“Rya’c and Ka’lel will begin,” Teal’c said.
“Your people need perspective,” Bre’tac said, slightly offended.
“What’d they do?” Jack asked, not surprised.
Bre’tac’s nostrils flared. Not a good sign. “They assume that this training is a waste of time and so we should give them the basics and send them home.”
Jack nodded. “A little attitude adjustment. I see. Adjust away.” He raised his cup and clinked it with the others. “And the plans?”
“Implemented,” Bre’tac assured him with an evil smile.
“Good. So. T. Ka’lel? Is she as deadly as she is pretty?”
“Indeed.” The big guy almost growled in pleasure.
Jack’s radio clicked. “General, may I speak with you?” came Mason’s voice. It was biting and hard, yet polite.
“Sure.” Jack looked at the people around him. “Go ahead.”
“These are children,” Mason hissed. “Where are the warriors that were supposed to train us? That Teal’c guy informed us that we were weak humans and left us with children. This is bullshit.”
“Some of those children have been fighting longer than you have, Colonel, so suck it up and pay attention. Out.” Jack smiled and shut his radio off.
“Where did you say the baby was?”
While the Marines were pummeled by women and children, Jack and Sam played with Rya’c and Kar’yn’s baby son. The men looked on, proud grandparents.
“We do not know if he will be able to survive without a prim’ta,” Teal’c said worriedly. “I have spoken with Enki, and he says it may take a few generations for our DNA to reestablish itself. I fear that Dor’nar will not be able to live without tretonin once he is of age.”
Jack lifted the baby and held him out. “Well, how about we worry about that when the time comes?” he suggested. He blew raspberries on the round belly, which seemed to be a universal way to get a baby to laugh.
An hour later, Ka’lel walked in. “It is done,” she announced.
“Great!” Jack declared and jumped to his feet. “Let’s get over to Kalam.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what did you do?” Sam asked. Jack straightened up, cleared his throat, and did his best ‘addressing the troops’ stance.
“Colonel Carter, it is my sad duty to inform you that some big bad Goa’uld has come along and stolen our Marines and some Jaffa children,” he informed her. “Cowardly snakes. None of our ships are in the area, alas, they are all occupied and cannot get away, so we are going to beg assistance from allies and we’re going to borrow the Heaven’s Bow to rescue our kids. In a little while. SG-1 is still at lunch, I think.” He checked his watch and nodded to himself.
“T, don’t worry, we’ll get Rya’c and Kar’yn back,” he said, patting Teal’c on the shoulder.
“And I will discuss with my grandson the bravery of his parents,” Teal’c said, picking the baby up. The tiny body seemed incongruous in the large arms, but Dor’nar didn’t seem to mind.
When they got to Kalam, Inanna put on her best sorrowful face and informed them that a naughty Goa’uld had come hunting and took not only several of her boys, but also Daniel.
“What a shame,” Jack said, crunching on an apple. “I guess we need to go and find that so-and-so snake, whether we want to or not. Say, Queenie, you don’t mind if I borrow your ship, do you?”
“Not at all,” she said with a wave of a royal wrist. Jack bowed and then turned to the men standing nearby.
“Jonathan, I’m sorry to inform you that your cousin Mason is among the missing,” he said, deeply sorry.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Jonathan said, leaning on the seated Shara’s shoulder. “I suppose I should help find him. Honey, can I go out and play?” he asked, tapping Shara on the head.
Jack's mother looked at the boys and crossed her arms. “You will find my nephew,” she informed them.
“Yes, ma’am,” they acknowledged. Hammond shook his head and returned to his mooning over Mrs. Clark who returned his moonstruck batting eyes. Somehow, he had gotten her to take a trip off-world.
“Say, Lou, wanna tag along?” Jack asked Ferretti. The major was doing his best hide his amusement.
“Sure, General, I can still hold a gun,” he said. “How does this thing work?” He took Jack’s zat and awkwardly maneuvered it with his left hand while steadying himself with his cane in his right hand.
“One zat for stun, two for kill, three for disintegration,” Jack helpfully told him. “We don’t like to use three around the uninformed Tau’ri, though, it might give them ideas. I can think of a few people I’d like to three.”
“How long does the stun last?” Ferretti asked, trying to find the firing button.
“A few seconds, depends on the person,” Jack said. He took the zat and fired. Jonathan fell to the floor.
“Bad Jack,” Shara informed him. “Remind me to beat you up later.”
Jack waved a hand from Shara to the inert form on the ground. “When did this happen? Do I need to have a talk with him? Or with you?”
“Why, would you like to join us?” Shara asked.
“I've seen you naked,” Jack informed him. “I ain't going anywhere near something that size.” His mother covered her ears and moved away.
The ship was being aired out while food and water were being stored.
“Who was taken?” Jack asked Ninurta as the warrior tested the bridge controls.
“Besides Daniel? Gibil, Adia, Ladiru, Gishnu, Erra, and Zu.”
“Oh, no,” Jack said, slightly horrified. “You sicced Zu on them? I guess we really do have to rescue them. Who’d you get to be Goa’uld?”
“Malek,” Ninurta said. “With Rak’nor as his First Prime.”
A wave of lightning over took Jack and he blacked out. When he came to, he was lying on the floor with Sam shaking him and calling his name.
“Wha the fu…..” he tried to mutter.
“Just breathe,” she told him. “Jonathan zatted you.”
“Son of a….. ohhhh, my head.”
“Don’t worry, Jack,” Ninurta patted him. “You weren’t hurt. You fell with your face in my lap. I missed you, too.”
Jack shook off the millions of bees stinging his nerve endings and chased his snickering clone off the bridge.
Jack and Sam assured the children that they’d be staying the night and then they needed to head out in the morning to rescue Daniel and they’d be back after they were done playing games with Daniel and everyone. The children were happy enough to be playing outside in the warm weather, learning to learn to ride their horses, and seeing to the lambs and goats that needed to be petted and fed and loved.
Jack turned to his clone.
“No, you don’t,” Sam said, stepping between them. “You started it, Jack, so behave.”
“Yeah,” Jonathan said, sticking his tongue out. “Besides…. we need to talk about something else that you might want to kill me for.”
Jack followed him to an empty room. He was suspicious when Jonathan told him he’d better sit down.
“Last night Matthew saw something he maybe shouldn’t have,” Jonathan began.
“What’d he see?”
“Me, Shara, Adia, and a few others having our own little party down by the lake.”
Jack didn’t want to know. “What kind of party?”
“A party, Jack,” Jonathan said with dry emphases. “Matty was with a few other teenagers when they came down to the lake for a swim. We were already there. Our kids are used to it, it’s part of the culture so they didn’t care, but Matty couldn’t stop watching. I let him watch, Jack.”
Jack sat back, blowing out a hard puff of air as he scrubbed his hands over his face.
“Is he alright?” he asked.
“Yes, I think so,” Jonathan said with a nod. “I know for a fact that a couple of our girls, and a boy or two, had already invited him for their own playtime, and he refused, which is fine and
which they accepted, but I know he was watching from nearby. I could sense the need in him, Jack, normal for his age, but he only watched. I think he was curious about the mechanics. I deliberately made sure he could see; we weren’t in an especially kinky mood, so it was all just gentle love-play. I talked with him this morning, got some of his questions answered. I really think he’s fine. I got the feeling that he was romanticizing sex, and this gave him a reality check. He’s fine.”
Jack stared at the ceiling for a moment. “Crap,” he finally said. “I forgot about this open-door sex policy these guys have here. I’ll check in with him. There’s a creep factor here.”
“I know,” Jonathan grimaced. “I didn’t want to chase him off, though, and have him thinking that we were doing anything wrong. And since I’m not a father to him, I don’t think it occurred to him that privacy might be an issue. We were out in the open, what was private? One of the older teenage girls from his group came over and joined us, it’s allowed here, and I had sex with her. Matty was flashing so hot, I could feel the heat from those fifty yards away. He’s ready, Jack. There is a girl at home he likes, so you may want to keep an eye on him.”
“He hasn’t said anything about a girl,” Jack commented.
“He hasn’t said anything to the girl,” Jonathan said. “And remember that fifteen to sixteen is an average starting age for our family.”
“And he’ll be fifteen soon,” Jack responded with a nod.
“Let him stew for a while,” Jonathan recommended. “Give him time to work out questions before you go hunting for him.”
“I know,” Jack nodded. “If he has sex while he’s here, I want him wearing a condom. Same with Katie. You know what I mean.”
“There are no STD’s and the ladies are all on a birth control,” Jonathan said. “It’s one of Enki’s inventions. Seems to work. The women only get pregnant if they want to. They’ll both be fine, if they decide to play.”
“What about Stacy and David?” Jack asked with a sudden thought. “How much have they seen?”
“Not much, I don’t think,” Jonathan said with a shrug. “They’ve spent most of the time at the nursery and with the younger kids. They watched a lamb being born and we had a nice talk about it. Mom was there, too, and she also talked with the kids. Jack, it isn’t one big orgy here; people work. Hard. Last night was wind down time, that’s all. It was a nice night, the water is pleasant, and we just spent a few weeks on around the clock foal and lamb watch. We were exhausted. The kids are safe; I wouldn’t put them in danger.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Jack said. He looked at his clone, wondering if he could spend the rest of his life farming, and doing animal husbandry. He looked out across the landscape, a dark, odd green with gently waving grasses, a savanna growing out of what was once, just a short time ago, a barren wasteland of desert. The former planet of Abydos, where a beautiful tribe had lived, descendents of ancient Egyptians, the first planet visited when the stargate was turned on. Where Daniel had met Sha're and her father Kasuf, and lived for a year before SG-1 came back for him. All those people were gone, now, all life on the planet destroyed by a Goa'uld out for revenge.
“I’m happy, Jack, really,” the young man said, knowing what was on Jack’s mind.
“I did it for a couple of months because I had to,” Jack said, remembering the time he had been stuck on a planet after their gate was destroyed. “Is this really what you want?”
Jonathan put his elbows on his knees and hung his hands thoughtfully between his knees. “I do more than play with the animals and fool around,” he said. “I spend time teaching the kids, and some adults, to read and write, I take my turn on patrol with Heaven’s Bow, I help with city planning, and once in a while I stare at the stars. I’m teaching the kids to play baseball. Got a little hoop action going, too. I’m needed here, Jack. And yes, I’m happy.”
Jack slowly nodded and stood up to head for the door. “Oh. Nick and Paul are hand-fasting in a couple of months. They’d like you to do the music. Paul is burning a CD; he’ll send it to you when it’s done.”
“Yeah, Daniel told me. Never knew Nick had it in him,” Jonathan said with a shake of his head. “And you think Shara and I are an odd couple. Let them know I’ll be there.”
Jack wandered around until he found Sam. She was in an obviously private discussion with Inanna, so Jack kept wandering. When he came across a group of boys, Jack tossed his arm around a shoulder and kept walking.
“Oh, God, he told you, didn’t he?” Matty whined as he dragged his feet. He had noticed Jack and Jonathan in a close discussion, and was afraid he knew the topic.
“Oh, yeah,” Jack nodded. He gave the shoulders a shake. “I just want to know that you’re alright.”
“I’m fine,” Matty assured him. “It was a little weird to see, but I’m fine with it. Does he tell you everything we talk about?”
“No,” Jack shook his head. “Just the important stuff that dads need to know. Your discussions are safe with him. This is the first time he’s said anything to me, so if you’re worried about anything else, he’s kept it to himself. I won’t ask, you know you can talk with me about anything. What did you think was weird?”
“Everything,” Matthew said. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “It was…. messy. Not like on TV or the movies. Lots of noises. People farted and no one cared.”
“Yes, sex is messy,” Jack confirmed with a chuckle. “But did they have fun?”
“Yes, I think so,” Matthew said reluctantly. “They laughed a lot and talked. Shara has a really big… you know… and Jonathan said it did hurt a little, but once he relaxed, it didn’t hurt. Looked kinda gross, to me, though.”
Jack gave a knowing chuckle. “Yes, I agree, it does look kinda gross. He’s right, though, it doesn’t hurt. Not if it’s done right. And you don’t have to do that, not if you don’t want to. Some women like it done to them, though, so just be open-minded if someone asks you. It’s your body, you can refuse, but make sure she understands why, or she'll think you're refusing her all together. It really does feel good. Both giving and receiving. Messy, farting, laughing and other noises during sex means you’re alive and having a joyful time with life.”
Matthew looked up at him. “You never talked like this before,” he commented.
“I hadn’t met Sam and Daniel before,” Jack said. “It doesn’t matter who you choose as a partner, Matty; if that person, or persons, brings joy to your life, it’s a good thing.”
Matthew stopped walking, thought for a moment, and turned to face Jack. He put his arms around Jack’s waist and hugged him.
“Love you,” Matthew murmured. He released Jack and ran back to the other boys.
“I love you, too, son,” Jack said softly after him.
The smell of a cigar caught Jack’s attention and he looked around.
“Let me guess –no carcinogens,” he said. Enki winked and took another puff. “Every paradise has a serpent, old man, so what’s in this garden?”
Enki stood from a conveniently placed rock and joined Jack on his walk. “Don’t know yet,” he said. “We’ve started running into mutations, though, so something’s bound to show up.”
“Mutations?” Jack frowned and Enki shrugged.
“The matrix is still in motion,” he explained, waving his cigar around. “It’s slow enough for us to live here, but at a cellular level, it’s still forming the planet. I set it in motion, now it's nature's turn. Like all living things, we add what we can to the mix, let nature cook it, and hope the cake turns out as perfect as possible. Since it is in the planet's matrix, it might even change us, a little, so that we adapt better. There will always be a few lumps, maybe a little tilted, but as long as it’s sweet and filling, we will be nurtured by it.”
Jack smiled and nodded. “I understood that one,” he said.
“You understand a lot more than you let on, Jack,” Enki told him. “Do you know why you get confused? Because y
our subconscious is too busy to be bothered. Any new developments?”
Jack pursed his lips as he looked around. Children were running everywhere; a lot more children than he remembered should be there. A surprising number of dogs and cats roamed around the houses, horses munching placidly on grass, goats, sheep, and cows populated the fields at the far end of the small, yet modern city. He spotted a few animals that were obviously not of Earth origin. Jack assumed a naquadah generator was powering the city.
“Not sure,” he admitted. “A few odds and ends are starting to rumble around. I’m working on it.”
“Good,” Enki nodded, pleased.
“Are you Furling?” Jack asked directly. Enki smiled.
“Just for that, I will tell you yes,” he replied in the same.
“Narim, a Tollan, paid us a visit a few days ago,” Jack continued. “He said something that made Sam think about that arch Erra dropped off. She put two and two together and came up Furling. Why the big secret?”
“Because if you knew from the start, you’d rely on us for answers,” Enki said. “You needed to get there on your own. Daniel told us about the Tollan’s visit. Unprecedented, to say the least. I think we need to go talk to them; it’s one thing for the Nox to decide to Ascend, it’s an entirely different matter for the Tollan to Ascend. They’re not ready. They have physical knowledge, but they’ve done nothing about the spiritual knowledge. They won’t Ascend without it.”
Jack frowned. “I’m not spiritual, does that mean I won’t ascend?”
Enki chuckled. “Jack, your question is pointless. You are genetically an Ancient. When the times comes, you will know what to do. It’s built into your DNA. The Tollan are not genetically superior, they’re just a bunch of wise-guys who learned how to manipulate matter. A relatively simple trick, once you know how.”
Jack stopped. “But I’m not an Ancient,” he insisted, still not quite believing that part of the whole deal.
Enki looked at him and shook a finger. “Don’t make me smack you, boy, we’ve had this conversation before. Why do you think it was possible for all that material to be downloaded into your brain? Only an Ancient could have triggered it, and I’ve told you this before.”
The Anunnaki Unification, Book 3: A Stargate SG-1 Fan Fiction Story Page 2
