Walking through the event horizon, and emerging on the other side was
no new sensation for either of the travellers. It was all -literally- in a
day's work for the pair, and they strode down the ramp on the other side
casually.
Jonas carried a box in his hands, looking down at it every now and then, thinking about what was inside. It was food, as it had been the last time. He wasn't entirely sure of the contents, and he wondered whether or not the keepers would like their dinner for the evening.
Sam watched as the Gate shut down, and then sighed, smiling briefly at Jonas, who moved off to the keepers, and handed them the box.
A tall man nodded to Jonas, who then walked back over to Sam, who began mounting a light horse. He climbed onto the horse beside it, one that was darker in colour, and taller.
They turned, and set off for the main city, where they were to begin their investigation.
As they rode, Jonas -hands gripped firmly on the reins, still new at the activity- turned his head to his companion, and said, "So what's the plan?"
Sam was a much more confident rider, and she petted the top of the mammal's head as she replied, casting a momentary glance in Jonas' direction, "Well, I'm hoping the chancellor will allow us access to the chamber we were trapped in."
"You really want to go back in there after what happened?" Jonas queried, wavering in the saddle for a moment before quickly regaining his balance. His mount snorted contently, and shook its head, mane flicking about in all directions. He looked at it quizzically.
Sam shrugged. "I don't see what option we have." She looked Jonas in the eye, and added, "If we don't go in there, we might miss something vital."
"Good point," Jonas muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
For a while, their journey was silent, and the two simply concentrated on navigating the horses to the city, which was not too far off now.
But eventually, Jonas could stand the quiet no longer, and asked, "Do you have any theories?"
Sam pondered this for a while silently, before titling her head gracefully, and commenting, "If someone is behind this, then they have some seriously evolved technology. There's no way this is all just a coincidence, especially after our experiences."
Jonas nodded, listening intently.
"But, if someone is controlling our experiences, then they would have to be around, right? Or at least be able to see us from somewhere, such as video surveillance."
Again, Jonas nodded, watching the road for a while as he listened to her voice.
"So, in saying that, we should probably suspect someone with invisibility technology."
Jonas' head turned immediately. "You mean a Goa'uld?"
Sam shrugged once more. "I haven't heard of anything else with a device like the one that Niirti possessed."
"What about the..." Jonas thought carefully for a moment before choosing his word, "Reetou?"
Sam shook her head. "The Reetou weren't great users of technology, besides their arm-weapons. I never saw or heard of them using anything this advanced."
"So you think Niirti is involved?" Jonas inquired, noticing they were entering the outmost boundaries of the city. Two mounted guards watched them intensely as they passed. Luckily, they recognised the travellers, and let them pass without trouble.
Giving another shrug, more exaggerated, Sam replied, "I'm not so sure. This doesn't seem to be her style. Plus, we took her technology away from her when we had the incident with Cassandra."
Jonas didn't seem convinced. "But surely she had the means to create more, if not steal or buy it from somewhere."
Giving another confused sigh, Sam continued, "I don't think it's Niirti. She's just come right out with her plan, and wouldn't bother with all the fancy light show."
Jonas smiled. Sam's analogy had had a certain hint of 'O'Neill' to it, and the thought that the two were becoming more and more alike actually seemed a little comical to Jonas... if not frightening. He shook his head discreetly.
"Well, maybe when we take a look in the chamber we'll get some more answers," Jonas concluded.
Sam nodded, patting the animal again.
The rest of their journey was quiet, as they rode into the main civilisation area, and right up the city hall.
* * *
Chancellor Veran shook his head sternly, and glared the two members of SG-1 in the eye in turn.
"Absolutely not. I cannot permit you to access the chamber again," he insisted, shaking his old head from side to side, grumbling under his breath.
The man, young and intelligent was the first to press on the urgency of their business, as he said, "Chancellor, with all due respect, you don't understand the situation. We have to find out what happened in that chamber after the last time."
"The last time you were in there, your people caused unimaginably damage to the chamber. We will not permit you access until you provide us with satisfactory compensation for your carelessness."
The man spoke again, this time less compassionately. Apparently, he was getting quite frustrated, and wasn't hiding it or controlling it anywhere near as well as the woman he stood with. "Listen, the last time we were in there, something happened, mainly us getting locked in there without an explanation, and gassed. When you provide us with a satisfactory explanation for that, Chancellor, then we'll give you some compensation."
The tone of his voice was growing to be quite hostile, and the woman reached out and touched his arm gently as he edged forward slightly.
"Jonas," she muttered in warning. She spoke to the Chancellor herself much, much more gentle and understanding, "We have some research to conduct within your chamber. Whilst we're inside, we'll take a look at the damage we caused, and see if there's anything we can do about it. We can take back an estimate of the costs to our Government, and they can agree on an amount to provide you with for reconstruction... or, we'll help you with it ourselves."
Chancellor Veran considered her words for a while, staring out of the vast window at the skyline of beautiful buildings set out before him. Statues of stone towered over the citizens as they moved about their daily business, oblivious to the scene playing out above them, some twenty floors up.
"Please," he heard the man say, his words more serene, with a pleading hint to them.
"Very well," he grumbled. "But you will be accompanied by two of my High Guard. Any actions that are deemed suspicious will result in your arrest, understood?"
"We understand," the woman told him, with a slight inclination of her head.
Chancellor Veran huffed in reply to her vow, and with that, he sent them out of the room, with two of his most trusted guards in tow.
* * *
Colonel Jack O'Neill crossed his arms impatiently over his chest as he sat in the briefing room listening -or trying to listen- to General Hammond's words. Despite his efforts, the words simply flowed in one ear, and right out the other, without registering in the middle.
I hate it when Carter does this to me, he rambled subconsciously, regarding the Major's decision to journey off world without her superior officer. She should have consulted me, or at least taken me along. What good is Jonas going to be if they get into trouble?
He quickly, and sternly told himself he wasn't being fair on the alien man. True, he had had no real military training, and dismissed his latest inner comment.
Jonas was a very capable, levelheaded member of the team, and Jack knew he shouldn't be so quick to write him off in concern to combat. He was certain that, with a little experience, Jonas would be just as competent in the field as he was on the drawing board.
He was a great thinker, much more capable than O'Neill, hands down. But in combat, O'Neill knew he would be able to beat Jonas himself without so much as breaking a sweat.
But as he thought about it, he realised they hadn't really seen much of Jonas' fighting at all, and just what he could achieve.
With that, Jack set to thinking just what they would come to see from their newest team member in the near future.
* * *
Jonas cast a tentative glance over his shoulder at the stoic High Guard behind him, standing in the demolished doorway of the chamber. With a sigh, he turned back to his investigation, seeing Sam move out of the edge of his vision.
"Hey, Jonas, come take a look at this," she called to him quietly.
Jonas took one last glance at the floor where he had been crouched, and moved over to Sam, curious as to what she had discovered.
She pointed at a ventilation point set about five feet up into the wall.
"Have you seen many vents like this in the city?" Sam asked him.
"Come to think of it, not really. This one's different," he looked round, "in fact, all the ones in this room are subtlely different from the others dotted around the city."
"How do you mean?" she inquired, brushing her finger along its surface as Jonas replied.
"Well, the main alloy on this world is steel, right?" Jonas began, seeing Sam nod. "So why would these vents have obvious traces of another alloy in them. One that I've no doubt we'll discover to be-"
"Naquadah," Sam guessed, seeing the confirming nod of her friend and teammate.
"You got it," Jonas concluded.
His extensive knowledge of such matters, without a doubt, certainly came in handy in scenarios like this.
She smiled wanly at him, and discreetly began taking a scraping of the metal from the surface of the vent, pocketing it instantly as Jonas kept watch.
The guards never even noticed.
Jonas carried a box in his hands, looking down at it every now and then, thinking about what was inside. It was food, as it had been the last time. He wasn't entirely sure of the contents, and he wondered whether or not the keepers would like their dinner for the evening.
Sam watched as the Gate shut down, and then sighed, smiling briefly at Jonas, who moved off to the keepers, and handed them the box.
A tall man nodded to Jonas, who then walked back over to Sam, who began mounting a light horse. He climbed onto the horse beside it, one that was darker in colour, and taller.
They turned, and set off for the main city, where they were to begin their investigation.
As they rode, Jonas -hands gripped firmly on the reins, still new at the activity- turned his head to his companion, and said, "So what's the plan?"
Sam was a much more confident rider, and she petted the top of the mammal's head as she replied, casting a momentary glance in Jonas' direction, "Well, I'm hoping the chancellor will allow us access to the chamber we were trapped in."
"You really want to go back in there after what happened?" Jonas queried, wavering in the saddle for a moment before quickly regaining his balance. His mount snorted contently, and shook its head, mane flicking about in all directions. He looked at it quizzically.
Sam shrugged. "I don't see what option we have." She looked Jonas in the eye, and added, "If we don't go in there, we might miss something vital."
"Good point," Jonas muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
For a while, their journey was silent, and the two simply concentrated on navigating the horses to the city, which was not too far off now.
But eventually, Jonas could stand the quiet no longer, and asked, "Do you have any theories?"
Sam pondered this for a while silently, before titling her head gracefully, and commenting, "If someone is behind this, then they have some seriously evolved technology. There's no way this is all just a coincidence, especially after our experiences."
Jonas nodded, listening intently.
"But, if someone is controlling our experiences, then they would have to be around, right? Or at least be able to see us from somewhere, such as video surveillance."
Again, Jonas nodded, watching the road for a while as he listened to her voice.
"So, in saying that, we should probably suspect someone with invisibility technology."
Jonas' head turned immediately. "You mean a Goa'uld?"
Sam shrugged once more. "I haven't heard of anything else with a device like the one that Niirti possessed."
"What about the..." Jonas thought carefully for a moment before choosing his word, "Reetou?"
Sam shook her head. "The Reetou weren't great users of technology, besides their arm-weapons. I never saw or heard of them using anything this advanced."
"So you think Niirti is involved?" Jonas inquired, noticing they were entering the outmost boundaries of the city. Two mounted guards watched them intensely as they passed. Luckily, they recognised the travellers, and let them pass without trouble.
Giving another shrug, more exaggerated, Sam replied, "I'm not so sure. This doesn't seem to be her style. Plus, we took her technology away from her when we had the incident with Cassandra."
Jonas didn't seem convinced. "But surely she had the means to create more, if not steal or buy it from somewhere."
Giving another confused sigh, Sam continued, "I don't think it's Niirti. She's just come right out with her plan, and wouldn't bother with all the fancy light show."
Jonas smiled. Sam's analogy had had a certain hint of 'O'Neill' to it, and the thought that the two were becoming more and more alike actually seemed a little comical to Jonas... if not frightening. He shook his head discreetly.
"Well, maybe when we take a look in the chamber we'll get some more answers," Jonas concluded.
Sam nodded, patting the animal again.
The rest of their journey was quiet, as they rode into the main civilisation area, and right up the city hall.
* * *
Chancellor Veran shook his head sternly, and glared the two members of SG-1 in the eye in turn.
"Absolutely not. I cannot permit you to access the chamber again," he insisted, shaking his old head from side to side, grumbling under his breath.
The man, young and intelligent was the first to press on the urgency of their business, as he said, "Chancellor, with all due respect, you don't understand the situation. We have to find out what happened in that chamber after the last time."
"The last time you were in there, your people caused unimaginably damage to the chamber. We will not permit you access until you provide us with satisfactory compensation for your carelessness."
The man spoke again, this time less compassionately. Apparently, he was getting quite frustrated, and wasn't hiding it or controlling it anywhere near as well as the woman he stood with. "Listen, the last time we were in there, something happened, mainly us getting locked in there without an explanation, and gassed. When you provide us with a satisfactory explanation for that, Chancellor, then we'll give you some compensation."
The tone of his voice was growing to be quite hostile, and the woman reached out and touched his arm gently as he edged forward slightly.
"Jonas," she muttered in warning. She spoke to the Chancellor herself much, much more gentle and understanding, "We have some research to conduct within your chamber. Whilst we're inside, we'll take a look at the damage we caused, and see if there's anything we can do about it. We can take back an estimate of the costs to our Government, and they can agree on an amount to provide you with for reconstruction... or, we'll help you with it ourselves."
Chancellor Veran considered her words for a while, staring out of the vast window at the skyline of beautiful buildings set out before him. Statues of stone towered over the citizens as they moved about their daily business, oblivious to the scene playing out above them, some twenty floors up.
"Please," he heard the man say, his words more serene, with a pleading hint to them.
"Very well," he grumbled. "But you will be accompanied by two of my High Guard. Any actions that are deemed suspicious will result in your arrest, understood?"
"We understand," the woman told him, with a slight inclination of her head.
Chancellor Veran huffed in reply to her vow, and with that, he sent them out of the room, with two of his most trusted guards in tow.
* * *
Colonel Jack O'Neill crossed his arms impatiently over his chest as he sat in the briefing room listening -or trying to listen- to General Hammond's words. Despite his efforts, the words simply flowed in one ear, and right out the other, without registering in the middle.
I hate it when Carter does this to me, he rambled subconsciously, regarding the Major's decision to journey off world without her superior officer. She should have consulted me, or at least taken me along. What good is Jonas going to be if they get into trouble?
He quickly, and sternly told himself he wasn't being fair on the alien man. True, he had had no real military training, and dismissed his latest inner comment.
Jonas was a very capable, levelheaded member of the team, and Jack knew he shouldn't be so quick to write him off in concern to combat. He was certain that, with a little experience, Jonas would be just as competent in the field as he was on the drawing board.
He was a great thinker, much more capable than O'Neill, hands down. But in combat, O'Neill knew he would be able to beat Jonas himself without so much as breaking a sweat.
But as he thought about it, he realised they hadn't really seen much of Jonas' fighting at all, and just what he could achieve.
With that, Jack set to thinking just what they would come to see from their newest team member in the near future.
* * *
Jonas cast a tentative glance over his shoulder at the stoic High Guard behind him, standing in the demolished doorway of the chamber. With a sigh, he turned back to his investigation, seeing Sam move out of the edge of his vision.
"Hey, Jonas, come take a look at this," she called to him quietly.
Jonas took one last glance at the floor where he had been crouched, and moved over to Sam, curious as to what she had discovered.
She pointed at a ventilation point set about five feet up into the wall.
"Have you seen many vents like this in the city?" Sam asked him.
"Come to think of it, not really. This one's different," he looked round, "in fact, all the ones in this room are subtlely different from the others dotted around the city."
"How do you mean?" she inquired, brushing her finger along its surface as Jonas replied.
"Well, the main alloy on this world is steel, right?" Jonas began, seeing Sam nod. "So why would these vents have obvious traces of another alloy in them. One that I've no doubt we'll discover to be-"
"Naquadah," Sam guessed, seeing the confirming nod of her friend and teammate.
"You got it," Jonas concluded.
His extensive knowledge of such matters, without a doubt, certainly came in handy in scenarios like this.
She smiled wanly at him, and discreetly began taking a scraping of the metal from the surface of the vent, pocketing it instantly as Jonas kept watch.
The guards never even noticed.