed Stephen to the temple..." Sarah started to say, rather confused...and then it all came back to her. Osiris! "I know that this is going to sound crazy, but this...ugly snake...thing forced its way into my body through my neck-and-and-it took over my body...I c-couldn't d-do anything t-to s-st-stop it! It made the lab b-blow up, h-hurting Dr. Jordon...and k-killed the technician and our Curator. It was trying to get information out of Daniel, because he seemed to know so much more than anyone else did about what was going on with other s-snakes like itself. And then it figured out that Stephen had left for Egypt and so it made me follow him and when we got to the temple, it...b-beat Ss-Stephen up trying to mm-make him talk...and then you were s-shooting at me and Daniel hit my neck with s-some kind of dart...But Osiris kept on asking Daniel these s-strange questions...and then everything went black...and I woke up here." Sarah finished with an uncertain tone in her voice; frightened that they would all think she was crazy.
"Sarah..." Daniel said gently. "You're not crazy; we know all about Osiris and what he is...and you don't have to worry anymore, he's gone...we removed him from you and he won't hurt anyone every again."
"You removed...it's gone...for good?" Sarah asked and then frowned. "There was someone else here...an old man with short gray hair..." Sarah started to panic as she remembered. "He sounded just like Osiris and his eyes flashed! He was another creature just like Osiris...where is he?" She cried.
"Sarah...Sarah...calm down, you're safe...you're safe..." Daniel soothed.
"That other man was my father, Sarah; Jacob Carter and he is not a Goa'uld like Osiris was." Sam told her. "He's the one who removed Osiris from you."
"But...but I saw his eyes flash...his voice..." Sarah said uncertainly.
"Okay...yes...Dad does carry a symbiote within his body, but Selmac is a Tok'ra, not a Goa'uld. Tok'ra are physiologically the same as a Goa'uld parasite, but they do not believe in taking unwilling hosts. Dad became a willing host to Selmac when her old host was dieing...and Selmac cured Dad of his cancer." Sam explained.
"Where is he now?" Sarah asked, still fearful.
"He took Osiris back to the Tok'ra base." Sam said.
"So...those things...the Goa'uld...and, and Tok'ra are living all over this planet?" Sarah asked.
"Uh...no..." Daniel said thoughtfully, even though Sarah had been cleared to hear all of this by the President, how much could she take in one telling? "Uh...a few Goa'uld did live here on Earth back in ancient times; back in the time of the pharaohs...and they took on the personae of the ancient gods and made the people worship them as such...and worked them like slaves...but the ancient Egyptians overthrew the Goa'uld and made them...uh...leave this planet for good. Only a few of them managed to hide themselves or, like Isis and Osiris...were imprisoned here...but mostly, we're safe."
"I think it's time my patient got some rest; she's been through an awful lot." Janet said, breaking up the question and answer session.
"But Janet..." Daniel complained.
"Don't tell me that you aren't exhausted Daniel Jackson; I know for a fact that you haven't slept since that cat-nap you took on the plane, flying to Egypt. Dr. Gardner needs rest and so do you and Major Carter...Now if you don't at least go to your base quarters and get six to eight hours sleep, I'll have you strapped down to one of these beds and sedate you." Janet threatened and Daniel's shoulders dropped in resignation.
"Come on Sam...you know Janet's serious when she calls you by your salutation or rank and not by your first name...Sarah, don't worry; you're perfectly safe here and I'll just be a couple floors up if you need me, okay?" Daniel squeezed her hand and Sarah smiled faintly. "Good, now get some rest." He said before he and Sam left the Infirmary under the firm gaze of Janet Fraser.
But then Janet turned back to Sarah and smiled as she fluffed up her pillows for her and gently pulled up the blankets and tucked them in.
"I have to be stern with those two or they'd work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Daniel lives on coffee too much as it is." Janet's eyes twinkled. "Now, I want you to get some sleep...and don't worry...I or one of my nurses will always be nearby, plus there are two SFs out in the hallway, okay? You're perfectly safe here." Janet soothed as she dimmed the lights around Sarah's bed and Sarah nodded, but then asked.
"What are...SFs...Doctor?"
"Air Force Special Forces...their sort of like Marines." Janet told her.
"And...Daniel...is he a part of the Air Force? I noticed that he has the same patch on his uniform sleeve that Major Carter has." Sarah asked.
"No, Daniel's not Air Force, but he and Sam are on the same team...he's a civilian consultant." Janet said cautiously.
"But...at the temple...he carried a gun and used a rifle?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, Daniel does know how to use weapons...when you're on a team; your teammates have to know that they can count on each other; that they'll keep each other safe, no matter what. And Daniel's teammates respect and trust him a great deal." Janet said and then held up her hand to shush Sarah. "Now, no more questions...sleep...I could give you a sedative, if you'd like?" She offered, but Sarah shook her head and closed her eyes to indicate that she could fall asleep without any extra help.
~*~*~*~
For Stephen, it seemed as if one moment he had been laying on the temple floor, bleeding to death and the next, he woke up to the sight of a modern hospital room. What was going on, where was he...what country? There was an IV pole by his bed and two plastic bags were hanging from it; one clear, an IV he supposed and the second; red, blood. He weakly lifted the sheet and blanket which covered him and realized that he was only wearing a baggy pair of shorts and that his ribs and abdomen were wrapped in bandages.
Stephen looked around and saw a button on the bed-rail with the symbol of a nurse on it and managed to press it. A moment later, the door to his room was opened by a soldier...with a gun holstered at his hip...what the hell? And not only a nurse, but a doctor came in and over to his bed, followed by another soldier, who stood quietly up against the wall...and it required a double-take on Stephen's part before he realized that the guy wearing soldier-green...was Daniel Jackson.
"Well Dr. Raynar, how're you feeling?" The doctor asked, drawing Stephen's attention away from Daniel and onto him.
"I-I'm...okay, I think...kind of weak..." Stephen answered and the doctor nodded.
"Any pain?" The doc asked and Stephen shook his head. "Good, good." He muttered and went on to examine his patient; poking and prodding here and there, while explaining to Stephen about his condition. The doctor then explained the patient-controlled analgesia pump, attached to the IV pole before moving as if to leave the room.
"Hey, wait a minute...I have some questions..." Stephen insisted.
"About your health?" The doctor asked cautiously.
"Uh no...about where I am, how'd I get here, where's Sarah, why's there a guard outside my door and what exactly happened in Egypt?" Stephen demanded.
"Um well...all I can tell you at this point is that you're in Colorado Springs; in the Air Force Academy Medical Center." The doctor answered. "As to your other questions...I don't know the answers to any of those...you'll need to ask Dr. Jackson."
"I don't want to talk to Dr. Jackson. I want to speak to whoever's in charge here and I want some straight answers Now." Stephen said, getting angry.
"Stephen..." Daniel said gently. "Not even General March, who's the CMO here at the hospital knows anything but the medical aspects of your case; he doesn't have high enough security clearance to be told anything else...but I do and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can...I won't lie to you either; if I'm not allowed to tell you something, or if I don't know the answers, I'll tell you so. Now why don't we let these people get back to their work and then the two of us can have a little talk." Daniel suggested.
Stephen nodded, the doctor and nurse left and the guard outside shut the door to the room behind them.
"Now, to your questions..." Daniel began. "After you lost consciousness in the temple, Dr. Fraser, Dr. Carter and I carried you and Sarah out to our truck and drove you back to Cairo. We had a hospital-plane waiting for us at the airport; we boarded it and flew back to the States. While on board, Dr. Fraser performed emergency surgery on you, to stop your internal bleeding...there was an O.R. and medical staff on board the plane and everything went fine...Janet saved your life...Anyway, once we landed here, you were brought to this hospital and we've been waiting for you to wake up ever since. Sarah is being well cared for at a nearby facility and no doubt you'll be able to see each other once your both feeling better." Daniel assured him.
"Why's Sarah at a different hospital from this one?" Stephen asked.
"Because...she needed a special procedure done, which they don't perform here." Daniel answered.
"Man! Is she going to be okay?" Stephen asked, envisioning a heart transplant or something equally serious.
"She's going to be fine...the procedure has already been performed and she came through it with flying colors." Daniel assured him.
"What procedure did she have done?" Stephen asked.
"I'm...sorry Stephen, I can't answer that...patient confidentiality and all that." Daniel answered and Stephen had to accept that...for now.
"So, what's with my having a guard outside my door?" Stephen demanded.
"Actually Stephen...there are two guards outside your door...and they're there because...you're in a lot of hot water, actually. What you did; steeling that amulet, taking it with you to Egypt...and what you would have no doubt have done with the knowledge you would have learned in that temple...was a big no-no." Daniel said.
"WHAT?" Stephen exclaimed loudly. "What I did can't be All that bad, can it?"
"True...you were probably unaware of the consequences which could have come from your actions but...if you had managed to take your findings to the Press...you would be facing a charge of treason by now, Stephen." Daniel said seriously.
"Treason? Oh come off it, Jackson! My taking one amulet out of the country isn't an act of treason and you know it." Stephen exclaimed, his voice getting louder with each outburst.
"Hmmm...that's what my superior and the President are trying to decide now." Daniel said, shrugging.
Stephen needed to understand the seriousness of his situation, but Daniel was certainly getting a lot of satisfaction out of being the one to explain it to him.
"The President...of the United States?" Stephen smirked. "Now I know your lying...you're just getting back at me for having you taken in for questioning by the Police, aren't you?"
"This has nothing to do with me, Stephen." Daniel said in a patient voice but he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "This is all about your trying to use top secret information to your own advantage...even if what you know represents only the tip of the pyramid, you're still accountable..."
"You are So Full of it, Daniel." Stephen's voice rose in anger. "You're a Nobody who's trying to use veiled Threats against Me to get back into the University's Good Graces...This is all about You're wanting My job, right?"
Stephen was yelling and Daniel motioned for him to calm down, but not before the door opened and one of the soldiers stepped inside.
"Everything okay in here, Dr. J?" He asked courteously towards Daniel, while scowling menacingly towards Stephen.
"Everything's find, Sergeant Andrews; Dr. Raynar isn't feeling well and it's making him kind of cranky." Daniel explained.
Stephen wanted to tell Daniel and the hulking Sergeant to stop treating him like a little boy, but something else distracted him for a moment.
"The way the Sergeant is sooo respectful of you, Daniel; don't tell me that you're actually some sort of military officer?" Stephen scoffed.
"No, Stephen I'm not..." Daniel began, but was interrupted by the Sergeant.
"No, Dr. Jackson is not in the military, but he is one of the most respected men at our base, being on SG-1 and...and having saved the world...and..."
"Thank you, Andrews." Daniel jumped in before the other man could say anymore, but Stephen was smirking anyway.
"Oh my, now you've done it Sergeant; leaking top secret information...hey maybe we can be cell-mates, once I've been tried for treason and you've been court-martialed." Stephen said nastily, but Daniel did not rise to the bate.
"See...just like I said before...cranky...Don't worry Andrews, everything's okay." Daniel said, patting the younger man on the shoulder as he led him towards the door. "Just don't go telling Dr. Raynar anything else...like what we do to snakes." Daniel said.
Andrews laughed at the in-joke and went back to his post, determined not to say another word to that creep in the hospital bed, while Daniel turned back to Stephen.
"Back to your earlier accusation, Stephen..." Daniel said patiently. "I have no wish to take your job away from you...my work here is so much more important and exiting than anything you'll ever do. I may not own a Porsche, but I have a great job, a beautiful wife and a whole bunch of good, loyal friends, who would do anything they could for me...and that's all I need." Daniel said. 'Well, that and a fully charged zat-gun.' He thought before continuing with a shrug. "And those are all the questions I'm willing to answer today. Good-bye Stephen; take it easy." Daniel said and headed towards the door.
"Hey, wait; I have more questions for you." Stephen yelled, half belligerent, half panicked.
"I'll tell the General and Colonel O'Neill and maybe they'll come by...in a day or two...meanwhile, rest and heal, Stephen." Daniel said casually; shutting the room door behind him.
~*~*~*~
As he checked in at the final security point to the SGC, Daniel was asked to report directly to General Hammond's office.
"You wanted to see me, General?" Daniel asked, once he had made his way down to the General's office door and knocked.
"Yes, please come in and have a seat, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond said from behind his desk. "How is Dr. Raynar doing?"
"Uh well, pretty well, I guess...he um woke up finally and started making demands and asking questions right away." Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders. "I answered a few of his questions and tried to put him in the picture of what sort of trouble he's in, but I don't know if I helped matters or made them worse."
"Whatever his attitude, we'll deal with it, after he's healed a little bit more." The General said confidently. "But let's get down to the real reason I called you here, shall we? I've received the security checks on Drs. Raynar, Jordon and Gardner and I wanted to go over them with you and tell you what the President's decisions were about each of them."
"Okay, good." Daniel said, sitting forward in his chair as the General pulled three folders towards him.
"Dr. David Jordon; double Ph.D.s in archeology and linguistics...he doesn't seem to speak quite as many languages as you do, but he does have quite a few of them under his belt. Head of the Archeology Department at University of Chicago for fifteen years; an impressive list of published works...He looks like an excellent candidate...except perhaps for his age...and he may not whish to leave such a prestigious position as he has now. Perhaps he could be called in as a consultant. The President has cleared Dr. Jordon to be told the entire truth about the SGC and we can put our job offer to him afterwards.
"Dr. Sarah Gardner looks very good as well, from a security standpoint. From what little she's told Dr. Fraser and Major Carter, she opened the Osiris jar purely out of curiosity. Unlike Dr. Raynar, Dr. Gardner had no clue as to what the jar held. There is also the added benefit of her being able to use Goa'uld technology now, just like Major Carter can...But she has been badly traumatized by all of this, she may not want anything to do with the SGC."
"True..." Daniel said thoughtfully. "What about Stephen?"
"Dr. Raynar is a different case all together." The General said. "He is very well known; rather popular right now with his books on the Best Seller's lists. It would not be easy for him to come into the SGC completely as you did...disappear so to speak." The General frowned as he watched Daniel's arms go around himself in a self-hug. "And we must remember that he has always shown himself to be firmly rooted in conventional, conservative academic thought; I'm told that there isn't an original theory or even a bit of speculation in any of his published works...Hardly the type of personality which would work around here." George smiled as Daniel looked up at him and relaxed his arms a bit.
"There is also his criminal behavior to consider." General Hammond continued. "He willfully hid away and then stole the amulet; took it out of the country...and not for its financial worth alone, but for the premeditated wish to prove Your theories correct, take all of Your well-earned glory...And would have caused an international panic and security risk in the process! No...the President and I do not want this man anywhere near the SGC."
"He'll have to be told some of the truth." Daniel said.
"Yes, he will, but we'll keep it to a minimum and he will not be told anything about this facility. We'll decide who should tell him later." General Hammond said. "Meanwhile, you've been cleared to tell Dr. Jordon the whole story whenever you think the time and location is right."
"Well, uh...the location should be here, don't you think, General? Could he be...is he well enough to be transferred to the Infirmary here?" Daniel asked.
"As I understand it, Dr. Jordon is doing very well, although he still has a way to go...at his age, healing takes longer. I'll speak to Dr. Warner about arranging it." The General said decisively.
"Thank you, sir." Daniel said grinning.
~*~*~*~
continued in next post
Last edited by jane on Sat Aug 02, 2003 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
continued from above
A cool breeze and a slight jostling woke Dr. Jordon from his sleep and he opened his eyes to see that he was being lifted into an ambulance.
"What-what's going on?" He asked weakly, looking around him as an emergency technician hopped up into the ambulance and closed the doors behind him.
"It's okay, Professor; we're just transferring you to...another medical facility." A voice said from near his head and David Jordon shifted his gaze even further upward. "It's me, Dr. Jordon." Daniel said as he moved to sit beside the gurney where it was easier for the older man to see him.
David Jordon was amazed to see Daniel and could not say anything for a few moments as he took is first good, clear look at his former protégé and surrogate son.
"You all set, Dr. J?" The technician asked Daniel and with a nod from the archeologist called forward. "Okay, Corporeal, let's go."
"Where-where are you taking me? Where are we?" Dr. Jordon asked and Daniel took his mentor's hand in his to sooth him.
"You're in Colorado, David; um...do you remember waking up and asking to speak to me?" Daniel asked and the older man grinned weakly.
"I'm afraid I made quite a spectacle of myself; demanding to see you like I did...did I really hear you...?"
"Yes you did, but let's save that until we get you situated in the Infirmary." Daniel said. "After you made your demands, the hospital called me, but reached my superior instead. He's the one who made the arrangements; along with one of our doctors, to have you transferred out here. You've been in the Air Force Academy Medical Center for the last two days, but now that you're doing so much better, we're transferring you...to where I work..." Daniel told him with significant eye contact and emphasis on the last three words. "...where you'll be under the excellent medical care of Drs. Fraser and Warner; don't worry everything's going to be just fine." He assured is friend again.
Dr. Jordon nodded and his eyes drew shut but his mind whirled...He was finally going to find out...hopefully...what Daniel had been up to for the last three years and what he had heard Daniel say a few days ago, when he had believed himself to be dying...What had Daniel become involved in? David Jordon asked himself as his memory recalled what his student was unaccountably wearing...Military olive-green pants and a black T-shirt beneath an olive-green, many-pocketed jacket. Dr. Jordon could not remember ever having seen Daniel wearing green before in all the years he had known him; Daniel had preferred, blues, browns, creams and even dark reds, but never greens. But David fell asleep with these last thoughts passing through his mind and did not see, through the ambulance's windows, when they entered a large tunnel, over which was an equally large sign saying "Cheyenne Mountain Military Complex".
Several hours later, David Jordon woke up again and found himself in a very different environment to that which he had been in, in Chicago; dark gray cement walls, electrical conduit running up and down the walls and across the ceilings, no soothing wall colors, no pretty paintings, or curtains at the windows, because he realized, there were no windows. Everything was stripped down and utilitarian, but David noticed, all of the equipment was top-rate and even more plentiful than at the University Medical Center...and every surface was spotlessly clean.
Just then, a movement over by the door to the ward caught Dr. Jordon's eye and he saw two men and one woman walk in and over to a woman in a lab-coat, who was working by a bed which was surrounded by a screen. One of the men was Daniel, he saw happily, while the other was older, not as old as he was, but with far less hair. The other man was wearing a dress uniform, minus the coat, while Daniel was still wearing the olive-green fatigues as was the blond-haired woman with them. Dr. Jordon faintly heard the lady-doctor...Fraser greet them; the older man was addressed only as General, while the woman was named Major Carter. It made David wonder about his former student; Daniel was hanging out with Majors and Generals? But the doctor had only called him by his first name, rather than by a rank. What was Daniel mixed up in? He wondered for the umpteenth time as the three people with him all disappeared behind the screen for a few minutes and then emerged. Daniel glanced over to where he, David was laying watching them and smiled.
"He's awake!" Daniel told the others and they all moved over to him.
"Dr. Jordon, how're you feeling?" Daniel asked laying his hand on the older man's arm.
"Okay...better...I think." David answered.
"Dr. Jordon, I'm General George Hammond, commanding officer of this facility. I hope you will forgive my snatching you away from the University of Chicago's Medical Center, but once Dr. Jackson admitted to divulging classified information to you...and when you began demanding to speak to him...I believed that it would be best if you were brought here...for everyone's security."
"But don't worry; everything's okay...neither of us is in any trouble or anything...well...I am...a little." Daniel finally admitted, glancing over at the General and then back to Dr. Jordon. "And this is Dr. Major Samantha Carter; she's an astrophysicist and one of my teammates." Daniel made introductions.
"Dr. Jordon, it's a pleasure to meet someone whom Daniel respects so much." Sam said.
"Dr. Jordon, I'm Dr. Janet Fraser; I and Dr. Warner have been, will be caring for you, while you're here with us. If you don't mind...and if the others will give us some privacy...if you would, please, sir?" Janet glanced up at the General. "I'd like to examine my patient."
"We'll just be over there." Daniel pointed over his shoulder before Janet pulled a screen around his bed and began her exam.
David was a little embarrassed; being examined by a woman, but then realized that he had always accepted any care given to him by female nurses and Dr. Fraser was both professional, gentle and yet friendly, that he lost his discomfort and was grateful for her care and the information she gave him about his case.
After Dr. Jordon's exam, Daniel and Sam came back; (General Hammond had returned to his office) and asked him if he felt up to some explanations as to what had been going on recently. Professor Jordon said he felt fine; he was determined to hear some answers and would have said he was okay even if he was at Death's door...here it came, the answers to his many questions.
He received quite a shock though, when Sam Carter walked over to the bed, which had been surrounded by screens and drew them away from the other patient; Sarah Gardner was lying there, looking pale, but happy to see her professor and friend. With the help of some orderlies, their beds were moved closer together and their pillows were fluffed so that they could be as comfortable as possible while they listened to the story Daniel and Sam had to tell them.
Sarah and Dr. Jordon both felt as if they were listening to some absolutely fantastic sci-fi fantasy story as Daniel and Sam took turns telling the Stargate's story and how they each had become involved with it. From Sam (and her team) who had figured out how to power and control the Stargate, to Daniel, who had been recruited right after the disastrous seminar in L.A. and figured out how to open the giant circle to Abydos...
Sarah and David began to believe what they were hearing; there was too much detail and theories, which answered most of their questions. While giving only as much detail as was necessary, both Sam and Daniel tried to keep the story simple and short; downplaying their own incredible parts in the tale. But Sarah and David were experts at putting puzzles together; taking tiny pieces of fact and connecting them until the entire picture became clear. They saw an extraordinary group of people, lead by SG-1, who had sacrificed so much and worked so hard to perform miracles of bravery and world-saving...and they had done it all so many times that it had all become routine; headline-worthy news which was simply shrugged off by these incredible men and women because it had become standard operating procedure.
Sam and Daniel briefly covered the major points of interest over the last three years until they reached the present situation, which they all had taken a part in. Daniel explained about finding the Isis jar in Chicago and Sam explained what she and Janet had found inside the jar. They spoke of their urgent flight across the world to Egypt, following, they believed, a Goa'uld infested Stephen. What a surprise it had been then when they were confronted by Osiris...within Sarah's body. Sarah also shared a little of what had happened to her but still could not speak about most of what she had suffered. And finally Sam and Daniel told about bringing Sarah and Stephen back from Egypt and what had been decided, by the President, to be done with all three of them.
Even though they were shocked by Stephen's actions, both Dr. Jordon and Sarah understood and agreed that he should never be told the full story about the Stargate and that no matter what either of them decided to do in the future, neither of them would disclose the truths they had discovered in this secret, underground facility.
Daniel and Sam told the two patients that they had heard more than enough for one sitting and that they should both rest for the night; if they had any questions, they could ask them in the days to come. As Sam left the Infirmary and walked towards her office, she resolved to share her experience with the Tok'ra, Jolynar with Sarah in hopes that the other woman might feel more able to deal with her trauma if she were able to share it with someone else who would understand exactly what she was feeling. Daniel, on the other hand, decided that it might be helpful to Sarah if she could speak to Sha're about what she had just gone through and so requested that Abydos be dialed on the Stargate. A few minutes later Daniel stepped through the Abydos Stargate and made his way across the desert to the house of his father-in-law, Kasuf.
"Good-father, how are you?" Daniel greeted Kasuf once he had been brought into the older man's presence.
"I am well, thank you, Good-son." Kasuf replied formally and then motioned Daniel to rise from where he had respectfully knelt before him. "I have greatly enjoyed having my daughter at home again." Kasuf said as he led Daniel to a room in which Sha're and her son, Shifu were playing.
"I am glad." Daniel said before continuing. "But I'm afraid that I must take her back with me through the Chapa'ai."
"You must do as you think necessary, my son, but I hope you will allow my daughter to visit her father more often?" Kasuf asked trustingly.
"Yes, Good-father, I'm sure that we can set something up so that Sha're may safely come though the Chapa'ai to visit you and her son, while the Tau'ri search for Kheb." Daniel assured Kasuf.
"Good, Good." Kasuf said happily before he left them alone.
Daniel walked over to where his wife was playing with her one-year old son and knelt down beside them.
"He is as beautiful as his mother." Daniel said, gently running his knuckle down Sha're's cheek.
"I just wish he were...ours." Sha're said beseechingly as she often did.
"In my heart he is my son." Daniel assured her again.
"And yet you must search for a safe place to hide him from Apophis." Sha're said sadly, counting the days before she would have to give up her baby.
"I'm afraid so, yes." Daniel said gently, kissing her cheek now.
"And you wish me to return with you through the Chapa'ai?" Sha're asked.
"Yes please...um, uh...something happened when I went to see my teacher and now an old...friend needs your help." Daniel explained and then braced himself for when his possessive wife found out who his "friend" was.
"Of course, I will come with you and help your friend." Sha're said dutifully; torn between hating to leave her baby and wanting to be with her beloved Dan'yel.
"Great, I'll tell you everything that happened on the way back." Daniel said as he and Sha're took their leave of little Shifu; kissing and hugging him and assuring him that they would return soon, before handing him over reluctantly to the woman who had been caring for him in Sha're's absence.
Daniel timed his telling of what had happened in Chicago so that he and Sha're were out in the middle of the desert when he explained who his "friend" was. If his lovely wife was going to lash him with her sharp tongue, he did not want anyone watching...and laughing. But Sha're only muttered under her breath and kicked sand at him a few times before she calmed down...some.
"You want me to help this woman who was...was once your lover? I cannot, I will not...no matter what you do to me...I cannot!" She half yelled, half cried.
"As if I'd lay a hand on you, Sha're...as if I ever have...You're remembering how Apophis treated you...not how I ever...I couldn't..." Daniel said desperately.
"You...you are right, my Dan'yel...it was Apophis who did those things to me if I or my demon did not obey him." Sha're said sadly, remembering the nightmare she had lived and Daniel gently drew her into is strong, safe arms.
"I'm so sorry, Sweetness, that you were taken by those demons...if only I had taken you with me to the address-chamber." Daniel moaned his ever-present sorrow.
"We have put that aside, my Dan'yel...you are not to blame." Sha're reminded him..."As you have put aside this woman...she has not been your...lover for many years?" Sha're asked, trying to understand and accept her husband's life before he had come to her.
"That's right; Sarah and I ended our relationship, even our friendship, before I came to Abydos. And even though we've forgiven each other the hurtful things we did to each other and are on friendly terms now...she never was...never could be anywhere near as precious to me as you are, my heart." Daniel said, looking deeply into her large chocolate eyes. "Sarah has gone through briefly what you endured for so long, but she still needs some help...if you and Sam could..." Daniel began.
"Alright, I will talk to her and try to help." Sha're interrupted, thinking of how she would enjoy showing this Sarah Gardner that Dan'yel belonged to her...as she belonged to Dan'yel.
"Thank you, Sweetheart." Daniel said gratefully, breathing a quiet sigh of relief before taking her hand and leading her onward towards the Stargate and home.
~*~*~
The next morning, Sam arrived at the SGC and went directly to see how Sarah was doing. On the way to the Infirmary, she met up with Daniel and Sha're, who had returned from Abydos the night before. Sam could not help but notice how tired and yet happy the couple looked that morning and hid a grin from them. But seeing her friends so much in love only made her wish that she could return to Antar...and Jack; she hoped that she would not have to stay at the SGC for too much longer.
The two women chatted on their way down the hallway and liked the idea of speaking to Sarah Gardner together and Daniel liked the idea that Sam would be there as well, to run interference between the other two, if necessary...and...hopefully to keep them from sharing too many intimate details with each other...about him.
Later that morning, Dr. Jordon looked up from reading one of Daniel's private journals, which his former student had dropped off for him, to see Dr. Fraser standing by his bed, smiling.
"Am I interrupting your studying?" She asked.
"Fascinating...just fascinating; what Daniel's written here." David indicated the journal he had been reading. "But there is only so much 'fascinating information' one man can take in at one time. You're interrupting, but I welcome the break, Doctor." He finished.
"Well in that case you may not want to...but I promised to ask. Sarah was wondering if she could speak to you; I gather that she has a lot on her mind." Janet explained.
"By all means...I've been Sarah's sounding-board for years. I'd be happy to listen to whatever she needs to say." David Jordon agreed.
Their beds had been moved apart from each other after Sam and Daniel had left the other night. Now, orderlies came forward to move them back together again.
"You know, Doctor, perhaps you could save all of this work by just leaving our beds close to each other after this." Dr. Jordon suggested.
"Perhaps, Doctor; I was just trying to give each of you a sense of privacy and peace." Dr. Fraser replied with a shrug.
Dr. Jordon shrugged too as his bed was repositioned and his pillows were fluffed up.
"What can I do for you, my dear?" Dr. Jordon asked his assistant.
"I-I need your advice...I don't know what to do now. My life feels like it's all been tipped upside down. Everything I knew as fact...is wrong." Sarah cried.
Dr. Jordon nodded, feeling the same way Sarah did, but did not mention his feelings to her; he would have a long talk with Daniel later.
"Is that all that has you so upset, my dear? If I had been in your place, I think I would be extremely traumatized by what that snake, Osiris had done to me...Taking over my body like he did to you..." David allowed the statement to just float there between them.
"Yes...I, um...that is to say...I don't know who I can talk to about that..." Sarah said at a loss.
"Um...excuse me...But would it be okay if we came in?" Daniel called softly from the ward doorway.
Dr. Jordon and Sarah looked up to see Daniel standing with two women beside him; Sam and a gorgeous curly brunet.
"Yes by all means, come over." David said, wondering if the lovely young woman holding Daniel's hand was the beloved Sha're, whom Daniel had told him about back in Chicago.
Sarah smiled at the three people walking over to her. Perhaps it would be better, more comfortable for her if she were to speak to Major Carter about her time hosting Osiris. After all, the Major had mentioned last night that she had been host to a Tok'ra for a few days...But then Sarah came out of her self absorption a little and wondered who the curly brunette was. In contrast to Sam and Daniel, who were both wearing that gosh-awful olive-green again, she was wearing what looked to be royal blue, lined woolen slacks, a royal blue turtleneck sweater, topped by a gaily patterned red, blue and beige fluffy woolen sweater...and the woman looked as though she were still cold, Sarah thought.
'Uh oh, I bet this is Sha're, Daniel's wife.' Sarah told herself silently remembering her own unflattering rant at Daniel about his Egyptian wife, back in Chicago.
"Uh...good morning you two; did you sleep well?" Daniel asked and upon receiving positive answers to his query and curious gazes from the two patients, turned to his soul-mate and smiled. "I'd like to introduce my wife to you. Dr. David Jordon, Sarah Gardner...this is Sha're."
"Hello." Sha're said shyly and Daniel squeezed her hand. "It is so nice to meet two of my Dan'yel's old friends...especially the man he thinks of like a father."
Both men blushed a little, but also wore happy smiles as well. Sarah felt the warning in Sha're's gentle words..."don't touch my husband"...and took it to heart, with a sigh.
"Um, uh, Sam and I thought that you might feel better if you could speak to two women who've gone through the same thing as you have, Sarah. Sha're was the unwilling host to the Goa'uld, Amonette for almost two years and she told me that she would like to help you if she can." Daniel spoke up into the silence and Sarah looked relieved.
"I would Really appreciate that; thank you both." Sarah said gratefully, glancing at both Sam and Sha're.
"Good." Sam nodded. "And perhaps you'd like to get out of the Infirmary for a while?" Sarah nodded happily. "Janet said it would be okay, but only if you stayed seated in a wheelchair."
Sarah agreed, a chair was brought over and a few minutes later the three women left the ward.
"Well, while they're gone...uh...is there anything you'd like to ask me, Dr. Jordon?" Daniel asked.
"Yes I do have questions and the first one is...why have you reverted to calling me Dr. Jordon all the time? I told you to call me David years ago." The older man groused.
"Um, uh...I wasn't sure if that still applied...after everything that's happened." Daniel admitted, hugging himself and looking down at this boots.
"Well it does, so knock off calling me Doctor or Professor...I save those titles for my other students...and for Sarah and Stephen Raynar." David said with an ironic lift of his eyebrow. "How is Stephen anyway? Where is he?"
"Um, uh..." Daniel tried to say, his mind was distracted by what David had just told him. "Um...David's going to be okay...he's at the Academy Medical Center...under guard though. The General and the President are trying to figure out what to do with him. Even though he's found out a little bit about the Goa'uld, they do not want him to learn anything about the SGC. And, uh...speaking of the SGC...I've been authorized to offer you a job...as consultant here." Daniel said.
The two men spoke for quite some time; exploring the different ways David Jordon might be of use to the SGC and then Daniel shared some more of his adventures off-world with his old teacher. When the women came back, Sarah was subdued; thinking hard about what Sam and Sha're had told her. About being a Goa'uld host, about the SGC and the job offer Sam had floated in her direction.
"I think we should leave both of them alone for a while." Daniel told Sam and Sha're after seeing Sarah's and David's expressions. "They need time to think things through...and even then they may not be able to give us their answers right away." He warned and Sam nodded in understanding before they left the Infirmary.
An hour later, the Infirmary was quiet when Sarah called out.
"Dr. Jordon, are you awake?"
"Yes I'm awake, Sarah; I've just been doing a lot of thinking." David answered, reaching out and managing to move the screen away from the side of his bed, so he could see Sarah, whose bed had been left near his.
Sarah managed to move her screen a little as well and turned to her old professor.
"Sam made me a job offer...to work here at the SGC...and maybe even become a part of a team which goes through the Stargate, to other worlds...have you seen the Stargate, Doctor? Sam and Sha're showed it to me this morning. It was incredible to see it open and a team came through it, but I don't know if I could ever do that." Sarah said thoughtfully.
"It sounds fascinating...traveling to other worlds, watching ancient Earth cultures go about their daily lives as if thousands of years haven't gone by." David said tentatively.
"Yeah, but Sha're told me a lot about the Goa'uld...since she once was one...and all the plans Apophis and the other System Lords have made over the years, to try and kill SG-1...that's Daniel's team...they actually have prices on their heads All Across the Galaxy because they manage to thwart Apophis' plans all the time; can you believe that? And do you know how many times the SGC or Earth itself has come under attack? Lot's of times! You know, Professor; the more I think about it, the less I want anything to do with this place. I think I'm going to count myself very lucky to be rid of that snake-thing, Osiris and get as far away from here as I can." Sarah said adamantly.
"Of course, my dear; I understand." David said soothingly. "Well, you still have your job with me, back in Chicago of course...and with Stephen being in the dog-house, perhaps you would be a better candidate for head of the department, when I retire."
"You-you're going to retire from the University, Professor?" Sarah asked, shocked and a little afraid. "Are you going to come and work here then?"
"I'm not sure yet...I doubt that I would come here full-time, but I would love to stay involved with this place and the incredible work that Daniel's doing! So no, I'm not going to be retiring for several more years. I think...but again I still have a lot to think about before I make my final decision." David explained.
"Oh, okay." Sarah said, less tense. "In that case...I might take the offer that I received from Cambridge a few weeks ago; before this whole nightmare began. The more I think about it, even your office and the University storeroom hold too many bad reminders of what's happened this last week or so."
"Well now..." David said, shocked himself. "We'd-I'd truly miss you, Sarah if you moved away...but I can understand why you might feel the need to do so...however, if I can be of help to you, I hope you'll ask."
Later on that day, General Hammond, Sam and Daniel came down to the Infirmary and both Sarah and David gave them their decisions. Sarah explained how she just wanted to put this whole affair behind her and promised to never speak to anyone about all she had learned in the last few days.
David asked a few questions of the General and then they worked out a schedule much like that of a Reserve-officer; he would spend one weekend a month and one week a year (at least) at the SGC...but would make himself available should anything extraordinary come up. David told them that there was very little he could do that Daniel could not achieve with far better results, but that be would look forward to his time at the SGC; like a little boy waiting for Christmas morning. He had become involved in this incredible secret world of the Stargate and could not see himself just returning to his old life without the promise of being drawn back here on a regular basis. Dr. Jordon also discussed the possibility of changing some of his curriculum at the University to include the use of newer scientific techniques which could challenge established theories. He would not, of course, make any mention of Daniel's theories; only try to subtly encourage his students to question and demand newer, more sophisticated proof for a theory before they allowed it to be set into the unyielding stone, which was conservative, academic thought.
As to Stephen Raynar; General Hammond ordered Major Carter to return to Antar and have Colonel O'Neil report to his office by 08:30 hours the next morning, so that the two of them could visit Stephen's hospital room and give him the President's decision. Sam allowed her eyes to light up as she glanced over to Daniel and Sha're before returning to their normal, intelligent blue when she faced her superior officer again and nodded.
"Yes sir, General." She said smartly.
Daniel felt that he and Sha're should stay Earth-side until everything was settled with his two former colleagues and mentor. So Sam quickly drove home, packed a few things and then returned to the base to step through the Stargate a couple of hours later. Good thing the General did not check what his major was taking with her, back to Antar, he might have become suspicious if he had seen the lace underwear, bubble-bath beads and massage-oil she was carrying. Sam and Jack had only been separated for a few days, but it had been long enough to convince her that she was ready...needed to take the next step in her relationship with Jack.
When Sam arrived on P3X-777, Antar; she quickly found her friends, Liz Parker and Isabel Evans and gained their help to set up a little surprise for Jack. Her arrival back would be kept a secret for the afternoon, while she prepared herself with a vanilla-scented bubble-bath, lotions and the one really sexy nightgown and negligee she owned. Tess Harding was all too happy to contribute a delicious dinner for the couple while Max Evans and Michael Guerin kept Jack busy until all of the preparations were ready. When Jack arrived at Beneck's house, where he and Sam were staying, just the two of them...hot, sweaty and tired, he found dinner in the oven; it's delicious smell scenting up the house, a manly-spicy-scented bubble-bath steaming in the bathroom, thick towels covering the bed, a bottle of massage-oil on the nightstand and...Sam in her blue-to-match-her-eyes, lace and silk nightgown and negligee...waiting for him with a tankard of beer (she had also smuggled through the Stargate) in her hand...
~*~
The next morning, at 08:20, the Stargate was activated and Jack O'Neill stepped through into the SGC.
"Welcome back, Colonel." General Hammond said from where he waited at the base of the ramp.
"Thank you, sir." Jack said as he walked down the ramp towards his superior.
"You have quite a spring in your step, Colonel; I take it that Antar agrees with you?" The General asked politely as he sniffed the air around them. Was Colonel O'Neill using a new aftershave, he wondered.
"Yes, sir; as you know, Antar is a beautiful planet and the people there are warm and friendly." Jack answered, trying to keep his face straight as he fondly remembered how "beautiful, warm and friendly" Sam had been to him...all night long.
In the beginning, right after they had admitted their attraction and love for each other, Jack and Sam had decided to wait for a while before making love with each other; wanting to really get to know each other and hoping that something would change in regards to Air Force regulations, or their working relationship. Therefore, Jack had been quite surprised when he had arrived home the evening before to find Sam in such a provocative mood...but had happily followed her lead, but made sure that Sam experienced as much pleasure as she gave him.
A moment later though, Jack broke out of his daydream and began updating the General on the latest ...militarily significant...happenings on Antar, as the two men walked up the stairs to the briefing room. Once Jack's short report was completed and Hammond had no further questions to ask, it was his turn to brief his 2IC on what had been happening there on Earth.
"Yes, sir; Carter briefed me yesterday evening." Jack nodded his understanding. "What does the President want us to do with this Raynar character?"
"We are to confirm only what he already knows; the pyramids are much older than previously believed by the archeological community and that they were built by aliens...snake-like parasites called the Goa'uld; one of which forcibly entered Dr. Gardner's body and took it over. Dr. Gardner may be coming with us when we go to see Dr. Raynar, but Dr. Jackson will not. Our mission is to intimidate this man and make it clear to him that under no circumstances is he to ever tell anyone at all about what he's learned recently. He is not to be told that Dr. Jordon is hear at the SGC or that David Jordon knows anything about this. In fact, Jordon will be returned to University of Chicago's Medical Center to recuperate before Stephen Raynar is returned to Chicago." The General explained
"So...Dr. Jordon will be coming to work here with Daniel on the Reservist's-plan, but Raynar is not to know about that either...Sweet!" Jack grinned. "He can continue to teach his little students and publish his coffee-table books; all with information he knows is incorrect, while Daniel and his mentor, David Jordon will be having the time of their lives studying living cultures on other planets and translating artifacts to their heart's content!"
"That's about it." The General grinned and his eyes sparkled in satisfaction.
"Well...let's go then, I can't wait to give that guy the good news...he's going home but will never be trusted by anyone of any significance ever again." Jack said bounding out of his seat.
"I'll have Dr. Gardner brought up to the surface and we'll drive over to the Academy." General Hammond nodded.
Sarah was fully behind the decisions and plans created to deal with her former colleague (as she now though of him), Stephen Raynar. She had learned so much about what Daniel and the rest of the SGC had accomplished, endured and sacrificed over the last three years; to save humanity and make the galaxy a better place. And all of this had been made possible by Daniel and his crazy theories. Stephen had no respect for Daniel and had given no thought to what his actions might have brought down upon his own planet; he had only wished to take the credit for someone else's hard work. And after everything which had happened to her over the last few days, she had no patience or compassion for such childish, self-centered actions.
Stephen received his three visitors later that morning. He was happy to see that his colleague, Sarah was truly alright, but his relief quickly turned to disbelief and anger as Daniel's friend and C.O. explained the President's decision concerning him. Yes, what he had learned from studying the Osiris-amulet was true, but that was all he was cleared to be told and he would not be allowed to gain anything from this knowledge; notoriety, a prestigious position with a salary to match, nothing. Sarah would be moving to Cambridge and he was to return to the University of Chicago and keep his mouth shut. A cover story had been worked out to explain the disappearance of both canopic jars and the amulet. And it would be on his shoulders to convince the Egyptian government of the cover-story. Dr. Jordon, who amazingly had survived the explosion after all, was not to be told about any of this at all, once he returned to his job...And he, Stephen; O'Neill warned grimly, would be monitored closely. After his visitors left, he received no more; not even Daniel Jackson, as he spent the next incredibly boring week healing until he was well enough to be released from the hospital and escorted back to Chicago.
~*~*~
Dr. Jordon would indeed be recuperating nicely in the University Hospital when Stephen went to visit him and would return to his job shortly thereafter. He would make his monthly trips to the SGC and enjoy every minute of his time with Daniel and the others...David would even step through the Stargate to safe planets during a few of his week-long "vacations' with them...While Stephen would rarely even be informed of his superior's quick trips away from his home.
Three years later, the SGC would divulge its existence and its mission to the governments of England, France and China (the Soviet government had already known for over two years and had had an on-and-off-again relationship with the SGC ever since.). At this point, Dr. Jordon would decide to retire, realizing that the SGC would need to divulge itself to the rest of the world eventually and would wish to be fully on board with them when they did.
David would make sure that Stephen was given his Head of Department chair and chuckle to himself as the younger man steeped himself in his prestigious new position; by then Stephen would have all but forgotten the Goa'uld and mostly believed that the whole incident had been a dream. Dr. Raynar would only have a year to enjoy his prestige however, before the entire archaeological community would be flipped, head-over-apple-cart one year later when the truth about the pyramids, the Goa'uld and the SGC would be reveled before world-wide attention.
Daniel Jackson, SG-1, the SGC and even Dr. Jordon, to Stephen's horror would be haled as heroes; their names would be linked together with words like sacrifice, bravery, truth and world-saviors...while Stephen Raynar, a former colleague of Daniel Jackson's would be seen as a short-sighted, stuck-in-the-mud-academic, who could not recognize brilliance when it was right under his nose. And even though his actions concerning the Osiris amulet would never be reveled, his reputations and the entire archeological community would never be the same.
TBC Feedback please!
The next part will take us back to everything which has been going on, on Antar! Hopefully to be posted in a week or two.
A cool breeze and a slight jostling woke Dr. Jordon from his sleep and he opened his eyes to see that he was being lifted into an ambulance.
"What-what's going on?" He asked weakly, looking around him as an emergency technician hopped up into the ambulance and closed the doors behind him.
"It's okay, Professor; we're just transferring you to...another medical facility." A voice said from near his head and David Jordon shifted his gaze even further upward. "It's me, Dr. Jordon." Daniel said as he moved to sit beside the gurney where it was easier for the older man to see him.
David Jordon was amazed to see Daniel and could not say anything for a few moments as he took is first good, clear look at his former protégé and surrogate son.
"You all set, Dr. J?" The technician asked Daniel and with a nod from the archeologist called forward. "Okay, Corporeal, let's go."
"Where-where are you taking me? Where are we?" Dr. Jordon asked and Daniel took his mentor's hand in his to sooth him.
"You're in Colorado, David; um...do you remember waking up and asking to speak to me?" Daniel asked and the older man grinned weakly.
"I'm afraid I made quite a spectacle of myself; demanding to see you like I did...did I really hear you...?"
"Yes you did, but let's save that until we get you situated in the Infirmary." Daniel said. "After you made your demands, the hospital called me, but reached my superior instead. He's the one who made the arrangements; along with one of our doctors, to have you transferred out here. You've been in the Air Force Academy Medical Center for the last two days, but now that you're doing so much better, we're transferring you...to where I work..." Daniel told him with significant eye contact and emphasis on the last three words. "...where you'll be under the excellent medical care of Drs. Fraser and Warner; don't worry everything's going to be just fine." He assured is friend again.
Dr. Jordon nodded and his eyes drew shut but his mind whirled...He was finally going to find out...hopefully...what Daniel had been up to for the last three years and what he had heard Daniel say a few days ago, when he had believed himself to be dying...What had Daniel become involved in? David Jordon asked himself as his memory recalled what his student was unaccountably wearing...Military olive-green pants and a black T-shirt beneath an olive-green, many-pocketed jacket. Dr. Jordon could not remember ever having seen Daniel wearing green before in all the years he had known him; Daniel had preferred, blues, browns, creams and even dark reds, but never greens. But David fell asleep with these last thoughts passing through his mind and did not see, through the ambulance's windows, when they entered a large tunnel, over which was an equally large sign saying "Cheyenne Mountain Military Complex".
Several hours later, David Jordon woke up again and found himself in a very different environment to that which he had been in, in Chicago; dark gray cement walls, electrical conduit running up and down the walls and across the ceilings, no soothing wall colors, no pretty paintings, or curtains at the windows, because he realized, there were no windows. Everything was stripped down and utilitarian, but David noticed, all of the equipment was top-rate and even more plentiful than at the University Medical Center...and every surface was spotlessly clean.
Just then, a movement over by the door to the ward caught Dr. Jordon's eye and he saw two men and one woman walk in and over to a woman in a lab-coat, who was working by a bed which was surrounded by a screen. One of the men was Daniel, he saw happily, while the other was older, not as old as he was, but with far less hair. The other man was wearing a dress uniform, minus the coat, while Daniel was still wearing the olive-green fatigues as was the blond-haired woman with them. Dr. Jordon faintly heard the lady-doctor...Fraser greet them; the older man was addressed only as General, while the woman was named Major Carter. It made David wonder about his former student; Daniel was hanging out with Majors and Generals? But the doctor had only called him by his first name, rather than by a rank. What was Daniel mixed up in? He wondered for the umpteenth time as the three people with him all disappeared behind the screen for a few minutes and then emerged. Daniel glanced over to where he, David was laying watching them and smiled.
"He's awake!" Daniel told the others and they all moved over to him.
"Dr. Jordon, how're you feeling?" Daniel asked laying his hand on the older man's arm.
"Okay...better...I think." David answered.
"Dr. Jordon, I'm General George Hammond, commanding officer of this facility. I hope you will forgive my snatching you away from the University of Chicago's Medical Center, but once Dr. Jackson admitted to divulging classified information to you...and when you began demanding to speak to him...I believed that it would be best if you were brought here...for everyone's security."
"But don't worry; everything's okay...neither of us is in any trouble or anything...well...I am...a little." Daniel finally admitted, glancing over at the General and then back to Dr. Jordon. "And this is Dr. Major Samantha Carter; she's an astrophysicist and one of my teammates." Daniel made introductions.
"Dr. Jordon, it's a pleasure to meet someone whom Daniel respects so much." Sam said.
"Dr. Jordon, I'm Dr. Janet Fraser; I and Dr. Warner have been, will be caring for you, while you're here with us. If you don't mind...and if the others will give us some privacy...if you would, please, sir?" Janet glanced up at the General. "I'd like to examine my patient."
"We'll just be over there." Daniel pointed over his shoulder before Janet pulled a screen around his bed and began her exam.
David was a little embarrassed; being examined by a woman, but then realized that he had always accepted any care given to him by female nurses and Dr. Fraser was both professional, gentle and yet friendly, that he lost his discomfort and was grateful for her care and the information she gave him about his case.
After Dr. Jordon's exam, Daniel and Sam came back; (General Hammond had returned to his office) and asked him if he felt up to some explanations as to what had been going on recently. Professor Jordon said he felt fine; he was determined to hear some answers and would have said he was okay even if he was at Death's door...here it came, the answers to his many questions.
He received quite a shock though, when Sam Carter walked over to the bed, which had been surrounded by screens and drew them away from the other patient; Sarah Gardner was lying there, looking pale, but happy to see her professor and friend. With the help of some orderlies, their beds were moved closer together and their pillows were fluffed so that they could be as comfortable as possible while they listened to the story Daniel and Sam had to tell them.
Sarah and Dr. Jordon both felt as if they were listening to some absolutely fantastic sci-fi fantasy story as Daniel and Sam took turns telling the Stargate's story and how they each had become involved with it. From Sam (and her team) who had figured out how to power and control the Stargate, to Daniel, who had been recruited right after the disastrous seminar in L.A. and figured out how to open the giant circle to Abydos...
Sarah and David began to believe what they were hearing; there was too much detail and theories, which answered most of their questions. While giving only as much detail as was necessary, both Sam and Daniel tried to keep the story simple and short; downplaying their own incredible parts in the tale. But Sarah and David were experts at putting puzzles together; taking tiny pieces of fact and connecting them until the entire picture became clear. They saw an extraordinary group of people, lead by SG-1, who had sacrificed so much and worked so hard to perform miracles of bravery and world-saving...and they had done it all so many times that it had all become routine; headline-worthy news which was simply shrugged off by these incredible men and women because it had become standard operating procedure.
Sam and Daniel briefly covered the major points of interest over the last three years until they reached the present situation, which they all had taken a part in. Daniel explained about finding the Isis jar in Chicago and Sam explained what she and Janet had found inside the jar. They spoke of their urgent flight across the world to Egypt, following, they believed, a Goa'uld infested Stephen. What a surprise it had been then when they were confronted by Osiris...within Sarah's body. Sarah also shared a little of what had happened to her but still could not speak about most of what she had suffered. And finally Sam and Daniel told about bringing Sarah and Stephen back from Egypt and what had been decided, by the President, to be done with all three of them.
Even though they were shocked by Stephen's actions, both Dr. Jordon and Sarah understood and agreed that he should never be told the full story about the Stargate and that no matter what either of them decided to do in the future, neither of them would disclose the truths they had discovered in this secret, underground facility.
Daniel and Sam told the two patients that they had heard more than enough for one sitting and that they should both rest for the night; if they had any questions, they could ask them in the days to come. As Sam left the Infirmary and walked towards her office, she resolved to share her experience with the Tok'ra, Jolynar with Sarah in hopes that the other woman might feel more able to deal with her trauma if she were able to share it with someone else who would understand exactly what she was feeling. Daniel, on the other hand, decided that it might be helpful to Sarah if she could speak to Sha're about what she had just gone through and so requested that Abydos be dialed on the Stargate. A few minutes later Daniel stepped through the Abydos Stargate and made his way across the desert to the house of his father-in-law, Kasuf.
"Good-father, how are you?" Daniel greeted Kasuf once he had been brought into the older man's presence.
"I am well, thank you, Good-son." Kasuf replied formally and then motioned Daniel to rise from where he had respectfully knelt before him. "I have greatly enjoyed having my daughter at home again." Kasuf said as he led Daniel to a room in which Sha're and her son, Shifu were playing.
"I am glad." Daniel said before continuing. "But I'm afraid that I must take her back with me through the Chapa'ai."
"You must do as you think necessary, my son, but I hope you will allow my daughter to visit her father more often?" Kasuf asked trustingly.
"Yes, Good-father, I'm sure that we can set something up so that Sha're may safely come though the Chapa'ai to visit you and her son, while the Tau'ri search for Kheb." Daniel assured Kasuf.
"Good, Good." Kasuf said happily before he left them alone.
Daniel walked over to where his wife was playing with her one-year old son and knelt down beside them.
"He is as beautiful as his mother." Daniel said, gently running his knuckle down Sha're's cheek.
"I just wish he were...ours." Sha're said beseechingly as she often did.
"In my heart he is my son." Daniel assured her again.
"And yet you must search for a safe place to hide him from Apophis." Sha're said sadly, counting the days before she would have to give up her baby.
"I'm afraid so, yes." Daniel said gently, kissing her cheek now.
"And you wish me to return with you through the Chapa'ai?" Sha're asked.
"Yes please...um, uh...something happened when I went to see my teacher and now an old...friend needs your help." Daniel explained and then braced himself for when his possessive wife found out who his "friend" was.
"Of course, I will come with you and help your friend." Sha're said dutifully; torn between hating to leave her baby and wanting to be with her beloved Dan'yel.
"Great, I'll tell you everything that happened on the way back." Daniel said as he and Sha're took their leave of little Shifu; kissing and hugging him and assuring him that they would return soon, before handing him over reluctantly to the woman who had been caring for him in Sha're's absence.
Daniel timed his telling of what had happened in Chicago so that he and Sha're were out in the middle of the desert when he explained who his "friend" was. If his lovely wife was going to lash him with her sharp tongue, he did not want anyone watching...and laughing. But Sha're only muttered under her breath and kicked sand at him a few times before she calmed down...some.
"You want me to help this woman who was...was once your lover? I cannot, I will not...no matter what you do to me...I cannot!" She half yelled, half cried.
"As if I'd lay a hand on you, Sha're...as if I ever have...You're remembering how Apophis treated you...not how I ever...I couldn't..." Daniel said desperately.
"You...you are right, my Dan'yel...it was Apophis who did those things to me if I or my demon did not obey him." Sha're said sadly, remembering the nightmare she had lived and Daniel gently drew her into is strong, safe arms.
"I'm so sorry, Sweetness, that you were taken by those demons...if only I had taken you with me to the address-chamber." Daniel moaned his ever-present sorrow.
"We have put that aside, my Dan'yel...you are not to blame." Sha're reminded him..."As you have put aside this woman...she has not been your...lover for many years?" Sha're asked, trying to understand and accept her husband's life before he had come to her.
"That's right; Sarah and I ended our relationship, even our friendship, before I came to Abydos. And even though we've forgiven each other the hurtful things we did to each other and are on friendly terms now...she never was...never could be anywhere near as precious to me as you are, my heart." Daniel said, looking deeply into her large chocolate eyes. "Sarah has gone through briefly what you endured for so long, but she still needs some help...if you and Sam could..." Daniel began.
"Alright, I will talk to her and try to help." Sha're interrupted, thinking of how she would enjoy showing this Sarah Gardner that Dan'yel belonged to her...as she belonged to Dan'yel.
"Thank you, Sweetheart." Daniel said gratefully, breathing a quiet sigh of relief before taking her hand and leading her onward towards the Stargate and home.
~*~*~
The next morning, Sam arrived at the SGC and went directly to see how Sarah was doing. On the way to the Infirmary, she met up with Daniel and Sha're, who had returned from Abydos the night before. Sam could not help but notice how tired and yet happy the couple looked that morning and hid a grin from them. But seeing her friends so much in love only made her wish that she could return to Antar...and Jack; she hoped that she would not have to stay at the SGC for too much longer.
The two women chatted on their way down the hallway and liked the idea of speaking to Sarah Gardner together and Daniel liked the idea that Sam would be there as well, to run interference between the other two, if necessary...and...hopefully to keep them from sharing too many intimate details with each other...about him.
Later that morning, Dr. Jordon looked up from reading one of Daniel's private journals, which his former student had dropped off for him, to see Dr. Fraser standing by his bed, smiling.
"Am I interrupting your studying?" She asked.
"Fascinating...just fascinating; what Daniel's written here." David indicated the journal he had been reading. "But there is only so much 'fascinating information' one man can take in at one time. You're interrupting, but I welcome the break, Doctor." He finished.
"Well in that case you may not want to...but I promised to ask. Sarah was wondering if she could speak to you; I gather that she has a lot on her mind." Janet explained.
"By all means...I've been Sarah's sounding-board for years. I'd be happy to listen to whatever she needs to say." David Jordon agreed.
Their beds had been moved apart from each other after Sam and Daniel had left the other night. Now, orderlies came forward to move them back together again.
"You know, Doctor, perhaps you could save all of this work by just leaving our beds close to each other after this." Dr. Jordon suggested.
"Perhaps, Doctor; I was just trying to give each of you a sense of privacy and peace." Dr. Fraser replied with a shrug.
Dr. Jordon shrugged too as his bed was repositioned and his pillows were fluffed up.
"What can I do for you, my dear?" Dr. Jordon asked his assistant.
"I-I need your advice...I don't know what to do now. My life feels like it's all been tipped upside down. Everything I knew as fact...is wrong." Sarah cried.
Dr. Jordon nodded, feeling the same way Sarah did, but did not mention his feelings to her; he would have a long talk with Daniel later.
"Is that all that has you so upset, my dear? If I had been in your place, I think I would be extremely traumatized by what that snake, Osiris had done to me...Taking over my body like he did to you..." David allowed the statement to just float there between them.
"Yes...I, um...that is to say...I don't know who I can talk to about that..." Sarah said at a loss.
"Um...excuse me...But would it be okay if we came in?" Daniel called softly from the ward doorway.
Dr. Jordon and Sarah looked up to see Daniel standing with two women beside him; Sam and a gorgeous curly brunet.
"Yes by all means, come over." David said, wondering if the lovely young woman holding Daniel's hand was the beloved Sha're, whom Daniel had told him about back in Chicago.
Sarah smiled at the three people walking over to her. Perhaps it would be better, more comfortable for her if she were to speak to Major Carter about her time hosting Osiris. After all, the Major had mentioned last night that she had been host to a Tok'ra for a few days...But then Sarah came out of her self absorption a little and wondered who the curly brunette was. In contrast to Sam and Daniel, who were both wearing that gosh-awful olive-green again, she was wearing what looked to be royal blue, lined woolen slacks, a royal blue turtleneck sweater, topped by a gaily patterned red, blue and beige fluffy woolen sweater...and the woman looked as though she were still cold, Sarah thought.
'Uh oh, I bet this is Sha're, Daniel's wife.' Sarah told herself silently remembering her own unflattering rant at Daniel about his Egyptian wife, back in Chicago.
"Uh...good morning you two; did you sleep well?" Daniel asked and upon receiving positive answers to his query and curious gazes from the two patients, turned to his soul-mate and smiled. "I'd like to introduce my wife to you. Dr. David Jordon, Sarah Gardner...this is Sha're."
"Hello." Sha're said shyly and Daniel squeezed her hand. "It is so nice to meet two of my Dan'yel's old friends...especially the man he thinks of like a father."
Both men blushed a little, but also wore happy smiles as well. Sarah felt the warning in Sha're's gentle words..."don't touch my husband"...and took it to heart, with a sigh.
"Um, uh, Sam and I thought that you might feel better if you could speak to two women who've gone through the same thing as you have, Sarah. Sha're was the unwilling host to the Goa'uld, Amonette for almost two years and she told me that she would like to help you if she can." Daniel spoke up into the silence and Sarah looked relieved.
"I would Really appreciate that; thank you both." Sarah said gratefully, glancing at both Sam and Sha're.
"Good." Sam nodded. "And perhaps you'd like to get out of the Infirmary for a while?" Sarah nodded happily. "Janet said it would be okay, but only if you stayed seated in a wheelchair."
Sarah agreed, a chair was brought over and a few minutes later the three women left the ward.
"Well, while they're gone...uh...is there anything you'd like to ask me, Dr. Jordon?" Daniel asked.
"Yes I do have questions and the first one is...why have you reverted to calling me Dr. Jordon all the time? I told you to call me David years ago." The older man groused.
"Um, uh...I wasn't sure if that still applied...after everything that's happened." Daniel admitted, hugging himself and looking down at this boots.
"Well it does, so knock off calling me Doctor or Professor...I save those titles for my other students...and for Sarah and Stephen Raynar." David said with an ironic lift of his eyebrow. "How is Stephen anyway? Where is he?"
"Um, uh..." Daniel tried to say, his mind was distracted by what David had just told him. "Um...David's going to be okay...he's at the Academy Medical Center...under guard though. The General and the President are trying to figure out what to do with him. Even though he's found out a little bit about the Goa'uld, they do not want him to learn anything about the SGC. And, uh...speaking of the SGC...I've been authorized to offer you a job...as consultant here." Daniel said.
The two men spoke for quite some time; exploring the different ways David Jordon might be of use to the SGC and then Daniel shared some more of his adventures off-world with his old teacher. When the women came back, Sarah was subdued; thinking hard about what Sam and Sha're had told her. About being a Goa'uld host, about the SGC and the job offer Sam had floated in her direction.
"I think we should leave both of them alone for a while." Daniel told Sam and Sha're after seeing Sarah's and David's expressions. "They need time to think things through...and even then they may not be able to give us their answers right away." He warned and Sam nodded in understanding before they left the Infirmary.
An hour later, the Infirmary was quiet when Sarah called out.
"Dr. Jordon, are you awake?"
"Yes I'm awake, Sarah; I've just been doing a lot of thinking." David answered, reaching out and managing to move the screen away from the side of his bed, so he could see Sarah, whose bed had been left near his.
Sarah managed to move her screen a little as well and turned to her old professor.
"Sam made me a job offer...to work here at the SGC...and maybe even become a part of a team which goes through the Stargate, to other worlds...have you seen the Stargate, Doctor? Sam and Sha're showed it to me this morning. It was incredible to see it open and a team came through it, but I don't know if I could ever do that." Sarah said thoughtfully.
"It sounds fascinating...traveling to other worlds, watching ancient Earth cultures go about their daily lives as if thousands of years haven't gone by." David said tentatively.
"Yeah, but Sha're told me a lot about the Goa'uld...since she once was one...and all the plans Apophis and the other System Lords have made over the years, to try and kill SG-1...that's Daniel's team...they actually have prices on their heads All Across the Galaxy because they manage to thwart Apophis' plans all the time; can you believe that? And do you know how many times the SGC or Earth itself has come under attack? Lot's of times! You know, Professor; the more I think about it, the less I want anything to do with this place. I think I'm going to count myself very lucky to be rid of that snake-thing, Osiris and get as far away from here as I can." Sarah said adamantly.
"Of course, my dear; I understand." David said soothingly. "Well, you still have your job with me, back in Chicago of course...and with Stephen being in the dog-house, perhaps you would be a better candidate for head of the department, when I retire."
"You-you're going to retire from the University, Professor?" Sarah asked, shocked and a little afraid. "Are you going to come and work here then?"
"I'm not sure yet...I doubt that I would come here full-time, but I would love to stay involved with this place and the incredible work that Daniel's doing! So no, I'm not going to be retiring for several more years. I think...but again I still have a lot to think about before I make my final decision." David explained.
"Oh, okay." Sarah said, less tense. "In that case...I might take the offer that I received from Cambridge a few weeks ago; before this whole nightmare began. The more I think about it, even your office and the University storeroom hold too many bad reminders of what's happened this last week or so."
"Well now..." David said, shocked himself. "We'd-I'd truly miss you, Sarah if you moved away...but I can understand why you might feel the need to do so...however, if I can be of help to you, I hope you'll ask."
Later on that day, General Hammond, Sam and Daniel came down to the Infirmary and both Sarah and David gave them their decisions. Sarah explained how she just wanted to put this whole affair behind her and promised to never speak to anyone about all she had learned in the last few days.
David asked a few questions of the General and then they worked out a schedule much like that of a Reserve-officer; he would spend one weekend a month and one week a year (at least) at the SGC...but would make himself available should anything extraordinary come up. David told them that there was very little he could do that Daniel could not achieve with far better results, but that be would look forward to his time at the SGC; like a little boy waiting for Christmas morning. He had become involved in this incredible secret world of the Stargate and could not see himself just returning to his old life without the promise of being drawn back here on a regular basis. Dr. Jordon also discussed the possibility of changing some of his curriculum at the University to include the use of newer scientific techniques which could challenge established theories. He would not, of course, make any mention of Daniel's theories; only try to subtly encourage his students to question and demand newer, more sophisticated proof for a theory before they allowed it to be set into the unyielding stone, which was conservative, academic thought.
As to Stephen Raynar; General Hammond ordered Major Carter to return to Antar and have Colonel O'Neil report to his office by 08:30 hours the next morning, so that the two of them could visit Stephen's hospital room and give him the President's decision. Sam allowed her eyes to light up as she glanced over to Daniel and Sha're before returning to their normal, intelligent blue when she faced her superior officer again and nodded.
"Yes sir, General." She said smartly.
Daniel felt that he and Sha're should stay Earth-side until everything was settled with his two former colleagues and mentor. So Sam quickly drove home, packed a few things and then returned to the base to step through the Stargate a couple of hours later. Good thing the General did not check what his major was taking with her, back to Antar, he might have become suspicious if he had seen the lace underwear, bubble-bath beads and massage-oil she was carrying. Sam and Jack had only been separated for a few days, but it had been long enough to convince her that she was ready...needed to take the next step in her relationship with Jack.
When Sam arrived on P3X-777, Antar; she quickly found her friends, Liz Parker and Isabel Evans and gained their help to set up a little surprise for Jack. Her arrival back would be kept a secret for the afternoon, while she prepared herself with a vanilla-scented bubble-bath, lotions and the one really sexy nightgown and negligee she owned. Tess Harding was all too happy to contribute a delicious dinner for the couple while Max Evans and Michael Guerin kept Jack busy until all of the preparations were ready. When Jack arrived at Beneck's house, where he and Sam were staying, just the two of them...hot, sweaty and tired, he found dinner in the oven; it's delicious smell scenting up the house, a manly-spicy-scented bubble-bath steaming in the bathroom, thick towels covering the bed, a bottle of massage-oil on the nightstand and...Sam in her blue-to-match-her-eyes, lace and silk nightgown and negligee...waiting for him with a tankard of beer (she had also smuggled through the Stargate) in her hand...
~*~
The next morning, at 08:20, the Stargate was activated and Jack O'Neill stepped through into the SGC.
"Welcome back, Colonel." General Hammond said from where he waited at the base of the ramp.
"Thank you, sir." Jack said as he walked down the ramp towards his superior.
"You have quite a spring in your step, Colonel; I take it that Antar agrees with you?" The General asked politely as he sniffed the air around them. Was Colonel O'Neill using a new aftershave, he wondered.
"Yes, sir; as you know, Antar is a beautiful planet and the people there are warm and friendly." Jack answered, trying to keep his face straight as he fondly remembered how "beautiful, warm and friendly" Sam had been to him...all night long.
In the beginning, right after they had admitted their attraction and love for each other, Jack and Sam had decided to wait for a while before making love with each other; wanting to really get to know each other and hoping that something would change in regards to Air Force regulations, or their working relationship. Therefore, Jack had been quite surprised when he had arrived home the evening before to find Sam in such a provocative mood...but had happily followed her lead, but made sure that Sam experienced as much pleasure as she gave him.
A moment later though, Jack broke out of his daydream and began updating the General on the latest ...militarily significant...happenings on Antar, as the two men walked up the stairs to the briefing room. Once Jack's short report was completed and Hammond had no further questions to ask, it was his turn to brief his 2IC on what had been happening there on Earth.
"Yes, sir; Carter briefed me yesterday evening." Jack nodded his understanding. "What does the President want us to do with this Raynar character?"
"We are to confirm only what he already knows; the pyramids are much older than previously believed by the archeological community and that they were built by aliens...snake-like parasites called the Goa'uld; one of which forcibly entered Dr. Gardner's body and took it over. Dr. Gardner may be coming with us when we go to see Dr. Raynar, but Dr. Jackson will not. Our mission is to intimidate this man and make it clear to him that under no circumstances is he to ever tell anyone at all about what he's learned recently. He is not to be told that Dr. Jordon is hear at the SGC or that David Jordon knows anything about this. In fact, Jordon will be returned to University of Chicago's Medical Center to recuperate before Stephen Raynar is returned to Chicago." The General explained
"So...Dr. Jordon will be coming to work here with Daniel on the Reservist's-plan, but Raynar is not to know about that either...Sweet!" Jack grinned. "He can continue to teach his little students and publish his coffee-table books; all with information he knows is incorrect, while Daniel and his mentor, David Jordon will be having the time of their lives studying living cultures on other planets and translating artifacts to their heart's content!"
"That's about it." The General grinned and his eyes sparkled in satisfaction.
"Well...let's go then, I can't wait to give that guy the good news...he's going home but will never be trusted by anyone of any significance ever again." Jack said bounding out of his seat.
"I'll have Dr. Gardner brought up to the surface and we'll drive over to the Academy." General Hammond nodded.
Sarah was fully behind the decisions and plans created to deal with her former colleague (as she now though of him), Stephen Raynar. She had learned so much about what Daniel and the rest of the SGC had accomplished, endured and sacrificed over the last three years; to save humanity and make the galaxy a better place. And all of this had been made possible by Daniel and his crazy theories. Stephen had no respect for Daniel and had given no thought to what his actions might have brought down upon his own planet; he had only wished to take the credit for someone else's hard work. And after everything which had happened to her over the last few days, she had no patience or compassion for such childish, self-centered actions.
Stephen received his three visitors later that morning. He was happy to see that his colleague, Sarah was truly alright, but his relief quickly turned to disbelief and anger as Daniel's friend and C.O. explained the President's decision concerning him. Yes, what he had learned from studying the Osiris-amulet was true, but that was all he was cleared to be told and he would not be allowed to gain anything from this knowledge; notoriety, a prestigious position with a salary to match, nothing. Sarah would be moving to Cambridge and he was to return to the University of Chicago and keep his mouth shut. A cover story had been worked out to explain the disappearance of both canopic jars and the amulet. And it would be on his shoulders to convince the Egyptian government of the cover-story. Dr. Jordon, who amazingly had survived the explosion after all, was not to be told about any of this at all, once he returned to his job...And he, Stephen; O'Neill warned grimly, would be monitored closely. After his visitors left, he received no more; not even Daniel Jackson, as he spent the next incredibly boring week healing until he was well enough to be released from the hospital and escorted back to Chicago.
~*~*~
Dr. Jordon would indeed be recuperating nicely in the University Hospital when Stephen went to visit him and would return to his job shortly thereafter. He would make his monthly trips to the SGC and enjoy every minute of his time with Daniel and the others...David would even step through the Stargate to safe planets during a few of his week-long "vacations' with them...While Stephen would rarely even be informed of his superior's quick trips away from his home.
Three years later, the SGC would divulge its existence and its mission to the governments of England, France and China (the Soviet government had already known for over two years and had had an on-and-off-again relationship with the SGC ever since.). At this point, Dr. Jordon would decide to retire, realizing that the SGC would need to divulge itself to the rest of the world eventually and would wish to be fully on board with them when they did.
David would make sure that Stephen was given his Head of Department chair and chuckle to himself as the younger man steeped himself in his prestigious new position; by then Stephen would have all but forgotten the Goa'uld and mostly believed that the whole incident had been a dream. Dr. Raynar would only have a year to enjoy his prestige however, before the entire archaeological community would be flipped, head-over-apple-cart one year later when the truth about the pyramids, the Goa'uld and the SGC would be reveled before world-wide attention.
Daniel Jackson, SG-1, the SGC and even Dr. Jordon, to Stephen's horror would be haled as heroes; their names would be linked together with words like sacrifice, bravery, truth and world-saviors...while Stephen Raynar, a former colleague of Daniel Jackson's would be seen as a short-sighted, stuck-in-the-mud-academic, who could not recognize brilliance when it was right under his nose. And even though his actions concerning the Osiris amulet would never be reveled, his reputations and the entire archeological community would never be the same.
TBC Feedback please!
The next part will take us back to everything which has been going on, on Antar! Hopefully to be posted in a week or two.
Last edited by jane on Sat Aug 02, 2003 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Hi everyone, Finally, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long and it isn't very long either, I'm afraid. But I hope you all like it...
Stargazers Stargaters Part 36
General Hammond, Sarah Gardner and Jack O'Neill returned to the SGC after visiting Stephen Raynar in the hospital and found Daniel and Sha’re in the Infirmary visiting David Jordon.
“Hey Jack, General; how did your visit with Stephen go? Sarah, are you okay?” Daniel asked.
“The meeting with Dr. Raynar went pretty much as expected.” The General answered.
“Stephen Raynar is not a happy camper right now.” Jack interpreted.
“I’m okay, Daniel.” Sarah said. “But I’m very glad that I’ll be moving soon…if I get the position at Cambridge that is. I don’t envy you, Professor; having to work with Stephen after this.”
“I’m sure you’ll get the position, Sarah; I just mailed Cambridge a glowing recommendation about you and your work.” David Jordon replied. “As to Stephen…everything should work out alright. Remember, he doesn’t think I know anything about any of this. I bet he’ll even deny that Daniel came to visit me.”
“So, when do you think we can return to Chicago, General?” Sarah asked.
“Actually, you and Dr. Jordon are scheduled to fly out tonight.” The General said glancing at his watch.
“And you two are still coming with us, aren’t you?” Sarah asked Daniel and Sha’re.
Sarah had actually bonded with Sha’re during their conversations about their shared experiences with the Goa’uld.
“Absolutely, I want to make sure that David gets settled back into the University Medical Center alright.” Daniel answered
“And I am looking forward to spending a bit more time with you, Sarah.” Sha’re said, smiling.
“Then you’ll fly back here tonight, right? I think we’ve been away from Antar long enough.” Jack said and then added. “I hate to be away from the training so long and Daniel and Max are in the middle of negotiations.”
“That’s right.” The General agreed and if he thought anything strange or suspicious was going on, he did not show it. “You’re scheduled to go through the Stargate at 08:00 tomorrow morning.” He ordered.
“I just hope we can sleep on the flight back.” Daniel said wincing.
The trip to Chicago went off without a hitch; Daniel and David talked during the entire trip as did Sha’re and Sarah at the opposite end of the roomy cabin. Upon landing, Dr. Jordon was transferred from the plane to the Medical Center and Daniel saw to it that he was safely tucked into his private hospital room before he and Sha’re accompanied Sarah to her apartment. Sarah assured them that she would be alright and promised to keep in touch with them, especially if she had any trouble adjusting to “normal” life and her new job.
Daniel and Sha’re did indeed get a little sleep on the return flight; they stowed the armrests on the four deeply padded chairs which ran along one side of the cabin, Sha’re made herself comfortable in her chair at one end and then encouraged Daniel to lay down across the remaining three chairs and put his head in her lap. He fell asleep quickly and deeply as Sha’re gently ran her fingers through his hair. And after landing in Colorado Springs, they drove home to snuggle together in their own apartment for the rest of the night. The next morning, Daniel and Sha’re, well rested, drove into work at the SGC.
“Morning you two.” Jack said, smiling at the young couple as they joined him in the Control Room.
“Morning Jack; anxious to um…get back to Antar?” Daniel asked with a knowing smile.
“Yeah, great planet, lot’s to do.” Jack answered casually as the Stargate burst open and then rippled brightly. “Let’s go kids.” He said and the three of them walked down the stairs into the Embarkation Room and then stepped through the worm-hole.
It was a gorgeous spring morning on Antar when they arrived on the other side. And since no one knew exactly when they would be returning, no hovercraft was there waiting for them, so all three of them decided to hike down for once. The trail down the hill was not too difficult and the views from the different elevations were beautiful. A person only got into trouble if they paid more attention to the wild-flowers than where they were putting their feet.
When they reached the Capital, at the foot of the large hill, they split up. Jack walked towards Beneck’s house, in hopes of finding Sam, while Daniel and Sha’re walked towards the Royal Manor, where they were staying. When the arrived, the older couple found their eight friends in the dining room eating breakfast.
“Good morning everyone.” Daniel and Sha’re called out.
“Hey you two, how was Abydos?” Liz asked.
Daniel was a little shocked, but then realized that no one had told them anything about what had really been going on over the past five days or so.
“Abydos was wonderful!” Sha’re answered happily. “It was so nice to see my father and little Shifu again. But my Dan’yel was not with me most of the time.”
“Huh? What happened?” Michael asked and motioned them to sit down.
“Didn’t Sam tell you?” Daniel asked, puzzled.
“No, she said that it was your tale to tell.” Maria said.
“Uh, well…just as we were to leave for Abydos, I found out that my archeology professor, Dr. David Jordon, had been involved in an accident and was not expected to live.” Daniel began and there were gasps or cries from most everyone at the table.
“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction.” Daniel admitted. “I really wanted to fly back to Chicago, but I knew that I needed to take Sha’re to her father on Abydos; their Stargate would be uncovered for just that one day and if we didn’t go through then, we’d never be able to, ever again.”
“My Dan’yel was ready to give up his chance to see his teacher and only come with me to visit my father.” Sha’re said rolling her eyes in loving exasperation at her husband.
“But my sweet Sha’re insisted that I only escort her through the Stargate to Kasuf and then return to Earth so that I could fly to Chicago.” Daniel said with a loving smile on his face and then he leaned in to kiss her on the lips. He drew away reluctantly and then continued after someone cleared his throat. “Anyway, Sha’re had insisted on telling the General about our dilemma and he had a plane waiting for me as soon as I returned to the SGC.”
“Did you get there in time?” Tess asked anxiously, holding tightly to her fiancé, Kyle’s hand and he soothed her by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“Well…in one sense, yes I did arrive in time…but in another…I didn’t.” Daniel said with a secretive smile; he was getting into the storytelling mood.
“Huh, what does that mean?” Michael asked as Maria shivered anxiously within the circle of his arms as well.
“Well…” Daniel drawled slowly as he began. “I did arrive in time to see Dr. Jordon at the hospital; he was still hanging onto life, but unbeknownst to me…there was a great danger lurking nearby…” And he launched into the story of Osiris’ curse.
“You mean to tell me that there had been two Goa’uld hiding out on Earth all this time and no one knew about it?” Alex exclaimed in horror, interrupting Daniel in the middle of his story.
“Well, technically there were four Goa’uld left on Earth…that we know of. We’d already encountered Hathor and Seth. Hathor got away from us for a while, but Jack killed her a few months ago and Sam killed Seth when we tracked him down in the American Northwest shortly after that…and…Osiris and Isis were imprisoned here; forced into those canopic jars…but I digress, where was I…oh yes…Stephen Raynar had skipped town and was headed for Cairo.” Daniel continued uninterrupted until his story was finished. Whereupon there was quite a bit of chuckling and giggling at Stephen’s final fate; to continue teaching what he now knew to false…with the realization that his rival, Daniel Jackson had been right all along.
“I’d love to meet Dr. Jordon; perhaps Antar could be the first planet he gates to.” Max suggested.
“And perhaps he’d like to come to our wedding…” Liz added and then continued. “And speaking of our wedding…Max and I were wondering if you and Sha’re would like to renew your wedding vows at the same time…”
“Wow, that’s quite an offer, Liz; thanks…” Daniel said and then glanced down at Sha’re. A short bit of non-verbal communication passed in between them and then Daniel turned back to Max and Liz. “I had in fact thought of our doing just that, but the proper place for such a ceremony would be on Abydos, where Kasuf could give us his blessing, as he did the first time…And besides…” Daniel held up a hand to forestall any arguments. “This will be Your special day; a Royal Wedding, and as much as we appreciate your offer, it wouldn’t be right for us to horn in and possibly outshine all eight of you!” Daniel finished with a grin as everyone else either groaned or grinned along with him.
“So, um, uh, has anything been happening here?” Daniel asked a few moments later. “How did your meeting go with the other dream-walkers and mind-warpers?”
“Actually, we’ve made quite a lot of progress.” Isabel said smiling broadly. “Now that all five of you’re back, we’ll have a meeting this morning to explain everything to you.”
Daniel nodded excitedly and Sha’re smiled, happy that some progress had been made in fighting the Goa’uld. After everyone finished their breakfasts, including Daniel and Sha’re, who nibble on muffins for their second breakfast of the morning, Michael went in search of Teal’c. The young general and the Jaffa had become rather good friends over the weeks they had been working together. And Max and Liz strolled hand in hand over to where Jack and Sam were staying. When the young couple arrived there, they glanced back and forth to each other.
“Do you think it’s safe to knock on the door, or will we be interrupting something, do you think?” Liz asked.
While Sam had been unwilling to tell any of her friends about what was really going on with Daniel back on Earth, there had been a certain special glow about her after she had returned to Antar…And even though she would also not admit to anything happening between herself and Jack, her friends were beginning to wonder if something had.
“No…look, there’s a light on in the kitchen.” Max said after glancing down the side of the house; towards the rear.
“Yeah, but remember what Michael told us he found those two doing…on the kitchen counter!” Liz reminded her lover.
“Yeah, he said they were acting just like us!” Max said as he leaned down to give his lady-love a quick, yet intense kiss on her full lips.
“Mmm…okay, um…should we go and try knocking on their back door?” Liz asked after licking her lips.
“Sure.” Max said as he drew her behind him, on the way to the home’s back door. “Knock, knock.” Max called out as he rapped his knuckles on the door. “Anyone home?”
A sound of scuffling came from within as well as a few choice curse-words from Jack, before the door was wrenched open by the frustrated Colonel.
“What?” He all but yelled, but then modified his facial features and tone of voice when he recognized Antar’s king and future queen, standing at his door. “Oh, uh, sorry…Sam and I were…uh, um…never mind! What can I do for you folks?” Jack asked, plastering a charming smile onto his face and opening the door wider so that they could enter.
They entered the kitchen to find a much rumpled Sam trying to pick up a few things from the floor where they had obviously landed after being “accidentally” knocked off of the kitchen table.
“Oh my!” Liz whispered into Max’s ear, but then they both fought to wipe the silly-looking grins off of their faces as they turned to their two, newly-in-love friends.
“We just came to tell you that we’re having a meeting back at the Manor, to discuss some of the progress we’ve made over the last few days and some other news as well.” Max told them.
“Oh, yeah, that would be great to hear.” Sam said a little too energetically and Max and Liz grinned.
“So…we’ll see you two in a few minutes then?” Max asked casually.
“Yeah, sure we’ll be right there.” Jack said, equally casual, before Max and Liz left their house.
Back at the Manor, everyone had gathered out on the patio to enjoy the lovely weather, but as they all waited for Sam and Jack to appear, several of the couples turned their attention away from the subject to be discussed and towards each other. Michael had pulled Maria onto his lap and was stroking her face with gentle fingertips as they whispered to each other. Alex and Isabel were sharing a seat; Alex had his arm around Isabel and was playing with her long, blond hair. Daniel and Sha’re’s heads were close together and they seemed to be speaking Abydonian to one another as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Kyle and Tess had been sitting next to each other, but now, following in Michael’s example, Kyle pulled Tess up onto his lap for a kiss…And Max and Liz were having trouble keeping their hands off of each other and following in their friends’ footsteps, but they knew that the meeting would begin as soon as Sam and Jack arrived and wanted to appear business-like. Teal’c was also rather stunned by all of the romantic activity going on around him, but his impassive face gave very little of his thoughts away.
Just then, Sam and Jack came around a corner in the path and stopped in shock when they saw the make-out sessions going on. Both of them had taken the time to put on fresh, clean BDUs, creases ironed in at all the proper places, even for such casual clothing and they looked all business; neither of them was mussed, rumpled or smudged, but the Colonel did still appear to be frustrated.
“Excuse us, but wasn’t there supposed to be a meeting here?” Jack asked sarcastically. If he and Sam had had to stop their previous…um…activities, so should everyone else, he thought to himself.
“Hey, Sam, Jack…we were just waiting for you.” Daniel said, half-reproachful, half-teasing.
“And waiting…and waiting…” Kyle muttered under his breath.
“Nice of you two to join us.” Max said blandly. “Um, Michael, Maria…we’re going to start the meeting now, would you two like to join us?” He called across the patio to the couple who were still involved only in each other.
Everyone was blushing to some degree, except Michael who simply discontinued his kiss of Maria’s arched neck and turned to his king.
“Sure, Maxwell; whenever you’re ready.” He said in a tone, which really meant; ‘so what are we waiting for, duh?’
“Have a seat, Sam, Jack and let’s begin.” Max said getting everyone’s attention. “Isabel, why don’t you and Tess bring SG-1 and Sha’re up to speed on what you’ve been able to accomplish over the last few days?”
“Okay, while Daniel and Sam were busy catching a Goa’uld on Earth, our dream-walkers and mind-warp-people were also busy. Forty of us; twenty from each skill-group, each attempted to make contact with a Goa’uld, the host or even a symbiote…or a known Jaffa. Of those who contacted a host, twelve out of fifteen were successful. Contacting a symbiote is much more difficult and only nine out of fifteen were able to be contacted to some degree. Better news is that every one of the ten Jaffa were able to be contacted. Now, of these people…or creatures who were contacted, our people had varying degrees of success in having a conversation with them or…forcing them to do something against their will, but we learned a Lot! We plan to refine our techniques and keep on trying to learn more.” Isabel finished.
“Your efforts do sound most promising, IsabelEvans.” Teal’c told her gravely. “What is your ultimate goal? How do you plan to use these powers of yours to wipe out the Goa’uld?”
“And what do you plan to do about the millions of Jaffa who serve the Goa’uld; their physiology will still be dependent on carrying an immature symbiote?” Daniel asked.
“We are still in the learning stages here; we didn’t even know that we could contact a Goa’uld host or symbiote a week ago.” Isabel reminded them. “But our general plan is to try and communicate with the symbiote if we can; using the host if possible. But from what you’ve told us, the Goa’uld will never lose their need for conquest and war…You’ve told me that even the Tok’ra, who do not take unwilling hosts, are still rather arrogant and believe themselves to be superior to Humans. Will they fight over who should rule the stars once their brethren have been conquered?” Isabel asked.
“That’s a good question.” Sam said. “Maybe we should ask my dad to come back here so that we can speak to him.”
“That would be a great idea; we might be able to work together with the Tok’ra or at least marry our plans to theirs, so we don’t duplicate effort or get in each other’s way. But anyway, barring some giant surprise, which would include the Goa’uld surrendering to us without a shot being fired…” Isabel and her listeners all groaned at the impossibility. “We plan a campaign of nightmares and mind-warps, which will make them fight each other, hopefully not involving their Jaffa armies in the process… whatever works for us. As to the Jaffa, we will try contacting them, prove to them that the Goa’uld are not gods and get them to leave their masters or fight against them. We wouldn’t want to mind-warp them unless we have to. From Sha’re we learned that we are able to fix a person’s immune system after their symbiote has been removed. We can offer any Jaffa (or host) who wish it, freedom from their dependence on the Goa’uld!”
“You know…this is an incredible thing you’re trying to do here.” Jack said half-grateful, half-wary. “And I don’t mean any disrespect when I ask this, but is there…anything you want from us in exchange for your getting rid of the Goa’uld for us?”
“Jack!” Daniel exclaimed.
“No, no…that’s a fair question.” Max admitted. “And yes there is something we want your help on, but we’ll continue our work to eliminate the Goa’uld no matter what your answer is to this next item…We touched on this briefly when we first met and Daniel, General Hammond and I have been negotiating towards this end…We Antarians, a few of us anyway, have the technical know-how to build faster-than-light-speed ships, we even have the factories, which weren’t destroyed during the war, in which to build them…And we do have an ancient naquada-mine that might have enough ore in it to build the ships with…otherwise, we’ll use the materials we’ve always used in our ships…or a combination of both…But, we don’t have enough manpower anymore. Too many of our technically trained people were killed during the war, as were a large percentage of our population in general…Not a family was left untouched by fifty years of fighting.” Max drifted off sadly and paused for a moment before continuing. “Now we can train a new generation in these skills…and we will, but we need manpower and know-how right now; to seek out the naquada and mine it and to then build the ships themselves.”
“Oh yeah, now I remember; this was touched on very briefly a ways back.” Jack muttered.
“Well, that’s something we can certainly help you with, as we put into that proposal that you and I wrote up.” Daniel said. “How did that work out with your Council?”
“It was very well received!” Max broke out into a grin before continuing. “I believe the other, smaller points that we still need to cover will be accepted as well. How will your superiors take our proposal?” Max asked.
“The General and Major Paul Davis, our liaison with the Pentagon, both like our proposal as well. As soon as your Council signs off on it, we’re prepared to take it to the President and the Joint Chiefs…It’ll be an enormous undertaking; building two ships to start with; one for you and one for us, all here on Antar…But I think we’ll be ready to sign the treaty and get started with the project within a month if all goes well.” Daniel reached out and rapped his knuckles on a wooden table next to him; better to cover all bases and not jinx things now, he thought.
“Well then, have we covered everything? Does anyone have anymore questions?” Max asked glancing around at the entire group.
“Oh yeah, I have a question.” Sam spoke up with a smile. “How’re the wedding preparations going…you’re at T-six weeks, right?”
“Yeah, but everything’s going really pretty well…amazingly.” Liz spoke up and her scientific mind warred with the tiny superstitious voice of her gut, not to follow Daniel’s example and ‘knock on wood’.
“We’ve been able to make a few changes that we really wanted made.” Isabel piped up. “Even though our mothers insist on handling everything.”
“And it’ll be a miracle if Isabel has any nails left by the time the wedding rolls around, the way she keeps chewing on them.” Maria giggled.
“No problem, dah-ling.” Isabel drawled and flashed her perfectly manicured nails. “I have alien magic at my fingertips…literally.” Isabel shot back.
“So…are your mothers here this weekend?” Sha’re asked.
“Not this week, but they’ll be coming back next week.” Maria answered. “Wow, I always knew that Mom was a great one for bargaining, but she’s been great, dealing with Max’s mother.”
“Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Evans have been able to help her a lot too.” Tess added. “I think it’s going to be beautiful ceremony…with hardly any stress…at least on my part…the mother’s may be pulling their hair out by then, though!”
“No, Mother; Valaria has commented to me that the other ladies have been wonderful to work with. That’s saying something considering how much she’s used to getting her own way…and how many changes I know she’s allowed.” Max said, grinning down at his fiancé.
“Well I can hardly wait until our wedding!” Liz replied, meeting his warm amber eyes and getting lost in them.
“Uh…hmmm…I guess the meeting’s over?” Daniel asked as no one else had any more questions they needed answers to badly enough to disturb Max and Liz, who were sliding more deeply into their own little world with every second that passed by.
“Yeah, let’s get to work.” Jack said to everyone in general and they all rose from their seats and drifted off to the day’s activities.
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Stargazers Stargaters Part 36
General Hammond, Sarah Gardner and Jack O'Neill returned to the SGC after visiting Stephen Raynar in the hospital and found Daniel and Sha’re in the Infirmary visiting David Jordon.
“Hey Jack, General; how did your visit with Stephen go? Sarah, are you okay?” Daniel asked.
“The meeting with Dr. Raynar went pretty much as expected.” The General answered.
“Stephen Raynar is not a happy camper right now.” Jack interpreted.
“I’m okay, Daniel.” Sarah said. “But I’m very glad that I’ll be moving soon…if I get the position at Cambridge that is. I don’t envy you, Professor; having to work with Stephen after this.”
“I’m sure you’ll get the position, Sarah; I just mailed Cambridge a glowing recommendation about you and your work.” David Jordon replied. “As to Stephen…everything should work out alright. Remember, he doesn’t think I know anything about any of this. I bet he’ll even deny that Daniel came to visit me.”
“So, when do you think we can return to Chicago, General?” Sarah asked.
“Actually, you and Dr. Jordon are scheduled to fly out tonight.” The General said glancing at his watch.
“And you two are still coming with us, aren’t you?” Sarah asked Daniel and Sha’re.
Sarah had actually bonded with Sha’re during their conversations about their shared experiences with the Goa’uld.
“Absolutely, I want to make sure that David gets settled back into the University Medical Center alright.” Daniel answered
“And I am looking forward to spending a bit more time with you, Sarah.” Sha’re said, smiling.
“Then you’ll fly back here tonight, right? I think we’ve been away from Antar long enough.” Jack said and then added. “I hate to be away from the training so long and Daniel and Max are in the middle of negotiations.”
“That’s right.” The General agreed and if he thought anything strange or suspicious was going on, he did not show it. “You’re scheduled to go through the Stargate at 08:00 tomorrow morning.” He ordered.
“I just hope we can sleep on the flight back.” Daniel said wincing.
The trip to Chicago went off without a hitch; Daniel and David talked during the entire trip as did Sha’re and Sarah at the opposite end of the roomy cabin. Upon landing, Dr. Jordon was transferred from the plane to the Medical Center and Daniel saw to it that he was safely tucked into his private hospital room before he and Sha’re accompanied Sarah to her apartment. Sarah assured them that she would be alright and promised to keep in touch with them, especially if she had any trouble adjusting to “normal” life and her new job.
Daniel and Sha’re did indeed get a little sleep on the return flight; they stowed the armrests on the four deeply padded chairs which ran along one side of the cabin, Sha’re made herself comfortable in her chair at one end and then encouraged Daniel to lay down across the remaining three chairs and put his head in her lap. He fell asleep quickly and deeply as Sha’re gently ran her fingers through his hair. And after landing in Colorado Springs, they drove home to snuggle together in their own apartment for the rest of the night. The next morning, Daniel and Sha’re, well rested, drove into work at the SGC.
“Morning you two.” Jack said, smiling at the young couple as they joined him in the Control Room.
“Morning Jack; anxious to um…get back to Antar?” Daniel asked with a knowing smile.
“Yeah, great planet, lot’s to do.” Jack answered casually as the Stargate burst open and then rippled brightly. “Let’s go kids.” He said and the three of them walked down the stairs into the Embarkation Room and then stepped through the worm-hole.
It was a gorgeous spring morning on Antar when they arrived on the other side. And since no one knew exactly when they would be returning, no hovercraft was there waiting for them, so all three of them decided to hike down for once. The trail down the hill was not too difficult and the views from the different elevations were beautiful. A person only got into trouble if they paid more attention to the wild-flowers than where they were putting their feet.
When they reached the Capital, at the foot of the large hill, they split up. Jack walked towards Beneck’s house, in hopes of finding Sam, while Daniel and Sha’re walked towards the Royal Manor, where they were staying. When the arrived, the older couple found their eight friends in the dining room eating breakfast.
“Good morning everyone.” Daniel and Sha’re called out.
“Hey you two, how was Abydos?” Liz asked.
Daniel was a little shocked, but then realized that no one had told them anything about what had really been going on over the past five days or so.
“Abydos was wonderful!” Sha’re answered happily. “It was so nice to see my father and little Shifu again. But my Dan’yel was not with me most of the time.”
“Huh? What happened?” Michael asked and motioned them to sit down.
“Didn’t Sam tell you?” Daniel asked, puzzled.
“No, she said that it was your tale to tell.” Maria said.
“Uh, well…just as we were to leave for Abydos, I found out that my archeology professor, Dr. David Jordon, had been involved in an accident and was not expected to live.” Daniel began and there were gasps or cries from most everyone at the table.
“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction.” Daniel admitted. “I really wanted to fly back to Chicago, but I knew that I needed to take Sha’re to her father on Abydos; their Stargate would be uncovered for just that one day and if we didn’t go through then, we’d never be able to, ever again.”
“My Dan’yel was ready to give up his chance to see his teacher and only come with me to visit my father.” Sha’re said rolling her eyes in loving exasperation at her husband.
“But my sweet Sha’re insisted that I only escort her through the Stargate to Kasuf and then return to Earth so that I could fly to Chicago.” Daniel said with a loving smile on his face and then he leaned in to kiss her on the lips. He drew away reluctantly and then continued after someone cleared his throat. “Anyway, Sha’re had insisted on telling the General about our dilemma and he had a plane waiting for me as soon as I returned to the SGC.”
“Did you get there in time?” Tess asked anxiously, holding tightly to her fiancé, Kyle’s hand and he soothed her by wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
“Well…in one sense, yes I did arrive in time…but in another…I didn’t.” Daniel said with a secretive smile; he was getting into the storytelling mood.
“Huh, what does that mean?” Michael asked as Maria shivered anxiously within the circle of his arms as well.
“Well…” Daniel drawled slowly as he began. “I did arrive in time to see Dr. Jordon at the hospital; he was still hanging onto life, but unbeknownst to me…there was a great danger lurking nearby…” And he launched into the story of Osiris’ curse.
“You mean to tell me that there had been two Goa’uld hiding out on Earth all this time and no one knew about it?” Alex exclaimed in horror, interrupting Daniel in the middle of his story.
“Well, technically there were four Goa’uld left on Earth…that we know of. We’d already encountered Hathor and Seth. Hathor got away from us for a while, but Jack killed her a few months ago and Sam killed Seth when we tracked him down in the American Northwest shortly after that…and…Osiris and Isis were imprisoned here; forced into those canopic jars…but I digress, where was I…oh yes…Stephen Raynar had skipped town and was headed for Cairo.” Daniel continued uninterrupted until his story was finished. Whereupon there was quite a bit of chuckling and giggling at Stephen’s final fate; to continue teaching what he now knew to false…with the realization that his rival, Daniel Jackson had been right all along.
“I’d love to meet Dr. Jordon; perhaps Antar could be the first planet he gates to.” Max suggested.
“And perhaps he’d like to come to our wedding…” Liz added and then continued. “And speaking of our wedding…Max and I were wondering if you and Sha’re would like to renew your wedding vows at the same time…”
“Wow, that’s quite an offer, Liz; thanks…” Daniel said and then glanced down at Sha’re. A short bit of non-verbal communication passed in between them and then Daniel turned back to Max and Liz. “I had in fact thought of our doing just that, but the proper place for such a ceremony would be on Abydos, where Kasuf could give us his blessing, as he did the first time…And besides…” Daniel held up a hand to forestall any arguments. “This will be Your special day; a Royal Wedding, and as much as we appreciate your offer, it wouldn’t be right for us to horn in and possibly outshine all eight of you!” Daniel finished with a grin as everyone else either groaned or grinned along with him.
“So, um, uh, has anything been happening here?” Daniel asked a few moments later. “How did your meeting go with the other dream-walkers and mind-warpers?”
“Actually, we’ve made quite a lot of progress.” Isabel said smiling broadly. “Now that all five of you’re back, we’ll have a meeting this morning to explain everything to you.”
Daniel nodded excitedly and Sha’re smiled, happy that some progress had been made in fighting the Goa’uld. After everyone finished their breakfasts, including Daniel and Sha’re, who nibble on muffins for their second breakfast of the morning, Michael went in search of Teal’c. The young general and the Jaffa had become rather good friends over the weeks they had been working together. And Max and Liz strolled hand in hand over to where Jack and Sam were staying. When the young couple arrived there, they glanced back and forth to each other.
“Do you think it’s safe to knock on the door, or will we be interrupting something, do you think?” Liz asked.
While Sam had been unwilling to tell any of her friends about what was really going on with Daniel back on Earth, there had been a certain special glow about her after she had returned to Antar…And even though she would also not admit to anything happening between herself and Jack, her friends were beginning to wonder if something had.
“No…look, there’s a light on in the kitchen.” Max said after glancing down the side of the house; towards the rear.
“Yeah, but remember what Michael told us he found those two doing…on the kitchen counter!” Liz reminded her lover.
“Yeah, he said they were acting just like us!” Max said as he leaned down to give his lady-love a quick, yet intense kiss on her full lips.
“Mmm…okay, um…should we go and try knocking on their back door?” Liz asked after licking her lips.
“Sure.” Max said as he drew her behind him, on the way to the home’s back door. “Knock, knock.” Max called out as he rapped his knuckles on the door. “Anyone home?”
A sound of scuffling came from within as well as a few choice curse-words from Jack, before the door was wrenched open by the frustrated Colonel.
“What?” He all but yelled, but then modified his facial features and tone of voice when he recognized Antar’s king and future queen, standing at his door. “Oh, uh, sorry…Sam and I were…uh, um…never mind! What can I do for you folks?” Jack asked, plastering a charming smile onto his face and opening the door wider so that they could enter.
They entered the kitchen to find a much rumpled Sam trying to pick up a few things from the floor where they had obviously landed after being “accidentally” knocked off of the kitchen table.
“Oh my!” Liz whispered into Max’s ear, but then they both fought to wipe the silly-looking grins off of their faces as they turned to their two, newly-in-love friends.
“We just came to tell you that we’re having a meeting back at the Manor, to discuss some of the progress we’ve made over the last few days and some other news as well.” Max told them.
“Oh, yeah, that would be great to hear.” Sam said a little too energetically and Max and Liz grinned.
“So…we’ll see you two in a few minutes then?” Max asked casually.
“Yeah, sure we’ll be right there.” Jack said, equally casual, before Max and Liz left their house.
Back at the Manor, everyone had gathered out on the patio to enjoy the lovely weather, but as they all waited for Sam and Jack to appear, several of the couples turned their attention away from the subject to be discussed and towards each other. Michael had pulled Maria onto his lap and was stroking her face with gentle fingertips as they whispered to each other. Alex and Isabel were sharing a seat; Alex had his arm around Isabel and was playing with her long, blond hair. Daniel and Sha’re’s heads were close together and they seemed to be speaking Abydonian to one another as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Kyle and Tess had been sitting next to each other, but now, following in Michael’s example, Kyle pulled Tess up onto his lap for a kiss…And Max and Liz were having trouble keeping their hands off of each other and following in their friends’ footsteps, but they knew that the meeting would begin as soon as Sam and Jack arrived and wanted to appear business-like. Teal’c was also rather stunned by all of the romantic activity going on around him, but his impassive face gave very little of his thoughts away.
Just then, Sam and Jack came around a corner in the path and stopped in shock when they saw the make-out sessions going on. Both of them had taken the time to put on fresh, clean BDUs, creases ironed in at all the proper places, even for such casual clothing and they looked all business; neither of them was mussed, rumpled or smudged, but the Colonel did still appear to be frustrated.
“Excuse us, but wasn’t there supposed to be a meeting here?” Jack asked sarcastically. If he and Sam had had to stop their previous…um…activities, so should everyone else, he thought to himself.
“Hey, Sam, Jack…we were just waiting for you.” Daniel said, half-reproachful, half-teasing.
“And waiting…and waiting…” Kyle muttered under his breath.
“Nice of you two to join us.” Max said blandly. “Um, Michael, Maria…we’re going to start the meeting now, would you two like to join us?” He called across the patio to the couple who were still involved only in each other.
Everyone was blushing to some degree, except Michael who simply discontinued his kiss of Maria’s arched neck and turned to his king.
“Sure, Maxwell; whenever you’re ready.” He said in a tone, which really meant; ‘so what are we waiting for, duh?’
“Have a seat, Sam, Jack and let’s begin.” Max said getting everyone’s attention. “Isabel, why don’t you and Tess bring SG-1 and Sha’re up to speed on what you’ve been able to accomplish over the last few days?”
“Okay, while Daniel and Sam were busy catching a Goa’uld on Earth, our dream-walkers and mind-warp-people were also busy. Forty of us; twenty from each skill-group, each attempted to make contact with a Goa’uld, the host or even a symbiote…or a known Jaffa. Of those who contacted a host, twelve out of fifteen were successful. Contacting a symbiote is much more difficult and only nine out of fifteen were able to be contacted to some degree. Better news is that every one of the ten Jaffa were able to be contacted. Now, of these people…or creatures who were contacted, our people had varying degrees of success in having a conversation with them or…forcing them to do something against their will, but we learned a Lot! We plan to refine our techniques and keep on trying to learn more.” Isabel finished.
“Your efforts do sound most promising, IsabelEvans.” Teal’c told her gravely. “What is your ultimate goal? How do you plan to use these powers of yours to wipe out the Goa’uld?”
“And what do you plan to do about the millions of Jaffa who serve the Goa’uld; their physiology will still be dependent on carrying an immature symbiote?” Daniel asked.
“We are still in the learning stages here; we didn’t even know that we could contact a Goa’uld host or symbiote a week ago.” Isabel reminded them. “But our general plan is to try and communicate with the symbiote if we can; using the host if possible. But from what you’ve told us, the Goa’uld will never lose their need for conquest and war…You’ve told me that even the Tok’ra, who do not take unwilling hosts, are still rather arrogant and believe themselves to be superior to Humans. Will they fight over who should rule the stars once their brethren have been conquered?” Isabel asked.
“That’s a good question.” Sam said. “Maybe we should ask my dad to come back here so that we can speak to him.”
“That would be a great idea; we might be able to work together with the Tok’ra or at least marry our plans to theirs, so we don’t duplicate effort or get in each other’s way. But anyway, barring some giant surprise, which would include the Goa’uld surrendering to us without a shot being fired…” Isabel and her listeners all groaned at the impossibility. “We plan a campaign of nightmares and mind-warps, which will make them fight each other, hopefully not involving their Jaffa armies in the process… whatever works for us. As to the Jaffa, we will try contacting them, prove to them that the Goa’uld are not gods and get them to leave their masters or fight against them. We wouldn’t want to mind-warp them unless we have to. From Sha’re we learned that we are able to fix a person’s immune system after their symbiote has been removed. We can offer any Jaffa (or host) who wish it, freedom from their dependence on the Goa’uld!”
“You know…this is an incredible thing you’re trying to do here.” Jack said half-grateful, half-wary. “And I don’t mean any disrespect when I ask this, but is there…anything you want from us in exchange for your getting rid of the Goa’uld for us?”
“Jack!” Daniel exclaimed.
“No, no…that’s a fair question.” Max admitted. “And yes there is something we want your help on, but we’ll continue our work to eliminate the Goa’uld no matter what your answer is to this next item…We touched on this briefly when we first met and Daniel, General Hammond and I have been negotiating towards this end…We Antarians, a few of us anyway, have the technical know-how to build faster-than-light-speed ships, we even have the factories, which weren’t destroyed during the war, in which to build them…And we do have an ancient naquada-mine that might have enough ore in it to build the ships with…otherwise, we’ll use the materials we’ve always used in our ships…or a combination of both…But, we don’t have enough manpower anymore. Too many of our technically trained people were killed during the war, as were a large percentage of our population in general…Not a family was left untouched by fifty years of fighting.” Max drifted off sadly and paused for a moment before continuing. “Now we can train a new generation in these skills…and we will, but we need manpower and know-how right now; to seek out the naquada and mine it and to then build the ships themselves.”
“Oh yeah, now I remember; this was touched on very briefly a ways back.” Jack muttered.
“Well, that’s something we can certainly help you with, as we put into that proposal that you and I wrote up.” Daniel said. “How did that work out with your Council?”
“It was very well received!” Max broke out into a grin before continuing. “I believe the other, smaller points that we still need to cover will be accepted as well. How will your superiors take our proposal?” Max asked.
“The General and Major Paul Davis, our liaison with the Pentagon, both like our proposal as well. As soon as your Council signs off on it, we’re prepared to take it to the President and the Joint Chiefs…It’ll be an enormous undertaking; building two ships to start with; one for you and one for us, all here on Antar…But I think we’ll be ready to sign the treaty and get started with the project within a month if all goes well.” Daniel reached out and rapped his knuckles on a wooden table next to him; better to cover all bases and not jinx things now, he thought.
“Well then, have we covered everything? Does anyone have anymore questions?” Max asked glancing around at the entire group.
“Oh yeah, I have a question.” Sam spoke up with a smile. “How’re the wedding preparations going…you’re at T-six weeks, right?”
“Yeah, but everything’s going really pretty well…amazingly.” Liz spoke up and her scientific mind warred with the tiny superstitious voice of her gut, not to follow Daniel’s example and ‘knock on wood’.
“We’ve been able to make a few changes that we really wanted made.” Isabel piped up. “Even though our mothers insist on handling everything.”
“And it’ll be a miracle if Isabel has any nails left by the time the wedding rolls around, the way she keeps chewing on them.” Maria giggled.
“No problem, dah-ling.” Isabel drawled and flashed her perfectly manicured nails. “I have alien magic at my fingertips…literally.” Isabel shot back.
“So…are your mothers here this weekend?” Sha’re asked.
“Not this week, but they’ll be coming back next week.” Maria answered. “Wow, I always knew that Mom was a great one for bargaining, but she’s been great, dealing with Max’s mother.”
“Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Evans have been able to help her a lot too.” Tess added. “I think it’s going to be beautiful ceremony…with hardly any stress…at least on my part…the mother’s may be pulling their hair out by then, though!”
“No, Mother; Valaria has commented to me that the other ladies have been wonderful to work with. That’s saying something considering how much she’s used to getting her own way…and how many changes I know she’s allowed.” Max said, grinning down at his fiancé.
“Well I can hardly wait until our wedding!” Liz replied, meeting his warm amber eyes and getting lost in them.
“Uh…hmmm…I guess the meeting’s over?” Daniel asked as no one else had any more questions they needed answers to badly enough to disturb Max and Liz, who were sliding more deeply into their own little world with every second that passed by.
“Yeah, let’s get to work.” Jack said to everyone in general and they all rose from their seats and drifted off to the day’s activities.
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
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Hope there are still a few readers out there interested in this story! Sorry there was such a long delay in getting this posted. Hope you enjoy! Love, jane
Stargazers Stargaters Part 37
Two weeks had passed since Daniel’s adventure in Chicago and quite a lot had happened. Daniel and Max had finished writing their proposals for the Earth/Antar treaty and had delivered them to the Antarian Council and the U.S. President, Joint Chiefs and the Director of the State Department. The top secret nature of the SGC had allowed for only the Director to be briefed on the secret military base and its mission, back when the treaty with the Tok’ra was formed. This made all of their inter-planetary treaties somewhat tricky; they needed to be kept top-secret but they also needed to be lawful and binding. Therefore, in a few days, not only the President, but the Director would be coming through the Stargate to Antar, as Max had requested that the signing ceremony be split up between the two planets. He would go through the Stargate, to sign part of the treaty inside the SGC (Max having already seen a great deal of Earth), and the two Earth officials would travel through the alien device to sign the second half of the treaty.
Plus the President was excited about visiting another planet. The Director and the Secret Service had tried to dissuade him from traveling to Antar, but the President reminded them that it was only proper for him to travel to the other planet, since Max Evans, a planetary king was willing to come to Earth for his part in the signing…and he was after all only the president of one country on Earth. Therefore, the Service had been buzzing around Antar’s capital city, driving Michael Guerin crazy with their demands and questions, but they came to an agreement and Michael was determined that he would do the same to them when they went back to the SGC to discuss security arrangements.
At least the proceedings would not be disturbed by the Press; the Cheyenne Mountain Military Complex, which held NORAD as well as the SGC was one of the most secure bases in the U.S. and even its location was top secret. But as far as the Press and the public were concerned, the President would only be inspecting the Deep Space Telemetry base, which was the SGC’s cover-name, even among the rest of the military establishment. With all of the excitement to come up in less than a week, Jack went in search of his friend and team member, Teal’c.
“Hey T, how’s it goin’?” Jack asked.
“Everything is proceeding very well, O'Neill; the recruits are most diligent in their training.” Teal’c said somberly.
“Great, good to hear.” Jack said. “You know, Teal’c, you’ve been working so hard, with hardly any breaks, that I was thinking…maybe you should take a few days to go and see your family before all the excitement hits us in the face?”
“Why would the President of the United States wish to hit us in the face, O'Neill? Is that some strange custom the Tau’re have when signing treaties?” Teal’c asked.
“No, no, Teal’c, that’s just an expression; the President is not going to hit anyone, least of all you, in the face!” Jack grinned at his friend’s confusion.
“That is good, O'Neill, because I would have difficulty controlling myself from striking him back.” Teal’c replied.
Jack opened his mouth to reply, could not think of anything to say and closed it again for a few moments.
“Okay…well, uh…what do you think of my suggestion?” Jack asked.
“It is an excellent one; I would very much like to visit Rya’c and my lovely Drey’auc. I shall leave as soon as I have made a few preparations.” Teal’c said.
“Uh, good.” Jack replied as Teal’c bowed solemnly to his friend and walked away in the direction of his quarters.
~*~*~*~
At the same time, up in the Stargate chamber, the wormhole opened up, security code was received and Dr. Janet Fraser and her daughter, Cassie came through.
“Janet, Cassie!” Liz called out her greeting to her friends.
“Hi Liz!” Cassie cried excitedly as her mother smiled at their friend.
“Thanks for coming…and for agreeing to be a part of my bridal party.” Liz said.
“I’ve never been a bride’s maid before!” Cassie said excitedly.
“And I haven’t been one in ages.” Janet replied…”Oh, hello Ebron; it’s nice to see you again.” Janet greeted the Antarian physician she had met before, who had just entered the chamber.
“Hello again, Dr. Fraser…Janet; sorry I’m late, I had a last minute patient.” Ebron explained.
“That’s okay; it was nice of you to come meet us.” Janet assured the handsome man who she was covertly ogling. “And who’s this?” Janet asked, motioning to the boy of about twelve years who stood beside Ebron.
“This is my son, Nardo; Son this is Dr. Fraser and her daughter, Cassie.” Ebron said.
“Hi, um, Dr. Fraser, Cassie.” Nardo said, half brave bravado, half shyness.
“Hi Nardo…and Dr. Ebron, it’s nice to meet you.” Ten year old Cassie said politely, the way her mother had taught her as she checked out the son.
He had curly, brown hair, big brown eyes and was kind of skinny, but had a nice smile. Maybe being a bride’s maid and having to wear a fancy dress and be on her best behavior for hours wouldn’t be so bad if she could have Nardo, who was close to her own age, to spend time with?
Antarian custom decreed that bride’s maids and grooms be unmarried, which limited who of their many friends the four couples could ask to be a part of the bridal party. Sam and Jack would attend Liz and Max, Seria and Beneck; Isabel and Alex, Cassie and Nardo; Maria and Michael and Janet and Ebron would attend Tess and Kyle.
“Well why don’t we go down?” Liz suggested smiling secretly at the looks of attraction between the two parents and even their children.
“There are dress measurements to be taken and then I know you two physicians will want to spend some time together talking medicine, since you haven’t had a chance to do so since you met a few weeks ago. And I’m sure that there’re lots of fun things for Nardo to show Cassie about our Capital, right?” Liz asked.
“Yeah; come on, I’ll show you the pool and the playground is slomin’…um, I mean…pretty cool?” The boy corrected his newly learned English. “And my friends and I can teach you how to play Cramerwonk!”
“That sounds fun!” Cassie grinned and then looked up at her mother. “Can I go, please, Mom?”
“May I…?” Janet reminded her daughter.
“May I please go to play with Nardo, Mother?” Cassie corrected herself without even rolling her eyes at her mother.
“As soon as the measurements for your dress have been taken; then you may go and play…and we’ll make sure that your measurements are taken first.” Janet promised.
“Nardo has to be measured for his wedding outfit, as do I.” Ebron mentioned.
“Come on, let’s go down and get our work done so you two can go and play.” Liz suggested to the kids as well as their parents.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Nardo said politely, drawing Cassie out of the chamber to show her the hover-craft.
“Wow, I’ve only seen hover-crafts in movies, back on Earth and we didn’t have anything like this on…in, um, Cleveland, where I grew up.” Cassie exclaimed but catching herself before she mentioned Hanka, the planet she was originally from.
“It’s okay, Cassie; you don’t have to keep your secret here, it’s safe to talk about Hanka…here…if you want to.” Janet gave permission.
“Oh, okay.” Cassie said, unsure if she wanted to dredge up memories of her old home…where the Goa’uld, Nirti had killed every single person, including all of her family…and placed a bomb inside her very own chest, with which she had hoped to blow up Earth’s Stargate.
Everyone found a seat inside the hover-craft and the driver took off. Cassie exclaimed at the speed and the beautiful scenes flying by and Nardo laughed along with her. Janet had taken a hover-craft ride once before, but she felt the thrill of the speed as well, but tried to conceal it better than her young daughter was. Ebron was watching her and saw the excitement in her lovely brown eyes and grinned when she noticed his intense gaze and broke out in her own beautiful smile. When the group reached the Royal Manor, they were met by the dressmaker and the tailor and taken off to two separate rooms for their measurements to be taken.
“What will our dresses look like and can you show us what your dress will look like as well, Liz?” Janet asked as the dressmaker took Cassie’s measurements and her assistant jotted them down.
“Yes, Marsalla,” Liz nodded to the dressmaker. “Made these drawings for me to show you since my dress is not quite finished yet.” Liz pointed out several drawings which had been propped up on the fireplace mantle. “Bride’s maid’s dresses are similar to the bride’s dress, but much simpler; I guess you could say ‘maiden-like’. While we brides have to wear hoops under our skirts, you do not.” Liz smiled guiltily and then continued. “We made things a little more difficult for Marsalla and her assistants by going against Antarian custom and insisting on having mostly white dresses. Antarian wedding gowns are supposed to be pink, so we stole an idea from Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and will have under-skirts of pink while the bodice and over-skirt will be white. Then the over-skirt will be pulled back on each side, to show off the pink layer beneath.”
“For your dresses, your bodice will match that of the bride you are accompanying and you’ll have the pink under-layer and the white layer on top, but instead of drawing it back to the sides, the over-skirt will be hemmed shorter than that of the under-skirt…Depending on your bodice design, the over-skirt might be cut diagonally, straight across, zigzagged, or scooped like flower petals.” Liz finished, pointing out the different hemlines to her friends.
“Those are pretty!” Cassie said as she tried to stand still while Marsalla experimented a little; draping soft fabric over the young girl’s form.
“I was just wondering Liz…will there be anything special about your dress to set you apart from the others…since you are marrying a king?” Janet asked hesitantly but also curious.
“Yes, actually there will be.” Liz said half resigned, half exasperated with the dressmaker and her patron supporter, Valaria; Liz’s soon-to-be-mother-in-law. “The bodice and over skirt are to have the royal crest embroidered all over it, but I’ve seen some of what has been completed already and the embroidery…in pink…is so dainty that it just looks like lace…but still…” Liz said and was interrupted by Marsalla.
“But still, My Lady will be our new Queen in just a few, short weeks and your wedding dress must reflect that.” The dressmaker said decisively and then glanced towards Cassie and smiled. “There you go young lady, all done and I see your young escort is waiting for you out in the hallway.”
Cassie turned quickly towards the doorway, which had been left slightly ajar and saw Nardo patiently waiting out in the hall, his back leaning against the far wall.
“Go ahead and have a good time, but come back here by 4:30, okay?” Janet told her daughter.
“Okay, Mom.” Cassie agreed before scampering out the door.
The ladies heard their happy laughter until the front door slammed behind them and all was peaceful again. Marsalla quickly took Janet’s measurements, did a little experimental draping of fabric over her petite form and then said that she was all done for the day. Janet gave a sigh of relief after having to stand still for so long and saw her own escort waiting for her out in the hall as well.
“Go on!” Liz chuckled. “I’m sure there’s a lot for you two to share with each other about your…um…work.”
Janet left quickly, already speaking earnestly with Ebron as they left the house and then Liz saw her own handsome escort coming down the hallway to find her as she stepped out of the room she had been in.
“Hi Max…Jacob, Selmak; it’s nice to see you again…” Liz trailed off questioningly.
“Selmak has some news to give us; I figured we could all go out onto the patio to talk.” Max said after quickly kissing her on the lips.
The entire group was waiting for them when Max, Liz and Jacob walked out onto the lovely back patio a moment later. Once everyone was comfortable, Jacob started his briefing.
“Your activities are already beginning to show up in the actions of several minor Goa’uld. Shiva attacked a planet controlled by Heqet and they are now battling it out for control of both their planets. Bast has been indiscriminately attacking and raiding outposts of several different Goa’uld and we have Intel that suggests she may go after a supply moon controlled by one of the System Lords, but we’re not sure which one. Her attacks have been total surprises to her victims and she’s been quick and brutal in getting in and then getting away after her Jaffa have taken what they were after. Right now we don’t believe that her identity has been discovered by the System Lords; her Jaffa have been gathered from among the cast-offs of other Goa’ulds and they all still wear the marks of their former masters.”
“Just as well.” Jack broke in. “Her symbol is that of a cat; what Jaffa wearing a kitty-cat helmet would be taken seriously?” Jacob continued after a moment of silence.
“Her tactics are creating confusion, suspicion and hatred among the Goa’uld; focusing it at others and not on herself for the time being. But she must be watched carefully.”
“Right, as we discussed, Bast is well placed to create havoc among the Goa’uld. We’re orchestrating our plans so that she and the others cause as much destruction and confusion before the System Lords eventually step in and stop them. But by then we hope the damage will already be done and that their influence (or ours, as the case may be) will have spread to other Goa’uld.” Isabel said after taking notes on what Jacob had reported. “I’ll take this information to my group and we’ll keep at it; creating unrest and chaos wherever we can.”
“Your people have done well in a very short period of time. These may be minor Goa’uld, but they all have connections with and or blood-oaths against many of the System Lords. What each of them does will have far reaching consequences.” Jacob praised them.
“For all of our people who’ve worked so hard, I thank you for your kinds and encouraging words.” Max told the Tok’ra agent as he stood up to leave.
“Do you have to leave already, Dad?” Sam asked.
“I’m afraid so, Sammie; there’re some things I have to check on now if I’m going to be able to make it back here for the treaty signing.” Jacob told her reluctantly.
“Oh, okay Dad. Why don’t I walk up to the Stargate chamber with you?” Sam offered as she slipped her hand around his arm and they strolled away.
“Hmmm, well I guess it’s back to work for the rest of us.” Jack said as he watched father and daughter walk away, arm in arm and heads close together.
Later that afternoon, Ebron walked Janet back to the Royal Manor; they had been working hard all day, but had enjoyed every intense minute of it and in spite of their growing, mutual attraction for each other, felt completely comfortable with each other; as if they had been old friends for years. They passed the playground and Ebron was able to point out Nardo and Cassie among the children playing out on the field.
“Looks like they’ve been having a great time.” Janet remarked smiling.
Cassie’s play clothes were grass stained, her long red hair, which had been neatly braided that morning was coming loose and flying around her smudged, yet grinning face.
“Hey, Cassie scored; good for her!” Ebron exclaimed as several of her team mates including Nardo, high-fived her and then took a few minutes to explain the rules of the game the children were playing.
Janet could not help contrasting Cassie and Nardo’s happy innocence in playing together with her own happy, yet not-so-innocent thoughts about Ebron as they had worked side by side. She glanced up covertly through her thick eyelashes and caught him gazing down at her covertly as well and they laughed at each other.
“You fascinate me Janet…how can I feel so comfortable with you, delving into that brilliant mind of yours all day, while at the same time, wanting to take you back to my home and make long, sweet love to you? And we’ve only just met two times.” Ebron spoke softly, wonderingly.
Janet just gazed up at him, startled. Those words were what she had been thinking all day, hoping to hear sometime in the near future, but never would have dared to say so soon after meeting this equally brilliant, fascinating and sexy man.
“Forgive me if I’ve offended you.” Ebron apologized. “My wife; Nardo’s mother was killed during the war and I’ve learned not to waist precious time in going after something I dearly want…life’s too short.”
“No, no, you haven’t offended me, Ebron…you just startled me that’s all. I’ve been feeling the same things you have, but I learned the hard way to be cautious…my ex-husband and I married after a whirl-wind romance and we quickly grew to regret our haste.” Janet explained.
“I understand, Janet…so would you be willing to see me again if I promised to try and go slowly with you?” Ebron asked turning to face her completely and holding her hands gently in his.
“Oh yes, I’d like that very much…and we…probably…don’t have to move…all that slowly…” Janet blushed as she grinned up at him.
“Sounds like a plan…but maybe for now we’d better just call our kids over so that we can return to the Royal Manor.” Ebron suggested.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Janet said resignedly as she put two fingers into her mouth and whistled.
Out on the field, Cassie’s head came up and she turned to where the sound had originated. Janet motioned for her to come over to them and the young girl nodded. She tugged at Nardo’s shirt sleeve and motioned him to follow her. The two kids came jogging over, both grimy but grinning.
“Look at you! How can we go back to the SGC with you looking like that?” Janet exclaimed but then relented. “Looks like you two were having a good time.”
“Yeah we were!” Cassie exclaimed happily but then sobered. “Do we have to go home now? It’s still early and we were having so much fun.”
“Sweetie, you forget that the days are much longer here; it’ll be well past your bedtime by the time we return. But I promise that you may come back on the weekends, whenever I come to work with Ebron, alright?”
“Really, Mom?” Classy cried.
“That’d be great, Dr. Fraser!” Nardo added.
With that the little group returned to the Royal Manor to say goodbye, Isabel cleaned Cassie up with a wave of her hand and then they took a hover-craft up to the Stargate chamber. Janet and Ebron confirmed their schedules with each other while the kids recalled all that they had done that day. But finally it was time to go and Janet took Cassie’s hand in hers before they stepped into the wormhole.
“They’ll be back in just a few days, Son.” Ebron told Nardo who nodded contentedly.
“She isn’t like most other girls, Cassie was great playing Cramerwonk and she didn’t even care if she got dirty. It’ll be slomin’ to play with her again!” Nardo exclaimed before father and son opted to walk down the hillside together.
~*~*~*~
It was the day of the treaty signing, three days later and the SGC was bustling with activity. The first half of the treaty would be signed there in the Stargate-room before Max and the rest of the Royal Four escorted the President and the Director of the State Department through the wormhole to Antar, to sign the second half of the treaty.
The base had been scrubbed from top to bottom, dress uniforms had been pressed, medals and shoes had been polished and a red carpet had already been placed over the ramp up to the Stargate. Two podiums had been set up, one on either side of the ramp and the official Presidential seal had been carefully attached to the one on the right. Ebron, who had come through the day before, to work with Janet, had been charged with setting up the left podium for Max’s use and with one sweep of his hand, the Royal Antarian seal materialized, imbedded into the wooden front panel. And finally a blue velvet curtain had been hung on a framework set up to hide the gray cement wall; below the huge observation window…everything was ready to receive their distinguished guests.
And with perfect timing, as Air Force One touched down at Peterson airbase, the Stargate began to dial and an incoming wormhole was established. General Hammond and SG-1, who had been waiting down in the embarkation-room, all lined up as the Antarian security codes were received up in the control room. Janet, Ebron, Sha’re and other key SGC personnel up in the control and briefing rooms also came to attention as they stood in front of the two large windows and watched as first two guards came through the Stargate; alert to anything which might endanger the Royal Four and Liz Parker, their future queen, who stepped through next. And after them came two more guards, also on the alert.
It had been debated among the eight friends and SG-1, who should travel through the Stargate to Earth for the signing. Max had wanted Isabel and Liz to stay behind in case something happened to him, but both had refused. Isabel knew that their four-square would be incomplete without her and Liz could also add her strength to their defenses should anything go wrong. Liz was also Max’s future bride and queen as well as a member of the SGC; who better to represent both sides at the treaty signing? Alex, Maria and Kyle stayed behind knowing that they could not add to the four-square’s tactical strength and that their lovers might risk their lives to save them instead of saving themselves.
Max knew that for the treaty to work a respectful and trusting relationship needed to be built between their two peoples; and SG-1 had done an excellent job of creating the foundation, but he still could not help but be extremely nervous as he stepped through the Stargate. He knew that Secret Service agents were already in place around the giant room as well as throughout the facility. His main consolation was that the guards and his four best friends could instantly defend themselves without needing to pick up a weapon or reload during a fight…and he believed that many of the SGC personnel would be very reluctant to raise arms against them. But none of his thoughts or emotions were allowed to show as he walked down the ramp to where General Hammond and SG-1 were waiting to greet all of them.
General Hammond, Jack and Sam looked sharp in their dress uniforms, Daniel was wearing a nicely tailored dark blue suit and Teal’c his white one. Max and Michael wore slacks, tunics and long sleeved knee-length jackets which were embroidered down the front, left panel. Max was in brown and gold while Michael was in dark blue and copper. The three women wore long skirts instead of slacks but then also the tunics and jackets with embroidery on them. Liz was in peach and gold, Isabel was in pale yellow and silver and Tess was in pale green and copper. And all of them were wearing matching circlets around their head as well.
“It is an honor to have you here again, Your Majesty.” General Hammond said at his most formal as he shook first Max’s hand and then everyone else’s.
“It is an honor for us to come, General; thank you for hosting this half of the signing.” Max replied, equally formal.
“Air Force One touched down just minutes ago and it will take fifteen minutes for the Presidential motorcade to reach this base.” General Hammond then informed them all.
The five friends stepped off the ramp and moved to chat with SG-1 while the guards took up strategic positions around them. Jack had told Michael about what had happened during the treaty signing for the Earth/Tok’ra alliance (when two SGC personnel and a Tok’ra operative had all been brainwashed by the Goa’uld to assassinate the Tok’ra High Councilor) and even though nothing like that was expected this time, everyone on both sides was on guard.
But finally word came down that the President and the State Department Director had entered the base and would be down in just a few more moments. The Royal Five lined up on the left side of the ramp and SG-1 lined up against the back wall, under the giant windows. Moments later a group of men came in through the huge side door; Secret Service agents surrounding the President and the Director. The agents took their places around the room and the two Earth dignitaries walked over towards General Hammond who was standing just a yard away from Max.
The President was equally nervous about meeting this young alien king, Max Evans, but excited as well (mostly about taking his first trip through the Stargate). He had read all of the reports about King Zan, and he was very impressed with what he and the three other members of the “Royal Four” had been able to accomplish since their return to their home planet of Antar. George Hammond had also told him, for his ears only, how the Special Unit had caught and tortured Max when he was a teenager living here on Earth and the President’s respect for the younger man had risen even higher. How could someone who had suffered so much at the hands of one of this country’s law enforcement agencies (granted a rogue group), have written, with Dr. Jackson’s help, such a wise, generous and far-reaching treaty? Why would Max Evans want anything to do with this small blue planet at all? He wondered.
“Mr. President, Mr. Director. May I present His Royal Highness, Max Evans; King Zan of Antar.” The General introduced them all and pleasantries were shared for a few moments before the two leaders began their speeches.
Michael Guerin stood just behind and to the right of Max as his king listened politely to the President’s speech and he tried not to roll his eyes at the political mumbo-jumbo wafting out from between the older man’s lips, like so much ether. Michael fought a yawn and concentrated on moving his gaze over every inch of the room that he could see without obviously moving his head to do so. He knew that the four guards were doing the same thing and not having to be so circumspect either, but that did not stop him from doing his duty.
A few yards across the room, Jack O'Neill was having the same problem staying awake as Michael was and in self defense turned his mind to scanning the room for any signs of trouble as well. Jack came back to the speech just in time to clap with everyone else as the President finished his speech and Max began his own. Jack had to admit that Max made a good speech, it seemed a bit more sincere than the President’s had been, but they were really both a bunch of mouthings. Speeches like these couldn’t have any teeth to them; they could only speak about friendship, trust and compromises…not about what one side would do to the other side if any of the rules were broken.
Jack stifled another yawn. Well, it was the treaty that was important, not what was said during a speech and Daniel had assured him that it was a masterpiece; equally good and strong for both sides and Jack placed his trust in Daniel and Max, who had written the treaty and he clapped as Max finished his speech and the two leaders met at the table between their two podiums, to sign the first half of that treaty.
‘I’m actually going to step through a wormhole, I’m really going to travel to another planet, I can hardy believe this is real!’ The President thought to himself several minutes later as the Stargate began to move and the chevrons were locked. ‘Man, it was a big enough shock to learn that the Stargate actually existed and…and that there really are aliens…not only out there in space, but a few of them living here on Earth, as well…Now…now I have to travel to another planet; step onto alien soil? Okay, stay calm, don’t let anyone see your fear…you can do this; take a deep breath and smile…’
“You know, everything will be alright; the Stargate is perfectly safe and Antar is a beautiful planet…” A soft voice spoke up beside him. The President looked down and saw Dr. Elizabeth Parker standing calmly beside him; gazing up at him from her petite height with an understanding expression on her face.
“Yes, I’m sure it is.” He said, trying to sound confident and Liz’s smile only grew.
“You’ll step through with Max and I and the Director will be guided by Tess and Isabel.” Liz explained, still speaking softly.
“Oh man!” The President muttered to himself and then turned back to Liz. “It will be my honor, Dr. Parker.” He said in his most assured voice and Liz grinned; one dignitary calmed, mission accomplished.
“Chevron seven, locked.” The sergeant up in the control room called out and the Stargate burst into life.
Michael came down from the control room after giving his troops on the other side of the wormhole the needed security codes and walked over to Max, who was standing only a couple of yards from the President.
“Everything’s a go, sir.” Michael said on is best behavior in front of all of those high and mighty leaders. He would show them that Michael Guerin, General Rath of Antar knew his job very well and that his king was worthy of their respect as well as his own.
“Mr. President, Director, we’re clear to proceed.” General Hammond told his three guests of honor.
“Very well, General, by all means let’s go!” The President said with newly rediscovered excitement in his voice as he glanced down at Liz Parker and winked a ‘thank you’ at her.
SG-1 and Sha’re Jackson lined up to step through the wormhole first, then a group of Secret Service agents and two of the Antarian guards lined up, followed by Max, Liz, the President and Tess, the Director and Isabel behind them. And finally, Michael, Jacob Carter, General Hammond, the two last guards and another group of Secret Service agents lined up on the ramp. As soon as everyone was ready, SG-1 stepped through the Stargate and everyone followed right behind them; Isabel and Tess each gently but firmly holding onto one of the Director’s hands as they tugged him through.
“Ya-Hoo!” The President exclaimed as they came through on the other side. “Now, I’ve been on my share of roller-coasters, but that was fantastic!”
“Glad you enjoyed the ride, Mr. President.” Max said, grinning as he surveyed the large cave/chamber they were now standing in.
“I certainly did, Your Highness, I certainly did.” The President replied.
Inside the huge cavern was an equal mix of Humans and Antarians; Michael’s guards were interspersed with Secret Service agents as well as the SGC troops who were stationed on Antar while training. Just inside the mouth of the cave, two podiums and a table in between them had been set up again.
“Shall we, Mr. President, Director?” Max gestured for the two older men to move towards the podiums so that they could begin this half of the ceremony.
“After you, Your Highness…this is your planet after all.” The President replied politely.
Jack had even more trouble staying alert through the repetition of the two speeches, especially since Max was speaking in Antarian this time, with Daniel playing interpreter for the President and Director of the State Department.
The President too only listened with half an ear to Dr. Jackson’s interpretations of Max Evans’ speech while most of his attention was on the magnificent view spread out before him. There was a small crowd surrounding them; most Antarians were home watching the speeches on their version of TV, some sort of holographic orb…But the crowd here did not block the President’s view of the alien city laid out before him. Yes, there was still some war-damage, which needed to be rebuilt, but most of Antar’s capital had been restored to its former alien, yet regal beauty and the sight of it brought home, more than anything else that he, the President of the United States of America was truly visiting another planet. The clapping brought him back to his surroundings and he joined in enthusiastically.
Several minutes later, the treaty had been signed, the crowd was dispersing and the Royal Four walked over to where the President and the Director stood speaking. Max moved close enough to speak once the two men shook hands and the Director made as if to leave.
“It was an honor to meet you sir, must you leave us already?” Max asked the State Department’s Director.
“I’m afraid so, Your Highness, but it was indeed an honor to be a part of this; such an historic day for both of our peoples. I certainly will never forget it.”
“Nor I, sir.” Max replied shaking the man’s hand before he headed back inside the chamber to the Stargate. “What about you, Mr. President; must you return to Earth immediately as well, or can I convince you to stay for a while so that I may give you a tour of our capital?” Max asked.
“I would love a tour, Your Highness; it certainly looks beautiful from up here.” The President replied.
“Then come; we’ll ride down in one of the hover-craft.” Max said steering the older man over to where the transports were parked.
An hour later the tour ended at the Royal Manor. The President’s mind was racing at all that he had seen; building techniques, the hospital, and the space-ship building facility. The training center and the orphanage housed in Khivar’s old palace, among others. And the hover-craft had not only skimmed along the ground but had flown up as high as thirty feet off the ground, to give him the perfect view of some of the larger, higher buildings in the city.
“Please, come inside; welcome to our home.” Isabel welcomed the President, when he and Max arrived at the Manor. “Why don’t I give you a brief tour and then we can all gather out on the patio?” She suggested.
“That sounds very pleasant; thank you, Princess Valondra.” The President replied.
Several minutes passed before Isabel appeared out on the porch, her arm linked through the President’s. Alex and the rest of her friends and family, SG-1 and a few others, including Sha’re, Drey’auc, General Hammond and Jacob Carter/Selmak were waiting for them.
“My, this is a lovely garden…I only wish my wife could see it.” The President glanced over the formal gardens wistfully.
“Perhaps she may visit…some day in the future.” Liz suggested.
“I would be pleased to give her a tour of my gardens.” A voice said behind them and everyone turned.
“Mr. President, may I introduce Her Royal Highness, the Dowager Queen of Antar and our mother, Valaria?” Max said stepping forward to draw the old lady over.
“Your Highness, it is a great honor to meet you.” The President made a stiff bow over the hand she presented and then gently shook it between the two of his.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. President.” Valaria replied.
“Please have a seat everyone; Mother, Mr. President.” Max indicated some comfortable wicker chairs nearby.
As the group spoke casually between themselves, the President who was seated next to Queen Valaria looked around at the group and saw that they were all seated as couples (except for Hammond and Jacob Carter); even the former Jaffa, Tealc had been allowed to bring his wife, Drey’auc to visit this planet (his son, Ray’c was off with Teal’c’s mentor, Bra’tac). The couples who were engaged or married sat closely together, touching in some small way…and as was proper, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter while sitting next to each other on the same bench, had a foot separating them…but something was…off there, the President thought.
They were both engaged in separate conversations; looking in different directions, but every once in a while one of them would oh-so-casually touch the other. Major Carter would lean forward and brush the Colonel’s shoulder, Jack O'Neill would reach for his drink and brush the Major’s thigh and while crossing or uncrossing their legs, both of them had brushed a foot over the other’s calf. The President briefly recalled the Major’s most recent personnel report, which the Colonel had filled out and George Hammond had shown to him. The Colonel had praised his second-in-command highly in the report, but still there was nothing in there, or in anything the General had told him, to suggest that anything had changed in their relationship. He had vaguely watched them interact today and the two officers had conducted themselves with military propriety and yet now…Perhaps they were relaxing, slipping a little, he thought…’Or am I just seeing things; reading something intimate into a situation, which isn’t there?’ The President glanced over at Max and found the young king watching him closely. ‘Is it possible that Max Evans has noticed the same things I have…and General Hammond hasn’t?’
“Mr. President, now that all of the ceremonies are over, would it be possible to have a private word with you for a few moments?” Max asked.
“I’d like that very much, Your Highness.” The President replied and wondered. ‘Should I ask him about my two officers, or leave it alone?’
The two men arose from their chairs and Max guided the older man inside. But as he passed Isabel, he glanced down at his sister and Tess and raised one eyebrow to them; his gesture was answered by a brief nod from each of them. Max led the President into his office and closed the doors on the Secret Service agents and Antarian guards who took up their positions out in the hall.
“Please make yourself comfortable, sir.” Max motioned to a comfortable chair and sat down next to him in another.
Both men had brought their drinks in with them and contented themselves with sipping from their glasses and discussing some of the finer points of the treaty as if they were discussing the weather…but, finally the President made up his mind and asked the questions which had been bothering him for the last half hour.
“Your Highness…may I ask you a delicate question?”
“You may ask me anything you wish, Mr. President, but I may not be able to give you an answer.” Max replied cautiously.
“Fair enough…um…I’ll just come right out and ask, shall I? Have you noticed any changes in the relationship between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill?” And then before Max could answer, he continued. “Now please understand, I was never in the military, so even with the daily national security briefings I receive, there are still some things about the military I don’t understand, or whole heartedly agree with…such as…the regulations against fraternization.”
“We have no such regulations among our military here.” Max replied. “We believe in being open and honest about our emotions…we’re not flagrant about them you understand, there is a certain propriety in personal life and professionalism in any person’s duties, which must be kept, but hiding your feelings for another, or, on the other hand, forcing others to help you cover up any dishonorable actions you have committed…we do not believe in doing this…But as to the Major and the Colonel…they’ve always worked very well together; like well oiled machines…their strengths seem to play well off of each other…” Max answered, hiding a smile as he did so. “They do seem to be a little more relaxed here…probably because they know that they are safe here. I imagine that they act much the same back at the SGC.”
“Yes, or so General Hammond has told me on several occasions, but that only refers to their professional relationship…what about their personal relationship?”
“With all due respect, Mr. President, that would be…personal.” Max countered.
“Yes, but in your open and honest, day to day life…have you noticed any change between them?”
“I have…noticed certain changes, yes.” Max answered briefly.
“So they are becoming involved on a personal level?” The President asked.
“Now, that’s quite a leap from what I just told you, Mr. President.” Max objected. “Let me ask you this instead.” At the other man’s nod, Max continued. “How many times have SG-1…especially Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter saved Earth…your Entire planet?”
“Quite a few times!” The President chuckled, good naturedly. “But as to my questions…” But Max pressed on.
“Now, I know it is their job, to serve and protect their country…but saving the Whole world…the Entire Planet…” Max stressed. “I bet you even had to ask your staff to look up the plural for apocalypse. I mean, SG-1 has averted global disaster…to use your words…quite a few times.” Max paused.
“Yes, but…” The President tried to interrupt, but Max continued.
“Could any other team have done as much as SG-1? As I understand it, the NID and one of your senators couldn’t. In fact, they almost brought about the apocalypse…there’s that word again…two more times…and two planet earths, in two alternate realities were all but destroyed because they also did not contain that special ingredient…of whatever SG-1 embodies…So, maybe the next time SG-1 saves the world…instead of giving the Colonel and the Major yet another medal to add to their already impressive collections…perhaps you could give some thought to this…”
“Jack and Sam have been in love with each other for years, but only just realized it…admitted it to themselves and to each other, a few weeks ago. In that time, while they have been getting to know each other on a personal level, they have remained completely professional in their dealings with one another, as well as with everyone else. This is the ‘real thing’, Mr. President; and as a close friend of theirs, I know that they wish to marry…but because of the regs…Mr. President, could I ask the personal favor of you to ponder and weigh what our two planets owe those four people, but especially Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter…against a military regulation which makes very little sense…give those two a special dispensation…a little lee-way…a break…find a way for them to be allowed to marry and yet continue to work together…please.” Max finally concluded and the President remained silent for a moment.
“Alright, Your Highness, I’ll certainly think about it and see what if anything I can do.” He promised.
“Thank you.” Max said fervently and then steered their conversation back into safer waters for a while.
After a quarter hour, though, both men decided to rejoin the group outside again and arose from their seats. As Max passed Isabel again, he gave her and Tess a nod and both women gave him brief, but determined expressions. Max had discussed with them, the night before, his determination to speak to the President on Sam and Jack’s behalf, but they had all been concerned about his reaction to the fact that two of his officers were breaking regulations. The three of them had determined that Isabel would visit the President’s dreams several times, to make sure that he was not planning on causing trouble for their two friends. She would also monitor General Hammond’s dreams, as the President might very well share this information with his friend and the two lovers’ superior officer. If either man decided to punish Sam and Jack in any way for falling in love with each other, Tess would mind-warp them into forgetting everything about the forbidden relationship. But they were all hoping that that contingency would never be required.
The President stayed to chat with the entire group for a while longer and then he, General Hammond and all of the Secret Service agents traveled up to the Stargate and went home.
TBC Feedback please! I really want to finsih this story (I'm hoping one or two more chapters), so I hope to be back soon with the next chapter...I'll let you know, okay?
Stargazers Stargaters Part 37
Two weeks had passed since Daniel’s adventure in Chicago and quite a lot had happened. Daniel and Max had finished writing their proposals for the Earth/Antar treaty and had delivered them to the Antarian Council and the U.S. President, Joint Chiefs and the Director of the State Department. The top secret nature of the SGC had allowed for only the Director to be briefed on the secret military base and its mission, back when the treaty with the Tok’ra was formed. This made all of their inter-planetary treaties somewhat tricky; they needed to be kept top-secret but they also needed to be lawful and binding. Therefore, in a few days, not only the President, but the Director would be coming through the Stargate to Antar, as Max had requested that the signing ceremony be split up between the two planets. He would go through the Stargate, to sign part of the treaty inside the SGC (Max having already seen a great deal of Earth), and the two Earth officials would travel through the alien device to sign the second half of the treaty.
Plus the President was excited about visiting another planet. The Director and the Secret Service had tried to dissuade him from traveling to Antar, but the President reminded them that it was only proper for him to travel to the other planet, since Max Evans, a planetary king was willing to come to Earth for his part in the signing…and he was after all only the president of one country on Earth. Therefore, the Service had been buzzing around Antar’s capital city, driving Michael Guerin crazy with their demands and questions, but they came to an agreement and Michael was determined that he would do the same to them when they went back to the SGC to discuss security arrangements.
At least the proceedings would not be disturbed by the Press; the Cheyenne Mountain Military Complex, which held NORAD as well as the SGC was one of the most secure bases in the U.S. and even its location was top secret. But as far as the Press and the public were concerned, the President would only be inspecting the Deep Space Telemetry base, which was the SGC’s cover-name, even among the rest of the military establishment. With all of the excitement to come up in less than a week, Jack went in search of his friend and team member, Teal’c.
“Hey T, how’s it goin’?” Jack asked.
“Everything is proceeding very well, O'Neill; the recruits are most diligent in their training.” Teal’c said somberly.
“Great, good to hear.” Jack said. “You know, Teal’c, you’ve been working so hard, with hardly any breaks, that I was thinking…maybe you should take a few days to go and see your family before all the excitement hits us in the face?”
“Why would the President of the United States wish to hit us in the face, O'Neill? Is that some strange custom the Tau’re have when signing treaties?” Teal’c asked.
“No, no, Teal’c, that’s just an expression; the President is not going to hit anyone, least of all you, in the face!” Jack grinned at his friend’s confusion.
“That is good, O'Neill, because I would have difficulty controlling myself from striking him back.” Teal’c replied.
Jack opened his mouth to reply, could not think of anything to say and closed it again for a few moments.
“Okay…well, uh…what do you think of my suggestion?” Jack asked.
“It is an excellent one; I would very much like to visit Rya’c and my lovely Drey’auc. I shall leave as soon as I have made a few preparations.” Teal’c said.
“Uh, good.” Jack replied as Teal’c bowed solemnly to his friend and walked away in the direction of his quarters.
~*~*~*~
At the same time, up in the Stargate chamber, the wormhole opened up, security code was received and Dr. Janet Fraser and her daughter, Cassie came through.
“Janet, Cassie!” Liz called out her greeting to her friends.
“Hi Liz!” Cassie cried excitedly as her mother smiled at their friend.
“Thanks for coming…and for agreeing to be a part of my bridal party.” Liz said.
“I’ve never been a bride’s maid before!” Cassie said excitedly.
“And I haven’t been one in ages.” Janet replied…”Oh, hello Ebron; it’s nice to see you again.” Janet greeted the Antarian physician she had met before, who had just entered the chamber.
“Hello again, Dr. Fraser…Janet; sorry I’m late, I had a last minute patient.” Ebron explained.
“That’s okay; it was nice of you to come meet us.” Janet assured the handsome man who she was covertly ogling. “And who’s this?” Janet asked, motioning to the boy of about twelve years who stood beside Ebron.
“This is my son, Nardo; Son this is Dr. Fraser and her daughter, Cassie.” Ebron said.
“Hi, um, Dr. Fraser, Cassie.” Nardo said, half brave bravado, half shyness.
“Hi Nardo…and Dr. Ebron, it’s nice to meet you.” Ten year old Cassie said politely, the way her mother had taught her as she checked out the son.
He had curly, brown hair, big brown eyes and was kind of skinny, but had a nice smile. Maybe being a bride’s maid and having to wear a fancy dress and be on her best behavior for hours wouldn’t be so bad if she could have Nardo, who was close to her own age, to spend time with?
Antarian custom decreed that bride’s maids and grooms be unmarried, which limited who of their many friends the four couples could ask to be a part of the bridal party. Sam and Jack would attend Liz and Max, Seria and Beneck; Isabel and Alex, Cassie and Nardo; Maria and Michael and Janet and Ebron would attend Tess and Kyle.
“Well why don’t we go down?” Liz suggested smiling secretly at the looks of attraction between the two parents and even their children.
“There are dress measurements to be taken and then I know you two physicians will want to spend some time together talking medicine, since you haven’t had a chance to do so since you met a few weeks ago. And I’m sure that there’re lots of fun things for Nardo to show Cassie about our Capital, right?” Liz asked.
“Yeah; come on, I’ll show you the pool and the playground is slomin’…um, I mean…pretty cool?” The boy corrected his newly learned English. “And my friends and I can teach you how to play Cramerwonk!”
“That sounds fun!” Cassie grinned and then looked up at her mother. “Can I go, please, Mom?”
“May I…?” Janet reminded her daughter.
“May I please go to play with Nardo, Mother?” Cassie corrected herself without even rolling her eyes at her mother.
“As soon as the measurements for your dress have been taken; then you may go and play…and we’ll make sure that your measurements are taken first.” Janet promised.
“Nardo has to be measured for his wedding outfit, as do I.” Ebron mentioned.
“Come on, let’s go down and get our work done so you two can go and play.” Liz suggested to the kids as well as their parents.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Nardo said politely, drawing Cassie out of the chamber to show her the hover-craft.
“Wow, I’ve only seen hover-crafts in movies, back on Earth and we didn’t have anything like this on…in, um, Cleveland, where I grew up.” Cassie exclaimed but catching herself before she mentioned Hanka, the planet she was originally from.
“It’s okay, Cassie; you don’t have to keep your secret here, it’s safe to talk about Hanka…here…if you want to.” Janet gave permission.
“Oh, okay.” Cassie said, unsure if she wanted to dredge up memories of her old home…where the Goa’uld, Nirti had killed every single person, including all of her family…and placed a bomb inside her very own chest, with which she had hoped to blow up Earth’s Stargate.
Everyone found a seat inside the hover-craft and the driver took off. Cassie exclaimed at the speed and the beautiful scenes flying by and Nardo laughed along with her. Janet had taken a hover-craft ride once before, but she felt the thrill of the speed as well, but tried to conceal it better than her young daughter was. Ebron was watching her and saw the excitement in her lovely brown eyes and grinned when she noticed his intense gaze and broke out in her own beautiful smile. When the group reached the Royal Manor, they were met by the dressmaker and the tailor and taken off to two separate rooms for their measurements to be taken.
“What will our dresses look like and can you show us what your dress will look like as well, Liz?” Janet asked as the dressmaker took Cassie’s measurements and her assistant jotted them down.
“Yes, Marsalla,” Liz nodded to the dressmaker. “Made these drawings for me to show you since my dress is not quite finished yet.” Liz pointed out several drawings which had been propped up on the fireplace mantle. “Bride’s maid’s dresses are similar to the bride’s dress, but much simpler; I guess you could say ‘maiden-like’. While we brides have to wear hoops under our skirts, you do not.” Liz smiled guiltily and then continued. “We made things a little more difficult for Marsalla and her assistants by going against Antarian custom and insisting on having mostly white dresses. Antarian wedding gowns are supposed to be pink, so we stole an idea from Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and will have under-skirts of pink while the bodice and over-skirt will be white. Then the over-skirt will be pulled back on each side, to show off the pink layer beneath.”
“For your dresses, your bodice will match that of the bride you are accompanying and you’ll have the pink under-layer and the white layer on top, but instead of drawing it back to the sides, the over-skirt will be hemmed shorter than that of the under-skirt…Depending on your bodice design, the over-skirt might be cut diagonally, straight across, zigzagged, or scooped like flower petals.” Liz finished, pointing out the different hemlines to her friends.
“Those are pretty!” Cassie said as she tried to stand still while Marsalla experimented a little; draping soft fabric over the young girl’s form.
“I was just wondering Liz…will there be anything special about your dress to set you apart from the others…since you are marrying a king?” Janet asked hesitantly but also curious.
“Yes, actually there will be.” Liz said half resigned, half exasperated with the dressmaker and her patron supporter, Valaria; Liz’s soon-to-be-mother-in-law. “The bodice and over skirt are to have the royal crest embroidered all over it, but I’ve seen some of what has been completed already and the embroidery…in pink…is so dainty that it just looks like lace…but still…” Liz said and was interrupted by Marsalla.
“But still, My Lady will be our new Queen in just a few, short weeks and your wedding dress must reflect that.” The dressmaker said decisively and then glanced towards Cassie and smiled. “There you go young lady, all done and I see your young escort is waiting for you out in the hallway.”
Cassie turned quickly towards the doorway, which had been left slightly ajar and saw Nardo patiently waiting out in the hall, his back leaning against the far wall.
“Go ahead and have a good time, but come back here by 4:30, okay?” Janet told her daughter.
“Okay, Mom.” Cassie agreed before scampering out the door.
The ladies heard their happy laughter until the front door slammed behind them and all was peaceful again. Marsalla quickly took Janet’s measurements, did a little experimental draping of fabric over her petite form and then said that she was all done for the day. Janet gave a sigh of relief after having to stand still for so long and saw her own escort waiting for her out in the hall as well.
“Go on!” Liz chuckled. “I’m sure there’s a lot for you two to share with each other about your…um…work.”
Janet left quickly, already speaking earnestly with Ebron as they left the house and then Liz saw her own handsome escort coming down the hallway to find her as she stepped out of the room she had been in.
“Hi Max…Jacob, Selmak; it’s nice to see you again…” Liz trailed off questioningly.
“Selmak has some news to give us; I figured we could all go out onto the patio to talk.” Max said after quickly kissing her on the lips.
The entire group was waiting for them when Max, Liz and Jacob walked out onto the lovely back patio a moment later. Once everyone was comfortable, Jacob started his briefing.
“Your activities are already beginning to show up in the actions of several minor Goa’uld. Shiva attacked a planet controlled by Heqet and they are now battling it out for control of both their planets. Bast has been indiscriminately attacking and raiding outposts of several different Goa’uld and we have Intel that suggests she may go after a supply moon controlled by one of the System Lords, but we’re not sure which one. Her attacks have been total surprises to her victims and she’s been quick and brutal in getting in and then getting away after her Jaffa have taken what they were after. Right now we don’t believe that her identity has been discovered by the System Lords; her Jaffa have been gathered from among the cast-offs of other Goa’ulds and they all still wear the marks of their former masters.”
“Just as well.” Jack broke in. “Her symbol is that of a cat; what Jaffa wearing a kitty-cat helmet would be taken seriously?” Jacob continued after a moment of silence.
“Her tactics are creating confusion, suspicion and hatred among the Goa’uld; focusing it at others and not on herself for the time being. But she must be watched carefully.”
“Right, as we discussed, Bast is well placed to create havoc among the Goa’uld. We’re orchestrating our plans so that she and the others cause as much destruction and confusion before the System Lords eventually step in and stop them. But by then we hope the damage will already be done and that their influence (or ours, as the case may be) will have spread to other Goa’uld.” Isabel said after taking notes on what Jacob had reported. “I’ll take this information to my group and we’ll keep at it; creating unrest and chaos wherever we can.”
“Your people have done well in a very short period of time. These may be minor Goa’uld, but they all have connections with and or blood-oaths against many of the System Lords. What each of them does will have far reaching consequences.” Jacob praised them.
“For all of our people who’ve worked so hard, I thank you for your kinds and encouraging words.” Max told the Tok’ra agent as he stood up to leave.
“Do you have to leave already, Dad?” Sam asked.
“I’m afraid so, Sammie; there’re some things I have to check on now if I’m going to be able to make it back here for the treaty signing.” Jacob told her reluctantly.
“Oh, okay Dad. Why don’t I walk up to the Stargate chamber with you?” Sam offered as she slipped her hand around his arm and they strolled away.
“Hmmm, well I guess it’s back to work for the rest of us.” Jack said as he watched father and daughter walk away, arm in arm and heads close together.
Later that afternoon, Ebron walked Janet back to the Royal Manor; they had been working hard all day, but had enjoyed every intense minute of it and in spite of their growing, mutual attraction for each other, felt completely comfortable with each other; as if they had been old friends for years. They passed the playground and Ebron was able to point out Nardo and Cassie among the children playing out on the field.
“Looks like they’ve been having a great time.” Janet remarked smiling.
Cassie’s play clothes were grass stained, her long red hair, which had been neatly braided that morning was coming loose and flying around her smudged, yet grinning face.
“Hey, Cassie scored; good for her!” Ebron exclaimed as several of her team mates including Nardo, high-fived her and then took a few minutes to explain the rules of the game the children were playing.
Janet could not help contrasting Cassie and Nardo’s happy innocence in playing together with her own happy, yet not-so-innocent thoughts about Ebron as they had worked side by side. She glanced up covertly through her thick eyelashes and caught him gazing down at her covertly as well and they laughed at each other.
“You fascinate me Janet…how can I feel so comfortable with you, delving into that brilliant mind of yours all day, while at the same time, wanting to take you back to my home and make long, sweet love to you? And we’ve only just met two times.” Ebron spoke softly, wonderingly.
Janet just gazed up at him, startled. Those words were what she had been thinking all day, hoping to hear sometime in the near future, but never would have dared to say so soon after meeting this equally brilliant, fascinating and sexy man.
“Forgive me if I’ve offended you.” Ebron apologized. “My wife; Nardo’s mother was killed during the war and I’ve learned not to waist precious time in going after something I dearly want…life’s too short.”
“No, no, you haven’t offended me, Ebron…you just startled me that’s all. I’ve been feeling the same things you have, but I learned the hard way to be cautious…my ex-husband and I married after a whirl-wind romance and we quickly grew to regret our haste.” Janet explained.
“I understand, Janet…so would you be willing to see me again if I promised to try and go slowly with you?” Ebron asked turning to face her completely and holding her hands gently in his.
“Oh yes, I’d like that very much…and we…probably…don’t have to move…all that slowly…” Janet blushed as she grinned up at him.
“Sounds like a plan…but maybe for now we’d better just call our kids over so that we can return to the Royal Manor.” Ebron suggested.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Janet said resignedly as she put two fingers into her mouth and whistled.
Out on the field, Cassie’s head came up and she turned to where the sound had originated. Janet motioned for her to come over to them and the young girl nodded. She tugged at Nardo’s shirt sleeve and motioned him to follow her. The two kids came jogging over, both grimy but grinning.
“Look at you! How can we go back to the SGC with you looking like that?” Janet exclaimed but then relented. “Looks like you two were having a good time.”
“Yeah we were!” Cassie exclaimed happily but then sobered. “Do we have to go home now? It’s still early and we were having so much fun.”
“Sweetie, you forget that the days are much longer here; it’ll be well past your bedtime by the time we return. But I promise that you may come back on the weekends, whenever I come to work with Ebron, alright?”
“Really, Mom?” Classy cried.
“That’d be great, Dr. Fraser!” Nardo added.
With that the little group returned to the Royal Manor to say goodbye, Isabel cleaned Cassie up with a wave of her hand and then they took a hover-craft up to the Stargate chamber. Janet and Ebron confirmed their schedules with each other while the kids recalled all that they had done that day. But finally it was time to go and Janet took Cassie’s hand in hers before they stepped into the wormhole.
“They’ll be back in just a few days, Son.” Ebron told Nardo who nodded contentedly.
“She isn’t like most other girls, Cassie was great playing Cramerwonk and she didn’t even care if she got dirty. It’ll be slomin’ to play with her again!” Nardo exclaimed before father and son opted to walk down the hillside together.
~*~*~*~
It was the day of the treaty signing, three days later and the SGC was bustling with activity. The first half of the treaty would be signed there in the Stargate-room before Max and the rest of the Royal Four escorted the President and the Director of the State Department through the wormhole to Antar, to sign the second half of the treaty.
The base had been scrubbed from top to bottom, dress uniforms had been pressed, medals and shoes had been polished and a red carpet had already been placed over the ramp up to the Stargate. Two podiums had been set up, one on either side of the ramp and the official Presidential seal had been carefully attached to the one on the right. Ebron, who had come through the day before, to work with Janet, had been charged with setting up the left podium for Max’s use and with one sweep of his hand, the Royal Antarian seal materialized, imbedded into the wooden front panel. And finally a blue velvet curtain had been hung on a framework set up to hide the gray cement wall; below the huge observation window…everything was ready to receive their distinguished guests.
And with perfect timing, as Air Force One touched down at Peterson airbase, the Stargate began to dial and an incoming wormhole was established. General Hammond and SG-1, who had been waiting down in the embarkation-room, all lined up as the Antarian security codes were received up in the control room. Janet, Ebron, Sha’re and other key SGC personnel up in the control and briefing rooms also came to attention as they stood in front of the two large windows and watched as first two guards came through the Stargate; alert to anything which might endanger the Royal Four and Liz Parker, their future queen, who stepped through next. And after them came two more guards, also on the alert.
It had been debated among the eight friends and SG-1, who should travel through the Stargate to Earth for the signing. Max had wanted Isabel and Liz to stay behind in case something happened to him, but both had refused. Isabel knew that their four-square would be incomplete without her and Liz could also add her strength to their defenses should anything go wrong. Liz was also Max’s future bride and queen as well as a member of the SGC; who better to represent both sides at the treaty signing? Alex, Maria and Kyle stayed behind knowing that they could not add to the four-square’s tactical strength and that their lovers might risk their lives to save them instead of saving themselves.
Max knew that for the treaty to work a respectful and trusting relationship needed to be built between their two peoples; and SG-1 had done an excellent job of creating the foundation, but he still could not help but be extremely nervous as he stepped through the Stargate. He knew that Secret Service agents were already in place around the giant room as well as throughout the facility. His main consolation was that the guards and his four best friends could instantly defend themselves without needing to pick up a weapon or reload during a fight…and he believed that many of the SGC personnel would be very reluctant to raise arms against them. But none of his thoughts or emotions were allowed to show as he walked down the ramp to where General Hammond and SG-1 were waiting to greet all of them.
General Hammond, Jack and Sam looked sharp in their dress uniforms, Daniel was wearing a nicely tailored dark blue suit and Teal’c his white one. Max and Michael wore slacks, tunics and long sleeved knee-length jackets which were embroidered down the front, left panel. Max was in brown and gold while Michael was in dark blue and copper. The three women wore long skirts instead of slacks but then also the tunics and jackets with embroidery on them. Liz was in peach and gold, Isabel was in pale yellow and silver and Tess was in pale green and copper. And all of them were wearing matching circlets around their head as well.
“It is an honor to have you here again, Your Majesty.” General Hammond said at his most formal as he shook first Max’s hand and then everyone else’s.
“It is an honor for us to come, General; thank you for hosting this half of the signing.” Max replied, equally formal.
“Air Force One touched down just minutes ago and it will take fifteen minutes for the Presidential motorcade to reach this base.” General Hammond then informed them all.
The five friends stepped off the ramp and moved to chat with SG-1 while the guards took up strategic positions around them. Jack had told Michael about what had happened during the treaty signing for the Earth/Tok’ra alliance (when two SGC personnel and a Tok’ra operative had all been brainwashed by the Goa’uld to assassinate the Tok’ra High Councilor) and even though nothing like that was expected this time, everyone on both sides was on guard.
But finally word came down that the President and the State Department Director had entered the base and would be down in just a few more moments. The Royal Five lined up on the left side of the ramp and SG-1 lined up against the back wall, under the giant windows. Moments later a group of men came in through the huge side door; Secret Service agents surrounding the President and the Director. The agents took their places around the room and the two Earth dignitaries walked over towards General Hammond who was standing just a yard away from Max.
The President was equally nervous about meeting this young alien king, Max Evans, but excited as well (mostly about taking his first trip through the Stargate). He had read all of the reports about King Zan, and he was very impressed with what he and the three other members of the “Royal Four” had been able to accomplish since their return to their home planet of Antar. George Hammond had also told him, for his ears only, how the Special Unit had caught and tortured Max when he was a teenager living here on Earth and the President’s respect for the younger man had risen even higher. How could someone who had suffered so much at the hands of one of this country’s law enforcement agencies (granted a rogue group), have written, with Dr. Jackson’s help, such a wise, generous and far-reaching treaty? Why would Max Evans want anything to do with this small blue planet at all? He wondered.
“Mr. President, Mr. Director. May I present His Royal Highness, Max Evans; King Zan of Antar.” The General introduced them all and pleasantries were shared for a few moments before the two leaders began their speeches.
Michael Guerin stood just behind and to the right of Max as his king listened politely to the President’s speech and he tried not to roll his eyes at the political mumbo-jumbo wafting out from between the older man’s lips, like so much ether. Michael fought a yawn and concentrated on moving his gaze over every inch of the room that he could see without obviously moving his head to do so. He knew that the four guards were doing the same thing and not having to be so circumspect either, but that did not stop him from doing his duty.
A few yards across the room, Jack O'Neill was having the same problem staying awake as Michael was and in self defense turned his mind to scanning the room for any signs of trouble as well. Jack came back to the speech just in time to clap with everyone else as the President finished his speech and Max began his own. Jack had to admit that Max made a good speech, it seemed a bit more sincere than the President’s had been, but they were really both a bunch of mouthings. Speeches like these couldn’t have any teeth to them; they could only speak about friendship, trust and compromises…not about what one side would do to the other side if any of the rules were broken.
Jack stifled another yawn. Well, it was the treaty that was important, not what was said during a speech and Daniel had assured him that it was a masterpiece; equally good and strong for both sides and Jack placed his trust in Daniel and Max, who had written the treaty and he clapped as Max finished his speech and the two leaders met at the table between their two podiums, to sign the first half of that treaty.
‘I’m actually going to step through a wormhole, I’m really going to travel to another planet, I can hardy believe this is real!’ The President thought to himself several minutes later as the Stargate began to move and the chevrons were locked. ‘Man, it was a big enough shock to learn that the Stargate actually existed and…and that there really are aliens…not only out there in space, but a few of them living here on Earth, as well…Now…now I have to travel to another planet; step onto alien soil? Okay, stay calm, don’t let anyone see your fear…you can do this; take a deep breath and smile…’
“You know, everything will be alright; the Stargate is perfectly safe and Antar is a beautiful planet…” A soft voice spoke up beside him. The President looked down and saw Dr. Elizabeth Parker standing calmly beside him; gazing up at him from her petite height with an understanding expression on her face.
“Yes, I’m sure it is.” He said, trying to sound confident and Liz’s smile only grew.
“You’ll step through with Max and I and the Director will be guided by Tess and Isabel.” Liz explained, still speaking softly.
“Oh man!” The President muttered to himself and then turned back to Liz. “It will be my honor, Dr. Parker.” He said in his most assured voice and Liz grinned; one dignitary calmed, mission accomplished.
“Chevron seven, locked.” The sergeant up in the control room called out and the Stargate burst into life.
Michael came down from the control room after giving his troops on the other side of the wormhole the needed security codes and walked over to Max, who was standing only a couple of yards from the President.
“Everything’s a go, sir.” Michael said on is best behavior in front of all of those high and mighty leaders. He would show them that Michael Guerin, General Rath of Antar knew his job very well and that his king was worthy of their respect as well as his own.
“Mr. President, Director, we’re clear to proceed.” General Hammond told his three guests of honor.
“Very well, General, by all means let’s go!” The President said with newly rediscovered excitement in his voice as he glanced down at Liz Parker and winked a ‘thank you’ at her.
SG-1 and Sha’re Jackson lined up to step through the wormhole first, then a group of Secret Service agents and two of the Antarian guards lined up, followed by Max, Liz, the President and Tess, the Director and Isabel behind them. And finally, Michael, Jacob Carter, General Hammond, the two last guards and another group of Secret Service agents lined up on the ramp. As soon as everyone was ready, SG-1 stepped through the Stargate and everyone followed right behind them; Isabel and Tess each gently but firmly holding onto one of the Director’s hands as they tugged him through.
“Ya-Hoo!” The President exclaimed as they came through on the other side. “Now, I’ve been on my share of roller-coasters, but that was fantastic!”
“Glad you enjoyed the ride, Mr. President.” Max said, grinning as he surveyed the large cave/chamber they were now standing in.
“I certainly did, Your Highness, I certainly did.” The President replied.
Inside the huge cavern was an equal mix of Humans and Antarians; Michael’s guards were interspersed with Secret Service agents as well as the SGC troops who were stationed on Antar while training. Just inside the mouth of the cave, two podiums and a table in between them had been set up again.
“Shall we, Mr. President, Director?” Max gestured for the two older men to move towards the podiums so that they could begin this half of the ceremony.
“After you, Your Highness…this is your planet after all.” The President replied politely.
Jack had even more trouble staying alert through the repetition of the two speeches, especially since Max was speaking in Antarian this time, with Daniel playing interpreter for the President and Director of the State Department.
The President too only listened with half an ear to Dr. Jackson’s interpretations of Max Evans’ speech while most of his attention was on the magnificent view spread out before him. There was a small crowd surrounding them; most Antarians were home watching the speeches on their version of TV, some sort of holographic orb…But the crowd here did not block the President’s view of the alien city laid out before him. Yes, there was still some war-damage, which needed to be rebuilt, but most of Antar’s capital had been restored to its former alien, yet regal beauty and the sight of it brought home, more than anything else that he, the President of the United States of America was truly visiting another planet. The clapping brought him back to his surroundings and he joined in enthusiastically.
Several minutes later, the treaty had been signed, the crowd was dispersing and the Royal Four walked over to where the President and the Director stood speaking. Max moved close enough to speak once the two men shook hands and the Director made as if to leave.
“It was an honor to meet you sir, must you leave us already?” Max asked the State Department’s Director.
“I’m afraid so, Your Highness, but it was indeed an honor to be a part of this; such an historic day for both of our peoples. I certainly will never forget it.”
“Nor I, sir.” Max replied shaking the man’s hand before he headed back inside the chamber to the Stargate. “What about you, Mr. President; must you return to Earth immediately as well, or can I convince you to stay for a while so that I may give you a tour of our capital?” Max asked.
“I would love a tour, Your Highness; it certainly looks beautiful from up here.” The President replied.
“Then come; we’ll ride down in one of the hover-craft.” Max said steering the older man over to where the transports were parked.
An hour later the tour ended at the Royal Manor. The President’s mind was racing at all that he had seen; building techniques, the hospital, and the space-ship building facility. The training center and the orphanage housed in Khivar’s old palace, among others. And the hover-craft had not only skimmed along the ground but had flown up as high as thirty feet off the ground, to give him the perfect view of some of the larger, higher buildings in the city.
“Please, come inside; welcome to our home.” Isabel welcomed the President, when he and Max arrived at the Manor. “Why don’t I give you a brief tour and then we can all gather out on the patio?” She suggested.
“That sounds very pleasant; thank you, Princess Valondra.” The President replied.
Several minutes passed before Isabel appeared out on the porch, her arm linked through the President’s. Alex and the rest of her friends and family, SG-1 and a few others, including Sha’re, Drey’auc, General Hammond and Jacob Carter/Selmak were waiting for them.
“My, this is a lovely garden…I only wish my wife could see it.” The President glanced over the formal gardens wistfully.
“Perhaps she may visit…some day in the future.” Liz suggested.
“I would be pleased to give her a tour of my gardens.” A voice said behind them and everyone turned.
“Mr. President, may I introduce Her Royal Highness, the Dowager Queen of Antar and our mother, Valaria?” Max said stepping forward to draw the old lady over.
“Your Highness, it is a great honor to meet you.” The President made a stiff bow over the hand she presented and then gently shook it between the two of his.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. President.” Valaria replied.
“Please have a seat everyone; Mother, Mr. President.” Max indicated some comfortable wicker chairs nearby.
As the group spoke casually between themselves, the President who was seated next to Queen Valaria looked around at the group and saw that they were all seated as couples (except for Hammond and Jacob Carter); even the former Jaffa, Tealc had been allowed to bring his wife, Drey’auc to visit this planet (his son, Ray’c was off with Teal’c’s mentor, Bra’tac). The couples who were engaged or married sat closely together, touching in some small way…and as was proper, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter while sitting next to each other on the same bench, had a foot separating them…but something was…off there, the President thought.
They were both engaged in separate conversations; looking in different directions, but every once in a while one of them would oh-so-casually touch the other. Major Carter would lean forward and brush the Colonel’s shoulder, Jack O'Neill would reach for his drink and brush the Major’s thigh and while crossing or uncrossing their legs, both of them had brushed a foot over the other’s calf. The President briefly recalled the Major’s most recent personnel report, which the Colonel had filled out and George Hammond had shown to him. The Colonel had praised his second-in-command highly in the report, but still there was nothing in there, or in anything the General had told him, to suggest that anything had changed in their relationship. He had vaguely watched them interact today and the two officers had conducted themselves with military propriety and yet now…Perhaps they were relaxing, slipping a little, he thought…’Or am I just seeing things; reading something intimate into a situation, which isn’t there?’ The President glanced over at Max and found the young king watching him closely. ‘Is it possible that Max Evans has noticed the same things I have…and General Hammond hasn’t?’
“Mr. President, now that all of the ceremonies are over, would it be possible to have a private word with you for a few moments?” Max asked.
“I’d like that very much, Your Highness.” The President replied and wondered. ‘Should I ask him about my two officers, or leave it alone?’
The two men arose from their chairs and Max guided the older man inside. But as he passed Isabel, he glanced down at his sister and Tess and raised one eyebrow to them; his gesture was answered by a brief nod from each of them. Max led the President into his office and closed the doors on the Secret Service agents and Antarian guards who took up their positions out in the hall.
“Please make yourself comfortable, sir.” Max motioned to a comfortable chair and sat down next to him in another.
Both men had brought their drinks in with them and contented themselves with sipping from their glasses and discussing some of the finer points of the treaty as if they were discussing the weather…but, finally the President made up his mind and asked the questions which had been bothering him for the last half hour.
“Your Highness…may I ask you a delicate question?”
“You may ask me anything you wish, Mr. President, but I may not be able to give you an answer.” Max replied cautiously.
“Fair enough…um…I’ll just come right out and ask, shall I? Have you noticed any changes in the relationship between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill?” And then before Max could answer, he continued. “Now please understand, I was never in the military, so even with the daily national security briefings I receive, there are still some things about the military I don’t understand, or whole heartedly agree with…such as…the regulations against fraternization.”
“We have no such regulations among our military here.” Max replied. “We believe in being open and honest about our emotions…we’re not flagrant about them you understand, there is a certain propriety in personal life and professionalism in any person’s duties, which must be kept, but hiding your feelings for another, or, on the other hand, forcing others to help you cover up any dishonorable actions you have committed…we do not believe in doing this…But as to the Major and the Colonel…they’ve always worked very well together; like well oiled machines…their strengths seem to play well off of each other…” Max answered, hiding a smile as he did so. “They do seem to be a little more relaxed here…probably because they know that they are safe here. I imagine that they act much the same back at the SGC.”
“Yes, or so General Hammond has told me on several occasions, but that only refers to their professional relationship…what about their personal relationship?”
“With all due respect, Mr. President, that would be…personal.” Max countered.
“Yes, but in your open and honest, day to day life…have you noticed any change between them?”
“I have…noticed certain changes, yes.” Max answered briefly.
“So they are becoming involved on a personal level?” The President asked.
“Now, that’s quite a leap from what I just told you, Mr. President.” Max objected. “Let me ask you this instead.” At the other man’s nod, Max continued. “How many times have SG-1…especially Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter saved Earth…your Entire planet?”
“Quite a few times!” The President chuckled, good naturedly. “But as to my questions…” But Max pressed on.
“Now, I know it is their job, to serve and protect their country…but saving the Whole world…the Entire Planet…” Max stressed. “I bet you even had to ask your staff to look up the plural for apocalypse. I mean, SG-1 has averted global disaster…to use your words…quite a few times.” Max paused.
“Yes, but…” The President tried to interrupt, but Max continued.
“Could any other team have done as much as SG-1? As I understand it, the NID and one of your senators couldn’t. In fact, they almost brought about the apocalypse…there’s that word again…two more times…and two planet earths, in two alternate realities were all but destroyed because they also did not contain that special ingredient…of whatever SG-1 embodies…So, maybe the next time SG-1 saves the world…instead of giving the Colonel and the Major yet another medal to add to their already impressive collections…perhaps you could give some thought to this…”
“Jack and Sam have been in love with each other for years, but only just realized it…admitted it to themselves and to each other, a few weeks ago. In that time, while they have been getting to know each other on a personal level, they have remained completely professional in their dealings with one another, as well as with everyone else. This is the ‘real thing’, Mr. President; and as a close friend of theirs, I know that they wish to marry…but because of the regs…Mr. President, could I ask the personal favor of you to ponder and weigh what our two planets owe those four people, but especially Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter…against a military regulation which makes very little sense…give those two a special dispensation…a little lee-way…a break…find a way for them to be allowed to marry and yet continue to work together…please.” Max finally concluded and the President remained silent for a moment.
“Alright, Your Highness, I’ll certainly think about it and see what if anything I can do.” He promised.
“Thank you.” Max said fervently and then steered their conversation back into safer waters for a while.
After a quarter hour, though, both men decided to rejoin the group outside again and arose from their seats. As Max passed Isabel again, he gave her and Tess a nod and both women gave him brief, but determined expressions. Max had discussed with them, the night before, his determination to speak to the President on Sam and Jack’s behalf, but they had all been concerned about his reaction to the fact that two of his officers were breaking regulations. The three of them had determined that Isabel would visit the President’s dreams several times, to make sure that he was not planning on causing trouble for their two friends. She would also monitor General Hammond’s dreams, as the President might very well share this information with his friend and the two lovers’ superior officer. If either man decided to punish Sam and Jack in any way for falling in love with each other, Tess would mind-warp them into forgetting everything about the forbidden relationship. But they were all hoping that that contingency would never be required.
The President stayed to chat with the entire group for a while longer and then he, General Hammond and all of the Secret Service agents traveled up to the Stargate and went home.
TBC Feedback please! I really want to finsih this story (I'm hoping one or two more chapters), so I hope to be back soon with the next chapter...I'll let you know, okay?
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Hi everyone. This is on the short side, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Please let me know what you think. ~jane
Stargazers Stargaters Part 38
One week after the treaty signing, Alex was awoken from a deep sleep. He was spooned up behind Isabel; his right arm wrapped around her slim waist; holding her close, even in sleep?and his gorgeous fiancé was muttering to herself. At first, he could not understand her words, but after a few moments, his hearing grew sharper.
?Sk-Ska?ra.? Isabel mumbled.
?Another man?s name, not the think I want to hear on my love?s luscious lips?did I just put those three words together in one sentence?? He asked himself silently. ?Oh yeah, she has me wrapped around her little finger, hook line and sinker?and now I?m even mixing my metaphors??
?Ska?ra, are you sure?? Isabel?s words broke into Alex?s mental ramblings.
?Oh, but it?s Ska?ra?s name she?s saying?she must be dream-walking him. Phew! My heart can start beating again?this is business.? Alex sighed to himself and then was startled as Isabel craned her neck around so that she could face him as he leaned over her from behind.
?Al?x deal wi? yo? low se?f est?m later?but shu? up, I need consentr?? Isabel mumbled and blindly kissed his ear before relaxing back into sleep.
Alex watched her sleep for a few moments while this realization struck him?they were so closely connected that Isabel had picked up on his anxious thoughts. He wondered briefly ?how? she would deal with his low self-esteem?which only surfaced once in a great while, when his thoughts were unguarded?and focused on his impending marriage to her. Alex winced to himself; how would Isabel deal with him?would she be angry or?ardent?
A quick jab in the ribs from Isabel brought Alex out of his ramblings again and reminded him that he was supposed to be Isabel?s anchor; her calm, steady rock to hold onto while she allowed her subconscious to wander far and wide, dream-walking others. Alex began taking deep, slow breaths and managed to calm his thoughts down and empty his mind except for the positive, loving emotions he allowed to radiate through his own body.
Several hours later, as the first rays of sun began to filter through their bedroom curtains, Alex awoke. He was still spooned up behind Isabel and she was beginning to stir as well. He remembered staying semi-awake last night, while Isabel dream-walked Ska?ra and perhaps others, until he had sensed a certain relaxation of her muscles and allowed himself to fall back into a deep sleep; knowing that she was doing the same thing.
Now, as he watched her, Isabel turned in his arms and stretched. As her vertebrae arched, her breasts and tummy pressed into his chest and abdomen and he groaned softly as a knee came up; silkily slipping between his legs and adding to the pressure which was building up inside him.
?Morning Alex.? Isabel breathily whispered into his ear.
?Umph.? Alex swallowed hard. ?Morning Sweetheart.?
No more words were said for several minutes as the young couple shared a good morning nuzzle. It might have developed into something more, but Isabel gently drew back.
?So?you?re jealous of my dream-walking Ska?ra?? She asked outright, but gently, softly.
?Not of Ska?re?and not of your dream-walking?so much?it was just that you were mumbling his name out loud just as I woke up out of a sound sleep last night. It just caught me unawares?your calling out another man?s name.? Alex explained, paused and then continued as Isabel only gazed deeply into his eyes and remained silent.
?I Know that I have no reason to be jealous of you or of anyone you spend time with. I love you and I know that you love me in return; I know that in my brain as well as in my heart?? Alex glanced over her shoulder.
?But..?? Isabel coaxed softly.
?But?well, it?s only in the tiniest portion of my subconscious?that sometimes?I wonder?? Alex glanced away from Isabel?s intense gaze again.
?You wonder..??
?IwonderWhyaGorgeous,BrightWomanLikeYouWouldWantAnythingToDoWith?someonelikeme.? He mumbled out quickly, embarrassed.
?You mean this handsome, brilliant, funny, sweet man in my arms? Is that the man you wonder about me spending time with?and plan to marry?? Isabel asked and Alex nodded shyly. He still was unsure whether Isabel was angry?or ardent?with him.
?I wonder that sometimes myself, Alex?How could such a handsome, strong, brilliant, funny, sweet man?be so dumb at the same time as to not know why?and how much I love him.? Isabel shook her head sorrowfully.
?Maybe this guy isn?t so brilliant after all. Maybe he?s really quite stupid?and dense.? Alex offered half teasing, half worried and asked. ?If you really do love this numbskull so much?do you think you have enough patience to deal with his insecurities?and explain to him?one more time?why you still can love him??
?Well?I suppose I could explain?just one more time?if he promises to really, truly listen and pay attention this time.? Isabel considered.
?I know he?d really appreciate it if you would.? Alex answered and she nodded thoughtfully.
?Well to start with?there are his ears?? Isabel blew into Alex?s ears one after the other. ?They listen so very well to everything I say?except, it seams, to how much I love him?Then there are his eyes;? Isabel kissed each eyelid. ?The windows into his beautiful soul?they see more than just the outer me, this shell; Alex sees the real me inside?those things which make me who I really am.?
?Then there?s his brain;? Isabel ran her hands through his hair and massaged his scalp. ?Which holds so much information; making this man, as I stated before, so brilliant?Can?t forget his mouth.? Isabel kissed Alex deeply. ?Besides giving me great physical pleasure?? Isabel smiled sexily into Alex?s wide eyes. ?This mouth also speaks gently truths to me when I need to hear them and sings sweet songs as well. All of these attributes combine into such a handsome, yet sweet face, which is so dear to my heart?and these ears, eyes, lips and the brain all are perched atop one magnificent body?who?s strong arms and legs hold me so close and yet so tenderly to Alex?s strong and tender, loving heart.?
?Isabel, I?? Alex started to say in shock, but she placed a finger over his lips to silence him.
?All of those things and many, many more are why I love Alex Charles Whitman, with all my heart, my mind, my body and my soul.? Isabel finished and Alex found that he could say nothing after all. But by silent, mutual understanding, they moved closer into each other?s embrace and held on tightly for several minutes, just listening to each other?s breathing and giving thanks for this soul-mate, who loved them so much.
*
Several hours later, Kyle, Tess, Michael and Maria met in the upstairs hallway, on their way down to breakfast.
?Hey, Valenti, was that the two of you making all that noise earlier this morning?? Michael asked.
?Michael!? Maria exclaimed, blushing at her fiancé?s uncouth question.
?I don?t kiss and tell, Guerin.? Kyle answered; quick with a sarcastic reply as always.
?I think?it was Alex and Isabel.? Tess replied. ?Their room is next to ours and I heard them just as we were drifting off to sleep after our?um?aerobics workout.?
?Is that what you call it?? Maria giggled and Kyle was glancing down at his lover as if she had lost her mind.
?Well?my heart, lungs and?certain special muscles Do get quite a workout!? Tess giggles before she hid her flaming cheeks in her fiancé?s warm chest.
?Oh man!? Michael groaned. ?We gotta discuss separate housing for each of us with Max again. This is gettin? embarrassing.?
?Our rooms do have those sound nulli-fier-things?we just keep forgetting to turn them on?in the?um?heat of the moment.? Maria reminded him.
?We should just leave them on all the time then?for whenever the?um?mood hits.? Tess suggested, peaking out from Kyle?s embrace.
?Oh man, what a thing to talk about?and before breakfast! Let?s go down to eat.? Michael said.
?Hey, you?re the one who began this discussion, Michael.? Kyle reminded him as they all trooped down the stairs.
?No I didn?t.? Michael exclaimed; his low blood sugar interfering with his memory? (Or at least that was his excuse to himself).
?Yes you did.? Kyle countered.
?Did not.?
?Did too.?
?Didn?t!?
?Did!?
?Morning everyone, did I hear Daniel and Colonel O'Neill just now?? Sam asked as she came in the front door and looked around for her friend and lover.
?Uh, no; that was just these two arguing.? Maria replied. ?I think Daniel and Sha?re are still asleep and I haven?t seen Jack at all.?
?We?re awake; I thought I heard Jack out here?where is he? Isn?t he here?? Daniel asked sleepily as he and Sha?re stepped out of their bedroom just then.
?No Daniel, he?s not here yet, but we do have a meeting scheduled with Max for this morning.? Sam replied.
?Oh well then come on into the dining room and have some breakfast with us.? Tess invited as she and the rest of her friends turned towards that room.
?Sure, sounds good?I could use some more caffeine.? Sam replied.
When Tess opened up the door, Michael threw up his hands in front of his face in an effort to block the sight before them.
?Max! Liz! Would you two knock it off?? He all but roared.
Before them sat Max and Liz at the dining table, but they were using just one chair?as Liz was straddling Max?s lap and they were necking passionately. The young king and his future queen did not spring apart at the appearance of their friends, but only stopped kissing and rested their foreheads together while they each caught their breaths. Finally though, Max placed a chaste kiss on Liz?s lips before helping her to reposition herself so that she was sitting sideways on his lap, but still inside the strong circle of his arms.
?Morning everyone; come on in and have some breakfast?the muffins smell?delicious.? Max said with admirable calm.
?I think Max should take his ?muffin? and go back upstairs to their room if he?s going to continue sniffing her.? Michael mumbled.
Indeed, Max was nuzzling Liz?s soft neck, right below her ear and Liz was having a difficult time paying attention to and greeting her friends.
?Oh Michael! Go fill up a plate for each of us and be quiet.? Maria pushed him toward the buffet before taking her accustomed seat next to Max and Liz.
?You?d?better sit in your own chair, Max.? Liz told him softly, reluctantly.
?Yeah.? Max agreed.
He stood up with Liz still in his arms, turned and then placed her back in her chair before taking his seat at the head of the table and to Liz?s left. Maria wiggled her eyebrows up and down at her best friend and the two young women grinned at each other. They were both so happy for the love the other had found in her chosen mate; especially when that love was demonstrated so openly.
Just then, the group heard the front door open and several voices out in the hall. Moments later, Jack, Jacob Carter, Teal?c, Alex and Isabel came into the dining room.
?Teal?c.? Sam greeted her teammate who bowed to the room and then went to sit down at the table. ?Dad!? She called out next and rose up to hug her father.
Hey, Sammie.? Jacob hugged her back.
?Hi, Selmak.? Sam greeted her father?s symbiote.
You?re looking well, Samantha.? Selmak replied in her deep, echoing voice. ?Are you??
?I?m very well, thank you, Selmak.? Sam replied with a quick glance to Jack who was standing just behind her father. ?Hey Alex, Isabel.? She tried to greet them casually.
?Morning everyone.? Alex and Isabel spoke at the same time as Alex drew Isabel around to her place on Max?s left and seated her tenderly.
?What do you want for breakfast, Issy?? Alex asked her.
?Lot?s of everything?I seem to have quite an appetite this morning.? Isabel told him.
A quiet snort came from Michael?s direction and there was a great deal of eye contact back and forth around the table, but otherwise nothing else was said as Alex walked over to the buffet, followed after a moment by several others.
?It?s a good thing you?re here Jacob/Selmak, as well as the rest of you.? Isabel said glancing over SG-1 after everyone had sat down and begun to eat. ?I have some important news.?
?Well, give us all a few minutes to eat and then we?ll be able to give you our full attention.? Max suggested. He knew his sister?s voice well; her tone indicated that her news was big.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was done eating and just finishing their coffee. They cleared the table of all the plates and then turned to Isabel and waited for her to begin.
?I dream-walked Ska?ra last night.? Isabel said.
?Ska?re!? Sha?re exclaimed. ?Is my brother all right??
?He says he?s fine; still fighting his snake, Klorell.? Isabel assured her before continuing on. ?He told me that Klorell and Apophis have been planning something and that now they have all the information they need to carry it out. For as long as the Goa?uld have been around, the queens?the few female Goa?uld who?s biological role is to give birth to all the new Goa?uld symbiotes??
?Like Hathor.? Daniel said with a bitter taste in his mouth.
?Think of queen bees.? Sam added and Isabel nodded.
?These queens have always been considered to be goddesses in their own rights; laws unto themselves. They have their own Jaffa and slaves and only share their?young?with the other Goa?uld who?please them; give them tribute and have treaties with them. To keep enemy Goa?uld from steeling their young, they hide their whereabouts even more so than all the other Goa?uld. Despite this, Ska?ra told me that Apophis has recently learned where all of the queens have their hideouts and he plans to take them captive, one by one, until he has them all under his control.?
?Apophis would need many more Jaffa to incubate all the immature symbiotes.? Teal?c reminded everyone.
?Ska?ra said he had a plan to cover that too. Having Jaffa to incubate the little worms is preferred, but not absolutely necessary.? Isabel told them.
?Incubation within a Human Jaffa ensures that a mature symbiote will have no trouble melding with and overtaking their new host.? Teal?c said.
?Yes that?s why Jaffa were genetically created millennia ago, but even before that time, most mature, but un-incubated snakes were able to successfully take Human?or Unas hosts.? Isabel countered and then continued. ?Ska?ra said that Apophis believes that all Jaffa will have to come to him, eventually?and pledge their loyalty to him?when their mature symbiotes are taken from them to be implanted into their new hosts?to gain a new immature snake to carry in their pouches or they?ll die.?
?Why wouldn?t the mature Goa?uld just overtake their Jaffa, then neither of them would have to worry?for quite some time anyway.? Kyle asked.
?Jaffa are considered to be merely slaves by the Goa?uld and would never?except under extreme emergency?be considered good enough to be implanted with a mature symbiote.? Teal?c explained. ?And besides, who would fight the battles for the Goa?uld if not their Jaffa?? Teal?c asked.
?Anyway, Ska?ra gave me the locations of all the queens and begs us to capture or kill them all before Apophis can do so himself.? Isabel finished.
?No more new Goa?uld?at all?? Jack asked. ?Sweet!?
?That would still leave the hundreds of Goa?uld out there already, not to mention the thousands, maybe millions of Jaffa, all carrying immature Goa?uld in their pouches. What do we do with all of them?? Daniel asked.
?Well, as we?ve planned from the beginning?slowly but surely we?re drawing Jaffa away from their Goa?uld masters and our Antarian physicians are making it possible for them to live without their symbiotes.? Tess reminded them all. ?The numbers are still small but they are growing every day.
?Yeah, between their fighting amongst themselves and your mind-washing-whatevers, the snakes are really beginning to look more like clowns than gods in front of their Jaffa now.? Jack smirked.
?If there are so many Jaffa, why aren?t there more mature, hosted Goa?uld running around?? Kyle asked.
Just like ants or bees, their mortality rate is very high and the queens bare their young with that in mind. Plus, a father is just as likely to kill his own mature children if they displease him?or a son will kill his father and take over his throne.? Max explained. ?The term ?dysfunctional family? doesn?t come close to covering all the intrigue and murder within the Goa?uld ?family?.?
?Still looks like an almost impossible mission; to kill all of those Goa?uld and heal all of the Jaffa.? Kyle muttered, dispirited.
?We?ll finish the job.? Jack said determinably, looking around the table as most everyone nodded their agreement.
?What about the Tok?ra? Without any queens?? Maria asked.
?All Tok?ra were born of one queen and she was killed many centuries ago and very few Goa?uld have chosen to follow our ways.? Selmak explained. ?Our only hope is to find willing hosts to sustain us and even then, we are a dieing race.
?Couldn?t new queens be born sometime in the future?? Alex asked.
?Yes, but they are very, very rare.? Selmak answered matter-of-factly.
?So, when can we see this Intel Ska?ra gave you so we can make plans?? Jack asked.
?As soon as you all can help me interpret what he said so I can write it down.? Isabel replied.
?Great, let?s get to work then.? Jack said, rubbing his hands together.
**TBC**
I don't know who nominated me, but I was just thrilled to be thought of as a possible nominee anyway!
Stargazers Stargaters Part 38
One week after the treaty signing, Alex was awoken from a deep sleep. He was spooned up behind Isabel; his right arm wrapped around her slim waist; holding her close, even in sleep?and his gorgeous fiancé was muttering to herself. At first, he could not understand her words, but after a few moments, his hearing grew sharper.
?Sk-Ska?ra.? Isabel mumbled.
?Another man?s name, not the think I want to hear on my love?s luscious lips?did I just put those three words together in one sentence?? He asked himself silently. ?Oh yeah, she has me wrapped around her little finger, hook line and sinker?and now I?m even mixing my metaphors??
?Ska?ra, are you sure?? Isabel?s words broke into Alex?s mental ramblings.
?Oh, but it?s Ska?ra?s name she?s saying?she must be dream-walking him. Phew! My heart can start beating again?this is business.? Alex sighed to himself and then was startled as Isabel craned her neck around so that she could face him as he leaned over her from behind.
?Al?x deal wi? yo? low se?f est?m later?but shu? up, I need consentr?? Isabel mumbled and blindly kissed his ear before relaxing back into sleep.
Alex watched her sleep for a few moments while this realization struck him?they were so closely connected that Isabel had picked up on his anxious thoughts. He wondered briefly ?how? she would deal with his low self-esteem?which only surfaced once in a great while, when his thoughts were unguarded?and focused on his impending marriage to her. Alex winced to himself; how would Isabel deal with him?would she be angry or?ardent?
A quick jab in the ribs from Isabel brought Alex out of his ramblings again and reminded him that he was supposed to be Isabel?s anchor; her calm, steady rock to hold onto while she allowed her subconscious to wander far and wide, dream-walking others. Alex began taking deep, slow breaths and managed to calm his thoughts down and empty his mind except for the positive, loving emotions he allowed to radiate through his own body.
Several hours later, as the first rays of sun began to filter through their bedroom curtains, Alex awoke. He was still spooned up behind Isabel and she was beginning to stir as well. He remembered staying semi-awake last night, while Isabel dream-walked Ska?ra and perhaps others, until he had sensed a certain relaxation of her muscles and allowed himself to fall back into a deep sleep; knowing that she was doing the same thing.
Now, as he watched her, Isabel turned in his arms and stretched. As her vertebrae arched, her breasts and tummy pressed into his chest and abdomen and he groaned softly as a knee came up; silkily slipping between his legs and adding to the pressure which was building up inside him.
?Morning Alex.? Isabel breathily whispered into his ear.
?Umph.? Alex swallowed hard. ?Morning Sweetheart.?
No more words were said for several minutes as the young couple shared a good morning nuzzle. It might have developed into something more, but Isabel gently drew back.
?So?you?re jealous of my dream-walking Ska?ra?? She asked outright, but gently, softly.
?Not of Ska?re?and not of your dream-walking?so much?it was just that you were mumbling his name out loud just as I woke up out of a sound sleep last night. It just caught me unawares?your calling out another man?s name.? Alex explained, paused and then continued as Isabel only gazed deeply into his eyes and remained silent.
?I Know that I have no reason to be jealous of you or of anyone you spend time with. I love you and I know that you love me in return; I know that in my brain as well as in my heart?? Alex glanced over her shoulder.
?But..?? Isabel coaxed softly.
?But?well, it?s only in the tiniest portion of my subconscious?that sometimes?I wonder?? Alex glanced away from Isabel?s intense gaze again.
?You wonder..??
?IwonderWhyaGorgeous,BrightWomanLikeYouWouldWantAnythingToDoWith?someonelikeme.? He mumbled out quickly, embarrassed.
?You mean this handsome, brilliant, funny, sweet man in my arms? Is that the man you wonder about me spending time with?and plan to marry?? Isabel asked and Alex nodded shyly. He still was unsure whether Isabel was angry?or ardent?with him.
?I wonder that sometimes myself, Alex?How could such a handsome, strong, brilliant, funny, sweet man?be so dumb at the same time as to not know why?and how much I love him.? Isabel shook her head sorrowfully.
?Maybe this guy isn?t so brilliant after all. Maybe he?s really quite stupid?and dense.? Alex offered half teasing, half worried and asked. ?If you really do love this numbskull so much?do you think you have enough patience to deal with his insecurities?and explain to him?one more time?why you still can love him??
?Well?I suppose I could explain?just one more time?if he promises to really, truly listen and pay attention this time.? Isabel considered.
?I know he?d really appreciate it if you would.? Alex answered and she nodded thoughtfully.
?Well to start with?there are his ears?? Isabel blew into Alex?s ears one after the other. ?They listen so very well to everything I say?except, it seams, to how much I love him?Then there are his eyes;? Isabel kissed each eyelid. ?The windows into his beautiful soul?they see more than just the outer me, this shell; Alex sees the real me inside?those things which make me who I really am.?
?Then there?s his brain;? Isabel ran her hands through his hair and massaged his scalp. ?Which holds so much information; making this man, as I stated before, so brilliant?Can?t forget his mouth.? Isabel kissed Alex deeply. ?Besides giving me great physical pleasure?? Isabel smiled sexily into Alex?s wide eyes. ?This mouth also speaks gently truths to me when I need to hear them and sings sweet songs as well. All of these attributes combine into such a handsome, yet sweet face, which is so dear to my heart?and these ears, eyes, lips and the brain all are perched atop one magnificent body?who?s strong arms and legs hold me so close and yet so tenderly to Alex?s strong and tender, loving heart.?
?Isabel, I?? Alex started to say in shock, but she placed a finger over his lips to silence him.
?All of those things and many, many more are why I love Alex Charles Whitman, with all my heart, my mind, my body and my soul.? Isabel finished and Alex found that he could say nothing after all. But by silent, mutual understanding, they moved closer into each other?s embrace and held on tightly for several minutes, just listening to each other?s breathing and giving thanks for this soul-mate, who loved them so much.
*
Several hours later, Kyle, Tess, Michael and Maria met in the upstairs hallway, on their way down to breakfast.
?Hey, Valenti, was that the two of you making all that noise earlier this morning?? Michael asked.
?Michael!? Maria exclaimed, blushing at her fiancé?s uncouth question.
?I don?t kiss and tell, Guerin.? Kyle answered; quick with a sarcastic reply as always.
?I think?it was Alex and Isabel.? Tess replied. ?Their room is next to ours and I heard them just as we were drifting off to sleep after our?um?aerobics workout.?
?Is that what you call it?? Maria giggled and Kyle was glancing down at his lover as if she had lost her mind.
?Well?my heart, lungs and?certain special muscles Do get quite a workout!? Tess giggles before she hid her flaming cheeks in her fiancé?s warm chest.
?Oh man!? Michael groaned. ?We gotta discuss separate housing for each of us with Max again. This is gettin? embarrassing.?
?Our rooms do have those sound nulli-fier-things?we just keep forgetting to turn them on?in the?um?heat of the moment.? Maria reminded him.
?We should just leave them on all the time then?for whenever the?um?mood hits.? Tess suggested, peaking out from Kyle?s embrace.
?Oh man, what a thing to talk about?and before breakfast! Let?s go down to eat.? Michael said.
?Hey, you?re the one who began this discussion, Michael.? Kyle reminded him as they all trooped down the stairs.
?No I didn?t.? Michael exclaimed; his low blood sugar interfering with his memory? (Or at least that was his excuse to himself).
?Yes you did.? Kyle countered.
?Did not.?
?Did too.?
?Didn?t!?
?Did!?
?Morning everyone, did I hear Daniel and Colonel O'Neill just now?? Sam asked as she came in the front door and looked around for her friend and lover.
?Uh, no; that was just these two arguing.? Maria replied. ?I think Daniel and Sha?re are still asleep and I haven?t seen Jack at all.?
?We?re awake; I thought I heard Jack out here?where is he? Isn?t he here?? Daniel asked sleepily as he and Sha?re stepped out of their bedroom just then.
?No Daniel, he?s not here yet, but we do have a meeting scheduled with Max for this morning.? Sam replied.
?Oh well then come on into the dining room and have some breakfast with us.? Tess invited as she and the rest of her friends turned towards that room.
?Sure, sounds good?I could use some more caffeine.? Sam replied.
When Tess opened up the door, Michael threw up his hands in front of his face in an effort to block the sight before them.
?Max! Liz! Would you two knock it off?? He all but roared.
Before them sat Max and Liz at the dining table, but they were using just one chair?as Liz was straddling Max?s lap and they were necking passionately. The young king and his future queen did not spring apart at the appearance of their friends, but only stopped kissing and rested their foreheads together while they each caught their breaths. Finally though, Max placed a chaste kiss on Liz?s lips before helping her to reposition herself so that she was sitting sideways on his lap, but still inside the strong circle of his arms.
?Morning everyone; come on in and have some breakfast?the muffins smell?delicious.? Max said with admirable calm.
?I think Max should take his ?muffin? and go back upstairs to their room if he?s going to continue sniffing her.? Michael mumbled.
Indeed, Max was nuzzling Liz?s soft neck, right below her ear and Liz was having a difficult time paying attention to and greeting her friends.
?Oh Michael! Go fill up a plate for each of us and be quiet.? Maria pushed him toward the buffet before taking her accustomed seat next to Max and Liz.
?You?d?better sit in your own chair, Max.? Liz told him softly, reluctantly.
?Yeah.? Max agreed.
He stood up with Liz still in his arms, turned and then placed her back in her chair before taking his seat at the head of the table and to Liz?s left. Maria wiggled her eyebrows up and down at her best friend and the two young women grinned at each other. They were both so happy for the love the other had found in her chosen mate; especially when that love was demonstrated so openly.
Just then, the group heard the front door open and several voices out in the hall. Moments later, Jack, Jacob Carter, Teal?c, Alex and Isabel came into the dining room.
?Teal?c.? Sam greeted her teammate who bowed to the room and then went to sit down at the table. ?Dad!? She called out next and rose up to hug her father.
Hey, Sammie.? Jacob hugged her back.
?Hi, Selmak.? Sam greeted her father?s symbiote.
You?re looking well, Samantha.? Selmak replied in her deep, echoing voice. ?Are you??
?I?m very well, thank you, Selmak.? Sam replied with a quick glance to Jack who was standing just behind her father. ?Hey Alex, Isabel.? She tried to greet them casually.
?Morning everyone.? Alex and Isabel spoke at the same time as Alex drew Isabel around to her place on Max?s left and seated her tenderly.
?What do you want for breakfast, Issy?? Alex asked her.
?Lot?s of everything?I seem to have quite an appetite this morning.? Isabel told him.
A quiet snort came from Michael?s direction and there was a great deal of eye contact back and forth around the table, but otherwise nothing else was said as Alex walked over to the buffet, followed after a moment by several others.
?It?s a good thing you?re here Jacob/Selmak, as well as the rest of you.? Isabel said glancing over SG-1 after everyone had sat down and begun to eat. ?I have some important news.?
?Well, give us all a few minutes to eat and then we?ll be able to give you our full attention.? Max suggested. He knew his sister?s voice well; her tone indicated that her news was big.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was done eating and just finishing their coffee. They cleared the table of all the plates and then turned to Isabel and waited for her to begin.
?I dream-walked Ska?ra last night.? Isabel said.
?Ska?re!? Sha?re exclaimed. ?Is my brother all right??
?He says he?s fine; still fighting his snake, Klorell.? Isabel assured her before continuing on. ?He told me that Klorell and Apophis have been planning something and that now they have all the information they need to carry it out. For as long as the Goa?uld have been around, the queens?the few female Goa?uld who?s biological role is to give birth to all the new Goa?uld symbiotes??
?Like Hathor.? Daniel said with a bitter taste in his mouth.
?Think of queen bees.? Sam added and Isabel nodded.
?These queens have always been considered to be goddesses in their own rights; laws unto themselves. They have their own Jaffa and slaves and only share their?young?with the other Goa?uld who?please them; give them tribute and have treaties with them. To keep enemy Goa?uld from steeling their young, they hide their whereabouts even more so than all the other Goa?uld. Despite this, Ska?ra told me that Apophis has recently learned where all of the queens have their hideouts and he plans to take them captive, one by one, until he has them all under his control.?
?Apophis would need many more Jaffa to incubate all the immature symbiotes.? Teal?c reminded everyone.
?Ska?ra said he had a plan to cover that too. Having Jaffa to incubate the little worms is preferred, but not absolutely necessary.? Isabel told them.
?Incubation within a Human Jaffa ensures that a mature symbiote will have no trouble melding with and overtaking their new host.? Teal?c said.
?Yes that?s why Jaffa were genetically created millennia ago, but even before that time, most mature, but un-incubated snakes were able to successfully take Human?or Unas hosts.? Isabel countered and then continued. ?Ska?ra said that Apophis believes that all Jaffa will have to come to him, eventually?and pledge their loyalty to him?when their mature symbiotes are taken from them to be implanted into their new hosts?to gain a new immature snake to carry in their pouches or they?ll die.?
?Why wouldn?t the mature Goa?uld just overtake their Jaffa, then neither of them would have to worry?for quite some time anyway.? Kyle asked.
?Jaffa are considered to be merely slaves by the Goa?uld and would never?except under extreme emergency?be considered good enough to be implanted with a mature symbiote.? Teal?c explained. ?And besides, who would fight the battles for the Goa?uld if not their Jaffa?? Teal?c asked.
?Anyway, Ska?ra gave me the locations of all the queens and begs us to capture or kill them all before Apophis can do so himself.? Isabel finished.
?No more new Goa?uld?at all?? Jack asked. ?Sweet!?
?That would still leave the hundreds of Goa?uld out there already, not to mention the thousands, maybe millions of Jaffa, all carrying immature Goa?uld in their pouches. What do we do with all of them?? Daniel asked.
?Well, as we?ve planned from the beginning?slowly but surely we?re drawing Jaffa away from their Goa?uld masters and our Antarian physicians are making it possible for them to live without their symbiotes.? Tess reminded them all. ?The numbers are still small but they are growing every day.
?Yeah, between their fighting amongst themselves and your mind-washing-whatevers, the snakes are really beginning to look more like clowns than gods in front of their Jaffa now.? Jack smirked.
?If there are so many Jaffa, why aren?t there more mature, hosted Goa?uld running around?? Kyle asked.
Just like ants or bees, their mortality rate is very high and the queens bare their young with that in mind. Plus, a father is just as likely to kill his own mature children if they displease him?or a son will kill his father and take over his throne.? Max explained. ?The term ?dysfunctional family? doesn?t come close to covering all the intrigue and murder within the Goa?uld ?family?.?
?Still looks like an almost impossible mission; to kill all of those Goa?uld and heal all of the Jaffa.? Kyle muttered, dispirited.
?We?ll finish the job.? Jack said determinably, looking around the table as most everyone nodded their agreement.
?What about the Tok?ra? Without any queens?? Maria asked.
?All Tok?ra were born of one queen and she was killed many centuries ago and very few Goa?uld have chosen to follow our ways.? Selmak explained. ?Our only hope is to find willing hosts to sustain us and even then, we are a dieing race.
?Couldn?t new queens be born sometime in the future?? Alex asked.
?Yes, but they are very, very rare.? Selmak answered matter-of-factly.
?So, when can we see this Intel Ska?ra gave you so we can make plans?? Jack asked.
?As soon as you all can help me interpret what he said so I can write it down.? Isabel replied.
?Great, let?s get to work then.? Jack said, rubbing his hands together.
**TBC**
I don't know who nominated me, but I was just thrilled to be thought of as a possible nominee anyway!
Last edited by jane on Tue Oct 21, 2003 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Here it is FINALLY! I am so sorry for making you wait sooo long...Hope you enjoy, please let me know! Love, jane
Stargazers Stargaters Part 39
Two days after Isabel reported her dream-walk conversation with Ska’ra, Jacob Carter came through the Earth Stargate and was greeted by his old friend, George Hammond.
“Jacob, good to see you.”
“You too, George.” Jacob replied, shaking his friend’s hand heartily.
“Thanks for coming to the SGC for a change. Everything’s been so Antar-based lately, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a different venue for this meeting. After all a large portion of this mission will be carried out by SGC personnel…”
“Sounds fair, George. Am I the last to arrive?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, but only by fifteen minutes. Everyone’s up in the briefing room; come on.” General Hammond let the way up the stairs.
There was quite a group gathered in the briefing room when the two older men arrived. The SGC members all stood as their CO came in, but Hammond quickly motioned them to sit down again. Besides SG1 and Sha’re Jackson, Major Paul Davis from the Pentagon was there as well. Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans, Tess Harding and Dr. Ebron were the Antarian representatives.
“Let’s get down to business.” Hammond ordered after everyone was seated. “Jacob, what does the Tok’ra Council have to say about the mission proposed by Princess Isabel and Ska’ra of Abydos?”
“They are cautiously optimistic.” Jacob said and then allowed Selmak to take over.
“We have Tok’ra operatives in position within eight of the queens’ fortresses and they will send all the Intel they can within the next day or two.”
“What about the other four queens? Can they get us any Intel on them?” Jack asked.
“Now that we have their locations we are trying to insert someone into each of those strongholds, but moving so quickly is very hazardous.” Selmak reminded them in her deep, serious voice.
“We want Intel, not dead bodies.” Hammond agreed. “Major Davis, you have a report from the Pentagon?”
“Yes sir, General.” Paul Davis replied, opening up a file folder. “Of course the Joint Chiefs are excited about the possibility of our eliminating the future threat these Goa’uld queens represent, but they also…uh…respectfully remind the General that capturing one or more of these creatures alive could be of great scientific value…the information we might be able to glean from them…”
“Need I remind the General how dangerous one of those queens; Hathor, was to this base? Within a matter of hours she had almost all of our personnel here under her drug-induced influence for Pete’s sake!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing his abdomen subconsciously.
“No, I remember with perfect clarity how dangerous that…um…lady was to this base, Colonel.” General Hammond replied, wincing slightly at this own memories of the Goa’uld queen, Hathor.
“So we use fully female personnel to interrogate them.” Major Davis suggested. He had not been at the SGC during the Hathor incident, but he had read all of the reports.
“That might work, but the queens may also have the mind-control drug Seth used…and it worked on both sexes.” Jacob reminded them. “And even though we know how to neutralize the drug, we can’t afford to underestimate these Goa’uld.”
“Besides, the queens’ value isn’t in what technology we could get out of them; it’s their value to the other Goa’uld which is most important.” Daniel spoke up out of the blue.
“What do you mean, Daniel?” Michael asked. “I thought the whole idea was to simply kill these queens and presto…no more future Goa’uld.”
“They will have to be…um…eliminated eventually, but in the meantime, I’m with Jack; the queens are too dangerous to try and interrogate…or…or…torture information out of…and besides, if the System Lords find out we have them…that will only make them attack Earth…enmasse.”
“Then what are you proposing we do with them, Dr. Jackson?” Major Davis asked.
“We stick them somewhere safe, but Not on Earth…and then make it look as if they’ve been abducted by rival Goa’uld. We’ve been trying to think of different catalysts to get the snakes fighting amongst themselves…what better way to light their fuse than to make them all think that their bitter rivals have stolen the queen they are allied with?”
“They will just order their Jaffa to fight one another, DanielJackson.” Teal’c remarked.
“We’ll need to escalate our plans to draw the Jaffa away from their masters. We need a way to prove to them that the Goa’uld they serve are Not gods…but only parasites.” Daniel replied.
“That’s going to take time, Daniel, Teal’c and it sounds as if we need to move against the queens ASAP; before Apophis makes his move.” Jack argued.
“Um, I was just wondering…” Daniel said after a moment of thought. “Have any of you tried mind-warping the Jaffa into believing that their Goa’uld masters are ordering them out of their service…dismissing them…or even telling the Jaffa that they Are just slimy parasites?”
There was silence as everyone glanced in shock back and forth around the group.
“We’ve been showing scenes to the Jaffa of their master’s acting stupidly, insanely…un-god like…but we never thought of actually having the Goa’uld “tell” the Jaffa the truth. That is an excellent suggestion, Dr. Jackson! We will implement it as soon as we can.” Tess exclaimed excitedly.
“You must phrase your mind-warp most carefully, Lady Tess.” Teal’c replied gravely. “Jaffa know very well that the Goa’uld are slimy, snake-like creatures, as you say. It would be best to concentrate on having their masters order them to stand down from fighting and to leave their service.”
“You know, I’ve never understood that, T. Why do Jaffa believe that a bunch of slimy snakes are gods? Especially since they have to carry immature Goa’uld in their pouches; nurture and protect them.” Jack asked.
“It is what we are taught all of our lives, O'Neill. The Goa’uld control whole planets on which the entire population are Jaffa, sworn to their service. As it was on my home world of Chulak, so it is elsewhere. Parents are expected to present their offspring to their god and allow them to be implanted with their first primpta, an immature Goa’uld. Once the children grow up, even if they do not believe a Goa’uld is a god, it is too late for them to get rid of their symbiote; their systems are dependent on having one and if they lose it, they will die a most painful death and bring dishonor to their family.”
“I imagine finding a Jaffa who could think for himself by the age of maturity would be almost impossible to find.” Daniel said nodding. “Your family, your teachers, your entire world is based on following and serving that Goa’uld. And you’re honored and promoted, or dishonored and punished by how well you serve that false-god.”
“Indeed, you are correct, DanielJackson.” Teal’c replied.
“So we implant the idea that a Jaffa’s master is ordering them to stand down from fighting for him.” Tess clarified. “And send them to the nearest planet where our physicians are set up to remove the immature Goa’uld and restart their immune systems.”
“Can it possibly be that easy?” Dr. Ebron asked.
“If it works, this plan will be much easier than anything else we’ve come up with.” Michael said thoughtfully.
“But even so, it will be an enormous feat, to contact the millions of Jaffa out there and break through a lifetime of brainwashing.” Isabel said.
“Especially in the short period of time we have before we need to move against the Goa’uld queens.” Jack added.
“Then if there are no more questions, let’s get to work, people; you have a go.” General Hammond said and everyone stood to leave.
~*~ Several weeks later ~*~
Liz rushed into hers and Max’s bedroom to quickly change her clothes. She had been Earth-side for two long and lonely days, working in her lab at the SGC and had only just returned to Antar with thirty minutes to spare before her meeting with Valaria, her soon-to-be mother-in-law, was scheduled. As she wiggled out of the comfortable black T-shirt and green fatigue-pants she had been wearing under her lab coat, Max opened the door to their adjoining bathroom and leaned against the jamb to enjoy the unexpected but highly enjoyable view. Liz gave a tiny squeak of surprise as she finished pulling the shirt over her head and saw him standing there before her. Max’s grin widened but he remained where he was, running his eyes up and down her petite figure.
“I didn’t know you were home, Max. I didn’t even sense that you were in the bathroom.” Liz told him as she returned his hot gazed while tossing her T-shirt aside. “Happy to see me?” She asked in her soft, slightly husky voice which Max loved to hear.
“Ohhh yeah, I’m always happy to see you, Love, but especially after these last long and lonely two days…and nights.” Max replied. “And I think you were in a hurry when you came running into the room, maybe that’s why you didn’t sense me.”
“In a hurry?” Liz asked distractedly as she fantasized about what Max looked like under those clothes he was wearing.
“Yes, it sounded as though you were in a hurry…” Max repeated and it was as if a bucket of ice-water had been splashed all over Liz.
“Your mother! I have another meeting with your mother. What time is it? Oh man, I’m going to be late! Where’s my…there it is.” Liz muttered to herself as she pulled a peach-colored dress off of its hanger and quickly pulled it on over her head. I’m sorry we can’t spend some time together this afternoon, Max, but your mother…” Liz rushed over to where he stood, tip-toed up to kiss him and then made as if to rush out the bedroom door, except that Max took firm hold of her shoulders.
“You know Liz…I think you’re beautiful no matter what you wear, but I don’t think that Valaria will believe for a minute that your peach dress was designed to be worn over those olive-green pants.” Max somehow said all of this with a straight face but then broke out into another grin as he let Liz go and she looked down at herself.
“Oh man!” Liz exclaimed as she whirled away from Max, drew up the hem of her dress and then yanked off the pants…giving her fiancé a lovely if quick view of her silk-covered bottom…before the dress hem fell back down over her legs and Liz scrambled back to her closet to find some shoes.
“I guess the pre-wedding nerves are finally starting to take effect…it’s just that there is so much going on right now…what with capturing the Goa’uld queens and freeing all those Jaffa and the word should come any day now to begin phase three…and these last meetings-classes with your mother about how to be a proper queen and it’s only ten days until Our Wedding…Liz threw up her hands into the air and then just plopped herself down onto the floor; her skirt flowing out around her like petals on a flower.
“Liz!” Max strode forward to kneel down beside her. “Honey, it’ll be okay; everything’s going pretty smoothly so far…How about this…I have a meeting with SG-1 and the others in just a little while, but I figure that it’ll be over just about the same time your meeting with Valaria will conclude. I’ll ask the others to clear out for a while…we’ll come back here, I’ll draw you a nice hot bubble-bath and then grill some steaks while you soak for a while. We’ll just have a nice, quiet evening together and then you can get a good, long rest tonight, replenish your energies…how does that sound?” Max asked as he gently stroked his hands through her silky brown hair.
“That sounds…marvelous!” Liz sighed as she leaned back against her soul-mate for a few moments and then moved to stand up with his help. “Thank you Max.” Liz glanced up into his love-filled amber eyes, gently ran her fingertips down the side of his jaw and then tip-toes up to sweetly kiss him on his lips. “You take such good care of me…” She sighed as they hugged for a moment, but then drew away reluctantly. “I’d…better…get going…” She said, slowly turning away from him.
“I’ll walk you out.” Max replied, not letting go of the small hand he had taken hold of as they walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
~*~
The meetings, or classes between Liz and Antar’s Queen Mother had started out months ago as formal instruction on all of the minutia involved in becoming and being a queen, but they had relaxed a bit into more enjoyable afternoons drinking tarva, a tea-like beverage and sharing stories about Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess’ childhoods, on Antar as well as on Earth. But before the story telling there were always quick reviews on all that Liz had learned; Antarian customs, laws, language, interplanetary treaties and trading agreements…and then they would cover the wedding arrangements or Valaria would continue drinking tarva while Liz endured yet another dress fitting. But as the weeks had sped by, the instructions and reviews grew shorter, more easy and the time for chatting back and forth grew longer. And while Liz knew that Valaria would never come close to feeling like a mother to her, they were becoming rather good friends towards one another.
~*~
After Max left Liz to walk the last few yards to Valaria’s home on her own, he tried to block the romantic plans he had made for the two of them, for that night, out of his mind; the meeting that day was an important one and he would need all of his concentration on the agenda; phase three of their plan.
There would be a large number of people at this meeting and so it was to be held in the largest conference room the training center, which had been completed some weeks before, had to offer. Isabelle, Tess and their best dream-walkers and mind-warpers, SG-1, Sha’re Jackson, Jacob Carter and several other Tok’ra and finally, Janet Fraser and her Antarian counterpart, Ebron were all to attend. As everyone took a seat; the key personnel around the large table and the rest in raised seats right behind the others, Max thought back over the last several weeks since they had been given the go-ahead by the U.S. President to begin this operation.
Every dream-walker and mind-warper they had, had been working themselves around the clock and into exhaustion, to contact as many Jaffa as possible and convince them turn away from their Goa’uld masters. They had used several different techniques, whichever worked best on each individual Jaffa; giving them repeated nightmares, showing the atrocities carried out on orders from a Goa’uld, as they tried to meditate in kel-no-ream…give them visions of their masters acting stupidly, becoming uncertain in their decisions, acting most un-god-like…and where they could, the Antarian tormentors forced the Goa’uld to act foolishly, clown-like in front of their most loyal Jaffa…But the best technique by far was to show the Goa’uld ordering each Jaffa to leave their service, as they meditated or dreamed. For the snakes to admit what pathetic and evil parasites they really were. Millions of Jaffa, especially those on board ships without a Goa’uld among them, abandoned their duties, their way of life…their gods and flocked to the nearest planet in droves, where Antarian medical teams were waiting for them.
Once their primta had been removed and destroyed and their immune systems were working again, the Jaffa were counseled and reconditioned by SGC personnel until they could all see the errors in their way of life. Al but a few Jaffa vowed to return to their home planets, to spread the word, send their friends and families to the Antarians and Tau’ri for help and set out to destroy the temples and tanks filled with immature Goa’uld in them. Only the most fervent of the Jaffa; those who had secretly held doubts about the godhood of the Goa’uld before all of this happened, volunteered to return to their Goa’uld masters…and kill them. System Lords and minor Goa’uld were falling from power all over the galaxy, but there were still many more powerful and well-guarded snakes out there and they would not be destroyed so easily, especially after word of what was happening to other Goa’uld, reached them.
Among these well-protected Goa’uld were the eight queens…and Apophis. Four of the twelve-known queen Goa’uld had amazingly already been destroyed by their own Jaffa slaves. But now it was time to capture the last eight and set the most important part of their plan into action.
After the key participants each gave brief reports to bring everyone up to speed, Jacob carter motioned to Max that he wished to speak.
“I’ve had word from our Tok’ra operatives hidden within Apophis’ court that he is finally ready to move against the Goa’uld queens. We’ve been lucky that his preparations have taken this long, so that we could reach as many Jaffa as we have…and that four of the twelve queens have already been killed by their own slaves, but our time is quickly running out. If we are going to attempt to capture the queens, we must move now!”
“Calm down Jacob, we’ve only been waiting for word from you.” Jack told his friend; half-teasing, half-serious, before continuing. “Okay, teams two through eight need to be gathered together and meet in the Stargate Chamber. The success of Operation Queen Bee hangs on all of our teams attacking at the same time, so that there’s no chance for any warning to be leaked before we can all strike.”
“I’m contacting everyone now.” Tess spoke up.
Sg-1 was team one, of course and the other teams were made up of Stargate personnel and Antarians; some of which were not attending that meeting.
As everyone rose from their seats and began to leave, Max smiled to himself as he noticed Jack and Sam’s hands clasp together and Daniel tighten his hold around Sha’re’s slim shoulders. He bet he already knew what each couple was quietly discussing amongst themselves as they left the conference room. Jack and Sam, ever the well-trained warriors, were going over their plans for capturing the Goa’uld queen, Basset; Apophis’ ally and Max knew that Daniel was busy trying to convince his beloved wife that she could not come with SG-1 on their mission. Indeed, Sha’re was only waiting until they had reached their room in the Royal Manor, listening to all of her husband’s arguments about why she could not go, before stopping his words with a gently finger placed against his lips.
“Dan’yel, I understand everything that you are telling me, but do you not understand that I have all of those same worries too…about you? My love for you is what made it possible for me to fight my demon and Apophis all those years. My love for you is what helps me to make a new life for us on these two strange planets, instead of on Abydos. And it is my love for you which makes me dread the thought of losing you now that we are finally back together…especially if I must only stay behind and wait for your return.
“Dan’yel, Apophis sent my demon to Basset’s fortress twice; I know my way around it. And I can still use the Goa’uld hand-device as well as the pistols you and Sam have taught me how to shoot. Please my husband, let me come with you so that I may…what is the word? Exorcise the memory of my demon from me forever.”
“And maybe get some revenge on Apophis at the same time?” Daniel asked in an understanding tone.
“YES!” Sha’re cried out adamantly. “I want to hurt him like he hurt me…as he has hurt you…”
“I don’t know what Jack’ll say about you coming along, Sweetheart.” Daniel warned as his determination began to soften.
“Tell him that I can…as he says…watch your back.” Sha’re replied hopefully.
“Okay, okay…” Daniel agreed as he gathered her into his arms. “I’ll ask Jack, but you must promise…promise me that you’ll be careful…that you won’t take any chances…”
“I will, if you will, my husband.” Sha’re replied smiling.
“You know me so well…I love that about you. Sha’re I love you so much.” Daniel murmured desperately before locking his lips onto hers for one, long, passionate kiss before finally pulling away and leaving her to go and find Jack.
Nearly one hour later, the eight teams, the Royal Four and Jacob Carter all met up in the Stargate Chamber and the first address was already being entered into the alien device. The teams would be sent through to their assigned destinations in order of which one had the most distance to travel from Stargate to Goa’uld stronghold, so that hopefully, the eight teams would reach their goals at the same time. The Tok’ra had managed to insert one of their operatives into each court and received valuable Intel from each of them on the eight remaining queens; their strengths, their weaknesses. Also, the Tok’ra had developed an isotope which when injected, would make each team invisible to advanced Goa’uld security sensors, which several of the queens used to protect their citadels from sneak-attacks. And finally, on this mission all of the teams were carrying staff-weapons and/or zats, with only hand-guns for emergency back-up.
Finally it was time for SG-1 to step through, but first they threw a Goa’uld sound-grenade into the worm-hole, to knock out any Jaffa who might be guarding the Gate on the other side. So when the five of them stepped through on the other side, Jaffa, wearing cat-head shaped helmets were lying unconscious all around the chamber.
“Yes…it’s great to be able to use Goa’uld weapons against the snakes themselves.” Jack muttered just loud enough for his team to hear him as he inventoried the room.
“They will not remain unconscious for long, O'Neill.” Teal’c reminded his commander and friend.
“Yeah, let’s get to work and then get out of here.” Jack replied.
Not wishing to call attention to themselves, the five team members moved to drag the Jaffa across the floor until they were all leaning up against the wall of the chamber, their staff-weapons still loosely held within their hands. The hope was that the Jaffa…or their superiors, would jump to the conclusion that that Goa’uld soldiers had all fallen asleep at their posts, rather than that they had been attacked by an invading party coming through the Stargate; especially when that band of invaders would prove to be invisible to the security sensors.
“Okay, let’s go and find our queen bee.” Jack ordered and the rest of them followed him out of the chamber.
The best case scenario would be for them to find the Goa’uld queen, Basset, knock her out and escape; carrying her with them back through the Stargate. And the icing on the cake would be for them to leave behind evidence that the System Lord, Ba’al was the one to have kidnapped her.
“Basset spends much of her time in her throne-room.” Sha’re whispered. “This way.” She said and the others followed her and Teal’c as they led the way.
They had made several turns down the seemingly unending hallways of the palace when the five teammates heard the telltale thump, thump, thump of oncoming guards and Jack signaled them to slip down a side hallway and press against the walls.
‘Man, it’s a good thing that the Jaffa have never figured out how much of a give-away their loud marching is; it’s easy to slip around them.’ Sam thought to herself.
The Jaffa passed by and Jack took another glance around the corner, using his tiny periscope, just to make sure that no one else was coming down the hall and then signaled for the group to move forward. They made two more turns and then Teal’c signaled that they had reached Basset’s throne-room. At that they flattened themselves on each side of the doorway, Jack counted down from three and then they threw the doors open and swept into the room, glancing quickly around for the Goa’uld queen or her Jaffa. But the room was empty and they walked towards each other, still wary to quickly discuss where to search next.
“She may be in her private chambers.” Sha’re suggested. They are through that door.” She pointed to the right.
“I believe there are extensive gardens on the palace grounds, are there not? She may be out in them.” Teal’c suggested as well, pointing to the archway on the left.
“Okay, I’d rather not split up if we don’t have to. Let’s try searching the private quarters first.” Jack ordered.
They all had turned towards the right hand archway when two Jaffa suddenly appeared in the doorway. Shock delayed any action by the guards for the split-second it took for SG-1 to dive out of the center of the room where the Jaffa brought their staff weapons to bare and then fired. Coming out of forward rolls, Jack, Sam and Teal’c fired back while Daniel instinctively tried to protect Sha’re with his own body. But the effort was unneeded as Sam and Jack’s zat-nick-a-tels found their marks and the guards fell to the ground, dead.
“No help for it.” Daniel murmured to himself. He was more of a “stun-and-run” kind of guy and even though he had killed before, he never set out deliberately to kill the enemy. But this time he knew that none of them could leave anyone who had seen them in the palace, alive. No one must know that the Tau’ri and not Ba’al, had attacked and kidnapped Basset.
More Jaffa could be heard on their way towards a third doorway, directly across from the dais and SG-1 ran for it; Sha’re, Daniel and Sam, to the right; Jack and Teal’c, to the left and it was several moments before each group realized that their teammates were not with them.
“Wait, Sam.” Daniel hissed. “Where are Jack and Teal’c?”
“They must have run through the archway on the other side of the room.” Sam replied and after a moment of thought, Daniel spoke up.
“Am I correct in remembering from our briefing that the throne-room splits this palace in half and that the only way to get to the other side, where Jack and Teal’c are, is by going back through that chamber?”
“Yes, that is correct, Dan’yel.” Sha’re answered.
“Well, I don’t recommend that we go back there now.” Sam stated. “I think we should check out Basset’s personal quarters and then try to hook up with the Colonel and Teal’c later.”
“Sounds like a plan, Sha’re?” Daniel said and then looked at his wife.
“Yes, this way.” Sha’re replied and then began leading the way.
The three of them slipped through the halls without meeting up with any more guards, their position still masked to Goa’uld technology by the isotope in their systems and soon found Basset’s private chambers.
“Empty.” Sam said after they had carefully checked out the luxurious suite.
“Anywhere else we should check on this side of the palace, Sha’re?” Daniel asked.
“No, the communications center is on the other side of the palace.” Sha’re answered. “I think we should try to slip back towards the throne room and find Colonel Jack and Teal’c.”
“Sounds good, let’s go.” Sam ordered.
The three of them had only traveled back through the hallways a short ways when they heard Jaffa approaching and ducked into a nearby room, but peaked through a crack in the mostly closed door.
“Ohhh man, it’s Apophis!” Sam hissed out.
“My tormentor?” Sha’re spat, raising her right hand on which she wore a Goa’uld hand-device.
“No Sha’re!” Daniel cried out, hearing the dozen of Jaffa stomping their way past along with their master. “There are too many of them for us to take out. Let’s complete our mission and let the System Lords do our dirty work for us.”
“They won’t, he will get away again.” Sha’re spat out desperately.
“I know that there is that chance that he might get away in the end, but this operation is the best chance we have to eliminate most, if not all of the Goa’uld; we have to stick with that plan.” Sam reminded her friend sympathetically.
“And if Apophis does get away, we’ll keep after him until he’s dead.” Daniel promised.
Sha’re thought hard for a few moments; emotions easily read on her face, but then nodded and lowered her hand.
“Good, come on, let’s go find Jack so we can tell him what we’ve seen.
~*~
On the other side of the palace, Jack and Teal’c also made the decision to continue with the mission; try to find Basset on their side and then meet up with the others. They did not want to break radio-silence unless they needed to, just in case.
“Let’s check out those gardens, T.” Jack suggested and the former Jaffa nodded in agreement.
A short while later, after several twists and turns, the two men stepped out into the gardens and looked around.
“Nice gardens…shame there’s a snake somewhere out here though.” Jack observed.
“Indeed, O'Neill. Teal’c agreed gravely.
“Let’s check it out.” Jack said stepping forward.
As they moved through the garden, the two men could occasionally see through the plantings to a central area with a fountain.
“I think someone’s sitting by the fountain, T.” Jack murmured to his partner. “Why don’t you circle around and I’ll go this way.”
Teal’c nodded and they moved forward silently. Several minutes later, both men had moved up until they could clearly see that there was indeed a woman sitting by the fountain in an ornate wicker chair.
‘Man, she looks like Cat-Woman in Technicolor!’ Jack thought to himself and tried to suppress a grin.
The woman had short golden hair in soft spikes around her head and she wore a headband with gold cat ears attached which poked out through her hair. She wore a skin-tight cat-suit but it was made of a brightly colored silk in blue, green and gold stripes…And apparently the costume included a tail, because the woman was playing with what looked like a thick, fuzzy, golden rope.
Jack saw Teal’c across the way and nodded. The two men stepped out from their hiding places to confront her, their weapons pointed at her.
“Basset, I presume?” Jack asked sarcastically.
“What insolence is this?” The woman, Basset replied haughtily and stood up.
The fuzzy golden rope was indeed a tail and as she passed her hand over her face, a golden mask appeared. It was that of a cat face, including slitted holes for her flashing green eyes, a cat’s nose and snout and even whiskers.
“Oh please, Halloween’s months away, who dresses like that on a daily basis?” Jack drawled, irreverent as ever.
“More insolence…you shall soon learn to show respect for your god!” Basset cried out and lifted her hand device to shoot, but Jack and Teal’c dove out of her field of fire and came up ready to shoot. As planned, as Teal’c shot ineffectually at Basset’s personal shield with his staff-weapon, Jack aimed a specially designed air-pistol, which delivered a tranquilizer-dart into the Goa’uld queen’s back.
As they had learned with Heru-ur and Osiris, a low velocity, low power projectile, such as a thrown knife or an air-dart, could easily pass through a Goa’uld personal shield while a high velocity bullet or the charge from a staff-weapon could not.
The tranq took effect in seconds; Basset barely aware of being hit by the dart as Teal’c continued to fire at her and she fell to her knees and then face down on the ground, unconscious.
“Splash, one pussy cat.” Jack pumped his fist in victory before Teal’c picked up the woman and slung her over his massive shoulders.
“Let me cuff her wrists and ankles, just to be safe and then I’ll plant the evidence that we brought with us to implicate Ba’al in her abduction and then we’ll be on our way to find the others and get the hell out of Dodge.”
“Very well, O'Neill.” Teal’c replied ever calm.
Jack finished his work and the two men and their captive returned to the palace to find their teammates. Jack even risked one call on the radio.
“Carter, come in.”
“Carter here sir.”
“What’s your situation?” Jack asked.
“We’re fine, but we haven’t been able to complete our objective.” Sam replied.
“Don’t worry, we have.” Jack told her. “Can you make it to the Stargate?”
Continued in next post
Stargazers Stargaters Part 39
Two days after Isabel reported her dream-walk conversation with Ska’ra, Jacob Carter came through the Earth Stargate and was greeted by his old friend, George Hammond.
“Jacob, good to see you.”
“You too, George.” Jacob replied, shaking his friend’s hand heartily.
“Thanks for coming to the SGC for a change. Everything’s been so Antar-based lately, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a different venue for this meeting. After all a large portion of this mission will be carried out by SGC personnel…”
“Sounds fair, George. Am I the last to arrive?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, but only by fifteen minutes. Everyone’s up in the briefing room; come on.” General Hammond let the way up the stairs.
There was quite a group gathered in the briefing room when the two older men arrived. The SGC members all stood as their CO came in, but Hammond quickly motioned them to sit down again. Besides SG1 and Sha’re Jackson, Major Paul Davis from the Pentagon was there as well. Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans, Tess Harding and Dr. Ebron were the Antarian representatives.
“Let’s get down to business.” Hammond ordered after everyone was seated. “Jacob, what does the Tok’ra Council have to say about the mission proposed by Princess Isabel and Ska’ra of Abydos?”
“They are cautiously optimistic.” Jacob said and then allowed Selmak to take over.
“We have Tok’ra operatives in position within eight of the queens’ fortresses and they will send all the Intel they can within the next day or two.”
“What about the other four queens? Can they get us any Intel on them?” Jack asked.
“Now that we have their locations we are trying to insert someone into each of those strongholds, but moving so quickly is very hazardous.” Selmak reminded them in her deep, serious voice.
“We want Intel, not dead bodies.” Hammond agreed. “Major Davis, you have a report from the Pentagon?”
“Yes sir, General.” Paul Davis replied, opening up a file folder. “Of course the Joint Chiefs are excited about the possibility of our eliminating the future threat these Goa’uld queens represent, but they also…uh…respectfully remind the General that capturing one or more of these creatures alive could be of great scientific value…the information we might be able to glean from them…”
“Need I remind the General how dangerous one of those queens; Hathor, was to this base? Within a matter of hours she had almost all of our personnel here under her drug-induced influence for Pete’s sake!” Jack exclaimed, rubbing his abdomen subconsciously.
“No, I remember with perfect clarity how dangerous that…um…lady was to this base, Colonel.” General Hammond replied, wincing slightly at this own memories of the Goa’uld queen, Hathor.
“So we use fully female personnel to interrogate them.” Major Davis suggested. He had not been at the SGC during the Hathor incident, but he had read all of the reports.
“That might work, but the queens may also have the mind-control drug Seth used…and it worked on both sexes.” Jacob reminded them. “And even though we know how to neutralize the drug, we can’t afford to underestimate these Goa’uld.”
“Besides, the queens’ value isn’t in what technology we could get out of them; it’s their value to the other Goa’uld which is most important.” Daniel spoke up out of the blue.
“What do you mean, Daniel?” Michael asked. “I thought the whole idea was to simply kill these queens and presto…no more future Goa’uld.”
“They will have to be…um…eliminated eventually, but in the meantime, I’m with Jack; the queens are too dangerous to try and interrogate…or…or…torture information out of…and besides, if the System Lords find out we have them…that will only make them attack Earth…enmasse.”
“Then what are you proposing we do with them, Dr. Jackson?” Major Davis asked.
“We stick them somewhere safe, but Not on Earth…and then make it look as if they’ve been abducted by rival Goa’uld. We’ve been trying to think of different catalysts to get the snakes fighting amongst themselves…what better way to light their fuse than to make them all think that their bitter rivals have stolen the queen they are allied with?”
“They will just order their Jaffa to fight one another, DanielJackson.” Teal’c remarked.
“We’ll need to escalate our plans to draw the Jaffa away from their masters. We need a way to prove to them that the Goa’uld they serve are Not gods…but only parasites.” Daniel replied.
“That’s going to take time, Daniel, Teal’c and it sounds as if we need to move against the queens ASAP; before Apophis makes his move.” Jack argued.
“Um, I was just wondering…” Daniel said after a moment of thought. “Have any of you tried mind-warping the Jaffa into believing that their Goa’uld masters are ordering them out of their service…dismissing them…or even telling the Jaffa that they Are just slimy parasites?”
There was silence as everyone glanced in shock back and forth around the group.
“We’ve been showing scenes to the Jaffa of their master’s acting stupidly, insanely…un-god like…but we never thought of actually having the Goa’uld “tell” the Jaffa the truth. That is an excellent suggestion, Dr. Jackson! We will implement it as soon as we can.” Tess exclaimed excitedly.
“You must phrase your mind-warp most carefully, Lady Tess.” Teal’c replied gravely. “Jaffa know very well that the Goa’uld are slimy, snake-like creatures, as you say. It would be best to concentrate on having their masters order them to stand down from fighting and to leave their service.”
“You know, I’ve never understood that, T. Why do Jaffa believe that a bunch of slimy snakes are gods? Especially since they have to carry immature Goa’uld in their pouches; nurture and protect them.” Jack asked.
“It is what we are taught all of our lives, O'Neill. The Goa’uld control whole planets on which the entire population are Jaffa, sworn to their service. As it was on my home world of Chulak, so it is elsewhere. Parents are expected to present their offspring to their god and allow them to be implanted with their first primpta, an immature Goa’uld. Once the children grow up, even if they do not believe a Goa’uld is a god, it is too late for them to get rid of their symbiote; their systems are dependent on having one and if they lose it, they will die a most painful death and bring dishonor to their family.”
“I imagine finding a Jaffa who could think for himself by the age of maturity would be almost impossible to find.” Daniel said nodding. “Your family, your teachers, your entire world is based on following and serving that Goa’uld. And you’re honored and promoted, or dishonored and punished by how well you serve that false-god.”
“Indeed, you are correct, DanielJackson.” Teal’c replied.
“So we implant the idea that a Jaffa’s master is ordering them to stand down from fighting for him.” Tess clarified. “And send them to the nearest planet where our physicians are set up to remove the immature Goa’uld and restart their immune systems.”
“Can it possibly be that easy?” Dr. Ebron asked.
“If it works, this plan will be much easier than anything else we’ve come up with.” Michael said thoughtfully.
“But even so, it will be an enormous feat, to contact the millions of Jaffa out there and break through a lifetime of brainwashing.” Isabel said.
“Especially in the short period of time we have before we need to move against the Goa’uld queens.” Jack added.
“Then if there are no more questions, let’s get to work, people; you have a go.” General Hammond said and everyone stood to leave.
~*~ Several weeks later ~*~
Liz rushed into hers and Max’s bedroom to quickly change her clothes. She had been Earth-side for two long and lonely days, working in her lab at the SGC and had only just returned to Antar with thirty minutes to spare before her meeting with Valaria, her soon-to-be mother-in-law, was scheduled. As she wiggled out of the comfortable black T-shirt and green fatigue-pants she had been wearing under her lab coat, Max opened the door to their adjoining bathroom and leaned against the jamb to enjoy the unexpected but highly enjoyable view. Liz gave a tiny squeak of surprise as she finished pulling the shirt over her head and saw him standing there before her. Max’s grin widened but he remained where he was, running his eyes up and down her petite figure.
“I didn’t know you were home, Max. I didn’t even sense that you were in the bathroom.” Liz told him as she returned his hot gazed while tossing her T-shirt aside. “Happy to see me?” She asked in her soft, slightly husky voice which Max loved to hear.
“Ohhh yeah, I’m always happy to see you, Love, but especially after these last long and lonely two days…and nights.” Max replied. “And I think you were in a hurry when you came running into the room, maybe that’s why you didn’t sense me.”
“In a hurry?” Liz asked distractedly as she fantasized about what Max looked like under those clothes he was wearing.
“Yes, it sounded as though you were in a hurry…” Max repeated and it was as if a bucket of ice-water had been splashed all over Liz.
“Your mother! I have another meeting with your mother. What time is it? Oh man, I’m going to be late! Where’s my…there it is.” Liz muttered to herself as she pulled a peach-colored dress off of its hanger and quickly pulled it on over her head. I’m sorry we can’t spend some time together this afternoon, Max, but your mother…” Liz rushed over to where he stood, tip-toed up to kiss him and then made as if to rush out the bedroom door, except that Max took firm hold of her shoulders.
“You know Liz…I think you’re beautiful no matter what you wear, but I don’t think that Valaria will believe for a minute that your peach dress was designed to be worn over those olive-green pants.” Max somehow said all of this with a straight face but then broke out into another grin as he let Liz go and she looked down at herself.
“Oh man!” Liz exclaimed as she whirled away from Max, drew up the hem of her dress and then yanked off the pants…giving her fiancé a lovely if quick view of her silk-covered bottom…before the dress hem fell back down over her legs and Liz scrambled back to her closet to find some shoes.
“I guess the pre-wedding nerves are finally starting to take effect…it’s just that there is so much going on right now…what with capturing the Goa’uld queens and freeing all those Jaffa and the word should come any day now to begin phase three…and these last meetings-classes with your mother about how to be a proper queen and it’s only ten days until Our Wedding…Liz threw up her hands into the air and then just plopped herself down onto the floor; her skirt flowing out around her like petals on a flower.
“Liz!” Max strode forward to kneel down beside her. “Honey, it’ll be okay; everything’s going pretty smoothly so far…How about this…I have a meeting with SG-1 and the others in just a little while, but I figure that it’ll be over just about the same time your meeting with Valaria will conclude. I’ll ask the others to clear out for a while…we’ll come back here, I’ll draw you a nice hot bubble-bath and then grill some steaks while you soak for a while. We’ll just have a nice, quiet evening together and then you can get a good, long rest tonight, replenish your energies…how does that sound?” Max asked as he gently stroked his hands through her silky brown hair.
“That sounds…marvelous!” Liz sighed as she leaned back against her soul-mate for a few moments and then moved to stand up with his help. “Thank you Max.” Liz glanced up into his love-filled amber eyes, gently ran her fingertips down the side of his jaw and then tip-toes up to sweetly kiss him on his lips. “You take such good care of me…” She sighed as they hugged for a moment, but then drew away reluctantly. “I’d…better…get going…” She said, slowly turning away from him.
“I’ll walk you out.” Max replied, not letting go of the small hand he had taken hold of as they walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
~*~
The meetings, or classes between Liz and Antar’s Queen Mother had started out months ago as formal instruction on all of the minutia involved in becoming and being a queen, but they had relaxed a bit into more enjoyable afternoons drinking tarva, a tea-like beverage and sharing stories about Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess’ childhoods, on Antar as well as on Earth. But before the story telling there were always quick reviews on all that Liz had learned; Antarian customs, laws, language, interplanetary treaties and trading agreements…and then they would cover the wedding arrangements or Valaria would continue drinking tarva while Liz endured yet another dress fitting. But as the weeks had sped by, the instructions and reviews grew shorter, more easy and the time for chatting back and forth grew longer. And while Liz knew that Valaria would never come close to feeling like a mother to her, they were becoming rather good friends towards one another.
~*~
After Max left Liz to walk the last few yards to Valaria’s home on her own, he tried to block the romantic plans he had made for the two of them, for that night, out of his mind; the meeting that day was an important one and he would need all of his concentration on the agenda; phase three of their plan.
There would be a large number of people at this meeting and so it was to be held in the largest conference room the training center, which had been completed some weeks before, had to offer. Isabelle, Tess and their best dream-walkers and mind-warpers, SG-1, Sha’re Jackson, Jacob Carter and several other Tok’ra and finally, Janet Fraser and her Antarian counterpart, Ebron were all to attend. As everyone took a seat; the key personnel around the large table and the rest in raised seats right behind the others, Max thought back over the last several weeks since they had been given the go-ahead by the U.S. President to begin this operation.
Every dream-walker and mind-warper they had, had been working themselves around the clock and into exhaustion, to contact as many Jaffa as possible and convince them turn away from their Goa’uld masters. They had used several different techniques, whichever worked best on each individual Jaffa; giving them repeated nightmares, showing the atrocities carried out on orders from a Goa’uld, as they tried to meditate in kel-no-ream…give them visions of their masters acting stupidly, becoming uncertain in their decisions, acting most un-god-like…and where they could, the Antarian tormentors forced the Goa’uld to act foolishly, clown-like in front of their most loyal Jaffa…But the best technique by far was to show the Goa’uld ordering each Jaffa to leave their service, as they meditated or dreamed. For the snakes to admit what pathetic and evil parasites they really were. Millions of Jaffa, especially those on board ships without a Goa’uld among them, abandoned their duties, their way of life…their gods and flocked to the nearest planet in droves, where Antarian medical teams were waiting for them.
Once their primta had been removed and destroyed and their immune systems were working again, the Jaffa were counseled and reconditioned by SGC personnel until they could all see the errors in their way of life. Al but a few Jaffa vowed to return to their home planets, to spread the word, send their friends and families to the Antarians and Tau’ri for help and set out to destroy the temples and tanks filled with immature Goa’uld in them. Only the most fervent of the Jaffa; those who had secretly held doubts about the godhood of the Goa’uld before all of this happened, volunteered to return to their Goa’uld masters…and kill them. System Lords and minor Goa’uld were falling from power all over the galaxy, but there were still many more powerful and well-guarded snakes out there and they would not be destroyed so easily, especially after word of what was happening to other Goa’uld, reached them.
Among these well-protected Goa’uld were the eight queens…and Apophis. Four of the twelve-known queen Goa’uld had amazingly already been destroyed by their own Jaffa slaves. But now it was time to capture the last eight and set the most important part of their plan into action.
After the key participants each gave brief reports to bring everyone up to speed, Jacob carter motioned to Max that he wished to speak.
“I’ve had word from our Tok’ra operatives hidden within Apophis’ court that he is finally ready to move against the Goa’uld queens. We’ve been lucky that his preparations have taken this long, so that we could reach as many Jaffa as we have…and that four of the twelve queens have already been killed by their own slaves, but our time is quickly running out. If we are going to attempt to capture the queens, we must move now!”
“Calm down Jacob, we’ve only been waiting for word from you.” Jack told his friend; half-teasing, half-serious, before continuing. “Okay, teams two through eight need to be gathered together and meet in the Stargate Chamber. The success of Operation Queen Bee hangs on all of our teams attacking at the same time, so that there’s no chance for any warning to be leaked before we can all strike.”
“I’m contacting everyone now.” Tess spoke up.
Sg-1 was team one, of course and the other teams were made up of Stargate personnel and Antarians; some of which were not attending that meeting.
As everyone rose from their seats and began to leave, Max smiled to himself as he noticed Jack and Sam’s hands clasp together and Daniel tighten his hold around Sha’re’s slim shoulders. He bet he already knew what each couple was quietly discussing amongst themselves as they left the conference room. Jack and Sam, ever the well-trained warriors, were going over their plans for capturing the Goa’uld queen, Basset; Apophis’ ally and Max knew that Daniel was busy trying to convince his beloved wife that she could not come with SG-1 on their mission. Indeed, Sha’re was only waiting until they had reached their room in the Royal Manor, listening to all of her husband’s arguments about why she could not go, before stopping his words with a gently finger placed against his lips.
“Dan’yel, I understand everything that you are telling me, but do you not understand that I have all of those same worries too…about you? My love for you is what made it possible for me to fight my demon and Apophis all those years. My love for you is what helps me to make a new life for us on these two strange planets, instead of on Abydos. And it is my love for you which makes me dread the thought of losing you now that we are finally back together…especially if I must only stay behind and wait for your return.
“Dan’yel, Apophis sent my demon to Basset’s fortress twice; I know my way around it. And I can still use the Goa’uld hand-device as well as the pistols you and Sam have taught me how to shoot. Please my husband, let me come with you so that I may…what is the word? Exorcise the memory of my demon from me forever.”
“And maybe get some revenge on Apophis at the same time?” Daniel asked in an understanding tone.
“YES!” Sha’re cried out adamantly. “I want to hurt him like he hurt me…as he has hurt you…”
“I don’t know what Jack’ll say about you coming along, Sweetheart.” Daniel warned as his determination began to soften.
“Tell him that I can…as he says…watch your back.” Sha’re replied hopefully.
“Okay, okay…” Daniel agreed as he gathered her into his arms. “I’ll ask Jack, but you must promise…promise me that you’ll be careful…that you won’t take any chances…”
“I will, if you will, my husband.” Sha’re replied smiling.
“You know me so well…I love that about you. Sha’re I love you so much.” Daniel murmured desperately before locking his lips onto hers for one, long, passionate kiss before finally pulling away and leaving her to go and find Jack.
Nearly one hour later, the eight teams, the Royal Four and Jacob Carter all met up in the Stargate Chamber and the first address was already being entered into the alien device. The teams would be sent through to their assigned destinations in order of which one had the most distance to travel from Stargate to Goa’uld stronghold, so that hopefully, the eight teams would reach their goals at the same time. The Tok’ra had managed to insert one of their operatives into each court and received valuable Intel from each of them on the eight remaining queens; their strengths, their weaknesses. Also, the Tok’ra had developed an isotope which when injected, would make each team invisible to advanced Goa’uld security sensors, which several of the queens used to protect their citadels from sneak-attacks. And finally, on this mission all of the teams were carrying staff-weapons and/or zats, with only hand-guns for emergency back-up.
Finally it was time for SG-1 to step through, but first they threw a Goa’uld sound-grenade into the worm-hole, to knock out any Jaffa who might be guarding the Gate on the other side. So when the five of them stepped through on the other side, Jaffa, wearing cat-head shaped helmets were lying unconscious all around the chamber.
“Yes…it’s great to be able to use Goa’uld weapons against the snakes themselves.” Jack muttered just loud enough for his team to hear him as he inventoried the room.
“They will not remain unconscious for long, O'Neill.” Teal’c reminded his commander and friend.
“Yeah, let’s get to work and then get out of here.” Jack replied.
Not wishing to call attention to themselves, the five team members moved to drag the Jaffa across the floor until they were all leaning up against the wall of the chamber, their staff-weapons still loosely held within their hands. The hope was that the Jaffa…or their superiors, would jump to the conclusion that that Goa’uld soldiers had all fallen asleep at their posts, rather than that they had been attacked by an invading party coming through the Stargate; especially when that band of invaders would prove to be invisible to the security sensors.
“Okay, let’s go and find our queen bee.” Jack ordered and the rest of them followed him out of the chamber.
The best case scenario would be for them to find the Goa’uld queen, Basset, knock her out and escape; carrying her with them back through the Stargate. And the icing on the cake would be for them to leave behind evidence that the System Lord, Ba’al was the one to have kidnapped her.
“Basset spends much of her time in her throne-room.” Sha’re whispered. “This way.” She said and the others followed her and Teal’c as they led the way.
They had made several turns down the seemingly unending hallways of the palace when the five teammates heard the telltale thump, thump, thump of oncoming guards and Jack signaled them to slip down a side hallway and press against the walls.
‘Man, it’s a good thing that the Jaffa have never figured out how much of a give-away their loud marching is; it’s easy to slip around them.’ Sam thought to herself.
The Jaffa passed by and Jack took another glance around the corner, using his tiny periscope, just to make sure that no one else was coming down the hall and then signaled for the group to move forward. They made two more turns and then Teal’c signaled that they had reached Basset’s throne-room. At that they flattened themselves on each side of the doorway, Jack counted down from three and then they threw the doors open and swept into the room, glancing quickly around for the Goa’uld queen or her Jaffa. But the room was empty and they walked towards each other, still wary to quickly discuss where to search next.
“She may be in her private chambers.” Sha’re suggested. They are through that door.” She pointed to the right.
“I believe there are extensive gardens on the palace grounds, are there not? She may be out in them.” Teal’c suggested as well, pointing to the archway on the left.
“Okay, I’d rather not split up if we don’t have to. Let’s try searching the private quarters first.” Jack ordered.
They all had turned towards the right hand archway when two Jaffa suddenly appeared in the doorway. Shock delayed any action by the guards for the split-second it took for SG-1 to dive out of the center of the room where the Jaffa brought their staff weapons to bare and then fired. Coming out of forward rolls, Jack, Sam and Teal’c fired back while Daniel instinctively tried to protect Sha’re with his own body. But the effort was unneeded as Sam and Jack’s zat-nick-a-tels found their marks and the guards fell to the ground, dead.
“No help for it.” Daniel murmured to himself. He was more of a “stun-and-run” kind of guy and even though he had killed before, he never set out deliberately to kill the enemy. But this time he knew that none of them could leave anyone who had seen them in the palace, alive. No one must know that the Tau’ri and not Ba’al, had attacked and kidnapped Basset.
More Jaffa could be heard on their way towards a third doorway, directly across from the dais and SG-1 ran for it; Sha’re, Daniel and Sam, to the right; Jack and Teal’c, to the left and it was several moments before each group realized that their teammates were not with them.
“Wait, Sam.” Daniel hissed. “Where are Jack and Teal’c?”
“They must have run through the archway on the other side of the room.” Sam replied and after a moment of thought, Daniel spoke up.
“Am I correct in remembering from our briefing that the throne-room splits this palace in half and that the only way to get to the other side, where Jack and Teal’c are, is by going back through that chamber?”
“Yes, that is correct, Dan’yel.” Sha’re answered.
“Well, I don’t recommend that we go back there now.” Sam stated. “I think we should check out Basset’s personal quarters and then try to hook up with the Colonel and Teal’c later.”
“Sounds like a plan, Sha’re?” Daniel said and then looked at his wife.
“Yes, this way.” Sha’re replied and then began leading the way.
The three of them slipped through the halls without meeting up with any more guards, their position still masked to Goa’uld technology by the isotope in their systems and soon found Basset’s private chambers.
“Empty.” Sam said after they had carefully checked out the luxurious suite.
“Anywhere else we should check on this side of the palace, Sha’re?” Daniel asked.
“No, the communications center is on the other side of the palace.” Sha’re answered. “I think we should try to slip back towards the throne room and find Colonel Jack and Teal’c.”
“Sounds good, let’s go.” Sam ordered.
The three of them had only traveled back through the hallways a short ways when they heard Jaffa approaching and ducked into a nearby room, but peaked through a crack in the mostly closed door.
“Ohhh man, it’s Apophis!” Sam hissed out.
“My tormentor?” Sha’re spat, raising her right hand on which she wore a Goa’uld hand-device.
“No Sha’re!” Daniel cried out, hearing the dozen of Jaffa stomping their way past along with their master. “There are too many of them for us to take out. Let’s complete our mission and let the System Lords do our dirty work for us.”
“They won’t, he will get away again.” Sha’re spat out desperately.
“I know that there is that chance that he might get away in the end, but this operation is the best chance we have to eliminate most, if not all of the Goa’uld; we have to stick with that plan.” Sam reminded her friend sympathetically.
“And if Apophis does get away, we’ll keep after him until he’s dead.” Daniel promised.
Sha’re thought hard for a few moments; emotions easily read on her face, but then nodded and lowered her hand.
“Good, come on, let’s go find Jack so we can tell him what we’ve seen.
~*~
On the other side of the palace, Jack and Teal’c also made the decision to continue with the mission; try to find Basset on their side and then meet up with the others. They did not want to break radio-silence unless they needed to, just in case.
“Let’s check out those gardens, T.” Jack suggested and the former Jaffa nodded in agreement.
A short while later, after several twists and turns, the two men stepped out into the gardens and looked around.
“Nice gardens…shame there’s a snake somewhere out here though.” Jack observed.
“Indeed, O'Neill. Teal’c agreed gravely.
“Let’s check it out.” Jack said stepping forward.
As they moved through the garden, the two men could occasionally see through the plantings to a central area with a fountain.
“I think someone’s sitting by the fountain, T.” Jack murmured to his partner. “Why don’t you circle around and I’ll go this way.”
Teal’c nodded and they moved forward silently. Several minutes later, both men had moved up until they could clearly see that there was indeed a woman sitting by the fountain in an ornate wicker chair.
‘Man, she looks like Cat-Woman in Technicolor!’ Jack thought to himself and tried to suppress a grin.
The woman had short golden hair in soft spikes around her head and she wore a headband with gold cat ears attached which poked out through her hair. She wore a skin-tight cat-suit but it was made of a brightly colored silk in blue, green and gold stripes…And apparently the costume included a tail, because the woman was playing with what looked like a thick, fuzzy, golden rope.
Jack saw Teal’c across the way and nodded. The two men stepped out from their hiding places to confront her, their weapons pointed at her.
“Basset, I presume?” Jack asked sarcastically.
“What insolence is this?” The woman, Basset replied haughtily and stood up.
The fuzzy golden rope was indeed a tail and as she passed her hand over her face, a golden mask appeared. It was that of a cat face, including slitted holes for her flashing green eyes, a cat’s nose and snout and even whiskers.
“Oh please, Halloween’s months away, who dresses like that on a daily basis?” Jack drawled, irreverent as ever.
“More insolence…you shall soon learn to show respect for your god!” Basset cried out and lifted her hand device to shoot, but Jack and Teal’c dove out of her field of fire and came up ready to shoot. As planned, as Teal’c shot ineffectually at Basset’s personal shield with his staff-weapon, Jack aimed a specially designed air-pistol, which delivered a tranquilizer-dart into the Goa’uld queen’s back.
As they had learned with Heru-ur and Osiris, a low velocity, low power projectile, such as a thrown knife or an air-dart, could easily pass through a Goa’uld personal shield while a high velocity bullet or the charge from a staff-weapon could not.
The tranq took effect in seconds; Basset barely aware of being hit by the dart as Teal’c continued to fire at her and she fell to her knees and then face down on the ground, unconscious.
“Splash, one pussy cat.” Jack pumped his fist in victory before Teal’c picked up the woman and slung her over his massive shoulders.
“Let me cuff her wrists and ankles, just to be safe and then I’ll plant the evidence that we brought with us to implicate Ba’al in her abduction and then we’ll be on our way to find the others and get the hell out of Dodge.”
“Very well, O'Neill.” Teal’c replied ever calm.
Jack finished his work and the two men and their captive returned to the palace to find their teammates. Jack even risked one call on the radio.
“Carter, come in.”
“Carter here sir.”
“What’s your situation?” Jack asked.
“We’re fine, but we haven’t been able to complete our objective.” Sam replied.
“Don’t worry, we have.” Jack told her. “Can you make it to the Stargate?”
Continued in next post
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jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Continued from above
“Affirmative, Colonel, but be aware that Apophis and at least two dozen of his Jaffa are on the premises.” Sam warned.
Jack held in the curses he would have liked to spit out at that moment.
“Acknowledged.” Was all he said.
SG-1 met up with each other on Jack and Teal’c’s side of the throne-room and were silently congratulating themselves on another successful mission when all of sudden they heard the thump, thump, thump of Jaffa marching and then a squad of Basset’s guards came around a corner. The leader was First Prime to his Goa’uld mistress and seeing SG-1 he straightened his shoulders and pointed his staff-weapon directly at Jack.
“Hah, we have you surrounded and it will be my great honor to take you to my god, Basset.” He postured boldly, unnoticing of the body slung over Teal’c’s shoulder.
Jack looked around him and saw that actually they were not surrounded at all.
“I think you’ve miscalculated a few things Mylo…we aren’t surrounded…” Jack began, but was interrupted.
“My name is Flod’on and you will show respect.” The Jaffa barked, becoming angry at Jack’s sarcastic tone.
“You have a kitty-cat stamped on your forehead and you’re expecting respect? Not!” Jack replied before leveling his zat-nick-a-tel and firing.
The rest of his team instinctively fired their weapons at the same time, Sha’re catching a few of the Jaffa with her hand-device as well, until all of the guards were dead.
“Let’s get out of here.” Sam urged, heading down the hallway towards the Gate chamber.
“Why does Colonel Jack mock the demons like that? It only angers them more.” Sha’re asked Daniel as they ran down the hallway.
“It throws them off, distracts them so that we can shoot first.” Daniel explained.
“And it’s fun.” Jack called back over his shoulder as he ducked inside the Gateroom…and was brought up short by the sight of Apophis and his snake-headed Jaffa. “Ahh damn!” Jack muttered as the rest of his team came in behind him.
But he did not recon on Sha’re’s reaction to seeing the warriors who served her former captor and tormentor.
“Jaffa kree…and…DIE!” Sha’re cried out, activating the personal shield on Amonet’s old hand-device, which encircled all five of them and then lifted the weapon to fire at the Jaffa, trying to hit the Goa’uld they protected.
Realizing that they could shoot their zats through the protective shield while it protected them from outside blasts, SG-1 began firing as well.
“We can’t let Apophis escape! Don’t let him get anywhere near the door or the ring-transport.” Jack reminded his teammates. “Daniel, do you think you think that you and Sha’re can reach the DHD?”
“Yes, but what about the rest of you? If we go for the dial-home-device, you won’t be protected by Sha’re’s shield anymore.” Daniel asked.
“There’s no other choice…go.” Jack ordered and Daniel nodded reluctantly.
Sha’re reformed her shield around herself and Daniel and then they began making their way quickly towards the DHD; firing at the Jaffa who were already in the process of dialing out. A few of the other Jaffa continued to fire at them, but most of the guards were attempting to protect their master and help inch his way towards the ring-platform.
“Teal’c, cover the doorway, Carter with me.” Jack yelled before he dove into a quick summersault.
He came up firing several yards away from his last position, with Sam coming out of her roll just behind him; both of them taking refuge behind a storage container and shooting from either side of the crate.
“Colonel, Apophis is making towards the ring-platform, we’ve gotta stop him!” Sam yelled before she made another leap and a roll towards the transporter with Jack hot on her heals.
“Back off you snake!” Jack yelled. “Carter, cover me.” He muttered to his 2IC as he quickly drew out his dart-pistol and tried to load it.
Teal’c and Sam were firing as quickly as they could, but one Jaffa managed to get one good shot off towards Jack…and hit his target.
“AhhhOWwww!” Jack yelled but just managed to complete loading the dart-gun and fired it at Apophis.
The dart broke through the protective shield, but missed the Goa’uld by an inch…
…Meanwhile, Daniel and Sha’re had made their way to the DHD, dialed up Earth and the vortex managed to disintegrate two Jaffa who were standing too close to the Gate. But Daniel did not send the IDC. Instead he called the SGC through his radio.
“General, this is Daniel Jackson, I’m going to keep a radio signal flowing through the Stargate to keep the worm-hole open as long as possible, but you must keep the iris closed until I tell you to open it. We’re fighting with Apophis and a bunch of his Jaffa, but we can’t let them escape. Please stand by and be ready to open the iris on a moment’s notice.”
On the other end of the worm-hold, General Hammond tried to think clearly through his shock.
“Dr. Jackson, we could send through some back-up support.” Hammond suggested as he listened to the sound of staff blasts and the screams of…he hoped…the enemy Jaffa.
“No time to redial, General…oh man, I gotta go…” Daniel yelled through the noise of the battle and that was the last word that General Hammond and the rest of the SGC staff heard for several anxious minutes.
“Sha’re, stay here and make sure that no one shuts down this worm-hole, I have to help Jack.” Daniel told her too softly to be heard through the radio’s microphone.
Daniel had seen Jack try to shoot Apophis with his dart-pistol and miss. But with Apophis facing away from him, Daniel decided that he had the best chance of hitting his most hated enemy if he acted right away. Not wanting to try and throw his knife at Apophis from inside of Sha’re’s shield, Daniel stepped away from its protection, unsheathed his knife…and threw it as hard as he could.
“Let this work…” He prayed.
The knife flew through the air and found its target; the back of Apophis’ neck. And while it was too small to decapitate the host, the blade made quick work of cutting off the symbiote’s head, where it had flattened itself and wound its way around the host’s spinal column. But unfortunately, Daniel was paying so much attention to the knife’s arc across the room, that he did not notice the Jaffa who had been following his actions and who now leveled his staff-weapon and fired. Sha’re had been distracted by two other Jaffa and only saw the flash of the staff-weapon as it hit her husband square in the chest.
“DAN’YEL!” She screamed and ran over to him.
Daniel was at best, unconscious and at worst, dead and Sha’re did not take the time to find out which before she turned and focused all of her anguish and hatred on the half-dozen Jaffa who still remained standing. She was joined from the other side of the room by Sam, who was also standing protectively over the unconscious form of Jack and although sporting a wounded shoulder, was shooting with mad deliberation…Teal’c was also firing with great purpose, having witnessed his two comrades’ fall. And it only took a few seconds more until the rest of the Jaffa had joined their fellows in death.
“Oh man…oh my God…” Sam prayed as she frantically gazed around to make sure that all of the Goa’uld were truly dead. “Teal’c, you okay? Check them all out, would you? Make sure that they’re all really dead, especially Apophis. Sha’re, you okay?”
“I am well, MajorCarter.” Teal’c said before going to check on the Jaffa.
“I…I’m alright, Sam, but, but…Dan’yel…my Dan’yel…” Sha’re broke off and slumped to the floor to check out her husband. Then she cried out in Abydonian and Teal’c ran over to her. “Dan’yel, no…stay with me…”
Sam knelt down by Jack and checked him out as well. She was having a hard time concentrating, between Sha’re’s cries and her own anxiety for her friend…and for Jack. He had been hit in the abdomen, but still had a faint pulse.
“Hang in there Colonel…please…”
She looked over to where Daniel lay.
“Sha’re, is Daniel alive?” Sam asked, fearing the worst.
“DanielJackson is alive, but just barely, MajorCarter.” Teal’c answered for the weeping woman.
“I think…we’d better dial up Antar instead of going through to Earth. Will you do that, Teal’c?” Sam asked.
“Of course, I think that might be wise, MajorCarter.” Teal’c replied and rose up out of his crouch to do so. “General Hammond, this is Teal’c. ColonelO'Neill and DanielJackson are badly wounded. I must close down this worm-hole and open up a new one to Antar. I believe that MaxEvans is their only hope now.” Teal’c quickly explained, speaking through his own wrist-radio before shutting down the Stargate and then dialing up another set of co-ordinates.
A moment later, the Stargate burst forth and then settled down to ripple within its circular frame.
“Antarian Security Force, this is Teal’c of the Tau’ri, ColonelJackO’Neill and DoctorDanielJackson are badly injured and in need of immediate medical care.”
“Teal’c, this is Michael Guerin; we’re sending for Max right now. Can you bring them through to us by yourselves or do you want to wait for us to come to you?”
Teal’c looked over to where Sam was applying what first-aid she could to Jack’s wound.
“I don’t think they’ll make the trip through the freezing cold of the worm-hole, Teal’c.” Sam replied, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“We require medical help to come through to our location.” Teal’c replied.
“Okay, Teal’c; Max is coming up the hill right now. Shut down the worm-hole and we’ll redial from this end. What’s your address?” Michael asked and Teal’c told him before shutting down the Stargate yet again.
Just a few miraculously-short moments later, Max, Dr. Ebron, Michael and several other Antarians came through the gate. Max took a quick look around before sending Dr. Ebron over to where Daniel lay and then quick-walked over to where Sam was leaning over Jack. Michael and several of his men spoke to Teal’c and then double-checked all of the Jaffa and Apophis’ body.
“Sam, I need you to move back so that I can help Jack.” Max said firmly, but gently and Sam immediately did as she was told.
Similarly to Dr. Ebron across the room, Max began to run his hands over Jack’s body, but just barely touched it as he diagnosed his patient’s condition and searched for a way to make a connection with the Air Force colonel, since he could not look into Jack’s eyes. But then there it was, the door Max needed to enter Jack’s sub-conscious. He slipped in and as he worked to heal the barely living body, Max was assailed by memories from Jack’s past. Aboard Apophis’ ship two years ago, Jack had walked out of the room, he, Sam, Teal’c and Bray’tac had all been in; searching for Daniel only to find the fourth member of his team slumped against a door-frame with a huge blast wound in the middle of his chest. He listened as Daniel pleaded with him to leave him behind, that Daniel would watch their backs…that he, Daniel was as good as dead. It had been heart-wrenching to walk away from Daniel that day and Jack felt that same awful pain again today as he regained consciousness briefly, just in time to watch it happen all over again. Jack felt such pride as Daniel managed to knife Apophis in the back, but then the emotional grief overcame him as he watched Daniel slump to the ground after being hit in the chest by a staff-blast.
On the other side to the room, Dr. Ebron was seeing almost the same memories as Max was, except from Daniel’s perspective. The incident from a couple of years ago, on Apophis’ ship during which Daniel had nearly died after being blasted in almost the same place as he had been today. Ebron saw Jack’s expression through Daniel’s eyes as the Colonel realized that his friend had sustained a mortal wound…and that he would have to leave him behind…as Daniel promised to use his last few moments of life to watch their backs. Then he saw the excruciating, inch by inch journey that Daniel had made, crawling across the floor to the sarcophagus and somehow dragged himself up and into the alien healing device…
“Oh man…to have to witness your friends…and family…being put into such danger; so badly wounded, time and time again…How do these people do it?’ Dr. Ebron wondered as he finished healing Daniel’s wound and shook his head in wonder.
“What’s wrong, doctor? Will my Dan’yel be okay? Dr. Ebron...?” Sha’re asked in panic, seeing the doctor shake his head, it seemed, sadly.
“Hmmm? Oh, Mrs. Jackson…yes, Dr. Jackson should be fine; I was able to heal his wounds.” Dr. Ebron was sweating; breathing hard and looked exhausted. “It is a good thing that you called us for help though, instead of taking him back to Earth. With all due respect to Janet Fraser’s medical expertise and her incredible determination to keep her patients alive…I don’t think that your husband would have survived if he had been placed under her care this time; his wounds were just too extensive.”
“But he will…live…this time?” Sha’re asked again, still worried.
“Dr. Jackson will need a blood transfusion; he lost a lot of blood…and he will need quite a bit of rest and TLC, but he should make a complete recovery.”
“But, Doctor, what is this TLC?” Sha’re asked, still frightened.
“It is something that I’m sure you have in abundance…tender, loving, care.” Ebron explained, smiling.
“Oh, yes, yes I can give my Dan’yel lots and lots of that!” Sha’re exclaimed happily.
“Good, I’m happy to hear that my patient will be in good hands.” Dr. Ebron assured her wearily. “Let’s see how my Lord King is doing with the Colonel.” Ebron said as he motioned two of the other Antarians over, to keep an eye on Daniel.
Max was just coming out of his trance when Sha’re and Dr. Ebron walked over to them.
“How is Colonel O’Neill sir?” Ebron asked.
“He will be okay.” Max said, taking Sam’s hands in his own and looking straight into her eyes. “I’m glad that I was called to help him, he was very seriously wounded. He will need a blood transfusion, but should heal completely. Dr. Ebron, how is your patient?” Max asked.
“He should be fine, sir…after he also received a blood transfusion and has had quite a bit of rest.” Dr. Ebron reported.
“I’m glad to hear it. Now let’s get our patients ready to transport to Antar. Dr. Ebron, do you concur?” Max checked with the Antarian physician.
“Yes, sir.” Ebron answered.
Everyone worked together to place the two patients on gurneys, cover them up with warm blankets and gather up all of the gear which SG-1 had brought with them, including a still unconscious Basset; they still did not want to leave any evidence of their having been there, behind. But it was not until the Stargate was dialing up Antar that Max noticed the blood on Sam’s arm.
“Sam, why didn’t you tell us that you had been wounded?” Max asked rather angry at himself that he had not noticed Sam’s wound before this.
“It’s nothing much, it can wait until we get to Antar.” Sam replied. “I didn’t want to worry anyone when Jack and Daniel were so badly injured.”
“Well let’s see it now; I don’t want you going through the worm-hole with an unprotected, much less an unhealed wound, Major.” Max said authoritatively before helping Sam to roll her sleeve up. “Mmm, well it certainly isn’t ‘nothing’ as you diagnosed, ‘Dr. Carter’, but it should be easily healed…Look into my eyes, Sam.”
Sam looked into Max’s amber eyes and the connection was made. As he healed her arm, Max saw the battle from Sam’s point of view. Just as Jack had fought to protect Sam, protect the rest of his team , complete the mission and kill Apophis and every Jaffa in sight with extreme prejudice…so had Sam fought as well…with the fierceness of a woman in love.
‘Well, well, well, now isn’t that interesting?’ Max thought to himself with satisfaction as he came out of his trance and checked out how well he had healed Sam’s arm; he was truly exhausted now.
“How does it feel, Sam?” Max asked.
“It feels great, Max; just like the first time you healed me. Thanks a lot.” Sam replied happily.
“Good…and now you and my other patients are safe to step through the worm-hole.” Max said motioning for the two gurneys to be picked up and carried through the Stargate with the rest of them following behind.
When the group came through on the other side, Dr. Janet Fraser was there waiting for them.
“How are Daniel and the Colonel?” She demanded, running over to where the two patients had been set down for the moment.
“They sustained very serious injuries, but we were able to heal them almost totally; they should recover completely.” Dr. Ebron reported to his colleague…and lady-love. “Also, Major Carter was wounded in the arm, but I believe that King Zan completely healed that before we left the planet.”
“I’ll check her out. What do you mean by ‘healed almost totally’?” Janet asked.
“They will need blood transfusions, Doctor.” Ebron said, trying to remain professional while dealing with this woman he was falling in love with. “It should be safe to transport them back to Earth now, if you wish, or you could bring a supply of blood and administer it here.”
“Do you truly believe that blood is all that they will need to recover?” Janet asked, trusting this man she was also falling in love with. “They won’t require any further surgery?”
“They shouldn’t, Janet. Why don’t you let us take them to our health facility, you can order a supply of blood and then follow us down and examine them there.” Ebron suggested and Janet nodded.
“Let me contact the General, order one of my staff to bring the blood and then I’ll follow you down.” Janet said.
“I’ll see you soon then.” Ebron said softly, gently.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” Janet agreed, blushing just a little.
When Janet stepped back through the Stargate, she found General Hammond waiting for her at the foot of the ramp and three of her most experienced medics suited up and ready to go, just as she had left them, thirty minutes before.
“Doctor, how are Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?” George Hammond fought to keep the fear he had for the health and safety of his most elite team out of his voice.
“They…should be fine sir. If I may give my people some instructions, sir then I’ll be happy to brief you on their conditions before I head back.” Janet answered.
“Head back?” General Hammond asked, but then held up his hand to forestall her answer. “Go instruct your people, Doctor and then come brief me in my office.”
“Thank you sir.” Janet said before indicating to her medics that they should follow her back to the Infirmary.
Twenty minutes later, Janet Fraser knocked on the General’s door and was called to enter.
“That was fast, Doctor…but if all of SG-1 are fine, as you say, what is this urgency I sense to return to Antar? The Royal Wedding isn’t for ten days.” Hammond asked.
“According to what Dr. Ebron told me, Dr. Jackson took a staff blast directly to his chest and would have died in less than half an hour if Dr. Ebron hadn’t been able to heal him right then and there. Colonel O'Neill took a staff blast directly to his abdominal region and also would have died soon after if Max Evans hadn’t been able to heal him. Also, Major Carter was wounded in her bicep area, but that was more painful than serious and Max Evans quickly healed the burn before they were transported to Antar. What the Colonel and Dr. Jackson do need within the next two hours, to allow them to heal quickly and completely, is blood. They lost a lot of it and Antarian healers can’t replace it for them.”
“I see…” Hammond replied thoughtfully. “And after they’ve been given the transfusion, Doctor?”
“I believe they will be completely recovered and up and around in two days; they only just need to rest after suffering from such trauma, sir.” Janet answered.
“Very well, Doctor, go gather together whatever you need to take with you and I will accompany you through the Gate.” Hammond told her.
“I’m sure that SG-1 would feel quite honored that you came to see them, sir.” Janet said before rising from her chair and leaving the office.
Another twenty minutes passed and Dr. Fraser was back with two of her medics who were carrying small coolers filled with blood packs on their backs.
“Ready to go, Doctor?” General Hammond asked.
“Yes, sir.” Janet replied.
The General nodded and indicated to one of the technicians in the control room to begin the dial-up process. Minutes later, the General and three medical personnel were stepping through the Stargate and coming out on the other side into the Antar Gate chamber.
“General, what a nice surprise.” Liz Parker greeted the SGC personnel.
“Good to see you as well, Dr. Parker.” George replied.
“You’ll be wanting to see the Colonel and Daniel…this way please. I have a hover-craft waiting to take us all down the hill.” Liz told them.
As the hover-craft took them down the hill and into the city, Janet noticed that they had passed the hospital and seemed to be on their way to the Royal Manor.
“Dr. Ebron said that he would be taking our patients to the medical facility?”
“Yes well, that was before he mentioned to the Colonel that he was being taken to the hospital for observation. Jack made such a fuss about how he’d never get any rest in the hospital and wasn’t that the main idea…that Dr. Ebron and Max were the ones persuaded to just allow Daniel and Jack to stay in their quarters. Jack did have a point; the two of them do mostly need to rest. We can set up the blood transfusions for them anywhere and both Max and Dr. Ebron can easily keep an eye on each of them.” Liz finished explaining with a resigned shrug.
“Max and Dr. Ebron don’t have the experience of dealing with Colonel O'Neill when he’s…” Janet glanced over to her C.O. “…uh being a cranky patient.” She amended what she had been about to say and saw Liz hide her own grin.
The hover-craft arrived at the house where Jack and Sam were quartered and it was only then that Liz, feeling guilty that she had not done so before, thought to warn Max and thereby Jack and Sam, that she was bringing General Hammond into their house.
When Janet, General Hammond and one of the medics entered “Jack’s room”, Max was standing beside the bed speaking to his patient and Sam was lounging in a chair across the room, but Hammond’s sharp eyes picked up certain signs that all was not as it seemed.
Jack was laying on the right side of the bed, but there were wrinkles in the blankets on the left side which hinted that someone else had been lying next to him. George also noticed two suitcases which had been stashed away in a corner…and one boot; too small to be Jack’s, poking out from under the left side of the bed. General Hammond saw all of these things and Max watched him as his gaze traveled around the room briefly pausing on the tell-tale signs of dual occupation.
‘I’ll speak to the General after we’ve checked on Daniel.’ Max thought to himself.
“How’re you feeling Colonel, Major?” Hammond asked, concern for his two officers the only emotion which was showing on his face.
“I’m fine, sir; thanks to Max…just a little tired.” Jack admitted.
General Hammond frowned as the realization hit him. If Jack O'Neill was actually admitting to fatigue and willing to lay down, he must truly be exhausted and/or still hurting. And it greatly worried him to contemplate how close to death his second-in-command must have come, if Max Evans could not effect a complete healing.
“I’m fine, sir; also thanks to Max. I was just making sure that the Colonel stayed in bed until Janet arrived.” Sam replied breaking into Hammond’s troubled thoughts.
“Speaking of which, I need to set up a blood transfusion for you Colonel.” Janet piped up, coming forward.
“Oh, I forgot; you’ll need a hook of some sort to hang the IV from won’t you?” Max asked and Janet nodded, looking around for something they could use. “Here will this do?” Max asked.
He reached up, touched the wall behind the bed and seemingly pulled a metal branch horizontally out of the wall. The tip of the branch had a hook in it, just right to hang an IV bag from.
“Uh…thank you, Max.” Janet said; her eyes huge.
“Will you need anything else, do you think?” Max asked her, but Janet could only shake her head no.
“Well, General, perhaps you’d like to go visit Daniel while Dr. Fraser gets to work?” Max suggested.
“Good idea; Colonel, Major, I expect you both to follow any orders Dr. Fraser gives you so that my two best officers can return to duty as soon as possible.” Hammond said sternly.
“Thanks, General.” Jack murmured trying not to watch as Janet plumbed for a vein in his arm.
“Yes, sir; thank you sir.” Sam added before her superior left the room behind Max.
Max led George Hammond through the Royal Gardens and into the Manor; both men deep in thought. When they entered Daniel’s room, they found a medic already there, just completing the set up for the transfusion. Daniel was comfortably tucked into bed and it looked as though Sha’re had been lying beside him although on top of the covers. Now she was partially sitting up, propped on one arm and carefully watching the medic’s activity. But as soon as she saw the General and Max come into the room, she stood up to greet them.
“General Hammond, Max.”
“I see you have our patient well under control.” General Hammond remarked. “How are you feeling Mrs. Jackson?”
“I am fine; it is my Dan’yel I’m worried about.” Sha’re replied stiffly.
“I’ll be okay Honey, you know that.” Daniel told her softly.
“It…doesn’t sound as though you’re fine.” Max said troubled.
“I…I was unable to keep my husband safe or protect his teammates.” Sha’re said guiltily, glancing down.
“Sha’re.” Daniel murmured tiredly from the bed. “We’ve been over this already…If we’d all stayed within your personal shield, Apophis would’ve overwhelmed us easily; your shield couldn’t have lasted forever, stretched like it was.”
“And as Teal’c has reported to me, you could not allow Apophis to escape to warn the other Goa’uld of our plans.” Max assured the distraught woman.
“Sha’re, you saved our lives; you were able to take out most of the Jaffa and keep Apophis distracted enough so that we were able to do what we needed to.” Daniel added and patted the bed beside him. “Please, come and lay down; I know you’re just as tired as I am, Love.”
Sha’re glanced doubtfully at the three men in the room.
“I’m all set here, ma’am.” The medic said, double-checking the IV tubing. “Dr. Fraser will come by to check on Dr. Jackson later, but I’ll leave you for now…General.” He nodded to his C.O. and then left.
“We’ll leave you to rest as well.” General Hammond said kindly. “Both of you get some rest…Mr. Evans, is there somewhere we might speak privately?”
“Of course, General.” Max replied. “I’ll check in on you later.” He told Daniel and Sha’re before motioning the General out of the room and shut the door behind them.
Max led the way downstairs and towards the back of the house where his office was located. The room was not huge, but it had a lovely wall of windows and books lining the other three walls. There was a sofa underneath the windows and a table with four chairs in one corner, while Max’s desk stood in front of one of the book-lined walls. It was a comfortable room, but efficient for a man who had a great deal to do.
“Have a seat, General.” Max motioned towards the sofa and took a seat there himself. “May I offer you something to drink or eat?”
“No thank you, Your Majesty.” General Hammond replied.
‘Uh oh, the General is being formal, something’s wrong. Maybe I should’ve sat behind my desk.’ Max thought to himself. “What can I do for you General?” He asked, sitting up straight and becoming equally formal.
“I’ve been noticing some things…between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill.” The General stated.
“Indeed?” Max replied noncommittally.
“Don’t ‘indeed’ me, Your Majesty!” The General barked, but then modified his tone when Max gave him a reproving look. “I know that you spoke to the President and he’s spoken to me about my two officers…that they’ve fallen in love with ach other and that you have encouraged them to break regulations.”
“We have no such regulations here on Antar, General.” Max replied.
“But they are still under my command, no matter which planet they Gate to and therefore Air Force regulations still apply.” The General shot back. “They could be court marshaled for this.”
“Well, I certainly hope not, General.” Max replied. “Sir, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill have been fighting their feelings for one another since the day they met. During that time they have worked extremely well together and with their teammates…managing to save the Earth how many times, General?” Max asked.
“More times than I can count.” General Hammond admitted and Max shrugged.
“Their feelings all came out because of certain circumstances which happened here, but all without any help from any of us. And yes, I encouraged them to explore their relationship and feelings for each other, but we have regulations here on Antar as well. All of our people are to be in control of their emotions and actions and you cannot control anything if you are not honest about your emotions or, even worse, try to suppress them. I have not seen them, but I know that Sam and Jack have had long discussions with each other…about their thoughts and feelings for each other, about their pasts; what they want for the future and everything in between. They have continued to act properly in public and to complete their duties as excellently as any commander could hope for. Have you noticed any changes in their behavior while they were at the SGC, General?” Max asked.
“No…I haven’t.” Hammond admitted. “And I’ve thought back over the years they’ve served together…after the President spoke to me. In fact, I didn’t notice anything until today and even those signs would’ve been invisible unless you were really looking for them.”
“And has the President made any decision in regards to Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill…have you?” Max asked.
“The President had made his decision, but he wants me to weigh in on it as well. It’s a difficult decision; whether to bend the regs just for two officers. And then what do we do in the future?” The General shook his head. “I am to give the President my decision with the next seven days and he will give Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter his final answer when he comes back to Antar, to attend your wedding.”
“I…see.” Max replied thoughtfully. ‘But you won’t tell me what the President’s decision is or in what direction your own thoughts on the matter are leaning.’ Max thought to himself. ‘But surely the President wouldn’t spoil our festivities by giving a negative decision on our wedding day, or even the day after…would he..?’
TBC Feedback pretty please! I'll post again as soon as I can!
Heh, heh, heh...sorry to be so cruel, but I had to cut this sucker off somewhere or I'd never get it posted...so here's a little anticipation to keep you coming back! ~jane
***Just one last author's note: I have found out a few things about Basset since I included her in this story. My encyclopedia had her listed as Bast or Basset, but she is also called Bastet; I think I was calling her Bast at the beginning...oh well. Also, I just saw on my newly received S5 SG-1 DVD's (!!!) that "Bastet" was one of the System Lords during the episode of "Summit" (but this story takes place during S3). Okay that's all I had to say...TTFN.***
“Affirmative, Colonel, but be aware that Apophis and at least two dozen of his Jaffa are on the premises.” Sam warned.
Jack held in the curses he would have liked to spit out at that moment.
“Acknowledged.” Was all he said.
SG-1 met up with each other on Jack and Teal’c’s side of the throne-room and were silently congratulating themselves on another successful mission when all of sudden they heard the thump, thump, thump of Jaffa marching and then a squad of Basset’s guards came around a corner. The leader was First Prime to his Goa’uld mistress and seeing SG-1 he straightened his shoulders and pointed his staff-weapon directly at Jack.
“Hah, we have you surrounded and it will be my great honor to take you to my god, Basset.” He postured boldly, unnoticing of the body slung over Teal’c’s shoulder.
Jack looked around him and saw that actually they were not surrounded at all.
“I think you’ve miscalculated a few things Mylo…we aren’t surrounded…” Jack began, but was interrupted.
“My name is Flod’on and you will show respect.” The Jaffa barked, becoming angry at Jack’s sarcastic tone.
“You have a kitty-cat stamped on your forehead and you’re expecting respect? Not!” Jack replied before leveling his zat-nick-a-tel and firing.
The rest of his team instinctively fired their weapons at the same time, Sha’re catching a few of the Jaffa with her hand-device as well, until all of the guards were dead.
“Let’s get out of here.” Sam urged, heading down the hallway towards the Gate chamber.
“Why does Colonel Jack mock the demons like that? It only angers them more.” Sha’re asked Daniel as they ran down the hallway.
“It throws them off, distracts them so that we can shoot first.” Daniel explained.
“And it’s fun.” Jack called back over his shoulder as he ducked inside the Gateroom…and was brought up short by the sight of Apophis and his snake-headed Jaffa. “Ahh damn!” Jack muttered as the rest of his team came in behind him.
But he did not recon on Sha’re’s reaction to seeing the warriors who served her former captor and tormentor.
“Jaffa kree…and…DIE!” Sha’re cried out, activating the personal shield on Amonet’s old hand-device, which encircled all five of them and then lifted the weapon to fire at the Jaffa, trying to hit the Goa’uld they protected.
Realizing that they could shoot their zats through the protective shield while it protected them from outside blasts, SG-1 began firing as well.
“We can’t let Apophis escape! Don’t let him get anywhere near the door or the ring-transport.” Jack reminded his teammates. “Daniel, do you think you think that you and Sha’re can reach the DHD?”
“Yes, but what about the rest of you? If we go for the dial-home-device, you won’t be protected by Sha’re’s shield anymore.” Daniel asked.
“There’s no other choice…go.” Jack ordered and Daniel nodded reluctantly.
Sha’re reformed her shield around herself and Daniel and then they began making their way quickly towards the DHD; firing at the Jaffa who were already in the process of dialing out. A few of the other Jaffa continued to fire at them, but most of the guards were attempting to protect their master and help inch his way towards the ring-platform.
“Teal’c, cover the doorway, Carter with me.” Jack yelled before he dove into a quick summersault.
He came up firing several yards away from his last position, with Sam coming out of her roll just behind him; both of them taking refuge behind a storage container and shooting from either side of the crate.
“Colonel, Apophis is making towards the ring-platform, we’ve gotta stop him!” Sam yelled before she made another leap and a roll towards the transporter with Jack hot on her heals.
“Back off you snake!” Jack yelled. “Carter, cover me.” He muttered to his 2IC as he quickly drew out his dart-pistol and tried to load it.
Teal’c and Sam were firing as quickly as they could, but one Jaffa managed to get one good shot off towards Jack…and hit his target.
“AhhhOWwww!” Jack yelled but just managed to complete loading the dart-gun and fired it at Apophis.
The dart broke through the protective shield, but missed the Goa’uld by an inch…
…Meanwhile, Daniel and Sha’re had made their way to the DHD, dialed up Earth and the vortex managed to disintegrate two Jaffa who were standing too close to the Gate. But Daniel did not send the IDC. Instead he called the SGC through his radio.
“General, this is Daniel Jackson, I’m going to keep a radio signal flowing through the Stargate to keep the worm-hole open as long as possible, but you must keep the iris closed until I tell you to open it. We’re fighting with Apophis and a bunch of his Jaffa, but we can’t let them escape. Please stand by and be ready to open the iris on a moment’s notice.”
On the other end of the worm-hold, General Hammond tried to think clearly through his shock.
“Dr. Jackson, we could send through some back-up support.” Hammond suggested as he listened to the sound of staff blasts and the screams of…he hoped…the enemy Jaffa.
“No time to redial, General…oh man, I gotta go…” Daniel yelled through the noise of the battle and that was the last word that General Hammond and the rest of the SGC staff heard for several anxious minutes.
“Sha’re, stay here and make sure that no one shuts down this worm-hole, I have to help Jack.” Daniel told her too softly to be heard through the radio’s microphone.
Daniel had seen Jack try to shoot Apophis with his dart-pistol and miss. But with Apophis facing away from him, Daniel decided that he had the best chance of hitting his most hated enemy if he acted right away. Not wanting to try and throw his knife at Apophis from inside of Sha’re’s shield, Daniel stepped away from its protection, unsheathed his knife…and threw it as hard as he could.
“Let this work…” He prayed.
The knife flew through the air and found its target; the back of Apophis’ neck. And while it was too small to decapitate the host, the blade made quick work of cutting off the symbiote’s head, where it had flattened itself and wound its way around the host’s spinal column. But unfortunately, Daniel was paying so much attention to the knife’s arc across the room, that he did not notice the Jaffa who had been following his actions and who now leveled his staff-weapon and fired. Sha’re had been distracted by two other Jaffa and only saw the flash of the staff-weapon as it hit her husband square in the chest.
“DAN’YEL!” She screamed and ran over to him.
Daniel was at best, unconscious and at worst, dead and Sha’re did not take the time to find out which before she turned and focused all of her anguish and hatred on the half-dozen Jaffa who still remained standing. She was joined from the other side of the room by Sam, who was also standing protectively over the unconscious form of Jack and although sporting a wounded shoulder, was shooting with mad deliberation…Teal’c was also firing with great purpose, having witnessed his two comrades’ fall. And it only took a few seconds more until the rest of the Jaffa had joined their fellows in death.
“Oh man…oh my God…” Sam prayed as she frantically gazed around to make sure that all of the Goa’uld were truly dead. “Teal’c, you okay? Check them all out, would you? Make sure that they’re all really dead, especially Apophis. Sha’re, you okay?”
“I am well, MajorCarter.” Teal’c said before going to check on the Jaffa.
“I…I’m alright, Sam, but, but…Dan’yel…my Dan’yel…” Sha’re broke off and slumped to the floor to check out her husband. Then she cried out in Abydonian and Teal’c ran over to her. “Dan’yel, no…stay with me…”
Sam knelt down by Jack and checked him out as well. She was having a hard time concentrating, between Sha’re’s cries and her own anxiety for her friend…and for Jack. He had been hit in the abdomen, but still had a faint pulse.
“Hang in there Colonel…please…”
She looked over to where Daniel lay.
“Sha’re, is Daniel alive?” Sam asked, fearing the worst.
“DanielJackson is alive, but just barely, MajorCarter.” Teal’c answered for the weeping woman.
“I think…we’d better dial up Antar instead of going through to Earth. Will you do that, Teal’c?” Sam asked.
“Of course, I think that might be wise, MajorCarter.” Teal’c replied and rose up out of his crouch to do so. “General Hammond, this is Teal’c. ColonelO'Neill and DanielJackson are badly wounded. I must close down this worm-hole and open up a new one to Antar. I believe that MaxEvans is their only hope now.” Teal’c quickly explained, speaking through his own wrist-radio before shutting down the Stargate and then dialing up another set of co-ordinates.
A moment later, the Stargate burst forth and then settled down to ripple within its circular frame.
“Antarian Security Force, this is Teal’c of the Tau’ri, ColonelJackO’Neill and DoctorDanielJackson are badly injured and in need of immediate medical care.”
“Teal’c, this is Michael Guerin; we’re sending for Max right now. Can you bring them through to us by yourselves or do you want to wait for us to come to you?”
Teal’c looked over to where Sam was applying what first-aid she could to Jack’s wound.
“I don’t think they’ll make the trip through the freezing cold of the worm-hole, Teal’c.” Sam replied, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“We require medical help to come through to our location.” Teal’c replied.
“Okay, Teal’c; Max is coming up the hill right now. Shut down the worm-hole and we’ll redial from this end. What’s your address?” Michael asked and Teal’c told him before shutting down the Stargate yet again.
Just a few miraculously-short moments later, Max, Dr. Ebron, Michael and several other Antarians came through the gate. Max took a quick look around before sending Dr. Ebron over to where Daniel lay and then quick-walked over to where Sam was leaning over Jack. Michael and several of his men spoke to Teal’c and then double-checked all of the Jaffa and Apophis’ body.
“Sam, I need you to move back so that I can help Jack.” Max said firmly, but gently and Sam immediately did as she was told.
Similarly to Dr. Ebron across the room, Max began to run his hands over Jack’s body, but just barely touched it as he diagnosed his patient’s condition and searched for a way to make a connection with the Air Force colonel, since he could not look into Jack’s eyes. But then there it was, the door Max needed to enter Jack’s sub-conscious. He slipped in and as he worked to heal the barely living body, Max was assailed by memories from Jack’s past. Aboard Apophis’ ship two years ago, Jack had walked out of the room, he, Sam, Teal’c and Bray’tac had all been in; searching for Daniel only to find the fourth member of his team slumped against a door-frame with a huge blast wound in the middle of his chest. He listened as Daniel pleaded with him to leave him behind, that Daniel would watch their backs…that he, Daniel was as good as dead. It had been heart-wrenching to walk away from Daniel that day and Jack felt that same awful pain again today as he regained consciousness briefly, just in time to watch it happen all over again. Jack felt such pride as Daniel managed to knife Apophis in the back, but then the emotional grief overcame him as he watched Daniel slump to the ground after being hit in the chest by a staff-blast.
On the other side to the room, Dr. Ebron was seeing almost the same memories as Max was, except from Daniel’s perspective. The incident from a couple of years ago, on Apophis’ ship during which Daniel had nearly died after being blasted in almost the same place as he had been today. Ebron saw Jack’s expression through Daniel’s eyes as the Colonel realized that his friend had sustained a mortal wound…and that he would have to leave him behind…as Daniel promised to use his last few moments of life to watch their backs. Then he saw the excruciating, inch by inch journey that Daniel had made, crawling across the floor to the sarcophagus and somehow dragged himself up and into the alien healing device…
“Oh man…to have to witness your friends…and family…being put into such danger; so badly wounded, time and time again…How do these people do it?’ Dr. Ebron wondered as he finished healing Daniel’s wound and shook his head in wonder.
“What’s wrong, doctor? Will my Dan’yel be okay? Dr. Ebron...?” Sha’re asked in panic, seeing the doctor shake his head, it seemed, sadly.
“Hmmm? Oh, Mrs. Jackson…yes, Dr. Jackson should be fine; I was able to heal his wounds.” Dr. Ebron was sweating; breathing hard and looked exhausted. “It is a good thing that you called us for help though, instead of taking him back to Earth. With all due respect to Janet Fraser’s medical expertise and her incredible determination to keep her patients alive…I don’t think that your husband would have survived if he had been placed under her care this time; his wounds were just too extensive.”
“But he will…live…this time?” Sha’re asked again, still worried.
“Dr. Jackson will need a blood transfusion; he lost a lot of blood…and he will need quite a bit of rest and TLC, but he should make a complete recovery.”
“But, Doctor, what is this TLC?” Sha’re asked, still frightened.
“It is something that I’m sure you have in abundance…tender, loving, care.” Ebron explained, smiling.
“Oh, yes, yes I can give my Dan’yel lots and lots of that!” Sha’re exclaimed happily.
“Good, I’m happy to hear that my patient will be in good hands.” Dr. Ebron assured her wearily. “Let’s see how my Lord King is doing with the Colonel.” Ebron said as he motioned two of the other Antarians over, to keep an eye on Daniel.
Max was just coming out of his trance when Sha’re and Dr. Ebron walked over to them.
“How is Colonel O’Neill sir?” Ebron asked.
“He will be okay.” Max said, taking Sam’s hands in his own and looking straight into her eyes. “I’m glad that I was called to help him, he was very seriously wounded. He will need a blood transfusion, but should heal completely. Dr. Ebron, how is your patient?” Max asked.
“He should be fine, sir…after he also received a blood transfusion and has had quite a bit of rest.” Dr. Ebron reported.
“I’m glad to hear it. Now let’s get our patients ready to transport to Antar. Dr. Ebron, do you concur?” Max checked with the Antarian physician.
“Yes, sir.” Ebron answered.
Everyone worked together to place the two patients on gurneys, cover them up with warm blankets and gather up all of the gear which SG-1 had brought with them, including a still unconscious Basset; they still did not want to leave any evidence of their having been there, behind. But it was not until the Stargate was dialing up Antar that Max noticed the blood on Sam’s arm.
“Sam, why didn’t you tell us that you had been wounded?” Max asked rather angry at himself that he had not noticed Sam’s wound before this.
“It’s nothing much, it can wait until we get to Antar.” Sam replied. “I didn’t want to worry anyone when Jack and Daniel were so badly injured.”
“Well let’s see it now; I don’t want you going through the worm-hole with an unprotected, much less an unhealed wound, Major.” Max said authoritatively before helping Sam to roll her sleeve up. “Mmm, well it certainly isn’t ‘nothing’ as you diagnosed, ‘Dr. Carter’, but it should be easily healed…Look into my eyes, Sam.”
Sam looked into Max’s amber eyes and the connection was made. As he healed her arm, Max saw the battle from Sam’s point of view. Just as Jack had fought to protect Sam, protect the rest of his team , complete the mission and kill Apophis and every Jaffa in sight with extreme prejudice…so had Sam fought as well…with the fierceness of a woman in love.
‘Well, well, well, now isn’t that interesting?’ Max thought to himself with satisfaction as he came out of his trance and checked out how well he had healed Sam’s arm; he was truly exhausted now.
“How does it feel, Sam?” Max asked.
“It feels great, Max; just like the first time you healed me. Thanks a lot.” Sam replied happily.
“Good…and now you and my other patients are safe to step through the worm-hole.” Max said motioning for the two gurneys to be picked up and carried through the Stargate with the rest of them following behind.
When the group came through on the other side, Dr. Janet Fraser was there waiting for them.
“How are Daniel and the Colonel?” She demanded, running over to where the two patients had been set down for the moment.
“They sustained very serious injuries, but we were able to heal them almost totally; they should recover completely.” Dr. Ebron reported to his colleague…and lady-love. “Also, Major Carter was wounded in the arm, but I believe that King Zan completely healed that before we left the planet.”
“I’ll check her out. What do you mean by ‘healed almost totally’?” Janet asked.
“They will need blood transfusions, Doctor.” Ebron said, trying to remain professional while dealing with this woman he was falling in love with. “It should be safe to transport them back to Earth now, if you wish, or you could bring a supply of blood and administer it here.”
“Do you truly believe that blood is all that they will need to recover?” Janet asked, trusting this man she was also falling in love with. “They won’t require any further surgery?”
“They shouldn’t, Janet. Why don’t you let us take them to our health facility, you can order a supply of blood and then follow us down and examine them there.” Ebron suggested and Janet nodded.
“Let me contact the General, order one of my staff to bring the blood and then I’ll follow you down.” Janet said.
“I’ll see you soon then.” Ebron said softly, gently.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” Janet agreed, blushing just a little.
When Janet stepped back through the Stargate, she found General Hammond waiting for her at the foot of the ramp and three of her most experienced medics suited up and ready to go, just as she had left them, thirty minutes before.
“Doctor, how are Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?” George Hammond fought to keep the fear he had for the health and safety of his most elite team out of his voice.
“They…should be fine sir. If I may give my people some instructions, sir then I’ll be happy to brief you on their conditions before I head back.” Janet answered.
“Head back?” General Hammond asked, but then held up his hand to forestall her answer. “Go instruct your people, Doctor and then come brief me in my office.”
“Thank you sir.” Janet said before indicating to her medics that they should follow her back to the Infirmary.
Twenty minutes later, Janet Fraser knocked on the General’s door and was called to enter.
“That was fast, Doctor…but if all of SG-1 are fine, as you say, what is this urgency I sense to return to Antar? The Royal Wedding isn’t for ten days.” Hammond asked.
“According to what Dr. Ebron told me, Dr. Jackson took a staff blast directly to his chest and would have died in less than half an hour if Dr. Ebron hadn’t been able to heal him right then and there. Colonel O'Neill took a staff blast directly to his abdominal region and also would have died soon after if Max Evans hadn’t been able to heal him. Also, Major Carter was wounded in her bicep area, but that was more painful than serious and Max Evans quickly healed the burn before they were transported to Antar. What the Colonel and Dr. Jackson do need within the next two hours, to allow them to heal quickly and completely, is blood. They lost a lot of it and Antarian healers can’t replace it for them.”
“I see…” Hammond replied thoughtfully. “And after they’ve been given the transfusion, Doctor?”
“I believe they will be completely recovered and up and around in two days; they only just need to rest after suffering from such trauma, sir.” Janet answered.
“Very well, Doctor, go gather together whatever you need to take with you and I will accompany you through the Gate.” Hammond told her.
“I’m sure that SG-1 would feel quite honored that you came to see them, sir.” Janet said before rising from her chair and leaving the office.
Another twenty minutes passed and Dr. Fraser was back with two of her medics who were carrying small coolers filled with blood packs on their backs.
“Ready to go, Doctor?” General Hammond asked.
“Yes, sir.” Janet replied.
The General nodded and indicated to one of the technicians in the control room to begin the dial-up process. Minutes later, the General and three medical personnel were stepping through the Stargate and coming out on the other side into the Antar Gate chamber.
“General, what a nice surprise.” Liz Parker greeted the SGC personnel.
“Good to see you as well, Dr. Parker.” George replied.
“You’ll be wanting to see the Colonel and Daniel…this way please. I have a hover-craft waiting to take us all down the hill.” Liz told them.
As the hover-craft took them down the hill and into the city, Janet noticed that they had passed the hospital and seemed to be on their way to the Royal Manor.
“Dr. Ebron said that he would be taking our patients to the medical facility?”
“Yes well, that was before he mentioned to the Colonel that he was being taken to the hospital for observation. Jack made such a fuss about how he’d never get any rest in the hospital and wasn’t that the main idea…that Dr. Ebron and Max were the ones persuaded to just allow Daniel and Jack to stay in their quarters. Jack did have a point; the two of them do mostly need to rest. We can set up the blood transfusions for them anywhere and both Max and Dr. Ebron can easily keep an eye on each of them.” Liz finished explaining with a resigned shrug.
“Max and Dr. Ebron don’t have the experience of dealing with Colonel O'Neill when he’s…” Janet glanced over to her C.O. “…uh being a cranky patient.” She amended what she had been about to say and saw Liz hide her own grin.
The hover-craft arrived at the house where Jack and Sam were quartered and it was only then that Liz, feeling guilty that she had not done so before, thought to warn Max and thereby Jack and Sam, that she was bringing General Hammond into their house.
When Janet, General Hammond and one of the medics entered “Jack’s room”, Max was standing beside the bed speaking to his patient and Sam was lounging in a chair across the room, but Hammond’s sharp eyes picked up certain signs that all was not as it seemed.
Jack was laying on the right side of the bed, but there were wrinkles in the blankets on the left side which hinted that someone else had been lying next to him. George also noticed two suitcases which had been stashed away in a corner…and one boot; too small to be Jack’s, poking out from under the left side of the bed. General Hammond saw all of these things and Max watched him as his gaze traveled around the room briefly pausing on the tell-tale signs of dual occupation.
‘I’ll speak to the General after we’ve checked on Daniel.’ Max thought to himself.
“How’re you feeling Colonel, Major?” Hammond asked, concern for his two officers the only emotion which was showing on his face.
“I’m fine, sir; thanks to Max…just a little tired.” Jack admitted.
General Hammond frowned as the realization hit him. If Jack O'Neill was actually admitting to fatigue and willing to lay down, he must truly be exhausted and/or still hurting. And it greatly worried him to contemplate how close to death his second-in-command must have come, if Max Evans could not effect a complete healing.
“I’m fine, sir; also thanks to Max. I was just making sure that the Colonel stayed in bed until Janet arrived.” Sam replied breaking into Hammond’s troubled thoughts.
“Speaking of which, I need to set up a blood transfusion for you Colonel.” Janet piped up, coming forward.
“Oh, I forgot; you’ll need a hook of some sort to hang the IV from won’t you?” Max asked and Janet nodded, looking around for something they could use. “Here will this do?” Max asked.
He reached up, touched the wall behind the bed and seemingly pulled a metal branch horizontally out of the wall. The tip of the branch had a hook in it, just right to hang an IV bag from.
“Uh…thank you, Max.” Janet said; her eyes huge.
“Will you need anything else, do you think?” Max asked her, but Janet could only shake her head no.
“Well, General, perhaps you’d like to go visit Daniel while Dr. Fraser gets to work?” Max suggested.
“Good idea; Colonel, Major, I expect you both to follow any orders Dr. Fraser gives you so that my two best officers can return to duty as soon as possible.” Hammond said sternly.
“Thanks, General.” Jack murmured trying not to watch as Janet plumbed for a vein in his arm.
“Yes, sir; thank you sir.” Sam added before her superior left the room behind Max.
Max led George Hammond through the Royal Gardens and into the Manor; both men deep in thought. When they entered Daniel’s room, they found a medic already there, just completing the set up for the transfusion. Daniel was comfortably tucked into bed and it looked as though Sha’re had been lying beside him although on top of the covers. Now she was partially sitting up, propped on one arm and carefully watching the medic’s activity. But as soon as she saw the General and Max come into the room, she stood up to greet them.
“General Hammond, Max.”
“I see you have our patient well under control.” General Hammond remarked. “How are you feeling Mrs. Jackson?”
“I am fine; it is my Dan’yel I’m worried about.” Sha’re replied stiffly.
“I’ll be okay Honey, you know that.” Daniel told her softly.
“It…doesn’t sound as though you’re fine.” Max said troubled.
“I…I was unable to keep my husband safe or protect his teammates.” Sha’re said guiltily, glancing down.
“Sha’re.” Daniel murmured tiredly from the bed. “We’ve been over this already…If we’d all stayed within your personal shield, Apophis would’ve overwhelmed us easily; your shield couldn’t have lasted forever, stretched like it was.”
“And as Teal’c has reported to me, you could not allow Apophis to escape to warn the other Goa’uld of our plans.” Max assured the distraught woman.
“Sha’re, you saved our lives; you were able to take out most of the Jaffa and keep Apophis distracted enough so that we were able to do what we needed to.” Daniel added and patted the bed beside him. “Please, come and lay down; I know you’re just as tired as I am, Love.”
Sha’re glanced doubtfully at the three men in the room.
“I’m all set here, ma’am.” The medic said, double-checking the IV tubing. “Dr. Fraser will come by to check on Dr. Jackson later, but I’ll leave you for now…General.” He nodded to his C.O. and then left.
“We’ll leave you to rest as well.” General Hammond said kindly. “Both of you get some rest…Mr. Evans, is there somewhere we might speak privately?”
“Of course, General.” Max replied. “I’ll check in on you later.” He told Daniel and Sha’re before motioning the General out of the room and shut the door behind them.
Max led the way downstairs and towards the back of the house where his office was located. The room was not huge, but it had a lovely wall of windows and books lining the other three walls. There was a sofa underneath the windows and a table with four chairs in one corner, while Max’s desk stood in front of one of the book-lined walls. It was a comfortable room, but efficient for a man who had a great deal to do.
“Have a seat, General.” Max motioned towards the sofa and took a seat there himself. “May I offer you something to drink or eat?”
“No thank you, Your Majesty.” General Hammond replied.
‘Uh oh, the General is being formal, something’s wrong. Maybe I should’ve sat behind my desk.’ Max thought to himself. “What can I do for you General?” He asked, sitting up straight and becoming equally formal.
“I’ve been noticing some things…between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill.” The General stated.
“Indeed?” Max replied noncommittally.
“Don’t ‘indeed’ me, Your Majesty!” The General barked, but then modified his tone when Max gave him a reproving look. “I know that you spoke to the President and he’s spoken to me about my two officers…that they’ve fallen in love with ach other and that you have encouraged them to break regulations.”
“We have no such regulations here on Antar, General.” Max replied.
“But they are still under my command, no matter which planet they Gate to and therefore Air Force regulations still apply.” The General shot back. “They could be court marshaled for this.”
“Well, I certainly hope not, General.” Max replied. “Sir, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill have been fighting their feelings for one another since the day they met. During that time they have worked extremely well together and with their teammates…managing to save the Earth how many times, General?” Max asked.
“More times than I can count.” General Hammond admitted and Max shrugged.
“Their feelings all came out because of certain circumstances which happened here, but all without any help from any of us. And yes, I encouraged them to explore their relationship and feelings for each other, but we have regulations here on Antar as well. All of our people are to be in control of their emotions and actions and you cannot control anything if you are not honest about your emotions or, even worse, try to suppress them. I have not seen them, but I know that Sam and Jack have had long discussions with each other…about their thoughts and feelings for each other, about their pasts; what they want for the future and everything in between. They have continued to act properly in public and to complete their duties as excellently as any commander could hope for. Have you noticed any changes in their behavior while they were at the SGC, General?” Max asked.
“No…I haven’t.” Hammond admitted. “And I’ve thought back over the years they’ve served together…after the President spoke to me. In fact, I didn’t notice anything until today and even those signs would’ve been invisible unless you were really looking for them.”
“And has the President made any decision in regards to Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill…have you?” Max asked.
“The President had made his decision, but he wants me to weigh in on it as well. It’s a difficult decision; whether to bend the regs just for two officers. And then what do we do in the future?” The General shook his head. “I am to give the President my decision with the next seven days and he will give Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter his final answer when he comes back to Antar, to attend your wedding.”
“I…see.” Max replied thoughtfully. ‘But you won’t tell me what the President’s decision is or in what direction your own thoughts on the matter are leaning.’ Max thought to himself. ‘But surely the President wouldn’t spoil our festivities by giving a negative decision on our wedding day, or even the day after…would he..?’
TBC Feedback pretty please! I'll post again as soon as I can!
Heh, heh, heh...sorry to be so cruel, but I had to cut this sucker off somewhere or I'd never get it posted...so here's a little anticipation to keep you coming back! ~jane
***Just one last author's note: I have found out a few things about Basset since I included her in this story. My encyclopedia had her listed as Bast or Basset, but she is also called Bastet; I think I was calling her Bast at the beginning...oh well. Also, I just saw on my newly received S5 SG-1 DVD's (!!!) that "Bastet" was one of the System Lords during the episode of "Summit" (but this story takes place during S3). Okay that's all I had to say...TTFN.***
-
jane
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2001 4:58 pm
- Location: Sub-level 28, Stargate Command
Okay everyone, here's the Last Chapter (except for the epilogue), hope you all enjoy it! ~jane
Stargazers/Stargaters Chapter 40
General Hammond stepped through the Stargate back into the SGC and found Teal’c waiting for him at the base of the ramp.
“GeneralHammond.” Teal’c greeted his C.O. with a brief bow. “How are ColonelO’Neill, DanielJackson and MajorCarter?”
Teal’c had seen his wounded teammates through the Antar Stargate before he had taken Basset through to the planet where they were holding all of the captured Goa’uld queens.
“They’re doing pretty well, considering.” General Hammond replied, shuddering at the close call his flag-ship team had just weathered. “Dr. Fraser is administering blood transfusions to Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson and Major Carter has been ordered to rest for the next three days. How did delivering Basset to the safe-planet go?”
“Everything went as planned, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c replied.
The Goa’uld queens were being held on a planet uncharted by any of their kind. A team of Antarians and SGC personnel were guarding them just in case they might be needed for some reason, as the Goa’uld continued to fight each other. And while the hostilities wore on, the Antarians were using their psi-powers to probe the minds of the queens for any information they could; genetics, weaponry…and to see if any of the queens might turn Tok’ra.
“Very well, Teal’c. I’ll be debriefing SG-1 in a few days, after your teammates have recovered, but why don’t you come up to my office and tell me what you can, now?”
“Of course, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c agreed.
The two men walked up the stairs and entered the General’s office. Teal’c reported what he could about their mission and then requested permission to return to Antar, which was granted.
Over the next several hours, the remaining seven teams returned from their missions; all successful. Only one of the teams had any injuries but they were not severe. And only one of the queens had been killed while evading capture, but the evidence, pointing to another Goa’uld as her murderer, was able to be planted anyway. Reports were also coming in from the Tok’ra already, on the effectiveness and repercussions of Operation Queen Bee on the remaining Goa’uld.
The Tok’ra believed that all Goa’uld might be pulled into the war; System Lord down to minor snake, they were all dependent upon the queens. Battles were already breaking out but because so many Jaffa had left their masters, the Goa’uld were finally having to fight each other, rather than each other’s Jaffa armies. Also, most of the Goa’uld no longer trusted their Jaffa after hearing reports in past weeks of their fellow snakes being assassinated by their former slaves and many had dismissed or banished their armies even without Antarian intervention.
~*~
Over the next week, reports coming in and activities going on, both on Earth as well as on Antar became many and varied. Reports of the escalating Goa’uld war were offset by the preparations for the Royal Weddings.
“It’s a good thing that Earth is in such a ‘back-water’ region of space.” Jack O'Neill commented, during SG-1’s debriefing with General Hammond. “Now that Ra, Hathor, Seth, Apophis and Osiris are all dead, none of the other Goa’uld should be interested in us.”
“So hopefully they won’t decide to come and fight over us; like dogs over a juicy bone.” Daniel added.
“Exactly right, gentlemen” General Hammond replied. “I want to commend you all on the successfulness of your mission. You and the other seven teams have all achieved something very important for Earth, Antar and the rest of this galaxy…being the catalysts for the Goa’uld’s final downfall! In fact…there is to be a medal-ceremony, to be held on Antar right after the Royal Weddings. The President and King Zan will officiate.”
“Uh…wow, General; that sound fantastic!” Daniel spoke up.
“It was nothing, really.” Jack deadpanned.
“Thank you, sir; I don’t think any of us were expecting that.” Sam replied while gently kicking Jack under the table.
“Indeed that is very good news, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c replied.
“My Dan’yel…being given a medal!” Sha’re sighed proudly.
“And you too, Mrs. Jackson.” General Hammond assured her as Daniel grinned down at her.
“Me? But, but…” Sha’re sputtered.
“My brave Sha’re, being given a medal!” Daniel repeated her line and Sam blushed when she saw Jack mouth “ditto” at her from across the table.
“Uh, General, do you have any news about the fate of Ba’al?” Sam asked. “Since we killed Apophis, who was supposed to go after him for abducting his queen…”
“That snake was implicated in two other queen abductions, Carter, so at least two other Goa’uld will be gunning for him, never fear.” Jack replied all business again.
“Well, are there any other questions?” General Hammond asked. “You’re dismissed then.” He smiled to his favorite team.
“Great, with just three days until the weddings there’s a lot left to do.” Daniel said as they all rose from their seats.
“I will see you in three days then.” General Hammond said before stepping into his office to answer his red phone; the hot-line to the President.
On the way down the hallway, Jack thought of something he needed to ask his C.O. after all and doubled back towards the General’s office. When he reached the door, Jack raised his hand to knock but then faintly heard the General’s voice as he spoke on the phone.
“Yes, Mr. President, I know it’s been seven days…yes, sir, I’ve made my decision.”
But just then, two science personnel passed by, speaking in technobabble and Jack was unable to hear what the General’s decision about whatever-the-problem-was, had been.
“When do you want to tell them?” The General was still on the phone and yet another two men, SFs this time, came by blocking out the General’s next words.
The phone call seemed to have concluded, but when Jack raised his hand to knock again, he realized that he had forgotten what he wanted to ask his C.O. and stomped off down the hallway, frustrated. And half an hour after Jack’s unwitting and unproductive moments of eavesdropping, SG-1 was ready to return to Antar. Accompanying them were four members of the Secret Service, who were gating to Antar yet again to set up security for the President.
Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca were waiting to greet them in Antar’s Gate-chamber. Michael, the stoic, but efficient General was there to guide the Secret Service agents, while Maria; overexcited to the point of hyperventilating bride-to-be, was to guide SG-1 and Sha’re to where the wedding preparations were being coordinated.
“They won’t let me go beyond the outer door of the building, to see any of the preparations and it’s just killing me not knowing what’s going on…I mean, this is My wedding after all, I should know what’s going on shouldn’t I?...I don’t know how Isabel’s handling all of this, she’s such a control-freak…in fact, I haven’t seen her in a day or two…do you think they’ve, like…sedated her or locked her up in a room without any windows, to keep her from finding out what’s going on? Hey, you guys are all into that top-secret-sneaking-around kinda stuff, do you think you could find out what they’ve done with Isabel? And you’d tell me the truth, right…I mean after you’ve found out what the truth is…hey, I haven’t seen Tess around lately either, do you think they’ve locked her up too?”
“Maria, Maria! Chill out, will you?” Sam chuckled at her excitable friend. “I know it’s nerve-racking, waiting for the big day, but you need to calm down; I’m sure that everything will be wonderful.”
“Calm, who says I’m not calm? I think I have the right to not be calm okay…so deal with it!” Maria cried out before turning on her heal and leaving them at the door to the building where the preparations were being finalized. She had never stopped talking during the entire trip down the hill from the Gate-chamber.
“Do you…think that we’d better warn Michael about the mood Maria’s in?” Daniel asked concerned fro his fellow male.
“I bet Michael already knows all about it. For two such different people, those two really seem to know what the other one is feeling…and how to deal with it.” Sam replied, looking up into Jack’s brown eyes.
“That’s an important thing to have in a relationship.” Jack said, gazing back into Sam’s blue eyes.
Inside the building was a sort of organized chaos; there were dozens of people at work…including, the teammates were surprised to see, Jeff Parker, Philip Evans and Jim Valenti.
“Hey folks, when did you get here?” Jack called out before hand shakes were exchanged.
“Yesterday” Jeff answered. “And I guess we were getting under foot a little too much, so our darling wives sent us over here to help out.”
The kitchens in another part of the building were putting out mouth watering scents, but overlaying that were the scents of many, many different variations of flowers, which were being plucked from their parent flower.
“I thought they began stringing those garlands weeks ago, aren’t they done yet?” Sam asked.
“Yeah and why are they doing everything by hand; why not just wave their hands…use a little alien-mojo and be done with it?” Jack asked.
“Yes, we began all of this work weeks ago.” Seria, who had just walked up to them spoke up. “We use our alien-mojo, as you call it, Jack to keep them fresh, but we will not only be hanging them in our holy clearing, they will be strung all over the city and along the walkway out to the clearing and that takes a lot of garlands! And before you can ask your question again, Jack; we do all of this work by hand for special occasions, such as weddings because as each person works, they say prayers for the person or people the occasion is being held for…For health and happiness…and fertility in a new marriage and so forth.”
“That is lovely.” Sam and Sha’re both sighed.
“Yeah, that is nice.” Daniel agreed.
“So many well wishes must hold considerable power.” Teal’c agreed.
“How can we help?” Jack asked, knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Seria said, smiling.
Several hours later, Jack and Sam entered their quarters with a sigh of relief; they had put in a great deal of work.
“I feel as though I should go for a five mile run and then take a mud bath; get really dirty and sweaty.” Jack remarked.
“Well, I don’t know about the running and sweaty part, but mud baths are supposed to be very beneficial for your skin; keeps it well moisturized.” Sam replied.
“Must you ladies turn every pleasure of being a guy into a ‘girl-thing’?” Jack asked. “I was meaning that after being inundated by flowery, perfumy smells for hours on end, I’m feeling the need to get Dirty…with a capital D. Get rid of the perfume and get back to looking and smelling more like a kick-Goa’uld-butt, bad-ass, Air Force, Black-ops-trained Male!”
“Really?” Sam asked, softly. “I think it’s very manly and sexy to see the softer side of a man; you know…cuddling a baby, picking apart flowers…while still wearing camouflage fatigues…”
“Manly, huh? Sexy!” Jack asked.
“Mnhmm, it takes a Real man to pick apart thousands of flowers and endure their overwhelming scent for hours at a time…” Sam said before grabbing the front of Jack’s shirt and tugging him towards their bedroom. “In fact, why don’t you come with me, airman and show me just how much of a man you really are?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jack replied, following behind her.
~*~
Meanwhile, Daniel and Sha’re returned to the Royal manor to find a visitor waiting for them on the back patio.
“Dr. Jordon!” Daniel cried out, seeing his old mentor. “Wow, it’s great to see you; I’m so glad you could come.” The men shook hands heartily and then Daniel introduced Sha’re. “David, this is my lovely wife, Sha’re; she was away on her home planet of Abydos during the whole Osiris matter, but I’m sure you’ll remember me mentioning her a time or two.”
“Or three, or…forty times.” David Jordon added and Sha’re stopped pouting at her husband’s mild joke and smiled happily instead. “My dear, it’s a great pleasure to finally meet the woman who has made my young friend so happy.” David said charmingly as he took one of Sha’re’s hands in both of his.
“It is very nice to meet you as well; my Dan’yel speaks of you with great respect and affection.” Sha’re replied.
“David, have you been shown where you’re to be staying?” Daniel asked.
“Oh yes, I’ve already left my suitcase there; I’m just a short walk that way.” David waved his hand vaguely to the left.
“Well, if you’d like, we could show you around a little; this is a beautiful city and a fascinating culture, even if it has no ties to ancient Egypt.” Daniel offered the older Egyptologist.
“That would be wonderful.” David replied.
“Would you two gentlemen excuse me? I need to go speak to Liz.” Sha’re said.
“Okay, Sweetness, I’ll see you in a little while.” Daniel said, kissing her gently on her brow.
A moment later, Sha’re watched as the two men strolled away and heard Daniel’s voice drift back to her.
“I guess Sarah won’t be coming, even to celebrate the end of the Goa’uld?”
“No…I hear from her from time to time of course.” David said.
“As do I.” Daniel added.
“But she just wants to forget that the Stargate even exists. She’s happy where she is.” David assured Daniel.
~*~
The next day dawned bright as more wedding guests arrived, including representatives from the other four planets in the Antarian alliance. General Hammond was scheduled to come through in the mid-afternoon, to attend the wedding rehearsal; he was acting as father of the bride to Tess, whose own father had died long ago, during the Antarian Civil War.
Earlier in the day, the large group of people who were making the preparations for the weddings, including SG-1, Sha’re and David Jordon all trooped out to the clearing, to finish hanging the floral garlands from tree to tree.
“Hey everyone, back off for a minute, they’re going to test the screens.” The leader of the volunteers called out and everyone stepped away from the ring of trees.
“They’re what?” Sam asked.
“Watch.” Seria said, pointing to one area of the trees.
Suddenly there was a shimmer and then a twenty-foot face appeared between two of the trees.
“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed.
“See, over there.” Seria pointed to a space between two more trees, several yards to the right and then on around the clearing.
Each time a large face or a group of people would appear and say a few words, sometimes in Antarian, but sometimes not.
“What was that?” Sam asked, walking towards the trees again, once the test seemed to be completed.
“We produce a mild electrical field between the trees to create a visual screen…sort of like the movie screens you were telling me about, Sam.” Seria explained. “The ceremony is being recorded and the signal sent out to everyone in our alliance, since it is the wedding of our king. They can watch at home or in the gathering spaces within each of their communities. They in turn will be recorded and displayed on these screens so that the entire congregation, no matter where they are, here in the clearing or elsewhere, will be visible to us as well.”
“Cool.” Jack said casually.
But Sam had been watching her superior officer, friend and lover and had noticed that Jack had not been his usual self all day. He had been quiet and introspective…so Not Jack O'Neill. When all of the work in the clearing was complete, everyone returned to their homes; the wedding party especially, to bathe and rest before the rehearsal.
“Jack is anything wrong?” Sam asked as soon as they had entered their home-away-from-home and closed the door behind them.
“Hmm?” Jack asked, coming out of his deep thoughts.
“Is everything alright, Jack?” Sam repeated, concerned.
“Yeah…yes, everything’s okay; I’ve just had some…uh…stuff on my mind, that’s all.” Jack replied, not looking her in the eyes. “Say, would you mind if I take my shower first? There’s something I need to do before the rehearsal. Thanks.” Jack said, before Sam could respond to his request and then he bounded up the stairs two at a time and almost slammed the bathroom door behind him.
“Yes, sir, Colonel.” Sam gave his back an irritated salute.
Then going upstairs to their bedroom, she lay out their cloths to wear to the rehearsal; a navy-blue suit, reminiscent of his dress-blues, but not…Sam loved to see Jack in his dress uniform; and a blue-gray sheath dress for herself. Several minutes later Jack came out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his lean hips, but Sam ignored him as she passed by him on her way into the bathroom. But Jack was too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice; a good thing as his self-confidence and courage were not as strong as they usually were and Sam’s attitude might have sent them plummeting down through the floor.
Sam came out of the bath twenty minutes later and got dressed in their silent bedroom. She was reminding herself that she had fallen in love with Jack O'Neill, being well aware of his moodiness and that whatever was bothering him now they would solve together, eventually. She was calm enough as she descended the stairs to notice how quiet the entire house was.
“Jack?” Sam called out.
“In here.” Jack called back from the livingroom.
Sam’s breath caught in her throat as she entered the room and she paused to look around. Lit candles were everywhere including on the fireplace mantle where a beautiful bouquet of flowers were arranged in a lovely crystal vase. Jack stood beside the mantle, almost at attention.
“Wow…you look…great!” Jack all but sighed out.
“You do too.” Sam replied, walking over to him. “What’s all this for?”
“Uh, well…” Jack floundered. Where had all the words which he had memorized gone all of a sudden?
“Jack?” Sam prompted gently and then gasped again when he dropped down before her on one knee.
“I had all of this planned out, memorized a speech and everything, but I can’t remember any of it.” Jack confessed looking pleadingly up at Sam. “The thing is…we’ve known each other for three years now, we’ve been though heaven and hell together…You know me better than just about anyone in the world…and I’d like to think that I know you pretty well…although you’re still a mystery to me sometimes…Anyway, what I’m trying to say is…Samantha Carter, I love you with all my heart…and I’d be the happiest man alive if you’d marry me.” Jack stiffened his legs so that he could continue to kneel and not just flop down onto the floor, after getting all of that out.
“Oh Jack…” Sam knelt down in front of him. “What about the regulations, our careers?”
“To hell with ‘em!” Jack exclaimed. “We’ll talk to Hammond beat him And the President over the head with their red-phones if we have to, until they agree to bend the rules for us…Hey, how many times have we saved the world? They owe us! But no matter what they say…I love you and I want to tell the world…”
“Okay…” Sam began to say but Jack was on a roll.
“Anyway, with the Goa’uld gone, I predict that the rest of the Earth’s governments at least will have to be told about the Stargate; the potential for exploration and colonization will be phenomenal. Daniel can lead his own archeology team; dig up rocks to his heart’s content and Teal’c will be busy with Bray’tac; dealing with all of those Jaffa…SG-1 won’t have the same mission imperative that it used to…we would no longer…have to be teammates…you could devote yourself to your research and I...could stay home and raise our kids…”
Jack…JACK!” Sam exclaimed to finally break into his words.
“What?” Jack asked almost forgetting his original question.
“I. Would. Love. To. Marry. You!” Sam said slowly, emphasizing each word.
“You would? Really? Woo Hoo!” Jack exclaimed drawing Sam into a rib-cracking embrace. “Oh man, I have never been so scared.” He admitted.
“As if I could say anything else…I love you Jack.” Sam told him seriously.
“I love you.” Jack repeated. “I um, didn’t buy you an engagement ring; I didn’t think that was your style…Instead, I thought that we could buy matching wedding bands and wear each other’s around our necks or something.”
“You don’t mean to suggest that we wear each other’s ring with our dog-tags do you?” Sam teased.
“Now there’s a thought.” Jack said, deadpan.
“Jack!” Sam cried out, half-exasperated.
“I was just kidding…maybe we could each buy gold chains or something.” Jack suggested.
“Much better” Sam agreed. “But now that you’ve asked and I’ve agreed, we better get going or we’ll be late for the rehearsal.”
~*~
While SG-1 and friends were finishing up wedding decorations, General Hammond came through the Stargate along with Janet Fraser and Cassandra. Michael met them and took them down to the Royal Manor where the General was to brief the Royal Four on the success of Operation Queen Bee and the two Earth-women would be taken to see Liz and Maria.
“We’ve had reports from our physicians and your personnel as well, who are dealing with the Jaffa. But please tell us what you’ve heard from the front-lines.” Max requested as soon as they were all seated in his office.
“According to the Tok’ra, the operation is proceeding exceptionally well. All of the remaining System Lords took the bate we left behind, implicating each of them in the abduction of one or more of the queens. There have been no negotiations for their return or questions as to why they were taken, or to verify that any of the Goa’uld actually abducted the queens…It’s just been a blood-bath.” The General reported seriously and somewhat regretfully. “The Goa’uld have made a few retaliatory strikes against each other’s Jaffa home-worlds, but that has only inflamed the senses of the freed Jaffa. They have put forward plans and asked permission to be allowed to fight and kill any remaining Goa’uld or loyal Jaffa at the end of this. They badly want to hunt down the last of the Goa’uld and kill them.”
“Looks like our catalyst really worked.” Michael replied, satisfied.
“We may not be taking part in the battle, but we’ll be mighty busy afterwards; contacting all of the slave-planets and giving them the good news besides helping them to improve their life-styles…without overwhelming them.” George replied.
“We may need to bring someone in to help us with that, so that we don’t do irreparable damage to those cultures who’ve been enslaved by the Goa’uld so long.” Max suggested.
“The President and I believe that the State Department at least should be brought into this eventually; perhaps within the next year…and quite possibly some of the major governments, as well. This galaxy is going to be opened up wide for us if the Goa’uld threat can be eliminated…the possibilities for exploration and colonization are incredible.” The General got a far-off look in his eyes for a moment.
“But first, we have to try and help all of those poor people on all of those slave-planets.” Tess reminded him gently.
“Yes, of course and to get that started I’ve already spoken to the SGC’s base chaplain, Father Michael O’Connor. He has several friends who are missionaries and he’s already made contact with them, discreetly…and they’ve given him a basis for us to begin with.” The General said.
“That sounds like a good place to start.” Isabel replied.
“Fr. O’Connor’s friends reminded him and us…that no matter the oppression that these people have been living under, they will have their own government of sorts; elders or a council…their own ruses or taboos by which everyday life is regulated. We can’t just go in and impose our ways over theirs; if we did, we’d be no better than the Goa’uld. We need to learn their ways and what their needs are. Is there anyway we can improve their lives without wiping out centuries of tradition and ways of life. He suggested setting up a system of trade between the slave-planets. According to Daniel, even though Abydos was a mining planet, the people had communal farms and were expected to be self-sufficient; the Goa’uld never brought in supplies for them, they only took the naquada, which the Abydonians mined. He believes that other mining planets will be set up the same. Teal’c told me that, that was indeed the case and that the Goa’uld also had slave-planets on which there were great farms to grow grains, vegetables and fruits or raise animals, but only one of each and all of it was to be given as tribute to their god. The people still only had a meager life-style.”
“What are we to do with the freed Jaffa?” Isabel asked.
“That depends on how the wars ultimately turn out. Your physicians have been able to get a sense of what sort of personality each Jaffa they’ve healed, is. You’ve reported that most of the Jaffa who’ve had their symbiotes removed are good people. That’s why they deserted their masters so easily. But even so, we are reluctant to allow any interaction between the Jaffa and their former slaves. And besides, the way that the Goa’uld are destroying each other’s ships, big and small, there may not be enough left at the end of the war to ferry supplies back and forth. The Jaffa need to become self-sufficient as well, which may be a difficult thing for them to learn, since they were always supplied by the slave-planets. Most Jaffa communities never had so much as a backyard vegetable garden or a chicken coop.” The General reported.
The group continued to discuss things; throwing ideas back and forth for some time, but eventually the meeting broke up. General Hammond stayed behind as the rest exited Max’s office, but their king’s voice could be heard until the door swung shut.
“So, General, what is your decision?”
~*~
The rehearsal went well for all four couples and the entire wedding party and the dinner which followed afterward was enjoyed by them all. It allowed them to release some of the tension which had been building during their fight against the Goa’uld. After the party, the brides-to-be, along with Sha’re returned to the Royal Manor, while the grooms and Daniel split up and bunked with either Seria and Beneck or with Sam and Jack; one night apart so that the grooms would not see their brides before the wedding ceremony.
~*~
The day for the Royal Weddings dawned sunny and cool, but promised to warm up to the perfect temperature in time for the ceremony. Inside the Royal Manor, the brides were joined by their mothers and bride’s-maids. The morning was spent in the female rituals; scented bubble-baths and then lotions spread over smooth skin afterwards. Manicures and pedicures, hair curled or hair straightened. The mothers told stories of their own courtships and weddings to their daughters and both generations shared stories about their sons or future husbands.
“You all seem so calm, how can you be so calm?” Janet Fraser asked in wonder.
“I’ve been on warp-speed for months, trying to find out what Valaria and all of you, our loving mothers were planning for our weddings…” Isabel glanced pointedly at Diane Evans. “Plus all the work that went into Operation Queen Bee…I’m just too exhausted to be nervous anymore. I’m just so happy that my wedding day is finally here!” Isabel broke out into her thousand-watt smile.
“I’m much the same as Isabel.” Liz replied smiling happily. “I’ve been so busy attending classes with Valaria on how to be a queen…plus, I had a melt-down a few days ago, but Max helped me through it…and today I just feel…joy! Max and I are finally getting married, after all we’ve been through in our relationship, today’s the big day!”
“I spazed out a few days ago too, when once again I was thwarted in my plan to get a peek at what all the preparations look like.” Maria admitted and then sighed. “I guess I’m just resigned to my fate…being married to Spaceboy.”
Laughter broke out all around Maria at her suffer-in-silence tone of voice.
“Maria, we all know ho much you love Michael and how much he loves you; you can’t fool us.” Cassandra, Maria’s bride’s-maid said, her young heart fluttering in her chest with the whole idea of being a part of a royal wedding.
“I do, I really do…and he loves me too…sometimes I just can’t believe how much I love him…and now I’m gonna start crying…Cassie, I had it all under control; why did you have to ruin it?” Maria cried out.
“No you are not going to cry at your wedding.” Amy DeLuca-Valenti ordered her daughter. “That’s my job.”
“Thanks Mom.” Maria said soggily as she hugged her mother and both DeLuca women fought to control their emotions, for now.
“Tess…are you okay, you’ve been really quiet all morning.” Isabel asked but her friend did not respond. “Tess?”
“I think she’s in shock.” Liz said worriedly, lightly slapping the other girl on her cheeks.
“Oh man, she’s starting to cry!” Amy exclaimed equally worried.
“What made me think that I’m anywhere near good enough to marry Kyle?” Tess murmured softly, her eyes still blank. “He’s so handsome and sweet and funny…he deserves someone way nicer than me…”
No one knew what to say to that.
“Maybe we should risk tradition and ask Kyle to come over here.” Nancy Parker suggested.
“I can’t see him now!” Tess wailed, tears streaking her mascara down her face. I don’t deserve him…I…I…can’t go through with this!”
“Is she hyperventilating?” Maria asked.
“No, she’s not going to hyperventilate.” Amy DeLuca said determinably as she took Tess by the shoulders and shook her a little. “Tess, can you tell me that you no longer love my step-son?” Amy asked.
“I love him so much…enough to give him up for his own good…” Tess wept.
“Now you listen to me, Tess Harding. Kyle loves you so much that it would kill him if you backed out now (though why he loves such a cry-baby, ruin-everything-for-everyone-at-the-last-minute little fool, I have no idea.)!” Amy said with a certain light in her eyes as she watched Tess closely for her reaction.
“It wouldn’t kill him…would it?” Tess asked a little hope in her voice. “I’d be disappointing him?”
“And everyone else.” Amy reminded her; not unkindly. “Do you truly love Kyle?”
“I…yes I do, with all my heart.” Tess said slowly coming out of her shock.
“Then-show-him!” Amy bit out, but in a soft voice. “Go out there, marry the young fool and make him the happiest man alive.”
“I can do that!” Tess said excitement building in her voice.
“Make sure you do.” Amy said softly as she gathered Tess into a motherly hug. “He’s my son now.” And all Tess could do was nod and wipe her nose with a tissue Diane passed her.
“I think some of us could use a make-up redo.” Isabel said, passing her hand in front of her own face before passing it in front of Tess’, repairing the ravages left by her tears.
Liz, who was becoming quite good at using her own growing powers to fix her own appearance, swept her hand over Maria’s face and a few other’s as well.
“There, all set.” She said.
“Just in time, we better get going.” Sam said glancing down at her watch.
They all exited out the back of the Manor and as they crossed the patio, they saw Valaria coming towards them with the President walking beside her; Secret Service agents discretely just beyond earshot.
“My, don’t all of you ladies look lovely on this special day of yours.” The President said charmingly.
“Yes, you do all look absolutely beautiful.” Valaria agreed as she came over to Liz and took her hands in hers. “All of your fiancés are very lucky men.” She said to all of them before returning her gaze back to Liz. “And this world is very lucky to be gaining such an exceptional queen.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness.” Liz said formally.
She gently squeezed the older woman’s hands, which still held hers between them, as she made a quick but graceful curtsy. Valaria smiled down at her petite daughter-in-law-to-be.
continued on next post
Stargazers/Stargaters Chapter 40
General Hammond stepped through the Stargate back into the SGC and found Teal’c waiting for him at the base of the ramp.
“GeneralHammond.” Teal’c greeted his C.O. with a brief bow. “How are ColonelO’Neill, DanielJackson and MajorCarter?”
Teal’c had seen his wounded teammates through the Antar Stargate before he had taken Basset through to the planet where they were holding all of the captured Goa’uld queens.
“They’re doing pretty well, considering.” General Hammond replied, shuddering at the close call his flag-ship team had just weathered. “Dr. Fraser is administering blood transfusions to Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson and Major Carter has been ordered to rest for the next three days. How did delivering Basset to the safe-planet go?”
“Everything went as planned, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c replied.
The Goa’uld queens were being held on a planet uncharted by any of their kind. A team of Antarians and SGC personnel were guarding them just in case they might be needed for some reason, as the Goa’uld continued to fight each other. And while the hostilities wore on, the Antarians were using their psi-powers to probe the minds of the queens for any information they could; genetics, weaponry…and to see if any of the queens might turn Tok’ra.
“Very well, Teal’c. I’ll be debriefing SG-1 in a few days, after your teammates have recovered, but why don’t you come up to my office and tell me what you can, now?”
“Of course, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c agreed.
The two men walked up the stairs and entered the General’s office. Teal’c reported what he could about their mission and then requested permission to return to Antar, which was granted.
Over the next several hours, the remaining seven teams returned from their missions; all successful. Only one of the teams had any injuries but they were not severe. And only one of the queens had been killed while evading capture, but the evidence, pointing to another Goa’uld as her murderer, was able to be planted anyway. Reports were also coming in from the Tok’ra already, on the effectiveness and repercussions of Operation Queen Bee on the remaining Goa’uld.
The Tok’ra believed that all Goa’uld might be pulled into the war; System Lord down to minor snake, they were all dependent upon the queens. Battles were already breaking out but because so many Jaffa had left their masters, the Goa’uld were finally having to fight each other, rather than each other’s Jaffa armies. Also, most of the Goa’uld no longer trusted their Jaffa after hearing reports in past weeks of their fellow snakes being assassinated by their former slaves and many had dismissed or banished their armies even without Antarian intervention.
~*~
Over the next week, reports coming in and activities going on, both on Earth as well as on Antar became many and varied. Reports of the escalating Goa’uld war were offset by the preparations for the Royal Weddings.
“It’s a good thing that Earth is in such a ‘back-water’ region of space.” Jack O'Neill commented, during SG-1’s debriefing with General Hammond. “Now that Ra, Hathor, Seth, Apophis and Osiris are all dead, none of the other Goa’uld should be interested in us.”
“So hopefully they won’t decide to come and fight over us; like dogs over a juicy bone.” Daniel added.
“Exactly right, gentlemen” General Hammond replied. “I want to commend you all on the successfulness of your mission. You and the other seven teams have all achieved something very important for Earth, Antar and the rest of this galaxy…being the catalysts for the Goa’uld’s final downfall! In fact…there is to be a medal-ceremony, to be held on Antar right after the Royal Weddings. The President and King Zan will officiate.”
“Uh…wow, General; that sound fantastic!” Daniel spoke up.
“It was nothing, really.” Jack deadpanned.
“Thank you, sir; I don’t think any of us were expecting that.” Sam replied while gently kicking Jack under the table.
“Indeed that is very good news, GeneralHammond.” Teal’c replied.
“My Dan’yel…being given a medal!” Sha’re sighed proudly.
“And you too, Mrs. Jackson.” General Hammond assured her as Daniel grinned down at her.
“Me? But, but…” Sha’re sputtered.
“My brave Sha’re, being given a medal!” Daniel repeated her line and Sam blushed when she saw Jack mouth “ditto” at her from across the table.
“Uh, General, do you have any news about the fate of Ba’al?” Sam asked. “Since we killed Apophis, who was supposed to go after him for abducting his queen…”
“That snake was implicated in two other queen abductions, Carter, so at least two other Goa’uld will be gunning for him, never fear.” Jack replied all business again.
“Well, are there any other questions?” General Hammond asked. “You’re dismissed then.” He smiled to his favorite team.
“Great, with just three days until the weddings there’s a lot left to do.” Daniel said as they all rose from their seats.
“I will see you in three days then.” General Hammond said before stepping into his office to answer his red phone; the hot-line to the President.
On the way down the hallway, Jack thought of something he needed to ask his C.O. after all and doubled back towards the General’s office. When he reached the door, Jack raised his hand to knock but then faintly heard the General’s voice as he spoke on the phone.
“Yes, Mr. President, I know it’s been seven days…yes, sir, I’ve made my decision.”
But just then, two science personnel passed by, speaking in technobabble and Jack was unable to hear what the General’s decision about whatever-the-problem-was, had been.
“When do you want to tell them?” The General was still on the phone and yet another two men, SFs this time, came by blocking out the General’s next words.
The phone call seemed to have concluded, but when Jack raised his hand to knock again, he realized that he had forgotten what he wanted to ask his C.O. and stomped off down the hallway, frustrated. And half an hour after Jack’s unwitting and unproductive moments of eavesdropping, SG-1 was ready to return to Antar. Accompanying them were four members of the Secret Service, who were gating to Antar yet again to set up security for the President.
Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca were waiting to greet them in Antar’s Gate-chamber. Michael, the stoic, but efficient General was there to guide the Secret Service agents, while Maria; overexcited to the point of hyperventilating bride-to-be, was to guide SG-1 and Sha’re to where the wedding preparations were being coordinated.
“They won’t let me go beyond the outer door of the building, to see any of the preparations and it’s just killing me not knowing what’s going on…I mean, this is My wedding after all, I should know what’s going on shouldn’t I?...I don’t know how Isabel’s handling all of this, she’s such a control-freak…in fact, I haven’t seen her in a day or two…do you think they’ve, like…sedated her or locked her up in a room without any windows, to keep her from finding out what’s going on? Hey, you guys are all into that top-secret-sneaking-around kinda stuff, do you think you could find out what they’ve done with Isabel? And you’d tell me the truth, right…I mean after you’ve found out what the truth is…hey, I haven’t seen Tess around lately either, do you think they’ve locked her up too?”
“Maria, Maria! Chill out, will you?” Sam chuckled at her excitable friend. “I know it’s nerve-racking, waiting for the big day, but you need to calm down; I’m sure that everything will be wonderful.”
“Calm, who says I’m not calm? I think I have the right to not be calm okay…so deal with it!” Maria cried out before turning on her heal and leaving them at the door to the building where the preparations were being finalized. She had never stopped talking during the entire trip down the hill from the Gate-chamber.
“Do you…think that we’d better warn Michael about the mood Maria’s in?” Daniel asked concerned fro his fellow male.
“I bet Michael already knows all about it. For two such different people, those two really seem to know what the other one is feeling…and how to deal with it.” Sam replied, looking up into Jack’s brown eyes.
“That’s an important thing to have in a relationship.” Jack said, gazing back into Sam’s blue eyes.
Inside the building was a sort of organized chaos; there were dozens of people at work…including, the teammates were surprised to see, Jeff Parker, Philip Evans and Jim Valenti.
“Hey folks, when did you get here?” Jack called out before hand shakes were exchanged.
“Yesterday” Jeff answered. “And I guess we were getting under foot a little too much, so our darling wives sent us over here to help out.”
The kitchens in another part of the building were putting out mouth watering scents, but overlaying that were the scents of many, many different variations of flowers, which were being plucked from their parent flower.
“I thought they began stringing those garlands weeks ago, aren’t they done yet?” Sam asked.
“Yeah and why are they doing everything by hand; why not just wave their hands…use a little alien-mojo and be done with it?” Jack asked.
“Yes, we began all of this work weeks ago.” Seria, who had just walked up to them spoke up. “We use our alien-mojo, as you call it, Jack to keep them fresh, but we will not only be hanging them in our holy clearing, they will be strung all over the city and along the walkway out to the clearing and that takes a lot of garlands! And before you can ask your question again, Jack; we do all of this work by hand for special occasions, such as weddings because as each person works, they say prayers for the person or people the occasion is being held for…For health and happiness…and fertility in a new marriage and so forth.”
“That is lovely.” Sam and Sha’re both sighed.
“Yeah, that is nice.” Daniel agreed.
“So many well wishes must hold considerable power.” Teal’c agreed.
“How can we help?” Jack asked, knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of this.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Seria said, smiling.
Several hours later, Jack and Sam entered their quarters with a sigh of relief; they had put in a great deal of work.
“I feel as though I should go for a five mile run and then take a mud bath; get really dirty and sweaty.” Jack remarked.
“Well, I don’t know about the running and sweaty part, but mud baths are supposed to be very beneficial for your skin; keeps it well moisturized.” Sam replied.
“Must you ladies turn every pleasure of being a guy into a ‘girl-thing’?” Jack asked. “I was meaning that after being inundated by flowery, perfumy smells for hours on end, I’m feeling the need to get Dirty…with a capital D. Get rid of the perfume and get back to looking and smelling more like a kick-Goa’uld-butt, bad-ass, Air Force, Black-ops-trained Male!”
“Really?” Sam asked, softly. “I think it’s very manly and sexy to see the softer side of a man; you know…cuddling a baby, picking apart flowers…while still wearing camouflage fatigues…”
“Manly, huh? Sexy!” Jack asked.
“Mnhmm, it takes a Real man to pick apart thousands of flowers and endure their overwhelming scent for hours at a time…” Sam said before grabbing the front of Jack’s shirt and tugging him towards their bedroom. “In fact, why don’t you come with me, airman and show me just how much of a man you really are?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jack replied, following behind her.
~*~
Meanwhile, Daniel and Sha’re returned to the Royal manor to find a visitor waiting for them on the back patio.
“Dr. Jordon!” Daniel cried out, seeing his old mentor. “Wow, it’s great to see you; I’m so glad you could come.” The men shook hands heartily and then Daniel introduced Sha’re. “David, this is my lovely wife, Sha’re; she was away on her home planet of Abydos during the whole Osiris matter, but I’m sure you’ll remember me mentioning her a time or two.”
“Or three, or…forty times.” David Jordon added and Sha’re stopped pouting at her husband’s mild joke and smiled happily instead. “My dear, it’s a great pleasure to finally meet the woman who has made my young friend so happy.” David said charmingly as he took one of Sha’re’s hands in both of his.
“It is very nice to meet you as well; my Dan’yel speaks of you with great respect and affection.” Sha’re replied.
“David, have you been shown where you’re to be staying?” Daniel asked.
“Oh yes, I’ve already left my suitcase there; I’m just a short walk that way.” David waved his hand vaguely to the left.
“Well, if you’d like, we could show you around a little; this is a beautiful city and a fascinating culture, even if it has no ties to ancient Egypt.” Daniel offered the older Egyptologist.
“That would be wonderful.” David replied.
“Would you two gentlemen excuse me? I need to go speak to Liz.” Sha’re said.
“Okay, Sweetness, I’ll see you in a little while.” Daniel said, kissing her gently on her brow.
A moment later, Sha’re watched as the two men strolled away and heard Daniel’s voice drift back to her.
“I guess Sarah won’t be coming, even to celebrate the end of the Goa’uld?”
“No…I hear from her from time to time of course.” David said.
“As do I.” Daniel added.
“But she just wants to forget that the Stargate even exists. She’s happy where she is.” David assured Daniel.
~*~
The next day dawned bright as more wedding guests arrived, including representatives from the other four planets in the Antarian alliance. General Hammond was scheduled to come through in the mid-afternoon, to attend the wedding rehearsal; he was acting as father of the bride to Tess, whose own father had died long ago, during the Antarian Civil War.
Earlier in the day, the large group of people who were making the preparations for the weddings, including SG-1, Sha’re and David Jordon all trooped out to the clearing, to finish hanging the floral garlands from tree to tree.
“Hey everyone, back off for a minute, they’re going to test the screens.” The leader of the volunteers called out and everyone stepped away from the ring of trees.
“They’re what?” Sam asked.
“Watch.” Seria said, pointing to one area of the trees.
Suddenly there was a shimmer and then a twenty-foot face appeared between two of the trees.
“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed.
“See, over there.” Seria pointed to a space between two more trees, several yards to the right and then on around the clearing.
Each time a large face or a group of people would appear and say a few words, sometimes in Antarian, but sometimes not.
“What was that?” Sam asked, walking towards the trees again, once the test seemed to be completed.
“We produce a mild electrical field between the trees to create a visual screen…sort of like the movie screens you were telling me about, Sam.” Seria explained. “The ceremony is being recorded and the signal sent out to everyone in our alliance, since it is the wedding of our king. They can watch at home or in the gathering spaces within each of their communities. They in turn will be recorded and displayed on these screens so that the entire congregation, no matter where they are, here in the clearing or elsewhere, will be visible to us as well.”
“Cool.” Jack said casually.
But Sam had been watching her superior officer, friend and lover and had noticed that Jack had not been his usual self all day. He had been quiet and introspective…so Not Jack O'Neill. When all of the work in the clearing was complete, everyone returned to their homes; the wedding party especially, to bathe and rest before the rehearsal.
“Jack is anything wrong?” Sam asked as soon as they had entered their home-away-from-home and closed the door behind them.
“Hmm?” Jack asked, coming out of his deep thoughts.
“Is everything alright, Jack?” Sam repeated, concerned.
“Yeah…yes, everything’s okay; I’ve just had some…uh…stuff on my mind, that’s all.” Jack replied, not looking her in the eyes. “Say, would you mind if I take my shower first? There’s something I need to do before the rehearsal. Thanks.” Jack said, before Sam could respond to his request and then he bounded up the stairs two at a time and almost slammed the bathroom door behind him.
“Yes, sir, Colonel.” Sam gave his back an irritated salute.
Then going upstairs to their bedroom, she lay out their cloths to wear to the rehearsal; a navy-blue suit, reminiscent of his dress-blues, but not…Sam loved to see Jack in his dress uniform; and a blue-gray sheath dress for herself. Several minutes later Jack came out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his lean hips, but Sam ignored him as she passed by him on her way into the bathroom. But Jack was too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice; a good thing as his self-confidence and courage were not as strong as they usually were and Sam’s attitude might have sent them plummeting down through the floor.
Sam came out of the bath twenty minutes later and got dressed in their silent bedroom. She was reminding herself that she had fallen in love with Jack O'Neill, being well aware of his moodiness and that whatever was bothering him now they would solve together, eventually. She was calm enough as she descended the stairs to notice how quiet the entire house was.
“Jack?” Sam called out.
“In here.” Jack called back from the livingroom.
Sam’s breath caught in her throat as she entered the room and she paused to look around. Lit candles were everywhere including on the fireplace mantle where a beautiful bouquet of flowers were arranged in a lovely crystal vase. Jack stood beside the mantle, almost at attention.
“Wow…you look…great!” Jack all but sighed out.
“You do too.” Sam replied, walking over to him. “What’s all this for?”
“Uh, well…” Jack floundered. Where had all the words which he had memorized gone all of a sudden?
“Jack?” Sam prompted gently and then gasped again when he dropped down before her on one knee.
“I had all of this planned out, memorized a speech and everything, but I can’t remember any of it.” Jack confessed looking pleadingly up at Sam. “The thing is…we’ve known each other for three years now, we’ve been though heaven and hell together…You know me better than just about anyone in the world…and I’d like to think that I know you pretty well…although you’re still a mystery to me sometimes…Anyway, what I’m trying to say is…Samantha Carter, I love you with all my heart…and I’d be the happiest man alive if you’d marry me.” Jack stiffened his legs so that he could continue to kneel and not just flop down onto the floor, after getting all of that out.
“Oh Jack…” Sam knelt down in front of him. “What about the regulations, our careers?”
“To hell with ‘em!” Jack exclaimed. “We’ll talk to Hammond beat him And the President over the head with their red-phones if we have to, until they agree to bend the rules for us…Hey, how many times have we saved the world? They owe us! But no matter what they say…I love you and I want to tell the world…”
“Okay…” Sam began to say but Jack was on a roll.
“Anyway, with the Goa’uld gone, I predict that the rest of the Earth’s governments at least will have to be told about the Stargate; the potential for exploration and colonization will be phenomenal. Daniel can lead his own archeology team; dig up rocks to his heart’s content and Teal’c will be busy with Bray’tac; dealing with all of those Jaffa…SG-1 won’t have the same mission imperative that it used to…we would no longer…have to be teammates…you could devote yourself to your research and I...could stay home and raise our kids…”
Jack…JACK!” Sam exclaimed to finally break into his words.
“What?” Jack asked almost forgetting his original question.
“I. Would. Love. To. Marry. You!” Sam said slowly, emphasizing each word.
“You would? Really? Woo Hoo!” Jack exclaimed drawing Sam into a rib-cracking embrace. “Oh man, I have never been so scared.” He admitted.
“As if I could say anything else…I love you Jack.” Sam told him seriously.
“I love you.” Jack repeated. “I um, didn’t buy you an engagement ring; I didn’t think that was your style…Instead, I thought that we could buy matching wedding bands and wear each other’s around our necks or something.”
“You don’t mean to suggest that we wear each other’s ring with our dog-tags do you?” Sam teased.
“Now there’s a thought.” Jack said, deadpan.
“Jack!” Sam cried out, half-exasperated.
“I was just kidding…maybe we could each buy gold chains or something.” Jack suggested.
“Much better” Sam agreed. “But now that you’ve asked and I’ve agreed, we better get going or we’ll be late for the rehearsal.”
~*~
While SG-1 and friends were finishing up wedding decorations, General Hammond came through the Stargate along with Janet Fraser and Cassandra. Michael met them and took them down to the Royal Manor where the General was to brief the Royal Four on the success of Operation Queen Bee and the two Earth-women would be taken to see Liz and Maria.
“We’ve had reports from our physicians and your personnel as well, who are dealing with the Jaffa. But please tell us what you’ve heard from the front-lines.” Max requested as soon as they were all seated in his office.
“According to the Tok’ra, the operation is proceeding exceptionally well. All of the remaining System Lords took the bate we left behind, implicating each of them in the abduction of one or more of the queens. There have been no negotiations for their return or questions as to why they were taken, or to verify that any of the Goa’uld actually abducted the queens…It’s just been a blood-bath.” The General reported seriously and somewhat regretfully. “The Goa’uld have made a few retaliatory strikes against each other’s Jaffa home-worlds, but that has only inflamed the senses of the freed Jaffa. They have put forward plans and asked permission to be allowed to fight and kill any remaining Goa’uld or loyal Jaffa at the end of this. They badly want to hunt down the last of the Goa’uld and kill them.”
“Looks like our catalyst really worked.” Michael replied, satisfied.
“We may not be taking part in the battle, but we’ll be mighty busy afterwards; contacting all of the slave-planets and giving them the good news besides helping them to improve their life-styles…without overwhelming them.” George replied.
“We may need to bring someone in to help us with that, so that we don’t do irreparable damage to those cultures who’ve been enslaved by the Goa’uld so long.” Max suggested.
“The President and I believe that the State Department at least should be brought into this eventually; perhaps within the next year…and quite possibly some of the major governments, as well. This galaxy is going to be opened up wide for us if the Goa’uld threat can be eliminated…the possibilities for exploration and colonization are incredible.” The General got a far-off look in his eyes for a moment.
“But first, we have to try and help all of those poor people on all of those slave-planets.” Tess reminded him gently.
“Yes, of course and to get that started I’ve already spoken to the SGC’s base chaplain, Father Michael O’Connor. He has several friends who are missionaries and he’s already made contact with them, discreetly…and they’ve given him a basis for us to begin with.” The General said.
“That sounds like a good place to start.” Isabel replied.
“Fr. O’Connor’s friends reminded him and us…that no matter the oppression that these people have been living under, they will have their own government of sorts; elders or a council…their own ruses or taboos by which everyday life is regulated. We can’t just go in and impose our ways over theirs; if we did, we’d be no better than the Goa’uld. We need to learn their ways and what their needs are. Is there anyway we can improve their lives without wiping out centuries of tradition and ways of life. He suggested setting up a system of trade between the slave-planets. According to Daniel, even though Abydos was a mining planet, the people had communal farms and were expected to be self-sufficient; the Goa’uld never brought in supplies for them, they only took the naquada, which the Abydonians mined. He believes that other mining planets will be set up the same. Teal’c told me that, that was indeed the case and that the Goa’uld also had slave-planets on which there were great farms to grow grains, vegetables and fruits or raise animals, but only one of each and all of it was to be given as tribute to their god. The people still only had a meager life-style.”
“What are we to do with the freed Jaffa?” Isabel asked.
“That depends on how the wars ultimately turn out. Your physicians have been able to get a sense of what sort of personality each Jaffa they’ve healed, is. You’ve reported that most of the Jaffa who’ve had their symbiotes removed are good people. That’s why they deserted their masters so easily. But even so, we are reluctant to allow any interaction between the Jaffa and their former slaves. And besides, the way that the Goa’uld are destroying each other’s ships, big and small, there may not be enough left at the end of the war to ferry supplies back and forth. The Jaffa need to become self-sufficient as well, which may be a difficult thing for them to learn, since they were always supplied by the slave-planets. Most Jaffa communities never had so much as a backyard vegetable garden or a chicken coop.” The General reported.
The group continued to discuss things; throwing ideas back and forth for some time, but eventually the meeting broke up. General Hammond stayed behind as the rest exited Max’s office, but their king’s voice could be heard until the door swung shut.
“So, General, what is your decision?”
~*~
The rehearsal went well for all four couples and the entire wedding party and the dinner which followed afterward was enjoyed by them all. It allowed them to release some of the tension which had been building during their fight against the Goa’uld. After the party, the brides-to-be, along with Sha’re returned to the Royal Manor, while the grooms and Daniel split up and bunked with either Seria and Beneck or with Sam and Jack; one night apart so that the grooms would not see their brides before the wedding ceremony.
~*~
The day for the Royal Weddings dawned sunny and cool, but promised to warm up to the perfect temperature in time for the ceremony. Inside the Royal Manor, the brides were joined by their mothers and bride’s-maids. The morning was spent in the female rituals; scented bubble-baths and then lotions spread over smooth skin afterwards. Manicures and pedicures, hair curled or hair straightened. The mothers told stories of their own courtships and weddings to their daughters and both generations shared stories about their sons or future husbands.
“You all seem so calm, how can you be so calm?” Janet Fraser asked in wonder.
“I’ve been on warp-speed for months, trying to find out what Valaria and all of you, our loving mothers were planning for our weddings…” Isabel glanced pointedly at Diane Evans. “Plus all the work that went into Operation Queen Bee…I’m just too exhausted to be nervous anymore. I’m just so happy that my wedding day is finally here!” Isabel broke out into her thousand-watt smile.
“I’m much the same as Isabel.” Liz replied smiling happily. “I’ve been so busy attending classes with Valaria on how to be a queen…plus, I had a melt-down a few days ago, but Max helped me through it…and today I just feel…joy! Max and I are finally getting married, after all we’ve been through in our relationship, today’s the big day!”
“I spazed out a few days ago too, when once again I was thwarted in my plan to get a peek at what all the preparations look like.” Maria admitted and then sighed. “I guess I’m just resigned to my fate…being married to Spaceboy.”
Laughter broke out all around Maria at her suffer-in-silence tone of voice.
“Maria, we all know ho much you love Michael and how much he loves you; you can’t fool us.” Cassandra, Maria’s bride’s-maid said, her young heart fluttering in her chest with the whole idea of being a part of a royal wedding.
“I do, I really do…and he loves me too…sometimes I just can’t believe how much I love him…and now I’m gonna start crying…Cassie, I had it all under control; why did you have to ruin it?” Maria cried out.
“No you are not going to cry at your wedding.” Amy DeLuca-Valenti ordered her daughter. “That’s my job.”
“Thanks Mom.” Maria said soggily as she hugged her mother and both DeLuca women fought to control their emotions, for now.
“Tess…are you okay, you’ve been really quiet all morning.” Isabel asked but her friend did not respond. “Tess?”
“I think she’s in shock.” Liz said worriedly, lightly slapping the other girl on her cheeks.
“Oh man, she’s starting to cry!” Amy exclaimed equally worried.
“What made me think that I’m anywhere near good enough to marry Kyle?” Tess murmured softly, her eyes still blank. “He’s so handsome and sweet and funny…he deserves someone way nicer than me…”
No one knew what to say to that.
“Maybe we should risk tradition and ask Kyle to come over here.” Nancy Parker suggested.
“I can’t see him now!” Tess wailed, tears streaking her mascara down her face. I don’t deserve him…I…I…can’t go through with this!”
“Is she hyperventilating?” Maria asked.
“No, she’s not going to hyperventilate.” Amy DeLuca said determinably as she took Tess by the shoulders and shook her a little. “Tess, can you tell me that you no longer love my step-son?” Amy asked.
“I love him so much…enough to give him up for his own good…” Tess wept.
“Now you listen to me, Tess Harding. Kyle loves you so much that it would kill him if you backed out now (though why he loves such a cry-baby, ruin-everything-for-everyone-at-the-last-minute little fool, I have no idea.)!” Amy said with a certain light in her eyes as she watched Tess closely for her reaction.
“It wouldn’t kill him…would it?” Tess asked a little hope in her voice. “I’d be disappointing him?”
“And everyone else.” Amy reminded her; not unkindly. “Do you truly love Kyle?”
“I…yes I do, with all my heart.” Tess said slowly coming out of her shock.
“Then-show-him!” Amy bit out, but in a soft voice. “Go out there, marry the young fool and make him the happiest man alive.”
“I can do that!” Tess said excitement building in her voice.
“Make sure you do.” Amy said softly as she gathered Tess into a motherly hug. “He’s my son now.” And all Tess could do was nod and wipe her nose with a tissue Diane passed her.
“I think some of us could use a make-up redo.” Isabel said, passing her hand in front of her own face before passing it in front of Tess’, repairing the ravages left by her tears.
Liz, who was becoming quite good at using her own growing powers to fix her own appearance, swept her hand over Maria’s face and a few other’s as well.
“There, all set.” She said.
“Just in time, we better get going.” Sam said glancing down at her watch.
They all exited out the back of the Manor and as they crossed the patio, they saw Valaria coming towards them with the President walking beside her; Secret Service agents discretely just beyond earshot.
“My, don’t all of you ladies look lovely on this special day of yours.” The President said charmingly.
“Yes, you do all look absolutely beautiful.” Valaria agreed as she came over to Liz and took her hands in hers. “All of your fiancés are very lucky men.” She said to all of them before returning her gaze back to Liz. “And this world is very lucky to be gaining such an exceptional queen.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness.” Liz said formally.
She gently squeezed the older woman’s hands, which still held hers between them, as she made a quick but graceful curtsy. Valaria smiled down at her petite daughter-in-law-to-be.
continued on next post