All Right – Chapter 6

Disclaimer in pt. 1

It watched the man as he sat with tears running down his face. He was obviously mourning the loss of the woman he clutched in his arms, rocking her back and forth rhythmically as he stared at nothing, his face and eyes horribly devoid of emotion…just blank. He seemed unaware of his surroundings and was certainly in no hurry to move.

The creature glided silently forward, keeping a careful eye on the man a few meters away from it. The man showed no signs of detecting its presence, but the creature doubted that even if he did, this man would pose no threat to it. Shutting its eyes, it stretched out its senses to feel the emotions of the man and almost reeled back at the intense feelings of despair, abandonment, pain and…emptiness. All for the woman lying lifeless in his arms.

The man intrigued the creature watching him; unlike the two other men, it had passed a short while ago in another section of another tunnel. Those men, though confused, tired, in pain, and anxious, the creature did not feel drawn to them as it did to this single man. These mortals were the first the creature had seen in centuries and it could only guess that they were there for its treasure; the one it had been elected to guard and protect by its brethren all those many centuries ago. Its brethren were all gone now…destroyed by a plague that ravaged the surface so long ago, killing all of them except the creature now watching silently. Some of its kind had sought refuge in the tunnels they had built underground leading from their great city to the large cavern where they housed some of their larger technology, but to no use, the plague had followed them and gotten to them as well. The creature was the only one who had managed to survive because it had hidden and entered a stage of hibernation, aware of the troubles brewing and avoiding all contact with its kind until it was assured that the crisis over, not knowing that when it did emerge, there were no survivors left. Not only that, but it was apparent that its planet had been visited by other alien species who had ransacked their city.

But that was long ago and no one ever visited the planet until a few days ago when the creature observed a group of mortals, wearing clothing similar to what the man was wearing in front it, had appeared. It watched as they discovered the entrance into its treasure room and it had been prepared to protect its treasure should they show any sign of provocation. They did not, however, and after much looking around, the group left. Until today. When another group of mortals wearing shiny clothing and carrying what looked like big staffs appeared, the creature was tracking them when it became distracted by the first two men it encountered falling from the surface to the tunnels.

Again, the creature focused its attention on the man and felt great pity for him. The creature stretched out its senses again and understood that this man posed no threat to it and that all he cared about was the woman in his arms. It sensed a great bond between the two and its eyes took on a sorrowful look as he felt the man’s anguish at having that bond severed so suddenly. The creature took on a thoughtful look as contemplated whether to help this man, after all, there was a reason why it had been selected to guard the treasure of its brethren.

The creature surged forward through the darkness toward the man silently and before the man noticed, delved into his mind changing itself into a non-corporeal form.

‘You miss her much.’

The creature received no response from the man, but was surprised when another voice from another entity answered him from within the man’s mind. The creature almost severed contact when it sensed that this other entity was uniquely tied to the man and was equally bonded to the woman in the man’s arms.

<We love as one and we mourn as one.> The creature felt identical sorrow and loss from the entity as it had found in the man and decided to continue.

‘She is very special to both of you.’

The creature paused a moment to stretch out it senses to view the memories in the man’s mind and watched what seemed like the man’s entire lifetime in a matter of seconds.

‘You have experienced much pain and loss in your lifetime…Lantash.’

The creature felt the entity’s slight surprise, but it was soon overcome by the familiar misery. <Yes.>

‘Your host…Martouf…wishes that your…mate…Samantha…were still alive.’ The creature paused as it stumbled over the newly-found information about the man, woman, and entity.

<Yes…as do I…who…what are you?> Lantash asked suspiciously, wondering why Martouf was not responding to the conversation in which an obviously sentient being was talking to them and in their mind, no less.

‘Your host…is too distraught to answer, Lantash, but…he is listening, knowing that you…will be able to…handle this…conversation?’ The creature’s curiosity rose with the words of the language they were speaking. ‘Your host understands everything that is being…said.’

<Forgive me for my rudeness, but what do you want?> Lantash asked, seeking out Martouf and confirming that he was indeed listening, but obviously was in no mood to talk.

‘I am…drawn…to your sadness, your despair…it is…overwhelming. I have not…felt such…grief…in over a millennia…it saddens me to see this…and I wish to offer my…help.’ The creature replied.

<Over a millennia? Are you part of the Yalan civilization that died out years ago?> Lantash asked incredulously, his shock momentarily taking over his pain.

‘My brethren…have been called the…Yalan, among other names,…I am the last…there are no others…I have lived in these tunnels…for many years…’

<How is that possible?> Lantash questioned.

‘There…is no time…to answer your questions…I sense that you…pose no threat…to me…I wish to help you…and the life of the…one you hold so dearly…in your arms.’

<How?> Lantash exclaimed.

‘I can…bring her…back…to you.’

Lantash felt Martouf stop rocking as he heard the creature’s words.

(Please explain.) Martouf asked breathlessly, entering the conversation.

‘Just…as I said…I can bring…your…mate back…but there will…be changes…’

<Changes? What do you mean?> Lantash prodded, suspicion returning slightly.

‘If I brought…back…your…Samantha, there…would be…changes…in…what you would call…the timeline…and…your life…there…would be…differences…in your…life…’

(What sort of changes?) Martouf questioned, unconsciously tightening his grip on Samantha.

‘Time…would be…different…if I…do this, there…is a chance…that some things…you have experienced…would not have…happened…while some events…in your life that…still have not have…happened…will have occurred…some people…you call…friends…you will not have…met yet…or have been killed…people who are dead…to you now…may be…alive…things…will be…different…but your…Samantha…will be…alive’

‘There…is no…guarantee…you may not…have met her yet…but she…will be alive…’

(And that is all that matters.) Martouf declared resolutely.

<Martouf! Do not act hastily. We must think over this. Even if she is brought back, there is a chance that she will not even know us, she might be mated to someone else, she could hate us, or she could be a Goa’uld even! There are endless possibilities!> Lantash berated Martouf heavily, not wanting to get their hopes up.

(But she will be alive, Lantash! I cannot live without her! I cannot feel this way, this despair and hopelessness for the next century! I refuse!) Martouf insisted.

Lantash paused. <If you do this, will we still have our memories intact of this event?>

‘Yes…only you…will…remember.’

Lantash paused again, thinking about the important choice placed before him.

(Lantash…please.) Martouf begged.

‘And…you Martouf?’

(I agree as well.)

‘Then…it is…done.’