Bab 6: Chapter 6 Maybourne, Nox
The day after the Tollan left, Maybourne arrived at the command with an order to take them away. Jack started laughing.
"Colonel O'Neill, calm down," said General Hammond, who was also laughing discreetly. "Colonel Maybourne, I'm afraid you're too late. The Tollan have decided to leave tonight. You can read the reports to confirm it," General Hammond explained. Maybourne's expression was a work of art, going through several expressions of confusion until ending in anger. Anger he had to swallow because there was no one to take it out on.
"Colonel Maybourne, I'll instruct my executive officers to prepare a room for you while you catch up on everything," General Hammond offered. Maybourne nodded, gritting his teeth.
…
"Sir, it seems our president is a very gullible person," Jack said thoughtfully after Maybourne's departure. In the original story, the Stargate project was a ruin with poor results, but he had corrected that, just so that this kind of thing wouldn't happen.
"Colonel, I understand what you mean, believe me, I feel used and discarded at this moment too. I'll get to the bottom of this," General Hammond assured decisively. He wasn't the same general as in the original story either. Now, he had the support of very productive facts for the country.
Jack supposed they wouldn't ignore him, but he had another method he wanted to try. Jack saluted, and the general gave him permission to leave.
…
A few minutes later, Jack was at the door of Maybourne's room, opening it and entering as if he were in his own home, to sit in front of him. Maybourne didn't look very good and seemed to have broken the buttons on his shirt collar.
"Are fits of rage common for you?" Jack asked. Maybourne gritted his teeth, but it was more embarrassment than anger.
"Colonel O'Neill, my predecessor already warned me about your sense of humor, so if you've made your joke, you can leave," Maybourne growled.
"I guess you're right; your anger is a joke to me," Jack said, pointing to his neck again. "But one that I don't understand.
"The Stargate project will soon make this country the most advanced on the planet. The wealth that the Stargate project is providing us is immense, and we've brought technologies that others can only dream of. Besides, we've already provided the NID with the Goa'ulds they wanted so much.
"So forgive me if I don't understand the joke here," Jack said, narrowing his eyes. Maybourne tensed up, looking at the closed door.
"Maybourne, don't be a cowardly piece of shit. Do you see me carrying any weapons? How do you think we would explain the disappearance of a valuable intelligence agent who has gained the backing of the President of the United States of America?" Jack asked. Maybourne fell silent. "Unless the president is not the reason you're here. Tell me, Maybourne, what has Kinsey offered you to betray your country?" Jack asked, simply throwing a bone and seeing what happened.
Maybourne was so surprised that he tensed for a whole second.
"Kinsey?" Maybourne asked with all seriousness and innocence. He had to learn to lie like this bastard, Jack thought.
"So you're so surprised that I know that you let your guard down. Pathetic," Jack said with a sigh. "So that was it. Kinsey got the signature, but you had to succeed in the mission for it to have value. Now that you've failed, you're in over your head," Jack said with satisfaction, confirming that his preparations were successful and his enemies were weak.
"Maybourne, do you want me to tell you your future?" Jack asked. Maybourne looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"Are you offering me a deal?" Maybourne asked with doubts.
"You can take it however you like. Do you want to know your future?" Jack asked again. Maybourne nodded; he must be in real trouble.
"In the future, the consequences of this failure will leave you in Kinsey's hands. He'll use you as his dog to infiltrate his people into the NID, giving you nothing in return but patriotic words that you'll have to repeat not to look like a complete idiot when we catch you stealing technology for Kinsey and his elite group. When captured, you'll be forced to flee because you know your future can only be a grave.
"To escape, you'll need to offer your services to the highest bidder and lick their feet so they won't turn you in for any trinket. You'll go from being Kinsey's dog to some foreign government's bitch that wants information on the Stargate. The most likely of them, and the one you'd consider safest, would be Russia.
"Of course, if it was easy to catch you when you were a dog, it'll be easier when you're a bitch. You'll be accused of double betrayal, and this time, you'll be sentenced to death. Kinsey won't even need to intervene to silence you. Although you're competent, and despite making shitty decisions, that competence will allow you to escape. You'll surely do a favor for someone important, and to get rid of your stinking presence that could tarnish their reputation, they'll exile you to some distant planet.
"But by that time, you'll have fallen so low that you'll feel like you're in paradise. You'll spend the last days of your life bragging about your shitty knowledge to four peasants from the Middle Ages, while rolling in the straw with two stinking peasant girls, and convince yourself that you're great and that your life is the shit because you call yourself 'King Dumbass III' or something like that.
"Tell me, Maybourne, do you like that future? Are you passionate about the part where you roll around with the dirty and lice-filled peasant girls?" Jack asked mockingly. Maybourne gritted his teeth in anger and humiliation.
"No, I don't like it," Maybourne grumbled. "Is there another future for me?" he asked seriously, understanding that this was a negotiation.
"That depends on you, and if you're willing to do your damn job without forming rebel agents or lurking behind us with a damn dagger waiting to see if you can get a piece of meat, like a miserable beggar. Do you want worthwhile backup? You just have to do your job. Do you want to be the head of the NID? You just have to do your damn job, as simple as that," Jack explained.
"Colonel O'Neill, I think if I didn't believe I'm capable of doing my job, we wouldn't be talking now. So tell me what you want and what my backup would be," Maybourne said.
"Kinsey's head and the businessmen behind him," Jack said.
"Kinsey is a senator, he's untouchable," Maybourne said calmly.
"Seriously, are those the words of the guy who planned to kidnap, torture, and maybe kill a bunch of whiny tree-huggers? I thought you were smarter. Forget everything I said; it seems we don't have to worry that much after all; they're just a bunch of useless," Jack said and stood up to leave.
"Wait!" Maybourne said urgently before he got up.
"We can't touch him, not even the president can, but the people can. Is that what you want, right? People demanding his head?" Jack smiled. "Deal," said Maybourne. Jack nodded.
"I'll go to General Hammond's office; he'll be your backup, but he's an honorable man, and if you start pulling shit, he'll send you to jail without hesitation, even if he has to add a stain to his own record.
"Of course, if you do any shit, General Hammond will never find out because you'll already be underground, and your file will be closed," Jack added, opening the door to leave.
"I thought you were an honorable man too," Maybourne said. Jack smiled.
"I'm an honorable man with those who are honorable," Jack said and left.
…
Five minutes later, Jack knocked on General Hammond's door, and he told him to come in while he finished a conversation using the red phone. Jack greeted him.
"Come in, Colonel O'Neill. Take a seat," said General Hammond, who seemed less than pleased but showed a smile.
"The president told me that Maybourne's papers were a document error that won't happen again, and Maybourne will suffer a severe reprimand," explained General Hammond.
"So, the person behind Maybourne is a big shot, and they'll only face a small political retaliation for their negligence. Maybe the president privately warns them not to do it again and then offers them a glass of whiskey," said Jack.
"Colonel O'Neill…" General Hammond made a face that stopped his attempt to scold him. "You're too shrewd," he concluded with a sigh. "I'm afraid I've disappointed you; politics isn't my thing," General Hammond apologized. Jack smiled.
"I think we both prefer it that way, General Hammond. And I don't believe anyone on this base will ever be disappointed in you," Jack said sincerely. "But you're right; politics is not your strong suit. That's why I made a deal with Maybourne," Jack said.
"Colonel, Maybourne is…"
"A snake?" Jack asked, and General Hammond nodded. Jack shook his head. "You're wrong about him, but it's not your fault. The person currently employing Maybourne against us also thinks that. That person has seen what everyone sees in him: cunning, excessive ambition, and an unhealthy interest in benefits. These qualities he shares with his current employer and were easy to identify in him.
"But that person is wrong. Maybourne is ambitious and constantly looks for benefits. However, what that person didn't see is that Maybourne values his dignity almost as much as everything else. Of course, it was impossible for that person to see that in Maybourne because, until now, Maybourne has had it all, and no one has dragged him through the mud. His dignity is intact," Jack explained. "He also has honor," Jack said, raising his right hand and pinching his thumb and index finger together, leaving a centimeter of separation between them. "His honor measures exactly one centimeter compared to his ambition, which is a few centimeters taller than Maybourne himself.
"He also has loyalty, which is half his size. Don't expect much from him; if he sees everything lost, he'll go into hiding, but at least he won't try to stab you in the back, unless you try to sell him out first," Jack explained.
"Even if it's something they had already agreed on, like what he did with his current employer?" General Hammond asked thoughtfully.
"Sir, in that case, it's understood that everyone is on their own," Jack explained.
"Would you go into hiding if everything fails?" General Hammond asked.
"General, it's not good to stray from reality. If everything fails, you and I will be the first to die; we'll never have the chance to go into hiding. That option is only available for people like Maybourne, who works in the rear," Jack said, unable to help but laugh. General Hammond also laughed despite himself.
"Colonel O'Neill, your sense of humor is too twisted," reprimanded General Hammond, and then sighed. "What does Maybourne want?" General Hammond asked.
"To get out of this mess without stains on his record. We don't mention anything, and this matter never happened. Then, you support him with your most sincere recommendations, he gains influence, and we get rid of situations like the one we're experiencing today, which makes us sick to our stomachs and will cause us an ulcer one of these days," Jack explained with genuine fear for his health.
The feeling of seeing Maybourne standing in front of him, carrying papers signed by a shitty politician who sold them for a few coins when they had given him tons of them to roll in, caused him a massive feeling of dissatisfaction he had never felt in his life. It was more disgust than dissatisfaction.
"Alright, I'll withdraw the charges against Maybourne. The matter will be forgotten; send him to my office for your recommendations," said General Hammond. Jack stood up.
"Sir, I know that your record will be irreparably stained if Maybourne betrays us or does anything stupid. And I know you're doing this because you value your men and believe you owe me, even if you don't trust Maybourne," Jack said and saluted to leave.
"Colonel O'Neill, wait," ordered General Hammond. Jack stopped but didn't turn around. "Remember, Colonel O'Neill, I am your superior officer, not an innocent child who needs to be protected from the consequences of his actions. If I am capable of taking credit for my successes, I am also capable of taking responsibility for my failures," General Hammond said. "Sir, you can take responsibility for your failures, but I won't let you take responsibility for mine," Jack responded in his mind. If this plan failed, Maybourne and Kinsey would pay for it.
"Colonel, even if you say it in your mind, it's still insubordination," General Hammond said, and Jack tensed before rushing out. "Damn," Jack thought.
…
Two days after Maybourne was released from the base, there was a corruption scandal that made headlines in all the country's media and newspapers. Senator Kinsey was fined for driving drunk. They then found drugs in his clothes, a prostitute in his car, an offshore account, his wife cheating on him, selling military secrets, diverting funds, and a group of famous businessmen bribing him for government contracts.
One thing led to another, and for a week, every time a government agency was forced to investigate under public pressure, more shit fell on Senator Kinsey. So much shit fell on him that people began to suspect that the government itself wanted to get rid of him.
…
One day after Kinsey was so deep in shit that the authorities were forced to arrest him so that good citizens wouldn't lynch him, Maybourne arrived at the SGC Command as an intelligence liaison to be closer to the command. The general welcomed him, and Maybourne saluted to join in his new liaison role.
…
A few days later, they entered a world of dark clouds, with what looked like oval-shaped monoliths in the distance.
Jack didn't recognize anything from the place and advanced to explore; almost everything was smooth rocks. There was a large cleared space between the monoliths and the gate. Jack was preparing to give the order to advance when a light flashed, and a Goa'uld plasma burst passed several meters away from him.
"Back to the gate!" Jack ordered and began to shoot and retreat, even though the enemy wasn't visible, and the shots were coming from the monoliths. This had to be a Goa'uld world, and those monoliths were their defenses. It seemed not everyone was as foolish as Apophis.
Jack retreated easily; the truth was that these shots had the same accuracy as a one-eyed person. They probably didn't want to hit the dialing device. Still, there were many shots, and it was better not to take risks. So when Daniel finished dialing, they all ran to the gate. First, Daniel, who was dialing, then Teal'c, who covered him, followed by Carter, and lastly, him as the leader.
Most of the time, Jack appreciated the command position, especially when Daniel tried to kill them all, and he only had to hold him by the neck and order him to step back. But at times like this, being the leader sucks, Jack thought as he launched himself to safety last.
…
"Damn!" Jack yelled, feeling his whole body cold, and a pain that paralyzed him coming from his leg. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know where he was and what mission this was. "God, that hurts. Where is my chakra to take it away," Jack shouted in his mind, lamenting, not for the first time, his mortal body and cursing his useless cells that still wouldn't work.
"Sir, calm down; your leg is broken," consoled Carter.
"You're a genius, Carter. What made you reach that conclusion?" exclaimed Jack, as memories of the last time O'Neill broke bones flooded back. He had endured it like a man, for he was a hero, but Jack was screaming like a pig because he was just a gamer and had no intention of stopping, as he discovered it relieved his pain…
Carter tried to administer an injection, and Jack hurried to hit her, pushing her away before the liquid entered his body. If they sedated him in this situation, they were in trouble.
"Sir, it's a sedative; it will alleviate the pain," explained Carter, approaching again.
"Carter, stay away! If you don't like hearing screams, find your own cave," scolded Jack, annoyed. How was it possible that a man couldn't scream in peace in an icy abyss?
"Sir?" asked Carter, keeping her distance, in case he pushed her again.
"Screams are my personal anesthesia. Don't waste time on me; find the dialing device. It must be near the gate, under the ice," Jack shouted.
"Sir, if I don't immobilize your leg, you could lose it," explained Carter. Damn, thought Jack. The sarcophagus couldn't regenerate legs. Although it should be able to repair it if they hadn't amputated it yet. Would he take that risk? And if…
Jack stopped screaming so quickly that the silence was overwhelming.
"Sir, are you okay?" asked Carter.
"Carter, it seems meditation is a better anesthesia than screams," Jack said. "Now, find that dialing device," Jack ordered, pointing to a pile of ice that looked more or less like what he remembered…
In reality, he didn't remember shit besides O'Neill acting like a tough hero and Carter working to get them out of there. He didn't even know if the gate didn't work because they called Earth or because the dialing device was broken.
"Sir, we need to fix your leg," Carter insisted.
"Carter, I'll assume you have a strange fetish for my leg. Forget about my leg! I'll heal it with the sarcophagus. Now, start digging for that dialing device to get us home," scolded Jack. Carter thought for a few seconds and hurried to comply with his order.
Jack regretted not being a Jaffa and immersed himself as deeply as possible in his meditation, maxing out his other senses to ignore the pain. Who said the poisoned gifts from the tree-huggers weren't useful? He scoffed in his mind. He already knew what gift Lya gave him. He confirmed it when he tried to teach Daniel his meditation technique, and Daniel couldn't do it, but Teal'c could, entering kelno'reem in seconds.
What Lya gave him was an approach to meditation that the Ancients did to ascend. That tree-hugger didn't know her trick would be exposed with him. Also, Jack knew that, no matter how much you meditated, if you didn't want to ascend, you simply didn't. He didn't know if Lya knew this, but trying to make him ascend was a foolish idea. Jack guessed she thought of it because she saw the Ancient genes in him.
Lya's plan was stupid, but in these moments, her meditation technique was very useful.
"Carter, hit to the right; there's a crack below, and…" Carter hit to the right, and the ice cracked, exposing half of the device. "Good, now only half the work remains," said Jack. "Consider that half my part," he added, and Carter laughed.
…
An hour later, Carter finished cleaning the device. As far as he remembered, that was a record time, because maybe a couple of days had passed in the original mission.
"Sir, I've never seen this symbol; I think it's the point of origin," said Carter.
"What does the symbol look like?" asked Jack.
"Sir, it's a circle with what looks like a line above it," said Carter. Jack had no idea about that circle; he was just trying to think of how to ask her to dial somewhere other than Earth.
"Carter, go ahead," said Jack, and Carter began dialing, but in the end, there were no results despite dialing three times.
Jack was relieved to see the gate activating, indicating that the device was working, just not dialing Earth.
"Carter, stop dialing Earth; try another address," ordered Jack.
"Sir?" questioned Carter.
"Carter, having a functional leg doesn't give you the right to disobey orders," growled Jack, using his rank to avoid uncomfortable and complicated questions.
Carter grumbled but started dialing.
After a few seconds, the gate activated, and Carter looked bewildered.
"Where did you dial?" asked Jack.
"To… To Chulak, sir," confessed Carter embarrassed.
"Carter, just shut that down and let's forget this incident in the report. Dial another address, and let's get out of here," Jack calmly said. He dared not ask what she was thinking dialing Chulak.
"Sir, I would never hurt him; it was just a moment of anger," explained Carter.
"Carter, I don't hear anything. Are you dialing?" asked Jack.
"Yes, sir, I'm dialing," said Carter through gritted teeth.
"I hope this time it's not Chulak," said Jack.
"Perhaps to Tartarus," murmured Carter in an inaudible whisper, but he was amplifying all his senses, and hearing was one of them.
"Carter, Tartarus is a very hot place this time of year. Better dial Abydos; it's more welcoming," said Jack. Carter blushed.
…
In the end, she didn't dial Abydos because when she managed to pull him out of the gate, Jack was met with Lya's concerned gaze. They were with the Nox.
"Carter, dial home quickly…" Lya touched his forehead, and Jack lost consciousness.
…
Jack didn't know how long he slept, but he woke up in the SGC infirmary. Jack sighed in relief; maybe it was a hallucination…
"I'm sorry for scaring you earlier," said Lya beside him, and Jack suppressed a start.
"You didn't scare me. How could a tree-hugger scare me?" Jack lied. Of course, he had been scared; he didn't know what she had done to his head. Although now he knew there was no danger and he could even be useful to avoid crying like a baby. Still, he felt scared of her, who insisted he was injured. She could see his feelings, and that was terrifying to him…
"What?" Jack wondered to himself. What stupidity had he just thought? That must be the dumbest thing he had thought in both his lives. Jack cleared his throat, looking around.
"We're not on Earth, are we?" asked Jack. It was the same infirmary, but there wasn't a soul there.
"As perceptive as always," said Lya. "You're as dumb as a cabbage; your cheap copy wouldn't fool anyone," Jack thought but didn't say.
The Illusion faded, and he was on a straw bed in some hut in the middle of the forest. Jack sighed.
"And Carter?" he asked, sitting up and checking his leg, which was now healed.
"Playing with Atreyu," said Lya. "Do you want to leave now?" she asked. Jack shook his head.
"I've had some silly thoughts lately. I'm sorry," apologized Jack. He thought about offering her a gift for helping him the next time he visited the planet, but he didn't think it was appropriate because Lya was married, or so it was supposed. Maybe Atreyu, the charming kid, was her son, although he suspected that his supposed father Anteaus didn't like him much. He always sent Lya to deal with them. Jack also remembered that he was the most reserved of the four Nox they had met so far.
"Lya, do you know what an Ascended being is?" asked Jack. Lya looked surprised. So she knew— "Lya, thanks for what you've done for me, but I don't want to be Ascended. They're people with too many responsibilities, and I'm working hard to get rid of the ones I already have.
"Did you want to help me because of the Ancient genes in my body?" Jack asked. Again, surprise, but not a word. Jack sighed.
"You know, there are still Alterans alive, although they are very far from here. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll bring them here and scatter them around," Jack said with a smile. "I have their genes, but they are personality-less folks. I don't think I'll bother talking much with them, so I'll pick them up and throw them around like randomly sown corn," Jack said, gesturing as if tossing people around like grains. Lya finally laughed.
"You possess knowledge you shouldn't have," Lya said.
"Believe me, that's good for all the inhabitants of this galaxy. Although if I fail, then it will be bad. Well, it's bad now, so maybe they'll only notice on Earth," Jack said with a wry smile.
"I must take my leave," said Lya.
Jack nodded, assuming she wanted to talk with the others. Jack looked at the thatched hut; the Nox still wouldn't let them visit their floating city, nor did they make any mention of it. Jack grew impatient and went out to find a tree to lie under.
Jack looked around, in case someone wanted to talk to him, but there was no one in sight. So he decided to take a good nap. He only wore his uniform, as usual, the Nox had hidden the weapons so as not to see them.
…
"Are you an Ascended?" asked a somewhat high-pitched voice, interrupting his nap.
Jack opened his eyes. Perhaps one or two hours had passed, judging by the advancing shadows of the tree he was lying under. That was a good nap for him, and he wasn't bothered by the interruption, although he was surprised to see a Nox he had never seen before.
She was a young Nox, more of a teenager than a youth. Otherwise, she was a younger version of Lya, with softer features.
"No, I'm not Ascended," Jack said.
"Were you Ascended before?" the girl asked, approaching three steps and smiling at him. So her conversation with Lya had extended. The Nox thought he was Ascended due to his knowledge. Jack yawned, enjoying the pout the girl made at his refusal to answer.
"We know there are Ascended, and we know they don't descend to our plane unless there are important things to do," the girl declared with pride in her superior knowledge. Jack laughed.
"You're as silly as a cabbage," he said sincerely. "Most of them return to the material plane due to their impure desires. I know one who saw a beautiful woman, and the next day he was standing at her doorstep. It seems the lust was too much," Jack said, shaking his head. To his surprise, the girl smiled.
"Well, I must admit the guy was already a bit touched. He wasn't what we would call a good example of an Ascended, but in the end, he did the right thing, and that made him return and try to do something good for that woman and her people, sacrificing himself for them," Jack said, and the girl smiled with satisfaction. "But he failed miserably and ended up confined in a psychiatric ward with a miserable fate," Jack concluded. The girl looked at him surprised.
"Not nice, right?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow, and the girl made an accusing pout but stepped closer and sat down with a determined expression.
"Sometimes, good intentions don't achieve good results," she said wisely.
"No, good intentions 'never' achieve good results without good plans behind them," Jack scolded. "That's why the Ascended fail; they're as silly as cabbages," Jack said with a smile. The girl put on a solemn expression.
"Don't you believe me? Well, I'll tell you about an Alteran who was a black sheep among his kind. The guy kept inventing dangerous things, one after another.
"The guy was never obedient before being Ascended, and he wasn't after Ascension either. He was, as they say in my world, a black sheep. Although he had good intentions…" Jack looked at the Nox who watched him expectantly, waiting for the rest of his story. "Well, for me, they were good intentions; for you, surely not. But it's my story, and I decide, so you'll have to believe me," Jack said, and the girl laughed, nodding for him to continue. "Descending, he played some tricks and returned to Terra, which was a medieval planet at that time.
"That was his first foolishness; I suspect he was also influenced by a moment of lust, only that could affect his judgment," Jack declared. "Then his tricks were discovered, and the Ascended were breathing down his neck. He kept doing foolish thing after foolish thing and ended up badly injured, alone, and at the mercy of the Ascended because he had broken the rules in so many different ways they could take care of him at any moment," Jack concluded. "His intentions were good, both for the Ascended and the galaxy, but his plans were a disaster, and he ended up in a mess.
"He was a prodigy, but he was as silly as a cabbage, so he failed," Jack said. The girl didn't seem affected. "Yes, she's got straw in her head, just like all the Nox," Jack thought.
"Hey, what's your name?" Jack asked. This girl had come straight to interrogate him.
"My name is Lira," the girl said. Jack had no impression of her. In the original story, the Nox were never direct allies of humans.
"Lira, how long was I asleep before?" Jack asked.
"In your time, about eighteen hours," Lira said. If he recalled correctly, the gate had a malfunction due to the energy surge that caused an overload and sent them to Antarctica. But he didn't remember how long it had been Inactive. Still, a day was more than enough time to fix a glitch; everything should be online by now.
"Lira, do me a favor and find Carter. It's time to go home; we're supposed to be lost…" Jack made a face. Upon returning, Carter would surely bombard him with her questions until he explained how he realized they were on Earth. Jack looked at the Nox.
"Lira, you see, I broke a leg before, and it was a horrible ordeal, so I rushed and didn't bother to follow my well-planned plan for everything to go well, and now Carter is going to ask many uncomfortable questions. Do the Nox have a memory erasing device?" he asked, and the Nox girl looked at him accusingly. "Don't look at me like that; you don't know how terrible Carter can be. She never shuts up; she could spend days behind me, demanding a reasonable explanation to resolve her doubts. My theory is that her brain harasses her to get answers," Jack explained sincerely. Lira laughed and disappeared.
"Hey, this is not a joke!" Jack scolded, noting her lack of seriousness in dealing with a serious matter.
…
"Lya, please," Jack said after waiting a few seconds. Lya appeared in front of him. Jack was still lying down and didn't get up. Somehow, the Nox forest trees were as comfortable as a large armchair.
"Lya, when my team arrived on this planet, the Nox had a plan. For Daniel, they sent the old tree-hugger, who gives cryptic answers and furtive warnings. It suits him, I don't complain. For Carter, the somewhat geeky brainiac, they sent a child who wouldn't consider asking questions and with whom she could be entertained. For Teal'c, they sent you. I guess it's to teach him kindness and goodness.
"Finally, me. I was the leader, and that's why they brought Anteaus, to counteract my supposed leadership character, but my laziness and vagueness ruined their perfect and flawless plans.
"In the end, they didn't know what to do with me and sent you. First, you were kind, and then you scared me by talking nonsense. In the end, you concluded that we are not compatible.
"That's okay, I understand. My charisma is limited; I can't please everyone," Jack said, then looked threateningly at Lya. "Lya, why is the person you selected to talk to me now a teenager who laughs at any joke?" Jack asked with a solemn tone.
"We believe she will adapt better to your personality… young. Understanding is very important to us, and as you mentioned before, we have had some setbacks with you," Lya admitted brazenly.
Jack stood up and straightened his clothes, looking at Carter approaching with the teenager whom the Nox considered as mature as him and at his own level.
"Sir…"
"Carter, please, questions for later," Jack said dejectedly, looking at Carter's apprehensive expression, the same one she wore when eager to get answers and entered geek mode, unable to shut her mouth. "Carter, we're leaving," Jack declared and pointed in a random direction. Then he looked at Lira.
"I want you to know that, from this moment on, we are officially at odds again," Jack declared, and Lira laughed. Jack sighed. "Carter, move forward," Jack ordered helplessly.
"Actually, the gate is on the other side," Lira said.
"You know, we know that the Nox can move the gate anywhere without any problem," Jack accused.
"I'm young and silly as a cabbage; I can't do those things," the girl said, insisting on pointing in the opposite direction, with a slight smile.
Carter looked at him first, then at the girl, and finally frowned. After a few seconds, her prodigy brain came to a conclusion.
"Carter, if you utter those words, you might be exposed to friendly fire in the next Goa'uld attack," Jack said calmly. Lira smiled. It seemed like a joke to her. While Carter bit her tongue to refrain from explaining her brilliant conclusions, Jack sighed and walked in the direction the Nox girl pointed.
…
They reached the gate without any issues, and Lira activated it with a hand movement to make it clear that she was trolling him earlier. Jack didn't know how to deal with her and walked helplessly toward the gate.
"Sir, I understand that feeling," Carter said accusingly. Lira smiled and bid farewell. Jack responded with a standard salute and a serene face. Carter laughed and sent their codes.
Upon crossing the gate, an army of soldiers and General Hammond awaited them, surprised but with a smile for their safe return.
"Sir, I hadn't mentioned it before, but this place is really cramped," Jack said, looking at the crowded people. He pointed backward. "We should drill back there and make a tunnel, and some warehouses to store some tanks, so that this place can be defended properly," Jack said. He didn't see any use for it, and he didn't remember if it was necessary, but they had a lot of money, and they had to spend it on something. The general looked at their weapons, which should have arrived before them.
"Were they with the Nox?" General Hammond asked.
"Sir, the Nox have assigned him a new…"
"Carter, please," Jack said. "General, my relationship with the Nox has returned to being hostile. I want you to send a formal complaint about their treatment towards me," Jack complained. "Of course, that's after thanking them for the medical treatment," Jack said, pointing to his leg with the torn pant leg. He didn't want them to think they were ungrateful; he just wanted them to understand that they were at odds due to their attitude.
"I'll see what can be done, Colonel O'Neill," General Hammond said, ignoring him and addressing Carter. "Sam, what happened?" General Hammond asked. Carter seemed undecided.
"Sir, upon entering the gate, we followed Teal'c and Daniel, but we came out at a different destination. After what happened, I believe we were expelled to another gate on Earth. I've been thinking about how to locate it, and I think if we study seismic reports at the time of the incident, we can triangulate its position," explained Carter. General Hammond, Daniel, and Teal'c looked surprised.
"Another gate on Earth," said Daniel.
"Well, Colonel O'Neill, Sam, to my office," said General Hammond.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone