Beyond the Iris: A Stargate Story

Chapter 17

Sam

In May we had the go ahead to visit the address Daniel believed held a section of the device we were putting together we called the time remote that we needed. A piece that was crucial to pinpointing solar flares and making the jumps possible when going through the gate. When we sent a MALP through to scout for us there was only forest and breathable air recorded. We went through and found it was exactly that, a picturesque easily walkable forest.

Something about the smell of an evergreen always revived me. Be it a cypress back home or a redwood on another planet, they all had a smell about them that made me want to walk through a misty morning forest. Jack always smelled like a comforting mix of balsam fir and ivory soap, and I noticed the more time I spent in the woods the more I felt he belonged there. Everything about him was rooted to the outdoors, he seemed so fluid and natural walking the unfamiliar terrain. As I looked at him now leaning against a mossy boulder, staring up into the canopy of lacy green foliage I saw how at ease and yet highly alert he was in his surroundings.

"What are you staring at Carter?" His voice was low but his eyes were focused on the treetops.

"Nothing really," I looked back at the horizon and took a drink of water from my bottle.  The mountains in the distance were a brilliant crimson capped in white snow, a stark contrast to the evergreen plant life we were walking along the forest in. The weather here felt like it could've been an early spring or autumn day.

"It's strange that the gate would be on a walking path." Daniel was copying symbols down from a plaque tied to a tree. "Clearly this is a map of different routes carved out, but why is the gate here unbothered? There doesn't seem to be a settlement nearby." He traced the pathway and notated more of the language into his field journal. "If there was something close we could chalk it up to trading routes through the gate, or normal travel but there is nothing here."

"There are man made nest sites." Jack pointed up at the tree line. "For large birds I imagine."
Daniel, puzzled, turned and looked back at Jack. There was a tall pole in the distance where a brown bird of some kind had flown onto the perch watching us.

"That's evidence of industrialization then, lumber mills and metallurgy to construct that." I observed. "As well as the obvious map Daniel's looking at."

"And a common acceptance culturally to preserve natural life." Daniel shrugged, "that's always a good sign for the mental state of the population. It's just odd that there is all of this, but no reason the gate is so well kept." We packed up and continued walking along a trail for another half an hour until Teal'c stopped us. He heard voices nearby and Jack had commented he smelled smoke. Carefully we continued until the path ended into a clearing and we stopped still in our tracks.

Multiple cabin structures in rows were scattered with small cooking fires and children running around outside. Women in long tunics and their hair braided high upon their heads turned to look in our direction. Men were walking in muted browns and greens thinking nothing of our arrival. Some had rudimentary fishing poles and nets, children had balls kicking them back and forth in knitted sweaters, and I noticed a plaque in the front of every identical cabin.

"Keep walking," Jack muttered and we passed all the cabins with people giving us odd looks but none seemed concerned. In the center of the buildings was a long lodge, giant antlers were perched out front and a woman with a felt cap and long skirt and blouse in the same muted browns as the men back in the cabins was waving at children coming into the building.

"Call me crazy Daniel but uh, your study notes have anything written about a campground? Because I think we're in the equivalent of a planetary Yellowstone."