Stargate Force

Chapter 12: Vacation at Last

Sunlight streamed in, rousing Sam from sleep. Another perfect day awaited. As she reached for the bedside clock, a flash of white caught her eye. A folded note peeked out from beneath, scrawled with a single word: "Love, Jack."

She excitedly opened the paper. It read:

Dear Sam,

Hope you had a good night's sleep. Please contact me if you need me. I will spend time with Kavreesh. The boys are doing their usual girl-watching. Love you. xxxx

The note sparked a smile on Sam's face. After tucking it away, she showered and dressed, a secret warmth radiating from the simple words: "Love, Jack." Stepping outside, the summer sun seemed to echo that warmth, beating down on her with a newfound intensity. The city pulsed with secrets, promising revelations that sent a thrill through her. Setting off, Sam was bombarded by a wave of memories, each one a jarring contrast to the present. "How can I have memories of this future?" she thought, a knot forming in her stomach. "there has to be more to it than time not being linear..." The thought trailed off, replaced by a sardonic chuckle. "or maybe I'm just losing it." A wide grin spread across her face. "Well, if that's the case, then may a Hutt win a beauty pageant."

A voice replied out of nowhere, "I have never seen a person more in control of their life than you."

As she turned around, she smiled. The two of them hugged. Still smiling she said, "Barbara, it is so great to see you! How is your Mother doing?"

"She is great. How are you doing?"

"I'm starting to enjoy my vacation. I hope it will last a good long time."

"I take it you are getting some memories of your life here?"

"I would like to know why. All this hasn't happened yet."

She gave her that sympathetic look. She said, "When I first learned that Brandon could train as a Jedi Knight, I had to admit, I was right out baffled on what was going on. After traveling through the Stargate for the first time, I thought I would fall on the ground and puke."

She smiled to the point of laughing. "I puked right after I went through the Stargate on my first run. It seems you have done better than I did." She laughed a little then continued, "you must have eaten something before. Jack told me moments after that I shouldn't have had that big lunch."

"I think I did, but I can't remember what. I believe what really hit me, what everyone told us at the house. That was a lot to take in then."

She gave an understanding look, "I know what you mean."

To change the subject, Barbara asked, "What memories are you getting?"

"Right now I'm getting a lot from my childhood here. I have seen myself constantly playing with a young green female Twi'lek." She paused, "by now, you know it was Cassandra." She smiled, "we were more than sisters. We were the best of friends."

With a sympathetic look, "How are you dealing with..."

"Skyma and I had a long talk about that. I realize that sadistic vision wasn't real, and I have convinced myself it was a means of breaking me down." She gave a confident smile, "it does not haunt me as I thought it would. It is amazing how quickly the influence over me vanished after I threw it into the abyss of deep space."

"I know you have put a lot of wonders in our lives. That was why Jerry and I did so much for the Jedi Knights at the mansion. It was our way to say — thank you. Now, this nightmare is over for you, I know you will make it."

The two of them continued to talk as they walked around the city.

The sprawl of the city dwarfed even Waterfall City, yet lacked its namesake cascades. Instead, a colossal stream snaked through its heart, mirroring the city's vastness. Most bafflingly, colossal structures seemed designed for creatures far larger than any known fauna. Jedi? They predated dinosaurs by millennia. But the most glaring anomaly was the verdant profusion of flora — extinct plant life thriving in defiance of millions of years. Barbara's voice echoed in the incongruous jungle, "How can these plants be alive?"