on Abydos." West nodded, his slightly fleshy face carefully blank. A bureaucratic in-fighter from way back, he wasn't about to accept responsibility for someone else's snafu. "I was more concerned about your failure to install more modern mechanisms in the mine workings." West riffled through more reports, penetrating Lockwood's careful wording. "On this side of the StarGate we're gearing up for serious use of that quartzose material. But your actual production is far below the estimates that UMC presented us at the beginning of the project." He's trying to hang me with my own projections, Lockwood thought, trying to keep his own poker face. But he hadn't come to Washington to defend himself from this general's annoying questions. He was launching an attack of his own-not to mention setting up a scapegoat for the mine's production problems. "We have more serious problems than supply bottlenecks and delivery delays. The locals have started a campaign of sabotage." Lockwood paused for a second. "And I personally have seen them engaged in paramilitary training-apparently with the approval and aid of Colonel O'Neil." West shuffled a new set of papers.
"Yes, I've received a report from the colonel." Covering his ass, Lockwood thought. But it won't help him. "O'Neil has just become aware that two, ah, alumni of the Abydos reconnaissance have offered some help to the young locals who helped them escape the alien forces. The young men had organized a sort of militia, as the colonel had earlier reported-along with Messrs. Draven and Preston of your company." West shrugged. "Lieutenant Kawalsky and Corporal Feretti believed that organized activities would help release some of the young men's high spirits. It would also allow them to keep an eye on what this group got up to." "According to my briefing, there were barely a dozen of those shepherd boys," Lockwood objected. "I saw considerably more than that number engaged in war games." He leaned over the general's desk, pressing his advantage. "The colonel has consistently refused to guard the new mining machinery from the locals. Now he allows them to train and become more dangerous to my people." The mining man glanced sidewise at West. "I know you initially appointed O'Neil to the expeditionary force because of his experience on Abydos. Perhaps, though, he's had too much experience there-too many contacts. O'Neil is blind to any danger that doesn't come from outside the planet. With this Ra person dead, the possibility of an outside attack seems remote to me. The real problems on Abydos come from disaffected elements in Nagada, not from some bogeymen beyond the StarGate." Again General West nodded, his face still revealing nothing of the thought processes going on behind his bureaucratic mask. "It is true that O'Neil was sent to Abydos because of his familiarity with local conditions." The general's voice held a considering note. "But you raise a reasonable concern. Perhaps he's grown too familiar with the autochthones." "So what are you going to do about him?" Lockwood wanted to know. "I still need someone on site who knows the terrain and the people," West finally said. "But it behooves me to recognize your own requests for an additional military presence on Abydos. If we add counterinsurgency forces to our troop strength on Abydos, we'll need an officer of sufficient rank to take command."
Lockwood nodded as if he were hearing the judgment of Solomon. Behind this respectful facade, however, he nearly quaked with fiendish glee. Do it, West, he silently urged the general, kick the bastard downstairs!
On Abydos, Daniel Jackson finished another
lecture for his English class. As the students left the room, he beckoned Skaara over. "What's this I hear about some kind of fighting out in the desert?" he asked. Rumors were flying around Nagada about the perfidy of UMC, about destruction of mining equipment. If he hoped to be useful in his new position of adviser to the Elders, Daniel had
"Yes, I've received a report from the colonel." Covering his ass, Lockwood thought. But it won't help him. "O'Neil has just become aware that two, ah, alumni of the Abydos reconnaissance have offered some help to the young locals who helped them escape the alien forces. The young men had organized a sort of militia, as the colonel had earlier reported-along with Messrs. Draven and Preston of your company." West shrugged. "Lieutenant Kawalsky and Corporal Feretti believed that organized activities would help release some of the young men's high spirits. It would also allow them to keep an eye on what this group got up to." "According to my briefing, there were barely a dozen of those shepherd boys," Lockwood objected. "I saw considerably more than that number engaged in war games." He leaned over the general's desk, pressing his advantage. "The colonel has consistently refused to guard the new mining machinery from the locals. Now he allows them to train and become more dangerous to my people." The mining man glanced sidewise at West. "I know you initially appointed O'Neil to the expeditionary force because of his experience on Abydos. Perhaps, though, he's had too much experience there-too many contacts. O'Neil is blind to any danger that doesn't come from outside the planet. With this Ra person dead, the possibility of an outside attack seems remote to me. The real problems on Abydos come from disaffected elements in Nagada, not from some bogeymen beyond the StarGate." Again General West nodded, his face still revealing nothing of the thought processes going on behind his bureaucratic mask. "It is true that O'Neil was sent to Abydos because of his familiarity with local conditions." The general's voice held a considering note. "But you raise a reasonable concern. Perhaps he's grown too familiar with the autochthones." "So what are you going to do about him?" Lockwood wanted to know. "I still need someone on site who knows the terrain and the people," West finally said. "But it behooves me to recognize your own requests for an additional military presence on Abydos. If we add counterinsurgency forces to our troop strength on Abydos, we'll need an officer of sufficient rank to take command."
Lockwood nodded as if he were hearing the judgment of Solomon. Behind this respectful facade, however, he nearly quaked with fiendish glee. Do it, West, he silently urged the general, kick the bastard downstairs!
On Abydos, Daniel Jackson finished another
lecture for his English class. As the students left the room, he beckoned Skaara over. "What's this I hear about some kind of fighting out in the desert?" he asked. Rumors were flying around Nagada about the perfidy of UMC, about destruction of mining equipment. If he hoped to be useful in his new position of adviser to the Elders, Daniel had
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