Season 1:
The Shape of Things to Come
"I think I'm a fairy," she said, looking up from her book. "Uh, what?" Daniel replied. "Colorful, immortal beings," she explained, motioning to her hair, "Able to survive even mortal wounds no worse for it, who can disappear at will. Plus the pointy ears." He put down the artifact that he had been examining, "You're right, you certainly bear at least a passing resemblance. I wonder if there's any connection?" he asked, more to himself than to her. "Your ancestors may have visited Earth at some point in the past. I guess there's really no way of knowing; without getting to Cuivien, at least."
She had come across the description in her latest book, her fourth from him since arriving. She knew she wasn't retaining the finer details, but this way she at least she had enough surface level information to get by, and it would be a nice foundation if she decided to read more in depth about it. She was pretty sure she would, eventually.
She hadn't spoken about it to anyone yet, but she had decided to stay, if they would have her. She had thought about her future and it really came down to two choices. To stay or to leave. Leaving was a terrible idea. She knew the addresses of seven planets, including her own, and had no expectation that these humans would share the ones that they had. Plus it would be harder to fight the Goa'uld alone.
Beyond that, she hadn't decided what she wanted to do while she was here. If she asked they might let her live on the surface, but the idea of civilian life bored her. She didn't know what they would do if she asked to join their Stargate program. Teal'c served with SG-1, so there would hopefully be a place here for her here if she wanted one.
She really liked that thought. The incident four days ago had been a rush. She had missed the feeling, when against all odds she was able to complete her mission. She took pride in what she did. She would hate to have to stop.
"I'm hungry, lunch?" she asked him. "No," he said, distracted by his project again, "I have a meeting with the archeology team in…" he trailed off, checking his watch, "Five minutes ago." That turned into him quickly grabbing what he needed, and speeding out the door. She left with him.
She hadn't found there to ever be much of a rush in the commissary, people slowly filtered in at all hours of the day. She was most of the way done with her meal when O'Neill sat down across from her. "Hey, been looking for you," he said. She was immediately concerned, "Is something wrong?" she asked him. "The opposite, actually. I figured you deserve a proper thank you for what you did for us, I spoke to General Hammond and got permission to take you off base, if you want," he told her.
She didn't have to think very hard about the offer, "It would be nice to see the sky again," she answered. "Good, I've already got us tickets. Next Sunday, Packers at Broncos," he said standing up. "Wait, that's a sport, right?" she asked. "Football; study up," he said, walking away.
The last four days had been remarkably different from the first two weeks. Before, she had felt like a visitor, an outsider. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that had changed, whether it was her or them. She had fought for this place. Bled for it, however briefly. She was becoming attached. But she also felt more welcome now, the people friendlier. It was probably a combination of both.
The best part was she was getting access to her own computer. It had been installed the day before. Her online access was limited, but that was fine. She was still getting used to it, but seeing other people use one had helped tremendously. She spent the rest of her day studying up on football.
SG-1 had a mission the next day. They had found an opportunity to view a black hole. Kara wasn't sure of the significance of it, but Carter was excited. With the team gone, she found herself wondering the halls, taking a break from everything, when a doctor ran past her. That wasn't too unusual, sometimes there were injuries offworld. What was more unusual was when two more medical staff ran past her as well. Looking back, she saw Janet running her way, with more behind her.
Kara waited for her to pull level with her, then set off again, matching her speed. "What's going on?" Kara asked her. "SG-1 was exposed to a biological contaminant. The local population and our science team are already dead," she replied without slowing. "Let me come with you, I can help."
Kara didn't even consider the offer before the words were tumbling out of her mouth. "That's up to the General," she replied,"Come on." They both picked up their pace. Kara hadn't even realized it had happened, but she found herself back in her field mentality. She focused out the distractions around her and narrowed in on the task at hand.
She was three steps ahead of Janet as she entered the control room. She didn't have much experience with this room, but everyone looked to be in the same place they had been weeks before, the last time she had been in this room. "I heard what happened, and I want to help," she told General Hammond unprompted. "If it really is a biological contaminant, then I can't be infected. And if someone already is, there may not be time to find a cure," she continued, without giving him time to respond.
He was finally able get a word in by raising his hand for her to stop. "Permission granted," he told her. "Airman, help her get equipped," he ordered off to his side. She and the Airman quickly left, heading toward the armory. She had seen the man around, but couldn't remember his name. She really needed to learn how to tell what someone's rank was. It would make this so much easier.
They never actually entered the armory, the equipment room was just nearby. She was supplied with a tactical vest, some basic equipment and a radio. There was also the device he handed her that mounted to her arm, "This sends a signal through the gate to open the iris," he had explained. As soon as she had what she needed, she was back out the door before she even had it fully zipped.
The gate room was buzzing with activity, but it was easy to tell who was preparing to embark and who was working on erecting a device in front of the gate. She didn't know what it was, but they already had a metal frame up around the walkway in front of the gate. Those traveling with her were wearing yellow, helmeted suits, or were in the process of putting one on.
She hadn't seen anything like them before, but the humans would need something to protect them, she reasoned. It was another moment before Janet entered. She already had the suit on, helmet in hand. "Alright, dial it," she said up to the control room. Those near the gate moved back as it began to spin.
Harriman narrated the dialing sequence like before, but this time the gate connected. She didn't realize until that moment how much she missed the sound it made when activating. She must have been mesmerized by the process. When she looked back everyone was fully suited. "Can you carry this?" Janet asked, indicating to a case by her feet. Kara nodded, it had some weight to it, but she could manage.
The walk to the gate was short, and she stepped out into a bright, sunny day. She almost took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air, but thought better of it. It felt insensitive, given present company. The area around the gate appeared to be farmland. A small clump of trees was not far off and she thought she could see a town in the distance. Carter and Teal'c were waiting for them by the dialing device, "This way to the observatory," Carter said, starting in the direction. They followed.
"I had not expected to see you here, Operative Trevel," Teal'c said as they were walking. "I heard what happened and volunteered to help," she explained. He seemed satisfied with her answer and turned his attention back to the path. It took Kara a moment to realize, that was the first time she had really spoken to him. She had spoken to him as part of a group a few times now, but never directly. She would have to change that going forward.
It was a bit of a walk to get to the building. When they got there, Janet began issuing orders to the others who came through with them. The woman was in her element. Kara wasn't sure what she should be doing, but Janet eventually got to that, "I need you to wait out here until we have the interior sterilized," she said to SG-1, "Kara, wait with them, and let me know if they begin to develop any symptoms."
It took about an hour and a half for the process to finish. Someone had come to her not long after they parted for the case she had carried, but she had stood there quietly for the most part. SG-1 had been silent and she hadn't felt it necessary to disturb them.
They had to go through a decontamination chamber before they could enter the building proper. It was interesting, the things that these humans had developed that she had never even considered the need for before. Janet had needed to examine SG-1 for infection next. Again there wasn't much for her to do to help here, so she waited; this time she at least had a chair to sit on.
They were all clean, thankfully. Then came the hard part. They needed to do a sweep and tag the bodies. They had all congregated back in the main room where O'Neill was giving the orders. He was dividing them up into teams, starting with some of the medical staff that she was unfamiliar with. She was preparing an argument to help one of the teams when he turned to address her, "Kara, you're with Teal'c and myself. Carter with Daniel."
She was glad to be included, but the work was hard. They were searching for bodies. Kara had seen death before. Been on missions that went wrong. But she was hardly ever there for the cleanup, her talents were better spent elsewhere. Especially in the final years of the rebellions.
There was some logic to where the different teams had gone, but Kara wasn't privy to it. They were starting in a nearby field and working their way toward a small settlement she could see in the distance. The first few bodies were hard, they had not died cleanly, but it got easier as they went. That was somehow worse.
An hour into their search Carter radioed in. They had found a survivor, a young girl. Thankfully she was unaffected and they were bringing her back through the gate. They kept it up for another few hours, but O'Neill called it off when it began to get dark.
They spent the night on the planet. There were sleeping quarters in the building, but not enough for everyone, so she volunteered to sleep on the floor. It wasn't the most comfortable sleep she had ever had, but she would be fine. Any discomfort she would have felt the next day was taken care of before she even noticed it.
The next day they continued the search for another few hours. They had tagged about 900 bodies before O'Neill called it complete. They were the last team to arrive back at the observatory. "I feel like we owe it to these people to stay, complete the mission," he said. "The contagion is not airborne, but be careful," Janet told him, she didn't look pleased with the idea. "I will stay as well O'Neill," Teal'c offered. "I'd like to stay too," Kara added. "Sounds like a party," he told them with a smile.
O'Neill mainly focused on the telescope, Teal'c observing from across the room. The perfect opportunity, she thought to herself. He turned toward her as she approached. "I just wanted to tell you, I realized I was unintentionally avoiding you. I plan to change that going forward," she told him, and then awkwardly added, "Unless you mind?" He smiled at her, "It is understandable, Operative Trevel after what you have been through. And I do not mind." She was glad to hear that from him.
It would be about another half hour before they got the view of the black hole they were expecting. They had sat in companionable silence after she had spoken to Teal'c. Finally, she wandered closer to O'Neill, to better observe the screen displaying the feed from the telescope.
She saw the motion on the screen out of the corner of her eye. "What was that?" Teal'c asked, he must have seen it too. It took O'Neill a moment to reposition the telescope, and the object came back into view. "A Ha'tak vessel," Teal'c supplied. She had never seen one from the outside before, didn't even know what it was called. What was that noise? It definitely hadn't been there before. "Do you hear that?"
O'Neill and Teal'c listened, then shared a look. "Death Gliders," Teal'c told her ominously. "Move!" O'Neill shouted, throwing on his helmet. They wasted no time making their exit. They were about twenty feet out the door when she heard the first shots fired, then explosions behind her. By the sound of it they had hit the building they were just occupying, but there was no reason to turn and check.
The road back to the gate was very open. She put everything she had into her sprint. The Gliders had circled around for another pass. Their shots went wide, they must not be very accurate. They did another pass, this time one of the shots hit in front of them, making her jump the divot it created, but she never broke stride.
The timing worked that the next pass took the Gliders over them just as they reached the small clump of trees by the gate, giving them some cover. Kara entered them first with a slide down the small embankment, her heart pounding. The others just behind her. It gave Teal'c the chance to tell them about Nirrti, the diplomat, and the bomb. They needed to hurry! Earth couldn't lose their gate.
O'Neill broke first, Teal'c and Kara right behind him. Adrenaline was singing through her, she loved this feeling. A lucky shot almost hit O'Neill on the way, knocking him over. Teal'c sped past to the DHD, while Kara helped him up. The gate was open before she got to it. Teal'c must have already sent the signal, she thought, as he stepped through. O'Neill was a step ahead of her through the gate. Just as she was stepping through, a shot hit right behind her, propelling her forward.
She was going too fast to regain her footing when she emerged, Roll! She heard O'Neill shout something, but the blood was pumping in her ears so she wasn't sure what it had been. "Whooo!" she shouted, regaining her footing, a big smile on her face.
They had gotten back just in time. They had saved the gate, but the little girl, Cassandra, still had a bomb inside her. They were taking her to a weapons testing facility to let her detonate safely. Kara stayed behind. If she had lobbied for it, they may have let her go, but she wanted no part in it. She knew they hadn't made the decision lightly, but that didn't make it easier.
She was glad to hear they all came back safe, even Cassandra. Proximity to the gate was what was keeping the bomb active. Janet had agreed to keep her while they searched for a more permanent home. She assumed that would be unlikely.
She quickly got back into the swing of things on the base, and in no time at all it was time for her journey to the surface. She still didn't really have anything in the way of possessions and so had planned to wear what she had. She had about fifteen minutes until she was supposed to meet the team by the elevators to the surface when there was a knock on the door.
She hadn't bee expecting anyone. She opened it to find O'Neill, holding a bag. "I had Carter pick up some stuff for you," he explained, handing it to her. "Elevators in ten," he said as he began to walk away, before she had a chance to thank him. She closed the door and moved to the bed to examine what he had brought her.
She found it was full of clothing. Shirts, in multiple colors, and pants. Jeans, she remembered they were called. She quickly changed. The pants fit perfectly, and she went with the black shirt. It's collar was shaped like a V, and she thought it might have been a bit tight, but that could have just been the style.
She found O'Neill and Teal'c waiting for her by the elevators. O'Neill was dressed similar to her, but with a jacket, and Teal'c was wearing tan pants, a buttoned shirt, and a hat to hide the emblem on his forehead . When O'Neill saw she had arrived, he explained, "Carter is spending time with Cassandra and Daniel can't pry himself away from his toys, so it's just us today."
The elevator quickly arrived and they piled in. "Oh, before I forget," he said, fishing around his pocket for something. He pulled out a card and handed it to her. It was the same as the other cards she'd seen around the base. It even had her picture. "We couldn't use Eleskara of Trevel, but Kara Trevel sounds human enough. I hope you don't mind. And be careful with it, it'll open most of the doors here," he explained to her. "Not at all," she reassured him, and then it occurred to her, "I don't need to wear a hat, do I?" He looked like he hadn't been expecting her to ask that, "No. If anyone asks, just tell them you dye your hair, but it shouldn't be an issue. You should keep it down to hide your ears, though," he told her. She nodded at that.
The elevator ride was quick, a few security checkpoints later and they were outside. It was cool and cloudy, but she didn't mind. This time she took that breath. O'Neill checked out a car from the base and they were on their way. It was about an hour to the stadium, he had told them. She was fine with that. She spent almost the entire ride glued to the window. First she had been amazed by the landscape, but then it became the human presence as they approached the city.
The stadium had been packed. At first she had been nervous she might slip up or stand out, but it quickly became apparent that everyone else was more concerned with themselves, hardly noticing her. The only exception had been while O'Neill was buying food. She and Teal'c had been standing to the side, waiting, when she felt a tug on her hand.
There was a little girl standing in front of her, "I like your hair," she had said. Kara crouched down, level with the girl, "Thank you," she told her. Her mother must have been close by, and quickly came over, "Honey, what did I tell you about wandering off?" The little girl followed her mother away, and Kara offered the woman a small wave.
The game was entertaining, even if Kara didn't have a vested interest in the outcome. All too soon it was over, and they were leaving. She thoroughly enjoyed the trip. And it was nice to be outside again, this time without the bodies. In the end she found it to be the push she needed. She asked Hammond for a position the next day.
A/N
I have found that the chapters have been running longer than I had expected. It'll take me longer than first assumed to get them out, looking more like an update every 7 to 10 days.