After getting a report from Carson, John retapped his comm, glancing around to make sure the few female gene-carrying Marines he had sitting around weren't falling over yet ( Read more... )

John crouched behind the thick pile of brush, his knees dug comfortably into the soft loam beneath, his elbows stable against a fallen tree. They'd been lying in wait for more than three hours with no sign of any wraith activity. The inhabitants of the planet had been easily persuaded to resettle on a secondary planet while John and his teams lay ( Read more... )

Some people have power but still they grieve
While these hands brought me happiness A pile of discarded manuals lay to the side, a jumble of white paper, black ink, step-by-step in four languages, all of which he could read, if not well. He'd read none of them, of course--he'd flown these planes, or ones like them--knew them as well as he knew his ( Read more... )

P7X-M77 is a more peaceful planet than most, if one can ignore the constantly-raging storms in the distance and the unsettling hoot of alien animals in the forests beyond. The botanists describe the climate as tropical to subtropical--John's pretty sure that's just a fancy word for "likely to give you a fungus". His mouth still tastes of Rodney, ( Read more... )

From skin to tac vest: One tattoo: Unauthorized, blue ink, on the Officer's left hip. Mandelbrot set outline. Military-issue dogtags, two, one length of breakaway chain. Underwear: Atlantis-issue, grey, boxer-briefs. The Officer wears neither piercings nor jewellry beyond his tags, and a single set of wedding bands suspended from dogtag ( Read more... )

He took one final look back at the plump, dark-skinned children that had followed them to the gate, before raising his hand in a farewell wave and slipping through the gate. The Inali were a primitive people, but friendly, more than willing to share whatever grains and produce they had to spare. Giving to a fault, John had to turn down several ( Read more... )

But they, while their companions slept, / Were toiling upward in the night.He's elbow-deep in personnell files and ordinance reports and two requests for section transfers when the call comes in. Chuck's on duty today, and though the voice is familiar, the news is less than soothing ( Read more... )

( Meme from my Rachel. )

White lightning, bound to drive you wild.
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true.

Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for.He hadn't meant to get sloshed, in fact he'd mostly started out with good intentions. Yesterday had been a ( Read more... )

John breathes deeply of the salty sea air for a moment, and glances over his shoulder at the living room, where he can still see a spouse or two ambling around, getting ready or bed. Grodin's long-asleep, and Emilie as well. The paper in his hands is fine, elegant in a way the paper they have for general use never is. Trust Rachel to find only ( Read more... )