Characters: Jack O’Neill, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson, Teal’c
Part: 3
Themes: AU/Stranded, Teamy Goodness
ESRB Rating: Teen
Prompt: 041 Independence.
Season: 2-esque
Written: January 06
Revamped: August 06
“So what’re we looking at here, kids.” Jack swung back into their makeshift base of operations. He’d left Carter and Daniel to go over what was… left… while he and Teal’c made ever expanding circuits to survey the area. They’d seen a lot of grass, bushes, stands of trees, animals that really wanted to call themselves deer — but no more Jaffa. Or structures. No houses, no farms, no roads. No ships. No people. But lots and lots of meadow land.
Carter looked grim as she lifted her eyes to the Colonel. The tremendous bruising all along her cheek and jaw only made the situation seem that much graver. “Well, sir… it’s not good.” Daniel was shuffling through Stargate bits that Sam had tagged for her own reference. He looked rather helpless as he licked his lips.
“Not good how.” Jack planted his feet and brought his eyebrows together, hands resting over the butt of his weapon. Besides him, Teal’c lifted his chin as if bracing it for a blow.
“Sir…” The blonde head shook over her impromptu work station, her hands hovering over the various tools in uncertain patterns.
Daniel dropped the warped chevron he was holding with a dull, disgusted clatter. Fidgety hands set themselves to rest on his hips. “We can’t go home, Jack.” The archeologist darted his eyes between the lumps of twisted metal, the still standing crescent moon of what remained of the gate and SG-1’s commanding officer. “We can’t go home. Not this way.”
Jack looked to Carter for confirmation. She held his eyes for a second, then nodded slowly before looking down. Her head shook again; she was at a complete loss. “I— I didn’t even know you could do this to a Stargate. Overload it from it’s dialing device. Short circut its own failsafes, blow through—”
“Then we just have to find another way.” Colonel Jack O’Neill, two L’s. Man of Action. He just had to keep telling himself that.
Most of the fires were out, and what few that had proved worrisome, they’d stamped down. Jack had moved them some distance from the Stargate none the less. The fires were out but the air was still thick with the stench of the naquada. It’d been bad enough working in it, they didn’t need to sleep through it too.
Sam had had the chance to run some preliminary tests and she was giving Jack her results while Daniel did something about dinner. Teal’c was making one last patrol before they buckled down for the night.
“Those readings from the MALP and UAV? They’re everywhere, sir. In the soil, in the grass, in the bark of the trees…”
“So, this is Planet Gold Mine?” This could be great news for the SGC. If they could find a way to tell them.
“Close. It’s like naquada,” she’d explained, fascinated despite the circumstances. “My kit here isn’t sensitive enough, but I’d guess its molecular structure isn’t as stable as true naquada. But it’s close enough that, even in trace elements like this, collect enough and you could have yourself something worthwhile.”
It went a long way to explaining why this planet might have been a target.
“It is not uncommon,” Teal’c had told him while they scouted, “for less powerful Goa’uld to destroy the Stargates between the lanes of commerce of their rivals. It is both strategic as well as a display of power.”
“But they could still fly between, right? Get what they want?”
“Indeed. But it would take longer and require the dedication of men. Depending on their resources, this may or may not remain a viable option for their operations.”
“So like an embargo.” Teal’c hadn’t understood the word but Jack had assured him it was similar.
Without a point of reference, Daniel was at a greater loss then Carter had been. He and Teal’c had conferred, and while they could agree they were “cat” guards, Ubasti, they had walked in on, it was a motif used by several deities across pantheons. Other then the one distinguishing feature, nothing had stood out to identify who they might be. And there wasn’t much left after the fact to go over either.
“We don’t know if they were really Jaffa, or — or just borrowed uniforms for intimidation purposes, or if they were Jaffa who they might be serving or why they would do this.” He’d given Jack an apologetic wince, hands slapping down uselessly onto his thighs. Jack had reached out and gripped Daniel’s good shoulder as reassuringly as he could.
Now Daniel was telling them that his MRE Stroganoff Surprise was ready. Their camp was sparse since this hadn’t meant to be an overnight mission and what supplies they’d carried in on the MALP were toast. Still, this was a military operation and a certain amount of emergency preparedness was expected. From their mylar blankets they’d fashioned lean-tos, a single plate and multipurpose utensil was always in their packs, and each of them was carrying food for two days in their pockets. Water was soon going to be their biggest concern and one Jack would have to see to.
But that was for tomorrow. Right now he was just going to appreciate that they were alive, mostly well, and safe - in a relative way of speaking. Jack took a moment to look at each face around the camp fire, the details of those he was responsible for. If they were going to do this, it was going to be up to them. No one else.
This was it. This is what they had: each other.
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