Anderson and Mitchell took point the next day, and true to her observations
of the night before, they found themselves coming up to a large clearing
less than an hour after they'd broken camp that morning.
The two stopped and gave SG-1 a chance to catch up, and the six of them stood silently at the edge of the clearing, taking stock of what was in the clearing, and also automatically looking for any signs of any possible threat, now that they had seen their first sign of human habitat since they'd come through the gate. There were no people, however. There was only a single pyramid, and it looked to be about as old as anything any of them had ever seen.
The ground around the pyramid was treeless. There was short grass, but nothing more for about 50 feet in every direction. The pyramid itself was made of heavy blocks of what looked like granite – but really could have been any stone – and it rose about 60 feet up, stopping at a tapered point. The outside walls were covered in glyphs of all sorts – as Daniel and the others had seen in the notes made by SG-2, and there was a short pillar of the same stone about 8 feet from what was apparently the entrance that was covered with writing as well.
"Wow."
Everyone turned to Daniel, who was staring.
"Wow?" Jack asked.
Daniel gestured at the pyramid, as if that explained everything, but the others all just stared at him. You see one pyramid; you've seen them all. And they'd all seen a pyramid or two in their lives. Daniel sighed.
"Can we go look at it?"
"Teal'c? Anderson? You two take flank. Carter? You have rear. Melony, lead us to your pyramid."
Jack smiled and gestured for Mitchell to take point, and she shook her head and led them out of the forested area, her Beretta in her good hand, raised slightly, just in case. Not that there'd been anything there the first time they'd been at the pyramid, but you never knew when something might come for a visit, right?
They walked up to the pillar, first, and Daniel reached out and ran his hand along it.
"It's just like in the notes."
Duh.
Mitchell didn't say anything.
"The area appears to be clear, O'Neill," Teal'c said, coming around from the other side of the pyramid with Anderson. The two had circled the structure while the rest of the group had approached head on, and they hadn't encountered anything that could have been construed as a threat.
Jack nodded, and looked at Mitchell, as well as the others.
"Where should we set up? In the clearing or in the woods?"
"The woods, I think." That was simply an instinct for not wanting to be out in the open if she could avoid it. Just on the off chance they had visitors, there was far more chance of defending a position that wasn't out in the open.
Jack agreed, but he knew she was more of an expert when it came to the planet they were on.
"Okay, you guys. We'll set up camp right on the edge of the tree line, and get settled in for the long haul. Carter, Anderson? You two find that stream that's in the notes and refill the canteens. Teal'c, dig a fire pit. Daniel-"Jack paused, because Jackson didn't even turn his head from the pillar when O'Neill said his name. He was too intrigued by the glyphs that were written on it. "Daniel... you go on and look at your little rock thing."
Mitchell grinned.
"Melony? Shall we go inside and see what's to be seen?"
"Sure."
They headed for the entrance, but Daniel stopped them.
"Wait a minute, you guys."
O'Neill and Mitchell both turned to look at him.
"Why not let me translate this first? That way we know what you're looking for in there."
"How long will that take?"
"I've already started with the translation." Daniel said. "I've been working on it during our walk. Since I don't have to watch the ground, now, to make sure I'm not going to fall on my face, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours."
"Why wait?" Asked Jack.
"It might be booby trapped."
"I didn't see anything like that the first time we were here, Dr. Jackson." Mitchell said.
"But you said you didn't go inside, Colonel."
"No. We didn't have time to explore."
"We do now." Daniel was in his element, now. "Let me translate this first, okay? Then you can go in."
Jack sighed, and looked over at Melony, who shrugged. She didn't care one way or the other.
"Okay, Daniel. You work on that, and we'll go..." He looked around, but he'd already given out all the assignments and there wasn't anything for the two Colonels to do.
"We'll do a perimeter check." Mitchell said.
"Yeah." It was better than sitting on their butts watching Daniel mumble to himself.
"It shouldn't take long," Daniel reassured them.
"Just call us when you're done," Jack said. "And don't even think about going inside without us."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Jack."
"Uh huh."
~*~
"Perimeter check?"
"You didn't come up with anything better, Jack, so hush."
"I was thinking we could inventory the packs, and see what we have for supplies..."
"Oooo, Thrillsville."
"You know, you have a sarcastic attitude, anyone ever tell you that?"
"Hmmm... I wonder where I picked it up."
They walked around the pyramid, looking for any potential threats – and not just human ones – then went a little into the forested area around the pyramid, just checking things out. Again, neither really expected trouble, but you never knew. They ran into Carter and Anderson, who'd had no trouble finding the stream, and the two Majors were carrying all the canteens except for the ones Jack and Melony were using.
"Daniel's translating the stone thing," Jack told them. "When he's done, we'll go inside and see what's in there. Until then, just keep an eye out for trouble, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Melony and I are doing a perimeter check, and then we'll be back. Keep Daniel out of trouble, please?"
"We'll try, Sir." Carter promised him.
The two stopped and gave SG-1 a chance to catch up, and the six of them stood silently at the edge of the clearing, taking stock of what was in the clearing, and also automatically looking for any signs of any possible threat, now that they had seen their first sign of human habitat since they'd come through the gate. There were no people, however. There was only a single pyramid, and it looked to be about as old as anything any of them had ever seen.
The ground around the pyramid was treeless. There was short grass, but nothing more for about 50 feet in every direction. The pyramid itself was made of heavy blocks of what looked like granite – but really could have been any stone – and it rose about 60 feet up, stopping at a tapered point. The outside walls were covered in glyphs of all sorts – as Daniel and the others had seen in the notes made by SG-2, and there was a short pillar of the same stone about 8 feet from what was apparently the entrance that was covered with writing as well.
"Wow."
Everyone turned to Daniel, who was staring.
"Wow?" Jack asked.
Daniel gestured at the pyramid, as if that explained everything, but the others all just stared at him. You see one pyramid; you've seen them all. And they'd all seen a pyramid or two in their lives. Daniel sighed.
"Can we go look at it?"
"Teal'c? Anderson? You two take flank. Carter? You have rear. Melony, lead us to your pyramid."
Jack smiled and gestured for Mitchell to take point, and she shook her head and led them out of the forested area, her Beretta in her good hand, raised slightly, just in case. Not that there'd been anything there the first time they'd been at the pyramid, but you never knew when something might come for a visit, right?
They walked up to the pillar, first, and Daniel reached out and ran his hand along it.
"It's just like in the notes."
Duh.
Mitchell didn't say anything.
"The area appears to be clear, O'Neill," Teal'c said, coming around from the other side of the pyramid with Anderson. The two had circled the structure while the rest of the group had approached head on, and they hadn't encountered anything that could have been construed as a threat.
Jack nodded, and looked at Mitchell, as well as the others.
"Where should we set up? In the clearing or in the woods?"
"The woods, I think." That was simply an instinct for not wanting to be out in the open if she could avoid it. Just on the off chance they had visitors, there was far more chance of defending a position that wasn't out in the open.
Jack agreed, but he knew she was more of an expert when it came to the planet they were on.
"Okay, you guys. We'll set up camp right on the edge of the tree line, and get settled in for the long haul. Carter, Anderson? You two find that stream that's in the notes and refill the canteens. Teal'c, dig a fire pit. Daniel-"Jack paused, because Jackson didn't even turn his head from the pillar when O'Neill said his name. He was too intrigued by the glyphs that were written on it. "Daniel... you go on and look at your little rock thing."
Mitchell grinned.
"Melony? Shall we go inside and see what's to be seen?"
"Sure."
They headed for the entrance, but Daniel stopped them.
"Wait a minute, you guys."
O'Neill and Mitchell both turned to look at him.
"Why not let me translate this first? That way we know what you're looking for in there."
"How long will that take?"
"I've already started with the translation." Daniel said. "I've been working on it during our walk. Since I don't have to watch the ground, now, to make sure I'm not going to fall on my face, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours."
"Why wait?" Asked Jack.
"It might be booby trapped."
"I didn't see anything like that the first time we were here, Dr. Jackson." Mitchell said.
"But you said you didn't go inside, Colonel."
"No. We didn't have time to explore."
"We do now." Daniel was in his element, now. "Let me translate this first, okay? Then you can go in."
Jack sighed, and looked over at Melony, who shrugged. She didn't care one way or the other.
"Okay, Daniel. You work on that, and we'll go..." He looked around, but he'd already given out all the assignments and there wasn't anything for the two Colonels to do.
"We'll do a perimeter check." Mitchell said.
"Yeah." It was better than sitting on their butts watching Daniel mumble to himself.
"It shouldn't take long," Daniel reassured them.
"Just call us when you're done," Jack said. "And don't even think about going inside without us."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Jack."
"Uh huh."
~*~
"Perimeter check?"
"You didn't come up with anything better, Jack, so hush."
"I was thinking we could inventory the packs, and see what we have for supplies..."
"Oooo, Thrillsville."
"You know, you have a sarcastic attitude, anyone ever tell you that?"
"Hmmm... I wonder where I picked it up."
They walked around the pyramid, looking for any potential threats – and not just human ones – then went a little into the forested area around the pyramid, just checking things out. Again, neither really expected trouble, but you never knew. They ran into Carter and Anderson, who'd had no trouble finding the stream, and the two Majors were carrying all the canteens except for the ones Jack and Melony were using.
"Daniel's translating the stone thing," Jack told them. "When he's done, we'll go inside and see what's in there. Until then, just keep an eye out for trouble, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Melony and I are doing a perimeter check, and then we'll be back. Keep Daniel out of trouble, please?"
"We'll try, Sir." Carter promised him.