When they reached their quarters, Teal’c glanced at the man who had been walking alongside him. He was closer to boyhood than maturity, his eyes wide with awe and perhaps a little fear.
“What is your name?”
The boy swallowed. “Zyli. They c-call me Zyli.”
“Is there something you wish to ask me, Zyli?”
“Is... is that...” He tapped his own forehead with a trembling forefinger. “Is that real? Tychia said that you’re really SG-1, so...?”
Teal’c said, “Indeed, it is real.”
“Ouch.”
He couldn’t resist a smile. “An understatement.”
The leader of the guard cleared his throat. “These rooms are yours for the duration of your stay. You’re free to move about the building, but as Tychia said, it would be best if you were accompanied by guards beyond these inner corridors. Anything you require can be brought to you. She’s asked us to attempt a lockdown, but we can make no promises. We hope you don’t take offense.”
“None taken,” Daniel Jackson said. O’Neill shot him a look, to which he shrugged. “What? We don’t. Like I said, it’s nothing we wouldn’t do if they showed up at the SGC.”
O’Neill took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a signal Teal’c had learned to mean he was suppressing his initial, more aggressive response. “Thank you. We’ll be sure to call for a chaperone before we go outside.”
“Someone will return to escort you to the epikos, where your evening meal will be served. And we hope you enjoy the performance.”
“I’m sure it will be something special,” O’Neill said.
Their guardians departed, and O’Neill gestured for the team to join him in one of the rooms. He walked to the window again and peered out, then looked at Major Carter.
“What do you think?” he asked her.
She shrugged. “They seem sincere. Tychia strikes me as genuine. I could be wrong —”
“No...” He seemed almost irritated to admit it. “No, you’re right. I was thinking the same thing. Those guards were more starstruck than anything else. Teal’c, what are the odds that us being here would bring the Goa’uld down on these fine folks?”
It was impossible to predict such a thing without knowing the planet’s history and, though he had once been familiar with Hades, all of his information was now at least five years old. But of course O’Neill was aware of that. Teal’c had learned over the years, both from experience and from observing what the colonel expected from Major Carter, that his best guess would be enough.
“There are no indications that any Goa’uld have visited this world for quite some time. I do not believe our continued presence will be necessary.”
Daniel Jackson said, “Or they’re overdue for a visit. Let’s face it, Tychia’s reaction isn’t exactly unfounded. Where we go, Jaffa tend to follow.”
Teal’c inclined his head, accepting the point.
O’Neill said, “Okay, here’s the plan. We stick around and kill time until our next scheduled check-in.” He looked at his watch. “Which will be tomorrow, sometime in the mid-afternoon. We let these people do their little play, we let Daniel take a look at their arts and culture. If there aren’t any red flags, we thank them for our hospitality and skip town before we bring anything bad down on Tychia and her people. Sound good?”
Carter said, “Seems reasonable to me, sir.”
“To me as well,” Teal’c said.
“And we know Daniel is happy, because he’ll get to look at books and whatnot, so it’s settled.” He clapped a hand against his stomach and looked at Carter. “Do you think they’re gonna serve moussaka?”
Not long after the sun went down, the team’s escorts returned to lead them outside. A torch-lined flight of stone steps led down to what looked to Jack like a small soccer arena. Between the building where they were housed and the tall outer walls of the theater, Jack saw a small herd of deer grazing in a well-tended field. The creatures lifted their heads as the team passed, but showed no signs of fear of the humans.
Tychia was waiting for them at the entrance of the theater. She’d changed into a red chiton with gold fringe along the collar and the cuffs of each sleeve. A white corded belt was looped around her waist. Jack found himself wishing he’d brought his dress blues; the team was decidedly underdressed for the occasion.
“Welcome to the Odeon, SG-1. Allow me to show you to your seats.”
“After you.”
The theater was a flat half-circle with a raised wall at the back, which was draped with a painted sheet. A pair of curtains blocked the wings from view but Jack caught glimpses of the actors fussing with last-minute adjustments to their costumes. Tychia led the team to a row of thrones carved out of stone which were positioned between the orchestra pit and the three tiers of stadium seating. A few dozen citizens were already present and seated, and Jack tried not to notice everyone whispering and pointing at the team. More people were filing in through archways along the far wall, and every eye was drawn to the four newcomers.
“The meal will be served once the show has begun. If you’d like anything else, don’t hesitate to ask your escorts.”
Carter said, “You won’t be sitting with us?”
“Oh... I would never presume to sit with the guests of honor.”
Jack sat on his chair, placing his palms on each arm rest and slapping the stone. “Well, presume. Sit. You invited us to this thing, so it’s only common courtesy to watch it with us.”
Tychia hesitated again, but then shrugged. “If you insist. I would be happy to join you.”
Carter sat between Jack and Tychia, with Daniel and Teal’c on Tychia’s right. Jack squirmed on the stone seat and adjusted his shoulders so he was sitting up straighter.
“I like this. I have to talk to the local MegaPlex and see about getting some of these installed in their theaters. It might even make seeing the rest of those Star Wars prequels worthwhile.”
Tychia smiled indulgently, obviously not understanding. Carter leaned closer to her and lowered her voice. “Even I don’t understand half of what he says. I’ve learned smiling and nodding can go a long way.”
Tychia laughed. “I shall take your advice, Major.”
Jack said, “Carter... are you being insubordinate?”
“Never, sir.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
Over the next few minutes, the theater behind them filled with Catanian citizens. Soon, someone came onto the stage and signaled to Tychia. She nodded and stood, smoothing her hands over her tunic. “Everyone! If I may have your attention, please. I see we have a particularly large crowd tonight. That must mean that word of our special guests has spread. Please take a moment to give a warm welcome to Colonel Jack O’Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c!” She gestured for Jack to stand up.
Jack hesitated. He wondered if it was too late to lie and say Carter was really their leader. But he got to his feet and turned to look up at the crowd. Eager faces locked onto him, some people pointing as they whispered to their companions.
“Uh, hello. I’m Jack O’Neill... you may remember me from such classics as blowing up Ra over Abydos and, ah... the Ne’tu thing. Thanks for having us.”
Tychia smiled and watched him for a moment, obviously expecting more, but quickly realized he was finished. “Wonderful! Thank you, Colonel O’Neill. Now I hope everyone enjoys tonight’s performance: SG-1 Becomes Trapped In a Cavern, Under Attack by Horus’ Jaffa’.” She led the crowd in applause as she returned to her seat.
Jack leaned closer to Carter. “I’m not the best one to ask with these things. Does that sound familiar to you?”
She shook her head. “No, sir.”
Two Catanian men appeared on stage wearing SG uniforms that were obvious
ly handmade and dyed green. The backdrop showed a cavern that stretched back into darkness. The men crept forward scanning for hostiles before motioning to someone behind them. Two more actors approached, male and female. The man had a smear of yellow paint on his forehead. Jack noticed another woman on the edge of the stage dressed in a black tunic, one hand flat on her stomach with the other behind her back. She turned to address the audience.
“We join our heroes on a planet designated Ouranos, deep within the territory of the System Lord Horus. The Tau’ri known as SG-1 arrived on a simple mission of peace only to have the Kyklos activated not long after their arrival. They hid and watched in horror as their foes emerged from the shimmering blue pool.”
Three women and a man in shoddy Jaffa armor appeared from the opposite side of the stage. A chorus of hisses came from the audience.
Jack asked Carter, “You remember ever running into this Horus guy?”
Daniel leaned forward to give the answer. “It’s Heru’ur. They’re the same person.”
“Couldn’t decide on a name?”
“Well, it’s a —”
Jack cut off a long-winded explanation with a wave of his hand. He knew Heru’ur, and he didn’t need a history lesson at the moment. He wished he had access to their mission reports, because nothing about what he was seeing seemed familiar. They’d had their fair share of run-ins with Heru’ur — bald guy, goatee, actually went into battle alongside his Jaffa — but trapped in a cave? A quick glance at Carter and Teal’c revealed they were just as lost.
“Uh... Tychia? When exactly is this supposed to have happened?”
Tychia said, “It’s unclear. We trade back and forth, and some of the epikos are years old. This is one of the newer stories, however. Perhaps... a year ago?” She noticed the expression on Carter’s face and looked over her shoulder to see Daniel and Teal’c also looked awkward. “Is something wrong?”
“Not wrong,” Jack said. “It’s just that if this really happened, it didn’t happen to us.”
“It’s not an SG-1 epikos?” Even in the darkness, Jack could see the flush in her cheeks.
Jack said, “Look, it’s an honest mistake. You folks were just —”
Tychia suddenly rose to her feet and faced the stage. “Stop! You must stop at once!”
“Oh. No, that’s not necessary,” Daniel said.
“No, it is. I wanted to welcome you with a performance of a proper epikos.” She gestured to one of the actors onstage. He was tall and, even with the loose material of his tunic, it was clear he was nothing but a collection of thin, knobby limbs. He descended the steps and hurried to her side. She put a hand on his arm. “Steimous, you must begin a different story at once. This is not an SG-1 epikos.”
Steimous’ face paled. “But the man I traded with assured me that it was authentic!”
“It would appear you have been lied to. Do you have anything else prepared? A true SG-1 story?”
Steimous thought for a moment and then said, “I have nothing prepared for tonight. But I can guarantee something for the morning. By bright-three.”
Jack said, “I’m sure the, uh, the cave thing is fine...”
Tychia shook her head. “I would much prefer showing you a proper story, if one can be found.”
Daniel watched her for a moment and seemed to read more from her expression than Jack could see. “You want us to confirm how authentic it is.”
She smiled almost bashfully. “The opportunity to show an epikos to the very people it has been based on is too rare to waste. I’ve always wondered how much truth there is in the stories we share, and how much has been altered through retellings. Please don’t let this mistake affect your decision to stay. We’ll have a special performance in the morning, before mid-day meal, so it won’t interfere with your original plans.”
Jack looked at Daniel, whose hopeful expression was almost as hard to resist as Tychia’s. “If you insist... I mean, if you were a guest in my home and someone rented Ghostbusters II instead of the far superior original film...” She tilted her head in confusion so he gave up the metaphor. “We’ll stick around.”
Tychia breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for understanding, Colonel O’Neill. Steimous...”
The actor said, “I shall leave as soon as possible to search for more reputable markets in the circuit, Archontissa.”
Obviously thinking that Tychia seemed particularly distraught, Daniel stepped forward. “It’s really fine. We were planning to stick around until tomorrow anyway.”
“You’re very kind. Since you didn’t get a chance to eat, I’ll have your meals delivered to your rooms. If there’s anything else you need, I beg you, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Stop apologizing,” Jack said. “So we have to wait until tomorrow. I always did prefer the matinee anyway.”
Jack picked up one of the glasses off the table, peered inside, and plucked something from the surface of the water. He flicked away whatever speck he’d removed and took a sip. Daniel waited until the little ritual was over before he spoke. Teal’c and Sam were both in their rooms, but Jack had motioned for Daniel to follow him after the escorts were out of sight. He assumed it was to get his opinion on their hosts.
“They seem friendly enough.”
“Friendly, hell.” Jack gestured out the window and leaned against the sill. “They’ve got deer grazing on their front lawns. These people are straight out of Disney. And eager to please.”
“Right. I don’t think they have ulterior motives to keep us around. Tychia wants to test the accuracy of their myths, which isn’t particularly diabolical. I’d probably do the same thing in her shoes. They truly just seem excited to have us here. They want to show us their play because they’re proud of it. Like a parent who wants to show you the video of their kids’ recital.”
Jack grimaced. “Hopefully it’ll be less torturous than that.”
What they’d seen of the Heru’ur story didn’t give Daniel much hope, but at least it would be fascinating. On Earth, Greece planted the seeds for what would grow into modern Western culture. The opportunity to see how the culture evolved on a different planet was exciting. Of course Jack probably wouldn’t care about any of that, so he couldn’t use it as an argument.
“The point is,” he said, “we have a chance to learn more about this world by just sitting down and watching them perform for us.”
“Like Teal’c and Die Hard.”
“Exactly! Our movie nights are a way of introducing him to complex social elements without resorting to a bland lecture. He sees John McClane going through a divorce and how he interacts with people, he sees cooperation between McClane and... uh, the cop...”
“Al.”
“Right. And Christmas. Although it’s not technically a Christmas movie...”
“Hey!” Jack said.
Daniel held up his hands. He didn’t want to have that argument again. “All I’m saying is that watching a play will do more than tell us a story. It will give us insights into how these people function. That will be useful in establishing diplomatic relations with them.”
“Assuming they have something we want to trade for.”
“They’re Greeks,” Daniel said. “Architecture, democracy, geometry...”
Jack’s eyes were beginning to glaze over. “Okay, okay. We’ll lay the groundwork for SG-9 to come back and see what these people need and what they want to give us in return for it.”
Something glinted in the distance, drawing both men to turn and look. The Stargate was active, its event horizon reflecting off the pavilion in which it stood. It hadn’t been apparent during the day but the entire structure was designed to make the light as visible as possible from great distances.
“Pretty,” he said.
Jack said, “Nice defense.
Always know when someone’s coming in the middle of the night.” He assumed it was the actor going off-world to seek out more epikos scripts, but he kept his eye on the pavilion until the Stargate disengaged just to be certain.
“Sure,” Daniel said. “That, too.”
Jack turned away from the window and walked to the bed. “All right. Go, eat, get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.”
Daniel moved to the door. “Whatever we get from this mission, it’s nice that the only thing we have to face tomorrow is some amateur acting and bad writing.”
Jack flinched and clapped a hand over his face. “Damn it. Why did you have to say that?”
“I’m sure I didn’t jinx anyth —”
“Just go,” Jack said, waving him out. “Go. Before you make it worse.”
Daniel sighed and slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
On the first night he spent on Abydos, after the uprising against Ra and the rest of the team had gone home, Daniel had questioned whether he would ever be able to sleep off-world. The stars were different, the smells were different, and there was so much to explore without worrying about grants or deadlines. How could he waste even a minute sleeping? When he joined SG-1, the same elements were there but with the added threat of potential Jaffa attacks coming at any moment.
But to be human was to adapt. Now he could sleep pretty much anywhere because he knew there might not always be an opportunity to lie down and get eight full hours. The benefit of being in a well-defended building with a huge featherbed to himself meant that he was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. He didn’t wake until just after dawn when an alarm began sounding. He tried to dress as he moved toward the window, leaning against the wall to tie his boots as he squinted in the early light.
STARGATE SG-1 ATLANTIS: Homeworlds : Volume three of the Travelers' Tales (SGX Book 5) Page 29