The next morning, after partaking of another delicious breakfast on Furlin, Alethea told them she would walk with them to the bouleuterion, where they would once more meet with the Council. She also let them know that she had received word that Deimos was, in fact, behind the attack on Jack and Sam
"Of course he did not admit to having Kore try and kill you," she told them, "but he did admit that he led a circle of people who believe in the purity of the Furling race. He defended himself by saying they do not promote violence and that Kore committed the attack on her own."
"Do you believe him?" Jack asked.
Alethea shrugged. "It is difficult to say. If I know Deimos, he would not have told her to do it directly, but his words definitely influence people. He is smart enough to get others to do the unpleasant tasks that he feels should be done."
"In other words he gets others to do his dirty work," Jack replied with disgust.
Alethea laughed. "That is a good way of putting it, and yes, that is Deimos."
"So what will happen to him?" Sam wanted to know.
"He will be taken to our investigation center and questioned. The Assembly will also hold a vote to determine whether he should stay or be removed."
"Do you have any idea what they'll do?"
The Furling woman sighed. "It is hard to know," she admitted. "If you had asked me before you came to Furlin I would have said that our Assembly was far-seeing and open to others. After this – and some of the things I've heard, I'm not so sure. It is sad how easily hatred and prejudice can grow."
Sam and Jack looked at one another. It sadly sounded all too familiar.
"So what now?" Jack asked. "We sympathize with all you are going through, but we are anxious to make it home. We've been here for a long time and we're missing our families and friends."
"I understand," she replied, "as do the other Councilors. If you would be patient and attend one more session with the Council, then I promise that we will have you taken back to Earth immediately afterward. I just hope that we may indeed have a treaty between our two peoples. I believe we could learn much from one another."
"So do we," said Sam, with a smile. "I'd love to learn more about your technology and some of the tools you use, especially the healing device. But Jack is right, we need to return – and any treaty would require people other than us to decide. We can let them know about your people, and the fact that you were so kind and generous to us, but we can't make any promises."
"I understand," Alethea smiled. "But whatever happens, please know that you are always welcome on Furlin. We have enjoyed getting to know you. It is wonderful that we are able to speak with the Tauri. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one."
Jack answered and continued to chat with the Councilor as they walked to the bouleuterion. Sam was quiet, and looked pensive.
"You okay?" Jack asked her, out loud, as they neared the Council building. "You're quiet."
"I'm fine," she smiled, "just thinking about something."
"Anything you can share?"
"Yes, of course, but let's wait until after our meeting."
He frowned. "It's nothing bad, I hope?"
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Just something I've been thinking about concerning our ability to understand the Furlings," she told him.
"Oh, okay," he replied, although he still sounded slightly concerned.
She knew it would take a while before he would trust her completely, and that he would be sure she was not going to leave him or change her mind about their relationship. But the truth was, she did know her own mind, and heart, well enough to be certain that she would never do that, not again. But now she was concerned about whether he would still want their relationship to go ahead when he found out.
She sighed, but gave him a smile at his worried look. "It's fine," she said, "just me thinking too much!"
"Carter, I've told you you've got to stop that," he said, with a slight grin.
Just then they arrived at the Council building.
"So, what's on the menu today?" Jack asked Alethea.
She gave him a puzzled look. "I am sorry if you misunderstood – but we are not dining. We are discussing the treaty with the Council."
"It's just an expression," Sam explained. "Jack was simply wondering what the agenda was for today."
"Oh, I see," Alethea smiled. "It is an idiom. Well, we are going to present a formal motion that you be asked to take a request to begin treaty negotiations back to Earth. If the Council passes that, it will then go to the Assembly for a vote."
"Uh – how long will this all take?" Jack asked.
"Hopefully it will be decided quickly," she said. "We have been having discussions since you arrived on Furlin. Phaidra and I plan to put the motion forward immediately."
"Uh, and if it doesn't pass?" asked Jack.
Sam glanced at Jack, sure that both of them were wondering the same thing. Would they be in danger if the motion didn't pass?
"Then many of us shall be disappointed," the Council woman said. "But we will work on changing their minds. It may take some time, but we will reach out to the Tauri at that time."
"And Jack and I?" Sam asked.
Alethea stopped and looked at her guests with puzzlement on her face. "I am sorry, I do not understand."
"She means, what will happen to us if the Council votes "no"?"
"It will be no different, except we will not send you back with a request for treaty discussions."
"But you will send us back?" Jack wanted to know.
"Of course," Alethea said in surprise. "If the decision is made not to enter into a treaty – at this time – it is no reflection on you but will be our people's hesitance to change the status quo. But we will send you on your way with our best wishes, and the hope that one day, soon, we can enter into negotiations."
"You'll send us back on your ship?" Sam wanted to know.
"If that is your choice," Alethea bowed her head in acknowledgement.
"Uh – isn't that our only choice?" Jack said.
"If you prefer you may use the Stargate," their host replied.
That stopped both Jack and Sam dead. "You have a Stargate?" he exclaimed.
"Yes, of course," Alethea replied in surprise. "We have not used it to travel for many centuries, but it is still in working order."
"If you had a Stargate," Sam asked, "why did you need a ship to pick us up?"
"Thor informed us that you had a security device on your Stargate, and that anyone attempting to access your world would be killed, unless they were able to communicate with the Tauri. Unfortunately, that would have been difficult for us to do, so it was deemed more prudent to use a ship."
Jack was shaking his head. "All these weeks and there was a Stargate here all the time," he muttered. "Didn't you say they didn't know about the Stargate?" he asked Sam. They were speaking out loud, so that the Furling woman couldn't understand.
"We only asked Iola and Kimon and the medics. Maybe they don't know about it – especially if it hasn't been used for so long. We didn't ask anyone here."
"Well, it makes things simpler," he commented. He then switched back to speaking with Alethea. "We'll probably need to let Earth know that we're coming back," he said. "And – uh – that we look a bit different."
Just then they arrived at the Council building, but Alethea stopped and turned towards Jack and Sam.
"Following the meeting with the Council you may send a message through the Stargate, if you wish," she told them.
"Thank you," Sam answered. She then spoke to Jack. "We don't have an IDC," she reminded him. "Do we need to dial the Alpha site?"
"Let's try dialing home first. Hopefully they're respond and we can let them know we're coming home. If not, we'll contact Alpha."
"I can hardly wait," Sam said, taking Jack's hand in hers.
"Me too, Carter," he smiled. "Retirement is calling!"
At that, Sam again looked slightly pensive, but this time Jack didn't notice as they were escorted through to the Council chamber. Once there, the proceedings began.
After discussions had gone on for well over two hours, Jack began to get fidgety. At one point Sam was sure he was going to stand up and tell them he'd had enough – but she managed to reach for his hand and distract him.
After another hour, she was the one fantasizing about getting up and telling them to just make a damn decision. They'd gone through the same arguments over and over again and were talking in circles.
At close to four hours of discussion, she wanted to scream – and Jack was about ready to blow. It was his stomach growling that broke the tension – as she giggled.
"Giggling Carter?" he frowned at her.
That made her laugh even louder and caused him to chuckle. Even though the Furlings couldn't hear them, they clearly noticed that the two Tauri were no longer paying attention. That stopped the proceedings.
"Is everything okay, Jack and Sam?" Phaedra asked.
"Not really," Jack replied. "We've been here for hours. I understand that this is an important decision for the Council, but unless you have questions for us, we don't really feel we need to be here. And besides that – I'm hungry!"
After a short conversation among themselves, the Council decided to break for lunch.
"Thank God!" Jack said, standing up and stretching. A moment later they were approached by Elpis.
"I apologize for having you sit here for so long. You were correct – this is an important discussion – although I too am frustrated. I suggest you get something to eat and then if you would like there are some beautiful gardens a short distance away. Why don't you go for a walk and enjoy the afternoon. One of our assistants can show you the way and will come and get you when we are ready."
"This is nice," Sam said, a short while later. They were sitting on a bench by a small lake in the middle of the park. There were families and children walking and playing all around them.
"It is," Jack agreed, taking a bite of the lunch they'd grabbed outside the bouleuterion. "It's even better that we don't have to go back and listen to more arguments."
"Mmm," agreed Sam, also taking a bite of her lunch. "I wonder what they're going to decide?"
"You know, at this point I almost don't care. I mean, it would be great to have a treaty, but right now I just keep thinking about retiring when we get back," he grinned. "It's gonna be great Sam – just you and me and our life together!"
There was a pause, and then Sam took a deep breath. Jack turned to her and set down his lunch. He seemed to know that there was something coming.
"Jack – I need to tell you something."