Chapter 9: End of the Beginning
1 Month Later
Stargate Command, Colorado, USA, Earth
11:41 A.M
Colonel Cameron Mitchell walked down the food line with General Samantha Carter ahead of him. For the past four weeks, Cameron had to train his recruits to do exactly what he had been doing for almost seven years.
"So how are the new kids doing?" Sam asked the Colonel.
Cameron simply shrugged as he took a meal of his choice from the display.
"Well," He began, chuckling. "They're not really kids, one is 29 another is 27 while another is 21 and the lastly but not least the oldest is 34."
Sam looked back and smiled.
"Guess we're getting too old," She said to Cameron.
The Colonel shrugged again.
"Well, we've had the technology to make ourselves live a bit longer," He replied sarcastically. "We also can go back in time or live like the Jaffa; I mean, look at Teal'c,"
The two sat down at a table before beginning to eat.
After a few moments of chewing her salad, Sam used her plastic fork to point at her friend.
"So," She began. "What do you think of Alexeyeva so far?"
Mitchell raised an eyebrow.
"Who, the Ruski?"
Sam nodded.
Cameron chuckled before answering.
"Oh yeah, that gal," He began. "In my humble opinion, she's probably the best Spec Ops we received since General O'Neill but to be honest,"
He paused to catch his breath.
"She's also a loose cannon…she trashed one of the 'bases' used by the enemy team."
Sam was taken a back.
"How did she do that?" She asked, surprised.
Cameron looked around him to make sure that he wouldn't be overheard.
"She drove a jeep right into it, I kid you not," He spoke quietly.
Sam began laughing.
"My god," She replied. "She really did that?"
"I'm surprised that you're taking this well," Cameron commented, eyebrow raised.
Sam shook her head.
"If the objective was to 'destroy' the base, well, she did a good job of it," She answered.
It was Cameron's turn to shake his head.
"General Kerrigan almost lost it when he heard of the Russian's actions," He added.
Sam sighed, sitting back into her chair.
"Jack was right," She said. "I do know how to pick em,"
"Yeah, about that?" Cameron took the opportunity to ask.
"How in the hell did you manage to get the Russian Government to hand her over to Stargate Command?" He asked, changing the subject. Sam shrugged.
"They must have felt that they owe us one for helping them stop World War Three from happening eight years ago." She gave her theory.
Mitchell, however, did not buy it.
"That can't be the only reason," He said, leaning forward. "I'm sure there are others like her but I'm also sure that there is more ink than there are words on her file."
Sam smiled.
"You don't know the half of it, Cam," She explained. "When I first started looking at personal files to see who'd be a good candidate for SG-26, hers was the last file I saw…given to me at the last possible second."
"And?"
"She defeated Jack in terms of more classified history,"
"Well, what did you get the first time around?" Cameron inquired further.
"Well," Sam began, eating another bite. "She was born in St. Petersburg on October 14th in '79, her father served in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion; she used to be a brunette but obviously she's a red head now,"
"That's plenty for someone like the Lieutenant Colonel," Cameron commented. "Hell, she's extremely social for someone who's got ink on their file,"
Sam shook her head. "Even her religion is classified," She replied.
"I doubt she even has one," Cameron added.
Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Commies didn't have a religion, especially in the Soviet Union," Cameron explained. "Makes ya wonder how they celebrate Christmas when there isn't one,"
Sam nodded.
"It's been a month since she started her training," She changed the subject.
"Yes, like I said," Cameron answered. "Big potential, best we got, yatta yatta yatta, still though, she had a bit of trouble with the Marine recruits early on,"
"And?" Sam asked.
"Now they're tight," Cameron answered. "Doing things that twenty years ago would have seen like complete BS,"
Sam shrugged, imagining such partnership.
"She made a request," Cameron added and Sam immediately nodded.
"The shipment is coming in the afternoon, so she'll get it when she comes back tonight,"
After the two finished their meals and placed everything where it had to be, Cameron stopped Sam one last time on the way out.
"Why wasn't the Russian placed in the IOA F.O.D instead?" He asked. "She would have made a perfect addition given her specialties,"
Sam shrugged. "The Field Operations Division has plenty of people working for the IOA…but the U.N specifically wanted a Russian on one of the new SG teams so that's what I'm doing," She explained.
Cameron shrugged once more.
"A big gain for us, I guess," He said.
"You'd guess correctly," Sam replied as the two left the cafeteria. "She did ram a base with a car after all,"
Undisclosed Stargate Command Training Grounds, Colorado
01:31 P.M
Alexeyeva and Williams were packing their things into their bags, looking back onto their month of mentally, and physically, difficult scenarios. It was during the packing when Williams had not stopped praising Alexeyeva on how incredible she was during the training missions.
"And remember that one time you drove the jeep right into the enemy's base, taking them all by surprise." She continued. "You make action movies look like a surreal piece of entertainment."
Alexeyeva shook her head.
"And for that stunt," The Russian replied. "I got suspended for a week,"
"Yes," Williams began, placing her shirts into her bag. "But you gained the respect of the Marines, that's an accomplishment worth savoring."
"Perhaps," Alexeyeva replied. "I still prefer safety over friendship…at least we're all alive in the end, da?"
The two women sat on their beds when they finished packing. Williams was reading a book while Alexeyeva was listening to music on her MP3.
"I'm surprised they allowed us to keep most of our personal belongings," She said. Williams shrugged, not taking her eyes off her book.
"Like books and IPods?" She asked.
"Da," Alexeyeva replied.
She then looked up to find the bottom of the upper bunk above her head, curious.
"What are you reading up there?" The Russian asked. "Anything good?"
"You can say that," Williams replied, flipping to the next page.
"It's War and Peace,"
Alexeyeva took out her ear buds and asked for a repeat.
"War and Peace, what, you never heard of it?" Williams asked.
"No, it's just that…that is a very long book," Alexeyeva replied. "It's interesting and I've read it a few times but still,"
Williams was about to ask her new friend how many times she had actually read the book when one of the Marines walked into the tent.
"Redding and I were about to celebrate our completion of the training," He began. "You two care to join us?"
Alexeyeva nodded and got off her bed, taking her duffle bag, followed by Williams, who had done the same.
"I gotta admit, Ivan," The Marine said to the Russian as they walked out. "For Spetsnaz, you sure know how to handle your self,"
"She rammed a jeep into a base camp," A voice said behind them.
The three looked back and found Jackson behind them.
"Bosa moy," Alexeyeva began, placing her hand over her face.
"When will this stop…it wasn't as if I had killed someone,"
"But you almost did," Jackson replied.
"Da, well, it's a good thing there aren't vehicles needed on other worlds, nyet?"
Jackson didn't reply.
"Look, Dr. Jackson," Alexeyeva began, approaching the man. "There are moments that are, as you say, textbook situations…but where I come from there are no 'textbooks', we improvise."
She took a breather.
"I came up with a plan, last minute, and I made the call to follow it…in the end, my team completed the objective and no one was injured or killed,"
"So we're going back to Stargate Command tonight?" Staff Sergeant Frank Redding asked Jackson.
At the table, the other Marine, Sergeant Jonathon Marlowe was flipping out cards for the team's first game of Texas Hold 'em.
"Yes, yes we are," Jackson replied. The cards were now passed out.
As the team played, Alexeyeva sat near by, tinkering with a guitar that she found a week earlier. Marlowe was eyeing her, seeming interested in something.
"Why are you wasting your time with that thing," He said to the Russian, who eyed back the Marine. "Can you even play?"
Alexeyeva nodded as an acknowledgment.
"Of course I can play," She replied. "
Oh, really?" Marlowe asked.
"I used to write songs and play the guitar for school concerts, before I began playing for my team when we were about to go special operations," The Russian explained. "For them, it keeps the tension low,"
The Marine shook his head with surprise.
"No shit," He commented.
Redding drew two more cards onto the center of the table.
"I'm out," Williams said, throwing her cards on the table.
"And I'm all in," Jackson added, pressing his chips forward to the center of the table.
Everyone else folded their hands except for Marlowe, whom was smiling. Alexeyeva, watching the game, raised an eyebrow, confused.
"I take it you think Doctor Jackson is bluffing," She said to the Marine.
Redding said nothing, only eyeing the archeologist. The team first glanced at the Marine then to Jackson, neither budged.
"Do you fold, doc?" Redding asked the man opposite of him.
"I dunno," The man replied, holding onto his cards. "Do you?"
Alexeyeva approached the table, curious about the stand off. Crossing her arms, she eyed Jackson's hand. To her surprise, his hand was terrible, there was no way he could win if discovered.
Vala approached the team after tending to a personal matter.
"Oh, and since when did you start without me?" She asked.
"Don't worry Vala," Jackson replied, staring down at Marlowe. "This round is almost over,"
Vala glanced at the Russian, whom was eyeing Daniel's hand.
"You know," She said to her. "If you're planning on giving Daniel away, you should really be more discreet."
Jackson turned his head and found Alexeyeva leaning on the table next to him.
"Don't worry," She said to him. "I don't normally sell people out over a game of cards,"
Jackson was taken aback.
"Somehow," He replied. "That doesn't make me feel better,"
Alexeyeva shrugged before sitting down next to the archeologist.
"Tell you what, Doctor," She said, leaning forward.
"Win the next round, and I'll play everyone some music."
"Interesting offer," Jackson replied, his eyebrow raised. "You're on,"
Vala's face lit up.
"Ooh, Russian music, can't wait to hear some of that," She said, placing her hands together.
Redding was now confused.
"I understand that you're an alien from outer space," He commented.
"But you never heard of a little something called Youtube…looking up Russian music on the internet?"
"Oh, and what is that?"
Redding slapped himself on the face.
"Ya know…I'm not even gonna bother trying to explain," He replied.
Fifteen minutes passed before the round was won. Needless to say, Jackson was the victor. As promised, Alexeyeva picked up the guitar, sat on a chair in front of her audience, and began to play. A minute into playing, Alexeyeva quietly began to sing in her native language. Despite the audience's attention to the song, only Daniel was able to translate what the Russian was saying. The melody was calm, if not peaceful, but the lyrics were violent, depicting the chaos and death in a war. Another moment later, when the music of the guitar was almost silent, the Russian began to sing about peace, fate and survival. Because of the sudden contrast, Daniel began to wonder what Natasha Alexeyeva was really like behind her combative persona.
Alexeyeva finished the last word of her song when two Humvees rolled into the training grounds. It was their ride back to Stargate Command and the excitement could be seen on Williams' face.
"I can't frikin wait to go off-world." She exclaimed.
"That is if you are assigned to an SG team quickly," The Russian pointed out, placing the guitar on the ground. Everyone grabbed their bags and approached their ride back to Cheyenne Mountain.
"Natasha," Daniel called to her.
The Russian faced the archeologist, who was signaling her to follow him.
"Mind joining me in the front car?"
"I guess I'll have to," The Russian replied, following him.
After everyone had gotten into a vehicle, they drove off.
Inside her Humvee, Alexeyeva was somewhat not surprised to find General Kerrigan in the front seat next to the driver and he wasn't happy.
"Congratulations are an order for a job well done completing your training," He said to her through the mirror.
The Russian simply shrugged, not knowing how to respond.
"Thank you General, I guess," She said sitting back into her seat.
Kerrigan's expression didn't change.
"Just so you know, Lieutenant Colonel," He added. "I have my eye on you,"
Alexeyeva shook her head.
"I know what I have done the other week," She explained. "And I don't regret doing what I did, I can't anyway,"
"Why not?" Kerrigan asked.
"Because it's in the past and I have to accept it," Alexeyeva replied.
"Besides no one was hurt or killed, am I wrong General Kerrigan?" The General ignored her last reply.
"Welcome to SG-26…I hope you choose your teammates wisely, Lieutenant Colonel, they will be stuck with you for a long while,"
