Free SG1-16 Four Dragons by Diana Botsford Page B

rate. Pitch black pupils edged with green flecks gave him a bit of unearthly look. The cut of his black wool suit did little to hide a decent amount of muscle for someone who couldn’t be less than seventy or so.
    The man shook his head as he passed Jack, but wouldn’t make eye contact.
    Jack would never trust someone who wouldn’t look him in the eye.
    Davis ushered the man to a seat. The major was a Pentagon lackey if ever there was one, though even Jack had to admit he was a decent one. Davis had done a fair amount to get the Washington suits to support the S.G.C., and Hammond seemed to like the guy, although given how grim the general appeared at the moment, hands folded on the table, eyes forward, teeth clenched…
    Clearly, something troubled their commander.
    Not knowing the lay of the land, Bra’tac bowed his head in greeting while Jacob and Teal’c put on their best poker faces. Though Carter offered up a smile, it didn’t reach her eyes. If Jack didn’t know better, he could’ve sworn he’d seen her suppress a shudder. Something about this newcomer troubled her.
    What that was remained to be seen. Wiping the stickiness from his hands, Jack approached the table. “Davis, you want to introduce us?”
    “Colonel, this is China’s new delegate to the UN Security Council. Ambassador Huang,” Davis gestured toward Jack, “this is Colonel O’Neill, commanding officer of the Stargate Program’s front line unit, SG-1.”
    “I know who he is,” said Huang. “I’ve read your files.”
    “Excuse me,” said Jacob. “How is that possible? George?”
    Hammond sighed. “A few months ago, the president decided it would be prudent to share the Stargate’s existence with the council. At that time, the program was disclosed to Ambassador Huang’s predecessor.”
    Jacob raised an eye at Jack. “You knew about this?”
    Jack shrugged. What could he say? He still maintained it was a bad idea. The U.S. Air Force was doing fine on its own; it didn’t need others mucking about in their business.
    Hammond explained the situation to Jacob. “The president believes a shared taskforce might do a better job of protecting Earth from pending threats such as the Goa’uld — ”
    “An admittance that was long overdue,” said Huang.
    Jack watched Hammond work his jaw. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one who got a stiff neck when politicians stuck their fingers where they didn’t belong.
    Davis stepped in. “The president has briefed the ambassador on your mission to rescue Dr. Jackson from Lord Yu — ”
    Huang raised a hand. “The great Yu Huang Shang-Ti was… is China’s first emperor. Refer to him as such or you insult my country.”
    Jack sunk into a chair across from the ambassador. Forget the donuts, this guy was a fruitcake.
    “Fine then, Emperor Yu it is,” he said. “What’s this got to do with our mission? I don’t mean to cut you off, but a member of my team’s life is at stake. A man who’s played a large part in saving this world a few times over.”
    The ambassador opened his mouth, but Jack wasn’t finished. “Your slimy, overdressed, boom-box voiced, snake-in-the-head Emperor Yu has Dr. Jackson. Time’s a-wasting, Ambassador. We need to rescue him before there’s nothing left to rescue.”
    Huang splayed his hands on the table and leaned forward, his cold, black eyes looking back at Jack for the first time. “No one is stopping you from recovering your man, Colonel.”
    Jack sat back, relieved. “All right, then… what? Why are you here?”
    “To warn you,” Huang said flatly. “If Emperor Yu or his subjects are harmed in any way during your rescue, China will disclose the Stargate Program to its people. There are to be no weapons used of any kind.”

Chapter Four
     
    The ambassador’s demands were met with heavy silence in the briefing room. Though Sam had always prided herself on keeping a neutral face when needed, being told international politics were more important