Love, Honor and Obey - Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters nor profit from their use - I merely toy with them for my own amusement.
Chapter warnings: Curse word and mild threat of violence

'Well,' said Jack, 'this is a cliché.'

He kept his P90 trained on the closest security officer holding a gun to Carter's head, but his eyes flickered around the room, watching everyone. SG-1 all had weapons pointing steadily at different security guards. They were hopelessly outnumbered. Every hostile weapon in the room was aiming directly at his 2IC.

Tension reverberated through his body, and there was a war for control going on his head between the cold, calculating military commander and the man terrified for the life of the woman beside him. The military half was also apoplectically angry that such a war for control could be allowed to take place in his mind at a time like this, but his last brush with almost losing Carter had been all too recent. Of course, none of this showed on his face. That wouldn't do at all.

Noah Ranar – the government official who had been giving them a guided tour of the small but beautiful town of Verao on P5X-336, and the only unarmed person in the room – crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows condescendingly.

'You should lower your weapons, Colonel. You are at a distinct disadvantage, and if you open fire we will have no qualms about executing the criminal.'

Two things irked Jack about that sentence. The first was that Noah – the rat bastard – was right. The disadvantage they were at was indeed clear. The second was his casual referral to Carter as 'the criminal'.

'And if you hurt her I will have no qualms about opening fire.' Jack countered with a humourless smirk. 'But you already knew that.'

'I still don't understand what I did.' Carter said uncertainly, glancing at Daniel.

Daniel shifted his weight and adjusted his grip on his Beretta. 'I don't think they liked it when you said you weren't married.' He said. 'Am I right?'

Noah scowled. 'It is one of our most sacred laws. All women must be married upon reaching adulthood. This woman has clearly been an adult for many years. For her to roam our planet unmarried is the highest insult you could possibly afford us, and a criminal act.'

'Oh for crying out loud –' Jack began to gripe, but Daniel cut him off with an urgent wave of the hand.

'Noah, we're very sorry, but as you know we're not from this planet. We're not familiar with your laws or customs and we didn't know that women must be married. We didn't intend to cause you any offense. Surely you can understand that?' Daniel said earnestly.

'Your intentions are irrelevant. A crime has been committed and the woman must be punished.'

'Over my dead body.' Jack muttered, trigger finger itching.

'Please just let us go home.' Daniel said. 'We'll go back through the stargate and never return. No one has to get hurt here.'

'Even if I was inclined to grant your request, I could not allow Major Carter to travel the distance from Verao to Nanao unmarried. I would be arrested myself for aiding a criminal.' Noah said scornfully. 'She cannot leave.'

Jack huffed, hating this situation more with every passing minute. 'Well then, what are you going to do? You won't let us leave, but neither one of us are going to be first to open fire. Your move.'

He watched as the politician twitched nervously as he considered. The man was clearly not used to making this sort of tactical decision.

'Take them to the guest quarters and hold them there under guard.' He ordered eventually.

The guards closed in around SG-1, attempting to herd them out of the room. Daniel started hesitantly towards the door, but Carter and Teal'c held their ground, watching for Jack's order. He nodded tersely, and they relented, weapons still held ready as they allowed themselves to be led from the room.

Shit, he thought, that went south fast.