Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03

All three Genii looked at her, barely hiding their surprise.

"A partnership?" Phrenum asked.

"Yes."

Samuels came into the room at that moment. She glanced over at Sam before she spoke. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but is it okay to serve?"

"Yes." Carter said, glancing over at her. "But have one of your people take care of that, I'd like you to join us. And put your foreign minister hat on."

"I was going to do that." Andi laughed. "But this came up so quickly, I decided that it would just be easier to handle it myself. Give me a few minutes."

Carter nodded and looked down the table at Pharris

"I'm glad you mentioned our partnership, Pharris." She said lightly. "I think it's important for Mr. Radim and his aides to know that we're working together..."

"If I may interrupt, Samantha." Arrin said as he turned toward the Genii. "Ladon, we do not just work with Samantha and Atlantis, but we stand with them in all things. Samantha and her people have reached out and offered a safe haven for our planet bound brothers, and a true partnership as they begin trying to improve the lives of the people of our galaxy."

"What Arrin is trying not to say, Radim." Larrin said as she came into the room. "Is that we have, and will fight with Samantha and her people. They have proven themselves to be trustworthy allies, and formidable fighters. You'd do well to keep that in mind."

She turned and smiled at Sam.

"I'm sorry I was late Samantha. The first shipment of drones arrived today, and I couldn't resist taking the Kuneia out for a little target practice." She laughed as she sat down across the table from Radim.

"That's quite all right, Larrin. How did she do?" Sam asked.

"My helmsman still needs training, but the weapons officer is a natural in the control chair." She grinned down the table at Sheppard as she went over and sat with the rest of the Travelers. "He might even be as good as Sheppard."

"Then I guess we won't have to have John help when you start bringing your other cruisers online." Sam laughed.

She looked back at Radim as she stood up and moved down the table. "While we're waiting for dinner, it might be a good idea to introduce everyone."

She stopped behind Sheppard, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I believe you know Sir John Sheppard, Commander of the Royal Forces. Next to him, we have Jennifer Keller, Chief Medical Officer, Sir Stephen Caldwell, Lord of the Admiralty, and his fiancée, Ambassador Teyla Emmagan."

"We had not heard that Teyla Emmagan was betrothed." Radim said with a smile. "I hope I will be invited to the wedding."

"I'll let them decide who's on the guest list. It's still up in the air if you're going to be invited to the coronation." Sam said as she moved around the table. "But to continue with the introductions, these are our senior councils, General Jack O'Neill of Stargate Command, and Master Bra'tac of the Free Jaffa Nation."

The three Genii sat silently as they watched her continue around the table.

"You know our Traveler friends of course, and my Guardian of the Realm and head of the household guard, Sir Ronin Dex." She said as she came to the foot of the table. "The man at the door is Sir Steven Carter, known as Cisco, my captain of the guard. My other two knights won't be joining us tonight, they're on a mission at the moment."

She looked down, resting her hands lightly on Teal'c's shoulders. She smiled down the table at the Genii.

"This is my old friend, Ambassador Teal'c of the Free Jaffa Nation, our ally in the Milky Way galaxy, and our trading partner there. Teal'c and I have been discussing establishing settlements for his warriors on worlds here in the Pegasus galaxy. We just haven't decided where or when. It was Ronin's idea to look at Sateda."

"There is room on Sateda, should they decide to settle there." Radim said lightly. "We are only using the one island we purchased. But tell me, do you have other worlds in mind for these settlements?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." Sam said as she came back around the table and took her seat next to Ronin. "We had taava beans with dinner the last time that Teal'c was here, and he loved them. So we'll probably look for planets that they'll grow on."

"You wouldn't dare..." Phrenum rasped as he leapt to his feet.

"Taava beans grow on many worlds, Colonel." Radim said, grasping Phrenum's arm and pulling him back down into his seat. "It is a hearty crop, well suited to many types of soil and climates. I'm sure you will have no trouble finding suitable worlds for your friends to settle on."

He paused, a small smile on his face.

"But are you sure that your friends would want to settle in this galaxy?" He asked. "There are many dangers here, the Wraith being chief among them."

"Haven't you heard that the Wraith are at war with each other, and that their Primary, and all their other queens were killed recently in a battle that wiped out almost eighty percent of them?" Larrin laughed. "You need to get better spies, or pay them more."

"We had heard that the Wraith were not culling as much, but did not know why." Radim said. "Has this information been confirmed?"

"Yes." Pharris said softly. "I was present when the Wraith they call Todd asked for help fertilizing eggs to produce new queens. It was he that told us of the war, and the number of Wraith destroyed."

"It might please you to know Pharris, that I've made a decision on that request." Sam said, smiling down at her. "We're not going to help them. On the contrary, we're going to start hunting them. I've already spoken to John and Stephen about it, they'll be getting with Larrin to set up joint operations in the next few days."

"This is wonderful news, Samantha." Arrin said, smiling broadly. "We were concerned that you might decide to help them."

"We already have more than a dozen idle hives and their escorts located, we'll get with you to work something out if you want any of them." Sam said.

"The Genii would be interested in acquiring ships, especially Wraith hives and cruisers. Or perhaps you would give us one of the cruisers you spoke of, Larrin." Colak said, looking around the table.

"We would have to discuss that with Samantha and her court." Waleen said, staring steadily at Colak. "But we do not feel that it would be in the best interest of the Travelers to have the Genii as a space faring people. You have not always dealt favorably with us in the past, and considering your failure to open relations with Atlantis..."

"The food is here." Sam said as a server sat plates in front of her and Ronin. "Andi, Dr. Samuels, my Foreign Minister, has a rule about no business at the dinner table. I find that it makes for a much more pleasant meal."

"My sister Dahlia has the same rule." Radim laughed, glancing at his ministers. "And I agree, not talking business while eating aides the digestion."

"I think it's a waste of time." Larrin said. "I can talk and eat at the same time."

"Yes, but you're a bronnow, Larrin. But we love you anyway." Waleen said, smiling at her.

The Travelers, Teyla and the Genii laughed, while the humans looked around in confusion.

"A bronnow is a herd animal, Samantha." Teyla explained. "It is akin to your pigs

I believe."

"I see." Sam smiled. "But I can't have my guests insulting each other at the table..."

"But why not, Samantha?" Radim said quietly. "You insult and threaten me and my people at every turn. Why should our friends act any differently?"

Sam smiled, but before she could say anything, a voice from the doorway answered.

"Putting the fact that you threatened war on her city aside, she's trying to test your mettle, to see what you're made of. And you're failing miserably." Tammy said as Susan wheeled her into the room and over next to Radim's seat. "Personally, I think it's because you're afraid you'll be held hostage, like Phrenum did with Dr. Weir several years ago, but I could be wrong."

"I'm Tammy Ford, Samantha's sister queen." She said as she held out her hand to him. "I was one of Dahlia's nurses when she was here. I hope you'll tell her hello for me when you see her again."

Radim stood and took her hand.

"I'll see her when I arrive home." He said, smiling down at her. "She manages my house, and my life. I do not know what I would do without her."

"Well, have her get you some different clothes, or at least tailor that uniform. It doesn't do anything for you." Tammy laughed. "Now scoot over a little bit, and cut me off a piece of that steak, it looks delicious."

Radim laughed as he slid his chair over to make room for her. Tammy glanced over at Sam, then at Jennifer, shrugging her shoulders at her.

"I'll tell you a secret." She said softly, leaning close to Radim as he cut pieces off his steak and put them on his bread plate for her. "I wasn't supposed to attend this dinner, I'm supposed to stay in bed for the next few days. But I couldn't help myself, I just had to come over."

"I was wondering why you were in a wheelchair." He said as he slid the plate closer to her, handing her a salad fork. "Were you injured?"

"I was shot the other day, just a flesh wound." She said casually, spearing a piece of steak and popping it into her mouth. "Oh my god, that is perfect!" She purred as she stabbed another piece and held it out to him. "Here, you have to try it."

Radim took the proffered morsel, nodding in agreement. "You're right, it is delicious. This is much better than the dish I had with Dr. Weir. Much more tender."

"Now, I bet you're wondering why I'm being so nice to you, when Sam has been such a bitch." She said, smiling at him. "I know your henchmen are."

"Not really, I was more interested in who would shoot such an attractive woman." Radim smiled. "It seems such a shame."

"We had a man come through the gate from an alternate universe, and he started shooting up the gate room. I just got in the way." Tammy told him. "I got hit while I was getting Sam out of the line of fire. Our security teams took care of the rest."

"Did you say he was from an alternate universe?" Phrenum asked. "How could you know that?"

"He came through the shield on the gate, and he told us before he died. He was the second visitor from the same universe in two days." She answered. "We know how it happened, and have taken steps to ensure that it won't happen again."

"Well, I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly." Radim said, taking another bite off his steak. "But to answer your question with a question, why are you being nice to me, when Samantha has barely managed being polite?"

"Because I'd much rather have you on our side, working with us, instead of killing you." She said, looking at him evenly. "The Genii are the most organized military group in the galaxy, and has, by far, the best spy network. That's useful to us. We've found and isolated more than forty of your spies in the city, but I'm sure there are more."

Radim looked over at Colak, who nodded, frowning.

She continued before he could say anything. "You realized this morning when your men were beamed away from that research lab that your advantage in numbers means nothing against us. Add to that the fact that all of our installations are, and will be protected by shields so you can't get at us, and you see your people in a new light, one not quite as bright as you're used to."

Radim nodded, staring at her silently.

"And you're wondering why she asked you here." Tammy said softly.

Radim nodded again.

"You're here because you need to know that you have a place in our plans, but you need to understand what that place is." She said softly, so only he could hear her. "It's up to you if you want to step into that role, one that your people were made for."

Radim closed his eyes, sighing heavily. When he looked at her again, he nodded, his face pale.

Tammy looked around the table, smiling at Sam.

"Pharris, Arrin, Sam, Andi, would you join Ladon and me in the residence for a little while?" She said as she rolled her chair back away from the table. She looked over at Radim. "Would you mind, Ladon? Susan my nurse left, and I really shouldn't be trying to push this thing by myself."

Interior-Living Room

2100 Hours

Cisco got everyone drinks while Tammy got the visitors seated in the living room. When everyone was settled, Tammy looked over at Andi.

"Andi, show him the battle and Anchorage. Then we can tell him what we want." She said.

Samuels looked at her for a moment, then glanced over at Sam. Sam nodded, trying not to smile.

Radim took the tablet that Andi handed him and watched the video as she gave him a voice over.

"This first video is the warship Daedalus doing a survey of the Wraith Gathering at Sector 347C3. They spent several hours moving around that cluster of ships. They were cloaked, and went undetected, even managing to scan most of the hives and beam materials off of some of them."

She reached over and pressed an icon on the tablet, and the video changed.

"The next day, the Daedalus, joined by the Apollo, set nuclear warheads on thirty-nine of those hives. This was the result."

Radim stared at the screen as the video played out, then looked up, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"What you were told is true, to a point." Tammy told him gently. "The Wraith are at war, but we started it. They assumed, incorrectly, that when that gathering went up like a super nova, that it had to be due to infighting. You can see that it wasn't."

She looked over a Samuels.

"Show him Anchorage."

Samuels reached over and pressed another icon on the tablet. Another video started, this one showing an aerial view of a central spire surrounded by forests.

"This is our second city, Anchorage. It is partially buried at the moment, and we're in the process of restoring it. We're expecting it to be space worthy within a year." She said as the screen changed to a slide show of still pictures. "The shield and weapons systems are already active, but we're putting production on hold until we get the raw materials we'll need for that. Pharris has been put in charge of Anchorage, and is in the process of settling some of her people there to begin farming, logging and mining."

"We're looking at settling three hundred thousand people on the plains surrounding the city, and in the mountains to the south, we already have ten thousand people in the city itself, getting it ready for when we begin production." Pharris said. "Depending on how quickly we can get the equipment we need, we should be able to begin production in the next six months."

"This is amazing." Radim said. He looked over at Samuels. "Will you play the explosion again? I still can't believe what I saw."

"We had scouts in the area." Arrin told him. "They witnessed the blast, and saw the Atlantian ships in the area. One of the Atlantian ships was damaged when the shock wave hit them. We opened relations with them the same day, not from fear, but because they welcomed us, and offered to make us partners in their plans."

"What plan is that?" Radim asked, looking back and forth between Tammy and Sam.

"To improve the quality of life for the peoples of the Pegasus galaxy." Pharris said. "And we've already taken great strides toward that goal. Samantha's people took the first step alone, by eliminating most of the Wraith. The fact that the survivors began fighting amongst themselves was just an added benefit."

"With the threat from the Wraith reduced, and hopefully soon eliminated, the peoples of the galaxy can stop living in fear of being culled." Arrin said. "So the next step is to provide food, tools and technology to help make their lives better."

Radim looked over at Tammy.

"What role do you see the Genii having in this effort?" He asked.

"We need you to keep doing what you've been doing, gathering information." Tammy said, smiling at him. "But instead of looking at who is doing what, we want you to look at who needs what, and help us figure out the best way to get it to them."

Radim sat back, staring at her.

"And if I don't believe what you tell me, and decide not to join you?" He asked quietly.

"Then we proceed without you." Sam said evenly. "We won't take any hostile action except in response to hostilities from you. We'll just leave you alone. And I guarantee, you don't want that."

"You're saying that if we do not join you in this effort, the Genii will be left behind as the rest of the galaxy grows and moves forward." He said. "You will let us wither, while those that join you flourish."

"Yes, that's exactly what we're saying." Tammy said as she watched him closely. "You knew where you stood before you came here, but you came anyway. I think you expected something like this, just not on the scale you're being confronted with."

"This is true." Radim answered. He looked over at Sam with a sad smile on his face. "I knew we could not stand against you, so I sought to frighten you with bravado. You called my bluff so quickly, with such confidence, that I knew there was no point continuing the charade."

"So what do you think?" Sam asked him. "Will your people join us, or are they so proud that they would prefer to be left behind as their neighbors prosper?"

"We will join you." Radim said quietly as he stood up. "It will be more difficult to persuade my staff than it will be to persuade the people. The news that the Wraith will soon be no more, or of little concern, and that they can come out of hiding, to live in the light, this alone will make them wish to join you."

"We had hoped you would see it that way." Tammy said. "As we told the Travelers, we will not force you to join us..."

"But you do use force." Radim said. "By threatening to leave us behind, you threaten extinction. Your weapon is time. The longer we resist, the farther behind we fall."

"We did not see it that way." Arrin said. "Even Larrin said that we should join them, because they were offering a banquet when they could have been dictating terms."

"I see no banquet laid out before me." Radim laughed, pacing slowly back and forth in front of the couch. "Merely the status quo."

"Because we haven't gotten to what we have to offer, and what you stand to gain." Tammy said. "I could give you a list, but you're in no mood to hear it. I think it would be best if you went home and talked to your people. We'll be returning the agents we know about here, question them about what they've learned. Talk to Arrin, and other leaders you have relations with. They'll all tell you what you stand to gain. You already know what you stand to lose."

Looking over at Sam, Tammy grinned shyly. "I'm sorry baby, but I have to get out of this fucking chair. Don't tell Jenn, okay?"

She kicked the footrests up and put her feet on the floor, then looked up at Radim and held out her hand.

He looked at her for a moment, then stepped over and helped her up out of the chair.

"Thank you." She said softly, holding his hands so he couldn't step away. "Now, what did you learn from that?"

"I don't understand." He said, a look of confusion on his face.

"I could have stood up on my own." She told him as she squeezed his hands. "But it's easier and safer when someone helps you. That's what we're asking you to do. Help us make this galaxy a better place to live, for everyone."

"What we shared with you, about our second city, and our attack on the Wraith, are two of our most closely guarded secrets." Sam said as she came over to stand next to Tammy. "We gave you a weapon to use against us should you decide you need it. But I doubt if you'll use it, or even share it with your advisors. Because you already see the value in what we offer, even though your pride has taken a beating."

"How can you know I won't betray your trust?" Radim asked, looking down at Tammy's hands still holding his.