Martouf

The Mines

:.:.:1895:.:.:

A wheelbarrow full of naquadah was quickly pushed over a dirt road towards the Goddess Ring. Lady Bastet was coming today to collect her tribute. Martouf started shoveling the naquadah into one of the many barrels. "We don't have enough. Lady Bastet will be very angry."

"That is not for you to worry," Carrof said as he also started shoveling the mineral. He had been in charge of mining the naquadah for the past twenty years. He was sixty years old now, but the stressful work had aged him faster. "You are already too young to be mining. You shouldn't have to worry about this now."

Martouf made a slight nod. Last week he had turned sixteen, and while he had been mining for two years, he wasn't supposed to until he was seventeen. However, reaching the quota for the naquadah was harder each year, and younger people were mining to reach it.

The Goddess Ring sounded, indicating that their goddess was coming.

"Hurry!" Carrof called out.

Yirp, Martouf's childhood friend and foster brother, ran over with another wheelbarrow. "This is all we have."

Water spilled out from the Goddess Ring, and everyone scurried to bow properly behind the tribute of naquadah, food, and water. Lady Bastet stepped through the ring with a few of her Jaffa.

Martouf and all the other miners were behind Carrof, who was behind the naquadah tribute. All the females and younger boys stood behind the tribute of food and water.

Lady Bastet first walked to the food and smiled. "This is most excellent. You have pleased your goddess, and will be rewarded. I will not raise the quota, and all of you may live." She started frowning when she turned to the naquadah tribute. "This is not enough. You are supposed to have twenty full barrels. You are missing half a barrel." Her eyes found Carrof. "Step forward."

Carrof stood up and stepped forward. He never looked into her eyes.

Lady Bastet glared at him. "Still in charge after last year's near failure? Your town has faith in you, but I don't." She gestured to Jaffa, who aimed his staff towards Carrof.

Martouf turned away as fire came from the staff, and he heard his mentor fall. He turned back, and Carrof's body was laying there, slightly smoking from the hit.

Lady Bastet continued, "I will give you a chance to make up for displeasing your goddess. After the next two full moons, I will return to collect a full barrel's worth of naquadah. Next year I expect thirty barrels worth of naquadah." She turned around, and started touching the pictures on the rock that stood before the Goddess Ring. They glowed slightly to her touch.

The ring rotated and soon splashed its water. Lady Bastet and the Jaffa walked into the water, which disappeared soon after.

Martouf looked to Carrof's body with a feeling of dread. It wasn't the first time he had seen Lady Bastet make an example, and so it wasn't so much of a shock as it seems it should be. He was sad for the lost, but Carrof's "failure" had increased their quota. They might be able to get a barrel of naquadah in time, but it was impossible to get thirty barrels in another year. Lady Bastet would be making many more examples if she was displeased for the second year in a row.

to be continued...