Chapter 14

Of Senshi and Tau'ri

"I'm glad to hear you're alright Lita. But… what are you doing in America?"

"It's a long story mom," Lita replied. "We'll be here for a few more days, but we're all fine. Danny's set us up with someplace to stay until we can get home."

"That's good to hear. Just promise me you'll stay out of trouble."

"I'll try."

"Don't worry Liz. I'll watch out for her," Daniel spoke up.

A few days and nine Non Disclosure Agreements later, the Scouts were happy to be back on Earth. Although they were on the wrong side of the planet, the Scouts were able to get in touch with their families. General Landry had arranged for them to stay at a hotel in Colorado Springs until a flight could be arranged. For the most part… it was a vacation after a tough battle. They all agreed that if something came up that required assistance, both the SGC and the Scouts wouldn't hesitate to call for help. Krystal had introduced Serena and Mina to Team Fortress 2, which in turn pulled in Rei and Ami. Lita took interest, but said that she might check it out later. The Outer Scouts had chosen not to bother, although Krystal swore she saw Setsuna watching her play one time.

"Have you heard of Brain Freeze?" Krystal asked as she watched Serena wolf down yet another bowl of ice cream. The Scouts and SG-1 were at an Ice Cream Parlor in Colorado Springs, and the Meatball Head was living up to her reputation as the Bane of Ice Cream everywhere.

"Some days I wonder if there's even a brain up there to freeze," Rei muttered as she ate hers in a more conservative manner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Serana replied, pointing her spoon at Rei. Another bowl was set in front of her. Before she could dig in, a dark hand reached over and swapped it for an empty bowl. Teal'c, the Jaffa Ice Cream Ninja, struck again. Krystal laughed before taking a drink of her milkshake.

"We still have to come up with some reason why we're all here in America," Ami said.

"International Kidnapping ring?" Krystal suggested.

"Taken down by the Air Force?" Lita poked a hole in the idea.

"Why not?"

"Well… it's better than a field trip to look at Deep Space Radar Telemetry."

"Why do I feel like that was a burn?"

Mitchell suppressed a laugh as he watched the resident rookie. Things were settling down now. Hell… even the Lucian Alliance had been quiet once news of the battle on Kentaris started circulating through the galaxy. Early reports indicate that the Youma were already negotiating with the Jaffa on Trade relations, and were willing to send someone to do the same with Earth. There was no doubt that there would still be the occasional attack on Earth by renegade Youma, but Mitchell was confident that any incursion would be dealt with easily.

"Alright," Vala spoke up. "Just who are these girls?"

"Long story Vala," Daniel replied. "You missed a lot over the last week."

"Obviously. We also apparently have a kid on the team too."

"Vala… I can dish it out with the best of 'em," Krystal defended herself.

Shaking her head, the resident rogue went back to her frozen treat before Serena could pull it away from her.

"She did it."

"She almost died to do it though."

"True."

"She is almost as brave as O'Neill."

"Skarra, to you… nobody is braver than O'Neill."

"Of course! O'Neill defeated Ra!"

"And Jade freed a planet."

"Kayla… isn't it awkward that you're talking about yourself in a way?"

"A little. She is me, but at the same time…"

"Kayla, Skarra… the Others are waiting."

"Isa Sola…"

"I know what that means Kayla…"

"I know you know. I just never liked politics. Didn't like it back in the Silver Millennium, don't like it now."

"So what else is new?"

Swearing under her breath, Krystal ran.

"MAKE A HOLE!" she shouted, getting airmen to jump out of the way as she blasted by. Skidding to a halt outside the blast door, she slid her cardkey through the reader.

"I thought we discussed this lieutenant…" Mitchell joked as she stepped through the door.

"Sorry sir."

"Scenic route again?"

"I promise… won't happen again."

Mitchell smiled as the rookie took her place with the team at the base of the ramp. Vala looked anxious to get going.

"Well… now that we're all here… lets see what adventures await us on P2A-441," Daniel declared.

"And what treasures!" Vala added.

"You're just jealous that you missed out on any treasure on our last mission," Krystal replied.

"There was treasure?"

"Nope," Krystal said with a smile. Vala started pouting before perking up again. Mitchell rolled his eyes at the banter. It was good to have things back to normal again. He noticed an addition to Krystal's gear, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"You sure you wanna have that out for all to see?" he asked, indicating her Transformation Pen. Krystal had slipped it into a Mag Light holster on her belt, with a means to secure it in case of serious action.

"It's a part of who I am Cam," she replied. "Not gonna hide from it while off world."

"Well… nice to hear you got everything sorted out," Mitchell said before shouting over his shoulder. "WALTER! HIT IT!"

Once again, the Stargate rumbled to life. The symbols on the inner ring spinning around like a combination lock as the gate dialed out. The symbol for Earth finally settled at the top, and the gate activated.

"Good luck SG-1!"

Krystal smiled as Ami's voice gave them the all clear. Starting up the ramp, SG-1 approached the active gate, eager to explore a new world. Stopping just before the event horizon, Krystal looked back at the control room while the rest of the team proceeded through. There, alongside the usual staff and General Landry, were the Scouts. Her new friends were waving at her. She knew that they would be well on their way back to Tokyo by the time SG-1 returned, but it was nice to have them see her off on a mission. Waving back, she turned and took a deep breath. Another smile crossed her face.

"Look out galaxy," she said. "Here comes trouble."

And with that, Lt. Krystal Jade stepped through the Stargate, and on to her next adventure.

Author's Note: Ladies and Gentlemen... Sierra Echo... is complete. Thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. And yes... I did leave it open for a sequel. What adventures await Krystal, SG-1, and the Scouts? And how will the existence of the Stargate affect the future? I don't know. But I intend to find out.

See you all on the next exciting adventure!