SG – 13 had made the initial contact with the world of PGX – 717. They were an interesting mix of people, rich in mineral wealth and some fairly large cities. They had been often fought over but at this point in their history they were a free port and had protected planet designation. They were willing to meet and sign a pact with the Tauri; however, it was with the illustrious O'Neill they wished to sign the accord of friendship and mutual defense. And so because of this and O'Neill's desire to do something beside sit on his ass and shuffle papers, he again joined SG – 1 on a mission.
As they gathered in the Gate room Sam Carter looked at her men and they looked to her. She was in charge of this mission, in charge of three wild cards, three men she loved. It would be a little nerve racking with the General along but she knew he would not consciously usurp her authority. It was the unconscious actions born of years of working together that worried her. She feared they would both fall into old patterns of behavior. He did look more like himself today. She always thought him a handsome man but never more so then when kitted out for a mission, cap on, weapon in hand, spring in his step and sparkle in his eye. Even though he was bitterly complaining about diplomats and politics she could see he craved the adventure, the action, and maybe even the companionship of the team. Although she had been incredibly busy and interacted with him on base, she missed him, his company, crazy comments, his certainty, his physical presence. He had withdrawn from her life after she had shown him the ring. He was still there but something was missing and she was just beginning to realize just how much it hurt. Possible hurt them both. And so she looked at her men with a million thoughts filtering through her mind and then with his permission gave the order to proceed.
SG - 1 had been on PGX - 717 for 18 hours, spending more than half that time trying to walk to the nearest settlement. O'Neill thought that his next SGC improvement would definitely be vehicles even if they were only mountain bikes. The day length of this world was roughly 36 hours. Carter was considering breaking camp and hiking the next 8 hours under two bright full moons and then making camp again so to start the day refreshed at the site of their interest, a massive ruin with an accompanying small city. From there they would be provided with transportation to the central metropolis. Daniel had surmised that the reason there was no settlement closer to the Stargate was that most of their trade was done by ship and this gave them a buffer against Jaffa who sought out civilizations to invade through the Gate. Although they had some defensive shields their main defense against the Goa'uld was the vigilance of the Asgard.
They came across a small camp fire with three men talking and drinking. From the language and dress they seemed to be Jaffa but disaffected Jaffa. They approached warily, Teal'c calling out and making the introduction. These men were no longer in service to any Goa'uld. In the wars of the System Lords induced by defeat of Anubis, these Jaffa, weary of war, slipped through the cracks. They had been skimming profits for many cycles from the shipments they guarded for their god and had amassed for themselves a tidy sum. This had purchased lush farms on a peaceful backwater planet. Now they flew their stolen transport vessel to relatively safe planets in search of easy pickings, such as human to sell as slaves.
They indicated that they would gladly speak to these newcomers of the free Jaffa but said that they did not trust Teal'c who bore the seal of the God Apophis. So O'Neill and Carter joined them in their vessel to share refreshments and parlay about the movement to not just break their ties with the Goa'uld but to war against them. Both the soldiers were heavily armed and wary of these turncoats but the presence of a young child of about 6 and her mother put them at their ease. While sitting at table the little girl climbed in O'Neill's lap with a doll in her hand. He was distracted and two thoughts conflicted within him. One was that the Jaffa have their family with them, therefore, they are trust worthy; the other, it was an elaborate setup. The little girl jumped up and ran off and just as quickly ran back to O'Neill tossing him a new toy. As it went off in his hand he realized it was the smallest Jaffa grenade he had ever seen.