I really wasn't sure what to expect when Colonel O'Neill reluctantly accepted me on SG-1. Three years working on the Stargate project was a very poor way of anticipating my first trip through the Gate. In fact, the reports filed after the first Abydos mission, even the detailed scientific readouts, did little to even predict the wormhole itself. All those numbers, so neatly summarized by Kawalsky and Ferretti as "walking through a blizzard, naked."
When Mama said there'd be days like this, I don't think she had this in mind. Fighting a tribal chieftain from another planet, combat I shouldn't have won, definitely didn't fit into my ideas about the Stargate program. If anything, it was about as far away from astrophysics as I could get.
I should have guessed this scenario would turn up eventually. I didn't need to be a historian to guess that most cultures we'd run into would be patriarchal to downright misogynistic. I just never realized how bad it could be.
I'd studied enough history in college to know that the suppression of women, at least to the level we encountered on Simarka, was supposed to be relatively recent in Earth's history. But as Daniel theorized in one of our briefings, it's nearly impossible to predict what's evolved from the transplanted cultures over the millennia. Variables unique to each group could cause any number of cultural mutations, some downright unimaginable given the nature of the culture of their ancestors when the Goa'uld transplanted them.
Setting social Darwinism aside, as the adrenaline from the battle wore off to leave dull aches behind, I began having second thoughts about my immediate future. As thrilling as the exploration of alien planets might be, all the missions so far were geared more toward Daniel's arena of expertise instead of my own. Even the non-anthropological discoveries were far enough from physics to make me only mildly interested, more for the good of humanity than the good of Sam Carter.
Admittedly, everything's been worth it just to see the Stargate in action. The more data we collect, the closer we may come to understanding the Stargate and its wormholes. It's more than I could have asked for, better than ten years of pure research on the deactivated device.
It's not like I'm playing the scientific martyr here. Not really. The five missions completed so far, including the one to Simarka, have been interesting, to say the least. I mean that both in the general sense of old fashioned adventure, but also in the fact that SG-2 hasn't had half the situations we've ended up with.
Welcome to my life with the Three Stooges.
The high point of the Simarka mission was having my all-male teammates stand in the doorway to my yurt, gawking at me in that awful dress. It was a mildly embarrassing moment, especially since each of them was staring at me in his own particular way. It didn't do much for me, and the fact I'm supposed to travel the galaxy with these guys didn't make the situation any better.
Ferretti once said that he figures we're getting the choicest pick of the missions. That may be true, but I think it's more than just that. I sometimes wonder if it isn't due to our team dynamics. It isn't the missions that are so out-of-this-world; it's our missions' reaction to us instead.
For a team of our background, it's a wonder we aren't scrapped already. Colonel O'Neill is a great commander, considering his history as Special Forces. His training combined with Teal'c's experience and knowledge make an incredibly solid backbone. My training as both a scientist and an Air Force officer are good assets; adding Daniel's knowledge of the cultures we're likely to meet, we have the potential of doing very well.
It's a level of performance we still have to reach. I freely admit my field experience isn't the best, but overall I think I'll be in good form shortly. Daniel is another story, with his ignorance of most things military and total disregard for what he does know. While he's improved minimally since our return from Chulak, there's still more he needs to learn, never mind master.
The one variable I never know how to predict is Teal'c. While I have no doubts on the veracity of his new allegiance to the SGC, though it's an honor bestowed more to Colonel O'Neill than to General Hammond at the moment, it's his status as the former First Prime of Apophis that keeps threatening to come up. I'm frankly surprised nothing's been said yet about him being a Jaffa, never mind who his past employer was. I take this to mean quite a few planets in Goa'uld territory aren't being currently used for whatever reason. It's actually a bit of a relief to know that every planet won't be another Chulak.
He also doesn't seem to be exactly certain how to react to us. I know he's completely comfortable with the Colonel; they may not completely understand each other, with that cultural block between them, but there's a connection that defies any attempts at classification. To be kitschy about it, they're cut from the same cloth; they share the same soul. It was there when they laid eyes on each other in the prison on Chulak, each one seeing an ally or at least the potential of one.
It's not a surprise that Teal'c seems to be having a tough time understanding Daniel and me. We are both alien to his worldview, if you'll pardon the pun. Daniel as the scientist, or rather the non-military academic in a very militaristic environment, doesn't fit into the world that Teal'c must have known as a Jaffa. Then again, neither do I as another kind of scientist, or as a woman. Or so I assume.
And there's that hint of misogyny again.
Despite my appearances when I first met Colonel O'Neill in the briefing, I'm not as much a feminist as my words might have suggested. Yes, I'm a woman in two professions that tend to be overtly male-dominated; both the hard sciences and the military have the potential of being areas where double standards are common. Not as much as in other areas, and maybe not as much as in times past, but nevertheless there in different shades of subtlety.
As a result of the opposition sometimes put before me, I came up with cheeky ways of throwing ignorance back in the faces of those who uttered it. I wanted to show that, yes, I was a woman, and yes, I could do anything put to me to task. By saying "my reproductive organs may be on the inside," I wanted it to be clear that I could do what was required on the mission to Abydos.
The nearest I can understand, several planets and missions later with my team, Teal'c originated in a culture that was very structured, with individuals assigned to a place and expected to maintain the role however necessary. Daniel's speculated from a few conversations and from our own experience that women have a second-class status on Chulak. They may be elevated into a realm of power by means of special offices, of which Daniel gave half a dozen examples from Earth before I told him to continue, but on the whole, their lives were lived in social obscurity.
That would be why Teal'c often gave me looks during the first couple of missions. On the whole, the range of expressions our Jaffa seems to possess is rather limited in range, going from grim to not-so-grim. The lift of an eyebrow could mean amusement or incredulity, depending on the context but even then, there was ambiguity. The expression for the Colonel is often perplexed, with Daniel merely amused, but when it's aimed in my direction, I sense it's caused by a sense of disbelief.
Or it could be just my imagination.
No, it definitely wasn't my imagination. It wasn't blatant, though. The first time I really noticed it was when we were helping the refugees get situated on our return from Chulak; I was helping the SF get the people out of the Gateroom. One of the women wasn't doing very well; after our escape and the attack from the Jaffa, she was in shock, even though I couldn't see any injuries at the time. I went to help her, taking off my field jacket to drape over her shoulders in an attempt to provide warmth. At the time, Teal'c was escorted past us by another set of SF.
Our eyes met as he passed, his dark gaze almost sizing me up. While I know he'd noticed me before on Chulak, I don't think he actually paid me much attention. Daniel and the Colonel were occupying most of the limelight, and I was more of an inconsequential participant. The drama belonged only to my companions. What could I do that would take attention from the shredding of Daniel's hopes, or the pain the Colonel felt to see Skaara taken away? Even in the Gateroom when he emerged from the wormhole, he gave me his staff weapon only as a measure of trust, because I served O'Neill.
But here, in the hallway on a world where he was the alien, Teal'c must have first realized the bizarre world he was going to inhabit. We had technology unlike that of Goa'uld; primitive in some manners, but advanced in others. We used strange terms, dressed in a different manner. And we included females as warriors, a fact he quickly realized as his gaze paused during its journey upward to rest on the black t-shirt covered swell of my breasts.
His cool demeanor faded for a moment, showing genuine astonishment. I couldn't see if anything else appeared before he regained his composure. The SF's had him moving down the hallway, their pace strong and steady.
Teal'c's moment of revelation doesn't seem to have had any lasting effects, or at least any I could detect, or see as being hostile. On our very first mission as SG-1, he was professional, treating me with a respect that I wish all men would provide regardless of their profession. There was no second-guessing, no questioning of my words or their validity if Colonel O'Neill asked for an opinion on our situation. In fact, everything was refreshingly _normal_.
That is, however, until the three of them stood and stared at me in that dress. I still think it was hideous. It amazes me that something obviously meant to cover a woman's femininity could still promote it so blatantly. I thought my cleavage was going to pop out the way I assumed would be a problem with eighteenth century dresses. And that headdress? Forget about eating it if there were actually anthropologists who'd wear something like that. How about feeding it to the boys?
I felt like the progress I'd made as a woman in a man's world slip back several paces. Colonel O'Neill kept looking at me with these smiles, snide comments issuing from his lips. Daniel at least seemed apologetic about my situation, and while he didn't say anything about my attire other than echoing the Colonel's initial comments, I did want to slap his dangling mouth shut.
And what can be more humiliating than being sold from the hands of your kidnapper to another man? I did like rubbing it in that Mughal had got a rotten deal with me; who else but a scientist and a soldier could boast no homemaking skills or the ability to cook something more than your basic stovetop dinner?
I'm just happy that my misadventure had a happy ending, though I'm sure the women of the Shavadai and other tribes still had a long way to go. It was worth it to prove to Mughal that women were capable of doing most things that were traditionally men's territory. My bruises are still there, but seeing the look on his face made that particularly enjoyable, more of a personal revenge more than anything else. The next time we ran into a scenario like Simarka, I'm sure it'll be handled a lot more smoothly than that.
Despite the hard-won success, I was glad to get back to Earth. At the moment, the concept of being billions of light-years away is still mildly unsettling. There are so many factors that could happen that might cut us off from the SGC when we're off-world, and while I know it's part of the risk being a member of a field unit, it's still a concern somewhere in the periphery of my conscious mind when I step into the wormhole with SG-1. Part of me dreads the day when the DHD won't work, when the Stargate won't engage. There's so much more to learn, to even fathom, that I wonder if I could solve that kind of problem if it came up.
The samples were quickly delivered to decon, and once we were cleared by Dr. Fraiser's medical team as being Goa'uld-free, we sat through one of the most intriguing debriefs so far. General Hammond is a good man; I know my father thinks highly of him from the few times I've talked to Dad of late. I do know, however, the general is as dubious about the future of SG-1 as I am, and undoubtedly as much as Colonel O'Neill. Well, maybe not dubious, but definitely cautious. Cautiously optimistic? Perhaps.
As the Colonel gave the basics of the mission to him I thought General Hammond's eyebrows were going to disappear above his non-existent hairline. His eyes moved to each of our faces, but his gaze lingered on me longer than the men as the tale of my kidnapping was told. A few things flickered across his face, concern and amazement as I added to the retelling.
"Is this going to be a problem for future missions?" he asked when we finished. "If you'd come across another tribe who weren't as willing to listen to reason as the Shavadai, you could have been killed, Captain Carter."
Daniel was the one who interrupted at this point. "It's not as cut and dry as that, General. Each world is likely going to have its own unique features. I mean, the next planet we go to, it might be men who are the second-class citizens. It's a case by case situation where we have to wait until we either get some preliminary data or until we actually show up on the planet itself."
"I agree with Daniel, sir," the Colonel said. He looked like he was slouching in his chair. "Take a look at good old Earth, and all the different situations we've got here. We've just got to," he made a face, "deal with whatever comes and make the most of it, so long as we're being faced with realistic conditions."
"Right." Daniel was giving the Colonel a look of mild surprise. He was also looking pleased. "I'm sure we'll find that most people aren't going to have a problem with us, providing they don't think we're Goa'uld or anything like that..."
"Daniel Jackson is correct," Teal'c spoke up. "Simarka is rare among the worlds to which I have journeyed."
"Is it?" It seemed General Hammond was playing the devil's advocate. In a way, I didn't blame him for what he was doing. Journeying out in the cosmos was dangerous enough as it was with regards to the Goa'uld; taking that threat into consideration was often enough to shove other concerns into the background. That left him trying to understand which of the lesser problems were greater than others.
"Indeed. There are many worlds where women are deemed to be of greater value. There are also worlds where they are of equal status with men, as it would seem among the Tau'ri." His dark gaze moved from the General to me.
"I've served in the Middle East, sir," I said, looking away from Teal'c's gaze. "I know there are times when you have to respect differences, but there are also times when these differences can affect your performance on a mission. That was the case with Simarka, but I do have to say, sir, that if we have another mission with a similar situation, we'll be able to handle it with more sensitivity than before."
Colonel O'Neill was pleased. "Exactly! General, it was rough in places, but basically, I say that we shouldn't worry about this. SG-1did really well, we brought back goodies for the scientists to play with, and we're all here in one piece. That's a sign of a successful mission, wouldn't you say, sir?"
"For some." The general was trying to be stern, but there was a crack of a smile in his countenance. He glanced at the tray filled with samples and vials that a technician had placed in the middle of the table while we were in the infirmary. "All right, now what about the items brought back from Simarka, Captain?"
Another mission successfully completed and added to the roster of strange SG-1 adventures. I was happy it was over with, and when we were dismissed from the debrief, I made my excuses to hurry off to the labs. While nothing involved physics directly, I was definitely curious to see what exactly it was that we'd brought back.
It was a minor disappointment, however. Whatever it was in the process the Shavadai used to procure the topical anesthetic, it didn't seem to be reproducing at all in the samples the biology team was trying to make. There was a factor missing to the formula, probably a simple thing the Shavadai hadn't even considered to be essential in the production of the medicine. Three hours spent trying to analyze the missing compounds were unproductive. I finally left the team to their work to head back to my office; there were things a little more pressing to look into.
---
(... I finally left the team to their work to head back to my office; there were things a little more pressing to look into.)
***
Teal'c intercepted me halfway to my office. He was in his now habitual fatigues, a set of coveralls that set off the large muscles of his chest and arms. I'd seen him in a muscle t-shirt before, and unlike most men with muscles as large him, Teal'c seemed suited with arms that size. Set with the armor of a Serpent Guard, he looked imposing, but with the comfortable clothes he wore now, they actually made him look graceful.
"Greetings, Captain Carter," he said, bare head inclining slightly in my direction.
"Hi." I gave him a smile. "How are you doing?"
"I am well. I am returning from the commissary and had intended on looking for you." Something about him actually seemed a little shy, though he seemed to be his usual non-imposing self.
"You were looking for me?" I repeated, caught a little off-guard. "Really?"
"I wish to discuss our recent mission with you."
"Oh..." That seemed to be all right. I gestured to him to walk with me. "What about it?"
His strides were long, but not too long so I could keep up with him. "I wish to apologize for the happenings that transpired on Simarka. As your comrade on SG-1, I regret that I was unable to prevent your abduction from the Shavadai settlement. I did not foresee Abu's future action despite the words he uttered previously, and for this, I am sorry."
I couldn't help smiling. "It's all right, Teal'c. Everything isn't preventable, unfortunately. I didn't even see that coming, to be truthful. Abu was an opportunistic kid, and he took advantage of what he saw as an opportunity to get what he wanted."
"It should not have occurred," Teal'c insisted, hands clasped behind his back as he walked. "It is not the manner of warriors to allow comrades to be captured, regardless of the situation."
My smile grew slightly. "Hey, we learn from our mistakes."
"Such a mistake would not remain unpunished among the Jaffa," he countered.
"But we're not Jaffa," I said. I looked at him carefully. "Teal'c, mistakes happen. We're still getting to know each other as a team, and it takes a while to get all the kinks worked out."
His eyebrow lifted. "What is a 'kink'?"
For a moment, I wished that Daniel were here. He enjoys the challenge of explaining Earth customs and expressions to our new friend, particularly the ones that even to us don't make a lot of sense. There are even times he accepts defeat, particularly when the topics elude him as much as it does for Teal'c. Foremost among these was when the Colonel invited us to the rec room for a chance to watch a hockey game; Teal'c wasn't allowed off-base yet, something the Colonel resented immensely. As it turned out, I understand the game better than Daniel and Teal'c put together, though Teal'c did seem intrigued with the organization of the game. Daniel just shut up and left halfway through, after making several profuse but transparent excuses.
"A kink? Well, in this context, it refers to a problem or a difficulty in a situation that need to be eliminated before anything can be done smoothly. When it has to do with programming, we say that there are bugs in the program."
He looked alarmed. "Insects within technology?"
"No, no," I laughed. "Just the same thing again. Problems that keep the program from working efficiently. You should have seen the bugs we had when we were designing the programs for the Stargate since we don't have a DHD. It was a challenge, but it was fun."
"I see." He seemed to be pondering about something else while he listened to me. "Captain Carter, if I may inquire...?"
"Sure." I gestured for him to continue.
"I observed you during the duel with Mughal. I am curious about the skills used by Tau'ri warriors in hand-to-hand combat. It is a skill all Jaffa strive to master long before they are allowed to enter into the service of a Goa'uld, particularly among the body of Jaffa that are assigned with the personal protection of the household." He looked at me carefully. "Would you demonstrate some of the techniques you utilized during your combat?"
Me? I blinked several times. "Teal'c, there are dozens of men on this base who have better skills than I do when it comes to hand-to-hand combat."
Something like a smile came over his lips, tugging one corner up slightly. "Perhaps, but those men are not my comrade on SG-1. Perhaps I may assist you on methods to improve your skills? While your skills are considerable, there are methods in which you may improve. Had Mughal been a larger and more skilled opponent, you would have had little success in combat."
That was a fact I didn't need any reminding about. I let out a little sigh. From most other people, that might have been a condescending insult, even a grudging complement. But with Teal'c, that didn't feel to be the case. Instead, he was offering constructive criticism. I liked that, a lot.
"Thank you, Teal'c." I inclined my head slightly, a smile on my lips. "I'd like that. What are you doing now?"
"I am speaking with you, Captain Carter."
I laughed. "No, no, I mean what are you doing afterward? As in, do you want to head for the gym?"
"That would be acceptable."
We agreed to meet at the gym in fifteen minutes. I had to check my office for any messages that were left for me, and otherwise make sure that all was well. Thankfully, it was. There were a few reports waiting for me about the Stargate's latest outputs and readings, but that could wait for the next day. I found that I was looking forward to the exercise; the energy spent on honing my self-defense skills would be a good way to calm myself.
As it turned out, Teal'c and I weren't the only ones from SG-1 with training in mind. The Colonel and Daniel were already there, working on some of the boxing bags. Daniel's hands were covered with large gloves, and he was staring dubiously at the sack hanging on front of him. It was swaying gently, likely with the remnants of its last strike. Both men were wearing shorts and t-shirts, displaying muscles and skin. I wasn't surprised what I saw with the Colonel, but there was decent muscle hiding underneath the baggy military clothes Daniel usually wore. Very nice, though.
"Not bad, Daniel, but think you can hit it maybe a _little_ more?" Colonel O'Neill was trying to be patient. I knew he wanted Daniel on the team as much as Teal'c, but sometime after our return from the first real mission, General Hammond had informed the Colonel that there were expectations to be met with all the SG teams. Daniel needed to be qualified for this kind of mission more than just his knowledge about ancient cultures and languages. He needed to be prepared for hostile encounters, and that included proper knowledge of his firearm and any self-defense skills that would be required in that kind of scenario. When Abu appeared on the scene on Simarka with dogs in pursuit of him, Daniel was the only one among us who didn't react by preparing for a hostile confrontation. It was clear that there was a hell of a lot more he needed to know.
Instead of complying, Daniel just stood and looked at the Colonel. "I've been doing this for fifteen minutes, Jack. What's the point of hitting the bag again? It isn't like it's going to attack me or anything."
"No, but what if it's an enemy coming after us in close quarters? What if there isn't enough time to get your gun?" From the look on his face, I knew the Colonel was thinking that the time required by Daniel to actually _get_ the gun was extraordinary; the holster was usually twisted on his right thigh in a way that made flipping the securing tab more than a little difficult in the middle of a firefight. "I'm talking about self-defense, Daniel. We're going to have a very short career as SG-1 if we're taken down in the first couple of minutes during a mission. We're talking about self-preservation. Understand the concept?"
"Yeah." Looking about as thrilled as a kid finding out that summer vacation was over, Daniel hit the bag with his right fist, a semi-solid sound coming from the strike. "How's that?"
"Not bad," the Colonel lied.
I decided to come to their rescue, striding forward onto the mats. "Sir! Daniel! Having fun?"
"We're having a _swell_ time," came the sarcastic comment. "Thanks for asking, Carter."
Daniel's reply was considerably less caustic, but definitely irritated. "Except for my knuckles slowly going numb, yeah. Great time."
The Colonel rolled his eyes. "He's barely touching it."
I smiled. "You'll get the hang of it before long, Daniel. Though you've got an advantage at the moment. The bag isn't going to hit back."
He didn't appear to be thrilled with the news. "Thanks, Sam. So what are you two doing down in the pits of hell?"
"Doing the same thing as you two," I said, gesturing to the expanse of mats and training equipment. "Teal'c said he'd help me work on my techniques if I'd show him some of the great Tau'ri arts of physical combat."
"Cool." The Colonel looked at the fourth member of our team with a grin. "Mind another two students? We can leave the bag alone in peace so it doesn't have worry that Daniel might one day come close to hitting it."
"Oh, very funny," the archaeologist mumbled, fumbling with the laces on the gloves.
"I would be pleased to include yourself and Daniel Jackson, O'Neill," Teal'c said, as I went to help Daniel with the gloves. When he was free, he tossed them across the mat to the wall.
For Daniel's benefit, we did fairly elementary exercises that he caught onto fairly quickly. For the most part, they involved plenty of opportunities to learn how to fall and land. The Colonel and I were doing all right, the concept of rolling over one shoulder to displace some of the shock from the fall was second nature. Daniel, on the other hand, had several undignified landings that left him breathless on the mats. At one point, he held up a hand, telling us he'd rather watch from this angle while sitting out for a few.
"Ah, ah, Doctor Jackson," the Colonel chided. "The team that explores together, sweats together."
"That's disgusting, Jack," he groaned, getting up to his feet. "That's really, really bad."
Teal'c took the time to teach him the rolling maneuver, going in slow motion to show him the main points for a successful execution. I admired Teal'c's patience with Daniel, a concept I know the Colonel noted. If Daniel did it wrong, we went through it again. And again.
And again.
Daniel did catch on, to his credit. He was rolling like an expert by the end of the lesson when Teal'c suggested a brief sparring match between us. The Colonel jokingly suggested that he take on both Daniel and me at the same time.
"I've got to prove that age wins over youth," he grinned, looking at us "youngsters" with a grin. "Right, Teal'c?"
I frowned slightly, even as I took up my position on the mat. "What do you mean, sir?"
The Colonel looked smug. "Our buddy Teal'c here is an old geezer."
Even Daniel looked perplexed. "He doesn't look a day over thirty-five."
"I thank you, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, "but in truth, while I am still young among my people, I am considerably older than yourself."
This was news to us. I glanced at Daniel, whose blue eyes were wide behind his glasses. My gaze swept back to Teal'c, who was looking slightly smug as he watched us. How much older could he be? I'd buy him being in his forties, but anything older than that would be pushing it slightly. Then again, the man was an alien not only to our culture but also to our biology when it concerned the interaction of his symbiote and his own biology.
"And that makes you what, Teal'c?" I asked cautiously.
"I have calculated my age to be roughly ninety of your years," he replied.
"Wow," said Daniel.
"Incredible," was my response.
"Tell me about it, kids." The grin on the Colonel's face gave me a good idea of what his reaction was when he found out. Guaranteed there were a few choice words to be had within the phrase. "So? Care to take me on?"
"I like challenges, sir," I said, taking up position. Beside me, Daniel was getting prepared in his own very unique position. I wondered for a few moments if he'd watched too many Bruce Lee movies in college. "Ready?"
"Give it to me." He wiggled the fingers of each hand to spur us on. "Come on, sometime this year, kids."
Colonel O'Neill was good. Daniel's first advance was quickly avoided, while he dealt with mine easily. While I picked myself up from the mat, watching for an opening, Daniel came at him again. The Colonel wrapped his arms around Daniel's waist, actually lifting him up slightly and, using his momentum, brought him down to the mat. Daniel landed with a loud expiration of air while I took my advantage of the Colonel's distraction.
"Pretty good, Carter," he grinned as we ended up in a deadlock, arms straining to knock the other down.
"Just pretty good, sir?"
"Yeah, that's a good word." He was about to say something when he was suddenly down, his arms bringing me with him to the mat. We ended up in a heap intermingled with Daniel. "What the hell?"
Slipping out from the intertwined mass of arms and legs, Daniel smiled sweetly at the Colonel. "How was that, Jack?"
Groaning softly, the Colonel shook his head as we separated carefully. "Decent, Daniel. Very decent."
"I believe you are grounded, O'Neill," Teal'c told him.
I laughed as Colonel O'Neill stared at him. Daniel was looking like the canary who ate the cat, standing to Teal'c's right. They both looked satisfied with the results of the sparring. "Grounding is something _very_ different, Teal'c."
"I'd say that floored is a better term, don't you think, Sam?" Daniel added. His bangs were threatening to fall forward to obscure his eyes, and he ran a hand through his hair to see better.
"Oh, yeah," I said, getting back to my feet. "Floored, excellent word." I held out a hand. "Need some help, sir?"
"Thanks." He got up with another groan, then turned to face Daniel. His hand reached out to clap him on the shoulder. "Good job, Daniel. Good rule to follow. When in doubt, be unorthodox and improvise."
"I'm glad I passed such high standards," came the dry response.
"Indeed." Teal'c sounded confident. "Your skills will improve, Daniel Jackson. It merely requires practice and repeated execution. However, it would be more to your advantage to master the basic skills required for such combat."
"You heard him!" The Colonel was already on his way to the lockers. "See you in the morning, Daniel! 0600, bright and early!"
His only reply was a groan. "Jack!"
"Ah!" He turned in the doorway to face us. "You heard Teal'c, right? Practice! Every day we don't have a mission, I expect to see you in here! Kapisce?"
"He's going to kill me," Daniel groaned. He flexed what must have been sore shoulders. "He's really going to kill me."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." I grinned at him. "Just think of it. The day you beat him evenly, _you_ can choose when you meet for practice."
The idea seemed to appeal to him. He smiled at us, a pleased expression on his face before heading over to where he'd tossed the gloves earlier. I could almost imagine the thoughts going through his head; whatever they were, they had nothing to do with things archaeological.
"That went well," I said to Teal'c.
"I concur." He seemed as pleased as Daniel, but in a definitely restrained manner. He eyed the bag hanging off to the side with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Daniel Jackson will not be pleased when he must learn the concept of hand-to-hand combat without the use of padded gloves such as he was using."
"Oh, yeah." I made a face, just imagining Daniel's expression the day that happened. "He won't be a happy camper."
Teal'c lifted the eyebrow at me again. "Captain Carter, why is it that the Tau'ri insist on using such obscure references in their speech?"
I blinked. "Good question. It is just something we do."
"It is vexing."
"Oh, yeah. And you know what's even more fun?"
"I do not know, Captain Carter."
"It varies from place to place. If we were to go to another country, like England or Australia, there are terms that even the Colonel wouldn't understand." I grinned at the thought. "And it just isn't just expressions. Common terms that we have are completely different in other regions."
If Teal'c had been human, I'm sure he would have blanched at the idea. As it was, both eyebrows were raised and he eyed me with a look that might have been disbelief. "Then I look forward to experiencing these matters when I am able to see your world."
"You'll love it," I promised him. "There's tons of stuff to see."
"As O'Neill has promised." He gestured to the bag. "May we attempt to use this device?"
"Go ahead," I said, watching as he gave it a solid thwack with his left fist. The bag jerked, almost indignant in its motion. "Nice job."
"I thank you, Captain Carter."
Things were still awkward between us on SG-1, something I hoped would be worked out before long. The basic ties were there: trust, respect, a common goal for at least three of our number. I held no hate for the Goa'uld, not in the way the Colonel, Teal'c and especially Daniel obviously held their individual grudges against the Goa'uld. I could only judge by what I saw happening to my teammates and friends. But what I held no doubt about was the fact that the three men on my team were to become as close to me as family, despite the differences between us that were as visible as a sore thumb.
In the meantime, I'd have to puzzle through each of them. At least for the moment, I was one step closer to understanding one of those men. Without a doubt, teaming up with SG-1 would be the most interesting development of my life.
*fin*
© December 8, 2000 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.