The Decline of Rome
by Livi2jack
Summary: What if Rome never fell on another world? Jack stumbles into an alien research project and finds himself living the fall of the second Roman Empire.
Rating: Mature for some sexual references, some allusions to non-con sex, and real violence.
Category: Action/Adventure, Drama, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Season: SG-1 Season Five after Between Two Fires.
Featured Character(s): Jack ONeill, Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Cameron Mitchell, George Hammond
Pairing(s): Jack/Other
Sequel to: Research
Author Notes: Jack meets up with an old friend from another story: "Research" but you didn't have to read it.
Feedback is requested.
DISCLAIMER: "Stargate SG-1," "Stargate Atlantis," and its characters are the property of Sony Pictures MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.
DAY ONE
Did this ever get outta hand!
Jack looked around at the locals with their weapons trained at him. Oh boy! Here we go again. Obviously, they were trained at this sort of thing. And they had plenty of troops. Jack glanced around at the ridge and the tree line. Yep. Plenty. The M.A.L.P. didn't show any of this just a few minutes ago. Where in the heck did these folks come from?
"Surrender or die!" The man behind the really big rock commanded.
"What's the third choice?" Jack called back from the base of the Stargate. Teal'c barely flinched at that remark, but Daniel rolled his eyes. Carter grimaced. He couldn't see her do it. But he knew she did. She was behind him covering his six.
"You heard me. Surrender or die. Last chance." The man had the voice of command. And these folks were trained. Jack estimated there were at least thirty close by. There were hundreds on the ridge. He could see more approaching the Stargate arena. Yes, it was in some sort of big round ditch. The ridges up above filled with more of them.
"Hey, we're sorry. We'll just dial out and go." Daniel tried reason. "You don't have to do this. We'll go back where we came from."
"Barbarians, you are under arrest. You have trespassed at the Temple of the Sacred Ring and fired upon legal authorities." The commander paused. "Your time is up. Centurion, you may fire when ready."
By the looks of things they knew something about setting the rate of fire. The first group was kneeling with the rifles trained. The second row stood ready to fire over the heads of the first, and the third and fourth groups were ready to take the places of the first two in short order. Looked like they had folks doing the re-loads behind them. Yes, they had real military training. At 5 seconds a round and at least 400 rifles he could see, they could probably get off nearly 4800 rounds the first minute, at a minimum maybe 3200 rounds a minute afterwards. His P90 had only 50 rounds in the magazine with a firing rate of 900 rounds a minute. Even with Carter's weapon, it was still not a fair fight. The few grenades they had wouldn't make a dent. He was a dead man if things didn't stay calm.
"Okay. We surrender." Jack called out. "Don't shoot." Jack eyed the flintlocks and early rifles these men sported. It was hard to tell how many shots each could fire. Assuming 8-12 rounds a minute, even if those things weren't so accurate, the shear numbers of them made casualties a certainty.
"Throw your weapons forward. Kneel and place your hands behind your heads."
The team looked to Jack for direction. He put the safety on the P-90 and unharnessed the weapon from his vest. Each team member did it too. Jack only hoped that SG-3 had made it into the forest before these yahoos showed up. He didn't dare look around tipping the commander off. That fellow was pretty sharp.
"Knives, too. The whole armor contraptions you have on as well. Yeah, that's right, the gear with the pockets."
Damn, that man was sharp. Jack sent his boot knife skittering across the inlaid rock plaza. Reluctantly they all undid their flak vests and tossed those away too. Teal'c set down his staff weapon carefully. And then he unhooked his wrist-mounted zat.
"Secure the prisoners, Centurion pilus prior."
"At once, Primus Pilus." The subordinate Centurion shouted orders at the non-coms who came running with manacles. SG-1 found themselves shackled at the ankles and with their hands shackled then tethered to the shackles at the ankles. This arrangement permitted them to walk but not very fast or very well. The captors brought up a wagon and helped the team on to the buckboard.
"Springs, they got springs?" Jack was in a foul mood as the horses started off pulling the wagon lurching and bouncing behind. Jack fell over hitting his shoulder on the bolt sticking straight out into the cargo area. It tore his sleeve and sent a rivulet of blood down his arm from the scrape. "Aw crap. It was a new shirt, too."
"And you get to have another tetanus shot when we get back." Sam sneered knowing how much Jack hated needles. He frowned. The dust from the road was swirling all around as all those horses kicked up the dirt as they passed. Daniel sneezed violently several times. No one spoke to them. The troop rode along in silence. This commander had instilled some discipline in these soldiers. And to his credit, no one abused the team once they had been secured.
After several hours of plodding along the track, it could hardly be called a road at that point, the commander called a halt for a rest. A grove of shade trees was a blessing since the sun was well into a hot dry afternoon. Thankfully, each team member had a chance to stretch and relieve himself. One of the troopers came with water. He handed it to Carter first. Well, that was a good sign. The bad sign was the look of distaste he gave her. She thanked him and he didn't reply.
After two hours of rest, they set off again. One sun was slowly setting as the road trip from hell neared its end. Signs of civilization appeared. At first, there was a farmhouse. Not too far away there were some clusters of houses and barns. Pretty soon, the group entered a town right out of a frontier western circa 1840. The town had boardwalks for streets above the grime of the main thoroughfare. It was easy to forget how ripe the horse smells could be in mid-summer with no sanitation. The humans didn't smell too good either. Jack looked over at Daniel taking it all in with enthusiasm. Didn't this ever get old buddy?
In front of what had to be the jail, the wagon stopped. The Primus dismounted to enter and talk to the local authorities. The subordinate Centurion rousted the Team.
"Line up for the Prefect." The subordinate Centurion had the guards push them into a line. Pretty soon, the Prefect came out with the Primus Pilus Centurion. Both looked pretty grim. The Prefect spoke concisely.
"You have committed an Imperial crime against lawful security agents of this Imperial prefecture. You will be incarcerated until we can dispose of you through channels. Any attempt at escape will ensure your death. Cooperate, and you may have a better chance at the weekly hearing in two days. Throw them in the clink."
Rough hands seized them and hurried them inside. The cells were large enough for two persons. But Carter got her own cell across from the men. Jack shared his with a fellow obviously sleeping off a drinking binge. He smelled worse than the rest of the men. This day really sucked, so why not have a stinking drunk for a cellmate, too?
Jack looked over at Daniel and regarded him for several seconds. "Daniel?"
"Yes, Jack."
"What, no attempt to talk them outta this?"
"Like what?"
"Oh, like we didn't do anything. We aren't guilty. We didn't mean to trespass. You know your usual stuff."
"I tried."
"No you didn't."
"Did."
"Just that one, 'we'll leave,' business?"
"You could have tried."
"That's your department."
"Sir, I should have said something." Carter jumped in. This was going nowhere.
"So, what do we need and what do we have?" Jack tested the bars to the cell. They were sturdy.
"We need a way out. Explosives, crowbars, something heavy." Carter listed the first things that came to mind.
"A lawyer?" Daniel opined. Everyone looked at him with amazement.
"What?"
"If they have law enforcement, maybe they have lawyers." He glanced at their looks of doubt.
"True, the Prefect did say something about a 'hearing,' sir. Maybe we can get a lawyer. I'll ask when the Prefect comes back." Carter dipped into her water jug. It had been a dusty ride over. Thankfully the cells were cool.
Jack sighed and plopped onto the cot. It was thin and stuffed with a minimal amount of straw. He stared at the ceiling. "Fine, figure out how to do that, and while you're at it, figure out how to explain we didn't mean to do it."
"Sir, we did zat a few of their soldiers. I don't think they are too happy about it."
"They'll get over it once DANIEL tells them all we have to offer. Isn't that right, Danny boy?"
"Right, Jack. Sure." Daniel shook his head. "This situation has nothing to do with what we have to offer. I read the signs outside. I just read the notices on the wall, Jack."
"And, so, therefore, what?"
"Well, it may look like a western town with the sheriff and the cavalry, but Jack, the signs were in Latin." Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose.
"I read them too. I can read Latin now since that time loop thing. So what?" Seeing Jack's utter lack of comprehension, Daniel turned to Sam.
"Sir, I see where this is going. And Daniel's right."
"See where what is going?"
"Jack, didn't you notice the titles used, the architecture, the style of dress, the folks in the street?"
"Oh for crying out loud, of course I did, but just pretend I didn't."
"Latin, Jack. The one in command ordered his 'Centurion Pilus Prior' to do things. That's like a captain. The Centurion called the commander, Centurion Primus Pilus. That's like saying 'major' to Sam. They delivered us to the Prefect. That's like a 'Lt. Colonel.' He could also act for the governor called a Rector Provinciae. These folks are descended from Romans."
"Ok, but Romans had laws. We can tell the judge we were just exploring," Sam offered.
"Maybe not. They dealt harshly with criminals. It usually involved a lot of torture and bloodshed."
"Oy, this day just keeps getting better and better." Jack closed his eyes to try to think this one out.
"Are they still down there?" Major Griff held his hand out for the binoculars.
"Yes, they're still checking out the stream bed for our tracks." The Lieutenant put his hat back on to shade his eyes. It was a scorcher of a day.
"I'll give them an A+ for persistence. Okay, we keep to the rocks as much as possible. Then we head down the ridge down to the plain at that big rock over there. Keep to the trees as much as possible. And try not to turn an ankle." Major Griff watched the men put on their packs after a brief rest.
"I can just see the wagons if I strain." The Lieutenant checked his harness. "Momma said there'd be days like this."
"Your momma knew you'd be traipsing around alien planets through a Stargate with the bad guys on your ass trying to rescue another team?" Sgt. Lewis chuckled. Everyone did.
"SG-1 this is Hammond, over." The radio crackled with static.
"Base this is SG-3 niner." He raised the antenna on his radio. "We have a situation. SG-1 has been taken prisoner and we have hostiles in pursuit. Over."
"Copy that, SG-3. Do you need reinforcements? Over."
"Negative, sir. The locals have surrounded the Stargate with a battalion of heavily armed riflemen and cavalry. Over."
"Copy that. Any signs of Goa'uld? Over."
"Negative, sir. From the looks of things, these troops are well organized and disciplined. I would guess their development is about the mid-19th century. The Goa'uld would never allow this. Sir, we won't be getting back for a while. And we don't know how far we have to go to get SG-1. Over."
"Copy that. Would an armored personnel carrier and some tear gas be enough to extract both teams? Over?"
"Only if you want hundreds of dead natives sir. They've rolled up some cannon too, sir. Plus we have to break SG-1 out of some kind of lock up. They were taken off in chains. Over."
"Copy that. We'll send a UAV out tomorrow to try to make contact. Any possibility that they would allow a diplomatic effort?"
"Negative, sir. They'd shoot at anything that came through, though the UAV might surprise them. Gotta go, sir, they're on our tail. SG-3 out." Major Griff checked the pursuers again.
"Move out!"
DAY TWO
The next day Daniel asked to see the Prefect. After a short audience, Daniel returned with a gloomy expression. Jack sat up watching the guards carefully for an opening. Nope, these fellows knew their jobs. They weren't the least bit slack. Even if he got an opening, there were too many.
"What's up?"
"He says we could have a lawyer if we could afford one. Since all our stuff is confiscated, we don't have anything." Daniel put his feet up on the rail of the bunk. "And, he doesn't believe we came through the Stargate, or Sacred Ring, as they term it. Apparently, these folks don't know about Gate travel. So I'm guessing no Goa'uld are around here either. They think Jove brought them here in his chariot. That's Latin for Zeus."
"I thought Jupiter was the Latin for Zeus." Sam huffed, not to be out done in knowledge.
"Actually, Jupiter is the conjunction of Jovis Pater or Father Jove." Daniel was on a roll with the history lesson.
"That's interesting, I'm sure, Daniel, but how does that help us?" Jack shrugged his usual irritated 'let's get back on track' look.
"I don't know. All I'm saying is they are definitely a product of ancient Rome. They think the Stargate is the gate to Hades, or the afterlife. And from the looks of things, they have progressed to maybe the equivalent of 1845 frontier society. Judging by the town's size, we are probably not near the center of government. They may have bigger towns closer to their center. This may simply be one of the provinces." Daniel took off his glasses to clean them on his shirt.
"But Daniel," Sam began, "if the Stargate is here, wouldn't the society have begun here and so the capital should be nearby?"
"Not necessarily, Major Carter." Teal'c had been listening quietly. "If they have no knowledge of Gate travel, then I believe they were brought here by ship."
"That would make sense, sir." Sam was pacing in her cell. "This address was not on the Abydos Cartouche. And it was not on the list you input from the Ancient's database downloaded into your head that time."
"Oy, don't remind me." Jack sighed heavily. "So if it wasn't on either one, how come we dialed it?"
"We've been experimenting with random sequences of seven symbols. The Goa'uld didn't know about the Ancient's addresses. And, General Hammond realized he had stopped you before you could finish your input. So we figured that there were probably many unlisted combinations to try. With the computer, we just use the random dialing program developed by Area 51 a few months ago. This was the first hit."
"So no one knows about this one?" Jack was amazed.
"As far as we know, that's correct sir."
"Where is it, in relationship to Earth, Sam?" Daniel had that look, thought Jack. He's on to something now.
"We believe it is about 38,000 light years from Earth. But the galaxy is 80,000-100,000 light years across and three thousand light years thick. This planet is nearly fifteen hundred light years deep on the other side of the galactic plane. It's also on the edge of the Scutum-Crux spiral arm. As you know we are on the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way. Sir, the galaxy is a spiral with arms extending out from the core which is a black hole. Actually, there are at least 10,000 black holes near the center as far as we can count right now."
"Carter, just get to the point, will ya?"
"It's very far away from Earth, sir and from any Goa'uld dominated space."
"THANK you, Carter, so, no Goa'uld. That's the first good news we've had. And Daniel will do fine as our lawyer. I have confidence in you, pal."
"Me, too," chimed in Sam.
"As have I, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c looked sanguine as usual.
"Thanks, guys."
"Centurion, report."
"Primus Pilus, we picked up tracks of four more barbarians. They must have been in the woods before we arrived. We think they are headed in the same direction as the ones we caught."
"Think they are going to try to rescue them?"
"Could be. I sent for trackers to meet us here. We'll find them."
"See that you do." The Centurion rose to meet with the High Priest of the Temple. This matter had to be contained.
DAY THREE
Morning rolled around after another sleepless night for Jack. The grey dawn light penetrated the high window of his cell. Jack could see a sky with no clouds deepening into the dark blue of a summer day. He could hear the stirrings of life outside on the street. The clip clop sounds of horses' hooves along with the clink of metal riggings on wagons were all too familiar. As the sun rose, so did the stinks of the street. Sometime during the night, the road crew came by to clean up all the horse dung out of the street. So there was some sanitation, Jack guessed. He rolled over considering how they would get out of this mess. They were already past due at the SGC. Another few hours and their G.D.O. signal would be locked out. Then, they would have to re-route to the Alpha-site in order to get home.
The door to the cellblock banged open. Breakfast had arrived, such as it was. Prison food had a certain similarity all over the universe. It was glop. Who cared what was in it? It was calories. And keeping up one's strength was the first rule of survival. At least this stuff didn't stink. And it didn't have much flavor either. So the group choked it down with some water that at least was clear. Most planets at this level of development had nasty drinking water, and nastier germs in the water. Diarrhea medicine was out of reach this time too. But this stuff seemed clear and for once was cold. Jack quaffed as much as he could hold. The next feeding might be a long way off. And the day promised to be hot and dry again.
"Ahhh. That was refreshing." Jack joked as he tossed the bowl out of the bars into the scrap bucket.
"Yeah, pretty good, considering, sir."
"Well, the Romans did pioneer aqueducts. They probably bring this in from a spring." Daniel sipped some more. "You know Perrier comes from a region with the world's oldest Roman aqueduct still in use?"
"TMI, too much information, Daniel." Jack wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Just get us off today, and I'll buy you a nice cold beer. Heck, I'll spring for dinner at O'Malley's, nice big thick juicy steaks with all the trimmings."
"Sounds good, sir." Sam turned her back to the guys so she could wash up. They discreetly turned away to give her some privacy. But the drunk in Jack's cell finally woke up and ogled her.
"Hey, eyes to the wall pal." Jack growled. "Give the lady her space."
"Screw you." The man shifted his position to get a better glance. "Hey girly, I'll give you a sponge bath you'll never forget."
Jack stepped into the man's line of sight. His cellmate got angry, and rose to push Jack aside. Wrong move. In an instant, Jack had the man's arm pinned backwards at a painful angle and his face against the wall.
"I said, give the lady her privacy, capiche?" Mumbled agreement followed.
"I'm done, sir."
Jack released the oaf who promptly took a swing at Jack's stomach. A karate chop landed the man unconscious back in his bunk to sleep off the rest of the morning. Jack shook his hand until the pain subsided.
"Very gallant, sir."
"No problem, Carter." Jack mouthed an 'ow' then shook his hand some more.
A few minutes later, the guards came in with the manacles. Tossing each person a set, they instructed the Team to lock each other up. Once that was accomplished, the guards opened the doors one at a time to roust the occupants out to the waiting buckboards. In a separate cart, Jack saw their gear. Appraisingly, he sought an advantage to get it but found none. Teal'c saw his interest and shook his head. He saw no way either.
"I guess we are off to see the Wizard." Jack sneered and got backhanded for his insolence by a trooper.
"Why do you do that, sir?"
"What?"
"Antagonize them. They are just doing their jobs."
"It's what I do, Carter."
"Look Jack, for once, just don't do it. Okay?" Daniel shifted and sneezed again from the dust kicked up all around them. "They've been pretty civilized about this. So, let's just keep it that way."
"I concur, O'Neill."
"Me too, um, sir."
"Fine."
The ride took another couple of hours. The buckboard bouncing made Sam sick to her stomach. Retching over the side elicited the usual 'eewwws' and 'ughs' such action demands. Fortunately, one of the non-coms noticed and stopped the wagon to let her take a walk and settle down. They weren't heartless apparently. Jack noticed the discipline among even the lowest ranking members of the escort. He nodded in approval.
Off in the distance Daniel saw a sizable town along a wide river. It had tall buildings by these standards, maybe six stories high. He pointed them out to Jack who could have cared less. He was worried about Sam. And he was worried about the change in demeanor of the escort. They were straightening up and grooming themselves for entry to the city. Someone important would be there. Jack mentioned it to Daniel who agreed.
The Centurion in charge of the escort detail rode up to the prisoners. He looked them over. A jerk of his head signaled they were to return to the back of the buckboard. The buckboard lurched off again. At least the road smoothed out the closer they got to the burg.
Entering the town, the troop veered off to a building with a tall spire. At the entrance was a huge carved double set of doors opening to a courtyard. The group passed in as the gates shut. More troops appeared to deal with the horses and the wagons. It was all done efficiently and quickly. Jack noticed the discipline and the cleanliness of the area. Someone very important was here, no doubt about it. This town was the center of something.
Following their guards, the prisoners entered the building to find a cool and dark entry staffed by well-dressed and well-fed officials. Everyone here looked to be in pretty good shape. The usual filth and ragged clothing was nowhere to be seen. These people had come a long way from the usual circumstances in which humans across the galaxy lived. A fountain played in the courtyard beyond the doors on the other side of the entry. The corridors were clean and smelled fresh. Jack's spirits rose in hope of finding an educated person to plead their case.
For the moment, they were relegated to a locked room with a clerk on the other side of the barred door. He took down the names and particulars of the prisoners. And he recorded their crimes. It was a lengthy list. All the paperwork took about forty-five minutes. Then they were led into another smaller locked room where they sat for a good hour alone.
"Not so bad, eh?" Jack looked over to check on Carter. She had visibly recovered from her motion sickness. But she wasn't a hundred percent yet. The cool interior of the building helped. She leaned up against the wall with her eyes closed.
"No, sir, not so bad."
Well, they haven't beaten us up yet, so maybe no torture. What do you think Daniel?"
"It's early."
"I was afraid you would say that."
"What?"
"What?"
Both men eyed each other and concluded nothing would be gained from further exchange. The doors swung open and they were called out.
"Um, is there someone in charge to whom we can speak?" Jack was trying to be diplomatic. But something about his stance suggested he wasn't really asking. The guard took his truncheon and pushed Jack along so the others could follow.
"Got a superior officer? I want to talk to your leader."
"Shut up, plebe."
"Plebe? Have I been insulted?" Jack looked over at Daniel who shook his head. Jack shrugged and shuffled down the hall. He had promised not to antagonize the guards. It was tough.
The room they entered looked like a courtroom from the middle ages. There was no jury, just a judge dispensing his rulings in double quick time. Daniel flinched as the sentences were read out. Oh these folks were harsh indeed. Most sentences involved death or flogging.
"Jack, look, the statues." Jack drew a blank. Daniel continued in a whisper. "The statues themselves form a crucial part of the courtroom's physical structure. The physical surroundings for our defense form a crucial part of our overall strategy. The functions of imperial statuary in a Roman court of law are varied. First, the statues convert the physical space of the courtroom into an official tribunal of Roman justice. The very presence of the imperial statues allows valid juridical processes to take place. By the middle of the second century A.D., the imperial statue had also become invested with a certain notarizing power. To do something in front of an imperial statue is tantamount to having done it in front of the emperor himself."
"Is that a good thing, or..." Jack motioned his shackled hands back and forth in a gesture of 'what?'
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah. Maybe. This chamber and these proceedings indicate rule of law. However..." The guard came to shut him up. One whack of the truncheon elicited an 'OW!' and the meaning was clear.
"The court calls the case of the barbarian marauders who desecrated the Temple of the Sacred Circle and who fired upon the lawful Imperial Legion cohorts sent to apprehend them. They are accused of heresy; trespass; attempting to kill agents of the Emperor; disrespect to the Emperor; and failure to register as barbarians. They are also charged with carrying weapons on Imperial lands; carrying weapons on sacred lands; and defying lawful attempts to remove said weapons from their possession. In addition, the female is charged with wearing men's clothing thereby incurring the charges of abomination, sacrilege, and prostitution."
"Now wait a minute, I never did anything even close to prostitution!" The guards slapped Carter across the face to shut her up. A trickle of blood ran down her split lip.
"Hey, hey, that's not necessary." Jack tried to step in between and got smacked with the truncheon for his troubles.
"Add the charges of assault on members of this court, contempt of court, and two additional counts of disrespect for the Emperor." The judge was not amused.
"Yes, Rector." The court clerk dutifully wrote it all down. Everyone waited until he was finished and handed back the papers to the judge. The judge read them over and nodded in satisfaction.
"Before I render judgment, I would like to satisfy my own curiosity. Why did you do it?" He peered over his glasses at SG-1.
"Daniel."
"Um, your honor, my name is Dr. Daniel Jackson and I can answer your questions."
"Continue."
"First, we are not barbarians. We come from a planet called, Earth. We arrived through the 'Sacred Ring' because we are explorers. It's what we do. We explore new worlds to offer friendship and knowledge. This is a big misunderstanding. We never intended to upset anyone or desecrate a shrine. We had just arrived when the soldiers came and fired on us. We defended ourselves. But we didn't kill anyone or hurt anyone seriously. Our weapons are defensive. If they had just let us talk to them, none of this would be necessary."
"So you admit to being at the Sacred Circle, carrying weapons, and firing on legal authorities?" The Rector was incredulous.
"But not the way it sounds. We didn't have a chance to introduce ourselves. This is Colonel Jack O'Neill." Daniel indicated Jack who gave a short wave. "This is Teal'c. And this is Major Samantha Carter. And she is no prostitute. She is a warrior and a scholar as am I. I study ancient civilizations and she studies astrophysics."
"Why is she dressed like a prostitute, with cut off hair?"
"In our culture she is not dressed like a prostitute. She is in fact dressed honorably as an officer in our 'legion.' But she is not a prostitute. I object to that."
"A female is in the Legion? That's absurd. She is a camp follower then."
"No, sir, your honor, sir. She is an officer of Centurion rank, honorable, highly decorated, and trained to lead men."
"Liar. These stories are not amusing. She is an abomination whatever she is. Now answer my question, what were you doing there?"
"I told you. We had just arrived through the Sacred Ring, which we call a Stargate. It is a transportation device. We dial the symbols on the second smaller device in front of it we call a DHD, then the Stargate connects to a second Stargate on another planet. We walk through. It's how we travel between planets."
"Enough of these fantastic tales. The Sacred Ring is where Persephone enters Hades each Winter and returns each Spring. If you won't answer my questions, then I shall render judgment now." He picked up the papers to begin.
"No, sir, we can prove it. If you will come with us to the Ring we can activate it and show you. Then, if you still don't want us here, we can go home and never bother you again."
"Did anyone see this 'activation' he's talking about?" All the troopers and the Centurion shook their heads."
"They were there when we discovered them, Rector. We tried to stop them from destroying the Temple, as it is our duty. They resisted. And we captured them. The rest is in the sworn warrant." The Centurion stood back.
"Thank you, Centurion." The Rector looked askance at Daniel. "See, no one can support your fantastic albeit entertaining claims."
"Your honor, if I may say something." Jack stood forward a bit and glared at Daniel. "I am in command here. If you want to punish someone, then punish me. But let my team go. They have done nothing wrong."
"Insolent. How dare you tell the Court what to do?"
"Oh, I wasn't doing that. I just meant to ask that you punish me and not them." Jack looked aside at Daniel and muttered, "feel free to jump in here Danny."
"Your honor, Rector, we didn't mean any disrespect. We are travelers from afar and do not know your ways..."
"Barbarians, then. Which region are you from?" The Rector directed his question at Daniel.
"We are not from any region here, Rector. We are from another planet, entirely. We came in peace."
"And we'd like to leave in one." Jack interrupted. "Look, we didn't mean to offend anyone. We just came because we were curious. But if you like, we can go home, through the Sacred Ring. Then, you can see we are telling the truth. And you can bury the thing so we can never return."
A moment of silence passed. Then the Rector let out a long belly laugh. "In all my years, I have never heard such a fantastic defense. You have admitted to all the charges, excepting the prostitution. So, I'll say this for you. You are honest marauding barbarian terrorists. Since no one was killed or even seriously hurt, I won't impose crucifixion. Instead, I shall order you taken to the market and hung by the neck. Your heads will be stuck on pikes at the border. Let that be a lesson to any barbarian trespassing in our midst. Next case."
"Wait, I appeal to the Emperor. His statue is here. And so he is here." The court came to a halt. "In his letters, Pliny relates the case of a slave in Bithynia who had taken refuge at the statue of the emperor. By making a reference to the imperial statues, we can, at least implicitly, invoke the protection, which they offer."
The Rector considered his statement for a moment. "You are correct, Daniel Jackson. And what protection do you think the statues offer?"
"I am assuming that you will grant us our freedom?"
"Not likely. But having enough education to understand the concept behind the appeal, I conclude you must be educated about other things as well, is that correct?" Daniel nodded.
"In fact, we are all highly educated people. We are warriors and scholars, that's why we came, to learn from you."
"What are your specialties?"
"I am a doctor of anthropology and archaeology. Major Carter is a doctor of astrophysics. Jack holds a masters degree in military science. And Teal'c was a general."
"I see. You are warriors and scholars. Or so you claim." The Rector wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to the clerk who handed it to Daniel. "Answer that question."
"It looks like a formula."
"Yes."
"We don't know your system of notation. The numbers we understand. The other symbols we don't."
"So not very educated." The Rector banged his gavel. "Inasmuch as you have invoked the protection of the Emperor, sell this one as a pedagogue. The lie about the woman being a warrior/scholar is offensive. Sell her for a small sum to a Temple of the Vestal Virgins as a servant that she may not follow the ways of prostitutes nor ever know the ways of men. And get her attired properly before she leaves the building. Sell the 'general' to the gladiators. But, their leader deserves whatever fate he gets in the marketplace. Consider yourselves fortunate the Emperor knows mercy."
"Aw c'mon, for crying out loud, he's telling the truth." And that's all Jack managed to get out before he was knocked unconscious.
"Over there, in back of the barn. See them?" Major Griff handed the binoculars off to the lieutenant.
"Rodger that." The sergeant reported over the radio. "Going in."
Major Griff watched as the sergeant and the airman went for the clothing drying on the line by the farmhouse. They had to blend with the locals, so they needed to steal some clothes. The lieutenant started to chuckle. "What?"
"Airman Evans just caught us a duck, sir."
"Dammit, I told them to leave the livestock alone and try for eggs." He grabbed the binoculars back. "Aw crap, there's the wife coming out of the house with a shotgun." He watched her heft the big gun and try to aim. "Evans, this is Griff, hostile on your six. Take cover." There was an explosion plus an echo as the gun went off spraying buckshot all over. The two men rolled and recovered. Then they ran like the devil was chasing them. All the while the woman was trying to get off another shot. If not for the cover of the barn, she would have nailed the Sergeant, too. Boom! That was both barrels, she'd have to reload. And now they were heading for the ridge. "Okay, let's move out." He could see that the two men had nearly caught up to them. Evans reached the Major triumphantly holding the bird upside down.
"I got us a duck, sir, a really big duck." He had that expectant smile asking for praise.
"It's a goose, you dumb cluck. And what did I tell you about not stealing livestock?" Major Griff smacked the young airman on the back of the head. "Get on with you, son. And you get to pluck it."