Notes:
This was written for fun
More chapters to come
I hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 1 - Stranded
"Thor!" Jack yelled into the night sky of the planet they had just been deposited on. The Asgard's methods had left them somewhat perplexed and, for the time being, stranded. Waving his hands in the air, as if that would somehow make Thor beam them back up to his ship, Jack swore under his breath before turning to Sam.
"I'm sure they know what they're doing, sir." Sam said - trying to calm herself rather than Jack.
"Yeah, yeah. It's the not telling us I don't like. Where the heck are we, Carter?"
Sam looked around before checking her compass with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her prolonged silence gave Jack the answer he had already decided on. They had no idea where they were.
"Sir, unless we find a Stargate, I'm not sure I can tell you where we are. It's not Earth. I don't recognise the star configuration. With the Asgard ships and their transporter capabilities – we may not even be in the same system we were just in."
Sam tried to not sound defeated. Focusing on her training and logic she tried to think it through – calming herself by knowing that she wasn't on her own and that all was not lost .. yet.
"Okay. Well, first off we need to find shelter: Night is coming in, I think," Jack said as he secured his pack and firearm, and chose a direction to start their search.
"I think there's a good chance there's a gate on this planet. Thor put us here to keep us safe. Putting us somewhere without a chance of getting home doesn't make much sense," Sam spoke out loud to herself.
"Yeah," Jack agreed, more because it gave both of them hope. "As long as we don't have to explore the whole damn planet to find it."
Jack swallowed his own doubts and fears over whether they'd ever see home again and pointed over at some trees. "We'll head that way. Get some cover while we walk. Just in case we aren't alone."
Agreeing that this was the most logical option given their surroundings, Sam started to walk in that direction. Their pace was quick as the two suns were starting to descend and they wanted to make as much use out of the remaining light as possible. Walking kept them both warm and put their energies, and thoughts, into something useful.
A comfortable silence settled between them as they entered the forest. Adrenaline kept them alert for any noise or movement that seemed out of place – whatever that even meant for this alien planet. They stealthily made their way through undergrowth and past trees, using only hand signals to communicate.
Jack stopped them about 90 minutes into their walk. Putting his finger to his lips, he listened carefully for the trickling sound he had thought he'd heard a moment before. Turning in the direction of the sound, he started to walk again – leaving Sam to follow him. A few minutes later and he stopped at a stream flowing down a slight incline in the terrain.
"Good to know there's water here. We might end up needing it," he whispered.
"If anyone is living here then they'd want to be near a water source. It could help us find someone who knows where we are or if there's a gate, Sir." Sam didn't mention that she wouldn't recommend drinking from the stream, just in case. Not until they had no other choice. It looked like water but that didn't mean it was. They both had enough in their packs to sustain them for a few days. Sam hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"We'll follow the stream down the hill then. Keep an eye out. We don't want to alert anyone that we're here before we're ready for them to know."
Nodding, Sam waited for Jack to start their trek again before following. Walking gave her time to think and not necessarily about topics she wanted to focus on. Thinking about a certain CO wouldn't help anything. It wasn't as if they could act on any feelings or fantasies. Trying to keep her mind off of that, Sam tried to be extra alert to any threat as well as counting their steps – anything to keep her mind occupied.
Darkness had fallen by the time they had made it through the forest to a clearing. The trees had thinned out enough so that they could use the moonlight to guide them instead of using up what power their torches had. Coming to another stop, the two of them eyed up the seemingly abandoned buildings. After conducting a search of the area, they let out a collective sigh as they concluded that they were alone.
"Looks like something from the Middle Ages, Sir," Sam whispered in reference to the mud and stone buildings that took up most of the clearing. Thatched roofs covered basic, one room shelters that seemed to have not been lived in for many years.
"So, not very advanced then. Or they weren't. Why'd they abandon this place?" Jack spoke out loud, partly to himself and partly to Sam.
"I'll be able to tell more in the morning, Sir," Sam said – squinting to see Jack in the pale moonlight.
"Yeah, if anyone was here they'd have heard us by now. We'll collect some firewood and use that building over there." Jack pointed to one of the hovels that seemed to be the safest from a strategic stand point. Other than their voices there were no other sounds. Not even wildlife. It was a silence that both comforted and unnerved Jack. He didn't like it too quiet.