Vengeance
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"What happened to General O'Neill?" John Sheppard asked the 48,000 year old hologram of Rodney. He tried to keep the anxiousness out of his voice, but he was one of a very few who knew that General O'Neill and Colonel Carter were married. He respected and admired the General more than any other man he had ever known, and having just found out Colonel Carter's fate on her ship, he was fearful of the General's well being.
"Have a seat and I'll tell you," the hologram said sadly. Then he began the last part of his tale.
48,000 years before (Alternate Universe)
Rodney didn't think he had ever felt more emotional pain than he did right now as he stared at the empty coffin as it was lowered into the ground at Arlington National Cemetery with a heroes farewell. He knew, though, that it was nothing like the pain the man beside him was feeling. General Jack O'Neill, recently promoted to full General, stood at attention with a hand held in rigid salute as the slow descent took place, a definite look of anguish, pain, and desperation etched across his weathered face. His dress uniform was adorned with his medals, not the ribbons, that he had been awarded over his career. Jennifer Keller, Rodney's lover, had not been able to come as she was too distraught over the whole incident and how things on Atlantis had turned out. Rodney had had to come. He had a promise to keep. He pulled out an envelope that Sam had given him before leaving on her first raiding mission months before.
"If I don't survive give this to Jack," she had told him in probably the most serious tone he had ever heard from her. It was apparent to him that whatever was in this envelope meant everything to her.
"You aren't going to make it, are you?" he had asked. His voice broke a bit at that sudden burst of clarity in his conception of how the universe really worked.
"You and I both know one single ship can't survive for long against these kinds of odds," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend, Rodney. This past year and a half you've shown me you're a far better man than I ever gave you credit for. Tell Jack I'm sorry I can't keep my promise."
She had beamed him off the ship before he had been able to respond. He never saw her face to face again, though she had come to orbit around the planet between raids for supplies and to send messages. He never said anything to her about their last face to face conversation, and then finally they learned that after several months of success, she had gone down with her ship, taking out three Wraith hive ships in the resulting explosion. He had said he would deliver the letter to Jack O'Neill, and he would, but he had to know what he was giving to the man before doing so.
"General O'Neill?" he said quietly as the service ended and they were the only two left at the graveside. He pulled out the envelope and handed it to him. "Before she left on her first raid, Sam asked me to give you this if she didn't come back. She also asked me to tell you she was sorry she couldn't keep her promise." He could see the iron mask of control on the older man's face slip as a tear fell down O'Neill's right cheek.
"Did she die alone?" Jack asked. When Rodney simply nodded yes, Jack closed his eyes tightly. He had always said no one would be left behind, and now the most important of everyone had been left behind. Jack took the envelope and stared down at it. The distinctive handwriting of Sam was clearly visible. "She promised me we could retire after her tour on Atlantis," he said after a moment. "I didn't think she was serious at first, but she told me she was tired. I have a favor to ask, McKay."
Rodney stood a bit more at attention at that statement. "Anything, General," he said without hesitation.
General O'Neill turned and had a deadly look in his eyes. Rodney could see the malevolent fury that was barely contained in the man, and for the first time since meeting him years before believed all the legends about how utterly dangerous and destructive this man could be if crossed in the wrong way, or those he cared about came to harm.
"I'm taking a fleet of thirty battle cruisers to the Pegasus Galaxy to hunt down and destroy every one of those fucking bastards that took her from me," he said in a softly deceptive tone. Rodney knew he was at his most dangerous right then. Rodney also knew that if anyone had a chance of accomplishing it, it was this man. "I would like you to go through every ship and make sure all the new technology and Asgard enhancements are in perfect order."
"I can begin tomorrow," Rodney assured him.
Jack O'Neill turned and began to walk away, opening the envelope as he went. Then he stopped and talked without looking back. "I never told you before, McKay, but thank you for saving her in that hole last year. You gave me one more vacation with her before this," he said and then walked off.
Rodney didn't respond. He knew that the General was now reading the letter. He himself had read it to make sure that it was nothing too devastating.
My Dearest Jack,
If you're reading this, then I didn't return from a raid. I'm writing this as Rodney and I
are finishing the modifications and overhaul. I'm hot, sweaty, and tired, but we're ready.
There are so many things I want to say to you, and now I never will be able to. Do you know
how proud I am of you? You once called me a national treasure, but to me you're the
national treasure. No matter what has ever happened, you've given us all hope and faith. I
cry myself to sleep at night thinking about how much I hurt you over the years by insisting we
"keep it in the room" and then by my relationship with Pete. The one thing I can be relieved
about is that I came to my senses in time to become Mrs. Jack O'Neill. I wanted so much to be
able to come home to you after this year and finally retire together, but I guess the universe
has other plans for us. I am more sorry about that than anything over the last twelve years.
I know you will try and avenge me and that nothing I can say will stop you. If you succeed,
please be happy in life. I will be waiting for you always in heaven. All my love and hopes,
Sam
48,000 years later (Alternate Universe)
"After I finished with the ships, General O'Neill took them with their crews and left," the holographic Rodney continued. "Two years later I was visited by Colonel Lorne who said that the Wraith and Michael had been completely eradicated. O'Neill had decimated them. Not even the Replicators had survived his onslaught. When I asked about O'Neill, Lorne said that after the last of Michael's ships had been destroyed and it was confirmed that all were gone, O'Neill took a 302 and flew it into the side of a mountain on the planet that his ship was orbiting. An empty coffin for him was buried alongside the empty coffin of Sam's at Arlington. He was given a heroes funeral with attendees from most of our offworld allies and many of Earth's leaders who knew about the Stargate."
Sheppard wanted to go somewhere and be sick, or get horribly drunk. This was the icing on the fucking cake. "I'm ready," he said instead as he stood up.
The hologram paused a minute. "The real me had to live life with all the people who he loved and were his family dieing horribly in a senseless series of events," he said to the man out of time. "Please don't make him live through that again if this works. And in case it does work, I want you to know that the lonely life he led to make this possible, and all of the loss and pain was all worth it. You and the others are worth it. Don't make it all be in vain."
"It won't be in vain," Sheppard promised the very sad looking hologram of his closest friend. "I promise," he insisted as they walked into the stasis room.