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stargÅtefan.com : episodes > season 3 > next episode: rules of engagement

SG-1 exits the Stargate in a world full of "Trees, trees and more trees!" laments O'Neill. They need to travel 11 km to a village the UAV spotted, and they see a well-worn path that seems to lead in that direction. As they approach the village, they spot what appears to be a church, the first sign of Christianity they'd encountered in hundreds of missions. Daniel supposes these people were taken from medieval Europe through the Antarctic Gate. They debate whether the Goa'uld of this world might be acting as God himself, but Teal'c doubts it, as he knows of no Goa'uld who would show the necessary compassion and caring for others demonstrated in the Bible.

They enter the village, and the people run in fear from them, hiding and slamming doors. Jack finds some writing, which Daniel identifies as Middle English, pre-Chaucer… it is a derivative of the Catholic prayer for suffering souls. They discover a young woman manacled to a post in the center of the village, she is unconscious and has sores on her face.

As the team prepares to release her, a man comes out dressed in a hooded robe holding up a crucifix. He asks the team to spare her. His name is Simon, and he asks if they've come through the Circle of Darkness. Simon thinks they're demons come to take Mary away. Teal'c fires the staff weapon and destroys Mary's chains. Jack tells Simon that Mary is not possessed - just sick - and he offers the team's help.

Still shaking, Simon brings them inside his house. They determine that Mary has chicken pox and will be well in a few days. Simon fears it will not be soon enough! The Elders will perform the trepanning ritual that night to save her. Daniel reveals that trepanning involves drilling a hole in a person's head to release the evil spirits, and save them from eternal damnation. Jack is amazed that this supposedly saves the person! To which Daniel responds, "They didn't call them the dark ages because they were dark!"

A horn blows, someone announces that the demons comes! SG-1 watches from the safety of the house as a snarling Unas walks up to the center posts where Mary had been chained. He yells that the time of sacrifice is at hand. Jack tells Teal'c that he thought they'd killed the only Unas, but Teal'c corrects him, telling O'Neill that the Unas are a species, first host to the Goa'uld. The Unas tells the village he will return at sunrise to claim five souls for his Lord Satan! The team surmises this to be Sokar.

Jack tries to reassure Simon, that the Unas is not a demon. He's a big ugly creature, and then he admits with some prompting from Daniel, a smart, resilient creature… but NOT a demon. Teal'c tells Simon, "Your fear is it's greatest power over you!" "You do not fear it?" Simon asks in amazement. "We do not!" Teal'c asserts. Simon looks at their faces and their weaponry, "If you have killed an Unas before, perhaps God has sent you! Perhaps you're the answer to our prayers!"

The team contemplates killing the Unas, but they'll need to bury the Gate afterward so that Sokar will not seek revenge. Sam figures that the planet is years from the closest Goa'uld home world, so they're not likely to come in ships. As they discuss, a church bell rings, "The Canon has returned!" Simon states.

An authoritative man in rich robes, wearing a hat enters the village surrounded by warriors and others attending to him. Simon tells the team that the Canon will choose those for sacrifice tonight, as he is the spiritual leader of the village. The Canon cautiously approaches SG-1. He is angry that Simon has taken them in and warns the villagers that the tricks of Satan and his minions are many! He examines Teal'c very closely, then shouts, "This one! He bears the mark of the Devil! If you are human as you say, then your souls are damned!"

"He is NOT a demon!" Jack retorts. "He is a Jaffa! Satan is NOT involved here!" He tells the assembled crowd that they have the power to stop the Unas. The Canon is not buying Jack's story, "If they came through the Circle of Darkness, their souls are unclean!" Teal'c states the obvious, "It appears they do not desire our assistance, O'Neill!"

As Jack gives up and prepares his team to leave, the Canon shouts, "YOU SHALL BE STRUCK DOWN!" He strokes his ring and presses a center gem, causing clouds to roll and thunder sounds. A large bolt of energy knocks SG-1 unconscious.

They wake up in a cell. Teal'c is gone and they have been disarmed. Jack quips to Sam, "Carter, if I EVER get the urge to help anybody again, feel free to give me a swift kick!" Simon comes to them and tells them Teal'c must endure the tests. A very battered Teal'c is lead into the village square and tied to a post. The team can only watch helplessly. He tells the Canon he does not serve those they call demon. A blacksmith is firing a hot poker. Daniel realizes it is a test of the mark of the Devil… a mark on the body made by the Devil himself that is insensitive to pain!

The Canon touches the red-hot poker to Teal'c's gold tattoo on his forehead, he doesn't flinch. Things look poorly for Teal'c. Next, everyone is brought to a lake's edge. Teal'c is manacled and a large rock chained to his leg. "The water test!" states Daniel. "They'd weight down a person, throw them in the water, and if they sink, they're innocent!" Sam finishes, "If they float, they're guilty of witchcraft and burned at the stake!" A black hood is placed over Teal'c's head and he is shoved into the water. The team protests to no avail, there are bubbles … then nothing.

Nighttime comes, Teal'c lies wrapped in a shroud as women pray over him and anoint his body. The Canon says the team can leave, as their friend's soul is clean. As the team pays last respects to Teal'c, Simon tells them he's asked for their freedom. Simon also asks them once again for help… and if they will not help, he must go perform the trepanning ritual on Mary.

As he leaves, Daniel turns to the Colonel, "Jack?"

"NOPE!" Jack immediately responds.

"We can't condemn a young girl because one man has made a pact with the devil!" Daniel insists. "Teal'c will have died for nothing if nothing good comes of this! You guys start back without me, I'm gonna see if I can stop these people from drilling a hole in the head of a young girl!"

Jack follows, shaking his head. As Daniel reaches Simon's house, he has already taken out the sharp drill and is about to use it. He stops as Daniel calls to him and offers to take Simon and Mary back with them. Simon hands the drill over to Jack.

Meanwhile, Teal'c awakens and the women scream and run off. He meets up with an amazed and overjoyed SG-1 team. Sam reasons that the larval Goa'uld must have filtered the oxygen in the water and kept Teal'c alive. She tries to explain to Simon that there is a logical explanation, even though it seems incredible.

The Canon appears and he's certain what is going on! "They are evil!" he exhorts. He chooses the four, plus Mary for the sacrifice. Jack complains as they are led off, "Major! The next time Daniel gets the urge to help someone… shoot him!" They are shackled to the posts in the village center and remain there all night, until dawn when the Unas returns.

The horn sounds and the Unas stalks up to them, releasing the bolts that fasten them to the poles. He pauses briefly at Teal'c, but continues around the circle. Jack makes a snide comment about him playing demon, and the Unas grabs him by the throat and throws him down on the ground, stating, "You are not of this world!" "No… we're not!" Jack answers in a raspy voice. It doesn't seem to matter to the Unas, as he grabs the length of chain connecting his captives and pulls them out of the village and toward the Stargate. Simon timidly watches them leave.

As they walk along a ridge, Jack signals for them to roll and they all dive at once, causing the Unas to lose his grip on the chain. Righting themselves at the bottom of the hill, they run as best they can chained together, through the woods. The Unas catches up to them and steps on the chain end that is dragging, pulling them to an abrupt halt. Just then Simon appears with Teal'c's staff weapon. The Unas drives the end of the chain holder into a tree and moves to deal with Simon. Jack yells at him to shoot it!

Simon shoots the Unas three times at point blank range, green "blood" splatters everywhere, but the Unas keeps advancing saying, "For this you will pay with your life!" He hits Simon and sends him sprawling, then he manages to scramble up and run away. The team stretches to reach the staff weapon, which is just at Mary's fingertips. When they recover it, Teal's uses the staff to blast their chains. Carter, Daniel and Mary are ordered to head for the Gate while Jack and Teal'c go to help Simon.

The Canon now joins Simon in the woods asking him what he's done. The Unas discovers them both and knocks out Simon. He then advances on the Canon who screams loudly. When Jack and Teal'c arrive, they are relieved to find that Simon has a pulse and they ask the Canon what happened. He says, "Simon stood up to it, but was struck down. Then he fell… it's a miracle!" He points to the body of the Unas. Teal'c runs to make certain the Unas is dead, "The Unas' wounds were too severe, even the Goa'uld within could not save him!"

Jack turns to the Canon, "So! NOT a demon!"

The Canon agrees, "So you have said… bless you!"

Jack asks him to hand over the ring, which the Canon gladly does. Simon wakes and is amazed to be alive. Jack tells him they must bury the Circle of Darkness as soon as they go through. They leave the Unas' body, and go to the Gate.

Daniel asks, "What happened?"

"The beast is dead! Thank you all for showing me the way!" the Canon responds.

"You're welcome!" Jack answers him. Sam begins to dial the DHD, but stops, "It went into him!" she says looking at the Canon.

Simon is confused, "What went into him?"

O'Neill asks if she's sure, and Carter says she's positive, she can sense it. The Canon's eyes glow and he advances on Jack, who shoots him with his sidearm. He falls to the ground.

"Forgive me!" he says to Simon, who then says a prayer over his body. "A prayer for suffering souls," Daniel states. "Now the demon is truly gone!" Simon announces. Sam now dials the Gate and it shimmers to life.

"We will bury the Gate immediately and there will be no more sacrifices!" Simon proudly tells Jack.

"Thank God!" is Jack's firm response.

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