Author's note: First off, I'd like to apologize to the readers of this story. The lack of a timely update during these winter months has been egregious. However, I would ask for your patience and understanding. Unfortunately, my work commitments have been especially time-consuming and draining, particularly since Christmastime. I know there are many of you who can empathize with this. Many an idea for this story had to be shelved since I literally had no time to flesh it out. This drove me nuts. It now looks like I'll have at least a little more time to sit down and attack the keyboard with gusto.
As for the story, instead of prolonging the agony any further, I've decided to publish this "mini" chapter, just as I did with Chapter Four. This was intended to be part of something much larger, but I thought it important to get something out into the public realm soon. Please know that more is coming very soon, as the Rangers, O'Neill and the Latin-speaking Ori killers have a large tale to tell.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Stargate Command
Sheppard entered the conference room in his usual stride, finding Weir fully engrossed in reading a stack of briefing notes. The term "stack' was being kind. It was more of a deluge. Her attention to detail was something he had always marveled at during their time at Atlantis. She had a voracious appetite for information and seemed able to process it almost as quickly. He figured that was the main reason she was such a good diplomat. She was capable of juggling large amounts of information at the same time with a rare agility. There were many days on Atlantis where she could be found on her limited off-time engrossed in the latest foreign policy journal or novel shipped from Earth. Reading and studying were benign addictions for her. Sheppard, as a trained pilot, had mastered the art of multi-tasking long ago. But Weir's gift for it surprised even him.
Sheppard remained quiet for a moment and watched Weir's studious intensity. Weir's eyes narrowed as she continued reading a rather large document held in an official folder marked "SAP/SAR CLASSIFIED" on the outside. The nature of her intensity seemed to almost burn through the documents in her hand, leading Sheppard to wonder about the true nature of unfolding events. In all of the time he'd spent with Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard knew one thing for certain: Weir was a tough nut to crack. He watched closely as Elizabeth slowly shook her head, probably without even being aware of it, and muttered something under her breath.
Even on this return trip to Earth, she'd taken little time for herself. She'd spared herself a couple of extra days in Washington, but had mainly spent them clearing up odds and ends, as if almost refusing to decompress from the time away, lest it soften her focus too much. Sheppard, on the other hand, had reveled in the free time, carousing the bars of Georgetown and Adams-Morgan and catching up with friends. Unlike his boss, he recognized that he needed the time away. He made a mental note to remind Weir that she probably needed it too. Finally, he announced his presence.
"He should be down here any minute they tell me."
Weir looked up from the stack of documents and glanced at Sheppard with a weary eye born of a busy few days at the SGC and in Washington. "Good, I'm looking forward to finally meeting him. I'm reading a little bit about him now and I can tell you it would make a great novel. He certainly has an interesting background, even for the Army. The problem is a lot of it is classified above even our level."
Sheppard arched his brow and chuckled. "Well, that's what happens when you command something that doesn't officially exist. I called a few of my buddies at AFSOC. They had some very good things to say." AFSOC stood for Air Force Special Operations Command, the special ops arm of the Air Force and the old stomping ground of both O'Neill and Sheppard along with many others of the SGC.
"Oh, like what?"
"The most heavily used adjectives I believe were prudent, apolitical, and audacious. There was a fair amount of respect in the descriptions"
It was Weir's turn to arch her brow in a quizzical manner. "How can someone be both prudent and audacious?"
"Beats me Elizabeth, but that's what these guys said and I trust their opinions on these things. Our community is rather contained and reputations matter for something. We have to trust the guys we're working with or it all goes to shit. What do your papers say?"
"The standard bio stuff, nothing fancy. He graduated in the top third of his class at West Point. He went into the infantry but branched out pretty quickly. He joined Special Forces and apparently developed into a legendary figure in that community. He was involved in the effort to take down the Colombian drug cartels. I know we had a lot of special ops types down there involved in that, doing some rather untactful things. I fought against it at the time. I still think we got our hands far too dirty there." Weir never really ran that far from her activist roots.
"Yeah, we had Air Force assets down there as well. What else?"
"A Master's from Johns Hopkins, Command and Staff College plus he worked at NATO. He also commanded the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell. Then of course he commanded the unit that doesn't exist. I find that concept kind of hilarious, don't you? What is it with you military guys and your secret units? Everyone knows about it. Didn't Chuck Norris or someone make a movie about it?"
Sheppard just shrugged. "Yeah, back in the 80's. It wasn't very good. It is what it is. It's not any crazier than many of the things we've seen in Pegasus, so why should you be surprised? Seriously though, the Delta operators I've worked with were awesome. Just a great group of people who know their jobs."
The "unit that doesn't exist" was a matter of pop culture legend. They were referring to the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, known to the rest of the world simply as Delta Force. Despite being such a fixture in popular culture, with movies, television shows and books dedicated to it, Delta, its men and its operations were a matter of the highest secrecy. Divided into three operational squadrons, Delta's mission is to combat terrorism and other threats to national security worldwide, and since the inception of the SGC, on an interstellar basis. They are among the most superbly-trained and intelligent soldiers on Earth. Delta operators had conducted a few clandestine missions through the gate, including the capture of a Goa'uld weapons scientist who was being interrogated at Area 51. That mission had been a coup for the advanced research being conducted there, allowing the United States and its allies a true understanding of the basis for Goa'uld technology. It had been pulled off with such skill that the Goa'uld never discovered the identity of the kidnappers who'd also killed over 150 Jaffa warriors.
Weir looked back down at her documents and went back to reading while Sheppard paced the room. He was dressed in his Air Force Class A uniform and sported a fresh haircut, knowing full well that it certainly wouldn't impress the new commander of Atlantis' military contingent. Sheppard knew that his days at Atlantis were most likely numbered. No one, including Weir or General Landry had said as much, but he could see the writing on the wall. He had made far too many enemies, he reasoned to himself. The death of Colonel Sumner and his unconventional style were two of the nails in his coffin.
A few moments later General Landry walked into the room followed by an Army Brigadier General. Sheppard came to attention and was waved down by Landry. Weir rose and faced Landry with a sweet smile that said nothing and hid much. Sheppard sized up the new arrival. He looked about 5'10", maybe 180 ponds, nearly all of it muscle with a short haircut that hid what were probably gray hairs at his temple. He was dressed in the green Army Class A uniform, a healthy amount of awards and decorations on his left chest in addition to various qualification badges. He carried himself with a sense of quiet confidence and had a twinkle in his eye, as if he knew a funny joke that others did not.
It was apparent from the first moment to Weir and Sheppard that this man had "it", that quality that certain very rare individuals walked into a room with. It was as if the air pressure or the gravity, the very physical nature of their small little universe had changed. It was one of those ephemeral things, noticed by the intelligent or the perceptive. Certain individuals just brought a different light with them, and this man was one of those rare people. Now he was going to be Sheppard's boss.
Landry beamed with one of those awkward "let's all get along" smiles that was designed to keep the tension at bay. He had enough without a pissing contest at Atlantis. "Doctor Weir, Colonel Sheppard, allow me to introduce Brigadier General John Birmingham. General, this is Doctor Elizabeth Weir and Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard."
Handshakes and greetings were exchanged and then Landry motioned for all to grab a seat. Then he got down to business. "I know that in the next few days we'll be getting more into detail about Atlantis' operations and the tactical situation there. I thought you would all benefit from sitting down and discussing a lot of issues and most of all getting to know one another. I have some pressing duties to attend to, so I'll leave you all to it." With that, Landry excused himself and departed. Both sides of the table shared a bemused look, as if the parent had just exited the room. For a moment, the room went quiet before Weir broke the silence.
"General, you must have a thousand questions, where would you like to start?"
Birmingham chuckled and sat back in the chair. At first glance he seemed relaxed with the entire situation. "Doctor, there are millions of questions but we'll get to those later. Let me just first say that I've studied your reports and findings extensively. Both of you, and your personnel, have done amazing things, as have the personnel of the SGC. To go to Atlantis, knowing that it could be a suicide mission, was a remarkable thing. I think now, with the resources that are going to be dedicated, even greater things can be accomplished.
"Let's get some things out in the open now. I know you haven't had the greatest relationship with the military hierarchy Doctor. Some elements in the chain of command did not want you there. I can't speak to it since I wasn't here until very recently and I'm playing catch-up with all the facts. I know you definitely had differences with Colonel Everett over the defense of the city; I want to avoid that sort of nonsense from the start. You are the leader of the Atlantis Expedition as appointed by the President and the IOA. I have been tasked with commanding the forces that will be based there. My primary mission is the defense of the city and the safety of you and your expedition personnel. As time goes by and we get to know each other, we'll become more comfortable with each other's leadership style. I can only promise that I'm an open-minded person. All I can ask is the same in return." It sounded as if Birmingham had been preparing for Weir for some time.
"I agree General. I think we're on the same page so far. We have a responsibility out in the Pegasus Galaxy to live up to the standards we've set for ourselves over time. Every day out there is a test. I've had to do things and make decisions, as has Colonel Sheppard, which we've never dreamed of. Who lives and who dies? It's a heavy burden but we deal with it."
"One day at a time Doctor, one day at a time. The good news is that you'll be returning to Atlantis with some new toys on the way. The assets being committed are serious and will increase our capabilities in the Pegasus Galaxy."
"I agree General; I'm just concerned about two things. One, how we use those assets, and two, what type of message it will send to our friends and neighbors in the region. Many of those cultures have been traumatized over the years by Wraith incursions. The last thing I want is for us to barrel into the area with a large scale military presence and turn that fear and anxiety on us." The unspoken word in Weir's opening salvo was Iraq, and they all knew it. It couldn't have been more obvious if she'd screamed it.
Birmingham wasn't biting; that was an issue for another day. "Doctor Weir, I can assure you that the allied forces being dispatched to Atlantis have no intention of doing anything to provoke the peaceful people of the region, however, let's consider a couple of facts as they currently present themselves. First, what real allies do we have in the Pegasus Galaxy? From everything I've studied so far, including your reports, it's not exactly 'Paris in springtime' out there. It's some sort of Machiavellian mess wrapped up in a child's nightmare. People are hanging on to a thread of hope. You had one civilization, the Hoffans I believe, who were willing to sacrifice a large chunk of their population to develop immunity to Wraith culling, with no guarantee that they would be left alone. Exactly how much worse can it get? What can me, Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard or anyone else in uniform do that rivals that?
"Secondly, either we own the city or we don't." At this sentiment, Sheppard's chest puffed out slightly. I can work with this guy! "So far, it seems as if many have thought that we're just caretakers or renters of Atlantis. Well, the previous owners are long since gone. We're done paying rent, at least that is the sentiment of all the government leaders I've spoken with, both American and foreign. We've taken on the mortgage, so to speak. I plan to think of Atlantis as our house, and no one just kicks in the door to my house. I hope you understand what I'm getting at."
It was obvious to the others that Weir understood Birmingham, but as was her nature, her two cents would make an appearance. "General, I appreciate your candor. I understand that the President and the other IOA nations intend to exercise sovereignty over Atlantis. I have absolutely no qualms regarding that action. We are the closest descendants of the Ancients and we found it first. I just want to see us live up to our best intentions with regard to our actions in the Pegasus Galaxy. We can do a lot of good there if we play our cards right. That benefits us in the long term. I guess I'm just somewhat of a glass-half-full type of person. I believe we can accomplish some great things."
"I agree Doctor. I don't want it to seem that I'm a pessimist. I just hide my excitement well." A smile crossed Birmingham's face that caused the other two to chuckle. This seemed to break the tension in the room somewhat, which relieved all three.
"I think there will be a lot of good days and a lot of Excedrin headaches, but that seems to be our lot. There is one more thing I'd like to address, and that is this silly war of personalities between the scientific and military members of the expedition."
Weir's head cocked to the side in surprise; she hadn't expected this issue to come up so soon. Birmingham was correct however; the scientific and military communities hadn't always been playing well together. The military expected quick work, discipline and results. Scientists took their time, could be opera-like divas and viewed soldiers as mental midgets with a complex. How Samantha Carter straddled both worlds so well, Weir would never know.
This problem had plagued the program and the SGC since the beginning. So many constituencies had their hands involved that trouble was bound to happen. Diplomats, soldiers, politicians and scientists all saw the program from a different vantage point, namely their own. It was apparent Birmingham wanted to change the dynamic, whether for the better was the question. Even Sheppard seemed to be intrigued by the course the conversation had just taken
Weir's thoughts ran at a mile a minute. What is this guy all about? Has he expressed these ideas to Landry or O'Neill? Is he someone's stalking horse? Where is this going? A thousand questions flooded her thoughts; she knew she needed to play this line of thought out. She looked Birmingham in the eye and smiled like a cat, withholding all she could.
General Birmingham saw Weir's expression and smiled. Atlantis was about to get interesting.