Chapter 10: An Alliance Is Born
Admiral Zay stood at the Stargate. This news was so fabulous he would deliver it himself to Lady Anna. Lord O'Neill had indeed solved a terrible problem. The Stargate activated. Zay stepped through to the Capital and was beamed to the Palace. He could not afford the luxury of time in air cars. He had to get back as soon as possible.
Servants conducted him to Lady Anna's office in the Palace. He was announced and walked in. His face told her the whole story. Tears came to her eyes. Both cousins just stood together knowing that the tide had turned. Anna dismissed her ladies and her assistant. Zay and Anna embraced and shed tears of great happiness. Now, she could get the unqualified support she needed to make this all work.
"Anna, dear Anna. You were right all along." Zay stepped back disengaging from her arms. "Shall we proceed to the next step?"
"Yes, Zay, so long as we don't make a grand battle, Nana will be content. But she has forbidden us from going into battle against the shipyards before she settles things here. This news should give her what she needs." Anna wiped her face and smiled. "I want to tell Lord O'Neill. Are you ready?" He nodded. Anna signaled for Jack and Daniel to enter.
Jack entered cautiously with Daniel in tow. Both were surprised to see the Admiral there. Jack almost forgot to bow, but Daniel caught his mistake. Phew, thought Jack. Nearly ended up in the pokey again. "What now, My Lady?"
"My Lord General, we have news. Our fleet just engaged an enemy convoy. All went according to your plan. The crews abandoned the freighters just as your experts predicted. We recovered the crews with minor injuries. Your 'commerce raiding' worked. We are grateful.
Jack looked very pleased with himself. Daniel was shocked. No one told him such things were already in the works. And he had just witnessed Princess Ellen forbid action without her consent. Ok, this was weird.
"My Lady, what about Princess Ellen's warning? What will happen now?" Daniel was alarmed.
"Nana said not to wage war and incur many casualties. This was a test of these "Commerce Raiding" tactics. Generals O'Neill and Franklin described these tactics to Admiral Zay last week. Nana knew we would do it. And now she has the ammunition to go against our opposition." Anna turned to Jack, "My Lord, we do listen and learn. Your briefing to Admiral Zay last week was not without effect. We shall try it your way several more times. If it works, then we shall contact the enemy to make them understand that we can act whenever and wherever we choose. Thank you, My Lord General."
"So that meeting was some kind of test, ma'am?" Daniel was floored. He looked at Jack. Jack was still very pleased with himself. He shrugged at Daniel indicating he was ok with this fact.
"Only partly, Dr. Jackson. Nana had to see and hear you before she decided to trust you. You both spoke and acted with honor. It was obvious to everyone you spoke the truth as you believed it." Lady Anna regarded them seriously. "We were afraid that your tactics were intended to bring destruction down upon us." Jack scowled. "My Lord General, you have been hostile towards us from the beginning. Considering your military reputation, we had to be certain you were not trying to destroy us. Forgive us, but everyone felt it necessary to be sure."
Lady Anna walked up to Jack. She held out her hand and smiled up at him. He looked at her and then very gently took her small hand in his large one. She understood what he meant. He would be gentle towards her from here on out.
Over the next month, the results of several raiding engagements were "leaked" to the newsies. When the public learned that the convoys had abandoned ship with almost no loss of life, public opinion about the military shifted. Many people joined. And Lady Anna was held to be the greatest leader since David slew Goliath. Of course, credit was given to Lord O'Neill, the Great for helping with the solution.
Interest in O'Neill, the Great had not faded. But Anna's propaganda machine began to speak of Jack's history and struggles with his conscience. His biography was broadcast. Anna's staff culled through the SGC data banks for his files and constructed a portrait of a man conflicted but dedicated. The stories of his team were told as well. Jack stubbornly refused to be interviewed. But he did let Anna have some photo opportunities. At least she was trying to send the right message.
The public became obsessed with all things related to Earth. The morals and religions of Earth were described on educational channels. The philosophy and culture of O'Neill's people of the United States and its military played on many channels. Favorable comparisons to their ethics influenced public opinion. The political systems of Earth were taught in the Universities. Suddenly, everything Earth related was in fashion.
Lady Anna sat with Admiral Zay and Generals O'Neill and Franklin. They were giving her a briefing of recent mission results. For the most part, the "Commerce Raiding" tactics were working.
"Ma'am," General O'Neill began, "We have effectively handled the immediate threat to your people. Our tactics are working. Loss of life on both sides is minimal. And work at the shipyards is slowly grinding to a halt."
General Franklin took over. "The enemy's remaining capital ships have been rerouted for convoy escort work. Commonwealth weapons are proving superior. The first thing a cloaked Commonwealth raider does is disable the Al'kesh mid-range bomber assigned to the convoy. Then another salvo jams the launch bay doors so no Gliders can get out. From that point, the missions proceed normally. After several convoys went down, the Goa'uld sent some of their remaining Ha'tak mother ships to work convoy duty. So the threat that these ships can attack your planets is significantly reduced."
"What are we learning about the cargo, General Franklin?" Lady Anna was curious as to what the Goa'uld supplied their allies.
Ma'am, as people were debriefed from the enemy freighters, more information about what was critical to the Wannabes came to light. We know what is being traded." General Franklin checked his notes. "We think we know where these freighters load up before joining the convoys, at least for the most important cargo. Our next step is to take them out before they reach the meeting point for the convoy."
"What about progress at the shipyards? Won't they be able to use these ships against us once they become ready?" Lady Anna was especially concerned about this point.
"No, ma'am." General Franklin smiled. "For one thing, the shipyards have used up their current supplies. Their operations are fubar. Any remaining vessels the Goa'uld can round up are no problem for your weapons. Pretty soon, they will have to build convoy ships and smaller escorts. But, it will take more time. We can then find out where they are doing it, and take out those supplies."
"Fubar? What is that?" Lady Anna had no idea what some of these strange terms meant.
Franklin hesitated. The Earth Force Advisors present squirmed. "Ma'am, fubar is a term to say that conditions at the shipyards arefouled up beyond all repair." Everyone sighed. No one wanted to curse in front of The Lady. She was still touchy about protocol although she had eased up a little on the bowing.
"Basically, ma'am," O'Neill continued, "we have them stopped due to shortages for the next few months. Now, we are starting to mess with their heads. If the next level of effort works out, maybe we bought a couple of years." He looked over to Zay to continue.
"My Lady, the next step is to use our spies and our cloaked surveillance platforms to intercept messages between locations. We want to identify which supplies in particular are needed at any one point and destroy those on a priority basis." Zay paused noticing Anna's frown.
"I understand prioritizing our efforts against the enemy, but what does it have to do with "messing with their heads" as Lord O'Neill said?" Anna was still learning Earth slang.
Teal'c added his insight. "My Lady, if we can always take out just what is needed before it is sent, then we can cause doubt in the Jaffa. If the Goa'uld are gods, how is it they don't know who is doing it or when? We have planted spies among their Jaffa. They can assist in identifying which goods and which freight depots to strike first. The new surveillance devices are maximizing the use of our personnel among the enemy. All is proceeding according to plan." He smiled a self-satisfied I told you so smile. "The confidence you have expressed in the Free Jaffa has not gone unnoticed on the High Council. Many are changing their opinion to support an alliance."
"Ma'am," O'Neill began, "if we take out the right supplies, then even their allies will wonder about the competence of their friends, the Goa'uld. It will hit their morale. Then we start creating shortages of what the Wannabes use every day."
"I am amazed at this tactic. I would never have thought of it. Is it something you created or is it standard practice in your military?" Anna was becoming more and more interested in how Earth prepared their war plans.
"Actually, it is not new. In a war we call World War Two, the British, our allies, cracked the transmission code their enemy was using. They were able to track shipments and even know what was being shipped. The other side never knew why the most important shipments blew up just when they were needed." Franklin looked over at Jack. "Rommel's North African campaign." They both shrugged acknowledging the reference.
"Gentlemen, what is the enemy doing to crack our system?" Lady Anna figured the other side must be trying something.
Admiral Zay began again. "Intelligence reports that the Goa'uld and the Wannabes have sent spies to several Commonwealth homeworlds. Some saw what they were supposed to see. Some had made it past most of the security. That problem was rectified. We know that the other side is beginning to realize we have powerful capabilities and resources. My Lady, a spy was identified that we want to use to send a message to the enemy. These people want to capture him."
"Ma'am," Franklin interrupted, "it is time to start M.A.D. We are ready to take things to the next level and start the Cold War."
Jack saw her blank on the term. "Mutually Assured Destruction. It's an acronym. Anyway, they have to believe that we can do to them what they are planning for us." She nodded. "And they must believe we have the will to do it, no matter what."
"Ma'am, we propose to lure this spy to another world where he will be captured." General Franklin took over on this point. "The purpose is to show we know all about their spying activities and send a powerful message. We want him to convey the information that we can annihilate their planets if they persist. They have enough evidence now to know a lot about our capabilities." Franklin looked to Admiral Zay to continue. It was his command anyway.
"My Lady Anna," Admiral Zay smiled. "Part of the strategy here is to give them the idea that they had better wait to act. To convince the leadership we mean business, we shall show them the destruction of a dead planet with one shot. The spy will be taken to the planet in question and will witness the explosion. Recordings of that exercise will be given to him. Then, he will be delivered to a Wannabe world." Admiral Zay waited for her to consider this suggestion. Anna looked doubtful. Jack took over.
"We know that the Wannabes have learned that I am working with you. They know who I am. They know about Teal'c. So they know that the Asgaard are probably involved too."
Teal'c explained, "We think they are looking for our communication channels to the Asgaard. So we think we can lure this spy to K'tau, where we use the Hall of Wisdom to call the Asgaard. With your approval, we shall have people ready to go to K'tau before the spy gets there. Everything else is in place."
"I defer to your judgment, My Lords. But I want you to take several cloaked vessels with some of the new weapons. Take no chances that this is a trap disguised as a spying effort." Anna stood up to end the session. "My Lord O'Neill, I wish to speak to Thor directly myself. Once the area is secured, you and I shall go through the Gate to the ship." Everyone bowed and she left.
The next day on K'tau, Elrad was in the Freyr's temple. Freyr was really an Asgaard but the people here didn't know it. As Flayman for the Temple, Elrad had to clean up before services the next day since he was the spiritual leader of this village. As he turned around to survey his handiwork, he stopped dead. Elrad rubbed his eyes with both fists to be sure. There was a glowy image of a woman floating toward the altar. She was looking intently at the details. When she saw Elrad, she smiled and settled down to the floor. Elrad had the urge to flee, but his feet would not work.
"Hello." The glowy woman drifted before him and waited.
"Uh, hello?" Elrad managed to get out.
"Is this the Hall of Wisdom?" The glowy woman looked around again.
"No, this is the Temple of Our Lord, Freyr." Elrad thought he was going crazy.
"Oh, I see." The woman was disappointed. "Can you take me to the Hall?"
"I don't see how. You aren't solid." Elrad approached her and cautiously passed his hand through the image. He jumped backwards. "Are you a ghost?"
"A ghost? Oh no, I am not dead." The woman smiled at him. "I am Anna. Who are you?"
"Elrad. You sure you aren't dead?" The woman nodded emphatically and chuckled.
"Then you must be a fairy." There, Elrod was satisfied. He knew all about fairies. They could be meddlesome creatures. To newborns, they gave beauty, health, and kindness. Otherwise, they could make mischief if they wanted. They liked gifts, especially of food. But mortals seldom ever saw one. They lived on the Astral plane but could go between worlds. This one must be using her 'glamour' to enable him to see her. It would explain the glow.
"Fairy? What is a fairy?" Lady Anna decided to have a little fun. "Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Oh, you are teasing me." She shook her head to say'no.'Elrad spoke to her patiently. "They are mostly good, but not always. Believe me. You are a fairy."
"Then, I am a good one." Anna smiled and laughed. Elrad relaxed a bit. She was probably a pixie. Those were good-natured. She moved closer to him and he backed away. "Are you afraid of me? I can't hurt you like this."
"Maybe, maybe not." Elrad looked surprised. "There's another one!" He pointed behind her. Anna glanced back and nodded at her science officer.
"Don't worry, Elrad. That one is nice too." Anna noticed someone else in the back of the room. "Who is that?"
Elrad looked back and saw Malchus. Malchus was a religious fanatic who had murdered some elves a few years ago. The spirits did not like him. "Brother Malchus, look we have a visit from the Fairies." Malchus looked scared and horrified. He ran for it.
Outside, he called to the villagers. "Call the Elves. We have a Fairy problem in the Temple." SG-3 had left a Sagan box for the K'tau to throw through the "Annulus" as they called the Stargate. Receiving its signature told the SGC the K'tau wanted to speak to them. "Hurry, one of them has Elrad." Somebody ran off to the Stargate to dial and throw the box.
"Unscheduled activation. Incoming wormhole." Sgt. Harriman called into the microphone. The alarms went off. A big thud was heard behind the iris protecting the gate. General Landry walked up with Colonel Reynolds. "Seems like K'tau threw a Sagan box, sirs."
"Open a channel on the M.A.L.P. we leave there." Landry waited. On the view screen they could see a K'tau man hollering something at the machine. The sergeant adjusted the controls and the voice came through loud and clear.
"...Fairies everywhere. You have to come." The man was beside himself. Others were gathered around him. They were all agitated.
"Allow me, sir, they know me," offered Col. Reynolds. "Um, this is Colonel Reynolds. What do you mean by 'fairies?'
A woman pushed the man aside and shouted at the camera, "Are ye deaf, Elf? He just told you we have a fairy problem. FAIRIES. No tricks, Elf. You know perfectly well about fairies." Reynolds looked at Landry who was just struck by the whole absurdity of it. The little sergeant was trying to suppress a giggle.
"Go deal with the fairies, Colonel." Landry chuckled too.
Inside the temple, Lady Anna talked to Elrad. He was blathering something about elves coming to use the Hall of Wisdom. "What are elves?" Lady Anna wanted to know. "Can they help me talk to Freyr?"
"What kind of fairy are you if you don't know about elves?" Elrad had the feeling she was making mischief somehow.
"Well, maybe we call them something else." Anna looked over to Elrad who looked worried. "What is wrong, Elrad?"
"I can't believe I am talking to a real live fairy." He seemed to be getting upset. "I suppose you want a gift, or food, or something?" And then the door in the back flung open and Malchus was back with some natives.
"See, I told you, there she is." He pointed to Anna's hologram. "A fairy!" SG-3 stared. The others gasped. Some ran away. Others just stood stock-still and waited to see what would happen. They looked at her and she looked at them. At that moment, O'Neill joined her in her office and walked over to where she stood. He took a look around and realized she was using the hologram communicator. She motioned to him, so he stepped in to look too. O'Neill's hologram appeared before Elrad.
"Hi there, Elrad, isn't it? Long time no see." He waved. Before Elrad could react, Jack saw Malchus. "What is HE doing here? Get him out." Malchus ran like the Devil was chasing him. If the elves told the fairies what he did, anything could happen to him. Jack muttered, "Was it something I said?" He smirked.
"Elves together with fairies? I didn't know that was possible." Elrad was stumped.
"Fairies?" asked Jack.
"I am a fairy, Lord O'Neill," answered Anna. She whispered to him, "Is that a good thing?"
"Yeah, oh yeah, no problem." Jack paged Daniel. Then Colonel Reynolds came forward.
"Nice to see you, General. Keeping company now with fairies, I see. Oh the shame of it, sir." Reynolds looked down and shook his head as if he disapproved. Actually, he was trying to choke back a laughing jag.
"Funny, Reynolds. Funny." Jack pretended to laugh. Then he frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"I was Ordered to look into the fairy problem." And then Colonel Reynolds lost it. "Sir, why are you hanging out with fairies?" Jack had to laugh too. "Iam going to have to insist you stop consorting with fairies, sir."
Colonel Reynolds finally stopped laughing. But this was too good to let go. General O'Neill's hologram wasn't laughing anymore either. O'Neill was on board the Commonwealth starship 'O'Neill, the Great' in orbit above K'tau and Colonel Reynolds with SG-3 was on K'tau in Freyr's Temple.
"That's enough,Reynolds?" Jack had to get control back in front of Anna.
O'Neill was there trying to contact the Asgaard using the device in the Hall of Wisdom that could be accessed from Freyr's Temple. Out of curiosity, Lady Anna had used her holographic communicator to do reconnaissance before they came down. Even though she kept her image small, one of the locals saw her first and sent for the 'elves.' The locals thought that all SGC personnel were all 'elves.' The 'elves' had used the Asgaard 'phone' regularly for the past four years and left a M.A.L.P. on K'tau to stay in contact.
"Per the locals' request, SG-3 was ordered to take care of the 'fairy problem,' sir." Reynolds had a really hard time keeping a straight face. "General O'Neill, what are you doing here...with a fairy?" Everyone at the SGC was concerned for the General since he left for the Commonwealth with the aliens. But he looked fine, for a little hologram.
"Stand down, Colonel. Everything is fine. We just came to talk to Freyr or Thor if he is available." Jack turned to the Lady. "Ma'am, this is my... 'elf,' Colonel Reynolds, commander of SG-3." She smiled and nodded. "Reynolds, this is Lady Anna, the leader of the...'fairies.' Reynolds knew enough to bow. Jack smirked.
The locals thought that Lady Anna's hologram was a fairy. It was small and glowed. They knew O'Neill was an elf. Wonder of wonders, O'Neill'shologram stood with hers. Fairies and elves don't normally come together. The locals were shocked.They all stood there and gaped with their mouths open. No one made a sound. This was just unbelievable. Never in their history had they seen elves until four years ago, and now, here were fairies, too. Put them together and who knew what mischief was afoot?
"Listen, Elrad, maybe all these people should go do whatever it is they do?" O'Neill wanted to talk to Reynolds fast about the second mission. No one moved. "Ma'am, can you send me down there from here?" She nodded and said something. When O'Neill appeared full-sized in person, the locals screamed and ran.
"Whoa, whoa, Elrad, slow down." One of the SG team members reached out for Elrad. "C'mere." Jack gestured to him. Elrad reluctantly came back. He looked O'Neill over and reached out to touch him. Jack was solid. Elrad stared in wonder.
"Truly, you are the messengers of the gods." Elrad backed off.
At that point, Daniel made it into Lady Anna's office after Jack had paged him there. His hologram joined Anna's. "Jack, what's going on?" Daniel looked concerned. He could see Elrad. "Um, hi Elrad." He waved. Elrad managed a sick smile. The elf called Daniel was with the fairies too. This all was strange and stranger. The elves and the fairies were cooperating. Something important must be happening because they came together to see Freyr.
To answer Daniel and clue in Reynolds, Jack said, "Elrad, we are also here to catch a bad guy who will come here in a few days. I want you to take the villagers away for a while. I don't want any of your people to get hurt. So go visiting, go anywhere, but you can't stay here. Do you understand?" Elrad nodded silently.
"Daniel, Elrad called Reynolds because he thinks he has a 'fairy' problem. I told him Lady Anna was a 'good fairy.' Isn't that right?" Jack motioned to his back and used his hands together for a wings flapping motion. Daniel nodded. Daniel leaned over to Anna and whispered, "My Lady, the Asgaard insist that we don't interfere with these people's belief system. A Fairy is supposed to have wings on her back. Can the computer make an image of wings flapping?"
Anna nodded and spoke softly to the computer. Her wings appeared as if they were slowing down. She made her image descend to a nearby table. "I need to get down there and fix this, please, ma'am. Can you send me?" She spoke something and Daniel appeared full-sized in the room. Elrad gasped. "Don't be afraid. Thor loves these people because these are his good 'fairies.' Really." Daniel smiled and stood next to Elrad. Anna made her image fly over to Elrad. He held out his hand. She landed in his palm and smiled up at him. Elrad looked at her in wonder.
"Ok, Colonel set up a perimeter around the Temple and take one of their technicians to the Hall. Make sure there are no technical problems if you know what I mean." Reynolds motioned to one of his men. Jack addressed Reynolds, "help these people evacuate to some other village. I want to talk to Landry." Jack looked over to Anna. "I have to make a phone call, be right back." Then he saw the look on her face. She was afraid he wasn't coming back. She looked down to cover her emotions. Jack thought about it. "Do you want to come with?" She smiled and shook her head. He nodded back to her in thanks. She trusted him.
"Give me your GDO." Jack said to Reynolds. Jack put it in his pocket and started out the door. He stopped and paused, his back to the group. Then he smirked to himself, turned and said, "Lady Anna, where you go I go. But if you don't go, I don't go. That's our deal. You and Daniel come with me." Daniel held out his hand, palm up. Anna looked at him to be sure. He nodded and pointed to his palm. She moved her winged image toward him and then landed in his palm. Elrad's knees buckled. He sat down heavily. With that, Jack led them out the door.
On Earth, the Daedelus finally returned from the Atlantis run. Hermiod, the Asgaard crewmember, arrived with the ship. General Landry had instructions to tell him about the visit from the Commonwealth and ask Hermiod to have Thor contact O'Neill. Dr. Novak, Hermiod's human assistant had to listen to all the Asgaard cursing. She was beginning to get the gist of some of it. Basically, Hermiod resented being a messenger and stuck with a bunch of humans. His experience with humans was losing its charm. But he did send the request.
Outside the K'Tauvillage, Jack stopped. "Ma'am. I want to talk to you. Where is she?" A white light flashed and she stood next to him. "That's better." They regarded each other. "The three months are nearly up. I want to go home and take care of some business there. You have things under control now. You don't need me, not really. And I'll be available when you do. What do you say, ma'am?" Jack moved his chips all in.
Standing in a bright sunlit field on an alien world, Anna considered his request. Her plans were in motion and going well. His experts and warriors still worked with them on site. Communication was no problem anymore. Unless he went into hiding on some other world, she could find him anytime. Jack didn't need to do that and he knew it. No more appearances were scheduled for many weeks. "My Lord General, we are all grateful for the time you have spent with us. You have indeed made a difference. And our worlds are friends now." She paused and looked at him. "There is just the one matter of contacting Thor. And," she paused and took a breath, "for internal political reasons, I need to spend some time on Earth. Can you arrange for me to be received as our Ambassador in charge of Earth Development?"
Jack was surprised. This was news. "Earth Development?"
"Yes, we promised your people that we would work with you to advance your society." She smiled. "Nana wants me to be the one to do it."
"So, I'm guessing you have to get out of Dodge for a while?" Jack was very serious. She looked confused. "It means you have to leave until things cool down."
"Cool down? Oh, yes, I have really stirred up a problem with your Cold War idea. Nana thinks she should handle the problem without me incurring more anger for myself." Anna debated whether to tell him more. "The King agrees. They will bring me back after a while."
"Anna, let's have all of it this time." Jack knew this was big if she was willing to leave.
"Jack, if you don't want me to be the one, someone else will be assigned. This is only a request." Anna wasn't sure she wanted to say more. And she wasn't going to beg. "We intend to honor our commitment to you." Anna just raised the stakes.
"Anna, when were you going to tell me this?" Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and waited. He checked her raise.
"I just did, Jack." She knew this was her only opportunity to negotiate a deal. She checked too.
Jack thought it over. Daniel interrupted him. "Jack, a moment, please." They walked a short way off to talk. "Jack, this is an opportunity."
Jack wasn't convinced. "How do you figure it? She just told us she is not in power any more."
"She is not permanently out of power. There were two attempts to kill her this week and there have been more attempts the last few months." Jack was not surprised. Daniel continued his argument. "They don't want it to look like she is on the run. But they want some time to sort things out. So they figure it would be natural for her to start the ball rolling on Earth. She is the last of her line and they want to protect her."
Jack thought about it some more. She was devious. And she never gave up the whole story. On the other hand, she would one day become the Matriarch, as powerful as the King. Then, she could drag out the time it took to set up any programs for Earth. Doing such a powerful person a good turn would eventually pay off. Maybe it could pay off sooner rather than later. Poker was such an interesting game.
Later that day, the Stargate engaged and a call came through from O'Neill. He had some specifics he needed done. Then he asked for permission to come through with a special ambassador. General Landry was impressed. Never had he witnessed an ally acting with such generosity. Usually, painstaking negotiations were necessary to achieve even small concessions. But, here were the aliens of the Commonwealth dragging large containers of all sorts of equipment through the Stargate without being asked.
The list provided was indeed stupendous. Included were security items to protect the SGC from alien incursion, even incursions by the Commonwealth if they were to be believed. The aliens delivered more surveillance jamming devices. Another gift was a multilevel force field to protect the area around the Gate itself, plus an area above the mountain to one mile high. Preliminary reports indicated this gift could be used both to contain enemy personnel and to destroy weapons thrown through the Gate. Another security device was a Stargate biofilter to reduce the hazard of spores, germs, and other contagions, which might come through with the teams. But that was not all.
Along with these devices, the Commonwealth sent a ZPM with a power generator designed for use at the SGC. The cost savings from that device ran about $1.2 billion a year. The ZPM would supply the extra power to run the additional equipment and enable the Earth Gate to connect to the Atlantis Gate. ZPM's were rare finds. But, the Commonwealth knew how to produce them. The list included five mobile medical facilities that could be set up in the field, at the SGC, at the Alpha site, on the Daedelus, or on Atlantis. The advanced equipment came with the offer to train medical personnel and the supply of several technicians until SGC personnel were competent with the units. All in all, the generosity of the gifts was remarkable.
But the biggest surprise was the arrival of General O'Neill in the company of Lady Anna. From what General Landry heard from General Franklin, no one expected O'Neill to return, ever. He was a priceless political asset to the aliens. He was practically worshipped there. Landry was surprised by the unexpected rapport between the Lady and her General. Something big must have happened or she would never have let O'Neill return. As far as Landry could tell, Lady Anna was making sure she had O'Neill in her sight at all times.
Lady Anna was a delightful surprise. Instead of a haughty self-important noble woman, General Landry discovered a polite and polished diplomat. Landry had been warned about the strict protocols surrounding the Lady. So, General Landry made certain to offer the Lady a bow. She responded with a curtsey. Lady Anna graciously accepted O'Neill's introductions. She readily agreed to O'Neill's desire to call the President. But, Lady Anna would not go on a tour of the facility before her General was ready to take her. In fact, she would not make a move without O'Neill's consent. This woman was not what General Landry had expected.
While she waited, Landry provided refreshments in the Briefing Room. He had heard about the introduction of chocolate. Conquest by chocolate was a great tactic. It should be taught at the Academy. So, the Landry treated her to all sorts of chocolate delights. Lady Anna definitely enjoyed herself and politely thanked him. It was a real pleasure to meet an alien dignitary with such nice manners for a change.
General O'Neill entered the Briefing Room from Landry's office. He approached the Lady and asked her if she would consent to speak to the President. As Jack led her off to the phone, General Landry saw the look she gave O'Neill. She really did admire him. And she showed General O'Neill polite but sincere deference. If he was on a short leash with her, so was she with him. Before leaving, Lady Anna sincerely thanked General Landry for his hospitality. All things considered, her visit was definitely a good sign.
President Hayes knew a deal had been made with the aliens. Not only had O'Neill returned to the SGC, he had convinced the alien leader to come and to meet with the President. Surprisingly, she agreed to be received at the White House in four days. From all accounts, she had acted in a reasonable and polite manner to everyone she met at the SGC. From Landry's report and the video tapes of her visit, the woman was beautiful, polished, and a formidable intelligence. He had made the right call sending the contractors to her. In return, she had kept her promise to help Earth. President Hayes knew this woman would continue to honor her word.
The President understood the gesture made by the Lady. She was the supreme military leader of a great people. She ranked among the highest echelon of her people's nobility. But, she was willing to walk through the Gate into the SGC unarmed. She came escorted only by General O'Neill. She accepted food without qualification as well. Her gifts were extravagant. Lady Anna's presence and behavior was designed to honor O'Neill in front of his superiors. This visit was a signal that the alliance was real.
"Prepare the White House for a gala reception of the Lady. Pull out all the stops. I want to receive her in four days. Let's get busy, people." Hayes dismissed his aides. Yes, his poker playing, horse-trading daddy sure had taught him a thing or two.
After the visit to Earth, O'Neill and Lady Anna returned to K'tau and then went back up to the O'Neill. While they decided on a time frame for her appearance on Earth, they received a call.
"My Lady Anna," O'Neill began softly. "I just received word that we have made contact with the Asgaard. Thor should be here anytime." Anna smiled at him. They were in his office on board 'the O'Neill.' She was trying to help him wrap up their business here. Sure enough, a white light produced Thor. He was sitting in his console. Jack crossed over to Thor and regarded him. "Well it's about time, pal. We have been calling you for over two months."
"Greetings, O'Neill. We have been busy with other matters important to the Asgaard. Hermiod briefed me. We know of the visit of these people to Earth." Thor looked at Anna. "Obviously, you were able to handle it on your own."
"Um, yes, how would you know? We are supposed to be allies, friends." Then, Jack realized the implication and was pissed. "You knew and didn't say anything?"
"We know about all hyperspace activity near Earth. Yes, we knew they came. We sent a cloaked ship. But when we heard them calling for you, we realized something was different. Analysis of their ships indicated no offensive weapons." Thor played with his console. A visual image of that day from orbit showed the Commonwealth fleet around Earth.
"Buddy, you could have told us." Jack's head swiveled around at Anna. "You mean in that whole big fleet, you had no offensive weapons?" She shook her head, and smiled. He just started laughing.
"I fail to understand the joke, O'Neill." Thor was patient with his favorite human and his quirks. "Why did you want to see me? I have urgent business elsewhere."
"Thor, this is Lady Anna of the Commonwealth. Lady Anna, Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgaard Fleet." Everyone nodded in respect.
"Peace be unto you." Lady Anna rose in respect. "On behalf of my people, Supreme Commander Thor, we welcome you and offer you our friendship."
"Thank you." Thor looked at her. "O'Neill, do you know enough about them?" Jack nodded. "Then we accept. What else did you want O'Neill?"
"Thor, you know that genetic marker you put in me for my "protection?" O'Neill made the quotation gesture with both hands. "These folks say they have beaten the short life thing and want to mess with my DNA and extend my life. I said you would have to look into it first." Jack looked at Anna again. "So really, no weapons?" She grinned. He shook his head and spoke again to Thor. "Thor, we just have to have a better way to communicate. Can I have one of those Asgaard phones installed in the SGC?"
Thor thought about it and said. "We prefer to leave our arrangements as they are, O'Neill. You cannot expect the Asgaard to interfere every time something happens. It is enough that we are watching and Hermiod is with you." He played with his console and a beam scanned Lady Anna. Thor gasped. "O'Neill, you have done it again."
"Thanks. What?" Jack looked confused. "Done what?"
Suddenly, several other Asgaard joined Thor. They murmured together and gathered around Anna, who became alarmed. Jack instinctively reached for her hand to reassure her. She leaned towards him away from the little grey folks. The little fellas became really animated. The next moment, everyone was on an Asgaard ship. Anna swallowed hard and looked up at Jack.
"Thor? What are we doing here?" Jack looked around. More Asgaard were coming. Anna wasn't happy about this. "It's ok. They won't hurt you. Promise." Jack walked over to Thor and knelt down to speak face to face. "Hey, it's not like I don't appreciate the visit but the lady is really scared. What's up?" Several Asgaard were pointing devices at Anna and a beam engulfed her. They became even more agitated. Jack faced Thor again.
"O'Neill, you have brought us closer to the cloning solution. She is verrrry advanced." Thor continued to play with his consoles.
"I thought I was advanced." Jack had a little pout in his voice.
"You are O'Neill. But she is different. We have never seen a human like this. Interesting." Thor spoke to another Asgaard who seemed to be reporting to him.
"Different, how?" Jack was concerned.
"My Lord Thor, release me. Please, make them stop. Jack, I can't move." Anna's fear came through in her voice. "This is no way to make first contact, My Lord Thor."
Jack scowled back at Thor. "Hey c'mon, knock it off." The beam released. "Different...how?"
"O'Neill, she may be the closest one to the missing clue we need to solve our problem." Thor turned to the Asgaard reporting to him and gave an order. The others began to leave.
"That's what I am telling you Thor, these people are advanced humans. They live a really long time because they know how to fiddle with their DNA." Jack looked at Anna. "How much more advanced, Thor?"
"Very advanced, O'Neill. We are scanning their ships to see if there are more like her." Thor looked at his console. "Interesting. These people are the most advanced humans we have ever found. Once again, the Asgaard are in your debt, O'Neill." Jack looked very pleased.
"I'm proud, really I am, but do you think they should mess with my DNA?" He was hoping Thor would say yes.
"We have to analyze this longer. You are well, O'Neill? Jack nodded. They have not hurt you?" Thor looked appraisingly at Anna.
"Oh no, no, buddy. Actually, they like me, a lot." He smirked. "They call me O'Neill, the Great. Not bad, eh?" He hung his head in mock modesty. "They named a huge honking space ship after me, too." He looked away to hide his pleasure about it.
"I am glad, O'Neill. Hmmm, it seems they have eliminated much of the human genetic material. Why did you do that Anna?" Thor waited for an explanation.
"I am not a geneticist, but my understanding is that there is much material that serves no purpose. By eliminating it, we can use our body's energy more efficiently. We call it junk DNA. But we have geneticists who can answer your questions more fully, my lord." Anna stepped up to be next to Jack.
"The genetic marker we put in O'Neill is in this 'junk' DNA as you put it. If the junk DNA does nothing, why does the marker work?" Thor was concerned. "O'Neill, we have always intended to clone you a new body and transfer your consciousness when it is time. Do you wish a new body now?"
"What?" Jack was confused. "Clone me again? Now wait a minute. Just wait a minute." He turned to Anna. "They did this before, it was a disaster." Anna was repulsed. "I'm the original, right? Tell her." Anna looked disgusted. Thor nodded.
"Please, My Lord Thor, do not kill this man. He is precious to us all. My people do not approve of cloning. It is unholy. Leave him as he is, but let us extend his life as far as we can. Help us if you can. But do not kill him. I beg you." She began to get angry.
"Take it easy, Ma'am. Thor's a buddy." Jack spoke to Thor. "Thor, thanks for the offer, I am just not ready. Tell her you won't do anything like that now. Just answer the question, please, should she mess with my DNA?"
"Cloning does not mean we kill him. We have survived by cloning ourselves." Thor looked up to Jack and made a shrug. "Anyway, I am not certain their methods are safe yet. We must study this problem longer. But, some other things solve part of our cloning problems. They have an interesting solution to the DNA fragment loss during cell division. While it does not solve the problem entirely, it will buy the Asgaard more time to find what we need." Thor activated another beam and froze Anna.
"What?" Jack swung around, really confused. "Thor?"
"This female is considered beautiful by your species?" Thor asked. His sensors indicated that every time O'Neill looked at Anna or reacted to her, his body reacted in a positive mating mode; increased heart rate, dilated pupils, increased respiration, and elevated pheromone production. Yes, he was certainly attracted to this female. And she cared for him.
"Um, yes?" Jack did not see the connection. "What?"
"The Asgaard are concerned that you have not propagated, O'Neill. You don't want to be cloned. If you do nothing, your genetic material will be lost. Your clone is not an answer." Thor waited patiently. Jack really did not get it. "O'Neill, if you want this female for your mate, we can arrange it. Consider it a gift from the Asgaard for all you have done."
Jack didn't react for a moment and then it hit him. "You can't do that, buddy. It's just not how things are done."
"But we want you to be happy, O'Neill. You have no mate." Thor waited for Jack to catch up. For a moment Jack considered the possibility, then caught himself and shook his head.
"Thor, can we not talk about this?" Jack did not like to discuss personal matters. Then he shook himself all over at the thought. She was probably old enough to be his grandmother. Ugh, he shook himself, again.
Thor examined his console. "Is there anything else you wanted, O'Neill?"
With that opening, Jack described the situation with the Goa'uld, the Wannabes, the shipyards, and the Commonwealth. Thor thanked Jack for the information, assured him the Asgaard took it seriously, and sent them back to the 'O'Neill'.
Jack looked at Anna who was collecting herself emotionally. "Hey, back there, thanks. You care." She just looked at him as if he were a dolt. "Right. You still need me, ma'am." He sighed. "Ma'am, you are a real actress."
"Cloning is perverted." Then she stalked off in a huff. He grinned. He could really jerk her chain these days. Then he looked at her as she walked away. Nice ass. Not bad, not bad at all. He called after her, "So, lunch?"
THE END.
If you enjoyed this story, the sequel is: Stargate Revealed: Power and Politics.
Source: http/ http/ thanks to my fan, Rionach O'Neill for the links.
Source: King James Bible, Judges Chapter 5, verses 8 & 9. Paraphrased.
DISCLAIMER: "Stargate SG-1" and its characters are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.
