They found a road far sooner than Sam had expected them to. It wasn't much
of a road, but it did give them a steadier surface to walk on, and it did
stop O'Neill's continuous grumbling about cow pies. Sam knew him better
than to take the grumbling seriously, but it was still a little annoying to
hear the same complaint over and over again. Once they found the road, all
Jack could complain about was walking, and since they hadn't been walking
all that long, he really didn't have much to gripe about. Then they saw
their first Pe'aoli.
A very large dog came barking up to them. Not in a threatening manner, just making sure that his owner knew that someone was around that he didn't know. Jack and Sam froze instantly, Jack moving slightly in front of Sam to put himself between the dog and her. Sam knew he'd done it automatically, probably he didn't even realize it.
"Nice doggie..." Jack said. "Sam, find me a rock."
"You're such a diplomat, Sir," Carter said. She looked down, but the dirt road they were on didn't have anything bigger than small pebbles, and they wouldn't be much help against the creature in front of them.
"Kall!"
The dog turned his head at the voice, and so did Jack and Sam. Just in time to see a man trotting up to them. Deeply tanned from the sun, he was probably about the same size and build as Jack, dressed in plain homespun tunic and trousers with a wide hat that shaded his eyes from the bright sun. The man slowed when he saw them, then barked a command at his dog when he realized the two might think the dog was threatening them.
"Kall, get over here, you hear?"
The dog went running over to his owner and fell in beside him as he walked over to the pair.
"Sorry about that. He wouldn't have hurt you."
"Yeah. We didn't think he looked to be the sort." Jack said, trying to look a bit more confident than he felt.
"Nah, he's not." The man looked the two over for a long moment, obviously checking them out, although his gaze lingered a little longer on Sam than it had Jack. He noted the different clothing, and the wristwatches and other items they wore that he hadn't ever seen before. And also noticed the way Jack had placed himself slightly between him and Sam, much as he had the dog.
"You're not from here, are you?"
"No, Sir," Jack said, shaking his head. There was no use lying about it. They weren't here to fit in, after all. "We're not."
The man nodded, since it was the answer he'd expected.
"You from the North?"
"Oh... no, Sir. We're from much further away than that."
"Travelers, then." The man nodded, and held out his hand. "I'm Relun."
Jack took his hand. It was rough and strong. "I'm Jack. This is Sam."
Relun shook Sam's hand as well, and looked down at his dog, who was wagging his tail happily. "That's Kall."
"So we heard."
"So, you're adventurers?"
"No, Relun," Sam said, smiling. "We're here to meet you and your leaders. And all the rest of your folks."
"Why?"
"You're in danger."
"I am?"
"Not just you. Your whole planet is."
Jack held up his hand for Carter to stop for a minute. "Relun? Is there a city near by? A town?"
"Sure, just follow this road and it'll take you right there."
"Why don't you walk with us? Then I can tell you what I know, and you can help us figure out how best to meet with as many people as we can in the least amount of time."
The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had other things to do, but it wasn't every day one saw strangers. Especially strangers talking about dangers and the like. There were very few dangers in Relun's world. Finally he nodded.
"I wasn't going to go to town until tomorrow, but I suppose Kall and I could go today."
"Good."
"So, what's this danger we're all in?" Relun asked as the three of them turned and headed down the road, the dog bounding ahead, and then off to the side to chase something only he could smell.
~*~
"So the To'kra are good Goa'uld?" Shawn asked.
"Yes."
"But there's not very many of them?"
"No. There are far more Goa'uld than there are To'kra. And the Goa'uld are purely evil. They use their hosts, and care nothing for the suffering of others."
Shawn shook his head, unable to accept that anything could exist that was that mean. In his short existence, he'd seen only the basic good in life. He had loving parents, and had never suffered from abuse or anger. He'd never even been picked on by bullies, being far too good-natured to make much of a target for them.
"What about-"
"Thor?" It was Jack's voice, and Shawn hushed immediately.
"Yes, O'Neill?"
"We've made contact with one of the Pe'aoli. He's having a bit of trouble believing what we're telling him, although he has mentioned that the beaches near the closest city have been unusually high this season. We're going to head into the city and see what we can do to convince these folks."
"Very well, O'Neill. Call if there is anything we can do to help you."
"Will do. O'Neill out."
Thor looked over at Shawn, who was looking at him.
"I must inform the others of what is happening." He pressed a button in his chair that Shawn knew from the simulator was for communications, even though it wasn't marked in English on Thor's chair like it had been for Shawn, and three Asgard holograms formed on the bridge in front of Thor and the boy.
"O'Neill and Carter have encountered one of the natives. They are proceeding to the city."
"Is that a Human child, Commander Thor?" One of them asked, ignoring Thor's report and looking at Shawn. The boy lifted his chin slightly, in response to the challenging tone of voice.
"It is. He is with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."
"What is he doing there?"
"Awaiting their return. As am I. He is causing no trouble, and O'Neill would not leave him on Earth, so he had to come along."
"That is highly unusual." The voice wasn't so challenging, now, and all of them were looking at the boy thoughtfully. "Is he O'Neill's son?" One of the others asked, speculatively.
Shawn shook his head, even as Thor did the same.
"He is not. O'Neill is his Camp Counselor." Like that explained everything.
"Ah. Perhaps O'Neill would allow us a chance to spend some time with the boy once this mission is over."
"To what end?" Thor asked, well aware that the Asgard he was talking to have never seen a human child up close like this, and were just as curious as he was. Few had even been close to adult humans.
"To ask him questions, Commander Thor. To learn about him."
Thor shook his head, slightly, reaching out and putting one long-fingered hand on Shawn' shoulder. "This one asks far more questions than he answers." How well did Thor know! "However, when our mission is accomplished, you may make your request to Colonel O'Neill. It is not my decision to make."
"Agreed."
"Contact us when you have more information from O'Neill," another requested.
A nod from Thor, and they all vanished.
A very large dog came barking up to them. Not in a threatening manner, just making sure that his owner knew that someone was around that he didn't know. Jack and Sam froze instantly, Jack moving slightly in front of Sam to put himself between the dog and her. Sam knew he'd done it automatically, probably he didn't even realize it.
"Nice doggie..." Jack said. "Sam, find me a rock."
"You're such a diplomat, Sir," Carter said. She looked down, but the dirt road they were on didn't have anything bigger than small pebbles, and they wouldn't be much help against the creature in front of them.
"Kall!"
The dog turned his head at the voice, and so did Jack and Sam. Just in time to see a man trotting up to them. Deeply tanned from the sun, he was probably about the same size and build as Jack, dressed in plain homespun tunic and trousers with a wide hat that shaded his eyes from the bright sun. The man slowed when he saw them, then barked a command at his dog when he realized the two might think the dog was threatening them.
"Kall, get over here, you hear?"
The dog went running over to his owner and fell in beside him as he walked over to the pair.
"Sorry about that. He wouldn't have hurt you."
"Yeah. We didn't think he looked to be the sort." Jack said, trying to look a bit more confident than he felt.
"Nah, he's not." The man looked the two over for a long moment, obviously checking them out, although his gaze lingered a little longer on Sam than it had Jack. He noted the different clothing, and the wristwatches and other items they wore that he hadn't ever seen before. And also noticed the way Jack had placed himself slightly between him and Sam, much as he had the dog.
"You're not from here, are you?"
"No, Sir," Jack said, shaking his head. There was no use lying about it. They weren't here to fit in, after all. "We're not."
The man nodded, since it was the answer he'd expected.
"You from the North?"
"Oh... no, Sir. We're from much further away than that."
"Travelers, then." The man nodded, and held out his hand. "I'm Relun."
Jack took his hand. It was rough and strong. "I'm Jack. This is Sam."
Relun shook Sam's hand as well, and looked down at his dog, who was wagging his tail happily. "That's Kall."
"So we heard."
"So, you're adventurers?"
"No, Relun," Sam said, smiling. "We're here to meet you and your leaders. And all the rest of your folks."
"Why?"
"You're in danger."
"I am?"
"Not just you. Your whole planet is."
Jack held up his hand for Carter to stop for a minute. "Relun? Is there a city near by? A town?"
"Sure, just follow this road and it'll take you right there."
"Why don't you walk with us? Then I can tell you what I know, and you can help us figure out how best to meet with as many people as we can in the least amount of time."
The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had other things to do, but it wasn't every day one saw strangers. Especially strangers talking about dangers and the like. There were very few dangers in Relun's world. Finally he nodded.
"I wasn't going to go to town until tomorrow, but I suppose Kall and I could go today."
"Good."
"So, what's this danger we're all in?" Relun asked as the three of them turned and headed down the road, the dog bounding ahead, and then off to the side to chase something only he could smell.
~*~
"So the To'kra are good Goa'uld?" Shawn asked.
"Yes."
"But there's not very many of them?"
"No. There are far more Goa'uld than there are To'kra. And the Goa'uld are purely evil. They use their hosts, and care nothing for the suffering of others."
Shawn shook his head, unable to accept that anything could exist that was that mean. In his short existence, he'd seen only the basic good in life. He had loving parents, and had never suffered from abuse or anger. He'd never even been picked on by bullies, being far too good-natured to make much of a target for them.
"What about-"
"Thor?" It was Jack's voice, and Shawn hushed immediately.
"Yes, O'Neill?"
"We've made contact with one of the Pe'aoli. He's having a bit of trouble believing what we're telling him, although he has mentioned that the beaches near the closest city have been unusually high this season. We're going to head into the city and see what we can do to convince these folks."
"Very well, O'Neill. Call if there is anything we can do to help you."
"Will do. O'Neill out."
Thor looked over at Shawn, who was looking at him.
"I must inform the others of what is happening." He pressed a button in his chair that Shawn knew from the simulator was for communications, even though it wasn't marked in English on Thor's chair like it had been for Shawn, and three Asgard holograms formed on the bridge in front of Thor and the boy.
"O'Neill and Carter have encountered one of the natives. They are proceeding to the city."
"Is that a Human child, Commander Thor?" One of them asked, ignoring Thor's report and looking at Shawn. The boy lifted his chin slightly, in response to the challenging tone of voice.
"It is. He is with Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter."
"What is he doing there?"
"Awaiting their return. As am I. He is causing no trouble, and O'Neill would not leave him on Earth, so he had to come along."
"That is highly unusual." The voice wasn't so challenging, now, and all of them were looking at the boy thoughtfully. "Is he O'Neill's son?" One of the others asked, speculatively.
Shawn shook his head, even as Thor did the same.
"He is not. O'Neill is his Camp Counselor." Like that explained everything.
"Ah. Perhaps O'Neill would allow us a chance to spend some time with the boy once this mission is over."
"To what end?" Thor asked, well aware that the Asgard he was talking to have never seen a human child up close like this, and were just as curious as he was. Few had even been close to adult humans.
"To ask him questions, Commander Thor. To learn about him."
Thor shook his head, slightly, reaching out and putting one long-fingered hand on Shawn' shoulder. "This one asks far more questions than he answers." How well did Thor know! "However, when our mission is accomplished, you may make your request to Colonel O'Neill. It is not my decision to make."
"Agreed."
"Contact us when you have more information from O'Neill," another requested.
A nod from Thor, and they all vanished.
