A/N: Okay, I am eating my words because this is NOT the final chapter, although, how much I want it to be. (chomp! chomp!) Believe me, I tried putting everything here but it's not proportional (in length) to the chapters before it. I really am glad that you liked the lieutenant and just for the record, I named my character after my two adorable nephews: Edrald's four and Aidan's just turned one. I haven't "discovered" Stargate Atlantis yet when I wrote this fic. It's a mere coincidence that my character and Lt. Ford has the same name. :)

The next chapter will definitely have the words "The End" at the end of it.

Command (Military definition): defines who gives the orders through every step of the chain. Theoretically, all the way back up to the Pentagon and all the way down to the most junior member of the unit who, in the final exigency, would be commanding himself alone.

"Heroes are often the most ordinary of men." - Henry David Thoreau

Chapter Five – Worry Over Nothing

Griffith and Grant were talking animatedly to one another when I arrived at the briefing room. They were situated two seats down from the general's chair and across from each other leaving the three topmost chairs empty. They almost didn't notice me enter the room through the corridor if I hadn't cleared my throat loudly.

Dr. Grant waved a hand at the empty chair beside him which, in all sincerity, I wasn't grateful for. They had me purposely boxed in and across the only other chair I knew the major would be taking once debriefing started.

They both smiled at me as I reluctantly sat down the proffered chair. They inquired about my health so I told them what I knew: The collarbone was healing nicely but I still had to keep my right arm on a sling for another three weeks, maybe more. I couldn't feel any more pain on my chest and the Australian-shaped bruise on my left torso thankfully shrank down to the size of Tasmania.

I apprehensively craned my neck at the general's office and through the transparent fiberglass window that doubled as a map of the Milky Way galaxy, I saw the general and the major in deep conversation, the latter facing our general direction and my stomach made a quick one-eighty because of it so I averted my eyes away.

I wasn't able to reach more than ten feet when my rope slackened and I fell the rest of the way down. The tree that saved Ayen was the same one that broke my fall but it hadn't prevented me from experiencing a most excruciating pain imaginable that followed my rough tumble on its upper branches and my subsequent haphazard landing near its thick trunk.

I grounded my back teeth hard to prevent myself from screaming my guts out. The intense agony was paralyzing: My right collarbone felt funny and I couldn't feel my right arm. My chest burned every time I breathe and my left side hurt like hell sending white spots dancing before my eyes. I would've slipped into unconsciousness were it not for the kid calling out to me for help.

His voice cut through the haze and pain, effectively clearing my head for me to assess our situation. I happened to land on the same branch with Ayen a mere arm's length away.

The poor kid's teeth were chattering from the cold and his lower body was submerged in freezing water but there was nothing I could do as I got no strength to haul him out of there.

Ignoring my own pain and danger, I managed to inch closer to the boy, who was around eight years old, enough to encircle my good arm around him. I wrapped my legs tightly around the sturdy branch to prevent myself from slipping and perched my right arm and shoulder on a group of smaller branches beside me. Ayen had let go of his tenacious hold on the branch and wrapped his little arms around my neck.

In order to distract ourselves from our dangerous predicament, I spent the time talking to Ayen asking things kids his age were interested in as we waited for my team to come and haul us up.

The pair finally emerged and took their places at the table with us. I felt like I was attending a court-martial – my court-martial – with Lt. Griffith and Dr. Grant as witnesses for the prosecution, Maj. Ferretti as the prosecutor and Gen. Hammond the judge.

Ferretti began deliberating. He started with our arrival there and the devastation we had witnessed in the aftermath of a storm. After the word "storm" I zoned out. I knew that part already and couldn't wait for him to reach the end of it.

Ayen was halfway through his story about this girl who lived in the village named Odeah that he really liked a lot because she wasn't squeamish about playing in the dirt like most girls do when my radio crackled to life.

"Now there's two of you we need to rescue," Maj. Ferretti's voice angrily spat over the radio, startling the two us. "I told you to stay put, Edrald!"

I wanted to look up but that was nigh impossible. I was lying on my stomach, facing the angry river below. I instructed Ayen to press the "talk" button on my radio and to never let go of it while I spoke.

"The rope slackened, sir." I said in an almost pathetic way.

Just then, a huge swell from upriver rammed right at us and the small child cried out in fright, tightening his grip on my neck, almost making it hard for me to breathe. That's when I noticed that the water had now reached the child's hips.

"Don't let go, please!" he cried.

"It's all right," I said in his wet hair, his plea twisting at my heart. I would've gladly traded places with him if I could. "I got you." I said again and again, gently squeezing his trembling figure in assurance. I thought I heard someone shouting above us but I couldn't be certain.

"What's your status, lieutenant?"

The little kid once again pressed the button so that I could respond. I told them our situation and I also ought to tell them one more thing. "I think I might've broken something, sir," and winced as I readied myself for another round of remonstrations which I very much deserved.

Maj. Ferretti wasn't one to disappoint. "Perfect!" he said loudly. I looked at Ayen and saw him screwing his face up. Yep, that's about how I feel right about now. Screwed. "How's the tree holding out so far?"

I turned as much as I could. "It's not going anywhere, sir."

My radio remained silent after the major informed us that it would take some time before they could get to us leaving me with the noise of the river below us as companion but it was starting to irritate me.

"I'm scared," Ayen suddenly whispered into my ear.

I turned and saw him close to tears. His nose getting all red like Rudolph's. "Me, too, kiddo."

I studied Maj. Ferretti's profile facing the general as he spoke for the team. He carried a lot of weight around as he's one of the pioneers of Gate travel. The general would definitely listen to him if he'd recommend my immediate dismissal from the team and most probably from SGC. He's had more than five years of experience and had been through a lot. So how in the world could I ever contest to that?

We trudged back to the Stargate a few hours later, leaving Ayen and his parents behind the remaining SG teams. Before I could even step up unto the raised platform of the Gate, Maj. Ferretti pulled me roughly aside.

"What the hell were you thinking, lieutenant?"

I answered him truthfully and never lost eye contact throughout my explanation. My assessment of the situation.

"I told you not to do anything until we arrived, haven't I?"

I nodded and tore my eyes away from him at that point.

"You disobeyed a direct order!"

I gulped.

"I am about a hair away from kicking you out of the team, Edrald." He angrily said as he briskly walked towards the Gate before whirling back at me. "I am not through with you, yet."

"…and it's also because of Lt. Edrald."

I was pulled out of my reverie upon hearing the tail end of Maj. Ferretti's sentence but hadn't dared lift my eyes from its study of my left hand's movements. I knew they were all looking at me.

"Is this true, lieutenant?" Gen. Hammond asked gravely, turning his chair around to face me.

I had to answer. "Yes, sir." I said and still preferred to not look up. There was no point denying it. I was prepared for the reprimand I knew I was about to receive from the general deciding not to say anything at all and just take it as I so richly deserved. His next words nearly staggered me out of my chair.

"Good job, people. The Pentagon will be happy to hear that they're going to get their raw trinium after all. I expect to find your individual mission reports on my table first thing tomorrow."

I blinked. What?

"Dismissed."

I stared incredulously at the general's retreating back. I waited for him to come right back and say that he made a mistake, that I was getting the ax and I was going to be dismissed from the Military service dishonorably. But the general entered his office and that was it.

What in the blazes did just happen? I think the question was clearly written all over my face as I stared dumbstruck at Major Ferretti who, in turn, was looking at me unblinkingly.

If I heard the general right, that we were given permission to mine '586, then that meant SG-2 was successful in bringing back Michen into the table. And if I also heard right – it was also because of me?

What the heck's happening?

A manic grin split across my CO's face, crow's feet appearing around the edges of his eyes, erasing all traces of the seriousness he was sporting just a few seconds ago.

I sat there unresponsive to the hearty thumps from my two other teammates congratulating me as I tried to absorb what was happening around me. Which then prompted me to doubt my sanity. And had me asking myself -

Was this some kind of a joke?

If this indeed was a joke, and in all likelihood I knew who the perpetrator behind it, I didn't find it funny.

Grant was laughing beside me. "Man, you should've seen your face when debriefing started."

"It was like a Gate came crashing down on you," Griffith said exchanging high-fives with their friend. When I continued looking at them like I had no idea what they were talking about (which I was), he frowned. "What, weren't you listening?"

I shook my head. I think. And that's when I heard for the very first time at what really went down on the planet after they returned there without me ten days ago.

As it turned out Ayen, the kid whom I rescued from certain death was Michen's only grandchild. Iba was Michen's son and he was expecting the family that day and when they didn't show up, began to worry. That was why the village leader personally asked Maj. Ferretti to check the place out where they lived. Upon hearing the true story from his grandson, Michen wanted to personally thank me for getting out of my way to save the boy if he could. And one way of showing his gratitude was to reopen talks with SG-2.

And wanting to grant the man's request, Maj. Ferretti and the general were discussing it over at the latter's office when I arrived. They were thinking of either letting me go back to '586 as soon as I was allowed to travel or let Michen visit SGC himself.

There was still something that doesn't add up. "But what about my disobeying a direct order?"

Jim snorted. "Come on, you saved the guy's grandson. It's his progeny we're talking about here. The least he could do was forget it ever happened!"

All that time, I was looking at my commanding officer who was sitting silently across from me. There was a few minutes of silence before the major moved to lean deeper into his chair, rocking it a bit, clasping his hands together on his lap.

"Told ya, I wasn't through with you, lieutenant." Maj. Ferretti said, his grin never disappearing, eyes twinkling in merriment.

So all that worry was for nothing?

Holy sh – My mind never got to finish what it wanted to scream out because the Gate klaxon suddenly rang out.

Griffith and Grant made their way to the viewport. It was a rare opportunity to see the Gate from this perspective, meaning just watching as bystanders, waiting to see who was coming through it.

I sat there looking at the major. There were a million questions I wanted to ask him but somehow found myself bereft of speech. Also, the jumbled up feelings running rampant inside me was threatening to send my senses to overload.

I saw the general in my peripheral vision going down the flight of stairs to the control room as I continued staring at the major. The major gave me a mysterious smile before running after the commander downstairs. Since SGC's second-in-command, Col. O'Neill was presently off world, the responsibility of acting as the commander's 2IC rested on Maj. Ferretti since he was, in all account, the next most senior officer-in terms of experience, not rank-on the base.

I stood up and went towards the viewport.

The Gate's inner circle was still spinning. A squad of SFs appeared at the bottom of the ramp entering from both sides of the Gate room, the doors hidden from view.

Six chevrons were lit and already locked in place. The seventh and last, located at the topmost part of the Stargate, lit up a second later marking the completion of the dial sequence.

A metallic whine came right after followed by a horizontal pillar of "bubbles" (for lack of a better term) that reached out from the center of the Gate and quickly receded into the wormhole's event horizon.

The trinium-titanium iris slid to a close.

It was a rare opportunity to watch the flurry of activity centered around this ten thousand-year-old relic from a race that preceded mankind by thousands of millions of years from a bystander's perspective. A totally different experience from when one was a part of it.

"It's SG-1," Griffith announced beside me as soon as the iris retracted to reveal the event horizon. Grant and I looked at him, surprised he knew because no one came through yet. He pointed below us. I looked.

Jonas Quinn.

SG-1 appeared a few seconds later. Jonas patiently waited for them at the bottom of the ramp, clutching something to his side. It was a dark rectangular object, either a book or a notebook, and waved at them with it.

Three SFs moved towards them then to accept their weapons and gears. Although, I couldn't hear what was being said Maj. Carter smiled, Teal'c nodded at him and the colonel did a quick once-over (to me the look didn't seemed hostile) at the youngest member of their team.

I saw the colonel's lips moved. He must have directed a question at Jonas in which he replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. Maj. Carter joined in on their conversation as the Jaffa Teal'c simply listened and followed his companions out of the Gate room.

I stood rooted to the spot, staring down at the now empty Gate room, my mind going from zero to Mach two in an instant.

"Alrightee," Griffith said exuberantly. "Anyone up for lunch?"

I heard Grant say something but I was busy making sense of my own thought process. Something was definitely nagging at me.

"Yo, Edrald. You alright?"

I looked at our 2IC's reflection in the glass. "Huh? Uh, yeah. I was just… thinking. You were saying?"

"I said, it's lunchtime already. We've got to get there early or we won't get good seats, not to mention, food."

And then it hit me. I turned and strode towards the door.

"Where're you goin'?" Griffith called out.

"Uh, listen," I hurriedly said. "Why don't you guys go ahead and I'll catch up with you there."

"What?" Griffith was certainly confused.

"I just need to do something first," I said, walking briskly down the corridor.

"Hey, if this is about that prank we pulled-"

"No." I turned and saw the two of them standing outside the corridor about to gave chase. It occurred to me that my sudden departure worried them. I understood that so I took a deep breath to calm myself. "No, it's not. Really. I just have to do this. I may never have another chance again."

Grant looked at me intently. "That important, huh?"

I nodded.

They looked at one another and then turned their attention back to me.

"Don't blame us if all the good ones are gone," Griffith warned.

I grinned.

I made a beeline for the books stacked on the shelf inside my quarters. I remembered the time when I bumped into the Kelownan his things went flying this way and that. There were a few worn out books along with the stuff he was carrying but gave no thought to them then.

Looking back, I remembered seeing library tags on each of the spines with the logo of the SGC on top. The books could've only belonged to the base library.

The SGC library has earned notoriety for its inability to buy new books for their cache. I think The Scarlet Pimpernel was still on the new arrivals list when it had been there for more than a year now.

Finding out what I was looking for I hurried out of my room, walking briskly towards another section of the VIP level. It was hard picking the books up with one hand that's for sure.

I took a cautious peek around as I came into a corner to see if anyone was there before I approached the only door in that area. I made sure that nothing in the books could pinpoint their origins back to me and I knew he would like them a lot.

I stealthily placed them at the foot of the door and quickly ran like never before to the elevators.

Once it opened, I dashed inside despite the disapproving looks I received from the people inside the elevator. Like I cared a wink. I was grinning madly.

Now that everything in my life was almost back to normal, I am free to pursue what I wanted to do all those days ago. And all I could think about as I headed down to the commissary was-

Thank you, Dr. Fraiser.