Chapter 36: Allies & Enemies within...

1900hrs: Allied talks continued... With dinner over the assembled allies entered the room. They took their seats, excitedly talking among themselves. Many of the assembled races were wondering about the military structure. The biggest question was who would be in charge? The Asgard, Nox, Tok'ra or the Tau'ri were the top four choices. The Langarans, Bedrosians, Hankans and others wondered where they'd be in the mix. George looked at the clock wondering were Col. O'Neill and Major Carter were at. Janet looked over at the General then to Daniel. Daniel shrugged his shoulders then pushed his glasses up once more.

The time was now 1909hrs. George gave his Aide a subtle nod. Walter headed out the door in a hurry. He knew what the general wanted; find his wayward officers. He spotted them coming down the hall at a run. Walter smirked as the pair looked a little too happy. 'Payouts would be coming his way really soon. It was time to get a new betting book.' He thought to himself. Let's see he thought...Daniel/Janet, Sam and Jack future children and maybe Sophia/Cobb relationship. "Colonel O'Neill; Major Carter the General is waiting for you. We can't start the meeting without the two of you." The CMS said smirking widely. The pair approached Walter cautiously. Neither one wanted to get on his bad side. He was the man behind the curtain, the 'Wizard of the SGC'.

They came to a halt in front of Walter hoping to get by with a simple explanation. CMS Harriman gave them both a questioning look. Jack was first to break... "We lost track of time talking with someone..." He said vaguely earning a glare from Sam implying 'way to go Jack'.

"The two of you weren't hiding in storage closet 34D then?" Walter questioned the new couple.

Jack knew that they were in the clear. They were nowhere near Sam's lab. "Nope, that was Cobb and...Oomph!" he started answering until Carter elbowed him in the ribs. The CMS smiled knowing just who was in the storage room now.

He observed Major Carter giving the Colonel a death glare. "What? I wasn't going to say anything about meeting Sheppard Book!" Jack shot back without thinking. Walter smiled back at the Colonel causing him to quote Homer Simpson "D'oh!" Sam just did a face palm shaking her head. 'I'm in deep trouble Samantha can distract me that much' he thought to himself.

"Why were you talking with Sheppard Book Colonel O'Neill?" General Hammond asked causing all three to salute. George smirked internally at his 2IC antics. Samantha definetly had her hands full. "At ease soldiers, just answer my question. I don't like having a room full of important allies waiting for wayward officers." He half reprimanded.

"Sir, Sheppard Book led us in prayer thanking God for Jack's recovery." Major Carter answered crisply. "Is that true Colonel or was there more to the visit?" George asked hoping to get some inside intelligence. Jack looked Sam in the eyes having a quick conversation.

"Carter is telling the truth Sir. We also asked the Sheppard if he would marry us when the time came Sir, nothing more." Jack answered honestly. The General looked at his two best officers then at his Aide. Walter nodded then walked back to the conference room.

General Hammond smiled at the couple who were still standing at attention. "Just make sure I'm first on the guest list. Now get into the conference room so we can finish the meeting." He said turning around leading the pair into the room. George continued laughing quietly at what he just witnessed. CMS Harriman had a hidden talent...interrogation.

2348hrs: A nondescript building in Washington D.C.

McGeek had been working late again. He loved working with computers way too much. Once again the rogue NID agent had lost track of time working over. Firestar flew across the screen informing him that an Email had just arrived. McGeek clicked on the email revealing a picture of 'She-HulK'.

She was holding a Russian T-72 over her head ready to throw it at Juggernaut. She-hulk was ComicNut1's favorite Marvel character. The two of them constantly debated which female was the better superhero. Neither one would give an inch thus the running discussion.

McGeek decrypted the picture using the new program. Major Carter had broken their code in a matter of hours. This caused the rogue NID to call in favors from outside sources. She-Hulk faded away showing a lengthy message:

Agent Frost neutralized by Dr. Jekyll. Baldy figured out he was Mr. Hyde. His attempt to escape failed ending in death.

Agents Red & Blue are under surveillance as ordered. Will use blackmail pictures to sway judge if needed. Teams selected to throw surprise retirement party when ordered.

Double Eagle still untouchable. Minnesota completely healed by Roswell. Barbie & Napoleon found fake Tylenol/Advil stash. Entire base being given Tok'ra lie detector. SGC on lockdown until further notice. Going dark until all clear.

Big secrete is out...Minnesota proposed creation of Federation of Planets. Many allies present love the idea. The Asgard High counsel gifted 347 ships of all sizes. Focus is on humanitarian/exploration once everything settled. However, their first order of business is to wipe out the Goa'uld. I suggest backing off-putting our agents in place in an attempt to gain control. Let them do heavy lifting.

Breakdown of Space Forces as follows: Naval Ships patrol, explore and control Star bases. Air Force planetary defense, heavy lift and planet assault. Space Guard patrol star systems and combat piracy. Space Marines/Army ship security (Marines paired with Navy/Army with Air force), Planet/Ship assault and base security.

Further breakdown...R&D is responsible for ships, weapons and equipment. Space Exploration finds useful minerals for mining. Also in charge of deep space exploration. Diplomats will be former/current military only! No more information available at this time. Source will be unavailable until further notice.

McGeek could only imagine how ComicNut1 got this information. If the meeting were classified he would have needed to convince one of the women in attendance to talk. The information in this email would cause smiles and anger at the same time. The higher-ups might not get any sleep due to its contents.

There was no need to add notes so he selected a picture of Jane Mansfield in a bathing suit, then encoded the message. McGeek noted the time, 0036hrs. "Damn, I need to head home. My girlfriend will kill me if I'm late to our lunch date." After shutting everything down he turned the lights off locking the office. McGeek whistled the Loony Toon's theme as he walked down the hallway.

0849hrs: (Wednesday) Gate Room Promotion Ceremony...

The Gate room was too small for this round of promotions and awards ceremony. CSM Harriman suggested the banquet hall for two reasons... 1: it was big enough and & 2: the commissary was next door. With that settled, Walter left to supervise the set up. He also picked up his new betting book knowing people would be placing wagers.

Major Henri Gruber barely made it to his team's quarters to change clothes. He had allowed Anise/Freya seduce him once again, 'damn tok'ra babes.' He thought to himself. His fellow teammates gave him friendly jibes. They nicknamed him the 'Snake Charmer'. Once they were all in their dress uniforms SG-39 walked proudly to the ceremony. As the only German SG unit they made sure to look sharp. The team entered the room joining everyone else wondering who was getting promoted or honored.

The room was full of SG teams, scientists, civilians and various other base personnel. Normally each group would have their own ceremony. "I'm glad the General is doing this at one time. I'm ready to get some fresh air." A civilian scientist commented.

"I couldn't agree more Christopher. My vacation starts tomorrow and I'm taking the wife to Bermuda." replied Aaron smiling.

"Bermuda...I always wanted to go there. My wife doesn't like flying so I'm stuck driving for hours on end." Chris said with a sigh. The two continued their discussion like many others did while waiting.

I have no idea how this kind of ceremony takes place so forgive me if I get it wrong.

"ATTENTION!" CSM Harriman belted out over the noise. A sharp sound followed as soldiers and civilians all came to attention. General Hammond looked over the assembly taking in everything. Many different nations were represented in this one room. There was French, German, British, Canadians, Israelis', Australians, Russian, Japanese and, of course, America. These were the few that had SG teams. The other nations contributed in other ways. George couldn't be more proud of this group than he already was. Many of them deserved more praise than he could give. The people who were being promoted or receiving commendations were in for a surprise. No one knew anything except for CSM Harriman and his 2IC.

"At ease, everyone please take your seats?" The General stated from behind the podium. The stage was a mass of flags from all allied countries. Directly behind George were the American flag (being an U.S. base Old Glory is prominent.) and SGC flag. He glanced down at his prepared speech then began...

"Today, many of you are being honored for your duty and accomplishments. Several of you have gone beyond the call off duty for your country and earth. I have never commanded a finer bunch of men and women in all my years of service. The things we face, see, and do here at the SGC, is beyond comprehension at times. Despite this we improvise, adapt and overcome with great success. Our enemies aren't defeated, but they soon will be. They won't know what hit them. " the General said being interrupted by loud approval. Once the applause subsided he continued. "Many of our close allies have agreed to further talks on creating a Federation. If this goes through, and I believe it will, our future will be wide open. Those of us here will be leading the way. The people who follow will learn from the best of the best worldwide." He said smiling ear to ear. There was another round of applause given again. "Without further ado we'll begin. The first order business will be commendations then the promotions." The general announced. Everyone seated themselves with great anticipation.

Chief Master Sergeant Harriman stepped forward to the microphone. Behind him to the right sat General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill. "Dr. Felger and Coombs please come forward." The two bumbling scientists rushed up to the stage with pride. Both Col. O'Neill and General Hammond stood up shaking their hands. "You are being given commendations for the Felger Torpedo and Coombs Personal Shield. The Felger torpedo has surpassed all field tests thus far. The Coombs personnel shield went into for field testing recently. The device works three times better than the Goa'uld one. Sergeant Vaught took on no less than 50 jaffa defeating them all. Thank you Dr. Coombs and Dr. Felger for you hard work and dedication." Walter said praising the two scientists. General Hammond shook their hands heartily. Dr. Felger and Coombs approached Col. O'Neill with trepidation. He was Jay's hero while Coombs admired the man greatly. "I'm proud of you both. Your inventions will go a long way in saving lives. I really like the big honking space missile Folgers." Jack said earning huge smiles and enthusiastic handshakes from the pair. They stepped off the platform beaming. "O'Neill gave me a nickname, I'm 'Folgers'." Felger told his friend with pride. "Oh brother, please don't change your last name." replied Simon Coombs with a sigh.

More commendations were given out to civilian and soldiers. They ranged from actions in the field to medical treatment. Two in particular reversed engineered the zat gun. The final design resembled a 1911 style handgun. They were Christopher Watkins and David Brown.

The two scientist/engineers also created a universal translator with the help of Daniel Jackson. The device became standard issue a month ago. However more testing is needed on the 'Phaser'. Jack was the one to name it, of course. At this point, Walter gave everyone a 30 minute break to stretch their legs.

There was a rumor floating around about Major Carter. Many heard that she would be leaving SG-1 to take up the R&D lead position. It was widely thought a falsehood. Major Carter leaving SG-1 was like the rogue NID surrendering, never going to happen. The most likely scenarios were President Hayes giving her and O'Neill waivers from the fraternization regulations. Bets would be placed like always. The Hustler was always ready with his little black book...TBC in Loose Ends 3