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The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld, and all other characters, who have appeared in the series "STARGATE SG-I" together with the names, titles, and backstory, are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp., Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions, and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea, and the story itself are the sole property of the author.
No. 62: Blind trust (by: S.C.S, 10/98)
"Jaffa!"
The guard who was posted next to the door faced the person that had addressed him. "Yes, my Lady."
"Come over here." The woman waved her arm but she did not turn her head. With her eyes closed, she was pressing a flat gemstone against her head.
From deep within, a light was glowing in the gemstone. When it stopped flickering, the woman removed the gem from her forehead and put it into a golden box, that had been inlaid with purple velvet.
"I want you to be my messenger, Jaffa. Here." She handed him the box. "Bring it to my
sister."
The Jaffa nodded his head and closed his hand over the box.
"You'll find her at my father's castle." The woman added. "Don't reveal the content of this box to anybody else. Be like the shadow on the walls. Hurry and I'll reward you after you have returned." The woman smiled a sadistic smile as she heard the footsteps of the disappearing guard. {You'll be surprised, Ameny.} The woman whispered. {But you will come. That I am sure of.} Then the smile turned into a roaring laughter.
Djedefra was still laughing when she left her seat. Her long fair hair fell like a cape over her back. In the pocket of her flowing robe, her hand reached out for the energy clasp.
Very soon she would be rewarded with what she had been longing for so long.
***
After the final chevron locked in, the Kawoosh appeared and filled the ring with a blue shivering liquid. From out of the wormhole, the silhouettes of four people materialized and finally, SG-III stepped out of the energy field.
Up in the control-room, General Hammond bent over the intercom. "SG-III. Debriefing in ten minutes." Then General Hammond turned on his heels and left the control-room, climbing the stairs and heading for the conference room.
Down in the GATE-room, SG-III walked down the ramp. As they crossed the room, the guards on stand by noticed that SG-III was totally unarmed.
"Heavy combat?" One guard asked, wondering.
"No." The leader of SG-III shook his head. "We did our research as expected and came back on schedule. I don't know what you mean." Then the leader of SG-III continued his walk, followed by his team members, leaving a puzzled guard behind.
***
When the Jaffa messenger arrived at Rhea's castle, stepping out of the elevator rings, he was stopped by Rhea's guards. They lined up in front of the main gate, holding their staffweapons ready to fire.
"Let me pass." The Jaffa messenger required. "My lady sent me with a message for Lady Ameny."
"Hand over the message." The prime guard extended his hand.
"No." The Jaffa shook his head. "I was told not to deliver the message to anybody else but the princess."
"Show me your face, Jaffa." The Prime aimed with his staffweapon at the armor of the Jaffa.
"As you please." The Jaffa pressed a hidden button at the back of his helmet. Then the visor opened and later, the entire helmet vanished.
"Why did Lady Djedefra select you?" Rhea's prime wondered.
"I am not to put my Lady's decisions into question." The Jaffa replied. "Now, let me pass. As you see I am unarmed." He extended both arms.
"I will guide you myself." The chief of the guards locked his gun and turned on his heels. "Follow me." Then he walked along the barely illuminated corridors that led deeper into the castle.
Djedefra's Jaffa followed him in a short distance. His Lady had been right. It was so easy to make them fall for tricks.
***
"Now, where are your guns?" General Hammond stopped his pacing across the room to face the leader of SG-3.
"I am afraid, Sir, I cannot give you details." The leader of SG-3 clasped the edge of the table. "We finished our research project as requested. We left our weapons at the base camp to do a final check. When we came back, they were gone."
"Gone?" General Hammond's voice was close to breaking. "You mean up and away?"
"We checked the entire area, Sir." The leader of SG-3 tried to justify his action.
"There were no traces. No hints. Then we had to take down the camp and we returned to the GATE."
"Did you spot hints on irregular GATE-activity?" General Hammond fought hard to calm down his temper.
"No, Sir. No one left before we did."
"Okay." General Hammond jotted down a few words. "SG-3. Dismissed." He watched the team members of SG-3 leave their seats.
"Captain." General Hammond stopped the leader of SG-3 before he left the room. "I
have to inform you that the costs for your new equipment will be deducted from your salary."
"Sir." With a rigid expression on his face, the leader of SG-3 nodded his assent and left the room.
{How am I to explain this to my superiors?!} General Hammond rubbed his neck, as he headed for his office. {They already blame me for losing too many MALP carriers. Now we're also losing our standard equipment. There had to be a reason.}
***
"Jaffa."
When the Jaffa guard entered an atrium, Ameny turned to face him. "What is it that Djedefra is sending me?"
"Here." The Jaffa opened the top of the box in his hand. "My lady said that the usual communication means are not safe. She sends you this to inform you about strange occurrences within your father's realm."
"I see." Ameny, whose short black hair framed her face like a fur, extended her hand and grabbed the gem. "Now go." She closed her eyes and pressed the gem against her forehead.
When the Jaffa left her, she had already sunken into a trance. Her mind merged up with the thoughts released by the gem. Now she knew the most secret thoughts of her sister and what she perceived made Ameny wonder. Her sister filled her in on her plans to use the GATE. Djedefra's target planet was a minor planet in the outer solar system. Ameny tried hard to filter out more information about Djedefra's aims, but she failed. Each time, she forced the gem to reveal it, a sharp stabbing pain went through her forehead. It was obvious that this information was definitely forbidden. But then, why did Djedefra tell her about her plans?
Ameny knew about Djedefra having contact to a person, which was not welcome at her father's place. Was Djedefra about forming an alliance with this man to depose their father?
Was Djedefra longing for the throne? Ameny knew that the message gem was no proof for her sister's disloyalty. If she wanted to be sure, she'd have to go and see it with her own eyes. With a quick move of her hand, Ameny removed the gem from her forehead. The flickering light of the gem died when she put it back into the box.
Ameny hid the box in her cuff and called for her guards. She was told that Djedefra's Jaffa was gone. Ameny gave the order that two guards should wait for her near the GATE.
When the guard left, Ameny followed him in a short distance. Her fingers clasped the ribbon device in her pocket. No matter what false games Djedefra would be playing, she would be there to find it out.
***
"Sir." O'Neill saluted General Hammond as he watched him enter the conference room. "SG-1 is ready to depart, Sir."
"Change of plan, Colonel." General Hammond handed all members of SG-1 a new folder. "My orders are as follows: you'll go to P3X0293. SG-3 returned from there recently.
Without guns."
The last statement made O'Neill cock a brow. "Sir, you expect us to pick up their waste?"
"No, O'Neill. I want you and your team to make sure that no one there will take advantage of our weapons."
"But our weapons are not that advantageous compared to what the Goa'uld have." Daniel Jackson interrupted.
"I know, Dr. Jackson." General Hammond gave Jackson a serious look. "I am not thinking of Goa'uld, but of other - creatures."
"Oh." Daniel Jackson rearranged his glasses as he recalled a few of their earlier encounters.
"Sir, what about our original mission?" Carter flipped through the new folder. "We put a lot of effort in analyzing the MALP-data we got from P3Z226."
"I took that into consideration, Captain Carter." General Hammond turned to face her.
"You'll get the permission to leave for this planet as soon as you're back from this urgent mission."
"Okay." O'Neill shoved the folder under his arm. "Any special equipment required?"
"No." General Hammond shook his head. "The planet is rated triple A and as SG-3 reported, no special occurrences, so none are expected.
"Yeah. I think so. Except a few locals who might kill us with our own weaponry."
O'Neill screwed up his face. "It gives me a pretty good feeling to get killed by good old stainless steel."
"O'Neill. This -." General Hammond looked resolutely. "- will NOT happen. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir. But do the others also know?" O'Neill blinked his eyes as he turned to leave the room.
Minutes later, SG-1had assembled in the embarkation room. The chevrons were already locked in and the liquid shivered icy blue.
"Tell SG-3 they'll have to ransom their stuff once we're back." O'Neill shouted up to the control room. Then he gave Slater the thumb-up sign and followed his team into the wormhole.
***
When Ameny left the wormhole, she saw her sister standing next to a huge octagon Pillar that was missing its top. Only the stump was left, an 8 ft. tall reminder of an ancient culture which was long gone. Djedefra's cape and hair were streaming in the wind. Her strands of hair looked breathtaking, as she turned to face the incoming traveler.
"Ameny, my sister." She extended her arms. "I knew you would understand my message." She hid an evil grin. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ameny's guards stay behind as Ameny walked up to her sister.
"You're playing games, sister." Ameny replied. "I have to make sure that you're not taking action against our father."
"Oh, dear." Djedefra giggled. "How did you guess?" Then she extended her hand and showed Ameny the object she was holding. Then she pulled the trigger. Hit by a bullet, Ameny lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.
Her Jaffa guards, watching the scene, unlocked their guns to defend her, but before they were able to take an aim, they were killed in a hail of bullets. They ended up laying next to Ameny.
The glow in Ameny's eyes indicated that she was not yet dead, but she felt that her host body was close to dying. As Ameny tried to focus her healing power, Djedefra walked up to her, taking position right next to her head. Once more Djedefra extended her hand and this time Ameny had no chance to cover. The bullet hit her in the head with full intensity. The last thing Ameny perceived was an explosion of her mind. Then her motionless body sank down to the ground.
Satisfied Djedefra dropped the gun next to Ameny's corpse. Her task was fulfilled.
***
When Col. O'Neill stepped out of the wormhole, he felt a shiver run down his spine. He had been a soldier too long, not to know a trap when he saw one. He smelled the faint odor of gunpowder and unlocked his gun.
"What is it, O'Neill?" Teal'C lined up next to him, his staffweapon ready to fire.
"A trap." O'Neill hissed, examining the area.
The GATE was situated on a plain on which pillars rose into the sky from time to time. Some of the pillars were still intact. Others were broken into pieces. Lots of debris was covering the site.
"Who did this?" O'Neill pointed at the damaged pillars.
"I don't know." Teal'C shook his head. "But this should not scare you. It happened long ago."
"Teal'C is right, Colonel." Carter had picked up a few small pieces of debris and weighed them in her hand. "Wind and rain have already smoothened the edges."
"Maybe you should have a look at this." Daniel Jackson's face was white as a sheet of paper as he turned to face his friends. While his team members were debating, Daniel Jackson had taken the initiative to examine the area behind the broken pillars.
When O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'C walked up to him, Daniel Jackson stood right in front of three lifeless bodies.
"Now that's cute." O'Neill pulled Daniel back. "Didn't General Hammond say SG-3 left the planet without further damages? And now this." He was about to bend down and turn the bodies, when Teal'C held him back.
"Let me do it, O'Neill." He checked the Jaffa guards and found them dead. Then he turned the female body and froze immediately. "A Goa'uld princess. She's also dead."
"Her host body or the larva itself?" Carter was curious to take a closer look.
"Both." Teal'C uprighted himself again. "We should leave immediately, O'Neill."
"Same thought." O'Neill slapped Teal'C's shoulder and turned on his heels. After a few steps, he caught the sight of something he knew all to well. He stopped his walk and picked up an automatic. The engraving on the handle said 'Bodeen'. A member of SG-3. He had found a piece of the missing equipment.
"Okay, let's go back home." O'Neill said as he shoved the automatic in his pocket.
"You will stay." The strange sounding voice made them freeze in a second.
The SG-1 team members found themselves encircled by Jaffa guards who were aiming at them with their staffweapons. Then the circle opened and a man with semi long curly hair walked up to them. "You will die." His eyes were gleaming. It seemed they were gleaming with light, sorrow, and rage.
"That I am sure of." muttered O'Neill. Loudly he said: "We came here in peace."
"You killed my daughter." The man pointed at the corpses.
"No, that's not true." Daniel Jackson was the first who regained his speech. "We came here to - do some research."
"You came here to kill and now you will pay."
"Without concrete proof?" O'Neill grimaced. "What convinced you that we are the ones?"
"This." The man disarmed O'Neill and told his guards to do the same with the other captives. "Our weapons do not damage a body like this. You came here and stole my daughter's life. Now you will give yours to balance the scale."
"Great." O'Neill sighed. "I always knew we would end up like this." He pointed at the staffweapons.
"Don't be too sure about your death." Rhea ordered his guards to guide the captives back to the GATE. "Your death will be slow and painful."
***
"News about SG-1, Sergeant?"
"No, Sir." Slater looked up from his screen. "They are now out for three hours. They possibly have to check a vast area. I'll keep you informed, Sir. What about the briefing of SG-5?"
"SG-5 is already on the way down to the embarkation room. Here." General Hammond handed Slater a note. "The encoding sequence."
"Thank you, Sir." Slater hurried to type in the selection of glyphs. "Anything else, Sir?"
"Ahm, no. Thanks you." General Hammond shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed down at the GATE. "It's only because I am have a strange perception about SG-1's mission."
***
"Arggh." When Col. O'Neill moved into an upright position, he felt a stabbing pain in his head. Slowly he lifted his lids, but he found himself sitting in complete darkness.
{Not again.} He thought. Loudly he shouted: "Carter, Jackson, Teal'C. Where are you?"
"I am here, Colonel." Carter's voice came from across the room. "Where the hell are we?"
"I was supposed to ask that question." O'Neill propped up his body with his hands to get on his feet. The wall, he was leaning on, was cold and glossy. When O'Neill ran his fingers over its surface, he felt deep carvings which seemed to form a pattern. {Damned.} He twitched his eyes. {Why was it so dark in this room?}
"Can somebody tell me what happened to the Goa'uld?" Jackson's groaning voice called O'Neill back to reality. {The Goa'uld!} Jackson was right. This had to be a Goa'uld dungeon. Slowly, O'Neill recalled details of the conversation they had with Rhea. {Your death will be slow and painful.} The Goa'uld's last words echoed back in O'Neill's mind.
"Get going, folks. We got to get out of here. Rapidly."
The noises from out of the other three corners of the room indicated that O'Neill's teammates tried to follow his order. They searched the entire chamber but they found no way to escape.
"Now what?" O'Neill snapped. "We're caught in this trap like a hamster in a box."
O'Neill received no reply. Laying his head in his neck, he saw a light source. Soon after, the entire chamber was illuminated.
"Are you prepared to die?" Rhea's voice sounded resolute.
"What for?" O'Neill replied angry. "We didn’t do anything."
"Jack, do you really think you can argue with a Goa'uld?" Daniel Jackson lined up with O'Neill.
"What about a trial?" O'Neill went on. Something in Rhea's behavior gave him the confidence that there might be a possibility of convincing him of their innocence.
"You'll get your trial." was Rhea's answer. "This chamber is our court." He pointed down at the chamber that lay to his feet. "You will pay for killing my daughter." Then Rhea extended his hand and a beam from out of the ribbon device covered the chamber with light.
When the light was gone, a scratching sound could be heard everywhere. O'Neill twitched his eyes and focused on the wall. The walls of the chamber seemed to be moving. Slowly the space narrowed.
"If this is your court, how are we to defend ourselves?" Carter shouted, shocked by watching the walls come closer.
"If you can manage to escape out of the chamber of justice, you'll be free to leave." Then Rhea turned on his heels and left.
"Great." Constantly watching the walls move, inch by inch, O'Neill was pacing along the walls.
"It's a kind of mechanism." Carter checked the walls. "The energy beam started it. Maybe there's hidden button somewhere."
"I don't think so." Daniel Jackson had a closer look at the carvings on the walls.
"Okay." O'Neill turned to face Teal'C. "While our scientists start a debate about the pros and cons, we should try to find a more practical way to save our lives. Remove a peace of your armor and try to shove in under the wall. Maybe we can block it."
Teal'C followed O'Neill's instruction. With a jerk, he wedged the metal piece tightly into a corner of the chamber. At the same time, O'Neill was busying to shove his belt buckle into a notch on the ground next to the wall. Then he had to observe how the buckle was crushed by the wall. Teal'C's armor stopped the movement of the wall for a few seconds but then it continued. They had to face the fact that they would soon be smashed.
Not paying attention to the frenzied action which took place around him, Daniel Jackson gazed at the carvings on the wall. At the smaller side of the rooms, two different patterns were visible. One of them showed a tableau with 16 holes, arranged in a square. On the other side of the wall, the carving showed a pyramid. Within the outlining of the pyramid, Daniel Jackson discovered weird symbols. A closer look at these assured him that they were ancient hieroglyphs.
"Maybe this is the key." He mumbled as he ran his fingers over the glyphs.
"What does it say?" O'Neill gave Jackson an ironic look. "Have a nice trip?"
"No. I - am not quite sure about the content. It might be a message, but the glyphs do also represent numbers."
"Daniel. We have no time to meditate. Do something."
"Maybe it's a riddle. A hidden message." Carter brushed a strand of hair out of her forehead.
"Yeah." Daniel Jackson had a curious glance in his eyes. "Here. The word along the edges of the pyramid say: 'Tra Hi ra', whereas the main word in the center of the triangle says:
'EION'."
"Which means?" O'Neill gave Jackson a nerve-racked look.
"Good question. It's a word pyramid. A riddle, as Carter stated." Daniel Jackson
shoved his glasses up on his head. The word looked like this:
E
T I H
R H O I R
A I N A A
Jackson continued: "The letters do also represent numbers. 'O' is for zero. Which means the center of no importance." Daniel Jackson felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The noise of the moving walls echoed in his ears. He felt his nerves fraying and his tension rising. What he needed was a clue.
"What does 'Tra hi ra' mean?" Carter saw that Jackson got nervous. From a corner of her eye she also realized that O'Neill was close to losing his temper. The only person in the room who stayed calm was Teal'C.
"You are killing innocent people." O'Neill shouted as he jumped, grabbed the gutter at the ceiling, and made an athletic heave.
"Soon we will know." Rhea who had just returned to see the execution of this trial, made a step forward, right onto O'Neill's hand. There was nothing to do for O'Neill but to loosen his grip and jump back down.
Meanwhile Jackson gazed at the glyph pyramid, lost in his thoughts. "I know that I saw this before." He muttered, bumping his fists against his temples.
Then he swung his head over his shoulder and focused the carving at the opposite side of the chamber. {16 holes and 14 letters.} He began to jot down numbers on his note pad. 3 - 125 - 88028 - 66466. Then suddenly a thought flashed his mind. In ancient cultures several numbers were 'banned'. He recalled especially the '6' and the '8'. This reduced his lines of numbers as follows: 3 - 125 - 00020 - 00400. The square at the opposite side of the room had four lines with four holes each. By transferring the letters into the number code and dropping the zero numbers, Jackson got three lines with a single number left. But what about the second line? Which hole would be the right one?
When Jackson informed his team mates about his discovery, O'Neill twitched his lips in disbelief. "You want us to put our lives at risk because you want to check your theory?" He snapped.
"Our life is at risk anyway. It's our last chance, Jack." Daniel Jackson pointed at the walls which now were only a double arm span apart from each other.
"Okay, give it a try." O'Neill stepped back and pushed Jackson toward the square.
Jackson held his breath and put his fingers in the holes on the wall. He decided to try the combination 3-4-2-4, sending a silent prayer to every god which was listening.
With his eyes closed, he stood there, waiting. He was so full of tension that he didn't realize that the movement of the walls had stopped.
"That's it, Daniel." Sam Carter shouted in relief. "The mechanism stopped."
"Yeah." Daniel Jackson could hardly believe his eyes.
"Now what?" O'Neill looked up to Rhea who was standing at the edge of the chamber.
"We passed the test, didn't we? I think we had a deal." O'Neill felt an urgent need to provoke Rhea. "We had our share." He saw that the walls moved back into the original position. Then the ground went up until O'Neill and his crew were back on the surface. O'Neill gave Rhea an examining look. Would the Goa'uld keep his promise?
A great number of Jaffa guards lined up on both sides of their leader. SG-1 lined up at the opposite side to face Rhea.
"You solved the riddle of the chamber of truth and gave proof that you are not the ones
who killed my daughter even though these are your weapons and they were used to kill her." Rhea pointed at the pile of automatics, rifles, and Teal'C 's staffweapon.
"What will happen with our stuff?" O'Neill asked while his thoughts went wild coming up with a plan to escape.
"It will be destroyed." Rhea sounded resolute.
"Are we free to leave?" Sam Carter kicked her heels.
Rhea looked at her, examining, so as though he was looking for a hidden glance in her eyes. "I gave you my word." He went on gazing at Sam.
"But you can't do that." From out of her hideaway behind a big stela, Djedefra walked up to her father. "You cannot let these assassins go. They killed Ameny."
"They gave proof that they did not." Rhea said, wondering. "Tell me, daughter, what do you know about this all?"
"Well." Djedefra blushed. "I - I saw you and your guards return after - after you found Ameny and I saw that these were taken as prisoners to pay the price for killing your descendant."
"How can you know?" Rhea turned to face Djedefra. "They could have been potential hosts."
During this talk, SG-1 exchanged puzzled but curious looks. Something strange was going on here.
"Your guards brought back the items which caused Ameny's death. It belongs to them.
They will have to pay."
"Now wait a minute." Jackson turned to join the debate. "Not the weapon makes a crime. It's the person who pulls the trigger. And we did not. "
O'Neill, twitching his lips, was ready to pull Jackson back in line to safe him from being attacked by a Jaffa, when Rhea stopped his guards.
"I agree with you. The person who had the intention to kill is to blame." Rhea wiped his eyes, trying to concentrate. "Maybe there's another person present who is to pass the test."
On a hidden hand signal, two guards grabbed Djedefra's arms and pushed her onto the platform which sank down back into the ground. After the lattice was locked again, the walls of the chamber began to move.
From a corner of the eye, SG-1 was able to see Djedefra pacing across the chamber, shouting and cursing. She threw beams of light from out of her ribbon device against the chamber walls. The motion did not stop, but instead increased. Djedefra paid no intention to the riddle on the walls. Her rage left her furious and she cussed her father and his guards. When the walls were pretty close them, she begged for her life but Rhea didn't care. The behavior of his daughter showed him that it was her who was to blame for Ameny's death. After the walls stopped their motion, one next to the other, Rhea turned away from the chamber and faced SG-1.
"Go!" His face was wrinkled with pain. "My daughter used you to betray me. If you don't want to lose your lives after all, go." He pointed at the main portal of his palace. "My guards will lead you back to the GATE."
The Jaffa guards formed a lane.
Hesitatingly, O'Neill looked over to his teammates. Could they really trust a Goa'uld or would the Jaffa guards kill them once they were at the outside of the building?
Carter returned the questioning look and Daniel Jackson shrugged his shoulders.
Teal'C was the first of SG-1 who stepped along the lane.
"You trust them?" O'Neill asked.
"Do we have an alternative?" Teal'C continued his walk.
"Obviously not." O'Neill sighed. Giving Rhea a grateful nod, he followed Teal'C.
The guards did not stop their walk until they arrived at the GATE. There, they lined up in a half circle around the GATE and the DHD and presented arms.
Daniel Jackson hurried to dial the home address on the DHD. While the seven chevrons were locking in, O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'C observed the guards who stood still and stared at them.
"This is - unrealistic." O'Neill pointed at them with his thumb as he walked up to the event horizon which had materialized in the center of the GATE.
"They obey." Teal'C explained. "They follow Rhea's orders."
***
When SG-1 left the wormhole at SGC, they saw General Hammond waiting at the bottom of the ramp.
"Col. O'Neill, found anything?" General Hammond asked, walking up the ramp.
"Ahm, yes and no, Sir." O'Neill cleared his throat. "We found the missing weapons."
"But - where are they?" General Hammond noticed that SG-1 was also without weapons. Even Teal'C's staffweapon was gone.
"We - had to sacrifice them for a higher aim." Jackson explained, heading for the GATE-room exit.
"What does he mean?" General Hammond gave O'Neill and Carter a puzzled look.
"You'll get to it." O'Neill twitched his lips. "When debriefing." Then he followed Jackson over to the locker rooms.
"What happened on this planet?" General Hammond stopped Teal'C. "The last encoding sequence differed from the first one."
"We were captured and sentenced to death." Teal'C's face was without expression. "We passed a test and were allowed to leave."
"That's it?" General Hammond could not believe his ears.
"I am not the one who should tell you about the details." Teal'C gave General Hammond a resolute look. "I was not the one who saved our lives." Then he passed General Hammond and left the GATE-room.
Sunk in his thoughts, General Hammond walked over to the stairs which led up to the conference room. He was glad that his team was back home safely. No matter what had happened out there.
END
