A/N: I apologize profusely for the most recent egregious delay. Happily, I will be able to post at least once a week, now, unless something drastic comes up. I'm now happily ensconced in my university in Denver, Colorado, with time to write on the weekends. Finally. Happy autumn, all of you in this hemisphere.
I would also like to apologize for leaving out a scene break in the previous chapter. I'll try to fix it, if I can figure out how. I'm pretty technology illiterate. Now, on with the story.
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"Well, here we are", Kowalski said. He gestured to the front door of a small guesthouse, two streets over from the center of the Yetri town. "Yokan said this was all yours, for as long as you need to stay here. My team and I are right next door."
Carter smiled. "It's great. So, how long do we have until the big party?"
"Oh, about four hours. Enough time for a nap, if that's what you want." Kowalski grinned knowingly. "I recommend taking advantage of the time. The seasonal festivals usually last all night."
Carter's eyebrows climbed. "Wow. Yeah, I'll definitely get some sleep while I can. See you later, Kowalski."
Kowalski nodded and waved as Carter and Teal'c disappeared into the house.
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Four hours later, Carter woke to the sound of knocking. She sat up, and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She saw Teal'c deep in kel-no-reem, and decided not to disturb him.
She answered the door, and saw Eota raising his hand to knock again. He gave her a wide, toothy smile when he saw her, and motioned toward the center of town. "Ley fionai."
Carter nodded, and smiled, understanding that he was referring to the festival.
Eota grinned, and turned away, satisfied that she was coming.
Carter closed the door, and approached Teal'c. She saw that he appeared more peaceful than he had for the last two days. She headed toward the table, and found a pencil and paper. She wrote him a note, to let him know where she had gone.
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When Carter arrived at the edge of the town square, she saw a very happy scene. The Yetri people were all smiling, and laughing. A goodly number were dancing to music provided by a group of musicians. The sound was strange to her, but pleasing. She decided it sounded a bit like traditional Celtic music. Many of the themes were the same, but the style and instruments were decidedly different.
There was a large table in front of the baker's laden with food of all kinds, and the majority of the Yetri children – chaile, she remembered – were gathered there, talking and giggling.
Carter approached the little girl who had taught her what little Yetri she knew. The girl saw her, and waved energetically. Carter realized that she didn't know the girl's name.
She pointed to herself, and said, "Carter." The little girl grinned, delighted, and repeated it. Carter then pointed to the girl.
The Yetri child caught on, and said proudly, "Sadeeka."
Carter repeated it. Sadeeka laughed lightly, and took Carter's hand, leading her toward the other children. She began to introduce them, and Carter had to try very hard to imprint each child's face, before Sadeeka led her further on.
"Carys."
"Fearghal."
"Nasreen."
Carter repeated the names dutifully, hoping she would be able to remember them later.
She saw Yokan coming toward them, obviously laughing. She grinned sheepishly as he came closer.
"I see that our chaile have taken you hostage," he joked.
Carter nodded, straightfaced. "Yes, they have."
Yokan laughed again. "Let me show you around. I'll introduce you to some people your own age."
Carter followed him. Yokan introduced her to several interesting people, one of whom was a woman named Mehira. She was the woman whom Carter had seen at the doctors' office, when she and Teal'c first arrived. Mehira spoke English well, and the two women conversed at length, discussing Carter's work, and Mehira's family.
Mehira had two daughters, and one baby boy. She had been a baker, before she decided she wanted to spend more time with her children. Her husband, Manan, was a carpenter. He had helped to build all of the newer buildings in the town.
Yokan appeared at regular intervals to introduce Carter to someone else. She hoped she wouldn't be expected to remember everyone's name. There were simply too many people for that.
After about two hours, Teal'c materialized out of the sea of people, and approached her. Carter was surrounded by children again, and several of them yelled happily when they saw Teal'c.
He smiled, and crouched down to make eye contact with them. They remembered the game Carter had played with them, and began introducing themselves.
Carter grinned. She and the other members of SG-1 had always enjoyed seeing Teal'c's impassive mask fall away. She decided he looked very different when he smiled. Somehow, the lines of his face completely rearranged themselves.
She sobered, at the thought of SG-1. She missed them. She missed hearing the Colonel pretend to be angry, and actually missed hearing him bark orders. She missed seeing Daniel light up with a new find, and wished she could go and drag him away from whomever he was trying to converse with.
She sighed. She would just have to work as hard as she had to. Eventually, they would be able to go home. Won't we?
I hope so.
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"Habrin?"
O'Neill tried again. "Habrin!" This time, he saw the Yetri man appear around the corner of the lab.
"Colonel O'Neill. What did your General Hammond say?"
"We brought a couple teams with us. We'll set a perimeter, at first, to keep an eye out. We'll rig some gun placements around the area, too. And we need to make sure we see them coming. Do your people have anything that could do that?"
Habrin nodded. "We have several satellites in orbit, with sensors attached. We'll be able to tell when they enter the solar system."
"Great. Now, do you think you could detail a couple people to go with our team leaders? We need to scout the area and find out where to set things up."
"Yes, Colonel. I'll gather Erien, Arial, and Aed."
"Good. Tell them to meet us by the 'gate."
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"Carter?"
Carter looked up, to see Mehira walking toward her.
After realizing how much she missed her reality, the festival had really held no allure for her. She had wandered back to the house that she and Teal'c were staying in. From the front porch, she could see the stars. Watching the sky always helped her to relax.
"Mehira. Hi."
The other woman nodded, and smiled a bit as she sat beside Carter. She began to speak.
"I know how you feel." Carter looked at her, mildly surprised. Mehira nodded.
"I know what it is, to be so far from home that even the stars do not look the same. The Yetri have long had powerful technology. Some few of us used it to travel among the stars, and the planets." She sighed.
"We did not fight. We merely explored. I met the Nox, who are much like us. I also encountered the Goa'uld. I know how hopeless your fight seems.
"While I was on a Goa'uld occupied planet, I became trapped. The Stargate was inaccessible. I lived among the people of that world for many years. I moved often, because I was easily recognizable. I was never captured, but it was close, sometimes."
Mehira looked at Carter. "It is a terrible thing, to be trapped so far from what is familiar. Hope dwindles so quickly. Escape, or return, seems utterly impossible." She laid her hand over Carter's. "Do not give up hope, Major Carter. I found my way home, against all odds. You will, too."
The two women sat in silence, while Carter digested Mehira's words.
"How did you get back?" Carter asked.
Mehira smiled. "Manan and I have been friends since childhood. We are both explorers at heart. When he learned that I was trapped, he used up the last of his savings to buy a small ship that was capable of surpassing light speed. He modified the cloaking system, so that the Goa'uld could not detect it. He scanned the planet's surface, and found only one Yetri signature. He landed the ship behind the house I was hiding in, and rescued me." She grinned. "I think that was the reason I fell in love with him. He gave up all he had to come for me."
Carter found herself smiling. "And you introduced yourselves as a baker and a carpenter!"
"We were. That was much easier than telling you my life history at the time!"
Carter laughed. Don't judge a book by its cover, indeed!
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Glossary:
"Ley fionai" means "The festival"