Part III

"My name is Lord Draconus, ruler of the fifth house of the Draconian Empire." it continues.

"Colonel Samantha Carter of Earth." Sam replies as she offers her hand.

Lord Draconus studies her hand for a moment before gripping it gently. She is impressed at how much control he has since it is clear he could easily crush her hand.

"Perhaps we can go to my office to talk?" Sam suggests as she directs him towards her office with her arms.

"As you wish." he replies falling into step next to her.

They walk out of the Gate room with the marines still very uncomfortable as is demonstrated by the fact they track his lordship's progress with their weapons down but ready.

In her office, Sam realizes a logistics problem as she offers him a seat. With his tail and bulk he will never fit on any of her chairs. "Please forgive me. I don't have any furniture configured for you. I will have my staff see what they can come up with." Sam says as she signals for the marine outside her door to enter.

"No need to trouble yourself." he replies as he slices the back off her sofa with a blade that slid out of his forearm. The blade looks artificial and Sam notes to check the scans of him very carefully. He then drags the sofa easily over to the other side of her desk and sits.

She watches his face carefully because she is getting the feeling he is testing her again. Did he want me to get angry over ruining one of my possessions? He is clearly not concerned at all about being surrounded by armed aliens. He is either very brave or very deadly. Out loud she says "Are you comfortable?"

With what she takes as an amused smile crosses his features as he replies "Quite."

Several hours of conversation reveals a little detail about his people. Apparently, the Empire is made up of thousands of different races ruled by the Empress and her court. Each world has a locally elected leader who works with a governor appointed by the Empress. It sounds like each world has a fair amount of independence which given the vastness of the Empire is probably a logistical necessity. Her efforts at getting more specifics such as the current political situation are avoid or ignored. He does grill her extensively about Earth and its role in the universe. He requests a copy of their history files which she promised to put together. She asks for a copy of the Empire's history but he ignores this request. Sam is still trying to get a feel of the situation so she doesn't push hard on anything. He repeatedly expresses concern over the level of technology Earth has access to but makes no open threats. Even so, there is no question he is deciding if Earth posses a threat to the Empire which Sam nearly laughs at as the size of the Empire dwarfs the region that Earth even knows about much less controls. Sam is exhausted with trying to reassure him Earth is not a threat while conveying the message that Earth is not a push over either.

For a moment, she sees Jack standing behind Lord Draconus and she has to shake her head to clear it. Time for a break she realizes. Unfortunately, Lord Draconus noticed her looking over his shoulder and he turned his head nearly 180 to look where she was. He gives her a look she takes for confusion when he sees there is nothing there but then he looks back. "I apologize but I am very tired. Would it be possible to take a break? If you wish to return to your people simply let me know when you will return. If not, I can have quarters set aside for you." Sam offers.

"I will stay. How much rest do you require? Also, may I see what foodstuffs you consume to see if there is something I might find palatable?" he replies.

Great job Sam. You are so tired you completely forgot to offer any sort of refreshments. If he is anything like the nobles of Earth he probably expected better treatment. No wonder he looked at me oddly when he made his own seat. I was probably supposed to refuse and insist on taking care of him. Not the best first impression. I need to get some sleep. "Please forgive me for not offering refreshments sooner. Sergeant! (the marine outside her door comes in) Please take his Lord Draconus to the mess and then to the visitors quarters. Arrange anything he requests."

"Yes sir." the young marine replies. He faces Lord Draconus and says "If you will just follow me, sir."

"I look forward to our next conversation." Lord Draconus tells Sam as he formally bows at the waist with one arm held diagonally tight across his chest.

"As do I." she replies.

Once he has left, she makes her way to her quarters and collapses on her bed. Jack is there rubbing her stress out of her shoulders and her back. She never knew he gave massages. There is so much she never knew about him. "Oh, Jack."

"It is ok, Sam. You are doing fine. I am proud of you." he says to her in a loving way regulations never allowed.

Sam jerks awake. Jack spoke to her. He never spoke to her before. What is going on? I am going crazy? She spends the next few hours tossing and turning too confused to truly sleep.

When she enters the Gate room far later than she had meant too, she is still tired. The rest of her night was not restful. She did grab a bagel to eat on the way up but it is all she has eaten in a day and a half. She can't believe she spent 12 hours straight talking to their visitor yesterday. That time seems oddly distorted. She wonders if he did something but the city's sensors didn't detect anything.

"How is our visitor this morning?" she inquires of her second.

"He is sunning himself." Major Casey replies with a bit of humor.

Her curiosity peaked; she follows the Major's arm to the observation deck. Sure enough there is their guest lying on a section of stone basking in the sun. I wonder if he is cold blooded like reptiles of Earth? Heading outside, she says "Good morning. I hope I am not disturbing you."

"Not at all, Commander." he replies.

"Please call me Sam." she says on impulse. She adds "and for future reference my title is colonel."

"As you wish, Sam" he replies.

She notices he did not offer her his first name but without knowing more about his culture she doesn't know how to react. In a few of the cultures, they have encountered first names are never used in public. She weighed the risks of insulting him but decided the best course of action is to show him as much of her real self as possible. Not that she is arrogant enough to think she represents the best humanity has to offer but because she does represent an accurate picture of being human including all its flaws.

"Since you are enjoying yourself, I will leave you. Simply let one of my staff know when you would like to continue our conversation, I will do my best to accommodate you." Sam tells him.

"Thank you, Sam. I spend far too much time in space. I truly miss the sun on my scales. Besides, you could use more rest. Let's continue our conversation tomorrow. If you wish to enjoy the sun you are welcome to join me, Sam." Lord Draconus tells her.

"I appreciate the offer but I have things to attend to. Perhaps, I can join you later." she replies. How did he know I was still tired? He didn't even look at me. Is it that obvious in my voice? Or is there some sort of telepathic link from when he read my mind earlier. She had better check into that theory because if he can read her mind constantly the city's security just went out the window. Cursing her carelessness for not checking to see if his scan had any side effects, Sam adjusts her plans so Medbay is her next stop.

"As you wish." he replies as he settles back down on the concrete seemly unconcerned. Even with all her experience, Sam must say Lord Draconus is going down as one of the strangest aliens she has ever met. He is making veiled threats to destroy humanity one day and the next he hasn't a care in the world as he lies in the sun. There is more going on than she can put her finger on but she will figure it out. Or so she hopes.

As Sam is crossing the Gate room on her way to medical she sees an angry Senator Kelly heading for her. She changes her course to take her into her office so she can learn what he wants.

"How dare you!" the Senator shouts as he crosses the threshold of her office.

"Excuse me?" she replies as she sits behind her desk. She really isn't in the mood for any his nonsense but she knows she has to play the political game if she wants to remain in command. Not playing is what got her in trouble last time.

Leaning over her desk, he shouts back "You have a first contact situation and you didn't even bother to inform me! I am here as Earth's representative."

"My apologizes Senator Kelly but you were involved in talks with the Asgard. As commander of this base, I made the decision not to disturbed your negations while I handled the preliminary contact. I have been meeting alien races for a long time now and recent the implication I don't know how to handle these situations." she replies far more tersely than she would normally. She is proud she remained sitting as she really would like to jump up into his face and share a few things on her mind. The number of times she has personal saved the galaxy much less Earth should have earned her the right not to be second guessed ever five minutes by clueless politicians.

"I realize there have been a number of policy changes recently which you clearly have not been updated on. If you review the latest regulations, you will see you should have notified me immediately. The days of Cowboy diplomacy are behind us. You will update me on the situation and arrange an introduction." he orders with attitude all too common to politicians.

Sam takes a deep breath and represses the all too Jack like urge to smack this twit. She offers him a seat and briefs him. She suggest since there are no talks scheduled for today a dinner to make introductions might be best. This will give the Senator time to continue the negotiations with the Asgard which, much to her amusement; don't seem to be going too well. The Asgard don't play politics and have never shown any respect for Earth's politicians. They are a logic driven race and everyone knows logic has no place in a politician's life.

Reluctantly agreeing, the Senator leaves her office. As he does, she gets another glimpse of Jack leaning against one wall smiling at her. Why am I seeing all over the place again? Keep it together, Sam

At dinner that evening, Senator Kelly walks over to Lord Draconus to introduce himself as soon as the alien enters the dining room. "Greetings. My name is Senator Kelly. I will be taking over negotiations for Colonel Carter I am certain given enough time we can forge a productive working relationship that will benefit both our peoples." the Senator smoothly comments.

Studying the Senator for a moment, his Lordship then asks "Let me ask you this. If you were to bet the entire fate of humanity on my opinions of just one human who would you pick? Yourself or Connell Carter?"

Swallowing loudly, he knows this answer will probably end his career but he is comforted by the knowledge that it won't end humanity. "Colonel Carter, I will inform the Earth Council that you are best suited to complete this mission."

"Thank you" Sam replies while standing with her arms behind her back. She is truly impressed that Senator Kelly is able to see past his own ego and do what is best for Earth. Maybe I should give him more credit. Then again, he may just not want the responsibility for starting another interstellar war if things go badly. She is interested in why Lord Draconus asked the Senator that question. "How much did he learn about our culture from his scan of my mind? Did he question Senator Kelly because he sensed my dislike of the man? I have to be very careful with my thoughts. Just great I can't keep Jack off my mind, how am I going to keep an mind reading alien?"

The rest of the diner goes smoothly although everyone is a bit thrown by Lord Draconus poor table manners. Dinner tonight is lasagna which his Lordship seems to enjoy immensely but he tries to use his claws to eat it. When that only makes a mess, he lifts his plate and dumps the food into his maw which makes slightly less mess as only some sauce runs down his jaw and onto his outfit. When he drinks from the large goblet they arranged for him he slurps loudly and then belches after commenting how much he enjoys this soda. The Senator is mortified. Several members of the Atlantis staff present are having a hard time keeping from laughing. Sam herself finds the whole thing amusing because she has the distinct feeling he is testing them again. She thinks he is trying to provoke a reaction. "Very interesting and clever first contact tactic." She had never thought about how much how you consume food tells others about your culture. Its too bad Daniel isn't here. He would be going nuts over their visitor.

After dinner, Sam invites Lord Draconus and the Senator to her quarters. Too her surprise the Senator declines saying "Regretfully other matters require my attention. It was a great pleasure to meet you and I look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between our two peoples." It is only much later that Sam learns what the Senator was up to but that is a story for another time.

In her quarters, Sam has prepared a backless sofa for her guest as well as some fresh raw meat and sushi as the mess had informed her that was what he ate when there. She had put aside some wine but switches his drink for a soda after seeing how much he enjoyed it at diner. She is a tiny bit nervous about being alone with him in her quarters but only because she doesn't want to send any mixed signals. She had fully expected the Senator to join them.

When they arrive at her quarters, Lord Draconus looks around the room even opening the door to and going into her bedroom. Again Sam sense he test her. Everything he does seems designed to see how she reacts. "That is my personal sleeping chamber. It is considered rude in my culture to enter someone's sleeping chamber without being invited." she explains while waiting for his reaction.

"My apologies. I meant no offense. I was looking for a window. I don't spend much time on world so I was hoping to see the sky." he replies smoothly. His eyes watching for her reaction.

"If you prefer, we can go for a walk. I know several places to observe the night sky." she offers. She can't be sure because his alien features make it hard to interrupt his expression but she thinks he is pleased she spoke up. Thinking about it. It is the first time she has said anything even remotely negative or challenging to him. Perhaps she should set some more boundaries. This is the part she is never any good at.

"That would be acceptable. Thank you for accommodating me." he replies. As they are leaving he pauses for a second staring at something on her desk. Discreetly peering over his shoulder, she sees he is looking at her picture of Jack. He doesn't say anything about it so Sam breathes a sigh of relief on not having to open that can of worms.

"We should have." A voice she could swear is Jack's says into her ear causing her to jump for a second.

"Keep it together!" she scolds herself. Lord Draconus gives her a look which on a human would be a raised eyebrow but on his hairless face Sam isn't sure what to call the look.

"Shall we?" she suggests eager to get him out of the room and to give her a few moments on the walk to collect her thoughts. This thing with Jack is getting out of hand. She really should go see the doctor. Suddenly she remembers she meant to go see the doctor earlier before the Senator interrupted her. She taps a reminder in her wrist computer so she won't forget to go first thing in the morning.

Lord Draconus says little until they get outside. Outside he looks up at the stars above as he comments "They always look so much more magical from down here. It is good to be reminded just how small we are."

"Humility is an important trait for any species." Sam replies just marveling at the night sky. She never used to appreciate all the different skies she has been under but now she see each one as a missed opportunity with Jack. He always admired the night sky even if he tried to hide it under his gruff exterior. A thought pops into her head; she never asked Lord Draconus if he has any idea why the Wraith attacked when they detected the signal. She scolds herself "Get it together Sam. You are never this scatter brained. Maybe I should step down until I can get my head together." Turning to face her guest, she asks "When we triggered the signal that you detected, it caused another race to attack us. They were desperate to stop that signal. They died trying. Any idea why?"

Her guest doesn't answer for a minute but then he looks back up at the stars as he explains "The treaty. When the war ended with the one's you know as Ancients a treaty was signed. It demanded the Ancients avoid the Empire's boarders at all cost. No contact of any kind was to be made. That signal violated the treaty. Lucky for your people you are not bound by that treaty. However, that also means I must evaluate your culture to see how the Empire should deal with your people."

"We have no desire to fight the Empire. Even if we did, it would be madness on our part if the Empire is even half the size it was at that time. We simply don't have the resource you do. However, that doesn't mean we wouldn't fight to defend ourselves. As you saw in our database, we have defeated numerous enemies who had the technological and numerical advantage. We won't go down easy I can promise you." Sam declares.

"There is the problem. You are a violent people by your nature. Even assuming you don't pose a threat to the Empire, just how many worlds could you threaten before we destroyed you. Your people have a gift for war. It is something I respect. If I may I have a question." he poses changing the subject.

"I will answer any questions you have as best as I can without endangering any of my people's secrets." Sam replies.

"Who was he?" Lord Draconus asks catching Sam off guard.

Struggling to think of how to answer, she debates just saying it's personal but decides not too. "He was a good friend who died." she replies.

"Was he your mate?" is the next question.

Before Sam can even think about it, she answers "No but I wanted him to be." At first she is embarrassed at the open admission but then she realizes there is no need to keep it secret now. "Our careers got in the way of us being together. No, that's not right. We were both to afraid to take the risk. It is something I regret very deeply." Sam admits.

"I thought I saw the same look in your eye as in mine when my mate died. My mate died centuries ago but she still haunts me. There are so many things I should have done and said. Would you tell me of him?" Lord Draconus requests.

"I would be happy to. He was the best man I have ever met. Courageous, noble, handsome." Sam replies as she launches into a description of the man she loves. She finds tears building as she talks about Jack but they never fall. She finds herself sharing all their missions together. All the fights and the good times. All the almost moments. It is dawn before she finishes. She feels oddly better. Lighter almost. Shortly after she started talking she imagined Jack was there listening. Laughing at their memories. Denying some of his not so fine moments. Just being oh so Jack.