VI. A New Meaning to Life
Sam looked up from her keyboard at the dark and blank room. She sat in her personal quarters at the SGC, just a few days after she had accepted her new position. She looked down at the keyboard and the dark screen of her laptop, letting the silence develop. Staring at the keys, she tired to figure out why she had accepted the new assignment so readily. She knew the answer, but she wanted to find a more professional and unselfish reason. For god sakes, she was going to be commanding a crew of at least fifty or more people; she couldn't be selfish like that!
Deep down, she wanted revenge. She wanted to kill the System Lord Odin personally. Kill him for taking her friends and family away, for destroying what she had felt was the most important thing to her in the world. Even though it was true, Sam didn't want to accept that she would sink that low. What would her team mates say? Jack would have stared at her, Daniel would have been in shock most likely, and Teal'c would have found some way to talk her out of it. Sam clenched her fists and smacked them down on the desk.
The desk shook and glass breaking was heard. Sam turned her head to the floor, seeing the picture frame on the ground and she reached down to pick it up. Sam took the picture in her hands, seeing the broken glass on the picture of her and her team, SG-1. She frowned sadly, holding it in her lap as she closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. She clenched her fists around the frame as tears ran down her face, her shoulders shaking. SG-1 was gone; they were killed while trying to make sure she got off the planet. Sam opened her eyes, staring down at the picture.
Sam would defeat Odin. She would kill him. Sam looked up slowly and through her bangs as the door was knocked on. "Come in." she said lowly with her voice filled with tears.
"Major." The airman said. "General Hammond wants to see you within four hours for yours and Lieutenant Hailey's promotions."
"Thanks." Sam answered in the same low voice. The airman stood there for a moment, worried, before he saluted and left, closing the door. Sam lowered her head into her hands, feeling so disgusted with herself. She shouldn't use this new assignment and her crew to wreak her own personal revenge. It was wrong, it was very unprofessional. It was not Major Samantha Carter. But Sam wasn't a major anymore; she'd be a Lieutenant Colonel within a few hours. Maybe that is how Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter fights now. Down, dirty, and no better than the Goa'uld themselves. Sam found herself not carrying, even though her conscious hated the thought.
She didn't care. She'd destroy Odin with her own hands, and would make sure that all the System Lords knew about what she was going to do if and when she caught them. She wasn't Samantha Carter, that woman had changed when her mother died in the car accident. She became the military woman that everyone had come to know. But then again she wasn't Captain…or even Major Carter anymore. Sam had changed again in her life, but this time, was it for the better?
Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter would kill this Goa'uld, and make sure all System Lords feared her name.
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"Incoming wormhole."
General Hammond turned his head towards the gate in the Embarkment room. He looked over at the men at the computers, identifying the GDO code that was being processed.
"It is the Tok'ra, sir."
"Open the Iris." Hammond said. Within moments the steal platting of the Gate was moved and Jacob Carter stepped out of the wormhole. Hammond smiled and walked up the ramp, meeting with him. "Good to see you again, Jacob."
"Like wise, George." Jacob smiled. "After all, no matter what the Tok'ra says, there is no way I will miss my daughter's proportion to Lieutenant Colonel!" he smiled, patting Hammond on the shoulder. Neither spoke of SG-1's fate, both the Tok'ra and the Asgard had been notified soon after Sam had awoken in her hospital bed and told Hammond what had happened. Jacob continued down the ramp and looked around as the Gate disengaged, and production on the ceremony setting continued. "Where's Sam?"
"Getting ready I imagine." Hammond answered. "Ah, Jacob…you, may not want to mention anything to Carter about what the Tok'ra know of Odin…that goes for you as well, Selmak. She isn't handling the situation well. Hopefully having Hailey as her second in command will help her with this."
"Let us hope so, General Hammond." Selmak agreed. "Jacob and I are in the process of speaking with the Tok'ra on being assigned to this ship of yours and the Asgard. It will benefit the Tok'ra."
"And this means that we will know more information before the Tok'ra?" Hammond asked, folding his arms. "Do not get me wrong, Selmak, but the Tok'ra are not all that trust worthy at the moment. The fact that the Tok'ra do not tell us anything sets the alliance off on a downside."
"We are aware of this General Hammond, yet the Tok'ra will keep to their ways for it has saved them in the past. If we cannot be assigned to this ship, then we will try to be on more missions surrounding Samantha. Jacob is more worried about her than he will let on." Selmak smiled.
"Geez Sel, tell him everything." Jacob shook his head. "Well, Hammond, when is this going to start?"
"As soon as you can move yourself away from where our podium will be." Hammond and George shared a laugh.
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Sam and Jennifer looked at each other as Hammond closed finishing remarks. They let out a sigh of relief as the applause filled the air, and both smiled. Jacob made his way to Sam and they hugged, smiling at each other.
"Congrads Sam, that comes from both Selmak and I." Jacob smiled and she smiled back. "I mean, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha." Sam shook her head. "I'm proud of you, Sam." He looked at Jennifer who saluted. "And congratulations to you as well, Captain Hailey."
"It was an honor to serve for the Tok'ra for that mission, sir." Jennifer smiled.
"And it was an honor having you at our side, Captain Hailey. You will be a fine second in command to Lieutenant Colonel Carter." Selmak replied.
"So Dad, think you'll be around for awhile? I mean…well, you know." Sam smiled Jacob smiled as well. "Maybe later we could go and get something?"
"I'd love to Sam, you know that." Jacob nodded. "Selmak and I are working on trying to convince the Tok'ra to let us stay on the EC4567 Horizon as a, how to say, Tok'ra Ambassador." Sam's eyebrow perked up and Jennifer frowned. " 'The Tau'ri are new to space travel, they will need a guiding hand so they will not do so foolish things.' Is most likely how they will answer."
"Typical of the Tok'ra, no offense Selmak." Sam mumbled.
"As none taken, Samantha. I understand."
Sam nodded and turned to the Stargate as Selmak, Jacob, and Jennifer spoke with Hammond. She looked at the Gate and its symbols, remembering all the adventures this one piece of the past had given her. Within a half of a year at the latest, she wouldn't be seeing this. She would be in space, seeing the planets that she had visited from space, and from above. She smiled; it thrilled her that she would be doing this. Yet there was that nagging feeling of revenge in the back of her mind, but she didn't pay attention to it.
This night and day were for celebration.
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A/n: Short chapter, I am sorry. My family and I got sick this last week and I couldn't do much. Next chapter will be normal length – expect more characters!