Crichton steered the small craft into the atmosphere of the blue planet, adjusting the tilt of the wing and pulling back on the throttle to slow his descent through the atmosphere. Above him, the starscape was a black velvet backdrop compared to the swirling purple clouds below.
"Crichton to Moya. I’m on the final approach, Pilot. I’ll radio when I’m on my way back. Until then maintain radio silence just in case there are any peacekeepers in the area."
"Understood. Moya will be standing by for your return." A female voice took over and Crichton formed a mental picture of the person as he listened to her "Take care John. We’ll be waiting. Moya out"
"I will Aeryn. Just keep away from any peacekeepers. Crichton out."
The radio fizzled and died leaving the pilot alone with his thoughts as he steered the tiny vessel, landing it safely. The air was hot and dry and the landscape looked parched but the scans had shown some supplies a short distance from his position. John Crichton picked up his bag from the cockpit, adjusted his coat to maintain warmth, hid the flyer as best he could in the sparse vegetation and headed in the direction of the resources Moya had shown to be on the surface.
Two women, one blonde, the other brunette, strolled down the grey corridor, following the path of the yellow lines marked on the floor. They made a striking couple. The blonde stood several inches taller then her companion; the blonde hair cut short, white coat hiding the crisp blue airforce uniform beneath it. The brunette carried herself with confidence, her green fatigues emphasising the toned physique that it covered. Both women carried brown manila folders and were deep in conversation. Others hurried down the corridors but neither woman paid much attention.
"So are you looking forward to the mission, Caitlin?" the brunette asked her friend.
"I guess so. Should make an interesting change from staying on Earth but I’m still doing the same as usual; checking casualties, assessing mental status only this time its on another planet thousands of light years away. I guess war never really changes."
"You’re right. Hopefully though we can arrange a truce to allow these children home or at least guaruntee their safety, although they have SG-1 to thank for getting the elders to agree to negotiations in the first place. That’s why they’re coming as well. They’re already familiar with the terrain. Who else is on your team?"
"Just me and Mac. Should be enough for the two of us to handle. I just wish he were a bit more orthodox. Still, I know he can do the job. So must Frasier or she’d never have assigned him."
The two women rounded the corner and nearly ran into a figure walking the other way, head bent low over a book, toast in hand, brown blonde hair falling over his eyes. He’d been at the briefing that morning but was now lost in some ancient text. He looked up as the blonde pulled up short.
"Sorry, Doctor J, didn’t see you there."
The man blushed, looking much younger than his thirty-five years, blue eyes blinking rapidly. "No, its me who’s sorry. I should have been looking where I was going." He smiled shyly, muttered sorry again and disappeared around the corner. The blonde smiled wryly. "Poor lamb. No wonder the nurses eat him for breakfast." She turned back to her friend. "I’ve got a few things left to do before we go. I’ve gotta find Mac for a start. Meet you at the Gate?"
"Sure," replied her friend, blushing slightly but was it from the run-in with Jackson or the mention of Mac the blonde wondered. However she said nothing, waved her goodbye and hurried off to find her assistant.
Wick Macdonald, known around the base as Mac, was an easy man to find. Initially trained as a paramedic, he had been assigned to the SGC following a stint in the armed forces. Now he was in the gym, toning up an already defined body, brown hair damp with sweat, shirt outlining every muscle in his arms and back. He grasped the overhead bar and began gently raising and lowering his body, biceps swelling beneath the black cotton. Having finished he stepped down and picked up a towel that was lying nearby, wrapping it around his neck. Then he turned and acknowledged the presence of his superior officer.
"Morning, Caitlin. Enjoying the view?" he asked without any animosity and moving towards the door where she stood.
"Nothing wrong with looking" the blonde replied, pushing away from the door frame she was leaning on and straightening to her full five feet eight inches. Mac looked her straight in the eye.
"What’s up?" he asked.
"Mission." She handed him the folder she was carrying and watched as he scanned the pages before handing them back to her. "Fairly straightforward. Assess the physical and mental condition of child refugees located by SG-1 and prepare them for a possible evac, which will more than likely be to an off-world location if these negotiaitons fail. SG-1 and SG-9 are also coming along for the ride."
"How long till we leave?" he asked as they headed for the changing room.
"Ninety minutes. I’ll see you in ten at the infirmary. We’ll need to sort out what we’re taking."
He gave her a mock salute. "I’ll be there. Just give me time to shower and change and I’ll meet you there."
"Good. And don’t be late. I don’t want to take any longer getting there than is absolutely necessary"
SG-9 met outside the embarkation room five minutes before they were due to leave. Colonel Christian James was in charge. He scanned his team seeing the apprehension on some of the faces of the new recruits. That was the only problem with working at the SGC, the high turnover of staff. No sooner had you gotten used to one group of people than someone was injured, killed or reassigned to cover one of the other teams. He turned to his second in command. She was good at pep talks and was one of the longest serving members of the diplomatic team. The brunette saw his nod and stepped forward. She’d changed from her casual fatigues of earlier and was now in the regulation camouflage, the badge on her shoulder designating her rank and team.
"Okay people. You’ve all had time to read the brief. Our job once through the gate is to try and negotiate a treaty that will allow us to guaruntee the safety of these refugees. If this fails, we are to give backup to SG-1 and assist in the evacuation to a safer location. I know some of you are nervous about going through the gate for the first time. The advice is simple: relax and exhale as you go through. Once on the other side, stick together and follow orders. At the first sign of major trouble we can dial out." She smiled quickly to reassure the team. "We’ve done this hundreds of times so I’m sure you’ll all do fine."
The Colonel smiled. "Thank you Laura. Remember what the Captain Douglas said people. Relax and stick together. Right, lets get moving."
He turned through the large metal doors to stand in a large two story room that was dominated by the presence of a huge freestanding ring in the centre with a metal ramp leading up to it. Two groups of people were already standing in the room. The first was the medical team comprising Caitlin Anderson and Wick MacDonald. Both were dressed in green jump suits with a white flash on the shoulder designating a medical affiliation. Laura saw her friend and walked over to say hello.
The second group consisted of three members of the famous SG-1. Colonel Jack O’Neill, rifle in hand, stood at the base of the ramp with the tall, dark skinned Jaffa known only as Teal’c, although the golden emblem on his head was currently covered by a woollen hat pulled low over his ears. Both men looked up as SG-9 entered the room, the two colonels nodding their acknowledgement of each other’s presence. The third and only female member of SG-1, Captain Samantha Carter was bent over one of the MALPs making final checks before travelling through the Gate.
Jack glanced around the room, taking a quick head count. They were one member of the team short. At that moment the door slid open again and one person entered the room, securing a floppy green hat as he did so.
"Jackson, you’re late."
Daniel looked up at the sound of his name and stared blankly at the brown eyes that were focussed on solely on him.
"Sorry, Jack. I was re-reading my notes from the planet and then Lieutenant Simmonds asked my opinion on one of the artifacts SG-6 bought back. Guess I got side tracked." He shrugged apologetically. Jack watched his team mate for several seconds and the whole room held their breath, knowing the Colonel’s reputation for explosions. It didn’t come however. Jack took a step backwards and raised his hand to signal the technicians should start up the gate. Then he turned his back on the archaeologist and went to check Carter’s preparations. The occupants of the room let out a collective sigh of relief. People began to mill as the huge rings of the circle started to turn slowly, a disembodied voice following its progress.
"Chevron Seven locked."
A huge plume of water shot out of the circles before settling back into a shining mirror. Jack waited for it to stabilise then turned to the teams gathered while behind him the MALP began its ponderous journey up the ramp through the Gate.
"Right, SG-1 first then SG-9. Medical, you’re last. First we secure the area. SG-1 and the medics will make our way to the campsite. Once we establish radio contact, SG-9 can begin the negotiations."
An unseen signal from the observation lounge showed it was safe to proceed. Jack inclined his head in acknowledgement then turned up the ramp, his boots sounding hollow on the metal ramp. The rest of the crew followed him, weapons at the ready. Once the last was through, the mirror disappeared without any sign it had ever existed.
The last member of SG-9 emerged through the Gate, a young airman who had never travelled before. Caitlin caught him as his knees buckled. She rubbed his back as he retched dryly. His skin was cold, the usual side effect of Gate travel. Caitlin thanked her stars that she’d been through enough times to remember to breathe out as you went through. Somehow it didn’t seem as bad when you shot through at the other end. Having made sure the airman was able to stand up, Caitlin glanced up and, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun, took in her surroundings.
The sky was much like Earth only slightly more purple than blue, the horizon meeting the barren yellow brown soil which covered most of the planet surface. A few plants inhabited the rocks which lay in scattered piles around the Stargate, itself mounted on a slight outcropping of stone which formed a kind of plateau. The MALP had rolled to a stop a few meters away and members of SG-9 were helping Captain Carter unload the equipment they had bought through with them. Daniel Jackson was at the DHD with Teal’c, presumably calculating the sequence of glyphs needed to get them home.
Colonel’s O’Neill and James were standing a short distance away, seemingly deep in discussion. Caitlin spotted Laura and Mac also deep in discussion. Having made sure her charge was fully fit, Caitlin headed in their direction.
"Ready to go?" she asked the paramedic as she reached their position. The two officers jumped apart as though stung. Caitlin was curious but decided not to ask. Instead she enquired if Mac was ready to go.
"Yeah, I made sure I got everything we needed when we came through." He recovered quickly from Caitlin’s arrival. "Are we off soon?"
"Just as soon as O’Neill gives the order," she replied. "Hope you’ve got your walking shoes on. The brief showed the village was over four clicks away and the ground looks pretty rough." She turned to her friend. "How soon till you leave for the negotiations?"
"Colonel reckons we’ll wait till you arrive at the camp. Just in case you need back up or we need to get out ASAP. Oh, looks like we’re on." Laura waved a hand as she went to meet her team. "Good luck. See ya when we get back."
O’Neill called together the teams heading for the camp. For the first time since this mission had been arranged, he got a good look at the two unknowns on the mission. He just hoped they were up to the job.
"Right campers, lets get going. Daniel, could you fill in our medics on what they can expect to find. Teal’c, you take point and Carter and I will bring up the rear. Let’s move out."
Caitlin moved up to take her place beside the archaeologist. Mac, although standing close enought to hear, hung back slightly.
"So, Jack wants me to fill you in on the conditions at the camp."
"Seems that way although I can pretty much guess. I’ve been stationed in several war zones so I’ve seen most of the worst the human race can do to each other."
Jackson was silent for a moment and when he did speak, Caitlin was sure there was a note of despair in his voice.
"Unfortunately I’ve only seen what the Goa’uld can do. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. At the camp, the kids seem to be holding up all right but some of the injuries..." His voice trailed away and Caitlin wondered how much he had seen and if he was coping. Perhaps she’d mention it to Frasier on their return. Daniel was talking again, explaining how they would meet and the layout of the camp. She focussed her attention back on the job in hand.
Jack watched Daniel as he talked to the medic. He was worried about his friend and noticed a frown briefly cross the face of the lieutenant as she listened to him. She was obviously concerned and she didn’t know half the story. Jack wracked his brains for what he knew of her, how much she could be trusted with his concerns for his team mate and best friend. A mental image of her file appeared in his mind.
Lieutenant Caitlin Anderson was thirty years old and had been transferred to the SGC on the say so of Frasier, head of medicine at the SGC. She’d bought with her the army trained paramedic who was accompanying them on this trip, Wick Macdonald. Jack remembered a footnote in the man’s file saying he was insubordinate and unorthodox in his approach to his job. Just as long as he didn’t complicate things, Jack couldn’t really care what he did to get the job done. Maybe after the mission he’d have word with her about Daniel. Perhaps Danny would open up to her more than him or Sam or Teal’c.
"Sir." Carter’s voice pulled Jack back to the present. "Sir, we’re nearly at the camp. Should I radio Colonel James to let him know?"
"That’s affirmative Captain. Tell him to make tracks for the negotiations but to keep in radio contact every thirty minutes. We don’t want a surprise attack from either force."
"Aye Sir." Sam hung back slightly as Jack overtook the central group to join Teal’c at the head of the procession. He held up his hand and they halted on the ridge of a hill overlooking the valley giving Mac and Caitlin their first sight of the camp they would be spending the next few days working in.
The camp sat at the foot of the hill they were standing on, nestled in the few rocks that formed a natural defensive barrier. The camp itself comprised several large makeshift tents standing centrally with many smaller tents scattered about randomly. Several leaned dramatically as though the ground they were standing on was subsiding or they had been erected in great haste. Caitlin peered over Jack’s shoulder and caught sight of a few grubby looking faces peering back from between the tent posts, fear and curiosity warring for dominance.
Jack holstered his weapon and began the descent down the rocky path that led to the valley floor. The rest followed, carefully picking their way between the large boulders that covered the hillside. As Caitlin made her way down, loose stones began to tumble down. Suddenly her footing disappeared and the shower of stones became larger. Just as she was about to completely lose her balance a hand caught her arm and steadied her.
"Watch your footing," Daniel whispered close to her ear. "The floor’s painful if you hit it. I learnt the hard way," he added wryly and gave her a quick smile that lit up his face. Now Caitlin knew what the nurses were on about, she thought as she continued her descent. Reaching the bottom safely, Caitlin saw a woman making her way towards them, her smile seeming somewhat out of place in this desolate planet.
"Colonel O’Neill. I am so glad you have returned. The children have been getting somewhat anxious. The fighting has been getting closer. We were afraid we would have to move the camp before you returned."
"We’d have found you." Jack replied reassuringly. "We bought supplies as we promised and a medical team. Lieutenant Anderson, Sergeant MacDonald, may I introduce Sonja Ly. She’s been running this camp for the last five years, making sure the children are safe from the fighting."
"Could you show us somewhere we could set up?" Caitlin asked as she shook hands with the smaller dark haired woman.
"Certainly. Tom and I have cleared the back tent for you. You will all have to share however as there is not much room."
"Don’t worry, we bought our own tents. If you show Carter where, she and Teal’c can set them up."
"Of course." Turning to Sam. "You can pitch your tents behind the main sleeping quarters." Then to Jack, "If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the medical tent."
Sonja led them past the rag-tag assortment of tents to the largest of the tents. As they went, Caitlin and Mac saw the children watching them. Most were covered in dust, hiding the scratches and bruises that adorned their skin. They were darkly tanned with dark hair that had been bleached by the exposure to the planet’s harsh sunlight. Some also carried the physical scars of war and Caitlin wondered how deeply the unseen mental scars ran.
"Here we are," Sonja announced. Caitlin ducked under the flap of the tent and found herself in a makeshift hospital ward. Beds covered most of the floor space and children lay listlessly on the beds, while some sat on the floor playing a game similar to Snap. Some looked around at the visitors, curiosity burning in their eyes. The rest ignored them, stuck in their own private world. One girl looked up from her bed, eyes fixed on Jack and Daniel. She slid off the mattress, her thin legs barely holding her weight as she made her way towards the newcomers. Sonja reached over and picked her up, cradling her as she spoke to Caitlin and Mac, the other members of SG-1 standing out of the way.
"Most of the children in here are victims of the fighting. This is Lucy. We found her at our last encampment before the fighting forced us to move. Poor mite hasn’t spoken a word in the last three weeks. Her brother was killed shortly before we came here. If fact we’re the only family that most of these children now have. Unfortunately my husband and I don’t have enough resources to help them as much as we’d like."
The girl in her arms wriggled and Sonja set her down. The girl tottered slightly then steadied and made her way to where Jack stood. Deep wide-spaced brown eyes fixed stern brown ones. Then without saying anything Lucy raised her arms. For a moment Jack was shocked. What should he do? Then his paternal instincts kicked in and almost in a trance, he pushed his rifle across his back, reached down and took Lucy in his arms. She smiled then, gaps showing in her teeth, snuggled against Jack’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Jack could feel her chest rising and falling against his own, as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Jack kissed the top of her head before redirecting his attention back to the conversation between the two women.
Caitlin saw the exchange between the Colonel, renowned for his hard line approach to any situation, and the little child he now held carefully cradled in his arms, sound asleep against his chest, and smiled. Perhaps there was still hope for these children.
"Is there somewhere I can set up my equipment?" she asked.
Sonja gestured to a curtained off area to the left and behind the rows of beds. "There should be enough room here for your things," she said. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to get set up while I attend to the dinner roster. Tom should be back soon and then I can introduce you." Then she was gone, leaving the four alone.
"Well, guess we’d better start unloading. Colonel, if you get the medical supplies, Doctor Jackson here can help me unpack." Caitlin felt better now she had something to do. "Mac, do you want to start checking over these children, see if you can sort any immediate problems we may have."
"Sure thing Doc," Mac turned to Jack first. "Want me to put her bed for you sir?"
Jack shook his head. "It’s alright Sergeant, I can manage." He looked again at the sleeping child. Something reminded him of Charlie. His stomach clenched as he remembered the last time he’d held his son and tears stung the back of his eyes. His throat constricted as he squashed the memory that threatened to overwhelm him as the child in his arms stirred slightly then settled again. Leaving his memories behind Jack moved as quietly as he could without waking Lucy before lying her down on the mattress. She blinked once and stared at him. Then she smiled again and drifted to sleep. The Colonel took a deep breath, composed himself then disappeared from the tent looking for Sam and Teal’c.
Caitlin watched the Colonel leave without saying a word. Something was bothering him. Maybe she’d ask Daniel later. Speaking of which, she faced the archaeologist who was waiting patiently for her beside the curtained off area.
"So fancy being a medic for a change, Doctor?" she asked.
"Sure. It’ll look great on my CV if nothing else. After you." He held open the flap for her and she ducked under his arm. Daniel followed and the flap fell closed behind him.
Captain Laura Douglas sat on the steps leading to the stone ring of the gate. They’d been waiting nearly ninety minutes now and still there was no signal from SG-1. Looking around, Laura wondered how long till they could move out. The sun was sinking behind the clouds that now covered the sky and the temperature was dropping somewhat. Colonel James was standing a short distance away, relaxed but alert as were the rest of the team. Laura decided to take the opportunity to revise her knowledge of the warring factions they were to negotiate a treaty with. She closed her eyes and leaned back on the steps. Minutes passed before Laura became aware of her radio crackling. She looked over at her CO and saw him speaking into his handset. He straightened and Laura was on her feet in a second.
"Right, that was O’Neill. They’ve reached the camp. We have a go to proceed with the next stage of the operation. Let’s move out."
The area around the gate was soon deserted as SG-9 collected up their gear and headed out for the negotiation co-ordinates that SG-1 had arranged on the first mission to P4C 667. They made good time and arrived some two hours after receiving Jack’s signal. As they approached, Colonel James raised his hand and SG-9 slowed to a halt. He faced his troops.
"Okay, everyone ready? Good. Now, Laura and I are leading the negotiations. I want the rest of you deployed around the encampment. Secure the area and make sure no one leaves or enters." To one of the team, "Cane, I’m leaving you in charge of maintaining radio contact with SG-1. Use channel five. Other than that maintain radio silence as agreed." The young man nodded and led his small team to their positions around the tent, leaving Laura and her CO alone.
"Do you really think they’ll agree to sign sir?" she asked, a feeling of doubt suddenly blossoming in her mind.
The Colonel grinned, making him look younger than his forty years, and patted his second in command on the back. "We’ll be fine. All we want are reassurances that the children will be left alone and safe. However, if we can get them to agree to a complete cease-fire, then all the better. Lets get going shall we. I think this will take quite some time."
The two officers moved out of the shadows of the few trees towards the three tents, which had been erected in the desert plain. The largest Laura guessed to be where she was going to be spending most of her time. The other two must be for the leaders of each faction involved in the fighting. The left was a deep beige, made of some kind of silken material. The other was more yellow, and dull. Certainly made things easier to identify, she thought quietly, trying to still the butterflies that had settled in her stomach. As they drew closer still, the tents moved and two people from each emerged.
The man on the left greeted them first. "Good afternoon. I am Marek." He was tall; olive skinned with close cropped black hair. His clothes, elaborately decorated, were made of a similar material to the tent and glinted in the sunlight. His companion, another male known as Avrim, was slightly shorter than Marek but stockier and Laura saw he had a nasty looking weapon strapped to his thigh. She made a mental note not to cross him before turning her attention to the other people approaching them.
They were dressed more plainly, the material resembling sackcloth. The man’s hair shone a golden red in the sunlight and a scar ran the length of his face. The woman at his side was as tall as the Colonel, the oriental cut of her clothes hiding the slight frame that her face revealed. Her eyes were wide and dark, the delicate structure emphasised by the makeup she wore.
The woman bowed low, almost touching the floor, while the male spoke in heavily accented English.
"We are honoured to meet you. Please know me as Kalim. This is my wife, Lia." He paused for a moment as she whispered into his ear, then continued. "Lia wishes you safe passage in our realm and hopes that we can agree a lasting peace, if only for the sake of the lost ones."
"Good," replied the Colonel. "I hope we can come to this arrangement as well. I am Colonel James and this is Captain Douglas."
Avrim’s eyes swivelled to Laura and for a second she saw a flash of something, so fleeting she couldn’t identify it but it caused a shiver of fear to flee down her spine. Then the look was gone and he smiled widely at her revealing a mouth full of gums. Laura returned it, but something wasn’t right. But she had no time to voice her concerns as the negotiators were moving toward the neutral tent. Laura glanced about quickly then followed her CO.
Crichton edged forward on his elbows, trying to keep in the odd patches of long dry grass that scattered the plain. Through his binoculars he focussed again on the woman at the back of the group which was disappearing into the tent. Her uniform was definitely US Military, but as she turned John caught a glimpse of an emblem on her shoulder that he didn’t recognise. The flap of the tent closed behind them, hiding her from view.
John replaced the binoculars in the pocket of his coat and pondered on what he’d just seen. Could it be a Peacekeeper trick? How else could the US Military be in a sector of space that he’d only reached through a complete fluke? He began to edge his way backwards out of the grass using his elbows to propel him when he heard a sound. Boots were making their way to his position. He froze and drew his weapon, holding his breath. Maybe they wouldn’t see him. The footsteps stopped. From where he was lying John could see the shined leather inches from his face. Definitely not Peacekeeper boots he thought inanely and began to pray they wouldn’t come any closer.
No gods were listening. The boots began closing in, then someone shouted. He’d been spotted. John was on his feet in a second. He fired blindly in the direction of the approaching soldier, turned and ran. More shouts sounded behind him. He didn’t wait to hear what they were saying. Leaping dead branches and stumbling over loose rocks, John ran as fast as he could. So did his pursuers. He fired wildly again and was gratified to hear a grunt and thud. Unfortunately whoever was on his tail didn’t take to kindly to that. Something slammed into his back, throwing him forward. His whole body felt like it was on fire. His blood was boiling, his skin burning. He dropped to hands and knees then, when they couldn’t hold him, he slumped, face first, into the dirt. He was vaguely aware of someone kneeling over him and a voice. Then the darkness closed and he gave himself up to the pain.
Chapter 2