Chapter Two
The Glenmara had been watching the beings' strange behaviour with interest. They had followed their progress through the woods on the bank of screens in front of them. Strategically placed recording devices had been monitoring their behaviour ever since the Keepers of Hanrah had sent out the warning that someone or something had come through the Circle of Light.
From their observations of the unknown beings, they had noted what seemed to be a command structure within the group and an obvious interest in the obelisks. They had also exchanged amused glances over the one who appeared to be afraid to travel across the bridge and his companions' efforts to get him over to their side of the gorge. Now it seemed these beings were intent on greeting the Glenmara of this village. The Elders looked at each other, searching for signs in each other's faces as to whether they thought this was a good or a bad event, but no-one spoke: waiting instead for the senior Guardian to express her feelings on the matter.
Guardian of Amrak was tall even for a Glenmari, with fur the colour of cinnamon. She was highly regarded by her tribe for her calm manner and wise leadership. The Amrak Elders would take their lead from her regarding these visitors and she already knew that she wanted to meet with them: after all the Amrak were one of the most curious tribes and not afraid to experience new things and Guardian of Amrak was no exception. Fortunately, she thought to herself, the Hanrah were, on the whole, just as curious as the Amrak which was why they made such perfect partners and why this village ran so smoothly…unlike some of the tribal pairings she could think of.
Guardian of Amrak found herself experiencing two sets of emotions - excitement and anxiety. The last time the Circle had opened was a long time ago when she was just a child. She barely remembered what the visitors had been like: only recalling that her parents had been filled with fear in case the alien species had caused another illness among the Glenmara.
Her grandfather, on the other hand, had been excited by the event and had told her many stories of her people's long ago travels through the Circle of Light and the many adventures that Hunter Emarka and his fellow guild members had been on. She was one of the few among her people who believed that all of the stories about the Circle of Light told on festival days and at evening meal were based on fact. The stories implied that there were many forms of life on other planets; some similar to her own species, some as different as a Lal tree was from a Feather Bug. There were tales of great wonders and daring adventures but there were also stories of danger and trouble: of species that were warring and cruel.
These stories, and the fact that the last visitors her people had entertained had ended up passing on a dangerous illness to her people, were among the reasons that her people no longer opened the Circle of Light. Guardian of Amrak found herself hoping that the arrival of these beings heralded a grand tale of adventure and friendship rather than danger: the sort of tale that her grandfather would have loved and embellished over many tellings like all good Storytellers.
She turned from her contemplations and addressed her fellow Elders: "An interesting species, don't you think? Shall we see what they want?"
"They seem to be quite harmless," observed the current Storyteller of Amrak, shrugging his creamy coloured shoulders, "and they might make an interesting Story."
The rest of the Elders, both Amrak and Hanrah, nodded in agreement and trooped out onto the walkway, which led to the entrance to the village. They crowded together, leaning over the parapet to observe the arrival of the unknown beings. From below them, the one they believed to be the leader of the group called up to the Glenmara and their ears twitched at the sound of his speech. It sounded strangely flat, seeming to lack the lyrical tones of their own language.
Teacher of Amrak tried to imagine what it would be like to spend each day surrounded by voices with so little melody to them. Occasionally a Glenmari was born whose voice was not as melodious as the rest but this was an unusual occurrence and one which was regrettable. Perhaps, this alien had been born with some defect. She would like to hear the others speak so that she could find out if his voice was normal for his species.
"Do you think it's some sort of greeting?" asked Guardian of Hanrah. He turned to the elder and more experienced Guardian of Amrak, russet and amber ears pointed forward as if he sought her approval. She nodded at him, carefully hiding her amusement at his eagerness. She was well aware that he was keen to live up to his still recent appointment as a Guardian: one of the youngest ever chosen, he had admitted to her he felt overwhelmed by the age and wisdom of his colleagues, but he was keen to learn and she would not hurt his feelings for anything.
Now that the beings were closer, the Glenmara could see that, although they had four limbs and walked upright, they had no fur on their faces or hands at all. Perhaps this was why they wore coverings over almost all of their bodies – why, they even covered their feet! Something a Glenmari would only do on medical advice and then with reluctance. Also on closer inspection their faces seemed strangely flat and they had substantially smaller ears than that of the Glenmara.
"They're not a very attractive species," observed Hunter of Hanrah, visibly preening his fine coat. He was a middle-aged Glenmari with markings of gold and green, like most of his family. "Fancy having no fur!"
While Teacher of Amrak thought the beings strange, she didn't like the way her colleague was making negative judgements about them. Sometimes Hunter of Hanrah could be too concerned with outer beauty. "It is probably normal for their species," observed Teacher of Amrak. "I think they look interesting and we should invite them up."
"Wait a moment," Guardian of Amrak said, trying to keep her very young colleague's enthusiasm under control. Teacher of Amrak was always eager to experience new things and right now her coffee coloured ears were twitching in anticipation of talking to these strange beings. Guardian of Amrak felt the same but knew she had to keep her own enthusiasm in check, at least for the moment. "I think we need to take some sensible precautions."
She called to the leader of the muscular-looking Keepers awaiting her orders. He stepped forward: the golden chain across his chest, indicating he was the Chief Keeper, flashed in the sunlight.
"How may we serve?" he asked with palms out.
"Chief Keeper, I would like a small group of Keepers to arm themselves. They will guard the entrance to the village and take action if our visitors become aggressive. You will accompany us to meet our guests." Guardian of Amrak continued: "Please remind your men that this is purely a precaution. We have seen no signs of aggression from these beings so far."
Chief Keeper bowed and quickly picked half a dozen striped Glenmara, who wore the silver chain that indicated they were skilled at defence and not likely to act precipitously. They returned - armed with the flat hand held packs that delivered a light, but effective, energy pulse. It would stun their visitors should it become necessary but not cause any long term damage, hopefully.
Guardian of Amrak caught the eye of each Elder as she said, "I hope our visitors understand that we are just being cautious." Curiosity must be tempered by caution, her father had often said. Sadly, he was right. If only half the stories told by her grandfather were true, not all species were as trustworthy as the Glenmara.
Ears rising high on his head, Guardian of Hanrah agreed with his superior. "It is best to be prepared for the worst. They do not speak our language and for all we know, they may be carrying weapons…"
"Or diseases," interrupted Healer of Hanrah. Older than the rest of the Council members, he remembered the Great Plague and was therefore more inclined to be cautious in dealing with a new species. Although he was still intrigued by the thought of all the medical differences they might be between the visitors and the Glenmara…and perhaps the similarities.
Guardian of Amrak took her colleagues' concerns into account as she said, "Very well. Guardian of Hanrah and I will go down to meet these beings. Healer of Hanrah, you may accompany us. If they appear harmless, we will invite them to visit our village."
The older Glenmari inclined his fawn and green head to show agreement and then the four Glenmara climbed into a structure made of wood and thick vines. Chief Keeper barked some orders and his team of Keepers undid a length of vine twisted around a hook and began to lower the contraption to the forest floor. It wasn't the most convenient way to travel but it would help to keep the village safe while the Elders assessed these visitors.
The being that Guardian of Amrak believed to be the eldest of the group, and probably their leader, waved a younger member forward.
"A 'Translator' perhaps?" Guardian of Amrak suggested.
The being spoke to them, waving his hands in what Guardian of Amrak assumed was supposed to be a friendly gesture. The Glenmara stared at his hands, fascinated by their furless appearance. Then the leader spoke – his hands were furless too but partially covered with some sort of cloth.
Healer of Hanrah was the first to comment. "How do they do anything with such small fingers? They have no webbing!"
Guardian of Amrak thought it was a rather impolite observation and shushed him. She held out her own hands and nodded. The beings looked at her hands – twice the size of theirs, covered with cinnamon coloured fur and linked by soft, flexible membranes. One of the pale beings pointed and spoke. The others quietened him. The irony of this did not escape Guardian of Amrak and her whiskers quivered in amusement. The leader of the beings bared his teeth.
"That means he's amused, I think," Guardian of Amrak observed. Her large brown eyes looked into his smaller irises, surrounded as they were with startling white, and found dawning comprehension.
"Either that or he plans to eat you!" Guardian of Hanrah observed. Three pairs of whiskers twitched.
Guardian of Amrak made the traditional formal greeting which, of course was not understood, and then turned to the doctor beside her. "Well, Healer of Hanrah, you had better ask if you can examine them. Or else we shall be stood here until sundown."
Healer of Hanrah stepped forward cautiously. He held out his Medical Reader for the beings to see and then waved it up and down. The beings exchanged comments. Then the smaller one with thin, pale yellow fur on its head stepped forward. The fawn and green furred healer walked around it, taking readings.
Guardian of Amrak observed the features and shape of each of the beings. If they were similar in their physiology to the Glenmara, then this group was made up of three males and a female. Were they a family group? She thought not: they looked too dissimilar. Two of the males had dark fur on their heads while the female's was pale. The skin of three of them was similar while the fourth had darker skin and the littlest fur of all. He also had a strange symbol on his face above his eyes. As a group, they were most intriguing.
Healer of Hanrah had finished his initial checks. He indicated that he wanted to touch the female's arm and she nodded in response, pushing the covering on her arm out of his way. He placed the Reader carefully on her bare skin and, a moment later, she yelped as the needle took the required blood sample. At the cry from the female, the leader of the bare skinned beings stepped forward protectively.
Guardian of Amrak held out her palms and nodded, hoping to reassure him. His brown eyes appraised the situation and then he nodded in return. This gesture at least seemed to be common between them. It was a start.
Healer of Hanrah stepped back, reading the information coming up on the screen of his Reader. "Well, they seem to be healthy," he said. "No communicable diseases as far as I can tell."
Chief Keeper had been scrutinising the equipment the beings were carrying. "Those look like weapons," he growled. "I think we need to confiscate them."
This then would be the first test of communication and of the visitors' intent, Guardian of Amrak thought as she stepped forward and pointed to the pouch strapped to the leader's side and to the strange metal contraption hanging from his shoulder. It was obvious from his reluctance that Chief Keeper was correct.
There was a hurried discussion among the beings which was followed by them drawing their weapons out in a slow, deliberate manner that Guardian of Amrak was certain was intended to convey that they meant no harm. The leader pulled out a section of the smaller of his weapons and handed over the outer shell only. He placed the inner section back in his pouch. Two of the others did the same.
"For our protection or theirs?" asked Guardian of Hanrah.
"Both," said Guardian of Amrak, nodding thoughtfully. "I think we can allow these beings to enter the village. They have given a proof of trust."
The tallest of the beings and, until now the most silent, spoke to the leader before removing a power cell from the tall staff he was carrying and handing it over to Chief Keeper.
Guardian of Hanrah was surprised. He had assumed this was a staff for walking but it was obviously a weapon – he wondered how it worked.
"Lower the walkway," Guardian of Amrak called up. The Keepers rushed to follow her order and soon a section of the walkway was moved, creating a ramp for them to walk up. The Glenmara led the way with the furless beings following behind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"So what do you think?" Jack asked. "As advanced as the Nox or more our level?"
"They seem to have some advanced medical technology," Daniel said. "But they seem to use traditional techniques to work that lift thing and the walkway. Their village seems to have been built to a simple design…but then we thought that about the Nox. Looks can be deceiving."
"Their medical equipment looks more advanced than anything we have back home," Sam said. "That thing the Doctor stuck into me looked like one of McCoy's tricorders…Though I don't remember Bones ever drawing blood with his!" Sam looked at her arm and winced.
"Well, they're obviously not human," Jack observed, "but what they are beats me." The way their faces were formed and their huge brown eyes reminded him of pictures he'd seen of bush babies. "Any ideas on their language, Daniel? Anything sound familiar?"
Daniel frowned. "No, sorry. It doesn't sound like anything I know. As you said, they're not human and their language certainly isn't based on any of Earth's root languages."
"So that would mean that the writing you couldn't identify on the columns was probably done by them, wouldn't it?" Sam suggested.
Daniel nodded. "I guess this race may well have written on those. I wonder if I could get someone to show me some of their written language so I can compare the two."
"Well, we can try to introduce ourselves and maybe have a quick look around," Jack glanced at his watch, "but then we'll have to get going. Hammond will get cranky if we're late back."
"I hope we can find a way to explain we're only leaving because we have to and that we would like to come back," Sam said. "They might be offended if we don't stay for very long."
SG-1 reached the top of the ramp and watched as it was pulled up behind them. A network of walkways led to platforms covered with buildings of many different shapes and sizes – mostly square or rectangular and all made of wood. They felt curious eyes watching them: furry aliens of all ages stood on walkways or peered out of doorways and stared at them in open amazement. Some had striped fur, others plain. Their colourings ranged through every version of brown imaginable with some golds and greens thrown in. Jack was reminded of the chocolate counter in his favourite childhood candy store.
"This place is amazing," Sam enthused. "I always loved other people's tree houses!"
Jack surveyed the scene: the wooden platforms stretched in all directions, some higher than the one on which he was standing, some lower. Each one was linked by different length rope bridges or by short ladders. The platforms were surrounded by waist height fences, from which it was easy to see the drop to the next platform or the ground. Not the place for someone suffering from acrophobia. Jack threw a concerned glance in his friend's direction. The younger man looked decidedly pale again and was crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "How are you doing, Daniel?"
"I'm fine," he said. The tone and gritted teeth belied his positive words. "I just hope they don't expect me to go any higher…or I think I might pass out."
Jack glanced at Carter for inspiration. Short of blindfolding Daniel, along the line that what-he-couldn't-see-wouldn't-hurt-him, Jack didn't know quite what to suggest. She shrugged, helplessly.
SG-1 was invited to follow their hosts along another walkway to the centre of the settlement where a vast wooden platform was set which appeared to be a communal area or meeting place. Daniel was ashen-faced by the time they'd crossed the rope bridge to get there and hovered near the middle of the platform, unwilling to get anywhere near the visible drop. Jack seriously thought he might throw up he looked so rough.
It seemed as if the fur-covered beings had picked up on his distress: there was a brief discussion and then the alien who had greeted them gave orders to some others. They hurried off to do her bidding and disappeared into a wooden hut at the far end of the wooden stage. After which, two things happened: firstly, there was the blast of a horn; and then there was a humming sound as some sort of force field sprang up around the platform and came together overhead to create a dome effect. Unlike most force fields, this one was visible – it looked like frosted glass and it was impossible to see through. The head alien gestured to Daniel for his approval.
"Thank you. That's a lot better." Daniel slowly uncrossed his arms and the colour began returning to his cheeks. Now that he couldn't see the drop he felt more secure. He realised that his words had not been understood so he tried to express himself in action with a bow.
Jack indicated the force-field: "Well, that's pretty impressive. What do you think, Carter? That could be a useful technology, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir, very useful."
Another horn sounded and more aliens appeared from every direction, coming to sit or stand in eager silence. Jack could see a few inquisitive youngsters hovering behind some of the adults standing at the far end of the platform. After a moment, the team were invited to sit on a wide wooden bench and the group of aliens, who had greeted them, sat down opposite – joined by one or two others.
Two beings came forward and offered trays of fruit to the visitors. This was a common form of greeting among the many cultures SG-1 had visited so they knew the protocol. As usual, Daniel was the first to take a bite. The others were more cautious: sniffing the fruit before eating. The piece Jack had chosen tasted like watermelon and was sweetly refreshing: he nodded his thanks and was offered another piece which he accepted.
"So Daniel, are you going to have another go at introducing us," Jack prompted.
"Yes, of course." The young man glanced round, fascinated by what he saw. "I was just considering their markings: do you think the ones with stripy fur are related?"
Jack shrugged. "If you work out how to talk to them, you can ask them."
"Uh, right." Daniel pointed to himself and said, "I'm Daniel Jackson from Earth." He pointed at the rest of the team and introduced them one by one. Then he tapped his own chest again and repeated, "Daniel."
The alien with cinnamon coloured fur listened carefully then began pointing at the beings either side of her. At least, Daniel assumed she was female from the slightly higher pitch of her voice. He couldn't understand what she said but he did notice a pattern in her speech.
"Arrak?" he asked, pointing at her.
"Amrak," she spoke slowly and deliberately.
Daniel pointed at the russet and amber striped being beside her. "Amrak?"
The being's whiskers twitched and he exclaimed, in a slightly deeper voice than the being beside him, "Hanrah!"
Daniel jumped up - he was always able to think more clearly on the move. He began pointing at different beings and inquiring whether they were Amrak or Hanrah – most of the time his guesses were right. He found that the mistakes he made were mostly over beings that were probably infants. Maybe they get their markings later in their development like some animals, he thought.
He returned to his friends and pointed at Jack and Sam. "Human," he said. Then he pointed to himself, repeating the word. The aliens copied him.
The cinnamon alien pointed at Teal'c, asking, "Hu-man?"
"Uh, he's a Jaffa."
"Juff-ar?"
"Close enough." Daniel turned to look at Jack. "Well, so far they seem to have two races or tribes here and they don't recognise Teal'c as a Jaffa."
"So it looks as if we were right about this planet having no contact with the Goa'uld," Sam suggested.
"Hopefully," Daniel agreed. "I'll try again to get their names, shall I? I think I'm beginning to get the pattern of speech but it's definitely unlike anything I've come across before."
Jack waved a hand in a be-my-guest gesture. Learning a new language was going to take time. He hadn't realised how much they all relied on Daniel being able to understand the language of each culture that they came across. I've certainly taken that particular skill for granted, Jack thought. No wonder Daniel gets frustrated when I ignore his explanations. He made a mental note to try to be more patient in the future.
Daniel was talking to the cinnamon alien, trying to isolate the word that might be a name and Jack got the sense that she was as frustrated as he was. Suddenly she stood up and gestured to an alien standing at the edge of the crowd: he was tall and thin and his fur was a mixture of shades going from black, through brown and on to beige, markedly different from the others. He stepped forward and the two of them had a quiet discussion.
The mottled alien turned towards Daniel, spoke and reached out cautiously with one hand until he was touching the side of Daniel's head.
"Uh, hi. What are you…" Daniel stopped speaking and drew in a sharp breath at the strange contact.
The alien lowered his hand quickly and spoke to the others. His tone sounded hopeful rather than aggressive.
Jack had risen to his feet as soon as the alien being had touched Daniel, concerned for his friend's safety. "Daniel, are you all right? What happened?"
Daniel rubbed the side of his face. "I'm not sure," he said, "but it was the strangest sensation…like being touched by liquid nitrogen and I felt as if I could see myself in my mind. I don't think daVel re Amrak meant any harm."
Jack blinked. "What did you say?"
Daniel suddenly realised he had spoken in the language of the beings. All around him, ears were twitching and whiskers were quivering with excitement. His friends were all on their feet now, staring at him. "Oh! Well, that's a surprise!"
"I'll say!" Jack said wryly. "How did that happen? Are they telepathic?"
Daniel glanced at the beings. "Possibly but not in the same way as some other cultures we've met," he said. "I think daVel's name means 'Thought-Reader' so he certainly is."
"Dan-yel," a voice beside him said. It was daVel or Thought-Reader of Amrak: the translation Daniel's mind preferred.
"Yes, I'm called Daniel. You are daVel? A Thought-Reader?"
Thought-Reader nodded and then held out his hand, indicating that he would like to connect with Daniel's mind again.
Daniel nodded. "Sure, go ahead."
Jack sighed. Daniel never learned. 'Act first, think later' seemed to be his motto. Jack stepped in front of the alien before he could lift his hand to Daniel's face.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"
Daniel shrugged. "We want to communicate with them, don't we? I can't see how else we're going to do it." He held his friend's gaze. "It'll be okay, Jack. They've been nothing but friendly. I have a good feeling about them."
"All right."
Jack accepted his friend's judgement and stepped aside to allow Thought-Reader access but he stayed close enough to keep an eye on his friend in case his 'good feeling' was just Daniel's natural hope-filled naiveté. Once again, Daniel breathed in sharply at the initial contact then he closed his eyes tight. He began to frown after a moment or two as if he was suffering from a headache. Then a moment later his whole body started to shake. Jack was just quick enough to catch him as he collapsed, lowering him gently to lie on the wooden floor.
"Daniel?…Daniel?...Hey buddy, can you hear me?" There was no response. "Damn it, Daniel, why are you always so trusting?" he muttered under his breath.
Sam knelt down beside her superior to check Daniel's pulse and breathing. Both appeared to be normal. When she looked at his face, she could see his eyes moving rapidly under the lids as if he was dreaming. There were no signs of damage on his skin from the alien's touch. "He doesn't appear to be physically injured, sir. Hopefully, he'll come round on his own in a minute or two…if he doesn't we'll have to take him back to the SGC. Get Janet to see if she can find anything."
Teal'c stood guard, keeping a close eye on the inhabitants of the treetop village, but noted that they seemed surprised rather than aggressive. With slow deliberate movements, the cinnamon alien stepped forward and knelt beside Jack. It was clear that she didn't want to do anything to arouse their animosity. She watched as Sam tried to wake her fallen companion. When there was no response, she touched Daniel's arm as well, obviously distressed by what had happened.
The fawn and green striped alien, who had examined Sam earlier, said something to the cinnamon being then disappeared into the crowd: a moment later he returned, carrying a small phial. He pulled out the stopper and held the small bottle under Daniel's nose before Sam could stop him. The response was immediate: Daniel's eyes shot open and, as he sat up, he almost shouted, "Ugh! What's that smell?"
His response was so vehement; Sam and Jack were startled into laughter. Relief eased the anxious coils that had knotted in Jack's stomach. He shook his head with a smile as he and Sam helped Daniel up, supporting him as he swayed unsteadily, and led him over to a bench where he sat down heavily.
"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Sam asked.
Daniel held one hand against his forehead and winced. "My head hurts. What happened?"
"Damaged…Sorry." It was Thought-Reader who had answered. The voice of the mottled Glenmari sounded strangely sing-song in English. All around the platform, Glenmari nodded as they heard the alien's language coming from Thought-Reader's mouth.
"That's okay," Daniel said. "It was obviously worth it. Can you understand me now?"
"Some words known…others not…Time passing know more."
"Speaking of time passing…" interrupted Jack. "We really have to go."
Daniel turned to Thought-Reader and the cinnamon alien. "We have to go home now but we would like to return if that's okay with you: to talk about trading with you. We may have knowledge or resources that we could trade with each other. We'd like to make friends with your people – perhaps make a treaty with you."
Thought-Reader translated as much of this as he understood to the alien by his side and they had a brief discussion. Then he said, "Come back, yes. Tomorrow?"
Daniel looked at Jack for confirmation. He nodded. Daniel said to Thought-Reader, "Tomorrow."
"Now we'd like our weapons back," Jack said.
When this produced no response, he tapped his holster. There was rush of movement as some of the aliens went to retrieve their equipment. With their weapons returned, the team prepared to leave. They were escorted to the 'lift' by the Keepers.
Their new acquaintances raised their hands in farewell as SG-1 waved and nodded goodbye and then made their way back to the rope bridge that would carry them over the gorge and set them on their way home. Daniel was half way across before he remembered he didn't like heights. The excitement of meeting the inhabitants of the village had for a moment occupied all his attention. Sam took his arm and steered him the rest of the way. He thanked her, looking a little green. She rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile. "Don't throw up on me now."
"I'll try not to," Daniel said.
The team travelled back through the woods, Daniel and Sam discussing their observations for most of the trek and making a mental list of questions they would like to ask tomorrow. By the time they made it back to the Stargate, Daniel was stumbling with tiredness. The combination of acrophobia and the contact with Thought-Reader had obviously taken its toll but his brain was already working overtime on the things he had seen and heard. Working on automatic pilot, he pressed the symbols on the DHD that would send them home. Daniel staggered again slightly as they climbed up to the naqahdah ring and Teal'c reached out a hand and gently steered his young friend up the last few steps. Jack noted it but didn't make any comment.
However, when they walked back out of the event-horizon at the SGC, Jack ordered, "Daniel, I want you to go straight to the infirmary."
"But I feel fine, Jack," Daniel protested, itching to start going through his notes and the recordings he'd made.
Jack raised his eyebrows and gave the younger man his best I'm-in-charge-here stare. Daniel held his gaze for a minute, stubbornness fighting with common sense, then acquiesced - more or less gracefully. General Hammond came to meet his returning flagship team, passing Daniel as the archaeologist went to find Doctor Frasier.
The Texan smiled at the man in front of him. "Good mission, Colonel?"
"Very good, sir," Jack replied as they headed out of the Gate room to the lockers to stow their gear and onto the inevitable medical prodding by Dr Frasier. "The aliens were friendly and I get the feeling they might have some advanced defensive technology the boys in R and D would love to get their hands on. We'd like to go back tomorrow. See if we can get to know the folks a little better and maybe talk about trade."
"I'll look forward to reading your reports," the man in charge of the SGC said. "And Doctor Jackson? I heard you sending him to the infirmary. Is he hurt?"
"Don't know, sir," Jack said, "but he did pass out after one of the aliens touched him. At the very least, he's going to need a good night's sleep."
"We'll meet at 0700 hours tomorrow then," said Hammond. "I look forward to discussing your report."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Elisht'na? Don't you think it's time to get some sleep, my love? If you stand there much longer the dawn will be breaking."
"Hmm?" Guardian of Amrak came out of her reverie to find Thought-Reader waiting patiently behind her. How long he had been standing there, she did not know. "I was thinking about our visitors, Thayan."
"I know," he said as he came up and enveloped her in his arms. "They do raise many questions but none-the-less you need to get some sleep." He nuzzled against her neck and she felt herself relaxing. "Especially as I'm sure tomorrow's conference call will be difficult and you will need a clear head to deal with some of the more strident personalities involved."
Guardian of Amrak's ears drooped a little. "I am not looking forward to it, I admit. I know some of the other tribes will not want to have any contact with the Humans. They may want us to send them away."
"Don't worry about it anymore tonight. Come to bed," Thought-Reader released her from his embrace but only long enough to take her hand so he could gently pull her along towards their home.
As they walked along the platform together, Guardian of Amrak said, "The most vital thing tomorrow will be to communicate quickly with the Humans, to understand their intent…I do not ask this lightly, Thayan, but will you Share what Dan-yel exchanged with you in the mind-world? I want to learn their language from the inside, from the mind, not rely on the translator."
Thought-Reader did not point out that such a break in confidence violated all their rules. Guardian of Amrak was well aware of that. She was also right that quickly reaching true communication with the Humans was vital. He opened the door to their dwelling and ushered her through. They settled themselves on the huge fern coloured cushions that they had bartered for at last year's summer festival.
Thought-Reader's eyes were solemn as he regarded her. "I will Share with you what Dan-yel passed on to me…but you must prepare yourself for the confusion of it. There are images and emotions mixed in with the information about their language that I was looking for. I do not think that his people are able to control their thoughts in the same way as we. If I had realised this before I started the Sharing, I would have approached it differently."
"I understand."
Guardian of Amrak prepared herself mentally and then joined hands with Thought-Reader and closed her eyes. As usual, she felt a warm glow as she joined him in the mind-world. Their joining was all the sweeter because of the tenderness with which they regarded each other even after all these years. Whenever they Shared, she was reminded of what had made her choose him as her vow-partner: his strength and his gentleness.
As was their custom, they Shared their memories of the day with each other and then Thought-Reader asked her if she was prepared to see Daniel's thoughts. She indicated she was ready and he opened the compartment of his mind where the random mental outpourings of the visiting alien were stored away.
When it was finished, she found herself shaking with the emotional nature of the experience. "Oh, Thayan. He feels such sadness," she murmured, "and yet he still has such hope."
Thought-Reader nodded. "It was not the Sharing I expected and I did not expect to be moved by it but I was. In many ways, the Humans are as alike to us as anyone could be."
"Well, I thank you for sharing the experience with me. At least, I am sure now that they mean us no harm," Guardian of Amrak stated. Would her conviction be enough to persuade the other Council members to trust the Humans? She hoped so.
Before she could begin to worry again about the coming day, Thought-Reader encouraged her to her feet and took her tenderly in his arms. "Leave tomorrow to the Spirit of the Great Forest. She will give you wisdom. Tonight, just be with me, my love, and sleep."