"Now this is a view."
Ias looked over her shoulder with a grin as she halted on very edge of the rocky outcropping that was the Seeing Ledge. It was the only rise in all of the Forbidden Sector's otherwise flat lands, allowing you to see all the way to the sea in the east and then west towards the villages, most of which were hidden behind the Ledge's crest. The others had gathered beside her, looking down and about them with something close to awed dismay.
"So....where is here?" Jack asked, gesturing to the forbidden sector in general.
"This is the Forbidden Sector, it stretches to the sea and ends by the villages." She explained, pointing out each in turn. "All this is called Amunet."
"All....this?"
"The Planet." Daniel explained, looking to Ias who smiled brightly in affirmation before turning and beginning to set up camp.
The others followed suit somewhat naturally and soon they were all settled around a roaring fire, Ias brewing some kind of tea that smelled of honey and mint. Daniel frowned at his rations which were suddenly very inadequate, blue eyes darting to the rest of his team. By their expressions, they were all thinking much the same thing, but if Ias noticed she said nothing.
Jack grunted as he turned his attention from his particularly unappetizing meal, Ias not looking up from stirring her concoction but her left wing shifted and her head tilted ever so slightly, silent signals that she knew he was about to ask her something and that she was paying attention. He cleared his throat, noting how much grayer the dapples on her wings appeared in the firelight before shaking his head and remembering his question.
"So Ias, what's with the name?"
Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c all stiffened as the girl jerked, fire catching the hard glint in her eyes as she bristled.
"I beg your pardon?!"
"The Forbidden Sector?" He clarified quickly as he realized his blunder, shrugging somewhat sheepishly as Sam and Daniel grimaced.
Ias exhaled loudly as she calmed, but her frosted feathers remained ruffled, indicating just how deep the offense had been.
"The Forbidden Sector has not been touched in any way since the ocean receded, none are allowed to live in or develop any part of it. It is our defense, for in the midst of it all is the Stargate. It is a three to four day journey simply to its edge if you know where you're going through thicket, bog, and wood." She answered, eyes drifting from Jack back to her tea.
"Oceans receded?" Daniel queried as she stirred her brew, sniffing at it before deciding it was coming along fine and turning her gaze to the anthropologist.
"The ancient stories say that once, all the world was water and the land was naught but scattered islands. So it was that Kakaets were birthed with wings, to fly from island to island without fear of some sea predator making a quick meal of them. As the eons passed, the waters dried and the land extended and the Kakaets began to lose their wings, becoming Amunets while those who retained wings became the guardians, the Kayans."
"Wait...so there are two dominant species?" Daniel asked incredulously and Ias nodded, reaching to lift her mug off the fire.
"Hey-" Jack began to warn but she didn't even flinch as she took the mug from the fire, blowing softly over the top.
Daniel blinked as he peered at her knuckles, the symbols glowing palely on her bronze skin as she breathed in the wholesome vapors, taking an appreciative sip and sighing. Jack couldn't help the smile that quirked the corner of his mouth. She reminded him of a certain doctor with a fresh cup of coffee...
"The Amunets are much like you; wingless, lesser senses of sigh, smell and hearing, but keener senses of touch and perhaps even taste though taste is such a suggestive thing." She said as she resettled, sitting cross-legged beside the fire and wings carefully folded across her back.
"Just out of curiosity Ias, can I ask what it was you were doing in the Forbidden Sector?" Sam asked, Jack looking intently to the girl's expression which remained the same; innocent.
"As I said, it is the Kayans who guard. So I am here." She shrugged, response evasive and slightly incredulous, as if offended by the idea that she would be doing anything else.
Jack sat in silence for the rest of the night, simply watching the winged girl interact with the rest of his team. She was a very good actor, brilliant at answering a question without actually answering the question though it was clear she was genuinely curious about them. Just as they were genuinely curious about her and her people, but they were all guarded about their answers.
She was military, there was no doubt in his mind, but she continued to pass it off as being a "guardian", making it sound more like a big brother looking after their younger siblings rather than an organized operation. He wanted to trust her, she oozed "trustworthiness" and it irked him. Severely.
It was well into the night when they turned in, Jack opting to take the first watch.
"You didn't like my show."
He looked up as Ias took a seat beside him, cocking an eyebrow. She cocked her head, peering at him with the corners of almost emerald eyes, mousey brown braids falling lightly across her face in a truly girlish fashion. It disarmed him against his will.
"So you're military?"
"Yes. All Kayans are. It is the right of the wing'ed." She nodded in affirmation, leaning back to look at the sky. "And what of your people? Were you born into service as well or did you have a choice?"
"It was my choice." Jack replied eyeing the girl who nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "What is your mission?"
"Scout. Recon only. Fastes flyer and best with words, found your machine and had to figure out what it did, if anything at all, who sent it, and what they wanted." She replied. "Assignments changed now, that's for sure, but I don't know what too yet so I'm sticking with the plan until Jor comes back with my new orders."
"Recon huh?" Jack said more to himself than to the girl. "So, what have you learned?"
"That you are intelligent and have no hostile intent. Your technology is also well advanced, making you a good candidate for a trade alliance of some kind at the least," she replied with a yawn. "If anything, I will be called back to give a full report. It'll be good to feel air beneath me again."
"When do you learn to fly?"
"The ability is pretty innate, a falling child will instinctively turn themselves upright and either beat their wings to break momentum or simply glide to the floor. Not that injuries are always avoided, but the fundamentals are there always. It is these fundamentals that are refined with training, the first thing you are taught is to trust the air and how to use it." She replied. "Real training doesn't begin until after you've shed your fledgling feathers around fifteen. Then you are required to perform the Kadrin."
"Kadrin?"
"Flight test." She translated loosely, a smile of blissful reminiscence curling the corners of her lips. "One night you are simply blindfolded and carried here where your wrists are then bound and you are thrown off the ledge. You must find your way back to the aviary before you can remove your blindfold or your ties. I made it on my first attempt, my parents were proud."
Jack tried very hard not to appear appalled but failed miserably because Ias patted his leg with a rye smile.
"It sounds worse than it is, we each have an elder assigned to trail us and make sure we are safe the entire time." She soothed. "I am sure you went through some sort of survival training as well."
"Well yea-
"Tell me about it."
And he did, Ias listening attentively until he drifted silently to sleep. She smiled as the man curled almost instinctually at her side, stroking the soft silver that was his hair almost affectionately. He reminded her so much of Ashel it was uncanny.
"Maybe all leaders are like this. Perhaps it's a requirement or something." She said quietly to the sky with a slight grin. "Sleep well Jack O'Neill, I will watch the night."
And she did, humming a few bars of her favorite lullaby whenever one of them grew restless. So it was that Jack awoke to the sound of a murmured toon and a gentle touch, blinking as he tried to figure out where he was. The sun had yet to rise, everything a monotone gray in the pre-dawn light. The fire had died to embers but he could make out Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam's still sleeping forms from where he had lain his head.....on Ias' thigh.
Her fingers traced lazy circles in his hair and behind his ear, making him both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, breaths coming quickly in his uncertainty. Her left wing cradled his back protectively, like a guardian angel. It took him a minute to realize she had stopped singing, tilting his head to look up at her. She returned his gaze with a rye sort of smile, hand slipping from his hair to rest in her lap.
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
He sat up, eyeing the girl who simply stared back, pale eyes bright with mischief.
"Yea, like a rock." He muttered, averting his gaze.
He was thoroughly embarrassed, he had to be at least twice her age for one and he was off world, on a mission for crying out loud.
"Everyone deserves a good nights sleep."
Jack looked up as the girl stood, stretching as she stepped across the fire to the ledge. She peered back at him over her shoulder with an 'are you coming or what?' air, Jack climbing slowly to his feet before joining her with a grunt. He swallowed, kicking at a rock before beginning to speak but she held up her hand, pointing to the east. The sun crested the horizon, ribbons of pink and orange unfurling across a pale sky, golden orange burning across the sea.
It was breathtaking. Ias grinned as she watched his expression, wings arching behind her in her own delight. Lips parted as she chirped the waking song, putting Jack further at ease with her and the idea of their "closeness" the night before and nursing the beginnings of a mutual trust. She turned once she finished and flapped her wings once, hard, sending a gust of air and dirt across the still dozing members of SG1, as well as emitting a sound like a miniature thunderclap.
The trio started awake, Teal'c eyeing Ias knowingly while Sam and Daniel blinked in confusion.
"Morning guys. Sleep well?" Jack asked cheerfully, moving forward to rouse and round up his troops while Ias turned back to the sunrise.
It was a beautiful morning to fly, the sky was cloudless and as deep a blue as the ocean below, air still and warm. She wanted nothing more than to take off, but Vo and Ashel would have her head. She reluctantly peeled her eyes from the sky, frowning as she looked to the length of swampland, bog, and forest that stretched from the foot of the seeing ledge for miles. Crossing would be no fun on foot...maybe she could persuade Vo to allow her to borrow transport bubbles.
As she turned to look back at the aliens, movement caught the corner of her eyes and she looked back to the sky, trained eyes easily spotting not only Jor and Toden, but Resh and Sev all making their way to the ledge. She frowned, worry crossing her brow as she focused her gaze on Jor. In his hands she could just make out the outline of a semitransparent disk against the brown of his tunic and she smiled. Transport bubbles! Ias gave a half cheer before turning to face the four GI's who were watching her curiously.
"You have been approved, we will take you to Chander City and from there you will proceed to the capital, Etopolis." She stated, the others looking at her uneasily.
"Ias..who's we?"
"Just wait." She assured Jack as she stepped forward three strides, the sound of beating wings becoming audible.
The four started as 4 winged men dropped out of the sky and alighted behind Ias neatly.
"We." The girl grinned, holding out her arms to gesture to the 4 males who each nodded in response.
"Oh." Was all Jack could muster as the girl turned to face her kin.
"And?" She asked Jor in their native tongue, cocking her head.
"We will take them to Vo first before they are sent to the Etopolis. You will be their translator, Ashel and Vo will debrief you upon your arrival." Jor said as they all activated their bubbles, dropping them to the ground where they hovered and expanded ever so slightly. "Are they ready to go?"
Ias turned to face SG1 who were now standing at attention, watching her expectantly.
"Are you ready?"
"Yup."
"Ok. Each of you has been provided with a transport bubble." Ias said, motioning to the disks which continued to hover just above the ground. "All you have to do is sit on them. They will do the rest."
They eyed her suspiciously before tentatively doing as they were told. Once they were all situated comfortably, each Kayan held a hand and transparent field surrounded each occupant, the only sign that it was there being the fact that everything about them was tinted yellow. Ias sighed as she stepped to the ledge, turning to face the capsule enshrouded aliens with a grin.
"If you are afraid of heights I don't suggest you open your eyes but otherwise enjoy the view. Jack, you are with Jor, Daniel, you are with Toden, Sam, you are with Sev, and Teal'c, you are with Resh. They are the strongest of all Kayans in Chander City, they will take care of you." She smiled. "I will meet you in the city."
"Wait, Ias-"
The girl solitude them with a grin before leaping backwards and plummeting into nothingness. The others took off as well, she could see Daniel covering his eyes, Sam and Teal'c looked a little green themselves...and Jack watching her. She smiled at the barely suppressed worry in his eyes, waving before spreading her wings and twisting about in one deft movement, pulling out of her dive and shooting about a foot above the tree tops, beating strongly to gain altitude without loosing too much speed, buzzing Jor who chided her half heartedly.
He knew how good it felt to fly, especially this morning. It was going to be a beautiful day. Ias chirped a playful farewell before taking off at best speed for Chander City.