Fic: Stepping Into The River
Well, it's still the 22nd where I am! Just about.
Title: Stepping Into The River
Author: Pepper
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Recipient:
pr1nce55k1tcat
Prompt: #1: stranded on a planet
Summary: It wasn't the worst place they'd ever been stranded...
Wordcount: 1497
Disclaimer: Characters not mine, chiz chiz mone drone.
A/N: I still can't believe I finished this on time. *collapses*
Written for the
sd_ficathon.
---
It wasn't the worst place they'd ever been stranded - and Sam felt she'd become somewhat of a connoisseur of these things. Daniel had talked excitedly about mediaeval India, pantheons of gods and goddesses, magnificent temples decorated with erotic sculptures, and civilisations that flared up and died with suspicious alacrity. Sam was pretty sure she knew to which part of Daniel's lecture the Colonel had paid attention.
Speaking of the Colonel, he had been somewhat less than impressed by the reason she and Daniel hadn't returned, or made contact at the set time. Unfortunately, even when he dialled in to find out what had happened to the errant half of his team, the kawoosh wasn't enough to scare off the herd of elephants that had decided to stop in front of the Stargate. It was definitely a new one for SG-1.
The Colonel had eventually agreed that staying the couple of days that the locals insisted was the longest the herd would stay was ultimately in everyone's best interests. Relations with the planet would not be improved if they caused a stampede - and Sam had no desire to be trampled underfoot. She hadn't thought she was afraid of elephants until she found a large, intimidating group of them blocking their way home. They were really... big. Daniel had been fairly sure they'd come to the planet with the people, but she intended to do some DNA tests nevertheless. They hadn't yet proved the parallel evolution theory.
The inhabitants lived in small villages scattered across the land, and their gods hadn't been seen within living or anecdotal memory. They were friendly, and excited about their visitors, but sceptical about the idea that their gods had actually been aliens. Daniel had spent hours debating it with a gathering of the local gentry - apparently it wasn't so much that they didn't believe that their gods could have been mere aliens; more that no one really believed the gods had actually existed in the first place. They were seen as fairytales - traditional stories for children.
Sam liked this place. It seemed inherently sensible.
The nearest village was happy to accommodate them for another few nights, and arranged for a display of traditional martial arts, that evening. A swordfight, Daniel translated - which description hadn't quite covered it.
Sam forced her shoulders to un-hunch as a long, thin strip of metal curled through the air above their heads. "Sweet blue Jesus," she muttered.
Daniel nodded agreement. "How do these guys still have any limbs?" he wondered aloud, as the 'swords' clashed, sparks visible in the warm evening air as they looped together before being expertly tugged apart.
The weapons - chut'val - that the fighters were wielding were not so much swords as flat metal whips: one blade, about two metres long, forged so thinly that they could be kept curled around the user's waist as a highly lethal belt. Uncurled, they made for formidable weapons. One of the fighters whipped his sword in an arc at his opponent's ankles, and Sam flinched as the other man leapt, narrowly avoiding never having to worry about shoes again, and then glanced at Daniel, who was watching the fight with his mouth open slightly, shoulders unconsciously hunched - still as awestruck by the wonders of the universe as he'd ever been. She smiled, fondly, feeling oddly protective of him at that moment.
"I used to like the stories," said Daniel, eyes still on the fighters. Sam leaned against him, resting her cheek against his shoulder, recognising one of those moments when Daniel liked to talk aloud, to express an idea that was circling in his mind. He did this usually when they were sat around a campfire on another world, just the four of them, nothing much to do except wait for first watch to begin. Almost anything might have triggered the thought, although more often than not it was some seemingly innocuous incident or finding that none of the others had really noticed, but which had stuck in Daniel's mind. He processed these things, tried to work out the reasoning behind them, the ideas, the logical conclusions.
Teal'c was usually the one to respond to Daniel's musings, as thoughtful and observant as Daniel in his own way. The Colonel mostly stayed silent, feigning an occupation such as playing with his yo-yo or cleaning his gun. If he joined in, it was either because he was feeling particularly relaxed, or because he felt that Daniel was straying too far from some harsh reality. Sam herself listened with interest, every time, and joined in when she felt she had something to add - a different point of view to give.
"The tales of people in the past, the weight of all that time and culture and distance, the idea that it had been reality to someone, some people, a long, long time ago..." Daniel trailed off, as the fighters engaged in a particularly heated scuffle, almost resulting in a decapitation. "Ow."
"You liked the stories," prompted Sam, curiously.
"Mm. When I was a kid, I loved all the stories my parents would tell me about the ancient civilisations. I wasn't as interested in modern history, because those stories were less... well, exotic, I guess. Not so many gods and monsters. And then I studied it seriously, professionally, and the nitty-gritty of those stories became very important. But it was all still just... stories. And then," he waved vaguely, "I came out here."
Sam smiled. "Yeah," she said, recognising the feeling behind those words.
"It's not just stories to me, any more," Daniel said, musingly. "All that history, culture - all the gods and monsters - that's all happening to people, across the galaxy, right at this moment. When I first went to Abydos, I felt like I was living in Ancient Egypt. And then I became part of that place, and something in me switched. Now I feel like some sort of weird combination of archaeologist, anthropologist, politician, explorer... gun-toting member of a front-line military unit," he said, with a half-smile, patting the zat he wore at his side. "I'm not sure what I am," he said, "and I don't remember when the job description changed." He didn't sound upset about that - merely puzzled.
Sam watched the scuffle of bare feet on hard-packed soil. "But, as an anthropologist, you went and lived in other parts of the world, with other cultures, right?" she asked, testingly.
"Yes, but I didn't negotiate treaties for them. I didn't help them to relocate their entire population because they were under threat. And I didn't set out to kill their oppressors. I just... watched the story unfold."
Sam linked her arm through Daniel's. "Those aren't things that we do lightly, Daniel," she said, softly.
"No. And I'm not saying I regret how my life has changed. Just that I - I feel I should remember that it has changed. I loved the stories, Sam, but I didn't live them. Now I feel like I'm part of the story. Occasionally I even have a starring role. It's a strange idea that, in some distant future, people like me might be studying the story of my life."
Sam chuckled. "I suppose it is," she agreed. "But hey - maybe the universe will end before then."
"You're such a comfort," he said, dryly.
They both looked up as the fighters came to an end, and applauded with the rest of the crowd, Sam's arm still linked through Daniel's. The fighters bowed in their direction, and then one of them came over. With a frightening flick of sharp metal, he curled the long, flexible sword into a hoop, and proffered the handle to Daniel.
"Um, thanks, but I don't think so," said Daniel, putting his hands up nervously in the universal 'oh there's not a chance in hell' sign.
Sam untangled herself and nudged him forwards, exchanging a conspiratorial glance with the fighter, who grinned at her. "Go on, Daniel."
Daniel glared at her. "Maybe you'd like a go," he tried.
"He's offering it to you," Sam pointed out.
The fighter insistently put the handle into Daniel's reluctant hand, and pulled him up, to the laughs of the crowd. Daniel threw a pleading look over his shoulder, but she grinned unsympathetically. "Give it a try, Daniel," she called. "You might enjoy it!"
---
Two days later, Daniel stomped down the ramp in the SGC gateroom, followed by Sam. He nodded curtly to the Colonel and Teal'c, who had come to greet them, and walked straight through, heading for the elevator and presumably - judging by the large bandage around his ear - the infirmary.
The Colonel and Teal'c watched him go with surprised looks, and then turned to Sam, who was wearing an expression of mingled guilt and amusement.
"Picked a fight with an elephant?" enquired the Colonel, lightly. Sam shook her head, briefly. "Looks painful."
Sam smiled, enigmatically. "Painful, but he'll survive," she said. "The story of his life."
---
THE END.