The latest planet on the list of those to be explored had Major Carter intrigued. The MALP showed no signs of any civilization, that is, an advanced civilization. There was some minor indication of the chemical in the atmosphere as a result of combustion. The cause might well be from a lightning strike, not necessarily from human intervention. However, there was the transmission of a repeating pattern of an energy signal. Faint though it was, it was deemed worthy of investigation. Samantha Carter was the only member of SG-1 who was enthused, the men dragged their feet, expecting boredom.

They were given a week to explore. And on arrival Carter picked up the weak signal and aimed the intrepid team to travel off in the right direction. They had vain hopes of finding the remains of an ancient civilization with artifacts for Daniel and big honking weapons for O'Neill. Anything that would help defeat the Goa'uld would please Teal'c.

For at least the ninetieth time O'Neill asked. "Are we any closer?" and "Are you sure we're headed in the right direction?"

"Yes sir." Sam responded with a grim smile although she had answered that question many times today.

"It is a beautiful place. Like Earth unspoiled." Daniel mused.

"Well I enjoy a walk through the woods as well as anyone but we're charged with more than taking a stroll."

"No one's shooting at us." Daniel noted.

"There's that." a bored Colonel replied.

They made camp after a full day of walking. Their hike had been rather enjoyable on a late fall day, through lush meadows and colorful woodlands of virginal forests with sparkling streams.

Teal'c was more silent than usual so the colonel spoke to him during his watch. Teal'c admitted that his symbiote became more agitated the further they traveled toward the energy signal. He found himself unable to meditate or rest or enjoy a meal. O'Neill thought he would have to make a decision in the morning. Either have the entire team return to the SGC or if Major Carter was adamant he would send Daniel and Teal'c back. If the territory still seemed nonthreatening he and Carter would continue.

The next morning Teal'c, not wishing to abandon his team, claimed to be fit to continue. So they broke camp and followed Carter's directions. Not two hours later Teal'c doubled over in pain. The team immediately took defensive positions thinking Teal'c had been attacked. O'Neill crawled to his position and checked the Jaffa for injuries and found none.

"It is my symbiote." Teal'c gasped.

"We're heading back, now." O'Neill ordered.

"There's no one else here." Daniel said.

"It must be whatever the hell Carter's chasing."

"The signal became increasingly stronger just as we came over that rise." Teal'c gasped.

"Okay back that way."

They retraced their steps until Teal'c was again comfortable so the Colonel could make a decision on whether to proceed with the mission.

"If this energy wave is affecting Teal'c it must also affect all Jaffa."

"So you think it's not a weapon per se but a deterrent." O'Neill asked.

"Yes sir, and it might be important."

The Colonel thought about it for a minute. He was loath to split up the team but he instructed Daniel and Teal'c to return to the SGC. They were to inform Hammond of their supposition while he and Carter would continue on to hopefully find the source of the energy signal.

They reshuffled a bit of their supplies in their packs and each set of two set off in opposite directions. O'Neill and Carter walked for a few more hours before taking a lunch break and attempted to radio Daniel and Teal'c. There was little information passed through all the static but it was confirmed all was well.

As they trudged on Jack thought about a movie On the Beach*. A dystopian future after World War lll where the heroes hear a signal and have hope that some have survived the global nuclear disaster . Only it was the wind clunking something against, well he couldn't quite remember what. What he did remember was, it was a colossal waste of time and effort and...not a happy ending. But Carter was enthused and said the signal strength was definitely getting stronger.

The next morning after breaking camp O'Neill had the hinky feeling they weren't alone.

"You think we're being watched?" He asked.

"Can't be Jaffa." The words were hardly out of her mouth when three men emerged out of the brush, three large well armed men. Both bows and sheaves of arrows slung over their leather clad backs.

O'Neill and Carter immediately brought up their weapons to face the men. Then O'Neill put his hand up to his throat and said "Thor". He lowered his weapon and Carter followed suit. He had seen the hammer amulet hanging on a cord around the men's necks.

One of the men nodded and said "Thor protects us."

"Us as well" O'Neill responded.

The man smiled and said "I am Harald, Harald Torvaldson and these are my brothers, Geir and Hrafn. We have a hunting camp nearby. Now with all this chatter we have chased off all the game, so come join us." As the man reached out his hand to clasp O'Neill's, from behind an arrow sliced through the colonel's pant leg and skinned his calf. Carter turned and raised her M-5.

"No, no it is my son, a foolish boy. Do not kill my boy." Harald pleaded.

"Carter stand down, it's nothing. Let it go."

"Ivar" Harald commanded "put that bow down."

The incensed boy and his friend climbed down from a tree "These are Ettins."

"No, we are friends of Thor. I'm Jack and this is Sam." Jack said, looking at the boy of about ten years old, and smiling back at the men.

Seeing his father's displeasure, and his mistake at wounding a friend of their protector, the boy started to apologize.

O'Neill pulled the arrow tangled in the cloth of his BDU's. It had a simple fire hardened tip with no barbs as did the arrows of the adults. Jack gave it back to the boy and said "You need to work on your aim and make sure of whom you're aiming at."

"I'm sorry."

"It's just a scratch." O'Neill said and then reiterated it to Carter who would want to take a look at 'the scratch'.

They walked on with the hunters toward their camp, which they could hear and smell before they could see it - the sound of happy voices and the smell of roasting meat.

Another of their band came out to meet them. "We had a good day today. Thanks to the All-Father we have enough elk to get us through the freezing time and a boar is spitted over a fire now."

Sam became distracted by one of her meters and walked a few paces ahead then noticing the distance turned back to O'Neill.

Jack saw one of the hunters eyeing Carter. The man, Nyels, who was telling a tale to some of the other hunters, had been distracted by the woman, the one and only in the camp, and said "Ah, the beautiful Sif."

Jack glared at him and to clarify that he had given Carter a compliment Nyels said "Your woman is as beautiful as our woman. You are a lucky man."

Fortunately Carter was not yet within ear shot so O'Neill nodded and smiled and said "Yes, I am. Who is Sif?"

"Thor's wife." He replied.

Sam had come alongside the Colonel and he turned to her and asked with a furrowed brow "Thor has a wife?"

Sam bit her lip.

Hanging from the trees were three enormous field dressed elk with racks larger than O'Neill had ever seen.

O'Neill and Carter were invited to join in with the men celebrating a successful hunt. All of the men were tall and well muscled dressed in woad dyed cloth, leather and furs befitting the cool weather. They also were heavily armed with long bows, swords, short swords or rather large knives and axes. While Sam didn't feel threatened in the least in this cheerful group she thought it wise to stick close to the Colonel's side.

The hunters had brought with them a few kegs of ale to either celebrate a successful hunt or to bewail their failure. In either case ale was the remedy. O'Neill kept a careful eye on Carter and on the men, far from home, rapidly getting roaring drunk. She was still engrossed in her instruments.

"It's here. The source of the signal is here." She said as they wandered through the camp.

"I don't think it's them."

As they passed the spitted beast, Harald was slicing off great hunks of meat and distributing it to his fellow hunters.

"Please share with us the bounty Thor has provided." And he handed O'Neill a veritable platter of meat.

"Does your man hunt on your world?" Hrafn asked Sam. Hrafn too had a large plate of roasted meat.

"I believe he prefers to fish."

"With Thor? For the Midgard serpent Jormungand?"

"Oh yeah, we've gone after serpents." Jack chimed in.

"Be careful, they spit venom." The man said as he slapped O'Neill on the back and made his way to the ale barrel.

So the two officers sat on a log, shucked their packs and laid their weapons at their feet and dug in. O'Neill always appreciated a good barbeque.

When they had eaten more than they should, well O'Neill did, not Carter, Sam wanted to pin down the spot the signal originated from. They walked through the camp, chatting with the hunters they met, and came to a thicket. It was as if the trees and shrubs had grown around the structure. They pulled at some of the growth and finally Jack used his K-bar to chop at some of the vegetation. It was a ship and they were near the entrance, which made a noise as if it were attempting to open but was stuck. Jack gave it a good thump and the door opened and slammed shut again.

Hrafn walked by and said "Do you know of this?"

"That's why we're here." Jack said.

As evening fell a gentle rain had started, the temperature noticeably dropped and many of the men didn't seem to care. There were a few tarps strung up between the trees and enough shelter for those who did.

"We do not hunt here often." Hrafn said as he pulled his fur cloak about him. The rain was harder now, beating down on the tarps. He pointed his chin toward the structure and said "Some say it's sacred, others think it's of the elves and has an enchantment on it, so we tend to avoid this valley. When we do come, the hunting is good."

Lars, a man larger than Teal'c and quite drunk, lurched out with a tankard of ale in his hand. He called out "Jack and Sif, come drink with us." He was intent on giving the drink to their new friends but slipped in the mud. He spilled the contents down the front of O'Neill and as Lars fell he took down O'Neill onto the muddy ground, crushing him under Lars massive weight. The tankard was slammed into the side of Jack's head as Lars attempted to put a hand out to slow his fall. Sam couldn't budge the man and his friends were laughing so hard they weren't much help. When Lars was finally heaved off of O'Neill, the tip of the short sword Lars wore on his belt dug into O'Neill's thigh. The officer was nearly blue, all the air had been forced from his lungs and he could barely draw breath from under the crushing weight on his chest. There was a trace of blood on the back of his head and he seemed out of it.

The rain had turned into a freezing sleet. Lars was hauled back under a tarp to sit on a tree stump and given a full tankard of ale. His friends were still laughing. They pulled O'Neill to his feet, slapped him on the back and he unsteadily listed toward Carter.

The sleet was now coming down in earnest and the hunters wrapped their furs about themselves and huddled under the tarped shelters. Carter thought of the ship and with O'Neill's arm slung over her shoulder they made their way to it.

"Touch the door." She said but he didn't respond.

She grabbed his hand and slapped his palm against the door. It sprung to life and slid open. By now both were drenched in the freezing sleet falling on the camp. They climbed over the hacked vegetation and walked it. Immediately the light came on and the air freshened.


On The Beach - great movie, the book by Nevil Shute even better.