Not Quite the Lord of the Rings
Part One, Another World

'How many times have I taken this step?' Jack O'Neill wondered to himself as his molecules were hurling through sub-space. Alice's rabbit-hole; a vortex of sensory confusion, as psychedelic as anything he had seen or done in the '70; and this trip never, ever, got old. He might be more prepared now-a-days, when he mounted that metal-grid ramp and stepped into the not-icy, rippling Event Horizon, but he still felt a bite of the fear and excitement that he felt that first trip to Abydos. Only now he was no longer accompanied by the forlorn, masochistic hope for death and peace that the loss of his son had caused in him.

His mind skirted that painful memory; he was about to step out of the Gate on a strange world and he could not afford to be distracted by personal thoughts. With a practiced mental shrug he shifted his attention back to business, and with a hop and a bounce he came out of the wormhole alert and ready for anything.

Teal'c was already moving away from the Gate, ahead of Daniel and Carter and O'Neill. The others fanned out and explored the immediate area around the Stargate. There were no immediate perceivable threats.

Jack took off his cap and turned around slowly. No one had said a word since their arrival, and after the first scrutiny of this world, they simply stood looking around with a kind of stunned admiration.

"I have seen trees and then more trees," Jack said finally, shaking his head, "but I guess I have never really seen trees before now. And is that a new shade of green?" The sarcasm usually present in the Colonel's voice was absent now. All of the team felt the same way: awed and overwhelmed.

"I have never seen anything quite like this world before, O'Neill," commented Teal'c. Usually he reserved his observations until they were requested, but even this well-traveled Jaffa was impressed.

"It kind of reminds me of the world of the Nox," said Daniel, staring upward at the towering foliage like a country boy on his first trip to New York. "It all seems... I dunno... richer, somehow. Fresher. I don't know the word for it..."

"Well, there's a wonder," Jack said dryly. "Daniel... at a loss for a word!"

Daniel limited his retort to an annoyed glance at his friend.

Carter grinned at her CO and placed a placating hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I know what you mean, Daniel."

"It's like the air has never been breathed before, and yet everything feels old-- ancient." Daniel placed his hand on one of the trees. The silvery bark was smooth and warm. "It feels alive," he said with wonder in his voice.

"All I can say is, I can't think of this place as a string of letters and numbers. We ought to name it." Jack said. "I say we call it 'Minnesota II'." Carter and Daniel laughed, and Teal'c smiled eloquently. From Jack O'Neill, there could come no higher praise.

Carter turned her attention away from the vibrant surroundings, examining the DHD and the Stargate. "This is strange, sir. This dial home device is in pristine condition; it and the Gate could have been set here yesterday."

"Strange," agreed O'Neill. He moved to examine the base of the platform upon which the Gate stood. He could find no evidence of digging or footprints that might suggest activity around the artifact.

"I'll see your 'strange' and raise you a 'whoa'," Daniel said. He was standing several feet into the trees, looking out on what appeared to be a valley. The Gate was located on a shallow plateau, set in a slightly-sunken dell, surrounded by forest. A break in the trees revealed a vista for the travelers' eyes.

"Whoa!" The team stood side-by-side, taking in the view. A purple range of mountains marched away from them, the peaks smudged with clouds and distance. Blue-green forests coated the mountain's sides, thick as fur right up to the tree line, where the bones of the mountains suddenly ran bare, and the granite gleamed in the sun and sparkled with glaciers that ran like frozen lightning upon the stone.

After another unabbreviated silence of appreciation, O'Neill found his voice first. "I think I should build a summer home here."

"I can't believe this world is unpopulated," said Daniel. "It's just too beautiful."

"The UAV didn't find any sign of civilization, but that doesn't mean it's uninhabited," Carter said.

"Yeah, Stargates don't grow on trees, you know," Jack said, missing the scathing glare from Daniel because he was lifting his binoculars to his eyes. "I can see a path down into the valley. It may be nothing more than a game-trail, but let's check it out after we dial home and report. Daniel."

Daniel nodded and moved to the DHD. He regarded the device for a moment, and then began to select the symbols that represented Earth's position in the Stargate network. His hand paused as he chose the last symbol, then he placed his hand on the red jewel in the center and pressed firmly.

The Gate fountained toward them, sunlight sparking off of the water-illusion that was the newly created wormhole. Never had it seemed so spectacular to them. O'Neill had to pause and clear his throat before he could radio his report.

O'Neill rejoined his team after completing his report. They stood watching out over the valley, while Teal'c was scanning the surrounding trees, his face intent and curious. O'Neill paused beside him and cocked his head.

"What is it, T?"

"I do not know," rumbled the jaffa in response. "I feel as though we are being observed, and yet I feel no threat. This place is very strange indeed."

"Well, I got our orders. You take point, T. We'll do a box survey and come back around to the Gate by nightfall. Hammond wants us home for supper, apparently."

"Couldn't you talk him into letting us stay?" asked Daniel. "We won't find much in such a short amount of time."

"If we find anything, we'll be sent back."

"Humph! They'll send some other team to explore, and we'll get sent to the next Gate address on the roster," groused the younger man.

"Hey, Daniel. You're an archeologist. I'd think you'd prefer to be poking around ruins or talking to natives than roaming around in a primordial forest." O'Neill turned his face away to shield the wink he flicked at Carter. She gave him a sunny grin as she shouldered her pack. "Come on, kids! Keep your eyes open and watch out for toadstool rings!"

next part introduces our DarkElf, as she espies these travelers though the leaves where she's been hiding!