Remembering Family
"Moonbase Alpha status report, Dr. Helena Russell-Koenig recording, fifty-four days after contact with Chandra. Group Captain Alan Carter is volunteering to go on a mission with SG-1 to hopefully rescue General Jacob Carter, a cousin of his. Officially his presence has been justified to increase his experience flying in space. With some experience with the Transport pod Chandra is allowing use by Alpha, Group Captain Carter hopes to learn to fly a Tel'tak with an eye of obtaining one on a later mission by a SG team. Privately those of us who know Captain Carter hope he is successful with rescuing his cousin and comes back safely."
Group Captain Alan Carter waited as the Stargate on the base was finished dialing the planet he was to meet up with SG-1 and his cousin Samantha Carter. Since the address to Vorash wasn't an extragalactic one the Keeper only monitored and was not involved with dialing directly. So he listed as Sandra and David monitored the supercomputer Selene as 'she' ran Sam's program that the SGC uses to dial their gate.
"Are you sure about this Alan?" Tony asked for yet another time, he wanted to make sure his friend was certain about what he was getting into.
"Family, Tony, family. True the branch of Carters sort of split off at World War II with one settling in Australia and the others returning to America, but its not like we didn't keep in touch. Imagine my surprise to find Cousin Sam not only knowing John Crichton, of the Farscape project I was involved with, but was part of all of this." He gestured up at the main screen rather than the stairs below it where beyond the Moon base's Stargate now spun as each chevron was locked into place.
"Heard Cousin Jake wasn't doing well from great Uncle Andy, but it wasn't until I was up here and the SGC took over that I found out he's now better with one of those snake things in him...willingly. Takes a bloke back, and its nothing I can tell Uncle Andy about either."
Not knowing that said Andrew J. Carter, retired Technical Sergeant who did serve during World War II, had the clearance due to his special operations in the war, though he didn't have a need to know.
Alan was too busy talking to Alpha's Chief of Security to flinch from the event horizon swoosh that erupted once the seventh chevron was locked. "Now he's in trouble and Sam's off to go get him..."
"So you're going to join them going to...Hell isn't it?" Tony looked incredulous though after meeting the Keeper, and some weeks of missions outside the galaxy, he knew he shouldn't sound too disbelieving.
"Naw," trying to sooth his friend's concern, "I'm just going to stay up in the ship. Learn how to fly it. We're going out there one day Tony. I mean with ships we've designed or at least understood. We're going to need to know how to do it practically and this is another opportunity I couldn't pass up."
"They let you go for that?" this time Tony's incredulity was too apparent to brush off. That's when Alan smiled and thumped his friend from Italy on the shoulder.
"Course not mate. That's just the official excuse. General Hammond and Commander Koenig are letting me go out there after family. Be there for Sam and Jacob." Selene repeating 'Event horizon open' over the speakers around them prompted Alan to end the conversation, pick up his bag and start off towards the gate room.
He found Commander Koenig, Helena and Victor waiting for him.
"Seeing me off Commander, all of you? I'm touched," his smile was a Cheshire's cat wide. "Professor, don't worry, I'll record as much as I can about the spacecraft the Tok'ra will let me. Doc...I promise to come home in one piece."
"Good luck, Group Captain Carter," John said formerly and saluted, one that Alan returned, "What's that saying you yanks have...keep the porch light on."
It wasn't Alan's first trip through the gate, but it still felt dizzying as he exited on the surface of Vorash. Ahead of him was SG-1 who had initially turned around to see the new comer. Sam waited with open arms as they embraced. They'd met briefly last year when the moon base was discovered.
"You're not trying to leave without me are you?" he teased as they parted, "Don't worry. We'll get your dad back."
"General Hammond must have told you I was coming," he hedged from the look Colonel Jack O'Neill was giving him, the craggy faced man nodded once, and talked to one of what Alan assumed must be Tok'ra, "This counts as a surprise."
Alan had a few more when they boarded. He seemed amazed by it all, SG-1 was acting like it was old hat, and from reading their reports it likely was.
He'd been introduced to the Tok'ra going with them, Martouf, or thought only one was going along, another was laying down underneath the left forward console and when he pushed out looked sort of like Daniel Jackson just with longer hair.
"Ma'chello," he introduced as he sat up, "Yes we heard about a stealth Tel'tak. In fact I'm hoping we can get Aris Boch to join us...at least give me a system to compare so I don't have to reinvent the wheel here to use a Tau'ri expression"
Alan just stood back and listened as SG-1 seemed stunned by Ma'chello's appearance. Words like old man, Darkhol, and apparently something that worked. This Ma'chello certainly acts like an old man sometimes Alan noted but he's clearly not. "Wait...you lot found the Fountain of Youth?"
"Only if you don't want to have children again," Daniel quipped in that quiet manner of his that reminded him of Victor just with less energy.
"I'm staying onboard to see if I can work up a stealth system and that's final Martouf. Don't tell me about too valuable. We need to reach Selmak and Jacob. I'd never hear the end of it from Nfar is I didn't go after Selmak..." Alan caught the two Tok'ra arguing while Teal'c looked about ready to do a preflight check, at least that's what it looked like to this RAAF pilot.
Sam took pity on the blank look Alan had and filled him in, "...and so Selmak lives inside my dad. They share a host unlike the Goa'uld who take one."
"Right..." Alan decided this was a subject that could wait for another time, "So Teal'c. Care to teach an old codger like myself how to fly this thing."
"You are not old," Teal'c said so deadpan that Alan had to take him seriously as much as he just wanted to initially laugh. One look told him that Teal'c wasn't kidding. Tolok was not like this imposing Jaffa.
"Just a saying mate."
"You are not my mate."
"Uh...right. So how about teaching me as we go along..." and Alan was happy about the slight inclination of the head, he didn't know Jaffa from Japanese, despite having both back on Alpha, but the gesture seem to him to mean yes. So while he started explaining the controls they heard Jack raise his voice.
"Oh no, no, no...this counts as another surprise Marty..." turning he saw a Vorlon glide in and not just any, but Kosh.
"Two sparks are ready, one fire will ignite," he intoned by way of explanation.
"That's just great...you're going Yoda on me. Fine be cryptic, see if I care...T? You and Carter, the other Carter ready to fly this thing?"
"I believe so O'Neill..." and nodded at Alan who watched everything he did.
"Get us out of here then...engage and all that jazz."
Alan learned a lot on the way out, he also heard his cousin scream out once, "What are you doing to her?" he found Colonel O'Neill pushing him back. It took a bit to calm down and listen what was going on. Alan didn't like it, but he wasn't here to like what was happening. He was here to help rescue Jacob and learn how to fly alien spaceships, particularly since Alpha has access to a Supergate in the Belt.
"It's alright Alan, it's alright," Sam says to hopefully cool her cousin down. While they had known of each other since they were little, they only got to know each other once their mutual friend John Crichton had started in Farscape project and had tried to recruit both Carters to it, getting only the one.
Still they were family, and you just don't stand by while family suffers. He would have been up to America in a shot if he could have last year, when most of the other Carters pulled together to support Sam and Jacob during Jacob's treatments for cancer.
'Treatment'...turns out was just the official story now that Alan had found out he was cured by an alien that went to live inside him.
Not that most of the rest of the family will ever know that. Alan realized he only knows because of his place on Alpha. This reminded him to get back to Teal'c and learn how to pilot a Tel'tak. If Alpha ever gets one it's another vehicle to use to get to the Supergate.
It was just Teal'c, Alan and Kosh soon as the others used drop pods to get to Ne'tu. Alan had stood before the pod Sam was in both not really saying goodbyes. "Go on and get Jacob out that mess he's gotten himself into 'kay?" he tried to make light of what she was about to do. Humor that Sam found welcome as they shared a hug, parting to let her be sealed in and he take his place back up front.
Hearing from them on and off kept up Alan's spirits. Just the description of what was below could depress him, seeing it from orbit certainly did.
He was snapped out of his musings once they were attacked, two 'death gliders' he had heard them called. Now was the time to take his hands off the controls and watch as Teal'c flew this ship into combat.
Of course SG-1 chooses now to call.
"Operate the rings, Alan Carter," Teal'c commands as he flies the ship in an evasive pattern.
"I've only seen it done once cobber..."
"I think I can give us partial stealth...Teal'c can you turn over the controls to Alan and operate those rings?"
Alan was horrified to find that Teal'c's answer was to get up from his seat and move to the ring controls, leaving Alan to take up where the Jaffa had left off flying the Tel'tak.
"They'll have a harder time locking onto us," Ma'chello shouted and was still irritated at not being able to get his full stealth system working. Alan was just glad for whatever it was doing.
Going from -learning- to fly an alien space craft by flying it -in- combat was not on his list of things to do today.
"What? It has a lock out system?" Alan would have been still amazed to see such a young looking man acting as if he were old and frail if he spared the glance to look, right now he hoped all of his piloting skills continued to translate well to keeping the two -fighter- craft from hitting them and at the same time get them to the point they needed to be.
"Okay," they heard over the communicator and then a blast that only Alan didn't recognize as from a Goa'kesh'sha.
They took a hit when Alan had to slow the ship briefly for the rings, and he heard, "Stealth's gone!" from Ma'chello followed by Teal'c's, "We have Jacob Carter!"
"Go Alan!" Ma'chello urged moving forward again, "Go, go, go."
"Others...dodged...tried to distract..." Jacob was muttering as Ma'chello tended to him, "Still down there."
"We will make another pass. Ma'chello, is Jacob Carter well enough for you to man the rings?" Teal'c said coming up to take over for Alan. The Australian was of two minds about that, he wanted another try and didn't think it wise to switch with the two gliders so close to them.
"Teal'c, this is your god Apophis..." a new voice came over the com system and as they listened to it, Teal'c merely said, "Take us away from here Alan Carter." The coolness of the words did not mask the rage Alan heard within them. Right now was not the time to question the huge Jaffa, just fly.
"Hyperspace...now Alan Carter," the words again were spoken evenly, the heat in them conveyed by tone not volume.
They were headed back to Vorash, with part of the time Alan spent flying the ship wondering just why did Kosh come along for this if he wasn't going to -do- anything. Of course that's all he ever did on Alpha was stand around and do nothing but watch, Alan recalled.
Teal'c stayed with Jacob Carter for most of the way back, Ma'chello working on the design of something on the console next to Alan's. All the pilot was able to get out of him was "...noticed something about Ne'tu...this I can use..."
Arrival, landing, euphoria, Alan wanted to let his relief let him relax except that Sam, SG-1 and that Tok'ra were left behind. The ship was barely on the ground before Ma'chello strode out no longer tottering like an old man. Now Alan could check up on Jacob.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the Australian clearly surprised but no longer as weak as when he was first ringed up.
"Getting help for you, Jacob. Heard you swallowed an alien and it made you all well until it lead you astray so they called me up," Alan said helping Teal'c with getting Jacob out of the ship and to the Tok'ra base.
Kosh followed and once Jacob was settled, Alan started to fill in Jacob about the alien outpost found on the moon that the SGC now has built over and run what they call Moon Base Alpha. "...Professor Bergman had gotten me involved, and once I found out what he had, I couldn't go back to space shuttle rides. Right now I'm working on designing a ship or at least some kind of transport, if only around the moon."
Now Alan grinned, "Course got interrupted with this rescue op I had to go on. Takes a Carter to rescue a Carter you know."
That had brought both of their minds back to Sam and SG-1. "We'll get her back Jacob. Don't you worry."
When it did come time to leave Alan returned to the surface to find a second Tel'tak there and a rather big man talking to Teal'c. Which Alan amended his observation to say 'another' big man talking with Teal'c, both seemed to Alan as the archetype for the appellation of 'big man'.
"So take care of her..." Alan heard a man he didn't know the name of Aris Boch finish up but what caught his attention was Teal'c reply.
"Not a scratch," and for some reason that line stood out in his mind as it baffled Aris. Alan just thought it was yank humor, SGC being in America and all. He had no idea it went further than that. Teal'c had not just used an American saying, he was quoting from one of his favorite movie series Star Wars. A line his wife, or SG-1 would have known immediately.
"I'm going to hold you too that," Aris said headed over with several self-propelling crates of equipment.
"It will be just us Alan Carter," Teal'c reported unhappily, well that was the way it felt to Alan. To his eyes the Jaffa's expression didn't change at all happy, sad or angry. Definitely not Tolok, Alan remarked mentally.
"The SGC cannot spare a team yet to come with us," he added as they walked to the second Tel'tak.
"Wait a minute cobber...I might be able to get some help," Alan then led the way to the Stargate. One dial later to Alpha and he was talking to its Commander, John Koenig.
"...so you think we could spare anyone to help out?" and it actually was a question as Alpha didn't have that high a population yet, and of those mostly were scientist, astronauts, what few soldiers were either on loan from the SGC, or were in the military as the vehicle for earning their education as well as indulging their love of flying. Every officer currently had been a pilot in someone's air force at one time or another.
"Tony here Alan, I think I gather a few and be with you...might even bring some firepower."
Alan sighed at that, but welcomed it. While Tony is head of security on Alpha and hence able to draw upon people to help, he was also Doctor Tony Verdeschi, physicist, a high energy physicist. Since his exposure to what has been possible with alien technologies he'd been working on several weapon designs.
One was a portable laser system and even in the short time he'd been working on it, studying staff weapon and Zat gun power sources, as well as the weapons themselves, and now had a backpack version ready for 'field testing'. Alan winced thinking about that as he waited for Alpha to dial in once the report was finished.
He hoped Tony designed weapons better than he brewed beer on his off time.
Tony came through shortly after the incoming wormhole, followed by three others Alan recognized but didn't recall their names. Two were carrying something he could swear he saw on one of those cheap, he dare not say 'Italian' scifi movies, however only the 'what' did escape his lips.
"These? They're dazzlers, specifically Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response rifle," Alan could see one of the men holding one trying not to laugh as the acronym Tony was trying not to say formed in everyone's mind...a PHASR, which comes out phonetically to phaser as in the TV show Star trek that seemed anyone who came to Alpha ended up watching one version, if not all of them.
"Set on stun I suppose?" Alan quipped as he led them to the ship.
"Dazzlers my dear aussie are non-lethal weapons intended to cause temporary blindness or disorientation..." Tony clapped a hand on Alan's shoulder as they walked in. "I hope to have my electrolasers ready soon for the 'set on stun' bit. I've been studying Zats and I think I have something that will work."
"You mean those staple gun shaped things in your work shop," Alan couldn't leave it alone, good thing Tony took it well.
"Yes those 'staple gun shaped things'. If I've got it right, then I'll eliminate the one shot limitation Zats have. The second, third, or whatever shots shouldn't kill."
"I hear a 'shouldn't in there where I don't think I like."
"So what's with all the non lethal gear?" Alan asked after they were on their way.
"About all we had with us. Come on, Alan. We're on a base on the moon. Bullet hits a wall the wrong way and we've got a leak and decompression. The Gate room is reinforced but not the rest of the base. I was able to get the SGC to at least ship up a couple of ADS' for installation in the Gate room, Main mission and possibly some fall back places, but again it all has to be non-lethal or Zats."
"And the SGC is not generous with sending Zats up are they?" Alan asked knowing the answer. It cost a lot to just get the base up and while the promise of aliens 'dropping in' on the reopened diplomatic outpost and the hope of sharing technology has kept the funds coming, it hasn't been the flood everyone on Alpha would like.
"I'm not up on my yank acronyms, what's an ADS," it passed the time away in conversation.
"Active Denial System, it is a strong millimeter-wave transmitter causing an intensely painful sensation of extreme heat. While not actually burning the skin..." Tony began seeing Alan comprehended so he let him finish.
"...making them feel roasting if they keep coming and I bet they cool off if they leave. Not bad since we don't have heavy firepower on Alpha yet."
"So what's the plan?" Alan was now in the pilot seat, Teal'c having instructed how the stealth system works. Unlike Alan and company he had a very lethal staff weapon.
"You ring down after Ma'chello's code unlocker lets us use the ring transporter," the Tok'ra Aldwin informed, Alan wasn't sure what he was doing there but whatever it was, Teal'c didn't like it. He could pick out that much.
"Go in, take out whoever is in our way, find SG-1 and Martouf and return to ring out," Teal'c simply said and just looked at Alan. Suddenly Alan thought he understood, "I won't leave without you, mate."
That got a raised eyebrow and Alan almost could see the retort, 'I am not your mate' on Teal'c lips.
Tony and his men had experienced the Asgard artifact transporter. One moment you're staring at stone obelisk on Earth, the next one on the moon. He hadn't used the ring transporter to see the Keeper yet as it was by invitation only and the Maggiore wasn't sure he was welcomed by Keeper yet.
He'd seen it work on John, Helena and Victor of course, so he knew what to expect intellectually. "Getchell, Dreese, just fire on targets of opportunity. Mahula same with us and our PEPs as with the dazzlers. Just fire at anyone who moves. Use side arms only as needed. We don't know how many of them there are between us and the people we're rescuing. I'm not worried about casualties if they're someone else's," and he didn't need to remind them about limited ammunition.
"I will clear the way Tony Verdeschi," Teal'c declared and Tony saw Alan give the thumbs up just moments before.
Alan wasn't watching Aldwin, just the huge Ha'tak that just came into view. He thought back to the report how two of them came to Earth to raze the surface of the world, burn it to ashes and looking at this one he could believe it. How SG-1 took out two of them was simply amazing.
Beeping, sounds made from button pushing went on behind him and he turned just as Aldwin pressed some red dome like the top of a DHD. Then felt the ship shudder and saw something blue flash down to the moon below them.
"What did you do..." Alan was up out of his seat, Teal'c's warning flaming in his ears.
Tony and his team followed behind Teal'c as he was like a grim reaper personified. Sure the dazzlers were working, making his job easier, but he felt that the large Jaffa would just take longer. Finding someone to lead them to 'the pit' was a matter of Tony stopping Teal'c from taking them out before they could be questioned.
Of course once they did find out, it was more a matter of covering their rear than helping to lead the way. Fortunately it only took a few shots from the PEPs to make the prisoner's think they had Goa'uld hand devices. The over-the-shoulder fired Pulsed Energy Projectiles shot by Tony's and Andreas Mahula's backpack powered muzzles resulted in a sound and shock wave that stuns them as well as a burst of electromagnetic radiation that caused a painful sensation. Targets went flying with each shot.
By the time SG-1 ended up getting out of their cell on their own, it was a quick jog to the rings and up they went.
Tony could tell Alan wasn't happy but right now he was too busy flying them away from an exploding moon, like right out of a science fiction movie. The special effects he'd seen were more imaginative by ILM, but knowing the real thing was chasing you as you hope your ship out flew it left a more sobering experience.
He could use a beer...even one of his own.
"Sam, Jacob is doing well. We left him in good hands," Alan said as his cousin plopped herself down in the seat next to him, "We'll be back to see him before you know it."
Author's note: Totally made up word for the ribbon device, it always bothered me that there would be a proper name for weapons such as the Zat'nik'tel or the Hara kesh, but call the hand weapon of the Goa'uld a 'ribbon device', so I came up with Goa'kesh'sha, which in this work of fiction will mean 'hand of god' or 'hand of the gods'. I couldn't' find the Goa'uld word for hand, so I borrowed from Hara kesh since that is a hand worn weapon and Goa'uld is translated as god, with a stretch of 'sha' to associate of the gods as in the word Heelk'sha or Gods of the underworld. I did find out after all of this that there is a word Kara Kesh which means Hand device, however hand of god, or hand of the gods sounded more impressive to me.
I also had Ma'chello along for continuity sense as I believe he would try to do upgrade the Tok'ra's Tel'tak with a stealth that and unlike the show that has a budget or can't always get an actor back for only cameos, fanfiction can always have a character who should be there, there in the story. The other reason for Ma'chello was the device the Tok'ra used on Ne'tu was rather specific, to come up with it in such a short time they had to have made it and none of the Tok'ra to date had seemed that inventive. However Ma'chello, who in Wives survived as oppose to canon and became a Tok'ra, did have the expertise to come up with their moon-detonating device.
