The Nox
The pressure's on the SG project as this episode opens. As the Secretary
of Defense tells them, the current political administration has made known
its desire for the SG teams to bring more alien technology back from the
worlds visited courtesy of the gate. Preferably superior technology. The
members of SG-1 protest, citing the importance of their work for humanity
as a culture, but to no avail. The visiting Secretary wants technology
that can be used to fight the Goa'ulds should they land on Earth. Teal'c
interjects, "What technologies do you seek?" He speaks of creatures on
one world who possess the power of invisibility. It is a power the Goa'ulds
have tried, and failed, to retrieve. Such power, if they captured one of
the alien creatures, could give Earth a tactical advantage over the Goa'ulds.
SG-1 embarks on a new mission—to seek the creature in question. However,
as they are preparing to set a trap for the creature, the Stargate and
gear—including the tracker to locate the gate--disappears. Amidst this
mess, the creature they seek arrives on the scene—visible only by the distortion
of the air that it creates. Before O'Neill can fire a tranquilizer to knock
out the creature, it is frightened away by a blast from a Jaffa weapon.
O'Neill's first thought is that Teal'c has fired, which proves to be wrong.
The shot came from a nearby group of Jaffa soldiers...lead by Apophis.
The team's mission changes, especially at Daniel's urging—Apophis is the
only one who knows where Sha're and Skaara are. After debating their ability
to fight—and with Teal'c's assurance that they *can* take Apophis despite
their few number and weapons with careful planning (and that he has no
problems with attacking his former 'god')—O'Neill approves the ambush.
The attack fails miserably. The team is unable to capture Apophis, who
is shielded from their weapons by an energy shield. Worse, the three humans
fall in the battle. Teal'c ceases his own fight and faces Apophis with
the words, "I die free." Apophis is about to execute his former First Prime
when Teal'c, and the bodies of the other SG-1 members, vanish. Daniel,
Sam, and O'Neill awaken—their wounds from the fight healed with no more
trace than their singed clothing—in a small hut. "Weren't we dead?" Daniel
asks. No longer, they are alive and their side-arms are missing. Two aliens--a
man (Ohper) and a young woman (Lya), humanoid, almost sprite-like, enter
the hut, staring silently and curiously. The trio asks where Teal'c is,
and the aliens lead them outside. They find themselves in a village of
round, grass huts nestled in the forest. Their two alien hosts lead them
to a table where two more aliens (another older man--Anteaus—and a young
boy) are eating. They offer the humans food. Even as they ask after Teal'c,
and question if the aliens were the ones to heal them, the aliens still
watch them silently. "I think they're a family," Daniel says. "Of what?"
Jack asks. "I have no idea," the anthropologist admits. The boy walks over
to Jack, staring curiously. Jack asks about the team's weapons, but get
no answers. Teal'c joins the scene. He has no idea what happened--where
they are, what happened to Apophis, or where the Stargate is. The boy ignores
the conversation and goes over to greet Sam. "Nafrayu," he introduces himself
to her. Sam is charmed. "No, you can't keep him," Jack teases. Elsewhere,
Apophis still searches for the missing humans. As the team debates who
or what the aliens are, the alien Anteaus announces to them, "I will take
you to your Doorway." Daniel is astounded by how quickly the aliens learned
their language. The aliens have taken their weapons away and won't say
where they put them. They know of the attack on the Jaffa, and the team
defends themselves—they had no intention of killing the "bad man" (Apophis),
they were only trying to capture him. They are not assassins. The aliens
are not impressed. "We will take you to your Doorway. You will go." Anteaus
says. The team fears that Apophis will seek revenge on these aliens for
helping them. The aliens appear unconcerned. "You will leave soon, take
your ways with you," Anteaus insists. Jack changes the subject—how did
the aliens heal them? "Our ways," Anteaus says enigmatically. Daniel adds
that they are from a race who would like to learn about the aliens' ways.
"No," Anteaus answers. Moreover, the other aliens—wherever they are—do
not wish to see the humans either. The aliens are insistant—the humans
will go when 'their brother' has awakened. That throws the team a bit.
Their 'brother'? Lya shows them the brother in question. It is Shak'l,
one of the Jaffa soldiers, still unconscious. The aliens are pleased the
Jaffa will heal...and do not understand the team's attempt to explain the
difference between them, the Goa'ulds, and their gentle alien saviors.
"Their ways are not like your ways, believe me," Jack tells the aliens.
"They do not know the Nox," Anteaus says. Teal'c emphasizes to Jack that
if Shak'l survives he will lead Apophis to the Nox. "There will be no more
death," Anteaus says...including Shak'l's. "You must go." Jack refuses
to leave the naive creatures. He leads the team away from the Nox so they
can speak in private. Options? They cannot leave Shak'l with the Nox, nor
can they kill him. Leaving the planet, with or without Shak'l, will be
difficult; Jack has challenged Apophis and Teal'c has betrayed his former
master. Even if they can find the Stargate, they will have to get past
Apophis to escape. Meanwhile, Apophis and his Jaffa continue their search.
Teal'c is standing guard when Shak'l awakens. Teal'c offers his former
comrade the chance for freedom, to join him. The Goa'ulds are not gods.
Shak'l refuses. In fact, he plans to bring Teal'c's head to Apophis. Apophis'
time will soon be at an end, Teal'c promises. When he is finished, Teal'c
will return to their world and offer freedom to the other Goa'uld slaves.
Daniel and Jack are improvising new weapons to fight Apophis—bows and arrows.
"Somehow I don't think we'd make very good Nox," Daniel says of their work.
Nafrayu observes their work. "Is that a weapon?" the boy asks. "Yes...and
you can't have it," Jack answers. Still, Nafrayu watches as Jack tests
out his new bow. "Why do you want to fight them?" Nafrayu asks. Jack delicately
tries to explain—he believes in peace. So why does he fight? Because sometimes
the enemy doesn't give him any choice. Nafrayu suggests trying to understand
the enemy better. Meanwhile, Daniel speaks with Ohper, the Nox elder. Does
the forest provide their medicine? Daniel asks. "We get life from the forest,"
Ohper says. They have so much they could learn from each other, Daniel
tells him, he wishes the Nox and the humans could be friends. Ohper agrees
the humans have much to learn. Daniel is ready to learn now. "Knowledge
takes time," Ohper says. On the subject of time, it is also brought to
light that Ohper himself is over four hundred years old. Meanwhile, Anteaus
interrupts Jack's conversation with Nafrayu. "You will not teach him your
ways," Anteaus tells Jack. He also corrects another of the human's misperceptions—the
Nox are the creatures who have the ability to appear and disappear. They
are the ones who hid the Stargate. Jack is alarmed, the Nox will be in
more danger if Apophis learns they are the creatures with the powers of
invisibility. The Nox will be enslaved. Daniel and Ohper are discussing
the Goa'uld hunters as well. Why didn't the Nox bury the Stargate? Because
the Goa'ulds would know *someone* had buried it, Ohper says simply. The
SG-1 team gathers to compare notes. Jack tells them that the Nox are the
ones with the powers of invisibility. Teal'c agrees that Apophis will either
enslave the Nox or destroy the Nox world if he cannot possess their powers.
The team must get Shak'l out of the village. Anteaus, under cloak, has
been listening in. "You cannot be trusted with your enemy," he tells them.
Jack, again, tries to convey the danger the Jaffa presents to the Nox.
"We are not afraid," Anteaus says serenely. "Well, *get* afraid!" Jack
snaps. Daniel and Carter add that they will not hurt Shak'l, they will
only take him back to Earth. "If that is his wish," Anteaus insists. Teal'c
again asks Shak'l to join them--he has no wish to kill his comrade. Shak'l
screams, bringing Lya running into the hut. In the commotion, Shak'l produces
a knife he'd hidden. Teal'c is wounded and Lya killed in the skirmish.
Shak'l escapes. Teal'c injury is not too severe. They must find Shak'l.
The Nox, meanwhile, begin a healing ritual (the Ritual of Life), during
which they lose their ability to conceal themselves. Anteaus, Ohper, and
Nafrayu work to revive Lya. Shak'l, hidden within the forest, witnesses
the ritual, and Lya's return from the dead. Then he retreats into the forest.
Jack and Teal'c track Shak'l through the forest. Nafrayu follows—he is
curious to see a Goa'uld. Jack tries to send him away. Nafrayu goes invisible
instead. Shak'l finds Apophis and the Jaffa (unaware that Jack and Teal'c
are right behind him, watching). He tells his leader about the Nox, Teal'c
tells Jack. When the team tells the Nox, Anteaus is unimpressed—even with
Jack's offer to bring back reinforcements through the gate to help the
Nox. Nafrayu, meanwhile, appears to Apophis and introduces himself....
Anteaus, Jack, and Daniel go looking for the missing Nox boy. "I told him
to go home," Jack says of the missing boy. "I told you the same. The very
young do not always do what they're told." Lya, Teal'c and Sam find Nafrayu,
apparently dead, in the forest. Anteaus and Lya take the boy back to the
village for the ritual, even though performing the ritual will render them
vulnerable to attack from Apophis. The team pleads with the Nox to return
their weapons, to let them help. Jack's had enough—the team will find the
gate, they are not going to wait for the Nox to be slaughtered. The team
departs. A short distance from the village, Jack quips, "Think they bought
it?" "Almost believe it myself," Sam answers. Privately, Lya suggests they
take Nafrayu to 'the others'. It will take too long, Anteaus says. The
Ritual of Life begins. In the forest, the team regroups. With the Jaffa
weapons and Apophis' shields, the team will fare better in hand-to-hand
combat. And what about Apophis shield? Teal'c asks O'Neill. Jack has found
a weakness in that shield. The bullets and blasts from Teal'c Jaffa staff
weapon bounced off the shield, but when Apophis' guard tossed him a weapon,
it passed through the shield. So, that must mean that the shield gains
strength from the speed of the object approaching it. A fast-moving bullet
or laser would be deflected, but a dart or an arrow (like the one Jack
concealed from the Nox) might make it through the shield. With this new
plan, the team sets up an ambush for Apophis and his Jaffa. Amazingly,
they are able to gain the upper hand in the fight. Apophis attempts to
retreat, and finds himself face to face with Jack, who is armed with a
bow and arrow. Before he can shoot Apophis, the Nox cloak the Goa'uld.
"NO!" Jack yells to the invisible aliens. "They'll be back! They won't
spare you!" There is no answer. The team returns to the site of the Stargate,
to find Anteaus waiting. He has sent the Jaffa back through the Doorway.
When the SG team has gone through, the Nox will bury the doorway. The Jaffa
will return in ships, Jack warns. "Perhaps," Anteaus agrees. Nafrayu appears
then to wish the team farewell. The Nox have also sent the team's weapons
through the Doorway. Still, the team hesitates. "You are scared for us?
Yes?" Anteaus observes. "Yes," Jack admits. "Why?" the Nox wants to know.
Teal'c answers, "It is our way that the strong defends the weak." To reassure
them, Anteaus permits them to see the other Nox—a large city, cloaked,
which floats in the sky above. "Fear not," he says. "Maybe one day you
will learn that your way is not the only way," Anteaus says. With that
the Nox are gone. The team understands then—the Nox possess technology
greater than the Goa'ulds. They are quite safe, not as helpless as they
appeared. And now, Daniel laments, the team can never return to this world.
They should have listened to the Nox. Jack remembers something Anteaus
told him: "The very young do not always do as they are told. Just a little
something a Nox told me one time. Something worth taking home."