Emerging on the other side, skidding to a halt, he looked back at the
Stargate as it closed, the blue event horizon disappearing entirely into
the nothingness it had appeared from.
Running down to the ground below the Gate, he threw a bundle at one of the keepers, and grabbed the nearest horse he could, climbing onto its back with a little difficulty. He knew he shouldn't use his shoulder... but what he had found in that book had alarmed him.
These people had known all along, and they had set Jonas and the others up to fall to a Goa'uld, one who was now wandering the corridors of the SGC.
He wouldn't let them continue their charade of peace and welcoming to new visitors, especially if this was the sort of thing that awaited them all.
Riding the horse faster than he would have ever dared did he not know what he had read less than thirty minutes ago, Jonas clung as tightly as he could to the animal's mane, seeing the tall buildings of the city grow larger.
Chancellor Veran had a lot to answer for, and Jonas was here to see that he did. He wanted answers.
Jonas knew he was going to be in big... no, huge trouble when he got back to Earth, but this demanded immediate action, and it had been too urgent to wait for the others.
Either that or Jonas was too stupid to wait. He had taken time to grab his jacket and a zat though, but he had been too impatient to wait for the others.
Why did he see it as his responsibility all of a sudden? He had a job to do back on Earth, but instead he felt he should be here, demanding the answers.
He pulled the animal to an abrupt halt; one the horse wasn't too pleased with, and jumped down off its back.
The High Guard at the door recognised him, but would not permit him entry.
"I need to see the Chancellor," Jonas told them, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm.
"He is not here," one of the guards told him simply, not even looking him in the eye.
Impatiently, Jonas asked, "Well where is he?"
The guards looked slightly wary as to whether or not they should inform this stranger of their leader's whereabouts, but after a couple of moments, they finally responded, "He is in the chamber."
Jonas nodded once, and set off at a run for the chamber.
* * *
Chancellor Veran stared around the chamber, and sighed a heavy- hearted sigh. Why had it come to this? After all their proud years of industry and accomplishment, how had he allowed himself to stoop so low? He was ashamed, and disgusted.
His people knew... but they only followed because Veran told them too, and he had been in power for so long that they did not dare to question his authority. It was not natural, his age... it was all because of her. Her and her magics. He cursed the day she had set foot through that portal.
The crashing of running feet attracted his attention, and he turned quite swiftly for his age to see the alien Jonas Quinn standing in the doorway, glaring at him defiantly.
He knew.
He had figured it out.
Chancellor Veran had known he would. This Jonas Quinn had seemed like the kind of person who had the intelligence to figure this whole charade out eventually.
"I know what you're doing," he said in a low angry voice as he entered the room.
It was then that Veran noticed he favoured one arm, the right one seeming to be stiffer than the left.
Veran nodded. "Yes," he mumbled, "I suppose you do now. It did not take you as long as I thought it would take you. I am impressed."
Jonas strode up to him, and stood before him, even as the Chancellor spoke again, "You would not understand the severity of the situation. You are too young, and you have not witnessed the horrors I have seen in my many years in power."
Jonas shook his head. "But I bet they're not natural years, are they?"
Veran shook his own head regretfully, suddenly feeling very small and frail. "No, no, they are not. Her devices keep me alive, because my word silences the doubts of my people. I am respected."
"For all the wrong reasons," Jonas countered, his eyes filled with disappointment, and the slightest edge of anger.
Veran shook his old head again, and told the young alien, "No. I was once a young and powerful leader to my people. But the years caught up with me, and then she came. She came and showed me the secrets that would keep me alive for so long."
"A sarcophagus."
"Yes," Veran acknowledged with a nod.
Veran's eyes shifted to a shimmering point at the far wall behind the young alien, and he hung his head in regret at what he was about to do.
"She'll kill you..." Jonas told the old man, "when she has what she wants, she'll kill you, and your people. You can't hope to keep this up with her."
"No, I cannot," Veran said in a small voice as the glowing flashed briefly in the background, lighting up the haunting shadows. "But I am sorry."
Jonas furrowed his brow.
"I am sorry."
Running down to the ground below the Gate, he threw a bundle at one of the keepers, and grabbed the nearest horse he could, climbing onto its back with a little difficulty. He knew he shouldn't use his shoulder... but what he had found in that book had alarmed him.
These people had known all along, and they had set Jonas and the others up to fall to a Goa'uld, one who was now wandering the corridors of the SGC.
He wouldn't let them continue their charade of peace and welcoming to new visitors, especially if this was the sort of thing that awaited them all.
Riding the horse faster than he would have ever dared did he not know what he had read less than thirty minutes ago, Jonas clung as tightly as he could to the animal's mane, seeing the tall buildings of the city grow larger.
Chancellor Veran had a lot to answer for, and Jonas was here to see that he did. He wanted answers.
Jonas knew he was going to be in big... no, huge trouble when he got back to Earth, but this demanded immediate action, and it had been too urgent to wait for the others.
Either that or Jonas was too stupid to wait. He had taken time to grab his jacket and a zat though, but he had been too impatient to wait for the others.
Why did he see it as his responsibility all of a sudden? He had a job to do back on Earth, but instead he felt he should be here, demanding the answers.
He pulled the animal to an abrupt halt; one the horse wasn't too pleased with, and jumped down off its back.
The High Guard at the door recognised him, but would not permit him entry.
"I need to see the Chancellor," Jonas told them, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm.
"He is not here," one of the guards told him simply, not even looking him in the eye.
Impatiently, Jonas asked, "Well where is he?"
The guards looked slightly wary as to whether or not they should inform this stranger of their leader's whereabouts, but after a couple of moments, they finally responded, "He is in the chamber."
Jonas nodded once, and set off at a run for the chamber.
* * *
Chancellor Veran stared around the chamber, and sighed a heavy- hearted sigh. Why had it come to this? After all their proud years of industry and accomplishment, how had he allowed himself to stoop so low? He was ashamed, and disgusted.
His people knew... but they only followed because Veran told them too, and he had been in power for so long that they did not dare to question his authority. It was not natural, his age... it was all because of her. Her and her magics. He cursed the day she had set foot through that portal.
The crashing of running feet attracted his attention, and he turned quite swiftly for his age to see the alien Jonas Quinn standing in the doorway, glaring at him defiantly.
He knew.
He had figured it out.
Chancellor Veran had known he would. This Jonas Quinn had seemed like the kind of person who had the intelligence to figure this whole charade out eventually.
"I know what you're doing," he said in a low angry voice as he entered the room.
It was then that Veran noticed he favoured one arm, the right one seeming to be stiffer than the left.
Veran nodded. "Yes," he mumbled, "I suppose you do now. It did not take you as long as I thought it would take you. I am impressed."
Jonas strode up to him, and stood before him, even as the Chancellor spoke again, "You would not understand the severity of the situation. You are too young, and you have not witnessed the horrors I have seen in my many years in power."
Jonas shook his head. "But I bet they're not natural years, are they?"
Veran shook his own head regretfully, suddenly feeling very small and frail. "No, no, they are not. Her devices keep me alive, because my word silences the doubts of my people. I am respected."
"For all the wrong reasons," Jonas countered, his eyes filled with disappointment, and the slightest edge of anger.
Veran shook his old head again, and told the young alien, "No. I was once a young and powerful leader to my people. But the years caught up with me, and then she came. She came and showed me the secrets that would keep me alive for so long."
"A sarcophagus."
"Yes," Veran acknowledged with a nod.
Veran's eyes shifted to a shimmering point at the far wall behind the young alien, and he hung his head in regret at what he was about to do.
"She'll kill you..." Jonas told the old man, "when she has what she wants, she'll kill you, and your people. You can't hope to keep this up with her."
"No, I cannot," Veran said in a small voice as the glowing flashed briefly in the background, lighting up the haunting shadows. "But I am sorry."
Jonas furrowed his brow.
"I am sorry."