Author's Note: I know, i know... I haven';t finished my other Stargate story yet, or ANY story for that matter. RL is again being crappy and I think I need to explore something smaller for a bit before I attempt anything large-ish. Please Read and Review. And be kind. I bruise easily. And if I get enough good review/happily constructive criticisms I will continue on this and Nemesis

REQUIEM

by bigredcanuck

KAWOOSH

In churning blues and whites the event horizon of the artificial wormwhole writhed and spun, attempting to form a cohesise matrice. The spiralling energies and the ripples of warp space time threatened to spill out along a nearly two dimensial plave but were contained and refocused back on themselves by a barrier ring of naquadah.

"Outgoing wormhole engaged." Walter said, tapping at his computer and studying the omgoing telemetry from hundreds of the gates imbedded sensors, patched from the artefacts alien systems into the base's dialing computer by hundred of miles of crosspatched patched circuits. Numbers and symbols, many of them arcane to anyone without an advanced astrophysics degree, scrolling yellow and green down the console monitors.

O'Niell just nodded once, his eyes never leaving the gate. below in the gateroom technicians stepped back from the MALP, all ready and primed to go. The remote controlled robotic vehicle lurched once, as if unsteady on it's balloon tires, then slowly made it's way up the ramp. The exploration and reconaisance device, controlled by the technician sitting beside Walter, never paused once as it passed through the shimmering water like pool of quantumn energies.

On the monitors, the MALP disintigrated in a hail of pixels andthe starmap spun and shifted as virtual representation detailed the machines trip across the galaxy to a world thousands of lightyears away.

Walter nodded at his readings, looking satisfied. "General, the MALP has arrived and we're getting images now."

Before he could respond, thje familiar presence of Lt. Colonel Sam Carter walked up from behind, standing next to her CO. She fround as she stared at at the technicians' deiplays, noting the planet's designation. "There?" she asked in a hushed whisper. She looked very uncomfortable "General, thats where.."

"I know, Carter." Jack said, gruffly. Apparently he wasn't pleased about tis either.

Sam could only swallow, his minds eye taking her back over a year to one of the worst battles they had ever been in. "Sir, why didn't you tell me we were.."

Again, she was cut off by O'Niell, a wave of his hand and his eyes never leaving the wormhole. As if he couln't look at either his old 21C or the monitors. "The order came down from the Pentagon." he stated simply, almost mechanically. "The Brass wanted us to get some recon on a few of the planets we had been forced to flee. They chose this one first. I didn't tell you because it was just standard recon and because I didn't want you..." he trailed off, trying to find the words.

Sam could see the hurt in his eyes, could feel the pain ion his chest. Because she felt it too. She looked from her CO to the monitors, camera's transmitting images from halfway across the known universe in almost real time by tricking the laws of conventional physics.

"It looks deserted." he mumbled, studing the video of a damp grey skyed planet. There were trees and long grass everwhere. A few hills and some craters that had grown over since she had last stepped foot on that planet.

Nodding, Jack finaly turned away and walked towards the door. "Looks that way." he muttered. He almost sounded angry.

Sam quickly turned and followed him. "but isn't that a good thing?" she asked. "Isn't that what we wanted.?

Jack just stopped. His back to her, his fists clenched at his side. He didn't turn but as he spoke it was clear he was speaking directly to her.

"She died there, Sam." he said, not caring about protocol. The pain and the anger was too powerful for him to remain completely proffesional. "And no, I know not /just/ her. But hers I will remember the most. She died saving our asses so we could get away from the Snakes. She died thinking it was important for us to fight another day for that place. But the Snakes abandoned it after. Like it meant nothing. They could have at least had the decency to leave someone behind for us to go in and kick their asses."

Sam was speechless.. She could understand that, yes, but she had never been able to voice it. Not outloud like that. And the strange thing was it appeared that they weren't the only ones to think that. All around them, people silently nodded at their General's statement. Walter. Siler. Davis. All of them.

Jack's shoulders fially sagged a bit and he wiped at his forehead. "She died there, Carter." he whispered. "She got her post humous medals. She got her eulogy. But she deserved more."

Walking up to O'Niell, Carter nodded and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "She got everything she wanted, Jack." she whispered, damning protocol as well if just for this moment. "She died doing what she was trained to do. Without fear for herself."

"Tell that to Cassie." Jack whispered. "Tell that to Daniel."

Sam blinked back some tears. "I know it still hurts..."

Jack shrugged his shoulder from her grip and walked towards stairs leading up to his office. "She deserved more." was all he could say before he dissapeared above. Sam just wiped at her eyes and looked to the others. Thankfully they had not paid attention overtly to the entire scene.

"Then lets make her sacrifice worth it. Even if it's just a little." she whispers as she walked to the control consoles and sat down next to Walter. "Sergeant. Prepare the UAV. The Pentagon want some recon? Lets get it for them. There was a ruined city there. Come hell or high water, we're going to go back and find it." For Janet, she added mentally.

Walter and the others grinned and nodded. "Affirmative, Colonel. Preparing UAV."

(The End?)