Hi. Exams are over, thank god, so I am going to try and put some time into all my ongoing stories within the next few weeks. And now, the answers to lots of thus far unanswered questions... Thank you all for waiting so patiently.

Chapter 25 – Examining Mortality

The downdraft that swept the clearing was so powerful that it forced Sam's eyelids closed. When she was able to squint again she saw white light periodically shooting into the ground from above to become solid, become people. The smoke around her swirled in the wind and when finally she was able to open her eyes she, Daniel and Teal'c stood surrounded by scores of men and women, all dressed in similar blue uniforms and all apparently having just dropped out of the sky.

It was clear that the marshals had no more of a clue as to what was going on than SG1 did. Sam was still trying to make sense of what she was seeing when Daniel spoke, quietly.

'It's Roan.' He was staring towards the front of the ranks of blue clad soldiers with their backs to them.

'What?'

'Daniel Jackson is correct.' Teal'c pointed. A bald patch was visible between the shoulders of several much taller people. Roan stood at the front of the group with a man beside him whom he was evidently in conversation with. After only a few seconds, during which the marshals had barely enough time to wonder whether or not to shoot, the man beside Roan raised his arm. In response to this signal, the newcomers each activated a device worn around the wrist and one by one they disappeared and so, simultaneously, did the marshals. With each burst of white light that accompanied the disappearance of one of the men or women in blue; one of the marshals also disappeared. It was as though the became dissociated from reality, like catching something vanish out of the corner of your eye, only to look back and wonder if it had actually been there to begin with. Eventually only Roan and the man beside him remained. He was a study in contrasts with Roan: tall, with angular features and dark, intelligent eyes.

Sam that found her voice first.

'Roan! What the hell just happened?'

'Don't worry Major, they haven't been harmed.' She looked unconvinced. 'They've been returned to the city. Unfortunately it seems Hyden has fled.'

He stepped toward her but she backed away so he stopped, raising his hands placatingly. 'I'm sorry.' He sighed heavily, looking almost ashamed of himself. 'You all deserve an explanation: firstly, and this may be obvious: I am not human. Well actually, right now, I am, but only because this is the form I have chosen to take.' He stopped. Judging by looks looks on the team's faces, he was doing a pretty poor job of making things clearer.

'I am...We are, collectively, the Arbeons.' He gestured to the man beside him who had yet to utter a word.

Daniel made a sound of sudden realisation. Sam looked questioningly at him.

'Daniel?'

'Portas celesti.' He murmured.

'Excuse me?' She was not in the mood to try and guess what he was talking about.

'When we first arrived here – Hyden, he called the stargate "the great ring." But you -' He gestured to Roan and his silent companion. 'you called it Portas celesti – Stargate. It's Latin.' He turned to Sam and Teal'c who stared at him, failing, so far, to see his point. 'And arbeo, translated from Latin means to change.' Roan was smiling.

'You're correct. We have the ability to change our form as we wish.' He had the tone of somebody agreeing that the sky was blue.

'You're shape shifters?' Sam asked, doubtful. She still was not ready to trust these people or anything they had to say.

'In a manner of speaking but it's more a case of altering the form and consistency of energy than actually rearranging matter.' At this point Roan's companion spoke up for the first time.

'I'm afraid this could take years to fully explain. May I try to simplify things?' He addressed Sam rather than Roan and she was surprised by how gentle his voice was.

'Please.'

'The people that Hyden governs are not originally from this planet. They arrived centuries ago, having escaped from a planet terrorised by a minor Goa'uld. We exist mostly as energy and very rarely take solid form so we were happy to allow them to settle here and use the space. We helped them, to an extent, with technology but only as much as we deemed them able to handle. Then, after a few generations, the damage they inflicted on the surrounding land became unacceptable. Mining, blasting, to make more space. Eventually there was a confrontation and the governor at the time decided that they no longer required our blessing to live here. You must understand that this planet is not only our home, it is sacred to us and the sanctity of nature is something we will fight to protect. It is the only power in this universe worthy of our respect and reverence.

'We confined the population to the next valley. They are permitted to travel here, but never to settle, under the understanding that there would be severe consequences. This was generations ago and since then, we have had no contact with them. The governors alone have been aware of the full history of our peoples and the agreement that was made. For everybody else, it is simply folklore. Hyden has been arrogant in thinking that he could bring soldiers here without consequence. It seems he has realised his mistake.' He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'cause he hasn't stuck around.' Sam nodded. What they had been told so far made sense and accounted for a few things: the mixed levels of technology in the institute; Hyden's reluctance to search too widely for them; his sudden disappearance. But she was still no more clued in about the events of the last five minutes.

'I'm sorry. I still don't understand what this has to do with us and with you ...being—here.' She paused, another thought occurring to her. ' And Roan...? Why was he at the institute?' The Arbeon smiled, nodding.

'Of course. That has yet to be explained. When you came through the portas, you were the first ones to do so since the refugees arrived. Naturally we were curious. However, so was Hyden and when he arrived so quickly, we felt it would encroach somewhat on our mutual non-interference if we were to show ourselves. We sent Roan to observe you, covertly, until we knew more about you. When you decided to escape from the institute, Roan guided you and stayed with you to watch. When it became apparent that Hyden would never allow you to make it back to your planet unharmed, he left you in order to inform the rest of us of what he had learned. As a group we agreed that you had been treated unjustly and that we had a duty to help.'

'I'll say!' Daniel had grown gradually more and more irritated as the man had calmly delivered his account. He was enraged at the idea of another race in the galaxy who were happy to sit back and watch people in danger, never having the guts to do anything about it and the consequence was the death of a close friend - a man who had done more good for this galaxy than any of these races with superiority issues. 'There are people back at the institute dying! I was nearly one of them, and you--' he broke off and and turned on Roan. 'You've had the ability to help us all along and you let us go through that!? Sam could have died – any of us could! What gives you the right? Jack has died while you've been sitting mulling over whether to risk your cushy safety helping people who came here looking for allies – for a way to help millions of people who are enslaved.'

'I'm sorry,' The man interrupted, even though it was obvious that Daniel had more to say. 'I truly am, for the death of your friend. From what Roan tells me, he was a...courageous person. Unfortunately, it is not our right to change the course of nature. We agreed only to ensure that you were able to return to you own planet. His death was unfortunate but we could not intervene until the last moment. As for the institute. It is none of our business. We will not interfere with the way they run their justice system. They are responsible for their own society and we are responsible for ours.' He still sounded calm but raised his chin defiantly and the silence stretched, filled only with Daniel's palpable fury. Unexpectedly, Roan spoke up.

'Alnair, isn't there something we could do...about their friend? It's just--'

'No, Roan.' Suddenly the man's voice matched his appearance. He sounded harsh and his tone left no room for discussion. However, Daniel's interest had been well and truly piqued.

'What do you mean 'something?' Can you do that? Do you have the ability to bring Jack back?' He stepped closer to Roan, looking him dead in the eye and defying him to avoid the question. Roan looked uncomfortable. Alnair apparently did not like being shut out of the discussion. He stepped between them but Daniel would not take his eyes of Roan who had once again taken on the same shifty, nervous demeanor that had become familiar to them.

'We can not. He is dead. It would be against nature itself.' Alnair insisted.

'But it can be done.' Daniel was no longer asking. He was sure they could do it. And if there was one iota of chance that Jack was not lost to them he would grab it with both hands and dig his heels in.

'It has never been done. We have never and would never do such a thing. I have told you, nature is sacred to us. In all things there must be balance or the very fabric of existence would unravel. He is dead and must remain so. You must leave.' He gestured toward the gate.

'Wait.' Daniel stepped back and took a steadying breath, 'I just want to make sure that you understand the repercussions of your decision. Jack was more than a soldier. He was like family to the three of us and he was fighting for the safety and freedom of people throughout this galaxy. He has made a bigger difference than you can imagine...that's what you're sacrificing.'

'I have never met a person more worthy of life than O'Neill.' Teal'c took Daniel's corner, staring the two aliens down, but they didn't give an inch.

'His body is already part of our planet. You must leave.'

At this, Sam's eyes widened. She turned and ran round the dais stopping short when she saw that Alnair was right. All that remained were streaks of Jack's blood across the dry mud. His body was gone. Teal'c arrived beside her, followed by Daniel who stared in horror.

'They took him.' His voice was low and his words uttered through clenched teeth. He spun back toward the Arbeons who looked thoroughly confused at his renewed anger. 'Bring his body back--'

'Daniel. Leave it.' Sam's quiet plea stopped Daniel in his tracks. He looked at her properly for the first time in a while. She looked exhausted. Tear tracks still stained her cheeks. It was obvious she didn't want to remain here a second longer than she had to. The Arbeon man looked grateful for her intervention but she would not meet his eyes. She looked instead toward the stargate. 'Can you send us home?' she asked, still not looking at him. Slowly, he nodded, activating his wrist device. Behind them the inner ring of the stargate began to spin.

As the chevrons locked, Sam faced the gate. With her back to her team mates, she tried again to pull herself together. For a brief moment, she had been caught by the hope that maybe they would see Jack again, but Alnair's blunt insistence, 'He's dead.' forced her to let him go all over again. She did not want to stay here and examine Jack's mortality. She wanted to go home, live the rest of her life and feel, for every second that she continued to breathe, the aching space he had left, as sharply as she did now.

Another tear escaped her closed lids before she opened them, inhaling weakly as the vortex subsided.

Daniel fished a GDO from his vest and sent the code, then made for the steps, taking Sam's hand.

'Come on Sam.' He glanced back toward the two men, glaring daggers, then turned his back on them. She followed him toward the event horizon with Teal'c bringing up the rear of the group.

As the wormhole disengaged, Alnair turned to Roan.

'She did not seem to feel the loss of the colonel as strongly as the others. She barely spoke a word in his defense. You said they were all close – like family.'

Roan pulled his gaze away from the empty ring of the gate and looked Alnair in the eye, remembering what he had witnessed of the very different friendship that Sam and the colonel shared.

'You're mistaken. She felt his loss much more keenly than Teal'c and Dr Jackson. They have lost a family member and friend, but she has lost her future.'

Phew, didn't think I'd ever get this posted.

Poor Sam! Anyway, please let me know what you thought.

prometheus246