Author's note
Here is chapter 3, I hope you will like it !
I don't have much to say except to thank those who left me a comment! It's nice to know that we don't waste our time writing for nothing! Happy reading to everyone!
English is not my natural language, so I apologize in advance if this is difficult to read.
Chapter 3
On Earth, at the heart of Cheyenne Mountain, Dr. Daniel Jackson watched the Stargate turn during its activation sequence, opening a passage to a new world to explore. Slightly worried, he double-checked his MA5K as Chevron 4 locked into place on the gate. Their destination was listed on the Abydos cartouche, and they had been instructed to exercise maximum caution and discretion because the Goa'uld were aware of this gate as well. For several months now, crossing the gate had become their usual routine, and so far, they had not encountered their enemy. However, he and his team had discovered that there were indeed other peoples in their galaxy, recalling their encounter with Unity, a crystalline race from P3X-562, or Sam's troubles during their exploration of a planet designated P3X-593, whose real name was Simarka, a world with a Mongolian culture where his teammate was a victim of true sexual discrimination.
The least pleasant thing, however, was the day he watched the archives that Catherine Langford had sent him; he discovered that the gate had already been activated in 1945 and that one of their own, Dr. Ernest Littlefield, had been left behind. Although during this rescue mission on Heliopolis they were able to retrieve Dr. Littlefield and obtain the refuge of the four great races, the knowledge that they had abandoned one of their own for more than 50 years left a bitter taste in Daniel's mouth !
His helmet on his head, he adjusted his glasses as he observed the new boarding room, much larger than the old one, it was big enough to hold several Warthogs and several dozen people. One could say that the new room was divided into two parts, the upper part elevated by two steps compared to the door. In the upper part, there was always the glass of the command room as well as the armored side doors. It was also in this part that there were machine gun posts with guards to receive any undesirable individual, although this was unlikely because, from what he understood, a defense named Iris, consisting of a perfect blend of Titanium-A and Trinium, had been placed to block anything that did not send the identification code before crossing.
Descending the two steps, they arrived at the door itself, placed at the back of the room. It had been placed directly on the floor, as it was certain that the old ramp would not have been able to support the weight of the various Warthogs at their disposal. On the ceiling was precisely the opening where the crane intended to bring the vehicles into the boarding room was located.
As the door continued its work, Daniel looked at the different soldiers in the room and could only notice the difference between their BDUs and those of the SG teams. While the guards' BDU was the same as that of the regular army (Halo Reach Soldier Design), the SG teams had a slightly lighter version that allowed them to be protected while being light enough to cover great distances during their explorations (Halo Infinite Soldier Design). Far more effective than the old kevlar, the UNSC BDU had been designed to withstand Covenant weapon plasma as much as possible. Turning his head to look at Jack, he noticed something that caught his attention !
"How come you have the right to wear a cap ?! And your HUD ?» Looking at him with a mocking smile, Jack showed him his glasses to make him understand that his HUD had been integrated into the optical pair. "Your glasses also serve as a HUD ! Why did you get to have it ?!»
Finishing adjusting his cap on his head, Jack gave the simplest possible answer, "Because I asked !"
However, Daniel could not respond because General Hammond, accompanied by Kawalsky and Carter, crossed one of the armored gates. Descending the two steps, they reached their level. "Colonel, keep in mind that this world is known to the Goa'uld. Although the MALP did not detect any signs of life around the gate, you must not engage in combat under any circumstances except as a last resort !"
Diving his eyes into those of his team, O'Neill knew they were ready. "Of course, General, you can count on us!"
Just as he finished speaking, the Gate activated and the event horizon surged forth with force. Hammond then looked at the men standing before him, "Good luck SG1!" With one last nod, the team headed towards the gate as they had done for the past seven months.
…
(Earth/Orbit/Spirit of Fire)
Admiral Cutter could be found on the deck of his ship, looking out into space through the bridge window, lost in thought. The veteran contemplated all they had accomplished and what still lay ahead, far too much in his opinion !
"Is there a problem, Admiral ?" Serina's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as she materialized right next to Cutter, her hands behind her back, her gaze also turning to space, the stars twinkling as far as the eye could see.
I was just wondering if I took the right descent and if it would be of any use or not !
Casting her gaze on Cutter for a few seconds, Serina turned once again towards the window, "No one can say, James !" All I know is that you have accomplished one of the most difficult tasks, unifying the peoples of Earth!According to my calculations, this was the most likely to fail and trigger a global conflict... Humans can be so unpredictable and irrational sometimes...!
Way too much in agreement with her, Cutter nodded, everything went very well, too well even ! To believe that they had been aided by a higher being or something like that. "Our unpredictability is as much a strength as it is a weakness, but you know as well as I do that if we were to face an attack tomorrow, it wouldn't be the little ODP we have that would save the Earth !" Because yes, over the past 7 months, things had finally moved in Cutter's favor! The elections being over, the UEG was operational just like the UNSC. The Orbital Elevator had been completed just like the Space Station. Of the 5 naval yards planned on Earth, only two were operational and had begun production of their new ODP equipped with a next-generation MAC Cannon.
Thanks to the incorporation of Naquadah into their technology, their firepower had increased, even if just a little. The new MAC series V cannons had seen their coilgun. improved with Naquadah to charge them faster but above all, to propel the Shell much faster, now the 3000 Tonnes Shell hurtles at 120000 Km/s, or 40% of the speed of light, with an impact power of 4.78 Teratons! Cutter was pretty sure that no shield technology could withstand such a strike force.
"It is true that the 12 ODP currently in service are not enough, but the other shipyards are on the right track. Moreover, each shipyard manages to produce 3 ODP per production session. When the other 3 start producing, the five will have an output of 15 ODP every 3 months !" Serina's estimates were correct; thanks to the Materializer in Harlight, building orbital defense platforms in 3 months was a clear advantage.
Alas, James had a small modification to the initial plan: "When all the construction sites are in service, I plan to opt for four for one !"
Her remark made Serina look at him, "Are we starting to produce the Admiral fleet?" surprised, because the Alteran outpost could offer them much more powerful weapons once they had the means to activate it. Unfortunately, they had not yet managed to power the control chair, which meant that any ship built now would only benefit from a more powerful mac cannon, and if in the future they managed to produce advanced weapons, those ships would have to return to the garage for an upgrade.
Grumbling to himself Cutter explained, "Our sensors cannot scan the entire solar system, and even if the outpost could, we are not able to activate it. We have neither Mars nor the Jovian colonies." If someone were to end up snooping around our system, we need to know about it, we need patrols !
Understanding his reasoning, Serina began to calculate the ideal type of ship to have firepower, relatively low economic cost, and high production speed to fulfill this role. "I understand, Admiral !" Given our current needs and without hindering our long-term base project, I would say that the ideal ship for this kind of mission is the heavy frigate of the Paris class !
With his neurons firing on all cylinders, Cutter contemplated Serina's suggestion. The Paris class focused on armaments rather than loading capacity, leaving it with minimal capability to transport ground troops or strike fighters, although this mattered little for the Paris ! The frigate proved to be more than suitable for facing ostensibly superior forces in space warfare; it was indeed the type of ship they needed.
"We have made progress, especially with the sublight engines, we have even achieved stealth capabilities thanks to the alternating shuttle !" I am confident that very soon we will develop a new, more powerful ship-to-ship weapon! Without having to spread our resources to slow down an enemy stronger than us, and with all the minds of a planet working on it, it is impossible that we won't succeed ! Without saying a word, Serina turned towards the area where other facilities were under construction. The future was uncertain and no calculation could predict what would happen, one had to wait and see .
…
(P3X-774/Milky Way)
In a world where nature dominated everything, Colonel Jack O'Neill thought this mission was a waste of time! 3 hours now that he and his team had arrived and there was no trace of any civilization. Trees! Moss! Mountains! This planet was certainly very pretty, but according to him, there was nothing that justified a team like his. "Daniel … !"
O'Neill's call made the archaeologist turn towards him, displeased to be interrupted, "Jack, just because we don't find a city or village doesn't mean there's nothing !"
But the colonel's face told him everything he needed to know: "Daniel, it's been 3 hours and still nothing interesting !" It will take us 2 hours just to reach the door, let's get moving !
"But..." However, Daniel couldn't find the words as Kawaslki's call urged them to head towards him with quick steps. When they reached him, they saw him looking into the air 10 or 20 meters away.
"What's going on, Charlie ?!" To the question from his superior and friend, Kawaslki turned his gaze from the spot he was looking at to see his three teammates who had arrived behind him, he replied, "I saw something!" However, Jack raised an eyebrow at this rather vague response.
Fortunately, Daniel took the lead. "What was that ?"
Turning his head to look back at the spot, he didn't know what to say, "I don't know, Daniel, but I'm sure there was something there, but it was transparent, but I clearly saw a blurry shape !" Like invisible !
Carter frowned as the Major's description left her with little to compare to. "Like a chameleon ?!"
Turning to the only woman on their team, Kawalsky indeed thought that this was what most closely matched what he had been able to see. "More or less, Captain, except it was flying while hovering in place, and it looked huge too !"
While everyone searched for traces of the creature but found nothing, the team's archaeologist finally discovered something that would force Jack to admit that this mission was not as much of a waste of time as he had stubbornly claimed. "Maybe an indigenous species of this planet !?"
As if he had seen the future, Jack turned to Daniel, who turned to him at exactly the same moment, each already knowing what the other wanted. Jack cut off any unnecessary discussion. "Alright then!" We'll turn around a bit to see if we can spot anything. But be careful! One hour, no more! Daniel with me ! Charlie, you and Carter will go to the right flank.
And SG1 set off, their eyes fixed on the sky, they moved forward cautiously for fear of missing it foolishly; if this creature could blend into the surroundings, then observing it would be difficult. But as they continued their quest, they never noticed that they were also being watched since their arrival on this world. For the moment, the observers' first impression was rather good, although they reserved their opinion for now, they would continue to follow them. However, now that these travelers had discovered Fenrir, they wanted to see if, like those before them, they would try to capture it to obtain what they must think is its power of invisibility.
On their side, Jack and Daniel had arrived at a small grassy hill that offered them an unobstructed view of the entire valley, and for the first time, the two men were left speechless by the sight: the fir woods, a distant waterfall, snow-capped mountains—this planet was teeming with life. Unknown to the two men, they silently wondered at the same time if Earth had looked like this in the past, without pollution! In their trance-like state, they were brought back to reality by a strange noise, like wings beating very quickly. At the same time, they knelt down, using the twin function of their HUD, they saw in the air above the forest in front of them the same thing as Kawaslky, a blurry shape hovering in place .
As Daniel began to take notes on their discovery, Jack was once again captivated by UNSC technology, as he hadn't pressed any buttons; the mere thought of wanting to zoom in and the mental reader did it on its own. He also noticed that at the bottom of his vision, a mini-map worthy of a video game had started to record and display the terrain as they progressed since their arrival on this world. On the compass located along the upper part of his vision, he could see that the positions of the door and the Malp were displayed. Shaking his head, he redirected his attention to his mini-map, where he could distinguish a blue point next to him as well as two other points identified with the designations of Carter and Kawalsky. But he suddenly frowned, something had appeared in his field of vision.
While he was taking various notes in his notebook, Daniel was surprised to be thrown to the ground by Jack. Turning his head to ask what was wrong with him, he received the order to make no noise, the team's common radio crackling in his headset. Daniel heard Jack contact the rest of the team, "Attention!" Unknown contact displayed in red on my HUD in the forest to our south, southeast! Looking at the map on his own HUD Daniel realized that Jack was right.
"Could they be inhabitants of this world ?!" Kawalsky's assumption brought hope to Daniel's heart, alas...
"Sorry, but I doubt it !" Our HUD has the ability to display allies in blue, unknowns in white, and those previously designated as hostile in red! And there goes that hope...
Kawalsky's voice came to life once again in his helmet. "So it's either one of the Covenant races, or..."
"Jaffa!" As Kawalsky had started the sentence, Jack cut him off to give him the answer as he and Daniel saw a group of men dressed in gray metal armor and equipped with staff weapons they knew all too well. "Major !" Captain! "Fall back to the designated point, we'll join you !"
(A few minutes later)
The SG1 team had gathered in the middle of the trees, discussing their unexpected situation. "Calm down !" "We knew it would eventually happen !" Jack was right, that was what the other SG1 members thought as their eyes never left the forest surrounding them, except for the occasional glance at their life sign detector.
"We are lucky to have vital sensors, without them, it could have gone badly !" Kawalsky remarked, recalling his first encounter with Ra's Jaffa, his grip instinctively tightening on his weapon.
"And yet they were improved with one of the devices discovered in Antarctica !" It significantly boosted their power ! For someone like Carter who was a tech fan, their equipment had literally made her drool the first time she got her hands on it.
"That's fine, but what do we do now ?" Daniel's question drew the others' attention to him as the man had a breath rate higher than normal, which did not escape his teammates. None of them reproached him for it, however, because even though Daniel was undergoing physical training to be part of an SG team, he still had no real military training.
Jack, on his side, was analyzing the situation and their options. "For the moment, they don't know we're here. We can use our HUDs to avoid them until they leave."
However, his plan had a flaw that Kawalsky pointed out to him: "If they think they are alone on this planet, they will start asking questions when they see the Malp next to the door!" If they haven't already ! Swear in his head, Jack curses their luck.
"But what are they doing here anyway ? Apart from trees, there's nothing notable on this planet ?" Carter's question hung in the air for a few seconds, each one pondering what could possibly drive Jaffa to wander in this forest.
Finally, a hypothesis emerged in Daniel's mind: "Maybe for the creature ?!"
Jack then looked at him with a frown, "Why would they have prepared this creature ?"
Seeing where he was going with this, Sam clarified, "I would say they are after his power to make things invisible rather than the creature itself!" At least in my opinion !
Looking around him, always on alert, Jack was pondering their next move. "That changes nothing !" We have orders not to engage the enemy under any circumstances, move to the door as discreetly as possible ! Keep your eyes on your life sign detector and the terrain, you never know. No one replied, not only because the UNSC was much stricter with orders but also because they all agreed with their leader ! What the Jaffa were doing here was none of their business; if there had been innocents in danger, maybe Daniel or Carter would have had something to say about it, but in this case, the only one in immediate danger was that invisible creature, which seemed as elusive as it was unpredictable !
In a silence worthy of a ghost, the group set off to return home.
(P3X-774/Unknown Location)
A group of individuals had been moving through this Forest for almost a day now, and for them, the vast expanse of trees was a true labyrinth. But they had been entrusted with a mission, a mission that others before them had received and failed, and they all knew it would be just as impossible for them, but they had no choice but to accept and accomplish it! They could not refuse, not when it was an order from their God !
The group from Jaffa scoured the leafy ground, their eyes fixed on the sky in search of that cursed creature. Occasionally, they could hear the sound of its flapping wings, as if it were mocking them with its mere presence! "We are going to be punished !" It was the thought that crossed the mind of the man who commanded the group tasked with completing their mission. In the past, Apophis had already entrusted him with this task, to go to this world and capture the creature capable of becoming invisible to bring it back to his God, and he had failed ! To punish him, his God had had the men who accompanied him on his mission executed, all friends, and Teal'c was pretty sure he was going to relive this experience, maybe this time he would die too, after all, he was Apophis's first prime ! Failure was not permitted to him !
Always on alert, he led his group towards the Chappa'ai to return to Chulak, with failure in his heart. The worst, he thought, was that he was going to die for what he knew to be a false god. Like his mentor Bra'tac, he knew that the Goa'uld were not gods, but what could two poor Jaffa do in the face of the supremacy of an entire empire ! He consoled himself by saying that at least, thanks to his status as the first prime, he had been able to limit the damage to the poor people who were victims of the false god's insane whims ! Whenever he could, that is to say when the serpent was not present to order him to massacre poor people himself, he allowed them to escape.
Raising his finger in the air, he abruptly stopped the group that was following him, while the Jaffa looked into the trees, believing their leader had heard the creature. Teal'c, on the other hand, observed the trees around him because what he had heard was not the typical sound of the animal's wings but rather that of someone who had slightly slipped on leaves or a branch. Gripping his snake staff with both hands, he advanced cautiously, the group having understood began to watch the ground around them as well.
A little higher up on a mound, cursing their luck, Jack and Kawalsky had hidden behind a rock, a bit higher up Daniel and Carter had hidden behind a tree trunk. As they were heading towards the gate to return to their world and avoid any unnecessary confrontation, it turned out that the Jaffa also wanted to go back home. On their guard, they could see on the life sign detector of their HUD that one of the Jaffa was slowly advancing in their direction.
Teal'c advanced slightly, his staff weapon ready to fire as his senses were focused on detecting the slightest noise or movement. As he reached the foot of the mound where SG1 was hiding, Kawalsky shouldered his MA5K, ready to use it ! Turning his head slightly to the side, he saw Jack shaking his head negatively, signaling him not to engage in combat; if there was to be a confrontation, it would be the Jaffa who would have to open fire first. There was no more noise, the rays of the sun filtering through the forest foliage, nature itself had stopped, the rustling of the wind, the songs of the birds, it was as if the planet itself was holding its breath, waiting with dread for the outcome of this encounter. Daniel could feel his heart beating in his own ears in an erratic and deafening manner. Since his encounter with Ra, he thought he was ready for this kind of situation, but no ! Fear and adrenaline pump through his veins with force ! When he slipped, Carter had caught him in an incredible display of reflexes, pinning him against a tree. The latter seemed to sense his fear as she tightened her grip on his shoulder reassuringly, and it was indeed this that prevented him from acting in panic.
As the tension was palpable, a familiar sound of wings broke the heavy silence, "Kree Jaffa !"
Right after the call to order, the sound of metal boots at a run signaled to the ground team that the enemy soldiers had set off in pursuit of their desired object. Sighing in relief, Jack and Kawalsky turned to Carter and Daniel, "Sorry!" That was all Daniel could find to say because it was due to his loss of balance that the other group had heard them. Shaking their heads, no one blamed the archaeologist because it could have happened to anyone.
As Jack was about to tell them to continue, he couldn't do it because Carter signaled something behind him. Turning around quickly, he saw that a lone man was watching them. Distractedly, he noted that his life sign detector hadn't detected an unknown contact until after Carter had told him to turn around. The man did not seem dangerous; this realization prompted Jack to loosen his grip on his weapon as the rest of the team did the same. With a simple appearance, the man wore a plain garment that at first glance appeared to be made from plant fibers. His hair was tousled and covered with some kind of grass.
In an awkward silence, Daniel decided to break the tension, "Uh... Hello !" The man then turned his head to look at Daniel with a slightly bigger smile, moving closer to them, he looked at each one of them before stepping a few paces in a direction completely opposite to the door. As a small distance began to appear between them, the man turned to SG1, signaling them to follow him, his kind smile still present. "I think he wants us to follow him !" Announced Daniel unnecessarily, which was obvious to everyone.
Kawalsky had some reservations about it. "I don't think it's wise to follow a stranger just because they ask us to!" Especially not when there's a gang of armed thugs still lurking around the area !
Daniel, however, did not seem to share the major's opinion. "But we travel through the gate for this!" Meet other people ! Other cultures! Turning to the one making the decisions, they saw Jack blinking like an owl, still staring at the strangely appearing man.
"If he had wanted to harm us, he could have done it before we knew, Colonel !" Carter's remark seemed to have its effect because Jack began to make his typical ridiculous face as he made a decision he knew was reckless.
"Well... if we're invited, we shouldn't be rude !" He said as he began to walk in the direction of the man whose smile grew even wider. Daniel and Carter followed him, with Kawalsky bringing up the rear, checking to see if any hidden Jaffa were following them.
(Ohper)
As he led his four guests to the place where he and his family lived, Ohper thought about the unfolding events, not unexpected but still extremely rare. Observing the four humans behind him since their arrival on Gaia, he and his people had noticed with appreciation that these travelers were not like those who usually came to their world. Ordinarily, when other races discovered the Fenrir, they all tried to capture it to seize its ability to become invisible, the serpent more than the others, without knowing that it was actually his people who made them disappear. Although still young, it had been decided after numerous consultations with the others to try to make contact with them to see if they were ready to learn, for that was the purpose of knowledge and wisdom, to be taught to the youngest !
The encounter between them and the Jaffa was what had decided them to talk to them, the fact that they had chosen to avoid confrontation proved that they did not solve everything with violence, although Anteaus still believed that they were not ready. But if they could help them reach the Stargate safely without having to shed blood, they had to do it. After a short walk that seemed long to SG1, they arrived in a small area where there were a few wooden huts covered in grass. The smell of smoke then reached the noses of the Earth team.
Guided to a campfire, they could see that three other people were around the fire: a man younger than their guide, a young woman, and finally a child. The person who had guided them here went to take a seat around the fire with the others where the food seemed ready to be served. Sitting across from their host, they removed their helmets. The young woman offered each of them a basket of fruit. Accepting politely, each took one of the fruits with a thank you, bringing it cautiously to their mouths, marveling at the sweetness and the fuzzy sensation in their mouths. The small family, for their part, watched them with appreciation as they ate more and more slowly to fully enjoy their food, but they appreciated even more the efforts they made to avoid offending them in any way.
After a brief moment of silence, the man next to the woman spoke, "We will escort you to the door safely."
Although initially surprised that they were speaking to them for the first time, Daniel saw the opportunity to start the conversation, "Do you speak our langage ?!"
The question brought a small smile to the man's face, "It took us a little bit of time, but yes !" However, he did not prolong the conversation more than necessary, preferring to continue enjoying the food, which was actually the ideal excuse to keep observing their guest and their reaction.
"It was quick !" That was all Daniel could find to say. They looked at each other, it seemed that SG1 had agreed that it would be Daniel who continued on his roll. "Well, nice to meet you, my name is Daniel Jackson, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Charles Kawalsky, and finally Captain Samantha Carter !" "We come from a world called Earth!" he said as the other team members gave a small wave of greeting as Daniel introduced them to allow the others to recognize them. The descendants of the Ancients! It was the first thing the elders of the small family thought as they exchanged glances at this realization, the memory of the old alliance coming back to them.
In turn, they introduced themselves. "I am Ohper" The man who had brought them here introduced himself in turn.
"Antaeus," says the second man.
"Lya," she introduced herself in turn, the only woman in their group, with a small smile too pure and kind for a mere mortal.
The little child of the group stood up and quickly walked to position himself in front of Carter. "Nafrayu !" he said, pointing with an adorable smile that could melt a stone. Carter couldn't help but smile as she fell under the child's adorable charm. So pure and innocent!
"No, you couldn't take him !" Jack joked about Sam's behavior while Daniel and Kawalsky could only smile at the scene.
"You are on Gaia, and our people are called the Nox." Once again, the man now known as Anteaus had just provided information that at first glance and for anyone else might seem trivial and unimportant, but not for SG1.
Taking advantage of the brief pause after their introduction as the now-identified Nox, Daniel asked a question, "Are you one of the four great races ?!" He asked as the child returned to Lya's side.
This time, the Nox looked at each other genuinely surprised, "Have they spoken to you about us ?" Asked the oldest and therefore the wisest Nox of the group.
Ohper's question brought Daniel avoided any misunderstanding from arising. "Well... we went to Heliopolis !" And we saw the message you left. Honestly, we didn't expect to meet you in this world !
Anteaus looked at each of them as he judged their reaction, "Our alliance was built over several centuries !" "You are still too young for us to be able to converse at this level!" If SG1 was offended by his comment, they did not show it.
The silence settled, it was broken by Lya, "Why did you come to this world ?" Is it to capture Fenrir?
This time, the team frowned, not knowing what she was talking about. "Sorry, but we don't know what a 'Feniri' is !" replied Daniel, visibly confused and sorry for not knowing what the Nox were referring to. Daniel replied, visibly confused and sorry for not knowing what the Nox were referring to.
After a moment of reflection, Kawalsky then slightly turned his head towards the archaeologist, "Maybe that's the name of this invisible creature ?!"
Realizing he was right, Daniel moistened his lips before speaking again. "Uh... No !" We didn't know about this creature before spotting it ! As I was saying, we are explorers, we travel to other planets to meet their people, learn their culture...," he said with a cheerful and excited smile, gesturing with both hands towards the Nox family as he said these last words.
However, Lya tilted her head slightly to the side, troubled by these words, "Yet when you saw him, you tried to approach him !"
But Daniel, for his part, did not see what could have upset them in their curiosity. "Well yes, we travel to discover many different things compared to our world but also to see the similarities !" For example, on Earth, we have a small reptilian creature known as a chameleon that can change the color of its skin to blend into the surroundings... a bit like this Fenrir, and we wanted to see if this creature was similar to it ! Although the chameleon is smaller and doesn't fly! He finished once again with a smile.
This time it was Anteaus who spoke up, "It's not Fenrir who can become invisible!" It's the Nox !
Sam then spoke for the first time, "Do you also possess the invisibility cloak ?!"
"Also ?!"
This time, the question posed by Lya was accompanied by Daniel, Jack, and Charles, although coming from them, it sounded more like a surprised exclamation. "Yes, the UNSC has started developing cloaking technology, although at the moment we have only managed to create a time-limited prototype, and its delicate energy management prevents us from using it on anything other than a small vessel !" She explained to everyone, she had heard about it one day, this technology was a reverse-engineering of that of the Altéran ship found in Antarctica, but since its existence was confidential, she omitted to mention it, especially in front of unknown individuals.
Ohper then asked a question on a topic that intrigued him, "What is the UNSC ?"
They looked at each other, SG1 decided whether or not to answer them, fortunately during the creation of the UEG it was decided that a time-traveling ship was a bit too big and incredible, so a story that would be taught to future generations in Earth's schools as well as told to other races was created, which Carter began to do. "Well, to begin with, you need to know the history of our world." Our world is very populated and was very divided into several nations... our history has truly been marked by internal conflicts, there were many wars... she continued under the worried and discontented gaze of the Nox. "After the Second World War, the Korean War and the Cold War quickly followed. As the conflict was on the verge of escalating into another world war, the leaders of our world at that time decided to come together so that such a tragedy would not happen again, neither now nor ever !"…..»
As Carter recounted the official history of their world, Jack debated internally whether he should interrupt him or not. On one hand, this story was precisely designed to be told to other races without revealing anything important about them, but on the other hand, he was giving away information for free without getting anything in return. Finally, he decided to let her continue; sometimes, one had to take a leap of faith !
"... Faced with the too heavy human toll of years of conflict, the UEG, United Earth Government, was created, and while one of the conditions for its creation was the prohibition of possessing any weapons or armies, it was unthinkable to leave us defenseless if one day we were confronted with a threat from outside our world !" The UNSC was then created, a neutral armed force composed of volunteers from the peoples of Earth with the sole purpose of protecting the Earth and its inhabitants ! She concluded as the Nox absorbed the history of the Tau'ri people. While the part about world wars and mass genocide disturbed them greatly, the fact that they had been able to put an end to this madness and unite as one single people was proof of great potential ! For few had the ability and the courage to forgive years of suffering for a better future. Although for the Nox people, interacting with the descendants of the Ancients was still too soon, the Asgard might be more likely to be interested in guiding them. They would have to contact their old friends.
After a brief moment of comfortable silence, Anteaus spoke, "We, the Nox, do not use weapons to defend ourselves; we use our voices to hide, we are a peaceful people !"... it is undeniable that you have grown a lot, but you still have a long way to go before you can share with us !
Daniel expressed his dismay and that of his friends. "Wait! We have flaws, it's true, but who doesn't !? We can still make progress, we want to learn !
Ohper looked at him with a gentle smile, similar to an adult looking at children. "Learning takes time."
Lya then continued, "Maybe one day, but the time has not yet come." she said, making an explicit gesture towards their weapon, "It is time for you to go home…"
As Daniel was about to speak, he was interrupted by Jack, "Daniel, that's enough !" As he turned to look at him, Jack's gaze made him understand what he meant. When they had them take the psychological tests to be able to travel through the gate, they were clearly told to respect the will of the peoples they would encounter. If they wanted to share, great, continue! But if, on the other hand, they told them to leave, then they had to leave !
As the rest of the team stood up, Daniel followed them without saying a word, "Thank you for your time !" I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again. Goodbye! he finished with a farewell smile. As Carter said a final goodbye to Nafrayu, SG1 headed towards the Stargate with the same caution, for this meeting had not made them forget that Jaffa were still on this planet.
After a quarter of an hour of walking, Daniel wondered if Jack's glasses were defective because his HUD clearly indicated where the door was, yet they were going in circles in this forest. "Jack, the door is over there !" he exclaimed, pointing in the right direction.
Turning to the members of his team, the expression on Jack's face clearly indicated that he already knew, "I know, Daniel, but we are being followed !" I hoped he would give up, but no…
Follow-up?! By whom? Fortunately, Kawalsky comes to his rescue: "The child has been leading us on the track since we left them."
"He knows this planet better than we do, we have no chance of shaking him off, let's head to the door !" "When we start to get too far from his home, he'll surely give up..." And as SG1 set off again in the right direction this time, they were pleased to see that indeed the child had given up.
"Do you think the UNSC will send ambassadors to try to establish other contacts with the Nox ?" Carter's question led the group to start debating the topic, but the general opinion was not very positive; the Nox had clearly made it known that they did not wish to engage in exchanges with peoples of their military strength.
As the discussion continued at full speed, Jack interrupted them by ordering them to be quiet and commanding them to hide behind trees. The Stargate was on the hill just above them, but in front of them were the Jaffa from earlier, except this time they were not alone. Nafrayu was with them, in front of the Jaffa, the child seemed to want to introduce himself as he had done with them. This time Kawalsky was not going to sit there and do nothing ! Let the Jaffa chase after a stupid flying insect, good for them, but he wouldn't just stand by if they went after that child ! Jack seemed to share his opinion because he started giving orders for everyone to take up ambush positions around the group.
…
Teal'c really did not like this day, not at all! Their search for the creature had been a total and absolute failure, Apophis was going to make them pay dearly for this failure, but as he and his Jaffa were returning to the gate, a small child appeared before them, uttering the simple word, Nafrayu, which he guessed after a moment to be the child's name. But the worst part was when an idea sprouted in the minds of these Jaffa; they wanted to bring the child to Apophis so as not to return empty-handed in the face of their failure!
A lump formed in his throat, he couldn't let them do it, the more he looked at the poor innocent child, the more the image of his own son Rya'c imposed itself in his mind. If the destiny and fate of his people was to be slaves and tools of the Goa'uld, then so be it! But letting a poor innocent child live such a life! No, never! "Kree'Ol'Na!" He ordered in an uncompromising tone.
"Kree'Shak!" Replied the Jaffa who had grabbed the child by the arm, continuing to speak in his language. Clearly, they were much more afraid of facing their god empty-handed than of openly defying his authority.
"Kree'tall Jaffa!" Teal'c then ordered, this time turning directly to his Jaffa, an expression on his face clearly indicating that he would not accept a refusal.
Behind their tree, SG1 watched troubled by the exchange between the Jaffa, the discord among them easily discernible to anyone. "Daniel, what are they saying?!"
Watching the events with interest, Daniel began to translate the situation. "The dark-skinned Jaffa ordered the others to let the child go, but the others refused!" They say that if they return to Apophis empty-handed, they will be punished. The other didn't want to hear anything and told him to obey!
Kawalsky then asked the question that was probably on the minds of the other team members, "Who is Apophis?"
Realizing that indeed, apart from Ra, they had never encountered another, Daniel began to explain, "Apophis is Ra's brother and it is assumed that he is one of the many Goa'uld system lords!"
"Oh, no way!" That was all the curse Jack could muster, not only were they facing Jaffa, but they were also under the orders of one of the main snake heads. If there was a confrontation and even one of them managed to escape, it would be their doom once they got back to base. Taking a deep breath, he made a decision, "Alright, kids, let's let the kid go!" He shouted, his action was all the rest of the team needed to understand that Jack had chosen to listen to his conscience rather than the orders! They were ready to support him!
And fortunately, because the effect was immediate for the group that was arguing, they all turned around at once, weapons activated, ready to take down the intruders. "Who are you!" Asked Teal'c, choosing to speak rather than shoot.
Jack then chose to reveal his position, although the rest of his team remained hidden. "I am a friend of the child and I ask you to let him go!" He asked in a calm but firm voice, his MA5K pointed at the Jaffa, ready to defend himself. Teal'c glanced slightly behind him to see the child and noticed that his men had surrounded him and were starting to head in the opposite direction, towards the Chappa'ai. He frowned at that, these men were going to use him to retreat?! Things were getting worse, and he had to make a decision: listen to his heart or take the unlikely gamble that the child would be enough for Apophis not to want to massacre them for their failure! Not really a choice when he thought about it seriously. "I don't want to fight with you, man..." But if I have to sacrifice myself to protect an innocent, I will do it! The comment from the human in front of him made Teal'c look him straight in the eyes. He was serious and honest! A good and honorable man, I respect him for that! "Help me save a life!" That was the last straw !
"I am of your opinion..." Teal'c's blood boiled as he turned around in one swift motion to fire a plasma bolt at the Jaffa blocking his line of sight to the child. Immediately after, deafening sounds of weapons unknown to him were heard from various positions around him; it seemed the human was not alone! As he hid behind a tree trunk, Teal'c was impressed by the power and precision of the humans' weapons; he had only had time to fire a single shot when their weapon had already decimated half of his former unit. Jack came to stand beside him and, with a short burst of deadly precision, eliminated the Jaffa in the center. The Jaffa holding the child was on the ground, dead, and as the others opened fire with more than mediocre precision.
From his position, Kawalsky was very generously emptying his magazines on the group below without skimping on ammunition. "These guys are Stormtroopers !" he thought sarcastically as one of the plasma shots missed his position by several good meters. Not that he would complain, mind you, but the difference in skill between this Apophis's Jaffa and Ra's was glaring. Teal'c, for his part, watched the last of these former men collapse.
Leaving his position, Teal'c slowly approached the corpses of the Jaffa, a single thought looping in his mind: "Did I make the right choice ?!" He continued to look at the corpses of these former men as four humans came to his side.
"Where is Nafrayu ?" asked the only woman among them.
Another man, different from the one he had mentioned, replied, "I saw him bolt when we started opening fire !"
Jack, on his part, had another concern on his mind: "Did we get them all ?" turning to Teal'c,
The Jaffa understood that the question was directed at him, counting them, he frowned once again, "There's one missing !"
An alert signal similar to that of the base lit up in Jack's mind at his words, "The gate !" And as one, the four humans took off at a run, quickly followed by the Jaffa. Arriving at the top of the hill, the Stargate came into their field of vision. "Kawalsky! Carter !" He must not leave from here! Jack shouted, but alas, despite all the power they sent into their legs, it was not enough. They could only watch as the events unfolded from the door while the wounded Jaffa ran to throw himself inside; the door closed just after.
"We're so screwed !" It was the morbid thought that crossed the minds of the entire SG1 team as the cruel reality caught up with them; not only had they disobeyed orders, but on top of that, they had potentially put their world in danger. Teal'c joined them, his eyes fixed on the door. He didn't know what to do now.
No one had time to say anything before Nafrayu and Anteaus appeared behind them. Seeing that SG1 did not react alarmingly, Teal'c remained calm. "Why did you confront his men !" Anteaus asked, truly confused.
Jack looked at the child, searching for any signs of injury, reassured that he was fine, he replied, "We couldn't let them harm an innocent !"
Looking at him while tilting their heads Anteaus tried to understand, "Why ?" Do you have pity for us ?
This time Jack looked at him truly worried, "Yes, we are afraid, afraid that they will harm you now that they know you exist!" Innocents should never have to suffer !
This time Anteaus looked at him with a reassuring expression, "Don't worry..." he said as he raised his arm to make a slight gesture far behind the group. Turning around, SG1 and Teal'c saw something incredible; there in the air appeared a massive floating city. "We will be fine...!" Anteaus reassured them with a smile.
Then, as everyone's attention was diverted by a Fenrir flying low over them, the man and the child had disappeared. They looked at each other with a smile, Jack sighed, "Let's go home..." "Are you coming ?!" he said as he turned to the Jaffa.
With a defeated look, Teal'c replied without any hope, "Where to ?" I have nowhere to go! Returning to Chulak was impossible for him, not when the Jaffa who had fled was going to report his betrayal to Apophis.
"Come to our world!" "You helped us, now it's our turn !" At Jack's words, Teal'c looked at him, raising an eyebrow very pronouncedly, surprised by the sudden proposal.
As Carter activated the Gate to Earth, each one prepared for what awaited them on the other side, one because it was a world he knew nothing about, the other four because they had disobeyed orders.
End of chapter
Here is the meeting with the Nox and SG1's meeting with Teal'c, I hope you liked this chapter ! I must admit that staying consistent in terms of actions and dialogues without being stereotypical was challenging for me. Tell me what you think !
Things are going to get more and more intense now, so I need you! Do you think I'm advancing the UNSC too quickly knowing that each Goa'uld has several hundred ha'taks each, not counting Sokar and Anubis ?
And also tell me what you think about who would win a battle between an Ancient Aurora-class ship with 1 ZPM, Ancient pulse cannons, and a full stock of drones against the entirety of the Ha'tak ships of the system lords combined ? (The Stargate canon forces, for example, Yu with 20 to 26 Ha'tak and Baal at his peak had 50) Personally, I think they will suffer terrible losses but will end up winning in the end.