Confirming Carter2 Daedalus02
Interior-Kitchen
0840 Hours
Sam and Tammy were sitting at the kitchen table when Vala stumbled in.
She was wearing slippers and a short robe, but it was open in the front, and
they could see hickeys and love bites all over her.
She went right to the coffee pot, poured a cup and came over, sitting
next to Tammy. She sat her cup down, and turned her head, burying her face in
Tammy’s shoulder.
“Poor baby.” Tammy said, bringing her arm up around her back. “Hard
night?”
Vala nodded into her shoulder.
“Was it hard all night?”
Vala nodded into her shoulder again.
“Did you have a good time?”
Vala nodded, then pulled away, and took a sip of her coffee.
She looked at Sam and Tammy.
“He’s never been like that before! It was...amazing. I finally had to
push him away and go sleep in another room.” She said.
A few minutes later, Teyla came in. Her dress from the night before was
only partially closed, and was belted loosely in the front. One breast was
visible, and the nipple was swollen. There was a large, dark hickey off to one
side of it. She sank into the chair across from Tammy, and her head dropped to
the table with a thump.
“Hard night?” Tammy asked.
Teyla nodded, not looking up at them
“Coffee?” Vala asked.
Teyla held out her hand, and Vala slid her cup across the table. Teyla
closed her hand around it, sat up, and took a sip.
“The man is insatiable. He would not let me rest!” She said, taking
another sip of coffee. “He woke me twice to continue. I finally had to threaten
him with bodily harm.”
At that moment, Jennifer limped into the kitchen. She reached over and
took the coffee cup out of Teyla’s hand. She glared at Tammy as she took a sip.
“You bitch!” She said, handing the cup back to Teyla. “Don’t you ever do
that again!”
“That’s mine.” Vala said
“Hard night?” Tammy asked.
“Well, yeauuhhh. We didn’t even get downstairs!” She said “He bent me
over in the elevator and shoved that thing in me before I knew what was
happening. I was still impaled when we got to my door. We did it on the floor
the first time!”
“That’s what you get for not wearing panties.” Sam said.
“The first time?” Tammy said.
“And let me tell you! Me and him have very different ideas of what
making slow, sweet love is!”
She winced as she sat down. “Owwww. I’m gonna walk funny for a week!”
Tammy reached across the table and took the cup from Teyla. She went
over to the coffee pot and poured three fresh cups. She sat them on the table,
then got one for herself, and refilled Sam’s.
“How ‘bout you?” She asked Sam.
“I feel wonderful! Thank you. And thank you for asking.” Sam grinned.
Andi chose that moment to walk in. “Well! It’s nice to hear that
everyone had a good time last night!” She said brightly.
“Oh, shut up.” Jennifer said.
Teyla put her head back on the table, and Vala just glared at her.
Interior-Kitchen
0930 Hours
Sheppard, Daniel, and Caldwell had joined them. All three were seated at
the foot of the table.
By that time all the women had showered and changed, and were showing
signs of recovery. Andi and Jennifer were wearing clothes from the closets in
their suites, while Sam and Teyla were in Athosian gowns. Tammy had put her
outfit from the night before back on, and the men kept sneaking glances at her.
Sam reached over and buttoned another button on her vest when she
noticed
“Slut.” Sam muttered.
“And loving it!” Tammy said, turning her head and grinning at her.
“Steven.” Carter said, looking down the table at him. When he didn’t
reply, she raised her voice and said, “STEVEN!”
His head snapped around, and everyone laughed.
“Yes, colonel?” He said.
“I know she’s nice to look at, but we have business to discuss.” She
said lightly, smiling at him. “Were you serious when you offered your services?
You’re not jerking me off?”
“No, I was completely serious, colonel.” He reached down, picked up his
briefcase, and took his laptop out. “I offered to join you because I think
you’re being screwed.” He said as he waited for it to boot up. “And because
you’re an excellent commanding officer. I’ve always admired the way your people
respond to you, and we’ve worked well together in the past.”
She nodded.
“I’ve also seen the video of your meeting with the IOA, and read your
outline for your department. You have some bold ideas in it, and I think it’s
time we stop just holding the line, and actually go out and get something
done.”
Heads were nodding around the table as he spoke.
“I’m glad to see that you’re in much better shape than you led them to
believe. And I have to ask, why did you lowball the numbers on your
compensation package like that? You could have easily gotten double what you
asked for, if not more.”
Vala stood up and went to the fridge, taking out a bottle of orange
juice. She got a glass from the cabinet, then turned toward the table. “Anyone?
she asked, holding up her glass.
“Bring me one.” Andi said. “I’ll split it with you.”
Vala took another glass from the cabinet and returned to the table. She
filled her glass, then slid the bottle and the other glass over to Andi. She
adjusted her chair, moving closer to Tammy, and her hand disappeared under the
table as she picked up her juice and took a sip.
“We thought of that, but I looked at comparables in the civilian market,
then pegged our numbers to that.” Carter said. “And the show was to get me off
the hook, and let me shift over to where I wanted to be. You can see where I
landed.”
Tammy coughed, then turned in her chair, moving closer to Vala. She
looked down at her tablet, then looked down the table at
“They think you’re holding something back, that there was alot more that
you weren’t telling them. They’ve also been getting reports of unusually
activity, missing equipment, and unauthorized power usage here in Atlantis,
along with questionable behavior on your part. Most of those came from Dr.
McKay.”
“That sneaky little bastard.” Carter muttered.
“They know you’re doing something involving Space Time Matter bridges,
which, I’m assuming, is where you got all the ZPM’s for the city? And I thought
Atlantis only used three. Our scans showed six.”
He slid his laptop down the table to her.
“That’s a record of all research you’ve accessed over the last several
months, along with copies of all your emails. Everyone you’ve had contact with
regarding this has already been questioned by the IOA. Dr. Miller was detained
briefly, until they determined that she was just answering questions that you
sent her, not actively participating in your research.”
“The outer piers each have their own power center. We never knew that
because the city had never been completely explored or mapped. I found this
building when I first came to Atlantis, I was doing a walking tour of the city.
I’ve explored alot of it on my own time.” Carter said as she scrolled through.
She went through screen after screen, then pushed the laptop away.
She looked up at him. “We’ve never spent the time to explore the city
like we should have. Part of that was because we made enemies, but a bigger
part was because we were always putting out fires, and trying to recover from
some idiotic human error. Most of which were the work of Dr. McKay. He was also
against checking out anything but the central section of the city.”
Tammy stood up and moved around behind her. “I think this is a good time
for a break.” She said. “Sam, can I speak to you for a moment?”
Carter stood up, and Tammy took her hand, leading her out of the room.
Andi slid
Daniel looked at Vala, and she smiled brightly at him as she took a
drink of her juice.
Interior-Bedroom
1005 Hours
Tammy pulled Sam into the bedroom, then led her into the bathroom,
closing the door behind them. She pushed her down onto the toilet and stepped
in front of her as she opened her pants, letting them fall to the floor.
“Eat me!” She said as she put her hand behind her head and pulled her
face between her legs. She lifted one leg and put it up on a stool as Sam’s
tongue darted out, lapping at the clean shaven lips of her pussy.
“Vala’s been diddling me for the last ten minutes, and I just couldn’t
take it anymore!” She panted. She had both her hands on Sam’s head, and was
arching her hips up at her face.
Sam slid her hands up the back of Tammy’s legs, and cupped her
asscheeks, pulling her against her. Her tongue lashed up inside her, lapping at
the spicy juices dripping from her. She drove her tongue rapidly in and out,
grinding her nose into her clit.
Tammy grunted, and her legs started shaking. She pulled Sam’s face
higher in her sopping wet slit. “Suck it. Suck my clit, Sam! Oh god! Please!
Make me cum!”
Sam looked up at her as she moved her mouth up, sucking her clit between
her lips. She chewed on it lightly, letting her tongue slap back and forth
across the tip.
Tammy shuddered, whimpering as her orgasm swelled over her. She
stiffened, her legs shaking, then dropped to her knees in front of Sam, gasping
for breath as she hugged her, panting harshly into her neck.
Sam held her as she recovered, whispering to her. Tammy hugged her, then
drew back.
“Oh god, I’m sor...”
“Are you kidding?” Sam laughed. “That was just the kind of break I
needed! What do you say we go back in there, and on the next break, you do me!”
“You got a deal.” Tammy laughed, backing up and getting to her feet. “I
guess I should change, huh? This outfit is a little distracting.”
“You definitely got Steven’s attention.” Sam laughed. “But I have to
admit, I was looking too. We’re gonna have to go through all these suites
though, and find more of those suits. I like that look on you!”
She got up, went over to the sink and washed her face while Tammy pulled
her pants up, and buttoned her vest.
“Is that better?” Tammy asked, putting her hands in her pockets and
slouching slightly.
“Open another one.” Sam said, looking at her in the mirror. “Show a
little cleavage, just not all of it!”
Interior-Kitchen
1025 Hours
“They did it.” Vala said to Jennifer as they came back into the room.
“Good, I’m just wondering who did who.” Jennifer said.
“Get used to it, Steven.” Andi said. “But this is the only place you can
expect this kind of behavior. We’re at home here, so we feel free to say what
we please. When we go out and deal with other people, it’s strictly business.
And not everyone will get as warm a reception as you did.”
She looked over at Carter, then back at
“You smirked when Sam introduced Tammy as her girlfriend. Apparently you
believe the rumors about her. It doesn’t matter. They’ve bonded very deeply, on
an emotional level, which isn’t surprising given what they’ve been through in a
very short period of time. But Tammy is Sam’s primary caregiver, and is the
driving force behind what we’ve discovered to date. Without her, Sam would,
most probably, be in the state we described to the IOA. She’s also responsible
for stimulating her when she needs it. That is a sexual process, and needs to
be done several times a day.”
“You need to know that periodic stimulation is part of Sam’s treatment,
and is what makes it possible for her to function normally. We’ll explain the
medical part of it later if you’d like.” She went on, telling him about calling
for Tammy if he ever needed help if Sam was in trouble.
She looked around the table, and smiled. “I’m sorry, the psychiatrist in
me comes out sometimes.”
“No, please. Continue Dr. Samuels. I need to be aware of how things work
around here if I’m going to fit in. And I have to admit,” He said, glancing
down the table at Teyla. “This has been the most interesting introduction to a
new command that I’ve ever had.”
“Andi, please. Once the decision has bee...”
“He’s in. Read him in on everything.” Carter said. She looked down the
table at Sheppard.
“John?”
“Yes. He’s not going to screw us. And we can use him.” He looked over at
“I knew what you meant. So I call you sir now.”
“Teyla?”
“Steven will deal honestly with you, and serve you well.”
“Tammy?”
“Yesterday, I would have said no. But I’ve eaten with him, danced with
him, and had a chance to talk to him. I think Teyla is right, he’ll serve you
well, and honorably.” She looked at Teyla. “And I think he has an incentive to
want to stay.”
Teyla met her gaze, and nodded after a moment. She looked over at
“Steven will serve us all well. You have my word.” She said.
“
“Excuse me?”
“Ignore her. It’s a little game she plays.” Sam said.
Andi spun her tablet around, and slid it over to him.
He smiled as he looked at it.
“Let me see that.” Sam said, holding out her hand for the tablet.
“Oh no, you are not doing this.” She said as she looked at the tablet.
The note was a list of names and titles.
Col. Samantha Carter, Queen of Atlantis
Lady Tammy Ford, Consort
Sir John Sheppard, First Knight of the Realm
Lady Andi Samuels, Foreign Minister
Lady Jennifer Keller, Jester/Court Physician
Lord Daniel Jackson, Royal Advisor
Lady Vala Mal Doran, Royal Advisor/Adventurer
Ambassador Teyla Emmagan, Ambassador of the Athosian Peoples
Steven Caldwell, Lord of the Admiralty
Carter slid the tablet down the table, and Teyla grabbed it. She looked
over the list, then looked over at Andi. “What is a Lord of the Admiralty?”
“Something he’s never going to be.” Sam said.
“The commander of the Royal Navy.” Andi told Teyla.
Teyla nodded, then looked at Sam. “I already serve my people as an
ambassador to Atlantis. Having such a title, officially, bestowed by the ruler
of Atlantis, would do much to bring our peoples together.”
“She has a point. The Genii would be much more likely to deal with us as
an independent state, as opposed to representatives of Earth.” Sheppard said.
“They’ve always known that we don’t call the shots, but have to get approval
for almost everything.”
“The Traveler’s would respond similarly. They do not trust your leaders
on Earth, which is why they do not deal with you.” Teyla said. “They are many,
and if we could offer them safe havens, Atlantis and the other...I cannot
recall the name.” She said, looking at Andi.
“
“Yes,
She paused, then added, “He would require a title, however, as the
others have been given.”
“Are you bargaining for him Teyla?” Tammy asked.
Teyla shook her head. “Merely assuring that he will be worthy of my
station as ambassador. This is an important position, is it not?”
“Well filled Athosian warbler!” Vala laughed. “I get it now.” She glared
over at Andi. “You tried to trick me.”
Daniel put his head in his hands, then looked at
“Not you too, Daniel! Please, don’t do this to me.” She said softly.
“There may be no other way. Any other non-democratic form of government
besides a monarchy, with you as it’s self-appointed head, will be seen as a
dictatorship. By the IOA and your people here on Atlantis.”
He turned to Andi. “This is your idea, and you have a reason for it. I’d
like to hear it.”
“The monarchy is the easiest and most stable form of government for an
emerging nation. Democracy takes too long, even when the population is ready,
or used to it. We also don’t have the population to support a democracy.” She
said. She tabbed down through her notes, wrote out a list on a pad and slid it
over to Jennifer.
“Would you find these files in the database, and mail them to everyone
please? They can go over them later.”
“What makes a monarchy so attractive in our situation, is we live in a
feudal culture. The bulk of governments, where they exist, are monarchies, or
dictatorships. We are an exception to the norm. That puts us apart from the
majority of the Pegasus galaxy, so we’re viewed with suspicion by the
leadership. Many of that group believe that we are actually a dictatorship, but
hide behind our mask of democracy. And they’re right.”
“Now wait a minute.” Sam said.
“Let her finish.” Daniel and Tammy said at the same time. They grinned
at each other.
“Parts of our homeworld have democratic governments, but most of it
doesn’t. Atlantis is governed by the military commander, you Sam, with the power
of life and death over every one of us. Which makes it a benevolent
dictatorship. It’s true, that you are subject to a ruling body on Earth,
appointed by various governments, but you have the option to ignore their
edicts, and do as you see fit. As we have done recently.”
She looked at Daniel. “Do you have anything to add? You can feel free to
jump in at anytime.”
“You’re doing fine. But the history and psychology aside, why do you
think this is the best choice?” He asked.
“It’s what we need, and it’s what the people want.” Andi said simply.
“You’ve been talking to them?”
“No, I’ve been listening to them. And this wasn’t my idea. by the way.”
She told Sam. “I was in the mess hall a few weeks ago, before I did all this to
you, and the people at the next table were talking about it. They were quite
animated, and by the time I left, there were twenty people involved in the
discussion. I’ve been haunting the common areas since, and the two top topics
are how happy they are that you’re okay, and what kind of government you’ll
establish. Monarchy leads, democracy is a distant second.”
“We missed our chance to do it right, now we’ll have to put it to a
vote. But we’d win, even without rigging it. I’d say an eighty/twenty split.
Teyla said it best. You are much loved by your people.”
“How did you miss your chance?” Daniel asked
“The night we took over, Sam told them what we had in mind, where she
wants to take us. She told them that she had nothing to offer them but hard
work, a place to live, and a dream to work toward. And more than nine hundred
of them stayed, out of a little over eleven hundred. Because she gave them a
choice, and she asked them to stay with her.”
“We had a second meeting, after we had sent people home. That’s where
the window closed. If I had gotten her on board, we could have done it by
acclimation, and they would have been happy about it. But she didn’t want to
hear about a monarchy, and I couldn’t do it without her consent. She wouldn’t
have served.”
“Why do you think a vote would be so heavy in her favor?” Sheppard
asked.
“Because nine hundred people have exchanged thirteen thousand emails on
the subject, and that’s what most of them say. Don’t you people read your
email?”
“I have.” Tammy said.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Sam asked her “What do they say?”
“I didn’t say anything because you didn’t want to hear it. And I didn’t
want you to get mad at Andi.” She looked over at Andi. “And they’ve been
talking about it longer than a few weeks, Andi. I started hearing about it right
after she took over. People were saying that she should tell the IOA to get
bent, and run the city the way she wanted. They knew she rescued our people
from the replicator homeworld, and stayed with us while we landed the city. She
put her ass on the line when she didn’t have too. People respect that.”
“I told you that you saved us, and I meant all of us, not just my team.
You were what we needed, when we needed it.” Sheppard said. “You gave us
someone to rally around, and you reached out and let us know that you needed us
to be strong, that we’d be okay. How much did you sleep in those first weeks?
You were in every department, and knew every name in less than a week.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” Sam said.
“Why Samantha?” Vala asked. “People know you care about them, and know
you’ll do your best to take care of them. When we first met, you gave me a
chance. Ba’al only knows Daniel and Mitchell didn’t. In our time together, I
began to think of you as the sister I would have wanted. The do gooder that I
knew would have my back when I needed her. No one had ever made me feel that
way before. That’s why I’ve missed you so much.”
“She really was happy when she heard we were coming here.” Daniel said.
“I need some time to think.” Sam said as she stood up and walked to the
door. She stopped and looked at them.
“Steven, go talk to your crew. Tell them what’s happening, and give them
their options. John, put a team together and inspect the Daedalus. Distribute
the stores, and put the new troops in separate barracks away from our people.
Set up a separate mess for them, and tell them that we need to keep them
segregated because we don’t want the IOA or SGC to know what’s happened. Do the
same thing with your crew, Steven. If we hear from Earth, we’re going to say we
haven’t seen you. And we’re not sending any of those people home yet. Not until
I know what Ellis and the Apollo are going to do, so isolate them too, away
from the other two groups. I want to keep leaks to a minimum, so Daedalus is
need to know.”
She threw her head back, took a deep breath, and started again.
“Daniel, get with Andi, and work out the details of what needs to be
done on your outpost. I’d like to call it
“Tammy, take three ZPM’s down to the power room, we can take care of
that while Daniel and Andi are getting their team together. I’ll work up a
message for Teal’c while we’re doing that.”
“Vala, I’d like you to stay with me when Daniel goes to
“Jennifer, stay here, at least till Tammy gets back.”
“I’ll be in my office. Someone turn their eyes on.”
She turned around and started down the hall.
“Shit, I just talked myself into a job.” They heard her say.
Interior-Kitchen
1245 Hours
It was less than an hour before Daniel and Andi had gotten their team
together. They had settled on a smaller team because they found matching skills
among Sheppard’s men. Sam told them that Daniel would go through first with
three marines as security, and Zelenka had shown one of them how to install the
ZPM’s, and given them a checklist on how to bring the system up.
Andi and Daniel return to Sam’s suite, and found Sheppard and
“Are you sure that thing will work, Dr. Zelenka?”
“Yes, yes. With what we learned from the ancient database, now that we
can read it easily, installing the cloaking generator on the Daedalus will be
no problem.” Zelenka said, turning his laptop so they could see it. There was a
pair of schematics on the screen. “We’ve successfully integrated ancient
equipment into our systems before. And since their technology is so similar to
the Asgard’s, we’ll actually have fewer modifications to make than usual. If
there are no problems, we should have this installed in a day. But I’d like to
have two, just to make sure.”
“No problem, doc.” Sheppard said, picking up the device and turning it
in his hand. “Take your time and do it right. We need to know it’s going to
work when we need it.”
He paused and looked at Zelenka. “Has she appointed you chief scientist
yet?” He asked.
Zelenka nodded, and took the cloaking generator from Sheppard, sitting
it carefully on the table.
Sheppard grinned down the table at Samuels. “What does that make him,
doc? Royal wizard?” he asked her.
“I like that.” Andi said, bringing up her list and making a note. “I was
wondering where we were going to get one.”
Tammy stepped into the room and filled a glass with ice, and took two
cokes from the fridge. “She wants to talk to you Andi. Take these with you.”
She said as she sat them in front of her, then walked around the table and sat
next to Vala.
Andi took the drinks and walked down the hall to Sam’s office.
Interior-Office
1255 Hours
Andi handed Sam one of the cokes and the glass as she walked into the
office.
“Can I have this one?” She asked, holding up the other one. Sam nodded,
and Andi popped the tab, took a sip, then sat it on a table beside her. She sat
in a chair in the corner, and waited for Sam to speak.
Carter opened her coke and poured it as she leaned against the desk. She
looked up at Samuels, but didn’t say anything. She sat the drink on the desk,
and dropped the can in a trash can, then pushed off the desk and stepped
forward.
“You have three minutes to tell me why I should do this.” Carter said as
she started pacing back and forth in her office.
“It’s the smart thing to do, it’s what we need to do, your people want
it, and you’re the only one that can do the job.” Samuels said, crossing her
legs as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m done.”
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to give me?” Carter asked.
“You already heard from a room full of people giving you excellent
reasons why you should do it. I can’t make you want the job, but you’ve already
got it, and I don’t think you’re going to quit. We’re just changing the job
title and adding a little to the job description.”
She paused, looked at her tablet, then back up at Sam. “There are
direct, and immediate benefits. A chance for improved relations with two
powerful groups in Pegasus being the most important, one of which could come
with manpower and ships. That alone should sell you on the idea. Improved
standing with the rest of the societies in Pegasus, because we’ve broken off
from Earth, are standing on our own, and are taking steps to grow and expand,
without taking from them. We’ll also improve our trade prospect through these
first two items.”
“Yeah, those are valid points. And like you said, we’re just changing
the job title. How involved do we have to make this?”
“The full monte for the first few months, maybe the first year. After
that, we can scale it back. I was planning on modeling the government and the court
after the Grand Duchy of Monaco. They keep the pageantry to a minimum, with a
few state occasions every few years. Then our independence day, and your
birthday, of course.”
“What kind of occasions?” Sam asked, beginning to sense that Samuels was
trying to slip something past her.
“The coronation of course. That has to be a big, high fallutin’ affair,
and Atlantis is perfect for it. Then there’s funerals, royal weddings, royal
births. But most of those are decades off.”
“We’ll need to make up a guest list for th...”
“Back up a minute. Did you say royal births?”
“Yes...you’ll have to produce an heir. Preferably in the first two
years.” Samuels said, looking at her steadily. “And we won’t be able to fake
it.”
Sam went over to the door and jerked it open. “TAMMY!” She yelled at the
top of her lungs.
Tammy came running into the room, and when she saw that Sam was okay,
she grinned and said, “You bellowed?”
“She...she wants...she said I hav...” Carter sputtered, unable to make
herself say the words.
“I told her she has to produce an heir.” Andi said, trying not to smile.
“Well, I was going to wait a year bef...”
“What? You too?” Sam said, staring at her incredulously.
She went back over to the door, opened her mouth, then closed it. She
stormed out, walking quickly down the hall to the kitchen.
“Those two say that I hav...they want...I don’t...I cant! I’m not
marr...” She said in a rush, pointing down the hall.
Tammy and Andi came in a moment later.
“What’s she trying to say, Tammy?” Vala asked. “She’s not making any
sense.”
“I’ve never seen her like this. What the hell happened?” Sheppard asked.
“Nor I.” Teyla added
“No, tell me you didn’t.” Daniel said, looking at Andi.
Andi nodded. “I told her that she’ll have to produce an heir.”
“She doesn’t appear to be taking it very well.” Vala said.
“Ya think?” Sam shouted at her. “I don’t want to have a baby! I’m not
married. I can’t have a baby!”
Tammy went over to the freezer and took out a bottle, then went over to
the cabinet and got a small glass. She filled the glass, took Sam by the arm
and led her to her seat. When she was settled, she handed her the glass and
said, “Here, drink this.”
She tossed down the drink, then coughed, her eyes watering. She looked
back at Tammy over her shoulder, and held the glass out. Tammy filled it, then
got a glass for herself and sat down. She filled the glass, sat the bottle on
the table and turned to Sam.
“There’s no other way, Sam” Andi said softly as she took her seat. “We
have to have an heir to ensure the line of succession. And I think I’m about to
make matters worse. Your not being married works to our advantage. The occasion
may arise, before your heir reaches maturity, where...”
“Noooooo.” Sam said, staring at her wide eyed. She looked at Tammy
“It won’t mean anything Sam, it will be purely political.” Tammy said,
taking her hands in both of hers.
“Couldn’t you have waited?” Daniel asked. “At least until you had her
committed to the idea?”
“No, I won’t do that. She has to know up front. And she may not be
committed to the idea, but she’s accepted it.” Samuels told him.
“You know that this is the only way we can make your plans come to
fruition, Sam.” Andi said.
“She’s right Daniel. With what everyone said earlier, it does makes the most
sense.” Sam said. “It’s just going to take me a while to get my head around it
is all.”
She looked at Samuels. “Can I use a donor? Or do I actually have to...”
“It’s your realm, you can do damn near anything you please.” Samuels
said. “And I have a donor in mind already if we go that way. We’ll get good
offspring.”
“Using a donor lets us screen out bad matches, look for undesirable
traits and defects.” Jennifer said. “I’m not talking about doctoring the DNA,
just picking and choosing which little swimmers we let into the pond. and I
think we should go in vitro anyway.”
“Do you have a time table for all this, Andi?”
“Forty-five days after the last threat is removed, we declare our
independence, and announce Sam’s election as ruler, queen, we can work out the
language later. The coronation would be sixty days after that.” Andi told him.
“I have an outline that I’ve been playing with, more to entertain myself than
anything else. I’ll forward it to you later if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.” He said. “My daughter is a wedding planner and...we talk
sometimes.”
“I’m thinking that last threat is the Apollo. You’re in a better
position to tell us what they might bring to bear against us, that you didn’t
have. And what else the IOA may have to throw at us. I’ll want to get with you
and John later on that.”
She looked at Sam. “We have two months before we have to get serious, so
you have half that to make your final decision. I’ll start making plans based
on the presumption that you’re going to agree. I think we can table this until
we know for sure that we’re going to need it.”
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in the last half hour.” Carter looked
around the table. “This does not leave this room. Is that understood?”
She stood up and looked down the table at Daniel. “Let’s get you going.
I want to know more about the latest addition to my domain.”
Samuels smiled as she looked down at the table, making a note of the
date and time.
Interior-Gateroom
1455 Hours
It was more than an hour and a half before they heard from Daniel. They
had had trouble bringing the outpost’s power up, but they finally figured out
that a breaker panel had tripped. Once they reset it, systems began coming up
all over the compound.
Daniel told them that it would be several hours before he would be able
to return. Carter objected at first, until he told her that he had already
contacted Teal’c while the marines were working on the power problem, and that
he had agreed to come to the outpost, and return with Daniel.
Carter had spent most of the time pacing back and forth behind the Ops
tech’s console. He had finally turned around and spoken to her.
“Excuse me, colonel. Would you please sit down, or go in your office?”
He said. “I’m sorry if I’m out of line, but asking me if I’ve heard anything
every five minutes isn’t going to make them dial in any faster.”
She looked at him, then grinned. “You’re right Chuck. I’m sorry.” She
said as she pulled a chair over and sat down. “Can I?” She asked, nodding
toward the console.
“Feel free.” He said, “No one’s around.”
She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the console.
“Would you talk to me, Chuck? I’m out of touch, I don’t get to talk to
anyone anymore.” She said. “I want to get out and talk to people, but there
just seems to be so much to do, ya know?”
“Well, it’s been quiet around here lately, colonel, now that we’re not
using the gate as much, so we have time to look at the ancient systems. Being
able to read ancient makes it a breeze. I’ve been wondering who I should ask if
we can disconnect our equipment, and just use theirs.”
She nodded. “Not a bad idea. We’d free up gear we can use somewhere
else, and theirs is probably more efficient anyway. Write it up, and give me a
list of what systems would be affected, what equipment is freed up, and a risk
assessment. From what I read, there was alot of jury rigging at the beginning,
and I want to know if we can undo it safely.”
“Peter Grodin and I did most of the work up here. He died the first
year, he was on an ancient satellite when the Wraith blew it up. They had
already taken out one Wraith cruiser, but the power went out on them before
they could get any more.” He told her. “There wasn’t as much as you’d think, we
patched in clean, so taking it out won’t be a problem.”
He looked down and checked his console, made an adjustment, and spoke to
a team on the north pier.
“Another storage facility, colonel.” He told her. “Looks like raw
materials and spare parts. That’ll come in handy.”
“I knew exploring would be a good idea. How’s the map looking?” She
asked.
Chuck threw up a projection of the city in front of them. “The grey
areas are unmapped, green is manufacturing, red is storage, and blue is
residential.” he grinned at her as he dropped everything but the blue off the
map. “There’s thirty thousand empty dwellings out there, and we haven’t gotten
to them all yet. And they’re nice places too, I’ve seen pictures. There’s alot
of chatter about people wanting to upgrade quarters. I mean, after four years
of sharing a little cubby, I wouldn’t mind a place to myself.”
“I’m going to get to that, and soon. I’ll need to get an inventory
before we can start moving people around. We can’t have people scattered all
over the place. We have to keep them together. I’m thinking about splitting
them out across the three piers.” She paused, then looked over at him. “Can you
tell me what else people are talking about? You don’t have to, I’m just
curious.”
“They’re happy to finally be doing something they think is worthwhile,
and they like getting out into the city and looking around.” He said. “Alot of
us are scared, we’re not sure if this is going to work out or not, but most of
us think we should have done it along time ago.”
“Are they talking about how they think we ought to run the city?”
“Business as usual. You tell us what to do, and we do it.” He said as he
took down the projection. He disabled an alarm, and turned back to her.
“There’s some talk about what kind of government you should establish. Do you
have any idea what you’re going to do on that, colonel?”
“I’m an American, I was raised in a democracy. But I work in a military
operation, that’s basically a benevolent dictatorship. I have people telling me
that a democracy would take too long to get going, and be inefficient, and we
really don’t have the population to support that right now anyway. Apparently,
there are better forms of government for an emerging state, that would improve
our standing in Pegasus, and leave us some diplomatic options open.”
He hesitated, then said, “You don’t sound too excited about those other
options, colonel. There’s talk about one of them, I guess that’s where your
people got it.”
“What do you think, Chuck? What kind of society would you like to live
in?” She asked him.
“I’m Canadian, colonel. We have a parliament and a prime minister. But
we’re still part of the
“How am I doing? In the polls I mean.”
Chuck turned to his terminal and brought up his email. He opened a
folder, and opened the first one at the top.
“That’s the latest, I haven’t read it yet.”
“Oh my god, it’s worse than I thought.” She said, then looked at him. “I
probably shouldn’t have said that, huh?” She closed the email, and scrolled
through the list. “There’s over a hundred emails on just this, Chuck.”
“Yes maam, it’s a popular topic.” Chuck said as he opened another
folder.
Before he could show her more, the gate started to dial.
Interior-Office
1545 Hours
Carter as sitting behind her desk, going through her email. There were
more than five hundred unopened mails, very few of them business related. She
sorted them by topic, then started going through them, opening them randomly.
She spent the most time looking at the email list Chuck had shown her,
but she found several on other lists that she forwarded to her staff. One was a
detailed plan for relocating personnel around the city, and she thought the
plan had merit. Another advocated importing refugees from worlds ravaged by the
Wraith, and making them citizens. She marked both as priority, and added a note
for her staff to contact the authors.
She went back to the first list, started with the oldest, and worked her
way toward the top. A third of the way through, she started laughing, and by
the time she had read all of them, she had tears running down her cheeks.
Looking at the mail she had open in the screen, she clicked on the reply
all button. She typed two words, sat back, and looked at the screen. After a moment,
she stood up, pressed send, and closed her laptop.
Interior-Bedroom
1700 Hours
Tammy climbed onto the bed and slid up behind her, snuggling in close
and laying her arm across her waist. She laid her head against her back and
sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked her.
“Nothing, just tired, and my brain hurts.” Tammy said. “They’ve been
wanting to come in here for an hour, but I told them that you were asleep.”
“I wasn’t, I’m just thinking.”
“I know. I can tell when you’re asleep. I just wanted them to leave you
alone. All the big stuff is being handled, so they don’t need you right now.”
“How about you?”
“That’s why I came in. I was going through withdrawal.”
“You wanna make out?” Sam asked, wiggling her butt back against her.
“Maybe later, I just wanted to be with you. Is that okay?”
“Always. It feels nice just having you here.”
“There’s one thing you need to know.” Tammy said, tightening her arm
around her waist.
“What’s that?”
“There was a riot in the mess hall.”
“What?” Carter said, trying to sit up.
Tammy pushed her down, laughing softly.
“Well, not really a riot, more like a celebration that got out of
control.” Tammy told her.
“What brought that on?” Sam asked her.
“Like you don’t know!” Tammy laughed again, pushing the pillow away from
her and rolling over on top of her. She straddled her hips and started tickling
her, making Sam scream and try to pull away. “What were you thinking? Sending
that email out on an open list like that?”
“Stop!” Sam laughed, rolling over under her. “I couldn’t help it! Have
you read those mails?”
“I’ve read them.” Tammy laughed, rolling off of her. “Andi almost came
in her pants when she read yours. I thought she was having a heart attack at
first.”
“Sam?” Jennifer called from the doorway. “Can I come in?”
“Sure Jenn. What do you need?”
“We heard from Daniel, Teal’c made it to the outpost.” Keller said
looking at the floor.
“That’s good.” Carter said, rolling off the bed, and heading for the
bathroom. “When are they coming through?”
“O’Neill is with him.”
She stopped, then turned slowly, and walked over and sat on the bed. She
held out her hand, and Tammy took it, sliding over next to her.
“What do you think? Send him home, or invite him to dinner?” She asked.
“And on that note, I want bacon cheeseburgers and fries for dinner. Teal’c
loves them.”
“It’s your call. But it depends on what he wants.” Tammy said.
“Yeah, but I shit on him pretty hard last time I talked to him.” Sam
said.
“Jenn? You got anything?”
“This is Andi’s gig. But Sheppard and Caldwell want to see him.”
She thought about it for a minute, then nodded. “Tell them I’ll be at
the gate at seventeen-thirty. Let’s see what he has to say.”
She turned to Tammy. “Are there any more of those suits in your closet?
If there aren’t, take Vala and find us some. Same style, both in black. You
mind going twinsies?”
Interior-Gateroom
1730 Hours
Sam and Tammy were standing at the foot of the stairs when the wormhole
opened. They let the vortex die down, then walked toward the gate.
“I’m receiving Dr. Jackson’s IDC, colonel.”
“Open a channel, Chuck.”
“Channel open, colonel.”
“Is it safe, Daniel?” she asked.
“Yes, Sam. Just the three of us. The shields are up, so our people are
going to be okay here. I’m bringing the depleted ZPM’s back with me.”
“Good to hear it.” She looked over her shoulder. “Lower the shield and
tell them, Chuck.”
“Yes, maam.”
“How come he gets to call you maam?” Tammy asked lightly.
“He means it. He was brought up well. Now shut up.”
Jackson, Teal’c and O’Neill stepped through the gate at the same time,
side by side.
“Wow, deja vu.” Carter said as she walked over to them. The wormhole
closed behind them a moment later.
She let go of Tammy’s hand and threw her arms around Teal’c’s neck.
“It’s so good to see you again Teal’c! I’ve missed you.” She turned her head
and looked at
She released Teal’c, and stepped back, taking Tammy’s hand again.
She looked over at O’Neill, and he gave her a weak smile and a wave. She
smiled back.
“Teal’c, Jack, this is my girlfriend, Tammy Ford.”
Teal’c nodded, and O’Neill held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.” He
said.
Tammy let go of Sam’s hand and went over to stand in front of them. She
seemed near tears. Suddenly, she threw an arm around both of them, hugging them
tightly. “Thank you for keeping her safe.” She whispered, then let them go and
stepped back over to Sam. Their hands joined again, and they both smiled.
“Nice outfits.” O’Neill said
Sam grinned, and looked at Teal’c. “No staff?” She said, lifting an
eyebrow.
“It did not seem appropriate. Col. Carter.”
“It’s just Sam, or Samantha now. Family doesn’t use ranks.” She turned and
looked behind her. “You can stand down major.” She said to Lorne.
O’Neill looked to either side, then behind him, noticing the fifty
marines surrounding the gate. His eyes went wide when he saw a dozen snipers
stand up around the balcony overlooking the gate.
“Just being careful.” Sam said as she turned and headed for the porter.
“Teal’c, I haven’t told Ronin that you were coming. Would you mind if he
joined us for dinner?”
“I would be pleased to see Ronin Dex again, Samantha. I trust he is
doing well?”
“I’ll let you decide that when you see him.” She said as Tammy tapped in
the codes for the tower. The porter doors opened a moment later. “We’ll have to
do dinner in the conference room. There’s not enough room at the table.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever to get used to that.” O’Neill muttered as they
stepped out into the living room.
“Muscles!” Vala screamed as she ran across the living room. She leapt
the last couple of steps, wrapping her arms and legs around him, almost
knocking him over.
“Vala Mal Doran. I have missed your company.” He said quietly, holding
her easily in his arms.
Vala let him go and turned to Daniel. She put her arms around his waist
and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.
“This is new.” O’Neill said as he watched them.
Daniel put his arms around her and held her. “I’m okay. Everything came
up like it was supposed to, and I came back as fast as I could.”
She nodded into his chest, but didn’t let him go.
“Daniel, Vala, would you take Teal’c into the kitchen? He should know
everyone. Well, maybe not Andi.” She turned to O’Neill. “Let’s go in my office,
Jack.” She said.
Interior-Office
1730 Hours
Tammy waved O’Neill toward the chair in the corner, and pull another one
closer. She sat down, looking over at Sam.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I was pretty rough on you the last time we talked.”
Sam said as she pushed some papers aside and sat on her desk.
“Nah, you were right. And you said it to my face. In front of a room
full of people. On video. Which hundreds of people have watched.” He said with a
wry smile.
“Yeah. That was bad. But what are you doing here now?” She asked him.
“I retired again. I’m not going to fight my friends.” He said. “I was on
Chulak when Daniel messaged Teal’c, so I asked if I could tag along.”
“What do you want, Jack?”
“Well, as much as I like to fish, I don’t want to do it as a career. I
was wondering if you might have any use for a beat up old general.”
Sam looked over at Tammy. She nodded, grinning broadly.
“We’d be glad to have you, general.” Tammy said.
“Thank you.” He said, smiling warmly at her. “But I’d like to hear it
from her.”
He looked back over at Carter and waited.
She looked at him for a moment, then stood up and moved behind her desk.
She typed at her keyboard for a moment, made a note on a piece of paper and
stood up. She came around and stood in front of O’Neill.
“Access code. You’ll need it to get in and out of this building.” She
said as she handed him the piece of paper. “We’ll get you a suite downstairs
later. And a job? I’ll have to see what the senior staff have to say about
that.”
“A suite you say. Sweet.” He said, grinning at Tammy.
Interior-Office
1750 Hours
They had taken O’Neill into the kitchen and introduced him to Andi, then
adjourned back to the office with Andi and Sheppard.
“You all saw my mail. I’m in. And I hope to god you’re right and this
doesn’t blow up in our faces.” She said, looking at each of them.
“I want a vote on it, tomorrow. We have a meeting in the auditorium, and
everyone votes. And there better not be more votes than there are bodies.” She
said, looking at Samuels. “I’d like the ballots kept simple, yes, no, a space
for a write in, and two lines at the bottom for a signature, and printed name.
I want to save them for posterity, I want our descendents to know who made the
world they’re going to live in.”
“That’s a good idea, Sam.” Andi said, making a note. “We do need to
start looking at what history is going to say about us.”
“We’re going to keep the spin to a minimum. We fuck up, we admit it. We
get something right, people will know. We won’t have to say anything.” She
paused, and picked up a piece of paper from her desk and handed it to Andi. “We
should have the court in place before we hold the vote, and introduce the ones
we can immediately after. And I want to change your time line.”
“What do you have in mind? It’s going to take time to make the
arrangements for the coronation, that’s not something you can do in a week.”
Andi said. “I need at least the sixty days I told you, and was going to use
alot of the other time to work out details.”
“You can have your sixty days. I’m closing the front end of the window.”
Carter said.
“How soon?” Sheppard asked. “That’s based on the last threat being
removed, so Andi could still have some time.”
Carter nodded. “I want to announce our independence seventy-two hours
after we remove the last threat against us. I’m thinking we’ll see the Apollo
in the next three to five days. I need you and Andi to talk to O’Neill and
Caldwell, and find out what else Earth can scrape up to send at us. I want that
done tonight.”
“Sixty-five days. That’s going to be tight.” Samuels muttered.
“You can do it. I already know what I’m going to wear, all you have to
do is invite people and make some snacks. How hard can that be?” Carter grinned
at her.
“What do you have in mind, Sam? For your outfit I mean.” Tammy asked.
“The outfit I wore the night we took over. Simple, stately, I don’t know
about saintly, but it was effective.” Carter said. “Will you read the vows? If
our people see me answering you, they’ll know I mean it. And I want Bra’tac to
present the crown, O’Neill the scepter. Or whatever symbols of state you decide
on.”
“Oh my god! This is gold! Manna from heaven. I mean...” Samuels said,
typing furiously on her tablet.
“Like I said,” Sam went on, ignoring Andi’s outburst. “I want the court
in place. John, talk to
“I wish I knew what I did with...”
“I have it.” Tammy said. “I figured we were gonna need it, and even if
we didn’t, it was something we should keep.”
“Thank you. It was meant in fun, but when I thought about it later...”
“I know, that’s why I kept it.” Tammy said, glancing at Sheppard.
Samuels was looking back and forth between them. “What are you talking
about?”
“Don’t worry about it, doc.” Sheppard said as he stood up. “I’ll go talk
to Caldwell and Teyla. I’ll get with the mess too. Dinner at twenty hundred? Or
shortly after, we’ll need a few minutes before for this.”
“Thank you, John.” Carter said. “We’re finished. You two get with Steven
and Jack after dinner, I think if we take out the Apollo, we’re golden.”
“Take, not take out.” Sheppard said as he stepped toward the door. “
Interior-Conference Room
1900 Hours
Everyone stood when Sam and Tammy entered the conference room. Sam was
carrying a spoon in her free hand.
Caldwell and Teyla stepped away from the table and met them halfway.
“What’s going on?” O’Neill asked Sheppard.
“Shhhh. Just watch.”
“Are you ready Steven?” Tammy asked.
“We are ready, Samantha.”
Teyla stepped to the side, and
Sam reached out with her spoon and touched him lightly with it on either
shoulder.
“Rise Sir Steven, Lord of the Admiralty.” Tammy said.
Tammy turned to Ronin. “Ronin Dex, step forward.”
Ronin looked surprised, but stepped over in front of them.
“Do you wish to join our service, Ronin Dex?” Tammy asked.
“I don’t have a ship, and I don’t know what fealty is.” He said quietly,
his head bowed.
Sam smiled at him, and nodded to Tammy.
“Do you pledge to serve us faithfully and well, as you have in the
past?” Tammy asked.
“I do.”
“Please kneel.”
Ronin dropped to one knee, and Sam touched him lightly on each shoulder
with her spoon.
“Rise Sir Ronin, Guardian of the Realm.”
Sam handed Tammy her spoon as Ronin stood, and she slipped it into her
pocket. Sam stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, laying her head on
his chest.
“My life for you and our city.” He said softly, putting his arms around
her.
“I won’t let it come to that, Ronin. I need you. We all need you.” She
whispered.
She held him a moment longer, then stepped back. Ronin took a step back,
then returned to his place at the table.
Tammy led Sam over to the table, pulled out her chair, then took her
place beside her.
She smiled as she looked around the table. “Teal’c, how would the Jaffa
High Council receive my request for you as ambassador to my court?”
“Such a request would be well received. You are known by all
“Yes, we will doing that shortly, and I intend to establish diplomatic
relations with the
“I believe that Master Bra’tac would be pleased to spend his final days
in the company of O’Neill. To offer his wisdom to someone who will listen...Yes,
he will accept.” Teal’c said with a smile.
She turned and looked at O’Neill. “Would you consider such a position,
general?”
O’Neill looked at her, then a slow smile spread across his face. “I
would be pleased to be put out to pasture with the likes of Master Bra’tac, and
share our wisdom with you.”
“Don’t go grazing yet, Jack. There’s still work we need you to do.”
Carter said.
“We’re laying the foundation for something I hope will be great, and
endure long into the future.” Carter said as she looked at each of them. “The
strong backs at this table that have thrown their lot in with me will be that
foundation. The people out in the city will be our mortar, binding us together,
because we serve them, not the other way around.”
“The food will be here shortly, and before it arrives. I’d like to
review our progress, and plans.” She said.
“Today we secured
“We will also be taking our second city,
“I sent out an email today, to a list that has sprung up, advocating
what I have decided to do, and am doing. It was quite short, only two words.”
She looked down the table at Samuels. “For those of you that haven’t seen
it...”
Samuels pressed a button on the table beside her, and the email came up
on a large screen at the foot of the table.
It read: I accept.
Interior-Balcony
2030 Hours
“Queen.” O’Neill said, as he puffed on a cigar. “Not what I was
expecting, but she seems to have dropped into the role comfortably enough.”
“It’s not official, we still have to hold a vote. That’s tomorrow, but
it’s pretty much a done deal. And this wasn’t her idea. As a matter of fact,
until today, she was dead set against it.” Sheppard said. “Especially when she
heard about the heir.”
“Heir, you say? As in progeny?” O’Neill asked. “She’s never shown any
interest before.”
“She still doesn’t, it seems.”
Ronin came over, a cigar clenched in his teeth.
O’Neill looked him up and down. “You look neater than the last time I
saw you.” He said. “Didn’t you use to have more hair? And a beard?”
“Yeah.” Ronin said. “I cut it.” He turned and walked over to join Tammy
and Sam.
“Doesn’t talk much, does he?” O’Neill said. “Guardian of the Realm?”
“Good choice. I’m Lord of the Admiralty though.”
“First Knight of the Realm, and Commander of the Royal Forces.” Sheppard
said, tapping his chest. “And your boss.”
“Lord of the Admiralty sounds cooler. And I’m dating an ambassador.”
“I think I’m going to get another burger.” O’Neill said, stepping around
Sheppard, and heading inside.
“Going somewhere general?” Samuels asked as she stepped toward the door.
“”It’s Jack. Just getting another burger. And they’re starting to
compare the size of their titles. That’s gonna get ugly fast.” He said. “Care
to join me?”
“I’d love to. I was headed that way myself.”
“So you’re the architect of all this?” He said as they moved along the
table, putting their burgers together.
“No, I’ll accept fault for putting her the in position where this could
happen, but we’re where we are because of a series of events that fell into
place in the right order. The right people were in place at the right time, and
everything just kind of snowballed.”
“The fact that the IOA turned down an offer that would have benefitted
the people of two galaxies, and decided to kidnap the author of the plan behind
it, well, that was just the fuel that fed the fire.”
“I’m not going to defend the IOA. I’ll just say that they have reasons
to be afraid of her. Holding back information like her work on STM bridges,
which I don’t understand by the way, but people tell me is really cool, and
really important, is a big one.”
“She did the work on her own. Why should she share it if she doesn’t
want to?”
“How about she used research and resources that didn’t belong to her
to...wait.” He sat his burger down. “I don’t want to do this. Samantha Carter
is my friend, I’ve hurt her over the years, but I didn’t come here to make her
the bad guy. So I’m not going to do this.”
He turned around and walked out, and went across to the balcony.
“Remind me to never talk to your shrink again. Ever.” O’Neill said as he
came up to Sam and Tammy. “Can I say I’m sorry, for everything, and get kind of
a blanket ‘it’s okay, I forgive you’?” He said. “The list is too long, and I
know I’ll...”
“I forgive you.” Sam said. “And it wasn’t so bad, Jack. I knew what I
was getting into, and I did it anyway. It’s okay. You’re here now, when we need
you. Just like you always are. Thank you.”
He looked down at their hands, and was smiling as he looked back up at
them.
“You look happy Sam.” He said. “I’ve seen you laugh, cry, smile, but I
can’t say I’ve ever seen you happy. You’ve done well here, you have people
around you that love you, and that’s what counts in the end.”
He looked at Tammy. “Don’t ever let go of her hand. You’ve been holding
it since I met you, and I hope you’re holding after I’m long gone.”
“We hold each other’s hand, Jack. I need her as much as she needs me. But
I won’t. And you’re going to be with us for a long time, so don’t talk like
that.” Tammy said. She reached out and took his hand. “You look like you could
use a little too. Stay here with us, we don’t have to talk if you don’t want.”
“Queen Samantha, huh?” He said. “It’s got a nice ring to it.”
“No, Col. Samantha Carter, Queen of Atlantis, is the official title. She
earned the rank, she should wear it.” Andi said as she came up. She held a
plate out to O’Neill. “You forgot your burger, general.”
“I think Sheppard and Caldwell are getting ready to fight.” Ronin said
as he came up.
“Told you.” O’Neill said to Andi.
“John, Steven, would you come over here please?” Sam said lightly, not
raising her voice.
They turned to look at her, then came over and stood in front of her.
“Is my Guardian of the Realm going to have to kick the shit out of my
two senior military commanders?” She asked them.
“No, colonel.” they said.
“If I hear about something like this happening again, I’ll demote you
both to page, and have you washing jumpers for a month.”
“I didn’t know you had that many jumpers.” O’Neill said.
“They can wash the same one over and over. Would you like to join them?”
She asked him.
“No maam.”
“Dance with me.” She said to Tammy as she walked away.
“Don’t call her maam.” Sheppard said. “She doesn’t like it.”
“It makes her feel old.”
“It does not!” Sam and Tammy said at the same time.
Interior-Col Sheppard’s Suite
2210 Hours
“Nice place, John.” O’Neill said. “You decorate it yourself?”
“No, It was like this when I moved in.” Sheppard said, looking around.
“I actually haven’t moved in yet. Most of my stuff is still over in the
Sheppard led him over to a couch where Andi was sitting.
“I’m mailing what I have to you and Andi, John. I already copied the
intel package we got from
He looked over at O’Neill. “I wasn’t told to surrender my ship, at least
not in so many words. but the messages I received from the SGC made it plain
that they wouldn’t be upset about it. The IOA was a different story.”
“You go ahead and do that, Steven.” Sheppard said. “Jack. Damn, this is
going to take some getting used to.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Relax boys,” O’Neill laughed. “I’m retired. Again. You can call me
general, or Jack, it doesn’t matter.”
“Yes sir,” Sheppard said. “We need information. We know the Apollo is coming,
we just don’t know when. We already have a plan in place, we just need to
review it with the colonel, and get her approval. There’s a few things we need
to nail down before we can do that, but we’ll be ready before Apollo gets
here.”
“What Andi and I need to know from you and Steven, is after the Apollo,
what assets can they send at us? To our knowledge, Daedalus and Apollo are the
only two active ships the IOA has...had. Whatever.
We know that the Gen Hammond is twelve months from completion based on
the last updates we received. But they can bring it off the line sooner, we’re
thinking six months at a minimum even if they work on it twenty-four by seven.”
“It’s going to be longer than that. They’re behind schedule.” O’Neill
said. “And you want to know what intergalactic ships they can beg, borrow, or
steal? None. The
He leaned back, stretching his arm over his head. “I’ve already spoken
to Thor, and the Asgard won’t get involved. They consider this an internal
matter, kind of like a family squabble. And they’re really fond of our girl.
Thor said he might drop in to say hi once you get things worked out.”
He turned to Samuels. “You might want to put him on the guest list.
Sorry, I don’t know his address.”
Interior-Kitchen
2210 Hours
“Andi got Jack set up in a suite down on forty-one near Tammy. I think
he’s sacked out already.” Sheppard said as he sat down. “Where is everyone?
Steven is downstairs, Andi said she had a pipe with her name one. I’m still not
sure if I like our chief planner being a doper, but she sees to function well
enough.” He grinned. “You seen my better half?”
“She got a call from the Infirmary.” Tammy said. “She took out of here
about half an hour ago, and we haven’t heard from her. Teal’c is down with
Daniel and Vala. I think Teyla is down there too.”
“Is she mad at me? She’s been avoiding me all day. Even at dinner. She
spent all her time with Vala and Teyla afterwards too.”
“What did you get from Jack? We have anything to worry about?”
“No, not a thing.” Sheppard said, shaking his head. “Except maybe a
guilty conscience.”
“How do you mean?” Tammy asked.
“We’re leaving our homeworld undefended.” he said. “They only had two
operational ships. The
“I can see where you’d think that, John.” Sam said. “But it’s not us
doing it. We’re defending our homeworld. This one. And if push comes to shove,
I’ll go defend Earth, but I’m not giving Daedalus back, and if you’re serious
about taking Apollo, I’ll keep it too.”
“They don’t have that much to worry about. The Lucien Alliance is the
only real threat right now, and they’re quiet at the moment.” She said, putting
her hands behind her head and leaning back in her chair.
“I agree, but I’m glad to hear you say we’d help them. O’Neill said the
Asgard are going to sit this out. He said he spoke to Thor. They’re looking at
it like a family squabble.”
“Family squabble? Thor is picking up too many human euphemisms.” Carter
laughed, leaning over and bumping shoulders with Tammy. “You’ll like Thor, He’s
actually got a sense of humor, most of the Asgard don’t.”
“I just wish they’d wear pants.” Sheppard said.
Interior-Bedroom
2350 Hours
“I want to do it with you.” Tammy whispered into Sam’s back.
“Couldn’t you have said something earlier? We already fooled around
twice today.” Sam said, bringing her hand up and pressing it to her breast.
“No, I want to have a baby with you...at the same time, I mean. We could
do it together.”
Sam stiffened, then lifted Tammy’s arm and rolled over so she was facing
her.
“You’d do that? Do you really want a baby, or are you just trying to
make it easier on me?”
“I want to do it with you. And yes, I want a baby.” Tammy said. “He’s
going to need a little sister to protect, so he learns right. And that’s how
we’re going to raise them, no matter what anyone else says.”
“She’s going to want more. When she has the fir...” Her head came up,
and she stared at Tammy, her eyes wide.
“What?”
“I sent you down there. You were in the power room today with the
ZPM’s.” Sam said. “Oh my god, I wasn’t thinking, I was just spitting out orders
and...”
“It’s okay, Sam. I’m okay.” Tammy said, pulling her closer. “I promise,
nothing happened, I didn’t feel a thing.”
“You left the room after you got them put in? Like last time? You didn’t
stay and watch?”
“Yes, every time. I went down the hall just to be safe, I promise.”
Tammy told her, stroking her hair gently.
“Oh, thank god.” Sam breathed. “We can’t do that anymore, neither of us
can go near there again. We’ll have to send someone else and do it remotely
from now on.”
They lay quietly, holding each other in the dark.
“We’re going to have to tell Jenn, probably tomorrow.” Sam said. “You’re
catching up fast. You should already be wearing ear plugs, and you match me when
we workout. I’m surprised no one has noticed.”
“I’ve got them watching you, and I’m slacking off when we workout. Jenn
has said something a couple times when I’ve worked out with her, but I just
blew it off. Do you think she’ll tell Andi?”
“No, if we ask her to keep it to herself, she will. She’s gonna be
pissed though. She may fire you.” Sam said seriously
“That’s okay, my girlfriend is a local bigshot. She’ll support me.”
“I hope so. You want a little girl? That would be nice. I was an only
child till I was ten, and hated it.”
“I want two.” Tammy said as she turned onto her back, cradling Carter in
her arm. “You can just have one if you want, but I want two.”
“We’ll have to see, I never really liked kids. What if I don’t like
him?”
“You’ll love him. You won’t be able to help it.” Tammy said, kissing her
softly on the forehead. “You love me don’t you?”
“That’s easy.” Sam said snuggling in and closing her eyes. “Let’s go to
sleep. I want to get up early and workout before breakfast.”
They lay quietly, both drifting to sleep. Sam opened her eyes and looked
over at Tammy.
“Do you really slack off when we workout?” She asked.
Tammy just smiled, and didn’t answer.
Ends