Confirming Carter Bk. 04 Expansion Ch. 05

(-)

Zelenka was sitting at a bank of terminals with an image of the station on the monitor. He was muttering to himself as he highlighted sections of the station, then made notes on a terminal and his laptop.

"Does this station have a med center or a sickbay?" Carter asked as she walked over and looked at the monitor.

"Yes, there are three." Zelenka replied, making an adjustment on a terminal. Several areas appeared in green, one in the forward section, one in the center section, and the last aft near the dry dock. "Miss Arbann has been informed, and says she can have people trained and in place when we begin training the crew."

"It's Dr. Arbann, and I'm not surprised that she's on it already." She smiled as she turned toward him.

"That aft med center is almost twice the size of the other two, is there a reason for that?"

"That center services the dry dock and the engineering section." He replied. "It has specialized equipment to deal with radiation injuries, and it also has the largest trauma and surgical center."

She nodded and looked over at Larrin.

"You realized that you're going to have to do the training on most, if not all the major systems on this thing don't you?" She asked her.

"Yes, O'Neill and I talk to Radik several times a day, and we're working on a training program." Larrin said. "O'Neill has already begun training on the command and control systems of the Auroras. Caldwell has as well."

"We're getting a signal from Atlantis colonel." Zelenka said, pressing a button on the console. "It is OPs, asking for you."

(-)

Interior-Apollo Bridge, Planet Dorasmus

0920 Hours

"Exiting hyperspace Colonel." Wilkes said, looking down at his console.

"Shit! There's a hive in orbit...they're launching darts sir." Parker said.

"Where are they Parker?" Lorne asked.

"Aft, two hundred thousand kilometers."

"Are we cloaked Wilkins?"

"Cloak and shields active sir."

"Weapons. I need a nuke now." He said as he opened a channel on the comm. "Let us know as soon as it's ready."

"Copy. We have one prepped, gimme thirty seconds..."

"How many darts Parker." Lorne asked.

"Couple of dozen sir, looks like they're about to launch another wave."

"The nuke is ready sir. Do we need covers on it?"

"Negative. We're dropping now." Lorne replied. "Drop and detonate Wilkins, then get us as far away as you can."

"Aye sir, package away, moving away at full sublight...detonating."

The shockwave rocked the ship a moment later and Lorne looked around.

"Damage?" He asked.

"No damage sir, we were out of range of the blast." Parker said.

"Good job Wilkins. Contact the planet, and tell them that there are darts inbound, and we are available to assist." Lorne said. "Then contact Atlantis, and tell them what's going on, and request they send Daedalus as soon as possible."

He hit a button on his armrest, and the red alert sounded. He cut the siren as he opened a channel on the comm.

"Scramble, scramble, scramble." He said. "All pilots to your birds. We have darts inbound to a target planetside. Access data channel three for coordinates."

"Any response from the planet yet Wilkins?"

"Aye sir, they say all their people are underground." Wilkins replied.

"Get me a number, in case we need to evacuate."

"Parker, you're my eyes...tell me what you see..."

"Two hundred twenty bodies sir, they say the facility is thirty meters underground." Wilkins said.

"Noth...correction, two cruisers just dropped out of hyperspace." Parker said. "They're heading for the planet."

"Range?"

"Eighty thousand kilometers to starboard, sir."

"Wilkins, get them out of my sky." Lorne grunted.

"Aye sir, course set, Asgard beams online...targeting cruiser two...firing."

"Parker, contact Atlantis, and request instructions, and tell them I want Daedalus here now!" Lorne said as he opened a comm channel. "Flight deck...status?"

"It took us more than two hours to get here sir..."

"All jumpers and fighters away sir. No reports yet." Came the reply from the flight deck.

"Direct hit on cruiser two sir. It's breaking up." Wilkins said. "Targeting cruiser one..."

"Don't let him get away, kill the bastard." Lorne said, watching the telemetry on his panel.

"Direct hit on cruiser one. They got shields up, but they're disabled." Wilkins said. "Firing missiles and maintaining fire with beams."

"Contact the facility Parker. Advise them they should evacuate." Lorne said. "If either of those cruisers got off a signal, this place may be swarming with Wraith in no time."

"Incoming signal from Atlantis." Parker said. "They're ordering us to evacuate the facility. They say to tell Norjon that Kinai said to take the bronnow to market."

"Send it." Lorne laughed, glancing down at his panel. "Status on that cruiser Wilkins?"

"Incoming signal from the Wraith sir." Wilkin said.

"Put it on screen."

"Stop firing Sheppard, my ship is disabled." Todd said as he appeared on the screen.

"Wilkins, can you isolate where that signal is coming from on that ship?"

"No sir. There's only ten lifesigns on the cruiser though."

"Fuck! I really want to do it..." Lorne muttered, then looked over at Wilkins. "Keep hitting that ship with everything you've got."

"I am sir, but it just won't die!"

"Flightdeck, did you launch the rescue jumpers?" He asked as he opened a channel.

"Negative sir."

"Launch them on the cruiser to starboard. Full drone strike, all jumpers. Copy?"

Suddenly, the bridge was filled with a blinding light as the cruiser exploded, and the ship rocked as the shockwave hit them.

"Stand down flightdeck. We killed the bastard." Lorne muttered.

"Advise Atlantis, Wilkins...Todd is toast." He said, slumping in his chair. "At least I hope he is."

(-)

Interior-Space Station Cremonius

0925 Hours

"Apollo has engaged and destroyed a Wraith hive over your facility on Dorasmus, and now they're engaging two cruisers." Carter said, looking over at Kinai. "I think they should evacuate..."

"I agree." Kinai said. She paused for a moment, then added, "Have them tell Norjon that I said to evacuate, and to take the bronnow to market. He will comply."

"What the hell kind of code is that?" Tammy laughed.

"It is from an ancient children's song my family has used for generations to signal authenticity of messages. We each have our own line from it." Kinai smiled. "Norum took her bronnow to market, Dorshon kept his at home..."

"This little piggy had roast beef, and this little piggy had none." Tammy went on.

"And Arla's bronnow went wee, wee, wee, all the way home!" Kinai finished, then looked at her with a quizzical expression on her face. "What is roast beef?"

(-)

Interior-Apollo Bridge, Sector 782L7

1000 Hours

"Norjon?" Lorne asked as he got to his feet. The man nodded, and Lorne introduced himself. "I'm Lt. Col Evan Lorne, commander of the starship Apollo."

"Your arrival was timely, and fortuitous Evan." Norjon said, looking around the bridge. "This is not an ancient vessel..."

"No, the Apollo, and her sister ship Daedalus were built on Earth, and brought to the Pegasus galaxy." Lorne told him. "We have all of your people on board, your staff is in the galley and ward room, but the rest are split between the flight decks. I'd like to get underway, because I can't be sure more Wraith won't show up."

"Please, do what you think is best, Evan." Norjon said. "But if I may be allowed to observe..."

"Of course, you can sit at that station over there." Lorne told him, pointing at an open seat. He turned to Wilkins as he went on. "Take us to our next stop Wilkins."

"Aye sir." Wilkins replied as he worked the controls on his console. "We should reach Moruchaan in twenty-eight minutes."

"So the legend of Daedalus persists on your homeworld." Norjon said as he walked over and looked out the bridge windows. "He flew his ship too close to a star..."

(-)

Interior-Space Station Cremonius

1015 Hours

"Apollo is away, and they should reach Moruchaan soon." Carter said as she closed the comm channel. "Norjon wants to drop half the evacuees there, and the rest on Wekeegau when they get there."

"He knows what is best." Kinai said. "People can be moved as needed to make room if we cannot use the facility on Dorasmus for a time. It is a minor work site, and none of the work there is critical."

"Let's go back to Atlantis." Carter said, walking toward the porter. "There's not much else we can do from here, and I really want a coke."

(-)

Planet Dorasmus, Sector 782L7

1050 Hours

An escape pod crashed to the ground, and a moment later, a panel blew away from the side of it. A lone figure in a long leather coat crawled from the wreckage, getting to his feet and looking around, then reaching back into the pod to remove a bag.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he staggered to the treeline, disappearing inside it.

(-)

Interior-Kitchen

1100 Hours

Andi Samuels looked up from her tablet as Sam and Tammy entered the kitchen, and she smiled as Sam grinned at her.

"Hi Andi." She said as she took glasses from the cabinet and sat them on the counter, then filled hers with ice and got cokes from the refrigerator. "How long have you been here?"

"Almost an hour, but I've been listening to what's going on on the OPs channel." Samuels said. "I was over here to speak to Ronin and Cisco about the emergency response plan. Ronin has some excellent ideas that we're going to implement."

"Cisco mentioned that the other day." Sam said as she sat down.

"When are they going to run a drill on a new plan?" Tammy asked as she filled her glass from the tap, then dropped into her seat.

"Cisco wants to do it tomorrow, but Ronin wants to wait a few days." Samuels answered. "I agree with Ronin. There are still some bugs that need to be worked out."

"Do what you think is best, but I want to see results of a drill by the middle of the week." Tammy said.

Samuels nodded as she tapped her comm and said, "Samuels." She listened for a moment, then closed the channel

"Apollo is enroute to Wekeegau." She told them. "They left half the evacuees on Moruchaan, and will leave the rest on Wekeegau. "They'll reach the planet before noon, so if there are no more problems, they should be back in Atlantis by 1600 hours."

"Do the usual dinner in the dining room, you can decide when, but make sure you include bacon cheeseburgers." Carter said, shaking her head.

"And french fries." Tammy added. "Kinai really liked the fries."

She grinned at Sam, then looked over at Samuels.

"Make sure we have plenty of beer Andi." She smiled. "And see if you can get some Athosian ale, she seems to like that too."

"Oh god, we're going to get them drunk and the whole thing is going to go right in the toilet." Carter mumbled.

"We're not going to get them drunk Sam." Tammy laughed. "But judging by what Kinai told us, these people might need to loosen up a little, and have some fun!"

(-)

Interior-Apollo Bridge, Planet Wekeegau

1230 Hours

"It is good to see you Simeon." Matrei said as she embraced him. "And you Norjon. It has been too long since I've seen either of you."

"It has only been a few weeks since we..." Simeon began, but Matrei cut him off.

"But you only stayed a day!" She smiled. "I was so sad when you left..."

"Matrei, allow me to introduce Evan Lorne, commander of the starship Apollo." Simeon said, taking her arm and turning her toward him.

"This is a most impressive vessel commander." She said. "You combine your technology with that of the Asgard, an impressive feat."

"The Asgard helped maam." Lorne said taking her hand and bowing. "But we've recently added ancient technology as well since it's compatible with the Asgard systems we have on board."

"Evan says it will be several hours before we reach Atlantis, and has offered his quarters if you'd like to take a nap." Simeon told her. "It will be early evening when we arrive, and it's already late evening here..."

"I spoke to Kinai earlier, and she told me of the time difference, so I already took a nap." Matrei said, then looked over at Lorne. "But a light meal would be welcome. Would that be possible Evan?"

"Of course, I'll have someone escort you to the galley..."

"Can Peter take me?" She asked. She stepped over and slipped her arm around the waist of a marine and said, "He brought me to your bridge, and we had such a good time! I'd like him to keep me company, and tell me more stories about your people."

"That's fine." Lorne smiled, nodding to the marine.

"Come Peter, show me to the galley." She said. "What kinds of foods do they have?"

She was still talking when they disappeared down the corridor.

"I must apologize for our sister Evan." Simeon said smiling as he shook his head.

"No apology is necessary." Lorne laughed. "Lady Tammy is going to love her."

(-)

Interior-Kitchen

1540 hours

"Apollo just entered orbit, and I told Evan to beam our guests here." Carter said as she stepped into the kitchen. "They should be with us in a few minutes."

"They made good time." Tammy said, then glanced over at Kinai. "Aren't you going to get dressed Kinai? Your ass hangs out of that t-shirt..."

"Dorja is bringing me clothes, and I will dress then, I promise." Kinai laughed. "My family is used to seeing me like this, they will not be offended."

"We need to keep everyone else out of here until you do." Carter laughed. "You almost gave O'Neill a heart attack last night when you flashed him."

"The senior staff and the Traveller council will meet us in the dining room at 1800 hours." Samuels said. "You won't be disturbed during your discussions."

She paused and tapped her comm, listening for a moment. "Go ahead." She said, then closed the channel.

"They're ready. Major Lorne is going to beam them into the living room."

"Then let's go meet them." Carter said

Kinai ran down the hall, and they saw her bouncing up and down, her t-shirt flying as an Asgard beam flared, then faded, leaving the four Durrim Samar partners facing away from them.

"Matrei!" Kinai shrieked, throwing her arms around a smaller woman and hugging her tightly. "I have missed you so much!"

"You saw her two weeks ago Kinai." Simeon said, smiling as she released Matrei and threw her arms around him. "But I see you're making yourself at home."

"Norjon." She smiled, punching him on the shoulder, then turning to another woman.

"What did you bring me Dorja? Did you bring the blue dress?" She asked her.

"I brought it, along with all your favorites my love. You will look ravishing." The woman said.

"Come, let's get dressed." She said, grabbing Tammy's hand and pulling her along as she led them into the bedroom.

"So much for introductions." Carter laughed, stepping over and holding out her hand. "I'm Col. Samantha Carter, queen of Atlantis. My sister queen, the Lady Tammy Ford, just ran off with your sister."

"I am Simeon, and this is our sister Matrei, and our cousin Norjon." He said as he shook hands with her. "The other woman is Dorja, our cousin."

"I will not apologize for Kinai, she did not experience a normal childhood, so her inner child lives very close to the surface."

"Tammy's does too." Carter laughed. She looked over at Samuel's, then back at their guests. "This is Dr. Andi Samuels, our foreign minister. "You'll be meeting the rest of the senior staff and our Traveller friends at dinner this evening."

"But let's go in the kitchen." She said as Samuels shook hands with all three. "It's more comfortable, and we spend most of our time in there when we're at home."

She led them down the hall, pointing at seats at the table as she opened a cabinet door.

"Would you like some refreshments?" She asked, smiling as Kinai strode into the room.

"Beer, and Coca Cola! They will love both." She laughed, smiling at Sam, then turning toward her family. "They have the most delicious beverages...and the food...by the gods, it is to die for!"

She was wearing a bright orange sleeveless pantsuit with billowy legs and two narrow strips at the top that barely contained her breasts.

"Wow." Carter smiled, staring at her. "Subtle gave up on you a long time ago."

"Yes colonel, our sister has never been the least bit shy." Simeon said as she sat down beside him.

"But you love me anyway." She laughed. She looked toward the door and said, "Tammy, what's taking you so long."

"Nothing." Tammy said as she stepped into the room, putting her hands on her hips as she turned to face Sam.

She was wearing a bright blue microdress that fit her like a second skin. The hem of the dress barely came down to the tops of her thighs, and it rode up, exposing the bottom of her asscheeks as she laid her arms over Sam's shoulders.

"Do I look hot, or what?" She asked in a husky whisper as she grinned at her. "I bet you can't wait to get this thing off of me."

"Why take it off, when I can just push it up a little." Carter laughed.

She pushed her away, turning her slowly, then put her arms around her waist, pulling her against her again.

"We're not giving that back...you know that don't you?"

"I already told Kinai that." Tammy laughed. "I'm wearing this to dinner, and you're wearing your little black dress!"

"The dress is a gift." Kinai said. "I will find Norba another one."

"Sit ladies, and talk to your guests." Samuels said as she walked over and pushed them toward their seats. "I'll get the refreshments."

Tammy picked up a glass and filled it from the tap before she sat down. Andi was sitting a glass of ice in front of Sam as she sat down.

"We've already told Kinai that you are welcome to join us, and she has shared some information about your group." Carter told them as she looked around the table. "I hope we didn't go too far before you arrived."

"Kinai had our consent to deal with you after the decision was made to join you." Matrei said. "She shared what she had discussed with you, and I am eager to hear more about your plan to keep us supplied."

"I believe the queens would prefer to hear the result of the vote before we discuss other matters." Norjon said. He drew a small device from his pocket and folded it open, then started tapping on the screen.

"What is that?" Tammy asked, leaning toward him to get a better look at it.

"It is a data device." He said, sliding it down the table. "The result of the vote is on the screen."

Tammy picked it up, not looking at the screen, but turning it in her hands as she examined it.

"The back is solid, but I watched you fold it open. There's no seams..." She said, looking down at him, then back at the device.

"Press your finger on the upper edge, then fold the screen inward, then fold the sides down." He said, watching as she did as he said.

"That is so kewl." She said softly, opening the device again and glancing at the screen. She slid it over in front of Sam as she said, "Do you make them? The tablets and laptops we use are static, they don't fold up."

"We cannot make them anymore." Norjon told her. "The production facility was on Durrim Samar, and was destroyed with the rest of the facilities there. I can send you plans for the devices we can no longer produce, perhaps you can make them here in Atlantis."

"Do you market them? Sell them to other worlds?" She asked. "We've been giving away supplies and materials, and will continue to do so with those that have joined us, but we're going to start selling or trading for what we produce to others in the near future."

"We have not sold these or other devices, our main commodity is information, gathering and collating it, and information processing on a by case basis." He said. "Most of the major races in the galaxy have dealt with us at one time or another."