The Stargate activated, and as usual, security alarms went off everywhere.
"Unscheduled off-world activation! Repeat! Unscheduled off-world activation! Security teams to the embarkation room!"
All over the base, people responded. Most of them simply moved to the side if they were in a corridor, to make room for the men and women who were suddenly running towards the gate room all of them wearing serious expressions and carrying weapons, ready to face whatever it was that was coming through the gate. There were still no SG teams off-world, so it couldn't be any of the teams returning.
"It's the Tok'ra," Sergeant Davis told Hammond, who was looking over his shoulder. Jack and SG-1 had come running at the alert and they entered the embarkation room just in time to see the iris open.
A moment later Jacob emerged from the gate.
The Tok'ra/General had left the SGC the moment Fraiser reported that Mitchell had woken up for a few moments. He'd known he'd be able to get more information from their operatives than he would hanging out at the SGC - especially since Daniel and Mitchell were both drugged into deep sleeps, and Fraiser had said it'd be probably at least 24 hours before Daniel woke, and even longer before Melony did.
Jack saw that Jacob had a satisfied look on his face when he walked down the ramp, although he did look tired. Of course, Jack felt tired, too, so he could relate.
"Where Major Anderson?" Jacob asked, looking around and surprised that Brad hadn't joined SG-1 when they'd come to the gate room.
Jack was surprised by the question. Where else would Brad be?
"He's sitting by the infirmary, waiting for Fraiser to let him see Colonel Mitchell. With the rest of SG-2."
"Call him to the briefing room," Jacob said. "He'll want to hear this."
The Tok'ra smiled at Hammond, who gave him an odd look. He hadn't seen his old friend look quite so cheerful in a long time. Whatever it was, it had to be good news.
"Let's go to the briefing room." Hammond said. He looked over at Carter, who looked tired, he realized. Everyone looked tired. It had been a rough month for all of them, and the last days had been the worst. "Major? Would you go tell Major Anderson I'd like for him to join us in the briefing room, please?"
A summons to the briefing room might be ignored, or unheard if Brad wasn't listening. This way, it was more personal.
Sam nodded, "Yes, Sir."
She headed for the door, and a moment later the others followed, although they headed for the briefing room and not the infirmary.
……………
"Brad?"
Anderson opened his eyes, and looked up at the sound of Sam's voice. He'd been sitting on the bench outside of the infirmary, waiting for Janet Fraiser to come by so he could pester her with questions about Melony. He'd originally been with the other men of SG-2, but he'd sent them off to bed. It was late, and Simmons was needed at home. Williams had looked as tired as Brad felt, so he'd sent him home, too. That was the good thing about being in command; he could tell them to get rest and they had to do it. Then he'd stayed on the bench, but his eyes had grown heavy, too, and he found himself nodding off, still sitting upright, with his head in his hands.
"Sam. What's wrong?"
She smiled and reached out and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. God, he looked so tired, and worried. Hopefully whatever it was her father was going to tell them would make him feel better.
"Nothing. My dad's back, and he's going to tell us something. He thought you might want to hear it."
She ran her fingers through his short, jet-black hair.
"I think I should stay here…" Brad said, closing his eyes again. He didn't want to leave the infirmary area. What if Melony woke up again? This time maybe he'd get a chance to see her. To talk to her. Just a second would be enough…
"General Hammond wants you there."
That made it official, which pretty much made it an order. Brad sighed, and opened his eyes again and stood up.
"Guess I have to go, then, huh?"
"I'm sorry."
Anderson's smile was slight, but it was genuine.
"Don't be. I probably need to walk around a little, anyways. Where are they?"
"Briefing room."
………….
"What's this all about, Jacob?" Jack asked.
"In a minute, Jack."
Jacob poured himself a cup of coffee while he waited for Sam and Anderson to get there, and everyone fidgeted impatiently while they waited. Except Teal'c, who never fidgeted.
A few minutes later, Sam and Brad walked through the door, and Jacob smiled and got right to the point.
"It looks like the plan worked." The Tok'ra said. "The Tok'ra have been getting messages from every operative that we have, saying that there's been some kind of final battle at Keylow. All the system lords there were killed by the upstart - as they call Talon - and already her First Prime has taken steps to secure the armies and territories that they'd once laid claimed to. The remaining system lords are in a panic. They're certain that they're going to be next, and the operatives we've heard from are saying that they're all trying to get hold of Talon - or her First Prime - to ask what her demands are for peace treaties."
"No ambushes?" Jack asked.
Jacob smiled, an honest to God smile that was just as much relief as it was glee.
"You don't understand, Jack. They couldn't ambush her if they wanted to. There aren't enough of them left. From what we can tell from preliminary information, there were at least 80 percent of the system lords - the major ones - in on the ambush, and they're all dead. Their armies and territories belong to Talon and Melony, now. There isn't a system lord - major or otherwise - who would dare try anything. She's done it. The Goa'uld are broken, and the Jaffa are almost exclusively under the control of one leader now. A Tok'ra."
"An Air Force officer." Jack corrected.
Jacob grinned. "That, too."
"It's really over?" Sam asked. "They can't mount an offensive?"
"Even if all the Goa'uld that are left all banded together, they're only be able to raise an army that's maybe a fourth the size of the one Melony control, now. And they're far too cowardly to fight any war with those kinds of odds," Jacob said.
"So, we have-"
Jack was interrupted by a flash of light that lit up the room, and a moment later Thor was standing against one of the far walls. The little Asgard looked around the room.
"General Hammond. Forgive my intrusion."
"Thor? What are you doing here?" Hammond asked.
Jack frowned. Great. Just when they thought everything was going good, now something new was going to ruin it all. Well, shit.
"The Asgard have had some disquieting news," Thor said in that amazingly calm and gentle voice of his. "We thought you should know immediately. The majority of the Goa'uld system lords have apparently come under the single banner of one Major system lord, who has in one battle wiped out the others."
Jack grinned.
"We've already heard that, Thor."
"This is a serious matter, O'Neill," Thor said. "The Goa'uld have never before been defeated like this. One or two armies is nothing of too much consequence, but we estimate that this new System lord has a force that could do grave damage to everyone they come in contact with. Including your people, and mine."
Jack shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure that we're not in any danger from this new System lord, Thor. Neither are the Asgard."
"Why do you say that, O'Neill?"
"Because Brad over there is sleeping with her."
Everyone in the room turned toward Anderson, who blushed a brilliant shade of red. Jack gave him an apologetic smile, and started to explain.
"Unscheduled off-world activation! Repeat! Unscheduled off-world activation! Security teams to the embarkation room!"
All over the base, people responded. Most of them simply moved to the side if they were in a corridor, to make room for the men and women who were suddenly running towards the gate room all of them wearing serious expressions and carrying weapons, ready to face whatever it was that was coming through the gate. There were still no SG teams off-world, so it couldn't be any of the teams returning.
"It's the Tok'ra," Sergeant Davis told Hammond, who was looking over his shoulder. Jack and SG-1 had come running at the alert and they entered the embarkation room just in time to see the iris open.
A moment later Jacob emerged from the gate.
The Tok'ra/General had left the SGC the moment Fraiser reported that Mitchell had woken up for a few moments. He'd known he'd be able to get more information from their operatives than he would hanging out at the SGC - especially since Daniel and Mitchell were both drugged into deep sleeps, and Fraiser had said it'd be probably at least 24 hours before Daniel woke, and even longer before Melony did.
Jack saw that Jacob had a satisfied look on his face when he walked down the ramp, although he did look tired. Of course, Jack felt tired, too, so he could relate.
"Where Major Anderson?" Jacob asked, looking around and surprised that Brad hadn't joined SG-1 when they'd come to the gate room.
Jack was surprised by the question. Where else would Brad be?
"He's sitting by the infirmary, waiting for Fraiser to let him see Colonel Mitchell. With the rest of SG-2."
"Call him to the briefing room," Jacob said. "He'll want to hear this."
The Tok'ra smiled at Hammond, who gave him an odd look. He hadn't seen his old friend look quite so cheerful in a long time. Whatever it was, it had to be good news.
"Let's go to the briefing room." Hammond said. He looked over at Carter, who looked tired, he realized. Everyone looked tired. It had been a rough month for all of them, and the last days had been the worst. "Major? Would you go tell Major Anderson I'd like for him to join us in the briefing room, please?"
A summons to the briefing room might be ignored, or unheard if Brad wasn't listening. This way, it was more personal.
Sam nodded, "Yes, Sir."
She headed for the door, and a moment later the others followed, although they headed for the briefing room and not the infirmary.
……………
"Brad?"
Anderson opened his eyes, and looked up at the sound of Sam's voice. He'd been sitting on the bench outside of the infirmary, waiting for Janet Fraiser to come by so he could pester her with questions about Melony. He'd originally been with the other men of SG-2, but he'd sent them off to bed. It was late, and Simmons was needed at home. Williams had looked as tired as Brad felt, so he'd sent him home, too. That was the good thing about being in command; he could tell them to get rest and they had to do it. Then he'd stayed on the bench, but his eyes had grown heavy, too, and he found himself nodding off, still sitting upright, with his head in his hands.
"Sam. What's wrong?"
She smiled and reached out and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. God, he looked so tired, and worried. Hopefully whatever it was her father was going to tell them would make him feel better.
"Nothing. My dad's back, and he's going to tell us something. He thought you might want to hear it."
She ran her fingers through his short, jet-black hair.
"I think I should stay here…" Brad said, closing his eyes again. He didn't want to leave the infirmary area. What if Melony woke up again? This time maybe he'd get a chance to see her. To talk to her. Just a second would be enough…
"General Hammond wants you there."
That made it official, which pretty much made it an order. Brad sighed, and opened his eyes again and stood up.
"Guess I have to go, then, huh?"
"I'm sorry."
Anderson's smile was slight, but it was genuine.
"Don't be. I probably need to walk around a little, anyways. Where are they?"
"Briefing room."
………….
"What's this all about, Jacob?" Jack asked.
"In a minute, Jack."
Jacob poured himself a cup of coffee while he waited for Sam and Anderson to get there, and everyone fidgeted impatiently while they waited. Except Teal'c, who never fidgeted.
A few minutes later, Sam and Brad walked through the door, and Jacob smiled and got right to the point.
"It looks like the plan worked." The Tok'ra said. "The Tok'ra have been getting messages from every operative that we have, saying that there's been some kind of final battle at Keylow. All the system lords there were killed by the upstart - as they call Talon - and already her First Prime has taken steps to secure the armies and territories that they'd once laid claimed to. The remaining system lords are in a panic. They're certain that they're going to be next, and the operatives we've heard from are saying that they're all trying to get hold of Talon - or her First Prime - to ask what her demands are for peace treaties."
"No ambushes?" Jack asked.
Jacob smiled, an honest to God smile that was just as much relief as it was glee.
"You don't understand, Jack. They couldn't ambush her if they wanted to. There aren't enough of them left. From what we can tell from preliminary information, there were at least 80 percent of the system lords - the major ones - in on the ambush, and they're all dead. Their armies and territories belong to Talon and Melony, now. There isn't a system lord - major or otherwise - who would dare try anything. She's done it. The Goa'uld are broken, and the Jaffa are almost exclusively under the control of one leader now. A Tok'ra."
"An Air Force officer." Jack corrected.
Jacob grinned. "That, too."
"It's really over?" Sam asked. "They can't mount an offensive?"
"Even if all the Goa'uld that are left all banded together, they're only be able to raise an army that's maybe a fourth the size of the one Melony control, now. And they're far too cowardly to fight any war with those kinds of odds," Jacob said.
"So, we have-"
Jack was interrupted by a flash of light that lit up the room, and a moment later Thor was standing against one of the far walls. The little Asgard looked around the room.
"General Hammond. Forgive my intrusion."
"Thor? What are you doing here?" Hammond asked.
Jack frowned. Great. Just when they thought everything was going good, now something new was going to ruin it all. Well, shit.
"The Asgard have had some disquieting news," Thor said in that amazingly calm and gentle voice of his. "We thought you should know immediately. The majority of the Goa'uld system lords have apparently come under the single banner of one Major system lord, who has in one battle wiped out the others."
Jack grinned.
"We've already heard that, Thor."
"This is a serious matter, O'Neill," Thor said. "The Goa'uld have never before been defeated like this. One or two armies is nothing of too much consequence, but we estimate that this new System lord has a force that could do grave damage to everyone they come in contact with. Including your people, and mine."
Jack shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure that we're not in any danger from this new System lord, Thor. Neither are the Asgard."
"Why do you say that, O'Neill?"
"Because Brad over there is sleeping with her."
Everyone in the room turned toward Anderson, who blushed a brilliant shade of red. Jack gave him an apologetic smile, and started to explain.