When Weir arrived in the control room with Sheppard and Ford, she saw that Melony and Kale were, indeed, ready to go. Mitchell was wearing the harness, although she wouldn't actually be flown through the gate, and Kale was standing beside her, naked since he was going to transform into wolf form and precede her through the gate – just in case something indigenous to the planet – like a wild animal or something – that they didn't know about happened to be close at hand when they went through and posed a threat to Mitchell. Always better safe than sorry, after all.

Melony was also carrying a pack that Weir knew held a week's supply of food and water, as well as various other supplies that she might need in the event of an emergency while she and the Light One were exploring A-08. On her forearm was the remote dialing device and her IDC device. On one hip she was carrying her Beretta, on the other she had that zat and Weir was fairly certain that somewhere she also had General Jack O'Neill's Beretta as well, since Sheppard had shared with her the story of how she'd come to possess it.

She didn't have one of the small machine guns that the away teams usually carried – Mitchell had figured if they ran into anything, she'd be able to handle it with the pistols and the zat, and didn't want to have to tote the machine gun. Weir had asked Sheppard about it, and John had told her that it was sound strategy – especially since the planet appeared to be deserted and they didn't expect her to run into anything in large numbers that needed to be dealt with anyways.

"All ready?" Weir asked Mitchell, avoiding Kale's gaze as her cheeks reddened slightly.

Melony nodded, shifting her pack.

"We thought we'd go a little early – just to give us as much daylight as possible the first day."

Weir thought that Mitchell seemed a little distracted, and wondered what had happened between her and Beckett. It was too easy to put two and two together from what she'd seen in the commissary – especially for a trained diplomat like Elizabeth who was very good at reading people. While she was sure that a need for daylight was part of the reason for leaving earlier than planned, she also had a strong suspicion that it wasn't the only reason.

"We'll give you a week before we start to worry," Sheppard told her, coming over and standing next to Weir. "Then we'll come looking for you."

Mitchell nodded.

"We'll be back before then."

Sheppard hesitated, noting the same thing Weir had. He didn't like her going off looking so distracted. Bad things happened when you weren't paying 100 percent to what was going on around you – especially on an alien planet, he was learning.

"Be careful, okay?" he told her. "Watch your back."

She gave him a slight smile, and nodded.

"I will."

"I shall watch her back as well, Major," Kale told him as the gate started dialing and an instant later was open and waiting on them. The Light One looked at Weir and smiled, and a moment later was gone, replaced by the large wolf.

Melony rested her hand lightly on the furred shoulder of the creature and gave them a slightly cocky smile.

"Leave the light on…"

She and the wolf turned and headed through the gate without looking back.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

A-08 was a fairly lush planet – although the area near the Stargate was dry and cleared of anything but the hardiest of scrub brush. This was a bonus for them, because Kale and Mitchell wouldn't need to worry about any kind of ambush – which they weren't all that concerned about anyways, but you never knew – and the area was cleared enough that Kale would have plenty of room to transform and take flight.

When they came through the gate, Kale stepped forward ahead of Melony, his head casting around as his nose and ears took in the area around them, testing for sounds and smells that Melony wouldn't be able to pick up, even while Mitchell had her Beretta out and ready – just in case.

She didn't see anything that appeared to be a danger, however. For that matter, she didn't see much of anything. It was a bright day – probably mid morning – and the temperature was mild and the sky was a brilliant blue. A good day for flying.

"Anything around us?" She asked Kale, knowing the wolf understood her even if he didn't have the ability to talk to her in that form.

There was a soft snuffling noise as his nose took one last check of things, and the wolf vanished and the Light One reappeared.

"I can't find anything out of the ordinary, Melony," he told her. "Of course, since we're not exactly sure what 'ordinary' is for this place…"

She smiled and shrugged.

"We'll just have to assume that since most planets that sustain this kind of plant life are similar to our own, out of ordinary will be exactly that."

Kale nodded and looked around. The few pictures they'd had of the planet didn't do it justice. It was very hospitable and pleasant, and as long as it stayed that way, it was hardly going to be objectionable to explore the place.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

"While we're looking around, keep an eye out for anything interesting – and a place to make camp for the night. Your eyes will be sharper than mine, so you'll probably see it first."

She didn't need to tell him to watch for anything dangerous – they were already both on guard against surprises – even in such a nice place.

"I will."

He transformed into his bird form and launched into the air, and Melony readied the loops on the harness to be grabbed. A moment later, she was jerked off the ground, and the two of them were airborne. The scouting mission was begun. Finally.