"Well, this is certainly pleasant…"

There was no hiding the sarcasm in Daniel's voice, and Ian definitely agreed as he looked around. The planet they'd gated to was hot, arid and windy. There was nothing but a sun baked plain of withered brown grass as far as the eye could see to the front, and behind them was a sun baked plain of what might be rocky depressions and gullies leading off into a more hilly area that looked just as dry, although maybe a mile in the distance was what might be a forest of gnarled looking trees blocking their view of anything in that area until the land rose up above it far off in the distance.

Jacob waited until everyone had had a chance to put on their sunglasses, and he took a position beside Sam – it wasn't that often he had a chance to see her after all, and he wasn't going to waste this one.

"The ruins are about a half mile that way," he said, pointing towards their rear. "It's not a difficult walk, Sam."

She shook her head. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean her legs had stopped working. She was in very good shape – although that shape was a little round, right now – and a walk wasn't going to kill her.

"Let's go," Jack said, gesturing for Daniel and Teal'c to take point while he and Ian fell back to rear guard, leaving Jaffer and Jack (the dog) in their spots by Sam. Pia lingered behind the group to take a position beside Ian, who scowled and looked over at Jack, obviously asking for a little assistance. Jack, however, wasn't any help at all. For one thing, he was far too tense to care about the games the Tok'ra woman was trying to play with Ian – since he knew that Ian wasn't going to be interested – and for another, he'd had to deal with Anise forever, it was only fair to let Ian have the same exposure. So to speak.

The Tok'ra fell into step with Ian, who looked over at her once and then resumed looking around for any possible dangers, his machine gun held slightly up in case he needed it quickly.

"So… you're Ian, right?" She asked. "Jacob says the Tau'ri do not use their titles with those they are familiar with…"

He scowled. They were not familiar with each other, and he wasn't going to chitchat.

She waited for him to say something, walking easily beside him, but when he didn't, she simply continued.

"Are you always this quiet?"

He looked over at Jack, again. And noticed that even though he was tense, there was just a hint of a smile on the Colonel's face. Well, that was just fucking great. Ian's scowl deepened.

"Perhaps sometime during this mission you and I will have a chance to get to know each-"

"I have a girlfriend," Ian told her, interrupting her.

"So?"

"Ian, go ask Jacob what kind of terrain we'll be facing," Jack said, deciding to have a little mercy on the cadet after all.

Ian nodded, and quick-timed it forward, catching up with Jacob and Sam easily, who were in the middle of a conversation about how she was feeling. The retired General grinned at the expression on Ian's face.

"Problem?"

"Are they all like that?"

"Has she propositioned you, yet?"

"I don't know… I think she was getting to it…"

Sam smiled, but Jacob was the one that answered.

"The Tok'ra aren't as conservative about some things as we are, Ian. They tend to be blunt and not very subtle. It probably has something to do with living life on the edge of death all the time."

"Yeah?"

Jacob nodded.

"You'll get used to it. They're not so bad."

"Yeah? How many have you slept with?"

Sam snorted, and was suddenly seized in a momentary coughing fit, while Jacob blushed, not at all ready for that question. He gave his daughter a look that was annoyed and guilty at the same time, and waited for her to stop coughing – just to make sure she was okay.

"Why don't you go back and walk with Jack?"

"He sent me up here to ask you about the terrain ahead."

Jacob looked back at Jack, who now had Pia walking close to him. Obviously, though, the Tok'ra woman had recognized early – or from her short time at the SGC – that Jack wasn't someone to hit on, because she wasn't making the moves on him, and was gesturing to the landscape ahead of them, apparently answering his question for him.

"The village or whatever it was is just down the hill from where we are," Jacob told him and Sam, more than happy to change the subject. "You can't see it, but there's a drop off just ahead, where the trees are, and just at the bottom are the hangers."

"Hangers?" Sam asked.

Jacob shrugged.

"They had a ship in them – at least we think it's a ship – we didn't know what else to call them."

"How many are there?"

"Two hangers, one ship." Jacob answered as Teal'c and Daniel came to a sudden stop ahead of them, looking back and waiting for the others to catch up. Jack disengaged himself from Pia and came up to join them as well, and all of them looked down at the drop off.

There was a small path leading down – it probably wouldn't be that difficult, and it really wasn't all that steep – and at the bottom were a series of small buildings and two larger ones, all in various stages of ruin.

"Wow."

Jack scowled, noting that there were several forms – undoubtedly Tok'ra – moving around one of the bigger buildings.

"Control yourself, Daniel." He looked over at Jacob. "How many Tok'ra are here?"

"Several," Jacob answered, shrugging. "We've started growing tunnels under ground, even though we have some activities above. The planet is a good one for a base."

"Growing tunnels?" Ian asked.

"The Tok'ra have these crystals that-"

"He can have a lesson later, Jacob," Jack said. "Let's go."

The sooner they got going, the sooner they'd get back. Jack didn't like the Tok'ra all that much, anyways. Certainly not enough that he wanted to hang out with them any longer than necessary. Instead of gesturing for Daniel and Teal'c to take point, he walked ahead himself, with Teal'c beside him. This way he'd be able to decide just how risky the trail down was and make the decision whether Sam would need a little extra help.

Sam looked over at her father, apologetically.

"He's a little tense."

Jacob smiled. A lioness protecting her cubs was a little tense. Jack was strung tight. But he understood, and couldn't hold it against him.

"I know, Sam. Let's go."