Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show much to my disappointment.
Note: this is my first SG1 fiction and whilst I have really good ideas I often have trouble putting them to paper. Please let me know if it's worth continuing or if I should just quit now.
SG1 stood at the base of the ramp looking up towards the Stargate as the chevrons locked into place. Around them the base was alive with action: the loudspeaker issuing forth commands and nameless people running to and fro on individual tasks. In the midst of it the four figures stood silently. Well almost silently.
Col. Jack O'Neil, back from retirement, yet again, was standing just to the front of his Second in Command, pretending to listen to Daniel's explanation of the cultural value of their next assignment. Whilst he made the occasional nod and noise of agreement, in truth his mind had drifted shortly after hearing the word "artifact" closely followed by the word "anthropological" and the statement "it could take years to decipher it all". Jack had no intention of staying years on P3X – blah blah blah. In his mind this mission was purely surveillance, of the foliage kind. See Danny, he mused I know big words too. SG1 were purely there to see if aside from trees (and rocks) there was anything worth returning for. Carter could play with some science toys, Danny could play with some history toys and Teal'c could play with…..well he could just stand there looking intimidating and twitching his eyebrow. It was a nice safe mission perfect for reestablishing some basic ties between his team.
He felt the habitual half smile slip from his face at the thought and made a conscious effort to bring it back. Daniel had been watching him like a hawk since his return and it would not do to have him question if he was alright just a moment before setting foot off world. Jack could imagine the scenario in his mind – Daniel, pausing for breath, would catch the slightly depressed look and say in his soft I'm-going-to-be-emotional-and-serious tone, "You all right Jack?" and then Jack would give his typical off the cuff response which, rather then silencing Daniel, would serve only to encourage his questions so that by the time they arrived on P3X-whatever it is, Daniel would be more focused on Jack then his rocks and Jack would be just about ready to Zat him for some peace. This, Jack mused, would not be the wisest of decisions given the current strain his team was under.
He had hurt his team. Badly. Something which ate at his very core. It went against the code – the air force code, the friendship code, his personal code, Hell! it went against every sensible code known to man. Deep down he knew he had done the right thing. He had followed his orders and saved the world from an intergalactic war. He knew he had done a service to his country, but knowing that didn't soothe the hurt he felt when he looked at his team. It didn't replace the trust they once had or the friendship that had all but been obliterated between them.
The things he had said, the way he had used their friendship against them and the betrayal of trust he had performed, all so soon after his return from Endora had placed a solid wedge between him and everyone else. Sure Daniel had come around like a lost puppy the instant he had found out the truth and Carter still treated him with the respect due a commanding officer, Teal'c just took it at face value saying only "a warrior must often choose the most challenging course in order to do what is right". But the bond that had existed between them, the almost telepathic connection they all had was gone.
Well this mission would change that he decided with a shrug of his shoulders and as the wormhole spun into life he settled his pack, called" Let's move campers!" and stepped through the wormhole and look of quiet determination on his face. Had he but looked he would have seen a similar grim determination on Carter's face and perhaps the outcome of this mission would have been a lot different, for as is the case on most of SG1's missions, nothing is ever as easy as it seems.