LOTR meets Stargate

[diaveborn]

((OOC: I think this post happens and then Daniel talked to Brod, using the sentence from my last post. I think I've got the order of things straight but if got confused and need to say anything else please let me know. ))

 

 

 

Are we sure, came in incredulous repeat in Daniel's thoughts, that we made the right choice?

 

Memories flashed through Daniel's mind: a dozen different battles, too many friends-turned-enemies, too many by-the-skin-of-their-teeth escapes and tumbling down the ramp back home thinking how did we manage to not lose someone today?

 

Daniel was pretty sure, all things considered, that they had made precisely the wrong choice - that was, by any rational person's standard.

 

But that was precisely the standard that the SGC was often required to distance itself from - and the standard that SG-1 in particular liked to laugh at mockingly before running fast away from it to fling themselves head-forward into traveling the galaxy.

 

It brought them danger, of course, and the kind of knowledge and friendships that could only come through experiencing.

 

The memories and reflection were over in an instant, and Daniel gave Alex a small smile, his eyes both bright with good humor and calm with confidence. "Don't worry-" Daniel nodded, "You're doing just fine."

 

 

[Takhesis]

[sounds right to me. And lol at the idea of SG-1 being insane risk-takers.. though it is true... poor Hammond gets a lot of headaches from them.

 

And MALP Driving = who plays with the radio control joystick. ]

 

The Rohirrim Commander nodded at Brod's request. He too had considered the situation, and although Eretta wasn't really part of the scout group she had been assigned to his outpost. Along with her father's request to keep her out of trouble....

 

"Eretta can join you in your travels." He gestured for the other horse archers to refill her quiver. He wasn't about to let her go completely unarmed.

 

How do I explain this one to her father?

 

---

 

While Daniel was explaining that they were returning equipment, Carter passed O'Neill the remote control from her pocket.

 

"You drive." She flashed a grin at him, knowing that he thought she babied the equipment. She didn't - she just knew how much the things cost. Plus if he was concentrating on the MALP he couldn't be causing a diplomatic incident.

 

He couldn't harm the MALP - it was rather robust. Plus Walter did have the override if need be...

 

Of course, Jack O'Neill would see through the other reason for getting him to do it. It meant he had to be the one to explain things to Hammond....

 

 

[Starphyre77]

((Hmm…So, are they all going to the Elves, or just a smaller group with no wounded so they can travel faster?

 

At Daniel’s words, Alex gave a small sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but wonder how Daniel’s first mission had gone; was it anything like this, or was it a much more peaceful mission. He was almost tempted to ask, but once again knew it wasn’t the right time to do so. Tucking that question away for a more appropriate time, he simply said, “Thanks.”

 

---

Brod nodded to the commander as he said, “Thank you. Now what say we find out their answer, shall we?” He then went back to talk to Daniel. “Were you able to make your arrangements?” he asked in a polite tone that he hoped would convey that the thought of them refusing had never crossed his mind. With luck, they’d be able to hold on to that ‘Shield Maiden’ plan for another time.

 

[Takhesis]

[i'd say as a smaller group - a bit like an advance scout. The wounded would travel with the main force, since I assumed its just the 'walking wounded' left. The worst ones would have already been moved off the field.]

[diaveborn]

With the MALP gone and the gate deactivated, Daniel was able to confirm, "Yes, it's been taken care of and we're ready now." He also added a "thank you," hoping that his smile would convey not only appreciation but apology as well.

[Starphyre77]

((Hey guys… First off, since tone is so hard to gauge in writing, I’m going to ask you to please read this in a simple ‘exchanging of ideas’ tone (hopefully that makes sense) as there truly is no negative tone intended here. With that said, I can’t help but feel that there are some opportunities missed if we pass over the gate being activated, and even the MALP. It could be interesting to RP the interactions between the Tau’ri and the Free People about not only the ‘liquid light’ surging again but also the strange metal box-thing magically coming to life.

 

Just tossing that out there to see where it lands, if it is preferred to cut over that part and get them on the move, I’m perfectly okay with that as well. ))

 

[Takhesis]

[i was thinking that the whole 'magic' thing might put the Free People on edge with the Tau'ri - even more so than already given Teal'c's presence...

 

The whole 'advanced technology is magic' trope is already overdone with the Gou'uld pretending to be Gods.

 

Though maybe the Free People may think of the Valar with it?]

[Starphyre77]

((It’s kind of interesting that you mention the Valar… I looked up Melkor/Morgoth on the thought that Teal’c’s knowledge of Sauron would most likely be about the time Sauron served him and not so much on the ‘current events’, and though it takes a bit of stretching, there are some Stargate-like connections that can be drawn.

 

So, in Middle Earth history, Morgoth is described as the “first and most powerful of the Ainur” (aka System Lords?), and as such not even the combined might of the other Valar could defeat him. It was the arrival the Valar Tulkas (miss-translation of Tok’ra perhaps?) in Middle Earth that tipped the balance and Morgoth was driven away. After a few more ages of evil, he was finally defeated and had "his feet hewn from under him, and he was hurled upon his face" (could that be likened to a symboite being removed from its host and thrown on the ground?).

 

Okay, I admit it takes a lot of stretching – especially that last one – but I found it both amusing and potentially useful, so wanted to share it with you guys.

 

Going back to your question on the Free People thinking of the Valar… If they saw the Tau’ri’s ‘magic’, I’d almost think it to be likely that they would especially since the Enemy tried to kill the Tau’ri.))

 

[Takhesis]

[it is amusing, the mistranslations are very likely and would make sense.

 

Ainur - sounds Celtic in origin to me, so could be a corrupted Celtic/Gaelic term for Gou'uld.

- Aine means brilliant in Gaelic - a reference to the glowing eyes?

 

Tulkas could actually be a name for one of the original Tok'ra - eldest son of Egeria perhaps, or the host name? - rather than a mistranslation. But mistranslation also works.

 

The last part, could be a removal - or it could just be poetic way of saying he was cast out of the System Lords number... like Anubis was in canon?

 

Does that make sense?]

[diaveborn]

((OOC: My skipping of the gate/MALP bit was because of a real-life pacing issue - I thought you all were waiting for me and that everything else had been taken care of. So it doesn't matter to me either way, and next time I'll try to leave things more open ))

[Starphyre77]

((Takhesis, that does make sense and at the risk of information overload, here are my thoughts…

 

On the word Ainur, its singular form is Ainu and one of the various sites states that “[t]he word Ainu is Quenya and is related to words for ‘holiness’” which could reference the Gou’uld passing themselves off as gods. However, your Gaelic idea is also good. Could it work to have Daniel and Alex make that connection only to be corrected which could help them realize that the Elves and Dwarves pre-date the humans on the planet rather than are off-shoots (at least I figured that the humans were brought from Earth by the Gou’uld?). The thing with that, though, is that I’d see the Elves being the only ones to use the word Ainur while everyone else would use Valar… Still, there are possibilities there.

 

I kind of like the idea of Tulkas being a miss-translation mainly because it could help open dialogue between the two groups. Something along the lines of: Teal’c tells the rest of SG1 what he knows and the others overhear him say that the Tok’ra defeated Morgoth, so either Brod or Eretta ‘corrects’ him? Or would that be too contrived? As for why the name would be applied to one person instead of all the Tok’ra that could be attributed to the fact that the people of the time might not have been able to tell the difference between the Tok’ra and the Gou’uld. Thus, while they knew that the ‘Valar’ were fighting against Morgoth, history had the name Tok’ra attached to said fighting and those who translated it could have assumed it was a single person.

 

As for your ‘cast out’ idea, I could see that connection as well and rather like the, as you said, ‘poetic’-ness of it: "his feet hewn from under him” (ships taken away?) – “hurled upon his face" (exiled to the planet?). Unfortunately, the timing may not work because the ‘feet cutting/face hurling’ happened when Morgoth was defeated by Tulkas (and Sauron went into hiding) which I think would have happened after they’d already been cast out for a while. However, the fact that Morgoth and Sauron would be exiled System Lords makes a lot of sense for several reasons; not the least of which it would explain why no one helped them against the Tok’ra.

 

The question then would be why would the System Lords have left the Stargate still usable? Unless… would there be a way for the System Lords to take away Morgoth’s and Sauron’s ability to dial out while leaving them with the rest of their ‘powers’? I could see that being done to torment them? Also, if I recall correctly, the Tau’ri at some point made a hand held Dial Home Device which would eliminate that problem for them…and make them an even bigger target for Sauron as he would most likely want to get his hands on it.

 

Diaveborn, it’s all good, and thanks for taking that post in stride.

 

Having said all that, it’s now 5am and I needs must go to bed. Fortunately, I don’t work tomorrow (or today I guess) so I’ll write an actual post sometime after I get up…which won’t be early. ))

 

[Takhesis]

[The Stargate could have been sealed somehow by the System Lords- and a natural disaster, such as a Quake broke the seal? Bit like Earth's gate getting buried and capped in Egypt - or even the 'original' Antartica one buried by ice?

 

Just a thought. And humans are a late 'arrival' from across the water if I remember my Tolkien-myth correctly, so the transplanting from Earth is easy to work in.]

[Starphyre77]

((That all makes sense. ))

 

Brod had watched the strangers intently and with a touch of suspicion still plain in his expression, but when Jack went to the metal object that he hadn’t paid any notice to before, he wondered what the Man was doing. However, when the object started to move seemingly of its own accord, Brod – along with several others – had instinctively dropped into a defensive stance, but he had also quickly told everyone to stay their weapons. After that, he had watched in wonder as the liquid light surged to life once more and the object disappeared into it.

 

With the light gone, Brod listened to Daniel while gaze once again swept over the strangers but this time with unmistakable awe. “Have you been sent by the Valar to aid in our struggle?” he asked almost reverently, but then he turned to the Rohirrim commander as he added in a normal tone, “That would explain why the Enemy sought their deaths.”

 

[Takhesis]

"It would indeed." The Rohirrim Commander agreed, as he considered the recent events. "Perhaps the Elves would know more - since they were the first to see the lights."

 

---

 

Teal'c had remained by Carter's side while O'Neill returned the MALP and consulted Hammond about their arrival. Mainly as there was no need for him to move elsewhere.

 

Plus he knew O'Neill would still be concerned about Major Carter's wound, even if she wasn't, and he could at least alleviate part of it by being near by.

 

Carter stayed watchful as their 'cavalry' reacted to the MALP's movement and gate reactivation. Technology magic.... she thought wryly.

[diaveborn]

Daniel was a bit alarmed at the reaction to the movement of the MALP, but his worries diminished when the reaction didn't escalate. Being startled or apprehensive was one thing - becoming hostile was quite another, and Daniel was pleased when it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

 

But then, with the tone of the question posed to him seeming to be one of astounded reverence, Daniel became a bit worried again - but a different type of worry. He didn't want anyone to think they were gods, or redeemers, or sent by anyone special, or here to take sides - although some damage had already been done in that regard.

 

"No, we weren't sent by anyone," Daniel calmly replied. "We're just explorers." He wanted to add that SG-1 would love to assist them, both because of the sympathy he felt and also because assistance or offers of assistance could help lead to a mutually beneficial friendship and alliance. But internal conflicts were tricky things to get involved in, especially without having all the facts.

[Starphyre77]

At the native people’s reaction to the MALP, Alex had given a small jump back and found himself fighting the urge to follow the machine back through the gate. Fortunately, the fact that they didn’t attack was helpful on that front but he remained tense just in case. However, the change in the warrior’s tone had him frowning slightly and he looked to Daniel to see his reaction. He really didn’t like the idea of being thought of as a deity or some such thing, and so was rather relieved to see Daniel try to set the record straight. Quite frankly, he’d been thinking that if Daniel had played into that belief, he would have quit the team on the spot.

 

“Aye,” Brod said as he nodded in agreement to the Rohirrim commander’s comment, but then he raised an eyebrow at Daniel’s denial. Sweeping the strangers with another measuring look, he then looked at the stone structure for a moment before turning back to Daniel with slightly narrowed eyes as he said, “Hmm…We shall see…” He shook his head as he added, “However, this is not the place for that discussion. We must be on the move before the Enemy regroups.” Turning to a nearby Dwarf, he quickly gave instructions and a messenger was dispatched to the Dwarves’ camp as the most able bodied prepared to join in the escort. Knowing that his orders would be carried out effectively, he looked back to Daniel and said, “If you are ready, the nearest Elven encampment is about a day and a half’s march from here.”

 

((Hope the distance is reasonable...I just figured the Elves couldn't have been too close or they would have joined in the fighting.))

Edited May 7, 2014 by starphyre77

[Takhesis]

[Makes sense to me - and perhaps they'll meet a smaller group of Elves on the way. Since Elves tend to be more cautious before acting, their scout corps may still have convinced the elders to send more to keep an eye on the 'stone ring']

 

Carter let Daniel handle the apparent misconception caused by the MALP and gate. She wasn't particularly happy about the 'angelic saviours' implication either - then again she was pretty certain that none of her team were megalomaniacs, so she didn't have to worry on that count.

 

Not like Hanson..... he was the extreme definition of control freak. Carter dismissed that section of her past as something never to be thought about again. Though that was easier said than done.

 

Somehow O'Neill seemed to know the direction her thoughts were taking, possibly because he'd been there during that incident - even if he didn't know the full extent of it. He moved alongside her, and murmured - just loud enough to be heard by her (and Teal'c, who still kept his vigil on her other side). Alex may hear them too, depending on how focused he was on them compared to the natives.

 

"If I stop listening to input and start acting like an arrogant, pain in the mikta - shoot me. And I'll do the same for you... deal?"

 

"Deal." She replied, appreciating his attempt to derail her thoughts. Even if the thought of shooting her CO - or getting shot by him - wasn't her idea of pleasant.

 

Teal'c barely raised his eyebrow at their exchange. Though the two officers speaking of violence against each other was hardly normal.

 

Giving one last glance to make sure everyone was geared up, a nod to Daniel indicated the teams readiness to get moving.

 

[up to Alex if he hears them, and either Carter/O'Neill could have given the nod.]

Edited May 7, 2014 by Takhesis

[diaveborn]

((OOC: I've got a question about pacing. After everyone starts to head off together, does it make sense to just roleplay the times they stop to sleep, and possible taking breaks, and have SG-1 and the natives have more time for interacting there, or would there be a lot of talking during walking? Also do we need to specify who goes where in the walking formation (and if so, I am not very sure about how the two groups would orient themselves as they walk so if someone else had ideas to share that could be good).))

[Starphyre77]

((Regarding the walking formation, I was kind of envisioning that SG1 would be sort of centered within the group of the Free People who would be acting as an escort; as the highest ranking(?) one in the group, Brod would naturally be nearby to try to gain information; and Eretta would be nearby in case they need to play the ‘Shield Maiden’ card.

 

As for the pacing…that one’s a bit tricky in my opinion. On the one hand, RP-wise there’s not as much to do while walking as there is when stopped, and that kind of votes for the time-skip route. On the other hand however, logically speaking I can’t fathom that they would have done all that walking without sharing important information, and that kind of votes for not skipping… Do you two have a preference?))

 

[Takhesis]

[Re: Formation, I'd agree that SG-1 would be central with a Free People escort. I'd imagine, due to the initial reaction to Teal'c, he'd be somewhat central to SG-1's set-up - after all they'd be wanting to protect one of their own, then again the centre is usually reserved for the civilian members.

 

As for pacing... that's a harder one. I can't imagine the whole march to be silent, but since they're moving to avoid a larger Orc force the initial pace would probably be faster than usual. Precluding any sort of chat.

 

I'd say skipping time til they slowed down (moved far enough away from potential Enemy) could be good before starting any conversation between the groups.]

[Starphyre77]

((That makes sense to me. ))

[Takhesis]

[Okies.... we'll go with that idea then. Fast movement with no conversation to start with to a more sedate pace with talking time ]

 

With the Free People and SG-1 ready to move out, the group started off to the Elven camp.

 

Some of the Rohirrim, including the commander, acted as outriders. Their mounted status allowing them faster movement and a longer sight range. The rest minus Eretta were travelling with the walking wounded - a slower moving column with combat-capable guards.

 

Eretta kept pace with Brod, where she could keep an eye on the group.

 

The initial pace was fast, and the ever-curious Daniel had to save his breath for walking rather than talking.

 

Out of the rest of SG-1, Teal'c fared the best - his training and symbiote-enhanced endurance making easy work of it. Though that wasn't to say the others had difficulty with the pace, at least none of them complained.

 

O'Neill knew his knee would protest when they slowed down, but he was more concerned about his second - though she'd dismissed her wound, the continued movement couldn't be doing it any good - and the new member of the group. He wasn't sure how the new civilian would take the 'forced' march. As discreetly as he could, he placed himself in a position where he could watch both Carter and Alex.

 

[There that should do it.... I've deliberately left SG-1's overall formation vague, as I don't want to god mod other players charries too much. I'm assuming if Alex does have difficulty with the march O'Neill or Teal'c will give him a helping hand.]

[Starphyre77]

With their endurance, the Dwarves were well suited and well accustomed to the swiftness of the march so Brod had no difficulty keeping pace with the Men. He had positioned himself near to the strangers and held his axe at the ready as his gaze often swept to each side as a precaution in case enemy forces managed to lay an ambush. Of course, some of the times when he looked in the direction of the strangers he would openly include them in his sweep. Furthermore, since he had put his helm back on when they moved out, his face was concealed by the mask so he was able to discretely watch them on some of the times when he wasn’t being obvious.

 

He still had some lingering distrust, but was more curious than anything and found himself wondering whether or not the strangers were sent by the Valar, and if so, why would they deny it. Realizing those questions couldn’t be answered at that time, he pushed those thoughts aside and focused more on being alert for any attacks.

 

---

Having been a field archeologist, Alex was used to hiking and long treks but not necessarily such a fast moving trek. At first he had no troubles, but after a while he started to get winded. I knew I should’ve taken up running, he thought ruefully as he tried to keep his breathing as even as possible. Of course, he didn’t want the others to think less of him, so didn’t say anything as he focused on keeping up.

[Takhesis]

The pace was kept up for a while, and even the military members of SG-1 were wishing for a break by the time it was deemed safe enough to slow down.

 

O'Neill because of his knee. Carter because her wound dressing needed changing after the chafing it was receiving - that and it felt like was burning - though that was easily attributed to the rubbing.

 

Daniel wanted to catch his breath and ask questions.

 

[Am assuming T is helping out Alex when necessary.]

[Starphyre77]

((Afraid I’m going to have to leave the help that Teal’c gave Alex unwritten simply because I’ve no clue what to write. ))

 

Though the Dwarves would have been able to continue the same pace for considerably longer, Brod knew that the race of Men were not as hardy and he didn’t know how long they’d be able to keep pace. Once they’d gotten a fair distance between them and the battlefield, he called out for a halt.

 

At about that point, Alex was becoming concerned that he just might pass out, or get sick…or both, so hearing the call to stop was one of the most beautiful things he could ever remember hearing. As he took out his canteen, he managed to say between gasps of air, “And here…I thought…I was in…decent shape…” After taking a pretty big swig, he offered the canteen to Teal’c as he said, “Thanks…for the help.” He knew that Teal’c had his own canteen, but he felt that the offer was the least he could do. He then found himself having to lean forward and put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

 

Once they were stopped, Brod issued orders to post sentries and to inform their people that they weren’t going to be stopped for long. Looking to the strangers, Brod was alarmed at how bad off Alex appeared to be. He had noticed the man struggling during the march, but he hadn’t realized just how much he was struggling. Going to their leader instead of their diplomat, he gave a respectful nod as he said, “Major Sam Carter. We will rest briefly but then we must be on the move again.” His tone then turned concerned as he gestured to Alex and asked, “Is your medic ill?”