(originally published on Livejournal)
Teal'c was only a few seconds behind the others through the event horizon, but already CaptainCarter was letting loose with words that were only a mockery of deference.
"No, sir, it's not likely to be a fun world," she said. "Would you like me to place a request with the General for that?"
"That won't be necessary, Carter," ColonelO'Neill said, imitating relaxation even as Teal'c saw neck muscles tensed.
Teal'c took in the new world, that the humans had labeled P3X-535. ColonelO'Neill was correct on his first point, for nothing unique met Teal'c's eyes, only sun and trees and grass. His grip on his staff loosened, and he gave his attention back to his comrades, the only thing he cared about on this world, or indeed most. He could almost see CaptainCarter's glower through the back of her head, while ColonelO'Neill pretended to look the other way.
"Hey, guys?" DanielJackson had actually taken a few steps from the gate, and it appeared that he had seen something 'interesting'. Teal'c was not sure what the connections between all the 'interesting' things he found were, but as ColonelO'Neill also professed to occasionally be in the dark, Teal'c did not bother raising an eyebrow.
"What?" CaptainCarter asked, a bit of snap left over, as she turned her head to look at DanielJackson.
"Yes, Daniel?" ColonelO'Neill sighed with faux-patience.
"Well, this is a finger from a Goa'uld hand-device," DanielJackson said, holding up the metal object with almost delicate grip. "And it wasn't buried, so…"
Teal'c heard ColonelO'Neill say something under his breath, and wondered if it was one of the words that, according to DanielJackson, 'added color' to human speech. Teal'c had forgotten exactly what those words were by the time DanielJackson had explained how color had anything to do with speech.
"Okay, you and Teal'c stay and look around, and Carter and I'll check the perimeter," said Jack, just a hint of weariness in his tone.
"Sir, don't you think we should spread out our resources better?" CaptainCarter protested. "If there's anything of interest on this planet, especially Goa'uld, Daniel might need me."
"He has Teal'c," said ColonelO'Neill shortly, looking her straight in the eye. "I need you to be focused on possible danger, and I don't think Daniel's going to help with that."
Teal'c could see CaptainCarter biting the inside of her lip, but she said after a few seconds, "Yes, sir."
DanielJackson eyed the two as they walked off, CaptainCarter not falling into step so easily.
"CaptainCarter is behaving most strangely," Teal'c commented, knowing that DanielJackson always had an open mood about such subjects. The same was not true of everyone among the Tauri, something that Teal'c had learned with occasional moments of awkwardness. For them, at least.
DanielJackson glanced up from where he was looking at some tracks on the ground. "Really? I think she's just ticked—it's Jack that caught my eye."
Teal'c felt his eyebrow rise slightly, and indeed, he was quite surprised at DanielJackson's misunderstanding. "ColonelO'Neill acts as any commander would, when his subordinate is such as CaptainCarter on this day."
"Well, Jack should have known better than to act flippant about our mission," Daniel commented, squatting to look closer at the imprint where he'd found the Goa'uld object. "Especially after what she went through for it, recently."
Teal'c cocked his head, but was able to recall their past few missions. Their encounter with the so-called Tok'ra, Jolinar. Teal'c was still unable to fully understand why these humans reacted so strongly against the Goa'uld, such that the influence lingered long after the event. They were evil, assuredly, but fear only served their purpose, and disgust only painted the humans as ignorant. Which they were not, Teal'c had decided. Not completely.
But leaving that point aside, Teal'c could vaguely understand CaptainCarter's distress over the subject, and perhaps her desire for her commanding officer to appreciate the lengths she had been forced to go. Their mission was important, or so Teal'c believed.
"ColonelO'Neill may still feel that CaptainCarter's attitude is uncalled for," Teal'c said, taking the rational route.
"Oh, come on, Teal'c," DanielJackson said, a playful smile creeping onto his face. "You never wanted to smack a commanding officer?"
Teal'c's eyebrow rose high, as he could barely grasp what his companion had said. Daniel blinked his surprise at the reaction. "I never felt such an irritation," Teal'c said after a moment.
DanielJackson shrugged, in a manner that Teal'c guessed meant acceptance. Something that Teal'c quietly appreciated in the scientist, for all his lack of warrior strength. He added, for the benefit of Daniel, who always seemed to press Teal'c to keep a conversation going: "I did, however, feel a desire to kill some of them."
DanielJackson half-coughed, pausing and looking up at him, eyes wide behind his round glasses. "Really?"
"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed with a nod. Did DanielJackson not think him capable of such emotions? He prided himself on keeping his temper around these humans, despite the mistrust from many of them, but he thought his team understood that it took some effort.
DanielJackson nodded, not saying anything in particular for a second. Then he looked up at Teal'c, saying seriously, "Well, I've wanted to kill one of your old commanding officers, so I guess I understand that."
DanielJackson did not. Teal'c was not talking about revenge. Why did all the humans see every death as needing such a high justification? Death was useful, it need not be so miserly doled out; many were left in the world who should not have been, simply because they avoided the largest mistakes. But now that DanielJackson had changed the subject, Teal'c did not mind following it.
"You have exemplary judgment, then," he said in a low tone.
DanielJackson's eyes had narrowed just a moment, loss and anger reflected in them. Teal'c did not wish to speak of how he could compare himself with DanielJackson, loss of home and identity, for Daniel as husband, for Teal'c as First Prime. Neither did DanielJackson, he saw. But he noticed the similarities nonetheless.
"We should really be exploring around here," DanielJackson said, brightening up and moving further from the gate, following the apparent track in the ground.
Teal'c, staff in hand, followed at a fair distance. He was not as actively curious as his companions, but neither was he like ColonelO'Neill and anxious for battle. He was still absorbing this life, and perhaps the team was as well.
DanielJackson, however, was mostly absorbed in what he saw. He found a link of chainmail, and Teal'c confirmed that it was Jaffa. After that, however, Teal'c looked over his shoulder in the direction that ColonelO'Neill and CaptainCarter had gone. They were not to be seen or heard, which meant that they were not coming back. Unless they had lessened the tension and would be coming back more quietly. Teal'c thought that unlikely, though, given CaptainCarter's attitude.
"DanielJackson, do you believe that CaptainCarter wishes to do more than hit ColonelO'Neill?" he asked, reviewing his comrade's face in his mind, judging the depth of her irritated expression.
"Hmm?" DanielJackson looked up distractedly, then fully heard Teal'c's question. He looked to Teal'c, as if there would be more answer in his face. Teal'c did not try to put meaning into anything but his words, so that they would be completely clear, but DanielJackson still did not understand that. "Wait, you mean, has she ever wanted to kill him?"
"She is a warrior, unlike you," Teal'c said. That, if nothing else, he knew about CaptainCarter. She was scientist as well, but Teal'c saw a warrior's core when he looked for it.
"Yeah, but our warriors aren't like yours, Teal'c," said Daniel. "We're warriors in pursuit of peace. So's Sam. She's not the type to want to kill."
It was Teal'c's turn to shrug, or rather, cock one shoulder.
Daniel almost chuckled. "Well, I hope so."
Teal'c nodded to himself, thinking. DanielJackson had just clarified something that Teal'c had been trying to place in why he could not fall into step with the soldiers of the Tauri. At first he assumed their backgrounds were incompatible, but while they were, it was not because of different experiences. No, the divide was in different worldviews. Fighting for peace was something Teal'c had never thought of, and he was not ready to give up his own idea of fighting just yet. He knew that by doing that he would remain outside of things, but it was his choice nonetheless.
"Hmm," DanielJackson said, calling Teal'c's quiet attention back to him. "Well, I don't think this means anything except that the Goa'uld scouted here recently," the man said, rising from his squat and slapping the dust from his knees. "But ah, apparently there's something else to tell."
Teal'c followed his gaze over his own shoulder, to where ColonelO'Neill and CaptainCarter were approaching. And ColonelO'Neill was dripping. Dripping enough to fill several buckets, if he were to stand in one place. He was covered in mud, too, though very little of it was on CaptainCarter.
"What happened?" DanielJackson asked as they approached, his brow furrowed with slight worry.
And then Teal'c noted CaptainCarter's face. The gleam in her eyes, the pursed lips, slightly shaking. He cocked an eyebrow, recognizing that she was holding back laughter instead of frustration now. Turning his gaze to ColonelO'Neill, he saw smoldering ill temper in his face.
"I was pushed into a swamp," ColonelO'Neill said, his words crisp.
"I did not push you, sir," CaptainCarter protested, her voice trembling slightly as she held a straight face.
"Do you deny wanting to?" ColonelO'Neill demanded, giving her a confrontational look.
"I didn't say anything about that," CaptainCarter said carefully, her straight face almost crumbling. "But I didn't actually do it, sir."
ColonelO'Neill sighed, his head dropping and shaking back and forth. As his gaze was downwards, both CaptainCarter and DanielJackson let their straight faces drop. CaptainCarter bit back silent laughter, while DanielJackson just grinned broadly. The looks were quickly masked once ColonelO'Neill raised his head, but Teal'c had seen it all.
"No Goa'uld, unless their subordinates pushed them into a swamp," ColonelO'Neill said. "So, nothing interesting here, Daniel?"
"Nothing," said DanielJackson, his hands stuffed comfortably in his pockets. "You're the most interesting thing I've seen so far today."
ColonelO'Neill tried to wither him with a look, but gave it up after a couple seconds. "Dial the gate, Daniel," he sighed.
Teal'c caught CaptainCarter's eyes as they assembled to walk back through the gate. He noticed the twinkle, and the corner of his mouth twitched in response. He understood—her contention with ColonelO'Neill had ended with his encounter with the "vicious" swamp, as ColonelO'Neill named it in his muttering as they started to walk through the event horizon.
Only last year, he would have found the shift in her emotion strange, and would have wondered why such a warrior could be satisfied without proper satisfaction. But this mission had taught him that perhaps there were ways of dispersing anger with one's commanders without violence. Teal'c would have to try that on the inevitable day when ColonelO'Neill would prove too much for his patience.
Back in the gateroom, Teal'c knew that none of the team would remember this day. It was only routine to them. Only he watched, quietly observing everything, and asking questions that seemed strange but forgettable to them. DanielJackson had once told him that subjects who did not know they were being observed provided the best data, and Teal'c remembered that. So he wouldn't ever tell them that he did so at every opportunity, to learn them and their culture—unless, perhaps, he wished to "freak" them some day.
Teal'c smiled to himself at this notion. And he reflected that this amusement was in the Tauri style, and knew once again that all he did was not wasted.