All the Marines except Addison were sent home. The colonel was taken back to Kalam until Jack decided to go home. Addison would then be transferred to the SGC and trained by Col. Bosco until Jack felt ready to send Addison back to Chulak. And Addison would return to Chulak. Addison protested and Jack reminded him that he had the permission of the Joint Chiefs to train anyway he saw fit.
The Joint Chiefs were not happy with Jack’s initial report. At least Jack got them to agree that the forces needed to be shaken up with new training methods; the cookie-cutter method was getting their boys and girls killed on the battle fields. It was a new era and the kids needed to know how to think on their feet, not be turned into drones.
“Is this really necessary?” Maggie asked, interrupting his murmured conversation with Daniel and Ninurta. Daniel had discovered that the elusive Ereshkigal had been ill and was confined to bed. Jack didn’t think the old-timers ever got sick. Ninurta said that she exhausted herself helping Enki put the planet together and they were keeping it quiet because there were still a few Beings in the galaxy who were kept at bay through the threat of the lady’s power. Jack still didn’t understand the dark queen’s role.
Jack didn’t open his eyes. “Yes, it is, Mom,” he said. “I am dealing with a colonel, not your nephew, so please…..”
A shadow moved across his closed eyes. “You’re humiliating him, Jack,” she told him. He rubbed his eyes and blinked blurrily before putting his dark glasses on.
“He humiliated himself,” he said. “His pride got his entire team captured, and almost destroyed. He almost got civilians killed. He’s lucky I didn’t boot him out an airlock. Now. I’m drawing a line here, Mom. I love you and I don’t want to hurt your feelings by pulling rank with you.”
At least Hammond wasn’t coming down on Jack; he understood.
“As a highly decorated officer, he should have known better,” Hammond said after hearing the story. “If a remedial class is what he needs, so be it. Maybe we’ll make a general out of him, yet.”
Daniel turned in a half-doze and buried his face near Jack’s side after Maggie left. “She doesn’t understand,” he murmured. “She sees only her son and her nephew fighting.”
“I know,” Jack said. “It’s why I try and keep her away from my work. She wants to mother everyone, and this isn’t a mothering situation. Bosco will take over and teach him about the new military.”
“Why not Reynolds?” Daniel asked, curious.
“Reynolds is better at first contact and scouting,” Jack said, having changed his mind to put his cousin with SG-1 for training. “Bosco is a good trainer.”
“Oh.”
Jack sighed and absently stroked the tips of his fingers down Daniel’s back.
“Mason is a good soldier, he earned his rank, don’t get me wrong, but he’s a meathead. He bulldozes his way into situations without regard for the situation itself and he disrespects his experts.”
“Sounds familiar,” Daniel commented. He got his hair pulled and the back of his neck kissed.
“And it took a couple of irritating scientists to knock it out of me,” Jack admitted as he pecked at Daniel’s smooth back, enjoying the musk that came out under the sun’s warmth.
One of the local children came running up and Ninurta obligingly kissed an owie.
Sam came out of the water, wrapped a towel around her waist, and dried her hair with another. Jack sat up and leaned back against the tree. He patted the ground between his legs and Sam sat down. He took the towel, dried her back. and gently toweled her hair.
“He’s a Special Ops soldier?” Ninurta asked.
“Something like that,” Jack said.
“I won’t ask details. I assume he’s been on his own missions while you’ve been fighting aliens,” Ninurta said. “So he’s had no contact with current events. Much like the citizens, he doesn’t understand what all this has to do with him and his work. He has children? Has he noticed anything different in them?”
“Make an argument that hits closer to home?” Daniel asked.
“Correct,” Ninurta said with a nod. “Jack, I can sense your antipathy toward your kin, but how can you lead the way if you don’t get over yourself first?”
Jack scowled. “He’s an ass, Ninurta,” he informed the warrior.
“That’s your opinion. Others love him. Your mother loves him. I’m almost sure his wife loves him, and his children. There is an aspect of him that you don’t know. I get a sense of great depth in him. And an over-abundance of pride, yes.”
“How come you guys don’t get along?” Daniel asked.
Jack sat back against the tree and shrugged as Sam nestled into his torso. “Personality, I guess,” he said. “We were always at each other. I was extremely happy when his parents moved to North Carolina when he was a teenager. Got him out of my hair.”
“What kinds of things did you fight about?” Sam asked.
“Everything,” Jack said. “He had no sense of self-control. He was always loud and obnoxious, always had to be right, always had to be better.”
“You guys look about the same age,” Daniel commented. “Did you have classes together?”
“Same age,” Jack said. “He’s a Christmas baby. We were in the same class.”
Sam poked Jack on the leg. “Hello,” she called out. “Earth to Jack. Try getting inside and find out if there’s anything interesting you could work with.”
“Oh. Right. I actually don’t want to rummage around inside of him,” Jack whined. He regretted it when three pairs of eyes focused on him. “Okay, okay,” he held out his hands in defense. “Just… give me time.” Someone called out to Ninurta and he excused himself just as Katie came up to them and stood with her hands on her hips. Olivia babbled at her big sister from her place in her shaded jumper, and Sam took her out and put her on the grass to play.
“Is that a swim suit or a piece of dental floss?” Jack asked, looking at her mostly bare body.
“What did you tell Malek?” she asked.
“In regards to…?”
“Me. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he said you threatened him with that pukku if he even looked at me.”
Jack sighed. “Honey, he isn’t a teenager, he’s an adult. You are not. No matter what that piece of ribbon is pretending to cover.”
“That isn’t fair, Uncle Jack, it’s my choice,” she angrily informed him. “He can’t be that much older than me.”
“Don’t Uncle Jack me, and he’s about forty-five not twenty-five,” Jack said. “His symbiote keeps him looking young for a long time.”
“He’s a good guy, Jack, he won’t take advantage of her,” Daniel murmured. “And he's actually about sixty-two.” Sam looked shocked at the information, and then turned to find the Tok'ra.
“More like who would be taking advantage of whom,” Jack returned. “Alright. You may go for a walk with him. I don’t want to be a grandparent before you’re thirty, Katherine.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have a one-track mind.”
“Okay, I’ll settle for twenty-five. Get Malek over here.”
Katie’s eyes went wide. “You aren’t going to embarrass me, are you?”
“You’re the one who wanted me to be your father, so I consider it my sworn duty to embarrass you once in a while,” Jack informed her. “Now please find that adult male alien with the snake in his head and ask him to come see me.”
She huffed and stalked off, rolling her eyes.
“What the hell is she not wearing?” Jack asked, not sure if he should be thankful she wasn’t completely nude.
“You aren’t really going to ask Malek his intentions, are you?” Daniel asked.
“Watch me,” Jack promised.
Malek approached while Katie stood defiantly several yards away.
“Well?” Jack asked Malek, not believing that he was so much older than he looked. Malek paused for a moment to consider.
“Katie asked if I would walk with her,” Malek said. “I explained your displeasure. She is equally displeased. She seems an adult to me, so I must be unaware of some cultural issue. Does your culture require the permission of a male? Should I have asked you first?”
Daniel snorted and buried his face in the section of grass he was laying on.
“No, she doesn’t need permission,” Jack said, ignoring Daniel. “According to our laws, though, she will not be an adult for another year. If you were closer to her age, I’d probably allow it…. no, I wouldn’t. I’m still having trouble with the whole symbiote thing. I keep seeing you kissing her and that snake going from you to her through her mouth.”
Malek frowned. “It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “I have been with Tavor a long time; if I were to leave him in that manner, so abruptly, it would kill him, and I have too much affection for him to do that. Jack, I had no intention of having sex with Katie; she requested that we walk and talk. I will respect your wishes in this, but I truly believe you are not being fair to her; she heard about Tok’ra medicine and wished to discuss it.”
Both Daniel and Sam looked at Jack. He winced and puffed out his cheeks as he pet the top of his hung head.
“Okay,” he finally said. “Go… discuss.”
Malek inclined his head and walked back to Katie who was waiting with her arms crossed. At least she had put a colorful wrap around her waist. Jack groaned and fell to the side, mashing his nose in the ground. Someone thumped his head with a finger.
“Do it again,” he said into the ground. Thwack!
The kids came and took Daniel away for water time. Davy paddled around in the shallow end with floaties on his thin arms while Stacy used her father as a jumping board until he claimed his advancing age.
Thankfully, Jonathan and Shara came down to the water and took over kid-duty. Pretty soon, the lake was the main party place. There was some discussion about the clothing optional policy that the locals had, so Inanna declared that a section of the lake would be for those who needed clothing for their culture. Everyone else could play at another section. She added the rule to the on-going notes she was taking for the council building that was being built; with all the different cultures coming to the planet, some local things needed to be set aside while in the multicultural section. If off-worlders went into the local section, they get what they got.
The small town was modern, much to the interest of the humans. They had expected, for some strange reason, to see crude wooden huts. Since the planet was originally sand, Enki had left a great deal of silicon in the matrix. It was then used to create the buildings and most of the working parts such as plumbing. They even used it to create fabrics for clothing and household use. Sam asked Shara what they did about the pollution from the silicon processing, and Jack tuned out. He went to find Jonathan and talk about the actual engineering of the city.
The main building, where Inanna and her family lived, was at the center of town. The large building also housed various governing offices. At the far northern end of town, a space port was being built. The Heaven’s Bow usually sat there when she wasn’t on patrol. The port was being enlarged to take five ships her size. Larger ships would have to park in orbit and find another way down. And no landing without permission.
The Gate was in the main building and there was a ring platform at the space port. The Anunnaki took a tip from the Tau’ri, put locks on both, and hooked their DHD up to a computer. They thought that was a nifty idea and Sam smiled when she saw the set up. They still refused to say where they took the new Gate and DHD from. Jack hadn’t heard of anyone screaming about a missing chaapa’i, though, so maybe it wasn’t too bad. A lot of deserted planets had Gates that weren’t being used.
On the south side of town were crops, to the east was cattle, and to the west was the nearest lake.
Several women had made it a point to approach Jack and thank him for making it possible for them to relocate off Earth. He and his partners were plied with freshly baked breads, pies, cakes, and cookies. Some of the new members of Kalam were men; more fresh blood in the gene-pool, Inanna had said. The Anunnaki had grown from under one hundred to just over two hundred members. Not everyone was from Earth; other friendly planets had been dipped into for new DNA.
A groan and creaking drew their attention to Ferretti who was being helped off a horse by Erra.
“No more horses,” Ferretti declared. He leaned on his cane for a moment. Sweat beaded his forehead and someone hurriedly brought a chair for him. Jack saw the anger on the man’s face, anger at his own weakness, and went over to him.
“Hey, Jack,” Ferretti said, slightly breathless. Jack squatted down next to him and put his hands on Ferretti’s leg. A moment later, Ferretti was looking from his pain-free leg to Jack and back again.
“What the hell’d you do?” Ferretti asked in disbelief.
“I learned a little acupressure,” Jack told him, getting to his feet. “Have you been in the water, yet? It’s a nice temperature.”
“This body isn’t made for public displays anymore,” Lou said with a weary grin. “Unlike others. You been working out or what?” He looked Jack up and down.
“Something like that,” Jack said, wondering how he could get out of ever hearing that question again; he didn't think he had begun to look that bad. “You enjoying yourself otherwise?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Lou said. He took a deep breath and looked out across the land. “This is incredible, Jack; this cannot be Abydos.”
Jack sat on the ground next to him, wrapping his arms around his knees as he watched the kids playing.
“Anubis destroyed all of it,” he said quietly. “Not only every living thing but even the buildings. All of it. Not one shred of evidence that anyone had lived here was left by the time he was done with it.”
“This guy is dead, right?” Ferretti asked.
“Very dead,” Jack nodded. At least, they hoped he was; there was always the chance that Anubis could escape from Oma and the Ascended and return to finish what he had started, which was the destruction of all life in the galaxy. No one needed to know that, though.
“Do I want to know how this planet was changed?” Ferretti asked.
“Nope, you don’t,” Jack said.
“I don’t want to know how you’ve been doing a few odd things, do I?”
“Nope.”
“Jack!” Daniel came over and grabbed Jack’s hand. “Come on, it’s us verses them. Volleyball. Lou, you can be the ref. I can’t guarantee there won’t be blind ref jokes.”
The teams argued for a short time on which side Jonathan would play for; after all, the Tau’ri team had a woman on it, so they needed an extra man. The Anunnaki weren’t buying it and insisted that Sam could hold her own quite nicely. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to have both Jack and Jonathan on the same team. Jonathan pulled his hair back with a leather thong and grinned nastily at Jack.
Mason kept looking at Jonathan and Jack, but no one was saying anything except the usual story about Jonathan joining their lives a few years earlier. Jack ordered Mason to play ball with them. Mason wasn’t happy. Everyone was completely frivolous with the rules, the ball was repeatedly hit toward various people who had decided to make out on the back row, and Jack and Jonathan had to be separated whenever they began to argue.
Pairing each other on opposite sides of the net had been a bad idea; they knew each other’s moves and frequently hogged the ball. Mason’s mood wasn’t being helped by Erra making overt invitations. Zu was sitting on a net post, cackling and egging Erra on with his own commentary.
“Jack!” Mason hissed, stalking up to Jack. “If that…. person… hits on me one more time, I’m taking him down and to hell with diplomatic relations!”
“Chill out, Mace,” Jack said. “He’s trying to get your goat and you’re letting him. Would you be pissed if it were a woman teasing you?”
“Of course not!”
“So chill,” Jack advised. “He thinks you’re attractive and he’s teasing you. It’s a compliment; take it as such. You’re acting like a nervous virgin; you’re Black Ops, fer chrissake, get it together. And you can’t take Erra, not on your own. According to Daniel he’s the god of pestilence, and I’d rather not know how he came by that moniker. Play ball.”
Inanna watched from the sidelines with the children and others who were not playing. Maggie and Abigail sat with their yarn, Olivia between them. Hammond played ball; he wasn’t too much older than Jack, and Jack was happy to see the older man had been taking care of himself. Hammond had lost about thirty pounds since Jack had met him, and it showed in the extra energy.
“Jack, you really do have nice legs,” Inanna commented, looking at his bared legs, the scruff of his shorts midway down his thighs. There were several hoots. “They look like they’d be nice to be wrapped in.”
“They are!” came two voices. Jack missed the shot amidst laughter.
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” he told Daniel and Sam.
“Is it our fault if Inanna’s observations are….” Sam started.
“Na na na,” Jack waved a finger. “We’re winning and she’s trying to distract us.”
“Well, Jack, you’re legs are distracting,” Daniel told him. There was more laughter. “Let’s ask the expert,” Daniel said. “Mom, commentary on your son’s legs?”
“Perfection, of course,” Maggie informed them, concentrating on a stitch. “They certainly grew strong enough kicking my ribs and bladder.”
Jack fell to the ground as everyone laughed. The ball hit the ground next to Jack’s head.
“Tie!” Jonathan yelled. “And my legs are better.”
Mason stalked away as the two compared legs.
A short time later they were invaded by Jaffa. Specifically, Teal’c, Bre’tac, Rya’c, Kar’yn, and Ka’lel. Jack wasn’t sure he liked the way Teal’c was hovering around Bre’tac. While Bre’tac sat and talked with Hammond, the rest joined the volleyball game. Many rules were challenged and changed when Jaffa and Anunnaki ganged up on Tau’ri.
When the adults tired, the kids took over the net and ball. People dove into the lake to wash off sweat and then returned to the grassy bank. Jack put his t-shirt on and leaned back on his elbows.
“Inanna,” Jack got her attention. “We have a lot of small countries that are not in line with the plans,” he said. “The problem is that these countries are about a hundred years behind the times, if not more. Very tribal. There are seven main countries that are a problem; two of them I think we can get to tow the line. If we block the others, shut their borders to import and export, will that work for the Unified Worlds?”
An elegant eyebrow lifted. “You want to shun them? That’s harsh,” she warned.
“Yes, it is,” Jack agreed. “And the UN is already pissed with me for not including them from the beginning of HomeWorld Security. This will piss them off even more. North Korea, Pakistan, India, Japan, Iran, China, and Afghanistan are the problem children; now, I think we can get Japan and Afghanistan to play semi-nice and I think India will settle down if we can get Pakistan to settle. North Korea, China, and Iran are the headliners, though. The main argument coming from higher up has to do with hurt feelings, but the truth is that economics will take a big hit. I say people will need to buy local for a while.”
“What’s the problem with Japan?” Ferretti asked. “I thought they were friendly.”
“They are,” Jack acknowledged. “The problem is that I don’t trust them not to sell any technology we give them. They seem to have an open-door policy in regards to their business practices. Can you imagine China with one of our ships?”
“I see your point,” Ferretti nodded. “Can we trust the Russians? We’re always finding their weapons in the hands of extremists.”
“Yes, but those are black market and Col. Chekhov has been working hard to curb that,” Jack said. “Their entire military has been going through an overhaul. He’s also been trying to get their mandatory draft abolished.”
“Good, maybe it’ll cut down on those reports of abuse,” Sam glared.
“I’ve run into a few issues of my own,” Hammond said. “There’s been some underground hazing in a few of the groups. Jack, you may want to keep an eye on that cadet, Kendrick; that boy’s been very helpful. Seems to be developing one of those rogue talents. He’s able to pick up images and transmit them. Like Zu, I guess. He needs to be in close contact, but he can do it. He’s been playing advocate for those who are less fortunate in holding their own, and keeping me informed privately through this thing he’s doing. He and I have been keeping it from everyone else. You can imagine the problems if any of the other cadets or officers found out.”
“What year is he?” Jack asked.
“Second,” Hammond told him.
Jack considered the information. “Well, forget the cadets and officers; I can imagine what would happen if the CIA or NSA got hold of him,” he commented. “God help us if the NID gets him. Do I need to get him out of there?”
Hammond ruminated over it. “Maybe,” he finally said. “He’s a good kid, Jack; I think he’ll make a good officer. Try hiding Clark Kent, though.”
Jack understood. “I’ll talk with him when I get home. How’d you find out?”
“He knew of our relationship, read me kinda like you do, and knew he could trust me.”
“Keep your eyes open, George; if anything starts to happen, hustle him through the Gate. I’ll have him classified to me as soon as we get home. Let’s put this topic on hold, though,” Jack said. “Inanna, what do you think about the planetary issue?”
“I’d have to consult with the rest of the council, but it might be do-able,” she said with a nod. “There is precedent for admitting a world that has a few countries not in agreement. Take Mulakma, for example. As long as the majority is able to hold power, and do so in a peaceful manner, the world has been admitted.”
“Chulak offers agreement,” Bre’tac said.
“The Tok’ra agree,” Malek said.
Jack had unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief when Malek had brought Katie back and she was still completely dressed. As dressed as she could be in that piece of ribbon she had been wearing. Jack forced himself to trust her and respect her privacy by NOT reaching into her emotions.
“As does Kalam,” Inanna nodded. “I will send a message to the others this evening. And send the young man here, if you need to, General,” she said to Hammond. “We will shield him.”
“He’s a fan of yours,” Jack told her with a quirk of his mouth. “You probably saw him with Jonathan at our picnic. Modern pagan kid who thinks the Queen of Heaven is his goddess.”
“Is he handsome?” the Queen asked. Zu chirped from Ninurta’s shoulder and sent an image. “Oh, that one,” Inanna nodded imperiously. “Yes, he is acceptable for Our needs.” Ninurta chuckled and stroked her leg.
“Daddy! Can I go play with the chickens? There’s babies!” Davy came running up to the group.
“I don’t know,” Jack considered. “I haven’t felt the love in a while. Nope, not feelin’ it.” The boy giggled and threw his arms around Jack’s neck for a hug, and kissed Jack loudly on the cheek. Jack shooed him away to find chickens.
“At least the kids will sleep well tonight,” Sam commented. The kids had been nonstop all day in the fresh air and sunshine.
Daniel came over to them, breathing hard from his workout with Teal’c. They had fun beating each other with training staves. He fell next to Jack and lay flat on his back to catch his breath.
“The kids are happy.” The observant comment came from the sidelines. Mason. He tilted his head toward Matthew who was playing with a group of local boys. “Last time I saw them with Megan and Andrew, they were uptight and on edge. This is nice to see.”
“Thank you,” Jack acknowledged. “We listen to them and love them. Don’t know what else to do.”
There was a ruckus toward the city and they looked to see what it was about. Two strangers came walking swiftly toward their group, and warriors immediately jumped to the ready. A nearby servant rounded up the children and non-combatants, took the baby from Sam’s arms, and herded them off.
“You have not been invited here,” Inanna informed the two men.
“We know O’Neill is here, we demand justice,” one of the men insisted. Warriors surrounded the men. No one was armed, except for Jack and his pukku, but they all knew what fists and feet were for. “You are not the council leader, woman, step aside. You are O’Neill,” the one informed Jack who had stepped up to Inanna’s back.
“What is it with picnics and you?” Jack asked Inanna.
“My good-natured charm,” she told him. “These two….”
“We demand to be heard,” the man said again.
“I heard you the first time,” Jack scowled. “And mind your manners, or I’ll mind them for you. Who are you and what do you want?”
Warriors came running from the city, all of them armed. Inanna held up a hand and they paused.
“We are Ra’batinu and we demand the return of our women and children,” pinched face informed him.
“You’ll need to be a little clearer,” Jack said, cupping his ear. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“We requested membership to your unified worlds, and we were refused,” baldy said in a halfway moderate tone. “Apparently our society is not welcome as per your treaty. We do not apologize for our ways, and we accepted the decision. When council representatives came to our world during the decision making process, several of our women and children were stolen from us. We demand their return.”
Jack turned to Inanna.
“I do not deny we have people here formerly of Ra’batin,” she said. “They requested asylum and we granted it. They feared for their lives, so we helped them to leave quietly.”
Jack sighed and rubbed the side of his head.
“Conference room?”
Inanna gave a nod and motioned for them to follow.
“Daniel!” Daniel caught up with Jack and whispered. “Sam, find out who these women are and get their story,” Jack called back. “Jonathan, you’re on cub duty. Why don’t you take the colonel with you? Colonel Addison, Jonathan out-ranks you.” Malek and Bre’tac, also council representatives, followed Jack while Jonathan, Shara, and a frowning Mason went to find the kids and Maggie.
“Okay,” Jack said once they were in a private room. He took a seat and leaned back, hands behind his head. “Inanna, which section did this world of theirs get disqualified for?”
“The slavery issue,” she said. Ninurta went to a shelf and pulled out a copy of the treaty. He opened it to the needed section.
“No sentient being shall be bought or sold without their express permission,” he read and skimmed down. “All sentient beings shall be rendered full health care by their communities… Education and knowledge shall be made available to all sentient beings.”
“Ra’batin failed on these three issues,” Inanna said, nodding as Ninurta read out loud. “Their women are considered to be worth less than beasts and are treated even worse. Unwanted female babies are often killed, and the boys are put to work as soon as they are able to understand instructions. One of the women who came to us was not becoming pregnant and was going to be sent to the slave pits; it doesn’t seem to occur to the men that they might be the reason for the lack of a child. Our examination of this particular woman showed that she is fertile.
“Another woman was tired of her baby girls being killed, and the third was tired of broken bones. They each came to us and requested our help. We took the three women, four sons, and two daughters. Healer Gula had to do extensive work to repair the damage to all the broken bones in the face of the third woman. One of the children has been too terrified to speak. Apparently she was slapped down every time she made a sound.”
Baldy, whose name turned out to be Kezian, gave a reluctant nod when Jack looked at them.
“Name one society that is perfect,” he said. “We do not condone these types of actions, anymore than you would. Be that as it may, a woman is owned by her husband and he may do as he wishes with her. I do not treat my wives in that manner, nor my children. What my neighbor does is not my business.”
“Do….” Daniel began and belatedly looked at Jack. He was motioned to continue. “Does your society have laws in place which the women can turn to for help?”
“She can seek recompense through the nearest male relative,” Kezian said.
“And if her nearest male relative doesn’t have a problem with what is happening, is there anything in your laws which will help a woman who is beaten on a regular basis?” Daniel asked.
“No,” Kezian said after a moment with a shake of his head.
“And is there anything to stop someone from killing a child?” Daniel asked.
“Men are needed to help fill quotas,” the other one, Edur said impatiently. Jack didn’t like his pinched face. “Girls cannot do the work of men, and if there is no one working, there is no food to feed these children. Daughters need dowry for marriage; too many daughters means not enough dowry to procure a decent marriage. It is a kindness to be rid of them while they are new, and to try again for a son.”
“Your daughters are weak because you insist they be that way,” Ninurta said, clipped. “A child, any child, is as strong as you make him or her. Our daughters work side by side with men, and they are just as strong and capable.”
“Whoa,” Jack called, holding up a hand and cutting through the arguments that were starting. “Time out. The issue on the table is the missing women and children. Now. Inanna. You don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to say it. And I’m doing so because I’ve been in your position. The women and children need to be returned.”
“I refuse,” she stated. “They came to us for help, I gave them help.”
Jack reached over and put a hand over hers. “Darlin’, I understand, I really do; it’s one thing to take a few homeless kids from Earth, don’t think I didn’t notice, but it’s an entirely different matter when a planet comes calling.”
The door opened and Sam came in. She put her laptop on the table and turned it for everyone to see.
“What’ve you got?” Jack asked.
“Well, I’d say the women are here of their own free will,” she told them. She turned on the video. One by one, the women all stated that they were afraid for their lives if they were returned home. They wanted to stay. They were learning how to read and write, they were growing healthy, their children were healthy. They pleaded to not be sent back.
“They are the property of their husbands,” Edur insisted when the video was done. “That is their place, not wasting time with all this nonsense. Return them to us at once.”
“How much?”
They looked at Daniel who had leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach.
“How much what?” Jack asked.
“How much do they want for the women and children?” Daniel asked. “He said they are property. How much for the property? I’ll buy them. Name the price.”
“You’re gonna do what?” Both Sam and Jack looked at him as though he had grown a second head. The Ra’batinu were also confused.
“Well, Jack, I have stuff from all over the galaxy, including gems and minerals; I think I can afford it,” he said.
Jack stared at him. “Isn’t our house crowded enough?” he asked with extra patience.
“So, can they or can they not be bought?” Daniel asked the Ra’batinu.
They considered him. “Yes,” Kezian reluctantly nodded. “We would need to forward your proposal to the appropriate families and get back to you.”
As guards escorted the visitors back to the gate, those at the table turned to Daniel.
“What?” he raised his hands. “I bought you time and kept the women and children from being forced back home.”
“And what do you plan on doing with three wives and how many children?” Jack asked.
“Freeing them,” Daniel said. “Come on, Jack, Inanna wasn’t going to get out of this one, were you? The way I see it, either go to war with an entire planet or send the women back where they would probably be beaten to within an inch of their lives.”
“Yeah, about this little shopping spree of yours,” Jack said, turning to Inanna. The queen raised a stubborn chin. With a sudden influx of homeless children, who spoke English, Spanish, and Caribbean languages, almost every adult on the planet was a foster parent.
The children were once more playing outside, none the worse for being hustled off. Ninurta reprimanded the city gate guards for allowing the men to storm off on their own.
Somehow allies found out that Jack was off-world and they began to stop in for a visit. More Jaffa and Tok’ra came in and soon a friendly round of sparring began. Jack saw that Matty had actually been learning to use a staff at the gym. Although still thin and short, the boy was quick on his feet and seemed to be enjoying his interaction with Jaffa.
Daniel was watching Sam, a grin on his face as she took on Teal’c. Jack went up to Daniel and slid his arms around Daniel’s middle from behind.
“I seem to recall getting the crap beat out of me once when she was possessed by something,” Daniel commented.
“Yeah, been there,” Jack agreed. He pressed his mouth to Daniel’s neck. The younger man smiled and tilted his head. “Did I tell you I love you today?”
“Yes, you did,” Daniel nodded. “But you can say it again.”
Jack repeated it between pecks along Daniel’s shoulders. “I cannot believe you are going to buy three women and their children,” Jack said, putting his forehead on Daniel’s shoulder for a moment.
“It’s just a technicality,” Daniel said. “Once their kin are satisfied and gone, I’ll free them.”
“Uh huh. And did you discuss this with the women?” Jack asked. “What if they don’t want you to free them?”
Daniel looked over his shoulder. “I should probably talk with them,” he concluded.
“Ya think?”
David came up and threw himself against Daniel, a pathetically exhausted look on his face.
“Someone’s tired,” Daniel said. Jack agreed and released Daniel to pick up David. Jack grunted and the boy gave a tired giggle as he attached his arms around Jack’s neck. He carried Davy to the house and to their suite. Davy was undressed and quickly rinsed off the day’s dust before being put to bed.
“I’ll be outside,” Jack told him, brushing the light brown hair back and kissing the brow.
“’kay,” Davy nodded sleepily.
Jack went to the sitting room in the main hall and found his mother watching over Olivia who was happily playing with her own toes. Abigail was with her as were a few other older women and several pregnant ladies. Whatever they were discussing, it came to a halt at Jack’s entrance.
“Just checking in,” he said, raising a hand in surrender. “Mom, Abigail, everything alright?” They assured him they were fine and enjoying themselves.
The sun was setting, and the air was still warm. It wasn't as hot as the old Abydos; Enki must have done something to the ozone, Jack mused. Music began to echo across the field, and he noticed that most of the city’s inhabitants had disappeared. He guessed if he followed the music, he’d find everyone. He leaned in a doorway and watched the setting sun, finding the reds, blues, and purples to be mesmerizing. He kept expecting a sudden sand storm.
“Ah, Skaara, what would you think about all this?” he murmured to himself. Sha're's little brother had made a special place for himself in Jack's heart. The boy -young man- had been killed by Anubis' Jaffa a short time before his own wedding.
“Who you talking to?” arms went around his waist.
“Wondering what Skaara would have thought about all this,” he said. Daniel put his chin on Jack’s shoulder.
“I think he would have liked it,” Daniel said. “There wasn’t too much he didn’t like. Want to take a walk?”
Jack took a deep breath of the fresh air. “Sure.”
They laced their fingers together and walked back to the main crowd. Hammond and Sam were talking with Ferretti and Mason, while the kids were jumping around to Jonathan’s music. There were more SGC uniforms than Jack remembered and he looked closer, unable to make out the sigil in the darkening light.
“Who’s here?” he asked.
Daniel was blank for a moment. “Oh. Daedalus came in,” he said. “They were headed back to Earth and heard that we were here. Landry gave them permission for a stop-over, if you didn’t mind the company. Sam okay’d it.”
“Alright,” Jack nodded. “Did the queen give her permission, too?”
“Yes, she did.”
Tau’ri battle veterans mingled and greeted Anunnaki, Jaffa, and Tok’ra that they hadn’t seen in a while. Behind them, more people came from the direction of the Gate room. Mulakma. They came bearing gifts of food and drink, and joined the party after greeting Inanna.
Ninurta was with Jonathan, pounding on a drum, while Shara watched from Inanna’s side with Zu, who sat on the back of Inanna’s chair.
Jack introduced Lord Atis to Sam, Hammond, Ferretti, and Mason. The others took it all in stride, but Jack was pleased to see Mason swallow hard and do a quick-step to keep up with the others. Snakes hidden in a human body were very different from a walking, talking griffin with a deadly beak and four inch claws.
“Honey, we’re going for a walk, want to come with?” Jack asked Sam. She smiled and shook her head.
“No, you guys have fun,” she said. “I’m enjoying this.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the field. Jack nodded and bent to kiss her. Daniel kissed her and took Jack’s hand again. They greeted people they knew and waved down the stiffened spines of Daedalus personnel. A man Jack didn’t know, in leather and dreadlocks, looked him over boldly.
“Jack!” He turned at Jonathan’s shout. “Order Col. Caldwell to sing,” he requested. Daedalus crew yelled and clapped, laughing for their CO. Caldwell looked at Jack, pleading silently.
“He needs to do this.” Jack looked toward a tree to see Major Sheppard leaning against it. Colonel, now, Jack remembered.
“Colonel. Why?” Jack asked.
“There should be a report on your desk,” Sheppard said. “A Goa’uld recently took him over. We obviously got rid of it, but he’s been a little… off his oats since. Guilt trips.”
“Ah. Colonel Caldwell, sing!” Jack called out, much to the delight of the troops. “How come you’re over here instead of dancing?” Jack asked Sheppard as Caldwell reluctantly took a guitar. It pleased Jack to see the support of the crew for their commander.
“Waiting for you, actually,” John said. “Col. Carter said you were putting one of your kids to bed, so I didn’t want to bother you.” He reached into his pocket and handed Jack something small.
“What is it?” Jack asked, looking it over. It was a pendent, rectangular, hanging from a gold chain. Characters he vaguely recognized as Ancient covered the front. Daniel took it from him and looked closely at it. He squinted at the small letters and read out loud:
“Strong hand of humankind
I am heaven and earth,
And by breath of heaven
And by breath of earth,
You of the heavens, pay heed!
You of the netherworld, listen!
I offer water to the gods of sky,
As I purify you yourselves,
May you purify me myself.”
“Aaah!” Daniel rubbed his arm. “Goosebumps. It’s almost an incantation,” he said. “Certain elements are missing, though. This looks like bits and pieces of things I’ve read in some Babylonian stuff.”
“What’s it mean?” Jack asked, taking it back.
“Don’t know,” Daniel shrugged.
“Stroke the long sides. At the same time,” Sheppard told Jack. He held it out and carefully stroked it between two fingers. The letters lit up.
“So far, you and I are the only ones able to get it to do that,” Sheppard said. Daniel tried it. It stayed dark. “We found a handful of these things when we were getting into an unexplored section of Atlantis. Looked like a storage room. I started pressing a few of those words and various equipment turned on. ‘Breath’ turned life support on and off, ‘netherworld’ prepared the city for submersion. I stopped it. I was almost afraid to try any more. ‘Sky’ turned the flight engines on and off, ‘listen’ turns the intercoms on, ‘strong hand’ activates the city’s defense weapons, and I think ‘purify’ does something, but I haven’t been able to find out what.”
“It’s a remote control panel,” Daniel suggested. “Like the Anunnaki stars.”
They walked over to Inanna and showed her the pendant. She didn’t recognize it, but found it interesting that only Jack and John could awaken it.
“Aba is with my sister,” she told them. “Don’t disturb him, my sister is very ill, but talk with him the next time you see him. There’s probably a lot more you can do with this; I’m guessing the words can be used in various combinations.”
Zu burbled something and Inanna, Daniel, and Shara looked at him. Sam saw the intense meeting and wandered over.
“Really?” Inanna asked, taking a closer look at the pendant. She turned it over. “By this seal, when I speak, listen. By this seal, when I call, answer, for I will break your bonds.”
“Well.” She sat back, gazing at what looked like water flowing from a plant.
Jack looked at her. “Okay, call it age or a blond moment, but I’m not getting it,” he said.
“It’s a control panel,” she said. “Like ours.” Daniel gave Jack a light shove. “Col. Sheppard, you are able to awaken this?” He stroked the edges and it lit up. “We know he’s able to light up the chair almost by looking at it. Atlantis began to power up the moment he stepped inside it.”
“Lots of things happen when I walk into a room,” John said, slightly embarrassed. “I think things are reacting to the presence of a person, but nothing happens when other people walk in. Other than lights and stuff coming on.”
“He doesn’t just light up a chair,” Daniel said. “It goes into full functional mode the moment he touches it. Others can do it, but with effort.”
They all looked speculatively at an increasingly uncomfortable colonel.
“Well, I suppose it’s possible,” Inanna said thoughtfully.
“What’s possible?” Jack asked.
“Out of seven plus billion people, what are the odds of only you having this genetic sequence?” she asked. Jack’s mouth shut with a click.
“Colonel, what’s your ancestry?” Sam asked. He lifted an eyebrow.
“Scottish, Irish, a little Manx. Why?”
Jack held up a hand. “Colonel, why don’t you go have some fun, and let me think about this? Where are the rest of these?” He held up the necklace. “How many?”
“Uh, about a dozen. They’re back on Atlantis,” John said. “Dr. Weir has them under lock and key, but I’m the only one who’s been able to turn them on.”
Jack put the necklace over his head and tucked it into his shirt. “I’ll keep this one, if you don’t mind,” he said. He shooed Sheppard away, much to the man’s irritation. “Okay, I want an Asgard tag on him,” Jack said once the colonel was gone.
“I will send a message and update Thor,” Inanna told him.
“Sam….”
“I’ll get a full panel on him. I'm going to bet you two share ancestry somewhere in the far past. This isn’t as bad as it sounds,” Sam said. “If anything happens to you, God forbid, he can be pulled in. He doesn’t have the downloads, but he can work the equipment that only you’ve been able to.”
“Zu, does he have Ancient genes?” Daniel asked the bird.
“Anna,” Zu said with a bob. He went on for a moment.
“He said the equipment is caste sensitive,” Inanna told Jack and Sam. “I know what he means. It’s all programmed to respond to genetics; general equipment which anyone can use, certain types of weapons and security equipment which only someone with the gene can use, and then there is equipment that is programmed for only those with the Ancient genetic sequence. Like you, Jack. And it looks like we’ve discovered a second person.
“I’m wondering if some of the equipment has secret triggers which only someone like you can use. The mikku for instance; anyone with the gene can get it to work, but I wonder what would happen if you sat behind it for a while and started pressing buttons.”
Jack considered her for a moment. “Sam, when we get back, remind me to upgrade Sheppard’s security,” he said as he turned to watch the man walking away from them.
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