1308 Hours, February 11, 2008/
Atlantis: Lantea, Pegasus Galaxy
Eight days had passed since Earth had fallen to the forces of the Ori. Things had settled into somewhat of a routine. The Atlantis security teams did their best to show their SGC counterparts around, though more than a few patrols ended up having to radio in for directions after turning a wrong corner. Still, with all the extra manpower Dr Weir had ordered teams of scientists and security escorts to begin exploring previously untouched sections of the city. With the sudden increase in population, they needed whatever else they could find: hydroponics, factories, water reclamation, and anything else that would help them survive.
The military personnel had set up several new ranges and training gyms to use as the existing ones wouldn't accommodate all the new marines and airmen that now resided in the city. Many of them had unresolved rage and frustration, for good reason, that their commanding officers knew had to be worked out to maintain unit cohesion, stability, and morale.
Down in one of these ranges, a group of SGC and Atlantis marines and airmen were firing at targets down range. Colonel Mitchell, still bruised and scarred, walked down the line as he observed each man and woman firing a variety of weapons from standard small arms to alien weaponry from several different races. Many of the Atlantis military hadn't much experience using things like Goa'uld Zat guns that the SGC had procured over the years; conversely, those at the SGC had little experience with Wraith weaponry. So, a bit of a swap was going on currently, which seemed to be fostering some much-needed camaraderie and fun between them.
Mitchell came up next to Gunnery Sergeant Wu, a member of SG-17, "Gunny, how're they doin'?"
The SG member nodded at him, "Better sir. Had a couple of heated scuffles in the boxing ring earlier this morning. Nothing to get in a twist over."
Mitchell agreed and turned back over to the range. He wasn't surprised that his and Sheppard's men were holding it together so well. Most of the military personnel in the Program were either special forces or skimmed from the top percentages in their branches. Singled out for their skills, expertise, and ability to handle high-stress situations. Every day at the SGC or Atlantis brought the threat of danger and death. Still, he knew that they all had to be hurting inside. He knew he still had not completely come to terms with… with everything. He just hoped everyone would figure out their own way to cope, lest it build into something else. Something dangerous.
Turning his attention back to the range, some had switched out their weapons while others had given up their spot to let others have a shot. The swishing of doors drew his attention, seeing another group of soldiers walking in. Accompanying them was the Satedan member of AR-1. He walked through the marines and airmen, towering over everyone, as he made his way towards the Colonel, a slightly lost look on his face as he scanned the crowd of new faces.
Mitchell decided to meet him halfway and walked up to him, "Ronon right? Colonel Cameron Mitchell, SG-1. Nice to meetchya."
Ronon turned and looked down at the SG-1 commander and nodded before looking back at the range. Mitchell looked over at the Gunnery Sgt who merely shrugged in return. From what Sheppard had told him about the man, Ronon was similar to Teal'c in so much as they never said much. Still, Mitchell figured he should try and get to know him since they'd probably be working closely together in the future given their places on frontline recon teams.
"Here for some target practice?" he asked as he motioned towards an empty stall.
Ronon grunted in response, as he stared at a pair of SGC airmen trying to familiarize themselves with a Wraith stun rifle and having a hard time. Clearly, he was unimpressed. Seeing an opportunity to break the ice, Mitchell turned to Wu.
"Gunny, bring me one of those staff weapons."
The Gunnery Sergeant obliged, walking over to one of the weapons racks and grabbing a Jaffa weapon. Handing it to Mitchell, the Colonel walked back to the stall that had been empty. Those few weeks of living and training with the Sodan had imparted him with a few skills that came in handy every now and then. Raising the staff to shoulder height, to he took aim down range at a metal sheet about thirty yards away and dialed up the power just a bit. Steading his hands, he exhaled once before firing off a golden plasma bolt. The bolt reached its target in the blink of an eye and a puff of smoke erupted. As it cleared, Mitchell could see that almost the entire upper half of the plate was blown off and melted. A few whistles echoed afterwards, clearly those who had been observing had been impressed. The Colonel spun the staff around in a well-practiced, fluid motion before bringing it to rest behind his back held in a reverse grip. Turning around, he saw the Satedan staring at him impassively but who nodded none the less.
'I'll take what I can get' Mitchell thought to himself.
Ronon stepped up to stall the Colonel just vacated, pulled out his Particle Magnum. Spinning it in hand, he brought it to bare on the same sheet down range before firing. A ruby bolt slammed into it and had a similar effect on it that the staff weapon had. Spinning the weapon again he put the gun back in his holster before turning to Mitchell. Mitchell stared at the holstered weapon before turning his gaze back to Ronon with a massive grin.
"Whoo boy, I gotta get me one of those!" he exclaimed even as Ronon just shook his head at hearing those words.
The civilian population had, according to Daniel, gone from hopelessly depressed, to mildly distraught. Thankfully, beds and showers were no longer an issue for them which seemed to alleviate most of their survival concerns for the moment. More food and had been shipped in from the Athosian settlement on the mainland, as well as more from offworld allies which helped the rationing issues they had been having. Unfortunately, this freed them up to resume their questions, of which they had many.
How long had Earth known about alien life?
How long had Earth been travelling among the stars?
Why was all this kept secret?
These questions had been muttered in every hushed conversation that had been taking place in the mess halls, living quarters, and restrooms by the newly acquired citizens of Atlantis. What brief explanations they had been given didn't do much to quell their desire, their need, for answers. So, it was decided that they would be given as much information as they could handle. There wasn't much point in concealing the truth now.
Most of it at least.
In one of the atriums near the base of the main tower a group of about thirty or so had been gathered. Most of them were from a small town just west of Colorado Springs who had fled to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex once word of an alien invasion had reached the major public news outlets. Once they had gotten the civilians organized and their names had been taken for records, Weir and Daniel both agreed that they should keep what families and friends that had made it to Atlantis in the same living groups to help ease tensions. They all sat in front of a small stand directly in front of them with a large screen off to the side, each one whispering to each other in hushed tones. Towards the back two Airforce SF's, armed with stunners, stood watch in front of the door. This group of civilians hadn't had any troublemakers in their midst, but caution, understandably, was still being exercised.
The door to the room slid open as SG-1's resident archeologist walked into the room and drawing the attention of every single person sitting down. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the front of the room and settled in behind the podium, pulling his laptop out and wirelessly connecting it to the screen beside him. Looking back at the crowd of people staring at him expectantly, he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. He hadn't given a presentation to a group outside of the SGC in over a decade. And a bunch of civilians who had no idea about anything to do with the Stargate at that.
'Huh, civilians?' he thought to himself 'what does that make me?'
Clearing his throat he spoke, "Hello, my name is Dr Daniel Jackson. I'm a member of Stargate Command Team 1, or SG-1 for short. We are the flagship reconnaissance and first contact team of the US Airforce-run Stargate Command. I know a lot of you… us, have had some trying times these last few days. I know that a lot of you are scared, confused, and angry about everything that has happened. I know that you're in pain, and you need answers. So, I'm here to answer any and all questions you might have."
At first, the room was completely silent. Maybe they didn't think that they would actually get anything in the way of answers to their constant barrage of questions. Maybe they thought that they were brought into this room for another set of clothing and personal supplies that had begun to be distributed. Whatever they had thought before, none of them knew what to say now. That is, until a young man three rows from Daniel's spot stood up.
"No one's told us anything, but we've all seen glimpses through the windows. We've seen some things here that I'd never thought to see outside of a Star Trek episode. This city… we're not on Earth anymore, right?" he asked quietly, seeming to already know the answer to his own question.
There were some grumblings from the crowd at that. All of them had gotten the crash course in Stargate travel: it was an alien device that would transport them to another planet, somewhere they would be safe. They got that key piece of information before being shoved through the event horizon of Earth's Stargate. To go from being in a small Colorado town to being on the most advanced city/space craft in the known universe was quite the leap.
Daniel shook his head in response, "No, we're not on Earth anymore. As impossible as this may sound, we're not even in the Milky Way galaxy anymore. We're on the planet Lantea in the 'nearby' Pegasus galaxy."
With that, he pulled up a 3D model on the screen to his left showing the Milky Way and the Pegasus galaxies next to each other with a flashing series of dots symbolizing their journey across the galactic void. This caused several people to gasp, cry out, and shout profanities in shock and disbelief.
"No way, no way! I don't believe this!"
"Mom, is he forreal? He has to be lying?!"
"How is this possible!?"
Daniel sighed and couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at his own lack of tact. He was usually the one to lecture Jack on this. He raised his hands in a calming manner as he tried to get them to relax. He was supposed to be easing their fears not encouraging more of them. After a few minutes of yelling out for them to settle down, another voice was able to raise itself above the crowd.
"How the hell did the Airforce get a city from Earth to a whole different galaxy?" some woman called out from the back, but he couldn't tell who.
Seeing an opportunity to wrestle back their attention, he quickly changed the screen to show a picture of Atlantis taken from the cockpit of a Jumper. Everyone noticed the change of images and seemed to lower their voices as they watched the image slowly change to different angles, sections of the outer piers, and finally to interior images of the city.
"We didn't bring this city here; it was already on this planet when we arrived several years ago. As crazy as it sounds, we're actually in the lost city of Atlantis," he explained, noticing the looks of bewilderment he continued, "Forget all the myths and legends you've heard over the years about Atlantis. The truth is more amazing than anyone ever could have imagined!"
And so, he went through brief history on the city of Atlantis. How it was created millions of years prior by the Ancients. How after facing a plague, they fled to the Pegasus galaxy and created life there. Quickly, the looks of bewilderment and disbelief changed to ones of curiosity and wonder. Like sitting at a campfire and hearing a story that had been passed down through the generations. Except, this was real. They were living it, for better or worse. Daniel, at Dr Weir's suggestion, left out anything involving the Wraith. The last thing they needed was the civilian population living in fear of being attacked by yet another alien race.
"So… we're the descendants of these Ancients, who've been around for a million years?" asked an older gentleman with his arms crossed in the front row.
Daniel nodded, "We've been able to piece together a rough timeline, which you'll all be able to access later through some terminals we're setting up, but before the Ancients left our galaxy, they used a device they invented to reseed life. We are the result of that, the second evolution of humankind."
"And they built the Stargates?" the man asked.
"Yes, they built the Stargate networks in both the Milky Way and Pegasus. Those networks have let us explore hundreds of worlds, meeting new human cultures and alien ones. We've been able make friends and allies across these worlds. I've seen things I never thought possible in my old life," Daniel wistfully explained.
"Things like what?" a voice called out to his left.
He looked to down and saw a young woman, probably in her early twenties if he had to guess, leaning forward in her seat. She had bright red hair, circular rimmed glasses that rested over emerald eyes that were wide with fascination. Despite the rest of her looking somewhat disheveled, she had an energy about her that seemed very familiar to Daniel. Reminded him of someone he used to know. He could see she was very much interested in the adventures he and his team had been on over the last ten years.
With a small smile, he pulled up another slide containing several pictures of Egypt and the Stargate at the SGC, "Twelve years ago I was called in to participate in an Airforce project operating out of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex…."
1900 Hours, February 15, 2008/
Atlantis: Lantea, Pegasus Galaxy
Sheppard, Mitchell, Carter, Rodney, and Dr Weir stood in Stargate Operations near the deep space sensor terminal. A holographic display hovered behind it showing two large dots tracking on a backdrop of space, moving rapidly towards the digital representation of Atlantis. Two icons were above the dots, the Apollo and Odyssey respectively.
"They should be dropping out of hyperspace in a few minutes," Rodney stated, turning around from the display to face everyone else.
They had been relieved to receive a subspace message from the Odyssey a couple days prior when they had reached the edge of the Pegasus galaxy, though it wasn't much to go on. Only that they had picked up some Jaffa support and would be arriving soon. Their hyperspace signatures, detected thanks to Atlantis's advanced sensors, showed that not only were the two ships travelling slower than their top speed, but their signatures registered as much larger than two 304's. Meaning that they were likely towing a something the size of a Ha'tak class mothership each at least. A comforting thought to the people on Atlantis; they could use all the help they could get. Knowing that the ships would be filled with other civilian refugees as well as exhausted military personnel, Weir had med teams and living areas pre-set for their arrival. Unlike when Earth had dialed in, they would be prepared this time.
An alert rang out on over on Chuck's laptop, "Two hyperspace windows just opened, reading IFF… confirmed, it's the Odyssey and Apollo."
A sigh of relief echoed by everyone in the room, smiles and handshakes going all around as everyone felt the elation at having more of their people back with them. Plus, two more of Earth's warships helped alleviate some of their concerns about possible attack.
"I'm detecting more ships in orbit, looks like we were right. Four Ha'tak class motherships are falling in behind them," Rodney stated from his own station, showing the contacts of all five ships on the holo-display.
Mitchell smiled at that, "Looks like Teal'c managed to rustle up more than a few birds."
Sheppard looked at the display in interest, "I've never worked with the Jaffa… actually, I've never even seen one. They a good time?"
Carter turned and smirked, "Just imagine an entire civilization of Ronons with silver armor and matching personalities, and you've got pretty good idea of what they're like."
Sheppard rolled his eyes at that, "Oh, great."
Chuck raised a hand to his ear, "Ma'am, the Odyssey is requesting permission to land at the southern pier immediately."
Confused, but nodding in confirmation, Chuck relayed Weir's response to the ship in orbit. Leaving gate room technicians to handle the transference of people from the other ships in orbit to the city, the senior staff moved out to the deck just outside the gate room to watch the battlecruiser land. As the stepped out into the sunlight they began to scan the skies for sight of the Odyssey coming down. Soon enough the heard the wake of the engines echoing in the air, and moments later they saw a grey geometric shape break out of the clouds and curve towards the city. Gliding through the air, the ship banked slightly around the city as it made its way towards the pier showing off its top side to them. Even from this distance they could see the scorch marks and missing hull plating all over the ship. Clearly, the Odyssey had not come out unscathed from its slugging match with the Ori fleet.
The group moved back into the meeting room as they waited for General O'Neill to arrive. Soon the doors rotated allowing them to see the former SG-1 team leader enter, accompanied by Teal'c, Master Bra'tac, and Richard Woolsey. All of them looked exhausted, having gotten as little sleep the last few days as those on Atlantis. Everyone else stood up to greet them as the new arrivals took their seats.
Carter smiled brightly, "Ja-General, it's good to see you! For a while there we thought…"
Jack made a small smile back at her, then offering the same to the others sitting next to her. Carter greeted the three men behind him with equal enthusiasm followed by Mitchell, Sheppard, and Weir. Sitting down in an empty chair, the two Jaffa and IOA representative doing the same, he finally allowed himself to relax a bit. Slumping back, he let out the longest sigh he possibly could. In front of anyone else, he wouldn't have let them see his stress coming off him in waves. As if trying to wipe away that stress, Jack dragged his hands over his face before sitting up and leaning on the table in front of him.
"So, I'm guessing you wanna know how things went down after the SGC blew up?" he questioned, seeing that their faces told him they wanted very much to know.
"Well, I'm sure you can guess things weren't going to well up in space. We tried to hold them off as best we could, but more and more ships kept coming. So I ordered the Apollo to withdraw and begin retrieving all off-world personnel and salvage as much as they could from our bases," his gaze lowered towards the desk as a scowl appeared on his face, "The Odyssey took some pretty heavy hits after that, and with her shields failing I had as many people as we could fit beamed up from the planet, along with the SGC's ZPM that had been buried in the explosion, and ordered a retreat under the ship's cloak."
The General became quiet, staring down at the table as he tried to find the right words, "We're not sure exactly who shot first, but it wasn't long before nukes started flying around. Didn't do much besides piss off the Priors I'm guessing. A few hours of that and what militaries were still functioning resisting seemed to seal the deal. That's around the time the Ori ships started bombarding dormant volcanoes and unstable fault lines."
The room went silent at that; they all knew what that meant. A couple months ago Homeworld Command had received intel that the Ori had completely wiped out the Aschen homeworld. Being one of the more advanced civilizations in the galaxy, the Aschen had a large and advanced enough fleet to give the Ori a bit more trouble than most other races. Of course, it was only a matter of time until the Ori demolished what remained of their defenses. Apparently growing impatient, a fleet of Ori ships moved on their homeworld in a surprise attack. Instead of subjugating the populace, the Ori instead attacked volcanoes and other geologically unstable areas of the planet, triggering a massive climate shift. What people that weren't wiped out in the initial volcanic blasts and mega-quakes were choked to death when the ash clouds enveloped the planet. After that, the remaining colonies and worlds under the Aschen Confederation unconditionally surrendered and adopted Origin as their chief religion.
A warning to the rest of the galaxy.
"…W-what happened next?" Dr Weir finally asked, her voice trembling from the news that their worst fears had been confirmed.
"…We fell back to the edge of the solar system for a few hours. Once we detected the Yellow Stone caldera had erupted… I gave the order to enter hyperspace. We rendezvoused with the Apollo and contacted Teal'c and Bra'tac here," he nodded to his friends beside them.
Bra'tac nodded and spoke solemnly, "Teal'c and I moved as quickly as we could, gathering supporters and their families from wherever we could. It saddens me to say that most Jaffa we attempted to persuade were unconvinced of our warnings; that without the Taur'i we had no chance at defeating the Ori."
Even though the Jaffa Master was already over one hundred and sixty years old and looked fantastic for such an age, those who had known him for the better part of a decade could see how the events of the last week had changed him, and not just physically.
"We acquired a small fleet of motherships and were attempting to load them with our people when we came under attack from Ori supporters," he continued.
Though Gerak's gambit to pledge the entirety of the Free Jaffa Nation to the Ori had failed, remnants of his more ambitious supporters had broken away from their brothers and sisters to do just that. Though they were a minority, they had been disrupting Jaffa supply lines and battle plans for months now. With Earth out of the way, they probably saw this as their opportunity to strike.
"When the battle was over, only four of our ships had escaped unscathed. We gathered all who remained and set course for the coordinates where O'Neill was awaiting us," the 'younger' Jaffa next to Bra'tac finished, "Our last subspace communication with the remnants of the Council tell us that most of our remaining strongholds and fortress worlds are either being overrun or destroyed."
Carter and Mitchell couldn't help but wince at that. The SGC have had a long and beneficial relationship with the Jaffa since its inception. Each of them could count many good friends in the new Jaffa Nation.
Mitchell shook his head, "Damn… how many were you able to save?"
Teal'c's face darkened as his frown grew even deeper, "… not enough."
Another uncomfortable silence followed. A wave of dread seemed to creep into the room. They'd all gotten their collective asses kicked and now they were on the run and in hiding. Without the resources of Earth behind them, and their allies back in the Milky Way, how could they ever hope to overcome the forces of the Ori. Hell, even with all of that they still came up short. Where would they go? What would they do now?
"So, what do we do now?" Woolsey finally articulated that very thought on all their minds, his voice flat and tired.
Woolsey was the only member of the IOA to make it off Earth, having been with General O'Neill the day the Ori invaded. He sat through the subsequent engagement on the bridge of the Odyssey, scoring a nasty head wound when the force from a blast rocked the ship and caused him to hit his head. Having since recovered, he was now the highest-ranking civilian apart from Weir that they had. Although no one was quite sure what use he would be now, what with the IOA being gone.
O'Neill cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter, "Whelp, obviously we're gonna have to focus most of our attention on the defense of the city. The Odyssey is gonna be down and out for a while she's in the shop, so we gotta get by with Apollo and the Jaffa. Sheppard, what's the word on the Daedalus?"
The Colonel tapped his laptop and pulled up a visual on the screen towards the back of the room, "Colonel Caldwell is finishing up reconnaissance based on intel we received a few weeks back on Wraith fleet activity. We've sent him a message to head back for Atlantis as soon as they're finished."
The General nodded, "Good, we're gonna need them. So besides that, what have you all been up to here?"
"We've improved our power situation as best we could, but with the ZPMs you brought we can have the city's shield at full strength. We may even be able to bring some other dormant systems online," Carter explained as she started doing some quick calculations on her laptop to see what else could be done with the extra power.
"And we've got plenty of munitions for both small arms and refit for our ships, and the city's drone situation isn't looking too bad," Mitchell stated.
"Nice work kids, I'm glad to see you've been keeping busy," Jack said trying to lighten the mood that was a few tones too low for his tastes, "How fair the new roommates?"
"Dr Jackson and I have been giving presentations on all things related to the Stargate, as well as answering all of the questions of our new civilian population has," Weir chimed in from her seat, "Things were pretty rocky at first, but a lot of them have really started to come around now that they're settled in and know what's been going on. Despite my doubts at how they'd handle it, Dr Heightmeyer tells me most of them have been coping better than expected."
Jack tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really? That well you say… I guess it's better than the riots and book burnings I was expecting when we got here."
Smiling slightly and nodding, she continued, "Yes, well, believe it or not we've even been getting volunteers that want to help in any way they can. Even got some of the younger adults looking to join up with the military too. You may have to start thinking about creating a boot camp for new recruits."
O'Neill placed his hands behind his head at that, "Once again, surprising," he leaned back in his chair before looking around the room, "By the way, where is Daniel?"
Carter and Mitchell shared a look before Carter let out a sigh, "He's with Vala."
A few levels down from the meeting, Daniel was walking the halls in the living quarters. It was a bit surreal walking through the corridors that just a last year were silent as a crypt only to find them now brimming with life. People were sitting in lounge chairs sipping coffee, others were jogging in and around people, and children were running and playing in the halls. He was glad that they were all settling into what was going to be their new lives, as much as he wished that they didn't have to.
Things had really wound down now that they knew everything, mostly, about the Stargate Program and what the United States had been up to for the last decade. Some of the older citizens had a harder time coping and accepting the impossibility of what they had been told, but to Daniel and the other senior staff member's surprise the rest of the civilians had been willing to move on without much fuss. In fact, many of them wanted to help in whatever way they could.
Some of them had been nurses, doctors, retired military, teachers, and others from all walks of life. Understandably, many wanted, no, needed to do something. Anything to get their minds off the horror that they had left behind on Earth. Anything to distract them from thinking about the billions of people, friends, and family they had abandoned. Daniel couldn't blame them for that. So, they had started putting people to work in departments that suited their skills. Dr Beckett reported his pleasure at having an influx of new medical staff to help in the infirmary. Others had been sent to assist with cataloging and storing the supplies that had been brought from the SGC or the mess halls. There was even talk of sending those who had some knowledge in agriculture over to the mainland to help the Athosians with their crops.
"Dr Jackson!" a voice called out, causing the archeologist to stop and turn around.
He noticed a figure jogging up to him followed by a few others right behind her. Noticing it was the same young woman who had been so curious during his first presentation a few days prior, he smiled and stopped so they could catch up to him.
"Eleni, right? Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, noting her companions who all had notepads in their hands.
She smiled back at him, "We just wanted to thank you in person for… well everything you've done for us. We tried to find you before, but the guards kept saying that you were busy."
He nodded at that, "Yeah, I had a lot of other lectures I needed to give to people just like you, but now that we've got stations set up on every level you won't have to wait for me or anyone else to answer your questions. You've got total… well, mostly total access to our records."
"We know, and it's been incredible!" she exclaimed, looking back at her friends who had equally enthusiastic grins, "The reality of all this… it feels like a dream. A horrible, scary dream… but also one that has so much wonder in it."
Daniel smiled sadly at that, noting that despite their outward appearance, inside these people were still struggling with their own thoughts of home. Everyone had to find their own way to cope with it, himself included. This younger generation though… they seemed to revel in the thought of being on an alien world, in an alien city, where the possibility of meeting actual aliens was very high. It reminded him of… well of himself when he was first trying to get the Stargate to work.
Eleni's voice broke him from his thoughts with a question on that very subject, "So, you were the one who opened up the Stargate for our world?"
"Well, not just me. There were a lot of us that made it all work, I just translated some codes and words."
"Still though! And all the places you've been to, the worlds and aliens you've seen! Your life is, like, super awesome! I just hope I get the chance to do something as amazing someday," she wistfully muttered as she thought of the future.
As much as Daniel wanted to downplay this romanticized ideal she had in her head, he stopped himself. There was something in her eyes, in the eyes of her friends, that he couldn't diminish. Hope. Hope that there might be a better tomorrow out there somewhere. If they wanted to survive, that kind of hope was what they needed. Even if he might not necessarily believe it himself.
"You might just get your chance," he offered with a small smile.
This brightened Eleni even more, if that was possible, "Really? You think? Well, that kind of leads me to the other reason we were looking for you. So, we we're all just about to start college when…"
Their faces immediately fell as thoughts of home and what would have been the start of their futures came up, a young man in the back of the group struggling to keep his composure while another kept his face glued to the ground under him.
"… We were wondering if we could, I don't know, have you teach us some of this stuff about the Stargates and other worlds? And teach us how to read Ancient and stuff so we can help out more around here?" she quietly asked, almost afraid of what his answer would be.
That was not what Daniel had been expecting. Sure, he had some experience as a TA back during his time in college, and occasionally throughout his career at the SGC when it came to training others in how to read Ancient. The more he thought about it, however, the more it seemed to make sense to him. They may very well be the last of the Taur'i; the future of their people rested on the shoulders of everyone in the city. Therefore, those who had the skills and knowledge of everything related aliens and the Stargate needed to pass it on to others for those future generations. And here he had his first volunteers who actually wanted to learn. Who was he to turn them away?
"Give me a few days to get some kind of lesson plan together and I'll get back to you all," he replied, noticing the shy looks turning into hopeful grins, "But right now I've got someone I need to meet with. You all go and enjoy the rest of your day."
Giving a quick and excited thanks, the kids ran off chattering about how 'awesome' and 'sweet' it was going to be learning and actual alien language. Seeing them made Daniel feel something he hadn't really felt before: old. Sighing, he continued his walk down the hall and deeper into the living quarters. He stayed on his path for a short while before finally coming to a closed door. He took a deep breath before knocking.
No answer.
He knocked again, this time calling out, "Vala? You in there?"
Again, nothing.
He reached his hand out and swiped it over the vertical door pad that glowed blue. With a beep of acknowledgment, the door slid open allowing him to enter. The room was mostly barren save for a bed and a small desk in the corner. Having fled Earth so fast, no one really had time to grab anything more than the bare essentials. The only light inside came from the windows that showed the city and the surrounding ocean. Laying down on the bed was a solitary figure, her back turned to the door. Daniel slowly walked up to the bed, his hands in his pockets as he looked around the room as if searching for what to say. She'd been locked up in here pretty much since the moment they'd arrived in the city.
"So, did ya forget to pack the Louis Vuitton purses and salt crystal lamps? This place is looking pretty baren," he dryly commented as he sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her.
"…I'm not in the mood Daniel…" she quietly stated, scooting a few inches away from him.
Daniel sighed and shook his head, "Alright, it's gonna be one of those conversations. Fine. Vala, I'll only say this once: none of this is your fault."
Vala shot up from the bed and turned to face her teammate. Daniel turned his head to meet her gaze, noticing her disheveled look. Her hair was unkept and greasy, what make-up she had on her face had been run down from tears and sweat. In fact, if he had to guess he would say that she had not showered since they left the SGC. Especially based on the smell that occupied the room.
Her face held only shame and pain, "Please Daniel, don't try and tell me this isn't my fault. It's my daughter who led the invasion of our galaxy, my inability to see past that for the monster she is, my failure to stop her when I had the chance… hell, if I had never shown up on Earth to find that treasure the Ori would never have even gotten here!"
Daniel shook his head, "Hey, I was right there along with you. Every step of the way; my own curiosity is what made it possible for the Ori to learn about us."
She scoffed and waived him off, "Oh please Daniel, don't try and make me feel better. It's not going to work. If it wasn't for me-"
Her breathe caught in her throat as she tried to settle down, but she couldn't help the tears that were rolling down her face. She didn't let out a sob, instead choosing to close her eyes as she tried to wrestle down her emotions again.
"…And now you've all lost your home… and I lost the one place I've ever felt truly accepted in the galaxy… all because of me," she whispered as she sank back down onto the bed.
The room was silent again, neither one saying any words. Daniel knew that mere words wouldn't help her right now. He knew all too well what she was going through; he'd wrestled the same demons these last ten years. Planets he couldn't save, friends they'd lost along the way, family… his wife. While the pain never faded, and likely never would, he'd learned to live with it. It was something that each person had to learn for themselves, no one could tell you how to do it. It took a long time, and never really stopped being a process. You took it one day at a time, one foot in front of the other.
Daniel rested a hand on her shoulder, "We're still here Vala. Your friends… your family is still here. You need time, so you take all the time you need. We'll still be here. Whatever it is you need, we're here for you."
"…Dr Jackson, please report to Stargate Operations. Dr Jackson, please report to Stargate Operations," a voice rang out on the city-wide intercom.
Letting out a long sigh, the archeologist stood up and began walking towards the door. He paused and turned back to his friend who had resumed her position on the bed. Listening to her soft breathing, he guessed that she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He knew that her being cooped up in here wasn't healthy, but at the same time she needed to come back to them of her own free will. He walked out of the room, offering one last glance at her, the swiping his hand on the door pad and closing the room once again.
Rodney bolted out of the transporter closet and ran down the hallway. He ducked, dodged, bobbed, and weaved around people and supply crates as he made a beeline for the one of the temporary infirmaries that had been set up on short notice for the influx of new people arriving. Once their ships in orbit beamed down the civilians, they'd gotten to work on sorting them out and getting their records down. Rodney had been in his lab going over the diagnostic data from the Odyssey alongside the ship's technicians, almost blowing a gasket when he saw how long the ship was going to need in a drydock, when he'd gotten the call on his headset.
Racing further and further, the physicist arrived at the door he was looking for and rested his hands on his knees as he sucked in as much oxygen as he could. Gasping and coughing a bit, he relaxed enough to raise a hand to the door pad and opened it. The doors slid open revealing a large group of doctors and civilians mulling about, some sitting and waiting while others were having physicals preformed. Mckay walked into the room and moved around, his eyes scanning in a panic.
'Where are they?' he asked himself.
Suddenly a small object slammed into his leg. Looking down, he saw a mop of blonde hard pressed in his leg with tiny arms wrapped around. Looking up, he saw a very familiar face.
"Uncle Mer!" his niece Maddy exclaimed.
Looking down in shock, Mckay struggled to find the words, "M-Maddy! Hey… there, uh, how are you? I've been looking for you, and your parents, do you-"
"Rodney?!" a voice called out behind him.
Turning around, another person ran into him, wrapping their arms around his torso and squeezing like their life depended on it. Rodney felt himself returning the intense hug, his eyes watering as he leaned into the last family he had left.
"Jeanie…" he whispered, not trusting his voice to say much more.
Leaning back, she stared at her older brother with the biggest smile she could muster. Laughing, she sniffed and wiped her eyes before leaning back in more gently. Rodney continued to hug his sister for a moment before noticing a man walk up behind her. He smiled at Rodney, dark circles under his eyes indicating a lack of sleep the last few days just like everyone else.
"Kaleb, its, uh, good to see you too," Mckay smiled awkwardly, thankful he actually remembered his name, and offered a free hand for his brother-in-law to shake.
The man took it gleefully, clearly just as happy to see that Rodney was alright as his wife and daughter. Leaning down, he picked up the little girl and walked closer to the two hugging siblings and joined in. Rodney couldn't help but flinch, obviously not expected the sudden gesture of affection, but none the less relaxing after a moment. Right now, he couldn't care less how they looked or that it was kinda weird for him to be hugging his brother-in-law that he barely knew. Right now, he needed this. Needed them. Just to take his mind of everything else. Just for a moment.