Confirming Carter3 Changes01
Interior-Robotics Lab,
0610 Hours
Sam walked across the living room and went into the kitchen, and was
surprised to see it empty. Going back out into the living room, she looked at
the marine by the porter.
“Have you seen her this morning?” She asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” He said. “She went over to her lab. She took a team with
her.”
She nodded. “I guess I should go see what she’s up to. Call ahead, and
tell them I’m on the way over.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He said as she stepped into the porter.
When she stepped out of the porter, she turned and walk down the hall to
Tammy’s lab. The marines outside the door came to attention as she approached.
She nodded as she walked by them, stepping into the room and around the
partition just inside the door.
“What the hell are you doing?” She laughed. “And this is why you put
that partition up, isn’t it?”
“Hi.” Tammy grunted, not stopping her steady up and down pumping. She
was up on a table with Boris’s midsection strapped to it, straddling it as she
rode his cock. “I’m just giving him a test drive. I made a few modifications.”
“Good morning, mistress.” Boris said as Sam came into his sensor range.
His upper body was on a table at one end of the table Tammy was on, and his
legs were on another at the other side end of it.
“Good morning, Boris.” She said, feeling a little creepy talking to half
his body.
“How long have you been down here?” She asked Tammy, walking around the
table and leaning close, looking between her legs. “Did you make it bigger
again?”
“A couple hours. And yeah, a little thicker.” She looked up at Boris on
the table in front of her. “Lubricate, then vibrate and shimmy. Clitoral probe
full extension, half power.” She told him.
“Oh god.” She grunted, jamming her hips down as she rested her forearms
on the table. Her body shook as she came again and again.
“You are such a slut!” Sam laughed, climbing up on the table behind her.
She reached down and wrapped her arms around her, cupping her tits in her
hands.
She smiled up at Boris. “Thrust Boris, full speed, full extension.
Vibration and shimmy to maximum, add suction to clitoral probe, full power.”
“No, Sam! Don’t!” Tammy screeched as Boris’s cock started pounding into
her like a jackhammer. She tried to raise up off of him, but Sam was holding
her down with her own body, and she couldn’t move.
“Reduce thrust, quarter speed, half extension, lubricate, add quarter
hip twist.” Sam told Boris as she kissed Tammy’s neck, her fingers pinching her
nipples.
“Cum again, then I want my turn you greedy bitch.” She laughed.
“O...okay.” Tammy panted.
She looked up at Boris. “Thrust to zero, vibrate to half, gee nodule,
quarter extension, quarter power, increase ten percent every ten seconds.”
She groaned, spreading her legs wider as she tried to get the full
length of his cock into her. The G-spot stimulator was working its magic on
her, and she felt a fresh wave of orgasms bursting over her.
“T...thrust to Ro...Romeo, vib...vibrate to Dizzy.” Tammy panted as she
writhed under Sam, her body twitching and jerking as each new sensation worked
on her.
Seconds later, she stiffened, her body going flat on the table as she
orgasmed powerfully.
“Ejaculate Boris, full volume, and repeat.” Sam said, humping her own
dripping pussy on Tammy’s ass.
“Oh god...oh god...oh god.” Tammy whimpered as Boris shot off inside her
again and again. His cock kept jerking and twitching inside her, even after the
reservoir was empty. “En...enough...tu...turn it off.”
“All settings to zero, Boris.” Sam said. She laid out on Tammy’s back.
They lay quietly for a few minutes, then Sam slid off and smacked her on the
ass.
“Get up, I want my turn.” She said as she opened her pants and let them
drop to the floor.
Tammy slid up on the table, letting Boris’s cock slip from her, then
collapsed again, breathing heavily.
“Good god, Tammy!” Sam gasped as she came back over to the table. “How
big is that thing?”
“It’s only ten inches, it’s just thicker than the other one.” Tammy said
as she finally managed to slide off the table.
“Well, there’s no way I’m putting that thing in me.” Sam said. “Where
the other one? The one I like.”
“Right here” Tammy said, reaching over and picking up an attachment from
the table next to her. “I’ll put it on for you.”
Sam looked over and shook her head. “No, not that one, I want the one
with the foreskin on it. I like the way it feels. Where’s that one?”
“Look on the shelf over there.” Tammy said waving at a row of shelves
across the room. “It might be over there. I’ll clean the table off while you’re
looking for it.”
“You better.” Sam laughed as she walked across the room. “It looks like
you pee’d all over it.”
“Well, I told you that this was going to be a...Damn, what now?” Tammy
said as the comm on the table chirped. She hit the button on it. “Yes, what is
it?”
“Good morning, Tammy.” Andi said brightly. “Is Sam over there with you?”
“Yeah, she’s here, Andi. What did you need?”
“I have that information she asked for, and I have a few other things I
wanted to go over.” Andi said. “Are you going to be much longer? The marines
say you’ve been over there a couple hours.”
Tammy looked over at Sam, and she nodded as she came over and picked up
her pants.
“We’ll be over in a few minutes, Andi.” Tammy said. “Why don’t you put a
pot of coffee on, and order us breakfast?”
“I can do that.” Andi said. “See you in a few.”
“It’s always something.” Sam muttered as she pulled her pants on. She
brightened suddenly, reaching under the table. “Hey, I found it!” She said, holding
up the attachment she’d been looking for. “I’m going to take this with me, I
want to play with it later.”
Location-Unknown
Time-Unknown
Running headlong through the village, her breath rasping in her throat,
she darted around the corner of a shanty to dodge a flurry of arrows, grunting
as a bullet grazed her side, leaving a burning furrow of pain in its wake.
She knew that her only chance was to reach the portal while the
merchants were still moving their goods to the next markets. Glancing over her shoulder
as she turned another corner, she groaned when she saw that her pursuers were
closing on her.
The impact of a body colliding with hers knocked the breath from her as
she was lifted from her feet and fell heavily to the rocky ground. She screamed
as the child was torn from her grasp. Fighting to get to her feet, she felt the
sharp pain of a knife punching into her body again and again.
White hot agony blossomed through her, searing waves beating at her
senses. She fought them back even as she wrestled with her attacker, wrenching
the knife from his grasp and slashing savagely at him. Her blows struck home,
one opening a gaping gash across his throat, and he fell to the ground, a
gurgling whimper issuing from his mouth.
“No!!!” She screamed, her eyes going wide as she saw a woman scoop up
the child and dash down the narrow lane, clutching it to her breast. She
stumbled after her, then heaved back and threw the knife with all her strength.
The blade found its mark, burying itself between the woman’s shoulder
blades. The woman fell, her body tumbling limply, already dead. The body landed
on the child, and moments later, she kicked it aside, grabbing frantically for
him. She finally got him in her grasp, and staggered as quickly as she could
toward the portal.
Sounds of pursuit grew louder behind her, but her goal was in sight now.
There was still a chance.
“Stop her!” A voice behind her cried out. “By order of the Dorquan, she
must not escape!”
Heads turned as she ran past, her frock soaked with her own blood now.
She heaved a sigh of relief as she saw a merchant dialing the portal, and
forced herself to go on.
Leaping onto the dais as the vortex sprang from the ring, she dove
toward the portal. A dozen arrows struck home down her back and legs as the
vortex receded and she disappeared into the event horizon.
Interior-Gateroom
0935 Hours
“Unscheduled gate activity.” The Ops tech said, his hands working the
controls on his console.
Moments later, a bloody figure tumbled through the event horizon and
collapsed in a heap on the polished stone floor.
“Raising secondary shield. Medical teams to the Gateroom!” The tech
yelled into his mike as he stood up and looked over the balcony. His breath
caught in his throat as he stared at the woman by the gate.
“Colonel Sheppard to the Gateroom!” He barked in his mike, adding,
“Security teams to the gateroom, immediately!”
“Ops, this is Sheppard. What’s the problem?” He said as he turned around
and stepped back into the porter. He had been on his way to his new office when
the call came through.
“We have an unscheduled dial up, Colonel. A woman came through the gate.
She’s injured, and I have medical teams on the way.” The Ops tech told him.
“Colonel, I...it looks like...I think...You have to see this for yourself sir.
And you need to hurry.”
Sheppard punched in the code for the gateroom and stepped out when the
doors opened. As he came around the corner of the stairs, saw several med techs
kneeling over a body in a large pool of blood.
‘Whoever she is, she’s not going to last long.’ he thought as he made
his way over. He looked over one of the medic’s shoulder, then pushed the man
out of the way and knelt beside her.
“J...John?” She gasped, her eyes meeting his in a penetrating gaze.
“Yo...you’re dead. How?”
“Sshhhhhh. Save your strength.” He said softly. “We’re going to take
care of you, you’re safe now.”
Shaking her head, she held the child out toward him. “J...Jacob.” She
breathed, then went limp as death finally took her.
Sheppard looked at the child, then held it to his chest as he stood and
tapped his comm. “Sheppard to Tammy.”
“Go ahead, John. What can I do for you?” she replied a moment later.
“We have a situation in the gateroom.” He said tightly. “Have you seen
Col. Carter?”
“Yes,” Tammy laughed. “She right here with me. What kind of situation?
Anything serious?”
“You need to bring the colonel down and see for yourself. And bring
Jennifer.” He answered. “I’m going to secure the area, and keep everyone involved
isolated. You need to come down here, now.”
“We’re on the way.” She replied.
Interior-Gateroom
0945 Hours
“If I wasn’t seeing it, I’d never believe it.” Tammy said softly as she
stroked the woman’s cheek lightly. She turned, her eyes filling with tears as
she looked at Carter.
“its okay, Tammy.” Sam said, stepping over and taking her in her arms.
“We’ve seen things like this before, or at least, I have. But we need to find
out what’s going on.”
She looked at the Ops tech over Tammy’s shoulder. “Why wasn’t the shield
up?” She asked him.
“It was, ma’am. That’s why I put up the secondary.” He told her. “I ran
a diagnostic. The system says the shield was up. She came right through it.
Don’t ask me how.”
“I am asking you how, and I want an answer.” She said as she released
Tammy and moved over in front of him. “Have Chuck do a complete check of the
system, and tell him to brief me as soon as he knows something. I want answers
in an hour.”
She turned and looked at Jennifer as she started to pull the sheet up
over the body on the gurney. She stopped her, staring at what could have been
her own lifeless body. Shaking her head, she drew the sheet gently up over her
and walked away.
Interior-Kitchen
1105 Hours
“There’s no doubt, Sam.” Jennifer said, glancing back and forth between
her and Tammy. “It’s a one hundred percent match on the DNA. It looks like
another Samantha Carter came over from another reality, or a parallel
universe.”
“I can confirm that last part, Colonel.” Chuck said from the door. “May
I come in?”
“Yes, Chuck. Please, have a seat.” Carter said, waving toward the place
next to Jennifer. “What did you find?”
“Matthews was right. The shield was up on the gate when she came
through.” He said, sliding a folder over to her. “I don’t have the science
background to tell you why, but an energy source from Atlantis, our Atlantis,
intercepted the wormhole she was in and redirected it here. Dr. McKay, or maybe
Dr. Zelenka could tell you how. I don’t recognize the energy signature. We’ve
seen the same thing happen with solar flares though.”
“I know, that happened to me. And I know what this signature is, and
where it came from.” Carter said as she looked at the printouts Chuck had
included in his report.
“What I can tell you, is she got through the gate because the shield
didn’t recognize her as solid matter or an identifiable energy stream. Dr.
Zelenka is trying to find out why.” Chuck added as he pointed out where the
entry occurred on the readouts.
“What about the baby?” Tammy asked quietly, looking at Sam.
“That’s another positive DNA match.” Jennifer said. “The alliels mat...”
“She was talking to me, Jennifer.” Carter said, not looking up from the
folder.
“Well, you have time to think about what you’re going to do, because I’m
going to keep him in the infirmary until he stabilizes.” Jennifer said. “He’s a
newborn, one, no more than two days old. I don’t know what happened in her
reality, but she got out of a sick bed to run with him. From my post mortem, it
looks like it was a difficult birth. And she wasn’t going to have anymore
children after this.”
“She named him Jacob.” Carter said softly. “That’s my father’s name. I
was going to name my first boy after him.”
“You still can, Sam.” Tammy said. “There’s no reas...”
Carter stood up, looking at Tammy for a long moment. She smiled softly,
then turned to Jennifer. “Would you ask Andi to come over, Jenn. I need to
speak to her.” She looked back at Tammy and held out her hand. Tammy got up and
followed her out of the room.
Interior-Bedroom
1125 Hours
“Before you say anything,” Sam said as she walked over and stood looking
out the windows. “I’m going to keep him. And I’m going to make him my heir.”
Tammy came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting
her chin on her shoulder. “For once, I was going to keep my mouth shut.” She
said. “And I was asking Jennifer about him, how he was, and if he was going to
make it.”
Carter turned around, hugging Tammy to her. “What do you think happened?
She was running for her life over there. Sheppard said that she knew him, but
thought that he was dead. She gave him her baby, said his name, and died.”
Tammy held her as she cried quietly into her shoulder. “We’ll never
know, but she fought with everything she had to stay alive, and to keep him
alive. Just like you would. I think she’d like that yo...we’re, going to take
care of her son for her.”
“I need to talk to my Dad.” Sam whispered into Tammy’s shoulder. She pulled
back, looking at Tammy with a pained expression in her eyes. “Will you go to
Ops with me? I want to ask Gen. Landry if they’ll find him for me, and let him
come through.”
“We don’t have to go to Ops for that.” Tammy said as she led her over to
the bed. She got her settled, pulling one of her big pillows down for her. “You
just rest here for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
She went into the kitchen, and was relieved when she saw that Jennifer
was still there.
“Jenn, call Susan and tell her to have the med bay ready.” She said as
she sat down next to her. “I doubt if we’re going to need it, but I want it
ready just in case.” She looked at her closely, resting her hand on her leg.
“And how serious were you about keeping the baby for observation? I may want to
bring him over here later.”
“He’s healthy enough, but we do need to watch him.” Keller said. “I just
wanted to make sure he was getting fluids. I’m not sure if she was feeding him
or not. She was lactating, but he’s showing signs of dehydration.”
“Okay, get some fluids in him. I’ll let you know if we’re going to need
him tonight.” Tammy said as she stood up. “Call Susan, and get her moving. I’ll
be in Sam’s office.”
Interior-Carter’s Office
1155 Hours
It had only taken a couple of minutes to get Landry on a video
conference. Tammy smiled as his face popped up on her laptop.
“Gen. Landry, I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Tammy
Ford. We’ve had a change in structure since the last time we talked to Earth,
and I’m now Sam’s sister queen. Co-equal partners if you will.”
“I remember you from our first official meeting, and if I remember
correctly, it was Capt. Ford before Atlantis declared it’s independence.”
Landry said with a smile. “You set a broken finger for me a couple of weeks before
the Atlantis expedition left. You did a good job too.”
“I had forgotten that!” Tammy laughed. “You slipped on the ice on the
way down to the ancient outpost. You twisted your ankle too.”
“Yes, thank you for reminding me.” Landry laughed. “What can I do for
you...I’m sorry, what should I call you? Do you have a title?”
“Officially, it’s Lady Tammy, but please, just make it Tammy, everyone
else does. At least for now.” She said lightly. “I called because I need a
favor, and I really hope you can do it for me.”
“I’ll do anything I can.” Landry said. “Just what do you need me to do?”
“We need you to find Jacob Carter, and if possible, get him to Earth and
send him to Atlantis. If you can’t do that, I can give you the address of a
gate that can reach Atlantis.”
She paused, taking a deep breath. “I know that this is alot to ask...”
Landry held up his hand and reached over, picking up his phone. He spoke
quietly for a moment, then hung up and smiled at her. “If you’ll bear with me
for a moment, Tammy.”
“Hank?” A voice in the background said a minute later. “Your sergeant
said you wanted to speak to me.”
Landry grinned at Tammy, then looked at his visitor. “We have a request
to send you to Atlantis, Jacob. What do you say, do you want to go?”
“What? Sure, I’ve been dying to see that place. And it makes what we
were talking about a moot point.” Jacob said with a laugh. He paused, and his
voice was serious when he spoke again. “Is Sam alright? They wouldn’t ask for
something like this unless it was serious.”
“Sam is fine, Jacob.” Tammy said quickly. “But we have a situation, and
she could really use her father to help her deal with it. She asked me to call
for her.”
“Who is that?” Jacob asked.
“They’ll explain everything when you get there, Jacob.” Landry said as he
stood up. He leaned back down, his face inches from the camera. “Would it be
alright if I came with Jacob? I’d like to see Sam again, but I’d have to be
able to return, today, tomorrow at the latest.”
“We’d be glad to have you visit us General. And I guarantee your safe
return.” Tammy laughed.
“Excellent. We’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Interior-Bedroom
1230 Hours
Tammy greeted them at the gate and took them up to Sam’s suite. She
pointed their bedroom out to Jacob, then led Landry into the kitchen.
“Sam?” Jacob said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay
baby?”
“Oh daddy! She died so horribly!” Sam whispered into her pillow. “And I
don’t know if I can raise him the way she would want. I just don’t know what to
do. I don’t know how to be a mother.”
“Who died, Sam? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jacob said.
“And you haven’t called me daddy since you were ten years old.”
Sam looked back over her shoulder, then sat upright, clutching her
pillow to her tightly. “How? Oh my god! How did you get here?” She threw the
pillow off to the side and scrambled off the end of the bed, then pulled him to
his feet and hugged him tightly.
“Your friend Tammy called Landry, and I was at the SGC, so we decided to
come on through.” Jacob said. “She met us at the gate a few minutes ago.”
“Us?” Sam asked, looking at him quizzically.
“Landry came with me. We have to go back tonight, tomorrow at the
latest.” He laughed. “Apparently relations between Earth and Atlantis are kind
of rocky right now? It wouldn’t be good to have it look like you were holding
hostages.”
“Where is he? And where’s Tammy?” Sam said quickly, taking his hand and
leading him toward the door.
“I don’t know. She pointed me in there, and took Hank off into another
room.” Jacob said as she dragged him across the living room and down the hall
toward the kitchen.
Sam let go of his hand and ran across the kitchen, throwing her arms
around Tammy and began planting kisses all over her face. “I love you so much!”
she smiled as she reached down and took her hand, then turned to face her
father.
“Dad, this is Tammy Ford, my sister queen. And my wife. Or she will be,
once we make it official.”
“I kinda thought we’d just go with girlfriend for a while, you know, to
see if we’re compatible and all that.” Tammy said, trying not to smile.
“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” Jennifer muttered. “You two were made
for each other.”
“Wife?” Jacob said tightly, his face clouding over. He looked over at
Tammy. “Can I speak to you? Privately?”
“Sure Dad, but I...”
“Not you. Tammy.” He said, then turned and walked out of the room.
Jacob was pacing back and forth in front of the porter when she came
into the living room. She stopped next to him, and waited for him to speak.
“Do you love my daughter?” He asked suddenly, stopping and facing her.
“With all my heart.” Tammy said, looking at him steadily. “Neither of us
expected it, but circumstances put us together when we needed to be, and we
fell in love.”
“How long has she been a lesbian?” He asked. “There’s been talk for
yea...”
“She’s not a lesbian, and neither am I.” Tammy laughed. “So if that’s
all that’s bothering you, you can relax. And let me tell you, I’m a lot better
catch than the last guy she was talking about marrying!”
“We’re both basically heterosexual, but because of what happened to Sam,
we were put in a position where we had to be sexual. Our love didn’t come out
of that, it came out of what we went through together.”
She related what had happened, beginning with Sam’s initial exposure to
the korathis, their first meeting, then each event leading up to where they
were now. It took her almost an hour, and Jacob listened spellbound as she
stepped through their short relationship.
“Good god!” Jacob said softly when she finished. He stared at her for a
moment, then stepped forward and put his arms around her. “Welcome to the
family.” He said. “Anyone that would go though what you have, is worth having
as a daughter!”
He stepped back, smiling warmly at her. “I need a moment, Selmac wants
to say something.”
“Who’s Selmac?” Tammy asked, then her eyes went wide as his eyes glowed
briefly and his face changed subtly.
“I am Selmac.” He said, his voice taking on a deeper timbre. “I am
Tok’Ra. Jacob is my host, and I am his symbiote. Samantha made it possible for
us to meet, then blend, an act which saved both of our lives. I will let Jacob
give his own blessing, but wished to share my good wishes. I also wish to say
that I believe that she will make an excellent queen for your people, as will
you.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know that Jacob was Tok’Ra. Sam never told me.”
Tammy said. “It looks like I’m marrying into an interesting family.”
“The Carter’s have done much for their world, the Tok’Ra, and all that
they meet. They have a selflessness about them that makes them stand apart from
other beings. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with Jacob.”
“Dad? How long are you going to keep Tammy ou...? Sam began as she
stepped into the room. She stopped when he looked up at her, his eyes glowing
briefly. “Selmac? Is everything okay? What’s...”
“I was sharing my good wishes with your sister queen, and telling her
about our relationship.” Selmac said. “I will allow Jacob to return.”
His eyes glowed again, and his features softened as he shook his head.
He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak again.
“Tammy just spent the last hour telling me what you’ve been up to, and
if you don’t marry her, I’ll disown you.” He laughed. “My little girl is queen
of an ancient city, and is going to reshape a galaxy. That wasn’t on my wish
list, but I guess it beats being an astronaut.”
“Co-queen, and we’re shooting for two galaxies.” Tammy laughed. She
looked over her shoulder at Sam, and held out her hand. “I promise to take good
care of your little girl Jacob. And I know that she’s going to take care of me.
And we’re going to do good things together.”
“Great things.” Sam said, coming over to take her hand and stand beside
her. “But that’s not why we asked you to come here, Dad. Something’s happened,
and I...I just needed you.”
“You said something in your bedroom, but I didn’t know what you were
talking about.” Jacob said. “You said someone died, and something about being a
mother?”
“If you’ll excuse me.” Tammy said as she let go of Sam’s hand and
started for the kitchen.
“You don’t have to leave, Tammy.” Jacob said.
“I’ll be back. I need to speak to Jennifer. There’s someone else we’ll
need to help you understand what’s going on. Sam, wait a few minutes, okay?”
Sam nodded, taking her father’s hands. “So catch me up. How did you get
here so fast. I had just asked Tammy if we could ask Landry to find you, and
there you were.”
* * * * *
“Jennifer, would you call the infirmary and ask them to send our little
friend over?” Tammy said as she walked into the kitchen. “And let’s start
calling people. We have honored guests, so we might as well have a party!”
Interior-Office
1310 Hours
“He’s here, Sam.” Jennifer said from the door. “Tammy said to go ahead
and start, and she’ll bring him in in a few minutes. And she said to tell you
that we’ll be doing dinner in the formal dining room. Andi already has things
going on that.”
“Thank you, Jennifer.” Sam said. “But I’d like to eat in the kitchen.
I...”
“Not gonna happen, Sam.” Jennifer laughed. “Tammy says we have guests,
so we’re gonna have a party. With the court and the knights, we won’t have
enough seats. But I think she’s inviting some other guests too.”
“Okay.” Sam said, turning to her father. She sighed as she took his
hand. “A woman came through the gate this afternoon, Dad. She shouldn’t have
been able to, because the shield was up on the gate, but we know how it
happened now.”
She paused, gathering herself before she continued. “Have you been
briefed on my Space Time Matter bridge research?” She asked. He nodded, not
saying anything. “Good, that saves me some time. What happened is, my STM
bridge touched her universe as she was going through the event horizon, and
somehow, the matter stream was redirected here.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the woman in the gateroom.
Jacob squeezed her hand, smiling softly at her. “It’s okay, Sam. Take your
time.”
“She was in bad shape when she came through the gate. She had been
stabbed repeatedly, and had eleven arrows in her back and legs. She died a few
minutes after she came through.” She stopped again, throwing her head back and
taking a deep breath. “She...she was another Samantha Carter, Dad. She was me.”
“She wasn’t you, Sam. You’re here with me right now. But are you
thinking that if something like that could happen to her, it could happen to
you?” Jacob asked her softly.
“Oh god, no!” Sam said, managing a laugh. “No, what I haven’t told you
yet, is that she had just given birth. And she had the baby with her.”
“He’s right here if you’d like to meet him, Jacob.” Tammy said from the door.
She stepped into the room.
“His name is Jacob too.” Sam said as she held her arms out. Tammy laid
the baby in her arms, and she held him to her gently.
“You’re gonna do just fine as a mom.” Tammy whispered. Sam smiled up at
her, then looked down at the baby.
“I’m going to raise him, Dad. And I’m going to make him my heir. He’s
the first child born of my line, and he may succeed me someday.”
“He’s not your child, Sam.” Jacob said. “I don’t know about succession
or any of that, but he’s someone else’s baby, alternate universe or not.” He
paused for a moment, then smiled. “Selmac says that it doesn’t matter where the
child came from. He’s family, and we should take care of him. He said to tell
you that he’s proud of you. I guess I should too.”
“Oh god.” Sam said, bursting into tears. She handed the baby to Jacob,
then stood up and buried her face in Tammy’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Sam.” Tammy said softly, stroking her back lightly. “We’re
going to get through this, and we’re going to raise him right.” She eased Sam
away from her, lifting her chin with her fingers. “You still have to have a
baby with me. This doesn’t get you off the hook.”
Interior-Dining Room,
1900 Hours
“Ladies and gentlemen, the queens of Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter and
Lady Tammy Ford, accompanied by Jacob Carter and Selmac of the Tok’Ra, and Gen.
Hank Landry of Stargate Command.” Ronin said as he stepped into the room. He
went over and stood behind Geraan and Phinnar, resting a hand on their
shoulders.
“Thank you, please be seated. We’ll be eating shortly, but before we do,
we’d like to introduce a new addition to the family, Sam’s and my family.”
Tammy said as she walked over to stand behind her chair.
Sam stopped at the head of the table, cradling Jacob in her arms. She smiled
at the people seated at the table. “This afternoon, a unique event occurred.
One of my experiments intercepted the matter stream from a stargate in an
alternate reality, and brought the traveler here, to Atlantis.”
She paused, looking down at Jacob, then glanced over at Tammy.
“While such an occurrence is unusual in itself, what makes it
extraordinary, is that the woman that came through the stargate, was another
Samantha Carter. Sadly, she died shortly after her arrival from injuries she
had received in her universe.”
Tammy looked over at Sam, who picked up the narration.
“She did not come through the gate alone. She had recently given birth,
and she brought her child with her.” She held the baby up so everyone could
see. “His name is Jacob, after my...her, father. We do not know what her, or
the father’s last names were, so he will be known as Jacob, the only name we
were given. And I am making him my heir.”
Interior-Dining Room,
1940 Hours
“You do not do anything small, do you, Samantha?” Arrin said with a
smile. “In the short time I have known you, I have come to expect a certain
grandeur, but this...”
“It is unusual, I have to admit.” Sam laughed. She had Jacob cradled in
her arms, and he was sleeping peacefully. “I just hope my own children are as
beautiful, and that I raise him as well as his mother would have.”
“You will be a wonderful mother.” Arrin said. “I can see it in you
already. As to how they will look, we take what we can get, and love them
anyway.”
“Ronin introduced three people when you entered.” Walleen said as he
came over, “But only two entered, your father, and Gen. Landry. Will this
Selmac not be joining us this evening?”
“He’s been with us all evening, he just hasn’t had anything to say.” Sam
smiled. “Let me get him over here, and introduce you.”
She waved Jacob and Tammy over, then turned, looking for Pharris, waving
her over as well. “I really wish that Larrin had come, she’d love this!” She
laughed.
“Dad, our Traveler friends would like to meet Selmac. I hear he hasn’t
put in an appearance yet.” She said to Jacob as he came over.
Jacob looked at her for a moment, then turned to the Travelers, his eyes
glowing briefly, and his voice deepened as he spoke. “Do not be alarmed,” He
said as they stepped back. “Jacob and I have a symbiotic relationship, he
shares his body with me, and I give him good health and long life in return. We
share many common traits, not the least of which, is pride in his daughter.”
“Ar...are you one of the false gods, Bra’tac spoke of? A Guld?” Walleen
asked.
“No, The Tok’Ra are different from the Goa’uld. We share common ancestry
and form, but that is all. The Goa’uld take hosts by force, without their
consent, while the Tok’Ra share with the host, to the benefit of both.”
“If you will excuse me, I need to speak to Dr. Samuels.” Arrin said,
looking slightly queasy. He started toward Samuels, then darted out the door.
“We need to have someone check on him in a few minutes.” Sam said
lightly. She looked over at Tammy. “Would you say something to Andi, or better
yet, John, he can go in the men’s room.”
“Andi can too.” Tammy laughed, “But I’ll send John.”
“My apologies, Selmac.” Pharris said. “Our people are not used to such
occurrences. But tell me, how long have you been...inhabiting, Jacob? Do you
get along? I mean, do you have arguments, or disagreements? And how do you
handle them?”
“We disagree frequently, but rarely argue anymore.” Selmac said. “Jacob
is quite young, less than sixty of his years old, and can be childish at
times.”
“How old are you, and have you had other...what do you call the people
you inhabit, hosts?”
“I am almost two thousand earth years old, and have had thirteen prior
hosts. And we blend with our hosts, we do not inhabit them.” Selmac replied.
“I’m sorry, I just think it’s fascinating that such a union could be
possible.” Pharris said, stepping closer and examining Jacob closely.
“You will not be able to see me, if that is what you are trying to do.”
Selmac said.
“Oh no, I was looking at his face.” Pharris said. “His skin tone is much
better than you would expect of a man sixty years old. This is delightful.” She
said, reaching up to touch Jacob’s face.
“Please don’t do that.” Jacob said, reaching up and taking her wrist
between his fingers. “Both of us think its annoying, and rude.”
“I’m sorry, this is just so interesting.” Pharris said. “But tell me,
what made you decide to join with Selmac? You are Jacob Carter again, aren’t
you?”
“Yes, I am.” Jacob said tightly. “I had terminal cancer, and was going
to die soon, I had weeks, if not days to live. Selmac’s host was dying of old
age, she was over two hundred years old. What started as a marriage of
convenience, has become a true friendship.”
“It’s still creepy, having that snake in your head.” O’Neill said as he
walked up.
“You can’t judge the Tok’Ra by your short experience, Jack.” Jacob said,
glaring at him. “Most of them are decent beings. But like every species, you
get some that break the rules. And they have been fighting for their lives,
which gives them a different perspective than yours. They’re getting better,
now that the Goa’uld threat has been eliminated.”
“You have been blended as well, O’Neill?” Pharris asked. “Why did you
not keep the...I’m sorry, what is Selmac called again?”
“It’s called a symbiote, and I didn’t keep mine because he used me as
cheap transportation, and dumped me when things got too hot for him.” O’Neill
said. “And I didn’t do it willingly. I was in a coma, and it was done without
my knowledge or consent.”
“And you’re still alive because of it.” Jacob said.
“I’m alive because Ba’al kept putting me in a sarcophagus every time I
died, so he could torture me some more. The snake didn’t have anything to do
with it.”
“I agree that Kanan’s actions were inexcusable O’Neill, but I also know
that you have always distrusted the Tok’Ra, and disliked our methods.” Selmac
said, taking control. “Your attitude has been one reason we deal with you the
way we do.”
“That’s a crock and you know it, Selmac.” O’Neill said, shaking his
head. “You people were playing fast and loose long before we ever stumbled
across you. Our first encounter with the Tok’Ra was when Jolinar took over
Carter here. Without her consent, I might add. And it almost got her killed.”
“I think that’s enough on this subject for the evening, considering that
neither of you is going to change your minds.” Carter said. “So why don’t you
two find different sides of the room, and see if you can be nice to people?”
“I wanted to see the baby.” O’Neill said. “I haven’t got to hold him
yet.”
“Okay.” Carter laughed, handing Jacob over to him. “And while you’ve got
him, his diaper needs to be changed. You remember how to do that, don’t you
Jack?”
“Yeah, I remember how to do it.” He said, walking over and picking up a
bag near the door. Carter watched as he sat Jacob down on a table in the lobby
and started unwrapping him.
“Why does he have to be...”
“I said we were going to change the subject, Dad.” Sam said lightly.
“And if you won’t be nice for the daughter you haven’t seen in over a year, do
it for your host, the queen of Atlantis.”
“Either way, you’re going to do it.” Tammy said. She turned and looked
around the room. “Knights of Atlantis, stand forward to defend your queen!”
In seconds, the five knights stood before her.
“Gentlemen, we would like you to make it your goal for the remainder of
the evening that no disagreeable conversation take place near, or around your
queens.” She said seriously. “Should you hear something that you feel would
make either of us uncomfortable, please remove the offending party to another
part of the room. Politely, and discreetly of course.”
“Yes, my queen.” they said in unison, then fanned out in a small circle,
each of them making sure to stay in earshot of the queens.
“That really wasn’t necessary.” Jacob said. “All I meant was that...”
“Excuse me, Jacob.” Sheppard said, taking his arm and leading him away.
“But I’ve been meaning to ask you about the colonel when she was younger. Did
she have any pets, or favorite activities?”
“What? Wait! I was...” Jacob sputtered, trying to pull away.
Ronin came up on his other side and gripped his arm, and together, they
moved him over by the windows.
“Very impressive!” Pharris laughed.
“Nah, they should have thought of it on their own.” O’Neill said as he
came over. He held Jacob so his head laid on his shoulder, his hand supporting
his bottom. “And they’ve always got to be...”
“Isn’t he a cutie.” Lorne said as he stepped over and picked Jacob up
off of O’Neill’s shoulder. “He’s going to look just like his mom, you can see
it already.” He said as he handed him to Tammy.
He turned back to O’Neill. “I’ve been going over the specs on the
Apollo, general, and I was wondering if you could help me figure something
out.”
“Oh no, don’t you try tha...”
“We really do need to talk about the manning on the Daedalus, general.”
Pharris burst out laughing as they led him away.
* * * * *
“The colonel said you had a son.” Ronin said quietly as he walked over
next to O’Neill.
“What? Yes, I had a son. He died along time ago.” O’Neill said, his face
coloring. “Why would you ask me something like that?”
“I spend a lot of time with the boys.” Ronin said. “When we’re in the
gym, or Amanda gives them something to do, they’re fine. But sometimes, they
ask me questions, and I don’t know how to answer them.”
“Welcome to being a parent.” O’Neill laughed. He looked at Ronin,
flinching when he saw him glaring at him. “Oh, you were being serious. Okay, I
can do that.”
He stepped over to a table and picked up a pastry, then came back over
to Ronin. “Okay, what kinds of questions are they asking you?”
“Stuff about their schoolwork, or why Tammy and the colonel are hugging
and kissing all the time.” Ronin said. “I don’t know what to tell them.”
“The second part is easy. Tell them to ask Tammy. Not the colonel, but
Tammy. Let her explain the birds and the bees to them. or in their case, the
birds and the birds.” O’Neill laughed. “Now as far as their schoolwork goes, do
you study with them?”
“I watch them, and sometimes I’ll look over their shoulder while they
work a puzzle.”
“So start asking them questions.” Jack smiled. “Or you can get one of
those tablets and get them to show you what to do. I used to do that with
Charlie all the time. Kids not only have to learn, they need to know how to
teach too.”
“So you think that might work, asking them questions?”
“For a little while.” O’Neill laughed. “Then we’ll think of something
else to hold them off. They do the same thing with me you know. I just give
them something else to do.”
He looked at Ronin for a moment. “So, did you volunteer for this job,
babysitting the boys, I mean?”
“I don’t babysit them.” Ronin said, bristling slightly. “I train them.
We spend a few hours a day in the gym, then I make sure that they get to
whoever has them next. Dr. Samuels offered to help, but she’s always busy when
I call. Vala and Dr. Jackson spend alot of time with them when I have other
things to do.”
“I’ll talk to Tammy about it. It sounds like we need a schedule of who
does what with them, and when.” O’Neill said. “You’re way too important to have
you running in circles trying to figure out what the boys need to learn, and
how.”
“Why do you say that?” Ronin asked.
“You’re the guardian of the realm, charged with protecting the queens.”
O’Neill said seriously. “And from what I can tell, you’re doing a great job.
You already have them reined in so they take a security team with them, or call
ahead to have one waiting when they leave the suite. And Sheppard tells me that
you’re working up a strike force along with organizing the household guard. You
should ask for a raise.”
“I just want to make sure I do it right. Everyone else is smarter than
me, so I have to work harder.”
“We know more about things you don’t need, or aren’t interested in.”
O’Neill said with a smile. “You know a hell of a lot more about fighting,
tactics and strategy than any of us, except maybe Caldwell and Bra’tac on the
strategy. We all do what we know, and go to someone else for the stuff we
don’t. You should do the same thing.”
Ronin nodded, then looked closely at O’Neill. “Why did you tell me to go
to Tammy about things, and not the colonel? They both listen to me, and tell me
what I need.”
O’Neill just looked at him, then grinned, stepping closer and motioning
Ronin to lean forward.
“Sam and I worked together for over ten years, and there was always
this...pressure. But we never did anything about it. And after a while, it
got...well, it’s just more comfortable for me to go through Tammy now.”
“I know what you’re talking about, and she’s over it. She forgave you
when you got here.” Ronin said. “She needs you here with us. She trusts you,
and cares about you. Be straight with her, and you’ll be fine.”
“What are you two over here whispering about?” Tammy laughed as she came
over. She looked up at Ronin and grinned. “You’re not keeping him away from us
because of what I said earlier, are you?”
“No, I asked him about what to do with the boys when they ask me things
I don’t know.” Ronin told her. “He gave me some good ideas.”
“I also told him that it sounds like we need a schedule for them.”
O’Neill added. “Who do we go to on that?”
“I want to say Andi, but she’s got so much on her plate already.” Tammy
said. “Let me talk to Daniel when he gets back from
“What happened to Landry?” O’Neill asked. “I saw him come in, and
haven’t seen him since.”
Tammy laughed and turned around, pointing to a far corner of the room.
Landry, Vala, Walleen and Arrin were in a heated discussion.
“Walleen started chatting with Landry, and he called Vala over to make a
point, then Walleen called Arrin over, and they’ve been at it ever since.”
“So why didn’t you break them up?” O’Neill asked. “I mean, what with
disagreeable conversation and all.”
“First,” Tammy said, “They appear to be enjoying themselves.” She
pointed at the group again. Vala was hanging on Arrin, both of them laughing
hysterically. “Second, they’re out of earshot, so I don’t care.”
“I hope he stays overnight. I’d like to spend some time with him before
they go home.” O’Neil said.
“Go join them. I doubt if they’d mind.” Tammy said. “And they are staying
the night. But let me warn you Jack, we already told Landry we wouldn’t ask
anything that might put him at risk, or cause him a problem. So that means you
can ask him how he’s been lately. Nothing about Earth or the SGC.”
* * * * *
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Sam said, cuddling Jacob and
making soothing noises. “His diaper is dry.”
“He’s probably hungry. Babies need to eat every few hours.” Tammy said,
reaching over and taking him from her. She sat down at the head of the table.
“Are there any bottles in that bag we brought over?”
“I don’t know, I’ll have to look.” Sam said as she sat next to her.
“Send someone.” Tammy told her. “In the mean time, let’s try this.”
She unbuttoned her vest and drew him closer. His mouth found her nipple,
and he began suckling hungrily.
“I thought it might be something like that.” She said softly.
“I doubt if you’re lactating yet, Tammy.” Andi said a moment later,
holding out a small baby bottle. “But that is so beautiful.”
“Give Sam the bottle, she’s going to feed him.” Tammy said as she drew
him away from her breast. Jacob’s face screwed up in protest, and he began
crying again. Tammy laughed as she handed him to Sam.
Sam took him, cradling him in her arms as she leaned back in her chair.
Bringing the bottle up to his mouth, she ran the nipple over his lips until he
took it in and began sucking on it.
Tammy leaned closer, smiling gently as she watched. She reached over and
held the bottle as she looked up at her. “Give him your breast now, Sam.
alternate them. We want him to think he’s being breast fed.”
Sam looked at her, then unbuttoned her vest. Tammy pulled the bottle
away gently, and Sam guided his mouth to her breast before he could protest
again.
“Oh....ohhhhhhh.” She cried softly, her eyes going wide.
“I know, I felt the same thing.” Tammy whispered. “It’s okay. It’s
natural, and we need to practice anyway.”
“He...he’s biting me! Well, more like gumming me.” Sam laughed. “I don’t
think he cares that there’s no milk, he just wants something in his mouth.”
“No, he wants to eat.” Tammy said, easing his head away from her breast
and replacing it with the bottle. Jacob began sucking again, and Sam held the
bottle as she rocked him slowly.
It only took a few minutes for him to finish half the bottle. He turned
his head and forced the nipple out of his mouth, his breath coming in soft
pants.
“You need to burp him now.” Tammy said as she slid out of her chair and
knelt in front of them.
“You’re going to want a towel for that.” O’Neill said from behind them.
“What? “ Tammy asked, looking up at him.
“Take my word for it. At that age, half of what he ate is going to come
right back up. Put a towel over her shoulder.”
Tammy reached up and grabbed a napkin off the table, shaking it out and
holding it out to him. “Show me.”
O’Neill took the napkin and laid it across Sam’s shoulder, then squatted
beside her chair.
“Have you ever done this?” He asked her.
Sam shook her head, and Tammy reached up and lifted Jacob from her arms,
handing him to O’Neill. “Show us, Jack. You seem to know what you’re talking
about.”
O’Neill took him and stood up. Sam put the napkin on his shoulder, and
he laid Jacob across his chest.
“You want to hold him like this, your forearm under his butt, your other
hand behind his back to support him. You have to do several things at once, so
pay attention.” He grinned at them as they watched him carefully.
“Go ahead, Jack. What do we do next?” Sam asked.
“Use the arm under his butt to jiggle him, gently, just enough to get
the stuff in his stomach moving around a little.” He said as he started
bouncing Jacob lightly. “Then you want to alternate patting him on the back,
then rubbing him.”
He had only gotten in a few pats when Jacob made a gurgling noise as a
gush of milk came from his mouth, soaking the napkin.
“Wipe his mouth with the edge of the napkin, he’s not done yet.” O’Neill
laughed.
Tammy wiped around the outside of his mouth with the napkin, laughing as
he turned his head, and let out a long, quiet belch.
“Oh my god! That smells awful.” She said as she backed away, waving her
hand in front on her face.
“You should have smelled what came out of the other end when I changed
his diaper.” O’Neill grinned. “But you get used to it. You don’t even notice it
after a while.”
He looked over at Sam. “You can move the towel now, I think he’s done.”
He looked back and forth between them as Jacob laid his head on his chest and
drifted off to sleep. “If you don’t mind, he looks like he’s comfortable. And I
kind of like holding him. It’s been a while, ya know?”
“After that show, you can hold him as long as you want, Jack.” Sam
laughed, reaching out to stroke Jacob lightly.
“Kewl. and since you’re done feeding him, would you mind putting those away?”
He said. “They’re kind of distracting.”
Sam looked down and saw that her breast was still hanging out of her
vest. She colored slightly as she closed her vest and buttoned it.
Tammy laughed as she adjusted her clothes, then stepped over and kissed
him softly on the cheek.
“Well, Uncle Jack, what do you think of our little princeling? He’s a
cutie, ain’t he?”
“All babies are cute, Tammy.” He said softly, running his hand lightly
up and down over Jacob’s back. “Ask me again in six months.”
Interior-Living Room
2230 Hours
“What was Sam like as a baby, Jacob?” Tammy asked. She was stretched out
on a couch with Jacob laying on her chest.
“Terrible!” Jacob laughed. “She was colicky all the time, and would cry
for days on end! And it didn’t get any better when she got older, let me tell
you. She went right from crying to whining, and her mother...”
“Lies. Lies, damn lies, and fabrications.” Sam said as she came from the
bedroom. “Do not listen to anything this man tells you about me, you’ll get a
different story every time.”
“Jacob reports accurately in this case.” Selmac said, taking control.
“Samantha had a difficult childhood. She was sickly as a infant, and her
parents feared she might not survive her first year of life.”
“I never knew that.” Sam said as she sat on the end of the couch,
lifting Tammy’s feet into her lap. “All Dad would ever say was that I was a
beautiful baby, and everyone loved me.”
“This was not a memory your father shared easily.” Selmac said. “We had
been together for almost a year before he would speak of it. He has the same
issues with your brother.” He paused, closing his eyes for a moment.
Sam thought that her father was going to come back, but when he spoke
again, Selmac was still in control.
“This is not what I meant to speak of.” He said. “When we heard that you
had taken control of Atlantis, then declared your independence, the High
Council discussed how we...”
“No.” Sam and Tammy said at the same time. Tammy waved at Sam, signaling
her to continue.
“We’ve established relations with the
She paused, giving him a chance to respond. When he said nothing, she
continued.
“The Pegasus galaxy has enough problems without importing more, even if
I happen to be friends with some of them. The
“It would appear that you have considered this issue already.” Selmac
said.
“We have, but to be honest, we never considered the Tok’Ra. We didn’t
think you would have any interest in Pegasus.” Sam said. “Why would the High
Council want to come here?”
Selmac was silent for a long moment.
“The Council has concerns about you and your people being mature enough
to be trusted with the ancient technologies you have taken possession of.” He
said. “They have discussed the situation with the Asgard, who do not share
their misgivings. But they believe that you may cause harm if allowed to
continue unsupervised.”
“What did the Asgard have to say? Were you present for the talks?” Tammy
asked.
“We were, though Jacob spoke for us, being more familiar with the
parties involved.” Selmac said, a smile crossing his face for the first time.
“The Asgard think highly of humans, and believe you to be what they call, the
Fifth Race. They believe that your recent actions will speed up your evolution,
to the benefit of many races.”
“Wow, that’s high praise from them.” Sam said
“The Asgard made it clear, that had it been anyone besides you,
Samantha, they would have stepped in and taken action already.” Selmac told
her. “They believe that based on their history with you, you can be trusted to
act responsibly.”
“What were you and my father doing on Earth, Selmac?” Sam asked him,
watching him closely.
“We were discussing this subject with General Landry.” Selmac replied.
“He also has faith in you, and has reviewed your plans for what you wish to
accomplish here in the Pegasus galaxy. We have read the materials your people
provided to the SGC, and when I return to the Council, I will also tell them of
my belief that you be allowed to proceed, without interference.”
“I do however, have one cause for concern, that I just became aware of.”
He said after a moment.
“O’Neill?” Tammy asked. “It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t like you
people.”
“Yes. He has never understood, or cared for our methods. And his
distaste for us makes many uncomfortable.” Selmac said.
“He has good reason to feel the way he does, Selmac.” Sam said quietly.
“You know as well as I do, that the Tok’Ra haven’t exactly dealt with us as
equals over the years. You’ve dealt with us because you had to, and we got
results when you couldn’t.”
“While this may be true, the fact that he is here, and has influence
over you, will not sit well with the Council.”
“Well, all I can say to that is, that’s just too damned bad.” Sam said
tightly. “Jack is one of our senior counsels, Master Bra’tac is the other. I
chose them because I know and trust them, and they have proven themselves over
the years.”
She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “We are Atlantis,
Tammy and I. We act as co-queens, elected by vote, and acclimation. Our people
told us that this is how they wanted us to run our city after we took
possession of it. They said that they wanted a monarchy, with me as it’s head.
I asked them to let Tammy join me in this, and they consented.”
“I was not aware how you came to be in the position you were in.” Selmac
said. “We assumed that you had simply taken charge after taking control. This
will be well received by the council.”
“Let’s go back to O’Neill.” Sam said. “We chose our court and advisors
based on what they could do for our city, and our people. You can tell the
council that we do not care what they think, believe, or imagine, because it is
none of their concern. What we do with the technologies here in Atlantis is our
business, and the business of the Pegasus galaxy, no one else’s.”
“You met Pharris, Walleen, and Arrin of the Travelers.” Tammy said as
she sat up and handed the baby to Sam. “They are the ruling council of the
Travelers, one of the most technologically advanced races in this galaxy, after
the Wraith, of course.”
Selmac nodded, trying not to smile. “I found the woman, Pharris, to be
most unpleasant. While her acceptance of us was welcome, her incessant
questioning was not.”
“Well, they have agreed to be our partners as we try to begin trade, and
improve the quality of life for the peoples of this galaxy.” She said, leaning
forward. “And it may surprise you to know, that they have more ancient
technology than we do, and have had it for generations. Will your council feel
the need to reach out and interfere with them as well?”
“Please, understand that they only wish to do what is in the best
interest for all.” Selmac said. “We...”
“No, they want to do what is in the best interest of the Tok’Ra, they’ve
shown that repeatedly over the years.” Sam said lightly. “They don’t believe
that humans are smart enough to do anything without guidance. The problem is,
the Tok’Ra haven’t offered any guidance. They’ve just said, do this, this way,
because I said so. Humans don’t respond well to that kind of treatment.”
“Your father is the first host to express his dissatisfaction with our
methods. I believe it is because your world had been isolated for thousands of
years. Your people have a sense of independence than we find disturbing.”
“Well, it’s an adjustment the Tok’Ra are going to have to make, because
if they don’t start expanding off of Earth in the next decade or so, I can
guarantee that you’ll see outposts from the peoples of the Pegasus galaxy.
Either way, you’re going to have hordes of independent humans to deal with.”
“You would allow the races of the Pegasus galaxy to move into the our
home galaxy?” Selmac asked.
“No, we’re going to help them.” Tammy said. “That was pretty far down on
the to do list, call it a hundred years or so, but I don’t see any reason why
we can’t move it up a little. Say, in the next two years?”
“Such an action would be seen as a threat by the Tok’Ra. Other races may
feel the same.”
“I doubt it.” Sam said, lifting Jacob and laying his head on her
shoulder. “The Jaffa High Council has already offered to assist us, should we
need to relocate people to their worlds. They have also offered to assist in
finding uninhabited worlds with stargates, should we decide to go that way.”
“Selmac, We’ve already established relations with more than a third of
the races we reached out to since we declared our independence. And we’ve taken
in almost forty thousand refugees from worlds ravaged by the Wraith. All this
has taken place in only a few weeks.” Tammy said, smiling brightly at him. “The
people we take in are tested for the ancient gene, and those that have it are
given our gene therapy, which works on roughly eighty percent of them. The ones
that it takes on, are offered training with ancient teaching machines. First we
teach them ancient, then we teach them how to run the equipment we need to make
goods to distribute throughout the galaxy.”
“We’re doing the same thing with the Travelers, testing and treating
their people for the ancient gene, and giving them training on the equipment
they think they need. Especially the warships.” Sam said, looking over at
Tammy. “They really seem to like their warships.”
“Especially the
“Tell her I’ll get with her. I want to be sure they have people trained
before we start giving them drones.” Sam answered. “I’ll talk to Pharris, and
see what she has to say.”
“You are arming other races here, in the Pegasus galaxy?” Selmac asked,
his eyes going wide with alarm. “This is what the Council fears.”
“No, Selmac. We’re not arming the Travelers.” Sam said. “We are however,
assisting them in restoring and repairing equipment they already have in their
possession. As the Tok’Ra has done with Earth.”
“The Travelers reached out to us after a recent engagement we had with
the Wraith.” Tammy told him. “They had decided that based on what we had done
with them against the Replicators here in Pegasus, that it was in their best interest
to open relations with us. They waited until we had declared our independence,
because they didn’t trust our leaders on Earth. It seems many of the races here
in Pegasus felt the same way.”
“We explained what we hoped to accomplish, and what we saw as their part
in it, and offered them a partnership.” Sam told him. “We’re taking in the
population that they can’t support, and putting them to work in the cities
production and manufacturing areas. It’s a win/win for both of us.”
“This is what the Asgard said you would do.” Selmac said. “Reach out and
bring in others to assist you in your efforts. It is only logical that you
begin with the most advanced races first.”
“We’re working with anyone that wants our help, Selmac.” Tammy said. “We
can’t do what we want to do without help from all our neighbors here in
Pegasus. More than half of our new citizens came from worlds that had
populations of less than a thousand people. We’re taking in the ones that can’t
fend for themselves, offering them our hospitality and a safe haven.”
She smiled, leaning forward on the couch. “And word is spreading,
Selmac. Just like we knew it would. As more people hear about what we’re doing
here in Atlantis, and what we did to the Wraith, they’re reaching out to us,
and asking if they can join us.”
“We’re waiting to hear from the Genii, the strongest race militarily.”
Sam said as she stood up. “I’m going to lay him in our bed, or do you think we
should keep him in here with us?” She asked Tammy.
“He’ll be fine in there. But bring my tablet back with you, so we can
watch him. It’s on my desk.”
Sam nodded and walked into the bedroom.
“You have taken great strides in the short time you have been in control
here.” Selmac said, shaking his head. “This was not expected. No matter what the
Council decides, I believe that it may already be too late for them to have any
significant impact.”
“I agree.” Sam said as she came out of the bedroom and sat down on the
couch next to Tammy. She handed her the tablet, and looked over at Selmac. “And
to ensure that they will have no impact on what we’re doing, I’m going to have
you scanned before you leave, so we can adjust the cities life signs detectors
to look for Goa’uld and Tok’Ra lifeforms on a regular basis.”
“I was going to suggest that.” Tammy said as she tapped on her tablet,
then held it up so Sam could see it.
“That really is not necessary, Samantha.” Selmac said. “We wi...”
“That’s bullshit, Selmac. The Tok’Ra are infiltrators, and not to be
indelicate, but you’re all a bunch of sneaky little fuckers, with your little
plots and plans. I wouldn’t trust any of you as far as I could throw this
planet.”
“That was uncalled for, Sam.” Jacob said. “Selmac has been being honest
with you, and...”
“And we’ve been being honest with him as well.” Sam answered. “And you
need to tell their High Council, that the Tok’Ra are not welcome, or needed in
the Pegasus galaxy. We’ll make our own mistakes, at our own pace, with the
people that are going to be affected by them.”
She grinned at him and added. “I’ll put that in writing, or you can take
the video with you, if you think you might forget any of it.”
“That’s no way to speak to your father, young lady.” Jacob pouted,
slouching down on the couch.
“I don’t think either of you really understands what’s happening here.”
She said as she got up and went over to stand in front of him. She held out her
hand to him. “Come with me, Dad. I want to show you something.”
She turned and looked at Tammy. “You come too, hon. You helped make it
happen.”
Tammy grinned as she got up and followed them into the guest room,
turning the lights off as she came in.
Sam led her father over to the window wall, and stood looking out over
the city for a moment. Nearly all the towers were lit, and every building had
at least a few lights burning. The city glowed like a gem against the night
sky.
She reached out and took Tammy’s hand before she spoke.
“That’s our city, Dad.” She said softly. “Six weeks ago, only a thousand
people lived here, and only the central tower was occupied or used. It was
going to waste.”
She paused, letting him absorb what she’d said.
“Today, there’s fifty thousand people living and working here. We’re
using more than half the shops and factories already, and more come online
every day. And our people are happy, Dad. They feel safe, and they feel like
they’re doing something worthwhile.”
She turned and looked at him, and her voice broke as she tried to speak
again.
Tammy came up behind her, putting her arms around her waist.
“Aren’t you proud of her, Jacob? Don’t you think we’re doing a good
thing here?” She asked over Sam’s shoulder. She smiled as she added, “Think
about it, Jacob. Your daughter is queen of all she surveys, and she is much
loved by her people.”
“And you two did this, together.” Jacob said softly, unable to take his
eyes of the view before him.
“We had a little help, but yes, it was our idea.” Sam whispered.
“I don’t think proud covers it, baby.” Jacob said, still not looking at
them. “I was going to say something before we left...no, really, I was. But
this. I don’t think I understood before...the scale of it all.”
Tears were running down his cheeks when he turned to face them. “God, I
wish your mother was here to see this. She’d know what to say right now.”
Tears burst from Sam’s eyes as she threw herself into her father’s arms,
pulling Tammy along with her. Hugging him tightly with one arm, her face buried
in his chest, she squeezed Tammy’s hand as she pulled her around beside them.
“I think you said the right thing.” Tammy said softly as she put her arms
around them both.
“Shut up.” Sam laughed, “You’re spoiling the moment.”
Interior-Bedroom
0015 Hours
Both Jacob and Landry had been scanned, Jacob to get a usable lifeform
scan, and Landry to see if he was carrying a symbiote. Both Sam and Tammy were relieved
when they were told he was clean.
They had been put in separate suites in the
When they had the scan of Selmac, Tammy called Zelenka and ordered him
to program the cities life signs detector to include it, and to have the system
set for hourly sweeps, with a lockdown protocol in place.
They were laying in bed now, with baby Jacob between them.
“I can’t get her out of my mind.” Sam said, looking over at Tammy. “What
the hell happened over there? Why would someone want to kill them?”
“I don’t know, Sam.” Tammy said softly, not taking her eyes off the
baby. “But she gave us a gift, and a tremendous responsibility. We’re going to
raise her son for her, and hopefully, help him become a man she would be proud
of.”
Sam smiled, and Tammy smiled back.
“What are you thinking?” She asked. “I like that smile.”
“I didn’t...I can’t believe how good it felt when he was nursing on my
nipple!” Sam giggled, her face turning bright red.
“I know, I wasn’t expecting it either.” Tammy laughed. “I guess it’s
just going to be a bonus, because I really think we should alternate between
breast and bottle when we feed him. Kids that breast feed just do better.
There’s statistics on it and everything.”
“And can you believe, O’Neill?” She said. “If he hadn’t said something,
junior here would have barfed all over you. I didn’t know that newborns did
that. I mean, I know babies puke and all, but he knew that it was a done deal.
He didn’t even flinch when it happened.”
“He had a son.” Sam said softly. “His name was Charlie. He died before
Jack joined the program. I guess there’s some things you just don’t forget.”
Tammy reached out and took Sam’s hand, looking at her with a soft smile
on her face.
“You don’t want to wait till after the coronation, do you?” Sam smiled.
“I don’t either, I don’t want him to be an only child.”
“We can talk to Jennifer in the morning. She wants to do it in vitro,
and I thinks that’s a good idea. We’ll only have to wait a day or two.”
Sam smiled as she nodded.
“We’re starting our family.” She said softly. “I’m so happy right now.”
“I know, so am I.” Tammy said. She looked down at Jacob, stroking his
back gently. “What do you think of that, little man? We’re going to make you a
brother and sister to grow up with. Pretty kewl, huh?”
Ends