6

The next morning was cold and clear, the family were picked up from Jacks house, to follow behind the coffin. Sam was in full dress blues, as was only right for a military funeral. Jack and the president and secret service men, George Hammond and a strangely dressed individual were in the car behind, then Daniel, Murrey, Cassie and three more people in the same style clothing as the man with the president. Two more cars followed behind them, only a couple of AF people in them. Behind, in their own vehicles were servicemen, and people that Mark would have expected to see attending his father.

The funeral was impressive, even Mark had to admit that, his throat closed with suppressed tears as the arrow of jets flew overhead, one peeling off and leaving a gap as they passed the grave. George Hammond gave the eulogy, and spoke of the long time friend that he was laying to rest, he mentioned the new family he had joined in the last six years, with a nod to the people sat near the president, in the light brown leather clothing. Sam received the flag for the family, she had tried to persuade him to take it, but he knew she was closer to the old man, it would mean more to her to have it. The last post sounded and everyone started to head back to the cars for the wake, which was to be held at Peterson.

The group of strange people hung back slightly as the line progressed, people he had never met shaking their hands and offering words of sympathy, and then they came forward, as one group.

"High Councillor Per'sus, thank you for coming" Sam said "this is my brother Mark and his wife and children"

The man had a strangely echoing voice and Sam looked slightly alarmed as he spoke "Jacob will be missed, we did not always agree on things, but he was always a staunch defender of your people and of course…"

"This way High Councellor" a small man with grey hair and glasses said quickly cutting off what the important man was saying.

"Of course, sorry" he looked abashed and his voice had risen to a higher register.

"Anise" Sam said, quite coldly actually, at the next of the strangers

"Freya" he wasn't sure if that was a name, or a greeting, but Sam just shook her hand and then passed her on to him. And so it continued, the president came over after the leather party had gone to their cars, and had a quiet word with Sam and then had shaken the whole family by the hand

"Your father did a lot for this country" he said "he will be missed by us all"

Mark mumbled a 'thank you sir' and once again wondered what the hell the old man had been doing to merit this type of attention!

"You OK Carter?" he heard a low voice behind him and was just about to reply when he realised that it wasn't him being addressed. Jack was stood close to Sam as she held the folded flag tightly trying to stop tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Yes sir," she said "just need a second"

There were only two cars left, theirs and the teams, the president had evidently left Jack behind, Daniel and Murrey were stood just at their side and as his family turned to head to the vehicles, the two men fell in behind them, and Mark heard a voice softly float on the wind

"C'mere" he turned back and sure enough, that familiar voice he had heard on the phone was her CO and she was crying into his chest, his arms wrapped around her.

The wake had to be the strangest thing Mark had ever attended, the president left almost immediately the family arrived, and there were several air force officers and noncoms who seemed to have no other purpose than to interrupt people as they tried to make small talk with Mark and his family. The little man in glasses was the one usually to step in but a couple of times it was a Major. Jack stood by Sam all through the event, though they never touched at all past him helping her from the car as they pulled up.

George Hammond came over and had a couple of words with them, Mark had known him a long time, but of course had lost touch when he left home, he was sorry to hear his wife had died, she had been a good friend of his mothers.

Every time George looked around he caught the eye of either the little man, the Major or Jack, and Mark was sure they were saying things to each other, even across the room. When their glasses were empty the small man appeared by their sides and offered to refill them, George called him Walter and Mark wondered if it was the same one Sam had been talking to the day before when she had been after Jacks keys.

Mark explained Jacks extraordinary gesture of giving up his home to total strangers, to his fathers oldest friend and he got a "not surprised by anything he does" as the only comment.

He decided to pump for information and learnt that Jack had been a Colonel up to a year or so back, and George had been in charge of the base, now George was in DC and Jack was the boss, they had all worked together for almost 9 years, a VERY long time in the air force for the same group of people to be together, but Mark knew better than to ask about anything too personal, he would be stonewalled, or worse, may say something to get his sister into trouble.

George told him he was retiring soon at last, to spend time with his grand daughters, who were about the same age as his two by the sounds and they filled a couple of minutes swapping horror stores about Tessa and Alison.

Walter scurried across the room to Jack and said something to him, he raised his head and looked directly at George and then at Walter without his lips moving something was said!

Jack strode out of the room, Walter looked at his old boss and raised his eyes to the heavens, Mark noticed the man beside him bring one hand down to his hip and lay it palm down, as if measuring a childs height, Walter nodded and George said 'excuse me' and left the room as well.

Daniel and Murrey were moving off to follow them when Walter shook his head and they relaxed, standing one each side of Sam who also looked curious.

Mark moved over to her as Julie started talking to a Colonel Dixons wife about her family.

"What's happening?" he asked his sister

"Mark" she sighed

"Classified?" he asked she nodded again, he was getting tired of it, but at least she had stopped lying.

"Major Carter" a female voice came from behind them

"That's Colonel Carter Anise" she replied

"That's Freya Colonel Carter" she came back snappily.

"Sorry, Freya, what can I do for you?"

"I am wondering about the history of the service we just observed…"

"I can help there" Daniel said quickly and turned the woman away from the group talking 19 to the dozen.

Another of the strange group approached "Korra" Sam greeted him

"Samantha" he replied "I will miss Jacob, he had a strange sense of humour, but then so did Selmak. Will you be attending the ceremony for his loss now we have resettled Revanna?" Mark saw her glance at him from the corner of her eye, and the man talking to her seemed to understand whatever it was she was trying to tell him. "I will contact…you… with the details, if you would like, later?"

"I would be honoured" she said. And the man moved away.

"How many conversations would have been easier if I had not been here?" he asked her with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Mark… it isn't just you, there are other people here that are not cleared to know things"

"Such as whom?" he asked

"That woman Julie is talking to for one" she replied

"I thought her husband worked with you?" he said shocked

"He does… SHE doesn't" he really did not understand, how the hell could someone live with a person as a married couple and not be allowed to know the things they did at work? Damn military. He wished he could leave, but that wouldn't be fair on Sam, even though she was a part of 'the problem' she was still his baby sister and they had just buried their father.