The sequel to Had I not seen the Sun. Dr Samantha Carter is recruited, unwillingly, years into the Stargate program to solve the mystery of who tried to sabotage the Stargate.
Previously in Had I not seen the Sun: After being called in to assist with an unknown gate malfunction, Doctor Samantha Carter is abducted by B'aal and his consort Ashtarte, a Gou'ald with the ability to read minds. Jack O'Neill and the boys come to the rescue just in time. Jack and Samantha start a relationship that is slowly undoing her distain for the military which had her and her research into wormhole theory under surveillance for years. Samantha's dislike for the military is sourced from her long estrangement from her thought to be dead father General Jacob Carter.
Six months later, old secrets and new betrayals threaten more than just Samantha and Jack's budding relationship.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dr Samantha Carter pulled into her assigned parking spot in the civilian lot outside of Area 51. She blinked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. It was only the fourth day of wearing contacts for the first time. She had never considered them before, happy with her glasses and unconcerned with their appearance. But after the fifth time Jack hid them from her, insisting she looked better without them, she finally made the change. She hoped he would like the surprise when he visited the coming weekend. Checking her watch, she hastened her movements. Collecting her purse, she stepped from her car.
She had been at Area 51 for four months. Working for the military was not her first choice but after her experience with B'aal and the murder of her colleague at the hands of her treacherous assistant George in her own apartment, she felt she could not return to MIT. It was over one of Jack's weekend visits to Arizona that he suggested she go to work at Area 51. While a military installation, it was run mostly by scientists. Their research focused on the alien technology the SGC acquired in the travels of teams and negotiations with alien peoples.
"You'll be running the place within six months." He told her one morning over breakfast at the hotel he stayed at on his visits to Phoenix. She had still not introduced Jack to her mother and her step-father Carl. Jack never asked about it but her mother would eye her on those Monday mornings after she returned from seeing Jack off at the airport.
Always shaking her head, Samantha could make out her mother's muttering to Carl, "If he is so important, then why can't we meet him?"
Samantha blanched at Jack's assertion that she would fit in with the military run program.
"Jack, I'm not sure if I could be happy working for the military. I don't think it would work out."
Reaching across the cozy breakfast table on the deck off the hotel room, Jack took her hand.
"Trust me, I know this will work."
In the back of her mind, Samantha knew why Jack wanted her in the program. It would mean that they could finally talk more openly about it with each other. She could see it in Jack's eyes, his earnest to share with her.
After their two weeks together in Sedona, Samantha found herself considering something she had never done in her life; making a compromise for a man. For so long she had been committed to her work and she was satisfied with it. She could live with her work defining who she was, as a scientist, as a person, even as a woman. But Jack turned all of that around. He found those parts of her she had forgotten about. The part of her that liked the feeling of security and safety when held in the arms of another. Instead of feeling weakened by her need for Jack, she felt empowered. To know there was a person in the world who desired all of her, raw and unedited and in whom she could place her trust.
The decision was not as hard as she thought it would be. With returning to MIT out as an option, she had little else to choose from. Her research had been confiscated and sealed by the government. Finding another institution to take her would put her back at square one. Add in that the starting salary of a civilian contractor was astronomical compared to her research stipend. What it did not offer was a chance for her and Jack to see more of each other.
She had immediately been drawn to a project to reverse engineer a piece of ancient technology brought back from Atlantis. A climate adjustment system that would alter wind and ocean currents and could be used to manage weather patterns in specific regions. It would mean improved conditions in parts of the world affected by drought or other conditions damaging to crops. It may even halt the adverse effects of global warming, if not reverse it all together.
She had been working on it for two months and had been close to an operational demo when she was reminded that the work done at Area 51 was run by the military. Pulled from her project, she was put on another that was close to completion. A planetary defense system that utilized technology from an ancient outpost in Antarctica.
This morning the team working on it would be presenting the project to a military oversight committee, unfortunately Jack would not be among them.
"Good morning ma'am" greeted the young sergeant at the security check-in.
"Sergeant, every time you "ma'am" me it makes me feel I should be baking cookies." She said with a smile to the young man.
Setting her bag and jacket on the scanner belt Samantha stepped through the metal detector.
"Sorry ma'am."
Smiling at the young man, Samantha gathered her things on the other side and headed toward the elevator that would take her seven levels down to the her lab.
As she stepped out of the elevator she was immediately accosted by her lab mate Corrine Wyle.
"Cutting it close Doctor Carter." Corrine shoved a paper into her hands, taking her bag and coat from her.
"Not my party Corrine. This is Carlisle's dog and pony show."
The two women stepped into their shared lab.
"Yeah, well when the boys in uniform want to know how we were able to fix the containment breach when the unit reaches its full charge, he'll need you there to explain it to them. At the last project update he convinced them it would take two years and another couple of million dollars to work the problem out."
"Well, then maybe I can ask for the money I saved them be sent to our department so we can finish our project.
Heading out of the room, the two women walked down the sterile hallway to the conference room. Entering, they noticed a swarm of blue uniforms and glittering medals. Samantha scanned the room. They all looked the same to her, too much like her father.
Doctor Eugene Carlisle stepped to the front of the room and called the meeting to order. Seated in the back Samantha listened with one ear to Carlisle pontificate of his breakthrough, as Corrine whispered in her other about how unfair it was he was taking the credit.
But Samantha was far away from all of it. Her mind was occupied with running over the conversation she had with Jack the night before. He had called to confirm that he would be down that weekend.
"Carlisle won't need you to come in this weekend will he?"
"No, the presentation is tomorrow. The project will be moved to Antarctica for testing later this month. I can finally get back to my project on Monday."
"That's great, great."
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"Jack, every time you use 'that's great', I know you have something in mind, what is it?"
"Well, I thought it would be nice to ah…have dinner with your Mom and her husband. We could meet at the airport and take a flight to Phoenix."
Silent, Samantha shifted in her chair.
"Samantha?"
Silence.
"Sam?"
"Yeah, I'm…are you sure?"
"About?"
"Meeting my mother?"
"I am but I take it you're..not."
"No, I mean, maybe. It just…I'm not really prepared for this."
"Prepared for what? Introducing your mother to you boyfriend? Or introducing you mother to your boyfriend who happens to be a Colonel in the Air Force?"
"Both?" Sam squeaked. She knew this was coming. She couldn't hide this truth from her mother forever. Especially with the way things were going with Jack. Eventually she would have to come clean to her.
This time it was Jack's side of the conversation to go quiet.
"Jack?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, just forget about it." His voice was sullen, but then lightened as he continued. "We'll go to Flagstaff. We can stay at the bed and breakfast you like."
"Jack. I want you to meet my folks, just, don't be disappointed if my mom doesn't take to you."
Samantha was brought back to the present by a nudge from Corrine.
"Samantha, they want you."
"Dr. Carter!" Carlisle was motioning to her to join him at the front of the room.
Going to him, Samantha faced the seated men.
"Dr. Carter," started an older general who looked decidedly sour. "Can you explain to us how you were able to make the proper corrections to the…."
The teltak hung over the atmosphere of a lifeless planet. Waiting for days, its occupant spent his time playing a sort of solitary with a set of alien runes.
"Remind me to ask George for a deck of cards that next time we are on Earth."
"You do not enjoy palcharak?"
Before he could answer an indicator signal sounded. Abandoning the Tok'ra time-waster, Jacob Carter went to the controls of his ship.
"It's a weak signal; we may not get the whole message."
Adjusting his instruments, Jacob routed the signal's message through the power matrix to increase its download.
Once completed, he read through the message, several parts had been lost over its light-years transmission.
Ashtarte gaining forces in sector ΠΦΔ. Defeated B'aal's forces on Thearin. Moving on position at Serph..
Taken one al'kesh into Tau'ri space. Planning acquisition of…"
Finishing his review of the transmission Jacob powered the teltak and broke orbit. Setting his heading he sat back to consider what was meant by this latest information.
"Earth has to be warned."
"We must get the information to the high council first Jacob."