They were roughly pulled up to a standing position, and quickly led to yet another cart, disarmed, and shoved inside.
"If that's the welcome tradition here, then I swear to God I'll never advertise the place!" O'Neill cried indignantly, earning a menacing look from one of the soldiers.
At his order, the driver of the cart flicked the reins and the cart started moving at a rapid pace, sending the team to the far side of the wagon.
"And I'm in for a chiropractor's session to top it all!" O'Neill grumbled, trying to accommodate his limbs. They were free of any bounds, but the cart was going fast, and the bumps in the road made the trip utterly uncomfortable.
"What did you say about not being surprised, sir?" Sam quipped.
"That's so not funny, Carter!" he said sharply.
Teal'c was as stoic as usual, which unnerved O'Neill tenfold.
"Can you see where we're headed, T?"
"The exact opposite direction to the one from which we have come, O'Neill," the Jaffa replied.
"I think they're bringing us to the enemy, sir," Carter added. "What's his name again, Daniel?"
"Hai-Ri-Ki, I guess," Daniel replied.
Silence ensued, each concentrating on his or her position in the cart. The latter was going at a maddening speed, sending the team in all directions, even if they grabbed at the bars and tried to remain as still as possible. About an hour and a half later, they finally slowed down as they reached a camp, and they were abled to relax a bit.
O'Neill's knees were killing him, and at some point, Sam had bumped her shoulder which, according to her grimacing face, was starting to hurt. Teal'c and Daniel didn't seem to be in any pain except for lightly sore limbs. Jack stretched his legs, trying to relax his muscles as much as he could.
A soldier came near them to examine their condition, then barked an order and several minutes later, another one came carrying some water in a bucket. The first soldier took a ladle, plunged it into the bucket, and held it for O'Neill to take, which he did, but he gave it to Sam who drank eagerly.
After the much needed, but too small drink, O'Neill wanted to relieve his bladder and tried to make it known. "You know, those things go both ways!" he cried, gripping the bars of what he hoped was only a temporary prison.
"Jack," Daniel warned.
"Well, sorry to be that trivial, Daniel, but I need to pee, and I'm sure at least one of you needs to, too!" Jack replied irritated.
"We do, but please, let me ask and we might get a chance to actually do it!"
Jack sighed in irritation, then dismissed Daniel with a wave of the hand.
Daniel sighed, then turned towards the outside of the cart and hailed the nearest soldier.
The man seemed a little surprised that Daniel was speaking an understandable language, but he came closer and Daniel spoke slowly.
The man frowned in concentration, obviously not used to Daniel's accent or phrasing, but after a while, he nodded and called a fellow soldier. Then went to open the cart and beckoned Daniel to come out.
Daniel held his finger, before turning to the others.
"I think I can go, I'll try to explain that we all need to, but please, Jack, don't do anything rash."
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it, Daniel," Jack said reassuringly.
Daniel exited and disappeared with the latter soldier for a while before returning with his escort.
After each member of SG1 had relieved both their natural needs and their cramped limbs, they were given what resembled dry meat and some sort of bread, then locked up in their small prison again.
O'Neill winced as he massaged his knee.
"You're all right, sir?" Sam asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Yeah, I guess," He replied. "All right, people," he said all business again, "did you see anything useful?"
"Apart from the fact this is probably a temporary camp, no, sir," Sam said tiredly.
"Teal'c?"
The Jaffa shook his head negatively. "The camp is very well guarded O'Neill. I could not see anything that might be of any assistance to us in the foreseeable future."
Jack sighed. "I don't suppose you saw anything, Daniel?"
"Actually, Jack, the only point I made – I guess - was trying to speak to them. I vaguely heard one soldier say that he should report to his superior that I spoke their language so they could decide better what to do with us."
"Looks like we're stuck here for the night anyway," O'Neill stated. "The sun's setting and so seems to be the army, or whatever it is they--"
He was interrupted by the arrival of the soldier they had seen before, accompanied with several others, and probably his superior, according to his posture and attire.
The latter stepped forward and approached them.
Daniel straightened.
The man looked at him and started speaking.
"He wants to know where we came from, he's never seen anyone like us and… Well, you get the picture, same old, same old," Daniel translated tiredly.
"Tell him we were Kyyato's prisoners," Jack said.
"But we weren't--"
"Tell him. That might get us outta here and we'll decide later what to do next. And if you need to, tell him what you told Kyyato about us. That seemed to do the trick back then."
"Okay, Jack."
After a rather long exchange and some deep frowning and thinking by the man in front of them, the latter finally barked an order, and a soldier came to open the cage.
They slowly got out, and bowed to thank the man.
The latter spoke again to Daniel, who turned to his friends and translated. "We're still prisoners, but he will allow us to sleep in a tent rather than the cart. We are to be brought to his master, the Shōgonate – I believe it's the supreme lord, like a king or something like that – tomorrow morning."
"Well, thank him for his kindness," Jack said sarcastically, earning a dark look from his friend.
Six soldiers came to encircle them and they were escorted to a small tent. A few cots covered the ground, and they were roughly showed they could lie down on them and sleep.
Once they were alone, Jack summoned a war council. "The tent is probably heavily guarded," he stated in muted tones. "So I don't think we can escape tonight. These guys don't seem to be the types that sleep on duty."
"What do you suggest we do, sir?" Sam asked.
"Stick to the same story, which is not entirely false regarding our search for allies."
"Then what?" Daniel asked.
"We'll improvise, as always."
"That's the plan? Improvise?" Daniel smirked.
"How long have you known me, Daniel?" Jack frowned. "Has it ever been a problem?"
"No--"
"Then don't look like you don't trust me!"
"Sir, Daniel, once again this is hardly the time or the place to have an argument."
"I know, Carter! Daniel, you're the damn expert here, you're the one who thought about that story, and it must have been good or we wouldn't be here!"
A heavy silence settled.
"We still have to report in twenty three hours forty two minutes, sir," Sam stated.
"I know. I hope we'll be outta here by then. But if we're not, knowing Hammond, he'll give it another day or so before sending in the cavalry, which might not be at our advantage."
"'care to explain how?" Daniel asked.
"I'm not thinking about us specifically, but if several SG teams were to go through and find themselves in the middle of a battle, given how those guys captured us as easily as if we were cadets, there might be some casualties. In any case, if one of us manages to escape, the first priority is to get to Hammond, do not attempt to rescue the rest of us on your own, got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'm not sure I like that, Jack," Daniel said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not asking you to like it, I'm asking you to do it.
"All right."
Jack simply exchanged a look with Teal'c, words unnecessary between them.
Silence settled once again, then the deep baritone of Teal'c resonated in the tent. "I believe we should get some rest, O'Neill. If we are to travel again in the morning, maybe we should spare our forces."
"Good thinking, T'."
They all lay down on the cots, and tried to sleep.
After a while, Sam crept nearer O'Neill, who was the closest to her, her back facing him.
"Got something to tell me, Major?" he murmured.
"Sir I…" she paused.
"What?" he breathed.
"I'm cold," She said matter-of-factly.
Jack was silent a second or two, then reached for her shoulder and drew her body to his. "Come here." He simply said.
Sam snuggled up to him while he draped his arm across her waist.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you. Sir."
"Now sleep, Major. I'm keeping watch."
"Yes, sir," She said as sleep quickly overtook her. It may not have been the safest situation, but the comfort of his warm body pressed against her back and the weight of his arm on her waist were doing wonders to relax her.
Jack softly nuzzled her hair when her regular breathing confirmed she was asleep. 'Totally inappropriate', he thought, but exceptional circumstances brought exceptional actions, and this was definitely an exceptional situation; after all, he was supposed to be her husband. Besides, they were not naked and in a private room, he reasoned. 'Yeah right. And that's what makes it appropriate.' He sighed, breathing in the faintest trace of shampoo her hair still bore, and tried to relax, his body registering perfectly her unusual presence in his arms. 'Oh Crap!' he thought, trying to stretch discreetly, so as to not wake her, while getting more comfortable.
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When they were all roused from their sleep, it was still dark outside. They were escorted back to the cart and locked up inside. They waited there for a few minutes, during which Jack observed the silent efficiency of the soldiers as they packed and erased any trace of a camp. Soon the cart was set into motion at a rather quick pace, but slower than the day before, which they were grateful for.
They traveled all morning, and eventually reached the outskirts of a big city. In contrast to when they had encountered Lord Kyyato, this one was lively and bustling with colors. The poorest quarters had humble buildings, but they were beyond reproach when it came to cleanliness, and any animal, even the equivalent for dogs, were kept into neat pens.
"Quite a difference from what we saw last time we went through a city!" O'Neill quipped. "You'd swear you saw the buildings glowing!"
"Well, if this is the city the Shōgonate rules over, it may be the reason." Daniel said.
"Let's hope this is a good sign," Sam concluded.
They were brought to the fortress and freed from their cage.
The same 'important soldier' - for lack of a better word – came to lead them inside, and they were asked to wait, sharply, but not brutally.
After a short while, an elderly man in a lighter armor came and studied them before turning to 'important soldier'. He exchanged a few words with him, but as much as Daniel strained to hear, he couldn't make out exactly what they were saying.
The elderly man turned to them and invited them to follow him with a sharp gesture. O'Neill shrugged and stepped forward, imitated by his team and an escort of six soldiers.
They walked through the corridors, following the elderly man in silence, and like in Kyyato's fortress, they were led to a room, where they had to kneel down – much to Jack knees' dismay – and wait. The elderly man kneeled down by a panel on the side of the room.
After a few minutes, a very soft sound alerted the elderly man, whom still on his knees, turned and slid the panel open, bowing in the process.
Another elderly man stepped in, and with a stately walk, came to kneel in front of them. He was short, as were his soldiers and/or servants, but on the contrary to Kyyato, who was rather pot-bellied, this man was very thin and looked as dry as a stick, although a certain strength emanated from him.
Daniel bowed respectfully, imitated by his friends.
The new elderly man studied each of them carefully without saying a word, then suddenly addressed them.
When he finished speaking, Daniel bowed slightly and replied to him.
Sam was beginning to get used to Daniel's intonations and speech after hearing it three times and she understood that he was repeating the same story once again. She discreetly looked at her commanding officer and nodded slightly at his questioning look.
O'Neill nodded back.
Daniel talked a little with the man, then turned to Jack.
"Okay, I gave him the same story and apparently he bought it, but he wants to know what we were doing with Kyyato."
"Who is he?" Jack asked.
"Well, obviously, the Shōgonate," Daniel replied.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I had managed that, Daniel! Does he have a name?"
"Why is that so important?" Daniel asked, surprised.
Jack looked up, biting his cheek to avoid screaming at his ever too confident friend. "Well Daniel, if this is the guy that Kyyato fought so much, that might give us a clue about our fate." Jack explained slowly, as if he were talking to a child.
"And just how do you think I should ask him?" Daniel replied, equally sarcastic.
"Nicely," Jack smirked.
Daniel sighed, frowned, and turned to the elderly man.
"My Lord O'Neill is much honored by your concern, Lord?" He left the question hanging in mid air.
The elderly man frowned, his eyes sharpening, then replied. "Hai-Ri-Ki."
Daniel looked at Jack, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
The latter had perfectly well heard. "Tell him the truth," Jack said simply, resigned to his and his team's fate, whatever that would be.
Daniel proceeded to tell him the short version of their adventures so far. Hai-Ri-Ki seemed particularly interested in Kyyato's whereabouts and projects. When Daniel finished speaking, Hai-Ri-Ki bowed his head thoughtfully and remained silent a moment.
Then he straightened himself, and looked sharply at Daniel.
"You said he was interested in your weapons?" the archaeologist translated.
"Yes, my Lord."
"My scouts didn't spot any army following you."
"No, my Lord, we are on our own."
"Then, their power must be huge or you wouldn't venture into hostile territories."
"Like I told you, my Lord, we're first and foremost peaceful explorers. We only carry weapons for our safety, not for attack. Like I said, we were unwilling guests of Lord Kyyato, and from his attitude during the battle, we think he was not entirely honest with us," Daniel explained.
"I see." Hai-ri-ki sighed, once again assuming a pensive stance for a moment. "I have decided to believe you for the time being, but know that you will remain under the surveillance of my best men," he warned, then resumed. "Lord Kyyato is a traitor. He used to be my first Shōkōnh – the man I educated for my succession – but apparently, the lure for power was too strong for him to handle and he treacherously tried to rob me the title and function of Shōgonate. He was banished but since then he has been trying to weaken my power and has launched several attacks on key posts. So far we have been able to counter his attacks, but they become more and more difficult to parry. He is rich and he recruits a lot of ronans and nonjeis."
"That explains a lot." Daniel agreed, after translating for his friends.
"My scouts have warned me Kyyato was preparing a decisive attack, but I do not know where or when, so in the meantime, you will remain here and be my guests."
Daniel once again turned to Jack and explained the situation.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack muttered, his shoulders slumping. He took a deep breath and looked at Sam. "What's your assessment of the situation, Major?"
Sam winced slightly shaking her head. "Frankly, sir, I don't know. If I go by my military training, then I'd say we shouldn't trust them. We've been set up once, it could happen here too. But if I listen to my guts, then I'd be inclined to trust them. The little we saw on the battlefield, during our trip, and the city down the fortress, tends to show that what he says is the truth."
"T'?" Jack asked the big man, not revealing his thoughts before every member of his team had voiced his or her opinion.
"I am inclined to think like Major Carter does, O'Neill. They could very well have not spared our lives like they did. Lord Hai-Ri-Ki looks like a fair Lord."
"You think we should help them?"
"If our aim is still to seek a treaty between our two worlds, then providing our assistance to help solve a conflict that might endanger any future mission, is something that I would recommend," the Jaffa said.
Jack frowned, bowing his head thoughtfully. "All right, Daniel. Tell him we are willing to try and help him get rid of Kyyato. Try to gain his trust so that at least one of us can contact Hammond and let him know of our situation."
"How do you think we can help them, sir? They got us twice!" Carter said.
"Carter, you know the flying machines that we have and that we call UAVs? I don't think those folks over there have projectiles able to get them down!" he replied sarcastically. "They can help us assess the situation without us having to use our big honkin' guns. Then we set a trap and the good guys defeat the bad guys, end of story, we can go home and toast to our success while the mining teams get muddy."
"Yes, sir." Sam said wincing. That was why she still had a few tricks to learn before getting a command. She may be the expert on the Stargate – according to Hammond – but she had yet to progress in military tactics and strategy. She was once again amazed at how fast her CO had thought of an alternate plan.
Daniel nodded his assent and started talking.
Hai-Ri-Ki's interest was instantly piqued and he listened carefully to what Daniel was saying. Jack trusted his friend to negotiate and follow his suggestions.
After a long moment of intense verbal exchange between the two, Hai-Ri-Ki seemed satisfied and nodded affirmatively.
Daniel turned towards Jack. "He agrees. He said tomorrow a few of his men will escort one of us to the Stargate while the others remain here."
"T', you'll go." Jack said immediately. "Daniel, you might find some interesting things about those people here, I have to stay to think of a plan given what we already know, Carter obviously cannot go, so--"
"Because I'm your wife?" she interrupted bitterly.
O'Neill looked at her, obviously not amused. "Exactly. And Teal'c is the perfect candidate for seeking partnership from our 'people', don't you think?"
"Of course, sir."
"We'll discuss this later, Carter," he warned, then looked at Daniel. "Anything else, Daniel?"
"From me, nothing."
"Then tell him our response and let's move from here."