Stargate -- Kriegsspiel -- Hoodman's Blind -- Twenty
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Twenty
It was strange to Vala to be manning a storefront advertising their moving service, rather than sneaking around behind the stalls, but she had to admit that she was getting the hang of it. And there was something surprisingly gratifying about the looks of relief when people realized that yes, these cargo haulers ignored Lucian Alliance embargos. It reminded her of that first rush of accomplishment when she was healing the villagers on Qetesh’s mining planet, before it had all gone so badly.
“Vala!” a familiar voice called, and she looked up to see someone she hadn’t seen in some time…and had hoped not to see again.
“Jacek,” she said warily. “How many years without seeing you, and then you stop by every other for a chat?”
“Actually, I wasn’t looking for you,” Jacek said. “Just a pleasant surprise. I’d ask for a hug, but I’d be worried you’d stab me in the back.”
“No, that would be your job, wouldn’t it?” Vala said, unconvinced. She’d stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. But it was good that she was the only one at the stall at that moment. Who knew what would happen if her father recognized someone from the SGC.
“So, you’re in freight hauling now,” Jacek said, looking around with poorly disguised interest. “I thought you were working with those Tau’ri people.”
Only years of studying people-to scam them-let her see the way that Jacek was intent on her answer. Was he planning to sell the information to someone? She had to assume so. “I found them to be too…limiting,” she said, being careful to sound casual. “Alliances like that come and go.”
“It was profitable for a time?” Jacek asked.
“Exactly.”
“Well, I know of people who would be interested in any information about the Tau’ri, specifically those at the SGC,” Jacek said. “Very interested.”
“Unlike some people, I don’t sell out allies, even former ones,” Vala said pointedly, and Jacek at least pretended to look abashed. “Now, if you don’t mind, I do have a business to run here.”
“If you change your mind, I’m in the neighborhood,” Jacek said, but Vala’s glare sent him scuttling.
He had just rounded the corner out of sight when Major Kovachek returned to the stand, lunch in hand. “Your timing is impeccable,” Vala said, taking one of the meat pies from him. “A few seconds earlier and we would have been in a lot of trouble.”
*
Jack walked into the ‘gate control enclosure, and the excitement was palpable. Carter was manning the main computer with Bill Lee hovering next to her, monitoring the gizmo they’d rigged up. The rest of the scientists were simultaneously trying to linger and not get in the way. Daniel was already there, casting furtive glances at Carter, who was ignoring him. The Abydos had landed two hours before, so Teal’c stood at Daniel’s side; Mitchell and the Hope were still off-world. Vala was leaning on the back of Sam’s chair, but scooted out of the way when she spotted Jack.
“We ready to do this thing?” Jack asked, coming in to stand next to Carter.
“Yes,” Carter said. “Well, either it’ll work, or we’ll blow out the ‘gate controls,” she added, and Jack couldn’t tell whether she was joking. “When you’re ready.”
Jack looked around. They survived so far, but merely surviving wasn’t enough; Jack knew he wasn’t the only one who was itching to get back to doing something. He wanted this to work, even if they didn’t learn anything useful. Just getting in contact would raise people’s spirits…he hoped. “Do it.”
Carter nodded and started typing. She pressed the Enter key and sat back, staring intensely at the ‘gate. There was a moment of silence, and then the ring began to spin. “First chevron…locked.”
Jack was a little surprised to see that they’d set up a nearly identical program to autodial the ‘gate. They had a DHD, but he guessed that the old interface from the SGC was comforting in its familiarity. “Second chevron, locked,” Carter said, and Jack could hear the clunk of the ‘gate locking even through the window facing the ‘gate.
“Third chevron, locked.” The Marines from Teal’c’s crew were scattered in a semi-circle around the earthwork ramp in front of the ‘gate. Sure, they were dialing out, not waiting for someone to dial in, but it never hurt to be cautious.
“Fourth chevron, locked.” It was the first time they’d dialed out since they’d sent Daniel, Carter, and Vala through to her stash not long after they’d first arrived. With the slightly longer day, it had been exactly ninety-three days, Earth-time. That scared him.
“Fifth chevron, locked.” Carter was resolutely staring at the computer screen, and she jumped when Jack placed a hand on the back of her chair. He was starting to worry that he would never be able to fix the situation with his former second-in-command, and that thought upset him. They’d been friends once, he’d thought, and he missed that camaraderie.
“Sixth chevron, locked.” The ‘gate was smoking slightly, like it used to on Earth before they’d added those stabilizer things. Jack hoped this wasn’t a bad sign.
“Seventh chevron, locked.” Jack held his breath. He was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one.
“Eighth chevron…locked,” Carter said, and the wormhole blossomed into life. Jack clapped her on the shoulder.
“Great job, Carter, everyone,” he said. “Send the transmission through, see what happens.”
Carter sat forward in her chair and clicked a few keys. “I’m sending the most recent of our old IDCs,” she said. “Hopefully, that will get someone’s attention.”
After a minute or two, the speakers crackled into life. “Please identify yourselves,” the voice said.
“It’s Sheppard,” Carter said.
“Turn on the video,” Jack said. John Sheppard’s face appeared on the second computer screen.
“General O’Neill,” Sheppard said. “It’s good to see your face.”
“Likewise,” Jack said, smiling. The earlier nervous energy that had filled the room was now much more positive, and he thought he heard someone let out a small cheer.
McKay, who had slid into the frame, looked like he was going to start talking, but Sheppard held out a hand to stop him. “So, can you tell me what the hell has been going on?” he asked.
Jack was about to answer, but Dr. Barnes, one of the linguists, skidded into the room. “General O’Neill, we’ve got some information from the satellite you should see,” she said. She handed him one of the electronic tablets, which had a picture on it. It looked like it had been taken at a press conference. Taylor was waving to a crowd, his wife beside him. And behind her…“It’s Adria, sir,” Barnes said. “Somehow, she’s on Earth.”
continued in Twenty-One
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Twenty
It was strange to Vala to be manning a storefront advertising their moving service, rather than sneaking around behind the stalls, but she had to admit that she was getting the hang of it. And there was something surprisingly gratifying about the looks of relief when people realized that yes, these cargo haulers ignored Lucian Alliance embargos. It reminded her of that first rush of accomplishment when she was healing the villagers on Qetesh’s mining planet, before it had all gone so badly.
“Vala!” a familiar voice called, and she looked up to see someone she hadn’t seen in some time…and had hoped not to see again.
“Jacek,” she said warily. “How many years without seeing you, and then you stop by every other for a chat?”
“Actually, I wasn’t looking for you,” Jacek said. “Just a pleasant surprise. I’d ask for a hug, but I’d be worried you’d stab me in the back.”
“No, that would be your job, wouldn’t it?” Vala said, unconvinced. She’d stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. But it was good that she was the only one at the stall at that moment. Who knew what would happen if her father recognized someone from the SGC.
“So, you’re in freight hauling now,” Jacek said, looking around with poorly disguised interest. “I thought you were working with those Tau’ri people.”
Only years of studying people-to scam them-let her see the way that Jacek was intent on her answer. Was he planning to sell the information to someone? She had to assume so. “I found them to be too…limiting,” she said, being careful to sound casual. “Alliances like that come and go.”
“It was profitable for a time?” Jacek asked.
“Exactly.”
“Well, I know of people who would be interested in any information about the Tau’ri, specifically those at the SGC,” Jacek said. “Very interested.”
“Unlike some people, I don’t sell out allies, even former ones,” Vala said pointedly, and Jacek at least pretended to look abashed. “Now, if you don’t mind, I do have a business to run here.”
“If you change your mind, I’m in the neighborhood,” Jacek said, but Vala’s glare sent him scuttling.
He had just rounded the corner out of sight when Major Kovachek returned to the stand, lunch in hand. “Your timing is impeccable,” Vala said, taking one of the meat pies from him. “A few seconds earlier and we would have been in a lot of trouble.”
*
Jack walked into the ‘gate control enclosure, and the excitement was palpable. Carter was manning the main computer with Bill Lee hovering next to her, monitoring the gizmo they’d rigged up. The rest of the scientists were simultaneously trying to linger and not get in the way. Daniel was already there, casting furtive glances at Carter, who was ignoring him. The Abydos had landed two hours before, so Teal’c stood at Daniel’s side; Mitchell and the Hope were still off-world. Vala was leaning on the back of Sam’s chair, but scooted out of the way when she spotted Jack.
“We ready to do this thing?” Jack asked, coming in to stand next to Carter.
“Yes,” Carter said. “Well, either it’ll work, or we’ll blow out the ‘gate controls,” she added, and Jack couldn’t tell whether she was joking. “When you’re ready.”
Jack looked around. They survived so far, but merely surviving wasn’t enough; Jack knew he wasn’t the only one who was itching to get back to doing something. He wanted this to work, even if they didn’t learn anything useful. Just getting in contact would raise people’s spirits…he hoped. “Do it.”
Carter nodded and started typing. She pressed the Enter key and sat back, staring intensely at the ‘gate. There was a moment of silence, and then the ring began to spin. “First chevron…locked.”
Jack was a little surprised to see that they’d set up a nearly identical program to autodial the ‘gate. They had a DHD, but he guessed that the old interface from the SGC was comforting in its familiarity. “Second chevron, locked,” Carter said, and Jack could hear the clunk of the ‘gate locking even through the window facing the ‘gate.
“Third chevron, locked.” The Marines from Teal’c’s crew were scattered in a semi-circle around the earthwork ramp in front of the ‘gate. Sure, they were dialing out, not waiting for someone to dial in, but it never hurt to be cautious.
“Fourth chevron, locked.” It was the first time they’d dialed out since they’d sent Daniel, Carter, and Vala through to her stash not long after they’d first arrived. With the slightly longer day, it had been exactly ninety-three days, Earth-time. That scared him.
“Fifth chevron, locked.” Carter was resolutely staring at the computer screen, and she jumped when Jack placed a hand on the back of her chair. He was starting to worry that he would never be able to fix the situation with his former second-in-command, and that thought upset him. They’d been friends once, he’d thought, and he missed that camaraderie.
“Sixth chevron, locked.” The ‘gate was smoking slightly, like it used to on Earth before they’d added those stabilizer things. Jack hoped this wasn’t a bad sign.
“Seventh chevron, locked.” Jack held his breath. He was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one.
“Eighth chevron…locked,” Carter said, and the wormhole blossomed into life. Jack clapped her on the shoulder.
“Great job, Carter, everyone,” he said. “Send the transmission through, see what happens.”
Carter sat forward in her chair and clicked a few keys. “I’m sending the most recent of our old IDCs,” she said. “Hopefully, that will get someone’s attention.”
After a minute or two, the speakers crackled into life. “Please identify yourselves,” the voice said.
“It’s Sheppard,” Carter said.
“Turn on the video,” Jack said. John Sheppard’s face appeared on the second computer screen.
“General O’Neill,” Sheppard said. “It’s good to see your face.”
“Likewise,” Jack said, smiling. The earlier nervous energy that had filled the room was now much more positive, and he thought he heard someone let out a small cheer.
McKay, who had slid into the frame, looked like he was going to start talking, but Sheppard held out a hand to stop him. “So, can you tell me what the hell has been going on?” he asked.
Jack was about to answer, but Dr. Barnes, one of the linguists, skidded into the room. “General O’Neill, we’ve got some information from the satellite you should see,” she said. She handed him one of the electronic tablets, which had a picture on it. It looked like it had been taken at a press conference. Taylor was waving to a crowd, his wife beside him. And behind her…“It’s Adria, sir,” Barnes said. “Somehow, she’s on Earth.”
continued in Twenty-One
back to Master Post