The sound of Jaffer's name being called brought Jack's head up. He was hurting and stunned from the blast of power that had knocked him back, but he struggled to his feet and lurched over to Jaffer, reaching the still lab the same moment the little girl did. Both of them knelt beside the dog as Sam and Gorul watched, both of them with their weapons still up, although neither was ready to fire them. Not with the little girl there to witness it. And for the same reason.
He looked down at the black lab, then over at the little girl, certain that her voice was the same one he'd heard only days before. The first contact he'd had with her people. He put his hand on Jaffer's body, and felt a pang of relief and thankfulness when he felt that solid heartbeat under his fingers, and looked up and met the little girl's brown eyes. They were filled with fear and tears, and Jack knew that it was fear for Jaffer. He reacted to that fear as he would have had it been Shawn or Gina or Andrew in front of him, and not a stranger.
"It's okay..." He whispered to her.
"Stay away from her!"
The little girl flinched at the sharp command – although she didn't understand it, she recognized the anger in it. Jack turned toward Gorul, moving so he was between her and the being. Gorul's hand was lifted and pointed at him, but Jack hadn't backed down from him when it was Teal'c he was protecting, and he sure as hell wasn't going to back down from the shot when it was a child.
"Don't hurt her," Sam warned Gorul, leveling her P-90 at him. There was absolutely no hesitation in her voice or body language. She'd face whatever he'd throw at her to keep him from harming the child.
Gorul was confused. It was obvious from the way they were acting that they were protecting not only each other, but also the child of the Hyl. A child they certainly couldn't care enough about to be willing to face his wrath to defend. But there was no denying that the human had placed himself between Gorul and the girl deliberately. And there was no doubt that the weapon in the woman's hands was pointed at him to keep him from hurting the child. A child he'd never hurt! He belonged here. They did not. And yet, the girl seemed to think they were her friends, and he was the one to fear. She was certainly looking at him fearfully.
"Who are you?" He asked them, lowering his bleeding hand just a little.
"Ja-ack!"
A new voice brought all heads around once more, and those that were still conscious saw Y'soa running towards them, followed by a small group of men, including the ones they'd met earlier.
"Ril'opild! Dah! Gorul nah gu'lkis! J'idshlo Gedloi!"
Gorul scowled, looking back at Jack and the girl, who shrank fearfully back behind Jack when she saw the scowl. The being saw the reaction and tried to school his expression, but the girl stayed where she was, even when Y'soa called her.
"Gedloi?"
"You are Ja-ack?" Gorul asked O'Neill.
"That depends..."
"Y'soa says you are friends. Why do you attack?"
"Hey, you started this, buck-o," Jack said, his worry for Jaffer and the rest of his team definitely getting the better of him, and making his temper start to show. "We weren't doing anything, and you showed up and called us Goa'uld and started shooting... or whatever..."
"You are with a Jaffa."
"Who told you he's not with the Goa'uld," Daniel said, weakly, still lying in the mud with the rain pelting down on him, shaken but mostly conscious, even though he had a pounding headache.
Sam lowered her P-90 completely and went over to kneel by him, checking him for any injuries. He waved her away, sending her over to check on Teal'c, who still hadn't moved.
"No one can trust a Jaffa." Gorul said, confused. "Everyone knows that."
"I trust Teal'c with my life."
"You are a fool, then."
"And you're a son of a bitch."
"Um... Jack..."
O'Neill's temper was flaring, though, and he reached out and put the little girl's hand on Jaffer's warm side to tell her to stay put, then hauled himself painfully to his feet and took a couple steps toward Gorul, his shoulders and face set in a manner that those who knew him, knew well. He was about to deliver a first class ass chewing.
"You come waltzing in here like you own the place, asking who we are and not believing us when we tell you. Then you just start shooting when you decide you don't like the answers. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if your little stun-ray hand thing has permanently hurt Teal'c or Jaffer, I'm going to make sure –"
"You are not Goa'uld."
Jack stopped his tirade, interrupted by what had to be the most obvious statement ever made.
"No shit."
"The Jaffa does not serve the Goa'uld?"
Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Sam beat him to it. Probably to keep O'Neill from saying something that might really piss off the being.
"No. He's on our side. He fights with us, against the Goa'uld."
Gorul walked over to stand near where Teal'c was lying, but Jack once more placed himself between Gorul and Teal'c, raising one hand in warning, even though he wasn't holding a weapon in it.
"I will not hurt him."
"Oh? I'd say that the evidence shows otherwise."
Gorul scowled, but really there wasn't anything he could say to that. The Human was correct. The Jaffa had been injured by Gorul, and no one else. And he hadn't attacked Gorul, either. Which made the attack seem even worse, since it was obviously unwarranted and had been dishonorable.
"You are not very friendly."
It was Jack's turn to scowl, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.
"Ja-ack? Di'skilud al fi'strud He'skfi, Ja-fer, en Tee-alk."
"He says Tee-alk and Ja-fer are hurt." Gorul supplied absently when he noted the confused look on Jack's face. "Tee-alk is obviously the Jaffa. Is this Ja-fer?" he pointed to Daniel."
"No, that's Daniel," Jack said. He pointed to where the little girl was huddled next to the black lab, who was as still as Teal'c was. "That's Jaffer."
"He attacked me."
"Because you attacked us, you stupid bas-"
"Jack."
O'Neill sighed. "Okay, look. Obviously we got off on the wrong foot here. I need to get my people out of the rain, and get Teal'c and Jaffer taken care of. After I do that, you can tell me who you are, and I'll tell you who we are, and hopefully we can get this straightened out."
Gorul pointed his bleeding hand at the Jaffa, and mumbled a word under his breath. Teal'c's eyes opened immediately, and he sat up, looking around and wondering where all the people had come from.
"O'Neill? What has-?"
Jack was impressed despite himself, and he knelt down next to his friend.
"Are you all right?"
There was a moment while Teal'c decided the answer to that, then he nodded.
"I am."
Jack nodded and stood up again, painfully, then reached his hand down and helped Teal'c to his feet, even as Gorul pointed his hand towards Jaffer.
"Easy..."
It was a warning, nothing more. Jack didn't like Gorul pointing that dangerous hand at Teal'c and he definitely didn't like it pointing at Jaffer. Of course, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction that the hand being pointed was still bleeding profusely.
"I will not hurt him further." Actually, Gorul wanted a chance to examine the dog-like creature, and rather hoped that by healing him, Ja-ack would let him near it.
Sure enough, a moment later, Jaffer's head came up a moment later, and the black lab looked around as if wondering what had happened.
"Jaffer."
The lab turned his head, and wagged his tail when he saw Jack standing close by. The little girl let out a squeal of delight when the dog got to his feet, and she hugged him tightly. Jaffer, of course, allowed this more than willingly, even though he wanted to go see Jack. Vicious attack dog that he was snort, he did like to be made a fuss over.
Gorul and Y'soa exchanged words for a moment, then the being turned towards Jack.
"I am told you have a camp near here. Perhaps we can have that talk now?"
He looked down at the black lab, then over at the little girl, certain that her voice was the same one he'd heard only days before. The first contact he'd had with her people. He put his hand on Jaffer's body, and felt a pang of relief and thankfulness when he felt that solid heartbeat under his fingers, and looked up and met the little girl's brown eyes. They were filled with fear and tears, and Jack knew that it was fear for Jaffer. He reacted to that fear as he would have had it been Shawn or Gina or Andrew in front of him, and not a stranger.
"It's okay..." He whispered to her.
"Stay away from her!"
The little girl flinched at the sharp command – although she didn't understand it, she recognized the anger in it. Jack turned toward Gorul, moving so he was between her and the being. Gorul's hand was lifted and pointed at him, but Jack hadn't backed down from him when it was Teal'c he was protecting, and he sure as hell wasn't going to back down from the shot when it was a child.
"Don't hurt her," Sam warned Gorul, leveling her P-90 at him. There was absolutely no hesitation in her voice or body language. She'd face whatever he'd throw at her to keep him from harming the child.
Gorul was confused. It was obvious from the way they were acting that they were protecting not only each other, but also the child of the Hyl. A child they certainly couldn't care enough about to be willing to face his wrath to defend. But there was no denying that the human had placed himself between Gorul and the girl deliberately. And there was no doubt that the weapon in the woman's hands was pointed at him to keep him from hurting the child. A child he'd never hurt! He belonged here. They did not. And yet, the girl seemed to think they were her friends, and he was the one to fear. She was certainly looking at him fearfully.
"Who are you?" He asked them, lowering his bleeding hand just a little.
"Ja-ack!"
A new voice brought all heads around once more, and those that were still conscious saw Y'soa running towards them, followed by a small group of men, including the ones they'd met earlier.
"Ril'opild! Dah! Gorul nah gu'lkis! J'idshlo Gedloi!"
Gorul scowled, looking back at Jack and the girl, who shrank fearfully back behind Jack when she saw the scowl. The being saw the reaction and tried to school his expression, but the girl stayed where she was, even when Y'soa called her.
"Gedloi?"
"You are Ja-ack?" Gorul asked O'Neill.
"That depends..."
"Y'soa says you are friends. Why do you attack?"
"Hey, you started this, buck-o," Jack said, his worry for Jaffer and the rest of his team definitely getting the better of him, and making his temper start to show. "We weren't doing anything, and you showed up and called us Goa'uld and started shooting... or whatever..."
"You are with a Jaffa."
"Who told you he's not with the Goa'uld," Daniel said, weakly, still lying in the mud with the rain pelting down on him, shaken but mostly conscious, even though he had a pounding headache.
Sam lowered her P-90 completely and went over to kneel by him, checking him for any injuries. He waved her away, sending her over to check on Teal'c, who still hadn't moved.
"No one can trust a Jaffa." Gorul said, confused. "Everyone knows that."
"I trust Teal'c with my life."
"You are a fool, then."
"And you're a son of a bitch."
"Um... Jack..."
O'Neill's temper was flaring, though, and he reached out and put the little girl's hand on Jaffer's warm side to tell her to stay put, then hauled himself painfully to his feet and took a couple steps toward Gorul, his shoulders and face set in a manner that those who knew him, knew well. He was about to deliver a first class ass chewing.
"You come waltzing in here like you own the place, asking who we are and not believing us when we tell you. Then you just start shooting when you decide you don't like the answers. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if your little stun-ray hand thing has permanently hurt Teal'c or Jaffer, I'm going to make sure –"
"You are not Goa'uld."
Jack stopped his tirade, interrupted by what had to be the most obvious statement ever made.
"No shit."
"The Jaffa does not serve the Goa'uld?"
Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Sam beat him to it. Probably to keep O'Neill from saying something that might really piss off the being.
"No. He's on our side. He fights with us, against the Goa'uld."
Gorul walked over to stand near where Teal'c was lying, but Jack once more placed himself between Gorul and Teal'c, raising one hand in warning, even though he wasn't holding a weapon in it.
"I will not hurt him."
"Oh? I'd say that the evidence shows otherwise."
Gorul scowled, but really there wasn't anything he could say to that. The Human was correct. The Jaffa had been injured by Gorul, and no one else. And he hadn't attacked Gorul, either. Which made the attack seem even worse, since it was obviously unwarranted and had been dishonorable.
"You are not very friendly."
It was Jack's turn to scowl, but he was interrupted before he could say anything.
"Ja-ack? Di'skilud al fi'strud He'skfi, Ja-fer, en Tee-alk."
"He says Tee-alk and Ja-fer are hurt." Gorul supplied absently when he noted the confused look on Jack's face. "Tee-alk is obviously the Jaffa. Is this Ja-fer?" he pointed to Daniel."
"No, that's Daniel," Jack said. He pointed to where the little girl was huddled next to the black lab, who was as still as Teal'c was. "That's Jaffer."
"He attacked me."
"Because you attacked us, you stupid bas-"
"Jack."
O'Neill sighed. "Okay, look. Obviously we got off on the wrong foot here. I need to get my people out of the rain, and get Teal'c and Jaffer taken care of. After I do that, you can tell me who you are, and I'll tell you who we are, and hopefully we can get this straightened out."
Gorul pointed his bleeding hand at the Jaffa, and mumbled a word under his breath. Teal'c's eyes opened immediately, and he sat up, looking around and wondering where all the people had come from.
"O'Neill? What has-?"
Jack was impressed despite himself, and he knelt down next to his friend.
"Are you all right?"
There was a moment while Teal'c decided the answer to that, then he nodded.
"I am."
Jack nodded and stood up again, painfully, then reached his hand down and helped Teal'c to his feet, even as Gorul pointed his hand towards Jaffer.
"Easy..."
It was a warning, nothing more. Jack didn't like Gorul pointing that dangerous hand at Teal'c and he definitely didn't like it pointing at Jaffer. Of course, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction that the hand being pointed was still bleeding profusely.
"I will not hurt him further." Actually, Gorul wanted a chance to examine the dog-like creature, and rather hoped that by healing him, Ja-ack would let him near it.
Sure enough, a moment later, Jaffer's head came up a moment later, and the black lab looked around as if wondering what had happened.
"Jaffer."
The lab turned his head, and wagged his tail when he saw Jack standing close by. The little girl let out a squeal of delight when the dog got to his feet, and she hugged him tightly. Jaffer, of course, allowed this more than willingly, even though he wanted to go see Jack. Vicious attack dog that he was snort, he did like to be made a fuss over.
Gorul and Y'soa exchanged words for a moment, then the being turned towards Jack.
"I am told you have a camp near here. Perhaps we can have that talk now?"