Before 'The Other Side'

Yseult stilled the flutter in her chest as she prepared to go speak with General Landry. She was terribly anxious to see how he would respond to her plight - both the thought of him granting her request or denying it made the flutter strengthen into a full scale tizzy.

She didn't want to the general to see her as a soldier, so she wore her civilian clothing instead of BDUs. She settled on her dark, pin-striped skirt-suit and a blue women's Oxford shirt, with a few buttons undone to reveal a hint of golden cleavage. As she preferred, she wore dark garters and a stylish pair of heels; her make-up was light and subtle, her hair was styled in an updo, and she even wore her detested contacts - which shrunk the size of her irises, if did nothing to conceal their vivd colouring.

Yseult took the lift down to level 27, and strode to General Landry's office with the clicking of heels. She was so fixed on her goal that she was barely aware of the looks she was receiving from the others in the halls, at most, managing a distractedly acknowledging nod.

She stopped outside the general's office to wipe her sweating palms on her skirt, then timidly knocked on the door. At his gruffed voiced 'enter', she took a deep breath, stilled her features, then slipped into his office. She gave the general a nod, then sat on the edge of the chair in front of his desk, legs crossed, a foot bouncing with her apprehension.

"Général Landry, monsieur, I have a concern, très sérieux, that I would like to bring to your attention." Yseult took another breath, forcing herself not to rush. "It is a personal matter, directly resulting from the actions of the IOA. I am very much hoping you can help me in this regard." Yseult's small smile was tremulous, but her jaw was firm and determined.

"The IOA huh?" General Landry frowned, "Colonel Mitchell just gave me a report of some of their activities recently."

He continued to shuffle through papers until he found the one he wanted and scanned it for a second before putting it on the top of the stack.

"Miss Sierra, have a seat." Now that his attention was focused on her, she couldn't help but be a bit nervous, he didn't seem to be in the best of moods.

"The Colonel mentioned a bit about your situation to me. I'm sorry for what you've had to endure. So tell me, what can I do for you?"

"I want my family back!" Yseult exclaimed, chewing on a finger to still her outburst. "Excusez-moi. This has been a very difficult time for me. The agreement that was thrust upon me by the IOA, it was not made under the best circumstances for me. I had just spent more than a month as a captive of the NID, been subjected to the effects of not one, but two alien artifacts, then watched myself, my real body, die."

Yseult's cheeks were red with emotion. "No sooner had I been rescued by members of the SGC, then the IOA had shown up and thrust their new NDA at me, covering up the manner of my 'death' and providing me with a new identity." The young-looking blonde eyes blazed with anger. "My name is not Sierra - it is Yseult Marie Dionne-Langlois!"

Her voice tight, Yseult continued. "Still in shock, I signed the condamné thing, letting my family believe me dead. At the time, I did not know what else to do. I am not sure what they would have done had I refused to sign it. And even then, the IOA still kept me in restricted isolation for a month because they did not fully believe who I was. Even now, I undergo weekly brain-scans."

"I have tried to move on, tried to force myself to believe that in aiding the SGC, I am helping my family as well. But it is not enough! I miss them too much. They other specialists, they cannot tell their own loved ones what has happened, but they can still be with them. I cannot! I am sure, you yourself Général Landry, can understand this. Dr. Carolyn Lam, she is your daughter, yes?"

Yseult stood up and began pacing, her hands gesturing forcefully with her agitation. "I do not know why the IOA insisted on this course of action. Exceptions to the NDA have been made before. Daniel Jackson's estranged grandfather, Nicholas Ballard was brought to Montagne Cheyenne. And Samantha Carter was granted leave to tell her fiance Pete Shanahan as well. I have been nothing but cooperative the entire time I have been here, close to six years now. I have done nothing to be treated in such a way."

Yseult stopped her pacing, and sat back down, on the very edge of her chair, arms wrapped about herself tightly. Her voice had an eerie calm to it as she faced Landry directly with her vivid turquoise eyes.

"What I would like, is for you to talk to the IOA on my behalf, and get my agreement amended. I want to kiss my husband again, to hug my children and have a chance to watch them grow up. Is that too much to ask? I chose to work here and I was proud of the work I was doing. I wish to remain being proud to be working here - rather than simply no more than a civilian forced into service."

General Landry listened with a straight face as Yseult stormed. When she had done he nodded solemnly and said, "I'll see what I can do. The IOA has a great deal of influence, but as a whole they aren't all heartless." He looked like he might say more, but then decided against, and instead finished with, "I am sorry you were put in this position and I personally don't believe it was the right choice. I will speak with them and ask them to reconsider your situation, but I can't make any promises."

Yseult let out a long, soft sigh. I could have probably have done this better, yes? But I do not possess the charm of Damien or Kyria or Courier. She worked a grateful onto her lips, and leaned over as if she was to going to reach out to Landry, though her hands stayed in her lap.

"Merci beaucoup, Général. I was not expecting promises, only that you would try. I will wait for any further news you have for me and then -" Yseult closed her mouth with an audible click, chewing an underlip. She stood up and gave Landry a handshake in heartfelt thanks. "Again, thank-you, Général Landry."

Yseult gave Landry a thankful nod, then turned on her heel and left the commander of the SGC's office, her chin tilted in resolve, her shoulders straight.

She would get her family back.

One way or another.

Gwyn bumped into the fancily dressed, i.e. not BDU's, and obviously still upset Yseult in the corridor outside the General's office.

"Hi Yseult. Hey, are you ok?", he looks back at the General's office briefly before offering her his arm.
"How about a coffee, the lunchtime rush should be over by now, or we could grab a couple to take to your lab?"

Ryan knew she was going, but he also had a feeling Landry wouldn't get her the answer she wanted immediately. "It just doesn't work that way, even if it should." His words were said in a whisper to himself, and he banished the darker thoughts from his mind as he moved up on the pair of specialists.

He looked at Yesult and smiled. "WellI'm guessing that didn't go perfectly." He looked to Gwyn. "I like the coffee idea, but I'm not going to ask Yesult to go back to her lab today."

He looks to her his smile growing. "Consider it a day's leave. I honestly wasn't feeling liking training this afternoon, so it's no issue for me."

"Oui, I am fine," Yseult said, taking a deep breath to composed herself. She offered Gwyn a perfect, companionable smile. "Thank-you for asking, Gwyn."

Yseult's smile slipped for a moment when Ryan asked how her meeting with Landry went, but it returned quickly, only a little forced. "The meeting, it went much as you said it would, Ryan. Landry, he said 'I am sorry you were put in this position and I personally don't believe it was the right choice. I will speak with them and ask them to reconsider your situation, but I can't make any promises.'" Yseult's inflection changed to a surprisingly accurate copy of General Landry's.

"He will try, it is... It is, I am not sure how long I can wait." Yseult's lyrical spoprano was soft.

"Coffee? I am thinking that I would like to get something stronger. Since I have a day's leave," Yseult said, giving Ryan a grateful nod, "perhaps, we can go off-base. I need... to leave the Montagne, as least for a while."

"Would you two like to accompany me? Perhaps a few others, they would like to come too, yes?"

Gwyn nodded a greeting to Ryan, but answered Yseult,"Sure, just let me tell Damien and Bill while I get changed. Anybody you want me to invite along the way?"

"Any of the girls would be nice, Gwyn, thank-you. Cameron would be welcome as well," Yseult layed a soft hand on Gwyn's arm in thanks. "Of course, you are free to invite whomever you like. I will check for the girls on the way to the car-pool, then procure us a vehicle while you two change."