Originally published in 2006 as SJAuthor

So, this is my filling-in of how SG-1's robotic duplicates went from being stuck on a dead planet with Harlan the android, to exploring the galaxy and ultimately reuniting with SG-1 in "Double Jeopardy". Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate. I just like it :) All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1 - Let's Get outta Here

"Well, happy birthday, Sam," said Daniel.

"What?" she replied. "Daniel, my 'birthday' would have been four months ago."

"I believe he refers to the anniversary of your construction,
Samantha," observed Teal'c.

"Right," said Daniel, "so, technically it's mine and Jack's, too. Yours won't be for another couple of days, sorry, Teal'c."

Teal'c nodded.

"I can't believe it's been a year already," said Sam, setting down the wrench she'd been using to open a rusted steam vent.

"We have accomplished a great deal," said Teal'c

"I'll say," agreed Daniel. "When we first got here, the place was falling apart. Now, it can almost run itself." Sam looked at Daniel thoughtfully. "What?" he asked.

"Run itself... you know, Daniel? You're not that far off," she said, getting to her feet and heading for the staircase.

"Sam?" asked Daniel, as he and Teal'c got up and followed her.

"I want to check something," she said, heading for the control center.

They came upon Jack and Harlan sitting at the console. "What's up?" asked Jack as they approached.

"That last vent's taken care of," said Sam, coming around next to Jack to look at the computer display of the station. "And, I think that should be the last problem we encounter for a good while," she said, after a scan of the readout.

"Comtrya!" said Harlan gleefully. "Wallace would be so proud. Even at our best, the two of us alone could never do much more than stave off the most catastrophic of failures."

"Nice work," said Jack, sitting back and shying slightly away from his over joyous associate.

"What's more," continued Sam, "I think this is the opportunity we've been waiting for."

"You're serious?" asked Daniel.

"What opportunity?" asked Harlan.

"That is indeed good news," said Teal'c.

"Tell me, just tell me, you're not playing some sick joke on me," said Jack, getting cautiously to his feet.

"Nope," said Sam, smiling. "I think this is really it. According to these readings, there are no major failures pending or even likely. And - this is the best part - even the automatic maintenance system is back up and fully functioning."

"Yes!" exclaimed Jack.

"What are you speaking about?" said Harlan more urgently. He had begun to suspect the reason for their excitement.

"Harlan, we need to talk," said Daniel carefully.

"What about?"

"About us staying here -"

"We have talked about all that," said Harlan, cutting Daniel off, and waving his hands, "a long time ago. When first you came here. You agreed that this station's survival meant our survival. You have stayed, and we have done so much."

"Yes, but now we've gotten to a sustainable level," explained Sam. "The station can pretty much take care of itself now, which means we can spend our time doing more than just maintenance."

"But still, there is nowhere else to go," Harlan observed. "The emitter is here. We must remain with the power source. We must stay here."

The would-be explorers exchanged glances, not quite knowing how to break the news to their friend. "Harlan," said Sam finally, "I've been working on some designs for portable power packs."

"No, no, no!" Harlan pleaded. "You have told me of the dangers out there, of the Goa'uld. There is no need. Why would you risk your lives by trying to leave?"

"Because that's what we do, Harlan," said Jack. "We may not be able to lead our old lives, but we still have some desires of our own. And mine do not particularly include sitting around this station for the rest of my life."

Harlan seemed on the verge of tears.

"We're not trying to leave this instant," consoled Sam. "I haven't actually built anything yet. And we have a lot more to consider if we are going to start using the 'gate again. Besides," she said, "the best plans I've come up with so far are only for short-lived battery packs; they'd only last a day or two. So, we'd still be living here most of the time."

"But why must you go for even that long?" Harlan asked. "You might never come back."

"Because, there are still people we care about out there," said Daniel. "She may not be my wife, but somewhere, Sha're is most likely still Amaunet's captive."

"My wife and son - those of my counterpart," Teal'c corrected himself, "are, in all likelihood, still slaves of the Goa'uld, as are certainly millions of other Jaffa."

"Basically, Harlan," said Sam, "with our knowledge, and the increased abilities we have because of these bodies, we think we can do a lot more good out there than our human counterparts might be able to do. At the very least, we can explore, and find out what's going on in the rest of the galaxy. Aren't you at least curious?"

"I do not understand," said Harlan obstinately. "What is more important than survival?"

"Living!" said Jack. "At least, as much as a robot can."

"We're not going to disappear this instant, Harlan," Daniel affirmed. "But you need to get yourself used to the idea. Who knows? Before long you might even want to join us, and see what's out there."

"No, no, not me. Not through your stargate. This is my home. I will stay. And I hope you will all change your minds soon," Harlan said as he got up and walked away towards his quarters, shaking his head worriedly.

Jack clapped his hands together. "That went well, don't you think?" he asked.

Sam shrugged, "as well as we could have expected, I suppose," she said.

"So," asked Daniel, "how long do you think before you can make those power packs?"

"If my design's correct, it should only take a day or so for the construction and tests," replied Sam. "But I meant what I said about other considerations," she added.

"Like what?" asked Jack.

"I was thinking; the duplication device contains an enormous amount of memory. What if, before we left through the 'gate, we made a sort of 'back up' of each of our consciousnesses?" Jack raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Daniel stared wide-eyed. "Are you serious, Sam?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, think about it. That way, if anything did happen on a mission, we could always just sort of 'reset' to before we left, and cross that address off of our list."

"Assuming any of us made it back," provided Jack.

"Well," answered Sam, "in that case, at least Harlan wouldn't be left alone. He could recreate his 'companions' himself."

"Okay," said Jack, "let's say we do this 'back up' plan, what else do we need? You mentioned a 'list' of addresses? I think I forgot to bring mine."

"I've been working on that, too," said Sam with a smile. "I know the algorithm used to extrapolate modern 'gate coordinates from the Abydos cartouche. I also know the order in which they were entered into the SGC computers. So..."

"We go backwards," said Daniel.

"Exactly," continued Sam. "We start exploring planets in the reverse order that the SGC will be obtaining addresses. That way, we avoid running into anyone from earth, except by extreme chance."

"And you've got all of this in your head?" said Jack, both impressed and jealous.

"Yes, well, I was rather involved in the process," she said, actually blushing.

"I believe these are excellent means of proceeding," declared Teal'c.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Daniel. "Jack?"

"Let's do it," voted Jack. "What do you need from us?" he asked Sam.

"A volunteer, for starters. I'd like to make the power packs... internal."

"Internal, you say," repeated Jack.

Sam grimaced affirmatively.

"Why the heck not?" Jack said finally. "I'll do it. I'm probably the most stir crazy of the group, anyway."

"Have fun," said Daniel, glad not to have had to volunteer.

"Good luck in your endeavors," said Teal'c.

"Thanks," said Sam and Jack together.

To be continued...