Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG1. If you recognize a character it belongs to the Franchise. All that belongs to me is this specific plot and my characterization of the Furlings.

Author's Note #1: Due to the expanding length of this chapter, it is has been divided into two parts. This is part one. Part two will (hopefully) come soon. Then the plot will start to move more quickly.

The 12th of Ihom – Day 1

Exhausted after a long day, Daniel had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had climbed into bed the previous night. He did not wake up, so his watch told him, until almost 10am earth time the next morning. What that corresponded to on Uslisgas, Daniel did not know. He climbed from his very comfortable new bed with a yawn, scrubbing a hand across the growing whiskers on his chin as he did so. The Tollan had some device, the real purpose of which they had failed to explain, that subbed for a razor in a pinch. He hoped the Furlings would have a similar device also: he was not overly fond of himself with a beard.

After changing quickly from the clothes the Nox had given him, which he was using as night clothes, into his BDUs, Daniel made his way back downstairs, looking around for Sujanha as he did so. There was no sign of the Supreme Commander, but as Daniel rounded the corner into the 'kitchen,' he was surprised to find Ruarc sitting at the table, drinking a mug of some drink that smelled vaguely like spiced tea.

"Good morning, Doctor Jackson."

"Good morning, Ruarc. I wasn't expecting to find you here."

"My lady was called away several hours ago to deal with fleet business. She told me, however, that you were very short on personal supplies. If you are not too weary after yesterday, I am supposed to escort you to the city and make sure you find what you require."

"Lady Sujanha said yesterday that I was going to be supplied money, but the money cannot have come through all ready, can it?" Used to bureaucracies and chains of command on earth, Daniel could not believe that the High Council or whichever body supplied the money could move that quickly.

"The process is not at all complicated and was completed earlier this morning. The money will be available as credit when you wish to buy things at any of the shops."

"Wow," Daniel replied, quite surprised, "bureaucracies on earth never move that fast. Let me get some food first, and then I can go."

"Sujanha said that there is food in the cold box," Ruarc said, pointing with one giant paw to a large 'refrigerator' to the left of the cabinets, "and there is more spiced tea if you would like some," gesturing toward what was in his own mug.

Daniel moved toward the refrigerator, the door of which slid open at his approach. He saw a loaf of sliced bread and a plate of covered sliced meat of a dark color. There were other covered containers, too, but he was not feeling adventurous. Grabbing a plate off the stack on the counter, he retrieved enough food to make a breakfast sandwich and then sat down across from Ruarc.

"Won't I be keeping you away from your duties?"

Ruarc shook his head, "No. My brother and I actually have little to do when Lady Sujanha stays on Uslisgas, besides pass messages, run errands, or help around Headquarters."

"Is Uslisgas the name of this city or the planet?" Daniel asked curiously, as an aside. He had been wondering about that question since the previous day.

"Actually both," Ruarc replied, "Uslisgas is the name of this planet, our homeworld, and of the capital city."

It doesn't take long for to finish his breakfast and gulp down half a mug of spiced tea. He was used to eating breakfast on the run. The tea wasn't coffee (oh, how, he missed coffee), but it was still good. Soon enough they were leaving the house and making their way back down the lane to the walking path. The stones, he could now see in the better light, were expertly and precisely carved: Daniel, eyeballing the stones, doubted that he could slip a sheet of paper between any two, an interesting connection between this foreign world and his Egyptological roots. After about ten minutes of walking, this walking path widened out to become a much larger street that Ruarc said led straight to the capital city.

A comfortable silence fell across the pair for a short time. But after a time Daniel decided to take advantage of the walk back to the city to ask Ruarc several questions that he was either unsure how to ask Lady Sujanha properly or seemed too trivial to bother her with.

"Ruarc, what is the proper way to address the lady?"

"In private, 'Lady Sujanha' or 'Commander Sujanha' will do. 'Lady' would be the less formal address of the two and the one she usually prefers. 'Supreme Commander' is reserved for the most formal situations and times she is trying to make a point."

"Is 'Lady' a courtesy title or a sign of rank?"

"It can be both. Most often it is a title given out of respect to all women of our realm, though less often it is a sign of rank, as well. You will begin to recognize the difference soon, but it is never improper to address a woman as 'lady.'"

"Thanks. Do you mind answering another question?"

"I am at your service, Doctor Jackson. I will answer as many questions as you have that I know the answers to."

"Daniel."

"Pardon?"

"You don't need to keep calling me 'Doctor Jackson.' 'Daniel' is fine."

"As you wish, Daniel," said Ruarc, "What is your second question?"

"Yesterday, the High Chancellor said that I was granted 'all the rights and privileges of one of our own people,' of one of the Furlings. What exactly does that mean?"

"I suspect that it means much of what citizenship should mean on Midgard: protections by the laws, obedience to the laws, right to work in the government, free passage among our territories, and so on."

"Since I am a citizen but not a Furling, what kind of jobs can I get?"

"Kind?"

"Type. Category."

"By law, you are allowed to hold any job that you are qualified for. Once you learn our language, if you want to hold a job in the library, you can. If you want to work under High Councilor Kari, the Chief Ambassador, and meet other races and make treaties, you can. If you want to go work under Sujanha to help bring about the downfall of the Goa'uld, you can. You are allowed to hold any job for which you are qualified."

"You really mean any?" Daniel was slightly skeptical, thinking of how some government jobs in the United States were forbidden to naturalized citizens.

"In theory," Ruarc replied, unbothered by Daniel's skepticism, "you could rise through the ranks to sit on the High Council."

"In theory, but not in practice?" Daniel asked, feeling slightly confused.

"No, not exactly," Ruarc said slowly, "It is less common that non-Furlings sit on the High Council, but it has happened before and still does happen periodically. It is much more common to have non-Furlings one to two ranks lower in the military, for example."

"Why?"

"Except in very rare circumstances, all High Councilors and High Chancellors hold their positions for life, unless they choose voluntarily to step down. Because most races live for far, far less time than we Furlings do, it is less common that non-Furlings live long enough to rise to sit on the High Council."

Ruarc paused for a moment but continued when Daniel still looked puzzled, "How long do the people of Midgard live?"

"On average, 70 to 80 years by our measurements."

Ruarc was silent for several minutes, "My brother is better at figures than I am, but I believe I have done these calculations correctly. The shortest lived race in our galaxy lives for about 171 of your years, on average. Many more races live for between three to five times as long as you do. The Lapiths live for around 900 years, the Etrairs for at least 1500, the Iprysh for around 2300."

Daniel was flabbergasted. It was difficult for him to even comprehend living that long. Many of these peoples Ruarc was mentioning lived much longer even than the Nox. He could not imagine what it would be like to live that long, to be able to witness that much of human history on earth. "And the Furlings?" He asked. If the longest of these races lived for much less time than the Furlings, how long lived could the Furlings be?

"On average, my people live for about 5700 of your years. The longest lived of our race is said to have lived for nearly 9000 years."

For several minutes, Daniel was speechless. 5700 years was roughly as long as recorded history. 5700 years ago on earth, Narmer had not even united Egypt. In Sumer, there was not even proto-writings yet, although Sumer, the civilization, had been around for at least several hundred years. 9000 years was before ever recorded history, before Sumer. "How old is the lady? How old are you?"

"What is the current year on Midgard?" Ruarc asked.

"AD 1998," Daniel replied.

"Then Lady Sujanha was born around AD 487. My brother and I were born around AD 556."

AD 487, that meant Sujanha had been born about 11 years after the Roman Empire fell. Daniel could not imagine living that long: how much you could see, how much you could do, how many peoples you could meet, how many cultures you could experience. The possibilities were endless and staggering.

The silence lingered for a time as Daniel and Ruarc continued their walk toward Uslisgas. When they came to the crest of a small hill, they saw the city spread out before them. It was beautiful.

Finally, Daniel, thinking through all of what Ruarc had said, realized that he had spoken like they were not in the Milky-Way any longer. "A little big ago, you made a reference to the 'shortest lived race in our galaxy.' We aren't in the Milky-Way, then?" Daniel, in the huge influx of new information to remember and process, had forgotten that Ohper had already told him that the Furlings lived in a separate galaxy.

"If that is what you call the galaxy in which Midgard is located, than no we are not. This galaxy is called Asteria in our tongue. It is very far from your galaxy. That is why Ohper had to open the Stargate with a stone, not in the usual manner."

"How far is 'very far'?" Daniel asked, filing away the mention of the dialing 'stone' to ask about in future.

"It would take a Goa'uld mothership traveling at top speed without stops of any kind approximately 111 of your years to reach the borders of this galaxy."

"Yikes," Daniel muttered.

The two walked the rest of the way to Uslisgas in silence. All the while Daniel was pondering what he had learned so far about the Furlings. 111 years was a long time even for the Goa'uld and even longer for the Jaffa. It would be almost impossible for the Goa'uld, if they even knew about the Furlings, to mount an invasion against them, like the Goa'uld had tried to do on earth about five months before. Daniel wondered why then did the Furlings hate the Goa'uld so much. It could not be because they were in danger. Was it just because the Furlings hated what the Goa'uld stood for and what they did to the people of the Milky-Way? Or was there something more?

Ruarc broke the silence once they reached the outskirts of Uslisgas, "Which stores do you wish to visit first? What personal supplies do you wish to acquire first?"

"Some new clothes would be nice. I only have two pair. A razor would be nice, also."

Ruarc switched direction when Daniel mentioned clothes, turning on to a road that led off to one side, instead of continuing straight. "The shops for the clothes makers and sellers are at the south end of the Great Market. What is a 'razor'?"

"A razor is a sharp blade used to trim these," Daniel said, rubbing a hand across the whiskers on his chin.

"Ah, now I know to what you refer. We will acquire one for you before we leave."

Once they reached the Great Market, Ruarc led them into a two story, stone building. The inside was pleasantly warm. What of the walls he could see were decorated in neutral colors. There were shelves upon shelves of cloth of all types and of all colors. Through one aisle, Daniel could see racks of pre-made clothing towards the back of the store. The store seemed empty as they first entered.

"Rho," called Ruarc.

'Rho,' is that a name? Daniel wondered.

A voice, pitched just high enough to suggest it might be a woman speaking, answered from the back of the store. Within a minute, the tap-tap-tap of footsteps was heard coming closer and closer toward where Daniel and Ruarc were waiting just inside the door.

The storekeeper who appeared around a corner was like nothing Daniel had ever seen, and (her?) appearance was so shocking and almost frightening that Daniel had to keep himself from taking a few steps back out of instinct. (She?) was humanoid and about the same height as Ruarc. Instead of skin or fur, she was covered in dark grey, overlapping scales. What nose she had was flattened into her skull with only large openings where her nostrils were. Similarly, her ears were barely prominent. Her large, dark eyes were deeply recessed into her skull and did not seem to have pupils.

Only once his heart slowed back down did Daniel realize that he thought he had seen someone like her before. The first time he had come through the Stargate, Daniel recalled that Katar's companion, whom he had only seen briefly and from a distance, had looked like her.

Seeming to notice his surprise and alarm, the woman had stopped slightly more than a polite distance away, careful to give Daniel space. Her dark eyes flickered back and forth between Ruarc and Daniel.

"Daniel, this is Rho Trunec, the owner of this store."

Ruarc then turned and spoke to Rho at length. Daniel was able to catch up some of the repeated words he had heard before during introductions, but Ruarc seemed to quickly finish the introductions and was on to something else. After he had finished, she gave a quick reply, and then Ruarc turned to Daniel.

"I have told Rho that you have recently come to Uslisgas and require a complete wardrobe. She wishes to know if you have any preference as to what style of clothes you wear?"

"Something similar to these would be nice but is not necessary," Daniel replied, gesturing toward his BDUs.

Rho led Daniel toward the back of the store where the racks of pre-made clothes were, and they set to work finding him a new wardrobe.

By the time three hours had passed, Daniel had a complete new wardrobe of three sets of BDU-like clothes in dark colors and two pairs of nightclothes along with under clothes, a light jacket, a heavy jacket for cold weather, and a good pair of gloves.

Ruarc settled the accounts with Rho and then led the way outside, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Daniel said, "but don't we need to get my clothes?" He was confused why Ruarc had led the way out without stopping to pick up the box of clothes that Rho had packaged up.

"We still have stops left to complete." Ruarc replied, glancing across at Daniel, "That box will be heavy enough that you would not want to carry it for several more hours. Rho will have it sent to the lady's house. It will be waiting for you there when you return."

"Oh, okay."

Ruarc and Daniel ate lunch at a different shop than Sujanha and Daniel had eaten at the previous evening. This new outdoor shop sold piping hot bowls of fragrant, spicy soup and mugs of tea that smelled a little like chai. The seller was a frail looking woman named Deayi from a race Ruarc called the Cesneors.

After lunch, the two wandered around the Great Square for several more hours, picking up the odds and ends that Daniel still needed: a razor-like contraption, a stack of books with blank paper (for Daniel to keep his journals in), a clock that Ruarc promised to modify so it would tell time in Arabic numerals, a small contraption (the function of which was unclear, but the use of which Ruarc said he would explain later), and a few other things. After finishing with the shopping, they just people-watched for a little while, giving Daniel a chance to observe what seemed to be a normal day at the market, letting him get more of an idea of how Uslisgas functioned.

The sun was just starting to set when Daniel and Ruarc left the city to return to Sujanha's home in the country. The walk back from the city was quieter than the walk to the city had been. Daniel was lost in thought, and Ruarc was content to let the comfortable silence linger.

The lights in Sujanha's house were on as they two reached the lane that led up to the house.

"Your boxes will be in the house. The money for those things will be deducted from your account at the end of the week," said Ruarc.

"Automatically?" Daniel asked, thinking of how he paid bills on earth, "Or is there anything I need to do?"

"The deduction is automatic," Ruarc answered, slowing his pace as they got close to the front door, "I will return tomorrow after the mid-day meal to help set up your clock for your way of writing and make some adjustments to the program that helps run the house."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, and thanks for the help today."

"It was my pleasure."

Ruarc left the way he had come, and Daniel entered the house. Two boxes, one large and one small, were sitting inside just out of the way of the walking path. Both wear labeled neatly with what he guessed with his name written in the Furling alphabet.

Proceeding further into the house, Daniel found Sujanha sitting at the table in the kitchen. A mug of spiced tea sat by her left paw. She was engaged in typing something slowly on a tablet but looked up immediately as he came around the corner.

"Doctor Jackson, I hope you had a pleasant day."

"Quite. Ruarc was kind enough to show me around the city. Thank you for sparing him."

"I had no need of his services today, and aiding you provided him with a task to complete. He was glad to be of service." She paused long enough to tap the tablet twice more but then continued, "There is food if you are hungry," motioning towards a large bowl on one of the counters, its lid fogged with condensation[SRM1] .

"Thanks," Daniel replied. Now that he actually stopped to think a moment he was hungry after the long walk back to Sujanha's home.

Once Daniel was sitting at the table eating his way through a bowl of good, though somewhat bland, stew, and had a few minutes to eat, he asked, "How was your day, lady?"

"Quite busy," she replied, "planning the fall of the Goa'uld is a complicated and time-consuming task, especially when they are in a different galaxy." Her voice sounded very tired.

"I can't even imagine," Daniel answered honestly. Nothing of what he had done at the SGC the past year plus could even compare to what the commander was planning.

Silence fell. Several minutes later, Sujanha gave a sigh and shut off her tablet. After taking a final swallow from her mug of tea, she rose slowly and almost stiffly from the tablet and took her mug back over to the counter. Daniel wondered briefly if she was ill, as her movements were so unlike what they had been the last two days when she had moved with all the grace and speed of a jungle cat on the prowl.

"Is there anything I could do to help you?" Daniel asked, thinking of what Ruarc had said earlier and of the knowledge he had gained about the Goa'uld during his time on SG1.

"Yes, in time there will be," Sujanha replied, turning and leaning back against the counter. "I have need of detailed information about the organization of the Goa'uld, about their numbers, about their home worlds, and about what worlds or peoples could be possible allies or must be protected from the Goa'uld. Thor has been able to provide me with some information, via his contact with the Goa'uld over the Protected Planets Treaty, but his information is less in depth over some of those issues than I suspect yours will be, considering your exploration of the galaxy and the fact that you had a Jaffa as a teammate."

"Any information I can give is yours, gladly, at any time," Daniel said, his mind returning to thoughts of Sha're and Skaara, "Anything to see the downfall of the Goa'uld."

"I will be glad for your aid, but it need not be for a few days. There will be time enough after you have some time to adjust more to our ways."