Chapter 2
The four members of SG-1 were sat waiting in the briefing room. General Hammond had stepped out to talk on the red phone interrupting their meeting. Though having a meeting was common enough this time was different because Jack had been the person who had arranged it. Colonel O'Neill had, had a light bulb moment the last time he had been with Thor and asked him about other protected planets. So far the more advance races had been very firm with rules about sharing technology – so much so that any advances they had made in four years was the result of finding abandoned worlds. More often than not that had resulted in accidents, some deadly. Jack was certain finding worlds with a similar development to Earth would be successful. Thor had given in a lot more easily than Jack had thought but the alien had decided to give out only one address at a time. He had also decided not to tell Jack anything about the world. Jack was still pressing General Hammond to put this planet at the top of SG-1's agenda.
Just before the general had left Teal'C had questioned whether a protected planet would have safe guards like that of Cimmeria. Daniel and Sam were discussing that when he returned,
"I wouldn't want to risk it, Teal'C you'll have to sit this one out at least until we're certain." Teal'C merely nodded once. Jack sent him an apologetic look before he caught on,
"Wait so we can go?" he asked excitedly
"We'll send a MALP this afternoon if it looks good you leave tomorrow morning."
"Yes!" Jack said rather loudly earning startled looks from the others around the table,
"Yes Sir." He said more calmly. Despite being the leader of SG-1 he didn't have much say in where they visited; 'That's what I get for having the top scientists in my team," he had often thought.
After the general dismissed them Jack apologised to Teal'C while Daniel and Sam went off to do their top scientist stuff. Jack was actually on top of his paper work for a change so he joined Teal'C in training the latest recruits.
Three hours later they were back together watching the MALP roll through the Stargate. As the static cleared and the team got their first look Jack let out another,
"Yes!" Although quite different from Earth and the majority of planets they visited it looked peaceful and calm. The Stargate was out in the open, a well kept stone path stretched out between darkly coloured trees that glittered in an orange sun. The DHD stood between the path and the Stargate. Sam was at the controls checking the readings and soon determined it was viable. Then she paused,
"I've never seen radiation like this before," she said
"Is it dangerous?" Jack asked fearing he had celebrated prematurely,
"The levels seem to be fluctuating but we should be ok for several days."
"Great!" Sam started to pan the camera around and Daniel suddenly leant forward pointing at the screen,
"There! Look!" as the camera panned around thick stone walls formed a wall in a semi-cycle behind the Stargate. The top had eroded and parts had blast marks and a few small holes.
"It looks defensive," Daniel said echoing the thoughts of the military service personal in the room. As the camera came across a particularly badly damaged part Jack said sarcastically,
"Ya think?" Daniel would have retorted but his attention was diverted by the figures that appeared on screen,
"Wow!" he said and the others silently agreed. Two humanoids were standing over a particularly crumpled part of the wall. Sam zoomed the camera in on them to get a better look. Short white fur covered the aliens although patches were light brown. Tight fitted light grey clothing covered their bodies but their arms and legs were free. They were thinner and shorted than the average human but the truly stunning features were the doglike snouts, black doglike button noses and pointy doglike ears.
The people at the SGC were trying to gather their thoughts when Jack started laughing,
"Walking, talking, clothed dog people!" he chuckled,
"It is weird sir," Sam said with a grin.
"Armed dog people," one of the technicians said more seriously spotting an alien weapon in the hand of one of the figures.
"That's a weird thought." Jack muttered. Dogs should be playful and friendly in his opinion. Although on special ops missions in far-flung countries he had come across half-starved beaten beasts that had been trained to hunt and kill.
"I don't think they can be particularly concerned about their Stargate or they wouldn't have let that wall get so crumbled." The two aliens were pointing their weapons at the MALP but in a relaxed way.
"I agree Doctor Jackson. They don't appear to be hostile just cautious." General Hammond said.
"So we can go?" Jack asked. Before General Hammond could answer the two dog people lowered their weapons and could be heard … well Daniel assumed they were talking but it sounded like oddly musical growls to him. He stepped closer again to try and decipher it. The first two were joined by two more neither of which had weapons. They overtook the first two and made motioned to the camera with their arms. Daniel got a clear look at their hands and concluded they were more like human hands than dog paws. He watched the gestures closely,
"They're motioning . . ."
"Us to follow," Jack interrupted happily,
"Yes," Daniel said moving his glasses up his nose – something he did when Jack or someone confused him.
"Universal gesture," Jack said.
"Look at their eyes!" someone muttered behind Daniel,
"Weird," another said,
"Hey!" Jack scolded them (a little bit off-put himself but far too professional to comment himself).
"Daniel Jackson I believe there is writing on the wall," Daniel motioned Sam to move the camera back,
"Yes it looks like badly written Goa'uld."
"I believe it says 'Devil's die here, others greeted'" Teal'C translated with ease,
"Right well if the locals stopped speaking Goa'uld when they left they could easily have forgotten the language. They might not even know what the words say." As Daniel spoke Sam moved the camera back to the aliens. One of them was standing right next to it and . . .
"Is he sniffing the MALP?" General Hammond asked just as the camera was blocked by a very big black nose,
"Err yes general," Daniel said while everyone else was trying to keep from laughing. The alien backed away and motioned to the others to come closer. One of them ran up to the other and clouted him on the nose,
"Definitely married," Jack said while others in the control room laughed,
"Daniel? Do ya wanna try speaking to them?" Daniel looked at him confused but obediently pressed the radio control allowing him to be heard from the MALP,
"Hello my name is Daniel Jackson and I come from a planet called Earth," Daniel paused and looked at Jack to see if that was what the colonel had meant. The four aliens on screen pulled back slightly but did not seem as bewildered as SG-1 might have expected. The alien furthest from them pressed his paw-like-hand to his chest and something glowed dark blue on his clothes. Suddenly the alien 'spoke':
"We hear," a growling voice said suddenly surprised,
"Hear us?" it was the more adventurous alien speaking,
The SGC could still hear the growling speech but some kind of speakers echoed a translation.
"Yes and see you," Daniel answered. The four aliens moved closer and stared at the screen,
"Through this?" the adventurous alien tapped the camera causing it to shake,
"Yes,"
"Said that," he said to his partner who growled softly,
"We are Thil-a and Ry-asa," he quickly said pointing at himself first and then his partner,
"Our children Ry-a and Thil-asa and still hiding Tor-a and Mar-a." At his words two more half-size aliens appeared from behind the wall.
"Greetings," the couple said together. There was a pause as both sides thought of something to say,
"We are Annins and this planet is Tuin."
"We are humans from the planet Earth." Doctor Jackson replied and everyone watched for signs of recognition but they was none,
"Visiting here soon?" Thil-a asked,
"In a few hours yes," Daniel answered,
"Soon Sa-ra will be elsewhere," Ry-asa warned confusing the listening SG-1. At their silence the alien turned and pointed to the sky behind him where the star could just be seen lowering.
"We will visit next time it rises," Daniel said understanding,
"Our home is short walk," Thil-a pointed behind the Stargate out of sight and behind the wall,
"Ry-a and Thil-asa walk to town next light and wait?"
"Are you asking us if we want them to take us?"
"Yes,"
"That would be great, if they do not mind?" Daniel answered after checking with General Hammond. Thil-a turned to the two children, who dropped to their hands and knees before quickly rising,
"They agree," he said,
"Thank you," Daniel said and General Hammond motioned to a technician to cut off the Stargate.
"They speak English?" Sam asked in confusion,
"I don't think so Sam did you see Thil-a touch a device on his clothing before that all we could hear was noise like growls,"
"But after he had done that we heard voices – a translator?" She asked excitedly,
"That would be my guess,"
"So they are more advanced than us?" Jack said triumphantly,
"Well their weapons did not seem too advanced but it could be what was available to that family," Sam said,
"Or they put higher priority on more intellectual goals because they don't have to fear the Goa'uld?" Daniel suggested,
"Every society needs weapons Danny," before Daniel could retort and start off an epic argument/discussion General Hammond jumped in.
"You'll find out tomorrow why don't you go over the footage again in one of your offices?"
"You trying to get rid of us Sir?" Jack asked,
"Trying no, succeeding yes," he said before returning to his office.
Jack had fiddled or Daniel had touched something in Sam's lab that exploded a few months ago. Since neither of them would admit who it was they were both banned and SG-1 had their meeting in Daniel's office (since it was the next biggest).
"I didn't see anything that resembled Thor's Hammer," said Daniel,
"Neither did I," Teal'C didn't sound like he cared either way but the other members of SG-1 could see he didn't want them to go without him.
"General Hammond is not going to let you go until he's sure." Jack said firmly to the Jaffa.
"I am grateful to him and you for the value you place on my life," he said bowing his head. Jack, Sam and Daniel were touched and Jack quickly moved on before he got embarrassed,
"So alien dogs?" he asked sceptically,
"We've seen stranger." Daniel pointed out as Sam struggled to answer for evolution,
"That's true but human dogs' maybe Coolidge knew something we don't?" Jack said referring to the famous artist who painted anthropomorphised dogs.
"Right," Daniel said in disbelief,
"I find it very strange how doglike they acted," Sam said,
"Like when the older kids got down on their hands and knees?" Jack asked,
"It looked like a sign of respect like when you salute," Daniel guessed,
"Or it could be how they say yes like when you nod," Jack said surprising Daniel,
"Yes it could be," Daniel gave his friend a questioning look,
"I do listen when you talk . . . some times," Jack looked pained as though the act of Daniel talking caused him distress,
"Of course you do," For the most part Jack listened when Daniel really needed him too so the archaeologist suffered his friends' lack of interest in his field gracefully.
The team spent the next few hours discussing the video footage and what they expected tomorrow to bring. Then they left the SGC, picked up a couple of pizzas and spent a peaceful evening at Jack's house.
Word Count 2,030