Part: 36/40
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DAY 38 – Changing Times
Chapter 36 - The Way Forward
The break away from the Conference Room had been just what Sam had needed: time away from the bureaucracy and the seemingly endless minutiae of the details of the trading contract negotiations. She had spent most her life either in a lab or in uniform, often both at the same time, but negotiating trade contracts had never been part of her training. She'd seen Daniel and various superiors negotiate fantastic deals in the past, but it just wasn't her strong suit. Still, if they got the trading deal with the Elite done, it would effectively fulfil the Atlantis Expedition's original mission objective: to find alien technology and allies to help protect Earth, and now Atlantis.
However, to fulfil that objective now required far more of the City and Earth resources than Earth Defence back home had ever intended. The Elite wanted Atlantis to establish and maintain their own territory in this sector of the galaxy, thereby limiting the Wraith to the space between here and the Alliance territory. The Elite then planned for the Alliance and Atlantis to gradually push out their borders and squeeze the Wraith in between. It was a good plan and potentially could really work, especially with the addition of Elite assistance to develop the Retrovirus. The weapons and sensor platforms tech also offered by the Elite were game-changers unto themselves, but combined with the opportunity to jointly research and develop the Retrovirus and energy shield generation, everything could change. And all the new tech would be shared back home.
It was just that the plan would involve a vast increase in Earth's commitment to this galaxy and would essentially establish a colony here in Pegasus. The ships needed to hold and defend the new territory would need to be built here, along with manufacturing of the new sensor platforms and energy weapons, all of which would require new personnel brought in from back home and masses of physical resources to build it all. Colonel Sumner was currently on the mainland today scouting out locations for the new manufacturing sites and science teams were testing for any useful metal and mineral deposits there they could utilise for the building work. If they could find most of the metal and component resources here in Pegasus, even if they needed to trade for some of it from Alliance allies, it would greatly reduce the cost for Earth, and the IOA were being particularly focused on money in all of this.
So, after hours of debating with the IOA team this morning she had needed to get out of the Conference Room for a little bit, after all she still had her usual duties in running a military and science base in another galaxy. Fortunately at least, life in Atlantis had been relatively calm and quiet of late. With John's promotion to Colonel, he had been taking more duties in the Control Room, which had freed up some of her and Colonel Sumner's time, but she was still feeling the toll of the long working days and nights.
And Jack had said she'd started getting restless in her sleep, even to the point where she'd apparently kicked him several times last night. She had apologised profusely, blaming it on her twenty two hour working day yesterday and the six dial outs to the Elite that had taken up the entire day. It was at least clear that the Elite wanted this contract done and dusted as soon as possible too, so the accelerated workload was potentially very helpful, but that didn't help Jack's shins. Not that he'd appeared to be all that upset about it, having simply laughed it off, though he had kept calling her 'Colonel Kicks a Lot' at any opportunity he could when no one would overhear.
She smiled down at her excessively strong coffee she'd made herself in the Mess Hall. She was immensely grateful that Jack had been assigned to the IOA negotiations, not just because he was a welcome experienced military voice in the discussions, but because it had allowed them to spend so much time together. He was practically living in her quarters with her, his things around the room, his uniforms hanging in her closet and the scent of his shaving cream in her bathroom. He always had a way of making her feel better about life and duty, even when in the past those two hadn't always combined well. She felt very lucky to have him in her life in every way she had always wanted now, but, at the same time, she could feel the approaching heavy heart of when he was going to have to go back to Earth.
And she was going to be left alone in her quarters again, her bed cold and her closet half empty once more.
It was hardly a new state for them, being apart, but this time spent so much in each other's space, it reminded her how much she had missed him and how much she loved him. That love had often conflicted directly with her career, but he understood how important her work was for her. She was aware of how lucky and amazing her assignment was here in Atlantis, and she loved being on the forefront of the expedition, it was just that some days she missed home with a desperate ache in her chest. What she wouldn't give to see Daniel and Teal'c again, to visit Cassie...
And she still missed Dad. Even after all these years.
Maybe it was just time for a vacation back home, as Jack kept suggesting late at night when she snuggled up against him. He painted the picture so easily for her, of a trip back to the cabin, everyone there for some fishing, meat on the barbeque and the game playing on the TV balanced on the sill of the side window so they could watch it outside.
Maybe a waterside wedding...
He had started joking about a wedding a few weeks ago after they'd been taking about John's Political Marriage, and she'd smiled at Jack's imagined fantasy ceremony by the cabin. He'd included Homer Simpson as a guest, so she hadn't taken him all that seriously, but he'd joked about it a few times since, like he was testing the waters.
If the day came that he did ask her, she knew the answer would be simple, but the implications far more complicated. They lived in separate galaxies. That was a long distance marriage that would put all others to shame. And if one of them surrendered one galaxy for the other, that was giving up a lot. Both of them had duties and she knew how much Jack's experience was valued back home in Earth Defence. Still, this living with him all the time, made her want a life she'd not-
The radio burst to life in her ear, snapping her out of her day-dream filled wandering through the City corridor.
"Colonel Carter to the Control Room, please," Chuck's voice announced loudly.
She reached up with her free hand and taped the radio awake. "Colonel Carter here, I'm on my way. What's happening, Chuck?" She asked as she headed quickly towards the closest transporter.
"The Elite have just dialled in Colonel," Chuck replied.
"I'll be right there," she replied before she tapped off the radio. Another call about the contract no doubt.
As she stepped into the transporter, she took a moment to gulp down some coffee before she tapped the right part of the Ancient control panel. The familiar wash of sensation passed through her, which involved physics that still worried her a little even though the technology was entirely stable, and she strode quickly down the corridor towards the Gate Room. She could see that the Gate was still active, the reflective light dancing around the large room as she entered and headed up the central staircase.
As she reached the top of steps, she could see John stood in front of the large screen in the Control Room and, behind him, both Rodney and Radek focused intently down on their laptops. No, this didn't look like it was about the contract. She headed straight towards John and he looked round, revealing Elite Halling on the screen in front of him.
"The Elite have gotten into the Salvager computer," John reported with a smile.
"Good day to you, Colonel Carter," Elite Halling stated out of the screen. He was in a different place than when he, or Elites Emmagan or Aedii dialled in about the contract, normally dialled in. She could see a large and busy room stretching out behind Halling, which definitely had the feel of an incident or command centre of some kind.
"Good day, Honoured Elite," Sam replied.
A shoulder beside Halling shifted and Elite Emmagan leaned into view. "Good day, Colonel Carter."
"Honoured Elite," Sam smiled back. "You have some good news for us?"
"We do," Elite Halling replied with the most positive smile she'd ever seen him use. "With the help of a family member of one of the victims on the Salvager ship, we have finally been able to access the computer and have discovered their flight plan and identified the time they were in hyperspace."
"They're sending the details through to McKay now," John added, leaning a fraction closer.
Sam glanced round to where Rodney was sat hunched over his computer.
"We're receiving transmission," Rodney replied, his eyes fixed on his laptop screen, Radek leaning over his shoulder.
"We are sending you the original data," Halling added and Sam looked back round to him, "so that you will run your own calculations and hopefully come to the same conclusion as we have on where the Salvager ship was attacked by the Skerti."
"A good idea," Sam agreed, "we can also run it through the Ancient – Ancestor – computer."
"And hopefully your Ancestral deep space sensors can provide us with additional reconnaissance on the area in question," Elite Halling added.
"Transmission received," Rodney reported. "I'm running it all through our translation programme now."
"How long should the calculations take?" Halling asked, clearly eager.
"It shouldn't take too long," Sam replied, her head already turning through the stages she knew Rodney needed to run to tidy up the Alliance data into something their computer systems would interpret and then, via the interface they'd established, the Ancient computer.
"We are happy to wait," Halling replied. Definitely eager.
She glanced at John beside her, seeing him doing the same. "Of course, Honoured Elite," she replied. "Were you able to find anything else useful from the Salvager computer?"
"Unfortunately, they do not use camera footage anywhere in the ship other than on their Central Command and main engineering room, neither of which were locations that the Skerti attacked."
"Convenient," John muttered.
Halling nodded. "The footage from both sections of the ship show crew running in panic, but no Skerti entered either of those sections at any time."
"Weird. Anything on the sensors to explain why the ship jumped to hyperspace in the first place?" John asked as he crossed his arms.
"The Ship Commander reported, and the scan data confirms, that multiple Salvager ships were approaching and none of them responded to any link calls. The Ship Commander, having one ship already aboard full of 'monsters' that were killing his crew, decided to jump the ship away via hyperspace to avoid further infiltration of his ship."
Sam nodded. It made sense.
"We also have genetic testing results back from the victims," Halling continued. "We have found evidence of nine Skerti, all of them male, that attacked the ship's crew. Some bodies show evidence of multiple feedings by different Skerti."
Sam worked not to screw her face up in disgust at that piece of information.
"Eww," John muttered next to her.
On the screen, Elite Emmagan leaned back into full view, her eyes finding John through the screen and Sam saw her give John an understanding look.
"I'm running the Salvager data through now," Rodney reported loudly from behind Sam's shoulder.
"If you can give me a moment, Honoured Elite?" Sam asked as she turned to head towards Rodney.
"Of course, Colonel," Halling replied.
Sam moved around behind Chuck, her eyes latching onto both of Rodney's laptop screens. Radek was leaning in and pointing at a star chart.
"I know," Rodney pretended to bat Radek's hand away.
"What have we got?" She asked as she squeezed in beside Radek and looked over Rodney's free shoulder.
"This is where the Salvager ship's sensors last recorded its position before the ship lost all power," Rodney pointed to the screen. "This is where it dropped out of hyperspace." The dotted line tracked back a fraction. "And this," Rodney tapped a button, "is where they started their hyperspace jump."
Sam leaned in to study the information displayed on the screen. "Relatively speaking, not that far away then," she muttered.
"They were only in hyperspace for barely half an hour," Rodney noted.
"Good," Sam nodded as she ran her eyes over the calculations displayed alongside the chart. "What have we got on deep space sensors?"
"I am focusing them there now," Radek reported as he headed up to the Ancient computer console behind them.
"We already covered this area with the deep space sensors when the Elite last asked. There's no local Gates," Rodney reported. "No planets at all according to the Ancient database."
"Good place to hide," Sam repeated the ongoing theory she shared with the Elite.
"Not if you need to eat Humans," Rodney disagreed. "It's not like there's a local blood Starbucks round there."
"I have the region on sensors," Radek reported.
Sam turned on the spot, looking up and over the Ancient console to where Radek was stood behind it and the Ancient glowing screen shifted to life.
"It is a considerable distance away, even for the Ancient sensors," Radek explained as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "There isn't good resolution, but, as Rodney says, there is nothing significant there."
Sam nodded at what she was seeing. "No local active solar systems, no planets, no black holes."
"These grainy points are, I believe, a large asteroid field," Radek pointed to the image.
Sam nodded her agreement and glanced back towards the screen where the Elite were waiting. Elite Halling was partially out of view having a conversation with someone off screen, while Elite Emmagan was now stood more centrally and was talking with John. Sam couldn't see John's face from this angle, but he was stood closer to the screen than normal and Emmagan was smiling and nodding at whatever he was saying.
Jack had told her not to worry about it, that the two were married now so that the fraternisation rules probably didn't apply to the couple. The problem for Sam was that she was John's direct superior, so it was her responsibility to ensure he was following the rules. And if she raised the issue directly, then she'd be officially admitting she suspected what was going on, whereas now, as Jack had pointed out, she didn't know anything for certain. Of course she suspected the IOA wouldn't care, since it was pretty clear that John's connection with Elite Emmagan had been the guiding force that had resulted in the exceptionally valuable trading contract with Athos and, hopefully, soon the Elite. Plus John had been vital in the recent trade discussions, his casual humour and patience having translated brilliantly into the talks. Whether he was so at ease in the discussions because Elite Emmagan was one of the Elite on the other side of the table, or because he had so much experience working with the Elite now, he had still been invaluable.
But...the questions lingered for her. Not because she had any doubt about John's loyalty, but because she knew Earth Defence and the Air Force would have serious security questions if it turned out that something had been going on between the couple. Sam trusted John and was certain he hadn't shared any confidential information with Emmagan, but, at the same time, she had to wonder that, if a situation occurred where John had to decide between saving Elite Emmagan or following a direct order, she wasn't entirely certain she knew which side he'd fall anymore. And that was a potential problem in the making.
It was just that she didn't know what to do about it yet.
"Mmmm," Rodney's surprised questioning tone instantly caught Sam's attention and she quickly looked round.
"What is it, McKay?"
"I've just run a comparative scan of that area of space with scans in the Ancient archives," he started, but Sam could already see what had made him pause.
She set a hand on the back of Rodney's chair and leaned in closer. "Have you compensated for time?"
"Yes, obviously."
She frowned at the images.
"What is it?" Radek asked, pushing in on the other side of Rodney.
"Your asteroid field has moved," Rodney pointed out the grainy shape of the likely asteroid field.
"Have you-?"
"Yes, yes, of course I've adjusted for the thousands of years since this was recorded in the Ancient database."
"How about more recent scans?" Sam asked. "Do we have any scans of that region that we ran when we first arrived in Atlantis?"
Rodney reached out and started tapping away. "We've barely scanned over there; it's not exactly in our local neighbourhood." But she could see he'd found some scans which had been taken in the first year of the expedition when they'd first discovered the deep space sensors and run a complete scan of the galaxy.
"Factor in drift," she advised.
"I know, I know," Rodney tapped in the usual adjustments and the three scans now displayed side by side. "Huh," Rodney summarised.
"The scans we have from the expedition's first year here," Sam pointed to the grainy patch of asteroids, "is where we would expect the asteroid field to be given the predicted factors locally and the passage of time since the Ancients last scanned it. But now..."
"The asteroid field has moved significantly in the last few years," Radek finished.
Rodney tapped away on the laptop, calling up further information.
"There's a pulsar in that quadrant, but it shouldn't affect that area," Rodney muttered.
"And this star is too far away to explain any gravitational shift that far away," Radek added.
"So it doesn't make sense," Sam nodded.
"But to move an asteroid field that size even a small distance, let alone what we're seeing, would require a substantial gravitational field," Rodney stated what Sam was running through in her mind.
"Like a black hole," she considered.
"There's nothing like that showing," Rodney disagreed.
"Surely we'd detect anything that powerful," Radek said at almost the same time.
"I'm not saying it's a black hole, but something moved that asteroid field within the last few years. Send all of it to the Elite," she straightened up from the laptop screen and headed back towards John and the waiting Elite.
"...I will tell Father," Emmagan was saying as Sam reached earshot and she saw the Elite woman's eyes shift quickly to her. "Do you have something, Colonel Carter?" Emmagan asked and Halling stepped quickly back into view again.
"We are sending you our results," Sam explained. "It's a region of space with nothing obvious in it." Halling was already nodding his head in agreement. "But," Sam added, "we've compared the current scans to ones we have of that region from several years ago and there's evidence that something happened in that region to shift an entire asteroid field."
Both Elite frowned. "Something capable of doing that," Halling replied, "would surely require a large local shift in gravity or a substantial explosion."
"Exactly, but we're not seeing anything on the sensors that would explain it, but, in reality, we're too far away to be certain," Sam replied. "We are sending you three sets of scan results of that region: from the time of the Ancestors, from several years ago, and today," Sam glanced round to Rodney.
"Almost done," Rodney replied without looking up.
On the screen, both Elite were looking at something below their camera and frowning. "There's nothing that the Valse has picked up locally that would explain the movement," Halling considered and Emmagan nodded.
"Sending transmission," Rodney reported.
"Receiving," Halling replied a second later.
Another shoulder came partly into view on the other side of Halling and, familiar from the contract talks, Elite Aedii stepped up behind Halling, all looking down at presumably Rodney's data arriving on their screens.
"We have received your full transmission," Halling added distractedly.
Sam watched as all the Elite frowned and their eyes widened.
"The entire asteroid field has been moved, not scattered," Emmagan noted. "So it wasn't anything within the field."
"But close by," Aedii added.
"A black hole would perhaps account for something like this," Sam added, "Do you know that term?" She checked, unsure if it would translate.
"A collapsed star?" Emmagan confirmed.
Sam nodded. "But anything like that would be detectable."
"At least at the Valse's distance," Halling considered. "And they've detected nothing like that."
"Unless it was a one-off explosion of some sort in that region?" Aedii considered.
"Could it have been the Salvagers themselves?" An unidentified voice noted from out of view. "They work on asteroids, could they have worked their way through the field, moved each asteroid's location?"
"I would expect more of a dissipated spread if that were the case," Sam theorised. "But the shape and density of the field has barely changed accounting for the passage of time."
"Something moved the structure of space in that region," Aedii nodded.
"If we use the Salvager's own previous scans of the region and compare them to now, we should be able to narrow down exactly where the phenomenon is, or was, located," Emmagan said to her colleagues, the eagerness clear in her voice.
"And once we are out there, we can narrow down any gravitational field abnormalities," Halling nodded.
"The Fleet has a science vessel that specialises in such research," Aedii added.
"I'll contact the Fleet Commanders," Halling nodded and Elite Emmagan turned away and formed a huddle with Aedii behind Halling's shoulder.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sam asked. The region of space was far across the galaxy, far closer to the Alliance than here, but they were trading partners now, well almost.
"We should be able to deploy a hunting party within the next," Halling glanced aside and spoke with someone quietly, "the next few days," he continued. "We would be grateful if you could continue to monitor the region in question, see if the phenomenon repeats itself."
"Of course," Sam nodded. That was fairly simple for them to do. "We'll monitor the region and in particular the asteroid field, scanning every hour, would that be acceptable?"
"Very much so," Halling nodded.
"If we detect any changes, we will contact you immediately," Sam decided and glanced round towards where, efficient as always, Radek was already at the Ancient console and he nodded as he worked.
"Thank you, Colonel," Halling smiled. "This has been exceptionally helpful."
Elite Emmagan leaned in next to Halling again. "Colonel Carter, the Elite have been in discussion regarding the latest points on the trading contract and we are willing to accept joint missions on the use of the Retrovirus weapon and we have accepted the timescale you requested to build and hold your territory before considering expansion."
Sam barely controlled her expression as the relief hit her. "That is good news, Honoured Elite."
"How are Atlantis currently standing in regards to the joint taskforce work on the shield generator?" Emmagan asked, her eyeline sliding to John and back.
"We are willing to allow components to be imaged and replicated outside Atlantis, and we have the Goa'uld shield generator here ready for the taskforce to begin its work," Sam confirmed.
"Excellent," Emmagan smiled, and it was a wide and delighted smile.
"We just need to formulise the agreements on the energy weapons tech and time and focus on the joint task work," Sam recalled the latest details the IOA were, right at this moment, still discussing in the Conference Room.
"We also need to set out the trading components and formal agreement to adhere to the territory lines," Emmagan nodded, lifting a small computer tablet into view.
Sam nodded.
"I believe we are prepared to agree last terms by the end of today," Emmagan asked. "If you are willing to negotiate the last points."
"I will speak with our people now," Sam agreed.
"If agreement can be reached, we would look to sign the contract tomorrow," Emmagan stated.
Sam felt John shift his weight beside her, no doubt as pleased as she was that this looked like it was finally going to get sorted.
"If the last details can all be agreed today, that's more than acceptable to us," Sam agreed. "We would welcome an Elite party here to formally sign the contract and allow some tours of the City?" Sam offered.
Emmagan glanced round at Aedii, the two Elite exchanging a nod. "That would be acceptable," Emmagan agreed. "I have received several requests from other Athosian Elite who would welcome being present when the contract is signed."
"We would be happy for them to visit," Sam agreed.
Emmagan smiled again, her dark eyes moving back to John. "We look forward to it."
"Your Dad can come to," John suggested.
"I will mention it to him, but I believe he may be otherwise engaged."
"Bantos competitions heating up?" John asked.
Emmagan smiled. "He is required to be present for the final stages of the competitions, but I know he would welcome any members of Atlantis who wish to visit to watch the competitions over the next week," Emmagan's gaze returned to Sam.
"Sounds good," Sam agreed.
"We shall work on the latest wording for the contract details and dial back to you in the next two hours," Emmagan stated confidently.
"We'll see you then," John agreed for them both.
"Colonel. Honoured Husband," Emmagan smiled and the screen shut off.
Sam let out a relieved breath. Not only was there some potential progress on finding the Skerti, but the contract talks might soon be over.
"Turned out all we needed to get the contract done was finding the Skerti," John joked as they turned away from the screen.
"Don't go relaxing just yet," Sam warned him. "We've still got to get the IOA to agree to everything and apparently only today to do it."
"Oh crap," John nicely summarised the heavy day ahead of them.
She was going to need a lot more coffee.
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The scans from Atlantis had been extraordinarily helpful and had provided a further springboard for the many links calls Halling had made after speaking with Colonel Carter. Two links to the Fleet Commanders had resulted in further support Fleet ships being assigned to the Skerti hunt, along with the Lead Sensor Platform vessel that was the most sophisticated science based battleship within the Fleet. The Sensor Platform ship held some of the most sensitive gravitational sensors in the Alliance which had previously been used to locate Hive ships in deep space by the subtle shift they created in gravity fields near planets, but now could be just what they needed for this new mission.
It would take six days for the Fleet ships and the Sensor ship to arrive at the rendezvous point planned with the Sythus en route to the border, which meant that the Sythus did not need to leave for a further two days. The decision had therefore been made that the Sythus would dock at Station One for the next two days, which would allow time for the Mad Moon to analyse the latest data from the Salvager computer and Atlantis' contribution, and supply the Sythus with their best guesses on possible weapons against the Skerti.
The two day delay would also, hopefully, allow time for the trading contract with Atlantis to be formalised and complete. Teyla had said she would be willing to hand over negotiation power to another Elite to work alongside Aedii to complete the contract if it was not resolved by departure point, but Halling was hopeful that the pressure of the deadline would help speed along the negotiations. Colonel Carter had certainly seemed to agree, appearing eager to work towards a faster resolution.
If all went to plan, then tomorrow would be his last full day in the Facility, which meant it would also be his last day to spend some time with Oneakka before departure.
He'd not spoken yet with Oneakka about his leaving with the Sythus, though Teyla and Massa were probably correct that Oneakka would assume he would be going. Still, Halling felt rather conflicted about leaving his friend.
Yet, he was also looking forward to the mission, to getting out there to find the Skerti. Sitayi' warning and his own near-fatal battle with the Skerti Queen on the Rogue Hive had provided the most vital forewarning about the new enemy, and he felt highly motivated to be at the forefront of this mission to find them. He felt renewed with determination and purpose with this mission, his former worries and fears about his age, and the lingering thoughts of retiring from battle rotation, were all long gone. After all, he had survived a deadly prediction and he was determined to ensure that the dark future that had so frightened Sitayi would never come to pass.
But in doing so, he was going to have to leave Oneakka behind. Not that Oneakka needed all that much support anymore, but he still had months of recovery ahead of him and Halling knew how significant this injury had been. Not just because of his near death, but because of Oneakka's most amazing vision of his family. Halling could still barely believe the sign that Oneakka had received afterwards; a knife made by his own Father delivered to him from Seeal's care all these years. Halling was still amazed by the story, and it was clear to him that it had had a profound effect on Oneakka.
He wasn't sure exactly how to describe the change in his friend, but the change was no less obvious to Halling. It was as if a weight had vanished off Oneakka's shoulders, and he actually looked younger than before, as if some sort of constant pressure had been lifted from his features. He was also more cheerful than before, more willing to smile and he hadn't lost his temper with anyone in days. Halling had never seen the Cuddly Bear of Moor stage shift so dramatically before, not that it was guaranteed to be gone since Oneakka still had a way to go in his recovery, but the difference was very noticeable.
All of which felt a truly positive sign for Oneakka and his recovery, but Halling still felt uncomfortable leaving. Feeling like he was abandoning his friend after such a significant injury. And yet there was no doubt in his mind that we would leave, that the mission ahead was vital and deadly important, so it was clearly well past time that he spoke with Oneakka about it. He blinked up from the screen of Salvager data, realising he'd been staring at it for an indeterminate amount of time as his mind had wandered. The Incident Room was busy but, with a plan now in place, the sense of urgency and frantic analysis had died down into a calmer pace in the room.
Halling tapped in his break code into the computer system and headed out of the Incident Room. As he headed through the bright and surprisingly busy corridors of the Facility, he drew out his pad and checked on Oneakka's schedule. They had agreed that there was no longer any need for Oneakka to have an official rota of people to sit with him throughout the day, but Oneakka had kept the rota going, using it for scheduling in time for people to visit him, his rehab, and Physical Therapist slots. Still, Halling knew Massa had been keeping to his late afternoon visiting time with Oneakka, the two still working their way through the Earth sports, and Seeal had kept to her usual evening slot with Oneakka as before. So, despite no formal rota, they had actually all been continuing with it, as Halling had been keeping to his early morning visits. He and Oneakka usually shared First Meal together and then he was there when Oneakka showered and dressed. He hadn't needed to help Oneakka even once in the last week, but still waited in the main room in case Oneakka needed him. After that they usually sat and discussed the latest Skerti research until it was time for Oneakka's daily walk to the Rehab Gym. Halling usually accompanied him on the walk, to keep him company and as supervision in case Oneakka pushed himself too much. Some days the walk seemed very uncomfortable for Oneakka, but equally there were days when he seemed to significantly improve. And, through it all, Oneakka's recent good humour had continued unabated.
Massa was a little annoyed at Oneakka's cheerfulness, though that was purely down to the fact that Massa's plan relating to Smee clearly hadn't worked. Halling had been surprised as well, but Oneakka had actually openly talked about Seeal spending time with a new male, though Halling had kept to his promise not to disclose the identity of Smee. He imagined it wouldn't be long until Oneakka knew who it was, but clearly he didn't seem to mind. Massa thought it was an act, but Halling saw nothing to indicate that and, in truth, Oneakka had always been indifferent to emotional relationships outside of friendships, so perhaps it wasn't that surprising.
And perhaps they had been wrong about the whole thing, and maybe Oneakka really didn't have intentions towards Seeal outside of their lightly flirtatious bickering. As Halling had pointed out to Massa, people could flirt and enjoy each other's company without it leading to more. However, Massa still disagreed with far more passion than had been shown by either Seeal or Oneakka, so Halling had decided to keep out of the whole thing; which was especially true now he would be leaving on mission.
He strode down the last stretch of corridor towards Oneakka's quarters, waved his wrist over the door sensor and the door slid open instantly for him. Except a sudden small blur of motion on the floor in front of him made him freeze in place. He looked down as a baby goat slid to a halt just inside Oneakka's quarters, the little creature's orange eyes staring up at him with shocked excitement. The goatling let out a surprisingly loud bleat and scampered away, racing around the far side of Oneakka's bed.
"Splodgy," Seeal's voice called out from inside the room and suddenly the moment made some sense to Halling.
He stepped into Oneakka's quarters, watching as the little goatling raced out from behind Oneakka's bed, little legs flying in all directions in its excitement. Seeal was sat on her usual chair beside Oneakka's bed, but Oneakka was sat on the floor on a cushion and was reaching out as the little goat dashed past him.
"I take it this is Splodge," Halling noted as the little goatling raced past his boots, starting on another lap of the room.
"Oneakka still hadn't seen any of the goatlings in person," Seeal explained as the little goat dashed under her chair and around it in a rush of surprisingly speed, "so I brought Splodge to meet him."
"I see," Halling nodded. "Though I am not sure Meiyo would approve of her being here."
"She's fine," Oneakka objected as he ran a hand over Splodge's back as the goatling raced around him on the floor. "I'm not going to catch any goat infections."
"She just got spooked at the door opening. She gets excited," Seeal excused the mad racing goat. "Splodgy," she called as she loudly patted her lap. The goat instantly reacted and leapt up onto Seeal's lap as if the creature had springs in her feet. Seeal stroked both her hands down Splodge's sides, scratching and gently containing the goat her on lap. Oneakka turned carefully on his cushion and held up what was presumably a food treat for Splodge. The goat turned round on Seeal's lap with impressive balancing skills, sniffed at Oneakka's offering, and then gobbled down the treat.
Halling suddenly had the feeling that he was an adult interrupting playtime.
"Well, I am sorry to interrupt," Halling found himself saying.
"You're not interrupting," Oneakka looked round with a smile as he fished another treat out of a small box in his hand. "News on the Skerti?" He asked as he offered another treat to Splodge.
"Did you see the latest update?" Halling checked as he moved further into the room, little Splodge no longer interested in him now she had treats and Seeal was scratching down the little creature's back.
"I saw the information from Atlantis," Oneakka looked up from handing over another treat to Splodge.
"We have additional Fleet ships and the Sensor Platform ship en route," Halling reported the latest.
"The Sythus at Station One yet?" Oneakka asked, seeming uncaring about discussing the mission in front of Seeal, but then she was such a part of their lives now that Halling realised he too wasn't entirely sure anymore what they should and should not discuss in front of her.
"She won't arrive for another five hours," Halling replied. "Ru wants to run a further set of tests on the engine on the way."
Oneakka nodded. "Last one," he said to Splodge, whose strangely fluffy toes were balanced right on the end of Seeal's lap so the goatling could lean as close as possible to Oneakka and the treats he had been providing. Oneakka showed Splodge the empty little pot and the goatling pushed her face into the pot, presumably not convinced.
"There is something I wanted to discuss with you, if you have time?" Halling asked.
"Sure," Oneakka shut the little treat pot and handed it up to Seeal.
"I should be taking Splodgy back to the Hydroponics Bay anyway," Seeal replied as she pushed the treat pot into a pocket. "Belka doesn't mind me taking Splodge away, but she gets anxious if it's for too long." Halling wasn't entirely sure if that was true or if Seeal was saying it to allow him time alone with Oneakka.
"Thank you for bringing her," Oneakka told Seeal, very politely, as Seeal stood up, Splodge in her hands.
"I'm sure she'd love to visit again," Seeal smiled as she casually tucked Splodge under one arm like the creature spent a lot of time there. Splodge didn't seem to mind either, her little soft ears bouncing with each of Seeal's steps towards the door. "I'll see you both later."
"Thank you," Halling said more quietly to her as she passed by him.
Seeal smiled up at him, but he thought he saw a faint touch of sadness to her expression and he suspected she had worked out why he was here. But she said nothing else as she headed out of Oneakka's quarters, and Halling had to smile at the view of Splodge's little tail wagging against Seeal's elbow as the two headed out into the corridor and the door slid shut behind them.
Halling turned back to find that Oneakka was working on getting up from the floor. Though he had looked comfortable sitting on the floor, a long term habit of Oneakka's, getting up was not quite so simple for him currently. Having turned to face the side of his bed, Oneakka was now practically sprawled against it as he worked to push himself up off the floor with two hands on the mattress. Halling reached down to help, grasping the top of Oneakka's closest arm to add some lift.
"Thank you," Oneakka groaned as they got him up and he sat down on the edge of the bed with a rush of a relieved breath. "The getting up is getting easier," Oneakka reported, though Halling was not entirely sure that 'easier' was the best description for what he'd just witnessed, but Oneakka looked pleased.
Halling headed for Seeal's vacated chair, though paused to brush some goat treat crumbs off the seat before he sat down. "How was your session in the Rehab Gym this morning?"
"Better," Oneakka reported with a smile, though there was little detail in the summary. "What's up?" He asked directly as he shifted a little further back on his bed, one hand running over the centre of his growing Mohawk and back again.
"The Mad Moon are sending two of their own to the Sythus to help with weapon development while on the hunt," Halling started.
"Great," Oneakka nodded.
"And hopefully Imseti' latest ideas for the bio-irritants will be ready for the Sythus to take."
"The Earth garlic one still showing some promise?" Oneakka asked. It was actually a little odd to see him sat up straight and not reclined against his wall of pillows for a change.
"Imseti has successfully sprouted some of the further bulbs Atlantis sent her, so supply shouldn't be an issue, but she says we need a live test to be certain the plant is an irritant to the Skerti."
Oneakka nodded.
"The Atlantis contract is accelerating," Halling continued, "Colonel Carter appears highly motivated to have the contract signed hopefully tomorrow if the last details can be agreed today."
"That's great," Oneakka said eagerly. "Emmagan will be pleased."
"Atlantis have invited any Elite to the Ancestral City for the official signing of the contract."
"You going to go?" Oneakka asked.
"I do not think I have time," Halling considered. "Tomorrow should be pretty busy overseeing the resources and personnel getting back to the Sythus and liaising with the Military Council and the Fleet Commanders for the hunt."
Oneakka nodded.
Halling let out a breath and met his friend's sharply blue eyes. "I think I should go on hunt mission."
"You should definitely go on the hunt mission," Oneakka replied instantly. "You're the only person who's faced a Skerti, well apart from Raven briefly."
"But, if you need me here-" Halling began.
"I don't need help anymore, Halling," Oneakka interrupted him. "I'm on my recovery plan and Meiyo's assessing me in less than three weeks for non-battle rotation."
Halling wasn't overly certain that was a realistic aim, but Oneakka's point was still valid: he didn't need focused help anymore. If Halling hadn't been here to help him off the floor, Oneakka would probably have eventually managed, and Massa and Seeal would still be around to support him as needed.
"I just don't want you to feel I am abandoning you-" Halling started.
"You're not abandoning me," Oneakka interrupted again with a frown. "You're doing your job, which I'd be doing too if I hadn't been impaled by a Hive ship."
Halling had to smile at the exaggerated description Seeal had been using regarding Oneakka's injury. "It wasn't a whole Hive ship," Halling repeated Oneakka's usual response.
Oneakka smiled, but there was a touch of emotion in his expression now. "You're needed out there, Halling."
Halling nodded, pleased Oneakka understood.
"And Sitayi said the prophecy's deciding point had passed," Oneakka continued, "Unless she's said anything else to you?" He asked with narrowed eyes.
"No," Halling confirmed, "Nothing."
"Then you need to go."
Halling nodded, the decision made and the way ahead planned. Still...
He considered the pile of pillows at the head of Oneakka's bed and, sat on the far side table facing him, the Ugun metal cup that had been out for weeks now by Oneakka's side. He glanced back at Oneakka, taking in the Mohawk, the new scar, and the oddly more youthful look to Oneakka's face.
Without realising it before now, it occurred to Halling how much had been changing in recent years. It had perhaps started with Atlantis' arrival in the Galaxy and most certainly had shown in Iketani' betrayal, but beyond that there had also been Teyla's Political Marriage - something he would never have predicted - Massa's injury and adoption of Aki, and Seeal's arrival, and now the changes he saw in Oneakka. It felt as if so much had shifted around him that it was almost disorientating.
Except, it wasn't just changes around him; he had gone through significant changes of his own. Watching Massa's loss of Mera, Oneakka's near death and his own desperate battle against the Skerti Queen...
"It feels as if so much is changing," Halling shared with Oneakka, hearing a tight emotional tone to his own voice.
Oneakka's expression shifted as if he was considering the statement and then he nodded. "But change can be good," he suggested.
"True," Halling nodded.
"But some things will always remain the same," Oneakka stated. "You are my Brother from another World, and that will never change."
The rush of tears hit Halling faster than he would have predicted, but he made himself hold Oneakka's gaze. "Never," Halling confirmed.
Oneakka smiled. "So you need to get out there and take the fight to the Skerti, my Brother. At least until I can get there to do the hard work."
Halling chuckled at Oneakka's joke.
"Just be careful," Oneakka added more seriously. "We have no idea what other tech the Skerti may have, or how they'll behave when they see the Sythus and Fleet ships."
"Hopefully they will have learnt from losing their Queen on the Rogue Hive that we are no weak enemy."
Oneakka nodded. "Just promise me that you won't go up against one on your own again."
"I'll try," Halling agreed.
"Trying doesn't get anything done, Halling," Oneakka quoted one of their old trainers.
Halling smiled and nodded. "As long as you promise me that you won't force your way back onto battle rotation too soon."
"I'll try," Oneakka smiled.
Halling laughed, the feeling warm and comforting, though it was also tinged with the nervous edge of caution about what the future would hold. Such concerns were hardly new for an Elite and they had never lessened despite the increasing number of years that passed.
And perhaps that fact was as much the root of his unease at leaving Oneakka. The years were passing with faster speed and greater changes, and with them the chances were greatly increasing that one of them would not return from a mission.
Life could be so fleeting and vulnerable, which was hardly a fact Oneakka needed reminding of currently. He had been so close to death, had actually stepped over that threshold but had returned. And before, even through great loss and many near disasters, Oneakka had been a reliable, predictable constant in Halling's life. But now, even Oneakka was changing.
New enemies had been revealed and new allies from across the stars had become invaluable.
It seemed to Halling that, though life had become so much less predictable than before, it had, perhaps, become far more interesting.
00000
TBC