DESTINY
(20 hours to go)
"No! That wire goes against the sliding plate!" Jutoi growled.
Terru hissed, his tail lashing, "Then you do it! I've tried ten times to place this damn wire right and all you've done is complain!" Jutoi glared in response, "I've shared my knowledge with you, but that doesn't make you the expert!" Terru clawed at the sliding ring one more time in frustration trying to place the red and blue wire in the correct slot, "You'd figure that we might have been smart enough to place this wire before the slider was in place," he growled.
Scot was holding the toolbox looking rather useless and venting more frustration magnified by Terru she snapped at Scot, "Can't you get that pompous braniac Rush in here? He'd be more useful than you!"
Scot looked offended but with military discipline pushed it down, "Ma'am, Rush is working on sorting out the Ancient controls, that's his expertise." Scot didn't like the aliens. He'd had enough run in's with aliens up to this point and though the Antolians were the nicest of the line, they frightened him the most. A soldier learns about his enemy so that he can fight and survive. He'd tried everything he could to learn about the Antolians, not that he planned to fight them, it was habit, but he couldn't quite understand their communication. Several times he'd caught Jutoi standing in a hall laughing to herself and making gestures as if in conversation, but no sound broke her lips. They did that now as they fought over the problems with the electrical pathways.
"Then get that math boy! At least he knows more than how to stand to the side holding a box of tools!" Jutoi said then immediately yelped loudly as a spark hit her hand singeing a bit of the fur, when Scot and Terru tried to help she pushed them away with a hiss, "Just go get the math boy!"
Scot angrily set the tools aside and marched off. Fine, I know when I can't help, I was just following orders! Eli still needed some time to fix the shields. It wasn't his fault they were short-handed, Jutoi should be blaming Jade! He shook his head in frustration turning into what used to be the medical wing. He paused, in his anger he had taken the wrong turn. But for a moment he was lost in memory.
Scot saw himself standing over Greer after that crazy transplant, Tamara didn't think she was a great doctor but Scot firmly believed this mission couldn't have had a better one. She'd stitched up all sorts of wounds on a regular basis, not to mention the fact that the medicine she used were all herbal and picked from the many planets they had visited! He'd been on the receiving end of some of those herbs and he knew they didn't taste good but damn if they didn't work.
Memories of the time his arm had been infected by that strange living plant sent shivers up his spine and he took a deep calming breath. He was about to leave when he saw someone oddly familiar, "Tamara?" he called. Was he hallucinating? He hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few days…
The blonde woman turned to face him and he shook his head with a chuckle, no it was just Jade, "Sorry for a moment you looked like… Oh never mind," he waved his hand and began walking away but Jade called out to him.
"Scot."
He stopped and turned to her, "You are emotionally in distress… is there something I can do?"
Scot laughed derisively, "If you can teleport our entire crew here without the use of that damn Stargate maybe," that Stargate had been more trouble than it was worth from the beginning. He had told Young that he thought the wisest decision was to get the hell out of there but Young insisted it was useless. Not for the first time Scot wished this entire mission had never been planned. He could be home right now with a cold beer watching the Giants or maybe the Redsocks, hell he'd watch the Yankee's if he could, he just wanted a night without worry or stress and he knew that wouldn't happen for a long time.
Jade's weak smile gave a small amount of comfort despite his previous thoughts of blaming her for their troubles, "That I cannot do Sergeant, I have not the means to recreate or use the technology at the moment."
Scot figured as much, "So what are you doing in here? Jutoi is certainly on edge and could use some brainiac help."
"I was looking for an herb for a strange rash that has appeared under my breast line."
Scot couldn't help but laugh. Of all the things for an alien species to say he had never expected to hear something so normal. Not to mention it was more than slightly awkward to hear of any kind of rash on any part of a human body that wasn't your own.
"It is funny?" she asked smiling reflexively.
"A little," he laughed again, "It's too bad Tamara's not here, she could handle all the little things like that really well."
"But she is not here. Perhaps… Might you have some knowledge of the human physiology?"
Scot scoffed, "Define knowledge," he said sarcastically and thought of his experience with female "physiology".
"An understanding of the natural-"
"I didn't mean literally Jade," he sighed, aliens, "Look, I know how to keep myself healthy but when it comes to helping others I can only tell them what I've done and sometimes it doesn't work for everyone, or sometimes the problem is something bigger."
"Then perhaps you could help me. You see I am new to the human body, Gemine do not produce strange rashes over their coating and I am not sure how to handle this."
The look she had as she touched underneath her left breast indicating the area of the rash made Scot laugh once again. She looked like a child holding out a cut finger to its mother. She was definitely no child though! "I don't know if I should… maybe I can get Jutoi." To hell with Jutoi, she's ornery today! He thought to himself but… then again he would be too if it was up to him to use was little supplies they had to build a working mini-stargate.
"I had asked Eli the same question and he seemed uncomfortable with it as well. I understand the female form when naked is an arousing thing to you but I thought perhaps a man with your experience…"
Scot raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think I have experience?"
"After your initial contact with us on the planet you called Eden we have been following you and studying you. I had thought perhaps, though you had not mentioned your previous sexual encounters to your partner," Scot frowned, thinking of Chloe always hurt when she was away, "that it was something to be proud of."
Scot was getting irritated again, "Look, I still don't get how you know what my sex life has been like, but fine, I check your damn rash then I need to go get Eli, Jutoi will probably bite off my head if I don't."
Jade smiled, "I thank you Sergeant Scot!"
Jade removed her shirt swiftly and then her bra, how did the Gemine have or make human clothing? Scot felt himself blush a little but took on a professional air and examined the rash in question. He wasn't sure how Tamara did it. A rash could be discolored and she'd know what it was, but all Scot could think was that a rash looked like a rash and the best way he'd found to deal with them was to slap some ointment on it and let it run its course… "It's right along the bra line so it's probably just a heat rash. Tamara used to have something up here for that but I can't tell you what it was, I was never eager to learn too much about the medicine side of life."
Jade frowned and turned her head to the side, "A… heat rash? Is there perhaps a way to cool it down?"
Again Scot laughed at her alien logic, "No, cooling it down won't help. It needs to air out."
"But if I walk around with no shirt the men will become uncomfortable…"
Scot smiled and shook his head, "You don't have to be naked, just wear something loose, not tight… and no bra it rubs the skin too much…. Not that I would know," he laughed.
Jade nodded, leaving the bra aside she put her shirt back on. Scot stepped away and she followed soon after catching up with his long strides. His mind began to wander again as they walked in silence. As it had these past few weeks, it wandered to Chloe… He'd never been so obsessed about a woman before and it worried him a little. She had expressed a worry that once back on earth their tryst would end but the more he thought about it the more he figured her permanently in his life. He sometimes dreamed of a normal life with her, a son or daughter and small cozy home in Minnesota.
"You love her don't you?"
Scot was taken a little by surprise and stopped walking for a moment, "What?" did she know what he was thinking?"
"Your mate," she explained, "You love her." It was a statement now, not a question.
"Can you read minds?" he asked sarcastically and continued walking.
"In a way, yes, the human brain is like a-" she began
"Please," he interrupted, he'd had enough of the science geeks telling him how things worked for one day, "I don't want a lesson and I was being sarcastic to avoid the answer."
"You are emotionally distressed Sergeant Scot. You seem very irritated today."
"Today?" he chuckled, there were quite a few civilians who were now safe on earth that he was sure would disagree, "And please just call me Scot."
"Very well, Scot..." she left it at that and followed him in silence to the secondary control room.
Eli was hard at work examining the computer code of some program or something else, either way he was deeply concentrated on the screens in front of him. Scot entered and examined the room casually. Rush was running through some figures on a paper then reading them back to Eli. It had taken a moment for either of them to notice Scot but he didn't feel like rushing them was a good idea so he'd sat patiently until they did notice.
"Jutoi needs help with the mini-gate," he stated simply.
Rush looked irritated, when didn't he? He stood with a huff, "What does she expect us to do when they arrive leave our shields weak and fragile. It won't matter how many people we have here running this damn ship if we can't set up some decent defenses!"
Scot raised his hands defensively, "Messenger Rush, remember? Don't shoot."
Rush didn't seem to care and turned his back to Scot, "We can't spare any time away from these shields until we're done. It's hard enough trying to understand Ancient technology without having to fix it too!"
"Alright fine, I'll go tell her, but she's in an awful mood and she won't like it."
"What about Jade," Eli asked, "She comes from some pretty advanced people can't she help?"
"My skills are better suited in programs not the building of complex machinery," Jade said with a smile.
"Then stay and help Rush here and I can go," Eli said, relieved at a chance to leave Rush's grating personality. Jade agreed and smiled at Rush and Scot and Eli left for the gate room.
Scot almost dreaded entering that open room after his exit a half hour ago. Eli jogged over and immediately began to help. Scot stayed well away sitting on the steps that led up to the balcony and watched from a distance. He tried to follow what they said or did for a short while but Scot quickly became lost. He hated that, but he couldn't help it… he couldn't ask for help in understanding the situation or the science behind it when they were so pressed for time, and they were definitely pressed for time!
Jutoi shouted something and everyone jumped back, she tried to dial but it stopped short, a power coupling shorting out. She growled a few words that Young would have used and it made Scot smile for a brief moment. Then he realized the tension running between them. They were under a lot of pressure… and with that thought Jutoi's snapping at him earlier seemed a little less irritating. I shouldn't be this person, the grumpy old soldier in the corner. Colonel O'Neill even picked up on a few things outside his area of expertise…
Not for the first time Scot dreamt of what it would be like to be O'Neill… respected, looked up to, and most importantly listened to. Scot tried to be like him but there were times when he knew he fell short… very short. O'Neill wouldn't be in this corner sulking. He'd be doing something… He shook his head. He was useful when Chloe was onboard… She needed him even if it was just for comfort. He sighed in frustration, there he was thinking of Chloe again! Dammit he had to get up and do something!
In a swift movement he was up and out the door. Maybe re-searching the ship for hostiles from the last attack could help. It would at least get his mind off of the stress and tension. He fell into his regular routine of patrol and quickly became his usual soldier-self. It felt nice to give in to the hard-ass persona that didn't care about stress, didn't care about the enemy and certainly didn't care about silly women…
That's not correct, he thought. Even in his soldier mode he'd sought to protect her above the others… How had this woman gotten to him? He'd fallen for women before but not like this…
Scot was imagining Chloe next to him again, her smile warming up the room so he didn't see the odd shaped shadow around the corner. He barely felt the needle point pressure in his neck and never felt the floor meet his falling form. The blackness engulfed him in timeless oblivion until he awoke bound and gagged in a small storage room with an alien he hoped he'd never meet.
EARTH (12 hours and counting)
Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter had studied the work the Antolians had done for several hours now and had gotten lost far too quickly. They'd worked with stargates before but they'd never built one! How the Antolians had done it they'd never know… but then again, Daniel thought as for the tenth time the power coupling sparked and fried from the feedback. It was never his expertise to work with technology his knowledge was based on history and people, culture! This, this was Sam's line and even she was lost so he didn't feel quite so bad.
Scientists all over the base had been called off of their current work to help however they could. The Antolians had tried to describe much of it and Daniel had followed up until they began to talk about time-flux and spacial distortions. He wasn't even sure the time-flux was actually a tangent or part of the stargate workings! He'd never experienced… scratch that, how many times had he traveled through time, or had been frozen in time? In that lesson he had decided that he knew nothing of the stargate and would likely never know much about it. But out of the lesson now, he was more comfortable. Despite the fact that he was still as confused as before, he at least had something in his hands and was working through the problem.
When Golk spoke to him at first he didn't respond because he was focused on trying to figure out of the metal symbol in his hand was supposed to be attached now or later.
"Daniel Jackson," he spoke again.
Daniel turned, "Oh sorry Golk, what is it?"
"I would like to speak with you," he said, straight faced and focused, "In private."
"Of course."
Stepping away from the working team Golk pulled Daniel off to the side. Well away from prying ears Golk seemed to relax, "I have a favor to ask of you, Daniel Jackson," he paused.
"What is it?"
"You were once a creature called an Ancient… correct?" Golk asked quietly.
Daniel was surprised by the question, "Uh, no… not exactly," he paused to gauge the Antolian, "Ancient refers to a specific alien- er rather human species that lived a very long time ago. The ascended to a higher plane and became beings of… well it's hard to explain, but yes I did become one of them once… Why?"
"Is there a way to contact them?"
Daniel sighed, he wished there was! "No, not really… even if there was they wouldn't help. There are very few of them who actually would and even then those few have been punished for interfering."
"That is unfortunate…" Golk frowned looking disappointed, "If there was some way to contact the Ancients who have ascended as Irene has I had hoped there would be some way to get information."
"Golk… We'll be alright," Daniel tried to sooth the gray Alien, "The SGC has been through tougher situations."
"I do not doubt that you have Daniel Jackson but we are not the SGC…" Golk smiled weakly and Daniel frowned dropping his head a little.
"I'm sorry Golk."
"It is all right Daniel Jackson… but in the case that you could not help me with my first favor I had a second to ask of you…" Golk turned away, back to the other Antolians. Yuti quickly lifted her head and hissed in anger glaring at Golk, she looked as if she might jump from her spot on the floor and attack him. Ango mewed in surprise. Daniel wasn't certain if he'd like the favor.
"What is it…?" he asked tentatively.
"I would like you to return with me to Azure."