Strange Celebrations, by Cofax (PG-13)
Rec Category: Drama
Pairing: none
Categories: drama, gen, apocafic, hurt/comfort, angst, team, Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Jack O'Neill, original character
Warnings: language, some whumping
Author on LJ: cofax7
Author's Website: alchemy mouldiwarps and coprophagy
Link: Strange Celebrations
Why This Must Be Read: The Earth may or may not be there any more, but SG-1 is still alive and kicking... even if they have to stay in hiding, and keep moving to avoid detection.
Cofax plunges us right into the middle of the story, giving us a rich, vivid look at the planet where Sam, Jack, Teal'c, and Daniel currently reside. There's great characterization as each team member does his or her best to deal with what they've got and what they need to keep going. And when events suddenly shift into crisis mode - well, this is SG-1. Even in grief and desperation, these four are marvelously themselves.
Like most apocafics, this story can't be classified as happy. But it's an excellent drama, intensely gripping, and a fantastic tribute to the tenacity of SG-1.
The day it happened was just another day for SG-1. Jack wondered about that later, like maybe he should have known. But he didn't. It was just another mundane trip offworld, if there were such a thing. No naquadah, no ancient ruins, no interesting technology--just half a dozen villages full of very nice people who had little to talk about other than the legends of their Potato God, as Jack referred to them.
Daniel insisted that Beavis wasn't a Potato God, but he was the god of freaking root crops--of course he was a Potato God. So they'd spent two days visiting in all the villages, eating way too many of these purple and orange potatoes, and now they could finally go home.
Jack wasn't even looking at the wormhole when he started transmitting. Wormholes were old hat. "SG-1-Niner to Stargate Command, this place is a bust. Is it Miller Time there?"
There was a silence, long enough that Carter turned around from where she was messing with the MALP. As she frowned, finally a voice replied.
"SG-1-Niner, you may--no! No, please, don't--" and then silence, not even static. The connection was dead.