Abydos
The King had made a terrible mistake. It wasn't the first time. He was always far too flippant with magic. The old sorcerer's tolls were not toys, he knew, but he couldn't leave them alone. He didn't have the skill to use them safely but that didn't stop his unthinking pride from driving him to try. As reward for his hubris the magic that he tried and failed to control ripped a hole in space and time and dropped him into a desert.
The sun was high overhead and he had neither shelter nor tools to build one. He knew enough about desert survival to know that he needed to find water and shade quickly. He also knew that moving during the day was almost as suicidal as staying in place without any supplies. Still, he had no choice. He picked a direction and started walking.
Hours passed, he knew. The sun was no longer above him but was beginning to receed down towards the horizon. Still he found no sign of civilization, no oasis, not even a cactus or a cave. His body was covered with sweat but his clothes weren't sufficient to retain it. Had he known where events would take him he would have dressed appropriately and he regretted not doing so as he approached dehydration.
He had to survive. His people needed him. He was their King. They needed him.
His vision was becoming blurry and he was no longer sweating, but he continued on. The sun had set and it was beginning to cool.
The sun was rising again. He needed shelter but he didn't even have a shovel . He needed water. He kept walking.
He collapsed but in his mind he continued walking. In his mind he continued walking until he found lake of clean fresh water. If he were human the sun would have killed him then, but he was heartier than that.
In his dreams the King heard a woman calling out a name. " Daniel!"
General Hammon's Office, Stargate Command
"General, he's crazy. He really believes that he's Batman."
"Are you sure that it's not some sort of an act?"
"No one is that good an actor."
"There's still no sign of how he got in here."
"Major Davis tells be that there is no record of him in any database. It's like he just appeared out of thin air."
-------------------
"Unscheduled Offword Activation."
The dial spun, the gate swooshed, and Walter pressed the button that causes the millimeter-thin titanium iris to unfurl one micron in front of the event horizon.
"I'm receiving a video feed from Abydos."
Stargate Command had been working closely with the Abydosians ever since they unburried their gate. Abydos's mines were still Earth's most reliable source of Naquada, making the primitive world a vital strategic partner. Observers and advisers were permanently stationed on the desert world to help the Abydosians develop the infrastructure that they needed and provide them with aid: water filtration, medicine, improved irrigation. The Abydos wouldn't be anywhere near a tenth-century, standard of living any time soon, but it was still a vast improvement over the precious state of affairs.
In exchange, the SGC got the rights to mine Abydos's Naquada and knowledge necessary to safely handle the material. While the Abydosian miners used primitive hand tools and had little understanding of modern equipment and techniques, their experience was invaluable in preventing potentially lethal mistakes.
Walter pressed the button and Daniel Jackson's face appear on the monitor.
"Hi, Daniel," said Jack.
"Hi, Jack. "
"How was your vacation?"
"Pretty good. Sha're and I did a lot of catching up and I think we found a lead on one of Ra's old caches. Aren't you supposed to be fishing?"
"Oh no. Even better. I met Batman."
"Adam West or Michael Keaton?"
"Neither."
"George Cloony?"
"It's a long story. You didn't call just to hear about my vacation."
"No. We found someone lost in the desert and he needs medical attention. I was hoping Doctor Frasier would be available."
"I see."
"The medics here gave him an IV to rehydrate him but he's not human and they have no clue how to treat him."
"Not human you say? Anyone we met before?"
"No. He looks sort of like ... oh you'll never believe me if I just say it."
Daniel Jackson stepped behind the camera and pointed it at a military cot in the corner of the earthen hut. Jack saw the mouselike alien's ears first: big, round, black, unmistakable, trademarked.
"Oh for crying out loud."
The King had made a terrible mistake. It wasn't the first time. He was always far too flippant with magic. The old sorcerer's tolls were not toys, he knew, but he couldn't leave them alone. He didn't have the skill to use them safely but that didn't stop his unthinking pride from driving him to try. As reward for his hubris the magic that he tried and failed to control ripped a hole in space and time and dropped him into a desert.
The sun was high overhead and he had neither shelter nor tools to build one. He knew enough about desert survival to know that he needed to find water and shade quickly. He also knew that moving during the day was almost as suicidal as staying in place without any supplies. Still, he had no choice. He picked a direction and started walking.
Hours passed, he knew. The sun was no longer above him but was beginning to receed down towards the horizon. Still he found no sign of civilization, no oasis, not even a cactus or a cave. His body was covered with sweat but his clothes weren't sufficient to retain it. Had he known where events would take him he would have dressed appropriately and he regretted not doing so as he approached dehydration.
He had to survive. His people needed him. He was their King. They needed him.
His vision was becoming blurry and he was no longer sweating, but he continued on. The sun had set and it was beginning to cool.
The sun was rising again. He needed shelter but he didn't even have a shovel . He needed water. He kept walking.
He collapsed but in his mind he continued walking. In his mind he continued walking until he found lake of clean fresh water. If he were human the sun would have killed him then, but he was heartier than that.
In his dreams the King heard a woman calling out a name. " Daniel!"
General Hammon's Office, Stargate Command
"General, he's crazy. He really believes that he's Batman."
"Are you sure that it's not some sort of an act?"
"No one is that good an actor."
"There's still no sign of how he got in here."
"Major Davis tells be that there is no record of him in any database. It's like he just appeared out of thin air."
-------------------
"Unscheduled Offword Activation."
The dial spun, the gate swooshed, and Walter pressed the button that causes the millimeter-thin titanium iris to unfurl one micron in front of the event horizon.
"I'm receiving a video feed from Abydos."
Stargate Command had been working closely with the Abydosians ever since they unburried their gate. Abydos's mines were still Earth's most reliable source of Naquada, making the primitive world a vital strategic partner. Observers and advisers were permanently stationed on the desert world to help the Abydosians develop the infrastructure that they needed and provide them with aid: water filtration, medicine, improved irrigation. The Abydos wouldn't be anywhere near a tenth-century, standard of living any time soon, but it was still a vast improvement over the precious state of affairs.
In exchange, the SGC got the rights to mine Abydos's Naquada and knowledge necessary to safely handle the material. While the Abydosian miners used primitive hand tools and had little understanding of modern equipment and techniques, their experience was invaluable in preventing potentially lethal mistakes.
Walter pressed the button and Daniel Jackson's face appear on the monitor.
"Hi, Daniel," said Jack.
"Hi, Jack. "
"How was your vacation?"
"Pretty good. Sha're and I did a lot of catching up and I think we found a lead on one of Ra's old caches. Aren't you supposed to be fishing?"
"Oh no. Even better. I met Batman."
"Adam West or Michael Keaton?"
"Neither."
"George Cloony?"
"It's a long story. You didn't call just to hear about my vacation."
"No. We found someone lost in the desert and he needs medical attention. I was hoping Doctor Frasier would be available."
"I see."
"The medics here gave him an IV to rehydrate him but he's not human and they have no clue how to treat him."
"Not human you say? Anyone we met before?"
"No. He looks sort of like ... oh you'll never believe me if I just say it."
Daniel Jackson stepped behind the camera and pointed it at a military cot in the corner of the earthen hut. Jack saw the mouselike alien's ears first: big, round, black, unmistakable, trademarked.
"Oh for crying out loud."
