Author's Note: This is a short chapter... but I like it a lot

The SGC could have their pick of the best and brightest from any branch of service the United States and her Allies had to offer. Servicemen didn't apply to be on Stargate teams they were selected. When the time came to pick men and women to take the trip to Atlantis… well it was months of picking through those best and brightest. It was months before they found the right man to lead the military on the Atlantis expedition… they chose Colonel Marshal Sumner. Sumner was a hard man, he was career military, one of those men who was born to be a Marine and when he died his last words would be "Oo'rah."

Sumner demanded that the men and women who were going to Atlantis trained together…trained until they could move as one unit, think as one unit, and listen to his commands without question. When the day came and they stood in front of the glowing event horizon… there was a sense of anticipation and resentment. John Sheppard, an Air Force Major… and assigned by Elizabeth Weir to be part of the team, stood in their midst… an interloper of the worst kind. Rumors flew about his pretty boy face, about how he was sleeping with Weir, about the black mark on his record… anything that they could find to trash talk about they did.

Until things went to hell… until Sumner was taken by the wraith and Sheppard was forced to kill him…

In those terse moments on the Wraith ship and in the jumper afterward they couldn't help but feel respect for the man. Some would say later that it was a wholly Marine thing to do… not letting the enemy have the final word. Those who knew Sumner felt the most respect for Sheppard. It took a backbone of solid steal to do what needed to be done. They knew that others who weren't there wouldn't necessarily understand… but they knew the truth of that night and they felt nothing but respect for John Sheppard.

As time passed they came to realized the true grit and determination that Sheppard hid under his laid back attitude. They had seen how far he would go to save even one member of the expedition. Even though Sheppard wasn't the originally military commander of Atlantis… they could see that Sumner would have failed were John succeeded… because Sheppard was willing to bend the rules, go the extra mile, and give everything he had over and over again.

When it came to killing Wraith no one knew more than Sheppard. When it came to hotshot puddle jumper antics, John was the man to look to. When it came to suicidal runs to deliver nuclear weapons to orbiting hive ships… well only one man had ever pulled it off and the Marines felt lucky to have him on their side.

When the wormhole opened the first time to reconnect them to Earth it was like a breath of fresh air… and that fresh air brought with it brand new Marines. Around tables in the mess with large cups of steaming coffee the "veterans" of Atlantis, as they jokingly referred to themselves, would place bets on how long new recruits would last.

It amazed them that with each new bunch of soldiers there was a handful who were out and out disrespectful to Sheppard… like they hadn't heard about his death defying rescue missions or jaw dropping wraith killing abilities.

No one was really sure who started the stories but before to long "Sheppard Facts" started circulating through the ranks of Marines. Some of the facts where realistic… like the time that Sheppard seduced an Alien Priestess or when he killed a 10,000 year old Wraith with nothing more than his knife and a power-bar. Then their were a few less than factual "facts" like: Sheppard seducing Twin Alien Princesses, Sheppard killing a wraith with his bare hands, and the many rumors about why his hair was so unruly.

The Marines were protective of their Commander. They took personal offence to anyone who spoke ill of him and were careful to let the new recruits know that "Sheppard Facts" aside… John Sheppard was a dangerous fighter, a natural leader, a fierce protector, a loyal friend, and stronger, on his worst day, than most men were even on their best.

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