S is for Snapshots
Mar. 1st, 2016 12:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thothmesS is for Snapshots, by Thothmes (PG 13)
Summary: The government keeps copies of everything going in and out of Homeworld and the S.G.C. Just a few random items from the archives that came across the desk of Rashida Murray as she did her 2153 C.E. PhD thesis on the early years of the Stargate program.
Word count: 4,648
Characters: Hammond, Jack, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, Janet, Walter, Senator and Mrs. Kinsey, Sara O'Neill, Mayborne, Dr. Brightman, Orlin, Landry, Mitchell, Mrs. Struble, and Siler
Era: A little from each season. Fewer from Nine and Ten, which are rarely Earth based.
Categories: Alphabet Soup, and miscellaneous texture
Author's notes: For those of you who do not remember International Male from back in The Day, consult Wikipedia. Our household somehow ended up with catalogues from them, and I swear that's where Teal'c buys his civvies. The individual episodes that the correspondence relate to are referenced before each item.
The Broca Divide
From: Maj. Gen. G. Hammond, commanding, S.G.C.
To: Maj. Gen. S. Barden, commanding, N.O.R.A.D.
CC: Office of General Jumper, Joint Chiefs, Pentagon
Re: Recent Wildfire Declaration
Thank you for your inquiries into the recent Wildfire declaration for our half of the facility. Were we to need assistance, be assured that you folks up in N.O.R.A.D would be the first people, after the Pentagon and the President’s Chief of Staff, that I would contact and the I have no doubt that should I need to bring you in on the situation, they would authorize that. Our portion of the base has been secured at this time, as you well know, since the Wildfire declaration has been lifted.
Your offer of help and the inquiries that came with it were a masterful display of delicate fishing for information, which I know you are well aware I cannot supply. Classified, unfortunately, means classified, and the actions and mission of this portion of the base are, at this time, the most highly classified military secrets of this country.
What I can do is point out what you know. We do extensive lab work here, employing both military and civilian scientists. You have no doubt noted the transshipment of hazardous chemicals and materials through your portion of the base, as well as the transshipment of armaments and explosives. Safety is the highest concern, but accidents and unexpected events happen on even the best regulated of bases. At no time was your portion of the base in danger of contamination from events down here, precisely because of the Wildfire declaration.
I realize that the disruption to the important work of your base due to need to evacuate following our arming of the self-destruct mechanism at Level 28 was not merely annoying, but alarming. I have spoken with the Pentagon about precisely this issue, and I have an agreement in principle to start planning towards the goal of moving N.O.R.A.D. to Peterson. Knowing the efficiency of General Jumper’s office, I assume that you have already received the memo about this. If not, then please excuse the breach of etiquette in informing you through backchannels in a matter involving your command.
I look forward to seeing you in our regular weekly meeting, and I will be glad to handle any follow up questions and concerns at that time.
On a less professional note, I hope that you will be able to show off pictures of that new grandson of yours. Grandchildren and a glass of good scotch are some of life’s greatest pleasures, now that our medical staff have declared a fine cigar to be off limits.
Sincerely.
George S. Hammond
Major General, S.G.C. Commanding
Singularity
Aw, come on, Janet! Please reconsider.
I know a new kid and a new dog all at
the same time is a lot to take on, but
remember, Cassie’s a farm kid, and she’s
used to taking care of animals. She needs this,
I think. If I pay for a dog walker will you change
your mind?
Jack
The Serpent’s Lair
Dear Uncle Cliff,
I read your recent letter to the editor in the Denver paper about the bright flashes seen in the sky a few weeks ago. As you know I work at a highly classified facility here in Colorado Springs, and I assure you that whatever source you got your “facts” from was not in possession of accurate information. I can tell you with utter certainty that those lights were not initiated at the orders of the U.S. Federal government, nor were they intended to alarm cattle or encourage ranchers to move their herds off of Federal land or surrender their grazing rights.
I know that times are hard at present with the drought conditions, and that ranching is a low-margin business. I know that Aunt Patty and your boys are depending on you. Under the circumstances, I very much understand why it seems like even the stars in the sky seem to be working against you, let alone the Feds, but believe me when I tell you that the Federal government did not authorize those explosions. Officials from N.O.R.A.D. here in Cheyenne Mountain where I work will be submitting a refutation of your letter in coming days, pointing out that it is their job to monitor all activities and communications that might affect troop readiness or cause alarm in citizen populations, particularly those that might be construed as resulting from enemy action, so that in the event that the Federal government had planned something to cause those flashes, they would have been informed of it beforehand. They were not, and for several minutes their base was placed on high alert as a result. This is God’s honest truth, Uncle Cliff. Please don’t write back to try and refute them with something you have read. It is of course your right, but I really don’t want you to end up looking foolish years from now when the whole thing is figured out.
I wish I could tell you more, but that’s really all I can say about the matter.
Please tell Aunt Patty that I’d love to come to Sunday dinner sometime, but I don’t always know too far in advance when I’ll have the time off. If she doesn’t mind just a few hours notice, I’ll be there as soon as I have a Sunday free. It’s a joy to be stationed so close to family again. The only person within reach at my last posting was a classmate from my high school I ran into at the base PX from time to time. We were not close.
Love,
Walter
In The Line Of Duty
Dear Sam,
Here is a piksure of a mermaid.
She is pretty like you.
She has sparkley hair. Don’t you wish you did too?
I was going to make you a dog because you said the
one I made for Uncle Jack when he broke his leg was grate,
but Mom said that he is a dog person, and you are a cat person.
Uncle Jack does look a little bit like a dog sometimes,
But I don’t think you look like a cat at all. So I made a
mermaid instead.
My teacher says my speling is getting better. Spelling here is
much harder than it was in Toronto.
Mom says Uncle Jack is going to ask General Hammond
to let me come visit you. She says you are very sad.
Don’t be sad, Sam. When I come I will give you
a big hug, and another piksure.
Be brave Sam. Remember, we are very brave.
Love,
Cassie
Holiday
From: Maj. Gen. George Hammond, commanding, S.G.C.
To: Lt. Patton Sherman, Office of Budgetary Oversight, Pentagon
While I realize that your job cutting waste and fraud from the budgets of the commands under your review is an important one, and that the duty to the pocketbooks of the American taxpayer that you feel is compelling, I think that you are getting way down into the weeds with this one, son. Dr. Daniel Jackson is a civilian under my command, and the large bill that he racked up in the diner on Fifth Street in downtown Colorado Springs was a necessary expense. He did not have access to an expense card issued by this command with him at the time, and he ended up using his personal credit card for the expense. I told him to seek reimbursement from your office, and he duly did so. In triplicate. My staff inform me that since then there have been nine separate rounds of denial and resubmission.
I am a Major General, and a busy man. I tell you that this is a legitimate expense incurred by a valued member of my command while acting in his capacity as a part of that command. I have wasted enough time on this matter for someone who breathes the kind of rarified air that Major Generals breathe, and if you want to breathe that kind of air yourself someday, I suggest that this matter never crosses my desk again.
Pay him.
Sincerely,
Major General George S. Hammond,
S.G.C., Commanding
1969
Major Lawton C. Pryor
Records Office
Department of Veterans Affairs
Dear Captain Carter
I am pleased to inform you that there is no Michael Knudsen in our records who enlisted in 1969 and served in Vietnam. My sources in the Pentagon do have a record of a Michael Knudsen who was drafted in 1969, but was classified as 4F due to the lingering effects of a childhood elbow fracture, which prevented him from fully extending his left arm. As he was not ultimately enlisted, and is thus not a veteran, I am afraid that I cannot offer any further clues as to his whereabouts.
Have you considered hiring a private detective? These days a good private detective will have knowledge of specialized databases and computer accessible sources that can make a search of this type quite easily resolvable.
If there is any way that I can be of further use to you, please let me know.
Sincerely
Maj. Lawton C. Pryor
Learning Curve
Dear Mountain View Elementary School Community
My name is Col. Jack O’Neill, of the United States Air Force, and am currently stationed at Cheyenne Mountain. Some of you may remember me from last year’s Father Daughter Dance, when I had the honor of attending as the guest of Miss Cassandra Fraiser, a local child who has attracted the friendship and good will of the team I lead.
It has recently been made crystal clear to me that a child that I brought to visit Mrs. Struble’s class, Merrin Orban, had not yet been fully cleared and thoroughly evaluated for the possibility of contagious organisms beyond the initial panel of tests that were run at my base when we first arrived there. I know that the principal has by now informed you that Merrin was disease free, and that you need not be concerned that your children were exposed to any dangerous pathogens. On behalf of myself, my team, my command, and indeed the entire U.S. Air Force, I would like to apologize for the distress that my actions have caused you, as parents and educators, and the children, who were understandably upset by the blood draws that were taken out of an abundance of caution.
I also want to make it unmistakably plain to all of you that had my commanding officer known of my intent to take Merrin off the base that day, he would have stopped me. You should know that I have received a letter of reprimand in my file regarding this incident, and I think I can safely say that such an incident will not take place again.
I plan to attend this Thursday’s PTA meeting, so that any of you that want to ask questions or express your concerns directly to me will be there. Dr. Janet Fraiser, the doctor who ran the tests on both Merrin and on the blood samples that the children who met Merrin that day provided will also be there.
Sincerely,
Colonel Jonathan J. O’Neill, U.S.A.F.
A Hundred Days
While You Were Out:
Recipient: Dr. Daniel Jackson
Caller: High Peaks Lawn Care
Message:
We were given Dr. Jackson’s name by our client, Col. Jack O’Neill, in case we should have difficulty getting in contact with him. Col. O’Neill pays for our service monthly, in advance. He is now two weeks overdue for payment, and have had no luck reaching him. Please have Dr. Jackson call us at (719) XXX-XXXX [number redacted] to let us know how we should proceed, or if he has any information for us as to how to contact Col. O’Neill
Upgrades
Col. Jonathan J. O’Neill
Team Leader, SG-1
Cheyenne Mountain
Ryan O’Malley, owner
O'Malley’s Bar & Grill
I am writing this follow up to our recent phone chat to thank you for your kindness in lifting the ban on my teammates, Maj. Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson, at your fine establishment. I assure you again that they will be no trouble, and that the brawl that caused your manager to put the ban in place was my fault. They were simply following my lead. I will sleep better out in the field knowing that my team members will not need to be plotting their revenge for my actions that led to them being banned from the source of the best steaks in town. As for myself, I suppose I shall have to bear up manfully, and console myself with the knowledge that in a year, if I promise to behave, and I do, I will once again be able to enjoy your fine cuisine.
Sincerely and gratefully,
Jack O’Neill
The Light
Brinton J. Sanford
Case Agent
Internal Revenue Service
04/25/2000
Dear Major Carter
In light of your service to our country and the information provided by your General Hammond that you were unavoidably and unexpectedly detained out of the country during the weeks immediately before and the week of April 15th of this year, I will be granting you a waiver of the penalty associated with failing to file your income taxes in a timely manner. Please be aware that failure to file taxes is a serious matter, and that should you fail to file your taxes on time in subsequent years, the Internal Revenue Service might not be as forgiving a second time.
Sincerely,
Brinton J. Stanford
Case Agent
Ascension
International Male
Customer Service Department
55 Pine Parkway
Prosperity Industrial Park
Las Vegas, Nevada
To Whom It May Concern:
Do not be concerned. I do not wish to complain. Instead I am writing to express my satisfaction with the garments I have received from your company. I find them to be fitting garments for a warrior to wear while indulging in relaxation and mingling with the citizens of your country. They show the intention to showcase the form of the body and its degree of fitness that a warrior should endeavor to display at all times. I find that people’s eyes are drawn to me when I walk the streets attired in your fashions.
I am indeed a satisfied customer.
Sincerely,
Mr. Murray Teal’c, First Prime, Retired
Meridian
Dear Jack,
I can hear you now – “You never call, you seldom write” – and this is early for my usual Christmas card, but I read Daniel Jackson’s obituary in this morning’s paper with deep regret. It said that he died after a short illness. These days when the obituary is for someone still so young, that’s usually code for a drug overdose, but I refuse to believe that of him. He came to my house – did you know? – after that incident at the hospital with the boy that looked so much like Charlie, and he tried, without making anything any clearer, I’m afraid, to explain it. Still, he was earnest and he was kind.
I know you must be hurting, Jack, and I have no illusions that I will be the one that you turn to in your pain. Talk to somebody, Jack, please. A doctor, a priest, a dog. Charlie used to tell Bouncer all his troubles, the ones that he couldn’t tell us, and I think I know who he learned that from. You love dogs, Jack. Get a dog.
Yours,
Sara
Smoke and Mirrors
Yes, Mrs. Pruitt, it was indeed me you saw on the wanted poster on TV.
No, you don’t live next to a dangerous assassin.
Do I LOOK like a dangerous assassin?
Bad question.
Look, Kinsey’s a head case and I wouldn’t vote for him if you paid me,
but I never attempted to off him.
My commanding officer is trying to get a tape of the Senator’s news
conference, and when he does, you will be able to see me standing right behind
Senator Kinsey. He even thanks me for my part in the whole scheme.
NOW WILL YOU STOP SENDING YOUR DOG TO POOP ON MY LAWN?
I’m in the Air Force. I’m one of the good guys!
Jack O’Neill
Paradise Lost
While You Were Out:
Recipient: Col. O’Neill
Caller: Kelton Valley Veterinary Services
When Harold Maybourne left his Shepard cross dog with us for boarding he said that you would pick it up after two weeks, and would settle his bill. It has been two and a half weeks, and expenses are mounting. Please make arrangements with us within two days, or unfortunately we will be forced to relegate the animal to the local shelter.
Homecoming
Pasquale D’Abruzzo
Manager
Garden Gate Apartment Complex
1432 Pinion Pine Way
Colorado Springs, CO
Dear Sir,
To review, yes, I was declared dead one year ago. I work for a military project, and my team had every reason to believe that they had seen me die. I was therefore declared dead.
It is quite evident, however, that they were, in fact mistaken. If my presence at your office and my ability to walk around apartment 32B without drifting through any floors or walls was not convincing enough evidence of that fact, I am quite frankly at a loss as to what will convince you.
I have spent the last three weeks living in office space tunneled out of the rock below Cheyenne mountain and sleeping on my office couch, when I haven’t fallen asleep on the paperwork, in triplicate and quadruplicate mind you, necessary to convince the Air Force, the I.R.S., the credit card companies, my bank, the Colorado Springs Library system, and the Highway My Way Storage Company that I have returned, I am not dead, and I expect to resume my life.
Your failure to recognize my plainly evident reality is in fact not helping. I don’t, quite frankly, care what the obituary said. I’m here, my bank account has ample funds, and my credit card has a limit greater than six month’s rent. I want, no I need to be able to spend time living above ground.
Please, please call me at the number I gave you, give the operator my name, and tell me you will rent me that apartment.
Sincerely,
Daniel Jackson, PhD.
Heroes
Oh, my poor, dear Cassandra.
I read with great consternation today that your mother has passed. I remember her well from your parent-teacher conferences, as well as her helpful and informative talk to your class on Career Day. Your mother was a warm woman, so I have no doubt that she left you in any confusion about whether she loved you. Sometimes I had a chance to watch her watching you when you were busy with your classmates and had not yet noticed she was even there, and the pride and joy in her eyes was breath taking.
It seems unfair to be losing your mother at such a tender age, and if I can be of any help to you in any way, please do not hesitate to let me know. Any child that has been in my class, my dear, is one of mine, and the membership is for a lifetime. You will always have a cheering section in me.
Love,
Valarie Struble
Dear Mrs. Struble,
Your note reached me here in Cheyenne Mountain, where I have been staying until I can decide where I want to go from here. I thank you for your kind words. It really touched my heart that you consider me one of your own and were thinking of me so long after I graduated from your classroom.
Uncle Jack says to say “Hi!” Actually he said “Buon giorno!” in a really cheesy fake Italian accent. I’m just translating.
I don’t want you to worry about me. Mom made arrangements, and Sam – you probably remember her coming to talk about the importance of math and science on Career Day – and Uncle Jack are going to be my guardians. My Cheyenne Mountain family will be sure I am well taken care of, no matter what.
Love,
Cass
Fragile Balance
Dear Daniel,
High school sucks. I don’t know how I forgot that, but I’m finding it sucks extra when I’m surrounded by pretty young things that make me feel like a lecher and a pedophile when things go beyond – Well, you know. The young knees are nice though, so there’s that.
Anyway, I didn’t write to whine. I just thought I should tell you I’m outta here. Done. Movin’ on.
The Air Force is probably not going to be thrilled when they discover I’m wandering around without them and with all their precious secrets still sitting in my head, but I guess they are going to have to manage with just the other version.
He’s going to be pretty pissy about it too. So go ahead and tell him I’m having a ton of fun. Then run and hide behind Teal’c.
So Long,
Jon O’Neill
New Order
Internal Memo
From: Parking Enforcement
To: Brig. Gen. Jack O’Neill, S.G.C.
Message:
The repainting was done today, and we have every reason to believe that your new parking space under the roof near the entrance door will be available by the time you report for duty tomorrow morning. Congratulations on the promotion sir, and we look forward to working with you for many years to come.
Affinity
Dear Mr. Teal’c,
Enclosed please find a check for the amount of your damage deposit and the last month’s rent that you gave us when you moved in. We are sorry that you have been transferred and can no longer be our tenant. The other tenants spoke favorably about you. They said you made them feel safe.
Full Alert
Dear Mrs. Kinsey,
You may not remember me. I attended a gathering that you and the Senator hosted a few years ago. I doubt you would have noted anything about me, except that we were casually dressed, while the rest of the guests were properly and formally attired. You were introduced to me as Mr. Starsky. I remember your dog, Oscar, with great fondness.
I am writing to express my condolences on the death of Senator Kinsey. While the Senator and I disagreed vehemently on politics and the proper path for our country, you were a gracious hostess, and I know that he will be missed very much on the home front.
Sincerely,
Jack O’Neill
The Fourth Horseman
Internal Memo
From: Dr. Brightman
To: General Landry
Message:
Regrettably, I feel that we have done all that can be done for Orlin here in the infirmary. We have neither the experience nor the personnel to be able to deal with all his needs. It seems unlikely that he will ever be able to care for himself without significant help. I have talked with a Dr. Lenormand at Colorado Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, and they seem like a reasonable place for him, with plenty of occupational therapy and a good reputation for patient care. They are willing to take him. Please advise.
Uninvited
Dear Martha,
I was horrified to learn from my friend General Landry that Bobby was one of the hunters that was killed when an animal attacked several people out in the woods near my cabin. He was out there to play poker with me, Gus Stokes, and the Nilssen brothers the last time I was at my cabin.
You know, I won a good deal of money off Bobby through the years, and he won a lesser amount off me, and I’m feeling just a might guilty about that at the moment. Bobby was a good loser and a kind winner, and our games just won’t be the same without him.
I know a note like this is supposed to be hand written, and mailed with a stamp, but when I was thinking about Bobby and our games, I was remembering the way he had three things he brought up each and every time he had a chance, and that was his beautiful wife, his two wonderful little girls, and his plan for fixing up that rusty old mustang you have out in your barn, and how he was going to get it all ship-shape and shiny and drive you and the girls around in it. Well, I can’t do anything to bring Bobby back, but I can give you the ride he wanted you to have.
The man who handed you this letter is Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, and the sweet ride he drove up in is a classic Mustang. He says he’d be honored to take you and the girls for a ride about town, just like Bobby always wanted to do.
Enjoy the ride and the wind in your hair, and if you or the girls need something, you remember my guilty conscience and let me know, okay? Mitchell’s got my card, and if you let my secretary know who you are, she’ll put you right through, unless I’m on the line with Hayes. Doesn’t do to put the Commander-in-Chief on hold.
My heartfelt condolences, and hug those
girls for me,
Jack O’Neill
Unending
O’Neill—
I am informed that you will be here at the S.G.C. next week. It will be good to see you, my brother. We have both been busy, and it has been too long, longer for me than it has been for you. I am sure that Col. Carter will have written a comprehensive account of the troubles that we encountered during our last mission, and how it was necessary for me to remain as the sole person aboard our ship that lived through and remembers the fifty years that we spent on it before she figured out how to send us home. As a result, you will find me somewhat changed, particularly as my temples are now quite white. Do not concern yourself. I can still defeat you at boxing.
There is another troubling matter that I feel I must share with you. You will be distressed to learn that Thor and all of his race have perished, of their own hands. They were facing degeneration, and did not wish to experience that. They chose to go in their strength.
Thor did not leave a message to you, but Col. Carter feels that this was an oversight, due to the fact that so much needed to be done so that the Asgards’ legacy could be secured and linked with our systems.
We have all agreed that it would be best if the rest remained ignorant of the events that we experienced together during the fifty years we were trapped on the ship together. Although it was and still is my reality, it was no one else’s. Do not ask. I shall not answer.
-Teal’c
An Undated 3x5 Card
Thanks, General, for the new wrench.
I swear she’s even bigger than old Rita.
And thanks for letting me put what was
left of Rita through the Gate. It was fitting.
Sgt. Siler
Summary: The government keeps copies of everything going in and out of Homeworld and the S.G.C. Just a few random items from the archives that came across the desk of Rashida Murray as she did her 2153 C.E. PhD thesis on the early years of the Stargate program.
Word count: 4,648
Characters: Hammond, Jack, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, Janet, Walter, Senator and Mrs. Kinsey, Sara O'Neill, Mayborne, Dr. Brightman, Orlin, Landry, Mitchell, Mrs. Struble, and Siler
Era: A little from each season. Fewer from Nine and Ten, which are rarely Earth based.
Categories: Alphabet Soup, and miscellaneous texture
Author's notes: For those of you who do not remember International Male from back in The Day, consult Wikipedia. Our household somehow ended up with catalogues from them, and I swear that's where Teal'c buys his civvies. The individual episodes that the correspondence relate to are referenced before each item.
The Broca Divide
From: Maj. Gen. G. Hammond, commanding, S.G.C.
To: Maj. Gen. S. Barden, commanding, N.O.R.A.D.
CC: Office of General Jumper, Joint Chiefs, Pentagon
Re: Recent Wildfire Declaration
Thank you for your inquiries into the recent Wildfire declaration for our half of the facility. Were we to need assistance, be assured that you folks up in N.O.R.A.D would be the first people, after the Pentagon and the President’s Chief of Staff, that I would contact and the I have no doubt that should I need to bring you in on the situation, they would authorize that. Our portion of the base has been secured at this time, as you well know, since the Wildfire declaration has been lifted.
Your offer of help and the inquiries that came with it were a masterful display of delicate fishing for information, which I know you are well aware I cannot supply. Classified, unfortunately, means classified, and the actions and mission of this portion of the base are, at this time, the most highly classified military secrets of this country.
What I can do is point out what you know. We do extensive lab work here, employing both military and civilian scientists. You have no doubt noted the transshipment of hazardous chemicals and materials through your portion of the base, as well as the transshipment of armaments and explosives. Safety is the highest concern, but accidents and unexpected events happen on even the best regulated of bases. At no time was your portion of the base in danger of contamination from events down here, precisely because of the Wildfire declaration.
I realize that the disruption to the important work of your base due to need to evacuate following our arming of the self-destruct mechanism at Level 28 was not merely annoying, but alarming. I have spoken with the Pentagon about precisely this issue, and I have an agreement in principle to start planning towards the goal of moving N.O.R.A.D. to Peterson. Knowing the efficiency of General Jumper’s office, I assume that you have already received the memo about this. If not, then please excuse the breach of etiquette in informing you through backchannels in a matter involving your command.
I look forward to seeing you in our regular weekly meeting, and I will be glad to handle any follow up questions and concerns at that time.
On a less professional note, I hope that you will be able to show off pictures of that new grandson of yours. Grandchildren and a glass of good scotch are some of life’s greatest pleasures, now that our medical staff have declared a fine cigar to be off limits.
Sincerely.
George S. Hammond
Major General, S.G.C. Commanding
Singularity
Aw, come on, Janet! Please reconsider.
I know a new kid and a new dog all at
the same time is a lot to take on, but
remember, Cassie’s a farm kid, and she’s
used to taking care of animals. She needs this,
I think. If I pay for a dog walker will you change
your mind?
Jack
The Serpent’s Lair
Dear Uncle Cliff,
I read your recent letter to the editor in the Denver paper about the bright flashes seen in the sky a few weeks ago. As you know I work at a highly classified facility here in Colorado Springs, and I assure you that whatever source you got your “facts” from was not in possession of accurate information. I can tell you with utter certainty that those lights were not initiated at the orders of the U.S. Federal government, nor were they intended to alarm cattle or encourage ranchers to move their herds off of Federal land or surrender their grazing rights.
I know that times are hard at present with the drought conditions, and that ranching is a low-margin business. I know that Aunt Patty and your boys are depending on you. Under the circumstances, I very much understand why it seems like even the stars in the sky seem to be working against you, let alone the Feds, but believe me when I tell you that the Federal government did not authorize those explosions. Officials from N.O.R.A.D. here in Cheyenne Mountain where I work will be submitting a refutation of your letter in coming days, pointing out that it is their job to monitor all activities and communications that might affect troop readiness or cause alarm in citizen populations, particularly those that might be construed as resulting from enemy action, so that in the event that the Federal government had planned something to cause those flashes, they would have been informed of it beforehand. They were not, and for several minutes their base was placed on high alert as a result. This is God’s honest truth, Uncle Cliff. Please don’t write back to try and refute them with something you have read. It is of course your right, but I really don’t want you to end up looking foolish years from now when the whole thing is figured out.
I wish I could tell you more, but that’s really all I can say about the matter.
Please tell Aunt Patty that I’d love to come to Sunday dinner sometime, but I don’t always know too far in advance when I’ll have the time off. If she doesn’t mind just a few hours notice, I’ll be there as soon as I have a Sunday free. It’s a joy to be stationed so close to family again. The only person within reach at my last posting was a classmate from my high school I ran into at the base PX from time to time. We were not close.
Love,
Walter
In The Line Of Duty
Dear Sam,
Here is a piksure of a mermaid.
She is pretty like you.
She has sparkley hair. Don’t you wish you did too?
I was going to make you a dog because you said the
one I made for Uncle Jack when he broke his leg was grate,
but Mom said that he is a dog person, and you are a cat person.
Uncle Jack does look a little bit like a dog sometimes,
But I don’t think you look like a cat at all. So I made a
mermaid instead.
My teacher says my speling is getting better. Spelling here is
much harder than it was in Toronto.
Mom says Uncle Jack is going to ask General Hammond
to let me come visit you. She says you are very sad.
Don’t be sad, Sam. When I come I will give you
a big hug, and another piksure.
Be brave Sam. Remember, we are very brave.
Love,
Cassie
Holiday
From: Maj. Gen. George Hammond, commanding, S.G.C.
To: Lt. Patton Sherman, Office of Budgetary Oversight, Pentagon
While I realize that your job cutting waste and fraud from the budgets of the commands under your review is an important one, and that the duty to the pocketbooks of the American taxpayer that you feel is compelling, I think that you are getting way down into the weeds with this one, son. Dr. Daniel Jackson is a civilian under my command, and the large bill that he racked up in the diner on Fifth Street in downtown Colorado Springs was a necessary expense. He did not have access to an expense card issued by this command with him at the time, and he ended up using his personal credit card for the expense. I told him to seek reimbursement from your office, and he duly did so. In triplicate. My staff inform me that since then there have been nine separate rounds of denial and resubmission.
I am a Major General, and a busy man. I tell you that this is a legitimate expense incurred by a valued member of my command while acting in his capacity as a part of that command. I have wasted enough time on this matter for someone who breathes the kind of rarified air that Major Generals breathe, and if you want to breathe that kind of air yourself someday, I suggest that this matter never crosses my desk again.
Pay him.
Sincerely,
Major General George S. Hammond,
S.G.C., Commanding
1969
Major Lawton C. Pryor
Records Office
Department of Veterans Affairs
Dear Captain Carter
I am pleased to inform you that there is no Michael Knudsen in our records who enlisted in 1969 and served in Vietnam. My sources in the Pentagon do have a record of a Michael Knudsen who was drafted in 1969, but was classified as 4F due to the lingering effects of a childhood elbow fracture, which prevented him from fully extending his left arm. As he was not ultimately enlisted, and is thus not a veteran, I am afraid that I cannot offer any further clues as to his whereabouts.
Have you considered hiring a private detective? These days a good private detective will have knowledge of specialized databases and computer accessible sources that can make a search of this type quite easily resolvable.
If there is any way that I can be of further use to you, please let me know.
Sincerely
Maj. Lawton C. Pryor
Learning Curve
Dear Mountain View Elementary School Community
My name is Col. Jack O’Neill, of the United States Air Force, and am currently stationed at Cheyenne Mountain. Some of you may remember me from last year’s Father Daughter Dance, when I had the honor of attending as the guest of Miss Cassandra Fraiser, a local child who has attracted the friendship and good will of the team I lead.
It has recently been made crystal clear to me that a child that I brought to visit Mrs. Struble’s class, Merrin Orban, had not yet been fully cleared and thoroughly evaluated for the possibility of contagious organisms beyond the initial panel of tests that were run at my base when we first arrived there. I know that the principal has by now informed you that Merrin was disease free, and that you need not be concerned that your children were exposed to any dangerous pathogens. On behalf of myself, my team, my command, and indeed the entire U.S. Air Force, I would like to apologize for the distress that my actions have caused you, as parents and educators, and the children, who were understandably upset by the blood draws that were taken out of an abundance of caution.
I also want to make it unmistakably plain to all of you that had my commanding officer known of my intent to take Merrin off the base that day, he would have stopped me. You should know that I have received a letter of reprimand in my file regarding this incident, and I think I can safely say that such an incident will not take place again.
I plan to attend this Thursday’s PTA meeting, so that any of you that want to ask questions or express your concerns directly to me will be there. Dr. Janet Fraiser, the doctor who ran the tests on both Merrin and on the blood samples that the children who met Merrin that day provided will also be there.
Sincerely,
Colonel Jonathan J. O’Neill, U.S.A.F.
A Hundred Days
While You Were Out:
Recipient: Dr. Daniel Jackson
Caller: High Peaks Lawn Care
Message:
We were given Dr. Jackson’s name by our client, Col. Jack O’Neill, in case we should have difficulty getting in contact with him. Col. O’Neill pays for our service monthly, in advance. He is now two weeks overdue for payment, and have had no luck reaching him. Please have Dr. Jackson call us at (719) XXX-XXXX [number redacted] to let us know how we should proceed, or if he has any information for us as to how to contact Col. O’Neill
Upgrades
Col. Jonathan J. O’Neill
Team Leader, SG-1
Cheyenne Mountain
Ryan O’Malley, owner
O'Malley’s Bar & Grill
I am writing this follow up to our recent phone chat to thank you for your kindness in lifting the ban on my teammates, Maj. Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson, at your fine establishment. I assure you again that they will be no trouble, and that the brawl that caused your manager to put the ban in place was my fault. They were simply following my lead. I will sleep better out in the field knowing that my team members will not need to be plotting their revenge for my actions that led to them being banned from the source of the best steaks in town. As for myself, I suppose I shall have to bear up manfully, and console myself with the knowledge that in a year, if I promise to behave, and I do, I will once again be able to enjoy your fine cuisine.
Sincerely and gratefully,
Jack O’Neill
The Light
Brinton J. Sanford
Case Agent
Internal Revenue Service
04/25/2000
Dear Major Carter
In light of your service to our country and the information provided by your General Hammond that you were unavoidably and unexpectedly detained out of the country during the weeks immediately before and the week of April 15th of this year, I will be granting you a waiver of the penalty associated with failing to file your income taxes in a timely manner. Please be aware that failure to file taxes is a serious matter, and that should you fail to file your taxes on time in subsequent years, the Internal Revenue Service might not be as forgiving a second time.
Sincerely,
Brinton J. Stanford
Case Agent
Ascension
International Male
Customer Service Department
55 Pine Parkway
Prosperity Industrial Park
Las Vegas, Nevada
To Whom It May Concern:
Do not be concerned. I do not wish to complain. Instead I am writing to express my satisfaction with the garments I have received from your company. I find them to be fitting garments for a warrior to wear while indulging in relaxation and mingling with the citizens of your country. They show the intention to showcase the form of the body and its degree of fitness that a warrior should endeavor to display at all times. I find that people’s eyes are drawn to me when I walk the streets attired in your fashions.
I am indeed a satisfied customer.
Sincerely,
Mr. Murray Teal’c, First Prime, Retired
Meridian
Dear Jack,
I can hear you now – “You never call, you seldom write” – and this is early for my usual Christmas card, but I read Daniel Jackson’s obituary in this morning’s paper with deep regret. It said that he died after a short illness. These days when the obituary is for someone still so young, that’s usually code for a drug overdose, but I refuse to believe that of him. He came to my house – did you know? – after that incident at the hospital with the boy that looked so much like Charlie, and he tried, without making anything any clearer, I’m afraid, to explain it. Still, he was earnest and he was kind.
I know you must be hurting, Jack, and I have no illusions that I will be the one that you turn to in your pain. Talk to somebody, Jack, please. A doctor, a priest, a dog. Charlie used to tell Bouncer all his troubles, the ones that he couldn’t tell us, and I think I know who he learned that from. You love dogs, Jack. Get a dog.
Yours,
Sara
Smoke and Mirrors
Yes, Mrs. Pruitt, it was indeed me you saw on the wanted poster on TV.
No, you don’t live next to a dangerous assassin.
Do I LOOK like a dangerous assassin?
Bad question.
Look, Kinsey’s a head case and I wouldn’t vote for him if you paid me,
but I never attempted to off him.
My commanding officer is trying to get a tape of the Senator’s news
conference, and when he does, you will be able to see me standing right behind
Senator Kinsey. He even thanks me for my part in the whole scheme.
NOW WILL YOU STOP SENDING YOUR DOG TO POOP ON MY LAWN?
I’m in the Air Force. I’m one of the good guys!
Jack O’Neill
Paradise Lost
While You Were Out:
Recipient: Col. O’Neill
Caller: Kelton Valley Veterinary Services
When Harold Maybourne left his Shepard cross dog with us for boarding he said that you would pick it up after two weeks, and would settle his bill. It has been two and a half weeks, and expenses are mounting. Please make arrangements with us within two days, or unfortunately we will be forced to relegate the animal to the local shelter.
Homecoming
Pasquale D’Abruzzo
Manager
Garden Gate Apartment Complex
1432 Pinion Pine Way
Colorado Springs, CO
Dear Sir,
To review, yes, I was declared dead one year ago. I work for a military project, and my team had every reason to believe that they had seen me die. I was therefore declared dead.
It is quite evident, however, that they were, in fact mistaken. If my presence at your office and my ability to walk around apartment 32B without drifting through any floors or walls was not convincing enough evidence of that fact, I am quite frankly at a loss as to what will convince you.
I have spent the last three weeks living in office space tunneled out of the rock below Cheyenne mountain and sleeping on my office couch, when I haven’t fallen asleep on the paperwork, in triplicate and quadruplicate mind you, necessary to convince the Air Force, the I.R.S., the credit card companies, my bank, the Colorado Springs Library system, and the Highway My Way Storage Company that I have returned, I am not dead, and I expect to resume my life.
Your failure to recognize my plainly evident reality is in fact not helping. I don’t, quite frankly, care what the obituary said. I’m here, my bank account has ample funds, and my credit card has a limit greater than six month’s rent. I want, no I need to be able to spend time living above ground.
Please, please call me at the number I gave you, give the operator my name, and tell me you will rent me that apartment.
Sincerely,
Daniel Jackson, PhD.
Heroes
Oh, my poor, dear Cassandra.
I read with great consternation today that your mother has passed. I remember her well from your parent-teacher conferences, as well as her helpful and informative talk to your class on Career Day. Your mother was a warm woman, so I have no doubt that she left you in any confusion about whether she loved you. Sometimes I had a chance to watch her watching you when you were busy with your classmates and had not yet noticed she was even there, and the pride and joy in her eyes was breath taking.
It seems unfair to be losing your mother at such a tender age, and if I can be of any help to you in any way, please do not hesitate to let me know. Any child that has been in my class, my dear, is one of mine, and the membership is for a lifetime. You will always have a cheering section in me.
Love,
Valarie Struble
Dear Mrs. Struble,
Your note reached me here in Cheyenne Mountain, where I have been staying until I can decide where I want to go from here. I thank you for your kind words. It really touched my heart that you consider me one of your own and were thinking of me so long after I graduated from your classroom.
Uncle Jack says to say “Hi!” Actually he said “Buon giorno!” in a really cheesy fake Italian accent. I’m just translating.
I don’t want you to worry about me. Mom made arrangements, and Sam – you probably remember her coming to talk about the importance of math and science on Career Day – and Uncle Jack are going to be my guardians. My Cheyenne Mountain family will be sure I am well taken care of, no matter what.
Love,
Cass
Fragile Balance
Dear Daniel,
High school sucks. I don’t know how I forgot that, but I’m finding it sucks extra when I’m surrounded by pretty young things that make me feel like a lecher and a pedophile when things go beyond – Well, you know. The young knees are nice though, so there’s that.
Anyway, I didn’t write to whine. I just thought I should tell you I’m outta here. Done. Movin’ on.
The Air Force is probably not going to be thrilled when they discover I’m wandering around without them and with all their precious secrets still sitting in my head, but I guess they are going to have to manage with just the other version.
He’s going to be pretty pissy about it too. So go ahead and tell him I’m having a ton of fun. Then run and hide behind Teal’c.
So Long,
Jon O’Neill
New Order
Internal Memo
From: Parking Enforcement
To: Brig. Gen. Jack O’Neill, S.G.C.
Message:
The repainting was done today, and we have every reason to believe that your new parking space under the roof near the entrance door will be available by the time you report for duty tomorrow morning. Congratulations on the promotion sir, and we look forward to working with you for many years to come.
Affinity
Dear Mr. Teal’c,
Enclosed please find a check for the amount of your damage deposit and the last month’s rent that you gave us when you moved in. We are sorry that you have been transferred and can no longer be our tenant. The other tenants spoke favorably about you. They said you made them feel safe.
Full Alert
Dear Mrs. Kinsey,
You may not remember me. I attended a gathering that you and the Senator hosted a few years ago. I doubt you would have noted anything about me, except that we were casually dressed, while the rest of the guests were properly and formally attired. You were introduced to me as Mr. Starsky. I remember your dog, Oscar, with great fondness.
I am writing to express my condolences on the death of Senator Kinsey. While the Senator and I disagreed vehemently on politics and the proper path for our country, you were a gracious hostess, and I know that he will be missed very much on the home front.
Sincerely,
Jack O’Neill
The Fourth Horseman
Internal Memo
From: Dr. Brightman
To: General Landry
Message:
Regrettably, I feel that we have done all that can be done for Orlin here in the infirmary. We have neither the experience nor the personnel to be able to deal with all his needs. It seems unlikely that he will ever be able to care for himself without significant help. I have talked with a Dr. Lenormand at Colorado Springs Rehabilitation Hospital, and they seem like a reasonable place for him, with plenty of occupational therapy and a good reputation for patient care. They are willing to take him. Please advise.
Uninvited
Dear Martha,
I was horrified to learn from my friend General Landry that Bobby was one of the hunters that was killed when an animal attacked several people out in the woods near my cabin. He was out there to play poker with me, Gus Stokes, and the Nilssen brothers the last time I was at my cabin.
You know, I won a good deal of money off Bobby through the years, and he won a lesser amount off me, and I’m feeling just a might guilty about that at the moment. Bobby was a good loser and a kind winner, and our games just won’t be the same without him.
I know a note like this is supposed to be hand written, and mailed with a stamp, but when I was thinking about Bobby and our games, I was remembering the way he had three things he brought up each and every time he had a chance, and that was his beautiful wife, his two wonderful little girls, and his plan for fixing up that rusty old mustang you have out in your barn, and how he was going to get it all ship-shape and shiny and drive you and the girls around in it. Well, I can’t do anything to bring Bobby back, but I can give you the ride he wanted you to have.
The man who handed you this letter is Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, and the sweet ride he drove up in is a classic Mustang. He says he’d be honored to take you and the girls for a ride about town, just like Bobby always wanted to do.
Enjoy the ride and the wind in your hair, and if you or the girls need something, you remember my guilty conscience and let me know, okay? Mitchell’s got my card, and if you let my secretary know who you are, she’ll put you right through, unless I’m on the line with Hayes. Doesn’t do to put the Commander-in-Chief on hold.
My heartfelt condolences, and hug those
girls for me,
Jack O’Neill
Unending
O’Neill—
I am informed that you will be here at the S.G.C. next week. It will be good to see you, my brother. We have both been busy, and it has been too long, longer for me than it has been for you. I am sure that Col. Carter will have written a comprehensive account of the troubles that we encountered during our last mission, and how it was necessary for me to remain as the sole person aboard our ship that lived through and remembers the fifty years that we spent on it before she figured out how to send us home. As a result, you will find me somewhat changed, particularly as my temples are now quite white. Do not concern yourself. I can still defeat you at boxing.
There is another troubling matter that I feel I must share with you. You will be distressed to learn that Thor and all of his race have perished, of their own hands. They were facing degeneration, and did not wish to experience that. They chose to go in their strength.
Thor did not leave a message to you, but Col. Carter feels that this was an oversight, due to the fact that so much needed to be done so that the Asgards’ legacy could be secured and linked with our systems.
We have all agreed that it would be best if the rest remained ignorant of the events that we experienced together during the fifty years we were trapped on the ship together. Although it was and still is my reality, it was no one else’s. Do not ask. I shall not answer.
-Teal’c
An Undated 3x5 Card
Thanks, General, for the new wrench.
I swear she’s even bigger than old Rita.
And thanks for letting me put what was
left of Rita through the Gate. It was fitting.
Sgt. Siler
Subjects:
no subject
Date: 2016-03-27 07:12 pm (UTC)I can hear George's drawl in this!
I loved all of them, from Cassie's letter to Sam to the oh-so-kind IRS agent to Siler's thank-you note. Snapshots, indeed, arranged into a wonderful glimpse of SGC life!
Thanks, as always, for contributing. :)
no subject
Date: 2016-05-10 12:28 pm (UTC)Yes, you guessed it, I loved them all!
Bravo.