Jack and Sam ended up dozing off, and the short nap turned into a slightly longer slumber than either of them expected it to. When Carter next opened her eyes, it was fully daylight outside, and there were noisy birds and other creatures calling to each other as they started their day in the forest nearby. She looked over at Jack, who was still asleep, and then at Jaffer, who had joined them sometime while they'd been sleeping. The black lab woke as soon as Sam moved, which told her he wasn't really all that tired, he was just in there because he liked to use Jack as his own personal pillow whenever the opportunity arose.
Knowing there was no way she was going to be able to get up without waking Jack, Sam nudged him – making sure she avoided his scratched areas.
"Hmmm?"
"It's morning. Wake up."
"M'kay."
He didn't show any signs of doing what she said, but really, he didn't have to. She didn't need him awake, she just needed up. Sam kissed his neck softly, then slid out from under his blanket and crawled out of the tent. She had things she could do – although she was sorely tempted to go see how Daniel was doing, and knew if she did, she'd only be annoying him.
A cold nose touched her hand, and Sam stroked Jaffer's ears without even looking down at him. Of course, he was big enough now that she didn't have to bend down to do it, either.
"I think a mid-morning snack would do us just fine, don't you, Jaffer?" Sam murmured.
Jaffer wagged his tail. He certainly did!
She went to her tent and dressed quickly, and then rummaged through their supplies and came up with a bag of pepperoni sticks and pretzels. Jaffer watched her intently as she walked over to sit near the dead fire, and when she sat down he went over and joined her, knowing full well that if he turned on the charm, he'd end up with more than half that bag. Everyone teased Jack (mostly behind his back) about how badly he spoiled Jaffer, but when it came to snacks, Sam was even easier to cajole than Jack was – and that was saying something!
He gave her the 'I haven't eaten in weeks, just look how starved I am' look, and she gave him a pretzel with a smile.
Bwahaha.
Just for the hell of it, Jaffer brought himself up on his haunches in a classic sit up and beg motion, which Sam could never resist. It worked, and her eyes softened, she smiled brilliantly, and then she gave him an entire pepperoni stick.
"You're more charming than anyone knows," Sam told him, tapping his nose as he munched his treat. She wasn't fooled by him, no matter what the dog thought. She knew that he knew exactly what to do to get her to give him what he wanted. The problem was; she couldn't resist him. He was a lot like Jack in that manner. And didn't they both know it?
"He knows."
They both turned and looked, and Sam smiled when she saw that Jack had made an appearance at the tent. Already dressed for the day, he looked a little better than he had earlier, if not still tired. Part of the change in his appearance could be that his shirt was on and covering the scratches, so he didn't look quite so chewed up.
"Decided to get up?"
"Lost my bed warmers."
His smile took in both her and Jaffer, and he walked over and sat down next to her, reaching into the bag and pulling out a pepperoni stick, which he munched on while Jaffer watched carefully, waiting for the piece that he'd inevitably receive. Jack was, after all, the one who made up 90 percent of all Jaffer's snacks.
A moment later, Jaffer was finishing Jack's pepperoni stick, and Jack had leaned down and picked up the spear that had been left for him the day before.
"Think Daniel would mind if we went and checked on him?"
"Pestered him, you mean?"
"Checked on him sounds nicer."
"It'd still be pestering."
"I gave him-"
"A few hours. Let's give him a little more time. Come on, there's things we can do around here."
There were things they could do. They needed to gather up more firewood. They finished the breakfast dishes. They pulled the sleeping bags out of everyone's tents and hung them from branches to air out in the fresh morning breeze. They took an inventory of what they had left for food (more than enough) and fed Jaffer a bowl of dog food. They cleaned up any garbage that had escaped their notice (there was very little, since they were firm believers in not making a mess of someone else's planet) and then the two of them sat side by side and cleaned their firearms – although they did make sure they didn't have all the weapons disassembled at one time. (Wouldn't that have been the perfect time for someone to attack them?)
By the time they were finished, the sun was well up in the sky, and it was past noon. Jack and Sam slung their P-90s over their shoulders (an action that made O'Neill wince, just a little) and headed for the ruins.
...................
"So... what have you found out?"
Daniel scowled, looking up at the sound of Jack's voice.
"I thought you were going to give me a few hours?"
"I did."
"We gave you 9 hours, Daniel." Sam told him.
The archeologist looked up, beyond them and towards the sun, and then down at his watch. Wow, he hadn't even noticed the time was passing so quickly.
"Oh."
"So...?" Jack was looking at him expectantly. "Are they Mayans?"
"No."
"They're not?"
"How many Mayan legends tell about people among them who can disappear?" Daniel asked Jack, pointedly.
O'Neill shrugged.
"None of the ones I've read." (Which totaled out to... none)
"What about the Mayan writing, Daniel?" Sam asked.
"Well..." He looked at the wall he'd been translating. "It seems the people that live here – the ones who can vanish at will – were brought here by their god."
"Doesn't that have a familiar ring to it?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"It's not like you think, Jack." Daniel told him, shaking his head. "This god wasn't a Goa'uld, who was bringing his slaves someplace convenient so he could round them up at will later when he needed hosts."
"What was it, then?"
"The lands where they had lived were failing them – probably their planet was in the middle of some kind of geophysical change – although I don't know for sure, yet. It just says their corn wasn't growing, and their people were going hungry, so their god – who is represented by this symbol, although I don't know the word – gathered them together and put them in a great 'skyboat' and brought them here. 'Where the grass is green and the corn grows higher than a man stands'."
"Ah."
"So someone obviously moved the people here... where do the Mayans come in?"
"This planet has a Stargate, although it seems the people that were brought here never knew what it was for, and obviously didn't know how to operate it. One day, the great circle – the gate, obviously – spewed water, and a evil god came forth, with a handful of people – a group of screaming, crying, terrified people who were being herded like goats – according to this."
"Mayans?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
Knowing there was no way she was going to be able to get up without waking Jack, Sam nudged him – making sure she avoided his scratched areas.
"Hmmm?"
"It's morning. Wake up."
"M'kay."
He didn't show any signs of doing what she said, but really, he didn't have to. She didn't need him awake, she just needed up. Sam kissed his neck softly, then slid out from under his blanket and crawled out of the tent. She had things she could do – although she was sorely tempted to go see how Daniel was doing, and knew if she did, she'd only be annoying him.
A cold nose touched her hand, and Sam stroked Jaffer's ears without even looking down at him. Of course, he was big enough now that she didn't have to bend down to do it, either.
"I think a mid-morning snack would do us just fine, don't you, Jaffer?" Sam murmured.
Jaffer wagged his tail. He certainly did!
She went to her tent and dressed quickly, and then rummaged through their supplies and came up with a bag of pepperoni sticks and pretzels. Jaffer watched her intently as she walked over to sit near the dead fire, and when she sat down he went over and joined her, knowing full well that if he turned on the charm, he'd end up with more than half that bag. Everyone teased Jack (mostly behind his back) about how badly he spoiled Jaffer, but when it came to snacks, Sam was even easier to cajole than Jack was – and that was saying something!
He gave her the 'I haven't eaten in weeks, just look how starved I am' look, and she gave him a pretzel with a smile.
Bwahaha.
Just for the hell of it, Jaffer brought himself up on his haunches in a classic sit up and beg motion, which Sam could never resist. It worked, and her eyes softened, she smiled brilliantly, and then she gave him an entire pepperoni stick.
"You're more charming than anyone knows," Sam told him, tapping his nose as he munched his treat. She wasn't fooled by him, no matter what the dog thought. She knew that he knew exactly what to do to get her to give him what he wanted. The problem was; she couldn't resist him. He was a lot like Jack in that manner. And didn't they both know it?
"He knows."
They both turned and looked, and Sam smiled when she saw that Jack had made an appearance at the tent. Already dressed for the day, he looked a little better than he had earlier, if not still tired. Part of the change in his appearance could be that his shirt was on and covering the scratches, so he didn't look quite so chewed up.
"Decided to get up?"
"Lost my bed warmers."
His smile took in both her and Jaffer, and he walked over and sat down next to her, reaching into the bag and pulling out a pepperoni stick, which he munched on while Jaffer watched carefully, waiting for the piece that he'd inevitably receive. Jack was, after all, the one who made up 90 percent of all Jaffer's snacks.
A moment later, Jaffer was finishing Jack's pepperoni stick, and Jack had leaned down and picked up the spear that had been left for him the day before.
"Think Daniel would mind if we went and checked on him?"
"Pestered him, you mean?"
"Checked on him sounds nicer."
"It'd still be pestering."
"I gave him-"
"A few hours. Let's give him a little more time. Come on, there's things we can do around here."
There were things they could do. They needed to gather up more firewood. They finished the breakfast dishes. They pulled the sleeping bags out of everyone's tents and hung them from branches to air out in the fresh morning breeze. They took an inventory of what they had left for food (more than enough) and fed Jaffer a bowl of dog food. They cleaned up any garbage that had escaped their notice (there was very little, since they were firm believers in not making a mess of someone else's planet) and then the two of them sat side by side and cleaned their firearms – although they did make sure they didn't have all the weapons disassembled at one time. (Wouldn't that have been the perfect time for someone to attack them?)
By the time they were finished, the sun was well up in the sky, and it was past noon. Jack and Sam slung their P-90s over their shoulders (an action that made O'Neill wince, just a little) and headed for the ruins.
...................
"So... what have you found out?"
Daniel scowled, looking up at the sound of Jack's voice.
"I thought you were going to give me a few hours?"
"I did."
"We gave you 9 hours, Daniel." Sam told him.
The archeologist looked up, beyond them and towards the sun, and then down at his watch. Wow, he hadn't even noticed the time was passing so quickly.
"Oh."
"So...?" Jack was looking at him expectantly. "Are they Mayans?"
"No."
"They're not?"
"How many Mayan legends tell about people among them who can disappear?" Daniel asked Jack, pointedly.
O'Neill shrugged.
"None of the ones I've read." (Which totaled out to... none)
"What about the Mayan writing, Daniel?" Sam asked.
"Well..." He looked at the wall he'd been translating. "It seems the people that live here – the ones who can vanish at will – were brought here by their god."
"Doesn't that have a familiar ring to it?" Jack asked, sarcastically.
"It's not like you think, Jack." Daniel told him, shaking his head. "This god wasn't a Goa'uld, who was bringing his slaves someplace convenient so he could round them up at will later when he needed hosts."
"What was it, then?"
"The lands where they had lived were failing them – probably their planet was in the middle of some kind of geophysical change – although I don't know for sure, yet. It just says their corn wasn't growing, and their people were going hungry, so their god – who is represented by this symbol, although I don't know the word – gathered them together and put them in a great 'skyboat' and brought them here. 'Where the grass is green and the corn grows higher than a man stands'."
"Ah."
"So someone obviously moved the people here... where do the Mayans come in?"
"This planet has a Stargate, although it seems the people that were brought here never knew what it was for, and obviously didn't know how to operate it. One day, the great circle – the gate, obviously – spewed water, and a evil god came forth, with a handful of people – a group of screaming, crying, terrified people who were being herded like goats – according to this."
"Mayans?"
"Yeah, looks like it."