/
10.
Schrödinger's jar
Sam reluctantly wriggles out of her sleeping bag. It's snug and warm, and it's so very, very early; the pale grey-blue of daybreak just beginning to brighten the papery walls of the women's hut she was in. She dresses as quickly and as quietly as she can, surrounded only by the soft, rhythmic breathing of sleeping women; they're all arranged in a big circle around the firepit in the centre or the space, the soft orange of a few pulsing embers warring with the cool morning light.
Sam decides to carefully gather up her gear and finish packing outside.
Outside, the grass is slightly damp with dew, and there's that bite in the air that you only feel at the end of a long night - like the world has grown bitter at the loss of the sun's warmth. A few of the villagers are awake, restarting fires and preparing themselves for, she assumes, the day's work - perhaps working the rice fields Sani mentioned, which she was yet to see. She nods and smiles at an elderly woman carrying a pot of water, and the woman dips her head in response, her expression a mix of wariness and curiosity as Sam passes, looking for a spot to finish packing up.
A few minutes later, Sam's crouching over her pack checking her fastenings when she hears the scrunch of grass under booted feet approaching her. "Morning, Sam," says Daniel, his voice still husky with sleep, "ready to go?"
She looks at him over her shoulder and offers him a sleepy smile; he offers her his hand in return, and pulls her to her feet.
"Sleep well?" he asks, his tentative tone and the quirk of one eyebrow suggesting he was feeling a little awkward about her being forced to bunk in with the "unmarried" women of the village - he'd been concerned about appeasing Sani when it came to the team's sleeping arrangements.
"It..." she begins, and her voice catches in her throat at its first use that morning, "was fine."
She watches as his raised eyebrows begin to crease into a frown.
"It's OK, Daniel, really," she continues more adamantly, adjusting her pack across her shoulders. "Honestly better than sleeping at the SGC... or my hotel." She says the last part out loud when she hadn't really meant to, the sudden realisation that she was getting used to being unsettled filling her with momentary homesickness.
She misses her own bed; her own space. She misses clothes that aren't fatigues or the few items she'd thrown into a bag before heading out to Colorado.
She still wouldn't change it for anything, though.
Daniel regards her for a moment, his expression relaxing slightly. "Come on, Teal'c and Jack are waiting for us."
They make their way past huts and other early risers as they head in the direction of the forest, and the path that will bring them back to the Stargate. She spots Teal'c and Jack standing on one of the hills overlooking the village - she thinks she'd know Teal'c's hulking silhouette anywhere now.
"Good morning, Doctor Carter," the Jaffa says as she and Daniel join them on the rise.
"Morning Teal'c," she replies, mustering all the brightness and energy she can and punctuating it with a firm nod of her head. She wins a smile and bow from Teal'c in return, and a flicker of bemusement from Jack standing beside him.
"Easy with all that pep you're throwing around there, Carter," Jack says, turning towards the forest, "I haven't had my coffee yet."
"Yes, sir," she replies innocently. He has his back to her now, but she doesn't miss how he stiffens slightly before marching on. Daniel narrows his eyes at her, clearly not sure what to make of her mood, and she shrugs.
"By the way," she says to Daniel as they fall into step behind Jack and Teal'c, "I think I've solved the case of the unopenable canopic jar, trapped in the Goa'uld temple."
The sleepiness clinging to his features evaporates at that, and she suppresses the grin threatening to twist the corner of her mouth - it was an idea that had come to her in those seemingly endless moments between consciousness and unconsciousness before drifting off to sleep the previous evening, and she's not 100% sure it will work.
"I'll need to check with Doctor Warner first, though," she adds cautiously, reining in both her own enthusiasm and his expectations.
His face falls, just a fraction, but she guesses he's still just tired and sleepy, and unable to filter any of his emotions at the moment. "So what are you-"
"You figured out Schrödinger's-jar-thing?" Jack asks with a glance over his shoulder, interrupting Daniel.
She doesn't really know how to respond to that, and Daniel actually stifles a laugh beside her with an exaggerated cough.
"That's..." Daniel says, "not even slightly relevant, Jack."
"What do you mean, Daniel?" he replies as they enter the forest, raising his voice over the scrunch of leaf litter. "Isn't it a story about a man and his mystery box?"
"It's not really about the box."
"Well, yeah," Jack continues, "it's about the cat being alive or dead, and until we open your jar-thing and find dead-guy's organs, he's still alive to these people."
Sam blinks rapidly in surprise, and Daniel actually stops walking.
"That's... actually quite poetic of you, Jack," Daniel says.
"See, I'm not so..."
"But still wrong," Daniel adds, cutting across him.
"Gah," Jack says in exacerbation, throwing his hands up in defeat. "It's too early for this."
Sam lets her contribution to this particular thread of conversation die on her tongue; she's spent a great deal of time figuring out when people aren't really interested in the science.
"An-y-way," she says pointedly, glaring over her shoulder at Daniel because all Jack is offering is his back. "I think we may be able to use a portable ultrasound to get an idea of what's in the jar."
Daniel's expression shifts back to something close to eager, but he responds with hesitation in his voice, "Let's hope."
Sam gives him an encouraging smile, and then turns to follow Jack and Teal'c, mentally preparing herself for the three hour walk back to the gate.
/
/
It's just before 0900 by her watch when they exit the forest and cross the little wooden bridge leading into the clearing where the gate stands. Everyone seems a little tired, but the tensions from the previous evening - mostly fueled by Daniel's clear agitation at not being able to bring the jar with them - easing into a comfortable and slightly lethargic silence.
Sam steps up to the DHD and starts dialling before Jack can even get the words out to ask, and he gives her the smallest of smiles - the softest look he's worn all morning. The event horizon splashes out over the field and settles into its brilliant, shimmering pool, and Jack types in their GDO code as he walks towards the MALP.
Moments later, General Hammond's voice greets them. "We read you, SG-1."
"Mornin', General," Jack says, stepping back from the MALP and gesturing for her to approach. Sam quickly swings her pack off her shoulders and sits it on the ground, digging out her samples to send to the SGC.
"We have a small village of locals here, sir," Jack continues. "About 15 klicks south west of the gate."
"That seems unusually far, Colonel."
"We thought so, too," Jack says. "Teal'c and Doctor Carter suspect it's because there was a Goa'uld mining operation here. Doctor Carter's sending some samples through."
"Was?" the General prompts.
"It appears there has not been Goa'uld activity on this world for some time," Teal'c responds. "The people here know them only as a part of their history, passed down by an ageing priesthood."
"The samples I'm sending back appear to contain the same mineral as the mines on Abydos," Sam adds as she finishes loading up the MALP. "We've learned from Teal'c that the Goa'uld and the Jaffa refer to it as naquadah, sir."
"The mineral that the Stargates are made of?" General Hammond asks.
"Yessir," Jack cuts in, "but Doctor Carter suspects the mines here are exhausted." He looks over at her then, raising a questioning eyebrow, and she nods.
"There's something else, General," Daniel says, practically vibrating now with his eagerness to steer the conversation to his find, "The people here have identified their god as a Goa'uld called, Amun. Now, Teal'c isn't aware of any Goa'uld with this name, but the text in the temple here indicates he has connections to Aphophis and Amaunet..." He pauses, and Sam isn't sure if he's giving the General an opportunity to respond, or if it's the difficulty of referring to his own wife as a Goa'uld, but he blinks and shakes his head as though he's debating with himself internally. "Anyway, on our search of the temple we unearthed some sort of Goa'uld artifact, General," he continues, appearing to change tack.
"What sort of artifact, Doctor Jackson?"
"We don't actually know," Daniel continues. "It's small, like an ancient Egyptian canopic jar. The priest we've been working with here won't let it leave the temple."
"Why not just open it?" General Hammond asks, the bemusement clear in his voice.
"Because if it's simply a canopic jar, anything preserved inside of it will be contaminated or destroyed," Daniel responds vehemently. "We can't go around destroying other civilisations' cultural heritage."
Jack puts a hand on Daniel's shoulder then, but Sam can't see the look that passes between them. "And the thing also appears to be giving off naquadah readings, sir," Jack adds. "It may be some kind of Goa'uld power source."
"If I may, sir?" Sam finds her moment to interrupt. "I think we can examine the artifact here, without opening it, with a portable ultrasound unit from Doctor Warner."
There's a moment of silence, and she catches Daniel's eye.
"Fine," General Hammond states. "Walter, get Doctor Warner down here with a portable ultrasound.
"Colonel O'Neill, I'm giving you another twenty-four hours to return to their temple and examine the artifact. If it turns out to be Goa'uld technology, then we must convince these people to let us remove it."
"Understood, sir," Jack says.
She shares another look with Daniel, who looks visibly relieved about the General's response.
As they stand waiting for the redial, and the portable ultrasound, she thinks about all the walking they'll have to get through again today, and breathes a deep sigh.
This time, it's Teal'c's large hand on her shoulder, offering a little encouragement.
/
/
He's honestly thankful for the food they're given as they arrive at the village again, several hours later. The women seem to fuss, and the children laugh and run and stare.
Anoki isn't with them, but Sani is nowhere to be found either, so he guesses they're both at the temple already.
It's not like they can ask anyone where they are.
He looks over at Daniel then, trying to communicate to one of the women in their strange language that he doesn't want any more tea. Daniel's worked out that it's a little like Hebrew, so he's enthusiastically attempting phrases and words, but gets nothing back but a shy, surprised smile from the young woman, who then ducks her head and hurries out of the hut.
Daniel frowns at her retreating back, and Teal'c quirks an eyebrow.
"Let's hope you didn't just make her an offer of marriage," Jack says, swallowing the joke he was going to make about collecting wifes with another sip of sweet tea.
Daniel narrows his eyes at him, but tucks back into his bowl of rice and vegetables, as does Teal'c. Sam's already pushed aside her half-empty bowl in favour of the portable ultrasound that Dr. Warner had given them after confirming that it might do the trick.
"What's up, Doc?"
"I'm just trying to figure out this interface," she says, eyes focused steadily on the device in front of her. "I want to know how to adjust the gain and depth."
"Need a patient?" he asks.
She does look up at him then, her expression unreadable for a moment before one corner of her mouth curves slightly.
"Sure," she says slowly, big blue eyes fixed on him. "But you'll need to lose the shirt."
He looks down at his fatigues and back up at her, and knows she's teasing.
"I think unbuttoning will be sufficient, Doctor," he responds, caution clear in his tone.
She makes a little face like he's ruined her game, and shifts over to him with the machine while he unbuttons his shirt.
"Actually, I'll need to show you how to use this," she says thoughtfully.
"Because there's no way Sani will let you in the temple." he finishes.
"I'd be lucky if he let me within 20 feet of that jar," she adds.
Jack hums in agreement and watches Sam carefully as she switches the device on, and positions the little hand-held sensor thing roughly over his heart, vaguely aware of Teal'c and Daniel staring at them now out the corner of his eye. A muddled, black and white image displays on the screen - he can't really tell what he's looking at except he guesses the bit that's moving the most is his heart.
It looks to him like it's moving kind of fast, and he realises his heart is racing.
Just a little.
If she's noticed, she doesn't really let on as she kneels in front of him, playing around with the settings. Finally, the image looks a little more distinct, and he can make out what he suspects are arteries and muscle. He finds himself oddly fascinated; sitting here holding his shirt open while watching Sam take a peek inside his chest.
"So," she says finally, breaking the silence, "this is basically like using the analyser from yesterday: you point this part here at the jar, and the other part gives you some information. Except this time it's an image."
She's wearing that suppressed smirk again, and he glowers at her tone, batting her hand away so he can button his shirt back up.
"Believe it or not," he says, "I did work that part out. How do I adjust the image?"
She smiles at him then, and sits back, turning her gaze to Daniel and Teal'c. "Daniel, you may want to know this, too."
"She doesn't trust me with the whatchamacallit," he quips, and Daniel climbs to his feet.
"And who can really blame her?" Daniel says sardonically, squeezing in between them to get a view of what Sam's doing.
She shows them both what to do.
/
/
It's still early afternoon as they approach the temple. Sani emerges from the entrance to greet them, and Sam hands him the ultrasound before hanging back, clearly wary of the old priest and his dislike of her presence.
He still doesn't like it, but he gives her what he hopes is an encouraging smile before following Daniel and Teal'c inside.
Sani ushers them into the corner of the main room that seems to be his work area, and sits, indicating that they should do the same. Jack places the ultrasound on the floor beside him.
"You did not have this with you yesterday," Sani states, curious eyes trained on the device.
"No, we brought it back from the Great Ring this morning," Daniel responds. "It will allow us to examine the object here, without opening it, and determine if it's safe for you and your people."
Sani's heavily lined forehead crinkles at that, worry clear on his face. "And you assure me that The Gift will come to no harm?"
"It doesn't even need to leave your possession, Sani," Daniel says, soothingly. "You can hold it yourself while we examine it, and we will simply use this small device against its surface."
Daniel indicates the hand-held sensor thing, and Sani looks visibly calmer but still uncertain.
"It will take only a few minutes," Daniel urges.
There is a moment where Sani simply stares at the thing in Daniel's hand nervously, and Jack thinks he may end up refusing.
"Very well, Daniel," Sani finally replies.
The old man rises and walks over to a small, carved cabinet situated against a wall. Opening its doors, he carefully lifts the jar from where it sits on a shelf, and brings it back over to the group.
Jack turns the ultrasound on, and waits for Daniel to do the honours.
Gently, Daniel places the sensor thing against the centre of the jar, and Jack watches as a big dark patch surrounded with blurry white lines and spots comes up on the screen. He adjusts the settings Sam showed them, pushing the depth and then pulling it right back again, watching the image go from hazy and pale to darker again before trying to clean it up with the gain.
He can't for the life of him make out anything that may be inside of it - technological or organic. It just looks like a big, dark void.
Daniel scowls at him, and he shrugs helplessly. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but it looks... empty."
"We should be seeing something with a different density or shape, at least," Daniel says.
"Why would Doctor Carter's analyser indicate the presence of naquadah if it is empty?" Teal'c adds.
"I have no idea, Teal'c..." Daniel responds quietly. "Maybe... what was originally in it was removed some time ago? Or, maybe the material the jar is made of happens to contain some of the mineral?"
"Well, this was a bust." Jack hopes his annoyance at all the additional trekking for absolutely nothing is obvious as he packs up the ultrasound.
He realises then that Sani is strangely silent, still sitting in front of them, holding the jar in his hands.
"Umm... it seems we were wrong in our suspicions about the object, Sani," Daniel says apologetically.
"But of course," Sani says with a lift of his chin, a haughty, knowing expression settling across his features. "It is the gift of Amun."
The priest rises again, and returns the jar to its shelf in the cabinet.
"Now," Sani continues, turning back to them, "you must join me for some tea."
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Jack says. "It's really time we got out of your hair, and the trip back to the ga... Great Ring is a bit of a walk."
"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave..." the old man says, bringing his hands together, "... without first quenching your thirst. After all, Amun would be most displeased if we failed to offer hospitality."
The priest's words are an echo of their first meeting in the village, and before he can object again, Sani has disappeared into one of the smaller rooms in the temple. He shares a glance with Daniel and Teal'c: Daniel tilts his head to one side and shrugs, and Teal'c gives a slight bow.
"I don't think we have much of a choice," Daniel adds.
Jack reaches for his radio. "Carter, you read?"
"Affirmative, Colonel."
"We're gonna be a little while longer - we got another tea party in here."
He can hear her chuckle over the open comms. "I gather you found something?"
"Quite the opposite, Carter," he says. "I'll fill you in later. Over."
He releases the button on his radio and lets his hands fall back into his lap.
"Is it just me, or does Sani seem... a little less dramatic than expected about the whole 'no cat' thing?"
"'No cat' thing?" Daniel repeats slowly, eyebrows waggling in confusion.
"I mean, our options were: dead guy's organs," Jack makes a face and holds his thumb up in the air as his first count. "Or something active left by a possibly living Goa'uld." He sticks up his index finger as his second count. "What's the chances of a 'no cat' scenario?"
Daniel blinks at him for a moment before responding. "Considering that we can rule out tomb raiders on this planet, I agree, I was expecting... something."
"I agree," Teal'c adds. "In my experience, the Goa'uld rarely take actions that do not benefit them in some way. An empty vessel with seemingly no purpose, buried in a Goa'uld temple, is indeed unexpected."
They all fall silent as Sani re-emerges from the darkness of the temple passage, a tray in hand with three bowls of tea. He hands a bowl to each of them before taking a seat beside them again.
"What you have done for our people, will never be forgotten," Sani says, bowing his head.
Following Daniel and Teal'c, Jack nods and lifts the bowl to his lips, taking a few deep sips before lowering the bowl again.
He licks his lips, and scrunches up his face a little at the bitter aftertaste.
"I think I prefer the other tea," he says, right before everything goes dark.
/
A/N: It took longer than expected to write this one. Life of late has not been easy.
As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.