Title: Pas de Deux
Author: Sarae
Status: Complete
Category: Episode/Scene Addition
Pairings: Sam/Jack
Spoilers: Fallen, with references to Redemption 2 and Exodus
Season: 7
Summary: Daniel has some questions following the briefing in Fallen.
Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, SciFi Channel/Vivendi, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
Author Note: This was just an overnight thought that I had to write down after having watched Fallen again for the first time since it originally aired. Much gratitude to Aud for the excellent beta (as always), and to Rosemary for pushing (as always). You ladies rock!
Pas de Deux
© 2003 Sarae
Sam surveyed those assembled in the briefing room before her. Some were sitting, others were standing because no one had taken the time to bring in extra chairs. It wasn't every day she addressed this large a group, and it wasn't every day the group included several Tok'ra. Not to mention that she was still getting used to seeing Daniel's somewhat befuddled looking face staring back at her. She smiled as their eyes briefly met, then she cleared her throat and began her briefing.
"As you all know, we've had little success using Naquadria to power the F-302's hyperspace generator for any length of time. However, if our calculations are correct, we believe that a short, controlled burst would send the '302 into subspace just long enough to bypass the mother ship's shields," she said pointing to the diagram on the screen behind her.
"And if your calculations are incorrect?" Jack challenged, raising his brows.
"The '302 would bypass the mother ship all together, or worse, re-emerge inside it, but let's not go there right now," Sam countered with a slightly irritated smile.
"Of course, let's not dwell," Jack added, sarcastically.
Sam cleared her throat and then continued, determined that he would not throw her off her game. "Now, uh, according to intelligence provided by the Tok'ra," she paused just a second to gesture toward their guests, "the power core of Anubis' new weapon must be cooled by a ventilation shaft on the exterior of the ship. If that can be targeted and destroyed just as the weapon is powering up, the crystals will over-heat and be destroyed."
Much to her chagrin, she saw Jack's arm go up. Knowing he would keep it up all day if he had to, she decided to put him out of her misery and recognized him. "Where is the shaft, exactly?" he asked.
"As Colonel O'Neill is well aware, we don't know exactly where the shaft is," Sam said, smiling the entire time, though she felt like doing anything but smiling.
The Tok'ra, Sina, chose that moment to add her commentary. "Our operative in Anubis' ranks has been unable to get aboard the new ship, and has only been able to glean a very limited working knowledge of it. Anubis protects his computer systems with elaborate ciphers coded in the oldest known Ancient dialect. We have been unable to translate them."
"Which is where Jonas Quinn and Daniel Jackson come in. They'll sneak onto Anubis' ship and access the computer," Sam added, smoothly, while giving a nod toward the duo seated closest to her and with their backs to most of the room.
Sina continued, "We have devised an injectable radioactive isotope that will allow them to move freely on Anubis' ship, undetected by his sensors, for eight hours."
"They'll decipher the codes and relay the location of the target to Colonel O'Neill and myself, who will be flying the F-302," Sam said, completing the plan layout.
"No problem, right?" Jack quipped.
"Hey, sounds easy to me," Jonas said and Daniel gave a thumbs-up.
Jack, apparently unable to help himself, continued, "Good. Anubis' ship is destroyed and we all live to save another day."
Sam, smiling, began speaking through gritted teeth. "Again, as the Colonel is well aware, we have reason to believe that eliminating the crystal power core of the ship's main weapon won't destroy the entire ship. Its defenses and auxiliary weapons will remain intact."
"Why don't we dwell on that for just a minute?" Jack asked, returning her smile, and loving that he could not, for one moment, fluster her.
Nodding, she continued with the point she knew he wanted her to make. "Our goal is to take out Anubis' new super weapon. It's what gives him a clear advantage over the rest of the Goa'uld mother ships. Now, we've received word from Teal'c that Yu has pledged to bring the full force of the remaining system lords' fleet down on Anubis once we've succeeded."
Then, for good measure, and because he was not one to be silent when he thought something needed to be said, Jack spoke up again. "Okay. Everyone who thinks this is absolutely an 'insane' idea, raise your hand." At first, he was the only one with his hand raised. "Come on, be honest," he added. Soon everyone raised their hand, including, reluctantly, Sam.
"Keep your hands up, people, because the next question is who is going to make this happen?" Hammond said.
Jack almost lowered his hand, but then he shrugged and pushed it up higher again.
Jonas said, as he lowered his hand, "Well, uh, it's going to take us at least a week to relocate the inhabitants of the ruins..."
"Which will give us more than enough time to build a makeshift runway and get the '302 through the 'gate and reassembled." Sam finished his sentence for him.
"Once everything is established," Jonas paused to look around and give a thumbs up to those assembled, "the Tok'ra will plant our fake tablet and, with any luck, we'll lure Anubis to the planet."
Hammond, feeling the plan had been fully explained, brought the briefing to an abrupt end. "Let's move."
The room began to clear as those who had been standing and a few who had been sitting began to leave. When only Jack, Daniel, Jonas and Sam were left, Jack spoke with a bit less sarcasm. She imagined it was his way of apologizing for being just a tad obnoxious during her briefing, while still making his position clear. "Look, I realize I wasn't the most positive voice in the room..." Jack said and then thrumbed his fingers on the table.
"We all know it's an extreme long-shot, sir," Sam said, feeling like she was stating the obvious.
Jack continued his explanation, "Well, my big problem with it is that all this depends on us trusting a Goa'uld to back us up." Blaming the Goa'uld was always a good plan, Jack thought.
Sam, beginning to feel exasperated, said, "This is our only chance to take Anubis completely out of the picture and Yu has come through for us in the past."
"All I'm saying...just for the record...this is the wackiest plan we've ever come up with." Jack stood up, knowing that the argument was over.
"Wackier than strapping an active Stargate to the bottom of the X-302?" Sam asked as he crossed in front of her.
"Oh, yeah," Jack said as he continued to the door next to Hammond's office.
Sam, unwilling to give in so easily, asked, "Wackier than-than blowing up a sun?"
"Yep!" Jack's voice drifted in from the hallway as he continued his trek away from the briefing room.
Sam looked at the door, then at Jonas and Daniel, who were still sitting in their chairs. She raised her brows and admitted, "He's probably right," then she walked out of the room too.
Daniel looked at Jonas, his brows raised, as he questioned, "You strapped an active Stargate to the bottom of the X-302?"
Jonas nodded as he answered, "Yes."
"And you blew up a sun?" Daniel added, his eyes growing wide with surprise.
"No," Jonas said, shaking his head. "But they did…well, you were with them…"
"Ah," Daniel said, wishing for not the first time, that he could remember. "So, tell me, while you're at it, are they married?"
"Who?" Jonas asked, completely taken by surprise.
"Sam and Jim…uh, Jack," Daniel added, berating himself for not being able to get Jack's name right.
"Oh, no," Jonas replied with a chuckle. He was amused and could not imagine what would have prompted Daniel to ask such a question. Then he replayed the past few moments in his brain and realized that their little pas de deux during the briefing had sounded very much like an old married couple. He challenging her, she parrying back, but always with respect and a bit of humor. "No!" he added with more emphasis. "They, uh, can't…" Jonas raised his brows and shrugged as he fumbled for the correct words. "They're in the same chain of command. It's against the regulations. I mean, even though we're 'civilians'," Jonas made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "we couldn't…with Sam, you know? They've been working together for a long time. They are very comfortable with each other." He shrugged as he saw Daniel nod.
"Ah…right…the regulations," Daniel replied, pretending to remember. "That's too bad," he added as he stood to leave.
"Yeah," Jonas added, sounding a little melancholy, "it is." Jonas looked out the window to the Stargate, suddenly wondering how Daniel had picked up on that detail so quickly and if he should say something to Sam or Colonel O'Neill. Then he noticed that Daniel was still standing beside his chair, watching him. Jonas smiled, stood and gave Daniel a light slap on the shoulder. "Well, I guess we'd better get geared up, huh?"
The End