CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next day, everyone in the control room got a little surprise. A MALP had been sent through to investigate a planet and ended up scaring a group of tourists half to death. It appeared that the Stargate on that planet, which was named Tegalus, was a museum piece, no one having any idea what it really was.
A while later, SG-1 and General Hammond met the country's leader, a Commander Gareth, via the MALP's video transmission. After speaking with him for a few minutes, they asked if they could visit. Gareth said that he would have to discuss it with his people.
Over the next week, the SGC talked with Gareth twice more. It appeared that there was some issue with SG-1 coming through, but the commander wouldn't elaborate, just saying that it was political in nature. Jack was a little suspicious, but when Gareth finally said that they could come through, Hammond agreed to the mission.
It turned out that the country that had the Stargate was called the Rand Protectorate. It and a country called the Caledonian Federation were the two primary ruling powers of the planet. The day after SG-1 arrived in Rand, the Caledonians requested to meet them. That was four days ago, and Gareth had yet to say yes. Daniel strongly suspected that relations between the two nations weren't particularly friendly, but he hadn't had the opportunity to discuss the situation with anyone there.
Until the decision was made on allowing the Caledonians to meet SG-1, Gareth had decided it would be best if the team did not come to Rand often. Daniel had a feeling that the main reason why he wanted SG-1 to come there at all during that time was the knowledge his government was learning from Earth.
They were due to return to Rand in a few days, and Daniel hoped that things would be resolved by then.
Jack entered General Hammond's office.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
The general gestured toward one of the chairs, which Jack took a seat in.
"During the president's visit, he told me about a program that he is setting up," the general said. "It is to be called Homeworld Security and will oversee the Stargate Program, the 302 program and the Antarctic outpost." His met Jack's eyes. "He has requested that I head it."
Jack didn't respond for a couple of seconds. "In addition to running the SGC, sir?"
"No, I would be leaving the SGC and transferring to DC."
"Uh, not that I don't think you deserve the promotion, sir, because you definitely do, but who would be in charge here?" Jack had an image in his mind of another idiot like General Bauer being put in command.
Hammond smiled slightly. "Well, the president and I discussed that, and we agreed that the best man for the job is you."
The general's announcement took Jack totally by surprise. "Me, sir? Command the SGC?"
"That's right. Out of necessity, you would receive a promotion to Brigadier General."
"Brigadier." Jack's gaze grew distant as he thought about the promotion and the advantages if it, like a bigger paycheck and a better parking space. That was followed by the disadvantages of being in charge of the SGC. "Um, not that I don't like the idea of being a general, but I'm not sure I want to be in charge of this place."
Hammond's smile got slightly bigger. "I suspected you'd feel like that, Jack. Of course, you are free to refuse."
"Any idea on who we'd get if I don't take the job?" Jack knew that, no matter who became the commander of the SGC, he wouldn't be half the man that General Hammond was.
"No, I'm afraid not. The president said that he had a few people in mind." Hammond stared at Jack intently. "Jack, I want you to think long and hard about this. Commanding this base is a great responsibility, but it's also a very rewarding one. I have confidence that you would do a damn fine job of it."
Jack sat up a little straighter. "Thank you, sir. I'm flattered that you'd think so. How long do I have to think about it?"
"Not long, I'm afraid. The president gave me two weeks to decide if I was going to take the promotion and to convince you to take over for me here. Those two weeks will be up tomorrow. I have already told him that I am accepting the new command."
"I see. Well then, sir, I guess I've got a lot of thinking to do."
The news of Hammond leaving and his request that Jack take over command came as quite a surprise to the rest of SG-1. That evening, the colonel sat down with them in Daniel's office, and they started discussing the whole thing.
"Maybe you should break it down to the pros and the cons," Daniel suggested, seeing how undecided Jack was.
"I've spent my whole life sticking it to the man," Jack said. "If I do this, I'll be the man. I don't think I can be the man."
"You'll be inheriting a pretty big can of worms with the state of affairs out there," Sam admitted.
"If this Goa'uld who now controls Anubis' forces gains dominance of the System Lords, we face a formidable challenge ahead," Teal'c stated.
"Plus, who knows where and when Fifth and the other Replicators will turn up?"
"Here on Earth, we've never been under so much scrutiny as we are now that so many governments know about the Stargate," Daniel added.
"I've never had a desk," Jack said, as if he hadn't heard a word they said.
"That's uhh . . . uhh. . .?"
"Con."
"Con." Daniel nodded his head. Of course it was a con. This was Jack O'Neill.
Sam stared at her C.O. "For the record, sir, you do have a desk."
"I do?" Jack responded, acting as if he was truly surprised even though Sam and the others knew that he did actually spend some time in his office and, therefore, was aware that he had a desk, though the thing was so seldom used that it usually had a thick coating of dust on it every time Jack sat at it.
"On the flip side of the coin, there is the fact that nobody knows how this place should be run better than you," Daniel pointed out.
Jack looked at him, surprised and pleased by the comment. "Why, thank you, Daniel."
"With a little guidance from your good friends and advisors, of course," the archeologist added.
"If you don't take the job, we could end up with someone much worse," Sam commented.
As Jack stared at her, she realized that she'd just put her foot in her mouth big time.
"Okay, that didn't come out right," she said with an embarrassed smile.
"I, for one, will miss you accompanying us on our missions, O'Neill," Teal'c stated.
Jack latched onto that. "Yeah, now, see? I'm not sure I'm ready to give that up either. Sitting back, watching you guys go off and have all the fun."
"Risking our lives in the face of grave danger," said Daniel.
"Yeah, that."
"Well, I'm sure there'll be situations in which you can accompany us in the field, sir," Sam said.
"You'll be in charge. You can do whatever you want," Daniel told Jack.
Jack liked the thought of that. "I'll be able to do whatever I want."
'Oh, crap. What did I just say?' Daniel thought in mild alarm. He shared a look with Sam and Teal'c. He could tell that Sam was thinking the same thing.
"Within reason . . . sir," she said.
Jack fell silent. His teammates said nothing, understanding how big a decision this was for him.
"Thanks for talking about this with me, guys," the colonel said after a while. "I'm going to go find that desk of mine and do some more thinking."
Jack didn't end up doing his thinking at his desk, but, instead, while wandering around the corridors of the base. He'd never much liked that desk, which was why he preferred to imagine that he didn't have one. Actually, he didn't much care for his entire office. If he took command of the SGC, he'd have a new office and a new desk. Would he like them any better than the ones he had now? It really wasn't the office or the desk that he detested, it was what they represented, one of the down sides of being a higher ranking officer in the U.S. military.
Jack had always known that being in the military couldn't be all action and adventure, despite what the commercials on TV might lead one to believe. There were the boring things, too, the endless paperwork, files to read, reports to write. There would be a hell of a lot more of that if he took over command. That alone was a good reason to turn it down. But if he did turn it down, what then? Who would he and the rest of the men and women on this base be taking orders from? Would that person have the same level of wisdom, patience and integrity as General Hammond? Most likely not. Hammond was the finest man Jack had ever served under. Anyone who took his place would come up short of the great leadership the man had displayed – including Jack himself.
Would the man who took over have the wisdom to listen to Daniel's advice and impassioned pleas rather than brush them aside and do what he wanted? Would he have respect for Teal'c and all the Jaffa had done for them? Would he be smart enough to let Sam do what she believed could save them when their lives depended on her expertise? And would he have patience and understanding for a certain irreverent colonel who didn't always play by the rules?
Jack himself had come up short more than once when it came to some of those things, the first one in particular. He liked to believe, however, that he'd finally wizened up enough to know that when Daniel gave you advice or asked that something be done – or not done – it was a good idea to at least listen to him – and usually an even better idea to do what he said.
It really was no surprise that Jack's wanderings finally brought him to Daniel's office. What was it with this place that seemed to make it the location where every member of SG-1 gravitated to when there was talking to be done? Yes, they did it in Sam's lab, too, but more often than not, it was here.
"So, are you going to come in or just stand out there all day?" asked a voice from within. Jack covered the last few feet to the door and looked inside. Daniel was at his desk, gazing at something on the computer monitor. He turned to look at the colonel.
"Hey," Jack said.
"Hey."
Jack came in all the way and sat on a chair. "So, whatcha up to?"
"Translations."
"Yeah? What are you translating?"
Daniel just stared at him for the longest time.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Okay, what's wrong?"
"Why do you think that something's wrong?"
"Because you actually asked me what I was translating. That question is irrefutable proof that either something's wrong or you're not the real Jack O'Neill. And, since my sixth sense is telling me that you are the real Jack. . . ."
"Fine! I just . . . sort of wanted to . . . talk."
Daniel instantly perceived what this was about. "About the promotion?"
"I've spent the last two hours walking around, thinking about it. Deciding to ask Sara to marry me was easier."
"I guess I can understand that. It would be a big change. You'd be here on base most of the time instead of on missions." Daniel smiled slightly. "And I know how you just love the paperwork."
Jack made a face. "Yeah, that paperwork is definitely one of the sticking points, so is not going on missions. I'm not too keen on the idea of seeing you three always going through the gate without me."
Daniel looked at him intently. "Are you prepared to accept whomever is put in Hammond's place if you don't take the job?"
"And that's the main sticking point on the other side of the coin. The thought that we could get another General Bauer makes me shudder."
"Me too."
"I'm guessing that, if you were the one who was offered command, you'd turn it down in a heartbeat."
"Faster. Commanding the SGC is something I definitely would not want to do."
"Even if it meant preventing another Bauer being placed in command?"
Daniel thought about that. "I . . . guess that would be a different story. I don't think I could stand by and allow that to happen if there was something I could do to stop it. I'd be ignoring my responsibility to protect not only Earth, but all the humans out there in the galaxy. In the end, I'd have to do what I thought was the right thing."
"Yeah." Jack stood up and headed for the door. Before passing through it, he turned back to Daniel, meeting his eyes. "Thank you."
Daniel smiled very softly and nodded his head once. With a little smile of his own, Jack slipped out the door.
The next morning, Jack called for a meeting with his teammates. Again, they assembled in Daniel's office.
"I was up half the night thinking about this whole thing," Jack told them.
"And?" Daniel asked.
"And . . . I'm going to accept the command."
The other three people in the room accepted the announcement with mixed feelings. Though they were happy for Jack that he was getting the promotion and would far rather see him as the SGC's commander than someone they didn't know, they all knew that they'd miss his presence on missions.
"Congratulations, sir," Sam said. That's when she had a thought. "Um, I know this might not be a good time to discuss this, but what about SG-1? We'll need to find a new team member." She couldn't help but think about the other time that they needed to find a new team member. Thankfully, the reason for it this time was a happier one.
"Let's not worry about that now, Carter," Jack told her. "Right now, the only off-world stuff we're . . . you're involved with is the stuff on Tegalus. We'll have time to work on getting a new team member."
A while later, General Hammond announced to the base about his transfer and Jack taking over command. It caused quite a stir, and Jack received several congratulations throughout the remainder of the day, though everyone was sorry to see Hammond go.
The general finished as much paperwork as he could that day. The next day, the packing began. As he placed each item in the boxes, he thought about the years he'd spent there, the good and bad times, the triumphs and tragedies. A big part of him was saddened at leaving. Though he was going to be in command of something of great importance and would still be connected to the SGC, he knew that he would miss this place and the people in it . . . especially SG-1.
There was a knock, and Hammond looked up to see three of the people he'd just been thinking about. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were all standing in the doorway.
"Sir? May we come in?" the new lieutenant colonel asked.
"Certainly."
Sam glanced at her teammates, then back to Hammond. "Sir, we just wanted to say goodbye personally, just in case we didn't get a chance to later. And we wanted to tell you how much of an honor it has been to be under your command. We're going to miss you."
Hammond looked at the three people he had come to care so much about, seeing the emotions in their eyes. "Thank you, all of you. It has been an honor to be your commanding officer. I could not ask for a finer group of people to lead. I know that I'm going to miss you as well."
"We hope that you'll be coming to visit us once in a while," Daniel said.
Hammond smiled. "Count on it, Doctor Jackson."
Sam backed up a step. "Well . . . we'll let you get back to your packing, sir."
Hammond came around the desk and shook their hands one by one. "Good luck to you all, SG-1. My prayers will always be with you."
That night, as Daniel and Sam lay together, neither one of them was thinking of sleep, their minds on what would be happening tomorrow.
"It's going to be strange not going on missions with Colonel O'Ne . . . um, I mean General O'Neill," Sam said. "We have done that occasionally in the past, but. . . ."
"I know. I'm going to miss him, even if he does drive me up the wall sometimes."
"Me too."
The room was quiet for a while.
"Sam, how is this going to affect us?"
The astrophysicist looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"If you take over command of SG-1, is that going to cause a problem because of our relationship? Even though I'm a civilian, you will, technically, be my commanding officer."
"I have to admit that I didn't even think of that. I don't know. Even if there aren't any regulations against it, you can bet that some people higher up wouldn't be happy about it." Sam smiled. "If it turns out to be a problem, General O'Neill will probably suggest that you cash in on one of the favors the president owes you."
Daniel also smiled. "I will if I have to."
"But then, it might turn out to not even be an issue. Someone new could be brought in to take over command, a full colonel."
"I don't think that would be fair. You deserve to be given command."
Sam gave him a kiss. "Thank you. That's nice of you to say."
"It's just the truth. You've been with the team from Day One. You, Teal'c and I are all very familiar with the way we work and think and can read each other's body language and expressions well enough that, sometimes, we don't have to say a word to know what we're all thinking. We know all of our strengths and weaknesses. Someone new isn't going to have that advantage. It would make more sense for you to take command."
"That may be true, but it's not up to us."
"Who is it up to?"
"Well, by rights, General O'Neill should be the one to make that decision, but, if someone higher up decides to call the shots, he may have to do what they say. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Sam snuggled close to Daniel, and the two of them closed their eyes. When they awoke in the morning, a new chapter of Stargate Command and SG-1 would begin.
In a gate room packed wall-to-wall with the people he had commanded with pride, General Hammond stood upon the red-carpeted ramp and said his goodbyes to them. There was more than one teary eye in the room and throughout the rest of the base, who were listening to his speech over the PA system.
"In conclusion, I can truly say only one thing," he said, "that for all the years that I have been in the Air Force and out of all the men and women I have commanded, there are none that I have been more honored to command than all of you. Your courage in the face of overwhelming odds would be an inspiration to anyone in the Armed Forces. Thank you for the most fulfilling and rewarding years of my career."
Loud applause that went on for fully half a minute filled the entire base in honor of the man they all had the highest respect for.
As the clapping faded, Hammond spoke again. "And, now, without further ado, I would like to introduce the new commander of this base, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill."
The crowd parted to reveal Jack entering the room, resplendent in his dress blues, which were newly adorned with a single silver star on each epaulette. He walked up to stand before Hammond, who shook his hand heartily.
"General O'Neill, I know that I am giving over care of this base and the people in it to a man who will command it with courage and skill. Good luck, Jack."
"Thank you, sir," the new commander of the SGC said. He turned to the people assembled, the military personnel all standing at attention. "At ease. You all know how much I love speeches, so I'll make this short. I wish I could say I didn't owe anything to anyone. But the truth is I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for the courage and support of each and every one of you." He met Hammond's eyes for a brief moment. "I hope I can be as good a leader as we've had in the past and as good as you deserve."
"Here, here," Daniel said, smiling faintly.
"I would love to make my first act as the commanding officer of this base something spectacular, like giving Carter here a promotion, but since General Hammond beat me to it," there were a few chuckles, "I'll have to think of something else instead. Oh, wait a minute. I think I have something here." Jack made a show of riffling through some papers he brought with him. "Ah, here it is." He looked directly at Janet. "Doctor Fraiser, come on up here."
Surprised and wondering what this was all about, Janet walked up the ramp to stand before Jack, who was looking at her, now completely serious.
"Doctor Janet Fraiser, for over seven years, you have served as the Chief Medical Officer of this base. In those years, you have repeatedly acted with strength, courage and an unswerving commitment to duty to preserve the lives of the men and women here with your skills as a physician. More than once, you have risked your own health and even your life for your patients. For this reason and for the contributions you have made to the advancement of medical science, you are hereby awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, a medal awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who distinguished themselves by outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or service to the United States of America."
Janet had to hold back the gasp that leapt in her throat. Stunned, she watched as Jack slipped a case out from underneath the papers sitting on the lectern. He opened it to reveal a bronze medal consisting of six rays issuing from the upper three points of a five-pointed star. In front of the lower part of the star was an eagle with upraised wings, standing upon two upward curving branches of laurel tied with a ribbon. The medal hung from a crimson and white striped ribbon.
With a little smile, Jack pinned the medal to Janet's jacket. He then took a step back and shot off a salute, which Janet returned. The room erupted with applause. Janet looked down and saw that both Sam and Daniel were smiling broadly and clapping as loudly as they could. Teal'c, too, was clapping with enthusiasm . . . for a Jaffa, that is.
The ceremony ended right after that. The moment Janet had joined SG-1, Sam gave her a big hug.
"Congratulations!" she said, beaming.
"Thank you. I have to say that this totally shocked me. I wasn't expecting it at all."
"Well, you can thank General Hammond for the shock . . . and for the medal," Jack said, walking up to them.
Sam and Janet both immediately straightened and gave him a salute.
"Knock off the salute you two," he responded. "And none of that standing at attention either. It's still just me." He turned back to Janet. "As I was saying, Hammond's the one who pushed for that medal, been working at it for a couple of weeks now. He told me that he'd believed for a while now that you should get one and wanted to see it get done before he left this place." Jack smiled. "I agreed with him and asked for the privilege of being the one to pin it on you."
"Thank you, sir." Janet looked about. "Where is General Hammond? I'd like to say thank you to him as well."
"He's over there," Jack replied, pointing at a small group that had the general at its center. Janet walked over to it. Seeing her, Hammond excused himself from the others and came up to her.
"General O'Neill told me that you were the one who petitioned for this medal, sir."
Hammond smiled at her gently. "Yes, I was, but it is something that you well deserve, Doctor. So often, we in the military forget about the great service that the medical personnel perform every day in the military hospitals, on bases like this and out on the battlefield, yet the truth is that there are many who would not be alive today if it was not for people like you, who have dedicated your lives to healing the sick and wounded servicemen and women of this nation. In these years I've served on this base, I have watched you perform miracles, sometimes under conditions that would break a person of lesser strength. I have never met a finer doctor, one more determined to fight for the lives of their patients, no matter what the personal cost." He gestured at the medal. "That medal is only a small token of honor and gratitude for all that you have done."
Janet blinked away the tears in her eyes, touched beyond words by what the general had just said. "Thank you, sir," she managed to say, realizing then how very much she was going to miss this man before her.
"No, Janet. Thank you."
Ignoring what was considered proper, Janet stood up on tippytoe and placed a soft kiss on Hammond's cheek. As she pulled back, she saw the tiniest hint of tears in the man's eyes. Before she could start getting too emotional, Janet said goodbye to him and walked over to some of her nurses.
Daniel was in a conversation with Bill Lee when General Hammond came over.
"Doctor Jackson, may I speak with you in private?"
"Of course."
The two went up to the general's former office.
"I don't think Jack will mind if I borrow it back for a few minutes," Hammond remarked. Not sitting down, he turned around to face Daniel.
"These past months have brought a lot of changes for all of us, but most especially for you. I know that, since you gained these abilities of yours, you have questioned your actions more than once, wondered if you did the right thing. You have been given a great gift and a great responsibility, Daniel, and I want you to know that I believe you have handled it with the utmost integrity and wisdom. I could not have greater pride in your actions."
Daniel's gaze had fallen, embarrassed, as always, by the high praise.
"Your abilities have given us many victories that otherwise may have been denied us, yet there may come a day when even your power cannot prevent tragedy. If that day ever comes, do not let it discourage you or make you doubt your capabilities. There is not another soul on this planet nor, most likely, any other who could have done a finer job of using those abilities the way they should be."
Daniel finally met the man's eyes. "Thank you, sir. And thank you for all the times that you have listened to me when you really didn't have to. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the patience and understanding that you have given to me. Nine years ago, I'd never have imagined that I'd be working for the military. In these years that I have been here, there were times when I wished I wasn't. But I want you to know that there is no other man I would feel more honored to serve under than you."
A tiny smile of gratitude graced Hammond's face. "Thank you, Daniel." He laid his hands on the archeologist's shoulders. "You take care of yourself, Son," he smiled a little bit more, "and don't let Jack get away with too much."
Daniel smiled as well, though his throat was feeling a little tight. "I won't sir."
A while later, his final goodbyes spoken, General Hammond made his way out of the base to the staff car waiting to take him home. He had some personal packing to do before his flight out in the morning.
As the car left the base and started down the road, Hammond asked the driver to stop. As the vehicle came to a halt, he got out and gazed back at the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. For a full minute, he looked at it, thinking of all that had transpired since that day he first arrived here, believing it to be a post he'd have for only a short while before retiring. So much had happened since that day, things that had enriched his life and given him memories that would live in his mind for the rest of his days. He had met people who became more to him than just men and women under his command. He had gained friends there, some becoming as dear to him as his own family.
Those seven and a half years had shaped his life more deeply than all the decades of service that came before them, and Hammond knew that none of the years that yet lie ahead would make as great an impact.
With a final look, Major General George Hammond, got back in the car and faced forward to whatever the future might hold for him.
