Chapter 4: Off world
"Hey, have you ever noticed that the M.A.L.P. has a happy face?" Jack walked around the mechanical guide to pick up something that had fallen off when they came through the Gate. No one was listening; they were caught up in the scenery. Jack placed the nameless object (no doubt some scientific thing) back on the M.A.L.P. and straightened his back.
"Wow, you know as cute as he is Mr. M.A.L.P. isn't that good at telling you just how...fantastic some of these worlds are...."
Sam heard that one, "Just remember our bet Sir." She grinned and guided the M.A.L.P. over to a large bare patch of dirt. Daniel followed her.
"Bet? Should I know about this?"
"Nah." Jack flicked his sunglasses over his eyes and looked around their surroundings. Usually, another world was just...another world, but there was something very different about this place. Jack felt a sense of calm and found himself standing in one spot taking it all in.
Apart from where Daniel and Sam were working, they were surrounded by brilliant green grass flecked with wild flowers and multi-coloured trees of all sizes, shapes and species, the planet that acted as this world's sun was glowing warmly, it's rose coloured reflection bounced off a river in the distance, creating a soft haze through which the shadows of the more taller trees could be made out. A gentle cool wind was blowing and every now and then a handful of brightly coloured leaves would leave their resting place on the ground and swirl in haphazard circles above Jack's head before fluttering away. Looking up and over the trees he could see a grand mountain range, jagged and decorated in the same flowing grass and tall trees that Jack was standing amongst, save for the very tips which were snow-capped and enveloped in a rose-tinted, perpetual light. The sky was an unusual mix of apricot and rose and the clouds looked like they had been painted by a hurried artist who had mistakenly mixed his orange paints with his red.
The Stargate and DHD hadn't missed being decorated. From the ground up spiraled a vine dotted with blue and white flowers; its lanky arms wrapped around the giant circle like a Christmas wreath. Luckily, the vine had made itself sparing near each symbol on the DHD so, with a bit of squinting it was easy to make them out. SG3 must have cut the vine back a bit so they could press the symbols, as there were leaves and flowers scattered about the DHD's base.
After an intake of sweet smelling fresh air, Jack turned back to Teal'c, who had been admiring the sites as well.
"Okay, we're gonna take a look around while Carter and Daniel play in the sand." The Colonel called to Sam and Daniel, telling them to keep in radio contact, before walking deeper into the forest with Teal'c by his side. A good half hour went by before either of them spoke.
"Teal'c, isn't it a bit odd that the Goa'uld haven't found this place?"
The quiet Jaffa had been thinking the same thing, "It is odd indeed O'Neill. It is not often that the Goa'uld would leave such a beautiful place uninhabited."
Jack took his glasses off to give them a clean, "You think it's possible that they're here somewhere? I mean, the planet is supposed to be one and a half times bigger than good old mother Earth."
"It is possible." Teal'c stopped to look at something on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, but Jack stopped him.
"It's just a flag Teal'c. SG3 must have found something here and marked it. Let's head back to Carter and Daniel."
Teal'c took one last look at the little red flag before following Jack through the thick forest back to the remaining members of SG1.
"Hey, have you ever noticed that the M.A.L.P. has a happy face?" Jack walked around the mechanical guide to pick up something that had fallen off when they came through the Gate. No one was listening; they were caught up in the scenery. Jack placed the nameless object (no doubt some scientific thing) back on the M.A.L.P. and straightened his back.
"Wow, you know as cute as he is Mr. M.A.L.P. isn't that good at telling you just how...fantastic some of these worlds are...."
Sam heard that one, "Just remember our bet Sir." She grinned and guided the M.A.L.P. over to a large bare patch of dirt. Daniel followed her.
"Bet? Should I know about this?"
"Nah." Jack flicked his sunglasses over his eyes and looked around their surroundings. Usually, another world was just...another world, but there was something very different about this place. Jack felt a sense of calm and found himself standing in one spot taking it all in.
Apart from where Daniel and Sam were working, they were surrounded by brilliant green grass flecked with wild flowers and multi-coloured trees of all sizes, shapes and species, the planet that acted as this world's sun was glowing warmly, it's rose coloured reflection bounced off a river in the distance, creating a soft haze through which the shadows of the more taller trees could be made out. A gentle cool wind was blowing and every now and then a handful of brightly coloured leaves would leave their resting place on the ground and swirl in haphazard circles above Jack's head before fluttering away. Looking up and over the trees he could see a grand mountain range, jagged and decorated in the same flowing grass and tall trees that Jack was standing amongst, save for the very tips which were snow-capped and enveloped in a rose-tinted, perpetual light. The sky was an unusual mix of apricot and rose and the clouds looked like they had been painted by a hurried artist who had mistakenly mixed his orange paints with his red.
The Stargate and DHD hadn't missed being decorated. From the ground up spiraled a vine dotted with blue and white flowers; its lanky arms wrapped around the giant circle like a Christmas wreath. Luckily, the vine had made itself sparing near each symbol on the DHD so, with a bit of squinting it was easy to make them out. SG3 must have cut the vine back a bit so they could press the symbols, as there were leaves and flowers scattered about the DHD's base.
After an intake of sweet smelling fresh air, Jack turned back to Teal'c, who had been admiring the sites as well.
"Okay, we're gonna take a look around while Carter and Daniel play in the sand." The Colonel called to Sam and Daniel, telling them to keep in radio contact, before walking deeper into the forest with Teal'c by his side. A good half hour went by before either of them spoke.
"Teal'c, isn't it a bit odd that the Goa'uld haven't found this place?"
The quiet Jaffa had been thinking the same thing, "It is odd indeed O'Neill. It is not often that the Goa'uld would leave such a beautiful place uninhabited."
Jack took his glasses off to give them a clean, "You think it's possible that they're here somewhere? I mean, the planet is supposed to be one and a half times bigger than good old mother Earth."
"It is possible." Teal'c stopped to look at something on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, but Jack stopped him.
"It's just a flag Teal'c. SG3 must have found something here and marked it. Let's head back to Carter and Daniel."
Teal'c took one last look at the little red flag before following Jack through the thick forest back to the remaining members of SG1.