Seer Tag
Title: Changes
Author: astromist
Rating: G
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters. The dialogue in this story comes from the episode 'The Seer', as provided in a transcript by gateworld.net.
Summary: Sam faces a difficult choice.
Sam leaned against the railing, staring out over the endless stretch of water. Closing her eyes, she rolled her head back and forth, attempting to loosen muscles tight from tension. A low groan escaped at the ache the movement brought, and she took a deep breath of the briny air as she opened her eyes again. She had sought to escape the indecision, the choices that were up to her, and only her. Somehow, taking this position had not been quite what she had expected. Sighing, she brought a hand up to rub between her eyes. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she had expected, but having to make a decision that could affect every human life in the Pegasus galaxy wasn't it. If they worked with the Wraith to stop the Replicators, the Wraith would once again be able to feed on the human population uncontested by such a powerful enemy, but it was a necessary step. The Replicators could not be allowed to go on destroying the human population in order to devastate the Wraith. Thousands had already died, and the lives of thousands more hung on the success or failure of their cooperation with the Wraith. 'Cooperation with the Wraith.' The very thought made her understandably quite nervous. All previous dealings with the Wraith had ended in disaster. Hoping that the cool sea air and some solitude would clear her mind enough to decide what action to take about the hive ship that would soon be arriving, she had retreated to the balcony.
Should she lower the shield and cloak the city? Could they trust their captive Wraith's word that the other ship did not know about Atlantis' presence here, or were the two ships planning to attack the moment the shields were down? Teyla's shared vision showed John in the chair, firing drones, and the ships exploding above Atlantis. Were things truly going to happen as in the vision? Did they even know fully what the vision showed, or were there missing pieces? Did she even believe in the visions? She sighed again as she admitted that she did believe the visions. In her time with the Stargate program, she had realized that anything was possible, and that it seemed she would encounter each and every one of those infinite possibilities. What was a little prognostication compared to some of the things she had seen? Unfortunately, this little matter of knowing the future seemed to have frozen her into indecision. What course of action was the right one? Could they find a path that would avoid the destruction that she had seen in Davos' shared vision?
Shaking her head, she tried to shake the thoughts of that vision out of her mind so that she could concentrate only on the immediate problem; there was one Wraith ship in orbit and a second on the way. She could not take the chance of trusting a known enemy. His position among the Wraith would certainly rise quickly if he handed over Atlantis. But what if there was a chance he was telling the truth?
It was times like this that she really missed her team. If Daniel were here, he would know just what to say to help her find the solution to her problem. He would likely compare the current situation to something he knew of an ancient civilization, and in the course of the conversation, he would help her clarify her own thoughts. Or if Teal'c were here, he would direct her to find the truth in all of the information swirling around in her head and she would finally be able to know what needed to be done. Even Cameron and Jack would occasionally come up with something that would help her to see things from a different perspective. Vala… well, Vala would try to distract her from her thoughts of responsibility, and sometimes, even that could be helpful. It had been a very difficult decision to accept the promotion and position here, leaving behind the people she had worked with for so long. It felt odd to be here without her team, the best people she knew. The people here were all good people; they were good at their jobs, they faced danger with strength and courage, but they weren't her team. She had been lucky, really, in being able to work with the same people for so long. Daniel and Teal'c had been a part of her life for over a decade, and she remained friends with Jack even after he left Stargate Command. Cameron and Vala were relative newcomers, but they had also become a part of her life. Change was part of life, especially military life, but she could not help but wonder if she had made the right decision in coming here.
The weight of all the lives resting on her shoulders was nearly enough to suffocate her. She had come up with all kinds of ideas before that ended up saving the day, the world, the galaxy, but it was always left up to someone else to make the final decision as to whether to trust her plan, or to try something else. Now, she didn't have anyone else to check her ideas against, someone to talk with that would help her work through her own thoughts and provide her with another viewpoint. She found herself missing her team more than ever in this moment. If only she could decide what to do, about the Wraith, about the visions, about anything.
Hearing the door open behind her, she turned to see John Sheppard walking toward her. "The other hive ship'll be here soon."
Turning to face him, Sam tried to hide the turmoil in her mind and pull her thoughts from their wanderings. "I know. You should get to the chair room."
"So we've decided to take 'em out?" Sheppard questioned.
Sam paused for a moment before deciding to share with him part of the confusion in her mind. He had been open and accepting of her presence here, and his experiences with the Wraith far exceeded her own. "Right now, I'm having a hard time deciding anything."
They spoke for a few more minutes before Sheppard turned and walked back inside, heading to the chair room. Sam turned back to face the water for a moment's more thought before going back in. She was glad that she had decided to speak with Sheppard. His insights had helped her clear her mind of all the extraneous information and find her focus again. She knew what she would have to do. 'Trust your gut.' She could almost hear Jack's voice, and smiled, knowing that she was working with a lot of good people. They weren't her team, but they seemed willing to welcome her, and it was an offer she couldn't turn down. This change just might have been the right choice after all… Straightening her back, she turned and walked back into the control room, decision made.
"Rodney, prepare to cloak the city."
Author: astromist
Rating: G
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters. The dialogue in this story comes from the episode 'The Seer', as provided in a transcript by gateworld.net.
Summary: Sam faces a difficult choice.
Sam leaned against the railing, staring out over the endless stretch of water. Closing her eyes, she rolled her head back and forth, attempting to loosen muscles tight from tension. A low groan escaped at the ache the movement brought, and she took a deep breath of the briny air as she opened her eyes again. She had sought to escape the indecision, the choices that were up to her, and only her. Somehow, taking this position had not been quite what she had expected. Sighing, she brought a hand up to rub between her eyes. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she had expected, but having to make a decision that could affect every human life in the Pegasus galaxy wasn't it. If they worked with the Wraith to stop the Replicators, the Wraith would once again be able to feed on the human population uncontested by such a powerful enemy, but it was a necessary step. The Replicators could not be allowed to go on destroying the human population in order to devastate the Wraith. Thousands had already died, and the lives of thousands more hung on the success or failure of their cooperation with the Wraith. 'Cooperation with the Wraith.' The very thought made her understandably quite nervous. All previous dealings with the Wraith had ended in disaster. Hoping that the cool sea air and some solitude would clear her mind enough to decide what action to take about the hive ship that would soon be arriving, she had retreated to the balcony.
Should she lower the shield and cloak the city? Could they trust their captive Wraith's word that the other ship did not know about Atlantis' presence here, or were the two ships planning to attack the moment the shields were down? Teyla's shared vision showed John in the chair, firing drones, and the ships exploding above Atlantis. Were things truly going to happen as in the vision? Did they even know fully what the vision showed, or were there missing pieces? Did she even believe in the visions? She sighed again as she admitted that she did believe the visions. In her time with the Stargate program, she had realized that anything was possible, and that it seemed she would encounter each and every one of those infinite possibilities. What was a little prognostication compared to some of the things she had seen? Unfortunately, this little matter of knowing the future seemed to have frozen her into indecision. What course of action was the right one? Could they find a path that would avoid the destruction that she had seen in Davos' shared vision?
Shaking her head, she tried to shake the thoughts of that vision out of her mind so that she could concentrate only on the immediate problem; there was one Wraith ship in orbit and a second on the way. She could not take the chance of trusting a known enemy. His position among the Wraith would certainly rise quickly if he handed over Atlantis. But what if there was a chance he was telling the truth?
It was times like this that she really missed her team. If Daniel were here, he would know just what to say to help her find the solution to her problem. He would likely compare the current situation to something he knew of an ancient civilization, and in the course of the conversation, he would help her clarify her own thoughts. Or if Teal'c were here, he would direct her to find the truth in all of the information swirling around in her head and she would finally be able to know what needed to be done. Even Cameron and Jack would occasionally come up with something that would help her to see things from a different perspective. Vala… well, Vala would try to distract her from her thoughts of responsibility, and sometimes, even that could be helpful. It had been a very difficult decision to accept the promotion and position here, leaving behind the people she had worked with for so long. It felt odd to be here without her team, the best people she knew. The people here were all good people; they were good at their jobs, they faced danger with strength and courage, but they weren't her team. She had been lucky, really, in being able to work with the same people for so long. Daniel and Teal'c had been a part of her life for over a decade, and she remained friends with Jack even after he left Stargate Command. Cameron and Vala were relative newcomers, but they had also become a part of her life. Change was part of life, especially military life, but she could not help but wonder if she had made the right decision in coming here.
The weight of all the lives resting on her shoulders was nearly enough to suffocate her. She had come up with all kinds of ideas before that ended up saving the day, the world, the galaxy, but it was always left up to someone else to make the final decision as to whether to trust her plan, or to try something else. Now, she didn't have anyone else to check her ideas against, someone to talk with that would help her work through her own thoughts and provide her with another viewpoint. She found herself missing her team more than ever in this moment. If only she could decide what to do, about the Wraith, about the visions, about anything.
Hearing the door open behind her, she turned to see John Sheppard walking toward her. "The other hive ship'll be here soon."
Turning to face him, Sam tried to hide the turmoil in her mind and pull her thoughts from their wanderings. "I know. You should get to the chair room."
"So we've decided to take 'em out?" Sheppard questioned.
Sam paused for a moment before deciding to share with him part of the confusion in her mind. He had been open and accepting of her presence here, and his experiences with the Wraith far exceeded her own. "Right now, I'm having a hard time deciding anything."
They spoke for a few more minutes before Sheppard turned and walked back inside, heading to the chair room. Sam turned back to face the water for a moment's more thought before going back in. She was glad that she had decided to speak with Sheppard. His insights had helped her clear her mind of all the extraneous information and find her focus again. She knew what she would have to do. 'Trust your gut.' She could almost hear Jack's voice, and smiled, knowing that she was working with a lot of good people. They weren't her team, but they seemed willing to welcome her, and it was an offer she couldn't turn down. This change just might have been the right choice after all… Straightening her back, she turned and walked back into the control room, decision made.
"Rodney, prepare to cloak the city."