Galileo's Burden, Phase Alpha: Bungle in the Jungle

[cityship]

((PLOT POST! READ IT!))

Stacy's voice rang out through the corridors of the ship, announcing that a message had been received and would be played on the Obs Deck momentarily.

The message was patched through a few minutes later, shown on a holographic screen. It was shot in very poor video, from a very old communicator frequency.



A woman wearing a blue veil over her face appears on the screen. She speaks in a soft and cultured voice, bowing deeply before she begins.

“Greetings to the crew and command of the Transmigration 9. My name is Reda, revered mother of the village of Avania III on the planet Orya."

Reda pauses, bowing once more before removing her veil and revealing the face of a beautiful humanoid woman.



"It… pains me to ask for the help of outsiders, when we have so little to offer in return, but I beg of you. Please aid us. My people are becoming sickened by an ailment we have never seen before. It seems to come differently for all who suffer from it... some have fevers, some strange dreams, some begin to speak madness while awake. But no matter how it develops, they grow weary. Their faith weakens and they die, disgraced and turned from the eyes of the great goddess Avani."

Reda folds her hands together, frowning worriedly. "I have heard of your ship's great deeds even in such a small and isolated planet as Orya. Though I am hardly worthy of asking, I know there is no one better to ask for a favor such as this. What I ask is for… those who have knowledge."

"My people know little of the universe outside their village. They do not know what you know in the ways of medicine. Our shamans are not equipped to deal with a threat of this magnitude. We seek those who can help us ease our suffering. We have little to give in return for your help, but what we have is faith… enlightenment and enrichment of the soul, which we will gladly share with those who come to visit us."

Reda smiled softly, shaking her head. "I will understand if you deny my request. I ask much of you and cannot give much myself, but should you assist us, I will do what I can to help you. I will see to it personally that those who come to our help are taken care of and shown the greatest hospitality. My own Chosen soldiers will protect them, and if they should help us in our time of need, I will do everything in my power to aid your efforts against the Ohm. You have my word as a devout child of Avani."

The revered mother bows once more, kneeling down before the camera. "I will be happy to speak with you if you require more information. Please... I beg of you, help my people."

Comments

[cityship]

"Daena the Sky Mother and Fuoros the Earth Father," Tamil said, in a hushed voice once again. "But they're not real. Avani says so. That's why we can't look for them."

At the other question, Tamil looked downcast. "Avani punished him too," he said. "Avani said that we would have no other gods than Her, but Samso liked the old stories. He told them to us. The temple told him to stop, and they were right. He was the first one Avani punished."

[hi_there_aliens]

His eyebrows crawled up his forehead, disappearing momentarily into the boonie's brim. He wondered if Tamil saw the problem with that statement: if they weren't real, never were, then what harm was there in studying them as fiction? He should check the temple out while he was at it.

Daniel was starting to like this less and less. He was trying very hard not to let his past experience with the Goa'uld color his judgment, but it wasn't quite working. He tried to set himself back on track. The big question here: was it his place to start pointing out the holes in their beliefs? He could think of a number of cultures that didn't mesh with his own world views, but he'd generally tried not to do a thing to influence them. He'd been there to observe and try to mediate between them and SG-1. So the answer was, no. Not usually.

Not if their wasn't any actual harm or forms of enslavement, but the problem was, it looked like there was. Not necessarily enslavement, but there were people being hurt. Samso was a casualty, and if they didn't work fast, Tamil was going to be another too. Not in the Goa'uld sense, but something weird was going on. Was it from Avani herself or from her followers?

Daniel was silent for a moment, letting Tamil be. Then he spoke. "I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with old stories, I mean, they can tell us a lot about where we came from, what we could be. At least where I come from," he added, as an out for Tamil, and in case the other sick were listening. "When was this? Was he punished, like you are now?"

[cityship]

Tamil looked less and less comfortable with the topic of conversation, eyes shifting away from Daniel.

"Last month. He got the Burden too," he said. "Then he died."

"But I won't die, because you all are here now. That's what Mother Reda said."

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel smiled, although it was slightly strained. He desperately wanted to save them too, but he couldn't make a promise like that, or even make one on behalf of the other scientists. He'd only met some of them today and he didn't know any of them outside of the Doctor. That was just barely for him.

That sounded too much like Jack. Realistic, yes, but Daniel couldn't look Tamil in the face and say that. He couldn't leave Tamil without some hope. He didn't want him to lie here waiting to die. He could make one promise at least. "We won't rest until we do. I promise."

Maybe he should shift it back to the Burden, away from the religious aspect. If Tamil got more comfortable, they could go back to it, but Daniel had pressed him hard as it was. Frankly he was surprised he'd even gotten this much. As far as Tamil was concerned, Daniel had to be a bizarre looking Sky Person with glass eyes and flat skin, who also happened to be a complete outsider.

He looked down at the checklist of questions he'd been absently writing down, with 'Samso; first casualty - 1 month ago (what is month on this planet?)/Burden - Deana believer, temple warned him' written in the margins. Back onto the direct topic then. "How did the Burden start, like how did you feel? Were you anywhere specific? Doing anything specific or did you just feel ill?"

[cityship]

"I don't remember," he answered. "Not a lot. I was... I was at the temple. I had a dream, a very long dream while I was awake. It frightened me. I don't remember what happened in it, but it lasted days. When I woke up, I was here. The elders told me what happened."

That was really all he knew, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Been dizzy and dreaming since then. Sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Same as the others." He gestured around them to the other sick people.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel looked around, following his hand. "You might still be suffering its effects." All of them? He wondered if he'd get similar stories if he tried asking them all the same thing. Were they at the temple? Did they lose time to a waking dream before ending up here?

It was just a hunch but it almost sounded like Tamil had a hallucination for the first time. The question was whether it was due to a personal medical problem or from a drug. Just the fact that he'd had it in a temple made him think it was the last option. Hallucinogens themselves weren't new to older cultures (or newer ones either) or particular spiritual or religious rituals, like those of Ancient Egypt, the Inca, or the Urarina. But the practitioners tended to know what they were doing, if not how it worked exactly, namely that they were going to deliberately go on a journey or try to invoke a spirit, or see some truth. The point was that it was intentional. It usually wasn't administered as a surprise.

And that left Tamil days of unaccounted for time.

"I think I understand what you're talking about. Back on Earth, we might call them visions, waking dreams, or hallucinations. It might happen for a number of reasons," just don't ask him to explain the mechanics of a hallucinogen, he wasn't that kind of doctor.

Daniel jotted more notes down. That temple was looking more and more like a priority, right after getting a water sample before he left. He was worried that he was still feeling after effects. Was it the water? Something else keeping it going? Damn, he wished he had Sam and Janet here. They'd know what to look for. "So the last thing you remember before this waking dream was the temple. You were completely alone?"

[cityship]

Tamil just stared at Daniel at that question, looking torn as to whether or not he wanted to answer it.

"I'm tired," he said finally. "I should not be speaking anymore."

[hi_there_aliens]

The archaeologist looked stricken then embarrassed. He'd gotten so into pursuing the theories he had floating around that he hadn't noticed Tamil getting that tired.

"Yes, of course," Daniel got to his feet. "Sorry. Thank you for being so patient. I'll let you rest." He started to go, then turned for a moment. "Would you mind if I take some water with me?"

[cityship]

Tamil smiled awkwardly. "Yes. If you want to. But it's warm."

[hi_there_aliens]

He raised an eyebrow. "...Warm?"

Naturally warm or heated for the sick? It didn't feel that hot in the tent, so he doubted it was the room temperature bringing the water's heat up.

Daniel put the notepad away, and then took out two small sample containers from another pocket. Carefully, he filled one tube, without letting the water touch his hands, then the other, before sealing them both tightly. With the pencil, he jotted down a few notes, twin sets, and attached them to the glass with a practiced efficiency.

They disappeared back into the tactical vest.

"Did you need me to get you anything before I go?"

[cityship]

"No," said Tamil. "What is it... thank you for speaking with me?"