"We have to stop meeting like this, Carter."
Sam pulled up to a dead stop with Teal'c close behind. She was red-faced and had abandoned her boonie to scrub a hand through her hair in frustration.
"They won't let us dial out, sir."
"What?"
"I tried to reason with them."
"Indeed. Major Carter was most persuasive with her argument."
"But?"
"The Otakai warriors refused to listen and appeared to be most interested in Major Carter's other attributes."
"They ogled you, Carter?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it that, sir," Sam stumbled over her words and finally gave up. "Okay, then yes, they refused to take me seriously. To be fair, I don't think they were ever going to listen to our request."
"How so?"
"Teal'c gave them his most threatening stare."
Jack looked between the two of them and then settled on Teal'c. "That whole way of the warrior, death glare didn't work?"
Teal'c opened his mouth to speak but Sam beat him to the punch. "Not so much as a flinch, sir."
Jack looked over Sam's shoulder to the small village square and the Stargate situated at its heart. The sun was directly above the 'gate, beating down with enough force that he had to cover his eyes from the glare coming off the topmost chevron. Otakai warriors formed an almost perfect circle around the 'gate, canvassing not only its perimeter, but the DHD as well. Asmun was nowhere in sight.
"They're waiting for us to do something stupid," he said dryly.
Teal'c grumbled his disapproval loud enough for the closest warriors to turn in his direction. "Yet they have made no attempt to disarm us."
"Except on our conjugal visits to Daniel."
"Perhaps we're not a big enough threat," Sam stated flatly, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Oh, we're a threat to them. Asmun knows as much. He just doesn't believe we'd be stupid enough to do anything that might force him to open up that capsule he's imbedded in Daniel's wrist. No, Carter, the man is clearly confused and under pressure here, which makes him dangerous."
"You managed to talk to him? What did he say?"
"Let's just say that our archaeologist tried his hand at galactic good-guy while he was ascended. Took the role of Moses a whole step further and, instead of parting the waters, he turned them back completely."
Sam stared at him blankly. "Sir?"
"Daniel took a leaf out of Oma's book and crossed the line to save these people. And in two night's time, he'll get the chance to do that again when this whole gully floods."
"That's the test?"
"No enough for you, Carter? You need something a little more First Commandment?"
She withered a little under his scrutiny. "Sorry, sir… no. Teal'c and I did find evidence that a flood had come through this gully fairly recently, so it must be a yearly event, probably the result of the change in weather melting the snow on the Alps." She looked past Jack and nodded towards a nearby range of mountains. "Flash flooding would be an almost certainty here."
"Nothing almost about it, Carter. The way Asmun tells it, this was the first time he'd settled the clan in this area, so he had no idea they were in danger. Along comes Daniel to not only play god, but couple that with his resemblance to this Arra of theirs, and, well… you can see the problem."
"It would be most difficult for a devoutly religious people to be swayed from their reasoning in the face of such proof," Teal'c agreed.
"Yeah, well proof is the name of the game here. In Daniel's own words- he's damned if he can prove himself and damned if he can't."
Sam smiled tightly and turned back towards the Stargate and its ring of neatly placed Otakai warriors. "If we can find a way to convince them to let us dial out, then I think I have an idea how to save Daniel."
"Plan A?"
"I'd call it plan Lee."
"Lee? That sniveling weasel of a-"
"Whatever you might think of him, sir, when he's left to his own devices he can do some brilliant work. "
"Give it to me straight, Carter."
"Actually…" Sam took one last look at the Otakai and stepped closer to Jack. "Might be best if we hold off on the details until we're sure we can't be overheard."
"Ah, right. So, Fraiser?"
~oOo~
"There is to be no further contact with your people until this matter has been revolved." Asmun stood fast, his hands clasped behind his back in a posture Jack was sure was meant to radiate defiance. It wasn't working. Lack of leadership qualities not withstanding, Jack simply wasn't buying the guy's act. There was a nervousness about Asmun that worried him.
"No? That's it… just no?"
"What more is there to say, Colonel?"
"How about, oh… I don't know… yes? I've already given you my word we won't try to break Daniel out. Hell, even if we could, the guy wouldn't go."
"And for that I only have your word?" Asmun still refused to face Jack.
"Hey, leader to leader here… I'm showing you some respect."
"No, you are bargaining from a position of lesser strength."
"Fine. You don't believe me, then why don't you march yourself across to that tiny cell you've got your god holed up in and ask him?"
Jack could see Asmun's shoulder muscles ripple under his shirt, a sure sign his last comment had struck a chord with the man.
"What? You that unsure of your position here?"
Asmun spun to face him, eyes dark and unreadable. Jack almost flinched.
"Chose your words wisely, Colonel. The village elders may have their opinion on your companion, but I control the device that can end his life."
"See, I'm a little confused about how that works. On one hand you're quick to kill him, but on the other you want to prove he's this great god of yours. Not a whole lot of sense there."
"Your point?"
"What the hell is going on here? Daniel does this test of yours and fails. Then what? You kill him for that failure or is the device intended to make sure he actually makes the attempt? Seems like a pretty harsh way to treat your god, don't you think?"
Asmun once again presented his back to Jack and resumed staring out the window. "I speak for the clan, but that is all I do. The other elders lead by quorum and control the critical affairs of all Otakai. In this way, we have lived for thousands of years."
"So you're a figurehead only?"
"My words hold weight, but only in certain situations."
"And this isn't one of them."
"No."
"Then help us out here! You have to know Daniel isn't this god of yours."
Shoulders slumping ever so slightly, Asmun turned slightly to look over his shoulder, offering Jack the first sincere expression he'd seen from the man.
"That thought had occurred to me. I am not without compassion, but neither will I be swayed by the faith of another man's convictions. I know what I saw on the night Daniel Jackson visited us, and yet you have offered no proof to explain why I should believe this was not him."
"I'm not asking you to believe it wasn't him. All I'm trying to prove is that he's not this god of yours and that what you're about to do will end badly for all of us if you don't stop it now."
Asmun pulled out his chair and sat down heavily, his hands seeking the heavily bound book off to one side of his table.
"Arra tells us that truth can be found where doubt hides most, and that only a fool would listen to words spoken by the wise and not the words themselves."
"Ah, then Arra is most… wise."
"You have no idea what that means, do you?"
"Sure!" Jack chuckled lightly and then mellowed at Asmus bewildered look. "Okay, no, not really, but somewhere in there I heard the words 'truth' and 'wise', and they hold a lot of weight where I come from."
"Perhaps our world can learn something from yours after all."
"Daniel's the diplomat here and he can explain these things a whole lot better than I can, but we came here to offer our help to you people, to make friends. This is what we do."
"Then explain to me why I should believe Daniel Jackson is not Arra."
Jack drew in a long breath and looked briefly up at the ceiling, as though asking for his own divine intervention, before turning his attention back to Asmun. "You remember Daniel mentioned Oma, right?"
To be continued...
