Stargate SG-1 - Angels Fall First - 2/?
Title: Angels Fall First
Author: Lhinneill, aka Stargatefangurl
Summary: Injured and trapped on a hostile planet, it's all they can do to survive. They never give up hope that rescue is coming, but will it arrive in time?
Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst/General/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
Length: About 2300 words
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Team, Sam/Jack
A/N: Chapter two. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, but after deleting the first few versions, I think this one actually works.
Unexpected
The last thing Sam expected to hear when she woke from a drugged sleep was the cheery voices of birds and the gentle lowing of what sounded a lot like cattle. Considering that the last thing she remembered was being branded and drug off by some very rude men…she had imagined waking to considerably worse conditions.
She forced her eyes open and blinked to clear her vision. Instead of a cage or bars, she saw dark wood slats, which made up both the simple walls and the ceiling. The room was small and sparsely furnished; there was the bed Sam occupied, and she saw a rickety-looking chest just to the left. The single window was framed by off-white curtains and had been propped open to allow the fresh breeze to waft in.
Sam pushed herself up with a pained grunt and sucked in a lungful of air. Grimacing at the potent smell of animal manure, she decided that perhaps fresh wasn’t quite the right description of the air quality. Sam had never had much experience with country life, but this place-what she had seen of it so far, anyway-looked and smelled like your typical country home.
That left one question-how the hell had she gotten here? Before they had been taken through the Stargate, all of the prisoners had been drugged. Sam assumed it was meant to ensure none of them knew the address to the world. Or even where the Stargate on this planet was located, Sam thought with a frown. Even if she could get out of here, she had no idea where to go.
She rolled stiffly out of the narrow bed, grimacing as it moaned and squeaked with every move she made. Even the obnoxiously loud mooing from outside couldn’t have covered that much noise.
Sam held her breath and waited, but it didn’t seem as if there was anyone around to hear her. Had they went to the trouble of capturing her and the colonel just to leave her here? She doubted it. It had to be a trap.
The door groaned as she pushed it open and a floorboard beneath her bare foot let out its own protest. Sam hissed a curse and slid into the main room. At this rate, the whole farm was going to know exactly where she was.
The front door swung open. Sam instinctively reached for the narrow doorway she had just stepped through, ready to vanish back into the little room.
A woman walked through the door, her arms laden with an overflowing tub of what looked like grass. She made it to the table before she saw Sam. “Oh!” She dropped the tub onto the table and wiped a dirty hand over her face. “Dear, I didn’t expect you to be awake so soon. You should be asleep.”
“Where am I?” Sam’s eyes scanned the room for a weapon, more out of trained habit than a conscious decision.
“My home,” the woman answered smoothly, as if she was accustomed to the question. “And your home as well…until you recover.” She lowered her eyes and reached for the tub of grass. “Your friend is in that room there,” she pointed to a closed door just down from the one Sam had been in. “When you’re both well enough, we have a place for you in the barn. Maybe not what you’re used to, but it’s warm and it’s dry. You’ll be fine there.”
Sam lifted her right arm and stared at the mark. It was real, she hadn't imagined everything. The pain in her shoulder was enough to prove that.
“I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
Sam looked up, blinking. “What?”
The woman sighed and, after wiping her hands on a towel, walked over to take Sam’s hand. Her fingers brushed over the mark. “There was a time when this symbol was forbidden. But after Lord Maroxi passed from this life, it came back. It’s a long story, and one I’m sure you’re not interested in now, but it is why you’re here.”
Sam’s frown deepened. “On a farm.”
The woman blinked. “No, no.” She let go of Sam’s hand and turned back to the grass. “That’s my brother’s fault. He tends to be…overzealous in his capture of new slaves. I often end up with the worst of them. He needs my skills to get them back on their feet so he can use them. So here you are.”
“Well that explains a lot.”
The woman snorted. “This isn’t quite what you expected to wake up to, hmm?”
Sam smiled wryly. “Not exactly.”
“I can imagine.” The woman collected water from a leaky barrel near the door and doused the grass. She motioned to a stool beside the table. “Please, have a seat. While you’re up, I need to check your wound.”
Sam hesitated a moment, but did as the woman instructed. She didn’t sense any deceit or hidden motives in the woman’s words or actions so far, though she was far from comfortable with the arrangement. At least this “recovery time” would give both her and the colonel time to plan an escape.
“By the way, I believe I’ve neglected to introduce myself,” the woman said as she leaned over Sam’s shoulder and set to work unwrapping the bandages. “I’m Serah.”
Sam responded with the usual, almost automatic, introductory line.
“Mmm, long name.”
Sam smiled at the typical response. “You can call me Sam.”
Serah nodded. “The man they brought in with you…is he your mate?”
“Uh, he’s my superior officer-my commander,” Sam coughed. “We have a strictly…professional relationship.”
“I see.”
Sam sighed. Serah continued her work, hmming occasionally as she gently probed the wound. Sam grit her teeth and tried to think of anything but the pain.
“Most of the people who come through my home aren’t as good at this as you are,” Serah commented as she reached for the grass.
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Sam answered.
Serah nodded again as she ground the plant in a mortar. Sam frowned as she watched, trying not to think of what effect the grass might have if…
Serah gave the grass a few last pokes with the pestle and then smeared her fingers through it. “This may hurt,” she warned, then carefully rubbed the plant over Sam’s wound.
Sam ground her teeth. Suddenly she wished for the wonderful needles and painkillers of Janet’s infirmary.
“That should help stem the infection,” Serah said confidently.
Sam forced a smile. “Great.”
“Does it hurt badly?”
Dumb question. “It does sting a bit.”
“I thought it might,” Serah smiled, patting Sam’s uninjured shoulder gently. She moved to the other side of the kitchen, if you could call it that. She reached for a blackened pot on the counter and poured a milky brown liquid into a cup. “It’s a little cold now, but the rosim should numb the pain.”
Sam accepted the cracked cup with a nod, warily eyeing the liquid and giving it a sniff. “Er, thanks.”
“Drink it slowly. You don’t seem like you’re used to our medicine.”
Sam smiled a little sheepishly. “Not really. My planet has a few different medical techniques.”
“I would love to hear more about it,” Serah said, settling onto a stool across the table, her fingers wrapped around her own cup of rosim. “Many of the people I care for have shared stories of their homeworlds in their time with us. It’s…it is one of the few things I look forward to.”
Sam lowered her head, rubbing a finger over the distinct crack in the cup. Serah couldn’t have been much more than twenty, but her eyes looked like they belonged to a much older woman. Sam took another drink of the rosim, trying and no doubt failing to hide a wince at the taste. “I’m sorry to ask you this, Serah, but… Is there any way we can get out of here?”
Serah jerked back. The cup slipped from her fingers and toppled to the floor, shattering. “No!” she hissed. “No, don’t ever-”
The front door burst open. Sam tossed her own cup aside and jumped to her feet. Before she had time to really think about what she was doing, the stool was in her hands, held out between herself and the door.
Two pairs of small, frightened eyes stared back.
“…mom-mommy?”
Serah stepped between Sam and the two children, her own eyes wide.
Sam swallowed, lowering the stool. “I’m sorry. I expected… I’m sorry.”
The two children clustered around Serah’s legs, curiosity warring with fear and shyness as they peered around the woman’s skirt. Serah reached to place her hands on their heads. “These are my children.” She met Sam’s gaze.
Sam nodded slowly. “I think I understand.”
“I hope for their sake that you do.”
It was the first time Sam had heard anything other than a caring, concerned tone from the woman, but she suspected that if she ever did anything that would endanger the children’s lives, she would get more than a stern warning. She had never forgotten what had happened when Nirrti had threatened Cassandra’s life; she recognized that same look in Serah’s eyes now that she had seen in Janet’s then.
“Your own brother…” For all the differences Sam and Mark might have had over the years, Sam knew without a doubt that he would never do anything that would put her life in danger. But here, Serah’s brother not only threatened her, but also his own niece and nephew. All for…what? Money?
“Boridan is a cruel man, Sam. But I believe you knew that already.”
Sam grimaced. “Yeah, I kind of got that impression last time we met.”
“Then you understand?”
“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good. Now, you should get some rest.”
Sam nodded. “I’d like to see Colonel O’Neill first, though.”
The gentle voice had returned now, and the children’s curiosity had won out. They stood in front of their mother now, the little girl’s fingers jabbed into her mouth. Serah brushed her hand over her daughter’s scraggly hair. “Of course. He was in worse condition than you, though, so he should still be sleeping.”
“I know. I’ll only take a minute,” Sam promised. “Thank you.”
Serah dipped her head. “Of course.”
Sam rubbed her hand over her right arm, wincing as she turned her back on Serah and her children. The rosim had seemed to be working before she jarred her wound with the whole stool attack. I’m too jumpy. I need to calm down and think before I do something stupid.
She pushed opened the bedroom door and leaned her head in. It was slightly larger than Sam’s room, with space for a chair in addition to the bed and chest. Sam assumed it belonged to Serah and her husband. Sam took another step inside and looked around. Rumpled covers hung off the bed-the empty bed.
“Crap.”
Author: Lhinneill, aka Stargatefangurl
Summary: Injured and trapped on a hostile planet, it's all they can do to survive. They never give up hope that rescue is coming, but will it arrive in time?
Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst/General/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
Length: About 2300 words
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Team, Sam/Jack
A/N: Chapter two. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, but after deleting the first few versions, I think this one actually works.
Unexpected
The last thing Sam expected to hear when she woke from a drugged sleep was the cheery voices of birds and the gentle lowing of what sounded a lot like cattle. Considering that the last thing she remembered was being branded and drug off by some very rude men…she had imagined waking to considerably worse conditions.
She forced her eyes open and blinked to clear her vision. Instead of a cage or bars, she saw dark wood slats, which made up both the simple walls and the ceiling. The room was small and sparsely furnished; there was the bed Sam occupied, and she saw a rickety-looking chest just to the left. The single window was framed by off-white curtains and had been propped open to allow the fresh breeze to waft in.
Sam pushed herself up with a pained grunt and sucked in a lungful of air. Grimacing at the potent smell of animal manure, she decided that perhaps fresh wasn’t quite the right description of the air quality. Sam had never had much experience with country life, but this place-what she had seen of it so far, anyway-looked and smelled like your typical country home.
That left one question-how the hell had she gotten here? Before they had been taken through the Stargate, all of the prisoners had been drugged. Sam assumed it was meant to ensure none of them knew the address to the world. Or even where the Stargate on this planet was located, Sam thought with a frown. Even if she could get out of here, she had no idea where to go.
She rolled stiffly out of the narrow bed, grimacing as it moaned and squeaked with every move she made. Even the obnoxiously loud mooing from outside couldn’t have covered that much noise.
Sam held her breath and waited, but it didn’t seem as if there was anyone around to hear her. Had they went to the trouble of capturing her and the colonel just to leave her here? She doubted it. It had to be a trap.
The door groaned as she pushed it open and a floorboard beneath her bare foot let out its own protest. Sam hissed a curse and slid into the main room. At this rate, the whole farm was going to know exactly where she was.
The front door swung open. Sam instinctively reached for the narrow doorway she had just stepped through, ready to vanish back into the little room.
A woman walked through the door, her arms laden with an overflowing tub of what looked like grass. She made it to the table before she saw Sam. “Oh!” She dropped the tub onto the table and wiped a dirty hand over her face. “Dear, I didn’t expect you to be awake so soon. You should be asleep.”
“Where am I?” Sam’s eyes scanned the room for a weapon, more out of trained habit than a conscious decision.
“My home,” the woman answered smoothly, as if she was accustomed to the question. “And your home as well…until you recover.” She lowered her eyes and reached for the tub of grass. “Your friend is in that room there,” she pointed to a closed door just down from the one Sam had been in. “When you’re both well enough, we have a place for you in the barn. Maybe not what you’re used to, but it’s warm and it’s dry. You’ll be fine there.”
Sam lifted her right arm and stared at the mark. It was real, she hadn't imagined everything. The pain in her shoulder was enough to prove that.
“I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
Sam looked up, blinking. “What?”
The woman sighed and, after wiping her hands on a towel, walked over to take Sam’s hand. Her fingers brushed over the mark. “There was a time when this symbol was forbidden. But after Lord Maroxi passed from this life, it came back. It’s a long story, and one I’m sure you’re not interested in now, but it is why you’re here.”
Sam’s frown deepened. “On a farm.”
The woman blinked. “No, no.” She let go of Sam’s hand and turned back to the grass. “That’s my brother’s fault. He tends to be…overzealous in his capture of new slaves. I often end up with the worst of them. He needs my skills to get them back on their feet so he can use them. So here you are.”
“Well that explains a lot.”
The woman snorted. “This isn’t quite what you expected to wake up to, hmm?”
Sam smiled wryly. “Not exactly.”
“I can imagine.” The woman collected water from a leaky barrel near the door and doused the grass. She motioned to a stool beside the table. “Please, have a seat. While you’re up, I need to check your wound.”
Sam hesitated a moment, but did as the woman instructed. She didn’t sense any deceit or hidden motives in the woman’s words or actions so far, though she was far from comfortable with the arrangement. At least this “recovery time” would give both her and the colonel time to plan an escape.
“By the way, I believe I’ve neglected to introduce myself,” the woman said as she leaned over Sam’s shoulder and set to work unwrapping the bandages. “I’m Serah.”
Sam responded with the usual, almost automatic, introductory line.
“Mmm, long name.”
Sam smiled at the typical response. “You can call me Sam.”
Serah nodded. “The man they brought in with you…is he your mate?”
“Uh, he’s my superior officer-my commander,” Sam coughed. “We have a strictly…professional relationship.”
“I see.”
Sam sighed. Serah continued her work, hmming occasionally as she gently probed the wound. Sam grit her teeth and tried to think of anything but the pain.
“Most of the people who come through my home aren’t as good at this as you are,” Serah commented as she reached for the grass.
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Sam answered.
Serah nodded again as she ground the plant in a mortar. Sam frowned as she watched, trying not to think of what effect the grass might have if…
Serah gave the grass a few last pokes with the pestle and then smeared her fingers through it. “This may hurt,” she warned, then carefully rubbed the plant over Sam’s wound.
Sam ground her teeth. Suddenly she wished for the wonderful needles and painkillers of Janet’s infirmary.
“That should help stem the infection,” Serah said confidently.
Sam forced a smile. “Great.”
“Does it hurt badly?”
Dumb question. “It does sting a bit.”
“I thought it might,” Serah smiled, patting Sam’s uninjured shoulder gently. She moved to the other side of the kitchen, if you could call it that. She reached for a blackened pot on the counter and poured a milky brown liquid into a cup. “It’s a little cold now, but the rosim should numb the pain.”
Sam accepted the cracked cup with a nod, warily eyeing the liquid and giving it a sniff. “Er, thanks.”
“Drink it slowly. You don’t seem like you’re used to our medicine.”
Sam smiled a little sheepishly. “Not really. My planet has a few different medical techniques.”
“I would love to hear more about it,” Serah said, settling onto a stool across the table, her fingers wrapped around her own cup of rosim. “Many of the people I care for have shared stories of their homeworlds in their time with us. It’s…it is one of the few things I look forward to.”
Sam lowered her head, rubbing a finger over the distinct crack in the cup. Serah couldn’t have been much more than twenty, but her eyes looked like they belonged to a much older woman. Sam took another drink of the rosim, trying and no doubt failing to hide a wince at the taste. “I’m sorry to ask you this, Serah, but… Is there any way we can get out of here?”
Serah jerked back. The cup slipped from her fingers and toppled to the floor, shattering. “No!” she hissed. “No, don’t ever-”
The front door burst open. Sam tossed her own cup aside and jumped to her feet. Before she had time to really think about what she was doing, the stool was in her hands, held out between herself and the door.
Two pairs of small, frightened eyes stared back.
“…mom-mommy?”
Serah stepped between Sam and the two children, her own eyes wide.
Sam swallowed, lowering the stool. “I’m sorry. I expected… I’m sorry.”
The two children clustered around Serah’s legs, curiosity warring with fear and shyness as they peered around the woman’s skirt. Serah reached to place her hands on their heads. “These are my children.” She met Sam’s gaze.
Sam nodded slowly. “I think I understand.”
“I hope for their sake that you do.”
It was the first time Sam had heard anything other than a caring, concerned tone from the woman, but she suspected that if she ever did anything that would endanger the children’s lives, she would get more than a stern warning. She had never forgotten what had happened when Nirrti had threatened Cassandra’s life; she recognized that same look in Serah’s eyes now that she had seen in Janet’s then.
“Your own brother…” For all the differences Sam and Mark might have had over the years, Sam knew without a doubt that he would never do anything that would put her life in danger. But here, Serah’s brother not only threatened her, but also his own niece and nephew. All for…what? Money?
“Boridan is a cruel man, Sam. But I believe you knew that already.”
Sam grimaced. “Yeah, I kind of got that impression last time we met.”
“Then you understand?”
“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “Yeah, I do.”
“Good. Now, you should get some rest.”
Sam nodded. “I’d like to see Colonel O’Neill first, though.”
The gentle voice had returned now, and the children’s curiosity had won out. They stood in front of their mother now, the little girl’s fingers jabbed into her mouth. Serah brushed her hand over her daughter’s scraggly hair. “Of course. He was in worse condition than you, though, so he should still be sleeping.”
“I know. I’ll only take a minute,” Sam promised. “Thank you.”
Serah dipped her head. “Of course.”
Sam rubbed her hand over her right arm, wincing as she turned her back on Serah and her children. The rosim had seemed to be working before she jarred her wound with the whole stool attack. I’m too jumpy. I need to calm down and think before I do something stupid.
She pushed opened the bedroom door and leaned her head in. It was slightly larger than Sam’s room, with space for a chair in addition to the bed and chest. Sam assumed it belonged to Serah and her husband. Sam took another step inside and looked around. Rumpled covers hung off the bed-the empty bed.
“Crap.”