Fic: Lost Tribe, 4/13
Part 4 of Lost Tribe
Previous parts here
The briefing was going nowhere and doing it at an agonizingly slow pace. They were supposed to be brainstorming ideas for rescuing SG-13 from PX9-3QL, but so far all they’d managed to do was bore Daniel to tears.
“If we could just isolate the portion fo the light spectrum that effects them, then we could modify some sun lamps and use them to drive the hostiles from the Gate,” Dr. Lee proposed.
Sam shook her head. “It wont work,” she told him. “Even assuming that they are actually allergic to sunlight and not just attracted to the eclipse, we have no way of knowing, let alone replicating, the sun’s normal radiation.”
“What about the readings from the MALP?” asked one of the new scientists. Daniel couldn’t recall his name, Dr. Something-or-other.
“The MALP only records visible light and infrared. We don’t have any data on PX9-3QL’s sun’s UV radiation.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Jack jumped in. “We’re doing what?”
“Nothing, sir,” answered Sam. “The sun’s light spectrum-”
“Carter!” Jack silenced her with a hand gesture. “So, essentially what you’re telling me is that I just wasted a half-an-hour of my life sitting here listening to you people arguing about nothing? Oy.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Daniel, Teal’c? Please, something useful.”
“Among the Jaffa there is a legend about the servants of the goa’uld Belus,” Teal’c began.
“Belus!” Daniel interrupted. “He killed Omoroca.” Everyone stared at him blankly. “Nem’s wife,” he clarified. No one’s expression changed.
“Yeah.” Jack drew the word out. “Teal’c, you were saying?”
Teal’c favored Jack with one of his little head bows and continued. “It is said that the servants of Belus possessed great strength even beyond that of a Jaffa and that they drank the blood of their enemies. They were indestructible in battle and feared only the sun.”
“That almost sounds like earth myths about vampires,” Daniel mused aloud.
“Vampires,” Jack exclaimed sounding more than a little incredulous. “Vampires,” he repeated in a quieter, almost thoughtful, tone.
“Indeed,” said Teal’c. “The vampires of Nosferatu seem most similar.”
The other scientists at the table looked scornful, and Jack was busy whispering something to an airman, but Daniel’s mind whirred. Vampires, the servants of Belus and the creatures of PX9-3QL; what if they were all the same thing? They were too similar to be pure coincidence. He needed to check his books.
“Except that vampires aren’t real.” The new guy over-emphasized the words like he was speaking to an especially slow child and Daniel bristled.
“But they might be,” he insisted. “Think about it. Thor’s Hammer, Atlantis, the goa’uld themselves; how many other earth ‘myths’ might be based in off-world fact? These aliens on PX9-3QL might be the servants of Belus. We know he was on earth in Babylon nearly 4,000 years ago. His servants might be the source of all vampire myths on earth.”
“Maybe,” Sam hedged, still looking skeptical. She always had trouble accepting mythology in all its unscientific glory. “Maybe they are, but that doesn’t necessarily help us. We have no way of knowing how accurate those stories are.”
“Actually, Carter,” said Jack, “we do.” He gestured to Lieutenant Hailey who, Daniel realized, had just arrived. What was their resident hok’tar doing there?
“Hailey,” Jack asked her, “what do you know about what’s happening on PX9-3QL?”
“Well, sir, I know that a supposedly year-long eclipse just started and that half the science department would kill to be there.” Daniel smiled at that. Sam had been saying something to that effect over coffee not an hour before the briefing.
“And do you know why they’re not going?”
Hailey shrugged. “Something about hostile natives? The rumor mill wasn’t too specific, sir.”
“They’re blood-drinkers. Gold eyes. Bullet-proof. Don’t like sun. Sound familiar?”
Apparently it did because Hailey had gone white. “PX9-3QL has three moons doesn’t it?” she asked quietly.
“Uh...” Now Jack looked as confused as Daniel felt. He looked at Sam for confirmation. She nodded. “So” -he turned back to Hailey- “as our resident vampire expert, what should we do?”
“Wait.” Had Daniel missed a memo or something? “Hailey’s a vampire expert? You mean they’re real? You knew they were real and you didn’t tell me?” He was practically shouting at the end. This was earth shattering and his best friend had somehow forgotten to mention it. Daniel was a little miffed.
Jack just blinked at him for a minute before turning back to the Lieutenant to await her answer. “I’ve killed a few, sir,” she said, “but I wouldn’t call myself an expert.” She paused, clearly considering her next words. “But I do know someone who is.”
Jack nodded and leaned back in his chair. “So who are we gonna call?” -pause- “It better not be the Ghostbusters.”
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Previous parts here
The briefing was going nowhere and doing it at an agonizingly slow pace. They were supposed to be brainstorming ideas for rescuing SG-13 from PX9-3QL, but so far all they’d managed to do was bore Daniel to tears.
“If we could just isolate the portion fo the light spectrum that effects them, then we could modify some sun lamps and use them to drive the hostiles from the Gate,” Dr. Lee proposed.
Sam shook her head. “It wont work,” she told him. “Even assuming that they are actually allergic to sunlight and not just attracted to the eclipse, we have no way of knowing, let alone replicating, the sun’s normal radiation.”
“What about the readings from the MALP?” asked one of the new scientists. Daniel couldn’t recall his name, Dr. Something-or-other.
“The MALP only records visible light and infrared. We don’t have any data on PX9-3QL’s sun’s UV radiation.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Jack jumped in. “We’re doing what?”
“Nothing, sir,” answered Sam. “The sun’s light spectrum-”
“Carter!” Jack silenced her with a hand gesture. “So, essentially what you’re telling me is that I just wasted a half-an-hour of my life sitting here listening to you people arguing about nothing? Oy.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Daniel, Teal’c? Please, something useful.”
“Among the Jaffa there is a legend about the servants of the goa’uld Belus,” Teal’c began.
“Belus!” Daniel interrupted. “He killed Omoroca.” Everyone stared at him blankly. “Nem’s wife,” he clarified. No one’s expression changed.
“Yeah.” Jack drew the word out. “Teal’c, you were saying?”
Teal’c favored Jack with one of his little head bows and continued. “It is said that the servants of Belus possessed great strength even beyond that of a Jaffa and that they drank the blood of their enemies. They were indestructible in battle and feared only the sun.”
“That almost sounds like earth myths about vampires,” Daniel mused aloud.
“Vampires,” Jack exclaimed sounding more than a little incredulous. “Vampires,” he repeated in a quieter, almost thoughtful, tone.
“Indeed,” said Teal’c. “The vampires of Nosferatu seem most similar.”
The other scientists at the table looked scornful, and Jack was busy whispering something to an airman, but Daniel’s mind whirred. Vampires, the servants of Belus and the creatures of PX9-3QL; what if they were all the same thing? They were too similar to be pure coincidence. He needed to check his books.
“Except that vampires aren’t real.” The new guy over-emphasized the words like he was speaking to an especially slow child and Daniel bristled.
“But they might be,” he insisted. “Think about it. Thor’s Hammer, Atlantis, the goa’uld themselves; how many other earth ‘myths’ might be based in off-world fact? These aliens on PX9-3QL might be the servants of Belus. We know he was on earth in Babylon nearly 4,000 years ago. His servants might be the source of all vampire myths on earth.”
“Maybe,” Sam hedged, still looking skeptical. She always had trouble accepting mythology in all its unscientific glory. “Maybe they are, but that doesn’t necessarily help us. We have no way of knowing how accurate those stories are.”
“Actually, Carter,” said Jack, “we do.” He gestured to Lieutenant Hailey who, Daniel realized, had just arrived. What was their resident hok’tar doing there?
“Hailey,” Jack asked her, “what do you know about what’s happening on PX9-3QL?”
“Well, sir, I know that a supposedly year-long eclipse just started and that half the science department would kill to be there.” Daniel smiled at that. Sam had been saying something to that effect over coffee not an hour before the briefing.
“And do you know why they’re not going?”
Hailey shrugged. “Something about hostile natives? The rumor mill wasn’t too specific, sir.”
“They’re blood-drinkers. Gold eyes. Bullet-proof. Don’t like sun. Sound familiar?”
Apparently it did because Hailey had gone white. “PX9-3QL has three moons doesn’t it?” she asked quietly.
“Uh...” Now Jack looked as confused as Daniel felt. He looked at Sam for confirmation. She nodded. “So” -he turned back to Hailey- “as our resident vampire expert, what should we do?”
“Wait.” Had Daniel missed a memo or something? “Hailey’s a vampire expert? You mean they’re real? You knew they were real and you didn’t tell me?” He was practically shouting at the end. This was earth shattering and his best friend had somehow forgotten to mention it. Daniel was a little miffed.
Jack just blinked at him for a minute before turning back to the Lieutenant to await her answer. “I’ve killed a few, sir,” she said, “but I wouldn’t call myself an expert.” She paused, clearly considering her next words. “But I do know someone who is.”
Jack nodded and leaned back in his chair. “So who are we gonna call?” -pause- “It better not be the Ghostbusters.”
3 << (4) >> 5