SGC

Colonel Jack O'Neill hated meetings. It didn't matter if they were formal or impromptu – he hated them. Sit down, talk incessantly about whatever, grow bored, run out of pieces of paper to doodle on… how many meetings had he gone to that were actually interesting? He could count them on one hand. What made it worse was that he would spend most of the next two weeks in long meetings, but at least they would be about something he could relate to. After all, how hard could it be teaching The Basics of Battle Tactics 101 to some visiting alien royalty that knew absolutely nothing about organized warfare?

Maybe he should have taken up Daniel's offer to go on his excavation. Digging in the dirt, countless hours of cataloging, getting rubbings of hieroglyphs, crawling around in dirt that kept slipping out from under you, getting said dirt inside every crevice of your clothes …

Then again…

Speaking of excavations and the people leading them, Jack needed to speak to Daniel before he left on his excursion of digging in the dirt. Two weeks. That was a long time for Daniel to be out there on his own - without his team. Jack trusted Daniel's ability in the field. He did, honestly, he did. Daniel had proven his mettle since that very first mission to Abydos, but after everything that had happened in just the last few months – descension, stowaways getting downloaded into his brain, getting kidnapped by guerillas in Central America - Daniel being away for two weeks, away from SG-1, had Jack worried. If he had known that by not volunteering SG-1 to go guard the scientists on the excavation he would be relegated to teaching Battle Tactics 101, he might have reconsidered. Well, it was too late now.

A quick jaunt down the corridors and Jack was soon at Daniel's office. He briefly glanced at the nameplate: Doctor Daniel Jackson, Ph.D. During the year-no-one-liked-to-talk-about, Jack would not allow anyone to remove it. At first, he didn't want anyone to touch it because it was something to remind him of his friend, some remnant of his being there on the base, in that office, working until all hours translating and understanding that whole meaning of life stuff. It was his office, no one else's so that nameplate stayed. Then, after the incident when his unwanted companion, Kanan, had gotten Jack captured by Ba'al's Jaffa and Daniel had to come to his rescue, Jack knew his friend would be back. No one was permitted to touch the nameplate after that adventure. So what if Daniel didn't remember what happened in Ba'al's fortress? Jack did. Jack knew Daniel nudged Teal'c and Carter and paved the way for his escape. Daniel had danced around the Others' rules and did the impossible once again. If Daniel was keeping that close an eye on the team, he wasn't moving on to another level of existence – he couldn't leave his old life behind. It was only a matter of time before he came back, and the waiting finally paid off.

There was Daniel, back where he belonged, in his office marked by his nameplate muttering to himself as he packed. Some things never changed.

Daniel moved quickly about the room getting all the items he would need on the mission: books, laptop, extra batteries, CDs, even journals. How many times had Jack seen that very scene played out time and again in years past? If Daniel were not so serious about his work, Jack would have found it comical.

"Hey," he called out as he entered the room and sat down in the nearest chair.

Daniel stopped momentarily to nod at Jack and then resumed his packing. "Hey. How are things going with the king?"

"I think he asks more questions than you do." Jack picked up a bowl-looking artifact and turned it upside down and around in his hands. "If he ever got in here, he'd want to know why you keep broken bowls sitting around."

Daniel glanced up. "Uh, that's not a broken bowl. That's a skull."

Jack stopped gazing at the broken artifact, quickly put it back down, and then wiped his hands on his pants. "So, Hammond's given you two weeks to go grave robbing."

"Yeah, he's given me two weeks but the primary mission itself should last months, and it's not grave robbing," Daniel answered as he searched for another book. "In fact, we may not even find a grave. This is –"

"Yeah, yeah, a mission where you guys teach their guys how to follow the scientific method and better understand how all their stuff works, organize their findings and develop their own technology and we get to teach the king and his son all about how to organize a fighting army just in case some bad guys happen to drop by which they haven't done in a thousand years –"

"And in exchange get access to their very rich naquada mines," Daniel finished for him. "It's a good deal," he said as he stuffed a few more books into his pack.

"At least this time, you don't have to worry about any Goa'ulds or Jaffa or Unas walking in and dragging you off or guerillas using you for target practice," Jack pointed out.

"Actually, I wasn't worried about that this time. There aren't any Unas or symbiotes on Cyllene and no Goa'uld has set foot on the planet in about one thousand years if their folktales are to be believed."

"Yes, and as we all know, folktales are always reliable," Jack said sarcastically.

Daniel closed his pack and sat down opposite Jack. "I take it you're having second thoughts about not volunteering to act as guard on this expedition?"

Jack shook his head. "Who, me? No. You know me; I'm not a big fan of all that shoveling dirt like you are."

"It wouldn't happen to be because I make you work on these kinds of expeditions, would it?" Daniel asked.

"Of course not. And it's not as if you make me work –"

"I seem to recall the last time Hammond assigned you to an archaeological mission, you complained the entire time –"

"Because… well… you know my knees don't like all that standing and squatting and kneeling down –"

"So you begged off this one and then got roped into teaching instead," Daniel grinned. "Interesting trade-off for you."

Jack leaned back in the chair. It was just like old times all over again. He had missed the banter during the year Daniel was gone. No one else would dare argue with him or tell him he was an ass. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Harry Maybourne would, only Maybourne wasn't a lot of fun to have around. "I think you're enjoying this."

"I'm just sorry I'm going to miss it."

"Miss what?"

Daniel looked at Jack over the rim of his glasses. "Jack, you need to remember that I'm the only person here besides General Hammond that knows what your college degree is in."

Jack cleared his throat. He'd been soundly defeated in that round of words. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here's the finalized list of your team. King Lycaeon said he's going to have his youngest son at the dig but I didn't write his name down. Hammond handpicked most of them. Carter can't go. She's still recuperating from having a foot race with that Kull Warrior on the Alpha Site. Besides, the middle son, Orestes, is interested in learning more about staff weapons and she's giving him the lowdown on those kinds of things. You've got SG-14 keeping an eye on all of you."

"No one volunteered, huh?"

"First rule in the military – never volunteer. There were a few who didn't mind being picked. I think they wanted to get off-world for a few days," Jack said off-handedly as he pushed the broken skull a little further from him.

He watched as Daniel scanned the paper quickly and had to suppress a smile. Jack had written it long hand on notebook paper, not on a military checklist sheet. So what if Jack didn't like having to deal with margins and fonts and spacing when a piece of paper did a lot of the work for him?

TEAM LEADER:

Daniel Jackson

SG-14:

Colonel Joseph Weaver

Major Scott Barnett

Sergeant Wendell Morrison

Corporal Glen Newsome

Corporal Edward Mulroney

Private Thomas Henson

LINGUISTICS, CULTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CREW:

Doctor Lord Richard Cardogan

Assistant Georgia Estes

Doctor Russell Evans

Doctor Joshua Redding

PHYSICIST CREW:

Doctor Oscar Labinski

Doctor Bill Lee

Doctor Simon Parker

BOTANY CREW

Doctor Emily Sanders

Assistant Thomas Sellers

GEOLOGY CREW

Doctor Hugh Isbister

Assistant John S. Carr

"Colonel Weaver? Major Barnett? Uh, Jack, Hammond commissioned this team a week ago, and only a couple of them have off-world experience. The rest don't have any at all."

"Yeah. This should be good for them."

Daniel's eyes squinted. "You didn't."

"Didn't what?" Jack asked in his most innocent tone.

"You're giving me a team I have to help train in off-world protocols? Some of these scientists only have limited experience dealing with the military."

"Hey, they know the protocols, and you're in charge of the mission. This will be good practice for them." Yeah, Daniel knew what Jack had done. A little one-ups-manship never hurt anybody, right? "Besides, you can make them work on your expedition. They know you're in charge."

"Did you give them the speech?"

"What speech?"

"The usual one you always give SG teams in situations like this."

Jack shook his head and tried to deny it. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Jack," Daniel's voice had that sound that distinctly relayed the fact that he didn't believe a word Jack said.

"All I said was that you were in charge and they were supposed to keep you out of trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Yes, trouble," Jack said. "Last time you went off on your own without us, you got caught and tortured by those guys in Central America. And the last expedition you went on, you ended up going on a cross-country hike with an Unas. I'd like to avoid anything like that again. That's all."

"So why didn't you volunteer to go on this one if you're worried?"

Caught! Why did Jack try to pull anything over on Daniel? "Because… "

"I make you work on my excavations?"

"That and I think they're boring."

Jack almost laughed at Daniel's expression. He was amused by that! "Look, Daniel, you can order around any colonel here when they're on your expeditions. They know that. There's a comfort factor involved if I'm the only one they think you can't order around. Gives me a hand up over them."

"And basically puts you and me in a different category from everyone else if I'm the only person you can't order around and you're the only person I can't order around?"

"Yeah. Something like that. Makes the whole system work better, don't you think?"

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

General George Hammond looked over the schedule covering the next two weeks. King Lycaeon and Prince Akakos were going to be very busy with little time for rest or recreation. Prince Orestes would probably sit in on a few of the training sessions, but his time would be centered on the technology of items already recovered from Cyllenian excavations. Regardless, there was a great deal to learn and to decide on. The MALP survey results showed that the capital city on Cyllene was surrounded by a forested, mountainous area, and the king's first priority was to learn about the best use of defensive and offensive tactics for that particular terrain. It was a wise course of study initially, but Hammond knew that this was only the beginning. Once basic defenses were set up, more training would be required to teach the Cyllenians to fight for themselves against an attacker – should one happen to drop by.

"Busy, sir?"

Hammond looked away from the paper. Jack's head was peering around the door, eyebrows raised in addition to his question.

"Not really, Colonel. Come in." Hammond pointed toward the chair as an invitation to sit down. "I assume Doctor Jackson is ready to go?"

"Almost. He's chomping at the bit to do some real archaeological work for a change. I think he's packed twice what he needs."

"He may need all that," Hammond quipped. "According to the preliminary background report on Hermes, he is known to travel a lot –"

"Pick up souvenirs and be a pack rat. I don't know who was wanting to get their hands on this stuff more, Daniel or the weapons guys. In any case, there should be enough to keep them occupied for a while."

"I understand you chose SG-14 to act as the military escort," Hammond observed quietly.

Jack nodded. "They're a new team, they need some off-world time to get to know how each other works, get an idea of what it's like to have civilians off-world, it's a scientific expedition so it should be a pretty easy first assignment for them –"

"And selecting them has nothing to do with the fact that it will be tantamount to a training mission for Doctor Jackson? You're not playing games since you were assigned the task of teaching King Lycaeon?"

"Not in the least, sir," Jack half-protested with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I see," Hammond smiled. He knew his second-in-command far too well sometimes. Watching Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson in a full-blown game of one-ups-man-ship was fun to watch even if he couldn't admit it to anyone. "I've been going over some MALP reports from Cyllene," he handed one of the reports to Jack. "The naquada deposits north of the city look the most promising. What do you think of this deal?"

Jack took a quick look at the numbers. "We're getting an almost unlimited supply of naquada. That's got the big wigs in Washington running around in a tizzy. All we have to do is what we normally do in exchange. I think it's a good deal."

"But?"

"Sir?"

"I hear a 'but' in there. Look, Jack, if anything's bothering you about this, I'd like to know what it is now instead of later." Hammond sat back in his chair and waited.

"This is going to be a long haul, sir. It'll be an easy one initially, but we're committing ourselves to a long-term deal with the Cyllenians for the naquada. That's all fine and dandy, but there's no quick fix. Besides, it seems as if we're getting the better end of the deal."

Ah, so that's what it was. A slight case of inequality in the arrangement? Perhaps Jack had spent enough time around Doctor Jackson to see things from a non-military perspective without realizing it? "You think this is an unfair deal? The naquada is worthless to the Cyllenians. They're glad to be rid of it. In exchange, we're training them in various disciplines. After that, we'll rotate science and military teams to assist them until they can handle things on their own. The king thinks the agreement is a good one for both sides because each is getting what the other wants."

"What if he wants guns and grenades next?" Jack pondered. "What if he uses the naquada as a bargaining chip?"

Those were valid concerns, and Hammond had thought about them himself. "It's a risk we'll have to take in view of the short run benefits. The king understands that we can't give them any advanced technology, but we can teach them how to use the weapons they already have more effectively as well as tactics they've never thought of before. Prince Akakos is interested in tactics and logistics and appears to be a willing student. Prince Orestes will be learning about the weapons currently used by the Jaffa since he has an interest in engineering and weaponry. Prince Telemachus is going to be the expedition's guide on Cyllene – Jack, with the Abydonian mine gone, we've lost one of our main sources for raw naquada. We need them, Jack, probably as much as they need us. All we can do is hope this is a good idea and doesn't backfire on us."

"Good or not, it's working out great for Daniel. This is his first real command since coming back from Omaland. I think he's looking forward to it. I wouldn't want to spoil his fun." Jack said as he placed the paper back on Hammond's desk. "So what else is on the list of things-to-do?"

"I think right now we need to concentrate on the most practical forms of defense. Here is all the information about the city and the surrounding area," Hammond tossed Jack a large folder overflowing with paperwork, "so the first item on your to-do list is to determine where to start."

Jack picked up the unwieldy mass and skimmed through a few of the pages. "Yes, sir," he said unenthusiastically. "Don't you think it's a little strange that the king wants to learn how to fight when there hasn't been an all-out war on Cyllene for centuries and no Goa'uld has stepped foot on the planet in over a thousand years?"

Hammond had considered that question himself. "I think they want to be prepared if an enemy Goa'uld should return there. Until they met SG-6, they had no idea that there were people living on other planets or that we'd succeeded in defeating several Goa'uld ourselves. Even if they've been ignored for centuries, there's always the threat of an invasion. The king wants to be as ready as possible for anything that might happen."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Prince Orestes gently picked up the staff weapon's glowing power cell in gloved hands. "The few staff weapons we recovered intact did not fire after we found them. Their power cells had gone dark. How long does it take for them to die?"

"It depends, Your Highness," Sam answered as they reassembled the staff weapon. "The power cells recharge themselves whenever the staff weapon is fired. The expenditure of energy produces a chemical reaction within the cell. This reaction renews the internal chemical changes back to their original condition, which means a power cell could theoretically last forever. If a staff weapon is dormant, then the cells do have a half-life of a few hundred years. The temple was buried for one thousand years. I doubt if any of the power cells would have had any lingering energy remaining."

Orestes nodded as they fitted another piece into the staff weapon. "Are the dead and dying cells dangerous? Our scholars took apart ones they found that were broken in half, but they suffered no ill effects."

Sam took the power cell and balanced it in the palm of her own gloved hand. "The staff weapon itself is shielded against any residual power leakage, but the outer casement of the cell," she pointed to the glowing greenish skin of the cell, "is constructed from a nearly impenetrable alloy that absorbs the radiation generated from the modified naquada that's housed inside. As long as this outer shell is intact, then anyone in close proximity of the power cell should be relatively safe."

Orestes nodded his head. "Then why are we wearing gloves?"

Sam smiled at the question. "We have a saying, Your Highness. Better safe than sorry."

Orestes laughed as Sam replaced the cell into the staff weapon. "How long has the SGC been collecting otherworld technology?"

"We've been traveling through the stargate for seven years. The Goa'uld kept populations under their control from developing any type of advanced technology out of the fear that they might one day develop a weapon to destroy them, so much of the technology we bring back comes from planets where the Goa'uld haven't had much contact. There are some cultures that have advanced far beyond the Goa'uld, but they don't share their technology with less advanced civilizations."

"General Hammond also told us the same thing," Orestes helped Sam put the last bits and pieces of the staff weapon together and watched it power up then down.

"It is a situation we run into a lot ourselves," Sam leaned the staff weapon up against a wall and brought out a ribbon device for them to study. "Societies have to develop at their own pace, and many are not ready to deal with all the ramifications advanced technologies could bring about. Individuals may have the knowledge to understand the technical intricacies, but the far reaching effects on multiple levels could be something no one has the experience to understand."

Just as Orestes picked up the ribbon device, the telephone rang.

"Excuse me, Your Highness…. Major Carter… Hi!... Yes… No… Oh, I wish I could. My schedule is pretty busy for the next few weeks… I know… I'm sorry… I have an idea – I have some time off coming up in a couple of weeks. If we could arrange to have a few days off at the same time… Great! How's your assignment going?... Pete, be careful. Whoever this is, he's making headlines for not caring who gets hurt… I know stakeouts can be dangerous, just be careful, okay?... Yeah… Me too. I'll see you then?... Okay. Bye."

As Sam placed the phone back in its cradle, Orestes said, "From the smile on your face and the sound of your voice, I'd say that was someone particularly special to you."

Sam couldn't stop smiling. "Yes, he is. His name is Pete Shanahan. He's a police officer."

"Police officer? What is that?"

"Someone who enforces the law."

"And he is involved in something dangerous?"

"Yes. Someone has been stealing devices we call ATMs. It's a device that stores money. I won't bore you with the details of it. Somehow, this thief has operated mostly without being observed, and when he has been seen, he's shot several people. Pete said that whoever it is might be a true professional. He doesn't think an amateur would have gotten away with all this. It's too well planned."

Orestes put the ribbon device back down. "You sounded like you haven't been able to see him for some time."

"I haven't. Our schedules haven't exactly worked together lately."

Orestes looked at her, looked at the telephone, then back at Sam. "Major, since we first met all of you, I've noticed how you and your team have been here every day, late into the night. You yourself rarely go to your home. Now, I overhear you speaking to someone whose company you seem a bit deprived of and would like to see. I hope we haven't inconvenienced you in any way. That wasn't our intention in coming here."

"No, Your Highness. You haven't. Part of our job is … your being here is part of why the SGC exists. It's an opportunity to meet and learn from another society. This is part of my job, and I take it seriously. Pete takes his job just as seriously. We both understand that our duties have to come first."

Orestes pointed at the picture behind Sam. It was a picture of her and a man he assumed was Pete Shanahan. "Is that him?"

"Yes," Sam reached over and picked up the picture so Orestes could get a better view. "He took me to an anniversary dance. The couple had been married for fifty years, I think."

"Jobs and duties fall to all of us, Major. Some we're born with and some we're burdened with, but we have to find a balance between and our personal lives."

"It's not always easy to do that," Sam sighed. "We both have a great many demands on our time. We both have to work overtime. I'm off-world so much, he's -"

Orestes took the picture from her and placed it on the desk. "As the royal family, many times our duties are our lives with little time for ourselves. My mother was a very good queen. She and my father ruled in such a way that there was little left over for my brothers and I to do. Everything was taken care of by the people appointed to deal with every aspect of royal life. We made our appearances, we spoke when we were meant to, but that was the extent of our duties when we were younger. Telemachus and I had no idea of the details that go into ruling a kingdom. We enjoyed hunting more. Akakos had more experience, but even he wasn't quite as knowledgeable as you might think. When our mother died, our father was devastated. She was his life. He'd have given up then entire kingdom rather than lose her. Akakos, Telemachus and I took over as many duties as we could. I wish I could say that being born a royal gives you insight in how to behave as a royal or how to deal with all the problems of ruling a kingdom, but it doesn't. We had to learn very quickly. For most of every single day, our time was filled with countless meetings with ministers and the cabinet. When my father had moved through his mourning and grief and took up his responsibilities again, we had allocated many of them among ourselves. We are much more involved now with ruling the kingdom that we were before my mother died. I had no idea how much went on and how much our parents sacrificed to do their jobs both as monarchs and parents. When they focused on one aspect of their lives, something else suffered."

"You must understand, Major, that no matter how busy they were, my parents always made time for each other and us. I never saw them too busy to deal with the small things that happen to growing boys like we were. They found that balance. It's something very important to strive for, no matter how important your job is."

"You sound as if you've found some sort of balance, Your Highness."

"I have. Somewhat. I am betrothed to a duke's daughter. I met her a few years ago, and she was a great inspiration for me to find that balance. Despite my interest in how these devices work, no matter how much I might wish to stay here for a long time learning all I can about the technology, there are personal things just as important that I must attend to. Also, I will admit that I am somewhat reluctant to leave here to go to the temple when the science team travels there, but then again, I have much more experience than my younger brother with the artifacts found at the temple. It's not an opportunity that I can turn down, so I must learn as much as I can here while I have the time. You must make the most of the moment, Major. That is a true lesson I learned from my parents that I try to live day to day."

Sam nodded. "Then let's make the most of this moment and take that ribbon device apart. I think you'll find it almost as interesting as the staff weapon."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Teal'c helped Doctor Bill Lee and Sergeant Harriman stack the rest of the boxes in the gate room. Portable field laboratories were usually equipped with basic supplies, but the range of this particular scientific expedition suggested that two labs be set up so each could accommodate more than one field of study comfortably.

"Are there more boxes, Doctor Lee?" Teal'c asked him.

"I hope not," Bill answered as he placed his hand against the small of his back. "I think we've got enough to get us set up."

Harriman checked off a list on his clipboard. "I thought this expedition was only going to be for two weeks."

"No, not exactly. We're going to see what they've got and what they need and where to start. If that temple really is like their stories say, we'll have a lot to look into."

"What's the temple supposed to be like?" Harriman asked

"Oh, the usual stuff about Hermes' treasure is there. Different types of plants grow all around it but nowhere else on Cyllene. Strange clouds hang over the mountain. Unusual lights reported shining in the trees. That temple could be a laboratory in itself. If the legends are true, we could find a lot of interesting things on Cyllene."

Teal'c followed Doctor Lee out the door, leaving Harriman to finish in the gate room. "Have you any knowledge of what is in the temple beyond what the legends and folklore tell?"

"Not really. Daniel's been translating some of their scrolls, and I've read some of his preliminary reports, but he thinks there's more there than what we're reading about. I think he wrote a report about something important made out of gold. Personally, I think he wants to find something tangible like Hermes' caduceus."

"Caduceus?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah. It's a staff with snakes around the top. You may have seen some of the medical personnel wearing it. It's a medical insignia. Hermes was supposed to have a gold one if we believe what the Cyllenian scrolls say. For an archaeologist, finding something like that might be like finding Atlantis or Poseidon's Trident or the Holy Grail. Oh, in here." Bill rushed into another storage room where three more crates were stored. "These should be the MREs," he said as he tried to pry off the box lids with a crowbar to check the contents. After a few failed attempts, he handed the crowbar to Teal'c who had no trouble disengaging the lid. Bill started pawing through the metallic bags. "Yep, macaroni and cheese, beef stew, meatloaf... and they all taste like chicken."

"I must disagree," Teal'c said as he helped lift the boxes. "Chicken tastes a great deal better than MREs. Will this be enough for two weeks?"

"More than enough," Bill said as he refastened the lid on the crate. "The Cyllenians are helping out with that too. A cook from the palace is coming to fix meals for us. Whatever he makes has got to be better than these things. You do know what some of the nicknames are for these, don't you?"

"I have heard a few," the Jaffa answered. "I believe some of the phrases are not fit to be retold in mixed company."

"You can say that again."

"Why would I wish to repeat the statement?"

"Uh, no, Teal'c, that's just a saying. It means I agree with you," Bill explained as he picked up a box. "I think we have more than enough food to last our entire trip."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Hammond stood in the control room away from the bustling activity in the gate room as the expedition team readied the supplies to go through to Cyllene. It was a bit of an ordered mess: crates, boxes, a F.R.E.D., tents, equipment – it looked more like they were going to set up a semi-permanent camp rather than labs for a short term mission.

Watching the scientists, he could tell they were in their element. SG-14, however, seemed a little put off by having to 'baby-sit a bunch of geeks.' They were in for a big surprise, Hammond was certain of that. Once, he had visited an archaeological expedition. He wanted to know first hand what went on at a dig, not just read the details from reports. He knew that Doctor Jackson had been in charge of expeditions on earth, but seeing everything that went on during the course of a day off-world was an educational experience. Daniel Jackson might profess to be a civilian, but he knew the military mindset, and that was how he kept command of an expedition. He "ordered" without making it sound like an order. He asked no one to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. He always took care of admonishing those under his command in private, never in public. He organized all aspects of the trip, from what to requisition up to and including incorporating one group into the others' tasks.

No one was exempt from working on an SGC archaeological expedition when Jackson was in charge – not even himself or Jack O'Neill. In fact, Jackson had put both of them to work in double-quick time. Daniel handed Hammond a sieve and asked him to start sifting dirt to see if there was anything there. He found part of a fancy wrist device that was worn by someone high up in a royal court, possibly even worn by a ranking Goa'uld. It wasn't much, nothing more than a wide band of silver and gold with a few stones in-between, but once it was photographed, cataloged and described, he asked Daniel if he could keep it as a souvenir. Jack, unfortunately, didn't find anything except sand in his shoes.

No, this would not be a cakewalk for SG-14, but they would figure that out soon enough once they were given their assignments.

"General?" Sam Carter approached with a clipboard in her hands. "I've double-checked the manifest, and they have everything. They're ready to go."

For some reason, she did not look very happy. "Is something wrong, Major?"

"No, sir, not exactly. It's just that I wish I was going with them."

Hammond couldn't blame her. Put her and Jackson together and the 'Science Twins' would work their magic and find all different types of new things. "If you'd like, I could have one of the physicists trade places with you since they're going to research any alien technology that's there," Hammond teased. "It's merely a matter of what you'd rather do for the next couple of weeks. Instruct Prince Orestes in more engineering matters or march up a mountain to a temple to see what's still there? I realize it may sound like more fun than it is –"

"With all due respect, sir, I think I'll stay here. I'd hate to deprive one of the others for a chance at an off-world adventure. Some of them need the experience, especially the ones from Area 51."

Hammond did not allow the grin that was threatening to form reach the surface. It was a lot of hard work, these research missions, and most of the SGC scientists had had more than their fair share of them.

"How is Prince Orestes doing?"

"He's very smart, sir," Sam explained. "He seems to have an instinctive understanding of the basics of Jaffa weapons. He had theorized how a staff weapon works without actually seeing one work. I'd like permission to take him to the shooting range to let him learn how to fire one. It would be good experience before he joins the expedition on Cyllene."

Hammond considered the request. "I think that would be a very good idea, Major. In fact, I think it would be a good idea to allow King Lycaeon and Prince Akakos to do that as well."

"General Hammond?"

Hammond turned toward the door as King Lycaeon and Prince Akakos entered the control room with their SF escorts. One of the first notable characteristics of the king was his bearing. He had a unique quality about him that expressed regality. His keen eyes missed very little, and the sharp mind behind them was interested in everything. The prince was very similar to his father in looks and manner. They made quite a ruling pair, yet they weren't proud or overbearing. They were two men worried about the safety of their people. Just observing the activities of the base had taught them much in a short time, but they were also eager to start learning more techniques that were applicable to their situation.

"Your Majesty," Hammond greeted them.

"We were wondering if we may watch them leave. The chappa'ai is a fascinating object to see in use."

"I agree completely. Of course, you may watch."

Hammond moved to the side to give their visitors an unobstructed view.

"So many?" the prince asked.

"Yes, your highness," Sam spoke up. "Doctor Jackson is the team leader, SG-14 will go as a protective guard, and the rest are some of our scientists who have expertise in this kind of research."

"I am impressed, General," the king's eyes were watching everything happening in the gate room, remembering who was going, what they were taking, all of it. "I had not thought that you would send such a great party."

Hammond didn't mention that sending a dozen scientists was the quickest way to get the most information in the least amount of time. "We were originally scheduling ten to go on this expedition, but we rounded it off to twelve. They come from various scientific backgrounds, Your Majesty. For instance, Doctor Jackson is our resident expert on languages, archaeology and Egyptology. Doctor Bill Lee, you can see him over by the F.R.E.D., is an expert on alien technology. Doctor Evans is a linguist with a degree in ancient Mediterranean languages. Doctor Joshua Redding is an historian with an emphasis on Greek culture and history from which your own planet can trace its ancestry. Doctor Emily Sanders is from the botany department. She's studying the effects of naquada on certain environmental factors and how naquada affects plant growth after years of exposure. Doctor Simon Parker has recently joined the SGC and is something of an engineer as well as a physicist. We're hoping that with this vast range of expertise, we'll be able to establish a teaching regime more quickly than we first thought."

Lycaeon bowed his head in the general's direction. "I find myself quite at a loss to thank you, General. This is far more than we expected. For generations after the Great Eruption, our ancestors despaired of completely rebuilding our society. You may have given us that chance."

"I'm glad we can be of assistance," Hammond explained. "Many of the cultures we meet know nothing of how they came to be on their planet or even how alien technology has influenced them. It's very refreshing to be able to share this information with a receptive group."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Jack sauntered into the gate room and called out, "Okay, everybody got everything? Backpacks? Extra socks? MREs? GPS's? GDOs? Clean underwear? Extra quarter to call home?"

"Yes, Jack, we have everything," Daniel said as he fastened his backpack more securely and put his boonie on his head. "And if we don't have something, you're just a phone call away."

"Long distance," Jack told him. "Might need more than a quarter. Now remember, if you see any Unas activity –"

"Unas, we run. Goa'uld, we run. Guerillas, we run. Hard work, you run –"

"Hey!" Jack gave him a playful punch in the arm, ignoring the snickering from the people around them. "Just be careful. I don't want to have to chase you across half a planet to find you. Again."

"You know, that wasn't my fault last time. Chaka knocked me out."

Colonel Weaver called over to them, saying, "Don't worry, Colonel. We'll keep an eye on them. Unless you'd like to come along?"

"Been there, dug that, they're all yours." Jack looked around and saw everyone was ready to go, and then heard the stargate start to dial.

"Chevron one encoded," Harriman's voice boomed over the speakers.

"Weaver's a good soldier," Jack whispered to Daniel. "He might be a little more military than you're used to, but he knows you're in charge."

"Chevron two encoded."

"Okay. And you're telling me this why?" Daniel whispered back.

"Chevron three encoded."

"Just a word of warning, that's all. I've already warned him about you."

"Chevron four encoded."

"Me?" Daniel asked. "What do you mean?"

"Chevron five encoded."

"Yeah, you know how you can be at times. That's all," Jack explained.

"Chevron six encoded."

"I see. I guess it's a good thing I told King Lycaeon and Prince Akakos how you are at times, too."

"Chevron seven locked."

"You did?"

"Oh, yeah. I told him how much you love to be asked questions."

Hammond's voice followed, "Expedition team, you have a go."

Jack and Daniel shared a knowing grin as Daniel followed SG-14 through the wormhole, the rest of the group following after.

After the wormhole shut down, Jack turned and left the gate room. He had a teaching job to prepare for and a plan of revenge to figure out.

Lots of questions, huh? He'd make Daniel pay for that one.