Gateway Tryst Part One: Daniel

C2: 'New Friends'

A/N: Warning, R rated. If you continue to read these chapters, I will take it that it means you are not offended by the ratting. So, please enjoy and review.

Not in Kansas

Daniel peered around at the valley he found himself in to try to determine where he was. The hills on either side flowed down to the meadow where he first found himself. Behind the hills on both sides, there were rows of snow-capped mountains. To his left, he seen a small river and decided to follow it down stream.

Daniel saw a building in the distance after only twenty minutes of walking. At that moment, a gust of wind came up from the direction of the small river. It carried mist to float over him, and strangely, it calmed him as he closed his eyes. He paused for a moment after he opened his eyes to feel the warm sum evaporate the little droplets that landed on his skin.

As Daniel got closer to the building, he enjoyed its peaceful atmosphere. There were vast gardens covering the areas surrounding the house that seemed to be made like an extravagantly large two story log cabin. When he was within earshot of the cabin, he called out to the house to see if anyone would hear him. There was no reply. In that moment of waiting, Daniel saw a translucent screen that covered a large portion of the garden that attached to the house. He walked up a few steps to a panel on the wall. He assumed it was the door even though it had no handle. He went to knock when he seen a hand imprint on a stand near the door. He placed his hand on it and the large panel door opened. He noted that there was a screen that barred his way, so he decided to see if he could look inside.

"Hello, is anyone home?" Daniel said as he leaned forward.

A female voice sounded from within the house.

The screen shimmered then disappeared as he heard the voice sound again.

Daniel took a few slow steps in and found himself standing near a lovely raven-haired lady with light violet skin who must have been a little younger then he was. She turned to face a desk near the wall next to him. Her deep violet eyes that never fully looked at him and slender figure captivated Daniel. For a moment, he thought he was looking at his deceased wife who had been taken over by a Goa'uld. The cloud in his mind faded, as he understood the illusion was false, and he sighed knowing he would never fully get over the loss of his true love.

She took a step toward him as she read a page she was holding.

Daniel scratched behind his ear, "Hi, my name is Daniel Jackson, and to be honest with you…I'm kind of lost. I was wondering if you could help."

She straightened her silken dress that matched the violet color of her eyes perfectly. She trained her gaze on him for the first time. A hint of surprise started to spread over her.

Daniel smiled warmly at her.

She leaned away from him with a look of concern and controlled panic.

"I mean you no harm. My name is Daniel. What's yours?" Daniel clasped his hands in front of himself and a tranquil expression formed for her benefit.

With that, she stumbled backwards and almost fell.

What are you? She sent to Daniel in thought without using her mouth to speak. Her voice was flowing to Daniel's mind as she attempted to control her panic at the alien in her house. She knew his mind would interpret her thoughts and emotions into words. To him, it would feel as if someone else was speaking inside his head, when really she was sending her brain waves out to be translated by his mind with a connection.

"I am a traveler from a planet called Earth. My people are called Humans. I work as an archeologist and study ancient civilizations to learn about their cultures. I am not sure how I got here, but you are the first person I have seen since my arrival. Are you ok?" Daniel was becoming concerned as his hostess was clenching a fist and appeared not to be listening to him.

You are a traveling archeologist from another planet? She was starting to calm down, and it made Daniel glad.

"Yes, I was on Earth studying an artifact from a race we call the Ancients, when I dropped it and came to myself out in this valley. Um, I hope you are speaking to me with telepathy, or else I am losing it." Daniel rubbed his forehead and squinted his eyes. For some reason, all of this was familiar.

The lovely woman standing in front of Daniel smiled and shook her head up and down. My name is, Nymphalisluna. You are speaking in a language I do not know. I am using a form of translation within my mind. You speak and then I can hear the emotions and meaning behind the words spoken. I then send back to you in the same way and your mind translates them into thoughts for you. It will take me a while to speak your language. I have to admit that I have never seen a being like you before. How did you get past the barrier?

Daniel was trying to process everything she was saying to him and determine what she was meaning, "You have a very lovely name, but what barrier are you talking about?"

The barrier around our planet has stopped any contact with other worlds. It was put in place long ago, and the sister world next to ours is not even reachable. Recently, our scientists have been trying to find ways of deactivating the barrier and see what has become of our Galaxy. How exactly did you get here? She raised a hand and motioned for Daniel to sit down on a cushioned ledge that bordered a small waterfall and pond that was on the outer wall of the room. Daniel peered behind where he was sitting. He found the fact that she had a water display in the living room interesting.

She was pleased her way of translating his language allowed her to hear the translation of the fact that he was speaking the truth. His trust in telling her the truth calmed her. She wanted to hear him speak more so she could fine-tune his language, which was a lot simpler than her own.

"Where do I start? Ok, I had the artifact in my hands that was shaped like a cube. I read the inscriptions then tripped, and it fell to the floor. I felt my hands shake and then I lost my sight. I fell on the floor and landed here on the grass in the valley. The cube had five sides that were a dark burgundy with Ancient inscriptions. The sixth side was a dark indigo blue with a formal writing of the Ancients called hieratic. That is all I know, but I have to admit there is something about your appearance that seams familiar." Daniel shifted where he was sitting. He folded his arms for a moment then released them and laced his fingers instead.

"Rather interesting." Nymphalisluna said slowly in English. "I believe I have the basic structure of your language."

"Yes, very interesting. You learned my language in mere moments. Can you read my mind?" Daniel squinted his eyebrows and leaned forward in amusement.

"No, I can only translate things you say. And you can call me Nyma for short." She folded her arms over her chest and rested her hands on her shoulders as she slightly bowed to Daniel. She admitted to herself that she had never before spoke to someone who in the translation of his words was such a feeling of goodness and truth. Nyma believed him to be in some way related to another race her people has dealings with who also have blue eyes. She felt a strange draw to him as if she wanted to shelter him from anything that might harm him. That was when she wondered if all males of his race were as eye-catching and considerate.

Daniel repeated what she was doing and said, "And you can call me Daniel. It is an honor to meet you. Does your name have anything to do with the stellar bodies in space?"

"Yes, my name is a specific one that is only given out every ten generations or so. Within that time frame, there is usually born to my people an Actias. It is a person bearing the markings of the moon." She raised the delicate material on her shoulders to reveal on each shoulder there were figures in the shape of crescent moons. Her light violet skin made an unusual contrast from the yellowish gold color of the raised skin that formed moons. "I was born with these markings instead of the usual ones. Normally there are raised ridges that start on the forehead and run down the back and down the shoulders to the hands. All I have are the moons on my shoulders."

They spoke for a few hours of the significance of the markings on her shoulders. She told of the responsibilities that went with having the marks. That means she and her family will become the new ruling family when she reaches the proper age. Daniel listened to her talk about her family and culture with a constant feeling that she was lonely. Her duties and studies consumed her every waking moment, except when she was there at her family's getaway like she was now.

Their conversation was brought up short when a low-pitched pulsing sound came from the far end of the room. Nyma walked over to the desk and placed her hand on the panel. A section of the wall lit up that had a display in 3D. Daniel listened to her voice that flowed like a violin as she spoke to the figure on the display. He could not distinguish between words because her voice spilled out like the wind.

Over the next four days, they talked about ways of getting Daniel home. The truth was that Daniel loved staying with her in a guest room and did not want to leave so soon. Daniel was pleased she had not told anyone that he was staying with her. In part it was because he felt a little fear that the rest of her government might ask him how he got past the barrier and the truth would probably not satisfy them. He enjoyed the fact that the cabin had the appearance of being rustic on the outside, but it was actually very advanced technology at work. Her people valued blending with nature instead of taking it over. He started thinking of them as if they were on Earth they might be considered elves.

The house was decorated as if it were a garden. Daniel was happily surprised when he learned the screen over the outer garden could control the atmosphere within it year round to keep a garden outside. He was practically astounded when Nyma showed him how the controls on the house worked. She changed the transparency of the walls and roof of the house, so you could see outside as if there were no walls. She informed him that from the outside, it still looked the same and that no one could see in even though they could see out in all directions. What Daniel really enjoyed was at night when Nyma made it transparent as they talked. They laid on pillows and gazed up at the stars and two moons.

Nyma had received another message that told her there was a tremor that registered that coincided when Daniel arrived. She was further told that the barrier that encased their planet was starting to deteriorate, and they had gotten a message from their sister planet that morning. Everyone was excited on her planet and believed it was due to the fact that she was on her family's retreat for the first time, which was considered sacred.

Nyma found out that one of the ruler's daughters that had lived on Ceratonia had been missing for years. She then was told that the woman and two of her companions had arrived and was reunited with their families. The returning female heiress-noblewoman is called Lycaenacamberwell. Her friends and family usually called her Lyca. After a day of settling in, her assistants made an appointment for her to meet Nyma once the barrier was fully down. Lyca was to be the first Ceratonian on the planet in thousands of years. They are both in line to rule their planets with the guidance of their family. And so, Lyca wanted her counsel since the planets would be working together again, and she had been gone so long.

After Daniel had been there two weeks, they had become very close. After the sunset, they laid down on a large stack of reddish pillows and gazed up at the stars once again. Daniel was remembering when he first seen Nyma that he thought she was his wife who passed away. For some reason, he found himself telling Nyma the story.

Her eyes fill with tears when she heard him speak about losing her to the enemy only to find her again under its control. She rolled over and leaned against his arm as he lay on his back. He raised his arm, and she lay on her side as she rested her head in the crook of his arm. He lowered his arm to rest against her back as he told of his lost love's final moments and last attempt to communicate with him.

Nyma rested on her elbow and peered into Daniel's eyes that were moist with tears. "You are lucky."

Daniel broke his gaze from the stars, "What?" His voice came out in a hushed whisper that did little to mask his pain.

Nyma leaned down and rested her face against the side of his neck, "You have loved and have been loved back. I am about twice your age and have never felt love even in a glimmer."

Daniel forgot his own troubles for the woman at his side needed him to be there for her. "You're older then me. You definitely don't look it." He paused and remembered their years were different then Earths. He then thought about when she told him that they age slower then humans. "Yes, I guess you are older then me."

She smiled at him, "To my people, I am just now basically an adult, but I am not at the proper age to rule yet. At the proper age, all of my people here on Bauhinia who are violet like me, become in use of our inner abilities of telepathy. After I am the proper age and established as the next ruler with my family as council, they will expect me to announce whom my mate will be or that a search for one is underway. There are rules that must be followed in order to find a male who is considered acceptable. I am considered a Sun and have to marry a non-Sun so the female children I have will be Suns as well. I will probably pick a male who is the daughter of a Sun or in a noble family. I dislike tradition sometimes. What do you think, Daniel?"

"Traditions can be good to let you know where your people came from, but sometimes they go against who a person is. Your depiction of the rules of marriage among your people sound similar to some of the American Indians on Earth. The tribes that are brought to mind right off are the Hopewell, Adena and the Natchez. Now the Natchez's leaders were also called the Sun and had to marry a lower person in their cultures cast of stature." He paused then peered up into Nyma's deep violet eyes, "I think you should follow your heart as you adhere to traditions and your responsibilities as the new leader."

Nyma closed her eyes before she spoke again, "I have no one else to talk to about this, so please don't judge me. But then, you're not the judging type. It is acceptable on my world to mate with the significant other you are with as long as you are not having physical contact with another. I have never been married, but I have joined with two males in my life. In the end, all they wanted was to marry the next leader so they could attain power for their family. Sometimes I think that I am cursed to never find a male who cares for me in the way I desire. After a time of romantic gestures, both of them turned into complete control addicts as if they owned me. I always thought that two people give themselves to each other. It turned into me giving all of my heart, possessions, power in the government, and my body over to them to control. It felt like nothing of me survived until I got away from each of them. And what is depressing me the most is the fact that even both of them were too caught up in pleasing themselves sexually," She paused as her face flushed with a darker violet color, "to consider if I was being pleased. As a result, it has been years since I have allowed myself to get close to anyone."

Daniel was moved with her trust in him and at the same time, he felt sorry for her bad luck in picking companions. Some of what she was saying about her losing herself and control sounded like what his love had went through as the parasite Goa'uld controlled her body before she died. He reached his hand over and gently caressed her shoulder for a moment by outlining the crescent moon on her shoulder. "Give yourself some time to look around. Not every man is after your power and good looks. I am sure you will find someone who meets your traditional standards and who is as warm hearted as you are. The station you will occupy in life allows you to chose who your permanent mate would be. But even in arranged marriages, you can find yourself face to face with true love. If you remember, I spoke of how I came to be with…" His voice trailed off, as he could not let himself say her name for fear his emotions would take away what control he had. "You are a very beautiful woman in appearance and in your heart. I have no doubts you will eventually find a man worthy of you."

Nyma winked at him, "So, what kind of woman do you find attractive?"

Daniel blushed for a second then confessed, "Well, there is no one set group of attributes that I think a woman has to be. A beautiful appearance is always helpful, but what affects me the most is when a woman is real and does not put on fake appearances. When a woman is herself, when she is passionate about what she does in life, and is truly a good person I guess is what I find attractive."

"Is there any one woman that you know or have seen besides your lost love that has caught your eye?" She asked as she looked back up at the stars above them.

"Well, there is one actress that performs in movies that plays a certain character that I like that is fictional. The character is called Lara and has long dark hair. She is a Lady of a Manor in a different country than mine. The character is a strong willed and very sexy kind of action hero that explores tombs in Egypt and ancient artifacts with special powers such as controlling time." Daniel paused and smiled thinking of how well the fictional character would fit into the SG-1 group.

"You also study artifacts." She stopped talking to giggle, "So there is a wide spectrum. Would a woman with long black hair and violet skin ever fit into that picture if even for a little while?" Nyma questioned.

While still laying next to Daniel who was laying on his back, Nyma raised up on her elbow and started running the tips of her fingers over his jaw line. "You say, follow my heart? What do the passions of her heart have that could ever eclipse obligations?"

A/N: Ok, I think it is time to get interesting.

Smile at the Stargate,

Leia