Continuing Stargate

[Choo1701]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

BOOM!!!! This has been a fantastic ride!

*cough cough* WAY ahead of yah SG18! See:

Oh, OH! you know what THIS means!!! THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

[Steelbox]

I actually rewrote that; the only time so far I've gone back and actually changed part of an episode like that. Now the canonical ending is that Sam was thinking back over Jack's death and a wind blew past, similar to how Jack felt a breeze right after Daniel ascended. You can take from that what you want.

Well, a bit of hope doesn't hurt.

[s09119]

SG-1 makes contact with the long "Forgotten"

The team investigates the disappearance of a Free Jaffa fleet on the edge of the galaxy--and uncovers a secret buried for over a decade. If they don't tread carefully, however, the discovery may turn into the beginning of another tragedy to scar the galaxy forever.

"Forgotten" will not feature any notable guest stars, barring spoilers.

[JamesPeterson]

Only three left? Wow, it feels like it's been going on forever now.

[s09119]

16x18 "Forgotten"
Synopsis: A Free Jaffa exploratory group goes missing in the vicinity of a deployed SG-1, prompting them to investigate the disappearance. What they find, though, is nothing like they could have foreseen.

Spoiler:

((30 second recap of "Between Two Fires," "Threads," and "The Parting of Ways, Part 2"))

Flying through hyperspace, a Free Jaffa exploratory group is making its final preparations for dropout to sublight. Prepared for long-term reconnaissance rather than combat, the fleet has only a single ha'tak mothership, the others being al'kesh and a variety of mid-size Goa'uld vessels. On the main ship's bridge, the commander of the expedition is going over their logs so far; they departed from Dar Eshkalon a month after the Der'kal withdrawal and struck out through the galactic core. The System Lords had extensive records on the region, but they were, of course, lost when the old order fell. The Jaffa have been working with the Tok'ra to reconstruct a complete map of the galaxy, but it's been slow going with one conflict after another. They snuck past the kingdoms of a few alien warlords and catalogued the changes in planetary habitability in systems conquered by the enemy from the start of the war. It's work that desperately needed to get done, and it should be instrumental in picking up the pieces now that they have some peace.

Checking the navigational computer to make sure they're approaching the correct coordinates, the commander gives the order for his fleet to exit hyperspace, and a window forms just ahead inside the tunnel. One by one, the dozen and a half ships decelerate, and come to a stop in deep space. Directly ahead of them is a massive gas cloud, bristling with electrical arcs that discharge every few seconds. Approaching slowly, the Jaffa fleet attempts a number of scans but is unable to penetrate the radiation and general distortion. Nevertheless, the commander reasons that they were sent here to explore, so he orders his personal vessel and a handful of al'kesh inside. The other ships are given orders to monitor as best they can and await further orders until they return.

The ha'tak and its escorts maneuver around areas of high discharge and slowly, very slowly, make their way toward the center of the cloud. And slowly, very slowly, something begins to appear in the distance. A moment later, the fleet commander rises to stare, surprised, at the lush planet here within the mists. There are wide mountain ranges and winding inland seas, and he turns to his helmsman to order a scan. This is something truly unprecedented in terms of Jaffa astronomy, and it would make for a fascinating study if they can land ships to investigate. They should get a scientific team down there, though in the long run, such a study would be better left to the Tau'ri given their experience with biological sciences. Suddenly, a blast of white-blue energy speeds past the pel'tak, very nearly missing the shields and a nearby transport. The commander, confused, asks what just happened, but the sensors aren't picking up any nearby vessels or anything from the planet. Then, in the span of just a few seconds, dozens more blasts lash out, targeting every ship within the cloud. The al'kesh are vaporized in a single hit, and the mothership's shields fail almost immediately. It can barely prime its sunlight engines for an attempted retreat before it's blown apart.

Outside, the remaining Jaffa ships have been waiting for over two hours for their commander to return. The officer left in charge decides that they should go in to investigate, and the remnants of the fleet begin their entry, unknowingly ensuring their quick and untimely deaths.

The next day, on Earth, there's an unscheduled offworld activation from Chulak, unexpected as a delegation from the Progressive Party just left. Tapping his radio, the gate technician on duty calls for Dr. Talbot, interrupting an intense sparring session in the downstairs gym. Landing a roundhouse on a marine, the ISGC commander spins around and delivers a follow-up kick that knocks him back into the wall. He dodges to the side and knocks away a flurry of punches, then sweeps low and trips Danielle before she can regain her footing. The soldier tries to end the fight by putting a kick at her head, but she grabs the foot and and uses her position to yank him to the floor. Before either one of them can strike again, though, the radio is heard crackling, and a nearby officer passes along the message; they have a visitor. Breathing hard, Talbot and her opponent grab their towels, exchange a few friendly barbs about the fight, and head for their respective showers.

Not ten minutes after, Danielle runs her hands through her hair and walks into a conference room where a Jaffa statesman is sitting expectantly. Taking her own seat, asks to what they owe this unexpected pleasure, and their guest explains that he's not sure how to begin. As his government outlined in a recent report to the United Nations, a Free Jaffa exploratory fleet has been mapping the former Der'kal Empire for some time now. It reached its latest point of interest just under 24 hours ago and, per usual, began a thorough investigation. That was the last time they received any word from the fleet, and all attempts to hail them since have failed. They need confirmation as to what happened, and they've already dispatched a battle group to try and make contact, but it will be some time until they arrive. In the interim, he knows that SG-1 is on a mission in the area, presumable on one of Earth's battlecruisers, and he's here to request Talbot divert them to the fleet's last known coordinates. It would once again put the Jaffa in their debt, as there are many good men and women missing, something the politician is sure Danielle has faced in the past.

Soon after, the MBP-305 Jupiter receives an urgent message from home, which Col. Samantha Carter has put through to her headset immediately. She listens for a moment, replies in the affirmative, and gives the order to jump into hyperspace before leaving the bridge to find SG-1. Daniel and Vala are leaving the mess hall when Sam runs into them, with Jackson desperately trying to draw her into a conversation about staying on the team ("Dual"). Waving them down, Carter says she needs them up on the bridge to discuss their latest assignment from Earth. The two of them set their personal issues aside--for now--and tell her where they can find Eaton and Mitchell in the rec room, then trail after the Colonel as she heads off.

When they eventually drop out of hyperspace before the expansive gas cloud, everyone has been brought up to speed and is on high alert. The scanners don't reveal any sign of recent activity in the area, and there isn't any wreckage nearby to suggest the Jaffa ships were destroyed. Of course, it's possible they went into the cloud itself, but Carter isn't sure she wants to head in there when their sensors can't make any penetration. They're not talking about decades-old ships that went missing, after all, as these were freshly-built craft with all the latest advancements. For them to just vanish like this is, frankly, a little disturbing. Looking over the scopes, Vala admits that it's not much to go on, but if they want to find out what happened, they don't really have much of a choice. Nodding in agreement, Sam reluctantly gives the order to move in, muttering that she has a bad feeling about all this.

As the 305 pushes past the first tendrils of gas and into the cloud, Eaton points out the various electrical arcs flashing between areas of high and low density up ahead. One of them slams into the forward shields, but it only knocks a single percentage point off the overall charge, nothing to worry about. Still, it's something to watch out for given how the surrounding gas seems to be causing fluctuations in their capacitor output. The ship charges on all the same, meeting little resistance, until there's suddenly another flash on the shields. The crew checks the scanners, but there's no sign of another electrical discharge having hit them. The cause of the burst remains a mystery for a moment until something floats past the bridge window, causing everyone's stomach to drop; debris from a Goa'uld mothership.

Daniel looks around nervously, asking if maybe they should pull back and reassess the situation before continuing, but then the proximity alert blares. What would appear to be an Earth-sized planet is emerging from the mists ahead, and there's already a semi-circle of space debris forming around it, all of clearly Jaffa origin. Now the rest of the team is wondering if they should withdraw, as well, when a blue energy blast arcs out of nowhere and slams into the shields, dropping power nearly a full five percent. The whole bridge shakes violently, and Samantha shouts to ready battle stations as additional bursts begin firing from the planet with deadly speed and accuracy. The shields are dropping wildly, but they can't get a lock on anything on the surface that could be the source because of all the interference. Mitchell suggests launching F-302s to get down there and get an up-close look, but their power is failing so quickly it likely wouldn't matter. Whatever's hitting them, it's doing an incredibly effective job.

Outmatched, Sam gives the retreat order, but Eaton, at a console, shouts that they don't have enough remaining shield strength to get out of range before they start taking hull damage. The Jupiter's an impressive warship, but there are just too many energy blasts hitting them simultaneously, and the crazed capacitor fluctuations are only exacerbating the problem, getting too little power to the different shield emitters. Desperate, Carter sends out a message on all frequencies announcing her name, rank, ship, and mission in a plea for mercy. She doesn't expect it to do them any good, but there's a chance that whatever they've run into can understand the term "come in peace." Then, quite unexpectedly, the barrage stops, leaving the ship with just enough power to keep the shields raised.

There's a long moment of silence, then the communications officer announces that they're receiving an audio-only message, presumably from the planet. Still a little shocked at the show of restraint, Sam has it patched through the bridge intercom. Speaking somewhat softly and hesitantly, a strikingly familiar voice asks for confirmation that the woman addressing them is, in fact, Col. Samantha Carter of Earth. Growing more confused, Sam confirms, repeating that she and crew of the UNS Jupiter mean them no harm and were merely exploring. She follows by asking who she's speaking to and why they apparently have such an interest in her, personally. As far as she knows, Earth has never explored this particular region of space.

Now the transmission request widens to include video, and it's quickly granted. The team and crew turn to the main monitor, waiting anxiously, when a middle-aged man's face appears. At first, Mitchell, Eaton, and Vala don't see anything particularly out of the ordinary in this, but they notice that Daniel is staring with his mouth completely ajar. And behind him, Sam has stood in shock, her hands trembling slightly at her side. The newer members of SG-1 don't realize it, but staring back at them is one of their oldest allies, long since thought dead; scientist and part leader of the Tollan people, Narim.

(Beginning of "Forgotten," see next two posts for more.)

[s09119]

(More of "Forgotten," see previous post for beginning and next post for end.)

Spoiler:

After some rather stunned explanations on both sides, Narim suggests that SG-1 come down to speak with the Curia, ruling body of the Tollan, on the whole matter. As several of their ships emerge from the cloud and approach the Jupiter, he offers to have a shuttle sent to ferry them to the planet's surface. Instead, Carter asks for a landing zone big enough for the ship to touch down and see if they need to effect repairs. Not that she doesn't appreciate the offer, but her first priority needs to be the safety and well-being of her crew, and she needs to be certain they didn't sustain any major damage. Narim takes a moment to check with someone offscreen, then has some coordinates transmitted that should be appropriate; a small valley a ways from where he is now. He can head out there now to meet them, and warns Samantha to be careful of the interplay between the cloud and the atmosphere when descending. With that, he smiles at her warmly, expressing a sincere happiness at this turn of events, and cuts the connection from his end.

Not wasting any time, the MBP-305 begins its approach, easing through the upper atmosphere and angling for the spot Narim suggested. Off in the distance, Daniel points out a sprawling cityscape gleaming in the afternoon sun, impressed by how massive it would appear to be. Equally impressed, Cameron asks if, when they've touched down, someone can fill in the gaps of his knowledge of the whole Tollan thing, and Sam says she'd be happy to. Just as soon as she can finish processing that they're not all dead, anyway.

In the indicated valley, more than large enough even for the massive Earth vessel, a group of ground transports is coming to a stop. Stepping out of one, Narim looks up just in time to see the clouds part to make way for the Jupiter, clearly shocked by its size and design. The helmsman deftly slows them down enough not to cause too much wind for their friends below, then steadily lowers the craft to the ground with a loud thud. Tapping the radio on his arm, their host asks if they need to get a boarding ramp for the Tau'ri to disembark, but Sam just laughs and tells him that they've come quite a ways since they last met. Frowning, Narim doesn't understand what she means, then steps back in surprise when a transport beam materializes SG-1 and Col. Carter right in front of him. Taken aback, he welcomes them to New Tollana

Looking her over in the flesh for the first time in a decade, he does his best to hide the tears in his eyes. Embracing her, he whispers that he thought the day would never come when their people would be reunited. Not sure quite how to respond, Sam returns the embrace before pulling away, motioning to her ship and explaining that Earth has risen to become one of the foremost powers in the galactic affairs. They've managed intergalactic hyperspace travel, have built among the most-powerful warships ever seen, and have inherited and begun perfecting technologies from the Asgard, Nox, and Ancients. They're no longer the newcomer race unsure of itself as it did its best to survive, they're a part of the power that has come to replace the System Lords in the Milky Way. She's sure, though, that all that will come as shocking to the Tollan, who last knew her people as so "primitive" that they couldn't be trusted with even relatively simple advances such as fusion generators.

All of a sudden, Mitchell notices that the other Tollan are eying them with looks of confusion and, in one or two cases, outright suspicion. Even Narim seems a little put-off, beginning to ask for clarification when his communications device chimes. He apologizes and turns away to take the call, letting SG-1 talk amongst themselves for a moment. Rebbecca thinks this is an incredible opportunity to restore a spot in the Alliance that has been absent since the loss of the Nox (“Pyrrhus”), and to a lesser extent, since Hebridan fell years ago (“Inroads, Part 2”). These people are among the most advanced human groups ever encountered by the ISGC, and they proved to be a valuable ally in the early war against the Goa’uld. They have a chance here to really bolster galactic defenses and obtain some previously undocumented technologies that might have been developed here in hiding. The other quickly agree, but Cameron’s still feeling a little put off by the sudden tension in the air. They need to get to the bottom of that before they move onto anything else. For now, though, they’re happy to join their hosts in the vehicles for transport into the city.

As they pass by the outskirts and move onto streets in the shadow of skyscrapers, Narim explains that the city has no name as of yet. Instead, it has various districts named for many great leaders of the Tollan people; the administrative center they are heading to now is named Omac, after the expedition leader SG-1 helped rescue years ago on their original homeworld (“Enigma”). As they may recall, he had some disdain for Earth and its lack of advancement, but he held a deep respect for what Stargate Command was trying to accomplish. And, more importantly, he died in an attempt to preserve the honor of the Tollan when the remaining members of the Curia voted to betray their offworld allies to save themselves. It is for this that he was given such a posthumous honor. Gazing out, Sam points out the massive ion cannons placed in concentric circles in and around the settlement, noting that their design is larger and more streamlined than the ones originally seen on Tollana and now part of Earth’s own defense grid. Narim nods, saying that a revamped cannon design was the first thing they did after arriving here. It works on an entirely different frequency from the previous model and utilizes a reworked plasma ionizing process. In addition to possessing a significantly longer range and greater firepower, it should be virtually impossible to circumvent as Anubis did.

As they arrive in front of the impressive government complex, that reminds Daniel to ask a question that’s been nagging him for some time. They must have dialed Tollana a hundred times after the Goa’uld attack (“Between Two Fires”), so how did the Tollan survive? Their ships were being shot out of the sky before they could land, the stargate was knocked out of commission… he just doesn’t see how they could have gotten out of there. Leading them up the steps, Narim sighs, not wanting to relive that awful day, but does so anyway for their benefit:

Their long-range communications grid was destroyed as he attempted to apprise Earth of the situation, leaving them cut off from their allies. But by that point, they’d damaged Tanith’s forces enough that he had to withdraw and regroup. They used the opportunity to bring in what surviving transports they had, leaving behind everything else. A fusion bomb detonation ensured that nothing of their settlement there would survive for the Systems Lords to scavenge, then they made the jump into hyperspace for a random set of coordinates on the edge of the Milky Way. They spent the next year searching for a new place to call home, and eventually happened upon this place. The gas cloud surrounding the planet and its three moons makes them essentially invisible to the rest of the galaxy, and it made for a perfect location to hide from the Goa’uld and rebuild. They didn’t dare attempt to make contact with Earth or the Nox, they were too terrified that their defenses would somehow be lacking and the message would be intercepted, leading Anubis back to finish the job.

Now Narim leads them down the halls to a domed chamber where members of the Curia have been assembled to meet with SG-1. Looking around, Mitchell finally asks why they were so afraid of the Goa’uld coming back when they’ve mostly been dead for years, and suddenly the looks of distrust return. The council members whose faces lit up upon the doors opening are now taking a step back to glance at one another warily, and again, even Narim appears ill at ease. Confused, Sam steps between the two groups and asks what’s going on here; as Cam said, the System Lords haven’t been a real force in galactic affairs for quite some time. They were knocked out of power during the Replicator invasion (“Threads”), and the Tollan certainly have nothing to fear from the new Interstellar Alliance. One of the Curia members just scoffs, though, asserting that they’ve picked a rather odd time to tell them that the Goa’uld are no more. Waving at a nearby display, he points to an image of a ha’tak and several al’kesh that appears, asking how Carter would explain these ships appearing above their world a mere day before.

Trying to think of how to present a history of what’s happened concisely, Daniel explains that the ships used by the System Lords were inherited by a number of groups, but most of them went to the Free Jaffa Nation. After leading the rebellion against their masters, the former slaves established what has become the largest and arguably most important government in the galaxy, and it was their ships that happened upon New Tollana. They were merely exploring, and while he can understand the Tollan’s reaction to their presence given their history, they meant no harm. It was a tragic misunderstanding, that’s all, but he assures them that the Goa’uld really are dead and gone. Unfortunately, the Curia don’t seem to buy his version of events, insisting that his story’s simply preposterous. The Jaffa were primitives without any organization or tactical edge over their rulers, so it’s simply not plausible that they would have been able to overthrow them. Mitchell tries to go into further detail, but one of the councillors interrupts and suggests that SG-1 is trying to mislead them as a means to some end, probably to get their hands on Tollan technology. Desperate to keep this from escalating, Sam and Narim try to calm everyone down, but Mitchell manages to let his temper get the best of him by shouting back that Earth’s far more advanced than they are now anyway, so maybe it’s the Tollan who should be asking for human technology. Needless to say, things only get worse from there.

An hour later, SG-1 has returned to the Jupiter, leaving Carter to walk around the city gardens with Narim and discuss all that’s happened. Both of them stress how sorry they are for the argument in the council chamber, promising that it won’t happen again. Sighing, the Tollan says that this is why he never wanted to be a part of the Curia, as it’s always been prone to kneejerk reactions like this. But his position is what it is, and he has a responsibility to protect his people. Growing serious, he asks Sam if what they said really is true, that the Goa’uld are all but gone and the Jaffa an ally to those seeking freedom. Smiling, she insists that it is, and he should take the ship they arrived in as proof of that. After all, just as the Jaffa were disorganized slaves when the Tollan last saw them, did they ever expect Earth to have risen to such a level of sophistication so quickly? It’s been an extraordinary ride for all of them, but she swears it’s nothing but the truth. One day soon, she’s love to sit down with him and give him the rest of the story, but that can wait until later.

[s09119]

(End of "Forgotten," see previous two posts for beginning.)

Spoiler:

The two of them move toward a fountain flanked by statues of Tollan philosophers when Sam’s radio crackles. Taking the call, she listens for a moment before asking Narim if there’s a stargate here they can use to contact Earth and apprise them of the situation. He nods, reminding her that they’re more than capable of fabricating their own version of the Ancient device (“Pretense”), and offers its use to the team whenever they like. The only other alternative would be to move their ship out of the gas cloud to relay a subspace message, but a wormhole would certainly be simpler. He goes to take her hand--then recoils slightly when she winces, startled--and says he’ll take her to the gate complex downtown where SG-1 can join them. Then he moves on ahead, as if afraid that if he waited with her, she would try and explain why she cringed at his touch.

On the ship, Mitchell is going over the database records dealing with the Tollan and their ultimate fate, wondering if anything's really changed in all these years. As he points out, they weren't exactly the kind of people that seemed willing to help the galaxy if it meant empowering "primitives" in the process. And a lot of the human planets out there that are looking to Heliopolis and Earth for leadership fit that mold quite well. Sitting on a nearby console, Eaton admits that they could hold up negotiations aimed at bettering the quality of life on independent worlds, especially on matters of technology. But it's not as if they're any risk to go join in with the Aschen or rogue Der'kal. At the end of the day, they're good people who want to do good things, they just have a different way of going about it. Cameron smirks at her, muttering that different can be an annoyance all the same, and suggests they grab Daniel and join Carter at the stargate.

When they eventually dial out to Earth, Talbot’s exceedingly glad to hear that everything’s going alright. The news that they are still alive, and are actually thriving, is a bit much to take in at once, but she’ll read all about it in the mission report. In any event, the Jaffa will breathe easy knowing that there’s no new enemy stalking them, but they certainly won’t like confirmation that their ships were indeed destroyed. Mitchell asks if they should make any attempts at negotiations or trade agreements while they’re here, but Danielle doesn’t think that’s a good idea. She suggests they come back and let the diplomats handle that, unless, of course, the Tollan suddenly offer one of their new ion cannons as a welcoming present. Snorting, Vala doesn’t see that happening in their future, but it’s a nice thought all the same. Talbot tells them to just stay on their best behavior and try to smooth things over with the Curia. She’ll contact Chulak and see if they can get a subspace messge to the incoming Jaffa fleet before they drop out of hyperspace. She’s just glad this is going to have a happy ending, then cuts out and lets Daniel end the connection.

The five humans leave the stargate complex, a beautiful structure in the heart of the city, and decide to take a walk through the streets to see the sights. It’s a perfect day and they don’t have much to do until Narim has finished convening an emergency meeting of the Curia, so Sam suggests they make their way back to the gardens she was at earlier. They set out expectantly, but don’t get very far before a loud blaring noise suddenly fills the air. Looking up, Rebbecca points to the closest ion cannon, suddenly swiveling from its neutral position to take aim high in the skies. Every other emplacement in sight is doing the same, and an energy shield raises over the sprawling city. Not sure what’s going on, Carter pulls out her radio and asks her crewfor some heads-up, then frowns and taps her earpiece when she hears nothing but static. The others try their own radios to no avail, leading Mitchell to guess that the shield is causing interference; they may have had to modify it from the usual shield frequency because of the cloud’s radiation, that could explain why the signal can’t get through to the ship.

Deciding that Narim will have the answer, Sam leads the team back to the administrative building. They’re led to the Curia chamber, where the members of the council are watching a holographic representation of over two dozen warships in orbit with apprehension. There are quite a few ha’tak and al’kesh, and Daniel realizes with a sinking feeling that this must be the battle group the Jaffa dispatched to investigate. One of the councillors is shouting that they must strike now, before the enemy is able to attack. Narim is trying to persuade them that SG-1 is telling the truth about the fall of the System Lords, and that these vessels belong to the Free Jaffa, but most of the Curia don’t want to hear it. Their civilization was nearly exterminated by Goa’uld motherships once, and he won’t allow it to happen a second time when they can help it. Hoping to resolve this peacefully, Mitchell asks them to just open a channel and confirm that there are friendlies up there, but Carter reminds him that the cloud interferes with communications. That’s not possible except at extremely short ranges, and even if the Tollan battlecruisers were to approach to try and talk, the Jaffa would likely interpret it as an attack run and open fire.

The only thing Sam can think of would be to let the Jaffa see that Earth is here and is a friend of this planet, and without the ability to use radios or transport beams in orbit, she can only come up with one way to do that. Turning to the Curia, she asks that they lower the shield around the city to allow her to contact the Jupiter. If she can get in touch with her people, they can launch their ship and get between the “enemy” fleet and New Tollana. If they’re telling the truth and these are allied Jaffa, it will at least alleviate tensions so they can open lines of communications and try to clear all this up. But if what SG-1 told them really is an impossibility, meaning the ships up above belong to some power hungry Goa’uld, then she promises that their vessel will join in the defense of the Tollan homeworld and destroy the aggressors. But whatever happens, she begs them not to open fire and start a needless conflict just when the galaxy finally has a chance at peace.

In orbit, the ha'tak have begun launching death gliders to taunt the Tollan warships emerging from the gas, and a few stray warning shots are fired by both sides. Down on the ground, SG-1 knows that the ion cannon array is more than capable of shredding the Jaffa fleet in seconds, and these motherships are right out of drydock. The Alliance losses in the war with the Der'kal are just starting to be replaced, and to lose dozens more craft so soon could be devastating for security purposes. Pleading, Mitchell tells the Curia that nothing good will come of getting the Jaffa aching for revenge.

There’s a long silence in which the councillors wanting to fire glare at the ones wavering in the face of Sam’s offer. At last, Narim breaks the quiet as high councillor and orders the shield lowered on his own authority. Carter stares at him, not having realized that he was the leader of the government all along, and nods in thanks when she receives confirmation that the barrier is down. Grabbing her radio, she tells her helmsman to lift off and get between the planet and the Jaffa ships in orbit, telling him to open a channel and try to explain as soon as he’s able to punch through the interference. Now all they can do is wait, and a divided Curia watches anxiously on the hologram while the Earth vessel takes a position in orbit… and steadily, the ha’tak pull back somewhat, withdrawing their death glider squadrons and breaking bombardment formation. For now, at least, the danger of renewed war has passed.

Using the Tau’ri craft as a go-between, the Jaffa and Tollan manage a surprisingly civil discussion going over what took place. When everything has been straightened out, the latter agree to host a delegation to go over the incident in more detail in the hopes of easing tensions between their peoples. Daniel for one is glad to see such overtures, and asks if he can be included in some of the discussion, a request both sides are happy to grant. Though there was great loss of life in the explorers that were killed, an even greater disaster could have taken place had they not acted rationally, and for that, Narim is especially thankful. He promises that as soon as this is all over, he’ll see what he can do in terms of familiarizing the rest of the Curia with the Alliance. And if they respond well to that idea, he suggests he may be able to open New Tollana to trade with the ISGC. That said, however, the Tollan are the same people they always have been, and they will not give any advancements to those they deem unready, a commitment they expect Earth to respect should they become trading partners.

Samantha leaves SG-1 to hammer out the details with the Curia, though, electing to follow Narim onto a nearby balcony that overlooks the surrounding city. He smiles at her approach, then grows somber and says that he understands why she pulled away in the garden. It's been over a decade since they last spoke, and whatever feelings she may have had for him then have long since dried up. But he's thought about her every day for as long as it's been, no matter how unlikely it seemed. For whatever reason, he allowed himself to fall in love with her, and now that she's here, in person, it's difficult to accept that it's still just as impossible. He aches at all the wasted years, not only for himself, but for his people. So many opportunities lost out of fear.

Sighing, Carter tries to explain how things have changed since the old days. How she and Jack O'Neill fell in love and eventually married--and how he died to ensure his homeworld would remain safe for years to come ("Quid Pro Quo"). It's been a year and a half since then, and yes, she's finally learning to live without the crushing weight of her husband's death. But she still loves him. Not an hour goes by without Jack coming to mind and without her needing to grab ahold of something to keep steady. He was and is the love of her life. She understands the pain Narim is dealing with, but she doesn't know when, if ever, she'll be able to feel that way about someone again. Taking his hand, though, she smiles sadly and promises that she'll always be there for him. And maybe someday--maybe--this topic will come up again.

For now, however, the time has come to leave. Everyone rejoins the Curia in the main council chamber for one final exchange of pleasantries as the Jupiter lowers over the city to enable its sensors and transporter systems. Daniel promises that they’ll be back soon to keep building what they’ve started today, and Mitchell and Eaton express support for bringing the Tollan greater into the galactic fold. And just before the transport beam flashes and whisks them away, Sam reaches out and strokes Narim’s hand, smiling sadly at the thought of what could have been.

[ussrelativity]

NICE!

That was a very good one!

We're getting so close to the end now!

[JamesPeterson]

I really did like the Tollan, thought it was a shame when they were killed off. It's good seeing they pulled through.

[Steelbox]

Since Jack is dead. I hope sam does find someone and Narim is a good people. Besides Jack and Pete he was the only one Sam had some kind of fealings.

I think you miss wrote Narim as Niam, just a typo though. On the Third to last paragraph.

[s09119]

Since Jack is dead. I hope sam does find someone and Narim is a good people. Besides Jack and Pete he was the only one Sam had some kind of fealings.

I think you miss wrote Narim as Niam, just a typo though. On the Third to last paragraph.

Ah, that I did. Thanks for that, I try to keep on top of the corrections but there's so much material.

[Rudy Pena]

It was very good. I look forward to more.

[JamesPeterson]

Since Jack is dead. I hope sam does find someone and Narim is a good people. Besides Jack and Pete he was the only one Sam had some kind of fealings.

I think you miss wrote Narim as Niam, just a typo though. On the Third to last paragraph.

I liked the idea of her with Martuf more than Narim, but the man really did feel for her. I always thought it was especially romantic when you remember that Sam's the equvilient of a caveman in Tollan culture, but none of that mattered to him.

[Rudy Pena]

Hey James, Welcome back to the forum.

[JamesPeterson]

Hey James, Welcome back to the forum.

I'm still off and on a lot, just don't post much. I try to keep up with a few different fan fictions, though, and I'm really enjoying Universe. I still miss Atlantis, but it's a refreshing change.