The 'Gate whooshed to life, alerting the waiting troops, nervously checking their automatic weapons - in the control room, General Hammond waited for the technician in control of the 'Gate to check for a signal to open the iris. "Anything?" he asked. The technician hesitated, rechecking the console in front of him, before turning to the general with the start of a smile. "We're receiving a signal, sir - it's SG1 returning ahead of schedule." "Open the iris," the general ordered, his mind already racing to possible scenarios - why had the team returned more than 48 hours early on what had looked like a routine mission? Taking a deep breath, Hammond stilled his racing mind, 'I'll soon know the answer,' he thought, as he watched the iris retract into the side of the 'Gate. Seeing the wormhole itself never failed to impress him as he watched its surface swirl, anxiously watching for the return of his team. The surface of the vortex rippled as SG1 stepped, no, stumbled through - of all of the team, Daniel Jackson was the only one who appeared uninjured. The general turned swiftly to a nearby phone, to call for medical assistance, before hastily leaving the control room for the room that housed the 'Gate itself. Entering the embarkation room, General Hammond saw that his first impressions of the condition of SG1 had been correct. Colonel O'Neill was cradling his left arm, with an expression on his face that suggested that it was broken, while Teal'c sported a bandage on his head which was spotted with blood. Dr Jackson was supporting Captain Carter, who was limping heavily and gasping with pain with each step. As the general moved towards the ramp, the door through which he had just passed slammed open again, heralding the entry of the medical team. Dr Fraiser, hot on the heels of the gurneys, took one look at SG1 before ordering that they all be taken to the infirmary. "Welcome back SG1," said the general, as his team were being bundled onto gurneys and wheeled towards the door, "debriefing can wait till the doctor has seen you all." He had barely spoken the final word before the team had been whisked away to the waiting medical staff. Somewhat impressed by the speed and efficiency of the medical response to his summons, the general left the embarkation room, in a more sedate manner, and returned to his office. ***************** General Hammond sat at the table in the briefing room, silently fuming - the briefing had finally taken place, once the doctor had given all four members of SG1 the all-clear. However, once the briefing had actually begun, it soon became evident that an explanation for the injuries the team had received was not going to be forthcoming. Although each person spoke in turn about the mission and how it had proceeded, when the subject of their current medical conditions arose, there was much muttering and staring at the table. Even Daniel was quiet and, the general reflected, seemed somewhat subdued. Pausing from his examination of the mission, Hammond decided to talk to each one of SG1 individually. Maybe that way I'll get some straight answers, he thought, starting with Colonel O'Neill. Getting up from his chair abruptly, the general barked out, "This debriefing is finished, SG1. I'll speak to each of you individually and then decide how we proceed once all the facts are in. Dismissed." With that Hammond left the room, aware that at least one member of SG1 was staring after him with their mouth open, too stunned to speak. **************** "Do you have something to say to me Colonel?" the general asked Colonel O'Neill. The colonel stood before him, in the general's office, his arm strapped up - the doctor's diagnosis had been a broken collarbone, along with severe bruising. "Sit down Colonel, before you fall down," Hammond snapped, waving his hand towards the only other chair in the room. It did not escape his notice that Colonel O'Neill winced slightly as he sat down, despite the fact that the doctor must have pumped him full of painkillers. "Let's hear it," Hammond said patiently, "from the beginning..." There was a noticeable pause before Jack began to speak. "Well, sir, we arrived on P3J 734 and found it to be as we expected. The reconnaissance material that the MALP sent back was fundamentally correct in terms of both temperature and overall weather conditions. We had picked up indications from the area surrounding the 'Gate that the planet was inhabited but that there was no sign of recent Goa'uld activity there." Jack shifted somewhat in his seat, before continuing,"Seeing that there was a settlement in the distance, we headed towards it, noting that there were signs of intensive mining in the immediate vicinity of the 'Gate. What we failed to note, sir, was the number of pits strung out along the path towards the settlement, some of them partly covered by the low undergrowth that covered the rest of the grasslands. At least, not until Daniel fell into one of them..." ****************** "...and that was when Colonel O'Neill was injured, sir. Daniel fell into one of the pits, but the colonel managed to grab him by the jacket as he fell, sustaining a broken collarbone and bruising down his side in the process. The pits themselves are approximately 75 metres deep, so it is likely that Daniel would have been severely injured, if not killed, had he fallen. It was not immediately apparent that the colonel had broken anything, as he was severely winded when he hit the edge of the pit and we initially thought he had just dislocated his shoulder." "Go on, Captain," prompted the general, as Carter's recounting of the events of the mission seemed to slow. "Well sir, since the reconnaissance had not suggested we would encounter any hostility from the inhabitants of P3J 734, the colonel said that we should continue with the mission. I treated his injuries myself sir, but he ordered me to make him a sling for his arm and give him some painkillers, saying he would be fine. So we continued on towards the settlement, keeping a sharper eye out for the pits beneath the undergrowth. As we neared the settlement itself, some of the locals came out to meet us and Daniel began to try to talk to them - that was when Teal'c was injured...." ************** "...we had come to the settlement, General Hammond, and Daniel Jackson was attempting to speak to the leaders of the village and reassure them that we were not a Goa'uld raiding party. Although I did not understand the language that they spoke, it was clear from their gestures towards me that they were not happy to see a Jaffa in their village. They became increasingly agitated in their manner, finally turning and calling out to someone still in the settlement itself." "And then what happened?" Hammond urged Teal'c, looking up at where he stood before the general's desk. However many times I ask him, the general thought,he always insists on standing when he talks to me. "Then," Teal'c continued,"there was a rush of movement from the village as a number of armed men came running out. Daniel Jackson was still attempting to reason with the village elders, seemingly oblivious to the danger that he was in. The colonel shouted at me to get to Daniel Jackson and make him return to the 'Gate with us before he was harmed. As I reached him, so did one of the men from the village, wielding a large knife - I was able to push Daniel Jackson to one side before he was struck." "Was that how you were injured Teal'c?" asked the general. Teal'c nodded. "So what happened after that?" "Once I had reached Daniel Jackson, I was able to get him to come with me back in the direction of the 'Gate. Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter were giving us covering fire as we moved back towards them, heading back to the 'Gate. Daniel Jackson was very quiet and I was concerned that he was injured, although I now know that this was not the case." Well, that makes a change, Hammond thought. "And when you got to the 'Gate...?" ******************* "...when we got to the 'Gate, we didn't have a chance to dial up the co-ordinates before the villagers attacked us. Whatever I said to them, they took no notice. I tried every dialect I could think of, but they were furious that a Jaffa had come to their village." Daniel removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, sighing with pent-up frustration at his inability to communicate with these people. The general waited, still surprised at seeing Dr Jackson apparently lost for words. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Daniel spoke again. "That was when it happened, general. Sam... Captain Carter... she saw the spear heading in my direction, which is more than I did. She..." Daniel stopped, choking slightly on the words. "...shoved me out of the way, and fell onto the base of the DHD, jarring her leg badly. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c laid down covering fire, allowing me to dial up the wormhole so we could return." What is it he's not telling me? the general wondered. I've seen that look before, on soldier's faces, people whose friends have died. Suddenly it all made sense. Taking a deep breath, General Hammond sought the right words, instinctively knowing the importance of the moment. "It's not your fault, Dr. Jackson." Not the right words. "NOT MY FAULT?!" Daniel practically exploded, as if the general's words had lit a fuse inside him. Suddenly realising who it was he was shouting at, Daniel made an obvious effort to calm himself before speaking again, more calmly this time. "How can it not be my fault? My team, my friends, are in the infirmary - all because they tried to stop me from being hurt. I'm responsible for them being injured... How do you think that makes me feel?" "I can't give you an easy answer, Dr Jackson. I'm not going to say I understand how you feel, though I've lost friends too, more friends than I care to think about... I'm not going to say you shouldn't feel bad about what happened, because that would be unrealistic. Your team, they did what they did for you, because you're a team, that's what you do, and because they know you'd do the same for them. As for how you feel, well, that's something you can only take up with your team..." The room was quiet for a moment after the general finished speaking. In the distance, somewhere in the base, Daniel could hear laughter, and his mind turned again to his friends. "If you'll excuse me, general, I ought to be getting back to the rest of my team." "Very well, Dr Jackson. Give the rest of SG1 my best." "I will, sir," Daniel said, all the time thinking, and an apology or three... ~fin~

Disclaimer : Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is written for entertainment purposes only - no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story-line are the property of the author - not to be archived elsewhere without permission.