Chapter 7: Barbarians

Teal'c was worried. Since he could no longer kelnorim, he had to sleep just like everyone else. But tonight he could not. Though his quarters on board the alien ship were luxurious, he felt profound discomfort. As a result of this expedition to the advanced humans of the Commonwealth, Teal'c faced a few extremely upsetting facts. For the first time since his association with the Tau'ri, he realized how much humans across the galaxy hated the Jaffa. Millennia of human oppression at the hands of the Jaffa left an undeniable antipathy, and maybe, a desire for revenge. The old excuse of just following orders did not seem to be an adequate Jaffa response. After all, he broke with the false gods. Why hadn't anyone else? That question and many others robbed Teal'c of sleep.

A knock at the door interrupted his reverie. He rose reluctantly and answered. Sam Carter wanted to talk. Over the years, their friendship had evolved. Never before in history had a Jaffa condescended to befriend a human female. But this one was his worthy comrade in arms. She was as capable as any Jaffa warrior. She was certainly more capable than most female Jaffa. How many other truths about humans did the Jaffa miss all this time? So many on the High Council of the Free Jaffa Nation still held to the old ways. They could not see what he had learned. Council members openly showed contempt for their human allies. They knew what had been accomplished with the help of the Tau'ri of Earth. This weakness would be the Jaffa's undoing if humans like the Commonwealth existed with such hatred for them.

"Hey Teal'c. I just can't sleep. Do you mind if I..." Sam stopped as Teal'c gestured for her to enter. "Thanks. I just need to talk."

"I cannot sleep either Colonel Carter. Today's events are troubling." Teal'c sat down on a chair. Sam took a position opposite. "Do you require refreshments?"

"No, thanks. I just want to sit for a few minutes. Ok?" Sam steepled her hands in front of her chest. They sat comfortably in silence a for few minutes. Sam formulated her thoughts and began. " Teal'c, does it bother you that we, I mean humans, the Tok'ra, the NID, and yes, these people have been working so hard to find a way to destroy your people? It's creeping me out."

"Indeed. This thought is keeping me awake tonight as well." Teal'c frowned. "Their hatred of us is understandable. And it is disturbing. So many humans have died at the other end of our staff weapons for too long. But what troubles me more is the fact that the majority of our people still see humans as an inferior species. Too many hold to the old ways."

"Yeah, I mean we are supposed to be allies. But they treat us as enemies. Why? I mean after all we have done to help free them, why?" Sam looked at him and only saw her friend. But, she knew others did not see the same man. Commander Derek and Colonel Mitchell made that fact plain today. Derek had tried to kill Teal'c in the briefing room. Lady Anna admitted to having the means to wipe out the Jaffa. And Earth's own NID had actually used, indiscriminately, the Tok'ra symbiote poison to wipe out entire Jaffa worlds trying to kill Goa'uld.

"Colonel Carter, the Jaffa believe that we were primarily responsible for freeing ourselves. We rose up in rebellion. We commanded the ships that took Dakara. We fought the System Lords and killed most of them. At least most that were left after the Replicators were defeated. Most ordinary Jaffa do not know and did not see all the efforts of the Tau'ri. It is easy for them to think you only played a minor part. And the ones, who do know, also know what the NID did to so many Jaffa on Baal's planets. There is much anger over these events."

"Teal'c, tonight what disturbs me is the possibility that there are other advanced humans who want to see the Jaffa dead. And those others may not have the morality these people profess to have. Those others may try to do it." She shook her head at the idea.

"That thought had occurred to me as well. And more over, this morality may not be enough to stop these people." Teal'c hesitated. "Colonel Carter, I am afraid to tell the High Council what I have learned. If they know all this, our alliance may fall apart. There is enough suspicion and distrust of the Tau'ri as it is. We shall need their help if all of this information is true." Teal'c was silent for a time. "And with Tretonin, many are afraid to become dependent again on another race. Most Jaffa are afraid of it. And more think it is a ploy to enslave us. If it is learned that tens of billions of humans seek the annihilation of all Jaffa, the consequences will be drastic. The High Council will order a preemptive strike on Earth and humans such as these."

Back in the Capital of the Commonwealth, the news media was having a field day. Lord General Jack O'Neill had taken command of the flagship of the fleet. From the 'O'Neill,' images of Jack sitting in the command chair, signing orders were played and re-played ad nauseum. People were dancing in the streets. Scenes of a very serious Jack and Anna putting their heads together consulting with each other made every street corner news screen. Prayers of thanksgiving were being offered in every chapel. Images of them sitting around a conference table with high-ranking military leaders showed the dawn of a new age. The Talking Heads took charge. Every minute gesture, smile, laugh, and frown was analyzed for its importance. The composition of personnel at the briefing was discussed for its serious importance. Channel 1958 boasted their field reporter had scooped the rest of the media by fifteen minutes.

In the Palace, the King watched the broadcasts and chuckled to himself. That Anna certainly knew how to manipulate the mob. Anna was his favorite. Those opposition wimps could not possibly vote against her programs in the Great Council, now. And he was glad he backed her up from the start. Their plans were coming together

On the ship, Daniel could not sleep either. In his head, Daniel kept replaying the moment when Mitchell accused Lady Anna of plotting genocide against the Jaffa. Every time he thought of it, he got sick. He decided to go for a walk to clear his head. His path led him to a lounge on the science deck. Daniel was relieved to see a familiar face. Dr. Gilead waved him over to where they could sit and chat. One look and Daniel understood that today's incident had made the rounds all over the ship.

"I see everyone heard about today's mistake." Gilead nodded. Daniel apologized. "Lady Anna is certainly deserving of more respect than what happened today."

"Yes. But I don't think you understand how much she means to us." Gilead paused and took his time. "When no one would go out to fight, our Lady went as an example. Over and over, she has been wounded horribly in combat. Several times, she died. We had to revive her in a sarcophagus captured from a Goa'uld." He paused to see that Daniel understood. "And, just as importantly, Lady Anna is precious as the last descendent of the direct unbroken line of King David who slew Goliath."

"Really, I had no idea. Truly, she is a remarkable woman." Daniel was worried. This information made today's incident worse than anyone knew. But, he understood that Genetic Restoration made long lives the norm for these people. They stayed so young for so many decades, that large families must result. "The last? If you all live so long, aren't your families enormous?"

"The Royal Family had many members vacationing on Asher when the Attack happened. Nearly the entire direct line was wiped out, including our Lady's own husband and children. We honor her for who she is and all her great deeds." Good thought Gilead. I can tell the Admiral that the message has been delivered to these barbarians.

"I mean no disrespect to the Lady and all she has accomplished. She is a brave and dedicated leader. Her sacrifices must be honored by all of us." Daniel paused before he took the plunge. "Our General has also made the same sacrifices. You should know that General O'Neill has been revived in the sarcophagus so many times that we have all lost count. He was captured by Baal and tortured to death over and over for a long time. He died in battle with Apophis and rose again with the help of the Nox. He has suffered terrible wounds in battle against the Goa'uld. Your Lady and our General are made of the same iron will."

"I meant no disrespect, Dr. Jackson. We all value His Honor. Without our great leaders, where would we be?" Dr. Gilead was a bit too smug. "But even his honor, the General does not possess such a lineage."

"Ah, yes, yes he does, actually." Daniel saw the disbelief and anger in Dr. Gilead's eyes. "In terms of lineage, General O'Neill's line goes back to the time of King Solomon. His line is the most carefully chronicled of any family on Earth." Dr. Gilead did not believe him. "Check our records. You have them now. It is all there."

Daniel launched into his recital. "The O'Neill family is said to originate from the King of Scythia and Scota, a daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt, who was a sister of King Solomon's Queen. Their son was Nial, a name meaning Champion. The twenty-first descendent of Nail was named Milesius, the King of a place now called Spain. The descendents of Nial ruled Spain for almost one thousand years. Milesius led the Nial descendents to a place called Ireland about 600 years before you were abducted from Earth. By the time your people were abducted from Earth, the O'Neills had ruled Spain for 1000 years and had 70 O'Neill Irish kings. The name O'Neill means son of the Champion. The O'Neills were the High Kings of Ireland for over two thousand years."

"You are serious?" Daniel nodded. Dr. Gilead's face paled. He realized Daniel did know. This information could be checked. Gilead pushed himself up from the table so fast his cup went flying. "Excuse me, Dr. Jackson. I must inform the Admiral, immediately." With that, Gilead ran out the door. Daniel put his head in his hands. He did not know if he made it worse or better. He had better go tell Jack.

In his office, O'Neill re-read his report to the President and the requisition list to be sure that he had not overlooked anything. Somehow he had to turn the situation to his own advantage. Today's faux pas at the conference table derailed his negotiating position. Mitchell really put his foot in his mouth. The Lady had morally trumped him. Again, she had committed to nothing for his people, while gaining the high ground. Jack was frustrated.

Daniel came into his office. Jack knew that look too well. Daniel had discovered something and it wasn't good. This day just got better and better. O'Neill sighed a deep sigh. "Ok, Daniel, what now?"

"Jack, I don't know how to tell you this." Daniel stood there and brooded for a moment. Jack waited patiently. It seemed to Jack all he did this last week was wait patiently. "Jack, I said something to my archaeologist friend, Dr. Gilead tonight that may cause some complications."

"And, so, therefore, get on with it, Daniel, I'm tired." Jack was in no mood tonight for this crap. He got up to stretch.

"Dr. Gilead let me know how upset everyone here is about what Mitchell said to Lady Anna. It made the rounds. He told me how very brave she is. Remarkable actually. Did you know she has been wounded leading the troops and has died fighting many times?" Daniel paused avoiding what he had come to say. "They have a captured sarcophagus. They really love her. The insult is worse than we thought."

"That's very interesting, Daniel. But why are you telling me this? Just get to the point." Jack glared at him.

"Yes, well, as he said some things about how brave, important and royal she is, I may have mentioned that you are too. And," Daniel slapped his hands over his eyes and leaned back. "I said you were royal too."

"What?" Jack did not follow that at all. "I'm what?"

"Royal." Daniel started to speak rapidly. "I told Dr. Gilead that the O'Neill family descended from kings since the time of King Solomon."

"Why would you do something like that?" Jack's demeanor got nasty. "Are you insane? Because, right now, I'll be glad to put you out of your misery."

"Because it is true." Daniel looked down and kept talking. He could not look at Jack's face. "The ancient kings of Ireland and part of Scotland were the O'Neill. Jack, your written family history goes back to about 600 BC. The oral and written record is clear. The oral histories state that your ancestors go back to the Pharaohs." Daniel looked up through his glasses to check for a reaction. "Actually, there is an apocryphal story that one of your ancestors was the sister of King Solomon's queen."

"Daniel, are you trying to give me a stroke?" Jack leaned back in disgust. Then he whipped around and advanced on Daniel. "My pal, my buddy, my old friend didn't think today was bad enough. No, and this is the good part, wait for it, he decided to make me ROYALTY. And this friend, whom I rarely see any more, who doesn't write, doesn't call, doesn't check in, was not content that we went out of our way to insult a very powerful, and really ROYAL lady. Oh, and did I mention the story gets better? You see this really royal person has us over a barrel because she has taken us prisoner and we have no idea where we are. No don't interrupt, that's not the worst of it. This friend, this colleague, he did it to, what, prove what? I'll tell you..."NOTHING!" Jack grimaced and spat out the word through his clenched teeth.

"J-jack, Jack, please, it isn't nothing. At least not with these people. They respect people with a definite lineage, a royal lineage." Daniel got frustrated trying to explain these things to Jack.

"I think they already have respected me enough this week. Don't you?" Jack replied in his most surly, sarcastic voice. "I am respected so much, I may have to live out the rest of my LIFE here being respected."

"If you'll just listen, I can explain it so that you can use it." Daniel pulled up a chair. "In a way, I did you a favor."

"Get out." Jack commanded.

"Wait. I can..." Daniel didn't finish.

"Get out, before I, so help me Daniel, sometimes I wish I had left you on Abydos." Jack was snarling. He raised his hands towards Daniel in a mock strangulation gesture.

"You did leave me on Abydos." Daniel corrected.

"Just go." Jack turned away.

The com chimes rang in Lady Anna's quarters. Admiral Zay sighed and said, "What? We asked not to be disturbed."

Lt. Andrew answered. "My Lord, we have just monitored a conversation between Colonel Carter and Master Teal'c. It is urgent that you hear it too."

"Very well, display it." Zay looked over at Anna who was half asleep. The hour was late and the day had been long and eventful. The two cousins had shared a quiet evening together. The evening had been a pleasant respite from the pressures of command. Duty brought them back to reality.

A hologram of the two members of SG-1 sitting in quiet conversation replayed in front of the two most important leaders of the Commonwealth's military. When it was done, both Zay and Anna knew their problems just grew exponentially. "Just when you think it can't get any worse, there you have it." Zay turned sad and angry eyes at Anna. "They don't leave here for any reason before this all goes down. No exceptions."

"No argument Zay. I had not planned on overtly denying them access to Earth, but now it is cast in concrete. They stay." Anna spoke to the com system. She accessed the computer's security protocols. Just in case any measure had been overlooked before, Anna locked her Earth Force Advisor and his staff out of accessing any launch bay, every ship's ignition sequence, activation protocols for transporters, and the more sensitive areas of the ship and the computer system as well. She issued orders to security forbidding O'Neill and SG-1 access to the Stargate without Zay's or her own express permission. Too much was at stake and too many lives hung in the balance to risk an escape. Based upon her time with O'Neill, Lady Anna was not sure even all this would be enough if he decided to leave.

More trouble was on the way. Dr. Gilead made a beeline for Admiral Zay's office. At this late hour, of course he was not there. But one of his assistants would know what to do. The information was sensitive and Dr. Gilead did not want to tell anyone but the Admiral. And, he wanted to do it in person. This matter was too delicate to leave a message. It took some persuading, but the assistant finally consented to disturb the Admiral. Since he was just leaving Anna's quarters anyway, he might as well hear this and deal with whatever it was to clear his schedule for tomorrow. Dr. Gilead was a reliable fellow after all.

A moment later, Anna was paged. That nuisance of a barbarian couldn't even wait until morning before hounding her again. Zay was leaving on some errand. It was late. She was not about to get up and traipse all the way down to her office to endure more bad behavior. Instead, she decided to have some fun and jerk his chain but good. So, Lady Anna sent for Jack.

Jack sat cooling his heels in his office. He was waiting to hear if Lady Anna would even take his call tonight. After today's diplomatic disaster, it was not obvious she would ever deal directly with him again. And after Daniel's latest stunt, he would be lucky if she did not throw him in prison. He had to get to her before this archaeologist guy did. And he needed her permission to get that requisition off to Earth quickly. This had been a bad day.

While Jack waited, he reviewed the situation over and over. O'Neill had to admit the Lady was a successful politician. She had turned a society of pacifists into an armed camp. She used every trick she could imagine to pull, push, and snow a recalcitrant population. Anna crafted a tremendous public relations effort to create an inspiring, legendary, and heroic figure, using stories about Jack O'Neill. That effort was in full swing even before they met. Sure she lured him home as fast as she could. Given her time frame, now was her last opportunity to capitalize on that propaganda. His public appearances in the Capital this week played into her strategy. Jack shook his head thinking about the outlandish adulation.

No one on Earth, not even Jack,realized Lady Anna's strategy. From the get go, the Lady told them straight up what she wanted and why. She wanted to protect her people. To accomplish this goal, the Lady wanted Jack, a few things unique to Earth, and a military alliance cemented through many marriages. In exchange, she dangled the secrets to long life spans and advanced technologies. The terms just sounded so sinister and ridiculous no one believed her. The strange demands felt excessive. Lady Anna's offer appeared to be too good to be true. Perhaps it was the shock of the circumstances. Maybe it was the choice of words. Or possibly, it was howpeople filtered the information through existing biases. A mastermind of the human psyche, Lady Anna's strategy was to hide behind the truth.

Even now, General O'Neill did not understand that Lady Anna was a master manipulator. She had designed her plan to appear as an elaborate deception. Responding to implied threats that were never spoken, Earth governments rushed to assume that a gun was being held to their collective heads. The governments inferred that the arrival of the immense fleet of gargantuan ships was an overt act of aggression. But the Lady never directly said or did anything to offer any harm. Anna's people had extreme moral impediments to taking life. The folks at home didn't know it, but this week, Jack discovered her fleet was nothing more than a paper tiger.

The Lady understood people. She realized O'Neill felt compelled to protect his people. She out maneuvered him just by letting his own instincts take their course. She played to his ego, his curiosity, and his own fears. The more kindness she expressed, the worse she looked to him and tohis people. Jack intended to use this expedition to find any weakness he could exploit and take her down. Once she had physical possession of him, she manipulated the President into assigning him to her staff. Instead of killing her, Jack was assigned to help her.

O'Neill's original assumptions were correct. Her actions were a cover for something more. She was making a last ditch effort to avoid monstrous carnage at almost any cost to her own dignity and her people's resources. If she could not find a better solution, hundreds of millions of her people would die in the fighting. There really was a gaggle of bad guys, who were an imminent threat. These bad guys went after whole planets. That kind of destruction would make a society of 38 billion people on 26 planets implode. What Anna was hiding was the enormity of the truth.

What Jack understood tonight was simple. He and his team possessed too much classified information to be returned to Earth. He would do the same thing if the positions were reversed. It didn't mean he liked it. Lady Anna was desperate and her back was to the wall. That reality made her especially dangerous. Negotiating was useless now. Insulting her today put him far in the wrong and left him out of options. Pushing would just get them into more trouble. He knew she was trying to manipulate him. So far, she had managed to stay ahead of him at every turn. And it didn't help to have his own team torpedo him right and left. If he could not deliver the assistance she required, all their lives were forfeit. He had to prove he was useful. So he had better get on with it. Jack hoped she would be generous later, if they were all still alive.

A liveried servant announced the arrival of the Lord General O'Neill to Lady Anna. She noticed he was still in his sloppy attire. No points for impressing a lady here. She wondered if the barbarian understood that his part in this drama was nearly over. Unless he could provide true talent from Earth's Pentagon, or from wherever, she would send him into exile. Until it all played out, she might as well have some fun.

Jack rose and saluted Lady Anna as she swirled into the room. Not for the first time was he dumbstruck by her physical beauty. He became acutely aware of her attributes softly draped by her gown. Her brown hair flowed halfway down her back. Jack was only human. She was gorgeous. For a moment, he forgot why he was there.

Lady Anna looked him over carefully. She met his gaze and turned away, slowly, saying nothing. She moved to the center of the room and waited patiently. Anna raised her eyes to meet his. "You have a pressing reason to come tonight, My Lord?"

Jack became self-conscious. The last thing he could afford was to let her catch him looking at her the wrong way. The light in the room accentuated her features under the long robe. He moved slightly to the side to avoid the angle the view permitted. "Yes, ma'am."

"What is so important it could not wait until morning?" Anna adjusted her hair, running her fingers through it absently. She leaned against a table. The lights hit her again. Jack shifted a little to the side.

"Ma'am, I would like to alert you that there is a minor matter, which will cross your desk in the morning." Jack was losing his concentration. "I do not want to keep offending you, ma'am. I would like to find a way to communicate better with you." Anna sighed. Jack plowed on. "What I want to discuss tonight is my requisition of people and items from Earth. Ma'am, I am attempting to cooperate to the best of my abilities. I realize we are on the clock. Please ma'am, send my request with the highest priority to the Pentagon."

"What matter?" Anna fussed with one of the ribbons tying the front of her robe. She shifted her weight. The light caught her again in profile. Anna looked over at him again, waiting.

Jack coughed, and cleared his throat. "Yes ma'am, um, Daniel, Dr. Jackson that is, said something inappropriate. I don't want you to think I am disrespecting you again, ma'am. Daniel is a history buff and knows all sorts of trivia. And he sort of said that of course you were royal and all, but he said I was too. It's ridiculous of course, My Lady." Her perfume wafted over to him, compelling him to look at her.

"My Lord General, I am so honored that you have brought this matter to my attention. This is wonderful. Please, My Lord, help me to understand the nature of your heritage. I would not wish to offend any royal person with a lapse of protocol." Anna beamed a smile at him. Just for him. Her silhouette was obvious. He repositioned himself so she would not catch him looking.

"Right, um, Daniel said, I was descended from the Kings of Ireland. But that's ridiculous." O'Neill averted his eyes. He didn't want to look shifty. But, he was afraid she noticed. He could not afford another explosion. "I am not a royal anything, ma'am."

"But, My Lord General, royal heritage is to be studied." She already knew all about the O'Neill line. She had Jack thoroughly researched from the Earth files uploaded this last week. The report was on her desk even now. "A descendent of Kings? I would know your lineage." She pretended to be slightly offended. "You aren't ashamed of having a royal heritage are you?"

Jack couldn't help staring. The urge was too strong. He caught himself and looked away. He hoped she didn't notice. So he focused on the vase next to her. "I don't know anything about it, ma'am."

"My Lord General, it is imperative that I know the nature of your royalty. I would order research of your line immediately. Such matters cannot be taken lightly." Anna thought for a moment, then, said, "we have uploaded much information from Earth to our computer banks. I should have a report by tomorrow midday." Lady Anna moved to exit and conclude the interview. The lights played on her hair.

"My Lady, about my request?" Jack moved to avoid looking at her form again.

"Yes, just forward a plaintext copy to Admiral Zay and have your assistant send the original. Good night, My Lord General." Anna received his salute and left the room. Jack marched out the door as fast as he could. He was praying she didn't notice anything.

Anna wandered off to her chambers, laughing quietly. She made him dance to her tune tonight. The Lady had already read his requisition. Anna sighed; at last she could have her bath.

Late August in Washington, DC is an ever-changing panorama. Tourists scurry through The Mall, an open space filled with memorials and shrines. It stretches 2.5 miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. The lawns and walkways are filled. Families and tour groups line the Reflecting Pool and sit around the ponds. In front of the Jefferson and the FDR Memorials, tourists in peddle boats glide around the Tidal Basin viewing the 3000 Japanese cherry trees. The museums that line The Mall on both sides work overtime to accommodate the flood of people. The new World War II Memorial in the middle greets scores of octogenarian veterans coming for ceremonies. So many old people come; there is a medical facility right next to that memorial for those who go into cardiac arrest. Boaters on the Potomac River parade in every imaginable craft up to Washington Harbor in Georgetown to tie up for the shops and cafes. Sightseeing tour boats travel sedately twenty miles down river to Mt. Vernon and back past the beautiful waterfront of Old Town Alexandria. In the White House, President Hayes and the Joint Chiefs were considering Jack O'Neill's shopping list.

President Hayes set down the ground rules. "This is the most important opportunity to ever happen to Earth. We have the possibility of fulfilling the entire mandate of the Stargate Program. But, the window of opportunity is very short. I am backing this operation on my own authority as Commander-in-Chief. This is my call. I believe Hammond's assessment of the situation. The aliens want to fight their quote unquote Final Battle within a few months. O'Neill needs his help tomorrow. Bear in mind that the guys we are sending there may never return. We are sending out the best people we can spare. I am lifting the restriction on their travel. What our people know about our security, the Commonwealth already knows too. Those guys bugged every single office in the District, including the Oval Office. We have no secrets from the Commonwealth anymore. The people we choose must be able to handle Lady Anna and deal with O'Neill. The funding is not an issue. I want the team assembled at the Stargate by the end of the day."

Francis Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, addressed the group. "If this is what O'Neill is requesting, I can tell you, those aliens don't have a clue. They think that there is a short cut. They want to solve it with one big battle and some mopping up operations. They need people in logistics and strategic targeting. They don't have the tools to win the war. Their strategic thinking is from before the First World War. These aliens are emphasizing capital ships over support infrastructure. They will run out of everything, leaving them sitting ducks. Their problem is our problem."

"Agreed," said the Chief of the Navy. "So who can we send? O'Neill's list of special ops guys will not cut the mustard. From what I can understand, the space ship strategy is not that dissimilar to a blue water fleet. I'll recall some guys I like from retirement."

"We outsourced target analysis and assessment fifteen years ago." The Chief of the Air Force considered for a moment and added. "Those contractors are willing to leave on a moment's notice for the right price anyway. Will five million dollars a head for sign up bonus and insurance to the next of kin be available?"

"Done," said the President.

The Army Chief stated, "Logistics has been run by private contractors since Desert Storm. Same arrangements as the Air Force, sir?" The President nodded.

"Some of O'Neill's spec ops guys are former Green Berets. We'll have them there." The Chief of the Marines offered.

"Make sure these guys have everything they need and then some. They may not be able to get it later." The President looked around the room.

"I'll see to Jack's list of Special Requests." Hammond shook his head. O'Neill could really be a hot dog sometimes.

Two days later, Lady Anna stood with her officers watching the arrival of Lord O'Neill's warriors at her base. These people were not an impressive sight. From what she observed, these were very old men. Some of them looked older than Jack. She looked over to judge her Advisor's reaction. He seemed stumped.

"These are the people you requested, My Lord?" Lady Anna was extremely doubtful about what just arrived.

"My Lady, I know the man who sent them. And I trust my life to him. He knows what he is doing. Please, be patient and you will see." Jack kept his face impassive. Where were all the spec ops guys he asked for? These were contractors. Then, Jack recognized one of his friends.

Containers and personal effects followed the personnel. Apparently, they were prepared for a long stay. Some were looking around, craning their necks. Otherwise, they just ambled along in groups of twos and threes. Some were wearing jeans and sweaters. Others were wearing the usual contractor garb of short-sleeved shirt and necktie over chinos. A few even sported pocket protectors on their shirts. The one approaching had on a sport jacket over slacks. Jack wanted to hear about this before the Lady did. He had to know how to present all this to her.

But the first of the group made it to where Jack was waiting. "General O'Neill, I presume?" Jack nodded and offered his hand. The small grey haired man had the look of a retired senior officer. The two shook hands. "I am retired Lt. General Franklin, Army. Where can we set up for the briefing?"

"General Franklin, may I present the leader of the Commonwealth forces, Lady Anna, Judge of All the People and Third Lord of the Admiralty." Jack indicated the woman standing next to him.

"Nice to finally meet you, ma'am." General Franklin gave a short bow. He had been briefed on the plane to the SGC. "Don't you worry, ma'am. We'll get you fixed up in no time." He turned to O'Neill. "Where do we put on this shindig? My boys are ready to hit the ground running. Just show us where to plug in."

Running? These old men could hardly walk down the ramp. And apparently, this one had no manners either. It was going to be a long war. Lady Anna looked up at O'Neill. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. O'Neill bowed to her and escorted General Franklin off to the conference area. The rest of the team had mostly found their way by then. Commonwealth Security was guiding the ragtag group through Decon and out to the offices close by.

After an hour, the group assembled in a conference room around a large table. Most opened their laptops. A few pulled out battery cords, looking for someplace to juice up. Someone passed out pads of paper and pencils. One of the guys turned to Carter and said, "Hey honey would make some coffee. This will be a long session."

Sam just rolled her eyes. "Sorry sir, there is no coffee." She just walked away. But the man wouldn't let it go.

"What kind of joint is O'Neill running? I haven't had my fucking coffee for two days. I want to know what somebody is going to do about it." He had the wild look of a man in caffeine withdrawal. "Tell O'Neill if I don't get my coffee I'm going home."

Sam got up close and personal with the man. "No one is going to do anything about your coffee. I haven't had my coffee for over two weeks. And you see that woman over there? If you open your mouth like that to her, you will get thrown out an airlock. They are particular about manners around here."

"You're shitting me, right?" She shook her head slowly and grinned an evil grin. He looked up and asked, "You're Colonel Carter?" Sam nodded. "I heard lots about you from George...Hammond. We were classmates at the academy during Nam. Nice to meet you, ma'am. Call me Deets." Sam smiled and nodded. She knew there was nothing personal in the whole exchange.

Another guy walked up to Jack and asked where he could go for a smoke. Jack looked at his assistant and asked her where someone could light a small personal fire. She looked at him like he was insane. The contractor pulled out his pack of cigarettes and offered Jack one.

"No, thanks. I quit." He pointed to the item and said to Lt. Rachel, "that's what he wants to burn for a few minutes." She stared at him dumbfounded. This was the strangest request yet with this man. "Never mind. Daniel, take this man to the biggest closet you can find."

"Thanks, Jack." The man turned to follow Daniel. Lt. Rachel was still staring.

Jack called out, "Don't lose him!"

Two technicians set about organizing the power and com links. Carter was ready with engineers from the ship. They recognized each other for what they were and settled into the task. In half an hour, the technical people had a set of power strips for the laptops to use. With the baggage came enough electronics gear to accommodate their needs. O'Neill raised his eyes in thanks to Hammond for thinking about such things.

Carter walked up to O'Neill and told him everyone was ready to begin. Some of the guys were already seated and had booted up their machines. A few were chewing gum. Others were standing in a group rehashing the latest pre-season football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter went over to Lt. Rachel and asked for some refreshments to be provided.

Lady Anna was appalled. What could these primitives be thinking to come on her ship and just take over like this? Not one of them had offered her any respect. And, worse, O'Neill wasn't dealing with it. He seemed to be enjoying himself in the corner with a man he obviously knew well. She kept hearing the word 'coffee' and then a lot of complaining. Then, General Franklin told everyone to take a seat and begin. He sat at the head of the table. Even O'Neill obeyed. Lady Anna stood there looking from one to the other to the other. This was crazy. Jack looked up to see a bomb about to go off. Oh crap, she was still here. So he got up and walked over to her.

"Ma'am, you should not be here for this." He spoke softly to her. "These people are not ready to be introduced to you. They are good people. Unless you want to give the send off and the rules of engagement, you should not stay. Let Admiral Zay do that. I suggest that you go somewhere so you can observe but not be part of this briefing. You need these people to do their jobs. They can't do that with you here. Let them get briefed and think about the problem. Then they will formulate their questions and send your staff their recommendations." His eyes were pleading with her to comply. "If you stay, you will only get offended." Anna looked around the room again and back to Jack. She nodded and left. Jack went to the other end of the table and offered Admiral Zay the chair. Jack stood up to make the introductions.

Admiral Zay looked around at the motley crew at the table. He looked over at O'Neill and figured he didn't lose much. So he began to describe the bad guys, what they had in terms of the ships, the shipyards, and their bases. His plan was to eliminate the ships and the yards, then go after the bases and the supply routes in a mopping up campaign. The objective was to send the bad guys back where they came from never wanting to try it again.

General Franklin asked Zay what he wanted from them. Zay replied that he wanted them to go through the plans and try to minimize the casualties. General Franklin thought about it and said, "You just outlined the plans of a single battle. I am not sure even that will go according to your plans. What about your concept of the whole campaign? Judging by what you said, this war will take several years to run its course."

"We don't think any of their ships will survive our initial attack." Zay felt confident. He saw the Earth Advisors react in disbelief.

"Well can we have more details and a look at your stuff? We need to understand what we are working with." One of the men in short sleeves jumped in, "We need your staff to support our efforts, said another. Someone else jumped in and asked, "will you tell them to give us access to what we need?" Zay considered and nodded. "We need the detail. We'll take it from there," said General Franklin. Zay spoke an order softly to the computer giving the order to cooperate. His senior subordinates entered and sat down to give a review of the details. Zay got up and left. The meeting continued for the rest of the day. The next two days consisted of number crunching and simulation analysis.

Elsewhere in the ship,a decompression party was underway. In O'Neill's office, the team sat around the table. Grunts of satisfaction could be heard occasionally. No one talked. Everyone ate. Hammond was true to his word that whatever Jack wanted sent from Earth would appear. Here it was. Foods to satisfy every craving. Hammond also shipped the equipment to make it. Carter worked with the ship's technicians to set up a mini-kitchen in Jack's enormous office. There were two coffee pots and a set of mugs.

With his mouth full of ice cream, Daniel garbled out, "I never thought I would miss chocolate ice cream this much." He shoved another spoonful in and grunted indicating 'good.' A coffee pot brewed its fifth batch that evening. Teal'c took the second pot all for himself. Mitchell complained, but Teal'c gave him his scary face used when he took point. Mitchell backed off. Even Jack did not interfere with a Jaffa on caffeine high. And Carter, well, she was sucking down a box of chocolates.

"What? Like you've never seen a girl eat? I deserve these." And she dived in again looking for the ones with nuts.

Mitchell was standing over the microwave waiting for the popcorn to finish. The timer chimed and he grabbed the hot bag. Steam shot out and he cried out from the burn. "Suck it up, Colonel and bring it over here." Jack popped in a recording of that Ravens vs. Eagles game. Both of them were licking their fingers from the extra butter flavor. Jack found a tissue and offered one to Mitchell, who just kept on licking his fingers. Jack opened a beer and offered one to Mitchell. Cam up ended it and took it in one big long swallow. "Thirsty were you?" Jack eyed him and decided to do the same. "Ah, beer, a refreshing substitute for food." He got two more from the fridge. He had been chilling them all afternoon. Then Jack set about pawing through the tapes looking for his request for the latest 'Simpsons' episode. He grunted when he found it and turned his attention back to the game.

On the third day, General Franklin called a general meeting of the staff and invited General O'Neill. Franklin addressed O'Neill saying,"These aliens don't know their ass from their elbow. They think that they'll manage to draw their opponents into a decisive battle. No such thing will take place. The bad guys will withdraw at the first sign of trouble. They can sacrifice easily replaceable assets such as the shipyards. Zay is counting too heavily on the element of surprise. It's Pearl Harbor all over again. And Zay is Yamamoto. We all know how well that worked out."

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You are not telling me anything I didn't already know. That's why I sent for some help. I have to explain war to people who have never waged war. You have to be more specific and offer me solutions."

"You need to introduce to them the concept of a strategic campaign. As much as they hate it, they have to be ready for the battle of attrition. They need to know it will come and will be costly. The Goa'uld Wannabes were always into hit and run. They have avoided open battle letting the Goa'uld do their dirty work. What makes anyone think they have changed their style of fighting now? They'll run at the first sign of trouble to come back and fight another day. Killing the shipyards will only make them disperse their production facilities. The next batch of ships will be that much harder to eliminate."

Jack indicated he understood. "I realize what you are saying but that doesn't give me the tools to explain it to them. You have to be more specific about your terms and your approach."

"You need to find out the key industries that are crucial to their production efforts. You have to eliminate these industries. You must go after the shipping and supply routes and do good old commerce raiding. Don't risk the capital ships. Speed, stealth, and hit and run tactics will starve them and reach where it hurts much faster. Attempts to draw them into an open fight will be futile. It is not obvious even the first attempt at an open fight would succeed." General Franklin looked grim. "So how do we convey to the Lady's forces that their tactics may be fine, but their strategy is all wrong? And how do we prepare them to the fact there is no silver bullet? It will be long, dirty, and costly. There will be serious casualties."

"General, that's exactly what they don't want to hear. They are really afraid that the bad guys will attack one of their planets again." Jack looked at Franklin. "Of all the things you consider, that has to be the highest priority. We have to show them there is a way to protect their core population."

"That we can do something about. The Second World War was fought in the outposts after Pearl Harbor. We can put the fear of God into the bad guys so that they would not feel comfortable fighting too far away from their supply bases. Do we have a plan how to address these folks who don't know what they do not know?" Franklin waited for Jack to formulate a response.

Colonel Mitchell raised his hand. " May I say something here, sir?" Jack considered for a moment. He gave Mitchell a warning look. And then he nodded. "They have great emulator technology. Teal'c and I played war games on their virtual equipment. We managed to beat the crap out of them." Mitchell grinned ferociously. "They seemed to have been impressed. We can try to set those things to our scenarios with us playing the bad guys. You can see their equipment and how it handles before you go out to the real deal." Everyone decided to see that before they went any farther.

Technicians from both sides worked for another two days to set up the simulations. After waiting aloof for days, Lady Anna could not help herself. She wanted to see what the results of the simulated battle would be. She was curious about these people. From the reports, Anna realized they seemed to understand more than she would have expected. If anything, she knew she had to learn anything that could be useful.

The results of the simulations stunned Lady Anna and Admiral Zay. The first operation seemed to have been a great success. However, it was no decisive battle as everyone expected. The initial casualties to her relief were very light. But, from that point on, her forces were unable to find the enemy. And then, the worst-case scenario came to be true. Her planets got destroyed one by one.

The Earth group offered to stop the simulation at this point. They said that they were working on a different strategy and would present it later. They asked for more information. Lady Anna decided to give them everything they asked for. One of the requests was for a tour of the ships and extensive information on their capabilities. She granted their request immediately.

The next day, Generals Franklin and O'Neill paid a visit to Admiral Zay. They told him that he should be the one to give Lady Anna the briefing. They were here to prepare him. because both generals realized they had to make Zay their friend. In reality, the Earth Force Advisors were working for Zay and they knew it. He was the commander. And they needed his cooperation. Zay could not look stupid before his boss. Both generals understood politics enough to recognize this fact. Zay appreciated the gesture.

Before the Sabbath dinner, Zay and Anna had time to discuss the week's events. Generals O'Neill and Franklin were invited. The two cousins sat together in her small music room. One of the Earth symphonies was playing on the sound system. Anna sat next to Zay. They were old friends from childhood as well.

"I would not have believed it. They are actually doing something useful. Of course they have no manners. I can live with that if this is the result." Anna leaned against Zay. "It seems I fulfilled my own prophecy."

"What prophecy, Anna?" Zay put his arm around her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I mean that I told the people that Lord O'Neill would make all the difference. And I think it may be true that he has. He brought us these specialists. We have no people like these ourselves. And I worry about that." Anna sighed and sipped her drink.

"They certainly do have a grasp of the problem better than anyone we have ever met. I suppose it is because they make war on each other all the time." Zay leaned back. "I started to read the memoirs of an Earth leader from their last great war. I believe his name was Churchill. I think you should read it because it applies. He discusses not just the strategy but also the politics of war."

"I am watching their history broadcast recordings about their World War II. I need to get the summary first. With everything else I have to do, it is difficult to find the time." Anna was lost in thought.

"Anna, you should delegate everything else. We need to learn this stuff. And so do our commanders." Zay became animated. "We are sitting with people who have actually fought and won great battles. And we have no idea what to say to them. Neither of us knows what they did or how they did it."

"From remarks I have overheard about O'Neill, he really did destroy the Goa'uld and some horrible mechanical enemy. Our General put together a coalition of several races. But the people here are the same people who provided him the support then that they are trying to give us now." Zay sat back and laughed. "Anna, the man really is the hero you made him out to be. We might have a chance. How did you know?" She looked up at him and smiled. She had a sixth sense about people. She just had to push Jack to the wall.