-1CHAPTER EIGHT
PLANET P3M-299, 15 NOVEMBER 1998
Rembrandt Brown was walking, with Dr. Daniel Jackson, through a native village on planet P3M-299. The village itself, located in the forest about five Klicks from the underground complex built here by the Goa'uld, consisted of rude huts built of wood and mud. It was teaming with the little, furry creatures which had become informally known as "Ewoks" since they had been encountered, so abruptly, two weeks before. As they walked down one of the village's muddy streets, several of the creatures waved at Remmy in a friendly manner, some of them imitating his dance moves. Remmy smiled and waved back.
"Well, you've certainly made an impression on them," Daniel said.
"Hey, they're my biggest fans," Remmy said, grinning. "I wonder how many records I'd have sold here, back in the day, if the Ewoks had record players?"
Daniel laughed. Then he looked thoughtful. "If they had record players," he said. "That is something that bothers me. Why don't they?"
"Huh?," Remmy said, thoroughly confused. "You 're really worrying about why they don't have record players?"
Daniel smiled. "Well, not so much record players, per se. But I'm perplexed by the apparent lack of technology of any kind. If these creatures are the race which left the inscription at Heliopolis, as I believe to be the case, some form of technology should be in evidence." He looked off to the side, where a female Ewok was stirring an iron pot, suspended over an open fire and filled with some sort of stew, with a large wooden spoon, and pointed. "But if they have it, where is it?"
"If only we could talk to them," Remmy said. "We could ask them."
Just then, they heard the voice of Colonel Makepeace calling to them from behind. "Dr. Jackson! Remmy!" They stopped and turned to see the Marine Colonel trotting up behind them.
"Colonel!," Remmy said. "How's it hanging?"
Makepeace grinned. "It's hanging," he said. "In fact, things couldn't be better! The linguists say there's been a breakthrough. They sent me to get Dr. Jackson. Remmy, you come along too."
"That's great!," Daniel said, a wide smile on his face. They followed Makepeace back to the hut Major Kovacek and a team of skilled linguists and code-breakers had been working with some of the Ewoks almost constantly since first contact had been established, trying to figure out a way to communicate with them. Arriving at the hut, they stepped inside. They were greeted by one of the Ewoks, who rose and spoke to them, in halting English.
"Greetings," the creature said. "To our world, welcome you we."
Remmy grinned. "Greetings to you, my friend," he said. "I have enjoyed getting to know your people." He bent down and offered his hand. "My name is Remmy," he said. "What is your name?"
The Ewok hesitated, then reached out and took Remmy's hand in its own clawed appendage. It looked into Remmy's eyes with its own deep, black eyes, and said, "Ha'arush called am I."
Major Kovacek was seated on the packed earth floor of the hut, and rising, dusted off the back of his trousers. Then he came to attention and saluted Makepeace.
"Sir, as you can see, their English leaves something to be desired, but it's intelligible," he said.
"Have we made any progress in learning to speak their language?," Daniel Jackson asked.
"Some, but they've picked up ours much more quickly," Kovacek said. "Actually, this is all rather sudden. They just came in here this morning, shortly after our arrival, and began speaking English to us, right out of the blue."
"I told you they were fast learners," Remmy said, nodding.
"Indeed, they are," Daniel said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Or did they have help?"
"Help?," Makepeace asked. "You mean, like some sort of technology?"
"Technology, yes," the Ewok suddenly broke in. "Technology have we. Some. More had the Old Ones. Come, with us sit and of this speak will we."
Together, they followed the Ewok farther into the large hut, and, finding an area which was relatively empty, they all sat down in a circle on the floor. As they did so, a female Ewok came with a tray bearing wooden cups with a native wine. They all took cups, thanking her. She made a noise that sounded, to Remmy, positively like a giggle, and then scurried away.
Remmy took a drink of his wine…he had developed quite a taste for it since his arrival here, it reminding him vaguely of the Boone's Farm Strawberry Wine his father used to keep in their refrigerator, and from which he used to snitch small drinks when he was a kid, all those years ago…and listened as Daniel Jackson began to speak with the Ewok.
"Ha'arush," Jackson said, "my name is Daniel. We are honored that you have allowed us to visit you here, on your world."
Ha'arush bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Sorry are we your people slew did we. Thought we the Evil Ones were you. Came you through the Ring of Water, like the Evil Ones," He looked at Remmy. "But the Singing One, heard did we. Knew we then, wrong were we."
"The Evil Ones did not sing?," Daniel asked.
"No," Ha'arush said. "Sing not they, only kill do they."
Daniel looked at Makepeace. "He must be speaking of the Goa'uld," he said. "The Goa'uld must have come through the Stargate."
Ha'arush hissed angrily, standing up. "Speak you not the name of the Evil Ones!"
"Our apologies," Kovacek said quickly. "We meant no offense."
Ha'arush calmed down, nodded, and returned to his seat. "Forgive you do we," he said. "Our customs know not do you."
"We thank you," Daniel said, nodding. "May I ask you about the Evil Ones? Did they come here recently?"
"No," Ha'arush said. "Long ago came they. Of us many kill did they. Much wealth and technology of ours steal did they, and what steal they did not, destroy did they. But, after much suffering, drive away them did we."
Daniel looked at Makepeace. "That explains why there is so little technology in evidence here," he said. The 'Evil Ones' took or destroyed it all."
"Not all," Ha'arush said. "Still some have we." He got up, and went to a small, wooden cabinet sitting in one corner of the hut. Opening the door, he lifted up a small, wooden box. He brought it out and then sat back down, resuming his place in the circle. Setting the box on the ground, he opened it, reached inside, and pulled out a small statuette, with the upper part being a small sphere surrounded by three rings." Daniel instantly recognized it.
"A Touchstone!," he exclaimed.
Ha'arush looked at him quizzically. "Seen before this have you?," he asked.
"Not exactly," Daniel said, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice. "We found a similar device on another world, a planet called Madrona." Then he noticed some writing on the base of the statuette. "Those glyphs!," he said. "They're the same as the ones we found inside the underground complex, and on the planet Heliopolis."
"Yes," Ha'arush said, nodding. "Skywalkers were the Old Ones. On worlds many tread did they. "
Remmy suddenly burst out laughing, despite himself. The others looked at him, question marks in their eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said, finally containing himself. "I meant no offense," he said quickly to Ha'arush. "But first Ewoks, and now Skywalkers? When do R2D2 and CP3O show up?" Remmy saw Makepeace grinning. Obviously similar thoughts were going through his mind, too.
"Ewoks," Ha'arush said. "Of that speak you, heard have we. What meaning has it?"
Remmy felt his face heating up as he blushed. "Um, er," he said.
"The Ewoks are a people of our legends," Daniel said quickly. "A people for whom we have great respect. The legends portray them as very similar to your folk, Ha'arush, and we naturally began calling you by that name, since we did not know what you called yourselves. Indeed, we still don't."
"Ah," Ha'arush said, nodding. "Understand do I." He stood up, and gestured toward the other natives in the room. "The Phu'or L'ing are we."
"Furling," Remmy repeated.
What passed for a smile with his species came on Ha'arush's face. "Exactly, is it not, but close enough is it."
"Ha'arush," Daniel said, "from what I gathered on Heliopolis, your ancestors were highly advanced. How is it that your people were unable to defend yourselves against the Evil Ones, when they came?"
Ha'arush's face assumed a somber cast. "Peaceful were they," he said. "Wonders built the Old Ones, devices great made they. But weapons, no. Need for them not saw they. Gave freely of what had they. Why weapons make should they?" He sighed. "And so, when came the Evil Ones…" He growled softly and said no more.
"If you had no weapons, how did you drive them away?," Colonel Makepeace asked.
Ha'arush gestured toward the Touchstone. "This device by the Evil Ones left to us."
Daniel nodded in comprehension. "Of course!," he said. "The Touchstone allowed you to alter the atmosphere of your world," he said. "You created conditions that forced the Evil Ones to leave." His eyes opened wide. "But how did you survive?"
Ha'arush shook his head. "Many did not, died did they. Those who survived, lack did they the knowledge of the Old Ones."
"So you destroyed your own civilization to get rid of the Evil Ones," Major Kovacek said, awe in his voice. "And you were never able to rebuild."
Ha'arush nodded. "The people, some of them, survive did they. Their great grandchildren, many generations removed, are we. Civilization, survive not did it."
Remmy listened to this, and his heart went out to these people. He had seen what the Goa'uld had done on many worlds. He could well understand why the Furlings would sacrifice most of their people and their entire civilization to be rid of them. But to fall from such greatness to the primitive state in which these people now lived…it was hard for him to comprehend.
As for Daniel, his heart sank as he listened to Ha'arush describe the fall of a great people, not only because of the sadness of the thing itself, but also because he knew that they could expect little help from these people in Earth's own struggle against the Goa'uld. The technologically advanced, infinitely wise race they had hoped to find, had been reduced to a mere shadow…indeed, less than a shadow…of itself.
Colonel Makepeace, too, was crushed by the news. But he didn't show it. Instead, he said to Ha'arush, "We fight the Evil Ones. Knowing what they did to your people will make us fight them even harder. We will defeat them, this I promise you."
Ha'arush smiled again. "Believe you, do I," he said. "To you, listening been have we. Of you, much know we."
"You mean, you've known how to speak our language right along, and were just keeping quiet about it?," Remmy exclaimed.
"Understand you, yes, did I," Ha'arush said. He reached inside his rough cloth shirt, and brought out a gleaming red gem, set in what looked like pure gold, suspended from a leather thong. "One thing more left they, did the Old Ones. The Gem of Understanding, called it they. Understand not at first did I, but after your arrival, soon did I."
He stood up, and went to another place in the room. Lifting up a small rug on the floor, he revealed a small trap door, which he lifted. Reaching inside, he removed another small wooden box, similar to that which contained the Touchstone, but smaller and flatter. Bringing it over, he handed it to Remmy.
"Singing One," he said, "entrust this to you, do I. Open it, may you."
Remmy took the box, and setting it down on the ground, cautiously opened it. "It's another one of those gems," he said, looking at Daniel.
Daniel looked at Ha'arush. "You're giving us a gem, like you wear, which will help us to understand the speech of other races?," he asked, amazed.
"Give you, yes," Ha'arush said. "With it, understand speech not only, will you."
"Do you mean, it will help us to translate written languages as well?," Daniel asked.
"Yes, yes," Ha'arush replied. "And music, for the Singing One."
"Thank you, Ha'arush," Remmy said. "This is a great gift."
"Yes," Daniel said. "It will prove of great use in fighting the Evil Ones."
"Know this, do I," Ha'arush said. "Use it well."
.