Whispers in the Night
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1. I do own Jaffer!
...............
"You're really going to bring him?"
Jack looked at Sam and then down at the black lab that was standing next to him, and smiled when Jaffer looked back up at him with those cheerful brown eyes that always made him smile.
"Why not? It's not like we're going to be running into anything dangerous." He looked at Daniel. "Right?"
The archeologist nodded. "Yeah. PX9-090 is deserted. SG-6 were there for almost two weeks and didn't see anything or anyone. Just some wildlife, the ruins we're going to be looking at, and a whole lot of trees. Jaffer can't get into any trouble there."
Sam wasn't so sure. Jaffer seemed to be able to get into trouble if he were sitting in a box all by himself.
Jack was, though. The others didn't know it, but the minute he and Hammond had thought up the idea, O'Neill had pored over the notes SG-6 had brought back and had made his own analysis of the planet's safety. He, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were all prepared for danger, but Jaffer was Jack's baby, and O'Neill wasn't going to allow him to be in any more danger than ordinary life could throw at him.
"Why don't you bring Jack, Teal'c?" Sam asked the Jaffa.
"Andrew has Jack," Teal'c said. "He is using him for show and tell at school."
"What? Why doesn't he have Jaffer, too?" Sam looked at O'Neill, wondering if Andrew had asked and Jack had refused to loan out his pride and joy.
Jack shrugged, "Because Jaffer is the same color as Shadow, and Andrew's project is to show why a black lab can have yellow puppies... some DNA thing, or something..."
"It is a genetic 'thing', O'Neill." Teal'c corrected.
Jack nodded. "Same thing." He reached down and stroked Jaffer's big head. He didn't care what color his baby was, Jaffer was perfect.
"So you're going to bring Jaffer with us?"
Jack nodded. He certainly wasn't going to leave him home alone for however long it took them to do this little research thing Daniel wanted to do. Besides, Jaffer was getting pretty close to his full growth, now, and O'Neill and Hammond had been considering how they might be able intermingle dogs into the SG teams. Considering the impressive display of force that Jaffer had shown only a couple months before when some would-be thieves had broken into Jack's house, it was worth considering having one on each team. So he'd take Jaffer, and see how he handled himself on another world.
"SG-1," Hammond had arrived in the briefing room and motioned for them all to sit down. "Is your team ready to leave, Colonel?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And are you taking Jaffer?"
"Planned to, Sir."
"Good." Hammond turned to Daniel. "How long do you think you'll need, Doctor Jackson?"
"A week, General," Daniel said. "By then I should know who built the ruins, and we can hopefully deduce where they went, or if they simply died out. It's really very interesting to think that these folks might..." He trailed off, because no one at the table looked at all as if they thought it was interesting, and Daniel realized he'd entered lecture mode without thinking. He cleared his throat. "About a week."
Hammond nodded, looking at Jack.
"If this planet truly is deserted, you might look around and see if it's a place we might consider as a Beta site, Colonel. We can always use a good place to make another base – or a training base."
"Yes, Sir."
"SG-1, you have a go. You'll leave in half an hour, as soon as you've had a chance to gather your gear from supply."
And their weapons from the armory. Jack wasn't about to go to a strange planet without a couple guns in hand.
Hammond watched as O'Neill's team stood up and filed out of the room, heading down the corridor towards Supply, and then he stood up and went into his office. He'd come see them off, but he had paperwork to do before then, and Jack O'Neill certainly didn't need Hammond's helping deciding what to take off-world.
.....................
"I say we forego the MREs and take dehydrated food," Daniel said on the walk down the hall.
"Are you going to cook?" Sam asked him.
"Well, I'm probably going to be busy translating all the ruins..." Daniel said. "But it'd still be nice to not have to eat the-"
"We could take turns cooking," Jack said. He didn't mind MREs, of course, but why take them if they didn't need to? "We're not going to be getting chased or anything, so it's not like we can't afford the extra weight the cooking pans will make." Besides, they were taking a 40 pound bag of dog food, and that right there was 40 pounds more than they were used to carrying. What was a little more going to hurt?
"It's going to be a regular ole camping trip," Sam said. "Might as well bring marshmallows and the makings for s'mores."
"What is a s'more?" Teal'c asked.
"It's a sandwich made out-"
"Daniel..." Jack interrupted, looking at Teal'c. "We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would we?"
"Um... no, I guess not."
"Why don't you run to the commissary and gather up the makings for them while Sam and I get our gear? Teal'c? Go get the guns." Camping trip or not, it wasn't a vacation. They'd go armed.
.................
Half an hour later, they were standing in the embarkation room, ready to go. Teal'c was carrying the extra items in his pack, including the dog food. That was one of the good things about having Teal'c on the team, Jack decided a long time ago. Not only was the guy a hell of a shot, but also he was stronger than any of them, and didn't mind being the workhorse of the group when his strength was needed.
Jack looked down at Jaffer, who was at heel next to him. The big lab's tail was wagging idly, and he watched the gate with interest as the chevrons locked and the things turned. He wasn't nervous, and he'd never be afraid, but something different was happening, because he'd never been with his Jack like this, obviously ready to go somewhere, even though they weren't outside, so he was a little excited.
"You stay close to me, little man," Jack told his dog.
Jaffer wagged his tail harder. Of course he'd stay with Jack!
"Ready?" Jack looked over the rest of his team, checking the load on his P- 90.
"Ready."
"Yup."
Teal'c didn't reply, he just waited for the final chevron to lock. He was always ready.
It did, the gate activated, and the five of them headed up the ramp.
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1. I do own Jaffer!
...............
"You're really going to bring him?"
Jack looked at Sam and then down at the black lab that was standing next to him, and smiled when Jaffer looked back up at him with those cheerful brown eyes that always made him smile.
"Why not? It's not like we're going to be running into anything dangerous." He looked at Daniel. "Right?"
The archeologist nodded. "Yeah. PX9-090 is deserted. SG-6 were there for almost two weeks and didn't see anything or anyone. Just some wildlife, the ruins we're going to be looking at, and a whole lot of trees. Jaffer can't get into any trouble there."
Sam wasn't so sure. Jaffer seemed to be able to get into trouble if he were sitting in a box all by himself.
Jack was, though. The others didn't know it, but the minute he and Hammond had thought up the idea, O'Neill had pored over the notes SG-6 had brought back and had made his own analysis of the planet's safety. He, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were all prepared for danger, but Jaffer was Jack's baby, and O'Neill wasn't going to allow him to be in any more danger than ordinary life could throw at him.
"Why don't you bring Jack, Teal'c?" Sam asked the Jaffa.
"Andrew has Jack," Teal'c said. "He is using him for show and tell at school."
"What? Why doesn't he have Jaffer, too?" Sam looked at O'Neill, wondering if Andrew had asked and Jack had refused to loan out his pride and joy.
Jack shrugged, "Because Jaffer is the same color as Shadow, and Andrew's project is to show why a black lab can have yellow puppies... some DNA thing, or something..."
"It is a genetic 'thing', O'Neill." Teal'c corrected.
Jack nodded. "Same thing." He reached down and stroked Jaffer's big head. He didn't care what color his baby was, Jaffer was perfect.
"So you're going to bring Jaffer with us?"
Jack nodded. He certainly wasn't going to leave him home alone for however long it took them to do this little research thing Daniel wanted to do. Besides, Jaffer was getting pretty close to his full growth, now, and O'Neill and Hammond had been considering how they might be able intermingle dogs into the SG teams. Considering the impressive display of force that Jaffer had shown only a couple months before when some would-be thieves had broken into Jack's house, it was worth considering having one on each team. So he'd take Jaffer, and see how he handled himself on another world.
"SG-1," Hammond had arrived in the briefing room and motioned for them all to sit down. "Is your team ready to leave, Colonel?"
"Yes, Sir."
"And are you taking Jaffer?"
"Planned to, Sir."
"Good." Hammond turned to Daniel. "How long do you think you'll need, Doctor Jackson?"
"A week, General," Daniel said. "By then I should know who built the ruins, and we can hopefully deduce where they went, or if they simply died out. It's really very interesting to think that these folks might..." He trailed off, because no one at the table looked at all as if they thought it was interesting, and Daniel realized he'd entered lecture mode without thinking. He cleared his throat. "About a week."
Hammond nodded, looking at Jack.
"If this planet truly is deserted, you might look around and see if it's a place we might consider as a Beta site, Colonel. We can always use a good place to make another base – or a training base."
"Yes, Sir."
"SG-1, you have a go. You'll leave in half an hour, as soon as you've had a chance to gather your gear from supply."
And their weapons from the armory. Jack wasn't about to go to a strange planet without a couple guns in hand.
Hammond watched as O'Neill's team stood up and filed out of the room, heading down the corridor towards Supply, and then he stood up and went into his office. He'd come see them off, but he had paperwork to do before then, and Jack O'Neill certainly didn't need Hammond's helping deciding what to take off-world.
.....................
"I say we forego the MREs and take dehydrated food," Daniel said on the walk down the hall.
"Are you going to cook?" Sam asked him.
"Well, I'm probably going to be busy translating all the ruins..." Daniel said. "But it'd still be nice to not have to eat the-"
"We could take turns cooking," Jack said. He didn't mind MREs, of course, but why take them if they didn't need to? "We're not going to be getting chased or anything, so it's not like we can't afford the extra weight the cooking pans will make." Besides, they were taking a 40 pound bag of dog food, and that right there was 40 pounds more than they were used to carrying. What was a little more going to hurt?
"It's going to be a regular ole camping trip," Sam said. "Might as well bring marshmallows and the makings for s'mores."
"What is a s'more?" Teal'c asked.
"It's a sandwich made out-"
"Daniel..." Jack interrupted, looking at Teal'c. "We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would we?"
"Um... no, I guess not."
"Why don't you run to the commissary and gather up the makings for them while Sam and I get our gear? Teal'c? Go get the guns." Camping trip or not, it wasn't a vacation. They'd go armed.
.................
Half an hour later, they were standing in the embarkation room, ready to go. Teal'c was carrying the extra items in his pack, including the dog food. That was one of the good things about having Teal'c on the team, Jack decided a long time ago. Not only was the guy a hell of a shot, but also he was stronger than any of them, and didn't mind being the workhorse of the group when his strength was needed.
Jack looked down at Jaffer, who was at heel next to him. The big lab's tail was wagging idly, and he watched the gate with interest as the chevrons locked and the things turned. He wasn't nervous, and he'd never be afraid, but something different was happening, because he'd never been with his Jack like this, obviously ready to go somewhere, even though they weren't outside, so he was a little excited.
"You stay close to me, little man," Jack told his dog.
Jaffer wagged his tail harder. Of course he'd stay with Jack!
"Ready?" Jack looked over the rest of his team, checking the load on his P- 90.
"Ready."
"Yup."
Teal'c didn't reply, he just waited for the final chevron to lock. He was always ready.
It did, the gate activated, and the five of them headed up the ramp.