Stargate Horizons

CHAPTER THREE

The president was pretty shocked when George gave him the news.

"Well, George, you've certainly surprised me with this one," he said.  "So, how are you dealing with it?"

"I couldn't express how happy I am, sir.  I have always wanted a son, and no man could ask for a finer one than Daniel.  This knowledge has brought me such joy."

"Well, I'm happy for you, George.  Of course, you know that there's gonna be a lot of talking about this."

"Yes, I know," the general responded.

"It may make things a bit uncomfortable at Stargate Command for a while."

"We're prepared for it, sir."

"Are you going to pass on the news to the rest of the people here in Washington who need to know or would you like me to do so?"

"I'll do it, sir.  It's my responsibility."

"All right.  If any of them give you attitude, just tell me, and I'll give them a proper dressing down."

George smiled slightly.  "Yes, sir."

After hanging up with the president, George got busy making the rest of the calls.  The reactions to the news varied quite a bit, although the universal response was great surprise.

And then came the call to Senator Robert Kinsey, the one call George had really been dreading.  He'd just as soon have not made it, but as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Kinsey would have found out sooner or later, and it was better for him to learn it directly from George.

The man's snide remarks weren't the least bit surprising to the general.

"Of course this means that Doctor Jackson will have to be removed from the program," the senator said, the tiniest hint of satisfaction in his voice.

"And why is that?"

"Because of the issue of your objectivity.  It would seriously be put into question."

"Senator Kinsey, whether or not my objectivity would be questioned is something that I will deal with if and when the time comes.  There are no Air Force regulations that state that a son or daughter cannot serve under the command of their father.  Even if there was, Daniel is a civilian, so any such regulations would not apply to him."

"That may be so, but I still cannot condone it."

The general's voice hardened.  "You have no say in the matter, Senator.  You are not my boss.  The President of the United States is, and he has no problem with Daniel continuing to work on this base.  Therefore, I would suggest that you accept this and not attempt to get Daniel removed.  Aside from the fact that he is my son, he is a very valuable member of the program.  Now, if you will excuse me, I have a dinner date planned with my son that I don't want to be late for."

George took more than a little pleasure from hanging up on the man before Kinsey could say anything in reply.  He went to Daniel's office.

"All done?" the archeologist asked.

"Yes, all the calls have been made."

"What did the president say?"

"He was surprised, of course, but also happy for me."

Daniel paused.  "And Kinsey?"

George's face darkened.  "Let's not talk about that and spoil the evening.  So, are you ready to eat?"

Daniel smiled and stood.  "Uh huh.  I just finished the translation of that artifact SG-11 brought back from P2K-103."

George smiled.  Daniel's skill with languages had always impressed him, but, now, he felt a great sense of pride in what the man could do.  Daniel had definitely inherited his intellect from his mother.

Father and son were on their way to the elevator when they saw Jack, Sam and Teal'c coming in the opposite direction.

"Hello, sir," Jack greeted.  "Daniel, we were just coming to see if you wanted to go get some dinner at O'Malley's."

"Actually, we were just on our way to dinner," Daniel responded.

Jack smiled.  "Oh.  Well, in that case, we won't keep you."

"Actually, Colonel, why don't all of us have dinner together?" George suggested.  "O'Malley's sounds like a good idea."

"Are you sure, sir?" Sam said.  "We wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense.  It wouldn't be an intrusion."  George turned to his son.  "You wouldn't mind, would you, Daniel?"

"No, not at all."

"All right, then it's settled."

Dinner was an interesting experience for Sam, Jack and Teal'c.  They spent a lot of it watching Daniel and General Hammond interact and were surprised by how at ease the two seemed to be with each other, chatting away like an average father and son who had a good relationship.  Any stranger would be surprised to learn that they'd only knowingly been father and son for a few days.

"Well, that was quite a pleasant evening," George said as they exited the restaurant.  "We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Definitely, sir," Jack agreed.

"Um, when are you going to send out the email?" Daniel asked his father.

"First thing in the morning.  I plan to compose it tonight."  He gave Daniel's arm a comforting squeeze.  "It may be rough for a bit, but it'll be fine, Daniel."

Daniel gave him a smile.  "I know."

Wishing everyone a good night, the general left.

"What email were you talking about, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"He's going to send out a base-wide message to everyone about us."

Jack stared at him.  "The general is going to tell everyone he's your father in a memo?"

"Well, how would you suggest we do it?  We both agreed that doing it over the P.A. wouldn't be a good idea.  If we let the base grapevine spread the news, you know what would happen.  People would think that I was the bastard child of an adulterous affair.  I don't want people thinking things like that about my mother or my father.  This way, it will all get explained, and people will know the truth."

Sam nodded.  "You're right.  I think it is the best way to do it."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"Well, I gotta run," Jack said.  "There's a John Wayne western coming on in fifteen minutes that I don't want to miss.  Teal'c?  You want to join me or would you rather go on back to the base?"

"I will view the film with you, O'Neill.  I find your culture's antiquated 'Cowboys and Indians' movies amusing."

"Amusing, huh?  Well, whatever tickles your funny bone."  Jack turned to the other members of the team.  "See you guys tomorrow."

Daniel accompanied Sam to her car.

"Daniel, do you mind if I say something about you and General Hammond?" the major asked.

"No, of course not."

"I was really surprised tonight by how . . . open and familiar you were with each other.  I had to keep reminding myself that you've only know about your relationship for a few days."

Daniel leaned back against Sam's car.  "When I first found out, I didn't know how to act around him.  I didn't even know what I should call him."  He smiled.  "He suggested that I try 'George'."  The smile faded.  "He has been so warm and accepting of this, Sam.  He's welcomed me as his son with such completeness and . . . and joy.  How could I not react to that?"

"Of course you couldn't, Daniel, and I think it's wonderful."

"The first time I called him 'Dad', it felt . . . right, and every time he calls me 'Son'. . . ."

Sam gave him a gentle smile.  "If feels good."

Daniel nodded.  "Yeah.  He wants me to meet his daughters and grandchildren as soon as possible."

Sam's smile brightened.  "Hey, that's right.  You now have sisters and nieces, too."

Daniel gave a little laugh.  "Yes, an instant family.  I'm pretty nervous about meeting them, though.  It's going to be a big shock for them, and I have to wonder how they're going to feel about suddenly having a big brother."

"Daniel, it might be a shock to them, and it might take a while for them to get used to the idea, but trust me when I say that, once they've met you and come to know you, they will love having you for a brother."

Daniel ducked his head.  "I'm worried that they'll be jealous."

"Jealous?  Of what?"

"Of the fact that I work with their father, that he spends more time with me than with them and that I know things about him and his job that they can't be told.  In one of the foster families I lived with, the man was a teacher.  He was fascinated by my mind, especially my ability with languages.  He really got involved with me, spending hours tutoring me.  They had a son, and he got really jealous, to the point that he, um. . . ."

"What, Daniel?"

"He got together with one of his friends and beat me up one day after school."

"Oh, Daniel.  I'm so sorry."

"Social Services took me out of the home right away.  Obviously, Kate and Veronica aren't going to beat me up, but I do worry about them getting jealous of the time Dad and I spend together, the secrets we share that they can't ever know."

Sam could understand Daniel's concern.  She couldn't say that it would not happen.  Sibling jealousy was a fact of life.

"I guess that you and General Hammond will just have to deal with it if it happens."

Daniel nodded.  "Yeah."


Daniel had been on base for around half an hour the next morning when the memo appeared in his inbox.  It was addressed to all military and civilian personnel and entitled, "An Announcement of a Personal Nature."

"What I am about to reveal to all of you is not something that a general would normally reveal to the people under his command," the memo began.  "My reason for telling you will soon become apparent.

"Thirty-six years ago, when I was a young, unmarried airman, I had a very brief relationship with a beautiful young woman while I was on leave.  After we said goodbye, and I left for home, we never saw each other again.  She married another man soon after that.  Several months later, I was married as well.  What I didn't know, what I was unaware of until just a few short days ago, was that on that night we spent together, she and I created a child.

"And now comes the reason why I am telling all of you this.  That child is our own Doctor Daniel Jackson, the man we have all come to respect as a valued member of the Stargate Program.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you how stunned Daniel and I both were to discover this, but I wish to state for the record that I could not be more delighted.  I have great admiration for Daniel's achievements and the kind of man he is, and the fact that he is my son has made that admiration grow into deep pride.

"I would ask that all of you accept this news in a manner that befits members of the United States Armed Forces and people who work for that great institution.  I expect you to continue treating Doctor Jackson with the same respect that you always have.

"I do not anticipate this to change anything in the program in regards to the standing and position of any individual.  Doctor Jackson will continue as a member of SG-1, as the head of the archeology and linguistics departments, and as one of our lead negotiators and diplomats in alien and off-world relations.  He will not be given any preferential treatment beyond what his position in the Stargate Program entitles him to.

"My door is open to anyone who wishes to know more about this situation and how it all came about.  Though there are private details that I, of course, am not willing to talk about, I will answer any reasonable questions you may have."

Daniel read over the announcement a second time.  He admired how well his father had worded the announcement, but still wondered how many would react with an attitude far short of what the general was asking of them.

A couple of hours passed, every moment of which Daniel expected someone to come to his office about the announcement in the memo.  It should have been no surprise that the first one to show up was Robert Rothman.

"Daniel, I just heard the news," said Robert as he came into the office.  "Hammond is your father?!"

"Yep.  Mind-blowing, isn't it."

"You're not kidding."  The anthropologist took a seat.  "So, tell me all about it.  How did you guys find out?"

Daniel gave the man the details of the whole thing.

"Wow," Robert said.  "And to think that you have been working on this base under his command for all this time without knowing that he was your father.  So, what's all this going to mean?  Hammond said that nothing was going to change here, but what about personally?  Does he want to be your dad?  I mean, you know, really your dad?"

Daniel smiled.  "Yes, he does.  He wants me to be part of his family.  I have two half-sisters and two nieces, and he wants them to meet me."

"Whoa.  I wouldn't mind being a fly on the wall when he has that conversation with them."  Robert studied Daniel's face.  "So, how do you feel about all this?"

"Part of me is still in shock.  Part of me wants to ask someone to pinch me and prove that it's not all a dream."

"Hey, if you need someone to pinch you. . . ."  Robert grinned.

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

Robert grew serious.  "Are you happy about it?"

Daniel smiled softly.  "Yeah, I am."

"Then I'm happy, too."

Robert stayed a couple of minutes longer, then returned to his lab.  A while later, Daniel went to make a fresh pot of coffee only to discover that he didn't have any more coffee in his office.  The archeologist gave a sigh.  If he wanted coffee, it looked like he was going to have to go to the cafeteria.  Or maybe not.  Doctor Lassiter usually had a pot brewed.  Perhaps Daniel could get a cup from him.

Grabbing his mug, Daniel headed down the hall.  He was nearing the entrance to one of the labs when he heard voices coming from within.

"Well, there's no way I'll get that promotion now," said a voice Daniel recognized as belonging to Dale Bayless, a member of the archeology department staff.

"Why do you say that?" asked the female voice of Colleen Moore.

"Doctor Jackson doesn't like me.  My only hope of getting the promotion was if I went directly to General Hammond about it.  But he's Doctor Jackson's father, so he sure as hell isn't going to do something contrary to what his son wants."

Daniel stood frozen in place.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Dale, Doctor Jackson is the head of the department.  Promotions are entirely under his control.  Even if he wasn't General Hammond's son, Hammond would not give you the promotion himself.  He'd have told you it was up to Doctor Jackson."

"Yeah, well, we'll never know that for sure now, will we," Bayless responded bitterly.

Daniel turned around and went back to his office.  He sat in his chair and stared at the floor.  Though he had fully expected there to be some negative reactions to the news, he'd thought that they would come mainly from the military personnel.  He hadn't expected that people on his own staff would react badly.

Daniel thought about Doctor Bayless.  Contrary to what the man believed, Daniel didn't dislike him.  What he disliked was the man's tendency to rush through a job, which often resulted in things getting missed or mistakes being made.  He'd had to call Bayless on it more than once.

Bayless was right about one thing, though.  He wasn't going to get the promotion.  Daniel had already decided to give it to another member of his staff, one who was a better worker.  And Colleen was right, too.  Things like this were entirely up to him.  General Hammond had no part in it and would not have given Bayless the promotion, even if he wasn't Daniel's father.

So, what was he going to do about this?  Ignore it?  How many other people on his staff had an issue with his relationship to the general?  Perhaps what he needed to do was have a meeting with everyone.

Daniel composed a memo calling for a staff meeting at four o'clock and sent it out to everybody in the archeology and linguistics departments.

When noon came, Daniel thought about going to get something to eat, but the truth was that he was really nervous about venturing out.  He could imagine what was going on in the rest of the base, and he'd really rather not deal with it.

By 1:30, a hungry Daniel was beginning to change his mind.  He couldn't avoid this forever.  Sooner or later, he was going to have to leave his office and this floor.

"Yep.  Just like I figured," said the voice of Jack O'Neill.  Daniel looked up to see him and Sam standing in the doorway.

"What's just like you figured?" the archeologist asked.

"The colonel guessed that you were hiding out in your office," Sam replied.

"Oh."

"Which is why we brought you this."  Jack pulled a sandwich out from behind his back.

Daniel smiled.  "Thanks.  I was getting pretty hungry."

His teammates came forward, and Jack gave him the sandwich.

"So, um . . . what's it like out there?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, I'd definitely say that this has broken the record for the most talked about bit of gossip in SGC history," Jack answered.

Daniel sighed.  "Great."

"It's not so bad, Daniel," Sam assured him.  "A lot of people think it's pretty cool."

"And those who don't?"

"Are just being jackasses," Jack instantly responded.  "There were bound to be some."

"Well, I don't care so much about me.  I care more about how this might hurt my father's reputation and the respect people here have for him."

"Daniel, anyone here who lets this affect their respect for General Hammond doesn't deserve to be under his command," Jack declared firmly.

Sam's head nodded.  "I agree.  It's not like he was a married man who had an affair or some guy who slept with a married woman.  They were both single, consenting adults who did what millions of other single men and women have done over the decades."

"I know," Daniel said, "but it always seems like when the woman gets pregnant, it makes the act more shameful in everyone's eyes.  It shouldn't.  Whether or not a child is conceived doesn't change the facts of the initial act, but that's always the way it's been, from way back in ancient history.  The presence of the pregnancy and child means that what happened can't be ignored, swept under the rug.  In some cultures, a woman who got pregnant out of wedlock was sent away somewhere, often to a convent, so that her shame would be hidden from the eyes of the public."

"Well, thankfully, it's not like that here anymore," Sam stated.  "Most people accept someone being an unwed mother with barely a comment."

"Yes, but accepting that some girl you meet is an unwed mother is not the same thing as finding out that your commanding officer fathered a child out of wedlock during a one-night-stand."

"Daniel, don't worry," Jack said.  "The general will be fine . . . and so will you.  I happen to know that you've got a pretty thick skin when it comes to less than flattering things being said about you."

"Actually, that's not why I've been hiding out.  They can say all the crude or insulting things about me that they want to, but if I heard someone say something about Mom, I'd want to punch them out, which would probably end up with me in the infirmary, if it was one of the military personnel."

"Well, I've got a solution for that.  You sic Teal'c on 'em.  That would guarantee that they'll never say another bad word about your mom for the rest of their lives."

"Thanks, Jack, but I really don't think that would be such a good idea."

After his teammates had left, Daniel ate his sandwich.  He'd just finished when George came in.

"How are you doing, Son?" he asked.

"Okay.  I've actually been hiding out here all day.  I really didn't feel like dealing with all the stares and whispers today."

The general nodded.  "I can understand that."  He sat down.  "I've had four people approach me about this, mostly because they were curious about the whole story and how we found out."

"I've had only one so far, and that was Robert Rothman."

"Good.  I added that note about approaching me regarding this because I didn't want you bothered by a lot of people."  George leaned forward.  "Daniel, I made it clear that, at the time that Claire married Melburn Jackson, she did not know that I was the father of her baby, that there was an equal chance that Melburn was the father and that she believed he was the father.  I thought it was important for them to know that."

"Thank you."

George slapped his own knees.  "Well, come on, Daniel.  I hear that they have peach cobbler on the dessert menu today, and I'm in the mood for a piece.  Of course, it won't compare to your Grandmother Hammond's peach cobbler.  Now that's a woman who could bake."

A little reluctantly, Daniel left the office with his father.  On the way to the commissary, he couldn't help but notice the stares, the furtive glances, and he knew it would be a lot worse if the general wasn't with him.  As they ate their cobbler, there were a lot more stares.  George seemed to be oblivious to it all.

"I called Kate and Veronica," the general said.  "As you know, Kate lives here in Colorado Springs with her husband and two children.  Veronica lives in Denver.  I asked them both to come to my home tonight to discuss an important family matter.  The children will not be there and neither will Gary, Kate's husband."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"No, I think it's best if we wait for you to meet them when they're ready.  I will tell them about you, then I will leave it up to them to decide when they are ready to meet you."  George smiled.  "I suspect that Kate will be by far the most eager to meet you.  When she was a little girl, she used to comment that she wished she had a big brother to protect her from the mean kids at school.  When she was a teenager, one of her girlfriends had a very close relationship with her older brother, and Kate envied the girl for it.  When she learns that she does have a big brother, I think she's going to be delighted."

"And Veronica?"

"Well, she's the baby of the family by quite a number of years, so you have to take that into consideration."  George smiled.  "I fear that I'm guilty of having spoiled her a little.  Her acceptance of you might take a bit longer."  Seeing the worry on Daniel's face, he gave his son an encouraging smile.  "Don't worry, Daniel.  Veronica will be fine."


When Daniel walked into the room where the staff meeting was being held, he felt the eyes of everyone fall upon him.

"Okay, by now, I'm sure all of you have heard the news about me and General Hammond," he said.  "I decided to call this meeting to give everyone a chance to ask any questions they may have and express any concerns or . . ." he glanced at Bayless, "grievances."  Daniel looked around.  "So . . . any questions?"

"How did you find out that you were general Hammond's son?" a man in the linguistics department asked.

Daniel explained about the contents of his mother's diary and the things that occurred after he read it.

"Then you really had no idea that you were another man's son?" asked a woman who was on the archeology staff.

"No, none at all.  I had no reason to believe that I wasn't Melburn Jackson's son."

A second woman spoke up.  "Um . . . excuse me for saying this, Doctor Jackson, but didn't your mother think that Hammond had the right to know that he had a son?"

Daniel frowned.  "Even if my mother could have found and gotten in touch with him, what would it have accomplished?  She had a happy life with a man she loved, and my biological father was also in a happy relationship.  The truth would have hurt a lot of people, and I'd probably have been one of them.  I think my mom made the right choice to protect her family.  If she hadn't died, there might have come a day once I was an adult when she would have told me the truth, but that's something I'll never know."

Daniel answered a couple of questions about how, where and why Claire and George met and ended up sleeping together.  He answered them with as much information as he could without getting into too many personal details.

"So, how is this going to affect things around here?" asked one man.

"It shouldn't affect things at all," Daniel replied.  "As General Hammond stated in his announcement, my position in the program isn't going to change.  I'll still be the head of these departments and will also still be with SG-1.  My duties and workload will not change one iota."

"You're not going to hire more staff to take some of your workload?"

"No.  If I'd believed that we needed a bigger staff, I could have approached the general about it at any time."

"Yeah, but would he have said yes before he found out that you were his son?"

Daniel stared at Dale Bayless, the one who'd asked the question.  He'd detected a note in the man's voice that he didn't like.

"Whether or not he'd have said yes is something I don't know.  General Hammond has to take into consideration the program's budget, and any staff additions must be able to fit into that budget."  Daniel's gaze hardened.  "The fact that I'm General Hammond's son does not change that, nor would it change his opinion on whether or not a request should be approved.  He is responsible for how well this base is run and seeing that it has what it needs for everyone to do their jobs efficiently.  He would not put any personal feelings about me above that.  Are we clear on that?"

Bayless didn't reply, frowning down at the floor instead.

No one else had any questions, so Daniel dismissed them.  As the others left the room, he walked up to Bayless.

"I wish to speak to you in private, Dale," he said quietly.  "Please come to my office."  He then turned and left.

Bayless showed up several minutes later, looking a bit mutinous.  Daniel studied him for a few seconds.

"I think you need to understand something," he said.  "I don't dislike you."

The startled look on the man's face indicated that he realized Daniel had overheard the earlier conversation.

"The only problem I've had with you is that you try to get things done too quickly.  Archeology is not a science for people who rush through things.  Out of all the sciences, it's among the ones that needs the most patience."

"I'm just trying to be more productive," Bayless said with a frown, obviously not happy about the criticism.

"Being more productive isn't going to help if you get careless and make mistakes in the process.  It's better to do one job well than to do ten sloppily.  You need to learn to slow down and be more thorough.  If you can do that consistently, then, eventually, you will get a promotion, but not until I think that you're ready for the responsibility that comes with a promotion."  Daniel stared at him piercingly.  "And Colleen was right.  As the head of the archeology department, who does and does not get a promotion is completely up to me.  So, going to General Hammond would have done you no good, even if it had been before he discovered that I'm his son."

Bayless glared at him.  "So, I'm not getting the promotion."

Daniel shook his head.  "I'm sorry, but I decided last week to give the position to Doctor Fuentes.  I had intended to tell you and him before now, but this situation with my father got in the way."

The man glared at him for a couple of seconds longer, then, "Can I go now?"

Daniel sighed.  "Yes, you can go."

Bayless strode angrily out of the room.  Daniel had hoped that the man would understand and accept why he was not getting the promotion, but, apparently, he was too angry to do so.  Hopefully, he would eventually cool down and see reason.  Daniel had never had to fire anyone on his staff, and he really didn't want to have to do so now.

The archeologist tried to get back to work.  He'd been at it for only fifteen minutes when there was a tap on the door frame.  He looked up to see Colleen.

"Doctor Jackson?  Um . . . I just wanted to tell you that Dale's attitude is not shared by the rest of us," she said.  "We know that you're a fair man.  We also know that you do five times more work than anyone else in the departments.  When the rest of us are at home, you're often still here working.  You could easily give part of your workload to us, but you choose to do it yourself.  Frankly, some of us can't figure out how you manage to do all your work here, yet still go on missions with SG-1."

Daniel smiled slightly.  "I have the advantage of having no life to speak of outside the SGC."

Colleen gazed at him.  "But you've got family now."

Daniel's eyes went to the desktop.  "Yes, I do."

The woman smiled.  "So, maybe now you will have a life outside the SGC."

Daniel nodded faintly, also smiling.  "Maybe I will."

Colleen backed up a step.  "Well, I just wanted to tell you that.  I'll let you get back to work."  She went to the door, pausing before stepping out into the hall.  "Oh, and Doctor Jackson?  I think this whole thing with you and General Hammond is wonderful.  I'm glad you found out that he's your father."

The little smile still on his face, Daniel turned to his computer and got back to work.

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