aurora_novarum | Fic: Flights of Ingenuity

Not quite sure if it's the 27th yet in your neck of the woods, but anyway...Happy Birthday,

pepper_field! Thanks for being co-redial mod and all around awesome gal!

Title: Flights of Ingenuity
Category: Jack O'Neill and Teal'c friendship; character study
Spoilers: Set after SG-1 Season Eight
Rating/Warning: No warnings; All ages
Word Count: 1900 words

Summary: Teal'c and Jack visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Author's Notes: This birthday fic is a sequel to the comment fic Pepper wrote for my birthday (and you should go read!). The Star Wars exhibit closed in the Smithsonian in 1999, but eh, for fic purposes it's returned. More about the Air & Space Museum Exhibits here. Thanks to stalwart beta

fabrisse.

Disclaimer: As always, Stargate SG-1's characters and show are owned by MGM, Double Secret, Gekko Productions, and a host of other people who are not me! No copyright infringement is intended and no monetary gain sought. Merely an homage.

Teal'c followed O'Neill inside the glass fronted building, securing the baseball cap on his head. He was surprised at O'Neill's appreciative sigh once they entered.

"Now this, this is a museum." O'Neill was grinning from ear to ear, looking almost childlike as they shifted through the security scanner.

A crowd was gathered by a black stone pillar. Individuals moved forward and touched something in its center, but Teal'c detected no change to the environment. To his surprise, O'Neill joined the throng and touched the item before rejoining his friend.

Something must have shown in Teal'c's expression because O'Neill explained, "It's a moon rock."

Teal'c blinked.

Looking more abashed, O'Neill shrugged. "It's a specimen the astronauts brought back from one of the moon missions. See, this was one of the Apollo capsules. Three men to the moon and back."

He pointed to a oddly shaped metal object that was prominently displayed nearby. The item was roughly cone shaped, with a rounded disk making up one side. This section had a plastic protective covering over it, but Teal'c immediately noted familiar pitting and scorch marks on the material underneath. He studied the object further but saw no engines or obvious steering.

He frowned and turned back to O'Neill. "This device appears most fragile. It would not survive atmospheric reentry more than once."

"Well, yeah. It's not like the shuttles. This was still a work in progress. One trip per module. This one was from the first one to land on the moon, Apollo 11."

"There is no visible thrust or maneuvering."

"No, those parts were jettisoned beforehand. There's a whole exhibit over...somewhere that shows the whole process. It's been years since I've been in this museum."

"The vessel seems most inefficient." Teal'c noted a few bystanders looking at him oddly. He adjusted his cap once again.

His friend shrugged. "Trial and error. They still made it to the moon and back over half a dozen times."

"With moon rocks." Teal'c frowned. "You have never before expressed interest in such items when on missions with Colonel Carter or Daniel Jackson."

"Those are different! I mean this is from another pl..." O'Neill's voice trailed off and he frowned. "Not the point. This was the moon landing, Teal'c. I mean, I remember watching it..." He sighed. "Never mind. Some say the piece here isn't even a moon rock."

Teal'c stared at O'Neill for a moment. "1969. You and General Hammond reminisced about this event, providing you with necessary information that convinced him to help us return."

O'Neill blinked at him, memories sorting behind his gaze. His response was carefully neutral. "Yeah. Well, this was a pretty big deal. The whole world was watching. It was just, one of those things that if you were alive, you remember."

Teal'c looked over at the people by the exhibit, some clearly too young to have been alive in 1969. Young and old, they all touched the pillar. Teal'c approached the artifact and touched the mineral imbedded in the display. It was smooth and polished, perhaps from so much handling. In truth, it felt similar to the plastic display surrounding it. Why would such a small specimen invoke such passion from so many? It was not the first time Teal'c wondered at the strangeness of the Tau'ri.

His confusion was forgotten when his eye noted directional signs. "O'Neill. The Star Wars exhibit is in this direction." Teal'c took long strides towards the staircase to the second floor, barely hesitating to ensure his friend followed.

"You know the moon missions are um..." His friend's voice trailed off as he joined Teal'c. This time the sigh that issued from O'Neill was one more of resignation. Teal'c frowned, but instantly forgot his lack of enthusiasm upon seeing the exhibit before him.

Teal'c toured between the display cases, pausing for long moments between each one to take in the details of the costumes and props.

He was disappointed to see the "Millenium Falcon" was in fact two models, neither much larger than a child's toy. However, he was impressed that something so small could be perceived as so large on the screen, and wondered if it could be put to use as a military tactic. He turned to discuss it with O'Neill, but noticed his friend was several yards away now, hands in his pockets and rocking on the balls of his feet. Teal'c recognized the body language from many long missions. O'Neill was bored.

O'Neill looked up and met Teal'c's eye. "Seen everything?" Teal'c detected the hopeful note in his friend's voice.

"There is still another room of displays," Teal'c corrected, trying to hide his disappointment that O'Neill was not as interested as he.

"It's...sci-fi, Teal'c." Jack shrugged helplessly.

"I shall meet you outside, O'Neill." Teal'c inclined his head slightly.

"Cool. I'll be out by the balcony." O'Neill was already backtracking to the entrance before he finished his sentence. Teal'c fought a grimace, then turned back to look at the next group of artifacts. His regret his friend did not share his enthusiasm was forgotten as he spotted the next display.

Teal'c stared with satisfaction at the figure of Darth Vader. The height and majesty was befitting such a character. He stared at the figure for several moments, remembering pivotal scenes from the movies, such as Anakin's betrayal of the Emperor. Teal'c dreamed of throwing Apophis from such a height several times after first watching Return of the Jedi.

The droids were amusing, but since they were not interactive, Teal'c soon moved past them to other displays.

The last of the exhibits transitioned to a gift shop. Teal'c found a fantastic replica of a lightsaber, much nicer than the one he had obtained at the toy shop. He picked up one, as well as books and other souvenirs for his teammates. For Cassandra Fraiser, he found a pewter pendant he thought she would appreciate. A last minute purchase at the counter was a glow in the dark yo-yo sitting by the register. O'Neill had patiently escorted him across the city, and Teal'c recalled he had an affection for the small toy.

Gathering his purchases, he walked out into the main hallway. O'Neill was leaning against the balustrade overlooking the entrance lobby. At first Teal'c thought the man was unaware of his presence, he was staring straight ahead, but he turned as Teal'c moved closer.

His friend blinked as he saw the packages in Teal'c's arms. "Did you buy out the store, T?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, not deigning to respond to the comment further. He considered withholding his gift, but decided that would be petty. Instead he tossed the toy over to O'Neill, who caught it reflexively. O'Neill blinked as he looked at the item, then his face broke out into a wide grin.

"Cool. I haven't been able to find my old one since I moved into the Pentagon. I think that drill sergeant they've given me as an assistant has hidden my toys. Improper protocol for a two star general or something." He rolled his eyes as he gave the yo-yo a test spin. "Nice balance. Thanks, Teal'c."

"You are welcome, O'Neill."

As Teal'c raised to his full height from his instinctive bow, he noticed the hanging displays that were eye level to this story of the building. He had not paid them much heed amongst the crowds and displays below. Several primitive aircraft were hanging from wires, one looked to be mere linen and sticks, with a mannequin lying prone on the device.

"O'Neill. Is that a flying vehicle?" He frowned. The device looked too frail to be able to withstand even the dummy's weight, much less a real human.

"Yep. The 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer. Arguably the first successful airplane. A lot of test pilots, a lot of failed designs. But Orville and Wilbur Wright did it."

Teal'c stared at his friend. O'Neill had a look of rapture on his face while reciting history that Teal'c normally related to Daniel Jackson. "This was how your people first flew?"

"Yeah. That was the beginning. Well, there were balloons, and even DaVinci had some designs. But the Wright Brothers, that started the era. And there..." He pointed to a small silver plane with "Spirit of St. Louis" scrawled by its nose. "That's Lindbergh's plane. First non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Just twenty-five years later. Less than a generation later, you've got Yeager's plane that first broke the sonic barrier and...then the space race. Growing up, these guys were my heroes."

Teal'c looked at his friend, staring at the planes with a boyish expression of wonder. Teal'c frowned. He had never witnessed O'Neill paying such attention to a museum before. He stared at the crude devices. Teal'c had come from a culture that frowned on invention. There was no innovation allowed by the gods, and the Goa'uld themselves merely scavenged and stole the technology they could use. Since being with the Tau'ri, Teal'c had seen Colonel Carter and the other scientists of the SGC manipulate advanced alien devices to fight this greater enemy. He had become so accustomed to the Tau'ri's current level of technology, it had not occurred to him how recently they developed.

O'Neill spoke in terms of human generations. Teal'c was used to his teammates often forgetting his age. Even General Hammond referred to him as "son" when he was indeed old enough to be the general's father. All of this "history" had occurred within his own life span. When Teal'c was a kal'ma being lifted by his father, the Tau'ri were reaching for the sky. When he was first a chal'til, they crossed oceans in crude flying machines. When he became apprenticed directly under Bra'tac for first prime, the Tau'ri touched their nearest planetary neighbor.

This same explorer spirit led them to that fateful meeting with Teal'c. Their imagination led them to explore great moral tales like Lucas's Star Wars. The same ingenuity that created these machines led to the defeat of the Goa'uld. He thought of O'Neill's wristwatch, the one he spotted years ago in the Chulak dungeon--that simple item told Teal'c so much about these people. This museum was filled with further evidence of this spirit, and Teal'c stood frozen in wonder at the display before him.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't realize O'Neill was now staring at him. The childlike sparkle had shifted out of his friend's eyes and he was adopting a sardonic air. "I guess this isn't so interesting to a guy who's...flown the things you have."

"On the contrary, O'Neill. I find it fascinating. I would like to see more."

"Really?" O'Neill studied Teal'c, trying to see if his friend was humoring him.

Teal'c responded with a rare grin. "Indeed."

"Great." O'Neill all but whooped in delight. "I think the moon stuff is on this floor, but there's some jet engine displays downstairs. I got a map." O'Neill was waving a small paper while already heading to an exhibit room. "There's even a new museum with some of the bigger aircraft out by Dulles."

More sheepishly, he continued, "Oh, and um...can you keep the moon rock stuff between us? I really don't know if Daniel or Carter would understand."

Teal'c interpreted this to mean O'Neill did not wish to be teased mercilessly by their friends after his many caustic comments at their studies. He kept mute.

"Okay? T? Teal'c?"

Teal'c smiled.

Fin.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

holdouttrout.livejournal.com

Oh, my goodness.

This is so exactly right, and...

I just woke up from a nap, so the words are escaping me, but there's that introspection here about the characters that just rings so, so true. I can definitely see Jack being that excited, and Teal'c understanding why it's important to him. Wow.

Wow.

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Fic: Flights of Ingenuity

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