True Lies

Part 2 of Warrior Child

When the Van finally stopped at their destination, Mina got out and looked 'round, they were at a mountain, Cheyenne Mountain, the location of the Stargate. Mina smiled and whispered something that Daniel asked her to repeat. "I said 'true lies'. The show is Science Fiction, lies, but it is true," she said confirming her belief and justifying several other things she had said earlier. Once the foursome took Mina inside they explained everything about what they needed her for. Mina was only half listening to the others as she walked through the halls, memorizing each detail of every corridor. In the first hour of being at the SGC, Mina was told how the MALP had been sent a planet where it seemed like there were only kids; warrior children seemed to rule the planet.

Mina agreed to help try to establish friendly contact with the people of the planet, but asked where the gym was right afterwards. Once taken to the gym, Mina took out her fencing gear and practiced a bit, but with out someone to spar against, fencing isn't so much fun. Next Mina took out her boxing gloves and boxed Teal'c; she won, leaving the rest of SG-1 in shock. "Thank you Teal'c, it was kind of you to box me." Mina boxed Teal'c everyday (and won). She practiced her many fighting skills every day in order to keep at her best in each of her skills.

Finally, the day came when the MALP sent images of no one near the 'gate on the planet of warrior children. By this point Mina had helped Daniel to decipher three languages, translate half of the inscriptions on his artifacts, and Mina helped Daniel wean off of coffee. Mina also taught Teal'c how to fence, helped O'Neill to understand Sam and Daniel, and helped Sam to create a new 'gate-dialing program that made the Stargate dial out faster than it would with a DHD. Mina also helped many other people around the SGC with their work. By the time Mina stood before the 'gate to go to the planet of the warrior children, she had been off world ten times and had introduced exotic new foods to the menu at the commissary. Mina now knew how to use several Goa'uld weapons and how to use any of the military issue guns that she might be given for a mission off-world.

"Don't worry," Mina said in a strange, half attached voice, her eyes had grown vacant, glossed over, "Nothing bad will happen," she blinked, shook her head, and smiled. She shrugged as the others looked at her, they were beginning to get used to the detached voice that she sometimes used, the voice that always proved true, but this was still odd to hear. Mina laughed and said, "Don't ask how I know, or ask me to repeat it, I won't be able to tell you or to explain, I have some type of precognition or something like that, and yes, I can tell what you're thinking, but only if it's a loud thought. Colonel O'Neill, I suggest that you relax yourself, your thoughts are deafening," Mina said rubbing her temples.

As she stood there in her Forest, really olive, Green SG-1 uniform (complete with the military issue black combat vest, military issue hand gun, Zat, and stave), Mina could feel the air ripple with anticipation and apprehension. She watched as the wormhole leapt into being, ejecting a jet of water-like plasma into the 'Gate room, and stepped forwards with the rest of SG-1 towards the rippling event horizon. Mina looked back to see the temporary head of the SGC standing in the control room watching the proceedings. Colonel O'Neill went through the Stargate first, followed by Teal'c, Mina went through next, followed by Sam, and Daniel came through last holding out his military issue hand gun, similar to Mina's own.

The planet was wooded around the Stargate; the Colonel was surveying the area, P-90 at the ready. Mina saw Teal'c doing the same thing and took out her gun, although she knew she did not need it. Mina opened her mind to access possible threats any where in the area and touched one unfamiliar mind nearby. Mina opened her eyes and looked, slowly as so not to make the watch think she knew they were there, and saw a little boy, no older than herself. He wore clothes similar to those worn by the Native Americans. The boy had olive colored skin and rather long jet black hair. Mina could tell that he was looking at her and that he was in awe of her strange appearance. She thought it made sense, with her blood red hair, skin the color of the moon, the forest green outfit, and her eyes like the stormy sea, she had to be unlike anyone he had seen before.

The boy stood up and began to turn, as he did so Mina closed her eyes once more and opened her mind as so to watch him. Mina saw through his eyes the forest flying by, he was running. The boy came to a village where many people filed out of the huts that dotted the landscape. Mina opened her eyes and shook her head. "They're coming," she said.

"Who?" Daniel asked, being the closest to her.

"The people, they know what we look like, they know we're here. They had a spy sitting around near the 'gate; he went to alert the villagers, Mina tried to catch her breath, but she felt many new minds coming towards her, fast. "Maybe... an ambush?" Mina suggested in order to get the others to hide. While the other members of SG-1 hid in bushes and such, Mina leaped up into the branches of the tree she was under. Although the rest of the team could not see Mina, they felt the ever present part of her that was extended into their minds, a connection which was becoming more and more of a two way connection than a one way connection. From her perch in the tree, Mina could see what happened the best out of the team.

The boy was back, there was a contingent of children warriors with him now. All of the children carried bows, arrows and a sword each, although not one of them could have been older than twelve. The oldest of the boy warriors spoke. "Yav'y yhyll svihè? Sho'lan yh Von'ge-ah?" Mina realized with a start that she had been right about herself—she could understand and possibly speak, any written or spoken language whether she wanted to or not— because she had heard this, but she could tell what these strange syllables and words meant. The questions had been "Where are they from?" and "What have they?" or simply asking what was with SG-1. The boy who had seen SG-1 made several motions with his hands— he made a circle with his hand, shot his arm out, crossed his wrists, and snaked his hand through the air in the shape of a "Z".

"Kein'shula," the second boy said, letting Mina know the mute boy's name­—Kein'shula, "Mey fea shu'vlay svin'tongal?" ("How many were there?) Kein'shula made a fist, tapped his nose twice, and rapped his knee three times with his hand in a "thumbs up" position. The boy who had spoken to Kein'shula looked around and spoke, not to Kein'shula, but to SG-1. "Shalv nòchl yl shvin, nohl svhinvg!" This was an order, Mina had heard quite clearly, "Those who hide, be seen by I!" she sighed, syntax would be a problem, she guessed he meant that he wanted them to come out of hiding.

Mina used the rudimentary telepathic link to let this be known to the others. Do not let yourselves be seen, Mina told them and she dropped down from the tree. Before she fell, Mina had caused her clothed to look like the native garb and as she fell, she made it so that SG-1 could understand what was said between herself and the warrior children. "Shval kolken Mina. Dven fy'lor mechm. Me'than shav'ro shol'yn, Malvyn Pasyn," she said. (I am called Mina. Have no fear of me. I come of peaceful intent, great leader).

The leader of the group looked her over and nodded. "Yav'y yhym svihè, Meh-nah?" he pronounced her name in an odd way.

"Me'thlav svihè seh'vyn yn seh-Tau'ri, Malvyn Pasyn," Mina replied. (I am from the world of the Tau'ri)

"Shaly mayn yvl, Meh-nah?" the leader asked, inquiring about the rest of SG-1.

"Me'tryvnyn mayn, fryln mechvon'fy," Mina said, "Shve shay'ro sho'yn" (I travel with friends, fear not them. They come for peace as well)

"Gyhyvry shu'nyt yh shuve'nah yhl, Meh-nah?" He demanded to know why they had weapons.

"No'prvyn myl'sen," she explained that it was entirely for protection.

"Yav'y yhy yvl'vyn fryln, Meh-nah?" he was sharp, asking about where SG-1 was.

Daniel was the first to get out. He tried to speak the language. "Called I Daniel Jackson," he tried to introduce himself. "Beacon I peaceful" Daniel only provoked laughter. He meant to say that his name was Daniel, and that he (how ever cliché) came in peace.

"Daniel, just don't" Colonel O'Neill said, realizing that Daniel was making a fool of himself, again.

"You speak the First Language?" the lead boy asked, he now had a lilting, almost British accent, "Then we shall converse better now. I am Jo'nyef, head of the warriors of the Shii'vyi. You are welcome among the people of the tribe"

Mina gave a swift smile, and said, "I think this is unnecessary now," she dispelled the illusion of the tribal clothes and was once more in her forest green SGC uniform. Jo'nyef nodded knowingly and took them to the village.

Mina soon befriended one of the young warriors who willingly told Mina every thing she had wanted to know. "Our people speak Shov'ena, which is the language of the ancestors, and we speak Shalm'voao, the First Language," Mina's new friend said.

"The first, the last?"

"Shii is not quite how it's pronounced, it's really Shayii in our tribe's name, forest, not first. Vyi means last, yes, but it is truly Yvyii, people. The true name of our tribe is Shayii'yvyii, (Shay-IV-hie) but it's rather complex and has been shortened to Shii'vyi because we are the first tribe to be and now we are the only tribe due to the Jii'kelvn, the Jii'kelvn are Vyxzh-Tchalh, False Gods"

"Goa'uld," Mina said, supplying the Earth name for these creatures. "They are parasites, they must have come to harvest hosts," Mina mused.

"There were others with them, we call them Zhar'm, they had marks on their faces the way your dark skinned friend has on his forehead," the girl said to Mina. "Our people," she said with a small smile, "Are faithful to Hol'mej," she pronounced the "j" hard, making it sound like she said "Hole-Mejsh" with a softer "j" and an "sh" after it.

"Who is Hol'mej?" asked Mina.

"Hol'mej is our protector, she trains Sko'nait: the Highers. The Sko'nait are given abilities beyond that of any ordinary mortal. The Sko'nait use this to keep the Daj'ymehl," Mina recognized this word, it meant something like "Others of Light" possibly Daniel's "Others". "Kein'shula is a Sko'nait; he made the greatest sacrifice to keep the Daj'ymehl from finding Hol'mej. He gave up the ability to speak," Mina's new friend explained.

"How are the Sko'nait chosen?" Mina asked, eager to know more.

"Well," Mina's friend answered, "Every year the eldest Sko'nait of each order would go through the villages and look at the children under a year old. They would mark and boy and one girl to be the new Sko'nait. Once these two children reach three years old the Sko'nait who chose them will return, unless they die, in which case their replacement will come, to collect the Pad-Sko'nait," She said, using a word which translated to apprentice. "The Sko'nait are trained in a temple to the Protectress of their tribe, for our people the Protectress is Hol'mej. Hol'mej came and gave power to those who could help our people long ago and we honor her as our savior, she does not wish to be worshiped as a goddess, but treated as one of our own. We treat her as a heroine because of her wish"

"The Sko'nait," continued the girl, "are given great abilities by Hol'mej to be used in order to protect our people. If they turn away from Hol'mej, they will lose her gifts. You have the gifts of a Sko'nait; do you not, Meh-nah? You can see what is not there? You could understand my people although you had never heard a language like ours before? You saw Kein'shula go to the village, I know," the girl smiled.

"Well, yes, but..." Mina trailed off, realizing something. "I have no idea what your name is!" Mina laughed, her eyes sparkling with light to match the sleigh-bell laugh.

Her companion joined in, her laugh was like icicles breaking on snow, a musical tinkling, mixed with bells, soft, caring, and true. "My name is Sha'vii Sholé'vie Shiv'yn. Please, call me Sherry," she said, word still ringing with the purity of her laugh.

Mina smiled back, it felt good to smile so much, "Thank you, Sherry, but I would rather call you by your first name; it's such a nice name, Sha'vii, so musical, like it was not meant to be said but sung. And to answer your earlier question, no, I am not a protector of my people, like your Sko'nait, or at least, I wasn't until recently," Mina said. "I am the only person I know to have such a talent. I know one person who once could do such as I do, but they can no longer do so," she said

"Really? Who?" Sha'vii asked.

"Daniel," Mina said. "The one over there with the glass rings in front of his eyes," she pointed out Daniel, who was having an animated conversation with Jo'nyef about the customs of the Shii'vyi.

"Ah," Sha'vii said when she found him.

"What is Hol'mej like?" asked Mina, changing the topic back to the Protectress of the Shii'vyi.

"Hol'mej," Sha'vii said, "Is a loving individual. She protects us from the Jii'kelvn and their servants, the Zhar'm. The dark skinned one on your team, is he a Zhar'm?" she asked.

"Teal'c? He is a Jaffa, he used to serve one of the Jii'kelvn, but he turned on Apophis, the Jii'kelvn he used to serve, to save a group of people and to give his son a better life. One of the people who he saved was Colonel O'Neill, he also save Daniel and Sam, the blond woman who came with us. He has helped us for many years now."

"How can you be sure he is loyal to your people? He might be a Khi!lo!" She said, using a word which best translates to "plant".

"He is loyal to death. He nearly died once, he was bent by Apophis, but came within an Olac," Mina used a word meaning the same thing as our inch, "of death, where he once more pledged his loyalty to us. He killed Apophis and many other Jii'kelvn to let his son be free. Does this sound like a traitor to you?"

"You have proved your point, Meh-nah, you are right, those are not the actions of a traitor," Sha'vii slipped her hand into Mina's and gave it a squeeze. She smiled and they both knew that they would be good friends.