General Hammond watched the stargate from his view in the command center, awaiting news from SG-1 above earth. The air in the room was thick with tension, everyone could feel it, and it was starting to get to the general a bit. He couldnt blame the staff for it, it was understandable.

The fate of earth depended on SG-1's mission to take out Apophis's ships, and hopefully make it back safely. He took in his surroundings, trying to distract himself and keep a air of composure. 4 Marines stood at the ready, hands fidgety, antsy. The technicians checked sensors, read status reports, and typed in commands into their computers. It seems everyone had the same idea, keeping themselves busy.

"Sir, you've been up for quite awhile. Would you like me to get you a coffee?"

A young private snapped Hammond out of his thoughts, having to take a second to bring himself back from his slight stupor. 

"Thank you, Private. A small cup will be fine, you can use the coffee maker in my office, save you the time of walking to the Mess Hall."

"Yes sir, General"As the Private walked up the small stairwell at the back of the Observation Chamber, Hammond decided to see if there was any News from O'neil or the rest of SG-1.

"Has their been any news from SG-1, or any abnormality's in the space above Earth?"

"No sir, but NASA just reported small flickers of light just above Earths atmosphere. There's a good chance that was SG-1 kicking Gou'ald ass sir, but thats probably wishful thinking."

Hammond couldnt help but smirk at his staffs remark. Nonetheless, it was better than no news. 

"Incoming transmission, coming from...Earth? Oh, that makes more sense."

"Whats happening?" 

"Sir, we are getting a transmission from just above earth, from what looks like a pair of Gou'ald Deathgliders. Safe bet to assume that its from SG-1, considering how....resourceful, they can be"

"Thats not even the half of it. Well, no point in keeping them waiting, put them on speaker."

Short bursts of static come from the coms channel, as the computer system locks in the transmission frequency. As the channel clears up, a voice everyone has been wanting to hear comes thru.

"General Hammond, about the Goa'uld problem..., Yeah I dont think you're going to need to worry about them anymore." O'neil reports, with a unseen smile on his face.

"SG-1, its good to hear from you. I'll contact NASA and have them send over Endeavor over to you to give you a taxi ride home. Dont expect any leave from the SGC anytime soon, tho."

"Thank you General, but save the drinks till after we land first, i think everyone will probably need one"

"Why's that, Colonel?"

"...." a brief pause of silence come thru the coms before O'neil responds"Skarra was on one of the ships. We had to take him out, sir."

Hammond took a couple seconds to take in the saddening news. He new how much O'neil took to the young boy, basically seeing him as a son. Hammond decided that when the drinks were poured later, he'll let a glass sit untouched to honor the young man. 

"Im sorry to hear that Jack. Is there anything else to report?"

"Yeah, 2 things. One, Master Bra'tac, Teal'c's teacher, saved our asses and would be a great help in our fight against the system lords."

"Any help is welcome, and if Teal'c is vouching for him, then he's more than welcome aboard. What was the other thing?"A small smile streched from O'neils face as he responded

"Nothing big sir, just that the view from up here is....amazing. Wish you were up here to see it."

"Im sure it is Jack, but I think ill keep my feet on the ground, thank you. Now, lets get you troublemakers home""Sir yes sir, we'll just hurry up and wait for our space taxi"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other side of the galaxy, a young system lord stands on the balcony, overlooking the town below. The town is bustling with activity, trade abundant, and children run amongst the streets, laughter emanating from their childish games. On most Gou'ald worlds, this scene would be wishful thinking, but this system lord was smart. He took the time to study Tauri history, and used a "Speak softly but carry a big stick" approach to ruling his small Domininion. 

A young woman in a grey uniform calmly approached her lord from her behind, in her hands, a data pad report of the overall state of the Domininion. She carried herself with pride, knowing full well who she served and his potential. 

"My lord, I bring a update on the general state of the dominion." the young woman announces, partially to make her presence known. A small silence starts to build between the 2, before the woman asks

"My lord, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. Im just taking in the work I've created." the young lord responds, his snow white hair gently flowing with the breeze. 

"Tell me Alice, what is the news from the fleet, both from our navy and mining flotilla?" Alice stands to attention, before responding "2 more support carriers have just come off the shipyards, bringing our total fleet to a size of 13, of which there are 8 light cruisers, 2 heavy, and now 3 support carriers. For the Mining fleet, our converted Hatak ships are slowly but surely making progress on the local asteroid belts. All and all, I think we are doing quite well."

The young lord takes a couple seconds to take in the news before responding "Good, because I have a feeling times are changing." 

Alice tilts her head slightly at her lords response, slightly showing a long scar that stretches across her right shoulder and across her chest, before asking "What do you mean, my lord"

The lord turns around, looking her in the eyes with is pale skin and red eyes, and responds "Because I had a few loyal Jaffa hidden on the system lord Apophis's ship, who reported shortly before communications, that a small group of Tauri had managed to kill Apophis's son and severely damage the 2 ships, shortly before all contact was lost." Alice bore a face of slight shock, but quickly shook her head before asking

"My lord, what are we to do in regards to these Tauri?"

The young lord takes a couple steps towards Alice, before resting a hand on her shoulder and responding

"As of right now, only gather information about them. Their leaders, possible ways of contact, and how they operate. Although unlikely, they might make a resourceful ally in the near future. Keep me up to date on any major news or changes, or if the Tauri make another move. In the meantime, I will be in the Library, drafting up further plans and relaxing while I can." 

The look her lord gave her was powerful yet gentle at the same time, which was a weird combination for a system lord considering that most would have killed her for asking questions. But her lord was different, in that he took pride in breaking the norm on many things, the 2 biggest was his large distaste for Jaffa Staffs and weaponry, and how they were used and made.

 The other was his gentle but extremely useful way of rule. Instead of making all the decisions of the dominion for himself, he divided the roles up amongst his subordinates, and made a point of asking them for their opinions on matters. Over time, people spoke out more, and asked the lord if actions were sound, and often offered their own thoughts on how things could be done better.

This led to a staff that effectively ran the dominion themselves, with the young lord taking more of a backseat to the day to day running of his small empire. What he does do is rule the overall direction of the dominion, such as large-scale things like the fleet, major construction projects, and diplomacy with the other system lords, albeit rarely, since most look down upon or simply havent heard of him. 

Alice responds "Yes my lord. I will bring any news I find, even the gossip"

 He simply smiles before saying "Good, ill need the entertainment. Now, get out of here Alice, go get something from the pantry to eat before you leave. We both know you could gain to put on a few more pounds." A slight blush come across her face as she retorts back with a slight giggle

"My lord, stop it, Im not that skinny!" she turns to walk a way before turning her head and hitting back with

"Besides, you cannot talk, considering the kitchen staff knows you snuck in last night to steal some snacks." before she turns her head and keeps walking, opening the door to the pantry, grabbing a small loaf of sweet bread, before heading out of her Lords chambers. 

The young lord simply shakes his head before doing the same, with a audible click coming from his door as he shuts it behind him before walking down the hallway towards the library.