Serpent's Vow

15: Truce

Major General George Hammond had seen some things. As the officer in charge of Stargate Command, he'd read every mission report to come from the SG teams and had some unique experiences of his own. Some of them were hilarious and ultimately harmless, but others had tested the limits of his imagination and sanity.

When he'd first met SG-1 as a junior officer in 1969, it had blown his mind. Then when he met them in the present time, he realized that this was what his life had been leading up to. This is what he was meant to do. This is where he was meant to be. No matter how stressed it made him, he had no regrets taking command of this base and Stargate operations.

Not even after the events of today. Seeing an alternate version of Maj. Samantha Carter was odd but intriguing. It wasn't hard for him to imagine the brilliant woman as a civilian scientist. Hammond could easily see her as one of, if not the top scientific mind in the world. Both versions of her had a Ph.D. in astrophysics after all.

That said, the general was relieved to see the physical differences between Maj. Carter and Dr. Carter. They may have the same face and the same voice, but they weren't the same person. Maj. Carter's hair was short and there was a fierceness in her eye that was missing from her alternate. Dr. Carter was a civilian who wore her hair long and respected the military and the officers in command, but who refused to bow to their demands. The contrast was, surprisingly, a relief.

It was the other unexpected guest from the alternate reality on the other side of the Quantum Mirror who truly unnerved the general. He never expected to see Charles Kawalsky again after he died under the control of a Goa'uld. Seeing him alive and well after he was nearly three years dead in this reality was a shock Hammond didn't know how to handle properly.

The resident doctor, Janet Fraiser, had confirmed that this Kawalsky was, medically speaking, indeed the exact same as the Kawalsky who died on base under his watch. It was a reminder of a failure and a loss that helped kickstart the war against the Goa'uld. A war General Hammond saw no end to in the near future.

He had promised to talk to his superiors about the possibility of Dr. Carter and Kawalsky remaining in this reality and he would keep that promise. He understood the pain of losing loved ones. Their Earth had been invaded by the Goa'uld. When they lost control of their Stargate, Dr. Carter and Kawalsky had been forced to run for their lives through the Quantum Mirror hoping they would arrive in a safe world where they could exist and mourn their loss in peace. The least Hammond could do was offer them that.

Lost in thought, he climbed the stairs from the control room up to sublevel 27, his fingers gingerly rubbing his temple. With a sigh, he stepped onto the carpeted floor of the briefing room and moved towards his office on the far side.

"Your coffee is atrocious."

Startled by the unexpected voice, General Hammond halted and looked up at the person standing by the windows overlooking the Stargate. Did he have an appointment? He couldn't remember making one.

Hoping he could recognize the stranger, Hammond shifted so he could see the reflection in the windows. It was too blurry to make out, but he was able to determine the person was a young man with brown hair and an odd taste in clothing. The young man wore a midnight blue trench coat with a high collar and black pants. He also seemed comfortable with the situation if the hands tucked in his pockets were anything to go by.

Then Hammond noticed the gold and silver objects on the table.

"I suppose it is," he said cautiously, fighting back the urge to call for security. "Though honestly, I didn't know the Goa'uld drank coffee," he added, noting the mug of the still steaming drink sitting barely touched next to the Goa'uld technology on the table.