Hope hope you all enjoy the next chapter. My mind just plays silly scenarios. Once again thanks to Tea-induced scribbles for letting me borrow Kate.
LS . LS . LS
Two days later the USS Nathan James was laying up just outside the harbour art Norfolk. They had decided to go ashore on the RiB's as they didn't want to be ambushed again. In the RiB were Captain Tom Chandler, his XO, Mike Slattery, Kate Lassiter and Tex Nolan. Standing off in another in the harbour were LT Green and a few of his team.
They'd received a signal to say all was clear and secure and were making a steady approach to where 3 people were waiting amidst a pile of crates on the jetty.
Nothing unusual about crates in a Naval dockyard, except these all had USAF logo's on.
As the entourage from the Nathan James alighted on to the pier they saw the 3 move into plain sight. The 3 were wearing black special ops uniforms and all appeared to have a P90 weapon. One of them was lying on top of the crates, knees bent, feet flat on the top.
Mike slowly approached and as he did so, a man broke away from the group at the crates to greet him.
"Slatters, good to see you."
As he got nearer, it was plain to everyone to see the family resemblance. They may have been cousins but you would think they were twins, so striking the similarity.
A few paces away from each other Mike saw the star on his cousin's collar.
"Who made you General?" Mike asked.
The man who was lying on top of the crates rolled off and stood up. He had a battered baseball cap on and wrap around shades. "That would be me!"
Hearing this, Kate giggled. This was the Jack O'Neill she knew.
The Captain and XO came to attention. Stood before them was a 3 star Lt General.
"Oh, fer cryin' out loud, at ease, how long have you known me Mike?" Jack said. "And, call me Jack" to Captain Tom Chandler.
Stood to the side of the 2 naval officers and Kate was Tex, watching all this. Until he heard that immortal phrase, he thought he was seeing things. The last time he had seen the man, he'd been a major and they'd been bogged down somewhere in central America battling the drug runners.
"Jack O'fuckin' Neill as I live and breath. I thought you were either dead or retired, even maybe locked up in Leavenworth." Tex said walking forward to shake the man's hand.
"Who invited you to this shindig, last I heard you'd gone to the dark side and gone private for that schmuck Lassiter."
"And, that would be me," Tom Chandler said smiling. "Picked him up at Gitmo. Not an inmate, more of a guard. Commander Thomas Chandler, Captain of the Nathan James." Tom said introducing himself.
Jack gestured to Tom to step aside so they could talk, Jack waving his hands about saying "talk amongst yourselves."
Kate saw the third person there , a blond woman. "Sam?" she queried, shocked.
Even though Kate had done some work with Jack, she'd never been read into the full stargate program and so had never been to the SGC or met Sam in a military capacity. The last time she'd seen her was at a Ball in Washington. She knew Sam was military but thought it was just as a scientist, and knew her as General O'Neill's wife. It was strange as it looked as if they were in the same chain of command.
Mike also knew her. But, he knew her as Colonel Sam Carter.
"Sam, good to see you again." Mike said, "where's the rest of the gang?"
Mike knew Sam as a fully operational field Officer, the total opposite of Kate's impression. He also knew that they were a close team and where there was one, the others would not be far away.
Sam looked to Dixon, who shrugged and Sam got on the radio. "Carter to SG1-niner, area secure, approach from the east." And waited.
About a minute later, three men and a woman came from the side of a warehouse. Two of the men were bickering with the woman, while the third man kept silent.
The woman had long dark hair held in a big flouncy ponytail with of a things, a tiara on. Also she had added a few colourful scarves to the standard black tactical vest.
Kate had met Vala , for the first time before at the same Ball. She liked the dark haired woman, and, they had nearly been kicked out of the venue for being drunk, only Jack's intervention had prevented it.
The crowd by the crates heard "But Daniel, its only an abandoned jewellery store, no one will mind."
"Vala, no!" from the man wearing the glasses.
From the looks of it, it seemed like the argument had been going on for ages.
Dixon laughed and Sam rolled her eyes as if this was a regular occurrence.
Kate approached Sam to talk as Mike talked with his cousin about family. Sam said she'd explain more later but first had to stop Daniel from murdering Vala before Mitchell shot both of them.
Kate joined Mike, who properly introduced his cousin as General Dave Dixon. Sam had by this time settled the disagreement in the team and they approached the others.
Tex was watching all of this with awe. Never in all his time in the military had he seen such a relaxed air with such high ranking officers.
As the group reformed together chatting bar Jack and Tom, the atmosphere became jovial. Vala was still pouting but Sam gave her a stern look.
"Sorry General Samantha," Vala said with a cheeky smile.
Sam laughed, she could never stay mad at Vala for long.
Mike looked at Sam and then Dixon and mouthed silently "General?"
Dixon nodded amused "Hayes' leaving gift. He was the only one who could promote her."
Tex had decided by this point to blatantly flirt with Sam.
Mike, Dixon, Kate and the members of SG1 looked on in amusement, waiting for the inevitable when Tex would crash and burn. Mike not knowing that Sam was now married to Jack, only that she was so far out of Tex's league.
"Think we should say something?" Mitchell said.
"Nah, too much fun," Dixon added.
"Ten bucks says General O'Neill shoots him," Mitchell continued.
"I'll take that," Dixon replied.
"Or Sam does," Daniel said.
"Nope," Kate said, "More subtle. No injuries at all."
"Why do you say that?" Mike asked.
"Because Jack promised not to shoot anyone without presidential approval" Kate added.
At that point Jack had glanced over to look at the group. He knew something was up and probably would not like it. They were all huddled together and there was a mischievous air about them.
He and the Captain rejoined them just as Tex said "So, would you like to see my stateroom?"
Sam replied "I don't think my husband would approve."
"He'd never know!" Tex stated, waggling his eyebrows.
"How about we ask him. What do you say Jack?"
"What?" came a snarky reply.
"Tex invited me to his stateroom."
"Over my rotting corpse. Oh sorry, did I say that out loud?" glaring at Tex. To Tom Chandler he said, "permission to beat the crap out of that man." But in effect didn't mean it. His point had been made.
Daniel leaning against a crate said to Kate "you win."
Tex was shocked, "You knew," to Kate "why didn't you warn me? That's just mean Red!"
Tom looked to his XO to explain what had just occurred "What did I miss?"
Mike Slattery was grinning as he watched Mitchell, Daniel and Dixon taking money out of their pockets to give to Kate, "family reunion and Tex nearly causing a major incident by hitting on the General's wife. Mike had caught on fairly quick that Sam was married and to whom. As he had spent quite a bit of time in Colorado Springs, he seen the interaction between Sam and Jack over the years.
Vala strutted up to Tom and linked her arm in his "Now, what's a fine specimen of a man like you doing here?" she purred.
"Vala! Behave!" Sam admonished.
"But Sam, look, he's just so delicious."
"Vala," Sam repeated, as if talking to a child.
Vala's antics had lifted the mood and Kate was trying to hold in her laughter at the fear on Tom Chandler's face. Even Mike could see the funny side of it. Kate knew Vala was involved with Daniel, but you never knew what she would get up to next.
"Kate, a word!" Jack said. "Are you serious? The Navy! I offered you a job and you chose the Navy."
"Jack, no, I'm on the Nathan James because of Evan. He blackmailed me into doing it."
"Two faced Rat Bastard. But it's the Navy" Jack whined, making quotation marks in the air when he said Navy.
Kate shrugged her shoulders and joked, "You work with Jarheads," pointing at Dixon.
"There's that I suppose," Jack grinned.
Dixon rolled his eyes as if this was nothing new, the rival banter between the various forces and the General's attitude.
"Four months up in the arctic circle, trust me, not my choice."
"Chilly!" Jack said mock shivering.
"How the hell did he make General?" Tex asked Daniel, "his reprimand sheet must be as long if not longer than Red's."
"Definitely longer, but he's good at what he does." Daniel replied.
"Which is?" Tex asked.
"Classified!" Mitchell stated.
"Still?" from Tex.
"Indeed!" This came from the big looking man who had silently been watching it all.
