Chapter 5 - Confrontation
In short order,SG-1 reached the top of the ravine, breathing slightly heavy as they crested the lip at the top. Morren rushed over to them, a smile of relief splitting his face when he saw that Sam had arrived at the top in once piece. Sam pulled her hand from Jack's grasp, resituated the injured hand so only her fingertips were peering out, and offered Morren a smile in return. Before the leader of the Perovians could begin asking questions, Sam spoke first.
"Morren, thank you again for allowing me to go into the mines. Everything went very well. You have an incredibly knowledgeable and cooperative group of miners down there," she told him with all honesty.
Morren bowed to her and replied, "I do hope they did not balk at assisting you, Major Carter. The men are not used to taking directions from a woman in their work."
She gave him a reassuring, if not a bit tight, smile. "No, they were quite accepting of me, actually." She frowned to herself, wondering how that had happened when this society didn't allow men and women to interact in that way in the first place.
"You are a very persuasive woman, Major Carter," he offered sincerely. Sam's lips quirked up slightly at that comment.
Noting the pause in conversation, and the way Morren's eyes were still raking Carter's body as if he were still expecting to find something wrong, Jack threw a meaningful glance at Daniel before he stated with false cheerfulness, "Well, thanks again for everything, Morren. We're very grateful for your help in all this." He waved his hand to indicate the mine. "General Hammond will be sending another team through tomorrow to finalize our agreement after Carter presents her reports."
Rupon, the younger council member who had been quite taken with Sam earlier, protested, "Another team? Does this mean that you will not be returning to our world Major Carter?" his look of disappointment was keen.
"Not right away, Rupon. But perhaps when the mining actually starts," she replied.
"Yes, well, Major Carter is very busy back home. Lots of important stuff to do," Jack stated quickly, not wanting the young man to get any ideas. Then he took a few steps to the side, as if trying to show how important it was that they return to the base now. Sam and Teal'c followed his lead. "Maybe we can all come back and have a little shindig after everyone signs the paper work," Jack added with a crooked grin.
Morren frowned. "What is this shindig you speak of?"
Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack, wondering why the man always had to throw out his absurd comments, then turned to Morren. "What Jack means to say is, perhaps we can celebrate the joining of our cultures with a feast: something to recognize and honor your people for their willingness to share the riches of the Naquadah with us."
"Ah," Morren's face brightened. "That would be most pleasant, Dr. Jackson. We will look forward to this shindig with your people." He turned back to Jack and Sam, moving to close the distance they had just created. "But must you leave so soon? The council was hoping to hear more of your findings, Major Carter, and to offer all of you refreshments after your arduous climb down to the mines. My wife is preparing for this as we speak." Once more, his eyes raked Sam. Surely she at least had to be in need of rest, he thought to himself.
"Sorry, Morren," Jack came and stood close to Sam, his right side slightly in front of her left. He had noticed a thin line of blood running down her fingers and wanted to block any view Morren might have of her hand. "But Carter here needs to get that information back to the base. General's orders and all, you know," he offered with a tight smile. "But thanks for the offer." He grabbed Sam's elbow lightly. When she turned to look at him, he narrowed his eyes just slightly and nodded toward her left hand. Sam was startled to feel the small amount of wetness run down her ring finger and she quickly made a fist with her hand, then calmly smiled at Morren.
"I'm afraid the Colonel is right, Morren. I have strict orders to return as soon as possible and present my findings to the General. But I will definitely put in a request to return for the celebration and perhaps some of the mining operations. I'm looking forward to spending more time learning about your people," and she gave him a dazzling smile, meant to distract him from her hand.
Daniel chimed in. "Yes, Morren. We are all eager to finalize this alliance and learn more about each other. I would personally like to thank you and the council," he nodded his head at the five other men who stood nearby, "For allowing us to come here. And of course, for allowing Major Carter to complete her task quickly and safely. We are all in your debt," he smiled graciously at the group. Seeing the "Hurry up" frown coming from Jack, he added, "We really must leave though. General Hammond will be waiting for us."
Morren nodded in understanding. "You must of course acquiesce to your leader's wishes. I hope we meet again soon," he smiled to each member of the team. Then, surprising all of them, he stepped closer to Sam and regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before taking her two hands in his. Sam's gasp of dismay was quiet, but Jack saw the look of panic on her face and his own gut clenched in trepidation.
Seemingly unaware of their discomfort, Morren held her hands gently in his. "I would like to thank you, Major Carter, for your patience and understanding of our ways. I can see that you are a woman of great strength and independence. Conforming to our ways must have been difficult for you."
Sam offered him a quick, tight smile. "It was not a problem, Morren. Thank you for your patience with us as well."
Morren smiled at her and squeezed her hands slightly. When he saw the wince cross her face, his smile disappeared. He studied her closely, his hands remaining firm on hers even as she tried discretely to pull them away. He felt the presence of something wet and sticky on his fingers and felt a sense of anger and dismay begin to rise deep within him.
Jack, seeing as well as sensing what was happening, tried to end the contact. "Well, thanks again, Morren. We really need to be going."
The calm, slightly balding older man turned a steely glare on Jack. "Silence," he ordered firmly. Turning back to Sam, his gaze locked on hers as he slowly pulled her hands forward and turned them over. When she winced again and dropped her gaze from his, he left his own fall to her hands. Seeing the trickle of blood on her left hand and the bandana tightly wrapped around it, Morren sucked in a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and turned an accusing glare on Jack.
"Ah crap," Jack mumbled under his breath.
The five council members came closer, forming a semi-circle around the team and peering over Morren's shoulder. Rupon's gasp of dismay seemed to echo through the trees. Teal'c stepped close to Sam's other side, providing a quiet, forbidding presence of his own. Daniel walked right up to Morren. "Look, Morren, there's no need…"
Morren dropped Sam's right hand and held his left toward Daniel. Once again, he repeated "Silence," in a deep, authoritative voice. His eyes never left Jack's. "You have broken your word, Colonel O'Neill. Not only have you neglected your duty to keep Major Carter safe, but you have obviously coerced her to deceive us as well by covering up her injury in this crude fashion," he lifted the injured hand, indicating the bandana with a nod of his head. "For this, you will be sorely punished," he added in a grim tone of voice.
"Look Morty," Jack replied, just as angry as Morren at the moment. He didn't get any further, for Morren held up his hand to stop him.
"Not only will you be punished for breaking your promise, but Major Carter will not be allowed to leave with you." Daniel's eyes widened at that, for he hadn't seen that coming. Neither had Jack or Sam by the looks on their faces and the quick exchange of glances. Teal'c straightened up even more, if that were possible, and mentally readied himself for battle. "If you can not take care of a woman of Major Carter's worth, then you no longer deserve her presence on your team." And then, before any of them could react, Morren pulled Sam toward him and pushed her next to Rupon.
"Hey! Now just wait a minute!" Sam protested, but Rupon held her tightly by her arms and pulled her further from her team, his own men forming a semi-circle around her.
Reactions were swift from the men of SG-1. Jack pulled his P-90 from his chest and pointed it at Morren while Teal'c had a Zat pointed at Rupon in a matter of seconds. Daniel held up his hands and said, "Whoa. Let's just calm down and talk about this."
"Talking stops when someone threatens to remove a member of my team, Danny." Jack's next words were directed at Morren and delivered with a harsh bite. "Now look here, Morren," he stated in a deadly tone. "We tried to do things your way, even going so far as having Carter dress up and beg you to let her into the mines. We escorted her down there when she would have been just fine by herself. Yeah, she got a small injury, but that's nothing compared to some of the other things she's been through. I think you've done her a great disservice, assuming she'd be waylaid by something as small as a cut on her hand." His eyes narrowed even further. "Now, I strongly suggest you let go of her and let us be on our way. If there's a chance in hell you want this alliance to go through, you'll do what I say." Sam stared at Jack, a bit surprised at his rather long speech. That he would stand up for her after he seemed so angry before startled her into momentary silence.
Not in the least intimidated by his words but wanting to avoid bloodshed on either side, Morren took a step closer to Jack. "Perhaps I have acted hastily, Colonel O'Neill. My only wish was to protect Major Carter when you could not. I will relinquish my intent to keep her with us." At his words, Rupon reluctantly let go of Sam's arms. She shook her arms and gave him an angry glare before pushing past the other men and returning to stand next to Jack. Jack gave her a cursory look to make sure she was all right before turning his attention back to Morren. "There is still the matter of your punishment however. You, Colonel O'Neill, failed to uphold your end of our agreement. As such, I expect you to submit to our laws and offer restitution." The statement was made with a quiet determination that Jack would have admired had it not been directed at him.
"Fine," Jack offered curtly after a momentary pause. "Let my team return and do whatever you have to do to me."
"You will not be left behind, O'Neill. I will take your punishment in your stead," Teal'c stated with quiet forcefulness.
Sam had heard enough. The quick turn of events that had startled her into silence now turned into a quiet, controlled fury. "All right. That's enough." She stepped in front of both Jack and Teal'c and faced Morren head on. "There will be no punishment on my account, Morren. Not now, not ever. If you need to punish someone in order to protect the laws that keep your women down, you'll just have to punish me."
"Carter," Jack growled from behind her and tried to pull her back. She just shook off his arm and stepped closer to Morren.
"I know you think your laws are protecting your women, Morren, but they're not. All they do is keep women in a small, controlled place within your society. They don't allow the women and girls the same opportunity to discover new things about themselves that the men and boys have. And they keep half of your population from contributing to the well-being of the entire group."
She unwrapped the bandana and held her injured hand in front of him. "Yes Morren, I cut my hand in the mines. I did it when I went down a little used corridor. By myself. And while Colonel O'Neill wasn't happy with my choice, I did have the right to make it. He wasn't angry because I got hurt, but because I wasn't following protocol. And even though I may have gotten injured, I found something down there that may allow us to mine the Naquadah without doing too much damage to the mountain." She dropped her hand and her voice. "Don't you see, Morren? In being allowed to do what I am good at, even make a mistake in the process, I discovered something that could benefit both of us. I don't think that is something I, or anyone, should be punished for."
Morren had listened to her speech without interruption. He quietly considered her words before replying, "Perhaps you are right, Major Carter. Perhaps our laws do keep our women from that which may enhance all our lives." He shook his head. "But we do revere our women, Major Carter, and do not wish to see any harm befall them, no matter how minor," he took her hand in his and held it gently as he looked at the cut.
Jack and Teal'c tensed next to her, neither man willing to allow this man to pull her away again. But Morren had no intention to do that. He just held her hand, palm up, and appeared deep in thought.
Sam sighed quietly, then said, "Morren? Do you and Tylez have children?"
His head popped up at this question and he frowned in confusion. "Yes. We have two. A boy and a girl."
Sam nodded her head. "And were you present for their births?"
The man's face broke into a small smile as he recalled those two important events in his life. "Yes, I was. They were the happiest days of my life, watching my children come forth into the world."
Daniel saw were Sam as going and nodded at her in encouragement, a small smile on his lips at her ingenuity.
"Please excuse me for getting personal, Morren, but how did your wife react during the birthing process?" At his look of confusion, Sam continued. "Was she quiet and calm throughout the birth? Free from pain?"
Morren frowned at her words and looked away, thinking about his wife in labor. How she had labored in pain, crying out loudly, for over fifteen hours with their first child and twelve with the second. How he had almost lost her that second time; the birth had been complicated and his wife lost so much blood that he feared she would die. "No," he replied quietly. "The births were difficult. My wife was in much pain."
Sam put her right hand over the hand that held her left one. Softly, she said, "And you couldn't do anything about it, could you? You can't protect your women from the pain of childbirth, just as you shouldn't try and protect them from the pain of normal, everyday life and the chance to make their own mistakes and learn from them." She squeezed his hand, then released it. "I've never had children, Morren, but I know from talking to other women that giving birth is one of the most painful things a woman could go through. Much more painful than a small scratch from a rock, and with quite a wonderful reward at the end," she added with a gentle smile. "I admire Tylez, going through that twice. I think your wife is much stronger than I am."
"Carter's right, you know," Jack said into the silence that followed her words. "If men had to give birth, entire races would have died out long ago." Sam bit back a smile at his words, knowing in her heart that his words were meant as an affirmation of her actions.
Morren ignored Jack's words, instead he looked deeply into Sam's eyes and saw the truth of her words. Women were indeed, much stronger and resilient than the men of his village gave them credit for. As leader of the Perovian people, it was high time he did something about that.
Finally, Morren smiled. "You are indeed a most intelligent woman, Major Carter. Strong, resourceful and determined. I admire those qualities, in either sex." He pulled her injured hand to his lips, turned it, and gently kissed the back of her hand. "Please accept my apologies for my earlier words and actions. Please know that, because of your eloquent words, we will be making changes here on Perovia." Sam smiled back at him, ducking her head slightly at his words of praise. "We would be most pleased if you would allow us to escort you to the gate," Morren continued.
"Ah, there's still that one thing we need to deal with," Jack answered, waving his hand in the air. He didn't really want to bring up the subject of punishment again, but he certainly didn't want any more surprises. He really hated surprises and had had more than enough of them on this trip.
"There will be no punishment," Morren looked over at Jack. "For either one of you."
Jack gave a silent sigh of relief, even as he marveled how, once again, Samantha Carter had saved his ass…and perhaps other, even more important parts! "Well, glad that little misunderstanding has been all cleared up. As for the escort, maybe next time. We really need to return." He put his hand gently on Sam's arm. "Come on Carter. Let's get back and get that hand taken care of." He gave her a small grin. "You've got lots of reports to write up – good thing you didn't injure your right hand."
She smiled back. "I'll be inputting data on the keyboard, Sir. It doesn't really matter which hand was injured."
"Ah yeah, right," Jack replied, as if he hadn't thought of that.
The five council members flanked the team and said their good-byes, assuring them that they would welcome the next team warmly…including any women who might be among them.
Then Morren stepped forward for the final time. "I do hope that you will return one day soon, Major Carter. We would very much like the chance to work with you again," he told her with honesty.
Sam smiled. "I'd like that very much, Morren. I'd especially enjoy getting the chance to speak with you wife. She must be a fascinating woman."
"She is indeed," he admitted with a smile of pride. Then he turned to Jack. "Again, my apologies for the harshness of my words and actions. I must admit I am humbled by your sense of honor. You were willing to accept a punishment in order to ensure that your team returned home safely, even though you disagreed with me. You are truly a noble leader for your people."
Jack shrugged away the praise. "I told you, I take care of my team."
Morren nodded. "Yes, you did Colonel O'Neill. I can see that you are a man of your word." Then Morren turned and wished both Daniel and Teal'c a safe journey and bid them a warm welcome when they returned again to his world.
SG-1 began the short trek back to the Stargate. Daniel and Sam led the way, heads close together and talking quietly about all that had occurred on the mission. Daniel offered his friend a heart-felt apology for all she had endured on the planet, putting his arm around her at one point and giving her shoulders a comforting squeeze. Jack and Teal'c, who were bringing up the rear, didn't miss the display of caring and support.
Teal'c glanced over at Jack, who had a frown on his face. "Major Carter has had a most challenging day, O'Neill. I believe a show of support from her team mates will go far in restoring her 'mojo'." He gave Jack another sidelong glance, a hint of a smile creasing his face.
Jack looked up at his large friend, eyes widened in surprise at his words. Then he slowly began to smile. "Yeah T. You're right…as usual." The two men walked the remainder of the way in silence, each content to listen to the chatter of their two team mates.
When they finally arrived at the gate, Daniel stepped forward to enter in the address that would take them home. Teal'c moved past Sam and stood at Daniel's side, waiting patiently for Daniel Jackson to complete his task.
The gate whooshed to life and Daniel sent through their codes. When he was given the all clear, he gave Jack an expectant look. Jack waved at him to go through. Daniel threw Sam a reassuring smile and then walked up the stone steps with Teal'c and through the Stargate.
Jack and Sam stood quietly for a moment before Sam moved to walked up the steps. Jack stopped her progress with a hand to her arm. When she turned to look at him questioningly, he had an unusual look of gravity on his face. "I know this wasn't easy for you, Carter. You had to put up with a lot of crap that you shouldn't have had to…from me as well as Morty." He looked down for a moment and frowned slightly at his own words. Looking back at her, he gave her a small smile and added, "You did good back there, Carter. Real good."
Sam considered his words for a moment. He had taken her by surprise because he rarely apologized for his actions in the field. And she didn't think he should have to…she had screwed up down in the mine. But she was grateful all the same. Jack was relieved when she finally smiled back at him. "Thank you, Sir. Now, can we please go home? My hand is throbbing here." She held out her left hand and clutched it dramatically.
Jack's grin widened. "By all means, Major." He thrust his left arm out toward her, crooked at the elbow. "May I?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
Sam smiled widely. "By all means, Colonel." Then she placed her right hand in the crook of his arm and the two of them walked through the gate. Maybe, just maybe, her day was going to end on a good note, Sam thought to herself as she traveled through the gate with her CO.
Had she voiced her thought out loud, Jack might have told her not to count her chickens before they were hatched…or not to put the cart before the horse. Or perhaps any other cliché that might have fit the situation. It was only 1700 hours, after all. Plenty of time left in the day.