The Second of Four
As Daniel, T'ealc, Aelix and Kyna step from the gate pool, it is immediately obvious that this second planet is not the homeworld of the giants. Stretching out in all directions is the shattered crust of a hollow planet pocked with chasms and sink holes dropping through to nothing. A noxious oily vapour, trapped by thin ribbons of atmosphere has formed small lakes, rivers and even seas pouring its petrol blue liquid into the centre space of the planet. Nothing grows, breathes or moves otherwise.
Kyna is about to step forward when Aelix raises a hand. 'Wait, Kyna. The remaining atmosphere is unstable, I am holding a pocket of air around us, if you move beyond it, I cannot guarantee there will be enough to breathe.' Kyna notices Aelix has his other arm raised and his hand outstretched as though touching an invisible ceiling. She nods and stays put.
'Pretty certain those craters are not naturally formed.' Daniel points to the shattered rind of the planet stretching out in front of them. 'I guess we should carry on to the next planet.'
The Trouble with Legends
Agnes catches sight of Gail's screen projection from her office and calls over. 'What's that?'
The spider from Maere is at the gate pool.'
'Well then, we had better go say hello! Let's go!' Agnes grabs the keys for a military 4WD from her desk and a walking stick and heads for the lift, determined not to miss out on adventure this time. The General, barking in excitement, follows her. Gail smiles and picks up The General's lead, beckoning to Knotty, 'Come on, time to meet the giant space spider!'
'And... so the trouble with legends…' Knotty pauses momentarily as the car bumps over the track to the pool at Blick Mead. 'Is that they are often based on historical inaccuracies. Real events get confused, over time, embroidered upon by imagination and handed down by word of mouth. You have to remember a lot of these legends pre-date any writing system, even symbols often end up not being used correctly… ' Knotty stops talking as they near the gate pool, the site of the silver silk over trees turning the glade into a wonderland of shining silver. '… that really is an enormous beastie!' Knotty whispers as Spinner turns to meet the approaching 4WD.
'You'll need the rope for the wheels. It will hold them still. There should be enough here for that and perhaps for…' Spinner wanders off in her mind, one eye firmly on The General who is wagging his tail, hoping to be let off the lead. 'Celestia is remarkably cold, I can feel it in my joints. She waves a few arms in the air and the General yaps excitedly.
'It's not all like this, this is just a cooler part of this world. The sun…' Agnes stops, wondering if Spinner was even listening. 'Thank you for the silversilk. Is it OK for us to touch it?'
'And how else will you carry it? I must return, I've been away for too long, my web will start to fray. There was something else… oh yes, enough for the wheels and to hold down a giant, if you find one. Now little friends, are you returning through the gate with me?' Spinner shakes her body and a cluster of spiders fall loose, dangling on fine threads as she moves back to the pool.
'I nearly forgot; you will need this.' Spinner reaches out an arm and presents Agnes with a pair of silver scissors... 'Forged from silversilk. You must cut the threads with it, nothing else will work.' With that, Spinner tugs on a strand of silversilk leading into the pool and carefully steps into the water as the ripples start to grow around her. All at once the woodland seems to be alive as an army of spiders suddenly mobilise, running along invisible web lines and parachuting into the vortex to travel through the stargate with Spinner.
The Third of Four
Something feels wrong. Kyna turns round slowly trying to work out what it is. The vortex has dropped and they are standing in a gate pool in a leafy glade, a bit like the one on Celestia. Except something isn't right. She instinctively draws her ziphos blade and whispers to the others, 'Something feels wrong. Can you feel it?' Slowly and instinctively, Teal'c, Daniel, Kyna and Aelix form a circle in the middle of a pool, weapons drawn. There is something wrong about the glade, the trees, the strange green air and the feeling making all the hair on the back of her neck stand upright. The feeling they are not alone.
Theia looks up from the meal of apples she is eating alone in temple gardens. Nearby, a set of bells, suspended on silversilk from a nearby tree, tinkle gently. Something has disturbed the gate pool housed in the inner terrarium. She stands and stretches to her full height of thirteen cubits and picks up the studded club lying on the ground next to her chair. She slips the handle over her wrist and swings the club in a series of tight circles before grabbing it and smashing it onto the last apple on her plate. The plate cracks and the apple turns to mush under the blow. Time to find out who has dared to visit the homeworld of the Giants.