Chapter 8

It was impossible for a MALP to get through to the other side. SG-1 and Skarra had been kidnapped and there was no way to get to them to help them. They were stuck.

"Sir, I think that SG-1 will figure out a way to return," Walter said as Hammond stood in the control booth, staring at the Stargate. "I mean, they've been in how many impossible situations, and they've always come back."

"This time, the aliens they're dealing with are an unknown factor," Hammond reminded him. "According to their initial reports, these people were peaceful, but what happened here were not the actions of a peaceful people. I don't know what to make of it."

"Well, it kind of reminds me of what happened with the Tollans," Walter said, fiddling with a computer mouse. "Remember how we wanted to help them and Maybourne wanted to lock them up? Maybe we've got two groups in conflict over SG-1."

"But why take them back?" Hammond wanted to know. "If they had left the planet, they would have ceased to be a problem, right? So why?"

Neither one could answer that.

"Do you think the Tok'ra or the Asgard could help us out?" Walter asked after a moment of quiet. "You know, take a ship and scout the planet? Maybe mount a rescue?"

"We've already contacted them. The Tok'ra's present resources won't allow it, and the Asgard are still discussing it in their Council. They've promised to contact us as soon as…"

An Asgard transportation cut him off, and he and Walter were left staring at Thor.

"It's good to see you, Thor," General Hammond said, smiling. "How are you?"

"I am well, General Hammond, thank you. I bring word from the Council."

"And?"

"We know of these Ghenta, and you were right in your description of them as peaceful. They are scholars, researchers, artists, and always ready to learn and discover. What they have done does not make sense, and they do not possess the level of technology you described. This disturbs the Council greatly."

"Well, we can't penetrate their Stargate, and we don't know how else to help SG-1," Hammond said, laying his worries out. "Do you or the Council have any ideas?"

Thor blinked and looked at him. "The Council is willing to send a ship to Ghenta to investigate, and if necessary, rescue O'Neill and the others. Also, the one going will investigate this new technology and determine from where the Ghenta obtained it."

"Thank you, Thor. Who is it that will be going?"

"I shall be the one," Thor promised him. "This matter concerns me very much. As soon as I have anything to report, I shall contact the Council and you as well." With that, Thor disappeared.

"You know what?" Walter said, sounding very surprised but also very pleased. "I agree with Colonel O'Neill. I love those guys."

"So do I," General Hammond agreed. "Keep a channel open."

"Yes, sir."

Space

Korh smiled as he watched the screen and enjoyed the reactions of those gathered behind him. All eight people made up the Ghenta Council, and all of them were very, very surprised at the aliens' appearance and behavior. Also, they had been amazed at the level of technology and knowledge they possessed about the Shabbah.

"This is incredible," said Head Fallana, staring at the screen. "They're…actually people from another world!"

"Initial reports indicate that they may be the same people as those who made up the Cahvel culture. Our anthropologists and biologists report that their skeletal structure is the same, with the only exception being that they're a little taller than the Cahvels and some very slight differences in skull shape," Korh said, very pleased with their reactions. "Imagine what they could tell us about the Cahvels! A centuries-old mystery explained!"

Yura, an archeology and history enthusiast, shifted colors intensely, his excitement plain.

"Imagine what we could learn about them," Fallana pointed out. It was well-known that Fallana enjoyed anthropology since it had been her concentration of study when she'd been younger. "I mean, they claim to be from Tau'reh, and Tau'reh is mentioned in what we've been able to translate of the Cahvel writings! Is the Council agreed to meeting them?"

Readily, the Council agreed, and Korh led them into the room where the Tau'reh were. They spent most of their time together in the room that held all their learning materials, mostly talking in Tau'reh or finding ways to pass the time. By that point, they had attempted to bargain with him, agreeing to only certain parts of his proposal and refusing others, but he was certain that if he persuaded the Council that the Tau'reh were assets as well as people in need of protection (after all, their base had been infiltrated so easily) he would be able to control them completely and not incidentally, the information they could supply. Once he had the Council's approval, it wouldn't matter if the Tau'reh wished to remain or not, or if they wished to submit to tests or not. The matter would be out of their hands entirely.

He had already performed some exams with his own medical team—vivisections, mostly, while they'd still been unconscious—and had found their internal systems complex but efficient. Further scans of their bodies during the vivisections had revealed the cellular structure of their bodies and the substances within them. Now, he wished them to take intelligence and psychological exams, and to cooperate with his other specialists. If the Council agreed, then they would have no way of resisting.

Korh had noticed something over the past few days since the Tau'reh had been brought back to Ghenta. The one called Dannul was often surrounded by the others, almost as if they were trying to protect him. The one called Skarra was the most vociferous in his protection, Jack was the most steadfast, Teal'c was the strongest, and Carter was the most determined. Altogether, they formed the best bodyguard that Korh had ever seen. Skarra often shouted at Korh if he tried to get close to Dannul, and when that happened the others would quietly watch until Korh moved away again. According to reports from Ahntas' team Dannul was the one who learned the fastest and had the most fluency in Ghenta, but the other Tau'reh were not allowing anyone near him, Korh least of all.

Space

Jack sat beside Daniel while he read to them from a Ghenta book. It was a book full of tales and legends and myths and he knew Daniel found them all fascinating, and stories were a good way for everyone to pass the time. However, Jack was only half-listening since he was worried about a great many things at the moment, not the least of which was Daniel. While he seemed to be getting better, a visit from Korh was enough to send him into catatonia. Skarra said that while Daniel did not consciously remember Korh, his spirit did, and so he reacted by withdrawing to a place inside where he could be safe from Korh. Jack would have loved for Mackenzie to hear that explanation, because Abydonians seemed to have a better grasp of psychology than he did at times.

Another worry was Korh. Korh kept on wanting them to submit to physical examinations, and most of them were invasive. He stated very calmly to Korh that he'd already performed those examinations while they'd been drugged and they were not going to go through them again. He could use the information he already had to learn from. Jack and the rest of his team--and Skarra, God bless the kid--were willing to take the psych tests, educational tests, and language tests, but they would not undergo any more physical exams. They were firm on refusing, but Korh was just as firm in insisting. For the time being, they were in a deadlock, and Jack felt as if he were stuck. Korh wasn't willing to accept their terms, but they weren't willing to accept his. Something had to happen soon or he would go nuts.

The door opened, revealing Korh and eight other people. Great. Now they were a sideshow. He heard Daniel stop reading and quickly he checked on him. Daniel was staring at Korh, clearly worried, but he was still in the waking world. Good, an improvement.

"The Tau'reh," Korh declared as he led the eight Ghenta inside. "Sam, Jack, Tilk, Dannul, and Skarra."

"You were reading?" one of the females said, clearly surprised and pleased.

Daniel nodded, staring down at the book in his hands. "Keihn. Dannul lir."

All of the Ghenta with Korh shifted colors, surprised. Clearly, hearing their own language coming from an alien was a treat.

"Tau'ri san lir," Carter said, eliciting further surprise. It was true, too. They had all learned to read and write, and they had taught Skarra in the few days they'd been back on Ghenta. While they'd been teaching Skarra it was clear to all of them that Daniel had definitely rubbed off on him since he'd said more than once that the language was "fascinating" and he had "no idea" when he didn't know something.

There was a flurry of Ghenta talking, and so the Council did not see what Korh did: the Tau'reh were very carefully surrounding Dannul, protecting him. Amazing. Dannul wasn't hurt physically, but it appeared that he was hurt in his mind. So, the Tau'reh reacted to mind-hurt just as strongly as they would to physical injury. That was very interesting. Even more interesting was the way that Dannul seemed to accept the protection without a qualm or protest. Korh knew from observation that none of the other Tau'reh felt in need of protection and often protested when one of their number offered it. So, it seemed they had reached a consensus--consciously or unconsciously--to protect Dannul.

Falanna spoke up then. "Korh, they are wonderful!"

The Council shifted colors in response, and it was clear that they agreed wholeheartedly. Then, they noticed that Dannul was translating for the others, and they shifted colors again.

"Can they leave this facility?" Falanna asked, looking the Tau'reh over.

That surprised him. "Leave? What do you mean?" What was this, now?

"Well, we wish them to learn about Ghenta, but how can they do that while they're stuck inside? The rest of the Council and I were discussing this before we arrived today. Some of us would like to take a Tau'reh home with us so they may learn about our homes and our lives outside of this facility."

For a few moments, Korh couldn't speak. Then, panic began to rise. He'd had no idea that the Council would wish to have the Tau'reh as houseguests! They were aliens! Even worse, what if Dannul told them about what had happened to him? Already it was too late for him to say no, for Falanna was speaking to them, offering them the chance to go home with a Councilmember for the night. He heard the Tau'reh confer in their own language, and after a few moments they gave an answer that he knew was 'yes.'

He was doomed, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Space

Skarra insisted on going with Dannul wherever he went, so when Falanna invited Daniel to her home, he had Daniel tell her in no uncertain terms that he was going, too. She accepted this gladly, and O'Neill told all of them that if things got ugly their rendezvous point was the temple that held the Chappa'ai. They rode with the Council in another odd vehicle that did not need mastadges to pull it, and they exited it with Falanna after only a few minutes. She led them down a paved walkway lined with flowers that made Daniel sneeze, and then she led them into a house. She welcomed them by inviting them to have a seat and offered them both something to drink. Both declined, and a moment afterward, she said something. Ahntas appeared, looking grim but oddly hopeful.

"I told Falanna what happened to you, Dannul," he said in explanation after greeting them both. "She is suspicious of Korh, as well. She says that he has been doing things that have been worrying the Council for some time, and he has technology that he should not have. She said that she'll need your help and mine to keep him from hurting anyone else, as well as finding out where he got the technology he has, and how he knew to work the Shabbah to retrieve you. He should not know that, yet he does. We are worried."

Daniel translated, too surprised to do more than that. Skarra shook his head. "I do not understand, Daniel," he said, too confused.

"Well, they're saying that they want to find out how Korh did the things he did," Daniel said, beginning to count things off on his fingers. "First, he knew how to work the Stargate Chappa'ai when no one else on this planet knows how to work it. How did he learn to use it? Second, how did he come through the iris into the SGC? No one should have been able to do that. Third, he sent the demon to hurt me, and she fears that he may have done the same to others or will do the same in the future. She says that she needs our help to stop him."

Skarra nodded his understanding. "O'Neill and the others should know this."

Daniel translated, and Ahntas shifted colors, displaying his relief. "We will take you to them," he said as Falanna rose and began to lead them through the house to a back door. "Thank you, Daniel, Skarra."

Daniel only nodded. He didn't feel much like 'helping' the Ghenta, yet he knew that it had been Korh who had hurt him and not Ahntas, his team, or the Council. If helping them meant stopping Korh, then he was ready and willing. Perhaps by helping them, he would be able to keep Korh from hurting anyone else. Only Skarra's continued presence and support had kept him from freaking when it came to being separated from the rest of SG-1, and he wanted to spare others from being so afraid.