Chapter Five
All Revved Up With No Place To Go
Sam awoke to find herself rather firmly embraced in Jack's arms. She tried to extricate herself gently so as not to wake him, but the moment she moved, his arms tightened around her, effectively pinning her against his side.
"Comfortable," he muttered.
Sam loosened his arm around her waist and sat up. "Too comfortable, sir," she replied. She cautiously scooted over, creating a small but effective bit of space between them.
Jack opened his eyes and stared at her for a moment. "Back to towing the line already, Major?"
Sam eyed him with a touch of wariness. This was uncharted territory and she wasn't sure how to proceed, but she knew that she had to be careful. This was too important to screw up with the wrong words.
"I think that's best, don't you, Sir? At least until we get home… then we can… figure this out, as you said." She turned away, suddenly afraid to face him.
Jack sighed, scrubbing a hand across his face. "I suppose you're right. I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. You usually are." He paused, a small smile lighting his eyes. He reached out a hand to Sam's shoulder. She turned to face him again, relief spreading across her features. "Carter, I promise you'll never be subjected to my unwelcome advances."
At that, she smiled. "I never said that your advances aren't welcome… just the timing, Sir."
"Ah, yes. The timing. Well, I promise to work on my timing then. Good enough for you?"
"Works for me," she replied, the smile filling her eyes and lighting up her face with more brilliance than the low lighting of their room could ever provide. "But since we're on the subject… you should know I really liked waking up in your arms…"
"Yeah… could get used to that a little too easy, I think." Jack grinned at her, a shameless tooth-baring grin.
"We really just fit… perfectly. Not that I should be surprised… we already fit perfectly in so many ways." She graced him with a small smile, one that lit her eyes to a brilliant shade of crystalline blue.
"So… report time." Jack knew he had to switch subjects quick before he got lost in the sparkle of her eyes. He swung his legs off the bed and stood up, slowly stretching out as he did so. "Etep gave me a run down of the events leading to the prison bust. First question I have is how sure are we that Daniel and Teal'c made it home?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest. Chaela told me the gate had been activated just shortly after we were hit, but they didn't know if anyone made it through."
"That's basically what Etep said. That guy really doesn't like me, for some reason." Jack's face was the picture of genuine confusion.
"I'm not sure I understand that either, Sir," she replied. I think it's just a general mistrust innate in him. Chaela has been far more open with me. She told me that they had tried to save your life, but they failed. It was just after you… died… that the Zigarans attacked that base and captured both of us. I had no idea they'd taken you though until you showed up in my cell." Sam had to pause for a moment as she remembered just how she had greeted his return. She had the good grace to blush slightly at the memory.
Jack just let a small, knowing smile play at the corners of his mouth before he spoke. "That meshes with what Etep said… so I guess regardless of his personal feelings, he and Chaela, and these General's as well, are indeed all playing the same side of the fence. I guess the next question is, how much can we trust them?"
"They pulled us out of that prison. By their report, they saved us from likely Goa'uld enslavement. I think they've earned as much a chance to earn our trust as we have theirs."
Jack mulled this for a moment. "You're probably right." He eyed her with a slight waggle of his brows. "So we've got, what, a week?"
Sam physically pulled back from him just the slightest. "What do you have in mind, Sir?" she asked.
Jack was having a harder time containing his smile, his eyes glinting in the soft light. "Well, first thing we'll need to do is get you familiar with the equipment and technology here. They seem to be pretty close to us, overall, but they've got some things that we haven't quite dreamed up yet." As much as he loved making her squirm, he watched with a touch of satisfaction as Sam relaxed back into her soldier mask. "They've got enough toys to keep you busy for quite a while, and I'll recommend to Hammond establishing trade once they've secured the gate from both the Zigarans and the Goa'uld."
At that moment, the wall opened, and Chaela walked in through the doorway. "I've come to take you to eat. Our Astronomer and General Codrum would like you to join them for the evening meal."
Sam walked over to her. "I don't suppose you'd have a change of clothes for us?" Her once lovely gown had been rather thoroughly destroyed in their escape and what remained was barely decent. Jack may have escaped relatively unscathed, but a for a formal dinner he should be clean at least.
"Certainly. Wait here a moment." Chaela disappeared out the doorway only to return almost instantly, her arm draped with clothing. She passed it to Sam, who exchanged glances with Jack.
With no time for modesty, Sam quickly discarded her rags and picked up the top garment from the stack Chaela handed her. It appeared to be a tunic, of a sort, pale and almost colorless, and Sam slipped it over her head. She grabbed the other garment, a matching set of trousers, and slipped them on. She tossed the rag-dress on the bed and waited for Jack, who wasn't nearly as quick to change his suit.
Jack graced her with a small smile as he finished dressing. "I'd offer you my arm, Major, but.. uh…" Jack gestured at the close quarters. He turned back to their host. "Are all your people really skinny or what?"
Chaela laughed softly. "I suppose you could say that. We are, on average, exceptionally thin people. And not nearly as tall as you, Colonel Jack O'Neill." Chaela, nearly a full foot shorter than O'Neill, began leading them down the narrow corridor.
They walked a short distance before turning into a large, open room. A round table sat in the center of the room, and it was laden with all the trimmings of a feast. General Codrum stood up when they entered.
"Welcome," he greeted them, gesturing them toward empty seats near him. "I wish we could do this under better circumstance, but I'm afraid this is all we can offer you now. Please, sit, enjoy the meal."
Jack let Sam sit first, then he sat beside her. They were served quickly, enough courses to fill a small army. They filled their plates and began eating quietly.
General Codrum broke the silence after a few minutes. "We offer you a belated welcome to Noggraa Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter." He raised his glass, and the others at the table followed suit. "May we form a strong alliance in days to come," he offered by way of a toast.
Jack and Sam exchanged wary glances before picking up their respective glasses to join in the toast.
"Yes, well," Jack began, "only time will tell. The food's great, but I hope you have something a little better to offer than good dining. Starting with a better explanation of this war, these Zigarans, and the role you expect us to play in your plans."
The general set his glass down before speaking. "The Zigarans are a small group of men determined to retain control of the Portal. They believe the eventual profit behind the technology accessible through the Portal is worth whatever risks necessary.
"The one advantage we have over them right now is sheer numbers. They have us outarmed and outgunned, not to mention the defensive technology. They have engaged a shield around the Portal and their entire encampment. Intelligence reports indicate the shield technology has been acquired from a Goa'uld they have been working with for the past two years."
"Any idea which snakehead we're dealing with here?"
"The name Ba'al has surfaced several times," as he spoke the name, Jack winced for a split second and Sam clenched her jaw in response. General Codrum continued. "Though we think they are currently dealing with a system lord in his service."
A man at the other end of the table sat forward and spoke for the first time. "The stars indicate that Aresan has returned," he said in a gruff voice. "Aresan serves Ba'al only as a means to an end… the end of the System Lords. The charts indicate the time is almost here for a major evolution of power. This time is heralded with the arrival of aliens, the Portal falling into the hands of the avaricious predators, the Zigarans, the lands quaking, erupting, such as we've never seen before, as this system and two neighboring systems come into perfect alignment with the Templar Star."
"I'd like to see your charts…" Sam's curiosity was piqued. "If I understand what you are suggesting, that three separate solar systems are converging into alignment with…"
"The Centre of the Holy Temple, the Templar Star," the Astrologer finished. "The alignment forms a geometrically perfect pyramid, and we will all be strongly affected by this junction of the stars and planets. This alignment occurs once every one thousand solar cycles. Its affects are never anything less than spectacular."
"How close are we to the center of this event?" Sam asked.
"Not far at all. This is our other strategic advantage… the Zigarans completely disregard the stars in their battle planning. They don't believe. We do. We see what is possible … it is all written in the stars. We let the stars guide us."
Sam smiled at the Astrologer. "Some of the people on Earth believe the same thing, that your destiny can be seen in the stars."
"Don't tell me you buy into that, Carter," Jack said with a slight smile.
Sam turned her smile on him. "I never gave it too much stock, but I must admit I usually read my daily horoscope, if only for a chuckle."
"Well, yeah, the horoscopes are fine for a laugh, but I wouldn't stake my battle plan on it." Jack turned a skeptical eye back to the General. "You actually listen to this stuff?
"Listen and follow," the general replied. "You would be wise to keep an open mind, Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, my mind is wide open, believe me. Just ask Carter," he said, nudging her slightly with his elbow. "Go on, tell them how wide open my mind is."
"Nothing but air," Sam muttered. Out loud, she said, "He does usually keep his mind open to new experiences." She gave Jack a pointed look.
"So… How small is this 'small group' of Zigarans?"
"We've estimated their forces at around five thousand."
"On the whole planet?" Jack was mildly surprised.
"Indeed," the General replied. "As I said, a small faction. Our military forces are nearly a hundred thousand times the entirety of their forces. It is their weaponry and defense systems that we cannot compete with by standard tactics. Though they have been working with the Goa'uld alliance for two years, only a few weeks of their direct presence on the planet has been detected."
"So we're supposed to bust into this Goa'uld-enhanced facility, destroy their shields, then what?"
"Then our forces will attack at full strength. We will retake control of the Portal, capture or destroy the Zigarans, and finally return peace to our planet. So it is written in the stars," he said with finality.
Sam and Jack returned to their guest's quarters with every intention of just getting some quiet rest before the next day's activities. That was their intention, anyway. The moment she laid down beside her commanding officer, though, Sam knew just why the path to hell was laid with good intentions.
All she wanted to do was roll to her side, press her lips to his and get lost in his touch. That was what she wanted, but she had trained better than to simply give into the desires of the flesh. She schooled herself to remain motionless beside Jack.
Jack, too, was fighting his own inner battle. Never before had temptation been so great. It wasn't like they hadn't shared close quarters before… but they hadn't been so open before about all those feelings lingering just beneath the surface of their relationship.
It wasn't long before Jack started feeling restless. Unable to sleep, he finally flipped over to one side facing Sam. "Sleepy?" he asked softly.
"Not really, Sir." Sam sat up a bit, propping the pillows up behind her.
"We should go fishing when we get home," Jack said, his face very serious.
"Fishing, sir?" Sam was sure he had more than the simple sport in mind.
"You know I've got this great cabin in the wilds of Minnesota… and I've been trying to get you out there for years… Just thought… maybe now…"
"I'd love to, Sir… but…"
"Ah, no but's!" Jack placed a finger over Sam's lips in emphasis. "You'd love to, let's just leave it there for now." His voice was hushed, almost pleading.
"For now," she said softly into his fingertip. Very slowly, he pulled his hand away, reluctant to break contact. Good intentions were wearing thinner by the minute.
Sam rolled to her side, scooting away slightly as she did. She grabbed a pillow and used it as a physical barrier between them, as though the words alone wouldn't be enough. "Sir… maybe we should keep conversation limited to what's necessary to the mission…"
"That mission being… getting our butts back home." There was a mischievous twinkle lurking in Jack's dark, somber eyes. "Discussion then being how to get home… and what we do when we get there."
"You're really stretching there, Colonel," she said with all due seriousness. She was not about to let him goad her into… into what, she wasn't sure, but she was sure this wasn't the time or place to get into whatever it was she saw glinting deep in his eyes.
Jack stared at Sam for a long, quiet while, his face coolly stoic. "Major… with all due respect… what we do when we get home is every bit as important as how we get there. We've got the next week to figure out that part." Jack paused, to let his words sink in with her. "Right now… I need to know where we're going when we do get home. You've got to be ready to take this all the way. Either you're all in or you're out."
"Sir," she said slowly, "you know I am all in. All the way. For better or for worse, we're in this together." She stared at him unblinking, willing him to see the truth in her eyes.
Jack never wanted to kiss her more, but he held back. His hand ached to get lost in her hair, but he contented it with some fiddling of the bed sheets. "When we get home, I'm going to place a call to the President. We've saved the world enough times to call in the old once-in-a-lifetime-favor. We may have to make some… adjustments, professionally speaking… but one way or another, we'll make it happen."
Sam nodded, her eyes deep and somber. "If I've ever had faith in anything, it's this… it's us." She smiled for him then, a slow, warm, and glowing smile that lit up his dark heart. At that moment it was almost impossible to resist the urge to kiss her. Almost.
Jack sighed aloud, stretching his arms out before pulling them up behind his head as he laid back. "Get some rest, Major. Gonna be an early day."
"Yes, sir," she replied as she lay back, pulling one arm up over her eyes. The other she nestled beneath her head as she curled slightly toward Jack. They never touched, though, for each knew that if they did it would only be moments before they found themselves crossing the line. They'd done that enough for one mission.