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Time Heals All Wounds (Or Does It?) Chapter 2
"I have noticed this as well, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c added.
"That's really odd, Sir. Maybe they're all out all working in the fields?" Carter surmised. As the group walked through town, Sam noticed that the Colonel, Jonas, and Teal'c were garnering quite a bit of attention.
"Here we are." Solin Taal stopped in front of a small cottage. He knocked on the door. A woman opened it. She was wearing an SGC uniform. "Greetings, Solin Taal." The woman bowed slightly and stepped back, inviting the visitors into the cottage.
"You must be Lt. Commander Kincaide," Major Carter asked.
"Yes, I am. I have much to tell you." Turning to Solin Taal, she said, "Thank you for bringing these visitors here. I do not wish to keep you from your duties."
Solin Taal bowed slightly and said, "You could never keep me from my duties, child. I shall see myself out."
When he was gone, Commander Kincaide turned to SG-1. "Sir, I have never been happier to seen anyone in my life."
"Let me introduce ourselves. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill. This is Major Samantha Carter. These are Teal'c and Jonas Quinn."
"Pleased to meet you, Sir, Major, Teal'c. It's nice to see you again, Jonas. I'm Lt Commander Claire Kincaide."
Sam seemed a little surprised. "You've already met Jonas?"
"We've had some interesting conversations over tea in the commissary. Not many people are running around at 0200." Apparently there was a story here, but neither one elaborated.
O'Neill just wanted answers. "What's going on here, Commander?"
"Well, Sir. It all started a week ago, when we first arrived here."
"A week? SG-7 has been gone three days."
"Time on this world passes at a different rate than it does on Earth, Colonel."
"Continue, Commander."
"When we first arrived, the villagers didn't seem surprised to see five strangers appear in the middle of town. They were all very polite, very friendly. Then I noticed that there were very few men, and almost no children. Captain Reynolds and the other members of the team became very popular. Not that they seemed to mind. At first."
"At first?"
"Yes, Sir. The women became very aggressive soon after we arrived."
"Aggressive? How so?"
"At first, Colonel, it just seemed that the women were just flirting with Captain Reynolds and the others. Then they became, how should I put this, very, very friendly. Some of the older women brought me here. I'm not sure where the others are. If I try to leave the cottage, they pretty much drag me back."
"That might explain the interest we generated while Solin Taal escorted us through town."
"We have to find the others, Sir. My overly active imagination has been working at full throttle since we got here." Commander Kincaide was genuinely worried about her teammates.
"We need to find some answers," the Colonel said.
"Alright. I'll tell you what I know. Cindra Taal, Solin Taal's wife, has been the only person in the village that I've been able to get anything out of. She told me that about 10 years ago, some sort of plague or virus started affecting the inhabitants of this province. Most of the males, adults and children, died. A few of the older women were affected as well. From what I've seen, there are about 20 women for every man. Needless to say, what men there are have been very popular. I'd watch yourselves when you're out."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" O'Neill asked incredulously.
"What? Am I missing something?" Jonas asked.
"Yes, Sir, I am," Claire answered and to Jonas, "Yes, you are."
"What are you saying, Commander?"
"I'm saying that the women of this village, the entire province even, are looking for men to . . ."
"Out with it, Commander," O'Neill ordered.
Kincaide swallowed and chose her words carefully. "They're looking for men to breed with, Sir. I'm assuming that's where Captain Reynolds and the others are, whether it's consensual or not. The women are looking for younger and healthier men, but any male of breeding age is an easy target. The women here are beautiful. I can see how hard it would be to say no. I have noticed that if a man is spoken for, the other women will leave him alone, unless he collects a harem."
"A harem?"
"Yes, Sir." The commander was starting to look a little embarrassed with the direction the discussion was heading. "From what I've been able to find out, these women are desperate to have children. The entire village will die out in a few decades."
"Oh."
Major Carter turned to Kincaide and asked, "Do you have any ideas of where the rest of your team have been taken?"
"No, Major. They could be anywhere. These people aren't violent. They just want to save their village" Claire responded.
"We can't find anything out standing here. We need to start looking for answers," O'Neill said, taking charge of the situation.
"You might want to be very careful, Sir. You, Jonas, and Teal'c will be very popular."
"Do you have any ideas, Commander?"
"Just one, Sir. The men that have been "claimed" by one of the woman are generally left alone. Major Carter and I can accompany you, but that still leaves one of you unprotected."
O'Neill thought for a moment. "Do you think that Teal'c will be bothered much by the women?"
"It depends on how well he can fend them off. They can be very persuasive."
O'Neill turned to Teal'c and Jonas. Jonas was beginning to develop the old 'deer in the headlights" look. "Okay you two. Major Carter will go with me. Commander Kincaide will accompany the two of you. You're going to look for the rest of SG-7. Carter and I will see if we can come up with some answers to these people's problem." Turning to the women, he asked, "Do you two think you can keep the three of us out of trouble?"
Carter and Kincaide looked slightly amused by the Colonel's question. Kincaide spoke up first, "Sir, you and Major Carter may not have a problem as long as you look, how can I put this, attached. I might have more of a problem with the women then Teal'c and Jonas will."
"How so?"
"Most women just want one male. I'm going to be dealing with two. The local women might think I'm keeping them to myself. Well, actually I am, but it's for their own good. Unless, of course, they want to be the fathers of an entire village of children." She smiled at the thought. Teal'c just raised an eyebrow. Jonas paled at that idea.
"Well, do the best you can, Commander."
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, people. Let's go."
Carter and O'Neill left the cottage looking for Solin Taal. Teal'c started out the door, but Jonas just stood where he was. "Are you coming, JonasQuinn?" Teal'c asked.
"I'm not sure I want to go," Jonas responded.
"Don't worry, Jonas. I'll protect you," Claire responded with a gleam in her eye.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Claire took Jonas by the arm. "Come on. I have an idea. I know just the thing that will make the villagers leave you alone."
If it were possible, Jonas couldn't have turned much paler. "What are you going to do?"
"You see."
Teal'c had turned around to listen to the discussion between the obviously frightened Jonas and the highly amused Claire. "If Commander Kincaide's plan does not work, I will protect you."
The three left the cottage. A group of women suddenly took great interest in two men. Claire, seeing the women start to approach, turned to Jonas, put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him to her, kissing him very gently on the lips. "There. That should do the trick." She released the startled Jonas, then turned and jogged after Teal'c. The group of village women looked rather disappointed. Jonas stood as if in fog. Then he seemed to awaken, turned, and raced after the others.
Catching up with Claire, Jonas caught her be the elbow. "What was that for?"
"I 'claimed' you. I had to do something to keep the village women away from you. I can renounce my claim if you want, but I had better warn you. If I do, you're on you own."
Teal'c had slowed down to hear the exchange between Jonas and Claire. He hadn't had much trouble with the women. Basically all he had to do was frown at them and the startled women stopped in their tracks.
"If you two are finished with your mating ritual, we should start looking for the rest of SG-7," Teal'c said. Jonas could have sworn Teal'c had a smirk on his face before the larger man turned to continue down the street.
Time Heals All Wounds (Or Does It?) Chapter 2
"I have noticed this as well, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c added.
"That's really odd, Sir. Maybe they're all out all working in the fields?" Carter surmised. As the group walked through town, Sam noticed that the Colonel, Jonas, and Teal'c were garnering quite a bit of attention.
"Here we are." Solin Taal stopped in front of a small cottage. He knocked on the door. A woman opened it. She was wearing an SGC uniform. "Greetings, Solin Taal." The woman bowed slightly and stepped back, inviting the visitors into the cottage.
"You must be Lt. Commander Kincaide," Major Carter asked.
"Yes, I am. I have much to tell you." Turning to Solin Taal, she said, "Thank you for bringing these visitors here. I do not wish to keep you from your duties."
Solin Taal bowed slightly and said, "You could never keep me from my duties, child. I shall see myself out."
When he was gone, Commander Kincaide turned to SG-1. "Sir, I have never been happier to seen anyone in my life."
"Let me introduce ourselves. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill. This is Major Samantha Carter. These are Teal'c and Jonas Quinn."
"Pleased to meet you, Sir, Major, Teal'c. It's nice to see you again, Jonas. I'm Lt Commander Claire Kincaide."
Sam seemed a little surprised. "You've already met Jonas?"
"We've had some interesting conversations over tea in the commissary. Not many people are running around at 0200." Apparently there was a story here, but neither one elaborated.
O'Neill just wanted answers. "What's going on here, Commander?"
"Well, Sir. It all started a week ago, when we first arrived here."
"A week? SG-7 has been gone three days."
"Time on this world passes at a different rate than it does on Earth, Colonel."
"Continue, Commander."
"When we first arrived, the villagers didn't seem surprised to see five strangers appear in the middle of town. They were all very polite, very friendly. Then I noticed that there were very few men, and almost no children. Captain Reynolds and the other members of the team became very popular. Not that they seemed to mind. At first."
"At first?"
"Yes, Sir. The women became very aggressive soon after we arrived."
"Aggressive? How so?"
"At first, Colonel, it just seemed that the women were just flirting with Captain Reynolds and the others. Then they became, how should I put this, very, very friendly. Some of the older women brought me here. I'm not sure where the others are. If I try to leave the cottage, they pretty much drag me back."
"That might explain the interest we generated while Solin Taal escorted us through town."
"We have to find the others, Sir. My overly active imagination has been working at full throttle since we got here." Commander Kincaide was genuinely worried about her teammates.
"We need to find some answers," the Colonel said.
"Alright. I'll tell you what I know. Cindra Taal, Solin Taal's wife, has been the only person in the village that I've been able to get anything out of. She told me that about 10 years ago, some sort of plague or virus started affecting the inhabitants of this province. Most of the males, adults and children, died. A few of the older women were affected as well. From what I've seen, there are about 20 women for every man. Needless to say, what men there are have been very popular. I'd watch yourselves when you're out."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" O'Neill asked incredulously.
"What? Am I missing something?" Jonas asked.
"Yes, Sir, I am," Claire answered and to Jonas, "Yes, you are."
"What are you saying, Commander?"
"I'm saying that the women of this village, the entire province even, are looking for men to . . ."
"Out with it, Commander," O'Neill ordered.
Kincaide swallowed and chose her words carefully. "They're looking for men to breed with, Sir. I'm assuming that's where Captain Reynolds and the others are, whether it's consensual or not. The women are looking for younger and healthier men, but any male of breeding age is an easy target. The women here are beautiful. I can see how hard it would be to say no. I have noticed that if a man is spoken for, the other women will leave him alone, unless he collects a harem."
"A harem?"
"Yes, Sir." The commander was starting to look a little embarrassed with the direction the discussion was heading. "From what I've been able to find out, these women are desperate to have children. The entire village will die out in a few decades."
"Oh."
Major Carter turned to Kincaide and asked, "Do you have any ideas of where the rest of your team have been taken?"
"No, Major. They could be anywhere. These people aren't violent. They just want to save their village" Claire responded.
"We can't find anything out standing here. We need to start looking for answers," O'Neill said, taking charge of the situation.
"You might want to be very careful, Sir. You, Jonas, and Teal'c will be very popular."
"Do you have any ideas, Commander?"
"Just one, Sir. The men that have been "claimed" by one of the woman are generally left alone. Major Carter and I can accompany you, but that still leaves one of you unprotected."
O'Neill thought for a moment. "Do you think that Teal'c will be bothered much by the women?"
"It depends on how well he can fend them off. They can be very persuasive."
O'Neill turned to Teal'c and Jonas. Jonas was beginning to develop the old 'deer in the headlights" look. "Okay you two. Major Carter will go with me. Commander Kincaide will accompany the two of you. You're going to look for the rest of SG-7. Carter and I will see if we can come up with some answers to these people's problem." Turning to the women, he asked, "Do you two think you can keep the three of us out of trouble?"
Carter and Kincaide looked slightly amused by the Colonel's question. Kincaide spoke up first, "Sir, you and Major Carter may not have a problem as long as you look, how can I put this, attached. I might have more of a problem with the women then Teal'c and Jonas will."
"How so?"
"Most women just want one male. I'm going to be dealing with two. The local women might think I'm keeping them to myself. Well, actually I am, but it's for their own good. Unless, of course, they want to be the fathers of an entire village of children." She smiled at the thought. Teal'c just raised an eyebrow. Jonas paled at that idea.
"Well, do the best you can, Commander."
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, people. Let's go."
Carter and O'Neill left the cottage looking for Solin Taal. Teal'c started out the door, but Jonas just stood where he was. "Are you coming, JonasQuinn?" Teal'c asked.
"I'm not sure I want to go," Jonas responded.
"Don't worry, Jonas. I'll protect you," Claire responded with a gleam in her eye.
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Claire took Jonas by the arm. "Come on. I have an idea. I know just the thing that will make the villagers leave you alone."
If it were possible, Jonas couldn't have turned much paler. "What are you going to do?"
"You see."
Teal'c had turned around to listen to the discussion between the obviously frightened Jonas and the highly amused Claire. "If Commander Kincaide's plan does not work, I will protect you."
The three left the cottage. A group of women suddenly took great interest in two men. Claire, seeing the women start to approach, turned to Jonas, put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him to her, kissing him very gently on the lips. "There. That should do the trick." She released the startled Jonas, then turned and jogged after Teal'c. The group of village women looked rather disappointed. Jonas stood as if in fog. Then he seemed to awaken, turned, and raced after the others.
Catching up with Claire, Jonas caught her be the elbow. "What was that for?"
"I 'claimed' you. I had to do something to keep the village women away from you. I can renounce my claim if you want, but I had better warn you. If I do, you're on you own."
Teal'c had slowed down to hear the exchange between Jonas and Claire. He hadn't had much trouble with the women. Basically all he had to do was frown at them and the startled women stopped in their tracks.
"If you two are finished with your mating ritual, we should start looking for the rest of SG-7," Teal'c said. Jonas could have sworn Teal'c had a smirk on his face before the larger man turned to continue down the street.