TITLE: There and Back Again
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
Other headers in part one
* * * * *
Dawn broke and the two teams emerged from their tents, yawning. The orange light even made morning look like a spectacularly bloody sunset. The surrounding buildings looked less faded in the bright light, almost cheerful.
"Rise and shine, or at least rise," Jon said, tugging the zipper of his uniform up to the top.
Jack stomped out of the tent, running a hand through his short hair. "Whatever. Just tell me you've got coffee around here." A cup appeared under his nose and his eyes widened. "That's more like it."
Daniel smiled at his CO. "It's the first thing I looked for this morning. I figured you'd be unbearable without it." He sat back down next to Hoshi, who was putting her hair up in its ponytail.
"Good boy, Danny, I've got you well trained."
"Oh yes, sir, he's very well-trained," Sam said, "that must be why he keeps wandering off."
Jack and Daniel shot her nearly identical glares, and she blinked back, her face a study in innocence.
The Enterprise crew snickered and Teal'c looked on benevolently.
"Okay, children," Jon said, grinning, "let's play nice now."
"Yeah, I'll play nice just as soon as I get some respect from my team," Jack said as he drank his coffee. "Okay, let's get on with the getting home, people. What's the plan?"
Trip piped up from where he leaned against the shuttle. "Well, Sam--Major Carter and I were going to do some more testing on the Stargate, then run some simulations on the shuttle's computer."
"And Hoshi and I are going to follow up some intriguing data from yesterday," Daniel said. "We may have a clue to the origin of this Stargate."
Malcolm spoke up next. "Teal'c and I had planned to investigate that building that looked like an armory. He's got a very interesting idea about how to power it up."
Jack looked at Jon as the others began to make plans. "Where does that leave us?"
Jon grinned. "Supervising. It's hard work, but somebody's got to do it." He paused. "Actually, I thought we'd keep an eye on our roving linguists. Sounds like yours is trouble-prone and I'm rather attached to mine." He winced a bit at his own phrasing.
Jack nodded, but Jon noticed his eyes move toward his blonde teammate. Jon decided it was time to have that chat with Trip, and he managed to grab him as everyone was gearing up.
"Trip, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure, Cap'n."
Quick to catch on, Sam said, "I need to talk to Col. O'Neill. Come find me when you're ready."
Trip crossed his arms and leaned against the shuttle, his lips twitching with obvious amusement. "If you were gonna warn me to keep my hands off the Major, don't worry."
"I just-"
"You figured I wouldn't notice what's going on between the colonel and the major? I know I'm not always the most observant guy in the universe, but a blind Vulcan would notice something up with those two."
A chastened Jon smiled. "Sorry, I just want to be certain nobody gets hurt. Especially since, if all goes well, they'll be leaving soon."
"Don't worry, Cap'n, it's strictly hands-off for me. She's sure smart, though. I've gotta admit I'm kinda sorry she's leaving. I mean, she's supposed to be 150 years behind me, but I think it'd take her a week to catch up. In another week she'd probably be designing the Warp 6 or 7 engine. Heck, sounds like she's seen more alien tech than I have."
"Let's just get them home." Jon clapped Trip on the shoulder.
"You bet." Trip turned to walk toward Sam. "Hey, if I were you, I'd be worrying about how well Hoshi and that Dr. Jackson guy are getting along. You know, he-"
"Trip." The word came out like the voice of doom, but Trip grinned.
"Just a thought."
"A thought you should keep to yourself." Jon turned away, unable to face the combined amusement and sympathy in his friend's face.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hoshi and Daniel in animated discussion, and against his better judgement, he turned to look. They were discussing the Universal Translator, and Hoshi was bent over his shoulder pointing to something on the device. She looked thrilled to be able to discuss linguistics with someone who understood her.
Jon went to the shuttle to find his gear.
* * * * *
The trek back to the Stargate was easier in daylight. Jon felt a little silly as he looked at the abandoned buildings that had seemed so ominous the night before. Starfleet Captains really shouldn't allow themselves to be so fanciful, he thought.
There was just something a bit sad and eerie about a completely empty city. It didn't quite have that Marie Celeste feel, since these aliens had neatly picked up after themselves, but still...
As they entered the area around the Stargate, everyone dispersed to their planned tasks.
Daniel and Hoshi studied the text carved into the pillars next to the Stargate, hoping they contained a clue to the Stargate's arrival, and perhaps how travel between the universes was possible.
Meanwhile, Trip and Sam climbed over and around the Stargate and its control panel, taking readings and muttering about naquada levels and other esoterica.
The day dragged for Jack and Jon, unable to really contribute to most of the activity. So, they were pleased to make their first real contribution by getting lunch ready from the supplies they'd carried from the shuttle.
"My steward would be apoplectic if he saw me doing this," Jon told Jack with a grin. "He always worries when I go on missions that nobody is taking care of me."
"I'm just glad to not be in prison for once. It's something about the sight of SG-1 coming through a Stargate that causes everyone to clean out their jail cells."
"Malcolm was thinking about it. If Teal'c hadn't convinced him, he might still have insisted."
They dragged everyone away from their pursuits to eat.
"C'mon, I know an unfed Daniel is a grumpy Daniel."
Daniel eyed Jack from his position kneeling to look at a faded line of text. "What?"
"The squiggles will be there when you're done. What am I, a goddamn mother hen? Just eat."
Sam and Trip talked about their work straight through lunch, leaving Jon thoroughly confused.
"What *is* naquada?" he finally asked Jack.
"Damned if I know." Jack leaned back against the nearest wall. "It's whatever the Stargate's made of. Oh, and the snake-heads have got some in their systems. Makes 'em easier to find."
"So, tell me more about these Goa'uld," Jon said. "You never know, we might still encounter them in our universe, and it pays to be prepared."
Jack nodded in approval, but before he could speak, Jon found himself pitching forward plate flying out of his hands.
"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked from where he sat on the ground a few feet away.
"Quake," Trip said, picking bits of his lunch off his uniform.
Jon was unreasonably irritated by the concise answer. "I don't remember T'Pol's scans saying anything about geologic instability."
"They didn't," Malcolm said. "If they had, I would have made further security recommendations."
"Well, that's just great," Jack said, folding his arms, "but scan or no scan, that was definitely an earthquake."
"Planetquake," Daniel said absently as he checked over fallen equipment.
"What?"
"It's not an earthquake, Jack, since we're not-"
"Shut up and get back to work."
Jon leaned wearily against a wall and tried to decide whether he was going to survive this group from the past.
* * * * *
The sun moved slowly across the sky, and Jon found himself trying to identify exactly what shade of orange it was. When he was torn between burnt umber and pumpkin, he decided it was an entirely bad sign, and went looking for something to do. Jack had disappeared at least an hour ago to play with weapons with Malcolm and Teal'c. They'd been muttering something about target practice, which Jon chose to ignore.
Daniel and Hoshi were sitting in practically identical poses, cross-legged in front of the panels, noses millimeters away, painstakingly cleaning off years (or was that centuries?) of dirt. This was probably not a good time to interrupt them, so Jon headed over to see how Sam and Trip were doing.
They were sitting on the edge of the Stargate's platform, scrolling down the display on a padd, when Jon wandered over.
Trip looked up. "Good timing, Cap'n."
"Hmm?"
"We've made some progress."
Sam nodded. "Let me get the others so they can hear this." She lifted her radio to her lips and within a few minutes the three warriors came around the corner. Daniel and Hoshi finally managed to drag themselves away from their translation, and they trailed behind them up to the Stargate platform.
"Well, Carter?"
"We think we have an answer."
"That's good news." Jack paused, looking a little worried. "It *is* good news, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. At least, we think it is."
"Lemme have it." He crossed his hands over his stomach and waited.
"Commander Tucker and I believe that the weapons that were fired at us as we went through the Stargate managed to hit the console and the Stargate in a unique fashion, causing-"
"Whoa, whoa," he said, waving his hands. "Just cut to the chase." He turned to Jon, who was stifling a grin. "Do yours do this to you, too?"
"All the time."
Trip coughed and pitched in to help his fellow scientist. "What she's trying to say is that the energy caused a very specific overflow pattern, and we think--and that's think, mind you--that we can do something similar that will reverse your path."
"Do you ever get a feeling of déjà vu?" Jack asked Sam, scowling at her.
Undaunted by his expression, she smiled. "No, sir, never."
"Well, you pulled off a miracle last time we traveled in time, so I guess you can do it again."
"We did that with the help of General Hammond, or rather Lieutenant Hammond," Daniel said, poking at his glasses with his finger.
"However, this time we have the advantage of superior technology as well as informed allies," Teal'c said. Everyone turned to look when the large and quiet man spoke.
"That's right," Jon said, nodding firmly. "We'll certainly do our best to get you back to your own universe and time."
"That's something," Jack said.
"I think we're ready to start testing now," Trip said.
"Captain," Hoshi said, "permission for Daniel and I to continue our work? I can't help thinking that how the Stargate got here to begin with will be important to the solution."
"Permission granted. You've certainly been proven right before. Keep us updated on what you find."
"Well," Trip said, "we might as well get started with those simulations on the shuttle's computers. You know where to find us for the foreseeable future."
Hoshi looked at Daniel. "I think we have most of what we need for the moment recorded."
Daniel nodded. "I agree, let's head back to the campsite, where we can sit a little more comfortably. I think you were on the right track with your analysis of that last..."
Jon turned away as the conversation quickly moved into the technical and found Jack looking at him with a speculative expression. "What?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking that we've got to get back home, because I can't imagine what would happen to the universe if we let those two loose on it together."
"The mind boggles, doesn't it?" And with a last look at the two linguists in perfect harmony, Jon followed the rest of his team back toward the shuttle.
* * * * *
A few hours later, as the sun once again dipped behind the ruins of the city, the two exhausted technical teams flopped down in the ground, and groaned in unison.
"That's it, I'm done for," Trip said, his head thrown back and eyes closed.
"You know," Jon said, looking at Jack, "I think this means we're cooking again."
"Really?"
"Well, those four are exhausted and I've eaten Malcolm's cooking. How's Teal'c?"
Jack stalked over to the food supplies. "More stew, anyone?"
The two crews looked relaxed as they ate, Jon thought. It was interesting to see how quickly they'd become one team, even the alien Teal'c.
"You know, Teal'c, I'm sure this is somehow your fault," Jack said.
"In what way, O'Neill?" Teal'c examined his teammate closely and raised one eyebrow in a manner so like T'Pol, Jon had to repress a laugh.
"Like maybe if you'd warned us about how easily offended the folks on PX whatever were, they might not have been shooting at us."
"In my previous experience on that world, the residents did not *dare* shoot at us," Teal'c said. Jon knew he'd missed a joke, because Jack glowered, and Sam and Daniel snickered.
"Yeah, Jack, try again," Daniel called from the other side of the fire.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to agree." Sam failed to look the least bit sorry. "I'm fairly certain they were shooting at us because you kept mentioning the Goa'uld."
"DanielJackson did try to warn you about the taboo," Teal'c said, "several times. But you did not heed his warnings."
Jon grinned. He could imagine T'Pol saying the same thing over dinner to Trip, and the thought of putting Teal'c and T'Pol in the same room was looking rather amusing.
"So, you guys get shot at a lot, too?" Trip asked. "I was hoping maybe we'd grow outta that, but it looks like it's no good."
Malcolm looked at him. "Does this mean you'll consider taking my advice now and then?"
"You should listen to the words of LieutenantReed," Teal'c said, "as he is the only trained warrior among you."
Hoshi laughed. "Hey, my shooting is getting better. Maybe I could practice with the phase cannons next."
"Oh no, I won't even let Commander Tucker here fire them."
Sam looked thoughtful. "I wonder if we're ever going to have a starship Enterprise in our universe?"
"I don't know," Daniel said. "It seems to me the Stargates will change things too much. Eventually, the information will reach civilian agencies."
"And we'll be building ships based on Tok'ra tech," Jack said, "and whatever we can steal from the Goa'uld."
"So," Jon said, looking at the SG-1 team, "did any of you ever see the original Enterprise, the NASA shuttle?" When they looked at him in confusion, he flushed slightly. "I have a hobby, collecting images of the other Enterprises."
"I saw her last year in the Smithsonian, when they built that annex out near Dulles," Jack said.
"I saw one of the test flights," Sam said, and everyone looked at her. "I was a kid, and we were in California. That has to have been, what, 1977?"
"I think so," Jon said. "What was it like?" He leaned forward, excitement building. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his crew smiling at him, but he didn't care.
"You know she never went into space, right? Enterprise was an orbiter, built to test free flight, approaches, and landings." Sam looked worried she might be ruining his dream.
Jon nodded, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Well, I was interested in the Air Force even then, so as a present, my dad got my brother and I in to see the test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. Enterprise was sitting on the runway, mounted on the back of this 747. It was still pretty dark, but there were thousands and thousands of people there, like a big carnival, kids running around everywhere, and everyone over the age of 10 terrified that something would go wrong. But there was also this suppressed excitement, this feeling we were seeing something groundbreaking.
"Finally, as the sun came up, the 747 taxied away, followed by a couple of chase planes, T-38's, I think. I held my breath during takeoff, but it went fine. The 747 circled for a really long time, and everyone was worried something had gone wrong. Suddenly, they released Enterprise, the 747 dipped down, and Enterprise popped up. It was in the air in free flight for the first time. God, it was beautiful."
Everyone held their breath, and Sam's eyes were bright as she talked.
"They made some practice turns, and the crowd was cheering as Enterprise dipped and curved. I was screaming, I don't even know what I was saying.
"Then, it was time to land. They came down quickly, paralleling the runway, dropped the landing gear, and nobody could decide whether to scream or hold their breath. When that first wheel touched the ground, it was absolutely terrifying. When all the wheels were on the ground, and they started to brake, everyone applauded and hugged and cheered.
"It must have taken a couple of miles for them to slow down, but by then we knew it was going to be okay. They'd done it, and we were one step closer to regular space travel."
Sam looked away, obviously embarrassed by the emotion she'd shown.
"Thank you," Jon said softly. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear that. I've read reports, but that's not the same."
"No, it's not," she said, fiddling with the cuff on her pants.
"I didn't know," Jack said, his voice lacking its usual sarcasm. His expression was odd as he looked at her, and Jon wondered about their relationship. There was obviously something going on, but what it was...
* * * * *
It was late, the sun long set, and everyone was winding down when they felt it: the ground shuddering like jelly. Jon jumped as a pile of padds sitting on the wall behind him seemed to leap off of their own accord. He escaped most of them, but one banged into his shoulder. The shaking only lasted a few seconds, but as Jon rubbed his shoulder he checked on everyone else.
"Is it just me, or was that worse than the last one?" Daniel asked. He and Hoshi were sprawled by the entrance to the shuttle, but looked unharmed.
"It's not just you," Malcolm said. "That was definitely worse." He and Teal'c exchanged concerned glances.
Jack started picking stones out of his hair. "That can't *possibly* be a good thing."
"Just another reason for us to get you home and us back on Enterprise as soon as possible," Jon said.
"You take me to the nicest places, Cap'n. If it's not hallucinogenic caves or slime monsters, it's planetquakes."
"Funny, Trip. Let's just get some sleep. Are you ready to trigger the Stargate?"
"We think so. It'll probably take about an hour to set up in the morning."
--continued in part three--
AUTHOR: Mara Greengrass
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: fishfolk@ix.netcom.com. Feedback is better than chocolate.
Other headers in part one
* * * * *
Dawn broke and the two teams emerged from their tents, yawning. The orange light even made morning look like a spectacularly bloody sunset. The surrounding buildings looked less faded in the bright light, almost cheerful.
"Rise and shine, or at least rise," Jon said, tugging the zipper of his uniform up to the top.
Jack stomped out of the tent, running a hand through his short hair. "Whatever. Just tell me you've got coffee around here." A cup appeared under his nose and his eyes widened. "That's more like it."
Daniel smiled at his CO. "It's the first thing I looked for this morning. I figured you'd be unbearable without it." He sat back down next to Hoshi, who was putting her hair up in its ponytail.
"Good boy, Danny, I've got you well trained."
"Oh yes, sir, he's very well-trained," Sam said, "that must be why he keeps wandering off."
Jack and Daniel shot her nearly identical glares, and she blinked back, her face a study in innocence.
The Enterprise crew snickered and Teal'c looked on benevolently.
"Okay, children," Jon said, grinning, "let's play nice now."
"Yeah, I'll play nice just as soon as I get some respect from my team," Jack said as he drank his coffee. "Okay, let's get on with the getting home, people. What's the plan?"
Trip piped up from where he leaned against the shuttle. "Well, Sam--Major Carter and I were going to do some more testing on the Stargate, then run some simulations on the shuttle's computer."
"And Hoshi and I are going to follow up some intriguing data from yesterday," Daniel said. "We may have a clue to the origin of this Stargate."
Malcolm spoke up next. "Teal'c and I had planned to investigate that building that looked like an armory. He's got a very interesting idea about how to power it up."
Jack looked at Jon as the others began to make plans. "Where does that leave us?"
Jon grinned. "Supervising. It's hard work, but somebody's got to do it." He paused. "Actually, I thought we'd keep an eye on our roving linguists. Sounds like yours is trouble-prone and I'm rather attached to mine." He winced a bit at his own phrasing.
Jack nodded, but Jon noticed his eyes move toward his blonde teammate. Jon decided it was time to have that chat with Trip, and he managed to grab him as everyone was gearing up.
"Trip, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure, Cap'n."
Quick to catch on, Sam said, "I need to talk to Col. O'Neill. Come find me when you're ready."
Trip crossed his arms and leaned against the shuttle, his lips twitching with obvious amusement. "If you were gonna warn me to keep my hands off the Major, don't worry."
"I just-"
"You figured I wouldn't notice what's going on between the colonel and the major? I know I'm not always the most observant guy in the universe, but a blind Vulcan would notice something up with those two."
A chastened Jon smiled. "Sorry, I just want to be certain nobody gets hurt. Especially since, if all goes well, they'll be leaving soon."
"Don't worry, Cap'n, it's strictly hands-off for me. She's sure smart, though. I've gotta admit I'm kinda sorry she's leaving. I mean, she's supposed to be 150 years behind me, but I think it'd take her a week to catch up. In another week she'd probably be designing the Warp 6 or 7 engine. Heck, sounds like she's seen more alien tech than I have."
"Let's just get them home." Jon clapped Trip on the shoulder.
"You bet." Trip turned to walk toward Sam. "Hey, if I were you, I'd be worrying about how well Hoshi and that Dr. Jackson guy are getting along. You know, he-"
"Trip." The word came out like the voice of doom, but Trip grinned.
"Just a thought."
"A thought you should keep to yourself." Jon turned away, unable to face the combined amusement and sympathy in his friend's face.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hoshi and Daniel in animated discussion, and against his better judgement, he turned to look. They were discussing the Universal Translator, and Hoshi was bent over his shoulder pointing to something on the device. She looked thrilled to be able to discuss linguistics with someone who understood her.
Jon went to the shuttle to find his gear.
* * * * *
The trek back to the Stargate was easier in daylight. Jon felt a little silly as he looked at the abandoned buildings that had seemed so ominous the night before. Starfleet Captains really shouldn't allow themselves to be so fanciful, he thought.
There was just something a bit sad and eerie about a completely empty city. It didn't quite have that Marie Celeste feel, since these aliens had neatly picked up after themselves, but still...
As they entered the area around the Stargate, everyone dispersed to their planned tasks.
Daniel and Hoshi studied the text carved into the pillars next to the Stargate, hoping they contained a clue to the Stargate's arrival, and perhaps how travel between the universes was possible.
Meanwhile, Trip and Sam climbed over and around the Stargate and its control panel, taking readings and muttering about naquada levels and other esoterica.
The day dragged for Jack and Jon, unable to really contribute to most of the activity. So, they were pleased to make their first real contribution by getting lunch ready from the supplies they'd carried from the shuttle.
"My steward would be apoplectic if he saw me doing this," Jon told Jack with a grin. "He always worries when I go on missions that nobody is taking care of me."
"I'm just glad to not be in prison for once. It's something about the sight of SG-1 coming through a Stargate that causes everyone to clean out their jail cells."
"Malcolm was thinking about it. If Teal'c hadn't convinced him, he might still have insisted."
They dragged everyone away from their pursuits to eat.
"C'mon, I know an unfed Daniel is a grumpy Daniel."
Daniel eyed Jack from his position kneeling to look at a faded line of text. "What?"
"The squiggles will be there when you're done. What am I, a goddamn mother hen? Just eat."
Sam and Trip talked about their work straight through lunch, leaving Jon thoroughly confused.
"What *is* naquada?" he finally asked Jack.
"Damned if I know." Jack leaned back against the nearest wall. "It's whatever the Stargate's made of. Oh, and the snake-heads have got some in their systems. Makes 'em easier to find."
"So, tell me more about these Goa'uld," Jon said. "You never know, we might still encounter them in our universe, and it pays to be prepared."
Jack nodded in approval, but before he could speak, Jon found himself pitching forward plate flying out of his hands.
"What the hell just happened?" Jack asked from where he sat on the ground a few feet away.
"Quake," Trip said, picking bits of his lunch off his uniform.
Jon was unreasonably irritated by the concise answer. "I don't remember T'Pol's scans saying anything about geologic instability."
"They didn't," Malcolm said. "If they had, I would have made further security recommendations."
"Well, that's just great," Jack said, folding his arms, "but scan or no scan, that was definitely an earthquake."
"Planetquake," Daniel said absently as he checked over fallen equipment.
"What?"
"It's not an earthquake, Jack, since we're not-"
"Shut up and get back to work."
Jon leaned wearily against a wall and tried to decide whether he was going to survive this group from the past.
* * * * *
The sun moved slowly across the sky, and Jon found himself trying to identify exactly what shade of orange it was. When he was torn between burnt umber and pumpkin, he decided it was an entirely bad sign, and went looking for something to do. Jack had disappeared at least an hour ago to play with weapons with Malcolm and Teal'c. They'd been muttering something about target practice, which Jon chose to ignore.
Daniel and Hoshi were sitting in practically identical poses, cross-legged in front of the panels, noses millimeters away, painstakingly cleaning off years (or was that centuries?) of dirt. This was probably not a good time to interrupt them, so Jon headed over to see how Sam and Trip were doing.
They were sitting on the edge of the Stargate's platform, scrolling down the display on a padd, when Jon wandered over.
Trip looked up. "Good timing, Cap'n."
"Hmm?"
"We've made some progress."
Sam nodded. "Let me get the others so they can hear this." She lifted her radio to her lips and within a few minutes the three warriors came around the corner. Daniel and Hoshi finally managed to drag themselves away from their translation, and they trailed behind them up to the Stargate platform.
"Well, Carter?"
"We think we have an answer."
"That's good news." Jack paused, looking a little worried. "It *is* good news, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. At least, we think it is."
"Lemme have it." He crossed his hands over his stomach and waited.
"Commander Tucker and I believe that the weapons that were fired at us as we went through the Stargate managed to hit the console and the Stargate in a unique fashion, causing-"
"Whoa, whoa," he said, waving his hands. "Just cut to the chase." He turned to Jon, who was stifling a grin. "Do yours do this to you, too?"
"All the time."
Trip coughed and pitched in to help his fellow scientist. "What she's trying to say is that the energy caused a very specific overflow pattern, and we think--and that's think, mind you--that we can do something similar that will reverse your path."
"Do you ever get a feeling of déjà vu?" Jack asked Sam, scowling at her.
Undaunted by his expression, she smiled. "No, sir, never."
"Well, you pulled off a miracle last time we traveled in time, so I guess you can do it again."
"We did that with the help of General Hammond, or rather Lieutenant Hammond," Daniel said, poking at his glasses with his finger.
"However, this time we have the advantage of superior technology as well as informed allies," Teal'c said. Everyone turned to look when the large and quiet man spoke.
"That's right," Jon said, nodding firmly. "We'll certainly do our best to get you back to your own universe and time."
"That's something," Jack said.
"I think we're ready to start testing now," Trip said.
"Captain," Hoshi said, "permission for Daniel and I to continue our work? I can't help thinking that how the Stargate got here to begin with will be important to the solution."
"Permission granted. You've certainly been proven right before. Keep us updated on what you find."
"Well," Trip said, "we might as well get started with those simulations on the shuttle's computers. You know where to find us for the foreseeable future."
Hoshi looked at Daniel. "I think we have most of what we need for the moment recorded."
Daniel nodded. "I agree, let's head back to the campsite, where we can sit a little more comfortably. I think you were on the right track with your analysis of that last..."
Jon turned away as the conversation quickly moved into the technical and found Jack looking at him with a speculative expression. "What?"
"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking that we've got to get back home, because I can't imagine what would happen to the universe if we let those two loose on it together."
"The mind boggles, doesn't it?" And with a last look at the two linguists in perfect harmony, Jon followed the rest of his team back toward the shuttle.
* * * * *
A few hours later, as the sun once again dipped behind the ruins of the city, the two exhausted technical teams flopped down in the ground, and groaned in unison.
"That's it, I'm done for," Trip said, his head thrown back and eyes closed.
"You know," Jon said, looking at Jack, "I think this means we're cooking again."
"Really?"
"Well, those four are exhausted and I've eaten Malcolm's cooking. How's Teal'c?"
Jack stalked over to the food supplies. "More stew, anyone?"
The two crews looked relaxed as they ate, Jon thought. It was interesting to see how quickly they'd become one team, even the alien Teal'c.
"You know, Teal'c, I'm sure this is somehow your fault," Jack said.
"In what way, O'Neill?" Teal'c examined his teammate closely and raised one eyebrow in a manner so like T'Pol, Jon had to repress a laugh.
"Like maybe if you'd warned us about how easily offended the folks on PX whatever were, they might not have been shooting at us."
"In my previous experience on that world, the residents did not *dare* shoot at us," Teal'c said. Jon knew he'd missed a joke, because Jack glowered, and Sam and Daniel snickered.
"Yeah, Jack, try again," Daniel called from the other side of the fire.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to agree." Sam failed to look the least bit sorry. "I'm fairly certain they were shooting at us because you kept mentioning the Goa'uld."
"DanielJackson did try to warn you about the taboo," Teal'c said, "several times. But you did not heed his warnings."
Jon grinned. He could imagine T'Pol saying the same thing over dinner to Trip, and the thought of putting Teal'c and T'Pol in the same room was looking rather amusing.
"So, you guys get shot at a lot, too?" Trip asked. "I was hoping maybe we'd grow outta that, but it looks like it's no good."
Malcolm looked at him. "Does this mean you'll consider taking my advice now and then?"
"You should listen to the words of LieutenantReed," Teal'c said, "as he is the only trained warrior among you."
Hoshi laughed. "Hey, my shooting is getting better. Maybe I could practice with the phase cannons next."
"Oh no, I won't even let Commander Tucker here fire them."
Sam looked thoughtful. "I wonder if we're ever going to have a starship Enterprise in our universe?"
"I don't know," Daniel said. "It seems to me the Stargates will change things too much. Eventually, the information will reach civilian agencies."
"And we'll be building ships based on Tok'ra tech," Jack said, "and whatever we can steal from the Goa'uld."
"So," Jon said, looking at the SG-1 team, "did any of you ever see the original Enterprise, the NASA shuttle?" When they looked at him in confusion, he flushed slightly. "I have a hobby, collecting images of the other Enterprises."
"I saw her last year in the Smithsonian, when they built that annex out near Dulles," Jack said.
"I saw one of the test flights," Sam said, and everyone looked at her. "I was a kid, and we were in California. That has to have been, what, 1977?"
"I think so," Jon said. "What was it like?" He leaned forward, excitement building. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his crew smiling at him, but he didn't care.
"You know she never went into space, right? Enterprise was an orbiter, built to test free flight, approaches, and landings." Sam looked worried she might be ruining his dream.
Jon nodded, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Well, I was interested in the Air Force even then, so as a present, my dad got my brother and I in to see the test flight at Edwards Air Force Base. Enterprise was sitting on the runway, mounted on the back of this 747. It was still pretty dark, but there were thousands and thousands of people there, like a big carnival, kids running around everywhere, and everyone over the age of 10 terrified that something would go wrong. But there was also this suppressed excitement, this feeling we were seeing something groundbreaking.
"Finally, as the sun came up, the 747 taxied away, followed by a couple of chase planes, T-38's, I think. I held my breath during takeoff, but it went fine. The 747 circled for a really long time, and everyone was worried something had gone wrong. Suddenly, they released Enterprise, the 747 dipped down, and Enterprise popped up. It was in the air in free flight for the first time. God, it was beautiful."
Everyone held their breath, and Sam's eyes were bright as she talked.
"They made some practice turns, and the crowd was cheering as Enterprise dipped and curved. I was screaming, I don't even know what I was saying.
"Then, it was time to land. They came down quickly, paralleling the runway, dropped the landing gear, and nobody could decide whether to scream or hold their breath. When that first wheel touched the ground, it was absolutely terrifying. When all the wheels were on the ground, and they started to brake, everyone applauded and hugged and cheered.
"It must have taken a couple of miles for them to slow down, but by then we knew it was going to be okay. They'd done it, and we were one step closer to regular space travel."
Sam looked away, obviously embarrassed by the emotion she'd shown.
"Thank you," Jon said softly. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear that. I've read reports, but that's not the same."
"No, it's not," she said, fiddling with the cuff on her pants.
"I didn't know," Jack said, his voice lacking its usual sarcasm. His expression was odd as he looked at her, and Jon wondered about their relationship. There was obviously something going on, but what it was...
* * * * *
It was late, the sun long set, and everyone was winding down when they felt it: the ground shuddering like jelly. Jon jumped as a pile of padds sitting on the wall behind him seemed to leap off of their own accord. He escaped most of them, but one banged into his shoulder. The shaking only lasted a few seconds, but as Jon rubbed his shoulder he checked on everyone else.
"Is it just me, or was that worse than the last one?" Daniel asked. He and Hoshi were sprawled by the entrance to the shuttle, but looked unharmed.
"It's not just you," Malcolm said. "That was definitely worse." He and Teal'c exchanged concerned glances.
Jack started picking stones out of his hair. "That can't *possibly* be a good thing."
"Just another reason for us to get you home and us back on Enterprise as soon as possible," Jon said.
"You take me to the nicest places, Cap'n. If it's not hallucinogenic caves or slime monsters, it's planetquakes."
"Funny, Trip. Let's just get some sleep. Are you ready to trigger the Stargate?"
"We think so. It'll probably take about an hour to set up in the morning."
--continued in part three--