Chapter 2 – When in Rome
While she had been only teasing when she had made the comment about the dress, two hours later, Sam found herself seated in front of Morren, leader of the Perovians, wearing not quite a dress but not her standard uniform either. The exalted leader of this fine planet had decreed that he would not sit with her to discuss doing a man's work while she wore the clothing of a man. It had taken everything she had not to voice her opinion on the subject and take him to task, nor return to the SGC. She had held her tongue with effort, but had in fact turned around and taken a few steps toward the gate, only to find her progress immediately halted.
"Carter," Jack had caught her arm as she was about to storm off. "Play nice with the new neighbors." He noted her flashing eyes and added quietly, "You know how important this is to the SGC."
Sam's eyes had narrowed slightly in her anger and frustration. "But sir…"
"AH!" he held a finger in front of her face. "Our mission here, first and foremost, is to get you into those mines so you can do your thing. Only then can we progress with trade talks, remember?" He studied her for a moment, then cocked his head to the side. "What's the matter? Don't think you can cut dressing like the natives for an hour or two?" He knew the best way to get his 2IC to acquiesce in this type of situation, was to make it a challenge, rather than an order.
Eyebrows raised, she stated directly, "Need I remind you, Sir, what happened the last time I had to dress like the natives?"
Jack couldn't help the grin that crossed his face at the memory of her in the long, blue, low cut dress. It had made him really want to 'reach out and touch someone'. At her annoyed throat clearing and slight nudge to his arm, Jack quickly erased the smile from his face. "No need to worry, Carter. We won't leave your side for a moment. Well, aside from when you're changing of course," he offered with a small smile at her. He felt a pang of guilt at the way her face flushed lightly and her eyes dimmed before she turned away from him. He watched her with concern as she made her way back toward Morren.
Sam huffed angrily as she returned to the shaded dias, took a deep breath to calm herself, then turned toward Daniel, who was trying to smooth things over with Morren. Standing in front of the two men, arms crossed, she stated flatly, "Where do I change?"
Daniel had heaved a silent breath of relief as he watched his team mate being led into a small hut to change. He knew this was hard for her her, but he really hoped things would work out, for all their sakes.
And now Sam found herself seated on a cushion in front of Morren, her legs tucked under her as she earnestly prepared to make her request to be allowed entrance to the mines. The clothing she wore was really quite comfortable, a fact Sam wouldn't admit even under duress. But she vowed that there was no way in hell she would wear this outfit down to the mines should her request be granted. She needed the freedom of movement her BDU's would allow, not to mention the fact that she felt a bit exposed in the thin, light clothing. She would wear these clothes for now as a concession to the Perovians, but that was all.
The gauzy grey-blue top had long sleeves that shifted in the light breeze. A darker blue piping ran around the rounded neck and down the V- shaped front, drawing unwanted attention to her chest. The long skirt was made of the same light, gauzy material. Though clingy through her waist and hips, the bottom flared out gently and the overall effect accentuated her long legs, much to the admiration of the single men in attendance...and some of the married ones as well. Sam had been relieved to find she would be wearing a skirt and not some opulent, restrictive, heavy dress. That she was required to be barefoot was something Sam resolutely pushed from her mind. She had been reassured to see that most of the women in the village actually wore outfits similar in style, with one or two of them sporting long pants made of the same light, airy material as Sam's skirt. And although none of the women wore shoes, there were also no veils to be found among them, something that Sam had been pleased to note.
Though he wouldn't admit it, Jack too was relieved when he saw the outfit his 2IC was wearing. It was apparently feminine enough looking to appease Morren, but conservative enough not to cause Carter undue discomfort. In fact, she looked quite comfortable, he thought to himself as he sat next to her. Well, aside from the bare feet, he mused with a small grin. Her feet were quite firmly tucked under her, and every now and again, she tugged at the hem of the skirt, making sure her toes didn't poke out.
Jack thought she looked quite stunning, though he wouldn't voice that thought either. He looked around at the other men in attendance and frowned when two of the younger Perovian's seemed to let their gazes linger on Sam much longer than was necessary. Jack was certain that no one on his team had any desire to repeat the experience with the Shavadi, so he glanced behind Sam's back to give Teal'c a meaningful look. The Jaffa indicated with an inclination of his head that he understood. Jack and Teal'c carefully watched the other men, throwing glares their way whenever their gazes lingered too long on Sam. After several minutes of this activity, when Jack was assured the men had received his message, he let his attention drift back to the conversation at hand. Sam was earnestly doing her best to convince Morren of the necessity of her presence at the mines.
"I understand your reluctance to send your women to the mines, Morren," Sam was stating in a respectful tone, "But you must understand, where we come from, this is what I do. I am highly trained in my field and am actually one of the foremost experts when it comes to the knowledge and mining of naquadah." She pulled a folder from her pack and opened it up. Pulling a few sheets of paper out and spreading them on the low table before her, she continued. "You see, this is an aerial view of the mines, taken from our UAV. Now right here," she pointed to a spot, "Is where the main artery lies. We can tell this from the energy readings we received from the UAV. Now, in its natural form, Naquadah…"
Jack smiled to himself as he watched Morren's eyes widen, first in surprise at the young woman's obvious knowledge, then in confusion as he was no longer able to follow her words. Welcome to my world, Jack thought with a grin. The older man looked up at Jack, the bewilderment evident on his face. Jack's smile widened and he shrugged his shoulders in reply. He couldn't help the man out if he wanted to…and right now, he definitely did not want to! It was rather enjoyable to watch this from the other end for once.
After another ten minutes of Sam explaining her qualifications and the necessity of mining naquadah on his planet, all became quiet as SG-1 waited for Morren's decision. The leader of the Perovian people studied the young woman in front of him carefully. She spoke well for herself and her people. She was most knowledgeable about the mineral found within the mines east of the village, as well as being extremely intelligent. And yet…"Could you not train one of the male members of your group to go in your stead, Major Carter? Our council is not comfortable changing our laws for the sake of one visitor, no matter how knowledgeable she may be."
Sam opened her mouth to answer, but Daniel jumped in first. "We understand your hesitation, Morren, and truly do not wish to upset your people or your laws in this. But Major Carter truly is the most qualified person we have and there just isn't enough time for her to train anyone to the capabilities that she already possesses." The young archaeologist's demeanor changed into a slightly more challenging tone. "Just as you wish for us to understand and accept your ways, we ask that you understand and accept ours. Only then can we make a truly beneficial alliance between both our worlds."
Morren considered the young man's words, then looked around to the other members of his council. All five of them bowed their heads, indicating that the decision was his and they would abide by it, although one of the younger men ventured to air his opinion. With an admiring smile Sam's way, he stated, "I believe that Major Carter is earnest in her declaration of her expertise in this matter, Morren. I find her to be most trustworthy in speech, as well as demeanor." He beamed approvingly at her. Sam gave him a hesitant smile, but quickly looked away, not wanting to offer him any encouragement in that regard. As such, she missed the glare Teal'c sent the young man's way, and his ensuing blanch of fear.
The leader of the Perovians looked SG-1 over carefully before announcing his decision. "Major Carter, you may go to the mines and do that which your people ask of you." Sam smiled her thanks and was about to stand up, but Morren held up his hand. "There is one stipulation, however." Sam closed her eyes briefly and then rested back on her heels, hoping he wasn't going to tell her she had to be purified or something first. Her eyes opened in surprise when she heard the next words from the leader. "Colonel O'Neill, as you are leader, you will be held responsible for the safety of this woman. Should anything befall her at the mines, you will be punished according to our customs."
Jack's eyes widened in surprise at the announcement, but he kept silent. He did shoot Daniel a questioning look, to which Daniel responded with a careless shrug. Jack's eyes narrowed, wondering what Daniel might be hiding from him.
Morren looked back at Sam and continued. "I trust you do not believe so, but our woman are revered, Major Carter, and thus highly protected. They are not allowed to venture where the dangers are deemed too great. We do not wish for them to believe they will no longer be protected, just because they see you going where no woman has been allowed before. If you come back injured or harmed, it could upset the balance of life as we know it."
Sam knew that to argue with him right then would not be well received, so she just smiled tightly and said, "I understand, Morren. Thank you for allowing this." She heard Daniel sigh quietly in relief beside her, but chose to ignore him for now.
Morren nodded, then looked at Jack. "You understand the ramifications if Major Carter were to become injured, Colonel O'Neill?"
Jack let his eyes narrow as he focused on the man in front of him. "The safety of every member of my team is my foremost responsibility, Morren. One which I take very seriously." His tone deepened slightly as he added, "Rest assured, Major Carter will come to no harm."
Teal'c inclined his head toward Morren. "I too will ensure the safety of Major Carter in this endeavor. You need have no fear for her, Morren, nor that the women of your village will become unsettled at this action."
Sam winced slightly and flushed in embarrassment. Although she appreciated their words, she didn't like feeling as if she were some helpless, inept female in need of protection, nor that she might be the cause of civil unrest on a foreign planet. She looked up, a bit startled, when Jack got to his feet and said, "To tell you the truth, I don't think I'll need to watch Carter that closely. Not only does she know what she's doing, she's saved my ass more times than I can count."
Morren frowned. "I do not understand. What does this mean, saved your ass?"
Daniel coughed, then hastened to intervene, assisting Morren to his feet and steering him away from Jack. "It's just an expression of ours, Morren. Nothing important. So, will you be accompanying us to the mines? I'd really like to learn more about the history of the Perovian people… "
Jack and Sam shared a private smile while Daniel attempted to distract Morren. Bending down, Jack grasped her arm and helped her to her feet. He spent a quick moment appreciating the sway of her skirt and the view of her pink toes before he said, "So Carter, lovely as that outfit may be on you," he smiled to himself when she blushed slightly and crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't think you should be wearing it down to the mines. Not real…practical…ya know?" he cocked an eye as he lightly fingered the thin material of her sleeve.
Sam looked down at herself and grimaced. "I wasn't planning on wearing it any longer than necessary, Sir." She cast a quick, concernedglance over toward Morren, then looked questioningly back up at Jack. Without her boots on, she lost a good two inches in height on him, causing her to crane her neck just that much more to meet his gaze.
He shooed her with his hand. "I'll handle Morty. Go. Change."
Sam smiled at him with something akin to relief, then bent to pick up her pack. "Thank you, Sir. Be back in a minute."
He waved her off. "No rush. Those mines aren't going anywhere." He watched her walk into the hut a few yards away, then turned to look at Morren and Daniel, who were still talking earnestly about something or other. The other members of the Perovian council were talking among themselves, though Jack noted with a frown the young man whose eyes followed Carter's disappearance into the hut. "I think we're going to have to keep an eye on that one, T," he remarked quietly.
Teal'c observed the young man in question. "He will not be permitted in close contact with Major Carter, O'Neill."
Jack nodded in agreement then turned more fully toward Teal'c. Adopting a casual attitude, Jack said with a smug smile, "So T, things seemed to have worked out just fine so far, wouldn't you agree?"
The large man nodded his head once. "Indeed, O'Neill. Major Carter has performed her duties admirably, but we must endeavor to keep her safe as we venture forth into the mines."
Jack frowned slightly. "Of course we will." He looked thoughtfully at Teal'c. "Say, T…not that I'm worried at all, you understand, but any idea what this 'punishment' might be if anything does happen to Carter?"
Teal'c cocked his head slightly to the side, then stated with all seriousness. "Iwas led to understand thatthe Perovians strongly believe in the practice of castration, O'Neill."
Jack's eyes widened in disbelief and horror, then he gulped loudly. "You've got to be…" In a firmer tone he ordered, "You've got Carter's six, Teal'c. Every….freakin'…minute of this mission. Got that?"
Teal'c's lips compressed into a thin line, almost as if he were holding back a smile. "As you wish," he complied with a slight bow.