The curve of the planet filled half her view, a familiar blend of blue and green and brown which spoke of habitability and reminded one of home despite the slash of deep black space visible beyond its glow. Beautifully breathtaking by any standards, she barely registered what she was seeing. Surrounding her, on the ship itself, the equally familiar bustle of her crew, the barely audible buzz of equipment and electronics, and even the deep hum of the ship's engines themselves went unnoticed as well.
She hadn't realized she'd been staring at the small speaker built into the arm of her command chair until a sudden burst of sound from it startled her.
"Hammond? This is Major Henry."
She answered him herself: "Major, this is the Hammond." Her voice was still steady, which was good. It might have cracked a little, though, when she continued, "Report?"
"Ma'am.. There's no one here."
The nightmare, born not of imagination but of harsh experience, that she'd been firmly suppressing - his small body broken and bloodied and tossed away like some monstrous child's abandoned toy - overwhelmed her completely. She opened her mouth to speak but could barely find the strength to draw her next ragged breath.
Major Hanson, her executive officer, quickly asked what she could not: "Bodies, Henry?"
"No. I mean. Damn it… Sorry, ma'am. I meant… There's no one here. The tents and equipment are all here, and there are signs of fighting, but.. No sign of any people."
Sam found her voice. And made her decision, even though it flew in the face of all established protocol and procedure. "Is the area secured, Major?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She turned to look at Hanson, but he was already ahead of her. "I've got the ship, Ma'am."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Sam slowly pulled the tent flap open and stepped inside. The entire camp had been cleared by Major Henry and his team before she'd come down, but it wasn't physical danger she was wary of. She stood just inside the entrance and let the canvas fall closed behind her, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior.
She knew what she should be seeing, she'd been there often enough herself. Perfectly aligned rows of neat cots, each with a standard footlocker at its side to serve as both storage and table. Strictly temporary quarters for those people who had been chosen, by the IOA, to represent the best hope amongst its citizens for the future of humanity in case the very worst should befall the people of Earth.
But chaos confronted her now. Cots lay upended and lockers overturned, their contents spilling across the floor. She scanned the scene quickly, and knew she had found what she'd been seeking the moment her eyes fell upon it. Hardly aware any more of her surroundings, she crossed the room and, sitting down on her heels, gathered the fallen clothing off the hard packed dirt upon which it lay.
The blue t-shirt with the yellow monster truck she'd always hated but which she'd finally broken down and bought anyway rather than put up with more pleading… the old yet-supposedly comfortable jeans with the hole in one knee she'd wanted to throw away but which had been packed as a compromise… the flannel pajamas he'd hated but which she'd promised he'd appreciate if it got cold… socks and underwear still in their plastic bags from the store… Just clothing, really. But the strength of the memories they held threatened to tear her apart, ripping out the pieces of her heart where Matthew should be.
The speaker in her ear crackled to life, interrupting her thoughts before she lost control completely. "Colonel Carter?"
"Yes?"
"We got the 'gate back up and running, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Sergeant."
"Yes. And, Ma'am, there's someone coming through…"
"I'll be right there." And, after delaying just long enough to set the clothing back in his footlocker - she couldn't bear the thought of simply tossing his things back onto the ground - Sam stood and hurried outside.
She arrived at the now active Stargate and took her place behind one of the groups of soldiers waiting at the edge of the clearing, rifles aimed squarely at the shimmering event horizon. A form appeared inside, at first simply a nebulous outline but solidifying into the stocky metal shape of a MALP as it moved out and away from the 'gate.
Which meant Earth. And the SGC.
Major Henry signaled from across the clearing, and the soldiers ringing the 'gate broke cover and slowly moved forward.
More figures followed quickly behind the MALP, and just as quickly became recognizable. It was the first of these, however, which captured her full attention.
Certain now there was nothing to fear, she stepped towards the 'gate. "You shouldn't be here," she observed.
"You really shouldn't be here, either."
"Couldn't stay away… Sir," she added, finally remembering.
"Me neither," Jack said. But the look in his eyes - a terrible mixture of love, determination, and grief she was certain only she could read - spoke the volumes his words could not. Turning to Major Henry, who had stepped towards them, he said, "Major, I need to speak with Colonel Carter for a few minutes. Brief Lieutenant Egan and her men on the current situation and deploy them as you see fit." And then, without bothering to wait for a reply, Jack led Sam towards the relative privacy of one of the nearby tents.