jeriendhal | FIC: "A Slight Detour", Part Ten

He'd had worse days, both personally and professionally. When the Earth was being invaded. When he'd thought he'd lost Carter, Daniel, or Teal'c or more than one occasion. When his son had… Focus, dammit, he thought sharply.

This one was going to be, if not one of the worst, sure as hell memorable.

"Asteroids," he repeated back to Carter over the radio, "just how many asteroids are we talking about here?"

It's hard to say, sir. The planet is on the same orbital plane as all the debris, which actually works in its favor, since the relative velocities and positions stay mostly the same.

"That mostly doesn't sound too comforting, Carter."

I can't give you exact numbers, sir, without persuading Captain Blake to use her ship's active sensors. Otherwise we're sitting at the bottom of an atmospheric well, which is going to make spotting any incoming meteorites very difficult at least until they're right on top of us. My best guess is that an asteroid large enough to strike the ground might come every few hours or so.

"How about something big enough to kill the local dinosaurs?"

I really don't know, sir.

"Great, just great. Report in if you spot anything else about drop down on us. O'Neill out."

Lance stood up from the fallen tree where he'd been sitting, listening. "Leeza won't use the active sensors unless she's got no other choice. The Treona is ultimately more valuable than any of her crew, and we can't risk it falling into the Varn's hands."

"Well that won't be much comfort if an asteroid the size of Texas lands on us," O'Neill snapped back.

The big demolitions expert straightened up to his full height and frowned. "Look Colonel, I sorry if your mate got himself into trouble, but you don't get off second guessing Leeza like that. We can't risk the Varn finding us, period."

"It's a big galaxy," O'Neill said, "I really doubt if your bad guys are going to be in the same system as my bad guys, not to mention the two of us."

"It's a big galaxy, but a surprisingly small planet," a voice said from behind them . O'Neill turned, to be face with something that looked like a really tall gecko. Assuming that geckos came in size six foot four, wore fancy armor, and carried energy rifles, which they pointed at the two humans.

"Gisko!" Lance shouted.

O'Neill sighed. "Y'know, this seems to be the day for people to get the drop on me."

"Lt. Freeman, how pleasant to make your acquaintance again," the head gecko replied.

Lance smiled, or at least bared his teeth. "Wish I could say the same, General."

Jack rubbed his eyes and let out another sigh. "You want to introduce me?"

"I am Oryon Gisko, General of the Galapados Army, in service to the Great Dominion of the Varn," the head gecko answered instead. "And who are you?

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force," Jack replied, "and that's all that you're getting out of me."

"I will get whatever I need from you, Colonel," Gisko answered. Despite his bravado, not to mention superior numbers, the gecko's little patrol wasn't looking particularly reputable. As a matter of fact, they all looked dirty, hungry, and tired, like a LuRP unit that had spent too long in the field. At least two of the squad's members appeared to have taken recent battle wounds, which had been neatly dressed.

"Look's like you've seen better days, Gisko," Lance remarked, who had apparently reached the same conclusions.

"A warrior does not complain of hardship, he adapts and overcomes it," the gecko said irritably.

Oh, God, they're Marines. Next they'll be shouting hoo-rah!

"Then why do you look like you've been run over by a hovertruck?"

Gisko let out a low hiss. "That is not your concern, human! You will tell us what you know of the human forces that have entrenched themselves on this world, or I will pry it out of you, starting with your fingerclaws!"

O'Neill waved a hand to get Crisco's attention. "Ah, human forces? Bunch'a guys in gray battle armor with staff shaped weapons, who can't hit shit unless twenty of 'em are firing at once?"

Something frighteningly close to a smile crossed the general's face. "That would be an accurate description."

"Looks like we got the same problem then. They ain't on our side either."

Gisko's eyes narrowed. "Really? That adds an interesting twist to this little tactical problem. Tell me more."

TBC