Chapter 30: Go be in charge
Sam had come out of her laboratory for some air and a meal when she saw the Stargate start to spin.
"Who's coming through?"
"Don't know, sir," one of the guards said. "No one's due through."
The surface of the wormhole formed, rippled, and slowly spat out a missing archaeologist. "Er. Hi, Sam," he said awkwardly.
Jack headed down to the control room, wondering what was so important. General Hammond was talking on the phone to someone.
"What's up?" he asked.
"We just got a call from the Alpha site."
"And?"
"And I'd like you to judge for yourself, Colonel. Gear up and go."
"What's going on, sir?"
"You'll see soon enough, Jack."
Colonel O'Neill, mystified and more than a bit irritated, emerged from the wormhole to see two very familiar and very tired people slumped against a wall arguing furiously.
"Daniel!" he said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Jack."
"He's lying, of course," Varielle said.
He looked at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"She's lying," Daniel said.
"Are you trying to make my job more difficult?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"But you haven't yet." She leaned back against the wall rubbing her eyes. "I don't suppose you could talk these people into evacuating, could you? You've got maybe three hours."
"How do you know that?"
"For'nyl simath'na," a tall dark-skinned man in a black uniform handed her a datapad.
"How fast are they approaching?" she asked in her own language.
"We don't have long," he said. "A few hours, perhaps. Probably less. Those things are huge."
"What things?" Daniel asked in English, looking over her shoulder. "Goa'uld motherships," he said. "Has to be."
"What?" Jack peered over her other shoulder. She turned it around so he could see the image. "How'd you get that?"
"We set up some sensors over there. We've got good gear."
"Better than ours, sir," a lieutenant who had been listening remarked.
"How many of you are there?"
"Only twelve," she said. "We haven't had much luck convincing the people here we actually know what we're talking about."
"How did you know?" he asked suspiciously.
"That's going to take some explaining," she said wryly.
"Well, how'd you know where to dial?" he asked. Then he turned slowly. "Daniel!"
"He didn't tell us on the spur of the moment," Varielle snapped. "Don't yell at him. He did the right thing. Now follow his example and start getting these people out of here!"
He looked down at her, and remembered she was seventeen. "Who are you to be giving orders to me…" he began. A petite dark-haired lady came around the corner, wearing the same type of clothes as Varielle.
"Is he the one in charge?" she jerked a thumb at him. Jack blinked, not understanding a word of the language. Varielle nodded. "Right. Translate for me, would you? You're being an idiot. We came to warn you. We didn't have to. Now pay attention, and maybe all of these people will come out of this alive."
O'Neill flushed a brilliant red. "Let me see that… thingumajig… again."
"Computer, Jack," Daniel said helpfully. Varielle handed it over. "Don't touch the keys," she warned.
"Where are we going to put everyone?" he asked.
"We've got a world you can use, or you can trust your own knowledge," she said. "Better make up your mind fast if you expect to salvage much of the equipment."
"Tell me something, are you always so annoying?"
"Yes."
"No."
Jack darted a look at Daniel. "I wasn't talking to you."
"You guys really don't believe in welcoming your friends home, do you?" Varielle asked.
He blinked. "What?"
"You're allowed to say something besides 'what'," she needled. "But for now, you're in charge. So go be in charge."
Sam had come out of her laboratory for some air and a meal when she saw the Stargate start to spin.
"Who's coming through?"
"Don't know, sir," one of the guards said. "No one's due through."
The surface of the wormhole formed, rippled, and slowly spat out a missing archaeologist. "Er. Hi, Sam," he said awkwardly.
Jack headed down to the control room, wondering what was so important. General Hammond was talking on the phone to someone.
"What's up?" he asked.
"We just got a call from the Alpha site."
"And?"
"And I'd like you to judge for yourself, Colonel. Gear up and go."
"What's going on, sir?"
"You'll see soon enough, Jack."
Colonel O'Neill, mystified and more than a bit irritated, emerged from the wormhole to see two very familiar and very tired people slumped against a wall arguing furiously.
"Daniel!" he said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Jack."
"He's lying, of course," Varielle said.
He looked at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"She's lying," Daniel said.
"Are you trying to make my job more difficult?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"But you haven't yet." She leaned back against the wall rubbing her eyes. "I don't suppose you could talk these people into evacuating, could you? You've got maybe three hours."
"How do you know that?"
"For'nyl simath'na," a tall dark-skinned man in a black uniform handed her a datapad.
"How fast are they approaching?" she asked in her own language.
"We don't have long," he said. "A few hours, perhaps. Probably less. Those things are huge."
"What things?" Daniel asked in English, looking over her shoulder. "Goa'uld motherships," he said. "Has to be."
"What?" Jack peered over her other shoulder. She turned it around so he could see the image. "How'd you get that?"
"We set up some sensors over there. We've got good gear."
"Better than ours, sir," a lieutenant who had been listening remarked.
"How many of you are there?"
"Only twelve," she said. "We haven't had much luck convincing the people here we actually know what we're talking about."
"How did you know?" he asked suspiciously.
"That's going to take some explaining," she said wryly.
"Well, how'd you know where to dial?" he asked. Then he turned slowly. "Daniel!"
"He didn't tell us on the spur of the moment," Varielle snapped. "Don't yell at him. He did the right thing. Now follow his example and start getting these people out of here!"
He looked down at her, and remembered she was seventeen. "Who are you to be giving orders to me…" he began. A petite dark-haired lady came around the corner, wearing the same type of clothes as Varielle.
"Is he the one in charge?" she jerked a thumb at him. Jack blinked, not understanding a word of the language. Varielle nodded. "Right. Translate for me, would you? You're being an idiot. We came to warn you. We didn't have to. Now pay attention, and maybe all of these people will come out of this alive."
O'Neill flushed a brilliant red. "Let me see that… thingumajig… again."
"Computer, Jack," Daniel said helpfully. Varielle handed it over. "Don't touch the keys," she warned.
"Where are we going to put everyone?" he asked.
"We've got a world you can use, or you can trust your own knowledge," she said. "Better make up your mind fast if you expect to salvage much of the equipment."
"Tell me something, are you always so annoying?"
"Yes."
"No."
Jack darted a look at Daniel. "I wasn't talking to you."
"You guys really don't believe in welcoming your friends home, do you?" Varielle asked.
He blinked. "What?"
"You're allowed to say something besides 'what'," she needled. "But for now, you're in charge. So go be in charge."