Editors' Note: First story in the series. In the gen version this the first (New Beginnings) and second (The Crystal City) story in the series, but they are combined here. The Neon Gang includes Dori Adams, Sierra Chaves, Dana Ely, Michelle Fortado, Patricia Grace, Dani Martin, Erica Michaels, Nina Talbot, Kasey Tucker, Rebecca Wright, and Lorin and Mary Fallon Zane. Art by Shiloh (shigal13@excite.com. This is an open AU. If you'd like to come play, please do!
Part 1: New Beginnings
Colonel Jack O'Neill stopped outside Hammond's office and rapped smartly on the closed door. When he heard the barked "Come" from the general, he pushed the door open and walked in. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
Hammond gestured for the colonel to have a seat, and Jack promptly dropped into one of the leather chairs with a relaxed sigh.
The general fought back the smile that teased at the corners of his mouth. Jack O'Neill wasn't a man who stood on ceremony. "Colonel, I've finished the report you and Captain Carter prepared," he said, gesturing to the open folder lying on his desk.
Jack leaned forward, his expression hopeful. "And?"
"And I think you have a good idea here."
Jack dropped back against the chair, looking more than a little relieved. "It's long overdue, General."
Hammond nodded. "And this is the man you think ought to lead this team…"
Jack nodded. "Yep, definitely the one."
"Says here he quit the military," Hammond pointed out.
Another nod. "With your permission, sir, I'd like to go talk him out of that ill-advised decision."
"And if he can't be talked out of it?" Hammond questioned. "It's been almost two years."
Jack smiled. "Sir, if you heard there was this great big metal ring-thingy and you could walk through it and visit other planets all over the galaxy, you think you could say no?"
"I doubt it," the general agreed with a small smile. "Still, I'd like to see another recommendation, in case he surprises you."
Jack shook his head. "Can't think of anyone else I'd be comfortable with trying to pull this off."
"Being you, you mean?"
Jack grinned. "Well, us… yeah, kind of… you know, what I mean, sir. If this works, we'll have another team that can handle similar kinds of missions SG-1 does. And, to be honest, we need another one. So, does this mean I can get Larabee and bring him to the SGC for the grand tour?"
"It does," Hammond agreed, a sparkle in his eyes. He could use another team like SG-1. "What about these other two team members?"
"Recommendations from Carter and Daniel, sir. You know, people who can do Cartery and Daniely things," Jack said, wagging his fingers at the report. "I'll let 'em know they need to go grab their people, too."
Hammond nodded, another smile tugging. "Just be sure all three of them sign the confidentiality agreement." In all likelihood Lt. Dunne and Dr. Sanchez might very well feel like they had been "grabbed" from the real world and thrust into one that was closer to science fiction. "Very well, Colonel, go see if you can make this happen."
"You won't regret this, sir," Jack said, bouncing up and heading out the door.
"I hope not," Hammond muttered under his breath. On second thought, the idea of another Jack O'Neill on the base was enough to make even the toughest of generals think twice. "God save us all," he muttered, reviewing the report one last time before he signed off on it.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Larabee's ranch was up in the foothills of the Rockies, somewhere between seven and eight thousand feet, he guessed, and the views were beautiful. The house, two barns, and several corrals were all in good repair, and the horses he could see were handsome. Retirement seemed to have suited Chris Larabee rather well.
Of course that might make his errand a little more tricky, but Jack was convinced he would be able to talk Chris into returning to duty. Provided, of course, he could get the man to the SGC. Jack turned and knocked on the door.
A few moments later Larabee stood before him, frowning. "O'Neill," he greeted flatly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Oh, just thought I'd drop by for a visit," Jack replied with an overly friendly smile. "I was in the neighborhood, and—"
"Bullshit," Chris said, cutting him off. He shut the door in the colonel's face.
"That went well," Jack muttered quietly to himself, then reached out and rang the doorbell.
"Major—"
"It's colonel now," Jack interrupted. "And this is official business, Lieutenant."
"Not Lieutenant. I'm out of any kind of 'official business' these days, or hadn't you heard?" Chris replied, his green eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Yeah, I might've heard you retired," Jack agreed, keeping his voice light.
"Quit," Larabee corrected him. "Didn't retire, I quit. Now, I have a TV dinner to get back to." He started to close the door again.
"Wait!" Jack yelped, his hand shooting out to keep the door from closing in his face a second time.
Chris glowered at the man.
Jack spread his hands in a placating gesture. "Look, I'm sure you've got a… few hours you can spare for an old friend, right?" The last was added hastily.
Larabee huffed out a breath, realizing he wasn't going to get rid of the man until O'Neill had said whatever he'd come to say. Besides, like everyone else in the special ops community, he'd heard what had happened to O'Neill's son, and that loss carried some weight with Larabee, having lost his own son. "Fine," Chris snapped, then gestured for the colonel to come in.
Jack shook his head, grinning, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a radio. He keyed the mike and said, "Okay, come get us."
"What—?" Chris started, but he stopped when he saw the state of the art helicopter coming in to land behind Jack's truck in his driveway. The horses in the corrals closest to the noisy machine tossed up their heels and headed for quieter ground. He wished he could join them, but it was too late now.
"C'mon," Jack said with a grin, his head jerking toward the chopper. "You're going to enjoy this, I promise."
Chris sighed, louder this time, but he reached back, grabbing his keys off the small table that stood just to the side of the front door. He stepped back inside just long enough to set the security alarm code, then locked the door and jogged over to the waiting ride. Moments later, he was in the air.
"Where are we going?" he yelled at O'Neill, who handed him a communications headset unit to slip on. "I said, where—?"
"Heard ya the first time," Jack replied.
"Well?" Chris demanded.
"To a galaxy, far, far away, my friend."
Chris just shook his head. "This had damn well better be good," he growled under his breath.
Jack just flashed him a cocky grin. The one Chris had always hated, because it usually meant that O'Neill was right about whatever he was on about at the moment. And Chris didn't want him to be right. He wanted to go right on hiding out at his ranch, working like a fiend, trying to pretend the rest of the world didn't exist. But he had a bad feeling that his world was about to get dumped upside down – something O'Neill was good at – and he resented the hell out of it. But he'd let himself get talked into it, so he had no one to blame but himself – and that was something he was good at – damn good.
"Tell me again where we're going?" Larabee asked over the headset.
Jack grinned again. "First stop Cheyenne Mountain. Second stop… Well, why don't you just wait and see; I'd hate to spoil the fun."
"Fun… yeah, right," Chris grumbled in reply, but he settled back to wait and see whatever it was O'Neill had come to show him.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Then he looked up. Above them, three moons nearly filled the cloudless sky. Definitely not possible, he thought. And yet, here he was…
Chris glanced around, taking it all in, then glanced over at Jack and asked, "We're really in another galaxy?"
Jack shrugged. "Well, technically… no," he admitted, but then quickly added, "But we're on the other side of our own galaxy, so the far, far away part was true. Pretty damn impressive, wouldn't you say, Lieutenant?"
"I told you, I quit; you can drop the rank," Chris replied, heading for the stone steps that took them off the dais.
Jack jogged down to join him, giving Chris a slap on the shoulder and saying, "I'm hoping this little fieldtrip might help change your mind about that. Coming back would include a promotion…" He gave the man the onceover. "…since it looks like you've stayed in shape."
Chris' eyes narrowed again. "Is this your not-so-subtle way of telling me you want me to come back to active duty?"
Jack nodded and smiled. "Yep. I always said you caught on fast, Larabee."
Chris shook his head. "No."
"Now, hear me out," Jack argued. He gestured to everything around them. "This isn't some sci-fi movie, Chris. Stargate Command's out here, right now, exploring planets all over the Milky Way. I told Hammond we needed another team like mine, one that can… think on its feet, give the bad guys a run for their money."
"Take the big risks, you mean," Chris corrected him. But, damn, it was an inviting notion – to travel the stars… see other planets… meet exotic bad guys, and kill them…
Jack grinned, seeing that the man was nearly hooked. "You can't tell me this doesn't get whatever juices you've got left in there flowing, Larabee."
Chris sighed, his gaze sweeping over the landscape again. Damn O'Neill anyway. He'd only worked with the man for nine months, but Jack seemed to know him better than anyone. Well, besides Buck, that is. "Bastard," he growled, honestly considering taking a swing at the colonel.
"And don't think this is a gift," Jack warned him, his expression turning serious. "There are some nasty sons of bitches out here who want nothing more than to turn all humans in the galaxy into their personal slaves."
"All humans?" Chris asked, frowning. "As in more than just little ol'us here us on Earth?"
Jack shrugged and grinned. "Uh, guess I forgot to mention that part, huh?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess you did," Chris replied, already knowing that he was going to end up doing whatever it was Jack wanted him to do, and for that he really wanted to hate the man, but he just couldn't. He knew too well what Jack had lost, and this had to have been what brought him out of his "retirement" as well.
"So, when do I get the whole briefing?" Chris asked with a defeated sigh.
"You only get that if you decide to reconsider your early retirement," Jack told him.
"If I do decide to reconsider my early retirement, I have one non-negotiable," Chris shot back.
"And that would be?"
"I want Wilmington on my team."
Jack thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see why that should be a problem, so long as you keep that Lothario on a leash."
Chris nodded, smiling. "Then I guess I'm officially considering it."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
He was relatively sure it would do the trick. After all, the hard part had been luring Josiah away from his academic work to join the SCG in the first place. Since that time, Josiah had been working with the locals on P3X 313, learning their language and culture, and mining them for information on the activities and movements of the local System Lord, who had a good portion of the planet's population engaged in mining for him.
There was also a small community of Jaffa on the planet, drawn from the warrior ranks of the human population.
There was a rustle in the surrounding woods and Daniel started, knowing that there were deadly predators on this world, besides potential human ones. A moment later, Dr. Josiah Sanchez appeared. He was wearing the same leathers as the other members of the Treibh, and was carrying one of their weapons as well. His short grey-blond hair made him look older than he really was, but it was clear he was in excellent physical shape. Something Jack always teased Daniel about whenever they crossed paths with Sanchez.
"Dr. Jackson," Josiah greeted, then quickly spoke to the others in their native tongue. The other Treibh men laughed and made what looked like obscene gestures at Daniel.
"What did you tell them?" Daniel asked suspiciously, noting the predatory looks a couple of the other men were shooting in his direction.
"Oh, just that you were a weakling who spent all his time reading books and doing women's work," Josiah replied with a toothy grin.
Daniel looked flummoxed. "Oh," he said, wondering if the good doctor had been imbibing too many of the local spirits.
Josiah grinned. "It was that or they would have wanted to chase you all over the forest – to see what you're made of. Of course, if they'd caught you, you would have been considered weak, a woman, and…"
Realization struck Daniel and he nodded. "Ah, I see… Well then, I'm glad you… spared me," he said, glancing nervously at the Treibh.
"What are you doing here?" Josiah asked, walking over and slapping Jackson on the back. The other men quickly lost interest in the pair, fading back into the forest to continue their hunt.
"I wanted to talk to you about a change of assignments," Daniel replied, watching the others leave.
"Oh?" Josiah said, not sure if he was being promoted or punished. He still hadn't gotten his last three reports turned in as of yet, and he was starting to get some downright cranky e-mails from the higher-ups.
Daniel, who was well acquainted with the man's notoriously late reports, grinned. "We're re-manning SG-Seven, and I was hoping you might consider being me."
"Being you?" Josiah asked, confused.
Daniel smiled again. "SG-Seven will be modeled on SG-One, so that would make you… me."
That put a smile on Josiah's face. "Ah, I see. And we'll have an O'Neill and a Carter as well?"
Daniel nodded. "That's the plan. Jack asked Sam and me to pick our… counterparts for the new team, and you immediately came to mind."
That prompted a full-fledged laugh from the anthropologist and linguist. Josiah had been one of the few colleagues Daniel had worked with who had taken his work seriously, and who had offered honest criticism of his papers, even when the journals refused to publish them. Daniel would be forever grateful for the support Sanchez had given him, and that was why he had recruited him for the SGC. They needed open-minded scientists who could accept and adapt to whatever they were dealing with.
"Well, in that case, how can I say no?" Josiah asked after he'd thought about the proposal for a moment. "But what'll happen to the project I have going here?"
Daniel thought for a moment, then asked, "Can your assistants pick it up? If not, tell me who you think can and I'll do my best to recruit them."
Josiah paused, his forehead wrinkling as he thought again for a moment. "Yeah, I don't see why Cara and Finn can't continue, they know everything I do…"
Daniel nodded. He knew Josiah was referring to Doctors Cara and Finn MacLeod, who were the two co-researchers stationed on P3X 313 with Josiah. "Great. We'll need you back the day after tomorrow for a meet and greet with the rest of SG-Seven, ten o'clock."
Josiah nodded, then frowned. "Guess that means I have to get my reports caught up by then, too, huh?"
"Probably wouldn't hurt," Daniel agreed, nodding. He was trying not to smile.
Josiah sighed loudly. "I was afraid you were going to say that."
"Can't be that bad," Daniel offered.
"I suppose… By the way, how much paperwork is this new position going to require, anyway?"
It was Daniel's turn to laugh.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Captain Samantha Carter made her way down the long hallway toward the laboratory where Lieutenant JD Dunne was working with Dr. Bill Lee on his latest project. As she got closer to the door she could hear raised voices.
She smiled. She'd had several potential candidates to pick from, but when Jack has suggested they create a SG-1 type team, Lt. Dunne was the one who had immediately come to mind when she considered someone who had her blend of military training and scientific background.
Dunne was bright, creative, innovative, and he had a strong desire to please, which might or might not be a good thing. Only time would tell. She knew she had the same tendency, but she'd learned to put it on hold when she needed to, which was most of the time. Still, Dunne had done well in all of the simulations they had devised for him and the other young recruits they were grooming for future SG teams. In fact, he had the highest overall score of all of the current trainees.
But it was Dunne's out-of-the-box thinking that had made him her first choice for SG-7. That and the way he had handled himself when he'd discovered an error in Dr. Lee's latest algorithm. He hadn't gloated – too much – and that had also won him points in Sam's book.
Just before she reached the door, it burst open and Dr. Bill Lee stormed out, shaking his head.
"Everything all right, Doctor?" she asked.
"Yes! No! That—" Dr. Lee stopped and took a deep breath. "Yes, everything's fine," he said. "I was just so sure that my latest calculation was right…" He sighed heavily. "Lieutenant Dunne found another…"
"Error?" Sam asked, trying to look supportive.
"Error," he agreed, looking crestfallen. "So, now it's back to the drawing board…"
"I'm sure you'll get it figured out in no time," Sam encouraged him.
"…nothing more than a kid…" was all she heard as Bill continued on down the hallway to his own office, his head shaking, his shoulders slumped.
Sam smiled, then reached up and knocked on the door. It was yanked open and JD barked, "What now!?" Then his eyes rounded like saucers, and the blood drained from his face. "Captain Carter! Sir! Uh, ma'am. I— Dr. Lee— The staff weapon resistant armor— I—"
"At ease, Lieutenant," Carter said, trying hard not to smile. "Do you have a minute?"
"Me?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, you."
"Uh, sure. I mean: yes, ma'am."
Carter entered the lab and took a seat on one of the work stools. "Lieutenant, Colonel O'Neill tells me you've completed your situational training for off-world team placement."
"Yes, ma'am," JD responded, looking more than a little pleased with himself. "Last week." He was vibrating with excitement. Could this be it?
"Lieutenant, SG-Seven is being re-staffed and—"
"Me?"
This time she did smile as she echoed, "Yes, Lieutenant, you."
"Really?" JD asked, then immediate added, "Ma'am?"
"Really. I know you're still working to finish your doctorate—"
"Between missions," Carter said, nodding. "It probably won't be easy, but—"
"That's okay, ma'am," JD interrupted. "I don't mind. I— I just can't believe I'm really going to be going off-world…"
"Sooner than you think," Carter told him. "So be sure to get whatever needs to be wrapped up completed, or passed off to other technicians. If you need any help with that, let me know."
"Thank you, ma'am," JD said, smiling. "When—?"
"You'll meet the rest of your team the day after tomorrow."
"That soon?" JD squeaked. "I'd better get busy."
Sam smiled again, watching as JD threw himself into the work, suddenly oblivious to her presence. She wondered briefly if that was how she looked when she was caught up in a project, then decided she'd rather not know.
She slid off the stool and let herself out. She had a good feeling that she'd made the right choice.
Glancing back at Dunne, she wished she still had that level of energy.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Chris knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later it opened and Buck grinned, looking more than a little surprised.
Wilmington looked scruffy. There was no other word for it. He was wearing a white tank top, with an old T-shirt over it, the sleeves cut out. His hair was unruly, and he had a beard growing in, albeit rather haphazardly.
"Hey, ya ol' dog!" Buck greeted, reaching out to grab Chris in a hug as he pulled him into the townhouse. He kicked the door shut behind them. "What're you doing here, stud?"
Chris pushed the man back to arm's length, then shook his head. "Damn, Buck, you're downright disreputable."
"Me?" Buck countered, blue eyes twinkling with merriment. "Naw, I'm just a little rough around the edges; always have been. You know that."
Chris quickly glanced around at the pale violet walls of the living room, complete with matching tasteful art hanging in just the right places. "So, I take it this is your latest conquest's townhouse?"
Buck wagged his eyebrows. "Sure enough," he replied, but his expression quickly turned serious. "Chris, there something wrong?"
Larabee shook his head as he walked over and sat down on the floral print sofa. "Nope, just have a proposition for you."
That put a lecherous grin back on Buck's face. "Now, stud, you know I don't swing that way."
"Fuck you," the blond replied, shaking his head. A serious Buck didn't last long, unless they were in the middle of a firefight, or there was damn good reason. "I had a visit from Jack O'Neill yesterday."
"Major O'Neill?" Buck questioned. "That Air Force banty rooster?"
"That's Colonel Rooster now," Chris responded with a grin.
"What'd he want?" Buck asked, looking curious and suspicious at the same time.
"Invited me back to active duty."
"SEALs?" Buck asked, finding it hard to imagine Chris would even consider it.
"Not exactly," Larabee hedged.
"Stud, that sounds like a woman saying she's slightly pregnant," Buck countered, his curiosity now fully aroused.
Chris chuckled. "Yeah, I know… I'm officially considering his offer, but I told him I'd only do it if you were on my team."
"Hell, Chris, it's been almost two years since we left the teams," Buck replied. Almost two years since the news had reached them that Sarah and Adam had been killed in that car crash. "I'm not in that kind of shape anymore."
"Hell, Buck, neither am I, but we can change that."
Buck's eyes narrowed as he realized Chris was actually serious about this. "You're really going to do this, aren't you." It wasn't a question; he could see the truth in Larabee's eyes.
The blond nodded. "And you will too once I show you what Jack showed me."
That shifted Buck's curiosity back to suspicion. "Oh?"
"What're you doing today?" Larabee asked him.
"Got a construction job I should be at," Buck replied, glancing at the clock. "Why?"
"Why don't you call in sick, then come down to the Springs with me, let me show you something you won't believe."
Buck drew in a deep breath. He trusted Chris, had for a good portion of his life, and there wasn't a reason not to this time. Besides, he hadn't seen the man this animated about anything since the death of his wife and son. O'Neill must be into something really… something. He nodded slowly. He'd missed the action, and the rush that came with it, and so had Chris, even if he wouldn't admit it. So, whatever it was O'Neill was after, he wanted to be part of it, especially if it meant he and Chris were back to working together again.
Of course Marcy might not be too happy about it, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.
"All right," Buck agreed. "Show me what's got you so fired up."
Chris grinned, green eyes sparkling with promise. "I will. And, trust me, you're not going to believe it."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The next day, Chris and Buck found themselves seated at a conference table. General George Hammond took a seat at the head of the table. Jack was sitting next to Chris, torturing a paperclip, and across the table from them were Captain Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c – a Jaffa, one of the warriors who usually fought for the Goa'uld. At the end opposite Hammond sat a young Air Force lieutenant in his dress blues, and a man in his mid-forties with short, gray-blond hair. He was dressed in jeans and a pullover sweater, Birkenstock sandals on his feet.
Hammond cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, then leaned forward slightly, asking, "Everyone has signed their new confidentiality agreements?"
Four heads nodded.
"Good," the general stated, then added, "As you know, you are all here to form a new SG team, SG-Seven, that will be undertaking regular off-world exploratory missions. I don't have to tell you how dangerous that can be if you've read the materials you were provided…"
It was clear from the nods that the four men had all read the mission reports that had been provided from various SG teams, and they understood the dangers they might be facing.
Hammond nodded at Chris, saying, "Lieutenant Commander Larabee will be SG-Seven's operational commander," Hammond explained, his gaze on Dr. Sanchez and Lieutenant Dunne. "Lieutenant Wilmington will be his second-in-command…" He looked to Chris and Buck, adding, "Commander, Lieutenant, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant JD Dunne, and Doctor Josiah Sanchez." He shifted his gaze to Sam. "Captain Carter."
Sam nodded and picked up the introduction explaining, "Lieutenant Dunne is a recent graduate of the Air Force Academy. He's a gifted astrophysicist and computer engineer. He's ABD—"
"AB-what?" Buck interrupted looking from Carter to JD and back again. He grinned at the pretty blonde captain.
"All but dissertation," Carter clarified, ignoring the man's twinkling blue eyes. "By the time your team is fully operational, he will have completed a joint doctorate in both fields."
JD smiled shyly, pleased by the recognition, but his cheeks still colored a rosy pink from the fact it had come from Captain Carter. She might be just a mentor to him, but he still thought she was the smartest, most beautiful woman he'd ever met… besides Casey Wells, of course.
Daniel picked up the conversation, saying, "And Doctor Sanchez is a former Army warrant officer who left the service and returned to school, earning doctorates in both cultural anthropology and linguistics. His areas of specialty are ancient middle-eastern and European cultures, mythologies, and languages. He's fluent in Goa'uld."
Josiah nodded at Chris and Buck. "Happy to meet you both," he said. "And looking forward to working with you."
"Warrant Officer," Chris repeated, holding Josiah's gaze, "that mean you know how to fly choppers?"
Josiah shrugged, adding, "I figure it's like riding a bicycle – you never really forget – but I've let my license lapse." He looked from Chris to General Hammond, and then to Daniel, before he added, "Gentlemen, after reading the mission reports I'd like to suggest one more member for this team."
"And who would that be, Doctor?" Hammond asked.
"Doctor Nathan Jackson," Josiah replied. "He was an Army medic I served with, but after his enlistment was up he went back to school and finished a doctorate in astrobiology. He has a strong interest in cryptobiology, which might come in handy for this work."
That had both Carter and Daniel looking intrigued. "Sir," Carter said, addressing the general, "I'd like to take a look at Dr. Jackson's file. He might make a valuable addition to the team."
Hammond nodded his approval. "Be sure to share it with Commander Larabee," he said, glancing between the two. "The two of you can make the final call."
"Absolutely, sir," Carter replied, flashing Chris a small smile.
Larabee nodded at her.
"So, boys," Jack cut in, already bored with the meet and greet, "why don't you go… get acquainted? Tomorrow Teal'c and I will put you through some simulations."
JD groaned softly, then turned bright red when O'Neill glared at him.
"Simulations?" Buck questioned; he'd seen the kid's reaction. He'd been afraid coming back to the military might mean having to do endless drills again. It wasn't something he was particularly looking forward to doing again.
"Just some things you're going to need to know in order to fight the Goa'uld," Jack assured him.
His gaze sweeping over Teal'c, Chris agreed, "Looks like we might need it."
"Indeed," the Jaffa replied with a slight tilt of his head.
Buck huffed out a quiet breath, knowing he'd let Chris drag him into the deep end once more.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The four men were driven to a military safe house in Colorado Springs. It was large enough to ensure that there were no nosey neighbors, but not so ostentatious that they felt completely uncomfortable.
They raided the kitchen, deciding to grill steaks on the back deck. Before long all four of them were seated outside, each with a bottle of beer, while they waited for the meat to cook.
"Hell, kid, you don't look old enough to shave, let alone graduate from the Air Force Academy," Buck said as he passed by JD, mussing his hair with his fingers as he did.
JD sighed. He was used to the age reaction. He had always looked younger than he really was. But the hair thing was a pain in the ass. "I entered the Academy when I was seventeen, and I graduated three years ago, then went straight into a dual doctoral program at MIT. I finished my coursework and comps in three years. All I have to do now is finish writing my dissertation and then defend it. And I'll be twenty-five on my next birthday, so I'm not a kid… Lieutenant," he added.
"That's captain to you in Air Farce speak, Lieutenant," Buck teased him back. "I'm a Navy man."
"Squid, you mean," JD returned, then reddened as he remembered that Larabee was Navy as well. "Sorry, sir," he added quickly.
Chris just shook his head. He could see where this was going already. Buck was everybody's older brother, especially the newbies.
"Congratulations on your soon-to-be-completed academic work," Josiah said, raising his bottle to toast JD, and cutting off the inter-service razzing before it could get really started.
"Thanks, Dr. Sanchez," JD replied.
"Josiah," he corrected.
"So, when do you think we'll get the green light for off-world missions?" Buck asked the others.
"Soon as Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c think we're ready," Chris replied.
"You were already working off-world, weren't you?" JD asked Josiah.
The older man nodded. "Strictly anthropological and linguistics work, not what they're proposing now; I was just a humble researcher."
"Yeah, right," Chris said with a snort. "Going native on a planet of tribal warriors battling a minor Systems Lord… sounds like research to me."
Josiah offered him a toothy grin. "Well, Commander, the best way to understand a people is to live among them, become one of them. Kicking a little Goa'uld ass along the way was just a perk."
JD grinned. "Hope we'll be doing that pretty quickly, too."
"Thought you'd rather be fiddling with some kind of gadget, not kicking alien butt," Buck teased the youngest member of the team.
"You have the right gadget, you can kick butt more efficiently," JD told the ladies' man sagely.
"Amen, brother," Josiah agreed, nodding.
"And I have to tell you guys, Colonel O'Neill's simulations are… tough," JD cautioned. "They're really real – lifelike, I mean."
"That's okay, kid," Buck assured him. "Me and ol' Chris here, we're used to butt kickin', aren't we, stud."
Chris just nodded, watching the on-going interactions and deciding he was impressed with his team. They might not be SG-1, but he sure as hell planned to do as much damage to the Goa'uld as possible. And he had a feeling these men were just the ones to help him get the job done. "All right," he interrupted them, "steaks are almost done. JD, go grab some plates and silverware."
"Got it!" JD said, hopping up and immediately heading inside.
"Buck, I saw some bagged salad in the fridge," Chris added.
"I'm on it," he replied, rising and ambling into the house, hollering, "Hey, kid! Where's the kitchen?"
"I'll see what else I can find," Josiah offered. "Besides, someone needs to play referee with those two."
"Good luck with that," Chris said as he watched Josiah head into the house as well. He smiled, feeling a little less like an empty shell for the first time in a long time.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Sweat dripped down JD's forehead as he concentrated on getting the Goa'uld container open. He had accidentally triggered a failsafe and the device was counting down to detonation. That would destroy the device that they had been sent here to retrieve…
Josiah was kneeling at his side, translating what appeared on the small screen set just above the lock. He was having a little trouble with the translation, too. Evidently the language was shifting between two rather obscure dialects.
All around them the cacophony of battle raged.
"Crap," Josiah hissed.
"What?"
"It's armed a secondary device," the older man said. "The first countdown has been overridden, but we've got less than three minutes to disarm the second one."
"Shit!" JD yelped, his fingers flying on what passed for a keyboard on the container.
"Any progress?" came Chris' voice over their ear buds.
"Almost there," JD replied.
"The sooner the better," Chris replied. He and Buck had established overlapping fields of fire from a position above the two men and were so far holding off the Goa'uld assault, but it was only a matter of time before they worked themselves into position, catching him and Buck in a crossfire.
Just behind JD and Josiah, and directly beneath Chris and Buck, sat a disabled Goa'uld transport ship, and Chris was worried that the attackers might be able to use it to catch them in that crossfire.
The Goa'uld attack picked up in intensity just as Chris heard, "Got it!" from JD. "Failsafe is deactivated. I have the device."
Chris and Buck continued to rain fire down on the ones moving in on their position in the warehouse. They had what they'd come for, but they were trapped inside the building.
"Reactivate it," Chris instructed over his comm unit.
"What?" JD asked.
"You heard the man," Josiah replied. "Reactivate it."
"But it'll blow—"
"Now, JD!" Buck snapped.
JD did as ordered. "Okay, it's rearmed and counting down."
"How long?" Chris asked.
"Fifty seconds and counting," JD replied, his chest getting tight with worry.
"Fall back to the transport – now," Chris ordered, he and Buck moving in perfect sync as they jumped from cover, falling onto the top of the transport, then sliding down the sides of the ship to land on the floor of the warehouse. Fire from Josiah and JD held back the attackers long enough for Chris and Buck to dive into the transport vessel.
"Close it!" Chris yelled as they were charged by hostiles.
Josiah hit a button on the control panel and the transport hatch slid closed. Two seconds later there was a tremendous deafening blast from an air horn and confetti exploded into the air from the container.
Chris grinned. "You snakes are toast!" he hooted.
Josiah punched the button again and the hatch opened. SG-1 was standing next to the container, removing their ear protection as the confetti continued to rain down on them.
"Don't you know better than to play with the big bangs?" Buck teased O'Neill.
"Yeah, well, you're alive, but the device is blown up, too," Jack said a little too smugly.
"Nope!" JD crowed. "I got it out!"
Carter smiled. "Great job, Lieutenant."
"I needed Josiah's help reading the display," JD admitted. "Guess I need to spend some more time on that."
"Yes, you do," Josiah agreed. "But it wouldn't have helped you this time."
"Nice defensive position," Jack added, nodding to Chris.
"Guess that means you owe us all a cold one," Buck said, wagging his eyebrows at O'Neill.
Jack smiled. "Guess I do. Nice job, gentlemen."
Teal'c nodded his agreement.
"Any trouble with that particular dialect?" Daniel asked Josiah, grinning.
Sanchez shook his head. "I recognized the blend – first dynasty Egyptian, and a modern Coptic derivative? Sneaky, Daniel, very sneaky."
Jackson grinned and shrugged. "It's not supposed to be easy. Goa'uld would have been too easy."
"That wasn't Goa'uld?" JD asked, looking relieved.
"Not this time," Carter replied. "But next time it will be, so get to work on your translation skills."
JD nodded. "I will, Captain. That was fun," he said, bouncing on his toes, riding the adrenaline rush that was coursing through his body. "Can we do it again? I think I figured out a faster way to bypass the security protocols and disarm the backup failsafe."
Buck wrapped his arm around JD's shoulders and gave him a shake. "Tomorrow's soon enough, kid!"
"And tomorrow we're not taking it so easy on you either," Jack told them.
"You call this easy?" Chris asked. "Hell, O'Neill, I thought this was the dumbed down version you use for the jet jockeys who can't find their asses with their hands."
"Ya think, huh?" Jack responded. "Well, next time it'll be the one we use for the squid who don't know a—"
"Now, Colonel, Commander," Josiah interrupted, just as Daniel said, "Jack, Commander Larabee—"
Jack and Chris both looked ready to fight for a moment, then they laughed.
"Come on, Larabee," Jack said, slapping the man on the shoulder. "Let's go debrief."
The others watched as the two men walked away, already arguing about what had gone well and poorly.
Teal'c glanced over at Daniel and asked, "What is a 'squid,' Daniel Jackson?"
"They're a kind of—"
"Cephalopod," Carter offered. "A large marine creature with eight arms and two tentacles."
"They're a kind of mollusk," Daniel added.
Teal'c just looked confused.
"Kind 'a like an octopus, but with a torpedo-shaped body," JD added. "The giant ones can warp their tentacles around a ship and pull it down into the briny depths. Bet they could suck your brains right out of your head, too, if they wrapped their tentacles around your head and bit you with that honkin' beak—"
"Oh, way too many horror movies, kid!" Buck lamented sadly, shaking his head. "Come on."
"No, really. Their beak can exert enough pressure to crack your skull and…"
SG-7 left, leaving Carter and Daniel standing with Teal'c.
"Ignore everything JD said," Sam suggested. "That kind of thing only happens in the movies."
"Although there have been reports of giant squid attacking scuba divers, and small boats," Daniel added thoughtfully.
Teal'c sighed softly, deciding he would look up the creature for himself. But he somehow doubted that Commander Larabee or Lieutenant Wilmington resembled a large, multi-legged sea creature that devoured boats.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The flight from Tucson to Colorado Springs went quickly and he was met by an airman holding a sign with his name on it. The young woman had escorted him to a waiting vehicle and had driven him to Cheyenne Mountain.
Once there he was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, then taken down far too many levels for his comfort level. But when the elevator door slid open he was greeted by the sight of an old friend.
"Josiah!" Nathan exclaimed, stepping out of the elevator and into a quick hug from his old friend. "What're you doing here?"
Josiah smiled. "Don't you worry, Nate, it'll all be explained in short order. Flight all right?"
"Flight was fine," Nathan replied, following Josiah down a long corridor and up a flight of stairs into a conference room.
"Have a seat," Josiah said, indicating the far end of the table.
Across from Josiah and the others sat four more military types, one a pretty blonde woman, and one a hulking Black man with an odd gold tattoo or some such thing on his forehead.
"Dr. Jackson, thank you for coming," the blonde said with a smile.
"Sure," Nathan said, "but I still have no idea why I was invited here."
"That was my idea," Josiah said.
"Doc, it's like this," Jack cut in, "how'd you like to study real life alien life forms?"
Nathan's eyes rounded and his mouth opened. "Alien life forms?"
"Yep," Jack replied, "disgusting snake-like sons of bitches that crawl into peoples' heads…" He glanced at Teal'c. "…and bellies. No offence, Teal'c."
"None taken," the Jaffa replied.
"Is this some kind of a joke?" Nathan asked, confused.
"It's no joke," Daniel told him. "Look, why don't you let us give you the grand tour, I think that will explain why we asked you here."
Nathan nodded, too stunned to do anything else. He had the awful feeling that his normal, orderly world was about to be turned on its head.
And he was right. By the time the "tour" was over, including a brief introduction to the Goa'uld larvae in Teal'c pouch, he was hooked as securely as any fish had ever been. He couldn't wait to get started.
"Where do I sign?" he asked, eyes bright with excitement. It was a look that the members of SG-1 were used to seeing.
Josiah smiled. "I knew you'd want to be a part of this," he said, clapping Nathan on the back.
"Oh, hell, yeah," Nathan said, then frowned. "But what about my research, and my classes?"
"Your classes will have to be reassigned," Carter told him. "But I don't see why you couldn't continue doing research here. Daniel and I both do."
"JD and I do as well," Josiah added.
"'Course nothing on the Goa'uld will ever get published," Jack warned the man. "Not out in the real world, anyway, but we have a… well, whatever the heck it is for all you brainiacks to send papers to."
"I'll explain everything," Carter assured him.
"Doesn't matter, Captain," Nathan assured him, "the change to work with real alien life… I'm in, definitely in."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Over the next four months the five men continued an intense training regime that Jack and Teal'c fashioned just for them. It pushed each of them to their limits – physically and mentally. And while all of them started out in good physical condition, the training brought them closer to their peak levels. Josiah and Buck grumbled the most about it, but they never slacked off, knowing that their lives might depend on it; and the lives of the others.
They reviewed additional mission reports individually, and as a team. They familiarized themselves with alien and SCG technology, and they worked with their more seasoned SG mentors to hone their mission-specific skills. They even tried to master the Goa'uld language, some with more success than others.
Jack was delighted to see that the varied personalities that made up SG-7 were blending well, complementing one another. Wilmington had taken Dunne under his wing, and Nathan and Josiah, already good friends, quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Larabee rose to the occasion, too, stepping into the leadership position just like Jack had known he would.
Having Buck on the team had only aided in the transformation, the man's wit and battle savvy making him as valuable an asset as any of the scientists.
Even Teal'c was pleased with SG-7's collective prowess. And that was hard-won praise for anyone to garner.
As a result, the team was given the go-ahead for their first mission exactly five months after Jackson had joined the team, a mission they accomplished with aplomb, and no serious injuries. As a result, General Hammond declared SG-7 fully operational, and they entered into the regular SG team rotation, visiting off-world planets, and fighting the Goa'uld wherever and whenever they could.
JD completed his dissertation and defended it; the celebration following the defense more like a bachelor party than a graduation party. Josiah and Nathan each started their own research projects, and JD rejoined Dr. Lee, working on lightweight body-armor that was staff-blast resistant, when he wasn't off-world, or preparing to leave.
Life for SG-7 settled into a somewhat predictable routine…
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
One year later
"You want to put a what on my team?" Chris demanded, adding a belated, "Sir."
General Hammond was able to maintain his poker face. He had known the recommendation wasn't going to go over well with Larabee. Jack had outright refused, then threatened to retire, if Hammond pressed the issue with him. And that meant Larabee was going to be stuck dealing with it instead. It was a shame he couldn't tell the commander that. It might shift the man's ire from him to O'Neill, where it rightfully belonged.
"As a show of good faith," Hammond said, his voice calm but resolute, "the President has agreed to place a Tok'ra operative on one of the SGC teams, to ensure the continued cooperation between the SGC and the Tok'ra."
"And you picked my team why, sir?" Chris asked, trying to rein in his temper. The last thing he wanted on his team was a goddamn snakehead – Tok'ra or not.
Hammond drew himself up in his chair and focused his best general's gaze on Larabee as he said, "Commander, we have to put him somewhere, and after careful consideration, it was decided he had the best chance to succeed with SG-Seven."
Chris huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Succeed… in what, sir?"
"In becoming a working member of this command!" Hammond barked, loud enough to put an end to Larabee's tirade.
Larabee sighed again, but this time it was in defeat. He was beaten, and he knew it. "Who is this… Tok'ra?"
"Shabouh. He was a highly placed operative in the court of Ahriman, one of the mid-level System Lords. His intelligence has allowed the Tok'ra to stay ahead of the political machinations of the System Lords while they established several fallback bases."
"What happened?" Chris asked suspiciously.
"His cover was blown; he barely escaped with his life," Hammond supplied, wishing himself that the Tok'ra had shared a little more of the details on how, exactly, that had happened. He didn't want a screw-up on one of his teams.
"And the host?" Larabee asked. "Who is he?"
"Shabouh was unable to save his host after his discovery. The Tok'ra asked us to find someone who would be willing to serve as Shabouh's new host. Given the success with General Carter, we agreed. He was provided with another host, a former NID agent, Ezra P. Standish. Agent Standish had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and was dying. He agreed to the blending and, here we are."
"Great… What's the P stand for?" Chris asked, only mildly curious, but it beat landing on Hammond and going off like a grenade.
Hammond shrugged. "You'll have to ask him yourself, Commander."
"And you're sure you can't stick this snakehead on some other team? Sir," Chris asked hopefully, but he could already see the answer in the general's eyes.
"Absolutely sure, Commander," Hammond replied. "He'll be arriving tomorrow, at thirteen-hundred hours. I'd appreciate it if you and your team were there met him in the gate-room; see to it he's settled in visitor quarters, and then deliver him to the infirmary so Dr. Frasier can clear him for active duty."
"Yes, sir," Larabee replied on another sigh. He didn't like it, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. They were going to be stuck with a no-account NID agent and a snakehead… Wonderful, just fuckin' wonderful.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The alarm bleated once as the gate became active, but then fell silent; this was not an unscheduled off-world activation. They watched as the chevrons engaged, one after another.
"Should be interesting," Nathan said.
"Might give us some insight into the Goa'uld," Josiah added.
"They have some pretty advanced technology, too," JD tossed in. "I'd llike to get a look at some of that."
"Yeah, and they live in other people's heads," Buck concluded.
That had all of the others looking squeamish.
"NID isn't really on our side, either," JD worried. "What if this Standish guy is still working for them?"
"Hammond wouldn't have agreed to him joining the team if that was the case," Chris said. "But we'll still be careful."
Buck grinned. "Meaning?"
"Meaning he doesn't go anywhere, or see anyone, without one of us being there," Larabee finished.
The kawoosh leapt from the gate and, a moment later, the event horizon shimmered inside the metal ring. They waited for several long seconds before a dark-haired man stepped through. He was of average height and weight, and was wearing black jeans, a dark black and charcoal flannel shirt, and a worn black leather jacket. There were no weapons in sight, or any suitcases, duffels, or other gear.
He flashed them a jaunty smile as he proceeded down the ramp. "Good day, gentlemen," he greeted them, his voice carrying a soft southern accent. "Am I to assume that you're the welcoming committee?"
"Something like that," Larabee replied dryly, looking like he'd just sucked on a particularly sour lemon. "Lieutenant Commander Chris Larabee," he said, extending his hand. Standish shook it and shook. "Commander of SG-Seven, the team you've been assigned to."
Standish frowned. "SG-Seven?" he echoed. "I was told I would be joining SG-One."
"Not gonna happen," O'Neill said as he walked up to join them, a smile on his face that turned Larabee's expression even more sour. Jack owed him for this, big time, and he had every intention on collecting.
"Now see here—" Ezra began, but he was immediately cut off by O'Neill.
"Hey, just be glad we agreed to this at all," the colonel snapped. "I'm just here to officially welcome that sna— uh, Shabouh, to the SGC."
Ezra's eyes glowed for a moment and then the Tok'ra said, "Thank you, Colonel O'Neill, although I am disappointed that Ezra and I will not be working with you and the other members of SG-One."
"Yeah, well, you'll do just fine on SG-Seven." Jack glanced at Chris, adding, "Commander, why don't you get… Shabouh here settled in, then take him to the infirmary for a look-see."
Larabee nodded.
"Infirmary?" Ezra asked, his voice having returned to normal. "I can assure you, Colonel, I'm in perfect health."
"Standard procedure," Chris stated. "Now, if you'll follow me."
It was not a request, and Ezra sighed softly as he followed after the blond commander, hoping that the rest of SG-7 was easier to deal with. He checked them out as covertly as possible as they proceeded to the quarters he'd been assigned. None of them looked overly excited about his arrival, although some were more curious than others.
"You have any gear?" Larabee asked as they entered the small quarters.
"Yes, of course," Ezra replied, walking over and sitting down on one of the chairs in the room. He lifted his hand. The ring he wore on his index finger was a dark tenné set in heavy gold. He concentrated and, a moment later, an amber-colored light discharged from the stone, extending four to five feet in front of Standish. When it disappeared, five obviously full suitcases were setting on the floor in a neat row.
"Whoa!" JD yelped. "How'd you do that? What is that? Can I see it?"
Ezra held up his hand, stopping the youngest member of the team from approaching. "It's something Shabouh discovered in his wanderings. We have no idea how it works, but it can store a fair amount of… necessities."
"You have anything else stored in there?" Larabee asked, suspicion clear in his voice.
"Nothing but a few personal items, I assure you," Ezra replied, trying to look as innocent as he could manage.
But something about the man's silky voice made Chris even more suspicious. Still, there was little he could do about it at the moment. He'd have to have a talk with Hammond first, then, with luck, they would confiscate that ring.
"And how long will I be forced to endure these drab surroundings?" Standish asked, glancing around at the Spartan quarters.
"This is it, Standish," Chris replied, a small smile drawing his lips tight as he saw the man's horrified reaction. "Can't have a… Tok'ra running loose out in the world, now can we? I mean, what would happen if you were… mugged? Ended up in a hospital?"
Ezra looked worried. "You mean to say that I will be living here?"
"Yep," Larabee replied, suddenly feeling a little better about the situation.
"Unless you're topside with one of us," Josiah added, seeing the panic that was about to erupt in the former NID agent.
"Oh, thank God," Ezra responded, then drew himself up with a self-martyred expression. "Now, I suppose we must go visit your medical staff?"
"Yes, you must," Buck agreed, grinning. "This way, Ez."
"Ezra," Standish corrected him.
"Whatever you say… Ez," Buck replied as he led the way out.
Standish rolled his eyes and stood his ground as Larabee and Wilmington left.
"Nathan Jackson," the astrobiologist said, extending his hand to Standish. "I'm looking forward to working with you, both of you. I have a lot of questions…"
"I'm sure you do," Ezra replied, trying not to look disenchanted by the prospect. "But I'm assuming they can wait until I'm settled in, can't they?"
"Sure," Nathan replied, disappointed but willing to wait – a day or two.
Ezra's gaze shifted to Josiah. "And Doctor Sanchez, I presume?"
Josiah nodded and shook the man's hand. "I have questions, too."
"Yes," Ezra said, trying to smile, "I'm sure you do."
"Lieutenant JD Dunne," the younger man said. Adding as they shook hands, "You sure I can't borrow that ring for a day or two?"
"Quite sure," Ezra replied, starting for the door to his quarters and feeling a little trapped.
"And that was Lieutenant Commander Chris Larabee and Lieutenant Buck Wilmington," Nathan told him.
"Yes. It should be an… interesting assignment," Ezra replied, trying not to look like a man heading for his execution. He watched as the two Navy men continued on down the corridor without them.
The other four moved around him and followed after them, getting to know one another a little better as they did. Maybe, just maybe, this might be all right – if he could win their trust.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Six months later
SG-7 took their usual seats around the conference table, General Hammond waiting until they were settled before he started by saying, "Gentlemen, your mission tomorrow has been scrubbed. Something else has come up that takes precedence."
"Sounds interesting," Buck muttered to JD, who nodded, his attention on the general.
"Dr. Joseph Tyler and his team have been working on PX1 313 with the local inhabitants, who have been resisting the Goa'uld for several years now. Tyler believes the planet was once home to an advanced race, and that the Goa'uld brought the current inhabitants there thousands of years ago, long after the original civilization had either left or died out. The locals have been able to use some of the ancient crystal-based weapons left behind by that race to effectively fight the Goa'uld, who have used the stargate to acquire access to the city, and the population. However, as of his last contact, Dr. Tyler reported that two Goa'uld ships are now orbiting the planet. They have warned the city's inhabitants that if they do not surrender, they will come under attack and be destroyed."
"And you want us to stop that?" Larabee asked, wondering what in the world Hammond was thinking.
Hammond shook his head. "No, Commander, I want you and your team to ensure Dr. Tyler and his people make it safely off the planet with the ancient artifacts the locals are allowing them to bring with them."
"And if the Goa'uld start shooting?" Buck asked.
"Then you have a go to do whatever it takes to ensure the safe return of our people and those artifacts," Hammond told him. "You'll be talking along a small tactical nuke, in case you can find a way to get it on board one of the ships."
That put a small smile on all of SG-7's lips.
Chris nodded. "We'll see to it we don't waste a perfectly good nuke, General."
"Just so we're clear, Commander, your primary mission is the safe return of Dr. Tyler, his team, and the artifacts. If you can do some damage to the Goa'uld once that's accomplished, help the locals, then by all means, do so."
Chris nodded. "Understood, sir."
"Dr. Tyler will be contacting us tomorrow at Oh-seven-hundred," Hammond added. "If the gate's clear, we'll dial it up and you'll leave then."
Chris glanced at his men, saying, "We'll meet at Oh-five-hundred to eat, gear up, and review."
The others nodded their understanding.
Hammond handed Chris a thumb drive with all of Tyler's reports. The team would spend the remainder of the day going over those reports, and familiarizing themselves with the layout of the city and the surrounding terrain. Strategies and options for extricating the scientific team would be developed and discussed, contingencies created, and plans made. It was the best they could do until they were on the ground.
"Very well, gentlemen, dismissed," Hammond said, rising and leaving the room.
"I'll see if the level-fifty conference room is available," JD said, heading out behind the general.
"Nathan and I will go get some coffee and munchies," Josiah offered. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."
Chris nodded his agreement. "Buck, see if we can borrow that three-D analyzer so we can get an aerial view of the city and the terrain between it and the gate."
"On it," the ladies' man replied, following Josiah and Nathan out. "Hey, fellas," he called to them, "be sure to get some of that Danish!"
"You're just askin' for a sugar crash," they heard Nathan scold him.
"And me?" Ezra asked Chris.
"Does Shabouh know anything about this ancient race?" Chris asked.
"No, Commander, I'm afraid I do not," the Tok'ra replied. Ezra's eyes returned to normal as he added, "But that planet is in an area of the galaxy the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra have made little use of."
JD came back in, announcing, "Conference room is available. I'm going down to get the computer system booted up."
"Let Nathan and Josiah know on your way; they're in the mess hall."
"Yes, sir," JD replied, gone again.
Chris looked at Ezra and said, "Let's get the conference room set up, see what we can come up with."
"After you, Commander," Ezra replied with the sweep of his hand. "Sounds like an interesting planet," he added.
"Aren't they all?" Chris replied as he led the way out.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Part 2: The Crystal City
The following day, 0700 Hours
Lt. Commander Chris Larabee stood next to General Hammond, listening to Dr. Joseph Tyler's update. It sounded to him like the 'gate was clear for him and his team to use, but it would be Hammond's decision.
"Thank you, Doctor," the general concluded the conversation with the scientist. "SG-Seven will be there momentarily."
They watched as the event horizon dissolved.
Hammond glanced at Chris, saying, "You have a go, Commander."
"Thank you, sir," Chris said, then turned and left the control room. His team was waiting for him in the corridor outside the gate room. "We have a go," was all he said.
The kawoosh flew out from the ring of the stargate and fell back into the event horizon, as breathtaking as always.
"Maintain regular contact, Commander," Hammond said over the speaker system and Chris nodded that he had heard and understood.
Together, with three men on each side of the cart, SG-7 ascended the ramp and disappeared through the stargate.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Emerging on the other side of the wormhole at PX1 313, Chris automatically swept the area for hostiles. There was no one there except three members of the scientific team, and one of the locals.
Larabee nodded back, feeling an immediate ease settle between them, like they had known each other for many years. In fact, if he hadn't been sure the man was a native of the planet, he would have tried to remember where he'd met the guy before. His gaze stayed on the younger man until he reached the others, then shifted to Dr. Tyler.
"Doctor, I'm guessing your men are ready to go?" Chris asked.
Tyler nodded, saying, "Almost. We're just finishin' up packin', but I think the danger might be over."
"How so?" Chris asked, frowning slightly.
"Just after I finished with General Hammond, we saw several Goa'uld transports liftin' off. Seems the Jaffa have been recalled t' their ships."
"Might be because they're getting ready to attach from orbit," Buck offered, his chin lifting as he scanned the sky above them.
"City say Goa'uld go," the young man stated in startlingly close imitation of Dr. Tyler's Texas drawl.
"City?" Chris questioned, looking the young man over again.
Dr. Tyler smiled fondly as he glanced at the young man. "What Vin means to say is that their city is able t' monitor the Goa'uld ships in orbit, 'n' I guess they've left orbit." He looked at Vin and asked, "That accurate?"
"Yep," Vin replied. "Goa'uld go."
"Looks like we won't be needing this, then," Ezra stated, patting the tactical nuke lightly.
"Depends," Chris replied. "They might be back." He looked at Dr. Tyler and asked, "Is there someplace we can safely secure this?"
"Anywhere you'd like," Tyler replied, waving his hand to take in the entire area. "The locals are friendly 'n' completely cooperative."
Chris and the others ended up storing the weapon in a small building Dr. Tyler and his team had been using to conduct their research, then followed the scientist to the "city" Vin had spoken of.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Rising up from the tops of mountain foothills – snowcapped peaks visible behind it – the entire city was made from some kind of milky and clear crystals. Arches decorated the spaces between buildings, and here and there waterfalls cascaded over architectural flourishes and spires, falling into deep basins and wide pools. Sunlight glinted off the crystalline structures, casting shadows in a variety of colors. Plants, vines, and flowers grew from crevasses in the walls, breaking up the smooth surfaces with a patchwork of greenery and color that seemed natural, and adding to the overwhelming beauty of the place.
"Wow," JD breathed.
"Yeah," Buck agreed.
Dr. Tyler grinned at their reactions. "Never seen anythin' like it, have ya," he stated instead of asked.
"Can't say I have," Josiah agreed, his gaze wandering over the magnificent structures. "And it's so… quiet."
Chris hadn't noticed it until Josiah pointed it out, but there were no sounds in the air at all, except for those coming from insects and birds. No industrial sounds, no traffic sounds. In fact, the few people they could see were all on foot.
"Look at that!" Nathan said, pointing into the air.
They looked up to see several flying crystal disks on which several people rode.
"They call 'em skips," Dr. Tyler said, still grinning.
"Because they're round and flat like a stone you might use to skip across a pond of water," another of the scientists added. "They're actually shaped like an upside down Frisbee – and they can carry up to twelve warriors, and all their gear."
"How do they fly?" Josiah asked, his brow furrowing as he watched one of the skips overhead, perfectly silent as it passed.
"Hell if I know," Dr. Tyler replied, shaking his head. "'Course we say that a lot 'round here."
The scientists started off and the rest of them followed, their necks craning in various directions as they entered the city and proceeded to another lab the scientists were using. The room was made of the same crystal substance as the buildings.
Dr. Tyler gestured to an array of objects that were scattered across crystal tabletops. "Folks here agreed that we can take all 'a this, 'n' now might be a good time t' get it back t' the SGC – before the Goa'uld come back."
Chris nodded. "All right, we'll set up a schedule, get this material back while we can. Decide who you want to keep on site, and the rest of your team can go back with this stuff, at least until we know the Goa'uld are gone for good."
"Doubt they are," Tyler replied. "Their threats sounded pretty sincere. Not sure why they turned tail and ran just now."
Buck grinned. "Probably heard who was comin' ta town," he offered.
"You said the locals have been fighting the Goa'uld?" Chris asked, his gaze sweeping over Vin, who looked too young to be of much help in a fight.
"Well, fighting the Jaffa on the planet, anyway," Tyler agreed. "Their skips are strictly low altitude vehicles."
Chris nodded. "Is there a way to know if any Jaffa are left on the planet?"
Dr. Tyler turned to Vin. "Vin, can ya find out if all the Jaffa are gone?"
Vin nodded, then trotted away. Chris watched him go, then nodded to Josiah, saying, "Stay with him, see what you can find out."
"Will do," Sanchez replied, jogging off to catch up with the younger man.
Chris glanced around at all the material that had to be moved through the gate – it was a considerable amount. "Nathan, you and JD start sorting out what has to go, and in what order." He looked at Buck and added, "See what kind of defenses we can arrange to protect the road from here to the gate."
"On it," Buck replied, and he was gone.
"And me?" Ezra asked.
Chris looked at Tyler as he asked, "Can you give us a tour?"
"I can," the Texan replied.
"You're with me," Chris told Ezra. "I want to know if Shabouh has seen anything like this."
"I can already tell you, he has not," Ezra replied immediately. "And he is most impressed… And that's saying something, Commander."
Larabee stifled a small grin. It took a great deal to impress the Tok'ra. Maybe a look around would reveal other defenses they might be able to employ, if the Goa'uld attacked.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Josiah trailed Vin down a series of hallways, the walls, floors, and ceilings all made of crystal. Green and flowering plants grew in niches in areas where the ceilings were made of clear crystal, allowing sunlight into the space. Everywhere he looked he found another pocket of beauty.
He paused when he spotted a huge indoor park and garden, several people working there, gardening and harvesting vegetables while children ran and played.
Jogging to catch up with Vin, he followed the younger man until they reached a room where three others stood, looking down at what appeared to be maps of the landmass on which the crystal city had been built. Josiah guessed that the landmass appeared to be an island close to the size of Ireland, if he was reading it correctly. Besides a representation of the city, there were several considerably smaller images he guessed represented villages that were scattered across the landmass.
"Are those towns?" he asked Vin, pointing to one.
Vin nodded. "Towns, yes."
"How many people live on this island?" he asked.
Vin's forehead wrinkled as he tried decipher the information Josiah had requested. He exchanged words with the other three men, then said, "Plenty."
Josiah chuckled, knowing he probably wouldn't get a better answer than that.
He turned his attention to the map, which was set into a crystal tabletop. Information seemed to be scrolling down one side of the flat surface and the other three men were watching it, but it was written in a language Josiah couldn't read, although he was relatively certain it was based on ancient Gaelic to a large degree.
Vin and the others carried on a conversation in a language that he found pleasing to the ear, but it was completely incomprehensible to Sanchez, except for two words – 'Goa'uld' and 'Jaffa.'
When the conversation ended, Vin turned to Josiah and said, "Go skips Jaffa."
Josiah's brow creased as he tried to untangle the meaning from the few words. "Do you mean that all the Jaffa have returned to their ships in orbit?"
Vin smiled widely and nodded. "Hear good you," he told Josiah, clapping him on the shoulder.
The older man chuckled. "Glad to hear it."
"Go us," Vin stated.
Josiah looked longingly at the tabletop, deciding that what he was looking at had to be some kind of scanning device, so Vin's people did have technology, but it clearly wasn't their own. The city must have been built by a more advanced civilization – perhaps the makers of the stargate system—and the humans who had been brought there by the Goa'uld had simply learned how to use parts of it over time.
Josiah cursed softly when he realized Vin was already gone and he hurried away to catch up to him, following the younger man through the wide hallways. He was sure they were headed in another direction than the one where they had come from, and he asked, "Vin, where are we going?"
"Doctor Joe," Vin replied.
"Doctor Tyler?"
Vin nodded, grinning.
"Lead on, then," Josiah said, glancing around to catch whatever he could see.
Everyone he saw was dressed similarly to Vin, in leathers or homespun, or a mix of both, which seemed odd, given the futuristic look at the city itself. Some wore more leather than cloth, while others had all-cloth clothing and wore no leather. He noted that some appeared almost entirely Amerindian, while others looked purely Celtic. But most were some mixture of the two. And it was the men, more often than the women, who wore the crystals.
Reaching out, Josiah trailed his fingertips over the surface of a wall and was surprised to find it pleasantly warm to his touch. He could also feel some kind of energy in the surface of the wall, but he had no idea what that might be, or why it might be there. It was a shame they didn't have more time to explore and study the city.
A few minutes later they caught up with Dr. Tyler, Chris, and Ezra.
"How did you know where they were?" Josiah asked Vin, who looked confused by the question.
"He can find anybody you ask him to find, no matter where they are," Dr. Tyler said, shaking his head. "Can't figure out how he does it, though."
"Anything?" Chris asked Josiah.
"According to the locals, all of the Jaffa are back on their ships, and the ships are in orbit," Josiah stated. "I'm thinking Buck might be right – they're getting ready to attack from space."
Chris nodded. "Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"This is really good," JD said, digging in with gusto.
"Oh, yeah," Buck agreed, savoring another bite of the juicy meat.
"So, who are these people?" Nathan asked Dr. Tyler.
The Texan smiled. "That, Doctor Jackson, is a very good question," he replied. "There are elements from several distinct cultural groups here, most of them North American tribal groups, and then there's the other group – British Isles Celtic. The Celts have become blended into the older, tribal culture, over time, 'n' now it's really a unique cultural fusion 'a the two. Even Daniel hasn't had any luck tryin' to decipher their language, although he was able t' pick out a few specific words in Gaelic, and a few from all seven of the major Native American language groups."
"All seven? I haven't had any better luck than Daniel, and now I know why," Josiah admitted. "I'm fairly confident nobody's seen anything quite like this language. It's as if all of the North American tribes had somehow fused, and a common language was forged, and then that language was later crossed with Gaelic. I'm pretty sure you'd have to be born into this culture to be able to learn the language, let alone speak it, although, from what I saw today, their written language is based on Gaelic."
Dr. Tyler glanced over at Vin, who sat at the table with them, eating. "Unfortunately, they don't seem interested in learning our language, except for Vin here."
The young man looked up and grinned when he heard his name. "Speak good me," he stated, his drawl just as pronounced as Dr. Tyler's.
"Huh?" JD replied, trying not to laugh.
"He means he can speak our language well," Tyler translated, smiling.
"A conviction that is up for some serious debate," Ezra tossed in.
"Yes, well, Vin understands a great deal more than he can articulate; trust me, they all do, although I've no idea how."
"What's all that stuff you're taking back?" Chris asked.
Tyler's smiled widened. "No clue whatsoever. They're all objects they've given us when we've asked for 'em. I'm guessin' we'll eventually figure out what they are, and what they can do, but for the most part I don't have a clue. Most likely they're devices created by the original builders of the city. The locals don't use much of the technology, and I doubt they even know themselves what most of the artifacts do, or used to do. Some, though, are crystal weapons that we've seen these people use against the Goa'uld."
Buck frowned. "What do they do, throw 'em at 'em?"
Tyler laughed. "No, the crystals emit some kind of energy discharge that's at least as powerful as a staff weapon blast. Hit a Jaffa with one and he goes down – stays down, too."
"Now that could be useful," JD said. "How do they work?"
Tyler shrugged. "When we try to use 'em, nothin' happens. I'm guessin' that they're somehow keyed t' a particular user, but if we can find out how t' bypass that…"
"Why not just ask them?" Josiah wanted to know.
"Tried that," Tyler admitted. "And let's just say that I suspect they're choosin' ta ignore the question."
"You think you can figure it out back in the lab?" Chris questioned.
"Us, or the big brains over at area fifty-one," Tyler replied.
Chris glanced across the table at Vin, who lifted his head and met his eyes. It sent a rush of pure lust straight through his groin, and he had to take a deep breath before he said, "Vin, can you show me how to shoot one of those crystals?"
Vin nodded.
"I tried that, too," Tyler said. "Vin was very careful t' show me how he shoots one, but as soon as I tried t' do it myself, nothin'."
"Maybe he just doesn't know what you really mean," JD suggested. "He seems kind of, uh… simple."
Tyler shot the lieutenant a hard look. "You try talking Goa'uld, or his language, and see how smart you sound."
JD blushed. "I— I didn't mean any harm," he said quickly, his gaze skittering between Vin, Tyler, and Chris.
Vin didn't look the least bit offended as he watched the exchange, and Chris wondered just how much the man really did understood. Maybe Tyler was mistaken. From everything he'd seen so far, these people seemed pretty simple to him, too. But there was intelligence behind those blue eyes, and personality, and Larabee felt a strong draw to it, even if he couldn't imagine why.
The men finished their meal, then settled in to talk while Dr. Tyler made coffee using a coffee machine he'd plugged into a generator.
"Buck, what did you see as far as cover between here and the gate?" Chris asked.
Wilmington leaned forward as he said, "The terrain's too uneven and dense to use anything but the road if we're lookin' for speed. If Vin's people can help provide some high cover with those flyin' Frisbees of theirs, I think we can do okay. If they come after us in death gliders we can take cover in the woods. It'll be a hump, but we could do it if we have to."
Chris nodded, reaching for the meat just as an explosion sounded somewhere above them. The members of SG-7 each jerked and stared to dive for cover as a second explosion rattled the plates and bowls on the table. Dr. Tyler looked around, trying to determine what was happening.
Vin just sat, eating his meal. He smiled at the others and shook his head. "Eat. No hurt Goa'uld."
SG-7 and Dr. Tyler settled back into their seats, glancing around as the bombardment continued. Chris looked at Vin and asked, "That the Goa'uld?"
Vin nodded, looking unconcerned about the explosions.
Chris, who couldn't sit still any longer, stood and headed out, the others trailing after him, including Vin, who took Chris to a balcony that looked out over a portion of the city. Above them they watched the Goa'uld bombardment, but nothing was hitting the buildings, the energy weapons discharging on some kind of force field high up in the sky.
"Huh. I haven't seen this before," Dr. Tyler said.
Chris turned to Vin. "Can we still get to the stargate?"
Vin nodded. "Take me."
Chris turned to the others. "Tyler, get your people ready to go. Buck, you and me are going to see what's going on at the 'gate. The rest of you will help them get ready to go."
They each nodded their understanding.
"Okay, Vin," Chris said, "get us to the 'gate."
Vin frowned. "Dark."
"Better cover for us," Buck told him.
Vin nodded his understanding, but added, "Make bad dark trees."
Chris looked to Tyler.
"I think he's trying to say that traveling through the woods in the dark isn't the best idea."
"We'll be careful," Chris replied with a wry grin. "Vin, let me introduce you to night-vision technology…"
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
When they drew closer to the edge of the shield they realized they could see it through the goggles. It appeared as a strange distortion in the air, like a severe heat mirage that quivered slightly each time one of the explosions sounded overhead.
Vin didn't hesitate, stepping through the shield to continue on toward the stargate.
Chris and Buck, however, both hesitated.
Buck reached out and carefully reached through the shield. He jerked his hand back. "Damn, that's just… weird," he said. "Kind 'a feels like water."
Chris grinned at his old friend and shook his head. "C'mon," he said, stepping through and following Vin.
Buck took a deep breath, holding it as he stepped through as well, then jogged to catch up to the other two men. His skin tingled slightly, but it wasn't painful and it quickly faded away.
Several minutes later they were crouched in the trees, watching as several Jaffa stepped from the stargate. Others had taken up defensive positions, but as of yet there were no staff cannons to contend with, just the Jaffa and their staff weapons.
Chris counted. "Twenty," he said.
"I got twenty-two," Buck replied.
Chris counted again. "Yep, twenty-one; guess we were both wrong."
Four more Jaffa exited the stargate.
"Crap," Buck hissed.
"Yeah," Chris agreed, but then the 'gate closed and one of the Jaffa began barking orders.
"Guess that's all they're sending to guard the gate," Buck offered.
"For now, anyway," Chris replied, thinking. "If we move Tyler's people to the edge of the shield, along with their stuff, they'll be protected until we secure the 'gate, and a helluva lot closer than they are now."
Buck nodded. "But it'll still have to be on the road. No way in hell we're going to be able to schlep that stuff through those woods." He glanced over at Vin and asked, "Can the Jaffa get through the shield?"
Vin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No pass shield Goa'uld," he told them confidently.
"Sounds like the best plan, then," Buck said.
Chris reached out and lightly rested his hand on Vin's shoulder as he asked, "How many of your people can help us take the 'gate?"
Vin's brow furrowed for a moment, then he smiled as he said, "Two ten."
"Twenty ought to about do it," Buck said, grinning at the pleased expression Vin wore.
"All right, let's get back and get this rolling," Chris ordered as one of the Jaffa began dialing the 'gate, then Larabee paused, a somewhat feral expression settling on his face.
"I've seen that look before," Buck lamented, "right before we end up doing something crazy."
Chris looked at his friend, grinning wider as he said, "Those Jaffa, they're coming from the Ha'tak in orbit, right?"
"Most likely," Buck agreed. "Why?"
"If we take the 'gate, why not put that nuke we hauled along to good use?"
Buck smiled. "I like it." He glanced over at the DHD. "I'll stay and get the 'gate address they're using."
Chris nodded, then looked at Vin and said, "Okay, Tonto, take me back to the city."
Vin cocked his head to the side and asked, "Is what?"
"Tonto?" Chris asked.
Vin nodded.
Larabee grinned. "It's just a nickname…"
"Cowboys and Indians, Junior," Buck said. "You're part-Indian and we're the cowboys, come to punch some Goa'uld butt."
Vin looked confused, but he jerked his chin in the direction of the city. "Come you, Cowboy."
Chris shot his second-in-command a sour look. "He just call me a cowboy?"
"Sure did," Buck agreed with a grin.
Chris shook his head and followed after Vin while Buck started to make his way to a position from which he could see the DHD better.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
When Chris and Vin returned to the city they found Tyler and his people packing the last of the artifacts. The largest, a huge, single block of crystal that was nearly as large as a small car, was too big to be packed, and rested on a wagon bed. That would only be moveable along the road, but Chris wasn't too concerned, since the force field would keep them safe for almost the entire trip to the 'gate.
"We'll be ready to move in less than an hour," Josiah told Chris.
Larabee nodded. "They're guarding the gate, but I think we can flush them out with some help from the locals."
"And they have gotten very good at kickin' Jaffa ass," Dr. Tyler said as he walked up to join them.
Vin grinned and nodded. "Kick good," he agreed, looking pleased with himself.
"The force field protecting the city should ensure the safety of your people, but the 'gate's about fifty yards beyond it," Chris told the scientist. "You'll wait with the artifacts until we secure the 'gate, then move through as quickly as you can, taking as much as you can. But if it gets bad, leave the stuff and get home."
"Understood," Tyler replied, nodding.
Chris turned to Vin. "Let's go get your people together and get back out there."
Vin nodded and started to turn, but he stopped when a loud booming voice seemed to surround them.
Josiah looked up. "One of the System Lords. And that's an ancient form of Gaelic he's speaking."
"…I brought your ancestors to this place generations ago. You owe your loyalty to me, and you will surrender by daybreak, or be destroyed."
"Who is this jerk?" JD asked.
"Camulus was the Celtic god of war," Josiah said. "He might have brought the Celts here, but I rather doubt he also brought the tribes here as well."
"Don't think we'll get a chance to ask," Nathan added. "Might have been some other System Lord who brought them."
"Think he knows his weapons aren't impacting the city?" Chris asked.
"The Jaffa at the 'gate should be able to see that, right?" JD asked.
"The Commander is making a joke," Ezra informed the lieutenant.
JD looked a little sheepish as he said, "I knew that."
Chris told the others his idea for the tactical nuke, and they agreed it was worth a shot. "All right," he said, "Josiah, Nathan, make sure everybody's in place as soon as possible. Bring the nuke with you. JD, Ezra, you're with me and the locals." He looked at Vin. "Okay, let's go get the troops in the air."
* ~ * ~ * *~~ *~ *~*
JD sat in the middle of one of the skips, an expression of pure delight on his face as they sped along just above the tops of the trees. Ezra and Chris were in other skips, each with six or seven men and women from the local militia.
Vin was sitting next to Chris, and he could tell the younger man was the one flying the craft, but he couldn't make out how in the world the machine operated, or if it was even really a machine.
Glancing at the others seated around him, Chris turned his attention to the craft, but found nothing he could call instruments.
"We're approaching the force field," Chris stated over the radios all the members of SG-7 carried.
JD stared at the iridescent sheen and held his breath as they flew right through it. Other than a slight tingling all over his body, there was no effect. But the skip shook slightly as it was struck on the underside by staff-weapon fire. It looked like fiery hail stones were impacting and exploding across the bottom of the crystal craft, sending an explosion of red-orange spider-web filaments crawling across the bottom of the skip, but none of the blasts did any apparent damage.
The skips rose higher, and began arching turns that would carry them back into battle against the firing Jaffa. JD readied his MP5 and waited for an opportunity to fire.
And that opportunity came quickly.
JD heard the sounds of other MP5s firing, but the crystal weapons the locals used were silent, although their discharges of energy were just as effective against the Jaffa as those of the team.
Another MP5 joined the fray and JD knew that had to be Buck.
The skips turned, spun, hovered, rocked, dipped, and dived. JD often found himself grabbing for the lip of the craft, and holding on for dear life, but he never once lost his seat, and none of the locals were grabbing for the lip like he was. A part of his mind couldn't understand how that was the case, but he had no time to worry about it, as the Jaffa were putting up a determined fight to maintain control of the 'gate.
JD jumped when one of the locals sitting next to him was struck by a blast from a staff weapon. The woman slumped to the floor of the skip and stayed there, unconscious or dead, he couldn't be sure which.
He saw the skip with Ezra in it do a looping maneuver, then swoop down to take out the Jaffa who had shot the woman in his skip. He frowned as he fired another burst from his MP5, taking down another Jaffa. How in the world did the pilots of the three skips communicate with one another?
But there was no time to think about that, either. He fired again, watching as more of the Jaffa fell.
The longer they battled, the more complicated the maneuvers of the three craft became, the skips moving in tight formations to give the passengers the best shots at their common enemy, while still providing the maximum protection from the staff weapons. Before too long the Jaffa were forced to dial up the 'gate and make a hasty retreat. But not before JD saw the skip carrying Chris and Vin take a double hit from two Jaffa who were covering the backs of their fellows.
"Vin!" he heard Chris yell, but JD couldn't get a good look at the man to see what had happened.
Once the surviving Jaffa disappeared through the 'gate, the three skips landed and the injured, including Vin, were loaded onto one, which rose up and shot off toward the city.
Chris, JD, and Ezra headed toward to the 'gate, the locals who had been fighting on the skips following behind them.
"Is Vin okay?" JD asked.
Chris' expression was grim as he shook his head. "He lunged in front of me and another local," he said. "Took a staff blast to the back."
"Shame," Ezra said, shaking his head sadly, "I was developing a fondness for the boy; Shabouh as well."
Buck jogged up to join them. "That was damned amazing to watch!" He glanced around. "Where's Vin?"
"He was hurt," JD said, hoping Chris was wrong about how bad it was.
"Damn," the ladies' man sighed. Then he nodded as the first of Dr. Tyler's people reached them with the first armloads of artifacts.
"Dial it up!" Chris barked, then turned to the rest of the locals, pointing and explaining how he wanted them to fan out and protect the 'gate. He just hoped Tyler was right and they understood more than they let on, but they took up the positions he'd indicated.
As soon as the kawoosh settled into the event horizon Ezra and JD were covering the scientists as they stepped through the 'gate, heading home.
Chris and Buck sprinted back to where two of the scientists, and two of the locals, were rolling the tactical nuke along the road. They helped them get the device over to the DHD where Josiah and Nathan stood guard.
"As soon as all our people are through, we'll dial up the address Buck saw and send them our present," Chris told the two men, who nodded. Larabee glanced at Buck and added, "You stay here with Josiah, make sure that happens." His gaze shifted to Jackson. "Nate, you're with me. Let's help get this stuff through the 'gate as quickly as possible. There's no telling if they'll send death gliders down here to try and stop us."
The astrobiologist nodded, and they hurried off to help unload material from the wagon beds, sliding it through the 'gate.
Tyler caught up to them several minutes later. "Where's Vin?" he asked.
"He was hurt. They took him back to the city," Chris explained.
"How bad?"
"Pretty bad," Chris replied, absolutely sure the man had no chance to survive his injuries. "How much more?"
"Everything but the block is through," Tyler said.
"And your people?" Chris asked.
"Just me and the two with the block left," Tyler drawled.
"All right, let's get this over with," Chris said, watching as the wagon was maneuvered over in front of the gate by several local men. They pushed up on the tongue, tilting the wagon bed up to a thirty degree angle. The block began to slide off, passing through the event horizon and disappearing, the last two of Tyler's team following it.
"Now you, Doctor," Chris said.
Tyler shook his head. "I want to see how Vin's doin' first."
Chris shook his head in reply. "Our job was to get you and your people out of here."
"Commander, that's not happening until I see how Vin is. We might be able to help him. I owe that boy that much, and so do you."
Chris cursed softly under his breath. He had to admit he wanted to know as well, but that would mean abandoning the 'gate, and their only way home. He gestured to JD and Ezra to let the connection go and the event horizon winked out of existence.
JD sprinted over to the nuke and keyed in the codes to arm the device, Chris joining him to key in his command code, which activated the countdown.
The others all moved away from the front of the 'gate while Buck dialed in the address he had seen the Jaffa using when the countdown reached thirty seconds.
As soon as the event horizon appeared Nathan, Josiah, Buck, and JD rolled the nuke over to it.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven…" Buck said and they began to roll the device through the 'gate. "…six, five, four…" The device disappeared. "…three, two, one…" Buck continued as the horizon winked out a second time.
"Okay, let's get back to the city," Chris said, a feral smile on his face. He whistled to the locals who guarded the area, then pointed to the skips. They immediately headed for the craft, climbing into the remaining two. SG-7 and Dr. Tyler joined them for the trip back.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Chris and the others hurried back toward the city. Above them, pieces of the Goa'uld mother ship continued to rain down through the planet's atmosphere like a meteor shower. Then, just before they reached the first of the city's buildings, a booming voice filled the air.
"Our Ha'tak may have been destroyed, but our Al'kesh will annihilate you! You dare to attack Lord Camulus, your God? You are nothing! You will suffer for this insolence! No one will be allowed to live!"
"Someone got up on the wrong side of the explosion, didn't he," Buck said with a grin.
"How unfortunate that Camulus wasn't in his mother ship when it exploded," Ezra agreed.
"He might have lost one of his toys, but it sounds like he's got at least two more to play with," Chris said, then he looked at Ezra. "Shabouh, can these Al'kesh do any kind of damage to the city?"
Ezra's eyes flared with light and the Tok'ra replied, "Doubtful, Commander. If the Ha'tak's weapons could not penetrate the city's shield, then the chances of the weapons on the Al'kesh doing so is miniscule, at best. However, the Al'kesh can do significant damage to civilian populations if they are not protected as the city itself is. Camulus will have to make an example of the population of this planet, or risk being seen as weak by his fellow System Lords."
Chris took a moment to consider that. The force field seemed to surround the city itself, but he had no idea if the villages that were scattered around the city would also be protected. They might be the cause of a great many deaths if those people were unprotected. "Let's get back to the city, see if we can find out what happened to Vin, and see of the rest of the people living outside the city will be protected," he said.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
They returned quickly to the city and the workspace Tyler and his people had been using. The scientist left them there and went out to find someone to ask about Vin. They could hear the attack continuing, but the shield continued to protect the city.
Close to an hour later, Tyler returned. "I found one of the people who gave us some of the artifacts. He said Vin would be fine, and we'll be able to see him soon. At least, I think that's what he said."
Chris looked surprised by that, but he didn't say anything. Maybe these people had medical technology that could help Vin. He hoped so; he wasn't sure why, but he knew he'd grieve if he lost the young man – and how silly was that? He hardly knew the man.
Some of the other inhabitants came in carrying food that they set on the empty table.
"Can't hurt to eat, right?" JD asked, looking hopeful.
Buck slapped him on the back. "Eat and sleep when you can, kid. Never forget that." He sat down and staring reaching for the bowls. The others join him.
They had just finished when a man came in. He pointed to Chris and said, "See Vin, yes?"
"Yes," Chris said, standing.
Tyler also stood.
The man shook his head. "One only."
Chris looked at Tyler and said, "I'll see what's going on, then let you know."
The older man nodded. "Tell him we're pulling for him," Tyler told him.
Larabee smiled. "I will." He looked at the man. "All right, take me to Vin."
The man nodded and left the room, Larabee trailing after him. They made their way down several corridors until they reached an alcove that looked like it held some kind of possible religious significance. The man pointed to an arched door at the back of the space.
"Vin's in there?" Larabee asked.
The man nodded and smiled, gesturing for him to go on. Chris headed for the arch and found himself in another hallway. There was a closed door at the end.
Chris opened the door and walked into a room. The lighting was dim, but there was enough so he could see Vin, lying in a bed, naked, his wrists caught in loose folds of a piece of thin material. He was awake, too, and looking at Chris with a hungry amusement.
"Want you me?" Vin asked him.
He swallowed hard and walked over to the bed, looking down at the younger man. He was… damn… He looked good, so damn good, and Chris felt the blood begin to pool in his groin.
Vin smiled up at him and wiggled his hips.
"Oh, shit," Chris breathed. "Vin, are you all right?"
"Me good," Vin told him, arching up toward him. "Want you me?"
"Vin," Chris said, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore what was being offered, "I saw you take a blast from that staff weapon— your back—how—?"
"Me good," Vin said, meeting Larabee's eyes, "want me you."
"Uh, what do you want?" Chris asked, but it all too clear what Vin wanted.
"Want you take," Vin groaned, opening his legs, his erect cock pointing up along his belly.
"Oh, Christ," Chris said, starting to strip off his equipment and clothes without even realizing it.
"Come, take you me," Vin panted, his hips pressing up.
"I'll take you," Larabee growled, crawling onto the bed and between Vin's legs, forcing them open wide. He grabbed the man's hard cock and gave it a squeeze as he leaned over and claimed Vin's mouth, kissing him roughly.
Vin arched his back, pressing his chest to the blond's, and trying to thrust into the commander's tight grip.
Chris shifted his weight left, then right, using his slightly larger size to straddle and trap Vin's legs. His hands came down on Vin's wrists. He grinned hungrily as the younger man struggled under him, even though he knew it was because Vin was enjoying himself. He claimed the man's mouth again, thrusting his tongue inside while he lifted his hips just far enough to use his own hard cock to poke Vin's balls.
"Take," Vin breathed when he let him come up for air.
Chris growled, the word alone making his cock throb. He scrambled back, grabbing Vin's legs and forcing them up and open, exposing the man's ass. He knew he should go slower, prepare Vin, but never having had sex with another man, he wasn't altogether sure how to go about that. And Vin didn't seem to be in the mood to wait, chanting softly, "Take, take, take…"
He forced Vin's thighs back to his chest, then braced them there with one arm. He spat into his free hand and slicked his cock with it, grateful he was starting to leak, the precome helping.
Then he grabbed his cock and fumbled it until he found the pucker of Vin's hole. Without hesitation he thrust his hips forward, popping his cockhead into what felt like a tight velvet fist. He and Vin both gasped.
Then Vin squeezed his ass cheeks and Chris felt his cock swell in response. He grabbed Vin's shins with his hands and thrust his hips again, realizing that Vin had been prepared for this, his ass already slicked with some kind of lubricant. He sank nearly all the way in.
"Take," Vin panted.
And Chris gave him what he wanted, pumping the man's hole with hard, fast thrusts. Vin moaned, his head rolling from side to side as he fingers curled into the material that lightly wrapped his wrists, holding on tightly while he was taken.
Chris was quickly lost in the sensations being visited on his cock. Vin was so hot and so tight he could hardly believe it, and he knew he might not last as long as he'd like. But he was going to enjoy it as long as possible. So he slowed down, choosing long, measured strokes instead.
Vin groaned and tried to buck his hips faster, but Larabee's weight kept him from changing the pace.
The younger man's head rolled faster and he keened softly.
Chris offered him a somewhat feral grin, then picked up the pace again.
"Ah, ah, ah," Vin voiced each time Chris drove into him. "Yes… good… take…"
Seeing Vin's cock was leaking, Chris grabbed it with one hand, letting the man's precome aid the friction his palm provided. Vin arched his chest up, pulling down on the cloth. His body began to shake.
Chris picked up the pace, stabbing into Vin's ass as hard and fast as he could as he felt his climax drawing close. Then he felt Vin's muscles spasm wildly and come spewed across his chest and belly.
Larabee growled, his hips continuing to jerk as he felt his control slip away. He rutted into Vin ass as he erupted, emptying himself into the man as his hips finally slowed of their own accord. He slumped over the younger man, pressing his cock inside him as far as he could go, and letting the last few drops of come be squeezes out. He was dripping sweat, and gasping for air.
He wasn't sure how long it was before he could move again, but when he could he rolled off Vin and dropped onto the bed beside him. Vin lowered his legs with a satisfied sigh, then freed his hands from the loops of cloth and rolled over, pressing his body along Chris'.
Larabee freed his arm and used it to circle Vin's back. The younger man laid his head on the commander's chest. "Take good," he breathed.
Chris chuckled. "I did, huh?"
"Take much good," Vin told him.
Chris grinned, his eyes falling closed. This had to be a dream. There was no way he had just fucked—
It had to be a dream.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Chris jerked awake. Vin was standing next to the bed, dressed in his leathers. The blond started and sat up. He was fully dressed as well. So it was a dream?
"Go now," Vin said.
"Vin?" he said, getting up a little groggily. "You're okay?"
"Me good. Go now."
"Go where?" Chris asked, trying to remember what had happened. Someone had come to take him to see Vin… He reached unconsciously for his groin, but stopped himself. He'd— No, he wouldn't have—
"Go now, Cowboy," Vin said.
"Uh, yeah, okay," Larabee replied, nodding.
Vin turned and left, Chris following him.
Okay, that had to be a dream, he thought. What a freakin' weird dream. But he couldn't help wondering what it might be like, if he did it for real…
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
As they hurried down corridors, an odd chiming sound began echoing down the long passages. It was not as strident as an alarm, but it clearly signaled some kind of attention-getting summons. A moment later Larabee saw Tyler and his men.
"You know what that is?" Chris asked Dr. Tyler as he joined them.
Tyler shook his head, saying, "Never heard it before, Commander."
"Sounds like some kind of an alarm," Buck offered.
"Calling people come," stated Vin.
The rest of the members of the SGC and Tyler turned, staring in surprise as Vin walked up to join them as well. He looked perfectly fine. He smiled. "Look Vin you?"he asked.
"Vin, you were hurt," JD said, shocked to see the man on his feet, let alone smiling. "Chris said a staff blast hit you in the back." He reached out and turned the man around. There were no bandages on his back. "How—?"
"Fix city," Vin interrupted off-handedly. "Come. Go stargate you."
"Does the city want us to leave?" Dr. Tyler asked, afraid that they had somehow offended the real rulers of this world, whoever they might be.
Vin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Want stay. Making bad Goa'uld. Go safe you."
"I think they want us to leave until this confrontation with the Goa'uld is resolved," Tyler translated after a moment to ponder Vin's words.
"We should stay and help them," JD argued. "If those ships start attacking the people out there—"
"Doc, our job is to get you back safe and sound," Chris told Tyler. "After that we'll see what Hammond wants us to do," he added, shooting a look at JD, who nodded.
"As long as we remain in the city we should be safe," Ezra stated.
"Go safe Doctor Joe," Vin said. "Come." And then he turned and headed back out of the building.
Chris clapped Dr. Tyler on the shoulder saying, "You came back to see if Vin was all right; he's fine. Now, let's get you home."
Tyler nodded, starting after Vin, the rest of the following him.
They caught up to Vin as he reached the road leading into the city. Many of the local inhabitants were also headed into the city, so they walked along the far right edge of the thoroughfare so they didn't impede the flow of those fleeing into the city.
"Vin, what's that chimin' sound?" Dr. Tyler asked. "You said the city was callin' these people to come?"
Vin nodded. "Call city. Come people."
"But why?" Tyler asked.
Vin shrugged. "Know city."
"Wish we did, too," Nathan stated.
"Probably in order to ensure they're protected from a Goa'uld attack," Ezra said. "Camulus knows his weapons cannot harm the city itself, so he will surely target those who are outside the city's protection."
"More reasons for us to get Dr. Tyler home and see what we can do to help these people," Chris barked. "Now, less talk, more hustle!"
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
As the press of people hurrying toward the city increased, Vin led them off the road and onto a small trail that ran alongside it, but through the trees. It was easy to tell the people on the road were frightened, and they carried bundles in their arms, or in wheelbarrow type devices they pushed in front of them.
"Looks like they are targeting the population this time," Josiah said, sadness in his voice.
Another hundred yards closer to the 'gate and they could hear the cries and screams of the wounded as they passed through the shield. Hearing the sounds, those ahead of the wounded began to run toward the city, making room for those who followed.
"Look!" Nathan called.
They saw a shimmer in the shield, then a flash of bright light and the barrier seemed to disappear.
"Is it down?" JD yelped, ducking for cover as one of the energy weapons exploded on the surface of the shield, which was now much closer to the ground than it had been before.
Chris stared up, watching three more explosions hit the shield before he said, "I think the shield's been extended."
JD was back on his feet as well. "That makes sense. To extend the reach of the shield the radius of the—"
"Later, Einstein," Buck interrupted, grabbing the lieutenant's arm and moving him along the trail.
There were still cries from the wounded, but the weapons all fell short of their targets now.
"How in the world did they do that?" JD asked when they reached the 'gate.
The stargate was unshielded, as if an invisible cylinder had been set over the area, extending high up into the sky, the force field wrapping around it to create a kind of donut hole. But that was only half their problem. The Jaffa were once again in control of the 'gate, and this time they had three staff cannons set up to guard it.
The Jaffa looked nervous, and it was easy to understand why – they were trapped inside the ring the force field created with no way to escape, except through the 'gate.
Ezra's eyes lit up and Shabouh said, "Only a Ha'tak is large enough to carry a stargate. If Camulus wants to reinforce the stargate, he will have to bring troops from one of his other worlds."
"It'll be like shootin' fish in a barrel," Buck said. "They have to know that, right?"
"I'm sure they do," Ezra said.
"Except these fish will shoot back if we don't stay behind the shield," Nathan added.
"Guess we'd better find out," Chris said, then stepped out of the trees, standing and staring at the Jaffa he was sure was the commander of the forces guarding the 'gate.
The man lifted his staff weapon and fired, but the blast hit the force field and dissipated in a spidery spray of energy over the surface.
Vin raised his crystal weapon. It discharged, passing through the shield and striking the Jaffa. He fell to the ground, dead.
The rest of the Jaffa opened fire on them, but none of their weapons could penetrate the shield.
"We might be safe here, but we can't get to the 'gate," Josiah said. "And they can't get out."
"They could dial up and leave," JD argued.
"They probably have orders to hold the 'gate at all costs," Ezra said. "And if they do, they'll hold it to the last man."
"Don't feel right, just mowing them down," Buck said with a frown.
"Only option we have," Chris replied. "Unless they decide to retreat; let's give them a reason to."
The team opened fire with their MPs, bullets passing through the shield and forcing the Jaffa to scramble for whatever cover they could find.
"Hold your fire!" Chris called, then walked over to the force field. "If you don't want to die, go home!"
The Jaffa exchanged looks. One stepped forward, saying, "We will not allow you to use the geata na reultan."
"Stargate," Josiah translated.
Chris turned to Vin. "Do you think some of your people can help us?"
Vin nodded. "I call."
The others waited, but Vin did nothing except stand where he was, watching the Jaffa. Then, above them, they saw two skips with fighters dipping down toward them.
"How'd you do that?" JD wanted to know.
Vin just looked confused.
"Later," Chris said, curious himself, but this wasn't the time. "Let's get that 'gate."
Chris and the others climbed into the skips, except for Dr. Tyler, who remained safe behind the force field at Larabee's order. And as soon as they were settled, the skips rose, slicing through the shield and into the space around the 'gate.
The Jaffa opened fire on them with their cannons and staff weapons, but once again the skips seemed to absorb the blasts, although shots from the staff cannons made the circular disks shake and rock.
Vin and his people fired down on the Jaffa with their crystal weapons, while Chris and SG-7 rained bullets down on the men.
As the skip he rode in rose high into the sky Chris caught sight of the devastation the Al'kesh were causing in the countryside. And there were several Tel'teks landing in an open space, more Jaffa emerging from them. But then they were diving down toward the Jaffa at the 'gate.
They opened fire again. And after a looping maneuver that had Larabee's stomach doing a flip of its own, the skips settled on the ground where the dead Jaffa lay.
Vin climbed out as well, calling back to the others in his own language. The skips leapt into the air and swung off toward the city.
"Where are they going?" Nathan asked.
"Go city," Vin said.
"Buck, dial it up!" Chris called, and Wilmington jogged over and started punching out the address for home. Larabee waved for Dr. Tyler and he jogged over to join Buck.
A moment later the kawoosh shot out from the event horizon, then fell back. JD mounted the stairs of the platform where the 'gate stood and stuck his hand into the watery-looking surface, holding the 'gate open.
"Doctor," Chris called, waving for the man to get going.
Tyler stopped when he reached Vin, saying, "I hope this all works out, son."
Vin nodded. "Care good city."
"It's been a pleasure," Dr. Tyler told Vin, then clapped him on the shoulder and walked to the stargate, disappearing as he stepped past the event horizon.
Explosions continued to echo from beyond the shield, and the members of SG-7 felt the ground begin to vibrate.
"JD, what the hell is that?" Buck asked, looking worriedly around him.
The young lieutenant shrugged and shook his head. "I have no idea."
"Oh my God," Nathan gasped, and the others turned to see what he was looking at.
The city itself was rising slowly into the air, visible now above the tops of the trees.
"That's not possible!" Ezra stated, his mouth falling open as the city began to glow.
Then, as they all watched, mesmerized, the city rose higher, collapsing into itself as it did until it was no more than a nearly blinding point of light that shot up into the sky, disappearing.
"Wow!" JD barked.
The force field protecting them shimmered, flashed, and disappeared, and the explosions became much louder and more threatening.
"Through the 'gate – now!" Chris bellowed a moment before another explosion nearly knocked them off their feet.
JD, being the closest, simply ducked through the stargate and was gone.
Josiah and Nathan sprinted to the 'gate and dove through as the others opened fire on the Jaffa rapidly closing in on their position, firing.
"Ezra, go!" Chris called, him and Buck laying down covering fire as the former NID agent sprinted to the 'gate and rushed through, a blast from a staff weapon nearly hitting him before he disappeared.
"Buck!" Chris yelled, and his second-in-command sprinted from his cover behind the DHD to the 'gate, diving like he planned to steal third base.
Larabee looked over at Vin, who using his crystal weapon to great effect on the approaching Jaffa. "Vin, you have to come with us!" he said, knowing he couldn't leave the man here to die.
"Go?"
"Yes, you have to come with us, with me. It's not safe here now!"
"Go," Vin said, shaking his head. "Fight me."
"I can't leave you here alone. They'll kill you," Chris argued, sprinting from one cover to another to reach Vin. He grabbed the man's arm. "Come with me, Vin, please," he pleaded.
Vin cocked his head to the side.
"I want you to come with me," Chris repeated, his eyes locked with the man's, knowing he couldn't allow this man to give up his life for him and his team. Besides, dream or not, he knew he had a connection to this man, and he couldn't lose it.
Vin smiled. "Come you me."
"Good. Let's go!" Larabee yelled as a blast from a staff weapon nearly exploded the portion of the platform they crouched behind.
As one they stood and dashed for the stargate, firing as they went. They each dove through the event horizon like swimmers entering a pool, blasts from staff weapons searing over their backs and heads as they did.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
They landed with two loud thuds on the metal gate ramp in the embarkation room, scrambling for the edges of the ramp as staff weapon fire continued to streak into the room.
"Close the iris!" Chris yelled.
SG-7 gathered, Nathan quickly checking to ensure that no one had been hurt.
Vin glanced around the room, his eyes wide as he took in his new surroundings.
The blast door opened and General Hammond looked down at them. "Commander," he said over the communications link, "I see you brought home a…"
"Friend," Chris finished for the man. "General, this is Vin. He saved our lives on that planet, more than once."
"We'll debrief in two hours," Hammond replied. "Take your 'friend' directly to the infirmary, Commander."
"Yes, sir," Chris replied. He looked at the younger man, saying, "Come on, Vin." He wasn't sure why he was feeling anxious about the man being there now, but he was. After all, it was only a dream. Still, there was nothing else he could have done. With the city gone, Vin would have been all alone on a planet that was crawling with Jaffa.
Still, this might not have been the best idea he'd ever had. Don't Ask, Don't Tell was alive and well, and even if that had been a dream, he did have… feelings, or at least desires when it came to Vin. And Vin did seem a little too simple to adapt to life at the SGC, but they would think of something. Maybe they could re-settle him on one of the friendly planets they had discovered… one he could visit…
He kept his hand on Vin's shoulder as they left the embarkation room and headed for the infirmary, where Dr. Fraiser would no doubt place Vin in quarantine until he had been thoroughly examined. He did not envy the man that.
They entered the elevator and rode up to the 21st level, then exited. Chris gave Vin's shoulder a squeeze as he said, "I want you to do whatever the people here ask you to do, all right? The team and I have to get cleared, cleaned up, and go talk to General Hammond."
Vin nodded, but he didn't look too excited, especially as two security guards arrived to escort him to an isolation room. "Stay me?"
Chris nodded. "Yes, you'll stay here, and do whatever Dr. Fraiser tells you, understand?"
"Stay me," Vin repeated, frowning. "When come you?"
"I'm not sure," Chris replied honestly. "As soon as I can, okay? Maybe Dr. Joe can come see you, too."
Vin smiled. "Like me."
"Okay," Chris replied. "Now, remember, do whatever they ask, okay?"
Vin nodded.
"We'll see you soon, Vin," Josiah promised.
"Behave," Nathan added.
"Yes, do, or you'll find the accommodations will become considerably less copasetic," Ezra added.
Vin just looked baffled.
"I can't wait to show you around, Vin," JD told him.
"Hang in there, Junior," Buck said, giving Vin a clap on the back.
And then SG-7 was gone, and Vin looked at the two men who were waiting for him.
"Come this way," one of them said, and Vin nodded, trailing after the man while his companion followed behind Vin.
To be continued in Owning Vin
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