Chapter Two: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?
November in Washington is a wonderful time. Autumn weather is mild. The leaves turn color. A slight nip is in the air. Usually, the weather cooperates. Sometimes it rains. Indian Summer is over. The last warm breath of summer slips into the cold of early winter just in time for the football games. People pack picnics to take to tailgating parties at both professional and college ball games. Coats and jackets appear. The last birds fly south for the winter.
Everyone looks forward to the Thanksgiving holidays. The fourth Thursday in November is always Thanksgiving. Families plan get togethers around tables laden with roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, plus whatever each family tradition demands. The men look forward to a weekend of watching football all day. The women look forward to catching up on family gossip. TV stations program family entertainment. Old movies about the Thanksgiving theme play ad nauseum. Most people and children have a four-day weekend. The stores know that the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest retail sales day all year. Some folks start putting up Christmas decorations that weekend. Everyone was gearing up for change.
After granting a pardon for this year's official Thanksgiving Turkey, President Hayes sat down to lunch with his wife in the president's private quarters on the third floor of the White House. It was rare to have this time to themselves. He wanted to have a quiet moment before all the coming activity. And he wanted to prepare her for who was coming. As he spooned his soup, he wondered how a man could tell his wife an alien was coming to Thanksgiving dinner. The phrase from the old movie by the same name kept repeating in his head. So he used it. "About Thanksgiving this year," Hayes waited for his wife to give him her attention. "Guess who's coming to dinner."
Jack hesitated before the bright blue wall of water. Even after all this time, it was a little intimidating. Step into it, but not drown. He knew it wasn't really water. And he knew he shouldn't hold his breath. But instinct dies hard. Forcing out his breath because the instinct afterwards was to suck in air, Jack stepped through to the other side. He found himself on another ship. The team came through right behind him. Everyone looked around. Something was different. Maybe it was the quiet. Maybe it was the color scheme. Maybe the crewmembers meeting them seemed more intent, more focused. General O'Neill and SG-1 hesitated. They could feel it.
"Welcome, My Lord General O'Neill." The officer bowed and then saluted Jack and company. "Welcome to the Base Ship 'Jericho.' Everyone is waiting on the bridge. This way please." The man gestured to the doorway. The Team followed. They entered a room and found themselves immediately transported to the bridge. Everyone came to attention. The officer announced them to the crew. "Our Lord General Jack O'Neill, the Great and his team, SG-1."
"I am Admiral Ezra." He saluted. "I stand relieved, My Lord General. The command is yours." He stood aside, indicating the captain's chair to Jack. Jack saluted back and walked to the chair. He hesitated a moment and slipped in naturally.
"Sweet. First order of business, get me one of those cool looking jackets." Jack pointed to the Admiral's tunic. The Admiral gestured to a subordinate who went to get one. Daniel shook his head. Some things would never change. "And coffee. I need some coffee." Jack looked around at all the blinking lights. Then his attention wandered as a pretty young officer came forward with his coffee. Jack smiled up at her. She froze. "It's ok, I don't bite. C'mere, let's have the cup." He reached out for the hot coffee. The woman handed it and saluted, then bowed. He quaffed from the cup. Yes, the changes he instituted with these aliens were working. Now if he could only get them to stop bowing.
"My Lord General," Admiral Ezra began. "We are ready to begin. The prisoner is ready. Shall I have him brought up here?"
"In a minute. Let me see where we are first." Jack looked at the view screen. In between him and the screen, a hologram of the star system glowed. Data streamed next to the image. The screen showed a solar system with six planets and several moons around the biggest gas giant. "Which one are we blowing up?"
"We are destroying the second one, General." The Admiral walked to the display. "As planned, this one is the most consistent in size with planets in the Wannabe's system. No life forms of any kind have been detected down to a level 10 miles below the crust."
"You are sure we can do this?" Jack sipped his coffee. The Admiral nodded. "And how do we know this character will believe us?"
"The spy arrived here on the planet by Stargate. We have since removed the Gate to our cargo bay. No sense destroying a perfectly good Gate." The Admiral shrugged. "From there we conveyed him by shuttle to this ship. I am told he was impressed with its size." Admiral Ezra smirked. He knew full well this spy was terrified when he saw the 'Jericho.'
"Yes, how big is this thing anyway? Can someone put up an image on the hologram?" Jack was curious. "Is it as big as the 'O'Neill?" Two images appeared in relative size to each other. One was the 'Jericho.' The other was the 'O'Neill.' The two were close but the 'O'Neill' was slightly larger. Daniel rolled his eyes and looked at Cam Mitchell. They exchanged glances and looked amused. "So, not as big as the 'O'Neill.' Jack was smug. "Ok, let's do it. Bring him up here."
While they were waiting, Jack called Carter over to his seat. "Nice, eh?" He mouthed the word, "bigger" to her. She nodded and grinned. He could be such a child at heart.
"Yes, sir." She turned away. "Admiral, did you decide which way to blow it up? A energy shot from here or launching the missile pods?" Sam referred to an array of missiles towed behind large ships outside the shields. Missile pods had the advantage of being so small that enemy ships did not usually detect them until it was too late. Being outside the shields meant that weapons fire did not require the ship to lower its shields or even fluctuate the frequency. The downside was that after one salvo, they did become targets. So launching one or two salvos was the usual life span of a single pod. It usually did not require more. If more were required, the ship had other methods on board, including energy weapons.
"For now, we shall stick with the pods. There's no sense letting them know we have a better delivery system until we must." Admiral Ezra smiled a wicked grin. Carter gave one back. Heads were nodding. He spoke to Jack. "The missile is equipped with a naquadah and naquadria enhanced Mark 9-type nuke on top of a hyperdrive rocket. Basically, it will launch conventionally and then activate its hyperdrive to reappear inside the planet and explode. It can be targeted from here as well as by its own program. The redundancy ensures success."
"So you are saying its redundancy ensures success." Jack intoned. Carter turned away to suppress a giggle. "Like what we did to get that asteroid Anubis sent through the Earth? Your idea, Carter?"
"Similar idea, sir. But, they already had these. I just helped with the targeting calculations and the yield required." Sam began to describe how the targeting data was sent to the missile when she saw Jack's look. "Sorry, sir. It's just so darn exciting."
"One of these days, you'll go have some fun instead of calculating, running, simulating." Jack leaned back and regarded her.
"I'm having fun now, sir." Carter retorted.
"You go girl." Jack turned to the Admiral. The doors to the bridge opened and a small man with his hands cuffed behind him lurched in escorted by three large guards. "Look what the cat dragged in." Admiral Ezra looked confused. "The cat. You do have cats? Well never mind. Here he is." The man if you could call him that was wary. He looked around. "Hey, keep your eyes over here, pal." The man was brought forward to stand before Jack.
"Do you understand who this is?" Admiral Ezra asked the prisoner. The man looked uncertain.
"Major General Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force, Earth. And you are?" Jack studied the alien. He had pale skin, some kind of brow ridge, and funny ears. "Does he understand me?"
"I understand who you say you are." The alien stared back. "But your people are not advanced enough to operate this ship. I don't care if you are sitting in that chair. Your people are too primitive." Jack took his time to answer the insolent remark.
"It hurts me that you would call us primitive. But… that's ok." Jack answered mildly in the cadence of a TV performer from a sketch on Saturday Night Live. "Because we're good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like us." And then he smiled a nasty grin. "Isn't that right, Admiral?" Daniel and Mitchell were having trouble not cracking up. Teal'c raised an eyebrow. Carter bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. But the Admiral thought Jack had lost his mind. All he could do was nod and shoot a glance at Carter who shrugged back at him. "Carter?"
"You see these folks here?" Carter interjected. The alien nodded. "We've made some new friends." She got up close and personal. "Our friends are really, really, angry with your people and your associates, the Goa'uld. Did anyone tell you why?" The man acted as if he did not care the least bit. "Look at me or take a walk out that airlock, buddy." She pointed to a door. The man turned his hate-filled eyes back toward her. But he was listening. "They know you are about to try to destroy them. Yes, they know about the shipyards. And they know the Goa'uld want to finish the job they started with that dirt bag Apophis." The man looked surprised. Yes, he could feel the hatred. "We want you to understand that we can do to you what you want to do to us."
Teal'c stepped forward and clasped the man on the shoulder to spin him around. "I am Teal'c of the Tauri." He saw the man register fear. "If you know my name, you know enough to fear me."
"I have heard of you, Sholvah." The alien was trying to regain his composure. "The System Lords have decreed your death. Even now, they have sent forth ashraks to deal with you."
Teal'c just put his face close to the man who was crowded by Carter up to Jack's chair. The physical threat was palpable. "Then let them come. We shall deal with them the same way we did before. As we shall deal with all of you as we did before, except for two things." Teal'c let the words hang in the air. Teal'c put on his very scary face. The man blanched. "This time, we have some very powerful new friends who are more advanced than the Goa'uld. These people hate what you are trying to do to them. They are very angry. And second, our alliance has the weapons of the Ancients." Teal'c waited until that information registered with the spy. Teal'c nodded to the Admiral. "You will tell your masters this message. If they persist, if they come against our friends or us, they will die. Behold." Teal'c stepped back and nodded to Jack.
"Ready the weapon and fire at will." Jack gave the order. All eyes were on the view screen. Nothing happened for many moments. And then the planet blew apart. O'Neill turned to him. "Mess with any of us and that is what you can expect. You can't get all of us. We will get you. Savvy?" Jack's face was intent on the prisoner. The man looked back at the screen to see all the bits and chunks flying away in all directions. He nodded without turning away. "Take our message to your government. Now get him out of my sight." Jack swiveled the chair away and picked up an information pad and studied it. The guards took the man away. Jack blew out his cheeks to relieve the tension. "That went well."
While Jack played Captain Kirk, Lady Anna had packing to do. She was on her way to Earth. Her new position as Ambassador for Earth Development was a cover story not known outside of select circles. In fact, most folks didn't know she was going. And that was the point.
"My Lady, what will you do among the primitives? How will you survive?" Lady Janelle clucked over her cousin and best friend. "It's bad enough you will only have your ship for a while. But, living with them? It's too awful." She sighed and watched the packing. "You must let me go with you."
"I need you here and that's all there is to it. Besides, why should I make you go away with me?" Lady Anna smiled reassuringly. "As Jack would say, I need you to watch my six for crying out loud." And she burst into giggles. "What an expression!"
"How long, My Lady?" Janelle was indeed concerned. "Please, let me send a bigger escort. I want you to come back." The servants bowed and left them alone. The two women watched them leave. Then they turned to each other to speak frankly.
"No, Cousin. Nana says this will take a while. The fewer who know, the better." Anna paused to consider. "We know the opposition is watching you. Be careful. Trust no one except Nana and Zay." Anna reached out to take Janelle's hand. "Besides, Earth has no idea what it needs. And they will want it all yesterday. I expect considerable delay before anything substantial happens. And, I might decide to travel elsewhere as well." She changed the subject. " I had a report today. The fortifications are on schedule. We have hardened one fort and started another. The system markers are being built and deployed steadily. By next year, we should have it all in place for them. Or at least enough to get a good early warning of any threats."
"They don't even know what you are doing for them. When Lord O'Neill finds out, he will not like this one bit. How will you appease him?" Janelle rose to check a large crate. "He will never believe you did it for his benefit."
Anna sighed and nodded her agreement. "Jack is so very suspicious. I suppose that is why he is still alive after everything." Anna thought about how her General would react. "It is better to act and apologize, than to forebear and have to explain why Earth had no defenses. Besides, he isn't that unreasonable."
Janelle snorted her disagreement. "He is very unreasonable. Look at how well you treated him and how badly he behaved. No one has ever been allowed in your presence so closely and so frequently. You even let him address you in private by your name. He even assaulted you. It was outrageous."
"It was necessary. There was no other way to reach out to him. And I had to keep him with me for his own protection. He has no idea how close we came to being killed that day with the Mayor. Only my personal shield got us out alive." Anna frowned. "Janelle, I am tired. I want some time off. Once I am there, they will spin their own wheels trying to propose a plan. While they do, I shall travel and enjoy life."
"The real problem will be getting their factions to work together, if that is even possible. They hate each other so much. My Lady, sometimes, well, forgive me, but sometimes, I think Lord O'Neill hates us too." Lady Janelle was careful not to voice her belief that O'Neill was really angry with Anna. "How can you trust him with your safety? He could be the one to betray you."
"What makes you think he would betray me?" Anna had not considered that he would actually help her assassins. "He could have killed me himself several times already. He knows I know it. Besides, I have already delivered on some of my promises. What could he gain by helping the opposition?"
"Oh, Anna, it's what they could make him believe that I fear. They may not even approach him as the opposition. They may work through others as they have here. You are not thinking." Janelle didn't like to think Anna had not considered all the possibilities. Of course she should know better. Anna was a master strategist. "I know you better than this. Anna what are you planning?"
"I am planning to have a working vacation. That's all. I haven't had any time off in seven years. And, I doubt anything very important will be accomplished on this assignment. If Nana can settle matters fairly quickly, I should be back soon enough. It's all a matter of negotiation." Lady Anna rose to end this discussion. It made her too uncomfortable. "Perhaps, when I have settled in for a time, you could come and visit me?" Janelle smiled pleased to be asked. Anna picked up a long stick and played with extending and retracting it. "I have an urge to go fishing."
But even the best secrets are not secrets once they are told. Lady Anna's opposition was fierce. And they were determined to stop her. Conspiracy was the watchword of the day.
"What have you learned?" The man sitting on the park bench spoke away from the woman to his right. The meeting was pre-arranged. "Did you find out where she is going?"
"Not yet. But we know it is someplace primitive. There are several possibilities. Initially, she will go by ship. Then she will travel by Gate. We expect her to wash her trail at that point." The woman stood up to pick up her packages and leave.
"Primitive. What isn't primitive compared to us? Watch her cousin, Janelle. At some point, she will go to visit. And find O'Neill. He's out with the fleet. That woman will never let him just wander off." The man opened his lunch and began to eat. "She worked too hard to find him." The woman grunted and lifted her packages, lumbering off.
In the meantime, preparations to receive the august visit of Lady Anna were in swing. Time was short. It had been only four days since news of her posting to Earth had been given to Major General Hank Landry, commander of the SGC. It had been only three months since she showed up at Earth's door searching for her hero, Major General Jack O'Neill. Today, dignitaries were to arrive any minute. Landry had his hands full. But he had something special planned for O'Neill.
"Yes, sir. I will. This is the most secure facility on the planet now, thanks to her." General Landry listened at the phone. " As soon as she arrives, yes sir." He hung up. Dr. Carolyn Lam, his daughter stood at his doorway. Landry waved her in. "What have you got for me?"
"We sent the alien med-techs back for a few items to get them out of here today. They have one of the units up and running in the storage room on Level 17. You should see it." She turned to leave.
"Hey, want to give your old man a check up?" He grinned pleasantly at her. She just rolled her eyes. "Aw c'mon. I want to see what all that money for med school produced."
"Is that an order, sir?" Lam wasn't having any of it. He sighed. "I am swamped today. But if you insist." She looked at him with resigned irritation. Working for her dad was a challenge. She really did not like him. But she loved her assignment at the SGC. Landry was disappointed and shook his head. Lam turned and left. The alarms went off and the Stargate activated.
"Unscheduled off-world activation," announced Sgt. Harriman. SF's ran into the gate room with loaded weapons. "Force field activated, sir." Landry walked up to check the situation. "It's General O'Neill's IDC, sir."
"Open the iris. Let's see his face when he can't get through the force field. I have been the butt of his practical jokes long enough. Let's see him deal with mine." Landry grinned. Colonel Reynolds walked up. "It's O'Neill. Got the new force field on." Both men grinned. This should be good. Sure enough, Jack stepped through to the ramp followed by the rest of SG-1. He spread his hands wide.
"Aunty Em, Aunty Em, I'm home." O'Neill called out. "Miss me?" He loped down the ramp and got stuck. "What? I've turned into a mime?" His hands pressed against an invisible wall.
"You have some nerve showing your face around here. Last I heard you were consorting with Fairies. That's against regulations, Airman." Landry spoke through the microphone. Landry referred to the situation a few days before on K'tau when the natives there mistook Lady Anna's hologram for a fairy.Landry had to send his "elf," Colonel Reynolds, and SG-3 to take care of the 'fairy problem' by request of the locals. Just having to write that report set his teeth on edge. This was payback.
"Funny." Jack faked a smile. "I get it, Hank, now lemme in."
"Don't know about that Jack. Those fairies are a menace. They could have put a spell on you." Landry kept a straight face. "I think a thorough medical exam is in order. You might still be carrying fairy dust around." He folded his arms across his chest and stood there expectantly. "Dr. Lam, send a med team to do a thorough and I mean thorough exam of anyone who could be infected by fairy dust." Reynolds just stared at him not believing what he was hearing. The diminutive sergeant was stifling a giggle.
"I'll handle this, sir." Carter walked forward and addressed the SF's. "General O'Neill is in trouble folks. We have to get him home. So, anyone here who believes in fairies, clap his hands." She clapped her hands. She was the only one. "Guess not sir. I tried." And then Teal'c put on his scary face and did the impossible. He clapped. So did the Team and then, everyone else dared not follow suit. The Gateroom thundered with the clapping.
Jack looked at Mitchell, then Mitchell's hands, and then, gave Mitchell a look that said 'and what's your problem.' Mitchell stared at everyone around him. He had no idea that the SGC could be this off the wall. He raised his hands to clap. "Wrong movie, sir."
"Ok, ok, you win Jack. Lower the force field. Welcome home." Landry went down to shake hands with his friend.
In Washington, DC, the Commonwealth's Earth Ambassador Aaron opened his ultra secure correspondence from Home Office. One message was secured more than all the rest. The outer instructions indicated that the Ambassador should go elsewhere away from the Embassy to read it. The Ambassador knew to use extreme security when he opened it and to dispose of it. Ambassador Aaron had enough years and training behind him to refrain from a showing a reaction. He slipped the message container into his pocket and continued to peruse his other mail. After making his replies, he informed his assistant that he wanted to take a walk alone. The assistant protested. But the Ambassador was firm, although he agreed to use the transporter so Earth security agents could not follow. The Ambassador set the transporter for a park a few miles away. But in the park he used his own ship's transporter to beam himself to the windswept Delaware shore. As far as the eye could see, no one was nearby. It was November after all.
Opening the written paper message brought a shock. Paper messages were rare. But, they could not be traced electronically. The Ambassador was heartsick. Assassins were pursuing His Lady, perhaps even here. On the Royal Matriarch's instructions, he was to construct a false trail to several other planets after Lady Anna made her visit to the President. He must follow Nana's exact instructions. He was to use Anna's body doubles. And he must prepare for her arrival when he was away from the Embassy. No one could know later that she was still on Earth. All Embassy personnel under him would be rotated out beginning immediately. Only members of the Royal Clan would replace them. The Ambassador was sad but felt honored that his Matriarch trusted him that much. Besides, Anna was his childhood friend and his cousin. The Ambassador walked to the edge of the ocean and immersed the papers. They dissolved immediately.
It was time for Lady Anna to travel to her new post. But she needed to wash her trail. Her distant cousin, Captain Amos, stood ready on the bridge of the 'Benjamin,' Lady Anna's personal yacht. His Lady had just arrived and was on her way to the bridge. He wondered if she would take command or just watch today. One thing was certain. She was in trouble. And he would be damned if anything happened to her on his watch. He had received his orders from the Royal Matriarch this morning. Princess Ellen meant business. After all, the Lady was the last of her direct line and his cousin. He was among her inner circle even if he was so much younger. This was not the time to trust outsiders. On his own authority, he had removed from the ship anyone not directly connected to the Royal Clan by birth. They were temporarily a little shorthanded, but Nana would take care of that problem later. His duty to the Clan outweighed any other, which was why he was in command of the 'Benjamin.'
Lady Anna walked on to the bridge and saluted Captain Amos. He returned the salute. General O'Neill had devised a clever way to give military dignity to her troops. Salutes were the rule now. She approved heartily.
"Captain Amos, so good to see you again. Are you ready to depart?" So, she would not take command. He nodded and moved to the command chair. "Please have all my things jettisoned and destroyed immediately." His eyebrows went up but he made the order as requested. "Now, here is the new flight plan." She handed him paper. This was extreme. He held it and nodded. "Did you have the ship scanned as I instructed?" He nodded again. "Inform me when we reach the Junction. Then read these instructions." She watched him for a reaction. There was none. Good. Then, Lady Anna turned and left.
Captain Amos took the ship out of orbit. Instead of plotting a course to Earth through hyperspace, he proceeded to the wormhole Junction point. The Commonwealth's capital planet was near a stable natural wormhole. The Commonwealth learned to use this wormhole to send its ships far across the galaxy and to some other places nearby. Much shipping moved through here because it was economical. Large distances could be traversed without using regular fuel. And time was money in any society. So, he sent a priority signal to the Junction traffic control. They were moved to the front of the line. No doubt the merchant captains were peeved. That was not his problem.
The natural wormhole worked much like a Stargate but had more complications. There were multiple fixed entries and fixed exits if one knew where and how. Making the transfer from normal space to wormhole space was treacherous. Gravity waves inside the wormhole could rip a ship apart during and after translation. But those same gravity waves provided extreme propulsion if used correctly. To use them correctly involved a science the Goa'uld had never learned. But the Commonwealth Admiralty already knew how for many centuries. Probes initially determined that regular propulsion would destroy a ship entering or exiting. Instead, their scientists devised special "sails" made of photons emitted from one side. These sails caught the "wind" of a gravity wave and moved the vessel along with it. So Captain Amos called for "lighting the sails" and made his entrance. The 'Benjamin' made a smooth translation through the Junction. From this point on, the starship could not be tracked.
Once Jack was back at the SGC, routine dogged his heels. Having been off-world for three months meant a special medical exam. It was unlikely that he had any contagion since that time was spent with the advanced alien humans of the Commonwealth. Their medical science was 1500 years more advanced than the best on Earth. And they proved it with the lavish gifts of medical scanning equipment and biobeds now assembled in the Infirmary. Once he could escape, the General loped out of the medical ward.
"So where you going, Carter?" Jack caught up with her after his physical exam.
"I'm taking a hop to San Diego. Plane leaves in forty minutes." Sam smiled at Jack. Military personnel were permitted to use scheduled military transports if space was available at any time, even on time off so long as they were in uniform. It sure beat waiting in lines at the airport over this holiday. "Want to come? I'm an Auntie you know. Mark would be happy to have you." He just shook his head. "Aw c'mon, sir. It's Thanksgiving. Can't spend it alone. Daniel is going to Sarah's. Teal'c is going to Chulak. Mitchell is going to his grandma's. I'd like you to come."
"Can't. Sorry. I'm having Thanksgiving at the White House." He looked sad. Jack smiled, pointed, and started to walk off. "But you have fun. That's an order."
"Have a good time, Sir." She looked at him sadly too.
On Chulak, Teal'c breathed in the sweet smell of air from his homeworld. He was gone so much, that just standing there felt good.
"Tec Mat'Te Bratac, my old friend." Teal'c advanced to clasp forearms with Master Bratac. "It is good to see you."
"Word of your actions on the Hak'taur vessel reached even here. Come. We dine at my house tonight." Bratac led him off to the city. "Are these Hak'taur really so powerful?" He looked over at Teal'c to judge his reaction. Teal'c smiled a broad grin.
"They are more powerful than the Goa'uld. Perhaps they rival the Asgaard. With my own eyes I saw them destroy a whole planet without seeming to fire weapons as we know them." Teal'c saw Bratac's face. "They have ships so large Anubis' mothership would fit inside with room for many more. You are troubled, Master Bratac?"
"Yes, we have also heard how much they hate the Jaffa. It is nothing they say. It is how they look at us when they think we are not watching. But we know." Bratac rubbed his beard. "Teal'c, how can we be certain they will not come for us, eventually?"
"Yes, it is a troubling question. But for now, they have use for us. I hope to show them our honor and our abilities to be good allies. They fear us. In time, they will come to know us. I am certain of this. But you are right. They do hate the Jaffa almost as much as they hate the Goa'uld." He looked around the familiar forest. "It is good to be home to rest. The Tauri are celebrating their Day of Thanks. I have four days here, my friend. We have much to discuss."
"Is it true these Hak'taur live as long as Jaffa?" Bratac was very curious. Hak'taur was a Goa'uld word for advanced human. "Many System Lords sought to find a Hak'taur for a superior host, yet feared them and would destroy an advanced human society. I understand their anger at losing a whole planet to Apophis." Bratac had not met anyone from the Commonwealth yet.
"Longer, my friend. They can live as many as three hundred years. I myself have met one over two hundred years. And he did not look older than O'Neill. I have met another who was younger, but he looked like a very old man." Teal'c shook his head. "I do not know how it works. But I cannot understand why the Asgaard will not permit O'Neill to benefit from the Hak'taur medicine. They say he would live another eighty years more than he would."
"You say O'Neill cannot benefit without the Asgaard's permission? Strange. You would think they would do anything they could for him. He has saved them so many times." Bratac was puzzled. "Have any of the other Tauri taken the medicine?"
"I do not know. That is troubling too. If Colonel Carter thought it was a good idea, she would try it on herself first to see if it were safe for O'Neill." Teal'c smiled at the sight of the city. He stopped to gaze upon it. "Perhaps the Hak'taur have not offered her the opportunity. Anyway, a few years ago, Thor put some kind of lock on O'Neill's Code of Life. The Tauri call it DNA. No one can tamper with General O'Neill, not even another Asgaard. Thor thought he was protecting the General. Maybe Thor cannot remove it. Ironic, instead of helping O'Neill, they have condemned him."
"Warriors such as we and O'Neill find comfort in ourselves and in our cause. Come. Our friends are waiting." Bratac increased his pace. Teal'c nodded and walked with him silently.
Meanwhile, Lady Anna's yacht, the Starship 'Benjamin' exited the Wormhole and continued to its first destination. Captain Amos received another paper message from his Lady. She wanted him to retrieve from the surface supplies she had waiting. It took about an hour and then they departed. Anna knew her previous luggage was marked with tracers. Her things were also probably impregnated with other devices as well. No sense in taking chances on what those things were. By now, her maids were in custody. Her conversation with Lady Janelle in front of her servants had been pre-planned by them both. The hunt was on for her would-be assassins.
Lady Anna dialed the Stargate. She would wash her trail several times before going to Earth. Captain Amos left that system by hyperspace. He had precious cargo to deliver to another star system. He smiled to himself that he was privileged to know her true plans. Apparently Lady Anna just wanted it to look like she was going to Earth. In reality, she was going to Cestius Three, or so he thought. Her double would do her duty and remain on board in seclusion even through transport to the surface. No one would be the wiser.
Source: William Wordsworth ("Character of the Happy Warrior"), the warrior "finds comfort in himself and in his cause."
size1 width"100" noshade color"#efefef" aligncenter
