"It's awfully... green."
Sam nodded. They'd been set down in a field about an hour from the main population center of the planet. Not wanting to cause a scare among the gentle people of the planet, they would walk into the city, instead of beaming down into the middle of them.
"Look, a cow." Sam pointed over to the right, where a creature that was almost definitely a cow was standing, watching them. Obviously their appearance had interrupted her grazing, since there were stalks of grass hanging from her mouth. Jack looked down at the ground.
"I should have worn boots."
Sam smiled, and shook her head. "Just watch where you step, Sir."
"Uh huh."
He looked around, very much aware that he was on a strange planet with no weapon in his hand. Something he hated more than anything. "See anything that looks like a road?"
"Nope." Sam smiled; it was a beautiful day, the air smelled fresh and clean, and she was with Jack. Walking wouldn't be that bad.
Jack wasn't quite so cheerful.
"How far to this town?"
"About an hour or so."
"And we have to walk through this field?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Of long grass and hidden dangers?"
"I'm afraid so, Sir."
He scowled. She didn't look all that sorry to him. Sam saw the scowl and grinned.
"Come on, it won't be that bad."
"Maybe we could find a road, and have Thor beam us to that, instead?"
"There aren't all that many roads. Mostly paths."
"How many people live on this planet?"
"If you count all the outlaying areas and all the scattered farms the Asgard have found, about 200,000."
"And they don't have any roads?"
"They walk, Jack. Or take carts or ride horses."
"Well... maybe we can find a walking path, hmmm?"
"Oh, yes. Horse crap is much more preferable to cow crap."
"Hey, if it's on a road, I can see it coming and avoid it. Besides, we need to find a road anyways. We don't want some farmer thinking that we're going to steal his... cow."
Sam nodded. "As soon as we find a road, or a path, I promise you can walk on it. Until then, we're stuck with the grass."
Jack sighed, but Sam knew it was only half-hearted. He didn't hate nature quite as much as he was pretending to. She slid her hand into his, knowing that no one was around to care about the show of affection, and he squeezed it gently and sighed again.
"Fine... we walk in the grass. But the Asgard are buying me new shoes. I just bought these."
~*~
"Are they down there?" Shawn asked Thor, looking up at the hologram. It wasn't showing him anything other than the planet, though, glowing blue in the emptiness of the space around it.
"Yes. They landed exactly where Major Carter and I planned for them to land, and now they will proceed to the village, and hopefully will be able to convince the people there to gather up their friends and meet with them in a large number. If all goes well, they will then send runners to the other towns and farms, and will inform them of what is happening. Hopefully, sometime soon we will be able to start relocating them."
"That's good."
"Indeed. The others are waiting to hear from us before they start moving people and their belongings."
He pointed to the ship that Shawn had noticed before, and then the boy realized there was more than one, he'd just missed the others.
"How many of them are there?"
"We have two transport ships, which are the biggest the Asgard possess. There are also two Destroyers, in case something happens we are not prepared for. These will provide extra room if we need to bring everyone up at once."
"We're in a destroyer, right?"
"Correct." The Asgard turned to Shawn. "How did you know that?"
He shrugged, "The simulator pointed it out."
He hesitated, and then asked. "What's a Goa'uld?"
The little alien's calm gaze studied him closely.
"What do you know of them?" He asked in reply.
Shawn shook his head. "Nothing. Jack says he can't really tell me, because he'll get into trouble."
"Then it would be best if I did not tell you, either."
Shawn had pretty much expected that, but he sighed, anyways. "You've been to the SGC, though, right?"
"Correct. Many times."
"Did you beam yourself in?"
"No. I used the Stargate."
"The Stargate?"
"Indeed. 'Beaming' myself is more complicated that just dialing in. And it would be a bad idea to leave the ship unattended in case the Goa'uld were to show up unannounced."
"The Goa'uld are aliens, too?"
Shawn couldn't help himself, although he knew he was pestering Thor, even after the Asgard had told him he wouldn't tell him about the Goa'uld. They sounded so interesting! If they were anywhere near as cool as the Asgard, Shawn definitely wanted to meet them.
"They are, but I should not tell-"
"You're a boy, right?" Shawn asked, changing the subject before Thor could tell him no again. He'd always come back to it later. "I mean, Sam and Jack call you a 'he', right?"
"That is correct. I am male." Thor was once again finding himself on the receiving end of questioning that would make any interrogator proud.
Shawn looked down. "Then where's your-"
"What did you want to know about the Goa'uld?" Thor asked suddenly, knowing full well where the next question was going, and being far more unwilling to discuss his anatomy with the child than he was to discuss the Goa'uld. After all, if the boy knew about the Stargate – and he had to know about it if Colonel O'Neill allowed him into the SGC – then there was no harm in telling him about the Goa'uld, as well.
"Everything," Shawn said, leaning forward onto the arm of the chair once more.
Thor sighed, and wished heartily that O'Neill or Carter would check in. This would take hours to tell. Even Thor couldn't have everything he wished for, though, and he shifted a little in his chair, getting more comfortable.
"The Goa'uld are a race of very small, snakelike creatures..."
Sam nodded. They'd been set down in a field about an hour from the main population center of the planet. Not wanting to cause a scare among the gentle people of the planet, they would walk into the city, instead of beaming down into the middle of them.
"Look, a cow." Sam pointed over to the right, where a creature that was almost definitely a cow was standing, watching them. Obviously their appearance had interrupted her grazing, since there were stalks of grass hanging from her mouth. Jack looked down at the ground.
"I should have worn boots."
Sam smiled, and shook her head. "Just watch where you step, Sir."
"Uh huh."
He looked around, very much aware that he was on a strange planet with no weapon in his hand. Something he hated more than anything. "See anything that looks like a road?"
"Nope." Sam smiled; it was a beautiful day, the air smelled fresh and clean, and she was with Jack. Walking wouldn't be that bad.
Jack wasn't quite so cheerful.
"How far to this town?"
"About an hour or so."
"And we have to walk through this field?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Of long grass and hidden dangers?"
"I'm afraid so, Sir."
He scowled. She didn't look all that sorry to him. Sam saw the scowl and grinned.
"Come on, it won't be that bad."
"Maybe we could find a road, and have Thor beam us to that, instead?"
"There aren't all that many roads. Mostly paths."
"How many people live on this planet?"
"If you count all the outlaying areas and all the scattered farms the Asgard have found, about 200,000."
"And they don't have any roads?"
"They walk, Jack. Or take carts or ride horses."
"Well... maybe we can find a walking path, hmmm?"
"Oh, yes. Horse crap is much more preferable to cow crap."
"Hey, if it's on a road, I can see it coming and avoid it. Besides, we need to find a road anyways. We don't want some farmer thinking that we're going to steal his... cow."
Sam nodded. "As soon as we find a road, or a path, I promise you can walk on it. Until then, we're stuck with the grass."
Jack sighed, but Sam knew it was only half-hearted. He didn't hate nature quite as much as he was pretending to. She slid her hand into his, knowing that no one was around to care about the show of affection, and he squeezed it gently and sighed again.
"Fine... we walk in the grass. But the Asgard are buying me new shoes. I just bought these."
~*~
"Are they down there?" Shawn asked Thor, looking up at the hologram. It wasn't showing him anything other than the planet, though, glowing blue in the emptiness of the space around it.
"Yes. They landed exactly where Major Carter and I planned for them to land, and now they will proceed to the village, and hopefully will be able to convince the people there to gather up their friends and meet with them in a large number. If all goes well, they will then send runners to the other towns and farms, and will inform them of what is happening. Hopefully, sometime soon we will be able to start relocating them."
"That's good."
"Indeed. The others are waiting to hear from us before they start moving people and their belongings."
He pointed to the ship that Shawn had noticed before, and then the boy realized there was more than one, he'd just missed the others.
"How many of them are there?"
"We have two transport ships, which are the biggest the Asgard possess. There are also two Destroyers, in case something happens we are not prepared for. These will provide extra room if we need to bring everyone up at once."
"We're in a destroyer, right?"
"Correct." The Asgard turned to Shawn. "How did you know that?"
He shrugged, "The simulator pointed it out."
He hesitated, and then asked. "What's a Goa'uld?"
The little alien's calm gaze studied him closely.
"What do you know of them?" He asked in reply.
Shawn shook his head. "Nothing. Jack says he can't really tell me, because he'll get into trouble."
"Then it would be best if I did not tell you, either."
Shawn had pretty much expected that, but he sighed, anyways. "You've been to the SGC, though, right?"
"Correct. Many times."
"Did you beam yourself in?"
"No. I used the Stargate."
"The Stargate?"
"Indeed. 'Beaming' myself is more complicated that just dialing in. And it would be a bad idea to leave the ship unattended in case the Goa'uld were to show up unannounced."
"The Goa'uld are aliens, too?"
Shawn couldn't help himself, although he knew he was pestering Thor, even after the Asgard had told him he wouldn't tell him about the Goa'uld. They sounded so interesting! If they were anywhere near as cool as the Asgard, Shawn definitely wanted to meet them.
"They are, but I should not tell-"
"You're a boy, right?" Shawn asked, changing the subject before Thor could tell him no again. He'd always come back to it later. "I mean, Sam and Jack call you a 'he', right?"
"That is correct. I am male." Thor was once again finding himself on the receiving end of questioning that would make any interrogator proud.
Shawn looked down. "Then where's your-"
"What did you want to know about the Goa'uld?" Thor asked suddenly, knowing full well where the next question was going, and being far more unwilling to discuss his anatomy with the child than he was to discuss the Goa'uld. After all, if the boy knew about the Stargate – and he had to know about it if Colonel O'Neill allowed him into the SGC – then there was no harm in telling him about the Goa'uld, as well.
"Everything," Shawn said, leaning forward onto the arm of the chair once more.
Thor sighed, and wished heartily that O'Neill or Carter would check in. This would take hours to tell. Even Thor couldn't have everything he wished for, though, and he shifted a little in his chair, getting more comfortable.
"The Goa'uld are a race of very small, snakelike creatures..."
