~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Jack had continued his monologue through dinner and on into the evening. He could tell that Kali was growing more distant and depressed. He wasn’t sure why, but then it was alone with him instead of home, where ever that was. Maybe it was homesick.
Jack could relate. He was a touch homesick himself. Usually, this would be where he broke out into song and got to feeling better, but he wasn’t quite sure how Kali would take it. He thought that he had made his point earlier about being able to take care of himself. That is until he noticed Kali shadowing him back from the MALP.
Jack wasn’t quite sure what to make of Kali’s overprotective behavior. Maybe he had incurred a Wookie life debt or something by freeing it from the log. He just didn’t have enough information. And until they could really communicate, he didn’t really know how to ask.
But he could tell that it was missing someone. Probably family. So he had kept up his monologue in an attempt to cheer it up, like the sound of any voice would fill the void in its heart. It couldn’t, but it did help a little. At least they weren’t sitting in silence. Finally, he ran out of things to talk about. He didn’t think that singing would offend Kali, but decided that he would ask anyway.
“Kali,” he said getting its attention. It stared at him sadly. “Would you mind if I sing for a bit? It helps cheer me up when I’m feeling blue. Who knows, it might help you as well.”
It continued to stare at him. Jack could tell that it trying to decipher the words. Finally, it just sighed, “Kash.” It didn’t know what he wanted but consented all the same. Brave alien.
So he started by humming quietly then slowly adding in the rhythm on some nearby surfaces. When Kali only showed quiet interest, he decided to go for the gusto. He leaned back and started to sing his favorite Kansas tune, Carry on My Wayward Son.
Somewhere in the first verse, he knew that Kali was not the least bit offended. Instead it was the opposite, entranced. As he finished the tune, he decided that Carter and Daniel had it wrong. Music was truly the universal language.
Jack was quiet after he finished the song, letting its melody ghost through the cave. He was content to listen to the silence for the moment.
Kali broke the silence first, “Jak?” It motioned its hand away from its mouth, like it was singing.
Jack smiled, “Song or to sing.” He thought a moment, “Jack sings a song.”
Kali tried to wrap its mouth around the words, “Jak shing shong. S-S-ing. S-ong. Sing. Song. Jak sing song.”
Jack nodded his approval, “Kali… sing…” he prompted.
“Nor krav’at. Nor Kali krav’at,” it replied.
Jack tried the words in his mind first, then tentatively tried to vocalize them, “Nort crab at. Nort Kali crab at?”
Kali snorted and shook its head negatively, “Va. Kali sing song. Jak talk Jak. Kash?”
“That bad, huh? Well, Jack talk Kali someday. But if Kali will sing a song. Jack will talk Jack for now. Kash,” he agreed.
Kali followed his speech carefully and broke into a huge grin as it mostly understood.
“Kali sing song,” it repeated, and then spoke a few sentences in its own language before starting to sing a haunting melody that vaguely reminded Jack of Enya’s songs.
But the melody did reinforce his feelings that Kali was missing someone. It was a song of loss and tragedy. Not of hope and renewal. Once again, he wondered what had brought the alien out into this barren land all alone.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Week 3 – 2nd update – Didn’t get eaten. Not a bad way to wake up. Made it back to the cave in one piece. The locator beacons are in place. I also blazed a trail to the cave, so just follow the Earth symbols through the woods until you see the UAV.
I still have my new friend hanging around. I get the feeling I’ve been adopted. Kali is a fast learner. She (it tends to mother me) has picked up a lot of nouns and has started working on verbs. We are up to simple sentences. She has tried to teach me her language but apparently I have mangled the pronunciation that she has stopped trying anything past the basics.
She hasn’t left except to hunt. In fact, she tends to be a bit over protective and it’s driving me nuts. A man ought to be able to use the facilities in private. I’m thinking Wookie life debt more and more.
Plus side is that I was actually able to rest today. Well, my idea of rest anyway. The infection seems to be gone for good. Less fatigue. Lots of scabbing on the cut, but the burns seemed to have healed nicely. Starting to peel in some areas. Kinda nasty looking and tender, but not too painful. And I feel much better. Really. Honest.
Sorted the gear in the cave. Got a few interesting odds and ends. A couple good books to read. Now, I just need something to do for the next few months.
Jack had lounged around the cave for the second day in a row. But, now that the meteor shower had passed, he wanted to go out and hunt. He didn’t want Kali to think that she had to provide everything for them, life debt or no.
More and more, Jack was leaning towards the notion that Kali wouldn’t leave. He figured that she would at least want to return to her people to let them know where she was. But when Jack tried to suggest she go home, she just looked confused. He and Kali didn’t have the words yet to communicate those concepts.
But this afternoon, Jack insisted on hunting. He wanted to do his fair share and with the amount of meat that Kali consumed each day, that meant hunting regularly. Now that he was almost recovered, he meant to hunt.
This morning he had built a small smoking rack and spent a good deal of time collecting green wood. He intended to catch enough meat to last a few days and that meant that he needed a way to preserve the meat. Smoking seemed like the easiest method for his current situation.
Jack still needed to test out most of the local flora for edible plants. He had been able to test a few plants, but not enough to sustain a varied diet. If he had to wait months for rescue, he needed more than meat and a few vegetables.
With his smoke rack built, he was ready to hunt.
“Kali, I’m going hunting. I’ll be back before dark,” Jack said as he gathered his vest and weapons.
“Jak hunt?” Kali asked, looking confused.
“Kash. Jack hunt.” With the last of his gear in place, he slung an empty rucksack over his shoulder. He would use it to bring the game back to the cave.
“Kali hunt!” she replied.
Jack turned back to the alien, “Va. Jack hunt. Kali stay here… kor tak. I’m good, Kali. I don’t need help. Thanks, but no thanks.” Jack turned and slipped out of the cave before Kali could form a proper reply.
He sighed as he slipped through the woods. He figured that Kali would slip out and follow him yet again. Not that he needed her protection, but it was nice to know that someone was watching his back, even if that someone was only a half trusted alien bent on mothering him.
Jack followed the ravine downstream. He knew from his map that it widened a bit further down and he wanted to get a feel for the land in this direction. The ravine opened up into a nice meadow and as if on cue, a few of the alien deer were grazing in the center.
Jack immediately dropped into a crouch and crept to a nearby tree. He carefully setup his shot. The P-90’s 5.7mm round was likely to pass right through the animal. It was used primarily for its armor piercing qualities. However, the alien deer had no armor. So, he had to pick his shot carefully, especially, since there was no way he could creep close enough to use the zat.
The weapons sharp report sent the herd into full retreat. All but the one unlucky animal that Jack had singled out escaped into the wood line. Jack walked from his hiding spot to the downed deer. It had been a clean kill. Jack pulled the deer to the edge of the clearing. He quickly pulled the deer up so that it hung upside down and then pulled out his knife.
His grandfather had taught him how to hunt and clean deer back when Jack was just a boy. Jack still followed his advice on field cleaning and dressing a deer, no matter how alien. With a precise cut, Jack drained the carcass. Next, he inverted the deer and cleaned it, saving the choice organs for Kali. Then he skinned it before he finally quartered the animal and packed it carefully into the rucksack using its own skin as a water proof liner.
Just as he was about ready to leave, Jack noticed the odd scarring on several trees across the clearing. They appeared to have been broken off halfway up the trunk, all of them at slightly different heights. The damage could have been caused by one of the daily meteor showers, but the angle was wrong. It bothered him that the damage looked vaguely familiar.
Jack shouldered the heavy pack and walked towards the opposite side of the meadow. The damage was extensive. The trees were shredded starting at the meadow and following a deep trough for the next quarter mile. Jack walked along the damaged area trying to place it, or at least where he had seen something like it before.
As he reached the end of the trough, he froze. Nestled in among the broken trees was a space ship of unknown design.
Jack dropped the rucksack and pulled up his P-90. He carefully approached the downed spaceship. The ship had obviously crashed hard. But the hatch was open, so at least one person had escaped alive. Jack entered the ship through the open hatch.
The control room was easy to find. However, the blood stains that were scattered across the consoles didn’t bode well for the survivors. He examined the panels and didn’t find anything familiar. The alien script was different from anything he had encountered before. Daniel could probably decipher it in a day or two, but Jack doubted that he would be able to do anything with it.
After completing his examination of the interior, Jack carefully looked over the exterior. It was definitely not Goa’uld in design. Nor did it match anything the SGC had come across before. He stopped near seven shallow graves. Who ever survived the crash had buried their dead before moving on.
Jack gave the dead a silent prayer before returning to his pack and heading back to the cave.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Kali silently followed Jak through the trees, she approved of his stealthy movements. She was more impressed when he spotted the gaff and moved like an invisible ghost through the trees. She had set herself up to see his approach across the clearing when a loud noise startled her. The gaff sped off in the opposite direction.
She felt disappointed that they had fled when she watched the Tar stride across the clearing and begin to clean the dead gaff. Wait! When had the gaff died? How? The noise! It was a weapon of some kind, to kill from a distance. She disapproved of the method, but couldn’t fault the Tar for using it. After all, he didn’t have claws to make the kill, and this way was clean and quick.
She watched Jak closely as he placed the cut up gaff in his bag. She followed his gaze as he noticed the burned trees. She wanted to cry out to him as he followed the trail back to her crashed ship. She stopped short of seeing the small ship. She couldn’t find the courage to see it or the graves of her family.
No! You should not see my shame. They are all dead. Please don’t go!
She waited a few minutes before turning and running back down the trail. She blindly ran to lose herself in the motions of running, trying to outrun the memories of her fallen Mar and her broken ship.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Week 4 – Found a spaceship. But it’s broken. Apparently, it crashed not too long before I got stuck here. A few weeks, maybe a month, earlier. There were survivors. They buried their dead and moved on. No indication of where or who. Maybe Kali knows where they went.
Speaking of Kali, she seems to have gotten sick of me. She disappeared a few days ago and hasn’t returned yet. I’m not sure why. Maybe she finally went back to her people.
I’ve spent the last few days testing the local flora. So far the orange leaves and the green-purple plants are good. White stuff, not so much. It didn’t make me sick but it really, really tastes bad. Really.
Jack was starting to feel lonely again. Kali had disappeared and he had fallen back into his habit of talking to himself. On her third day missing, Jack went looking for her as he continued to hunt and test the plants. He found no fresh sign of her passing through the area. He finally gave up and returned to the dull routine required for survival.
Finally, he decided that he had stored up enough food and firewood to last a week. He needed to go back to the Stargate to see if he could dial home again. He decided it was time to go, now that he had a sizeable quantity of supplies. He packed a bag and slung his weapons. He gave his new home a quick glance before sighing and heading back out.
Overall, Jack was feeling back at full strength. His head wound was scabbed over and no longer required the bandage to keep infection at bay. Once more, his lucky cap graced his head.
Jack stopped by the MALP on his way. He detached the camera unit, and grabbed a few tools. If he was going to make contact with the SGC, he knew they would feel better if they could see him. He just wished that they could return the favor.
Finally, Jack continued at a ground-eating trot, hoping to reach the Stargate before nightfall. Stopping only for the meteor shower, he made it to the Stargate by late evening. He quickly setup camp and set out his tools for the next day.
By first light he examined the damage on the Stargate. He could easily see that one part was severely damaged and dented by a meteor impact. On the inside he could see where several ridges of the damaged outer ring were grinding directly on the inner ring.
Jack knew that he had absolutely no idea how the Stargate worked, technically, but he doubted that the grinding was helping. So, he pulled out his tools and tried to bang the ridges back away from the inner ring. He called this his ‘kick it till it works’ approach.
After two hours of pounding on the alien metal, he was gratified to see his plan was working. The last of the damaged ridges were no longer in direct contact with the inner ring. While the Stargate was far from fixed, he was hoping it would work just a bit better. At best, it would be perfect for going home. At worst, it might eliminate some of the radio static.
Finally, Jack set up the camera on the DHD. Ready at last, Jack gave a sigh and a prayer and began dialing Earth. The Stargate began dialing and locking in each symbol. Jack was glad to see that the sparking and grinding was less pronounced than the last time he dialed. Granted, he was a bit out of it then, but it had seemed much worse.
The Stargate finally flashed to life and settled into an uneven event horizon. Stargate 101: Never walk into an unusual event horizon if you can help it. Damn, no going home today. Jack masked his disappointment and clicked the radio. “Stargate Command, SG-one-niner.”
“Go ahead, Colonel,” the familiar voice of General Hammond clearly stated.
Jack smiled, “General, it’s good to hear your voice. I have the camera from the MALP here if you want visual.” Jack beamed at the camera as he saw the indicator light come on. “Sir, just reporting in. Didn’t want ya to forget about me.”
Jack heard the general chuckle, “No fear of that Jack. To be honest, we’ve been a bit worried about you. Your last message was a bit garbled and you didn’t look too good.”
“Not to worry, Sir. I’ve done what I can for the ‘Gate. I wouldn’t trust it for a ride, but it sounds like the soundtrack is much better. How’s visual?” Jack asked.
“It looks good,” General Hammond replied. Jack could just hear a hint of a smile in his voice.
“Good. Not much news on my end. I have established a base camp in a sheltered ravine some miles from the Stargate. The Prometheus can zero in on the MALP’s locator beacon to find the ravine and the UAV’s beacon to find the cave. I’m good for food and water. Looks like the local flora and fauna will be more than enough to sustain me for a bit. Climate seems to be moving into spring or summer, so temperature shouldn’t be an issue either, but I could be wrong.”
“I did make contact with one of the locals. The aliens are not human, but definitely sentient. I tried making nice, but Kali took off a few days ago and I haven’t seen her since. I also found a crashed spaceship of unknown origin. No telling who or where the survivors are,” Jack briefly reported.
“What’s your assessment of the aliens?” the general asked.
“I don’t know for sure. Kali is the only one I’ve seen. She doesn’t hunt with weapons, but has some advanced tools and wears refined clothing. And until we can communicate at a deeper level than ‘me Tarzan, you Jane’, I just can’t ask her much… Well, I can’t ask her anything until she decides to come back,” Jack was surprised to find that he wanted her to come back. He was concerned for her while she was missing.
“Do you think they could be a threat?”
Jack thought about it, “My gut says ‘no’, but if they decide to attack…I’m just one man. All I can say for sure is that Kali hasn’t made any threatening moves. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“What about the meteor activity?” the general pressed.
“Ah, that… Had I known then, what I know now… The meteor showers are a daily event, usually occurring about 30 minutes after the broken moon rises and lasting about an hour. Easy to avoid, once you know what to look for and where to seek shelter. I would have the Prometheus take extra care in orbit. I suspect a good deal of space rock is clogging up the upper atmosphere,” Jack added.
“Hold on a second, Colonel. Dr Frasier would like a word,” the General’s voice grew distant.
“Colonel?” came the tentative voice of the doctor.
“Yeah, Doc.”
“I’d like to get a look at that head wound,” she sounded unsure.
“Well, Doc…” Jack pulled off his cap. “It ain’t pretty. But it is healing. He did a quick turn for the camera. “See, nothin’ to worry about.” He slipped the cap back on. He hoped that it had been too quick for her to see clearly. He knew that it was scarring horribly. But it honestly didn’t hurt as badly as it looked. He didn’t want the good doctor to worry over it.
“Fever? Infection?” she asked more sure now.
Not anymore. “Nope.”
“Anything else I should know, Colonel?” Jack could picture her eyes narrowed as she tried to determine the truth. He couldn’t help but smile at his imagined image of her. She had so often turned that particular look at him.
“Not a thing, Doc. I’m fit as a fiddle.” Jack gave the camera his biggest grin.
“You better be,” she threatened.
Jack just grinned wider.
General Hammond came back on the radio, “Colonel, now that you have established that you can contact us. I want you to make regular contact daily.”
Jack interrupted, “No can do, Sir. The Stargate is a two-day round trip from my shelter. Most I can do is contact you weekly and even that is pushing it. I still have to stock up on supplies, in-case my weather sense is off and I am actually heading into winter, and the Stargate is located in a barren area.”
“What if we could re-supply?” the general asked.
Jack winced, and looked at the distorted event horizon, “Open the Iris, Sir.” He bent down and pulled out Teal’c’s National Inquirer, one of the few magazines he had found in his team’s gear. He had already read it 7 times, but it was more fun than reading Daniel’s Early Babylonian Cuneiform and Its Application in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures.
He displayed the magazine for the camera, and then walked over and gently pushed it into the event horizon. “Let me know how that rag comes out, Sir, and we’ll have an answer for you.”
“Just a second, Colonel.” Jack could hear the general talking to someone in the background. “Never mind, Colonel. It looks like we’re stuck with audio and video only.”
“That’s alright, Sir. I’ll be fine.” Jack tried to hide his disappointment. It’s not that he didn’t like the local food. It just would have been nicer to take that last step home.
“I sure hope so, Colonel. God’s speed, Son,” the general stated sadly.
“Thank you, Sir. Talk to you in a week. O’Neill, out.”
As Jack watched the camera turn off and the Stargate blink out, he was strangely at a loss. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected, but now that he had made contact and once again he felt his loneliness swamp him.
Yeah, well, suck it up, O’Neill. You’ve lived through worse than a bit of alone time.
Jack sighed, gathered his gear and started the long trek back to the cave.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Kali woke up to a throbbing pain in her leg. She couldn’t really remember much from the last few days. She remembered being overwhelmed by grief and blind panic. She vaguely remembered running and eating, but nothing else.
She examined her surroundings and found that she had fallen into a small crevice. Pale light filtered down to her from the opening at the top. A small stream flowed from one side of the opening to disappear under a pile of lava rocks.
She turned her attention back herself. Mud and rock dust covered her from head to toe. Her legs had several large gapping wounds bleeding freely. The rest of her was covered in abrasions and cuts. She carefully sat upright and then stood. Her legs held.
Kali carefully wadded the small stream and slowly climbed out of the tight crevice. She realized with shame that she had been running from ghosts. She had abandoned her duties and run without thought from something that she carried inside her heart.
As she pulled herself free of the last of the rocks, she was overwhelmed by her loss once again. Her grief clawed out her throat in a wailing cry as she collapsed on the ground. This time she didn’t run from the pain of her grief. She let out all her anger, fear, loneliness, and pain. She continued to cry and wail until her grief left her exhausted.
With her grief released, she finally became aware of herself once more. Guilt replaced grief as she realized that she had abandoned the Tar, Jak. She had adopted him into her pack. She was responsible for his welfare and protection, even if he didn’t seem to want it. She knew her duty and she knew that she had to return. It was her purpose now and she decided that she needed that purpose more than Jak needed her protection. Hopefully, he would forgive her neglect.
Kali pulled herself up and slowly limped back to Jak’s den.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Jack made it back to the cave just after dark. He had barely stowed his gear when a noise at the cave entrance had him turn with his weapon ready. He didn’t call out. He waited.
“Jak.”
“Kali? Is that you?” Jack asked quietly, voice barely above a whisper.
“Kash…Yes, Kali,” she replied.
Kali slowly walked into Jack’s vision. She looked a little the worse for wear. Mud coated her legs to mid-calf and her fur was matted down in several places. Jack kept his weapon trained on her.
“You alone, Kali?” Jack watched her carefully. She seemed puzzled by his question. Or maybe she just didn’t understand the word. “Others? More people? More like Kali?”
Finally, she understood, “Va…No. No more like Kali.” Then she seemed to lose her balance and fell just inside the cave entrance. “Va nok Mar, Jak.”
Jack carefully came out of his shielded position and approached the alien. Keeping a wary eye on the cave entrance, he carefully checked over Kali. She had several deep lacerations on her legs and arms as well as superficial scratches and abrasions were visible through her pelt. Her fur was a dull shine and was full of dirt and mud.
“Damn, girl, what the hell did you do to yourself? Alright, let’s get you over to your bed and see what we can do about those cuts.”
Jack carefully picked her up under her arms and pulled her over to her pallet of grass. He gave her his canteen to drink from and pulled out some of the smoked meat. He smiled as she wrinkled her nose at the food, but ate it any way.
Jack built a fire and started some water boiling. He didn’t know how clean the water was, but he didn’t want to introduce infection to her wounds while he was cleaning them.
He pulled out one of the first aid kits and setup next to Kali. “Kali? I’m going to take a look at your cuts.” He gestured to the deep cuts on her leg and carefully cleaned his hands. He had run out of the latex gloves his first few days of tending to his head. “Okay?”
Kali just watched him with interest.
“Okay. Doctor Jack’s second patient. At this rate, Doc’ll have me working in the infirmary,” Jack reverted to his monologue, while he carefully started to clean the cuts.
“Ya know, my first patient lived, so ya got nothin’ to worry about.” He moved to the next cut and used the tweezers to pull slivers out from the edge of the gash.
“Of course, my sewing skills are not so hot. And it looks like these are gonna need a few stitches.” Jack moved to the last deep cut and quickly cleaned it out.
All three of the deep cuts were now freely bleeding again, which in this case was good. The blood would flush any remaining debris out. Jack left them open and quickly cleaned out the worst of the scratches. He didn’t dare use any of the antibiotic cream on her. With his luck, it was toxic to her kind. So, with one last deep breath, Jack pulled out the suturing supplies and began to stitch the deepest cuts closed.
Once he finished, he examined his handiwork and decided that it wouldn’t look too bad when it healed. At least, the stitches were mostly straight, “See, what’d I tell ya. Good as new.” Jack pulled out the field bandages and carefully wrapped the deep cuts. He left the smaller scratches open to the air.
“Kal,” Kali said quietly. Her eyes were slowly blinking closed.
“You’re welcome. Get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Jack gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder and pulled one of the field blankets over her.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Week 5 – Kali is back. Well, actually, she’s been back awhile. She showed up over a week ago looking like hell. She won’t talk about what happened. She pretends to not understand, but I know she understands the question.
I’ve needed to hunt more often while Kali heals. It’s not too bad. I’ve enjoyed getting out and she’s enjoyed the fresh meat. We’ve been talking about everything else and have expanded our vocabulary. We were even able to talk about the stars and space travel the other day. I don’t know who was more surprised, her or me.
On a weird note, she keeps asking me where my people are. She doesn’t seem to understand that you are coming to get me. She seems to think that we need to get to you.
So in summary, surviving well, communicating better. Yada, yada, yada.
Jack was getting antsy to get back to the Stargate and talk to Earth. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Kali’s company, but he just needed to hear another human voice.
Teaching the alien to speak English was a tough challenge, but it had its own share of frustrations. They each had things that they couldn’t discuss because of the lack of the right words. This was especially frustrating now that they could easily discuss other more simple concepts. And try as he might, Jack just didn’t have Daniel’s gift of language. Daniel was able to take a foreign word and make that inspirational leap of logic that would allow his friend to make connections and build bridges between the two languages.
But Jack needed information about Kali’s people, the Mar. He needed to know more about them and if they were a threat or not. So far, they had left him alone, but he was basing his assessment on assumptions about the aliens. He wasn’t sure if they had left him alone because they didn’t know about him or because they didn’t care. Both assumptions came with a host of problems.
Jack needed to hash out his concerns with General Hammond. He was already overdue to make contact. And he really didn’t want to worry the general. But he wasn’t sure how Kali would take his absence.
Kali had started hunting again and was looking much better. She was healing. She would limp for a bit, but eventually she would be back in top form. She had stopped shadowing him whenever he left the cave. So he assumed that he had proven he could take care of himself. Either that or she was just too injured to mother him appropriately.
But she had avoided talking about how she had become injured in the first place. All he was able to get out of her was that she was responsible for the injuries, not her people. Or was that others…Again, communication seemed to be the key item missing for proper intelligence.
But more worrying to Jack, Kali had seemed fragile since her return. She lacked the inner strength that had impressed him when he had first met her. If she were human, Jack would have said that she was suffering through depression. But she wasn’t human and he couldn’t afford to make that kind of assumption.
“Kali,” Jack called, trying to get the alien’s attention. She was in one of her quiet, serious moods. “I’ve got to go for a few days. Will you be alright alone?”
Jack caught a brief flash of panic before she hid her eyes. “Why do you go?” she asked.
“Why? Uh…I have to contact my people. They are expecting me to call and let them know I’m okay.” Jack felt that the explanation was inadequate, but he didn’t know how to make it more adequate.
“Jak’s people…Tar” she repeated, her eyes darting around the cave as she thought rapidly.
“Yeah, Tau’ri,” Jack readily agreed. “Are you gonna be fine while I’m gone?”
“Gone…Va. No. Don’t leave me here. I…I cannot kor tak…stay here as…one…alone,” she said, as panic once more edged her voice. She leapt up and stared at him tensely. “I will go with you,” she announced, and immediately began packing what she needed for an overnight trip.
“Whoa. Easy there. You don’t have to go. It’s just like when I go hunting, just longer,” Jack carefully regarded her frenzied movements and tried to think of options.
“You don’t understand. I cannot…I must go…,” she snapped, and then she lost her tenuous hold to English and started prattling off in her native tongue. Jack couldn’t follow two words of her monologue.
“Alright, already,” Jack shouted, to stop her rambling. “I have to go. You can come with me. Okay?”
Kali stopped packing and looked at him with a deep emotion in her eyes. ”Kash,” she replied in a tight voice.
“Ya sure?” he asked, not liking the tone of her consent. He didn’t understand what was driving her. But he knew her well enough that even if he said ‘no’ she would likely follow him anyway. He had to go. She might as well come along. Who knows, she might even help.
Kali regarded him carefully, “Yes. I am sure. Let us go to the Tar.”
“Okay, it’s a long walk. But we’ll hunt on the way.” Jack turned away from her and quickly finished collecting his gear for the trek. He then ushered Kali out of the cave and onto the trail that would eventually lead him to the Stargate.
They walked at a slower pace because of Kali’s limp. Jack didn’t want to aggravate the healing wound. Her leg was why he wanted Kali to stay at the cave. But her reaction was unexpected. It was like she was afraid that he wouldn’t come back. Or angry that he would leave…It was hard for him to tell one snarl from another, though he was improving. And right now, he was leaning towards fear.
Jack had originally thought that Kali was staying with him out of a sense of duty or obligation. That if he left, she would just return to her people, the Mar. But her reaction made him question that original premise. It also made him look at her disappearance and her behavior since her return more closely. But he just wasn’t Daniel. He couldn’t make that final leap of logic that helped him to connect the dots.
Jack finally decided that he just needed more information. “Kali, where are your people? Where are the Mar?”
This was one question that he had avoided for the last week. He had a feeling that her disappearance and subsequent injuries were related to her people somehow. Since, she had avoided questions about her missing days, he had tried more indirect means of inquiry. But now he was running out of patience.
Kali froze, mid-step, and then slowly released her tension and regarded him. “The Mar are…in space and other…circles…planets,” she explained carefully gesturing to the sky and moons.
Jack could see that she didn’t think he would believe her. So when he just gave her a nod in response and continued walking, she was surprised.
He had been expecting it. He and Kali had been talking about space, stars, and traveling the distance between. It made sense for the Mar to be a space-traveling race. The concepts were too easily communicated and understood.
“Are there any Mar on this planet?” he asked casually. With her last revelation, he was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion about why Kali was alone here.
Kali gave him a quick glance before replying, “Kali…I am only Mar here.”
Jack was certain that he knew the answer to this next question, but he had to ask, “That’s your ship in the ravine, isn’t it?”
Kali was quiet for a long time. Jack gave her sidelong glances and found that she was slumped in defeat. Not exactly the reaction he was expecting. She didn’t want him to know that she had survived the crash?
“Kash,” she whispered quietly, as if the answer would change if he couldn’t hear it.
They continued for some time in silence. Jack thought about how hard she had had it as the sole survivor of a crashed ship, stranded alone on an alien world with only a strange alien for company. He could relate. He just didn’t know what to say to her. More and more her strange behavior this last week was making sense. Her behavior was more human than he had thought. She had lost her entire crew and had been stranded alone on an alien planet. A bit of loneliness and depression was to be expected.
As they sought shelter from the meteors in a large rock cluster, Jack finally found his voice, “Tell me about them.”
Kali turned big sad eyes to him in question, “Who?”
“The others who…died in the crash.” She quickly turned away from him, hiding her face. Jack surprised himself by adding, “Just hear me out. My people think that the best way to deal with…death is to talk about it. To…get past the grief by…remembering the dead as they lived. Ya know? Bottling it up doesn’t work. I should know.”
“How?” Kali asked so quietly that Jack almost didn’t hear it.
“How do I know? Or how to talk about it?” Jack asked, not sure which he would prefer.
Kali turned back to him, “How do you know?”
Jack winced and stared at his hands as he replied, “Ah…well, I’ve lost people that I…cared about. People who died because of my choices…my decisions. I used to bottle it up. Lock the…pain away in a box in my mind. When I lost…Charlie…I went a bit nuts,” Jack gave a humorous laugh, as the old pain and grief washed through him again. “But…but I got lucky. Daniel helped me out…grounded me…and…and I got back to living…life.” Jack continued to stare at his hands twisting and untwisting a cord hanging off of his vest.
“It helped? Talking?” Kali asked.
“Yeah. It still hurts, but…not so bad,” he replied. “Look, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to…I just…I thought it might…help.”
She turned back to Jack, some of her grief still showing, “Kal, Jak, I may accept. But…not yet. I can’t…yet.”
They spent the rest of the trip in quiet small talk, arriving at the Stargate just after dusk.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Kali watched Jak as he quickly setup camp. She wasn’t sure why he wanted to setup camp in the open here near this odd monument he called a ‘star gate.’ Maybe his people were meeting him here.
She gave a soft sigh. She had thought long and hard about their earlier conversation among the rocks. The loss of her pack was still an open wound, more painful than the cuts on her leg.
Kali sat quietly in the light and warmth of the fire as she reviewed the conversation again. Jak had said one thing that made sense to her. ‘Remember the dead as they lived,’ he had said. She didn’t think that she could purge the sight of her pack, broken and bleeding on the deck of her ship. But that didn’t stop her from remembering them as they lived.
The week before the crash, the youngest female, Kai, had taken to teasing the oldest male, Tore. Kali remembered watching the pair circle around each other as she tried to contain her humor, her mate a warm presence at her back.
The memory seemed to lift her spirits a bit. She still felt grief and anger at their loss, but Jak was right, it didn’t hurt as much. Maybe he was right about talking as well. Perhaps she could tell him of her pack and her mate.
Kali looked up to see Jak watching her as he cleaned his paz…’rock chucks’ he called them. She gave him a sad smile before telling him of her pack, “They were my grall…group…I don’t know the best word. I was responsible for them. My wag…my male,” she stumbled, again, not knowing the best word in his language. “He was with me…The ship was hit by meteors. The…shielding collapsed. There was no time…No time…They couldn’t reach the nets…I tried to land softly…I tried but…no time…They died…I could do nothing for them…nothing…” she finally trailed off into silence, eyes wide with the horror of the memory.
Jak just listened and she found that in his quiet acceptance, she found her peace and a sense of balance that she had been missing. He didn’t judge her for failing. He merely accepted her account, accepted the plain facts, painful as they were. She found that as painful as the memory was, sharing it had softened the edges, if only a little, that grief shared was less overwhelming.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
The next morning, Jack examined the Stargate and DHD for new damage before attempting to dial Earth. Kali showed a keen interest in the DHD but had largely ignored the Stargate itself, until it started dialing.
Jack could only smile at her shocked amazement when the wormhole engaged with its usual flair. Yeah, that never gets old.
“Stargate Command, SG-one-niner,” Jack called on the radio.
“Go ahead, Colonel O’Neill,” Jack grinned as Kali’s eyes widened even more as she regarded him.
“Sir, sorry about checking in late. I had to take care of a friend.” Jack gestured for Kali to join him, over by the DHD. She was watching everything but the camera. “This is Kali of the Mar,” he said introducing her through the camera and radio.
“Nice to meet you Kali, this is General Hammond from Earth.”
Kali spun around as the general introduced himself, before addressing the Stargate, “Greetings, General Hammond of the Earth.” Finally, she turned back to Jack, he simply gestured to the radio. She nodded in understanding. Her people had a similar method of communication. She had been amazed that the primitive Tar also had this technology.
“Do you have anything new to report, Colonel?” the general asked.
“Yes, Sir.” Jack hesitated, before continuing, “Kali is the sole survivor of the shipwreck. No other Mar on the planet. Looks like we both got lost together,” Jack tried to joke, but didn’t miss the flash of pain on Kali’s face. “Other then that, the rock chuck makes mighty fine eating,” he continued. Now that he had a handle on the Mar issue, he didn’t see any new threats to report or discuss.
“Understood, son. I do have some good news for you. Major Carter has outdone herself and the Prometheus will launch tomorrow or the next day. She is running through the final diagnostics right now,” the general added, his good humor shining through.
“Excellent! So, she’s ahead of schedule. Do you have a projected travel time?” Jack asked, with a grin.
“Major Carter said that travel time will depend on the fixes to the hyperdrive. She is hoping for 4 days, but if the engine encounters the same problems, it could be as long as 6,” the general stated confidently.
“Well, Sir, I have every faith in Major Carter’s estimates,” Jack replied.
“As do I, Colonel.”
Jack was about to sign off, when it occurred to him that if Kali’s ship could be brought down by orbiting space rocks, so could the Prometheus. “Sir, I got just one more thing. Do you remember when I mentioned that the meteor showers were a daily event?” Jack started, not sure exactly how to convey his warning.
“Yes,” the general promptly replied.
“Well, Sir, Kali’s ship was in a low orbit when it was disabled by space debris. I’d advise extreme caution and full shields when approaching from orbit,” Jack relayed.
“Understood, Colonel. Stay out of trouble and I’ll see you in a few weeks,”
“Yes, Sir. O’Neill out,” Jack gave the camera a jaunty salute before turning away.
Jack continued to grin well after the wormhole disengaged. It was only when he saw Kali’s sad frown that his happiness dimmed a bit.
Crap! I forgot to ask about Kali. Screw it! I can’t just leave her here alone. Like it or not, she’s coming with me.
“So, Kali, where do you want the ship to drop you off on our way home?” Jack asked, his grin firmly back in place.
Jack watched as Kali worked through the sentence. Slowly her sad frown was replaced with a brilliant, toothy smile. “You will take…me with you?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Jack continued. Grinning, he turned and slowly began collecting this gear.
“Kash. I would…like that,” Kali finally answered. Then she also turned to packing up the camp and collecting their gear.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
The next few days Jack and Kali went about straightening out the cave that they had called home. They cleaned the area of all signs of their presence. They hauled all the extra gear up to the MALP and stored it in a small protected crevice.
Four days after they returned from the Stargate, they had done everything to ensure that the native plants and animals would quickly forget them. Jack had noticed that Kali’s depression was replaced with anxiety.
She seemed determined to perfect her English and insisted that Jack correct even the slightest mistake. But she also tried to grill Jack about his people the Tau’ri. Jack, of course, remained vague about the specifics unless he was talking about his team or the other human cultures they had encountered in the galaxy.
Finally, Kali tried to understand his culture. This is where Jack was as frustrated as Kali at their limited ability to communicate. While it was much better, they still had difficulty with abstract concepts.
“So, Danel, Carter, and Teal are your...team,” Kali clarified. Jack had been trying on and off to get her to understand the concept of a team to her for the last two hours.
“Yes,” he replied.
“And you...lead this team,” she continued.
“Yup,” Jack smiled, thinking that she was finally getting it.
“But...how?” she asked completely confused.
Jack sighed. This is where they both seemed to miss something. “I just tell them what to do and they do it.”
“And they listen?”
Jack grimaced, “Yeah, well, mostly.”
“Pah, I can’t believe you get much respect. Males often have that difficulty,” she gave him one of her toothy grins.
“Wait a minute...males?” Jack was just starting to get a vague hint at what they had both been missing in this whole conversation.
“Yes, males. Females are better suited to lead. We get instant respect. We seldom have problems with the males in our grall. Only the females give us trouble,” Kali continued.
Jack smiled, “So, no male team leaders?”
Kali snorted, “No. The very thought is…funny? Crazy?”
“That’s it! That’s why you don’t get it.” Jack was proud that he finally made the connection. “Among the Tau’ri, a leader is chosen based on skill, not their sex. Male and female can be a leader...Hey, is that why you’ve been giving me the mother hen routine? You didn’t think a male could hack it?”
Kali was back to being confused, “Mother hen routine? Hack?”
“Sorry, I meant…how you were constantly…protecting me even when I didn’t want you to,” Jack clarified.
“Yes. It is a Gall’na’s duty to care for those on her...team.”
“Ah…but the…Gall’nas…of my people can be either male or female. Mostly male…” Jack was giving her a big goofy grin.
Kali laughed at Jack, “No wonder the Tar are so backwards.”
“Hey…” Jack pretended to bristle at her remark. However, he was really pleased. Kali had finally shaken off her depression and seemed to be looking forward to meeting his team. Of course, he was almost bouncing.
According to Carter’s estimates, the Prometheus could be here at any time. Jack had decided to turn on one of the radios this morning. If they arrived, he should be able to hear them.
Jack hoped General Hammond took his warning about the space debris seriously. He didn’t want the Prometheus to become another causality of this planet. He was also hoping that they radioed in advance of a landing attempt. It was now early afternoon and the daily rock shower would be starting soon. If they radioed ahead he could warn them to wait a bit and avoid further complications.
The radio crackled to life as if summoned by his thoughts, “Colonel O’Neill, this is Colonel Ronson of the Prometheus, do you read?”
Kali looked up startled as Jack gave a loud whoop. “O’Neill here. I read you loud and clear.”
“That’s good to hear, Colonel. We are preparing for decent. We’ll be landing approximately one klick from the MALP’s beacon. Over?”
“Negative, Prometheus. We are expecting incoming meteor showers within the next 30 mikes. Repeat. Meteor showers expected within 30 mikes. DO NOT BEGIN DESCENT. Copy?”
“Copy. That is a no go for descent. Repeat, no go for descent.”
Jack heard Ronson’s confirmation and breathed a sigh of relief. “Be advised, meteor showers are a daily event and last approximately 45-50 minutes once started. Meteor showers fall in a Southwest to Northeast pattern. The Stargate is due North of the MALP’s position. The clearest descent path is likely along this route. Copy?”
“Copy. Will scan atmosphere for orbiting debris until clear for descent…” Jack heard Ronson chuckle before continuing, “Colonel, since we have a delay, I have some anxious folks up here that want to say hello.”
Jack smiled, “Go ahead and put ‘em on, Ronson.” He could easily picture Daniel bouncing in the background, waiting for his chance to speak.
“Hey, Jack!” Daniel’s enthusiastic welcome matched Jack’s mental picture.
“Daniel. So, how are your rocks?” Jack asked with a huge grin. He was just as glad to hear his friend’s voice.
“Good, good. Still important…still covered in squiggly lines…You?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, well…been a bit bored, ya know…Not so-o fond of rocks right now…Hey! I learned another language,” Jack stated with pride, still grinning. “I have at least a dozen new insults the Jaffa don’t know yet. Cool, huh?”
Daniel chuckled, “I’ll just bet. Hey, Jack?”
“Yeah, Daniel,” Jack replied.
“You…ah…wanna get some cake later?” Daniel asked, casually.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The radio started to hiss and crackle with interference. “Hey, Danny, looks like our little rock show is starting. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come down. Say ‘hi’ to Carter and T for me. O’Neill out.”
“Prome…s out,” Daniel replied.
Kali looked at Jack expectantly, a smile teasing her mouth.
Jack couldn’t stop grinning. “So, ya ready to go home?”
Her eyes flashed with happiness, “Yes, I am.”
They settled down at the mouth of the cave and watched the meteors stream overhead in a happy silence.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
When the last of the meteors completed their trek across the sky, Jack radioed the Prometheus that the ground in his immediate area was clear. Then he and Kali packed the last of their things in the cave and hiked the short distance to where the MALP was sheltered on the Northern side of the ravine.
They had just settled in to wait when Jack heard the familiar hum of the Prometheus’ engines. He was able to direct Kali in the right direction and they watched as the large ship come in for its landing. Kali was dutifully impressed with the size of the ship, but reserved judgment about the level of technology in its interior. Jack could only chuckle. He was sure she was expecting dirt floors with straw ceilings.
Before long, Jack could see the familiar figures of his team in the distance, slowly making their way to his position. Smiling, he stood up and made sure his hat was firmly in place. Kali joined him, giving off anxious waves of tension.
“Don’t worry. They’ll like you,” he tried to reassure her.
She glanced at him in gratitude, “Kal, Jak.” She slowly relaxed at his side.
Jack started to slowly bounce in place, rocking back and forth on his feet. When he couldn’t wait any longer, he strode forward to greet his team with a huge grin. He immediately grabbed Daniel and Sam in a huge, joint hug.
“God, I missed you guys,” he declared, before stepping back and grasping Teal’c by the forearm that changed into a loose hug.
“Tek ma’te, O’Neill,” Teal’c boomed out, a smiled tugging at his lips.
Sam had a bright blush and a huge smile, “Hi, Sir.”
“We missed you too, Jack,” Daniel stated for the group, his smile threatening to split his face in two.
Jack drank in the sight of his team. He couldn’t believe that they were really here, that he was really about to go home. Then he remembered Kali. He spun around so fast his team had to step back.
“Come on, kids. There’s someone I want you to meet,” Jack lead the group back, all but skipping with excitement.
Kali stood quietly by the MALP, quietly drinking in the group’s interactions. She gave the new people a reserved smile in welcome, and Jack a genuine smile as she delighted in his happiness.
Jack stopped between his team and Kali. He noticed the quick glances as they took in Kali’s alien appearance, but was content with the shy smiles they gave her in welcome.
“Kids, this is Kali, daughter of the Mar,” Jack introduced Kali in English. Then he turned to Kali with a smug smile, introduced the team in Mar, “Kali, pen nok Major Samantha Carter nost venta Tau’ri, grall’nat SG-1. Pen nok Doctor Daniel Jackson nost ventan Tau’ri. Pen nok Teal’c nost ventan Jaffa, gorn Chulak.” (This is Major Samantha Carter daughter of the Tau’ri, second of SG-1. This is Dr. Daniel Jackson son of the Tau’ri. This is Teal’c son of the Jaffa from Chulak.)
Kali was obviously touched by Jack’s introduction in her language. They had worked so hard on her English that she hadn’t noticed him practicing his Mar. She ducked her head, “I am pleased to finally meet you.”
Teal’c and Sam gave her a welcoming nod, as Daniel spoke for them, “Welcome, Kali.”
“Well, kids, as much as I would love to catch up, cake is calling. Let’s gear up and get the hell out of Dodge.” Jack pulled out their abandoned rucksacks. Teal’c’s pack even had the UAV strapped to it. Jack’s pack and Kali’s bag were strapped to the MALP. He smiled as they groaned, but quickly shouldered their bags with practiced ease.
Jack then made a big show of maneuvering the MALP back towards the Prometheus.
Just as Jack had predicted to Kali, Daniel tried to engage her in conversation and began learning Mar with a speed that made Jack’s head spin. But he was more than happy to disrupt Daniel’s progress by tossing out the odd line that made Kali laugh hysterically and Daniel in confusion. When Daniel sought clarification, Kali would refuse and Jack would just give him the ‘what’ look.
Jack’s happiness lasted until about halfway through the impromptu cake party in the mess. He begged off more social time, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sudden company. He ensured that Kali was settled and familiar with the strange fixtures in her room, before finally taking the longest shower of his life.
Jack spent a long time staring at his image in the mirror, especially his latest scar. With his hair overgrown, the new stubble from the burn was patently obvious. The scar was a broad, jagged streak across his head, still dark from healing. His face, newly shaved, was gaunt and worn. In short, he looked like hell warmed over.
Then his eyes twinkled, and he started to hum then sing the lyrics to one of his favorite songs, Superman by Five for Fighting…”And it’s not easy…to be…me…”
As he finished the song, he felt a bit better. He was still a gaunt, worn-out, scarred face in the mirror. But he knew from experience that the image would improve with time. And what sleep, regular meals, and a haircut couldn’t fix, his good friends would. Jack settled back into the soft bed and was quickly asleep.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Kali woke with a start in the unfamiliar surroundings. At first, she thought she was back on her ship and the past three months had all been a very bad dream. But as she looked around the room, she noticed the differences. The cot was too small. The room was in the wrong shape. The writing on the wall was unfamiliar.
Slowly, she stretched and gave a tired sad sigh. Her pack was truly gone. They were dead. But she had new friends and they were taking her back to her people. A deed that she didn’t believe was possible just a short time ago.
The Tar were truly a space faring race. Her people had suspected as much but had yet to see one of their ships. Until now, that is. Now, for the first time a Mar was actually aboard a Tar spaceship. It was very similar in function to a Mar ship. But the differences showed her more clearly how truly different the Tar were from the Mar.
A Mar ship was the long term home of the explorer teams. It was decorated with items for comfort and well being. Individual cabins were large to allow privacy in the confines of space. There were only two communal areas, the control room and the common room.
But the Tar ship was compartmentalized with separate rooms for each function. Each room with its components was cramped together to maximize space, but only for utilitarian purposes. Even the common spaces were small and cramped. The only exceptions were the control rooms and the dining area.
Kali was still confused as to why a ship needed two control rooms, but Jak had briefly touched on how the Tar would fight other Tar or their enemies and needed a second if the first were taken or destroyed.
This was another significant difference between the Mar and the Tar. The Mar didn’t hunt other Mar. They even avoided conflict with other intelligent creatures like the Tar. When the Mar packs had a dispute over territory or property, the grall’nas would fight for dominance. The winner would set the settlement stakes.
But the Tar hunted each other and would likely hunt the Mar if they were in competition. Kali didn’t think that would be a good thing. In many ways, the Tar were less advanced then the Mar. But the Mar didn’t put weapons on their spacecraft. The Tar did. In space, the Mar would be easy prey.
Kali suspected that the black box that Jak had so effectively used hunting gaff was only one of many effective weapons the Tar had developed. Her people preferred to hunt with their hands or a knife. And while they were the masters of the hunt, they were inexperienced at hunting thinking prey. The Tar were not so inexperienced.
It was with this reasoning that Kali directed the Tar ship to a remote colony of Mar. The trip in a Mar ship would have taken seven days. However, Carter had stated that the trip would only take 10 hours.
With that in mind, Kali and briefly joined the Tar in celebrating Jak’s return before retiring to her assigned quarters. She was now well rested and ready to convince the Tar to allow her to return to her people alone.
The Mar did not need allies. And while Jak had been good company while she was alone, his people were overwhelming and aggressively friendly, especially the one called Daniel. They would not be welcomed among the Mar for long, and she feared what would happen when they were turned away. It was better that they break ties now while they were still friends.
An insistent knocking at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Kali swiftly crossed the small compartment and opened the door. A young Tar was waiting on the other side.
“Ma’am, I’m to escort you on the bridge. Major Carter says that we are approaching the hyperspace drop out point,” the man stated swiftly.
Kali hid her displeasure at his lack of introduction. “Very well,” she nodded at him and followed him as he led her through the maze of corridors finally ending at one of the control rooms.
Kali didn’t immediately spot Jak near the front of the room. He had removed all the hair on his face and the effect was startling. It was his familiar hat that she finally identified. She nodded her greeting at him with a smile.
“Leaving Hyperspace,” one of the Tar stated.
“Scan all channels and raise shields,” the Tar called Ronson commanded. He then turned to her. “Ma’am, how do we approach the planet without appearing threatening?”
Kali doubted that the Mar would see them as a threat while they were still in space. It was not the Mar way. Because they avoided conflict, they assumed that others did as well. Some of her people might be afraid, but most would be curious until they saw the first Tar. After that, she couldn’t predict what her people would do. She herself had first thought to kill the strange Tar that later became her friend.
Kali doubted that her people were ready to leave the security of their isolation just yet. Kali had been forced to see the Tar as more than a primitive people to be avoided. She had no other choice. Her survival depended on it. But her people were not in that same desperate position. Perhaps it was best to avoid the conflict.
“Mar will not attack the ship,” she finally said aloud. “They will not see the ship as a threat unless your people leave the ship. My people see the Tar as primitive but intelligent. We avoid all contact with the Tar. Land your ship away from the settlement and I will exit alone.”
“But Kali...” Kali turned to the one called Daniel, confused about her reaction. “There is so much our people could learn from each other. We...”
“Daniel,” Jack interrupted. “It’s not your choice.” He turned to Kali and gave her a half smile.
“Kal, Jak. I do not think the Mar are ready to meet your people yet. Someday maybe. But it is too much, too soon,” she tried to explain. Jak nodded and smiled at her. She was grateful for his quiet acceptance.
“Set her down five klicks off the settlement,” Ronson ordered.
Jak walked over to her and motioned to the exit, “I’ll help you get your stuff.”
Kali followed him out of the control room and back to her quarters. She was grateful for his quiet presence as she collected her small bag of belongings. “Kal.”
“What ever for?” he asked.
“For understanding,” she replied quietly.
“Hey, I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but even I can tell the difference between a hunter and a warrior,” he replied. “Your people are peaceful hunters. Mine are not.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be okay?” he asked her.
She gave him a small nod, “With time, I think I will.”
They exited her quarters and Jak led her to a strange junction in the hallway and stopped. “Well, this is where I leave you. Take care of yourself, Kali.” Jak had stopped in the hallway. He gave her a sad smile and wave.
Kali looked around confused. She was standing in the middle of a large circle. But, she could see nothing that appeared to be a doorway. She felt the ship gently settled onto the ground with a small jolt.
“Good-bye, Jak. Happy hunting,” she replied. She watched as his hand touched a panel. Immediately she heard a humming and watched as several large rings rose from the floor to envelope her in light. When the light faded, she was no longer on the Tar ship, but under it.
She quickly checked to make sure she was all there, before turning an awed look up to the Tar ship.Yes, she had made the right decision. These Tar were more than her people could handle right now.
Kali quickly gathered her things and sprinted off in the direction of the settlement. She was eager to see the other Mar and to relay her sad and fascinating story of the destruction of her ship and her interaction with the Tar.
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Jack waved at the Airman who drove him home as he unlocked his door and stepped into his home. The whole last week had been a blur. After he had transported Kali to the surface, he felt strange, lonely. He had interacted with his team, but had largely avoided the others assigned to the Prometheus.
After two days, Jack realized that he just wasn’t used to being around people and he had zero tolerance for anyone outside of his team. So, he spent the remaining week catching up on much needed rest and becoming reacquainted with food.
Jack closed his door behind him and carefully looked around at his house. Janet and Cassie had been kind enough to look to his home’s upkeep while his team had been in Nevada with Carter repairing and testing the hyperdrive engine.
Well, Carter was working on the engine. Daniel and Teal’c were ensuring that she had what she needed to work efficiently, namely food and rest. But according to Daniel, Teal’c’s presence had ensured that the scientists assigned to work with Carter had worked to their full potential. That was one of the reasons for the early completion.
Jack walked into his kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled a beer and microwaveable lasagna out of the well stocked fridge. As he closed the door, he noticed the note from Doctor Frasier reminding him to eat better.
Doctor Frasier had been kind enough to meet the Prometheus in Nevada when it landed. Jack doubted that her sudden appearance was less because the doctor assigned to the Prometheus wasn’t doing his job and more to ensure herself and the rest of the SGC that he was indeed alive and well. Jack had nothing to complain about since her presence meant that Cassie was allowed along for the ride.
Her exam had revealed nothing he didn’t already know. He already knew that the scar was large and ugly and would require surgery to correct, or at least minimize. He also already knew that he was too thin and borderline malnourished. Her prescription of rest and vitamin supplements was duly noted, as was her sudden tight hug and quick apology as she drew away sniffing.
Doctor Frasier, Cassie, and his team accompanied him on the flight home. Jack had escaped their constant presence only long enough to get a haircut. But judging by the looks that Cassie gave him when he got back, they had known where he was going and gave him the space he needed.
After the group had landed, Jack had insisted that they all go the mountain first. He knew that everyone from the Prometheus’ crew to Doc had been keeping General Hammond informed of his status. But he knew that his old friend would need the visual as much as Doc needed the hands on exam. A little delay in returning home to complete the debriefing was a small price to pay for reassuring his friends, and thus the whole base, that all was well once more.
Now, finally home, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. For all that he would have killed for TV on that damn planet, it didn’t appeal to him now. Instead he pulled the dusty guitar case out of his hall closet. He gently pulled out the old instrument and tuned the strings in again. Then he began to play. He didn’t play any particular song or melody, just played to hear the music. He simply played his thanks and joy in returning home safe and sound once again.
END
~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG~~SG
Mar is a made up language. Honestly, I didn’t try to take any of these words from anywhere else. I just made a noise out loud and if it sounded about right and vaguely alien, then I spelled it out. Here are the words I made up and what I decided that they mean.
Gaff – deer
Gorn - from
Grak nor – warning - I’m dangerous.
Grall – pack
Grall’na – first female in pack.
Grall’nat – second female in pack
Gresh – eat, food
Kal – thank you.
Kali nost venta Mar – Kali daughter of the Mar
Kash – assent – okay or yes
Kor tak – stay here, stay put.
Mar – intelligent cat-like alien race
Nok – other
Nor krav’at – to sing or in song
Nost – of or from
Paz – rock chuck
Pen nok – this other is
Tar – human
Va – negative – no
Venta - daughter
Ventan - son
Wag – Mate
Sound Track:
I am a rock by Simon and Garfunkel
The Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
Silent Lucidity by Queensryche
Anything by Enya
Carry on my wayward son by Kansas
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Of Falling Rocks and Unlikely Allies
by RoczaSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis