Author's Note: Rhuarc, this whole story was thought up based off of your comments on the other story. You wanted something bigger...more dramatic. This one is going to hopefully deliver! Thanks for the reviews and feedback, it's much appreciated!

Chapter Two

Bad News

Jack fell back, eventually letting Daniel pull ahead with their host, Ka'ta. Sam followed close on Daniel's heels, with Teal'c in the rear close to Jack. They had been walking for over an hour, the ordinary trees obscured the view of the city, which meant Jack had no real sense of how close they were to arriving.

He wiped a line of sweat trickling a dusty path down the side of his face, surprised at how warm it was getting. Their MALP telemetry had suggested a temperate climate, but it felt like the temperatures were inching up out of temperate into hot.

He was verging on asking how much farther, an adult version of are we there yet, when he saw the trees thin ahead, and saw glimpses of the city through the gaps between the broad aged trunks. He was filled with a charge of anticipation and readiness. Soon he'd get a handle on these people. Good or bad, he'd know shortly.

"O'Neill, I believe there is a welcoming festivity."

"Party, Teal'c...its party." He corrected, lips twitching into a partial grin.

Teal'c inclined his head, "As I said."

Jack saw what Teal'c was talking about. There was a large gathering of U'Tak'ans standing at a clear demarcation line that separated the forest from the city. The wild undergrowth came to an abrupt stop, an artist's pen couldn't have drawn it straighter, and it was replaced with a verdant tamed version of grass, perfectly trimmed and kept, with no blemishes that he could see.

Jack quickened his pace, leaving Teal'c to cover their backs, and stepped up with Daniel and Ka'ta. "A lot of people just to say hi."

Ka'ta looked surprised to see the numbers, as much as they were, "I'm sorry. Word of your arrival must have gotten out."

"Your people are comfortable with travelers from the Stargate?" Daniel asked.

Ka'ta paused, "Most are."

Jack wasn't happy at the implications of that. If most were, that meant that some weren't. "Most." He repeated, under his breath, though he saw Daniel heard him.

Jack took a few moments to observe the city. He couldn't shake the impression that it was like one of those cities in a snow globe. For one, everything was white. White walls, white streets...but the effect of that distinct line where the city began, curved around, and gave a very circular and independent feel, as if you could lift the city up, separate from anything else around it.

The city itself reminded him a great deal of the floating Nox city, with tall spires towering into the cerulean sky. Despite his normal cynicism, he found himself being impressed. This didn't strike him as a city full of danger, but appearances could be deceiving.

"You like?" Ka'ta was watching him carefully, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

He did, really, "Yes."

"It's amazing." Daniel said.

"Beautiful." Carter added.

Teal'c said nothing, but he wasn't unaffected, instead letting his silence say what he felt. Chulak had never seen the like of this planet, and anything he had seen, had usually been ground to dust under the tyranny of the Goa'uld.

They were now confronted by the horde of people, true to Ka'ta's earlier assessment, most seemed eager to meet them and touch. Jack winced as a hand drug across his sleeve, replaced by another fingering his patch. He backed up, "Nice to meet you...folks." He tried to keep himself from backing away too much.

Daniel was grinning, in his element, and relieved to have a friendly welcome instead of weapons jabbed in their prospective faces, "Hello."

Ka'ta let the greetings take place for a short time, then intervened, "Go home! Please! You'll get chances to meet them further tonight at the celebration!"

Celebration? Jack turned to Daniel.

Daniel shrugged; he didn't know what Ka'ta was talking about either. There hadn't been any mention of a celebration in their talks through the MALP.

Jack filed behind Daniel and Ka'ta, Carter behind him and then Teal'c. They walked through the alabaster city, boots clicking on some type of marble pavement. It probably wasn't marble but it had the same shiny-hard exterior. This was a city straight out of a fantasy novel, a Minas Tirith of Gondor from Tolkien's imagination. Jack had read it once, in high school, for a literature class.

They hadn't gone far when he guessed they were in the middle of the city, which meant it was a diminutive city. He beckoned for them to enter a door to their right. It led into one of the taller white buildings, a single emblem marring the pristine edifice. Jack led the way, senses alert, but his eyes discovered no sign of deception.

The interior was similar to the exterior, utilitarian but beautiful. Furniture was variations of the simple white that draped most of the city. There were bright spots of green with liberal use of plants. It felt...open...airy, and welcoming. Jack found himself relaxing. Maybe Daniel had been right this time. Maybe this city wasn't harboring some evil secret waiting to gobble them up when they least expected it.

"How old is your city?" He asked.

"Old?" Ka'ta looked to Daniel.

"The age...how long has your city stood?" Daniel explained, craning his head to take in the entire scope of the room.

"Many many generations Colonel." Ka'ta answered, a proud visage as he remembered ancient events.

"Many?" Jack pressed.

"More than could be recorded." Ka'ta stepped in the lead again, and began walking down a corridor.

SG-1 followed, silent. They were led into an expansive room, big but in a closed way, unlike the foyer of the building. There was a large rectangular table situated in the middle, with practical chairs stationed around.

"If you would, please be seated, I'll let the others know we are here." Ka'ta didn't wait to see if they sat, but left them alone, in search of his fellow Uk'Tak'ans.

"Impressive." Jack said, pulling a chair, and settling into it gingerly.

"Indeed." Teal'c finally spoke, and following Jack's example, took a seat to his right. Carter and Daniel sat as well.

"They seem very friendly." Carter was looking around the room. There wasn't much to see, the furniture and plants, some windows were fixed into the walls, though she couldn't imagine there would be much to see, as they were still on the first floor.

"Feel better about this mission Jack?" Daniel noticed his friend had relaxed his grip on the P-90 and no longer held himself at military attention.

"A little." Jack shifted in the chair, and let his weapon relax at his side. He was a little surprised they had been allowed to keep their weapons with them, not standard for most meet and greets. Usually as a sign of trust they were required to relinquish their guns, staff weapons, zats...whatever they had been armed with. "Afraid this is too good to be true."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Ka'ta and his buddies, five of them. They took seats opposite SG-1, and Ka'ta proved an adept host, and introduced the men in turn. Sam noticed there were no women present and hoped it wasn't a sign of the general hierarchy of the city.

Jack tried to make the names stick in his own way; Tak'a became Tak, Kra'lla became Craw, Li'tut was Liliput, Has'at became Hat, and Far'at...fat. He probably shouldn't use the nicknames out loud. He heard something about them being the ruling council of the city, which he wondered on the name.

"What is the name of your city?" He asked, curious, there seemed to be a definite pattern in naming.

"Am'at'al'tak'an." Ka'ta answered, pronouncing the name so quickly Jack wondered what he had just said.

"AmTrak." He muttered.

Ka'ta smiled again, bemused, "Am...Trak?"

"It's easier for us to say Ka'ta." Daniel answered smoothly.

"What do you people want from us?" Jack asked, ready to get into the nitty gritty of the reason for their visit.

"What Colonel O'Neill means, is we hope we can come to a mutual agreement for trade between our two peoples." Daniel stepped on Jack's toe.

Jack shot a dirty look at Daniel, but didn't say anything.

Ka'ta didn't seem phased by the wordplay, "We have an ore you need, tri...nit...ium?"

"Trinium?" Carter corrected, hopeful.

"Yes...trinium."

Carter breathed out, "Sir..."

"I know Carter." Jack didn't take his eyes of Ka'ta, "Who told you we needed trinium?"

"A friend, Colonel. They asked we not reveal their assistance in this manner." Ka'ta shot a nervous look at his five other council members.

"Ah...I see." But he didn't, and he didn't like subterfuge. "What do you want in return?"

"Medical help."

Daniel jerked slightly in his seat, "Medical help? Your people look healthy?"

"Appearances can be deceiving, Dr. Jackson." This was Craw talking. He was older than Ka'ta, his hair long and white, of course, Jack thought. Everything was white. It was starting to give him a headache.

"You didn't mention anyone being sick." He said, irritated, and mildly concerned, "Is it contagious?"

Craw laughed, but it was a hollow sound, "No Colonel. It isn't contagious. Our people are suffering from a genetic condition....a cellular breakdown, if you will. Our best researchers have been unable to find a solution."

"How long?" Carter asked, looking fascinated but slightly ill at the thought of some kind of disease causing these people to degenerate.

"Once the mutation becomes obvious, the individual has five to seven of your...days?" Craw floundered with their time frames.

Jack wondered how he knew what one of their days was, but he filed that away for later, "How many are affected?"

"Currently one-eighth of our population, but it is spreading fast." Ka'ta spoke up, his face a somber picture of pain; "It is irreversible, as much as we know."

Damn, "No offense to you folks, but what if we can't help?"

"Colonel, if you can't help...we'll die. We have no one else to turn to." Fat spoke this time, a depressed and saddened alien. "My wife fell ill yesterday. Please...all we ask is that you try."

Jack sighed. Two problems; what if they couldn't help? What if it was contagious? And then they would be bringing more personnel over here, they couldn't risk gating to the SGC and bringing whatever it was back with them. And despite their assurances, he wasn't assured of the contagious factor...not until Fraiser said it wasn't.

"We'll see what we can do." He finally said. And was rewarded by the encouraging smiles of his team.