Disclaimer : The characters and genre used belong to the appropriate owners I hold no right or ownership to their work.
Author's note: welcome back to the next chapter . Thank you to all who have liked reviewed and followed so far . Some may have noticed I reference the books quite often , if you haven't read them yet I would recommend giving them a go especially the " Lantean legacy series " which are set after the tv series ends .
" Thank you all for coming we have a lot to cover today and it's going to take a while to get through it all ". John took a second to pause and look at each person in attendance hoping to convey the weight of what was about to be discussed.
" To start of I have received a message from General O'Neill , due to the current political problems on earth the brass and IOA are busy keeping the SGC running . As such I have been given full command and the expedition had been granted more autonomy ".
There was a moment of silence as they took in what had been said before Rodney jumped right in with questions.
" So your now head of the expedition... does that mean major Lorne is now the military commander ? . Will you still be going off world ? What about the team ?, How much autonomy ? Does that mean... "
" RODNEY !slow down and let the poor man answer " Carson's Scottish brogue cut off Mckays stream of growing questions with an exasperated eye roll.
" For the time being I will hold both lead rolls however i will be relying on Lorne's help more often . As to going of world , until things have settled I will have to stay in the city and oversee everything. "
"Congratulations John if you need any advice especially when it comes to dealing with the IOA I'm here to help " Elizabeth offered from her seat next to him which lead the others to offer there own congratulations.
" I thought you didn't want the job , that's how sam got it in the first place , how come colonel Caldwell didn't get it ? "
" Thanks for the vote of confidence McKay I feel all warm fuzzy inside " John sarcastically quipped not offended having grown used to Mckay years ago .
" I didn't mean it like that , it's just you said you didn't want it then Sam left and Woolsey took over instead and Caldwell always wanted it . It odd that it was given to you not that you wont be good at it it's just you know" Rodney stammered and flapped his hands about in way of explanation.
John interrupted him, smirking as he did so ,Finally taking pity on his friend before he dug himself even deeper into the hole he made .
" Its ok McKay I get it , no I never wanted the job I told O'Neill as much . He didn't give me much of a choice and I think Caldwell is happy where he is now . Plus I now have the chance to make the changes I've always wanted to without being told no by the brass ".
" Is that what you meant by more autonomy because I can't see the IOA letting anything change without their input " asked Daniel Jackson somewhat sceptical . Jaded after years of dealing with the IOA's interference .
"Essentially were in the same position as our first year out here before we made contact with earth. because of the politics the IOA have bigger problems and have basically said to do what we want as long as it doesn't cost them anymore money ".
" So we can run the expedition without them questioning our every move ". Said Elizabeth understanding how much more could be accomplished without the interference.
" exactly and I have plans to fix a lot of the problems we currently face. One of the ways I'm going to do this must remain secret . I cannot stress enough how important it is that the IOA and brass do not learn of what I'm about to tell you . If you don't feel comfortable keeping the secret I ask that you leave now ".
John looked at them all intensely , he didn't think anyone here would have a problem keeping the secret. With the exception of Dr Jackson everyone in the room had been part of the expedition since day one . not that he worried about Daniel as he was used to keeping things secret from the powers that be so he shouldn't have a problem either .
John also knew that since Carson Elizabeth and Rodney were banned from setting foot on earth ever again they wouldn't go running to tell on them.
" I believe I speak for all of us colonel Sheppard when I say you can trust us to keep your secrets , we have called Atlantis our home from the beginning and will do what it takes to protect her ". The words and strong resolve said by Dr Kusanagi settled in the room and was met with nods of agreement from everyone present .
" Thank you for your support I knew I could count on you all".
The small doubt in his mind left and with the gentle support from Atlantis John sat forward to explain his role as the Guardian .
" shortly after speaking to the General I felt my connection to the city deepen and Atlantis spoke to me as if she was standing right next to me . She is fully sentient and told me that once every generation there would be someone with a strong bond to the city and this person would become what's known as the Guardian. "
" hang on a second your saying the city is sentient ? Are we talking HAL or farscape ? Why now why not before'. Rodney impatiently asked .
" A little bit of both Atlantis isn't a living being but over the years she has become more that just a computer program , she thinks And feels I can sense her moods And can sense she's feels discomfort from the damage she has suffered .As to why now she told me I wasn't ready to hear her before now".
" And what about you colonel what does it mean for you being this Guardian ? How will it effect your health"
Unsurprisingly Carson excepted that the city is sentient, being one of the stronger gene carriers he could feel a slight difference from interfacing with say a puddle jumper when you compare it to using the control chair.
" Atlantis says my connection will grow stronger and I will be able to do a lot more with the city's systems and make repairs , however she did warn me that it will be a lot like training a muscle that at first it will tire me out and I shouldn't do to much before I am ready . I've already made some changes but doing so made me feel like I had ran a marathon ".
" Well next time you plan to do more I want to be there so I can monitor you , It can't help to be cautious lad".
" Ok doc run any tests you want but I'm not worried . I trust Atlantis and don't think she would cause me harm intentionally ".
All of a sudden Rodney began snapping his fingers practically vibrating in his seat in excitement.
" If what you say is true do you know what this means , we can finally fix things instead of just patching them up and learn about all the cities technology , we can finally ask how everything works without having to deal with tight lipped ancients who are up themselves .think of all the things we can do ".
" Slow down Rodney I'm sure colonel has more to tell us about what he has planned " . Radek chimed in taking his turn to reign Rodney in before he got carried away.
" Thanks Radek . I do have a lot more to explain and cover so I hope your all ready to take some notes . I have big plans and I need all of you to help ".
With everyone's attention focused back on him John felt his own and Atlantis eager anticipation grow as they set out to unleash the winds of change across the city.
A/N: I'm not very happy With this chapter , it's really just a bridge for the next chapter to help the story flow . come back and edit it again later depending on how the next few chapters pan out. I'm hoping to start the storyline moving along and begin to develop more of a plot . I hope you all stick with me as I stumble along with this fic.