A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last chapter update. :( RL kind of took over, but good news! This story is mostly finished; in fact, the last 3 chapters and middle three are done. I just need to fill in a couple blanks, and we'll be good to go. Hope you enjoy this latest installment. :)

Chapter Four

Two Days Later

Daniel ducked his head as he walked down the corridor towards the briefing room, arms filled with files and photos of their upcoming mission to P6W-379. He was trying valiantly to ignore the hushed whispers and pointed stares that followed him, but was failing miserably. Ever since being confronted by the two airmen in the hall, he'd noticed more and more people giving him barely-concealed looks of contempt, as if he had somehow usurped a position on the SGC's premiere team from some more deserving soldier. There had been only one more incident since then, in the commissary, but it had been enough. Doubt was swirling around in Daniel's mind; did he really belong on SG-1?

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were always trying to teach him how to defend himself and shoot a weapon so he could protect the team off-world. His progress in that was slow; Daniel still hesitated when it came to firing on the targets resembling people.

And didn't Jack always complain about how Daniel never followed orders? Didn't he always bemoan the fact that an actual military-trained officer would do much better than an absent-minded scientist with tunnel vision when it came to rocks? Daniel had always believed that Jack was kidding around, but with all of these new soldiers in the SGC eager to prove themselves, Jack would have his pick of the litter to replace Daniel.

The day before, Daniel had tried to test the waters with Sam, to see if his position on the team was in danger. The conversation replayed once more in his mind, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth as he navigated his way around a throng of soldiers who refused to move and let him by.

"Sam?"

Sam glanced up from her computer at Daniel's tentative voice, smiling in surprise. "Daniel! Hey, what's up?"

Daniel moved into Sam's lab, hugging himself tightly. "Er . . . not much. I've been looking over the MALP readings for our mission tomorrow. I think I've spotted signs of a village in one of the pictures, and was going to see if I can convince Jack to go check it out."

Sam's grin turned wry. "Good luck with that. Although he might be willing, since the only thing we really need from 379 are soil samples. The boredom might just be enough to drive him to it."

Daniel shared her grin. "And here I am thinking he was looking forward to going off-world. It's been awhile since our last mission."

"It helps, too, that this mission will give him a little more peace and quiet," Sam added. "The hassle of adding and assigning all of these new applicants to the program has been following him around nonstop. I think he's even got a few groupies chasing him around, too."

At last; the opening Daniel had been waiting for. "Any good prospects?"

Sam shrugged. "They're all good; they have to be, to be offered a spot at the SGC. I think most of the team spots have been assigned, but a lot of people seem to be holding out for a position on SG-1."

A chill swept through Daniel. He fought to keep his nervousness out of his voice. "Are we taking new members? I thought Jack said we weren't."

Sam shrugged again. "It doesn't hurt to look, Daniel. You never know; we might need a new man to cover a spot. It's always good to have a back-up." She smiled again. "Although, the way some of them seem to be fawning over Colonel O'Neill, they might not last long. You know how the colonel feels about that."

"Yeah." Daniel smiled weakly as Sam turned back to her computer, but the chill in his heart remained.

Daniel readjusted his grip on the files in his arm and headed into the briefing room. He stopped short when he noticed not only Jack, Sam, and Teal'c at the table, but three other familiar faces- Sloane, Preston, and Andrews. The three men who had confronted him in the cafeteria and informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he had no place being at the SGC, let alone on the front-line team.

"Daniel," Jack greeted lightly. "Good to see you on time for a change. Eager to get going?"

"Er . . . sure." Daniel's eyes took in the seating arrangements, looking for a place to sit. Jack was in his usual seat at the right of the general's chair, with Sam on the left and Teal'c next to her. Daniel's usual seat, beside Jack, was taken up by Sloane. Preston and Andrews had also claimed seats near SG-1, leaving Daniel at the other end of the table. Daniel nodded a greeting at Sam and Teal'c, then moved to the end of the table and set down his armload.

Hammond emerged from his office just as Daniel was taking his seat. "Good morning, SG-1. I trust Colonel O'Neill informed you of the slight change in plans?"

Daniel's head snapped up to Hammond, then over to Jack. "Uh . . . change, sir?"

Jack shook his head. "Daydreaming in the commissary again, Daniel?"

Daniel shot an annoyed glare at Jack in response.

"Due to an influx of requests for assignment to SG-1, I've decided to assign a few of our applicants to go off-world and see how they perform," Hammond stated. "Lieutenants Sloane and Preston, and Captain Andrews, will be accompanying you to P6W-379 in the role of observers. Shall we begin?"

Sam rose to present information on the planet as well as the mission objective to the team, but Daniel couldn't stay focused on what she was saying. His eyes kept moving around the room, taking in the three newcomers. Their words, and words whispered in the halls, continued to play a loop in his mind. He was so distracted that he failed to notice a pair of sharp blue eyes glancing at him intermittently through Sam's presentation.

"Thank you, Captain Carter," Hammond said as Sam finished and returned to her seat. He glanced down the table at Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, did you have anything else to add?"

Daniel gave a slight start, glancing at all of the faces now turned towards him. Clearing his throat, he stood and began to pass file folders down the table. "I, ah . . . sorry, I don't have enough for everyone, but . . . I was going over some of the MALP data and I spotted what could be a rural settlement in the background of a couple of pictures. I enlarged and circled those in the files . . . there's not enough data to determine exactly what culture might live there, but I think it's important to see if we can make first contact with them."

"Why?" Sloane spoke up. There was no curiosity in his tone; it was apparent to Daniel that Sloane believed investigating the village to be a waste of time.

"Are we sure it's not abandoned?" Preston chipped in. "From Captain Carter's report, it appears that there are no signs that the 'gate is even in use now, by anyone. It could just be some old ruins or something."

"Well, the 'gate doesn't have to be used by villagers," Daniel protested. "There are a lot of planets out there that we've encountered that are entirely self-sustaining, with the stargate being nothing more than an artifact. There is, however, evidence of well-maintained farmlands at the outskirts of the village. It's a likely conclusion that there are inhabitants."

"But even if there are people there, what use could they be to us?" Andrews asked. "You said rural. We'd obviously be more technologically advanced than them. They'd need us more than we'd need them."

"Just because people appear less advanced doesn't mean we can't be allies," Sam spoke up. "Abydos is our ally; they have large Naquada mines which we share."

"Not to mention the Nox," Jack spoke up. "We made that mistake once. They look pretty helpless, but they ended up saving our bacon a couple times."

Daniel didn't miss the sharp glance aimed at him from Sloane at the mention of the Nox.

"I agree with Daniel, General," Sam stated. "Even if the MALP's readings are accurate and there's plenty of Naquada for us, we might end up having to work with the villagers to set up a mining camp."

Hammond nodded, then glanced to the silent Jaffa on Sam's other side. "Teal'c? Anything you'd like to say?"

"I do not recognize the address as one in Apophis' domain," Teal'c stated. "As it is evident that the Goa'uld have not visited the planet in some time, it is possible that the villagers' memories of the Goa'uld have faded with time and they may be more open to establishing some form of alliance with us."

"All right, then," Hammond stated. "Confirm the presence of Naquada in the planet and see if the natives would be willing to share it with us. Get checked out by Doctor Frasier and report back to the 'gate room in ninety minutes. SG-1, you have a go."

Everyone stood with Hammond, waiting until Hammond retreated to his office before speaking. Jack turned to the three new airmen. "Gentlemen, report to the Infirmary for your pre-mission exams, then get kitted up. We'll see you in ninety. Dismissed."

Sloane, Preston, and Andrews left the room quickly. Daniel missed their exit, his head lowered as he tried to collect his files from the table.

"Colonel O'Neill, are we to expect more of your soldiers to accompany us on missions?" Teal'c asked point-blank.

Daniel glanced up, curious of Jack's answer himself.

Jack sighed. "I don't know, T, but it's possible. The general said he had seven more requests on his desk this morning once word got out that those three were joining us. I tried to tell him that we were good at four, but for some reason people are thinking a spot might open up." Jack's sharp brown eyes examined his three teammates. "Is there something one of you wants to share with the rest of us?"

Sam shook her head. Teal'c simply stared steadily at Jack.

As one, all three turned to Daniel.

Daniel's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Daniel, you've been really distracted the last couple of days," Jack stated. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Daniel shook his head slowly. "N-No. I've just been busy, that's all."

He tried not to squirm under Jack's intense scrutiny. After what seemed like an eternity, Jack finally looked away.

"Well, whatever the reason, we're stuck with them," the colonel said. "Best to make the best of a bad situation. Hopefully it won't be that bad. Let's go get ready for the mission."

"A mission with SG-1! Can you believe it?"

Sloane grinned at Preston and Andrews as they waited for Frasier to begin the pre-mission physical. "Of course I can; cream always rises to the top. Now we just need to make sure we stay there."

"Why wouldn't we?" Andrews asked. "We're good; we know we are. Now we have a chance to show Colonel O'Neill that."

"We're not even gonna have to try to show up Jackson; with us next to him, O'Neill's going to see what a loser he really is," Preston added.

Their conversation came to a pause as one of the nurses walked over to them. "Hello, gentlemen. My name is Lieutenant Roberts. Dr. Frasier is just finishing up with another patient, but I'm going to go ahead and get the ball rolling by taking some blood." She pulled a tray of needles closer to her and began to prepare the first one. "So I hear that you are going out with SG-1. Congratulations. I know about a dozen people on this base who would kill to be in your shoes right now."

Preston grinned. "Well, it's merely a formality, you know."

"Oh?" Roberts asked, inserting the needle into Sloane's arm. "Have you been offered a position with SG-1? I didn't know one was open."

"Not officially," Sloane told her. "But it's only a matter of time before they see what they're missing."

"And what are they missing?" Roberts asked as she capped the vial and prepared the next needle. Her curiosity was raised; SG-1 was one of her favorite teams. They were always entertaining during their pre- and post-mission physicals. She even had a soft spot in her heart for the shy, young Dr. Jackson. "They seem to work just fine as they are. They did save the world, you know."

Andrews waved his hand dismissively. "Well, sure, their team is great. But they need some more muscle; great soldiers who can fight and add some strength to the team. Just imagine how much better SG-1 will be once we're a part of it."

Roberts finished drawing blood from Andrews and moved to Preston. "I didn't think SG-1 needed more muscle. They seem to have plenty as it is."

Sloane snorted. "Plenty? Sure, O'Neill's a legend even before the SGC. No one would dare mess with him. A former First Prime of a Goa'uld? Can't get too much tougher than that. And Captain Carter is one of the best at hand-to-hand. All three of them are tough; the best. But they need someone like us who can watch their backs, you know?"

Roberts' eyes slid back to Sloane. She hadn't missed his omission of the team's lone civilian. "And Dr. Jackson?"

Sloane shrugged. "What about him?"

"Do you think Dr. Jackson belongs on such an elite team?" Preston asked. "Sure, he's smart, but he's a geek, not a soldier. Can we really trust him to protect the three most important people in the SGC?"

"Surely you've heard some of the others talking," Andrews said in a low tone. "Everyone's wondering how someone like Jackson managed to get onto SG-1 in the first place. It's a miracle he hasn't killed anybody yet."

"Although, from what we hear, he managed just that with the Nox," Sloane said. "Thank God those guys were there. If Jackson hadn't whined about trying to kill Apophis, then the team wouldn't have gotten into a fight they had no chance of winning."

Roberts finished drawing the last of the blood samples she needed, then stepped back. "Well, it sounds to me like you gentlemen have everything well in hand. I'll go ahead and let Dr. Frasier know you're ready. Good luck on your mission."

She spun on her heel and left without another word. Dr. Frasier would need to know that the airmen were ready; she'd also want to know what they were ready for.