Chapter 29
A year and a half later Cadet Lindsay Carter and Cadet Nathan Carter stood side by side at parade rest as President Henry Hayes addressed those present during a visit to the Air Force Academy. Also on stage, the siblings could see their aunt and uncle, both in their Air Force dress uniforms.
After the speech was over, the President was whisked off by the Secret Service to the next stop on his tour of the military bases around Colorado Springs. Lindsay and Nate quickly sought out their family members, wanting to take the opportunity to speak with them.
Unfortunately they were stopped half-way there by an older cadet. "Cadet Carter," the older boy reprimanded, doing a double take when he realized both of the cadets had the last name Carter, "I believe that you were dismissed to return to class."
"Yes sir," they both answered, gazing longingly at their aunt who was in the midst of a conversation with General Kerrigan. They turned to leave when a familiar voice stopped them.
"Cadet Carter, I believe you were both ordered to report to me after the President's speech," Jack said accusingly, humor lighting his eyes.
"I'm sorry sir," the older Cadet was quick to apologize, "I didn't realize that they had different orders."
"Dismissed Cadet…Jennings," Jack ordered as he noted the boy's name, already scratching him from the lift of possible SGC recruits.
Lindsay and Nate came to attention and saluted the higher ranking officer, as military decorum dictated, and Jack half-heartedly returned the salute. "C'mon," he instructed, "Let's get you a pass from General Kerrigan and you can come spend the day at the SGC with me and Sam."
Two hours and one big family reunion later, the Carter siblings were once more listening to the President give a speech, only this time it was from the gateroom at the SGC. It was also the first time that either of the siblings had been permitted in the room.
"As many of you know," President Hayes began, "My time in office will eventually come to an end. With that in mind, there are many things that I want to accomplish before that day comes. First and foremost in my mind is the defense of our planet, which is what will cause many of the changes that the SGC will undergo in the next few months. General O'Neill has been pushing for a better training program for all SGC recruits for the last several years and today I am here to announce that that will be a reality in time for the next school year at the Academy. Cadets will be thoroughly screened and vetted during their first year at the Academy before being invited to be part of the special training program, headed by General O'Neill."
A murmur went through the crowded gateroom as many people looked at Jack, wondering how the man was going to handle heading the SGC and the Academy training program.
"I'm sure Jack has in depth plans for how he will do that, but we don't want to bore you with those now. As some of you can probably guess, General O'Neill's decision to head the Academy training program means that he will be stepping down as the head of the SGC," Hayes continued.
A collective gasp went up.
Jack quickly stepped to the President's side and raised a hand to quiet his troops. "Relax guys, I'm leaving you all in good hands," he reassured them. "I personally chose my successor and I won't be that far away if you ever really need my expertise," he claimed.
Hayes nodded his agreement at Jack's words and once more returned to the podium. "I'm sure Jack will find every opportunity he can to come back to the SGC. With his departure, it has been decided to continue with the current format of running the SGC. One person heads the scientific side while a second officer is in charge of the military aspects, but both officers must be capable of working together," Hayes explained.
Once more Jack stepped up to the podium. "That being said, please come to attention," he ordered and the entire room snapped to do so. "It is with great pride that I announce the promotion of Colonel Dave Dixon to Brigadier General."
A round of applause broke out and the President and Jack went about completing the tasks required to complete the man's promotion.
The President then resumed speaking, though he kept it short and allowed Dixon a few minutes so speak. Dixon wrapped up his speech and turned to Jack, "And now I believe General O'Neill has one more task to complete before he officially hands over the reigns of the SGC. Jack?"
Jack cleared his throat before speaking. "I could not have asked for a better group of officers to command. Each one of you is part of the reason that I get up and come to work every day, and will be part of the reason that I will miss being the commander of this base. My decision to step down comes as a result of wanting to spend more time with my children, and taking this position at the Academy will enable me to do that. Before I leave, I have one thing to do yet. When I took the position as head of the SGC, a friend told me that I could do whatever I wanted."
Chuckles broke out around the room as people ran through their minds the things that the General had probably wanted to accomplish.
Jack ignored his audience and continued, "While that could not have been farther from the truth, I have gotten the opportunity to do pretty much everything on my list of 'Things I want because I saved the World' save one. Which with your permission Mr. President, I would like to make my last order of business as the commander of the SGC."
Henry Hayes smiled and nodded, indicating that Jack should continue. "Come to attention," Jack ordered and waited a beat while everyone responded. "It is with great pride that I have the honor of announcing the promotion of Colonel Samantha Carter-O'Neill to the rank of Brigadier General. Congratulations Sam."
Sam gaped at her husband in shock as the gateroom's atmosphere quickly approached one of celebration, though the officers managed to contain their enthusiasm until after Sam had traded salutes with her husband and the President. She then turned and saluted the officers in the gateroom, giving them her unofficial permission to commence the celebration.
Lindsay and Nate tried to contain their enthusiasm but found themselves pulled along with Daniel, Cam, Teal'c, and Vala as they went to congratulate Sam on her newest achievement.
President Hayes stopped the two of them on their way up the ramp though. "I trust that the two of you will continue the family tradition of being involved in the SGC," he stated.
"Yes sir," Lindsay and Nate quickly assured him.
"Good. I'll make sure that Jack puts your names on the roster of Academy trainees," Hayes claimed before clapping Nate on the shoulder and continuing on his journey out of the room.
Lindsay and Nate looked at each other with shocked expressions and then grinned as they continued on their journey to congratulate their Aunt.
The Nate and Lindsay Carter's graduation from the Air Force Academy would go down in history as the most secure graduation in the history of the Air Force Academy. Not only was it attended by more brass than a normal graduation, which called for additional security, but the presence of former President Henry Hayes brought out a small contingent of secret service agents. And when newly elected President Jordan Jones stopped by unannounced, many of the graduating cadets became nervous.
For Lindsay and Nate, it was just another day. Since graduation from high school they had twice been to the White House with their family, once with President Hayes and once with President Jones. The two had also eaten dinner with the former President three times at their house. Henry Hayes had taken quite a liking to the Carter-O'Neill family and was currently building a house a short distance away from the O'Neill homestead. While Lindsay and Nate were too old to know him as anything more than a former President, Ryan, Jake, and Grace had their 'Uncle Henry' securely wrapped around their fingers.
Regardless of who was there to see it, Lindsay and Nate became second lieutenants that day, receiving one each of the late Major General Jacob Carter's pins, which had also been Sam's insignia upon graduation. The other pin for each of them came from Jack, after the couple secured a promise that the pins would one day be passed along to any of the O'Neill children who decided to pursue a position in the Air Force.
Two days later Nate and Lindsay became the third generation of Carters to work at the SGC. They were welcomed with open arms, having proven themselves to be capable officers throughout their training at the Academy.
In less than a month, Sam watched them walk through the gate together for their first long term off world assignment at the Beta site. Nate would receive training on the newest aircraft while Lindsay would have the opportunity to do some research with Captain Hailey.
Life went on during the almost one year absence of the two Carter children.
Daniel and Vala added a third child to their family, Leah Janet joined older brothers T.J. and James Michael, and once more Daniel swore that she would be the last of his children. No one believed him of course, because he had the same thing after each of his other children had been born.
Cassie and Myles had given up trying to have any more children after trying for almost four years to give Annie a sibling. They ended up adopting three children ages four, six, and nine who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a freak flooding accident on one of the planets that the SGC mined for naquadah. Two months later Cassie announced that she was pregnant-with twins.
Cam and Carolyn had settled for just one child after Carolyn struggled throughout her pregnancy. The little boy was a spitting image of Cam and was going to be the death of his mother with all the trouble he got into. Of course, Grandpa Hank was more than happy to spoil his only grand child, Derek Hank.
Hank Landry never remarried his ex-wife, but not due to lack of trying. She died in an unfortunate auto accident before she ever got to see her grandson, two days after they set a wedding date.
Teal'c was now a grandfather twice over, but he rarely had the opportunity to see the two boys, instead choosing to dolt on the many children of his friends, especially a little girl named Grace.
Nate and Lindsay's return was celebrated by all as they both accepted Earth-side positions. They had missed the long time periods between visits with their family members, which had prompted their request for reassignment.
As days and even years came and went, Jack and Sam were force to watch their children grow up, though they did get the opportunity to be much more involved in their children's lives then they had been during the war with the Ori.
Ryan was his father's son when it came to getting into trouble and Jake was his mother's son when it came to getting the two of them out of it. When Grace skipped two grades to be in the same fourth grade class as Ryan and Jake, things just got worse. Grace became the ultimate distraction maker for the two boys, and the teachers would have split the three of them up except they were afraid to see what kind of destruction the children could produce individually. At least together the destruction could be contained. Besides, the private school they attended only had one class for advanced students.
Sam had long since gotten her second star, giving her the same rank as her husband and deceased father. Overseeing the science side of all things Stargate related took up much of her time, though the hours were much better than they had been as a member of SG-1. She made it home in time for supper more nights than not, and even had time to lecture as part of Jack's training program that had been expanded to include any new person assigned to the SGC or Atlantis.
And Jack was happier than he had ever been. His new position gave him flexible hours. He dropped the kids off for school every morning and picked them all up most afternoons. Sometimes he felt like he was driving a school bus with the number of kids, especially having not only Grace, Jake, and Ryan, but Cassie and Myles' four along with T.J. The O'Neill household was the favorite gathering spot for any neighborhood child with nothing to do on a weekday afternoon.
Jack loved all of it.
He became the referee of soccer games, the umpire for baseball games, and the extra player in the street hockey games. None of this came without a price though as Jack had suffered his share of bumps and bruises for his actions along with a couple of broken bones, but he wouldn't trade a single one of them for the time he got to spend with his children.
The biggest worry the SGC currently faced was when it would go public, not if. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before someone would spill the beans that they weren't alone in the universe.
The day the Stargate program went public was met with a much more relaxed response than anyone had suspected. Sam and Jack credited the way in which it was done that made things go so smoothly.
First, every person currently involved with the program was permitted to tell their family a week before the announcement. Then, the day before the announcement information was purposely leaked to key members of the press. The press members that were chosen had all agreed to only show the program in a positive light, detailing the involvement of its' members in protecting and defending Earth. The best part was that no names were ever mentioned as to who was part of this elite program, or where it was located. Instead the press was forced to create a picture of an American hero that no one could ever live up to, but seemed to satisfy the public. The fact that there was a television show all about the adventures that the members of this program got into seemed to help too and Wormhole X-treme became the top rated show on television.
For the most part, Jack and Sam could have cared less, just wanting life to go on as normal. And with the exception of a few extremists who claimed they had been right all along, nothing actually changed for middle class America.
Which was exactly what most of the SGC wanted. It took almost a year for someone to leak the names and location of the Stargate, but by that time, most people were more concerned about what was going to happen on the television show to really care.
The years went by faster than Jack or Sam wanted them to because it meant their children were growing up. Ryan, Jake, and Grace all ended up skipping their last year of middle school to begin high school a year early, just as Lindsay had done. With Ryan and Jake this wasn't a big deal because they were only a year younger than a regular high school student.
But Grace now found herself in a school where she was seven or eight years younger than some of her classmates. The advanced classes the three had been in during their middle school years had put them into a class that was equivalent to a normal high school junior or senior.
The O'Neill boys had little trouble with their classmates. Their good looks and athletic talents made them both quite popular with the students.
Grace was the one who struggled with fitting in and because she had inherited her mother's good looks she was hit on by the older boys, despite her age, but it was only once.
After the first boy that tried to hit on her ended up with a broken nose and a bruised kneecap, courtesy of a move that Teal'c had taught her, the other boys started to respect her- or at least steer clear of her- though Grace always suspected that her brothers might have had something to do with the sudden change in the attitudes of many of the high school boys.
Despite everything that she did, Grace never quite managed to feel like she belonged during her high school years and graduation was by far the best day of her high school career. Her entrance into the Academy had been guaranteed practically from birth, considering who her parents were. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't know about the SGC and the work that her parents did there, or in her dad's case, did to prepare people to work there.
Right now though, she stood at attention, sandwiched between her brothers and waited on her father to address the newest group of Academy students that had been tapped for his special SGC training program. With the program going public, Jack had been able to personally work with and give every first yet cadet a chance to get into the very, very competitive SGC training program.
The thing that astonished most of the trainees was the realization that the Major General was in his seventies, even though he didn't look a day over fifty. In fact, all the members of SG-1 had barely seemed to age at all during the past twenty years, at least if you just looked at the pictures.
They each had added a few more wrinkles and laugh lines, along with some thinning or graying hair, but for the most part, each of them had they physical fitness and health that they had enjoyed the day the Asgard died. Sam had a theory about the reason for it, but even then it was only a theory.
The biggest challenge the Academy had with three O'Neill children, other than the constant explosions in the physics lab, was finding something to challenge the kids. They had grown up exposed to some of the best minds in the scientific, historical, and military world. They could probably teach their instructors some things, which they did do from time to time, but for the most part General Kerrigan was happy to release them into their father's SGC training program full time after the first year. Jack suspected that the day one of his children wrote a program to change the background on every computer to a different Simpsons picture was the final straw. He never did find out which of the kids did it, but the program remained a permanent part of his computer, somehow it always managed to transfer to any new computer he got.
Teaching his children was a daunting task as Jack was challenged to constantly to come up with new ways to challenge them. He ended up throwing them into the higher level classes just a few weeks into the program because they constantly disturbed the learning process in the introductory courses. The trouble was they already knew everything that many of their classmates were just now finding out existed.
So after one year of dealing with never ending complaints from his instructors and his children that they were disruptive or bored in class, Jack decided it was time for him to go back into the field. T.J. had joined the three O'Neill children for their second year at the Academy, and General Kerrigan had quickly placed the boy in Jack's program full time, not wanting a repeat of the first year of the O'Neill children's experience at the Academy.
So the O'Neill children, T.J. Jackson, and ten of the brightest cadets in the SGC program spent a year personally escorting any higher ranking officer who had been recruited to the SGC on their first trip through the gate. It challenged the cadets because they got to be the teachers for the new recruits and was great for the program overall as the 'new' recruits got the training they needed from some of the best and brightest.
When year four arrived Jack was out of ideas though, so he went to his wife looking for suggestions.
"What about sending them to Atlantis for a year?" Sam suggested.
"Without either of us around to watch out for them?" Jack asked in disbelief, "There's no way...they'll get into too much trouble."
Sam chuckled. "Probably," she agreed with him, "But you're going to have to let them go some time Jack. You can't keep them here forever."
"I know," Jack said and went to draw up the orders. One week later T.J. Jackson and Ryan, Grace, and Jake O'Neill stepped through the gate to Atlantis. It only took two months for Sam and Jack to find an official reason to visit the other galaxy. The fact that the rest of SG-1 tagged along gave the visit a little bit more of an official feel, even if their time spent there ended up being more like a family reunion than anything else.
The kids managed to accumulate nothing more than a few stitches and one broke bone during their school year stay in the other galaxy, and Sam and Jack were happy to have them home once more.
