A Mission To Remember
by PepsiSlayer
TITLE: A Mission To Remember
AUTHOR: PepsiSlayer
EMAIL: pepsicola@breathemail.net
CATEGORY: Sam and Jack
SPOILERS: Tok'ra I and II
SEASON / SEQUEL: It's a prequel to Angel's wonderful fantabulous (yes, I've gone through all this before..) new series, Stargate: 2025.
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS: m/f
SUMMARY: SG-1 meet some unnusual aliens with a gift for them.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay everyone... you might spot a 'theme' in this story... anyone who can tell me the theme and all the answers in their feedback (yes, I know it's a bad ploy for feed.. work with me here) wins.. uh... I don't know what, but whatever it is, it's wonderful. :) BTW, the Peps'ians aren't my idea.. (I'm not getting big headed, really, I'm not..). Angel invented them and named them after me. I doubt I could advertise her series any more, so I won't mention that they are in Stargate 2025 etc. etc... :)
Sam felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced over at Jack, who looked a little embarrassed but continued watching her.
"I'll be *fine*," Sam told him.
"But what if the gate-?"
"Janet OK'd everything. Besides, I'm not going to be doing anything too strenuous or anything..." At 8 months pregnant, Sam had battled long and hard with General Hammond for the right to continue working. She'd only just managed, and that was mainly because Janet had decided that the baby would be protected enough by the womb that she wouldn't feel the cooling effects of the Stargate. General Hammond had secretly being trying to find a planet that didn't have any of the usual signs of dangerousness.
The Stargate engaged and the wormhole opened, exploding in a beautiful display with a water-like appearance before settling into the Stargate again. The MALP slowly rolled up the ramp and went to the other planet - not for the first time, but General Hammond wasn't going to tell them that, nor would it turn up in the official report - and emerged on the other side after a few seconds. General Hammond watched the screen intently, checking that nothing had changed since the first look around. There was a interruption on the screen, but the MALP recovered from the small fault and started moving around, doing a full circle. It showed no sign of any living things around the Stargate, and General Hammond mentally heaved a sigh of relief.
"SG-1, you have a go," he told them.
Sam smiled to herself and they started walking up the ramp. She felt the familiar cooling sensation as she stepped through, then she saw the never-the-same-twice sight of all the stars rushing by at fantastic speeds, and the roller-coaster feeling... after a while, it sort of numbed and when she 'awoke' from it, she emerged from the horizon and got her first real-life look at the planet.
And five aliens, standing next to the MALP. They weren't really like anything SG-1 had seen before. They had skin with large scales on it, and large greeny-yellow eyes. They had large tufts of red-pink hair that reminded Jack a bit of the punk 'do'. They were wearing a sort of metal suit that looked like it was armour. Each was holding an odd pod-shaped object and a staff.
"Uh.. hello..." Daniel said upon sighting them. "We're peaceful explorers from-"
The smallest of them seemed to make some sort of clicking noises that attracted the attention of who appeared to be the leader. The small one had said the following in his natural language: "Ka'tay.. I do not trust these aliens."
Ka'tay turned to him and replied to him in the same language: "Don't be stupid, Gar'yi!"
There was some more clicking between them, and eventually Ka'tay rolled her eyes and concentrated. All of SG-1 felt a weird, empty feeling, like a foreign hand was opening all the drawers in their minds and systematically taking note of all the things stored inside. Whoever it was was nice enough to close them all again.
Gar'yi's red hairs stiffened and he gave off the distinct air of being annoyed.
Ka'tay told SG-1, before going on to indicate her other team member,
Al'lii closed her eyes and opened them again in a way that suggested she was nodding.
Daniel started to word a question in his head, and Ka'tay smiled. She smiled in two ways - her mouth curved up at the edges and her eyes shone. It was beautiful in on add way.
Ka'tay started walking away, and the rest of her squad followed. SG-1 tagged after them, and after a few minutes, Ann'idee fell in step with Sam.
The teams fell silent again.
'Yes', thought Sam, and hoped Ann'idee heard it.
Ann'idee smiled. Apparently, she had.
Sam smiled. 'Thank you' she thought.
They walked in silence after that - or maybe not. Daniel certainly seemed very preoccupied with something, which meant he was probably thought-asking Ka'tay a million questions.
Gar'yi had very subtley moved over to Teal'c, and seemed to be using him to hide from Ka'tay.
'Why do you fear them, Gar'yi?'
Gar'yi blinked several times in disbelief.
'I do not know why. That is why I inquired.'
'It is the opposite with the Earth government. Officers are often punished for attempting to maintain a relationship with fellow officers. I believe that your government's rule is more sensible.'
Ahead, a party of about ten Peps'ians could be seen setting up a mountain.
"What's that about?" Jack asked.
"Who is They, anyway?" Jack asked.
"The Goa'uld?"
"Who is their system lord?" Daniel asked.
Sam froze. She repeated the name over and over in her head. *Martouf*. He'd said some terrible, harsh things to her before he'd ran from the Tok'ra home-world, and it wasn't necessarily Lantesh talking. Sam had her own personal theory that Martouf had managed to corrupt Lantesh, or brought out the darker sides of the symbiote. They'd found a horribly damaged body a few days later, so badly wrecked that the face couldn't be identified, but they'd had Martouf's shape and build, and they, too had a symbiote.... and now she knew that he'd joined the enemy. To say it was distressing was an understatement.
Jack put his hand on her arm, shaking her out of her thoughts. He gave her a concerned look, and she gave him a small smile in return.
For the rest of the journey, everything was fairly open and the humans and aliens chatted together. Sam was still mostly submerged in her thoughts, so she was surprised when she saw that they were nearing the city.
It was amazing. From a distance, it looked small and contained a bit like it was hiding. Just a little closer inspection revealed that it was in fact very wide, some of it being built into the surrounding mountains, and that it had large towering buildings. And it was very clean, very new-looking - cleaner than any Earth city ever was or ever could be.
There was a brief silence.
Sam exchanged a glance with the other members of her team before shrugging and following after Ka'tay. After they had got a short distance away, Jack started walking after them, sticking to walls and using as much of his black ops training as he could in an effort not to be seen. The Peps'ian civilians were nice enough not to stare, and the other members of Ka'tay's squad apparently thought it was best to leave him to whatever he was doing.
When Ka'tay and Sam reached the bottom of the hill on which the monastery sat, Ka'tay stopped.
Jack sighed and came out of hiding.
"Hey," he told Ka'tay as he walked towards her and Sam. "I'm the other parent of the girl who's about to be 'blessed', and I'm not gonna be 3 blocks away when it happens, I am going to be *there*, and you can't stop me."
"Uh... yeah..." replied Jack a little uncertainly, before adding more confidently, "So I'm coming with you."
Ka'tay nodded and they started to climb the hill.
**
"Okay," Sam said, "thanks."
Differences were beginning to come apparent between a priestess and a warrior. These Peps'ians wore their hair a lot longer and seemed slightly smaller than the warriors. There was also a whole different atmosphere: the warriors gave a 'we can kick your ass if we have to, but we'll wait for you to make the first move' impression, whereas the priestesses looked like they would be friendly to anyone who came in through the door, and wouldn't be able to defend themselves by a physical means. A magical means, though, was an entirely different matter... Jack could see what looked like some sort of shrine in the corner, and many mystical-looking signs had been very carefully painted on the walls. Whatever it was they believed in, they were very good at it, and could probably summon powers if they wanted to.
De'anna was wearing a plain brown robe, and left to change into a ceremonial one as Coh'en decided she had done enough preparing and came over to them.
Apparently, the difference between a ceremonial robe and an everyday one was various changing shades of purple and intricate gold-coloured edging. Coh'en was also wearing a metal cap-like thing - the metal looked thin but strong and it was specially designed to fit her head and no-one else's. It had been built to leave seeing and breathing spaces for her eyes and nose.
Coh'en then wandered to the centre of the room and started sprinkling things inside a large shape drawn on the ground. De'anna quickly returned in her ceremonial clothes and joined in with Coh'en. They both started circling the shape, bowing down and making clicking noises that were probably chants. They then both suddenly stared up at the ceiling, and the room seemed to glow slightly.
Sam squeezed Jack's hand, almost as if she was checking he was still there.
"I'll be here with you," Jack whispered to her.
She nodded and smiled.
A small Peps'ian, about Sam's waist-height, sidled up to her and tugged at her fatigues. It stared up at her wth wide eyes.
Sam nodded. "Thank you," she told the child. It nodded and shuffled away soundlessly.
Sam exchanged one last look with Jack, then stepped into the ceremonial area.
>From Jack's point if view, not a lot was happening. The two Peps'ians were sprinkling herbs and water, and making clicking noises, and doing other things that.
To Sam, it was entirely different.
De'anna started sprinkling herbs around Sam, making clicking noises as she did it. Coh'en provided a translation.
To the outsider, nothing happened. To the insider, a creamy-white mist uncurled from the high ceiling and descended upon the group, encircling them all, but most of all, Sam. Everything started feeling pleasantly warm and happy, and it was as if the mist was laughing joyfully. Then, the pillar of mist started becoming brighter, more direct, and eventually a bright white beam shone down from the ceiling onto Sam. After a few minutes, it faded, and Sam opened her eyes. She could feel the atmosphere of a job well done radiating from the two aliens, and realised that if she thought hard enough about it, she literally *could* feel it.
"You feel okay?" he asked concernedly.
"Yeah, fine," Sam told him, smiling. "Come on, we'd better go find Daniel and Teal'c."
After following some instructions from one of the Peps'ians, Sam and Jack turned round the corner and saw a very busy park.
It was the city's food area. In the centre and round all the edges of the grassy area were cooking areas, and chefs could be seen flipping pancake-like objects and stirring things. After quickly scanning the crowd for anything not owning flame-red hair or scales, Jack spotted Teal'c and Daniel over one of the far corners. He pointed them out to Sam and started picking out a route to them, politely pushing through the crowds of happy Peps'ians.
When they finally reached their team-mates, Daniel raised something that looked like a cross between a pancake and a muffin in a kind of salute, because his mouth was full.
"I am pleased you could join us," Teal'c told them.
Sam sat down on the large bench and looked back at the huge crowds.
"It's like a huge outside communal cafeteria," she commented.
Daniel nodded vigorously and tried to swallow hurriedly. He didn't manage it. "Mmmmmmph prmmph rmmph mmph mmmph phrmmph," he told her excitedly.
"Which in English is..?" Jack prompted.
Daniel tried to swallow again before giving up and turning to Ka'tay with a pleading expression.
After that, it was mainly eating and chatter. Ka'tay stood nearby, her red hair standing up on end. She looked very alert.
About ten minutes later, Sam turned to Jack.
"She wants to come with us."
"What? How can you tell?"
"When Katie was 'blessed', I think I got after effects.."
Jack blinked. "You can read people's minds!?"
Sam made a face. "Not really.. I just get a sort of... vibe. She wants to come back with us."
"She says she wants to meet General Hammond."
"Not a problem," Jack replied.
Ka'tay asked both of them.
"He's used to that sort of thing," Jack told her. "We've made sure of it."
Ka'tay nodded.
**
Back at the SGC, the gate splashed open.
"Receiving the SG-1 code, sir," the technician told General Hammond. "Five travellers."
"Open the iris," General Hammond instructed him.
On the Stargate, the metal blades retracted and disappeared.
There was a brief pause, and then Colonel O'Neill emerged from the Stargate, followed by Carter, Daniel, Teal'c... and a tall lizard like thing wearing armour and holding a staff.
General Hammond was speechless for a moment, before gathering himself and saying into the microphone, "SG-1, report for debriefing immediately."
**
"General Hammond, Ka'tay. Ka'tay, General Hammond," Daniel said, introducing them.
"I see," commented General Hammond. He couldn't think of anything else to say.
Ka'tay smiled. She bowed down.
General Hammond felt more comfortable now. He knew where he was with inquisitive friendly aliens.
"Would your people be interested in having an alliance with Earth?" General Hammond asked her.
General Hammond beamed. "That would be wonderful."
Ka'tay nodded and went to the control room. When she saw a technician at the computer, she did the Peps'ian version of clearing her throat.
The technician turned around and got a shock.
The technician composed himself, nodded, and stood aside.
Ka'tay looked down at the keyboard, glanced at each of the keys with symbols on them in turn, and quickly typed in her address. As it dialled up, she left the control room and went into the gate room. It opened just as she got there, and had settled when she began to walk up the ramp.
Then there was a long pause as she stood in front of the Stargate silently. Then she started performing actions.
Maybe it wasn't aimed at the controllers and SG-1 and General Hammond, or maybe they were too far away to hear it. She was actually reciting The Peps'ian Oath to Freedom. It was like a sort of code they had - if you were coming through the Stargate to An'gellia, you said the Peps'ian Oath to Freedom to let the guards on the other side know you were a Peps'ian and therefor not an enemy. On occasions when there was very little time to do any chanting at all, they sent through something that was uniquely Peps'ian - a piece of armour, or a lock of hair, or the blade from the bottom of their staff.
After a few minutes, she brought out her pod-shaped object. She pressed a button on it, and the handle popped out of the bottom. In one quick movement, she moved her hand from the body of the gun to the handle and brought it up against her head.
"She's gonna kill herself!" Jack yelled.
"No she's not," Sam explained calmly, "it's part of the ceremony. It's meant to prove.." she stopped and concentrated. "It's meant to prove that if they are ever taken over by a Goa'uld, they will overpower and take their own lives to stop any future suffering of others."
Ka'tay continued with the recital, then sent her own personal message. She then bowed down to the Stargate and walked away, back to the control room to switch off the Stargate.
Soon, the Stargate was dialled up again. According to the computer, it was the same co-ordinates as An'gellia.
Ka'tay stood at the base of the ramp, receiving the message, before smiling and gesturing to the people in the control room and the briefing room that it was one of the high chiefs.
B'ryn, the high chief, and Ka'tay greeted each other before heading towards the briefing room.
**
B'ryn and Ka'tay stood in General Hammond's office. SG-1 had gone to clean up and get checked over by Dr. Fraiser.
B'ryn stared down at the pen that she had been offered, then the paper next to it which she had read thoroughly, and finally looked at Ka'tay for a sort of explanation.
Ka'tay concentrated and lightly scanned the general's mind and then clicked something to B'ryn. It roughly translated as 'you are meant to leave your personal mark along the line'.
B'ryn nodded, happier now that she understood what she was meant to do, and pressed her fingertip down along the line. She concentrated for a second, then took it away. A perfect finger print had been left as a signature, and it looked like it was smoking slightly.
General Hammond was amazed. "Thank you," he said eventually, filing the treaty in a safe place and giving the Peps'ians their own copy. B'ryn held it tightly, and General Hammond couldn't help wondering if the Peps'ians had a huge filing cabinet where they stored official documents like these.
B'ryn added.
Ka'tay bowed and left General Hammond's office to dial An'gellia.
General Hammond nodded. "We may be able to modify our computers so that they can send a signal to the MALP which was left behind on your planet.."
"We have GDOs that we could give to your people. If you enter the correct code, the defensive iris will open and allow safe travelling."
B'ryn nodded.
There was a distant sound of the Stargate opening.
General Hammond looked unsure. "It's a little soon after a mission..." he started.
B'ryn smiled.
General Hammond still looked a bit doubtful. He had a fairly good idea that SG-1 hadn't gone through anything to strenuous. "I'll see Dr. Fraiser's reports," he told B'ryn.
B'ryn nodded, bowed, and left his office to join Ka'tay in reciting The Peps'ian Oath of Freedom.
**
Dr. Fraiser's reports were very good, and SG-1 were allowed to complete their mission. When they emerged on the other side of the Stargate, things were not so good.
Death gliders swooped low overhead, shooting at the Stargate. Whoever was behind the controls wasn't a good aim.
"We could help," Jack argued.
Ka'tay smiled, and told Jack privately,
The gate disengaged, and Daniel started dialling up Earth immediately.
B'ryn started giving orders to the assembled Peps'ians, clicking and thought-speaking by default.
As Daniel finished dialling and everyone quickly jumped off the Stargate platform so they didn't get in the way of the opening wormhole, there was a distant rumbling sound. Daniel quickly sent the signal, and Sam looked to the mountains. From well-hidden caves, the stealth-jets were emerging. They cannoned out of the holes, pod-shaped like the guns, and then wings snapped out from underneath it, going at right-angles to the body, making it look like the smaller, fatter version of a Concorde. They sprinted across the sky silently, each of them marking their own death glider to take down. Sam watched it with wide eyes. She couldn't help wondering if Martouf was manning one of those death gliders, then another thought argued that he wouldn't because he was their leader and he needed to survive to continue - in this part made her feel nauseous - the Martouf Empire.
Jack tugged at her sleeve.
"Sam, come on!" he prompted.
She nodded and ran through the Stargate with him, wanting to outrun Martouf, outrun the memory, outrun all the worries and the hate and the confusion. The last thing she could think of as she went through was all those Peps'ians going to face Martouf's followers, maybe to lose their lives. Fighting against a good guy gone bad.
It wasn't right...
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to PepsiSlayer