Hammond leaned back in his chair and then nodded, "Tell Siler to get the UAV prepped and ready for launch in two hours time."
"Yes sir," and Jackson flashed him a small grateful smile.
- - -
- - -
Ch 26: UAV
- - -
"UAV launched... in transit... on planet," Sgt. Davis reported. "Receiving UAV telemetry," and again data began scrolling across several screens and then a visual image popped up on Davis' screen.
All eyes immediately began scanning for signs of the missing officers.
"Trees... nothing but trees," Daniel muttered but the others were silent as they scoured the images.
A few minutes later, "That's one full circle, sir, at 2000 feet above the terrain and at a quarter-mile radius from the 'Gate," Siler informed the General.
"Understood. Run over the same circuit one more time and then extend out to a one-half mile radius and then out in half-mile increments until you are reaching the limits of the fuel necessary to return to the 'Gate," Hammond ordered. Sighing, he turned to the men of SG-1, "As I have even more paperwork to attend to, I will leave this in your hands. Call me if you find anything."
"Yes sir." "Understood GeneralHammond."
- - - - -
The time crept by slowly as the small remote plane swept over the endless expanses of wooded hillsides.
"There's a lake," Sgt. Siler pointed out as the body of water sped by beneath the plane's camera. He directed the plane to circle back and they inspected the lake's shorelines, but they found nothing of note.
"And there's a waterfall," Daniel identified, and Siler again instructed the small plane to circle the vicinity so that they could search more thoroughly.
An hour and a half later, and they were all tired of watching the endless rolling parade of tree tops in the video screen.
- - - - - - - -
Every clearing was inspected thoroughly.
They scrutinized every rock outcropping that could possibly be a building or structure.
Two more small lakes were identified and inspected.
But they found nothing.
No signs of intelligent life.
No signs of General O'Neill or Colonel Carter.
No signs of Jack or Sam.
- - -
- - -
TBC
- - -