Confirming Carter Bk. 04 Expansion Ch. 02

"Oh shit...you are definitely doing that!" She laughed as she threw her arms around him, turning her head so one side so he could get at her ear and neck more easily.

(-)

Interior-Dr. Samuels Quarter

1320 Hours

Sam looked up and down the corridor, tapping her foot as she waited for Andi to answer the door. Just as she reached out to press the button again, the door swished open.

"Sam!" Andi said, taking a step back. "I uh...I wasn't expecting you."

Andi was wearing a robe, and her eyes were glazed. An aerie sound filled the room, and Sam couldn't decide if it was music, or something else.

"I know, and I'm sorry for intruding..." Sam began.

"I'm sorry Samantha." Andi said, looking uncomfortable. "But I was meditating...it's just been so stressful recently..."

"Of course Andi. I'm sorry I interrupted you..." Sam said, taking a step back.

"Thank you Samantha." Andi said, giving her a weak smile. "I'll call you later, and we can talk about whatever you like."

The door closed, and Sam looked over at Boris.

"Wow, that was weird." She muttered as she turned and headed for the porter. She looked back, making sure Boris was following her, then stepped into the porter and tapped in the codes for her building.

(-)

Interior-Col. Carter's Quarters, Bldg 58

1330 Hours

Sam stepped into the bedroom, stopping when she heard Tammy moaning passionately

"Oh god Angie, it's so good baby." She purred, her hands running up and down over his back. "Cum for me...I want to feel you shoot it in me."

"Soon pretty, you're not ready yet." Angelo said smoothly. "Just let it happen, you'll know when its time..."

"Mmmmmmm, everything you're doing just feels so good..."

(-)

She went into the kitchen and hit the button for the guard station.

"Can you locate Larrin for me?" She asked when they responded.

They came back a moment later.

"Lady Larrin is in Dr. Zelenka's lab in the central tower colonel." The guard told her.

"Thank you." She said as she closed the connection

She walked down the hall to her office, and got two comm units from her desk drawer and dropped them in her pocket.

Going back out into the living room, she smiled at Boris and Jacob.

"Come on guys, let's go see if we can find someone else to visit."

(-)

Interior-Dr. Zelenka's Lab, Central Tower

1340

Sam smiled when she saw Zelenka typing on his laptop while Larrin, Pharris, Bra'tac and O'Neill watched as images flashed across the a large monitor.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as she walked over and stood beside Zelenka

"Schematics of the space station." O'Neill grunted, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Looking for anything in particular?" She asked.

"I want to look at crew quarters, especially command level quarters." Larrin said, not looking away from the screens. "But Dr. Zelenka insists that we look at the automated repair systems and the dry dock."

"Those are the most important systems on that station." Zelenka said. "And if what you say about the condition of the ships in the Traveller fleet is true, we may not be able to use the automated systems on a large number of them. As it is, it appears that the ships already in the docking ports will need to be moved..."

"I already know that." Larrin groaned, throwing her head back and covering her eyes in frustration. "But we're only talking about a few ships that need the internal spaces refitted for..."

"You still are not listening to me!" Zelenka shouted, slamming his fist down on the table. He changed the image on the screen as he began to speak again. "This is the largest ship that can be docked on the station. There are ten of them currently docked. It is a Korenion class cargo ship one hundred feet long by fifty feet wide by forty feet high, giving it an internal volume of two hundred thousand cubic feet before decks and bulks heads are installed."

He changed the image on the screen, and a series of schematics began flashing across the screen.

"We have the plans to build this vessel, and there are hundreds of variations of how it can be configured." He said in a rush. "We can build these vessels eight at a time in the dry dock, in less than two weeks!"

"What I have been trying to tell you is that is may be easier, cheaper, and faster to just replace the ships that may not be worth the effort." He said. "We have enough materials on hand to build six hundred of these vessels, and if the vessels they replace cannot be easily repaired, they should be scrapped, and the materials used to build more ships."

"Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Larrin asked Pharris.

"Dr. Zelenka, the ship I grew up on is a decrepit hulk that is almost six thousand years old." Pharris told him with a sad smile on her face. "The life support system requires constant maintenance, as does the hull. It is in truth, a deathtrap for all that live on it."

"I do not like where this is going." O'Neill muttered.

"Yes general, more than two hundred generations of Travellers have been born, lived their entire lives, and died on that ship. Many of us would rather die ourselves before we saw her scrapped for parts and materials, even with the promise of a newer ship to replace her."

"Is this a common attitude in the fleet?" Carter asked her. "I mean, we're talking about replacing them with new ships, fresh off the line..."

"Which have to be broken in, systems modified to fit what the crews are used to working with..." Larrin said.

"Okay, from what I know about the Travellers, you're broken out by clans. Is that correct?" Carter asked

"That is correct, Samantha." Pharris replied.

"And how many clans are there in the fleet?"

"Five."

"Five? Then why are there only four of you on the council?" Carter asked, looking back and forth between Pharris and Larrin.

"There are less than a thousand members of the fifth clan, the Durga." Larrin said, looking around the room. "They all live on the same ship, one of our largest transports."

She glanced over at Pharris, who nodded.

"They will not come with those that wish to join you Samantha." She said. "They have wanted to break away from the Travellers for more than a thousand years, but have not been allowed to because of the importance of the ship."

"Okay, so you're going to need cargo space to replace that ship." Carter said.

"Yes, it will be a great loss to our people." Pharris said.

"The idiots that live on it, not so much." Larrin muttered.

"So if I established another clan, with two hundred of the ships Radik is talking about, how many of your people could I get to join it and crew my ships?" Carter asked.

"How many people could each ship hold?" Larrin asked.

"Radik?" Carter asked, looking at him

"That would depend on how each vessels internal spaces were configured." He said. "Will you need more cargo space, or living spaces...the food and waste processing systems are configured based on the number of crew."

"But could the vessels be configured to spec? Can we modify the schematics on an as needed basis?" Larrin asked.

"Yes, the system will allow some degree of modification." He answered.

"What is the maximum number one of these ships could support, and still carry a usable amount of cargo?" Pharris asked him.

Zelenka scrolled through a list of configuration options, then changed the image on the monitor.

"This design will allow you to carry eighty thousand tons of cargo, and two hundred passengers and crew." He said as he sat back in his chair. "This design also requires less material since the internal spaces are not as built out."

"I can get you forty thousand people to join your clan and crew these ships." Larrin said.

"As can I." Pharris said. She glanced over at Larrin. "Will you split them with me, one hundred each?"

"Done." Larrin laughed.

"Slow down girls." Carter laughed. "Your people haven't even voted yet, so we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. And given how eager you two appear, I'm betting that Arrin and Walleen will want in on this too."

"Arrin will wish to have some of these ships." Pharris told her.

"Walleen will think on it for months, changing his mind again and again before finally giving you an answer." Larrin laughed. "But in the end, he will want some too."

"Two weeks per ship, eight at a time..." Zelenka muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes as he did the math.

"It would take two years to build four hundred ships of this type." He said as he looked at Carter.

"Lock in that design Radik. We're going to want to know where to find it." Carter laughed, then turned to Pharris and Larrin.

"But before we go any further on this subject, I want one thing to be understood." She said, looking back and forth between them. "I am not offering to build these ships for your existing clans. If we build them, it will be for my new clan. I'm asking if you will provide people to that clan, to crew these ships."

"Of course Samantha." Pharris smiled. "Clan loyalty is second only to family loyalty among the Travellers. Any that decide to join your new clan will be loyal to that clan, and you, as its leader."

"You given any thought to the name of your new clan?" O'Neill asked her.

"I've got one bouncing around in my head." She said with a smile.

"Combine both your names..."

"Yup." Carter laughed. "And we get the Sammy clan..."

(-)

Interior-Kitchen

1600 Hours

Tammy was laying face down on the bed, not moving when Sam walked into the room.

"Tammy?" She said, shaking her gently. "Talk to me baby. Are you alright?"

Tammy just moaned, not moving

"She's fine, Samantha." Angelo said as he came out of the bathroom carrying a glass of water and a wet rag.

"What did you do to her?" She asked as she got up on her knees beside her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I fucked her brains out. Just like she asked me to." He smiled as he walked around the bed.

"He did." Tammy mumbled. "He really, really did."

"But you're okay?" Sam asked her.

"Nevah fell betta." Tammy slurred, still not moving.

"Wow." Sam laughed, shaking her head as she turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry Samantha, but I need to get up on the bed..."

"There's something different about you..." She told him.

"Yes, and I'll be happy to explain what later, but right now, I really need to take care of her. So if you wouldn't mind?" He said, looking at her, then down toward the end of the bed.

"Oh...sure." She said, sliding down to the end of the bed and getting to her feet.

She watched as he sat the glass of water on the headboard, then stretched out beside her.

"You just rest pretty." He said softly as he ran the rag slowly over her shoulders, then down over her back.

Tammy purred happily as he caressed her with the cloth.

(-)

"How long have you been here Andi?" Sam asked her when she saw her sitting at the table.

"Only a few minutes." Samuels replied. "I tried to call, but there was no answer, so I came over anyway."

"Are you okay Andi?" Carter asked, sitting down at the head of the table. "You looked really out of it. I could have sworn that you were..."

"No Sam, I wasn't using Thumper." Andi smiled. "As I said, I was meditating. It is a deeply moving process, and I had to come out of a deep trance to answer the door."

"I just came from Zelenka's lab." Carter told her. "Larrin, Pharris, Bra'tac and O'Neill were over there talking to him about the space station, and he's hot on the idea of building ships, instead of repairing or refitting some of the ones that are in really bad shape."

"That might be more cost effective in terms of time and resources." Samuels said.

"I don't know what materials will be involved repairing ships, and I guess it's going to vary on a ship by ship basis." Carter said. "But the ship Zelenka wants to build will take two weeks per ship, and we could build eight at a time. If we go with the doubled estimate for repairing the smaller ships, we're still at almost three weeks there."

"That sounds like a practical solution." Andi said.

"Well, it seems that some, if not most of the Travellers are not going to want to give up their ships, even if we offer them a new one." Carter told her. "Pharris said that the ship she grew up on is a six thousand years old deathtrap, but the people that live on it would rather die themselves than see it scrapped for parts and materials."

"That's insane." Andi said. "But not out of the norm from a cultural perspective. There are som..."

"I'm sure that's really interesting Andi, but we came up with a different solution." Carter said, cutting her off before she could get going. "If the Travellers vote to join us, we're going to start a new clan. We'll build those ships for the new clan, and take people in from the existing clans. Both Larrin and Pharris said they could get people from their clans to join the new one, and crew up the ships. You should have seen them. They were bargaining over the ships, and finally split the first two hundred between them."

The comm on the wall chirped, and Andi started to get up, but Sam waved her down as she reached in her pocket and pulled out her headset. She hit the button as she put it on and said, "Go on Carter."

"Yes maam." A voice said. "Lady Larrin is requesting permission to see you."

"That's fine, send her up." She said, glancing over at Andi. She smiled when she saw that she was staring at her.

She tapped the comm off as she looked over at her.

"It's been weeks since you wore a comm." Andi smiled. "I thought you wer..."

"I know, I know." She laughed. "It's been nice not having everyone jabbering in my ear all the time, but if you want the truth, it's been getting a little irritating having to ask people to contact someone, or having them relay information. I'm never sure if I'm getting everything. I'm not going to wear it, but I am at least going to carry it more often."

Before Andi could respond, Larrin walked into the room and walked over to the fridge. She opened the door and took out a beer, then walked around the table as she opened it.

"Besides being difficult to understand, that little man is just so annoying!" She said as she dropped down into Tammy's seat. She took a long drink from her beer as she looked at them.

"What?" She asked, when she saw them staring at her.

"People normally ask, or wait to be offered something." Sam said, smiling at her.

"You're sitting in Tammy's place." Samuels said softly. "No one sits in the queen's chairs...at least they haven't..."

"She's not..."

"Get your narrow ass out of my seat." Tammy said, smiling as she came into the room. She walked over and got a glass from the cabinet, then filled it from the tap.

"Is it really that im..." Larrin began.

"Yes, it is Lady Larrin." Tammy said seriously. She nodded toward Sam as she said, "If the chair Sam is sitting in was empty, would you sit there?"

"No...oh, I see." Larrin said, as she slid over to the next seat. "My apologies my queen..."

"Not there either. Angie's going to sit there." Tammy said. "Staff and guests sit on the side Andi is on, unless we're eating."

"We do, don't we?" Samuels said, glancing at Carter. "Tammy's the only one that sits on that side of the table."

"Now that you mention it, I think you're right." Carter said as she watched Larrin walk around the table and sit next to Larrin. "I hope you're not offended Larrin. But..."

"No, I understand. People like things a certain way. I'm the same way in my home." Larrin laughed.

"Are you really going to bring him in here with us?" Sam asked, looking at Tammy.

"Yes, he's going to be with me alot more from now on." Tammy laughed. "And you're not going find him as irritating."

"I noticed something different about him when I came in earlier." Carter said. "What did you do to him?"

"It seems that I adjusted his autonomy settings when I was working on that nerve cluster earlier." Tammy told her "We worked on him while we were playing, and I had him make some other adjustments. He should be with us in a minute."

"You can do that?" Samuels asked. "I thought you had to do that in your lab."

"It's easier in the lab, but you can make vocal adjustments to their systems once the autonomy settings reaches a certain point." Tammy told her. "I had taken Angie's setting from the base setting of one up to seven. The personality profiles have autonomy settings built into them, and it's set based on the units function."

"I've only got one unit you're interested in pretty." Angelo said as he came into the room. "I'd prefer you referred to me as an entity. My neural network is almost on a par with your own brain." He said as he pulled a chair out and sat down beside her.

"Fran said the same thing when we called her a unit." Carter said. She glanced over at Tammy, then looked at Angelo. "He does seem more...I don't know what it is exactly."

"I took most of the surfer boy out of him." Tammy laughed. "It turns out that once his autonomy setting was turned up, he didn't like it either."

"What are you talking about?" Larrin asked, looking around in confusion. "And who is this guy?"

"I'm sorry, Lady Larrin." He said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand. "I am Angelo, an autonomous, independent life form..."

"You're a replicator?" Larrin screeched, getting to her feet and backing away.

"Calm down Larrin." Carter told her. "Angelo is an android. His class was several steps prior to the replicators, and the ancients used them safely for thousands of years."

"Boris, would you come in here baby?" She called, and a moment later, he stepped into the room, holding baby Jacob.

"Yes mistress?" He said.

His shirt was open, and Jacob was busily nursing at his nipple.

"Just stand there baby, and finish what you're doing." She said.

"This is my android, Boris." She told Larrin, turning to look at her. "We built him first, and as you can see, I trust him enough to let him care for Jacob."

"How many of these things do you have?" Larrin asked, moving back and sitting in her chair.

"Only three so far, Boris and Angelo, and Dr. McKay has one named Fran." She told her.

"Wait a minute." She said, looking at Tammy. "You said the autonomy settings are built into the personality profiles. Is that why she..."

"Yeah, her primary personality element, Dominatrix three twenty-six, has a setting of eleven. That's on a scale of one to fifteen." Tammy nodded. "I wonder if McKay knows about that yet."

"Probably not, but we need to talk to them about it." She said. She looked up at Boris and pointed toward the door, and he turned and went back into the living room.

"I don't care how safe you think they are, you keep those things away from me." Larrin said, turning in her chair and getting another beer from the fridge.

"I'm sorry to hear you sat that Larrin." Carter laughed. "We're not going to put them into widespread production, but we are going to make them available for senior staff, and a few other people. You're senior staff now, so..."

"You don't have to take one if you don't want to Larrin." Tammy told her. "There are others on the senior staff that aren't comfortable with the idea, but wait until you meet Fran, and you'll see just how useful they can be. She's assisting McKay in his work on developing an interface so we can control the Wraith hives."

"We'd appreciate it if you would keep this to yourself for now." Carter went on. "This is a high level project, and we're keeping it quiet for now."

"My people will not like that you are using this technology, so I agree, it is best that we keep this to as few people as possible." Larrin replied. "I will do as you ask."

"If we can change the subject for a moment." Samuels said, looking back and forth between Sam and Tammy.