A/N - This is a re-write of my "so end the halcyon days". I just needed a rewrite and a fresh title. So here it is; SG-1 up against something they can't stop, the stargate program going public and tons of more action and drama and a smidge of ship.


Prologue: Earth that Was

"Now is the winter of our discontent…"

I remember reading that vaguely in one of Daniel's books. Now the phrase is stuck in my mind as the icy wind blows snow into my hood, despite my best attempts to hold it closed. The long jacket, made from some silver fur, hugs close to my body, hangs down over the swell of my belly to well past my knees and does a good job of keeping the cold out.

Jack walks next to me, his arm around my waist as we trudge through the snow to the SGC compound that's a hundred feet away. But it might as well be a hundred miles in this weather.

With fingers blue from cold despite his thick gloves, Jack reaches out to punch in the security code and moments later the doors slide open. We're ushered inside by a bright-eyed lieutenant.

"Colonel Carter!" he exclaims as I peel off my many layers of cold weather gear. "You shouldn't be out in weather like this."

I shake my head. "I'm alright."

"General O'Neill." He acknowledges Jack with a brief salute.

Jack nods, draping his jacket over one arm as we head down the hallway escorted by the young lieutenant. "We heard the photos from the probe arrived."

"Yes, sir, the chiefs and General Hammond are in the main conference room."

We walk a little further, then Jack opens the doors leading to the large conference room, where Hammond and a few other men and women are sitting around the table. A couple of them stand up as we enter, one pulling out a chair for me.

"Colonel, you shouldn't have come all this way in the cold!" The president, the former president, I should say, admonishes me quietly. "It can't be good for you."

"Really, I'm fine," I hear myself insisting for the second time. "I wanted to see the photos."

Jack sits next to me, putting his hand on my arm. The others settle as well and Hammond moves to the front of the room, flicking a switch that causes a screen to slowly lower.

"As you know ladies an gentlemen," he says. "About a year ago we sent a probe back to Earth, one that's been specially equipped with anti-radiation shields. It took pictures of the area around the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and other parts of the western United States. This morning at approximately 0500 hours we received the pictures from the probe."

He pushes a button. An image appears on the screen. Everyone in the room is silent; each one of us holding our breaths or shaking our heads disbelievingly at the pictures now slowly flashing before us. Flat, barren wastelands with piles of darkened rubble as the only landmarks. No organic matter to be seen anywhere. Nothing sticking up higher than about 20 ft.

"Mother of god…" one of the men across from me murmurs. He looks away from the screen, covering his face with his hand.

I look away as well, locking eyes with Jack. He puts his arm around my shoulders and we rest our foreheads together for a brief moment.

Hammond clears his throat then speaks in a halting, quiet tone. "Radiation levels are still to high to send humans back. We expect that won't happen for another few years at least, or until we've developed good enough environment suits."

"My god," a woman says in a thick English accent. "We really blew ourselves up, didn't we?" Murmurs of assent pass in a wave around the table.

"Hey." Jack looks at them all sternly. "At least we're still alive. At least we've still got hope." As he says this I feel his hand rest lightly on my stomach where our baby is growing. Our baby that will be among the first children to be born on our new home.

People nod, but the grief in their eyes is still obvious, even after Hammond turns the pictures off.

We stand and I step closer to Jack, resting my head on his shoulder. He brings his arms up around me, swaying slightly.

"We're gonna be ok, Sam, we're gonna be ok."

I close my eyes, willing the tears not to come.

Now is the winter of our discontent…made glorious…made glorious…

Chapter 1: A Minor Dispute

"Our Russian friend Chekov is back again," Jack announced loudly, bursting into Sam's lab where she was carefully dissecting a probe. Teal'c was overseeing with his usual stony expression.

Sam glanced up at her CO, looking slightly annoyed. "Really? Why?"

"You think I know?" Jack pulled up one of the tall stools and sat down, promptly reaching for a small grey box covered in buttons. Without even looking Sam reached out and swatted his hand away. "He's been here for almost two days. Maybe he wants to get a Russian team or something."

"They already tried that," Sam pointed out, taking off her safety goggles and setting them aside.

"But now that Kornov guy is in charge over there," Jack said, referring to the new leader of Russia, Alexander Koranov. "And everyone's talking about how 'progressive and radical' he is…"

Sam shrugged. "Still though…"

"Maybe I'll go pester Hammond," Jack murmured, getting slowly to his feet. "He might let something slip."

Sam gave him a 'you do that' look, reaching for her safety goggles and tools once more. Jack grinned in response and strode out into the hall, his hands in his pockets.

Looking through the window into Hammond's office Jack could see Colonel Chekov sitting at the desk across from the general. The Russian seemed extremely flustered, his face growing redder by the second. Hammond looked irritated as well and scowled at Jack when their eyes met through the glass.

Flashing one of his famous cheeky O'Neill grins, Jack sat down at the briefing table, waiting patiently with his feet propped up until Hammond finally opened the door. Chekov stomped out, not giving Jack a second's glance. Cautiously, Jack stood up and approached the general's desk.

"General?"

Hammond looked up, letting out a heavy sigh. "What can I do for you, Colonel?" he managed a tight smile. "I apologize if I'm short with you…I'm just sitting in anticipation for round four with Chekov."

"Yeah, about that…" Jack almost propped his feet up on the desk, though the expression on his commanding officer's face told him not to. "What's going on, sir?"

"It's classified, Jack, I'm not allowed to say anything."

"With all due respect, sir, I'm the commander of the lead team in the highest security military operation ever…" Jack cautiously met Hammond's gaze. "Don't I have the highest security clearance possible?"

"Yes you do. But there are some things I'm just not allowed to discuss at the moment," Hammond shook his head wearily. "You'll know eventually, don't worry about that."

But "eventually" wasn't enough to satisfy Jack's curiosity. He brought up the whole thing again with the rest of his team over lunch, though neither Sam nor Daniel seemed as perturbed about it and Jack wasn't even sure Teal'c had heard him. Daniel turned to Jack as they were leaving and after an eloquent roll of his eyes told Jack not to worry; plenty of things went on that Hammond couldn't tell them about.

Because it was a Friday night Sam pulled herself away from her work to apply herself to the only thing remotely close to family that she had; Janet and Cassie. So as the clock chimed seven she was not sitting in her lab but rather at the Fraiser's dinning room table, listening to Cassandra rattle away all the things that had happened to her in the past week. Sam was amazed at how well the alien child was fitting in on Earth. She was almost indistinguishable now from any other girl her age.

After Cassie had been sent to bed, Sam and Janet settled down in the living room with a couple glasses of wine.

"So…" Sam exhaled loudly as she sat on the couch. "The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming."

Janet snorted into her wine glass. "I saw that movie…didn't like it too much."

"Seriously, Chekov's been here for the past couple days and Colonel O'Neill is getting worried."

"Colonel O'Neill?" Janet's eyes widened. "Worried about something other than a needle? That surprises me…especially because doesn't the Russian government like to send someone over periodically to check on us?"

"Yeah. But apparently," Sam paused to take a sip of wine, "apparently when he asked Hammond what was going on, Hammond said it was classified."

"Classified from SG-1? Now I am worried," Janet's tone was sarcastic and she shook her head. "Honestly, Sam, I wouldn't fret about it too much. I bet this new Koranov guy just is trying to get his two cents in before he realizes we won't capitulate."

"That's one of our theories, that they're trying to get their own team."

"Sounds reasonable to me."

"But…" Sam frowned slightly. "They're making a big fuss over it if that is all it is."

Janet shrugged, throwing back the last of her wine. "They're Russians."

"Janet!"

"I'm only kidding!" Janet rolled her eyes and yawned. "Who knows, Sam? People tend to make big fusses about things that deal with the Stargate. Until Hammond tells you to worry, I don't think you really need to."

Sam sighed heavily, still not entirely convinced.

Jack barely made it out of the elevator the next morning before Walter shoved a cup of coffee under his nose, saying he was needed in Hammond's office. Jack sipped the coffee, shoved it back into the surprised sergeant's hands, and headed up to see Hammond.

The general seemed relatively calmer today and motioned for Jack to have a seat.

"Explanation or reprimand today, sir?" Jack asked, trying his best to at least seem awake.

"Explanation. I think I owe you one at the very least," Hammond folded his hands. "What's going on will probably end up involving you and your team, so you deserve to know."

Jack frowned. "Did we do something to upset the Russians?"

"Not SG-1 specifically, but the whole program. The whole government of the United States, actually. SG-1 didn't have anything to do with it."

"And what is this 'it' that we're going to be involved in but haven't had anything to do with yet, sir?"

Hammond looked more uncomfortable than Jack had ever seen him. The usually calm and collected General was actually shifting around in his seat, his brow furrowing. "The U.S has been covertly using the Stargate to place nuclear warheads on some of our off world bases."