Chapter 3: It's Good to be Ancient ... isn't it?
Major Lorne exited the wormhole on P88-013 a step behind Doctor Jackson. The Stargate was located in a large clearing flanked by a row of trees ... waiting for them was a contingent of locals dressed in a manner Evan thought reminiscent of every old Robin Hood movie he'd ever watched.
"Garan," Jackson greeted the dark haired woman who stepped forward. "We're here to see King Arkan."
"He already knew of your coming," she replied in an overtly respectful tone.
"Of course," Jackson agreed simply.
Without another word Garan turned, and along with her followers led them down the path through the trees.
"He knew we were coming because he asked for us," Lorne pointed out in a low tone to Jackson as the two men followed the locals.
"True," Jackson agreed with a small, indulgent smile. "There's a history there I'll fill you in on later ... suffice to say these people believe their King to be a prophet – regardless of everything we did last time to dissuade them."
"Do you think this current visit has anything to do with prophecies?" Lorne asked because Harry Maybourne had clearly 'foreseen' their visit - at least in the eyes of his people.
"In all likelihood," Jackson agreed. "Although probably not in the way you'd anticipate. Maybourne has always been very good at manipulating an array of situations and people to get what he wants."
"Yeah, I kinda got that impression from what General O'Neill said in the briefing," Lorne commented.
"Jack and Harry go way back," Jackson revealed. "Beyond just our last mission here."
Lorne nodded, content to find out the rest of what was probably a very interesting story later.
The two men continued the journey towards the village in relative silence. King Arkan's realm was a pretty place, if you were into the whole forest glen thing ... for himself, Evan had always preferred the ocean ... or the sky.
Once inside the village, the decor continuing the medieval theme Lorne had going in his head, Garan asked them to wait in the central square. The villagers cast curious glances at the visitors but otherwise went about their business as usual. A few moments later Garan returned.
"King Arkan will see you now," she announced. "He is waiting for you in his private antechamber."
"Thank you," Doctor Jackson, ever the diplomat, acknowledged the audience granted without the slightest suggestion that he thought it ridiculous given the King wasn't even a native of the planet.
"This way," Garan invited them to follow her again, this time just a short journey inside the main stone structure forming the village square.
The room she led them to was large, dominated by a chunky wooden table and matching chairs in the centre. The walls were adorned with colourful banners depicting weapons and of all things fruit. Animal fur rugs covered much of the stone floor, thankfully without the accompanying stuffed heads that could have been displayed on the walls. There was a large stone fireplace at the opposite end of the room where a healthy fire provided both heat and light to the poorly lit room.
"Doctor Jackson," Harry Maybourne strode forward to greet the other man like a long lost friend. Lorne took in the man's attire ... ornate leather vest, leggings and jewelled crown ... along with the close cropped beard the total image had Evan struggling to hold in a grin - yeah, this guy had definitely overdosed on Robin Hood as a child.
"Maybourne," Doctor Jackson replied, the expression on his face blank rather than accepting of the attention.
Maybourne cast a glance at Major Lorne, his welcoming expression turning to a scowl as he looked beyond Daniel and realised the two men were the entire team for the visit.
"Where's Jack?" Maybourne asked accusingly.
"Back at the SGC," Jackson replied casually. "He sends his regards ... said to tell you something urgent came up."
"I bet it did," Harry muttered under his breath.
"This is Major Evan Lorne," Daniel made the introduction despite the other man's disgruntled air. "Major, this is Harry Maybourne, known in these parts as King Arkan."
"No offence Major," Harry said irritably after Lorne had acknowledged him, "but I specifically asked that Jack come and visit me personally. Once you see this Doctor Jackson you'll see why."
Turning away Maybourne approached the large table, drawing their attention to the object that sat atop it. It was a miniature pyramid although the shape was where the similarity to structures on Earth stopped. It was made of a silvery grey material that glittered slightly in the flickering fire light. Around each side were a series of lines dividing each side into sections. Within each were symbols the likes of which Lorne had never seen before.
"What is it?" Doctor Jackson asked curiously.
"You tell me," Maybourne challenged with a smug grin.
Evan knew of only one race so enamoured of that particular shape. "Is this some kind of Goa'uld device?" he asked, looking at Jackson more than Maybourne as being the one most likely to have the answer.
"The material used and the style of these symbols – their arrangement on each face – is more indicative of the Ancients," Jackson replied distractedly as he took in the device. "The Goa'uld are notorious for copying and stealing technology from others. I always wondered where they got the idea to use the pyramids as landing platforms for their ships."
"Well I guess now we know," Harry said somewhat snidely. "Don't you think the bigger question here is what is it and what does it do?"
"I haven't worked that out ... yet," Doctor Jackson replied, spearing Maybourne with a suspicious glance. When he approached the table to take a closer look, Lorne followed, making himself the other man's shadow but not crowding him.
"This is interesting," Jackson muttered, leaning in close to the device. "I recognise some of these symbols as being Ancient words but their arrangement makes no sense."
"I thought that too," Maybourne agreed, taking a position directly across the table from Daniel and leaning in too. "See here," he pointed to a specific set of symbols. "This is some kind of prayer to the sun ... but the next part is something about enemies attacking."
"I'm not sure it's meant to make sense," Jackson proposed, glancing back at Evan as he continued. "It's some kind of ruse ... a decoy ... see this symbol here could mean hidden but it can also mean deception."
As the archaeologist pointed to the various symbols Evan shifted closer, leaning in to get a better look at what the other man was seeing. Putting a hand on the table directly beside the device Lorne considered the possible reasons why the Ancients would want to make something so ornate to serve as a decoy ... was it some kind of toy or worse, a trap to lure in the unsuspecting?
Without any warning the device started emitting a low level humming sound ... accompanying it was the appearance of bright blue light that started at the bottom and travelled at a snail's pace along each of the lines carved into the face of the pyramid.
"You switched it on?!" Jackson straightened and glared at Evan accusingly.
"Me?" Lorne retorted. "I didn't do anything – I was just looking!"
"Well nothing happened until you got close to it," Jackson pointed out more reasonably. "You know, it would have been helpful if you'd let me know you're an ATA gene carrier before we got here."
"I'm not a gene carrier Doctor Jackson," Lorne replied, glancing up from his inspection of the device to look at the other man with a puzzled frown.
"Ah ... you are," Daniel insisted.
"No I'm not," Lorne replied just as insistently.
"Look - from our last trip we can be pretty sure Harry here doesn't have the Ancient gene," Jackson rationalised, looking closely at the Major. "And I know for a fact that I don't have it either because I was tested along with the rest of the base before the Atlantis expedition left. Which just leaves you." The archaeologist narrowed his eyes, clearly thinking back to that time. His expression took on an enlightened look as he realised something. "You weren't there, were you?"
"I was still on P3X-403 with the mining operation," Evan confirmed. "Sergeant Daniels mentioned it just after I got back."
"You were never tested?" Doctor Jackson asked.
"No point," Evan excused. "Couldn't get to Atlantis to make use of it and from what Daniels said the chances of me having the gene were beyond remote."
"Well I'd say those odds just went up to 100 percent Major - this device just tested you and came up positive," Jackson concluded. "Now we just have to work out what it's doing and how you turn it off."
"Me turn it off?" Lorne asked worriedly. "I'm still not convinced I turned it on!"
"You had your hand next to the device when it lit up," Harry pointed out. "Did you touch it?"
"I might have brushed a finger against it very slightly," Lorne replied. "Surely that wouldn't be enough."
"Depends," Doctor Jack said evasively. "What were you thinking at the time Major?"
"Ah ... I was wondering if this was some kind of trap to lure us in," Lorne admitted, casting a worried glance at the device.
The light had already travelled halfway up the pyramid, the humming sound getting higher pitched and somehow more insistent – a kind of 'You need to do something NOW' broadcast.
"Then I'm guessing you initialised it and when it detected the presence of two non Ancients it immediately activated its secondary function," Daniel proposed, spearing a glance Harry's way. "I don't know what that is but we're about to find out unless the Major here can turn it off again."
"It's a countdown," Lorne said suddenly.
"What?" Harry frowned, looking at the device with what could only be termed fascination.
"A countdown," Lorne repeated. "When that light hits the top of the pyramid the countdown hits zero and ... well I don't know for sure but it's a safe bet we won't like it."
"How could you know that?" Daniel frowned in surprise at the other mans certainty.
"I don't know," Evan returned irritably. "But it makes sense, right?"
"We should just leave then," Harry proposed, although he made no move to do so, "get out of range."
"We could do that," Jackson agreed, "but we have no way of knowing what the range is nor its destructive potential. You have a village full of people here Maybourne ... at the rate that light is moving we wouldn't have time to evacuate them all."
"Then turn it off Major Lorne," Maybourne ordered, turning a stern eye on the younger man.
"I don't think ordering me is going to work," Lorne replied. "I've been thinking 'off' at it pretty much this entire time ... had no effect."
"You need to concentrate Major," Daniel made eye contact, trying to lend Lorne the knowledge he needed to believe that he had switched the device on and therefore should be able to switch it off again.
"I am concentrating Doctor Jackson," Lorne insisted. "I'm not sure it's designed to be switched off so easily."
"The Ancients wouldn't have made this without having some kind of failsafe switch," Jackson insisted. "And under the circumstances I think you can call me Daniel ... the formality doesn't really sit well given our molecules in all likelihood are about to get scrambled together and smeared all over this room, if not the entire village."
"If we survive this General O'Neill is gonna kill me," Lorne muttered sickly, looking at the device with active hatred.
"Oh I wouldn't go that far Major," Daniel returned with an amused expression. "Maim you horribly, perhaps. Reassign you to the worst post on Earth, probably. But kill you? That's a little extreme, even for Jack ... although I am his favourite archaeologist."
"That makes me feel so much better!" Evan retorted. "You're not helping here."
"Put your hands on the device Major Lorne," Daniel's voice compelled Evan to do something he'd actively avoided so far.
With a grim sigh Lorne let his hands hover over the device for a moment before closing his eyes and gently settling them on the pyramid. At once his mind was washed with humming static and his whole body tingled in a not altogether unpleasant way. Images flashed through his brain too ... like blue prints to a design that made no sense to him.
"What now?" he said softly.
"Now ask for the failsafe," Daniel instructed simply.
Evan focussed on the humming, following that advice. The blueprints shuffled forward rapidly and then settled into a steady image. Lorne wasn't even sure what he was doing, just that one part of that blueprint seemed to call for him to touch one particular section on the pyramids surface.
Snapping his eyes open, Evan looked at the first face, scanning it quickly and then rotating the pyramid so he could look at the next side.
"I hate to rush you Major but that light's almost at the top," Daniel's urgent voice broke into Lorne's concentrated state.
"Just give me a minute," Evan said distractedly, scanning the second face and not finding what he was looking for. Turning the pyramid again he began the process on the third face.
"We may not have a minute!" Maybourne exclaimed. He could have left at any time but for some reason he'd remained to see the situation through.
"There!" Finally Evan found what he needed. Resting his index finger on the middle symbol he pressed forward while thinking "off" and was rewarded with the lights and humming sounds vanishing without a trace.
The device was dormant again.
"You did it!" Maybourne exclaimed, slapping Lorne on the shoulder exuberantly.
"That was bizarre," Lorne muttered under his breath, ignoring Harry's reaction as he took an unsteady step back from the table.
"You okay Major?" Daniel put a hand near Lorne's elbow as though expecting him to fall down. "You're looking a little pale there."
"I'm good," Evan belayed that statement by sitting down on the floor abruptly. Resting his arms on his raised knees he put his head down. "Headache ... just need to rest for a minute," his mumbling voice came back to Daniel and Harry still hovering close by.
"Jack never had this reaction when he flew the Ancient ship," Daniel frowned, concerned for his team mate. Looking at Maybourne Daniel's face again took on a look of suspicion. "Where'd you find this device Maybourne?"
"I had a little spare time here and there," Harry said evasively. "Did a bit of digging around – one day I found that buried in the dirt just below the surface."
"Where did you dig around?" Daniel persisted.
"Near the temple ruins," Maybourne admitted.
"Near or at?" Daniel asked impatiently. "It was 'at' wasn't it? Was there some kind of prophesy attached? And don't bother lying because I can go out there and read it for myself if I have to. No other reason explains why you didn't just hightail it out of here at the first sign of trouble."
"That's why I wanted Jack to come!" Maybourne didn't deny Daniel's conclusions.
"What'd it say?" Daniels tone was long suffering, but not surprised.
"On the fourth moon of the fifty-fourth cycle one from a distant world will come and with Ludo's Pyramid claim the power of the Ancestors. In so doing will the fate of galaxies be forged," Maybourne recited. "I searched the village records and discovered the pyramid was real ... took me a while to work out where to search but in the end I found it."
"You thought it was some kind of weapon you could control for yourself?" Daniel shook his head sadly. "What do you need a weapon for anyway? This planet is peaceful and the Goa'uld are unlikely to return."
"There's no guarantee some other system lord won't come thinking he can rule us," Maybourne insisted. "As King it's my responsibility to protect these people."
"And there was nothing in it for you," Daniel said cynically. "No desires to expand your 'kingdom' or cash in on a potential weapon at all."
"You wound me Doctor Jackson," Harry returned, putting his hand over his heart.
"I'm sure I didn't," Daniel returned cuttingly. "You should have studied your Ancient more Maybourne. Ludo means to banter or delude. The answer was staring you in the face."
Maybourne's expression fell ... for a moment it looked as though he'd break into a tantrum worthy of the Sherriff of Nottingham himself but then abruptly he laughed instead. "I guess the joke is on me then Doctor Jackson."
Lorne had remained sitting on the floor silently listening to the conversation going on above him ... although his brain still felt a little on the static side of normal so he'd been giving the others less than his full attention. He became more aware when the conversation stopped – raising his head he saw Daniel Jackson squatting down in front of him, concern evident.
"How are you doing there Major?" Daniel asked.
"Call me Evan," Lorne replied weakly, dropping his arms and using his hands to push himself up off the floor. After taking a moment to steady himself he turning resolutely towards the others. "Are we done here?"
"We should take this back to the SCG for analysis," Daniel suggested. "I'm sure King Arkan won't protest since it's of no use to him or his people."
"Take it," Harry said, his tone equal parts still amused but disappointed.
"I'll carry it," Daniel moved forward and hefted the pyramid into his arms with a slight grunt of exertion. "Just in case Evan has a random thought and turns it on again."
"Ha ha," Evan replied with a weak smile.
Waving a hand for both men to go first, Lorne fell into step behind them, keeping silent the whole way back to the Stargate. Harry accompanied them with the usual hangers on trailing along behind him.
"As usual it's been ... interesting," Daniel turned after dialling Earth and sending his IDC to farewell Maybourne. "I'm sure you'll understand when I say 'Don't call us ... we'll call you'."
"Give Jack my regards," Harry replied, folding his arms across his chest as Garan moved up to flank him.
"Will do," Daniel smiled, lifted a hand to wave at the assembled locals, and then stepped through the wormhole back to the SGC with Lorne a step behind.
"How'd it go?" General O'Neill's voice rang out from the Control room intercom system. "I see you brought take-away."
"It was ... interesting," Daniel shot a glance to Evan and then grinned up at the base CO. "And you're no longer the only resident ATA gene holder."
"I'm not?" O'Neill's tone was surprised sarcastic.
"Major Lorne has hidden talents even he didn't know about," Daniel revealed.
"Interesting. Debrief in an hour," General O'Neill ordered. "Infirmary first."
Major Lorne trailed Daniel to the infirmary, not looking forward to his next few hours.
"How strong is he?" General O'Neill asked once the particulars of the mission had been summarised by Daniel. That included the part where Lorne had inadvertently turned on an Ancient device ... General O'Neill had glared at him accusingly but remained silent until Daniel finished his recital.
"You know we can't tell with just a blood test," Daniel replied. "It's a straight you have it or you don't result. So without any Ancient tech to play with we won't know – and I think we can all agree that letting Major Lorne play with that pyramid wouldn't be the best idea. We still don't know exactly what it would have done if it had reached the end of the countdown."
"Which reminds me," Jack turned to Lorne with a reproachful look. "You didn't do the job I gave you," he told Evan blandly.
"I know Sir," Lorne replied, meeting the General's eyes with an apologetic look as he took full responsibility for what had happened. "I'm sorry Sir ... believe me - finding out I have this gene is an even bigger surprise to me than it is to everyone else. I know that put Doctor Jackson in jeopardy."
"Oh please," Daniel scoffed at General O'Neill. "You didn't give him the protect Doctor Jackson speech did you Jack? From memory you didn't exactly excel at that yourself when you were leading SG-1."
"You're still here Danny boy," Jack pointed out smugly.
"I think that was due to a combination of Oma Desala and sheer dumb luck than to anything you did Jack," Daniel teased back.
"You help a man return from the dead ... what ... three times now?" Jack shot a questioning look at Daniel, getting a shrug in reply, before continuing. "And this is what you get. Gratitude isn't what it used to be ... let this be a lesson to you Major," the General finished with a faint smirk.
"Stop teasing the man Jack," Daniel reproached.
Evan was amused by the interplay between Daniel and the General ... and reassured by the obviously deep friendship that existed as well. From experience he knew O'Neill was a reasonable man and Evan didn't really expect to cop major fallout from what had happened on P88-013. Minor fallout? Well, that might be a different story.
"How will this affect my assignment Sir?" Lorne asked, bracing himself for an unfavourable response.
"For the time being it won't," General O'Neill replied simply. "I expect you to volunteer to assist if any more Ancient gizmos turn up out of the blue ... other than that it's business as usual."
"Thank you Sir," Evan felt relieved at the most basic level. He'd continue with SG-6 as normal and push all thoughts of his genetic connection to the Ancients from his mind. Ancient gizmos didn't exactly grow on trees so with any luck he wouldn't be called on for anything remotely connected to them in the foreseeable future. Of course, if they needed someone to help them test that ancient flying ship then he'd be more than happy to assist.
Authors Note:
Lorne has the ATA gene - yay! The story will shift to Atlantis somewhere in the next chapter ... although playing with Daniel and Jack has been much fun *grins*. You'll note that as far as I'm concerned a blood test wouldn't tell you who's the strongest gene holder ... I don't know for sure, but it makes more sense that you'd either have the gene or not - the strength is in how able you are to make use of it.