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The Middle

For reasons she was still trying to figure out, her captors had decided make her into a human hourglass. And it had been like this for the last three days.

The same two men would wordlessly enter her cell, invert the table and then give her a drink of water, or feed her a small loaf of some strange-flavored bread.

Of course, that was only while she was upright or lying flat, which was basically every two hours. They did allow her to lie horizontal at night, which was a blessed relief and also gave her a chance to sleep.

There seemed to be no logic to their actions. No one asked any questions or even spoke to her. As if to spite her demands for an explanation from them, they remained silent.

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The Intermission

The villagers gathered in the great hall, as the tables were laden with food and drinks. SG-1 sat together near the Elder and his counsel. They waited patiently for him to address the room filled with people.

"Brethren, please welcome with me these visitors from afar. They bring friendship and fair trade from their world. We are honored to have them here. Let the celebration begin."

Friador sat down beside Jack and motioned for him to begin eating. Jack nodded his head but instead of sampling the platter before him, he turned to the Elder and explained.

"Uh, thanks for the speech. I hope you don't mind, but we try not to eat much while we are guests on other worlds. I'm sure the food's great 'n' all, but we've had some trouble with allergic reactions and stuff."

Jack glanced at Sam who sat beside him, daring her to grin.

"Oh, I see. Well, then at least join us in the merriment of dance. It is rare that we get the occasion to have feast and song. We must make the most of what we are given," the Elder replied earnestly.

As he finished, a beautiful, middle-aged woman approached them and smiled kindly.

"Colonel, may I introduce my wife, Annara. Beloved, these are the visitors from the Stone Ring."

Annara bowed her head respectfully.

"Greetings, it is an honor to meet you. I apologize for my absence earlier, but there was an urgent matter I needed to attend to that occurred shortly after your arrival."

She gazed at Jack and then directed her attention to Sam before continuing.

"I understand that you are the Healer in your band of travelers. I am the appointed Healer of this people, though our ways must seem quaint compared to yours."

Sam leaned forward and shook her head.

"No, of course not. Just because your culture isn't as advanced as ours doesn't mean they are any less effective. I've seen numerous worlds where medicinally the people were further ahead than our own world. We just use things differently."

With a quick glance to Jack, she admitted, "I think you may have something worthy of trade, though that decision is not mine to make."

"So, you defer to your husband on these matters?" Annara asked curiously.

"Um, yes." Sam answered honestly, slightly embarrassed at accepting the title of 'wife'. "He is the leader of our team and second only to his superior. It is protocol to allow them to make the final determination."

"Strange."

The Elder's wife exchanged a look with her husband and then replied, "you have no children?"

Sam swallowed her shock. "Um, no."

Then, rethinking her answer, said, "Well not yet. I haven't really had the time to, uh, settle down."

She could see the smirk of amusement on Jack's face and finished her response with a straight face.

"My husband isn't ready to be a housewife just yet."

From the end of the table, Daniel began choking on the sip of water he'd just taken, as Teal'c slapped his back forcefully to help him expel the liquid.

Jack too, coughed, but in annoyance and to change the subject of conversation.

"So, Friador, you said earlier you guys don't get the chance to party much. Why not?"

The Elder answered soberly, "we have certain days of celebration, but not many since the defeat of the Intruders. Our past is not one we are proud of, so we do not dwell on those in remembrance. This is the first feast of this season, and should an alliance be formed between us, hopefully one of many."

Daniel spoke up to be heard above the murmuring crowd.

"Who were these Intruders you mentioned? Are they the ones who destroyed those buildings outside of the town?"

"Yes and no." Friador answered, nodding solemnly. "They came through the Stone Ring bearing weapons and tried to force our people into slavery. We defeated them, but at too high a price."

"How did you manage to defeat them? Was the weaponry less advanced than your own?" Teal'c questioned, curious to know if these villagers had repelled a scout troop of Jaffa.

"They wore armor and bore weapons that spit fire and lightning. All had a symbol on their forehead, the mark of their god. They had killed several villagers before we were able to stop them. Only by combining our defenses were we able to overcome them. We lured them into the buildings south of the village and then collapsed them. One did manage to elude capture, but once he was found, he vowed that his god would have his vengeance on our world. No more have ever returned, nor did this god he spoke of ever come."

Jack glanced at his team and then asked, "did this guy happen to say who his god was?"

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There was a long pause before Friador replied.

"I believe the name given was Ra. The symbol on the warriors' heads was of an eye. Why, do you know this god?"

Jack visibly relaxed. The Elder studied the visitors curiously.

"Uh, you could say that. And for the record, he's no god. We dealt with him a few years back, so he won't be bothering anyone anymore." Jack stated firmly, with little boasting.

Friador and his wife exchanged a look before Annara asked skeptically, "you defeated a god? How did you do this? The warrior who survived said that Ra was all-powerful. He would know that we had killed his soldiers and he would avenge their deaths. You now say that this is not so?"

Sam answered her confidently. "Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson defeated Ra with the help of several of the inhabitants from the world he had enslaved. Ra and his ship were destroyed while he was trying to escape."

"I see. Were you not a part of the resistance with your husband?" Annara questioned pointedly to Sam.

"Um, no. I didn't join the Colonel until a year after that mission."

The Major finally blushed at the repeated reference of her 'marriage'.

The Elder's wife smirked at the other woman's discomfort, but continued with her inquiry.

"How long have you been together?"

Jack coughed quietly and interrupted. "Carter and Teal'c joined the team about a year later.

He nodded at Sam and then addressed Friador. "So, what ever happened to the one who survived?"

The Elder answered softly, "he took his own life. We were unaware he had hidden a small knife on his person and when one of our sentry's came to give him food, he found his body. There was also a snakelike creature that lay beside him, also dead. We were unsure what to do, so we burned the remains and scattered them on the evening wind. We have a similar ritual we perform for those whose lives are lost in a meaningless manner. There was no honor in taking his own life; we would not have harmed him. He would have remained our prisoner, but he would not have been mistreated in any way."

"He failed in his duty to his god. His life was no longer of value." Teal'c stated stoically.

"How can you say this? He was a living being! All life has value." Annara retorted heatedly.

Sam interjected quickly. "We agree, Annara. Teal'c was merely stating the reason why the man took his own life. He was a Jaffa, a soldier of an enemy known as the Goa'uld. They pose as gods and use humans as slaves. Teal'c himself was once a soldier of the Goa'uld known as Apophis, but he turned against him and now fights for freedom for all those enslaved by the Goa'uld."

She glanced at Teal'c, who tilted his head in agreement. "He meant no disrespect, to you or your ways."

Friador nodded and reached over to pat his wife's hand.

"Forgive us for our assumptions, we are a very emotional people. Life is most precious to us, especially to those in charge of our care. Healers are the most revered and also the most needed. They were very disturbed by the actions of the soldiers. We have no such practices here on our world. To take a life is punishable by death, but to save a life is rewarded beyond measure."

"We understand and hope that, whatever our beliefs or differences, we can find a mutual ground on which to form an alliance. I'm certain our ways aren't too different from your own." Daniel added from the end of the table.

He saw the curious look on the Elder's face and the glance he sent to his wife.

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