Thanks to Sandra who beta-read this ... Enjoy the story guys.

***

Part 2: Ing Madya Mangun Karso

" From the middle, a teacher should act as a motivator. "

*

*

*

The day had finally come.

Sam leaned back against the wall and held her gaze with the Colonel. They were inside the SG-1 gear room, as she prepared for her upcoming mission. She had put on her green camouflage fatigues, ready to lead her team. He was still wearing his black regulation shirt, sitting on the bench situated at the middle of the room, watching her.

"This is it." Her stomach was still in turmoil and she was reminded of her first trip through the gate - excitement and apprehension mixed perfectly.

"You'll do fine, Carter." He tilted his head up and smiled encouragingly.

She bit her lower lip. "I wish I had your positive attitude towards life, Sir."

He stood up and walked to her. "Are you nervous?" A pair of brown eyes interrogated her.

She couldn't lie, couldn't pretend. Not when he looked at her like that. She lowered her head, tearing her eyes away from him. "Yes."

"You should be. Overconfidence could endanger your team."

"Over paranoia could make me indecisive."

He pulled her to his arms, holding her loosely. A friend's hug, nothing more, nothing less.

"Don't be something you're not."

She buried her head in his shoulder, her worries ebbing away little by little. She would love to stay in these arms forever, where she didn't have to fight her feelings anymore, where she didn't have to force herself to work harder. Because he accepted her just the way she was.

Giving her a last squeeze, he let her go reluctantly. He cleared his throat and said, "Now, you get out there and kick some alien butt. That's an order, Major!"

She presented him with a mock salute. "Yes, Sir." And then with a straight face she added, "If we could find one in an uninhabited planet ... Sir."

"You know what I mean." He groaned and shook his head, but smiled nevertheless. He gestured at the door. "Ready to go?"

Sam let out a breath and counted to three. Determination was written all over her face. "Let's do it."

He beamed with pride while opening the door. "That's my Carter."

*My* Carter?

She was gob smacked ... but in a good way. The Colonel had already walked out of the room, missing her reaction. Did he realise what he had just said, or was it a slip?

*His* Carter...

"Carter, are you coming?" He peered through the door, confused as to why she was still in the room.

*His* Carter.

She was *his*. She liked the sound of that and definitely could get used to that idea. He might not mean it the way she interpreted it, but she didn't care. She was sure that she was grinning like the cat that had just eaten the canary when she answered, "I'm coming, Sir."

They were walking side by side through the corridor, heading towards the Gate room. The SG-Alpha team was scheduled to embark in around 15 minutes.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked quietly as they reached their destination. The rest of her team was not there yet, but the equipment they needed for the mission was sitting on the ramp.

"Nothing." She moved to the equipment in order to give them a last inspection.

He followed her and whispered, "Then, why are you still smiling?"

Oops. She quickly turned her grin into a puzzled look, unsuccessfully. "Sir?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Major. That's my forte, not yours," the Colonel insisted, his eyes clearly twinkling with mirth. He knew that whatever amused her must have been really ... amusing.

She pursed her lips and concentrated on the equipment.

He pointed his finger at her face. "See, there's that smug look again."

She could feel a giggle bursting out. She tried to hide it with a cough when Captain Green and Lieutenant Reed entered the Gate room, laughing loudly at a joke that she didn't hear. It was an interruption that she desperately need.

"Are you prepared, gentlemen?" She turned around to face them. The Colonel let out a grumble when he realised that he wasn't going to get anything out of her now.

"Yes, Ma'am," the two officers replied in unison.

"Where's Halle?" the Colonel asked.

Green snickered. "She was being harassed by Doctor Jackson just outside the elevator, Sir."

She and the Colonel exchanged a look and raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

Reed nudged his friend, giving him a glare. "Doctor Jackson was just giving her some details on what he thought about the temple, Sir."

"Ah ..." That sounded more like the Daniel she knew. He had shown a lot of interest in the shrine after seeing the UAV footage, saying there was something odd about it. For all she knew, any building in the middle of nowhere was odd. But then again, she was no archaeologist.

Right on cue, Halle appeared in the Gate room with Daniel trotting beside her, engaged in what appeared to be a one-way conversation. Teal'c followed closely behind them.

"Daniel, leave that poor Lieutenant alone!" ordered Jack. The newly arrived trio approached him and Sam.

Daniel rolled his eyes once they were close enough. "Jack, I only gave her some tips on ..."

"Drop it, Daniel. You're pestering her."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Doctor Jackson didn't bother me, Sir. He just informed me of the possibilities of the temple's origin," Halle, who had been watching the two men interact, provided an explanation. She was a linguist, and didn't really have any great knowledge on ancient mythology and history.

"Really? OK then, don't say that I didn't try to rescue you from his boring lecture," the Colonel addressed the Lieutenant. He always hated it when his efforts went unappreciated.

"Don't bother to answer, Maria, he's just feeling grouchy that Sam is going ... ouch, JACK!" One of the Colonel's elbows made contact with Daniel's stomach. A piercing glare from the Colonel made him back down and look sheepish when he realised what he was about to say. "Sorry, my bad."

Fortunately, Halle was the only one close enough to them. The others didn't seem to hear Daniel's remark. Green and Reed were on the ramp, chatting about something. However, if Halle did notice the slip, she wasn't showing it. She seemed preoccupied with something.

"Halle, are you OK?" Sam asked out of concern. She didn't want any member of her team distracted for the mission. The planet might be unpopulated, but that didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous.

She wished that she had more time to know her new team better on a more personal level, so that she would know if any of them showed any signs of problems. But she never really had the chance, not with the tight SGC schedule. Like her, the other members of her team were also members of SG teams and had their own missions to go on. They did manage to have a team night out together once or twice, but it wasn't enough. She was glad that at least this mission would provide that chance. They would be together 72 hours non-stop, watching each other's backs.

Halle blinked once. "I'm fine, Major."

"Good. Why don't you go and join Green and Reed, I'll be right there in a minute."

"Yes, Ma'am." She obliged and soon the four SG-1 members were left alone.

Sam looked at them one by one and still couldn't get past the fact they wouldn't be there with her. "See you in 76 hours, then."

"See you, Sam."

"We will be waiting, Major Carter."

"Do your job, Major. And come back home."

The butterflies in her stomach did an impressive manoeuvre. "I'll do my best, Sir." She gave him a salute, turned around and approached her other team.

"Ready to depart?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

She nodded and then looked up to the control room and gave the General a signal. The General acknowledge her and ordered Davis to dial up the gate.

Sam gave the General a crisp salute and spun around to watch the Gate as it rotated. As soon as the seventh chevron was locked, the Gate came alive, bursting a wave of blue water before it finally settled to form an event horizon. It never ceased to amaze her on how the Stargate took her breath away. Every single time. The way the translucent blue puddle looked so inviting, the way it broke her molecules down into micro molecular size and reassembled them again - it was beyond her.

"SG-Alpha, you have a go."

***

"Tell me where it is."

Her voice was always cold and detached. But it didn't dissuade him. It never did.

"NO."

He'd rather die than give it up. He would not tell her.

"It was mine to start with. You stole it from me. Tell me! NOW!"

Something shone through his eyes. He screamed in agony and his brain felt as if it was scrambled. But he could endure pain. He could endure death.

However ... he couldn't give her what she wanted.

He wouldn't.

He gritted his teeth and collected what little power that he still had.

"I will not tell you, EVER."

The pain was gone and so was the blinding light. He could feel something cold pressed to his throat. A knife. It was his gift for her.

"No one denies my wish."

She always said that, but he disagreed. His eyes fluttered open. The feminine figure in front of him had started to take shape as his vision was coming back.

No one could take his Ravi away from him. No one.

"I do."

The sharp metal moved swiftly.

***

Sam scanned her surrounding. Nothing much, really. Just lots and lots of tree, the way she liked a planet to be. The Stargate was 6 or 7 clicks to the South. The temple was barren, and some local wildlife (they looked like squirrels, but with bunny teeth) had decided to claim the empty building as their nest.

The temple's walls were made of stone. It was built almost like a tomb, but there was no indication of any bodies so far. Halle said that this temple was probably not a temple after all. She couldn't find any altars or prayer chambers anywhere. The walls were engraved with pictures, not writing. She also said that the best she could do now was take pictures. The parameter was checked and cleared.

The standard mineral survey was done, but Sam didn't really hope to find anything interesting in the soil. She decided to camp inside the temple. This way, they didn't have to set up their tents and it would protect them from the rain, wind and wild animals.

She and Reed took the time to explore their surrounding before P89 768's sun set. The temple (or the not-a-temple building) was situated on the top of a hill, and that was why it was easily spotted by the UAV. Reed noticed something unusual down the hill, and said he would like to take a look. Green and Halle were staying back at the temple, setting up the camp and taking pictures.

"Do you mind sharing what's on your mind, Lieutenant?" She climbed down the hill's slope carefully. Although it was not too steep, the grass was tall, almost reaching her hips, and she had to be careful not to loose her footing.

Reed was also cautious, knowing he couldn't afford to slip. "Do you see that area that looks like steps over there, Major?"

She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Yes."

"Well, I wanted to check whether it occurred naturally or not."

"What do you mean?"

"It looks suspiciously like an irrigation system."

"And that wasn't the work of Mother Nature, was it?"

"Very unlikely, but I couldn't say from here. We have to get closer."

Upon closer inspection, it didn't occur in nature. And in addition to that, a bamboo pipe was also found at the top step, hidden by thick bush.

"Did you see this, Ma'am? The water would flow from here and once the first step was filled, the water would cascade to the next one. This is so similar to the side inlet irrigation system."

That confirmed the presence of a civilization. Her mind raced. What had forced the people to abandon this perfect planet? There was no sign of any natural disaster or extreme environment change. Was it the Goa'uld? She sighed heavily. This discovery had not changed the mission's objective, but now they had an extra task to do.

To find out what exactly had happened.

"The water is still running," Sam pointed out. The pipe was leaking water.

"Should we follow the pipe and find out where the water source is?" Reed was more than intrigued, he was curious.

She was tempted to do just that, but dusk was already approaching. "No, we'll do it tomorrow. It's getting dark. We better get back now."

Reed nodded in agreement. He opened his pack and took out a camera. "One minute to take the picture, Ma'am?" He asked for permission.

"Sure, make sure you've got everything."

He gave her a boyish grin and started capturing pictures of the field and the pipeline. Sam straightened her back and adjusted the position of her cap, her short blond hair sticking out from under the green material.

The gentle breeze and the strong aroma of nature brought her back to the small, secluded cabin in Minnesota. She smiled involuntarily as the memory resurfaced. It was good to know that she could just be with the Colonel as a friend without having to worry about jumping each other's bones at any minute ... although she wouldn't mind if it did happen.

She had given him a peck on the cheek when he dropped her at her doorstep, though. And it was nice. Very nice.

"Major, I'm done here." Reed's voice pulled her back to P89 768.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had work to do, and she intended to give it her best. "Let's go back then."

They climbed back up to the temple in silence. The wind was getting stronger and a light shower caught them midway through. They didn't change their pace though. It was dangerous to go faster.

"Could I ask you something, Ma'am?"

"Go ahead."

"You are a 'military brat', aren't you?"

"As bratty as you are." She grinned at the topic of their conversation. Reed came from a military family, the third generation in his family to join the Air Force. His grandfather was a Major, both his father and uncle were Generals, and his cousin was a Captain.

"Did your decision to join the military have anything to do with your family?"

She took her time to collect her thoughts. "I must admit that my Dad had a little influence in it, but I did it on my own initiative. I always wanted to join NASA, and the Air Force was my stepping stone."

He finished her words. "But somehow along the way, the Stargate program changed your priority."

"Yes," she confirmed his assessment. "Not only that, the program has changed me as a person, too."

"I see."

There was something that was bothering him. That much was obvious. "Why did you ask?"

He didn't reply to her question, keeping his gaze straight in front of him. She could hear the raindrops making contact with the grass as the silence between the two of them encased. She was debating whether she should push the matter further or just let it go when they reached the top. Jogging slightly to avoid the rain, they arrived at the temple in no time. They were slightly wet, but not drenched. The sun had completely disappeared now, replaced by twin moons.

They took off their jackets and lay them near the fire that Green and Halle had managed to start. The camp was set and the MREs were ready to be consumed. They exchanged information during dinner. Reed told them about the discovery they had made while Halle shared her theory on the drawings on the wall.

"I'm not quite sure, but the pictures seemed to be related with each other," she started.

"How so?" Reed asked while spooning some of the chicken-flavoured macaroni and cheese into his mouth.

"Some of the characters in one picture were also found in another. That would suggest that the drawings were telling a story."

Sam put her fork down. It wasn't unheard of. If the planet's population wasn't advance enough to have a written language, the pictures were a perfect way for them to record their history. "Could you guess how the story goes?"

Halle shook her head, her MRE long forgotten. "I'm afraid not. I have some vague ideas, but without any references, it was just a wild guess that goes nowhere."

"OK, first thing tomorrow, you and I are going to report what we have found so far to the SGC. Green, you'll go with Reed and investigate where the pipe leads to. We'll catch up with you as soon as we can."

The three officers nodded in understanding. They spent the rest of the night chatting and comparing tales from their previous missions. Soon, it was time for them to rest. Sam closed her eyes as her head hit the sleeping bag after her watch. She was glad that the mission had gone well so far.

One day down, two to go.

---

To Be Continue