Final Cliff Simon Factoid: Cliff was and is still adored by his fans. I hope that his memory never fades, and that somehow we are able to keep his memory and his spirit alive. Even though this story didn't have Ba'al in it, I hope that the little references to him, and my Factoids, were interesting for you all. I miss him. Please share this story with others who you think may enjoy it, and also those who may just want to read for the Cliff Simon Factoids. Thank you so much for coming on this ride with me!
WARNINGS: Graphic descriptions of war, and a child getting nicked in the arm. The child does not die. No one dies. A character has lost part of a limb.
SAM
Where has the time gone?
Our mission brief doesn't begin until 1000. That means we don't have to start showing up to medical until about 0900. We can enjoy the morning as a family with Jacob and eat breakfast together.
I get up at six and get Jacob ready for his day. Rebecca will be over by eight and she will be staying at the house the whole time we are gone. Jack set up the nanny, and pretty much everything else to do with taking care of home, while I was gone on Schrodinger. Getting back into the decision making process wasn't a large challenge for us. But I did feel useless, or more like a third wheel when I got back. We argue just like anyone. But we work it out. I'm lucky to have him by my side.
I can't help being nervous today. Sure, I've been through the Gate and left my son and husband behind. But this time, both mommy and daddy are going through the Gate together. If anything happens to us…at least we have the legal documents in order.
I hear Jack in the kitchen. I pick up Jacob off of his changing table and I hold him tight. He is already a year old now. This year went by so fast, and I was absent for half of it.
Jacob lays his head against my neck, and I inhale the most amazing smell of my baby into my very soul. I never, ever thought I could feel this way. I did not think this was possible, and I never thought it would actually happen to me. But, I am a proud mama to this precious tiny human in my arms. He's getting so big. I am going to miss him.
I walk into the kitchen with Jacob and find Jack making pancakes.
"Good morning," I say as I pass by to sit at the table.
Jack has Jacob's breakfast already made in a small baby-sized bowl. I put Jacob into his high chair, then I slide into the chair closest to the counter.
"Good morning," Jack says to both of us.
"Hi daddy," I reply in a child's voice, smiling at him.
I smile at him as he hands me Jacob's bowl and tiny spoon. He leans in and kisses the top of Jacob's head. Jacob looks up at him, and I see a small smile form on our son's face. He makes a cute baby noise, and both Jack and I pretend he is talking. We utter some replies to Jacob, knowing full well we have no idea what is really going through his little mind. I pour some Cheerios onto Jacob's high chair for him to pick up and eat in between bites of his cereal.
Jack returns to the stove and removes the last of the pancakes from the pan. He turns off the burner and brings our breakfast to the table. He makes me a plate as I feed our son. He cuts my pancakes into bite sizes, and covers them all completely with butter and real maple syrup, just like I love. I take bites of pancakes and take sips of coffee in between giving Jacob spoonfuls of his mushy cereal. Jack quickly eats, then returns to the kitchen to clean up.
The morning passes far too quickly for me, and before I know it, Rebecca is here with her luggage. I'm holding my son as I talk to Rebecca.
"OK, you have all of the emergency numbers?" I ask, watching Rebecca.
"I do. I even have them in my phone. Even the main office number," she replies with a smile.
She knows I already know she has this stuff. I'm just nervous to be leaving him this time.
Rebecca graduated college and wanted to work with children. She decided being a nanny would be a good way to get some experience. She worked part time at day care centers when she was in college. She came highly recommended by another mom at work. She is licensed, bonded, insured, certified in advanced life support, and has a very sweet heart.
"You can have Janet and Cassie over at any time. We got him new food that seems to be easier on his stomach. I put new, larger clothes in his drawers. Boxes of diapers are in his closet. He is growing so fast, I can't believe it," I say quickly.
"Sam, she's been here before. We won't be gone too long," Jack softly says, placing his hand on my shoulder.
I look up at him and his eyes are warm and loving. He is just reassuring me, that's all. I know she's been here. I know I've left before. I hug my son tight to my chest, cradling his head in my hand. He is squirming in my arms. His eyes are looking over my shoulder at his father.
"Here, let me say goodbye to my little nugget," he says.
I hand Jacob over to him. I watch Jack lift Jacob above his head, and fly him like an airplane. Jacob laughs and smiles down at his dad. Jack's face is plastered with a smile as he looks up at our son. I see and hear Jack laugh with his bright, brown eyes. He has eyes only for his little boy.
It is rare that anyone, including me, gets to see this side of Jack. So when I do see him open and unguarded like this, I make sure to grab the moment and tuck it inside for later. These moments make me love him even more. And I didn't think that was possible.
Jack hugs Jacob and tells him how much daddy loves him. Then he hands Jacob to Rebecca.
"We will be overseas and won't have access to phones or Internet. Call Janet, Dr. Brightman, Jennifer Hailey, or even General Hammond if you need to. Numbers are also on that piece of paper on the cork board in the kitchen. Sam's brother and his family are in California, you can call them too if you have to. We will call you as soon as we get back and are able. Any questions?" he asks Rebecca.
"No, I don't think so. I know my way around your house, I brought my own pillow. Can my sister come over?" Rebecca asked.
I look at Jack and shrug my shoulders.
"I don't mind. Just no parties," I say.
"Parties are not in my contract, ma'am," she says with a smile.
"Alright, little man, mommy loves you. Be good for Rebecca. We will see you soon," I say softly, and kiss my son.
I grab my bag and leave the house without looking back. Jack followed behind me. We get into the car and I stare at the front door. He glances over at me and grabs my hand.
"You OK?" he asks.
I look at him and half smile.
"Ya. I just can't wait to get home to him."
"Me, too," Jack says.
We're both on the same page with our son.
We get to work and we all change. I recommended we wear the green because the blue may be too close to the color of the clothing that the Aschen wear. After we all change, we meet up in medical for our exams.
The plan is to Gate to Schrodinger. The Prometheus is currently there helping with the mining operations. We will use the Prometheus to take us to the Odeni world. Now that we have our own ship, and upgraded Asgard technologies, we can get there faster and be more prepared for trouble. We won't have a cloak, but with the advanced sensors, we can stop a very long way from the planet and do some scans.
Matta is the first to meet me outside the Gate room. I smile at him and he asks all sorts of questions about little Jacob. I answer with a plastered smile on my face. Teal'c comes next, followed by Jack, then Daniel.
"Just like old times," Jack says with a little smile, clapping Teal'c on the back of his shoulder.
"Ready to go?" he asks us all.
We all nod our heads or say yes, and Jack walks into the Gate room and motions for the Gate to be dialed up to Schrodinger. I watch the Gate engage, and I look over to Jack and just stare at him.
He is looking up at the Stargate with that little look on his face that tells me he is happy. It's not quite a smile, but his face is not guarded. I see the reflection of the event horizon shimmering against the wall. I have Teal'c and Matta in between me and Jack. Matta is also staring straight up at the Gate, but Teal'c glances over to me.
He sees me looking at Jack, and I quickly glance at Teal'c, feeling like I'm a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I smile big at Teal'c, and let out a little giggle. He gives me his version of a Jaffa laugh, then bows his head as he makes his way up the ramp with Daniel. Matta follows Teal'c, leaving me with my head still looking at Jack.
He looks at me and now he smiles. He hitches his head towards the Gate, and motions for me to start walking.
"C'mon, mama, let's go," he says quietly, and quickly walks up the ramp.
I smile and join him. We are the last ones to go through the Stargate back to Schrodinger 1.
We check in with the base commander at Schrodinger. Lt Col Smilek has command this round. She is here for her short tour, and so far she has had a quiet tour. They've progressed with the mining now that they have a large ship, and so far, no hostile visitors through the Gate. But now we are here to use the ship for a while.
She gives us the all clear and calls the Prometheus. We are beamed up and then Colonel Ronson takes us into hyperspace on our way to the Odeni planet.
I settle in for the short ride by hiding from everyone on one of the upper levels of the ship. I sit down against a bulkhead and I look out the window at the colors that the hyperspace envelope is making around us. I'm a little nervous.
What if the Aschen are still in control? What if they have forced the cure on everyone? What if some of my friends have died trying to fight them?
I bring my knees up and rest my arms on them. I just sit and stare out the window. I don't even hear the sound of approaching feet until I feel a presence sitting at my side.
He sits silent for a few minutes as I stare out the window. Then he bumps my knee with his.
"You OK?" he asks.
I avert my eyes to my arms, and give him a side glancing smile.
"Ya. Just nervous. I don't know what we'll find."
"Some time has passed. Things may not be the same anymore," he says softly.
I give him a little laugh, and bump his knee in return.
"Sounds a lot like advice given to someone else who should have heeded that advice in the past," I say, finally looking at him.
We both laugh, and he takes my hand and kisses the back of it.
"This time, I'm here with you."
He continues to hold my eyes as I look back out the window. A few minutes later I hear more footsteps coming our way.
"Oh, there you are. And here we thought the ship may have had married quarters," Daniel said, making all of us laugh. Jack let go of my hand as the others came into the space.
Daniel, Teal'c, and Matta join us on the floor. The three of them sit along the bulkhead with the window so they are facing us. We spend the last few hours talking and joking of times past, while Ceti jumps in to tell us some of the interactions Matta has had with Jacob and Selmak. We all share stories from the past about Jack, and Matta laughs at them. He is a good fit for SG-1. I feel like I finally have my family back.
Ronson pulls the ship out of hyperspace about three hundred thousand miles from the planet. We are all called to the bridge. The crew does some initial scans of the region, hoping there is nothing out here. The initial scans of the region find no ships or residual effects from ships being in the area.
The planetary scans start coming in. There is a decent sized section in the lower continent showing large amounts of ionizing radiation.
"Oh my god," I say out loud.
Daniel is right next to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.
"The weapon. They called it a Traverser. I thought it might be radiation. I guess I was right."
I remember Teirden saying he was going to infiltrate his old job and try to sabotage the weapon. I wonder if that is what happened. Or if the Aschen turned the weapon on. But would that mean they'd be dead, too?
"Can you pick up any lifesigns?" I ask.
"Yes, ma'am," Major Gant replies. "The radiation did not spread far beyond those city limits. Whatever happened, it wasn't like one of our nukes. I'm seeing widespread lifesigns all over the planet. I'm also picking up Naquadah."
I look first at Colonel Ronson, then to General O'Neill. Jack. Whatever. We're at work. He's my General. The General. Shut up, Sam, and concentrate.
"OK, can you determine if we can move closer? Maybe beam me down into the orchard where I hid my Tel'tak?" I ask Ronson.
"Carter?" General O'Neill asks.
"Sir, I was just thinking. I could walk the path where you found me. Colonel Ronson and his crew can continue scans from here. We'd be in communication range, and if things go bad, I can be beamed back up."
It makes sense to me.
"The radiation has been contained?" the General asks.
"Sir, I wouldn't say contained. I'd say the radiation is no longer spreading," the Major says.
"Ronson?" the General asks the Colonel.
"I'd have to say that Colonel Carter has a good idea. We will be here monitoring. We will be ready to beam you out on your command," Colonel Ronson says.
General O'Neill looked around the room at everyone. His eyes falling on Teal'c. Not sure what that was meant to convey, but Teal'c nods his head and the General turns back to me.
"Alright. I'm coming with you. Let's grab some zat's and comm devices," he says, turning his eyes back to me.
I don't smile. They all know we are married, but we're at work, and I want to maintain a professional atmosphere.
"Of course. Thank you, sir," I say, and spin towards the door to go to the armory to check out a zat.
He follows behind me, and doesn't say a word. He doesn't have to. I want him with me. I know I am fully capable of doing this on my own. He knows it. Everyone knows it.
But, he knows more than anyone else that I will need him for some of the fall out we may find. This is why it is just the two of us going. These people saved my life. I'm human. I might have some strong feelings about what we may find.
We return to the bridge as Ronson takes the ship closer to the planet. I pull up the map of the continent where I was all those months ago. I find the Quink orchard, and approximate the location of where I hid my ship.
"I think if you put us down here, it will be fine," I say to Ronson.
Ronson nods his head to Major Gant. I turn to look at General O'Neill. He nods his head at Gant, too. And then we're beamed down.
I take in a deep breath as my eyes adjust. I take out the comm pad from my pocket and get an electronic bearing on where we need to start walking. Nothing looks familiar until we come along the edge of the field. We eventually get to the path that is behind the Quink orchard. This is starting to look familiar.
We get to a clearing where I can look over the orchard, and all the breath is stolen from me. The trees are either gone or leveled. There are just a handful of trees that remain untouched. The entire field has been devastated.
Off in the distance I see a large object that looks out of place. I need to get a closer look.
"Sir, can I have your binoculars, please?" I ask softly.
He looks at me, but he knows not to ask how I'm doing. He knows I am not OK. He will know when it is time to ask.
He takes his binoculars out of his pocket and hands them to me. I slowly raise them, and find the object. It comes into focus. It is what I thought it was.
"It's been destroyed," I say.
I hand the binoculars to the General, and he looks through them at the object.
"Those were the huge ships that the Aschen would collect the crops into. Then there was a Stargate that was beneath the ship. All of the crops were dumped into the Stargate, presumably to the Aschen homeworld," I said without emotion.
I'm holding myself together.
"Do we need to go over there? I can see people climbing and walking around the ship," he says.
"No, it's OK. I noticed them, too. Those are not Aschen. They are locals probably trying to salvage what they can. We can keep moving," I say, and turn to continue walking the path.
We walk in silence for about thirty more minutes. All sorts of thoughts are going through my mind. I wonder what we will find when we get to the village. Who is still alive? Is there a lot of damage?
My thoughts are interrupted by a gentle hand on my arm. The General squats down and motions for me to join him. He points a little to our right. The sidewalk. We are at the edge of town, and there are people walking around.
We both stay still and quiet, just watching and waiting. I do not see anyone dressed in the clothes of the Aschen. I do see the familiar clothing of this village. I do see children running and playing in the park in the distance. Then I see a very familiar face walking on the sidewalk.
"Jarred!" I whisper out.
I stand and immediately make my way onto the sidewalk.
"Carter!" General O'Neill barks in a half-whisper. But I don't slow down.
"Oy," I hear behind me.
I start running towards Jarred.
"Jarred!" I yell.
I see the boy turn to me. He stops and looks strangely at me. Oh, it must be my hair. I've let it go back to its natural blonde this year.
"Jarred, it's OK. It's me, Samantha," I say, a little winded.
"You look different," he says.
General O'Neill catches up to us and stands by my side. I look at him before I look back to Jarred.
"It's really me. I've let my hair go back to its natural color. Remember your mom had to dye my hair when I was with you?"
That seems to register with him, and we see him relax his shoulders a little bit.
"Oh. Ya. Who is this?" he asks, pointing to the General.
"Jarred, this is General O'Neil. He is my match," I say, turning my head and smiling big at the man at my side.
"Jack. Just call me Jack," he says, and extends his hand out in greeting.
Jarred shakes his hand then looks back at me, waiting for me to say something.
"Where is your mom and dad?" I ask.
His shoulders drop some more, and the color drains from his face.
"Oh, no," I whisper out.
"I will take you to them," Jarred says.
He turns quickly and we start the walk to their house. He said the word 'them', so they are both alive. But I fear something has happened.
The buildings here do not look very damaged. Then we turn the corner on what would be considered Main Street. All of the storefronts are gone. Glass is all over. Fires were lit. The frameworks for the market have been destroyed. It's gone. It's all gone.
I feel a warm hand take mine and hold it. I look up. This is Jack, my husband. Not General O'Neill. His eyes are soft and comforting. Not the on-guard-at-all-time General. I don't need the General at this moment. I need my husband. And he knew that. I try to smile at him as we continue to walk to Jarred's holding hands.
The neighborhoods with the houses seem unscathed. That is good. Hopefully the damage was kept to the village center and the orchards. That's bad enough. I wonder how the beneath is?
We get to Jarred's house and it all looks the same.
All the memories come back. Walking between this house and Carilyn's. Going out back for my transmissions. Going down into the beneath. Dyeing my hair. Finding out I was pregnant. I smile at Jack.
"Wait here," Jarred tells us.
We wait outside just looking around. People are still walking around like nothing has happened. Maybe they rebuilt the town center somewhere else. Maybe there's more going on than we can see.
I hear the door open and I see Jannelle. I smile at her and she smiles back. But her smile is missing something. It's not the smile I remember. Jarred does not return back outside.
"Oh, Samantha. I knew you were coming. I Sensed it," she says quietly, and pulls me into a long hug. She doesn't let go.
"So much has changed here. How is your baby?" she asks, letting me go from our hug.
"The baby is perfect. He turned one just a few weeks ago," I say with a smile.
"This must be your Match," she says, looking at Jack.
"It is. You were not properly introduced when he came for me last time. Jack, it is my honor to introduce you to Jannelle. Jannelle, this is my Match, Jack. Jannelle is the one who saved my life," I say to them both.
Jack extended his hand to shake Jannelle's, but she walked closer to Jack and embraced him. Jack hugged her back.
"I knew Samantha would be reunited with you. It is nice to finally meet you, Jack," Jannelle says, then lets him go.
"Where is Joph?" I ask.
Her countenance drops. Something must have happened. She looks directly into my eyes.
"He was hurt in the war. He is not really the same anymore. He has lost part of his leg and cannot walk without assistance. He no longer feels of any value to anyone or anything. I fear I have lost him," she says, tears falling onto her cheeks.
"Oh my god," is the only thing I can find to say. I feel Jack put his hand on my shoulder.
"Jannelle, what happened?" I ask.
She cranes her neck around to look at her front door. No one is standing there. She turns back to me.
"Let me go in and see how he is doing. We may need to go to Carilyn's to talk," she says, and turns to go inside her home.
I turn to Jack and meet his somber stare.
"You know, we have Ceti on board, too. Maybe he can help. We could bring her husband on board and print a prosthetic. It would be a start," Jack says.
I know he's right, so I just shake my head yes. But, the other thing is that Joph would have to agree to it. That might be the hard part. We each deal with our trauma in different ways.
Jannelle came back outside and had Jarred with her.
"He's not up to visitors. I called Carilyn. We can go over to her house," she said, holding Jarred's hand. Jarred kept his eyes down. He looks very sad.
I ask what had happened on our walk over to Carilyn's.
"It began a few months after you left. We had everything assembled in the beneath. Our weapons arrays were ready to go in all villages that we could communicate with. Tierden did manage to infiltrate the Aschen at his old job. One day a runner came saying something was happening in Paratrol," she says, looking to Jack, "that is one of our large cities," she explains.
"We heard reports of a large ship hovering over a part of the city. The ship, as it turns out, was the Traverser. One day there were multiple explosions inside the ship. The explosions could be seen from the ground. Many people ran from the city. Leaving was a wise choice for them. It took two days but the ship fell out of the sky. When it hit the ground, there was an explosion like no other," she says, then had to stop talking and walking.
She still has Jarred's hand. He looks up at his mom and tells her it is OK. She catches her breath and continues.
"Carilyn received a digital message packet. Tierden had sent an encoded message full of the entire database that the Aschen had been collecting on us since they have been here. All of it. The Traverser, the cure, death records, medical records, birth records, crop records, experiments they did on our people. All of it. We now had the proof we needed. The rebellion began not long after his transmission."
We all let that hang in the air between us.
"What happened to Tierden?" I ask.
She glances over at me with a sadness in her eyes.
"He was on board when the ship went down. He knew the danger of the radiation, as you call it, and made sure to get people off the ship and out of town as quickly as possible. The Aschen tried to stop people from leaving. Most of our people stayed because they still believed the Aschen were benevolent. But some got out. Tierden went down with the ship. Many believe he is the one who started the explosions. I'd imagine they are right.
"A few days after the ship went down, the fights came to the villages. Samantha, it was so hard. We were fighting against ourselves. The Aschen all left through the puddle ring. Or as many as could get out to the villages where the puddle ring was. Some of the Aschen stayed in the cities and villages. But they did nothing. Our own people fought this war. It was those who believed in the Aschen against those of us who knew the truth.
"We had the information on our side. We had the technologies just as they did. Paratrol will not be inhabitable for centuries, if ever. Thankfully no other Traverser technology was used. The energy weapons and penetrating weapons were used. They were prolific on both sides. I had never seen how the energy weapons actually work until this war. It is a horrible way to die. It is slow, and you feel every shot," she says, looking down at Jarred.
Now I see it. Jarred has two black dots on his arm. I inhale deeply and look at Jannelle. She nods her head. Jarred had been hit at least twice by the energy devices.
"It was our own people shooting, Samantha. Do you understand?"
She breaks down and holds Jarred. He is as tall as she is now. Jack puts his arm around me. I let her cry for a while. I eventually put my hand on her shoulder. She lets go of Jarred and falls into my arms. I hold her for what feels like a long time.
"I do. I do understand," I whisper as I hold her.
I look over to Jack as I hold Jannelle. I feel my eyes start to blur. She had taken such good care of me when I was here. Her whole family helped me, even Joph. I wish I could do something to fix this for them. For all of them.
"Should we continue to Carilyn's?" I whisper.
She gently lets go of me and takes Jarred's hand again.
"Yes, let's go," and we continue the walk to Carilyn's.