No one was sure how to respond, Daniel wanted to ask what he meant but was afraid to upset him further.

SG-1 moved closer together as they approached a large archway, the noises suggesting that there were a lot of people in the room beyond.

Amar waved his hands as they entered the hall, SG-1 stopping in shock at the sheer magnitude of it.

It was the size of a football pitch, solid wood floors and walls, covered in similar images to the ones where the Stargate was. The room was full of long tables that stretched from one end to the other. Half the tables were full of people, crammed together on wooden benches to eat and socialise. The other tables contained food, mountains of it, some recognisable; pigs, chickens, potatoes; other bits of food were completely alien.

The room fell silent as they entered, hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at them.

"These are the people of the Tau'ri," Amar bellowed, "They are to be treated with the utmost respect at this meal, for they are my chosen dinner guests."

Cheers erupted from the crowd but faded quickly, everyone turning back to their food. SG-1 followed Amar to the end of the room, where the table closest to them had five seats cornered off, two guards ensuring no one sat there.

"My Lord, your seats as requested." They bowed at Amar before walking out of a side door hidden behind a tapestry.

Amar sat at the end of the row, indicating for Sam to sit next to him. Jack quickly took the seat on her other side, leaving Teal'c and Daniel to sit opposite them.

"You must have some questions about my people." Amar paused, staring at each of them in turn, waiting for their questions.

Jack signalled for Daniel to begin. "What is the significance of the sacrifice we witnessed? I noticed the priests had blood over their mouths, it is not something I am familiar with."

Amar looked horrified at the question, finally nodding in acceptance. "I never imagined a people whose beliefs were so far from our own. The sacrifice is a way to honour our most important members of society. It takes place just before their deaths, to ensure their passage to the beyond."

"The sacrifice we saw, he was already dead."

"My brother, the ruler of this land before me. He died suddenly; we were not prepared for it. That is why he was taken to the planet you were on, in the hope that the Gods would accept his soul even though his body was gone.

The priests consume the body of our sacrifices. They are the portals to the beyond. Through them our people find their way to the ancestors." Amar halted as food was served to their table, SG-1 trying to look pleased rather than sick after what he had just said.

The food resembled a salad; green leafy plants covered in purple tomato like fruit and small potatoes. They had also been supplied with a rudimentary wooden fork and cloth each.

Amar quickly started eating, SG-1 sharing looks before Teal'c shovelled some of it into his mouth, chewing silently. He eventually swallowed, pausing to see if anything happened. "Not bad." They smiled, slowly starting to eat, hoping that Teal'c would have identified anything that may harm them.

"Are you pleased?"

They nodded, Sam finding herself the first to have an empty mouth. "It's very…tasty," she answered.

Amar ignored her, looking towards the three men.

"Yep, delicious." Jack confirmed, subtly placing his hand on her knee to try and calm her.

Amar grinned. "I am glad you are satisfied. I have a question of you Colonel O'Neill. Do you wish us to treat Major Carter as a woman or a man? For she is physically female yet you treat her like a man."

Jack looked at Amar in shock before glancing to Sam. She mouthed the word "man", the priest's words from earlier ringing in his head and cementing the decision.

"Major Carter shall be treated as a man."

Amar nodded, not looking pleased at the decision. "Then I ask that you all follow me before the selections take place."

"Selections?" Daniel asked.

"It is customary for our men to select their partners after a meal. Major Carter will prove popular due to her alien status. If you wish her to be treated as a male then we should leave…Unless you yourselves would like to select partners?"

They shook their heads, waiting for Amar to rise before standing, following him through a hidden doorway in the tapestry next to the one the guards went through.

They found themselves in an office, sparsely decorated with a desk and a range of chairs. The walls were bare rock, only a rug under the desk making the floor different. The overall look of the room was that it had been quickly built long after the rest of the rooms they had seen.

Amar walked behind the desk, sitting down as SG-1 pulled four chairs together on the other side.

"Now, onto business."

"Business?" Jack asked, concerned over what they may have done unintentionally.

"I have heard much about your journeys. You kill any enemies, set the people free. I need to know you will not harm my people. I have already seen your horrified responses to some of our customs. If I allow you to stay I must trust my people are safe."

"Your people are safe Amar. We only attack in self-defence. You ensure our safety and we ensure yours."

Amar considered the words, trying to decide how much of a threat they were meant to be. "I have no reason to trust you."

"I have no reason to trust you either. I just want to keep my team safe. Hurting your people would not do that. I am not asking you to trust me, just to trust that I care about my people as much as you care about yours."

Amar did not get the chance to reply as a guard entered. "I am sorry to interrupt my Lord but I have a matter of great importance you need to look at."

Amar stood up. "Please excuse me." He rushed towards the guard, the two of them stepping out of the room.

Daniel blinked, "That was odd."

"Indeed."

They looked towards the door, all four gasping as a stone slab slid into place, blocking the exit.

"That can't be good."

"I think we have another problem," Sam replied, pointing to the ceiling.

"Carter?"

"That ceiling used to be higher didn't it?" Daniel asked, already knowing the answer.

They all quickly spread out around the room, trying to find a button or lever, anything to get them out of the room before they were crushed.