by Pepper aka Arnie
Category: General
Rating: U
Spoilers: Fire and Water, Need, Nemesis.
"Come on, Space Monkey, Danny-boy, Plant-boy!" Jack shouted into the locker room. "Get a move on!"
Daniel stopped lacing up his boots and looked towards the door, surprised. "Jack?" he said uncertainly.
Jack stuck his head round the door and grinned wickedly at Daniel.
Daniel groaned. Oh God, he was in one of those moods. Daniel sighed. Maybe he could call in sick today.
Jack's good humour lasted all the way through the wormhole until they reached the other side. The MALP had showed a DHD standing on a large stone platform, a huge lawn beyond that, lots of blue skies and white clouds. Jack breathed deeply as he stepped out of the wormhole. He liked this place. Well, unless it turned out to be overrun with people wanting to stick snakes in his head, or fish people wantin' to fry Danny's brains... or Princesses with sarcophagus... aw, hell. He liked it for now.
"It's beautiful," Sam murmured.
Teal'c did not agree. The second that he had stepped out of the wormhole his feet had left the ground. "O'Neill," he called.
Jack turned round. "Where's Teal'c?" he asked.
"I am here, O'Neill," Teal'c answered.
Jack looked up. There was Teal'c... lying in the air about twenty feet above the ground.
"Teal'c? What ya doin" up there?"
"I do not know, O'Neill."
Sam and Daniel took a few steps back. The sight of the big Jaffa floating was almost comical, but they didn't feel like laughing.
"How do you feel, Teal'c?" Sam asked.
Jack answered for him, "He feels stupid. Come on, Carter, how would you feel?"
"No, sir, that's not what I meant," Sam said. "I mean, does it feel normal to you? Do you feel like you're upside down?"
Teal'c sat up, in an upside down kind of way, with his head pointing towards the ground. "This feels extremely normal, Major Carter."
"Do you feel weightless?"
"I do not," he replied. As he spoke, he released his grip on his staff weapon. It fell, almost braining Jack in the process.
"Thanks, Teal'c," Jack commented, picking up the staff weapon and throwing it back to Teal'c.
"I am sorry, O'Neill."
"Teal'c, what's the erm... ground feel like to you?" Sam asked.
"I cannot feel the ground, Major Carter. I am in the air," Teal'c answered stoically. He was a little disappointed, although he did not let it show. He had always considered Major Carter to be very intelligent.
"No, Teal'c. I mean, whatever you're sitting on. The air above you."
"I see." Teal'c felt the air above him. "It appears to be a cushion of some sort."
"Can you stand up?" Sam asked.
"A forcefield?" Daniel wondered.
Sam nodded at Daniel, while watching Teal'c cautiously get to his feet.
"It looks that way, but why Teal'c and not us?"
"His symbiote, Its got to be a defence against the Goa'uld," Daniel surmised.
Teal'c stood. He felt ridiculous but he did not let it show. After all, he was a warrior. All he did say was, "I do not like this planet."
"No surprise there, big guy," Jack responded. Why didn't their missions ever turn out to be normal?
After some experimentation, it was obvious that Teal'c could stand, jump up and down, run around and do handstands if he wanted (which he didn't) while standing upside down about twenty feet above the other members of his team. Jack hadn't been keen on the idea of Teal'c jumping up and down, on the grounds that if the glue or whatever that was holding Teal'c up there decided to give way, Teal'c was one big guy to try and catch. But the reverse gravity didn't give way, and Teal'c did not go plummeting towards the ground.
"We could just go back through the Stargate, sir," Sam suggested. "The reverse gravity that Teal'c is suffering from might apply to this planet only - once back at the SGC, he could be fine."
"Okay kids, let's pack it up and go," Jack responded. "Teal'c!"
"I am listening, O'Neill."
"We're gonna throw up some rope. Tie it round yourself and we'll haul you down and through the 'gate."
"Very well, O'Neill."
The plan was followed. It took the three of them to drag Teal'c down out of his involuntary orbit around the 'gate, but they managed it. Daniel turned to the DHD. He reached out and pressed the first symbol. Nothing. He pressed it again, harder this time. It didn't light up.
"Jack, I don't think we're going anywhere."
Teal'c stood with his feet in the air. His sense of dignity was outraged - this was no way for a warrior to be seen! But he did not betray his feelings by one flicker of an eyelid. He merely stood as straight as an arrow, with his hands clasped behind his back.
"All right," Jack said. "Let's spread out and see if we can find anyone on this planet who can explain what the hell's goin' on."
"Sir, we don't know how far the forcefield extends. It's possible we might not be able to get very far," Carter pointed out.
Jack looked at Carter, considering her statement. "Okay, kids, spread out and let's see how far we can get."
Carter was right. The forcefield began behind the Stargate and covered the stone platform containing the DHD that they were all standing on. They had plenty of room to move around, but they couldn't actually go anywhere except through the Stargate. Sam touched the forcefield gently. It hummed and vibrated against her hand, but there was no pain involved. Obviously, it was meant to contain but not harm.
"Jack..." Daniel's voice tailed off. They all turned quickly. Daniel had wandered back over to the DHD once he'd reached the edge of the forcefield. He'd hoped that there might be something on the DHD that might show them how to communicate with the inhabitants of this world. Thus, he'd been in the perfect position to see the cloudy gas as it started to seep from the base of the DHD. It spread across the stone platform covering their boots.
"Daniel! What the hell did you do?" Jack demanded.
"Nothing, I was just looking at it," Daniel retorted, backing away from the gas. The cloud had reached the edge of the forcefield and the level of it was rising. The smell reminded Daniel of when he'd had his appendix out. The feeling of slowly losing consciousness, of thoughts slowing down.
Jack looked round. Daniel was almost out of it. Sam had pulled Daniel back to be as far away from the DHD as possible, but she didn't look as if she'd be awake for much longer.
"Teal'c! Any suggestions?"
"I have none, O'Neill," Teal'c replied unhappily.
"What about tryin' to blast a hole with your staff weapon?"
"I shall attempt to do so, O'Neill," Teal'c answered. He aimed as far away from the others as he could and fired. The blast hit the forcefield but had no effect.
Jack looked up at Teal'c, then round at the others. Sam and Daniel were out cold. It looked like he was next. His last conscious thought was that he hated being out of options.
Teal'c watched as Jack's grasp of the rope loosened, and he slid towards the ground. The gas was still rising. Calmly, Teal'c sat. If he entered Kelnoreem, it was possible that he would not be affected by the gas. Therefore, once the gas dissipated, he would be able to defend his friends. Teal'c tucked his staff weapon under his legs. He would need it. As he began Kelnoreem, he was conscious of the gas creeping ever higher towards him.
Suddenly his eyes jerked open. He was falling. His thoughts faded as the gas enveloped him.
***********
Jack sighed and rolled over. His mind felt fuzzy. He opened his eyes. The sunlight made him blink. For a few seconds he thought he was at his Grandparents' house. The bedroom he'd stayed in when he was a kid had always been filled with sunlight in the morning. He sat up with a jerk as his memory returned. The forcefield, the gas. He looked round hurriedly. Daniel and Sam were lying on beds nearby. There was no sign of Teal'c. He jumped up. His weapons were gone and so were everyone else's. He moved over to the next bed quietly, placed one hand over Daniel's mouth, and then woke him up.
"Shh," Jack murmured. He jerked his head towards Sam. Daniel slid off the bed, finding his glasses tucked away in his breast pocket, and followed him.
Once they were all awake, Jack headed towards the door. Sam made for the window and took a quick look out. The windows weren't barred, and she couldn't see any guards. Her attention was grabbed by the knock on the door. She turned quickly.
Jack turned the handle and opened the door. He felt surprised that it wasn't locked. He felt even more surprised when he faced a young girl, who was alone.
She smiled at him. "You are awake, O'Neill. We are pleased. You will all come now."
"And you are...?"
"I am Sadeh. I am to show you to the Judgement Hall."
Jack gave a half smile. "Do you know where our friend Teal'c is?"
"You are now free of the Jaffa," she smiled. "Come."
Daniel caught up with the girl. "So, Sadeh... When you said 'free of the Jaffa', what exactly did you mean?"
"That you are no longer slaves. You may return to your own worlds or you may stay here. You are free," she answered calmly.
"We're not slaves," Carter pointed out.
"That is correct. You may now go where you wish. The Jaffa has no power to harm you."
"No, erm," Daniel paused. "What my friend meant was that we don't serve the Jaffa. Er... Teal'c is our friend. He works with us..."
Sadeh turned and laid her hand on his arm, her eyes filled with sympathy. "One day you will understand what freedom means. You need not lie to yourself any longer."
"Oh, for cryin' out loud!"
"Jack." Daniel gave him a warning glance. They didn't want to antagonise these people, just explain. "Teal'c doesn't serve the Goa'uld any more. We fight against the Goa'uld and Teal'c joined us to fight with us. We are the enemies of the Goa'uld."
Sadeh stared at him. "Such a thing is impossible. The Jaffa have always served the Goa'uld. They have no concept of freedom."
"Well, Teal'c does!" Jack retorted.
Sadeh remained silent as they made their way across the building. "Please, enter the Judgement Hall," Sadeh told them. "You will have to explain this to the Elders."
Once inside the Judgement Hall, Daniel was mesmerised. There were Egyptian symbols everywhere. He could see quite a few references to Ma'at, the Egyptian Goddess who weighed the hearts of the deceased to see if they were worthy of eternal bliss. As they made their way up the Hall, Daniel's eyes were drawn to the huge carving on the far wall. It showed the Scales of Ma'at.
"What the hell is that?"
Jack was also staring at the massive picture before them. But unlike Daniel's admiring gaze, Jack was confused by the creature depicted standing to one side of the Scales. He'd seen animal headed people before but this?
"It's Amemait," Daniel murmured quietly.
"What?" Jack demanded sharply.
"It's from Egyptian mythology," Daniel answered.
"Well, no surprise there!" Jack retorted.
Daniel glanced at him. "Amemait was supposed to be part crocodile, hippo and lion. He sat by the Scales of Ma'at. Those souls who were judged unworthy of the everafter, well, he was entitled to eat them." Daniel's gaze slid from the Amemait and found the symbol of the Ished tree, the sacred tree of life, carved on the other side of the Scales. "This does not look good."
"What exactly does not look good? None of it looks good!" Jack hissed.
"Sir," Carter said warningly.
Jack looked up. A woman was standing in front of the Scales, obviously waiting for him to finish.
Jack smiled slightly at her. "Daniel?" he murmured.
Daniel opened his mouth but before he could speak, the woman spoke first.
"I am Shai," she declared. "Guardian of Fate. Do you understand that you are free to go?"
"We're not going anywhere without Teal'c," Jack retorted.
The woman raised her eyebrows. "The Jaffa need no longer concern you. He cannot harm you any more."
"Teal'c would never harm any of us. He's our friend!"
"Shai," Daniel interrupted Jack before he could say something they'd regret. "Teal'c no longer works for Apophis. We are the enemies of the Goa'uld, we fight them. Teal'c betrayed Apophis to join us."
"Impossible!"
"The Jaffa are slaves to the Goa'uld. You offered us freedom, but Teal'c also knows about freedom. He wishes to set his people free." Daniel glanced around. The long walls of the Judgement Hall were lined with chairs, each containing an Elder. Twenty-one on either side, forty-two.
The forty-two Judges in the Halls of Osiris! Also known as the Halls of the Dead. Oh boy. If he'd got it right, Teal'c was here to be judged innocent or guilty. If he was found innocent, he'd live; if he was found guilty, he'd be executed.
Daniel continued. "Teal'c is a good man. He knew the risk he took when he betrayed Apophis - he knows what will happen to him if he is captured! But he won't give up. He won't stop until the Goa'uld are defeated. He has risked his life to defend us in the past. He is not evil."
Shai looked at him. This slave argued passionately in defence of the Jaffa. "If he is all you say, then why does he still carry a Goa'uld within him?"
"If he removes the Goa'uld symbiote, he'll die," Daniel said.
"Do you believe this to be true?" Shai demanded of Jack.
"It's all true," Jack replied. "I know what the Goa'uld are, but Teal'c isn't like them. He'd die to save us."
"Bring in the Jaffa!" Shai ordered.
The double doors to one side of the Hall opened, and Teal'c was brought in. So far as they could tell, he hadn't been harmed. The two guards who escorted him in stepped back and left the Hall.
Shai's attitude changed completely. She smiled at Teal'c. "Jaffa, you have done well in bringing these slaves to us. How may we reward you?"
Teal'c's expression was guarded, as usual, he only risked one quick glance at Jack. "I do not understand."
"These slaves, they talk of freedom. It is not right for slaves to think of freedom, do you not agree?"
Jack's jaw hit the floor. What was she talking about now?
"It is for you to execute them, Jaffa. And once you have done that you may return to your Master and tell him how well you have served him."
Teal'c stiffened. He glanced around quickly, weighing up the odds.
Apart from the Elders sitting in the chairs, there were several guards.
"Here, Jaffa. Take your weapon and execute these slaves who dare to speak of freedom." Shai held out Teal'c's staff weapon.
Teal'c reached out his hand and took his weapon. He aimed it squarely at Jack, and looked him in the eye, nodding his head slightly. Jack shrugged.
Teal'c's hands tensed, he fired his staff weapon, not at Jack, but at the guard standing a few feet away from him. The weapon did not fire.
"Jaffa. Why did you aim at the guard instead of at the slave?"
Teal'c's shocked gaze moved from his staff weapon to the woman. For a few seconds he did not know what to say. Why had his staff weapon refused to fire? And why had O'Neill refused to act? He wiped any expression from his face and looked at O'Neill.
"It was a trick, Teal'c. They wanted to see if you'd kill us to save yourself. Right?" Jack glanced at Shai.
She smiled slightly. "That is correct, O'Neill. No weapons can be used within the Judgement Hall. But we could not believe that any Jaffa would attempt to protect a slave." Shai raised her voice to address the Hall.
"It is the judgement of Ma'at, that the Jaffa is Ma'at-Kheru. He will be allowed to leave."
"May what?" Jack asked quietly, leaning towards Daniel.
"Ma'at-Kheru. It means 'true of voice'. He isn't evil," Daniel explained.
"Erm, excuse me?" Jack waved a hand towards the woman. "Erm..."
"Shai," Daniel reminded him.
"Shai. What about your little doohickey at the gate?"
Shai frowned. "Doohickey?"
"Yeah, ya know, the forcefield and Teal'c... floating."
"It will remain disabled until you have left," Shai replied calmly.
"Your weapons will be returned to you before you enter the Ring of Water."
The Judgement was over.
***********
Jack poked at the picture of Amemait that Daniel was showing him in one of his books. "So, Daniel."
"Jack."
"What would have happened to Teal'c if he'd been found guilty?"
"I don't know for sure, Jack. These Judgements were supposed to take place when a person was dead. It looked like they would have executed him."
"And fed his soul to that?"
"Yeah."
"Well, Space Monkey, It's a good job he was May whatever."
"Ma'at-Kheru."
"That's the one," Jack grinned and headed for the door.
"Jack?"
Jack glanced back.
"Would you mind not calling me Space Monkey. I really hate that." Jack grinned. "Yeah. I know," he said and shut the door behind him.
The End.
© Pepper 2000