Stargate SG-1: Mission to Abydos

"Sir, there's a ladder over here."

Jack O'Neill sat with his four-year-old daughter, Emily, on the roof of his cabin using his telescope to stargaze when a portly man in an Air uniform came up the ladder.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill?" The major asked.

"Retired," Jack sighed

"I'm Major Samuels."

"Air ? Major, you should really think about getting yourself transferred to NASA instead. That's where all the action's going to be," said O'Neill.

"Yes, sir. I'm General Hammond's Executive Officer," Samuels informed him unmoving. "I'm under orders to bring you to see him, sir."

"Never heard of him." Jack gave the barrel-chested man a long stare.

"He replaced General West. He says it's important. It has to do with the Stargate."

That got Jack's attention.

**SG-1**SG-1**

They stepped into the elevator at the SGC and waited in silence while they went down to level twelve.

"Please sign in, sir. We have to take another elevator the rest of the way down now," Samuels informed O'Neill.

"I know. I have heard this before," Jack said sarcastically.

"This way, please."

Jack's mind was reeling. He'd been taken down to the morgue where he'd seen some very dead aliens that he hadn't recognized. Then Samuels had led him along some more corridors, taken him on another elevator ride and now they were standing in front of a metal door. They knocked and waited for an answer. After a short wait the door opened.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, sir."

"Retired," Jack emphasized. "Yeah, see that? I'm starting to get my thoughts together. Been thinking of writing a book about my self in the line of duty, or I might just relax in my retirement."

"You really thinking of doing something like that?" Asked Hammond.

"I could, but I'd have to kill every person that reads it." Jack crossed his arms, smiling, noting the man's serious face. "That was a joke, sir. The past twelve years have been classified and I'm not allowed to talk about it." He switched his weight to his other foot. "Major Samuels said something about the Stargate?"

"Straight to business, I see." Hammond said. "That I can do. Follow me." They went down the stairs into the gate room. "Well, the gate seems to have become unburied now." Hammond said.

In front of the gate sat what was obviously a bomb.

"You're sending another bomb through?" O'Neill asked horrified.

"Yes, we intend to make sure who-or whatever-is not able to come through again. Unless you can give me another reason why I shouldn't, we will proceed." Hammond crossed his arms. "Well I'm waiting."

"Sir, I have some bad news to tell you." The older man put his weight on his other foot. "Dr. Jackson is very alive and well. He's living on Abydos."

"You lied in your report to us? Why?"

"The people of Abydos are no threat to this planet."

"Well the four dead people in the infirmary tell me otherwise. And so do those aliens that you looked at earlier." The general's eyebrows creased in anger.

"Sir, you can't…"

"Oh, I can't? I follow orders and that isn't much of what you seem to have been doing before! Airman... Take O'Neill to a holding room until I can figure out what to do with him," barked out Hammond.

**Holding room**

"Colonel O'Neill, Sir," Kawalsky said as he entered the room.

I'm retired, Kawalsky. Lose the salute," Jack sighed.

"Feretti and I didn't tell them anything," he stated.

"I appreciate that," Jack smiled.

"Hey, those kids on Abydos saved my life, too. What was the name of that kid that always followed you around saluting?"

"Skarra was his name. Funny thing is he reminded me a lot of my own son."

"Colonel, I never knew you had a son," the other man said, a bit perplexed.

"Died before the Abydos mission," he mumbled and looked away, a bit uncomfortable.

"So sorry to hear that," Kawalsky said, trying to shake off the heavy air that now filled the room.

General Hammond entered the holding room. "How many people would you have said were on Abydos?"

"I'd say about 1000 to 3000 people that we saw. Does this mean you're rethinking your decision?"

"Yes. That's what I'm saying."

"Sir, let me take a team through the gate. Kawalsky and I know the lay of the land there."

"For all you know Dr Jackson could be dead. You could be walking into a trap. I can't take that risk." Hammond frowned.

"How about sending a probe through the gate to make sure?"

"Get them to send the probe from MIT right away."

Sir, we don't need it."

"We don't?" Kawalsky asked?

"No, this will do." Jack says.

"May I ask what you are doing, Colonel?" Hammond said staring in consternation at the box of tissues O'Neill was holding.

"Daniel has allergies. He'll know that this is from me and not someone like you, sir, with all due respect."

"I get it," Kawalsky said nodding.

"Sir, permission to take a team through the Stargate?" Asked Jack as eventually the empty frost-covered box came flying back through the gate.

**SG-1**SG-1**

Briefing room.

"Carter?" Hammond asked.

"Just arriving, sir." Samuels said.

"I'm assigning Sam Carter to this mission," Hammond said turning to the newly reinstated Colonel.

"I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir," Jack argued hoping against hope that the Sam Carter the general had just mentioned wasn't the person he was thinking about.

"Not this mission. Sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate," Hammond said.

"And she's come straight from the Pentagon." A female voice called from the door.

Jack looked up in shock. "Oh god," he said.

After the briefing O'Neill and Carter sat in Hammond's office.

"So where's Sarah Carter-O'Neill?" Sam asked Colonel O'Neill.

"She's with an airman but Kawalsky's watching her. When'd you get here?" He asked.

"About two hours ago. I was going to stop by home after this but I didn't know you were here."

"I was called in to ID some of the aliens."

Hammond entered and sat at his desk and looked at the pair.

"The President has ordered that you two are allowed to work together. And as for your daughter, I understand that she is home schooled so she has been given presidential permission to be on this base."

Jack and Sam both nodded and left to get ready for the mission.

After leaving Hammond's office they walked towards the supplies office.

"Dammit, Sam, what are you doing here?" He sighed.

"Nice to see you too, Jack. Captain Samantha Carter, sir." Sam said saluting O'Neill.

"You two know each other?" Hammond asked as he came up behind them.

"If you looked at her file, sir, you'd know how," Jack said.

"I know that you're going back to Abydos. I'm going with you, and you might as well just deal with it, Colonel," Sam retorted.

"Oh great. Just what I don't need along on this damn mission you telling me what to do every step of the way." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why would I do that, sir?"

"Oh? Why would you do that? I'll tell you why." His voice rose. "You seem to tell me what to do every time! This time might as well not be any different then!"

"How dare you talk to me that way," Sam hissed.

"Under my command, Captain, I will talk to you however I see fit. And if you don't like it, then that's just too damn bad," he growled.

"Dammit, Colonel O'Neill, I can see you haven't changed one bit!" Sam stated.

"No I haven't, Carter and to be very frank with you I don't need some scientist telling me what I can or can't do on this mission," said O'Neill.

"Let me make something very clear to the both of you, Colonel and Captain," Hammond growled making them jump. They'd been so caught up with their argument they'd forgotten he was there." You are the mission commander, Colonel, and you will comport yourself accordingly. You, Captain, will follow your commanding officer's orders without question. And both of you will leave your private life at home. Do I make myself clear?"

"Fine, sir," they both said.

Looking back at Sam with a glare in his eyes Jack just knew she was going to screw the mission up one away another.

"Colonel O'Neill," Hammond said.

"Sir?" Asked O'Neill

"Follow orders this time and bring Dr. Jackson back."

"Yes, sir," O'Neill replied.