Chapter Eight
Bat out of Hell
"Unscheduled Off World Activation!" The announcement blared over the PA system. General Hammond wanted to pace in the Control room, but he held himself still. Daniel and Teal'c were also present, each silently trying to will it to be Sam and Jack.
"Receiving transmission… it's SG1's signal," Siler announced.
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered. The shield over the event horizon twisted back into place, leaving the event horizon rippling behind it exposed. They waited a full minute, and then in ran Jack O'Neill, dressed in unfamiliar camouflage-like clothing. Hot on his tail was Samantha Carter; she was followed immediately by two cat-like, brightly colored aliens.
As soon as Jack saw them all through, he barked out, "Close the iris!" His order was immediately followed without question. No sooner had it shut than a loud booming sounded as the concussion wave ripped through the open wormhole. "Shut down the Gate!" Jack ordered, but before he even finished, the wormhole collapsed, leaving the Gateroom eerily quiet.
General Hammond nearly ran down the stairs and into the Gateroom. Jack strode down the ramp, followed by Carter and the two aliens. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter… welcome home." He looked over to the two guests that had accompanied the soldiers through the Gate. "Care to introduce your new friends, Colonel?"
"General Hammond, this is Etep, and Chaela," Jack introduced. "They are Noggraans. And they need our help."
An hour later, they all sat around the conference table awaiting General Hammond's decision. Jack and Sam debriefed them on the events of the past three weeks as quickly as possible, eager and anxious to return to the Noggraan home world to assist them in fully reclaiming control of the Gate and the planet as a whole. They were gravely concerned, though, that it may not be possible, that the Gate may well have been destroyed by the crashing, burning Mothership of Aresan.
Jack wanted to bring in troops and guns, lots and lots of big guns. He voiced his appreciation to the Noggraans for rescuing them from the Zigaran prison. He also made a point of bringing up the torture/interrogation sessions with the Zigarans as well as their alliance with the Goa'uld. In this particular case, there were obvious good guys and nasty bad guys.
Etep volunteered strategic information about the Zigarans and, much to Jack's surprise, made an offer to exchange technology. The offer was quickly seconded by Chaela, who promised open trade as soon as the Gate was secured from the Zigarans and the Goa'uld.
Sam had suggested they dial the planet, and if they were able to establish a wormhole, they could send an aerial out to determine how the battle was playing out so far, and whether or not the Stargate was secure for incoming travelers. She also made clear the technological advances of the Noggraans, and their willingness to share and educate.
"All right. Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill… you to need to hit the locker room and get into uniform. Meanwhile, I'll have Siler prep the aerial, and then we'll try and establish a connection with P3X-749. If, and only if, the Gate is clear, we'll send SG1, SG3, and SG12 out to help the Noggraans."
"Thank you, Sir," Jack said.
General Hammond nodded. "Dismissed." He stood and left the room.
Daniel rose and walked over to Jack. "Welcome back," he said with a warm smile. "We were starting to fear the worst."
"We got lucky again. A few times, even. Couldn't have done it without these two, though," Jack added, indicating Etep and Chaela, who were still seated at the table. Sam, standing beside Jack, was nodding in agreement. "You don't mind keeping them company while we hit the locker room, do you?"
"Sure, sure," Daniel answered. He walked over and introduced himself to the two guests, leaving Sam and Jack almost alone; only almost, though, as Teal'c was still standing near them.
"T, buddy, you going to say hi?" Jack said as he walked over to him.
"It is good to see you alive and well, O'Neill." He turned to greet Sam. "Welcome home, Major Carter."
"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam replied. She turned her attention back to O'Neill, who nodded his head toward the doorway. "I guess we should go…"
"Got a lot of work left yet, Major. No rest for the weary, eh?" Jack nodded his farewells to Daniel and Teal'c before exiting the conference room, and Sam followed him out.
They passed through the corridors of the SGC in silence. When they reached the locker rooms, Sam stopped, laying a tentative hand on Jack's arm.
"I just wanted to say… I'm glad we made it home."
"Me too, Carter. But we're not out of the woods yet, you know. Not gonna be easy helping the Noggraans secure the Gate."
"No, sir, it won't," she replied. "But it's worth it. Everything they have to offer us… it makes it worth every sacrifice we have to make."
"Sacrificing everything for the sake of duty yet again, Major," Jack said quietly.
"Well, maybe not everything," she replied, looking at him with eyes filled to the brim with too many emotions to name. "Some things shouldn't be sacrificed for anything…" She faltered to a stop, wary of the fine line they were still treading.
"Some things have been sacrificed long enough." Jack looked back at her with unguarded eyes for the briefest moment. All their unspoken feelings were boiling away deep in his gaze; all the conflict and desperate hope for resolution were clear as day and the simple look stole Sam's breath away. She found she suddenly couldn't speak, so she sufficed with nodding her head in agreement before turning away. Jack went into the men's locker room without another word or a glance back.
Sam made her way round to the women's facilities and cleaned herself up. She quickly donned her standard issue BDU and made her way back to the conference room. The whole time, a small smile played at her face. They had made it home, and they were still together, both relatively unscathed from the adventure they had shared these past few weeks. If they made it through this next mission, things would be changing fast.
Everything was the same now as when they had left, she mused, and yet everything felt different, even the debriefing with General Hammond and the rest of the team—the team! Daniel and Teal'c were here, alive, and safe, and the thought widened the smile on her face. SG1 would be whole again.
And she and Jack O'Neill… well, there were still a lot of details to figure out on that front. Sacrifices would have to be made, and one or both of their careers would have to do some serious compromising in order for them to have any chance together. It was one aspect she was not looking forward to, but the only one. Everything else she had to gain from this relationship was worth the small sacrifice she might have to make on the professional front.
And just what was she giving up? Being on the front line? After seven long years, longer than any sane person would consider spending on the front line of a war of galactic proportions. Maybe it was time for a break from that. There were plenty of other things she could spend her time working on that would help the country she served as much or more than having her risking her neck every week in the thick of battle after battle.
One last battle, she mused, I can hold out for this last battle, but after that… something has got to give.
As she entered the conference room, she found Daniel engrossed in conversation with both Etep and Chaela; Teal'c was standing in one corner of the room silently observing, as he so often did. Etep was explaining the differences in the two primary cultures found on his home world, that of the Noggraans and that of the Zigarans. Etep was in a unique position to explain the ways of the Zigarans, as he had lived as one of them for months during his deep undercover assignment that had concluded with the rescue of Sam and Jack. Chaela sat very close to him, offering bits of input as she could. There was a strange protective vibe coming off Chaela as she remained so close to Etep's side, almost but not quite clinging. Sam wondered for the first time at the nature of the relationship between the two alien guests.
Jack wasn't long behind Sam. She was acutely aware of him the moment he stepped into the room, even without looking. Somewhere between the Noggraan home world and the SGC conference room, she had developed a sixth sense about him that was stronger than any sense she'd had about him before this mission. She was aware of him in ways she hadn't dreamed possible, and every last nerve was on alert as he moved by her side.
"Are we about ready?" Jack asked. Daniel stopped speaking mid-sentence and looked up to Jack.
"Back already? That was quick… thought you might take a moment to enjoy the creature comforts," Daniel said with a smile.
"Sorry, not much in the way of creature comforts worth enjoying here. Now, once we get the Noggraans secured and we can take some much deserved down time… then you can bet I'll be enjoying every creature comfort I can get my hands on." Jack finished his statement with a sideways glance at Sam, one that had her blushing and glancing away from him.
"Did I miss something?" Daniel asked quizzically.
"Nothing that concerns you, Daniel." Jack answered in a tone that broke no room for argument and for once, Daniel accepted the non-answer in good stead.
"Let's get over to the Control Room, see how they're doing with that aerial unit." Jack walked out, followed by Sam, Daniel, Etep, and Chaela, with Teal'c bringing up the rear.
The Control Room felt incredibly small with the six bodies crowded in there in addition to the usual crew. General Hammond called out to the crews working in the Gate room with the aerial surveillance unit. "Are we ready for launch?"
"Yes, sir," one of the Airmen answered.
"Siler, dial the Noggraan home world. Let's see if they still have an operational Gate." Siler complied, entering the proper symbols into the dialing computer. The Gate spun round, the symbols engaging one after another until the last Chevron locked in place. The Gate whooshed, and the event horizon formed its standard rippling boundary.
"It looks like the Gate survived the crash," Sam mused aloud.
"It would appear that way. Siler, launch the drone," the General ordered. "Lets see what we're dealing with on the other side." Siler pushed a few buttons, and the rocket roared to life, launching through the open Gate in seconds.
Sam squeezed through to sit beside Siler in front of the visual feed monitor. "Receiving telemetry… now." The screen flickered to life, and the remains of battle showed clearly on the screen. There were no signs of life in the immediate vicinity of the Gate, but there was smoke rising in the distance. Sam expertly guided the surveillance drone towards the smoke, and as they neared the source, small signs of life began appearing.
"It looks like the Gate is clear, sir," Sam reported. She kept at the drone controls, guiding the unit straight to the source of the smoke. It turned out to be what was left of the Goa'uld Mothership, and there was a large contingent of soldiers in its immediate vicinity. They weren't Goa'uld or Jaffa; they had to be either Noggraan or Zigaran, and there was no telling for certain from the drones imagery. They'd have to determine that in person.
Jack voiced as much to General Hammond, and the General nodded. "SG1, you have a go." The team and the two aliens left the control room, treading heavily down the stairs to the Gate Room, where SG3 and SG12 were waiting.
SG3 was the first team up the ramp and through the wormhole. SG1 was up next. Just as they reached the threshold, Jack paused, looked around at his team, and smiled. He turned back and lifted his weapon into the ready position as he stepped through the Gate. Sam followed, then the rest of the team along with Etep and Chaela. SG12 crossed through after them, and then the iris closed and the Gate deactivated.
"God's speed," General Hammond murmured in the nearly empty control room.