CHAPTER 15
A/N: Thanks for the great feedback! Janissima and Horsefly made some valid points and due to their comments I went back and added a couple lines at the end of Chapter 14. I think you will understand where I'm going with that small addition, so check it out.
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"Unauthorized off world activation!" Boomed through the mountain, lights flashed and klaxons blared.
General Hammond rushed to the gate control room as he had done for every unauthorized off world activation since SG1 went missing 79 days ago.
"Sir, we have an incoming traveler. It's SG1!"
"Open the iris!" General Hammond commanded.
Two minutes later a rag tag looking SG1, all dressed as Jaffa, stepped through the event horizon and on to Earth. General Hammond hurried into the gate room to greet them.
"SG1 what happened!"
"Oh, the usual, we were taken prisoner, sold into slavery, forced to mine naquada, stole a cargo ship and a bunch of naquada,...oh, and Carter and I got married." Jack replied flippantly.
General Hammond stood there with his mouth hanging open, staring at his flagship team. "Who is this?" He indicated Lo'jess.
It was Daniel who answered. "This is Lo'jess. He is a native of P3X-071 and he helped us survive and escape."
Lo'jess bowed to General Hammond.
"Ok, people go get cleaned up, see Doctor Fraiser and we'll debrief in two hours. I'm sure it's going to be a long one!"
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When all of SG1 and Lo'jess were present in the debriefing room General Hammond told the team that he had sent SG3 through the gate to find out what happened to them.
"The Protectorate and his assistant, Adjeck, told SG3 that you had never arrived. SG3 did reconnaissance sweeps and sent up several UVAs but there was no sign of you." Hammond looked around the group and continued "We ran repeated gate diagnostics, but they all indicated that the gate was functioning within normal parameters. After 3 weeks I called off the search, but I never stopped hoping that you would find your way back."
The members of SG1 explained to the General what had happened on P3X-071, but left out all the details about Sam nearly being sold to a brothel, Dra'coe, Sam and Jack's 'marriage' and Daniel nearly getting married to a 17 year old girl.
General Hammond said that he would send SG3 to retrieve the naquada as soon as possible, before the Goa'uld had a chance to find their cargo ship and get the naquada back.
"Now, Lo'jess," the General began. Lo'jess looked truly frightened for the first time since Jack had met him in a cell on P3X-071.
"Sir," Lo'jess began "Please, I do not want to be a slave. I want to be free."
"General," Daniel began "I think Lo'jess would fit in very well on Gairwyn's planet. The technology on Cimmeria is quite similar to that on P3X-071, and, although there was some Goa'uld technology available on P3X-071, I still think Lo'jess could adapt and fit in to the culture on Cimmeria." Daniel was rattling on and General Hammond stopped him
"Very well, Doctor. I will have SG4 make contact with Gairwyn and see if they would accept him into their society."
Lo'jess looked back and forth between the two men "Will I be free there?" He asked.
"Yes, you will, son."
Doctor Fraiser had asked to sit in on the debrief and as soon as General Hammond dismissed the team, she said "General I need to speak to you in private."
"Ah, General, I need to speak to you in private too." Jack said.
"Me, too." Added Carter.
"Alright! Doctor, please step into my office." General Hammond looked from Jack to Sam and said "You two wait out here."
Once inside the office, with the door closed, Hammond indicated that Janet should sit down and he took his seat behind the desk. "How are my people, Doctor?"
"They are exhausted, they're sleep deprived, they're undernourished, they've all lost weight, but physically they will recover."
"So, what's the problem, Doctor?"
"Well, Sir, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill went through some traumatic experiences on that planet and I believe they both need counseling. Sam was very nearly raped there, and the Colonel was forced to watch, helpless to do anything to prevent it. I really think counseling would be for the best."
"Dammit, Doctor, what the hell happened on that planet?"
"Sir, I really don't know many details, and until they tell you what happened, I am not at liberty to say more than what I've already told you."
"Alright, send in O'Neill and let me see if I can get to the bottom of this. Oh, and Doctor, wait out there in case I need to speak to you again."
She nodded, exited the office and told Jack that it was his turn.
Jack walked into the office and took a chair across the desk from Hammond.
"Well, son, what can I do for you?"
"Sir, I want to retire."
"What!"
"I have to retire or you have to court martial me."
"Ok, start at the beginning, Jack."
"General, they wanted to sell Sam to a brothel. The only way I could prevent it was to claim that she was my wife, and according to their marriage laws, she legally was my wife,...ah,... on their planet. Anyway, I...was, ...um,...forced to make love to her or she was going to be raped by this big, creepy, stinky guy. I know Carter, Sir, she would have fought him and he would have killed her." Jack paused and looked at Hammond to see if he should continue. The General nodded and indicated that Jack should go on.
The Colonel was exasperated. "General, I made love to my 2IC!"
"Jack," Hammond said softly, "you did what you had to do keep a member of your team safe and alive. You know I would have authorized it..."
"But General, I ..."
"Colonel, after what you've been through, you need some time off and I think both you and Major Carter need to get some counseling."
"No! I don't want that on her record!"
"Alright, let me talk to Major Carter and I will make my decision after I speak to her."
Jack nodded, got up from the chair and left the General's office. Once outside he told Carter that it was her turn to talk to the General.
Sam entered General Hammond's office and stood at attention across from his desk until he told her to take a seat.
"Sir," she began, "I need to resign from the Air Force."
"Ok," General Hammond said evenly, "tell, me why."
"Well, Sir, I, um...well, I had sex with my commanding officer on P3X-071."
"And as I understand it, Major, that act saved your life."
"It's against the regulations, General! If I don't resign you have to court martial me."
"Major, those regulations cannot apply to a situation like this. If it will make you feel better I will inform the president and get him to 'bend' the rules in this case."
"Thank you, Sir" came out so quietly that General Hammond almost did not hear.
"but...there's more that I think you should know and even the president can't fix this."
"Please go on, Major."
"General, I ...ah, have feelings for Colonel O'Neill. Feelings that are inappropriate for a 2IC to have for her CO."
"Major, you have been through a traumatic experience. You have been forced to behave as if O'Neill was your husband, just to survive. I think it would be best for you to take some time off and to get some counseling."
"No, Sir, not Doctor McKenzie!" In the minds of SG1, having a report by Doctor McKenzie in your permanent record was tantamount to being told that you were a Section 8.
"Alright, Major, I'll talk to Doctor Fraiser and perhaps she can help you and Colonel O'Neill work through this. For now I am ordering you to take some leave and see Doctor Fraiser for counseling."
"Yes, Sir."
"Send Doctor Fraiser back in here."
Sam nodded, rose from her seat and exited the office. "General Hammond wants to see you again." She said to Janet. Sam walked dejectedly from the conference room and headed toward her lab.
"You wanted to see me again, General?"
"Yes, Doctor, have a seat." Once Janet was seated the General continued "Did you know that Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill , ah,... had sex on that planet?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, what can you tell me about how it effected their mental states and how it will effect their working relationship?"
"I'm no psychiatrist, General..."
"I know that, Doctor. I still want your opinion."
"Ok, well, Colonel O'Neill feels that he raped Major Carter. Instead of her being raped by the creepy, stinky guy they keep talking about, he sees himself as the rapist."
"And Major Carter?"
"Well, Sir, she doesn't see it that way at all. In fact, her biggest mental and emotional conflict is that she enjoyed it. If I know Sam, she will push the Colonel away from her at every chance because she is afraid she can't control her emotions. SG1 and the Stargate Program are so important to her that she would do whatever it takes to stay on the team and with SG1."
"Have you talked to Teal'c and Daniel about what happened on that planet and do they believe it will effect the working relationship of SG1?"
"I have, General, and from what I can gather, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were in denial pretty much from the beginning."
"What do you mean, Doctor?"
"Sir, you're getting this second hand from me, perhaps you should talk to Daniel and Teal'c directly."
"I will, Doctor, but first I would like to know what your recommendations are."
"They need counseling, but both of them refuse to talk to Doctor McKenzie and they aren't talking to each other either."
"I know this isn't your area of expertise, but would you talk to them and help them work this through?"
"Yes, Sir." Janet replied reluctantly, feeling that she was inadequate for the task, but she knew her friends needed her.
He looked at her for just a moment then pressed a button on his desk "Sergeant, get Daniel and Teal'c in here right away." then to Janet he said "Let me talk to them and then I want to discuss this with you further."
Janet nodded and got up to leave just as Daniel and Teal'c appeared in the General's doorway.
"You wanted to see us, General?" Asked Daniel.
"Yes, come in and have a seat."
The two men took up positions across from General Hammond and waited for him to begin.
"What can you tell me about how the events that took place between Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill on P3X-071 effected the working relationship of SG1?"
Daniel and Teal'c exchanged glances, clearly understanding that the General wanted to know if the intimacy shared by the Colonel and the Major was going to have a negative impact on SG1.
"Um...well, Sir, if they hadn't told us that they were forced to ...um...have sex, we never would have known it."
"Indeed."
"So you don't believe that there will be any favoritism shown or any personal problems will arise by keeping the Colonel and the Major on SG1 with you?" The General asked.
"No! Of course not!" Was Daniel's hasty reply.
"General Hammond, they are both professionals and they will always do what is best for the team, and the Tau'ri."
"Doctor Frasier says that she believes they were in denial about what happened. Do you know what she means?"
"Indeed, I do. We had been in the mines only a few days when the incident took place. After they informed us of the event they never spoke of it again. They maintained a professional relationship and focused on our survival and escape. I do not believe it was healthy for them not to speak to each other."
"But, on the other hand, Teal'c it wasn't like we had any privacy for them to..., er, ... talk about ...things, and you know neither one of them are good about talking about their feelings."
"You are correct, Daniel Jackson."
"Alright, thank you. I believe you have told me all I need to know. Please send Colonel O'Neill in to see me."
Teal'c gave a single nod/bow and both men rose from their seats, anxious to leave the General's office.
Once Jack was again seated across the desk from the General he began. "Son, here's what I am going to do for now. I will contact the president and make him aware of the situation. He will obviously bend the fraternization rules in this case. Then I am going to temporarily assign Major Carter to SG11,...
"Sir, with all due respect, you can't do that. Carter already thinks this whole mess is her fault. If you move her to SG11 she'll see it as a punshiment and she'll clam right up. She won't talk to anyone if you do that."
"It's not permanent, its just while you and Major Carter are on leave."
"I know that, Sir, but move me instead. Trust me on this one, General."
The General looked at his Second in Command for a moment and then said "Very well. However, the two of you willtake leave, no tinkering around in the lab at the SGC, and the two of you will talk and work this out, without the added stress of being Commanding Officer and 2IC."
The General did not allow Jack to interrupt this time, but continued talking. "After you and Major Carter have had some time to work through all of this, if you tell me that you cannot be her Commanding Officer I will make the switch to SG11 permanent. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir." Jack got up to leave, but the General stopped him just as he got to the door.
"Talk to her, Son." He said softly.