Chapter 21

2034

The monthly budget report must be one of his least favourite jobs. It wasn't that he hated numbers, but watching the funds reserved for the program shrink every thirty days or so was unnerving to say the least.

It didn't happen all at once, or in big chunks, but the message he'd received the previous week about not getting to hire any more civilian personnel had been just as clear as the budget cuts for the science department.

Evan rubbed his eyes, twirling the pencil between his fingers just to get some relief from the tension. Not long now and they might ask Alex and Jackson to retire from teaching at the Academy and keep just that one newer teacher of Ancient. Downsizing was key apparently. And he hated seeing what was happening here. Had they put him in charge of the SGC because of his supposedly spotless record? Because they thought he'd sit back and let it happen like the good soldier he was? Probably… and he dreaded the decision he might have to make in the near future if he wanted to be able to look at himself in the mirror.

"Jack looked like that more often than not when he sat in there."

He'd known she'd be coming and when he looked up, he shook his head even though he'd known she'd be here. "Come in, Sam," he said, getting up. No protocol required him to do so. There were few people in the world he respected as much as Colonel Carter. And, by all means, she should have been the one sitting in this seat. But this, his posting here, was just another game of politics and they both knew it.

With her hair completely grey she'd gained even more authority, even though her face had become rounder and softer with age. She was still as athletic as ever though. Really, Evan was sure that this woman would never lose that air of authority and control.

"Thanks," she said, ditching formalities at the same time he did. They'd been colleagues for over thirty years now, but it wasn't just that. She sat down opposite him and eyed the opposite side of the hologram displaying the budget. "How bad is it?"

Evan let out a huff. "I gotta say, I wish Jack was still in Washington." O'Neill had made miracles happen back in the day, but he'd retired years and years ago. Shortly after the peace treaty had taken effect, he had bid farewell to the Air Force.

With a chuckle, Carter crossed her legs. "He's quite happy to be out of this hassle, believe me."

Evan nodded. The man was over eighty. "Sure. How's he doing?"

"Okay. The knee is acting up again, but apart from that, he's keeping busy." They'd moved to O'Neill's cabin in Minnesota and whenever Carter wasn't in Washington or onboard the Hammond, that was exactly where she was.

"Fishing?"

"Mostly. I have to restock that pond of his every few months."

Evan managed a smile. It was one of the many things O'Neill liked to talk about.

"How's Caleb fitting in here?"

Evan let out a long huff, switched off the hologram and placed the keyboard on the side of the desk. "He was on a trial run on SG-11, went along to trading negotiations on Larsa and Hernandez wanted him, so…"

"So, he's fully joined up?" Carter smiled at him, as though she knew he must be proud. And it wasn't as though pride wasn't one of the feelings Evan associated with the current situation, but this situation was far too complex for him to be just a proud dad, wasn't it?

A month ago Caleb had become a full member of SG-11, badge and all, and right now he was on a mission with his team. They had gone to P3X-403, the planet where a tribe of Unas was still mining naquadah for Earth in exchange for supplies and some of the Lucian currency the Tau'ri obtained through various trade deals with other worlds. The Unas had come across a couple of cave paintings, in one of the newer mines they had opened up, and Caleb and his team had ventured there to study them. It was Caleb's first real assignment where he got to do the job he'd trained for most of his life, just on a different planet. With any luck he and Josh would venture to Italy again with a team from the SGC to focus on the excavation they'd started the previous year.

With a shrug, Evan leaned back. "He's still adjusting. And Grace doesn't talk to me here when it's not necessary. Could be worse."

"I can't imagine anything worse than my dad being my CO," Carter smiled and Evan didn't find it too hard to return that smile. "But in the end working with him was a good thing. For the both of us."

"Yeah, I'm not even close to joining the Tok'ra," Evan said and scratched his neck. Carter wasn't here for smalltalk. "Talking of which…"

Unceremoniously Carter reached into her pocket and got out one of the small clear storage crystals. "They really didn't want to send this through the Gate in case it was intercepted."

The crystal felt cool against his skin and for a moment Evan hesitated as he weighed it in his palm. He looked up when Carter got out of her chair to close both doors. "Should I be worried?"

"Well," Carter said, "depends. The Tok'ra scanned a planet that's part of the neutral zone. They couldn't pick up any energy signals coming from the Furling satellites orbiting the planet."

"Could be nothing." The words were out, but there was that sensation deep in his gut that he couldn't ignore. And the way Carter was looking at him, he got the sense that she had a very similar gut feeling.

"Could be nothing," she agreed. "All the readings are on that crystal. Have one of your scientists run the data again if you want. It's three of them, each spaced three months apart. None of the four satellites was emanating energy signals."

"I trust your judgement," he said, clasping the crystal in his hand. This could be it. The first hint at something more to come. The first hint that this war might start up again. And they had never been worse prepared for something like this. He cleared his throat, pushing away the thought of his children and how they would both be involved if the war did in fact resume. And if that wasn't terrifying, what was? "Thanks for this."

"Sure. Are we still on for dinner?"

Evan blinked, non-plussed at the sudden change of topic. When had that been arranged? But before he could say anything, he saw her finger tapping rapidly on the armrest of her chair. "Sure," he said, carefully and she got up.

"I'll see you at seven. I'll bring the wine."

"Apollo will be here in a few minutes," Carter said, her face contorted with pain.

"Yeah, we gotta go!" Mitchell urged behind him.

Evan nodded. Carter would be okay. And yet he still hesitated. They had come this far und up to this point had remained undetected, having disabled the shields of the entire fleet with the clever virus McKay had come up with. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out another magazine for Carter's 9mm. "Just in case," he said and placed the magazine in her open hand. She'd fired her own a couple of times and he doubted she'd be quick enough to point her P-90 at a moving target just now. The blast had hit her straight in the chest and the smell of burnt flesh was still burning in his nostrils.

She nodded appreciatively. "Go. I'll be okay."

God, he hoped she wasn't wrong.

Nodding again, he got to his feet. The bridge wasn't far, but in all likelihood the Furling soldiers there had been alerted to the presence of intruders on this ship. A shootout rarely remained undetected. But this was the only way. The only way to distract them from finding out about the virus.

They would have to stage an assassination attempt.

Mitchell grinned slightly and they moved forward, along the long, dark corridor, towards the bridge up ahead. Leaving Carter behind.

"Sam, I'm really sorry, this position here should have been yours."

"You know," she said with the trace of a smile, "I tell people I never wanted the job. It's not even a complete lie. I don't think I've ever envied anyone less than you or Cameron these past few years."

They were sitting in the living room, the bottle of wine Carter had brought was sitting on the coffee table in front of them. "Why? You were in charge of the SGC before? I'm not even gonna mention your year in Atlantis."

Carter shrugged and raised her head when Alex joined them. She was carrying a bowl of early Californian strawberries and placed them in the centre of the table. "D'you want me to leave?" she asked, but Carter shook her head.

"No, I guess you should know, too."

"Right," Alex huffed and took a seat in the comfortable chair next to Evan. She picked up her own glass and took a sip. Dinner had been pleasant enough, but the sudden tension brought forward by Carter's ominous warning. "Know what exactly?"

The corridors looked an awful lot like the ones the Ancients had built millennia ago inside their Aurora class warships. The walls had the same smooth and gleaming surface, the style of the lamps was far too similar to be accidental and the overall sounds surrounding them were more than familiar.

But this ship was newer.

The corridors were darker.

The ones who had built this ship were hell-bent on dominating the major part of the galaxy.

And if the Nox hadn't introduced them to these people living in a neighbouring galaxy, the Furlings would never have ventured here, conquering and slaughtering as they went.

There were footsteps up ahead. Simultaneously Evan and Mitchell slipped into a nook in the wall, their guns pressed to their chests. It would still take the Apollo some time to get here.

Evan caught Mitchell's gaze and the determined nod, made him grip his weapon tighter. They were done hiding. For good. And they'd taken out about eight guards already. Now it was time to raise some hell, to distract the enemy long enough until reinforcements could get here.

In all his life he wouldn't have thought that he'd be in a situation like this more than once. But there it was. Only this time his failure wouldn't be immediately followed by the conquest of Earth. By the death of his wife and children. They were still thousands of lightyears away from Earth. Others might be able to pull this off at some point. The Jaffa were still out there. The Tau'ri had joined up with them and the Tok'ra once more to fight this new threat.

Yes, Pegasus was lost. So were dozens of other worlds.

But that didn't mean they'd have to lose the entire galaxy.

And they sure as hell weren't going to lose Earth.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

Mitchell's mouth twitched into a half smile and Evan said a quick goodbye to Alex, Caleb and Grace. They were home. They'd be safe. And Evan couldn't waste another second thinking about them.

Their images locked in the far corner of his mind, Evan let years of preparation and experience take over as he and Mitchell opened fire on the enemy.

His reflexes saved him. His training pushed him forward, making every bullet count as he and Mitchell mowed down the enemies who fell to the ground without too much fuss. They were dead before they hit the floor.

The adrenaline kept his heart beating fast and steady at the same time as he and Mitchell ran forward, leaving the corridor with Carter even further behind.

Three more guards came running towards them, but they were too slow. The tall humanoids with their gleaming skin fell like trees, pale blood spattering the floor.

Mitchell was on the bridge first, and the first to fall. The stunning blast hit him squarely in the chest and ten more Furlings were upon Evan the second he passed the threshold. Well, so much for that.

He stared down at the other man, a dull humming noise in his ears as the tension subsided. They had abandoned stealth. On purpose. Hoping their ship would be here on time. Well, so much for that.

The fingers twitched. The first thing to move after the stunner had hit him and Evan looked up again. The Furling walking towards him now was slightly smaller than the others, his chest bare, his skin a deep scarlet.

Their Emperor.

Evan let out a long breath. He hadn't struggled against the hands holding him, but he felt them growing tighter.

"How did you get onboard?" The Emperor hissed through his sharp needle-point teeth as his slit-like eyes roamed over Evan.

"Secrets of the trade," Evan said, his voice forcibly calm as sweat trickled down his neck. He wasn't sassy as Mitchell. Not as clever when it came to comebacks as Jackson, but he'd be damned if he told this guy about the virus. If they hadn't found out already. His stomach was in a tight knot, as the heavy-set guard pushed him forward and the other took away his weapons.

The Emperor looked Evan up and down, his unreadable eyes resting on his. "Kill him."

Two words. The last things he'd hear.

He barely had time to register them. To think of Alex, Grace and Caleb one last time. The grip on his arms slackened for the fraction of a second, but it was enough. With one single powerful push, he managed to throw the hands off him and he lurched forward, his hand closing on the hilt of the ceremonial dagger hanging from the Emperor's waist, who realized his mistake a split second too late. But before he could speak. Before anyone could react, Evan had pulled the dagger from its sheath and rammed it into the Emperor's chest, praying he'd hit at least one of the hearts.

His face was so close to the Furling's, he felt the icy damp breath on his face and the red skin stood out clearly against a backdrop of the bluish black of space. Time seemed to stop. Everything narrowed down to this moment. And then he was ripped off the Furling, who toppled over, lying face-down on the cold blue floor of the ships bridge. Evan blinked, the knife still in his hand, and then it all vanished, his surroundings blurring into light and then back to colour.

Dark grey.

Fluorescent lights

Evan blinked, letting out a huff and trying to ignore the cold, sticky blood on his hand and dropping on the pristine floor of the Apollo's bridge.

And there were Carter and Mitchell, both of them sprawled out on the floor, both of them unconscious as a team of doctors rushed towards them. Evan whirled around to see Ellis sitting in the command chair, flanked by Meyers and Marks. "You okay?"

Evan nodded absentmindedly. "Mitchell was stunned, Carter was hit. The Emperor is dead… I think."

For a moment there Ellis' eyes widened. Then he turned to Marks. "Open fire. Send that nuke."

"Cam was trying to send another expedition to Pegasus," Carter said, the words hanging in the air for a moment or two, before she continued. "Since we hadn't heard from the Furlings in a while, he thought it was a good idea. Worth the risk to check up on the outskirts of the galaxy."

"He didn't say." Evan exchanged a glance with Alex, who was sitting bolt upright, clutching her wine glass tightly.

"He only told me a week or so before he died." Carter cleared her throat. "He asked me for help. To ask the Tok'ra to spy a bit on Furling space. Well… I did, but before the Tok'ra even responded…"

The implications of what Carter was saying were unthinkable. Unbelievable. And if it hadn't been Carter who was sitting in front of them now, speaking those words, Evan would have laughed.

"Are you sure?" Alex leaned forward, finally put her glass down and folded her hands. "I mean… are you seriously saying what I think you're saying?"

"Listen, I don't know what to think. All I know is that the IOA doesn't want to even risk another war with the Furlings. The mere threat of another major conflict in this galaxy has them rattled."

The thing was, Evan wasn't entirely sure he disagreed with that. These past twenty years of relative peace had been like a blessing. They could explore half of this galaxy in peace. They could trade and expand their operations if they wanted to.

But what expansion was there? Hadn't he poured over the budget reports this very morning and felt the threat of collapse in the far future? Because that was exactly it. If they downsized just a bit more, they wouldn't be able to maintain their presence out there. And the budget cuts had started about two years ago.

"Evan?"

Had she been talking? He looked up, brushed his hand over his neck and nodded at Alex. "We shouldn't draw attention to this until we haven't figured out what's going on."

"You could be in danger."

He nodded again. "I agree." He bit his lip and looked up at Carter again, determined to ignore her staring at him. "Thanks for the warning." The problem was, he couldn't let this stop him. He'd be careful, yes. "Listen, why don't we take a detour with the Hammond? We're supposed to check up on things in the Othala galaxy, right?" It was a check-up on what used to be the Asgard homeworld and it had mostly turned into a memorial service they carried out every five years to commemorate the Asgard and their alliance. He was supposed to be part of that trip and, given the new information, he was inclined to ask Alex to come as well. One small trip couldn't hurt, could it? "Pegasus is… more or less on the way? Especially with a small engine failure to justify a detour?"

Relief flooded Carter's face. She nodded. "I'd hoped you'd say that."

A/N: Alright everybody, start packing your bags! We're going back home! At least for a short trip. Do you have any theories on what might happen next? I'd love to know your thoughts!