"Az'heni - 1/2" by aurora_novarum
Title: Az'heni
Author: aurora_novarum
Rating/Warning: PG, warning for mild language Spoilers:
Very Early Season 3 (pre-"Seth"; post Sam's promotion)
Your recipient: Sel, seldear
Request details: Wants: Jacob(&Selmak), Sam's team-mates, a
white fluffy scarf.
Doesn't want: flashbacks to Sam's childhood, a depressing ending
Az'heni
Sam made certain all her equipment was stored before bundling into
the cold weather gear and adjusting the straps on her pack. Although
stifling in the outfit, Sam knew just after walking through the
Stargate, she would be very grateful for the added warmth.
She accepted her guns from the weapons master and joined her
teammates in the Gate room. Even before she entered, she knew her
commanding officer was not happy.
"Remind me again why we're going to this planet, Daniel. Why?"
Daniel still seemed half-asleep, but the time of day on P4R-493 was
optimum now...even if it was 0400 at the SGC. Still, he was game to
rise to the colonel's bait. "Because it's there?" Oh yes, Daniel
was not awake enough to gauge Jack O'Neill's mood was not up to snark.
Luckily, Teal'c had better self-preservation, even if he did have to
bring her name into it. "Major Carter stated a large quantity of
trinium may be present on this planet."
"Okay, but can anyone explain to me why we're going now, at this time
in the morning and when it's eighteen below rather than say, summer?"
Sam spoke up from behind the colonel. "Actually, sir, according to
readings indicating the planet's orbital path and angle, it is summer
there. It's as warm as it's going to get."
"He's just mad he's missing a 'very special' episode of the Simpsons
tonight." Daniel yawned while he spoke. Perhaps he had gauged the
Colonel's mood after all.
Colonel O'Neill glared with mock affront. "At least Siler's taping
it for me." He adjusted his sunglasses and looked at the dialing
Stargate. "Well, let's hope the M.A.L.P. is right for a change, and
there's enough trinium to impress the Pentagon brass."
While he spoke, the event horizon formed with its usual explosive
force. The F.R.E.D. rumbled up the ramp behind the M.A.L.P. After
pausing at the event horizon, General Hammond's voice came through
the Gate room speakers. "SG-1, you have a go."
O'Neill gave a salute to General Hammond, then turned to Sam with a
mischievous expression, all crankiness apparently gone with the
mission underway. "Lead on, MacDuff." He made an elaborate gesture,
and she followed the F.R.E.D. up through the Stargate, Daniel, Teal'c
and the colonel behind.
The cold air assaulted Sam soon after she cleared the event horizon;
apparently the active wormhole had acted as a bit of a buffer from
the gusts. Daniel yelled out against the wind. "If this is
summer...", the rest of his words were lost in the air, but Sam got
the gist.
She dialed a few keys on the F.R.E.D.'s remote and pointed. "The
strongest readings were five klicks this way, sir!" she shouted, but
doubted anyone could hear.
She started moving south-east, her teammates following behind. They
tried to use the lumbering F.R.E.D. for as much of a wind break as
was possible.
Once they moved onto higher ground, the temperature rose, and the
wind died down. The valley where the Stargate was located must have
formed some sort of wind tunnel. They began to make good time
towards where the readings lay. That was when Sam realized that once
again, their pre-mission intel was not accurate. The uninhabited
planet was inhabited after all. A young voice could be heard in the
distance. The words were unclear, but the sentiment was easily
decipherable. It was a tone of alarm and distress. With no more
than a glance at her teammates, all of them moved by unspoken
agreement towards the sound.
"Nama! Nama!" A boy struggled to climb over a small embankment,
screaming hysterically. Teal'c reached the boy first and picked him
up by the back of the shirt, depositing him safely on solid ground.
The boy started spouting off gibberish, and they all turned
instinctively to Daniel who looked as bewildered as they.
"I-I don't know. The dialect..."
Suddenly the boy seemed to realize his rescuers were strangers. He
let out a loud cry and started to move away from them.
"Jack!"
Sam's attention shifted from the boy to Daniel. He was looking over
the embankment. In the next instant, the boy took off at a run, but
Sam barely noticed his departure. Her eyes arrested to where Daniel
was pointing at a small speck in the middle of a frozen lake bed. A
child had fallen through the ice.
Daniel was already scrambling over the embankment. Teal'c had
started after the boy, but turned again at Daniel's movement.
"She's going to drown!" Daniel shouted back to the team, not stopping.
"Daniel, hold up!" Colonel O'Neill shouted back. He too started
moving over the embankment. "Teal'c, get the rope. Carter be ready."
"Sir, if the ice is weak, I'm lighter."
O'Neill's steely gaze locked on hers. "I don't think any of us are
lighter than that kid out there. You're the closest we have to a
medic, and I need you here."
Sam knew an order when she heard it, so she bit back further protest
and gave a crisp nod. It didn't stop her from fidgeting as her
teammates carefully moved on their stomachs across the ice, forming a
human chain.
"Jack, she's going under!" Daniel cried out the warning an instant
before he lunged forward.
"Daniel!" O'Neill regained his floundering hold after Daniel's
sudden movements and immediately began to pull him back.
"Got her!" On hearing Daniel's cry, Sam released the breath she
didn't know she was holding.
"Haul us back, Teal'c." O'Neill ordered. Sam pulled on the rope
Teal'c had anchored to the tree in an attempt to more quickly bring
her teammates and their young charge back to shore. As her teammates
drew closer, Sam's attention was immediately drawn to the child he
had plucked from the water.
"Sh-sh-she's not breathing," Daniel shivered out. Sam grabbed the
girl, taking basic vitals before starting mouth to mouth resuscitation.
As she paused to again take the girl's pulse and check for breath
sounds, she was struck by the youngster's similarity to Cassie--not
enough that the two girls would ever be mistaken for sisters, but
something about the eyebrows and nose Sam was now pinching closed
reminded her of Janet Fraiser's adoptive daughter. The girl was
younger, probably around six years old, but Sam immediately thought
of Cassandra.
She was vaguely aware of her teammates' movements and presence, but
even that awareness receded as her whole environment was focused on
the girl.
Count off compressions, breathe breathe breathe. Pulse check.
Count off compressions, breathe breathe breathe. Over and over again.
Mid-exhale, Sam felt movement beneath her. Quickly she turned the
girl on her side as the youth started coughing up water. Sam rubbed
her back with one hand and checked her pulse with the other. The
girl started looking around in bewilderment. Sam hastened to
reassure her.
"It's okay. You're going to be okay." Sam hoped her tone of voice
could convey the comfort that their language barrier prevented.
Pleased with the improvement in the girl's vital signs, Sam turned
with a smile to her teammates. The sight that met her eyes caused
her smile to falter, and she reached back towards the weapon she had
shifted aside in her resuscitation efforts.
A group of people, dressed in furs and animal hides, had surrounded
them. Sharp blades were held uncomfortably close to the throats of
her friends, who were remaining very still. Only the unstable ice of
the frozen lake bed behind her and Teal'c's physical presence as a
shield in front of her had presumably stopped her from meeting the
same fate. Instinctively, she pulled the child closer to her, trying
to offer what protection she could. However, her brain was telling
her that these natives were likely the girl's people. She glanced
around at their faces, trying to judge their intent. Sam could only
read shock and fear in their expressions.
The colonel was looking calm, staring at her with a steely expression
that gave away nothing to his captors but reassured her. Beside him,
Daniel swallowed and tried to speak what Sam recognized as his cycle
of "guess a common language." Their only reaction was to point their
blades closer to his skin. Daniel licked his lips and fell silent
with a look of apology to the rest of the team for his failure. Sam
gave him a sympathetic smile.
The lopsided stand-off came to a close as the boy they had first
encountered came running back, still shouting. "Nama!"
He led a group of more natives, dressed similarly to the first. But
while those holding Sam's team hostage appeared to be teens, this new
group had a wider range in age. Sam could see no adult males in the
group except for elderly, but women were present of all ages. They
were moving as fast as they could towards the group. The boy who was
leading them kept running forward and back as if urging them to hurry.
When he noticed their group, he raced forward, babbling
incoherently. He seemed to stop short at seeing SG-1 held hostage by
the others and said something from its tone seemed to be a bewildered
question. A sharp rebuke from the man holding a blade at Teal'c was
the only response. The boy pointed at the pond, ignoring the rebuke,
then his eyes fell on Sam and the girl for the first time. Heedless
of the tense situation, the boy stumbled to the younger girl and
embraced her where she still lay in Sam's lap. Both started crying.
An older woman approached the group, apparently the leader. The
teenagers appeared to straighten more to attention in her presence.
The one who had rebuked the youth started speaking again, and the boy
interrupted. The only word Sam caught was the "Nama" phrase he had
kept repeating. She glanced over to Daniel, whose face was scrunched
in concentration.
The older woman spoke a few words, and both the boy and the teen
responded. Daniel spoke up with a few hesitant words. The woman
appeared surprised at his interruption, but waved for the teens to
hold their weapons back. She asked Daniel a question, to which he
shrugged and appeared to repeat the same phrase. The boy started
chattering rapidly, and the girl in Sam's lap started to speak but
coughed, her throat likely raw. Sam shook her head, and tried to
mime she should not speak.
The older woman spoke an exchange again to the teens, and they
completely lowered their blades. The one near the colonel started
chattering. She looked down at Sam and the girl in wonder.
Delicately, she touched the girl's face, then turned to Sam.
"Az'heni," she muttered.
Sam blinked in incomprehension. She shook her head and looked to
Daniel. He shrugged and seemed to ask a question to the woman. The
older woman turned and smiled, pantomiming gestures and speaking slowly.
Daniel turned to his teammates. "I'm still not too confident on the
dialect, but it seems like it was just a big misunderstanding. They
thought we were attacking the girl, but the boy explained that we
must have rescued her. And I think one of them told everyone about
Sam's CPR efforts. They don't know of such things. It's pretty much
a miracle to them."
"Well, I'm liking the part where they don't have weapons pointed at
us anymore," the colonel said.
Daniel nodded, trying to speak to the woman again. After an exchange
of words, he explained. "We're invited back to the village for a
feast in our honor, or at least Sam's. Nama herself wishes us to
take refuge in her home."
Sam watched the girl embraced by the older woman, now known as Nama.
Everyone was smiling, even trying to be overly helpful in getting Sam
to her feet. They went from being treated like criminals to being
treated like royalty in the blink of an eye.
Colonel O'Neill started gathering his gear, still keeping a wary eye
on the villagers. "Making nice with the natives may be a good idea.
If the intelligence on it being uninhabited was wrong, who knows what
other surprises we may find. Let's go get some grub."
Not only did the natives treat them to dried meat from a caribou-like
animal, a few of the teens offered to lead them to where the mineral
Sam described could be found in abundance. After their experiences
with Tonane, none of SG-1 was taking any chances at pissing off the
natives, even though it appeared there were no spirit guardians
watching their daily life.
Nama, it turned out, was the most respected village elder, and was
grandmother to Ailee, the girl they had rescued, and Bootach her
brother. According to Daniel, the tribe was nomadic, and the village
had just settled, which accounted for their presence not being noted
by the limited range of the life signs detectors.
The village was surprisingly sturdy for a nomadic tribe. Built to
withstand the colder weather, some of the homes took advantage of the
slate-like rocks. Nama's home was a more permanent structure, but
blended so well into the landscape, it appeared as another rock
formation. The men of the village were out on a several days' hunt,
but should join the rest of the tribe soon.
Ailee was scuttled off to bed with a hot broth whereas the team was
treated to the hot meal and then escorted to the hills. As much as
Sam enjoyed the meal, she was anxious to check out if at least the
trinium readings were correct from the initial recon. The teens that
had acted as captors now escorted SG-1 almost reverently to the hills.
When they reached the cave, everyone did an initial exploration, and
when it was determined to be safe, Colonel O'Neill waved to Sam's
pack. "Well, looks like it's time to do your magic, Major."
"Magic, sir?"
"Sure, you know, take readings, get samples, play with doohickeys.
You know, your magic." He grinned and raised his eyebrows.
Sam nodded and tried to hide her smile. "Yes, sir."
Sam was pleased with the results of her testing. The trinium deposit
was a rich vein. Certainly one that would more than fit the needs of
Stargate Command. When they returned to the village, they found the
children engaged in a snowball fight outside the village.
They squealed in delight, calling out "Az'heni" and each of their
names. Colonel O'Neill approached Bootach and some of his friends
and started hefting a snowball, then taking his fingerless gloves,
started working the snowball and showing certain grips to the children.
Daniel moved up next to her. "Jack's apparently teaching baseball
pitching techniques."
"I see that." Sam laughed.
O'Neill looked up at her. "Find something amusing, Carter?"
"Oh no, sir." Sam did not hide her smile as she responded.
"Just teaching them the most efficient use of their arsenal."
O'Neill said defensively.
"Of course, Jack," Daniel smiled patronizingly.
Bootach threw a tentative first ball which hit its target. Sam noted
some of the other children started to realize their opponents were
gaining an advantage and began to lob snowballs back at O'Neill's
band of youths.
"Return fire!" Jack laughed, and fully entered the fray with the
children.
"Jack has a universal language with kids it seems." Daniel shared a
smile with Sam.
Sam started to move past, out of the way of the warring factions,
when she was startled by a snowball slammed her in the back. She
turned around slowly. The children all looked horrified, and the
colonel shook his head arms wide and open. "Not my fault, Major."
Sam glared at him suspiciously, but noticed the children's wide eyes
were all looking the other direction. She spun around. The other
children looked equally shocked, but then she looked at Teal'c. He
gazed back at her in his impassive manner, hands clasped behind his
back, but Sam almost detected a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Before she could respond further, one of the children pointed and
started shouting. A group of men could be seen approaching the
village. Some of the children ran to greet them, shouting and
pointing to the team. Nama and the other villagers also approached.
The hunters came closer, and Nama smilingly began to introduce them.
One hunter came closer. Nama seemed to be singling him out as her
son, Miaachi.
Sam grimaced as a nausea in her gut became acute when Miaachi grew
closer. Beside her, Teal'c raised his staff weapon and charged it.
A few moments later, Sam too readied her gun. Daniel turned to them
startled, as the colonel grabbed his own weapon in reaction to Teal'c
and Sam's alert status and looked between his team and the hunters.
"He's a Goa'uld, sir." Sam's voice was tight.
"Indeed."
Miaachi stared at them, startled, as Nama made protests. His eyes
became riveted to Teal'c and the gold emblem on his forehead.
"Jaffa." Miaachi sneered, and his eyes took on the unholy glow of
the Goa'uld. Nama cried out in alarm, and the villagers shrank
back. Many of them muttered to themselves, but Sam remained focused
on the Goa'uld and her team.
"Is he the only one?" O'Neill and even Daniel had their weapons
trained on the lead hunter while Teal'c walked amongst the other
newcomers.
"He is, O'Neill."
Some of the villagers had grabbed weapons, but seemed uncertain as to
who to point them too. Many of the women had herded their children
into the huts. Nama approached cautiously, her eyes filled with
tears and protesting. Daniel tried to explain the situation as best
he could in his halting alien tongue. Nama spoke again, and Daniel
responded. Nama nodded, then turned to Sam and spoke to her.
Sam looked to Daniel in bewilderment. He shrugged, "she's asking if
you were certain the rest of the village is not in danger."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the one who saved her granddaughter, and she trusts
you."
Sam shrugged and felt overwhelmed. "What should I say?"
Daniel gave her an encouraging look. "Just try and look reassuring."
Sam sighed, then smiled and nodded at Nama. Daniel continued to
speak soothingly to Nama, but over her shoulder, he exchanged a
worried look with the team. Apparently either Sam's nod or Daniel's
assurances were enough, because she spoke out loudly and gave orders
to the others, including to the hunters who had accompanied Miaachi,
who were not as accepting of SG-1 as of yet. Apparently Nama's word
held sway with them as well, because no one threatened the team. All
their attention could remain focused on the Goa'uld.
"So, what shall we do with the snakehead?" O'Neill's eyes were flint.
"I suggest you release me," said the Goa'uld.
"Uh, no, that's not going to happen."
"Perhaps we should return him to the SGC," Teal'c intoned.
Bootach approached Sam and Daniel and tugged on Sam's sleeve. He
started to speak rapidly, pointing in the distance. Sam looked over
to Daniel who was concentrating on the boy's body language as much as
the words. Sam didn't get the urgency like when his sister was in
danger, but there was something of concern in his expressions.
"Daniel?"
"Something." Daniel's eyes widened. "A storm?"
"Oh, I'd say so." O'Neill took off his glasses and was looking at
the horizon. "If Minnesota winters are anything to judge by, we've
got some serious weather heading towards us." He turned to Carter.
"We won't make it back to the Stargate in time." He turned to Sam.
"Looks like we may have to take advantage of the villagers'
hospitality after all. Good thing you got us in their good graces."
Nama's house was the largest in the village because of its status.
There were four rooms, one overly large that served as kitchen and
parlor and three smaller rooms, a tiny one behind the fireplace for
the children, a room for Miaachi and his wife, and a room for Nama.
Her room was being used as the Goa'uld's prison for now. She removed
a few possessions, and after some final reassuring murmurs from
Daniel, left, looking at her son with concern.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you." The Goa'uld's face was as if set in
stone.
"Sir, it doesn't make sense. Why was he working with the hunting
parties? It's not typical Goa'uld behavior."
"Well, I'm sure it's not for the balmy weather." The colonel's eyes
remained as flint staring at their prisoner.
"Perhaps the Goa'uld are here for the same reason we are, O'Neill."
Teal'c's conjecture about the trinium made sense, but Sam still
wasn't satisfied. Neither, apparently was Daniel.
"No, Sam's right. Something doesn't fit." Daniel shook his head.
"According to Nama, Maachi had no scars and was not acting unusual at
all before he returned. It's almost like what happened on Nasya with
Jolinar."
"You know of Jolinar of Malkshur?" The prisoner looked at them with
new interest. "How?"
"Never you mind." O'Neill waved his weapon threateningly towards the
Goa'uld. "The better question is how do you know Jolinar?"
The prisoner studied each of them closely, clenching his jaw. After
what seemed like forever, he finally spoke. "I am as she."
"You are Tok'ra?"
The prisoner blinked in surprise. "Yes."
"That's still not selling me in your favor." However, the colonel no
longer pointed his weapon quite as menacingly. "How about a name?"
"I am called Kandok."
"Kandok, huh?" Colonel O'Neill gave away nothing in his expression.
Sam held her breath. Trying to parse through the remnants of
Jolinar's memories was a difficult task with inconsistent results.
The name Kandok echoed in her brain. Vague images came to her.
"Describe your last host, Kandok." Sam's voice sounded steady, which
she found remarkable. She felt like she was shaking head to foot.
"What did he look like?"
The prisoner focused on her. "He was close to his height." His chin
nodded to Daniel. Daniel and the colonel were close in height, but
with his baseball cap, O'Neill looked taller. "Black hair, green
eyes. Complexion like yours." He nodded to Sam and looked down.
"His name was Marzan, and he was a good man."
As he spoke, Sam could picture the Tok'ra he was describing. A sharp
nose, angular features, slight of build. Either Jolinar did not know
him well, or this was one of the many times Jolinar's memories were
mere wisps of ghosts to her. Aside from this memory of a face, she
could recall no other details, but the details sounded right.
"Okay. If Marzan was such a great guy, why'd you trade him in for a
different model?", said Colonel O'Neill.
Kandok's eyes flashed with a familiar gold glow. "I had no choice,"
he growled. "He was dying."
The colonel raised an eyebrow. "So you just chose a convenient body?"
"Jack...", Daniel warned.
O'Neill lifted a finger and shot all of them a warning glance. Sam
took it to mean nothing more should be said about Jolinar and Sam's
knowledge for the time being. She for one, was anxious to hear
Kandok's tale.
"Why don't you start from the beginning. Why are you here?", she said.
"So far I don't know why I should say anything else to you. The
secrets of the Tok'ra..."
"Oh, we know all about the Tok'ra and their secrets. We just want to
know about you right now."
Once again Kandok was startled by Colonel O'Neill's retort, whether
at their tone or their purported familiarity of the Tok'ra Sam could
not say. "I was on a mission deep undercover. I was returning to
report, but my ship was damaged in a firefight. I tried to fix it,
but the crystals had burnt out. The hyperspace engines gave out
while near this system, and my ship crashed. I've been trying to
salvage what I could from it in order to send a subspace communication."
"Why didn't you just use the Stargate?", Sam queried.
"Stargate?"
"The Chappa'ai." Teal'c's voice still dripped with menace.
"My scanners burnt out as I went through the atmosphere. I could
only guess at its presence. Then the crash and Marzan was thrown so
violently from the impact. Both of us were badly injured, and I was
too weakened to save him. Then Miaachi arrived to investigate the
crash, and..."
"And you decided to abandon the sinking ship for a new model." The
colonel's cold delivery belied his casual words. Sam suppressed a
shudder at the unwanted memories dredged up.
Kandok bristled. "It was not a decision to take lightly...and the
ways of the Tok'ra are not to be explained to the likes of you."
The colonel's smile was more of a sneer. "And there's that arrogance
we all know and love. May I remind you that we're the guys with the
guns? Hence, the answering of questions."
"I think I've told you quite enough considering I know not who you
are, or your motives in being here. I too doubt it was for
the...'balmy weather'. I must get back to my ship." Kandok started
to rise.
Teal'c took a step closer and raised his eyebrow, his staff weapon
grasped a bit more strongly. Kandok immediately sat back down,
intimidated, but clearly unhappy.
O'Neill gestured outside and his team followed to the door. "None of
us are going anywhere in this storm. After that, we'll gauge the
next steps. Teal'c, keep an eye on him. Daniel, why don't you go
smooth over any ruffled feathers of our hosts."
Daniel nodded and started to leave, but shot Sam a worried look. She
gave a weak smile and nod. She tried to show through her expression
and body language that she was fine, to assuage her teammate's
worries. He smiled back, but the concern still showed in his eyes
before he left.
O'Neill gestured with his chin for her to follow to another room and
she complied. Once there he started speaking to her in a low tone.
"Major? Any more opinion on our snake friend?"
She faltered slightly before speaking. "I think he could be Kandok.
All I could conjure was a vague image of the former host, Colonel.
Jolinar's memories don't come at my beck and call." Carter bit her
lip at her unexpected tone.
The colonel squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, I know. I'm not asking
about Jolinar. I'm asking your opinion. What's your read on him?"
Sam blinked. "I...I believe him, sir."
The colonel nodded. "Yeah, his ego sounds more Tok'ra to me too, not
the least of which is him sticking around this...paradise and not
playing god to the natives. I'll still feel better when this storm
passes and we can get him on our turf for some more conversations."
O'Neill gave her a penetrating look. "Carter, are you okay?"
Sam clenched her teeth, determined to stay strong. "I'm able to
perform my duties, Colonel."
"I appreciate that. But right now, I'm not asking as a c.o., I'm
asking as a friend."
Sam knew that, and it made her retaining her self-control even
harder. She took a shuddering breath before making the admission.
"His story shook me up a bit, sir, but I'll be okay." She nodded and
smiled again, this one a bit more genuine than the one she gave
Daniel. Away from the Tok'ra and his history, she was finally
wresting control of the spectre of Jolinar back where she liked to
keep her.
O'Neill gave her an assessing look before nodding. "Yeah. You will
be." His expression shifted to the one she recognized as the steely
black ops colonel as he glanced back towards the other room that held
Teal'c and Kandok. "We'll make sure of it."
Daniel came back and reported that the villagers were handling the
news well. While SG-1 was interrogating the supposed Tok'ra, the
village elders had met themselves and decided that SG-1's presence
was as protectors, and the village would follow the team's
recommendations. Apparently Sam in particular was singled out for
honor from both her resuscitation of the girl and her initial reveal
of the demon possession of their best warrior. Sam was embarrassed
by the attention, but they all agreed as little as any of them liked
being put on pedestals, in these circumstances with Daniel's limited
language abilities and the uncertain nature of their prisoner, it was
the simplest explanation.
They remained in Nama's house. One of them stayed with Kandok at all
times. Teal'c was given first watch. The colonel and Daniel met
with the other warriors who were with Kandok when he arrived at the
village. Sam remained in the outer chambers with Nama. At least
here she was able to keep track of the girl, who was making a quick
recovery. Both her grandmother, mother and Sam were forcing her to
take it easy, but already she was anxious to go and play with her
brother. Sam kept checking her vital signs and was pleased with the
results.
The little girl smiled at her and touched her blond hair with
curiosity. "Az'heni," she whispered.
Sam shook her head and smiled. "Sam," she replied pointing to herself.
"S-ssam." The girl giggled at the strange new word, and Sam joined
in her in the laughter.
Nama touched Sam gently on the shoulder. "Az'heni." She crooked her
finger and indicated Sam should follow. Sam soon realized why. An
aromatic stew was being served.
She had not realized how hungry she was until she smelled the meal.
She savored the stew with relish. Daniel entered the room soon
afterwards, his eyes alight in excitement. Jack followed him inside.
"I think I'm making some progress communicating." Daniel nodded
towards where the girl was lying, her grandmother taking a bowl of
stew to her. "How is she?"
"I think she's going to be fine." Sam exchanged a look of relief
with her friend.
"Well, the villagers seem to indicate they don't expect the storm to
last long. And the other hunters with Miaachi are willing to show
where he went off from the others," Daniel explained.
"Do you think we may find his ship?"
Daniel shrugged and finished his stew. "I don't know. Maybe there's
something to corroborate his story at least."
The colonel then turned to her. "Major, what's your take?"
She shrugged. "We may be able to salvage something from the ship.
If Kandok is a Goa'uld, we don't know time frames before someone may
pick up a distress signal."
Daniel spoke up. "We may also find a way to contact the Tok'ra.
After all, we have no way to reach them right now."
Colonel O'Neill nodded. "All right, that's it then. Carter, you and
Teal'c head out there in the morning with the hunting party after the
storm passes and see what you can find out. It'll be nice to give
Hammond as big a present as possible, because I'm sure he's going to
love all of this." The colonel's tone was sarcastic. "Daniel, as
soon as the weather lets up, phone home. Make them aware of the
situation while I keep our buddy company."
Sam looked down at her bowl, swirling the spoon back and forth in a
mindless pattern. Her normal interest in looking at alien technology
was tempered by wondering if the previous host still remained there.
Lost in her thoughts, it took both the colonel and Daniel calling her
name to realize they had been speaking to her. "What?"
Daniel gave her a worried smile. "Nama asked if you thought Ailee
was well enough to play a bit quietly?"
"Oh," Sam blinked and nodded. "Yes."
Daniel spoke to them for a few moments before the grandmother smiled
and nodded, going to where the girl was resting. Sam smiled when she
noticed the brother on the grandmother's heels.
Her assessment was punctuated with the girl leaping up and chasing
her brother after he said something to her. The grandmother started
scolding the pair, but her body language also indicated she was
pleased. She gave a grateful nod to the team members sitting there.
The home was still cold from where Daniel had entered. The mother
stoked the fire somewhat. Sam started reaching into her pack.
"Daniel, did you bring any chocolate? I don't know if I have enough."
"Um, yeah. I think so. Enough for what?"
"I've got an idea." She accepted Daniel's bar, adding it to her own
and pulled a small empty pot from the stove, filling it with some
water. Next she broke the chocolate apart. Her teammates exchanged
knowing smiles. When the chocolate had dissolved, she beckoned to
the children, who had been watching her curiously and sniffing the
air at the strange smell.
She poured some chocolate into cups for each of the family members
and her team. When the children tasted the beverage, their eyes
rounded like saucers. Sam giggled at the sight.
"An introduction to hot chocolate?", Daniel waggled his eyebrows.
Sam brought her own cup to her lips, warming her fingers around the
stone mug. "Nectar of the gods, Daniel."
"Mmm. I'm not complaining."
Jack smiled at the children before going into the room where Teal'c
and Kandok remained. Sam's attention was drawn to the grandmother
who was laying out what appeared to be her most prized possessions by
the reverent way she handled them. She exchanged looks with Daniel,
but he merely shook his head and shrugged. Finally, Nama found what
she was searching for and set it aside. Replacing the other objects,
she picked up the white cloth and brought it over, presenting it to Sam.
"Az'heni." The woman nodded for Sam to accept the gift. The cloth
was woven from some type of wool-like material, soft and fluffy. She
unpacked the item. It was a scarf, the white color pristine and the
material softer than cashmere.
Daniel was speaking haltingly to the mother. "Apparently it's from a
rare animal. The color and texture make it especially prized."
"It's beautiful." Sam smiled and moved to hand the scarf back.
"Lovely workmanship."
Nama pushed her hands outward in a gesture Sam recognized as
refusal. "Az'heni." The grandmother nodded again.
Sam shook her head. "But I can't accept this. It's yours. I..."
She looked to Daniel for help.
He merely shook his head sympathetically. "I'd just accept the gift,
Sam."
"What does Az'heni mean?"
"Well, it seems close in pronunciation to a similar word on Earth
that means 'angel'."
"Angel? Daniel, these people think I'm some kind of savior?"
"Well, they did witness you bring the girl back to life."
"But you guys rescued her from the water. I just performed CPR. I
mean..."
Daniel put his hand on her back comfortingly. "I know, Sam. But you
did save the girl's life in a way previously unknown to them
and later revealed a "demon" in their midst. They're grateful." He
grimaced. "I found out on Abydos, there's only so much you can do to
dispel a hero myth. And you...have become a hero." He nudged her
playfully. "Besides, I can't really argue. You presented everyone
with one of my favorite 'nectar of the gods'. That makes you an
angel in my book too."
Sam laughed and shoved him back. She knew he was just trying to
lighten her mood. And right now, watching the children licking the
remnants of their mugs, she was finding it easy to keep the thoughts
at bay. She did not feel like an angel. Quite the contrary.
Meeting Kandok reminded her of a time when she felt the very
opposite, like she was sullied damaged goods. But looking at the
life in the girl's eyes, so much like Cassie, the girl who brought
her back from the brink after her time with Jolinar, she felt better,
and while no angel, she was satisfied she had done good work today.
Read Part 2
Author: aurora_novarum
Rating/Warning: PG, warning for mild language Spoilers:
Very Early Season 3 (pre-"Seth"; post Sam's promotion)
Your recipient: Sel, seldear
Request details: Wants: Jacob(&Selmak), Sam's team-mates, a
white fluffy scarf.
Doesn't want: flashbacks to Sam's childhood, a depressing ending
Az'heni
Sam made certain all her equipment was stored before bundling into
the cold weather gear and adjusting the straps on her pack. Although
stifling in the outfit, Sam knew just after walking through the
Stargate, she would be very grateful for the added warmth.
She accepted her guns from the weapons master and joined her
teammates in the Gate room. Even before she entered, she knew her
commanding officer was not happy.
"Remind me again why we're going to this planet, Daniel. Why?"
Daniel still seemed half-asleep, but the time of day on P4R-493 was
optimum now...even if it was 0400 at the SGC. Still, he was game to
rise to the colonel's bait. "Because it's there?" Oh yes, Daniel
was not awake enough to gauge Jack O'Neill's mood was not up to snark.
Luckily, Teal'c had better self-preservation, even if he did have to
bring her name into it. "Major Carter stated a large quantity of
trinium may be present on this planet."
"Okay, but can anyone explain to me why we're going now, at this time
in the morning and when it's eighteen below rather than say, summer?"
Sam spoke up from behind the colonel. "Actually, sir, according to
readings indicating the planet's orbital path and angle, it is summer
there. It's as warm as it's going to get."
"He's just mad he's missing a 'very special' episode of the Simpsons
tonight." Daniel yawned while he spoke. Perhaps he had gauged the
Colonel's mood after all.
Colonel O'Neill glared with mock affront. "At least Siler's taping
it for me." He adjusted his sunglasses and looked at the dialing
Stargate. "Well, let's hope the M.A.L.P. is right for a change, and
there's enough trinium to impress the Pentagon brass."
While he spoke, the event horizon formed with its usual explosive
force. The F.R.E.D. rumbled up the ramp behind the M.A.L.P. After
pausing at the event horizon, General Hammond's voice came through
the Gate room speakers. "SG-1, you have a go."
O'Neill gave a salute to General Hammond, then turned to Sam with a
mischievous expression, all crankiness apparently gone with the
mission underway. "Lead on, MacDuff." He made an elaborate gesture,
and she followed the F.R.E.D. up through the Stargate, Daniel, Teal'c
and the colonel behind.
The cold air assaulted Sam soon after she cleared the event horizon;
apparently the active wormhole had acted as a bit of a buffer from
the gusts. Daniel yelled out against the wind. "If this is
summer...", the rest of his words were lost in the air, but Sam got
the gist.
She dialed a few keys on the F.R.E.D.'s remote and pointed. "The
strongest readings were five klicks this way, sir!" she shouted, but
doubted anyone could hear.
She started moving south-east, her teammates following behind. They
tried to use the lumbering F.R.E.D. for as much of a wind break as
was possible.
Once they moved onto higher ground, the temperature rose, and the
wind died down. The valley where the Stargate was located must have
formed some sort of wind tunnel. They began to make good time
towards where the readings lay. That was when Sam realized that once
again, their pre-mission intel was not accurate. The uninhabited
planet was inhabited after all. A young voice could be heard in the
distance. The words were unclear, but the sentiment was easily
decipherable. It was a tone of alarm and distress. With no more
than a glance at her teammates, all of them moved by unspoken
agreement towards the sound.
"Nama! Nama!" A boy struggled to climb over a small embankment,
screaming hysterically. Teal'c reached the boy first and picked him
up by the back of the shirt, depositing him safely on solid ground.
The boy started spouting off gibberish, and they all turned
instinctively to Daniel who looked as bewildered as they.
"I-I don't know. The dialect..."
Suddenly the boy seemed to realize his rescuers were strangers. He
let out a loud cry and started to move away from them.
"Jack!"
Sam's attention shifted from the boy to Daniel. He was looking over
the embankment. In the next instant, the boy took off at a run, but
Sam barely noticed his departure. Her eyes arrested to where Daniel
was pointing at a small speck in the middle of a frozen lake bed. A
child had fallen through the ice.
Daniel was already scrambling over the embankment. Teal'c had
started after the boy, but turned again at Daniel's movement.
"She's going to drown!" Daniel shouted back to the team, not stopping.
"Daniel, hold up!" Colonel O'Neill shouted back. He too started
moving over the embankment. "Teal'c, get the rope. Carter be ready."
"Sir, if the ice is weak, I'm lighter."
O'Neill's steely gaze locked on hers. "I don't think any of us are
lighter than that kid out there. You're the closest we have to a
medic, and I need you here."
Sam knew an order when she heard it, so she bit back further protest
and gave a crisp nod. It didn't stop her from fidgeting as her
teammates carefully moved on their stomachs across the ice, forming a
human chain.
"Jack, she's going under!" Daniel cried out the warning an instant
before he lunged forward.
"Daniel!" O'Neill regained his floundering hold after Daniel's
sudden movements and immediately began to pull him back.
"Got her!" On hearing Daniel's cry, Sam released the breath she
didn't know she was holding.
"Haul us back, Teal'c." O'Neill ordered. Sam pulled on the rope
Teal'c had anchored to the tree in an attempt to more quickly bring
her teammates and their young charge back to shore. As her teammates
drew closer, Sam's attention was immediately drawn to the child he
had plucked from the water.
"Sh-sh-she's not breathing," Daniel shivered out. Sam grabbed the
girl, taking basic vitals before starting mouth to mouth resuscitation.
As she paused to again take the girl's pulse and check for breath
sounds, she was struck by the youngster's similarity to Cassie--not
enough that the two girls would ever be mistaken for sisters, but
something about the eyebrows and nose Sam was now pinching closed
reminded her of Janet Fraiser's adoptive daughter. The girl was
younger, probably around six years old, but Sam immediately thought
of Cassandra.
She was vaguely aware of her teammates' movements and presence, but
even that awareness receded as her whole environment was focused on
the girl.
Count off compressions, breathe breathe breathe. Pulse check.
Count off compressions, breathe breathe breathe. Over and over again.
Mid-exhale, Sam felt movement beneath her. Quickly she turned the
girl on her side as the youth started coughing up water. Sam rubbed
her back with one hand and checked her pulse with the other. The
girl started looking around in bewilderment. Sam hastened to
reassure her.
"It's okay. You're going to be okay." Sam hoped her tone of voice
could convey the comfort that their language barrier prevented.
Pleased with the improvement in the girl's vital signs, Sam turned
with a smile to her teammates. The sight that met her eyes caused
her smile to falter, and she reached back towards the weapon she had
shifted aside in her resuscitation efforts.
A group of people, dressed in furs and animal hides, had surrounded
them. Sharp blades were held uncomfortably close to the throats of
her friends, who were remaining very still. Only the unstable ice of
the frozen lake bed behind her and Teal'c's physical presence as a
shield in front of her had presumably stopped her from meeting the
same fate. Instinctively, she pulled the child closer to her, trying
to offer what protection she could. However, her brain was telling
her that these natives were likely the girl's people. She glanced
around at their faces, trying to judge their intent. Sam could only
read shock and fear in their expressions.
The colonel was looking calm, staring at her with a steely expression
that gave away nothing to his captors but reassured her. Beside him,
Daniel swallowed and tried to speak what Sam recognized as his cycle
of "guess a common language." Their only reaction was to point their
blades closer to his skin. Daniel licked his lips and fell silent
with a look of apology to the rest of the team for his failure. Sam
gave him a sympathetic smile.
The lopsided stand-off came to a close as the boy they had first
encountered came running back, still shouting. "Nama!"
He led a group of more natives, dressed similarly to the first. But
while those holding Sam's team hostage appeared to be teens, this new
group had a wider range in age. Sam could see no adult males in the
group except for elderly, but women were present of all ages. They
were moving as fast as they could towards the group. The boy who was
leading them kept running forward and back as if urging them to hurry.
When he noticed their group, he raced forward, babbling
incoherently. He seemed to stop short at seeing SG-1 held hostage by
the others and said something from its tone seemed to be a bewildered
question. A sharp rebuke from the man holding a blade at Teal'c was
the only response. The boy pointed at the pond, ignoring the rebuke,
then his eyes fell on Sam and the girl for the first time. Heedless
of the tense situation, the boy stumbled to the younger girl and
embraced her where she still lay in Sam's lap. Both started crying.
An older woman approached the group, apparently the leader. The
teenagers appeared to straighten more to attention in her presence.
The one who had rebuked the youth started speaking again, and the boy
interrupted. The only word Sam caught was the "Nama" phrase he had
kept repeating. She glanced over to Daniel, whose face was scrunched
in concentration.
The older woman spoke a few words, and both the boy and the teen
responded. Daniel spoke up with a few hesitant words. The woman
appeared surprised at his interruption, but waved for the teens to
hold their weapons back. She asked Daniel a question, to which he
shrugged and appeared to repeat the same phrase. The boy started
chattering rapidly, and the girl in Sam's lap started to speak but
coughed, her throat likely raw. Sam shook her head, and tried to
mime she should not speak.
The older woman spoke an exchange again to the teens, and they
completely lowered their blades. The one near the colonel started
chattering. She looked down at Sam and the girl in wonder.
Delicately, she touched the girl's face, then turned to Sam.
"Az'heni," she muttered.
Sam blinked in incomprehension. She shook her head and looked to
Daniel. He shrugged and seemed to ask a question to the woman. The
older woman turned and smiled, pantomiming gestures and speaking slowly.
Daniel turned to his teammates. "I'm still not too confident on the
dialect, but it seems like it was just a big misunderstanding. They
thought we were attacking the girl, but the boy explained that we
must have rescued her. And I think one of them told everyone about
Sam's CPR efforts. They don't know of such things. It's pretty much
a miracle to them."
"Well, I'm liking the part where they don't have weapons pointed at
us anymore," the colonel said.
Daniel nodded, trying to speak to the woman again. After an exchange
of words, he explained. "We're invited back to the village for a
feast in our honor, or at least Sam's. Nama herself wishes us to
take refuge in her home."
Sam watched the girl embraced by the older woman, now known as Nama.
Everyone was smiling, even trying to be overly helpful in getting Sam
to her feet. They went from being treated like criminals to being
treated like royalty in the blink of an eye.
Colonel O'Neill started gathering his gear, still keeping a wary eye
on the villagers. "Making nice with the natives may be a good idea.
If the intelligence on it being uninhabited was wrong, who knows what
other surprises we may find. Let's go get some grub."
Not only did the natives treat them to dried meat from a caribou-like
animal, a few of the teens offered to lead them to where the mineral
Sam described could be found in abundance. After their experiences
with Tonane, none of SG-1 was taking any chances at pissing off the
natives, even though it appeared there were no spirit guardians
watching their daily life.
Nama, it turned out, was the most respected village elder, and was
grandmother to Ailee, the girl they had rescued, and Bootach her
brother. According to Daniel, the tribe was nomadic, and the village
had just settled, which accounted for their presence not being noted
by the limited range of the life signs detectors.
The village was surprisingly sturdy for a nomadic tribe. Built to
withstand the colder weather, some of the homes took advantage of the
slate-like rocks. Nama's home was a more permanent structure, but
blended so well into the landscape, it appeared as another rock
formation. The men of the village were out on a several days' hunt,
but should join the rest of the tribe soon.
Ailee was scuttled off to bed with a hot broth whereas the team was
treated to the hot meal and then escorted to the hills. As much as
Sam enjoyed the meal, she was anxious to check out if at least the
trinium readings were correct from the initial recon. The teens that
had acted as captors now escorted SG-1 almost reverently to the hills.
When they reached the cave, everyone did an initial exploration, and
when it was determined to be safe, Colonel O'Neill waved to Sam's
pack. "Well, looks like it's time to do your magic, Major."
"Magic, sir?"
"Sure, you know, take readings, get samples, play with doohickeys.
You know, your magic." He grinned and raised his eyebrows.
Sam nodded and tried to hide her smile. "Yes, sir."
Sam was pleased with the results of her testing. The trinium deposit
was a rich vein. Certainly one that would more than fit the needs of
Stargate Command. When they returned to the village, they found the
children engaged in a snowball fight outside the village.
They squealed in delight, calling out "Az'heni" and each of their
names. Colonel O'Neill approached Bootach and some of his friends
and started hefting a snowball, then taking his fingerless gloves,
started working the snowball and showing certain grips to the children.
Daniel moved up next to her. "Jack's apparently teaching baseball
pitching techniques."
"I see that." Sam laughed.
O'Neill looked up at her. "Find something amusing, Carter?"
"Oh no, sir." Sam did not hide her smile as she responded.
"Just teaching them the most efficient use of their arsenal."
O'Neill said defensively.
"Of course, Jack," Daniel smiled patronizingly.
Bootach threw a tentative first ball which hit its target. Sam noted
some of the other children started to realize their opponents were
gaining an advantage and began to lob snowballs back at O'Neill's
band of youths.
"Return fire!" Jack laughed, and fully entered the fray with the
children.
"Jack has a universal language with kids it seems." Daniel shared a
smile with Sam.
Sam started to move past, out of the way of the warring factions,
when she was startled by a snowball slammed her in the back. She
turned around slowly. The children all looked horrified, and the
colonel shook his head arms wide and open. "Not my fault, Major."
Sam glared at him suspiciously, but noticed the children's wide eyes
were all looking the other direction. She spun around. The other
children looked equally shocked, but then she looked at Teal'c. He
gazed back at her in his impassive manner, hands clasped behind his
back, but Sam almost detected a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Before she could respond further, one of the children pointed and
started shouting. A group of men could be seen approaching the
village. Some of the children ran to greet them, shouting and
pointing to the team. Nama and the other villagers also approached.
The hunters came closer, and Nama smilingly began to introduce them.
One hunter came closer. Nama seemed to be singling him out as her
son, Miaachi.
Sam grimaced as a nausea in her gut became acute when Miaachi grew
closer. Beside her, Teal'c raised his staff weapon and charged it.
A few moments later, Sam too readied her gun. Daniel turned to them
startled, as the colonel grabbed his own weapon in reaction to Teal'c
and Sam's alert status and looked between his team and the hunters.
"He's a Goa'uld, sir." Sam's voice was tight.
"Indeed."
Miaachi stared at them, startled, as Nama made protests. His eyes
became riveted to Teal'c and the gold emblem on his forehead.
"Jaffa." Miaachi sneered, and his eyes took on the unholy glow of
the Goa'uld. Nama cried out in alarm, and the villagers shrank
back. Many of them muttered to themselves, but Sam remained focused
on the Goa'uld and her team.
"Is he the only one?" O'Neill and even Daniel had their weapons
trained on the lead hunter while Teal'c walked amongst the other
newcomers.
"He is, O'Neill."
Some of the villagers had grabbed weapons, but seemed uncertain as to
who to point them too. Many of the women had herded their children
into the huts. Nama approached cautiously, her eyes filled with
tears and protesting. Daniel tried to explain the situation as best
he could in his halting alien tongue. Nama spoke again, and Daniel
responded. Nama nodded, then turned to Sam and spoke to her.
Sam looked to Daniel in bewilderment. He shrugged, "she's asking if
you were certain the rest of the village is not in danger."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the one who saved her granddaughter, and she trusts
you."
Sam shrugged and felt overwhelmed. "What should I say?"
Daniel gave her an encouraging look. "Just try and look reassuring."
Sam sighed, then smiled and nodded at Nama. Daniel continued to
speak soothingly to Nama, but over her shoulder, he exchanged a
worried look with the team. Apparently either Sam's nod or Daniel's
assurances were enough, because she spoke out loudly and gave orders
to the others, including to the hunters who had accompanied Miaachi,
who were not as accepting of SG-1 as of yet. Apparently Nama's word
held sway with them as well, because no one threatened the team. All
their attention could remain focused on the Goa'uld.
"So, what shall we do with the snakehead?" O'Neill's eyes were flint.
"I suggest you release me," said the Goa'uld.
"Uh, no, that's not going to happen."
"Perhaps we should return him to the SGC," Teal'c intoned.
Bootach approached Sam and Daniel and tugged on Sam's sleeve. He
started to speak rapidly, pointing in the distance. Sam looked over
to Daniel who was concentrating on the boy's body language as much as
the words. Sam didn't get the urgency like when his sister was in
danger, but there was something of concern in his expressions.
"Daniel?"
"Something." Daniel's eyes widened. "A storm?"
"Oh, I'd say so." O'Neill took off his glasses and was looking at
the horizon. "If Minnesota winters are anything to judge by, we've
got some serious weather heading towards us." He turned to Carter.
"We won't make it back to the Stargate in time." He turned to Sam.
"Looks like we may have to take advantage of the villagers'
hospitality after all. Good thing you got us in their good graces."
Nama's house was the largest in the village because of its status.
There were four rooms, one overly large that served as kitchen and
parlor and three smaller rooms, a tiny one behind the fireplace for
the children, a room for Miaachi and his wife, and a room for Nama.
Her room was being used as the Goa'uld's prison for now. She removed
a few possessions, and after some final reassuring murmurs from
Daniel, left, looking at her son with concern.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same of you." The Goa'uld's face was as if set in
stone.
"Sir, it doesn't make sense. Why was he working with the hunting
parties? It's not typical Goa'uld behavior."
"Well, I'm sure it's not for the balmy weather." The colonel's eyes
remained as flint staring at their prisoner.
"Perhaps the Goa'uld are here for the same reason we are, O'Neill."
Teal'c's conjecture about the trinium made sense, but Sam still
wasn't satisfied. Neither, apparently was Daniel.
"No, Sam's right. Something doesn't fit." Daniel shook his head.
"According to Nama, Maachi had no scars and was not acting unusual at
all before he returned. It's almost like what happened on Nasya with
Jolinar."
"You know of Jolinar of Malkshur?" The prisoner looked at them with
new interest. "How?"
"Never you mind." O'Neill waved his weapon threateningly towards the
Goa'uld. "The better question is how do you know Jolinar?"
The prisoner studied each of them closely, clenching his jaw. After
what seemed like forever, he finally spoke. "I am as she."
"You are Tok'ra?"
The prisoner blinked in surprise. "Yes."
"That's still not selling me in your favor." However, the colonel no
longer pointed his weapon quite as menacingly. "How about a name?"
"I am called Kandok."
"Kandok, huh?" Colonel O'Neill gave away nothing in his expression.
Sam held her breath. Trying to parse through the remnants of
Jolinar's memories was a difficult task with inconsistent results.
The name Kandok echoed in her brain. Vague images came to her.
"Describe your last host, Kandok." Sam's voice sounded steady, which
she found remarkable. She felt like she was shaking head to foot.
"What did he look like?"
The prisoner focused on her. "He was close to his height." His chin
nodded to Daniel. Daniel and the colonel were close in height, but
with his baseball cap, O'Neill looked taller. "Black hair, green
eyes. Complexion like yours." He nodded to Sam and looked down.
"His name was Marzan, and he was a good man."
As he spoke, Sam could picture the Tok'ra he was describing. A sharp
nose, angular features, slight of build. Either Jolinar did not know
him well, or this was one of the many times Jolinar's memories were
mere wisps of ghosts to her. Aside from this memory of a face, she
could recall no other details, but the details sounded right.
"Okay. If Marzan was such a great guy, why'd you trade him in for a
different model?", said Colonel O'Neill.
Kandok's eyes flashed with a familiar gold glow. "I had no choice,"
he growled. "He was dying."
The colonel raised an eyebrow. "So you just chose a convenient body?"
"Jack...", Daniel warned.
O'Neill lifted a finger and shot all of them a warning glance. Sam
took it to mean nothing more should be said about Jolinar and Sam's
knowledge for the time being. She for one, was anxious to hear
Kandok's tale.
"Why don't you start from the beginning. Why are you here?", she said.
"So far I don't know why I should say anything else to you. The
secrets of the Tok'ra..."
"Oh, we know all about the Tok'ra and their secrets. We just want to
know about you right now."
Once again Kandok was startled by Colonel O'Neill's retort, whether
at their tone or their purported familiarity of the Tok'ra Sam could
not say. "I was on a mission deep undercover. I was returning to
report, but my ship was damaged in a firefight. I tried to fix it,
but the crystals had burnt out. The hyperspace engines gave out
while near this system, and my ship crashed. I've been trying to
salvage what I could from it in order to send a subspace communication."
"Why didn't you just use the Stargate?", Sam queried.
"Stargate?"
"The Chappa'ai." Teal'c's voice still dripped with menace.
"My scanners burnt out as I went through the atmosphere. I could
only guess at its presence. Then the crash and Marzan was thrown so
violently from the impact. Both of us were badly injured, and I was
too weakened to save him. Then Miaachi arrived to investigate the
crash, and..."
"And you decided to abandon the sinking ship for a new model." The
colonel's cold delivery belied his casual words. Sam suppressed a
shudder at the unwanted memories dredged up.
Kandok bristled. "It was not a decision to take lightly...and the
ways of the Tok'ra are not to be explained to the likes of you."
The colonel's smile was more of a sneer. "And there's that arrogance
we all know and love. May I remind you that we're the guys with the
guns? Hence, the answering of questions."
"I think I've told you quite enough considering I know not who you
are, or your motives in being here. I too doubt it was for
the...'balmy weather'. I must get back to my ship." Kandok started
to rise.
Teal'c took a step closer and raised his eyebrow, his staff weapon
grasped a bit more strongly. Kandok immediately sat back down,
intimidated, but clearly unhappy.
O'Neill gestured outside and his team followed to the door. "None of
us are going anywhere in this storm. After that, we'll gauge the
next steps. Teal'c, keep an eye on him. Daniel, why don't you go
smooth over any ruffled feathers of our hosts."
Daniel nodded and started to leave, but shot Sam a worried look. She
gave a weak smile and nod. She tried to show through her expression
and body language that she was fine, to assuage her teammate's
worries. He smiled back, but the concern still showed in his eyes
before he left.
O'Neill gestured with his chin for her to follow to another room and
she complied. Once there he started speaking to her in a low tone.
"Major? Any more opinion on our snake friend?"
She faltered slightly before speaking. "I think he could be Kandok.
All I could conjure was a vague image of the former host, Colonel.
Jolinar's memories don't come at my beck and call." Carter bit her
lip at her unexpected tone.
The colonel squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, I know. I'm not asking
about Jolinar. I'm asking your opinion. What's your read on him?"
Sam blinked. "I...I believe him, sir."
The colonel nodded. "Yeah, his ego sounds more Tok'ra to me too, not
the least of which is him sticking around this...paradise and not
playing god to the natives. I'll still feel better when this storm
passes and we can get him on our turf for some more conversations."
O'Neill gave her a penetrating look. "Carter, are you okay?"
Sam clenched her teeth, determined to stay strong. "I'm able to
perform my duties, Colonel."
"I appreciate that. But right now, I'm not asking as a c.o., I'm
asking as a friend."
Sam knew that, and it made her retaining her self-control even
harder. She took a shuddering breath before making the admission.
"His story shook me up a bit, sir, but I'll be okay." She nodded and
smiled again, this one a bit more genuine than the one she gave
Daniel. Away from the Tok'ra and his history, she was finally
wresting control of the spectre of Jolinar back where she liked to
keep her.
O'Neill gave her an assessing look before nodding. "Yeah. You will
be." His expression shifted to the one she recognized as the steely
black ops colonel as he glanced back towards the other room that held
Teal'c and Kandok. "We'll make sure of it."
Daniel came back and reported that the villagers were handling the
news well. While SG-1 was interrogating the supposed Tok'ra, the
village elders had met themselves and decided that SG-1's presence
was as protectors, and the village would follow the team's
recommendations. Apparently Sam in particular was singled out for
honor from both her resuscitation of the girl and her initial reveal
of the demon possession of their best warrior. Sam was embarrassed
by the attention, but they all agreed as little as any of them liked
being put on pedestals, in these circumstances with Daniel's limited
language abilities and the uncertain nature of their prisoner, it was
the simplest explanation.
They remained in Nama's house. One of them stayed with Kandok at all
times. Teal'c was given first watch. The colonel and Daniel met
with the other warriors who were with Kandok when he arrived at the
village. Sam remained in the outer chambers with Nama. At least
here she was able to keep track of the girl, who was making a quick
recovery. Both her grandmother, mother and Sam were forcing her to
take it easy, but already she was anxious to go and play with her
brother. Sam kept checking her vital signs and was pleased with the
results.
The little girl smiled at her and touched her blond hair with
curiosity. "Az'heni," she whispered.
Sam shook her head and smiled. "Sam," she replied pointing to herself.
"S-ssam." The girl giggled at the strange new word, and Sam joined
in her in the laughter.
Nama touched Sam gently on the shoulder. "Az'heni." She crooked her
finger and indicated Sam should follow. Sam soon realized why. An
aromatic stew was being served.
She had not realized how hungry she was until she smelled the meal.
She savored the stew with relish. Daniel entered the room soon
afterwards, his eyes alight in excitement. Jack followed him inside.
"I think I'm making some progress communicating." Daniel nodded
towards where the girl was lying, her grandmother taking a bowl of
stew to her. "How is she?"
"I think she's going to be fine." Sam exchanged a look of relief
with her friend.
"Well, the villagers seem to indicate they don't expect the storm to
last long. And the other hunters with Miaachi are willing to show
where he went off from the others," Daniel explained.
"Do you think we may find his ship?"
Daniel shrugged and finished his stew. "I don't know. Maybe there's
something to corroborate his story at least."
The colonel then turned to her. "Major, what's your take?"
She shrugged. "We may be able to salvage something from the ship.
If Kandok is a Goa'uld, we don't know time frames before someone may
pick up a distress signal."
Daniel spoke up. "We may also find a way to contact the Tok'ra.
After all, we have no way to reach them right now."
Colonel O'Neill nodded. "All right, that's it then. Carter, you and
Teal'c head out there in the morning with the hunting party after the
storm passes and see what you can find out. It'll be nice to give
Hammond as big a present as possible, because I'm sure he's going to
love all of this." The colonel's tone was sarcastic. "Daniel, as
soon as the weather lets up, phone home. Make them aware of the
situation while I keep our buddy company."
Sam looked down at her bowl, swirling the spoon back and forth in a
mindless pattern. Her normal interest in looking at alien technology
was tempered by wondering if the previous host still remained there.
Lost in her thoughts, it took both the colonel and Daniel calling her
name to realize they had been speaking to her. "What?"
Daniel gave her a worried smile. "Nama asked if you thought Ailee
was well enough to play a bit quietly?"
"Oh," Sam blinked and nodded. "Yes."
Daniel spoke to them for a few moments before the grandmother smiled
and nodded, going to where the girl was resting. Sam smiled when she
noticed the brother on the grandmother's heels.
Her assessment was punctuated with the girl leaping up and chasing
her brother after he said something to her. The grandmother started
scolding the pair, but her body language also indicated she was
pleased. She gave a grateful nod to the team members sitting there.
The home was still cold from where Daniel had entered. The mother
stoked the fire somewhat. Sam started reaching into her pack.
"Daniel, did you bring any chocolate? I don't know if I have enough."
"Um, yeah. I think so. Enough for what?"
"I've got an idea." She accepted Daniel's bar, adding it to her own
and pulled a small empty pot from the stove, filling it with some
water. Next she broke the chocolate apart. Her teammates exchanged
knowing smiles. When the chocolate had dissolved, she beckoned to
the children, who had been watching her curiously and sniffing the
air at the strange smell.
She poured some chocolate into cups for each of the family members
and her team. When the children tasted the beverage, their eyes
rounded like saucers. Sam giggled at the sight.
"An introduction to hot chocolate?", Daniel waggled his eyebrows.
Sam brought her own cup to her lips, warming her fingers around the
stone mug. "Nectar of the gods, Daniel."
"Mmm. I'm not complaining."
Jack smiled at the children before going into the room where Teal'c
and Kandok remained. Sam's attention was drawn to the grandmother
who was laying out what appeared to be her most prized possessions by
the reverent way she handled them. She exchanged looks with Daniel,
but he merely shook his head and shrugged. Finally, Nama found what
she was searching for and set it aside. Replacing the other objects,
she picked up the white cloth and brought it over, presenting it to Sam.
"Az'heni." The woman nodded for Sam to accept the gift. The cloth
was woven from some type of wool-like material, soft and fluffy. She
unpacked the item. It was a scarf, the white color pristine and the
material softer than cashmere.
Daniel was speaking haltingly to the mother. "Apparently it's from a
rare animal. The color and texture make it especially prized."
"It's beautiful." Sam smiled and moved to hand the scarf back.
"Lovely workmanship."
Nama pushed her hands outward in a gesture Sam recognized as
refusal. "Az'heni." The grandmother nodded again.
Sam shook her head. "But I can't accept this. It's yours. I..."
She looked to Daniel for help.
He merely shook his head sympathetically. "I'd just accept the gift,
Sam."
"What does Az'heni mean?"
"Well, it seems close in pronunciation to a similar word on Earth
that means 'angel'."
"Angel? Daniel, these people think I'm some kind of savior?"
"Well, they did witness you bring the girl back to life."
"But you guys rescued her from the water. I just performed CPR. I
mean..."
Daniel put his hand on her back comfortingly. "I know, Sam. But you
did save the girl's life in a way previously unknown to them
and later revealed a "demon" in their midst. They're grateful." He
grimaced. "I found out on Abydos, there's only so much you can do to
dispel a hero myth. And you...have become a hero." He nudged her
playfully. "Besides, I can't really argue. You presented everyone
with one of my favorite 'nectar of the gods'. That makes you an
angel in my book too."
Sam laughed and shoved him back. She knew he was just trying to
lighten her mood. And right now, watching the children licking the
remnants of their mugs, she was finding it easy to keep the thoughts
at bay. She did not feel like an angel. Quite the contrary.
Meeting Kandok reminded her of a time when she felt the very
opposite, like she was sullied damaged goods. But looking at the
life in the girl's eyes, so much like Cassie, the girl who brought
her back from the brink after her time with Jolinar, she felt better,
and while no angel, she was satisfied she had done good work today.
Read Part 2