Jack O’Neill looked expectantly at Daniel Jackson. Okay, he looks just as surprised as the rest of us, thought Jack. English? Danny’s farmers speak pidgin Goa’uld and now this girl starts speaking English? Daniel’s eyes were wide as he turned to face their welcome committee again.

“Uh… Hello… and thank you,” he began. The twelve young men and women regarded him curiously. “You speak English!” Way to go, Danny. Wow them with your wit why don’t you.

“English?” The young woman repeated the word hesitantly, obviously unfamiliar with the term.

“Our language,” Daniel explained. “We speak the same language. I didn’t expect… I mean, the others of your people didn’t understand….” Daniel indicated Thrurran and the other men and women who had led SG-1 to the huge temple complex.

“They are not of the Chosen,” said the young woman. “They have no need to speak the language of the Protector. It is the duty of those who will serve in Ipet-isut to have the skills of speaking and understanding the Protector’s words. Is this not why you have traveled here?”

“Ipet-isut? Is that what this place is called?” Daniel looked over his shoulder at the three other members of SG-1. “It means most select of places,” he explained. The woman looked surprised and several of her companions shifted restlessly.

“Ipet-isut is the home of the Protector where we will serve in our next lives. All Chosen know this,” she said, her tone clearly indicating her confusion at Daniel’s lack of knowledge. We’re busted, thought Jack feeling uneasy. “We have been Chosen to travel to the most select of places, Ipet-isut. How is it that you have such knowledge yet you believe that this earthly place is the home of Khonsu the Protector?”

“Ah, that’s a really good question actually,” said Daniel. “We are explorers, from a place very far from here. I’m Daniel and this is Jack, Sam and Teal’c.”
“You are travelers?”

“Well, yes… you could call us that.”

“But you were not chosen by your people to journey to this place?”

“Uh… well… actually….”

“Daniel,” said Jack, caution in his tone. Don’t volunteer our participation in any of their religious ceremonies please!

“No, we weren’t,” said Daniel finally, shooting a look at Jack. “We were sent to learn more about your people and your way of life. We want to find out more about this place and your history.”

“From where have you traveled?”

“From a place called Earth,” said Daniel. “We traveled through the chappa’ai,” he explained. Several of the Chosen gasped and many made the crescent sign.

“Khonsu forbids us that place. We do not speak of it.” She sounded frightened.

“Right,” drawled Jack. “About this Khonsu. He wouldn’t be anywhere around here by any chance?”

“Jack,” said Daniel, the cautionary tone now in his voice.

“I just like to know what I’m dealing with Daniel.”

“Khonsu resides in Ipet-isut.”

“Yeah, you said that. So he’s not gonna drop in on us anytime soon is he?”

“It is the duty of the Chosen to travel to Ipet-isut in order to serve the Protector.”

“This ‘Protector’ of yours… Do his eyes glow?” Jack asked. Let’s cut to the chase here, he thought.

“The face of the Protector will be revealed to us when we journey to Ipet-isut.”

“Daniel,” Jack said with a sigh. All this mumbo-jumbo doesn’t tell me what I want to know. Is there a Goa’uld pulling strings around here or not?

“You said the chappa’ai is forbidden. Why is that?” Daniel asked, rescuing Jack from further attempts at diplomacy.

“It was the place of our punishment when we were unworthy of service to the Protector. We displeased the gods and they abandoned us. For many centuries we were without guidance. Khonsu returned to us when we were worthy once more. We no longer worship the old gods. We serve the Protector.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.” Daniel turned to Jack. “I don’t think we have to worry about anyone with glowing eyes,” he explained. “We still have many questions,” he said, returning his attention to the young Chosen. “May we be allowed to stay and visit with you?”

“The Protector will be pleased that you wish to gain an understanding of his teachings,” said the young woman. “All travelers are welcome in this place.”

“Thank you,” said Daniel again. “Uh… may we know your name?”

“I am called Mahlia,” she told him. “I am First among the current Chosen.” She spread her arms wide to indicate the other men and women. “We welcome you travelers. We invite you to join us for the mid-day meal. I believe we have much to discuss.”

“Lunch? Lunch would be great,” said Jack cheerfully. It’s been awhile since those two power bars, he reflected. Mahlia looked at him blankly.

“He means thank you,” explained Daniel. She nodded to indicate she understood.

She glanced at Thrurran and his people arranged along the walls. She spoke softly to them in their own language. In response they bowed respectfully, made the crescent sign and began to file out of the room.

“Tell them thank you for us,” requested Daniel. Mahlia smiled and spoke again. Thrurran paused to nod his head at Daniel and the rest of SG-1 before following the others out of the room.

“Thrurran’s son was First among the Chosen many years ago,” Mahlia explained. “When he heard you speak of the chappa’ai and converse with your fellow travelers in the language of Khonsu, he decided it was best to bring you to the temple. Please, follow us.”

The twelve Chosen turned and made their way through the doorway that led to the corridor. Jack cocked his head to the side and gestured for SG-1 to follow the white-clad group.

“So,” he said softly as they made their way deeper into the temple. “Do you have any idea what’s going on around here?” Daniel took a deep breath before answering.

“It sounds like the Goa’uld were here many centuries ago. When I dated the stone from the roadway, it was at least a few thousand years old.”

“So what about this Khonsu?” Jack asked.

“I’d imagine he was one of the Goa’uld they worshipped. I think the current Khonsu the Protector is a kinder-gentler version they’ve created for themselves in the absence of any living breathing gods telling them what to do.”

“So all this stuff about traveling to Ipitishu…”

“Ipet-isut,” corrected Daniel automatically.

“Whatever…” said Jack, “It’s just their version of going to heaven or something?”

“Probably so,” Daniel agreed.

“So why do they speak English?” Carter interjected. Oh yeah, thought Jack, surprised that he’d almost forgotten about that little mystery.

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” He added.

“Right now,” said Daniel. “I have really don’t have the vaguest idea.”

“We have encountered many cultures that speak the languages of the Tau’ri,” rumbled Teal’c.

“But if Daniel’s right about the Goa’uld being here centuries ago, how do we explain the fact that they are speaking English instead of an older language. It doesn’t make any sense,” argued Carter.

Their quiet conversation was cut short when they were ushered into a large brightly lit room filled with long low tables and padded benches. Several other young men and women were already present in the room, evidently arranging the meal on the tables for the Chosen. Servants, wondered Jack, or Chosen in training? He watched carefully as the Chosen made their way to the seats. The servants, as he had decided to refer to them, greeted them cheerfully and moved quickly to finish the arrangements. They didn’t seem fearful or hesitant at all. You can learn a lot from watching how the underclass is treated. Jack knew this from first-hand experience and Daniel had once tried to explain the whole idea of the role of castes and class status in many cultures.

“Please. Sit with us,” offered Mahlia, gesturing toward one of the tables. Jack nodded his assent to his team. They shucked their packs and left them sitting on the floor at their feet as they arranged themselves around the table. Without being asked, his team unobtrusively kept their weapons close at hand.

“Khonsu provides and protects,” said Mahlia. The words were repeated by the remaining Chosen. All twelve made the crescent sign. So did Daniel. Jack raised his eyebrows at him and Daniel shrugged, grinning at him crookedly. That when in Rome thing must be your motto, Danny-boy.

Religious observances over, it seemed it was time to dig in. Mahlia and the other Chosen began passing plates of food around the tables. It seemed to be mostly a lot of fruits, breads and cheeses. One of the servants, a young teenage girl, handed Jack a squat wooden cup filled with some sort of liquid. He sniffed at it curiously.

“It’s water,” said Daniel, after taking a cautious sip of his own. The Chosen were relaxed; all of the stiffness and formality of earlier had disappeared. Quiet conversations had sprung up at various tables throughout the room, in English as well as in the sing-song blur of the language Thrurran and his people had spoken. He caught snatches of English and heard their names mentioned several times.

Mahlia sat next to a young man, another of the Chosen. Jack was startled to see him possessively place one arm around her waist and pull her closer to him. Mahlia smiled at him and playfully slapped at his hand. He said something softly to her that Jack couldn’t hear and she responded with a light kiss. He whispered something else to her and she laughed softly. Jack glanced around the room and realized there were several other obvious couples among the Chosen.

“Who’s your friend?” Jack asked, his curiosity awakened. Mahlia blushed at the question.

“Gareth,” she said, introducing her companion. The young Chosen man smiled at Jack and sat up straighter, but didn’t quite release his hold on Mahlia.

“We are honored to have you as our guests,” he told Jack. “The time of celebration is nearly upon us.” Celebration… is that what they call it around these parts?

“I’m very happy for both of you,” said Jack simply. Gareth leaned into Mahlia and kissed her again. This time the kiss was more serious. I guess celibacy isn’t an issue for the Chosen of Khonsu, mused Jack. Daniel cleared his throat politely and Mahlia pulled away from Gareth.

“Um… you uh… seem very happy,” said Daniel, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose with one finger. “What exactly are you… uh… celebrating,” he stammered. Are you sure you want to be asking such a personal question there Danny? Jack stifled a laugh and caught Carter doing the same out of the corner of his eye.

“It is nearly time for us to journey to Ipet-isut,” explained Gareth. “New Chosen will be selected to take our places here in the temple.”

“Daniel,” said Jack. “I thought you said all that stuff was just talk…”

“I know, Jack,” interrupted Daniel. “Give me a minute… please?” He turned back to Mahlia and Gareth. “Mahlia, forgive our ignorance but could you please explain a few things for us?”

“Of course Daniel,” she said with a smile.

“When you say you are preparing to ‘journey’ to Ipet-isut do you really mean you are going to leave this place?” He waved a hand to indicate the temple itself. “I mean… leave it physically rather than… um… spiritually?”

“Why yes,” she told him. “It is the duty of the Chosen to journey to Ipet-isut and serve the Protector.”

“And where exactly is Ipet-isut?” Daniel asked calmly.

“Very, very far from here,” explained Mahlia. Jack felt a knot forming in his gut.

“And how exactly… do the Chosen make this journey?” Mahlia’s face brightened and she smiled widely at Daniel’s question.

“It is a wondrous thing,” she said happily. “Khonsu will send his sky boat to carry us to his home in the heavens.” Daniel paled and looked at Jack, his face stricken. Jack dropped his gaze to the plate of food in front of him and closed his eyes. Shaking his head he opened his eyes and dropped the hunk of bread he was holding- forgotten, in his hand. A ship… she’s talking about a damned spaceship!

* * * * *

“We don’t know they are Goa’uld!” Daniel insisted yet again.

Jack sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. He had a headache and his patience was wearing thin.

“Sir, you said yourself that it would be pretty strange for the stargate to be abandoned if the Goa’uld were in control of the planet.”

“I know what I said Carter!” He snapped at her, feeling immediately guilty. “None of this makes any sense,” he argued.

“The Chosen are unfamiliar with Goa’uld weaponry,” reminded Teal’c. That’s true, realized Jack. They had spent the last few hours questioning the Chosen about Khonsu and his ‘sky boat’ as they called it. None of the Chosen admitted to any familiarity with either Teal’c’s staff weapon or his zat. Descriptions of death gliders and armor-wearing jaffa hadn’t sparked any recognition either.

“I don’t think their Protector is Goa’uld,” said Daniel again. “Even the ship they described sounds different.”

“Then how do you explain Khonsu?” Jack demanded. “I’d say playing the role of some ancient Egyptian god from Earth sort of fits their pattern. Don’t you?”

“Jack, I know… I can’t explain it,” admitted Daniel.

“Maybe it’s the Asgard,” suggested Carter. “They’ve done it before.”

“Thor…” Jack considered it for a moment but shook his head. “No, I don’t think the Asgard are swooping down and carrying off Chosen to be servants in some sort of paradise. It’s just not their style.”

Jack stood up and paced the length of the room. The Chosen had offered them a suite of rooms in another of the buildings. The whole place seemed to be a warren of rooms and living quarters. His team had stowed most of their gear in their individual rooms and had settled in the common sitting area they shared. They had asked their hosts for a few hours of privacy before dinner to sort things out. Not that we’re getting anywhere, he thought ruefully.

“You know, these people don’t seem to be suffering too greatly,” said Daniel. Jack snorted and threw his hands up in frustration.

“What? You think it’s all right for these people to offer up their best and brightest each year to some sort of god!”

“No, that not what I mean,” said Daniel defensively. “I just meant that every one has the opportunity to come here and be educated. No one is turned away. Jack, some of these kids come here because their families can’t support them or they have no families.”

“And in exchange for that education, if you’re really really lucky and you study hard enough you get to give up your life to be taken away by Khonsu’s sky boat! That kinda brings a new meaning to being at the top of your class Daniel!”

“I’m just saying we don’t have all the facts yet. Maybe this isn’t what it looks like…”

“It’s always what it looks like,” interrupted Jack. “Daniel, how many times have we come across a scenario like this anyway? I mean after awhile… you have to begin doubting everybody you meet.” Jack flopped back down on one of the low couches next to Carter. “If there is one thing I’ve learned about humanity since joining the SGC,” he continued, “it’s that we are a pretty gullible group. All you have to do is wave a little technology in front of us that we can’t quite understand and we’ll set you up with your own little religion, complete with fawning worshippers! Hell, we’ve even been considered gods ourselves!”

“What do you want to do?” Daniel asked finally.

Jack hunched forward, elbows on his knees and stared at the floor while he considered Daniel’s question. Go back home, he thought angrily, and leave these people to save their own asses from whomever it is playing god with their lives. Don’t we have our hands full trying to save our own damn planet? I didn’t sign up to save the entire universe… just my little corner of it.

His team stayed quiet seeming to recognize his need for a few moments to think about things. How the hell do we always end up in these situations? It was a question he had asked himself way to often. Any other team would have gated over, spent a few hours collecting samples, and gated back to Earth… without finding the fate of an entire planet in their hands. But we’re not any other team, he told himself resignedly.

Jack sat up and met Daniel’s gaze. He knew what his team wanted to hear from him and why they wanted to hear it. Daniel will argue passionately about how these people need a chance to live their own lives without having their beliefs forced onto them by some power-hungry madman or whatever Khonsu might be.

Teal’c was watching him without accusing or pleading but Jack knew the jaffa was just as passionate as Daniel about the fate of the Chosen. How the hell had Teal’c’s conscience ever let him stay sane during his time as Apophis’ First Prime? It didn’t matter to Teal’c if Khonsu wasn’t Goa’uld. False gods are false gods right?

His glance slid to the right to catch Carter looking at him with concern. Not to sure which way this old warhorse is gonna jump this time are ya’ Carter? For Carter, the whole thing was a puzzle to be solved. Who, why, and especially how… right Carter? You couldn’t just dangle the chance for Carter to get her hands on some new technology in front of her and yank it away. You wouldn’t argue with me but you sure would be… disappointed. And besides… you’ve climbed up on a few soapboxes a time or two yourself.

“We’ll stay,” he told them. “I’ll update Hammond when we miss our return window tomorrow evening. He’ll send a MALP through and radio us to try to find out what’s going on.”

“Thank you Jack,” said Daniel.

“Tell me that when this is over,” Jack responded. “In the meantime, let’s try to learn as much as we can before Hammond contacts us. And if he pulls the plug on this whole thing we leave immediately… no arguments!” Daniel nodded his agreement. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen, thought Jack. It won’t be an issue anyway. Hammond will leave this decision up to me. And for better or worse… the choice was just made.