Command Decisions, by Cannon (PG)

[figs_sg1_rec]

Rec Category: General Hammond
Pairing: none
Category: General Hammond, episode related, drama, angst
Warning: minor character deaths
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Cannon at FF.net 
Link: Command Decisions

Why This Must Be Read: In Nemesis, Daniel discovered just how hard it was to be the one left behind while others went out and endangered their lives. This short story gives us a glimpse into the tension that General Hammond, and the crew back at the SGC, undergo on a regular basis.

Cannon shows us the other side of the climatic scene of The First Commandment, when Jonas Hansen has dialled Earth's Stargate and threatened to throw Jack O'Neill through it without the benefit of a GDO. I know that it never occurred to me to wonder what the SGC must have thought of that wormhole activation - long minutes with nothing happening, and then that ominous thump that can only mean the death of a sentient being. What must it have meant to George Hammond, to know that his people are off-world and still keep that iris closed in order to protect the planet?

Cannon gives us a good idea of that in this brief yet powerful fic, especially the bitterness of that final, unhappy sentence.

As he approached the command center, he asked, "IDC?"

Harriman shook his head quickly, eyes locked on the computer screen. Hammond frowned; that didn't make sense. The Gate had been open for thirty seconds. The only team that was out at the moment was SG-1, and they were a little overdue. They should have entered their codes by now.

"Should we open the iris, Sir?"

"No," he said, straining to get the word out. "We cannot assume that this is SG-1."

The Stargate stood active, silent, empty for what felt like ages. The counter on the screen revealed that it had been open for over a minute and a half. Hammond leaned in and angled the mic to his mouth. "This is General Hammond. Please identify yourselves."

Nothing. He couldn't contact them via their individual, shoulder-mounted radios, only through the MALP. And there was nothing saying the MALP had to be nearby when they activated the 'Gate, although the money-makers liked to get them back whenever possible. He stared at the iris. He wasn't debating what to do; he was figuring out how to live with the fact that he couldn't open the iris.

He was about to tell Harriman to keep him informed of any changes... when there was an impact. He glanced at the computer read-out. The Stargate had been open for three minutes. The screen confirmed that the impact had been a human. He closed his eyes and waited until the Stargate disengaged to open them.

"Keep me apprised," he said softly, putting a hand on Walter's shoulder.

"Yes, Sir," the technician said, hands flying over his controls.

Hammond slowly carried himself up the stairs, his mind reeling. There was no reason to assume SG-1 had dialed the Gate. He couldn't think of a possibility where one of them would go through and leave the others behind, let alone without sending the IDC through ahead of time.

Unless they'd lost their GDOs. Unless the three minute pause had been in the hopes Hammond would open the iris for them. He paused in the briefing room, wondering if the lone casualty had been on the way to get help for the other three. He suddenly wondered which team member it might have been.