Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Sg1 or any of it's characters, I post this strictly for entertainment purposes.
Chapter 7
Sam stood at the gate, her bag in hand. She nodded to the gate tech and watched as the stargate began dialing. It was hard to believe that it had already been a year since she became commander of Atlantis, it had gone by so quickly. Now it was time for her first year review by the IOA. The first time she had been commander and it came for her review, she never even made it to the meeting. Instead, she found herself standing at the end of the gate ramp being informed by Woolsey that the IOA preferred someone with a different 'skill set'. She sincerely hoped that this time things would be different.
"Hey, hold-up, I'm coming!" Daniel called out as he ran up to her, carrying a large tote bag. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up helping Rodney with some translations, you'd think the guy could pick up a little more Ancient after all of these years."
"That's okay, you're just in time." She smiled at him as he caught his breath. The short run had winded him. He may not be in the shape he used to be when they were members of SG1, but the flush in his face from the exertion brought out the blue in his eyes and reminded Sam that he was still an attractive man even at his age.
"So Anyway, do you have any idea why the IOA is asking for me to come with you for this review?"
"I really don't have a clue, the IOA isn't exactly known for sharing much of anything with me. I'm just hoping I don't get fired again."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Sam. You've done a great job and everyone here loves you. I don't think there is anything the IOA can fault you on."
"I sure hope not." Sam thought back on the past year. She really had grown to love her job and most of all the people she worked with out here and she wasn't ready to leave it all behind again.
Looking over at Daniel, she was grateful that he would be returning to Earth with her. The past year they had seen their relationship grow as well. Where they had once been estranged, they were now unshakably close friends. They had found a comfortableness in each other that went beyond the casual relationship and to Sam it was as if the years when they had been the best friends were back again and she prayed that nothing would affect what they had. Nearly every day, they met for coffee as the sun rose over the horizon. It was usually just a short visit as they talked about what the day had in store for each other and then each would part for their own respective work areas. By the time night rolled around, Sam would often have to drag Daniel kicking and screaming from his office, well maybe not literally, but the man was a pain to separate from his research.
They would then have dinner, usually with Rodney and Jennifer and most nights Sam and Daniel would find each other in either his or her office, talking and sharing the details of their lives that they had shared with Jack and Vala. At first, Daniel had been reluctant to open up. Sam sometimes had a hard time herself, especially when the first anniversary of Jack's death came about, but Daniel had been there to help her through that day. They had found a common bond in each other that could not be broken. The bond of shared grief and loneliness. Often they stayed late into the night together with the pretense of working, but mostly neither one of them wanted to go to their quarters and face the lonesomeness that came with the night.
Even when she began to have the inkling that some of her feelings might have gone beyond the friendship level, she kept it to herself. She wasn't ready to admit that she might be falling in love, that there might be someone after Jack. She wasn't prepared for that kind of intimacy again and there wasn't anything she would do to jeopardize her relationship with Daniel.
With a woosh the gate came to life and Sam snapped out of her reverie
"Ladies first." Daniel said as he gestured towards the gate. Sam smiled at him and walked to the gate, stepping into the event horizon.
OOOOO
Daniel came out of the wormhole with Sam by his side. Cam stood at the end of the gate ramp, grinning at seeing his friends again.
"Hey! long time no see." He called out and greeted the pair while they descended the ramp. Sam went into Cam's outstretched arms and hugged him. Afterward, Cam and Daniel shook hands, Mitchell clasping him over the shoulder. "Wow, it's so good to see you guys again, things just aren't as much fun around here without you."
"It's good to see you too, Cam. How's it going around here?" Sam asked as they left the gateroom.
"Oh, you know. The usual. Actually, it's been pretty quiet lately, haven't had to save the Earth in at least a month." He joked. "It's almost enough to make one wish for the good 'ol days when we were on the front lines where all the fun is."
"It's okay by me if we allow the younger generation to do that sort of stuff, I don't think my knees or my back can take that sort of fun anymore." Daniel pointed out to Cam.
"True. I don't think anyone wants an over the hill general with high cholesterol and arthritic joints to be on their team." Cam agreed. "Anyway, I've got some VIP quarters set up for you two. I wish I stay and chat, but I do actually have work to do, so the sergeant here will escort you to your rooms. Oh, and Carolyn wants to have you two over for dinner tonight and she won't take no for an answer."
"Sure, sounds good. I'd love to see Carolyn again." Sam told Mitchell.
"Great. Meet you guys there around 1800 ish then." Cam waved and climbed the stairs to the control room while Sam and Daniel made their way to their quarters.
Daniel tossed his bag on his bed and freshened up a bit before joining up with Sam again to head off for their meeting with the IOA. Daniel started to get that nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach when they entered the conference room with the members of the IOA that would stand in review of Sam's first year in command. He could tell that Sam was anxious to get this over with, but he still wasn't sure why he was here yet, but he knew that it couldn't be anything good.
For the most part, the first half of the meeting went rather routinely. The board members asking a few pointed questions regarding a trade meeting that had gone sour with one of the diplomatic teams that landed three personnel in the infirmary and they questioned a few of Sam's decisions that had strayed from the guidelines the IOA had established for Atlantis, but in the end, the board had given her a favorable review and recommended another year with her in command.
Sam's relief was nearly palpable until the board members turned their attention to Daniel. Feeling the heat of their scutiny he definitely knew that something was up.
"Dr. Jackson." The bald Russian board member addressed him, his jowls flapping as he spoke. "You are no doubt wondering why you have been called her today."
"I must admit that I would like to know what the IOA would want with me." He replied.
"You have been on Atlantis for nearly seven years now, have you not?" This time the question came from the Chinese representative, a small woman who's size belied the enormous amount of confidence she possessed.
"Yes I have, but you already know this." Automatically, Daniel took up a defensive posture. He had been in enough situations where he needed to defend his theories and actions that he knew when someone was about to sweep in for an attack. "What is this all about anyway?"
"While your research into the Ancients has been fascinating, we have yet to see any tangible evidence that such research is providing any kind of advancement in technologies or resources that would be of any use in our mission to provide reliable defense against the threats that exist out in our galaxy or in the Pegasus galaxy." The tiny Asian woman continued. "After an extensive overview of your work, we have determined that it is no longer feasible to support your continued research in Atlantis. Therefore, we are recalling you back to Earth."
"What?" Daniel was dumbfounded and shook his head. "How can you say that there's no tangible evidence that research into the Ancient's hasn't lead to any new technologies, the evidence it sitting right out there." He pointed out of the window toward the Stargate.
"We concede that the technology the Ancients left behind is vast and still warrants research. However, it is your personal research into ascension that we find to be of no particular use at this juncture. You even wrote yourself that as a race, humans aren't ready for this next step in evolution." The blond headed man from Australia was the next to speak. "We feel that a man of your considerable talents would be of better use to us here on Earth, rather than in another galaxy altogether. I'm sorry, but our decision is final."
"Wait...you can't be serious."
"Dr. Jackson," the Russian spoke up again. "You will, of course, be permitted to continue your research into the Ancients, you'll just have to do so from here on Earth."
"That's all well and good for you. But the database on Atlantis is pretty much the only resource I have at my disposal to truly get any information on ascension. I've been at it for more than six years and I've only begun to scratch the surface of all of the knowledge that is in there. How can I seriously continue any research without that database?"
"We may be able to arrange for a visit or two a year for you, but from this point on, your permanent duty station will be here on our planet."
"May I say something here?" Sam spoke up from her seat next to a fuming Daniel. The Chinese representative nodded. "Daniel has been on the forefront of the stargate program for twenty years, he opened the gate, for goodness sake. Without him there wouldn't be an SCG or an IOA, I think we owe it to him to allow him to continue his research on Atlantis. You've done just fine without him for this long, why do you need him back now?"
The board members all exchanged glances. Daniel knew it, they were withholding something. Something huge.
"We weren't going to discuss this with you just yet, but recently there has been considerable pressure to disclose the Stargate program to the general public. There is no doubt there are going to be serious ramifications if and when this happens and we need Dr, Jackson to be here, to be our voice when the time is right. His knowledge of languages and cultures as well as international diplomacy will be an invaluable asset to us when full disclosure becomes a reality."
Daniel and Sam sat stunned at the news. Were they truly serious about making the stargate public? He always knew in the back of his mind that one day the truth about the goings on under Cheyenne mountain would be revealed, he just hadn't expected it to be any time soon. Now however, things would be changing drastically for the people of Earth. How would they react to learning the existence of aliens, instantaneous travel to other worlds and that the government had known about this for so many years yet kept it a secret? There would no doubt be trouble.