Ten Days in a Tel'tac

You don't want to know how old this story is... really, you don't. We originally wrote it for a zine that ultimately didn't happen, then, after some searching for a replacement home, it was tribbed to "New Worlds and False Gods #6" which has a two year statute of limitations. Then we both forgot about it. But here it is. Finally. (Wonder what else I can find on my hard drive? ;-))

Title: Ten Days in a Tel’tac
Author: Sue Corkill and Wendy Parkinson
Email: mscorkill@alltel.net, wendy13uk@hotmail.com
Category: Gen
Spoilers: Fail Safe
Season/Sequel info: set during Fail Safe, season five.
Rating: PG
Content Warnings: None
Summary: It takes ten days to reach the asteroid…
Archive: Ask first please, but we’ll almost certainly say yes.
Author’s notes: Written for the zine, “New Worlds and False Gods #6”, published in Spring 2003.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM, Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

All feedback and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. No flames please.

Ten Days in a Tel’tac

Sam settled back into the corner of the cargo bay that she had declared as her territory. Squashing her pillow into a more comfortable position between her back and the bulkhead, she turned on the lantern and opened her laptop. The battery-operated lantern cast a warm glow over her small space in the darkened cargo bay. They were trying to maintain some semblance of a normal circadian rhythm, so it was currently ‘night’ onboard the Tel’tac, with the overhead lighting appropriately dim. Teal’c was on first watch, monitoring their course and nursing the battered engines along, O’Neill was softly snoring away from ‘his’ corner of the cargo bay and Daniel was either reading or writing…she couldn’t quite tell, and she really didn’t want to ask.

They’d only been en route for two days and she was already feeling the strain of their close quarters. She chuckled quietly, she really did ‘love’ her guys, but she wasn’t so sure about spending ten or so days in such a close environment. Whenever they’d been isolated together before, it had always been on a planet or at the SGC—some place where they weren’t in each other’s pockets. How did the Tok’ra manage it on these small ships? She snorted, hell, they were used to sharing everything with someone else. Oh dear, that was a bit unkind, she mentally slapped herself as she watched the screen on the laptop slowly resolve into life. Here, there was no getting away from each other. Even the small bathroom didn’t allow for much privacy, she made a mental note to fashion some kind of lock for the door. She’d already been walked in on twice…fortunately she hadn’t been in a compromising position either time.

Her computer finally finished booting and she opened up her official log, determined to keep up on her reports and detail the activities of their mission. She just had to hope there’d be an Earth for them to return to…and that they’d return. She had begun inputting the latest data when she heard movement from Daniel’s corner. Sam looked up from the screen and glanced his direction, watching surreptitiously as he stood and stretched, then slowly meandered over to where the chessboard sat. He assumed a thoughtful-looking stance and even in the dim light, she could see the intense look of concentration on his face. Sam smiled. She had seen the Colonel move one of the pieces before he had turned in for the night and apparently Daniel had too. It hadn’t been long after they’d reached escape velocity yesterday and settled into a relatively stable flight that Daniel had asked her for the chessboard. She wasn’t sure when she had become the keeper of the magnetic chess game, but somewhere along the way it had become her responsibility to make sure it was packed in with their mission supplies.

Sam watched Daniel a moment longer, as his hand hovered over the chessboard, before he finally picked up a piece and made his move. He studied the board a bit longer, then apparently satisfied, wandered away towards the bridge, and she figured he was going to visit with Teal’c for a while before his watch began. Turning her attention back to the laptop, she started typing again, but her mind wouldn’t focus on the job at hand, her thoughts drifting back to the chess game. It wasn’t until their medical exile on P4X-347, when they were undergoing withdrawal from the Goa’uld ‘light’, that the chessboard had become part of SG-1’s basic gear. Sam had never confirmed it, but she suspected that Janet had been the one who had included the magnetic chessboard in one of the supply shipments that Teal’c had delivered to them. It had been one of a number of board and electronic games sent to help them pass the time while they were isolated. It was the chess set though that had been the most popular of the games. Of course, Janet knew Sam liked chess…after all, she had taught Cassie to play and the two of them still got together as much as both of their schedules allowed. She hadn’t been too surprised that Daniel was an avid chess player, Sam thought a bit guiltily, it went so well with the ‘absent-minded archaeologist’ image he projected. It had come as a bit of a surprise to her though, that O’Neill was a proficient chess player, though she was hard pressed to say why she was surprised. After all, it was a common enough game and involved critical thinking and strategic planning—two things the Colonel possessed in abundance—even if he pretended he didn’t. And then there was Teal’c, who was in a class all his own. She chuckled quietly; it certainly made for interesting matches.

Yawning, Sam checked the time and—good grief, almost an hour had passed and she’d only gotten half way through her daily log! Well, it didn’t seem as if she was going to accomplish much, so she saved what she had written and closed the program. Might as well try to get some sleep, she decided, as Daniel had the next watch and then she was due. She half-heartedly tidied up her little corner, spreading her sleeping bag out and lying down, she turned off the light and curled up on her side with her back to the room, pulling the extra blanket over herself and bunching the pillow up under her head. Squirming a bit, Sam tried to get comfortable on the hard floor of the cargo bay. They should have requisitioned air mattresses…she giggled as the image of the scowl that would immediately appear on the supply officer’s face if they ever had the nerve to make that kind of request danced in her brain. Sergeant Denton could be such a hard-ass when it came to the creature comforts. Let him try sleeping on a hard floor for ten days and see how he liked it, she decided grumpily as she finally managed to arrange herself in a semi-comfortable position.

Closing her eyes, she could hear the low murmur of Daniel’s and Teal’c’s voices from the bridge and the occasional rustle from the Colonel when he moved in his sleep. All familiar—and comforting—noises when they were on an overnight mission together. She felt herself start to relax and let her mind wander back to her earlier thoughts about the chess game…tomorrow was Saturday. At least it would be Saturday on Earth. Sam knew Janet would make her excuses to Cassie for missing their game, though it was becoming more apparent each time they got together that Cassie was developing other interests that didn’t necessarily involve playing chess with her ‘Aunt Sam’. Lately they were lucky to get together even once a month. It seemed like it had only been yesterday that she’d first taught Cassie to play chess.

Sam sighed, snuggling a bit deeper under her blanket, let’s see…Cassie had been almost fourteen when she had taught her how to play. Which, she suddenly realized, was exactly the same age she had been when her Uncle Irving had taught her, during that long summer after her mother had died. Wow, she hadn’t thought of that in ages. Dad had been sent TDY to Japan, or Germany or somewhere for thirty days in the middle of summer vacation. Mark, the lucky dog, had gotten to stay with his best friend but she had been shipped off to Uncle Irving and Aunt Donna’s for the duration. She had been such a brat! She had argued and cried with her Dad that she should be able to stay with her best friend Julie, but all her energy had been wasted and she had boarded the plane to Milwaukee without even saying goodbye to him.

Uncle Irving and Aunt Donna…Irving was her Mom’s much older-older brother, and when she had been fourteen, he and Aunt Donna had seemed ancient and the last thing she had wanted to do was spend a month with them. But, as it had turned out, being sent to stay with them had been the best thing to happen to her that summer. She was really going to have to call them when they got back to Earth, Sam thought somewhat guiltily. She wriggled a bit, trying to achieve a greater level of comfort until she realized that no amount of repositioning would help her comfort level…why was it that you always had to go to the bathroom within one hour of lying down? Flinging back her blanket, Sam groaned a bit as she struggled to her feet, tugging her T-shirt down as she stumbled to the bathroom.

Sam didn’t really want to turn the light on, but she had been rudely surprised one too many times in her life by a toilet seat left in the ‘up’ position to do anything in the dark in a bathroom she shared with men. The light flared on and Sam looked around, slowly shaking her head in amazement. Well, she was glad she wasn’t on clean-up duty tomorrow. She recognized Daniel’s toothbrush and toothpaste, both left lying haphazardly on the narrow counter and…yuck, was that used dental floss? His razor was there too, and what looked like bits of shaving foam and whiskers clung to the side of the sink. Okay, why was Daniel shaving at night? So he wouldn’t have to shave in the morning? She snickered, and avoiding the mess as best she could went about her business while mentally running through the duty roster for the next day—which meant the Colonel. Sam smirked. O’Neill would be none to pleased with cleaning up Daniel’s mess. Of course, she realized as she quickly washed her hands, that also meant the Colonel was on KP…which meant they’d be eating MRE’s ala O’Neill for dinner—a dicey proposition at best. Oh well, it’d be worth it just to see the show when the Colonel saw the condition of the bathroom. Sam sighed, they’d only been in space for two days and already she was reduced to looking forward to rather dubious forms of entertainment?

Sam turned out the light and quietly shut the door on the Colonel’s surprise, returning to their living area. The watched had obviously changed while she was in the latrine, as Teal’c now sat in his chosen sleeping area. His eyes briefly opened as she passed by, she gave him a small smile as he nodded, his eyes drifting back shut as she returned to her corner. Plopping back down on her pallet, Sam checked her watch to make sure she’d set the alarm for 0400. Okay, alarm still set, she lay back down, once more squirming around until she found the softest hard spot on her makeshift bed. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, knowing she needed to get some sleep. Mmm…she could work on her mission log during her watch; so far all their systems had been running smoothly. She lay very still and listened to the sound of the engines, reassured by the now familiar hum that, unfortunately, did sound just slightly off. Oh well, she needed to give them an adjustment tomorrow anyway, and then maybe once Daniel and the Colonel finished their current chess match, she could play the winner. Though, Uncle Irving had always told her that the outcome of the game wasn’t as important as the playing. That had been a difficult concept for her at fourteen, and she had to wryly acknowledge, still a difficult concept.

Uncle Irving and Aunt Donna, they had been so patient with her that summer. Her uncle—a rotund, perpetually happy and optimistic man—had slowly charmed her out of her blue funk and introduced her to his great passion—chess. The logic and intrinsic mathematics of the game had immediately appealed to her, and she had picked up the moves and basic strategies quickly. It had taken her a lot longer to appreciate the beauty and art of the game, and even now it was only on those rare occasions where every move seemed to flow effortlessly that she felt like she touched on the true essence of the game. Sam calculated that at the rate Daniel and the Colonel were playing, someone would reach checkmate by evening…she wondered sleepily which man it would be.

"Check! Get out of that, Doctor Jackson!" Daniel looked up from his book as Jack walked past him, exuding an unpleasant air of smugness. "I have finally done it!" the Colonel said as he sat down next to Sam.

The archaeologist knew his friend was referring to their three-day-old chess game and the fact that in the five years of their friendship, Jack had never beaten him. There had been a few stalemates, but no O'Neill victories. This was a fact that rankled with the older man, who insisted that chess was a matter of instinct, not education, and that you could, quite simply, overanalyze it.

Feigning casualness, Daniel stood up and stretched, trying to iron out some of the kinks from his body. He'd never been one for sports or keeping fit but conditions on the Tel'tac were so cramped even he was beginning to feel stiff from lack of exercise. Swinging his arms around to try and whip up his circulation, he approached the chess set, keeping his expression carefully neutral. Glancing surreptitiously in Jack's direction, he could tell the Colonel was watching him, waiting for his reaction. Daniel took another couple of steps forward and had a closer look. Yes, he was in check. But he could see a way out of it. Oh dear. He glanced at Jack again. The Colonel smiled knowingly at him, waiting for him to make his move.

What should he do? Carry on with the moves that were obvious to him and almost certainly beat Jack yet again? Or should he, just this once, let Jack win? Letting his friend win was tempting. He could imagine Jack's reaction; he'd be so happy. Just like a small boy was so long ago....

*******************

"Daniel, no!"

"But Mom..."

"I said, NO!"

Daniel Jackson sat down on the ground cross-legged and stuck his tongue out when he thought his mother wasn't looking. A couple of local workmen walked past him, their long Arab robes brushing the ground and kicking up clouds of dust. Daniel coughed and rubbed his eyes. He hated it here. It was hot, dusty and boring. He wasn't allowed to touch anything, talk to anyone or go anywhere where his Mom couldn't see him. Why couldn't he have stayed at his friend Jimmy's while his parents were on this dig? That would have been much more fun. Jimmy's family had a rabbit...and a TV.

"Danny, don't look so glum. If the wind changes you'll stay like that!"

Daniel swung round at the familiar voice, then jumped to his feet, his face split by a beaming grin. "Grandpa!"

Nicholas Ballard frowned. "Now, we went through this before, young man. My name is Nick; your name is Danny. That is what we will call each other."

Daniel looked at his grandfather doubtfully. He knew none of his friends called their grandparents by their first names; in fact Jimmy didn't even know his Grandpa's first name. "Okay," he said reluctantly. "Are you staying long?"

"Oh, just a few days. I'm on my way to a dig at a place called Abydos."

"Abydos," repeated Daniel, savoring the sound of the strange word. "Can I go with you?"

"Not this time but I'm sure you'll visit Abydos one day, Danny."

They were interrupted by Daniel's mother, who hugged Nick then said, "Dad, good to see you! You're earlier than we expected. I'm afraid we can't...." She waved vaguely in the direction of the dig.

"I, if anyone, should understand, my dear. How about if Daniel and I go for a little walk. I have brought some things he may like to see."

"Thanks," replied Daniel's Mom, as she wiped a handkerchief across her face and smiled. Turning to her son, she added, "Take Grandpa to your tent. He can share with you while he's staying with us."

Daniel grinned and, grabbing Nick by the hand, dragged him across the site to the small tent that was his temporary home. He opened the flap and ushered the old man in. "I'm sorry there's only the bed to sit on, Gra... Nick."

"Don't worry, Danny. It will do very nicely," said Nick, as he sat down on the bed and began to rummage in a large elderly rucksack. "I take it you can play chess, young man?"

Daniel shook his head, as he sat down next to his grandfather on the bed. "I don't think I'm old enough. Isn't chess a game for grown-ups?"

"No. Whatever gave you that idea?" Nick frowned at his grandson. "How old are you now? Six?"

"Seven," replied Daniel indignantly.

"Quite possibly too grown up already. There's no time to lose!" Nick produced a chess set from his rucksack and began setting it up on the bed between them.

Daniel watched in fascination as Nick put the pieces on their correct squares. "Why does that one look like a castle?" Daniel asked, his voice full of curiosity and wonder.

"That's a rook. It can move forwards, backwards or to either side in a straight line but it cannot move diagonally. Unlike this piece, the bishop, which only moves diagonally...."

*******************

Daniel smiled at the memory of that long, hot afternoon over twenty-five years earlier. Nick had showed him all the moves, and then they'd played five games. He'd beaten his grandfather in every one. He could still remember the feeling of elation; he'd talked about it for weeks afterwards, undoubtedly boring his parents silly. It was only years later, when he'd found out Nick was the President of his University chess club, that he realized his grandfather had made a small boy very happy by letting him win those games.

He studied the chessboard. So, should he, just this once, let Jack win? He glanced over at the Colonel, who still exuded that air of smugness. What should he do?

Daniel moved his queen.

Was he going to let Jack win?

No chance.

“Gin!”

Sam scowled, watching as O’Neill fanned his cards out in front of her. She looked on dejectedly as he totaled up the points for the latest round in their card game—where he was ahead by two hundred.

“What’s the matter, Carter?” He smirked at her. “Can’t win at chess…can’t win at Gin Rummy…maybe we should get out the Checkers?”

She glared mildly at her commanding officer, thinking that she never should have gotten the deck of cards out, but he had been so depressed after losing to Daniel. “Keeping this ship running—and all the extra repairs—has taken more of my time and energy than I expected,” she explained tersely.

“Excuses, excuses,” he teased. “Face it, Carter. You just suck at playing cards.”

“Well, I may suck at playing cards, but I usually do better at chess,” she grumbled as she gathered up the cards.

O’Neill stood and stretched before strolling over towards the chessboard where Daniel’s winning move was still on display. “It was the best two out of three?”

“Yes,” she replied sharply; annoyed with herself that she was annoyed that Daniel had beaten her two games in a row—and annoyed that O’Neill had managed to annoy her! Take a deep breath, she admonished herself,</i> it’s only a game…</i>but she should have won! Where had Daniel come up with that last move? She was positive she’d had him boxed into a corner even he couldn’t get out of...until he’d moved that bishop.

“Hey, it’s okay Carter.” O’Neill held his hands up in surrender. “Don’t take your frustrations out on me. You can have another chance with Daniel after he’s finished with Teal’c.”

“Or Teal’c finishes him,” Sam muttered nastily, as O’Neill sauntered away from her towards the bridge.

Teal'c silently watched the interaction between his two friends, feeling distinctly unsettled, the pleasure to be found in playing these games seemed to be missing for them. The look on O'Neill's face when Daniel Jackson said, "Checkmate!" several days ago had been most upsetting for him to witness. And yesterday, Major Carter’s face had been like thunder when she'd yelled, "Okay, you win, smart ass!" and had stormed out the room. Perhaps this was the time. Yes, he decided, he'd waited long enough. He quietly left the cargo bay for the bridge.

"Daniel Jackson, will you do me the honor of a game?"

Daniel looked up from the clipboard he’d been writing on. "Ah…in a little while, Teal'c. It's my watch.” Teal’c watched somberly as a very self-satisfied expression came over his friends face. Daniel grinned and vaguely waved his direction with the pencil he held. “I'll be able to whup you in a couple of hours time."

Teal'c narrowed his eyes in response to his colleague's air of smug superiority. What was the Tau'ri phrase? Ah, yes. Daniel Jackson needed 'Taking down a peg or two'. Nodding solemnly Teal'c returned just as quietly to their living quarters, and sitting down, prepared himself to meditate. Quieting his thoughts and with his mind already drifting, he vowed he would be ready for their contest.

*******************

They had been off world. O'Neill had described the planet as 'boring' and Teal'c, for once, appreciated his point of view. There was nothing for a warrior to do on the uninhabited planet, bivouacked half a day's march from the gate, while Daniel Jackson studied the ruins and Major Carter took samples and measurements. O'Neill had taken the opportunity to catch up on his sleep, which at least meant that the Jaffa could sit and enjoy the quiet.

After their evening meal, Major Carter rummaged in her backpack and produced a small case. Teal'c recognized it as the one he'd taken to the rest of SG1 when they were isolated on P4X-347. He knew it was a kind of game, but did not know how to play. Teal'c watched curiously as she unfolded it, placing it on the ground between herself and Daniel Jackson and began to set the pieces up. The archaeologist's face had immediately lit up with pleasure when he’d seen her pull game from her pack.

"Cool! You remembered!"

"Yeah." She smiled back. "Want a game?" She had looked his way then, apparently noticing his interest and she had smiled at him. "It's a chess set, Teal’c,” she explained. “Do you want me to teach you how to play?"

The Jaffa thought this sounded most enjoyable, but before he could answer, Daniel Jackson had interrupted, "I'll teach him, Sam. It'll be better if he learns from a master."

Major Carter's eyebrows rose at her colleagues comments, but she raised her hands in submission. "Okay, then, 'Master'. He can be *your* 'apprentice'."

Teal'c smiled at her oblique reference to his favorite movie. So, Major Carter was a Star Wars fan too, was she?

As soon as the archaeologist began to explain the moves, Teal'c recognized chess as being very similar to Lo'Sha, a game taught to young Jaffa to improve their mental agility. He remembered Master Bra'tac teaching him many years before. But Bra'tac had also taught him to be patient and not to speak without first thinking carefully, so he remained silent, listening and watching as his friend went over the rules.

When Daniel Jackson and Major Carter began their first game, Teal'c could see that the younger man's skills were good, but he seemed to rely heavily on pre-planned strategy. Teal’c began to consider possible ways of surprising his teacher and therefore gaining victory. In his opinion, the best way to learn about his strategies would be to let Daniel Jackson play them through to a conclusion and not waste valuable mental effort at this stage on trying to win himself. And his victory would be all the sweeter when he finally prevailed.

He lost two games before bowing to his opponent and saying, "I believe Major Carter wishes to have a game, Daniel Jackson. I will observe."

"Okay, Teal'c,” Daniel commented blithely. “Keep watching the 'Master' and learn!"

*********************

And that's what he had done, watched and learned over many months, waiting for the right time to show Daniel Jackson just who was the 'Master' and who was the 'apprentice'. From his seat by a low wall, he heard Daniel Jackson's voice, "You ready to get beaten, Teal'c?" The archaeologist was now sounding even more egotistical.

The Jaffa slowly nodded and carefully rising, walked over to where Daniel waited and sat down facing the board. Teal’c watched patiently as the archaeologist picked up two pawns and held them behind his back. He then held his hands out, palms down, towards Teal'c, who nodded in the direction of his right hand. Daniel Jackson turned it over to reveal the white pawn.

He smiled. Yes, today he would become the 'Master'.

“I believe it is time to celebrate my victory, Major Carter.”

Sam grinned at Teal’c from where she sat on her bedroll. “Do you have the disc?”

Teal’c nodded solemnly, leaning down and carefully handing her the CD he held in his large hand. “I will prepare our sustenance.” Sam watched as Teal’c headed towards the galley. Their ‘sustenance’, she shuddered briefly, wondering what sort of culinary adventure he had in store for them. The last time Teal’c provided snack food had been interesting, to say the least. Sam was still trying to figure out who had told the Jaffa that buffalo pemmican was a delicacy….

Shaking her head, Sam pulled her laptop out of its case and booted up. She’d had it charging all day, so hopefully the battery would last long enough to play the whole movie. Opening the small jewel case, Sam removed the CD labeled simply with “SW”. Smiling, she remembered when Teal’c had come to her several months ago with his request for a ‘favor’. And it had been an easy favor to grant; she already had the video capture card on her desktop at work, and plenty of hard drive space to encode the videos and then burn them onto several CD’s for him. Loading the disc, she looked up as she heard the door to the cargo bay open followed by the irritated voice of O’Neill. “Daniel, I’ve had enough of your sulky mood! For crying out loud! It’s just a game!”

Sam grinned at the Colonel as he let the cargo bay door close behind him. “Daniel still pouting about losing to Teal’c?”

“Well, I don’t know of pout is the right word, maybe broody is better. You’d think he’d never lost at chess before!”

“Well sir, he doesn’t lose very often,” she reminded O’Neill gently. “It’s bound to make him a bit irritable.” She inserted the disc into the computer’s CD drive as she commented dryly, “I think we’re all starting to come down with cabin fever.”

“Irritable I could handle,” Jack continued, his voice containing barely veiled exasperation, “but his air of morbid depression is almost more than a body can take.” O’Neill paused suddenly and asked, “Is that popcorn I smell?”

Sam sniffed the air, he was right—she could smell popcorn. Bless Teal’c and his ‘sustenance’! But, how was he popping popcorn? The Tel'tac wasn’t equipped with a microwave. Her question was soon answered as Teal’c appeared in the doorway of the galley, and she recognized that one-of-a-kind self-contained popping pan with its distinctive foil ‘turban’.

“Hey! Jiffy pop!” Jack exclaimed. “Brilliant idea, Teal’c!”

Sam almost giggled at O’Neill’s crestfallen look as Teal’c brushed past him and sat down next to her. “Whatcha’ guys doing’?” the Colonel asked, his expression hopeful.

“We are preparing to watch a movie O’Neill, in celebration of my victory over Daniel Jackson.”

“A movie?”

Sam did grin then, as the hopeful look on her CO’s face changed to one of bewilderment. He gestured towards her laptop; “You can watch movies on that?”

“If you have the right software and accessories,” she explained. Sam patted the empty spot next to her on the bedroll, “Come on and join us, sir.” Teal’c opened the foil covering the Jiffy pop and the aroma of freshly popped popcorn filled the cargo bay.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Jack replied, his voice eager as he crossed to where she and Teal’c sat. “What movie are we watching?” he asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn and plopping down next to her.

“Star Wars, O’Neill,” Teal’c answered serenely.

Sam barely managed to stifle her giggle at the sudden look of consternation on the Colonel’s face.

Jack smiled to himself, moving his knight and taking out one of the pawns guarding Carter’s queen. Damn, he loved playing Carter; she was just so predictable. Oh, she was a good chess player, no doubt about that, but she was way too scientific in her approach. And, as she often did, she would over-think the game, leaving her vulnerable to the unconventional. Instinct and going with your gut, that was the O’Neill approach to chess. And, he silently acknowledged, at least with Carter and Teal’c his approach usually worked. Now with Daniel on the other hand…they still had at least two, maybe three more days before they reached the asteroid, plenty of time to get in another match with the archaeologist—as soon as he massacred Carter.

The sound of one of the engine alarms softly chirping brought O’Neill quickly back to his present circumstances and the bridge. Rapidly making the required adjustments, Jack breathed a sigh of relief as the alarm stopped. Carter would have his hide if anything happened to the engines during his watch. Settling back into the command chair, he gazed out the window, surveying the celestial display before him. Too bad the only times he got to view the stars up this close and personal were when he was on some life or death mission. He studied the various stars visible, dredging back into his memory for the correct terminology to describe them. Pulsar, nebula, binary, red dwarf; he could recall many of the terms but realized he couldn’t remember all their characteristics. He’d have to go check out one of his old college astronomy textbooks once they got home…if they got home, he acknowledged wryly.

College and Astronomy 101, Jack chuckled quietly, those had been the days. Hell, those had been the days almost thirty years ago, he realized. He did the math, okay, not quite thirty years since he’d been a freshman in college, but close enough. Getting comfortable, Jack stretched out, resting his feet on the console in front of him. Freshman year at college, he reminisced, that had been one of the best years of his life. Living away from home for the first time, doing what he wanted, accountable to no one but himself. Okay, so maybe living in the dorm negated some of the freedom he had envisioned having while away at college, but it had still been exhilarating. Even his nerdy roommate hadn’t been able to dampen his enthusiasm—or behavior. Jack grinned as he remembered his first roomie, Art Fletcher. Art had been a computer geek back when that was still an insult. From his short-cropped hair, thick black glasses and pocket protector, Art’s looks had simply screamed ‘nerd’. And to the less academically and more athletically inclined O’Neill, he and his bookish roommate didn’t have that much in common. That was until Jack found himself in the position of needing to learn how to play chess….

Hell, what was her name? Abby? Annie? No wait, Angela—right, Angela Swensen, his first college crush. With her cool Nordic beauty and incredible figure, all the guys had been hot for her, and Jack O’Neill had somehow landed her as his study partner in their freshman chemistry class. He had managed to persuade Angela to come to his dorm room to ‘study’ on an evening when he knew Art would be at the library. Of course, as a hot-blooded young male, he’d had something other than studying on his mind when he’d invited her over. The evening had been progressing satisfactorily; they were sitting side-by-side on his bed, he was cautiously inching closer and closer to her, and had finally managed to get an arm around her…when she saw the chess game.

Angela had jumped up off the bed, oohing and aahing over Art’s chessboard.

*************

“Oh Jack! Do you play chess?” Angela turned, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder and looking longingly at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “I just love a man who plays chess,” she practically cooed.

His ego swelled with her words; Angela Swensen had called him a ‘man’. Determined not to lose the ground he seemed to be gaining, he’d lied. “Of course.” He stood up then, walking over to join her by the chessboard; Art and one of his computer-nerd buddies were in the middle of a long-running game. “My roommate and I always have a game going,” he bragged.

She traced one of the larger chess pieces with the tip of one of her finely manicured nails. “Can we play?” she asked coyly, batting those baby blues at him.

“Sure, Angela. Just as soon as Art and I are finished with this game.” He gave her his most disarming smile, crossing his fingers that Art would be amenable to teaching him how to play.

*****************

They’d finished their study date and she had let him place his arm around her waist as he’d walked her back to her sorority house. He’d been in hormonal heaven, with the feel of her soft curves rubbing against him as they walked the short distance. Angela had allowed him to kiss her at the door of her house and he walked back to his dorm high on the feel of her in his arms and the taste of her on his lips. That was until he’d remembered his promise that they would play chess, he knew he’d never score with Angela if she found out he couldn’t play.

The engine alarm chirped again. Jack jumped up, scanning the console in front of him. Damn, the same alarm…he thought it was the one for the cooling system. It looked like Carter would have to tend to the engines in the morning. He glanced at his watch, 0500. Should he wake her now or wait until 0700, when it was officially morning? Reducing their speed in hopes of delaying another alarm, he decided to wait. If the alarm went off again, he’d wake her. Yawning, Jack decided he’d better do something besides sit for awhile. Grabbing his jump rope from where he’d stashed it behind the center console, he started jumping, working through his warm-up routine. It had only taken him a short while to perfect the art of jumping in the confined quarters of the Tel'tac, as his rope barely missed brushing the low ceiling. He grinned, working at regulating his breathing, the enclosed areas the ship provided merely added to the challenge of his workouts. Jack’s mind wandered back to his earlier reminiscing, as he started an easy crossed-arm movement to his rope twirling.

Good old Art had agreed to teach him how to play chess. Surprising both his room mate and himself, he’d been a quick learner, and though he’d never reached the point where he’d been able to beat Art, he had been able to impress Angela Swensen with his skill. He smirked, learning chess hadn’t gotten him into Angela’s panties, but it had given him years of intellectual challenge and pleasure. And he was going to get great pleasure in oh, about ninety minutes, when Carter woke up and checked out his last move.

From his isolated location on the Tel'tac’s bridge, Daniel listened enviously to the sounds emanating from the cargo bay. From what he could make out, the movie his three teammates were watching was coming to a conclusion. So, why was he out here, sitting all by himself, when he could be in there, enjoying the movie and the companionship of his friends? Because he’d been an ass, he wryly acknowledged. Instead of being a gracious winner and a good loser, he had been neither. He’d been conceited and arrogant when it came to winning—determined to win, no matter what the cost. And then, when Teal’c had beaten him, he had behaved childishly, sulking and pouting over his friends victory. Oh, he could try and rationalize it away that they were all a little tense and on edge from the mission and their confinement together, but in his heart-of-hearts, he knew that didn’t excuse his behavior. He needed to eat some serious humble pie before they reached the asteroid.

Standing and stretching, Daniel walked over to the cargo bay’s open door, stopping just inside the doorway. Sam, Teal’c and Jack were all huddled together on a nest of sleeping bags on the floor, eyes glued to the laptop Teal’c balanced on his lap. Jack suddenly exclaimed, “What? This is how it ends?”

Sam chuckled and Teal’c replied solemnly, “Yes, it is.”

“Well, this sucks! What happens to Han? And that whole business about Vader being Luke’s father…I don’t buy that at all!”

Daniel smiled slightly, Teal’c appeared to have succeeded in his goal of getting Jack hooked on the Star Wars movies. And it sounded liked O’Neill wasn’t too happy with the ending of The Empire Strikes Back.

Sam looked up and saw him then, her brow furrowing as she asked, “Daniel, is something wrong?”

Taking a few more steps into the room, gaining the attention of the other two, he said, “I need to apologize—to all of you.”

Sam looked puzzled, Teal’c smiled solemnly and nodded, and O’Neill cut right to the chase saying—“For being such an ass?”

Daniel sighed, “Yes Jack, for being such an ass.” He approached a bit closer, squatting down on the floor in front of the trio, looking down somewhat nervously at his hands. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his face to see only the kind and compassionate faces of his friends. Encouraged, he found the strength to continue. “I forgot one of the first things Nick taught me about playing chess—to be a good sport—whether I’m winning or losing.”

Sam reached out and gently touched his hand. “Daniel, it’s okay.” Her expression was somewhat rueful though, he thought, as she added, “I think we’ve all been suffering from too much togetherness.”

“Yeah,” he nodded in agreement, “but that still doesn’t excuse my behavior. And I ask for your forgiveness,” he added almost formally.

Sam squeezed his hand and murmured, “Of course.” Teal’c smiled broadly and nodded regally. The tightness in his gut eased somewhat with the reassurances of Teal’c and Sam…which only left Jack.

O’Neill merely grinned and said, “Well, if you really want to make it up to me….” Daniel watched curiously as Jack gestured towards the chessboard, where the black and white pieces stood at attention, waiting patiently for the next game to start.

“Another game?”

O’Neill nodded, and Daniel decided somewhat warily that his friend’s expression could only be described as one of evil anticipation.

Sam worked up a good lather, being generous with the soap and the water. She vigorously scrubbed away at her hands, working to get rid of the engine grime. The Tel'tac’s crystals were infinitely cleaner than the engine on her Harley, but they still managed to leave an annoying residue all over her hands and other parts of her anatomy, she realized, catching her reflection in the mirror. Washing her face thoroughly, she decided she might as well go the whole nine yards and stripped down, giving herself a quick sponge bath. Ah, much better, she thought as she redressed, thankful she had a clean change of undies in her kit. Running a brush through her hair, she wished there was enough time to wash it as well, but if her and Teal’c’s calculations were correct, they’d be reaching the asteroid in a little under three hours and she wanted to run one more simulation before they left hyperdrive.

Gazing once more at her reflection in the small mirror they’d hung above the sink, she half-heartedly fluffed at her hair. And, good heavens, could she be any paler? Ten days in space had definitely left her with an unhealthy pallor. Maybe she’d put in for some leave once they were home, go somewhere warm where there was lots of sun and miles of sandy beach…if they arrived in time and were actually successful in diverting the asteroid. Their journey had already taken almost twenty-four hours longer than she had initially anticipated, leaving hardly any margin for error in their plan. Well, nothing she could do to change any of that now, she rationalized as she tidied up the small bathroom. They’d have their answer soon enough.

Leaving the bathroom, she returned to their living area, intending to pack up most of her belongings as one way or another, they’d be finished with their mission within the next twenty-four hours. It didn’t take her long to pack her few meager possessions, noting as she did that the guy’s had done the same. Looking around, she realized that the chess set was the only personal item still out in the room. She wondered if the Colonel and Daniel would finish the game before they arrived at the asteroid? Though, at this point, it seemed a pretty much foregone conclusion that O’Neill would be the victor.

It had been the wee hours of the night when the Colonel had made the last move….

**************

Sam had just relieved O’Neill from his watch, and he stopped at the chessboard on his way back into the cargo bay. She watched as he studied the board for some time, when suddenly his serious expression was broken by a huge grin. Intrigued, she’d walked over to see what he would do. She had been following their game closely, and had to admit neither he nor Daniel were making any earth-shattering moves, and Daniel’s last move had certainly seemed ordinary enough.

As she approached she heard him murmur, “Fell right into my trap, didn’t you Danny boy.”

“What trap?” she asked curiously, scanning the chessboard and not seeing anything to suggest an ambush.

O’Neill smiled at her. “Open your mind to the possibilities, Carter,” he admonished her gently. “What was Daniel’s last move?”

“He took the pawn on queen’s knight three.”

“Right, just as I knew he would.” He looked at her then, his expression smug, “Don’t let your moves get too predictable, Carter. That’s how I was able to beat you—and how I’m going to finally beat Daniel.”

Sam studied the chessboard intently, becoming frustrated that she couldn’t see his next move, or why he suddenly thought he would beat Daniel. “Sorry sir, I still don’t see it.”

“Here Carter, let me help you.” He reached out and moved his rook, then looked at her, his expression expectant.

“Oh, I get it!” she exclaimed quietly, secretly impressed with his gambit. She smiled at him, her eyes bright with amusement. “That’s a most unconventional move, Colonel.”

He had chuckled quietly at her words. “Hey! Whatever works! I figure in three moves I’ll have checkmate and there’s not a thing Daniel can do about it.”

Glancing back at the board, she calculated the moves the Colonel would need to win the game…looked like he was right. “Congratulations, sir.”

“Well, it’s not over until the fat lady sings, Carter.” He gestured towards the board, “But I highly doubt even our chess whiz kid will be able to get out of this one.”

***********************

And it certainly looked like the Colonel may have been correct in his assessment of the game. Earlier that morning, when Daniel had gotten his first glimpse of O’Neill’s latest move, a mildly confused looked crossed his face, which had been quickly replaced with an expression of pained resignation. But, Sam had to give Daniel credit; he was taking it like a man. And when she had strolled by and casually looked over his shoulder, she saw that he’d made the only move open to him, which would result in the sacrifice of his bishop.

O’Neill had yet to make his next move. Sam secretly suspected he was drawing the game out as long as possible, to make Daniel sweat a bit, until the Colonel was good and ready to make his final move. Checking her watch, she swore quietly and pulled out her laptop, she’d better get busy if she intended to run through the simulation again.

“Major Carter,” Teal’c called to her from the bridge, his voice urgent.

She heard the subtle change in the engines and managed to brace herself in time as the Tel'tac—rather roughly—exited hyperdrive. Damn, they’d arrived earlier than she had anticipated, so much for the simulation. Setting her laptop aside, Sam quickly made her way to the bridge, joining her teammates at the forward window. Holy Hannah, the asteroid was huge!

“Carter?” O’Neill’s voice was the first to break the awe-struck silence. “Better get on the radio and let Hammond know we’re here.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied automatically, dragging her eyes away from the asteroid to the Tel'tac’s communication system, her hands busily making the adjustments that would allow them to communicate with the SGC. Half-listening to the conversation going on behind her while she worked, she couldn’t help but smile when she heard O’Neill.

“So Daniel, are you ready to forfeit the game yet?”

There was a long moment of silence. Sam turned and looked at Daniel, who had adopted his ‘confused professor’ look as he pushed his glasses up on his nose, clearly stalling.

“Has the obese female started to vocalize, O’Neill?”

Three heads turned almost simultaneously towards Teal’c, who merely raised an eyebrow. Sam snickered, and then burst out laughing. Daniel managed a perplexed smile and O’Neill clapped Teal’c on the back saying, “Not yet Teal’c, but I can hear the piano player warming up!”

Sam watched then, in mild confusion as Daniel turned and suddenly left the bridge, but he quickly returned, holding the chessboard. Setting it down by the center console, he solemnly looked at Jack—whose expression held the goofiest grin Sam thought she had ever seen on his face—and then Daniel reached out and placed his king on its side. Daniel’s countenance remained calm, but Sam could see his eyes were twinkling as he told Jack, "Okay, you win! But I want a rematch as soon as we get back to Earth!"

Sam smiled indulgently as O’Neill held his hand out to Daniel, who took it unhesitatingly. She was surprised at the sense of relief she felt at seeing the two men sharing a friendly handshake over O’Neill’s victory. It was a good sign…though she would have denied being superstitious—about anything! The communication console started rudely chirping at her, bringing Sam abruptly back to the reality of their current situation, there’d be no rematch if she didn’t get busy and contact the SGC. Knowing there’d be a small time lag; she sent her message and then stayed by the console, patiently waiting for the reply.

And though her attention was focused on the console, Sam was none the less was aware of Daniel carefully placing the chessboard and pieces back in its case and the smug voice of the Colonel as he asked, ”So Teal’c, what’s the fat lady singing?”

THE END

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