Meeting the Boss

Posted on Tue Jul 19th, 2022 @ 8:21pm by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathon Raynor & Scarlett Hayes Dr.

Mission: Jumping Right In
Location: Raynor’s Office - Stargate Command
Timeline: BACKPOST
1373 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Having settled in Scarlett made her way to the office of her Commanding Officer, arriving at Raynor’s office door she saw it was partially open. Not wanting to just walk in she knocked politely and peered around the door. “Knock, Knock.”

Spooking the Lieutenant Colonel, John snapped out of his dazed trans of reading classified briefings on the laptop and looked at the door of the small office. There was no real reason to have much of an office, and so it wasn't a surprise. It was big enough to have a decent size desk and space for a table, 4 chairs and a large 3 person couch. Other then that, that was all his office really had. He hadn't really messed with decorations but maybe he would have at some point or another do so.

"Who's there?" the man countered jokingly as he looked over at the door. "Well hey there. How you doing?"

Scarlett smiled warmly. ”Hey there yourself Sir, I’m very well thank you.” She approached the desk. “I’m Scarlett Hayes, Chief Archaeologist.”

'Oh hell, well hello Doc. I had heard of you. Some crazy stuff happened with you, huh," John remarked as he stood up and reached out. "Pretty bad ass, if you ask me."

“You could say that Sir” Scarlett shook Raynor’s hand. “It was only recently I learned about what happened to my mother, and why it is I seem to be a thing of interest.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I get brief flashes of memory, I have no clue why, or how though.”

He offered one of the chairs across from him before taking his seat behind the desk. Once sat, he lowered the laptop's monitor down and leaned back slightly relaxing a bit. "I bet the memories aren't completely pleasant. From what I understand those snake things ain't the most friendly, and if its any of its memories..."

“Actually Shani was a Tok’ra” Scarlett offered a smile. “She, and my mother happily coexisted. All Shani truly wanted was to get home, but instead they were both kept in ‘protective custody’ until disaster happened during my birth. Shani gave her life for my mother, but she still lost her life anyway. I was adopted by the General who was in charge at the time. As for memories...I do have nightmares, that I can only describe as the torture of Shani’s previous host, before she was torn from her hosts body and put in the jar that my mother unearthed.”

"Oook..." the colonel took in as he tried to comprehend the whole situation. But to be fair, he was no closer to being able to mentally comprehend how to be in her shoes. The honest truth was, he wasn't completely sure if he would want to be in either her mothers or her shoes. To be tortured by random nightmares of other's being tortured when you never had been must have been overwhelming to her at times.

"I'm sorry if I came off insensitive to the situation. But none of it seemed to stop you from reaching the position and goals before you. I'd say you have done pretty good for yourself."

Scarlett smiled. “Thank you. My adoptive father, as I’m sure you know, is a General. He taught me how to be strong, how be confident in what I do, this is a culmination of his teachings, and my determination. Plus I think it’s easier for the government to keep an eye on me here, it’s the perfect place.” She offered a wry smile.

"Yeah you said that he was a general. Trying to hint at something?" He smirked slightly as he watched her for a moment. Not bad to look at, he thought to himself before snapping to. "As for watching you, I will admit, I have nothing telling me to keep tabs on you. Are you sure it ain't in your head?"

“Possibly” Scarlett nodded. “Everywhere I went when I was a kid I had an escort, even to friend’s parties. I guess I was expecting to find the same thing here.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh and, no I didn’t mean anything by the ‘General’ comment. I wasn’t sure if it would be in my notes is all. To be honest I’m trying to make my own mark on history, get out from underneath the shadow of my adoptive father.”

"So its fame that you are after?" John smirked slightly as he leaned back in his chair.

“Nah, fame isn’t me.” Scarlett grinned. “I just want to know what’s out there, I’ve studied long and hard to get where I am, I want to put that study to good use.”

"You can sit, you know," he offered again as he reitterated the seat as he looked her over another time. She sure wasn't unattractive in the least. But he also knew he needed to try and keep it some what professional. "So tell me Doc, what are you expecting us to find out there when we start heading out there?"

Scarlett took the offered seat, offering an apologetic smile in the process. “To be honest I’m not entirely sure. I’m hoping we can find out where the ancients went, and if there’s anything out there that might benefit Earth in the long run. Who knows what the future might hold.”

"Yeah who knows what is out there. Think about it, when I was younger, I would have always looked up at the stars and wandered what it was like out there. But to be honest, never thought I was smart enough to be an astronaut. So I thought maybe they'd take a pilot," Raynor shrugged as he thought back to his youth. "But that attack changed everything. Its horrible, but I was partly excited hearing about the aliens. But while I was learning how to fly, they explained how in depth they were and what devastation that came of it."

Scarlett nodded. “Just the luck of the Human race to encounter aliens who actually want violence!” She shrugged her shoulders. “We’re merely infants in their eyes.”

"Infant? Their actions seem to see as a lower being. Like a human with an ant type of scenario. They killed millions. Don't think that we will have scientists. But more like people that want to have some revenge with these pricks. Their attack may have been over a decade ago, but that does not change the fact that everyone walking through that gate knows someone that died in that attack. Revenge is going to be one most of their minds," the colonel remarked as he thought back to the day of the major attack.

Scarlett nodded. “There weren’t just deaths during those attacks Colonel, there were disappearances as well. Both men and women who were taken, no doubt to become unwilling hosts.”

"I had heard of the possibility of people being abducted. Is there an estimate of number of disappearances?" John asked as he tried to wonder why this was something that hadn't been searched enough for them to figure out. But the assault on the earth was unlike anything they had ever seen sense the world wars.

“So far there are records of at least 50, probably higher. Some may have gone unrecorded.” Scarlett shook her head. “My mother was host to a symbiont who shared her consciousness as a partner, rather than a controlling invader. I can’t imagine what being controlled by a Goa’uld must be like.”

"I can't even imagine," he thought outloud before taking a deep breath. He knew that they were going to meet these Goa'ulds. Deep down, he wasn't fond of the idea of the rare but chance of first hand experience with all of this. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea of having something inside of him taking control, with his willingness or not.

"Well, let's make sure we don't find out first hand. Sound like a plan?" the colonel said half jokingly before allowing for a slight smirk to arrise on his face.

Scarlett nodded. “A very good plan Sir. A very good plan indeed.”