TITLE: WHEN THE WORLD HALTS - Chapter 5
AUTHOR: WITEZON
PARING: S/J friendship/romance
RATING: PG-13 or R (depending on how you feel about swearing)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but what my mind thinks up.
SUMMARY: JACK CENTRIC - What happens when the universe is at stake,
Hammond is missing, and everything rests on Colonel O'Neill's shoulders.
O'Neill walked into the Briefing Room and saw everyone watching SG-10 depart with their group of SF soldiers. Quince quickly called the room to ATTENTION.
Everyone quickly braced to attention, "At ease. Find your seats."
"Thank you for coming. I'd like to introduce you to the Tok'ra representatives Garshaw, one of their council leaders; Aldwyn, her assistant; and this is General Jacob Carter, liaison between the Earth and the Tok'ra and Major Carter's father."
Before he could continue, the klaxons went off, "UNSCHEDULED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION. UNKNOWN TRAVELER." The iris closed.
O'Neill looked at Quince, who replied, "Westmore." O'Neill nodded and waited. They heard over the intercom, "General, its the Land of Light, Master Bra'tac's signal."
He spoke into the microphone, "Open the iris."
He got up to go to the gate room with Teal'c and Jacob, while Quince reminded everyone about Master Bra'tac and the Land of Light.
Once again, Teal'c wouldn't let Jack go into the gate room until the wormhole had disengaged. As Bra'tac and three of his Jaffa stepped off the ramp, Teal'c finally allowed O'Neill into the room.
Jack allowed Teal'c to step in front of him, while Jacob stayed at his side.
Grasping each other's arms, Bra'tac smiled, "Teal'c, my friend. It has been a long while. Now we hear that the Tau'ri have problems. Hammond of Texas is missing?"
"It is also good to see you, too, my Master. GeneralHammond is indeed missing and believed in the hands of Heru'ur."
Bra'tac frowned in concern, "That is very bad, Teal'c. What are the Tau'ri doing?"
"The Tau'ri leaders have placed the security of their planet in O'Neill's hands. They have made him Commander of Earth Forces. O'Neill has placed his own security in my hands."
Bra'tac looked searchingly at Teal'c. Finally, he nodded, "He does you much honor, my son, as you do him."
Teal'c bowed his head in acceptance of the compliment.
In the Briefing Room, all the commanders had stepped over to the window to watch the arrival of the Jaffa. Stratten asked Quince, "Colonel, what is the difference between the Tok'ra and the Jaffa?"
With a quick look at Garshaw, "The Tok'ra have an adult go'ald attached to their brain stem and have a full symbiotic relationship with them. They talk to each other in the host's mind. While, as I explained before, the Jaffa act as a nursery to the immature go'ald. There isn't any direct relationship."
In the silence, Garshaw spoke up in her combined voice, "Colonel Stratten, you should remember that the Tok'ra deviate from the Go'ald in two distinct aspects. The first and foremost is that we neither take slaves to use as hosts nor do we want to rule the universe with everyone down on the knees worshipping us as Gods. The second is that we want to live our lives with our hosts as partners. Both equally deriving balance and benefit from the relationship."
Captain Stemke spoke, "Ma'am? Garshaw, thank you for answering my question. This is new to many of us. While I haven't been here long, I do find that General O'Neill commands much respect, both with the members of the SGC and with our...off-world allies."
Garshaw smiled, surprising them all. "Yes, General O'Neill is very much known in the universe, for good or bad. But by all as a person of integrity, whether we agree with his integrity or not. For some reason, the Asguard are especially fond of him. But they are older than all our races combined, so perhaps they see something of their past in him." She shrugged, "Who knows?"
Colonel Tomasku, the Commander of the Japanese Engineering Brigade, spoke up, "Does this Master Bra'tac 'like' General O'Neill?"
Garshaw tilted her head, "While I cannot answer for Master Bra'tac, you must realize that O'Neill did what he could not. He brought Teal'c out from under the control of Apophis."
Major Carter added, "Colonel, Bra'tac is Teal'c master, and teacher, in warfare. While General O'Neill is Teal'c's brother in arms. I believe they recognized the warrior in each other and they both have the ability to think beyond the framework they were taught. Teal'c has given his life to free the Jaffa from the terror of the Go'ald and he has given his allegiance to Earth through General O'Neill."
Daniel frowned, "While Jack may not appreciate this conversation, I would suggest you watch closely what happens now."
They turned back to watch the scene below. Teal'c stepped back to stand behind Jack's shoulder on the left. Jacob was just behind his right. The significance of the positioning wasn't missed by anyone.
Bra'tac and O'Neill stood toe to toe. O'Neill was taller, but it didn't make a difference. After a moment, O'Neill spoke, "Master Bra'tac, welcome and thank you for coming."
Bra'tac continued to stare him in the eye, then finally nodded. "You are welcome, O'Neill of..."
Daniel held his breath, this was when he usually stepped in. O'Neill stared and finally said, "The Tau'ri. O'Neill of the Tau'ri."
Another few seconds passed, then Bra'tac smiled and grasped his upper arms. "Well said, O'Neill." Teal'c and Jacob both released the breath they had held, too.
Daniel exhaled rather loudly, and they all turned to look at him. Shrugging, "That was the best answer."
They all looked confused. He frowned at them, "You haven't grasped it yet."
General Patkowski, CG of the Special Forces Group, "Okay, Dr Jackson, tell us what we've missed this time."
Daniel looked at Quince, then said, "'We' are the Tau'ri, and so is every human population on every other planet in the universe. Everyone of them came from here. They may have developed different cultures, even evolved differently due to planetary conditions, but they were seeded from Earth."
As understanding dawned on their faces, Patkowski said, "You mean, they're us. Bra'tac, too?"
"Sure, he's just been bred to be a Jaffa. Like a stud horse line."
Tomasku shook her head, "That's awful. All those slaves are actually our cousins?"
Daniel nodded, sadly, "Yes, to include my wife, Sha're." Carter looked at Daniel, surprised he had brought up Sha're.
Stemke asked, "Your wife? I don't believe I've met her?"
Shaking his head, "Not many have. She was from Abydos and she's dead. Teal'c killed her."
After a moment, he recognized the tense silence, "He had no choice. Apophis took her and her bother from their village to become hosts. She became the host to Amounet, his queen, to bear his son. Then at the correct moment in time, Apophis would move the from body he was currently inhabiting to that of his son's."
No one knew what to say, they were all disgusted, and a little afraid of where this impromptu conversation took them.
Patkowski looked at Quince, "This is what you deal with everyday?"
Quince nodded, "Not by my team particularly, sir, we're search and rescue. But by teams like SG-1, and SG teams 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10. We have 12 teams, but the rest are specialist teams, like S&R, engineering, medical, and diplomatic."
After a moment, "But our flagship team is SG-1, lead by General O'Neill with Major Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c. No other team has done as much as they have."
Everyone looked at Carter and Jackson, but they didn't say anything.
Before they knew it, O'Neill had walked back in with Jacob, Bra'tac and his Jaffa, and Teal'c. Quince jumped up, "ATTENTION."
"At ease. Take a seat." Everyone stared at him. O'Neill eyed them suspiciously, then looked at Carter and Jackson who found the rug very interesting. O'Neill pinned a questioningly look at Quince, but found him staring at the green cube.
"Okay, does anyone want to tell me what's happened?" He looked at Gershaw, but she looked at Stemke, who only shrugged.
A flash of light and there stood Thor. All eyes were riveted on the diminutive creature. They were expecting some larger than life alien and instead they got a small, thin, gray being with big eyes.
O'Neill went over to him with a smile, "Thor, I'm glad you could make the meeting."
Bra'tac whispered to Teal'c, "What is it with Thor and O'Neill?"
"I believe they are friends."
"No accounting for taste." Two heads turned to look at them, but Bra'tac and Teal'c took on expressions of 'who me?'
Frowning O'Neill turned back to the table, "Generals, Colonels, may I present to you the Supreme Commander of the Asguard Fleet, and my friend, Commander Thor."
Thor nodded his head at them, and in his soft voice, "Greetings from the Asguard." They nodded back in absolutely in awe, that was definitely an alien.
"May I also present to you, Master Bra'tac, leader of the free Jaffa, Master at Arms, and teacher of my friend Teal'c."
Nodding at O'Neill, Bra'tac was surprised, but pleased by the introduction. "Greetings, Tau-ri." He gestured to his fellow Jaffa, "This is N'aic, Stren'ac, and Wo'tac."
The Earther's nodded in welcome. The Jaffa, well they could relate to, Thor would take awhile longer.
Daniel leaned over to Sam, whispering, "When did Jack become a diplomat?" She just shrugged.
"Of course, you both know Garshaw, Aldwyn, and Jacob Carter."
Bra'tac boomed, "Greetings, Tok'ra."
But even Bra'tac respected the Asguard. He walked over to him, "Greetings, Thor. It is a good to see you again."
Replying in his very soft voice, "Greetings to you, also, Master Bra'tac. It has been a long time since we have met."
The Tok'ra had also walked over to greet the small Asguard, which everyone in the room noted, "Greetings, Thor.
"Greetings, Garshaw, Aldwyn, and General Carter."
With that the meeting began.
CONTINUED IN CHAP 6 D HALTS - Chapter 6 AUTHOR: WITEZON PARING: S/J friendship/romance RATING: PG-13 or R (depending on how you feel about swearing) DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but what my mind thinks up. SUMMARY: JACK CENTRIC - What happens when the universe is at stake, Hammond is missing, and everything rests on Colonel O'Neill's shoulders.
6-HOURS LATER - 1900 HOURS
O'Neill sat in his office, getting the latest intel briefing from SG-4, who had returned a little worse for wear on their last mission. Daniel was also there as he had helped with the translations.
Finally, he dismissed them and sat in silence. Thor had returned to his ship, Garshaw and Aldwyn had returned to their current base of Tok'ra operations, Bra'tac had returned to the Land of Light, but leaving one of his Jaffa. The Carters were someplace visiting.
He worked for another two hours, when Teal'c interrupted. "O'Neill, you need to eat and I need to eat. Let us go and have dinner."
Throwing down his pen, he rubbed his eyes, "God, I didn't realize how hungry I am. Let's go."
Inside the Commissary the noise was fierce as they entered the facility. "Jeez, Teal'c, look how busy it is."
They grabbed a tray and walked through the line picking out their food. At the end the Mess Officer stood, waiting for them. "Good evening, sir. I didn't know whether to send you something or if you were coming down for dinner."
"Sorry, Captain, I guess I should let you know when we've got this many people to feed. So, how's it going?"
Exhaling, "Well, sir, at first a bit tricky. We don't normally have this many people eating here, and we've been going strong for almost 3 hours."
Frowning, "I hope we've got enough food?"
Grinning, "Yes, sir. More than enough, plus we've got the NORAD commissary open, too. Now, just to find you somewhere to sit and eat."
O'Neill shrugged, "Don't worry. We'll find somewhere or go back to my office."
Hemmings, "Ah, sir, no disrespect, but it would be nice if you stayed here."
Sighing, "Understood, Captain. We'll stay if we can find a table."
Looking at Teal'c, "Do you see anything?"
Nodding, "There, where Major Carter is waving at us from the back of the room."
"Great. Thanks, Hemmings."
Once the room realized who he and the Jaffa were, they quieted down and watched them. O'Neill nodded at those who would meet his eyes. Finally, they got to the back of the room.
O'Neill walked into the Briefing Room and saw everyone watching SG-10 depart with their group of SF soldiers. Quince quickly called the room to ATTENTION.
Everyone quickly braced to attention, "At ease. Find your seats."
"Thank you for coming. I'd like to introduce you to the Tok'ra representatives Garshaw, one of their council leaders; Aldwyn, her assistant; and this is General Jacob Carter, liaison between the Earth and the Tok'ra and Major Carter's father."
Before he could continue, the klaxons went off, "UNSCHEDULED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION. UNKNOWN TRAVELER." The iris closed.
O'Neill looked at Quince, who replied, "Westmore." O'Neill nodded and waited. They heard over the intercom, "General, its the Land of Light, Master Bra'tac's signal."
He spoke into the microphone, "Open the iris."
He got up to go to the gate room with Teal'c and Jacob, while Quince reminded everyone about Master Bra'tac and the Land of Light.
Once again, Teal'c wouldn't let Jack go into the gate room until the wormhole had disengaged. As Bra'tac and three of his Jaffa stepped off the ramp, Teal'c finally allowed O'Neill into the room.
Jack allowed Teal'c to step in front of him, while Jacob stayed at his side.
Grasping each other's arms, Bra'tac smiled, "Teal'c, my friend. It has been a long while. Now we hear that the Tau'ri have problems. Hammond of Texas is missing?"
"It is also good to see you, too, my Master. GeneralHammond is indeed missing and believed in the hands of Heru'ur."
Bra'tac frowned in concern, "That is very bad, Teal'c. What are the Tau'ri doing?"
"The Tau'ri leaders have placed the security of their planet in O'Neill's hands. They have made him Commander of Earth Forces. O'Neill has placed his own security in my hands."
Bra'tac looked searchingly at Teal'c. Finally, he nodded, "He does you much honor, my son, as you do him."
Teal'c bowed his head in acceptance of the compliment.
In the Briefing Room, all the commanders had stepped over to the window to watch the arrival of the Jaffa. Stratten asked Quince, "Colonel, what is the difference between the Tok'ra and the Jaffa?"
With a quick look at Garshaw, "The Tok'ra have an adult go'ald attached to their brain stem and have a full symbiotic relationship with them. They talk to each other in the host's mind. While, as I explained before, the Jaffa act as a nursery to the immature go'ald. There isn't any direct relationship."
In the silence, Garshaw spoke up in her combined voice, "Colonel Stratten, you should remember that the Tok'ra deviate from the Go'ald in two distinct aspects. The first and foremost is that we neither take slaves to use as hosts nor do we want to rule the universe with everyone down on the knees worshipping us as Gods. The second is that we want to live our lives with our hosts as partners. Both equally deriving balance and benefit from the relationship."
Captain Stemke spoke, "Ma'am? Garshaw, thank you for answering my question. This is new to many of us. While I haven't been here long, I do find that General O'Neill commands much respect, both with the members of the SGC and with our...off-world allies."
Garshaw smiled, surprising them all. "Yes, General O'Neill is very much known in the universe, for good or bad. But by all as a person of integrity, whether we agree with his integrity or not. For some reason, the Asguard are especially fond of him. But they are older than all our races combined, so perhaps they see something of their past in him." She shrugged, "Who knows?"
Colonel Tomasku, the Commander of the Japanese Engineering Brigade, spoke up, "Does this Master Bra'tac 'like' General O'Neill?"
Garshaw tilted her head, "While I cannot answer for Master Bra'tac, you must realize that O'Neill did what he could not. He brought Teal'c out from under the control of Apophis."
Major Carter added, "Colonel, Bra'tac is Teal'c master, and teacher, in warfare. While General O'Neill is Teal'c's brother in arms. I believe they recognized the warrior in each other and they both have the ability to think beyond the framework they were taught. Teal'c has given his life to free the Jaffa from the terror of the Go'ald and he has given his allegiance to Earth through General O'Neill."
Daniel frowned, "While Jack may not appreciate this conversation, I would suggest you watch closely what happens now."
They turned back to watch the scene below. Teal'c stepped back to stand behind Jack's shoulder on the left. Jacob was just behind his right. The significance of the positioning wasn't missed by anyone.
Bra'tac and O'Neill stood toe to toe. O'Neill was taller, but it didn't make a difference. After a moment, O'Neill spoke, "Master Bra'tac, welcome and thank you for coming."
Bra'tac continued to stare him in the eye, then finally nodded. "You are welcome, O'Neill of..."
Daniel held his breath, this was when he usually stepped in. O'Neill stared and finally said, "The Tau'ri. O'Neill of the Tau'ri."
Another few seconds passed, then Bra'tac smiled and grasped his upper arms. "Well said, O'Neill." Teal'c and Jacob both released the breath they had held, too.
Daniel exhaled rather loudly, and they all turned to look at him. Shrugging, "That was the best answer."
They all looked confused. He frowned at them, "You haven't grasped it yet."
General Patkowski, CG of the Special Forces Group, "Okay, Dr Jackson, tell us what we've missed this time."
Daniel looked at Quince, then said, "'We' are the Tau'ri, and so is every human population on every other planet in the universe. Everyone of them came from here. They may have developed different cultures, even evolved differently due to planetary conditions, but they were seeded from Earth."
As understanding dawned on their faces, Patkowski said, "You mean, they're us. Bra'tac, too?"
"Sure, he's just been bred to be a Jaffa. Like a stud horse line."
Tomasku shook her head, "That's awful. All those slaves are actually our cousins?"
Daniel nodded, sadly, "Yes, to include my wife, Sha're." Carter looked at Daniel, surprised he had brought up Sha're.
Stemke asked, "Your wife? I don't believe I've met her?"
Shaking his head, "Not many have. She was from Abydos and she's dead. Teal'c killed her."
After a moment, he recognized the tense silence, "He had no choice. Apophis took her and her bother from their village to become hosts. She became the host to Amounet, his queen, to bear his son. Then at the correct moment in time, Apophis would move the from body he was currently inhabiting to that of his son's."
No one knew what to say, they were all disgusted, and a little afraid of where this impromptu conversation took them.
Patkowski looked at Quince, "This is what you deal with everyday?"
Quince nodded, "Not by my team particularly, sir, we're search and rescue. But by teams like SG-1, and SG teams 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10. We have 12 teams, but the rest are specialist teams, like S&R, engineering, medical, and diplomatic."
After a moment, "But our flagship team is SG-1, lead by General O'Neill with Major Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c. No other team has done as much as they have."
Everyone looked at Carter and Jackson, but they didn't say anything.
Before they knew it, O'Neill had walked back in with Jacob, Bra'tac and his Jaffa, and Teal'c. Quince jumped up, "ATTENTION."
"At ease. Take a seat." Everyone stared at him. O'Neill eyed them suspiciously, then looked at Carter and Jackson who found the rug very interesting. O'Neill pinned a questioningly look at Quince, but found him staring at the green cube.
"Okay, does anyone want to tell me what's happened?" He looked at Gershaw, but she looked at Stemke, who only shrugged.
A flash of light and there stood Thor. All eyes were riveted on the diminutive creature. They were expecting some larger than life alien and instead they got a small, thin, gray being with big eyes.
O'Neill went over to him with a smile, "Thor, I'm glad you could make the meeting."
Bra'tac whispered to Teal'c, "What is it with Thor and O'Neill?"
"I believe they are friends."
"No accounting for taste." Two heads turned to look at them, but Bra'tac and Teal'c took on expressions of 'who me?'
Frowning O'Neill turned back to the table, "Generals, Colonels, may I present to you the Supreme Commander of the Asguard Fleet, and my friend, Commander Thor."
Thor nodded his head at them, and in his soft voice, "Greetings from the Asguard." They nodded back in absolutely in awe, that was definitely an alien.
"May I also present to you, Master Bra'tac, leader of the free Jaffa, Master at Arms, and teacher of my friend Teal'c."
Nodding at O'Neill, Bra'tac was surprised, but pleased by the introduction. "Greetings, Tau-ri." He gestured to his fellow Jaffa, "This is N'aic, Stren'ac, and Wo'tac."
The Earther's nodded in welcome. The Jaffa, well they could relate to, Thor would take awhile longer.
Daniel leaned over to Sam, whispering, "When did Jack become a diplomat?" She just shrugged.
"Of course, you both know Garshaw, Aldwyn, and Jacob Carter."
Bra'tac boomed, "Greetings, Tok'ra."
But even Bra'tac respected the Asguard. He walked over to him, "Greetings, Thor. It is a good to see you again."
Replying in his very soft voice, "Greetings to you, also, Master Bra'tac. It has been a long time since we have met."
The Tok'ra had also walked over to greet the small Asguard, which everyone in the room noted, "Greetings, Thor.
"Greetings, Garshaw, Aldwyn, and General Carter."
With that the meeting began.
CONTINUED IN CHAP 6 D HALTS - Chapter 6 AUTHOR: WITEZON PARING: S/J friendship/romance RATING: PG-13 or R (depending on how you feel about swearing) DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but what my mind thinks up. SUMMARY: JACK CENTRIC - What happens when the universe is at stake, Hammond is missing, and everything rests on Colonel O'Neill's shoulders.
6-HOURS LATER - 1900 HOURS
O'Neill sat in his office, getting the latest intel briefing from SG-4, who had returned a little worse for wear on their last mission. Daniel was also there as he had helped with the translations.
Finally, he dismissed them and sat in silence. Thor had returned to his ship, Garshaw and Aldwyn had returned to their current base of Tok'ra operations, Bra'tac had returned to the Land of Light, but leaving one of his Jaffa. The Carters were someplace visiting.
He worked for another two hours, when Teal'c interrupted. "O'Neill, you need to eat and I need to eat. Let us go and have dinner."
Throwing down his pen, he rubbed his eyes, "God, I didn't realize how hungry I am. Let's go."
Inside the Commissary the noise was fierce as they entered the facility. "Jeez, Teal'c, look how busy it is."
They grabbed a tray and walked through the line picking out their food. At the end the Mess Officer stood, waiting for them. "Good evening, sir. I didn't know whether to send you something or if you were coming down for dinner."
"Sorry, Captain, I guess I should let you know when we've got this many people to feed. So, how's it going?"
Exhaling, "Well, sir, at first a bit tricky. We don't normally have this many people eating here, and we've been going strong for almost 3 hours."
Frowning, "I hope we've got enough food?"
Grinning, "Yes, sir. More than enough, plus we've got the NORAD commissary open, too. Now, just to find you somewhere to sit and eat."
O'Neill shrugged, "Don't worry. We'll find somewhere or go back to my office."
Hemmings, "Ah, sir, no disrespect, but it would be nice if you stayed here."
Sighing, "Understood, Captain. We'll stay if we can find a table."
Looking at Teal'c, "Do you see anything?"
Nodding, "There, where Major Carter is waving at us from the back of the room."
"Great. Thanks, Hemmings."
Once the room realized who he and the Jaffa were, they quieted down and watched them. O'Neill nodded at those who would meet his eyes. Finally, they got to the back of the room.