This is my revised ending for the episode "Learnng Curve" in Season Three of Stargate SG-1, and takes place immediately after Jack gave Merrin the crayons, and she and Sam left for the gate.
Part 1
General Hammond turned to Jack and said, "You've given me more than enough cause for a court martial. I will see you in my office in one hour."
"Yes, sir," Jack replied as General Hammond turned and began to walk off. He muttered to himself "Wonderful...I'm dead meat." He quickly glanced at his watch, and saw it was 4:48
An hour later Jack stood outside of the general's office. He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath then knocked on the door. He knew he'd be in for a rough half hour.
"Come!" General Hammond said as he looked up at the knock.
As Jack walked in he saw a closed folder on the desk with his name on it. He quickly looked at General Hammond, but couldn't read anything from his expression. He stood at attention, saluted and said "Colonel O'Neill reporting as ordered, sir."
General Hammond nodded, but didn't get up from behind his desk. "Please close the door, Colonel," he said.
"It's going to be worse than I thought; he called me Colonel," Jack thought, as he closed the door.
"Colonel, do you understand what effect your actions could have had on our exchange of information with the Orbanian people?" General Hammond asked, obiviously trying to be patient.
Jack, feeling it best to say as little as possible, only said, "Yes, sir."
"Do you think that you have some special exemption from observing standard courtesy towards visiting dignitaries? Friendly dignitaries at that?"
"No, sir."
"Is insulting a man a good way to get a him to change his mind?"
"No, sir."
"I understand your concern for Merrin, and I share it, but it is not SG-1's or your place to interfere with how the Orbanians deal with their children--right or wrong. AND" he said before Jack can do more than open his mouth, "you are lucky that Kalan accepted my apology for your behavior."
"Yes, sir."
General Hammond got up, and in a sarcastic tone asked "Is there a memo I don't know about that says you do not have to wait to be dismissed before leaving a conference?"
Jack knew that tone of voice and hated hearing it. It told him, as much as the words, how upset with him General Hammond was. He winced slightly and simply said, "No, sir."
"Is there a special rule, just for you, that gives you leave to ignore military rules of conduct?"
"No, sir."
General Hammond emphatically asked, "Did you or did you not leave the base without permission while on duty?"
"Yes, sir. I did."
"And leave with a minor child who was not yours?"
"Yes, sir."
General Hammond began pacing the length of his office. After a moment he stated, "As I said earlier, you have given me more than cause for a court martial. Leaving the base without permission while on duty, ignoring basic rules of military conduct, jeopardizing our exchange of information with the people of Orbana and all but kidnapping Merrin." After pausing for a few seconds he added "I am not insensitive to your concerns but you were way out of line. You need to think of the example you set. How would you react if one of your men acted as you did? You're fortunate that only Dr. Jackson observed your behavior with Kalan; he won't speak of it to anyone else without my leave. I've made sure of that."
Jack nodded, but said nothing.
"Is there anything you wish to say?"
Jack, knowing that saying he was only trying to help Merrin, wouldn't be accepted as valid, said, "No, sir."
"Consider this a verbal reprimand," General Hammond said very sternly.
"Yes, sir," Jack replied as he turned red and stood up even straighter.
"You are confined to your on-base quarters for a week, except for meals and meetings. I will not assign a guard; you are on your honor."
"Thank you, sir."
"If a mission comes up for your team, you will lead it. The confinement would resume once the mission was over."
Jack looked relieved, but only said, "Yes, sir."
General Hammond nodded toward his desk and added "Unless something further comes up, no record of this will be sent to Washington. A note about this" he paused for a moment "interview will remain in your file for six months. If there have been no further problems at the end of that time, the note will be shredded."
"Thank you, sir."
"You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Jack saluted and left. Once he was out of sight of the office as well as any passing personnel, Jack leaned against a wall and let out a huge sigh. Part 2
Once in his room Jack dropped onto the couch and angrily muttered to himself "Wonderful!! Just Great!! Jack, you idiot, you couldn't have screwed up more if you tried. At least there's no guard. Thank God for that!" He stared blankly at the room, then put his head in hands and groaned.
A short time later there was a knock at the door. "Enter," Jack called out.
Daniel walked in with a concerned look on his face. After a quick glance at Jack`s face, he just said "Jack."
"Daniel."
Daniel gave him a slight smile, then said, "I see you're still alive."
"Barely," Jack grimaced.
"Lookit, I don't know all that happened between you and Hammond, but I can guess it wasn't pleasant."
"Ya think?" Jack paused a few seconds and when Daniel didn't say anything added, "Being chewed out by him is worse than facing unfriendlies! All I could do was stand there and say `Yes sir' and `No sir`. And, to make matters worse, I knew he was right, of course."
"Look, you know I won't say anything about what happened today and not just because Hammond said not to. You are too good an officer to have to deal with gossip from people who don't know what happened or need to know."
Jack gave a bark of laughter and said dryly, "Oh there will be gossip, believe me. With me not around as much as normal and being seen only at meetings and an occasional meal, rumors will fly. It won't take anyone long to figure out what happened."
"You not around?"
"Daniel, I'm confined to quarters for a week other than for meetings and meals, unless a mission comes up. Not an unheard of course of action, by the way."
"I don't suppose we can think up a rare illness....no, Doc Frasier would have to be in on that."
"I appreciate your concern Daniel. Really! But I'll survive. And to be honest, I'm getting off easier than I deserve. I was sure the repercussions would be alot worse; maybe even a court martial. Who knows, we could get a mission tomorrow and that would take care of the worst of my problems."
"Jack, that won't be the end of it. You and I will have a few things to discuss once you're allowed to go home."
Jack groaned at that, and shut his eyes tightly. That was something he really didn't want to think about.
Before Daniel could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Jack sighed, looked at Daniel and asked, "Am I having a party I don`t know about?" Then, louder, he called out, "Enter!"
As Sam and Teal'c walked in, Sam cheerfully called out, "Hi, sir. Hi, Daniel." At the same time Teal'c said, "Greetings O'Neill and DanielJackson."
Jack and Daniel glanced at each other and said "Hi."
Sam looked from Jack to Daniel as though she had a question, but didn't know quite how to put it. It was oblivious she knew something was up but didn't want to ask directly. After a few seconds of silence she asked, "Anyone for steaks at O'Mallys tonight?"
"Not for me, but you kids go and have fun. I have some things to take care of," Jack replied.
After a moment, Teal'c said "Perhaps I will stay here after all."
"You should go...really." Jack stated.
Teal'c nodded and said, "As you wish, O'Neill."
"I'm in; lets go," Daniel said. As he glanced at his watch he added "I'll meet you there in thirty minutes. But Sam, I'm not playing pool against you!"
As the three of them left the room, Jack sighed with relief. Part 3
After they'd been seated at the restaurant, Sam looked at Daniel and said bluntly "Spill!"
Daniel looked at her over the top of his menu and said, "I can't; really. I've given my word."
"If your word has been given DanielJackson, then nothing further may be said," Teal'c added in a serious tone of voice.
"Sam, talk to Jack if you want to know what`s happened." Daniel told her.
Sam looked resigned, then finally picked up her menu and said, "Wonderful. Okay, what should we have?"
Back in his quarters Jack was at his desk trying to write a letter. The clock showed it was already 6:48. Scattered around the room were a few wadded-up balls of paper near the wastebasket, a silent witness to his lack of success. Finally he was satisfied with what he had written, and signed Colonel Jack O'Neill across the bottom of the page.
"Done at last," he said, then folded the page in thirds and put it in an envelope. On the front of the envelope was written General Hammond.
The next morning Jack was at the cafeteria having breakfast when Sam walked by with a cup of coffee. "Can I join you, sir?" Sam asked.
"Sure," Jack said as he looked up with a slight smile. He knew what was on her mind, and he was not going to tell her, even if she asked.
As she sat down Sam said, "General Hammond wants us for a follow up meeting about our trip to PX-13898 in 20 minutes. He called your rooms, but you'd already left."
"Thanks for letting me know. Would hate to be late for that meeting."
"Sir, look, do you…"
"No, Carter." Jack said firmly.
"Yes, sir," Sam said in a resigned tone of voice.
Fifteen minutes later Jack was outside General Hammond's office, knocking on the open door.
General Hammond looked up, nodded, and said. "Come."
"Sir, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate…" Jack stopped, took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to General Hammond. "Here."
General Hammond opened and read the letter which said:
Sir,
I would like to express my deep regret for causing you problems with the representative from Obieron. I let my emotions control my actions. I apologize. If you wish, I'll apologize personally or in writing to Kalan .
I also want to thank you for the leniency you showed in dealing with this situation. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear that I faced anything from public rebuke to a court martial. I truly appreciate the second chance you are giving me. You will not be disappointed.
Sincerely,
Colonel Jack O'Neill
General Hammond cleared his throat. "Thank you Colonel."
"General."
"This was not necessary, you know."
"Excuse me, sir, but yes it was."
After a moment, General Hammond said, "There is no need for you to apologize to Kalan. I have dealt with that." He glanced at his watch and added, "We have a meeting in a few minutes. I will see you then. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Part 4
A few minutes later, everyone was at the conference table waiting for the meeting to begin. As General Hammond walked in, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c started to stand but General Hammond said, "As you were. Let's get started." He looked at Daniel and aske, "Dr. Jackson, have you finished translating the tablets you brought back last week from PX-13898?"
"Mostly. They appear to be records about harvests. Nothing else so far." He pushed his glasses back further on his nose and added, "Perhaps different types of records were stored in other locations."
General Hammond turned to Sam and asked, "Captain Carter, have you found anything further?"
Sam shook her head. "No, sir. There's nothing so far that shows any major scientific or technological advances. The people from PX-13898 seem to have been agricultural prior to their extinction. Anything could have wiped them out. There's no indication as to when they got the Stargate or if it was ever used."
General Hammond looked at Teal`c. "Teal'c?"
"I have found no indication of a Goa'uld presence, General."
"I see. Colonel?"
"Nothing new has come to my attention about the planet, sir."
"Dr Jackson, how long until you have translated all the records you have?
Daniel frowned slightly. "Perhaps one more day, two at the most."
"I see. Colonel, keep me advised if anything new comes up."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
Back in his room Jack wandered around straightening a few things unnecessarily. His room, as always, was neat. He glanced at his watch and saw it was only 9:43 am. "Wonderful," he said. "A week of this and I'll go crazy."
He walked to his desk and began to sort through some paperwork. The next time he looked at his watch it showed 11:56. "Might as well take a break for lunch," he thought.
In the cafeteria Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were already seated and eating. Jack grabbed a sandwich and coffee and joined them, saying, "Hey, what's new?"
Sam looked at him and said, "Sir, we were talking, and we would like to return to PX-13898, to do a more detailed investigation of the planet."
Jack looked up in mid bite. "Why?"
Daniel said, "Well, we only explored a small portion of the planet. I hope that with more time, say at least three days, we can check out other regions. Perhaps I would find more records about their civilization."
"And I want to see if I can find any evidence of scientific advances in their society," Sam added.
Jack stared at them for a moment, then shook his head.
"I could use more time to check for signs of prior Goa'uld presence," Teal'c said.
"Come on, guys. There's no way this will fly," Jack said.
"Jack, this is OUR idea, not yours," Daniel replied.
"Uh huh," Jack said in a disbelieving tone.
"Sir, I plan to ask General Hammond for permission for us to do this, unless you order me not to," Sam said firmly.
"And what will you do when he asks you what I said?"
"I'll tell him the truth, sir. That Daniel, Teal'c and I discussed it and thought it was a good idea. And that when we approached you about it, you were not in favor of it."
"He won't buy that."
"Sir, yes he will. He knows I wouldn't lie to him."
Jack just looked at her, got up and started to walk off. He turned and said, "Daniel, could I see you for a few minutes? Say, in half an hour?"
"Sure."
After Jack left, Daniel turned to Sam and said, "Don't talk General Hammond until I've talked to Jack, okay?"
"Okay. There's no rush."
As soon as Daniel knocked on Jack's door he heard Jack call out, "Enter!"
As he walked in, Daniel wondered what Jack wanted him to do. "Hey Jack, what did you need?" he asked.
Jack stared at him for a few seconds, then said, almost angrily, "I thought you weren't going to say anything about what happened with Hammond and me yesterday?"
"I didn't say a word. Last night at dinner when they asked, I told them I couldn't say anything as I'd given my word. I told them if they wanted information they'd have to ask you."
"Then how?"
"Jack, they're military. Like you said, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what happened. Even I would have caught on, for heavens sake. You're a highly visible officer, and all of a sudden you're on base but not seen? And you aren't in the infirmary!!"
"Sorry about that Daniel. I was out of line."
"Yes, you were, but I understand. I told Sam not to talk to Hammond until after I talked to you. Do you want me to tell her you said she's not to go to Hammond? "
Jack gave him a wry grin "Nope, don't do that. I would rather face him than her!"
Daniel laughed "Okay! I'll just tell her we had a few things to discuss, but that you didn't give me any messages for her."
"Fine with me. Hope General Hammond goes easy on her."Part 5
When Sam walked by General Hammond's office the next morning, she saw that he was alone, so she knocked on the open office door.He looked up and said, "Come in, Captain. How can I help you?"
"Sir, I'd like to request permission for us to return to PX-13898. We'd like to take a few days to really explore the rest of the planet."
"Why?"
"Sir, Daniel, Teal'c and I were talking after yesterday's meeting and thought it would be a good idea to return. Daniel could look for more records and I could try to find any indication of scientific progress."
"And whose idea was this, Captain?"
"Ours…Daniel, Teal'c and mine, sir."
"I see. Did you run this....idea by Colonel O'Neill?"
"Yes, sir, at lunch yesterday. He wasn't in favor of it."
General Hammond stared at her very hard for a moment, then asked "Did he give you a reason?"
"No, sir."
"Captain, sit down." As she did so he said, "I want some straight answers to what I am about to ask you. This will go no further than these four walls."
"Yes, sir."
"Why do you really want to go back to PX-13898?"
Sam looked at her hands for a few seconds, then said, "Sir, no one told us what happened between you and Colonel O'Neill, but for the last two days the only time anyone sees him is at meals or if there is a meetings. Dinner invitations are turned down. 'Confined to quarters' is not unheard of on a military base, sir. He never said a word to me; you've got to believe me, sir."
"I do. Go on."
"Well, we really do want to go back to PX-13898 and do further work. This would be as good a time as any, sir."
"Do you think that would erase his punishment?"
"No, sir. Not at all. It just would ease the talk about the Colonel--and there's a lot of talk right now."
"Captain, Colonel O'Neill will survive the talk and he'll also survive being confined to his quarters. I understand your concern, but unless he feels that there's a need to return to PX-13898 at this time, it can wait."
"Yes, sir."
"Oh, and Captain?"
"Yes, sir?"
"This conversation, other than me telling you that there is no need to return to the planet at this time, has never taken place."
"Yes, sir. Umm, sir?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"How much may I tell Daniel and Teal'c? They knew I was going to talk to you today."
"Tell them I turned down the request."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
The End
"General."
"This was not necessary, you know."
"Excuse me, sir, but yes it was."
After a moment, General Hammond said, "There is no need for you to apologize to Kalan. I have dealt with that." He glanced at his watch and added, "We have a meeting in a few minutes. I will see you then. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Part 4
A few minutes later, everyone was at the conference table waiting for the meeting to begin. As General Hammond walked in, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c started to stand but General Hammond said, "As you were. Let's get started." He looked at Daniel and aske, "Dr. Jackson, have you finished translating the tablets you brought back last week from PX-13898?"
"Mostly. They appear to be records about harvests. Nothing else so far." He pushed his glasses back further on his nose and added, "Perhaps different types of records were stored in other locations."
General Hammond turned to Sam and asked, "Captain Carter, have you found anything further?"
Sam shook her head. "No, sir. There's nothing so far that shows any major scientific or technological advances. The people from PX-13898 seem to have been agricultural prior to their extinction. Anything could have wiped them out. There's no indication as to when they got the Stargate or if it was ever used."
General Hammond looked at Teal`c. "Teal'c?"
"I have found no indication of a Goa'uld presence, General."
"I see. Colonel?"
"Nothing new has come to my attention about the planet, sir."
"Dr Jackson, how long until you have translated all the records you have?
Daniel frowned slightly. "Perhaps one more day, two at the most."
"I see. Colonel, keep me advised if anything new comes up."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
Back in his room Jack wandered around straightening a few things unnecessarily. His room, as always, was neat. He glanced at his watch and saw it was only 9:43 am. "Wonderful," he said. "A week of this and I'll go crazy."
He walked to his desk and began to sort through some paperwork. The next time he looked at his watch it showed 11:56. "Might as well take a break for lunch," he thought.
In the cafeteria Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were already seated and eating. Jack grabbed a sandwich and coffee and joined them, saying, "Hey, what's new?"
Sam looked at him and said, "Sir, we were talking, and we would like to return to PX-13898, to do a more detailed investigation of the planet."
Jack looked up in mid bite. "Why?"
Daniel said, "Well, we only explored a small portion of the planet. I hope that with more time, say at least three days, we can check out other regions. Perhaps I would find more records about their civilization."
"And I want to see if I can find any evidence of scientific advances in their society," Sam added.
Jack stared at them for a moment, then shook his head.
"I could use more time to check for signs of prior Goa'uld presence," Teal'c said.
"Come on, guys. There's no way this will fly," Jack said.
"Jack, this is OUR idea, not yours," Daniel replied.
"Uh huh," Jack said in a disbelieving tone.
"Sir, I plan to ask General Hammond for permission for us to do this, unless you order me not to," Sam said firmly.
"And what will you do when he asks you what I said?"
"I'll tell him the truth, sir. That Daniel, Teal'c and I discussed it and thought it was a good idea. And that when we approached you about it, you were not in favor of it."
"He won't buy that."
"Sir, yes he will. He knows I wouldn't lie to him."
Jack just looked at her, got up and started to walk off. He turned and said, "Daniel, could I see you for a few minutes? Say, in half an hour?"
"Sure."
After Jack left, Daniel turned to Sam and said, "Don't talk General Hammond until I've talked to Jack, okay?"
"Okay. There's no rush."
As soon as Daniel knocked on Jack's door he heard Jack call out, "Enter!"
As he walked in, Daniel wondered what Jack wanted him to do. "Hey Jack, what did you need?" he asked.
Jack stared at him for a few seconds, then said, almost angrily, "I thought you weren't going to say anything about what happened with Hammond and me yesterday?"
"I didn't say a word. Last night at dinner when they asked, I told them I couldn't say anything as I'd given my word. I told them if they wanted information they'd have to ask you."
"Then how?"
"Jack, they're military. Like you said, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what happened. Even I would have caught on, for heavens sake. You're a highly visible officer, and all of a sudden you're on base but not seen? And you aren't in the infirmary!!"
"Sorry about that Daniel. I was out of line."
"Yes, you were, but I understand. I told Sam not to talk to Hammond until after I talked to you. Do you want me to tell her you said she's not to go to Hammond? "
Jack gave him a wry grin "Nope, don't do that. I would rather face him than her!"
Daniel laughed "Okay! I'll just tell her we had a few things to discuss, but that you didn't give me any messages for her."
"Fine with me. Hope General Hammond goes easy on her."Part 5
When Sam walked by General Hammond's office the next morning, she saw that he was alone, so she knocked on the open office door.He looked up and said, "Come in, Captain. How can I help you?"
"Sir, I'd like to request permission for us to return to PX-13898. We'd like to take a few days to really explore the rest of the planet."
"Why?"
"Sir, Daniel, Teal'c and I were talking after yesterday's meeting and thought it would be a good idea to return. Daniel could look for more records and I could try to find any indication of scientific progress."
"And whose idea was this, Captain?"
"Ours…Daniel, Teal'c and mine, sir."
"I see. Did you run this....idea by Colonel O'Neill?"
"Yes, sir, at lunch yesterday. He wasn't in favor of it."
General Hammond stared at her very hard for a moment, then asked "Did he give you a reason?"
"No, sir."
"Captain, sit down." As she did so he said, "I want some straight answers to what I am about to ask you. This will go no further than these four walls."
"Yes, sir."
"Why do you really want to go back to PX-13898?"
Sam looked at her hands for a few seconds, then said, "Sir, no one told us what happened between you and Colonel O'Neill, but for the last two days the only time anyone sees him is at meals or if there is a meetings. Dinner invitations are turned down. 'Confined to quarters' is not unheard of on a military base, sir. He never said a word to me; you've got to believe me, sir."
"I do. Go on."
"Well, we really do want to go back to PX-13898 and do further work. This would be as good a time as any, sir."
"Do you think that would erase his punishment?"
"No, sir. Not at all. It just would ease the talk about the Colonel--and there's a lot of talk right now."
"Captain, Colonel O'Neill will survive the talk and he'll also survive being confined to his quarters. I understand your concern, but unless he feels that there's a need to return to PX-13898 at this time, it can wait."
"Yes, sir."
"Oh, and Captain?"
"Yes, sir?"
"This conversation, other than me telling you that there is no need to return to the planet at this time, has never taken place."
"Yes, sir. Umm, sir?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"How much may I tell Daniel and Teal'c? They knew I was going to talk to you today."
"Tell them I turned down the request."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
The End
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