A few seconds after SG1 arrived on a new world something strange happens.
Seeing no immediate danger in the vicinity, the team never sees the attack
coming. One reason they may not have seen it coming, was because the
attack was coming from space. A very small collection of fireballs (the
size of baseballs) began to hit the surface near the gate and the team had
to dodge out of the way.
As the group gathers to examine the damage, O'Neill does a head count to
make sure everyone was okay.
"Carter?"
"I'm okay." Carter replies.
"Teal'c?"
Seeing Teal'c's stern nod was proof enough that he was uninjured.
"Daniel?"
"I think so." Daniel replies staring at the sky to see if another attack
would ensue.
"What just happened?" O'Neill turns to Carter.
"This may sound a bit strange, but I think those were asteroids." Carter
says.
"Hey, Jack." Daniel says in a concerned voice, "We've got a problem."
O'Neill looks in Daniel's new location and notices the Dial Home Device
(DHD) had been completely destroyed.
"Ah, great." O'Neill says with deep sarcasm.
"Don't worry, sir." Carter says with reinsurance, "We brought a portable
power supply. Just give me an hour to hook it up."
"Major Carter." Teal'c says, "I believe what you are looking for has also
been destroyed."
Sam goes to the probe where the device is being stored and found that
Teal'c was telling her the truth. They were stranded.
O'Neill came to Carter's side and replies with another sarcastic comment,
"I guess we could always click our heels three times while chanting
'there's no place like home'." Slowly walking away he says even softer,
"There's no place like home."
Teal'c's eyebrow lifts as he ponders what clicking their heals would really
accomplish.
"Now what?" Daniel asks.
"Any chance we could get hit again?" O'Neill ponders.
"There's no way to know without a telescope, sir." Carter replies.
"Okay. Hammond will probably try to make contact when we miss our ETA.
That gives us a window of 26 hours. I say we take a look around. Maybe we
can find another energy source." O'Neill says.
Aside from the occasional wise crack, Sam noticed Jack was starting to show
a more serious side. As she thought more about it, she hasn't seen him
smile in days. The wise cracks come all too natural, but the smile, even
the grin, is usually more welcoming.
After walking for hours and not finding a trace of civilization, dead or alive, the team starts to set up camp. While O'Neill and Teal'c gather wood to start a fire, Carter notices Daniel struggling to get the pack off his back. When he tries to pick it up with his right hand it brought pain and he drops the pack on the ground.
Rushing to his side before he could pick it up again, she says, "Hold on, let me see your hand." After a close examination of Daniel's right hand she discovers heavy bruising around the wrist and part of his arm. "Make a fist."
"Huh?" Daniel says as if he hadn't heard a word she said.
"Make a fist."
Curling his fingers towards him palm, Daniel is unable to make a solid fist.
"Flex it up and down."
This time Daniel heard her loud and clear and he begins to slowly move his wrist down to the ground without moving his arm. A short gasp of air is forced out as Daniel exceeds his limits on pain. He can't move his wrist more than a few centimeters in either direction.
"Well, I don't think it's broken, but we should still set a splint just to be safe."
As O'Neill and Teal'c rejoin them at the designated campsite, he is a little disappointed that the tents haven't been set up yet. The first thought that enters his mind is the last time he saw Daniel pitching a tent on PX9448. It was like watching a plane crash and knowing there was nothing you could do to help the plane not hit the ground. Rolling his eyes he drops the large pile of wood onto the ground and hollers, "Hey, Daniel. I thought I told you I wanted these tents up."
Before he could finish his griping speech, he sees Sam kneeling next to a tree with a look of concern as she worked away. She took only a second to look in the Colonel's direction before she continued whatever she was doing.
"Carter?" he asks quizzically.
When she doesn't respond immediately, O'Neill walks her way. Next to the tree sat Daniel. One hand was holding his glasses and shielding his eyes, while the other was in Carter's hands, being bound.
"Did I miss something?" O'Neill says almost sarcastic.
"No sir," Carter finally responds, "Daniel didn't realize he was injured from the asteroid's until he tried to pick up his pack."
O'Neill watches as she carefully ties a small, thick piece of wood under Daniel's wrist and wraps it with medical gauze. He only saw the top of Daniel's hand before it was wrapped, and it looked swollen and beat red.
"Is it broken?" He asks, this time with deep sincerity.
"I don't think so." Carter replies softly. She ties off the last part of gauze and lets go of Daniel's hand.
Daniel removes his hand from his eyes and looks down at his injured wrist. He is quite impressed with Carter's bandaging. When he tries to stand up he finds he has trouble. O'Neill extends his hand to Daniel's good arm and helps him off the ground.
"You all right?" he asks again in sincerity.
Daniel is almost surprised by his concern, but responds, "I'll live."
O'Neill pats him on the back and follows Carter. He knew he wouldn't be much help setting up the tents, so he went to the firewood collected and one by one began to place them like a teepee. He crumples a piece of paper with his good hand and places it underneath the piled wood. Knowing he can't rub two sticks together, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a much quicker solution. His lighter.
Not much was said between the team members until the work was done and camp was set up and precautions were made. An elementary security system was set up around the campsite to alert them of trespassers, should there be any.
Gathered around the campfire Daniel created, the group remains silent. To newcomers, they might have found the silence a little unnerving, but to SG1, it was peaceful. No G'oulds chasing them, no ensuing danger, no stopping the destruction of Earth, for the time being no asteroids falling from the sky, and unfortunately for Jack, no lake on which to fish on either. They listen to the soft sounds of the forest and the crackling of the fire before them. There is no wind. It isn't too cold. It isn't uncomfortably warm either. The only purpose of the fire was natural light. Not sure how long they would be stranded here, they would only use their flashlights if absolutely necessary. Teal'c raises his palms to the skies and sets his hands facing upward onto his knees. When he closes his eyes, the group realizes he is performing Kel Nor'eme. They can still talk amongst themselves and it would not bother him, but still there was nothing said. In their minds came recollections of the past few weeks. Longer for Daniel. Ever since he returned from the other side (the only thing he knew to call it), he longed to remember those forgotten memories. Pretending to be reading from his journal, Daniel thought about it harder, but that only made him wish he possessed one of those Tok'ra recalling devices. The looks he receives from Jack are different than they were a year ago. He can't explain it, and can't understand it. Something must have happened between the two when he was on the other side. Jack refuses to talk about it, and that reluctance forced Daniel to search through Jack's mission logs. Every mission Jack had been on since Daniel died and ascending, to the time he returned with his memory wiped wandering the Lost Planet. He read them all and found no mention of Daniel visiting him. The one mission that stuck in his mind even now was when the G'ould had him prisoner. Instead of simple torture, they would kill Jack and bring him back to life in a Sarcophagus. If ever Daniel had come to see him, he had hoped it would have been on that mission. Seeing as Jack is reluctant to talk about it, he will never know.
Sitting across the fire is Jack. He has constructed a crude fishing pole made out of a string tied to the end of a stick. On the end of the string he tied a piece of a granola bar he'd been snacking on. Swinging the granola piece slowly back and forth, Jack tests his new fishing pole. He notices Daniel was smiling at him, but chose to ignore him. It is almost too painful to look at him. 'He was dead, for crying out loud' Jack thinks to himself. Jack couldn't have predicted what happened next. He started an argument with himself. 'I can't even count how many times I've died and came back.' This logic was unsettling as he recalled the G'ould torturing him to death - literally - over and over again. Daniel had come to him then, when he needed someone the most (but would never admit to). He was closer than a friend could ever be, and Jack had never been able to express that. Nor would he ever want to.
"Oh, for Pete's sake." Jack says aloud.
Being the first words spoken in a long time, Jack notices all three pairs of eyes glued to him. Not wanting to explain his real frustration, he drops the cheaply crafted fishing pole and replies, "What I wouldn't give for a Big Mac right about now."
Sam smiles, Daniel nods in agreement, and Teal'c has yet to even taste a Big Mac, but at least he knew what Jack was talking about.
Out of the blue came an unfamiliar sound. Looking up they noticed the asteroids were back, and this time they were a bit larger. Striking the ground a mile away from them, the view reminds the team of the Fire Rain they had encountered on a past mission. Little fire balls falling from the sky.
Jack turns to Carter and calmly says, "De ja vu?"
"I think it's safe to assume that we haven't seen the worst of it yet sir." Carter replies.
"Well, I didn't see any mountains we could take shelter in." Jack says, again calmly, "Got any suggestions?"
"Yeah," Daniel says, trying to stay as calm as Jack, "let's pray those things don't hit the Stargate."
'Ah, damn it.' Jack thought. Daniel was right. And Jack knew all to well what will happen then.no chance what so ever of a rescue.
"Okay, unless someone has a better idea, I say we trace our steps back to the Stargate - if it hasn't been buried already. We'll just have to do our best to try to fix the DHD or the portable generator on our own."
The team has their flashlights and are more than prepared to make the trek back in the darkness when Sam spoke.
"Sir." Carter says questionably.
O'Neill turns to face her, but when he didn't receive a response to the 'sir,' he asks, "Are you coming or not?"
"Listen." Carter replies.
Noticing the sounds of the attack have ceased, Jack turns once more to Carter.
Looking at her watch, Carter starts to make her argument. "There was six hours in between the two events. And both times they've fallen near or around the gate."
"Your point?" O'Neill questions.
"It's just a theory, sir, but what if the gravity of the asteroid belt only strikes the planet around the same coordinates?"
"There's no way to know that after only two strikes." Daniel argues.
"Yes, but do you remember what the area surrounding the Gate looked like. How far we had to climb out before we saw the trees and grass?"
Recalling in his own mind, Jack imagined what the area would look like from space. Every angle around the gate was a hill at least twenty feet high. From the sky, it might look like a deep cavern where a spaceship had crash-landed.or an asteroid.
"If you're theory is correct," Daniel ponders, "Then how was the gate able to survive all the attacks."
"I don't know." Carter thought a second and replied a very thing theory, "Perhaps someone is repairing it."
"If there is someone that advanced around here, you'd think we'd have seen some proof of their existence." Jack jumps in on the rumble.
"Maybe not." Carter continues, "Remember the Nox?"
They all remembered the city in the sky and how they were able to hide themselves away from the world and their attackers. It was possible, but very unlikely, that a species similar to the Nox were here on this planet. Yet, even in the smallest chance of hope, lies a way home. They would only know if these theories were right when they arrive back at the Stargate.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Jack asks.
"Well, if I'm right, then we'd be walking right into another asteroid storm. We were lucky to get out the first time. I think it would be safer if we wait till first light."
"I agree." Daniel says.
"As do I." Teal'c says.
O'Neill would never think to argue against his whole team, even if he was more inclined to do something rather than wait till dawn. He hoped this didn't mean he had a death wish, but was rather eccentric.
"Fine. I'll take first watch. You three try to get some rest."
When morning came the group headed back to the Stargate. Daniel and Sam argued about when the next attack would come, but when they finally reached the Stargate they found something better to talk about. A visitor.
She was humanoid, but something was not right. She was alone, frightened, and doing something to the DHD. What was she doing here? Did she come through the Stargate? Before or after SG1 arrived? If she was trying to fix the DHD, then most likely she had come through the gate and found herself stranded just like SG1. Her clothes were torn and ragged - yet somehow slimming on her delicately curved body. Her dirt blonde hair was short and choppy, but not out of control.
"What do you think?" Jack asks his crew.
"She doesn't look like a threat, Jack. I think we should go introduce ourselves." Daniel replies without hesitation.
"Looks like she's trying to fix the DHD, sir." Carter adds.
Without waiting to hear the end of the discussion, Daniel gets to his feet and starts walking towards the visitor. He heard Jack's mumbling from behind, but knew the rest of the team would soon follow him.
"Hi." Daniel says.
"Ah." Obviously frightened to see him, she moves to the other side of the DHD, as if it would give her protection from the stranger. Her deep brown eyes and short dirty blonde hair were mesmerizing. The innocence in her face suggested that she was in her early 20s.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. My name's Daniel."
Noticing there were more of them, Daniel continues to introduce the whole group. "And this is Teal'c, Samantha Carter, and Jack O'Neill."
She seems to be staring directly at Teal'c and the symbol on his brow. Then she shifts her glare to Daniel and says, "You are not G'ould?"
"No, we're not G'ould." Daniel replies.
"And him?" She looked at Teal'c once more.
"No. He despises the G'ould, just as we do." "Pele." (pronounced Pah-lay) "My name is Pele."
Daniel smiles.
"So, you came through the Stargate?" Carter asks.
"Yes. But the Anaran was damaged. I was attempting to fix it."
"Anaran?" Jack turns to Daniel.
"It must be what her people call the DHD." He replies.
Jack, a little disappointed that there wasn't a full-blown explanation of where the word originated from or it's translation, he turns once more to Pele. "Any success?"
Not knowing how to explain it, the girl says, "Come, I will show you."
As the group gathers closer to the DHD, Pele shows them the progress she has made in repairing the dialing device. Reaching her hand inside the DHD/Anaran and making one last repair, it began to glow. It's working again.
"Go ahead." Pele says to Daniel and she steps out of the way.
Daniel looks at Jack for an okay, and then proceeds to dial home.
Once the seventh symbol was pushed, the group looks up to the Stargate and waits for the splash and the event horizon, but it never showed. Daniel looks down at the DHD and notices all the symbols are still glowing. It's stuck.
"There must not be enough power going to the Nishon." Pele says. Daniel, anticipating Jack's question, says, "The Stargate."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Jack replies.
"Stand back." Pele says.
Not knowing what she is going to do, SG1 takes a few steps back.
Pele places her hand on the centerpiece of the DHD and lifts her other hand towards the Stargate. Suddenly, what looks like static came from her hand and hits the Stargate like lightning. Instantly the gate opens and the event horizon is established and holding. She lowers her hand and turns to see the alarmed SG1 team. She turns once more to Daniel, as if knowing that she could trust him.
"You do not need to be afraid of me, Daniel. I will not hurt you." She says.
Daniel has the look of confusion, but steps towards her and replies, "What just happened?"
Again, not knowing how to explain it, she shows him. Placing her palms together and then separating them by only a few inches, the group observers small amounts of energy being transferred from one hand to the other.
"My kind has the ability to manipulate energy." Keeping her hands the same distance, the energy suddenly stops. "I cannot sustain energy very long without a porthole to base it on." She reaches over and touched Daniel's injured arm.
Daniel is startled by this motion, but quickly learns that he was not shocked by any kind of energy. His arm felt a slight burning sensation, but he knows it was just from his injury.
Looking at the Stargate, SG1 places there code through to the SGC and are preparing to go through. Daniel turns to Pele.
"What will happen to you?" he asks.
"Anything can happen, Daniel." Pele replies.
"No, what I mean is, where will you go from here?"
"Anywhere I can call home." She replies softly.
"You don't have a home?"
"My world was destroyed when I was very young. I once traveled with a large group of survivors, but over time I began to lose them, one by one." Her voice softens even more and Daniel knows she was talking about death.
"I'm afraid I have made many enemies on many worlds." She continues, "But in my mind I still believe that more of my people survived and have found a world safe from our enemies. I just haven't found them yet."
Daniel turns to see Sam and Teal'c go through the event horizon. Jack waits behind for Daniel.
He turns again to Pele, "Come with us."
Pele is surprised by this suggestion, but considered it. "I don't know, Daniel. What if your kind fears me just like my enemies?"
"They won't." Daniel honestly believes that.
He reaches out his hand to her, and she accepts it.
Jack gave Daniel a quizzical glance, but says nothing to stop him. He too was curious to learn more about this humanoid.
Suddenly, another attack came and struck the ground all around them. Jack had dived out of the way just as a small asteroid struck the ground beside the Stargate. Daniel and Pele quickly joined his side and helped him back to his feet. Looking up they noticed hundreds more of the asteroids (about the size of golf balls) were heading in their direction.
Acting quickly, Pele places Daniel's hand on Jack's shoulder. Lifting her free hand towards the sky she made a small energy barrier between them and the incoming fireballs. Jack and Daniel look up in amazement. It was just like a force field, and just as strong.
Another asteroid hit near the Stargate and this time the connection was lost.
Back at the SGC, Sam and Teal'c now stood beside General Hammond. The wormhole destabilized and was lost. Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, they decide to wait. A few minutes pass before an incoming wormhole is established. The iris closes. On the computer screen came the awaited code of SG1 and the iris opens. Running down to the departure room, the rest of SG1 stands by to welcome their lost members. Jack came through first, followed by Daniel and a bright light. It only took Pele a few seconds to return to her human form. Daniel and Jack were the only ones not disturbed by this transformation. Sam couldn't help but theorize in her head about Pele. She definitely wasn't human. Perhaps she was an Ancient. Possibly an alien they had never encountered before.
Jack quickly noticed that the men around him were still aiming their weapons directly on Pele. "Stand down. She's with us."
General Hammond came in the room just then. "Colonel?"
"General?" Jack replied.
"I don't believe you've introduced our new guest."
Daniel stepped in, since it was his idea to bring her here. "This is Pele." He continued, "She needs a place to crash for a while."
"Dr. Jackson, I don't need to remind you about regulations - "
"Sir!" Jack cut him off, "She saved our asses, sir. I like to think we owe her one."
General Hammond found himself reluctant to argue. "Very well. Report to the infirmary. We'll debrief at fifteen hundred hours. And Colonel." he ordered, "Bring your friend."
"Yes, sir." Jack says with a smile.
Sam is pleased to see the smile that has been hidden for so long. "What happened?" she asks.
"I think you're theory about the asteroids was right on." Daniel says earnestly.
Jack turns to Pele, "Welcome to earth, Pele. I think you're gonna like it here."
Sam and Teal'c lead the way to the infirmary. Walking behind is Jack, Daniel and Pele in the center. She reaches out her right hand and takes Daniel's hand. With her left, she takes a hold of Jack's hand. Suddenly, memories once hidden in their minds are awoken.
Jack was being tortured and Daniel was there with him. The images are disturbing, but comforting at the same time. They didn't acknowledge these memories aloud, but Jack and Daniel looked at each other and found peace.
"Does all of Earth look like this?" Pele asks.
"Oh, god no." Jack says. "Most of Earth is actually quite beautiful."
"Although, many of our cities have large buildings, lots of traffic and hundreds of people crammed into small areas."
"Sounds exciting. I can't wait to see it." Pele says.
After walking for hours and not finding a trace of civilization, dead or alive, the team starts to set up camp. While O'Neill and Teal'c gather wood to start a fire, Carter notices Daniel struggling to get the pack off his back. When he tries to pick it up with his right hand it brought pain and he drops the pack on the ground.
Rushing to his side before he could pick it up again, she says, "Hold on, let me see your hand." After a close examination of Daniel's right hand she discovers heavy bruising around the wrist and part of his arm. "Make a fist."
"Huh?" Daniel says as if he hadn't heard a word she said.
"Make a fist."
Curling his fingers towards him palm, Daniel is unable to make a solid fist.
"Flex it up and down."
This time Daniel heard her loud and clear and he begins to slowly move his wrist down to the ground without moving his arm. A short gasp of air is forced out as Daniel exceeds his limits on pain. He can't move his wrist more than a few centimeters in either direction.
"Well, I don't think it's broken, but we should still set a splint just to be safe."
As O'Neill and Teal'c rejoin them at the designated campsite, he is a little disappointed that the tents haven't been set up yet. The first thought that enters his mind is the last time he saw Daniel pitching a tent on PX9448. It was like watching a plane crash and knowing there was nothing you could do to help the plane not hit the ground. Rolling his eyes he drops the large pile of wood onto the ground and hollers, "Hey, Daniel. I thought I told you I wanted these tents up."
Before he could finish his griping speech, he sees Sam kneeling next to a tree with a look of concern as she worked away. She took only a second to look in the Colonel's direction before she continued whatever she was doing.
"Carter?" he asks quizzically.
When she doesn't respond immediately, O'Neill walks her way. Next to the tree sat Daniel. One hand was holding his glasses and shielding his eyes, while the other was in Carter's hands, being bound.
"Did I miss something?" O'Neill says almost sarcastic.
"No sir," Carter finally responds, "Daniel didn't realize he was injured from the asteroid's until he tried to pick up his pack."
O'Neill watches as she carefully ties a small, thick piece of wood under Daniel's wrist and wraps it with medical gauze. He only saw the top of Daniel's hand before it was wrapped, and it looked swollen and beat red.
"Is it broken?" He asks, this time with deep sincerity.
"I don't think so." Carter replies softly. She ties off the last part of gauze and lets go of Daniel's hand.
Daniel removes his hand from his eyes and looks down at his injured wrist. He is quite impressed with Carter's bandaging. When he tries to stand up he finds he has trouble. O'Neill extends his hand to Daniel's good arm and helps him off the ground.
"You all right?" he asks again in sincerity.
Daniel is almost surprised by his concern, but responds, "I'll live."
O'Neill pats him on the back and follows Carter. He knew he wouldn't be much help setting up the tents, so he went to the firewood collected and one by one began to place them like a teepee. He crumples a piece of paper with his good hand and places it underneath the piled wood. Knowing he can't rub two sticks together, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a much quicker solution. His lighter.
Not much was said between the team members until the work was done and camp was set up and precautions were made. An elementary security system was set up around the campsite to alert them of trespassers, should there be any.
Gathered around the campfire Daniel created, the group remains silent. To newcomers, they might have found the silence a little unnerving, but to SG1, it was peaceful. No G'oulds chasing them, no ensuing danger, no stopping the destruction of Earth, for the time being no asteroids falling from the sky, and unfortunately for Jack, no lake on which to fish on either. They listen to the soft sounds of the forest and the crackling of the fire before them. There is no wind. It isn't too cold. It isn't uncomfortably warm either. The only purpose of the fire was natural light. Not sure how long they would be stranded here, they would only use their flashlights if absolutely necessary. Teal'c raises his palms to the skies and sets his hands facing upward onto his knees. When he closes his eyes, the group realizes he is performing Kel Nor'eme. They can still talk amongst themselves and it would not bother him, but still there was nothing said. In their minds came recollections of the past few weeks. Longer for Daniel. Ever since he returned from the other side (the only thing he knew to call it), he longed to remember those forgotten memories. Pretending to be reading from his journal, Daniel thought about it harder, but that only made him wish he possessed one of those Tok'ra recalling devices. The looks he receives from Jack are different than they were a year ago. He can't explain it, and can't understand it. Something must have happened between the two when he was on the other side. Jack refuses to talk about it, and that reluctance forced Daniel to search through Jack's mission logs. Every mission Jack had been on since Daniel died and ascending, to the time he returned with his memory wiped wandering the Lost Planet. He read them all and found no mention of Daniel visiting him. The one mission that stuck in his mind even now was when the G'ould had him prisoner. Instead of simple torture, they would kill Jack and bring him back to life in a Sarcophagus. If ever Daniel had come to see him, he had hoped it would have been on that mission. Seeing as Jack is reluctant to talk about it, he will never know.
Sitting across the fire is Jack. He has constructed a crude fishing pole made out of a string tied to the end of a stick. On the end of the string he tied a piece of a granola bar he'd been snacking on. Swinging the granola piece slowly back and forth, Jack tests his new fishing pole. He notices Daniel was smiling at him, but chose to ignore him. It is almost too painful to look at him. 'He was dead, for crying out loud' Jack thinks to himself. Jack couldn't have predicted what happened next. He started an argument with himself. 'I can't even count how many times I've died and came back.' This logic was unsettling as he recalled the G'ould torturing him to death - literally - over and over again. Daniel had come to him then, when he needed someone the most (but would never admit to). He was closer than a friend could ever be, and Jack had never been able to express that. Nor would he ever want to.
"Oh, for Pete's sake." Jack says aloud.
Being the first words spoken in a long time, Jack notices all three pairs of eyes glued to him. Not wanting to explain his real frustration, he drops the cheaply crafted fishing pole and replies, "What I wouldn't give for a Big Mac right about now."
Sam smiles, Daniel nods in agreement, and Teal'c has yet to even taste a Big Mac, but at least he knew what Jack was talking about.
Out of the blue came an unfamiliar sound. Looking up they noticed the asteroids were back, and this time they were a bit larger. Striking the ground a mile away from them, the view reminds the team of the Fire Rain they had encountered on a past mission. Little fire balls falling from the sky.
Jack turns to Carter and calmly says, "De ja vu?"
"I think it's safe to assume that we haven't seen the worst of it yet sir." Carter replies.
"Well, I didn't see any mountains we could take shelter in." Jack says, again calmly, "Got any suggestions?"
"Yeah," Daniel says, trying to stay as calm as Jack, "let's pray those things don't hit the Stargate."
'Ah, damn it.' Jack thought. Daniel was right. And Jack knew all to well what will happen then.no chance what so ever of a rescue.
"Okay, unless someone has a better idea, I say we trace our steps back to the Stargate - if it hasn't been buried already. We'll just have to do our best to try to fix the DHD or the portable generator on our own."
The team has their flashlights and are more than prepared to make the trek back in the darkness when Sam spoke.
"Sir." Carter says questionably.
O'Neill turns to face her, but when he didn't receive a response to the 'sir,' he asks, "Are you coming or not?"
"Listen." Carter replies.
Noticing the sounds of the attack have ceased, Jack turns once more to Carter.
Looking at her watch, Carter starts to make her argument. "There was six hours in between the two events. And both times they've fallen near or around the gate."
"Your point?" O'Neill questions.
"It's just a theory, sir, but what if the gravity of the asteroid belt only strikes the planet around the same coordinates?"
"There's no way to know that after only two strikes." Daniel argues.
"Yes, but do you remember what the area surrounding the Gate looked like. How far we had to climb out before we saw the trees and grass?"
Recalling in his own mind, Jack imagined what the area would look like from space. Every angle around the gate was a hill at least twenty feet high. From the sky, it might look like a deep cavern where a spaceship had crash-landed.or an asteroid.
"If you're theory is correct," Daniel ponders, "Then how was the gate able to survive all the attacks."
"I don't know." Carter thought a second and replied a very thing theory, "Perhaps someone is repairing it."
"If there is someone that advanced around here, you'd think we'd have seen some proof of their existence." Jack jumps in on the rumble.
"Maybe not." Carter continues, "Remember the Nox?"
They all remembered the city in the sky and how they were able to hide themselves away from the world and their attackers. It was possible, but very unlikely, that a species similar to the Nox were here on this planet. Yet, even in the smallest chance of hope, lies a way home. They would only know if these theories were right when they arrive back at the Stargate.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Jack asks.
"Well, if I'm right, then we'd be walking right into another asteroid storm. We were lucky to get out the first time. I think it would be safer if we wait till first light."
"I agree." Daniel says.
"As do I." Teal'c says.
O'Neill would never think to argue against his whole team, even if he was more inclined to do something rather than wait till dawn. He hoped this didn't mean he had a death wish, but was rather eccentric.
"Fine. I'll take first watch. You three try to get some rest."
When morning came the group headed back to the Stargate. Daniel and Sam argued about when the next attack would come, but when they finally reached the Stargate they found something better to talk about. A visitor.
She was humanoid, but something was not right. She was alone, frightened, and doing something to the DHD. What was she doing here? Did she come through the Stargate? Before or after SG1 arrived? If she was trying to fix the DHD, then most likely she had come through the gate and found herself stranded just like SG1. Her clothes were torn and ragged - yet somehow slimming on her delicately curved body. Her dirt blonde hair was short and choppy, but not out of control.
"What do you think?" Jack asks his crew.
"She doesn't look like a threat, Jack. I think we should go introduce ourselves." Daniel replies without hesitation.
"Looks like she's trying to fix the DHD, sir." Carter adds.
Without waiting to hear the end of the discussion, Daniel gets to his feet and starts walking towards the visitor. He heard Jack's mumbling from behind, but knew the rest of the team would soon follow him.
"Hi." Daniel says.
"Ah." Obviously frightened to see him, she moves to the other side of the DHD, as if it would give her protection from the stranger. Her deep brown eyes and short dirty blonde hair were mesmerizing. The innocence in her face suggested that she was in her early 20s.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. My name's Daniel."
Noticing there were more of them, Daniel continues to introduce the whole group. "And this is Teal'c, Samantha Carter, and Jack O'Neill."
She seems to be staring directly at Teal'c and the symbol on his brow. Then she shifts her glare to Daniel and says, "You are not G'ould?"
"No, we're not G'ould." Daniel replies.
"And him?" She looked at Teal'c once more.
"No. He despises the G'ould, just as we do." "Pele." (pronounced Pah-lay) "My name is Pele."
Daniel smiles.
"So, you came through the Stargate?" Carter asks.
"Yes. But the Anaran was damaged. I was attempting to fix it."
"Anaran?" Jack turns to Daniel.
"It must be what her people call the DHD." He replies.
Jack, a little disappointed that there wasn't a full-blown explanation of where the word originated from or it's translation, he turns once more to Pele. "Any success?"
Not knowing how to explain it, the girl says, "Come, I will show you."
As the group gathers closer to the DHD, Pele shows them the progress she has made in repairing the dialing device. Reaching her hand inside the DHD/Anaran and making one last repair, it began to glow. It's working again.
"Go ahead." Pele says to Daniel and she steps out of the way.
Daniel looks at Jack for an okay, and then proceeds to dial home.
Once the seventh symbol was pushed, the group looks up to the Stargate and waits for the splash and the event horizon, but it never showed. Daniel looks down at the DHD and notices all the symbols are still glowing. It's stuck.
"There must not be enough power going to the Nishon." Pele says. Daniel, anticipating Jack's question, says, "The Stargate."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Jack replies.
"Stand back." Pele says.
Not knowing what she is going to do, SG1 takes a few steps back.
Pele places her hand on the centerpiece of the DHD and lifts her other hand towards the Stargate. Suddenly, what looks like static came from her hand and hits the Stargate like lightning. Instantly the gate opens and the event horizon is established and holding. She lowers her hand and turns to see the alarmed SG1 team. She turns once more to Daniel, as if knowing that she could trust him.
"You do not need to be afraid of me, Daniel. I will not hurt you." She says.
Daniel has the look of confusion, but steps towards her and replies, "What just happened?"
Again, not knowing how to explain it, she shows him. Placing her palms together and then separating them by only a few inches, the group observers small amounts of energy being transferred from one hand to the other.
"My kind has the ability to manipulate energy." Keeping her hands the same distance, the energy suddenly stops. "I cannot sustain energy very long without a porthole to base it on." She reaches over and touched Daniel's injured arm.
Daniel is startled by this motion, but quickly learns that he was not shocked by any kind of energy. His arm felt a slight burning sensation, but he knows it was just from his injury.
Looking at the Stargate, SG1 places there code through to the SGC and are preparing to go through. Daniel turns to Pele.
"What will happen to you?" he asks.
"Anything can happen, Daniel." Pele replies.
"No, what I mean is, where will you go from here?"
"Anywhere I can call home." She replies softly.
"You don't have a home?"
"My world was destroyed when I was very young. I once traveled with a large group of survivors, but over time I began to lose them, one by one." Her voice softens even more and Daniel knows she was talking about death.
"I'm afraid I have made many enemies on many worlds." She continues, "But in my mind I still believe that more of my people survived and have found a world safe from our enemies. I just haven't found them yet."
Daniel turns to see Sam and Teal'c go through the event horizon. Jack waits behind for Daniel.
He turns again to Pele, "Come with us."
Pele is surprised by this suggestion, but considered it. "I don't know, Daniel. What if your kind fears me just like my enemies?"
"They won't." Daniel honestly believes that.
He reaches out his hand to her, and she accepts it.
Jack gave Daniel a quizzical glance, but says nothing to stop him. He too was curious to learn more about this humanoid.
Suddenly, another attack came and struck the ground all around them. Jack had dived out of the way just as a small asteroid struck the ground beside the Stargate. Daniel and Pele quickly joined his side and helped him back to his feet. Looking up they noticed hundreds more of the asteroids (about the size of golf balls) were heading in their direction.
Acting quickly, Pele places Daniel's hand on Jack's shoulder. Lifting her free hand towards the sky she made a small energy barrier between them and the incoming fireballs. Jack and Daniel look up in amazement. It was just like a force field, and just as strong.
Another asteroid hit near the Stargate and this time the connection was lost.
Back at the SGC, Sam and Teal'c now stood beside General Hammond. The wormhole destabilized and was lost. Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, they decide to wait. A few minutes pass before an incoming wormhole is established. The iris closes. On the computer screen came the awaited code of SG1 and the iris opens. Running down to the departure room, the rest of SG1 stands by to welcome their lost members. Jack came through first, followed by Daniel and a bright light. It only took Pele a few seconds to return to her human form. Daniel and Jack were the only ones not disturbed by this transformation. Sam couldn't help but theorize in her head about Pele. She definitely wasn't human. Perhaps she was an Ancient. Possibly an alien they had never encountered before.
Jack quickly noticed that the men around him were still aiming their weapons directly on Pele. "Stand down. She's with us."
General Hammond came in the room just then. "Colonel?"
"General?" Jack replied.
"I don't believe you've introduced our new guest."
Daniel stepped in, since it was his idea to bring her here. "This is Pele." He continued, "She needs a place to crash for a while."
"Dr. Jackson, I don't need to remind you about regulations - "
"Sir!" Jack cut him off, "She saved our asses, sir. I like to think we owe her one."
General Hammond found himself reluctant to argue. "Very well. Report to the infirmary. We'll debrief at fifteen hundred hours. And Colonel." he ordered, "Bring your friend."
"Yes, sir." Jack says with a smile.
Sam is pleased to see the smile that has been hidden for so long. "What happened?" she asks.
"I think you're theory about the asteroids was right on." Daniel says earnestly.
Jack turns to Pele, "Welcome to earth, Pele. I think you're gonna like it here."
Sam and Teal'c lead the way to the infirmary. Walking behind is Jack, Daniel and Pele in the center. She reaches out her right hand and takes Daniel's hand. With her left, she takes a hold of Jack's hand. Suddenly, memories once hidden in their minds are awoken.
Jack was being tortured and Daniel was there with him. The images are disturbing, but comforting at the same time. They didn't acknowledge these memories aloud, but Jack and Daniel looked at each other and found peace.
"Does all of Earth look like this?" Pele asks.
"Oh, god no." Jack says. "Most of Earth is actually quite beautiful."
"Although, many of our cities have large buildings, lots of traffic and hundreds of people crammed into small areas."
"Sounds exciting. I can't wait to see it." Pele says.