Chapter 1
The gate shut off behind them with a very final sounding swoosh. Immediately, Jack and Teal'c were on alert, guns poised and aimed looking for any possible disturbances. After gating to three different planets, they had gated to a planet that the MALP had shown to be habitable, but when SG-8 explored it, they found nothing on it. An aerial survey of the planet had shown no sign of civilization either. It had been tagged as an "unuseful" planet, and no one had any reason to return to it. At least not until now. Jack and Teal'c had decided to set up this planet as their home base. They had explored some video footage of the planet and had seen some caves that held possibilities. Once they both felt the area secure they moved out in the direction of the caves.
The caves were fairly close to the gate, and with a relieved sigh, Jack set his duffle bag down, then unhooked the heavy camping bag from off his shoulders. He checked his gun and ammunition and then looked at Teal'c.
"Teal'c, why don't you find a place for us to sleep tonight. I'll go out and find something to eat. We'll meet back here in, oh, say two hours?"
Teal'c nodded and put down his supplies as well. He moved all of the items behind a rock out of sight as Jack took off out the front entrance.
Jack had to admit they'd chosen well. He had only gone half a mile when a large creature that bore some resemblance to a deer calmly walked out of the bushes and looked at him. Jack was startled at first, but he quickly recovered. Obviously, the wildlife wasn't scared of people. Jack sighed, and with one shot took down the animal. It fell, instantly dead. Jack quickly slit its throat, drained the blood, hoisted the animal over his shoulders, and headed back in the direction of the caves, content to start carving the creature up while he waited for Teal'c to return.
However, when he reached the cave he found Teal'c in a deep state of kel-no-reem. Being careful to be quiet, he set down the animal and began to skin it. Living in the wilds of Minnesota had taught him a lot about hunting, though he generally didn't do it for pleasure, and what Minnesota hadn't taught him, Special Ops training had. Special Ops soldiers had to be ready in any situation. With that in mind, he started a fire and began to roast the animal.
An hour later, Teal'c began to show signs of 'waking up.' He stirred slightly and opened his eyes to find Jack already finished cooking much of the meat.
The two men sat in silence as they ate their dinner, words unnecessary between them. For the moment they just enjoyed their dinner and each other's company. However, Jack could only keep silent for so long.
"How do you think they reacted?"
Teal'c looked up, but didn't need to ask who 'they' were.
"I would assume that they reacted most poorly."
"Yeah, me too."
Jack sighed and flipped the spit that was currently cooking and then lay back. "This place is nice," he said.
"Indeed."
"Did you find a spot for us to sleep tonight?"
Teal'c made a slight motion with his head and Jack understood. It was quiet for a few moments more, and then Teal'c said, "What plan are you considering next?"
Jack didn't answer for a moment. It was growing dark outside and the light from the campfire was having an almost hypnotic effect on him as he watched it dance on the ceiling. Finally he said, "I say we pick a place and go."
"This perhaps is not wise. The atmosphere on any number of given planets is not suitable for human habitation."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Perhaps we should go to Chulak."
Jack sat up so fast it almost startled Teal'c. Almost.
"Are you nuts?" he asked. "They'd recognize you for sure. Last time we barely escaped!"
"It is imperative that we learn of the current situation to determine where we would be the most effective weapon."
Jack laid back down and sighed. "You're right about that. Getting killed's not going to do us any good though. Let's think about it. We'll decide in the morning."
Teal'c nodded slowly. They finished cooking the meat and packed it up. Then hoisting their bags on their backs, Teal'c led them into the cave. They wandered through the confusing cave, Jack memorizing the way as they went and finally Teal'c stopped.
Jack didn't need to ask if this was it. He knew it as soon as he looked up. It was a large enclosure with many easily defensible positions. Beautiful, huge crystals made places to hide behind and to sit on. Over in the corner, a trickle of water emptied into a small pool. The ground was fairly flat and there were four different exits, allowing the place to be easily escaped from. Teal'c walked over to the corner and, muscles straining, rolled a huge crystal over to show a large cave underneath it. The cave was next to the water, and Jack could already see that it would not only make a great hiding place, but also a great refrigerator. Grinning Jack patted Teal'c on the shoulder.
"This is great, Teal'c," he said, and began to pull the weapons out of his duffel bag. He began to place them in the hole, and Teal'c began to do the same. Soon, they had emptied all of their equipment into the hole along with the rest of the meat. Jack tested the water and wasn't too surprised to find that it was incredibly clean. He refilled his canteen and leaned back against a crystal, his legs sprawled out comfortably in front of him.
"I've been thinking, Teal'c," he said.
Teal'c said nothing, he simply waited.
"Gate travel is great, but it is very unpredictable. Without the many precautions that the SGC gave us, we'd probably die through any number of freak accidents. You are also right that we need to get information on the current events that are going on in the galaxy before we can start any sort of war against the Goa'uld. However, Chulak's gate is going to be extremely heavily guarded."
Teal'c nodded and raised his eyebrow. He did not as yet see where O'Neill was going with this.
"Do you know any minor Goa'uld-run planets that are close to Chulak?"
The sudden question threw Teal'c slightly off, evidenced only by one slow blink. "There is one planet. The Goa'uld Satis rules a planet a short distance from Chulak. She is a minor Goa'uld, who serves Apophis and so is allowed to remain in his presence."
Jack nodded and quietly sat thinking for a moment. "Do you know her gate address?" he finally asked.
Teal'c nodded slightly.
"How well protected will it be?"
"Most likely there will be no Jaffa patrolling the gate. She is a very minor Goa'uld and far within Apophis's territory. She will not be expecting an attack."
"Excellent," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. "Does she have any ships?"
"A few," Teal'c said, and then he realized what Jack was thinking. He nodded in agreement as Jack watched him eagerly. "It would indeed be wise to fly to Chulak and to other planets instead of going through the Stargate. This planet as well is close enough to reach from Chulak by ship."
Jack grinned, "So now we have a plan. Let's get some sleep, we have a busy morning ahead of us."
"You forget, O'Neill," Teal'c said, "I do not require sleep."
Teal'c couldn't help compare Jack to how he had been the day before with how he was behaving now. The previous day he had been nervous as he awaited the hearing. Today however, he was relaxed and calm. He seemed to be truly enjoying himself in their new situation. Teal'c could help admit that he felt the same way. Jack seemed to know what he was thinking as he threw him a casual grin.
Jack's smile widened a bit more and he said, "Okay, but I need to get some sleep. You already did your kel'no'reeming thing. Keep an eye out?"
Teal'c nodded. Glad to no longer have to worry about politics, Jack quickly fell asleep. Teal'c stood guard as he began to prepare the gear that they would need for the next morning. They had a long day ahead of them.
Sam and Daniel watched as the box that contained the gate was lifted out of the gate room. The empty space that was left behind echoed dully in their hearts as they looked at the hopeless faces of people around them. They could only hope that Jack and Teal'c were doing alright. If things went bad, those two could be their only hope.