Barbarossa
By BadgerGater
Episode: None
Season: Mid S7
Summary: The team goes in search of a legend. Will they find friend or foe?
Rating: Teens
Author's Note: This fic is based upon an actual German legend as Daniel relates in this story. I did take liberties with the time period for that legend, in order to fit it into the Stargate world. Special thanks to Martina for introducing me to the legend of Barbarossa.
P6D-240.
Jack O'Neill sighed, slouching lower in his chair. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Bad enough he had to know his ID number and his social security number and his PIN number and his home phone number and his cell phone number and the phone numbers of his teammates, the base and the general, but on top of all that, he was supposed to deal with the numbers the computer assigned to planets.
Names would be so much easier.
But names they rarely got.
Sure, when you went to a planet that had named itself, like Cimmeria, or one that had been named by someone else like the Tok'ra, then a name was okay. Otherwise, it was just planet some number, or moon some other number, all forgettable. He'd rather every planet had a name, if nothing more than Tom, Rick, or Harry; Curly, Larry or Moe; Chester or even Lester. Something. Anything, as long as it wasn't more numbers.
Jack was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by an obviously irritated voice.
"Colonel, is this briefing boring you?" General Hammond's tone was serious, his gaze, no, make that a glare, fixed sternly on Jack's face.
The Colonel's attention snapped back to his CO and he straightened in his chair. "Ah, no, Sir, no it's not – boring - not in the slightest. " Truth be told, the briefing wasn't boring, the planet was. The UAV video showed only primitive-looking people garbed in flowing robes of Earth, er, planet-tones of brown and brown and there, woohoo!, even more brown, carrying spears and roughly hewn swords. That didn't bode well for the likelihood of finding any useful weapons or technology on this planet he suddenly dubbed Brown. "Go on, Daniel," Jack ordered, waving a hand at SG-1's archaeologist and attempting to look at least somewhat interested.
At a go-ahead nod from the General, Daniel continued describing the scene as another powerpoint slide flashed across the projector's screen, this one of a village on planet Brown. "From the half-timbered style of the buildings, the markings above the doorways, and the tools and implements we've seen on the tapes, the people appear to be of Germanic origin, with a technology level approximately equivalent to our own Middle Ages," Daniel concluded.
"Ooh, now that's definitely going to help us defeat the Gould," Jack muttered sarcastically. "New and better swords, right? More aerodynamic arrows?" Hammond, not enjoying the comments, glared at him again and this time the Colonel succeeded in reining in his attitude. "So, why are we interested in them?" Jack asked, still leaning back in his chair diffidently as the same time he was surreptitiously checking to be sure that Hammond was duly noting his participation.
"Because of this." Daniel clicked the remote for the projector, and a new photograph appeared on the screen. "The UAV took these pictures of a village at the base of a mountain, about ten clicks from the Stargate." The initial shot showed a small grouping of ordinary-looking wood frame buildings, indistinguishable from the ones Daniel had been gushing over for the last five minutes, but as the camera zoomed in, Jack could make out something new.
There, on the edge of the village, was a large stone statue.
As the focus moved in ever closer, details of the sculpture slowly became clear. It was the image of a large human-looking bearded man, wearing some sort of crown on his head, seated on an ornate chair that might be called a king's throne, and holding in his right hand —
"That's a staff weapon!" Jack suddenly sat up straight, leaning forward to peer intently at the screen, genuinely interested now.
"Definitely, Sir," chimed in Carter with a grin. "The pictures aren't clear enough to show just what he has on his other hand, though," Daniel tightened the focus to give a close-up of the carving's left hand, "but it could be a hand device," she finished.
Daniel nodded his agreement.
O'Neill spun in his chair and addressed the Jaffa faction of SG-1. "Teal'c, have you ever heard anything about this place, this planet," he glanced down at the briefing folder lying on the table in front of him, "ah, P6D-240?"
"I have not, O'Neill. The image is unfamiliar, as is the planetary designation," he stated. "However, there are many minor Goa'uld Lords who hold planets. Some are aligned with the System Lords. Others are not."
Daniel was peering closely at the photo. "There's writing on the stone, but the name is faded and a little difficult to read, especially since it's in the old Germanic script. My best guess is 'Friederich Barbarossa," he offered.
"Barb LaRosa?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"Barbarossa," Daniel corrected. "Barbarossa is—"
Jack was smiling smugly. "Actually, Daniel, I know who Barbarossa is. I've seen the movie-"
Daniel looked surprised. "They made a movie about Barbarossa?"
Jack waved a hand in the air. "Yeah, sure that one with a young Jane Fonda-"
"That was Barbarella, actually, Sir," Carter corrected, trying to hide her smile.
O'Neill looked nonplussed. "I knew that, Carter. Just testing to see if you did." Turning back to Daniel, "So, about this Freddy Barbed Roses fellah?"
"He's a real person from Earth's history. Emperor Frederick the First, was a mighty warrior king who united ancient Germany. Also known as Frederick Barbarossa, he died, rather mysteriously, on his way to fight in a great battle, but beloved by his people, Barbarossa lived on as the subject of numerous legends." SG-1's archaeologist happily launched into full lecture mode. "The name Barbarossa actually refers to his long red beard by the way. The stories vary somewhat but basically, they say that Barbarossa and his warrior knights sleep in a cave deep inside a mountain, sitting at a stone table through which his beard has grown. There he waits for his people to call upon him in their time of need, when he will awaken, and come forth to fight for and protect them, restoring them to greatness."
"Gee, sleeping in a cave, for centuries, have we ever met anyone like that before?" Jack didn't need to mention Hathor's name. "He's inside a sarcophagus, perhaps?"
Daniel nodded. "Perhaps. The tale could very well be about a Goa'uld, although there's nothing about a sarcophagus, just a cave."
"Anything else significant in this legend?" Jack asked. "Any mention of, oh, ah, weapons maybe? Big and honkin', powerful weapons? Guys with glowing eyes? Bad taste in clothes? Over-size egos?"
"Nothing specific," Daniel answered.
"So, Colonel, pack your bags and brush up on your German. SG-1 is going to P6D-240," announced General Hammond.
/-x-\
The following day at 0900 Colorado time, SG-1 stepped through the Stargate. It seemed later in the day when they arrived on the planet, however. Jack would have guessed early afternoon, since the sun seemed pretty straight up overhead. Keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding meadow, O'Neill waited for the rest of his team to emerge one-by-one from the wormhole.
"Nice place," said Daniel, pulling his boonie hat into position atop his head.
"Clear here, Sir," Carter called out, having completed her scan on the right side of the gate.
"All appears to be quiet, O'Neill," Teal'c added just as the gate disengaged with the sudden snap of discharging energy.
The Colonel nodded, adjusting his sunglasses. "Good, then kids. Let's go find Daniel someone to talk to."
/-x-\
They walked for an hour on a trail that the UAV had shown would lead them to the village with the statue. The countryside was quiet and they made good progress across the forested, rolling hills, following a path that seemed to have been well used at some time in the past, but currently was overgrown by weeds and grass. It snaked across an open valley floor, then took them into the forest of tall, fragrant pines.
Sometime in mid-afternoon, still miles from their destination, they unexpectedly met the natives.
/-x-\
The team was traveling in their standard formation — Teal'c on point, Daniel and Carter in the middle, and Jack on their six when the quiet forest suddenly wasn't so quiet anymore.
There was no inkling of trouble. One minute SG-1 was alone, walking easily through the woods and the next, without warning, they were under attack.
The first arrow whipped through the air a few inches from Teal'c's head. Even as the Jaffa dropped to a crouch and brought his staff weapon up, pointing it toward the forest, another arrow tore into the ground at his feet.
The shots had come from behind a cluster of rocks. While the arrows were still in the air, Jack was already firing his P-90, his bullets purposely aimed high to frighten, not kill. The warning shots might have been the reason that only one of the thick volley of arrows that followed hit its mark. The airborne missiles whistled through the air around SG-1, one hitting Carter's backpack and bouncing harmlessly off of it. Realizing his team was in a far too exposed position, O'Neill quickly scanned the area for cover. "Over there!" Jack shouted, pointing left where a scattering of low rocks amid the trees would give them at least some protection.
At his command, they spun and ran, Daniel and Carter on Teal'c's heels. His P-90 chattering loudly in the quiet forest, Jack poured another volley toward the attackers hiding place as he covered his retreating team, then turned to follow them.
He didn't see the arrow that hit him; it came from a totally new direction, far to his right. Jack heard it whistle through the air a split second before the razor-sharp tip buried itself into his calf.
"Arrgghhh!" he shouted, and went down, hitting the ground, rolling, scrambling on hands and knees toward shelter as he felt warm blood already trickling down his leg.
Daniel had reached cover and turned just in time to see his CO get hit. "Jack!" He started to rise, but Teal'c pushed him down and ran back to help the Colonel.
Arrows buzzed through the air around the Jaffa as he hurried to help O'Neill, and bullets snapped overhead as Carter provided covering fire.
Teal'c grabbed the Colonel's jacket and pulled the Tau'ri upright. Together, they staggered a dozen steps to the shelter of a large tree, hunkering down behind it.
"O'Neill, are you badly injured?" Teal'c asked, turning to fire toward the attackers.
Jack was down on the ground, rolling onto his belly to bring his P-90 to bear in the firefight. He could feel blood soaking his pantleg but he could wiggle his toes, even if it hurt like hell to do so. "Oh, no. I'm fine. Just another alien," he triggered a burst from his weapon, "poking another hole in me — hey!" He twisted to fire at an attacker who was trying to flank them to the right. The man went down, writhing, and Jack fervently hoped it was the same SOB who'd just shot him. After all, fair was fair.
And then Jack saw more movement from the far right.
"Teal'c! They've got reinforcements on the way. Three o'clock," he announced their position. "I think they're trying to flank us."
Even as he fired his weapon, the Colonel was assessing the situation, and the assessment was not good. Already outnumbered, the enemy was now trying to maneuver around them, and reinforcements were moving in.
The situation was not looking good for SG-1.