Disclaimer: The characters of Stargate belong to MGM. The characters of Farscape belong to Jim Henson Productions.

Chapter 5

Lord Protectorate

Part Two – Helios

Two days later, Cam and Vala had arrived at the SGC. They had left the Al'Kesh in the hands of SG-11 to transport it while they use the Alpha Site to gate to Earth. General Landry greeted them at the usual briefing room where Cam saw who had replaced him as leader of the new SG-1.

"Colonel Sheppard, congratulations!" – Cam wished as they shook hands.

"Colonel Mitchell."

"I'd have supposed you'd have Dr. McKay on your team." – Cam said.

"Yeah, me too but Rodney is still needed on Atlantis, as are Teyla and Ronon." – John answered casually.

"And you're not?" – Cam asked.

"Of course, he is but someone had to lead SG-1." – General Landry answered instead of John. "And the Pentagon chose Colonel Sheppard."

"I hear you guys have a little problem." – John said.

"Yeah, we do." – Cam admitted and told them what they had achieved so far. Then the story reached the part where they encountered the colossus.

"Oh, God, not again." – John exclaimed. "You believe it is like the Ancient head-sucker devices?"

"Well, I think so as Vala started reading ancient Greek. I'm not sure whether she can speak but it is consistent."

"Ancient Greek – only Greek, she has not spoken in the tongue of the Ancients?" – Landry inquired.

"No, actually, she can't read Ancient. We've already tried." – Cam shook his head.

"This is very strange." – John noted.

"I know." – Cam said.

"Yo boys, would you care to remember that I'm still here?" – Vala interjected.

"Sorry Vala." – Cam turned to her.

"This is very, very strange." – John said again. "From what I've read of SG-1 reports, once this starts the person's brain is completely overridden and starts speaking the Ancient tongue without speaking English at all but understands it."

"Yeah, I agree." – Landry inserted. "And Vala doesn't seem to fit into those parameters."

"Vala, can you speak Greek or Ancient Greek?" – Cam inquired.

"I don't know. I had no one to practice with." – Vala replied.

"But you haven't had any urges to start building something or something alike lately?" – John inquired just to be sure.

"Not as of yet."

"This is definitely a different situation than with the Ancient device not the mention the way it had happened." – John observed. "So, Colonel, why do you think McKay might be able to help?"

"He is the only one left with sufficient knowledge of the Asgard technology. I mean with the Asgards and Sam gone…" – Cam answered.

"I see." – General Landry said thoughtfully. "Very well, Colonel Mitchell, I'm authorizing you to proceed to Atlantis. And I'm assigning SG-1 to you – for as long as you may need them."

"General, sir, it is only a visit to Atlantis – nothing more. There is no need of SG-1." – Cam said.

"Alright, you can alone." – Landry sighed. "Good luck, Colonel, Vala."

"Well, we'll see each other another time, Colonel Sheppard." – Cam said getting up.

"Well, we will have the opportunity." – John agreed.

"Vala time to go." – Cam said but then suddenly Vala managed to surprise them all as her eyes showed that she was not somehow here. "Vala, Vala, hello, wake up!"

"We must go to the First temple of the sun bringer on Corinth." – Vala spoke.

"I'm sorry where?" – Landry exclaimed baffled.

"Corinth, the acropolis where lies the sacred temple of golden aureole, in Greece." – Vala answered.

"Greece? But Vala we have to get you to Atlantis." – Cam protested.

"No, we have to go to Greece." – Vala replied stubbornly. "We have to find the Neokoros of Eidoleionos."

"Okay, she started speaking oddly, again." – Cam remarked.

"Has she done this before?" – John inquired.

"Yes, just yesterday."

"Alright, find Ballinsky, he might be to help with the translations." – Landry said.

Ballinsky, now member of SG-22, arrived shortly after. Cam and John explained the situation.

"Do you have any idea what she means? – Cam asked.

"Well, this is Ancient Greek. I believe Neokoros refers to a…warden, a guardian of a scared temple, and the other word," – Ballinsky paused looking at the dictionary he had brought with him. "The other means an Idol's temple thus Eidolon."

"Great, this is better." – Cam observed. "General, I would like to take Ballinsky with me. Someone would have to translate whatever Vala might blurt out again."

"Permission granted, Colonel." – Landry said. "You'll be transported to the location by the Odyssey. It would save considerable time."

"Thank you, sir!" – Cam said then turned to Vala. "Time to go."

"Thank you, colonel, for this opportunity." – Ballinsky turned to Cam.

"I just hope you're worth it, Ballinsky." – Cam answered.

"I'll try my best not to disappoint, sir."

"Good!" – Cam turned on the communicator. "Odyssey, this is Mitchell, we're ready."

"Understood, Colonel." – And in the next second Vala, Cam and Ballinsky were beamed away.

Vala, Cam and Ballinsky materialized on a silent hill facing the sea. All around them there were ruins of shrines and temples, and possibly other buildings that had decayed over time. Cam was going to ask where to now but Vala took lead immediately. She headed east down a stony path that had somehow survived through the centuries. Cam and Ballinsky followed.

Vala was choosing her way through fallen columns and stones until they stopped before eight columns, some of which had snapped in halves. But there were four that were still intact. It was clear that once they were the foundation of a temple.

"Is this it?" – Cam asked turning to Vala.

Vala did not reply. She was concentrated in examining every inch of the columns so Cam turned with the same question to Ballinsky.

"I don't think so, Colonel." – Ballinsky replied at once. "These columns were once part of the temple of Apollo."

"Apollo?"

"Yes, at some point he was considered the God of light and the sun. But his abilities were earlier identified as being a god of prophecy, medicine and healing. He was also seen as the bringer of ill-health and deadly plague."

"Well, it seems you know your ancient history well." – Cam observed.

"Yeah, that's what is so fascinating about being an archeologist, sir."

"Sure, looking for people that died some thousands of years ago and ruins of around the same time frame."

Vala did not join their little conversation. She was looking for something in particular. Curiously, it was so well visible but once you know what you're looking for. The columns were made of solid granite rock fashioned in such a way that it resembled marble stone.

And there, she saw it, a little marking, slightly above the middle of the column. Ballinsky was right about one thing this was the temple of Apollo. Apollo, the great and so important God that so many confused with the powerful Helios. But the deception was necessary. The marking was barely visible. It was carved in with a tooler of the ancient God Hephaestus, god of fire and smiths.

Vala nodded satisfied. The markings were still active so what she was looking for was still there. She left the columns and headed north to the Acrocorinth. The entire complex was devoted to him, the great god of the Sun.

Cam and Ballinsky suddenly noticed that Vala was no longer with them.

"Where the…is she?" – Cam called, turned around and noticed her going north across the plains. "There she is." – He pointed. "Let's go before we lose her out of sight again."

They ran to catch up with her. The day was coming close to noon, and it seemed that Vala was in a hurry. She hoped to reach her destination in time otherwise what she was looking for might not be obtainable. She was on a tight schedule. She had limited time to obtain it.

Reaching the top hill on the Acrocorinth, Cam and Ballinsky noticed several, very oddly looking statues standing before four columns. Actually, each statue was standing before two of the columns, and its configuration bore resemblance to an entrance that seemed familiar to Cam. As he came to think of it, it was the exact same way the pedestals stood at the gates of the Ancient village.

Vala had stopped right at the distance between the statues and the columns. Her hands were in the air depicting odd circles. As Cam and Ballinsky reached the statues they felt a barrier before them that was not allowing them to go forward. Instead they heard a low chanting that was coming from Vala.

"What is she saying?" – Cam turned to Ballinsky.

Ballinsky was listening carefully but then shook his head. "I have no idea. The language is not of the Ancients or Greek of any form."

Vala was just standing now, her hands above her head as though blessing someone. The chanting grew and they distinctly heard the words this time. "Semina nocte, at'ter Valhalla os te Olympus! Vale ayeter nomene Ferula iht Lomane, Dignio Celere, qu'etie naxte Fornax, flash nase'lle black, black eis flash! Vale sail nol'ere, vale e Si-a, vale e Si-a, Vale E SI-A at'ter Nature Rerum!"

The last words were said louder and louder. The ground beneath their feet shook. Fire erupted all around covering the entire hill. The pair columns came together thus creating a pedestal each upon which the form of giant figure appeared. The same figure Cam saw in the Ancient village, the one holding a torch in one hand, and a golden crown on its head.

Its eyes, this time, were shining with the eternal light of the sun. The torch as usual was burning with warm golden light; the edges of the crown sparkling gently like made of diamonds.

Vala stepped forward, kneeling to the ground with the words. "Vale sail nol'ere nomene a niht damina Nocte. Vale nomene ait Dignio Celere atih black fatil'il in noct. Vale nomene Lomane a damina Nocte."

"Ballinsky, what the hell is she saying?"

"I haven't got the slightest idea, sir." – Ballinsky replied truthfully.

Cam was about to say something but in this instance a loud bang sounded like a hammer hitting the ground. The giant figure bent down, its hand on the head of Vala, and words like whispered by the wind reached their ears.

"Lomane te'en si-e, Ferula semina ne'etie lita. Celere himene ahit zina. Celere nevet en Protos Eidoleionos atih Arnesk nirt, zegma tenebria. Nii'la nol'ere si-e erant e si-a eru, hanet Damina Nocte, asili on'tua re'cta Nocte. Conie na te sinal – mi-a ort et black et'n flash."

"Ha'alla at'ter Nature Rerum! Mi-e si-a rolte." - Vala said then the figure rose up and dissipated. The fires diminished and slowly vanished.

"Vala, what's going on?" – Cam asked. "What were you saying?"

"I spoke with Helios, ruler of Nature." – Vala replied with a smile. "I know now what we must do."

"Ah, sorry, Helios is the God of the Sun, or at least the personification of the Sun." – Ballinsky interjected.

"Not at all," – Vala objected but then shrugged and said. "But the Greeks thought so."

"What did you say?" – Cam repeated impatiently.

Vala repeated the first thing she had said in the unknown tongue then translated it into English. "Evil had come again, oh lord of Valhalla and Olympus. Give me of your wisdom and strength; give me your Sacred Torch, which you brought from Fornax! Light rising from darkness, and darkness setting into light. Show me the way, I summon thee, I summon thee, I summon thee Lord of Nature!"

Then she continued with the second praise. "Show me the way so I can vanquish the Evil. Give me your Sacred Torch to guide me in every corner in the darkness of the cosmos. Give me the strength to vanquish the Evil!"

And then came time for Helios' answer and guidance. "Strength you possess, Wisdom comes with time. You will find the torch where the address you saw pointed. The torch you must place in the First Eidolon Temple at Arnesk, in the triangle of darkness. On your way, you will find your other self and he, his other self – together will you defeat Evil. But you must be taught by those who encased Evil. You will know them by the symbol they carry – my fire and the darkness of the light."

"And at last I said: "Hail Lord of Nature. I'm your humble servant!" Satisfied?"

"Wow!" – Ballinsky exclaimed. "What language was that?"

"It was the tongue of the Ancients."

"I'm sorry; this is not the language of the Ancients." – Ballinsky vividly objected.

"True," – Vala agreed. "It is not the language of the Alterrans but it is the language of the Ancient ones. There is a significant difference."

"Vala." – Cam called. "You said that we will find this torch with the gate address you gained on P1F-519?"

"Yes, we will." – Vala nodded.

"Why should we find it?" – Cam inquired.

"We have to find it because it holds the key to defeating the Evil that will spring from P99-999. Oh, don't ask me what that evil is, I don't know. But this is what I've gained from the messenger on P1F-519. It spoke of great evil captured on P99-999, which we as it seems have inevitably helped in easing its escape."

"Oh not again. Every time we step through the gate there is a chance we might screw up something, and as it seems we did it again, somehow." – Cam cried out to the universe.

"Well, someone has to take the blame." – Vala shrugged.

"And the last part…"

"We have to find our other selves so together we can defeat the evil. But first we have to find those that apparently have trapped or sealed or whatever the Evil in the first place so they teach us or train us, I don't know exactly."

"And we will know them by Helios' Fire and Eternal darkness?"

"No, this would be, yes, Helios' fire, and the darkness within the light." – Vala corrected him.

"Whatever. And where should we find them?"

"Ah, I don't know."

"You don't know? This wasn't in the message?"

"No, but it seems they will find us, at least this is the way it sounded to me."

"Well, this is becoming one hell of adventure." – Cam remarked. "So where do we go to find this torch?"

"I'm not really sure. We have to check the database of gate addresses." – Vala suggested.

"Oh, right, trip in Greece is officially over." – Cam said. "Odyssey, this is Mitchell, ready for transport."

"Understood Colonel." – The Odyssey's first officer replied.

"This is going to make the most interesting briefing in the history of the SGC." – Cam said sarcastically as they vanished.

And in truth it was. General Landry was completely baffled by it. He was of course concerned for Vala given how she impeded Cam and Ballinsky but Vala patiently explained that this was not her doing. She also explained that she was given this knowledge by Helios' guardian so she could communicate with Helios in his native tongue. And now they have to find the torch and bring it at the Eidolon Temple.

"And this temple is where?"

"Ah, I don't know." – Vala replied.

"Great!" – Cam exclaimed.

"You didn't think that it would be that easy, now did you?" – Vala reprimanded him. "We were given enough information. Well, it's not enough but sufficient."

"Really?" – Cam asked mockingly this time. "We have to find our other selves, which we don't know who or where they are. Then apparently we have to find those that trapped the Evil in the first place, and then we have to find this temple that we also have no idea where it is. Sure, we have enough information."

"Well, we do have a name Eidolon and Arnesk. I'll say it is a good start. Well maybe not for you but it is, Colonel Mitchell!" – Vala snapped.

"Enough." – General Landry intervened. "Vala is right. You do have the name of the place."

"Sir, what we have is needle in a haystack of unknown size. It could be anywhere." – Cam objected.

"Well, I think it might be a good place to start at the place where you will find this torch." – Landry reasoned, and added. "It seems that your visit to Atlantis will be canceled."

"Not at all," – Vala objected. "We are going to Atlantis."

"What? Why?" – Cam asked.

"I believe this would be so because the address, the gate address doesn't correspond to anything we have in the Milky Way database." – Vala replied. "I already checked."

"But why Atlantis? What makes you think it will be there?"

"Nothing, but we have to try." – Vala replied.

"Have you tried to dial the address from here?" – Landry asked.

"No, and I don't think it will work." – Vala shook head.

"How would you know?" – Cam asked.

"I just do."

"Yeah, right." – Cam shot. "Let's see, shall we?"

He got on his feet, went one level down to the gate room, and waited for Vala. Sergeant Harriman was waiting patiently too.

"Give him the address." – Cam said.

"Very well," – Vala snapped. She pushed Walter aside and entered the gate address. The gate started dialing itself. As it reached the sixth symbol the dialing procedure aborted itself.

"Satisfied?" – Vala turned to Cam.

"No, Walter, dial this address again." – Cam ordered.

Walter dialed the address several times before realizing something. "Sir, the seventh symbol doesn't correspond."

"What?"

"The point of origin is not Earth." – Walter replied while Vala broke into laughter.

"Very funny." – Cam remarked.

"I told you." – Vala said with a very irritating tone. "The point of origin doesn't correspond to any in the Milky Way so we have to try the Pegasus gate system."

"And if it doesn't fit into the Pegasus gate system?" – Cam asked then.

"Then we will have McKay calculate its position in space so we can reach it by ship." – Vala answered.

"Oh," – Cam exclaimed. "I haven't thought of that. But why not now?"

"Well, I want to go to Atlantis and look around. Anyway, what's the point now if the address might be there?"

"True." – Cam had to admit she was right. There was no point in wasting the time to calculate if it was already in the Pegasus.

"Sergeant, dial Atlantis." – General Landry ordered.

"Not yet." – Vala stopped them. "We have to take our ships with us so we will have to travel with Odyssey."

"Those ships will be studied in Area 51." – Landry informed. "And…"

"I don't think so, General." – Vala objected. "They are coming with us, and it is final."

"I have to agree here, sir." – Cam supported Vala.

"Very well," – Landry ceded. "Sergeant, inform the Odyssey's commander. He's to take Colonel Mitchell and Vala to Atlantis, plus their ships."

"Yes, sir!" – Walter said.

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