"Nervous?" asked Lieutenant Colonel Naylor, throwing a rare smile in Sergeant Howard's direction. Allison, as the Sergeant was to her friends, had been only with the SGC for a few short months and she was about embark on her first off world mission. She'd been briefed on the members of the team she was joining, and given a special warning about the Colonel Naylor's second-in-command, Captain Chris Blake, who had mourned the loss of Corporeal Johnson very badly and, was embittered towards Allison as she had replaced the Corporeal.
"Yes," she admitted realising her nervous habit of continuously checking her gun had obviously showed up. The Colonel kept his gaze on her, it made her feel uncomfortable and offered him a quick smile before turning back to her locker. She had right to be nervous, they were about to visit Simarka, a world where according to the reports written by SG-1 the natives didn't take too kindly to womenfolk... even though the reports stated one tribe had thrown out their oppressive laws on women it didn't go all the way to convincing Allison she was to be totally safe.
The locker room had been emptied for SG-14 to kit up. Captain Blake and Lieutenant Donnelly had already finished adorning their gear and were awaiting Allison and the Colonel, who was infamous for taking his time kitting up, in the gate room. Allison's locker was located on the far side from the door, but she'd brought it's contents to a bench nearer the Colonel's locker to add the items to her bag. She was the team's "science-guy", following SG-1 example all SG teams tried to be assigned one "geek", SG-14 was no exception.
"Coming?" Allison asked turning to face the Colonel as she stood at the now open door.
"I'll meet you in the gate room," said the Colonel not looking up as he stuffed his trademark cigar into his pack. He didn't look up until he heard the door close behind Sergeant Howard before he zipped up his bag. He stood up and turned to his locker... he stood motionless for a moment, the picture of his war-buddies that occupied the rear of the top shelf in his locker, holding his gaze. He outstretched his hand towards the picture, he wanted to hold it and remember... instead he slammed the locker door shut.
It's in the past, he told himself.
"Ladies first," said Donnelly smiling, happy to once again have an available female on the team.
The gate was open when Naylor finally arrived in the embarkation room, most would get a few strong words from General Hammond for his timekeeping, Naylor was an exception... "Fashionably late" he once called it.
Allison smiled at Donnelly, she appreciated how friendly he'd been in dealing with Blake's attitude towards her when the team had first met three days before. She took a few paces forward but found herself stopping at the mouth of the gate. She was hypnotized by the wormhole's watery glow.
"We haven't got all day," said the Colonel beginning to ascend the ramp. Blake had gone through the instant the wormhole had been established to P3X-593 and now Sergeant Howard held the proceedings up.
"Sorry," she said turning her head as far to the side as possible, making it obvious she was responding to the Colonel. It was her first gate trip... she wanted to saviour it, because no matter how many times one would go through this vehicle of the ancients the first time would always be the most exciting.
She took a moment to take in the aroma... not just the smelless wormhole but the overall atmosphere of the gate room, it had seen so many historic things, and so many adventures had begun on the very spot where she stood.
She took another step forward and was gone...
"Was there a problem on the other side?" Blake said almost emotionlessly, Allison could tell he disliked conversation with her. She'd just come bounding from the Stargate's entrance, almost tripping on the steps that lead down from the small rocky platform on which the stargate stood, and already Blake was in her face.
"I just wanted to enjoy my first gate journey," she said in total honesty as she picked up a few things that had flown from her pockets upon her clumsy arrival.
"Huh," said Blake dismissively, almost as if he didn't believe her.
With all the things returned to her pockets Allison turned her attention to the stargate, where the Colonel and Lieutenant Donnelly had just taken a leisurely step out of. How do they do that? Allison wondered, considering her rather ungraceful exit from the wormhole.
"Look," said Naylor in his usual playful way, "The aliens here look like Blake and Howard." His joking had been a constant source of amusement for Allison since her assignment to SG-14, that and Donnelly's kind words had helped her up to this point in dealing with Blake's attitude.
She gave off a small laugh, she didn't want to express the full extent of her amusement as she had no idea where the Colonel's boundaries on relaxation during a mission were. Naylor greeted her small laugh with a smile.
"Okay people," he said breaking eye contact with Allison and coming down from the Stargate's platform, making him only the seventh Tau'ri to step foot on the planet the computer had designated P3X-593, after the four members of SG-1, Blake and Allison. "The report..." started Naylor keeping his finger very near his gun's trigger, and referring to SG-1's mission report that Colonel O'Neill had written upon their return from this planet after their encounter with a Mongol like tribe calling themselves the Shavadai. "... says there's some sort of village not more than a few clicks from here." He stopped to take a moment to look into the dingy blue sky, offset only by the orangey glow of a sun descending below the horizon, "It'll be dark soon. So it'll be better if we reach this settlement before dark. I sure as heck don't wanna stay out in this cold."
Whilst Donnelly and Allison nodded in agreement, Blake simply turned away and pointing in the direction of a grouping of mature trees a few meters away, "The report says it's that way," he said blankly.
"Yes," Naylor agreed coming up to her Blake stood. "Let's move out," the Colonel said giving Blake an encouraging tap on the shoulder.
"It's no use," said Naylor taking a seat on the end of a, long time, fallen tree trunk. "What?" Allison said just as the Colonel came into her visual range, which was very limited by the failing light.
"I can't see anything," came Donnelly's voice, which sounded alarmingly distant.
"He took the word right out of my mouth," Naylor said setting his gun down on the trunk beside him, allowing his now free hands to brush some of the leaves and small branches he'd collected pushing his way through a particularly dense area of the forest a few minutes ago.
"Jason?" called out Allison worried by how far away Lieutenant Donnelly had sounded the last time he'd spoken.
"Where are you?" his voice replied now sounding much closer.
"Here with the Colonel," she said looking left and right... straining her eyes in a vain attempt to force herself to she through the shroud of darkness. "Where are you?" she added.
"Here," said Donnelly. Allison could tell he was standing directly behind her, "Where had you gone to?" she asking shifting the focus away from the fact she'd been worried about Donnelly.
"I was trying to keep up with Blake, he's gone on ahead sir," Donnelly said stepping past Allison to address the Colonel, who'd finished cleaning his uniform and now stood with his weapon in front of the tree trunk.
"Very well, we should head out too. I don't want us getting to separated in this limited visibility," Naylor said starting off walking at a brisk pace in the direction they'd all been travelling in, and hoped Blake would still be.
"Yes," she admitted realising her nervous habit of continuously checking her gun had obviously showed up. The Colonel kept his gaze on her, it made her feel uncomfortable and offered him a quick smile before turning back to her locker. She had right to be nervous, they were about to visit Simarka, a world where according to the reports written by SG-1 the natives didn't take too kindly to womenfolk... even though the reports stated one tribe had thrown out their oppressive laws on women it didn't go all the way to convincing Allison she was to be totally safe.
The locker room had been emptied for SG-14 to kit up. Captain Blake and Lieutenant Donnelly had already finished adorning their gear and were awaiting Allison and the Colonel, who was infamous for taking his time kitting up, in the gate room. Allison's locker was located on the far side from the door, but she'd brought it's contents to a bench nearer the Colonel's locker to add the items to her bag. She was the team's "science-guy", following SG-1 example all SG teams tried to be assigned one "geek", SG-14 was no exception.
"Coming?" Allison asked turning to face the Colonel as she stood at the now open door.
"I'll meet you in the gate room," said the Colonel not looking up as he stuffed his trademark cigar into his pack. He didn't look up until he heard the door close behind Sergeant Howard before he zipped up his bag. He stood up and turned to his locker... he stood motionless for a moment, the picture of his war-buddies that occupied the rear of the top shelf in his locker, holding his gaze. He outstretched his hand towards the picture, he wanted to hold it and remember... instead he slammed the locker door shut.
It's in the past, he told himself.
"Ladies first," said Donnelly smiling, happy to once again have an available female on the team.
The gate was open when Naylor finally arrived in the embarkation room, most would get a few strong words from General Hammond for his timekeeping, Naylor was an exception... "Fashionably late" he once called it.
Allison smiled at Donnelly, she appreciated how friendly he'd been in dealing with Blake's attitude towards her when the team had first met three days before. She took a few paces forward but found herself stopping at the mouth of the gate. She was hypnotized by the wormhole's watery glow.
"We haven't got all day," said the Colonel beginning to ascend the ramp. Blake had gone through the instant the wormhole had been established to P3X-593 and now Sergeant Howard held the proceedings up.
"Sorry," she said turning her head as far to the side as possible, making it obvious she was responding to the Colonel. It was her first gate trip... she wanted to saviour it, because no matter how many times one would go through this vehicle of the ancients the first time would always be the most exciting.
She took a moment to take in the aroma... not just the smelless wormhole but the overall atmosphere of the gate room, it had seen so many historic things, and so many adventures had begun on the very spot where she stood.
She took another step forward and was gone...
"Was there a problem on the other side?" Blake said almost emotionlessly, Allison could tell he disliked conversation with her. She'd just come bounding from the Stargate's entrance, almost tripping on the steps that lead down from the small rocky platform on which the stargate stood, and already Blake was in her face.
"I just wanted to enjoy my first gate journey," she said in total honesty as she picked up a few things that had flown from her pockets upon her clumsy arrival.
"Huh," said Blake dismissively, almost as if he didn't believe her.
With all the things returned to her pockets Allison turned her attention to the stargate, where the Colonel and Lieutenant Donnelly had just taken a leisurely step out of. How do they do that? Allison wondered, considering her rather ungraceful exit from the wormhole.
"Look," said Naylor in his usual playful way, "The aliens here look like Blake and Howard." His joking had been a constant source of amusement for Allison since her assignment to SG-14, that and Donnelly's kind words had helped her up to this point in dealing with Blake's attitude.
She gave off a small laugh, she didn't want to express the full extent of her amusement as she had no idea where the Colonel's boundaries on relaxation during a mission were. Naylor greeted her small laugh with a smile.
"Okay people," he said breaking eye contact with Allison and coming down from the Stargate's platform, making him only the seventh Tau'ri to step foot on the planet the computer had designated P3X-593, after the four members of SG-1, Blake and Allison. "The report..." started Naylor keeping his finger very near his gun's trigger, and referring to SG-1's mission report that Colonel O'Neill had written upon their return from this planet after their encounter with a Mongol like tribe calling themselves the Shavadai. "... says there's some sort of village not more than a few clicks from here." He stopped to take a moment to look into the dingy blue sky, offset only by the orangey glow of a sun descending below the horizon, "It'll be dark soon. So it'll be better if we reach this settlement before dark. I sure as heck don't wanna stay out in this cold."
Whilst Donnelly and Allison nodded in agreement, Blake simply turned away and pointing in the direction of a grouping of mature trees a few meters away, "The report says it's that way," he said blankly.
"Yes," Naylor agreed coming up to her Blake stood. "Let's move out," the Colonel said giving Blake an encouraging tap on the shoulder.
"It's no use," said Naylor taking a seat on the end of a, long time, fallen tree trunk. "What?" Allison said just as the Colonel came into her visual range, which was very limited by the failing light.
"I can't see anything," came Donnelly's voice, which sounded alarmingly distant.
"He took the word right out of my mouth," Naylor said setting his gun down on the trunk beside him, allowing his now free hands to brush some of the leaves and small branches he'd collected pushing his way through a particularly dense area of the forest a few minutes ago.
"Jason?" called out Allison worried by how far away Lieutenant Donnelly had sounded the last time he'd spoken.
"Where are you?" his voice replied now sounding much closer.
"Here with the Colonel," she said looking left and right... straining her eyes in a vain attempt to force herself to she through the shroud of darkness. "Where are you?" she added.
"Here," said Donnelly. Allison could tell he was standing directly behind her, "Where had you gone to?" she asking shifting the focus away from the fact she'd been worried about Donnelly.
"I was trying to keep up with Blake, he's gone on ahead sir," Donnelly said stepping past Allison to address the Colonel, who'd finished cleaning his uniform and now stood with his weapon in front of the tree trunk.
"Very well, we should head out too. I don't want us getting to separated in this limited visibility," Naylor said starting off walking at a brisk pace in the direction they'd all been travelling in, and hoped Blake would still be.