"HOLD IT! We go when I say we go. Do you understand? This has got to be my show. I may not know everything about what's going on here, but right now my family and I have the most to loose. So we go when we're ready or we don't go at all.
Do I make myself clear?"
CHAPTER 11: HE'S A WHAT?
Oma quickly realized they weren't going anywhere until she gave Jack O'Neill some control of the situation. Although this wasn't easy for her (she didn't really believe he understood the gravity of the situation), the willingness of her people to allow self-determination by less advanced races was part of what distinguished them from the Ori.
Understanding she couldn't push O'Neill much further that night, she and Elizabeth agreed to return in twenty four hours to hear the final decision and hopefully make arrangements for departure.
Jack and Sam sat up most of the night once their visitors left. First of all, they fielded questions from their curious children who thought Elizabeth and Oma – or Dorothy and Glinda as they had started to call them— seemed like the "bestest" new friends ever. They were highly indignant that "Dorothy and Glinda" had left before they'd had a chance to play.
Cassie hadn't asked many questions, just helped put the twins down for the night. Once they were all tucked in, she'd come back to be sure her honorary parents were okay. She couldn't miss Sam's paleness and the flush of anger that still colored Jack's face.
And then Jack and Sam were alone. Together. With some unbelievable decisions to make about the future.
"We need to do this, don't we, Sam?"
"I think so. What choice do we have?"
"What about you? I don't like the idea of leaving you."
"I'm a big girl, Sir," she said in a teasing tone, reminding him of the many feminist discussions they'd had early in their relationship.
"You mean you won't miss me?"
"Didn't say that," she said her eyes suddenly misty. "If I could, I'd keep you here with me all the time … and am I ever getting emotional. This is going to be a long pregnancy".
"You've got every right, Sam. Seriously, I'm worried about leaving you. The headaches…"
"I'm sure Janet and Daniel will keep a close eye on me once Cassie has to go back to school. I'll have plenty of babysitters, Jack. Don't worry. Still, I'd prefer you."
"I know," Jack said, tenderly wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.
"See, this is better than all the pain pills or nerve blocks anyone could prescribe."
Jack thought a minute, smiled wanly, wishing he could take away the pain. Since he couldn't, he did the next best thing. He changed the subject.
"We've never been to this place, this Haven. How can we bring the kids there?"
"You've already laid down some pretty strict ground rules for Oma, General O'Neill. While you're in command mode, how about taking a look see before you bring Jake and Grace. Kind of like a human MALP."
"As much as I resent being compared to that thing, I like the idea, at least as much as I like any of this. I think that's exactly what I'll do. I knew there was a reason I married you, Mrs. O'Neill," he said, with the winning grin that always made Sam smile.
OoOoOo
The next morning, after very little sleep, Jack and Sam briefed the leadership of the SGC as well as the higher echelons of Homeworld Security and the President about the planned reconnaissance mission to Haven. Couldn't tell them much as Oma wouldn't reveal the exact location, but even the bare bones of the situation were unsettling to the President and his closest advisors.
When Oma returned that night, Jack and Teal'c were there to meet her. They revealed their plan to check out Haven or as they told Elizabeth, "see how child proof the place really is". Though initially taken aback by their demand for a scouting mission, Oma realized this might be the only way to ease Jack O'Neill's worries and win his support.
Two nights later, Oma teleported Jack and Teal'c directly to Haven where surprises were in store.
OoOoOo
Llazoor sat peacefully, his large somewhat unwieldy form propped up against one of the few rocky outcroppings to grace the decidedly ungraceful world that was Haven. It had been a stressful day and now, as the sun began to set on Haven, he was more than ready to get some rest. It still amazed him how he could be exhausted by a day of meetings and negotiations. The others in the meeting seemed to have no such problem. Oma, for one, in his humble estimation, could talk for hours if necessary and never tire at all.
After the day long session, Llazoor had swum several laps in the mile wide lake that graced Haven's surface. He'd flown between the poles of the small moon and then run five miles, in order to work out the tension that had built in his large body from forced inactivity these past few weeks.
It wasn't only the inactivity that caused his tension. As the one Furling representative at this stage of the planning, he considered himself to be the lone voice of reason amidst the pacifist voices of the Nox, Ancient and to some extent, Asgard representatives. Llazoor believed that the only answer to aggression like that displayed by the Ori, was aggression. If that meant violent battle and the death of the enemy, so be it.
Now all that was left was to wait for the visitors Oma had told him to expect. Supposedly one of these visitors, the Tauri, held the final key to the success of the Alliance. For some reason, this creature had been reluctant to help when Oma first approached him. Llazoor intended to convince him that their cause was just.
He didn't have to wait long for his opportunity.
OoOoOo
As they materialized, the first thing the new arrivals saw was a forbidding humanoid male fully seven feet tall with a greenish skin tone.
Teal'c reacted immediately, pointing his weapon at the stranger, instantly prepared for battle. Before either of them realized the less than jolly green giant did not have a weapon of his own, T's staff and Jack's P90 had vanished.
"I cannot allow you to harm another being." It was a soft, familiar voice which sounded in their ears. It was unmistakable. Lya.
As the ethereal Nox female approached from the side of the clearing, Jack's mouth fell open. His astonishment only grew as he saw the smaller grey creature walking slightly behind her.
"Thor?"
"Yes, it is I, O'Neill."
"What are you doing here?"
"The Ancient Alliance is intact once more, We have come together to combat our greatest threat. The Ori."
"The Alliance? The Asgard, the Nox, the Ancient and the …. You're kidding… he's not?"
"If you refer to our friend Llazoor, yes he is a Furling. Llazoor is a tribal chief among his people. He has joined us to prepare the battle plan."
Llazoor strode purposefully over to the newcomers. "Welcome, friends. I am told you will be of great help to us. I am surprised. I expected two children as well."
"We're checking things out first, Labor. Want to find all the surprises, you know like you, before we bring the kids," Jack explained.
"You too treasure children, do you not, Tauri?"
"We do. I'm Jack O'Neill," he said offering his hand to the alien who towered over him by a head."
"And this one, a Jaffa, I believe. But I sense no symbiote." Llazoor stated as he cautiously considered Teal'c.
"Are you sure you're a Furling?" Jack asked, instantly regretting he'd said that out loud, as he was fixed with a withering stare. "Sorry, I just mean, you're bigger than I imagined."
Jack was saved further embarrassment by the opportune arrival of Oma.
"I believe it is time we met to discuss our plans and share the nature of our alliance in more detail with our new friends," Oma stated as she arrived on scene, now accompanied by Orlin.
To say Jack and Teal'c were surprised by their welcoming committee was an understatement. Without further delay they followed the representatives of the rebuilt Alliance into a small meeting area. What they discovered in the next few hours would have serious implications for the future of the world as they knew it.
Okay the last 'cliffie' statement is a little over the top, but hey, the big four are assembled here. Can we expect anything less than mind blowing information?
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