GateWorld Fan Fic Competition Round Two:D

[EllieVee]

Story Nine

Technobabble

Spoiler:

“Hey, Carter. Are you done with that project yet?”



The General poked his head through the doorway leading to the Colonel’s lab, his face flush with hope. Looking up, Sam grimaced. She could tell that he’d been trying to be patient. He hadn’t bothered her for at least an hour, when he’d asked her at lunch what kind of progress she’d been making. Unfortunately, by then, she’d just deduced that the issue wasn’t the power source or a bad connection with the terminals, both of which had already checked out as fully functional.



“I’m sorry, sir.” Sam sat back on her stool, bracing her forearms on the table in front of her. Sighing without meaning to, she tilted her head to one side, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment before explaining. “I haven’t been able to determine exactly what the problem is quite yet. I’m still working on the initial determinates—whether all of the innards are functioning properly, or if something has just been jarred loose from long-term use or damage.”



“So it’s not a battery issue?” That had been his hope—he’d stated as much while dropping the device off in her lab that morning.



His own attempts at futzing with it (his words, not hers) had been in vain, so he’d brought it by before his morning briefing with SG-9, who had been heading out to negotiate trade relations with some planet that had abundant supplies of something important. Or so he’d been told. His mind at that moment had been on other—more important things—like how to get this contraption up and running by the time he needed it.



Carter glanced up at the clock on her laboratory wall. He’d given her a deadline of three in the afternoon. Zero hour for his meeting with Woolsey and the other delegates of the IOA.



Noting her preoccupation with the time, the General’s mind returned to batteries—or whatever those round, little things the device used were called. “You can’t just plug some more in?”



Sam shook her head. “No—like I said earlier, sir, the energy source and output is all within the acceptable range—I even placed the power packs within an alternate device in order to determine if they were truly dysfunctional even when my load indicator demonstrated that they were giving a normal output. It has to be an internal snafu. It’s definitely not, as you say, a ‘battery issue’.”



“Damn.” His disappointment showed clearly in his grimace, and in the way he raked his fingers through his perennially tousled gray hair. “Then what else could it be?”



“Well, sir, it could be anything.” She lifted a hand and brushed absently at a tic in her cheek. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she poked at a small, dark, glass object. “This, for example. This display uses a specific form of crystal technology that distorts when electrical charges or impulses are fed though the crystals. The charges formulate patterns visible to the human eye and recognizable only when light passes through them.”



Sam lifted a second, clear piece of material, turning it so that he could see. “A secondary visual interface then refracts or reflects light depending on specificity of circumstance and availability of alternate light sources, thus providing the viewer with a more clear optical experience. Change or displace anything within that process, and the entire display won’t work.”



O’Neill took a furtive step closer to the table, with its bounty of highly important and immensely breakable stuff. Reaching out, he tentatively poked a piece of the device. “What about this thing? What does it do?”



Sam immediately stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Please don’t touch that, sir.”



“Why not?”



“That’s the internal processing core—kind of like a motherboard in the modern computer.” His raised eyebrows reminded Sam of the futility of that sort of comparison. Shifting on her stool, she tried again. “It’s the device’s brains. Energy and impulses from outside switches and various kinds of user guided input are detected by the processors, and then interpreted in order to be sent on to the micro-processors and transistory units necessary to act on the information provided initially.”



The Colonel paused, gauging his reaction. From the intent concentration on his face, and the fact that he hadn’t yet plugged his ears with his fingers and begun to hum, she figured the General was still following her. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “My next course of action will be to link up the internal processing core to an alternate display type and determine if something isn’t firing correctly within the unit. Perhaps there are transistors that are malfunctioning. One simple interruption in a single interpretive process is sometimes enough to throw off the rest of the communication within the device.”



“So, you’re telling me that you need more time?” His voice sounded tired, resigned.



She paused, flicking a look in his direction. “I’m telling you that without more information about exactly how this device processes information, and exactly what you did to it to prevent it from performing its basic functions, it will take more time to determine the proper course of action necessary to repair it.”



The General frowned, his gaze intent on the multitudinous pieces of the contraption on her table. With a sigh, he looked up at her. “You know I need this.”



“I do, sir. For your meeting with the IOA.” She nodded, then returned her attention to the device, its pieces laid out in an orderly jumble on her laboratory table. “Although the purpose it might serve is questionable.”



“Trust me—it’s necessary.”



“Okay—well, then, I guess I’d better get back to work, sir.”



The General nodded, then took a step backward. Obviously reluctant to leave, he thrust his hands down into his pockets, and rocked back on his heels. “I’m sure you’re doing the best you can.”



“Always, sir.”



He nodded again, then turned and headed out the door.





----OOOOOOO----





“He’s asking for it, again.”



Sam groaned and lifted her head from the nest of her arms. Turning slightly on her stool, she angled her vision at Daniel, who was leaning casually against the door jamb of her lab, the cup of coffee in his hand completely ubiquitous. She blew out an exasperated breath. “I know. And I still don’t have any answers for him.”



“You really can’t make it work?”



“No. And that’s the thing. It’s finally completely crapped out, and I can’t do anything about it.”



Daniel’s brows rose above the frames of his glasses. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.”



“Well, I’m not perfect.” She glared at him when he opened his mouth. “And one word—just one—about blowing up that damned sun, and I’ll make you tell him that it can’t be repaired.”



Daniel grinned. “A little testy today?”



“Just annoyed.” She indicated the components scattered across her table. “Look at that mess. And he gives me—what—four hours to fix it? What is he thinking?”



“Oh, now Sam.” Daniel moved into the lab, capturing her rolling stool with his foot and shoving it toward the lab table. Balancing his coffee carefully, he lowered himself to sit, his smile carefully muted. “Come now. Don’t tell me that you’ve given up?”



She shook her head, her blond hair glinting gold in the light from her desk lamp. “I can’t do it, Daniel. It’s beyond my capabilities.”



“You’ve fixed mother ships in less time.”



“Those are pretty straight-forward pieces of technology.” She rested her elbow on the table, balancing her cheek on the backs of her fingers. “This thing is completely convoluted. It makes no sense.”



“Sam, it’s an earthbound piece of machinery.”



“Yes, and the earthbound idiots who designed it can go right ahead and repair it.” She flicked a piece of plastic with her finger.



“I think that they intend for these things to get broken and be replaced by their users.” Daniel lifted the cup to his lips, “At least that seems to be what they’re thinking.”



“Well, far be it for them to create something that will last.”



“Not that you’re bitter or anything.”



Sam’s brows lowered over narrowed eyes. “Who’s bitter?”



Daniel shifted uncomfortably on his stool. Unconsciously, he pushed himself slightly away from the table. “Now, Sam. I didn’t mean that as an insult.”



“Mm-hmm.” Her nod was decidedly sarcastic.



“Come on, Sam.” Daniel’s tone turned wheedling. “Let’s go and tell him. At the very least, it’ll get him off your back. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”



“Nope—I think it’s just time for Plan B.” She sighed again—reflecting that it seemed to be becoming a habit. Standing, she crossed to a winky blinky array that stood in the corner of her lab. Fitting her fingers under the bottom edge of the case, she popped the front panel open and swung it aside. “Which model is that one?”



“Uh—” Daniel stood and flipped the casing of the broken device over. “SP? It’s blue, if that helps.”



Sam muttered for a while behind the panel, emerging with a small parcel in her hands. “Luckily, they’re old, so I can still get them on eBay for not too much. I keep several units like this around—just in case.” She closed the panel with a snap, then crossed back to her lab table and removed the bubble plastic wrapped around the little device. “I guess I should be happy he hasn’t discovered the newer technology.”



“But then what would you do on your days off?” Daniel swirled the coffee in his cup, watching as she searched for and found a cartridge in the debris on her table. “You know you enjoy this.”



Sam seated the cartridge firmly in its place and then took a moment to gather up the components of the broken contrivance. With one last look at them, she dumped them into her trash can and then held up the replacement. “Come on, Daniel.”



Just as she was turning towards the door, a gray head popped around the jamb. “Carter?”



“Yes, sir.”



The General crossed the threshold slowly, glancing around her at the now-empty table top. “Please tell me you have good news.”



“Here you go, sir.” She held out the device, her expression the perfect mixture of triumph and humility. “Good as new.”



The General stepped forward and took it out of her hand. “Carter—you are the best. I couldn’t have gotten through this meeting without serious help.” He gazed at the Gameboy for a moment in adoration. “And you even buffed the scratch out of the front. It looks like it’s new.”



She shrugged, a defining portrait of self-deprecation. “I do my best, sir.”



“Yes, well. I appreciate it.” He held it up, turning back towards the door. As he exited, he looked back over his shoulder. “Truly—thanks.”



“No problem, sir.” She listened as his footsteps faded down the hall. Turning towards Daniel, she raised her brows. “So—need a refill? I could use a soda.”



But Daniel only shook his head, staring at her over the frames of his glasses, his cup of coffee stuck halfway to his mouth. “Sam, you are such a cheater.”



And she smiled demurely, turning towards the door of her lab. As she passed through the opening, she glanced behind her. “Come on. Let’s go.”



Daniel emitted a heavy sigh, the slow shaking of his head more of an indictment than any words would have been. “I still say you’re a cheater.”



But Sam only grinned more widely. “Shut up, Daniel.”

[EllieVee]

Story Ten

Logical Conclusions

Spoiler:

Stepping through the Stargate, Teal'c found himself rapt with the SGC once more. Then again, it had been 50 long years that he'd been away from it. Everything felt nostalgic, like remembering a dear childhood memory. Everyone was curious, some more than others and for various different reasons.


"So where's the next clue to this Ark, Jackson? Somewhere that isn't festering with rodents please?"

Mitchell had been oddly correct in his assumption that he'd go in his own words "stir-fry crazy" in such a long and arduous situation.

Daniel often asked about the Asgard Core itself, seeing if there was anything to it that wasn't available to him during his first go at it. Teal'c had learned a little about the Asgard Core as well, but not to the degree Daniel had during their ordeal.

"Not sure. I need to clear the next few sites with Landry first. Might be more dangerous than these."

Nobody asked about General Landry though, with the General already on in years, it was a simple assumption. Teal'c was glad that nobody asked.

"Dangerous? That squirrel stole my sleeping bag! What kind of animal steals a sleeping bag?"

Vala on the other hand was nothing but questions; quick, rapid-fire questions about everything from what did they eat, to whether Teal'c had ever given into the temptation that Vala knew she'd have given him. It was odd that these people knew so well how they would react in the circumstances. Teal'c related it to their shared experiences, the long road it had taken to get here.

Everyone was silent as they went to the armory to check their weapons back in. Not silent in words, the joking. teasing and friendly banter continued without pause. Teal'c had often thought of these people as his extended family, only now, they meant more to him that he'd ever have imagined. They meant more than they could understand. They were silent because Teal'c was now a large nosed mammal in the room. Something they could see, but choose to ignore.

He'd finished changing into something more comfortable, and was looking forward to a quiet meal. Many times on Odyssey did they all get together to have a feast, anniversaries of the most ridiculous nature. Having celebrated the anniversary of Cameron Mitchell's first broken bone had been an odd thing to feast over, but it helped to keep their spirits up.


Taking the tray of high protein foods, Teal'c looked around the mess hall for a place to sit. Not surprisingly, Samantha Carter was on her own at a table reading a book. She spotted him quickly and waved him over.

Hesitation. It was unbecoming, this was not the Samantha Carter he'd spent fifty years with on a silent and frozen ship. That Samantha Carter no longer existed in this universe. None of the SG-1 he'd come to know over the years existed. It was strange to see these people as he remembered them from decades past. "Samantha Carter."


Smiling at Teal'c as he took his seat, Sam sighed softly and set her book down. Staring at his plate, she slyly quipped. "Did you leave any of the cow behind?"

Teal'c shrugged and picked up a tater tot. "A balanced meal is important. Doctor Lam often comments that we do not have enough vegetables or grains." He smiled just as slyly, and recalled a similar conversation that never existed. "At my musculature, a lack of high protein foods would result in a loss of mass; dangerously so in fact."

"Sure, that's why you slop it in ketchup." Sam didn't buy it for a second.

How did she know this? How could this Samantha Carter know him that well? Teal'c found himself being forced to remain silent, fifty years was a long time and with only limited entertainment, quickly he'd learned much about his friends. "I believe it was Ronald Reagan who said 'Ketchup is a Vegetable.'"

Sam snorted in amusment. "It was the administration that tried that. Not Reagan himself." Seeing Teal'c’s sly grin, Sam continued with a softer voice. "Then again you already knew that…didn't you?"

Another thing she shouldn't know, how Teal'c had learned to make his friends laugh with his unique perspective and view of their world. Unable to give her a proper reply, Teal'c simply quirked the corner of his lip up and popped a tater tot into his mouth.


Snickering softly, Sam picked up her book again and continued reading and eating her small veggie plate. It only lasted a few seconds, as when the sergeant who was at the table next to them left, Sam set the book down again and looked at Teal'c pensively. "Teal'c?"

Teal'c looked up and acknowledged her. It was strange to look into a face he hadn't seen in 50 years. She had retained most of her ageless beauty in that time. The medicines the Asgard Core created were partially to blame, but Teal'c didn't care.

Sam took a long and deep breath through her nose then spoke softly but confidently. "I know you aren't going to tell me anything that happened on Odyssey. But I've been doing some thinking and I've come to a few logical conclusions."

She was quite adamant, and Teal'c could see that she had indeed been thinking about it. Teal’c decided to try and "skirt" the issue as O'Neill would say. "Oh?"


Seeing that Teal'c was giving her leeway to speak, Sam put it all out. "Well… I've always wanted to learn the Cello. I can't see myself working for fifty years on a problem without taking some time for myself." An incredulous narrowing of his brow and Sam chuckled. "Okay okay, maybe not for the first few years.

Teal'c resisted his chuckle. To laugh would just confirm her suspicions, exacerbate the situation. No, the only thing he could do was remain silent, never again speaking of the knowledge he had.


Sam continued. "And well… after the Cello, I really think I would have started writing. I've spent so much time out in the field that I've never been able to write down my thoughts. Actually, I might have done that before learning the Cello.

Again, she was correct. Teal'c recalled often seeing Samantha typing furiously on one of Odyssey's computer consoles. When the time had come to send him back, she had been torn over whether to send her many books worth of material through. She had decided not to in the end, preferring to not burden her younger self with visions of what could have been. It seemed to have been for naught though, as Teal'c now listened to said younger self pick it all apart from little more than a logical examination of her personality and experiences.

Seeing that Teal'c wasn't going to reply, Sam continued her guess work. "Well… I'm guessing it took a few years to learn the Cello and I probably got really grouchy with all the writing. So I know I would have learned to cook." Seeing the slight tension in Teal'c eyes, Sam knew instantly it was the truth. She wasn't going to let him know his body had betrayed him and instead pushed on. "I'm guessing Cameron must have helped with that. We might have even come up with the perfect macaroon recipe.


That was a long time ago, around the time his friends had begun to accept their lives. Teal'c had always been there to support them, and on more than one occasion, he'd sworn he needed an extra dose of tretonin after trying some such kitchen creation. Still, he said nothing.

"I'm guessing we made you taste them all. Vala and Daniel too." Sam wanted to ask about Vala and Daniel, but she knew it was better not to pry, so she instead moved on to the less pleasant aspects of her thoughts. "I also know that I probably stuck to myself a lot. I was the only one who knew how to use the Asgard Core properly. I'm sure the others learned, but they wouldn't have gotten into the meat of programming the shut down code."

Many times Teal'c had found Samantha… the one who didn't exist anymore, in her lab, a pot of tea brewing, soft classical music playing, and the silent snores of her exhaustion. She'd often chided him when he found her like that, but never seriously.

"I don't know if I could take that. I mean… obviously somehow I pushed through, we wouldn't be here if I hadn't, but…" Sam froze. This was the hardest part of the entire conversation. She'd taken weeks to figure this out. She'd examined every shred of evidence, whether hard or circumstantial but there was no denying it anymore. "…but I get the distinct feeling I should thank you.”

To this, Teal'c simply could not remain quiet. "What for?"

Sam smiled almost ruefully, it was something she'd always known subconsciously, but only recently had it really become clear to her. "Because I know you were there for me. You always have been." Sam didn't push it any further, she knew Teal'c understood sub-communication and this was about as sub as it got.


Teal'c didn't dare say anything. Few things had ever gotten under his skin like this. Samantha had quite simply deduced it from logic. Something he should have anticipated, something they both should have anticipated. How many times had he found her in her lab, silently having a small emotional moment? The whole group had had them, but none liked to talk about it.

She had often griped about being carried, but the times Samantha had worked herself ragged, sometimes for no reason but to become so tired that she could sleep without dreaming of her home… Teal'c never mentioned it to anyone, keeping it silently between themselves as he'd take her to get much needed sleep.

Fifty years was a very long time for such a friendship, and on more then one occasion, Teal'c had done exactly what Sam was now implying. He was… there for her. It had taken a long time for it to happen, and when it did, neither really said anything. It was one of the few things Teal'c still cherished from his memories… memories of something that never existed. But didn't it? He could still recall the smell of her hair, the feel of her hand as she pushed him away or pulled him closer in those dark moments that she lost her control of her silently brewing emotions. Truthfully did it matter anymore? Was there any reason to tell Samantha Carter just how he felt? How they had both felt?

Teal'c finished his last tater tot and picked up his tray. Sam looked at him almost expectantly, and Teal'c had finally thought up an answer. "You will not enjoy the ending of the book you are reading. Good day, Samantha." Silently, Teal'c walked away.


Sam took a few deep breaths, and knew that she'd been right. It had been a little awkward to think about it. Especially given that Cam and Daniel would have been there as well. But logic and experiences didn't lie, and Sam knew she'd come to the right conclusion. Turning back to her book, Sam read another two sentences and put it down.

If she read till the end, she'd know what Teal'c had meant with his parting comment. Did she truly want to know? Was that even what Teal'c had meant? What if her finishing this book meant that she hadn't trusted what he just said, Teal'c would never lie to her. God, this was the most infuriatingly complex situation she'd ever found herself with. Teal'c had been adamant about not revealing anything, but in his sub-conscious method of communicating with her, had he given her one morsel of a future that no longer existed?


Staring at the book now, Sam wondered. Should she? Sam sat there for a long time, completely unsure of anything now. It was just like Teal'c too, to say so much with only a single lateral sentence. Daniel's comment of Teal'c being deep had been right, but Sam didn't think Daniel truly understood that now, none of them did.

Taking another long and deep breath, Samantha got up and left the book on the table. She was going to assume that Teal'c had trusted something precious with her, and now she was going to trust him.

[puddlejumperOZ]

Entries are now closed on Sunday 9th of May New York time, thank you everyone who has entered and good luck to all. The poll should be up today hopefully

Voting rules. You can enter three votes for your favourite stories, simply click on the three that you like the most. The system is not faultless, and hopefully as we are not supposed to know who wrote what, the results will be much fairer to everyone. As before, a sig has been made for the Round Two winner.

[EllieVee]

Note that 11.59 pm New York time is:

1.59 pm 10 May Sydney time, so you still have a few hours.

[EllieVee]

Story Eleven

Getting Recognition… Finally!

Spoiler:

- Takes place during Season 4 episode ‘Prodigy’ while Sam is still at the Academy, let the fun begin… hehehe


“At this time I would like to once again invite Major Carter up here to share some of her insights. I’m sure that you all remember that the Major is also a Theoretical Astrophysicist and as such has quite a lot to offer on the subject,” the professor finished, making his way off to the side while Sam stepped up to address the class.

Before she could start to talk, she heard one off the students mutter “What?”

“The professor said that I’m a Theoretical Astrophysicist,” Sam replied, pausing momentarily while she considered something. “Actually I was a Theoretical Astrophysicist, now I am quite confident in saying that I am just an Astrophysicist.” As she finished, Sam quite enjoyed the look of shock on the professor’s face as the implications of what she just said sunk in.

“But Major,” was all the professor was able to say before Sam cut him off.

“No, professor, I’m tired of it. Tired of people doubting what I say because they think I have no basis for backing my statement, like you did earlier,” Sam finished.

“When did I do that?” the professor fumbled around clearly trying to figure out what she was referring to. “You are a leader in the field and I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and your accomplishments,” he finished hoping to calm down the situation.

“When we were discussing Cadet Hailey paper and how it was relevant if you account for the overlapping of multiple universes, or the multiverse, which would allow for variations in the speed of light.” By this point, Sam was on a roll and had no intention of slowing down or stopping.

“Well, how can you know if multiple universes do occasionally overlap?” the professor asked, now completely confused.

“How? That easy: multiple universes, also known as alternate universes and alternate realities, do, on occasion, overlap because I have experienced it twice in the last few years,” Sam finished evenly, with a perfectly neutral face.

For those that had been able to fully understand all of what had been said just sat there in shock, while everyone else was waiting for her to continue, hoping for something that would clue them in.

“The first time a teammate gathered intelligence from an alternate reality and brought it back to ours allowing for us to save the planet from a terrible and imminent fate and the second time a civilian ‘Doctor Carter’ and another teammate travelled to our reality where we ended up having the solution to a problem that they were facing in their reality.”

“And let me tell you, meeting and interacting with an alternate version of yourself is something that you don’t easily forget, so yes, I do believe that I am qualified to say, with certainty, that multiple universes do in fact overlap and that that part of the paper was correct.”

“On the other hand professor, not all of Cadet Hailey’s paper was accurate. She had also assumed that open wormholes allow for two-way travel and having traveled through wormholes several times per week over the last four years I can also say that that is not the case. Wormholes only allow for matter to travel in one direction, while radio waves, for example, can be transmitted both ways. Feel free to try and go the wrong way in an open wormhole, but if I were you I’d take my word on it since you wouldn’t live to tell the tale.”

“So any questions?” Sam asked, eagerly looking around the room. Strangely enough, no one had even moved since she started speaking. “No, alright then, since there is still plenty of time left I’ll go ahead and give you a quick run-down of wormholes and a few other areas that are no longer just theoretical.”

Sam took a brief moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, “So, I’ve already covered the multiverse, which are infinite in number, so the next step would be alternate dimensions, which according to M theory, states that there are eleven that exist in parallel with our own.”

“A friend of mine actually shifted to an alternate dimension thus becoming ‘out-of-phase’ with ours. Once in an alternate dimension you can still travel through wormholes but are unable to physically interact with any objects from the dimension that you came from which basically means that you can walk through walls and other solid objects. On a side note, once you have been to an alternate dimension, you can interact with anyone that is currently in the same dimension that you visited. Although to anyone else, it would look like you where talking to yourself,” Sam finished with a bit of a laugh.

“Cool!” was the only response she got from one of the students in the audience.

With a huge smile, Sam replied, “If you think that’s cool, it’s nothing compared to time travel!”

While no one could form any words, there was a collection of gasps from everyone present.

“Yea, told ya it was a good one,” Sam said to everyone’s amusement.

“Now, getting back on track: wormholes can also allow for time travel. In order for that to happen the wormhole has to be bent by a solar flare. Depending on which side of the sun the wormhole is formed, the traveler will either be transported to the past or to the future.”

“And for those who don’t know, or just can’t remember right now, a solar flare occurs when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released.”

“So, this magnetic energy in conjuncture with the Earth’s gravitational field bends the wormhole and causes it to return to the point of origin, typically Earth, thus allowing for travel through time instead of space.”

“There was also a device that accessed the subspace field that is generated as a byproduct of the wormhole and was powered by ionization in the atmosphere that was a result of a geomagnetic storm, but unfortunately the device never worked properly and trapped Earth, and a few other planets, in a sub-space field that causing everyone trapped within to relive the same ten-hours over and over again for at least three months before the device was shut off.”

“But that’s a story for another time, so to keep it short and simple, Earth is now a few months behind the rest of the universe.”

While Sam paused, someone in the class said, “If that was short and simple then I hate to find out what long and detailed is.” Fortunately for everyone present, Sam chose to ignore what she thought she heard as there were still other areas she wanted to cover, or she would have given the long and detailed version.

“Now, moving on, there was also a time where I was able to observe a newly formed black hole, and in the process made several key discoveries related to the effects that result from being in proximity to a black hole. As I’m sure most of you know, the closer you get to a black hole, the slower time becomes. While you are not aware of the change, relative to the outside observer you are moving slower than they are and the closer your proximity to the black hole, the greater the effects of the time dilation become because of the intense gravity. So while my CO experienced a very long day at work, for the rest of the planet a week had passed.”

“What was not known before this event was that the warping of space-time is created as a lensing effect in advance of the gravitational field, rather than as a result of it.”

Looking around the room, Sam paused to see if anyone had any questions, “What, you still can’t come up with anything to ask?” Sam said, somewhat disappointed.

“Oh,” Sam said suddenly, becoming rather excited, “There was also this time that I had to invent a particle beam generator to save my CO… but I don’t think he would want me telling that story so I guess it’s time for me to wrap things up.”

“Well,” Sam said, glancing at the clock on the wall, “It looks like I’m just about out of time for today. I hope that I didn’t bore you all too much.” As Sam looked around out, everyone present was literally sitting on the edges of their seats.

“As I said before, I am an Astrophysicist and have been for over four years now, because that is when I stopped working in theories and started redefining the laws of physics as we know them today,” Sam finished, preparing to leave.

“Major Carter, a question if you don’t mind?” one of the students near the front said, finally finding his voice long enough to speak up.

“Yes, of course, go on,” Sam said, happy that at least one person had a question.

“There was one thing that I was curious about: how exactly is it that you have been able to learn all of this? You never mentioned any details about where the wormholes you have been talking about were made,” the student finished.

With a huge smile, Sam responded, “Oh, I didn’t, did I? Well, I guess I’ll have to talk to a colleague of mine about explaining that in detail, after all, when it comes to the origins of the device, he really is the expert.”

And with that Sam left both the professor and students staring in awe as she made her way out of the classroom, thinking as she left how nice it finally was to be able to share the wealth of knowledge she had gained. On the other hand, explaining it to General Hammond though, was not something that would even remotely be called nice. ‘Hmm,’ she thought, ‘Maybe I’ll just have to blow up a sun and save some of our allies to smooth things over.’

[EllieVee]

ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED!

Voting rules. You can enter three votes for your favourite stories, simply click on the three that you like the most. The system is not faultless, and hopefully as we are not supposed to know who wrote what, the results will be much fairer to everyone. As before, a sig has been made for the Round Two winner.

[chrono trigger]

my fav is technobabble but i also voted for under the blue moon and logical conclusions.

[Rudy Pena]

I have voted for my 3 that I liked.

[capricaabydos]

I have voted for the 3 mini stories, that I felt like the best.