Chapter Three

SG-1's preparations at the SGC

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c left the general's office, and then stopped in the corridor outside to discuss their plans for the mission ahead. The days of frustration at their failure to find any sign of the Prometheus had finally come to an end, and they were anxious to be on their way. But they realized that some advance planning was necessary in order to make sure that Sam's return would be as smooth as possible.

Jack spoke first. "So, P3X-121, we've been there, haven't we? About 2 years ago? That was the planet with two moons, and the region around the gate was split into 3 distinct types. As we exited the gate, there was deep forest straight ahead, really rocky terrain to the right and some swamp land to the left and behind the gate. Does that sound right?"

Teal'c replied, "You are correct, O'Neill."

Daniel was somewhat bemused by Jack's perfect recall of the planet in question. Gone was his usual stumbling over the planet's designator, his normal description of a planet as "the one with all the trees," and any of the other ways he used to try to maintain the façade that he wasn't all that bright. Daniel knew that Jack had a brilliant mind, but chose not to show it most of the time. Jack firmly believed in letting others underestimate him. It was a sound military strategy, but Jack tended to use it almost all the time. Playing dumb was an amazingly effective way of getting out of many awkward situations, both social and work related. Unfortunately for Daniel, it was also a wonderful means of teasing anyone who could be sucked in when Jack was bored and wanted to kill some time. Daniel recalled a conversation from a recent mission.

Jack asked, "So Daniel, what did you say the name of this god is? Purple Rain?"

Daniel sighed. He could see Sam swallowing a grin. "It's Puraphane, Jack. The locals believe he blesses their crops and brings good fortune to those who honor him. So they bring offerings to the temple which we're about to explore. As Sam and I told you at the briefing, they seem to have had extremely good weather for their harvests which makes Sam think there might be some kind of climate control device there."

Jack considered this for a moment. "Offerings, you say. What kind of offerings? Fruit baskets? Baked goods? Perhaps a house plant?"

Daniel knew enough to give up at that point. In the past, he would probably have launched into a defense of the local customs and religious views. Now, after this many years with Jack, he knew that the man was trying to bait Daniel into going into lecture mode, just so that he could to cut him off mid-sentence; or to provoke an argument about something – anything - just to pass the time. Instead, this time, Daniel decided to reply in kind.

In his most pedantic tone he said, "Actually, Jack, according to one of the villagers, they've had the most success with putting out a plate of sweet breads and goat's milk on the eve of their most sacred holiday. Then, during the night, the offerings disappear, and in their place, the most wonderful gifts appear. A few of the villagers have reported seeing the god, dressed in scarlet, and flying away. It was probably just a Goa'uld in a tel'tak, but you never know, do you?"

The look on Jack's face was priceless; Sam was laughing out loud; and even Teal'c knew enough about earth customs to crack a smile.

At the thought of Sam's laughter, Daniel came back to reality with a thud. Sam.

Thank God, the Prometheus had finally reported in, but the report of Sam's injury was frightening. The last few days had been hell, as they searched every planet remotely close to the Prometheus flight path. Their failure to gain any information about the ship had forced them to accept the idea that it might truly be gone forever. He had refused to believe it, goading Jack to try more planets, racking his brain for any idea that might help them determine what had happened. But he could see that Jack was losing hope.

Anyone with Jack's background knew all too well that sometimes you just never discovered what happened when someone went missing. Daniel and Jack had discussed the topic at length after Jack returned from Edora. Jack told him that he knew it had been easier for him on Edora, than for the rest of the SGC, because he knew he was alive and well, even if he was sure he'd never get back to earth. But Jack understood the anguish that the rest of his team must be suffering, because years before, he had been in the same position. A fellow soldier was pronounced MIA after a mission, and Jack never found out for sure if the man were dead or alive.

The unwritten but inviolable rule was: we don't leave anyone behind. Unfortunately, sometimes, especially in space, there was no choice. Still, even evidence of ship debris would be better than this limbo of uncertainty.

Daniel heard Jack declaring: "We need topographical maps of the land around the gate if any are available. Our first priority has to be finding a landing area for the Prometheus as close to the gate as possible. Daniel, can you find out if there's been a UAV sent up or if any other teams have done a survey? You should be able to do that using the base computers, right? I know that's usually Carter's responsibility, but …" He broke off, his face tightening.

Daniel replied quickly. "I think I can manage to find that out. Teal'c, you and Sam hiked across that rocky terrain, while Jack and I were checking out the forest. Do you remember anything suitable?"

Teal'c answered. "We did indeed explore the land for several kilometers. The ground in the immediate vicinity of the Stargate was filled with very large rocks, and would not be capable of serving as a landing surface for the Prometheus. However, if I recall correctly, within approximately one kilometer, we were clear of all such obstacles and the land was almost desert-like. Major Carter even remarked on the abrupt change in the ecology and the smoothness of the terrain. It should be a suitable location. If maps exist, they should be used to verify this."

Teal'c thought back to that day on P3X-121. Up to that time he and Major Carter had rarely spent any time paired together on missions. The four team members almost always stayed in fairly close contact while off planet, for safety's sake. On this occasion, the planet appeared to be very secure, with little chance of Goa'uld or any other interference. As Major Carter had said when examining the DHD when they arrived, it had the equivalent of cobwebs on the surface. O'Neill's response under his breath had been, "Kinda like the television in Daniel's apartment."

Daniel retorted, "I heard that! I use it all the time to watch documentaries. Just because I don't watch The Simpsons or hockey all the time…"

The two continued their mock argument as Teal'c stood watch over the major while she continued her usual check of the DHD to make sure it was functional. He hadn't understood the cobweb remark, but the major later explained that it meant that the equipment hadn't been used in a long time. Since this meant they could be relatively sure that no one would be coming through the Stargate with malicious intentions, Colonel O'Neill decided it was safe to split the team up. He and Daniel would enter the forested area straight ahead, while Teal'c and Carter would explore the rocky terrain to the right. They decided that the swampy regions to the left and behind the gate could be left unexplored at this point, especially since the swamp seemed to extend for some distance. As O'Neill put it "We can't hog all the fun. If Hammond thinks that the planet deserves further exploration, we'll let some other team have the joy of slogging through the muck."

Teal'c and the major started out, with a reminder from the colonel to maintain regular radio contact. The extremely large rocks, very densely packed in places, made the trip difficult at first. Several times the two had to remove their packs and vests in order to squeeze between two rocks. After going through one especially tight space, she told Teal'c "Now you know what a mammogram feels like." As he looked puzzled, she laughed and said, "Never mind, it's just a woman thing."

When they came out from one such maneuver, they suddenly found themselves on a large flat surface which appeared to be covered with hard sand. The sudden change prompted an exclamation from the major. "Wow! I can't believe all the different terrains we've encountered within a relatively short distance of each other. Forest, swamp, rocky, now near-desert. I wonder what else is near by. I wish that we could send a UAV back here on a fly-over to record the terrain. Maybe Daniel and the colonel will find something good enough to convince the general that this planet deserves revisiting."

Teal'c listened patiently to the major's observations. He didn't think a response was necessary, understanding that the major, much like Daniel Jackson, often speculated out loud. O'Neill had once tried to explain it to him, saying, "Scientists like to talk about stuff, while people like us want to actually do stuff." Teal'c wasn't sure if he agreed with that assessment. He had observed both Daniel Jackson and Major Carter in action over the years, and felt that they were both not only capable of engaging in combat or any other activities they were called on to do, but were not hesitant to do so. He had come to admire them as colleagues while on duty, and considered them as friends when off duty. He didn't mind when either of them would begin expounding at length on some topic which he might not understand at first, knowing that it was often a way for them to refine their thoughts. He had discovered that if it were a topic which might be important for the team to understand, they were very good at explaining it to them, breaking it down into non-scientific terms as much as possible. Even though O'Neill might complain about their unnecessarily long explanations, Teal'c knew that the man appreciated the expertise that the two scientists brought to the group. And the colonel trusted their combat skills as well, especially those of Major Carter. That was probably the highest compliment that the life-long soldier could pay her.

Major Carter then observed, "You know what this really reminds me of? The Bonneville Salt Flats. Man, I wish I could bring my cycle here and really cut loose."

She stopped, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry Teal'c. I just got caught up in how perfect this surface is for racing. I know that's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she?"

Teal'c, aware that the major enjoyed riding her two-wheeled vehicle as much as she enjoyed repairing it, just cocked an eyebrow and said, "Perhaps you can persuade General Hammond to include a motorcycle in a second visit to this planet if he agrees to send a UAV. For exploration purposes, of course."

The major snorted. "Teal'c sometimes I think you've been hanging around with us too long. Your sense of humor is definitely improving, or maybe it's just getting more warped like ours."

With that, the two began a trek across the flat lands, finding nothing of interest. Radio contact with Colonel O'Neill indicated that he and Dr. Jackson had similar luck, so they all returned to the gate, and wrote it off as just another uninhabited planet, with no discernible reason for further exploration.

Teal'c's thoughts returned to the present as O'Neill sent he and Daniel Jackson to confirm their memories of the planet and determine if any other teams had made a follow up visit. In the meantime, the colonel would make arrangements for the equipment and manpower which would be required for this special rescue mission.

Jack went back to the general's office. The door was open and Walter was taking some paperwork from the general as Jack knocked on the door.

"Come on in, Jack. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost sir. I think we've found a spot for Prometheus to land within a click of the gate, but we there are some pretty big boulders between it and the gate. Permission to take some C-4 to blast them and create a path?"

"Granted. Just be careful that you don't bring them down on you. We don't need any more injuries."

"One other thing sir. All of SG-1 will be accompanying Dr. Fraiser to the Prometheus and it might be safer to have some backup just in case. I know it's a secure planet, but we may need to have some help carrying equipment to the ship. And if Fraiser decides to stay on Prometheus, someone will have to haul things back. Is there another team available to help out?"

The general looked sympathetic, but troubled. "I really wish there were, Jack. Literally every team is either off planet or on stand-down right now. This almost never happens, but it's been a strange couple of weeks. If you can find anyone on stand-down who happens to be on base and is willing to go, let me know, and I'll approve it. I'm afraid that's the best that I can do."

Jack was disheartened, but said, "I understand. I'll see if I can round anyone up. Thank you, sir."

Hammond turned to Harriman and said, "Go ahead and file those, and we'll do the next batch tomorrow. Dismissed."

Jack headed towards the commissary, figuring he might be able to find some volunteers there. He was intercepted by Dr. Fraiser.

"Colonel O'Neill. The general tells me you're in charge of the mission? I've got a couple of questions."

"Go ahead, but we need to get going soon."

"These won't take long. I need to know how far the Prometheus will land from the gate. If it's fairly close, I'll take just the diagnostic equipment along and leave the stretcher and some of the other equipment behind. Then if we need to carry Sam back to the gate we can send for and get it quickly. If we're going to stay with Prometheus, we won't need it at all. But if we're going to have a long trek to the ship, we should bring the extras with us, to save time in case we need to use them."

Jack replied "It's only a kilometer or so, but the terrain close to the gate is pretty rugged, so we're going through first and blow up some of the larger rocks. We want to make your travel as smooth as possible."

Janet grimaced. "I appreciate that, I really do. That should be close enough to leave the extra equipment behind, then. Now, how many personnel are coming along to help? I know you and Daniel and Teal'c will be there, and I can bring one of my staff. But if we're going to carry equipment and if we have to carry Sam back, it would be nice to have some more help. I'm assuming that the MALPS would be too slow to help haul our gear?"

"Yeah, the MALPS would be way too slow, especially in those rocks. We'll blast the worst of them, but it's still going to be rough going. In terms of more help, unfortunately, there are no other teams available right now. Hammond told me I could ask for volunteers from anyone who's on stand-down and is on base now. I'm headed to the commissary right now looking for warm bodies. Care to come along? Maybe they'll respond better to you than me. I've been a little cranky lately, and they may not want to put up with me."

"Of course, if you think it will help. But you know, Colonel, you've had every right to be an SOB, and I'm sure that everyone understands that."

"Geez, doc, I said was cranky, not an SOB, and you could have at least pretended that it wasn't true."

The two officers turned the corner into a corridor filled with airmen, marines, scientists, and technicians. Jack even thought he saw one of the commissary staff standing near the wall. They all turned toward O'Neill and Fraiser, and Lt. Colonel Harper, head of SG-5, and the senior officer of those present, told Jack, "We're ready to leave whenever you are." Jack and Janet looked at each other and Jack asked, "How did you know…?"

"The grapevine cough Walter cough is pretty fast around here. Major Carter means a lot to this place and to us, and we all want to help bring her home. We know that we can't all go, but we do want to let you know that you've got whatever help you need. Just tell me how many people you need and what kind of specialties, and I'll take care of it for you. "

Jack found that he had to clear his throat before responding. "I can only say thanks to all of you on behalf of Major Carter and the rest of SG-1. I'll be sure to let her know that you were all here when we get her back. You'll be able to visit her yourselves pretty soon. Well - as soon as the doc says she can have visitors, that is."

Jack and Janet stayed for a few minutes, giving Colonel Harper the information necessary to assemble the remainder of the team. They went to finish up their respective preparations as Harper began calling out names. The mission was almost ready to embark.