Daniel and Stacey got home from their trip to meet Martin and Joy’s family just as word came through that Bre’tac was on death-watch. Experienced SGC people, people who knew of Bre'tac's importance on the galactic stage, came to a standstill as SG-1, original team and current team, went through the Gate to check on the old man.
They had just walked through the Gate to Chulak when a small body shot out of the brush and threw itself at Jack.
“Hi, buddy,” Jack greeted the boy, swinging him up. “I take it your fathers are here.”
“Yes, Papa,” Daka said.
Jack looked around and saw Jonathan and Shara coming from the direction of the bush that had been growing into the path.
“Hey. Where’s Teal’c?”
Jonathan thumbed back toward the town. “He’s been spending a lot of time at Bre’tac’s bedside,” he said.
Jack put the boy down, his heart feeling heavier than the child. “Damn. I had hoped he wasn’t as bad as rumor made him to be. Colonel, get the SGC on the horn.” Reynolds gave a nod and went to open the Gate for the communications.
“He’s old, Jack,” Jonathan reminded him. “He’s well past life expectancy already. Most people are just waiting. More and more Jaffa are beginning to come in with the excuse of visiting family.”
“Has Teal’c been officially brought onto the council?”
“As of last week,” Jonathan said with a nod. “It’s been kept quiet, though. There are still a few people out there who would like to see the Jaffa nation weakened by Bre’tac’s death. We’re standing by while Teal’c gathers his inner circle together. There will be a vote for the leadership two days after Bre’tac dies. We’re pretty sure it will go to Teal’c, but you can never tell around here.”
A quarter of a mile up the path, they were met by a party of Jaffa. “Tek’ma’te, O’Neill.”
Jack held out his hand and clasped forearms with Rak’nor. “Tek’ma’te. How are you, Rak’nor?” Not much for small talk, at the moment, the Jaffa warriors led the way back to the village.
“Jack, how’s our girl?” Jonathan asked. Jack reached into a pocket and pulled out an envelope. Jonathan began looking at pictures, smiling as he passed them to Shara.
“The little one is walking and getting into everything,” Jack said. “And the big girl is dating Josh Reynolds.”
Jonathan glanced at Col. Reynolds.
“He’s a good kid,” Reynolds insisted.
“Yes, he is,” Jack said, giving Reynolds a pat. “I agree. She’s been smiling and humming, lately, so let’s see where it goes.”
As they came nearer to the village, more off-worlders could be seen. It wasn’t only Jaffa who were gathering for the impending death of Bre’tac.
“Where is he?” Jack asked Rak’nor. The man led him to Bre’tac’s home where there were many people waiting outside. Most of the women were keeping things clean and making sure people were fed, while the men talked and sparred. There were Tok’ra and Anunnaki warriors mingling with the Jaffa. Jack assumed the queen was around somewhere. He found her at the table in the main hall of Bre’tac’s house. Inanna stood and greeted Jack when he went in, pecking his cheek.
“He’s been going downhill for a while, and he began to spiral early this morning,” she told him.
“That bad?”
“A few more hours, maybe,” Enki said. Jonas Quinn was at the table, his hands wrapped around a mug.
“Jonas.”
“Jack.”
The usually amiable Quinn wasn't in a mood for small-talk, either.
“Where’s Teal’c?” Jack asked.
“Inside,” Enki said, pointing his beard toward the stairs.
Jack went up, glanced at the guards, personal students of Bre’tac, he thought, recognizing a few, and went into the room. The window was open, a light breeze blowing the curtains. Teal’c stood at Jack’s entrance. The big guy’s face was drawn into a sorrow Jack hadn’t seen since Teal’c wife had died. Jack took his forearm and then went to the side of the bed. Jack thought he was asleep, but Bre’tac opened his eyes. He wasn’t able to focus very well, but he knew Jack’s voice. Jack sat gently on the side of the bed.
“Master Bre’tac,” Jack said softly.
“Hhh…uman,” Bre’tac whispered. Jack smiled; what was once an insult, had turned into a running joke between them long ago.
“Will ya stop calling me that?” he begged. “What is this I hear about you leaving us? Who’s going to kick my ass, if you’re not here?”
Bre’tac’s hand twitched and Jack took it, locking the weakened fingers around his arm. The old man tried to say something.
“Master Bre’tac has left a request of you, O’Neill,” Teal’c rumbled. “He wishes for you to join me as nar’roog.” Jack looked at him. “It is a place reserved for close family members. To set the funeral fire and assist in the freeing of his spirit.”
Jack looked into the old man’s face. “I would be honored, Master Bre’tac.”
The gnarled hand on his arm twitched again and Jack found his hand being drawn upward. Not knowing what Bre’tac wanted, he let his muscles relax and his hand be taken until it rested on Bre’tac’s chest.
“I don’t….. do you need me to hear you?” Jack guessed. “Inside?” Bre’tac gave a small grunt which sounded like an assent. Inside, Jack found waves of anger and disgust. Behind them fear was being fought. Fear at losing a battle. Fear of the unknown.
“There’s nothing to fear,” Jack leaned in and whispered. “Remember Daniel? Remember all that he told us? All that we’ve learned? You can still fight, but you’ll be doing it someplace else. Your enemy is gone. You die free, Jaffa; you die in victory as the greatest warrior who ever lived.”
Some of Bre’tac’s pride seemed to resurface and he looked in Teal’c direction. Teal’c bowed deeply. “You will be remembered for all eternity as the warrior who conquered the Goa’uld and freed his people and the galaxy of enslavement, Master,” Teal’c promised.
Several hours later, people in the house looked up when the door opened. Teal’c and Jack stood at the top of the walkway.
“Master Bre’tac is gone from us,” Teal’c announced. “He died free, as we all may now die free.”
Jaffa left the house to spread the word as several women went upstairs to prepare Bre’tac’s body.
“We will attend him,” Teal’c said, putting a hand out to stop them. The women hesitated; it was unusual for the warriors to deal with the cleansing. Rak’nor and Rya’c directed their brothers to gather the supplies from the women and went into the room. Jack joined them.
There was no preservation of the body on Chulak. When non-Tau’ri heard about the custom of pumping the body full of chemicals, most didn’t believe it. Teal’c was horrified when he learned about it. There wasn’t much that horrified Teal’c. Jack had already changed his Living Will to prevent that from happening to him. When he was dead, he wanted to be cremated right away. Although, if he Ascends, that part of the Will will be null and void.
He wasn’t sure what to do, so he followed the instructions of the warriors while Teal’c, Rak’nor, and Rya’c dealt with Bre’tac’s body directly. All the bedding was gathered and set aside, all signs of illness taken away. Jack looked at Bre’tac’s bared stomach. The symbiote pouch was still visible, but the edges had begun to knit together. At his age, Bre’tac’s pouch would never have completely closed like Teal’c’s was doing.
Jack stepped up to the bed and reached out his hand. After years of listening to the doctors in his life, he knew some of the body’s cells continued to function for a time after death. He concentrated and the warriors stepped back, watching. When Jack lifted his hand, the pouch was sealed shut and the tattoo on Bre’tac’s forehead was gone. All signs of Bre’tac’s former slavery had disappeared. Teal’c inclined his head in gratitude while the other warriors around the room looked at O’Neill with a strange light in their eyes.
By the time they were done, SGC teams had begun to arrive. Sam, Daniel, and General Hammond, were waiting with Inanna. Sam’s eyes and nose were red and Daniel’s eyes were glittering suspiciously.
Outside, the courtyard was filled with people, all silently waiting for Bre’tac to be brought out. Ships had begun to crowd the sky. One of the ships was Tau’ri, but it was hard to tell which one at that distance.
The body of Bre'tac was lifted onto a carrier and hoisted into the air by six men Teal’c, Rya’c, Jack, Rak’nor, and two others, and carried down the stairs as everyone stood silently, making a path for them to walk through. Whispers began as people noticed Bre’tac’s changed appearance. They set him on a table in the middle of the courtyard for people to walk by and view the body. Considering how many people had already gathered, it would take a while.
Jack felt the presence of people next to him and knew Sam and Daniel had joined him, waiting for the Jaffa to view their leader before off-worlders took their turn. Teal’c stood at the front, near Bre’tac, his strong presence making it known that the Jaffa were not without guidance.
All around the village, teams from the SGC and the Prometheus, the Earth ship above, stood honor guard and continued to do so even as Bre’tac was eventually lifted once more and carried for the three-mile hike outside the village to a sacred grove used for funerals.
A pile of wood had already been formed into a pyre, with Bre’tac’s bedding stuffed in between the timber to be used as kindling. Warriors lifted Bre’tac to the top of the pyre, laying him to rest. Teal’c and Jack took the torches from two warriors and stood at the head and foot of the pyre. As one of the moons arose over the treetops, the pyre was lit.
One by one, people came forward and tossed small items or spoke words into the fire. Many warriors tossed their old, wooden training staves into the fire, sending them on with Bre’tac for him to use in his afterlife. When Teal’c indicated that it was time to leave, Jack allowed Prometheus to beam him up and he stumbled to his quarters where he crashed onto the bed. Someone came in and undressed him and slid the sheets over him. The comforting feeling told him it was his partners. His hair was stroked and his forehead pecked just as darkness fell.
A soft stroke at his cheek woke him and he forced one lid open.
“Hey.”
“….caffeine.”
Sam handed him a mug.
“I thought I just went to bed,” Jack groaned, leaning back and pulling a pillow over his face.
“You went to bed ten hours ago,” he heard her say. The pillow moved.
“I did?”
“You did,” Sam nodded. “You did a major healing and your energy was sapped with the long day.”
“Major healing didn’t bring Bre’tac back,” Jack said. She put her mouth in the middle of Jack’s chest.
“I know. Jack, removing Bre’tac’s tattoo and pouch was a kindness, but you may have started something unexpected.”
Jack looked at her and sat up, putting the pillow behind his back.
“Alright, tell me.”
“The Jaffa are beginning to think you’re come kind of ….. deity.”
Jack swore.
Sam nodded. “Yes, that about covers it. The Jaffa who know you are laughing about it. Do you know how much it takes for a Jaffa to laugh?”
Jack thought about it. “Well, that Teal’c, he’s a crack-up….”
“Where's Daniel?”
“He's walking around with his camera and recording everything. Once the Jaffa understood the concept of photography and video, they approved of Bre’tac being memorialized. People are lining up to tell him their own ‘Bre’tac’ stories. From what I hear there are some whoppers going on, but he’s getting all of it. Quite a few troops supplied him with digital chips when he ran out of his own. Teal'c approved it.”
“As long as the Jaffa are okay with it, I’m okay with it,” Jack said. “The records do not go anywhere except my office when he’s done. I will release them after I’ve reviewed them.”
“He thinks the recordings could be cut into a book and possibly a DVD, if you’ll approve. Not only historical value, but also of major interest to anthropologists and sociologists. He said something about never getting to witness a true, uncontaminated pagan rite.”
Jack tugged on Sam’s wrist and she leaned forward to rest against Jack’s chest. “Have Paul take care of the reviewing and editing; he seems to have a talent for it. A memorial would be nice. Our own stock footage can be cut in.”
“Jack?”
“Huh.”
“You need a shower.”
The SF didn’t blink when Jack emerged with Sam following behind. At least only Jack had damp hair. They beamed down to the village. Most of the visitors had left; only the Prometheus was still in orbit and that was because Jack was off-world and more than a few ships tried to enter the solar system to take advantage of Chulak’s present weakness only to be turned away at the sight of all the allied ships crowding the space.
“Sir.”
Jack saw Col. Davis standing a few yards away.
“Honeymoon over?” Jack asked.
“Yes, sir,” Paul said with a nod and a small smile. “The timing sucks a bit, though. Sir.”
“It sucks big time, Colonel,” Jack agreed as they continued to walk. “I’m glad you’re back, though.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Jack took a piece of fruit from a table as they went into the council building that they were borrowing with permission of the Jaffa council. Many of the locals were looking at Jack and whispering as they passed.
“What’s that about?” Paul asked. Sam told him what Jack did for Bre’tac.
“Cat’s out of the bag, now,” Paul said.
“I know,” Jack grumbled. “Not quite sure what to do about it.”
“Don’t do anything,” Daniel said as he came within hearing. Jack looked at him. “Just continue to be yourself. No matter what you say or do, people are going to interpret their own way, so you may as well not bother giving them any more ammo.”
“Daniel, Jack being himself is enough to give people plenty of ammo.”
They looked at the man lounging in a chair, one leg thrown negligently over the arm. Cigar smoke was blown into the air.
“I need to talk to you,” Jack said. “After the meeting.”
“Alright,” Enki shrugged, not acknowledging an order, just the request.
The room was full. The council representatives sat around the table while their attendants waited around the sides of the room. Jonathan was present as the interm-Tau’ri representative, Inanna, Jonas, Teal’c, and fifteen other worlds who could make the meeting. The sound of hooves sounded on the brick and the Mulakma representative, Atis, trotted in, his beaked head held high and proud.
“Late as usual, Atis,” someone around the table snorted.
“When one of my wives wishes my attentions, who am I to refuse her?” Atis said. There were chuckles around the room. “All of Mulakma offers condolences to Chulak.” Atis made a deep bow to Teal’c. The big guy stood and returned the gesture. “And I personally offer my sincerest wishes to the memory of Master Bre’tac. He spoke with me, warrior to warrior, and offered advice on how to speak with….. others.”
“Thank you, Lord Atis,” Inanna said, bringing the meeting together. “I believe this meeting was called by General O’Neill. Jack?” Inanna sat and offered Jack the floor. He stepped forward and placed a thin box on the far end of the table.
“Well, folks, I’ll get to the point,” he said. He smacked the box and motioned to Sam. “Bre'tac never stood on ceremony when it was time for duty, so let's follow his example. Between the mines on various planets, a generous gift from the Masharu, and the hoard from Anubis’ warehouse –thank you, Teal’c- the Tau’ri have a large supply of naquadah. Colonel Carter and her team have come up with a proposal for its usage. Sam?”
Sam got the box to work and presented herself to the room. “Our first priority, to be honestly selfish, is to get our planet’s power supply entirely on naquadah enhanced generators. We have a few cities working on it and the pollution problem is diminishing greatly. The amount of naquadah needed is minimal, however, so there is a great deal sitting around waiting to be made into ships and whatever else we can come up with. It’s the ships I’d like to talk about today.” She tapped on the control for the box and images began to appear in the air above the box.
“Cool,” Jonathan commented, leaning in closer to look at the holographic images.
“We took the technology from the Goa’uld communication balls,” she told him, pleased at his reaction. “These are plans for patrol ships,” she told the group. “At the moment, we are thinking three ships per sector, two for military, one for science and medical, with one larger… mothership, as it were… to monitor each sector. The motherships can hold a compliment of five hundred and the patrol ships will hold a crew compliment of two hundred people. Give or take. Both types of ship will have adjustable quarters for non-human crew members. Such as nest-boxes for the Mulakma.” Atis dipped his beak at her.
“And pillow rooms?” Ninurta asked.
“Pipe down in the peanut gallery,” Jack said, waving a finger at him.
“You can negotiate pillows with the ship’s commander,” Sam told him. Ninurta perked up and she shook her head. “Anyway. We are not suggesting replacing ships belonging to individual worlds; these ships belong specifically to the Unified Worlds. If any members would care to donate their ex-Goa’uld ship for an update, it would help distribute the naquadah further.”
“Sam?” Jonas raised his hand and she nodded to him. “What about worlds without naquadah? Will they benefit from the supply you are holding?”
“That will depend on the planet,” she said. She walked slowly as she tried to formulate the words she knew would be needed when the question was asked. “We will assist worlds that are full members. We can help them to advance themselves, but we will not hold their hands. I’m sure you all understand the damage that can happen to a society that is not allowed to grow on its own.” There were reluctant acknowledgments from around the table.
“Many worlds are doing fine all by themselves. Look at Langara. Believe me, I understand how frustrating it can be; there are many things that the Asgard …. and others…. are still refusing to tell us about.” She paused to look at Inanna. The queen smiled passively and sipped her drink.
“We would like to build a ship factory,” Sam said. “We need input from everyone as to a recommendation for a planet to build this factory on. Earth certainly isn’t large enough.” She toggled the computer to begin showing them schematics. People around the room began to wander closer.
“All the ships will be on exploration patrol,” Sam said. “The science ships will spend their time exploring mostly deserted cities and planets, digging up information on the culture that lived there. They will be the ones who will put together the missing pieces of the Human puzzle and to assist with planet-wide epidemics. We don’t mean to be exclusionary, Lord Atis; our world is missing a great many people. Of course the ships will be available for anyone who has a need for their services. The military vessels will be patrolling their sectors, checking in on member planets and keeping an eye on closed-worlds. Each ship will also have teams specially trained for First Contact missions.”
“Sam?” Jonathan raised his hand. She nodded at him. “Have you been watching Star Trek reruns?” The few people present who understood the reference chuckled.
“Hey, they had some great ideas way ahead of their time,” she said, wagging a finger at him. “A lot of military and medical application concepts came from Star Trek. Like Colonel Davis’ idea of the hand-held MRI.”
“And laser guns,” Jonathan agreed. Jack pointed a zat at him and he quickly ducked under the table.
“Anyway,” Sam continued. “We considered dividing the galaxy up into quarters, but decided that left too much space for pirates and others to begin occupying out of the way places. By sectioning off five patrol areas, we can cover more territory in less time and be on hand quicker in case of an emergency.” She paused and looked at the room. Everyone was captivated by the ships dancing in the air. “That’s our proposal for the Unified Worlds to approve. Or not.”
“I’m assuming that the center of this patrol would be…. Earth?” Inanna asked.
“Not necessarily,” Sam said, shaking her head. “We're pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, so it wouldn't make sense for Earth to be the center. Earth is also just another member of the UW, not in charge of it. If we can come up with a planet appropriate to our ship-building needs, we can also put in office space for the UW. That would be the center of the pie.”
“What about Dakkara?”
They looked at Teal’c.
“Where humanity was first made into First Primes,” Daniel commented from the peanut gallery.
“Indeed,” Teal’c said, giving a nod. “I would need to speak with the Jaffa Nations Council on this matter; however, I can see no greater tribute to the memory of those that have gone on before. Although the Ancient weapon on Dakkara no longer functions, the rest of the buildings do. There are plenty of rooms for office space and a large gathering auditorium. We are also excavating the sites where the Ancients built their ships. Dakkara is, I believe, made to order.”
“T, the council will need to understand that the Jaffa won’t be the overseers,” Jack said. “If they agree to allow the Unified Worlds to use the office space, it would be under our own control. They can’t just evict us when we don’t play their game. They will be donating it, in perpetuity, to the Unified Worlds.”
“I understand,” Teal’c said as he frowned. “There will be many that will not understand and will resist. Dakkara is a sacred place to all Jaffa.”
“It’s a sacred place for us, too, T,” Daniel said. “Those First Primes were from Earth. They are our ancestors, too, and by resisting the Goa’uld they saved the First World from further occupation. They will be honored for their sacrifices.
“In fact, I think a memorial of some kind should be created. Maybe a statue to stand in front of the main council building or a memorial wall showing the stages of Jaffa enslavement and development. It can be concluded with Bre’tac’s story.” He looked meaningfully at Jack and then around the table.
“Wonderful idea, Daniel,” Inanna said, reaching over to pat his hand. “Teal’c, how about telling the Jaffa council that if they will donate the planet to us, we will hire their best artist to create an appropriate memorial for the original First Primes, and the Jaffa Nation will have their own section of offices and living quarters? Will that help to ease the way between us?”
“It might,” Teal’c said thoughtfully. “Could you provide images of such memorials from Earth? I have seen a few, so I unnderstand; the others will need to see in order to understand. Memorials are not part of our culture.”
“I’ll get them for you,” Daniel promised.
There was agreement around the table and murmurs of discussion.
“Good,” Inanna declared, signaling the next order of business as Ninurta completed his notes. “For some unpleasant news. We have a complaint from citizens of Balistar. This complaint was smuggled out to us by an underground organization which says that there are quite a few missing persons. Coincidentally, these missing persons are all people who oppose their government’s action of disappearing people who oppose the government.”
“Are they still on probation?” Jack asked.
“They are,” Inanna nodded.
“Get a team in there and get to the bottom of it.”
She held up a finger to mark a point in the air. “Which brings us to something I would like to discuss with the council. As most of you know, there are a few people who are developing more advanced mental abilities. Should we set up a special force made up of these people, and if so, how do we set limits to what they can and cannot do? We may start with good intentions, but how do we keep from creating monsters?”
“How many are available to us at this time?” asked Kendra from Cimmeria.
“That information shouldn’t be made available,” Jack said before anyone else could speak. “For security reasons. We wouldn’t want someone getting hold of you and forcing you to talk. We will identify those individuals who show promise, work out protocols for them, and figure out the internal policing. As for Balistar, we can throw a team together and send them in for an inspection. Has anyone taken the liberty of starting some notes on security?”
“I have,” Jonathan said.
“Good. You can head up security,” Jack said, not surprised. It’s the first thing he would have done. “Put together a list and we’ll discuss it.” Jonathan’s eyes flashed for a moment and then settled.
When the council was concluded, Jonathan cornered him.
“I’m going to ask nicely that you stop giving me orders,” he said quietly. Jack paused.
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” he admitted. “Are you up for taking command of security?”
“I don’t know,” Jonathan said. “I’m actually happy doing some farming, teaching, and taking care of Daa’ra and Rushell, once we get her home. I don’t want to get involved in bureaucracy again. I’m doing this as a favor until Hayes can get here.”
“Well, I certainly can’t force you to do anything,” Jack said. “I think you’re bullshittin’ yourself, though. We both know you won’t be able to sit still if something happens, and we both know you’ll kick yourself from one end of the galaxy to the other if something happens and you could have prevented it. If you still need time, you take your time. I have a lot of it. I’ll ask Jonas to do psychic investigator if you’ll forward me your list of recommendations. I’d rather get the list from you.”
Jonathan gave a nod and turned.
“Hey.” He turned back. “Who’s Rushell?”
“Little girl,” Jonathan said. “She’s about six, from some small mining colony. Most were wiped out in an earthquake. She’s deaf. Enki said it looks as though her eardrums were destroyed. Don’t know if it was an accident or not, but it’s an old wound. He’s going to grow her new ones.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully. “Was she treated well?” he asked.
“Not really,” Jonathan said. “A disability in a mining colony makes for a waste of food and space.”
“Well, bring her around so we can help her forget,” Jack said. Jonathan gave a nod and turned again. “Jonathan.” Jack waited. “I’m sorry. You deserve to be a father, too.”
Jack yanked on the back of his neck as he walked through the village to find a drinking mug filled with anything. He spotted Rya’c and a few other Jaffa and joined them, crashing his head onto the table. Someone put a mug in front of him and he felt a hand caress his back before someone sat next to him.
“That was a good meeting,” Daniel said. “I didn’t realize so much had been accomplished already. Sam’s concept went over well.”
“Is it possible that Jonathan really doesn’t want to work with us in this?” Jack mumbled from the table top.
“Yes, it is,” Daniel said. “He has a different soul, remember? He could do the job, he certainly knows how, but it wouldn’t make him happy. Self-determination, Jack.”
Jack took a long drink from the mug, making a face at the raw taste of the local hooch.
“We’re getting a new grandchild,” he commented. “Little girl named Rushell. She’s deaf. Until Enki can fix her.”
Daniel reached out and examined the bowls of fruit and bread before choosing a purple sphere that he knew was sweet and juicy.
“He is happy.”
They looked at Teal’c who had come quietly to the table.
“Jonathan,” he said. “He is happy. He is no longer you, O’Neill; he has become himself. Caring for his son and his new family makes him happy. He is the center of their home.”
“Happy?” Jack looked at him. “T, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like that before.”
“Were it not for the Goa’uld, caring for our families are where we all would have been,” Teal’c said. “I wish that I had been here to watch Rya’c grow up and to help him. His mother suffered greatly in my absence.”
“Father, you were always here when I needed you here,” Rya’c said, not looking at his father who stood behind him. “You are here now. I miss mother and I wish you would have been with us when I was a child, but you are here now.”
Teal’c gave Rya’c shoulder a squeeze and took a piece of bread and cheese as Jack looked around. SG personnel strolled casually through the village with Jaffa friends, children ran and played with wooden training staves, non-human aliens wandered around greeting new friends, Grant was taking lessons in the training circle, a group of smaller children were chasing a familiar red bird through the nearby woods, Sam took Daa’ra from Jonathan’s back to hug the child, and a Mulakma was giving rides to squealing children while parents watched with slight looks of concern. Jack drank the rest of his fermented juice and leaned backwards until he was against the ground. Daniel and Teal’c looked down at him and went about their conversing with the rest of the table.
“Jack, Enki said you wanted to talk with him. He has time now, if you want,” Inanna told him. Jack got up from the dusty ground with a groan and excused himself, walking back to the conference room with the queen.
Most of the council representatives had left the meeting room to socialize and stop by Bre’tac’s home. Jack took a look around, noted those still present, and sat across from Enki.
“You need to practice the shields, Jack,” Enki told him. “You’re broadcasting very loudly. And I think I may know what’s happening with you.”
Jack was blank. “I didn’t tell you what the problem was,” he said.
“I just told you you’re broadcasting,” Enki said to the simple child. “Here’s what’s happening. You know about timelines, right? Of course you do. The closer we get to a particular timeline, the most likely timeline that we will take, the more you are picking up on it. Some timelines are nodes within time; events that happen on multiple timelines. Think about it as a live electrical current that you can sense. Remember that time doesn’t exist on the quantum level, so, in the right light, the past, present, and future are all in existence in the now. The closer you get to the future-now, the more you are able to sense its presence.”
“I’m clairvoyant?” Jack questioned, not quite believing it.
“No, just good at reading the writing on the wall,” Enki said.
Jack considered it and knew he’d have to sleep on it. For many nights. “Is that how you guys turn up at conspicuous times?”
“Sometimes,” Enki admitted with a quirk of his mouth as he re-lit his cigar. “It gets easier after a thousand years or so.”
Jack pursed his lips as he thought. “Is there anything I could have done to help Bre’tac?”
“No,” Inanna said, leaning over and touching Jack’s arm. “He was old, Jack; it was his time. Only a sarcophagus and a symbiote would have helped, and you know he wouldn’t have wanted that. He was ready.”
Jack nodded and tilted his chair back, shutting his eyes with a groan. “Alright. So how’s our boy Grant doing?”
“He’s no longer walking around and jumping at shadows,” Ninurta said. “We’re having to use a little tough-love to teach him not to intrude, but he’s learning. You were right to send him to us, Jack, he’s a walking disaster. He’s giving all of us shielding practice.”
“And if he’s unable to learn?” Jack asked.
“Then I will deal with him,” Enki said. His grave look was all Jack needed to know.
“He’s a good kid, don’t get me wrong,” Ninurta said. “He just isn’t used to controlling his own mind and this is a unique experience. He was flying a little high on himself until he caught his buddy, Jonathan, in the middle of a romp with us. It did cause him a moment of introspection, though.” There were snickers from Shara, Gibil, and Erra, and a smile from Jonas.
The men had their heads together over a list of potential security people. Considering the needs, the list wasn’t very long and contained a mostly Anunnaki contingent, with a couple of Tau’ri and Langaren names. The Furlings seemed to be guiding, but not really interfering, which meant Enki, Inanna, and Ninurta wouldn’t be on the psi-patrol.
“Did I hear my name?” Jonathan came in and added a name to the list. Ninurta summarized the conversation and Jonathan nodded. “Yes, that one did rock his world a little. He knew I was with Shara, but knowing and seeing are sometimes two different things. His spirituality makes him more open to alternative pairings than most people would accept, so he didn’t wig out.”
“Have you corrupted him yet?” Jack asked.
“Not quite,” Jonathan said. “He’s questioning himself, at the moment. He sees that it’s fun and pleasurable, but he isn’t sure if he wants to go there. I did kiss him. He wanted some empirical evidence. He admitted that it wasn’t bad. A little weird, but not bad. I related.”
“Jack? He knows,” Jonathan confessed.
“He knows what?”
“About us,” Jonathan said. Jack frowned. “He took it from my head before we got a clamp on him. In fact, it’s the main issue that made Aba threaten to wipe his entire mind and make it a blank slate. Grant’s been behaving himself since then. He slips from time to time, but he’s doing better.”
Jack strummed the table top with the tips of his fingers. “Alright. I don’t want him on security until he proves he’s completely reliable. His ethics are still in play and I want to be able to trust him.” The men at the other end of the table scratched through Grant’s name which was at the top of their short list.
“We do have someone that is almost as good,” Ninurta said. “There is a Langaren woman, Jenessa, who is able to pick up immediate thoughts. She is highly ethical and she’s been practicing for a while. Her talents are much like Zu’s in that she hears immediate thoughts the way he sees immediate images.”
Jack looked at Jonas. “She’s from a small mountain community,” Jonas said. “She’s their local wise-woman. When she heard what was going on with the Unification, she came in and introduced herself to me. Said the ancestors told her to do it. I wasn’t going to argue with the ancestors.”
“Her heart is an honest one, Jack,” Enki said. “We approve of her. In fact, she’s been helping with Grant. She actually whomped him on the head a couple of times when he slipped.”
“She reminds me a lot of Mom,” Jonathan said with a smile.
As their security list was negotiated, Jack signed off on several reports handed to him by Ninurta. Pirates had begun taking advantage of worlds unsupported by Goa’uld masters and the new UW had stepped in a couple of times to chase the pirates off. Jack told his security boys that they also needed to come up with a prison planet; scattering the flies won’t do anything except bring them back to the feeding ground. A prison planet needed a court of law. Jack felt a headache coming on and understood Jonathan’s bureaucracy comment.
Inanna recommended a high court of twelve legal experts from membership planets. Member worlds could have the choice of prosecuting in their own courts, each world being under their own laws, for the most part, or they could request a trial by the high court. Jack was finding new respect for the Founding Fathers of the US.
Another problem they would need to deal with was the Aschen pirates. The group in a far corner of the galaxy was slowly growing as they captured worlds. The report said that one of these worlds had entered a zero-population growth. Jack made a note to have Landry send a team to check it out, and to have someone check out the planets in Aschen space and see if any would be supportive of a UW outpost.
He signed off on a list of new member worlds, pausing as he noted Edora had signed the treaty as a protectorate. He signed them in. Many worlds with under a million citizens had agreed to the treaty. Many had not. Earth didn’t have a perfect record with some of those worlds, and others were either xenophobic or simply wanted to be left on their own and attempt to go it alone. The Unified Worlds would keep an eye on those and wait for a signal that they would be open to talks once more.
Many other abandoned planets, whether to extinction of the race or to disease and pollution, had been claimed by UW teams for future colonization. Science teams were excavating whatever the previous civilization had left and any diseases that were still present were being treated with new anti-viruses. They were then left to the natural forces of the planet until they were needed.
Hanka, Cassandra’s homeworld, was one of those planets being decontaminated. All of Niriti’s toys needed to be rooted out before anyone would be allowed to live there. Technically, Cassandra was the ‘owner’ of the planet, being the only survivor of the colony. Jack made a note to see if she wanted to do anything with it; knowing her, though, he was sure she’d look at him as though he were out of his mind and turn the planet over to the UW.
Hands slid over his shoulders. They reached down over his pecs and to his stomach. Jack halted the hands before they reached any lower.
“We can either go home and have sex or I can drag you out into the forest and bend you over a log.” There were snickers around the room as Daniel nuzzled Jack’s neck.
“I recommend logs,” Shara commented.
“Yes, they do have their uses,” Jonathan agreed. The others also murmured their agreements.
“Oooooh,” Shara paused, his eyes widening. “Over the lower rim of the Stargate.”
“That could be a rush,” Erra agreed. “Who knows when someone will dial in?”
“Especially a busy Gate like the Chulak Gate,” Shara said. “Why didn’t we think of that before?”
“Wait until the guests are gone,” Inanna told the boys. “You’ll scare some of them.”
Daniel tipped Jack’s head backwards and pecked his mouth upside down. “Ignore those reprobates,” Daniel told him. “If you are done signing that thing, let’s go. One would think that with all their talents, one of them would have learned to forge your signature.”
“Actually, he has a very easy signature,” Ninurta said. “I do have a few manners, though.”
Jack signed the remainder of the reports and handed the tablet back to Inanna.
“Alright,” he sighed. “Since I’m a kept man, I suppose I should pay for my upkeep. It’s a chore, but someone has to do it. I’ll take one for the team.”
“Just one?” Daniel asked. “And here I had gone out and bought flavored oils.”
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