The gate opened with its usual kawoosh. O'Neill looked at it. Somehow it never ceased to amaze him that in four seconds he could travel hundreds, even thousands of light years away. His team entered the gate room, slowly, one at a time. Daniel, of course, was last.
"Ya ready, Danny boy?" Jack asked sarcastically. This was a routine reconnaissance mission. A goa'uld occupied planet, go in, check things out, return. No biggie. Daniel looked up briefly, muttered something, and then went back to fumbling with his gear.
"Great, let's move out."
He walked up to the gate, paused to admire its quiet power, and then stepped through to another planet. His team followed close behind. It was dark when they arrived.
"I guess daylight savings doesn't apply here," Jack muttered. By the light of the gate he could see Carter's grin.
Daniel stepped through and the gate whooshed closed. They stood there in darkness for a moment, trying to get their bearings. The gate stood in a clearing, surrounded by a few trees, and a small hill. Not much to look at. Carter was the first one down the steps.
"Oh god, sir, I think you should see this," she called. She crouched down next to a dark figure on the ground. O'Neill stepped closer and saw that it was a body, laying face down in the dirt, hands and feet bound. Carter rolled the body onto its side to get a clear view of its face.
It belonged to a badly beaten girl. O'Neill could hardly see in this light, but she seemed to be human, young, maybe mid teens. She had long straight orange-red hair, and a stubbornness to her face that spoke volumes about the hardship she had suffered, probably at the hands of the goa'uld. she wore a simple silver necklace, with a charm of the point of origin of this planet.
"She's barely alive, sir," Sam reported.
Teal'c had moved away from the group to secure a perimeter. Whatever, whoever, had harmed the girl could still be in the area. He saw no movement in the tree line, but a faint glow over the top of the hill. He went to investigate. He stood at the top of the hill.
"O'Neill," he called. "There is a village here."
"Great," O'Neill called back. He turned to Daniel. "Daniel, go check it out. Take Teal'c." At Daniel's questioning look he added, "It's a Gould planet, he'll reinforce your authority."
If Daniel was insulted by his implied lack of authority he didn't show it. He turned to join Teal'c at the top of the hill.
"Danny," Jack called to his back. "See if they'll talk to you. Find out what snake rules here, who the girl is, and why they just dumped her here half dead."
Daniel nodded and he and Teal'c disappeared over the ridge. Jack turned to Carter.
"Can she be moved?" he asked. Sam looked down at the girl.
"I'm not sure what damage it'll do, but I know we can't try to treat her here, whatever hurt her before might come back."
"Alright, we take her to the SGC then," Jack answered.
He crouched down by Sam and between the two of them they gently lifted the girl, dialed the gate, and returned to earth.