CHAPTER 63
EPISODE………………..Avalon part 2
"Think! You are the expert on all things Ancient!" she yelled.
Daniel started talking, repeating what she said earlier in a mocking tone.
"Knock it off! Both of you! Look dammit, this is how it probably works!" Ford yelled after shoving the sword about two feet into the wall. He walked, hunched walked in a sense because of his height, over and put the lid back on the silver bowl. "What we want is in here! Why, because knowledge is power, the universe is infinite and the greatest treasure. Just like I stated!"
He lifted the lid off the gold bowl and they saw a gold coin. The ceiling stopped falling, rose back up and the door opened.
"Damn. You both act like disgruntled lovers."
"Hey…"
"Daniel." Ford warned with a finger, then pointed it at her with extreme conviction. "As for you, do not touch anything without permission. I have my first child on the way and I'm not letting anything or anyone stopping it from happening, within reason. Understand?"
She nodded as Daniel gulped. His eyes showed murderous intent behind the resolving statement.
"Good. Let's go. I'm betting the other two are in trouble" he said ripping his sword out of the wall. It left a large gash mark and made the other two have to grab their ears for a moment.
As they started to leave the room, Ford suddenly stopped and spun around quickly making Daniel run into him.
"Put it back." he said sternly.
"What?" Daniel asked then noticed he was not being talked to.
"What?"
"I said…you know what. I'll do it myself." he said reaching between her breast. Daniel was shocked, considering how much Ford always spoke so highly of how he tried to treat woman and what he was doing was against his morals. She tried to slap him, but he put the unsheathed sword to her throat as he pulled the coin from the front of her right breast.
"Daniel, put this back please."
Daniel did quickly.
"How dare you!"
"As much as I have respect for females, seeing I was one for a few days, you're really pushing my limits. Don't touch or next time, I'll knock you out and carry you around. Let's go." he said spinning away on his heel.
Teal'c was still straining to keep the ceiling from coming down as he used his shoulders to try and keep it from coming. Mitchell was still not having much success.
"Feel free to jump in here anytime!" he yelled as he dropped his PC-90 on the ground and knelt down to work on the stone table. The ceiling had dropped to where he couldn't stand anymore.
The other three showed up to a similar door to theirs, finding it closed. They could hear a rumbling, signifying that the ceiling was coming down behind it. Daniel got down on the ground and yelled out Teal'c's name.
"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c yelled.
"Are you near the door Teal'c?!" Ford yelled.
"I am not!"
Ford thrust the sword into the door with a grunt. It buried it up to the hilt and they heard the ceiling stop rumbling seconds later. There was straining noises, like in their room, but the door seemed to be holding up better than the wall was.
"Well, I guess that works." Daniel said standing up.
"Not for long. Colonel?!"
"General!" Mitchell said turning around and seeing the ceiling pushing against Ford's flat blade. "Thanks for the save! Can you get us out?!"
"My sword won't hold for long. Or the door won't anyway. We need to know what is in the room with you."
Mitchell described it as Teal'c kept a watch on the ceiling. The door was beginning to crack.
"I'm pretty sure the word says reflect!" Daniel yelled after hearing what the Ancient language symbols looked like. "Reflect on the eight fold path. Buddhism teaches an eight fold path to enlightenment."
"Ah, yeah! That tells me exactly nothing!" Mitchell yelled as the ceiling shifted and made the door crack further.
"I'm sorry! I can't help if I can't see the stones to see what order your suppose to put them in!"
Mitchell muttered aloud about the eight fold and reflecting as he looked at the eight stone tiles. He picked one up to try and place it in a new slot when he noticed something. The tile he picked up looked like the number four, when he covered the other side of the engraving on it with one hand. He looked the others tiles over quickly figuring out what had to be done. They continued to listen outside. Ford's sword started to slide out as the door cracked down the middle. Suddenly the rumbling stopped.
"Teal'c?! Mitchell?!" Ford yelled.
"We're fine!" Mitchell called out as the door started opening.
Only part of it went up though. The sword dropped as most of the door crumbled into a pile of debris in the doorway. The two walked out over the pile waving the dust away.
"You did it." Daniel said.
"Yeah. Thanks for the help. Especially with the sword."
"Indeed." Teal'c said as Ford nodded and picked it up.
"How'd you do it?" Daniel asked.
"It was rather easy actually. All those stone things had mirror images of the numbers one thru eight."
"Hmm. Some puzzle."
"Yeah it was General. Obvious, but not to obvious."
They walked back to the room still seeing the sword in the stone. Ford gave Mitchell the go ahead to try again.
"Alright, we passed the test, so this should work." Mitchell said walking back up to the sword as the others stayed down near the ring transporter. Teal'c walked a few feet away from the other three looking around, just in case.
Mitchell walked up and set his PC-90 on the stone, with his flashlight and then grabbed the sword with one hand. Grabbing it with the other, he gave it a good strong yank. With the familiar sound of metal being scrapped across rock, it came free with ease. He turned around looking at the sword.
"All hail the new king of Britain." Ford said with a small wave.
Mitchell laughed lightly while Daniel frowned. Teal'c and Vala were confused.
"It was a joke Dan…" Ford was saying when a knight in shining armor suddenly appeared where Merlin was once. "Colonel, behind you!"
He quickly turned around, still holding the sword. The knight, in full armor, no flesh showing anywhere, lifted the two handed long sword up from where it was being held in front of him and took an attack stance.
"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." Mitchell muttered lifting Excalibur.
"You want some help?" Ford said lifting his sword to his shoulder.
"No, I think I can get this." Mitchell said backing away as the knight took a swing.
He stepped down the short stairs and blocked a swing as he kept backing up.
"Anyone else see that?" Ford muttered.
"See what?" Daniel asked as Mitchell blocked another blow.
"There, when the swords contact each other, there's a flash of light."
"Yeah." Daniel said seeing it again when the swords connected again. "Why is it doing that?"
"Not a clue. He's doing pretty good." Ford said as Mitchell parried a few blows and even gave some back. They three stepped back as Mitchell backed up toward them.
"Have you done this before?" Daniel asked pointing his PC-90 at the ceiling as he backed up a few steps.
"Ah, fight a knight in shining armor. No, can't say that I have."
"You're doing rather well." Ford said as Mitchell blocked a swing.
"Thanks. I took fencing lessons in collage."
They parried more blows and then got into a stand off with the swords pushing against each other. Mitchell relented and ducked as the knight took a swing. Mitchell backed off quickly.
"Okay, I need a little help here."
Teal'c started to raise his PC-90.
"I got this Teal'c. I've been looking forward to a good sword fight." Ford said stepping out as Mitchell went near where Excalibur once was set. "Kate's really lousy at even trying."
He twirled his sword once and pointed it at the knight as he stepped forward toward it. The knight paid him no notice as it stepped forward into his blade and through it.
"What the hell?" Daniel exclaimed.
Ford took a swing only to hit nothing as his blade went through the knight.
"It appears to be a hologram." Teal'c said.
"It's a hologram?!" Mitchell said using Excalibur like a cane as he stepped forward.
The knight swung at him and struck him across the back. He grunted in pain and fell to his knees.
"Mitchell, you alright?" Ford said pulling him away quickly.
"It didn't look like it cut you." Vala said seeing as the rest could see his back.
"Yeah, but it hurt like hell." he said standing up. Ford pulled him out of the way again as the knight hit the ground where Mitchell was just at.
"I hate to say this, but I think you have no choice but to fight him, or it."
"Really General." Mitchell grunted out as he blocked another swing.
He walked more into the middle of the room blowing a couple of swings. One swing knocked his sword out of the way and he was struck across the right arm making him drop the sword.
"I thought you said you took fencing?!" Ford asked wishing he could do something.
"I flunked it." Mitchell said grabbing the sword off the ground and blocking a swing. The sword was once again knocked aside and he was struck this time across the left leg. He cried out and dropped to the ground.
"Toss me the sword." Ford said holding out a hand.
Mitchell grabbed it and tossed it, right through him.
"What the…roll, now!" Ford yelled.
Mitchell looked over his shoulder and rolled quickly as the knight stabbed the sword into the ground where he was laying.
"You know General, you may have more than stated the obvious." he said dashing over and picking the sword up quickly.
"Sorry Colonel." Ford said quickly pulling him out of the way as the knight tried to hit him again before he could get off the ground. "Try looking for a weakness in his attack. Such as after he swings."
"Why do you think I flunked?" he said standing in the middle of the room again. He didn't block the blow in time and took it across the chest falling to the ground near Teal'c.
"That thing's going to kill him!" Vala cried out.
"Teal'c! Grab him, we are leaving." Ford said crossing over to the button on the wall quickly.
Daniel and Vala started toward the center of the room, Teal'c picked Mitchell up by his vest getting him to his feet. The knight started forward as Mitchell remembered going through rehab to learn how to walk again and how hard it was. Somewhere deep in himself he drew upon a hidden strength and shoved Teal'c away. He blocked the downward swing from the knight and kicked him away. As the knight turned around, he swung cutting it across the chest, but it only caused the same shimmering light effect as it was done every time he was hit. He swung again doing another cross cut then blocked two swings from the knight. Mitchell then swung hard knocking the knights sword out of the way and out of its hand then thrust Excalibur into the knights chest. Vala cried out in excitement as Mitchell pulled the sword out and slashed the knight across the chest. The knight disappeared as Mitchell dropped to his knees then onto his back breathing hard.
"Oh come on. That's got to be it."
"Nice job Colonel. I'm impressed." Ford said as he and Teal'c pulled the man to his feet by his vest. "If it wasn't for the fact your new to the base, I'd swear you'd been in some of my classes."
"You teach sword classes? Or fencing?" he asked still breathing a little hard as he leaned on the sword.
"Yes. But it's not fencing. Maybe you should join. You've still got it." he said patting him on the arm. "Need some more lesson's is all."
"Maybe." he grunted out.
"Hey, I can touch the sword now. Can I see that?"
"Knock yourself out General." he said handing it over.
They noticed Ford suddenly looked off behind him and act like he was taken aback by some statement. He turned back around nodding his head. Whether it was from answering a question of his own or because he was looking Excalibur over, they couldn't tell.
"So, where's the treasure?" Vala asked.
"In good time. No real rush." Ford said twirling the sword. "Damn, no wonder you had trouble fighting. This is a rather heavy sword. Not like mine, but heavy enough you got lucky. Thank god it wasn't a real fight."
"Yeah, I'd be dead this time."
"Go put it back Colonel." Ford said with a thumb gesture as he handed the sword back.
"Why?" he said leaning on it again.
"Let's just say, a little bird told me it's….the key to the treasure room." Ford said putting his sword away. "Everyone else, to the transporter rings."
"I see no birds around General Carter." Teal'c said after they got into the circle.
"Who just spoke to you? Was it Oma?"
"No Daniel. And I don't think it was my parents either. Maybe Merlin, wild guess. Sounded like a woman's voice though."
"What are you talking about?" Vala asked.
"Nothing you need to know." Ford said as Mitchell slid the sword back into place.
There was a sound, like a transporter beam, and suddenly they were surrounded by gold and a vast variety of other treasures. All of it in the main chamber away from the rings.
"Now this, was worth it." Mitchell said looking around with his arms spread out.
"Very worth it. Okay, Teal'c, do you mind going back to the ship and telling the Colonel to send down a team to gather all this up?"
"I do not General Carter." Teal'c said nodding.
"Cool. Daniel, go explore. Mitchell, you can do the same, though get the sword out and set it aside. It comes with." Ford said walking over to the controls. He beamed Teal'c up then turned to look at the vast treasure.
"Why would we need the sword?"
"Other than it's part of this vast treasure, it's your sword now. You pulled it your majesty." he said bowing slightly.
"Ha, ha. Very funny General. I don't think the Queen would approve it."
"Can't tell her unfortunately, at least not until the Stargate becomes public knowledge. Until then, just keep it with you. Need more practice though."
"I'll probably try some classes with you then."
"As for you, you're being strictly watched." Ford said pointing at her. "And a strip search can be performed if necessary later."
She stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms.
About half an hour later, many people were down in the room scanning, cataloguing and searching through the treasure to see what was all there. Mostly looking for anything out of the ordinary, such as something technological.
"We are not letting her keep anything, are we?" Mitchell asked as he walked up to where Daniel and Ford where looking at some book Daniel found.
Vala looked up from the pile of treasure she was laying in, draped in and covered in.
"No." they both said.
"That figures." Mitchell said.
"What? I told her she wasn't getting anything. You knew that. She'll get some sort of compensation though. She might get something from this place, maybe."
"Not what I was meaning General."
"Oh. What did you mean then?"
"I meant this book here. Out of all this treasure, the gold, jewels and everything else, he finds the one book in the whole place." he said picking up some old wine jug.
"I can agree with that. Daniel would find a hidden archeological magazine in seconds even if it was buried in a stack of Playboy Magazines. The only real thing I found of interest here is this star sapphire." Ford said holding it up. It was a perfect octagonal star sapphire crystal with some blueish cloudy mist inside. One inch by one inch. "Never seen anything like it. It's important, but I'm not sure why yet."
"You're not planning on keeping it are you?"
"Yeah Colonel." Ford said placing it in his inner pocket. "It has some sort of purpose, but what I'm not sure yet. Got a weird feeling when I found it too."
"You're the boss." he said sitting down near Daniel as Ford got up.
Ford only got up because he was called away by an airman needing him for something. From the looks of it, to help move a heavy gold statue that was on something.
"So Daniel, what's the book about? You seem rather interested in it."
"Actually it's a story." Daniel said still looking at the thick book with interest with a smile. "It's written like fiction."
Mitchell opened the old wine jug, not surprised to find it empty, but he smelled the cork anyway and looked in the bottle smelling it as well.
"Once upon a time…." he said telling Daniel to go on.
"Once upon a time, there was a race of people who went on a great journey through space. Across the universe. They were called the Altera. After much time, I think this means thousands of years, they found a great belt of stars."
"And they lived happily ever after." Mitchell said putting the cork back on the bottle.
Daniel's face showed no humor, but more like strange fascination. He stood up quickly making Teal'c stand up from where we was sitting next to the square stone.
"Have you found something Daniel Jackson?"
"Yeah. Hey Ford!?"
"What?" he said coming back over quickly. "What's the problem?"
"No problem. You need to hear this though." he said as Mitchell stood up as well. "This says that the Alterans…"
"Wait, who?"
"I believe it's what the Ancients called themselves. Let me finish first. The Alterans built their new home, Avalon, and that they made many Astra Porta." he said pointing at a line.
"The Stargate's." Mitchell and Ford said together. Teal'c walked over and stood behind Mitchell to get a better view of the open book.
"Yes." Daniel said.
"The Ancients built the Stargate's." Vala said as she picked through a pile of gold coins.
"Yes, but it stands to reason that they weren't always called the Ancients." Daniel said.
"So I'm Alteran. I can see the historical importance. What else?"
"He's an Ancient? This is getting better and better." she said.
"Why do you care anyway? You got your treasure." Mitchell said as she started paying more attention and got up.
"Well, let's see, what's more important, a few gold trinkets, that I'm not going to get to keep, or previously undiscovered secrets about the gate builders." she said walking over slowly. "The most powerful race to ever inhabit the galaxy. And you just happen to be one of them."
Ford looked away from her questioning look.
"What else does it say Daniel?" he said putting his hands on his hips.
"Wait, you realize what this could mean?"
"Not really, no." Ford said shaking his head. He really wasn't thinking about it.
"Whoa. We always presumed that the Ancients were the first evolution of humans in this galaxy. But this…" Mitchell said putting both hands on the open pages. "Is the first evidence to suggest that they came from somewhere else long ago, very far, far away."
"Yes." Daniel said nodding.
"Nice find Daniel. You do know what this will do to your career when it's allow to the open public?"
Daniel looked up in thought a moment.
"You'll be more famous than when everyone learns you basically started the SGC."
"Right." he said not really caring apparently.
Mitchell gave Daniel a strange look then looked at Ford.
"This isn't the first time he's not cared about how he'll be perceived when the truth gets out." Ford muttered. "Sam is looking forward to it though."
"Colonel, General." a airman called out.
They both turned to a airman that was only a few dozen feet away. He was kneeling next to some strange but obviously technologically inclined object that was buried under gold objects. Most of it was visible though. It was round, with three egg shaped slots in each section on the mushroom shaped copper to bronze colored object. In the middle of the top was a vine like looking metal object attached to a strange, frosty looking crystal. There was five sections with the three small egg like slots. Teal'c walked past them and placed a hand on it looking at it as the airman looked at the senior officers walk over and stare at it. Vala followed.
Mitchell smiled and chuckled lightly as Vala looked at him strangely.
"One of these things, is not like the others." he said pointing at it.
"To quote Teal'c, indeed. Airman, have it sent to the SGC, Carter's…no, Daniels office. Not one is to touch it until we get there."
"Got it General."
Back at the SGC………
They were all gathered around the table, with the exception of Teal'c who was back at Dakara.
"This book is rather interesting Daniel." Ford said leafing through it at the briefing table as he ate some cheese, meat slices and crackers.
"There may be other Ancients….Alterans out there, that didn't ascend and went home instead of coming to Earth. Maybe they will be more willing to help us and possibly give aid, in the technology department."
"Any idea how to get hold of them? I don't see or read anything in the book that would help." he said closing it and grabbing his root beer. "Certainly no gate addresses."
"Well, that strange device we brought back could be the key. I believe it's an intergalactic communication device. Seeing as their original home could be many light years away, so far away that it would take an enormous amount of power to dial them up, if we had an address to begin with, which would probably consist of eight symbols or maybe even nine. Point being, it would be easier to use that device."
"Talk about long distance calling. Any idea on how it works?" he said taking another bite.
"Not at the moment, no."
"Well, let me know when you have something. Um, why are you still connected to her?"
"I still haven't gotten my share in the deal." she said crossing her arms.
"I've got calls to make." Ford muttered as he got up and went to his office taking the plate with him.
"Are we dismissed?" Mitchell asked.
"Sometimes Ford just forgets or doesn't bother with some….protocols." Daniel said getting up.
"Oh. I'm going to have to get used to that I take it?"
"Yeah."
"Any idea why he's constantly eating?"
"I'm not sure exactly." Daniel said as they left.
"Have you tried asking?"
"No. Never really thought about it, but now that I do, it is unusual. He's never eaten at the briefing table before."
At Dakara, Teal'c and another Jaffa were talking about the Council sessions and how things were not going great as they walked through the corridors of the ancient site.
Teal'c had just gotten back and hadn't even changed out of his SGC outfit.
"The Jaffa of the Onac Ka equal as many as all the other regional coalitions, and they strongly support Gerak."
"Of this I am aware." Teal'c said.
"If we allow them one more vote, based on unconfirmed military strength, the Council will be in Gerak's hands. Proper inspections…" Rak'nor said stressing the problem.
"Rak'nor!" Teal'c shouted turning to him quickly.
"I'm sorry. We are all working very hard, but it just seems as though Gerak is winning." he said.
"Bra'tak and Ry'ack are negotiating with the other coalitions who have yet to declare their allegiance." Teal'c said in a normal voice.
"I did not fight for the freedom of all Jaffa, only to have it taken away by some power hungry individuals." he said as Teal'c turned away.
"Nor did I."
"I just do not understand why you spend so much time with the Tauri," he said making Teal'c turn sharply to him. "At such a critical stage."
"My friends from the Tauri are largely responsible for the Jaffa being free." Teal'c said very upset as he walked up to Rak'nor. "And as thanks, they have been treated with mistrust and disrespect. Until all Jaffa see that the old ways are not the future, I will do whatever I need to enlighten them!"
"And how does chasing ancient history do that?"
Teal'c stepped closer.
"Ancient knowledge is what defeated the Goa'uld and the Replicators. And I believe that it will one day, unite the Nations of the Jaffa in peace!"
Rak'nor stared at him as he started to walk away.
"And I will prove it." Teal'c said.
"I hope so." Rak'nor said going a different direction.
Ford walked in to Dr. Lee's lab seeing Vala and Daniel arguing, apparently about the link still being in place. Mitchell got between them saying something about focusing on the task at hand.
"Doctor."
"General." Doctor Lee said turning around.
"What have you found out?"
"Well, whatever it is, its power source isn't depleted."
"Good. We can make long distance calls without charges to our own bills then. Daniel, have you figured out how it works?"
"Actually, I think I have. When I looked at the recesses I remembered seeing something in my office that looked like they would fit in these slots."
"Are they here?"
"Yes. These are them." Daniel said holding up two black half shaped egg like stones. "They are used to activate the communication device, that links the users psychically, allowing them to see through each other's eyes."
"I hope this isn't like that Machello device." Ford said crossing his arms.
"It's not. In this case, it's psychic, not physical."
"Good."
"So, what happens when you attach the stones?" Mitchell asked.
"We're going to find out." Daniel said still holding the stones.
"Wait a minute, don't they have to be activated by someone with the Ancient gene?" Mitchell asked.
"Through some brilliant work, if I say so myself, I managed to reset the stones." Lee said. "But to answer your question, we did think the same thing, but unlike other Ancient technology, these just have to be initialized."
"By someone with the gene, that's a guess." Mitchell said, thinking he was wrong.
"No, you're right, which these obviously have been." Lee said waving a hand at the two Daniel was holding.
"So, that means any one of us can take the pony ride?"
"I'm not doing it." Ford said putting his hands up.
"Well, I for one am doing this. I did miss the Daedalus for this adventure." Daniel said still upset.
"You're going to dine out on that for awhile aren't you?" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah, yeah, like you wouldn't believe."
"Well, you are the foremost expert on Ancient technology." Mitchell said.
"Okay, we've established one person doing it. Who's going to try with him?" Ford asked.
"I am." Vala said reaching over and grabbing the other one from his hand.
"And how do you figure that?" Mitchell asked before Ford could say something.
"Well, Daniel and I are linked." she said walking over to his right and placing her arm on his shoulder.
"And if I could just point out for the record," he said pushing her arm off him. "We don't have to be."
"He's only guessing that this device is for communication." she said waving the stone at them. "What if it's a transporter of some kind and he gets whisked away and can't get back?"
"Sorry Daniel, looks like your stuck with her."
"Thanks a lot Ford."
"We can't kill her or cause her harm because she won't let you go and it could cause you injury. My hands are tied."
"He's got a point Jackson." Mitchell said.
"Daniel, just put them in so we can see what it does." Ford said as Daniel looked ready to start arguing.
"I'm going to watch from the observation room." Lee said leaving quickly.
"Good luck." Mitchell said walking out with Lee.
"You staying then?"
"Unless this machine somehow can slice my head off…."
"I doubt it. Seriously doubt it." Daniel said quickly covering Ford's mistake as Vala looked at him strangely.
"I don't see any reason to leave." Ford said not stopping during Daniels interruption. "But I will stand back just in case."
"Fine with me." Daniel said as Ford backed up a few feet.
"So, what do we do?" she asked.
"We just put these two stones into any of the two spots." he said looking it over.
"Any two?"
"There is no indication of where to put them so, any two."
Daniel placed one in a slot and she put hers in one next to his, wincing and looking away. Nothing happened.
"Well, that was…" Ford started saying.
"Wait, it's glow…" Daniel started to say when it flashed and then he and Vala dropped to the floor.
"Colonel!" Ford yelled dropping down near Daniel.
"Already on it!" Mitchell said grabbing the phone off the wall and calling medical.
Daniel and Vala ended up on another planet. A planet very far away, though they both didn't know it at the moment. Daniel looked around seeing he was in some unknown house, a very old house that had solid flat stone walls. It was obvious that someone lived here and by the looks of things, not alone. There was objects everywhere, from pots and whicker baskets to rolled up blankets, couches and chairs. A table something like a picnic version. Goblets and decanters. No real pictures around that he could see. Items even hung from the ceiling on the frames holding the second story up. Stairs went up to a second story from the side of the house on the inner wall. There was windows with objects on the sills, for those that weren't draped. Candles, chest like seen in pirate movies and barrels were around. Whoever lived here, Daniel figured it had to be some man and woman, especially since he noticed a woman looking at a table of objects over near the far wall, several feet away from him. A blonde woman, in a large and somewhat ugly dress was looking at the stuff. Daniel was standing at the bottom of the stairs, still looking around, that was until he saw the woman. They both were in old clothes, like the western era, but not western. Daniel was in some sort of green tunic like outfit, with green pants that felt like burlap and a white shirt underneath.
"Um…hello. Please don't be afraid. My name is Daniel Jackson." he said walking out calmly.
"It's me, Vala."
"Okay, not a transporter."
"Where are we?" she asked looking around.
"I don't know." he said looking around as well. They both walked up to a mirror in a old wooden frame seeing two people. People that were not them. "But I think we are in them."
Vala looked slightly confused as she looked in the mirror at the large busted woman, in the ugly dress as she poked herself in the face.
Daniel and Vala were both in separate beds, only a few feet from one another in a isolated room. The new doctor for the SGC, a woman with slightly long black hair and just a few inches higher than Janet, was looking over the two. A nurse was in there helping along with Doctor Lee. They wore red isolation suits in case the strange Ancient machine, which was on a table several feet away from the ends of the beds, was putting out radiation or anything harmful. Whatever the device was doing, it was putting out power, mostly from the crystal being lit up. Cameron and Teal'c stood up in the observation room as they watched the work going on to the two unconscious people. Ford, despite being told to go away, overruled the doctors order to leave and stood near the strange device watching what was going on. He didn't wear a suit though, despite protest. He was checked out, and they found nothing wrong as usual.
"Blood pressure and heart rate are normal. Pupils are slightly dilated." she said looking Daniel over. "Now, we're sure this is because of the device? They were also passed out once before because of the bracelets."
"I know. I was there when they both did. Lee, you find out anything yet?" Ford asked.
Doctor Lee turned to him, after looking at the laptop monitor that was monitoring the Ancient device, sitting on the table next to it.
"Well, the reaction was almost instantaneous, right after the device was activated."
"Yeah, anything else beyond the obvious that I saw? Anything dangerous?"
"There is no discernable energy rays and no measurable radiation being admitted, so, I think everything is clear."
"And we've found no contagions. All right." she said removing her hood. "I want to get an EEG going, but my first impression is that they are in some kind of sleep state."
"Go ahead Doctor. I want them awake. Use your discretion to do whatever you need. If it seems dangerous to try, ask me first."
"Yes General."
"Why don't we just disconnect the stones?" Mitchell asked through the mike.
"For all we know, this could be perfectly normal." Lee said removing his hood. "I mean, this could be the way the device actually works."
"Hey, could you give me some time here before you go messing around with that thing anymore?" she asked, obviously upset at Doctor Lee.
"I wouldn't call it 'messing around.'" Lee said turning to her.
She sighed. "Look, for all we know, disconnecting the stones could put them in further jeopardy."
"Okay, for the moment, we do it her way. Until something comes up that really starts to threaten their lives and she can't do anything, we leave this alone." Ford said tapping the device.
"Okay General." Lee said reluctantly.
"Until then, just scan it or whatever, but don't try to shut it off yet and leave the stones alone for now. Either of you can call me if anything happens." he said leaving them to work.
"So, how are things going on Dakara?" Mitchell asked as Ford gave them instructions before he left.
"About as well as here." Teal'c stated.
"That bad?"
"Indeed."
Daniel and Vala continued to look around the downstairs section of the house as they tried to figure out things.
"I don't understand! This is an odd communication device." she said turning from looking out a window.
Daniel was walking back and forth between different things, checking them out for anything that might help him understand the culture or where they might be. He was looking at the table as she walked up to it and passed him.
"I can't talk to this poor woman. I don't have access to her mind. Her thoughts, her memories. I'm just inside of her, looking out through her eyes."
Daniel was looking at some sort of wooden square rod like item he pulled out from a small vase like jar on the table. He couldn't identify it and put it back as he thought.
"It's possible that the device was meant to work this way so that we can communicate with others without intruding on the minds of the people we are connected to. They're just…..temporary transmitters."
"Do you think we are actually in another galaxy?" she asked looking in the mirror again and checking out her chest.
"I don't know."
"Why these people?"
"I don't know." he said looking at some plague on the wall near the doorway. There was two swords, crisscrossed behind the plague. The language on the plague he could read though.
"Well, maybe it's just me but…" she said walking over toward him. "This house, these…ugh, clothes. We don't look the way I expected the Ancients to look."
"No." he said nodding.
"What do you suppose their names are?"
"Harrid and Sallis."
"How do you know that?" she asked wondering how he knew.
"Well, because it um….says so right here." he said turning to the plague. "It says, 'This is the…" he mumbled whatever it said, "Home of Sallis and Harrid Cicera."
"Wait, I missed that. You mumbled it." she said pointing at the line he mumbled.
"No I didn't." he said quickly as he put his hands on his hips.
"Yes. You said something I couldn't understand."
"Well, I didn't say it because I really don't know what it means. So I don't want to say it out loud, because I know what it means."
"Well, go on." she urged.
"Nuptial. It means nuptial." he said reluctantly.
"As in we're…"
"Married, yeah."
She smiled with a smirk that Daniel didn't like.
"Let's go look outside." he said turning away.
Outside, the town the people they were currently inhabiting, was rather huge and well maintained, for a old style place. There was a lot of people around, doing normal everyday things, bartering for goods, talking and walking. Most of the buildings were all next to each other, making little if any alley ways to be seen. Off to Daniel and Vala's right was a solid flat stone bridge just like everything else, a few dozen feet above them. Wherever the bridge went over the house they came from, they couldn't tell. The other side went to a upper section that went to a hallway they could see with semi fancy stone windows going across the way on the other side of the street from them. There was stone stairs leading to that second level that went up to a nice glass window that was stained glass. Kinda looked like a monastery building or at least some place important. People were walking across the bridge, going about daily business. Everyone they could see also had the same style old clothes as they did, some more extravagant and some not so great at all.
In the middle of the town or settlement, which one you could call it, Daniel wasn't sure, there was a round circle with a maze like circle of lines inside it that lead to a bench in the middle with chains. These lines went outside the stone circle and up an incline to a stone bowl shaped like a cross and up the bowl went another line that went nowhere. From the looks of it, something was poured down the line that went into the small cross shaped bowl and finally around the maze of circles until it poured around the stone bench. Whatever the whole set up was, it was large enough most people could see whatever would happen, almost no matter where they were. All the buildings and even the stone object with bench seemed to be made from poured concrete, but it wasn't concrete.
"Not quite what I imagined when I pictured a civilization of gate builders." she said looking around.
"No. Something tells me this is not the same people who built a spaceship capable of traveling across the universe." he said looking around with his hands on his hips.
"Above the sun! Harrid! Sallis!"
They looked around then up at the bridge seeing a man and a woman waving at them.
"What?"
"Uh, I think that means good morning." he said then looked back at them smiling and waved. "Above the sun to you!"
They waved back smiling, but looking confused.
"Above the sun?" she said through a smile.
"I think he is speaking Ancient. I think the communicator is translating for us." he said also smiling.
"Well, I couldn't read the sign."
"Maybe it only works for spoken language." he said looking at her.
"See you at prostration!" the man yelled.
"Prostration it is!" Daniel yelled waving back.
She said the same thing, though with less enthusiasm.
They nodded and walked on.
"What do you want to do Harrid? Or is it Sallis?" she said cuddling close to him.
"People are starting to stare." he said lightly pushing her away and linking her arm to his.
"Let's walk around and try to appear normal."
"Nope. Not what I was expecting at all." he said as they passed the stone maze thingy.
"Me neither."
"He was looking at me when he said Harrid."
"Please. He was looking at me the whole time." she said.
Ford looked up from the paper work he just finished as his door was knocked on.
"Come in."
"General." the doctor said walking in seeing him eating some pasta dish and had a couple cans of root beer on the desk.
"One moment." he said hitting the com. "Walter, I finished the paperwork."
"Yes General."
"Thanks. Now, how can I help you doctor?" he said leaning back in the chair and taking a drink.
"I came to give you a update on Daniel and Vala like you asked."
"Oh. Sorry, so much signing to do and…well, you can see what I mean." he said with a wave at the pile of some hundred or more folders. "Anyway.."
"So far, they are stable. Based on the brain wave patterns and the rapid eye movement, I believe they are in some sort of induced dream like condition."
"And he said it was a communication device. I've never seen much less heard of one that knocks you out so you can talk."
"Me neither."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing at the moment General."
"Anything you need or…"
"No. Just making a report. I better get back to them." she said jerking her thumb.
"Hey, do you mind if I call you Carolyn?"
"If it wasn't for your reputation, I'd probably say no. What do you need?"
He got up and walked around sitting on the edge of the desk.
"I know you're new here, so I wanted to know how you're doing, knowing about what's all out there and everything. Took Janet awhile to get used to everything too, so I figured maybe…."
"It's….." she said opening her mouth a few times before blowing out a breath.
"Yeah. Some people have no words either."
"Sounds about right. Hearing about aliens was one thing, hearing about what you are, after hearing about being an Ancient…"
"Still surprises Sam sometimes too. Janet used to bother me about it a lot, wanting to do every new scan that ever came along. After awhile it became a hassle. Some days I miss it though. Um, I had another question for you." he said crossing his arms. "Do you have a problem with Janet coming back to take care of Colonel Carter, when she gets ready to give birth and all?"
"I thought she was planning to stay at Area 51?"
"Janet said, and I quote, 'There is no way in hell that I'm delivering a baby in the middle of a research center in Nevada. She can come back to the SGC and I'll be glad to do it there or at her home.' End quote."
"Well, as long as I don't have the infirmary filled with injured personal, it shouldn't be a problem. Just have them tell me ahead of time when she might show up."
"Thanks doctor. If you need anything, just let me know. In the meantime, keep me posted if anything bad happens."
She nodded and left as Walter came in.
"Hey Walter, where is that TV and DVD player I asked for?"
"I thought you were kidding General." he said picking the folders up.
"I wasn't. No problem, I'll just get the one from my room. Not like I go there a lot anymore anyway."
"Should I get someone to help you General?"
"No. I think I can get it pretty easily. Thanks though Walter." he said leaving.
"All hallow the Ori." a tall and balding man, with a high stature in the community said walking up with a torch and book in hand. He had on brownish regal like clothes, which made him really stand out from everyone else.
He walked up to the nice stained glass windows and put the torch to a spherical metal object, on a pole, sticking out of the stone stairs, at the top. All the people in the town were coming and bowing down, on their knees, faces to the ground as they prayed.
"All hollowed the Ori." everyone repeated.
"On their great power we shall herein meditate this day." he said turning to the people.
Some of them had gathered and knelt down on the stairs. Other's were still coming and kneeling down where ever they could.
"Prostration it is." Daniel muttered as he and Vala followed the crowd.
They walked up kneeling down to do the same near the end of the stairs where the stone met the ground, though to who and why they where kneeling, they didn't know yet. As they started to put there heads down, a man knelt down near them, holding a small book. He was rather large in size, around the middle, but not exactly overweight, and about Daniel's height. He had dark curly hair and a very trimmed beard just like Daniel had.
"We must meet." he whispered. "By the portical of light, at the hour of Bly."
Daniel got ready to ask something.
"Speak not." the man said lowering his head.
"Oh greatness that is the Ori, you guide us and give meaning to our daily lives." the man that lit the torch said as he knelt before the metal sphere. "We beseech you, give us strength."
"All hallowed the Ori." everyone said over and over again.
Six hours later………..
Daniel and Vala walked into the house and stood against the back of the door, leaning against it.
"Well, that was fun. Six hours of prostration." she grumbled.
"Why don't we just tell someone who we are and what is going on?" she asked as Daniel started looking under objects and through things.
"I mean, isn't that the whole point of this? To communicate?" she asked following him around.
"I don't think these people are going to entirely understand." he said picking up objects off a shelf and looking at them. "Hey do you remember what that guy said when we first came to the service?"
"Something about a meeting." she said scratching her head.
"Yeah, meeting at the portical of light at the hour of Bly." he said walking to another section of the house.
"What's that suppose to mean?!"
"I have no idea." he said lost as he picked up something that looked like a golf club. He put it back quickly and walked up the stairs to his left.
"What are you looking for?"
"I don't know. Some reason as to why we are in these particular people, these specific bodies. I mean, it can't be totally random." he said rounding a corner at the top of the stairs.
"Well, I have a more pressing question. Do you have any idea…" she said walking into the room to see him pulling clothes and other cloth objects from a dresser near a large bed with the canopy type tops. There was a few dressers in the room along with tall cabinet like storage units as well.
"How we are suppose to detach from them?"
He stopped tossing clothes and leaned on the door of the open cabinet.
"No. And that's another thing that's go me worried. Have you tried?"
She nodded as she reached down and removed the high heeled shoes and tossed them aside.
"Nothing."
"Hmm. It doesn't seem to be something I can just will to make happen." he said looking away.
She ran over and jumped onto the bed laying back as he kept searching. She groaned as she relaxed on the bed and let her feet rest.
"Maybe it's something about removing the stones from the device on Earth."
"Yeah, unfortunately, we can't tell the people on Earth that we need them removed." he said grunting in frustration as he tossed more items aside. "They may have to figure it out for themselves."
"Maybe they have already and it had no effect." she said.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and rule out the possibility." he said after a moment.
She felt around on the bed feeling something under the mattress. She lifted the side and pulled a book out as Daniel moved to a dresser near the door and looked through it.
"Do you think that these people are in our bodies?"
"I don't know. I mean, this can't be how this technology is suppose to work." he said looking through a small chest that could contain jewelry.
"Hey." she said waving the book slightly.
"Yeah, it's the book that some of the villagers were carrying around." he said kneeling near the bed and looking around. "It says on the front, The book of Origins, Blessed be the Ori."
He looked at some items on the nightstand as she told him it was important that he look at it.
"Oh, I think I've had enough. I mean, prostration for six hours." he grumbled as he looked under the bed. "Give us strength. You know, it's all very clear."
"I really think you should look at this."
"Yeah, and when did you think you became able to read Ancient?" he asked placing his elbows on the bed.
"I can't." she said opening the book. "Look familiar?"
Daniel knelt down closer to see to recesses cut into the book hiding the same two stones that started their troubles. They both got up quickly as they heard their door being pounded on. Daniel rushed down and walked up to the door as though nothing was happening wrong and opened it slowly as Vala came up behind him.
"Thank those full of value. I was worried when you did not meet." the man that talked to them at the prostration said walking in, shoving Daniel away from the door and closing it quickly.
"Yes, sorry about that." Daniel said quickly as he rubbed his hands on his shirt nervously.
"Why did you not meet me? And why are you not sharing leaves with the administrators wife?"
"I…..forgot." she said unsure of what to say as Daniel looked at her.
"We are already suspected. We must not alter our behavior."
"Suspected of what?"
"If I did not know better, I would fear your trying to entrap me." the man said worried.
"No, I wouldn't dare to dream of…"
"Entrap you how?" she asked.
"Stop this. Please." he said walking forward a step.
"Okay, you know what…" Daniel said putting his hands together and pointing them at the man. "Please, would you sit down?"
The man did so with fear in his eyes.
"Go with me." Daniel said looking at Vala as he sat down across from the other guy. He placed his hands together on the table, intertwined and looked seriously at the man. "My name is Daniel Jackson and I am inside the mind of Harrid. I am able to speak through him by the use of a communication technology that we believe was used and constructed by a race called the Alterans."
He looked at Daniel curiously and then at her.
"And I'm Vala, Mal Doran." she said smiling then dropping it as he didn't move.
He looked back at Daniel then at the table.
"How you doing?" Daniel asked hoping for no trouble.
"By the stars. Forgive me. I am Fannis." he said chuckling at the apparent news, but obviously happy.
Daniel and Vala were sure surprised at what the man said.
"Uh, nice to meet you. We're from a place called Earth."
"Can I speak with Harrid?"
"No." Daniel said a little to forcefully. "Um, his consciousness seems to be suppressed as long as we are connected."
"Harrid always suspected that the stones were some means of communication." Fannis said leaning forward in thought.
"You know about the stones?" Daniel asked in surprise. Fannis looked up at him and Daniel looked at Vala quickly.
Fannis seemed to nod at himself and placed his hands on the table like Daniels.
"We are curators. Investigators of the past. We uncovered the stones some time ago in what we believe is the remains of an ancestral burial ground not far from here."
"Why are you hiding them?"
"Such investigations is sacrilege."
"You're not allowed to investigate your own history?!" Daniel said surprised.
"Such history contradicts the Book of Origins."
"You're heretics." Daniel stated realizing what he meant. Fannis took it offensively for a moment, but let it slide.
"We have uncovered evidence, that we believe proves that a race of humans predates are supposed creation by the Ori."
"Excuse me." she said leaning down from where she was sitting on the table beside Daniel. "What if these gods, the Ori, are the people left behind by the Alterans."
"You think they ascended?" he said looking at her thinking as Fannis sat back doing the same.
"It's possible. The Alterans left a long, long time ago and what we know of the Ancients, they learned to evolve and ascend. What if the people who remained here did too?"
"That would make these people the subsequent evolution of humans, which is apparently what happened in our galaxy after the Ancients we know ascended."
"And it would explain why that are not as advanced as we expected." she said.
Fannis dropped his hand from his chin as he was insulted.
"No, but the religion doesn't fit the profile." Daniel said confused. "You see, the Ascended I know don't pose as gods. I mean that is the one explicated rule they do follow, it's that they don't meddle in the affairs of the lower planes of existence."
"The Ori are not posing." Fannis said leaning on the table again, with some fear this time. "We do not doubt their power. Just their words and intention. Their power is as real as the strength of their followers. You were late for leaves with the administrators wife. Sarris and she are acquaintances."
"So, what should I do?" she asked unsure.
"Cannot you now disconnect and let Sallis return?"
"No." Daniel said. "Apparently, we can't do that."
"Then you must pose as Sallis or we will be discovered."
She nodded, a little reluctantly as Daniel looked at her.
"I can do that."
He looked at Fannis and really thought it was a bad idea.
At Dakara, things were going about as usual. Ships flying overhead, taking Jaffa and supplies to other places on the planet or other buildings. Basically, life going about as well as expected. The Dakara temple was still in place and not destroyed. Inside where the politics were going on, things were not getting better.
Teal'c walked around a corner going down a short flight of stairs heading for the Council chamber. He had on robes like most of the Jaffa now were wearing.
"The Council has already taken respite." Rak'nor said walking up and stopping in front of him. "The vote was quick. I delivered yours by proxy. Gerak's motion was resolved by a slim majority. The Jaffa will be ruled by High Council. Votes will be attributed by the various coalition representatives based on military assets."
"Making Gerak…." Teal'c said with distain.
"The new leader of the Jaffa Nation." Rak'nor stated.
"I must inform General Carter of this news." Teal'c said turning and walking away quickly.
Fannis turned away from the window as Daniel came to the table with two wooden cups that looked more like small vases with bases.
"You say the Ori may have ascended. What does that mean?"
Daniel wiped the cups out as he spoke.
"Oh. Were we come from, some people who used to look a lot like us, evolved physically and mentally so much that they turned gave up their physical bodies and turned into pure energy going onto a higher plane of existence." he said pouring a liquid from a fancy metal container into the cup.
"Some call it enlightenment. And with it came a greater understanding of the universe and all it's knowledge." he said handing the cup the Fannis as the man stood a few feet from him in thought. "Now this happened a long time ago, and I believe that those people may have originally come from here."
"And these ascended beings, as you call them, do not guide you and ask you to worship them?" he asked confused.
"No." Daniel said filling his own cup as he sat on the edge of the table. "In fact they believe so strongly in free will that they won't intervene and use their knowledge to stop the destruction of the galaxy full of us regular humans. Which makes Ford an oxymoron then." he said realizing something.
"Who?"
"A friend. Never mind."
"Hmm. Such is not the case for the Ori though." he said turning away in thought.
"Yes. So, they ask that you worship them, and yet, they conceal the truth of your existence from you."
"That is not all."
"What are you going to do?"
"We are gathering as much evidence as we can. And one day, we hope to have enough proof, to even convince the most devout believers." he said with a small smile. "In the meantime, we meet in secret and share what we know with the ones we trust. But we keep hidden those artifacts that prove our claims in case one or more of us is discovered."
"How many of there are you?" Daniel asked figuring the number must be really low by the sad tone the man had.
"A few." he said obviously not happy. "But our numbers are growing. Some believe the fact that we haven't been discovered is because they believe that the Ori are not all powerful and all knowing. Other's think that the they are waiting for us to see the error of our ways and repent."
Daniel took a drink and nodded slightly as Fannis walked over to the window as he heard a commotion.
"A crowd gathers at the Ara."
Daniel got up and walked over as he swallowed his drink and set the cup aside.
"That's an altar?" he asked.
"I cannot be seen with you." Fannis said turning to him.
Daniel walked outside going through the crowd of people, telling more than one of them excuse me as he tried to get to the front. The Administrator, the same man in the brown regal like clothes and the same man who prayed before the lit up sphere for six hours was talking to the crowd as they gathered. He walked around the large stone circle reading from the book of the Ori.
"And the people shall deliver unto you the wicked for your divine judgment, where their sins shall be weighed in the balance of all that is just and true."
Off behind him there was a commotion of noises, coming from one person as they were dragged through the crowd.
"Get your hands off me!! Daniel!!!" Vala yelled as she was pulled by two men, holding her hands, over to the bench and chained her to it.
"What happened?!"
"It didn't go so well." she grimily cried out.
"Yeah, I can see that. Excuse me." Daniel said walking forward. He was grabbed quickly by two men and pulled back.
"Harrid, stand back." the Administrator said walking up. "Sallis has been overcome."
"No she hasn't!" Daniel said struggling. "If you will just let me explain it…"
"Fear not, for the Ori see all." the Administrator said looking at her as Daniel was pulled away. "Outside and within. If your heart is pure and your devotion unwavering, then you shall be protected."
She shook her head in anger and unbelief.
"They will cleanse your being and you will be taken to be with them forever. And if not, may the fire burn you down to the ground and lay you in dust."
"Fire?" she said looking up.
And the end of that line in the stone, there was a cauldron being held by two people. The slowly turned it and it poured out a liquid fire that slowly went down the line.
"Hallowed are the Ori." the Administrator said turning around and around once to see everyone.
The fire went down the lines etched into the stone and came running behind her as they slowly circled the maze to eventually empty into where she was chained sitting.
Ford rushed into the infirmary as did Mitchell after hearing about trouble.
"Her heart rate is 140." Carolyn said looking at the monitors stationed around Vala's bed.
"Daniel's BP and heart rate are increasing too." Lee said.
"Pull the stones, now."
Lee walked over and tried a couple of times.
"I can't."
"Move." Ford said going over and trying himself.
The fire was getting increasingly closers as it spread through the etched lines.
"What the hell did you say?!"
"I think it's first, what I didn't say! Apparently there is a blessing you're suppose to recite over the leaves before you drink, which nobody warned me about!"
Daniel nodded as he kept struggling.
"I was trying to politely explain what was going on when his wife started screaming and accusing me of being overcome and which point I believe I might have told her to go procreate….with herself."
"Oh! Oh! Listen! You have to listen to me please! This is not what it looks like! Sallis has not been possessed! This is going to sound crazy, but we are from another galaxy!" he said quickly and loudly as the flames got closer to her.
The Administrator looked at him as did most of everyone else.
"That's right! We are using a communication technology that allows us to take over a person's body from very far away! And, and….then makes us talk to you! We just want to talk to you!!!" he yelled.
They looked away and back at Vala as the fire crept closer and closer.
Lee had handed Ford a small crowbar and he was currently trying his damnedest to removed the stones. Nothing was working though. Vala was starting to breath extremely fast now and it was becoming audible.
"Okay, this is getting much worse, I'm administrating a sedative." Carolyn said sticking a needle into her IV unit. Everyone else just watched as her body shook and her eyes, though closed, were moving very rapidly.
"Any luck yet General?" Mitchell asked walking up beside him.
"I might as well be trying to bend my sword or guns." Ford growled as he pushed down really hard on the crowbar. It bent in half as he pushed hard enough and he slid off as the angle was gone. "Whoa!"
The fire was now inches from her and she was really beginning to sweat and feel the heat. She looked down seeing the fire enter the small recess near her and her dress caught fire.
"Daniel!" she cried out in fear.
"Okay, listen to me! You have to listen to me! You have to believe me!!! You're killing an innocent woman!!!" he yelled struggling more than ever.
"Blessed are the Ori." the Administrator said as though he did this a lot. Killing unbelievers that is.
She kept crying out his name as she went up in flames screaming.
"No!! No!!!" Daniel yelled as she screamed horribly.
"She's in V-FIB. Code blue!" Carolyn yelled as she went around the bed and grabbed a crash cart. "Charging to 200!"
After Mitchell helped Ford off the floor, he got a nine mill from the guard and aimed it at the device. Lee got in front of it quickly.
"Get out of the way."
"Whoa. No." Lee said not moving.
"Put it down Colonel. Damaging the machine could kill Daniel as well. Removing the stones is what he have to do, not break the machine."
"Not to mention you could detonate the power source." Lee said hugging the machine since Mitchell hadn't lowered the gun.
Carolyn shocked Vala with the paddles and ordered another injection.
"What about your sword then General?" he said lowering the gun.
"Can't risk it going into the machine. To sharp." he said using what's left of the crowbar to try again.
Daniel lowered his head, not able to watch, like some of the others as the flames climbed high and the cries of pain were gone. Suddenly the flames started to go away as a strong wind came through and blew it out. Everyone, but Daniel all looked toward the way into the village seeing a man. They let Daniel go and everyone got down on the ground kneeling. Daniel walked over slowly and knelt before the burnt corpse holding her close.
The man at the gate had long dust black western type boots on, thought they were not from Earth. A long gray robe that was more like a expensively fancy trench coat, without the arms, and silver insignias running down the middle and each side of the chest area. And a hood covered his bald head. The man had very pale skin and very pale blue eyes, like he was a zombie or something. His arms though showed a loose fitting blue shirt that almost covered his hands. In his left hand he held a wooden staff with a big cloudy blue gem of some sort, egg shaped, at the top wrapped around it. Nothing pretty about it either. More like the wood grew around the gem.
Daniel slowly removed the burnt chain shackle from her wrist and dropped it holding her hand. He slowly looked back at the unknown man.
"Charge to 360! Clear!" she yelled out.
Her body jumped but the monitor still showed her flat lined.
"Still in V-FIB. Charging again!" she said hitting Vala with the paddles again. Still the same. She set the paddles aside and felt for a pulse.
"I've got no pulse. She's gone into asystole." she said looking at the group near the device, mostly at Ford. "I'm calling it."
"Dammit!" Ford said tossing the broken and bent crowbar aside. Fortunately, no one was in the way, unfortunately, he tossed it aside hard enough it went into the wall. "Lee, figure out how to shut this damned thing off!"
"But…"
"Now!" he shouted then left before he picked the device up and tossed it into the wall too.
Daniel continued to hold her destroyed body as the unknown man walked up behind them. His staff suddenly started growing and Vala's body started to grow back as though everything that just happened, never did. Daniel watched, not really believing it as her body re-healed itself like Fords, but without the electrical effect.
"His vitals have stabilized for the moment." Carolyn said looking at Daniel and checking his pulse with her fingers.
"Okay, we can't pry the stones off, obvious mostly since the General is the strongest man on the base."
"Yeah, I know." Lee said chewing on a thumbnail as he looked at the machine.
"And we can't shoot it."
"No."
"Have you any idea on how to unplug this thing?" he said waving a angry hand at it.
"I don't know. I'm trying to think of something…"
"Brilliant." he muttered turning around.
"Well, at the very least we need to figure out how to get that bracelet off Doctor Jackson. They are still linked…" she said then suddenly turned to look at the monitors still hooked up to Vala. They showed she was alive.
"She's got a heartbeat."
"Airman, call the General." Mitchell said.
Vala woke up, in shock not knowing why she was alive, but leaned up slowly and looked at Daniel. The man behind Daniel moved his staff back and it stopped glowing.
"Daniel?" she said confused.
"You okay?" he asked holding her cheek.
"I've got tingles all over." she said holding him close as she knelt into his chest. "But don't flatter yourself, I'm pretty sure it's not you." she said in a shaky voice as he rubbed her back.
"Thank you." Daniel said looking at the pale man.
"Thank the Ori." he said with a low monotone voice. "You will come with me."
He turned and slowly started walking out of the village.
"I think he wants us to follow him. Can you walk?" he asked looking at her.
"If it means getting away from here, yes." she said as he helped her to her feet.
The unknown pale man walked to the edge of the group as Daniel and Vala slowly started toward him.
"Hallowed are the children of the Ori." he said.
"Hallowed are we." the people all said as Daniel and Val followed him out of the town. She stayed leaning on him as they left.
"Hallowed are the Ori." the Administrator said as they left from view.
What happened during the time in the episode of "The Intruder" with Atlantis at the SGC.
Weir and the rest of her senior staff got off the Daedalus and were able to go and do homely things before having to report back to the ship to go back to the Pegasus galaxy, another 18 day trip. Some of the senior staff came back to the SGC for a few things.
"What are you doing in the General's chair?" Weir asked as she, Rodney and Sheppard entered the briefing room.
"Ah, you finally got here. Hello Weir, or should I say Atlantis Base Commander." Ford said standing up.
"Same question…"
"Whoa. That explains why…sorry sir." Sheppard said standing at attention suddenly.
"At ease Major, or actually, I should say, Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard." he said sliding a small box from his pocket over to the man. "You've been promoted. And so have I. I had the Daedalus crew and just about everyone else I could keep quiet on purpose. Mostly to see the surprise on your face Weir."
"I was told to come here to talk to the international committee and to the new General in charge of the SGC. Why are you in charge and where are the committee members?" she asked crossing her arms.
"General O'Neill quit." Ford said sitting down. "And I knew why they wanted to talk to you, read all the reports. Good and bad. Sit, please."
They did so and still looked confused. He told them the brief reason he was in charge and some of what he had done so far. And told them how he preferred to be addressed.
"Moral is up, the base is working a little bit better and...…anyway, I told the committee that despite some of the obvious reports we got stating all the bad things, I believed that you all know what you're doing and that changing the command structure would be a bad idea. I was also one of the few that recommended Sheppard for his promotion. Considering many things, quite a few of the things you've asked for to have taken back to Atlantis will be allowed. Including the enlistment of more personal."
"These new personal. Have they been picked out yet General?" she asked skeptically.
"Considering what I noticed and learned about you during your brief stay as base commander here, I convinced them that it would be up to you to figure out who you wanted to take."
"What about Colonel Carter?" Rodney asked.
"No. I wouldn't let her go if she begged me. Unless I also went with. And no she isn't here. She's at home, slightly on maternity leave." Ford said with a smile. "No offense doctor, but despite whatever you may have thought, she was never interested and is not available anymore."
"She married you then." he mumbled.
"Yes." he said nodding as he stood. "Now, there will be a more formal thing dealing with your promotion before you all leave, so you can all leave now and get whatever you need. If you want anyone from here in the SGC, let me know ahead of time so I can say yes or no. Is there anything else?"
They shook their heads.
"Dismissed then. And be careful out there."
