Author's Note: You know… as I write this and look forward to what still has to happen in this story, I've realized this one is going to be incredibly long! Hope you guys enjoy the ride.

OOOOOOOO

"A Mok?"

Melony smiled, now that she knew that Jack wasn't going to shoot the creature, and she stepped forward, her hand coming up to touch the furry neck – right under the right handed balloon-looking thing.

You can call it a sperm sack, you know…

I could, but it's a little more comfortable for me to have my hand so close to it if I don't.

As long as you don't touch it…

Before she could reply to Talon, Daniel stepped past Jack looking intently at the creature, which looked rather dangerous in the dim light given from the flashlights – the strand of lights that had been hung by McKay's team to illuminate the tunnel being off just then until Melony activated them.

"It's not dangerous?" The archeologist asked. Just because Melony was touching it didn't prove anything, after all.

Melony shook her head as the Mok rumbled in pleasure at the caress.

"Nope. They're pretty docile."

"You must be mistaken, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said, stepping forward as well and examining the shaggy dark creature with interest. "The Mok are extinct."

See? I told you

Ignoring him, Melony turned to Teal'c.

"There are several on this planet, Teal'c. Probably-"

"What's this thing do?" Daniel asked, sliding his hand along the water – the sperm sack – curiously. The Mok rumbled again, a deeper sound, now, and turned its head to look at Daniel.

Mitchell snickered, and reached out to move Daniel's hand.

"Don't touch him there…"

"Him?" Daniel asked, looking at the creature again. It was roughly the size of a small elephant, but he didn't see any indication that it was male – unless the coloring or something told her that it was.

"Trust me."

"Is it purring?" Jack asked, intrigued by the creature despite himself. He wasn't usually one to get all excited when they found something new, but even though it was huge, there was definitely something endearing about it. It kind of looked like a big fuzzy black cow.

"The Mok were greatly prized for their pelts, O'Neill," Teal'c said, coming over with Teyla and reaching his hand out fearlessly towards the creature. The Mok stretched its nose towards him, the purring noise rumbling deep in its chest at having so much attention.

Teal'c looked as fascinated with the creature as Talon had, and Melony decided it was for the same reason. He'd thought they were extinct and had never seen one.

"Not for food?" Jack asked.

The Jaffa shrugged.

"I have never heard of them being eaten…"

Sheppard knew what the sperm sacks were, and couldn't help but grin at the change in the rumbling noise the Mok made when Daniel started caressing it. But since Colonel Mitchell didn't tell Jackson what it was, he decided she didn't feel it was necessary to explain – and really, John agreed. They had enough to do without worrying about the Mok.

"What do you suppose it's doing here?"

Mitchell shrugged.

"Maybe it came looking for us…"

"How do you suppose it got past the river?"

"River?" Jack asked.

Mitchell shrugged.

"Maybe it came in the other direction… or maybe it came in from this tunnel… we can always go look."

What she was hoping, though, was that there wasn't a flock of the little buggers in her secret lab, crapping on the floor and knocking delicate equipment over.

"Let's go, then," Jack said, ducking past the hulking creature and heading down the tunnel, followed by the others. Everyone who passed it, though, had to stop long enough to touch it, much to its enjoyment. Daniel was the last to go and the creature turned and followed him, its odd rumbling purr reverberating through the hall as it lumbered behind them.

OOOOOOOOO

"Wow…"

Whatever the Mok had been doing, Mitchell was relieved to see, it hadn't been leaving piles of dung in the middle of her floor. The lab looked just like she'd last left it – and as she past the entrance and hit the switch turning on all the lights, Jack came to a stop to take a look around.

The place really did look like a lab, he decided. He'd been expecting something more like an underground bunker or something, with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling and a couple of laptops on crates. What he found was something that he could actually see Sam Carter working in. A real lab with tables and all sorts of machines, and plenty of light now that they'd been turned on. A huge area – with more than enough room for all of them, two Wraith darts and the Mok that had followed Daniel through the entrance.

"This place is amazing…" Daniel said, looking around.

Melony smiled proudly, but didn't stop. She headed for the other entrance – the one that led to the tunnel they'd discovered the Mok down – anxious to see if the tunnel was filled with other Mok.

"Take a look around – but don't touch anything," she told them, looking directly at Jack when she said it. "I'm going to go see what's going on down the tunnel."

She was followed almost immediately by Daniel – who couldn't resist the chance to see yet more new stuff – and Jack, who wouldn't allow her to go anywhere without him ever again now that he was finally back with her.

Teal'c turned to Teyla.

"Perhaps you could show me around?"

She smiled, but shook her head.

"This is the first time I have been here as well," she admitted. "Major Sheppard?"

"Sure," John said, watching as the Mok followed Daniel down the tunnel. "I'll show you guys around. Let's go."

OOOOOOOO

"Alone at last…"

Sam rolled her eyes, and looked up from the power source Rodney McKay had just set on the table in front of her. She'd pretty much been expecting some kind of comment like that.

"I'd hardly qualify this as alone…"

In fact, they had several other scientists in the room with them – most of them working on other projects, but all of them available should either of them call for help.

"Well, it's a start," Rodney told her. "Tell me how you've been…"

"Tell me about the Light Ones," Sam countered. "What kind of people are they? Why don't they use these power sources for themselves…?"

Frowning – not that he didn't want to talk about the Light Ones, he just wanted to talk about her (them?) more – McKay started telling her about their initial meeting with kale and his people. Leaving out most of the little details.