STARGATE SG-1
RELATIONSHIPS
Part Three: Friends and Allies
By Gen Varel
Category: Drama/Action/Romance
Relevant
Episodes: The
Torment of Tantalus
The Fifth Race
Pretense
Prodigy
Affinity
Heroes
Relevant
by Gen Varel
Relationships,
Part II: Decisions
by Gen Varel
Season: Eight
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Sam is
unexpectedly transported to a
remote planet and finally gets to meet the
Furlings. But she must pay a terrible price.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1
and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret
Productions and Gekko Productions. I
have written this story for the enjoyment of Stargate SG-1 fans all over the
world. No copyright infringement is
intended and no monetary gain is expected.
Chapter one
The song in the car radio was appropriately corny, she thought,
given her state of mind. She felt she
was floating on a bubble, so happy and carefree that, for a moment, she was
afraid the bubble would burst, and she would come down crashing to a different
reality.
But no, it was real. She
was engaged to Jack. She knew she had
not felt this way either time she had been engaged before, to Jonas or
Pete. “This is what it must feel when
the decision is the right one,” she assured herself.
She chuckled, remembering Daniel and Teal’c in Jack’s office
earlier, when Jack had announced their engagement. They had been so flustered and disbelieving
that it had been comical. Then they had
both been so happy and supportive.
Especially when Jack had explained the sacrifices Sam and SG-1 had to
make for Sam and Jack to be able to be together.
“I told you this would happen some day!” Daniel had told Teal’c,
giving him a light punch on the arm.
Teal’c had just nodded and smiled, “Yes, you did Daniel Jackson. And, if you remember correctly, I agreed with
you at the time.” Daniel had answered,
“Yeah, well, but I said it first.”
It would not be easy to adjust, but everyone was willing to put
forth the effort. Teal’c and Daniel
would have a new SG-1 commander. There
may even be a fourth member added to the team, for technical expertise. And Sam would give up being an SG team member
altogether. Jack, however, had promised
her that she would still be able to participate in missions when her expertise
was needed.
She was actually glad that she would get to know other SG team
members better and that she would have enough time, finally, to dedicate to her
projects. Bless General Hammond for
coming up with a solution! When she had
first faced the old man after her resignation from the military, she had wanted
the earth to swallow her. But he had
come through for Jack and her. He had
refused to accept their resignations and had figured out a way for both of them
to remain at SGC and still be able to be a couple.
There was a hollow feeling in her chest when she thought about
giving up SG-1, but she knew it was a small price to pay for being able to be
with the man she loved. She had
sacrificed her personal life for her career until now, but she wanted one
before it was too late. She was counting
on being able to start a family right away.
The thought of having a baby with Jack made her feel warm all over.
That was still a matter she needed to discuss with him,
though. She was almost sure that Jack
would be willing to have more children.
She knew he had been a great dad to Charlie and that he missed the boy
terribly. He felt responsible for
Charlie’s accident. That was something
he would always have to live with. But
maybe having other children he could love would help him forgive himself, if
not forget.
The song in the radio ended and an upbeat tune followed. She switched the station, looking for another
romantic piece to suit her mood. God, she
was being silly! “So
what? I’m just too happy to
care!” she told herself.
She had even taken special care on her appearance tonight, since
she expected Jack to come over for dinner and… other matters. She had put on a red tank top and blue
jeans, nothing fancy, but she had added a black beaded choker and
earrings. She would put on some sexy
perfume as soon as she got home. She had
even applied some make up, for crying out loud!
She laughed, remembering that was one of Jack’s expressions. Yes, she had gone silly with happiness this
Friday night.
-----
Sam’s bubble did burst, as soon as she saw the car parked in front
of her house.
“Pete!” she thought, “what is he doing here?” Her heart started to race inside her
chest. She had to sit in her car for a
minute to collect her thoughts. What did
he want now? She had tried calling him
repeatedly before the mission to Tollana, and he had
never returned her calls. True, that had
only been a few weeks before, but his refusal to talk to her had convinced her
that he considered their relationship over.
“Oh, my God! And Jack will be here shortly! What do I do?” she thought, frantic.
Sam thought for a fleeting second how funny it was that she was
actually terrified at confronting Pete, more than she ever was when confronting
a gloating Goa’uld. “This is
ridiculous! Get in there and get it over
with!” she admonished herself, getting out of the car resolutely.
Sam took a deep breath before she opened her front door; she then
stepped in, taking off her black leather jacket. Pete was sitting by her kitchen countertop,
sipping a cup of coffee. He had
obviously been waiting for her for a while.
She could not help but notice how ruggedly handsome he looked in his
jeans and black turtleneck. He
half-smiled at her when he saw her. His
smile could always do things to her heart, and now was not an exception.
“Pete,” she said softly, hanging her jacket on a peg and walking
toward him with her hands inside her back pockets. She did not want him to see them
tremble. “I didn’t expect to see you
again, I must confess. What are you
doing here?” she asked, stopping a few feet from him.
“I’m here to talk, Sam, and… to apologize. I’m sorry I did not return your calls. I was being a jerk,” he admitted with a
sheepish look.
“It has been more than three weeks, Pete. Why now?” she asked, worrying about what his
expectations could be at this point.
“Sam, when I left here that awful night, I was so angry and hurt
that I wasn’t thinking straight. I must
admit I really didn’t start thinking straight until many days had passed and I
had ignored your calls repeatedly.” Pete
stood and came closer to Sam, his hands by his sides. “Then I realized that, even if my pride was
telling me not to ever see you again, my heart would not let me live in peace
if I did not give our relationship as many chances as necessary. I would be a fool to just let you go, Sam.”
“God, Pete, I…” Sam started to answer, but Pete interrupted, “No,
let me finish. Please know that, if you
need more time to be sure, I’ll wait for you.
We can just continue dating until you are ready for more. I’ll even stay in
Pete was looking at her with a measure of desperation in his eyes,
expecting her to answer. He started to
come closer and Sam, involuntarily, took a step back. “Pete, some things have happened during the
last few weeks,” she started to explain, “things that I had not believed
possible at all. I’m sorry… but you and
I can’t continue to see each other.” Sam
swallowed hard once she finished talking, not wanting to elaborate.
“What?” Pete answered in disbelief. “What on earth could have happened for you
to decide you don’t even want to see me anymore?” Pete felt he had been punched in the stomach,
but went on, “You were calling me. I
assumed you wanted to make up. Didn’t
you?”
“Yes… and no, Pete. I was calling you because I knew you were
hurt, and it had not been my intention to hurt you like that. I had not even meant to break up with you,
just to postpone things. But, when you
didn’t return my calls, I felt that, maybe, it was for the best.”
At this, Pete threw up his hands and started pacing the floor, as
she knew he did when he was upset. “What
do you mean for the best? For whom?”
“For both of us, Pete,” Sam answered softly, trying to be
convincing, “It’s not fair to you, and not enough for me. You deserve someone that loves you without
doubts. I can’t offer that to you,
ever. You were right… there has always
been someone else.”
Pete stopped pacing abruptly, looking at her now with anger. “So I was right? You were cheating on me the whole time?”
“NO! Pete, it’s not what you think! It’s more complicated than that. Let me…” but Pete was not really
listening. He had grabbed her shoulders,
“Who is it, Sam?”
“Pete, please don’t… just let me explain!” Sam was begging, but he
shook her, deaf with anger and pain, “Tell me, Sam! At least give me that!”
“That’s enough! Let her
go!” they heard suddenly, and they both froze.
Jack was standing at the end of the corridor, just having come into the
house.
They both stared at Jack, who started to walk toward them slowly,
a deadly serious look on his face. “I
said let her go.” Pete was still holding
on to Sam’s shoulders, shocked by the sudden interruption and too angry to
comply.
Sam closed her eyes in mortification. Why did this have to happen tonight? She had been so happy! Now she felt she was in hell. She felt Pete’s fingers dig themselves out of
her shoulders, but he stubbornly held on to her.
“This is none of your business, Jack. You should leave,” Pete told Jack
impatiently, wondering what the man was doing in Sam’s house on a Friday
night.
“I’m afraid it is very much my business, Pete. That’s my future wife you are shaking,”
answered Jack calmly. He was still a few
feet from them, but Pete could tell his body was tensed. And, wait, what had he said?
“You future wife?”
Pete repeated, now looking at Sam for confirmation. She was staring at him with those huge blue
eyes, a mix of emotions emanating from them.
He let go of her as if she burned.
“Tell me what’s going on, Sam.
Please.” He was deflated, no
longer angry.
“I’m so sorry, Pete,” Sam said, “but it’s true. Jack is the one that has always stood
between us, and between me and any other man I ever had any feelings for. But please, believe me when I tell you that I
was never unfaithful to you.”
Pete just stared at her in disbelief, his shock evident. Jack was looking at them, feeling sorry for
the cop. At the end, Pete silently took
Sam’s front door key out of his key chain, and tossed it on the
countertop. It bounced off and clattered
on the floor. He then turned around,
passed by Jack without looking at him, and headed for the front door.
Sam could not stand it. She
started to follow him, “Pete, please understand. I’m sorry!”
But Jack stopped her from following him further, holding her by the
arms. He looked into her eyes and shook
his head. She understood. As a man, he probably knew better what Pete
could deal with at the moment. He needed
to be left alone.
She jumped when the front door slammed shut. She felt horrible, and did not know what to
do next. Jack was standing before her,
still holding her arms softly and looking at her with concern. A tear escaped her eyes, and he used his
thumb to wipe it off her cheek.
“Oh, Jack! I’m so sorry!”
she said, dropping her head.
“Of course you’re sorry!
You care for Pete, and you didn’t want to see him hurt. But this is not your fault. You have done nothing wrong.” He was talking to her firmly, making her look
at him, but she tried to hide her face in his chest.
“Hey, come on. Look at
me. No crying is allowed today. Today is a special day, remember?” Jack
cajoled, holding her close.
“I was so happy just minutes ago!
How could things go bad so quickly?
Why can’t we ever get a break?” she was complaining against his chest.
“What do you mean? We got a
huge break today, didn’t we? Come on,
babe. Let’s forget about the ugly moment
and celebrate! I have beer in the car…”
he tried to entice her, smiling at her.
“Babe?” she sniffled, looking at him.
“Too mushy?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
“No, I like that.” She was
actually beginning to smile.
“Then it’s official, you are my babe,” he declared, hugging
her. “Come on, let’s get the beer,” he
said, pulling her along.
Chapter Two
Sam was awakened by something rubbing against her back, between
her shoulder blades. That spot had
always been ticklish, so she arched away and moaned in complaint. Whatever was rubbing against her back started
up again, now on her right hip and making its way down her thigh.
She smiled, now fully awake, but refusing to open her eyes. “Get away from me, you brute! Let me sleep!” she groaned, slapping Jack’s
hand away. “Don’t you ever have enough?”
“I have a lot of years to make up for,” he said, now nibbling her
neck and pulling her body against his. She
could tell he was quite ready to continue to make up for lost time, and she
felt pleasure start to unfurl in her insides.
Then she opened her eyes and saw the clock.
“Oh, my God! Why didn’t you wake me earlier? We’re going to be late for work!” she was
shouting as she disentangled herself from arms and blankets and ran into the
bathroom.
“Don’t worry, I know the boss!
The world will not end if you are late for once…” he argued, following
her.
“I don’t want to begin our new arrangement by doing something I
have never done before, Jack. We’re
going to be late as it is, so start moving!” she was
pulling her nightgown off and jumping into the shower.
He really had to do something to make her relax. She had always been unforgiving with herself,
but he wasn’t about to be rushed every morning just so that she could be at
work in time. She would have to adjust
to his schedule when she slept over. And
he was going to start doing something right now. He opened the shower door and jumped in to
join her. She squealed in surprise, but
very soon she was laughing.
-----
SGC department heads and other key personnel were gathered at the
Gate Room for an unexpected briefing that Monday morning. Jack was standing at the podium, SG-1 by his
side further down the ramp.
“I apologize for pulling you away so abruptly from whatever it is
you do on Monday mornings, people. But
there have been some recent developments that have made it imperative that we
make some changes. Although these
changes will not affect you directly, I’m sure they will, eventually, affect
you indirectly. Therefore, I thought you
had a right to know.” He cleared his
throat, looking at his audience. Sam was
standing between Daniel and Teal’c, feeling extremely nervous.
“I regretfully inform you that Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter has
decided to resign her duties in the military,” a surprised reaction could be
immediately heard from the gathered personnel.
“However,” Jack continued louder, and the audience quieted down, “she
will continue to offer her outstanding technical services to SGC as an
independent, civilian consultant.
Effective immediately, she should be addressed as Dr. Carter.”
People were looking at each other, baffled at such an occurrence,
but Jack continued. “The reasons are
personal ones. Instead of telling you
what they are, I thought I would show you instead,” Jack concluded,
smiling slyly at Sam, who gaped at him in surprise and concern. What was he going to do now? Kiss her in front of all these people? She wouldn’t put it past him!
Jack had proven to be even more of a nut case than she ever had
imagined. Over the past weekend, she had
alternately accused him of being crazy, jealous, romantic, and quite
insatiable. His excuse, every time, was
that she was to blame.
Jack approached Sam, his right hand inside his pocket. Sam frantically looked at both exits to see
which one was closest, ready to flee.
But when she started to move, she felt Daniel and Teal’c grab each one
of her arms softly, but securely. She
looked at them, panicked, but they just smiled at Jack, obvious
conspirators. What were they doing?
Jack now went down on one knee at her feet, pulled out a black
velvet box from his pocket and asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Dr. Carter,
would you do me the honor of agreeing to be my wife?” A huge, pear shaped diamond on a platinum
band sat on the black velvet. A roar
could be heard from the audience. The
women were squealing, the men laughing and clapping,
and a low chant was started, “Say yes, say yes, say yes!”
Sam was staring at the ring with her mouth open, not able to
move. She was also having serious
difficulty breathing with her heart about to pop out of her chest. She heard the chanting, but kept staring at
the ring, until she felt Jack pulling at her right hand.
“Well?” Jack was saying, smiling at her from below. “Remember I have a bad knee here.”
Sam finally broke out of her spell, chuckled at him, grabbed the
ring from its box, and shoved it on her finger. She then lifted her left hand in triumph at
the audience, smiling brilliantly.
Everyone hooted and clapped even louder.
Jack looked at the audience and shouted, “I guess that means yes!”
-----
“How could you? I thought I
was going to die out there!” Sam was complaining to Jack in his office. She still did not know if she should kill him
or kiss him. “And you two…! You knew what he was going to do!” she was
pointing at Daniel and Teal’c, who were extremely amused with the whole thing.
“I have not had this much fun in a long time. Sorry Sam!
You should have seen your face!” Daniel was laughing, unable to help
himself.
“I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed the episode,” added Teal’c
with an unusual broad smile. “So did the
SGC personnel, from what I could gather.”
“Yeah, well, everyone had a laugh on me,” pouted Sam with her
arms crossed, glaring at Jack, who was leaning back in his chair, very pleased
with himself.
“You did accuse me of not properly asking you to marry me. To have a good marriage, I thought I should
try to give you satisfaction, in every way possible,” he added with a
wink.
“OOH, you… just wait until we get home!” she turned to leave, but
was unable to hold back a smile.
“Traitors!” she threw at Daniel and Teal’c as she left.
The three men just continued to enjoy themselves.
-----
On her way to her lab, Sam could not act angry any longer. She was smiling like an idiot the whole way
there. She met a few people in her way
and everyone made it a point to congratulate her on her engagement. The women wanted to see the ring up close,
and Nurse Cline even got a little emotional, “You are meant for each
other. You don’t know how happy I am for
you!” The woman had hugged her and had
continued on down the corridor wiping her eyes. Sam thought it was funny. She had been a little worried about the SGC
personnel’s reaction to the engagement.
There had been no need.
Once in her office, she sat in front of her microscope to continue
doing some analysis on the replicator cells. She had not made much progress on that due
to lack of time, and ideas. But her mind
was not cooperating. She kept
remembering scenes from the past weekend, her first weekend with Jack. She had to admit it had been better than she
had ever expected, in every way.
It turned out Jack was more sentimental and romantic than she had
ever given him credit for. He had opened
up to her a side of him she had only had glimpses of before. The first time they had made love, late on
Friday, after Pete had left and they had managed to eat something, it had been
almost magical for her. He had not
rushed things. After dinner, he had held
her for a long time on the couch, listening to jazzy music, letting her sip
her wine as he drank his beer.
At the beginning she had been so upset that she did not think
anything would happen. But, as she had
relaxed with the wine and Jack’s arms about her, listening to the soft tunes,
she had begun to feel aroused by his nearness.
Jack had sensed this immediately, and had set his beer aside. He had looked into her eyes, and had
proceeded to kiss her, softly at first, then more urgently. Before she knew it, the rest of her wine had
spilled, her red top was on the floor and Jack was on top of her, his hands
hot on her body. What had started with
soft kisses had developed quickly into a wild frenzy of need and long denied
passion. Sam had never experienced
something as intense and wonderful.
Afterwards, they had held each other lying on the couch for a
long time, and they had had their first intimate talk. She smiled recollecting his response to her
question, “Jack, how do you feel about us having a
baby?” She had tried to listen to his
soul. She wanted to be sure his answer
was honest. “Only one?”
Jack had asked in turn, and she knew she had nothing to worry about. Then she had told him, for the first time, “I
love you, Jack.” His response had been
to kiss her, all over.
They had moved over to the bathroom and soaked in the tub, sipping
their drinks and talking about everything.
They had had so much catching up to do.
There had been so many things unsaid over the years, so many emotions
that had not been allowed to show.
Finally they could discuss situations during their many past experiences
together, and had been able to really express their feelings and opinions
without censure.
Later, on her bed, they had taken their time, exploring each
other’s bodies. She had found that Jack
was a sensitive lover, and that his weight on her had made her feel safe and
protected. Afterwards, she had wrapped
her arms and legs around him and had kept him close, holding on to him,
somehow afraid of letting him go.
The next morning he had awakened her with kisses, and more
lovemaking. They had lingered in bed,
not wanting to end the intimacy. But
duty called. After they had showered and
eaten a quick breakfast, they had gone, as she did every Saturday, to pick up
Cassie from her boarding school.
The sixteen year old had refused to accept another adoption or
foster care arrangement after Janet had passed away. She did not want another family. She had begged Sam to take her in, and at the
end, Sam had agreed to be her legal guardian.
However, because of Sam’s work, they had agreed that a boarding school was
the answer. She was already on her
senior year, and then she would go on to college, or join the military.
Sam and Cassie still did not see eye to eye on that one. Cassie wanted the military, and to be able to
join SGC as soon as possible. Sam wanted
Cassie to explore other options, such as college, first. Cassie had a bright mind, which had allowed
her to catch up with and then pass up her classmates in school. She was graduating early, and Sam wanted her
to mature and experience other things before she committed herself to a career.
When Sam had shown up with Jack at the boarding school, Cassie had
been thrilled. She had not seen him in a
while. They had gone canoeing at the
park, something she enjoyed immensely.
Then they had taken her out for pizza, her favorite meal. Over dinner, Jack and Sam had told Cassie the
news.
The girl had been beside herself with joy, jumping up and down on
her seat. “I knew it, I knew it! You two just had to get together! Mom kept saying you couldn’t, even though you
loved each other, but I kept saying it would happen some day. See Mom?
I told you!” she said looking up to an imaginary Janet.
“The two of us were a topic of conversation?” Sam had asked
surprised.
“Oh, yes! But just between
Mom and I. It was our little
secret. We both knew how you felt for
each other.” Cassie had not stopped
laughing and chatting excitedly for the rest of the meal. She then surprised them by refusing to go to
Sam’s house that night, as she usually did.
“Oh, no! No way!
You two need to be alone together this weekend. I would not dream to interfere. Are you kidding? I’d be afraid of catching you kissing, or
something grosser, every time I turned my back!” she laughed, teasing them.
“Cassandra!” Sam had blushed,
embarrassed. Jack had laughed.
“Oh, isn’t she cute when she does that?” Cassie had asked Jack,
laughing ever harder.
“She’s definitely cute, and not only when she does that,” Jack
had agreed, joining Cassie in the teasing, and giving Sam a flirty look.
“OK, you two… stop it!” Sam had begged, still blushing.
“Ahh! Revenge is sweet! You
always tease me about my boyfriends. How
does it feel, huh?” Cassie had been relentless.
They had finally dropped Cassie back at the boarding school, promising
to pick her up next Saturday. Then they
had gone back to Sam’s house, and had jumped in bed as soon as they
arrived. They could not have enough of
each other, and they had had a lot of fun that night, and the next day.
The phone almost made her jump out of her skin; she was so far
gone in her memories. It was Jack. “You need to come to a briefing on P4X-874
right away. You are going to love this.”
She almost ran all the way to the briefing room.
Chapter Three
As she entered the briefing room, Sam noticed SG-13 seating around
the table. Colonel James Dixon, SG-13’s
commander, had a Jack-like look of mixed exasperation and patience on his
face. Dr. Balinsky,
the team’s archeologist, was talking excitedly to Daniel, sitting across from him. The two men were like kids discussing a new,
fantastic toy.
“I’m telling you, I’m positive it has to be the Furlings,” was saying Dr. Balinsky. “The writing I found on this monolith
matches the only writing in Ernest’s Planet that we have not been able to
match. The other three belong to the Nox, the Asgard and the
Ancients. The fourth race is the Furlings.” He was
grinning from ear to ear.
Airman Simon Wells was smiling at the two men, “They are more
exited than I was when my little Janet was born!” Lt. Bosworth, sitting next to him, just
chuckled.
“Sam, how are you?” greeted Colonel Dixon as Sam took a seat, “I
heard the news. Congratulations! I already told Jack what a lucky bastard he
is!”
“Thank you, Jim. I’m glad
you reminded him,” responded Sam smiling, at which everyone chuckled. “What is this I’m hearing? We finally found something related to the Furlings?” she asked.
“It looks that way,” Jack responded. “Dr. Balinsky here
thinks so, anyway. We are trying to
determine what to do next. They found
the ruins of a city in P4X-874, and they ruins are extensive; so more than one
SG team will be needed, as well as support personnel. Teal’c has asked for some leave until we
decide on SG-1’s new commander and he is getting ready to go visit his
son. But Daniel is chomping at the bit
to go to the planet to look at the writings himself. And Colonel Dixon has requested technical
expertise. There seems to be a machine
of sorts inside one of the ruins, but no one knows what it could be
for.” He then smiled at her. “Interested?”
“Of course! I can be ready within minutes. Just say the word.” She smiled enthusiastically.
“No rush. SG-13 just came
back and they need to rest. They will be
going back tomorrow morning. We need
some time to gather up some personnel and equipment; we’ll probably be there
for a while.” Jack concluded, “At 800
hours tomorrow, people.”
-----
Sam was one of the last people to step through the stargate. She turned
and gave Jack a little smile, and Jack winked at her, remembering the feel of
her soft body under the manly uniform earlier in her lab. She then disappeared through the puddle,
followed by a few airmen carrying heavy equipment.
On the other side, P4X-874, now being called the Furling Planet,
looked like most other planets they had visited. Far from the stargate,
next to the side of a mountain, on a little plain, the ancient ruins of a
small, walled city could be seen. Other
than that, there were a lot of trees.
The temperature was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, per the M.A.L.P.’s
readings. At least their stay would be
pleasant.
Sam joined the rest of the people hiking toward the ruins, leaving
a two-man team behind to guard the stargate and relay
communications back to SGC.
When she got to what looked like the entrance to the town, Daniel
was already standing in front of a twelve-foot tall, oblong rock filled with
writing. He was looking at some
photographs in his hand. “Hey, Daniel. What is
this?” asked Sam as soon as she joined him.
“I think Balinsky is right!” he
answered, looking at a grinning Dr. Balinsky. “I brought the images we took from Ernest’s
Planet along,” he said, pointing at the photos in his left hand, “and they are
a match. No idea what it says yet, but
definitely a match,” he said smiling at her.
“The city ruins look Celtic to me, though.”
“Celtic? That’s odd.
Does that mean that the Furlings came from
“Or that they had something to do with the Celts. Remember we found Thor’s Hammer in a planet
populated by Vikings. Something like
that could have happened here.” Daniel
was obviously excited, speaking really fast.
“Great! Looks like you have
your work cut out for you. I’ll go see
what is waiting for me. See you later,”
she slapped his back and she continued up the hill, deeper into the ruins.
-----
Colonel Dixon was giving orders to a large group of soldiers to
search and secure the city when Sam approached him. He was standing by the entrance to what
looked like a tumulus, a large structure built of
rocks and covered by earth. “This is the
building I told you about,” Colonel Dixon told her when she approached. She followed him inside, passing through an
entrance formed by three huge rocks. The
two on the sides were about ten feet tall, and rectangular in shape. Another, similar rock sat on top of the
other two, forming an archway. The rocks
were sculptured with weird designs, weaving lines and concentric rings that
looked like fingerprints.
The inside of the chamber was large, about eighty square feet, and
had a high ceiling of maybe twenty feet. It was lit by four powerful lamps
placed by SGC personnel in each of the four corners. Nothing looked alien, except for a striking
looking piece of machinery sitting against the opposite wall to the
entrance. The machine was narrow and
tall, and it was placed smack in the middle of the wall, about eight feet
behind a large rock table. The table
reminded Sam of an altar, and there was a symbol, similar to a cross, and some
writing, sculptured on the rock. The
writing was different from what Daniel had just shown her at the entrance of
the town.
Although it felt cool inside the chamber, Sam was overheated from
the hike, so she shed her cap, pack and jacket and dropped them by the
entrance, on the ground. Her attention
was riveted on the strange machine. It
was made of some kind of dark metal, perfectly smooth, except for some crystals
slowly blinking on its surface. The
machine only reached half way up the wall, so it looked to be about ten feet
tall, and about four feet wide.
“What do you think?” asked Colonel Dixon looking at her.
“Well, this isn’t the first time we find an advanced piece of
technology in what looks like a primitive town.
The one I’m thinking about ended up being a powerful weapon. I wonder if this is something similar.” Sam was slowly walking toward the altar,
looking at the machine carefully. “I
can’t see any access points; it seems perfectly sealed.”
An airman was filming the inside of the structure, obviously part
of the archeology team, and was focusing on the writing on the altar.
“Have anyone touched it?” asked Sam, looking back at Colonel
Dixon.
“The machine? Yeah!
I ran my hands all over it trying to find any kind of opening, but I
didn’t find anything. I even pushed some
of the crystals, but nothing budged. It
is definitely working, though. The
crystals are blinking and the metal felt pretty warm.”
“Really?” asked Sam absentmindedly. They both looked thoughtfully at the artifact
for a few moments longer. “OK, let me
get my diagnostic equipment and we’ll see what this thing is made of,” said
Sam, going to her pack and extracting a sensor unit. She then approached the altar, smiled at the
still filming airman, and walked around the rock table to approach the machine.
She stood for a moment between the altar and the machine, turning
on her sensor when, suddenly, a humming sound came from the artifact and the
crystals started to blink faster. Sam
turned to
“Simmons! Did you get that
on film?”
“I… I think so,” answered Simmons, still in shock.
-----
Jack sat, not moving a muscle, as he viewed the film for the third
time in the briefing room, his back to the rest of the people sitting around
the table. At the beginning of the
briefing there had been a lot of talk, explanations given, theories
thrown around. Then everyone, one by one,
had quieted down, watching Jack press buttons and replay the tape, over and
over, not saying a word.
He kept seeing Sam’s last look of panic before she
disappeared. He kept trying to see if
there had been any pain in her face. Is
she dead? Could she be dead? Could life be that cruel? Then he remembered Charlie, and he knew life
could definitely be that cruel.
Daniel was the first one to address him, “Jack, are you OK?” But no answer came, not for a few
moments. Colonel Dixon, Dr. Balinsky, and Daniel looked at each other in concern. Then they heard him answer.
“I’m fine, Daniel.” He
turned off the video, turned back to them with a stony look on his face and
said, “She is alive, and we are going to find her and bring her back. Is that clear?” His voice was low, but firm.
“Yes, Sir, we will,” answered Jim Dixon immediately. “We just started looking at these ruins. We will figure out how the machine works and
we will make it work again.” He sounded
like a man with a mission.
Daniel added, “I already started to make some progress on the
translation. Just looking at the video I
can tell the writing is definitely ancient Celtic. At least, the writing on the altar is. The writing at the entrance of the town I’m
still…” but Daniel could not finish.
Jack stood up abruptly, started to head for the stairs, then
hesitated and turned to them, “I want to know the second you translate the
writing and whether it can help us find her.
I’ll try to contact the Asgard. They may be able to help.” He then left for the command center.
Chapter Four
Sam did not feel anything at all.
One moment she was looking at Colonel Dixon, thinking she may be killed,
and the next she was standing there, alone.
The place was a replica of the structure she had been transported
from. She knew she had been transported
because, although similar, this was definitely not the same place.
The energy field still surrounded her. She tried touching it and felt a painful
electrical shock. She could not get
out. She looked carefully at her semi-dark
surroundings. The same
type of room, the same altar, the same dimensions. But this place was decorated. There were tapestries on the walls depicting
scenes of battle, of daily life, and of what looked like rituals.
The altar was bare, except for an embroidered scarlet cloth that
did not cover it completely. She could
not be sure, but she thought the gold embroidery represented a type of snake…
or a Goa’uld symbiote.
She was startled by noises coming from the entrance to the
structure. She could hear people
approaching, voices talking excitedly, but trying not to be loud. She was feeling helpless and vulnerable
without a weapon, not knowing where she was or whom she was going to face. Not enough light came in through the door for
her to see everything clearly, and she waited tensely in the semi-dark
interior.
Finally she could see one, then two,
then five more people enter the structure. They came in slowly, carrying
torches, seven people in total. They
stayed by the entrance until all of them were inside. They gaped at her in disbelief, muttering to
each other, as if afraid of her. Could
these be the Furlings?
They looked like tall, fair skinned humans under their plain,
white tunics. Although the garments had
hoods, she could tell there were people of both sexes in the group, some much
older than others. There were five young
and old men, all of them bearded. There
were two women, one middle-aged; the other one was very young. They kept whispering to each other, not
taking their eyes off of her, until she could not take it any longer.
“Hello!” she started clumsily, trying to remember what Daniel
usually said when he greeted aliens, “I’m Samantha Carter, and I mean you no
harm.” The small group looked at each
other and still did not respond.
“I think I was transported here by mistake,” Sam continued, not
knowing if they could understand her.
“You do not need to fear me, I am unarmed,” she opened her hands to show
them. She was hoping they could not see
her sensor unit on the floor. They
might think it was a weapon. “If you know how to turn off the energy field keeping me here,
please do so.”
At this, the older woman said something urgently to the oldest
looking man, but he rebuked her, explaining something to her as if to a
child. He then turned to Sam and said
something to her in a language she could not understand.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand you,” responded Sam, beginning to
get desperate.
“I said, the doom of the wicked is annihilation,” the older man
repeated. “You have come here to meet
your doom, demon. You will be tolerated
no longer.”
Sam realized she was in deep trouble.
-----
“That is not an answer I am willing to accept, Thor. Try a better one!” Jack was pacing the
briefing room, looking at his alien friend impatiently. Thor sat at the end of the briefing
table. He had just transported to the
room, just hours after Jack had contacted him.
Daniel was also in the room, as was Teal’c, who had promptly
returned from Chulak when notified of Sam’s
disappearance. Daniel was stuck on the
translation. The words he had been able
to translate did not make sense. He was
familiar with the modern Irish language, but not so with ancient Celtic. He and Teal’c were both looking at Jack in
concern.
“I am sorry, O’Neill. We
are clearly bound by our agreement with the Furlings. We were prevented by this agreement to share
any information about them with you before.
That has not changed.” Thor spoke
as calmly as ever.
“But things are different now. We have an important reason to try to find out
more about them. Sam is missing. Her life is at stake!” Daniel argued.
“I realize it is, and I sympathize,” Thor responded, “but we
cannot help you.”
“Yes, you can, Thor!
Please, don’t do this…” Jack was now leaning close to Thor, his hands on
the table, begging, “not this time.” There was more he wanted to say, but could
not get it out. His alien friend looked
at him for a long time, not responding.
Jack kept begging with his eyes, until Thor finally relented.
“I will have to consult with the Asgard
High Council. I will also have to
consult with the Nox.
They are party to the Agreement.
That is the best I can offer at the moment,” Thor told Jack, then
promptly transported back to his ship.
“Well, at least that’s something…” muttered Daniel. Teal’c nodded gloomily. Jack closed his eyes and thought, “Please,
God.”
-----
“No, you have it all wrong.
I am not a demon, I am human, like you!” Sam
was trying to explain. The group of
people was now standing in a semi-circle around the altar, holding their
torches. She could tell they were
getting ready to do something, and she did not think she was going to like it.
“Your words mean nothing, demon.
Like others before you, you will be silenced forever, your evil ways
will end, and you will cause no further suffering,” the older man replied.
“What can I do to prove it to you?
You have to believe me! I am no
demon!” Sam pleaded, her apprehension increasing when she saw two of the older
men approach the altar and place their rights hands on two handprints clearly
delineated on the surface of the stone, one at each end of the table.
“Please, don’t hurt me! I’m
not a demon!” Sam shouted, now scared, seeing the oldest man approach the center
of the altar as the rest of the group started chanting something.
“If you were not a demon, you would not be here, and you would not
be confined,” the oldest man replied, as he lifted his right hand to place it on
a third handprint on the rocky surface, between the two others.
Sam braced herself, thinking she was now going to die. The old man touched the surface, a deadly
look on his face. She first heard a change in the humming of the machine, then
immediately felt heat envelope her. Sam
screamed in agony. She thought she was
burning alive, fire running through her veins.
She screamed again as she collapsed on the floor, “STOOOP!” She then screamed one final time,
“PLEEEASE!” as she curled up into a fetal position, trying desperately to escape
the pain. Then she could not feel
anything anymore.
-----
“I understand, Jack; that’s why I’m here. There is nothing you need to apologize for,
believe me,” General Hammond was telling Jack.
“I don’t want you to think that my relationship with Sam is
clouding my judgment. If Teal’c’s,
Daniel’s, or any other team member’s life was at stake here, I’d be doing the
same…” Jack was saying, but
“Thank you, Sir,” Jack said, truly grateful to the older man.
“I’ll be taking care of things from here. Dr. O’Malley just arrived to assist with the
translation. He is an expert in ancient
Celtic languages and cultures. Dr.
Jackson is free to accompany you, as well as Teal’c. And Colonel Dixon is already driving the
whole technical team crazy in the planet, trying to figure out why the machine
did what it did. We’ll be watching your
back, Jack,”
“We’ll be in touch, Sir.
Thor wants us to leave immediately to meet with the Nox
in their planet. Something about a
technicality in the Agreement…” Jack was clueless, but eager to find out what
his Asgard friend was referring to.
“Godspeed, son,”
Chapter Five
Sam awoke shaking violently and drenched in sweat, laying flat on
the rock altar. She was in pain, as if
her bones had been crushed. Her throat
was so dry that she could hardly swallow.
She could not move much, but her hands reached out to try to figure out
where she was. She was blind.
She heard voices arguing softly around her. God, she felt miserable! She tried to speak, to ask for help, but her
voice failed her. So she kept reaching
with her hands, not being able to do anything else.
A soft, feminine hand grasped hers, and Sam gripped it in
desperation, still trembling. “PPPlease… help me!” she managed to say. Another hand lifted her head from the other
side, and a gentle female voice hushed her, “You will be all right, love. Be still.
Drink this,” the voice said soothingly.
Sam clutched at the woman’s robe with her free hand as she felt a cup
being brought to her lips. She drank the
liquid they offered, so thirsty that she did not care what it was. It tasted almost like wine, but sweeter. She swallowed a few sips, but she then
started to cough helplessly.
The young woman holding her hand looked at the High Priest
accusingly. “You said you were sure she
was a host. You said she would be
saved. But look at her! What happened to her? What is she still doing here?” She was angry.
“This has never happened before.
There is always a demon in the end, and the host is returned to where it
came from. I do not understand; but I
will go into the forest and consult with the Sidhe,”
the old man replied, a look of concern and puzzlement on his lined face. “Tuan, Fothad, come
with me.” He turned to leave, and the
two older priests followed him out of the tumulus.
Sam understood the words and could tell who was talking. She turned to the young woman on her right,
a death grip still on her hand. “I… am
not… a demon…” Sam said with difficulty, “I was… host… once… but no more,” she
managed to explain.
The two women tending to her looked at each other in
understanding. They felt terrible for
not being able to prevent the men from acting so quickly. They had tried to convince them to
investigate further before trying to do the cleansing. They had not sensed any evil emanating from
the woman, but the High Priest had been adamant.
“Try to rest, love. We will
take care of you. No more harm will come
to you, we promise,” the older woman said, pity in her voice.
“Thank… you!” Sam gasped,
still shaking miserably, but feeling a measure of relief. Minutes later, she fell into a drugged sleep,
still holding on to the helpful hand.
-----
Jack was in Thor’s ship, sitting by himself, looking at the alien
stars fly by. They should be there soon,
he thought. Maybe then he could get some
answers. Daniel and Teal’c had given up
trying to engage him in conversation.
They were quietly talking to each other, and occasionally to Thor, on
the other side of the bridge.
What could he say? How
could he act? He did not want them to
see his sanity hanging by a thread. He
had to keep his wits about him. He could
not fail Sam. Somehow, he had to convince
their allies to help them.
“Here, Jack,” he heard Daniel say behind him. He was handing him a sandwich and a bottle of
water. “I thought you’d prefer to eat
rations instead of what Thor is offering.
It doesn’t look very appetizing.”
“I’m not hungry, but thanks,” Jack responded. Eat?
He’d probably puke. He had been
carrying a rock in his stomach since he heard Colonel Dixon’s voice over the
radio. “She just disappeared! I’m positive she triggered the machine
somehow! I’m sorry, Jack. I don’t know where she is!”
“Come on, you have to eat something! Do you want to drop from fatigue while you
are trying to convince the Nox and the Asgard to help us?”
Daniel was trying to be convincing, but of course, he did not know about
the rock in the stomach.
“Later, Daniel,” Jack replied a little impatiently.
“OK…” Daniel sighed, turning to look at Teal’c with a helpless
look on his face.
Teal’c looked back gravely, understanding in his black eyes. However, he stood up and approached
them. “It will do you no good to starve
yourself, O’Neill. You have not eaten or
slept in many hours. You must keep up
your strength.” He was talking to Jack
firmly, almost as an admonishing older brother.
Jack looked up at both of them, realizing that, one, they were
right; and two, they were not going to leave him be. He reached for the sandwich and water with
both hands, took them, and gave them an exasperated look. They still stood there, looking at him. He then took a big bite out of the sandwich
and started chewing it, as if it was straw.
They still stood.
“What? I’m eating!” he told
them, hoping they would go away and he could spit the damn thing out. Instead, they sat down next to him. They stubbornly waited for him to finish the
sandwich. Then they looked at the water
bottle. He drank half the content in one
big gulp, he then said, “Happy?”
Daniel smiled. “Happier,”
he responded, “but not quite. Jack, what
are you so afraid of? If Sam wasn’t
alive, I think Thor would have told us.
I believe he knows she’s alive,” Daniel argued.
“I know,” he replied, as if any other thought was ridiculous. “I’m not afraid, I’m… a little concerned, I
guess,” he admitted.
“A little?” Teal’c
asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“OK, a lot, but I know we’ll find her. I just… I don’t know what is happening to her
while we find her. I have… this
feeling… this awful feeling that… she’s suffering. I can’t shake it!” Teal’c and Daniel looked at each other, not
knowing what to say. Then Daniel decided
to change the subject.
“Jack, I’ve been looking at the images from the altar and the
machine, trying to translate the ancient Celtic. I’m afraid I am not sure what the writing
says, but I do recognize this symbol,” Daniel told him, pointing at a strange
cross in a photograph. It looked like a regular
cross, except that the top part looked more like a long loop. “It is an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of
resurrection.”
Jack did not like the sound of it.
“What is an Egyptian symbol doing in a Celtic ruin?” he asked.
“Actually, this symbol has been found in megalithic carvings in
“How does this help us, Daniel?” asked Jack impatiently.
“Well, it doesn’t… yet,” Daniel admitted, “but I think the symbol
is encouraging, don’t you?” he was looking at Jack hopefully.
“No, Daniel. You have to
die in order to resurrect! It is not
encouraging!” Jack responded, dread in his gut.
Chapter Six
Sam woke up to unfamiliar sounds.
She tried to remember where she was, and why she was feeling so achy and
groggy. She could tell she was in a warm
and comfortable bed, and she was definitely naked under the covers. Then she heard someone come closer to where
she was laying. She turned her head to
the sound and opened her eyes, but she had to close them, moaning. The light was hurting her eyes and making her
head hurt horribly.
The person next to her placed a cloth over her eyes and stroked
her head, as a mother would a child.
“Try not to move, love. There is
no rush. Here, try to drink more of
this, you need more rest.” The woman
placed a cup to Sam’s lips and she tasted the same drink she had been given
before. Sam avoided the cup and pulled
the cloth from her face.
“No, please, I don’t want to sleep any more, I want to go
home.” Sam tried opening her eyes again
to look at the woman, but everything was extremely blurry. She had to close them again, pain piercing
her scull. Her bones ached miserably.
“It will be some time before you are able to walk, let alone go
home. Please, do as I ask, and drink the
medicine. It will help you get
better.” The woman brought the cup again
to Sam’s mouth, quite insistent.
Sam realized she was too weak to resist, and drank. She soon slept again, and dreamed of her
mother.
-----
Lya was there, waiting for
them in the middle of the clearing. Thor
had warned them that no one but the Nox or their
allies were allowed in the Nox city. The petite woman was pleased to see them, a
gentle smile illuminating her fairy-like face.
“It is good to see you again, friends,” she said as they
approached. Jack found himself smiling
again for the first time since Sam had disappeared. Lya had a special
place in his heart since she had helped them save Skaara
from Klorel.
Daniel and Teal’c also expressed their pleasure at seeing the Nox woman, each in their own way. Daniel took her hand in both of his, while
Teal’c bowed to her with a warm smile in his dark face.
“I’m glad that you’re the one we’re dealing with, Lya”, Jack admitted.
“Have you been told about the circumstances?” Jack asked looking at her,
then at Thor.
“I have,” Lya replied, “and I have
pleaded your case to the Nox Council. I am afraid they are not convinced that we
have grounds for disregarding the Agreement, Thor,” Lya
told the Asgard.
“The Agreement clearly stipulates that the only reason for disclosing
any information about any of the four participating races, the Furlings, the Ancients, the Nox, or
the Asgard, to any other race, must be for the
purposes of survival or well being of the allied races.”
Lya looked at them
apologetically, then she continued to explain, “Although Samantha Carter is a
valued friend, she does not belong to any of the Four Races. We could have made a case for General
O’Neill, since he possesses the Ancient gene, but such is not the case with Dr.
Carter.”
“Yes, all that is true. But
the Agreement does not prevent us, the Nox and the Asgard, from ever including other races in the Agreement
without consulting the Ancients or the Furlings. The Ancients are beyond our reach, no longer
participating in events in our realm. We
have not had any contact with the Furlings since they
departed, many centuries ago. It is up to
us to agree to include a Fifth Race into the Agreement.” Thor had spoken to Lya
in a conspiring tone.
Lya smiled, then
she said, “I see your point. The
Agreement was originally reached, in part, to cooperate with each other in the
protection of the Four Races. The humans
from Earth have done much recently; enough to be considered a strong ally in
this endeavor. But you realize that this
is a major change you are proposing.” Lya did not want to get their hopes up.
“The Asgard Council officially requests
the inclusion of Earth in the Agreement as the Fifth Race. We argue that the humans from Earth have
proven to be valuable allies in the survival of the Asgard
race. Please submit our recommendation
for consideration and approval by the Nox Council. If the Nox approve,
we then will be able to share any information we deem necessary with the humans
for the purpose of protecting their well being,” Thor concluded.
“I will submit your recommendation to the Nox
Council. Please return to your ship and
I will contact you when they have reached a decision.” Lya smiled at them
one last time, and disappeared with a wave of her little hand.
-----
Once in Thor’s ship, Jack turned to his little friend and asked,
“OK, if I understood correctly, you have asked that we be included in some
important treaty we know nothing about, just so that you can help us find Sam,
right?”
“Correct,” Thor answered.
“Don’t take me wrong, I appreciate your ingenuity on this one,
but I am not authorized to negotiate a treaty with anyone,” Jack was
uncomfortable with the idea, if not terrified by it.
“Your negotiating skills will not be necessary at this stage,
O’Neill. What we have proposed will
serve only for us to be able to share some information with you as an acceptable
potential fifth party to the Agreement.
The negotiating will come later, and take a long time. There are many parts to the treaty, and many
levels of cooperation to be considered,” Thor reassured him. “Not all races are or ever were at the same
level of development, which made the Agreement difficult to complete. However, I am confident that your race’s
participation is achievable and will be of benefit to all other races
involved.”
“Thank you, Thor,” Daniel interjected, “whatever the response from
the Nox. We
really appreciate your help on this one.
You know Sam is very important to us,” Daniel concluded.
“Yes, I know that,” he said, looking up at Jack.
Teal’c raised an eyebrow and smiled at Daniel, who was smiling at
Jack’s guilty look.
-----
Jack was startled awake by a light touch on this shoulder. He had lain down on a surprisingly
comfortable bed provided by Thor. He had
only meant to rest while they waited for the Nox to
answer, but a number of hours had passed and he had fallen deeply asleep.
“Thor!” he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Did they give us an answer?” Jack asked; he then realized that Daniel and
Teal’c were standing behind Thor with smiles on their faces. “I take it went well?”
“Correct, O’Neill. The Nox have agreed to accept your nomination as the Fifth Race
in the Agreement. They have given their
consent for us to assist you in trying to find Dr. Carter.” Thor did not seem excited, but sounded
pleased.
“Great! Now what?” asked Jack.
“A small formality, O’Neill. Dr. Jackson and you will
be the first representatives of the Fifth Race to enter the
“Do bureaucrats exist everywhere?” asked Jack, rolling his
eyes. “Then we can go to the Furlings for help?”
“Not exactly,” Thor responded.
“What do you mean? The
machine that took Sam has to be a Furling artifact. They would know how it works!” Jack argued, dread worming itself into his gut again.
“That is possible, but you see… we don’t know where the Furlings went.” Jack
felt his world crash on his head… again.
Chapter Seven
Sam was looking through the stone window at a beautiful view. Her eyesight was back to normal, although a
bothersome headache remained. She was
very weak and her bones still ached terribly, but she had managed to sit up and
walk over to the window without falling.
She had gratefully sunken into a comfortable high seat, her legs shaking
in weakness. From there, she could see
part of the city, shining white under the midday sun.
It all seemed to be built of the same white rock. It looked like granite, or marble, quite
spectacular. The buildings were simple, and no more than two stories high. Plants and flowers were everywhere, as were
large trees. Sam could tell that the
dwellings were built around the trees, as were the streets, which curved and,
in some cases, stopped abruptly in front of one.
There were a lot of people in the streets, quite loud and
boisterous. They seemed like a healthy,
happy bunch. Most of them had red or blond
hair and seemed quite fair and tall. As
opposed to the seven people she had seen in the tumulus, these people were
dressed in a variety of colors. The
women seemed to like showing off quite a lot of cleavage, and both sexes seemed
to prefer trousers. No machines of any
kind were in evidence. Theirs was
apparently a primitive society.
She had only sat there for a few minutes when she heard the door
open and she turned to see Telta come in. She was the middle-aged woman who had taken
care of her for the past few days. Sam
had confused her with her mother during her drugged state. The woman was still beautiful, with blond
hair streaked with white, and large, kind blue eyes.
“Oh, you should not have done that, love! You could have fallen and hurt yourself!” she
admonished. “If you wanted to get up,
you should have waited for me to help you.”
Telta was still dressed in her white tunic,
and her hair was braided to one side, the long tress falling over her left
shoulder.
“I’m alright, thanks. I
needed to get out of bed. I had been laying there long enough,” Sam responded with a little
smile. She was very pale, and her hands
were trembling. She could not remember
ever feeling so sick before.
“What did that machine do to me, Telta? Why am I so weak?” Sam asked for the first
time. During the past few days, she had
not been able to talk for more than a few minutes with the woman before she
would pass out again. She vaguely
remembered Telta bathing her, singing to her, feeding
her, and finally helping her into a white tunic, like her own.
“We don’t know, love. Nemed consulted with the Sidhe,
but they did not give him any answers.
They want to talk to you when you are well enough,” the woman answered.
“To me? Who are the Sidhe?”
asked Sam, wondering if the Sidhe were Gods to these
people and, therefore, no one she could really talk to.
“They are those who protect us,” Telta
replied, “the beings that always surround us.”
“And you… talk to these beings?” asked Sam, incredulous.
“Oh, yes! But not everyone
can. Only the chosen seven can. Those would be Nemed,
the High Priest, and the rest of us druids.”
Telta was tidying up the bed as she
spoke. “Nemed
feels terrible about hurting you, child.
He is still quite confused as to why you did not return to where you
came from, as the others always did.”
“The others?” asked Sam, hoping for the woman to elaborate.
“Yes, you are not the first to come; although we were quite
surprised to see you. You were the first
in years. The last ones to be cleansed
came many, many years ago. I had never
seen a Cleansing before. Only Nemed had, when he was a young man.”
“What is a Cleansing?” Sam asked her, turning completely away from
the window and giving the woman all her attention.
Telta sat on the bed, facing
Sam, and settled for a long explanation.
-----
“The Furlings moved on to another
galaxy many centuries ago,” Thor was explaining to the three men sitting around
him in the bridge. “They originated in
your galaxy, in the planet you know as P4X-874, many millennia ago. They were an advanced, peaceful race. When we first contacted them, they were even
more advanced than we were. They
probably still are.”
“Why did they go to another galaxy?” asked Daniel.
“Because of the Goa’uld. Their race abhors war or any other kind of
conflict, but they were faced with a hard choice when the Goa’uld inadvertently
transported abducted slaves from Earth to the Furling Planet. The planet was, and still is rich in naquadah, and the Goa’uld had failed to sense the Furlings’ presence in the planet. While we, the Asgard,
chose to confront the Goa’uld, and tried to protect as many planets in this
galaxy as we could, the Furlings decided to avoid
confrontation, and depart for another one.”
“How could the Goa’uld not have noticed an advanced race already
living in the planet?” asked Jack, incredulity in his voice.
“The Furlings lived underground, deep
within the planet. The only structure on
the surface was the stargate, which they had used in
their dealings with the Ancients, even before we ever met them. They can also live under water. They had built a beautiful city under one of
the planet’s two oceans. Their race does
not thrive on sunlight.” Thor checked
his control panel and announced, “We will be arriving at the Furling Planet
within a few hours. Maybe you would
prefer to sleep the rest of the way.”
“No, we don’t,” Jack replied quickly, “You said the Furlings were faced with a choice. What happened?”
“They observed the Goa’uld for some time. As you know, they are brutal in their
ways. They abused and killed many
enslaved humans in the Furling Planet while they were mining the naquadah. The Furlings could not tolerate this kind of treatment for very
long. They also knew that, eventually,
their presence would be detected through the mining efforts. Therefore, they decided to leave the planet
and save the enslaved humans. They
departed, taking some of the humans with them.”
“They took them where?” Daniel asked.
“We were not told. The Furlings did not agree with our methods of dealing with the
Goa’uld, and our communication with them had broken down. They are extreme pacifists,” Thor explained.
“They didn’t tell any of the other allies where they went?” asked
Teal’c.
“The Ancients had already ascended, for the most part, and had
stopped communicating with us centuries ago.
The Nox were somewhat in the middle, agreeing
with the Furlings, but not condemning the Asgard solution, which the Furlings
did not particularly appreciate. They
just left, and we never heard from them again.”
Thor sounded regretful.
“Did they leave through the stargate?”
asked Jack hopefully.
“They did not. They left
through transporters they built themselves for the evacuation. They went to another galaxy where there are
probably no stargates. We have found no trace of them through the stargate system in this galaxy, and the only other stargate system we know of is in the Pegasus Galaxy, where
the Ancients had made their second home.”
“So how the hell are we going to find them?” Jack shouted,
standing up, frustration written all over his body.
“I believe the answer lays with the machine in the Furling
Planet. It is the only link to the Furlings left behind.
We know what the machine does.”
Thor then looked at Teal’c. “You
have probably heard of it. This machine
removes the Goa’uld symbiote from the host body, the symbiote never to be seen again.”
“Yes, I have heard of such a machine through
“They are. If the Goa’uld
indeed perished, it was not at the hands of the Furlings. Many Goa’ulds and jaffas attempted to follow the Furlings
and humans through the only transporter they were able to find. They disappeared, and the human hosts were
returned to the planet later, unharmed.”
Thor was still looking at Teal’c.
“Legend does not mention surviving hosts,” Teal’c replied.
“
“I do know that this planet is off limits to the Goa’uld and their
jaffas,” remembered Teal’c.
“That is because no Goa’uld that ventured there ever returned,”
explained Thor.
“Right! OK, but
where did the human inhabitants and the city come from? I thought you said the Furlings
took the humans with them,” asked Jack, sitting down again.
“I said they took some of the humans with them. Once the Furlings
liberated the humans on their world, they gave them choices. They could leave with them, they could remain
and live in the planet, or they could return to the home they had been taken
from. A large group of humans chose to
leave with the Furlings, not feeling safe from the
Goa’uld otherwise. A second group chose
to remain in the Furling Planet, and built the city. You have seen what a beautiful place the
planet is. These humans were left with
the machine that you found. They also
had their own ways to defend themselves.
This second group had no pacifist tendencies whatsoever. In fact, they seemed to enjoy conflict. A third group returned home through the stargate, to a place on Earth called
“Of course! They returned to the home they had been taken
from in
“Thanks for the history lesson, Daniel, but how does this help us
now?” Jack asked impatiently.
“Well, maybe we can find some clues from Celtic mythology and
history…” offered Daniel. Jack looked
like he was about to smack him when Thor interrupted.
“I believe we need to concentrate on the artifact the Furlings left behind.
The Asgard never felt a need to investigate
this artifact. We respected the Furlings’ wishes to be left alone. Maybe we will be able to determine how it
functions. I am fairly certain that Dr.
Carter has been transported somewhere, not harmed. Harming others is not the Furlings’
way,” Thor concluded.
“Yeah!” Jack said pessimistically. He was suddenly feeling exhausted.
-----
“A Cleansing is the ritual we use to remove a demon from a host,” Telta started to explain to Sam. “The Sidhe provided
us with the means to do this through the object you saw in our
“Why do you say the place is sacred?” asked Sam, still quite
confused.
“The Sidhe brought us to this planet
many centuries ago through a doorway opened by the Ankh. The doorway was where our
“You know about other planets?” Sam asked, surprised. These people looked fairly primitive.
“Oh, yes! The Sidhe have taught us about many things. We know about planets, stars, galaxies,
comets, and such. It is all very
interesting, but only to a few of us.
We don’t have much use for astronomy here.” Telta then paused,
looked at the door, and said, “Eri is coming.”
Sam could not hear a thing, but looked at the door, waiting. A few moments later, Eri
entered the room with a tray of food and a smile. “I sensed you were awake, Samantha. I brought you some soup and bread to eat, I
hope you like it.”
“You sensed I was awake?” asked Sam.
“Yes, we can sense many things others can’t,” Telta
told her, smiling at her confusion.
Eri laughed at Sam’s
expression, she then placed the tray on a little wood table next to Sam. “We are druids, Sam. We are chosen to be druids because of our
abilities to sense things in nature and in other people. But don’t worry, we
would never use our abilities to pry.”
She sat next to Telta, on the bed, and then
leaned to Sam asking, “But could you tell us who Jack is?”
Sam involuntarily blushed, wondering what the women could sense or
read. The two druids laughed at her
reaction, and Eri reassured her, “Don’t worry, we
would never read your thoughts without your permission. But you did call to him when you were
dreaming.”
“Oh… well… he is the man I’m going to marry,” Sam responded,
suddenly very interested in the food.
Eri and Telta
looked at each other knowingly, and did not relent, “Is he handsome?” Eri’s green eyes
were teasing.
Sam nodded, stuffing herself with bread so that she did not have
to talk. Her face felt hot, and she was
sure it was redder than Eri’s hair.
“Well? Tell us about him!”
insisted the young woman, not giving Sam any breaks.
“Are druids supposed to be so interested in the opposite sex?”
asked Sam, avoiding the questions.
“Why not? Telta is married,
as are the other older druids. I still
have to choose my husband. I can’t
decide between Kian, a fellow druid, or Carell, my childhood
sweetheart.” Eri
sounded like every other teenager Sam had ever met.
“The poor souls have been suffering over Eri’s
indecision for almost a year now,” informed Telta. “I think Eri is
having too much fun making them grovel, that is why she can’t decide,” Telta said giving the girl a stern look.
“That’s not true! You know
I am truly confused!” Eri argued; she then looked at
Sam. “How can I decide? They both are handsome, strong and
smart. But Kian
is a druid; he knows what I know. On the
other hand, Carell is fun; he makes me laugh. What would you do, Samantha?”
“I’m afraid I’m the last person you should be asking for advice,”
Sam admitted, now drinking a sweet tasting drink from a beautiful, enameled
cup, “It has taken me many years to finally get my love life straight, and that
is only a recent development.”
“And as interesting as your love life is, my dear,” Telta told Eri, “Samantha and I
were in the middle of an important conversation when you arrived.”
“As I was saying, Samantha,” Telta
continued, ignoring Eri’s frown, “the Sidhe brought us here from another planet. They saved us from the demons, and gave us
this beautiful place to live. They still
protect us. When the demons that pursue
us try to reach us, we use the Ankh to remove the demons from the hosts, and
the hosts are returned to where they came from.
You did not have a demon within you.
We think that is why the Ankh did not work properly.”
“What we don’t understand is why you were brought here in the
first place. If you did not have a demon
inside of you, the Ankh should not have brought you here,” said Eri.
“It is possible that the Ankh could detect the protein marker, or
the naquadah left in my blood by Jolinar,” Sam was
thinking out loud.
“Who is Jolinar?” asked Eri.
Sam looked at the two women thoughtfully. How could she explain? To them, Jolinar was a demon. She then reached a decision. “If you really want to know, feel free to
read my thoughts. I think it would be
the best way for you to understand,” Sam told them.
The two women looked at each other, surprised at Sam’s
willingness. They then nodded and closed
their eyes, holding Sam’s hands. And
they understood.
Chapter Eight
Lieutenant Jennifer Haley was punching some numbers into her
computer and frowning at the results when Jack entered the tumulus, followed by
Colonel Dixon and what remained of SG-1.
She immediately stood up to salute her commander.
“At ease, Haley,” Jack told her.
“What do you have? Colonel Dixon
said you figured out how this thing works.”
He looked exhausted, she thought, but responded immediately.
“Not exactly, Sir. I have
been able to determine that the altar here,” she said, pointing at the surface
of the rock table, “contains some kind of control mechanism. I noticed electromagnetic readings coming
from it, purely by accident. The table
looks like any other piece of rock, but notice this.”
The Lieutenant got closer to the middle of the table and
delineated an indentation on the surface of the altar with her index
finger. “This looks like a hand, and
there are two more, here, and here,” she pointed to two other handprints at the
extremes of the table. When I put my
hand on top of one of the handprints, I can feel a slight vibration.”
“But there was no one was touching the altar when Sam
disappeared,” observed Daniel.
“She probably triggered an automated response from the machine,
but that does not mean these handprints couldn’t be the control mechanism,”
Haley suggested.
“Don’t be surprised to find hand symbols there,” a loud voice
could be heard approaching them from the entrance of the tumulus, “they are
everywhere in the ruins. The hand was a
symbol of power for the Ancient Celts.”
The man talking was a round, middle-aged man with a contagious
smile. “If you notice,” he said pointing
at the carvings on the front of the altar, “these look like fingerprints. Very common in megalithic
ruins, yes, very common.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Dr…” Jack hesitated, forgetting the
man’s name.
“O’Malley, Sean O’Malley, at your service, Sir,” said the rotund
man extending a hand.
Jack shook it, “O’Malley… Sean!
Tell me, Sean, have you been able to translate the writing on the altar
and found an instruction manual by any chance?” Jack asked patiently.
“A manual… no. But I have indeed been able to translate some
of the writing. There were quite a few
differences from Earth’s Ancient Celtic, but basically, it is the same
language. Quite fascinating!” the man
was obviously thrilled. “Excuse my
exuberance, but please, understand. I
found out a few days ago that there are other planets we can go to. And not only that, but now I find out that
Earth’s ancient Celts populated these planets!”
“What does it say?” replied Jack, enunciating every word
carefully, trying not to yell at the man.
“Oh, yes! Of course! Well… here it says, “The Doom of the
Wicked is Annihilation,” he translated, looking at the altar. He then looked at his audience and could not
understand why they looked as if someone had just died.
-----
Sam was still too weak and achy to walk fast, but she was able to
stroll through the garden surrounding the complex she had been confined to for
the last few days. She figured it must
be about Friday. Tomorrow she was
supposed to pick up Cassie. She wondered
what explanation Jack would give the girl for Sam not being there.
Her thoughts kept dwelling on Jack. They really could not get a break! They had just found each other, and now, she
did not know if she would ever be able to see him again. What state of mind was he in right now? Was he suffering, thinking she was dead?
No. Knowing Jack, he was
moving sky and earth trying to figure out where she was. He never was one to give up easily.
She looked up at the blue, cloudless sky. There had been a little rain earlier that
morning, but now the air felt dry and cool.
The sun felt good on her skin, but she suddenly felt a little dizzy and
nauseous, and sat down on a stone bench, under a small fruit tree.
“You should not over do it, love.
You are still too weak, and you need your strength for tonight’s walk,” Telta was telling her as she approached her with another
beautiful cup. She handed the cup over
to Sam, who drank the sweet liquid with relish.
“Why? What is going on
tonight?” asked Sam, licking her lips, her left dimple showing.
“You are meeting the Sidhe tonight. They wish to talk to you,” Telta said simply, as if it was an every day occurrence.
“Really? Why tonight?
Why not now?” Sam asked, suddenly feeling
energized.
“The Sidhe can only commune with us at
night, Samantha. Just as we thrive in
light, they thrive in darkness.” Telta looked at her thoughtfully. “I should tell you more about them before you
meet them.”
“I would appreciate that. I
don’t know why you have been so mysterious about them so far,” Sam said
gratefully.
“I guess you could say it is a matter of tradition. The millions of people who populate the four
cities in this planet have never seen the Sidhe,
although they are very much aware of their existence. We, the druids, only speak about them when
it is absolutely necessary. Our planet, Noviobriga, is a sanctuary from evil, generously given to
us by our protectors. The least we owe
them is respect for their wishes.”
When Sam looked at her puzzled, Telta
continued to explain, “The one thing they asked of us was for us to keep our
distance. They are a very peaceful and
shy race. They have not interfered with
our culture in any way, and they have kept theirs a secret from us. They only communicate with us through the
chosen druids. You see; we do not speak
the same language. We are not even
capable of making the sounds they make in order to speak. Therefore, we communicate through signals,
and our senses.”
“I see. That is why only empaths are chosen to be druids,” Sam observed. “But, where do these beings live?”
“They live in great, underground cities. They also dwell under the ocean, far away
from here. Our city, Falias,
was the first one to be built. As our
population grew and our young people were struck by wanderlust, a second and a third city were built, Gorias
and Finias, farther away in opposite directions. The last city, Murias,
is far away, by the ocean. We trade with
each other and get together in the different cities for various celebrations
during the year. We are a very fortunate
and happy people,” Telta said with a smile.
“But we can’t cross the oceans to seek more land,” Eri’s voice interjected, joining them in the garden. “The Sidhe have
forbidden us from trespassing in their domain, the water and the deep entrails
of the planet.” Eri
did not sound bitter, just informative.
“Don’t you feel captive here?” Sam asked, knowing she could not be
as limited as they seemed to be.
“Not at all. Those who do, are
free to go,” Telta said simply.
“Go where? How? Do you have a stargate?”
asked Sam hopefully.
“Oh, no. We know about the stargates,”
said Eri.
“They are what the demons used to steal our people long ago. There are no stargates
in this galaxy,” Eri told Sam.
“In this galaxy?”
Sam repeated, “W…What galaxy are we in?
I assumed we were still in my galaxy!”
Sam was starting to feel a little faint again.
“Oh, no, dear! We are very, very far away from your home
galaxy. The Sidhe
made sure we could not be reached by any other threats. The only intelligent life
in this small galaxy, as far as we know, are we.”
Sam felt she was going to pass out. “But, you just said that if someone wanted to
leave, they could just go!”
“True, although I don’t know of anyone who has recently left. The last group of us to leave left centuries
ago,” Telta answered.
“Oh, my God! What if there is no way for me to go
back?” It was a rhetorical question, but
Sam was still hoping someone could give her a positive answer. She was now taking deep breaths, trying to
get rid of overwhelming nausea.
“Only the Sidhe can help you,
Samantha. We would not know how to send
you back,” Eri told her. “But don’t worry,
you just have to convince the Sidhe to let you return;
just as some of our people did, all those years ago. We know that the Sidhe
helped them return to our first home.”
“How am I going to do that if I can’t even speak their language?”
asked Sam.
“We will be there to help you communicate, Samantha. We have to take you to them anyway,” smiled Telta reassuringly.
-----
Dr. O’Malley was feeling very uncomfortable with the sudden
silence in the group. Everyone was
looking at him as if hoping he had more to say.
“That… that is all it says, really.”
“OK, listen, we don’t need to jump to conclusions. Remember what I told you on the ship about
resurrection,” Daniel was talking to Jack.
“If this was just a killing machine, it would be much more
straight forward, don’t you think?
I mean, why envelope the victim in an energy
field and make it disappear. Why not
just kill the victim and leave the body right there? Besides, Thor told us that the Furlings did not harm anyone.”
“I have to agree with Dr. Jackson,” Lt. Haley said, “The machine
is more complicated than that. Look at
this!” she waved them closer to the altar.
“When I put my hand here,” she said as she placed her hand on one of
the handprints, “you can hear the machine hum, which you could not hear at all
before. If I put my hand on this other
handprint, listen to the humming change,” she observed, looking at them to see
if they could hear the change.
“There are different tones to the humming,” observed Teal’c.
“Exactly! I think you can operate the machine with
different people putting their hands on the handprints in different
combinations,” Haley suggested, “kind of like the stargate.”
“Do you know how many combinations there are?” asked Daniel.
“Well, if we use three people, three handprints…at three different
times or together… well… a lot! And who
knows what we would be telling the machine to do!” Jack answered,
frustrated. They were no closer to
getting Sam back.
At this point, Thor appeared in the structure amongst them. “O’Neill, I am glad to report that I have
been able to translate the writing on the monolith using my ship’s records of
the Furling language,” the little alien said, handing an electronic pad to
Jack.
“You are entering Noviomagos, a city
protected by the Furlings. Friends are welcome; enemies will be
repelled. All newcomers are to provide
the Ankh with symbols of gratitude to nature for its blessings. Be warned: The doom of the wicked is
annihilation,” read Jack. “Not very
poetic, but it seems to direct them here, right?”
“Noviomagos means New Field, obviously
the name of this city,” observed Dr. O’Malley.
“All newcomers had to bring an offering here, probably as a test
of some kind,” Daniel said thoughtfully.
“Of course!” Haley
exclaimed, a look of enlightenment on her face, “that is what this is
for. It is a Goa’uld detector!” she
smiled.
“It is more than that,” Thor responded. “This machine detected and retrieved Goa’uld symbiotes from their hosts.”
“You knew this?” asked Colonel Dixon.
“Thor kind of explained that on our way here,” Jack answered.
“Now I understand why the machine did not work automatically
again.” Lt. Haley said. “We had all kinds of people prancing about
with different instruments in their hands, trying to trigger something, but
nothing happened.”
When she saw everyone’s puzzled looks, she explained, “I noticed
in the tape that the machine reacted to Dr. Carter when she approached it and
turned on her sensor unit. I thought
the unit had done something to activate the machine. But it was not the sensor unit, it was Dr.
Carter herself!”
“But Sam does not carry a symbiote,”
argued Daniel.
“No, but she did. Maybe the
machine is also sensitive to the naquadah in her
blood, or the protein marker she still carries,” Haley hypothesized. “The only person I am aware of that may be
able to trigger the machine again is… Teal’c.”
They all turned to look at the former First Prime hopefully.
Chapter Nine
Sam had slept most of the
afternoon away. Telta
had drugged her again. She had insisted
Sam was too unsettled, and that she could relapse if she did not rest. Now they were walking through the trees, deep
inside the forest on the north side of Falias. Sam was still dressed in the white tunic,
soft sandals on her feet, but the night was warm and she did not feel cold.
Despite of two moons in the
night sky, it was very dark under the canopy.
The seven druids carried torches.
The two young men, Kian and Morc, were walking on each side of Sam, holding her arms
for support. The three older men were leading
the way, and the two women were walking behind her. They were walking slowly due to her weakened
state and she felt they had already walked for miles, although it was not that
far at all.
They finally reached a
large clearing in the woods. Sam was
reminded of one her visits to the
The seven druids placed a
torch on the outside of each of the boulders, sticking them in the
ground. They then proceeded to sit in
front of each set of rock and torch, facing the middle of the circle. Sam was told to sit slightly towards the
middle, in front of Telta. The light from the torches provided enough
illumination to see what was going on, but they were still in semi-darkness.
The druids then started
chanting softly, something that sounded like a mantra. Sam felt exhausted after the walk, and the
chanting started to make her drowsy despite the pain in her bones. They must have been doing this for maybe five
minutes when the chanting suddenly stopped, causing Sam to open her eyes. Sam saw the High Priest, Nemed,
arise and walk up to one of the boulders.
He placed his hand on the boulder, and the handprint under his hand
started to glow. He then sat back down
and everyone waited.
Sam had closed her eyes
again, trying to rest, when she heard the others move. They had all placed their hands on their
eyes, covering them lightly, still sitting on the ground. Something was approaching from the darkness.
Sam could not believe her
eyes. At first glimpse, she thought she
saw children. She then realized these
were not children, but very small people, emerging from the woods. They immediately reminded her of
fairies. They were small boned, with
delicate faces and huge, almost round eyes.
It was difficult to determine the color of the skin in the darkness, but
she thought they looked almost translucent.
Their hair was dark, thick and long.
They were dressed in short, ethereal looking little tunics tied at the
waist by a jewel-encrusted belt, and they seemed to be wearing little snug
boots. Other than that, they looked
almost human.
There were three of them, a
male and two females. One of the females
seemed to be the leader. She walked
slightly ahead of the other two and was looking at Sam with interest. Sam did not move; she just stared back, in awe. The little woman made some gestures with her
arms, still looking at Sam. She was
wondering what the little being was doing when she heard Telta’s
voice behind her.
“This is Dis. She is the Sidhe
representative. We know her well. She welcomes you to our planet, Samantha,” Telta was saying, “and she begs your forgiveness for your
bad experience with the Ankh.”
“Please tell her that I
don’t hold them responsible for what happened,” asked Sam, still looking at Dis, who had not stopped waving her arms and fluttering her
hands and fingers. Sam was reminded of
butterflies.
“She thanks you. She says her people would never cause you harm intentionally. Even the demons are shown mercy. Once removed from the hosts, they are taken
to a far away lake, protected by the Sidhe, where
they are able to survive without causing harm to anyone.” Sam did not think having Goa’uld living
anywhere was a good idea, but she said nothing.
“She believes the Ankh hurt
you when it tried to find a demon within you, and could not find one. It kept trying to find the foreign body that
triggered the mechanism, and in doing so, caused harm to your blood,” Telta continued to explain.
“My blood?” Sam wondered aloud, “What does she mean?”
“She believes important
parts of your blood were destroyed.” Telta sounded unsure, obviously not knowing what the little
woman was talking about.
“My God!” Sam thought, “What happened to me?”
“Please tell Dis that I want to go back home and get help from my
people. Please, tell her to send me
back,” Sam asked, now looking at Telta pleadingly.
“She says that you may
die,” Telta responded immediately, sounding sad. It was evident that Dis
could understand Sam, even if Sam could not understand her. “Dis says that if
this happens, your people may try to reach us to seek retribution,” she
concluded.
“No! We would never do that! Look, it was an accident. I triggered the machine because I was a host
once. Now that we know that the machine
works that way, we can prevent this from happening again. And we could continue to use the machine to
free hosts from the Goa’uld. It is a
good machine! Maybe Dis and her people could teach us how to use it
properly,” argued Samantha passionately.
“Whatever happens to me, meeting you is important to my people.”
The little woman had
stopped communicating. She was looking
at Sam thoughtfully, then turned to the other two little people behind her and
Sam could hear them talking. It sounded
like chirping.
Suddenly, the whole group
turned to the rock with the glowing hand.
The hand was blinking blue. “The Ankh!” Nemed exclaimed, “It
has been activated again!”
The three little people
chirped something at Nemed, who bowed respectfully,
and they disappeared in a flash of light.
Telta turned to Sam, “They want us to go to
the Ankh, and they will be observing.”
“All right,” said Sam,
getting up painfully, but swooned as soon as she was on her feet. Her legs were almost completely numb, unable
to hold her up. She was caught by two
sets of strong arms, Kian and Morc’s,
before she fell.
“You need to carry
her. We must hurry!” Nemed
ordered. Kian
picked her up, just as Sam lost consciousness.
-----
Jack had been adamant.
Teal’c would not go alone. “Listen, if
he triggers the transporter, I am going along.
No one else!”
“But Jack, you may need a
translator. Thor, here, is willing to
go. If the Furlings
are there, he is the only one that may be able to communicate with them,”
Daniel had argued.
At the end, Jack had
ordered them to remain. He was still not
sure that the machine was only a transporter, and he was not willing to
endanger any more lives.
Jack and Teal’s had stepped
in front of the machine and, just as it had happened with Sam, the noise, the
blinking lights, and the energy field had followed. They both had disappeared in a flash of
intense light.
Now they were standing,
still surrounded by the energy field, in the same spot where Sam had appeared
days ago. They realized they had to wait
for someone to get them out, so they did.
Jack and Teal’c had not waited for more than thirty minutes when they
heard footsteps approach. They got up
and prepped their weapons, just in case.
Nemed was the first one to enter the tumulus, carrying a torch. He approached the altar without hesitation,
followed by four of the druids. “Hello,”
Jack started to say tentatively. “We
don’t mean to barge in, but we are looking for someone. She’s a blond, pretty woman… about this
high…” Jack was saying, his hand indicating Sam’s approximate height, when the
last two druids came in, one of them carrying Sam’s inert body.
“Sam!” Jack shouted,
automatically lifting his weapon at the sight of Sam’s obviously unhealthy
appearance. “What’s wrong with her? Let us out of here, now!”
“If you are here and still
confined, one of you must carry a demon,” Nemed
answered instead, ignoring Jack’s concern.
“The machine was triggered
by my presence. I used to be a jaffa. But I harbor
a demon no longer,” Teal’c explained sincerely.
“You must be Jack!” the
youngest woman in the group said, approaching the energy field and looking at
the general. “I sense your feelings for
her. Are you the man she is promised to?”
she asked him for confirmation.
“Yeah! That’s me. Let me out of here.” Jack had been surprised by the woman’s
recognition, but was still firm about his demand.
“Please, you must
understand that we have done what we could for her. It was never our intention to hurt her. It was a mistake. She assured us that no one from your world
would seek retribution for a mistake,” an older woman told him, joining the
other woman on the other side of the energy field.
“Do we have your assurance
that you will cause no harm?” Nemed asked imperiously
from the altar.
“I won’t hurt anybody, but
get me the hell out of here!” Jack demanded looking at Sam, who seemed to be
awakening.
Telta turned to Nemed and told him, “They are
speaking the truth. Their only concern
is for Samantha. Let them out, Nemed.”
Nemed nodded, and turned to Fothad and Tuan
for their assistance. The three of them
approached the altar and placed their hands on the handprints drawn on the
surface, consecutively from left to right.
The energy field immediately ceased to exist, and Jack ran to Sam, who
has being deposited on the floor by Kian, shakily on
her feet. Teal’c remained close to the
rest of the druids, warily watching them.
“Jack!” Sam exclaimed in
relief when she saw him. Jack wrapped
her in an embrace and held her body tightly, deeply relieved to see her
alive. He then pulled away to look at
her by the light of the torches. He
could tell she was not well, her face and lips deathly pale. He could feel her shaking weakly in his
arms. “What’s wrong? What happened to you?”
The druids were still
nervous, wondering what would happen, but Sam’s introductions relieved the
tension. “These are my friends, Nemed, Fothad, Morc, Tuan, Kian, Eri and Telta. Telta and Eri have taken care of me since the accident with the
Ankh. It was all a mistake, Jack.”
“How?” asked Jack, not
completely appeased. He looked at Nemed, expecting an answer.
“The Ankh had never brought
anyone not possessed by a demon before.
In trying to purge the demon out of Samantha’s body, it hurt her. We regret that this happened. We would never intentionally harm
anyone.” Nemed
was trying to explain, regret on his voice.
“I think I met the Furlings, Jack,” Sam switched the subject, a smile of awe on
her lips, “I’m positive they must be the Furlings!”
“That is the least of my
concerns right now. We have to get you
home.” He turned to Nemed as Sam was starting to
complain, “But, you need to meet them; we need to establish relations with
them!”
“We will, later!” he
assured her. “Can you send us back? We need to get her medical help.” He was expecting Nemed
to answer, when the druids seemed to sense something. They all started to douse their torches
soundlessly inside buckets of sand, until the tumulus was pitch black.
“What the…!” started to say
Jack, and they could her Teal’c prepping his weapon again. But Sam restrained Jack with a hand on his
chest, “Wait, Jack. It must be them!”
A blue, shining orb entered
the tumulus through the entrance and made its way to the altar, hovering
there. The orb produced enough blue
light for everyone to see clearly when the three little people appeared in a
flash of light. They were standing in
front of the altar, facing Jack and Sam.
Jack saw a little woman
approach him slowly, waving her hands and looking at him with enormous eyes
that covered one third of her face. He
was mesmerized, watching her, when he heard Telta’s
voice coming from the altar.
“Yes, we are the Furlings. How do you
know who we are?” the female voice asked.
“We have… mutual friends,”
Jack answered, looking at both, the little woman and Telta,
in turn. “Thor sends his regards and
hopes to see you again.”
“You have met the Asgard?” asked the woman again.
“We have been friends for
some years, now. We are about to be
included in your very exclusive Agreement, as a matter of fact. The Nox are also
friends.” Jack was still holding Sam by
the waist, fearing she would drop. “I am
sure they all would love to see you. But
my main concern is to get Sam some help.
Can you send us back? Maybe you
can come along,” he suggested.
“This is… agreeable!” Telta said, incredulous.
“Then, shall we?” asked
Jack, lifting Sam in his arms, ready to depart.
-----
Daniel and Dr. O’Malley had
settled in one corner of the tumulus where the jovial little man had set up
his desk, now full of books, drawings and notes. They had been discussing the contents of the
ruins for some time, while the rest of the people in the large chamber
continued with their own work.
Lieutenant Haley was
working by herself, completely immersed in her calculations, having set up her
equipment close to the altar. She had
taken readings of the three handprints when Teal’c had activated the
machine. She was analyzing these
readings meticulously, when she heard the machine start to hum again. She immediately activated her sensors again,
hoping for more readings.
Colonel Dixon had been
ready for this. He yelled an order and
twelve soldiers immediately took positions around the machine, weapons ready.
Thor, who had returned to
his ship, transported back to the tumulus, and stood behind the line of
soldiers to wait. He had evidently been
waiting for this too.
In a flash of blinding
light, five beings appeared in front of the machine. They all immediately recognized Jack carrying
a very pale Samantha, Teal’c standing next to them. A beautiful, older woman was standing on the
other side of the couple, dressed in a hooded white tunic. But everyone was staring agape at what stood
at their feet. It looked like a child,
no more than hip high, completely covered by a shimmering, blue robe.
“All right, everyone, stand
down. No need to panic; these are friendlies.
Thor slowly approached the
little figure wrapped in blue. The
lights were dimmed, and Dis took off her hood and
looked at her old friend again for the first time in centuries. Thor placed his slim hands over his closed eyes
in salutation, and Dis did the same. They then started to converse with hand
signals and an occasional chirping sound from the little woman. They were obviously happy to see each other.
The only one not
mesmerized by the view of the little being was Haley, who was engrossed again
by the readings from the altar. Daniel
and Dr. O’Malley were now in the middle of the room, smiling at the
newcomers. “Sam! Welcome home!
We missed…” started to say Daniel, when he noted her condition. “What’s wrong? Are you OK?” he asked, losing the smile. Sam was feeling dizzy and nauseous again,
unable to respond, still in Jack’s arms.
“No, she’s not Daniel. Please get a medical team in here,
stat!” Daniel did not have to be told
twice. He pulled out his radio and
called one in. They came in a minute
later and laid Sam on a stretcher. The
medics started taking vital signs immediately by the light of the entrance, and
proceeded to hook her up to an I.V.
Chapter Ten
Sam was sleeping peacefully
on a hospital bed back at Stargate Command, hooked up to an I.V., monitoring
machines, and surrounded by her loved ones.
Jacob had been finally reached and extracted from a mission, and had
come running to his daughter’s side. His
hand held hers, his face a mask of anguish.
The news was not good. Sam was
dying.
Jack had received him at
the Gate, a grim look on his face, and had informed him immediately of the
prognosis.
“It’s called Multiple Myeloma, a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, and
she is at a very advanced stage. It’s
too late for any kind of treatment. She
may only have days, or hours, to live,” Jack had recited all this to Jacob as
if in a trance on the way to see her.
Now Jack sat quietly by her bed, giving Jacob some space, staring at his
beloved Sam’s sleeping face. She had
regained some color thanks to a blood transfusion and looked almost healthy.
Telta was also in the room sitting in a corner, despair clear on her
countenance. Why had she not insisted
further? Why could she not stop Nemed from activating the Ankh? What had they done?
Thor and Dis had transported to Thor’s ship from the Furling
Planet. They were still there, waiting
for news. Jack had asked Colonel Dixon
to contact them and brief them, not wanting to deal with them at the
moment. He had to admit to himself that
he felt angry. He could not help it.
The Furling called Dis had explained that she could not help Sam. They had never become familiar enough with
human physiology to be able to cure such an advanced stage of a disease. Thor could not help them either. The Asgard were
quite familiar with human genetics, but not with much else. Jack had held on to the hope that the
sarcophagus that had saved Sam’s life last time could be used again.
But Jacob had dashed that
hope when he explained that it was currently in Ba’al’s
former mothership, deep in Goa’uld territory, being
used in a Tok’Ra mission. Jacob had been extracted from this mission
with difficulty, and the ship would never be accessible in time to save
Sam. Not without risking the lives of
all the Tok’Ra and rebel jaffas
currently involved in the mission.
Sam had been informed of
her condition and of their alien allies inability to
help her. She had accepted all this with
equanimity, partly because Jack had told her they were trying to contact her
father and obtain the sarcophagus. He
dreaded having to tell her that no help could be had from that side either.
Jacob was also drowning in
despair. There were no Tok’Ra symbiotes available for
Sam. He had argued with his own symbiote, Selmac, trying to have
the Tok’Ra leave him and cure her. Selmac had
refused. “We have been together too
long, my friend. If I leave you now, we
both may die, and I would not be strong enough to save your daughter. You know this.”
Daniel and Teal’c had gone
to retrieve Cassie from her boarding school.
Sam had asked them to do so. She
did not want the girl to worry when she did not show up to pick her up. Jack suspected she also wanted to make sure
she was able to say goodbye to her dear young friend before it was too late.
Sam made a sound, and
everyone in the room became alert. She
opened her eyes slowly and looked at her father, “Hi, Dad. It’s good to see you,” she said, smiling at
her old man. She sounded weak, but Jack
knew the drugs were doing a good job of keeping pain at bay. “Hi, kiddo. Wild horses could not keep me away,” managed
to answer Jacob in a strangled voice.
“I’m very thirsty,” Sam
said, frowning. “Where are we?” She was looking around the room as if she had
never seen it before. They had been warned
that she could get confused due to her condition and the drugs she was being
treated with.
Jack grabbed the cup of
water by her bedside and gave it to Jacob, who helped his daughter drink a few
sips. Telta
had stood up and approached the bed from the other side. She took Sam’s other hand, unbearably
sad. The woman was feeling all the pain
contained in the room, Sam’s father, Sam’s lover, and her own. “Mom?” Sam said when
she saw the woman, “you are still here.
Please tell Dad not to be sad,” Sam asked, “tell him everything will be
fine.”
Telta turned to Jacob, who looked stricken, then answered Sam softly,
“Yes, love, don’t worry, just rest now,” she told Sam stroking her hair.
Sam’s peaceful gaze
suddenly turned urgent, “We can’t leave him like this. Tell them we need to find a way to help him!”
Sam was becoming agitated. Telta held her hand in both of hers and concentrated,
trying to understand. She then turned to
Jack, “She is concerned about you, Jack.
You are frozen, and she does not want to leave you.” Telta did not know
what the memory meant, but hoped Jack could reassure Sam.
Jack got up and Jacob moved
aside to give him room next to Sam. He
took Sam’s hand and turned her face toward him gently. “I’m here, Sam. I’m all right. It’s OK.”
He was very close, looking into her confused eyes, stroking her cheek
with his thumb. “I love you, Sam.” He then realized it was the very first time
he had said that to her, and he wished he had not waited so long. He buried his face in the crook of her neck,
finally broken, as she drifted back to a drugged sleep.
-----
Cassie had arrived. She had been silent during her trip to the
base, afraid to ask for details. Daniel
had just told her that Sam was sick and wanted to see her. The girl could not imagine what could have
happened to Sam in less than a week, but she sensed it was serious.
Teal’c was leading her by
the arm into Sam’s room when she stopped, unwilling to go on. She had seen Sam laying
unconscious on the bed with Jack holding her close. She could read what was happening, she could
tell. Sam was dying.
“No! I can’t!
Get me out of here, please,” she had turned to Teal’c and was begging
him. “I can’t lose another mother,
Teal’c. Tell me it’s not going to
happen!” Tears were now in her eyes, and
Teal’c was at a loss.
“We never really lose our
loved ones,” he started, but Cassandra did not want to hear it. “No! No!” and she turned to run away. Daniel was behind her, and caught her in a
hug, trying to console her. She busted
into tears and moaned into his shoulder.
Suddenly the alarm blared,
“Unscheduled off world activation!”
Teal’c and Daniel looked at each other, not knowing what to do. They felt the need to see what was going on,
but did not want to leave Cassie. As if
on cue, Telta stepped out of the room and took
over. Daniel and Teal’c ran to the Gate
room.
-----
Hammond was wondering what
was going on, waiting for some kind of signal when, right through the iris, a
group of people stepped forward and stopped at the top of the ramp.
“Stand down!” he commanded
when he recognized them, and he ran to meet them. Daniel and Teal’c joined him as he entered
the Gate room. He felt, finally, hope
start to take hold in his chest.
-----
Jack turned his attention
from Sam when he heard what sounded like a large group of people entering the
room. Jacob was also startled, but
smiled when he saw who it was. Telta and Cassie, who were sitting together in the corner
of the room, just stared in perplexity.
A smiling
Jack stood up, never having
been so glad to see anyone as he was now to see the Nox
woman. Of course! Why had he not thought of them? Maybe they could help Sam. The Nox had brought
SG-1 back from the dead once, for crying out loud! He turned to Thor, whom he assumed to be the
one responsible for their other alien friends being here and said, “Thank you,
buddy!” Thor
just bowed his head in acknowledgement.
Lya looked at Jack seriously, “General O’Neill, we can give you no
guarantees, but we are here to try to do what we can for Dr. Carter.” Lya knew they may
fail in trying to save Sam, but she was hopeful that they could, at least,
stabilize her enough so that the Tollan could treat
her.
Everyone got out of the way
as the Nox group took places around the bed. Sam was oblivious, deeply asleep. Lya turned to Jack
once more, “This may take a long time.
It would be easier for us if we were the only ones in the room with
her,” she requested.
Jack quickly got everyone
out of the room, and turned to look at Sam one last time before he too left
the room, closing the door behind him.
-----
In the briefing room, the
group was brought up to speed on recent events. Narim reported on
the progress his people had achieved since the Prometheus had left Tollana. He also
explained how Thor had gathered the Nox and himself
in the Furling Planet by contacting them from the Asgard
ship. Narim had
immediately gated to the planet from Tollana III
using their newly built stargate. The Nox had used
their stargate as well. They had decided to put it back to use when
it was evident they would be negotiating a treaty with Earth.
“We were fortunate that the
Nox did not still have their stargate
buried,” said Thor. “Otherwise, it could
have taken days to bring them here. But,
contacting the Nox was really her idea,” Thor
interjected, pointing at Dis.
They had dimmed the lights
to the point of almost complete darkness so that Dis
could pull her hood back. Telta sat by her side and served as interpreter when the
tiny woman started waving her arms and hands, “Dis
says it is our last hope for Sam. No
other race is as advanced as the Nox in medicine. They are deeply spiritual people with
mysterious, but effective, means for healing.”
“We may be able to help her
as well. But I agree with Dis. The Nox can do
things we still consider impossible in Tollana. We are lucky to have such friends,” asserted Narim.
“General Hammond,” said
Thor, changing the subject, “I have brought Dis up to
speed on our recent agreement to negotiate the inclusion of Earth as a fifth
party to our previous Agreement. I gave
her access to all the information I had on file on Earth’s contributions to
the survival of the Asgard and your struggle against
the Goa’uld.”
The little woman now
addressed Hammond, Telta translating, “We do not
approve of some of the means you have used in order to prevail against the
Goa’uld. However, we do understand why a
civilization less advanced than ours has no other choice. This is something some of us always
understood, but our leaders did not want to accept.” Dis was looking at
Thor, who understood she was referring to the break down of their relationship
centuries before.
“It has been too long since
we have had contact with our friends. I,
for one, am extremely happy that Dr. Carter was brought to our planet, and
that we are now here, together. Our
leaders approved of my decision to come here, and try to reestablish relations
with our old allies; and to get to know more about our new friends.” Telta was
smiling. She felt as if a rock had been
lifted from her chest. The air in the
room was now filled with hope and good will.
“All is well that ends
well,”
As he was completing his
last sentence, they all heard Cassie at the top of the stairs, calling to them
excitedly, “She’s going to be OK! Come on!” and she ran back downstairs
without waiting for them. Everyone got
up to follow.
Chapter Eleven
Daniel was in his
element. He felt they had really hit the
mother lode this time. Not only were
they establishing a relationship with a very old, advanced and interesting
race; they were also learning huge amounts of information regarding the ancient
Celts.
Thor had warned Daniel not
to expect too much too soon from the Furlings. Theirs was a very cautious, reclusive
race. Dr. O’Malley had speculated on
how old Dis must be.
He had reminded Daniel that Dis was considered
to be the God of the Underworld in ancient Celtic mythology. Unless there was a long line of Dis in their history, the little woman could be more than
twenty five hundred years old!
“You do know what the Sidhe are, don’t you?” he asked Daniel, challenging
him. Daniel thought for a moment and
said, “Of course! The
Little Folk of Irish legends!”
Dr. O’Malley had been thrilled to spend some time with Telta, who had told him about her planet, Noviobriga, and the cities there. He had practically run to Daniel to tell him
what he had found out. The four cities
in Noviobriga, New Fortress in ancient Celtic, were
the same cities in Celtic mythology that the ancient Celts claimed they had
come from, Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias.
Telta had not been surprised at this, explaining to a very excited Dr.
O’Malley that there had been groups of her people in the past that had returned
to the Furling Planet, and eventually back to Earth, seeking their roots. This had happened a
number of times during the past centuries.
Therefore, the Earth Celtic mythology was a combination of legend and
history brought back with these peoples.
Telta was not sure, but she surmised that the Celts living in the
Furling Planet had, for some reason, abandoned Noviomagos,
and had all returned to Earth in the past.
Dr. O’Malley was determined to find their history buried in the ancient
city, which was now a huge archeological dig.
Another person in her
element was Lieutenant Haley. She had
spent two days with Dis in the tumulus, in almost
complete darkness, learning from the little alien woman the capabilities and
operation of the Ankh. It had turned out
to be an extremely powerful transporter, not much more. It created a subspace wormhole, much like the
stargate’s, directly to the new Furling Planet. It also had sophisticated sensors built
specifically to search for Goa’uld DNA in a host. Once the sensors detected the Goa’uld, the
Ankh retrieved the being from the host by simply transporting it out of the
host’s body, without hurting either being.
Telta explained to Haley that one of the druids’ jobs was to transport
the symbiote to a particular large lake in Noviobriga, where they released it. The Furlings
carefully guarded this lake.
Telta and Dis had been surprised and amused
to find that Lieutenant Haley had already been experimenting with the
Ankh. She had already transported some
empty containers back and forth, using the controls on the altar. She had figured out the combinations for
sending and bringing back items from the sensor readings she had obtained when
Jack and Teal’c had gone to the planet, and then returned. Telta was having
fun imagining what the other druids were thinking and doing when they kept
seeing the empty containers appear and disappear.
Yes, everything was going
smoothly. Lya,
Thor and Dis had spent some time together before the Nox had had to return home.
The five people had been exhausted from their efforts to heal Samantha,
but were relieved and happy that she was now on her way to recovery.
-----
Sam had awakened to find
the five Nox people standing around her bed, their
eyes closed and their hands extended over her.
One moment she could see them clearly, the next they were almost gone,
as if covered in mist. She had initially
thought she was dreaming, but then she became fully alert, and the five people
solidified again. Lya
had then opened her eyes and smiled at her in greeting, “Welcome back, my friend.”
The door had then opened,
and Jack had poked his head in, looking anxious. “Jack!” Sam had said, giving him one of her
radiant smiles, and he had come straight into her arms. “Hi, babe,” was all he had said, but his arms
were tight around her and his eyes had told her everything he felt.
Cassie had followed Jack
into the room and come running to hug her from the other side of the bed. The Nox had stepped
back, looking tired, but pleased. Then
Cassie had run out of the room to let the others know that Sam was going to be
OK.
Lya had thoughtfully ushered the other Nox
out of the room to give Sam and Jack a few minutes of privacy, which had turned
out to be exactly two. Jack had kissed
her hands, her face, and then her eyes saying, “You can’t keep doing this to
me, you know.” Sam had kissed him back, seeking
his mouth. “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up
to you, I promise,” she had responded in between kisses. “Yes, you will,” he had answered, and then
Jacob and the rest of her friends had busted in.
-----
Sam was reclining on a
lounge chair in her backyard, sipping a beer and
watching Jack barbecue some steaks. It
was a week after her close call, and she felt almost healthy. Her color was back and she only felt weak if
she exerted herself. Her body was
mending, and no sign of cancer remained.
The Nox had been successful in their efforts;
and the Tollan had supplied some medications that
were helping Sam to regain her strength rapidly.
Jack turned to look at her
and she smiled at him, thankful to be alive and to have him near. He was able to spend some time with her while
she recovered because he had asked
“What did
Jack covered the grill,
picked up his beer and came to sit next to her.
“He agreed that he was the toughest and most experienced SG Team
Commander we have. That was not a hard sell. He was surprised, however, by your
recommendation for technical expert for the team. He agreed in the end, leaving the decision up
to me, but he thought Lieutenant Haley may not be experienced enough.”
“Maybe not, but she is the
most brilliant mind we have,” Sam argued, sipping her beer. “Can you believe she had figured out how to
use the Ankh to transport stuff back and forth by the time Dis
got to her?”
“Well, second most
brilliant, maybe,” Jack responded, taking Sam’s hand and kissing her neck.
“Hmmmm,
flattery will get you everywhere, Sir,” she teased, “but not while
Cassie is here.”
“HEEY! You lovebirds are letting
the steaks burn!” screamed Cassie coming out of the house and running to the
grill. She opened it up and started
fanning at the smoke coming out of it.
“We are not burning
anything, for crying out loud!” Jack was
getting up in a hurry. “Don’t try to
teach an old dog new tricks. I’ve been grilling steaks waaay
before you were born.”
“Oh, yeah? Why do they look black,
then?” Cassie had her hands on her waist, looking at Jack as if she was his mother.
“I’m making them crispy on
the outside, juicy in the inside,” he was arguing, waving her aside.
Sam was laughing, wondering
who would win this bout. They had been
at it the whole week. They both had been
jealous of each other, trying to spend time with Sam and get rid of the other one. Cassie kept yelling “GROSS!” every time she
caught Jack kissing Sam, and Jack kept calling Cassie “Stinker”, which drove
the teenager crazy because he was referring to her new, and very expensive,
perfume.
Sam’s mind wandered back to
SGC. She knew Haley was green, but she
was truly brilliant and she had matured immensely since the first time she had
stepped through a stargate. She remembered the obnoxious, know-it-all,
competitive young woman from then, and had to give her credit for how she had
shaped up. The insatiable curiosity and
unwavering dedication she brought to every project would prove to be even more
valuable than her brain.
She was also pleased about
Jim Dixon’s appointment as SG-1’s new commander. She knew Teal’c and Daniel respected the guy,
which had to be the main consideration.
And he was tough as nails, which he attributed to having four kids. “Once you’ve had to deal with four wild
teenagers, nothing else will scare you,” he had told her once.
Negotiations for the
Agreement were scheduled to commence in a month. The negotiating team had been selected,
Daniel being part of it. He had
suggested to Thor, Dis and the Nox
that the Tollan were worth considering as a sixth
party to be included in the Agreement.
Narim had been grateful. He had
not dared to suggest it because he felt his people had been greatly weakened by
their last confrontation with the Goa’uld.
He thanked Daniel profusely, to which Daniel answered, “I just don’t want
to have to negotiate two separate agreements, Narim.”
Thinking of Narim, Sam remembered all the changes her love life had
gone through during the last few weeks.
She had been engaged to be married to one man and broken up with him;
she had found an old love after thinking him dead, then had broken his heart
almost immediately; and finally, she had become engaged to the one man she
thought she could never have.
But she would not be here
to reminisce if it wasn’t for the help of their Nox
allies. She smiled remembering Lya’s response when Jack and Jacob had hugged her, thanking
her for Sam’s life.
She had smiled at them and
shrugged her shoulders, saying simply, “What are friends for?”
The End