Disclaimers in Part 1
Part 4
SAM
We left them behind and chatted about all sorts of things, doing a little catching up ourselves. As one of Janet's long-term staff members, we'd often chatted during post-mission exams. I'd never been one to take much part in the gossip endlessly circulating the SGC, but somehow I missed it. Our little community here was just too small and too new yet to generate that type of juicy tidbits.
"You think they've realized we're gone yet, Colonel?" Marisa joked as we walked through the mid-afternoon crowds. She stared openly at the array of aliens and humanoids mixing freely in the streets of the city.
I had to laugh. "Probably not. If they aren't back by nightfall, I'll send out the cavalry." I turned to look at her as I commented, "We weren't expecting you for a couple of hours. Not that I'm complaining about your saving me several hours of walking, but, as you found out, the way from the 'Gate isn't always safe for small parties."
Marisa's good humor evaporated as she explained, "The SGC was sending a retrieval team for SG-3 and all other scheduled 'Gate trips were cancelled or rescheduled to leave the 'Gate free."
Amused by her news, I asked, "Captain Darnel's wife in labor?" She nodded, smiling so I continued. "Daniel was impatient to have you two here so I suggested we leave early. That's the only reason we met you when we did."
"I can't tell you how glad I am that you were there," Marisa assured me. "While it was exciting, I don't relish the idea of meeting that gang alone, especially if they'd attacked before we were so close the city."
"You did very well, for a non-combatant. I'm impressed with your reactions."
"Too many shifts in an emergency room," she quipped, half serious.
We turned into the villa gates and she stopped to gape at the rustic charm of the wide courtyard. Daniel had bought some tables and chairs, plus several large potted trees to place around the square.
"It's lovely," Marisa exclaimed, wonder in her voice.
Several of the guards and some of the housekeeping staff were chatting over cups of coffee. As soon as one of them saw us, someone yelled, "Mail call," and the Marines mobbed the small device carrying their lifelines to home.
By sheer force of will, my lieutenant colonel insignia and a very loud, piercing whistle from Marisa, we managed to stop the pillage.
"Okay. Now, we're going to do this in an orderly manner." I proceeded to hand out the personal mail and pocketed the six letters with my name on them. Finally, we extricated the remaining mail and ourselves from the crowd. The FRED made an excellent cowcatcher.
We got Marisa settled in with my three team members in the barracks building out back, and then I showed her to the future infirmary in the mansion basement. Ignoring the projects in my lab, I climbed as fast as my legs would take me up the stairs to my quarters. Unlocking and then relocking the door, I flopped on the couch and held up the letters. I brought them close to my face and sniffed. I imagined the envelopes still held his scent.
Deliberately, I opened the one on top and read:
My Dearest Sam,
How can I tell you how much I miss you? My letters must be getting pretty boring by now, since I mostly just say that I love and miss you. So, let me tell you about my day.
Our budget doesn't stretch to having everything done for us. So, the six of us – Fred, me, Moira, her two minions and Debbie, a groupie I seem to have picked up – built our two classrooms on level 23 today. Can you see me, with my bad knees, crawling around under tables pulling network cables around and between the painters? Well, I did. Fred, with his bad back, was up in the overhead pulling yet more LAN and AV cables. By the end of the day, Moira had to help both of us to the infirmary for some painkillers.
Speaking of which, I'd swear Janet's staff hates me. Since you've been gone, they've taken to torturing me at every opportunity. No more flirting, no more banter. Just "Bend over and drop 'em, Colonel." and "Does this hurt?" Wrench goes my knee, then "How about this?"
Oh, damn. I forgot to tell Janet about Jack and me. He is gonna be so pissed, I worried.
Class starts in three weeks. With the completion of the classrooms, the course outlines and the preliminary student list, we're on a roll. I just have to find one more instructor, though we can do without for a few weeks, and then pick the students. The first class will have 20, though we expect less than six to graduate.
You know, I hope to convince the general that some off world training will help the students and I think the perfect instructors are right at the embassy. You, Daniel and Teal'c hold an immeasurable store of experience. Heck, the whole program could be off world once the class is past the first cut. Too bad Congress axed the Beta Site.
I want to hear all about your days, each one of them. How many doohickeys have you found and what do they do – in words of one syllable or less? What missions do you have planned? Tell me everything. I have to get my off world fix vicariously through you now, so give.
Have you heard? She must be crazy, but Joan finally agreed to marry Ferretti. They're planning a big do in a few months. I hope you can be home for the wedding. I'd like nothing better than for us to go together.
I'm counting the days until you get some downtime.
Love,
Jack
I set down the letter and thought about Ferretti finally marrying his long-time girlfriend, Joan, and Jack wanted us to go to the wedding as a couple – a real couple – in public and everything. Was I quite ready for this?
Rather than digging too deeply into my feelings on the matter I opened his next letter and sat back to read.
DANIEL
"Um, Janet, why did you come to Hawai'iki?" She sat cross-legged on the blanket we'd laid down for the picnic. I lounged on my side next to her.
She wouldn't look me in the eye when she answered. "Well, General Hammond asked me to scope out the situation here, to determine who would be a good match for the position you have."
"And?" I knew there was more, but not how honest she was ready to be with me.
The silence stretched thin and finally broke. She raised her head and glanced sidelong at me. "I'm considering the job for myself. That is, if you'd want me to take it."
My mouth was dry. My heart was beating so fast, I thought I'd need Janet's professional services. "If the SGC can afford to lose you, nothing would make me happier. Well, not much, but I have to have some secrets, you know."
She grinned back at me and my heart stopped for a second, I swear it did. My thoughts were a little chaotic and I repeated like a mantra, "I can do this, I can do this." I leaned in a little closer and was just about to press my lips to hers when a cry from the road grabbed our attention.
JANET
My brain reacts differently than most people's when faced with injuries and death. I don't remember getting up, just running to the paved surface to crouch by Bra'tac's body. "What happened to him, Teal'c?"
"We were ambushed by Anubis' guards. A staff weapon struck him, as well as fragments from a boulder blasted apart by a staff canon. That was almost three days ago. With no symbiote to heal him as it once had, his injuries have taken a great toll. Master Bra'tac has lost a large quantity of blood despite my attempts to assuage the bleeding."
"Will Master Bra'tac die, Doctor Fraiser?" Rya'c's voice faltered from his obvious exhaustion and his own wounds.
"I don't know, Rya'c, but I'm going to do my best to make sure he doesn't." The old man's wounds were very serious. With only the drug Tretonin to provide an immune system, his resistance to infection was drastically reduced. Without the resources of the SGC, I didn't expect him to make it through the night.
SAM
Jack's second letter read:
My Beautiful Sam,
Well, we've passed the next hurdle. With the help of Fred, Moira and two other SG team leaders in a marathon session, I whittled the list of trainee candidates from over 100 to 40. Those we'll interview and then make the next cut to 20 trainees. Hammond's given us carte blanche on the selection. I'm actually rather flattered by his trust.
Luckily, Jorge DiSilva - you remember the latest leader of SG-11 - pulled me aside after the culling session and asked if I would consider him for my last instructor position. His wife is tired of his constant injuries and, even though she doesn't know exactly what he does, the fact that he risks his life so often is killing their marriage. He was more than willing to leave active duty on a team for a year or two to save his marriage. I think I like this guy. He's way smarter than I am. Kind of like someone else I know.
On your downtime, assuming you want to spend it with me, I thought we'd finally go to my lake cabin in Minnesota. All plans are fluid, of course, and dependent on your approval.
The power clay sounds like a miracle substance, almost too good to be true. You'll have to let me know when its stock goes public, so I can buy some for my retirement.
It's time for a meeting with the general, so I'll end this now.
I miss you constantly. I love you always.
Yours Forever,
Jack
I walked to my desk and sat down to start the letters I owed him. The attack by bandits, the meeting between Daniel and Janet, plus the juicy gossip Marisa told me should be enough for at least one good long letter. The mystery of the locked door was on my mind too, so I wrote out my dilemma to Jack. Even though we weren't regularly saving the world anymore, his way of breaking a problem down to the simplest elements was as invaluable to me as ever. Besides, I liked telling Jack about my work. He understood much more than he ever let on.
GENERAL HAMMOND
Some days I really wished Colonel O'Neill had retired. His persistence in the face of absolute refusal was renowned at the SGC and the Pentagon. The fact that I'd been the target of that persistence on even an occasional basis was not one of the favorite parts of my job.
"But, sir, if the trainees receive some off-world experience at the critical part of their training, the information we give them will be all the more meaningful." Colonel O'Neill had come to my office once again to attempt to gain my approval of his latest ploy to get off world.
"I agree with you, Colonel, but I cannot agree that Hawai'iki is the best world on which to get that experience. We're trying to establish ourselves as a society worthy of inclusion in a galactic 'United Nations'. Taking a group of raw recruits isn't the most likely method to impress our new neighbors with our maturity. Perhaps you could find another world."
"I had thought that the Land of Light would be good for a first experience and Hawai'iki better for a pre-graduation trip. Unfortunately, the budget and timing for off-world trips doesn't allow for two during each training cycle, however valuable it might be. The opportunity to meet so many alien races and cultures is incredible, plus Daniel, Teal'c and Carter could make a fantastic impression on the greenhorns."
"All I can promise is that I'll think about it. Now, Colonel, please, leave my office," I begged.
TEAL'C
Master Bra'tac survived to see the morning against all predictions by Doctor Fraiser. She explained that his body had induced in itself a deep state of coma in order to heal his wounds. Our luck at her presence here when he needed her so badly was nearly miraculous. If I had still believed in a god, I would have prayed many times during that night.
Rya'c slept on one of the cots set up in the makeshift infirmary while I held vigil for my old master. My son's physical wounds were minor and almost healed. Not for the first time, I envied him his symbiote. The stamina and healing imparted by an infant Goa'uld had been mine for over ninety years.
Rya'c's emotional wounds, however, were much deeper. His first cause in life had been the Jaffa rebellion, so quickly crushed by Anubis. Master Bra'tac filled, in part, my absence during my son's youth. The loss of my wife and being absent when my child had need of me were my only regrets from my decision to leave the service of Apophis.
I vowed that night that Bra'tac and Rya'c's commitment to the Jaffa rebellion would become my own. No longer would I participate from the sidelines when it was convenient. Whether or not Master Bra'tac survived to continue, I would carry on the Jaffa rebellion until my people were free of the yoke of Goa'uld slavery.
DANIEL
It's almost like being back at the SGC with Janet and her nurses working non-stop to save a gravely injured friend and members of SG-1 hovering nearby.
Sam and I wandered in periodically to talk with Teal'c about Master Bra'tac. We offered many times to take over his vigil so he could sleep or eat something, but he always refused, just as he had many times when one of SG-1 was injured or possessed. My friend, Teal'c, was nothing if not consistent in his loyalties and dedication.
After her shift with her patient passed 24 hours, I ordered Janet to bed. Marisa was quite able to watch and notify the doctor if her patient needed her. Of course, Janet refused, and Sam and I had to escort her to an isolation room across the hall where she could sleep in the bed.
"How long do you think she'll actually sleep before going back to work, Sam?" We were speaking in soft voices outside the room where Janet lay.
"Probably a couple of hours. I think they train doctors to catnap for situations like this." Sam frowned. Janet was her best friend and Sam was always as protective of her as Janet was with all of us.
"At least Marisa got some sleep last night. She's fresh this afternoon, so Janet can sleep as long as she needs."
"Daniel, you should get some sleep, too. The bed's big enough for two. Curl up by Janet; I seriously suspect she wouldn't mind and you can keep each other warm," Sam suggested with a smirk.
"Sam! It's a little early in our relationship for sleeping together, even if all we do is sleep. There's nothing going one between us, not that don't I wish there was."
"Yet?" Sam smiled gently at me and raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"Okay, you got me there."
"And?"
"And nothing, Sam. There's nothing going on, yet. Just getting her here was a major step in the right direction and we were working up to talking about that when we heard Teal'c and Rya'c shout." I could feel my face heat up and grinned despite my embarrassment. "I was just about to kiss her. I was this close!" I held up my right forefinger and thumb about a quarter inch apart.
"I can tell you as someone who's recently been through it, actually taking that step is so worth it." She put her arm around my slumped shoulders and whispered, "Tell her how you feel, that you love her."
Drawing a deep breath to delay answering, I finally replied, "I will, Sam. I promise I will."
JANET
Unfortunately, sleep wasn't an option after I'd overheard their conversation. Daniel felt the same way I did. All thoughts of my patient fled and I daydreamed of a life with a certain archaeologist cum ambassador.
At some point, I did sleep, but woke shivering after the covers slipped to the floor. Reaching down to grab the runaway blanket, I spied Daniel, asleep, slumped in a chair by my bedside. He was so adorable, his mouth slightly open. I knelt by his chair and softly urged him, "Come on Daniel, let's move you to the bed. You need this more than I do, I think."
"Um hm nuf wha?"
"Yes, Daniel, we're moving you out of the chair." I gently tugged and lifted, cajoled and ordered as though he was a young Cassie, until he was lying mostly on the infirmary bed.
"C'mere. Plz." He muttered indistinctly, still quite asleep. An arm snaked around my waist and I found myself lying face to face with Daniel, half on the bed. Rather than struggle against him, I turned over and snuggled closer. The blanket was easy to pull up from the floor to cover us. Strangely enough, now I could sleep.
SAM
Early the next morning, Bra'tac woke briefly from his coma and then fell into a deep sleep. Janet at last announced that he would recover. Teal'c finally left the infirmary to sleep, Marisa left again to get some sleep, and Daniel was still asleep in the next room. It was Alice's day for "The Duty" receiving visitors, so he was free to catch up on his interrupted rest. Janet and I sat at a small table where we could speak privately, but she could still observe her patients.
"What have you been up to since we saw you off in the gate room, Sam? Met any good looking men?"
I flushed, but not for the reason she would have thought. "Um, Janet, that brings up something I've been trying to get the nerve to tell you."
"Oh. So tell me now. Don't tell me you've found someone! Sa-am?" I could see she was dying of curiosity. "Would serve the colonel right if you found someone else."
"Well, I have found someone, but it's the same person I've, uh…" I grimaced.
Her eyes expressed her shock as my point dawned. "Been in love with?" I let my head fall and stared at my lap.
"Yeah, that. Been falling in love with for the past seven years. Jack and I straightened everything out before I left Earth. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. I found myself wrapped up in things the moment I got here and forgot. Will you forgive me?"
"Oh, Sam." My friend cradled her head in her hands. She was shaking; shuddering with what I thought might be tears until I heard her laughing. "I have been so mean to that man, thinking he'd turned his back on you after so many years of waiting." She looked up at me, near panic in her expression. "Do you think he'll hold a grudge or even press charges?"
"No, Janet, he won't. I'll make sure of that."
"But I've behaved so unprofessionally. How can I ever face him again, Sam?"
"Just apologize, Janet. He's always liked you, despite all his sarcastic remarks. He'll forgive you like I forgave him." She gazed at me sharply; I grinned back at her. "Or I'll never talk to him again."
"Thank you, Sam, and I forgive you for not telling me. I'm actually a little relieved not to be facing charges," she granted. Her evilest grin blossomed. "Now, tell me everything, Sam. Every last detail of how you made up."
DANIEL
I woke up cold. For some reason, I thought something was missing. Feminine laughter sounded from the infirmary across the hall, so I stumbled in that direction.
"You actually stalked him? Samantha Carter, you amaze me."
"Well, all that training has to be good for something, right?" They laughed again.
"Anyone seen anything resembling a cup of coffee?" I asked.
"Sure, Daniel. Chef''s son, Tyrrhenos, brought us a pot earlier and there should be some left." Janet reached over, grabbed the pot and shook. We heard the slosh of liquid, so I was in luck. She poured a cup and placed it in front of me as I sat down.
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver." I savored the first few sips and felt more awake. "By the way, how did I end up on the bed and you're in here?" The two women traded amused glances. I could tell their next words would be at my expense, probably with good reason.
Sam beat Janet to the punch and said, "You fell asleep on the chair in there and your snoring probably woke her up."
Before I could apologize, Janet came to my rescue, while not meeting my eyes, "No, no, you didn't snore. I woke up cold and found the blanket on the floor. You looked so uncomfortable in that chair, I convinced you to get onto the bed. You grabbed me and pulled me into the bed and we slept there for a few hours until Sam woke me."
"I-I grabbed you?" My face was hot, my palms sweating. Embarrassment on this scale was, to quote Jack, so not good.
"It's alright, Daniel," Janet assured me. "At least I was warm." She lowered her face toward her lap, but I could see the huge grin anyway.
"Oh."
"You'll be happy to hear Bra'tac is going to make it," she added to change the rather uncomfortable subject.
"You're right, I am glad. I think it calls for a celebration." Janet nodded enthusiastically, a broad smile lighting her face. "You'll help?
"Of course, just tell me what I can do." She paused for a second and then blurted, "Why don't we do the planning tomorrow over dinner?"
"Uh … uh, yeah! I'd love to. Let me arrange dinner. It's not like you've had time to even unpack."
"Okay, what time?" My brain went blank. Asking a woman to dinner was way out of my ordinary experience. Sha're had come to me, a gift from the city elders. Before her, I'd rarely dated.
Sam came to my rescue. "How about seven? Chef is more likely to make something edible if you don't schedule it for the main dinner hour."
"Great idea, Sam. Does that work for you, Janet?" She nodded again and I said goodnight. I had a ton of work to do, but my own bed beckoned.
SAM
Unfortunately, our next mission was not as successful as our first. General Hammond assigned us to exchange technology with a new ally. What we didn't know was that our erstwhile allies were really rebels on their own world who had managed to convince an SG team they were the only survivors of a plague.
The five of us gated to P2Y-449 into a driving rainstorm. Teal'c was the first through the gate, followed by Barton. As I stepped through the event horizon into a face full of water, lightning flashed repeatedly, showing stop-motion pictures of Teal'c falling at the base of the stairs.
Lieutenant Barton yelled at the top of her voice, "Ma'am, Teal'c is down. We have to get him and ourselves under cover." Visibility was less than ten feet in any direction.
I yelled back, "Let's get back through the gate. No one will be out in this weather to meet us." She squished her way over to the DHD and started entering the symbols for home while I stepped down toward my comrade. Before she could enter the last two, armed and armored men appeared out of the rain to surround and disarm us.
As the men bound Teal'c and Lieutenant Barton, I studied our captors. These were not the men we came to meet with. They looked more like Roman soldiers than the Saxon woodsmen SG-16 described in their briefing. "Who are you?" I asked one as he splashed up to me. The deluge was slackening slightly.
"The Garavian Royal Guard. You rebels are our prisoners and we will escort you to Garavas City for a trial before your execution." His voice was as cold and calm as his face.
"We're not rebels; we're peaceful explorers. We just came through the Stargate from Hawai'iki. If you let us go, we'll leave now," I argued, sputtering as rain ran into my mouth.
I heard a scream of anger across the clearing around the gate. It came from Alice, who stood still for a moment, holding her bloodied nose. As soon as she recovered from the momentary shock of the blow to her face, she fought her captors with everything she had. A well-placed boot to the sternum of the much taller guardsman dropped him to the ground and, with a satisfied smile I only glimpsed, she ran stumbling into the woods behind the gate. Two other guardsmen started to follow but stopped before they entered the dense trees.
I looked again at Teal'c and Barton. Teal'c appeared fine, if frustrated. Moreen was bleeding freely from a scalp wound and was very pale. She's going into shock, my brain told me. I shouted to the guardsman, Praetor Varius someone had called him, "Praetor, let me help my teammate. Her wound needs attention." What I got for my pleas was a vicious slap across the face that made my head swim.
They roughly loaded us into a covered cart made of some plastic-like material, I assumed for transportation to our "trial." At last, we were out of the bone-chilling drizzle the downpour had become. I scooted as close to Barton as I could and hissed, "Meyers, get on her other side. Maybe we can keep her warmer that way." Sigrid slid and slithered in her bonds to Moreen's other side. Teal'c stood guard at the back edge of the cart as best he could with his hands and feet so securely tied.
The cart lurched forward, wrenching the wheels loose from where they'd sunk in the soaked soil beside the trail. Through the back of the cart's cover, I saw that we were pulling onto an overgrown trail of sorts. With each jolt of the un-sprung vehicle, Moreen moaned faintly.
For some reason, they hadn't searched me very thoroughly. Unfortunately, they had tied our forearms together at wrist and elbow, making it literally impossible for me to reach anything between my knees and shoulders.
"Meyers, can you reach into the pockets in my vest?" I whispered.
"I think I can, ma'am. Which one?"
"Try the third one down on my far right. There's something we might find useful."
"Yes, ma'am. If you'll turn just a little more toward me, I can reach it easier." I complied and she groped along the vest trying to reach the Velcro edge and pull it open. Working as quietly as possible so as not to alert the soldiers walking behind the wagon, she pulled the pocket open. Her fingers slipped into the opening and she gasped with surprise at the contents.
ALICE
My nose had swollen so badly from where that jerk punched me that I could hardly breathe; plus, I suspected it might have been broken. Seconds after I lunged into the dense undergrowth trying to get away from the soldiers who attacked my team and me, I ran smack into the men we were there to meet. They were crouched in the scrub, their woodsy clothing blending with their surroundings as they watched my team get whumped.
I'm afraid I kind of lost it on them and screamed at them for not helping. The leader motioned to one of his men who grabbed me and tried to shove a gag in my mouth. There was a load of adrenaline still in my system, so he required about a picosecond to take down. While I knelt on the man's neck, I explained to the leader who I was and asked for his help.
"We're here to trade with you. The least you can do is to help me rescue my team." I stood up and let the man I held down go as a gesture of good will. I pulled off my cap to smooth back my sweaty hair.
"You are the representatives from Earth?" the leader asked, incredulous.
Defensively, I replied, "Yeah. Why?"
"You're women!"
"Well, duh! Of course, we're women. All except Teal'c, that is. You're all men. I don't hold that against you." This guy was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. "Are you going to help us or not?" Diplomacy was so not my forte.
SAM
Between us, Meyers and I had managed to open the blade of the tiny knife she'd pulled from my pocket. "If you can, cut my ankle bonds first, then yours and Teal'c's. If we have to make a run for it, we'd better be able to do something besides hop."
She smiled at my very small joke and my respect for her rose. If she could stay calm enough to appreciate humor in a situation like this, she could be a definite asset. I watched while she sawed away at the bulky ropes binding my feet until there were just a few strings left holding it around my legs. Meyers looked up to see if she should leave the last bit intact and I nodded my approval.
Hiding behind Barton's limp form, Meyers cut through the ropes at her own feet, then on Barton's. Teal'c would have to be last because of his exposed position.
TEAL'C
I moved to shield the activities of ColonelCarter and Lieutenant Meyers from the sight of our captors. The men marching behind our vehicle trudged silently, faces dull with exhaustion. If I had not been watching them closely, the soundless flash of light that vaporized the last man in line would have escaped my notice.
Successive flashes removed several more of the guardsmen until only three stood between freedom and us. It was most unfortunate for my companions and me that the last few walked shoulder to shoulder as if supporting one another.
Lieutenant Yamauchi could not have wielded the weapon used on the guardsmen for it was not technology with which I was familiar. The assailants must have been the rebels whom we were here to meet.
Noticing my attention on their back trail, the guardsman to my left snarled, "Sit back down rebel, before I sit you down."
Rather than draw his attention to the missing men behind him, I sat back docilely, arranging an expression of boredom on my features.
SAM
"Now, can you get my hands free?"
"I'll try, ma'am. But I'm pretty clumsy with my hands tied like this. I don't want to cut you."
"I trust you," I reassured her.
She drew a deep breath and said, "Yes, ma'am." She switched the tiny knife around so the blade was toward me and slipped it between my wrists to saw at the rope between bounces of the cart. By the time she had all three of us free, we'd been on the road for about an hour and I figured we'd traveled at least five klicks. It was time to free Teal'c before they stopped for a rest or we reached our destination.
Knowing how acute his hearing was, I hissed as quietly as I could, "Teal'c, be ready." He turned to face me with eyebrow raised, to which I smiled encouragement.
For the benefit of our guards I ordered, "Trade places with me. Moreen needs your body heat." He pushed back with his feet until he was as far into the cart as we were and then slithered past me to huddle close to Barton. I slid forward, careful not to pull my loosened bonds apart, to face the soldiers walking behind our transport.
I still hadn't figured out what to do from here, but we were ready.
JANET
My week on Hawai'iki went so fast, between Bra'tac's injuries, setting up the clinic and doing physicals that I really had no time to think about staying. I'd been back for two days before I could relax enough to really think.
Should I go, or should I keep my life the way it is? Sterile, lonely now that Cassie is at school, filled with not much besides my work.
On the other hand, should I leave my home, daughter and job behind, for who knows how long, to live on another planet? Admittedly, my friends are there – my best friend Sam, Teal'c and Daniel. Oh, yeah, what about Daniel? He was handsome, brilliant, sweet and … available. Plus, clumsy, absentminded and he carries the emotional scars of a lifetime of relationships where others had left him. Do we really have a future together?
I hoped so, because I'd just talked myself into taking the job. Mentally, I challenged, Look out Doctor Daniel Jackson here I come.
TEAL'C
Lieutenant Meyers released me from my bonds quite efficiently despite the constant jostling. It was most amazing that our captors had not noticed the missing men. Our luck appeared to improve.
Without warning, two men and what appeared to be Lieutenant Yamauchi silently erupted from the brush behind our path. The three of them halted to kneel and aim at the men walking behind us. A burst of light flared from each of their strange weapons, temporarily blinding me. As my eyes recovered, I saw no sign of the guardsmen.
As quietly as possible, we slid from the cart, lifting Lieutenant Barton to pass her to our two rescuers. I seized the packs the guardsmen had appropriated from us and left in the cart. ColonelCarter pulled a thin blanket from her pack to wrap around the injured woman whose wound continued to seep blood. I lifted her and prepared to follow.
The rebels led us into the wooded area to the left of the narrow road still traveled by our former captors. Our rescuers followed no discernable path through the dense undergrowth as we pushed further into the forest. After approximately one hour, we came upon a semi-permanent encampment that reminded me of the Tau'ri stories of the foul bandit Robin Hood. I was able to place Lieutenant Barton in a shelter where Lieutenant Meyers attended to her.
SAM
"Kevlen, I would still like to make the weapons trade we originally came to your planet for." I stood, hands on hips, before the scraggly group leader, a man who made my blood boil with every sentence he uttered.
"Colonel Carter, we have no time for this exchange. To learn how to use your device, to show you how to use our weapon, would take time we do not have. The Imperial Guard is very close to finding our location. We must move – now."
"Could we set another time to meet for the exchange?" I asked, frustrated with his attitude.
He paused to look at me as though I was a particularly loathsome insect. "Very well, Colonel. Let us say we will meet again in 10 days." He turned away, then back again. "Oh, please have your master send warriors next time. I do not want to have to rescue the next group from your world." With that, he stalked away, leaving me fuming at his back.
Teal'c, standing behind me, eyebrow raised, stated, "A most plainspoken man."
"Oh, yeah!" I spun on my heel and paced to the bark and mud hut where the rest of my team sheltered from the unrelenting drizzle. I poked my head in through the door. "How's Barton?"
Without raising her gaze from her patient, Yamauchi replied, "She needs medical attention, Colonel. More than we can give her here. I think she has a pretty serious concussion and she's lost a good bit of blood."
"Okay, wrap her up as warmly as you can and we'll see if one of these bozos will guide us back to the gate," I ordered.
Convincing Kevlen to lend us a guide took all of my persuasive powers. Finally, I ventured, "If you don't provide a guide to the gate, you're stuck with us."
Within 20 minutes, we had our guide – a boy of about 12, filthy and louse-ridden. He introduced himself as Ulf, short for Ulfrick. That was the start of a torrent of chatter that rarely stopped flowing.
TEAL'C
Ulfrick lead us through the marshy stretches and rank undergrowth in the young forest to an opening in the vegetation. Beyond, we could see the Stargate, ostensibly unguarded.
"ColonelCarter, I believe this to be a trap. It is no accident the Imperial Guard was there to meet us. Young Ulfrick has told me that Kevlen has long feared a traitor in their band. If they knew of our arrival, they must know we will wish to return home."
"I'm sure you're right, Teal'c. That makes sense. How do you suggest we spring the trap and not get caught?"
"One of us must lead the guardsmen away, while the others go through the Stargate to Earth."
ColonelCarter sighed heavily. Knowing her sense of responsibility, to leave one of her team behind galled her. She stated, firmly, "I'll stay. You take the rest of SG-1 back through and get Barton to Janet."
"ColonelCarter, I should be the one to stay." I also felt responsible for my teammates.
She shook her head. "Negative. It's my responsibility. I want you to get the rest of the team back; make sure Moreen gets to Janet. When you're gone, I'll circle back and gate to Hawai'iki. Have General Hammond send a MALP there and I'll report in using its radio."
"As you say, I will get them to safety."
"Thank you, Teal'c," she said and gave me what O'Neill called her mega-watt smile. "I'll see you shortly."
SAM
I sauntered into the gate clearing, heading for the DHD, expecting the Imperial Guard to rush out at any moment. Casually, I started to enter the coordinates for Earth, moving side to side with each symbol to keep any watchers from seeing the whole address. Before I got the last symbol entered, six soldiers burst from the edges of the clearing. I fired a quick burst from my gun toward them and ran back the way I'd come. Bait set.
Predictably, they followed me, grinning fiercely. Bait taken.
I lead them a merry chase for 30 minutes or so, further and further into the woods. Finally, hunkered down into a thick patch of reeds, I heard the guardsmen thrashing and stomping through the woods as they passed by my position. After another five minutes of waiting, I doubled back and ran for the gate as fast and as quietly as I could.
SG-1 had left the remains of three more guardsmen behind - the rearguard. I hoped there were no more waiting to jump out at me as I dialed the gate for home. Luck was with me for once that day and, just as the six dashed from the woods, I backed through the gate and blew them a kiss. Yep, way too much time with a certain colonel.
On the other side of the wormhole, I squatted behind the MALP waiting for anyone stupid enough to follow me. The event horizon dissolved; I was alone. Dialing Earth took the matter of seconds and soon I spoke with General Hammond.
"I'm glad to see you alive and well, Colonel Carter. The iris is open for you; please return with the MALP."
"Sir, I can still return to Hawai'iki before dark. I just wanted to report in and see how my team is doing."
"Colonel, I don't think you have access to a mirror. You need some medical attention."
"Sir?" I raised a hand to my face and winced at the pain in my cheek. The praetor had left quite a bruise. "Yes, sir. I'll be right behind the MALP."
GENERAL HAMMOND
After a brief stay in the infirmary to check on her people, Lieutenant Colonel Carter led most of her team of walking wounded into the briefing room to join me. Her cheek was swollen and highly colored, appearing quite painful. The captain sported two black eyes and a bandaged nose. Teal'c had a wide dressing around his head. Only Lieutenant Meyers appeared unharmed.
"Can I assume your mission was unsuccessful, Colonel?"
"Yes, sir. We…" she began.
"Uh, ma'am. If I may interrupt…" Capt. Yamauchi broke in, speaking nasally through the cotton stuffed into her broken nose.
"Sure, go ahead, Captain," Carter replied, curious.
"I, uh, managed to, uh, get a sample of the technology we went to 449 to get." She held up a small silver colored device apprehensively. "They lent me one to help rescue the rest of SG-1 and, in the confusion, I, um, forgot to give it back and they forgot to ask for it. Really, it was an accident, ma'am."
"Way ta go, Captain," quipped Lieutenant Meyers excitedly.
Despite my happiness that their injuries weren't in vain, I said, sternly, "Lieutenant, we do not steal from potential allies." She had the good grace to look ashamed. "Another team will need to complete the trade if they can make contact with the rebels again."
"Sir, the leader of the rebels, Kevlen, refused to take the time for the trade of knowledge, but we arranged for another meeting in ten days," Lieutenant Colonel Carter interjected before Lieutenant Meyers could apologize.
"Very good, Colonel. Now, tell me what you know about these others you encountered"
The members of SG-1 proceeded to brief me on the unexpected welcoming party they ran into. We discussed the advisability of abandoning P2Y-449 altogether and avoiding their internal strife. However, I felt we owed the rebels, at the very least, their weapon back. Within 20 minutes, the briefing was over and they were free to get a good night's sleep.
As they filed out of the room, I spied Colonel O'Neill hovering in the hallway. Ignoring everyone else, he tenderly raised his hand to Colonel Carter's cheek, grimacing in empathy with her pain. She turned her head to kiss his palm, confirming my long held suspicions about the pair. While I'd known of the latest gossip, this sight made it real for me and I was very happy for them to have the chance they so much deserved. On the other hand, I suspected that Jacob would be apoplectic when he found out.
JACK
I knew it would be hard the first time she came back injured, just not how hard it would be. I wished I could have been there for her, even though I knew it wouldn't have turned out any differently. I knew she could take care of herself and she had Teal'c as well, but I just wish …
Sam came home with me that night, an unexpected present. Even though she was clearly exhausted, we got about two feet inside my house before she pushed me against the wall and kissed me passionately.
I pushed my mouth away to ask, "Aren't you a little tired for this, Sam?"
She leaned back and smiled wearily. "No. You're just the medicine I need after that screwed up mission. Make love to me, Jack." Well, you don't have to hit me over the head with a 2x4. I swept her up and carried her up to my bedroom, my knee only giving me slight twinges. We undressed each other slowly and explored the other's body as if for the first time. We fit together as if made to be a pair. I was the luckiest man in the universe to have her, this woman I loved so much, in my life, let alone my bed. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Continued in Part 5
