Late in the evening, shortly before midnight when the sky was almost dark, the little group resumed their march.
The first half of the night went smoothly. The streets were empty and they soon reached the outer parts of the city. However, just as they were about to turn down the road which would eventually lead them to the chaapa'ai, they spotted a Jaffa patrol. Atli and the Tok'ra hid behind a picket fence while the guard passed, then carefully continued on. They had not walked long before they encountered another Jaffa patrol and then yet another.
"We are getting close to the chaapa'ai - Nephthys predictably has stationed a contingent of Jaffa in the area. We will not be able to get closer this way..." Milek looked at Atli, "...do you know another way to the chaapa'ai, one which will provide us with more cover?"
"My mother would not let me get close to it, so I have only ever seen in once...I walked through the forest." Atli pointed towards the outline of trees which could be seen behind the houses. "The forest is fairly thick, and the path is a good deal longer than the direct route, but it is almost unused. I have a compass and I believe I can find my way through it fairly quickly. About a year ago, two of my friends and I went on a hiking trip which took us that way and out on the other side - just so we could see the chaapa'ai for real. The trees stop maybe 100 feet from it." He had a far away expression, obviously lost in memories.
"Perfect! This means we will be able to walk during part of the day."
Looking around for any signs of enemy activity, the group quickly ran for the treeline. Following it, they soon found the entrance and the beginning of the path Atli had followed a year ago. It did not look well travelled and were partly overgrown here and there.
Following Atli, who walked in front with his compass, they slowly made their way through the forest. Here and there other paths branched off. In some places the way were so covered with plants that they could hardly see it, but they always managed to find it again and continued. The forest were quite dark and it felt almost cold even if it was the middle of the summer.
It was shortly after noon when they reached a more open part of the forest. A decision was quickly made that they should take a few hours break and get something to eat. The trunk of a fallen tree and a couple of large rocks served nicely as chairs for the weary group.
After the light lunch, Atli sat looking out over the place. It was so very peaceful. Except for a few birds and the trickle of a nearby brook, all was quiet. For a short moment he could almost imagine that none of all this had happened - that his world had not been attacked and when he returned home his parents and sister would be waiting for him.
Sighing deeply, he looked at the Toven traders who currently were not talking, though some of them seemed to be having some sort of internal communication. Perhaps some sort of meditation or a religious ritual? Either way it was not his concern. They were friendly, and he was really starting to like them all. They treated him with respect, not like some adults who never really listened to what he had to say.
Still, they were a strange group - perhaps because their customs were different? Sometimes their personality seemed to change within a matter of minutes. He prided himself on his keen observation skills, but this was not something he had noticed at first. But as he spent more time with them it became increasingly obvious.
The sun was shining down on him and it was very warm. Insects were buzzing lazily and he was starting to feel sleepy. It did not really matter that his new friends were a little strange and he soon fell asleep.
-
Several hours later, Jena gently shook him awake. He had slept peacefully without any nightmares about the death of his parents, the end of his civilization, or alien body snatchers claiming his sister.
"It is time to go. We hope to traverse half of this forest while it is still light enough - and these winding, overgrown tracks makes the going much slower."
"Yes. I'm coming." Atli got up and took out his compass. Finding the direction they were soon on their way.
They walked most of the afternoon and evening, taking only short breaks to eat. The forest was quiet except for the animals, and they met no one. Once, during the early evening, they saw a vessel cross the sky. Atli recognized it as one of the ships that had attacked the planet a few days ago. Johan told him it was a 'death glider' - a type of ship used by the Jaffa for planetary attacks and surveys. Probably they were currently using it to intimidate the population, and to convince them that it would be a very bad idea to fight back.
"Your civilization is quite different from those ruled by the Goa'uld. You are much more advanced and it will take Nephthys far more time and effort to suppress the population. Goa'uld rule by fear and intimidation, and by suppressing all knowledge. They pretend to be gods and use advanced technology to convince people of their supernatural abilities. Your civilization will not be easy to cow." Johan said.
"I hope you are right. There are those who still believe in the old gods, and many more are superstitious...like my mother is...was..." the young man became quiet as he was overwhelmed by his memories.
It was getting too dark for them to make their way through the forest, and they stopped in a clearing in order to sleep until dawn. They made camp and went to sleep, except Lantash who took the first watch.
His host was asleep, so he sat down and contemplated their situation. He soon became aware of the fact that he was not the only one awake. Quietly he got up and sat next to Atli.
"You should sleep," he said softly, using his hosts voice. "It will be a very long walk tomorrow and you need your strength."
"I know. It's just...I can't stop thinking about my family, my planet...my life as I had imagined it would be - and what it is now likely to be. Is it selfish of me to worry about my future, when I am alive and free, when so many are not?"
"It is understandable...how did you imagine your life?"
"I had hoped to continue my studies - to become a scientist, maybe study the chaapa'ai...figure out how it works - perhaps even one day travel to other planets if we succeeded, or if we managed to build a spaceship capable of interstellar flight..." he blushed, "but most of all I had hoped that my neighbors daughter would one day become interested in me...and perhaps marry me..." he sighed, "...but now I have to hide on my mother's aunt's farm and work there...if I don't get caught by Nephthys's people..."
Lantash looked thoughtful. What he had to say was not pleasant, but he felt the young man deserved to know. "You should know that you may not be safe there either. Nephthys is very persistent and thorough. She will want to kill everyone who is even remotely connected with the government, and to capture their families. Sooner or later she will realise that you got away - and she will not give up looking for you. The fact that you are intelligent, a student of science, and would make a handsome host, makes the situation even more dangerous. You have been taught some of the knowledge that she is desperate to eradicate from your people - by making you a host she will not only remove a potentially dangerous enemy who can teach others, but the Goa'uld controlling you will absorb your knowledge and make an excellent underling."
"Then what should I do?" His look of despair was quickly exchanged for one of anger and determination. "Do you know what I would like to do? I would like to kill Nephthys, with my bare hands preferably - and all her evil kind...and then I would free my sister...Jena said the technology exists to remove a parasite, if one of the creatures should have taken control of her."
"That is true, but you have no great chance of success alone..."
"Then let me go with you to your planet...from there I can go to other worlds, right? Somewhere there must be someone willing to fight these Goa'uld! I will find them and join them, or create a resistance myself!"
Lantash thought for a while about how to respond to this, then decided to take the chance. "I understand you well...and I will reveal something for you. We are not who we pretend to be - we are not traders from Toven. We are really part of a resistance movement who fight the Goa'uld - this is why we knew Nephthys would be attacking your world."
"Why did you not say so immediately?"
"My people have fought the Goa'uld for centuries. Since it is very dangerous - most planets are after all occupied by Goa'uld and the populations believe they are gods - we keep our identity concealed. Members of the resistance have visited your world since you became free from Anubis, pretending to be traders as this is a good excuse to travel to other worlds. We dared not risk telling the truth - until desperation made us do so. When still only a few listened to our warnings, Nephthys attacked and won. Someone betrayed us and we had to flee...Atli...I apologize for having deceived you, but it was necessary - both for your own and our safety."
"I understand...I am not angry at you...do you think I could go with you? Join your resistance?"
"Yes...perhaps in time, but it is a hard and very dangerous life. I suggest that you accompany us to the planet Tollan where you can stay with friends of ours. Their technology is superior to that of the Goa'uld and you will be safe there. I have no doubt they will give you sanctuary for a few years. You will have time to think and to come to terms with recent events. Your pain and anger will never vanish, but you will learn to control and harness them. If you choose to join our resistance, then it must be for life as we cannot allow anyone to leave with knowledge about us. Then, when you have had the time to think, you can make your choice."
Atli did not look happy. "I do not need to wait! I know I want to fight Nephthys - more than anything else in the world!"
Lantash smiled. "Let us wait and see. For now, you leave the planet with us." *If we manage to get away - the Jaffa may be guarding the chaapa'ai too diligently for us to approach it* he thought. "Go to sleep."
-
Early next morning everyone were getting ready to continue the journey.
"Oh, no!" Atli said, frantically searching the area where he had slept. "I've lost it!"
Jena came over to help him. "What is it you have lost? We really need to be going soon, if we want to reach the chaapa'ai today. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that Nephthys has stationed a large garrison of Jaffa there permanently."
"The compass - I can't find my way through this maze without it."
They searched for a little while, but did not find it.
"I were fiddling with it last night when I couldn't sleep - I could have dropped it anywhere..." Atli looked miserable. Now they would waste a lot of time finding their way through the thick forest, all because of his clumsiness.
"Do not worry...we will find the way without it." Johan said.
"How?"
"Ehrm...the sun is up...we can use that...and there is more moss on the trees in the direction facing north...yes, we will manage..."
Atli nodded and did not say anything further, though he highly doubted these measures would work. The majority of the forest were too thick and the trees too tall, for the sun to be seen, or for it to reach the trees enough to have any influence on the moss.
As the day passed, however, he had to admit it did look as if they were going in the right direction. On the rare occasions where they passed through a clearing in the forest and could see the sun, it was always standing in the correct position. Impressive - and another oddity to add to his list.
The trek was uneventful, and they reached the edge of the forest just as the sun was setting. Johan snuck closer to the edge and hid behind a large tree. He scrutinized the area around the chaapa'ai for a little while before returning.
"There are four Jaffa on guard. I do not remember seeing any buildings in the surrounding area, so I assume they are stationed in the nearby town. We will have to wait and see if there are guards at night as well, though it is very likely. On most planets the chaapa'ai is either guarded around the clock, or not at all."
They waited. About an hour later, the guards were replaced by another group.
"It is as we feared - it is continuously guarded."
"Why would it be? No one on the planet knows how to use it." Atli wondered.
"They know we are here - remember, we were betrayed. Nephthys is aware that we are not just traders, but members of a resistance movement, known and hated by all Goa'uld. Our capture would be of a high priority for her." Lantash said.
"Then what can we do?" Atli sounded close to despair. Their escape was so near, and yet infinitely far away.
"We have weapons, but nothing like staff weapons. Our zat'nik'tels have limited range, so we will have to get fairly close. But first we need to determine the length of their shifts. Then we can attack just before the change of guards, when the Jaffa will be weary and their attention will be drifting." Johan looked up: "It is almost dark, but both moons will be up tonight. They should provide us with enough light to target the Jaffa. A standard shift is about 4 hour which keeps the Jaffa from getting bored and lowering their guard."
"It is summer. In another 6-8 hours the sun will have long since risen - there will be no darkness in which to hide."
"That is unfortunate, but it can not be helped. We will rely on the fact that only 4 guards are present at a time, and hope reinforcements are far away - and that Nephthys does not decide to transport slaves or goods through the chaapa'ai just then."
When 4 hours had passed, the next group of guards arrived. It was decided to wait just over 3 1/2 hours, since the guards would then start to tire and look forward to replacement, while those new guards would still be far enough away to not be able to assist in any way.