Chapter 3

When Teal'c returned from the Stargate location, O'Neill and Carter were sitting at the campfire nursing their morning coffee. "Where is Daniel Jackson?" He asked his teammates when he sat down by the fire with them.

"He's with Painted Face." Jack grimaced staring down into his coffee cup. "It'll be good to cement our relations with the Anasazi, I guess."

Carter looked over at her Commanding Officer. "I'm sure it'll be all right, sir."

O'Neill looked over at her. "I hope so. I'm not thrilled with the idea, though." He glanced at Teal'c. "What's going on at the Stargate?"

"The sentinels have changed but they still continue to monitor the gate." Teal'c replied. "They have established round the clock shifts with several men at each watch. They are showing great concern and are determined not to be surprised."

O'Neill nodded. "We'll go down to the village and assist in whatever preparations we can help with. I'm interested in seeing what they intend to do to stop the Gould from coming through the gate and taking over."

"You think they may have a secret weapon, sir?" Carter asked.

"I don't know. But I find it hard to believe that a snakehead can be beaten with bows and arrows."

Teal'c nodded. "I too would like to know what weapons are used. Even a minor system lord should have no difficulty in establishing himself here. Yet..."

"They haven't been able to beat these people for a long time." O'Neill finished for him nodding. The Colonel stood up and stretched. "OK, let's go down to the village and see what we can do to help get ready for the uninvited guests.

Teal'c stood and looked at Jackson's tent. "When is Daniel Jackson returning?"

O'Neill grimaced. "He went to get ready for tonight."

The warrior looked curiously at his leader. "I did not think that you wanted Danieljackson to participate in the Vision Quest."

"I didn't, but he talked me into letting him do it." Jack shook his head in misgiving. "Of course, I could have ordered him not to do it..."

Carter smiled over at O'Neill. "Yes, sir. And he would have done it anyway."

"Yea, I figured that." O'Neill stood up and stretched. "At least this way I'm going with him and can see what goes on."

"It will be all right, O'Neill. I have never known Danieljackson to be foolhardy."

Both O'Neill and Carter looked over at the big man. "Teal'c, are we talking about the same guy here?" Jack looked at his teammate in amazement. "The one I'm thinking of is six feet; one hundred seventy-five pounds of leap before you look archeologist."

Teal'c had to smile briefly at O'Neill's description. "But he does it knowingly. I'm certain he believes it is the right thing to do."

"Yeah, if you say so." He threw the dregs of his coffee into the fire. "Let's go into the village and see if we can make ourselves useful." The remaining three SG1members put out the campfire and started the walk into the village.

When they had reached the larger encampment Jack located the War Chief, Two Spears. Through hand signals, O'Neill offered their help in preparing for the forthcoming battle. After due consideration, Carter was directed to a group of women and young people and who were constructing arrows and spears. Moon Woman instructed her in the art of knapping arrowheads from flint pieces, by using harder granite stones. It was more difficult that it had appeared from the vantage point of the uninitiated, but she set about it with mathematical precision and once she got the theory down she was a quick student of the art

O'Neill and Teal'c were directed up the cliffs where small groups of warriors were piling large numbers of good sized rocks on the canyon edge along the route to the Stargate. The boulders had to be of a certain size and shape to be approved of by the older men directing the efforts. The Colonel and the Jaffa went along with this more to cement their relationship with the tribe than any belief that these rocks were going to do one bit of good against an incursion by Goa'uld forces. But between the two of them they managed to gather an impressive pile of rocks about the size of men's heads.

After several hours of this laborious task, a break was called for lunch. A meal was brought up to them from the village fires by some of the older children. As the two members of SG watched and ate the dried meat and corn cakes, another group of men started carrying leather bags containing some kind of thick liquid up from the village. These sacks were also piled close to the cliff's edge. Not far from these piles, fires were started and wood from the surrounding area was brought in to feed the bonfires.

Down in the camp, Carter's group had also stopped for lunch. The women were curious about her and through sign language were asking about a 'man' for her, did she have children, were her clansmen married, all things of interest in a relatively small female society. It was a relaxing break from the difficult and exacting work but after the meal the women had resumed their chores with dedication.

Sam and a few of the younger and stronger women were redirected from the making of arrows to creating larger, heavier spears of about six feet in length from slender tree trunks. Some of the men had returned from the cliffs and were participating in this activity also, both in the construction and the finer art of balancing the longer throwing weapons. Then the younger children, aged from six to ten years had started transporting bundles of the finished arrows up the narrow trail to the cliff top fortifications. Older boys were now involved, busy creating throw sticks from branches of about one to two feet long with a leather thong on the far end and a short style of bow, three to four feet in length with which to deliver the arrows. Then after, when a goodly number had been finished these too were carried up to the cliffs. Carter noticed that for all the comradery and enjoyment of the task by the group the fact remained that the women had gotten a lot done. They knew that they were preparing for a war for their lives and their very existence. She looked over at Moon Woman who was still sitting with the arrow-makers touching up a final few shafts. The younger woman saw her look, then she laid a hand on her burgeoning belly and smiled back at her new friend. There was no mistaking what she was fighting for.

Painted Face and Daniel had left the SG campsite early that morning and had gone on to the river where they were greeted by a number of younger women filling gourds and skin sacks with water. The women had merrily waved to the Shaman and the Scholar. One or two of the younger girls had offered to come with them and assist in the bathing, but Painted Face had laughed with them and told them to mind their manners and do their work. When Daniel looked at him for an explanation the younger man had explained that the forward women had wanted to see what his white skin looked like without any clothes on. The girls were unmarried and were starting to consider Daniel as a possible husband since he was a self-admitted widower. The two men continued on downstream to a private cove where Painted Face removed some herbs from his carry-sack stripped off his leather shirt and breeches and entered the water nude. Daniel copied his actions and the Shaman handed him a handful of the leaves from a succulent plant.

"These will clean your skin, and if you have a raw spot it will treat it." He explained to his companion, scrubbing himself briskly in demonstration.

Daniel took the herbs and started rubbing himself cautiously. All he needed was to have an allergic reaction to the cleansing plants and Jack would call the whole Spirit Quest off in a heartbeat. Luckily he didn't get anything but a tingling, astringent-like sensation, so he was game to continue.

After a good half-hour of scrubbing, Painted Face now sans paint motioned for them to get out. Then, the shaman in his loincloth and Daniel in his Hanes, they proceeded to climb over a ridge and down into a sheltered valley about a half a mile away. Here they found a steaming pool of mineral water. Jackson was a little surprised as the region had showed no sign of volcanic activity but he was assured that the mountain range behind and above the valley had at one time been Fire Mountains.

Painted Face again brought out two hands full of some dried herbs and handed one off to his student shaman. Again a cleansing session, but this time it was followed with a meditation period and a chanting song while still submersed. The song addressed the Great Spirit who saw fit to travel with The People to this new land and asked him to continue to assist them in the defense of the tribe against the false gods and their skin-walkers. To this refrain, Daniel silently added his wholehearted support and added a silent 'amen' to the request.

Following the Hot Springs treatment, the two men again emerged from the mineral pool and continued on to the next phase of cleansing nude. The two trekked up a narrow rocky trail and finally came to a cleft in the mountain where a fresh, icy spring burst out of the neck of the rocky hillside. There, Painted Face looked over his shoulder at Daniel and dove off an overhanging boulder into a deep, crystal clear pool of water. Daniel, never one to be unRoman in Rome, grasped his glasses firmly with his left hand and followed his friend, plunging into the icy, cold water. He reemerged with a whoop. "That's freezing!"

Painted Face, treading water while he waited laughed at his companion's reaction and splashed more of the icy water in the young white man's face. "This will energize your spirit tonight for the ceremony."

"Either that or give me pneumonia." Daniel sputtered

Luckily, after only a few minutes in the cold mountain spring pool, Painted Face motioned to his friend and the two climbed out onto a flat granite ledge that the sun had warmed. They lay next to each other on the heated rock allowing it's warmth to seep back into their extremities.

After a while, the young Indian sat up and looked at his companion critically. "You are very white."

Daniel had replaced his glasses and returned the examination in kind. "You are very brown, but if I lay out in the sun much longer, I will turn very red."

"That would be interesting to see, but not comfortable for you I think."

"No, it would be rather painful." Daniel agreed. "My people have made a lotion that I can put on that is some protection, but it has been washed off"

"Will you be all right until tonight?" The shaman asked concerned. "Your clothing has been taken back to the camp. You will not have them until tomorrow morning after we share our visions."

"I'll probably be okay; I'll get a little red." He glanced up at the sun and noted that it was late afternoon already. "We're not going back?"

"Only for a little while, we will go back to the village for the sacred peyote, and then we and our watchers will go to the Great Mountain overlooking the village." The young shaman assured Daniel. "Two Spears will be my watcher. Will Grey Chief watch for you?" He looked for confirmation from Daniel. When he nodded, the shaman continued. "Then we will have the ceremony and we will go separate to the mountain to wait for our Spirit Quest." He continued. "Tomorrow in the morning light, we will come back together and go to the village. There we will tell of our journeys to The People."

"What if I don't have a Spirit Journey or don't understand it?" Daniel pressed.

"Oh, you will have one...but if you don't understand it, I will try to help you interpret it"

"What if I have an evil dream?" Daniel hesitated. "I have some pretty bad memories."

Painted Face shook his head with conviction. "These are not memories that we seek, these are visions, omens. You will not have evil in your dreams. I know. You are a good man."

"I hope so, my friend." Jackson shook his head. "That's why Gray Chief was so concerned for me. He doesn't want me hurt."

"It will be well with you, Yellow Shaman. I know. You will see." Painted Face looked up at the sun. "It is growing late. We must return to the village now."

"Yes, I think I'm getting a little well done." Daniel examined his reddening skin and grimaced. "Uh, are we going back like this?'

The young Indian smiled at him and got to his feet. "As much as the young maidens would like it, no. My wife brought these here for us earlier." He went over to a natural shelf in the stony ledge and retrieved two deerskin loincloths. He threw one at Jackson. "She would not approve of my showing myself. And I think your sister would not either."

Daniel smiled at the thought of Sam's reaction, not to mention Jack and Teal'c's if he showed up buck-naked. "No, she might laugh."

The shaman looked back at his friend. "I do not believe that any of the other maidens would, but it would prove a distraction to the ceremony."

The two men arrived back in the village just as the sun was going down behind the high mountain peak that guarded the community. Dinner had already been eaten. Daniel had known that he and Painted Face would not be having any food before their Spirit journeys. But as they walked down the village Main Street a sizable crowd gathered to escort them to Grey Badger's lodge.

The old Chief, Two Spears and Jack had heard the sounds of their welcoming group's voices and came out of the Grey Badger's small lodge. The two war chiefs greeted Painted Face with honor; grasping him by both upper arms and guiding him away from the clay hut and on down the narrow pathway. O'Neill approached Daniel and met him with a relieved grin, clasping his shoulder in welcome. Daniel smiled in return and the two white men followed the three Indians.

Carter and Teal'c watched the Colonel and Jackson leave with the others. Daniel saw them and waived. The two remaining teammates, standing with the crowd, waved back. Sam called out, "Good luck, Daniel." He smiled back at her, and then turned to get into step with Jack.

"Nice outfit!" The Colonel commented on the leather breechclout his friend was wearing. "The nurses back at the SGC would love it."

Daniel shook his head. "I knew I'd get a comment from you."

"Carter will have to take pictures for them."

"Jack!"

"Daniel!"

The trail lead them back down the Canyon's wall to the path that led up to the pueblo-like 'ruins' that had been the initial attraction to this Stargate address. "Well, I guess I will get to see them, after all." Daniel murmured.

O'Neill glanced over at his friend. "You're gonna get to see more than you think, Daniel. I just hope it's a good journey.

His young friend ruefully smiled back at him.

The three Indians led them up into the Kiva where a small inner fire ring was already smoking with embers. . The two men joined the warriors in their circle, sitting cross-legged. Jack glanced over at his erstwhile Shaman and asked in a low voice. "What's going to happen now?"

Daniel leaned over. "I'm not really sure, a ceremony of some sort. Then we four go up to the Spirit Mountain where Painted Face and I..."

Grey Badger had started to chant. He reached behind him to a leather bag and pulled out a pipe made of a white wood. The Chief reached to the fire and pulled out an ember. He stopped the chant as he lit the pipe, took a smoking mouthful and handed it first to Two Spears. The younger chief took a small puff of the smoking pipe, then handed it off to Jack. O'Neill also took a small puff and held the smoke in his mouth to determine what it was they were hitting. It was a sweet grass of some sort, not even tobacco. He passed it back to Grey Badger who had reached for its return. The old man took another inhalation then passed it first to Painted Face. The young Shaman followed suit, passing it on to Daniel who again returned it to the old man. This continued for two more rounds then finally, Grey Badger laid the pipe down and resumed his chanting. Next, he pulled a large handful of the same type of grass and laid it directly onto the fire. This caused the smoke to rise and encircle the men in the Kiva. Then, a halved gourd of water was poured directly into the flame, causing more smoke to issue into the confined area. The chanting continued until the smoke wended its way up to the small smoke hole in the roof of the Kiva and the air cleared to a light haze.

When the smoke cleared, O'Neill realized that he had become a little light headed from inhaling the fragrant odor of the burned sweet grass. He glanced at Painted Face and Daniel and noticed that their facial expressions were very relaxed and introspective. Two Spears smiled slightly and nodded back to him. This was evidently the expected result.

Grey Badger was chanting again, this time in a more insistent tone. He reached back to his carry pouch and pulled out two small, spherical objects. These he presented to the Shaman and Daniel. Jack got a quick glance at the objects. They were the peyote buttons, each one about the size of his thumbnail. Two Spears again met his eyes and nodded. The time had come.

Painted Face and Daniel both took the nutlike fruit and bit into them. The young Shaman looked quickly at Jackson and saw that he had indeed eaten the button. He then bit into his and swallowed it himself. O'Neill had a quick flush of pride for his friend; Daniel really had nerve to spare, especially after his Just Say No speech of the night before. This could still end badly, but the stone-cold Jackson luck was running true to form. Jack figured he'd let it run its course and be there for Daniel when he came back down to earth.

After a few minutes, Grey Badger rose and led the other four outside the Kiva. He pointed towards a narrow rocky path that continued up from the ceremonial area into rock cliffs and the night sky. Two Spears grasped Painted Face's upper arm and held the smaller man in support. The Shaman seemed a little shaky in his stride but started up the pathway. Jack touched Daniel on the shoulder, "How're you doing, Danny?"

"'m ok, Jack. A little lightheaded s'all." His young friend smiled at him. "Howr you doin'?"

"Peachy, just peachy." O'Neill took a firmer grip on the Archeologist's arm. "You ready to take a little walk with me?"

"Sure, where we goin?"

"Damned if I know." Jack grumbled, following the other two men up the path. "But I think it's this way."

"Kay, jus lead on Jack. I'll meet ya there." With Jack keeping a firm grip on Daniel's arm, they followed their counterparts up the rocky, trail to a windswept knoll clear of trees and larger rocks. It stood close to the edge of the mountain and was roomy enough that it wasn't especially dangerous. Two Spears and Painted Face had continued on to a farther site, but Daniel had somehow determined that this was the place he needed to be and settled down to sit cross legged on some Cedar tree needles. Jack had acquiesced, content that this was as high as Daniel needed or wanted to go. He made sure his friend was in a non-threatening location and the younger man had apparently entered a trance state. Daniel would respond to Jack's questions, but not initiate any conversation. So O'Neill allowed him to continue his inward search without any interference, while he kept a wary eye on him for any adverse reactions.

Satisfied he had done all he could for his friend; Jack turned to the biggest sky he had ever seen. One of the disadvantages of a star watcher living in the suburbs is that the electric lights of civilization constantly impinge on the brilliance of the night sky. But from this aerie perch, the stars seemed to literally reach back to earth to impress the two men. Jack looked back to check on Daniel, but he was deep in his quiet, drugged state. Having nothing else to do, O'Neill leaned back onto a friendly tree trunk and relaxed for the celestial show.

Down below in their campsite, Carter and Teal'c had returned to their own fire. She looked up toward the mountain where O'Neill and Jackson must be by now. The Jaffa watched the emotions play across her face. "Danieljackson will be okay Major Carter. O'Neill will watch him closely."

She turned back to him. The concern still evident. "The Colonel didn't want him to do this. He's concerned that Daniel will have some sort of drug induced flashback." The blond woman shook her head. "I hope that everything will be all right. Daniel is...has had so much tragedy; I just don't want him hurt anymore."

"Nor do I." the big man agreed. "But does your culture not believe that the sum of a man must also include his past."You would not be who and what you are now if something was removed from your past experiences and knowledge. You use these past lives to go forward into the future."

She nodded to him. "You're right; I just wish it were easier for his sake."

"We all have pain. If I had not succeeded in my early training, many good people would have been spared the evil of Apophis. Yet, it is that very training that allows me to fight him today. If Sha'uri had not been selected, Danieljackson would not be here with us learning of these people. If you were not in the SGC, your father would be dead of cancer. If it were not for General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill would not be our leader. And if he were not here, he might well be dead from his own hand." The warrior stared into the flames of the campfire. "All our experiences, the good, the bad and the seemingly unimportant play out our lives for us. We cannot run from them but we must use them to survive." He looked over at the young woman who was staring into the fire. She returned his gaze and nodded, silent with her thoughts.