Confirming Carter Bk. 02 Daedalus Ch. 07

"Aye sir. Breaking off, perimeter in four minutes."

Interior-Daedalus Bridge, Sector 347C3

1740 Hours

"Contact the Apollo, tell them we're clear, and confirm their status, Marks." Caldwell said, He hit the comm on his armrest. "Weapons, bridge. Standby, we'll be detonating in sixty seconds."

"Aye, sir. Message away. Receiving reply." Marks said. "Message reads, 'Clear. Light 'em up.'"

"You gotta love that guy!" Caldwell said, hitting his comm again. "Weapons, bridge. Apollo requests we light 'em up. Would you do the honors please?"

"Gladly sir." There was a pause, and Caldwell heard the weapons tech say. "This is for you, Tommy." A moment later, the bridge was filled with a blinding white light.

Interior-Apollo Bridge, Sector 347C3

1741 Hours

"Jezzus! Back us away, Wilkes! Turn us into the wave, we need to take it on the bow, and reduce our profile." Lorne said as he stared at the growing orange glow coming at them. "Full military thrust! Now!"

"Aye sir, full military thrust."

"All hands, brace for impact! Repeat, Brace for impact!" Lorne said over the shipwide, trying to keep his voice calm. His fingers flew over the console on his arm rest, transferring power for the shields to the bow

They watched as the glow grew steadily, finally overtaking them. The shockwave tossed them about like a leaf in a rapids, and Wilkes fought his controls as alarms went off all over the ship.

"Get us out of here. Wilkes." Lorne said. "That was the energy wave. We may not be outside the range of debris."

"Aye sir, sublight coming online now." Wilkes said. "Military thrust not available. Moving at max sublight." Wilkes looked over his console. "Damage reports coming in. We're okay sir. Hyperdrive online and shields at eighty-five percent. Request permission to go to hyperspace, that second wave is closing fast."

"Do it. Contact Daedalus when we drop out."

Interior-Daedalus Bridge,

1743 Hours

"Message from Apollo, colonel. They got hit by the shock wave too, but report no major damage." Marks said. "They jumped to hyperspace to avoid the debris wave. They're requesting our status, and coordinates for a rendezvous."

"Give them our status, and tell them to come to us." Caldwell said as he checked the readouts on his display. "How long on the hyperdrive?"

"At least ten minutes, probably closer to thirty." Marks said as he worked his controls. "We took that hit broadside. Half the ships systems are down, including life support. Shields are at thirty percent, cloak is down. Damage control parties are on it."

"Tell Apollo to get here as fast as they can then. We're going to need cover." Caldwell said. He stood up and walked to the bridge windows. "Do you think anything lived through that?" He asked as he watched the glow in the distance start to darken and contract.

"Doubtful, sir. Given the radiation readings I'm getting, its going to be a couple of hours before we can send jumpers in to do a BDA. Maybe longer." Marks said. "We're just outside the lethal zone, but it's dropping fast out here."

Marks paused, then spoke softly on his comm. "We'll have hyperdrive in two minutes sir, and Apollo reports that they'll be on station in eight."

"Very good. Contact Atlantis. Tell then we're coming home." Caldwell said as he took his seat again. "Send the video and telemetry. We can come back, or have the Travelers do a BDA later."

Interior-Kitchen

1800 hours

"Col. Carter, we have an incoming message from Daedalus." The Ops tech said as he opened a channel.

"Understood." she said. "Have the staff meet me in the north tower conference room, we'll take it there." She paused, then asked, "Are they alright?"

"Yes, ma'am. They're on the way home, Apollo suffered minor damage, but Daedalus took a beating. They were hit by shockwaves. It looks like the blast was bigger than they were expecting. They included a databurst."

"Thank you. We're on our way."

She turned to Tammy. "Would you call Teyla? Our boys are on the way home. They're safe, but Daedalus suffered damage from a shockwave. We're going over to the north tower. They sent a databurst when they checked in."

Interior-Conference room, North Tower

1810 hours

They watched the video of the explosion in stunned silence.

"Thoughts? Anyone?" Carter asked quietly.

"Nothing lived through that." Tammy said as Samuels played the video from Apollo's perspective.

"Now I am created death, the destroyer, the shatterer of worlds." O'Neill said softly.

"Jack..."

"No, it's appropriate." He said. "Oppenheimer said the same thing at Trinity Site in 1945, when they set off the first atom bomb."

"Actually, the full quote is, 'If the radiance of a thousand suns, were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty one...I am become Death, The shatterer of Worlds.' It's from the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad-Gita." Samuels said. "That is much more fitting."

"Caldwell's preliminary reports says that there were fifty-seven hives, and over three hundred cruisers." Carter said. She reached out and hit the comm. "Ops, do you have an ETA on Daedalus and Apollo?"

"Forty minutes, colonel."

"Thank you." She said, then closed channel.

"Caldwell says that they couldn't get a BDA. It was going to be several hours before the radiation dropped to safe levels at the site." Carter said. "We need to have med teams waiting to check the Daedalus crew. They may have gotten some exposure from the energy wave."

"I'm not going to ask if we did the right thing, because I know we did. The Wraith have been preying on this galaxy for more than ten thousand years." Carter said. "Hell, it's been longer than that, The Ancients left ten thousand years ago, when they couldn't fight anymore. They left this galaxy open for the Wraith to plunder. Well, we just took the first step in putting a stop to that. And we're not going to back off."

"So we're declaring war on the Wraith." Tammy said, looking at Carter

Sam opened her mouth to speak, but Samuels spoke first.

"No. We don't have to. Not formally anyway. The Wraith are already a hostile force, not just to us, but to everyone in the Pegasus galaxy." Andi said. "And just to remind you, let me read from our declaration of independence."

"We have no history of oppression or mistreatment, but vow to aid others that find themselves oppressed or mistreated. We take this action because others have failed to, and we will no longer stand by as our neighbors and brothers suffer without relief. We will come to their assistance, and bring down furious vengeance upon those that bring them harm."

She replayed the video of the explosion. "This is the furious vengeance we spoke of." She said after letting it play to the end. "You may want to think about Pearl Harbor, or other attacks on unsuspecting nations. This is not what we did. We planned and executed an attack on an already hostile power, reducing their ability to bring harm to us, and to others."

"I'm not upset about what we did." Tammy said, looking at Sam. "Part of me wants to do cartwheels and scream from the rooftops. Hell, I think we should throw those guys a party like this city's never seen when they get home. But part of me is asking god to have mercy on our souls for what we've done today."

"It is good that you ask forgiveness for your deeds." Master Bra'tac said to her. "I was raised to be a warrior, and rose quickly through the ranks of the Jaffa because of my skill. As First Prime of the false god, Apophis, I committed many atrocities in his name. I knew them to be so, but weighed the cost against the greater good for my people. What was done today was an atrocity that makes my own actions pale in comparison, and my heart swells with pride. You did not do this deed for yourselves, but your people, and for all the peoples of this galaxy."

He paused and looked at Geraan, who was struggling to stay awake in Tammy's lap. "I look at you with my beautiful trankalmah, and see the love you both show for him. It is the same for all the kalmah of this galaxy, you reach out to them with your hearts, to save them from the fate that has befallen their ancestors. This is a good thing, and with all my heart, pray you continue."

"Can I keep him?" Tammy asked as she turned Geraan, laying his head on her shoulder. He put his arms around her as she leaned back, finally surrendering to sleep.

"He is not mine to give, but as long as I am in your service, I wish for him to stay under your tutelage. When he returns to the Jaffa, after studying at the feet of the warrior queens of Atlantis, he shall be a worthy leader indeed."

"I'm not a warrior queen." Carter said softly

"She's the queen, I'm just the consort." Tammy said.

"In my youth, two terms were used to describe a coward, or a warrior unworthy of the name, Ta'Ree and woman. This Ta'Ree female, this woman, is one of the finest warriors it has been my honor to stand beside in battle, as O'Neill will attest." He said with a smile as he looked around the table. "Her name is known throughout the Free Jaffa Nation. Her friends among the Jaffa respect her, and her enemies fear her. Now she stands as queen of Atlantis, chosen by her people."

He looked at down the table at Carter. "You do not wear armor, or carry a staff, but in your heart, you are indeed a warrior queen. And you must accept this, if you are to serve your people."

"We may need to change our plans for the coronation Tammy. I don't think it would be appropriate for you to read the vows to Sam." Samuels said. She turned and looked at Carter. "She should be standing beside you, taking them with you. You've told us outright that Tammy is your co-queen. Well, if you're going to give her the work, you should give her the recognition. The people that elected you will support you."

"We're being railroaded again." Carter said as she looked at Tammy.

"I don't mind, if it will keep him, and the other kalmah of the galaxy safe." Tammy said as she rocked Geraan slowly. She lifted him and laid him gently on the table in front of her. "It's worth the price."

"Col. Carter, Apollo and Daedalus just came out of hyperspace. They're requesting permission to land on the east pier. Daedalus is requesting we have medical personnel standing by." The Ops tech said.

"Bring them down. Call Dr. Keller and have her get her teams moving." She said. "Ask Col. Caldwell and Maj. Lorne to beam down so we can congratulate them."

The Ops tech came on a moment later. "They both say negative, colonel. They insist that they have to get their crews taken care of, and will brief you as soon as possible."

"Understood. Carter out."

"Do we go down there, or wait?" She asked Tammy.

"Wait." O'Neill said. "Let them take care of their people. Once they know they're safe, they'll be with us."

Interior-Kitchen

1930 hours

"Attention all Atlantis personnel. Assemble in the Auditorium at 2130 hours. All Atlantis personnel. Assemble in the Auditorium at 2130 hours."

"I just came from checking on Caldwell and his crew." Sheppard said as he cut up a chicken breast. "He has eleven people showing signs of radiation sickness, mostly from engineering and weapons control."

"And Steven?" Teyla asked.

"I'm sorry, Teyla. He's fine." He laughed as he put a piece of chicken in his mouth. "I'm not sorry he's fine, I'm sorry I didn't say anything. The bridge was shielded by the ship. If they took that wave head on like the Apollo did, they'd all be dead. We got lucky that it caught them broadside like it did. The exposure the crew got was minimal."

Teyla put her head down, her lips moving in a silent prayer.

Geraan slid down off Tammy's lap and went to stand by Sheppard's chair. He looked up at him as he put another forkful of chicken in his mouth.

"You want some of this?" Sheppard asked. Geraan nodded. Sheppard speared a chunk and held it out to him. The boy took the morsel into his mouth, chewed, then smiled broadly up at him, and ran back around the table.

"What do we say, Geraan?" Sam asked him as he reached Tammy's chair.

Geraan looked at her, then ran back to Sheppard's seat. "Dang-gu." He said, then held his mouth open again. Sheppard fed him another bite, and he ran back, climbing up on Tammy's lap.

"What's wrong with yours? Don't you like dark meat?" Tammy asked him as she cut strips off the leg on his plate. Geraan nodded, picking up the pieces as she cut them, putting them in his mouth. "So you just wanted to taste his?" Geraan nodded again as he looked at Sam's plate.

"Don't even think about it buster." Carter said as she moved her plate away from him, holding her hand over it. Geraan frowned, and Tammy laughed as she reached over and broke off a piece of cornbread, popping it in his mouth.

"What's Caldwell's mood, Sheppard?" O'Neill asked.

He pushed his plate away, then looked over at Geraan. He pushed the plate closer, and the boy pulled it over in front of him and looked up at Tammy. She looked at him, and he turned back and said, "Dang-gu."

"He was kicking himself for underestimating the blast, and because so many of his crew were injured, when I was over there." John said. "A ten gigaton warhead makes a pretty big bang in space, and we know a hive going up does too. But Daedalus and Apollo were more than a billion miles out, and that first shock wave went over them and just kept going. There was no way we could have expected that."

"I agree." Carter said. "How's Lorne holding up? Apollo had ten injuries too. Are those radiation sickness?"

Sheppard shook his head. "One broken ankle, one wrist, two arms, and six concussions." He looked at Carter before he continued. "Lorne is kicking himself too, but his helmsman, Wilkes, said Lorne was telling him to turn the ship into the wave and back away before he even saw it coming, and that he moved the shields full forward himself. He saved that ship, colonel, the logs back up Wilkes' version."

"I know. They were closer to the blast, and took less damage." She said turned and looked at Tammy.

"It's in my pocket." She said as she took a bite of coleslaw, then offered Geraan some. He scowled, and shook his head. "Taste it before you say no." She told him. He opened his mouth and took a small bite. His eyes lit up, and he opened his mouth wide for more.

"You're going to spoil that kid." O'Neill said as he looked at Bra'tac, then down at the pile of bones on his plate. He looked back at Tammy. "What's in your pocket?"

"My spoon." Sam said.

"And what is up with tha..."

"General." Sheppard said quietly. "I was the first one knighted with that spoon, and at first, it was all in fun. I offered my sword and fealty when the royalty talk was just that, talk, an inside joke." He looked at O'Neill. "It's not just a spoon, it's a symbol. One that I live for, and would proudly die for." He looked at Carter as she started to speak. "I said proudly, not gladly. If I give my life in your service, it will be with pride, not glee."

"Well said." Bra'tac said as he picked up another chicken wing. "A warrior's life is not something to be thrown away lightly."

Carter and O'Neill stared at him, then started to laugh

Bra'tac looked back and forth at them. "I do not see what you find amusing." He said as he tore the wing apart.

"Nothing old friend." Carter said, then looked at O'Neill. "John made that pledge the day I resigned, and the next day, secured Atlantis for us. Tammy had the good sense to hold onto it. I know it's the same one, because the lip of the bowl is bent on one side. It's my most precious possession, because of what it stands for."

"All joking aside, just what does it stand for?" O'Neill asked.

"Loyalty, duty, honor, friendship. All the words we want to live by." She told him solemnly. "I'm going to add two more knights to my table tonight. Men worthy of the reward."

"We need to start getting ready." Tammy said.

"John, would you go get Steven and tell him what's going to happen? I'd like each of you to stand as second's for your man. Dress is formal, so get with Andi and tell her you need suits for you, Steven, Jack and Bra'tac, unless he prefers his robes. I guarantee, she knows your sizes."

She turned to Teyla. "Your finest please, something befitting your station. I wouldn't want your fiancée to out shine you."

Sheppard tapped his comm and stood up, then stepped out into the hall. He was back a moment later. "We just got a message from the Travelers. Their scouts report that the blast zone is still too hot to get into, and the three more hives and their escorts have jumped into the area. They want to talk, and want to send a delegation."

"When?" Carter asked as she pushed her plate away and stood up.

"Now. They're holding the gate open."

"Go meet them at the gate, and bring them to the north tower." She told him. She looked around the table. "Jack, call the Infirmary, have them send Caldwell and Lorne over. Get Andi too. I know how she'll want this to go. Do not bring them in until our people are in place."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll call Samuels. As foreign minister, she should meet them with me."

"Even better." She grinned. "We're learning fast."

Interior-Conference Room, North Tower

2050 Hours

"Sheppard, what the hell did you do?" Larrin asked when she came through the gate.

"It's nice to see you too, Larrin." Sheppard said. "We'll explain everything in a few minutes. In the meantime, may I introduce Dr. Andi Samuels, Foreign Minister of the City of Atlantis."

Larrin ignored her as she stared at Sheppard.

"We were told that there was a delegation." Sheppard said lightly, looking past her at the event horizon behind her. "Are you it, or do you have others with you?"

"The other members of the ruling council are with me." She said. "They'll come through when I tell them that it's safe. Now answer my question."

"Please invite them through." Samuels said. "Col. Carter will brief you all as a group, if you'll bear with us."

"No, you'll..."

"Thank you for dropping by." Samuels said, turning to the Ops tech. "Raise the shield, and close the gate, plea..."

"Wait!" Larrin said, then spoke softly into a small radio clipped to her collar. "We'll do it your way." She said. A moment later three people stepped through the gate, and the wormhole closed behind them.

"Greetings. If you wouldn't mind, I think we should wait and make introductions when we have everyone together." Samuels said. "John, if you'll lead the way please?"

The senior staff and Lorne were seated along one side of the table when they stepped into the room. The Atlantian's rose, and Samuels led the Travelers to seats on the other side, then went with Sheppard to the far end of the table and stood at their places. A moment later, Ronin stepped into the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the queens of Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter, and Lady Tammy Ford." He paused, then added, "Accompanied by Geraan, of the Free Jaffa Nation."

Sam and Tammy entered with Geraan between them. Tammy looked at Ronin, and he came over, took Geraan's hand and led him to a chair. He lifted him up, speaking softly to him, then returned to his place at the door.

"Larrin, it's good to see you again." Sam said as they stepped over to the Traveler's. "Allow me to introduce Lady Tammy Ford, my sister queen. If you would introduce our guests?"

Larrin introduced her fellow council members, Waleen, Pharris, and Arrin, then Carter introduced her court. Sam and Tammy moved to their seats, and everyone sat with them.

Pharris turned to Sam. "We do not know the Free Jaffa Nation. Does this child represent them?"

"No." Carter smiled, not rising to the jibe. She motioned down the table to Bra'tac. "Geraan is the grandson of Master Bra'tac, and has been placed in our care while Bra'tac serves as senior advisor. He wishes Geraan to be tutored in statecraft, and other skills, so when he returns to the Milky Way galaxy, he will be a leader worthy of the name."