Chapter 24- What Happened and Protests

Tuplo and his people led them to what looked like a palace with a huge bull over the entrance. They all went inside and the women holding the girl they found, laid her on pillows between two bulls. "Love what they've done with the place," Jack snarked as they looked at the spacious room.

"I was gonna do my living room like this, but it didn't go with my other stuff," Carter said, deciding to join Jack on being sarcastic.

"Looks Minoan," Daniel commented.

"Welcome. Please, come, sit," Tuplo invited and they all sat at the table in the hall. The girl on the pillows whimpered and Laura felt sorry for her. She hoped whatever infected the cavemen wouldn't infect the girl.

"Is she all right?" Carter asked and they looked to the crying girl.

"I do hope. She is my daughter," Tuplo said.

"What's her name?" Carter asked.

"She is called Melosha. I can only hope we rescued her in time from the hands of the touched. We must now wait to see if she has been cursed by them," Tuplo said, looking to the woman sitting beside him. She nodded her agreement.

"The creatures that took her, what were they exactly?" Laura asked.

"They are the touched. They were unfortunate enough to be cursed by the Heelska," Tuplo said.

"Heelska. There's a word like that on Abydos. Is that "Gods of the Earth?" Daniel asked.

"Gods of the underworld. Evil gods," Teal'C said.

"The Heelska needed only to touch the unfortunate among us, and they would become possessed; pure evil like wild animals," the woman beside Tuplo said,

"So these "Touched" people used to live here with you?" Laura asked.

"They were us...until they changed. They became too dangerous and we were forced to banish then to the land of the dark," Tuplo said.

"And where are these evil gods now?" Laura asked.

"Oh, they do not show themselves. We know only of their presence because of their actions," the woman said.

"When was the last time the "Good" gods came around?" Jack asked.

"Well, if you are not them, then it has been at least a generation," the woman said.

"A generation. Okay. Um, will you excuse us for a moment?" Jack asked. The five of them went off to talk silently.

"Dad, sounds like the Goa'ulds aren't here and haven't been for some time," Laura said.

"That is my assessment as well," Teal'C said.

"Daniel? Carter?" jack asked.

"I agree," Daniel said and Carter nodded.

"In that case, gear up. We'll move out in 15 minutes," Jack said.

"Wait a minute. Move out?" Daniel asked as he and Carter looked at each other and then back to Jack.

Yeah, back to the Stargate, Earth, Terra Firma, home. You've heard of it?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Ah, we should stay a while longer and study this society, learn how they've evolved the Minoan culture. I mean, you see those statues over there? Those were bulls. The bull was all throughout Minoan culture, but we never knew why" Daniel asked, indicating the bull statues.

"Hey, I'm a big fan of all this stuff, but art appreciation is not what this mission is about. Get your gear together," jack said firmly and, ending the subject, walked away.


They arrived back through the Stargate. Laura had the feeling that they had missed something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Find anything?" Hammond asked as he came into the gate room.

"Uh, no, Sir," Jack said as he touched a scratch on his eyebrow that he had received on the planet.

"Yes, Sir. Uh, actually, Sir, we found a whole heck of a lot, Sir," Daniel said, a little too quickly for Laura's liking. It proved he wouldn't let the Minoan culture go. Laura understood his fascination as she liked history too, but this culture didn't really help with the Stargate as the Goa'uld wasn't in the equation.

"Some beautiful décor, nice folks. Nothing of strategic importance, Sir," Jack said.

"All right. Get cleaned up. Mission debriefing in half an hour," Hammond said before leaving the gate room.

"Yes, Sir," Jack said, leaving the room to follow orders.

"Daniel, let the architecture go. They have nothing of vital use to us in the here and now," Laura said softly to him.

"How can you say that when you like history too?" Daniel asked, surprise in his eyes.

"I do love history, but we need to focus on what we need, not what the cultures have evolved into on another planet," Laura said, before leaving the room herself.


"I'm sorry, Sir. I know I'm a guest at this party, but I have to protest," Daniel said, standing to his feet five minutes into the debriefing.

"Let me guess, Doctor. This is the science versus military discussion again?" Hammond asked as he sat down in his chair at the head of the table.

"Well, yes. This mission was a perfect example of my argument. We should have stayed on that planet longer. It was the perfect opportunity to study Minoan culture," Daniel said.

"Not to mention primitive man," Carter interjected.

"This really isn't necessary, Doctors. I've already-" Hammond started to say.

"Sir, would you let me finish, please? Okay. The people on the dark side are pre-Stone Age. But the people on the light side are clearly from the Bronze Age," Daniel said.

"Not to sound dense or anything; that helps us how?" Laura asked.

"What better opportunity to study the Broca Divide?" Daniel asked.

"The what? Excuse me," Jack said with a yawn.

"Broca Divide. Pierre-Paul Broca was a nineteenth century anthropologist. He founded modern craniometry to study craniums and brains and to compare the divide in intelligence between early species of mankind," Carter said.

"Fascinating. Should I start the debriefing. Sir?" Jack asked, sounding bored.

"That would be a good idea, Colonel," Hammond said.

"Now, just wait a minute!," Daniel protested.

"Dr. Jackson, you're wasting your breath. You've already won the argument," Hammond said.

"But I have to insist- Wh...Wh...what? I've already won?" Daniel asked, interrupting himself.

"The president agrees with you. He's asked that we evaluate the scientific and cultural value of each mission from now on," Hammond said.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud," Jack said, putting his fingers to his temples in annoyance.

"He has?" Daniel asked.

"That's great!" Carter enthused. At that moment one of the men on SG-3, Lieutenant Johnson, stood up and grabbed Teal'C by the neck.

"Wonder how that thing in your gut would like his head ripped in half?" He threatened.

"Please release me, Lieutenant Johnson," Teal'C said calmly.

"Johnson, let him go!" Makepeace said, standing up.

"Not till this Goa'uld apologizes," Johnson said, his words coming out like a snarl.

"Lieutenant Johnson, take your seat now!" Hammond ordered.

"No!" Johnson yelled and tried to hit Teal'C in the face. Teal'C grabbed his clenched fist and pinned Johnson to the conference table.

"General, I would prefer not to hurt this man," Teal'C said to Hammond. Four airmen came and took Johnson into custody.

"What is your problem, Marine?" Hammond asked as they brought Johnson to face him and Johnson started to froth at the mouth.

"He looks like he's having a seizure," Laura commented.

"Take him to the infirmary. Tell them to keep him in restraints and check him out," Hammond said to the airmen and they took him out of the conference room.