“What?”
John shook his head. “We’re giving you a formal dinner.”
Sam hesitated a moment, as though wheels were turning in her head, and then burst out laughing. “And here I left my Class A’s in Colorado Springs!”
“It’s officially for Dahlia Radim,” John said.
“Then I’d better hit the showers, hadn’t I?” Sam said.
Chapter Twenty-five: Shapes in the Snow
“All right, ma’am?” Major Franklin’s brow was furrowed as he met Sam at the Hammond’s main hatch, though his flight suit was spotless. “I’m sorry I don’t have service dress with me.”
“Neither do I,” Sam said, gesturing down at her own flightsuit. Given that her closet on the Hammond was ten inches wide, her class As were at home, neatly shrouded in plastic in the closet, just like her bike was in Jack’s garage. Somehow she hadn’t thought she’d need them in the Pegasus Galaxy. “You look fine.”
“I’ve never gone to a formal dinner in an alien city,” Franklin said. “With aliens.”
“The aliens won’t seem very alien to you,” Sam said encouragingly as they hurried across the pier to the door. The wind had picked up as night fell, and it was going to start snowing any minute. “The humans in the Pegasus Galaxy look just like us, give or take ten thousand years of separation. They’re not really any different. You’ve got the same kind of politics, the same motivations. People are people anywhere. It’s just their customs that are different.”
He followed her along the corridor. Left here, she thought, to the transport chamber. If she remembered correctly.
“The Genii are a fairly conservative society. Very structured, very rigid in their collective labor. Their science and technology belong to the state, as does their agriculture, and the free market is limited to crafted items and consumables. Big families, fairly strict gender roles, low tolerance for homosexuality. Chief Scientist Dahlia Radim is the first female Chief Scientist the Genii have had. They say it’s because she’s the head of state’s sister.” Sam shrugged. “They’re probably right. The Genii don’t often let women rise to those kinds of positions of authority unless they’ve got powerful patronage. But I would not underestimate her, Franklin. Just because she’s the only woman in the boys’ club and she got there because she knows nuclear physics…”
“I follow that, ma’am,” Franklin said fervently. He could see the direction that was going.
The transport chamber was exactly where she remembered it was. A good thing, as these corridors were freezing. Probably because her people had been flapping the doors all afternoon.
“Any other aliens I should know about?” he asked.
“I’d go with citizens of the Pegasus Galaxy if I were you,” Sam said, stepping in. “And the only other likely to be at the dinner is Teyla Emmagan. She’s been a contractor with us for more than five years, and her people, the Athosians, are the best friends we’ve got out here.”
“And she’s Colonel Sheppard’s wife?” Franklin asked.
Sam blinked. “Where’d you hear that?”
“One of the IOA members at the launch,” Franklin said.
“Nechayev.” Sam rolled her eyes. “He was hitting on her when she was on Earth, so Sheppard told Nechayev she was married to him. You can disregard that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Franklin grinned. “But you hear some pretty wild things about gate teams.”
“None of which bear repeating,” Sam said sternly, and Franklin’s grin vanished.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The transport chamber doors opened on a different part of the city entirely.
It was, Sam thought, fairly surreal. A long table and chairs had been set up in the top room of one of the towers, a round dome that Sam had always loved for its 360 view of sky and sea, nothing but glass all around, an absolutely stunning view with Atlantis lit up like a Christmas tree, every tower blazing white and blue and green.
Woolsey was in a dark suit, while Sheppard looked uncommonly scrubbed in his class A’s. Sam didn’t think she’d seen him wear them except for funerals, a blast from the past right there.
Teyla came forward to greet her like an old friend, forehead to forehead, as though she had not seen her on Earth only six weeks ago. “Colonel Carter, it is good to have you back.”
“Teyla,” Sam said, her forehead inclining to Teyla’s, as she was considerably taller. “And it’s wonderful to be back. May I introduce you to Major Tyrone Franklin, the Hammond’s first officer?”
“It’s a pleasure, ma’am,” Franklin said, bobbing somewhere between a head butt and a handshake.
“Major Franklin.” Teyla offered her hand, thereby resolving the dilemma. “Welcome to the Pegasus Galaxy.”
I'm happy to be here, ma'am.
You may call me Teyla, Teyla said with a smile, As I hold no military rank.
I should speak to Jennifer, Sam said to Teyla quietly, having just seen Dr. Keller across the room, standing by herself looking out at the city, forlorn looking in a black cocktail dress.
Of course, Teyla said, and her eyes were grave. You know?
I do. Sam nodded. It's rough. Rodney.
We will get him back, Teyla said firmly.
Yes, Sam said, and refrained from adding, if he's still alive. There was never any good reason to add that.
She excused herself to Teyla, leaving Franklin in her care, and made her way over to stand beside Jennifer. Or. Keller?
Colonel Carter. Jennifer looked pale, but her face was set.
I just wanted to say that I'm terribly sorry about Rodney.
We'll get him back, Jennifer said.
Of course. And if there is anything I can do personally as well as professionally. Sam ran out of an end for that sentence. She was never any good at these kinds of conversations. Thankfully, Jennifer didn't seem to be either. They stood there looking dumb at each other for a long moment.
How is Atlantis? Sam dredged up.
Good. Good. Jennifer jumped on it nervously. Ronon and I just got back from talking to Todd.
Miss Radim, I'd like to introduce you to Colonel Carter, Woolsey said behind her. Colonel Carter is in command of our newest battlecruiser, the George Hammond.
Back on safe ground. She never knew how to have these conversations with anyone who hadn't drunk the Kool Aid, how to make the formulaic responses to premature condolences that might not be premature at all, and Jennifer hadn't. Conversations with her usually seemed to land on weird ground, teetering back and forth between too distant and too personal. It always worked that way with women not in the service. Except for Teyla, but she didn't really count. She might not have drunk it, but she was pretty darn familiar with the Kool Aid by now. Sam supposed this was why most of her friends were men.
Major Franklin had fetched Teyla a drink very properly, and now he was rubbernecking while trying to look as though he weren't, a thing almost all the men from Earth did when they first came to Atlantis. It did look spectacular, Atlantis amid the falling snow, white towers shining like beacons through the blowing gusts. Outside it would be very unpleasant, the winds blowing nearly gale force over whitecapped sea, whipping around the towers with a cold that would cut like a razor blade. Inside, they ate pickled ciano berries and drank vermouth martinis like so many children left in the house of their parents while their parents are away.
The City of the Ancestors is beautiful, is it not? Teyla said softly.
It's gorgeous, Franklin breathed, his eyes on the skyline bright against the dark sea.
I admit that sometimes it still takes me by surprise, Teyla said.