Edward, Fairbairn, and Bjornson arrived at the stables. As they entered, the familiar sights and smells took Isolde back to her childhood.

  “Ah! Nothing like a little horse manure to bring in some life into you, eh, Sergeant?!” exclaimed the Scott as she took in a wiff of the place. Bjornson timidly nodded; although he grew up with horses, he had always feared them. He was also heavy set, making it difficult to find a suitable mount.

  “Well,” said Edward, “choose your mounts. I’ll get some saddles and tack.” That brown gelding in the third stable is mine.

  “Aye.” She went over to the stable. “Do you mind if I petted him?”

  “Go right ahead,” Edward replied. “His name is Thunder.”

  Fairbairn ran her fingers through Thunder's mane; the horse gave a soft whinny. “Hello. Are you ready to go for a ride?” she asked the horse. Thunder nodded whinnied again. Bjornson stood by, his towering frame made the horses look small in comparison. Noticing his unease, Fairbairn offered him a reassuring smile. “Bjornson, have you ever ridden a horse before?”

  The Norwegian shook his head. No, ma'am. These creatures were not a part of my training. If I may be honest, Squadron Leader, I'm scared of them.”

  Edward overheard their conversation. “No worries, Gunner. These creatures are very gentle and sturdy. But given your size, it's best to ride with someone else.”

  “Bjornson, you can ride with me,” said Fairbairn. It'll be safer and more efficient for us to travel this way.

  “Agreed,” said Edward. “Now let's find a horse that can support the weight of you two.” After careful consideration Edward chose a dark Shire mare for the two to ride. He motioned for the Scott and then Norwegian to come. “This is Starfire,” said Edward. “Let me get the right saddle for her.” He returned to the tack room and returned with the right saddle. He handed it to Isolde who saddled the horse with some assistance from a nervous Bjornson.

  When they were ready to go, Gunnar turned to Fairbairn. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I'll try not to be much of too much of a burden.”

  Fairbairn chuckled. “You're not a burden, Sergeant. Just hold on tight and we’ll be fine.” She mounted Starfire and then she helped Bjornsson up. With some effort Isolde’s and Edward’s help, Gunner settled in to the saddle. He gave a thumbs up. “Alright, Sergeant, you can hold on to my waist and we'll be off,” said Fairbairn. Bjornsson did as instructed, and Fairbairn gave him a reassuring smile.

  Edward quickly mounted Thunder. “Since it will take Starfire some time to get up to speed, I will let you set the pace.”

  “Fair enough,” Fairbairn said. She nudged her heels and Starfire started to move. Fairbairn guided Starfire out of the stable and through the village in a walk. Once they cleared the village, Isolde urged Starfire to go on faster. Edward followed suit, and together, the three set off for the Stargate.

  ** ***** ***

  From the steps of the Lord Mayor's house, Colonel Larkin, Godric and Sister Helena watched as Fairbairn, Bjornson, and Edward led the left the village.

  “If Father Anslem returns before your friends do, I will blow my horn,” said Godric.

  “Understood,” said Colonel Larkin. He motioned Sister Helena to move forward. “Let's get on with our work, shall we? We'll start with a quick walk through the village then we'll go a Klick out and then circle the village. I don't want to get too far away so we can hear Godric’s horn.”

  “Understandable, sir,” said Sister Helena.

  “We can do a more thorough recon of the area when Fairbairn and Bjornson are with us,” said Colonel Larkin.

  “Agreed,” said the Carmelite. The two set out on their mission. They started making their way through the village. They glanced through the village shops and took a quick peek inside the village tavern, The Black Labrador, before making a survey of the monastery and the church. With not much of the village left to see, Colonel Larkin and Sister Helena went up to the ramparts to have a look around. After making their observations, they decended and went outside the village.

  Colonel Larkin measured off one kilometer with a range finder and pointed to where they needed to go. Sister Helena nodded, and they set out. They remained silent until they started their encircling of Eversham.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “So, Sister, I bet the transition from being in the military to being a nun must have been difficult for you.”

  “Not really, sir. We have a set regimen that, in my opinion is not too dissimilar from military life. We have a set schedule that we follow each day. Instead of bugles we have bells and clappers,” replied Sister Helena.

  “I see,” said Colonel Larkin.

  “My guide in the monastery was also in the Air Force herself. She served in Desert Storm.”

  “She must have had a lot of daring missions that she shared with you.”

  “Indeed, she did,” Sister Helena replied. “She often talked about training a young and brilliant astrophysicist but never knew what became of her after the war.”

  “What was your mentor's name?” Colonel Larkin asked.

  “Sister Marie Evangeline of the Eucharist,” Sister Helena replied. But she quickly realized that that name would mean nothing to him. “Tamara Cresswell—she went by Tam.”

  “General Carter often talks about a Tam Cresswell in her speeches, especially to new mentors. It's possible her Tam and your Tam are the same person.”

  “We'll have to ask General Carter when we get an opportunity,” said Sister Helena.

  “Indeed!” said Colonel Larkin.

  “May I ask you a question, sir?”

  “Sure,” replied Colonel Larkin.

  “What kind of jazz do you like to listen to?” The Carmelite asked.

  “Oh, lots, the Colonel replied. “‘Afro Blue’ by John Coltrane is one of my favorites along with ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ by Chris Cortez, and ‘I Like Jersey Best’ by John Pizzarelli. I would say that John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and John Pizzarelli are my favorite artists.”

  “I see,” said Sister Helena.

  “After a hard day at work, I like to relax with a little jazz music, a glass of whiskey and some wood carving.”

  “You do?” said Sister Helena. “What do you like to carve?”

  “Military vehicles mostly. Ships, planes, that sort of thing.” He began to feel uneasy. Sensing the Colonel’s uneasiness, Sister Helena asked,

  “Do I need to change the subject, sir,” she asked. But just then Sister Helena spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She put up her hand and stopped. Colonel Larkin saw the signal halted. Sister Helena pulled out a pair of binoculars from her tactical vest. She looked through them.

  “What is it, Sister?” Colonel Larkin asked.

  “I see a cave,” Sister Helena replied. She looked through the range finder on her binoculars. “I make it out to be three Klicks due north... assuming this is north.” She pulled out a compass to be sure. Yes, it was north all right. She pointed in the direction of the cave. Colonel Larkin looked through his range finder in the direction Sister Helena pointed.

  “You’re right, Sister.”

  Sister Helena crouched down examining the ground. “Look, sir! Tracks!” She put her finger into the soft mud. “They're fresh too!” She glanced at Colonel Larkin. “Should we follow them?” Colonel Larkin crouched beside her, his expression serious as he examined the tracks. He nodded.

  “We should investigate. We need to know who's been coming and going. Draw your Zat, Sister.” He raised his P90 in the high ready position. Sister Helena pulled out her Zat, her military training falling back into place. She gave him nod. “Right. Let's move out!” said Colonel Larkin in a whisper.

  *** **** ***

  “How are you holding up back there, Sergeant?” Fairbairn asked. She, the Norwegian, and Edward had made their way through the forest and were nearing the Stargate.

  “Doing well, Squadron Leader!” replied Bjornson. “Thanks for asking.”

  “Good to hear!” the Fairbain replied. They had reached the clearing where the Stargate was located and dismounted. Fairbairn and Bjornson went up to the DHD and Bjornson input Earth’s address. With all seven glyphs entered, Bjornson pressed the large red button in the center of the console. The Stargate gave off a two-tone chirp and activated, expelling an unstable vortex.

  Fairbairn spoke into her radio as Bjornson input the team’s IDC into his GDO. “Stargate Command, this is Squadron Leaders Fairbairn of SG-24. Come in. Stargate Command, this is Squadron Leader Fairbairn of SG-24. Come in.”

  “Squadron Leader Fairbairn, this is Stargate Command. We read you loud and clear,” said General Carter.

  “Sorry about the delay, General. The welcoming committee met us first.”

  “I take it you make contact with Simon?” General Carter asked.

  “Yes ma'am. He's Lord Mayor of the village now,” replied Fairbairn.

  From the control room at Stargate Command, General Carter smiled and chuckled. “I figured he would. Your supplies are on a FRED and on the ramp. We'll send them to you as soon as you disconnect.”

  “Understood, General,” replied Fairbairn. “We'll do so now. SG-24 out.” Shortly after Fairbairn finished transmitting the Gate deactivated. Moments later, the Stargate began to dial from offworld. The Stargate kawooshed, and the FRED (a remote controlled motorized cart for carrying supplies) with SG-24's gear materialized a minute later.

  “Supplies received. Thank you, General,” said Fairbairn.

  “My pleasure,” replied General Carter. “We'll check-in in four days.”

  “Understood, General. We look forward to it.”

  “Until then. SGC out.” The Stargate deactivated and Bjornson grabbed the remote control for the FRED from its place on the cart. They all climbed on their horses and Fairbairn spoke into her radio.

  “Fairbairn to Colonel Larkin, come in.”

  “Larkin here. Go ahead, Fairbairn,” Larkin replied.

  We’ve contacted the SGC and have secured our supplies. We're returning to the village now.”

  “Copy. We're investigating some fresh tracks and a cave Sister Hellen has spotted. Get our supplies to the monastery. If you get there first, secure it, and get our camp set up.”

  “Understood. We'll let you know when we get back to the village. Fairbairn out.” Fairbairn turned to Bjornson and said, “You're ready to go back there?”

  “Yes ma’am,” replied Bjornsen. He positioned himself on the horse so that he could keep one hand on Fairbairn and the other hand on the remote control. Fairbairn tapped her heels and Starfire and Thunder set off for the village.