The image of the alien night sky of glittering sparks of light against a deep black.
And in the background were the words
"So... would it be correct to say... that you... just have this 'feeling' that they are ok?"
"It would."
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Ch 52: SILENT GLITTERING
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She ran her hand over the barrel of Jack's telescope as she sat in one of the folding chairs on his viewing deck. A slight breeze made her pull her jacket tighter around her shoulders. But she wasn't quite ready to head home for the night.
She looked up at the dark night sky. Her eyes skipped over the now-familiar Tauri constellations. As she had done so often for the past three months, she wondered which one they were near.
And she wondered if they could see the Earth's sun from where they were.
Which star were they seeing during the day wherever they were?
Her eyes roamed the night sky... as a part of her hoped for some kind of sign.
Some kind of... something... that would indicate where they were.
Her thoughts drifted over the events of her life... her people murdered... her life saved by SG-1... then she was brought here... the naquadah in her blood... the Goa'uld plot against the Tauri... the bunker... Sam, who'd refused to leave her... and then a life here... Janet had given her a home and become a second mother... Jack had given her a puppy... Sam was like an aunt and Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were like uncles...
Her eyes drifted to the pattern of stars where Sam had told her that Hanka, her home planet, was in the Tauri night sky.
She stared at the tiny glittering speck that was Hanka's sun.
That was her home... and she was here looking back at it.
This was their home... were they out there somewhere looking back at her right now?
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One of those beings called the Ascended floated ethereally nearby.
Watching and absorbing the actions of the corporeal.
Understanding, sympathizing and empathizing.
But not allowed to interact.
That which was now Janet Frasier watched her daughter and joined her as she scanned the sparkling array in the heavens above.
But unlike her daughter's roaming eyes, Janet focused unerringly on a small tiny speck, barely visible to the corporeal eye. In a way different from Teal'c, Janet could feel the presence of her two stranded friends. She could feel their very essences. And she could feel their attempts to operate the alien Stargate.
She didn't know if they would succeed to create a connection with Earth. She didn't know if they would survive the trials and tribulations of what could lie ahead. But she did know that what they were currently learning about each other was more important than much of what else might happen.
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Jacob Carter stepped outside the Tokra tunnels onto the latest desert planet chosen as the current Tokra base. His eyes turned upwards as he struggled with his emotions.
Scanning the alien stars, he drew on his memories of the star charts in the current Tokra command center and Selmac's centuries of galactic knowledge to recognize star configurations and patterns. Once he had identified a familiar framework for reference, he quickly worked out the location of Earth from this planet's perspective.
With his eyes fixed on Earth's sun, he allowed himself a few moments of silent regret. Regret that the Tokra and the Tauri did not have better communications... or relations... Regret that he hadn't even known that she was missing. And she had been missing for three months...
The information that had been relayed back to the Tokra base told them little else. Just that one General Jack O'Neill and one Colonel Sam Carter had been missing for the past three months.
And he had no idea what that meant.
Questions flooded his mind.
Lost how?
Lost where?
Lost doing what?
Last seen doing what?
The silent stars could not answer him.
His eyes scanned the glittering diamonds above.
She could be anywhere...and his heart clenched.
A parent's pain for a hurt or missing child was a pain equaled by no other.
'Samantha is an extremely capable young woman,' Selmac finally spoke up softly.
'Yes, but she's not invincible,' Jacob pointed out with anger... not at Selmac, but at a universe that threatened his child.
'And if she is with O'Neill, then the two of them will most likely prevail against whatever their current circumstances require,' the Tokra predicted with confidence.
Jacob did not answer, but Selmac could feel the Tauri's hope swell desperately in his chest.
'She wanted to be an astronaut from the age of... oh... eight or nine or somewhere in there,' Jacob spoke softly to the Tokra in his mind. 'She wanted to fly among the stars... and walk on other planets...'
'And she has,' Selmac returned softly.
"Yes...and she has also had to deal with some of the worst evil that this galaxy has to offer,' he countered angrily.
Selmac did not attempt to answer that. The Tokra had been fighting the Goa'uld for centuries and the symbiote knew that periods of anger and angst were normal.
'I need to help look for her,' Jacob stated softly but clearly.
Selmac answered with a mental nod that only Jacob could sense, 'I know,' and he sensed the Tauri's relief that there would not be an argument. 'We will contact the Tauri and ask them for a list of the planets that they have searched and which planets remain to be searched. We can then decide which of the planets we have the resources and time to search ourselves.'
Jacob nodded with a heavy heart. The Tokra could only do so much as they always had so many of their resources and personnel already committed to long-term undercover projects.
His eyes scanned the stars, unknowingly mimicking Cassandra Frasier's unconscious thoughts and hopes as he wished for a sign. For some indication that Sam and Jack were... there... or there... or there..., and his eyes stopped on random stars with each thought.
A flash of light skimmed across his peripheral vision and he saw a thin trail of light dim quickly to nothing.
A shooting star.
A meteorite burning up in this alien atmosphere.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then reopened them.
The stars sparkled silently.
And his eyes went back to scanning and roaming the shining pinpoints, hoping for inspiration or discovery.
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P2X-605
The alien Stargate powered up and the wormhole flushed outwards with its characteristic kawoosh before settling down to the sedate, light-blue rippling pool.
Two green-clad figures stumbled from the shimmering light and immediately sank to their knees.
Lt. Jennifer Hailey and Dr. Dragon Rider exited the wormhole to discover that Teal'c and Daniel Jackson appeared injured. Immediately the two women scanned the surroundings for hostiles or any recognizable dangers.
The area around the 'Gate appeared quiet, however, and Lt. Hailey spoke softly while continuing to watch for any signs of danger, "Teal'c, Daniel?"
Neither man answered immediately although the Jaffa was already pulling himself to his full height, albeit just a tad shakily. Dr. Rider leant Dr. Jackson a steadying hand as he too straightened up and looked around unsteadily.
"That was... unsettling...," Daniel finally offered.
"Indeed," the Jaffa returned uninformatively.
"Errr... fellas?" Dragon looked back and forth between the two men.
"Didn't you feel it?" Daniel asked.
"Feel what?" the zoologist returned with a look of askance and Lt. Hailey reinforced it with her own look of expectance.
Daniel's brow furrowed, "The ride through the wormhole... it wasn't... a bit different for you?"
Dragon looked at Jennifer and saw that the other woman did not know what the archeologist was referring to, "Different...how?" she asked curiously.
"It was... normal at first... and then I... lost my balance... and when we exited here, I was dizzy and disoriented for a few seconds... It was like the first few times that I went through the wormhole eight to ten years ago...," and he looked over at Teal'c for his perspective.
Without prompting the Jaffa offered, "I too lost my... stability... while we traveled through the wormhole, and upon arrival, I experienced a few moments of dizziness and nausea not unlike my first encounters with travel through the Chapa'ai when I was young."
Both women listened politely and then Dragon spoke up, "Well, I thought the ride was a bit rougher than usual, but I felt fine when we exited. How about you Jennifer?"
The young officer shrugged, "It was a bit more of a rush than normal, but I wasn't dizzy or anything when the ride was over."
Dragon eyed the two men critically, "How do you feel now?"
Daniel shrugged, "Fine, great, no dizziness."
She turned to the Jaffa who supplied, "I am no longer experiencing difficulties."
The two women shared a look and then turned back to the men, "Do you want to head back to the SGC and have them check you two out?"
The two men studied each other for a moment and then Daniel shook his head, "Not for me."
Teal'c studied his team silently and weighed their options. Their original mission plan was a 15-kilometer walk to a known nearby village of friendly natives followed by camping-out overnight before heading back to the 'Gate the next morning. "We shall search the area immediately surrounding the 'Gate and then reassess our status in one hour's time," he directed and the other three silently nodded and began walking down the steps while alertly scanning for any signs of the two missing officers.
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The four searchers sat around the campfire that evening. Neither Daniel nor Teal'c had exhibited any ill effects from their rougher-than-usual trip through the wormhole, so they had elected to continue with the mission.
The previously-known natives had been just as friendly as before. They had unfortunately, no news of the two missing SGC officers. The four Tauri had shared the evening meal with the villagers and then spent a few hours talking and sharing conversation before retiring to their campsite.
"It's amazing how many of them we still haven't been to," Dragon spoke quietly while looking up at the alien sky.
Not needing more specific words, the others silently nodded and continued their own visual scans of the unfamiliar star configurations.
Lt. Jennifer Hailey saw the spectacular breadth of the heavens and wondered at their scientific chances of finding the General and the Colonel.
Daniel Jackson saw the infinite possibilities and asked, "What do you think the chances are that they are looking up at the sky right now, trying to find their way home, searching for a way to us... just as we are searching for them?"
Teal'c saw that oh-so-familiar-unfamiliar panorama of alien stars in an alien sky. And he felt that inner certainty that their comrades were out there, and this determined his path for the near future. "I believe that the chances are extremely high DanielJackson. If it is at all possible to find a way to return, then JackO'Neill and SamanthaCarter will find it."
And the stars silently glittered against the deep black of space as four sets of eyes scanned and searched all that they could see.
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TBC
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Author's Notes: As always, a Special Thanks to SG-1 Yahoo Transcripts
wwwdotmoon-catchindotnet/transcripts.htm (just replace the dots with periods)
Episode 114, 'Singularity', transcript by Lauren Freeman
And, credit also goes to the Episode Guide & Synopses at the SciFi Channel's Stargate SG-1 website
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