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Chapter 6 Day At The Museum
Two days later and the George Hammond was whizzing along through subspace on the way to it's destination. Daniel, to his own surprise as well as everybody else's, was aboard. He'd even felt a twinge of excitement as the ship had left orbit above Earth and headed off through the Milky Way.
At the moment he was stood behind Sam's chair, near the back of the bridge, just watching the stars fly by. Cameron came wandering in, skimming through the notes in his hand.
"Hey Jackson," he grinned. "You okay?"
Daniel shrugged. "Getting by, I suppose. You?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Hey, Carter – what's this planet again? Where we're headed? Er – PBX-007?"
"PBX-007?" the archaeologist repeated. "We're not on our way there, are we?"
"Yes," said Sam, turning in her seat to look at him. "Is there a problem?"
"That's Vala's homeworld!" Daniel sounded exasperated. "She won't be there – we've already checked."
"We're not looking for Vala," said Samantha, gently. "We're following the Ori and whatever they were looking for."
Her dear friend looked at her for a moment, something unmoveable in his gaze, then turned away.
"Yeah, I know. It's just that – if we're flying about out here – y'know – it makes sense to try in as many different places as possible."
Sam leant across and squeezed his arm.
"If I know Vala like I think I do, she'll be trying as hard to get back, as we are to finding her. We'll only be on this planet for a day or so. There's plenty more to check out while we're this side of the galaxy."
Daniel nodded, looking slightly better.
"Yes, of course."
"Dropping out of hyperspace in fifteen minutes, colonel," said Major Marks, pressing various buttons and checking his monitors.
"Excellent." Carter put her hand on Daniel's shoulder, reassuringly. "Now go and get everything you need. I'm not bringing you back up just because you've left one of your dusty old books behind by accident!"
Three hours later and Cameron, Teal'c and Daniel were down on the planet's surface, accompanied by SG-3. The Hammond had left them about a mile from a small town – they had covered the distance quickly and split into groups to discover what they could as soon as possible.
The locals were friendly, remembering the SGC and their insignia from previous missions to the planet – Cameron and Teal'c were taken off by the local mayor to be introduced to other local dignitaries. The rest of the troops went snooping around near the local market.
Daniel, being Daniel, soon managed to lose the others and wound up outside what looked like a small church or temple, but on closer inspection proved to be a museum. The elderly man sitting outside spoke in an odd dialect, which sounded vaguely Welsh – even the archaeologist who could speak every language known to man – and a few more - had difficulty understanding him. However, he was clearly meant to be in charge of the small gallery – after a while Daniel found it easier to pick up on what he was saying.
He was looking at a large scroll in a glass case with Gou'ald writings on, depicting several stories about Quetesh. He'd drawn his breath in sharply when he read the name, but the host in the drawings clearly wasn't Vala. It would have been too long ago, he guessed.
"Look-see! Look-see!" the little man in charge was beckoning him over to what looked like a giant square wok, placed on it's own display stand on the floor towards one corner of the largest room. "SGC see this? You see? What is it?"
Daniel strolled over, squinting through his glasses.
"I'm not sure, you tell me?" He stroked the metal of the strange piece – it looked as if it might have been made of copper – and it was polished to a high sheen. It did indeed look like a big wok, that's all he could compare it with, about five feet in width, and square in shape. The edges curved upwards and at regular intervals along them were oval spaces, nine on each side. There were nine larger indents towards the centre of the strange artefact. Protuding from the back of it was a hollow cylinder, about a foot and a half in diameter and two feet in length– the strange artefact was stood upright, balancing on the cylinder.
"What is it?"asked Daniel again.
The older man shrugged.
"Special," he nodded. "He special, yes?"
"I guess so." Daniel wandered off slowly. As he did, another, younger man came in from the street. He nodded to the archaeologist and went immediately to talk to the elderly guide, speaking rapidly in the same strange dialect. After a few moments he joined the doctor, smiling.
"Good afternoon," he bowed, "You have come with the Tau'ri, yes? You are one of the Tau'ri warriors?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly," said Daniel, feeling embarrassed. "I'm just an archaeologist. Daniel Jackson."
He held out his hand. The other man shook it warmly.
"I am Shay," he told him. His English was much better than the elderly fellow's. "You are interested in the museum, yes?"
"Sure." The Tau'ri warrior pointed at the strange artefact that the old man had been so excited about. "What is it?"
"Nobody living is sure. It is believed to come from the 'City of Light' – again, we do not know where this place is. It is not of this world."
"City of Light," repeated Daniel. "I think – wasn't that somewhere under the rule of Kronos? One of his planets?"
"I think this is so," replied Shay. "since the Gou'ald have been….what is the word?"
"Overthrown?" queried Dr Jackson.
"Yes! Yes, that is right!" the other man nodded enthusiastically. "Overthrown! Well, since this time many of our own people have been able to study and travel. To find out more of our history."
They were interrupted by Colonel Mitchell wandering nonchalantly into the museum.
"Run away from your party?" asked Daniel. Cam grinned.
"Kind of. Teal'c's more into all those sober, dignified 'how are you's' than me. I thought I'd better come and see what you were up to."
"Not a lot. Just talking. This is Shay." He introduced the younger man, who shook Mitchell's hand, smiling. "He was just telling me that the locals have been able to study and explore their own history since the Gou'ald were kicked out."
"Nice!" Cam nodded.
"Well," Shay's face sobered a little, " we were able to explore more until the Chappa'ai was broken about five months ago."
Daniel's head whipped around at him.
"Five months? But we were here five months ago. Well, just less than five months anyway." His heart was aching. He stopped speaking.
"Near to that time," replied Shay. "Perhaps slightly less then. A freak storm – never have I seen one like it. A – a- a…" he waved his arms fiercely in a downward motion. "from the sky, you know?"
"Lightening?" asked Cam.
"Yes, yes!" Shay nodded furiously. "A lightening came down and hit the Chappa'ai. It was un-broken, you know? But the – the lightening, it hit the – the – "
"Dial home device?" supplied Daniel, excitedly.
"Yes! It hit it, and part of it is injured. Yes? Injured and no longer is working."
Mitchell looked at his team mate. "Don't get your hopes up yet, Jackson."
Daniel nodded. "Of course. But still…"
"I know. We'll look into it some more. Let me go check out the 'gate. Wait here, okay?"
"Sure." The archaeologist rubbed his face and watched as the colonel quickly exited the building.
"Is it all alright?" asked Shay, worriedly.
"Oh yes." Daniel nodded, looking around for something to distract him. What if Vala had made it this far, only to be trapped by a broken Stargate? A little sliver of hope began to bloom in him again. He ran his hand aimlessly along a rail in front of another case of exhibits. Suddenly he stopped and peered in.
"Shay – this object here – is it possible to see it closer?"
"Of course. I will fetch the key." He went into a small back room, returning with a bunch of keys with which he unlocked the case. "Please."
Daniel reached in and lifted out a small, round stone artefact and it's corresponding receiving dish. It was almost identical to the one which they'd used on Monsoon World to find the hidden city. It was slightly larger, with better preserved markings and the stone in the centre was clear like a diamond.
"Do you know it?" asked Shay, interested.
"Yes, yes I do!" Daniel ran his hands all over it, checking that it was intact. "It's a map-reader – a cryptograph. It will show a map – but it needs something else to make it work. Like a – like a sort of pillar with a groove on top. A raised groove. You know? Do you have anything like that?"
"But yes – here! Look here!" Shay indicated another case of objects underneath and there, in the centre, a stone pedestal with a raised groove in the centre.
"Can we get it out?" Daniel was almost beside himself. The other man was already unlocking the glass doors. They lifted it carefully from it's place and stood it on the floor.
"It's not as tall as the other one we found," said the archaeologist. He lost no time in putting the stone artefact, and it's corresponding holder, onto the top of the small pillar. It gave a reassuring 'click' – as he turned it 180 degrees to activate he couldn't help but think back to the last time they'd used one of these things. It was Vala who'd remembered how to make it work. She was the one who'd activated it in the temple.
In a moment however all other thoughts had fled from his mind. In front of them a map was hovering directly above the little stone ornament. The lights were an orange colour this time, and it was on a much smaller scale.
"It's a solar system!" said Daniel. "It's a map of a solar system somewhere. We just need to find out which one."
There were what looked like five planets circling a sun in the centre, with several tiny moons present as well. Two of the planets seemed to be sharing the same orbit around the little sun. One of them was an opaque white colour, not orange like the others.
"I'm guessing that's the world which means something," said Daniel, rubbing his chin. "I mean, if we knew where this place was – that's where we'd be supposed to go."
"You think – it is the City of Light?" asked Shay. Jackson shrugged.
"Difficult to say. It could be connected with any of the artefacts that you have here. Or maybe with none of them at all."
The younger man nodded. "Of course."
"Would it be possible to borrow this?" queried the archaeologist. "I mean, I know it's probably breaking all sorts of rules, but would it be possible?"
"I think so." Shay nodded. "You are trusted people on this world." He shrugged apologetically. "But there are – you know…" he mimed writing.
"Forms?" said Daniel.
"That is so!" The other man nodded. "You will wait, yes? There is one for us, one for you, one for the council, one…."
"Of course. No problem. Whatever you need."
Shay nodded. "I will get them. Also the boxes for the piece. I will be fast, yes?"
He smiled and headed off towards the back of the museum. As he left Lt Redwell, sent over from SG-3, appeared at the front door.
"Dr Jackson!" he called. "Colonel Mitchell asks that you come to the Stargate as soon as possible."
"I'll be right there," acknowledged Daniel. "Give me a few minutes."
The young airman nodded and moved away. The old man, who had sat quietly in his chair since Shay had arrived, stood and walked slowly towards the archaeologist.
"Doctor?" he enquired. "Doctor Jackson?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not that sort of doctor."
"He speak – doctor. You is doctor. You is come."
"I'm not…I don't…really…"
The elderly curator took his hand and began to gently pull him towards the door.
"He ill. He ill and no better. For long. For long he ill. You come."
"I'm not…" Daniel gave up. The poor chap was insistent. His weathered brown face was creased with concern, dark eyes pleading.
"Oh okaaaay. This probably won't end well. Usually doesn't if I'm involved." He sighed. "Okay, show me your friend." At any rate, he thought, perhaps Dr Lam might be able to send down some antibiotics or something for the unknown man.
His elderly friend led him down one street, then another off to the right, then down a narrower one, little bigger than an alley. At the end was a small courtyard – in one corner a cramped, claustrophobic passage wound off. It was almost hidden by the overhanging porches of two houses.
This really isn't a great idea, Daniel thought to himself, as he walked gingerly along. Nobody knows where I am.
"Come, he here," the gentle old man patted his hand. "Come."
He led him up a flight of stone steps outside a house and through a low doorway. The room inside was dim – it was overshadowed by the higher storeys of the buildings around it. There were also shutters across the low, small window. He blinked, waiting for his eyes to accustom themselves to the darkness. There was a mattress or something on the floor – he could see a huddled figure sitting there in the shadows. He couldn't see the person properly – he squinted….
"Well, well – Daniel Jackson!" said the person. "You took your sweet time getting here!"
Who do you think it is? Hehehehe! More soon!