Chapter Thirteen
Starship Journey
A/N: Readers, I am very very sorry that it took me this long to finally post this chapter. I took so long, because I wanted to actually finish writing and posting all of the previous chapter's content before posting this one. And that would be hard while my good friend and story consultant, AlexanderD, former U.S. Special Ops officer, being too busy with work right now. I would therefore not be writing the U.S. Army Rangers and Army Special Forces in action, in that chapter, with any sufficient degree of accuracy. So when he gets a reprieve from work, I will finally add on to and complete the previous chapter's storyline. For now, please content yourselves with this current chapter.
Aboard Consular One
Between the Triangulum and Milky Way Galaxies
Jack, the current SG-1, as well as High Consul Il'ras and his wife Kathariel, Deputy High Consul Tran'duil, his wife Isarel, and FOLT-1 were aboard the vessel Consular One, which was actually the name for any vessel that the High Consul happened to be transported on at the moment. If it were only the Deputy High Consul, it would be named Consular Two. If there was only one of the three Ordinary Consuls onboard, it would be named Consular Three.
Despite the ultra-advanced Furling starship technology used to ferry them, it would be a few days until they arrived at the Furlings' main planet in the Milky Way, to request that they assist the Alliance in sheltering refugees. Actually expecting the Nox to agree in fighting against the invading Orisians would probably be unrealistic even at this point. Jack honestly thought that he would never see the Nox again, after they buried the gate on one of their worlds and forbid SG-1 to return. Sure, the SGC had their advanced Daedelus Class starships now to use to visit the Nox if they wanted, but Jack had the decisive feeling that the Nox would be very displeased with them deciding to go take the initiative to violate that rule, and would probably incapacitate and then confiscate their battle-purposed starships. For this same reason of knowing the Nox had buried the gate to their main world, the Furling also had to be traveling by their starship to visit their age-old allies and friends.
Consular One was one of the most luxurious ships in existence in the universe. First, it was very spacy. The design aesthetics were very polished with perfect finishings, like Furling perfectionism demanded. There were plenty of bedrooms, so that nobody had to share a room with anyone else. Onboard, were Holographic Scenario Entertainment Room, Holographic Movie Theatres, massage parlors, a collection of alleys to play a Furling game similar to bowling, multiple gymnasiums, multiple swimming pool rooms, etc etc etc. It was a ship which you'd leave much more relaxed than you were when you came on. Not to forget the myriad of cafés, gift shops, and restaurants all over the vessel.
Jack was constantly heading to the Furling cafe which looked very similar to an Earth diner. He had gotten very addicted to their Kuense Pie and not bothered to take it out of that diner, gobbling it down several times there. Teal'c did exactly the same thing all that time. Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter, however, liked to take it out so they could get back to their rooms as soon as possible and research whatever it was they were researching at that moment.
One time, he saw both Il'ras and the softy-spoken, introspective Tran'duil there as well. These were two of his favorite politicians, if there was such a thing. They were highly honest and benign. Their wives had decided to come down with them. The auto-server was continuing in the bad habit of announcing how many of each item the consumer had consumed and when they'd consumed it. Customer s were stamping their feet at it to get it to somehow shut up and stop disclosing their eating habits. Daniel and Sam were also there, somehow having decided to join the living for once. Sam soon was enticed to join Kathariel and Isarel, who finally had spare time while on this journey were using some kind of rater small high-tech machine to knit very quickly. Daniel joined the guys at the counter.
Il'ras was getting fed up with the numerous Consular Protection Service (CPS) agents trying to blend in but still being noticeable. The CPs agents dressed similarly to Il'ras, in the Furling equivalent of a business suit and tie. They looked like they could be just Consular Support Staff (CSS), but were secretly far more deadly if someone should try to harm theirs employer.
Without glancing, he predicted where the senior-agent-on-site and his subordinates were going to be in the room.
"How did you know where we were going to be, Mr. Consul?" the senior agent queried, incredulous.
"Negative patterns I learned when I was in the OTTERs," Ill'ras satisfied his curiosity.
"I recall one incident in which the passengers on Consular One, in which the automated dish-cleaners and the automated food dispensers interacted, causing soapy-tasting food. That week, everyone was hoping for different-tasting food anyway", Tran'duil shared, chortling himself.