Chapter 4 - "It's a piece of cake"

"So, Colonel, now that the new crop of trainees have been evaluated, where should we assign them?" General Hammond looked at his second-in-command curiously.

Whether the colonel would acknowledge it or not, the general was grooming Jack O'Neill to be his replacement. Having the man make these kinds of decisions was good practice - even though the general knew that the colonel hated the tediousness of it all. Still, he was good at it, Hammond noted with some pride.

"Well, sir, we've only got two SG teams with openings at the moment - SG2 and SG6. I like the looks of Lieutenant Gutierrez, but he needs a bit of seasoning. I'd suggest you put him on SG2; Ferretti and his team will see to it that he learns what he needs to."

Hammond nodded his agreement of the colonel's assessment. "And the others?" he asked.

"I'd say give Sergeant McDaniel to SG6. Thompson will be a good team member one day, but he's a little too unsure of himself at the moment. Assign him to the gateroom defense team, sir. That should give him a boost."

"What about Dr. Farrell?"

Jack paused before answering. "As much as I hate to say it sir, I think she should go to SG2. Potter's going to be transferred out in a couple of months and Ferretti will be shy another team member. I'm sure he's already let you know that he wants her."

Hammond grinned. "Yes, both Major Ferretti and Colonel Pierson of SG4 have made their wishes concerning Dr. Farrell's assignment well known to me."

Jack grinned. "Pierson's been bothering you, too, huh?"

The general's smile was the only response he needed. Jack continued his previous line of thought. "There's only one problem with putting Farrell on SG2, sir... I don't think it would be a good idea to saddle Ferretti with two newbies at the same time."

"What do you recommend then, Colonel?"

"I say give Gutierrez to Ferretti now, while Potter's still here. Farrell can join them after he transfers out. In the meantime, Farrell can go out with SG1 to start getting her feet wet. That'll give Teal'c and me a chance to evaluate her in the field and Daniel and Carter can help her with the other stuff."

"That's a sound plan, Colonel. However, why don't we hold off on giving Major Ferretti the good news? He can stew a little while longer, I think."

ooOOoo

"Hey Doc, mind some company?"

Ariana looked up from her food to see Lieutenant Gutierrez smiling down at her. "Hi Jess. No I don't mind," she said, gesturing to the seat across from her.

"I heard about SG2 - congratulations, Lieutenant," she smiled.

"Thanks. I'm pretty pumped. Major Ferretti's been here almost as long as Colonel O'Neill. Have you heard where they're assigning you?"

Ariana shook her head. "Not permanently. They want me to go out with SG1 for a month or so, and then they'll decide which team I'll fit in with the best."

"Wow! Aren't you nervous?" Gutierrez asked.

"Why - because they're considered the best around here? Not really. I'm more excited than anything else. Look, Jess, I've worked in some pretty dangerous places. I figure going off-world is a little like working in the Amazon for the first time - you have potentially dangerous indigenous people with completely different customs and languages in environments that are at the same time beautiful and capable of hiding a multitude of dangers."

"She's absolutely right, you know," said a new voice behind them. Ariana and Gutierrez looked up to see Daniel standing at their table.

"May I join you?" he gestured with the tray in his hands.

"Sure. Daniel, this is Lieutenant Jesse Gutierrez, the newest member of SG2. Jess, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, archaeologist, linguist and all-around troublemaker for SG1," Ariana introduced the two men, grinning when Daniel paused in shaking the lieutenant's hand at her description.

"Dr. Farrell, do I need to tell the lieutenant about the time that you ended up in Belize instead of Mexico by mistake?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows inquiringly.

"Alright, I surrender! I promise to show you the respect due your position - and advanced age," Ariana laughed unrepentantly.

Daniel shook his head at her in mock sadness. He turned to Gutierrez, who was eyeing them curiously. "If you haven't figured it out already, Lieutenant, I've known Dr. Farrell for some time. For reasons which seem to be escaping me at the moment I recommended her for this position."

"Oh Danny, you know you love me," Ariana winked.

ooOOoo

"P7J-325 appears to be a temperate planet with no obvious signs of current inhabitants. The gate is located near a rather spectacular waterfall. The UAV survey seems to indicate that this planet should be a likely source for either naquadah or trinium, if not both." Sam scrolled through several sets of graphics demonstrating the aerial reconnaissance gathered by the UAV.

Jack looked up from his briefing notes. "Should be an easy in-and-out survey mission, General."

General Hammond nodded. "Agreed. SG1, you leave for P7J-325 at 0800 tomorrow. Dismissed."

As everyone stood to leave, the general turned to Ariana. "Good luck on your first mission, Dr. Farrell."

Ariana smiled at him. "Thank you, sir; I'm looking forward to it."

ooOOoo

Ariana arrived at the gateroom early the next morning. She had almost been too excited to sleep the night before, and had been at the base since 0630, checking and rechecking her equipment. Sam smiled at her as she entered, waving Ariana over to where she was standing next to the colonel and Teal'c, who were supervising the final loading of their equipment on the Field Remote Expeditionary Device, or FRED as they called it.

"Hey Ariana. Ready to go?" asked Sam.

Ariana nodded, grinning. "As I'll ever be, I guess."

The colonel turned when he heard her voice. "It's a piece of cake, Farrell - you'll see."

Sam rolled her eyes and Ariana grinned in response. Jack motioned her to him with a jerk of his head. "Come here, so I can check your gear."

Ariana did as she was told, torn between being amused and impressed at the amount of time the colonel spent checking every piece of her gear and clothing, making sure that all of it was working and in its correct place. She did smile, though, when the man knelt down to check her bootlaces - which she'd tied in double-knots.

"Hmph. You'll do. Hand me your pack so I can make sure the straps on your vest are set right."

Ariana handed him the item he'd requested. The colonel hefted it to the quick-release clips on the back of her field vest.

"What've you got in here, Farrell? It feels funny – the weight's off," Jack complained.

"Nothing really heavy, Colonel; just my gear, sampling equipment and a few extra medical supplies that I hope we won't need."

"Medical supplies? We've all got first-aid kits, Farrell."

Ariana nodded. "I know you do, Colonel. Dr. Fraiser and I have decided to add a few things to mine as a sort of experiment. She wants to tweak the contents of the team medics' kits a bit so she's using me as a guinea pig. Besides, Colonel, I've read your mission reports - SG1 seems to get hurt a lot. Major Carter may need the extra help."

At the colonel's snort she added. "I am a doctor, sir, and I have a different sort of experience with field medicine than the rest of you. I'm just trying to help Dr. Fraiser make things safer for you and the other teams."

"Well, if you end up with too many samples, don't expect me to carry your pack if you get tired, Farrell," Jack groused.

She grinned at him. "Don't worry, Colonel, you won't need to."

At that moment Daniel wandered into the gateroom. Jack looked around and motioned to Sergeant Davis in the control room. "Dial her up, Sergeant."

Daniel stood next to Ariana as the gate started to turn. She smiled at him broadly, her excitement shining on her face. He returned it with one of his own and squeezed her shoulder. The event horizon whooshed into existence and Daniel moved his hand to the small of her back.

"Okay, Sugar, let's do this."

ooOOoo

Jack gazed at the waterfall crashing over the cliffs next to the stargate. The immense power of the water as it rushed to meet the river below was impressive and more than a little mesmerizing. He noticed that he wasn't the only one caught by the roar of the thing; Ariana was standing near the edge of the cliff, studying the prismatic display of colors caused by the mist rising from the falling water.

Jack took the opportunity to study the scientist after he decided that she wasn't too close to the cliff edge. Ariana seemed to know exactly where 'safe' was, he noticed. Throughout the day he'd kept an eye on her, searching for any weaknesses that needed to be addressed. It was obvious to him that the doctor was quite comfortable being in the field. Ariana had kept up with the pace he'd set without complaint, not lagging behind, even when she'd stopped to take samples of the flora they'd encountered.

Jack decided that it was time to call Ariana back from the edge of the waterfall; even though he knew she was fine, Jack's protective instincts demanded that he not let her tempt the fates too long with her safety. He walked up behind her and tapped her lightly on the arm to get her attention - this close to the falls, it was impossible to hear anything softer than a shout. Ariana turned to him with a smile and followed him back to the camp.

ooOOoo

Jack woke to a dawn that was bright and surprisingly cool. Carter and Ariana had together surmised that it was early spring on the planet, based on several factors that Jack hadn't really bothered listening to. He figured that they were probably correct. Exiting the tent he'd shared with Daniel and Teal'c, he was surprised to see Ariana huddled in front of a roaring fire, staring at the coffeepot with empty eyes.

The ethnobotanist made no move to acknowledge his presence as Jack lowered himself to the ground beside her. "You know, glaring at it won't make the water heat any faster," he offered cheerfully.

"Hmph..."

No movement, just the grunt. Jack decided that he would just sit back and watch. Several minutes had passed in quiet contemplation when he heard the rustling of a tent flap behind him. A silent and rumpled Daniel appeared at the fireside to join them in staring at the recalcitrant coffeepot.

Ariana seemed to reach some sort of decision and grabbed the coffeepot and three mugs. Reaching into her jacket she pulled out what looked like individually wrapped tea bags. Putting one in each mug, she carefully added the boiling water. When she handed a mug to him and Daniel, Jack was mildly surprised to smell the aroma of coffee rather than the tea he'd been expecting. Rather good coffee, he discovered upon taking his first sip.

Daniel's voice broke the silence. "Costa Rican?"

"Uh huh. Café Britt's Tarrazú Montecielo."

"They speak!" said Jack, amused by the coherence of the words coming from the previously zombie-like scientists. Daniel and Ariana looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. Their expressions were so identical that Jack guffawed.

"You two are scary - you realize that, right?"

"Jaaack..." said Daniel in his 'what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about' voice.

"Daaannniel. You. Farrell. Your dependency on coffee. It's scary," he explained slowly, so as not to tax their slowly awakening brains.

Ariana grinned in acknowledgment of the truth of the colonel's statement. Frowning slightly, she asked, "Does Teal'c drink coffee, Colonel?"

"I do not generally consume caffeine, Dr. Farrell," answered the man himself. The Jaffa was obviously returning from a sweep of the camp perimeter - he never minded taking the last watch.

Ariana got up to dig in her pack. "Well, Teal'c, I've got sometea that's not caffeinated. Would you like some?"

"Indeed. My thanks, Dr. Farrell," Teal'c said, inclining his head.

Ariana prepared his drink and took it to him. Tossing another coffee packet to Daniel she said, "Here, Monkey, make yourself useful - I'm going to see if Sam's ready to get up."

Jack snorted and Teal'c elevated an eyebrow as Daniel cringed. "Naannaa!" the archaeologist complained to his friend.

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Oops! Sorry, Danny, I know I promised not to call you that anymore."

The sound of the colonel's laughter greeted Carter as she poked her head around the tent flap. "What did I miss?"

Ariana blushed scarlet and said, "Nothing. Come on out - we've got coffee for you."

ooOOoo

"Let's head down river today. This monster has to narrow at some point. Carter, are you sure that we really need to get to the otherside?" said Jack as they prepared to leave camp a short time later.

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. Based on the UAV survey, any trinium and naquadah deposits on the planet are most likely to be on the other side of the river."

Jack sighed and hoisted his P90 and attached it to his harness. "Okay then, kids, let's move out. I'll take point. Teal'c, watch our six."

They traveled for several miles downstream of the waterfall, the cliffs decreasing in height above the river at a fairly rapid rate. Now, at what looked to be the narrowest point of the river they'd reached so far, appeared the first evidence that the planet had indeed been inhabited at one time. Spanning the river now only forty feet below them was a suspension bridge, its metal cords shining in the afternoon sun.

"Whoa," breathed Jack.

"You said it, sir," replied Carter, looking at the sight before them. Carter approached the bridge cautiously, peering closely at the footings of the structure. "Colonel, this appears to be made of trinium."

"Well, that supports your theory that there's trinium here, Sam," said Daniel.

"Indeed," said Teal'c, walking over to inspect the bridge himself.

"Do you think it'll hold us, Carter?" Jack asked.

Carter nodded. "I think so, sir. Trinium's pretty indestructible and the bridge footings look secure."

"Jaaack?" asked Daniel tentatively.

"We need to get to the other side, Daniel. This bridge was put here for a reason - it may be the only way across."

"Okay," replied the archaeologist in a small voice.

Jack turned to his teammate. "Don't worry, Daniel. Carter and Farrell can hold your hands when we cross."

Daniel glowered. "That won't be necessary, Jack. Thanks for the offer, though,"

"No problem," Jack responded brightly.

The bridge was narrow enough that it required they traverse the span in single file. Jack led the way, followed by Farrell, Daniel and Carter, with Teal'c bringing up the rear. Jack had made it halfway across the gently swaying structure when the first tiny lurch stopped him in his tracks. The rest of the team stopped as well, puzzled. When Jack felt the second lurch, he spun around.

Waving his arm frantically, Jack shouted, "It's coming loose! Run!"

Teal'c and Carter had made it back to the safety of the cliff's edge when Jack felt the bridge give way completely. "Hold on!" he shouted.

The world seemed to tilt crazily for a few seconds as the bridge came crashing against the near cliff face. Trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him, he looked up. Both Daniel and Ariana were still attached to the bridge like limpets. Their tenuous perch lurched again and Jack realized that the other end of the bridge was coming loose as well.

"Daniel! Climb - now!" he ordered.

The archaeologist started scrambling up the vertical bridge as though it was a ladder, Ariana not far behind. Jack could see Teal'c and Carter reaching out to grab Daniel's arms to pull him to safety. Suddenly Ariana cried out, "Get out of the way! It's gonna take you with it!"

The last things that Jack registered as the bridge finally gave way were the looks of horror on his teammates' faces and Daniel's tortured cry of "NO!"