AN: This is the beginning of the crossovers! Enjoy!
Chapter Three
Jack O'Neill had returned from SGC in a fairly bad mood, only to discover that the kids had gotten into trouble. Maleia had fallen out of a tree rescuing Markus Birkner, and broken her wrist. Greg was taking care of everything from Maleia's follow up appointments to paying for the entire thing. It was Greg's hope that Maleia's fall would scare Markus out of climbing so high. Jack knew that was quite likely. The boy came over a few days after the incident, bringing Maleia flowers and a homemade cookie. Jack shook his head as he left, "I should think he learned something."
"He promised he hasn't climbed any big trees lately, and Dr. Birkner told me he's staying away from their tree house even."
"You really scared him, eh?" Jack sat down with Maleia.
"She scared all of us." Skaara pitched in and Jack could only imagine how Skaara must have felt, watching Maleia fall out of that tree and hurt herself.
"Daniel sounded kind of freaked when he called. What happened?" Maleia changed the subject, and Jack winced. A lot had happened, and not all of it good. They had gotten the refugees back to Chulak, but Teal'c had gone under intense questioning from outside sources to decide whether or not he was really as changed as he said he was. Then, to add to the headache, it turned out that Charlie had been infested with an infant Goa'uld and it had wasted no time overtaking his body. Teal'c had finally killed Charlie at the Stargate when Charlie tried to get through the Stargate to some unknown destination. So two members of SG-2 were dead. Charlie from infestation, and an airman from a blast-wound. But things were calming down and he had some time to collect his thoughts and relax.
Three weeks later, he took Maleia to Greg and they got the good news that Maleia had been a good patient and taken care of herself for the six weeks and all she needed was a light brace. She didn't even need a splint or the sling anymore. Greg gave her a series of exercises to keep her wrist flexible and told her to keep out of trouble. Jack chuckled, "Oh, don't worry. She's gonna be part of my team, Greg. I'll keep an eye on her."
"What?" Maleia and Skaara hadn't been expecting him to say that, if their expressions were any indicator. He smiled. It was something he'd asked Hammond about earlier. Malia and Skaara had nowhere else to go, so why not put their skills to good use and put the two of them on SG-1? Hammond was dragging his heels, awaiting approval for the proposed additions to SG-1, but Maleia and Skaara were practically assured places. Greg wished them luck and saw them out of the office.
"Don't worry about bills, Jack. I'll take care of everything."
"Thanks, Greg. You didn't have to do this."
"Hey, consider it a favor for all the work you do keeping our sorry asses safe." Greg smirked and Jack rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Greg, let me be the sarcastic humorist."
"I'll see you guys around, then." Greg waved and returned to the office. Jack got the kids into the car and headed for Cheyenne.
"Were you serious? About me being part of SG-1?" Maleia asked timidly. He nodded, "I sure was. And Skaara too. You guys have nowhere else to go except back to Abydos, but you're as good as family to SG-1."
"Besides that, Daniel said something?"
"Of course."
"Not surprised."
"Hammond told me to get you guys back as soon as was possible, so you could get the work-up."
"Wow." Maleia and Skaara exchanged a look that bespoke excitement and trepidation. When they returned to SGC, he presented them to Hammond, who welcomed them to the team. He had taken Jack's request one step further and formed a third team, which they headed. So far, they were the only two members of SG-3, and their only real job was to go with SG-1 on all subsequent missions unless ordered to remain behind. Hammond made them Airmen Basic, but Jack knew that the kids would work up the enlisted ranks fairly quickly, since they already knew some stuff and would learn more as they went on progressive missions.
About two months later, Hammond summoned SG-3 and SG-1 to the briefing room above the embarkation room. He was sending SG-3 through the Stargate to a newly discovered planet in the Callium Galaxy, about ten light-years from Abydos. It was designated P2T-858 and bore many similarities to Abydos. One unique feature of P2T-858 was it's double primary.
"SG-3, you have twenty-four hours to make contact with any native peoples, if they are friendly." He looked around the table at the gathered SG teams.
"With all due respect, General, I don't think sending SG-3 through the Stargate to an unknown planet is the best idea." Jack said, startling Maleia and Skaara.
"Jack, I know you're worried about them, but you can't always be the first one through the 'gate." Hammond shook his head, turning to Maleia and Skaara, "If you do not return or have not sent a transmission by that time, SG-1 will follow you and retrieve you. Not a minute before, am I understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then good luck." Hammond saluted and they were dismissed.
Maleia entered the embarkation room with Skaara, clad in sand-colored fatigues, helmet, and webbing-vest. She and Skaara carried the basic general-issue field-packs, and they had a small F.R.E.D with two crates strapped on, as well as the automatic rifles each team carried in the field. But before they could go through the gate, Teal'c stopped them.
"Here." He held out two staff-weapons from Chulak, "You might find these more useful than your rifles." Maleia took one and looked at the Jaffa.
"I don't suppose you would understand the sentiment behind thank you?"
"Not very well. But you are welcome." He nodded and stepped back. They sent the F.R.E.D. through first and followed right after it. The wormhole launched them out onto the sand of P2T-858 and Maleia cursed, rolling to her feet as she spit out a mouthful of sand.
"I hate it when they do that." Skaara grumbled, dusting himself off. Behind them, the stargate deactivated. They moved a mile to the west of the stargate and set up camp. Scanners detected a city or some kind of mass dwelling-place nearby. It was a five mile walk through the desert until they reached the city. Stopping beyond the outskirts, they dropped onto the sand and she studied the city through her binoculars, "Why does this place look familiar?"
"Have you been here?"
"No, Skaara. But…I feel like I've been here before."
"Maleia! There!" he pointed to her left and she turned to see a small group of beings making their way into the city. They were coming right towards Maleia and Skaara. She narrowed her eyes, studying the older man. He really looked familiar. It was obvious they hadn't been spotted, but she got to her feet anyway. Skaara got up and they waited until the others were close enough to hail. Maleia wished they were closer to the stargate, just so she could tell Jack where they'd really ended up. Not that he'd ever really believe her.
She shaded her eyes, "I don't believe it. Tatooine."
"What?"
"This place is called Tatooine. I'll explain later. Right now, we have a different kind of explaining to do." She took a deep breath and tried to come up with a believable story. Finally, she settled with the truth.
Qui-Gon Jinn spotted the two strangers a split second before they were on top of each other. Their clothing and weapons were very outlandish, but they spoke good Basic. A probe through the Force produced no malice, or much of anything. They were no threat to him or to Padme.
"What are your names, and where did you come from?" he asked after proper greetings had been exchanged.
"My name is Maleia Lailokan, this is Skaara. We came from Earth."
"I've never heard of such a place. How did you come here?"
"I didn't think words would mean anything to you. This is where we came from." Maleia knelt on the sand and drew something. It was a symbol, a two-sided pyramid with a sun overhead. Qui-Gon heard Padme gasp, and knew his own expression must be alarmed.
He looked at Maleia, "How?"
"We came through the stargate. Our camp is four miles back that direction." Skaara pointed back the way Qui-Gon had come with the others. He scuffed out the symbol with his boot and pulled Maleia to her feet, "Don't ever tell anyone else where you came from. Gate travel has been forgotten for many many years. Not even my master remembers a time when people came and went freely through the stargates."
"There are more gates in this galaxy? We came through one on the planet of Abydos two months ago, and I've traveled through several others since, but this is only the second one in this galaxy I've been through." Maleia looked intrigued. He nodded, wondering how they would take to knowing that another gate stood buried deep within the bowels of the Jedi Temple. Their weapons were so strange, he knew they spoke the truth.
"Are there other gates, then? That can take you different places?" Padme asked innocently.
"Some are buried, others broken. Our launch-point is on Earth." Maleia looked at him, "We have twenty-four hours here to either send a message back through the gate or return to Earth before another team comes after us."
"That isn't much time."
"This is just a recon mission, sir." Skaara spoke up, "We aren't here to get involved with anything."
"Well, you're involved with something now. I hate to tell you." He grimaced. They exchanged a look that bespoke trouble for the two of them. He sighed, "I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. It's General Hammond for not giving us more time to actually do something useful." Maleia shook her head and they made their way into Mos Espa.
Later that afternoon, they sat in Anakin Skywalker's house, waiting out the mother of all sandstorms. Maleia looked dejectedly out the window, wondering how she could get back the stargate to get a message through.
"Are you okay?" Anakin's voice startled her and she turned sharply. He stood behind her, watching her as she stared out the window. It was so hard to believe that these people and places, so well-beloved in stories, were real. She sighed, shaking her head.
"Wishing I could get a message to my friends back home. But the stargate…" she stopped herself. Qui-Gon had told her to say nothing of how she'd come to Tatooine to anyone. Anakin's eyes grew wide and he gaped.
"The stargate? You've been through the stargate? Wizards, that's so cool!"
"It's how I got here. I only have twenty-four hours to get back through."
"That's not enough time for anything." Anakin wrinkled his nose.
"Well, I wasn't sent here with the idea that I'd get involved with something like this."
"Well, dinner's ready if your hungry. Where did you…you know, come from?"
"Here, Anakin." She drew the symbol for Earth. Anakin smiled and took her by the hand, leading her to the kitchen.
"That's so cool. I saw it once, out in the desert, but I didn't know what it was."
"Now you do." She removed her helmet as she entered the kitchen. Sitting down, she looked across the table at Skaara, who shrugged. The meal was quiet, with Shmi wanting to know where they had all come from. Tatooine was so far away from everything. Qui-Gon's explanation was so easy, but Maleia had no idea what to tell Shmi, since it was obvious she hadn't come with Qui-Gon's group.
"What about you, Maleia? Where did you and Skaara come from?" Shmi asked her, passing her a cup of blue milk, "I've never seen clothes or gear quite like yours before." Maleia looked at Qui-Gon. He nodded. She sighed and twisted the cup between her hands.
"Shmi, Skaara and I came from a planet that's on the other side of the known universe. We came through the stargate, the Chapa'ai." She braced herself for any reaction. Shmi frowned, shaking her head.
"Nothing good ever came through that stargate, nothing."
"I think I know what you mean. Aliens calling themselves gods?"
"Yes."
"You're lucky they decided to leave Tatooine alone, Shmi. Did they come and leave right after?"
"Yes. But they left that stargate. Nothing has come through since then, until you and Skaara came."
"Well, to keep anything else from coming through, I'd suggest burying the stargate after Skaara and I are gone." She broke off a chunk of bread, looking at Shmi, "Cover it with stones and bury it so that nothing else can come through, so the Goa'uld can't come back." The rest of the meal was quiet, no one spoke. When the storm was over, Anakin wanted to show them his pod-racer, and Maleia decided it was time to send a message back to SGC. She managed to borrow a speeder from one of Shmi's neighbors and returned to the stargate. She and Skaara packed up their supplies, and loaded it onto the speeder. She scratched out a message on a piece of notebook paper and activated the stargate, tossing the paper through as soon as the wormhole was stable.
"What did you write down?" Skaara asked as they headed back to Mos Espa. She smirked, "Something O'Neill should understand pretty well."
"Oh." Skaara didn't ask any more and they returned to Shmi's house.
Jack O'Neill was sitting on the briefing room, twirling a pen through his fingers, when he heard the stargate open. The table trembled and he shot to his feet, sprinting down to the control room. The wormhole opened and stabilized and he bolted, "Get Dr. Jackson and SG-1 down here! Now!"
"Yes, sir." The controller nodded and the rest of his team was called to the embarkation room. He entered the chamber and stood on the ramp as something popped out of the wormhole. It was a crumpled piece of notebook paper, he realized as he picked it up. That was a bizarre thing to come through the stargate, but he had a pretty good idea where it was from.
"Jack, what is it?" Daniel called from the bottom. Jack undid the paper and smoothed it, reading the hasty note scribbled in Maleia's hand.
He arched an eyebrow, "Well, I'll be damned."
"What?"
"Look at that, Daniel." He crumpled the paper and tossed it at his friend. Daniel caught it, read it, and passed it around with a grin. On the notebook paper Maleia had written one thing: Episode 1. Jack could only imagine what SG-3 was up to right now, and chuckled. Maleia was an obedient soldier and no amount of tears or begging could make her stay on Tatooine longer than twenty-four hours. They would find a way back to the stargate from wherever they'd ended up and come home.
Meanwhile, back on Tatooine, Maleia was having some trouble sleeping. She finally abandoned her sleeping-bag and pulled on her boots and jacket, heading outside. She bent down to tie her laces so she wouldn't trip and as she looked out, she saw a dark figure shadowed against the stars. He didn't seem all that aware of things, but that didn't mean he wasn't alert. She finished tying her boots and got up, leaving the doorway. He turned slightly as she came up on his left side, "Shouldn't you be in bed?" It wasn't a reproach, just an inquiry.
"I couldn't sleep. I never get much sleep on missions, especially the twenty-four hour breed." She pulled herself up onto the wall and leaned back, looking the stars, "It's strange."
"What is?"
"Somewhere out there, beyond the stars we can't see, is the Milky Way, and somewhere inside the Milky Way is the Solar System."
"And inside the Solar System is Earth."
"Home."
"And you'll go back when your time here is up?"
"I have to, unless I want Colonel O'Neill and SG-1 coming after us or General Hammond closing the gate on Earth." She looked at Qui-Gon, wondering what he thought of them.
He sat next to her, "Well, if you ever have time of your own, then I might suggest you visit here." It was a slip of paper he had borrowed from her gear. She couldn't see what was on it, but she had a pretty good idea. Maleia folded it and tucked it into her pocket. After a while, she went off to bed, bidding Qui-Gon goodnight. Without removing her boots, she pulled the blanket over her head and fell asleep.
The next morning, they all went down the Grand Arena for the Pod Race. Anakin, above all expectations, beat out the other contenders and won. In exchange, he was freed and the parts needed to repair Qui-Gon's ship acquired. Maleia and Skaara were at a loss as to what they should do, since they still had another twelve hours left before they had to be back on Earth. They left Mos Espa with Qui-Gon's group, prepared to continue to the gate and go home early, but an attack changed that and they only stopped at the stargate long enough for Maleia to send another message through.
Jack took the crumpled paper from Daniel, arching an eyebrow, "What's this?"
"Another message from Maleia. The second one like it."
"What's on it?"
"I didn't read it."
"Hmm. Looks like the kids ran into a bit of trouble. They need more time." Jack wasn't surprised by Maleia's latest message.
Had setback outside Mos Espa. SG-3 leaving Tatooine, headed for Coruscant. If another stargate is there, will come home ASAP. Need more time. Talk to Hammond. Tucking the paper into his pocket, he headed for Hammond's office.
"Where are you going?"
"To get the kids more time."
"Jack…"
"They need more time for what they've gotten into. Just enough time to reach Coruscant and find a stargate to get home. At the most, another twenty-four hours." He left Daniel behind and went to Hammond. Without giving away the depth of SG-3's involvement, he secured an extra twenty-four hours for Maleia and Skaara.
On Coruscant, Maleia and Skaara faced the High Council, explained who they were and how they'd come into Qui-Gon's company, and requested only one thing. They needed a way to get home, a stargate. The Council agreed rather hastily and Maleia had the feeling the Council wanted to get rid of them as quickly as was politely possible. Qui-Gon showed them the Coruscant stargate, deep within the Temple, and wished them luck in future missions.
"Thank you, Qui-Gon, for everything." Maleia smiled sadly, holding out one hand to him. He shook his head and pulled her into his arms.
"May the Force be with you both, SG-3. Goodbye." He let her go and she stepped through the gate. Skaara was right behind her. When she stepped out on the other side, something clattered on the ramp behind Skaara. She turned as the gate closed and saw something sitting on the ramp. She bent down and picked up a pendant on a leather thong. Looking at the stargate, she smiled, closing her hand around the object. Tucking it into her pocket, she descended the ramp and saluted Jack and Hammond at the bottom. The debriefing was two hours after their return and she told Hammond everything, knowing he found it difficult to believe.