Daughter

Chapter 60 – Distraction

The personnel all stood ram-rod straight before the active wormhole. The minute a figure stepped through, they saluted stiffly.

General Landry gazed around at everyone with approval.

The Alpha Site commander stepped forward. "General Landry, sir. Welcome back to the Alpha Site."

"Thank you, Colonel."

"They're ready for you in the briefing room."

Hank allowed a junior officer to escort him to the conference room just a few paces away from the control center. Inside, other SGC personnel stood ready for his arrival. Sam and the military members of SGs-1-3 saluted to him dutifully. Hank took the seat at the head of the table. Sam occupied a seat adjacent to him. Everyone else sat down.

"Report," the General demanded.

As the commander of the operation in question, Sam responded first, "Sir, Teal'c acted as a scout at the moon facility." She looked over to him, expecting him to speak next.

Teal'c complied. "Four ships of unknown configuration orbited the moon for several hours after our personnel departed. They appeared to send shuttles to the surface. My cloaked vessel detected numerous life signs enter the facility."

"Any idea what they did in there?" Landry asked.

"No. They regrouped and returned to their ships. They left nothing on the surface."

"What do we know about these four ships?"

Sam answered, "The scans Teal'c brought back show they were heavy duty. Well-armed. Crew complements likely comparable to that of our battlecruisers."

"Designation?"

"Unknown at this time, sir."

Landry wasn't surprised. He set that issue aside for now. They could come around to it again later. "What's the status of the new facility?"

SG-2 leader Colonel Pierce spoke up. He was the one who suggested they expand the bunker on the Training Grounds planet to give the space station personnel a place to work. Thus, he was placed in charge of overseeing its set-up. It had now been two days. "Crews are completing the expansion of the structure now. I'm told they'll have it reopened by end of the day today."

"Hammond and the station craft are on the way there," Sam added. "Our ship will start beaming down all the equipment from the moon upon arrival."

"Tell me about the Jaffa."

"The patients are in stasis. The geneticists don't feel comfortable continuing their work until they have a static place to operate. Treatment for thirteen of them is currently paused. Another ten have already been discharged to the Ha'tak, which has since returned to Tek'ron. At last report, they're stable and doing okay."

Landry paused in thought. He considered all of the information that had just been presented. "Colonel Carter, let's circle back to what you learned when you analyzed the callings cards from the other incidents."

She seemed to think for a moment, recalling what he was referring to. She decided to explain it piece-by-piece, to bring anyone who didn't already know up to speed. "The people who kidnapped General O'Neill had a calling card. It seemed to point to a competitor of the Zersha Conglomerate. SG-3 followed an automated comms burst from the moon facility to a commerce planet. They concluded that it was received by a Chigu Conglomerate there, who consider themselves a competitor of Zersha. One of their reps gave SG-3 a calling card. Its signature matched the one we confiscated."

"So those ships that showed up at the moon might be from this Chigu?" Pierce asked.

"It looks like it."

"Isn't that a goat?" All eyes turned to Reynolds. "Chigu. Sounds like a goat."

Daniel tilted his head. "I think it is."

"What's…" Elda started hesitantly, "…a goat?"

Crawford and Smith grinned at her.

Baker immediately answered, "Greatest Of All Time."

A few people around the table snorted.

Elda continued to look confused. She locked eyes with Daniel, asking for help. He shook his head in exasperation. He mouthed silently to her, 'Tell you later.'

All eyes returned to Landry. The corner of his mouth was raised slightly in amusement. "We need solid confirmation of who we're dealing with. Colonel Mitchell, I want you to organize an investigation into this Chigu Conglomerate. Pull who you need to pull. Colonels Carter, Pierce, and Reynolds, you will continue to manage the joint operation with the space station to help the Jaffa. Ambassadors Mal Doran and Smith will continue in their liaison roles with our allies."

General Landry stood. Everyone suddenly followed. "Keep me posted." He left the room.

The group sat back down, a little taken aback. No one was going home anytime soon it would seem. That sucked. They had already spent two weeks on that moon. Others had been away from Earth even longer than that.

They all remained silent for a moment.

"Colonel Mitchell?" Sam prompted.

He was pouting his lips in thought, wondering where to start. "What do we know about that goat company?"

A few people cracked smiles.

"Elda," Reynolds said.

She contorted her face, still confused about the whole 'goat' thing. "They're in fierce competition with Zersha. Both sides have very large egos. Chigu seems to think they're better than them. We even suspect that they attacked the Zershan transport we once used during a trade negotiation." She gestured around to mean she was referring to the rest of SG-3 and herself.

"Isn't that the incident that got you a spot on the team?" Mitchell clarified. He looked between Reynolds and her.

They glanced at each other. "Feels like a lifetime ago," Elda marveled.

"Sure does. Yes, Colonel. That's when we really got to see her in action."

"That's also when she acquired her little Zershan ship," Vala added proudly. Sam tried not to match her look. Her daughter's cover meant she shouldn't look as proud as the supposed big sister.

Cameron seemed to remember something. "Then when General O'Neill got kidnapped, you went to Zersha and got it upgraded. How did you convince them to do that?"

Elda squinted at him. He should already know this story. She didn't understand why he wanted her to tell it here again. She glanced at Sam, who nodded at her to answer the question. "The contract Zersha signed with Master Meil'nor stipulates that they have to help if a contract-related incident arises. When his son was kidnapped alongside General O'Neill, I interrogated one of the offenders that got left behind. He revealed that his group showed up on our planet because we had a contract with Zersha. That was enough for me to convince Zersha that they better fulfill their end of the deal. So they upgraded my shuttle, which the Jaffa and I then used to track down our kidnapped people."

Mitchell coughed and glared at her.

"SG-1 was there, too," Elda sing-songed with annoyance. "It was one big wonderful rescue." She sent him a snooty look. Cameron rolled his eyes.

Pierce widened his eyes, impressed. He shared a look with one of his subordinates, his intelligence prodigy. He wondered what would happen if the two women combined their talents. He guessed it would be nothing short of fantastic.

Reynolds furrowed his brow with a question still swirling in his mind. He'd been wondering how she got her cute little ship souped up; now that curiosity was satisfied. But he was still hung up on how in the Hell Jack O'Neill got kidnapped with Elda's boyfriend of all people. What was he even doing on that planet in the first place?

He should have asked Jack about it when he attended his little kid's birthday party about three weeks ago. He had the man right there in front of him. They were off duty and at ease, shooting the shit like they always used to before Jack got promoted. Reynolds regretted that missed opportunity.

"One wonders how the kidnappers knew about the contract with Zersha," a member of SG-2 said aloud. It was Major Jessica Matthews. She looked straight at Elda. "Do you think Chigu tipped them off?"

Elda tilted her head side to side as she considered her suggestion. "Maybe. They were somehow involved with those people. We guessed they funded their little operation."

"But why, though?" Baker asked. "Why send cronies to go bug the Jaffa at all?"

Vala breathed in. "It's all games. Chigu wants to beat Zersha. One way is to create problems for their customers that cause dissatisfaction. But they can't do that out in the open so they outsource the work. Customers decide that doing business with Zersha is inconvenient, even dangerous. They come running to Chigu instead."

Jessica pointed at her. "That's it."

Sam looked among all of them. "This is all still conjecture," she retorted. She looked at Cam. "We need solid evidence first."

"Agreed," he said. He looked at Pierce. "Mind if we borrow her?" he asked, pointing at his female subordinate.

The SG-2 leader tipped up his chin. "I think I could spare her," he said thoughtfully.

Then Mitchell addressed Reynolds. "I could use Corporal Crawford, too."

Crawford looked over at him curiously. Elda scrunched her face.

Reynolds stared at Cam for a beat, then inclined his head. "What do you have in mind?"

"Normally, SG-1 could handle this all by its lonesome, but we've got a few other obligations and distractions to concern ourselves with. And seeing as how two-fifths of SG-3 is now working the diplomatic front, well, it's time to mix things up. Put the best available people on the job." He turned to Crawford. "It is my understanding that you attracted the attention of a certain Chigu rep, am I right, Corporal?"

SG-3 smirked at Crawford. He swallowed uncomfortably. "Yes, sir," he said simply. He sent a sideways glare at Smith, who was ready to hurl a big, fat comment.

"We're going to lean on that. Major Matthews, I'd like you to go along."

She sat forward. "Sir?"

"Elda's busy. We need her for the joint op. So I'd like you to take her place and accompany Corporal Crawford on a little undercover mission. You two are going back to Chigu."

The people in question glanced at each other.

"Colonel Mitchell?" Sam questioned.

"Pretend that your client is interested in that offer they made to you," Cam said to Crawford. "Let Matthews be a representative from your seller. Get in there and ask questions. Find out what Chigu's got its grubby little hands involved in."

Elda gaped at them all. "How are they going to get there?"

"They can use Puddle Jumper 1. Someone from SG-1 can serve as a chauffeur." Cam looked at the pilots on his team, asking for volunteers. Teal'c and Vala locked eyes and had a silent conversation. They seemed to come to an easy agreement.

"I'll do it," Vala announced.

Daniel did a double-take.

"Perfect," Cam said.

Daniel glared at his CO in silent challenge. Cam stared back, quietly telling him to stow it until later.

Cam continued on, "Corporal Smith? How much longer until the station opens back up?"

"About 4 days, sir."

"And I understand you need to get back over there, per General O'Neill's orders."

"I do, sir."

"Dr. Jackson will accompany you. Teal'c will be your ride." He looked at the Jaffa on his team. "Pick any ship on the ground you like for this. Get them there in time to board as soon as the station opens." Teal'c inclined his head.

"I'm sorry, but can't we switch the two pilots?"

"Jackson," Cam chided. He gave him a look to remind him that they would discuss all the reasonings behind his decisions later.

Daniel promptly shut his mouth, but not without irritation on his face.

Sam looked between them, but said nothing.

Mitchell returned his attention to Smith. "In addition to fulfilling the objective the General has given you, I want you to put in an order for blasters as well. We need to put our money where our mouth is, so-to-speak, for your teammate's operation."

Elda blinked rapidly. She furrowed her brow toward Cameron. Her eyes shot to her CO, who raised his fingers off the table in a manner that told her to wait.

Smith seemed a bit confused, but acknowledged the instruction anyway. "Sir."

"I'm having a bit of trouble following here, Colonel," Reynolds admitted.

Mitchell wasn't surprised. He was making this up as he went along. But it was making perfect sense in his mind. He gestured in the air above the table as he explained. "Crawford and Matthews go to Chigu. They use the cover as a blaster manufacturer to get in the door. They contract for an order that the space station can reasonably fulfill, which Smith will set up while he's there. Whenever the order's ready, we have it transported back and delivered as promised. Chigu will think we're legit. Gets them salivating; leaves them wanting more. Then we go back in to get more intel on other areas of expertise they supposedly have."

"Such as?" Sam asked.

"Medical research, to confirm they're really behind the funding of those experiments. And ship-building, to find out if their designs match the ones that chased us off that moon."

Vala and Elda's mouths dropped open. They shared a look. "You want to play a long-game to get the intelligence we're looking for," Elda concluded.

He folded his hands on the table. "I'll take notes, if you have any."

Major Matthews raised a brow. She didn't know much about this Elda character, but she'd heard she had a knack for spy-work, too. She was still trying to decide if she was competition or a potential partner-in-crime. The fact that the commander of SG-1 was willing to hear her out was saying something.

Elda seemed contemplative. She seemed to stare at Vala, deciding if there were indeed suggestions to be made to Cameron's plan. The blonde shrugged. "It's a good start."

Vala nodded as well. "No notes here."

Daniel frowned.

"I don't understand why you're splitting us up," Daniel complained after the meeting. He all but forced Cameron to hang back with him. Teal'c and Vala felt obligated to stay and hear what they said.

"You need to help Smith on the station. The General made that clear. Vala should under no circumstances be going that far away when all you're going to be riding in is one of our rickety little ships that we salvaged." Cameron pointed at her belly for emphasis. "And I'm sure you can agree, she's better suited to monitor the intelligence op I'm sending the youngins on."

Daniel's mouth gaped. His mind tried to come up with an argument, but he had nothing to say. Cameron's reasoning made sense. And he was actively looking out for his pregnant fiancé's best interests.

Cam placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Believe me when I say: this is for the best. She's safer cooped up in a puddle jumper with reliable engines and weapons. Not to mention close to home and solid backup. Crawford and Matthews will benefit from having her in their ear while they go undercover."

Daniel glanced at Vala, who nodded in complete agreement.

"You will be fine with Teal'c and Corporal Smith. And with you there to help our young ambassador convince the Station Master to accept a stargate, a lot of these problems will take care of themselves."

The linguist sighed. He knew his CO was right. "Alright."

A knock on the door had them looking up. Elda was there. "Mind if I ask a couple questions?"

Cameron waved her in. "Sure. Shut the door." She did so. "What's on your mind, Gracie?"

"Why are you sending Crawford without me? I have just as much rapport established with that rep as he does."

"We need you close to the Jaffa."

She pursed her lips. "Is that all?"

Cameron motioned for her to come closer. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm saving you for later. You told the Chigu rep you brokered tretonin deals. So when the time comes, you're going to go back in and lean on that. Right now, you've got the Jaffa to look after. And it is a lot easier to communicate with them with you doing the talking."

"So this is all strategy?"

"An attempt at strategy, yes," he admitted. "We need to put the right people in the right places at the right time."

Elda widened her eyes, genuinely impressed with her uncle's thinking. "Okay," she agreed. Her mind wandered back to the version of Cameron she met in her own timeline. He was a two-star general by that point. Now she knew why.

Baker pulled Crawford to the side. They stayed out of the way of people who could be walking in the corridor. "Corporal, a word."

"Lieutenant?"

"Watch yourself with Matthews," he said in a quiet voice.

"Sir?"

His 2IC gave him a pointed look of warning. "She's good at what she does. There's no question about it. But she also has a reputation."

Crawford squinted. "I've heard a couple things. But personal experience tells me I have to take all that with a grain of salt."

"I know what you mean, Crawford. However, in this case? Some of it is true."

"How do you know, sir?"

Baker looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening in. Their colleagues were humming along as they should be around the Alpha base. No one was paying attention. "Because I hit that about two years back."

Crawford's mouth dropped open. He couldn't fight the smile on his face, nor the way his eyes widened in awe.

Baker raised a finger and wagged it at him. "Not a word about this to anyone else. Especially not Smitty and Cakes. I'm telling you now because, well, you're ass is about to be placed at risk."

"At risk?"

"She's got this way of getting under your skin. You won't even know it until it's too late. Next thing you know, you're waking up hungover, naked, and not really sure what you just did."

Crawford grinned. "No way," he laughed with disbelief.

Baker sighed heavily. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say, she's distracting and it can get you in trouble." He thought some more, then added, "Just like Elda."

His subordinate froze. He wasn't quite sure what his 2IC was insinuating now. Did Smith say something to him? Crawford suddenly felt defensive and was ready to reiterate that there was nothing going on between him and her. He'd been trying his very damn best not to go there.

Despite how much he really, really wanted to.

But Baker returned to his original point. "Crawford, be careful. Matthews will chew you up and spit you out. Whatever mind games she tries to play in the name of the mission, keep your own head above water. Don't let her get in your head."

The younger marine breathed in deeply, taking his 2IC's words to heart. "Who else knows about this?"

"I don't really know. You know how the grapevine is. Can't trust half of what you hear."

"Yeah."

"I would imagine her CO is aware of her behavior. I don't really know how he handles it."

"Sir, on this op, who is my 1-up going to be? Pierce or Mitchell?"

"Neither." At Crawford's questioning look, he clarified, "You're going to answer to Vala."

"How are you?" Jack asked gently over the video call. He knew Sam was in a private room somewhere on the Alpha base.

She reached up to rub at her forehead. She finally felt comfortable doing so with no one but her husband to see her do it. "My head is spinning."

"Why."

"Cameron came up with this insane plan to figure out who our new baddie is. It's brilliant. I can barely wrap my mind around it." She dropped her hand and opened her eyes. "Jack, you need to see about putting a good word in about him to the promotion board."

Her husband smiled. Funny how he and Hank were just talking about that. He refrained to mention that they were also discussing her potential promotion, too. "I'll take that under advisement. Give me the Cliff Notes."

"Hank gave him free reign to plan an op. He's pulling some hotshot intelligence officer from SG-2 and one of Gracie's trainees from her team. Vala's going to be on point and behind the scenes supporting. Meanwhile, he's sending Daniel and Smith back to the space station. Teal'c will drive them. He wants Smith to put in a manufacturing order at the station, bring it back, and use that to convince Chigu Conglomerate that our undercover agents are legit."

"What about Gracie?"

"He's keeping her with us for now. She won't have to go." Then she added, "Yet."

"I think I like that better."

"Me too."

"So you like his plan?"

"I like his plan."

Jack raised his brows. "And how about you? What's the latest with your command?"

"We're about to head over to the new base and get the rest of the Jaffa taken care of. I think it will be another week, at minimum. Afterwards, we'll escort the station personnel to Earth to get their upgrades installed in Carolyn's department."

Sam's eyes drifted away, mind swirling with all the things she needed to take care of.

He could tell she would benefit from a treat when this was all over. He decided to return to Colorado and be there when she got back to Earth. He'd have Little Gracie ready to welcome her with him.

Now Jack couldn't wait to reunite with the family.

Everyone was now on the Training Grounds planet. Most of them traveled there via the stargate. The Firefly was parked near the gate. The Hammond was in orbit, as was the space station's craft. The members of the SGC's top three teams were scattered around the new base, keeping it secure and getting it ready for patients. For the moment, the teams were whole. No one was leaving on a separate op. Not yet.

Elda crossed her arms as she quietly watched Jessica from across the field. Her eyes raked her in critically. The woman was chatting amicably with one of her teammates, arm resting casually above the P-90 clipped to her tac vest. Her dark hair was pulled back into a neat and tidy bun. Not a single wisp of hair was out of place. Elda could admit she had a pleasant face. She just didn't know much about her.

And that's what had her suspicious.

Smith noticed her analyzing the other woman and sucked in a breath. Elda saw competition. And maybe she didn't like it. He stepped closer to his teammate and bumped her shoulder lightly.

"What do you know about her, Smitty?"

"She's supposedly really good at intelligence work. Moved up in the ranks pretty quick because of it."

"Is that all?

"She might be a ho. Jury's still out on that one."

"A what?"

Smith leaned in. "Sleeps around."

Elda's eyes went wide. Her head snapped back toward Matthews. "And Crawfy's going to be alone with her!?"

Smith grit his teeth. He shushed her. "Shut up, Baby." He forcefully turned her body so that she would stop staring. She frowned at him. "Look, Crawford will be fine. He's got his eye on someone else, you know."

Elda let out a breath. "Right. He wouldn't cheat on her."

The marine half-smiled and smacked her arm. "Yeah." He didn't try to correct her. Smith was pretty damn sure Crawford would behave himself on his next op because of Elda, not Chelsea. His eyes turned away to continue watching the tree line. Barely anything was moving. Just the leaves rustling in the trees.

He was somewhat relaxed, knowing the planet they were on was good and secure. The minute the gate ever activated with an incoming wormhole, the SGC knew about it. No one had come through since the last time anyone was here. The Hammond had already scanned the entire planet and noted no other life signs besides the ones they expecting to be on the surface. Everything was fine.

Smith now wondered how Elda was going to take Crawford's absence. He was still trying to figure out how she felt about it. So far, he didn't think she wanted him to go. And now he was detecting a touch of jealousy.

He hoped Crawford would hurry up and get this over with before things got even more complicated. He knew his buddy was trying to follow his advice and keep his hands to himself. They were pretty honest with each other.

But as far as Elda? Smith wasn't sure if it was a good idea to point anything out. There might not be something to point out, for that matter. She was in love with her Jaffa for sure. Smith decided to just watch out for her and try to keep her calm. It was the best he could do.

At Mitchell's behest, Jessica Matthews sat with Crawford for a meal to talk strategy. A section of the bunker was carved out to be the new mess. It was a lot smaller than the one in the SGC. So everyone had to take turns coming in here to have a meal break. They inhabited a small table for two, just barely large enough to fit their trays.

"So, you made the Chigu rep think you could deliver all that in a month?" Jessica clarified.

"Yeah." Crawford took a sip of his drink. "Technically, at the time, it would have been true. Station had just closed down in a time dilation bubble. Three weeks out here; six months in there. They woulda had that order ready, easy."

"What are we going to tell them now?"

"I dunno. Might need to ask one of my friends from the station if she has an idea of what's reasonable to say. Or maybe one of the manufacturers has a supply of blasters in stock and ready to sell. That would be convenient."

"Which friend is this?"

"Aurelia Thel. She's with Station Medical."

"Oh, right. What's her deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't she sleeping with your buddy?"

Crawford raised his brow at her daring question. "Whether she is or she isn't doesn't seem relevant here."

The woman across from him simply smiled deviously. "Okay, Corporal."

He stared back suspiciously as he chewed his food. Baker was right. This chick was trouble. He'd have to keep up his guard with her. He wondered if he'd need to run this by Vala. Maybe he should.

"You've been there before. I haven't. Tell me what to expect."

"Commerce planet. No central government other than a transit authority. We'll land on the surface then walk over to the building with Chigu's name plastered across the front. It's basically a skyscraper. Talk to the doorman inside, ask for the rep we met last time, and hope she's available for a meeting."

"What was Colonel Mitchell saying about you and her?"

He looked away in slight exasperation. "She might have taken a liking to me."

"Oh? Did she ask you to dinner or something?"

Crawford's face twitched in surprise. She already knew what that meant? "Yeah, actually."

"Okay. That means you need to wear something extra sexy. Show off that body of yours so she can be good and distracted while we work," Jessica declared.

He blinked. Maybe Elda would have suggested something similar, but she was usually more crafty about how she said things. Maybe even a bit more eloquent. As interesting as this op sounded, Crawford was having second thoughts about running with someone that wasn't her. It almost felt like a betrayal.

But wasn't this what Elda was preparing him for? To do this kind of work out in the field without her? He guessed now was as good a time as any to see how much he'd learned.

He just wished it didn't put such a sour taste in his mouth.

"Pssst, Darling."

Cam turned at the sound of Vala's whisper. He let her corner him inside the base. "What."

"I sense tension."

"Tension?"

"Yes." Her eyes darted side to side. "Between the young people you are having me drive around."

"Crawford and Matthews? What, you don't think they'll get along?"

"I just watched them have their little work lunch. That Matthews girl is courier material."

"Isn't that a good thing for this op?"

"Maybe it is. But the fact that Crawford recognizes that is giving him pause."

"I don't get it."

Vala put a hand on his chest and pressed for emphasis. "He feels like he's about to cheat on Elda."

A single eye on Cameron's face got stuck in a squint. The opposite brow went high. His mouth popped open as he stared at Vala. "You told me there was nothing going on between them," he said in a low, aggravated tone.

"This is not about sex, Cameron. This is about professional loyalty."

"What?"

"If he keeps worrying about betraying Elda, he won't be able to keep his head in the game. He's suspicious of Matthews. And I don't blame him. She's sneaky."

"Takes one to know one."

Vala was hardly offended. She smacked his chest. "Exactly!"

"So what do you want me to do? I already explained why I'm not bringing Elda in on this one."

She huffed. "I don't know!" she whisper-shouted.

Cameron cupped her neck with two hands. "Princess, you are going to have to find a way to make them work together. You have until tomorrow. I know you can do it."

Her mouth gaped open. "Me!?"

"You're in charge of this op. Yes, you."

"Wha… I thought I was just a chauffeur!"

"A gorgeous one who's also going to be running the op." He knew a little compliment about her looks always got her motivated. He pushed her away and forced her to turn around. "Now go. Fix what needs to be fixed and be ready to leave in the morning."

"Eruce?" Sam knocked on the door to the new lab.

"Colonel Carter." The station geneticist waved her in with a welcoming smile.

"I came by to see how you're settling in. And to see if there is anything else you need."

The room they were in was a large open space. The walls were made of bare steel panels welded together. Basic lamps hung from ceiling scaffolding to provide bright overhead lighting. Thick power cables ran alongside the walls on the floor. Stasis pods were lined up in two rows, with a single wide walkway between. A privacy curtain hung at the back end of the room. Sam knew there was an operating table set up behind it for the personnel to perform genetic repair procedures.

"Our space is adequate for now. We understand that you constructed this in great haste. We appreciate your efforts."

Sam offered her a humble smile. "I know it isn't much. And believe me when I say: this isn't reflective of how we typically build things on Earth. It's just what we could do on short notice."

"Of course," Eruce said graciously. She gestured around. "We have a single patient slated to complete treatment today. I will be engaging in the procedure shortly."

"Great. Let us know when he or she can be discharged."

"Is the Jaffa ship here now?"

Sam shook her head. "They didn't come along this time. Their people needed to get back home. Elda Mal Doran will escort the patient back to Tek'ron through the gate when they're ready."

"These stargates you use… they are considered ubiquitous here?"

"Yes. There are countless gates scattered around this local part of the galaxy. We use them all the time as our primary means of interstellar travel."

"Fascinating. I've not used one before."

Sam smiled. "Well, you'll be welcome to try it when we finish up here and head to Earth."

Eruce bowed her head. "Thank you. I should like to."

"You know him better than I do. Tell me how to make this marine work well with her."

Smith just stared at Vala. "Uhh…"

Her brow raised higher as she waited for a better response.

"I don't know?"

"Smith. You, Crawford, and Elda ran together on that space station for two months. You have done remarkably well out here since then."

He hazarded a smile. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Elda says so. I see it. You boys are fine. Now what will it take for Crawford to trust Matthews enough so that he can focus?"

Smith was suddenly overwhelmed. He bared his hands outward. "I have no idea! How do you erase someone's bad reputation?"

Vala tilted her head. "You think that's what this is?" She looked away contemplatively.

"Uhh, no. I actually don't know what it is."

She looked right back at him, searching his face for answers. He squirmed under her scrutiny. Then Vala's eyes went wide. She gasped, hand covering her mouth. "He likes my sister."

Smith's palms immediately went up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I never said that!"

"You didn't have to. The worry is all over your face!"

The marine looked around nervously, wondering who might have overheard them. He flapped his hands around now. He grit his teeth and silently shushed Vala. "It's a crush. That's it. He just needs to get over her."

Vala took in deep breaths, mind now calculating.

"Vala? What are you gonna do?"

"I'm thinking." She mused to herself aloud. "He knows she's with Jasuf. He knows they're madly in love. She's clearly unavailable. How to sever the tie…"

Smith just scrunched his face and stood there watching her.

"He has a girlfriend, right?"

He nodded emphatically. "She was at your house. At the little girl's birthday."

"Right, right. The nurse or something." Vala's eyes kept darting around as she continued to think. "Clearly, his loyalty to her isn't enough of a deterrent. It's likely eating him up inside with guilt." Her lips twisted around. Her mind now moved faster than her mouth and she no longer expressed her thoughts aloud for Smith to hear. Crawford was feeling guilty for betraying his girlfriend… and now Elda. She let out a breath. "So we have to remove the guilt."

Smith's eyes went wide. He swallowed.

Vala clapped her hands once loudly. "I know what I'm going to do!" She patted both of Smith's cheeks. "Thank you, dear."

He watched her spin around and rush away. He stared after her with a wide open mouth. "Okay, I have no idea what just happened."

"You need to talk to your marine. You need to give him permission."

Elda raised a brow at her mother. "Permission for what."

They stood outside at the edge of the forest in the waning light. Birds chirped around them. Animals hooted nearby. None of their colleagues were within listening distance.

Vala placed an arm around her shoulders, eyes scanning for the approach of other people. "To work this op without you. He needs your blessing."

"He doesn't need my approval, Mom."

"Yes, he does. He won't be successful because he'll be too worried about you."

"Me?"

Vala searched her daughter's face for a sign that she knew. It wasn't immediately clear if Elda understood that her little marine had a special affection for her. More than the other one. She frowned and realized that the girl had no clue.

"Mom?"

It wouldn't do any good to tell her. If Crawford managed to get past this little 'crush,' as Smith referred to it, it could be like nothing happened. Their dynamic wouldn't have to change. "He'll be too worried of what you think as he works. If he's doing things right. Saying things right," she fibbed.

Elda looked at her dubiously. "You really think I need to reassure him?"

Vala nodded.

She crossed her arms suspiciously. "Where is this all coming from?"

Vala's mouth twitched.

Elda's eyes narrowed. That was her mother's tell. She was hiding something. She waited to hear what she'd say.

"Crawford is suspicious of Matthews. He doesn't like her that much. I need him to get over that. A confidence boost from you might just do the trick. If he thinks he's good enough to turn his nose up at the distasteful, then he'll do well."

"This isn't making much sense. But fine. I'll talk to him."

Vala let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Darling."

Crawford didn't expect her to be there when he opened the door to his quarters on the Hammond.

Elda tilted her head and smiled at him. She blinked a few times, simply waiting. After a long beat, she coughed.

He jumped a little. "Uhh, you wanna come in?"

She brushed past him and went straight to the chair that Smith usually sat in.

Crawford turned around and looked at her in confusion. She never came by like this. He stepped closer, but remained a good six feet away. "What's up, Cakes?"

"What time are you leaving?"

"Your sister said oh-seven-hundred."

"I take it you already worked out strategy with Matthews?"

"Yeah, tried to."

"What do you think of her?"

He scrunched his face.

"Thought so."

"What?"

"Crawfy," she said, pausing with a sigh, "Sit down." She gestured for him to take a seat on the end of his own bed. She stayed in her place in the chair.

He complied.

"Look, there's been a lot of jobs that I've been on where I didn't much like the people around me either. You know what I'd do to get over it?"

"What?"

"Pretend they were people I actually liked."

"Huh?"

"When this Matthews girl starts talking and it pisses you off, pretend she's someone else."

He squinted at her. "I don't know if I can do that."

"Yes, Darling, you can. You can turn on alternate personalities for a job, so you can do this."

"Elda, I dunno."

She stood up and placed herself in front of him. He gazed up at her. His heart started beating a little faster. "If it helps, pretend I'm right there with you instead of her. Imagine how well we work together. We can each guess what the other is thinking. I heard she's good. So she'll probably say the right things. Bounce off of her like you would me and make the job work."

It was all he could do not to grab her hips and make her come to him. But he kept his hands at his sides on the bed. "Baby," he said hesitantly.

She leaned down, face hovering near his. "Crawfy, you have my permission to run with another courier." Her expression soured as she said it.

"Matthews isn't a courier."

"Maybe not officially. But you could be."

"Really?"

Elda smiled. She patted his cheek. "Yes, my darling. I think so." She stood up straight and stepped back. "Smitty, too. I'm proud of you boys."

Crawford fantasized about capturing her mouth. But he shook the image out of his mind immediately.

He was more than relieved when Elda simply scooted back further. She headed to the door and offered him a little wave. "Good luck, Crawford." She left.

He took in a huge breath to steady himself. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Dammit."

"Check comms," Vala instructed. She hit the commands to power down the jumper.

Crawford activated the communications panel on the HUD. Jessica watched with interest as he navigated through the Goa'uld prompts with more ease than she expected. It was impressive. He hit a few commands that brought up an image of waves on the virtual screen.

When he stood up from his seat, he found himself nose to nose with her. She'd drawn that close to the pilot's station. They awkwardly got out of each other's way. He went to the storage console and popped it open easily. He pulled out flesh-colored ear pieces for each of them to use. It would disappear into their ear canals and not be seen.

Vala swiped the comms display to her side. She turned around to look at the pair.

Crawford tapped the ear piece. He looked at the screen and saw that it responded appropriately. "Check."

Matthews followed. "Check." She fluffed her hair to cover her ear and obscure the ear piece better.

Vala looked between the two of them quietly. She hoped that whatever Elda said to him would be enough. Her eyes swept over Crawford. He had on the tiniest little vest she had ever seen. It did nothing to hide his well-built muscles. She refrained from scrunching her face at the obvious intent of this outfit. If it were her, she would have chosen something a bit more subtle for him to wear. She had a feeling her daughter would agree. It didn't serve a courier well to look desperate.

She harumphed internally. Judging by her fashion choices for him, it looked like this Matthews girl still had a few things to learn. But she was withholding judgement until the op was over.

Vala stood and held up a pointer finger. "Hang on." She pulled out a basic tracker from the storage compartment. It was similar in nature to the ones Zersha used. "Give me your station blaster."

He handed it to her. "What are you going to do?"

"Just in case…" She began to take it apart.

"Whoa, hey! Careful!" Crawford exclaimed.

"Relax, I just need to…" Vala stuck the chip on the inside of a panel. She made sure it was in a spot that wouldn't interfere with the mechanics inside. She trusted the transmitter to survive the intense heat that the blaster could generate. "There." She quickly reconstructed Crawford's weapon and handed it back to him.

"Vala?"

"On the off chance they confiscate this from you, we'll at least be able to listen in to whatever goes on in there."

His eyes widened and he held the blaster closer to himself worriedly.

Jessica laughed aloud. "Relax, Crawford. We'll make sure they don't steal your baby," she teased.

Vala turned around to make sure the ship had a solid connection to the transmitter. It chimed in confirmation. Her eyes glanced out the forward port, spying the other random ships parked on the surface nearby. She hit a command on the panel to tint the forward port.

Then she moved over to the hatch to open it. She swept a hand toward the opening. "Time to go."

"Got any last words of advice?" Jessica asked.

"Don't get killed," Vala said drily.

The other woman raised a brow. She didn't smile.

Crawford cracked a grin, recognizing a little bit of Elda in the big sister. He took her words to mean 'Good luck' instead. "Thanks, Vala."

She patted his shoulder as he left the ship.

A/N: Super annoying that FF Net continues to be problematic. Sorry about that, and thank you for making it this far if you were actually able to even open this chapter!