To Kelowna through the Quantum Mirror
"First Minister," the guard addressed him, in the quiet, understated tones that were so characteristic of Kelownans.
"Yes?" he said, not looking from the window where he stood. Although the colors of the Kelownan landscape were not as bright as that of Earth, it was beautiful in its own subdued right, matching the nature of the Kelownans themselves. He enjoyed it more now than he ever had, knowing that she liked it just as much.
"The Tauri are dialing in, sir; you asked that we alert you just prior to their arrival."
"Yes, thank you," Jonas replied, this time with a smile. He turned and accompanied the guard to the Kelownan gateroom. The scientist and the Jaffa were coming for one of their extended stays, two weeks this time.
The brilliant flash of the wormhole lit up the room; then stabilized. Jonas joined the other members of the greeting party at the bottom of the ramp. The shadowy figures of the SG team stepped through. He smiled at the sight of them.
"Welcome back to Kelowna, Teal'c, Captain Hailey," he said, acknowledging them in the traditional manner of highest rank first. Thought Teal'c was not a member of the Tauri military, his experience and time served granted him this respect.
"First Minister Quinn; it is good to see you again," Teal'c said, with his customary bow and smile. Missions to Kelowna were almost downtime for him; he served mainly as back up for Captain Hailey and to advise on strategy in the continuous battle the planet now faced against the Goauld. Though Earth would not officially interfere with their evolution, in return for sufficient naquadriah, SGC had found alternative ways to assist them. As Teal'c was not officially a member of their Armed Forces, Kelowna could take advantage of his vast knowledge of Goauld ways.
Captain Hailey, as one of the premier scientists in the field of astrophysics, had made this trip often to procure naquadriah and to assist Kelowna in developing the proper safety protocols for their continuing experiments in nuclear physics and with the naquadriah. She felt a sense of fulfillment in furthering their safety mechanisms, knowing that what had happened to Dr. Jackson and the other scientists that fateful day and the tragedy with Dr. Kiernan and his associates, would not happen again. And, Kelownan scientists always had fascinating ideas that she enjoyed exploring with them; it was a challenge to teach them without altering their evolution, one she enthusiastically embraced.
"First Minister," Captain Hailey said, saluting, as was the custom for members of the Armed Forces.
"We're pleased to have you back," Jonas said. "I thought you'd like to see your quarters first, then we can get to work," he continued.
"If you would follow me," the guard said, escorting Teal'c and Captain Hailey to their respective rooms and handing them the pass keys which would allow them to get in and out. Though they were not to leave the Kelownan version of Stargate Command unescorted, their status in the Kelownan community afforded them free reign of the building.
The accommodations were sparse but neat; Teal'c's room was at the end of the hallway and was specially prepared so he could comfortably Kelno'reem. Captain Hailey's room was across from his; walking in to set down her things, she smiled to herself as she noticed the small bouquet of Kelownan wildflowers with the note underneath it.
She looked to be certain the guard had departed before she read it. *I thought you might like these; they reminded me of you - a rare occurrence of beauty on this planet.*
The note continued: *I have missed you.*
She smiled to herself; she had missed him, too. She looked under the pillow; there it was. He had left her the pass key for his on base quarters upstairs.
She remembered the first time she had looked there; he had slipped a note in to her pocket while they were in the lab: *look under your pillow.* When she had looked under the pillow, another note read: *if you would like to see the second most beautiful thing that this planet has to offer, meet me in the conference room at 05:00 hours Earth time.*
Intrigued, she had met him there. The guards were under standing orders to allow the Tauri access to any and all areas of the building at any time; they were ambassadors.
"I know this planet doesn't offer much compared to Earth, but there is one event that transforms it into one of the most beautiful places in the universe," he had said. "I thought you might like to see it."
He looked at her; slightly uncertain. "However," he noted, "the best place to see it is really from my quarters upstairs; I wasn't sure if you would consider an invitation to my quarters inappropriate," he had added, a little hesitantly.
She was charmed by his considerate manner, not to mention his beautiful smile.
She was touched that he would think to offer her this. As part of her guard duty, watching over him while he was on Earth, she had taken him to several places in and around Colorado Springs that she considered particularly beautiful. The time they had spent in the lab together had also given her cause to respect him immensely. She knew she could trust him.
They had taken a back route up to his quarters, where there were several large windows looking out over the Kelownan capital city, the two towers that were the mainstay of the skyline in the background. In the predawn, it was completely dark.
He had set two comfortable chairs in front of the window. "I hope you don't mind, but this event is best when there are no lights on. If you're at all troubled by that, please let me know," he had said quickly.
She smiled at him. "I trust you, Jonas," she said. She only addressed him by his first name when they were completely alone, when she was most at ease with him.
He gestured towards the seats. "Please, sit down," he said. She settled herself in one of the chairs. Jonas turned the lights down; and she heard him in the dark take the seat next to hers.
They waited quietly in the dark for a few moments, until the edges of the sky started to lighten up. The suns were coming up, one at each end of the horizon. The ravages of war had filled most of Kelowna's atmosphere with particles that obscured the natural light and created a layer of darkness over most everything on it.
As the suns made their way over the edges of the planet, their light met, then together at once struck the towers and everything in the capital city, suddenly bathing it in a beautiful, warm light copper color, compliments of the particle layer, blending the harsh edges of the city, making it appear a warm, comforting place to be instead of the austere, darkly efficient center that it normally was.
As she watched, Jennifer felt her breath catch in her throat; she thought she had never witnessed anything quite so beautiful.
Jonas watched her; a smile came over his face as he enjoyed her obvious delight in the sunrise. It was a small thing, but sometimes the best moments were brief, such as this, he thought.
The effect lasted only a few minutes, as the suns continued their upward swing, the city returning to its more muted state as the Kelownan day began.
"That was incredible," she said in an awed voice.
"Well, you showed me so many beautiful things on Earth while I was there; I really wanted to return the favor," he had said modestly.
She smiled at him. "Thank you," she said demurely. She thought again how touching it was that he had thought of her. A quizzical look came over her face. "Why did you call it the second most beautiful thing on Kelowna?" she asked.
He was charmed by her question; she really didn't seem to know.
"Because when you're here, it is second," he had said, smiling at her, the big beautiful smile she had come to love.
The memory caused her to smile again. She pocketed the card key. She had every intention of taking advantage of it later, other memories now flooding her thoughts. The sunrise wouldn't be the only beautiful thing occurring there the next morning, she thought to herself.
"First Minister," the guard addressed him, in the quiet, understated tones that were so characteristic of Kelownans.
"Yes?" he said, not looking from the window where he stood. Although the colors of the Kelownan landscape were not as bright as that of Earth, it was beautiful in its own subdued right, matching the nature of the Kelownans themselves. He enjoyed it more now than he ever had, knowing that she liked it just as much.
"The Tauri are dialing in, sir; you asked that we alert you just prior to their arrival."
"Yes, thank you," Jonas replied, this time with a smile. He turned and accompanied the guard to the Kelownan gateroom. The scientist and the Jaffa were coming for one of their extended stays, two weeks this time.
The brilliant flash of the wormhole lit up the room; then stabilized. Jonas joined the other members of the greeting party at the bottom of the ramp. The shadowy figures of the SG team stepped through. He smiled at the sight of them.
"Welcome back to Kelowna, Teal'c, Captain Hailey," he said, acknowledging them in the traditional manner of highest rank first. Thought Teal'c was not a member of the Tauri military, his experience and time served granted him this respect.
"First Minister Quinn; it is good to see you again," Teal'c said, with his customary bow and smile. Missions to Kelowna were almost downtime for him; he served mainly as back up for Captain Hailey and to advise on strategy in the continuous battle the planet now faced against the Goauld. Though Earth would not officially interfere with their evolution, in return for sufficient naquadriah, SGC had found alternative ways to assist them. As Teal'c was not officially a member of their Armed Forces, Kelowna could take advantage of his vast knowledge of Goauld ways.
Captain Hailey, as one of the premier scientists in the field of astrophysics, had made this trip often to procure naquadriah and to assist Kelowna in developing the proper safety protocols for their continuing experiments in nuclear physics and with the naquadriah. She felt a sense of fulfillment in furthering their safety mechanisms, knowing that what had happened to Dr. Jackson and the other scientists that fateful day and the tragedy with Dr. Kiernan and his associates, would not happen again. And, Kelownan scientists always had fascinating ideas that she enjoyed exploring with them; it was a challenge to teach them without altering their evolution, one she enthusiastically embraced.
"First Minister," Captain Hailey said, saluting, as was the custom for members of the Armed Forces.
"We're pleased to have you back," Jonas said. "I thought you'd like to see your quarters first, then we can get to work," he continued.
"If you would follow me," the guard said, escorting Teal'c and Captain Hailey to their respective rooms and handing them the pass keys which would allow them to get in and out. Though they were not to leave the Kelownan version of Stargate Command unescorted, their status in the Kelownan community afforded them free reign of the building.
The accommodations were sparse but neat; Teal'c's room was at the end of the hallway and was specially prepared so he could comfortably Kelno'reem. Captain Hailey's room was across from his; walking in to set down her things, she smiled to herself as she noticed the small bouquet of Kelownan wildflowers with the note underneath it.
She looked to be certain the guard had departed before she read it. *I thought you might like these; they reminded me of you - a rare occurrence of beauty on this planet.*
The note continued: *I have missed you.*
She smiled to herself; she had missed him, too. She looked under the pillow; there it was. He had left her the pass key for his on base quarters upstairs.
She remembered the first time she had looked there; he had slipped a note in to her pocket while they were in the lab: *look under your pillow.* When she had looked under the pillow, another note read: *if you would like to see the second most beautiful thing that this planet has to offer, meet me in the conference room at 05:00 hours Earth time.*
Intrigued, she had met him there. The guards were under standing orders to allow the Tauri access to any and all areas of the building at any time; they were ambassadors.
"I know this planet doesn't offer much compared to Earth, but there is one event that transforms it into one of the most beautiful places in the universe," he had said. "I thought you might like to see it."
He looked at her; slightly uncertain. "However," he noted, "the best place to see it is really from my quarters upstairs; I wasn't sure if you would consider an invitation to my quarters inappropriate," he had added, a little hesitantly.
She was charmed by his considerate manner, not to mention his beautiful smile.
She was touched that he would think to offer her this. As part of her guard duty, watching over him while he was on Earth, she had taken him to several places in and around Colorado Springs that she considered particularly beautiful. The time they had spent in the lab together had also given her cause to respect him immensely. She knew she could trust him.
They had taken a back route up to his quarters, where there were several large windows looking out over the Kelownan capital city, the two towers that were the mainstay of the skyline in the background. In the predawn, it was completely dark.
He had set two comfortable chairs in front of the window. "I hope you don't mind, but this event is best when there are no lights on. If you're at all troubled by that, please let me know," he had said quickly.
She smiled at him. "I trust you, Jonas," she said. She only addressed him by his first name when they were completely alone, when she was most at ease with him.
He gestured towards the seats. "Please, sit down," he said. She settled herself in one of the chairs. Jonas turned the lights down; and she heard him in the dark take the seat next to hers.
They waited quietly in the dark for a few moments, until the edges of the sky started to lighten up. The suns were coming up, one at each end of the horizon. The ravages of war had filled most of Kelowna's atmosphere with particles that obscured the natural light and created a layer of darkness over most everything on it.
As the suns made their way over the edges of the planet, their light met, then together at once struck the towers and everything in the capital city, suddenly bathing it in a beautiful, warm light copper color, compliments of the particle layer, blending the harsh edges of the city, making it appear a warm, comforting place to be instead of the austere, darkly efficient center that it normally was.
As she watched, Jennifer felt her breath catch in her throat; she thought she had never witnessed anything quite so beautiful.
Jonas watched her; a smile came over his face as he enjoyed her obvious delight in the sunrise. It was a small thing, but sometimes the best moments were brief, such as this, he thought.
The effect lasted only a few minutes, as the suns continued their upward swing, the city returning to its more muted state as the Kelownan day began.
"That was incredible," she said in an awed voice.
"Well, you showed me so many beautiful things on Earth while I was there; I really wanted to return the favor," he had said modestly.
She smiled at him. "Thank you," she said demurely. She thought again how touching it was that he had thought of her. A quizzical look came over her face. "Why did you call it the second most beautiful thing on Kelowna?" she asked.
He was charmed by her question; she really didn't seem to know.
"Because when you're here, it is second," he had said, smiling at her, the big beautiful smile she had come to love.
The memory caused her to smile again. She pocketed the card key. She had every intention of taking advantage of it later, other memories now flooding her thoughts. The sunrise wouldn't be the only beautiful thing occurring there the next morning, she thought to herself.