Destiny Among The Stars - Chapter 6
October 28, 1992, Houston, TX.
Somehow, I blamed everything on Bill. The bastard must have jinxed me. See...
There comes a time in a man's life when everything pales compared to the love he holds for one person. This was my time. Sam and I officially got married a week ago and would have stayed on our honeymoon indefinitely if not for Dev Ayesa announcing that Helios Aerospace would be the first to go to Mars, years ahead of NASA and its Soviet counterpart.
This led to Helios Aerospace's stock value fluctuating wildly, unsettling shareholders. So, Iris Comsat was released to the public. Free apps were made available in stores for most phone models, giving them access to IRIS. Computers and games followed soon after. As the current CEO of Iris Comsat, I found myself catapulted to a position of wealth and prestige people envied.
But instead of going around the country basking in praise and handing out my wisdom on late-night shows, I found myself dealing with graver matters—namely, my wedding. When people talk about their weddings, it's always about how magical it was or how beautiful the bride looked; never about how difficult it was to organize everything.
For example, Sam's family was nominally Protestant, while mine was Catholic. My father and I didn't care, but our extended family, including my uncles and aunts, did. Sam's father cared. So, we were stuck on who would officiate. After many heated discussions, we decided on a secular officiant, a decision made by my father and Sam's after they went hunting together.
You'd think that was all, right?
No, that was just the start of my nightmare. Sam wanted a starry theme for our cake. I didn't care, so we went with it. We visited the bakery multiple times, and everything was going well—until two hours before the wedding. I sent my cousin Tom and Sam's brother to pick up the cake. Twenty minutes later, I found out they somehow dropped it, and we needed another cake.
While they assured me they'd handle it, I dealt with my aunt from New Jersey, who I had picked up from the airport, while Sam was with her maid of honour and friends from NASA's training course, having fun.
"Are you still grumbling about how tiring it has been to organize everything?" Sam's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, making me laugh.
"Yes," I admitted, before gently kissing her hand. "But it was worth every minute of my long, very, very, very long-suffering."
She gently slapped my hand, throwing me a smirk and a look she knew well would affect me. "Don't be an idiot. It wasn't that long."
"That's what she said!" a voice called out, and I turned to see my brother-in-law with a raised eyebrow, even as laughter spread among the guests.
"Apparently not, because if she did, this might not be happening," Tom joked to Mark, both of them laughing and sharing a high five. Sam and I exchanged a look of dread; they were enjoying each other's company too much. We needed to separate them before the alcohol started flowing.
After that, we all gathered in the sprawling gardens of the Austin Botanical Garden, which we had rented for the day. Rows of white chairs lined the lush green lawn, adorned with delicate floral arrangements in shades of blue, white, and red—a patriotic touch. The scent of blooming roses and lavender filled the air, carried by a gentle breeze. The only sound beyond the rustling leaves of the tall oak trees was the soft strains of a string quartet as the bridal procession began.
As I walked down the aisle to the altar, my heart pounded with anticipation. Dressed in a tailored black tuxedo, I was sure I struck quite the figure, but my eyes were fixed on the entrance of the garden, waiting for my future wife to appear. I tried to steady my nerves with a deep, shuddering breath, but it didn't seem to work.
The guests turned their heads, murmuring in admiration as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle, each radiant in flowing sky-blue gowns. Bill, my best man, gave me a reassuring pat on the back. "You've got this, bossman," he whispered.
And then, she appeared. Sam Carter, my fiancée and soon-to-be wife, stood at the entrance, a vision of beauty in her white lace gown, which modestly hugged her figure. The train flowed behind her like a river of silk. Her blonde hair was styled in loose curls, and a delicate veil framed her face, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes. Her father, Jacob Carter, stood proudly by her side, ready to escort her down the aisle.
My breath caught in my throat as Sam began her walk. Each step brought her closer to me, but it felt like everything had slowed down, the world fading into the background. Her eyes locked onto mine, a radiant smile spreading across her face. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
As they reached the altar, Jacob placed Sam's hand in mine, giving me a nod of approval. "Take care of my girl," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.
"I will," I replied, my voice steady despite the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Our relationship had been complicated, and his approval, though subtle, meant the world to me.
The officiant was my father, Richard, despite the black eye he sported—a mysterious result of the hunting trip with Jacob. Smiling warmly, he began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of my son Adam Hilliard and Sam Carter in holy matrimony. Their love is a testament to the power of partnership and the beauty of finding your true companion and let us all pray that it will continue long in the future, say your vows."
Sam and I exchanged our vows, each word heartfelt and sincere. My voice trembled slightly as I pledged my love and devotion. "Sam, you are my rock, my confidant, and my best friend. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in all your dreams, and to stand by your side through whatever challenges life may bring."
Sam's eyes glistened with tears as she responded. "Adam, you are my heart and my soul. I vow to cherish you, to encourage you, and to be your partner in all things. Together, we will build a life filled with love, laughter, and endless adventures."
We exchanged rings, symbols of our eternal commitment. As I slipped the delicate band onto Sam's finger, I felt a profound sense of completeness. She was mine, and I was hers, forever.
"By the power vested in me," my father declared, his voice proud even if he really had no power beyond a 50$ certificate he bought, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Adam, son, you may kiss your bride."
With a mix of joy and relief, I leaned in and kissed Sam. The guests erupted in applause, their cheers echoing through the garden, though no one was louder than Mark and Tom.
Hand in hand, Sam and I walked back down the aisle, surrounded by the love and support of our friends and family. The reception was a lively celebration of our union. Laughter and music filled the air as guests enjoyed a sumptuous feast and danced under the twinkling lights strung above the garden.
Sam and I shared our first dance as husband and wife, swaying to the melody of our favourite song, "Love in the Air," from the movie we watched on our first date. It was the only part of the movie we paid attention to. I leaned in, resting my forehead against hers. "Can you believe it?" I whispered. "We're married."
Sam smiled, her eyes shining with happiness. "It's the start of our greatest adventure yet."
"I don't know, you going to the moon soon might top that."
"Don't be silly, nothing can top that."
As the stars began to dot the night sky, Sam and I stole a quiet moment together, away from the bustle of the reception. We stood under the twinkling lights, holding each other close, and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and contentment.
"It's perfect," Sam whispered, her head resting on my shoulder. "I wouldn't change a thing."
"Neither would I," I replied, kissing her temple. "This is everything I've ever wanted."
With one last dance, we bid farewell to our guests and headed off. The world seemed to fade away as we looked into each other's eyes on our bed, we shared a long kiss as we lost ourselves in the moment.
The days after our wedding night blended together, a blissful haze of newlywed happiness. We spent our time revelling in each other's company, enjoying the simple pleasures of our new life together. I was so happy that I almost forgot that today was going to be the public launch of the Iris Constellation, with the computers we had sold officially able to connect to it.
There were a lot of problems that needed to be dealt with considering our product was not only being launched nationally but globally, one of the big problems of this timeline was the Cold War, but we were currently in the best of times considering we were in the warming time of that time, well not the bad kind of warming.
Most presidents nowadays ran with the goal of calming down tensions, and in the Soviet Union the mood seemed to be similar, more international cooperation was in the air even if both sides dragged their feet quite heavily to do that. Only after the Mars mission would they really cooperate, and that was because they were united in their desire to not be beaten by Helios.
Though that hadn't happened yet.
Anyway, the Soviet Union had finally accepted us leasing land in their territory to buy servers for the Iris system though much like the United States government they required a military inspector to look over everything in case we tried to bug the users. Which was fair, but also just tiring to have to repeat constantly that no, we wouldn't do that or couldn't.
"Here is the plan for the McMurdo base," Bill said as he handed me a blueprint, he looked at it with confusion.
"Are you wondering why I asked for it to be expanded and for such requirements?" I asked out loud even as I looked at what the architects had cooked, I was quite happy with the result, the base would expand downward, the room for the gate had already been designed as were many of the auxiliary facilities, while the defence had been taken into consideration the architects hadn't skipped the quality of life upgrades.
"It feels more like an evil lair than a research base, boss." Remarqued Bill.
I laughed, it did look like one! Though it wasn't really that far off, I was going to find an alien artefact with unimaginable power, capable of causing irrevocable action if in the wrong hands and use it anyway, believing myself to be the best choice. Not even talking about my plan to force the world into an uneasy unity.
"In a way, it is." I finally said to Bill. "I only ask you to trust that what I am doing, I am doing for all of mankind."
Bill remained silent for a while before shrugging. "I will wait, but boss, keeping secrets like that can't be healthy."
I only hummed, looking back down at the blueprint even as my Athena computer pinged me that I had received a d-mail, opening it, I smiled. This was from Sam, she had finished her training and would come back home soon before preparing for her mission to the Moon base. Speaking of space.
I looked back at another d-mail I had previously read. See, I wasn't truthful. Iris could be used to spy on people.
"Hello, Mister Seth." I smirked at the picture of the Cult Leader, though that smile fell quickly when I looked at the Soviet flag in the background, and also the handshake the Goa'uld was having with the military officer.
Author's note: This was the hardest chapter to write to date, mostly because I kept on stopping every two sentences because of the summer heat, still I am finally done with it. Adam and Sam are married, the former has finally completed the Isis Constellations and the world is entering the Communication Age kicking and screaming as Adam force it down everyone's throat.
Azai Jane and War Sage: Don't worry, just called her Lois Lane because it was the only girl's name that popped up when I thought 'Female reporter that is super annoying'. It's not a crossover. For the McMurdo base, its not really that much of a problem, in this timeline the interest in Antarctica was never that high since they discovered water on the Moon super fast, so not many bases around, anyway its going to be underground though it surely will raise a lot of eyebrows.
The fusion tech would work way better with recharging the DHD power source but they don't actually have it, its one of the items that got lost alongside the Stargate so they are going to have to make everything from scratch. As for the frozen Ancient, not touching that; going to stay down for a long time.
Jack's son is indeed still alive.
Gotta be honest, never liked the Martin Arc, his ship is most likely crashing on Mars, perhaps near the valley where the mission crews are going to land.
Borg Colective: Yeah, fanfiction is having a lot of problems on my end too, hopefully, its fixed.
And yeah, the French have the gates, I wasn't that subtle about it, and they are running a base of their own.
Sixfan29: Ayesa is still probably getting forced out, that's just business, Richard wants to be the boss and thinks himself better suited, they also have a lot of unresolved issues. Isis is going to be very useful and a large source of income for Helios and it will probably help a lot with the mission by helping keep ties with Earth from Mars.
The reason I talked about the tech at Helios is mostly because they had a repository of every particle and maths, it's very useful to know what exists and possibilities, also just a lot of raw materials and a safe off-world base.
Ra might still die since the French are doing their thing.
Max: Proto internet already existed in this timeline called intranet, but yeah, Roland basically made the internet because the governments refused to make it more widespread for security reasons.
Guester: Indeed, Adam asking about it will raise suspicion amongst the French government, but its not like they will do anything, nor can they do so considering he is in America.
Dan: Not really going to be a wish fulfilment porn, I have a big problem with things being too unrealistic, and I know that I wouldn't be able to do everything perfectly if in this situation.
The setting "For All of Mankind" is mostly as you expect and wrote except in this moment of time its when the West and East are rapidly warming in their relationship, the Soviet Union is also a lot more capitalistic than you might expect but the US economy is still growing the fastest as most innovations spring from there. You are right to fear the US would militarize the Stargate but President Wilson is also an idealist, she was the one who was against the militarization of NASA in this timeline and she is going to be President for two terms, so there might be a deal to be had there.
As for keeping close to canon, there isn't really much hesitation there considering most of the people are different because their circumstances are different as we saw with Carter being a civil instead of a military.
About Plans for Stargate: Now my original plans for the Stargate were to sort of kidnap public opinion and force the governments of the world at the negotiating table. Something like after a successful Heliopolis mission publicly revealing the Stargate and what it is possible to do and unifying people around the idea, but since then a lot has changed.
But I thought it wouldn't work and was overly idealistic, and so thought of having it be a NID situation and wait for an ideal moment to reveal to the public the situation and dangers of the universe to force a unification.
I then thought of having Adam run for the Presidency and perhaps start a Stargate Project with other Allied Countries of America, but it has its own problems.
I am going to think about it, but I would appreciate if you guys had any ideas,
As always, I appreciate your reviews, see you next time.