Chapter 8
A/N: Done lots over the hols^^ too much J&S side of the story though, I really should write the rest of Daniel's side... this is the last bit for a while... *gah*
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Teal'c slowly finished buckling his equipment, and his face was more than its studious blank. Daniel came up and laid a silent hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Teal'c," he said. Anger and frustration was still running haywire through the normally placid mind of the archaeologist, and he needed the support of the tall Jaffa as much as he could feel Teal'c stilted movements in his large frame.
"It should not have happened, Daniel Jackson," replied Teal'c with finality, pulling a tightening strap with a tug that betrayed the emotion that broke through the patient façade of his demeanour.
"Well, the best thing we can be doing right now, is what we are," said Daniel, sighing and letting his hand drop. "General Hammond and Jacob are trying to contact the Asgard for help, but even they still need the locations of the devices. And they need us - " he emphasised the words with a jerk of his thumb, "- to get it."
"In which case, I see no need for any delay," said Teal'c, striding up towards the metallic ramp in the Gate room where they were standing. "Are you ready to depart, Vanir-ta?" he almost barked. Robskere looked up from where he was tinkering with his hovering MALP device.
"Nearly there, worthy Teal'c," he said nervously, feeling not a little apprehensive of the Jaffa. Kaylyna beside him rolled her eyes and shifted the bag of note-plaques in her arms to a more comfortable place. Earlier, Daniel, glad for the distraction, had displayed curiousity at the Vanir-ta paper substitute. The plaques were things like PDAs, with long stylus-operated screens that the pair took down their notes. They had also been given back their brekken-ah guns, but they did not wear them, as the first stop through the Gate was Alsheim, their own home world and their base of operations.
"We are the Vanir-ta, or children of the gods, and our blessed home is Alsheim," Kaylyna had explained as she was packing. Daniel had replied with the fact that many cultures had refered to themselves as such, and the alien woman favoured him with a brief smile.
"We have often found so in our research," she had continued. "On Alsheim the country is ruled by City states, governed by councils of elders. There are five cities on our continent; we are from Jalfjor. But our elders are money-hungry businessmen, intent on the winning our war against Slarjorvik. They have sent scientists roaming to discover more of the ancient technology, so much of which is lost now... they profess that they need the weaponry to defend against the nomad wild tribes of Lokir, but we know better. That is why we have hidden our discovery of the Sider-Ost."
She had shut her bag with a snap then, and the conversation was over. Daniel turned this over in his mind as the officer in the command room above tapped in the corresponding symbols from the paper in front of him. As the last chevron engaged, the familiar blue ripples sprang up to fill the stone ring at the top of the ramp. Robskere set his MALP going again and stood upright with a stretch.
"We go," said Teal'c shortly, moving forward with a determined stride. Kaylyna hastily scurried after him, saying "Careful of the edge on the other side, worthy Teal'c – "before her form was swallowed by the event horizon.
Daniel gestured sardonically for Robskere to proceed in front of him. The scientist threw a slightly hurt look behind him, and Daniel cleared his expression with a sigh. He was picking up Jack's bad habits again. And it was hardly the Vanir-ta's fault that Jack and Sam were gone. No, not gone – missing. They would be found. With that thought, he turned to give General Hammond a farewell gesture, before stepping through.
The accustomed chill and vague feeling of translation nevertheless woke him up a little bit as Daniel stepped into the ruined hall on the other side. Skirting the gaping hole in the masonry immediately in front of the gate, he looked ahead as the Gate winked out behind him.
They were in a large, vaulted hall of lowering cold stone. However at one end it was partly ruined, and yellow sunlight splashed over the far corner. Daniel wandered over to where the other three stood expectantly, noting with sharp eyes the dust-skirted DHD and the chipped markings at the bottom corner of one of the walls. He muttered a half-hearted apology as the travellers headed through the side door. Here the passageway was unroofed, open to the brilliant blue sky above, and blazing sunshine boiled down into the stone way, turning it a warm reddish hue. Daniel began to feel uncomfortably ho, and turned his head irritably as they entered another, smaller room. Here there was living equipment; two neatly turned bunks against the wall, a computer screen of some kind, a couple of large tables strewn with plaques, a small grey machine with an unfinished bowl of food tucked into it. There was life here; there was an irritated mewling noise. Teal'c swung his head to pinpoint the sound, and leant down to peer under one of the bunks as the four of them spread about the room. They all suddenly span round as Teal'c jerked backwards, with a blur of speed and an unknown yowling.
"Stop, don't hurt it," said Kaylyna hurriedly. Teal'c held a twisting, spitting creature that fluttered brown feathery wings. The Jaffa regarded it coldly, and a trickle of blood from a scratch on his cheek started to dry up as they watched. Robskere grabbed for it and started trying to calm the creature, and Kaylyna stifled a giggle. It quickly disappeared as Teal'c transferred a stare to her. Daniel shrugged and looked back at the creature that Robskere held, seeming to be a winged feline of some sort.
"I told you the tyrfon needed feeding," said Kaylyna, turning her head from Teal'c unnerving gaze and hurrying for the grey machine, half-apologetic. "We keep it to warn us of Lokir attack."
Daniel nodded, his attention diverted as he spotted the cleared sunward wall. A sheet of material with charcoal rubbings on it was lying beside the pillar, and the whole wall was covered in hieroglyphs and sections of Ancient script.
"This is more like it," he said, crossing with eager step to stare up it at. Kaylyna came up beside him, hurriedly sweeping the strewn plaques on her work table into a big pile and sorting through them.
"As far as I've got, it's a record of the people who were left this Sider- Ost, and some of the addresses for it," she said, glancing down at the plaque in her hand. "There."
"Where?"
Kaylyna ran a finger up the wll unitl it came to rest on a certain section. Daniel squinted at it, lips moving as he tried to work it out.
"And that is?" he said, realiseing it was easier to ask.
"That would be the address for Fenkiral," said Kaylyna, a touch of smugness in her voice.
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A/N: Done lots over the hols^^ too much J&S side of the story though, I really should write the rest of Daniel's side... this is the last bit for a while... *gah*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Teal'c slowly finished buckling his equipment, and his face was more than its studious blank. Daniel came up and laid a silent hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Teal'c," he said. Anger and frustration was still running haywire through the normally placid mind of the archaeologist, and he needed the support of the tall Jaffa as much as he could feel Teal'c stilted movements in his large frame.
"It should not have happened, Daniel Jackson," replied Teal'c with finality, pulling a tightening strap with a tug that betrayed the emotion that broke through the patient façade of his demeanour.
"Well, the best thing we can be doing right now, is what we are," said Daniel, sighing and letting his hand drop. "General Hammond and Jacob are trying to contact the Asgard for help, but even they still need the locations of the devices. And they need us - " he emphasised the words with a jerk of his thumb, "- to get it."
"In which case, I see no need for any delay," said Teal'c, striding up towards the metallic ramp in the Gate room where they were standing. "Are you ready to depart, Vanir-ta?" he almost barked. Robskere looked up from where he was tinkering with his hovering MALP device.
"Nearly there, worthy Teal'c," he said nervously, feeling not a little apprehensive of the Jaffa. Kaylyna beside him rolled her eyes and shifted the bag of note-plaques in her arms to a more comfortable place. Earlier, Daniel, glad for the distraction, had displayed curiousity at the Vanir-ta paper substitute. The plaques were things like PDAs, with long stylus-operated screens that the pair took down their notes. They had also been given back their brekken-ah guns, but they did not wear them, as the first stop through the Gate was Alsheim, their own home world and their base of operations.
"We are the Vanir-ta, or children of the gods, and our blessed home is Alsheim," Kaylyna had explained as she was packing. Daniel had replied with the fact that many cultures had refered to themselves as such, and the alien woman favoured him with a brief smile.
"We have often found so in our research," she had continued. "On Alsheim the country is ruled by City states, governed by councils of elders. There are five cities on our continent; we are from Jalfjor. But our elders are money-hungry businessmen, intent on the winning our war against Slarjorvik. They have sent scientists roaming to discover more of the ancient technology, so much of which is lost now... they profess that they need the weaponry to defend against the nomad wild tribes of Lokir, but we know better. That is why we have hidden our discovery of the Sider-Ost."
She had shut her bag with a snap then, and the conversation was over. Daniel turned this over in his mind as the officer in the command room above tapped in the corresponding symbols from the paper in front of him. As the last chevron engaged, the familiar blue ripples sprang up to fill the stone ring at the top of the ramp. Robskere set his MALP going again and stood upright with a stretch.
"We go," said Teal'c shortly, moving forward with a determined stride. Kaylyna hastily scurried after him, saying "Careful of the edge on the other side, worthy Teal'c – "before her form was swallowed by the event horizon.
Daniel gestured sardonically for Robskere to proceed in front of him. The scientist threw a slightly hurt look behind him, and Daniel cleared his expression with a sigh. He was picking up Jack's bad habits again. And it was hardly the Vanir-ta's fault that Jack and Sam were gone. No, not gone – missing. They would be found. With that thought, he turned to give General Hammond a farewell gesture, before stepping through.
The accustomed chill and vague feeling of translation nevertheless woke him up a little bit as Daniel stepped into the ruined hall on the other side. Skirting the gaping hole in the masonry immediately in front of the gate, he looked ahead as the Gate winked out behind him.
They were in a large, vaulted hall of lowering cold stone. However at one end it was partly ruined, and yellow sunlight splashed over the far corner. Daniel wandered over to where the other three stood expectantly, noting with sharp eyes the dust-skirted DHD and the chipped markings at the bottom corner of one of the walls. He muttered a half-hearted apology as the travellers headed through the side door. Here the passageway was unroofed, open to the brilliant blue sky above, and blazing sunshine boiled down into the stone way, turning it a warm reddish hue. Daniel began to feel uncomfortably ho, and turned his head irritably as they entered another, smaller room. Here there was living equipment; two neatly turned bunks against the wall, a computer screen of some kind, a couple of large tables strewn with plaques, a small grey machine with an unfinished bowl of food tucked into it. There was life here; there was an irritated mewling noise. Teal'c swung his head to pinpoint the sound, and leant down to peer under one of the bunks as the four of them spread about the room. They all suddenly span round as Teal'c jerked backwards, with a blur of speed and an unknown yowling.
"Stop, don't hurt it," said Kaylyna hurriedly. Teal'c held a twisting, spitting creature that fluttered brown feathery wings. The Jaffa regarded it coldly, and a trickle of blood from a scratch on his cheek started to dry up as they watched. Robskere grabbed for it and started trying to calm the creature, and Kaylyna stifled a giggle. It quickly disappeared as Teal'c transferred a stare to her. Daniel shrugged and looked back at the creature that Robskere held, seeming to be a winged feline of some sort.
"I told you the tyrfon needed feeding," said Kaylyna, turning her head from Teal'c unnerving gaze and hurrying for the grey machine, half-apologetic. "We keep it to warn us of Lokir attack."
Daniel nodded, his attention diverted as he spotted the cleared sunward wall. A sheet of material with charcoal rubbings on it was lying beside the pillar, and the whole wall was covered in hieroglyphs and sections of Ancient script.
"This is more like it," he said, crossing with eager step to stare up it at. Kaylyna came up beside him, hurriedly sweeping the strewn plaques on her work table into a big pile and sorting through them.
"As far as I've got, it's a record of the people who were left this Sider- Ost, and some of the addresses for it," she said, glancing down at the plaque in her hand. "There."
"Where?"
Kaylyna ran a finger up the wll unitl it came to rest on a certain section. Daniel squinted at it, lips moving as he tried to work it out.
"And that is?" he said, realiseing it was easier to ask.
"That would be the address for Fenkiral," said Kaylyna, a touch of smugness in her voice.
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