By the time they made their arrival in the galaxy the Pe'aoli lived in, Sam
was pretty sure she knew as much about the people living there as she knew
about the ones on Earth. Jack had joined Sam and Thor on the bridge about
an hour after Thor had put Shawn in the simulator chair and Sam gave him a
rundown on the people, telling O'Neill that they appeared to be everything
the Asgard said they were. Peaceful farmers.
"Shouldn't be any problems, then?" Jack had asked.
"They don't appear to have any weapons aside from slings and knives, Sir, and these are just used for defending their herds, or for daily life."
"Good."
"Shawn still playing the simulator?"
"Oh, yeah." Jack grinned. "He got bored with the shuttle once he learned the controls, and went on to some glider thing. Apparently, the shuttles don't do anything."
"They are used for transport, O'Neill," Thor told him.
"Yeah, well, Shawn asked for something better, and the computer threw him a fighter of some sort. He's in there doing barrel rolls and loop the loops."
"Sounds fun." Sam said with a smile.
"As long as he is occupied," Thor said.
"You'll probably have to pry him out of that chair when we get done." If all else failed, Jack knew where to find shoehorns, at least. "He's about as preoccupied as I've ever seen him. Which means we likely won't see him unless we go looking for him. Good idea, Sam."
"Thank you, Sir."
O'Neill's prediction had proved correct. When they entered orbit around the planet, Shawn had been sitting in the chair of the simulator for over six hours, and still hadn't reappeared on the bridge. Jack had checked on him a few times, but Shawn said he was fine. He looked fine, too. He'd graduated from barrel rolls to dog fighting - or whatever the Asgard called it – and seemed to be doing pretty well, although the last time Jack had checked, he was being shot down by some nasty looking craft that seemed to be bristling with weapons. Shawn had made a noise of disgust, grinned at Jack, and restarted his simulation.
"Kind of like a never ending video game?" Jack had said, smiling as the boy launched his fighter from the landing bay.
"Only you never need quarters."
Jack had laughed and left him to his fun, although if the chair had been bigger, he might have had Shawn teach him to play it, too, since it looked interesting.
"You think Shawn will want to see this?" Sam asked as they watched the blue planet on the forward viewing window grow larger and larger.
"Yeah. I think he needs a break from the video game, anyways," Jack said, getting up from where he'd been lounging on the floor near where Sam. "I'll go get him."
If nothing else could be said for the simulator, it at least made it easy to find the boy. When he'd originally been cajoled into taking Shawn, Jack had had visions of chasing the boy around the Asgard ship, trying to keep him from going crazy from boredom and pushing buttons. With the simulator, he was quiet and sedate, and they didn't have to worry about him accidentally touching the wrong button and blowing up the ship.
O'Neill walked into the room just in time to see Shawn blowing an entire planet to shreds. The simulator showed the explosion from every angle and it was very impressive.
"Whatcha doing?" Jack asked.
"Just goofing around. I thought I'd see what other kinds of planes they have and what they could do."
"Oh yeah? What are you flying now?"
"A Raquardian Class Destroyer."
"Ah. Nice."
"It's awesome. You can blow up moons and stars if you want to. Not that I would in real life, but they make a pretty cool show when they go up." He pointed to the heads-up display.
"That they do." Jack agreed. "We're at our destination. I thought you'd like to see it."
"Yeah, I would."
He shut down the simulator with a practiced hand, and hopped out of the chair, looking just a little unsteady for the time he'd spent in it.
"You should have landed the plane in your landing bay before turning it off," Jack told him, grinning.
"It doesn't go in a landing bay," Shawn told him with a grin. "It's too big."
"Ah."
They walked back to the bridge, Shawn shaking his hands to get feeling back into his arms. Heavy duty video game playing! His parents would have a fit if they knew.
"How was the simulator?" Sam asked Shawn as the two walked in.
"Great! I was kicking some serious butt."
"That's great, Shawn."
"Shuttles are not designed to 'kick butt ,'" Thor said from his Command chair. Shawn grinned and walked over to stand next to the chair, leaning slightly against it, although he was careful not to touch anything.
"I wasn't flying the shuttle."
"We're at the planet, Shawn," Sam said, interrupting before the boy could start asking Thor about lasers or anything else. She pointed at the view screen. The planet was there in front of them, and Shawn could see that another ship was off to the side of the one they were on. This one was a huge one, obviously one that would be used to carry all the people.
"Where are you and Jack going to go?"
Thor brought up a hologram that showed the planet, then scaled it down a bit to show the few land masses, then scaled it even further to show one single, small mass.
"This is where the majority of the people live. Most of their world is yet unexplored. The oceans of the planet are dangerous, and they have not yet advanced enough to make sea-going vessels that are safe enough to negotiate the distances."
Thor waved his hand and a close up of the land mass showed up in more detail.
"There is a large community in this area, where we will send you and Major Carter, O'Neill. In your present attire, you should fit in well enough that you do not frighten them. However, we will be monitoring you to make sure that if for some reason something does go wrong we can bring you back to the ship."
"Yeah," Jack said. "Communication devices will definitely help." He looked at Shawn. "You do whatever Thor tells you while we're gone, understood?"
Shawn nodded.
"Are you ready, O'Neill?"
"Sam?"
"Ready, Sir."
Jack nodded to Thor and shrugged. "We're ready."
"Good luck, Jack!"
"Thanks, buddy."
There was a flash of light and they were gone.
"Shouldn't be any problems, then?" Jack had asked.
"They don't appear to have any weapons aside from slings and knives, Sir, and these are just used for defending their herds, or for daily life."
"Good."
"Shawn still playing the simulator?"
"Oh, yeah." Jack grinned. "He got bored with the shuttle once he learned the controls, and went on to some glider thing. Apparently, the shuttles don't do anything."
"They are used for transport, O'Neill," Thor told him.
"Yeah, well, Shawn asked for something better, and the computer threw him a fighter of some sort. He's in there doing barrel rolls and loop the loops."
"Sounds fun." Sam said with a smile.
"As long as he is occupied," Thor said.
"You'll probably have to pry him out of that chair when we get done." If all else failed, Jack knew where to find shoehorns, at least. "He's about as preoccupied as I've ever seen him. Which means we likely won't see him unless we go looking for him. Good idea, Sam."
"Thank you, Sir."
O'Neill's prediction had proved correct. When they entered orbit around the planet, Shawn had been sitting in the chair of the simulator for over six hours, and still hadn't reappeared on the bridge. Jack had checked on him a few times, but Shawn said he was fine. He looked fine, too. He'd graduated from barrel rolls to dog fighting - or whatever the Asgard called it – and seemed to be doing pretty well, although the last time Jack had checked, he was being shot down by some nasty looking craft that seemed to be bristling with weapons. Shawn had made a noise of disgust, grinned at Jack, and restarted his simulation.
"Kind of like a never ending video game?" Jack had said, smiling as the boy launched his fighter from the landing bay.
"Only you never need quarters."
Jack had laughed and left him to his fun, although if the chair had been bigger, he might have had Shawn teach him to play it, too, since it looked interesting.
"You think Shawn will want to see this?" Sam asked as they watched the blue planet on the forward viewing window grow larger and larger.
"Yeah. I think he needs a break from the video game, anyways," Jack said, getting up from where he'd been lounging on the floor near where Sam. "I'll go get him."
If nothing else could be said for the simulator, it at least made it easy to find the boy. When he'd originally been cajoled into taking Shawn, Jack had had visions of chasing the boy around the Asgard ship, trying to keep him from going crazy from boredom and pushing buttons. With the simulator, he was quiet and sedate, and they didn't have to worry about him accidentally touching the wrong button and blowing up the ship.
O'Neill walked into the room just in time to see Shawn blowing an entire planet to shreds. The simulator showed the explosion from every angle and it was very impressive.
"Whatcha doing?" Jack asked.
"Just goofing around. I thought I'd see what other kinds of planes they have and what they could do."
"Oh yeah? What are you flying now?"
"A Raquardian Class Destroyer."
"Ah. Nice."
"It's awesome. You can blow up moons and stars if you want to. Not that I would in real life, but they make a pretty cool show when they go up." He pointed to the heads-up display.
"That they do." Jack agreed. "We're at our destination. I thought you'd like to see it."
"Yeah, I would."
He shut down the simulator with a practiced hand, and hopped out of the chair, looking just a little unsteady for the time he'd spent in it.
"You should have landed the plane in your landing bay before turning it off," Jack told him, grinning.
"It doesn't go in a landing bay," Shawn told him with a grin. "It's too big."
"Ah."
They walked back to the bridge, Shawn shaking his hands to get feeling back into his arms. Heavy duty video game playing! His parents would have a fit if they knew.
"How was the simulator?" Sam asked Shawn as the two walked in.
"Great! I was kicking some serious butt."
"That's great, Shawn."
"Shuttles are not designed to 'kick butt ,'" Thor said from his Command chair. Shawn grinned and walked over to stand next to the chair, leaning slightly against it, although he was careful not to touch anything.
"I wasn't flying the shuttle."
"We're at the planet, Shawn," Sam said, interrupting before the boy could start asking Thor about lasers or anything else. She pointed at the view screen. The planet was there in front of them, and Shawn could see that another ship was off to the side of the one they were on. This one was a huge one, obviously one that would be used to carry all the people.
"Where are you and Jack going to go?"
Thor brought up a hologram that showed the planet, then scaled it down a bit to show the few land masses, then scaled it even further to show one single, small mass.
"This is where the majority of the people live. Most of their world is yet unexplored. The oceans of the planet are dangerous, and they have not yet advanced enough to make sea-going vessels that are safe enough to negotiate the distances."
Thor waved his hand and a close up of the land mass showed up in more detail.
"There is a large community in this area, where we will send you and Major Carter, O'Neill. In your present attire, you should fit in well enough that you do not frighten them. However, we will be monitoring you to make sure that if for some reason something does go wrong we can bring you back to the ship."
"Yeah," Jack said. "Communication devices will definitely help." He looked at Shawn. "You do whatever Thor tells you while we're gone, understood?"
Shawn nodded.
"Are you ready, O'Neill?"
"Sam?"
"Ready, Sir."
Jack nodded to Thor and shrugged. "We're ready."
"Good luck, Jack!"
"Thanks, buddy."
There was a flash of light and they were gone.
