“Italics” –
Symbiote-Host or Telepathic communication
“/speech/” - speech and telepathic communication, at the same time.
Major Samantha Carter was in the infirmary
getting her leg checked and chatting with her friend, Dr. Janet Fraiser.
“It’s looking good, Sam. It wasn’t bad to begin with, and, since it wasn’t infected, it’s
healed very quickly. Daniel did a good
job, and you’re cleared for duty.”
“Thanks, Janet. I’m ready to get off-world again. There sure isn’t anything to keep me hanging
around home. It’s not like I’ve got a
killer social life.”
“You could have if you wanted too. There are men all over this base that would kill to go out with you. Lieutenant Simmons’s isn’t the only heart you’ve broken. Or,” she drawled out in a teasing way, “You could go visit your father.” She threw a sideways smirk at Sam. “I’m sure he’d love to see you. While you’re there, you could—” She was cut off halfway through her sentence by Sam.
“Alright, Janet, I get the picture, and
the answer is no. I’m clearer on my
feelings in that direction, but I just don’t know if I’m ready to bring it out
in the open with him, er, them. I’m going to give it a little more time. Maybe the next time they’re here, or we have
an assignment there, I’ll get to spend a little more time alone with him…them.”
She sighed in frustration. “You
know what I mean. I’d like to see if I
can get them to give me a little more encouragement than a ‘Lantash and I both care for you, Samantha’.” She sighed.
“Knowing me, I’ll blurt it out unexpectedly at a totally inappropriate
time and scare him, um, ‘them’ to
death. If not that, then embarrass them,
and myself,” Sam said, sounding disconsolate.
Janet laughed at her. “First, let’s agree that we can say ‘him’ or ‘them’ and mean the two of them.
It will be simpler, for both of us, even if it’s not exactly
grammatically correct. Second, I don’t think
he’d be scared, honey, or embarrassed.
I’m not saying he wouldn’t be a lot of things, but scared ain’t one of
them,” she said in her best southern drawl.
“Myself, I’d put money on relieved, excited, wildly happy, and walking
on air. Now, you’re finished, but I have
to take some reports to General Hammond.
Care to walk with me?”
Sam jumped down from the table, reached
for her BDU pants, and smiled at her.
“Sure, why not? I need to go
check on some stuff in the control room anyway.”
“Okay, let me pick up my files, while
you get dressed, and we’ll be on our way.”
Janet said over her shoulder,
as she walked away while Sam dressed.
The two friends left Janet’s office and
headed for the control room. Sam slanted
a wicked grin down at her friend. “You
know, since I’m supposedly leaving all these broken hearts in my wake, maybe
you should go around and pick up some of the pieces. You know, do the gentle, soft, caring,
sympathetic woman thing. What do you
think?”
“I think you’re a wicked, evil woman,
Major Samantha Carter. Cold, heartless,
unsympathetic, and unfeeling.” She
ruined her speech by starting to giggle at the idea of applying those words to
her friend. “Besides, I know exactly
what my ideal man is, and he isn’t on this base.”
“Describe him,” Sam demanded,
intrigued.
“He’s tall, elegant, and darkly
handsome with gorgeous mesmerizing eyes.
He’d be kind and witty with an excellent sense of humor and he’d have an
air of power, but he wouldn’t be a bully.
He’d use it for good. And, of
course, the biggest of the big, he’d love me, honor me, and cherish me. He’d consider me a part of his soul.” She paused, as she cast a look over at Sam,
and grimaced. “He sounds like the hero
in a fairy-tale. I think my momma read
Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to me one too many times.” Then she grinned, as she said, “A pretty tall
order, wouldn’t you say? But, hey, we
can all dream.”
“Yes, but not an impossible dream. At least, I don’t think so. I mean, look at Daniel. He’s perfect. We just haven’t had the good sense to fall in love with him. Or him with us for that matter.” Sam looked thoughtful as she made her pronouncement. She frowned at the direction her thoughts were taking. Shaking her head, she dismissed them.
“He only fits tall and handsome.” Janet’s voice broke into her reverie, succeeding in banishing the remainder of those odd thoughts.
“Minor detail. A point for compromise,” Sam said firmly.
Janet looked thoughtful, and then she
brightened. “Ah-ha. What about Daniel’s obsession with his
work? His passion is spent on ancient
artifacts and alien cultures. Not to
mention that he speaks 20-something languages, and you’d never know if he was making
love to you or insulting you,” Janet said, determined to find fault with Sam’s
choice.
Sam responded airily, “You could tell by the tone of his voice, and he’d teach you all the love words in the different languages.” Sam grinned triumphantly, and then relented. “I have to admit that there is some truth in the part about his work, but he fills the majority of your criteria.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “He’s tall and handsome. He’s kind and witty with a great sense of humor. Most importantly,” she said almost too softly to be heard, “if Daniel loved you, he would love you and hold you, as if you were everything, including a part of his soul.”
She stopped for a minute, and then
waved her hand in a dismissive manner.
“All that, however, is irrelevant.
We’ve already determined that neither of us had the good sense to fall
for him. Therefore, that still doesn’t
solve the problem of tall, dark, and handsome.
Where are you looking for him?”
She asked curiously.
Janet laughed merrily, and winked at
Sam, “I’m waiting for him to come through the Stargate and carry me away, of
course. Preferably on his white charger
or maybe his enchanted unicorn.”
“Well, I suppose that’s better than lookin’ for love in all the wrong
places.” Sam laughed at the scenario
Janet had described. She wouldn’t mind
being carried off on a unicorn herself.
If you were going to dream, you might as well dream big, and for some
reason, she could see Martouf and Lantash on a huge powerful beast like
that. She caught her breath at the
vision that arose at the thought, and then she chided herself for being
silly.
Glancing at Janet, as they continued
down the halls, she said,
“Why don’t you stop by the control room when you finish with the General, and
we can go have a cup of coffee or something?
Maybe we can even entice Daniel to leave whatever dusty, musty, old manuscript he’s presently
enthralled with to come join us. What do
you say?”
“Okay, I’ll just pop into the General’s
office. If he isn’t there, I’ll just
leave these files and come join you in a few minutes. If he’s in, it may be a little longer.”
“No problem. What I have to do shouldn’t take long, but I
can always find things to putter with on the computers. I’ll wait,” Uttering those words, Sam headed
towards the control room.
Jack O’Neill sailed his twenty-fifth paper fighter at the target. Dang! He’d come extremely close that time. He reached for another piece of paper. Maybe he should read it first? It might be an important memo. Nah, not likely. Number twenty-six coming up.
He sighed to himself. He really should be working on the few reports he had left to finish. SG1 had been placed on stand-down for the past week, while Carter’s leg healed. He’d actually caught up with most of the paperwork that always seemed to pile up on his desk.
He just couldn’t seem to settle today. He felt itchy, tense, and unsettled, like something was about to happen. It had been unusually quiet around the SGC for the last few weeks. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. He needed something active to do. That’s probably all it was. He just wasn’t used to being cooped up in an office like this.
Maybe he should go see Daniel. Yeah, now that sounded like a plan. He got up and headed toward the door. He crumpled the memo in his hand into a ball, turned at the door, and shot it toward the wastebasket. His right arm pumped the air. Yes! Three points!
Daniel was quietly enjoying his coffee and the ancient manuscript that SG-10 had brought back two days ago from P34-257. It appeared to be in an old earth dialect related to Welsh. He was confident that he’d be able to translate it as soon as he had just a few more of the unusual symbols and letters figured out. It shouldn’t take him more than a couple of hours as long as Jack didn’t turn up.
Jack. Crap, what time was it? Oh, no. Jack should be turning up anytime. It was almost 15:35. Having been in his office for a couple of hours, in fact, ever since lunch, Jack would be climbing the walls by now, ready to look for distraction.
Daniel sighed. Maybe he could find Sam and see if she’d like some coffee, and maybe he could talk her into distracting Jack for him. Yes, that sounded like a plan. Sam would help him out, and he’d enjoy her company while they had coffee. He and Sam really got along well; she was fun when she let herself relax, and intellectually they were well matched even though their interests were different. He wondered why she was so often in his thoughts in this way recently. He didn’t think they were meant to become involved, but he caught himself thinking of her a lot. Shaking his thoughts of Sam off, Daniel headed for the door, hoping he could make it out of his office before Jack caught him.
Jack looked around Daniel’s
office. Daniel wasn’t there. Where was he?
Daniel was always in his office at this hour when they were on base. Jack frowned.
Maybe he had run out of coffee and went to get some. He would wait.
He wandered around Daniel’s office
picking up things, examining them, and misplacing them. He looked through a stack of magazines. Archeology Today. No way.
Jack skimmed Daniel’s numerous books, deciding to read something while
he waited. Reading the titles, Jack knew
they’d only increase his boredom by a factor of ten. He didn’t need a nap; he needed something fun
to do. He sighed. Where was Daniel? It was 15:45.
Maybe he’d go see what Teal’c was
doing, have a few rounds of boxing or something. Setting the two statues he’d been looking at
down on the wrong tags, he left the room.
Daniel would just have to miss his scintillating presence this
morning. He wondered if he should check
the mess, first, but decided not to.
He’d just head straight for Teal’c’s.
Maybe Daniel was at Teal’c’s, too.
He thought about that for a moment.
Nah.
When the knock sounded on Teal’c’s
door, he automatically answered it. He
had forgotten that they had been earthbound for a week, and that his friend
would be roaming the SGC halls by now looking for relief from his boredom. O’Neill was a warrior of great strength and
cunning, and Teal’c admired him immensely.
However, O'Neill, in full boredom mode, was something even Teal’c would
avoid if he could. This time, he’d made
an error in judgment. He’d answered the
door.
“Hey, Teal’c, Whatcha’ doin’?”
“I was watching the History Channel,
O’Neill. They are dedicating numerous
shows right now covering the events of June 6, 1944. It was a great undertaking, was it not? An enormous army built from the forces of
different countries. The Americans,
Canadians, and British were the major contributors in the D-Day Operation, were
they not?” O’Neill’s eyes were beginning
to glaze already, so Teal’c continued.
“Over three years in the planning.
“Uh, yeah, Teal’c, fascinating. I didn’t know you were interested in American
History.”
“This has become my adopted world,
O’Neill. I believe it helps me to better
understand the Tau’ri if I understand their history. To that end, I have been studying not just
American, but World
History. It just happens that today I
was watching something that pertained to the
“Sure, great idea, Teal’c. Hey, listen, I just stopped by to see if
you’ve seen Daniel. I stopped by his
office earlier and he wasn’t there. You
know,” he said in a somewhat confiding manner, “he’d be a better person to
discuss this stuff with than me. Why
don’t we go see if we can find him?”
“An excellent idea, O’Neill.” Teal’c turned the TV, which had been tuned to the Sci-Fi channel, to off, as unobtrusively as he could. At least he had muted the sound before he answered the door. Sometimes duplicitous tactics were necessary. Smiling to himself, he quietly followed his friend from the room.
Once in the hall, he questioned, “Where do you think we should look for Daniel Jackson, O’Neill?”
“I don’t know. I checked his office and he wasn’t there. We know he came in today; we all had lunch together,” he responded. He thought for a moment. “He might’ve gone to the mess for some coffee, I suppose. Think we should look there first, Teal’c?” he asked.
“That would probably be a wise first choice, O’Neill,” Teal’c answered. Suddenly, the klaxons were blaring. “Unscheduled Off-World Activation,” came over the speakers. “Or then again, perhaps not.” Before he had finished speaking, the two men had turned and headed for the control room.
As Sam entered the control room, she
noticed General Hammond standing by Sergeant Davis and Lieutenant Simmons. He was staring at the Stargate; he seemed preoccupied.
In fact, he was deep in thought. Things were quiet at the SGC. It was running like a well-oiled
machine. It was functioning exactly like
it was supposed to. Yessiree, Bob. Things were ticking right along. Nothing out of the ordinary or bizarre had
happened for over three weeks. Smooth as
glass. Teams were leaving and returning
right on schedule with no injuries except for Major Carter’s leg over a week
ago now. No little gray aliens showing
up, keeping the iris open, and springing surprises on them. Yup, picture perfect. All the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed. Things here at the SGC couldn’t have been
better. Yeah, right, he thought.
It just wasn’t normal, and all hell was
going to break loose. He could feel it coming,
which was why he was prowling about outside of his office. He was waiting for something; he just wished
he knew what.
Janet Fraiser stepped into the control
room to let him know she had left some files on his desk and to let Sam know
she was ready to go get coffee. Daniel
was with her. He’d been looking for Sam
to see if she wanted to go get some coffee, and incidentally, distract Jack for
him. The three friends were just getting
ready to leave when it happened. They
headed toward the observation window.
“Unscheduled Off-Word Activation.”
“Do we have any teams off world, Sergeant?” General Hammond inquired.
“Yes, sir, but we aren’t receiving an
IDC,” Sergeant Davis answered the general, and then added the dreaded words,
“The iris won’t close, sir.”
General Hammond leaned over and
bellowed, “Defense teams to the gate room.
Move it, people. Get that iris
closed, airman,” he
ordered tersely.
“Yes, sir, I’m trying sir,” the
Sergeant said.
Lieutenant Simmons stood to allow Major
Carter to slip into the chair next to Sergeant Davis.
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” she murmured, as her fingers flew lightly over the
keys. “It’s not a malfunction on our
end, General. It’s being held open by
whoever is coming through. I can’t close
it, and the energy
signature is the same as it is when Thor uses the gate.” She stood up and stepped back to stand
between Daniel and Janet.
“But, we haven’t lost power like we do
when it’s Thor,” Lieutenant Simmons stated, as he resumed his post.
“That’s true, Lieutenant,” Sam murmured
in agreement.
Jack and Teal’c entered the control
room just in time to hear the General respond, “In that case, we have no
choice, but to wait and hope it’s Thor.”
It wasn’t.
All eyes were on the Stargate as a group
of people stepped through the event horizon.
Three men and three women, wearing the black and gold uniforms of the
Katteri-enti walked sedately down the ramp, stopped near the end, and stood at
attention.
Before General Hammond could ask them to identify themselves, four more people stepped through the gate, carrying various cases, trunks, and boxes of what appeared to be luggage. They carried no weapons. They made their way as far forward as they could without crossing the invisible line made by the guards, set down the articles they carried, and returned to retrieve the portmanteaus, trunks, and crates that had followed them through. They made quick work of stacking and organizing everything, and then they turned to watch the event horizon as if expecting something more. “Looks like someone’s planning on a long visit,” Jack remarked under his breath.
Another couple followed closely behind
the four attendants and the last of the luggage. The woman carried a large ornate cushion on
which lay a beautifully crafted sword with a jeweled hilt. They, too, walked calmly toward the end of
the ramp, stopped, stepped to the side,
and turned to face the gate expectantly.
A tall, handsome man with an air of
leashed power about him was the next to step through the event horizon. Seemingly negligent, he stood relaxed as he
glanced around him briefly. To anyone
watching closely, it was obvious that no detail had escaped those deceptively
languid looking eyes. He knew exactly
where each and every possible threat might be.
Satisfied with what he had perceived, he turned back toward the event
horizon.
Sam and Janet both choked off gasps of disbelief. He was everything Janet had described to Sam earlier about her perfect man. Sam looked down at Janet, and whispered, “I guess you were serious about the gate, but the horse is missing.”
Janet appeared to be speechless. She was however, emitting a few gurgling sounds and shaking her head in denial. They heard a strangled gasp from Daniel and turned to him. He was staring at the ramp with a shocked, stunned look on his face. They turned to look back down at the ramp.
Only Sam knew what he was seeing. A woman had stepped through and was placing
her fingertips on the arm that the tall, elegant man was offering her. She was wearing a dress of deep sapphire
blue. The gate shut down. She looked up at the control room, and her
gaze locked with Daniel’s. The moment
seemed to stretch to eternity, but it could only have lasted a few
seconds. She smiled slightly, and walked
down the ramp.
The officers and soldiers of the SGC
were startled and bewildered. A medieval
tapestry had just come to life on their ramp.
These people could have stepped from the pages of T. H. Whites ‘The Once and Future King’.
The woman looked at her guards and
ordered, “Katteri guard, defenses down, at ease.” Her guards left their defensive positions and
moved to form a column on her left.
There was now nothing between her and the people in the gate room.
Kataya lifted her head and looked
directly at General Hammond. “Do I
address General George Hammond of the SGC, planet Earth, home of the Tau’ri?”
“You do,” General Hammond answered.
“I am Kataya of Cadwaellon. I believe you have been expecting me.”
Part 6B Saying Hello
“Of course. We’ll be right down. Defense teams, lower your weapons,” General
Hammond ordered, before
turning to leave the control room.
The General and SG1 left the control
room and headed for the gate room. Jack
could be heard muttering, “Swords? They
use swords? Jeez.”
“I wouldn’t be too quick to judge, Jack. Thor said to be careful of our first
impressions and opinions,” Daniel said quietly.
Sam shot a quick glance at him.
He seemed to be regaining his composure.
“That’s true, sir,” Sam spoke up. “He said not to be deceived by what appears
on the surface.”
“I’ll play nice, I promise,” Jack said under his breath, as they entered the gate room. He plastered what he hoped was a pleasant smile on his face and went to meet their newest addition.
As the General and SG1 approached the
ramp, Kataya assumed the position of formal greeting, as did the others in the
group. Kataya stepped forward, but she
did not expect a formal reciprocation of her gesture.
She did, however proceed with the
formal greeting.
“General Hammond, I bring greetings from Artereos of Cadwaellon. It is his sincere hope that this endeavor will be the beginning of an honorable and fruitful friendship that may mature into a mutually beneficial alliance.” She paused, and then continued, “As a gesture of his sincerity, I have been asked to present to you this sword.” Gwennetha stepped forward and offered it to Kataya. She picked it up from the cushion and offered it to General Hammond.
The General hesitated for a moment, and Kataya quickly reassured him, “It
is completely safe, General
The General stepped forward, accepted
the sword, and made a small sound of astonishment. “It’s very lightweight. The President,” he began only to be
interrupted.
“It is for you, General Hammond. A gift from one Warrior to another.”
“In that case, all I can say is thank
you. Please convey to the Warrior
Artereos that I am extremely honored by his gift.”
She nodded. “Your message will be delivered. I believe I should introduce you to my
people.”
Nodding to each in turn as she
introduced them she started with her replacement, “This is Commander Beldwin,
my second in command, Merdwin, Lord of Werllockian, second in command to
Artereos, and Representative Gwennetha, Lady of Wiccadia and Cadwaellon.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the
General responded to the murmured greetings.
“I’d like you to meet some of my people.
This is Colonel Jack O’Neill, my second in command, Major Samantha Carter,
Colonel O’Neill’s second in command, Dr.
Daniel Jackson, our expert on archeology, ancient cultures and languages,
Teal’c, our expert on Goa’uld culture, language and tactics, and Dr. Janet
Fraiser, our Chief Medical Officer.”
Again, greetings were
acknowledged. Kataya noticed that
Merdwin kept glancing at Dr. Fraiser. He
had a slightly bemused look on his face.
This could become interesting, but for now, she needed to turn her
thoughts to the more immediate arrangements that had to be made.
“Would it be possible for someone to
show my people where to take my belongings?”
She asked the general.
“Of course. Lieutenant Simmons, would you please show
these people to the VIP room that’s been given to Ms. Kataya?”
“Kataya, please, General,” she smiled
at him.
“Very well. Perhaps we could all go to the briefing
room?”
“Certainly. However, I must hand over my command. It will only take a few minutes,” Kataya
stated firmly.
“That would be fine,” General Hammond
responded.
Kataya proceeded with her last official
acts. Turning to the Commander that had
accompanied them she said, “Second Commander Beldwin. I am taking an extended leave from the service
of my World, to join with the Tau’ri in their fight to protect this world, and
this galaxy, against the Goa’uld. They
will now command my sword and my allegiance.
For this reason, it is my honor and my duty to relinquish my command
into your very capable hands.” Taking
the clasp that Merdwin held out to her she said, “It is truly an honor to
present to you this clasp, which bestows upon you the Rank of First Commander,
Katteri-enti Warrior, Pumaterra Class.
It was an honor serving with you, Commander. These are my witnesses. It is done.”
He returned her salute. It was indeed done.
She turned to her daughter as she slid
a beautiful gold signet ring from one of her fingers.
“My daughter. I have chosen you to take my place in our Government. I give you this, the seal of office. I know you will serve well and with honor. Remember, always, that with great power come great responsibilities. You will not fail. These are my witnesses. It is done.”
She smiled, as she turned to the General. “Now I need to send my people home. Would you please show Merdwin the Dialing Device so that he can do that?”
“Janet can show him, and then bring him
to the briefing room. I didn’t
misunderstand, did I? He won’t be
leaving yet, right?” Samantha Carter
smiled at Kataya as she asked her question.
Kataya knew immediately that she was
going to like this blonde woman with the lovely, bright blue eyes and confident
smile. They were already working toward
the same goal. “That would be perfect.” She sent her a slight nod of
understanding. “Go ahead, Merdwin; I
want to wait to see Gwennetha off.”
Looking at the petite auburn haired woman Merdwin murmured, “It would be a pleasure, to be guided by such a charming and beautiful woman.”
Kataya smiled to herself. Merdwin was definitely going out of his way to be at his most charming. She had never seen him react this way to any other woman. He was being more charming than lightly flirtatious as he did with most women. This was a very encouraging sign indeed.
Janet shook free from her daze and
cleared her throat. She threw a look at
Sam that promised retribution later. “If
you’ll just follow me, it’s right this way.”
“I can think of nothing else I would
rather do, Dr.” He paused for a moment, “Janet, was it not? And, I am Merdwin.”
“Ah, um, okay, Merdwin. So, have you known Kataya long? That was a silly question, of course you
have. The control room is just up these
stairs.” Dr. Janet Fraiser was seriously
flustered, and she
mentally berated herself to get a grip.
As they entered the control room, Janet
almost rushed over to Sergeant Davis.
“Sergeant, please show Mr. er, Lord Merdwin, how the dialing computer
works. He needs to send his people
home.”
“Merdwin,” he corrected her smilingly.
“Right.
Would you care for a glass of water or something?” Janet asked.
“That would be most pleasant, Janet, thank you.” He turned to Sergeant Davis. “They will go to a safe world that is closer to our home world first. Less energy consumption that way.”
Janet joined him at the window and
handed him one of the two glasses of water she held, smiling at him and wishing
she were drinking brandy. Something
strong to help her regain her composure.
He smiled his thanks and turned to type in the glyphs. They both watched as the chevrons began to
spin.
“As to your question the answer is, as you guessed, yes. I have known Kataya since the day she was born. Her father is my dearest friend. She, too, is a very dear friend and the mother of my children.”
Janet choked on her water, threatening
to spit it all over the computers and the control room window.
“Are you quite all right, Janet? Is there anything I can do for you?”
She shook her head, caught her breath, and blushed. When she felt she was in sufficient control again, she said, “No, no thank you, the water just went down the wrong way. I’m fine now.” She paused and then, deciding being direct was the best way to handle this, she continued, “I, ah, didn’t realize that she was your wife.”
Merdwin looked puzzled. “Wife?”
He frowned slightly in thought, then his countenance lightened and he
replied. “Ah, you must mean my ‘mate’.
No, she is not my ‘wife’; I
have no ‘wife’. We were never joined. Her father wished for grandchildren. We accommodated his wish. We are very good friends.” He smiled down into her rich sherry brown
eyes. She really was a beautiful
woman. And, she was bewitching him. He
would have to see if Kataya would need anything brought later. He would enjoy visiting Earth again. Janet found herself smiling back at him.
Sergeant Davis cleared his throat. “Um, excuse me, sir,” Sergeant Davis said quietly. When that elicited no response, he tried again, a little more loudly, “Ah, sir, er Lord Merdwin, sir!”
“Yes, Sergeant?” Merdwin answered while still smiling at Janet.
“Sir, I believe that one of the ladies is trying to get your attention,” The Sergeant said to him, even though he had the distinct impression the man was not really hearing him.
“She already has my attention,” he murmured. “Oh, you mean one of the ladies in the ring
room. I apologize.” He sent an apologetic grin to Sergeant Davis,
and then he looked through the window.
Gwennetha was laughing up at him and shaking her head. She indicated that she was leaving.
He heard her voice in his head. “This
one must be very enticing if you can’t hear your own daughter talking to you.”
“Yes. Good-bye for now, Gwennetha, I will return
soon.” He sent back to her.
“Good-bye, Father. Take your time; there is no hurry to return
home." Gwennetha
smiled at him.
In the gate room, the soldiers, their
new Commander, and the attendants were standing patiently, waiting to go home.
Kataya turned to her daughter. “Keep in touch.”
“I will. The link works both ways, mother.”
“Go now. The Commander is waiting,” Kataya said, as
she smiled at her daughter’s response.
Kataya was notorious for forgetting to keep in touch.
As Gwennetha joined the others, they
turned, stepped into the shimmering blue light of the event horizon and were
gone.
SG1 and General Hammond had been
quietly talking as their guests prepared to depart. Sam tried to motion to Janet to head for the
briefing room. Giving up, she indicated
to Sergeant Davis that they were to head that direction. He shrugged and indicated his willingness to
try. The grin on his face spoke volumes,
as did the answering one he received from Major Carter.
Still smiling slightly, Kataya turned
towards General Hammond and SG1. “Now,
where is this ‘briefing room’ you
were telling me about?” She asked.
“Right this way,” he said. Kataya sent one last look up towards the control room. Yes, life was about to become very interesting.
Once everyone had arrived and they were seated around the briefing room table, General Hammond took charge of the group.
“I’m sure you know, Kataya, that Thor didn’t tell us a whole lot about you. In reality, we’re pretty much in the dark about you, your people, your customs, everything.”
“I see.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Hopefully, we will soon come to know and understand each other. I will do whatever I can to make the transition easier on all of us.”
“Of course, we will do the same. Perhaps one of the things we should discuss is the telepathic abilities you possess,” General Hammond put forth.”
“Of course, but if you do not mind I have a question.” She looked at the General.
“Of course.”
“Am I right in assuming that Thor did not discuss this arrangement with you, but simply presented it to you as a,” she frowned in thought, “done deal, I believe is the correct wording?”
Colonel O’Neill answered her. “Okay. Here’s the deal. Thor showed up here about three weeks ago. Told us what they had done. Said you’d be a great help because you’re this Katteri-enti thing. Which, by the way, he didn’t explain. He also said you were telepathic and empathic, and he strongly suggested we accept you, or it would cause an intergalactic incident.”
Kataya laughed. Jack stared at her. “I am sorry, Colonel O’Neill, I apologize most profusely, but it is just that that is so typical of Thor. He is a dear little man, but he forgets that we are not all programmed to think in logical, unemotional ways. I hope you can bring yourself to forgive him and us.”
“Hey, I consider Thor a buddy. If he says we should try this, I’m willing to try it. I’m just being a little cautious until I see this stuff and know what we are dealing with.”
“I have no quarrel with your reasoning, Colonel. You are doing no more, or less, than I myself would do in similar circumstances. No astute, able leader would be content to walk into this situation and not be extremely skeptical and suspicious. I expected something like this, and I am not disappointed.”
“We, also, wish to give this a try and believe me, Colonel, we too, hold Thor in high esteem. I, myself, have a great deal of affection for him. This will be a learning experience for both of our cultures. Perhaps one day we can exchange others of different specialties and interests.” Her glance rested briefly on Dr. Fraiser.
“If you wish us to demonstrate the telepathic abilities you must agree to the link. It will be temporary at this point and we will not enter your minds and rummage around. Is everyone agreeable to this?”
Everyone at the table looked at each other, skepticism and reluctance evident.
“Perhaps I should explain more fully. You will not automatically be able to read each other’s thoughts. It will take time to learn to use the path I will build for you to follow. Perhaps if one of you wanted to try it with me? You might feel more comfortable one on one.”
Daniel, who had said nothing until now, suddenly spoke up. “I’ll try it. What do I have to do?”
“Simply be willing to listen and
respond. Learning to activate a quiescent
link will take time and practice.”
“Do I need to shut my eyes? I think I’ll just shut my eyes,” he stated,
as he closed his eyes.
“If
it makes you more comfortable, then shut your eyes,” She said, but he was the only one to
hear her.
“How long do you think it will take before we can talk to each other without talking aloud?” Daniel asked.
“Daniel, the link is active,” Kataya said quietly.
“/What next? Will I suddenly start to hear you in my head?/” He asked, as the others at the table looked at him oddly, and Kataya smiled.
“You no longer need to answer me aloud,
Daniel.”
“/Okay, so what do I do to send my thoughts? Am I sending my thoughts? Hey, I’m really sending my thoughts to you,/” Daniel said, excited to realize what was happening.
Kataya’s
‘voice’ was tinged with gentle
amusement. “You are speaking and sending,
Daniel. Stop speaking aloud now, and
just ‘think’.”
“This isn’t what I expected.”
“I know. You thought I would be able to read your mind. I could, but this is just a link to allow us to talk to each other. To read your thoughts is forbidden except in the most extreme of emergencies, unless requested, or we have express permission. If I invaded your mind to read your thoughts, you would be immediately aware of me attempting to do so,” She explained some of their beliefs and restraints to him.
“I understand. How long do we need to keep doing this?”
“Until you feel comfortable in explaining
what it is like to the others.”
“I think I could do that. What happens when I open my eyes?” He wanted to know.
“Nothing,” she responded indulgently. “Try it.”
“Okay.”
Daniel opened his eyes. “What do I do now?”
“What would you like to discuss?” She asked him.
He stared at her. “I don’t know.”
“All right. Let’s see. Do you enjoy your work?” She tried to find an innocuous subject to discuss that would keep her away from the things she really wanted to ask him.
“Yes, I do.
It’s fascinating finding so many different cultures throughout the
Galaxy, possibly beyond. There is just
so much to learn about. I would—” He
stopped abruptly. “You’re right; this isn’t difficult at all, is it?”
“Not this type of linking. The difficult part will be training you to
use the link, or path, I set up for you, for yourselves, to use without me
being involved. If everyone can accept
it as easily as you have, I believe it could be a great help to you. And, if we can find at least some of you that
are sensitive enough to learn to activate the links themselves, without being
trained at the Sanctuary, it will be even better.” She ‘replied’ enthusiastically. “Do you
feel comfortable enough to explain this feeling?”
“Yes, I believe so,” Daniel answered, aware of her, as he had never been aware of another person.
“Then we will continue our conversation, so that the others can contribute to it.” She smiled at Daniel.
“What kind of distance can you cover doing that?” He asked her, forcing his thoughts into business-like lines.
“Two of our people can do it over extreme distances. With untrained minds, I don’t know. We will have to experiment to see. I am sure we will be able to use it on any world we would happen to be on no matter how far apart we might all be. I’m not sure how many light years we will be able to maintain the link through. Of course, if massive amounts of energy are used, you can go much farther.”
“What’s it like Daniel?” Sam asked suddenly. She was concerned for her friend. There had been an odd inflection in his voice, as if he was preoccupied, but striving to appear as if he was not.
“It’s no different than sitting here talking,” Daniel told her. “It didn’t appear to be intrusive at all.”
“I assure you, Major Carter, there is no invasion of privacy. Your thoughts are your own and only by specific invitation would any of us enter them.” Kataya frowned slightly, obviously considering something. She nodded, as if satisfied with her conclusion. “I think it may take several sessions both individually and as a group before you feel comfortable with the idea and the actuality of it. Once we can establish a strong link and you learn how to access it, I believe you will find it will have many benefits.”
“I agree.” General Hammond replied. Glancing at his watch he continued, “I suggest that, since it’s already late afternoon, we postpone this discussion until tomorrow. I’m sure you must be fatigued and would like to see your quarters and get something to eat.” He paused, and turned to Merdwin. “We’d be very pleased if you would remain also, Lord Merdwin. We can have a VIP room ready for you in less than 30 minutes.”
Kataya spoke up before Merdwin had a chance to answer. “How very kind of you, General, and what an excellent idea. Merdwin still needs to calibrate your sword, and I am sure that there will be questions that he is more qualified to answer. I will just contact my father to let him know not to expect Merdwin back tonight.” She smiled at all those at the table.
Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a large amethyst and set it on the table in front of her. She rested her hands on either side of the stone, palms up with her hands in the greeting gesture. Shortly, the stone began to glow, as did the stones in the circlet on her head.
“Father.”
“Yes, Kataya?”
“The Tau’ri have invited Merdwin to stay for
a while.
“Has he accepted?”
Amused, Kataya replied, “I accepted for him, but he did not object.” She felt her father’s astonishment.
“You are agreeable to this?”
“Definitely.
There is a woman here. He was
instantly attracted and is having difficulty looking at anyone else.”
“I begin to see. Perhaps, this would be a good thing.” She felt his acceptance and understanding.
“I believe so.”
“You may tell Merdwin that I will not need
him for several days, if the Tau’ri need him for anything.”
“I will certainly do so. Everyone returned safely?”
“Yes.
They did.”
“Our agents all have their assignments and
are on their way to achieving their goals.
With any luck at all, we should begin to get reports in within the next
few weeks.”
“That is good news, Father. They are all excellent at their jobs.”
“Yes, they wouldn’t be members of the elite
guard if they were not.”
“I know.
I really must go. I am holding up
this meeting”
“Keep Merdwin for a while. I will talk to you later. Take care, my daughter.”
“I will.
You take care as well.”
Love was sent both ways and then they ceased contact.
As the stones ceased to glow, Kataya came back from light years away. “Does Artereos need me to return?” Merdwin asked.
“No. In fact, he said he would not need you for a while, so you are free to stay if the Tau’ri wish it.”
“That’s very good news.” General Hammond stated. “We would be very pleased if you would stay for a while, Lord Merdwin.”
“I would be honored, General. Thank you for the invitation.”
“That’s settled then. Kataya, I would like to officially welcome
you to earth.”
“Thank you, General. I feel sure that the coming days and months will be an enlightening experience—for all of us.” As she said the last few words, her eyes met Daniel’s. She did not hear the General tell them they were dismissed.
Neither did Daniel.
TBC