Heavenly Bodies

Title: Forgotten Civilization

a Stagate Novel

by Christina A.

Summary: The team travels to the mysterious planet designated PS2-3X3. There they find a civilization unlike any other they’ve explored. Amongst the natives, they also find something of a surprise. Once again, Jack and Daniel are on opposite sides as to how to deal with their finding. The question is… Who’s opinion is right?

…

Forgotten Civilization
by Christina A

The mornings that SG-1 went on off world missions were fairly routine. They’d meet with General Hammond and discussed the MALP telemetry. They’d talk about the environment, the conditions, and look at the video feedback. This morning was no different.

As General Hammond entered the Briefing Room, Colonel Jack O’Neill and Major Samantha Carter stood at attention. Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal’c stood as well, though they were nowhere near as quick or as rigid in doing so. It was a formality really. One that General Hammond wasn’t really a stickler over. This was a military operation, but this was more like a tightly knit family than most military bases.

“Good morning, People,” the General greeted each of them with a smile before gesturing to their chairs. “Have a seat.” He opened up the file in front of him and perused the first page quickly as the other members of SG-1 did the same. “Okay,” he finally lifted his head to look at each of them in turn. His eyes landed on the only female in the room. “What can you tell us, Major Carter?”

She barely skipped a beat. She generally ran this portion of the briefing anyway. It was second nature to her now. “PS2-3X3,” she began, “has levels of oxygen and nitrogen equal to those found on Earth. Preliminary readings suggest it’s an inhabited planet. The temperature is comfortable by our standards, in the mid-60’s at probably just before midday when the readings were taken.”

“Very Spring like,” Jack chimed in. The rattling off of factoids like this bored him beyond belief. He always tried to hold it together and pay attention, but normally he ended up reverting to the equivalent of a pre-pubescent teenage boy. He’d either make paper airplanes, spin in this chair, or just stare out into space. It may not be the best example to set, but given who was on his team, he didn’t have to be an example for them really.

“It would appear to be spring, Sir,” Major Carter replied. It was morning so she was able to be a bit more patient in her response. Picking up the remote control, she turned on the video monitor. “The first images from the MALP show that the Stargate is located in a clearing. There seem to be several paths, most well worn, that lead into the trees.” She paused the playback and stood. Walking over to the monitor, she pointed to something in the distance. It was barely visible above the treetops.

“It would appear to be a city,” Teal’c spoke up. The Jaffa watched the screen intently, taking in the entire view. He never took anything for granted, though. No matter how peaceful a place looked, the Goa’uld or the Jaffa who were loyal to them could easily populate it.

Carter nodded in agreement. “It looks like the planet is inhabited, yes.” She set the video to play again and started to return to her seat.

“Sam, pause it, please.” This came from Daniel. The MALP’s video camera had performed a sweep of the area and something that looked oddly familiar came into view.

By the time she stopped, she had to rewind a bit before finally pausing where he’d requested.

“What is it, Daniel?” Jack asked. The things that excited the archaeologist only confused the Air Force Colonel. How rock could be exciting, he’d never know.

“Well,” Daniel began, adjusting his glasses on his face as he leaned forward in his seat. “I’m not really sure, but that,” he pointed to the square stone arch, “looks familiar. It’s just so hard to see it on this video.”

“Familiar how?” the Colonel chimed in again before Daniel could explain.

“I was getting to that.” He stood and moved to the spot his teammate had just vacated. Looking intently at the screen, he sighed. “Look at the set up here…” he pointed to the screen, “and here…” he pointed again. “It looks a lot like some ruins I once studied in South America. The Incan ruins at Macchu Picchu and Cuzco… or Tiahuanaco to be exact.”

“Macho… Tia… what?” Jack looked around to the other three people in the room. “Why can’t anyone speak plain, simple English? With small words. I like small words.” He looked over at Teal’c who gave him a small, patient smile.

“Macchu Picchu is a mountain in Peru,” Daniel explained, “The capital city of Cuzco was on that mountain. Tiahuanaco was about 250 miles south of that. It was…”

“A lot like this place,” Jack finished for him, indicating the video monitor. Right now, he really didn’t want to hear his friend turn into the college professor and lecture all of them on an ancient, dead culture.

When Daniel had first learned about the Stargate and met Jack O’Neill, he’d been book smart and naïve to the ways of the world, or to the ways of people actually. If he learned anything from Jack, he learned to be a little less naïve when it came to people. He curtailed his excitement over the prospect of a civilization that mirrored the Incans on Earth. Returning to his seat, he looked at the file for a moment before giving his attention to the General. “I’d like to go,” he said finally. “This planet… well… if I’m correct, we haven’t come across one yet that resembles this particular culture. I would love to get a chance to look at it up close.”

The General took in everything that Major Carter and Dr. Jackson said. It was an easy answer really. Everything checked out and there was no immediate danger. He had one question though. “Do you think they’d have any technology that would be beneficial to us?”

Carter lifted her hand in a gesture that spoke of uncertainty. “From what we have, Sir, I don’t know. It can’t hurt to look, contact the local government, and see where they are technologically.”

Daniel nodded. “I know that here the Incas were highly advanced in medicine and architecture. If this civilization is like the one here, then maybe it won’t be technology we can gain, but medical knowledge. I really would like the chance to go, General Hammond.”

“Hey, I say we do it,” Jack added. It appeared safe enough. “We can go, have a looksie, make nice with the natives and be home in time for The Simpson’s.”

General Hammond, who was well known for his patience, sighed and lightly shook his head. “All right then. It’s a go.” He closed the file and rested both his hands upon it, folding them together. Before he could open his mouth to give them a departure time, he saw Dr. Jackson lift a finger. It was a gesture he was very familiar with. The doctor had a question. “Yes, Doctor.”

“If this does turn out to, well, be a thriving, peaceful civilization, would it be possible…”

The General did smile at that. The archaeologist was the perfect example of the eternal scholar. “If everything checks out,” here he spoke to the Colonel, “and you can give Dr. Jackson a couple of days then you have permission to stay. However, Major Carter has a briefing to conduct, so I want her to return in time for that.”

“Gotcha,” O’Neill said. “I mean, yes, sir.”

“Good. You’ll leave at 0900. Good luck.” With that, he stood and left the room.

Looking at Daniel, Jack sighed dramatically. “How did I know you’d want to stay?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daniel countered. Jack was his friend, but sometimes he just didn’t understand him.

“It means that the one time I plan to stay home and relax… watch a little TV… you wanna make our simple mission an extended one and do a cultural study.” He closed his folder and stood. As he headed out the door, he knew Daniel would follow. He also knew Carter and Teal’c wouldn’t. They steered as clear of these ‘conversations’ as they could.

“Oh yeah, Jack, like I intentionally set out to ruin your scheduled television viewing. It’s not like The Simpson’s aren’t on every night anyway.” He knew as soon as he said it that he shouldn’t have. Jack’s reaction was so predictable in matters such as these.

“And just how would you know that?” he asked, a brow rose in amusement.

“You told me,” Daniel tried to sound convincing.

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Not.”

“Too.” Daniel raised his hand. “Okay, so I guessed. I do know that you have some of the seasons on DVD. I bought you one for Christmas.”

“That is so not the point,” Jack countered. “The point is I just wanted to watch them tonight.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Daniel shot back, though the apology wasn’t completely sincere. “I’ve been doing this for almost seven years…”

“Six,” Jack corrected.

“Seven.”

“Six. You were… glowy… for one year.”

Daniel stopped following him and took a moment to ponder his comeback. Coming up with it, he walked quickly to catch up. “Technically, though I had Ascended, I was still working. Need I remind you…”

Jack raised his hand. “Okay… okay… seven. Seven years and…?”

“What?” Daniel asked, suddenly confused.

Jack sighed and repeated Daniel’s words from earlier. “You’ve been doing this for almost seven years and…”

“Oh yeah. And I’ve never seen anything like this. So if we get the opportunity, then I want to explore it.”

Jack smiled. “Fine. You can have first contact and all that. Let’s just… Oh I don’t know… NOT get into any trouble this time around. Okay?”

Daniel nodded automatically before he realized what had been said. “Now wait just a minute…”

The archaeologist followed the Colonel down the corridor, going though the litany of defenses he had for that statement. This morning really wasn’t much different from any other. They’d gone through their briefing, made plans to go off world, and set about to make preparations. Jack and Daniel’s ‘spat’ could be considered commonplace as well. They continued it as they walked to the commissary and no one seemed to really notice. It was all so very normal really.

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 2
by Christina A.

Rarely was Daniel this excited about stepping through the Gate. Most of humanity only dreamed about standing on different planets and meeting aliens. Most scientists were still clamoring with large, bulky spacecraft in an effort to reach space. Yet here he was doing what most everyone only dreamed about and it felt commonplace, ordinary, and most times even boring for him. It was true that he generally became excited once on the other side. He let himself get swept away in the mission. This one was different though. This time, Daniel was excited before the Gate opened. Once he stepped through, he wasn’t disappointed.

Jack’s reaction was vastly different, though he did well to cover it. He wasn’t an expert in ancient civilizations. Hell, he barely kept up with current events. He could fly anything that had wings, but Carter was the expert on… well… What wasn’t she an expert on as far as science was concerned? Then he had Daniel who was an expert in everything else. The combine brainpower of the two of them was daunting sometimes. Teal’c was more like him, though as a First Prime, he’d been rather well educated…

He shook his head to clear it. Getting sidetracked already probably wasn’t the best idea. He removed his sunglasses from his vest and slipped them on this face. Looking around the area he had to smile. “You’re going to have a field day, aren’t you, Daniel?”

The archaeologist rolled his eyes. “Actually, Jack, it will probably be more than one day, but who knows?”

Carter bit her bottom lip in an attempt not to laugh. It did come out as a slight snicker though. When the CO’s eyes fell upon her, she gave him a less than heartfelt, “Sorry, Sir.”

“Yeah, sure you are,” he replied moving down a step. “So, Daniel, what is all this?”

The archaeologist hadn’t heard much of anything that had been said. He was beyond amazed by what he was seeing. The Stargate was on an elevated platform. Several rows of steps led up to it. They were circular and surrounded the entire Gate. The area was cleared, barren of all trees and even barren of grass. Well-delineated paths set out at precise intervals and headed in all different directions.

It was one of these that Daniel was standing on when Jack asked his question. “Well, I was right. It is very Incan in nature. See this?” Here he stooped down and touched the rocks that lined the path. “The Incans were master road builders. They had elaborate road systems that linked all the major cities to each other. Much like our highway system, really.”

“Daniel,” Jack pointed out, “we’ve seen roads before. Damn good ones too. Better than dirt paths even. Kelowna had paved roads and all.”

The other man sighed in exasperation. “I know that, but the more primitive ones weren’t like this, Jack. Look.” He pointed to the rocks again. “These are rocks that have been shaped and fit together so tightly that mortar isn’t needed.” He stood and then pointed off into the trees. The cleared area was massive, only giving way to the woods at about a quarter of a mile away. “Each of these roads lead to a city. This one goes off in the direction toward the buildings we saw. We can barely see over the treetops now.” He spun around to look at the other paths and that’s when he saw the archway. He’d been so excited about the roads that he’d forgotten about the arch. Seeing it up close, though, it took his breath away. “The Gateway of the Sun,” he whispered, walking toward it reverently. “It is like the one in Tiahuanaco, just look at it.” He stood in front of the square arch and tilted his head back to look up at the ornately decorated top sections. The sides of the arch were smooth so as not to detract from the import of what was going on at the top. “On Earth, this would have been called a ‘staff god’ or ‘storm god’. Look, he’s holding a lightning bolt in each hand! Just like Earth! Holy shit!” His excitement neared fever pitch as he pulled out his camera and took some pictures. “See, it’s almost as if he’s guarding the Gate. And look, all the smaller carvings around him. It’s an odd combination of a bird, human, and well…”

“A feline,” Teal’c added. This place was very intriguing to him. It was an interesting combination of function and worship. “No doubt guardians for the god.”

“Could be,” Daniel said, “Or see how they are facing him? Might be that they are attacking him and he’s fighting them off with the lightning bolts. It could also mean that he is protecting them or even this entire area or the planet!”

“Indeed it could.” Teal’c’s mouth upturned slightly. Daniel Jackson was amazingly astute. Though his interpretation brought another thought to the Jaffa’s mind. “Though the question now becomes… Are these people at war? Who on this carving are good and who are evil?”

Daniel didn’t have an answer for that, at least not right away. “Hmm…” He rested his hands on his waist and gazed up at the archway. In the past, he’d always assumed that the staff god was protecting the Incan people from invaders. On Earth, his interpretation may have very well been right though. On Earth, the Incan civilization lasted only until the 16th Century. Here it could have been around for much, much longer. The ‘staff god’ could easily be a Goa’uld and the ‘invaders’ simply the people rebelling to save themselves from oppression and slavery. Now knowing the truth of the Goa’uld culture forced him to look at all the possible interpretations in a new light.

That alone was all the proof that Daniel needed about the fact that the decision to keep the Gate classified was the correct one. He could look at old theories and put them in new contexts, but most of his former colleagues could not. Something as simple as looking at a piece of art with a new set of parameters would be too difficult and controversial for most of them. How could they ever handle having to reevaluate all they ever learned about some of the most ancient civilizations on Earth? His ‘radical’ views on Egypt were the perfect example.

He didn’t give Teal’c any more of an answer, and the Jaffa didn’t seem to expect one. Instead, the pair simply continued to look at the stone arch and allowed themselves the luxury of quiet contemplation.

That was, of course, until O’Neill’s voice penetrated the silence. “Hey you two, we do have a whole other planet to see. Or at least a small portion of the whole other planet to see. You know… paths… cities… natives and all. What do you say? Think we could leave sometime today?”

Daniel shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the present. “Yeah. Sorry.” He took a few more pictures up close before stepping back to snap more of the entire arch. He moved back to stand with Jack and Sam. Teal’c soon joined them as well. “It’s just amazing to me how similar it looks. I mean, it’s not a carbon copy, but still, it’s very similar.”

“Sweet,” Jack said before turning his attention to the paths. He’d walked the entire perimeter with Carter while Daniel and Teal’c were looking at the archway. “Now, best I can tell there are twelve paths.”

Daniel nodded. “More than likely everything is about a day’s walk away. Half a day maybe.”

Major Carter looked down at the paths thoughtfully. “How do we decide which ones to take then? We can’t take them all.”

“I, for one, want to see that city.” Daniel looked at each of them in turn, his expression hopeful.

“Perhaps, O’Neill, we should travel separate paths?” The Jaffa raised a brow in question. Given how quiet and reserved the big man usually was, he normally wasn’t verbally or facially expressive. He was, however, very adept at getting his point across.

“Yeah. I was actually thinking the same thing myself. Okay…” he paused to look around at the other paths and said, “Daniel and I will head toward the city. Carter, you and Teal’c take that road and see where it leads.”

Daniel furrowed his brows in curiosity. “Why that path?” He looked around at all the others, uncertain as to the choice. What if one of the others…

“O’Neill chose this path because it is more worn than the others. The only one more traveled is the one you will be taking.” Teal’c moved his staff weapon from one hand to the other as he headed toward the path that O’Neill indicated.

Jack nodded his head once in agreement with what his friend had said. “Best to see why it’s so popular with the natives.” He took a moment to adjust his weapon and then gave his full attention to Carter. “Okay, let’s split up then, but keep in radio contact. You run into any bad guys, beat it back here.”

“Yes, Sir,” the Major replied before walking over to the Jaffa. Looking back at them, she watched as they started down the path. She wasn’t sure what to think of this planet. Her attention turned to the arch, and she couldn’t help but wonder about whose initial interpretation was correct. Daniel looked and immediately saw the good. He saw a protector. When Teal’c looked at the arch, he saw an attacker. He saw a conqueror. Both brought their own life experiences into the interpretation. As she looked back at the retreating forms of Jack and Daniel, she hoped that Daniel’s interpretations were the correct ones. Of course…

“Major Carter,” Teal’c voice broke through her thoughts and she shook her head and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, Teal’c?” she started down the path resting her arm on her weapon as she did so.

“You appear to be deep in thought,” he queried. He had to admit he often wondered what his human friends were thinking when they stared at objects for long periods of time.

“I was actually. I was thinking about what you and Daniel said about the arch.”

He nodded once. “And you were contemplating whose interpretation was the correct one?”

“Well, yea. I mean, both could be valid, but either way… either concept,” she paused and looked back at the disappearing Gateway of the Sun. That’s when something else struck her. “Teal’c, either way, there was a battle, people fought against either invaders or an oppressor. Think about it. Also, the position of the archway and how it’s almost like a beacon really…”

“You believe it could mean there is a Goa’uld who holds dominion over these people? Perhaps passing himself off as this ‘staff god’?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m just not so sure I’m willing to accept that everything is as it appears to be. I don’t trust it. Any of it.”

“As you shouldn’t,” he agreed solemnly. He said nothing else, but her words stuck with him as they continued down the path. A path that was now actually a road as it had widened the closer they came to the woods. It was well worn and well preserved. There was no denying that Daniel Jackson was correct in his evaluation of these people’s ability to construct roads. He genuinely hoped that the archaeologist was correct in his other interpretations as well.

Forgotten Civilization, Ch 3
by Christina A.

The tandem said very little as they first set out on the path. It widened gradually into a road just as the clearing gave way to the woods. The tall trees now obscured the view they had of the city. Daniel had been correct, however, that the roads were well cared for and clearly marked. Given that the paths were not paved, they were remarkably clear of weeds. Trees lined the road, almost as if they were sentinels. Jack couldn’t help but wonder if that were intentional. Trees could protect not only against weather, but also given their size, they could easily protect travelers not only from larger predators, but from attacks by highwaymen as well. It was actually very intelligent to do it that way if the roads weren’t patrolled. Jack couldn’t help but be impressed.

Daniel was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice that Jack wasn’t talking. His thoughts were focused on the Gateway and the awe-inspiring similarities to the Incan culture. His specialty was Egyptology. He had a vast expertise in not only the archaeology of the civilization, but the anthropology as well. This was a culture he wasn’t quite as familiar with, however, he’d spend a lot of time studying the Mayan civilization. A lot of that knowledge bled over into the Incan culture. His first hand experience was very limited as far as the Incan nation. To have this opportunity was a priceless treasure.

It was these thoughts that kept him from realizing that Jack was silent. When his mind settled, he looked over at his friend. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a road,” Jack commented, though his tone indicated playfulness. “It’s a wide dirt road that goes through a woods.”

“More than likely, Jack, this is a forest.”

Jack looked at him. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if Daniel were being sarcastic or serious. After deciding he didn’t care, he responded, “Very funny, but that’s semantics really.”

“And that’s a big word for you.”

Jack stopped walking and stared incredulous at his friend. “Spoken like a true asshole. I should be proud.” He paused and shifted his hands on his weapon. Daniel had stopped walking as well but didn’t walk back toward him so Jack had to take a few steps to catch up to him. There was a broad smile on his face as if he alone could take credit for the younger man’s attitude. “I am proud, actually.”

Daniel’s brows furrowed in curiosity. “Why should you be proud?” He shook his head. There were times, even now, when he didn’t understand Jack’s sense of humor. Maybe this was how Jack felt when he or Sam talked about their area of expertise. No matter how he tried, he didn’t comprehend the humor.

Jack rolled his eyes. It was his opinion that whenever a joke had to be repeated, it wasn’t funny. So instead of repeating it, he made a noise of disgust that Daniel had no true sense of humor and continued down the path. “Okay, fine. I’ll use small words.”

It was Daniel’s turn to snort.

“Now what the hell does that mean?” Underneath his sunglasses, Jack’s eyes had narrowed into tiny slits that he knew Daniel couldn’t see. “You’re so damn confusing sometimes.”

Daniel merely shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that last statement. He didn’t mean to confuse people, but he knew he did. He often thought well outside his level of training. He was knowledgeable about several areas of science, and he knew it confused Jack. But hell, he was often confused himself, which was why he was prone to talking to himself about things. It was really the only way he could filter it all. “It’s a talent,” he finally answered. “But Jack, I’ve walked the roads that were created by the Incas on Earth. Even the ones that have been abandoned for over 300 years are still amazingly well preserved. Yes, they’re made of dirt, and primitive by our standards… still… look at them.”

Inwardly, Jack agreed. For what they were… they were impressive. They’d been walking for the better part of an hour and… “No potholes,” he observed. “Drive for an hour on any road on Earth and you find potholes. Here, no potholes. Sweet.”

Daniel smiled and looked down as he continued walking. The comment was Jack’s way of saying he agreed without actually using the words ‘I agree’. His boots continued their travel over the hard path. “No one’s been able to really figure out how they did it, you know. Sure there’s no way this culture could have been influenced by Earth, given that the Gate was buried 10,000 years ago… Still, I could see there being a civilization that developed like the Incas. It’s a very interesting premise…” He stopped short, as this was where he looked over at the Colonel only to find the man walking with his head leaning all the way back. Clearing his throat, he questioned, “Jack?”

“Huh?” he responded. Slowly, he brought his head back down and shrugged. “I think you’re wrong.” His voice was very thoughtful.

Daniel’s mouth dropped open in surprise and shock. “What do you mean, I’m wrong? Have you ever been…”

He didn’t get to finish his question as Jack simply looked at him and smiled. “I don’t think this is a forest at all. I bet it’s a jungle.”

It was Daniel’s turn to quit walking as he simply stared at his friend’s back in disbelief. Out of everything that was said, it was the initial comments over the woods and the forest that Jack had been mulling over. Daniel didn’t rush to catch up to him. When he started walking again, he tried to get his thoughts back to the place they were. He tried to marvel at how smooth the curves were, but he couldn’t. What was it with Jack? The man wasn’t dumb. He wasn’t an idiot. He’d graduated from the Air Force Academy for Christ’s sake, but yet he continually feigned stupidity or made comments that led people to believe he was. True, he had neither the specialties of Sam or himself, but Jack wasn’t an idiot. Sometimes it really irked Daniel that he did it.

Jack took a moment to look behind him and sighed. He knew that look too well. Somehow he’d been the cause of it. More than likely it was because he didn’t engage in the conversation pertaining to the rise of a culture on a foreign planet. Okay so the culture was a lot like the one on Earth. How the hell was he supposed to know that?! With another sigh, but this one of resignation, he turned completely and stopped walking. As Daniel caught up, he said, “Okay, it is weird, amazing, and interesting that this has developed like it has and they couldn’t have gotten the idea from us. But how the hell am I supposed to know how it happened?” He reiterated the question that went through his mind.

Daniel smiled weakly as he caught up and the pair continued to walk down the road. “You don’t have to know. I don’t even know, but I’d really like to figure it out. The Goa’uld left our planet centuries before the Incan civilization even began, let alone rose to power. Maybe when we get to town, we’ll find something out.”

Jack nodded. “We’re obviously heading in the right direction. This road hasn’t diverged at all. Not that we’ve walked more than a couple miles though.”

“You think it’s a sparsely populated planet?”

Shrugging, he said, “Or maybe there’s only one road that leads to each place or all roads lead to where the Gate is? So to get to say, wherever Carter and Teal’c are heading, we’ll have to go all the way back to there to find them.”

Daniel furrowed his brows in contemplation. It hadn’t been like that in South America. There were several roads that led to Cuzco or Tiahuanaco. Then again, they hadn’t gone back in time. They were on another planet, one with two suns, and what they’d seen had merely imitated the Incan civilization. When they finally arrived at the city, it could be vastly different.

Daniel let his eyes fall back to the road and then to the small walls that marked it. The stonework was indeed intricate. Much like on Earth. He hadn’t been feigning his excitement over that. He let his boots drag for a couple steps and smiled in awe… no dust. He kicked up absolutely no dust. The road was so well packed that his feet raised no dust. He wondered what the road was like when it rained. That’s, of course, when he looked up and saw the canopy. “Damn,” he said softly and started to laugh. He brought his eyes over to Jack and shook his head.

“What?” Jack asked. The look of confusion that was now on his face was one he generally wore. Sometimes, Daniel was as confusing as Carter.

“You were right about the forest. I think it really is a jungle.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh now you agree with me. NOW!” He stopped, holding up a hand to indicate that Daniel too should be quiet. “Sounds like water, doesn’t it?”

Daniel tilted his head to one side and listened. “Sounds like. It could be miles away though. With all this flora, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a river.”

They managed to walk for the next half mile or so in relative silence. Daniel’s thoughts were back to the road and its construction, but Jack’s were different now. His thoughts were on the sound of the water and how it was getting louder. The trees were getting denser as well, proving that Daniel was probably right and this was a jungle. It would all make sense. The water they were coming upon could be impassable. Building a dirt road was one thing. It was a fantastic road, but still primitive. Once they reached the water, how would they cross it? His friend may not get the chance to see this city he hoped to see. Jack wasn’t about to risk either of their lives.

After another eighth of a mile or so, the trees cleared a bit. “Oh wow,” Daniel exclaimed, his words nearly swallowed by the water that was rushing several hundred feet below them. The cliff was a sheer drop straight down. The river below was several feet wide. It was hard to tell exactly because of how far down it was. The waterfall, however, caused the noise. It was probably a hundred yards away, but if the wind blew their way, they could probably feel the spray even from here.

“Damn it,” Jack said. He’d taken in the entire situation and when his eyes fell on the bridge, he couldn’t help but swear.

“What’s wrong, Jack?”

“Well look at it,” the Colonel said, pointing to the bridge. “We can’t cross this. There’s no way it can be safe.”

“Um… Not necessarily true,” Daniel explained. He walked toward the bridge. It was made of rope. Thick layers of braided ropes were braided together to form a thick, sturdy, dependable cord. It was repeated again in the formation of another long cord. There was a third that was thicker, wider actually… more flat. This was the strand that was walked upon. “It’s a suspension bridge, Jack. The Incans on Earth were known for them. Actually, they’re still used today.” He pointed to the tower and then to the other one on the other side of the canyon.

“Yeah, I know what a suspension bridge is, Daniel. I’ve seen one or two of them in my time. I just don’t trust the safety of this one.”

Daniel shook his head and held onto the thick ropes. He put one foot on the bridge and then another. His steps were tentative at first as the bridge swayed slightly. It was sturdy and safe enough though. He took another few steps before turning around and looking at the Colonel. “Jack, if it were unsafe, they’d cut it down and replace it. These bridges were built to last for decades. On Earth, when one died, another was put up right away. The roads were too important.”

Jack sighed and adjusted his cap. He had no fear of test piloting or jumping out of perfectly good working planes with only a think piece of fabric to slow him down. But this… well this was insane. Still, he wasn’t about to be shown up by Daniel Jackson, so he took a deep breath and walked out onto the bridge.

Daniel felt the bridge give a little when Jack stepped on. It swayed a little more, and Daniel held out his arms to steady it.

Jack watched as Daniel easily steadied the swaying bridge and he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He also couldn’t help his comment. “So Indiana Jones of you,” he called out. When Daniel turned back to look at him, he said, “Oh don’t tell me you’ve never seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Willie, Short Round, and Indy escape the Temple by crossing this huge suspension bridge. Of course the waters below are filled with crocs but that’s beside the point.” He had to keep himself from laughing hard when Daniel looked back at him. It struck Jack then how very like Indiana Jones Daniel really was. He got in just as much trouble as the fictional archaeologist, just that Daniel’s archenemy was the Goa’uld and not the Nazis. Still, it was pretty damn funny.

Forgotten Civilization, ch. 4
by Christina A.

The walk continued for another hour as the two men swapped small talk that easily mixed in with banter. Though the longer they walked, the more belligerent Jack’s comments became. It wasn’t so much that they’d been walking for well over a couple hours, it was just that they’d been walking along all the time and everything looked the same. “How the hell do we even know if we’re making any progress? It wouldn’t hurt to put up a mile marker or two, would it?”

“Jack, I highly doubt…” Daniel didn’t finish his statement as the sound of footfalls came from behind them. At first they were faint, and Daniel pretty much ignored them. They were too loud now to continue to ignore and they were coming faster. Instead of finishing his statement, he asked a question, “You hear that?”

Turning on the path, Jack readied his weapon and waited. Daniel stood at his side and slightly behind him. When they finally got their first glimpse of the man, he was clad in a brown wrap secured by a belt and a pair of sandals were on his feet. He was also running. Daniel watched as he approached. The man stopped when he realized that Jack was holding a weapon. Immediately, he started talking. His words weren’t English and all either Daniel or Jack could do was stare at him. When he finally quit talking, Jack looked at his friend. With an air of superiority, he said, “Well…”

Daniel fumbled for a moment. Just because he was a linguist didn’t mean he knew every language ever spoken. He took an extra few seconds to replay the man’s words over in his head. They were very familiar, even if they weren’t immediately known. “Um…”

“I know what that word is,” Jack couldn’t help but tease. He didn’t really expect Daniel to know the language right away, but he had to harass him about it.

Daniel thought for a while longer, intentionally ignoring Jack’s comment. Then, he smiled. It was a shot in the dark, but he had to try. Slowly and deliberately, he spoke in a language similar to the one the man was speaking. “Hello. I am Daniel. This is Jack.”

The man looked perplexed for a heartbeat before answering in his own language. “I am Chasqui. Official messenger and liaison to King Yupan and Chasca.” He bowed his head reverently. It was unusual. He rarely met strangers on this road. Not to mention their style of dress was atypical, but one spoke the language of the gods and a language similar to the commoners. The other… he looked the man named Jack up and down. He wasn’t impressed.

Daniel looked to Jack and shrugged. “He says his name is Chasqui. The language he is speaking is very near to Quecha, which is the language the Incas still speak today.” He smiled rather pleased that he’d been able to deduce it so quickly. Of course, he didn’t tell Jack everything. He didn’t tell his friend that Chasca was a goddess and that in Quecha, Chasqui wasn’t a name but a word used for ‘runner’ or ‘messenger’. He was definitely official if his name and title were the same word. So could he be linked to a god, or actually a goddess as Chasca was a female.

Jack’s eyes glazed for a moment and he had to shake his head to help himself focus. “So does he know where the road goes or not? And how much longer until we reach town?”

Daniel looked at the short, thin man. He had dark skin, dark eyes, and because he was a runner, he was extremely well fit. Daniel translated Jack’s questions, only the tone he used was more polite and far less curt. As the man eagerly replied, Daniel listened carefully. His natural ability to learn languages helped him to adjust to the nuances of the words he was hearing. They did a couple more exchanges before he turned back to Jack whose look spoke of not only his curiosity but his confusion as well. “He says this is the road to Ollan’tay, capital city of Huay’na and home to King Yupan and Coya Yupac. He says he will gladly escort us and by walking we are less than a half an hour away.”

“Oh good,” Jack nodded before smiling at the man named Chasqui. “Well tell him ‘thanks’ and ‘let’s get going’.” He smiled again and set his gun back down to rest at the front of his vest.

As Daniel relayed the message, he couldn’t help but smile. It was obvious from Chasqui’s attitude that he wasn’t too overly impressed with Jack’s limited lingual abilities. Although Daniel had a feeling Jack was only impressed with the fact that the messenger knew the way to the town. As Chasqui moved ahead of them, he set a brisk pace. Obviously, the man was used to running. That caused Daniel to comment, “You know, Jack, runners were often used to send messages back and forth between cities. Not small ones, of course, but larger ones. We know that he is a personal messenger of the king, so who knows?”

“Think he can set it up so that we can talk to this king guy. Not that I’m too keen on them, but if this place is run by one… best to start at the top and all.” He nodded toward the native. He couldn’t help but grin as he looked at the brown toga the man was wearing. It was so very ‘Animal House’. Of course, now every time he looked at Chasqui, he was going to think of John Belushi. It was inevitable.

“Something funny?” Daniel asked.

Jack shook his head and cleared his throat. “Uh… no… why?”

The other man shrugged. “Oh I don’t know. I was just telling you about the slaughter of thousands of innocent people and you were laughing about it. Personally, I don’t find it funny at all.”

Jack looked at the archaeologist for a long moment. The younger man looked so stoic… so serious. Too serious actually. “Nice try, Daniel. So I wasn’t paying attention. Big deal. When do I? But that’s not what you were saying and I know it.”

“True,” Daniel snickered. “But you almost fell for it.”

“Did not.” He held up his hand in order to stop Daniel’s natural, and all too immature, comeback of ‘Did too’. What kind of impression would they make on Chasqui? Not that he cared, really, but it was a good excuse.

The look on his face grew more serious as he reached for the button on his radio and pushed it. “Carter.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The answer came back quickly so Jack was certain that the Major and Teal’c were in no danger. “How’s it goin’?”

There was a short pause before she came back. “Fine, Sir. We’re continuing down the path, though I think our original assessment of the trees was somewhat inaccurate. This is more like a jungle than a woods.”

“Agreed,” Jack sent back. “Daniel and I figured that out as well. Come upon any bridges?” He heard the archaeologist chuckle at the ‘jungle’ comment, but chose to ignore him. The man was a first rate smart-ass.

Her voice relayed curiosity though she didn’t as why he wanted to know about the bridges. It was only respect for his rank that led her to respond. “No, Sir. As a matter of fact, Teal’c and I believe we may be leaving the jungle. The trees have been thinning for the past half a mile and we’re seeing quite a lot of sunshine. More than likely, we’ll be running into a farming community or a town before too long.”

Jack sighed. For one of the best minds on Earth, she sure used a lot of words in giving a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. “Okay. Just keep scouting the area. We’ve run into a native who’s taking us to the capital city.”

“Is he friendly, Sir?”

“Well yeah. We’re willingly following him. He seems to like Daniel a lot. Seems to only tolerate me.” He glanced over at the man walking beside him and gave him a look that said ‘Don’t laugh’. He tried not to scowl as Daniel looked away to do just that. “But yeah, he seems friendly enough to me. Doesn’t speak English, but he may understand some.”

“Understood, Sir. We’re heading out of the jungle now. Seems to be about six… maybe eight small homes with a larger one in the distance.”

“Sweet. Check it out and get back to me. Okay?” He let go of the button on his radio and rested his hand on the butt of his rifle. She’d respond back, she always did.

“Yes, Sir. We’ll contact you again when we know more. Carter out.”

He looked over at Daniel and just smiled. He didn’t respond to her, honestly he didn’t think it was necessary. They’d said all they needed to say.

Daniel just shook his head and turned his attention back to the road before them. The jungle was clearing for them as well and he couldn’t help but feel a little excitement swell up inside of him. He had no idea what to expect when the trees gave way to the capital city of Ollan’tay. He had high hopes though. Given that it was a capital city, hopefully it would be a cultural center as well. It was all about to unfold before him. The dark began to ease and the sunlight started to pervade. He didn’t realize it, but he was holding his breath as he stepped foot on the marbled path.

“Dorothy,” Jack said in a soft voice, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 5
by Christina A.

After finishing her radio conversation with the Colonel, Sam turned her full attention back to her teammate. “So you were saying, Teal’c, that you’ve never seen this Gateway God that Daniel identified on the arch?”

“Indeed, Major Carter, I have not.” He looked ahead, taking in the homes that were now fully coming into view. They were simple, single story abodes. All were made from rock, though the roofs were a tightly woven thatch. They weren’t necessarily impoverished homes. The yards were well manicured and the animals were kept outside in pens or even makeshift sheds or small barns. In his travels across the galaxy, he had seen far worse accommodations.

What few people they saw were rather nicely dressed. The style of garb was unusual in Teal’c’s experience. Major Carter explained that it was common amongst the Earthlings of the 14th through the 16th Centuries to wear tunics that fell to the knees. The leggings looked to be a thick material, perhaps wool of some kind. They all wore sandals. Perhaps these people weren’t farmers but worked with livestock, as the shoes did not seem to be appropriate for walking in fields that could be muddy.

“So what do you make of it then? The ‘god’, I mean? Do you think it could mean they worship a Goa’uld or perhaps that one was here and this planet has been abandoned?” She smiled and waved at a couple children who appeared to be playing with a family pet. She was a bit surprised, though pleasantly, when the children stopped playing and waved eagerly in return. “They don’t seem afraid,” she observed before he could respond to her earlier questions.

“Indeed, they do not. As to your observations about the god on the arch, I must admit it is perplexing.” He took in the area around him and contemplated his next statement. Though he rarely ever spoke without thinking, he was very cautious about what he said. “These people do not appear to be slaves, Major Carter. If a Goa’uld still held dominion here, I would be astonished.”

“Me too,” she agreed with a nod. “These people seem… happy.”

“Indeed they do.”

They walked on in relative silence for about ten yards before Sam spoke again. She really only enjoyed silence when she was working intently on a project. “Teal’c,” she inquired, “don’t you think it’s… well… strange that a planet can evolve in a manner that is so very like a civilization on Earth, yet the one on Earth clearly began long after the Stargate was buried and the Goa’uld abandoned us?”

“If you recall, Major Carter, our encounter with the Hebridan. Jonas Quinn deduced that the language was a form of Celtic.” His eyes were on the larger home as he spoke. It was bigger than all the other homes combined, clearly indicating that there were different classes of people even if none were actually slaves.

“True, and we’ve also seen that the Mayan culture has been a factor as well. Not to mention Lord Yu.” Overall, it could be construed as confusing, but humans evolved on Earth. Those same humans were taken to other planets across the galaxy. They’d seen more than once that evolution of culture and technology had mirrored or even advanced that on Earth. This was, however, the first time they’d encountered this particular culture. “It’s kind of nice to still be encountering firsts.”

Teal’c bowed his head slightly in agreement. Even after all he’d seen, it was refreshing. He turned his eyes back to the estate.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. The large home was occupying a lot of his attention.

“We are being monitored,” Teal’c explained. The children hadn’t seemed to care about their presence. They’d even been friendly. They hadn’t been frightened or concerned in any way. “Since we’ve started our approach, three adults have exited the home and all are looking in our direction.”

She hadn’t really given it much thought. She and Daniel were the more trusting team members. Jack and Teal’c suspected everything and everyone until they proved themselves trustworthy. She wasn’t surprised that he lagged back even as she pulled ahead. Extending her hand to the first person she came upon, she introduced herself. “Hi. I’m Major Samantha Carter. This is Teal’c.”

The elderly man looked down at her hand for a moment. He tentatively reached out and wrapped both of his around hers. As he deduced that she was indeed friendly, he smiled widely and began speaking.

Sam shook her head slightly in confusion though the smile stayed on her face. “I’m sorry,” she said “I don’t understand.”

“He says his name is Ul’yah and that you have come upon the Harvest home of Le’lone, second brother of Coya Yupac.”

“Coya?” Teal’c questioned as he joined the Major.

The woman looked at them. How could they not know Coya Yupac? Even if they were travelers from the other side of Huay’na… How could they not know? “Yes, Coya Yupac. Primary wife of King Yupan.”

Sam did a very good job of containing her initial response to the knowledge that this King Yupan had more than one wife. Not every society was monogamous. She was just thankful she was from one that was. “I’m sorry. We’re not from around here. Things are a bit different here from where we live.”

Taking in their manner of dress and the fact that they carried weapons, the woman nodded. “So I see. Perhaps you would like to come in. Eat something and rest. You are more than welcome. Lord Le’lone considers all who travel through this land to be a guest. Please join us.”

“Sure.” There was no better way to get to know a world than by spending time with the people who inhabited it. The offer was genuine. Everyone who worked in the house smiled amiably as Sam let herself be led into the home.

“My name is Que’lani and I am in charge of the household staff.” She led them in through the front door, paying homage to Lord Le’lone by displaying the wealth and beauty of this home. “As I said, this is only the Harvest Home of our Lord. The rest of the year, he divides his time between three other estates, including the one just outside Sa’hua.” She stepped aside as they entered the kitchen. “I must apologize. You’ll have to dine in the kitchen as only those personally invited by Lord Le’lone may sup in the dining room.”

Sam looked around, unable to hide that she was impressed with the size of the kitchen. Actually, it was bigger than her entire home. “Oh this is fine.” She and Teal’c took the seats offered them. Once they were comfortable, they were both served plates with very big sandwiches on them. The bread was comparable to a form of pita, but thicker. The meat smelled like beef. It was warm, tender, and juicy. She may not have known exactly what it was, but it tasted very good. She told not only the cook, but Que’lani as well. She glanced over at Teal’c who was attacking his food with as much gusto as he did on Earth.

Que’lani smiled and sat down across from them. “We are a humble people. The Huay’nani take great pride in our hospitality. No one who is a stranger is an enemy, unless of course they give us reason to believe otherwise.”

“We are not hostile,” Sam explained, “We’re merely peaceful explorers who happened upon this path. We were curious as to what was beyond the jungle. That is all.”

“Exactly where are you from?”

“Earth,” Teal’c added succinctly.

Que’lani gave him a look that spoke of confusion. “I have never heard of this Earth. Is it on the other side of Huay’na?”

Sam made a mental note of what the people called their planet. “You could say that.”

As their guests continued to eat, Que’lani smiled. Lord Le’lone would be so pleased. The story of these strangers and how the staff of the second brother of Coya Yupac treated them would filter to King Yupan, and he would show his gratitude in a very generous manner. “It has been a long time since visitors have come from the other side of Huay’na. The last time, there was a grand feast in Sa’hua and King Yupan and Chasca honored those who showed them hospitality.” She smiled widely. “I must ask, however… you said you chose this path, so you do not know it leads to Sa’hua?”

“What is Sa’hua?” Teal’c set down his sandwich. He’d eaten most of it without realizing. It was, perhaps, some of the best meat he’d eaten in a long time. The food that the Tau’ri served at the SGC was often bland and lacking in flavor. This was entirely the opposite.

“Sa’hua is the religious center of our country. Perhaps even our world.” She looked up as the cook refilled her glass and then did so for the guests. When he returned to his other duties, she continued, “It is a place of reverence and worship. Only those fortunate enough to be among the blessed are allowed to reside there.” Looking down at their plates, she called back to the cook in the native tongue.

Quickly, he returned to the table bearing plates of fruit and dessert. He set one before each of them and left their other plates so that they could finish at their leisure.

Sam couldn’t say she was completely at ease with the manner in which Que’lani spoke of this religious city. She understood from her experience that subjects were often extremely loyal to their king and often revered their gods highly. This woman, nor anyone else, seemed to live in fear of either one. The few natives they’d seen seemed happy and content. They also redefined friendly and hospitable. They had no fear of strangers. Because of these factors, she wasn’t overly concerned. She was, however, leery.

Teal’c couldn’t help but make some observations of his own. The people who worked in the house wore clothing that was lighter in color. It was more brightly decorated and the leggings that the men wore looked to be made of a more lightweight fabric. This society was made up of different classes. He had little doubt of that anymore. Obviously, those who worked for the nobility were of a higher standing. “How far are we from Sa’hua?”

“No more than three hours walk. This road leads directly to it. The closer you get, the wider the road becomes. You’ll also run into more Huay’nani. It is almost time for the festival. All the honored guests are either traveling to Sa’hua or to Ollan’tay.” She sipped at her drink and watched her guests eat as she spoke. She almost wished she hadn’t dined earlier so she could have eaten with them. She did, however, join them in eating dessert.

Sam glanced down at her watch. There was plenty of time to walk to Sa’hua, explore the area, and return to the Gate before dark. “I would really like to see this city,” she said aloud. As soon as she finished her dessert, the cook took her plates. Teal’c’s had already been removed.

“If you want to get there before the Feast of Chasca, you should probably leave soon. Of course, you are more than welcome to stay with us. Lord Le’lone would have it no other way.”

Sam and Teal’c shared a look before she gave her attention back to their hostess. It seemed both were eager to see Sa’hua. “Your hospitality has been fantastic, Que’lani, but I think we would like to see this city and observe the feast.”

Que’lani smiled. As she led her guests back out the door, she said, “Oh you’ll more than observe. All who attend will participate. It is an honor to do so. Be safe, and I pray we meet again.”

“Thank you.”

Teal’c bowed his head in gratitude as well and they both took their leave.

Reaching up, Sam depressed the button on her radio. “Colonel O’Neill. This is Carter.”

“Yeah.”

His voice seemed a bit more distracted than normal, but she ignored it. “Sir, we just finished meeting some civilians. Very friendly.”

“Umm… yeah. We’re meeting a few of our own.”

“Understood. We’re continuing on the road to Sa’hua. We’ll report back when we know more.”

“Okay. O’Neill out.”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow in question. “He is preoccupied it seems.”

“You mean more than usual,” she quipped good-naturedly.

“I do.”

She chuckled and together they continued on the path toward Sa’hua. She was a little more leery, a little more uncertain about the people and their level of belief. She had no doubt that the natives they’d met thus far were good people, happy people. The question was… what would Sa’hua reveal? How much more would they learn on the way there?

Forgotten Civilization, Ch 6
by Christina A

Daniel hadn’t been disappointed, not in the least. A wall surrounded the city of Ollan’tay. He had no way of measuring it exactly, but he stood at just around six feet and it could have easily doubled his height. It was thick and at the top was a walkway that was patrolled by guards. Their manner of dress struck Daniel as peculiar because when one thought of guards of the Incan realm, the image of highly exposed torsos came to mind. Spears were the prevalent weapons. Not so with this city. The guards more resembled those of the time of the Spanish conquistadors. They wore a type of metallic vest that Daniel could have sworn was gold, or at the very least gold plated. Given that Ollan’tay was the home of the King, the opulence didn’t surprise him at all.

As they entered the open, yet guarded gate, Chasqui turned to them and said, “I will escort you directly to the main palace. I have a standing audience with the king so he will see you immediately.”

“Thank you,” Daniel responded before translating what had been said to Jack. The Colonel’s only acknowledgement that he’d even heard was a nod. Clearly, he was as affected by what he was seeing as Daniel was.

The streets were made of the same white stone as the path that led from the road had been. At first, the archaeologist had assumed it was some form of marble, but the smooth stone also had a rather gritty edge. As everyone seemed to be wearing sandals, the surface, had it been marble, may have been too slick when it rained. This was different, more coarse, but magnificent nonetheless. The roads were wide, filling the areas between the large buildings. There weren’t many, so he was led to assume that each one had multiple purposes. All around them, small quads were adorned with trees and surrounded by grass and flowers. People lingered in these areas, some resting while others read, wrote, or even painted. It was all the proof that he needed. Those who lived within the walls of Ollan’tay were dedicated to a life of learning, art, or service to the king. It was everything he had imagined and more.

There also seemed to be different levels of dress. He noticed this as they walked by one particular quad. A man and woman wore a tunic and dress made of yellow cloth. Both were elaborately fashioned with patterns in reds and blues. Sections of the garments appeared to even have threads of gold or silver interwoven into the material. Both wore sandals, but they were made of thinner leather and bejeweled. The gems appeared to be emeralds. It was simply remarkable.

There was a young girl with the pair, though Daniel highly doubted that she was their daughter. Her dress was mostly made of a white material and nowhere near as ornate in design. A few flowers adorned the apparel, but there was no golden or silver thread. Her sandals were not adorned with jewels. More than likely, she was a servant. A fact that was proven when she laid out a meal and sat back so the couple could enjoy it. She wasn’t left out, however as she had food of her own. She sat back and ostensibly enjoyed the warm afternoon sun.

As they continued further into town, Daniel’s eyes fell upon a large building. It was still some ways off in the distance, but the sight of it nearly took his breath away. It was surrounded on either side by two expansive structures. Their purpose was something that he could only postulate. He did know, though, what the lavish one was. It was the palace of King Yupan. There was no way he could count the number of doors, windows, and balconies that graced the front of the edifice. People in flamboyant vestments could be seen walking out onto the balconies before disappearing back inside.

For once in his life, Daniel Jackson was completely speechless. A quick look at Jack confirmed that the Colonel was too. He let out a low whistle when he realized his friend was looking at him, but that was all.

If Teal’c and Carter saw half of what he and Daniel were seeing… These people knew all about wealth and privilege. It almost reminded him of those movies about the Roman Empire. They really knew how to do ritzy.

Daniel’s eyes fell upon two massive statues. Again they were larger than life and seemed to tower over everything around them. These people didn’t do anything small.

Chasqui spoke, but Daniel missed the words at first. “Pardon me?” He received a small smile for his distraction.

Pointing to the statues, the messenger repeated, “Our sovereigns King Yupan and Coya Yupac. This is their home, and all of Huay’na is ruled from this very building.”

Jack’s response, though he didn’t understand what Chasqui was saying, was another low whistle. When Daniel translated, he merely said, “Sweet.”

“Yeah,” was the only comeback Daniel had. It was all so breathtaking and even a bit humbling.

Chasqui stopped in front of four of the most luxuriously decorated guards Daniel had ever seen. They, in all reality, made most of the Goa’uld look like paupers in comparison. He watched as Chasqui bowed low. The man stated his name, and Daniel listened as he said, “I have come with official news from Chasca and I bring guests who shall be honored in the King’s court.”

The guards didn’t hesitate to step aside and allow them entrance. The Great Hall was just that. Great. People walked about freely, but Daniel had a feeling no one was here who didn’t belong. Most everyone was dressed like the couple out on the quad. In here, it was much more simple to delineate between servants and royalty. Those who had status wore fabrics of bright yellows, blues, and even greens, while those who served wore neutral whites and off whites.

Without incident, they made their way toward what Daniel believed to be the throne room. There were no doors, only an archway that opened to the most lavishly ornate room he’d ever seen. He was literally flabbergasted. As they approached the King and Coya, Daniel’s mouth nearly hung open.

As Chasqui approached the King, he hung his head low out of respect. When the King stood, everyone bowed low leaving Jack and Daniel to look around.

“You have brought guests,” the King addressed Chasqui, however, his eyes were on Daniel and Jack.

“I have, Your Highness. I found them on the Gateway Path. The young one can speak our languages. The old one speaks only the language of the Blessed.”

It mystified Daniel as to why that would be of such import that Chasqui would mention it before any formal introduction was even made. A great deal of emphasis must be placed on either speaking both languages or only speaking the one. He could only deduce from the way Chasqui acted around Jack that the speaking of two languages meant more than only speaking one. He also found it humorous that Chasqui referred to him as young and Jack as old. He couldn’t wait to share that.

He also knew that they were talking in Chasqui’s tongue. Jack would be lost. He just wasn’t sure if he would insult the King by translating his words for him. So instead of taking the chance, he said nothing.

“You have done well. Leave us now, and I shall receive your message after dinner.” As Chasqui left, the King sat down and the others in the throne room relaxed and went on with their conversations. In English, he continued, “Welcome to my home.”

Jack looked around again; a bit miffed that this could really be considered a ‘home’ at all. “Yeah. Thanks. It’s… great.”

The King smiled. “We’re honored to have guests from far away at a time of celebration. You’re arrival is a sign of true blessing.” He looked over at his wife who bowed her head slightly.

“My husband and I would like to invite you to stay here in the palace during this time of celebration.” She lifted her hand and motioned toward a servant who had been waiting just off to the Coya’s left.

Jack and Daniel shared a look themselves, but it was Daniel who finally spoke. “We’d… we’d be honored.”

Jack, being the least trusting of the two, wasn’t necessarily sure about all of this. What kind of people invited strangers off the street and asked them to stay in their ‘home’ for a party? It didn’t make any damn sense. And not one soul cared that he was carrying a gun! He found it… well… weird. Of course, any thoughts he had about not staying were made secondary when he looked over at Daniel. The kid was all excited about staying and playing in yet another ancient civilization, and this time he had prior permission from the General to stay. He couldn’t tell Daniel no. “Sure, why not? We can stay for a day… or two… or a day or so.”

King Yupan smiled again. He couldn’t help but like the taller man. The one named Daniel was the scholar. This one, Jack, was a warrior. He could see in the man’s eyes that he didn’t trust them. There was nothing wrong with a bit of distrust. He wasn’t insulted in the least. In fact, he was much more immediately drawn to this one than the other. Even for a scholar, this Daniel was very eager. “Very good,” he said with finality.

“Hu’nay, escort our guests to their rooms so that they may prepare for dinner.” This order came directly from the Coya.

“Thanks,” Jack said to both of the monarchs before turning to follow the girl.

Daniel gave them both a slight bow and offered his thanks before following Jack out of the Throne Room. It was all so surreal to him. Even the commoners seemed larger-than-life. He also couldn’t help but realize that he kept coming back to words like that… ‘large’, ‘grand’, and ‘huge’. It’s just that everyone and everything appeared that way to him. He had to wonder if Jack were feeling the same way. The man almost always had a snide remark about situations such as these or even about Daniel’s enthusiasm over them. There was really no way Daniel could hide it even if he wanted to. It was just impossible. This was why he continued to go through the Stargate. Nowhere on Earth could he ever have an opportunity like this. It was marvelous.

Hu’nay led them up several flights of stairs. She was quiet. Her head never rose to look at anyone. Daniel would have struck up a conversation with her had he not been so overpowered by the sheer riches he saw displayed in these halls. They’d always believed the Incans to have been less ostentatious in how they displayed their wealth. Then again, they honestly didn’t have enough left of the civilization to make a thorough study of it.

“My Lords,” Hu’nay said. Her head lifted just enough to look at the two doors. The doors were adjacent to one another, but clearly led to different rooms. Speaking the language of the commoners, she continued, “These are your rooms. While you are here, please feel at home. Your personal attendants will arrive shortly.” With that, she turned and walked away.

Daniel took a second to react to that. It actually wasn’t until Jack prompted him with ‘Well…’ before he moved down the corridor after the girl. She jumped when he reached her. Jack, though clearly perplexed, followed along behind him. “I’m sorry. But personal attendants? We really don’t need them.”

“My Lord…”

“Please, call me Daniel.”

Her eyes opened wide in shock, and she looked up into his face almost crying out when she realized what she had done.

The display bothered Daniel more than he could express and he thought to reach out to calm her, but thought better of it. “Ssh,” he soothed. “Okay. It’s okay. Call me whatever you need to, Hu’nay.”

She fumbled for a second before gaining control again. “My Lord. Every honored guest has a personal attendant. The palace is almost like a maze. You will need their guidance. They have their own sleeping quarters within your room. I promise that you will not be disturbed.”

Daniel nodded and this time when the girl took off, he let her go.

“So, I repeat… Well…”

“We’re going to have personal attendants… who sleep in our rooms no less.”

“To keep an eye on us, no doubt.”

“Or maybe to see to our every need.”

“Daniel, you’re such an optimist.” The way he said the word ‘optimist’ could have easily translated to ‘naïve’. “What was with the fit? For a second there I thought she was going to explode or something.”

The scientist sighed heavily. As he headed back to their rooms, he explained, “I told her to call me Daniel.”

“She had a conniption over *THAT*?”

He nodded and put his hand on the doorknob. “She did. Apparently honored guests of the King are not to be addressed by their given names.”

“Well what the hell did she call you?”

“My Lord,” Daniel answered with another sigh before walking into his room.

“Oh for cryin’ out loud,” Jack exclaimed, not really caring who heard him. He let his frustration continue to show as he opened the door to his own room. He wasn’t anyone’s ‘lord’ or ‘god’ or ‘master’. If his damn personal attendant called him any of those… He looked around the room. The opulence didn’t faze him as he unclipped his rifle and tossed it on the bed. It was then that he saw the nook with the smaller bed inside. “Aw hell!” No way was this person sleeping in the room with him. He didn’t care what he said out in the hallway. It wasn’t happening.

Reaching up for his radio, he depressed the button. “Carter,” he snapped.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Look, Daniel has found his Oz so it looks like we’re stuck here for a few days.”

He wasn’t sure, but he thought that maybe there was humor in her next response.

“Understood.”

Reigning in his umbrage, he proceeded, “Okay, get back to the Gate and go ahead and return to Earth. Things appear to be descent around here so Daniel and I will stay. You and Teal’c go back, report to General Hammond, do your briefing, and then head back tomorrow. Clear?”

“Yes, Sir. We’ll see you tomorrow. Carter out.”

Jack removed his vest and dropped it beside his rifle. Once his temper had calmed he was able to look around the room. These people weren’t primitive; unless you counted that they didn’t have TV. They did, however, have bathrooms. “Sweet,” he said to himself. He could just see Daniel over in his own room, freaking out over all the pretties. Jack was mostly impressed with the tub. It was metal but he’d be damned if it didn’t have faucets for running water. The lights were really gas lamps that seemed to be lit all the time. He could turn them all up and down with one knob and this was exactly what he was doing when he heard her voice.

“My Lord.”

He wasn’t a man given to being surprised, but he’d been so caught up in the lights… “Jack, okay. If not that then Colonel O’Neill. Or just Colonel. I’m not really picky. I’m just not your lord.”

She gave him a warm smile. “As you wish, Colonel O’Neill. I am Quilah, twenty-fifth coya to King Yupan. He has appointed me to be your official attendant while you stay with us.”

It was on the tip of Jack’s tongue to tell her ‘thanks but no thanks’. She stood barely over 5’3”. Her long black hair was braided neatly with tiny flowers woven into the braids. She wore a red dress with bright white and yellow patterns sewn into the material. She was simply beautiful, and oh so very… “How old are you, Quilah?”

If the question astonished her, she didn’t let on that it did. “I have seen twenty-four harvests, though I have been bound to King Yupan for twelve of those.”

“You’ve been married… since you were twelve?!” He didn’t do so well at hiding his shock.

“Married in the sense that I am coya but will never be his primary wife, yes. I will also never bear him children. I was raised to be coya and do service my king, but we are not married in the way you mean. While you are here, I am yours.”

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 7

Daniel couldn’t believe the room. The bed was actually larger than king-sized. The bedding was more than overstuffed and there was a fireplace, not only in the room but in the bathroom as well. He had a desk and ink well with parchment and quill for writing. These people valued the arts and obviously writing was one of them.

He continued to walk around the room. The nook where his personal attendant would sleep wasn’t nearly as small as he believed it would be. The bed wasn’t as extravagant as his own, but it was nicer than the ones at the base.

(Con’t in Chapter Eight)

Still confounded by everything he’d seen, he made his way to the window and wasn’t surprised to see that the door next to it led to the balcony. Once outside, he realized that his room faced the back of the palace. This side was no less resplendent than the front. In fact, it was more magnificent.

“This is the garden sanctuary.”

Daniel turned to look at the man who had joined him. The voice that interrupted his thoughts wasn’t surprising so he only fumbled over his words for a moment. “It’s… It’s absolutely amazing! I’m Daniel. Dr. Daniel Jackson.” He extended his hand in greeting.

Accepting it warmly, the man replied. “I am A’matuas. While you are here, I will be your attendant. King Yupan has said that you appeared to be a man of learning. There is much I can show you.”

Daniel grinned. It also appeared as if the King appointed attendants who most easily matched the qualities of the guest. Of course, he could only marvel at what kind of attendant Jack would receive. “I would like to see as much as I could actually.”

“Very good, Doctor. I have set out clothing for you that will be more appropriate for dining in the presence of the King and Coya. If you would care to bathe, I could have the bathers sent in for you.”

“Um… I don’t think I’ll need bathers.” He couldn’t help but wonder if this society was as hedonistic as the Egyptians. He knew exactly what ‘bathers’ did. “I could wash up before I change, but I’ll take care of that myself.”

A’matuas nodded. “Very well. I took the liberty of having water prepared for you in any eventuality. I shall be in my quarters when you are ready to dress.”

Before Daniel could say that he could dress himself, A’matuas had walked off the balcony and back into the room. They were obviously going to have to set some guidelines. Personal only went so far. That was Daniel’s opinion anyway.

*-*-*

“What do you mean you’re going to bathe me?” Jack inquired suspiciously. “I’m quite capable of washing myself.”

Quilah smiled warmly. “I’m sure you are, Colonel. The function of the bather is to cleanse the body as well as to relieve any other tensions you may have.”

“I am not tense!” he proclaimed. Holding up his hands, he said, “Okay, I admit I’m not… relaxed… but I don’t need you to do *THAT*!”

“As you wish.” She walked over to the closet and pulled out a garment. “If you desire to bathe yourself…”

“Hey…”

She tried not to giggle. One look at this man when he was in the Throne Room and she knew immediately that she wanted to serve him. She hadn’t been disappointed. “After you cleanse your body from the dust of travel, you should change your garments. Dining with King Yupan is a formal event. Although I’m sure your clothing serves a purpose where you are from, it is inappropriate for dining here.”

“I like my clothes right where they are. Thank you.”

“I’m sure you do, Colonel O’Neill.”

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 9

“Okay, I feel damn silly,” Jack whispered to Daniel who immediately gave him a stern look.

“You look just like everyone else,” Daniel scolded.

“I’m in a dress, damn it!”

Daniel looked around at all the people who were now staring at them. He smiled apologetically. When he turned back to glare at Jack, he whispered, “And you just came very close to insulting our host who also happens to be the King. You aren’t in a dress! It’s a tunic with leggings, and I’ll bet you have your damn zat strapped to your leg.”

“Hell yeah.” Jack gazed at Daniel and then observed, “You’re angry with me.”

“Ssh. I am not.”

“You are too!”

Before Jack could talk even more loudly, Daniel admitted, “Alright. I’m perturbed, yes. Would you just relax? It’s dinner and you’re dressed for the occasion.”

“Well I still feel silly.”

Daniel leered at him and was about to respond when A’matuas interrupted him. “We can go inside the Dining Hall now, Doctor.”

Quilah, who was still trying to hide her mirth, led the Colonel in as well.

The riches of King Yupan were no less predominant here. Daniel realized that what he was seeing was the amassing of centuries worth of wealth. It was, however, the duty of each sovereign to add to it. The room was easily as tall as a normal three-story house, but the sheer size of the room was indescribable. There were three tables that seated 100 people easily. At least six fireplaces spanned the walls. Gas powered chandeliers hung from beams that crossed the room and the walls were draped with elegantly embroidered tapestries. There were no windows, yet the room was not dark. Candelabrums were strategically placed around the hall and sconces decorated the walls. The soft glow of candlelight filled the room.

At one end, there was a massive archway that was currently closed off by heavy drapery. The entrance was slightly raised and a series of steps led down to the dining area. On either side a guard stood at ready. Daniel suspected this was from where King Yupan and his entourage would make their entrance.

A’matuas and Quilah led Jack and Daniel to the middle table. They were directed to stand behind nearly touching chairs. “Colonel,” Quilah whispered, “do not sit until King Yupan does. I must go take my meal with the rest of the coyas. If you need me, A’matuas will send for me or he may serve you himself.” She bowed and without further word, she left to go dine in her rightful place.

“The King must thing very highly of you, Colonel O’Neill, to give you one of his wives as a personal attendant.” A’matuas bowed as well and left the two men alone.

Jack beamed Daniel a smile. “See? The King likes me.”

Daniel shook his head but didn’t respond in any other manner. It was an honor to be served by a coya, but Daniel was content to have a scholar as his guide. He directed his attention to the table service. Again, he was dazzled by what he saw. He expected some form of pottery or even wooden plates. They could very well be just that, however, they were covered in a white glaze that reflected the candlelight and gave off the appearance of glass. The edges were trimmed in gold. The design in the center of the plates was gold and silver designed in the form of a symbol. He gazed at it for a long moment. Something about it seemed so familiar to him.

The bowls were decorated in the same way, and the identical symbol adorned the goblets. The utensils were plated in gold, but his eyes were continually drawn to the symbol.

He lifted his eyes and quickly scanned the room. He found it again above the archway where it was interwoven with another symbol. Though it looked familiar, he was put at ease. It had to be a symbol for the King. There was simply no other evidence… or no evidence at all… of a Goa’uld presence on this planet.

“You okay, Danny Boy?”

Eyeing his friend, he quickly shook his head. “Yeah. Sure. Just great.”

Jack knew that was bullshit, but couldn’t question him further as music suddenly filled the hall.

The drapery that covered the archway slowly pulled back and the King and Coya were presented to all their guests. King Yupan was in fully royal robes and headdress. Coya Yupac was dressed to match him. Both were wearing purple robes that were so deep in color, they looked almost black. Anything metallic that they wore, including the headpieces, was made of gold. They walked down the stairs, and the Coya’s hand was place ceremoniously on the King’s arm. Both looked straight ahead as they walked. No one moved, not even the processional that was to follow the leaders. King Yupan escorted his wife to her seat and both were then seated. When that happened the rest of the guests were allowed to sit.

Jack and Daniel took their places and the music began again.

This time, the group was much larger. It consisted of men and women. Couples were acknowledged by wearing similar robes. None, however, were as elaborate as the King and Coya. These people filled the spaces around Daniel and Jack. The anthropologist deduced that these were the members of the royal ayllus… or social class. They were the brothers and sisters of the King and Coya. Not all, perhaps, but definitely those who were in good standing and invited for this special occasion.

Daniel looked around him. Clearly they had been given seats of honor at this dinner. They had been the only guests to be given seats so close to the King and Coya. Even he was starting to wonder at why they had been so readily accepted. There had been no questions about where they were from or what business they had in Ollan’tay. Nothing. Chasqui had almost literally run into them on the path, brought them here, and that was all. They were given rooms, attendants, and seats of honor at the King’s table.

As the members of King Yupan and Coya Yupac’s family continued to be seated, the King and Jack actually struck up a conversation. Daniel gave his full attention to it, hoping it would lay some of his new concerns to rest.

“My people are all very excited to have guests such as yourselves here,” the King began.

“Well I do have a question about that.” Jack rested his arms on the table, completely oblivious to the fact that no one else was even touching the table. The King had given him an opening, so he was taking it.

“Ask anything you wish.”

“You accepted us really easily. No questions. Nothing.”

“Jack…” Daniel whispered, warning that he should take care and not insult the King.

“Don’t ‘Jack’ me. He said I could ask.” He turned his attention back to the King who was waiting, seemingly amused.

“We pride ourselves on our hospitality. Our city is also preparing for a celebration. Huay’nani are flocking to Ollan’tay and Sa’hua from all over the empire. To have two visitors from a land even more distant than our most outreaching city is seen as a blessing. To deny you the absolute best we have to give could easily curse the entire celebration. I will not bring that down on my people.”

Daniel understood better now. It was all about timing. Their arrival coincided with the celebration. He had no doubt that they still would have been met with kindness, but it was the level that was different. It was all a strange, but lucky, coincidence. For once, it was to their advantage.

The music blared again and this time everyone stood up. An aged woman led the group that exited the archway this time. Her long hair was pulled up in a bun and the dark black strands were speckled with some gray and white. She was unescorted and behind her were two young men, each had a woman on his arm. Behind them was an even larger group of young men and women.

“The panaca,” Daniel whispered.

“Huh?”

“The wife of the former king and her family,” he explained as the last group came down the stairs. She stopped at the King’s chair. When she did, a server moved up beside her and she dipped a ladle full of soup and filled his bowl with it. When that was finished, she handed the ladle to Coya Yupac, who then repeated the process. The elder woman then crossed over to her chair. Once she was seated, the rest of the panaca sat.

The tables were now completely full as there wasn’t an empty chair in the dining hall. Servers appeared from apparently nowhere and bowls were filled with the first course. One goblet was used for wine and the other held water.

As conversation flowed around them, Jack turned to Daniel. “So that lady is the King’s mother?”

Before Daniel could reply, King Yupan did so for him. “No. She is not. The line of sovereignty is not predetermined by birth. When King Il’ya passed to the Great Beyond, I was chosen as the new King. The family of King Il’ya moved from the royal ayllus to the panaca.”

Jack nodded his head. “Sweet.”

“Tell us, Colonel O’Neill, how is your empire ruled?”

“Well, first we call it a country, and the people choose who their leader is.”

It was the Coya who spoke now. “Your country allows the people to choose? How is it that such an important decision could be left to the commoners?”

It wasn’t so much what she said, as how she said it. King Yupan appeared to a kind, open man. No doubt he could be stern when he needed. His primary wife, however, appeared to be cold and distant. From the way she said the word ‘commoners’, she must have had a level of distaste for them. They were two very distinct personalities… the King and Coya.

“Actually, it works out pretty well,” Jack responded, though he wasn’t nearly as impressed with the Coya as he was the King. “It’s not perfect, but it works for us.”

“Where exactly are you from?” she asked.

Before Jack could respond, the music started again and the King stood, all attention falling onto him. He turned his back to the table and when the drapery was pulled back again, he lifted both hands, palm up, toward the ceiling. When he did, everyone stood. The remaining members of SG-1 took their cue from those around them and stood as well. From behind the drapery, a man, who Daniel assumed was the High Priest emerged. Religion, the archaeologist would always believe, was the wealthiest business on any planet. Huay’na was no different.

The robes that the High Priest wore were completely white, but they were totally embroidered in gold thread. The headpiece was surprisingly reminiscent of those worn by the Roman-Catholics. He wore elaborate jewels. Rings adorned his fingers, but it was the necklace he wore that grabbed Daniel’s attention. On the gold chain, there hung a gold medallion. The medallion was in the shape of the interwoven symbols above the archway. He had to find out the meaning of it. He didn’t get to ask though as the High Priest was joined by six lesser priests who surrounded him in a semi-circle.

Once everyone was in place, the High Priest began to speak. “Vira, creator of Huay’na and the universe, it is to you directly that I speak. We give you offering and praise. We thank you for the blessings of health and prosperity. For without your grace, all would be for naught.”

As everyone was gazing at the High Priest, Daniel was the only one who saw Jack roll his eyes. So long as Vira didn’t appear in a Goa’uld mother ship, Daniel didn’t care who they worshipped.

“To In’ti, god of the life-giving sun, we send to you our highest praises and ask that you look upon us favorably throughout our celebration.” He raised his hands higher. Daniel wondered how heavy his robes actually were. Holding up his hands like that… It had to hurt after a while.

“Quilla, goddess of the moon, you light our way through the dark and protect us from the evils that haunt the night.”

It was here that servants appeared from the sides again. Each one was carrying a crate that held either food or gold. They were set at the feet of the High Priest who looked down upon them. With one curt nod, he raised his head again and continued, “In the name of the all-mighty Vira, through In’ti and Quilla, I humbly accept the offerings of King Yupan and Coya Yupac. Therefore, I will extend my request for blessings.”

Jack looked over at Daniel. This was… well… insane, boring, AND tedious. It was a big pain in the ass actually. Why couldn’t people just sit down and eat? His soup was getting cold for cryin’ out loud! Of course, one look at Daniel and he knew his friend was eating all of this up. He would love it, Jack thought wryly. All Jack wanted to do was eat.

“I beseech Huay, guardian of our planet and Cocha, mother of the sea, to be with us, to protect and guide us through our ceremony. Look down on us from on high and bless us with your divinity.”

Daniel, who had been listening intently, perked up even more as the High Priest slipped his palms under the medallion and held it up. Clearly whomever he was about to praise or request praise from held a place of great import. All around him, the people’s faces beamed with pride and love. King Yupan turned to face his guests and his face was the most vibrant of all.

The High Priest continued, “We have saved our highest praise for our most beloved goddess. We honor her with this feast; we praise her in our fellowship. Tomorrow we will pay her homage with the greatest of offerings. To Chasca, Lady of Dawn and Twilight, we pledge our praise and love to you. Bless this feast and all who partake of it.”

Once he was finished, everyone took his or her seats. If Daniel was only conjecturing about the similarities before, this was proof that this civilization was tied to the Incans on Earth. The gods and goddesses were named virtually the same and represented exactly what they did on Earth. There were a couple of exceptions, sure. Huayna Capac was one of the great kings in the Incan Empire. Here, the planet was called Huay’na and Huay was the god of the planet.

The most puzzling though was the level of praise given to Chasca. The Incans revered her as almost a secondary goddess. She was the Lady of Dawn and Twilight, and also the special protector of virgins and young girls. It wasn’t a position of high import in the grand scale of things, yet everyone seemed to love her. Clearly, the High Priest placed more import on praising her than he did even Vira.

It was almost as if…

Turning to the person sitting next to him, he pointed to the symbol on his goblet. “May I ask? What does this mean?”

The young noble smiled. “That is our beloved Chasca.”

“And that up there?”

“It is a symbol of the union of power between Chasca and King Yupan. It legitimizes his rule. So long as the symbols are joined, he is our sovereign.” The young man’s attention was demanded elsewhere and as Daniel had no other questions, he turned his head to the woman sitting next to him.

Daniel’s mind was almost reeling now. Jack and King Yupan were happily engaged in conversation so Daniel looked to consider the soup that had been placed in front of him.

The soup was thick and orange. Daniel dipped his spoon in and then lightly tested the temperature on his lip. Cold. Some soups were intentionally served cold and as he tasted it, he believed this was one of them. It was really good.

“What is it?” Jack asked. The King had turned the topic of conversation over to something about a new building. Since that didn’t really pertain to or interest Jack, he decided to harass Daniel.

“Soup,” Daniel responded. It had taken him a few years, but he’d learned the art of smart-ass very well. Of course, he’d learned from Jack so that should explain everything.

“What kind, smart ass?” His tone may have been annoyed, but secretly he was amused by Daniel’s response.

“Probably some kind of a squash. Mashed, no doubt, and then cooked. It appears to be served cold.”

Jack shook his head. “I doubt it. Probably was hot when they brought it out but with all the pomp and circumstance, it got cold all on its own.

“Jack, do you mind?” He just knew that one way or another his teammate was going to insult someone before this meal was over. If not by the words he used, then by his tone. Daniel noticed that everyone around him was speaking English so they couldn’t even hide behind using a ‘foreign’ language.

“Do I mind what, Daniel? That my food is cold or that the ceremony before I got to eat it lasted over a half hour and I had to stand in my dress the entire time?” He did keep his voice down. Only Daniel could actually hear him, though it seemed the younger man was ignoring him.

“Do you mind not insulting these people or their customs?” If he focused on his soup, maybe Jack would take the hint.

“If I wanted to do that I would have worn the clothing I was comfortable in. Besides I kinda like Kingy over there. Not bad for a monarch and all. Oh yeah, and we’re still here. I doubt that there’s one thing we can gain from them as far as technology or medicine goes but we’re still here, aren’t we?”

Daniel lifted up his head from where he’d been staring at his soup and looked at the other man. “Yeah, we are. I know you hate all this, and I’m glad we stayed.” Daniel’s tone became resigned. Jack could have pulled them out of here the second he realized there was nothing to gain, but he didn’t.

Jack raised a brow at him. “Figured you would be. So I can bitch a little if I want, but I’ll try to be better. Okay?”

“Thanks.” He perked up a bit at Jack’s apparent acceptance. “It’s just that we’ve never had an opportunity like this, and I admit that the Indians of South America never were my specialty, but as an anthropologist…”

“It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

When Daniel admitted his sentiments, Jack found himself smiling. To himself, he had to say that it was nice to go to a planet where the inhabitants weren’t trying to kill them or awaiting the arrival of some snakehead. He was missing The Simpson’s, but he did have TiVo. It was all good.

They finished up their soup and shortly thereafter the servants appeared again. Their bowls were taken away and replaced by plates heaping with food. The goblets were refilled. King Yupan never missed a beat in eating. Daniel had a feeling that he actually set the pace for the entire meal. The plates themselves were filled with a meat that looked and smelled a lot like beef. It could have easily been something like lamb. Vegetables that resembled potatoes and corn surrounded it. In all honesty, it looked very much like what was consumed by modern society on Earth. A tortilla type of bread was served, and Daniel observed as people filled up the tortillas with what was on their plates and ate their dinner that way.

Ever the one to go with the flow, Daniel followed their lead. Upon taking his first bite, he was amazed. The meat was tender, juicy, and very flavorful. Before he realized it, he’d eaten one tortilla and was making another.

“Our food is to your liking, Dr. Jackson?”

At the sound of King Yupan’s voice, Daniel raised his head and tried very hard not to look guilty. Swallowing what was in his mouth, he said, “Yes, it is, Your Highness.”

“Better than you expected?” The King smiled. It was indeed a pleasure to see their guests so happy.

“I have to admit that it is. Most times our food doesn’t have nearly this much flavor.”

“We take great pride in pleasing the palate. Our farmers and herders work hard to produce only the finest quality of food.”

“If I may, King Yupan, how does all this work?”

The King looked perplexed for a moment, not fully understanding what ‘this’ was. “Our agriculture?” He smiled. “Tomorrow, I will have A’matuas show you our fine city. He’ll show you anything you’d like to see and answer all of your questions. He is one of our most prized scholars. He even scribes books for our entertainment.”

“He has proven himself to be very valuable already. And I thank you for the offer of the tour. I can’t wait to see the rest of your fine city.”

Obviously thrilled with the praise, King Yupan asked the other guest. “And you, Colonel O’Neill, are you pleased with Quilah?”

Jack had to take a sip of his wine before he responded. What he thought and what he could say were two different things. He was pleased with her, confused but pleased. “I am,” he chose to say, “nice girl. I like her.” He did too, and in his mind that was a problem. One thing Jack would never understand was polygamy. Interesting in theory, but it just seemed wrong to him.

The Coya nearly snorted at Jack’s comment. “She is a progressive thinker. She volunteered to serve you, and yet she is ‘wife’ to a king.”

King Yupan nearly glared at Yupac, and she ceased talking immediately. When he turned his countenance to Jack, he finally spoke. “It is true that Quilah requested to be your attendant. However, I would not have granted it had I not believed her to be the best for the position. Certainly, she is what we would term ‘progressive’ but tides will turn and there is often resistance. I have learned it is best to absorb the tide… accept it and integrate it into how things are now. If you do not, soon you have a tsunami on your hands.”

“And those are damn hard to stop,” Jack added when the King finished talking.

Daniel’s head snapped around as he’d been once again engaged in a conversation with the man beside him. Had Jack just sworn at King Yupan?! Surely not!

The King laughed. “No my dear friend, you cannot stop them.”

Actually, Jack had met a few civilizations that could but it wouldn’t do any good to tell Yupan that.

They ate the rest of their main course without further incident. Daniel learned that once your plate was empty, a new one was given to you. So long as the King was consuming the main course, it was served to everyone else as well. Daniel also determined that there were times when he could devour as much food as Teal’c. It was shocking.

When they finally got around to dessert, the conversation had grown louder. Daniel found that all around him people were speaking one of two languages. Also, Jack was the only one at this table who spoke only English. It did set him apart, and not necessarily in a good way. What kept people from commenting or even questioning was the fact that King Yupan seemed to genuinely like him. It puzzled Daniel, but then who was he to argue.

“You notice, Daniel, they eat a *lot* of corn. This dessert is made of it too. It’s good though.”

Daniel was used to giving Jack a look that often led him to wonder if the man had grown a third eye or something. Of everything they had seen at this meal, Jack’s main observation was going to be about the corn. No doubt he’d be wondering if it were digestible here. Daniel’s only response was to sigh.

“What?”

After dinner, the atmosphere relaxed immensely. The secondary coyas gathered on the stage, which earlier had been where the processional had entered. Music began and the women danced. It was slightly erotic in nature, and Daniel wondered, by the look on King Yupan’s face, if he wasn’t deciding on who would join him in his chambers tonight. Polygamy was just… well he didn’t believe in it. He looked over at Jack to mention something to him about it and saw that his friend was watching intently. Not the entire dance, but one specific dancer.

Daniel didn’t make his comment, simply sat back in his chair.

Trays were passed around that held large mugs. Taking the one offered to him, Daniel smelled the drink before tasting it. Again, he leaned toward Jack and this time he spoke. “It’s like chicha.”

“Wassat?” Jack asked, taking his own mug.

“Beer,” Daniel answered simply and then sat back waiting for Jack to try it.

Taking a tentative taste, Jack was the one who leaned over this time as he exclaimed, “Now this… this is what I’m talkin’ about. Damn good beer too.”

“It’s made from corn,” the anthropologist explained. At Jack’s snort, he decided to go into more detail. Jack had a few things that just really… well… set him off. Daniel knew what they were and every once in a while, he had to exploit that knowledge. “See, the corn is taken into the village square and all the matrons gather around a large bowl or pot. The corn is tossed in and they soften it.” He waited for the inevitable question.

“Soften?”

“Yep,” he said, taking another sip. “See, before it can be ground, it has to be softened. So the matrons use their saliva to make it so they can grind it up.”

“They spit in it?!”

Daniel merely nodded and tried so very hard not to laugh. “It also helps in the fermentation process…”

“They spit in it?!” Jack repeated, setting the mug down and looking appalled. “You know something, Daniel, you’re an ass. That’s just like hot dogs. You like them, but you sure as hell don’t want to know how they’re made! Geez!” He reached for his wine goblet. “Do they spit in this?”

Daniel shook his head ‘no’ and tried to gain some composure. Sometimes it hurt his face when he had to work so hard not to laugh. “They probably… stomp… the… fruit though.”

Jack moved his hand from the wine to the water. “Jesus. I hope they don’t pee in this,” he announced before taking a big swallow. Setting the glass down, he looked at his friend. “From now on, you are not allowed to tell me how something is made unless I ask or consuming it is going to make me sick or kill me!”

Daniel laughed and turned his eyes to the stage so he could watch the dancing and enjoy his beer.

When the entertainment was finished, King Yupan stood and reached for the hand of Coya Yupac. Together, they walked up onto the stage and as he raised his hand, everyone gave him their attention. “Tomorrow begins the Celebration of Chasca. I request that you all are present.” He looked over at his newest guests. “Especially Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson who have traveled from a far land to be with us.”

Here everyone applauded. Jack still found this all highly disturbing no matter what Daniel said about it. It was just too weird to see everyone so happy about them being there. These people were plain strange, no matter how much he liked Yupan… just strange.

“When In’ti places the sun at it’s highest point, we will honor Chasca with our most gracious of offerings. They will be plentiful this year, and will gain her favor. We will also give onto her the virgin Ithil’ya, who has dedicated her life to this very moment and is most eager to go live with her goddess!” As the King spoke, his voice rose in volume. By the time he finished, his voice boomed through the Dining Hall and everyone was on their feet… applauding.

All, of course, but the two travelers from afar who simply stared at one another in disbelief.

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 9

“I want to speak to him alone,” Jack blurted to A’matuas as he barged into Daniel’s room. Dinner was over, and they had been escorted back to their rooms. Quilah had been waiting for him, but he barely said a word. He paced around before barking at her to wait in his room for him. Now, he was standing in Daniel’s. “Not in there either,” he said when A’matuas tried to go into his own quarters. “Go wait in my room.”

Daniel waited until the scholar left. “You think you could have been more rude about that?”

“Don’t start with me! We’re honored guests to a ritual sacrifice?! You know there’s no way in hell I’m going to let them kill that girl tomorrow. I don’t give a tinker’s damn how happy she’ll be to live with her goddess.” Jack was outraged. He paced the floor as he spoke, walking so fast that the cloth of his tunic flowed out behind him.

“They didn’t say they were going to sacrifice her,” Daniel tried to reason.

“Oh yeah. Offer. They’re going to offer her.” Jack stopped his pacing and looked at his friend. “Why aren’t you the one outraged? Why am I walking the floor like a crazed loon while you stand there calmly?” Normally the roles were reversed.

“If I believed they were going to kill her, I would. Chasca is the protector of young girls and virgins. This ‘offering’ could be the equivalent of simply joining a type of convent. The fact is, Jack, we just don’t know.” Daniel was surprised at how calm his voice was. Truly, the roles were normally reversed; only Jack’s contributions to the conversation weren’t nearly calm as Daniel’s.

“So, I’m jumping to conclusions, even if they are based on almost seven years of planet hopping?”

“Yep.” Daniel offered him an encouraging smile. “I’ll talk to A’matuas and find out what he can tell me. You talk to Quilah. They may surprise you or you may very well be right, though if you are, that would surprise me.”

“Hey…”

Daniel chuckled. “You know what I mean.”

Jack nodded and headed for the door. “Okay. We’ll do this your way, but you better be right. A shoot out at high noon is just a tab bit cliché.” With that, he said a quick goodnight, leaving a bewildered Daniel behind him.

It was a very bewildered Daniel who quickly prayed to every god he knew of that he was right. And Daniel Jackson knew a lot of gods.

Chapter 10

“Welcome back, SG-1,” General Hammond greeted the two returning members of the ‘flagship’ team of the SGC. When the klaxons were turned off, he continued, “Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson?”

“They stayed behind, Sir,” Major Carter explained. “Colonel O’Neill sent us back so I could conduct the briefing and then requested that we return.”

“Very well. We’ll meet for our debriefing in one hour.” He nodded his head at Teal’c, who repeated the gesture in kind and left the Gate room.

“At least this time we’ll have something good to report,” Sam commented rather enthusiastically as they headed to their respective locker rooms.

“Indeed.” Teal’c’s response was normal, but inwardly he’d noticed things on Huay’na that puzzled him.

“You okay, Teal’c?”

“I am, Major Carter.”

She gave him a close perusal before deciding that she knew the Jaffa far too well to push him for information when he wasn’t willing to give it.

*-*-*

An hour later, they were in the conference room. It had a completely different atmosphere without Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson.

“Tell me about PS2-3X3,” General Hammond began. He was sitting in his customary seat at the head of the table with Teal’c and Major Carter on either side of him.

“Well, Sir,” Sam began, “they call their planet Huay’na. They’re extremely hospitable people. It was surprising really. I don’t think we’ve ever met people who have been so immediately open.”

The General looked from the Major to the Jaffa. “They were?”

“Indeed, General Hammond. They are most intriguing.”

“Well that’s a pleasant change.” He looked back over to the Major. “Tell me more.”

Sam started from the beginning and told the General about the area around the Stargate. She told him about the Gateway God and even touched lightly upon the interpretations that Daniel and Teal’c ascribed to it. On some level, Sam was still in awe of that; and in her own mind, she was trying to figure it all out. She was leaning more toward Daniel’s initial instincts though. It was true that spending a few hours on a planet and seeing a handful of people didn’t give an accurate picture of the entire planet, but it did lead her to want to believe that they were peaceful and genuine. She could hope anyway.

She went on to tell the General about the village they came upon and the people they met.

“They seem very friendly then. Maybe a planet we’ll get to count among our allies?”

“I think so, General. Colonel O’Neill and Daniel are guests in the palace of the King and the people we met were very nice.”

Teal’c had to agree with that. “They are very trusting people who showed no fear of strangers who came into their home bearing weapons.”

“I was thinking about that, Teal’c. Perhaps they didn’t know that they were weapons.”

Teal’c raised a brow in curiosity. It would make sense as far as her rifle went, but the ‘god’ and the people on that archway were carrying staffs. How could they not know that his was a weapon? “They could have not,” he agreed, deciding he needed to give it more thought.

“You’re saying then that they are technologically inferior?”

“I’m afraid so, Sir. I don’t even think they will be advanced medically. The best we can hope for is a cultural exchange.”

“Understood. Given what you’ve seen, do you think that Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson are safe on that planet for the next several hours without backup?”

“Sir, I would say so. These people just gave off no signs that they weren’t exactly what they seemed. The Colonel and Daniel have had more interaction with them than we have, but the Colonel was very clear on the fact that it was fine for us to return back here.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c agreed, “I detected no concern in O’Neill’s voice. He sounded most genuine.”

That was good enough for General Hammond. After everything this team had been through together, they should be able to tell by one another’s voices how they were doing, even if it was just over a radio.

“I would have liked to see the city they called Sa’hua,” Teal’c added.

The General and the Major both gave him their attention. It wasn’t Teal’c’s style to bring something up if it wasn’t weighing on his mind.

“Sa’hua?” the General inquired.

“It’s the religious center,” Sam supplied the answer. “The Holy City. There was a religious festival starting today.”

“We were invited to attend.”

“You were?!” For some reason that surprised the General. Two strangers invited to a religious ceremony. Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson were there without backup. “And you’re sure that the Colonel and Dr. Jackson are safe?”

“As sure as we can be, Sir,” Sam answered. “Honestly, General Hammond, these people don’t seem false at all. I wish I could explain why I…”

“You trust them?” the General asked in a rare moment of impatience.

“I trust that Colonel O’Neill and Daniel are safe. Yes, Sir.”

“I would like to return as soon as possible, General.” It was said in the same stoic manner in which Teal’c said everything.

The General turned to Major Carter.

“I would too, Sir.”

“Okay, then. Do your briefing and you can return to the planet first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Sam and Teal’c both stood, but it was only the Major who left the room. She was curious as to why the Jaffa stayed behind. Something was bothering him. True, he didn’t normally confide in her about things. Still, she knew there was more going on inside than what he was willing to share with her. At least if he wasn’t talking to her, he was going to talk to General Hammond.

The General watched, as Teal’c didn’t follow Major Carter out of the conference room. His initial gut reaction that Teal’c had concerns was suddenly confirmed. “Something on your mind, Son?”

“General Hammond.” Teal’c sat back down. “I am unsure whether or not Major Carter noticed but in several places, there was a symbol.”

“The same one?” The General had a feeling as to where this was heading. His immediate impulse was to order the remaining members of SG-1 to return home. “Do you think it represents a Goa’uld?”

“I am not sure.”

“Are there any other indicators that would lead you to think there are hostiles on the planet?”

“No.”

The General was accustomed to pulling information from the Jaffa. Although there were times, like now, when he wished the man would be more forthcoming. “You think the symbol refers to a god but you’re not convinced it’s a Goa’uld or even if it is, you don’t think it’s on the planet.”

“That is correct.”

“You think this celebration could herald the return of the goddess?”

“Chasca,” Teal’c supplied. “I do. If she is indeed Goa’uld, General Hammond, I have never heard of her. I do not believe she is a system lord.”

“Would you be able to find anything out about her, Son?”

“If she is Goa’uld, I am certain my brethren on Chulak would know. I would like to contact Master Bra’tac, if I may?”

“Of course, of course. Do what you need to do. I’d like to find out as much as you can tell me, Teal’c. When you and Major Carter return to Huay’na, you should be prepared.” For a while there, it had been like pulling teeth, but at least he’d finally worked down to the heart of what was concerning the former First Prime. In all actuality, it was concerning him now as well.

Teal’c stood and bowed his head toward the General out of respect. “Thank you, General Hammond.” With that, he stood upright and left the room.

*-*-*

Less than a half hour later, the Jaffa was standing at the end of the ramp watching as smoke billowed off the Gate. It was cycling through the address and locking in the coordinates. As the event horizon lunged forward before settling in to a soft pool, Sam rushed into the Gate room. “Teal’c,” she called out as he took a step forward.

Stopping, he turned to face her. “Yes, Major Carter.”

“The General says you’re going to talk to Bra’tac.”

“Indeed I am. I have concerns regarding Chasca and I believe he will have answers.”

“Good,” she said, “When I left the conference room, I did some research in Daniel’s office.”

Teal’c raised a brow, which was the only sign of curiosity he gave.

“Chasca was a goddess to the people of the Incan civilization here on Earth. They became predominate, like Daniel said, in the 14th through 16th centuries, but they were around for a lot longer than that.” She reached into the pocket of her shirt and pulled out some papers. Handing them to him, she continued, “I’m not sure if it will help or not but Chasca is also called the Lady of Dawn and Twilight. She’s the protector of young girls and virgins.” Sam had never known a Goa’uld who would have considered itself protector of anything. “I know it’s not a lot. There wasn’t much I could find, but…”

“It is indeed a help, Major Carter. I shall return in time for us to return to Huay’na.”

She nodded and backed away, watching as he disappeared into the Stargate. There was just no way she could explain how she was feeling. They all had to be overreacting here. She couldn’t name one single civilization that didn’t believe in a higher power. They tended to forget that not all gods were Goa’uld. Christianity believed in one Almighty Being that was responsible for the creation of all things. Most of the non-pagan religions today were the same. Why couldn’t they just this once not look at a society’s beliefs and label their gods as false? She didn’t say anything though. Leaving the Gate room, she made her way back to her office to prepare for her briefing. Saying anything could open up a whole can of ugly worms that she didn’t want to deal with. Besides that, Daniel wasn’t here to back her up. Right now, he and Colonel O’Neill were learning more about the culture and undoubtedly about Chasca as well. If Daniel came to the same conclusion she was leaning toward, then together they could talk to the others. However, if she learned that he too had doubts and concerns about Chasca and the Huay’nani, and then she’d reconsider.

As she spent the rest of her evening preparing for her briefing though, she let herself believe that Chasca was still a non-corporeal goddess who the people of Huay’na praised and worshipped and not some evil Goa’uld who preyed upon their beliefs and enslaved them for her own gain. It’s what she let herself believe anyway. She hoped she wasn’t wrong about any of it.

Chapter 11

“Colonel O’Neill.”

Jack heard the soft timbre of her voice as it filtered through his sleep-fogged mind but he wasn’t ready to face it. What he wanted was more sleep.

“Colonel O’Neill. You must awaken.”

He opened one eye and gave it a second to focus on the face before him.

Quilah smiled. “I do apologize, but if you wish to partake of the morning meal you must arise, wash, and get dressed.”

“Quilah, I just got to sleep.” Geez these people washed a lot. No doubt Danny Boy was already up and ready.

She chuckled faintly. “You have slept for over six hours and the suns rose over an hour ago. We have much to do today. I took the liberty of setting out garments for you, but the King has requested your presence at breakfast.”

He growled and unceremoniously tossed back the covers. It took him several minutes to come more fully away. When he did, he sat up and rubbed his eyes hard before running his hands over his head. When he finished, he opened his eyes to find Quilah staring at him. “What?” he asked, though his tone wasn’t harsh. “Did I do something wrong?”

Her face colored and for the first time, she appeared as anything other than the well-trained coya that she had been trained to be. “N-no, you did not.” Quickly, she ran into the bathroom and started his bath. When she returned, he was standing beside the bed and her face turned red again. “I set out your clothes…”

“Look, Quilah, I appreciate the free wardrobe and all, but I really don’t want to wear a dress today, okay?”

That statement caused her to smile and she pointed to the chair closest to the fireplace.

“Oh,” he commented as he saw his BDU’s laid out and waiting for him to don them. “Umm, thanks. I’ll just take my foot out of my mouth and go wash up.”

She scrutinized him closely as he walked briskly into the bathroom. Never had she been more affected by a man, but she had to admit that most of the time, she didn’t understand what he was saying. The words were familiar, but the way he put them together made no sense. She had also been rather taken aback by his lack of sleeping attire. She had not the heart to tell him that the covering he used for the lower portion of his body had a gaping hole in the front of it, and when he sat up in bed, it was very revealing. It had taken her by surprise, but she wasn’t going to complain.

*-*-*

Daniel firmly believed that no matter how long he stood out on this balcony, he’d never tire of the view. It was splendid. The garden was the epitome of immaculate. He’d woken early and was able to watch the second sun rise from where he now sat.

“Dr. Jackson.”

He almost didn’t hear A’matuas at first. He knew the man hadn’t wanted to disturb him. Turning his head, he greeted the scholar with a smile. “Are you sure you won’t call me Daniel? Technically we are of the same ayllu.” Ayllu, he knew, was the term used to denote social class or profession. Here, both were one and the same.

“I am positive, Doctor. Although we are both men of learning, you are an honored guest. I would not have bothered you at all had Quilah not informed me that your friend is finally ready to go down for the morning meal.”

“Oh great,” Daniel said, getting up and following A’matuas. By the way the other man had said ‘your friend’, he knew the scholar was still incensed over Jack’s tirade of last night. Daniel had done his best to explain Jack’s behavior, but A’matuas merely nodded and commented that for a man who claimed not to want an attendant, he clearly knew how to give orders to one.

Of course, Daniel knew that Jack hadn’t treated A’matuas any differently than he would have anyone else. Daniel was used to the bark and knew Jack would never bite without provocation. The scholar didn’t know that. He also didn’t know that it was highly uncommon for Jack to react the way he did. But Daniel didn’t try to explain it. A’matuas was here to help Daniel, not Jack, and the archaeologist planned to keep the two as far apart from one another as possible.

More than likely, that would be for the best anyway. No doubt it would keep the peace.

*-*-*

Even though Jack had been ready, Daniel didn’t see him until he and Quilah arrived in the Dining Hall. He and Jack were seated in the same seats as the night before. “Sleep well?” he asked after Quilah excused herself.

“I did. Though the time is off.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, Quilah said I slept for over six hours, but only about five or so have past. So an hour here isn’t like an hour for us.”

“Ah, I see. Yeah. The planet rotates more quickly here, and there are two suns. Since time is based on how long it takes a sun to travel across the sky and back…” He paused when he saw Jack just staring at him. “What?”

“Oh I don’t know. For a second there, I thought you and Carter had done the body swap thing and not told me.”

“Very funny, Jack.” Before he could make any further comment, the music began and he soon learned that the morning meal had as much flare as the evening one. The manner of dress was more casual, but that was because no one would be returning to his or her rooms to change. He and Jack were both dressed in their BDU’s, but Daniel noticed they had been cleaned sometime during the night.

The meal was comprised of as many courses as the one the night before. King Yupan had not been able to engage them in conversation, as many people demanded his attention. Also, his consumption of food did not set the pace. When Daniel finished one course, he was given the next.

“Are you going to speak to A’matuas today?” Jack still wasn’t sure about all of this, but he was willing to extend a little trust. Besides, he was much more calm this morning.

“I will,” Daniel responded. “We’re going to take a tour of the city and he’s going to focus on showing me the school and the library. Maybe I can get a look at the church as well. If we have time.”

“Good. Quilah is going to take me out of the walls and show me some of the rural stuff. I know most of the people won’t speak English, but I’d still like to try to talk to a few of them. See how they live and stuff like that.”

“Sounds good to me, just be careful. You can go from honored guest to blasphemer in a nanosecond. I’d hate to have to try to bargain for your freedom on the day when they are honoring their most beloved goddess.”

Jack snickered. “Oh yeah, cause the last time I was a prisoner, you did so much to help me out. Have I ever thanked you for that?”

Daniel glared at him. “I was being serious, Jack. Though you seem to want to argue that particular situation until the end of time.”

“I’m nothing if not focused.”

“I could easily call it something else, you know. But my point is that you may not believe as they do, and no matter how much King Yupan likes you, he’s not going to like you trying to ruin the vision of the goddess who legitimizes his reign.”

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“Assume I’m going to cause trouble. You cause more than your fair share.”

“I do. Which is why I’m going to follow my own advice.” He paused and gave his friend a smile. “Though really, Jack. In destroying the belief in gods category, you outnumber me by far.”

“Do not!”

“Do too.”

“Not!”

“Too.”

“Oh for cryin’ out loud, Daniel. Just eat your damn breakfast.”

Daniel’s smile turned into a laugh. Their entire conversation had been in hushed tones, so when Jack raised his voice to holler at him, it was perceived by those around them as if it came out of nowhere. Daniel really had to stop taking so much pleasure out of baiting Jack. Of course, he’d do that when Jack stopped baiting him.

Chapter 12

They agreed to meet about a half hour before the ceremony to discuss the possibilities of what they were going to do and to share what they learned from their guides. Daniel was still optimistic as he and A’matuas set out for the tour of Ollan’tay. They left right after the morning meal, and Daniel was grateful for the walk. Once again, he’d eaten enough to make even Teal’c proud. He had to admit that he was falling in love with this place. No matter the lack of modern conveniences. Daniel always felt like a part of him was out of place in modern times. He was constantly looking back to the past, and truly felt comfortable in surroundings such as these. He loathed wearing the BDUs that set him apart from all the others. He didn’t like having A’matuas as a personal attendant, but he would have enjoyed having him as a friend. “So where’s our first stop on the tour?” he asked as they walked down the steps of the palace and entered the quad.

“I thought to show you the library and the school first. Both are in the same building.” He pointed to a large building just off to his left.

“I wondered if each building had multiple purposes.”

A’matuas nodded. “Most do, yes. They city was cut from the jungle and the walls themselves took a decade to build. They keep out predators and were used for defense when we were in need of it.”

The quad was crowded. Everyone poured from the palace and filled the area around them. Artists, sculptures, and writers took up the available spaces under the trees. But there was other work being done as well. Farmers were bringing fruits and vegetables into town. Livestock was also herded in. There were people cleaning the streets and household staff who were running errands for their masters. The city was a flurry of activity.

As they walked toward the middle of the square, Daniel saw what could best be described as a large stage. A post stood at each corner and from the top streamers of flowers floated on the air. The slight wind made the strands billow out slowly and waved elegantly with the breeze. The stage was completely open otherwise with steps leading up to the raised area. People would be able to see what was happening on the stage from just about anywhere on the quad.

On the stage was a wide bench; actually it was more like a low stone table. It almost looked like an altar. More than a bit concerned, Daniel asked, “What is that for?”

“The offering.” It was all the initial explanation A’matuas gave.

Daniel knew that the Incans practiced ritual sacrifice. It was a rarity, and they never enslaved captured people. They were merely integrated into the society. “What offering?” Daniel asked. He had promised Jack that he’d delve more deeply into it.

“The offerings are for Chasca as the King mentioned at dinner last evening, Dr. Jackson. The fruits of our labor and the virgin Ithil’ya will be offered to her in praise.”

“And how will that be done exactly?”

A’matuas stopped their progress and faced his fellow scholar. “Gifts will be presented, Ithil’ya will assume the place of honor, and then will be sent to live with Chasca. You truly do not know? How can you live on Huay’na and not know the ritual for praising Chasca?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, and Daniel didn’t question further. He had a sense that A’matuas was starting to have questions of his own that Daniel wasn’t sure he could answer. The entire thing was so complex. He couldn’t just say ‘We stepped through the ring that’s guarded by the Gateway God. Oh and no we aren’t gods, it just looks that way.’

They continued walking to their left and upon reaching the stage; A’matuas led them parallel to it. This gave Daniel a more full view of the entire area. He had been so focused on the ‘altar’ that he missed the smaller vats that hugged the corners. He noticed them now because they gave off a fragrant smell of flowers that were very reminiscent of roses. Incense, most likely. They would be burned during the ceremony. The Huay’nani took great pride in this service, and Daniel didn’t want to doubt his original thoughts. This… how could this be a bloody ritual when all these people did was surround themselves with beauty?

As if he needed more proof, he pulled his eyes from the stage and looked at the building that doubled as a library and school. It was equal in size to many of the main buildings of some of the biggest colleges in America. This one was made of the same stone as the palace. It was cut precisely enough so that each stone fit exactly to the other and no mortar had to be used. To top it off, the building was two stories tall. The palace was three, even five in some places. The construction standards may be primitive compared to most places, but Daniel’s room had been on the third floor and he had no doubt that he was safe. The school and library looked just as sound. As they walked up the steps to enter the building, two statues stood on either side of the archway. The one he recognized as King Yupan, but the other was unfamiliar. He stopped to gaze upon it. The statue was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Her hair was sculpted as long, wavy locks and her facial features were almost mesmerizing.

“She’s beautiful, is she not?”

Daniel nodded. He’d seen a lot of gorgeous art in his time, but nothing had captured him quite like she had.

“Our beloved Chasca,” A’matuas said reverently. “Her statue blesses this building.”

The archaeologist found that he agreed. It took everything he had to stop looking at her and walk inside the building. The entire moment had been surreal and almost a bit frightening. He pushed it out of his mind and followed his guide into the building. He was eager to see what treasures awaited him inside.

It had taken them the better part of the morning to see the school. Daniel hadn’t been disappointed. For a society that didn’t have a printing press, the library was outstanding. There were books in worn soft leather covers; scribes handwrote the pages within. They talked with the man who was in charge of the library. The man had an uncanny ability to know where every book and scroll belonged. Of course, Daniel learned that the man had been born to do this job. He’d learned from his father, and now he was teaching his son. It had been like that for generations.

When Daniel and A’matuas were once again alone, the anthropologist in him took over. “So tell me, who exactly attends this school?”

A’matuas smiled. Dr. Jackson asked more than his fair share of questions, but he didn’t care. He rather enjoyed showing off his knowledge. “Anyone whose ayllu requires him or her to become a teacher, priest, scribe, or artist must attend.”

“Men and women?”

“Oh yes. Any woman who is in line to possibly become coya must be educated. Daughters of painters and musicians must also learn the art here.”

Daniel pondered the scholar’s words for a moment. He had to admit that the idea of women being educated as well impressed him. In most cultures it was assumed that whatever learning the women had was passed on to them by their husbands or fathers. It was certainly not done in a public forum such as a school. Higher education was unthinkable. Yet to listen to A’matuas, it was standard on Huay’na. Better yet, it was required of specific ayllu. If there were one thing he could change about it, he would have liked to hear that it was open to all. The ayllu system, though, was highly reminiscent of the caste system. Such social structures were slow to change, if they changed at all. “I have to admit, A’matuas, that I’m really impressed by all of this.”

The pride in the scholar’s eyes was undeniable. It was high praise his home had just received. Though he did wonder from where their guests hailed. He would have liked to question, but did not.

“Let me ask you this,” Daniel put forth, after a moment of contemplation, “as far as your educators are concerned, are they all male? Are they chosen simply because they were born into that ayllus?”

A’matuas shook his head. “Oh no. The ayllus of education is the one that can take from other ayllu. It is the one that demands only the best and the brightest. Those who excel in their fields are called to serve all Huay’nani as teachers. All other skills can be learned. Intelligence, however, can only be nurtured.”

Daniel wasn’t so sure he agreed with that, but he kept that opinion to himself.

“In response to your other question, there are some female teachers. They are in charge specifically for educating future coyas in the regards of being coya. Traditions, expectations and not only those of her public position, but in giving service to the king as well.”

“Service?” Daniel queried. “Do you mean as in dressing him or…”

“No, I do not. The King has servants for menial tasks such as that. I mean in servicing his needs as a man. The primary coya has only to produce a male offspring. Not that he will be king, but he will be considered for the position. The other coyas provide for his desires. He chooses them and there are expectations on many levels.”

Daniel’s eyes opened wide and he asked the next question before he could stop himself. “All of them?!”

A’matuas chuckled. “Not all. A King is judged by many standards. He takes many coya. Some are for his personal interests, some give him offspring. Still others are for companionship. He takes a few coya who are beautiful and intelligent and if he has no attraction for them personally, he saves them for others.”

“Others?”

The scholar nodded. “Yes. They are gifts.”

Daniel swallowed hard, trying to cover his personal reaction. A’matuas could not know how or why he was so affected by that. Sha’re had been a gift, but she had not been pressed into it. It was something she wanted and something Daniel only took because he loved and cherished her. He cleared his throat and adjusted his seating position in the chair before he spoke again. “So tell me, is Quilah…”

A’matuas nodded. “Yes. If your friend, Colonel O’Neill, so desires, then she will be his for the taking. It is something, I hear, she volunteered to do.”

Daniel sighed. Oh how circular life was.

Chapter 13

Shortly after Daniel and A’matuas left for their tour of the city, Jack found Quilah waiting for him outside the Dining Hall. He smiled at her before he could stop himself and said, “Are we ready?”

She returned the smile and bowed her head. “We are, Colonel O’Neill. I am yours for the rest of the day, and King Yupan has graciously allowed me to stay by your side during the ceremony this afternoon.”

“Oh well that’s… great.” As they left the palace, he was a bit stunned when her tiny hand wrapped around and rested on his forearm, he looked down at it and then around at all the people around him. He relaxed a little at what he saw. A male was escorting every female. Well, almost every one. Okay, every one that was being escorted had her hand on the man’s arm. So he didn’t think too much more on it. He did, however, take in how she was dressed. “Okay, I so have to ask this.”

“What is it, Colonel O’Neill?”

“Do you have to wear a certain color because you’re King Yupan’s wife? The one who eats with him… she always matches him. You don’t, but you wear the same color as the other wives, right?”

She gave him a soft smile. It was rather endearing, the way he spoke. Some would consider it almost insulting. Not her. It made him stand out from the others, including his friend. Dr. Jackson would blend in to any society. He had the abilities of a chameleon. Even in his strange dress, he was accepting of their customs and adopting them into his demeanor. Quilah believed that Colonel O’Neill didn’t even completely accept his own land’s customs. He stood out wherever he was and that included his own home. “King Yupan has many coya. We do have to wear a specific color. Yellow and orange. The true mark of his wealth is gauged by how he provides for his subjects and the number of coyas he keeps in his palace. The colors identify our station.”

“And just how many does he got?”

“At present, there are thirty-six.”

“Wow!”

She chuckled lightly. “The King before him had almost seventy upon the time of his passing.”

“I think I know what killed him too,” Jack commented in his usual sarcastic flair.

She looked at him. Her expression was one of complete shock. “You know what killed our beloved King Il’ya?! What was it, pray tell?”

Jack took a moment to wonder at how she could even think he would really know. The glance he gave her said just that. “Quilah,” his voice was gentle when he finally did talk, “I don’t know what killed King Il’ya. It was a poor attempt at a joke on my part. See, where I come from most men have a hard enough time keeping up with one wife, let alone thirty or even seventy.”

“Oh,” she blushed profusely. “I am sorry. I am not quite accustomed to your humor yet.”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Don’t worry. There are people who have known me for a very long time and they still don’t get my humor. You aren’t any different.”

“I will have you know,” she beamed, “that not all coya provide service to the king. We may be a ‘wife’ as you call it, but we are not all to the same degree.” She turned her head slightly so she could look up at him. “Some provide direct service, some give companionship, some are taken for specific roles. Others are taken because of their beauty and intelligence. The King may have no interest in them personally, but having a coya who has earned high marks from the center of learning is important.”

“I take it that you just described yourself?” Oh yeah, he so wasn’t understanding this multiple wife thing.

“I should not have. If he or anyone knew I had mentioned it…”

“Hey, secret’s safe with me. I promised Danny I’d be good.” With his free hand, he lightly patted the one she had resting on his arm. It did kind of bother him to know that she was destined for a life without companionship or love. A family was definitely out of the question. It was too bad… He sighed heavily to stop his train of thought. He’d obviously spent way too much time with Daniel. There wasn’t anything he could or would do to help her. Things were the way they were, and he wasn’t here to change her world. Well… unless this Chasca was a snakehead or they tried to kill that girl this afternoon. He couldn’t be a crusader for everything, though. No matter how much he liked the kid, he couldn’t do anything to help her.

And if he kept telling himself that, then maybe he’d believe it.

They strolled slowly through the city, and Quilah took great pride in showing him the buildings. They stopped at the central plaza where she told him about the duality of its services. “Right now, it’s set up for the ceremony. The elevated platform allows for almost everyone in the quad to see. It’s even visible from certain balconies at the palace. The other coya will view it from there. Honored guests have a special seating area over here.” She led him toward a couple rows of stone benches. “King Yupan has mandated that you and Dr. Jackson will have seats here. As your personal attendants, A’matuas and I will sit with you.” She smiled widely. “The area has many purposes. We use it for all of our celebrations. The Harvest Feast, The Planter’s Festival, even wedding parties. The Ceremony to Honor Past Kings is held here as well.”

“Cool,” Jack said. He’d heard every word she said, but his mind had been working on how they’d be able to grab this Ithil’ya and run should they need to. Their seats would really be a hindrance to a speedy departure. Damn.

“Shall I show you the rest of Ollan’tay?”

“Yeah. We can do that.”

As they left the plaza, she showed him the school. She quickly explained how it was also the library. “More than likely, this is where Dr. Jackson will spend most of his day. A’matuas was raised here. He was born to teach and excelled at his studies. He will, one day, be in charge of the entire school.”

“Huh. Well that’s somethin’…”

“Why do you say that?”

He took in her confused expression and explained, “Well, he’s smart. Obviously, very smart. He’s going to be in charge of the whole school, but today he’s playing servant to Daniel. I don’t get it.”

She grinned. Her confusion was now replaced with humor. “He will… one day, but he isn’t in charge of it today. A’matuas is a great scholar. He learns much from what is said and what isn’t. King Yupan believes that Dr. Jackson is much the same way. Therefore, he assigned him A’matuas so the two could learn from one another.”

“Ah. I see.” It was a very interesting way of gathering intel. A’matuas would learn everything he could and report it back to the King. Jack’s admiration of King Yupan’s intelligence grew yet again. The man knew how to go about things. Except, he didn’t have to be sneaky. If asked, they would gladly tell where they were from, how they got here, and why. Until he was asked, he’d let the game continue. It was kind of fun.

They walked past the school, and Quilah led them on a diagonal path across the quad. Somehow, neither Jack nor Daniel had noticed the sprawling building that they were heading toward now. Daniel was supposed to check out this one if he could tear himself away from the school anyway.

“This is the cathedral. It was erected over three centuries ago for Vira. It’s said that Chasca herself oversaw the construction of this church. She supposedly paid homage to Vira here and the legend tells that a great beam of light would emit from the church when she did. It was known as the Stairway of the Gods.”

Jack nodded as he continued to listen to her speak. He knew now that the Goa’uld had occupied this planet. At least three hundred years ago, it was. The ‘Stairway’ had been a ring transport. They built the church around it as a way to cover their technology with religion. These people based their faith today on the damn Goa’uld. The only biblical reference Jack would give the snakeheads would be to compare them to a plague of locusts. He really wished he had a bug zapper.

He didn’t say any of this to Quilah. He smiled, nodded, and feigned interest. No way would she know how much the meaning of this beautiful building revolted him. He wouldn’t do that to her.

After the church, they walked closer to the main gates, stopping in front of a very plain building. The windows were small and there was only one door. In comparison to the other buildings, this was a shack. “What is this? A prison?”

“Prison?” she questioned. She didn’t recognize the word.

“Yeah, where you put criminals. Bad kids who do bad things to good people.”

She smiled patiently and opened the door. “Oh, we don’t have any of those. Criminals, as you call them, are virtually non-existent. If by chance someone does break a law, they’re made a public example of.” She gestured for him to go inside. “Actually, this is for food storage. Everyone shares everything, Colonel O’Neill. The wealth amassed by a king belongs to all. There is no need to rob or steal. Everyone has shelter, everyone eats, but everyone has to work. Their village punishes those who do not however the elders see fit. It really is a sound system.

Jack walked into the building and took off his hat. Rubbing his head, he turned back to Quilah. His expression was one of amazement. “This is just… This is shared by everyone?” The entire building was completely full of food. It was kept cool. The meat had obviously been cured so that it wouldn’t spoil.

“We have six buildings like this throughout the city.” When he stepped out, she closed the door. “The one closest to the palace is the biggest, of course. We have three men who are responsible for the inventory.”

“And everyone in the city uses this as a grocery store?” At her confused look, he chuckled. Taking her hand, he placed it on his arm. It was starting to feel like that’s exactly where it should be. He was very much at war with himself over that. “Show me what goes on outside these walls?”

“Of course,” she replied, leading him out of the gate. They turned to the left and took the path. It was crowded. Lots of people were coming and going. There were several roads, actually, that lead from the gate. Jack noticed that no one even went down the road where he and Daniel had come from. “Why doesn’t anyone go that way? It’s a beautiful road.”

“That is a sacred road. It leads to the Gateway God and then to Sa’hua. There is another such road as well. One must have permission from the King to walk that road.”

“What about the Chas-guy we met?”

“He gets his permission from Chasca herself. He may travel any road that is necessary to deliver her word to the people.”

‘Holy shit,’ Jack thought. The man they met wasn’t a messenger; he was a damn priest.

They walked in silence for quite some time. There wasn’t much to see, though the landscape was indicative of them entering a more rural area. Jack wasn’t normally given to long stretches of silence. Unless Daniel or Carter were working, they were talking. Their choices of topic were never of interest to Jack, so he made it a habit to fill the silence before they did. They weren’t around now, and Quilah didn’t seem to feel the need to talk. He liked that. Damn it, he was starting to like her. Maybe alone with his thoughts wasn’t such a good thing. “So… Where are we heading?”

“There is a village not too far from here. It is not a large one, composed mostly of farmers. It’s… well… my favorite. Although, I have not been there in a very long time. Coya are not allowed to leave the walls of the city.”

“So you haven’t been home since you were twelve?”

A slow smile spread across her face. Though it didn’t quite touch her eyes. Colonel O’Neill was very observant. He didn’t miss much at all. “No, Colonel, I have not.” She sighed. “I take that back. A couple of years after I moved to Sa’hua to begin my studies to be coya, my father passed away. King Yupan granted me permission to attend his funeral.”

“That was… nice of him.”

“Colonel, I may not know you well, but these couple days, I believe I have learned something of your character, though your humor still alludes me at times. Was that a joke?”

He laughed. “Nope. That was sarcasm. See, Quilah, it’s all in the tone.”

“But your tone did not change.” He was so delightfully confusing to her.

“Oh, but I did. Listen.” He said the same sentence as before but in a very serious tone. “Okay, remember that. Now, listen again.” This time he repeated it only using what he thought was his sarcastic tone. “Did you hear it?”

It was Quilah’s turn to laugh. “No, Colonel, both sounded exactly the same to me.”

He gave her a look that said she was obviously missing the point. He stopped their progress and turned to face her. “Okay, really listen this time.”

She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward, presenting him with her ear so that she may hear better.

“That was nice of him,” he said, his face unmoving. When he said it the second time, he moved so his face was in front of hers and scrunched it dramatically. “That was nice of him.” He held out his arms beside him and asked, “Did you hear it now?”

She was laughing so hard she could barely talk. “I… did.” Taking a deep breath, she calmed and continued, “I cannot imagine how I missed it the first two times. It was so obvious.”

He took her arm again and continued on the road. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure your powers of observation will improve as you get older.”

“Now *that*…”

“Yes, that was sarcasm.”

“I am already getting better.” They entered the village. The homes were spread out on this side. “These are the homes for the farmers. Actually, you cannot see the crops from here. They’re just over the ridge there. The entire family works in the fields.”

“They raise livestock too?”

“They do. All the families work together. After harvest, they split the crop three ways. One part goes to Ollan’tay; the other part goes to Sa’hua. The third part they keep for themselves. The village itself is run by a group of elders. Any decision that is made is done by them.”

The closer they came to the center of the village, the more people they saw. Some of them were extremely friendly. Jack didn’t understand a word they were saying, though. They also didn’t speak to Quilah at all. It was as if being the ‘wife’ of the King set her apart from everyone else. It didn’t seem right really, and he could see it affected her. She was born here, raised here, yet the people were more friendly and open to him. There weren’t many things he disliked about this place, but what he didn’t like really stood out and bothered him.

They continued through the village. Quilah had done her best not to let the reception bother her. At least she hoped the Colonel had not noticed. “You have to see this, Colonel. I remember being a little girl and playing here on our day of rest. Look.” She pointed to several stone structures, each about two stories high. No windows or doors, just markings.

“Tombs?” he asked.

“Chullpas, yes. The resting place of those who have passed. They’re only for nobility though. On the outside, they look just like the plain stone, but…”

“Let me guess, each noble is buried with an obscene amount of treasure.”

“No,” she said softly. She had always found this place so peaceful and inviting. It was too bad she couldn’t share that with him.

He may not be the smartest man around, but he knew his caustic remark had cut her. “Sorry,” he said. Normally that word was so difficult to say. This time, he wished he could say it and more.

She shook her head. “You owe nothing in the way of apology. The Resting Grounds are not for everyone. I shall show you something else, although we will have to do so on the way back to Ollan’tay. The sun is reaching the top of the sky, and we cannot be late.”

He reached out a hand and stopped her from turning away. Standing in front of her, his face spoke of just how genuine his words were. “I do owe you an apology. This place… it’s important to you. So please, accept my apology. I don’t give them often. Ask Daniel.” When the look on her face turned from one of hurt to a smile, he continued, “So, let’s take a walk around here and you tell me about the ceremony and what I’ll see today.”

They did just that. As they walked, Quilah spoke, “The ceremony is beautiful. The High Priest will once again pay tribute to Chasca. There will be entertainment, and people will feast all day long. I have never been on the Plaza during the celebration.”

He rested his free hand on top of hers as he finally led her back through the village. “Well, you will this time. I’ll be your escort. What can Kingy say? You are my attendant, and I say we’ll eat and whatever until everyone passes out from sheer exhaustion.” Damn, this girl was dangerous territory. He took entirely too much pleasure out of making her smile. One more day… one more day and he’d go home. He’d be on Earth; she’d be here. That was as it should be. “What will happen to Ithil’ya?”

“She will be adorned with beauty and the love of all of Ollan’tay. She will then be sent to live with Chasca.”

“And that doesn’t bother you at all?”

“No. It is an honor to live with Chasca.” She didn’t say anymore after that. Instead, they once again fell into companionable silence as they walked back to the city.

Chapter 14

Daniel and A’matuas were already in their seats when Jack and Quilah joined them. Knowing what he did, Daniel looked at the two of them in a very different light. He’d have to tell Jack what was going on. He knew the look in Quilah’s eyes. He’d seen it before… in Sha’re’s. “Say, Jack, wanna talk for a minute… alone.”

“Sure.” He left Quilah on the bench and walked over to the tree where Daniel was waiting for him. “So, you found something out, I take it. Good ole A’matuas spill the beans.”

“Huh?” Daniel tried to piece everything he’d just said together and make sense out of it. He failed and had to ask, “What do you mean?”

“Earth to Daniel… the ceremony… the offering of the virgin. Oh I went to the church today. What a crock of shit that was.” He gave Daniel a confused look. The man seemed distant, preoccupied. Something was up.

“It was? Goa’uld use it as a cover?”

“When don’t they?” When Daniel only nodded in response, Jack’s patience got the better of him. “Okay, what gives? You’re acting weirder than normal.”

“I just learned a lot today.”

“So share. We have a few minutes before the hoopla starts.”

As Daniel touched on everything that he and A’matuas has seen and discussed today, he decided that now probably wasn’t the best time to tell Jack about Quilah and the fact that she was his should he want her. Daniel did tell him about the library and school though. He didn’t go into detail. He knew Jack wouldn’t care about all of that.

“Sounds like you had fun.” Jack smiled. He did kind of get a kick out of it when Daniel got worked up about things. “But nothing specific about this offering or the ceremony.”

“No, I mean, I think he believes he was being forthcoming about it. Like maybe I should know exactly what this ‘offering’ is. Jack, they still think we’re from this planet.”

“So tell them we’re not. What’s the big deal?”

Daniel adjusted his glasses. “Well, I think that would be bad.”

“Oh please,” Jack rolled his eyes, “let me guess. They’ll think we’re gods, right?”

“Well, no, not gods. Not really. Emissaries for them. We arrived here just before their biggest festival of the year. If we tell them we came through the gate that is guarded and/or protected by one of their gods…”

“Aw hell. So we tell them the truth.”

“And crash their entire belief system. Do you enjoy doing that?”

“Their gods were Goa’uld, Daniel!”

The archaeologist sighed. “I’d just rather not tell them if we don’t have to. Can we try doing that, just this once?”

Jack looked over at Quilah and sighed as well. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? “Fine. We don’t tell, but we don’t lie. Got it. I will not perpetuate their beliefs by lying.”

“I can live with that.”

“Good. Now if this turns out to be a sacrifice… just… well… follow my lead. We’ll have to make the plan up as we go along. I don’t see any other way around it.” He jerked his head toward the seats. “Let’s go sit down. I’m sure this is going to be something you love and something I’m going to want to sleep through. So let’s just get this over with.” He led Daniel back to their seats.

The two men situated themselves between their personal attendants. Jack turned his head to look down at Quilah. Her eyes were bright and she was smiling. In all the years she’d lived here, this was the first time she’d been down here for the ceremony. He could see her reaction so clearly in her eyes.

The first group of people came out to the stage. They were musicians and very elaborately dressed. Daniel didn’t recognize the instruments. They sort of resembled string instruments, like a guitar or mandolin. There were reed instruments as well. Eight musicians in total stood at the front of the stage. At the soft count of the lead musician, they began playing a very upbeat song. As they played, people all over the quad stopped what they were doing and gathered around. Someone started clapping in time with the music and soon everyone was clapping. Daniel couldn’t help but join in though he noticed Jack didn’t. He shook his head and gave his full attention back to the stage.

When they were finished with the song, the crowd applauded loudly. The musicians bowed and then stepped off to the side. This time when they played, a group of dancers joined them on the stage. They performed a flawlessly choreographed dance, but it was their outfits that drew Daniel’s attention. Of all the garments they’d seen, none could match these in flair. There were ten dancers. Each wore a dress whose basic fabric was a different color. They were completely adorned with flowers, both woven into the design and sewn on to give 3D affect. The colors were vibrant oranges and yellows. Actually, all the colors used were vibrant. Daniel literally could not take his eyes off of them. He knew Chasca was a deity of great import, but to dress the dancers in garb that was fit for the primary Coya, surprised him.

Jack looked over and grinned at the expression on his friend’s face. At one time, the majesty of the worlds they discovered had been lost to Daniel. The childlike innocence in how he saw everything had been replaced by the hard edge of reality. For some reason, this world was giving some of that back to Daniel. It wasn’t just the beauty of the dancers either. A part of Jack truly believed that Daniel could live here, even knowing the people worshipped false gods.

He knew Daniel had been struggling with everything both before and after his ascension. This was the first time in a very long time that Jack saw a sparkle in his best friend’s eyes. Leaning over, he whispered, “Like Christmas, huh?”

Daniel nodded enthusiastically. “Just look at them. I swear, not even Coya Yupac has worn anything this elaborate.” As Jack sat back up, Daniel returned to studying their outfits. One of the dancers took up position on their end of the stage. He could see the gold that was interwoven into her clothing. It shimmered and reflected the sunlight. She was joined by another dancer and then another. In perfect timing with the music, the three dancers turned and on the backs of their dresses were three patches of gold fabric. In unison, they moved and the sunlight bounced off the fabric, making large flashes of light. Everyone cheered and applauded, Daniel included.

As the music changed beats, the dancers made their way to the center of the stage where they all donned hats. Again, they were elaborately decorated to match their dresses. They were completely covered in live flowers. Nowhere could Daniel see the straw that the hats were woven from. “Chasca loves flowers,” he observed.

It was A’matuas who responded. “She does. We call her the Lady of Dawn and Twilight, but she is also associated with Spring and Love. Each lady decorates her own hat from flowers out of the garden that you love looking at. It is said that Chasca herself planted that garden. Wearing her flowers is an honor.”

“I can see where it would be,” Daniel responded. When the second dance ended, the crowd cheered, and Daniel found himself on his feet cheering with them. Even Jack, he noticed, enjoyed the dancing.

When the applause died down, Quilah stretched up so she could whisper in Jack’s ear. “I enjoy the dancing, but the singing is my favorite.”

He looked over at her and returned the smile she gave him. “You like singing?”

“I do. Very much. Though they believe my true talent lies in dance. I would rather sing than do just about anything.”

“You are a very good dancer, Quilah, but I wouldn’t mind hearing you sing too.” He gave her a wink before sitting back up.

Daniel had tried to ignore their conversation but couldn’t help but hear. He gave his full attention to what was going on at the stage. He’d have to talk to Jack about Quilah. Sure it all seemed innocent, but Daniel was in the position to know that there was a lot more going on here than what seemed to be.

Back on stage, six women moved into position after the dancers left. Each one stood at a corner and lit one of the vases of incense that Daniel noticed earlier. They remained there while the other two stood in front of the altar. The musicians didn’t accompany them. In fact, the entire stage was now devoid of everyone but the singers. The two at the altar began to sing and the other four joined in. They sang in the language of Quecha, with harmonies that were so tight, it made their song seem ethereal. Daniel could feel the tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Daniel tore his gaze from the stage and found Jack staring in a state of confusion. The beauty was lost to him because he couldn’t understand the words. “It’s a song of blessing,” Daniel whispered in explanation. “They’re singing about the bounty of the offering that will be sent to Chasca. They’re also singing about the blessing that she will bestow on all of Huay’na because of the offering.”

Jack nodded, feeling a little better that he had some kind of understanding. He was used to not knowing the languages of other worlds, and he’d grown dependent on Daniel to know them. Hearing what they were singing about, Jack deduced that it was more how they were singing than what that seemed to touch Daniel. He and A’matuas were near tears, and Quilah was crying. Pulling a hanky out of his vest pocket, Jack offered it to her.

She stared at it curiously.

“It’s for your eyes,” he said softly, so as not to disturb those around him.

“Thank you. We can hear the singers from the balcony, but never to this level. I always thought their songs to be beautiful, but never like this.”

As the song changed, he asked, “So what are they singing now?”

“They are rejoicing over Ithil’ya going to join our goddess. They are singing about the love, peace, and happiness she will gain once she reaches the end of her journey.”

“That’s great,” Jack commented and immediately regretted it. He and Quilah had spent far too much time today talking about his sarcasm for her not to pick up on the tone he was using now. What did surprise him, though, was her response.

“You are not required to believe, Colonel. It is a good thing, however, that Dr. Jackson and I are the only ones who know about this sarcasm that you are so fond of using.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Well, we don’t have any prisons, you remember.”

Once the singing was finished and the applause died down, the heart of the ceremony began. The musicians lined up off stage and began to play. This time, they weren’t playing for entertainment purposes. They were heralding in the arrival of the royal ayllus. The crowd gathered behind the stage parted as the king’s guards cleared the way.

Everyone who was seated stood, and it only took a small prompt from Quilah to get Jack to join them. She gave him a soft smile to indicate that she was glad he was playing along. Truth be known, he was still curious. She’d all but said that those who spoke of their disbelief in Chasca were put to death. The question he had was about the strength of her beliefs. It almost sounded to him like she had doubts. He really wanted to talk to her about all of it and what it all meant.

The first group in the processional walked toward the stage. Unlike dinner, the first group out was not the King and Coya. It was the Panaca. The wife of King Il’ya walked up the stage first. Daniel hadn’t given her much notice before, but this time, he really studied her. More than likely, she was in her fifties. Her hair, he had noticed, but now she was wearing it down. She was wearing a yellow dress. On the front was a symbol that was woven into the material.

“The symbol of King Il’ya?” Daniel asked A’matuas. His voice barely raised above a whisper. The only response he received was a nod of affirmation.

She walked up the steps and stood at the front of the stage. The headpiece she wore was a ring of flowers. It rested on her hair and throughout her gray and black locks; flowers were nestled securely. He had no doubt that these too were taken from the Garden of Serenity.

As she waited, two men followed her up on the stage. Each was escorting a woman. They were also dressed in yellow with the symbol of King Il’ya on their tunics. The women wore headpieces similar to their mother-in-law’s while the men wore hats. They were not adorned with flowers, but there were strands of silver mixed in with the yellow of their hats.

Once the four joined her, the former Coya walked down the steps and toward the benches where Daniel and Jack were sitting. There were four benches; each one could hold about six people. The Panaca took the bench next to the honored guests, though none of them sat down.

The next group to approach the stage was a group of six. Two men walked up to the stage. They were both escorted by a woman. Daniel remembered A’matuas telling him that the King had invited two brothers and one sister to have the seats of honor at the ceremony. One of the brothers was at every occasion. The rest were rotated. One of these men was the favored brother. The other two were the siblings who were participating in this ceremony.

They were dressed in purple with the King’s symbol inlaid in gold on the chests of their garments. Daniel was rather surprised that the clothing of the processional wasn’t really all that elaborate. Given how the dancers were dressed, he expected more out of the clothing of the royal ayllus. Perhaps this mode of dress was out of respect for the import of the ceremony itself. It made sense when he thought about it that way. The celebration was the important thing, not the guests who attended it. He had a feeling only the priests would be ornately dressed.

They stood at the front of the stage and were joined by two women and one man. The spouses. They linked arms with their significant others and walked off the stage. They made their way to the benches and took their seats behind Daniel and Jack. It took the archaeologist a moment but he recognized the man whom he talked to at dinner last night as the brother of the king.

The next group to come out was much younger than the others. Quilah leaned over and when Jack bent down to her, she whispered, “King Yupan’s six oldest children.”

He was tempted to ask just how many the King had but thought twice about it. Now probably wasn’t the best time. Instead, he gave her a warm smile and stood back up. He was trying desperately not to fall asleep and was really feeling the need to distract himself from all the hoopla. It was so damn boring.

Daniel looked over and gave his friend a smile in understanding. Actually, Jack was doing better than he thought he would.

The children were dressed in a lighter purple, almost lavender. There were four boys and two girls. Each girl was escorted by two of her brothers. The youngest, a boy, looked to be about twelve years old. They stood at the front of the stage, only this time no one joined them. The children walked off the stage and took the bench behind the Panaca.

Once all of the honored guests were seated, the music changed again. As everyone was still standing, all the crowd could do was give their full attention to the stage. King Yupan and Coya Yupac walked up on the stage. They were both dressed in white with the merged symbol of Yupan and Chasca on their garments. Their headpieces were far more elaborate than the others though.

Jack glanced over at Quilah, curious as to how she would look upon her ‘husband’. He wasn’t amazed by what he saw. There was no love or affection in her eyes for him. Jack believed there wasn’t even a glimmer of knowledge about the pleasures Yupan could give her. She looked at King Yupan like she looked at almost every man. Every man that was, except… He shook his head and looked back at the stage, trying to get his mind back on wondering when he could sit down again.

The King and Coya did not move to the front of the stage. They didn’t go to their seats either. They merely stood off to the side of the stage and waited.

The High Priest and his following of lesser priests soon joined them. They were dressed in the same outfits that they wore to dinner last night. Daniel had been right, though. The priests were the most elaborately dressed out of everyone. It was as if everyone else dressed to honor Chasca, and the priests tried to impress her. He found himself rather annoyed at them for that.

Jack was feeling all together different about things than Daniel was. The priests told everyone to be seated, and Jack was damn relieved. It was so hard to keep mental distractions going while he was standing. As a matter of fact, standing really sucked.

After everyone was seated, the priests moved off to the side and King Yupan finally stood at the front of the stage. “Today,” the King began, “we come here to celebrate our beloved Chasca. No goddess is more fair or beautiful. We have come here to give her an offering. We give all unto her today. We celebrate the joy of Ithil’ya as she will begin her journey to live in the White World with Chasca.”

Jack looked over at Daniel and raised a brow. ‘White World,’ he mouthed. He really didn’t like any of this.

“I would like to tell my loyal subjects about Ithil’ya. She was born with the mark of Chasca and delivered to us by her parents. Since the age of five, she has lived at the school. She has trained in the arts. She has excelled at music and writing. Her paintings now adorn the corridors of the palace. She has dedicated her life to this very moment. I have spoken to her on many occasions. She is excited for this moment to be here and is ready to live with her goddess.”

Jack sighed heavily and fidgeted in his seat. This was worse than sitting through a politician’s speech. The difference was he had a vague understanding of what the politicians were talking about. This… well he had no idea in hell what any of this meant. Educate the girl so they could kill her? Immortalize her in writings and paintings so they could look at them and remember her sacrifice. None of this made any damn sense at all.

He did have some comfort in seeing that Daniel was just as confused as he was. The only difference was that Daniel, more than likely, would be able to eventually make some sense out of all this. When he did, they were going to have a nice, long talk. He tried to give his attention back to King Yupan. He really did, but he was starting to get hungry… or sleepy… He wasn’t sure which one it was. All he knew was it was the one distraction he didn’t want.

“I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to join us in these festivities. We have prepared a feast. We will have singing and dancing in the streets of Ollan’tay for the day in honor of the time it will take Ithil’ya to arrive at her destination.”

Daniel admitted that he was a little surprised at the King’s speech. He had a vague comprehension of everything that was going on here. Somehow, he assumed the King would speak more of Chasca. Perhaps that would be left to the priest. The King could very well be speaking of Ithil’ya because she was his gift to the goddess. This girl was going to curry Chasca’s favor for an entire year. Next year, there would be another girl and the cycle would start again.

What he couldn’t figure out was why. The more this went on, the more certain he was that Jack would believe it to be a sacrifice. Not a quick one either. It just didn’t make any sense. These people were kind, warm, inviting and open. How could they engage in an act that was so cruel? He looked around and his mind flashed on something… ‘The Lottery’.

Of course, he was stretching it here, but sometimes fiction had a base in fact. ‘The Lottery’ was about a town that bought a year’s worth of prosperity by stoning one of its citizens in a public square. He really didn’t want to believe anything like that would happen here. It was just too weird to be occurring here. Not with these people. No matter the parallels now, it just wasn’t possible.

When the King finished speaking, he stepped off to the side and the priest took his place. “I stand here before the residence of the great city of Ollan’tay in the name of our most beloved Chasca. I accept the offering from King Yupan and Coya Yupac in honor of she who is most fair and beautiful.” He looked over at the King and continued, “You may now present us with your offering.’

King Yupan moved back to the front of the stage and announced, “Let the Bringers come forth with the offering.”

Jack looked over at the long line of men who were wearing ceremonial robes. This was going to take forever. Why couldn’t people just get to the point of things? That would make too much sense. They had to drag it out and make it as long and boring as possible. He did get some satisfaction out of seeing members of the crowd who looked as bored as he felt.

When the first container was placed on the stage, the Priest walked over to it and stood silently while another priest walked around it carrying incense.

Jack looked over at Quilah. Since others were murmuring around them, he felt okay with asking, “What are they doing?”

The Priest opened the container and lifted out a hand full of corn. “He’s blessing the corn. They will be taking fifty containers of supplies to Chasca. The first ten will hold the corn.”

“Are they going to do this with every container?”

“No. This blessing is simply for corn. There will be a separate ritual for each kind of food and drink.” She had to smile when he sighed. “This does not interest you.”

“In a word, ‘No’. But Daniel here…”

“What?” Daniel inquired, having to tear his eyes away from the ceremony. Jack would choose now to want a conversation. No doubt his attention span was long since spent.

Jack looked at Quilah and smiled. “See what I mean? He lives for this stuff.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay, Colonel. I prefer the entertainment myself.” She dutifully gave her attention back to the stage.

The processes of blessing the containers continued for the other food types. Containers of corn, beans, potatoes, and squash were blessed. Jack found himself wondering if the food they were sending to Chasca came from the third that was sent to Ollan’tay or the third that the people kept for themselves. Some people would call him cynical when it came to alien governments, but what did the majority of people who lived in Ollan’tay really do? Maybe part of the reason why the people of Quilah’s village were so cold toward her when they visited was because they were thinking exactly what he was. It was nothing against her. She had been fortunate enough to find herself in a better situation in a world where upward mobility was almost nil. But it was the people of her village that worked for the food that was sent as an offering, yet none of them were here for the celebration. The King and Coya were the ones who received thanks for the food, not the people who grew and harvested it. One of these days, whoever was king was going to have to deal with some very unhappy people.

When the last set of containers was brought up to the stage, the King announced, “Finally we send to Chasca our finest in fermented drink. Made by the best brewers within the realm.” The King stepped aside and let the Priest accept the offering.

“Yuck,” Jack said, “How could anyone accept brewed spit as an offering.”

Daniel’s eyes opened wide. If he had to guess, Jack had no idea that he said that as loudly as he did. “Jack,” Daniel whispered, “you realize people heard you?”

He looked around and gave everyone a look of apology.

Quilah leaned over and asked, “Colonel, why would you believe that the brewers would deliberately contaminate the offering by spitting in it?”

Jack turned his glare toward his friend who was doing a damn good job of feigning innocence. To Quilah, he explained, “I had it from a normally very reliable source that spit was used to soften the corn.”

She covered her mouth in an attempt not to laugh. Poor Colonel O’Neill. He should be a little more self-sufficient in these areas. “Colonel,” she explained, “it was made that way, yes. But for the last fifty years, we have a refinery that processes the corn. The old ways are simply no longer necessary.”

Jack gave her a smile, but leaned over to Daniel. “We are so going to have a talk about this later.”

“Jack,” Daniel defended, “I told you how the Incas made it. How could I know how they made it here? I’m just as new here as you are.”

“Still… nice, long talk.”

Daniel looked down and put his hand over his mouth, trying not to chuckle. It had been a lot of fun while it lasted.

“It’s not funny,” Jack said, trying to sound stern. “Not funny at all.”

“Yes it is.”

“No…” He was about to continue when a small hand came to rest on his arm.

“Colonel,” Quilah asked, “do you two argue often?”

“It’s a thing, but yeah we do.”

“They are about to offer Ithil’ya. Since you have questioned so much about it, I figured you may wish to see this.”

For the first time since the offerings began, Jack gave the stage his full attention. The processional leading up to the stage this time was enough to even shock Jack. Six of the largest men that Jack had seen in the city were heading for the stage. They were bare-chested, wearing only white leggings and sandals. Each carried a weapon. As they approached the center of the stage, they stopped behind the altar and the first two guards walked around to stand at the front of the stage. King Yupan walked into the middle of the remaining guards and came out escorting a very beautiful young girl. Jack immediately tensed. Six well-armed guards. How in the hell could he save this girl? For the first time since they arrived in Ollan’tay, he wished he’d had Carter and Teal’c stay.

Daniel watched in awe as King Yupan cleansed the girl’s forehead. It was Coya Yupac who brought him the ink and pen. With a steady hand, he drew upon her forehead the mark of Chasca. That was when Daniel and Jack shared a look. It was painfully reminiscent of a Jaffa marking. True, neither one knew the ritual of marking, but still… She now wore a mark upon her forehead.

“You have been given the mark of Chasca, and I now bestow upon you the name of Ithil’ya.”

At the King’s words, Daniel whispered to Jack, “It’s a part of the official naming ceremony.”

“Ithil’ya, I ask you in front of all of these witnesses, are you prepared to go live with our beloved Chasca?”

“I am.”

Daniel tensed as she was led to the altar and she willingly lay down upon it. Her dress was all white. A soft, flowing material that blew in the breeze. She was almost ethereal. When Jack sat forward, Daniel put out a hand to stop him. He wasn’t sure why, but he believed everything was going to work out.

The Priest approached and knelt down beside the girl. Using the same water the King used to cleanse her forehead, the Priest dipped in a finger and marked each of her cheeks. “I bless you in the name of Chasca.” He stood and walked to the front of the stage. The other priests gathered around the girl. Two appeared to give silent prayer while another covered her in a see-through white cloth. Finally flower petals were spread over the material. When they backed away, the Priest continued, “May no man or woman look upon her face until she is presented to our beloved goddess. Ithil’ya, blessed virgin, I now send you to Chasca.”

A large litter, held up by eight men, was carried onto the stage. It was an open litter, and the girl was expertly lifted onto it. The cover over her remained intact as they did so. Sitting on the chair, hundreds of flowers were placed around her by young women. More than likely, one of them would be a blessed virgin herself one day.

The eight men picked up the litter, and the crowd cheered for the first time since the singers performed. With full fanfare, she was carried off the stage and toward the gates of Ollan’tay. Following them were the men who carried the containers full of food. The guards surrounded the litter. The High Priest walked in front of the entire group and the lesser priests followed at the very end.

Everyone stood as the group left the Plaza. Jack and Daniel shared a look of intense confusion. “Is it over?” Jack asked, watching as everyone started drifting off. No one actually left. It was just as if the constant standing had finally gotten to all of them. It wasn’t like Jack could blame any of them. He’d been able to sit for the past two hours and it had still seemed to drag on for days on end. He was so ready to go home. He was ready for some good entertainment. The Simpson’s, hockey, anything would be better than these long, monotonous ceremonies. He even contemplated taking Teal’c up on a standing offer to watch wrestling. So long as he didn’t have to endure one more painfully long monologue, he’d be happy.

“Yeah. I think the ceremony is over. But Jack…” Daniel really didn’t know how to put his question into words. Although he appreciated the symbolism, he didn’t understand what was going to happen to Ithil’ya. “Where did the girl go?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? You’re the expert here.” Jack was just about to ask Quilah what the hell was going on when the music blared again. “Oh what now?”

Daniel chuckled. “I think the royal ayllus is leaving.”

“They are,” A’matuas confirmed. “They will continue their celebration in the palace.”

The Panaca, who had been the first group to sit, were also the first group to leave. They took the exact route out that they took coming in. King Yupan’s siblings and finally his children followed them out. The only honored guests left in the seating area were the members of SG-1 and their attendants.

“Okay, now what?”

As if to answer that question, the King took the stage again. “This day has been a truly blessed one. I ask that all of you stay and rejoice. Sing, dance, and feast. In Chasca’s name, I invite you all to share in the joys that the offerings have secured for the coming year.” With that, he took Coya Yupac by the arm and led her off the stage.

“Oh good. We get to party now?”

Quilah laughed. “You most certainly may party, Colonel. We can either go back to the palace or stay here.”

“Well.” He let his gaze fall to the crowd. Everyone was milling around, though now they appeared to be doing so happily. The musicians were playing, and people were starting to dance. “What do you want to do?”

Quilah blushed. “It is not a matter of what I wish, Colonel O’Neill. You are…”

He interrupted her. “Quilah, I don’t care if I’m an honored guest or not. I’m asking what you want to do.” This could very well be her only chance to do something she wanted to do. All she had to do was say so.

“I want to stay,” she said softly.

“Then we stay. Good for you guys?” he asked Daniel and A’matuas though the question was really rhetorical. They could do whatever they wanted.

Daniel simply stared at his friend for a long moment. How would Jack react when Daniel told him Quilah was his? For the first time in a long time, Daniel wasn’t sure how his friend would react. Jack cared about Quilah. It was all so obvious, but his response to the fact that King Yupan was going to give her to him… Daniel couldn’t guess.

“The party will last all day and well into the night,” Quilah explained, “of course we will have to go back to the palace to prepare for dinner…”

“Do I have to put the dress back on?”

“Yes, Jack. And it’s not a dress,” Daniel responded before either of the attendants could.

“I know,” came the Colonel’s response as he drew out the last word.

“You’d never be able to tell it,” Daniel responded with a smirk.

“What was that?” Jack asked, in response to Daniel’s sarcastic comment.

Daniel ignored the question, instead posing his own to A’matuas. “Where did they take Ithil’ya?”

Jack had been about to take Quilah to get a drink when Daniel asked the question. His need to hear the answer overrode his need for alcohol, even though he knew they no longer spit in it.

“She went to be with Chasca,” A’matuas answered.

Jack had just about had enough of hearing that answer. “Aw for cryin’ out loud, A’matuas! Where exactly in hell did the girl go? If that’s too hard to answer then just tell us where this beloved Chasca is exactly.”

“Jack…”

“Colonel O’Neill…”

“What?!” he asked before noticing that everyone was looking at him. By now, he really didn’t care but he lowered his voice anyway. “Just tell us where she is.”

It was all A’matuas could do to keep the contempt out of his voice. These two men were so completely different. Night and day actually. How Dr. Jackson could be a friend with someone like this was beyond even his ability to grasp. “Ithil’ya is going to live in the holy city of Sa’hua. There she will live out the rest of her life with Chasca.”

Quilah agreed. “The offerings all go to the White City of the Goddess. That is where I was educated. I have seen Chasca, and she is indeed very beautiful.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jack asked, “Chasca lives in Sa’hua?”

“She does,” was Quilah’s response.

“Sam and Teal’c said they were on the road to Sa’hua before they had to go back, Jack.”

“Yeah. Funny twist of irony, isn’t it?”

“Who are Sam and Teal’c?” Quilah questioned.

“Companions of ours. They travel with us. We found all the different paths at the Gateway. They took one… we took the other. Our path led us here, and theirs was taking them to Sa’hua,” Daniel explained.

“You came from the Gateway then?” A’matuas queried.

The members of SG-1 shared a look, but it was Jack who spoke. “Yep. But we aren’t gods or anything.”

Quilah shook her head and took the Colonel’s arm. “Of course you aren’t. Now, if we are truly doing as I wish, I would love to find some liquid refreshment.”

“Chicha?” Jack queried.

“That would be nice.”

“Sweet. They don’t spit in it, then I’ll drink it.” As they started to walk away, Jack gave Daniel one last glaring look. It was Quilah’s laughter they heard.

When they were far enough away to be out of earshot, A’matuas stood beside Dr. Jackson. Maybe the man was genuine in seeing them as equals. The scholar was about to test it. “You have not informed your friend about the gift, have you?”

Daniel heaved a big sigh. “I haven’t had the chance. You know she’s in love with him, and he doesn’t have a clue.”

“Oh my friend, I believe he has a clue.”

Daniel appeared relatively dumbfounded for a moment. It wasn’t only what A’matuas said that caused it either. It was almost as if Jack’s last attack had caused something in the teacher to change and he was now seeing Daniel as an equal. “You think?”

“I do. He is at odds with himself.”

Daniel sighed again. “I’ve known him for years, and I… I guess I didn’t want to see it.”

A’matuas smiled. “Now that I believe.”

“Let me ask you something.” The pair had started to walk in the direction that the other two had gone, but they were no longer visible. The crowd was large and active. When A’matuas nodded, Daniel continued, “How long is the journey to Sa’hua from here?”

“Less than one day’s walk if you take the sacred path.”

“Ithil’ya will arrive today then?”

“I do not believe she will. Her caravan is loaded with offerings, and the men will have to stop for rest. The Gateway is the halfway point, so they will stay there for the night. Her litter has sides that can be raised and her guards are the best of all who protect King Yupan.”

“What if we wanted to see Chasca?”

“The road to Sa’hua during the days of celebration is sacred. None may travel it without permission from the King.”

“Because of Ithil’ya?”

A’matuas nodded in response.

“Maybe Jack should ask him. I’m curious to see this city… to have an audience with Chasca if we could.” He wasn’t sure how Jack would react to having to receive permission to go to Sa’hua. More than likely, Daniel would have to argue that they needed to follow the customs of the Huay’nani. They argued about such things often.

“Knowing that you arrived here from the Gateway and that you each chose a sacred path on your own, King Yupan may be persuaded to grant you permission to go. It appears half of your group would have gone there anyway.”

“True,” Daniel agreed. “Of course, we have to persuade Jack to ask first. He doesn’t always like the customs we find on our travels.”

“I believe there are few things that your friend does like or respect.”

“He just takes some getting used to, A’matuas. He really is a good man.”

The scholar neither agreed nor disagreed, as he didn’t particularly want to get to know Colonel O’Neill.

Forgotten Civilization Ch. 15
by Christina A.

The Gateway opened just as Chasqui was preparing to make his turn on the path to Ollan’tay. He was carrying a vital message from Chasca to King Yupan, but he had to stop. In all his years of performing his sacred duty, he’d never seen the Gateway open.

He was even more flabbergasted when he saw the man and woman emerge from the pool. The woman had hair of dawn and the man… the man bore a holy mark, though it was none he had ever seen before.

Sam had reached for her radio to let the Colonel and Daniel know they were here when she saw the man staring at them. “Excuse me,” she called out, walking quickly down the steps with Teal’c close behind her. “Excuse me, sir,” she repeated, “but I need to find some friends of ours.”

Chasqui stood, mouth agape. She spoke the language of the privileged.

“I do believe he is under the assumption that we are gods,” Teal’c observed.

“Oh that’s great. I’ll just have to radio the Colonel then.”

Chasqui didn’t know too many words in their language. The few she spoke that he knew, he repeated to her. “Friends… Colonel…”

“Yes,” she said, moving her hand from the radio again. “Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson are our friends. Do you know where they are?”

“Ollan’tay?” Teal’c inquired.

Chasqui nodded vigorously. King Yupan would be so pleased if he presented him with two more guests. “Ollan’tay,” he repeated back. He pointed to the path and then motioned for them to follow him. “Colonel… Ollan’tay.”

“Oh good,” she said to Teal’c as they set out to follow the man. “Now to let them know that we’re here.” As she reached for her radio, this time it was Teal’c’s had that stopped her.

“Observe, Major Carter. It appears that a large group is approaching us.”

She looked on. They were well down the path, but she could just make them out. “Pardon me,” she asked their escort. When he turned to face her, she pointed toward the group approaching them.

Chasqui’s brows furrowed in confusion. Shouldn’t she know? If she walked among the gods, how could she not know? He had to think very hard to try to remember the right words. “Ithil’ya,” he gave them the girl’s name. “Virgin.” He had heard that one used often in combination with the girl’s name. He’d head another one as well. “Offering.”

Sam and Teal’c shared a look. “Teal’c,” she questioned, “Master Bra’tac told you that Chasca was Goa’uld, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Do you think they could be taking this girl to sacrifice her to Chasca?”

“Master Bra’tac informed me that if the Goa’uld were still here, she would have conformed to this civilization’s beliefs and put herself up as their goddess.”

“I remember reading that the Incans practiced ritual sacrifices.”

Teal’c’s eyes were now watching intently as the group approached. “She is under guard, but there are only six of them.”

Sam reached out and touched their escort’s shoulder. When he nearly jumped out of his skin, she jumped too. “Sorry,” she said, “I just have a question. Is Ithil’ya an offering to Chasca?”

Understanding ‘Ithil’ya’, ‘offering’, and ‘Chasca’, Chasqui deduced what he believed her to be asking and nodded. He smiled widely and said another word he knew. “Forever.” Ithil’ya was being blessed and given to Chasca as an offering. She would get to live in the palace of the goddess forever.

“Damn,” Sam turned to Teal’c. “I should radio Colonel O’Neill and let him know what is going on.”

“Major Carter, there is no time… If we are to act, we must do so now.”

It was against her better judgment, but she followed Teal’c’s lead. Surprise was the best weapon they had. “Let’s do it then.”

In Sam’s mind, the plan was simple. They would surprise the guards and with their superior weaponry, they would overpower them and save the girl. After all, she had Teal’c with her, and there were only six of them. Teal’c sensed no one watching them and the other men were not armed, so she raised her gun. She was confident as to their success. They didn’t even take the priests for granted.

As she assumed, their surprise was a success and the men carrying the litter put it down. She and Teal’c kept their eyes on the large processional as Sam motioned toward the girl. “Come on, Ithil’ya. We’re here to help you.”

When the girl didn’t move, Sam stepped a bit closer. She knew Teal’c would cover her. “Ithil’ya. Come with us. We’re trying to save you.”

The girl stood, though the cover stayed on her face.

“Ithil’ya,” the High Priest exclaimed, “you must not go!”

Ignoring the words of her minister, she stepped off the litter and walked toward her ‘saviors’.

“Good,” Sam said, reaching out a free hand to guide her. Sam turned quickly to Teal’c to tell him to radio Colonel O’Neill when she felt the sting of a slap on her cheek. Before she could react, she felt another. Then the girl was on top of her. Sam attempted to wrestle her away, but couldn’t. There was more scuffling going on around her too, but she had no idea what was happening.

It wasn’t until a booming voice cried, “Enough,” that Ithil’ya relented in her attack.

Sam felt herself grabbed by two guards. Her vest and weapon were quickly removed. To say she was confused was an understatement. Was Ithil’ya so far gone that she wanted to be killed?

“You will explain your actions,” the High Priest demanded as he looked upon the two in disgust.

“Where we come from,” Sam hissed in anger, “life is too precious to simply be thrown away to some god as a sacrifice.”

The priest looked at her. “Sacrifice?” he repeated the word as a question. “Why ever would you believe we would kill the offering to Chasca? Ithil’ya is going to be taken to live in Sa’hua with our most beloved goddess. There she will dwell in the White Palace for the rest of her life.”

Realization dawned on Sam and Teal’c, but it was too late to take back what they had done.

“You see, we value life too. All life. That is why, instead of ending yours, you will be taken to Ollan’tay to answer to King Yupan.” He pointed to the messenger and in Quecha, he ordered him to go with them and make sure he told the King what occurred. Then to two of the guards, he commanded that they take the prisoners back to Ollan’tay. One of the men was taken from where he’d been carrying a container of corn and given the vests and weapons. None of them were pleased to be pulled from their sacred duty.

Sam and Teal’c walked ahead as the processional regrouped for their journey.

“Well that could have gone better.”

“Indeed. However, Major Carter, it could have been worse.”

She had to agree. “Colonel O’Neill is not going to be happy.”

“No, he is not.”

She said a quick prayer hoping that he would judge their intentions. Although the road to hell…

Forgotten Civilization, Ch. 16
by Christina A.

Dinner had been long and boring, just like the night before. Only this time, Jack felt a little more compliant as he’d consumed a lot of beer during the festival. He also drank quite a bit of wine with dinner. He was feeling so good that he didn’t even mind the hideous green dress he was wearing.

They’d been given seats right next to the King and Coya. Seems they’d moved up in the world as far as importance was concerned. Jack was rather proud of that fact.

“So, Colonel O’Neill, the faithful A’matuas tells me that you and Dr. Jackson wish to take the sacred road to Sa’hua to see our beloved Chasca. He also informs me that the only way to reach your distant land is through the Gateway.”

As the King spoke, Daniel realized that A’matuas must have had an audience with the King while he was bathing for dinner. He wasn’t caught off guard by that knowledge. Jack had said he thought the attendants were a good way to keep an eye on them. Looked like the Colonel was right again.

“We aren’t gods,” Jack felt the need to say in order to avoid any misunderstandings. It was an immediate response anymore. Too many times they’d been thought of as gods.

This statement caused King Yupan to laugh. “Oh, Colonel, you do have a great sense of humor. Never would I believe you to be gods.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“Your hair shows signs of aging, and Dr. Jackson’s eyes are flawed. Gods are perfect, and though I do enjoy your presence, you are not perfect.”

Jack wasn’t sure whether or not to be insulted by that response. The King was smiling so there was no doubt that he meant it all in good humor. Going with the flow, Jack said, “Oh good. ‘Cause we’ve had that happen before.”

Coya Yupac spoke up. “How many lands do you visit through the Gateway?”

“There’s the potential for thousands,” Daniel informed her. “We’ve only seen a very small portion of them.”

“There is a legend,” King Yupan continued, “that says the honored guests used to travel through the Gateway regularly. Sadly, it has been dormant for centuries. I feel blessed that it opened in time for you to join us for the celebration.”

Jack took his comment as a good sign. It was good enough that he pressed, “So there won’t be a problem if we walk to Sa’hua tomorrow and visit Chasca?”

The King looked at him thoughtfully, gauging him. He knew A’matuas did not like this man. He’d heard of his outbursts, but he believed in understanding where new friends were concerned. It had its limits, but he was willing to let a few indiscretions slide. Neither the Colonel nor Dr. Jackson had shown any disrespect for them or Chasca. If Colonel O’Neill wanted to vent a little frustration to his friend or raise his voice to A’matuas, then that was his right. They did come through the Gateway. They traveled the heavenly path. He could grant them passage. With a grin, he said, “I foresee no reason why you should not be granted passage on the sacred road. I cannot guarantee that our beloved Chasca will assent to give you audience, but I will permit you to travel to Sa’hua tomorrow morn after we break our fast.”

“Oh good,” Jack was about to say more when the King lifted a finger to stop him.

“A’matuas and Quilah will join you on the journey. They have been superior attendants thus far, and I will have your passage to the Holy City be accompanied by them.”

Jack waited a beat to see if the King was finished with his proclamations and mandates before he spoke again. When the way seemed clear, he said, “Thank you. I was wondering if I could head to the Gateway tonight. I have to contact my people and let them know we’re okay.”

The King nodded. “Of course. I will have a messenger take you down one of the non-sacred paths. The distance is much shorter and you should make it back well before morn.”

Jack and Daniel shared a confused glance. They had just spent the better part of an hour getting permission to take a sacred path when there were ones that they didn’t have to get permission to take. “Do you mean,” Daniel asked, “that there are other paths to take to Sa’hua that aren’t sacred?”

The King smiled again. “Oh no, Dr. Jackson. There is only one route between Ollan’tay and Sa’hua. Two roads will lead you to the Gateway, but only one will lead you from the Gateway to Sa’hua.”

“And the only way to get from Ollan’tay to Sa’hua is to walk to the Gateway first?” This question came from Jack.

“Exactly, Colonel.”

Both men nodded in understanding. It made sense that a technologically inferior civilization would have a limited means of transportation. It wasn’t too far of a stretch to realize that they would have to walk to one town in order to get to another.

Jack took the moment of silence to ask another question. Better to get it out of the way now. “King Yupan, two more members of my group are due to arrive soon.” The time differences were a little confusing. His watch indicated that it was early afternoon on Earth, yet here they were only a few hours from sundown.

“More visitors. We are doubly blessed.”

It was on the tip of Jack’s tongue to just say ‘Yeah’, but he held it in check and instead he said, “We can’t wait for them to get here either. You think there will be a problem if they go with us tomorrow?”

The King didn’t even miss a beat in his response. “A’matuas tells me that they were on the path to Sa’hua yesterday. Were they not?”

“That’s where they were going.”

“It cannot be a mistake that two of you came here while the other two were going to Sa’hua. They are your friends. They will be our honored guests. It will be no problem for them to join you on your journey to the Holy City.”

Jack couldn’t help but think that was one damn long-winded way to say ‘yes’. But he didn’t get a chance to reply as the King summoned a messenger and told him to escort the Colonel on the non-sacred path to the Gateway. Jack was eager to get up and move around. He wanted to find out where Carter and Teal’c were and make his report to the General.

*-*-*

Once Jack left, Daniel was afforded the occasion to talk to the King. He knew he could ask A’matuas everything he was about to ask King Yupan, but he hadn’t had much of a chance to talk with the ruler of Huay’na. This would probably be the only opportunity he would have. “King Yupan, if I may?”

“Of course.” The King hadn’t been too fond of the scholar at first, but he could tell the man served a valuable purpose. He offset the Colonel in so many ways. They were a perfect tandem. “You may ask whatever you like.”

“I noticed your library was full of scrolls about your planet and how it was formed.”

“Did you get to read any of them?”

“Sadly, no. But I would love to hear about it anyway. If you don’t mind telling me.”

“Not at all. Vira created Huay’na. He put the people upon this planet to worship and entertain him. He stayed here for many centuries. When he left, he promised to return one day. But before he left, he named the planet Huay’na and called her people Huay’nani.”

“Is this the only inhabited land on Huay’na or are there other people?”

“Some time ago, there was a group of people who became discontent with life here. They wanted the challenge of starting their own civilization. They left, but the king soon became worried about them, so he sent some of his best guards out to look for them. They were unsuccessful. It was as if the people simply disappeared. The guards looked for years and found nothing. If they survived, we have not seen anything of them.”

“Did you think we were descendents of these people?” Daniel queried. If they knew of no other inhabitants, then where did he think they originated?

“In truth, I had hoped that you were from this land. Even though your appearance is so very different from ours that I simply was not sure. Knowing now that you use the Gateway, it makes sense to me.”

“You mentioned that Vira once resided here.” Daniel was doing his absolute best to keep as many mental notes as possible. “Chasca chose to stay, but what about the others?”

“They left with Vira. All save Chasca and In’ti. They ruled together for centuries. When In’ti left to be with Vira, Chasca stayed behind. The people turned to her for love and guidance. Where others gods could be construed as cruel, she has always been loving and kind.”

“But she doesn’t rule?”

“Only in the religious sense. Her support legitimizes my reign. Without her blessing, they could easily revolt against the established rulers. But none will question Chasca. Besides,” his expression turned wistful, “she is as timeless as this world, as beautiful as any thousand women combine, but she is not one to anger.” When he said the last, his expression changed, as did Coya Yupac’s.

The looks piqued Daniel’s curiosity. He had a vague idea why they did it though. “How do you mean?”

“I remember once when I was very young, she became enraged over something. What… I can’t remember. Her eyes, they glowed. It was absolutely terrifying to see a face as divine as hers with glowing red eyes. I hope to never see it again.”

Daniel simply nodded. They had already deduced that Chasca was Goa’uld. The King’s story was simply another link in the chain. The more he heard about this Chasca, though, the more confused he became. According to everything he heard, she lived in harmony with the Huay’nani. She didn’t rule them. King Yupan did that. They gave her offerings, but no one seemed to suffer. It was a peaceful coexistence like none he’d ever seen. His experiences with the Goa’uld were nothing like this. He briefly entertained the thought that she could be Tok’ra. Anything was possible. He’d really have to talk to Jack when he returned from contacting the General.

The dinner segued into the entertainment portion of the evening. Tonight, instead of dancing, there was a play. Daniel only half-followed along. His mind was going through all the information he had. In their travels, they had never come across a Goa’uld named Vira. He hadn’t even heard of In’ti.

When Sam arrived, he would have to ask her if Jolinar had any memories of a Tok’ra calling herself Chasca. For some reason, he really doubted that Vira or In’ti were Tok’ra. From the sounds of things, Vira established Huay’na and used up all the resources he found necessary and then left. Though Daniel had to admit that he was curious as to why In’ti and Chasca would stay. He knew the answers were in Sa’hua. He just hoped that once they arrived, she’d talk to them.

Of course, he also had to hope that Jack didn’t try to kill her outright. Although, he really had to give Jack more credit than that. He hadn’t attacked the people over Ithil’ya. He watched and waited, extending a little faith in the goodness of the Huay’nani. He wouldn’t simply try to kill Chasca. If she were the religious and spiritual leader, then on some level wasn’t she responsible for how he and Jack were being treated? These people were kind and giving. Behavior such as this was learned from previous generations. It had to start somewhere.

Daniel had to wonder if it all began with Chasca. If it did, how could she be evil? How could she be put in the same classification as the other Goa’uld? True, she set herself up as their goddess when she obviously wasn’t. It was such a gray area. The line here was so undefined that he had no idea what to think. The one thing he did know was that he and Jack would be at odds over it. But that was nothing new.

Regardless, the two of them were going to have to talk before they went to Sa’hua. Talk… discuss… no doubt they’d argue too.

He pulled out of his thoughts long enough to catch the end of the play. From what he could gather, it was about King Yupan and his rise to be king. Daniel found himself wishing that he’d paid closer attention.

The King was more than pleased with the performance. Given that the day was supposed to be about Chasca, he had initially denied them the right to perform this play. However, his favorite wife, La’lani, had asked in such a way that he could not deny. He turned in his chair and saw that Coya Yupac was not pleased. Of course, more than likely, she was not happy because La’lani was her sister and had gotten her way. Deliberately ignoring the Coya, he gave his attention to Daniel. “Did you enjoy the entertainment? It was written by our finest playwright.”

“I did,” Daniel agreed, though he had honestly missed a lot of it. “It was a very well-acted play as well.”

The King smiled. “I allow my coya to continue to express themselves through writing, dancing, and singing. Some are very active artists. La’lani portrayed Coya Yupac in this play.”

“La’lani?”

“My first secondary coya. After my marriage to Yupac, La’lani was the first coya I took. She has given me the most children as well.”

The way the King was speaking, Daniel had a good idea that King Yupan took La’lani because he loved her. It was very obvious that he did not love Yupac. Maybe that’s why they had polygamy here. It was never an excuse, but he supposed it made sense on some level.

Any further questions Daniel had were stopped when Chasqui entered the Dining Hall and approached the King. He looked nervous. Daniel noticed that the normally somber man appeared highly agitated. Something was bothering him for sure. Shortly after he entered, two guards followed him in. Daniel’s mouth opened in confusion.

The two guards were escorting Sam and Teal’c. It wasn’t an honorary escort either. They were prisoners. What had happened? He stood, but before he could move, King Yupan put a strong hand on his arm. When Daniel looked at him, the glare he saw in the man’s eyes was cold and hard. This was the side of King Yupan he hadn’t wanted to see.

Daniel turned his gaze back to his friends, but he didn’t move. That’s when he made the connection. The guards escorting Sam and Teal’c were Ithil’ya’s guards.

“Daniel…” Sam started.

The King stood and set his eyes upon her, glaring. He spoke in Quecha, to Chasqui, but his eyes never left Sam. “Explain this to me.”

Quickly, Chasqui told him about seeing them come through the Gateway, about them asking about the Colonel and Ollan’tay. He told him about taking them on the path and then seeing the processional. He explained that they asked questions about Ithil’ya and then told the King about the attack.

Daniel stood frozen in his spot as he listened in horror. What had they done? More importantly, why had they done it?

King Yupan brushed past Chasqui and placed himself directly in from of Sam. The Huay’nani were not tall people, but when the King stood there in full fury, he seemed ten feet tall. He gazed long and hard into her eyes before moving to step in front of Teal’c. The King didn’t flinch, but neither did the members of SG-1. Yupan wasn’t daunted by Teal’c’s height or build. He was studying them, gauging them.

When he finally turned away, he walked back over to Daniel. “These,” he said the word in disgust, “are your companions, Dr. Jackson?”

“They are.” Daniel kept his eyes on King Yupan. He, himself, was having trouble processing everything. It just didn’t fit with what he knew of his friends.

“Would you care to explain?”

“I… I don’t know, Your Highness. It is not normal behavior for them to do this. I just…”

“Daniel,” Sam said, “it was a misunderstanding.”

“You!” The King turned swiftly. His voice was full of rage and his face turned red. “You will not speak! You have attacked our divine offerings on the sacred road! You will not speak unless spoken to!”

Daniel gave her a look that begged her to go along, although he could see she was raging inside at being talked to in that manner.

The King looked around and in a booming voice, he ordered the Hall to be cleared. He then ordered a servant to have Quilah and A’matuas brought to the Hall. When that was done, he turned back to Daniel. In Quecha, he asked, “Help me to understand, Dr. Jackson. Why would your friends do this?”

Daniel really wanted to talk to them before he tried to explain. He wasn’t going to be afforded that luxury though, so he did the best he could. Responding in Quecha, Daniel began, “If they say it was a misunderstanding, I believe them. Your Highness, they are not the type of people to do something like this without cause. They just aren’t.”

“Then why not talk to the High Priest and find out? What could they have possibly thought was happening?”

Daniel switched to English. “If I had to guess,” he began, switching his gaze to Sam, “when they asked Chasqui what was happening, he told them that Ithil’ya was an offering to the beloved goddess Chasca.” When both Sam and Teal’c nodded, he continued, “Our planet has a past history of equating the word ‘offering’ to the word ‘sacrifice’. They thought they were saving her life, Your Highness.”

The King heaved a big sigh, but some of his immediate rage settled. “I admit that before In’ti left our world,” the King spoke in English as well, “sacrifices were common, but our beloved Chasca put an end to that practice, Dr. Jackson. If your friends had asked for clarification, they would have been told the truth.”

Inwardly, Daniel disagreed with that. He and Jack had asked A’matuas and Quilah several times for clarification and had gotten the same answer every time. “All I can think is that they felt the element of surprise was in their favor. Your people were so many and they were very concerned about Ithil’ya’s safety.”

The King sighed again and looked from Daniel to the other two and back again. It made sense. It infuriated him, but it made sense.

“All I can do, Your Highness, is beg for your forgiveness. That and I can promise you they won’t do it again.”

The King raised a brow. “You will guarantee this?”

Daniel locked eyes with King Yupan. He knew exactly what he was guaranteeing. In doing this, he was making himself liable for their actions. “I guarantee it, Your Highness.”

The King nodded once. “So be it then.” He pointed at Daniel and his voice was stern. “I make you personally responsible for their actions from here on out. You will answer for them. Understood?”

Daniel bowed his head. “I do.” He could tell that Sam was chomping at the bit to say something, but thankfully, she was holding it in. The King was appeased for now. Jack could do the rest.

“I will give them room and board. Just as I have extended that same hospitality to you, Dr. Jackson.” He inhaled deeply and finally sat back down in his chair. “They will be assigned attendants who speak both languages. Perhaps that will eliminate any further misunderstandings.”

“Thank you,” Daniel said humbly.

“That is not all. I will also assign guards to them. They will be watched the entire time they are here.”

Daniel nodded. “Understood.”

“You do not agree?” he asked, indicating that Daniel should sit back down. “Please, speak openly.”

“I do not believe guards are necessary, no. I trust these people with my life.”

The King glanced back at them. “Maybe you do. I do not. This is a delicate time, Dr. Jackson. If they had spoiled Ithil’ya, then what would I have done? I cannot extend trust to them. I wish I could, but I cannot. I also will not return their weapons to them. I will have them given to Colonel O’Neill with the express instructions that your friends not carry them.”

There really wasn’t anything Daniel could say to that. It wasn’t really up for discussion, so he simply nodded.

“Lastly, I cannot allow them to travel with you to Sa’hua in the morn.”

“Your Highness, I can promise you…”

“I am sure you can, but they attacked the processional. To allow them passage on the sacred path would be an insult to our beloved Chasca. I cannot allow it.” There was genuine apology in his voice. He still trusted Dr. Jackson. He really trusted Colonel O’Neill, but he doubted their companions. At first, he had thought to cancel their entire trip. He may regret his decision later, but even now, Dr. Jackson seemed sincere. He couldn’t hold the actions of his friends against him. So he would allow the two to go but the other two had to stay.

Daniel merely nodded. The final decision was up to the King and the way he stated his position, how could Daniel argue? He couldn’t. All he could do was offer his understanding and apology. Jack, on the other hand, was going to blow a gasket. And not just over Sam and Teal’c not being able to go. The attack on the processional… It was just so atypical of their behavior. What he really wanted to do was talk to them about what happened. Oh, he had the basics down, but Sam looked like she had fire ants biting her legs.

Quilah and A’matuas were finally able to join them. Behind them were two more attendants. One was the girl who had shown them to their room that first night.

The King waved for them to join him. “Good. I see you have brought the others. A’matuas, assign an attendant to Dr. Jackson’s friends, and show all of them to their rooms. Keep the guards with you. They go wherever his friends go.”

A’matuas bowed low. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“I’ll just go up with them, King Yupan.” Daniel stood and joined his friends. “Good evening and thank you.”

“Good evening, Dr. Jackson.”

Once they left the Dining Hall, Sam said, “Damn. Was all that…”

Daniel interrupted, “Not now, please.” His eyes darted over to A’matuas. Now that he knew for sure that he reported directly to the King, he was a little leery about speaking in front of him.

She nodded in understanding.

They were quickly shown to their rooms and from there they decided to have a private meeting in Jack’s room before going to their own to settle in and wait for their CO’s return.

“It wasn’t intentional,” Sam began when they were in Jack’s room. “He’s acting like we tried to assassinate someone.”

“This is a sacred time. These people are very devoted to Chasca. I think if it had been anyone other than Ithil’ya…”

“So, this girl is going to go off and be a slave to this ‘goddess’?”

“Sam…”

“Daniel, you have to explain this to me. How could you… look at all this…” She was so confused. Civilizations that still participated in slavery enraged her. Normally Daniel was on her side when it came to matters like this and acting on them. Yet this looked like it was the complete opposite of the norm.

“Have a seat, Sam, and let me explain.”

When she did and Teal’c joined them, he set out to tell them all he’d learned about the Huay’nani.

Chapter Seventeen
by Christina A.

When Jack and the messenger set out on the road to the Stargate, it had still been daylight. He knew, from what A’matuas had told Daniel, that it was almost a half a day’s walk to the Stargate from Ollan’tay. This meant that he’d get back in time for breakfast. It was going to be a very long day without any sleep.

This road also wasn’t nearly as well cared for. The one they took the other day had been smooth and immaculate. This road had patches of grass growing on it, and in places they had to walk around rocks or step over tree limbs. This road was obviously not traveled.

Of course, he was also walking around with someone who didn’t speak English. The least Kingy could have done was give him a guide who spoke his language. He should have asked to have Quilah show him to the Stargate. She was good at conversation.

Although, thinking about her was dangerous business. He didn’t get emotionally involved with the people of other planets. He sure as hell didn’t have ‘feelings’ for other women. That was Daniel… not him. Daniel went weepy over women while Jack stayed cool and aloof. But Kingy had stuck him with Quilah and damn it, he was starting to really like her. This did bring up a question though. Why had King Yupan stuck him with her? He couldn’t figure out why Kingy had done it.

Unless…

Jack shook his head. It was a very silly thought. If the King had intended to give Quilah to him, then what better way to make sure he accepted her than by putting them together like he did? Sometimes Jack was slow to catch onto things, but when he did…

One thought led to another and he found himself wondering if Quilah knew. He doubted it. She didn’t act like she was trying to sway his opinion of her. She seemed very genuine…

Jack stopped walking and cursed under his breath. She was genuine. He’d be damned if she hadn’t fallen for him. She didn’t love good ole Kingy. As he started walking again, he couldn’t remember a time when she smiled at the King. She was always smiling at Jack. This wasn’t good, not at all. He liked her; he enjoyed spending time with her. But there were just too many complexities in his life.

The question now became: What would he do about it? The answer, of course, was simple. He’d talk to Daniel. Maybe he was reading too much into all of this and his friend would set it all straight. Daniel was his best friend, and that’s what friends did for one another. He’d set Daniel straight on many occasions. Now it was time for his friend to do the same for him. Quilah wasn’t in love with him, and Daniel would confirm it.

He stopped short when they came to a clearing. Jack had to do a double take to make sure he was seeing correctly. They’d only been walking for a couple of hours and yet they’d reached the Stargate already. Hadn’t Daniel and the King both said it was a half-day’s journey. Someone, somewhere, didn’t know what in the hell he was talking about. Unless, of course, the path they took to Ollan’tay originally was intentionally built to be a longer path. He was sure there would be some kind of hokey religious meaning behind it. No doubt the great and powerful Oz had commanded that it be made that way. What was so hard about a straight line? Nothing, as far as he was concerned.

The messenger lagged behind as Jack approached the DHD and dialed home. When the Gate opened, he saw the messenger jump. He had to laugh. He just loved it when people did that. It was a sick pleasure, but he didn’t care. He went over the MALP, switched on the video and the audio.

Into the mic, he said, “O’Neill to Hammond.” He looked down at his watch and then asked, “Walter, the General there?”

“He is, Sir. I just paged him.”

“Oh good.” He whistled to himself, looking around as he waited. He could see Walter glancing around as well. It was almost comical really. He was about to say something when the General showed up on the video. “Hey, General Hammond. How’s things?”

The General sighed. O’Neill redefined relaxed. He’d never, ever had a subordinate who talked to him like Jack O’Neill did. “Colonel, do you have a report for me?”

“I do, Sir. Daniel and I are nice and snuggled in at the hotel. Food is good and the drink is fantastic. Daniel’s like a kid in a candy store.”

“Well that’s nice but are you able to find anything we could trade for… technology or medicine?”

“No, Sir,” Jack responded. “They seem to be behind us in just about everything.”

The General nodded. “So you’ll be returning tomorrow?”

“Well…”

General Hammond sighed and leaned a little closer to the video monitor. “Colonel, is there something?”

“We think the planet is inhabited by a Goa’uld, Sir. Daniel and I have a lot of evidence that says there’s one living here, but only one. And no Jaffa. We’d like to check it out.”

Hammond nodded. “Okay. I have to say, Teal’c had a concern about this Chasca.”

“Yeah, we think she’s the one. Um… Sir, when will Carter and Teal’c be here?”

The General furrowed his brows in confusion. “They went through the Gate hours ago, Colonel? You haven’t seen them yet?”

“Naw, but that’s not a surprise. The time is different here, and I took an old road to the Gate. I could have easily missed them.” In truth, he could have. If Carter and Teal’c arrived while they were eating dinner, then they could have missed the radio communication. There just wasn’t a place for his radio on his green dress. And with that thought, his face fell.

“Everything alright?” Hammond asked. He wasn’t too sure he liked the look on O’Neill’s face. In fact, he found himself wondering if they shouldn’t just get the others and come home. “Colonel O’Neill?”

Jack shook his head. “Sorry, Sir. It’s probably nothing. Like I said, I could have just missed them. I’ll head back to Ollan’tay. They’re probably there waiting for me.”

“Okay then. I want another report in 48 hours. Not a minute less. Understood?”

Jack nodded. He knew that SG-1 and their propensity for trouble worried the General constantly, but so far, things were going well and other than the weirdness with Quilah, and he didn’t really have much to complain about. Not that he had a complaint about her either. In fact, she was great.

“Colonel,” the General said again to get the man’s attention.

“Oh yeah, sorry. I’ll definitely call back before then. O’Neill out.” He turned off the audio, then the video. When the Gate shut down, he walked back over to the messenger and gestured toward the path. “Let’s go back, shall we? I have lots of people to talk to.”

The messenger simply stared at him and therefore O’Neill sighed. “O-lan-tay,” Jack said slowly and loudly.

The messenger smiled and nodded, putting them back on the path. Before they went too far, he lit a torch. It was dark now, and once they made their way into the jungle, it was darker. Jack hoped it wouldn’t slow them much. He wanted to talk to his team and then to Daniel alone. A shower before bed sounded really good too.

*-*-*

By the time Jack returned, everyone had gone to bed. He made his way up to his room. When he went inside, he put his gun and vest on the bed. It was very dark, and he quickly found that Quilah wasn’t in her room. He didn’t want to think about where she was or what she was having to do. If he did, then he’d probably do something stupid. He wasn’t going to do anything stupid this time. Instead, he left his room and went to Daniel’s. Knocking on the door, he didn’t wait for his friend to answer before going in.

Not seeing Daniel right away, he found A’matuas. “Where’s Daniel?”

“Out on the balcony.”

Jack was highly appreciative of the short answer. Of course, there was no love loss between the two of them. Jack didn’t say any more, just went out to the balcony where he found Daniel sitting and looking at the garden. “Hey, I’m back.”

Daniel’s head snapped around as if Jack’s voice shocked him. He’d been sitting here trying to figure out how to tell Jack what happened. Seeing his friend in a cheery mood didn’t help him at all. “Hey, Jack. Have a seat.” When Jack sat down, he started to say, “You…”

At the same time, the Colonel said, “Talked to General Hammond. You know the other path is three times shorter than the one we took to get here? I can’t believe it. And Kingy wants us to take the long one tomorrow. I may have to talk to him about that.”

“Jack…” Daniel tried to interrupt.

“But anyway, I talked to Hammond and he said we get to stay for at least another 48 hours. Should give you plenty of time to play in your new world. Of course, we also have to find out what gives with Chasca. I’m sure that will be fun.” He finished, rather pleased with himself. When he looked over at Daniel, he saw that his friend was once again staring at the garden. “Okay, what’s up? And where are Carter and Teal’c? You have your radio handy…”

“You don’t need it, Jack.” He looked back over at his friend. “Maybe you should sit back down.”

“Ah oh. I’m not gonna like this, am I?”

Daniel shook his head. “Sam and Teal’c are here, but there was an incident.”

Jack really didn’t like the sound of that. “Incident?” he questioned.

Daniel nodded. Not taking his eyes off the garden, he told Jack about the misunderstanding and about the thwarted ‘rescue’ of Ithil’ya.

Jack looked at the garden as well, but his jaw was set in a hard line. What the hell? What were they thinking? It didn’t make any damn sense. “Are you sure? This isn’t like Carter and T at all. When it comes to stuff like this, they are much smarter then we are. So what gives?”

Daniel shrugged. “I think their motivation was sound. We know these people much better than they and we doubted them. Look at it from their perspective.”

“Daniel…” He was about to make a snide remark before he decided to ask, “How did King Yupan react?”

“Oh not well,” Daniel replied. His next bit of monologue was to explain the King’s reaction. He didn’t leave anything out, no matter how angry Jack became. It was best to get it all out and deal with it now. He ended with, “I was able to reason with him and made myself responsible for their actions from here on out. But Jack, he’s not going to let them go to Sa’hua.”

“This is bull.” Jack stood and walked back into the room. “It couldn’t have been that bad, and I want to hear from them what they were thinking.” He marched toward the door. “Where are they?”

“Wait, I’ll go with you.” Daniel walked off the balcony and back into the room. “They’re in the rooms across the hall.”

Jack opened the door and said, “Carter!”

When the door opened, she stuck her head out. “Yes, Sir.”

Teal’c’s door opened as well, and Jack nearly barked. “My room, now!” He looked over at A’matuas and said, “We’ll be talking alone.” The Colonel waited as the other members of the team hurried into his room. Still talking to the scholar, he said, “On second thought, I want to talk to Quilah too. Do you know where she is?”

A’matuas nodded. “Shall I bring her to you?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He went into his room and almost slammed the door. Daniel had turned on the lamps, and Jack saw Carter and Teal’c’s vests and weapons on his bed. “You have got to be kidding me. What the hell?”

“Sir, it was all a huge misunderstanding,” Carter began.

“Yeah. I heard that already. What I want to know is what you were thinking when you did it?”

“We believe Chasca to be Goa’uld,” Teal’c informed him.

“We know,” Jack and Daniel said at the same time.

“Doesn’t explain why you did it,” Jack continued.

“Colonel,” Sam began again, “the way they had her covered, the guards, the entire escort… It just looked like they were going to sacrifice her. We would have radioed, Sir, but there wasn’t time.”

“Wouldn’t have mattered anyway. We were at the festival… celebrating.”

“Shit!” Jack exclaimed. Daniel was right, even if they had tried to contact them, they couldn’t have. What a damn mess this was?

“Sir,” Sam tried again, “we honestly believed we were saving this girl’s life. We didn’t fire a shot and the only one who actually was physically attacked was me.”

“You?” Jack and Daniel asked. They never seemed to notice when they talked at the same time.

“Yeah. Well, Sir, the girl… She sort of caught me off guard and well…”

“She attacked Major Carter,” Teal’c finished.

Jack tried not to laugh, but the corners of his mouth did turn up in humor. “That little wisp of a girl got the best of you?”

“I was surprised, Sir,” Sam explained.

“Indeed, she was,” Teal’c reiterated.

Still, Jack smiled. “She is a little bitty thing,” he teased.

“Sir!”

Jack cleared his throat. “Yeah, so you know I’m not happy.” When everyone nodded, he sighed, “Still, I can’t blame you. We thought the same thing. The way they talked about her, it was very confusing. But,” he pointed at them, “we didn’t do anything about it.” He had to sigh. For once, he hadn’t caused the situation and just maybe, he could fix it.

“Okay, let’s move on.” He took a seat on the edge of the bed and fixed his gaze on Daniel. “So, I’m assuming you have a theory about Chasca.” He raised a brow at his friend.

“Well, I don’t think she’s like other Goa’uld.”

“I can see that,” Jack agreed.

At Jack’s comment, Daniel was forced to ask for clarification. “’You can ‘see’ as in you agree with me? Or that you figured I’d say that?”

Jack laughed. “Okay, that makes sense, but I mean that I agree that she seems different.”

“Is she Tok’ra then?” Sam asked.

“Well I was wondering if maybe you might have any memories of Jolinar’s that could tell us about Chasca.”

Sam thought for a long moment. “Not that I can recall, but that doesn’t mean anything, Daniel.”

“I spoke with Master Bra’tac. He had no knowledge of Chasca, but he knew of a System Lord named Vira who was killed by Ra.”

“Our good buddy,” Jack commented to Daniel.

The archaeologist nodded. “Did he mention In’ti?”

“No, he did not.”

Daniel took a minute to think. “Okay, we know Vira was a System Lord. I have a feeling In’ti stayed behind to rule Huay’na, but there was a revolt and he was killed.”

“But they didn’t kill Chasca,” Jack said.

“No, because they love her. She’s good to them, which isn’t typical for a Goa’uld.”

“But she still sets herself up as their goddess,” Sam pointed out. “Even if she is Tok’ra, she should have told these people the truth about what she really is, Daniel.”

“These people aren’t slaves,” Daniel defended.

“They just sent a girl to her!” Sam’s voice rose with indignance. “She’s what? An offering… going to serve her goddess.”

“Where she’ll live in a beautiful palace, never want for anything. She’ll study music and art. It’s what she wants.” Daniel and Sam were rarely at odds over anything. This conversation left a stunned Jack and Teal’c merely watching.

“A cage is still a cage no matter how lavish you dress it up,” Sam pointed out.

Daniel raised a brow and then let out a big sigh. He couldn’t argue with that.

There was actually a long, drawn out silence in the room after that comment. The team members all looked at one another, wondering who would be the first to break it.

“All done?” Jack finally asked. When no one said anything else, Jack continued, “Oh good. Now back to the situation at hand. Specifically, our little trip tomorrow.”

“Well, unless you can change King Yupan’s mind, it’s just going to be you, me, and our guides,” Daniel said.

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna have to try to change his mind. Kingy likes me.”

Daniel tried not to roll his eyes. His tone was mildly sarcastic as he said, “Oh yeah, he likes you a lot.”

Jack cocked his head and smirked at his friend. “Jealous?” he asked.

“Not particularly,” Daniel responded.

“And what does that mean?”

“It means, we’ll discuss it later.” He heaved another sigh and continued, “As far as King Yupan is concerned, what Sam and Teal’c did dishonored Chasca, and they can’t be allowed to walk the sacred path, even under an armed guard.”

The two in question had been sharing looks through most of this portion of the conversation. Something was obviously going on between the other two. More than likely, they wouldn’t find out what it was either.

“Yeah. I’ll definitely have a word with him. We’re a team. We go together from here on out.” Things could get a little tense once they reached Sa’hua, and the last thing he wanted was for his team to be split up if they did.

“He said his trust in us has been severely tested and he has to err on the side of caution. Personally, I think he’d be willing to change his mind, but didn’t want to do so in front of any of his subjects,” Daniel explained.

“Show no weakness,” Teal’c supplied.

Daniel nodded. “That and his reign is only legitimate so long as his symbol is merged with Chasca’s. He has to protect her.”

Sam didn’t say a word. All she did was raise a brow. It was Jack who spoke. “You know, Danny, sounds like her iron fist is covered with a velvet glove.” When all three of the others looked at him, he cried, “What?!” Rolling his eyes, he finished with, “Oh like you weren’t thinking it. Smartasses.”

“Anyway,” Daniel continued, “I think your best bet would be to talk to him alone. I have no idea what you’ll say, but he does really seem to like you.”

Jack looked at Carter and Teal’c and smiled. “He does. Thinks I’m funny.”

“Is his judgment impaired?” Teal’c asked.

Daniel and Sam laughed, only the latter really tried to cover it. She was pushing it anyway. Still, she couldn’t help herself. Teal’c had such a serious look on his face when he said it. She had to laugh.

Jack stood, giving them all a look of mock-indignance. “Just for that, I’m leaving. You know the way out. If not, your *guards* will escort you.” Once outside the door, he leaned against it and listened to them laugh. To himself, he said, ‘Good one, T.’ With that, he went in search of A’matuas and then Quilah. He needed her help in getting an audience with the King. Somehow, he didn’t think the King’s guards would just let him walk in… honored guest or not.

Chapter Eighteen
by Christina A.

He didn’t even get to the end of the corridor before he saw A’matuas and Quilah approaching. He had to admit that he was relieved she wasn’t… well that she was able to be here tonight.

A’matuas bowed his head slightly and continued on down to his room, which just happened to be Daniel’s as well.

“Are you… available to help me out?” It was a twofold question Jack put to her. He did need her help, but he also wanted to know if she had to service her king. Surely with thirty plus wives, he could leave Quilah alone while Jack was here.

“Of course,” she answered with a smile. “I am not permitted to stay in your room unless you are there, Colonel. I had to wait in my wing until you returned. That is all. What may I help you with?” It was customary now for her to take his arm when they walked. She also deduced why he needed her help. The situation with his friends was not an easy one to handle alone.

“I need to talk to King Yupan. Gotta get him to change his mind about this sacred road stuff. They’re my people, and I’m not leaving them here. Think you can swing it so I can talk to him?” Jack wasn’t sure what kind of real pull she had, but she made sure she was assigned to him when wives weren’t lent out as attendants. So that said something for her character.

“I can talk to him, yes, but I cannot persuade him to do something he does not want to do. I simply do not have *that* kind of sway, Colonel.”

“Anything you could do, Quilah, I’d be grateful for.” He walked with her as she led him through the twisting, turning corridors. Again, nothing here was truly a straight line. Maybe he was just ready to go home, but he missed the ‘no frills’ approach of the SGC. This was starting to wear on his nerves. “Quilah, is there some reason why the halls are like this?”

She laughed lightly. “There is. Some of it’s symbolic. Some of it is architecture. Would either topic interest you if I delved into the details?”

“Nope,” was his honest reply. “But it’s no fair that you know that about me.”

“Colonel, I have been by your side through one ceremony. I have watched you during dinnertime. And let’s not forget our trip to my home village. You are a man who prefers to skip details and head straight for the facts.”

‘Damn,’ he thought. He realized he never tried to keep that part of himself a secret. It was just that most of the people he worked with chose to ignore that detail about him. Why did she, of all people, have to get it and respect it? “Thanks,” he finally said.

They came to a stop at the end of a long hall, and Jack found them face-to-face with two well-armed guards. He knew at once where they were.

“I shall be only a moment, Colonel,” she said as she dropped his arm and the guards allowed her passage into the King’s chamber.

True to her word, she wasn’t inside for long. When she came out, she informed him, “The King will see you.” As Jack started to walk by, she reached out and lightly touched his arm. “King Yupan’s love and faith in Chasca are unshakeable, Colonel. However, he also has a great deal of faith in you. You alone can change his mind, so long as you respect his faith.”

Jack shook his head in understanding. “Are you coming in too?”

“No. I shall await you out here.”

He thought for a long moment. Having some backup wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “What if I want you to join me?”

Her eyes opened wide in pleasant surprise. “Then I shall be at your side, Colonel O’Neill.” That said, she led him into the King’s chamber.

Jack didn’t pay much attention to the opulence around him. There was a lot of purple, a ton of gold, and a scantily clad woman who was not Coya Yupac. The woman seemed very comfortable in her surroundings.

“Colonel O’Neill,” the King greeted, “I trust you had a successful trip. Have a seat, and I’ll join you.” To the woman, he said, “La’lani, would you get us some wine?” She nodded. “Quilah, you may sit.” His voice wasn’t as warm to her as it was to the other woman, but he wasn’t harsh either.

Jack took the offered place on the sofa and wasn’t surprised when Quilah sat beside him. “King Yupan,” Jack started as soon as the King was seated, “I really need to tell you how… sorry I am that Carter and Teal’c jumped the gun like they did.” Inside, he was seething. Jack O’Neill loathed the games of diplomacy. He truly hated this with a passion.

The King nodded. “I empathize with your position, Colonel. I honestly do, but I do not see a solution to this quandary we have found ourselves in.” He took the wine that La’lani offered and waited for the Colonel to take the other glass. When the woman took the space beside the King, he continued, “I am open to any suggestion you may have.”

“Okay, how about this? You’re a man who knows military strategy. I’m sure you have an army.” When the King nodded, Jack continued, “Your army has officers and each has a title of rank, right?”

“We do.” The King furrowed his brows in curiosity.

“In the military where I serve, the orders from higher ranking officers aren’t disobeyed. I outrank everyone on the team. I am in command of them.”

“And you have issued orders to this Carter and Teal’c?” King Yupan had a very good idea where this was going.

“I have, and I can promise you, under no uncertain terms, that there will not be another incident. They will do nothing but what I tell them to.” He handed his wine glass to Quilah, and missed the look of shock she gave him. “The bottom line here is that they are my people. I am responsible for them, and I want them with me.”

The King glanced over to La’lani and took his time absorbing the Colonel’s words. He made a lot of sense, which was the problem. “I cannot allow Chasca to be put in any kind of danger. I am responsible for seeing to her safety.” He sighed heavily. “I do not trust these friends of yours. I have no faith in their judgment. I do, however, trust and have faith in you. If you tell me you have given them orders, if they follow your orders explicitly, then I will allow them to travel with you to Sa’hua. You may give their belongings back to them. But I must insist that my guard travel with you.”

Jack nodded and smiled. “We can do that. No problem. Also, my boss will have a nice, long talk with them when we get home. I don’t know what they were thinking. It’s just not like those two at all, but I trust them with my life.”

The King nodded in comprehension. “May I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you want to see Chasca so desperately? I have been pondering this since your initial request and I realize that we’ve spoken so highly of her, you were bound to be curious. Is there more to it than that?”

Jack shook his head. “Not really. See, our world is very different. Most of the time when we travel to those other planets, they don’t have their gods and goddesses living with them. So this is unique.” Damn, he was starting to sound like Daniel. This really sucked.

“Ah. Not every race lives in harmony with their deity. That is a shame. I have no doubts that even you will be impressed by our beloved Chasca.” The King stood.

Jack took that as his cue to stand too and he gave the King a smile. “Thanks. You know, for lettin’ us go and all.”

The King returned the look in kind. “Thank you, Colonel, for allowing me to comfortably change my mind.” With that, he allowed La’lani to lead them out of the room.

Once outside, Jack said, “Okay, that was easier than I expected.”

Quilah took his arm and began leading him back to their hall. “You gave an intelligent argument. One warrior to another. You showed respect for him and his station.”

“I’m turning into Daniel.” With that, he groaned loudly.

“Oh, I highly doubt that you have to worry about that,” she said with a chuckle, “Dr. Jackson would have taken hours to say what you did in only minutes. Also, he was not successful in getting permission for your friends to travel to Sa’hua. I say there is still a big difference between Dr. Jackson and yourself.”

*-*-*

Jack wasn’t astounded to find the other members of his team still waiting in his room. “Alright,” he announced when he and Quilah entered the room. “Kingy’s gonna let all of us go, but I told him there wouldn’t be anymore attacks on his guards or his blessed offerings.” Jack’s voice dripped with sarcasm. He just really didn’t like monarchies. “So now that all that hoopla is taken care of, we need a plan.”

“Sir?” Sam questioned, her head nodding quickly toward Quilah.

Jack followed the gesture and gave the girl a wink. “She’s fine. We can talk. Now if Daniel’s friend were here…” Jack chuckled but didn’t finish his statement. He didn’t have to.

“The King expects us for morning meal,” Daniel said. “After that, I expect it will be very much like today. We go about our business.”

“We will travel to Sa’hua,” Teal’c added.

“That path I took to the Stargate to contact General Hammond was only a couple hours walk. Quilah, no one will gripe if we go that way, will they?” Jack asked.

She shook her head. She had requested to have proper pajamas for him tonight so that tomorrow morning would not be a repeat of today. She was laying these on the bed when he asked her about the road. “No, Colonel. If you prefer to take that road, then we merely have to inform Chasqui of your decision.”

“Good.” He looked at her and sighed. “And would you not do that please?” He rolled his eyes.

She gave him a genuine smile. “It is already done, Colonel O’Neill.” With that, she took her leave.

When Jack gave his attention back to the others, he noticed they were all grinning at him. Even the edges of Teal’c’s mouth were turned up in humor. “Don’t start. As a matter of fact, just get out of here, all of you. I want a shower and then sleep.”

“And your new pretty jammies,” Daniel teased before running out of the room.

Once everyone was gone, he looked over at said jammies. Reaching out, he touched them. They felt amazingly like flannel. “Sweet.”

Chapter Nineteen
by Christina A.

The entire team was up and ready come time for the morning meal. They walked to the Dining Hall, and it was quite an entourage that went with them. Daniel wasn’t surprised that Teal’c and Sam weren’t allowed to sit at the middle table, and if Jack were pissed about that, he didn’t let it show. The entire meal was uneventful, and they found themselves leaving Ollan’tay before they’d planned. Daniel looked back at the city and snapped several pictures. He’d taken some yesterday but…

“Gonna miss it?” Jack asked.

“Strangely, yes. But it just felt surreal. All of it.” Daniel shrugged and turned his attention forward. It was a mini caravan that was leading them to Sa’hua. Besides the four members of SG-1, there were their attendants. Quilah was on Jack’s arm and today she wore a yellow frock over her dress. On it was woven the merged symbol of Chasca and King Yupan. It told everyone she was coya.

When Jack walked ahead, Daniel was joined by A’matuas. Sam inched up to walk beside him, and her attendant joined them as well. Teal’c and his escort made their way up to O’Neill where the two men were soon talking about the hockey playoffs.

Chasqui, who was not happy with the path the Colonel wanted to take, led the whole group. It was unkempt, and he deplored it.

Behind them was a small contingent of armed guards. Since Sam and Teal’c had their vests and weapons returned to them, the guards were tripled from two to six.

“This is all so unnecessary,” Sam said to Daniel.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, I’m not too keen on having a personal escort. The poor girl is frightened of everything and won’t let me do anything for myself. She acts like a slave.”

Daniel nodded. “You just have to set boundaries for her. She’s not so much a slave. See… no one gets paid. There’s not a monetary system at all here.”

Sam gave him a look of surprise.

“I know! Imagine my shock when I found out that no one got paid.”

She knew Daniel pretty well and at that tidbit of information, she laughed. “A shock to the system, I take it.”

“Pretty much so, but it’s interesting. Everyone has a job, and they are expected to do it. In return, food and shelter… anything they need is available to them. Only those who refuse to do their part are turned out. Now, I’m not overly fond of the concept of ayllu…”

Sam put a hand on his arm. “Ayllu?”

“Yeah. Sort of like the caste system. People are born into certain ayllu and that’s the type of job they do. So I kind of think of the attendants as doing their job. Besides, having A’matuas’ help has been invaluable.”

Sam looked around him to the other man and nodded. “Okay, I’ll play along with that, but did they have to come with us?”

“Probably. I don’t make the rules here, Sam.”

“But you’re going along with them.”

“Out of respect for the culture and my curiosity to learn, you bet I am.” He let his eyes wander down the path ahead of him. “It’s a once in a lifetime chance to see a civilization that has long sense been dead on Earth. I’m not going to change it, so I’ll study as much of it as I can.”

She nodded. “True. You do have a point there. It’s just a very large group of people for the four of us.”

“Two,” Daniel corrected. “The six guards are for you and Teal’c.” He smiled. “Though really only Chasqui and other messengers like him travel the paths alone.”

“Why’s that?”

“Protection. These jungles aren’t tame. Wild animals don’t tend to attack groups and most people don’t carry weapons.”

*-*-*

There were no incidents on the way to Sa’hua. The companions traveled amiably talking to one another about any number of topics. When the Holy City came into view, Daniel stopped and held his breath. A wall surrounded the city just like Ollan’tay. This wall, though, was made of a stone that highly resembled white marble. He truly had to resist the urge to touch it. He wanted to, but didn’t.

They passed through the gate and the beauty of the place was overwhelming.

“I love it here,” Quilah whispered to Jack, “I am so glad you wanted to come.”

Jack looked down at her and smiled. “Then I’m glad too.”

Daniel heard the exchange but didn’t say anything. Instead, he let himself take in everything around him. He was stunned at how very much this place reminded him of Cuzco. There was just no way the similarities could be ignored. The outer wall wasn’t the only structure made from white marble. Literally every building was made of it. “A’matuas, are the interior walls made of the same rock?” he questioned.

“They are. Though you will find that most of the interiors are covered in tapestries. They help to hold in the heat. We don’t get a lot in the way of snow, but it does get cold in the winter.”

“The layout is surprisingly similar to Ollan’tay,” Daniel observed. There were subtle differences. The major one was the fountains. There were fountains of all sizes and each held a different sculpture, although some were more intricate than others. The sound of running water could be heard everywhere in the city.

There were quads too, just like in Ollan’tay, but the majority of people he saw were female. Most of the males were guards; every entrance to every building had at least two guards on it. There were also statues. Though most of the statues were of Chasca. Daniel assumed the others were of past kings. Unlike Ollan’tay, there were several smaller, yet very elaborately decorated buildings. “What are those buildings?” Daniel asked A’matuas.

“Baths,” the scholar replied. “The cleansing of the body is a ritual here.”

Daniel lifted a brow. “Are there bathers?”

That question caught Jack’s attention. He now knew exactly what a bather was. He waited, listening intently for the answer.

“There are bathers, but not in the sense you mean, Dr. Jackson. Sa’hua is more of a spiritual center as to where Ollan’tay caters more toward the physical. You will find the citizens of each city to be very different from one another.”

Daniel nodded. “The Holy City, home of Chasca, the protector of virgins.”

“Exactly, Dr. Jackson.”

Daniel looked around, taking in everything around him. There was another difference between the two cities. In Ollan’tay, trees and plants were limited to the quads. Here they were everywhere. It was almost like walking into Serenity Garden. How many hours had he sat and stared at it? Now he felt like he was walking in it.

He noticed something else as well. Everyone wore light-colored clothing. In Ollan’tay, the colors were bright and festive. Every colored indicated a station or ayllus. Here was different. The colors were softer, more pastel in nature. There were no garish patterns that overran the fabric, but everyone also wore the symbol of Chasca, and they were all woven with the same golden thread.

At first glance, the two cities were very similar. The layout of the building was especially alike. There were differences that became more prevalent as they walked further into the city. Daniel was simply in awe, more so here than in Ollan’tay.

“A’matuas.” Daniel found the scholar had fallen a bit behind him so he waited for the man to catch up before asking, “Who exactly lives in Sa’hua?”

The question gained the attention of the entire team.

“Everyone who resides in the Holy City serves our beloved Chasca. It may not be a direct service, but in one way or another, every person here is a representative of her. No one may live here without her permission.”

“Interesting,” Daniel said, “and how would someone… Wait, I mean, how are people chosen to live here?”

“The High Priest resides here,” A’matuas answered, pointing to the cathedral. “He takes in two new priests every spring, but only two. The competition for acceptance is fierce. The blessed virgins also live in Sa’hua. By now, Ithil’ya has also taken her place among them. Many families send their daughters here to reside with Chasca. Not every girl is accepted. There is a school here as well, and many scholars vie for the spots on the faculty.”

He pointed to another building. “The coyas of deceased kings also live in the city. At present, there are two former coyas and their families residing there. As you know, King Yupan’s father was not King Il’ya.”

“How is your sovereign chosen?” Teal’c queried.

“Chasca chooses him.”

All the members of SG-1 shared a look, but it was Quilah who explained, “The building directly across from the home of the coyas,” here she pointed to the building, “is the home of the future king. Scholars search the entire land for boys who meet the criteria to enter the training.”

“What are the criteria?” Jack asked.

Quilah responded, more than happy to share her knowledge of Sa’hua. “Intelligence, strength, cunning, and physicality. As king, he has to be able to garner the respect of all those around him. Once chosen, the boys are brought here to live and they spend their entire lives training in hopes of being chosen to be king.”

“And how is someone chosen?” Daniel asked.

“All progress is monitored by Chasca and her priests. I am sure that they all give her advice, but she chooses the one who excels in all subjects and is the most loyal to her.”

It was Sam who asked the next question, “And the rest?”

“They stay here and become priests. That is an honor as well. Many serve Chasca directly. The wife of the King is chosen in much the same way.”

“The primary coya,” A’matuas clarified.

Quilah nodded her head. “Of course. The future coyas are brought to this home,” here she pointed to the large home, “and taught the same as the future king. There is a home here and one in Ollan’tay.”

“And Chasca chooses the primary coya?” Jack asked.

“She does. The king then chooses twenty other coyas from those residing in the homes. Each year thereafter, he chooses one coya from each city.”

“The competition must be fierce,” Sam observed. “Can I ask? What’s to stop an overly ambitious secondary coya from assassinating the Primary Coya so she may take his place.”

“No secondary coya may ever be the Primary Coya. If something should befall one from those living here.”

The members of SG-1 took turns trading looks. It was more than obvious how Chasca set up the government. Her symbol was merged with the king’s and if he fell out of favor, she chose a new one. It was a pretty good set up for her.

Chapter Twenty
by Christina A.

As they approached the main palace, Daniel realized that this too was different than the one in Ollan’tay. This one wasn’t as large, but it was far more lavish. There was a fountain in front of the steps. The centerpiece was a statue of Chasca. Her arms were extended out beside her with her palms facing up. In one hand, she held her symbol. In the other was something similar to a cornucopia. Daniel surmised that it was symbolic of the fact that she was responsible for life here on this planet. In a way, that was true. These people were more than likely taken from the area around South America on Earth.

Walking around the enormous fountain, they made their way up the steps and found themselves on another small plaza. Here were even more ornate statues and carvings, though one was Chasca and the others, Daniel assumed, were Vira and In’ti. He found it strange that she would allow statues of the other Goa’uld to remain. Although to be honest, she had to maintain their legitimacy in order to hold onto her own. She was a very, very smart Goa’uld.

As they entered the palace, Daniel let out a gasp loud enough to turn everyone’s heads toward him. He didn’t notice the actions though. He was simply blown away. The palace at Ollan’tay looked like a squalor in comparison to this place. The Great Hall was at least three stories high and maybe twenty yards across. It was lit entirely by gaslight chandeliers that hung from the ceiling or were ensconced on the wall. There were trees growing inside the hall and benches were placed around them. Water was channeled into the palace and set up in places so that it would run down the walls. All around there was a projection of peace and serenity.

Marble pillars rose from the floor to the ceiling, and when Daniel followed one up with his eyes, he saw it was painted with divine images, and opened with what looked to be windows. He imagined when it rained, it rained inside the Great Hall as well. It was positively ethereal.

They passed the entrance to the Dining Hall, and Daniel snuck a quick look inside and would have stopped if Jack hadn’t hollered at him that they’d leave him behind if he didn’t keep moving. Daniel did move, but he wasn’t happy about it.

They finally came to a stop in front of what the archaeologist believed to be the Throne Room. Two archways opened up into the room and four guards stood in front of each one. A’matuas moved ahead of the group and said, “We request an audience with our beloved Chasca.”

The head guard looked at the group and asked, “What business have you with our goddess?”

“I bring honored guests of King Yupan. They come here from the Gateway.”

That statement caused the guard to give them his full attention. “Wait here and I will pass your message on to our Lady.”

When the guard went inside, Quilah spoke softly, “I realize that your society is different than ours, but Chasca is the most highly revered citizen in all of Huay’na.”

Jack patted her hand in understanding.

Quilah looked at all the members of SG-1 in turn. “Anyone who is allowed entrance into her temple must be reverent and show her the utmost respect.”

“I’ll be good,” Jack whispered.

“I do not doubt that you will be, Colonel.” She looked up at him and gave him a smile. She had meant to say something else, but stopped and simply stared at him.

“Quilah,” Jack asked, “you okay?”

She shook her head to clear it. Maybe, just maybe she could trust him with her innermost thoughts. “Oh… I do apologize.” To the group, she said, “You will all be asked to leave your weapons here.” She pointed to an open locker storage area. “Only her sacred guard may carry weapons inside.”

Jack nodded. He really didn’t like the thought of going in and ‘meeting’ a Goa’uld while being unarmed. So he clipped off his rifle and put that and his sidearm in the locker. When Carter reached for her zat, he reached out and touched her arm. “They don’t know,” he mouthed. Inwardly, he smiled when she understood and after Teal’c placed his staff weapon in the locker, they joined the rest of the group again.

While they continued to wait, Jack had to seriously wonder about Daniel’s initial impression. Given all his encounters with the Goa’uld, he knew the man wasn’t swayed by their displays and posturing. He was, however, very overwhelmed with the Huay’nani. For so long, he’d been disillusioned with everything. Admittedly, some of that awe had returned when he left Oma Desala’s little club, but being here was what returned that childlike wonder in full force for him. For the first time in over eight years, Jack was seeing the Daniel Jackson who went on that first mission to Abydos. It was great to see, but Jack had to consider whether or not it was clouding Daniel’s judgment. He had to at least acknowledge that he could be letting Daniel’s wonder cloud his own judgment. He’d have to step back and take a very realistic look at all of this.

When the guard reappeared, he looked at the group and announced, “Our beloved Chasca has granted permission to the honored guests of King Yupan and their attendants. You may enter the temple of Our Lady of Twilight.” Once this was said, all the guards stepped aside to allow them entrance.

Daniel noticed that the opulence from the Great Hall was carried over into the temple. The water features were in this room as well. They were surrounded by water. The columns in here were shorter as this room was probably only about two stories in height. He also noticed that there was a kind of ivy growing on the columns. These were what confused him because he’d never seen columns in Incan architecture. This, no doubt, was the influence of a blending of cultures. It was highly possible because the Goa’uld assimilated many cultures.

The second thing that caught his eye was the furnishings. There was a well-cushioned throne made of marble and covered in white pillows. The same overstuffed pillows were spread around the throne and all around the room. On them, reclined young girls. None were over the age of about twenty. All had dark hair and dark skin. When he saw Ithil’ya, he knew these were the blessed virgins. “Protector of Young Girls and Virgins,” he whispered.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Huh?” He shook his head and said, “Oh sorry. Chasca is the protector of young girls and virgins.”

“So she keeps them around her to help legitimize her status as a deity. Smart.”

They stopped in front of the steps that led to the throne. As a white sheer drape was pulled back, Chasca entered the room. Daniel had to mentally remind himself that she was Goa’uld. She was far more than ethereal. Her long, blonde hair fell in ringlets around her head. Some even rested on her shoulders while the rest dropped down her back. She was thin, but not overly so. Her build would almost be deemed as perfect by today’s society on Earth.

Her outfit was all white and in two pieces. The bodice barely covered her breasts while her skirt hung low on her hips. When she spoke, she did not use the voice of the Goa’uld. “Welcome to Sa’hua. My guard tells me that you were honored guests of King Yupan. You have come here from the Gateway and were granted permission by the King to travel the sacred path.” Her green eyes found Daniel’s and she asked him directly. “Why do you wish to seek my council?”

It wasn’t only Daniel who was confused by Chasca’s voice. Was this a mutually agreed upon blending? Or did she simply not wish to set herself apart even more by using her true voice. Either way, Daniel had to get his confusion under control before he spoke. “We are merely curious, Your Grace.” He lowered his voice and finished with, “We have met your kind before in our travels to other worlds.”

Chasca’s face remained calm as she said, “Il’hua, clear the room.”

A big guard, with Chasca’s symbol emblazoned in gold upon his forehead, moved forward and ordered the room cleared. Even Quilah and A’matuas were made to leave.

Chasca walked down the steps and stood in front of Daniel. Speaking to all of them, she said, “I arrived on this planet with Vira. Four other of my kind were with us. In’ti, Quilla, Huay, and Cocha. Vira brought the people through the Gateway from the Tau’ri home world. They were spread out across the planet and used to mine the Naquadah. Once it was depleted, he left, taking all the others with him save In’ti and myself.”

“Why did you stay?”

Chasca had looked at each of the four in turn as she spoke. When Daniel asked his question, she gazed solely at him. “In’ti was ruthless and bloodthirsty. He raised an army to round up all the Huay’nani.” Her voice showed her remorse over how the people were treated. “I believed that if I stayed, then I could protect them. But I could not. In’ti wanted to conquer all the people on the planet and used blood rituals and sacrifices to reign with terror over the people.”

She gave her attention to the man she believed was the leader of the group. “I had to bide my time and wait for the perfect moment. When it came, I killed the host and sliced In’ti in two. I announced to the people that In’ti went to live with Vira and I would now be their benefactor. I ended the rituals and sacrifices and set up the current system of sovereignty. It has been in place for centuries.”

Jack lifted a finger to get her attention as she’d moved closer to Daniel as she spoke. “Excuse me, but you do realize that you aren’t really a goddess, right?”

She stared at the man for the longest time. He despised her. Regardless of the fact that she saved these people, he loathed her simply because she was Goa’uld. She hadn’t even bothered to assess the Jaffa’s opinion of her. His mattered as much as everyone else’s, but he actually had a right to loathe her kind. The woman, she could tell, felt the same as her leader.

It was the man with the bright eyes that drew her the most. “I know what I am,” she explained, “I know who these people need me to be.”

Daniel’s eyes were on her, not flinching as she returned his gaze. “Almost all religions state that god is a protector. We could debate theology all day long, Jack. The bottom line is that she saved these people from a ruthless, bloodthirsty Goa’uld. How many of her kind would do that for humans?”

“But Daniel, she’s NOT a god,” Jack stated.

“She doesn’t rule these people.”

“We could debate THAT,” Sam pointed out.

“Okay, I admit when we heard that she chose the King and Coya, I was suspicious too. But look at the criteria for choosing. The best… the brightest…”

“The most loyal to her,” Teal’c added.

Daniel’s voice grew more passionate. “Okay, yes, the most loyal to her. But look at King Yupan. He’s a good ruler. His people are happy and content. And look at how he handled this entire situation. He could have not listened to reason, but he did. The line of sovereignty isn’t bound by blood, Jack. It’s earned, not given. So maybe not every Goa’uld is like the ones we’ve met. It’s a very big universe.”

“Daniel,” Sam tried to reason, “she is setting herself up as a goddess when she knows she isn’t.”

“Most of my kind, I admit, enslave their people and force them to serve them. I have no desire to do that,” Chasca said. She was very impressed with the way this Daniel thought. However, it was obvious that these people had many dealings with the Goa’uld. Still, she tried to explain herself. “The Huay’nani are a deeply religious people. They still praise In’ti, even though they have knowledge of his tyranny. I do bear the name of their goddess, yes. I was here when the world was settled.

“I have no Goa’uld technology here, save the sarcophagus. But this planet is worthless to the other Goa’uld now. There is no Naquadah here. And although we are defenseless, we have been left alone for centuries. I have every confidence that they will continue to leave us alone. My presence here ensures peace.” She knew she would not be able to convince the three military members of the group. Therefore, she spoke to the one who may be the most understanding. “We live in peace and harmony. There is no crime. Everyone works and everyone eats. I do not see how this is a terrible thing.”

“You wouldn’t,” was all Sam said.

“Look,” Jack finally spoke up, “could we have a minute to talk?”

Chasca gave them a low nod and walked up the steps to her throne. She would not allow the Tau’ri to come in here and ruin all the work she had done for her people. Other Goa’uld were cruel. She would never be… unless… she would defend herself and her position if she had to. She would not let these strangers hurt her people. She did not want it to come to that, so she kept an ear on their conversation.

“Daniel,” Sam said quietly, “it doesn’t matter how you dress it up. The bottom line doesn’t change.”

“She is a false god, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c added in support of Major Carter’s statement.

Daniel looked at Sam first and then to Teal’c. It was on Jack, however, that he let his gaze rest. “And you? You’ve been here as long as I have. Are you saying that the only thing that matters here to you is that she is Goa’uld?”

Jack hated the look in Daniel’s eyes. It was the pleading look for someone to see his point of view. But Teal’c’s bottom line was the truth and there was simply no denying it. “Daniel, she IS Goa’uld. She is NOT their god.”

“I don’t BELIEVE this! Thor… Thor was allowed to *be* a god…”

“Now wait a damn minute,” Jack countered, “there are differences, and I tried to tell those people the truth.”

“Exactly, you tried and they didn’t believe you. The same thing would happen here. We can debate until the end of time about the morality of this. Believe it or not, I think she should have told them the truth when she killed In’ti, but she didn’t and we can’t change that.”

“We can tell them the truth and prove it to them.”

“And throw their society into chaos all because YOU believe it’s the right thing to do. These transitions are never smooth and often result in people dying.”

“But they’ll be better off…”

“Says you, Sam. But what gives you, Teal’c, or Jack the right to force this change upon them? It’s better off in your point of view… better off according to your parameters. Not according to theirs. You could condemn them to centuries of civil war and unrest because of your beliefs. And if you think I’m exaggerating about that… well… ever hear of this little thing called The Crusades?”

Jack knew the debate would only get more heated. The more Daniel felt he had to defend himself and his position, the more animate he would become. He believed he was protecting these people, and listening to him, a part of Jack had to agree with Daniel. The only way change of this magnitude would come about was through violence. And what right did they have… “Okay, Daniel, what do you think we should do?” For now, he would acquiesce to the historian in the group. Overall, it seemed the wisest thing to do at the moment.

“Let them be,” he stated flatly.

“I am disinclined to agree,” Teal’c said.

Daniel retorted with, “I’m not surprised.”

“There is always a price to be paid for freedom,” Teal’c defended.

“These people aren’t slaves! Damn it,” Daniel’s voice raised to a near yell… something he never did with Teal’c. “You keep looking at this as a Jaffa. You haven’t spent as much time with these people as Jack and I have. They are NOT Jaffa.”

“Maybe, we’ve spent too much time here, Daniel,” Jack said softly.

“We have,” Daniel agreed. “We have no right to waltz in here and in three days force our beliefs upon them and make them change. It’s just wrong.” He sighed. There was no way he could stand alone against the three of them, although to be honest, Jack hadn’t said they’d try to expose Chasca. He hadn’t said much of anything, but of the three, he had been the most understanding.

While the group debated, Chasca realized that three of the four posed the first real threat to their peace. It had been centuries. She simply could not allow her people to be put in danger. She loved them too much to allow it. Maybe she was atypical of the other Goa’uld. Maybe it was her lineage, which she kept secret. Honestly, she did not care in the least about the others of her kind. They were gone and they were not returning. What she cared about most were the Huay’nani and the life she had set up for herself here. It was then that she made a decision. She stood and walked down the steps. “If I may, I would like to speak to Daniel.”

The archaeologist nodded and without hesitation said, “Of course.”

“Alone,” she added.

“Now hold on,” Jack interrupted. “I don’t know that this is such a good idea.”

“I’ll be fine, Jack. You don’t have to trust her, but…”

The Colonel didn’t let his friend finish. “I don’t like this one damned bit.”

“I’ll watch my back,” Daniel promised.

The three remaining members of SG-1 were left to look at one another as Daniel followed Chasca up the steps and into what they assumed was her private chambers. None of them were too happy right about now.

With her departure, the Throne Room began to fill again. Jack glanced around them and said, “If she harms one hair on his head, I’ll break her in two.”

Teal’c bowed his head and walked slowly up the steps. He may not be permitted entrance to the chambers, but he would be close by should his friend need him. They may disagree, but Daniel Jackson was still his friend. Teal’c would not leave him unprotected.

*-*-*

Daniel followed Chasca into her chamber. It was even more elaborately decorated than the Throne Room. Even knowing what she was, Daniel couldn’t help but hold firm to his initial impression and his defense of her.

Of course, his impression of her chamber was one of awe as well. It was made of all white marble. From floor to ceiling, everything was made of it. As a matter of fact, everything in the room was white. The pillows that made the benches and chairs comfortable were made of a white material that looked like silk. There were even pillows tossed haphazardly on the floor, no doubt for sitting or reclining as well. In the center of the room was a huge white bed. It was circular in shape and loaded with pillows. It was also surrounded by a white sheer drapery. Anything metallic in the room was made of gold. The wealth of this land was kept in the cities of Sa’hua and Ollan’tay and done so in the gold.

“I would like to explain to you in more detail about the circumstance involving the events of In’ti’s murder. Somehow, I do not believe your friends will care, but I think you will.” She poured them both a glass of wine and then offered him a seat on one of the couches. She knew the way to avoid any problems would be to give him as much information as she could and hope that with it, he could convince his friends.

Daniel accepted both the drink and the seat and said, “You’re right. I would like to hear more. As much as you will tell me.” It did go against everything that was the norm for him and his past history with the Goa’uld, but there was something about her that told him she was different. It wasn’t just that she projected such an ethereal presence either, though that did help. He didn’t believe she was a goddess, but she was honestly as close as any Goa’uld would ever come. She genuinely loved her people. “You don’t have to justify yourself to me. I don’t agree with what you’ve done as far as pretending to be their goddess. However, I understand why you did what you did. Anything you could tell me would be helpful, Chasca.”

“So you do wish to hear my story?” she asked, giving him a soft smile.

Before he could stop himself, he smiled back. “Oh, I would enjoy hearing it.” He could be in so much trouble here. A part of him was very drawn to her.

“As I said, Vira found the Stargate on this planet. The planet was very rich in Naquadah, so you can guess at his reaction. I traveled with him as a means of protecting myself. At the time, Vira and Ra were the dominating System Lords. I chose to align myself with Vira. I believed I would be safer with him. Ra traveled alone anyway.

“Vira found this planet, and like I said, decided to mine the Naquadah. He brought tens of thousands of people here. The other Goa’uld were as power hungry as he. I simply never fit in with them. I was more than willing to stay behind with In’ti when the others left. The Huay’nani were so afraid. Their gods were abandoning them. I suppose a part of me thought In’ti would help and that I could help too.

“The people, though, did not want us to rule over there. Not the way In’ti tried to rule them. So they staged a revolt. I do not need to tell you of the reign of terror he established after that. All I could do was watch in horror. I tried to stop him at first, but the Jaffa were extremely loyal. I was forced to bide my time.”

“And eventually you were able to overcome him,” Daniel added. He found himself wondering if she could be Tok’ra. In a lot of ways, she had very similar qualities. “You don’t believe you’re a goddess, do you?”

She gave him a devastating smile. “No. I do not, but in a way, I am their savior.”

Daniel was forced to agree. “What happened to the Jaffa who were living here?”

She sighed. “They were killed. I could not allow them to carry their symbiotes to maturity. The last thing this planet needed was more Goa’uld.”

“Yet you put your symbol on your guards’ foreheads?”

“It is a carryover of that time, yes. A vanity, I admit. But no one has complained.”

Daniel didn’t say it, but maybe they didn’t complain because they were afraid to. They didn’t want to disappoint their goddess. He wanted to believe her, but behind the veil of peace and the beautiful face was also the Goa’uld love of being worshipped. She enjoyed this lifestyle and being revered as a goddess. He wanted to believe, but couldn’t do so fully.

“I have some questions for you, Daniel,” Chasca said after he did not speak again. “How did you come to know how to use the Gateway?”

He gave her a sheepish grin. “I sort of figured it out.” He didn’t go into much more detail than that. Of course, he noticed that she moved closer to him on the couch. That made him a bit nervous.

“You do not have kings?”

Daniel cleared his throat. “Um… no. The people chose who governs them. It’s called a democracy.”

“A democracy and a military that has control of the Gateway. A military that uses it to travel to worlds all over the galaxy,” she observed.

Daniel became even more uncomfortable as she moved closer. He also had to wonder about the questions she was asking. Was she planning something? Gleaning information from his responses in order to know her ‘enemy’ better? “Chasca,” he asked, “what are you doing?”

“It has been a very long time since I have had a companion, Daniel. As you realize, I cannot take any of my subjects as a companion. But you have been through the Gateway. You are intelligent, and I think you understand me on a level that no one else could.”

Daniel slowly backed away. This was way too fast. He’d been down this road before with Hathor and Osiris. There was no way he was going down it again. For her kind, he held a modicum of respect for her. Her beauty was beyond that of any woman he had seen since his wife. But he wasn’t going down any road with Chasca, no matter how beautiful or sincere she appeared to be.

Chasca picked up on the signals and reluctantly pulled away. She would not force herself upon him. That was simply not her style. “Am I not appealing to you?” she asked in honest confusion.

It seemed strange for Daniel to have to put to words everything he had just been thinking. It seemed even stranger that a Goa’uld would doubt her sexual prowess. He simply deduced that her actions were indicative of someone who had been cut off for a very long time from anyone she could confide in.

She listened as he explained to her about Hathor and Osiris and reluctantly nodded in understanding. “I am sorry,” she said. “If you wish to return to your friends, you may. It is getting late. I will have you and your friends set up with rooms for the night.”

As he stood, he thanked her. Reaching out, he took her hand. “I have to admit that I am impressed with what you have accomplished here, Chasca. I would enjoy talking with you again. And I’ll talk to my friends. I don’t back down easily when I believe in something.” He gave her a smile before letting go of her hand. He was very confused about the entire meeting and wanted to take the night to think about all of it. He left the room to join the rest of the team, but he knew he’d be drawn back here to talk with her again.

She watched Daniel leave. She was caught up in a maelstrom of confusion as well. For his friends’ sakes, Daniel had best be able to convince them. She would do everything within her power to protect her people and her position among them, even if she were forced to make an example of the unbelievers. She was very torn. She liked this Daniel, but she did not trust his friends, and she knew she was right not to.

Chapter Twenty-One
by Christina A

The members of the team were indeed shown to their rooms. They ate dinner with the people in the Dining Hall, and Daniel found he wished that Chasca would have joined them. Just like in Ollan’tay, everyone retired after dinner.

It was when everyone was asleep that Daniel heard a knock on his door. When he answered it, he saw Jack on the other side.

“Wanna take a walk?” Jack questioned. Daniel had been distant from everyone all evening, and Jack honestly didn’t like it at all. They needed to talk, and for once, Jack was going to listen and to try to let go of his preconceived notions of the Goa’uld. He knew, beyond a doubt, that Daniel needed to have someone believe in his point of view. Maybe Jack could be that person. After all, he knew the Huay’nani as well as his friend. Anything was possible.

Jack waited until they exited the palace before he looked at Daniel and said, “Look, I know that was no fun earlier today, and I know you believe that Chasca is different from the other Goa’uld. I also think that I understand where you’re coming from as far as not telling the people about their goddess being a big faker.”

Whenever he had Jack had these heart-to-heart chats, Daniel had to do a lot of reading between the lines, figuratively. What Jack was saying here was that he was sorry. It was his attempt at an apology, and Daniel took it as such. “I don’t want to hurt these people. She’s all alone here, and I honestly believe she has their best interests at heart. Look at everything she’s done so far.”

“Let me ask you this. What do you think she’d do if we did try to expose her?”

“She’d do everything in her power to stop us. Jack, she has a lot of power here. No matter what Sam and Teal’c think, no matter what you believe, this is what the Huay’nani need to believe. I can’t and won’t be responsible for plunging a peaceful civilization into disorder and maybe even war. I just honestly believe that in the end, it won’t matter to these people that she’s not a real goddess. She saved them. She is their protector.”

“Protector of Virgins and Young Girls,” Jack echoed Daniel’s words of earlier. “You know, we’re neither one.”

Daniel took the quip for what it was and laughed. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I think I’m gonna take a walk and give the General a call. He gave me 48 hours, but honestly, we could leave before then. There’s just nothing else to do here and the longer we stay, the more tense things are going to become for all of us.”

Daniel had to agree. Before he let Jack go, though, he did have to talk to him about another very important topic. “Jack, about Quilah.”

“What about her?” the Colonel asked, having an idea as to where this was going to lead.

“Remember when we went to Abydos and they gave us the water. Each of us was served by a maiden. Do you remember?”

“They didn’t spit in that, did they?” Jack made a face that said he was teasing.

“No. But you remember that Sha’re served me and then that later she was ‘presented’ as a gift?”

“I do, and what are you getting at?” Jack had a very good idea as to where this was leading and he had to say that it didn’t make him too pleased. “Wait, lemme guess. Quilah is a gift.”

Daniel nodded. “A’matuas says that King Yupan put her with you in the hopes that you would come to accept her and look favorably upon him. The thing is…”

“Yeah, Quilah wants it too.” Jack sighed. “Damn it, Daniel. I know she’s not happy here. I know she doesn’t love Kingy. I think she enjoys living in Ollan’tay but not as a coya. You can see it in her eyes. I can’t just *take* her though. I can’t be responsible for her and I sure know I’m not ready to be her husband. Besides, who’s to say she’d be any happier on Earth. And you know the General would not be pleased if I just showed up and said, ‘Look what the leader of Huay’na gave me.’ I think he’d blow a gasket.”

“I think you’re right. So the question becomes: What do you do?”

Jack slipped his hat on and squeezed the bill tightly as he swore. “Aw hell, I don’t know. Ignore it. Hope it goes away.”

Daniel shook his head and chuckled. “Not gonna work this time. Like it or not, that girl has feelings for you.”

“I know. And you know what? You can stop being so ‘helpful’!”

Daniel laughed. “I’m going to head back inside and get some sleep.”

“I’m going to take a nice, long walk to the Stargate. Can you keep the peace until I get back?”

“I think so. Just be careful.”

Jack stood and watched as his friend went back into the palace. There really wasn’t anything he had to be careful of. He was, however, going to use the hours of walking he had ahead of him to do some thinking. He really, really hated it too. Quilah was someone he considered a friend. He did care about her, but to take her on in the capacity that Yupan had given her… it just wasn’t him. He headed out of the city and managed somehow to get lost… but only in his thoughts. It was really a lot more than he wanted to contemplate right now. She had been so good to him. How did he let her down?

He looked down the road and started whistling as he took out his flashlight. The path was wide open before hitting the jungle so he had no problems realizing he was being followed. He could see her out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and made as if he was taking in the scenery around him. Of course, it was dark so there really wasn’t much to see beyond the end of the beam of his flashlight. Turning to look behind him, he said, “If you’re going to follow me, you might as well do it where I can see you and we can talk.”

Quilah approached him, a sheepish smile on her face. “I do apologize, Colonel. I saw you and Dr. Jackson leave and I was curious. If you wish it, I will return to the city.”

Jack pondered doing just that. Given the discussion he and Daniel had just had, maybe being alone with her right now wasn’t the best of ideas. Yet, he couldn’t really ignore her either. She hadn’t done anything wrong and she shouldn’t be punished because he couldn’t get things straight in his head. “Naw,” he finally said, “you’re up and all. It’s a long walk. The company will be nice.”

She hurried to join him, and they walked for almost a half-mile without really talking. He could tell there was something on her mind, something more than she could come out and say. He also had a feeling that he knew what it was about. It was something that Jack wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with, but putting it off any longer wouldn’t be fair to either of them. “Quilah,” he broached, “if there’s something you want to talk about…”

“I do not believe that Chasca is a goddess,” Quilah blurted before she lost her nerve. “I overheard your conversation with Dr. Jackson. It is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind for some time. You have only confirmed it.”

Jack had to admit that he hadn’t been expecting her to say that. In fact, that was the last thing he was expecting her to say. She was always praising Chasca, and talking about basking in her light and other malarkey like that. So to hear this from her was shocking. Then again, he had a feeling that there was a steep penalty to be paid for not believing. Blasphemy was more than likely a very big no-no. “You’ve been considering this for a while?”

“Yes,” she said, looking around her as she did so. “For years, we were taught to believe that only the gods could use the Gateway. Yet you and your friends are not gods. Everyone seems to accept that you use it because it was the will of the gods and yet, Chasca did not know who you were. If she were a goddess, would she not have known you? Are not gods and goddess supposed to be all knowing? How could she not know?”

“Because she isn’t a goddess, Quilah. She is one of a race of creatures that poses as gods and goddesses… only, there’s a part of me that thinks she’s different than most of them.”

“You have encountered beings such as Chasca before?”

He nodded. “Yep. Lots of times. Not a single one of them is any damn good. Not one of them would give a fig for any of you. Yet, she does. From what I’ve seen, she genuinely cares about all of you.”

“I do believe that she does. I also believe that, although she may not be a goddess, she is the one responsible for the peace and the good life that we all have here.” She smiled, happy to finally have been able to give word to her thoughts.

“Quilah,” Jack’s voice became far more serious than he’d ever used with her, “you can’t let anyone know how you think. She seems benevolent and caring, but I get the sense that she’ll use whatever means is at her disposal to protect the people and her status among them.”

“Blasphemers are put to death,” Quilah said. “That is the story I have been told. None have doubted Chasca’s legitimacy in my lifetime. There are tales of banishment and public execution.”

Jack sighed. Here was all the proof that he needed that Chasca wasn’t all she originally proved herself to be. She killed those who would potentially spoil her charade. “Sounds like her kind.”

“Oh, it is not Chasca who hands down the punishment,” she informed him. “All matters concerning the people are judged by the King. Colonel, it is not Chasca who makes the decisions. It is whoever she chooses to rule Huay’na.”

Jack didn’t say anything for the longest time, just offered Quilah his arm. They made the rest of the journal in silence. Jack fully believed it was the longest he’d ever gone with being around someone and not talking. It felt strangely… well… comfortable. They approached the Stargate, and Jack had Quilah stand with him at the DHD as he dialed home. The Gate opened and he smiled as Quilah jumped. “Pretty amazing, huh?”

She was speechless, so she merely nodded.

Jack turned on the MALP and made a quick report for Walter to give to the General. “Just tell him I’m letting the team get some sleep and we’ll be coming back in the morning. There’s nothing left for us to do here, and I have one hell of a report for him.”

“Yes, sir,” Walter said.

Jack turned off the MALP and then waited for the Gate to close. Turning back to Quilah, he asked, “Shall we return?”

*-*-*

He ran ahead. It would be daylight soon, and he did not want them to see that he was out there. He knew she had been up to something. He knew that there was more going on here than met the eye. He knew that Colonel O’Neill was bad news from the very first time he laid eyes upon him. Now, he had proof of it.

He made it into the city well ahead of the two of them and sprinted toward the palace. Given his station, he was immediately granted an audience with his goddess.

He watched as his beloved Chasca sat upon her throne. How could anyone not believe she was their goddess? All anyone had to do was look upon her and they knew. “My Lady,” he said, his head bowed low.

“Do not kneel before me, A’matuas,” Chasca said softly. When he looked at her, she gave him a smile. “You know I do not need to be knelt to. Now, what message do you have for me? Is it something from King Yupan?” She could not help herself. Out of all the kings she’d chosen, he was by far one of her favorites. He was the one she was closest to. From the first moment she laid eyes upon Yupan, they had formed a bond.

“My Lady,” he said again, “I fear it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Quilah, coya to King Yupan, is a blasphemer.”

Chasca’s eyes flashed red and she stood from her throne. In a rare moment of lost control, the voice of the Goa’uld spoke. “How do you know this?”

The sound caused A’matuas to jump. He had heard, in legend, of the voice used by the angry god, In’ti. He had prayed that he would never have to hear it in his lifetime, and yet, now he was the one who had elicited it from her. “I am so very sorry, My Lady, but I followed Colonel O’Neill and Quilah to the Gateway. On the way there, she spoke of her disbelief, and he agreed with her. I felt it my duty to inform you of the coya’s betrayal.”

“You have done well,” Chasca said, her voice returning to normal. “Chasqui,” she called, smiling warmly as her messenger joined her. “I wish for you to run to Ollan’tay in all haste. Take the shortest route you know. Summon King Yupan and have him come straight away to the Holy City. Please tell him only that I need him desperately.”

Chasqui bowed low, earning him the same reprimand that she had given A’matuas.

Chasca looked to A’matuas. “Thank you. You have earned my eternal gratitude. Now go, get some rest, and I will see you at midday meal.”

A’matuas smiled and, feeling very accomplished, did as his goddess bid.

“Il’hua,” Chasca called out to her First Prime.

“Yes, My Lady?”

“When Colonel O’Neill and Quilah return, I want you to take them into custody. I want them locked away. Do not allow them to talk to anyone. I also want you to take the female and the dark male into custody as well. I am afraid this treachery extends even to them. The fourth one, Daniel… I wish to speak with him again. In private.”

Il’hua stood tall and said, “It will be done, My Lady.”

Chasca walked into her chambers and let loose some of her fury. She did not understand, simply could not comprehend, how everything had started to unravel. Yupan would be outraged. She was outraged. She wanted these people gone from her planet. She was seriously considering more drastic measures as well, but she wanted to speak first to Daniel and then to Yupan. They would all be dealt with as quietly as possible. She did not want her people to be concerned. She also did not want the seed of doubt to take hold. She would not lose her people or her place among them.

*-*-*

As Jack and Quilah approached the palace, Jack was overcome with the feeling that something was very wrong. The guards outside the palace were tripled. It seemed Chasca wasn’t taking any chances where they were concerned, not that he blamed her. Even the smallest niggling of doubt could fester into a large problem. Then again, it could eventually accomplish what the majority of SG-1 wanted… the total freedom of the Huay’nani.

They walked inside, and Quilah squeezed his arm. “Colonel,” she said, her voice reflecting the fear she was feeling. The armed guards were following them inside.

“I know,” he patted her arm and shifted her so he was between her and the guards. His hand gripped his gun. Something had happened while they were gone and he had a feeling he was very close to finding out what it was.

His eyes scanned the area and that’s when he noticed Carter and Teal’c with a pair of guards as well. “Stay by me,” he said in a quiet voice to Quilah as he raised his gun and pointed it at the guards behind them. “Okay, I don’t know what gives here, but I think you better let them go.”

“We are under arrest for blasphemy,” Carter said. “Imagine that.”

“Damn. Where’s Daniel?”

“With Chasca.”

“Aw for cryin’ out loud.”

“Colonel!” Quilah cried out as they were completely surrounded now.

Jack took in the entire situation and didn’t hide his frustration. Opening fire on the guards wouldn’t help anything, and Chasca had Daniel. So he let go of his gun and held up his hands, letting the guards take them into custody.

They were led into a small room just off of the Throne Room. There was just enough space for them to sit down. Obviously this was set up as a ‘holding’ room for just this purpose. Quilah was wrong… there were prisons here.

“Okay,” Jack said to the entire group, “what the hell brought this on? I go for a walk to check in and I come back and everything’s gone to hell.”

“I overheard one of the guards saying that A’matuas…”

“He followed us,” Quilah interrupted Sam. “I apologize, Major Carter, but last night I snuck out to talk to Colonel O’Neill. I saw A’matuas in the Great Hall but did not think anything of it.” She looked up at the Colonel. “This is all my fault.”

Jack shook his head. “No. It’s mine. We should have left last night.” He took his hat off and then sat down beside her. “Chasca may be good to the Huay’nani, but she is still Goa’uld. I let personal emotions get in the way of my better judgment.”

Sam sighed. “I have to admit that a part of me wanted Daniel to be right, Sir.”

Jack nodded. “Quilah, what is going to happen?” He reached out and put his hand on hers.

“Chasca has already sent for King Yupan. Once he arrives, he will decide our fate.”

“Any guesses on what he’ll do?” Sam asked.

“He has never been unfair, but his love for Chasca far exceeds his love for anyone on this planet. He will not be happy. More than likely, you will all be banished from the planet. For me, well, we have no prisons, remember?”

Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from exploding. No way was he going to let Kingy make an example of Quilah. If he had to accept the gift, he would. But one way or another, if they were banished, she would be going with them.

*-*-*

Daniel found himself sitting on the same couch he was on last night. Only this time, Chasca didn’t sit with him. Instead, she paced the room. At first, that was all she did. She merely walked back and forth. He wondered what she was thinking. “Chasca,” he finally said. It was important to him to let his voice convey that he wasn’t her enemy. He truly wanted to believe in her sincerity. “Please, sit down and lets talk about this?” He patted the space beside him.

“I cannot sit,” she said, even as she took the space beside him. “Daniel, I do not know what to do.” She hated admitting that, even to him.

Daniel simply stared at her. A Goa’uld who didn’t know what to do, and she admitted to it. If anyone needed proof that she was different, this was it. “Sooner or later, someone was bound to question things. It’s human nature.”

She sighed. “I know you may not believe me, but I care deeply for these people. Yupan especially. I sacrificed much for them and I will not lose them. I refuse to.” The more she talked, the more upset she became. “I know they are your friends, but I cannot allow them to hurt my people.”

“Or your place among them?” It was asked gently. He didn’t want to upset her further, but he needed to prod her, however easily, into seeing how his friends would look at it.

“Nor my place,” she reluctantly agreed. “When Yupan arrives, we will have to decide what to do with them.”

It was Daniel who reached out for her hand this time. “Here are the facts as I know them. Quilah hasn’t talked to anyone besides Jack. We all know what you truly are already. So our ‘faith’ has not been compromised. A’matuas only spoke to you, and his faith in you is rock solid.”

“You have a point?” she asked, relaxing a bit and turning her hand so it held his. She could use the support right now. Coming from him, it was unexpected and extremely helpful.

“I do,” he reassured, “The more of a display you make of this, the more people are going to see and wonder what’s going on. The more they wonder, the more they’re going to doubt. As of now, only us, A’matuas, and your loyal guards know.”

She put her other hand on top of their joined ones. “You have a suggestion then, do you not?”

He nodded and gave her a gentle smile. “Let them go. All of them. We will simply walk out of here, go to the Gateway, and never return.”

She sighed heavily. Her heart was not demanding vengeance. All she wanted was to get out of this unscathed. The suggestion Daniel was giving her made a lot of sense. “That would probably be best. Though, I will miss you, Daniel. I was hoping we could talk more. That you could tell me about yourself, what you know of the state of the Goa’uld now. I would have enjoyed helping you to realize that just because I am Goa’uld does not mean that I am evil. I honestly do love my people and want to give them the best lives possible.”

He knew it wouldn’t take much convincing on her part. Even now, he would stand toe-to-toe with anyone who tried to lump her in the same group as Apophis or Ra. She was different. She was unique among her kind. He did not doubt that now. Though to be honest, he had never really doubted it.

“They can never return,” she said with finality. “It is a chance that I cannot take. It pains me, though.”

Daniel furrowed his brows. He understood why they couldn’t come back, but the emotion attached to it was confusing to him. “Why’s that?”

“You will not return if they cannot,” she stated simply.

Daniel sighed. She was right about that. He doubted the General would even consider it. Daniel couldn’t even convince Jack that she wasn’t like the others. How could he convince General Hammond as well? Giving her a small smile, he said, “I don’t understand you, Chasca. I would love to be able to get to know you. But yeah, there’s no way they’re going to let me come back. There’s no way that I can convince them that a child of Hathor is anything but evil.”

She looked at him for a long moment, curiosity marked her face. “Child of Hathor? Daniel, I am not a child of Hathor.”

Finally, he understood. She was Tok’ra, simply far removed from the rest of her kind. That could work in his favor. “You aren’t. Well see, that may change things. We have formed an alliance of sorts with the children of Egeria.”

“Daniel,” she said softly, “did you ever consider that there may be more than two queens? That perhaps there were some who limited their reproduction to a hand full of Goa’uld. That maybe in passing down everything to their progeny, they also passed on the free will to chose for themselves how they acted. All of us… Vira, Cocha, Quilla, In’ti, and many others, we had the same queen. She was killed by Hathor, of course, before she could spawn nearly as many offspring, but still, my queen called herself Cochilla, Mother of Earth and Sky. She was mother to us all. And she was an outcast though not in the same way that Egeria was. Egeria openly opposed Ra. Cochilla walked the middle of the road, so to speak, and chose sides depending on the situation and the odds of success. Hathor was insanely jealous and turned Cochilla’s own Jaffa against her. They murdered her, and we fled for our lives. That is when the war between Vira and Ra began. With the death of my queen, I began to doubt the Goa’uld. The others embraced the bloodshed because they wanted revenge. I simply wanted to not have to fight.”

Daniel listened to the entire thing with his mouth hanging wide open. A third queen. There was nothing anywhere that had ever indicated to him that there could be a third queen. When he thought about it, it made sense. More than likely Cochilla located herself in the South American continent. Everything fell into place and the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly. “Chasca, do you have any idea…”

Reaching out, she put a hand on his cheek. “I do. The look on your face is all I need as evidence that this is a revelation to you. I wish we had more time. There is so much about Cochilla that I would have loved to share with you. So much…” On impulse, she leaned forward to kiss him.

It wasn’t in Daniel’s mind to resist her.

Tags: character driven, daniel jackson, gen, general hammond, jack o'neill, rating: pg-13, sam carter, teal'c, team

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