Chapter 3: Aether; Sand and Sky
"How're you doing?"
Sam lifted her eyes from the ground. "Huh?"
"How're you doing, Carter?" Jack asked again, breaking the silence that had been with them for the past couple hours.
"With what, sir?"
"Life." Jack shrugged.
"I think you already asked me that, sir." Truth was she honestly didn't want to talk about it any more. She was tired of talking, tired of explaining to people how it felt to lose your best friend and one of the few other women you work with…Sick of telling people what it was like to wake up every other night and find Cassie crying for Janet.
She stopped for a moment, using the canteen as an excuse as she took a long drink from it. Jack paused as well, turning.
"Carter, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to upset you or anything…"
Sam shook her head. "No, sir, you of all people have the least to feel sorry about. You were there when I needed it, thank you."
"Any time."
They lapsed into silence again, and Sam continued walking, head down, trying to find patterns in the swirling sands. She looked up, bored with the same brown color. Above her the sky was filled with wisps of clouds that strangely resembled the sands.
"Wonder if they've got hockey on this planet…" Jack mused.
Sam looked at him, raising her eyebrows from behind her sunglasses. Jack grinned cheekily.
"I don't think so either."
They stopped around midday at the base of yet another dune. While Jack sat down to eat, Sam climbed the dune with a pair of binoculars. She lay on her stomach at the ridge, staring out and willing herself to see something other than sand.
She lifted the binoculars to her eyes. "Sir!"
Jack was at her side in a moment, grabbing the binoculars away from her. "What? What'd you…oh hey look't that."
Barely visible on the horizon was something, just discernable from the dunes, something moving.
"You think that's them?" Jack asked, turning to Sam and slinging his pack on.
"Let's hope so."
They hurried down the other side of the dune, keeping their eyes on the dark mass. It got closer and closer, though the distance was still far. After a little while, when the mass had become obviously a caravan of some sort, two objects separated and came towards Jack and Sam.
Jack was ready for a confrontation, his hands on his P90, tense, ready to fight. But the two people approaching them on the backs of animals halfway between camels and horses showed no signs of attack. They stopped afew feet from Sam and Jack, dismounting and smiling pleasantly. A man and woman, neither younger than 60, with weather tanned skin and a healthy glow about them.
"Greetings, strangers," the man said. "I am Alal and this is my wife Thea. We are the leaders of this tribe."
"Uh…hi." Jack cautiously released his grip on his gun. "I'm Col. Jack O'Neill and this is Major Samantha Carter. We're…explorers."
Thea smiled at them. "I hope you have not been traveling long on your own?"
"Three days," Sam said. "We came from the Stargate." She made a large circular gesture in the air and it seemed to get the point across because Alal nodded.
"Yes, we know where that is. We used to have a settlement around it, but the water was poisoned during one of the Shiftings."
"The Shiftings?"
As though in answer to Sam's question a sudden low growling echoed across the sand, the same growling they had heard in the rocks. This time it was all around them however, and was accompanied by tremors that ran under their feet and caused the sands to shift back towards the rocks. Jack fell to his knees, grabbing Sam by the arm to keep himself somewhat steady. The animals that Alal and Thea had been riding made upset groaning noises and pawed at the ground, trying to back away but Alal held tight to their reigns.
"They happen at certain points during the year," Thea explained. "We do not understand what causes them, just that they happen. It is a small price to pay for our freedom."
Jack got back to his feet, trying his best not to look embarrassed. "Freedom? From what?"
"We would be more than happy to tell you our story if you would accompany us back to the camp." Alal said. He eyed their weapons cautiously. "Assuming you won't breach our hospitality and attack us."
"Of course not," Sam assured him. "It's just sometimes we've been to planets with hostile life forms…we have to defend ourselves."
It was odd, but neither Alal nor Thea seemed surprised by the idea of them traveling to other planets. The couple merely nodded, agreeing with Sam's explanation.
The camp reminded Sam of some sort of gypsy caravan. There were many families, each one seeming to live out of a large covered carriage pulled by one or two of the strange camel/horse creatures. There were a few brightly colored tents scattered between the carriages, children ran across the sands, chasing small dogs or carrying water back from the well that the camp was grouped around.
"Reminds me of Abydos, a bit." Jack murmured. " 'cept more colorful."
People smiled and waved at them as they followed Alal and Thea through the camp to a large tent on the far side. Inside they sat on soft cushions and Alal brought them water and some intriguing looking fruit that Sam was eager to try, but Jack just turned his nose up at.
"So you were saying…?" Jack said, sticking his legs out in front of him.
"Ah yes." Thea sat gracefully, smoothing her hands over the light colored robes she was wearing. "Aeons ago our people served a god who's name has been lost in time. He made them work and die to worship him, and soon it grew to be too much. They escaped through the Chaapa'ai, your Stargate, and traveled from planet to planet until they found this one. For a year our ancesters wandered the desert, until they finally came upon a great oasis and there they founded the city of Irem. From Irem, our people have populated many smaller cities."
"And the god," Jack said. "He never came looking for you?"
"He was a false god," Alal scoffed, scowling. "All of his kind are. Perhaps you have heard of them…the goa'uld?"
Sam nodded, intrigued by how much these people seemed to know. "Yeah…we've been spending the past few years helping to fight the goa'uld."
"Then you are friends of ours indeed." Alal said, bowing slightly.
"But didn't come looking for you?" Jack repeated.
"No." Thea shook her head. "We don't know why, but no goa'uld has set foot on this planet. Perhaps they are afraid of the many dangers here."
"If it's so dangerous how come you guys live here?"
Alal and Thea exchanged a knowing smile, one of those silent communications that those who have been married for a long time seem to be able to share. Thea spoke. "We live in harmony with the desert, Colonel. Those of us who wander the sands follow the basic principles of unity and balance. Everything has its balance, once you find that, you can live in safe harmony with anything in the universe."
Alal turned to them curiously. "So what has brought you out to our nearly forgotten planet?"
"Like we said, we're explorers." Sam said. "We go to other planets and try to meet other races, become allies with them. We could tell there was life on this planet, and just wanted to find out if you could help our fight against the goa'uld."
"Ah." Thea smiled sadly. "Well, I'm sorry that it isn't anything specific we are doing to keep tehm at bay, or we would tell you. But you may count us among your friends and allies, for we will gladly befriend any enemy of the false gods."
"Great." Jack stuck his cap back on his head. "We'll be sure to pass along the good news to our people, but I think Carter and I should really be heading back now. We've got a long trip ahead of us."
Alal frowned, getting to his feet as Jack and Sam did. "You're returning to the Stargate?"
"Yeah."
"Through the rocks?"
"That's the only way." Jack tilted his head a little to one side, frowning. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"You will not be able to reach it. The rocks can only be passed during the shifting times."
Sam scowled a little as well. "What do you mean?"
"Many of us have tried, on many occasions, to pass the rocks outside of the shifting times," Thea said, standing and placing a hand on her husband's arm. "It does not work. You will find yourself exiting on the same side that you entered."
Jack shot Sam a skeptical look. "How?"
"I do not know." Thea shook her head. "But if you do not believe us, take one of the Thul – the animals pulling our wagons – and ride back to the rocks. The Shifting will be over by the time you reach them and you will see that we speak the truth."
"How long will it take?" Jack asked.
"From here to the rocks on Thul back…" Alal thought a moment. "You can make it in an hour if you make the beast run."
"Right." Jack adjusted his cap. "Carter, you hang out here for a while, I'll be back in a couple hours. I'll keep in radio contact."
"Yes, sir." Sam nodded, then watched as Jack left with Alal.
Thea put a hand on Sam's back. "Come, Samantha, you must be hungry and I would love to hear stories of your people…"
By the time Jack had returned the sky was dark and the people of the camp were lighting fires and cooking dinner. Sam had spent the afternoon talking with Thea in the main tent, or walking around the camp with the older woman, exchanging stories.
"They were right." Jack said angrily, walking into the tent where Sam sat with Thea and Alal. The colonel dropped his pack heavily to the ground. "I tried in five different places but each time me and that damned animal just ended up right where we'd come in. It didn't make any sense."
"When's the next Shifting?" Sam asked, turning to Thea.
Thea shook her head. "Not until after winter passes, many months from now."
"Damnit!" Jack said loudly. All eyes turned towards him. "Is there any other way back to the gate? Around the rocks maybe?"
"The time it would take to travel around the rocks would be very long," Alal said gravely. "It would be longer than waiting for the next Shifting."
"So what?" Jack asked grumpily. "Carter and I just sit around here for a God knows how long, waiting for the next Shifting?"
"No. It is dangerous to remain in one place during this time of the year," Thea said. "Let alone remain without the protection of a caravan. C'thiu and Chaklah'i roam the desert, among other even more vile things."
"Ooookkkkaayyy…" Jack raised his eyebrows, turning to give Sam a questioning look. "So…"
"You should travel with us," Alal said, sounding almost eager. "You will be welcomed into the tribe…"
"I don't know…" Jack gave Sam another look, this one apprehensive. "I really think we should be trying to find a way back."
"I don't think there is another way back, sir," Sam said. She pulled her radio out of it's vest pocket, pushing the button on it a couple times. "Our radios don't even work, neither does some of the equipment I have with me. The Shifting has got to enact some sort of field over the surface of the planet…Unless we can find a way back to the gate, I don't think there are any other options."
"Perhaps if you journeyed with us to Irem, you would be able to find someone who could help you," Alal suggested.
Sam shrugged in Jack's direction. "It might be our best bet, sir."
The camp was asleep long before Sam felt ready to. She and Jack had been lent a spare wagon, supplies, and Thul animal, whom Jack had ceremoniously named 'Homer'.
Leaning her back against one of the wagon's broad wheels, Sam stared up at the sky. It was covered in so many stars that there were barely any black parts left.
"Mmmm…did you try this, Carter?" The silence was broken by the sound of Jack's voice. "This meat. I have no idea what it is, but it tastes like steak." He sat down next to Sam, waving a drumstick under her nose.
"That's alright, sir, I ate while you were gone."
"Oh." Jack discarded the soon meatless bone into the sand and looked up at the sky. "Lotsa stars."
"They don't have any artificial lights on this planet," Sam said quietly. "No pollution, nothing to interfere with light reaching the surface."
"Wish I had my telescope with me." Jack craned his head back, looking skyward, one hand absentmindedly picking up fistfuls of sand and letting them fall through his fingers. "What do you think, Carter? Are we gonna get back home soon?"
"I hope so. Cassie needs me…and I had things I was working on…"
"And if we can't? Will it really be that horrible? Think of it as an extended vacation."
"But-"
"Daniel and Teal'c can look after Cassie. Your work can wait."
Sam gave him an odd look. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the way he was talking. "Sir…do you not want us to get home?"
"Honestly, Carter? I'd love to be back home, where there isn't any sand getting down the back of my shirt and where all I have to do is turn on a tap to get water, but…" He sighed heavily, shuffling his feet around a little before crossing his legs. "But I don't know."
Sam sighed, standing up. "Maybe we should get some sleep, sir." She motioned towards the wagon. "There's beds in there."
"Great. You go ahead. I'll be in in a minute."
Sam nodded, smiling lightly. "Goodnight, sir."
" G'night, Carter."