Chapter Text
12:54 7th July 2009 CST (Cheyenne Standard Time)
SGC-Designation: M4X-223
Local Name: Abalaas
Dust picked up outside the temple, but it was nothing to worry about. Not yet. The locals in the village had warned them that they were due a good dust storm, but MALP readings showed it a couple weeks off at least. Entering the temple, Daniel Jackson pulled down his buff and took off his sunglasses, replacing them with his own everyday pair, and surveyed the excavation that was now in full swing. Battery powered lamps illuminated the temple floor, which had now been divided into excavation trays by string and marked accordingly. Daniel nodded to two members of the SGC currently working in one of the trays as he set down his pack against the temple wall, eager to get a head start on his own tray. After twelve years of battling would-be gods in the far corners of the galaxy and beyond, an honest day’s work in a historical dig site was hard to come by.
Daniel picked his way over the various excavation trays and string dividers to plot 21, his most recent discovery. What lay inside were several pieces of broken pottery, labelled p1-5, one intact pot, labelled p6, and a string of beads of various faded colour, labelled p7. Daniel was positive there was at least one more intact pot under p6. He fetched one of his dusting brushes from his pack, and angled it down under p6, aiming to start to brush some of the dust out the way.
“Is this important?” a husky voice with an Australian-like accent cut through the silence of the temple from over his shoulder. Vala Mal Doran perched above plot 14, pointing down at the dirt. She quirked an eyebrow at Daniel, who groaned.
“Potentially.” he replied, going back to unearthing the pot. Vala shrugged, then tip-toed over plot 14 towards plot 15.
“Is this one important?” she asked again, this time pointing to the contents of plot 15. Daniel took a deep breath, this time not raising his head.
“Maybe.” was all the answer he gave. He heard her shuffle over the plots once again, until finally she stopped on the far side of the temple. Daniel couldn’t help it, he looked up from his work and saw Vala pointing down at Major Forrester, who was hunched over several bits of yet undetermined clay objects.
“What about this,” she said, pointing at the Major’s head, “is this important?” Daniel rolled his eyes as Forrester swatted Vala’s hand away. She held up her own in mock-defence before sauntering over to the steps leading farther into the temple. She sat there, head in her hands, and began drumming out a rhythm of her cheeks.
Daniel gave her a pointed look, one she returned. He sighed. “If you’re bored, why don’t you go back to the town-”
“And do what, go on schmoozing duty with Mitchell? There’s only so many sand-puns a woman can take Daniel,” she wagged an accusatory finger at him from her perch, “besides, last time I was this bored-”
“I know, I know, you took hostages.” He heard Major Forrester snicker, and then attempt to cover it up with a cough. Vala got up, gave Forrester a good-natured whack on the head as she passed, and tiptoed over to Daniel’s plot. “You told me there was going to be treasure here-”
“-I said items of great historical value to the people of Abalaas-”
“And I have yet to see anything worth more than pittance, Daniel. Pittance.”
They had arrived about a few days prior, after SG13 had reported back that the locals were eager for some assistance in unearthing the ruins of a temple that lay about a five hour walk from the Stargate. The continent that they were on was mostly desert, coupled with the oasis that surrounded the Stargate. One look at the MALP readings and Mitchell jumped at the chance to go somewhere so idyllic. Something about “surfing those dunes, man.”
While this was not normally a mission that needed every member of SG1 to put in an appearance, things in the SGC had been...Daniel didn’t want to tempt the word ‘boring’. SG1 was a front line team, but the front line was no longer in this galaxy. The real fight was out in Pegasus now, and try as Daniel might, he couldn't seem to stay on the damned city for more than a couple hours at a time, that’s if he made it there at all.
Daniel was about to rise to Vala’s whining when his radio crackled. “ SG One Niner this is Stargate Command, please respond, guys it’s Sam come in. ” Sam hadn’t been an official member of SG1 for over two years now, and her presence along with them was sorely missed. He had left his radio over with his pack, as evidently had Vala, since it was Teal’c back in the village who responded first.
“ Samantha Carter, this is Teal’c, we are receiving you. ” the stoic voice of the Jaffa crackled in response. Daniel got up out of his plot, his back a little stiffer than he was willing to admit, and picked his way over to his radio. He brushed off his hands on his thighs and picked up the radio.
“Sam it’s Daniel, everything alright?” he asked.
“ Uhh, ” Sam’s voice was unusually hesitant over the radio, “ You’ll never guess what just landed in the San Francisco bay... ” was the reply.