Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.


"There was a third ship?" Jack asked once Hammond and Davis were seated.

"Did you not stop a Goa'uld attack from space?" Katherine asked, looking confused.

"We did," Jack nodded, "but ours only had two ships."

"Another big difference," Daniel mumbled under his breath. Katherine nodded.

"So it would seem," she agreed before continuing her story. "The first ship settled over the White House. The second over the Pentagon. The third over Colorado Springs." She took a deep breath, trying to overcome the panic she remembered feeling in that moment. When she was ready, she turned to the group again. "They just hovered there for a few hours. Then Charles Kawalsky made a broadcast. He introduced the world to Apophis, our new God, and demanded that the people of the world worship him."

"Kawalsky?" Jack asked sharply.

"He was a member of this command before he betrayed us," Katherine said softly.

"He didn't get a Goa'uld and die?" Jack asked.

"He got a Goa'uld," she confirmed, "but they were able to surgically remove the parasite. He led SG-2 and later joined SG-1 while Sam was on maternity leave. But as soon as the ships appeared he switched sides."

"He didn't betray you," Jack defended his friend, "at least not in the way you're thinking. He was an unwilling host. He had no control over anything after that snake was removed."

"Regardless," she replied sadly. "It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, although my Jack will be relieved to hear the truth."

"If Kawalsky was still leading SG-2, that could explain where the third ship came from," Daniel theorized. "He could have been passing information to Apophis for more than a year. Especially if he had access to a teleball."

"Teleball?" Katherine questioned.

"A Goa'uld long-range communication device," Teal'c answered. "I have seen them so small they can fit in the palm of your hand. Such a device can easily be concealed."

"That would explain the frequent encounters with Apophis's Jaffa during that first year," Katherine thought out loud before shaking her head to clear it.

"The third ship?" Hammond asked to get back on point. Katherine refocused.

"The ships stayed where they were that first night," she continued her tale. "In the morning, Apophis proclaimed the world would be punished for our lack of devotion. The two ships hovering over DC went back into orbit while the third repositioned itself atop Cheyenne mountain. The orbital bombardment of our world started.

"They were exterminating us from space and there was nothing we could do. Every capital of the major countries, every major military institution across the globe, even places that made no sense like the middle of the Sahara or uninhabited islands in the oceans. They knew exactly where to hit us. We tried everything to defend ourselves. The US, along with almost every other nuclear country, launched a coordinated nuclear attack. The missiles were shot down before they could reach their target. We had no craft that could even reach their ships. The few times gliders or the transport ships came down to earth, our fighters and missiles were completely ineffective. We were totally helpless. Then suddenly the two ships in orbit blew up."

"One of our finest moments," Jack said proudly.

"Theirs's too," she confirmed before continuing. "Hundreds of thousands were dead all over the world. The world was in shock. Then suddenly they remembered the third ship. The world turned its attention to Colorado Springs and what they saw amazed them. The third ship was supporting a ground assault. There was devastation on a scale they couldn't comprehend, even after surviving their own bombardment, but American military forces were fighting back. And, while they weren't winning exactly, they were able to stand their ground. Then the third ship suddenly plummeted to the ground and American troops won the battle."

"Good for us," Jack commented.

"The world mourned for a few days," Katherine continued, "then the questions started. Why did they attack Cheyenne mountain? How did the US military successfully repel them when no one else was able to even scratch their paint job? Why did they even come here in the first place."

"That's when the President went public?" Major Davis asked. Katherine shook her head.

"He actually didn't," she told them. "The SGC had proven themselves that day. He was confident they would be able to defend the world and continue their mission in secret."

"Even with all that devastation?" Daniel asked. She shook her head sadly.

"It was complete chaos in the aftermath of the attack. Conspiracy theories were popping up everywhere. Everybody wanted answers and they would listen to anybody who said they had them, whether they were true or not. The President thought even if he were to tell them about the Stargate they wouldn't believe him. He decided to wait and let the craziness die down before deciding about disclosure."

"But there was full disclosure?" Janet asked. Katherine nodded. "Who?"

"A Senator on the Armed Forces Appropriation committee."

"Kinsey," Jack spat the name in disgust. Katherine nodded.

"From your reaction he's the same here?" Jack nodded.

"He's tried to shut us down a few times, including right before our own invasion."

"Same thing in my reality," she said. "Only he tried to take it a step further. During the chaos after the invasion he leaked the existence of the Stargate program. He was trying to make himself look good; the sole voice of reason against those foolish enough to walk amongst the stars and bring the monsters back to the front door."

"Sounds about right, the smarmy bastard," Jack mumbled under his breath.

"You'll be pleased to know it backfired," she told them. "Instead of the public supporting him in his noble crusade against the heathens who brought about all this destruction, the public was filled with the sense of exploration. The President was pressured, not to keep silent but for full disclosure, which he ultimately did."

"How full is full disclosure?" Davis asked.

"Nearly everything," she told him. "The early experiments in the forties. The renewed interest in the seventies. Even Colonel O'Neill's suicide mission when they got the gate working again. The first missions of this new command. Information we gleamed from offworld missions, not to mention the technology. The only thing not in the public domain are the details of current or upcoming missions, and even then it's not a complete secret." She turned to General Hammond. "The Stargate is not a secret anymore. Not in my reality anyway."

"What about international fallout?" Davis asked, jotting down notes as quickly as he could. "Were other countries upset that the US had kept this from them? Did they retaliate in any way?"

"They were upset," she confirmed, "and they threatened retaliation, but threats were as far as it ever got."

"What changed their mind?" Daniel asked.

"SG-1," she told him, looking at the team fondly. "Or rather the whole SGC but as the flagship team, you were their favorite. And mine. I'm slightly biased of course, but I think SG-1 is the best team by far." She leaned closer to them. "You see, before Kinsey outed the SGC, the President had already made the decision to keep using the Stargate. Everything was up and running when the shit hit the fan. Rather than stop everything while Congress debated, he proclaimed the SGC a national security program and instructed them to continue operations despite the government hearings. Only now, their reports were being made public."

"And the other countries wanted a piece of the pie," Jack said half-heartedly. Katherine nodded.

"Especially when the SGC started sharing the goodies they had brought back through the gate during the past year. Area 51 is a fine research facility, but anything not deemed to have immediate military applications was shoved to the side. When the project went public, private companies were able to take over the research of the non-military items. The United States began experiencing a technological revolution the likes of which we had never seen."

"And the other countries wanted in," Daniel guessed.

"Can you blame them?" she laughed. "Look who I'm talking too." Daniel smiled.

"So the SGC was overrun with the people of the world?" Jack asked in disgust.

"No," she told him. "You were very outspoken about that. You said you couldn't defend the world and be a tourist stop at the same time. George agreed with you and the President backed you up. Then Daniel had this brilliant idea."

"I did?" he asked in surprise before settling down again. "I mean I did."

"You pointed out that we had two Stargates. And the second one, sitting in a crate at Area 51, did no one any good." She looked at him fondly. "You convinced the world that the only way every country could participate was through peaceful cooperation. High ranking officials from the major countries of the world agreed. An international committee was assembled to manage the use of the second gate."

"And we just let them do whatever they want?" Jack asked.

"Within reason," she replied. "There is a very specific treaty every country must agree to in order to use the second gate. The gate cannot be used for military gain by any country. Every aspect of every mission must be preapproved by the committee before the mission is allowed, and every deviation from the approved itinerary must be completely and thoroughly explained at the mission's conclusion. The public scrutiny for the SGC is nothing compared to the scrutiny for the international gate."

"It sounds like a lovely world," Janet remarked wistfully. "Not having to live a life of secrecy." Katherine laughed.

"It's not perfect," she told them. "Double the gates means double the risk. The SGC is primarily used for first contact, recon, rescue, and military operations. Many of those missions go sideways and the world gets a front row seat to its own destruction, but then the men and women of the SGC manage to save the day. That's what makes the SGC weekly briefings so entertaining." Jack huffed.

"Glad to be of service," he remarked sarcastically. "Entertaining the masses. That's what I live for." She smiled at him.

"The International Gate has taken over the low-risk missions: scientific and cultural missions, humanitarian missions, diplomatic follow ups and the like. They initially tried to keep the military out, but the first time one of their research teams was nearly sacrificed to the Gods by the village elders and they couldn't get them out they begged for help from the SGC."

"Figures," Jack mumbled.

"Now the US military is a constant force there, although it's mainly support and security. Other countries also have troops there but it's mainly for training purposes and real-world experience. It's also the last step in Stargate Field training. Anyone wanting to join an SG team has to undergo an extensive training regimen."

"How extensive?" Davis asked.

"Very," she answered. "A six-week boot camp for physical fitness followed by two weeks of survival training followed by two weeks of marksmanship and hand to hand training. Then if you survive that you have another two weeks of common cultural, language, and technological indicators."

"Culture?" Jack asked. "Whose idea was that?" He threw a look Daniel's way.

"Yours actually Jack," Katherine responded, looking slightly amused. "After Antarctica you were looking at a three-month recovery. Janet discovered Sam's pregnancy and banned her from gate travel. SG-1 went from a fully functional team to a civilian archeologist and an alien Jaffa. Sam and Daniel had their labs and Teal'c was always willing to lend some muscle to a team in need, but George knew you would need something to do while you recuperated, or you'd go crazy. He ordered you to establish SGC training requirements. The military aspects of the training plan were easy to put in, but while you were on base during that time, you realized how many teams got into trouble over stupid things that they should know better. You asked Daniel to develop a course to help teams recognize common indicators of local faux pas."

"I bet he loved that," Jack smirked, glaring at Daniel who was looking smug.

"He did," she agreed, "until you also decided SG-1, minus Sam who was five months pregnant at the time, would be part of the first test group." Daniel's smile faded.

"Fun," Daniel remarked in a tone he thought it anything but fun.

"You didn't care for it, but later you did admit it helped. Eventually it became the base standard for anyone wanting to join an SG team: military or civilian, soldier or scientist."

"Does this extra training help?" Hammond asked. He had been toying with the thought of extra training for his people.

"The casualty and fatality rate dropped forty percent," she told them proudly. "And that is just the basic offworld grunt. There's also additional training for specialized positions: the technical expert, the cultural expert, linguists, the field medic, the scouts, the demolition expert, the jail breakers. Jacob took it one step farther and developed a basic training program for all SGC personnel; from janitorial staff all the way to administration." She turned to Hammond. "Your certificate of completion is proudly hung on the wall above your desk."

"Jacob made me do that?" he asked unbelievably. "And how did Jacob get involved with this?"

"First, he didn't make you," she told him. "You insisted on undergoing the training. Said you could do no less if you were going to force the men and women under your command to do it. And second, Jacob got involved after Antarctica. You needed a secure place to do this training and Jacob was the superintendent of the Air Force Academy by then. He had the space and the instructors, he just needed a reason to say yes." She laughed mirthlessly. "I remember the night you told him what really went on in that mountain. It was like his world had been shattered and rebuilt all in a single day. He kept looking at Sam in disbelief. And when I finally gathered the courage to ask him, he simply said classified. Smug bastard."

"That sounds like Jacob," Hammond said fondly.

"The training program was highly effective, and that was before the world knew about the Stargate. Now there's a waiting list to get stationed at Cheyenne mountain, even with the additional training."

"Would you be willing to write down everything you know about this enhanced training?" Davis asked excitedly. "And everything you remember regarding the fallout from disclosure."

"I'd be happy too," she agreed. "But remember, just because things happened how they happened in my dimension doesn't necessarily mean they will happen the same in yours."

"Now you're sounding like a Carter," Jack said. She looked down at her hands resting lightly on the table. Jack could feel the mood in the room shift. "What do you want from us? Why exactly are you here?"

"I don't know," she said, losing her poise. "I didn't even know the mirror was there, let alone that she was using it."

"She?" Jack asked sharply. Katherine's hands started trembling. "Who is she?" Katherine's whole body started shaking. "Katherine. Where is Sam? You keep talking about her in your stories, but earlier when I asked about her you said she was better off dead."

"Colonel," Janet warned, leaving her seat to head to the older lady. She put one hand on her shoulder while discreetly checking her pulse. "She's going into shock."

"Where's Jacob?" Jack asked, gentler this time.

"He's dead," Katherine managed, forcing herself to look him in the eye. "He's dead. And when she found out, Sam lost that last thread of sanity she managed to hold onto. My world is dying, almost dead, because my daughter murdered it."

"What?" They all turned to the unexpected voice. Jacob and Sam were standing in the doorway, pale faces sweeping the room until Sam caught her mother's eyes. She took a half step forward, her hand outstretched, before her eyes rolled up and darkness engulfed her.


"Hey Dad." Jacob barely suppressed his eye roll.

"Jack," he greeted, his eyes never leaving the still figure on the bed. "You know, when we got the message to return ASAP, Sam thought that something happened to one of her guys. Or a problem with the Gate. We never dreamed it would be something like this."

"We didn't exactly know the situation when we sent the message," Jack told him, stepping up to the bed and casually resting his hand on it.

"If we had a warning, this might not have happened." He gestured to the bed. Sam's face was nearly as white as the sheets that covered her, an IV snaking into her arm.

"We were expecting you to come through the Gate," Jack defended himself. "We figured we would have plenty of time to intercept and explain before you met them."

"Them?" Jacob asked, one of his eyebrows raising in a perfect imitation of Teal'c.

"Your dead wife," Jack squirmed uncomfortably, "your unborn third child and Carter's unborn daughter." Jacob raised his eyebrow higher. Jack sighed. "How would we even put that in a message?"

"I'll give you that," Jacob conceded, reaching out and placing his hand over Sam's cold one.

"You gave the boys upstairs quite a scare," Jack commented as he watched father and daughter.

"Sorry," he said unapologetically. "We got the message as we were leaving Intok. It was faster to fly the Tel'tac here than to return to Vorash and gate in."

"No gate on Intok?" Jacob shook his head. A heavy silence filled the air. Jack shifted his gaze from Jacob to Sam. "How's she doing with that whole thing?"

"As well as she can," Jacob admitted. He shifted uncomfortably. "Better than I am, actually." He sighed. "Sometimes I'm not sure how she's coping so well." He turned his head to look at Jack. "Martouf took me under his wing when I first joined with Selmak. In many ways he was my mentor. But Selmak was his mentor when he first joined with Lantash. Selmak was Lantash's mentor when he first matured. She has so many memories of both of them, and right now with the grief so fresh, everything she sees is bringing up those memories. I'm getting everything second hand, with explanations to boot, and I'm still feeling overwhelmed. Sam said this is what it feels like every day for her since Jolinar. I don't know how she can do it."

"She's had lots of practice," Jack said quietly. Jacob sighed again. "And she's good at putting on a brave face till she can get somewhere private to lick her wounds."

"I just wish I knew how to help," Jacob said quietly. "I wish the Tok'Ra knew how to help."

"They don't?" Jack asked cautiously. He didn't want to outright accuse their allies, but he thought if anyone knew how to cope with the loss of a symbiote it would be them.

"Sam's situation is unique," Jacob told him. He looked at the older man. "When a symbiote leaves a host, the symbiote releases a toxin that kills the former host. It is natural defense mechanism. The Goa'uld, who never view their host as anything other than a body to be used, take no steps to stop this process. The Tok'ra, however, view our hosts as individuals, equal to the symbiote. A symbiote can choose not to release this toxin but it is a very hard process to stop. The symbiote must have great strength and be fully aware at their time of extraction, and even then, there is no guarantee the host will survive. To stop this process when the symbiote is dying, with little time to prepare, is practically unheard of. That is why most hosts and symbiotes are together until they die and why the symbiotes don't leave a host until there's no other option. A host surviving the death of a symbiote is rare, even amongst the Tok'Ra."

"But don't you guys have the ability to remove snakes?" Jacob nodded.

"Yes, but in those cases the symbiote is not killed, simply removed. Our healers paralyze the symbiote, hopefully before the poison can be released. The host, if they survive, will have the specific thoughts and memories the symbiote had while they were blended, but nothing more. When Sam said she had all of Jolinar's memories, many of the Tok'Ra did not think it was possible. But seeing her these last few days as she mourned for Martouf as a wife morns for her husband, and as she mourned for Lantash as something more significant than a soulmate, I'm beginning to understand just how marginalized the Tok'Ra have been regarding her situation."

"You have helped, you know," Jack told him quietly. "Even without knowing."

"Maybe," Jacob reluctantly admitted. "But if the Tok'Ra knew more from the start, how much better would she be now?"

"Hey, she's doing just fine," Jack countered. "Just ignore this little fainting episode. She's got an amazing group of friends and family that's going to fight for her every step of the way." Jacob gave him a little smile. "Besides, having a long dead relative pop up out of nowhere is hard. Trust me. I know." He threw Jacob a side glance. "And I'll bet not just for her."

"You're right," Jacob agreed. "But I don't think I'm in danger of passing out. At least not right now."

"That's good to know," Jack said diplomatically before grinning. "But if you could give me a bit more notice when you do, I'll make sure Teal'c is there to catch you."

"Funny." Jacob was about to say more when the figure on the bed started shifting. "Sam?"

"Dad?" she mumbled, licking her dry lips to give her voice some volume. Her eyes cracked open and tracked around the room. Infirmary. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Jack said as he stepped back to let Janet get past him. He didn't know how she knew her best friend was finally awake, but she did. She always knew.

"Exhaustion," Janet started as she pulled out her pen light. She quickly shined the light in Sam's eyes, noting her reactions. "Dehydration. Malnutrition. Dare I ask the last time you slept or ate a full meal."

"Umm," Sam began uncertainly, though her eyes betrayed her. Janet huffed.

"Samantha Carter," she started as she examined the IV, "you are going to be the death of me."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. She stared at the people around her. "Did I really see what I thought I saw?"

"Thought you saw?" Jack asked intently. Sam bowed her head.

"Sorry. It's just these last few days have been a jumbled mess of thoughts and memories and sometimes it's been hard distinguishing mine from Jolinar's."

"You okay?" Jack asked, his eyes shining with concern. She smiled at him.

"This week has actually helped a lot," she admitted, "despite a big blowup at the beginning."

"Sam," Jacob whined. "You promised I could be the one to tell them."

"When exactly were you going to tell them?" she asked, glaring at her father. "When we stumbled upon it? Or when we need to come save your butts again."

"It will benefit everyone in the galaxy, Sam," Jacob defended. "Freya needs to study Martouf's brain matter to find a way to neutralize Goa'uld programming. That's why you took the second shot with the zat."

"And what about Lantash's brain matter?" Sam asked, her voice rising in anger.

"Freya's research shows there's nothing to indicate a symbiote is affected," Jacob reasoned.

"I'm sure Lantash was in complete control when Martouf tried to kill the President," Sam countered, nearly shouting now. Janet moved closer to the bed and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down Sam," she cautioned calmly, watching Sam's blood pressure steadily rise. Jacob opened his mouth to respond but Jack had enough.

"That's enough! Both of you!" They both looked at him guiltily. "Now, as much as I like the reenactment of the Hatfields and McCoys, I don't think Doc Fraiser appreciates her infirmary being turned into the set of Family Feud."

"Sorry Sir," Sam mumbled, looking down in shame.

"Sorry," Jacob parroted. Janet gave them both a small smile, her eyes never leaving Sam's vitals.

"So Jacob," Jack started, giving the older man his complete attention. "If you want to be the one who tells me what has Carter so riled up, I'm listening." Jacob opened and closed his mouth several times before sighing and bowing his head.

"Colonel O'Neill," Selmak greeted when his head rose.

"Selmak," Jack greeted. "Same question."

"The loss of Martouf and Lantash was a great tragedy, despite their sacrifice giving us our best look at this latest Goa'uld weapon. Some thought to simply honor their sacrifice, but some on the Council are worried about the future of the Tok'Ra. Martouf was lost but they argued Lantash might still be saved. The Council voted. Lantash was removed from Martouf and revived."

"What?" Jack snapped. "But Carter shot him with a zat. Twice. Twice kills."

"It does," Selmak agreed, "but that doesn't necessarily mean they stay dead."

"People can be revived?" Janet asked, looking away from the monitors for the first time.

"It's rare," she admitted, "but if they're young and healthy and get medical treatment right away there is a chance."

"A sarcophagus or the healing device works too," Sam said suddenly. "Anise removed Lantash and used the healing device to revive him before she got her samples from Martouf's brain." Jack and Janet looked at Jacob. He lowered his head.

"Lantash is barely alive," Jacob told the room. "He's in critical condition, in a coma. Our healers aren't even sure if he'll make it."

"But you didn't even try to heal Martouf," Sam accused.

"Nothing short of a sarcophagus would have helped Martouf," he reminded her. "If we somehow managed to revive him too, there was no way Lantash could have kept both of them alive."

"But you didn't even try," Sam nearly shouted, tears coming to her eyes. "God, dad. Would you have even told me?" She started crying earnestly.

"Come here," Jacob said, reaching over and pulling her into his arms. She resisted for a minute before melting into his embrace. Jack and Janet shared a look. They quietly left the room, giving the Carters some privacy.