"What's taking them so long?" General Hammond asked, but not to anyone in particular.
"He's probably finding out about her culture or something," Sam said.
"I'll go get them," Jack said and voluntarily walked over to get them. As he arrived, he knocked three times on the door and walked in, "What on earth?!?!" Jack yelled.
"...She...got...bored..," Daniel said, trying to convince Jack that she wasn't really to blame.
"I'm, I'm sorry. These walls are just so.....boring!" Ephinny said remorsefully.
"It's not that. They gave you chicken! They said that there was none left! I really wanted some for lunch!. Gimme some of this," Jack said and picked up a strip of chicken and plopped it into his mouth. "They are all waiting for you," Jack said with his mouth full of chicken pastrami.
"Nice?" Ephinny said as she walked out of the door, Daniel behind.
They walked through the passageways and corridors, Ephinny curiously looking everywhere. When the three of them passed the kitchen area, Ephinny slowed down and waited for the two men to pass her. When they had done so, she sneaked a peak of the hectic kitchen. Chefs, cooks and workmen were chaotically charging around the small work place. She cautiously entered, making sure no crazed chef would run her down. She sniffed the air cautiously and she saw her prey. APPLE PIE! She dove in for the kill. She briskly walked passed the eccentric chefs and cooks towards the apple pie that was cooling off on a marbled table. As soon as she reached the apple pie she picked up a piece and opened her mouth wide, ready for it to dive right in.
"Hold it!" A familiar voiced sounded off. "Put that down!"
Every cook, workman and chef silenced himself or herself and halted their work. At a snail's pace, she turned around and saw a very beady eyed Jack, looking at her sternly. She innocently looked at him and Daniel, who was keenly looking on. Jack picked the apple pie from her hand and placed it on the marble cabinet.
"Let's go. And stop stalling," Jack grumpily mumbled.
Ephinny grumbled, "Humph! I was gonna eat that!"
Ephinny, followed Jack and Daniel towards the Conference room. Ephinny saw a blonde haired lady, a dark, stern looking man who had a strange gold tattoo on his forehead, She also saw Dr Frasier and a man at the head of the long table. Ephinny sat opposite the blonde woman and the Tattooed man and lifted her left leg and rested her chin on it. Jack slumped next to Ephinny and Daniel parked himself on the other side of her.
"I think it would be appropriate if we introduced ourselves. I'm General Hammond, this is Major Samantha Carter, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Dr Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and Dr Janet Frasier," General Hammond said and pointed to each person according to who they were.
"Umm...can I ask something?" Ephinny asked.
"Sure," General Hammond replied.
"Why, why, why, do you all have," Ephinny hesitatingly held three and then two of her fingers up, "three or two names, except Teal'c and I only have one?"
"They govern what class we are. Colonel is higher than a major, and a general is higher than a colonel," General Hammond replied again.
"Oh, so you're the king, right?"
"Um. No, he just organises everything that goes on in the SGC," Daniel explained.
"Oh, what a boring job." Ephinny leant her head on the table, hands underneath. "What is a doctor?"
"A doctor is someone who heals other people," Janet explained.
"Unless, you are a Doctor of Archaeology," Daniel added. Ephinny's eyebrows knitted into a confused frown. "I study the past, and different cultures," Daniel gave the details more clearly.
"Oh," Ephinny released her confused frown. She stared at the table inspecting a house ant that crawled on the table.
"We are going to help you," General Hammond told Ephinny, but she was in deep thought, looking at the ant. Ephinny started to giggle.
"Ephinny, EPHINNY!" Jack yelled to get her attention.
Ephinny jerked, surprised. "Huh?"
"We are going to help you get your brother back," General Hammond repeated.
"WHAT?!?!? Thank you so MUCH!!" Ephinny's eyes flashed with happiness and she turned to Daniel and gave him an enormous hug, and Daniel eye's broadened, startled. She subsequently turned towards Jack and gave him an equal sized hug. "Thank you so MUCH! I have been scouring the galaxy trying to find someone that will help us Armaghs!"
"Are the Armagh's your race of people?" Daniel asked inquisitively.
"Uh huh!" Ephinny replied "And if it wasn't for Elara, we would of.."
"Would have," Daniel interrupted and Ephinny gave him a queer look.
"He does that to me too," Jack stated, trying to make her feel better.
"Would have," Ephinny continued, "not found the human weapons and our new cool clothing."
"By weapons, what do you exactly mean, what type?" Jack asked, exceedingly curious.
"Well, on the box, it said that they were, Socoms, Mp-5s, PSG1s, umm.... Nakitas, pistols."
"NAKITAS? SOCOMS??" Jack continued "Someone could get hurt!"
"I know from first hand experience," Ephinny commented.
"You got shot?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, it really hurt too."
"And you weren't killed?" Jack continued to thrash out questions. "No, but I was in bed for a while, boy, was that BO-RING!!!" The girl answered. "Umm...we also wouldn't know about humans and other races, also, how to work, that...circle...thing." Ephinny formed her hands into a circle, well, her best attempt.
"Stargate," Daniel corrected her and she looked at him weirdly, she then turned to Jack and he nodded. Ephinny grinned and faced Sam who started to speak to her.
"Why did you send a telepathic message to us?" Sam enquired.
"I sent it to all of the humans. Did you get it?" Ephinny explained.
"Yeah. We all got it, except for Teal'c," General Hammond explained.
A strange and awkward silence arose.
"By the results of your tests, in your blood you have traces of a chemical that I have not seen before, otherwise, you would be classified as human. Do you want to explain what is ?" Dr Frasier curiously asked, breaking the silence.
"Uh huh. It's not dangerous, but I don't really want to talk about it right now." They all looked at her curiously. "It reminds me of my brother." Her eyes sagged low and grew depressed as she justified herself. "You'll probably know about it later." The awkward silence occurred yet again.
"Um. Shall we go now?" General Hammond ordered, throttling the second awkward silence.
"What are the co-ordinates of your planet, and is it called?" Daniel requested. He took off his glasses and started to rub his eyes, before placing them back again.
"Krullin is my planet. But what are co-ordinates?" Ephinny replied and she changed positions again and slumped into her chair.
"The co-ordinates are what Elara would have typed in to get to, Earth, but do you know what Krullin's are?" Sam made it clear for Ephinny.
"Oh, I can't remember. Is that bad?" Ephinny answered.
"Uh, very bad. Very, very bad," Jack said, and rested his chin on his hand.
"Oh dear. Elara will be back for me, I hope. Or the bodies," Ephinny miserably stated.
"Umm... In the meantime, would you come to my office and answer a few questions?" Daniel asked and Ephinny nodded. They all stood up in unison and walked out. Daniel walked towards his room and Ephinny scuttled behind him. Ephinny reached for Daniel's shirtsleeve and held it, similar to a puppy dog on a leash, rushing behind its master. Daniel turned around and faced Ephinny. He gently smiled at her, and she returned it. They continued on their journey towards his room. Whilst entering, Ephinny tripped over the raised edge, from corridor to door. Embarrassed, she blushed but it was luckily hard to see through her olive skin. She looked at Daniel who she nearly pushed over and noticed that he was also blushing.
"Sorry," Ephinny apologised.
"It's ok," Daniel responded and sat at his cluttered desk. "Take a seat," he said and held his hand over a chair that was also cluttered with miscellaneous junk. "Err..," he murmured, noticing that it was a mess. Ephinny closed the door behind her and sat on the ground. Daniel snickered. "Ok, um. Since you're such a good artist, would you draw me your usual clothing? Before you found the humans clothing." Daniel handed her a sheet of paper and pencil to Ephinny.
Ephinny looked at the paper blankly and stared equally at the pencil. "Why, what's it for?"
"I just want to see what civilisation Krullin is based upon, if it similar to any Earthen ones."
"Oh," She looked at the pencil and paper expressionlessly again. Daniel mimed sketching and Ephinny picked up what Daniel really wanted. She started to try and firmly grasp the pencil.
"Would you err, like a table?" Daniel suggested.
"Hang on, I think I have it." Ephinny stroked the paper with the pencil several times using the carpet as a table. Daniel curiously watched her. Ephinny handed him the piece of paper. Ephinny stood up and walked towards a bookcase and looked at all the objects that sat idly on the shelves. She picked up a vase with ancient Egyptian symbols. Daniel still was looking at the picture and his books.
"What's this?" Ephinny asked, "I have seen this before. I can remember seeing them before, but I can't remember when, or where."
"It's Egyptian symbols that you probably saw on the Stargate," Daniel explained. "It seems that your war clothes are from ancient Greece, but this red costume, looks like ancient Japanese kimono," Daniel said.
"Wha?" Ephinny pondered.
"By the clothes that you have drawn, it seems that your civilisation is equivalent to Earth's ancient Japan and ancient Greece. Why do your clothes have fire shapes on them?"
"Each of my siblings belong to an element. Argo towards Air or Wind, Lark is Earth - he's my little brother - and my younger sister, Piya, is water. She is really cultural with her element and dresses in blue all the time!!!"
"Ya?" Daniel asked, trying to get the accent, tone and pronunciation correct.
"Why can't you Earth people get the pronunciation right?"
"Sorry, you just say it so quickly, and it sounds like ya."
"It's ok, it's understandable, I get English words confused! It's sorta like Pya, but said really quickly."
"Is that bracelet to do with your element?" Daniel enquired.
"Ah, yeah. Piya, Argo and Lark have on just like it, except in their colour, and their symbol." Ephinny walked to the other bookshelf and looked at the bits and pieces that where lying on the shelves. "I heard this from the Oracle, that every thousand years, four royal children are born and have an element allocated to them, and they shall guard the Heart Core of Krullin."
"And, you're fire." Daniel grinned and Ephinny nodded. "Is that story true though?" Daniel asked.
"I guess so, I have to guard the heart of Krullin when war is loose."
"Why aren't you guarding it now?"
"Because. Argo is missing and we cannot enter the core of the earth unless four souls of the elements are there, or their crystal dust."
"I see."
"That myth might not be true though."
"Why? Because you aren't royalty?"
As Ephinny was about to reply, she was interrupted by the alarm of the Stargate. "Let's go and see Elara."
Daniel smiled at Ephinny.
*~*At the Stargate*~*
Daniel ran towards the Stargate and Ephinny dashed behind. When they reached the bulletproof glass area, the other SG-1 members were already there. Ephinny leaned against Jack and he gave her an unusual look. Ephinny didn't budge but closed her eyes peacefully. Jack gave up and continued to watch the Stargate, Ephinny resting serenely on his shoulder. General Hammond signalled to the technician to open the Stargate. Numerous Army and Air Force personnel stood at the Stargate, holding their weapons high. A darker-coloured character walked out of the iris. She wore green transparent sleeves and dark green leaves on her body. She looked like a darker and female version of Tarzan. Her gun wavered in her hand as she stepped down the ramp with vast caution.
"Hold your fire!" General Hammond ordered and the defence force lowered their weapons.
"Princess Ephinny. Princess Ephinny of the Armaghs!" The long, curly-haired lady yelled out.
"Princess?" Jack pondered.
"So she IS royalty!" Daniel stated.
Ephinny was still half-asleep on Jack's shoulder when he jerked his arm to wake her up. She chapped her mouth a couple of times and tried to get back to sleep.
"Hey!" Jack yelled to awaken her.
"Huh? Wha?" Ephinny drowsily said and spun her head around and looked expectantly at Sam. Sam was too busy paying attention to the Stargate to notice that Ephinny wanted answers from her.
"It is Elara," Teal'c informed her of what was actually going on. Ephinny spun her head towards Teal'c and grinned her appreciation. Ephinny skimmed her eyes through the bulletproof glass and she saw the large Stargate. She looked below the Stargate and observed her friend. She scampered down towards Elara. Once there, Elara bowed deeply to her and Ephinny signalled to her to raise her body and Ephinny hugged her sincerely. The four SG-1 members walked down to the Stargate, General Hammond followed.
If they wanted to help the Armaghs, they had to hurry there, but would Elara remember the co-ordinates, or did she ever know them at all? And why did Ephinny try and hide that she was Royalty? Find out, in the next part, of 'Wandering upon the Desert'.
