Moving along
Sam watched the children sleeping on the mats. They were all huddled together under the blanket she had found in her pack. She smiled as Bryson mumbled in his sleep, then turned and snuggled closer to his brother. They were all such wonderful kids. Even though she was not the praying kind, she sent up a small prayer that these children would be reunited with their parents once they got back to Earth.
Sam looked out at the night sky. It was clear tonight, the bright stars twinkled in the sky as it slowly changed to a light shade of pink. She had dozed lightly on and off, not wanting to fall into a deep sleep should they have any 'unexpected visitors'. Josef had come over a few hours ago and offered to take watch so that she could rest, but she declined. She just didn't feel comfortable sleeping while a 15 year old boy watched over the group. Maybe this next night she would. She knew she would need some sleep in order to be fully awake and functional as they trekked south. What she wouldn't give for a cup of Daniel's gourmet coffee!
An hour later, the children began to wake up. Sam showed them where the "facilities" were, then had them wash up at the stream before handing out more bread for breakfast. When they had all finished eating, Sam packed up their meager supplies and got the children ready to leave the confines of the cave.
"Should I bring along the mats, Major Sam?" inquired Kellan. "We can use them to rest on during our hike and again to sleep on at night."
"That's a wonderful idea Kellan. Here's some rope. You can roll the mats up and tie them tightly with the rope."
"Can I carry the mats," piped up Bryson. He had seen his older brother helping out a lot and wanted to help too.
"Sure Bryson. Everyone can take turns carrying the mats. That way we can all help," Sam replied. She continued to be impressed by the children's eagerness to help each other.
They set off, following the stream to the south. It was easy walking along the bottom of the ridges, the rocks were not as loose and the ground by the stream was packed down due to the moisture. Sam made sure the children didn't walk in the muddy areas: she didn't want to leave any footprints for the Jaffa warriors to follow.
After they had walked for a little over an hour, they heard a loud explosion coming from the south. Looking to the sky, Sam saw a bright flash of light and debris falling from the area that would be near to the Stargate. She had the children duck quickly into the brush along their path as she went back a few meters to see if she could discern what had happened. From the sound of the explosion and the debris she saw fall to the ground, Sam was sure that the Jaffa who guarded the gate had just shot down a UAV. Damn, she thought to herself! They were trying to reach her from the SGC and she had no way of letting them know that she was safe and what her plan was. She knew her team must be frustrated at not being able to come back and locate her...she had felt the same way many times in the past.
For the first time since she took off on her own, Sam felt badly about her decision. Not to come back and try and find the children, she knew that was the right choice. But that she didn't have time to fully disclose her plans to someone on her team. For their sakes, she hoped they wouldn't try and come through the gate. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, or worse, on her account, especially since she would no longer be in vicinity. If they came through, they would never find her.
Sam made her way back to the children. "It's all right, you can come out now."
The children stood up and came to stand around her. Anya held on to Sam's hand and looked up at her with fear and questions in her eyes. "Do you know what that was Major Sam?' asked Jalia.
"I think the Jaffa shot down a plane that the people from Earth sent through the gate. The plane flies in the sky and is able to find people who might be missing. I believe they were looking for us," Sam replied.
"But now they can't find us can they?" Jalia asked sadly.
"No honey, they can't. But that doesn't matter. We are going to the other Stargate so they won't need to come and look for us. Won't they be surprised when we come through by ourselves?" Sam gave the children a big smile. She looked down at Anya to reassure the littlest one. Anya smiled back and continued to hold Sam's hand as they resumed their journey to the south.
[]
0800 – Gateroom at the SGC.
"All right airman, send the UAV through," directed General Hammond.
The three remaining members of SG-1 watched as the UAV shot out of its moorings and headed through the gate. They turned their gazes to the monitors which would show the progress of the plane as it rematerialized on the other side.
"UAV should come through in 5...4...3...2....1," counted down Sergeant Davis. "Visual is up."
All eyes watched the screen as a brief image of the clearing emerged, showing the many Jaffa and the two cannons below. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and the image disappeared from the monitors.
"What the hell happened?" yelled Jack in a very frustrated tone of voice.
"It appears that the UAV was hit by a cannon blast O'Neill. There is little doubt that it has been destroyed," remarked Teal'c. He was as disappointed as his good friend but, as always, kept a stoic expression on his face.
"Great. Just great. Now what? Can we send another one through General?" he asked his commanding officer.
"No son. I'm sorry but we can't afford to lose another UAV. I'm afraid that there will be no rescue mission launched at this time." The General truly was sorry. Samantha Carter was more than a fine officer to him; she was almost like a daughter.
"Any new information from the Tok'ra General? Maybe they can send a ship..." Daniel faltered at the look on General Hammond's face.
"The Tok'ra are unable to send a ship at this time. They have an operative in the area who is looking into the matter, but so far, has nothing to report on Major Carter's whereabouts. They are as unwilling as I am to send people into what is a very difficult situation. I am sorry gentlemen; there is really nothing more we can do at this moment. I suggest you all take some time to rest and regroup."
"So, are you declaring Carter MIA, General?"
General Hammond looked at Jack. While he did not appreciate the tone of voice that question had been delivered in, he did understand it and chose not to rebuke the officer.
"No Jack, I am not declaring Major Carter MIA. We will give it another day or two and try to send another MALP through. In the meantime, I will try and convince the President to approve sending a large explosive through the gate. I'll warn you right now, though; he is not thrilled at the idea. I'm not too sure of it myself. We could do more harm than good." He turned and left the control room, heading to his office to see about contacting the President.
"What now?" asked Daniel to no one in particular.
"I guess we continue to do what we have been doing Daniel...absolutely nothing!" With that comment, Jack turned and left the control room, going in the opposite direction of General Hammond.
[]
They had walked for several hours and Sam noticed the children starting to drag. She decided it was time to call a halt and rest in the shade. They needed to eat as well to keep up their strength. Kiera had found some edible berries along the way and had gathered them up, along with the help of the other children. They still had a few loaves of bread and the food that was in Sam's pack. They should be all right as far as food and water was concerned, especially if they continued to find berries along the way.
Kellan unrolled the mats and they all sat down in the shade of some large trees to rest and eat their lunch. Bryson and Anya, the youngest of the group, ate their portions and lay down on the mats, their heads resting on each of Sam's thighs. She smiled down at the two sleepy children. She would really like to join them in an afternoon nap right about now! Actually, it might not be a bad idea for all of the children to rest for 30 minutes. They had traveled quite a way already, and still had far to go.
"Why don't the rest of you lie down as well?" Sam quietly directed the children. "We have a lot more walking ahead of us this afternoon."
The older children were also tired, so didn't argue, even thought they felt they were way too olds for naps! They lay down on the mats, scattered about like a litter of puppies. Sam relaxed against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes as well. She would rest for a while too. She felt safe here...they were far enough away from the village and she didn't think the Jaffa would be all that interested in venturing this far.
A shuffling to her right woke Sam with a start. She looked around and didn't see anything other than Teegan sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. Sam looked at her watch. Shoot! She had slept for an hour!
"Wake up everyone, we need to get moving. We all slept a bit too long!" Sam roused the children from their sleep and went to refill the canteen. She noticed some of the children were looking a little red so she dug out her sunscreen and applied it to faces and necks. Once the mats were rolled up again, they continued on their journey.
They stopped and rested every two hours until Sam could see where the valley ended in the distance. She stopped walking and called Josef to her. "Is that where your father took you when you walked this route with him?"
"Yes," answered Josef. "It is getting closer but is still a little more than hour's walk from here. We should make it before the sun sets though."
Sam looked to the sky. Josef was right; they had plenty of sunlight left. She looked to the littlest children. They looked exhausted. "Okay everyone, we still have a while to walk. I think we are going to need to help Anya and Bryson though. Teegan, could you carry my pack while I take Anya? Josef, how about if you carry Bryson on your back for a while. When you get tired, you and Kellan can switch."
"I can carry Anya if you get tired Major Sam," said Kiera.
"Thank you Kiera. For now, I'd like you, Jalia and Kellan to collect more berries for us to eat for dinner. OK?"
The children all nodded their heads at their new jobs. Sam scrunched down for Anya to climb on her back while Josef did the same for Bryson. When everyone was ready, they continued on.
"Major Sam," called Josef from the head of the group. It had been an hour since Sam had taken Anya and her back was starting to get sore. Kiera had offered to take the little girl for a while but Sam could tell the older girl looked tired and didn't want to wear her out.
"Yes Josef?"
"We are almost to the end of the valley. We can climb the ridge now and sleep in the forest or stay here for the night. I believe there are some caves up ahead that we could stay in."
Sam knew the children couldn't take a hike up that steep hill today. She didn't know if she could make it! Were treks with the Colonel this tiring? Of course, she usually had plenty of sleep before those treks, as the Colonel made sure his team was well rested. She would need to make sure her team was well rested as well!
"Let's find a cave Josef. I think we are all ready to call it a day."
They continued on for twenty more minutes before Josef stopped and indicated a cave to their right. Sam wasn't quite as concerned that it be as well hidden this time, but felt she better check it out on her own, just in case. She placed Anya on the ground beside Kiera with instructions for all of the children to drink some water and eat some of the berries. Then Sam climbed the small incline to the cave. It appeared to be uninhabited and roomy enough for all of them. The last thing she wanted was to share a cave with a wild animal!
Sam made her way back to the children and plopped on the ground, glad to be off of her feet for a while. "The cave looks safe. We'll stay here for tonight, then head up to the forest in the morning. I think we are far enough away from the Jaffa to have a small fire. I can cook up a hot meal for us to share."
The children gave great big smiles at this news. They would never complain, but were growing tired of bread and berries.
After refilling the canteen and cleaning themselves up in the stream, they all headed up to the cave. Sam built a small fire and cooked three of the instant meals. They could share the meals along with the bread and berries. As they ate, Sam told them about Earth and the wonderful people who worked at the SGC. She also promised them that they would get to try some ice cream, a delicious dessert from her home world. By them time dinner was finished and things cleaned up, everyone was tired and ready for some sleep.
Sam laid out the mats and blanket and the children snuggled in and fell asleep instantly. All except for Josef. He had seen how tired Major Sam looked and insisted that she wake him later in the night so she could sleep while he took watch. This time, Sam readily agreed with the boy. Tomorrow would be another long day and she would need her rest, just like the others.
TBC (
Sam watched the children sleeping on the mats. They were all huddled together under the blanket she had found in her pack. She smiled as Bryson mumbled in his sleep, then turned and snuggled closer to his brother. They were all such wonderful kids. Even though she was not the praying kind, she sent up a small prayer that these children would be reunited with their parents once they got back to Earth.
Sam looked out at the night sky. It was clear tonight, the bright stars twinkled in the sky as it slowly changed to a light shade of pink. She had dozed lightly on and off, not wanting to fall into a deep sleep should they have any 'unexpected visitors'. Josef had come over a few hours ago and offered to take watch so that she could rest, but she declined. She just didn't feel comfortable sleeping while a 15 year old boy watched over the group. Maybe this next night she would. She knew she would need some sleep in order to be fully awake and functional as they trekked south. What she wouldn't give for a cup of Daniel's gourmet coffee!
An hour later, the children began to wake up. Sam showed them where the "facilities" were, then had them wash up at the stream before handing out more bread for breakfast. When they had all finished eating, Sam packed up their meager supplies and got the children ready to leave the confines of the cave.
"Should I bring along the mats, Major Sam?" inquired Kellan. "We can use them to rest on during our hike and again to sleep on at night."
"That's a wonderful idea Kellan. Here's some rope. You can roll the mats up and tie them tightly with the rope."
"Can I carry the mats," piped up Bryson. He had seen his older brother helping out a lot and wanted to help too.
"Sure Bryson. Everyone can take turns carrying the mats. That way we can all help," Sam replied. She continued to be impressed by the children's eagerness to help each other.
They set off, following the stream to the south. It was easy walking along the bottom of the ridges, the rocks were not as loose and the ground by the stream was packed down due to the moisture. Sam made sure the children didn't walk in the muddy areas: she didn't want to leave any footprints for the Jaffa warriors to follow.
After they had walked for a little over an hour, they heard a loud explosion coming from the south. Looking to the sky, Sam saw a bright flash of light and debris falling from the area that would be near to the Stargate. She had the children duck quickly into the brush along their path as she went back a few meters to see if she could discern what had happened. From the sound of the explosion and the debris she saw fall to the ground, Sam was sure that the Jaffa who guarded the gate had just shot down a UAV. Damn, she thought to herself! They were trying to reach her from the SGC and she had no way of letting them know that she was safe and what her plan was. She knew her team must be frustrated at not being able to come back and locate her...she had felt the same way many times in the past.
For the first time since she took off on her own, Sam felt badly about her decision. Not to come back and try and find the children, she knew that was the right choice. But that she didn't have time to fully disclose her plans to someone on her team. For their sakes, she hoped they wouldn't try and come through the gate. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, or worse, on her account, especially since she would no longer be in vicinity. If they came through, they would never find her.
Sam made her way back to the children. "It's all right, you can come out now."
The children stood up and came to stand around her. Anya held on to Sam's hand and looked up at her with fear and questions in her eyes. "Do you know what that was Major Sam?' asked Jalia.
"I think the Jaffa shot down a plane that the people from Earth sent through the gate. The plane flies in the sky and is able to find people who might be missing. I believe they were looking for us," Sam replied.
"But now they can't find us can they?" Jalia asked sadly.
"No honey, they can't. But that doesn't matter. We are going to the other Stargate so they won't need to come and look for us. Won't they be surprised when we come through by ourselves?" Sam gave the children a big smile. She looked down at Anya to reassure the littlest one. Anya smiled back and continued to hold Sam's hand as they resumed their journey to the south.
[]
0800 – Gateroom at the SGC.
"All right airman, send the UAV through," directed General Hammond.
The three remaining members of SG-1 watched as the UAV shot out of its moorings and headed through the gate. They turned their gazes to the monitors which would show the progress of the plane as it rematerialized on the other side.
"UAV should come through in 5...4...3...2....1," counted down Sergeant Davis. "Visual is up."
All eyes watched the screen as a brief image of the clearing emerged, showing the many Jaffa and the two cannons below. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and the image disappeared from the monitors.
"What the hell happened?" yelled Jack in a very frustrated tone of voice.
"It appears that the UAV was hit by a cannon blast O'Neill. There is little doubt that it has been destroyed," remarked Teal'c. He was as disappointed as his good friend but, as always, kept a stoic expression on his face.
"Great. Just great. Now what? Can we send another one through General?" he asked his commanding officer.
"No son. I'm sorry but we can't afford to lose another UAV. I'm afraid that there will be no rescue mission launched at this time." The General truly was sorry. Samantha Carter was more than a fine officer to him; she was almost like a daughter.
"Any new information from the Tok'ra General? Maybe they can send a ship..." Daniel faltered at the look on General Hammond's face.
"The Tok'ra are unable to send a ship at this time. They have an operative in the area who is looking into the matter, but so far, has nothing to report on Major Carter's whereabouts. They are as unwilling as I am to send people into what is a very difficult situation. I am sorry gentlemen; there is really nothing more we can do at this moment. I suggest you all take some time to rest and regroup."
"So, are you declaring Carter MIA, General?"
General Hammond looked at Jack. While he did not appreciate the tone of voice that question had been delivered in, he did understand it and chose not to rebuke the officer.
"No Jack, I am not declaring Major Carter MIA. We will give it another day or two and try to send another MALP through. In the meantime, I will try and convince the President to approve sending a large explosive through the gate. I'll warn you right now, though; he is not thrilled at the idea. I'm not too sure of it myself. We could do more harm than good." He turned and left the control room, heading to his office to see about contacting the President.
"What now?" asked Daniel to no one in particular.
"I guess we continue to do what we have been doing Daniel...absolutely nothing!" With that comment, Jack turned and left the control room, going in the opposite direction of General Hammond.
[]
They had walked for several hours and Sam noticed the children starting to drag. She decided it was time to call a halt and rest in the shade. They needed to eat as well to keep up their strength. Kiera had found some edible berries along the way and had gathered them up, along with the help of the other children. They still had a few loaves of bread and the food that was in Sam's pack. They should be all right as far as food and water was concerned, especially if they continued to find berries along the way.
Kellan unrolled the mats and they all sat down in the shade of some large trees to rest and eat their lunch. Bryson and Anya, the youngest of the group, ate their portions and lay down on the mats, their heads resting on each of Sam's thighs. She smiled down at the two sleepy children. She would really like to join them in an afternoon nap right about now! Actually, it might not be a bad idea for all of the children to rest for 30 minutes. They had traveled quite a way already, and still had far to go.
"Why don't the rest of you lie down as well?" Sam quietly directed the children. "We have a lot more walking ahead of us this afternoon."
The older children were also tired, so didn't argue, even thought they felt they were way too olds for naps! They lay down on the mats, scattered about like a litter of puppies. Sam relaxed against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes as well. She would rest for a while too. She felt safe here...they were far enough away from the village and she didn't think the Jaffa would be all that interested in venturing this far.
A shuffling to her right woke Sam with a start. She looked around and didn't see anything other than Teegan sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. Sam looked at her watch. Shoot! She had slept for an hour!
"Wake up everyone, we need to get moving. We all slept a bit too long!" Sam roused the children from their sleep and went to refill the canteen. She noticed some of the children were looking a little red so she dug out her sunscreen and applied it to faces and necks. Once the mats were rolled up again, they continued on their journey.
They stopped and rested every two hours until Sam could see where the valley ended in the distance. She stopped walking and called Josef to her. "Is that where your father took you when you walked this route with him?"
"Yes," answered Josef. "It is getting closer but is still a little more than hour's walk from here. We should make it before the sun sets though."
Sam looked to the sky. Josef was right; they had plenty of sunlight left. She looked to the littlest children. They looked exhausted. "Okay everyone, we still have a while to walk. I think we are going to need to help Anya and Bryson though. Teegan, could you carry my pack while I take Anya? Josef, how about if you carry Bryson on your back for a while. When you get tired, you and Kellan can switch."
"I can carry Anya if you get tired Major Sam," said Kiera.
"Thank you Kiera. For now, I'd like you, Jalia and Kellan to collect more berries for us to eat for dinner. OK?"
The children all nodded their heads at their new jobs. Sam scrunched down for Anya to climb on her back while Josef did the same for Bryson. When everyone was ready, they continued on.
"Major Sam," called Josef from the head of the group. It had been an hour since Sam had taken Anya and her back was starting to get sore. Kiera had offered to take the little girl for a while but Sam could tell the older girl looked tired and didn't want to wear her out.
"Yes Josef?"
"We are almost to the end of the valley. We can climb the ridge now and sleep in the forest or stay here for the night. I believe there are some caves up ahead that we could stay in."
Sam knew the children couldn't take a hike up that steep hill today. She didn't know if she could make it! Were treks with the Colonel this tiring? Of course, she usually had plenty of sleep before those treks, as the Colonel made sure his team was well rested. She would need to make sure her team was well rested as well!
"Let's find a cave Josef. I think we are all ready to call it a day."
They continued on for twenty more minutes before Josef stopped and indicated a cave to their right. Sam wasn't quite as concerned that it be as well hidden this time, but felt she better check it out on her own, just in case. She placed Anya on the ground beside Kiera with instructions for all of the children to drink some water and eat some of the berries. Then Sam climbed the small incline to the cave. It appeared to be uninhabited and roomy enough for all of them. The last thing she wanted was to share a cave with a wild animal!
Sam made her way back to the children and plopped on the ground, glad to be off of her feet for a while. "The cave looks safe. We'll stay here for tonight, then head up to the forest in the morning. I think we are far enough away from the Jaffa to have a small fire. I can cook up a hot meal for us to share."
The children gave great big smiles at this news. They would never complain, but were growing tired of bread and berries.
After refilling the canteen and cleaning themselves up in the stream, they all headed up to the cave. Sam built a small fire and cooked three of the instant meals. They could share the meals along with the bread and berries. As they ate, Sam told them about Earth and the wonderful people who worked at the SGC. She also promised them that they would get to try some ice cream, a delicious dessert from her home world. By them time dinner was finished and things cleaned up, everyone was tired and ready for some sleep.
Sam laid out the mats and blanket and the children snuggled in and fell asleep instantly. All except for Josef. He had seen how tired Major Sam looked and insisted that she wake him later in the night so she could sleep while he took watch. This time, Sam readily agreed with the boy. Tomorrow would be another long day and she would need her rest, just like the others.
TBC (