O´Neill was gone for a long time. Sam had practically bored herself back to sleep when someone did come in. It was a girl. She was young and somehow familiar. It took Sam a while to figure out who she was, she´d been one of the Healers. In her mind, she knew how it all worked, Healers and Padeos and all, but she was still shocked at the fact that her –doctor- (for lack of a better word) was a kid no older than twelve. Sam smiled at her. The kid had brought some food, which Sam accepted. The girl went round the bed and took the knife, she inspected it. She seemed pleased, somehow.
"You already picked it up?", the girl asked. Sam nodded, not sure if she´d done anything wrong, "Good. It means you are healed." Sam was confused, but let it go for the moment, she had a better question for the girl.
"Where´s Colonel O´Neill?" The girl seemd confused for a second. She stared at Sam for a while, finally realizing who she was talking about.
"Jack?" Sam nodded, the girl´s smile faded, "He was summoned before the council. As were the rest of your people, so was Kaia.", the girl came closer, lowering her voice, "Arulo is there. He wishes for Kaia to explain her actions to him. He claims she fled the battle, abandoned the army in favor of you, he has called her a traitor."
Sam knew this was not good. She was just about to ask the girl to take her to the council, but the girl anticipated this and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"You cannot go. You are healed, but not well enough to move much yet. Kaia left instructions. She said you should lie down, relax and she shall find you, you will see, she does not wish this to be kept from you."
Sam didn´t understand, but the girl insisted she lay down. Finally, Sam gave in. The girl left her, but sent two soldiers to stand watch at the entrance. Sam didn´t know if it was so she would not leave, or so that no one would come in. It took her a while, but she suddenly felt an overwhelming need to actually close her eyes and stop thinking. She didn´t know where the feeling came from, but she knew one thing for sure: it did not come from her. She finally decided to just give in. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.....
There was a room. A circular room. It wasn´t a room. A cave. It was almost a dream.....no, a vision. Everyone was there. Arulo. Kaia. Koshka. Alma. Teal´c. Daniel. O´Neill. Chilaviek. Other people, other men. Not men. Dragons. The council. It was surreal. Kaia looked at Sam for a second, everyone else ignored her. It took a moment for her to understand she wasn´t actually there. Sam lost track of what was happening for a second, lost in what she was experiencing. They had seen telepathic abilities before but this was amazing, Kaia had actually formed a link to her mind and was sending information, kind of like a camara. Sam suddenly felt something like a slap across the face. She snapped back to what was happening. Kaia was staring at her, then she signaled with her eyes for Sam to pay attention to Arulo, who was speaking.
"I do not call into question the breavery or honor of the Padeos or Niseos or any other Creature of the Light, only of one soldier. I only wish it to be made clear why Kaia left the battle field. She leads all vrigda now, should she not look to her own people? To her own troops?"
No one spoke. Chilaviek seemed angry, pissed even, but he didn´t move a muscle. Arulo paced the room, a look of mock shock and concern on his face. He stopped in front of Kaia, but she said nothing. It wasn´t until Chilaviek looked over at Kaia and nodded that she even moved. The first thing she did, was take a step back. She fixed her eyes on Arulo and spoke.
"I have no need or desire to explain my actions to you."
Arulo smiled, "Maybe you don´t but you have no choice."
"I serve no man. You are not my master. I owe you nothing."
"That may soon change-"
"So you keep saying."
Arulo was not pleased to have been interrupted. His expression turned from mockery to anger. Kaia´s face remained blank.
"Listen ,–Padeos-, you may soon come to change your opinion but for now, you are right, I do not command you but I did go to battle with you. As a warrior, an honorable warrior, you should tell me."
"I left because two soldiers were wounded. They were going to die."
"I find that hard to believe," Arulo put an arm around Koshka. Sam swore Alma growled, "this girl is here. She does not seem so wounded to me."
"Gyffins heal quickly, that does not mean they do not die if they are simply left in the field."
"What about the other one? She is not here." Arulo looked at O´Neill and sneered. Sam felt the uncontrolable desire to strangle the man. This time, Chilaviek interrupted.
"Maybe I am mistaken, Lord of Men, but was this council not called to explain the actions of Kaia and not the health of the wounded?"
Arulo turned briefly to the dragon, then went back to Kaia, "In my mind, they are the same. Dozens of your soldiers were wounded, she carried none of them back. It seems obvious to me that one of two things happened: she would risk the lives of hundreds over these two or, she simply looked for an excuse to be left outside the battle."
"I am no coward!"
"Then you must truly care for these two. As I understand it in your world, Gyffins are a precious commodity, correct?"
Koshka could hold her tongue no more, "I am no one´s property. I am a warrior, same as any other that fought on that field!"
Kaia made her back down with one look. The girl did so, but looked no less hostile towards Arulo, who only smiled. He was amused by all of this, "I am not questioning your skills girl, simply your importance." He turned once more to Kaia, and shrugged his shoulders, "I understand why you would save her, but what of the other one? She is simply one more Padeos."
"She is my kin."
"Not by blood."
"Does it matter?"
"It should. Blood matters more than any you people believe exists in the universe."
"That is your belief, not mine."
"Is that why you left? Because she is your kin?"
"I will not explain my actions to you. I would not explain them to any man, but especially you."
"I sense you hide something from me. What makes these four strangers so important?" Arulo looked at each of the three members of SG-1 closely, none of them even looked at him. O´Neill was the only one who even moved, he made fists with his hands. He was trying to stop himself from killing the man in front of him. Kaia, literally, pulled Arulo away.
"They are as important as any other."
Arulo quickly forgot about O´Neill and focused back on Kaia, "I don´t believe you. You," he turned to the council, "all of you, are hiding something from me, from men."
"Not from men."
"Then you do not deny it?"
"Deny what? That these four are important? They are. Why should they not be?"
"You did not answer my question."
"I have no reason to explain myself to you, Arulo. If you must know, I will not leave any member of my vrigda behind, I would die if it meant they even had a chance to live."
"Noble sentiment. And one of the main reasons why your race will die out. You sacrifice too much, Kaia. This will be the end of you."
Sam knew this was a pretty direct threat. Kaia smiled defiantly at the man in front of her.
"As I said: I have no wish nor need to explain myself to you." She turned to Chilaviek and bowed, when she rose, she turned. All the others followed. Before leaving, she turned back to Arulo, "There are dead to bury, all kinds. I would much rather see to that than stand here anther moment. You are no honorable man, Arulo." She didn´t bow down before she left. Arulo turned back to the council and said something, but Sam could no longer see or hear it. She opened her eyes. She was back. No. She never left. She sat up. It wasn´t long before Kaia came in, O´Neill followed.
Kaia seemed concerned. She hadn´t even changed clothes. Blood and dirt still clung to her. She sat down in front of Sam.
"He suspects." Sam didn´t understand, Kaia looked down at the floor, "There are rumors. He has only asked so much about you because he suspects something. You will have to leave soon."
She got back up and looked outside. Most of the people who were not hurt were working. Dragging bodies, burning bodies, digging holes, burying ashes and pieces of bone and cloth and weapons. Sam was amazed at the respect they seemed to show to the dead, even their enemies. They were all treated the same: individual graves, prayers, writing in the dirt, saying the one lying there was a warrior, an honorable warrior. Kaia laughed.
"You are surprised. So were Daniel and Teal´c. They fought for their army and lost, that does not mean they do not deserve to be buried."
O´Neill stood next to Kaia, "They wouldn´t do the same for you."
"Maybe not but, that does not mean we would disrespect them." She turned and called Sam over. She did, with some effort. She still felt less than sure on her feet. O´Neill kept an eye on her. Kaia pointed to the sky. It was amazing, the moon was shinning, but there were absolutely no stars in the sky. O´Neill had already seen and marvelled at it, now, he was more concerned about Sam being on her feet. Sam was to shocked to notice. Stars should not dissappear like that, not unless there was an atmospheric condition. Her mind was racing. She felt Kaia touch her arm. She looked at the girl, who was smiling.
"We have no explanations such as the ones you have in your mind, Sam. We believe that Life mourns them. It does not matter that they were our enemies, Life still blessed them with her gift and it has been taken."
Sam looked back up at the sky. She had to admit, that explanation was a lot more inspiring and comforting than any she could come up with. O´Neill rolled his eyes and Sam heard a distinct "For cryin´ out loud" come from him. She grinned but Kaia looked over at him.
"You do not believe they should be mourned?"
O´Neill faced Kaia, "Yeah sure, by their own people! They were your enemies, they tried to kill you, invade you."
"They did not try, they succeeded in the invasion but, they were still living and feeling creatures, Jack."
"They tried to kill you."
"They did not succeed in that. Why should I hold it against them?" Kaia looked back up at the sky and sighed. Her smile grew wider, "You are right, Jack. They were our enemies and that is why, Life may mourn them, but we still celebrate their defeat."
Kaia walked out. Sam shrugged her shoulders and went back in, she needed to sit down and eat, she was starving. O´Neill called out to Kaia, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Kaia didn´t even stop, simply called over her shoulder, "You will see tomorrow night."
She walked to a group that was digging holes and started working herself. O´Neill turned back. He sat down on the floor, saying nothing. Sam ate slowly, mostly thinking about everything that had happened since they´d arrived on that planet. She suddenly realized how much she missed being home. At least everything made sense there. She looked up and found that O´Neill was staring at her. She smiled at him, it made her nervous when he looked at her like that. His mind was racing. She looked back down at her food. She really didn´t want to know what it was racing about.
