SG1 looked like they were shooting an Akira Kurosawa movie, all seated on their heels around a large square table with short legs; except for O'Neill, whose bad knees prevented him from doing that, and who sat cross-legged.
Apart from them, the room was empty.
Daniel wore ivory clothes with black horizontal stripes, and looked perfectly comfortable in them, while Teal'c wore a similar outfit, only the stripes drew different patterns.
The clothes seemed to be made of some kind of thick material like flax. The kimono itself was in reality the undergarment, and on top of it were several layers of thicker clothes. A sort of vest with large shoulder pads covered the chest, bearing the stripes and different patterns, and the legs were covered by a hakama (like culottes), and several layers of long ribbons emerging from the top of the hakama maintained everything in place. They also had some kind of white socks and the lacy sandals they wore as shoes were all aligned at the entrance of the room since they had been asked to remove them upon entering the dining area.
Sam's and Jack's outer outfits were obviously made of a more elaborate kind of material resembling silk, and Sam's in particular, resembled more a long dress than what the men wore. Her outfit was clearly designed in a more feminine way.
Sam sat calmly on her heels listening to Daniel giving her some advice as to how to behave. She was supposed to be a warlord's wife, and there were some things that would be expected from her, as well as things that she should definitely not do.
Jack on his part, looked nervous and fidgety.
Sam couldn't help letting her eyes wander upon him when he didn't look her direction. She had to admit to herself that seeing him in such a foreign outfit put her senses in overdrive. Its colors were black with intricate silver embroideries, which combined with his silver crop gave him a very distinguished look, despite the obvious nervousness that agitated him. Suddenly, she found herself staring in his eyes, and moved by a sudden shyness, bowed her head slightly to avoid looking him in the eyes.
Jack was utterly uncomfortable. The outfit felt cumbersome and incapacitated his ability to react fast, and he hated it, not to mention they made him look ridiculous in front of his teammates. Granted, they were in the same situation as he was, but none of them was the Commanding Officer, the one who had to make decisions, the one who had to be respected for his leadership and his - sometimes - unpopular choices.
The only thing that kept him from bolting up on his feet and escaping this ridiculous scene was the sight of his 2IC whenever his eyes fell on her dark-blue clad silhouette. The colors she wore made her eyes bluer than if she had put make-up on and her hair shone a brilliant gold enhanced by the delicate ribbons the servants had woven into. He damn well realized those thoughts were utterly unprofessional, but hell! The situation was far from what he had ever been trained for! Give him a battlefield and instant strategic decisions to make, give him a P90. Heck, give him a hostage situation, he knew how to react! Here he felt totally helpless and in the hands of a damn archaeologist, albeit a very close friend, but a scientist, a scholar, a bookworm. Oh all right, Daniel was trained in military operations, but his mind would never be military. He hadn't learnt that. He shot a glance at his friend, feeling guilty for having such deprecating thoughts towards him, but no one could blame him for being a soldier, and a damn good one…
Daniel coughed discreetly to draw their attention.
"There are a few things I remember from my three month exchange program with Japan about meals, and they might be appropriate, given the striking resemblance this civilization seems to bear with it."
"What is it, Daniel?" Sam asked.
"First of all, one shouldn't burp--"
"Daniel, I may be stupid, but do you think my mother raised a Neanderthal?" Jack said in an irritated voice.
"These are simply the rules, Jack!"
"Well I'm sick of rules of behavior!" his voice went up a notch.
"Sir!" Sam said in a strangled cry. "I really don't think now is the time to launch such a discussion!" she finished in a low voice.
O'Neill sighed. "All right, Daniel. Go on."
"One shouldn't blow one's nose while attending the meal. Never point your chopsticks - if we're given some - at someone, nor wave them in the air, but leave them in front of you, pointing to the left if you don't use them. Make noise while eating, although not too much," he paused, frowning, trying to remember what he had learnt in his earlier days, then took a deep breath and resumed. "Do not feed anyone with your chopsticks--"
"Daniel!" O'Neill choked. "Do you really think that line was needed! We're not intimate enough for that, for crying out loud!"
"I didn't mean me, Jack!" Daniel replied in an offended tone.
"I didn't mean you either!" he snapped back, his cheeks suddenly becoming beet red, as he realized what he had just said.
Sam ducked her head to avoid the burst of laughter that threatened to escape her throat. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and Daniel looked back at Jack blankly, then resumed, clearing his throat.
"Well, anyway, it's also considered utterly impolite not to taste all the dishes that are displayed or offered to you. And although I know you would never indulge yourself in drinking while on duty, alcoholism is more than frowned upon. They'll probably fill your cup, but I'd advise all of you not to drink since they will refill it immediately."
"I have no taste for alcohol, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c reminded him.
"I'm just listing the rules once again, Teal'c."
Jack rolled his eyes. This was getting more and more ridiculous.
"Anything else?" he asked the younger man, smirking.
"Nothing that I can remember."
"Then we'll try to be cautious, won't we?"
Silence settled as they were still waiting for their host.
Jack looked back at Sam, who happened to be looking his way at that precise moment, and their eyes locked, exchanging more than what words could carry. Their silent communication was interrupted by the arrival of Lord Kyyato who came to sit in front of them.
Daniel bowed slightly, discreetly beckoning his friends to do so.
Kyyato smiled and clapped his hands, signaling his servants to start serving the meal.
Suddenly the room was invaded by half a dozen servants, all female, carrying several trays with what was obviously hot and cold dishes.
Each member of SG1 was also presented with a dark wooden tray with a bowl, a kind of rolled wet napkin and chopsticks.
Jack looked at Teal'c, suddenly glad most of their team nights back on Earth had involved Asian food and teaching Teal'c how to use chopsticks.
Teal'c raised his eyebrow slightly, reassuring Jack that he was still on his guard. O'Neill nodded very slightly and then turned to Sam before waiting for Daniel to give them some sort of signal that they could eat.
When the servants were done bringing the food on the table, Kyyato had an inviting gesture towards it, beckoning his guests to help themselves. "Itadakimuh" he said smiling.
"Itadakimuh," Daniel replied smiling, before leaning over the table to pick several items in the dishes.
Jack imitated him as well as Teal'c, and Sam did it last.
Kyyato started talking to Daniel while chewing his food. "I want to apologize once more for treating you the way my guards did," He started.
"We have accepted your apologies, Lord Kyyato," Daniel responded, bowing his head.
"Times of war make things a little tense for me at the moment. We have had several incursions from the enemy, and I have Shomureis along most paths."
"Shomureis? War?" Daniel asked.
"Yes. For several ionkis already, my old enemy Hai-Ri-Ki has been trying to annihilate my lands and me. He wants more power and I stand in his way. My men, my Shomureis, are very loyal and fierce thankfully, and they defend my lands rather efficiently. But we are preparing for a riposte and hope to get rid of them very soon. Some of my scouts are out, seeking something left by my ancestors that could definitely bring me a decisive advantage," he concluded, smiling in a predatory way.
"Oh!" Daniel uttered.
"Yes, we found some evidence in old documents, and your arrival makes me believe that we might not be that far from the truth. But let's put aside those petty problems. You told me you were traveling to find some mineral that is in our soil?" he asked, smiling.
"Yes well, please let me take a moment to inform my Lord O'Neill of your situation," Daniel said, bowing his head. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable about the discussion, but he couldn't actually pinpoint why. He looked at Jack who raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"He apologized once again and told me he's at war with one of his neighbors apparently, just like we assumed back when we were taken prisoners. He thinks he may find something else that will give him a decisive advantage, and apparently, our arrival leads him to think he's right. Do you really want to proceed on that track?"
Jack frowned a little, then nodded cautiously. "Well, we do need to establish a mining treaty," he started slowly. "But we don't want to get into a war, nor interfere with it either. I trust you to be the peaceful one here, but just keep me posted on what you're talking about," he concluded.
Daniel eagerly turned back towards Lord Kyyato, who had observed the exchange intensely.
"My Lord does indeed need some mineral that cannot be found back where we are from, but which we found in the soil of this land in large amounts."
"May I ask what you need this mineral for?" Kyyato asked, his curiosity obviously piqued.
"Well, it's an energy source that we need to-" he was going to say 'power machines' but stopped himself briefly before resuming. "Heat our houses. It's very cold where we live." He cringed, realizing what a pathetic lie it was.
Nonetheless, Kyyato didn't seem nonplussed. His eyes squinted a little, then he sighed, appearing to be thinking; while Daniel quickly filled his friends in with what he had been saying.
Kyyato looked at O'Neill, then Daniel, before resuming. "As I told you, I want to get rid of Hai-Ri-Ki's threat on my land and my people in a definitive way. Maybe, if you think you can help me with that problem, we can establish a trading treaty so that you can retrieve this source of energy. You have weapons that I would like to see in action."
Daniel now knew why he was getting uncomfortable. He bowed slightly, and indicated he had to translate for O'Neill. Once he was finished, he waited for the man's reaction.
"Oh for crying out loud, why is it that they're always pining for our weaponry!" he said rolling his eyes.
"Well, sir, the same way we're always pining over advanced technology when we encounter some!" Carter replied immediately.
Suddenly, a deadly silence descended on the room. Kyyato looked utterly shocked and ready to draw his saber and dispose of her head in a snap of the fingers.
As soon as her lips had closed, Sam had remembered: she was not supposed to talk to her husband without bowing or showing some form of respect. She immediately ducked, her forehead touching the ground.
Jack, remembering too, looked falsely irate at his 'wife's' behavior. "I know that, Carter!" he snapped, keeping the pretense and hoping his tone would sound offended to the ears of the man in front of them.
"The fact that they already know how to light a fire doesn't mean we have to give them matches," he said, raising his eyebrow on a softer tone, eliciting another wave of bowing from Carter.
O'Neill then turned to Kyyato, speaking to Daniel, but looking at the man. "We would like to assess the situation by ourselves in order to help you best."
Daniel translated Jack's words.
Kyyato nodded thoughtfully. "Of course. You do understand though, that no treaty can be established unless there is some kind of exchange between us?"
Daniel translated back to O'Neill who sighed, frowned and raised his eyebrows, before speaking again. "We don't mean to be impolite, Lord Kyyato. We just need to see for ourselves exactly what kind of weapon we deem appropriate to your needs."
Kyyato smiled with greed. "Very well then, I was about to launch a strategic attack on one of Hai-Ri-Ki's outposts, if you wish to accompany me and my Shomureis so that you can see for yourselves," he offered.
Jack looked at his teammates, silently questioning them.
Teal'c nodded his acceptance imperceptibly; Sam raised her eyebrows indicating that whatever he decided she would follow and Daniel shrugged.
"We accept."
Kyyato smiled and resumed eating.
The rest of the meal was spent with small talk, Daniel becoming more and more tired as he was incessantly translating. As the evening stretched on, and feeling he would pass out from exhaustion, Daniel explained the events of the day had been very tiring, and wiped his mouth, signaling by this gesture, that the meal was over, immediately imitated by his friends.
"Goshiso samah deshitah" he enunciated slowly.
"Gushiseh somoh dishiteh" Kyyato replied, correcting the pronunciation smiling and bowing slightly. He clapped his hands and the same girls as before came in the room, retrieving the dishes and the trays in silent efficiency.
Kyyato stood up, followted by his guests, and the girls came back to guide them to their respective 'rooms'.
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Once O'Neill reached their designated area, he quickly shed his clothes, not caring if Carter saw him in his standard military white briefs, and put his usual fatigues back on.
Carter had turned her head when she had realized what he was doing, but temptation was stronger, and she stole a peek when the Colonel's back was turned. Despite his age, the man was in perfect shape. She became lost a moment in the play of his muscles on the hard planes of his back. Her eyes slowly drifting down, the apparent firmness of his buttocks, the strength of his thighs and the curve of his calves mesmerized her.
"Admiring the view, Carter?" she heard him say in a playful tone.
"Sir!" she said, feeling her cheeks flush furiously like a child caught in the act of stealing from the cookie jar.
He dismissed her. "Payback's a bitch I suppose. I checked YOU out on Hathor's base," he admitted, a small smile still playing on his lips. He had finished putting on his pants and black tee shirt. "I'll go fetch the others, 'think you can manage getting rid of these and put something back on that will keep my heart at a low pace in the meantime?"
"Sir?" She must have heard wrong.
He sighed. "Come on, I'm trying to add some levity to the situation!"
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, go fetch the others, I will put my usual clothes back on. Sir."
"Relax, Carter. I won't press charges on you," he said, sliding a panel to exit the room. She still seemed to be disconcerted, but he decided she would probably go back to normal as soon as he returned with Teal'c and Daniel.
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They were all seated on the floor in Sam and Jack's room, and talking in hushed tones. Daniel looked really tired, and Jack could feel the first signs of an exhaustion headache as well.
"All right, let's not dwell on this. I suggest we follow this Kyyato and see that battle ground, then either we 'get lost', or we 'go check on our supplies' and exit through the Stargate. These people obviously won't let us mine unless we give them weapons and that's something we can't do, can we? Besides, I'm not entirely sure Hammond would be happy to set up a mining colony on a planet where there's a brewing war ready to explode."
"I agree, O'Neill. But we must be vigilant. Considering the way we were captured, this might very well happen again, and I am not sure we would be treated so kindly next time."
"Except this time they won't have the advantage of surprise. We won't follow the main paths."
"Jack, maybe we might have something more interesting for them than weapons? After all, considering Sam's readings, the Naquada deposits seem to be fairly important."
"It doesn't smell good, Daniel. We've got enough problems with our usual snakes, we don't need to get our hands dirty with these folks."
"I agree with the Colonel, Daniel. We're not in immediate need of Naquada. Our Naquadria supplies are enough to fill our present needs. Besides, the mining on P2C991 seems promising, and it's an uninhabited world."
"The more, the better, right? That's why we came here in the first place! What if we send SG12? They're used to that kind of situation."
"The diplomatic team? No," Jack said.
"But--"
"No!" he interrupted forcefully, glaring at the archaeologist.
Daniel frowned.
Sam put her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. "Thanks for your efforts, Daniel."
"Yeah, well."
"All right campers, now go to bed."
"Do you have any strategy as to how we can escape out host's vigilance, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked before leaving.
"As usual, we'll improvise."
"Why don't I like that idea?" Daniel wondered out loud.
"Oh come on, we've always made it in one piece… granted a little scorched on the edges maybe, but where would be the fun?" Jack quipped.
Daniel rolled his eyes and was about to reply when a huge yawn tore his face.
"T', your room's next to Daniel's?" Jack asked the Jaffa softly.
"Yes, O'Neill."
"Watch over him, will you?"
Teal'c bowed slightly and dragged the archaeologist along, sliding the panel shut behind him.
Jack and Sam remained alone in silence.
"All right, Carter. Take the bed," he started, indicating the large mattress covered with blankets and other sorts of bed linen, with his chin. "I'll take first watch."
"Yes, sir," She said obediently, too tired to argue. According to her watch, it was 0600 SGC time, so that meant she had been awake for more than twenty-four hours due to gate lag.
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The night was uneventful. At dawn, the girls discreetly announced their presence and stepped inside their room, bringing some food, which they figured was breakfast. They all gathered in O'Neill and Carter's room and ate in silence, warily anticipating the day to come.
The girls returned to retrieve their breakfast and they were led to the courtyard where a whole army of Kyyato's Shomureis were awaiting their Lord.
Daniel watched them greedily. Some were on foot while others were on horse with long bows. The weaponry of the footmen was not always the same, apart from the ever present two sabers that were firmly set in a ribbon belt underneath the armor.
"Look at that! We're so fortunate to be able to witness this display! It's a dream come true! Asia was not my main field of study, but I was always fascinated by the complexity of the culture, and so far, it fits almost entirely all we know about Medieval Japan!" he stated excitedly.
"It appears they have different colors depending on their status," Teal'c noted.
"Yes! The riders have mahogany plates with what would be golden rivets and hats rather than helmets. Their armor is probably lighter and less protective than that of the footmen, given the fact that they're on horse, therefore faster, and they have to shoot arrows fast. The footmen have black and red colors with a heavier armor, ready to sustain saber blows, and there are even some without armor, probably not Kyyato's Shomureis for that matter."
"So, who do you think they are?" Sam asked, genuinely interested.
"Probably Ronins or mercenaries. In Feudal Japan, Samurais that left their Daimyo, their Lord, became Ronins and sold their services to whoever would pay them enough. You see, they all have their sabers, but some of them also carry long bows, or Yari - the spears."
"And what are the ones in black?" Jack asked.
"Ninjas. Ronins that are trained to be spies and assassins. At least I guess, given their weaponry."
"They don't seem to have any, Daniel Jackson."
"Oh, I'm sure they do," he replied casually, "only you don't see it. The weapons Ninjas used were small and efficient, like Shuriken."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow in an interrogative fashion.
"Small weapons that look like stars. The branches of the star are actually very sharp blades, they throw them," Daniel explained.
"These appear to be very sly weapons," the Jaffa frowned.
"Well, they're meant to be silent and efficient. So I guess you could say that. Which brings to mind another question: why are there so many of them? I mean the regular army doesn't include many soldiers, while there are a lot of Ronins. This is strange."
"Maybe most of his regular troops are already fighting?" Sam suggested.
"That's a possibility. There's something even more troublesome though: I can't see any equivalent for the Sohei - the war monks - nor any Yamabushi. There should be some spiritual guidance. But then again, that might be a difference between what we know of Feudal Japan and this world. Still, there are way too many Ronins and Ninjas for my taste."
"I didn't know you were interested in Japanese soldiers and ways of war!" Sam said.
"Oh well, if you want to understand Japan, then you'd better study that particular field. It was a very warlike society, and that even went on until World War Two with the Kamikaze. They were the direct heirs of that philosophy. It's fascinating to see how accurate the observations were--"
"You know what?" Jack interrupted. "The more I see them and the way they're playing their games, the more I want to get the hell outta' here!"
"You have my full support, sir!" Sam added.
"Uh-oh… Not yet at least." Daniel cringed. "'Looks like our host is here." He said indicating a direction with his chin.
Lord Kyyato appeared in a dark red armor with a red helmet. He saw his guests and waved to them, indicating they should come to where he was.
"Okay, campers, let's go see what Kyoto wants…" Jack said.
"Kyyato." Daniel corrected.
"What?" Jack asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows.
"Kyyato. Lord Kyyato."
"Whatever." Jack said dismissively.
Sam chuckled, earning a warning glance from her CO. She sobered immediately.
"Sorry, sir," she murmured.
They reached Kyyato's side and bowed, imitating Daniel.
"You shall travel at the back of the column with a troop of my best footmen," Daniel translated.
"How convenient!" Jack muttered. "That way he can keep an eye on us."
"What shall I say to him, Jack?"
"Tell him we're ecstatic, Daniel!" he smirked.
Daniel sighed, turned to Lord Kyyato, and spoke.
What he said apparently satisfied the man for he smiled, nodded and mounted his horse.
One of his men came to beckon SG1 to the rear of the now moving columnA dozen foot soldiers immediately surrounded them.
The column exited the fortress and started down the hill to a large plain on their right.
O'Neill's eyes darted incessantly from his team to the soldiers and possible ways of escape. His 2IC was discreetly checking her Naquada readings, he noted, while Daniel seemed to be studying their guests' armor and equipment with the interest of the scientist he was. Jack sighed. This was not going to be easy. He cast a worried look at Teal'c who nodded silently. Jack discreetly hand-signaled to him to wait for a nice opportunity to present itself to them. No need to alert the others yet.
Daniel was intently studying the soldiers' armor and once again, was amazed at how much this civilization resembled Feudal Japan's. The armor was truly that of a sisteenth century Samurai, with tiny pieces of metal articulated one onto the other. From afar, the armor appeared cumbersome, but up close, Daniel could tell that they were far easier to move in than any of the European armors from the same period. Underneath the armor, they all had some sort of coat of mail, and the two sabers of different lengths invariably stuck out of their belt. The helmet was different, depending on the specialty of the soldier. Daniel thought it was purely for convenience matters.
He was interrupted by Jack's sharp poke in his ribs. He looked at his friend raising his eyebrows.
Jack discreetly pointed to the battlefield ahead of them.
The battle had already begun and seemed to have been going on for some time already, judging from the state of the wounded and/or dead that lay scattered across the field.
Kyyato held out his arm and barked an order to one of the soldiers surrounding them.
The man sharply turned to them and barked something that Daniel understood as 'move over there' indicating a somewhat protected area close to the battlefield. Escorted by only a few soldiers, they did as asked, while Kyyato barked orders to his horsemen and footmen.
O'Neill squinted at the area they were directed to and noticed a small embankment along one side. He still silently beckoned for his team to follow him, despite the angry looks of their escort. They all crouched just underneath the top of the embankment and O'Neill drew his macro binoculars to assess the situation. He frowned. Something wasn't right. Kyyato was not respecting the elementary rules of war and his means were obviously sly. He gave his macro binoculars to his 2IC.
"Tell me what you think, Carter."
Sam grabbed the instrument and observed the battlefield in her turn.
"His ways are not the most orthodox I've seen, sir, and I don't know if I'm becoming too sensitive, but there are way too many decapitations in my opinion," she said in disgust. "Wanna have a look, Daniel?" she said, giving the macro-binoculars to the archaeologist.
"Just what I thought," he said while observing the field before him. "Mostly Ronins and Ninjas, very few Shomureis, that means he recruits his army with cash, not honor. Quite a contrast with the character he showed us last night."
"I thought so too--" Jack was interrupted by the cold feel of a sword's blade on his neck. He slowly raised his arms and turned, feeling the blade scraping at his skin.
A quick glance at his team confirmed what he was suspecting: they were all in the same position as he was, a shomurei - for what it was worth - poised above each of them with his sword threatening their throats. The only thing was-- these were not their captors. The latter lay on the ground, their heads a few feet from their bodies.