ShaViva's Stargate Fan ... Stuff

Tuesday, May 5 | 1000 hours | Training Room Four

Radek walked in and looked around. He was alone in the room.

He'd worn a plain pair of dark blue sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt embossed with the words "Quot Libros, Quam Breve Tempus". He toed off his sneakers and moved to sit on a bench by the wall, waiting for Major Lorne.

He was still a little nervous about this. He'd been wondering how much he had forgotten, how rusty his remaining skills would be.

Well, he was about to find out.

Darek walked in early enough. Some recruits were there too, some of them screamed 'rookie' with their whole pose. He noticed an older man who stood out from the group, too. He seemed to be civilian. Sitting down on a chair on the back end of the room, Darek wondered what class lesson they'd get first.

Daniel edged in on the tail of a couple more fresh recruits that he did not recognize. Having spotted Darek and Radek, he eased their way, nodded politely and took a vacant seat. Slipping out his digital recorder he set it so it would pick up voices clearly. Daniel's eidetic memory was audio based meaning he had near-perfect recall for anything he had heard. It was the ability that made learning languages relatively easy for him. It was also the reason he tended to record lectures rather than take handwritten notes. He would later archive the lessons onto his laptop to listen to at a later date or to refresh his memory. It worked better than visual aids for his learning abilities.

Major Lorne stood at the front of the classroom, casting his eyes over the new recruits, all sitting at attention and watching him intently. Towards the back of the room sat the other members of his team, their demeanours more relaxed. Only Radek had any experience with the Wraith and he was interested in seeing how all of them handled the topics he’d be presenting over the next few training sessions.

After introducing himself, Evan quickly moved into instructor mode.

“You might be thinking I’ve got experience off world ... I’ve fought the Gou’ald ... been through the Stargate a hundred times,” he began. “You might even be wondering why we run an orientation program specifically for Atlantis. One word ... Wraith.”

Lorne paused to let that sink in. “They are the enemy but their impact goes much further than that. Much of what makes this galaxy unique stems from their influence. The things we’ll talk about in these sessions over the next couple of weeks will give you a foundation for operating within that.”

Going over to his desk, Evan grabbed a stack of papers and handed them to the front person in each row. “Take one and pass the rest on,” he instructed, waiting for the pages to get mostly around the room before continuing.

“These are the topics we’ll be covering. Some are specific to the Wraith but the rest relate to the things we consider to be unique about off world missions here.”

Clicking his remote, Lorne took the screen projector out of stand by mode, revealing the same list that everyone had in front of them.

"This first one is for everyone," Evan said, letting everyone read the topics for themselves. 

• Wraith 101 – Know Your Enemies
• Ancient history – the rise and fall of Atlantis
• Off world protocols – first contacts, things you should and shouldn’t do
• Weapons and how to use them – Earth and Pegasus based
• Do Not Touch – Ancient technology
• Ethics – just because you can doesn’t mean you should
• Base Guidelines – finding your way, who to ask for what
• Pegasus Hand to Hand Combat – with Specialist Ronon Dex

"And for the civilians amongst you we have a few extras," Lorne continued, clicking to bring up the next list.

• Classified Information ... who can you tell? NO ONE!
• Team Signals and silent communications
• The importance of the Chain of Command
• Your off world pack – No you can’t take that!
• Basic first aid ... prerequisite for anyone wanting to do Field Medics training

"Questions so far?" Lorne asked.

Darek raised his hand, indicating a question. "There is one Sir. You mentioned an Ethics course: by what Rules of Engagement are we operating here? And have things like the Hague protocols already gotten an adjustment for off-world warfare?" The latter was more of interest because failing to adjust the Hague protocols to air warfare made the discussion about WWII air raids rather interesting, and the first was fuelled by the Afghanistan experience, only because troops cooperating with each other didn't mean that they were tied by the same legal and ethical rules.

Radek looked over the list and waited for the answer to Darek's question. He was intrigued. This looked to be interesting and fun.

"Interesting questions," Major Lorne replied. "We'll cover those points in detail during the ethics session but the short answer is that we have specifically designed ROE's to cover situations likely to occur in this galaxy. These have been endured by all member countries and approved by the IOA ... meaning they apply to everyone employed by this expedition, regardless of your country of origin. For some of you that will mean changes in accepted practices endorsed by your governments." Lorne nodded to Sterling, well aware of his countries rules on things like being unable to kill unless under attack. "Let me assure you all that our ROE's address the need to effectively achieve mission objectives without the use of unnecessary force."

Evan paused to let that sit before turning to Darek's other question. "Your second question is a little more difficult to give a short answer to since it brings into play both warfare and more specifically aviation law. There wasn't one clear body of law we could just adopt and run with here ... what we have is a merging of a number of existing legal guidelines - the Hague Regulations and Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions, the Outer Space Treaty - all tailored to our specific circumstances here in the Pegasus galaxy and adhering to the principles of limitation, military necessity, humanity and proportionality. You'll see that it covers things like air-to-ground attacks, air-to-air engagements, and space warfare."

"As I said, you'll get the chance to learn a lot more about this and other ethical considerations during that session. Anyone else have a question before we continue?" the Major asked.

Radek shook his head. It all seemed pretty straight-forward.

"Okay ... let's continue," Lorne announced after receiving no further questions. Over the next twenty minutes he gave the standard condensed version of what they knew of Ancient versus Wraith history, finishing up with a summary of the Earth expeditions actions leading to the present day.

"For those of you wondering when this is gonna get good," Evan grinned when a few of the marines looked startled and then a little sheepish, "wait no more. My introduction is done. Next up we get out of the classroom and head for the shooting range. It's time to see who thinks they can hit a target and who actually can, under pressure when it counts. Take a fifteen minute break and then regroup at the training range."

The Major stood, nodding as each new recruit filed past. Last to approach were the members of his new team.

Darek strode out of the room, his mind on some of the things they had gotten taught. He'd go over most of his notes later, memorizing the important details, making sure he had them down right.

Radek followed closely, his mind already slotting and sorting what he'd heard. The firing range was next. He chewed his lip briefly. He hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself.

Lorne smiled briefly as his new team mates walked past, both absorbed in the task ahead. Daniel brought up the rear, relaxed and confident as Evan would have expected. The Major was looking forward to seeing how all of them did in the test ahead.

Tuesday, May 5 | 1100 hours | Trainee shooting range

Major Lorne made it down to the shooting range before any of his class. Setting up the six stations available for use with targets ... the standard human form outline ... he calculated that it would take three rounds before everyone in the class had been tested. Thinking about the practicalities, Evan decided to run the first round with all three of his new team included. That way, assuming they all did well enough, he could release them back to normal duties. The following day the class would meet in the gym for an assessment of hand-to-hand combat skills.

The new marines were the first to arrive ... no surprises there since most of them lived for the chance to shoot something. Nodding as they each Sired him before taking a position a short distance away from the shooting stations, Evan wondered who'd arrive next.

Darek had gone down to the range before the break was over. At the SGC he had spend much time there, familiarizing himself with the P90. It had taken him a while to do so, years with a MP5 and G36 had ingrained reflexes and shooting habits that he had needed to overcome. But in the last two months he had been up to his old speed and precision. Now he was curious what kind of weapons they'd be using here. The moment he entered he realised that the Major was already there and snapped back into attention mode. "Sir."

"Captain," Lorne replied, even as the next group of new recruits arrived and took up much of the available space.

Radek walked in, nodding briefly to Lorne. "Major. Where shall I wait?"

"Anywhere you can find a gap is fine until the others arrive," Lorne replied. "You guys will be up first though so don't get comfortable."

Daniel trailed in behind Radek, his head tilted as he listened to something in his earpiece. "Dr. McLaughlin, while I am sure the indigenous fruit bats on MW P38-242 were, as you say cute and cuddly, I seriously doubt they wanted anything more from us than our apples and oranges. Equally, I doubt the similar species you have located on the mainland here are ready for treaty negotiations. If you offer them some apples or Pegasus variants on fruit, I bet they'll quit haunting your campsite."

Keying off with a shake of his head and a smile, Daniel glanced at Lorne, Darek, and Radek, "Sorry for that delay." He removed the earpiece after clicking it to not available and stuck it in a pocket.

"Fruit bats?" Lorne shook his head, amused. The similarities between Pegasus and home continually amazed him. Glancing at the group and doing a mental head count, Evan straightened to begin the session.

"Proficiency in the basic weapons used by off world teams is crucial," he said. "Like the SGC, we use the P-90 and the M9. There are other weapons around but these will be the one's you'll rely on 99% of the time. Today we're focussing on the P-90."

He picked up a weapon and held it high for everyone to see. "For those of you without SGC experience, this is a P-90."

"It's a submachine gun, designed to put the power of an assault rifle into a smaller sized weapon, suitable for close quarters encounters." Evan paused, taking a gauge on whether he had everyone's full attention and comprehension, and continuing when he felt sure that everyone was with him.

"The P-90 is classed as a Personal Defense Weapon. PDW's are designed to bridge the gap between assault rifles and pistols. They are more powerful than a pistol, but lighter than a rifle. The P-90 is a fully ambidextrous weapon, in a bullpup configuration, which means the action and magazine are behind the trigger. This gives it a longer barrel without substantially increasing the weapon size. In addition, maintenance of the gun doesn't require a complete disassembly. Simply removing the magazine gives access to the entire firing mechanism."

Motioning to a table on the far wall, Lorne continued. "Here we have a disassembled P-90, showing the major component groups." He pointed to each as he named them, "1. trigger group, 2. barrel and optical sight assembly, 3. butt plate, 4. magazine, 5. bolt carrier and recoil assembly, 6. stock body and trigger."

Major Lorne then showed the group how the weapon was reassembled and loaded, ready for firing, making sure that everyone had a chance to try that aspect for themselves.

"Today you'll all fire the P-90 in a standard weapon's qualification test," Lorne announced once everyone was ready. "If you pass that, and a similar one for the M9 pistol tomorrow, then you get to cross this part of the orientation training off your list. Don't worry if you don't pass ... we'll use the results to work out what specific training you'll need to get up to speed."

"I have six stations here so I'm going to run this in three rounds," Lorne continued. "First up ... Jackson, Sterling, Zelenka, Jones, Reeves and Capelli. Everyone else will wait in the sound proof observation room behind us." Evan waited while two thirds of the group left the room in an orderly fashion. Turning back to his first group, he instructed as he handed out individual weapons. "Ear guards on - these weapons are loud, especially in an enclosed space. Step up to the station, load your weapon and commence firing as soon as the target appears in front of you. Aim to cause the most damage while achieving optimal accuracy. Head shots are impressive but out in the field, under pressure, you'll find accuracy is an issue. Any questions before we start?"

With none forthcoming, Evan signalled for everyone to begin. The sounds of weapons clinking, rounds being loaded, and low conversation filled the room as everyone followed Lorne's instructions. Holding up a hand to get everyone's attention, Evan held his thumb up, waiting until each of the six had responded by raising their own thumbs signaling their readiness to begin.

Moving to the controls, the Major pressed the button, raising the human outline targets for each person to shoot at.

Daniel had selected his weapon when requested, automatically checking its safety and ammo. His actions were almost instinctive after so many years. He had even finally stopped wondering at how he could have gotten so comfortable with firearms. It was another vagary in his make-up that he had stopped questioning. From one side of his family or another, he had inherited a natural eye and ability with firearms that did not cross over to other self-defense disciplines. Setting his safety glasses and ear protectors in place, he stepped into position, his stance correct but relaxed, legs slightly spread, his body angled slightly. Bringing the P-90 up, he sighted on the target, loosing several rounds as Lorne signalled go.

Lowering his weapon and flipping on the safety, Daniel narrowed his eyes to bring the target into focus. His grouping was excellent considering he had not been out in the field lately. He had nailed the O-ring with all shots grouped neatly in its center.

Darek put on ear protection and safety glasses. He disliked the later, you did not have them in the field, so you better did not start to depend on them. But training was training. He had gone through the weapons check automatically, unloading and re-loading the P-90 before they stepped up for firing. He went through the first round of shooting as he always did: fast, precise and wasting no more time than absolutely necessary. His first shots were mass center, most on the O ring, two slightly off, the last three cleanly placed in the head. It was done by reflex, by habit to go for two kill zones, in case the opponent wore protection.

Radek had more experience with rifles and pistols. He'd rarely fired a machine gun. But he shouldered it and fired -- and ended up cursing, surprised by the recoil. Then he regrouped and fired again. He ended up with shots all over the target -- and three in the ceiling where the recoil had jerked his weapon.

Major Lorne walked down the line once everyone had ceased firing, stopping at each station and bringing the target closer to see the results. It didn't surprise him when Daniel's target came back without any wayward shots ... the level of accuracy did surprise him though. "Nice shooting Daniel," he said. "You're done for the day."

Moving on to Darek's station, Lorne went through the same process, the results exactly as he'd expected for someone with the Captain's background. "Three head shots huh?" he commented, smiling. "Well done ... you're good to go as well."

Evan checked the other three stations next .... the two marines had passed as expected. Doctor Reeves clearly had little experience with weapons, launching into nervous speech before Lorne could comment. The major took the time to give him some feedback and an invitation to come and see him later so they could organise some intensive training.

Last station to check was Radek's. "Let's see how you did Doc," Evan said, bringing the target closer. He studied it carefully, noting that apart from the wild shots the other man had fired when the recoil had surprised him, the bullets had found their mark.

"Never fired a semi automatic before?" Lorne asked, wanting to find out a little more about Radek's experience.

"No," Radek admitted. "Rifles, pistols, yes. Machine guns, no. The recoil shocked me."

"Well, recoil aside these results are pretty good," Lorne replied. "I want you to have another go - now that you know what to expect."

Resetting Radek's station and priming the new target, the Major then stood waiting for the other man to prepare his weapon and indicate his readiness to proceed. Exchanging 'thumbs up' signals, Lorne brought the target forward into range and nodded for Radek to begin.

Shouldering the weapon with a put-upon sigh, Radek hesitated for a second.

Then he began to fire. His eyes barely closed this time and the weapon was steady in his hands. When he was done, he straightened up and looked at Lorne.

He knew he'd done much better. He could feel it.

Lorne pressed the button to bring the target to them, taking it and studying it for a moment before smiling. "Nice work Radek," he said, holding up the outline so Radek could see how many shots he'd gotten into the target zone. "You're done." The Major paused to allow the other man to digest that before continuing. "Listen ... I couldn't help but notice you were a little reluctant to do this. I don't need for you to like firing a weapon as long as I can trust that when it's required you'll be able to defend yourself ... the team ... and anyone else needing it." Evan looked at Radek with a direct gaze. "Is there a reason for your reluctance? Something I need to know?"

Radek lowered his voice. "You are well aware of my country's political history," he told Lorne. "Of its -- ideology. My skills.... are not mine by choice, as yours are. I was required to serve in the military. Compulsory. I have never killed a man by shooting, but I know I have the ability. That it was forced upon me. And that makes me uncomfortable."

"I can understand that," Evan replied. "If it makes it any easier, I'm not trying to turn you into a member of the military. You're on my team because of your scientific and technical skills. This training is insurance Radek ... to make sure you're prepared to defend yourself should the need arise. I hope that it doesn't but experience doesn't reassure me ... and I'd be remiss in my responsibilities if I took you off world without making sure you can handle it."

"I understand. And I agree." Radek smiled slightly. "Sometimes if I have to become that soldier again, after it is over I have bad reaction. It never happens in the heat of the battle -- always after it is over. I can defend myself should the need arise, but I would prefer you to be assured of it as well and not merely take my word for it. You would be remiss to your other teammates otherwise, yes?"

"Yes," Lorne agreed. "This is a good start ... qualifying with the P-90 today. Pistols tomorrow and hand-to-hand later in the week are as far as we need to take this Radek." Evan considered his next words carefully before continuing. "I take your point about the past only coming back to bite you after the dust has settled but if you find yourself struggling to resolve those feelings I need to know. I don't want you being on the team to have a negative impact Radek ... so don't be reticent about this. It can stay between us ... just as long as you talk to someone if it becomes an issue.

"Agreed," Radek said, nodding and holding out his hand for shaking. "The most that will happen -- worst case -- is I will throw up on your shoes."

"Okay ... good to know," Lorne quipped, shaking Radek's hand firmly. "Glad we got that sorted." Glancing to the observation window where the remainder of his class still waited, Evan grimaced. Slapping a hand to Radek's shoulder, he said "you're good to go Radek ... I'll see you tomorrow for the Beretta training."

Radek took his leave while Evan motioned for the next group to come and do their tests.

References: StargateWiki P90 page, and Wikipedia FN P90 page

Thursday, 7th May | 0900 hours | Training gym

Major Lorne watched as his group of new recruits filed into the gym for the next phase of their basic training introduction to Atlantis – their hand to hand combat assessment. They’d conducted the M9 Beretta session the previous day and Evan had been pleased to be able to pass every member of his team.

Today would be interesting ... Lorne was expecting Captain Sterling to do well. Daniel should also do well although Evan suspected it would be reluctantly. Radek was a complete unknown.

Radek arrived, still in the same sweats and t-shirt from the day before. Though they were clean now, smelling faintly still of the dryer sheets the laundry used. He saw everyone and nodded, moving toward a wall.

Darek stood leaning on the wall, prepared for the training. He was looking forward to some serious preparation for fighting non-human adversaries on close combat.

“Morning,” Lorne greeted the group once everyone had settled into a place around the walls. “Medium-range combatives ... also called hand-to-hand combat ... has always been a part of basic training for all soldiers, despite our reliance on long range weaponry. Here in the Pegasus galaxy it takes on a whole new meaning. The Wraith feed on their victims ... they’ll be right up in your face before you can blink ... and your life could depend on how well you can defend yourself against a body attack.”

He paused, letting that message sink in. The enlisted members of the group would pass this section of the training with ease but Lorne couldn’t afford for them to be complacent about their skills.

“The human body is an arsenal of possible body weapons,” Lorne continued. “Short punches; strikes with elbows, knees and hands; head butts. A good medium-range combatant focussed on the targets presented by their opponent, choosing the one best able to deliver the required result. Attacks should focus on your opponent’s vital points to end the fight as quickly as possible.”

Motioning for the marine nearest to him to step forward, Lorne continued. “The body is divided into three sections – high, middle and low,” Evan indicated the dividing line using his volunteer as a model.

“On a human opponent strikes to the high section would be the most damaging for your opponent,” Lorne explained, “and usually that means they’re rarely used. Every up close encounter with the Wraith is a fight to the death ... every strike should be designed to be the last. They’ll come back hard ... and killing one using hand-to-hand alone is unlikely ... it’s about buying as much time as you can.”

“Of course, the Wraith aren’t the only enemies encountered off world ... depending on the situation you’ll have to judge the level of attack required to defend yourself. Each section of the human body contains vital targets,” the Major continued. “Your training materials have diagrams reminding you where they’re located.”

Radek studied the diagrams, nodding to himself. It was things he had seen before, but a refresher never hurt anyone. And he knew he needed the refreshing.

“To start with we’re going to break into pairs and do some basic moves,” Lorne announced. Walking around the room he paired everyone so that those with unknown or little combat skills were paired with soldiers who’d passed at the very least basic hand to hand training.

For his own team, Evan paired Darek up with Radek and Daniel with Doctor Reeves. Everyone warmed up and then Lorne indicated for them to begin.

"So," Radek said, falling into a defensive posture and keeping his eyes on Darek. "How do we begin?"

Darek fell into a defensive stance, relaxed but ready to block attacks. "How about we begin with a round of basic forms? You attack, I defend - we correct each other when we see flaws and after one round we switch?" he suggested. It was a good way to practice the basics and to establish skill levels. He kept his defensive position fixed to one place, inviting Radek to attack him.

Radek studied him for a moment more -- then lunged, going low and aiming for his stomach to try to take him down.

Darek blocked the hit by bringing down the side of his hand on Radek's wrist before the attack could reach it's target, pushing the arm down hard. Had he instead used his hand to grip the first it would have provided excellent leverage to push Radek back, but counterattack was not part of the exercise. "Never attack directly when your opponent standing ready to defend - he'll see it coming," he said, nodding encouragingly, "and no need to go easy on me."

A nod, and then Radek whirled -- snapping a surprisingly fast punch toward Darek's face.

Darek ducked only just in time. The fist scraped his hairline and he grinned. "That's more like it."

Radek grinned in return, then his other hand swung low, out of Darek's direct line of sight.

It was the shift in Zelenka's balance that warned Darek moments before the hit landed, whirling around his arm block and the fist collided hard, forcing Darek to take a step back. He at once fell back into defensive position expecting the next attacks.

This time, Radek hit from the side, shouldering Darek as if to push him out of the way.

Darek blocked the new lunge, applying just enough pressure to the block to remind Radek that this trick might backfire if tried on a person taller then himself.

Radek came back to a neutral position, bouncing lightly on his toes. "I can't think of any other moves," he admitted.

Darek nodded. "It is quite a start - when you use that shoulder lounge and your opponent raises his hands to block you, bring up your second hand fast to grip his wrist, that frees your other hand up again to go for the shoulder if you are quick. Once you have him on wrist and shoulder, a very quick turn on your side and the arm becomes a lever to take him down." Which especially worked on taller and heavier opponents and could provide a nasty surprise.

Radek nodded. "Thank you -- I shall remember that. He was breathing slightly hard.

Lorne walked slowly around the large room, stopping for a few moments with each pair and making notes on skills levels. When he got to Radek and Sterling Evan watched curiously. Zelenka was proving to be a surprise in more than just his capability with a gun. The scientist would need to take up a regular practice schedule to hone and maintain his hand to hand skills but from what Lorne could see so far, if tested Radek probably would pass the basic hand to hand component. The Major would give the other man time to practise - to remember skills he'd obviously learned well years ago - before conducting that test to give him the best chance.

"Nice moves," he commented to the pair before moving on to Daniel and Doctor Reeves.

Reeves' first lunge was no more than a very raw jab, betraying little training and no finesse whatsoever. Daniel turned left and let it go past him. Reeves stumbled, losing his momentum, and Daniel could have all too easily gripped his arm and shoulder, applied a foot-hook and taken Reeves down. But he had something better in mind then senseless brawling. Steadying the man with a gentle clasp on the shoulder he began the instruction. First he showed Reeves the basic defense position: feet slightly apart, knees bent in lightly, arms at an easy angle, fists raised to block incoming attacks and provide cover for the upper body. After Reeves got to that stance - clumsily and clearly not at ease with it - they began with the basic attack and defense patterns. Daniel never landed a real hit while testing and correcting Reeves defenses. Not because he couldn't land a blow - he could have landed all the hits he wanted - but because it wasn't necessary. A slight poke was enough to remind Reeves of mistakes. Especially keeping his elbows aligned - a problem Reeves had that Daniel had to remind him of time and again.

Reeves' attacks were slow and rarely had real force behind them. Daniel wondered how good the condition of the scientist was. They traded attacks and blocks. Reeves did his best, tried to do what Daniel showed him, albeit somewhat clumsily. Daniel blocked the attacks easily, using his blocks for further lessons, familiarizing Reeves with the openings he created when attacking. This brought them to the next step: defensive stance; attack hit and ducking to evade an enemy attack. But Reeves shook his head. "Give me a moment, Dr. Jackson," he panted.

Daniel frowned, he had not realized that the session had already gone on for half an hour. It had transformed from a tedious spar to a kind of classroom lecture. Not necessarily an interesting lecture but one that needed to be learned. He himself had barely gotten warm during the exercise.

Lorne watched Daniel and Reeves for only a few moments ... more than enough to tell him that Jackson's skills were more than sufficient and that Reeves needed considerable training before he'd be able to pass basic hand to hand testing.

"Good work Daniel," he acknowledged the other mans attempts to teach and instruct his opponent.

By the time Evan had assessed and rated everyone in the room the session had reached the 45 minute mark. Those not used to the physical activity were clearly exhausted, even with the regular breaks their more experienced partners had given them.

"Okay," Lorne called out, drawing everyone's attention. "That's enough for today. I'll speak to each of you personally later this afternoon - you'll get one of three things. An immediate pass; a couple of weeks grace to brush up on your skills and fitness before you take the basic hand to hand test; or an invitation to attend regular training sessions which you'll be required to attend until we judge that you're ready to take that test."

Evan paused before continuing. "Well done everyone," he praised, going on to remind everyone of the next session back in the classroom before giving them their leave.

As each person left, Lorne reflected on what they'd covered so far. It was a good group. The addition of his new team members had worked out favourably too, allowing him to get to know all of them better as well as get a handle on their skills. He was feeling confident that he'd chosen wisely ... that he'd end up with a strong cohesive team with a balanced mix of skills.

Evan grinned as he left the training gym ... he was really looking forward to their first mission as a team.

Source - http://www.ehow.com/about_4854798_army-basic-handtohand-combat-training.html and http://d.scribd.com/docs/22c21045vxeb4ieohn75.pdf

Thursday, 7th April | 1800 hours | Moon Pool room

Cam walked resolutely to the Moon Pool room, flowers from botany in one hand and a bottle of some of Dr. Zelenka's smoother swill in the other. There were some other things in his pocket that might or might not come into play this evening, but he needed to get Vala alone ... and actually talk to her like an adult. Which they both were. There was no reason to be so awkward. They were both adults, enjoyed each other's company and would continue to do so ... in whatever capacity she chose. Cam took a deep breath and entered the room, finding her alone. "Vala?" he asked, trying to catch her attention.

"Cameron," Vala removed her feet from the pool quickly, swivelling around on her bottom to look up at him. Her attention went first to his face ... his expression was resolute and determined ... clearly his patience had run its course. Damn ... and she'd been doing so well avoiding talking to him the past couple of days. As usual she felt that leap of something in his presence - attraction and more recently knowledge - along with a healthy dose of nerves. Letting her eyes drift over him she noticed the flowers and bottle. "For me?" she asked coyly.

"Yes ... For you," he said, sitting down next to her on the edge, keeping his legs out of the water. "I'm sorry. I was a jerk," he told her, giving her the flowers and bottle. "I know the whole Jackson thing was a challenge to you ... and was your past. It wasn't right for me to say that or be jealous about something you said wasn't going on. I wasn't fair to you and I just wanted to apologize for taking advantage," he told her, knowing that he had to have blown his chances at them being an item ... or hell, even friends.

"You were a jerk?" Vala said, taking his gifts distractedly as she considered that. "I was the one who ran. That wasn't fair either. And the whole Daniel thing was my doing," she laughed grimly. "I brought that entirely on myself, believe me."

“I’m sorry about the other day,” Vala motioned vaguely, “the public argument and then the whole ... knee thing. That was beneath me.”

"I... Well, just never, ever, ever do it again, alright? I won't grab you and not let go ever again. You've got my word on that one," he promised fervently.

"All right." Putting her feet back in the water, Vala stared down into the depths. "It was a mistake wasn't it?" she said sadly. "Us and ... you know."

Cam was silent as she removed the blame from him and planted it firmly on herself. "I don't want it to be," he told her softly, looking into the calm pool, not looking at her directly but watching her face in the reflection. "I pushed back and it happened ... but I don't regret it."

"I don't know Cameron," Vala replied, shooting a glance at him before quickly looking away. "You want ... well I don't know what you want - just that I don't think I can be whatever it is ... you want." Winding down that convoluted explanation, she sighed, not recognising the uncertain woman she was presenting. Where the hell had her careful facade gone? Why was Cam the only one so easily able to short circuit it?

Cam turned to look at her, cupping her face and forcing her to look at him, see him. "I want you. Scars and all. I know you, Vala. I've been there at some of your lowest times, remember? I know you've got a lot of stuff you won't share, but don't act like the last couple of years were nothing but a game," he told her, point blank.

"You want me?" Vala gazed at him, puzzled frown firmly in place. Had anyone ever said that to her before and really meant it, without an agenda? "For god’s sake Cameron - why the hell would you want me?" Jumping up she turned away and folded her arms across her chest, struggling to contain herself. Turning back she faced him with false bravado. "Wise up Colonel ... you can do much better that me. But you know, if you ever want a quick romp in the sheets then I'm definitely your girl."

Cam nodded at her question, looking into her eyes as she looked at him, puzzled. When she pulled away, asking why so heatedly, he quickly rose, following. He had a strict thing about hurting women, but God, Vala just made him want to shake her. "I am wised up, Vala. Don't act like I'm some idiot off the farm you've just conned. I want to be with you. If anyone here can do better, it'd be you, but you don't want to let yourself do that, do you? You keep punishing yourself and for what? Past mistakes? Vala, you have to let go sometimes, see what's in front of you! I want you and I love you..." he admitted, pausing after he said what he said.

Vala felt the 'L' word crashing through her, emotions and thoughts and confusion gathering her up to the point she forgot to breathe. It wasn't just a mental thing either ... her insides actually clenched when she realised what Cam had said, nervousness and panic making her feel just a little bit sick. Could she believe it? Should she? And what would she have to give in return if she did accept what his admission was offering her? "Cameron," she finally spoke, looking up at him with a combination of misery and hope. "I ... God, I don't know what to say!"

Cam panted, unable to believe he had actually said it and looked at her in shock. "I-" he said, gazing into her eyes, then let out a sigh and smiled. "That's got to be a first," he told her, not regretting that he'd fessed up.

"You like me speechless huh?" Vala bumped her shoulder against his almost shyly. "Well this is certainly a first for me too. I can't swear to it but I'm pretty sure this is the first time someone told me they loved me ... if you discount the hundred or so times when they were speaking to Qetesh or the rest where I was either scamming them or they were scamming me."

Cam put a hand on her waist, looking into her eyes. "I'll tell you every day then... if it will continue to keep you speechless," he teased gently. "I love you, Vala. I love you," he told her, pulling her closer as he kissed her head.

"Stop that!" Vala slapped a hand against his chest, pulling back to glare up at him. "How can I think if you keep distracting me? Just ... stand there and be quiet."

Cam chuckled. "I just tell you how I really think about you and you want me to stand here and be quiet..." he said with a sigh, but went quiet as she asked.

Expecting him to do as she’d requested, Vala still smiled when he actually did. Rather than move away though, she shifted into him, resting her forehead against his chest. She let the moments tick by, no closer to an answer. "What am I going to do with you Cameron Mitchell?" she eventually muttered almost in despair.

Cam stroked her hair as she rested her head against him. "You could give me a chance," he suggested lightly, wrapping his arm around her.

"I could, couldn't I?" Vala tilted her head back and looked up at him assessingly. "But if I do there have to be ground rules."

Cam looked at her, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Glad to hear that you're taking this seriously ... because I'm sure I'll have my own ground rules. So ... what are they?"

"Well," Vala said slowly, losing her train of thought in the distraction of his kiss. Giving into temptation for a moment she pulled his head down and kissed him back, satisfied when she pulled back to see the dazed look in his eyes. "Ground rules," she repeated, trying to get them both back on track. "You can't ask me about the past Cameron," she said, suddenly serious, not sure how he'd take that.

Too many secrets would be the death of whatever it was they had together but ... even the idea that she'd have to talk about her experiences, knowing Cam wouldn't let her get away with surface, emotionless descriptions as she had in the past, had nerves dancing dizzily inside her. If she told him everything, would he still want her?

"Ground rules," he repeated stupidly, looking slightly dazed and happy. Cam shook his head and cleared his mind, looking at her. He frowned, looking at her as she declared that he couldn't ask about her past. Not that he wanted to know everything... but not knowing anything would be kinda weird. "So I'm not allowed to wonder what happened to your googly eyed fascination with the Former Ba'al?" he asked, pouting slightly. "We stopped talking about him pretty quick when you started googly eying him." Cam told her. "But alright... but Vala... Nothing you've done is going to make me stop feeling the way I feel for you... You know that, right? I might be a squeaky clean soul to you if you feel the need to compare, but I won't judge you for what's come before. That's just not the way I do things..." he promised her, stroking her hair back away from her face. "Vala... We need to trust one another. I know it's hard for you to believe in others... to let them see you, but you've let me before. Don't pull back now that we're getting intimate, ok?"

Vala shifted back a pace, putting a hand on one hip. "Okay, first I never googly eyed anyone, especially Ba'al, former or otherwise," she denied firmly. "And second, since you don't know what I've done I don't see how you can promise it won't change things. You think you know me Cameron but you really don't."

"I want too," he told her softly. "Vala, if you really think I don't want to know you, in each way, not just carnally, you've got another think coming, sweetheart. And you so did. You were all googly eyed and spent so much time with him," he said, sounding a little... just a small bit.... jealous. "But ok. You weren't googly eyed. Happy?"

"Not really," Vala admitted with a sigh. Was he always going to give in like that, more concerned with keeping her 'happy' that he was in the natural balance of give and take? Turning away from him, Vala walked aimlessly for a moment, running a finger over the diving equipment thoughtfully, before turning back. "What are we doing here Cameron? Plotting out a happily ever after? The very idea of that is ludicrous! Why can't we just make this simple? Friends with benefits doesn't have to be cheap or demeaning for either of us. Much simpler and honest."

Cam looked at her with a frown. "You've got to have more than that if you want something to last, Vala... besides, I like the idea of having you all to myself," he told her as she turned on him again. Maybe this wasn't as right as he was thinking... but God... he couldn't help how he felt about her. "Vala... I want all of you... your past, your present, and hopefully, your future. This friends with benefits stuff, while pretty good, just doesn't really do it for me anymore..." he told her, thinning her lips. "I won't lie to you... The first time I saw you, I was amazed by just how much you seemed to be in control... and then I really met you. I know we haven't always had the easiest relationship... and it was like I wasn't even a blip on the old radar to you, but over the last few months to a year, hell longer probably, I've enjoyed getting closer to you. You've been there. When I needed you, you never flinched and you always caught me when I was falling... I want to be with you for longer than these quick romps you seem so fond of."

"I'm not fond of them but I know how things work," Vala countered angrily. "And before you it had been a lot more than 7 months since I ... romped ... so forgive me if I'm not exactly convinced that either of us is qualified to talk about 'the future'," she said, overemphasising the last part. Letting her eyes meet his Vala felt something shift inside. If she didn't know better she'd think her words had hurt him ... because she doubted he could deliver on what he was promising her. She was confused but maybe it was just that things had gotten to a level beyond her understanding too quickly.

He'd given her everything ... if she let herself absorb the words .... when she did that, he'd have her feeling as though there was no one else in the world for him but her. And in return she'd done nothing more than use him for sex and then stomp his ego into the ground. He'd let her do that but ... she couldn't let herself do that. He'd been right that she had been there for him ... that had come naturally, their friendship existing from nothing from the beginning. She could 'be there' for him now. "I'm sorry," she said it quietly, walking slowly back towards him. "I'm sorry," she said again, not stopping until she stood directly before him. "You've been much more than just a blip on my radar for a long time Cameron," she told him, letting him see that truth in her eyes.

Cam looked at her, not having realized that she hadn't... but she always seemed to... they met eyes and he looked at her. She seemed so confused... unsure and doubting him. That hurt a little. She'd follow him into a battle situation but couldn't trust him with her emotions? But the same was true for him. He was taking a hell of a risk, letting her see that part of him. He stilled as she said 'sorry', thinking that he'd completely screwed this up... and she was ending their relationship before it even got off the ground. Cam's stomach sank into his ankles, keeping his face purposefully blank so she could say what he was dreading. He looked down into her eyes as she admitted that fantastic truth... he wasn't getting dumped before they even became something more... in fact... Cam smiled at her, so glad that he was wrong. "Mine too, Vala. But every time I thought I had you boxed in, you managed to break my target lock..."

"Well you know what they say," Vala said with a mischievous smirk. "Anything worth having is worth working for .... or something like that." Putting her arms loosely around his neck, she leaned into him, tilting her head back and smiling up at him for real now. "Slow okay ... we take this slow. Well ... not the sex part of course because we already know we're good at that," she fluttered her eyelashes seductively. "And no more declarations of undying love ... give me a chance to catch up already."

Cam wrapped his arms around her waist, looking into her eyes and nodded, amused. He sighed and shook his head at her declaration. "So, we take the mushy stuff slow and get right into the fast lane when it comes to having sex... You, my dear, are a puzzle of epic proportions..." he told her, kissing her lips gently.

"And I bet you want to solve me so badly you can almost taste it," Vala taunted teasingly after returning his kiss. "A girl needs a little mystery ... have to keep you men interested somehow, now don't we?"

"Oh yeah ... and I will solve you one day. I think it'll keep me busy for years, don't you?" he flirted back, running his hands over her back. "You just have to walk into the room and I'm interested, Vala..."

Pressing herself flush up against him in all the right places, Vala grinned triumphantly as she felt the unmistakeable truth of that. "I can see that," she drawled, letting his arms take more of her weight just because she liked feeling his strength. "So," she let the word linger, raising an eyebrow at him expectantly. "What now?"

Cam chuckled. "We do have a bottle of Dr. Zelenka's smoothest... we could get some glasses... go to my place and eat something before we see what happens..." he offered, taking her weight and feeling his own body stirring as she pressed down in just the right places.

"Why so we do," Vala agreed, pressing against him one last time before reluctantly pulling away. Grabbing his hand, she all but dragged him towards the doors. Before they got there she stopped abruptly. "Do we care?" she looked up at him and asked quickly.

Cam held her hand, being dragged away not protesting a bit. "Do we care about what?" he asked, quickly reviewing the conversation that had been had and still coming up with nothing that stood out.

"Becoming the next item in the gossip mill of course," Vala returned, her expression yelling 'keep up!'. "Do you care? Because its a long way to your quarters from here so I need to know ... indifferent, friendly, or can't wait to jump you. You decide."

"Oh. Um... Let 'em, talk, Vala. Lord knows your mere presence does that..." he told her with a grin. "I don't care what they say about me, Vala... I really don't," he said with a smile, pulling them out into the corridors and holding her hand firmly.

"You might regret that," Vala returned, the twinkle in her eyes broadcasting her teasing. Taking the lead again ... because for some reason the action of dragging Cameron down the corridor was a pleasure in its own right .... Vala headed for the residential area, anticipation to find out what would be behind Cam's 'lets see what happens' bubbling at her mind.

Cam grinned and let her drag him along, feeling lighter than he had in days. They passed several people in the hallway as they headed 'home'.

Monday 11th May | 1000 hours | Munitions and Ordinance

After checking the roster for the day, General O'Neill made his way to the Munitions and Ordinance store where Lieutenant Cadman was currently running a quarterly inventory on explosives components and triggers. The state of the room when he arrived made it clear that Laura was already well into the inventory, well ordered stacks of boxes on one side of the room a counterpoint to the disorganisation on the other side.

"Lieutenant," O'Neill greeted Cadman casually from the door.

"Sir!" Laura straightened abruptly, pushing a stray piece of hair from her face. Noticing the mess she rushed into speech. "Sorry Sir ... you've caught me in the middle of counting -,"

"At ease Lieutenant," Jack interrupted, walking in and leaning against the counter. "I just wanted to stop by and let you know you're being reassigned."

"I am Sir?" Laura asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You don't think it's about time you took on a permanent role here?" Jack countered, looking at her curiously.

"I was reluctant to bring that up Sir," Laura admitted, "what with all the uncertainty and people shuffling going on at the moment."

"Well consider yourself part of the reshuffle," O'Neill replied. "As of tomorrow's first shift you'll report to AOHS." Seeing her look of surprise, Jack smirked. "Yes, that's right - you're working for me."

"And my duties Sir?" Laura asked curiously.

"To be honest we're still making it up as we go along," Jack replied with a shrug. "There'll be some work off world when we get organised ... guard duty for the diplomats, security assessments, protective detail plans and everything that goes along with that. You'll liaise with Major Lorne on training requirements for AOHS staff. And you and Captain Sterling will continue your work on our ongoing investigation of any suspicious activity taking place within this city or off world. In the mean time you can assist get everything up and running. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes Sir," Cadman replied smartly, her thoughts whirling as she took it all in. She'd known it wouldn't be as simple as Hunter killing himself being the end of their problems in the city. Being a part of handling that wasn't what she'd expected, even with the work she'd done on the original investigation ... but she wasn't opposed to the idea.

"So I'll see you bright and early tomorrow Lieutenant," Jack concluded, straightening and moving towards the door.

"Yes Sir, thank you Sir," Cadman replied, watching him leave with a stupid grin on her face. She was working for General O'Neill. "Yes!" she thought, so excited she was almost bouncing up and down.

For a moment she considered sharing her news ... but when a certain physicist came to mind Laura immediately stomped on it. She hadn't spoken to Rodney since that night, not for any good reason really - well apart from her extreme embarrassment of course. Plenty of time to relive those feelings as far down the track as she could conceivably manage without looking like a coward. She was a marine and marines didn't cower from anything, even words said in the heat of alcoholic folly.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Laura smiled again. Finally, she had a permanent spot on Atlantis. Things were looking up.

Monday 11th May | 1030 hours | Bridge of the Hammond

Continuing on with his plan to order the world as needed, General O'Neill went from the munitions store straight to the East Pier and from there into the Hammond. Walking through the ship Jack found his way easily to the Bridge, given the layout was identical to the Daedalus, still currently parked on the West Pier.

"Mitchell," the General greeted the commander of the Hammond as he strolled onto the Bridge.

"Sir," Cam said, standing respectfully straight at his arrival. "Welcome aboard the Hammond," he said, lowering his clipboard. "Are you here for the grand tour?" Cam asked with a slight grin.

"Not exactly," O'Neill replied, looking around the almost repaired bridge. "New chair?"

Cam nodded, looking at the chair. "Yes, Sir. Just got it installed today actually. They tell me this one is more comfortable than the last one was," he said. "If you'll pardon my frankness, Sir, it damn well better be," Cam told him with a bit of a chuckle. "So, if you're not here for the tour, are you here for my reports? I didn't think I was late on them, Sir..." he said, so certain that he wasn't late, but was he?

The General smirked as Mitchell joked about his new chair, turning serious only when the other man asked about reports. "Not here for reports either," Jack replied. "I know your ship still has at least a month of repairs ahead of her ... when she'd back in action you'll be receiving new orders. Permanent posting here in Pegasus - working to my new department."

Cam blinked, wondering if he'd heard him correctly. "Sir? I'll be transferring to Atlantis?" he asked, wondering if that was what that meant or if it meant that someone else was getting his ship.

"She's your ship isn't she?" the General pointed out.

Cam nodded. "Yes, Sir. She is. Although I'm sure several people and the Air Force might contest that, Sir. But yes. She's mine," he told him, grinning excitedly. "I'm honored, Sir. Thank you," Cam told him.

"So ... you mentioned a tour?" Jack looked around curiously.

"Yes, Sir," Cam said as he gestured towards his chair. "That's the bridge area... my chair and the flight controls are here, the view port is right there, and we have weapons, environmental controls, and some of our other instruments," he said, pointing at each one and watching to see if the General's eyes were glazing over yet, having heard about his famous habit.

Jack nodded, looking with interest as each new system was pointed out. Shooting the young Colonel a sly glance he smirked. "How's that visitor working out for you?"

Cam stopped and turned to look at him. "I owe you a thank you, Sir," he said with a fond smile. "But... I don't know... she's so uncertain. We're getting closer... yet I don't think I've ever been so far from her," he said with a frown. Cam closed his eyes. "Sorry, Sir. Too much information," he said, trying to cover for his moment.

"Maybe I didn't do you any favours sending her out here," Jack replied. Having interfered already there didn't seem any point in stopping now. "Vala was restless Mitchell," he offered quietly. "And not because Reynold's team isn't as much fun as SG-1 used to be. She tried to deny it but finding out you were missing her put that spark back into her step."

Cam looked at him in surprise, but thrilled to hear it. "It did?" he asked, grinning slightly.

"Hey, I'm no matchmaker but I'd say so," Jack replied, amused at Mitchell's obvious interest. "I'm guessing your reassignment isn't going to go down too well."

Cam lost the grin and frowned worriedly. "No, Sir. No, probably not. But orders are orders. She'll understand, Sir," he told him, not entirely convinced himself. But orders are orders and he wanted this assignment. He had his own career to look after too and as much as he loved her, Cam couldn't say no to this.

"I'm sure she will ... eventually," the General agreed. "So ... wanna show me the rest of the ship?"

Cam nodded, motioning for O'Neill to walk with him. The tour impressed Jack ... the newest additions to the technology since the Prometheus making him itch to take the ship out for a spin. In the absence of that, having the ship at the disposal of his new department - named after the man who'd had the most impact on Jack's career, pulling him out of retirement and giving him a purpose that still drove him today - was pretty damn cool, if he said so himself.

Thanking Mitchell for the tour Jack headed on towards the Mess Hall ... hopefully they'd have some of the chocolate cake put aside for him.

Tuesday 12th May | Time TBD | Cameron Mitchell’s temporary office

“You sneaky bastard!” Vala burst through Cameron’s office door, spoiling for a fight after the news she’d just heard. “When were you going to tell me the Hammond is staying here permanently?”

Cam looked up at her, surprised. How did she find that out and who the hell was telling her that? He had this all planned out too. Damn. "As soon as I saw you. Now that I'm seeing you, the funniest thing happened to me..." he started then stopped, thinning his lips as he saw the livid anger in her eyes. “You could always stay,” Cam suggested lightly, knowing that she knew he was apart of this expedition now.

"As what?” Vala demanded incredulously. “Your mistress?"

"No!” Cam returned. “Not as my Mistress. More like sexy alien girlfriend. Besides, I've never married, so it's not like you'd be my Mistress anyway... unless you're into that kinky stuff...."

"And how much to they pay for the post of 'sexy alien girlfriend'?" Vala glared, irritated that he wasn't taking her concerns seriously. "Unless you're suggesting I can return to my previous occupation?"

"What? Space Pirate?” Cam’s expression said he was less than impressed with the idea. “No. You'll get the same pay rate you've been getting."

"I don't think General O'Neill is going to authorise a pay cheque just for sleeping with you Cameron," Vala pointed out sarcastically. "What would I do here? I have no connections, I don't know where anything is ... I'd be useless!"

Cam frowned, realizing what she said was true. "Marry me," he said, impulsively. If they were married, even if it were some so called 'Alien Ceremony', they would probably be more likely to reassign her. He hoped.

"Oh for god sake," Vala let the anger take over so she could ignore the leap of emotion ... excitement, fear, nervousness ... fear. "I'm not marrying you to give me something to do! Whether I'm Vala Mal Doran or Vala Mitchell would make no difference ... I'd still have nothing to do! I don't do well with nothing to do Cameron."

"You'll be able to stay here, you can... be with me. You can... Hell, join the diplomatic team. Gain new connections!" Cam paused and then added "We'll make babies!" he said, remembering her suggestion a few years ago when she and Jackson were hooked together by those Jaffa Bracelets. Besides... he loved her, she loved him. Even with all the hiccups they'd been having here and there. But it was supposed to be a joke.

"Babies?" Vala looked at him like he was insane. "I'm not making babies with you Cameron ... I'd make a terrible Mother ... in fact the only thing I could imagine doing worse is being a diplomat! Hell, I'd probably have every enemy known to this galaxy knocking on the door inside a week."

"No,” Cam grinned. “That's what Team Sheppard is around for."

"You're making a joke?" Vala looked at him in disbelief. "I'm trying to have a serious discussion and you're ... you're not taking me seriously are you?" Vala turned away from him, struggling with the sudden desire to either cry or hit something. Going with the second option she turned and slapped his chest - hard. "I knew this would happen!"

Cam frowned and put his hands on her shoulders, finally taking this seriously. "Vala... Ok. You've got to go back to Earth. But it's not like we'll never see each other again. Besides... I know you. Work an angle. If you think about it, I'm sure there's something perfect for you to do out here... we just need to figure it out. Because I want you here... so much."

"Now," Vala replied, pulling away from him. "You want me now ... when I'm right here in front of you. I've seen your television programs ... long distance relationships never last."

"This one will,” Cam insisted. “My Momma and Daddy had a long distance relationship that lasted for about 4 years while my Dad was stationed around the world. It does work. You've seen them."

"Your Mother is ... I couldn't imagine your father wanting anyone else," Vala returned. In her mind it was that simple ... Cameron's parents were both exceptional people and it made sense that they would recognise that, everything they had in common along with a love even Vala had picked up on enough to hold them together. Cameron took after them .... believed in the things they believed in ... but she was no Wendy Mitchell ...

Cam looked at her as she went a little distant. He slipped his hand down and pinched the side of her stomach gently. "Hey... Wake up in there," he told her. "I swear, woman..." Cam said, slightly exasperated. "I'm loyal, I'm not going to forget you, not going to just let you go because you're in another galaxy for a little while. We can make this work if you let it," he promised her gently, cupping her face.

"It won't be just a little while," Vala dropped her head to his chest with a sigh. "How often to you really think they're going to let me visit without a good reason Cameron? And as for you ... you'll be lucky if you get leave to come home once a year. We both know that's true ... Samantha only came home once that first year and that was for a mission! Maybe we should just ...," she trailed off, looking up at him, not sure what she was suggesting.

"I'm sure I can come visit... I'm not running an entire city like she is. I've got an XO who can stand in for me, and we can make it work. We just started this relationship. I'm not ending it over this." he told her, point blank.

Vala frowned, frustrated that her plans for an all out argument hadn't played out as expected. Cameron was like an immovable wall when he got an idea in his head, something Vala had always known. Now that she was the idea, he was stonewalling her ... and confusing her with reactions that just didn't gel with her expectations ... her experience. He should have been angry that she'd suggested she wouldn't be enough to hold his interest once she was back on Earth. Instead he'd been oblivious to the implied insult, all focused on reassuring her instead. It just made no sense to Vala and she was tired of feeling off balance ... how could she run this relationship if she didn't understand the playing field.

"Ground rules," she said suddenly, raising an eyebrow at him expectantly.

"Ground rules," he echoed, looking at her. "Got another one for me?" Cam asked her, waiting for her to speak her mind.

"No, silly," she returned, trying to make it casual even though the topic was very important to her. "Your ground rules - you said you'd have some too." Vala frowned. "Come to think of it, why haven't you talked about any of that ... or at the very least challenged my rules?"

"Because they're sound. You don't want to talk about your past, ok. There's a lot and frankly, it's all done now. You've turned over a brand new leaf awhile ago. It's time to let it go," Cam told her with a shrug. "I think mine were pretty evident from the beginning. I told you that I wanted something real from you... and that's what I've been getting..." he trailed off, wondering what he could make her follow.

Vala frowned, not sure why it bothered her that Cameron had agreed so easily to leave the past behind them. She couldn't have it both ways, but at the same time didn't really believe a completely fresh start was something she could achieve. She carried baggage ... huge, weigh you down for the rest of your life baggage. Memories that weren't her own. Memories she wished she hadn't been there to see created, even though she'd been suppressed at the back of Qetesh's sick reality at the time. She'd never managed to resolve them ... wasn't sure it was even possible ... and they affected her behaviour.

Maybe it was as simple as the fact that Vala was flawed ... damaged ... driven by that. Cameron wasn't ... not in the same way. Well not that he'd ever even hinted at to her. Maybe she'd been hoping he'd hit her with unreasonable demands so she could stop seeing him as being too good for her.

He was too good for her. And she shouldn't hold him back from the kind of future he could have with someone who wasn't flawed.

"Well then, that's a problem," Vala began, meeting his eyes with her own reflecting the emotionless facade she'd perfected over the years. "I haven't been giving you something real Cameron because I'm not real," she said, suddenly angry with him ... herself ... everything. "I lost the real me so long ago I can barely remember who I was. I can't -," she broke off, struggling to find the right words. "I thought I could do this but now ...," she turned away, thinking maybe leaving was the best thing she could do for both of them.

Cam looked at her as she turned away, anger in his blue eyes. "Bullshit," he yelled at her. "You're scared, Vala. You're running away, again! What happened to your promise to Jackson?" Cam asked her, his long strides reaching the door before she could, blocking her in. "You're lying to me and you're lying to yourself if you think that nothing we've shared together is real," he told her point blank, cutting off her escape route.

"I wouldn't lie to you Cameron," Vala folded her arms across her chest defensively, stopping one step away from him. When he scoffed she had the grace to look guilty. "Okay, I would but only for your own good! You're right ... I did make the decision not to run from my past anymore ... but," Vala hesitated, looking into his eyes with torment in hers. Deflating abruptly, she turned away, keeping her back to him. "What if ... what if it catches up with me? You won't be there ... none of you will." She stopped, unable to find the words to express her fears ... that letting herself love him had only made her vulnerable. Being hard down to the depths had always kept the darkness at bay ... he'd changed that, changed her. Had he left her without defences only to send her back to Earth alone?

"You'll have other people, Vala. I know you've never let anyone other than the team get all that close, and even that was at arm's length, but you have made friends. Friends that would do whatever it took to make sure you were alright. You know, even if I am here... I'd come running if you needed me," he promised her.

"You promise?" Vala asked, her smile on the wobbly side. "You'll come if I ask for you?"

"I promise," he told her, looking into her eyes and kissed her gently, hugging her.

"Okay," Vala wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. For now that would have to be enough.

Friday, 15th May | 0900 hours | All staff email

AMACSO invites you to the first annual Atlantis Quiz Night!

Your host for this event will be our very own General Jack O’Neill, who will be ably assisted by Doctor Elizabeth Weir.

When: Saturday 30th May. First round begins at 7.30pm

Where: Club Thirty Nine

Note that all participants will be assigned a table by Quiz Night management. Couples will be kept together at the same table so take this chance to show that pretty lady you’ve had your eye on just how smart you are.

If you would like to attend then all you have to do is reply to this email by close of business Wednesday 27th May ... we’ll do the rest!

Hope to see you on the night!

Chuck,

President, AMACSO

L

Did you see the note about the Quiz Night? Wanna go ... with me? Let me know.

E

E,

I did indeed see the note. Sure. Are you doing this all official like? Picking me up at the door and everything?

L

L

Official it is ... I'll pick you up at 0715 ... don't be late

E

Wednesday, 20th May | 2300 hours | North Eastern Tower highest level - Outside Observation Deck

Jack O'Neill sat completely still, poised over the telescope as he studied a new sky. So many stars ... constellations ... spatial features to discover. If he was lucky it'd take a lifetime.

The General had arranged for his telescope to be shipped in on the Daedalus ... and had set it up permanently on top of one of the towers where what could only be an observation deck seemed designed for that purpose. Had the Ancients studied the stars as he did, searching for history in the light that travelled beyond continuing existence to reach their eyes? Wondered about what was on those other planets orbiting those other suns? Although, being the Gatebuilders, they'd probably already known and instead plotted which galaxy to plaster with their influence next.

Smirking at his fanciful thoughts, Jack pulled back from the viewer and stretched his back, wincing as muscles twinged and joints cracked faintly. He was too old to be sitting in the cold gazing up at the sky but had no intention of ever giving it up. The solitude ... the fact that he could be the only person awake in the entire city ... satisfied him at a basic level. He needed these times as much as he needed any of the other things he did to relax and stay fit. Jack shivered, pulling his leather jacket around himself a little tighter. Maybe it was time to call it quits for one night.

Moving around often, working all hours of the day and night taught a doctor two very special skills. How to live on little sleep, and how to sleep anywhere and at anytime. The end result of that was the occasional bout of insomnia or periods of restless energy. The latter was the beast that had stirred Madison away from her cosy little apartment on this particular night. Her aimless wandering brought her out onto the observation deck.

She was somewhat surprised to happen upon the General. Madison pushed her hands into the pockets of the long, navy sweater that was keeping the coolest part of the night at bay - for now - and strolled toward him. "Star gazing," she asked, and cast her own gaze toward the sky. "It's clear enough for it."

"Doctor," Jack straightened abruptly, surprised to find himself no longer alone. "It's a little late to be wandering around the city, isn't it?"

"I could ask the same," she inclined her head at him and smiled crookedly. "Restless night," she admitted. "I'm not entirely used to all of the quiet just yet."

"It's certainly that," Jack agreed lightly. Gesturing to the seat next to his, he silently invited her to join him. He didn't know Doctor Garman very well, a fact that became apparent when he couldn't think of anything to say. "You settling in okay?" he asked after the silence had extended beyond a few moments, his gaze still fixed on the sky above them.

"I am at that," she smiled. "Nice ocean view, well stocked lab. What more could a girl want." Her eyes sparkled at him. "How about you? Now that you've got Daniel where you can keep an eye on him, of course."

"That does make life easier," Jack agreed with amusement. Recalling the comments Sam had made about Daniel's relationship with Doctor Garman, the General turned to look at her, eyebrow raised quizzically. "So ... you know our Daniel pretty well then?"

"I know him, yes." She smiled. "We met when he was recuperating on earth a while ago. We became...," she paused for a moment, looking for the right word. "Friends."

"Friends," Jack repeated, smirking slightly. "That's ... diplomatic of you." He returned his gaze back to the sky, a different level of interesting than when viewed through a telescope - the big picture instead of the details. Everything was so clear and crisp without the interference of a planet full of lights and pollution.

Small talk had never been Jack's strong suit ... rather than attempt it, these days he kept his silence rather than talk just for the sake of it. The company was nice ... somehow it felt a little less cold than it had before Doctor Garman had arrived.

Madison walked over to lean against the deck rail and allowed her gaze to be drawn to the stars as well. "I wouldn't have pegged you as a stargazer," she said quietly a few moments later.

"Why's that?" Jack asked curiously.

"Well," Maddie stated. "You strike me as a loner, in so much as you're okay hanging out by yourself. But I would imagine you more in front of a hockey game than behind a telescope."

"I like hockey," Jack agreed, eyes twinkling. "I like a lot of things ... the stars just happen to be one of them. Lots going on up there, if you know how to look." Pausing for a moment he asked "What about you - is stargazing your thing ... or just late nights?"

"A little of both, I suppose." She slipped her hands into her pockets. "In the south you get used to big, open skies. This is just amazing ... you don't realise how different the sky is here until you start looking for familiar patterns," Madison commented.

"Or how much some things are taken for granted," Jack replied, waving a hand up at the sky. "Some of those stars have already been wiped from existence. We just don't know about it yet."

"Yes," Madison said quietly. "Well," the doctor walked over and took a seat beside him. "Have you started naming them yet?" She inclined her head at him, lips curving toward a smile. "You are The Man, if you can't name a few constellations, who out here can?"

"Being The Man isn't as much fun as you might think," Jack said lightly, amused at her teasing. "But you're right - I could name a constellation or two ... plenty up there for everyone." Raising an eyebrow at her, he challenged "pick one ... let's see how I do."

"Okay." She studied the sky for a moment. "That cluster," she pointed. "Do you see the two bright stars? There's a cluster just beneath them, what do you make of it?"

"Mmmm," Jack studies the stars she's chosen, letting his vision lose focus just a little to encourage the big picture to emerge. When he realised what the cluster most looked like he chuckled, shooting the doctor an almost mischievous glance before he spoke. "That's easy," he announced. "It's the SLH cluster ... although I'd personalise it just for you - change the S for an M or a G, whichever you prefer."

"SLH?" She asked, looking mildly puzzled. Her head inclined, while she waited for him to clarify that for her. "It occurs to me that I've only ever heard you call me Doctor. You can call me Madison, most people call me Maddie," she told him. "We're alone here, no reason to stand on ceremony."

"Maddie," Jack repeated with a nod. "Jack," he added, waving a hand vaguely as he tried to recall if she'd addressed him as anything other than General or 'The Man'. She didn't seem the type to need an invitation but courtesy dictated that he make one anyway. Turning back to the star cluster names, Jack smiled. "You watch the Simpsons?" he asked, adding "SLH - Santa's Little Helper. That guy up there looks just like him ... or maybe Maddie's Little Helper?"

Maddie squinted her eyes and inclined her head, studying the cluster of stars. "Yes, I suppose it does look like a dog after all." She chuckled. "MLH it is. My ego is not above having the stars named after me, even if it's just my name on a dog." She winked.

"Santa's Little Helper isn't just any dog," Jack pointed out. He could have launched into a litany of all the times the dog had featured in the Simpsons, but from experience the General knew most people didn't appreciate the show as a commentary on real life as much as he did. "So ...," he trailed off, looking back up at the stars not sure what to say next. The breeze picked up, sending chills across the balcony. Clutching his jacket close around him, Jack glanced at Maddie. "You warm enough?"

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "It's getting colder out here." But the doctor shrugged, unwilling just yet to admit defeat to the temperature, although it would be only minutes before her thin southern blood would drive her inside.

"Here," Jack reached under his seat and pulled out a small blanket. "It's not much but it might help keep the chills off"

"Just a few degrees warmer it would be almost perfect fishing weather," Maddie said, taking the blanket.

"You fish?" Jack didn't know why that surprised him so much ... perhaps it was just too many years where the people closest to him had zero interest. He looked at Maddie, his expression an invitation for her to tell him more.

"Not in a few years," She admitted. "But when I was younger, my father would take us. Occasionally we all get together still, but it's a lot harder now that we're older and spread all over the place. I was an Air Force brat, so the one consistent thing about moving all over the place, was that every summer my dad would find a lake and we'd go for at least a week." She laughed softly. "It used to be a sort of competition, it still is, to be honest. We'd all try to see who could catch the most or the biggest. We'd be so busy concentrating, no one would make a sound." She sighed softly, remembering. "Early morning, or late evening when the air was cool. The breeze would lay down and the lake would go still, like glass. It would be so quiet, you would almost be afraid to breathe, because you didn't want to break the stillness of it. As I got older, I learned to appreciate that."

Jack listened intently, caught up in Maddie's reminiscing ... her words calling to mind memories of his own. Going fishing at the cabin with his Dad ... taking Charlie fishing. The practice for him was as much about that as it was about the serenity and simplicity of attempting to catch a fish. Where his companion had freely shared her reasons for enjoying the sport, O'Neill was more reticent ... offering up personal details had never been something he was comfortable with.

"If you're looking for a fishing buddy here," he offered instead, "I wouldn't say no."

"I'll have to take you up on that." She smiled at him. Then she cut a glance toward the ocean. "I wonder what sort of fish you find on a planet like this?"

"I've spent some time out here contemplating that," Jack replied. "Haven't seen anything small enough to consider catching it with a rod so who knows." He shrugged. "You know it's not about the fish, right?"

"Of course," she chuckled. "It's about the peace and quiet." She winked at him. "In so many words, anyway." Madison pushed up from where she was seated and let the blanket slip from her shoulders. "Well, it's gotten very late. I think it's time for this belle to turn into a pumpkin." She refolded the blanket and held it out to him. "Thank you for the chat. I look forward to that fishing trip. And maybe..." She inclined her head, eyes shining, "we'll have the opportunity to name a few more stars."

Jack rose from his seat, taking the blanket and dropping it back under his chair. "Maybe," he agreed. "Gotta get in first before someone else does." He watched as she nodded and smiled before turning to leave him to his solitude. Just before she walked through to door, Jack called after her. "Hey Maddie ... the company was ... nice."

"It was." She smiled at him. "Good night, Jack."

"Night," Jack replied, watching her leave before turning his attention back to the sky.

Saturday, May 30th | 1915 hours | Thirty Nine

General Jack O'Neill sat at the long table at the far end of the large room wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into. He didn't recall saying yes but somehow he was fifteen minutes away from hosting a quiz night. The room had been completely reorganised and now held small round tables suitable for five to six people, spaced out in front of him.

Looking down at the stack of questions, organized into rounds with helpful side notes from Chuck, Jack shook his head. "Who's idea was this again?" he muttered to his side kick for the evening.

"You know...," Elizabeth paused as she thought, looking completely perplexed. "I...really am not sure."

Elizabeth had been roped into the entire thing herself. But it was an entertaining thought. And, anything they could provide to keep people amused...or, at least, momentarily caught up in some friendly and most certainly later grudge making competition... was good for their spirits.

Watching the room slowly fill up, the noise level rising accordingly, Jack sighed. It was gonna be a long night. Catching sight of Doctor Garman ... Madison ... the General met her eyes, nodding with just the hint of a smile on his face. She looked nice.

Glancing at his watch, Jack sighed again. Still ten minutes to go before he could get the show on the road. "I'm starting dead on 1930 hours," he told Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiled. Jack was ever the military man first. It was quite endearing some times. She wondered internally why exactly this seemed to get under his collar so much. All she could successfully note was that his tone had begun to improve a bit when a certain doctor entered the room. She smiled to herself and quickly found something to pretend to occupy her for a few moments.

Madison made her way toward the General, a smile appearing as she approached. "Now how is it that you wound up with the cushy job? We can't exactly get to know you if you aren't playing the game," she teased.

"I have no idea," Jack admitted, rising from his seat as soon as she approached. "Seriously ... no recollection of saying yes ... to anyone. I'm not sure what's worse ... sitting up here reading the questions or being down there having to answer them." He grinned suddenly. "There's something you already know about me ... I'd rather be on my balcony."

Madison leaned toward him, voice tipping toward conspiratoral, "I'd rather be on your balcony too." She shook her head. "They put me with Mitchell and Vala. I don't know either of them well, but I'm beginning to wonder what our team's chances are with the pair of them focusing on activities of a more... nocturnal nature," she said with a smirk.

"Oh, I think their competitive streak will come out once the first question is asked," Jack replied with a smirk. "Besides ... once Vala works out there're prizes, not even Mitchell will be able to drag her out of here." He paused and then looked at Maddie curiously. "You're not feeling even a little competitive yourself?"

"A little," she admitted with a grin. "I'm holding out hope for a medical question. Keller and I need to have a go," she said jokingly.

"As long as it doesn't include anything unpronounceable," Jack countered. "Before anyone asks I'll have to point out that I don't know the answers ... or even what questions are coming up." He sighed. "We should have made a break for the balcony while we had the chance ... although," he paused to glance at his watch, "we still have three whole minutes before this ordeal begins. What do you say?"

She slanted a sly look toward the exit. "If we left right now, while they're talking amongst themselves... we could probably make it out of here." She smirked.

"Tempting," Jack replied, his eyes twinkling. "But Daniel and Sam would never let me hear the end of it ... so, in the absence of escape I should get this thing started. The sooner it does the sooner it'll be finished." He moved away from the hosts table towards the lectern Chuck had set up for him ... complete with microphone. Pausing to look at Maddie, Jack hesitated and then spoke. "So ... I'll see you after this is done?"

She halted in turning to make her way back to her table to smile at him. "I'll meet you on the balcony?" she asked, eyes sparkling.

"Sure," Jack replied casually, smiling a little when Maddie gave him a smile before continuing back to her table. Turning, he noticed Elizabeth carefully trying not to smile. "What?" he demanded, sure that he should be too old to be feeling embarrassed.

"Nothing." Elizabeth said in earnest, putting on her best fake-honest expression. But it didn't last long. This wasn't work. Therefore her slight smirk edged closer to an actual grin. "Nothing at all..."

"Just remember, General, balconies are public spaces. You never know when someone will walk in," she said with a hint of mischief.

"Get your mind out of the gutter missey," Jack shot back with a smirk. "We were talking about star gazing." He put on an innocent expression, eyes twinkling.

"Oh, so that's the name for it now. Forgive me, Jack. I'm a little old, you know. I'm not caught up on the new lingo," Elizabeth verbally prodded. After chuckling she did become serious. "Really though, Jack," she said evenly. "She's a nice woman. I hope you have fun...stargazing."

"I'm too old for this," Jack muttered under his breath. Looking back to Elizabeth, he insisted "We're just friends."

She smiled again and the General knew he wasn't fooling anyone. "For now," he added with a shrug. Glancing at his watch he smirked, getting from his seat quickly. "1930 exactly. Let's get this show on the road."

Saturday, May 30th | 1930 hours | Thirty Nine | The beginning of the Quiz night

"Okay," General O'Neill called out loudly enough to have the whole room quieting to listen.

"I'm not big on speeches so let's just get this show on the road," Jack said irreverently. "Chuck has asked me to tell you all that we're doing a few rounds - each has a theme ... I'm sure at least some of you know the drill so ...," he trailed off, looked down at his list of instructions and then grinned down at Elizabeth.

"You wanna hand out the thing?" he asked, getting a nod from his co-host, who rose and picked up a small stack of papers.

Elizabeth Weir moved around the room, handing out a single sheet for each team. As she travelled from table to table, General O'Neill read out the instructions he'd been given.

"Doctor Weir is handing out something for your table to complete between rounds," Jack explained. "Read the instructions - talk amongst yourselves - and when you've completed all ten puzzles, send a representative up here to hand in your answers. The first team in with all, or the most, correct answers will get bonus points, so speed counts."

The noise level in the room rose as teams looked at their sheets and read:

Linguistic equations: (also called Ditloids)

A linguistic equation is a type of word puzzle, in which a phrase or quote must be deduced from the numbers and abbreviated letters in the clue.

For example:

Equation =‘24 H in a D’
Answer = 24 Hours in a Day

Confer with your table mates to solve these 10 linguistic equations. Return your answers to General O’Neill during the night ... the first team in with the most correct answers gets double points.

1. 3 B M (S H T R)
2. A P is W a 1000 W
3. 90 D in a R A
4. 64 S on a C B
5. 50 W to L Y L
6. 99 B of B on the W
7. 20,000 L U the S
8. 1 D at a T
9. 7 D S
10. 7 B for S B

Saturday, May 30th | 1945 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 1

The noise level in the room slowly died down after Elizabeth had handed out the between rounds puzzle. The General rose again and took up his position at the lectern, adjusting the microphone to his height.

"Okay ... round 1," Jack announced, glancing down at his notes. "The theme is ... the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World." Shooting a glance at Daniel's table, he smirked. "And no - I had nothing to do with any of these questions."

After a moment’s pause, O'Neill continued.

"Predictably, the first question is ... Name the seven wonders of the Ancient World," he read out. "You'll get bonus points for putting them in the correct chronological order."

The noise level rose again as everyone began talking about their answers.

"Moving on," Jack continued, clicking the remote Chuck had given him, lighting up the screen behind him. He clicked again to reveal the next question, reading it aloud as well. "Despite being the oldest, the Great Pyramid is the only Wonder that still exists. Where is it? Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq," Jack smirked as he added "only four answers to choose from which should help everyone who isn't an archaeologist or historian."

"Question 3: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. But where are Babylon’s ruins on a modern day map? Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Greece." The General heard the groans from some of the tables. "Yeah, I can see the theme emerging here too," he commented. "No prizes for guessing what the next question's gonna be!"

"Question 4: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was carved to worship the king of gods: Zeus. Which modern country is home to the ruins of the ancient town of Olympia? Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Libya?"

Jack continued with the questions for the first round, quickly running through the last four.

"Question 5: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was a great marble temple built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility. It is no longer standing but where would it be a modern map? Libya, Syria, Turkey, Jordan?"

Question 6: The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb for Mausolus, a provincial king in the Persian Empire. Where on a modern map would you find its ruins? Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey?

Question 7: The Colussus of Rhodes was erected in worship of the sun god, Helios. The island of Rhodes is part of which modern day nation? Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia?

Question 8: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest building on Earth and its light could be seen more than 50km off-shore. Where is Alexandria on a modern day map? Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt?"

Saturday, May 30th | 1915 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 1 | Team 1: Sam, Daniel, Darek, Laura and Rodney

Darek had been in early, settling on a chair, reading. He was the first to arrive and kept his focus on the book he had brought. No use to stare holes into the air while waiting.

Daniel paused in the doorway of the club to smile down at Sam where she stood with one hand resting on his arm. Both had chosen relatively casual attire for the evening with Sam wearing a pale blue sweater that emphasized the deep blue of her eyes, and a matching skirt that showed off her beautiful, lightly tanned legs. Daniel had chosen a favorite button down, also in blue, worn loose over a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Finally spotting the table they had been assigned, Daniel escorted Sam over and saw her seated, giving a smile to one of his new teammates, "Darek, good to see you," he offered pleasantly. "I'm sure you have met Colonel Samantha Carter...but I'll make introductions just to be safe... Sam, this is Captain Darek Sterling...recently assigned to Lorne's Team."

Darek had gotten to his feet, greeting the Colonel politely. "Colonel Carter,"

"Captain." Sam smiled politely. "It's nice to see you again. How are you finding our fair city now that you've been here a while?"

"It is beautiful in its own way and certainly fascinating, Ma'am, but it takes a while to get used to," Darek replied honestly.

Lieutenant Cadman arrived at Thirty Nine when the room was still only half full. She hadn't bothered to dress up for the night, choosing to go casual instead in blue jeans and a green knitted sweater. If asked Laura would have admitted to having mixed feelings about the event - ever since she'd seen the team assignments and realised she'd have to interact with one Meredith Rodney McKay. Since her evening of alcohol inspired conversational indiscretion Laura had been avoiding Rodney ... it wasn't like her but that night had shifted things in her head and she wasn't ready to consider the implications. Her reprieve was over though and she'd resolved to treat Rodney like she always did in the hopes that everything would miraculously shift back again.

"Evening Daniel, Colonel, Captain," Cadman greeted the rest of her team with a friendly smile, taking a seat next to Darek.

"Lieutenant Cadman," Sam nodded. "It's good to see you. I don't suppose anyone here knows exactly how this is meant to work? I've never actually done one of these before."

"I've been to a few quiz nights Ma'am," Cadman replied. "Popular fundraiser for the student Marines social club. They'll probably have it organised into rounds ... maybe with a theme for each, like science, music, stuff like that. General O'Neill will ask the questions and each table puts in a sheet with their agreed answers at the end of the round." Laura grinned mischievously. "We usually had a lot of fun coming up with smart arse responses for the questions we didn't know."

"Lieutenant, as we two were assigned in one group with three of Atlantis' brightest people, we should strive to not dumb them down too much," he suggested, humor sparkling in his eyes.

"We could do that," Cadman replied, giving the rest of their team a sly look. "Or we could sit back and let them do everything. That might work."

"Depends on what Jack asks," Daniel quipped. "If it's anything to do with fishing...we're probably sunk...at least on my part."

"From what I hear Chuck came up with the questions so I think we're safe," Cadman offered.

Rodney had his focus on his tablet as he entered the club and staggered when his shoulder hit the door before it had fully retracted. He glanced around and was encouraged to see no one had really noticed. He clutched his tablet to his chest and marched on in even though he’d rather be back in his lab doing something constructive. He shared a faintly pained grimace with John as he passed that table on the way to where his team sat, and came close to turning around and leaving when he saw the only open seat was by Cadman. His eyes met hers and for a brief second she looked about as embarrassed as he felt over 'that' night, so he squared his jaw and strode on over. “Hey,” he said as casually as possible to everyone as he dropped his tablet on the table and unzipped his mission jacket before sitting. He’d taken to wearing long sleeves again – the pale straight marks left by Kolya didn’t bother him, but the new ragged red ones on his wrist did. He gave Laura a quick sideways glance as he scooted his chair forward. “So, how long is this going to take?” he asked the table in general.

"You got somewhere else to be McKay?" Cadman tried for their old, familiar snippiness, not convinced she'd pulled it off. Shooting a glance at the tablet he'd brought with him she couldn't help but add "you brought work?", just barely restraining herself from saying aloud what she was thinking: "We're not interesting enough for you?"

“Hey! It’s my Physicist’s Express Card – I don’t leave home without it.” Linus had his blanket – Rodney had his tablet. When he still garnered a few, well, grumpy looks, he held it up. “See, it’s off!”

Cadman couldn't help but smile, amused at his 'geekiness' which for some reason she still found to be way too attractive, even without the tequila. She might have said something, but for the noise level dropping announcing the night was about to begin. Turning, she gave her attention to their hosts.

Everyone quieted when General O'Neill stood to begin the quiz night, setting up the between rounds puzzle Elizabeth handed to them.

"This looks interesting," Cadman commented, taking a quick look at the sheet before handing it on. "Linguistics are your speciality, aren't they Daniel?" she queried with a smile. "You should definitely take the first stab at this one."

Laura watched as Daniel looked at the sheet, grabbed a pencil and began scribbling. Captain Sterling shifted closer to look at the sheet as well ... with any luck the two of them would solve all ten puzzles without her intervention.

Darek frowned when he read over the puzzles again, looking over Daniel's arm as he also worked on the puzzles. The things that came to his mind were not useful, or downright idiot. "Nr. 9 - 7 dumme Sergeanten*." he said in low tones to himself, while trying to focus on the riddle. The stuff was in English - he had to stop thinking in German if he wanted to figure any of that stuff out.

Rodney glanced at the sheet. "Oh, man - three, four, six, and seven are easy." He grabbed a pencil and started writing furiously in his tiny script.

1. 3 Blind Mice (See How They Run)
2. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
3. 90 degress in a right angle
4. 64 squares on a chess board
5. Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
6. Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall
7. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
8. One Day at a Time
9. Seven dry summers
10. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

After a few minutes General O'Neill spoke again, announcing the theme for the first round and then asking the first question.

"Question 1: Name the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World, in chronological order."

Cadman laughed outright as the General pointedly stated that he hadn't written the questions. "Please tell me you know this one too," Laura looked at Daniel hopefully. "The only ones I know of are the pyramids and ... was there some kind of library?"

"The only seven wonders I can think of is a Fleetwood Mac song," Rodney added. Everyone stared at him and he shrugged. "I like Fleetwood Mac, so sue me."

"The Rhodos Colossus and the Library of Alexandria," Darek said, trying to recall what the other seven were and hell if he knew the chronological order of them.

Daniel closed his eyes a moment so he could get the items in chronological order, "The dates are approximate as some, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza took some twenty years to complete." He then rattled off the list of items including their dates of construction or the period they were presumed to have been completed by...

"Great Pyramid of Giza (2560 BC)
Hanging Gardens of Babylon (600 BCE)
Statue of Zeus at Olympia (432 BCE)
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (550 BCE)
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus (350-353 BCE)
Colossus of Rhodes (292 -280 BCE)
Lighthouse of Alexandria (285-247 BCE)."

Rodney blinked at Daniel, then just leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Not arguing with Action Jackson."

"Action Jackson?" Laura grinned over at Rodney. "That's ... strangely appropriate," she commented teasingly.

Sam simply leaned her chin in her hand and smiled at Daniel. "Smart guys are so sexy," she said on a sigh, and fluttered her lashes at him. "But are you sure about the statue of Zeus? It may have been a statue of Jack."

"Question 2: Despite being the oldest, the Great Pyramid is the only Wonder that still exists. Where is it? Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq."

Daniel grinned at Sam, flushing slightly as she boldly flirted with him, "Uh...no." Turning back to the second question, he grinned and said wryly, "Ummm...going to take a wild stab at this answer...could be wrong...but Egypt?"

Carter chuckled at him. "Well, if it's the Great Pyramid of Giza, and Giza is in Egypt, then I'd have to say that your wild stab is right." She rolled her eyes toward the others. "As if he was going to get that question wrong."

Darek raised his hands in a comical gesture of surrender. "I defer to the superior knowledge, in case they ask next how the country was called at the time they built the Pyramid." he replied.

"Question 3: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. But where are Babylon’s ruins on a modern day map? Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Greece?"

"I know this one," Cadman said. "It's Iraq ... I went to see the ruins when I was stationed there."

"Question 4: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was carved to worship the king of gods: Zeus. Which modern country is home to the ruins of the ancient town of Olympia? Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Libya?"

Daniel scribbled down the answer to the fourth question before speaking as well as flashing a grin at Cadman, "Very good, Laura. People sometimes forget that countries have changed borders time and time again over history. This is even more true of ancient Middle Eastern countries...Anyway for the fourth question...Olympia is still in Greece. Not only was this the location where Phidias built the Statue of Zeus, it was also home to the original Olympic Games held every four years. The actual ancient site of Olympia is an easy five to ten minute walk from the modern village."

"Question 5: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was a great marble temple built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility. It is no longer standing but where would it be on a modern map? Libya, Syria, Turkey, Jordan?"

"Turkey, I believe." Carter looked over at Daniel. "In a little province on the coast, I want to say." History was not her field, but she was well read in quite a lot of subjects.

"Question 6: The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb for Mausolus, a provincial king in the Persian Empire. Where on a modern map would you find its ruins? Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey?"

"Wasn't Halicarnassus today Bodrum in Turkey?" Darek remembered an issue of National Geographic he read about a year ago, that had held an article about it.

"Question 7: The Colussus of Rhodes was erected in worship of the sun god, Helios. The island of Rhodes is part of which modern day nation? Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia?"

"Rhodos - that's Greece," Darek said, after a moment of thought. His ancient history might be shaky at best, but his geography was usually better.

"Question 8: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest building on Earth and its light could be seen more than 50km off-shore. Where is Alexandria on a modern day map? Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt?"

"Hey, I actually know that one," Rodney said. "Egypt. It held the complete works of Pythagoras and Euclid before it was burned to the ground." He snorted. "Barbarians."

Darek would usually have agreed with him, the burning of the great library was tremendous loss of knowledge and history. But something in the statement sparked a little defiance in him. "You know, Dr. McKay - it was always Barbarians that toppled the great Empires. Younger Nations, less refined but with the raw strength to break the defences of established powers. And in the end some Emperor ended up asking "Varus - where are my legions?" Sometimes old things need to be destroyed so something new can begin."

Rodney faintly nodded at the captain’s comments. “The process works the same way with the basic building blocks of matter. But humans tend to destroy that which they don’t understand.” He shook his head. “And would we have had the Dark Ages if that library had survived? I don’t think so.”

"And that's it for round one," General O'Neill announced.

Daniel had sat back, happy for the team to leap in and finish the round, leaving him to flirt with Sam. As they called a stop for round one, he stood and stretched. "Anyone want drinks? I'm parched." He nodded towards the bar indicating his willingness to both buy and bring a round to the table.

"A soda please Daniel," Laura smiled gratefully.

"I think I'll join you." Sam rose from her seat and slid a hand into Daniel's.

Daniel nodded to Laura and took Sam's hand. "We'll be back shortly."

*Seven stupid Sergeants

Saturday, May 30th | 1915 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 1 | Team 2: John, Cam, Vala, Maddie, and Ronon

John strolled into the thirty-nine and sat down at his teams table. He wasn't sure if he liked the whole idea, or what all this was really about. He sighed, he'd hated examinations in front of the class ever since first grade. It made him feel stupid. He forced himself to relax. This was supposed to be fun. Why couldn't they just hold a gaming tournament instead?

Cam strode in, dressed in a t-shirt, blue plaid overshirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jeans and a pair of Converse sneakers on and sat down in a chair next to Sheppard, grinning at him. This was starting to get a little familiar, reminding Cam of their 'class session.' "So, what did you get on number five?" he asked, joking. "You know, when are they going to have a Halo night? I know you can link up systems..." Cam grumbled, knowing that Sheppard also played video games and making sure to save Vala a seat since she 'had to do her hair and couldn't come in with him.

Sheppard grinned. "Fracture," he suggested another game. "We should suggest it for the next time."

Arriving at the Atlantis night club still with plenty of time to spare, Vala searched the room quickly, smiling when she spotted Cameron and Colonel Sheppard talking. Taking a moment she fluffed up her hair, and reassured herself that her simple black shirt and dress pants were appropriate for the occasion. Since her arrival in Atlantis and the beginnings of her relationship with Cameron Vala had lost the desire to flaunt her attributes ... well, in a public setting anyway.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, putting a hand on Cameron's shoulder and leaning down to speak close to his ear.

He looked up at her with a grin. "Absolutely. By you," he told her, standing up and pulling it out for her. "You look beautiful, Vala," he said with a grin, grasping her hand and holding it.

"Thank you Cameron," Vala squeezed his hand, leaning into him for a moment before sitting down. "You don't look so bad yourself," she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Turning to the tables other occupant she smiled. "Colonel Sheppard," she greeted him.

Sheppard couldn't hide the amused twinkle in his eyes. So Mitchell had company, and what company. "Vala," he greeted the new arrival, leaving Mitchell to her attentions.

Ronon strolled leisurely into the club and glanced around, finally spotting Sheppard. Sauntering over to the table, he gave affable nods to those seated, pulled out a chair and flipped it around and straddled it, folding his arms along its back and leaning forward a bit. Emerald eyes sparkled appreciatively as his gaze took in Vala but quickly moved on, searching the room for where they might have set Jennifer Keller and her team.

Doctor Garman arrived moments later. She paused just inside the door to scan the room. When she spotted the remainder of her team, she made her way toward the table. "Good evening." She smiled at all of them. "Colonel Sheppard, Mitchell." She smiled and nodded at Ronon, whose attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. Her own attention continued around the table, stopping on the striking brunette. "Vala, isn't it? I don't believe we've actually met." She held out a hand. "I'm Doctor Garman. Madison," she corrected herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Vala replied, taking the other woman's hand and shaking it firmly. Looking around the room with interest, Vala grinned. "Well, this is certainly exciting isn't it?" She nudged Cameron's shoulder as she continued to watch everyone. "Why are we doing this again?"

"I don't remember... other than we were requested to be here. But looking at you now, I suddenly feel lightheaded, flushed, and in need of your gentle care. You should take me home," he told her, teasing her with a twinkle in his eyes.

Vala blushed, and then mentally slapped herself for letting his teasing affect her. Cameron was just so ... adorable and a part of her was tempted to haul him out of there and make good on his words.

"Well, I think that's my cue." The doctor laughed at their play. "Why don't I leave the two of you alone for a few minutes. Just remember big brother is watching, so I wouldn't actually take anything off." Madison winked at them as she stepped away from the table.

"See what you did?" Vala slapped Cam's shoulder lightly. "You scared her away. I was going to ask her about prizes ... this is a competition right? What will we win ... when we win?" She didn't have to add that she'd judged immediately that none of the men would know the answer and so hadn't bothered to ask.

"Ow! I didn't do anything," he said, rubbing his arm playfully. "Besides, you could've asked us. Apparently there are prizes to be won for this thing," he told her smartly, having done a little asking around. "They didn't tell me what they were, but there are prizes to be won," Cam confided, feeling a bit smug.

"I like prizes," Vala said with one of her classic cheesey grins, knowing Cam at least would be amused. Smiling pleasantly when Doctor Garman returned to their table, Vala turned her attention back to watching the other tables ... checking out the competition as it were.

Everyone quieted when General O'Neill stood to begin the quiz night, setting up the between rounds puzzle Elizabeth handed to them.

"Okay, well Ronon and I are going to be useless at this," Vala announced after looking over the ten puzzles. Smiling across at the Satedan she added "Earth phrases ... they make no more sense now than they did three years ago when I first started hearing them."

Ronon grinned, "I hate tests."

"Everyone hates tests," Madison told him, grinning. "Okay, the second one is fairly simple," this she said mostly to Mitchell, who as a fellow earthling should have a better idea of the answers. "A picture is worth a thousand words," she said. Madison drew the paper toward her and began to scrawl the answers in her physician's chicken scratch.

1. 3 Bad Months (So How to Recover)
2. A picture is worth a 1000 words
3. 90 Days in a Red Archangelski
4. 64 squares on a Chess Board
5. 50 Ways to Lose your life.
6. 99 bottles of beer on the wall
7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
8. 1 Day at a Time
9. 7 dumb sonofabitches
10. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

The quiz night began for real once everyone had settled down, with Jack announcing the theme for the first round and then asking the first question.

"Question 1: Name the 7 ancient wonders of the world ... in chronological order."

"Why only seven?" Vala asked with a smirk. "Surely your world boasted more than seven things one could label as a wonder."

Sheppard scowled. "And you spend two years around Dr. Jackson? The seven wonders of the Ancient World were considered the greatest ones of their whole time... transcending it, being remembered centuries later. The great Pyramids were there, I think, a Zeus statue somewhere, the Colossus of Rhodos and the lighthouse at Alexandria..." He frowned, this was school all over again, and he had hated class tests. "Some gardens... but don't ask me what gardens and where."

"Hanging gardens," Madison told him. "Babylon I think." She shrugged. "I dated Jackson. He rubs off on you."

"How many is that?" Vala asked, having elected herself as scribe for the table and all set to write down their answers.

The others called out suggestions and Vala did her best to scrawl them down, still writing the last answer when General O'Neill asked the next question.

The great pyramids
Zeus statue
Colossus of Rhodos
Lighthouse at Alexandria
Hanging gardens, Babylon
A temple ... somewhere
A library

"Question 2: Despite being the oldest, the Great Pyramid is the only Wonder that still exists. Where is it? Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq?"

"Ooh Oooh," Vala bounced in her seat excitedly. "I know this one! It was on the Discovery channel ... Egypt, right?"

Not waiting for a response she quickly wrote it on their round one answer sheet.

"Question 3: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. But where are Babylon’s ruins on a modern day map? Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Greece?"

"Iraq ...," John said hesitantly. "That's somewhere in Iraq I think."

"Works for me," Vala grinned, jotting down the answer. "Isn't this fun?" she beamed out a smile to all her team mates.

"Question 4: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was carved to worship the king of gods: Zeus. Which modern country is home to the ruins of the ancient town of Olympia? Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Libya?"

"Turkey," Sheppard said. "Greece is too obvious, and the Greek and Turkish have some beefs over some territory - I'd bet it's somewhere there." What he knew about both nations was mostly details from military briefings, and some other odds and ends picked up somewhere.

"Question 5: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was a great marble temple built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility. It is no longer standing but where would it be on a modern map? Libya, Syria, Turkey, Jordan?"

"Turkey, definitely." Madison grinned. "That one was on History Channel not to long ago."

"Question 6: The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb for Mausolus, a provincial king in the Persian Empire. Where on a modern map would you find its ruins? Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey?"

"Question 7: The Colussus of Rhodes was erected in worship of the sun god, Helios. The island of Rhodes is part of which modern day nation? Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia?"

"Question 8: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest building on Earth and its light could be seen more than 50km off-shore. Where is Alexandria on a modern day map? Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt?"

"Egypt," The doctor said with a grin. "Anthony Hopkins as Ptolemy I in Alexander? Yep, that geographic location definitely stuck." Madison leaned forward, eyes sparkling as she watched Vala add it to the list.

The team continued to provide answers that Vala diligently wrote down until they'd reach the end of the first round.

"And that's it for round one," General O'Neill announced.

"Oh thank god." Madison leaned back in her seat. "I need a drink. Anyone else up for some booze?" As she rose, she cast a look toward the General.

Ronon rose to his feet, "Drink...anyone else?" he rumbled by way of asking if he could get something for the others as well.

Vala and Cam nodded, passing on their orders before settling back to enjoy the brief respite before the next round.

Saturday, May 30th | 1915 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 1 | Team 3: Evan, Leia, Jennifer and Teyla

Major Lorne walked the corridors of the residential section, nodding politely to anyone he passed along the way. The level of activity was higher than normal as everyone organised themselves for the first ever Atlantis Quiz Night. Arriving at Leia's door, Evan took a moment to straighten his jacket. He wasn't sure what level of 'dressing up' Leia would have gone for and stupidly hadn't made any suggestions about that a part of his invitation. In the end he'd gone for dress casual ... black jeans, a blue shirt he hoped Leia would think matched his eyes, and a dark blue suit jacket.

If asked he'd have to admit to feeling just a little nervous about the night. Not that he and Leia hadn't gone out together ... since he'd recovered from their little Puddle Jumper adventure the two of them had spent plenty of time together - shared meals, movies, the usual things friends did together. Evan was sure the city grapevine had been buzzing since that first day they'd walked down the corridor arm in arm ... whatever was being said probably wouldn't reflect the reality - that up 'till now he'd kept to 'friends for now'. In his mind their date for the Quiz Night was a signal - a statement that they were in fact an actual couple - and the beginnings of that deeper relationship. Taking a breath, Evan swiped the door controls, stepping back and waiting for Leia to answer.

Leia brushed her hair back, opening the door. She was dressed in a black spaghetti strap dress with a high waist and a sheer black overlay. Her eyes swept over him as she took in his outfit. She smiled at him. "You look good. Very good," Leia said, hesitating for a brief moment, not having a purse, but almost feeling like she should have one... something in her hands. "Are you sure we have to go?" she asked, teasing him, wearing her 2'' heels that made her just about his 5'9. "I mean... I can cook something, not wear these heels..."

"Tempting as that is I think the rest of our table might have something to say about it," Evan replied distractedly, hardly registering her compliment as he ran his eyes over her appreciatively. The dress made her look delicate ... elegant ... not to mention sexy as hell ... even with the heels that had them at almost the same height. "You look ... amazing," he said quietly as his eyes met hers. "Ready to go?" he asked, holding out his hand expectantly.

Leia took his hand. "Why yes. But I do have to take off points. You forgot flowers and candy..." she teased, referring to her earlier 'Official' comment.

"That's a little harsh," Evan retorted with a chuckle as he walked them at a slower than usual pace towards the nearest transporter to allow for her heels. "It's not like I can stop at the florists on the way and pick up some roses." Putting his free hand into his jacket pocket Evan pulled out a red wrapped chocolate in the shape of a kiss, offering it to Leia on an open palm. "I guess you'll just have to make do with this," he said with a teasing grin.

"You could've bribed someone from botany..." Leia said tartly as she got closer, pressing into his arm. As he presented her with a chocolate shaped like a kiss, she giggled and took it. "Well... Alright. I suppose you'll pass," she told him. "Thank you. In all seriousness. I appreciate it and you really didn't have to."

"Bribery is beneath me," Evan's eyes sparkled as he tried to put on a pious tone. "And besides, they were all out of roses." At the transporters they stepped in together, the doors sliding closed as soon as he pressed the location for Thirty Nine on the city map. The next instant the doors opened again, revealing their destination now only a few steps away. "You know," Evan said conversationally, not moving from the transporter, "it's a pity the Ancients went for these instead of standard lifts." He shot her an intent look. "A little enclosed ... privacy would be handy right about now."

Leia burst out laughing, thrilled with him. "Oooh, I see what you mean, my dear Major...." she said, smirking knowingly. "But we are here... might as well make the effort to lose horribly and then retire. Your place or mine?"

"Hey, who said anything about losing?" Evan returned. Leaning in, he rested his cheek against hers so that his lips were close to her ear. "I intend to win my dear Doctor," he murmured in a low tone. Straightening, he grinned. "So, let’s get this show on the road." Tugging her forward he got them walking down the corridor again.

Leia let out a breath as he got closer to her, feeling a current shoot through her. "You're a competitive guy, you know that?" she whispered back. She let him take her hand and they walked into the room and across to their table.

"Military Honey," Evan said with a laugh, holding out a seat for Leia before taking the one beside her. "We're all competitive - don't let anyone tell you different." They were the first to arrive from their team ... looking around the room, Evan nodded to various people, before looking back at Leia. "You ever been to one of these before?"

"No. It's called testosterone," she said with a mock roll of her eyes. "No. I've never had the pleasure... How does it all work?"

"No idea," Evan admitted. "Hopefully one of our team mates will have a handle on it."

Jennifer had trailed Doctor Garman down the hall. The closer they got, the slower she walked. She stepped inside just behind the doctor and looked around. Spotting Ronon, she smiled shyly. His response had left her wondering exactly what he meant. Sure he wanted to meet up with her after? Or Sure he agreed with her assumption that he didn't and why? She gave a little wave and ducked her head before heading toward her table.

"Hi," she greeted, smiling at Lorne and Leia.

"Jennifer," Lorne rose to his feet to greet the Doctor. Waiting for her to take a seat, he sat again, smiling at Leia before turning to Jennifer again. "Leia and I were just talking about our lack of qualifications for this whole quiz night deal. You been to one before?"

"Something similar," she told them. "In college, but I don't remember very much of it." The doctor smiled a little sheepishly. "There was an incredibly large amount of alcohol involved."

"Sounds about right," Lorne smiled, amused at the idea of Jennifer at a drinking party ... somehow she didn't seem the type.

Teyla paused outside of the club – she had absolutely no idea what to expect, even after spending five years with these people. Some of their customs were still … odd. She took a deep breath and walked in, and as she passed tables she smiled and greeted the familiar faces. For a moment her smile grew softer when John smiled back at her. Then she was with her designated team. “Good evening Major, Doctor, Jennifer.” Lorne, the consummate gentleman, rose and didn’t sit until she had taken a place next to Jennifer. She always found that custom amusing and felt her smile widen. “My apologies for my tardiness – Torren was very rambunctious this evening and it took some time to get him settled for bed."

"Understandable," Lorne said easily, smiling across at the Athosian. "This is everyone ... Radek couldn't switch shifts so he's stuck manning the labs. We all set to do this?"

Everyone quieted when General O'Neill stood to begin the quiz night, setting up the between rounds puzzle Elizabeth handed to them.

Evan immediately pushed the paper towards his team mates ... he didn't mind word puzzles but it'd be more challenging for him to pick up the sheet at the end after the others had had a go.

Jennifer leaned over it, opposite Leia and began to read. "Oh!" She said, somewhat excitedly. "I know these," she pointed to a few at the end, and began to scribble her answers. "Leia, what do you think about these first few?"

"Looks great to me... these sort of things always kicked my butt in Quiz Bowl," she said, wincing slightly.

1. Three blind mice (see how they run)
2. A picture is worth a 1000 words.
3. 90 drones in a (winning) replicator attack
4. 64 squares on a chess board
5. 50 ways to leave your lover
6. 99 bottles of beer on the wall
7. 20,000 leagues under the sea
8. 1 day at a time
9. 7 deadly sins
10. 7 bullets for 7 Berettas

The quiz night began for real once everyone had settled down, with Jack announcing the theme for the first round and then asking the first question.

"Question 1: Name the 7 ancient wonders of the world ... in chronological order."

"I am afraid I will not be of much help with this question," Teyla said apologetically to her team.

"Ancient Earth History not covered in the Atlantis crash course?" Lorne quipped, pretending surprise. "Don't worry about it Teyla ... we're here to have fun." Turning to his other two team mates, Evan grinned. "Ladies ... surely one of you did a little history somewhere along the way."

Keller chuckled. "I think this may be more Leia's sort of question than mine. I stayed away from the history classes in school. I was more of a science geek. But... I do remember the great pyramids were considered one of them. Oh! And the temple of Artemis, I think. I remember that much from my Greek Mythology course. You lost me on the rest, I'm afraid."

Leia grinned. "I'm liking this question already," she told her table.

"Okay, so we've got pyramids," Lorne commented, grabbing the sheet for the first round and starting to write. "What else?" he asked, thinking and then jotting down a couple he knew.

"Temple of Artemis, but there's also the Ishtar Gate. But it's not normally on these sorts of lists..." Leia said with a bit of a frown, thinking about it.

Great pyramids
Temple of Artemis
Colossus of Rhodes
Statue of Zeus
Hanging gardens of Babylon
Two others obviously nowhere near as famous as these five

Leia scoffed at Evan and crossed out his answers, finally remembering the last two.

Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus and the Lighthouse at Alexandria.

"I thought that was pretty good," Evan muttered under his breath ... he was both intrigued and amused by the 'take charge' Leia he was seeing, and more than happy to defer to her.

"Question 2: Despite being the oldest, the Great Pyramid is the only Wonder that still exists. Where is it?"

Lorne grinned as all three of his team mates answered simultaneously. "Egypt!"

Teyla only knew that from some silly movie the team watched one evening.

"Question 3: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. But where are Babylon’s ruins on a modern day map? Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Greece?"

Lorne smiled, quickly writing down his answer. Looking up he saw the other three all watching him. "Iraq," he said simply. "Pretty much anyone here who's done a stint there would know the answer."

"Question 4: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was carved to worship the king of gods: Zeus. Which modern country is home to the ruins of the ancient town of Olympia? Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Libya?"

"I'm fairly certain it's Greece. The village where it was supposed to be still exists, but maybe moved a little... There's some specifics that I could go into, but I really don't want to bore you," Leia said.

"You could never bore me," Evan returned gallantly, eyes full of mischief.

"Question 5: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was a great marble temple built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature and fertility. It is no longer standing but where would it be on a modern map? Libya, Syria, Turkey, Jordan?"

"Definitely Turkey. The remains have been found near Selcuk," Leia supplied helpfully.

"How do you remember all this?" Evan asked while writing down her answer, genuinely curious. "If I haven't been there or it wasn't the scene of something with military significance I don't think I would."

"Question 6: The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb for Mausolus, a provincial king in the Persian Empire. Where on a modern map would you find its ruins? Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey?"

"Turkey again. His wife had it built after he died suddenly. The things people do for love..." she said with a slight smile.

"Yeah ... building monuments isn't something you'd see today," Evan offered. "Although - I guess after the Taj Mahal anything built for a lost love will pale in comparison."

"Question 7: The Colossus of Rhodes was erected in worship of the sun god, Helios. The island of Rhodes is part of which modern day nation? Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia?"

"This one is Greece. There's been a lot of talk about rebuilding the statue and I have a few friends from University that were involved or at the very least, very excited to hear this news," Leia told them.

"Question 8: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest building on Earth and its light could be seen more than 50km off-shore. Where is Alexandria on a modern day map? Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt?"

"Egypt. Apparently you can dive and see the ruins still," Leia said, hoping that she wasn't being too obnoxious.

"And that's it for round one," General O'Neill announced.

With the first round complete, Teyla graciously offered to take their answer sheet to the front of the room. Jennifer also made her excuses and headed straight for Colonel Sheppard's table, leaving Evan and Leia alone at the table. "So," Evan smiled at his date for the evening. "Are we enjoying this yet?"

Leia grinned. "I always enjoy your company, Evan...," she told him, leaning in closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "Are you enjoying the evening?"

"Surprisingly yes," Evan replied, putting his arm around her. "Even though I'm not exactly lighting up the score board so far," he pointed out with a chuckle. Glancing down at her he added "of course the company probably has something to do with that."

Leia chuckled. "I don't care. I'm just enjoying the company and wondering if we could sneak off without anyone noticing," she told him. "I've never been one to want to display my talents."

"That's a shame," Evan replied. "I'm sure you've got plenty of talent to display ... so, you know ... don't hold back." Thinking about the various unintentional interpretations of that, Evan quickly moved on. "Sneaking away, while definitely attractive, won't win us any points with Teyla or Jennifer. I'd rather stay on their good side - less arse kicking during training and smaller needles are always a good thing," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Leia laughed. "True, true. I'm sorry, we'll stay I suppose," she told him, teasing. "I'll be sure not to hold back from now on," Leia told him with a smirk.

"Why does that suddenly scare me?" Evan teased back, putting on a look of suspicion. "Just what talents have you been hiding away?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to show you and you already said we couldn't sneak out..." she said, primly, batting her eyelashes.

"Maybe I'll just take a raincheck on that then," he grinned, amused by the eyelash fluttering. "So ... for a first date, how am I doing?" Evan gave her the hopeful puppy dog look as he asked the question.

"No rainchecks," Leia teased, giggling. "For a first date, I don't have the urge to dump my drink over your head, so definitely better than most of my dates... but all kidding aside; I am having a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm glad you're having fun," Evan replied. "Not sure I’d have bothered to turn up if you'd said no. But if I'm not getting rainchecks then you need to give me a sample right here right now," he challenged. "Just so I know what not sneaking out has cost me."

Leia laughed. "Alright... Fiiiinnnneeee," she drawled.

"Well ... go on then ... show me a talent you've been hiding," Evan urged, struggling not to laugh.

Leia cleared her throat and looked at Evan regally then stuck her tongue out and touched her nose. "Ta Da!"

Laughing outright, Evan traced the line of her nose with his index finger before playfully tapping the tip lightly. "That's some talent," he joked. "I'm not even gonna ask what prompted you to discover it."

"There was booze involved..." Leia giggled, her eyes twinkling at him.

"Enough said," Evan returned. He might have continued along that vein had Teyla not returned to the table. "We'll talk about those other talents later," he promised, grinning.

"That's what you say," Leia told him, challenging him knowing he couldn't get back at her.

"Hey - talents of my own honey," Evan said mysteriously, answering her challenge with a promise of his own. Keeping his arm around Leia, he turned to welcome Teyla back to the table.

Teyla gave the pair a faint raised eyebrow as she sat and carefully arranged her hands on her lap. She understood the meaning behind this ‘quiz night’ – and she had learned some interesting facts about her friend’s home world – but it was making her frustrated that she couldn’t contribute more to the team than her presence. She glanced briefly over at John and Ronon and for a moment wished she was on their team. They would recognize her discomfort. She smiled at Lorne and Dr. Mahanay. “I would love to visit your world some day. I find it fascinating that so much of your past has survived to this day. We encounter so little of that permanence in the Pegasus Galaxy, unless it is related to the Ancestors.”

"I've often wondered what this galaxy would be like if the Wraith hadn't found a way to drive the Ancient's away," Evan replied, interested in hearing more of Teyla's perspective. He hadn't missed the fact that the first round had been excluding to those not born on Earth and could only hope subsequent rounds would redress the balance. "When you think how far some races progressed even with those challenges ... the Hoffan's, Sateda, even the Genii ...," he trailed off.

“The Genii were well on their way to destroying themselves,” Teyla said and couldn’t hide the faint distaste in her voice. She took in a breath and calmed herself. “I believe Sateda would have been a powerful world. They were a warrior society, yes, but they also carried a sense of honor.” She glanced towards Ronon – the Wraith couldn’t even break his sense of honor and loyalty. “As for Athos – I have noticed similarities between it and this ancient Greece that has been mentioned numerous times this evening. We were a center of learning, of culture, of peace….” Her words trailed off as the old ache in her heart rose up to choke them off, and all she could do was smile sadly.

Leia reached out, putting a supportive hand on Teyla's shoulder. "I'm sure it can be again. We just need to figure out something to do about the Wraith," she told her with an encouraging smile.

"We've already come a long way," Evan added quietly. Nodding to a returning Jennifer, the team had just enough time to settle into their seats before round 2 began.

Saturday, May 30th | 2130 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 7

And so it went as the night proceeded ... the themes interesting and giving everyone, native to Earth or not, the chance to participate.

Round 2 to 6 themes:

• Famous Ancients
• Wraith history
• The city of Atlantis
• Music and movies as seen in the Pegasus Galaxy
• Science and Technology

"Seventh and final round," Jack finally announced two hours into the event. "It all comes down to ... Pegasus Galaxy general knowledge. This should be interesting!"

The noise level picked up for a moment as tables still with a chance of winning talked excitedly about what might be included. Jack waited for people to remember he was waiting ... when most were silent again he continued. "Question 1: List as many other names for the Stargate used in the Pegasus Galaxy as you can think of."

The remaining questions for the final round flew by, Jack curbing his natural desire to read them faster because he knew his job as host was almost over.

• Question 2: On the planet Dagan, what is the local secret society, and what is it supposed to guard?
• Question 3: Where in the Pegasus galaxy would you go to trade for Tava beans (assuming our treaty still holds)?
• Question 4: Who would you seek out for information on anything Satedan (and no, the answer isn’t Ronon!)?
• Question 5: If you wanted to top up Atlantis’s drone supply, where would you go/who would you ask?
• Question 6: Who is the leader of the Elders on M7G 677?
• Question 7: How many people can you fit into the back of a Puddle Jumper?
• Question 8: Where would you to find an artisan specialising in hand-crafted jewellery, bracelets, pendants, chains?
• Question 9: Hayden Thorton is who’s people’s greatest living poet?
• Question 10: What IQ do you need to have to become a member of the Pegasus chapter of Mensa?
• Bonus Question: How many possible gate addresses can be dialled from Atlantis inside the Pegasus galaxy?

Jack sat back, the last question asked, and breathed a big sigh of relief. “Thank God that’s over,” he commented to Elizabeth tiredly. “I suppose we have to wait around – find out who won.”

"Oh that wasn't so bad, was it, General?" Elizabeth asked. She knew that Jack hated these types of things. But she also knew he liked them more than he'd admit to. Even if only because the conversations, arguments, and outcome usually bred good teasing fodder. Jack, as much as he'd never admit it, really could be a big kid at times. A gruff kid, mind you, but one none-the-less. How else could his infamous love for the Simpsons be explained?

"I guess not," Jack replied, rubbing a hand over his hair and mussing it up even more than usual. "And if by some miracle Daniel's table doesn't win I'm sure I'll have fun teasing him about it for months."

Elizabeth smiled just as Chuck approached him with the scores for the final round. "Last duty call," Jack quipped, getting up and taking the page.

Saturday, May 30th | 2130 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 7 | Team 1: Sam, Daniel, Darek, Laura and Rodney

Cadman returned to the table after going for another walk around the room to stretch her legs. For her the evening had flown by ... she'd been more the support staff than the one driving their answers for most rounds ... until they'd done music and movies which was more her cup of tea. It had been fun and now Laura was looking forward to the last round.

Daniel returned to the table with drinks requests and Sam, seeing her seated before taking his own. He was starting to feel the long day and simply smiled at his table mates in greeting as he handed out drinks to those that had requested something. "Final round...good." He grinned.

General O'Neill announced the final round theme ... Pegasus Galaxy general knowledge.

"Question 1: List as many other names for the Stargate used in the Pegasus Galaxy as you can think of."

Daniel racked his brain, but for once his usual amazing recall failed him, "Ring of the Ancestors is all I have," he stated and scribbled it on their answer pad before passing the tablet over.

"Portals?" Laura suggested uncertainly. "I vaguely recall reading something like that."

Daniel's brain whirled and as he tried to remember details from all the old mission reports. Even at that, he could only pull up a few of the answers. Sighing he shook his head as SGA reports merged with SG-1 reports. Pulling the notepad over he scribbled what he thought were the answers to a few of the questions. Glancing at his teammates, he shrugged, "No promises on how correct they are."

Sam leaned over his arm as Daniel concentrated and scribbled, "There, the last one, I have that. 1,168,675,200." She offered her Cheshire Cat grin as Daniel glanced at her and blinked before writing her answer down.

• Question 2: On the planet Dagan, what is the local secret society, and what is it supposed to guard?
  Daniel: Quindosium, ZPM
• Question 3: Where in the Pegasus galaxy would you go to trade for Tava beans (assuming our treaty still holds)?
  Daniel: to the Genii
• Question 4: Who would you seek out for information on anything Satedan (and no, the answer isn’t Ronon!)?
  Daniel: Other survivors on Belkan and Manaria
• Question 5: If you wanted to top up Atlantis’s drone supply, where would you go/who would you ask?
  Daniel: Eldred's Planet
• Question 6: Who is the leader of the Elders on M7G 677?
  Daniel: Keras
• Question 7: How many people can you fit into the back of a Puddle Jumper?
• Question 8: Where would you to find an artisan specialising in hand-crafted jewellery, bracelets, pendants, chains?
  Daniel: Either Harmony's homeworld or Belkan market
• Question 9: Hayden Thorton is who’s people’s greatest living poet?
  Daniel: Herick's people
• Question 10: What IQ do you need to have to become a member of the Pegasus chapter of Mensa?
• Bonus Question: How many possible gate addresses can be dialed from Atlantis inside the Pegasus galaxy?
  Sam: 1,168,675,200

With their answers added, Daniel leaned back, brows still furrowed, "I know there are more names for the Stargate here, but for the life of me, I cannot recall them right now. Sorry, guys."

Draping an arm behind Sam, he watched and listened as the team discussed the questions and answers, not coming up with anything better at this point. The round ended and all that was left was to hear the answers and the final scores.

Saturday, May 30th | 2130 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 7 | Team 2: Cam, John, Ronon, Vala, and Maddie

Vala sat close beside Cam, resting her head against his shoulder tiredly as she contemplated those around her. It had been a long night and she was ready to call it quits.

"This is the last round, right?" she asked.

Cam nodded, kissing her head. "Yup. We've only got a little more to go," he told her with a smile.

"Last round?" Ronon perked up from where he had been slumped in his chair. "Get these things answered. I have someplace to be."

General O'Neill announced the final round theme ... Pegasus Galaxy general knowledge.

"Question 1: List as many other names for the Stargate used in the Pegasus Galaxy as you can think of."

John frowned. "Ring of the Ancestors, Great Ring, Ancestral Ring, Wraith Well." He counted down the names he had heard during his time here. "Astria Porta was what the Ancients called them." He looked at the others, hoping they'd come up with more names.

• Question 2: On the planet Dagan, what is the local secret society, and what is it supposed to guard?
• Question 3: Where in the Pegasus galaxy would you go to trade for Tava beans (assuming our treaty still holds)?
• Question 4: Who would you seek out for information on anything Satedan (and no, the answer isn’t Ronon!)?
• Question 5: If you wanted to top up Atlantis’s drone supply, where would you go/who would you ask?
• Question 6: Who is the leader of the Elders on M7G 677?
• Question 7: How many people can you fit into the back of a Puddle Jumper?
• Question 8: Where would you to find an artisan specialising in hand-crafted jewellery, bracelets, pendants, chains?
• Question 9: Hayden Thorton is who’s people’s greatest living poet?
• Question 10: What IQ do you need to have to become a member of the Pegasus chapter of Mensa?
• Bonus Question: How many possible gate addresses can be dialled from Atlantis inside the Pegasus galaxy?

The team threw answers at each other, some right, some ridiculous, and some getting just the laughs they'd been designed for. At the end of the round, Vala walked the answer sheet up to the front, smiling brightly at General O'Neill before heading back to Cam and the others.

"We didn't win, did we?" she pouted for a moment before grinning. "But my first Earth quiz night turned out pretty well."

General O'Neill's call for attention interrupted the others before they could respond.

Saturday, May 30th | 2130 hours | Thirty Nine | Round 7 | Team 3: Evan, Leia, Jennifer and Teyla

Major Lorne welcomed the last round of the evening ... it had been enjoyable but longer than he'd expected, and he was looking forward to spending some time alone with Leia before the end of their first date.

"So, any guesses on the final theme?" he asked of his team mates in general.

"Probably a counter to our first question. We were asked Earth stuff, so maybe something about Pegasus?" Leia guessed, grasping Evan's hand as she squeezed it gently. She was looking forward to perhaps having a little time with him after this.

General O'Neill announced the final round theme ... Pegasus Galaxy general knowledge.

"Nice guess," Evan complimented Leia with a smile.

"Question 1: List as many other names for the Stargate used in the Pegasus Galaxy as you can think of."

"Spacegates," Evan suggested, kicking off a round table list of alternatives.

• Question 2: On the planet Dagan, what is the local secret society, and what is it supposed to guard?
• Question 3: Where in the Pegasus galaxy would you go to trade for Tava beans (assuming our treaty still holds)?
• Question 4: Who would you seek out for information on anything Satedan (and no, the answer isn’t Ronon!)?
• Question 5: If you wanted to top up Atlantis’s drone supply, where would you go/who would you ask?
• Question 6: Who is the leader of the Elders on M7G 677?
• Question 7: How many people can you fit into the back of a Puddle Jumper?
• Question 8: Where would you to find an artisan specialising in hand-crafted jewellery, bracelets, pendants, chains?
• Question 9: Hayden Thorton is who’s people’s greatest living poet?
• Question 10: What IQ do you need to have to become a member of the Pegasus chapter of Mensa?
• Bonus Question: How many possible gate addresses can be dialled from Atlantis inside the Pegasus galaxy?

Some of the missions the questions related to Evan had been on - those he remembered all too well ... Herick and his Ark, the artisan on Croya. Jennifer and Leia came through with a couple of answers too but it was Teyla who shone in the final round, filling in most of the blanks until they had an answer sheet that looked impressively complete.

Handing it in, Evan returned and sat beside Leia, more aware of her than he was of the goings on at the other tables ... until General O'Neill rose to hand out results and close off the night.

Saturday, May 30th | 1930 to 2200 hours | Thirty Nine | Scores and answers

Throughout the night Jack and Elizabeth revealed the answers and kept the room updated on the scores as compiled by Chuck and Amelia Banks.

"Round 1 results are being tallied," O'Neill explained. "Before we move on to round 2, I've been informed that you might actually want to know the answers."

Jack then proceeded to read them out.

"Question 1: The seven wonders of the Ancient World in chronological order:

• The Great Pyramid of Giza.
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
• The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
• The Colossus of Rhodes
• The Lighthouse of Alexandria
• Question 2: The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of three great pyramids, located in the city of Giza, a necropolis of ancient Memphis, and today part of Greater Cairo, Egypt.
• Question 3: The ruins of Babylon, an ancient city in Mesopotamia, are in modern day Iraq.
• Question 4: The ancient town of Olympia is on the west coast of modern Greece, about 150 km west of Athens, Greece.
• Question 5: The ancient city of Ephesus is near the modern town of Selcuk, about 50 kms south of Izmir in Turkey.
• Question 6: Halicarnassus is the modern city of Bodrum, located on the Aegean Sea, in south-west Turkey.
• Question 7: The Colossus of Rhodes statue was located at the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.
• Question 8: The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the ancient island of Pharos, now part of the city of Alexandria in Egypt."
  

"And the scores at the end of round 1 are Teams 1, and 6 on the maximum of 16 points, followed by team 3 on 14, teams 2 and 7 on 11, team 4 on 10 points and team 5 on 9 points," Jack reported. "It's still early days yet and we have some interesting rounds coming up.

The same format was followed for each round ... two hours after the start of the event they were down to one final round left to be played.

"After round seven, our clear leader is still team 1," Jack announced at the end of Round 6. "Teams 2 and 3 are neck and neck for second place."

"Everybody has their linguistic equations sheet in so let's look at the answers," Jack announced before the last round.

1. 3 B M (S H T R) 3 blind mice, see how they run
2. A P is W a 1000 W a picture is worth a 1000 words
3. 90 D in a R A 90 degrees in a right angle
4. 64 S on a C B 64 squares on a chess board
5. 50 W to L Y L 50 ways to leave your lover
6. 99 B of B on the W 99 bottles of beer on the wall
7. 20,000 L U the S 20,000 leagues under the sea
8. 1 D at a T 1 day at a time
9. 7 D S 7 deadly sins
10. 7 B for S B 7 brides for 7 brothers

"So - round 8 answers," Jack began, reading the out quickly.

• Question 1: Portal, Ring of the Ancestors, Astria Porta, Wraith Well, Spacegate
• Question 2: The Quindosim were protecting the Potentia (ZPM)
• Question 3: The Genii homeworld
• Question 4: Solen Sincha
• Question 5: The Tower planet – Mara or Tavius (if they haven’t killed each other by now)
• Question 6: Keras
• Question 7: According to Colonel Sheppard’s report from Orin’s planet (Letters from Pegasus) about 24.
• Question 8: The village of Croya, on M2S-181
• Question 9: Jayden and Herick.
• Question 10: The same as back on Earth! You have to score in the top 2% to qualify for American Mensa.
• Bonus Question: Pegasus Stargates contain 36 symbols as opposed to the Milky Way's 39. Seven symbols are still required to dial an interplanetary address, adhering to the same constraints as a Milky Way gate (the seventh being the home dialling planet symbol in all cases). With 35 remaining symbols, the Stargate network in the Pegasus galaxy has: (35×34×33×32×31×30) = 1,168,675,200 possible 7-symbol addresses

"So our winners for tonight, by a much closer margin than looked likely, are Team 1," Jack clapped as he nodded across to Daniel.

Everyone clapped as the final results were announced. It had been a fun night for all but Jack was going to make sure he was otherwise engaged if someone made noises about doing the same thing next year. One night as host was more than enough for anyone.

Random number generator used to create Team 4-7 scores plus Team 1-3 rounds 2-6 scores at http://www.randomizer.org/

On to Part 4