STARGATE: EXPLORER

July 31
Gaia Prison Cell

Over the last week or so, Daniel had been contemplating the events that had led him to this point in time. The connections were amazing, delicately intertwined, each decision leading inexorably to the next. He found himself in awe of the People who had adopted him as one of their own.

From the moment he'd set foot on Furdani, he'd never been alone. The Furlings' advice had always been sound and kindly intended. Their wisdom had been hard-won, borne of great tragedy.

And in the end, they'd been right. el-Mikha had asked Daniel to trust him.  Now, at last, he understood why.

Carolyn Lam was smiling as she sat in a small chair outside the tiny, drab little room where Daniel paced restlessly. "Zeus is dead, Daniel. I can't explain it, but the scan we performed just this morning confirmed it. From the rate of decomposition we've detected so far, your body should completely absorb the remains within a few weeks."

He nodded. "I knew the symbiote was getting sick," he said. "I just wasn't sure if it was really dead or just in a coma. Nice to know it's gone for good."

"So. Party?" Her grin broadened.

Daniel glanced around the confines of the cell. "Getting out of here would be nice."

"We're just waiting on official clearance from the Furling medical council," she assured him. "Should be any minute now. We'll be moving you back to your old quarters."

That was good news, indeed, but there were other things on Daniel's mind aside from his pending freedom. "Is Jack still on board?"

"Yeah, he is." Carolyn cocked her head, her joy fading fast. "Funny thing 'bout that. The Furlings haven't been in any hurry to ship him back to Alpha." Her expression grew haunted. "I know he wanted to visit you, but he just couldn't bear..." Her eyes misted and cleared quickly. She didn't have to finish the sentence, but gave him a small, trembling, humorless grin. "It was hard enough for me to come check on you every day, Daniel, but as your physician, I had to. General O'Neill asked me every day how you were doing, and we were so hopeful when we saw the symbiote was really on its way out."

She put her hand to the comm link wrapped around her left ear and glanced away as she listened. When she made eye contact again, she was beaming. "Time to go!" she announced, pouncing to her feet. She studied the Mountain guards outside the cell, drawing Daniel's gaze with hers.

The two giants turned in unison and left their posts. One of them stopped at the control panel on the wall and released the force field that kept Daniel prisoner. With a flicker of shimmering light, the barrier disappeared.

It was if an enormous weight lifted off Daniel's shoulders.  "I want a bath," he moaned with obvious desire. "Then maybe to sleep for a week."

Doctor Lam gave him a quick, fierce hug and stepped away, her hand reaching up to the communication device again. "I'll tell the General you're on your way to your quarters. He'll probably be waiting for you when you get there."

He was. The moment Daniel turned the corner in the corridor, he found Jack approaching him at a jog. He swept his friend up in a back-slapping hug, then stepped back and grabbed him by the shoulders, grinning madly, eyes misted with tears. "Daniel!" he chortled.

"Jack."

That was all that needed to be said.

Daniel held up one finger. "Bath."

"Definitely."

"Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jack turned, pounded Daniel's back again and propelled him the rest of the way down the corridor to his rooms. "You wash up, get some sleep, and let me know when you're ready to party."

That took Daniel two days.

Once he was back on his feet, the humans celebrated in his quarters. Jack and Doctor Lam got stinking drunk with him, and they all gorged on the closest thing to beer, pizza, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake as the Furling kitchens could create. All too soon, though, the party was over and it was time to go home, to return to Alpha and help with rebuilding a new society.

At least, that was the plan.

Daniel's guests had returned to their quarters to start packing, but he couldn't seem to get motivated to sort through his own things. He just wandered around his rooms, picking up items and setting them back down, glancing at the door as if he were waiting for someone to appear, but he had no visitors. The hum of tiny, invisible wings was completely absent.

The Furlings had conspicuously maintained their distance, staying out of sight, holding their voices down as they passed his rooms, keeping his comm channel quiet from chatter. That had made it a trifle difficult to obtain the information he wanted in a more casual manner, so he finally left his quarters to hunt Rhami down in the infirmary and ask his question directly.

He gazed down at the little healer, uncertain if he were really prepared for the truth. "What's happened to el-Mikha?"

"He lives," Grass told him solemnly, "but no longer leaves chapel. Cost him greatly, friend. Greatly."

"I want to see him. Is it permitted?"

Rhami gave him a little bow, filled with great respect. "Only you can save him."

Daniel was shocked by that insight. He'd wanted to say goodbye to Mikha before transporting off the ship, but now he couldn't leave, not without knowing the elder would be all right. Scout had earned Daniel's gratitude. Mikha deserved so much more than that, but this was unfamiliar territory for Daniel, and he didn't quite know what he'd say to the elder.

He jogged to the nearest transport chamber and hurried to the chapel from there. Two members of Scout's household stood outside the doorway, their faces drawn, eyes filled with guilt and grief; this looked like a death-watch. After passing an obviously worried Jet standing at parade rest, waiting for his master, Daniel strode purposefully down the aisle.

The chapel of el was a large, open chamber with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. At the far end of the room was a long, low altar bearing only a small, crystal container filled with water, a beautiful Furling geode symbolizing the earth, and a golden metal bowl flickering with a small eternal flame. Above the table, a holographic circle floated in the air, twirling silently in space, the three-dimensional surface of the ring constantly changing colors. That, Daniel knew, was a symbol of el, with no beginning and no end. 

Before the altar, a lone figure was down on one knee, head bowed, still and silent, his dark green hair draped over his shoulders and down his back like a veil. He wore loose black robes, devoid of decoration except for a single mark in the middle of the back, barely revealed beneath his mane: the glyph for Earth.

That was Daniel's personal symbol, no doubt donned as part of the elder's penance. Without being told, Daniel knew instinctively what Scout had done. This was his sackcloth and ashes, and he had probably been here in this room for days on end. If he stayed long enough...

A pang of sympathy clutching at his heart, Daniel advanced quietly, moving up on silent feet until he stood beside his friend, certain he could be seen if Mikha's eyes were open. Respectfully, Daniel waited.

There was a tiny movement. Mikha adjusted his position, shifting his weight from one knee to the other with a barely-perceptible groan deep in his throat. His head flinched slightly in Daniel's direction. 

"It's just me, Mikha," announced Daniel softly, sure now that his presence had been acknowledged. "Zeus is dead."

The elder gave a tiny nod of affirmation, but said nothing. He didn't look up, but kept his head slightly bowed, his face hidden behind the curtain of long hair.  

"You didn't come to visit me in prison."

Scout's voice sounded rusty from disuse, nothing more than a raspy whisper. "I didn't believe I'd be welcome."

There was such wisdom here, Daniel recognized. The pieces were all falling into place in an amazing display of brilliance and foresight. "Not at first, no. I think I get it now, but I'd like to hear your explanation. Please."

Mikha loosed a sigh and sat back on his heels. Daniel grasped the elder's elbow and helped him to his feet, gesturing him to a bench in the first row, where they sat down together.

Scout put his hands on his knees, rubbing at them absently. He turned his head slightly, speaking to Daniel's boots, only the barest sliver of his forehead visible. "You wanted justice," he stated, his voice gentle, like an adult explaining something simple to a child, "yet you couldn't imagine what that might look like, because the answer was... unthinkable. It would never have entered your mind to share your soul with your greatest enemy, yet that was the only way you'd be able to find what you wanted: for him to experience first-hand all your loss and pain."

"Yes." Tears misted Daniel's eyes. He nodded. "It drove him mad. In the end, I think it may have been what killed him."

"No, Dani." Mikha's head shook slightly, his hair rippling with the negative motion. "That was the jing in your body. The Goa'uld was doomed from the moment he took you, eradicated as effectively as any infection would have done."

"Jing?" Daniel frowned at the elder. "I've never heard that word before, or seen it written. What does it mean?"

The Furling got slowly to his feet again with a grunt of protest. He stretched for a moment, then sighed again as he finally met Daniel's gaze. "It's the greatest treasure my people possess, given to you on Furdani, after we looked into your memories and saw who you were. Only the elders may carry them, because they are rare and precious, the last legacy of our civilization when we were free."

Mikha looked down at himself and placed a hand on his chest. "The jing are tiny machines, created by my ancestors, el-Dani. Their purpose is to preserve life and health, to repair damage, and keep us fit. Only the greatest minds and hearts among our people are given this gift, always without their knowledge, when their worth is proven. In time, the secret is shared with them."

He met Daniel's startled gaze again, his face etched with grief and resignation.

"What?!" Daniel was horrified by the announcement. "Do you mean, something like nanites are inside me? Replicators?"

The elder nodded. "That will do as a similar frame of reference, yes, though they are much more than that." He dropped his gaze and clasped his hands behind his back as he stepped away.

"Get them out of me!" Daniel blurted, stepping toward the elder. "Shut them off. I don't want them." His hands clutched at his cheek and chest, as if he might dig them out of his body.

"Nor did I, when I was first informed that I'd been chosen," said Mikha solemnly, shaking his head. "The will of the council prevails in this matter, my friend. My vote alone wouldn't carry the decision, though my point of view is far different now than it was when I agreed you should have them." He gave Daniel a fragile smile and took a step toward the door. "You will live a long, healthy life, friend. Longer than any other of your kind."

Daniel felt the blood rushing to his feet, making him light-headed. He could hardly think. "How-how-how long..." He didn't even know how to frame the question. 

"How long will you live?" Mikha flashed him a wry smile. "Longer than you want, no doubt. I certainly have." He shrugged. "But you won't live forever. Your body will eventually age and decline when the jing do, as the quality of their resources diminish. Your lifespan will be many times what is normal for your species."

"Oh, God." Daniel sat down heavily on the pew again. He propped his elbows on his knees, fisting his hands in his hair. He started to rock. "Oh, my God. I don't want this. I don't! Take it back. Turn it off. Get it out of me. Please!"

"That can't be done." The elder turned and gazed down at him serenely. "You'll get used to it, in time. I'm sorry, Daniel."

A snippet of conversation from months ago rushed back to the forefront of Daniel's memory. Scout had told Daniel that he was very old, mentioning that the members of his household were his descendants. Only Mikha hadn't told him how old he was, and Daniel didn't ask, not then.

As if the Furling could read his expression, Mikha told him, "The average lifespan of Forest Clan is five hundred of your years. I stopped counting long ago, but requested a calculation while you were imprisoned. I am over seven thousand of your years, el-Dani."

"Seven. Thousand." Daniel couldn't believe it.  He searched Scout's face for some trace of deceit or exaggeration, but there was none, no trace of humor or deception. This was real.

"Close enough, yes."

"Wh-why?" Daniel's question was breathless, stunned. His hands flailed in the air as he sought to understand the motive behind doing such a thing to themselves -- or to him, especially without his knowledge or permission.

"Because we value wisdom above all things." Mikha sat down beside him again and clasped his hands in his lap. "Those who are chosen to be elders must prove themselves with many trials. They must demonstrate their innate kindness and selflessness, putting the needs of others above their own. To be an elder among the People is not to be a leader, but to be a servant; I've told you this before."

Daniel blinked back tears as he met Mikha's warm amber gaze. "But I'm not an elder. I'm not even a Furling. I'm human."

Mikha nodded and smiled gently. "And now you'll be the first of the elders of your people. You'll offer them your knowledge and wisdom, for as long as they need it. Their future will be hard enough with your help. I believe that, without you, they might not survive."

"So at some point in my life," Daniel mused, his voice quavering, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks, "everyone I know will be dead." He hugged himself, head bowed in grief and horror.

"No," said the elder, his deep voice resonating with affection and understanding. He shook his head. "You'll know generations of your people. You'll watch them be born, grow up, grow old. You'll say goodbye to them, and you'll mourn for them. The ache of those losses never goes away, but everyone endures the deaths of loved ones as we go through life. In that way, you'll be no different from anyone else. You won't be alone, el-Dani; none of us are."

He stood up and tilted his gaze toward the hologram above the altar. "In our belief system, we're all connected; the spirit of el runs through every living being, joining us together, soul to soul. Killing our enemies is equal to killing ourselves; the Ancients never understood that about us."

The cosmic irony finally dawned upon Daniel, and he straightened. "You keep too much to yourselves," he said with a harsh rasp of laughter. "You can peer into another's mind, and you assume others know what you're thinking, when they don't. You only answer the question that's been asked, instead of fully explaining. Maybe that's why the Ancients jumped to the conclusion that you were trying to kill them off, instead of blending races with them -- because they didn't ask the right questions, and your people assumed they knew your intentions."

He was reeling from this revelation, but slowly recovering his wits, his mind ticking along a few beats after the conversation. "When did you do this to me?"

"A few days after you arrived on Furdani, while you were injured. We couldn't risk losing you, after viewing your... ascension." Mikha shook his head, smiling in wonder as he got to his feet. "We knew then that worlds would shake with the thunder of your footsteps, and that you would lay your enemies low with a tender hand."

Daniel blushed. "You said I was the first. There are others?"

Scout chuckled and turned away. He didn't answer, which Daniel took as a response in itself.

He jumped up and hurried after the Furling. "Who? Who've you chosen? Have you already given them the jing? Have you told them yet?"

"You won't be alone in your servitude to your people. Several have been chosen, and when the time comes, they'll be informed."

"Look, you have to tell humans!" Daniel countered, touching his friend's elbow. "You have to give them a choice, a chance to say no."

Mikha's expression was almost paternal. "Haven't you learned yet that we have reasons for the way we do things?" he asked patiently. "You'll learn from us, Dani." He gave a nod toward the chapel entrance, giving Daniel the tiniest hint to get him started walking toward the doorway. "Our people learned long ago that one who has fallen off a mountain is far closer to enlightenment than one desperately clinging to the peak. In order to fully embrace life, you must be able to let go of it. We did that when we arrived on Furdani."

Daniel stopped walking, suddenly eager to continue learning from Mikha. The elder had seen so much of Furling history in person, had learned so many harsh life-lessons -- Daniel didn't want to lose this opportunity. He didn't want Mikha to believe there was any resentment between them.

"Come with me to Alpha," he blurted. "I've lived among your people now for a year. You should live among mine for a while, learn about us, teach us." Daniel stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "You're my friend, Mikha. It hasn't always been easy for me to see, but I know you've tried to do the right thing for me, at every opportunity. Making me a host for Zeus was--" He swallowed hard and felt the prickle of tears sting his eyes as memories of the constant, agonizing war resurfaced, along with the distant, duller memory of Earth's destruction. "It was the second most terrible thing that ever happened to me. It was also the only justice that would ever have been right for my people. They have to know what happened, and I intend to tell them."

A voice called from the doorway, making both of them turn. "You ready to go yet, Daniel?" asked Jack, hanging on the threshold, obviously unwilling to set foot into the chapel.

"In a minute," Daniel called back.

"I don't believe your friend would allow me to visit your new world," observed the elder wistfully, clasping his hands behind his back and bowing his head slightly, "but I appreciate the invitation. I would've enjoyed exploring Alpha and watching your civilization grow."

Daniel studied him, thinking. "If I extend the invitation, Jack and everyone else will honor it. I'll explain. They'll understand. Eventually." He grinned and nodded toward the door, stepping out of Mikha's path. "Come with me."

"Perhaps. Before you return to Alpha, however, we'd be honored if you'd accompany us on our first visit to our ancestral home."

Surprise and confusion twitched Daniel's brows together. "We've been in orbit for weeks now! Why haven't you--"

"We've been waiting for you to be free of your burden." The elder's expression was kind, glowing with pride. "There are those who shatter beneath the weight of their tragedies, and a few, rare others who summon power from them, el-Dani; you are a summoner. We couldn't have made this journey without your guidance, and none of our race will ever set foot on the planet below without you in attendance. It's an honor you've earned."

Without hesitation, Daniel turned and called across the chapel to his human friend, still hovering in the doorway. "Side trip, Jack. We're going down to the planet."

O'Neill's shoulders slumped briefly in exasperation. "Are you kidding me? I thought you couldn't wait to get outta here!"

"No hurry," Daniel shot back. "I think I've got plenty of time now for everything I want to do." He steered his Furling friend toward the door. "C'mon, Mikha. Let's go see what's down there."

Two steps later, a thought suddenly dawned, and Daniel turned to face the elder as they walked side by side. He nodded toward the man standing in the corridor. "Is Jack one of the... you know... recipients?"

The answer was in the Furling's twinkling amber eyes and ready smile.


The Planet E-Thien

When the away team arrived on the planet's surface, it was raining.  After Daniel cleared away the clouds, they strolled the magnificent streets of the largest of the aboveground cities. The entire planet had been landscaped eons ago, and even after millennia without care, remnants of that order were still apparent in the low walls edging massive gardens and parks. Streams rushed through tamed curves wending alongside golden streets and silver footpaths, half covered by wild vegetation, but still visible enough to declare how miraculous this place had once been.

Jack walked at his side, the two of them trailing after the rest of the away team. In the distance, a flock of Sky Clan were darting into open doorways, their excited chatter coming clearly through the comm link now back in place over Daniel's left ear. A handful of Forest Clan jogged down the streets, heads turning from side to side, keeping watch for danger, their elder moving at a more sedate pace behind the vanguard. At Mikha's back, still well in front of the humans, Denali and the elder of Mountain Clan walked with long, earth-shaking strides on either side of Rhami and Hunter, who had arrived on board Gaia during Daniel's incarceration, along with the other elders, just for this occasion. 

Daniel's eyes roved over the soaring ruins with their fluid lines and rich, artistic detail, aware of his human companion, but not looking at him. He didn't have to see Jack's face to have an idea what was going through his friend's mind. "Finger off the trigger, Jack," Daniel warned quietly, his voice a low, gentle murmur.

"I could kill 'em all right now," O'Neill stated grimly, "for what they did to you. They deserve it." He shook his head. "I can't even begin to fathom how you must feel, Daniel. They sent you to hell. How can you--"

"They did the right thing," Daniel cut in. "They didn't give me to Zeus, you know. It was the other way around. They gave him to me."

"Doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of difference, from where I stand."

"Trust me," Daniel said quietly. "The difference is vast."

Jack didn't reply.

Daniel could see he was going to have to do a much better job of selling, because O'Neill wasn't buying. He tried a different tack. "The Furlings are great believers in the power of names. Mine means, 'God is my judge.'  They took that literally, and decided I was the only one who could judge the Nox for them. They trusted me to find the right punishment for Zeus, too, but I couldn't see it. Not until after he was dead." He reached up with his right hand, his fingertips sliding underneath his hair to the nape of his neck. There was no scar, no sign he had ever been a host, thanks to the jing circulating through his body.

"Oh, I get it, Daniel," Jack growled unhappily. "That doesn't mean I agree. You'd been through enough. It should've been me."

Daniel shook his head. "You didn't see what happened to Earth," he countered, eyes on the golden street passing beneath his boots as it widened into a beautiful circular plaza.

"Yeah. I did."

"What?" Daniel's head whipped around, mouth dropping open in surprise. "You didn't!"

Jack nodded. "Doc Lee accessed your memory by accident. He thought the council ought to." He cleared his throat nervously. "Bill's a sneaky bastard sometimes. Didn't give us a chance to look away from the mother of all train wrecks."

"Oh." Daniel could feel the heat from the stargate not far away, crackling with flame that covered every surface of the device. He stared at it, contemplating that revelation, then shook his head. "It had to be me. Let it go, Jack. Please. The Furlings are good people, and as hard as it was, they made the right choice, the one I couldn't make. They're still suffering from the consequences, especially Mikha."

"Still wish I'd killed him."

Daniel turned to study Jack's stubborn expression. "I'm asking you to forgive him, Jack. Forgive them. Maybe you can't right now, but later. At least try." He shrugged. "I've asked him to come with us to Alpha. He's my friend, and I want to make that plain to everyone. I have to set an example here. I'm thinking you should, too."

O'Neill's lips thinned, keeping any retorts or argument to himself. He glanced at the ground and kicked at some weeds growing up through the precious metal pavement.

Daniel nodded, knowing that was as good as he was going to get for the moment, and turned to his exploration of the Burning Gate and its unique DHD. In the center of the dialing device, the dome-shaped red crystal was absent. In its place was a circular depression, just the size and shape of the PDHD.

He reached into the pouch at the small of his back and withdrew the device. After lining it up, he set it into place, pressing it down with a satisfying click. The response was instantaneous.

A hologram appeared between the gate and the control pedestal. Four figures of equal height but vastly different build, each about the size of a human being, appeared in a semi-circle, their backs to the stargate. Behind them, rows of script glowed with deep blue light, so bright it hurt Daniel's eyes to look at them, but he stared anyway, needing the details. Above each head, a circle floated, symbolizing el. One of the figures had a pair of wings affixed to its back.

"The original elders," whispered Daniel in awe. "One for each Clan."

He studied the ancient script, barely recognizable compared to modern Furling writing, and was stunned to realize he'd seen it before.

On Earth.

The holographic inscription was written in ancient metaphysical symbols called the Celestial alphabet.

Intuition switched on, and he found himself running, heart pounding, straight at the Forest Clan elder. He skidded to a stop, grabbing his Furling friend by the arm, spinning him around. Daniel was breathless, thrilled, certain of his conclusion, but needing confirmation.

"Your name," Daniel blurted. "What does it mean?"

Scout's brows dipped low in confusion. "It's an exaltation of the glory of el. Why?"

" 'Who is like God!' " Daniel crowed, lifting his hands to the sky. "That's what it means, doesn't it?"

The elder nodded. "Yes. Why is the meaning of my name suddenly so important, Dani?"

"Of course!" Daniel jumped up and down, fists pumping the air.

"What are you going on about?" Jack demanded, joining them.

"Angels! They're angels!" Daniel was beaming.

"Huh?"

"el-Mikha. Mikha-el. Michael! The archangel Michael!" Daniel pointed at Scout. Then he turned to Hunter. "el-Ur, or Urel. Uriel." He smiled at the Sky Clan elder. "el-Riel. Gabriel." Cocking his head, warmed by his certainty, he glanced at Mountain's elder. "And your name would be some form of Raphael, right?"

The giant nodded. "These are not the names with which we were born, but given to us when we assumed our places as elders. Always the same four names."

"Archangels." Daniel looked around him at the other Furlings, reciting aloud the few true names he knew. "Rhamiel. Nariel. Both names of angels in our history. These four are the el-akhim -- their word for elders -- but I didn't make the connection the first time I heard it. We'd pronounce it Elohim, the children of the goddess, el."

He looked at Jack, hoping he was making some kind of sense. "The Asgard had to have told the story of the Furlings to the humans on Earth. It's even in this place name, Jack. It's called E-Thien. Eden! Look at how it's guarded. The images of four glowing beings with haloes, one with wings, standing before the Burning Gate, forever barring the way back to this place. It would be easy to garble the details and change it as the story passed through history."

O'Neill shook his head, but there was an obvious glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Not buying it, Daniel. Sorry."

Daniel grinned and gave a little chuckle as some of the euphoric excitement left him. "Yeah, I guess that is a little... out there, as far as theories go."

Still, there was something kind of... right... about the idea. If the Furlings weren't the source of the angel legends in Earth's ancient history, then maybe they should have been.

It would have made a great story, anyway; one that would never be told. The full truth of Furling history might never be fully rediscovered, but he had plenty of time to look for proof for his wild theory. He wanted to know who they really were, how they thought, what they had learned in the long span of time they had survived.

He would spend a little time teaching on Alpha, then return to traveling through the stargate or on board the great ship, Gaia -- his ship, given to him as a gift by these amazing people. There were so many mysteries still waiting to be solved, so many histories yet to be written. Human colonies had been scattered among the stars by the Goa'uld, the Ancients, and the Asgard, and they might need help. There were alien civilizations still waiting to be discovered by other races.

Daniel's journey among the stars had just begun.

"Let's see what else we can find," he told his friends with a happy smile as he headed for the nearest inscription, so he could begin his work. "I have a lot to do here, and I'm just getting started."

July 12
Four Days Later
Gaia's Bridge

"There you have it," said Zeus, gesturing magnanimously toward the holographic view of the planet in orbit below them. "The home world of the Third Race, site of the Burning Gate." He smiled at the Furling Captain. "I now require my ship to be made ready." He glanced around the elegantly decorated control center. "Though I have great admiration for this one, my friends. Perhaps we might arrange a trade." 

"We are still accomplishing repairs to your ship, which was damaged in battle, great Zeus." Captain gave him a slight bow. "It will meet us here in a few days. Until then, we would be honored if you would remain aboard Gaia as our guest."

"Of course." Zeus inclined his head slightly. He was tired of ingratiating himself to these tiresome people. He wanted his ship and crew. He wanted to be worshipped again, and he needed to break through the barrier that kept him from the powers of his new host, if he were going to strike fear into other races.

He was close; he knew it. He could sense the human's mind brushing against his own, restless and filled with emotional turmoil. All he needed to do was draw Daniel Jackson out of his mental hibernation, and then Zeus would make the connection that would conquer his weak human mind. That was how it always worked... but not so far with this human; Jackson was proving a worthy challenge for his new master. 

With a sigh, Zeus wandered through the ship alone, making his way back to the chambers that had been prepared for him. They were suitable, different from the ones his host had occupied before Zeus took possession of him, according to his hosts. These rooms had gilded furniture, beautiful artworks everywhere, rich jewel-toned upholsteries. They were apartments worthy of his status -- of a king, if not a god.

He stepped inside and admired the appointments, studying a mural on the wall.

He was terribly bored.

"Great Zeus," called a voice from the doorway. "I have brought the wine you requested."

The System Lord turned to face one of the Furlings -- the first officer, he thought, but he didn't know the creature's name. He thought it odd that they kept such things to themselves. Still, the giant would provide him with a bit of distraction while he waited for his ship to be delivered, and he came bearing gifts.

"Attend me," called Zeus, waving the servant into his room.

The giant was quick to obey. He even dropped to one knee to pour and respectfully serve the goblet to his master.

Zeus made a great show of tasting the nectar. It was a trifle sweeter than he liked, but it would do. He swallowed the whole cup down and presented it again for more. Halfway through the second serving, he started to feel a pleasant buzz.

The more he studied this Furling's face, the more certain he was that this was the executive officer, whom General O'Neill had called Denali.

"Tell me," Zeus inquired with a trace of merriment, "what do you intend to do with the human, O'Neill? It would amuse me to bargain for him."

"We are preparing to send him back to his people, now that we have reached our destination."

"Pity. He might have provided me some spectacular entertainment." Zeus took another sip, and began to feel unreasonably tired, even though he'd only risen from an excellent night's sleep a few hours earlier. The painting that had attracted his interest earlier swam a little behind the giant's head, and with a start Zeus realized the wine in his grasp had been drugged.

He turned on unsteady legs, barely catching himself, and held precariously onto his balance as he sought some piece of furniture to catch him before he collapsed to the floor. He couldn't make his legs work, couldn't speak, but he could see, and he still possessed perfect clarity of mind. Fear crept into the Goa'uld's heart, chilling him to the bone.

What treachery was this?

The giant eyed him with disgust as he got to his feet and set aside the serving dishes he'd just used. "Now, great Zeus," he mocked, sneering, "our bargain will be completed."

He lifted the body of Daniel Jackson like a sack of grain, tossed him over one shoulder, and carried him through the ship to an unfamiliar area. The corridor along the way was lined with Furlings of all Clans, each one staring at him with accusing, dangerous eyes.

He was unceremoniously dumped onto a plain, hard bunk in a stark, featureless cell, empty except for the rough bed and a utilitarian toilet area.

Denali stepped back and activated a force field, locking Zeus inside the tiny room.

"This is your prison," said the giant. There was a touch of haughtiness in his voice, triumph gleaming in his eyes. "You will remain here, well fed, well cared for, in perfect health, until you die."

Two more of the Mountain Clan stepped through the door in the anteroom outside the cell and took up posts, hands clasped behind their backs, staring at their prisoner.

Their attention never wavered, and the hatred in their faces was plain.

As the effects of the drug began to fade, Zeus struggled to sit up. "I demand my freedom," he snarled, his speech still slurred.

One of the guards cocked his head. "You have no power except what you are given," he announced, "and the People choose to give you none."

"I will escape," Zeus claimed. "You cannot hold me here. My people will come for me."

"Your people have abandoned you," rumbled the other guard. "They are being freed from the hold you once had on them, healed from the damage your kind has done. Soon you will all be nothing more than a memory, a horror story told only in the dark, in whispers."

Zeus got to his feet, screaming expletives at them in Goa'uld. Staggering, he walked right into the force-field barrier, bouncing off it with an electric sizzle that zapped along his skin and threw him backwards onto the lowly cot. He was furious, enraged beyond reason.

Daniel couldn't keep his silence any longer. They're the Furlings, you monster, and you'll never get out of this room! Trust me on that. We're stuck here till you let me die.

Zeus froze. He felt the mental strike of the words, as well as the emotion behind them, like a physical blow. Then he smiled and closed his eyes so he could concentrate.

Only he was totally unprepared for what he found when he wormed his way into that other mind.  There was no fear, only hatred and the unimaginable pain of a being who had survived the unthinkable. The force of those memories took Zeus's breath away, and he just sat there, bewildered and lost beneath the assault of Jackson's powerful intellect and passionate nature.

Daniel had been no ordinary human. His mind was a brilliant light, his spirit forged in conflict and shattering loss. He had given up his body more than once, existing on a purely spiritual plane for a time. Daniel Jackson was still his enemy -- now, more than ever.

Wide-eyed and staring, Zeus couldn't get up, couldn't speak. He was panting for breath now, the heart he'd stolen pounding under the ribs he inhabited but would never own. Desperately, he sought some shelter from the mental storm unleashed upon him, but there was none. Inside that purloined body, there was no place to hide from its rightful owner. 

A god, he knew, could not feel regret.

For the first time, he admitted to himself that he was no god.


July 15
Three Days Later

Daniel needed to rest. He'd kept up a constant mental and emotional attack on Zeus for -- well, he didn't really know how long it had been. Days, perhaps.

An eternity.

Zeus had been pacing for hours now, babbling and waving his arms. He shook and shouted at the ghosts Daniel vomited up from his memory, clenched his fists at them, flinching and dodging as though they were physically in the room.

Shau're. Ska'ara. Kasuf. Kowalsky. Hammond. Janet Fraiser. Sarah Gardner. Sam Carter.

Every victim of the Goa'uld he knew, every crime he had witnessed at their hands, including the destruction of Earth -- Daniel replayed the memories over and over in a constant, violent stream, focusing his emotions like a laser, straight into the mind of the symbiote. All his grief and horror poured into Zeus like acid through a tiny crack, eating away at the opening between them.

The memories alone were enough to drive anyone mad. Daniel thought he must be at least a little crazy, after all that; still, he didn't let up. If Zeus wanted control of Daniel's body, there'd be a price to pay, and this was it. Though he doubted the monster felt any sort of guilt or remorse, the mental noise alone would be deafening. The force of his interaction with Zeus went only one way, the constant tide of memory and emotion driving the Goa'uld's mind further and further away from blending with that of his host.

This was Daniel's "gotcha" moment, the same dance he'd done with RepliCarter when she'd held him prisoner aboard her ship, probing his mind for the secrets of the Ancients that he kept so carefully hidden. She had launched an all-out mental assault against him, and he had responded with evasion and emotionally-powered reasoning, all the while sneaking underneath her radar to seize control of her connection with the vast Replicator army.

He knew how to wage this kind of war, on the battlefield of the mind. After working with Scout almost daily on tactics and defensive maneuvers from the Forest Clan arts of war, Daniel had learned to translate all kinds of strategic concepts, and that preparation now served him well.

Satori, he thought.  It was Japanese, a Zen term that meant 'enlightenment,' but with shades of so much more: discovery, realization, truth, acceptance.

This was a kind of enlightenment he'd never expected to find, but something else was happening as well; something Daniel couldn't explain. The Goa'uld was deteriorating inside him, losing its grip on reality along with its control of Daniel's body. He could sense it growing sick and weak, its health failing rapidly. Sometimes it was completely silent and still.

For moments at a time, Daniel managed to steal control of his body. Occasionally, he just lifted a finger before the creature woke up and seized the reins again, but what had started as an instant here and there, eventually became minutes, longer and longer each time.

As soon as he could manage it, he walked to the bunk and sat down to give his weary body a chance to rest. It felt a little strange, doing what he wanted, but he was certain it wouldn't last. The Goa'uld was just sleeping, he supposed. He'd beaten it down for a bit.

"I want to see General O'Neill, if he's still aboard ship," he told his guards. "Please." 

Ten minutes later, his old friend stepped into the anteroom, his face drawn and weary. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he'd begun to look his age. His expression was wary. "You asked to see me?" 

Daniel nodded, amazed he was still in command of his muscles and voice. "It's me, Jack," he said softly, "not... the snake." He waved a hand in the air.

Jack looked relieved, but only for a moment. "How is it that you can talk now?"

"Zeus is sick. I think. Maybe." He dared not hope, but the words came out anyway. "Maybe dying."

"That'd be good."

"Yeah." Daniel ran a hand through his matted hair. He felt gritty, like he'd never bathed in his whole life. Suddenly, he didn't know what else to say to his friend. 

After a long silence, Jack said softly, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Daniel. I just... I didn't see that coming." He shook his head. "I trusted these folks. We both did. I guess maybe we know now why the Ancients thought they needed to be locked up." He shot a scathing glance at one of the Mountain Clan on guard.

The giant's gaze never wavered, fixed resolutely on his prisoner, but his lips thinned with stubborn pride, and he lifted his chin slightly.

"You tried to help." Daniel gave him a fond smile. "You offered to take my place as host. That means a lot to me." 

Staring at the floor now, Jack nodded in acknowledgment. "What did Scout say to you?" asked Jack. "You know, after I shot him."

Daniel didn't give him an exact translation, frowning at his hands in his lap, still puzzling over that. "He just asked me to trust him."

Jack snorted derisively. "Yeah, right after he helped you get snaked, he wants you to trust him? Riiiiiight. On a frosty day in hell!"

The pieces still wouldn't connect. Jack had a good point, one that had been circling restlessly in the back of Daniel's mind. Why ask for trust the moment after the ultimate betrayal? His frown deepened. He picked at a torn cuticle beside a dirty fingernail. "Is el-Mikha... dead?" He kept his gaze lowered, unwilling to see the answer in Jack's eyes.

"No." Jack's voice was tight. "At least, I don't think so. No one's volunteered the information. Nobody's mentioned a state funeral."

"Did you ask?"

"Well, I." Jack cleared his throat. "No. Not really. I didn't exactly care."

Daniel glanced at the guards in the back of the anteroom and opened his mouth to ask them, but the voice issuing from his throat wasn't entirely his own.

"You will all die in agony!" declared Zeus, the familiar heat once more flashing across his eyes.

Jack stiffened and sucked in a breath. He glanced away and swore softly. "I gotta go," he said quickly, and left the room at a jog.

Shut up, Daniel ordered the symbiote.

"I control you, human," said Zeus aloud.

Those guards over there think you're talking to yourself, said Daniel to his demon. They think you're a nut job. Which you are.

Daniel felt the symbiote direct his eyes to the guards' faces, and the flush of embarrassment was followed by a haughty lift of his chin as he struggled to maintain the appearance of control.

Give it up, Zeus. They know how pathetic you are.

Zeus clenched his fists and roared, "Be silent!"

In the privacy of his mind, Daniel chuckled. What a ridiculous clown you are, he told the Goa'uld. I wasted an entire year hating you, and you weren't worth it. Just a crazy, mumbling psycho, talking to shadows and thumping his stolen chest to make people afraid of you. Pitiful.

Daniel felt his hands go to his head, clamped against his temples. His blood pressure built rapidly as Zeus roared with outrage and fury, again demanding Daniel's silence. "I am a god!" Zeus roared, pounding his fists against the sides of his head. "You will fear me, or I will destroy you!" 

He whirled at the sound of more chuckling, glaring at the Furling guards posted across the room, their eyes no longer accusing, only glimmering with bitter humor.

"Nooooooo!" screamed Zeus. "I am a god! Bow down to me! I demand it!" As he pointed to the floor in front of his feet, a tiny lightning bolt shot from his fingertip to his toes, and he screamed in pain.

The guards erupted in full-fledged laughter at the sight, elbowing one another, pointing and jeering at their prisoner.

You see? Daniel asked in the echoes of their shared mind. You'll never leave this cell, Zeus. They'll be laughing at you as long as you keep me alive, never aging, confined to this tiny, bare little room, with just me for company. I'll always be here, Zeus, reminding you what a failure you are, how pathetic you are, inflicting my pain and hatred on you every moment of every single day.

Welcome to hell, little god. I'll never leave you alone. You made a big mistake, choosing me for a host. Maybe the Furlings knew what they were doing, after all.

Daniel felt his chin tip up, his eyes sliding closed, as Zeus's defeat washed over him.

In a perverse way, it was the best revenge; no sensation had ever felt so sweet, so welcome.

July 8
Gaia Transporter Room

Daniel stepped onto the transporter, his right palm grazing the Beretta strapped to his hip as his gaze roved restlessly over each face in the boarding party: Jack O'Neill and el-Mikha, along with Denali, Everest, Kilimanjaro and Fuji of the Mountain Clan.

As everyone crowded together to make room for the giants, Mikha jostled against Daniel on the pad. "You should've worn your s'resh," the elder advised quietly. "You need the protection it might give you."

"I want him to see my face," Daniel ground out, eyes straight ahead. "I want him to see me coming."

"That he already knows," Mikha returned, an ominous note in his voice.

"Yes, I suppose he does," Daniel agreed, nodding. "I've certainly left enough messages for him."

"Heads up, eyes open, everyone," ordered Jack, checking his weapon and releasing the safety on the P-90. "We're goin' in hot." He glanced at his old friend and added, "MacFarland's gonna be sorry she missed this, Daniel." 

"As long as we get the bastard, I think she'll get over it," Daniel returned tightly, drawing his Beretta from the holster. He cocked his arm, pointing the muzzle at the ceiling, and thumbed off the safety. "Let's go."

He nodded at the Furling manning the transporter controls, his gaze flicking to Captain's face just as they started to dissolve into pure energy. Gaia's commander had tears in his eyes, and he'd been looking right at Daniel. Maybe he'd been saying goodbye. Everyone knew chances were high that not all of the boarding party would be coming back to Gaia.

From the moment they arrived on the Goa'uld flagship, there was no time to think. Staff weapon blasts at the materializing group scattered them in all directions. Twenty or more Ting-sha near the front of the ring room fired at them from behind storage crates and just outside the entrance. The boarding team returned fire, clearing their way to exit the transporter bay.

Everywhere Daniel looked, Jaffa and Ting-sha were running, wide-eyed, terrified. His reputation had preceded him; just making eye contact with him caused some to lay down their arms. When he saw the fear in their faces, he found it grimly satisfying, even though his quarrel wasn't with these misguided slaves, after all, but with their master.

Numerous cloaked Sky Clan had boarded the ha'tak in advance of the team's arrival, searching the spacecraft for Zeus; their reports had been filtering into Daniel's ear through the Furling comm link, so he knew his quarry was in the throne room. With every stride he took towards his archenemy, Daniel's memories of Earth's demise fueled his rage and hatred into a star-bright blaze.

Flanked by Jack on one side and Mikha on the other, the four Mountain giants behind them bringing up the rear, Daniel double-timed it down the wide corridors, all of them returning the volleys of those who still resisted, the best and fiercest of Zeus's personal guard, his most ardent believers.

Weapons fire dwindled as they approached the heart of the Goa'uld mother-ship; the tide had turned long ago, and there was no way for the Jaffa to win and save their master. Word of Daniel's arrival had spread, and as soon as the Jaffa and Ting-sha security forces saw the face of the man who hunted their god, they seemed to finally accept that the battle was over.

Daniel peered around the last corner and saw the entrance to the throne room was empty, save for one man -- Zeus's First Prime -- his golden forehead tattoo glinting in the light as he shifted uncertainly on his feet.

When Daniel and his party stepped into view, the Jaffa staggered back against the bulkhead, gargling a strangled cry of defeat, as if he couldn't decide whether to shoot his staff weapon anyway and martyr himself, or lay down his arms in surrender.

el-Mikha made the decision for him. A high-pitched whine sounded as the elder fired his tissé, and the First Prime jerked and crumpled to the floor, stunned, leaving the doorway unguarded.

Daniel stepped over his body and peered around the doorframe into the great hall, but there were no further signs of resistance. Boldly, he strode across the threshold, followed closely by Scout, Jack and the giants. The room was empty, save for the golden-haired man standing defiantly before his throne; not a single bodyguard was left to offer protection to their defeated god.

As Daniel approached, he saw that Zeus's chin was up, but in spite of his confident stance, the Goa'uld was sweating and appeared nervous, his haughty expression belying the air of uncertainly that clung to him. 

Daniel headed straight for him, Beretta raised, right arm extended. He didn't stop walking until he stood with the pistol's muzzle inches from the Goa'uld's forehead. In his peripheral vision, Daniel saw Jack move just into view on his left side. Without looking away from Zeus's face, Daniel spoke over his shoulder to his old friend. "You got him in your sights?"

"Affirmative," O'Neill shot back. "We all do."

"Right, then." Daniel stepped backward, out of Zeus's reach, maintaining eye contact with his enemy, still talking to Jack. "I'm gonna put my pistol down. You look after it for me for a minute. I have something to take care of, and I don't wanna take a chance on losing it."

"You got it."

Daniel thumbed the safety on, then squatted down, still maintaining eye contact with Zeus. As soon as he could reach the floor, he slid the pistol in the direction of Jack's voice without looking to see if he'd sent it along correctly. The abrupt halt to the skidding sound verified that he'd aimed true.

He took a deep breath as he stood up, gathering himself, and then using all his might, he threw a punch at Zeus's face. His fist bounced off without impacting, accompanied by the sizzling sound of static electricity as he hit the personal defense shield around the alien.

"Crap!" Daniel shouted, clutching his right hand. The pain was only momentary, but he knew any further attacks would be useless.

Zeus grinned, ego bolstered by his protective device.

"Ah, Daniel?" Jack's voice sounded nonplussed, but Daniel wasn't about to look at him. Not now.

"What?" Daniel was furious. He flexed his hand, wishing he knew where the controls were to that shield. He could use telekinesis to switch it off, if he just had that little tidbit of information. Unfortunately, it could be anywhere on Zeus's body armor.

"Did you notice this Goold is unarmed?"

Instantly, Daniel glanced down at Zeus's hands. There was no golden metal ribbon wrapped around either wrist, no gleaming caps on his fingertips.

"That's... unusual," Daniel observed. His rage was starting to fade now. This situation required reason, and he needed all his wits about him. He wrestled for control with his inner demons, thinking, thinking. Something wasn't right about this situation.

At last the Goa'uld found his voice. "You cannot harm me, you fools," he taunted.  He lifted his hands in triumph and laughed. "I am a god!"

"You're an asshole," Daniel barked.

Why wasn't Zeus armed? That didn't make sense. 

Rather than deducing the answer to that question, an idea came to him. He reached out, quickly searching for the perimeter of the protective field. As the barrier zapped his palm, he backed off a fraction of an inch.

From deep inside him, Daniel summoned up an enormous reserve of energy and discharged it. 
Lightning jolted from his fingertips, skittering all along the invisible shield, but didn't penetrate it. The light show was impressive but harmless to the Goa'uld inside; still, it had the desired effect.

Zeus leaped backward, his expression wide-eyed with fear and shock. He recovered quickly, frowning and clenching his fists in impotent fury. "I should have killed you when I destroyed your pitiful little world," he snarled viciously.

"Yes," Daniel agreed, his voice thick with hatred, "you should have, but you didn't, and now that mistake has come back to bite you on the ass. You murdered billions of people, enslaved billions more, and now you're going to pay."

"If you expect me to feel remorse or guilt, you are sadly mistaken," the alien hissed. "Given the opportunity, I would wipe out all the rest of your kind for what they have done to my people. Have you forgotten that, you insignificant speck of dust?" His eyes glowed white with cold rage, and flecks of spittle flew from his lips as he spoke. "You are no innocent, either."

Daniel started slowly pacing in a circle around his enemy, maintaining eye contact as he herded Zeus toward the doorway, until they were well into the middle of the cavernous room. "I've had a year to think of an appropriate punishment for you," Daniel growled, "but there isn't one." His insides were twisting up, his heart pounding against his ribs.

At the edges of his visual field, he could see the all the others in his party. Jack and Scout stood closest, the four giants positioned near the entrance, cutting off the only path Zeus might use to escape. Every weapon was aimed and ready, but his friends were waiting for Daniel to act.

He was barely able to focus on the face of the abomination standing in front of him. He wanted to shoot the monster and keep on shooting, until Zeus' brains were splattered all over his gaudy golden throne, but Daniel knew it wouldn't be enough. Taking his revenge in that way would be too quick, and Zeus's pain would be too fleeting. Daniel's twisted fantasies of slow torture, gradual dismembering, blood, and never-ending screaming shot through his mind, but none of that came anywhere close to satisfying.

He stared into Zeus's blue eyes as the rage and hatred seeped out of him, slowly realizing that no punishment he could conceive would serve his purpose. He had no resolution for what needed to be done to make this monster atone for his crimes. Whatever happened, Daniel knew, would not be going down in that room.

The war was over, but there was still no peace. Zeus had been captured and would answer for his actions somewhere else. Maybe they'd take him to Alpha and hold a trial. The Furlings would probably separate symbiote and host, and the rest of the survivors of Earth could choose what would happen to the snake.

Or maybe the decision didn't belong to any of Zeus's victims, because their emotions would undoubtedly color any sentence handed down. Human justice would be flawed.

Daniel's guts were trembling, so he took a deep, steadying breath as another memory slid into place, bringing with it a touch of solace. It felt right. "I'm too close," he whispered hoarsely, finally tearing his gaze from his enemy, shifting to take in the view of Mikha's face instead. His shoulders slumped. "I can't be the one to decide." 

The Furlings had told him much the same thing long ago, when Daniel had gone to the Nox in search of the reason for the Ancients' war against the Third Race. They had allowed him to be judge and jury, because they were too emotionally invested to choose a proper punishment for the crime against them. They had acted with great wisdom, and he had learned from their shining example.

The elder nodded, his expression filled with compassion, endless regret in his eyes. Scout cocked his head, his gaze steady and serene. He took a couple of steps and put out a hand to touch Daniel's shoulder. "Do you trust the People, my friend?"

Daniel hung his head in weary resignation. "You've watched over me for quite a while now, given me the benefit of centuries of your people's wisdom and incredibly advanced knowledge. I may not always understand the choices you've made, but yes, I trust you with my life."

"Then we ask you to trust us with this judgment, and to abide by our will. Can you do this?" Mikha's voice was gentle, caring. He eased imperceptibly closer, giving Daniel's forearm a little squeeze of assurance.

Daniel knew putting his faith in someone else to carry out such a monumental task would be hard; el-Mikha was trying to tell him he understood. "I will," Daniel acknowledged slowly, nodding in agreement. Daniel's sense of relief was vast.  "Whatever punishment the Furlings decree for Zeus, I'll accept. I can't say all of my people will agree, though."  He shot a glance at Jack, who looked none too pleased at that pronouncement.

"I don't have a problem blowing the bastard away right where he stands," Jack growled, gaze fixed on the Goa'uld, just a few feet away from Daniel and Scout. 

"But I do," Daniel shot back, eyeing Jack sternly. "It's not enough." He glanced back at Zeus with disdain. "Not for what he did to Earth."

The Goa'uld just stared at him, his initial bravado obviously fading rapidly, but not in the expected direction. He was quiet -- too quiet -- but he was smiling as if he had won, not been captured and had his power stripped away forever.

That didn't make sense to Daniel.

Zeus continued to smile at him wolfishly, blue eyes gleaming with triumph. 

"You're not gonna just let him go," Jack declared. His conviction slipped a fraction. "Are you? 'Cause I can't. I won't."

"No," agreed Daniel, shaking his head. "We'll take him back to Gaia. Then... I don't know." He shrugged, truly bewildered at his lack of certainty. The purpose that had driven him for the last year was gone now, and he felt almost empty. Relieved. He offered an embarrassed grin to his old teammate and friend. "Sorry. This is kind of anti-climactic, huh?"

"I guess the hell." The muzzle of O'Neill's P-90 dropped about an inch, still pointed in the System Lord's direction, as he bent down to pick up Daniel's Beretta from the floor beside his boot. "It's your call, Daniel," he said, an edge of bitter humor in his voice, "but I still say we kill the bastard. Maybe a couple a times. There's bound to be a sarcophagus 'round here someplace."

Daniel sighed heavily, giving Jack a weary smile. "Ask the Furlings if you can play with him before we throw him in prison." He glanced at the elder, already certain Scout would decline.

Mikha came up beside him and patted Daniel's shoulder as if in congratulation... or farewell.
Forest's amber eyes filled with tears, blinked quickly away. "Now, a debt must be paid."

Jack shouted his name in warning.

Daniel glanced at him, catching a glimpse of horror on Jack's face in the same lightning instant that he sensed someone coming up behind him. Hands grasped his shoulders, and instinctively Daniel knew whose they were.

Zeus!

At the same instant, el-Mikha's hand darted beneath Daniel's hair, lifting his ponytail off the back of his neck in a single, quick upward stroke.

Daniel tried to jerk away when he felt Zeus's open mouth press against his nape; the wet heat of lips and tongue moving against his flesh made Daniel's skin crawl. Teeth closed down on him in a firm bite, and almost simultaneously, a lancing pain drove Daniel to his knees, Scout snaking an arm around his waist to support him and hold him upright.

Daniel cried out as he realized Zeus's symbiote was entering his body, taking possession of him.

And el-Mikha had facilitated the whole thing!

Dimly, as though from a great distance, Daniel could see Jack charging toward him, his expression filled with disbelief and shock. Right behind him, Denali and Fuji were gaining on Jack with their huge strides. The giants were grimacing, teeth bared in helpless grief.

"Nooooo!" cried Jack in horror. "You goddamed bastard!" He aimed his P-90 at Scout and fired a short burst as he ran, but Denali cut in front of Jack and batted his rifle's muzzle upward, then wrenched it from his grasp to prevent him from putting more bullets into the Furling elder.

el-Mikha jerked backward as the armor-piercing rounds blasted into him, blood and bits of tissue and muscle splattering everywhere, all over Daniel's uniform and face. He pitched forward, breaking contact with Zeus's former host, and he and Scout dropped to the floor together, their limbs tangling as they fell. 

Daniel valiantly fought for breath and sanity, struggling to maintain control of his body and mind, to shut the Goa'uld out. He had never imagined so much pain, like a light too bright, a noise too loud, and his skin was on fire, all the sensations mixed up together and overwhelming him. He was horrified to feel the creature wriggling inside him, digging into his flesh and the base of his brain, insinuating itself around his spinal column, but he couldn't move, couldn't fight the thing. Shock was setting in, robbing him of his wits.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the ragged breathing of the handful of people occupying it, and the pounding steps of Mountain Clan converging on them.

Then Jack was bending over him. "I'll get it out, Daniel!" he promised, his voice cracking with terror. He rolled Daniel onto his side, panicked fingers digging into the rapidly closing wound in the back of his neck. "Hold on! Fight it!" Jack's voice held the edge of a sob as he gasped, "Oh, God, no."

But it was too late, and Daniel knew it. He was looking right at Scout now, the Furling lying on his side on the floor in a crimson pool of his own blood. The elder was breathing hard, one hand splayed over the huge wounds in his chest, the other draped limply over his belly. He had eyes only for Daniel as he whispered, "Bel'ahkh riem, Gaha'ad." 

Mute and utterly defenseless, Daniel couldn't give any indication he'd understood. He could only watch as Scout's eyes closed, his body relaxing. Then Fuji lifted Mikha in his arms and carried him away at a dead run.

Jack hopped over Daniel's inert body, kneeling in the blood he'd spilled, one foot slipping in the gore. He bent down to allow Daniel to make eye contact, cradling Daniel's cheek with one bloody hand. Their eyes connected -- Daniel could still move them -- and Jack spoke volumes without a single word. 

I'm sorry.

Not your fault. You did all you could.

Not enough.

Then two other Mountain Clan giants caught Jack by the arms, wrenching his limbs back as they grappled with him and pulled him away from Daniel.

"Traitors!" Jack raged, struggling with them, kicking and doing his best to free himself. "We trusted you! God damn it. Damn you all!" He choked and gagged on his curses, then shifted his attention back to his friend. "Don't give up, Daniel. I'll help you. I'll find a way."  His voice cracked and broke. "Oh, God," he moaned. "Ohhhh. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He fell to his knees, his muscles slowly giving up the fight. The Furlings forced Jack's body into a twisted knot, his face pressed against the blood-spattered floor, until he couldn't move. His breathing came in ragged puffs.

"Take me!" Jack begged, looking into Daniel's eyes, his plea obviously meant for the creature inside him. "Take me instead. Please!" 
His desperate offer was ignored. Zeus already had the host he'd wanted.

Daniel heard it, saw it all happening, but he couldn't speak, couldn't move. His skin tingled, the initial pain being replaced by a sense of euphoria filling his head, as if he were about to pass out. It was like he was hovering somewhere nearby, unable to access his nerves and muscles. His body refused to respond to his commands, but in spite of that, he felt himself get to his feet and lift his head.

Heat flashed across his forehead. Without seeing himself in a mirror, he knew what that looked like. His eyes had glowed white as the symbiote took full possession of his body.  The wound in his neck was now completely closed, sealing the monster inside. In the depths of his mind, Daniel screamed, but no sound came from his throat. His lips curved up into a triumphant smile, and his eyes glanced down at his new hands.

His gaze swept the room, searching for the previous host, and found him crouched on the floor near the throne. The man stared at him uncertainly, a trickle of blood running over his lips and down his chin from the wound in his throat the symbiote had made when it abandoned his body.

Daniel felt his right hand come up in a dismissive wave. "You may go off somewhere to die now," Zeus said through Daniel's lips, his voice guttural and inhuman.

"Thank you," said the man wetly. "You have released me from eternal torment." He stood slowly, bowed to Daniel, and turned to the remaining Furling giants, his gaze moving from one face to another as he forlornly wrung his hands. "What shall I do now?"

"Come with us to our ship," Denali invited graciously.

He bowed slightly toward Zeus's new host, giving him a smile. "You will also come with us, so that you may fulfill your part of the bargain our elders made with you."

"What?!" Jack shrieked, attacking his captors with renewed vigor and fruitlessly trying to stand up.  "You assholes agreed to this? You set him up? I'll kill you! Bastards! I'll kill every goddamned one of you!" 

As if on a pre-arranged signal, the Mountain guards let go of Jack, and Denali fired his tissé, rendering him unconscious. As he dropped to the floor in a heap, the sudden silence in the room was shocking, as if someone had just turned off the lights and plunged the room into total darkness. Kilimanjaro squatted to pick up the General's limp body, heaving him over one shoulder.

"I would be pleased to complete our bargain," said Zeus with Daniel's mouth. "When we have arrived at your homeworld, I will require the return of my flagship, so I may be on my way. Until then, it amuses me to be your guest. I am quite interested in your technology." He gestured toward the doorway.

Denali led the way, Zeus/Daniel just behind him, Kilimanjaro carrying an unconscious Jack O'Neill, while Everest and the former host brought up the rear.

The Furlings' war was over now, but for Daniel Jackson, the battle had just begun.


Psychic retreat had been automatic for Daniel. From the moment he'd felt the symbiote trying to get at his mind, he'd sealed himself off from the invasion. This wasn't the first time he'd been a host, after all. He'd been the unwilling recipient of downloads of numerous alien minds years earlier, and hibernation was the only thing that had save his individuality and allowed the other minds to eventually be removed from his body.

Not too long ago, Daniel had discovered deep recesses in his consciousness, places where he'd had information locked away from himself, things he hadn't wanted to remember from the year he'd spent as an ascended being. Now, that formerly inaccessible place was a haven for him.

It wasn't a real place in the sense of space and time, but he envisioned it with an ambiance that reminded him of the temple garden at Kheb. He strolled the grounds barefoot, contemplating what would happen to him, now that he could no longer control his body. If he concentrated and listened intently enough, he could hear voices, threads of conversation as if from a great distance.

Most of it he didn't want to know. The knowledge of the Furlings' betrayal was about all he could cope with; he was wounded to the core of his soul. He simply couldn't believe Mikha would do this to him. It didn't make sense. The elder had asked Daniel to trust him, and he had.

An instant later, he'd given Daniel to the Goa'uld as a host.

It was easy enough to work out why Zeus would want Daniel's body. The powers he'd exhibited among the Jaffa would be handy tools for someone who wanted to play god, only what Zeus didn't know was that those abilities didn't come along with the body -- they were part of Daniel's mind, now shut away, out of reach of the symbiote, and there was no way Daniel would let Zeus have access to that place.

If that meant he had to keep himself locked away forever, then so be it. He needed to stay calm and focused, if he were to remain locked down. Thinking about Mikha's betrayal might push him into losing control, and that would play right into Zeus's hands. That was the last thing Daniel wanted.

If necessary, he could spend eternity in this quiet spot, contemplating his fate. But if he could figure out what needed to be done, maybe, if he were strong enough, he just might find a way out of this Hell.

June 30
The Next Day
Gaia Transporter Bay

The event horizon steadied into placid rippling, and a moment later, two Forest Clan warriors stepped through the shipboard stargate. Their faces were set, expressionless. Behind them, two more figures appeared. One was a ten-foot-tall Mountain Clan Furling, and the other was Ba'al.  

Advance reports from the Furlings who had captured him declared this was the original, not a clone. If anyone knew besides Ba'al himself, Daniel believed it would be the People.

The Mountain giant held one end of a leather lead, which was attached to a shiny iridescent metal collar fastened around Ba'al's neck, maintaining a hold on his prisoner, whose hands were fastened together at the wrists with an elegantly designed gold-embellished tube. The Goa'uld had dried blood on his face -- evidence of injuries already healed by his symbiote. His hair was mussed and dirty, and his black robes were torn in places. He seemed to have put up a good fight, and lost.  

Jack stiffened as he lifted his chin and glared down his nose at the alien. "So. Ba'al. Not lookin' very god-like, there." There was an almost jolly note to the droll observation, but his tone grew less flippant as he added, "Bet you're wonderin' why you're here. As am I." He turned to Scout, who was standing beside Captain. "Can I have him to play with when you're done?"  

Scout grinned in spite of himself, but turned away to speak to the Furling soldiers. "Please escort your prisoner to the observation cell."

Daniel had warned them the Goa'uld could secrete a poison that would kill the host, if the symbiote believed it might be in mortal danger. The creatures would rather murder their hosts than give them up. It would be better if the snake didn't know exactly why it had been captured.

"I am not an animal," Ba'al protested, trying to jerk free of his captor's grip.  

Mountain's fingers just tightened around the leash. "I suggest you not struggle," said the giant pleasantly. "It would be unfortunate if I accidentally snapped your tiny, delicate neck."

"How dare you lay hands on me?" Ba'al spat, jerking free of Mountain's grip, then turned to look up at his captor, his eyes glowing white with Goa'uld rage. "I will kill you all!"

The Furling caught at him just as one of the Forest Clan dropped down and swept Ba'al's legs out from under him. He fell forward onto his hands, bouncing slightly on his nose against the floor, but almost immediately he pushed back to his feet, snarling and spitting with unbridled fury, a thin stream of gore trickling over his lips.

Mountain's massive hand enveloped Ba'al's neck and right shoulder, causing his diatribe to die down to a gurgle. The Goa'uld's face turned crimson as he struggled to breathe, and he grew still, finally acquiescing to the giant's control.

Daniel, Jack, and Scout escorted the group to the laboratory, where a special cell had been fashioned to house the dethroned System Lord. Actually, it had been structured to hold any captured host -- Ba'al had simply been the first one the Furlings had caught, which pleased Daniel no end.

He watched with satisfaction as the Goa'uld was marched into his beautifully appointed prison, which was outfitted with an ornately decorated bed accented in gold leaf, a small table and chair and a toilet area. As with everything, the Furlings never did anything halfway.

The giant removed the collar and gilded handcuffs and stepped outside.

For a moment, Ba'al gave his accommodations a cursory smirk of approval. Then he turned cold, calculating dark eyes on his captors. After a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward, but the Mountain giant was a fraction of a second ahead of him, activating an energy barrier with the controls on the sleeve of his s'resh.

Ba'al bounced off the invisible barrier, flung backward to land on his buttocks on the floor. His brief look of surprise quickly morphed into wrath bordering on white-eyed madness. He scrambled to his feet and charged the force field again, this time with less power, so he could maintain his footing, teeth clenched and bared in fury.

He was trapped and knew it, but that didn't stop him from running his mouth, jeering and raging at them. "You cannot keep me here!  My Jaffa will come for me, you insignificant fools."  

"Your Jaffa handed you over to us," sneered the giant with a note of superiority, "and then lined up to be relieved of the burden of carrying your children. We will make them whole, and then your offspring will be sent to a place where they can do no harm."

Ba'al roared with frustration, raising his fists and shaking them at his captors, his eyes glittering with madness. He panted, his gaze moving from one face to the next, studying those who were watching him like an animal in a zoo. He started to pace back and forth in his enclosure, calculating now, hands clasped behind his back.

After a few moments, he stopped and stared at the giant who towered above them all, fixing him with a narrowed gaze.  "I will escape this prison," Ba'al growled, his voice dripping with venom, "and when I do, I will take you for my new host. There will be none who can stand in my way then." He smiled darkly. "That would be very pleasing to me."

As if he hadn't heard the threat, completely discounting it, Mountain turned to the waiting Grass Clan staff. "I hope you will have results for us soon," he stated, offering them a slight bow of respect. He stepped to one side.  

All eyes turned to the chief healer.

"Scanning," called Rhami from a control station at the center of the lab.

A ribbon of blue-green light passed from wall to wall inside the cell.

Ba'al glanced up, startled, then turned back to his audience. "What are you doing to me?"  

No one answered.

Right about now, Daniel knew, the symbiote would be getting a clue as to why he'd been captured. As long as the creature held some kind of hope for escape, the host would be safe, but once it became clear this would be its last stop, the alien would release a bio-toxin into the host's bloodstream, and they would die together.

Daniel pretended to study the readings on the diagnostic machine, watching Jack out of the corner of his eye, just in case he needed to run interference and distract the General. Then Daniel's attention was genuinely captured by the data; he was startled to find he understood so much of it now, after almost a year of study of Furling languages, culture and science.  

He strolled over to touch Jack on the arm. "Let's get something to eat," Daniel suggested softly. "This is going to take a while. You can come back to poke at him later."
 
Without another snide comment, Jack turned and left the lab with his friend. When they were well down the corridor, O'Neill asked, "So what do they want with him?"

"For now, only to free the host. The Furlings are all about freedom, you know."

"Yeah. I noticed that about them." Jack gave him a long look. "They're good people, Daniel. I know that in my gut, but... something's not right here." Jack looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I just don't know what it is."

"Didn't you read my reports? We know why they were locked up by the Ancients. Between the Nox's xenophobia, and the Ancients' jumping to conclusions, the Furlings' research was misinterpreted. They were misjudged. That's all there is to it." Daniel was absolutely certain of his conclusions. He'd been over the data personally, all the information the Furlings had gathered at Con Thien.

Jack patted his shoulder briefly. "You've got a lot of faith in your friends, buddy. I'm glad you're on our side."

Daniel smiled at him. "Where else would I be?" 


July 2
Two Days Later
Corridor Outside Laboratory Eight

It was very late, and there was little activity in the corridors at that hour. Daniel and Jack walked side by side in silence, answering the summons from the Forest Clan elder to witness the results of their research. Daniel could hear voices emanating from the lab as they approached, and though he didn't intend to do it, he paused just outside and eavesdropped on the conversation, Jack crowding right up behind him in an effort to hear, too.

One voice was Ba'al's; the other was Scout's.

"I know where to find the Burning Gate," the Goa'uld called silkily. "If you release me, I will give you the location." 

"What is the Burning Gate?" asked el-Mikha, feigning nonchalance. "Your clone mentioned that."

"You have met one of my brothers?" Ba'al seemed genuinely surprised.

"We tried to save his life, but were unsuccessful." Scout's words and tone were carefully neutral.  "He told us we should seek this Burning Gate, but gave no hints where we should look."

"It is the homeworld of the Third Race," Ba'al answered. His tone of voice was teasing, meant to tempt, to offer secrets just out of reach.

"Interesting. I believe we will decline your offer, though. We have much more to gain by keeping you."

Daniel smiled a little to himself at that and nudged Jack with his elbow. Holding one finger to his lips to indicate silence, Daniel stepped into the nearly empty lab, hovering in the shadows near the entrance, Jack creeping in right behind him. None of the others present had noticed their appearance.

Ba'al stood in his cell, arms defiantly crossed over his chest, still wearing his torn black robes. Scout leaned casually against a console near the middle of the room, and Rhami of the Grass Clan manipulated the machine. Daniel watched, fascinated, as Rhami's small hands plied the controls of the scanner.

Set into the wall outside the cell was a small water-filled aquarium, the interior illuminated with a pale blue light, bubbles floating up from the bottom to aerate the water. The tank was positioned so Ba'al couldn't see it. He either had no idea what fate awaited him, or was certain escape was still a possibility, because the host was still alive. 

Scout turned his head to make eye contact with the new arrivals as they finally came to stand beside him. He gave them an acknowledging nod, then eyed the diminutive healer. "You may begin."

The scanner activated, sweeping over Ba'al's body as it had previously, but this time the color was different, a radiant purple. The Goa'uld gasped as the beam struck his body and held, and he stiffened, back arched, neck corded and straining, hands clenched. He balanced on his toes as though suffering a massive electrical shock, his blood-curdling scream of agony splitting the quiet of the room. 

Daniel's mouth dropped open in surprise, and he glared first at Scout and then at Rhami. "Hey!"
He hadn't been made aware that torture would be part of the process of separating host and symbiote.

Jack looked grim but said nothing, standing at parade rest with flinty gaze fixed on the former System Lord. Ba'al had done far worse to him.

Scout turned to face Daniel, obviously startled by his outburst. "What's the matter?"

Rhami, the Grass Clan healer, didn't look up from her machine.

"What are you doing to him?" Daniel demanded. He stood on the far side of the force field that separated the cell from the lab.

"What we promised," answered Rhami. "Look." She lifted her gaze from the instrumentation panel to the aquarium and nodded toward it.

The tank brightened with an azure glow and, as the light faded, the long, serpentine body of a mature symbiote materialized in the water. The creature thrashed in the container, snapping at the glass in silent fury, then coiled and sprang for the top, only to bounce off the clear lid over its prison. 

For a moment, Daniel just stared at it.

Could it be that easy? he wondered.

He turned to look inside the cell at the man standing there -- Ba'al's host, now an ordinary human being once more, after thousands of years of imprisonment in his own body.

He looked stunned, shaken, and as his knees gave way beneath him, he sat down hard on the bed behind him. Disbelieving, he held up his hands, which were now under his control again. As he studied them, tears gathered in his eyes, and he lifted his awestruck gaze to the Furlings. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice quavering. "Thank you."

"What's your name?" asked Daniel gently. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikha raise his arm and begin programming the release on the force field, preparing to set the man free.

The host gusted a shaky, brief laugh. "It has been so long, I am not certain I remember." He smiled and looked down at his hands again. "I cannot believe it. After all this time." He reached up to blot at his eyes with his torn sleeve.

"Take your time," suggested Scout kindly. "If you can't recall, perhaps we can help you search your memories for your name." 

"You have given me the greatest gift," the man told them with a trembling, grateful smile. "I wish to offer you something in return, but I have nothing useful. All I can tell you for certain is that the demon who lived within me did not know the location of the Burning Gate. The clone, the one whose life you tried to save -- he was the one who possessed that information."

Rhami wandered over to stand beside them. "Thank you for your honesty, friend."

Sparkles flashed along the perimeter of the cell as Scout powered down the energy barrier.

Daniel stepped across it immediately and extended his hand in friendship. "Welcome to the Gaia," he said with a smile. "Let's make you comfortable, and when you're ready, you can tell us everything you remember about the Burning Gate. You might still be aware of something that could help us find it."

Jack stood back with arms resolutely crossed over his chest, looking forbidding and dangerous.

Apparently, the host was painfully aware of his hatred. He came forward, dark head bowed before the General, shoulders slumped, body trembling, voice quavering and wholly human. "I am so sorry for what the demon did to you, at my hands," he whispered. "Please, General O'Neill, know that I am innocent of the crimes of Ba'al. As his unwilling vessel, I had no choice." 

"I know that," said Jack gruffly.

The host placed his hands on his chest and whispered, "I offer you my life, to take in whatever fashion will satisfy your need for justice." He bowed deeper.

O'Neill's hands came down at his sides, and he took a step backward. His gaze moved to the aquarium where the symbiote splashed angrily in the water, then down to the top of the host's head, and finally, up to meet Daniel's guarded gaze.

Daniel saw the uncertainty in Jack's eyes and understood. O'Neill didn't know how to feel about this poor soul. He knew the face as Ba'al, but now the man spoke with a normal voice, deep and soft. Jack understood the hold the symbiotes had on their hosts, but this man's glittering brown eyes had been the ones looking into his as he'd tortured Jack to death over and over, restored to life in a sarcophagus, only to be murdered again, for days upon days.

That would be a difficult thing with which to find any kind of peace.

Wordlessly, Jack pivoted on his heel and left the laboratory. 

The host turned confounded eyes up to Daniel's face. "Of all those who have been murdered at my hands," he whispered brokenly, "your friend suffered the most. I cannot die in peace unless I know--"

"Give him time," Daniel told him gently, patting his shoulder.

The man nodded and exhaled a weary sigh. He turned slightly and truly looked around the room for the first time. When he saw the tank with the symbiote in it, he wrenched his head away, breathing hard, staring at the floor. "Please. Get me out of here. I cannot bear to be near that... thing."

"Of course." Daniel gestured toward the doorway. "This way. We have rooms prepared for you."

Rhami stepped up, touching Daniel's sleeve to get his attention. "I will accompany him. The elder wishes to speak with you on another matter." She slipped her small hand into the host's and led him out of the laboratory, free at last.

Daniel felt good about that. His heart was lighter, certain he and his Furling friends were cutting a path of good and righteousness through the galaxy. With a smile, he turned to face Mikha and waited.

The elder's expression was somber, concerned. He seemed a little reluctant to speak, and hesitated, taking a breath, holding it for an instant before letting it out with a sigh. He shook his head, as if arguing with himself, dropping his gaze to the floor. At last, he lifted his chin and made eye contact, his expression serious and a little sad. "We have a location for Zeus," Mikha told him. "We can continue to seek the Burning Gate, or we can go after your enemy now. The choice is yours, el-Dani."

He put one hand on Daniel's shoulder and squeezed.  "We made a vow to you to deliver justice to your people," the elder added quietly, dropping his hand back down to his side. "Only you can decide what that is. Think well on this, and give me your answer when you're certain what you want to do next." He turned away and headed for the exit.

Daniel understood the choice he was being given. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and let the memories come. As always, they took his breath away, burning in his heart.

Earth, beautiful Earth, shattering into flaming bits.

Zeus, smugly looking down his nose, reveling in Daniel's shock and grief.

The decision was immediate, and Daniel spoke before his friend reached the doorway. "We hunt for Zeus," he called. "How close are we?"

Mikha stopped but didn't turn around, just spoke over his shoulder, eyes downcast. "A few days. We'll be joined by more of our ships, so we'll have power sufficient to defeat the army he now keeps with him. The battle will take place in space."

Finally, the elder pivoted to face him. "What will you do with him when he's captured, if he isn't killed in the battle?"

"Even if he dies," Daniel shot back, his guts clenching, "he can be restored in the sarcophagus he'll have on board his ship. One way or another, he'll be taken alive."

"And then?"

Fantasies of torture and other violence careened madly through Daniel's mind, but he shook his head, trying to get rid of them, sure that wasn't the answer. Mere physical pain wouldn't touch Daniel's requirements for justice. He studied Mikha's haunted face. "I don't know," he answered softly. "I'll figure that out when I look in his eyes."

For a moment, the elder was still and silent. "There's a difference between revenge and justice."

Daniel nodded. "I realize that." Needing to move, not able to stand still any longer, he strode past his friend, heading for his private sanctuary. It was a long walk from the labs.  Hopefully by the time he arrived, he'd have some idea what needed to be done. It was necessary not just to satisfy his own selfish needs, but for all the others who had survived as well.


July 5
Four Days Later

Daniel stood on the bridge alongside Jack and the rest of the command crew, staring at the three-dimensional holographic display in the center of the room. The circular device gave a floor-to-ceiling perspective of space all around the ship, creating a panorama in much smaller scale; it gave them a complete view of the exterior of Gaia, as well as the two other ships approaching. Both were Furling crafts; one was a starship of the same design as the one in which they stood, but the other held a crew of only Mountain Clan and was a vastly different design, a monstrous craft that dwarfed the two starships. 

The Muairh, as the larger vessel was called, would be bringing the two sword-shaped craft into a pair of docking bays on the bottom of the massive battleship. The main body of the ship was V-shaped, like the folded wings of a raptor diving toward its prey, the sweeping extensions bristling with weaponry and gleaming cobalt-blue armor trimmed in gold. Nestled into the crux of the outer hull was a thick, multi-level structure composed of what appeared to be hundreds of decks, dotted with windows that were either lit with a warm amber glow or darkly reflecting a surface of iridescently-hued glass. The upper structure, positioned between the points of the sweeping outer wings, divided into a second V, to which an enormous wheel was fixed. 

It resembled a stargate, much larger than any planetary device, yet smaller than the Ori's Supergate.

As Daniel watched, the wheel tilted to a new angle and began to spin. Orange chevrons lit up at regular intervals, and after they locked into place, a giant kawoosh belched out into space behind the ship. Once the event horizon stabilized, an army of Forest Clan fighters hurtled into the great ship's wake. Some of the newly arriving craft headed toward Gaia's many docking bays, the others disappeared into her sister ship, the Hala.

Once the reinforcements were all safely aboard, the Hala eased into docking position with the Muairh.  When that delicate operation had been completed, Gaia would be piloted to a second berthing station on the battleship's hull.

After the three vessels had been joined together, they would be closing in on the Goa'uld armada, just a few days' journey ahead of them. The sheer size of the Muairh was intimidating and sent a chill through Daniel as he watched the other ship fasten itself to the underside of the battle cruiser.

Jack pointed into the holograph, at the great wheel attached to the back of the cruiser. "Are there armaments on that stargate?" he asked, studying the images intently.

"Yes," answered Captain casually. "The loah is capable of tilting and rotating as the cannons on the outer edge are being discharged." 

"Can I see the specs on the weaponry?" Jack was twitching a little.

Daniel couldn't decide if that was because he was excitedly curious about the big honkin' space guns, like a little kid with a new toy, or wary. Either way, Daniel's thoughts were on their quarry, not his companions.

"As you wish," Captain declared.  He stepped around to Jack's side and showed him how to operate the holograph controls to search for design information on the Muairh.

Still, Daniel found his attention fixating on Captain's narrative as he answered Jack's questions, and Hunter's barely-remembered words of warning came back to him once more.

Sky watch. Grass defend. Forest attack. Mountain destroy.

He felt his belly tighten as he realized just how much firepower the Furlings had at their disposal; he didn't see how any enemy could defeat them, in the long haul. Zeus and his Ting-sha, now desperately fleeing through space, didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against these three ships. They'd catch up in a few days, and the Goa'uld's rule would be over.

Daniel turned away, needing to think, and found himself wandering aimlessly through Gaia's corridors, still ruminating on the issue of justice versus revenge. He couldn't concentrate on work and needed a distraction. Maybe talking to someone would help.

He found himself outside Mikha's apartments and realized he hadn't seen his friend since breakfast. He went inside and gave a tight smile to Jet, the Forest Clan null who was part of the elder's household.

The Furling looked a little stressed.

"Hey, Jet," Daniel called. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. All is well, friend." His dark blue eyes shifted toward the interior of the apartments, and he hurried to the doorway as Rhami came into the room. The null bent down and spoke with the healer in whispers, so Daniel couldn't hear. Jet looked even more upset now and shot a glance at Daniel.

"What's going on?" Daniel demanded. They were hiding something from him; that much was obvious.

Jet straightened and thanked the healer, who left the apartments without acknowledging Daniel's presence.

Red flags went up. "What was that about? Why was Grass here?"

The Furling spoke to his boots. "My master is not well."

A shiver of surprise made Daniel's hair stand up. The elder, he knew, was never sick. He hurried toward the doorway, concerned now. "Tell me what's going on," Daniel demanded as the null fell into step with him.

Jet's expression shuttered closed. "It is not for me to say," he returned enigmatically.

Daniel went right into Mikha's bedroom. If the elder had been human, there would have been closed doors and knocking, but Furlings didn't do things that way. If Daniel wanted to talk to someone, he was expected to just barge right in, no matter what the other person might be doing. They did it to him, and he had the same rights with them.

Jet hovered at the doorway. "Shall I stay?" he asked his master, "or do you wish to be alone?"

Scout was just pulling a tunic over his head. "All is well," he replied, an edge of tension in his voice, muffled by the clothing. Once he had the shirt in place, he pulled his hair out of the collar and tossed the dark green mane over his shoulder, giving it a quick stroke with his fingers to make sure none of the long strands were sticking up. He glanced up at his visitor and flashed a sad smile.  "We're fine," Scout assured his steward.

The null gave his master a little bow and left the two alone.

"I didn't expect to see you until the evening meal, Dani. What brings you here?" 

Daniel didn't answer the question, asking one of his own instead. "What's wrong? Why was Rhami here?"

Mikha shook his head, gusting a little chuckle. "Merely a temporary inconvenience," he answered with a wry smile. "No need to worry. I'll be accompanying you when we board Zeus's ship, after his army has been defeated." He reached for a sash and tied it about his waist. When he finished, he gave his head a little toss to get his hair out of his way, then tied it back with a length of short black cord he pulled from his trouser pocket.

Daniel couldn't help being a little suspicious, but decided to let the attempt at reassurance at least appear to have been successful. "Good. That's good. You should be there." He found he wanted that very much, needed it, in fact. He had come to depend on the Furlings' wisdom and counsel, but particularly Mikha's opinion. If anyone could help Daniel sort out what to do with Zeus, it would be the elder. 

"I wouldn't miss it," Mikha told him with a smile. "We will catch up to him in three days, friend. Be ready."

"I will," Daniel promised. He had put away his concern for his friend when he'd first arrived, but the healer's presence nagged at him. "You'd tell me if anything were wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Of course." Scout glanced at his hem, tugging until he had it straightened to his liking. When he looked up at Daniel, his smile seemed contrived, pasted on.

He was lying, and Daniel knew it.

Something was wrong with the elder. The Furlings were keeping secrets from him, and this wasn't the first time.

Still, in a few days, everything would be different. Daniel might be dead. Gaia might be destroyed in the battle. Or Zeus might have had justice meted out to him by Daniel Jackson, who still had to decide what to do in the event that actually happened.

After a soft-spoken farewell, Daniel turned away and left the apartments, continuing his aimless prowling of the ship, uncertain that he would ever truly be ready to come face to face with the monster who had destroyed his world, and now distracted by the secrets his friends were obviously not sharing with him. He was worried, and with so much at stake, that was not a good place to be.  


July 8
Three Days Later

Daniel ran his hands over the rough fabric of his old BDUs, pulled from storage in his quarters just for today. He hadn't worn the uniform since he'd adopted a Furling wardrobe, and the human clothing felt scratchy and oddly alien.

"All set?" asked Jack, appearing in the doorway of Daniel's quarters, his P-90 strapped over his shoulder, a zat holstered on one hip, his sidearm on the other. O'Neill had declined the Furlings' offer of a s'resh of his own. Jack had wanted his own uniform for this battle; he'd argued with them about it and insisted he wear his own clothes. He might have a slight disadvantage not having the helmet with its fancy heads-up display, translator, and cool gadgets, but Jack preferred the familiar.

Daniel had agreed with that idea. The rhythm of gearing up felt like he was finally where he was supposed to be -- going out to save the world again... only there was no longer a world to save. The mission was different this time, but no less vital. "How much time do we have?" he asked, doing a final verification of the contents of the pockets of his tactical vest. He checked the Beretta on his hip and fingered the zat strapped in the holster under his left hand.

"Locked and loaded," Jack told him. His expression was set, all business. Only his eyes glowed with the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside him. "They're just waiting for us on the bridge."

"On my way," said Daniel, ready for battle. "Can they see the ha'tak?"

"There's about forty of 'em," Jack reported, falling into step beside Daniel as they moved out into the corridor. "Zeus's mothership is in the middle of the pack."

"Forty!" Daniel was surprised by the number. "Do you think the Goa'uld still have a chance?"

Jack's expression turned grim. "There's always a chance, Daniel, but from what I've seen of these folks, it doesn't look good for the Goold. Just a matter of time, and the Furlings are damned patient."

Daniel nodded. His eyes aimed down the corridor, he took big steps, arms swinging at his sides, hands curled into fists, mouth set in a firm, determined line. 

Today was one year since he'd watched Earth explode; one year he'd been homeless, lost.
It was also his birthday -- not that anyone else remembered -- and there were only two things he wanted to receive above all else: to see Zeus cornered in a trap he couldn't escape, and to be the one holding a gun to the monster's head.

Like the Furlings, he would have to be patient, to wait and watch and let his alien friends fight the battle their way, with Sky Clan acting as lookouts and guides, Grass Clan maintaining defense of their ships, Forest Clan streaking through space in their fighters in battle with Jaffa pilots, and Mountain moving inexorably forward, annihilating everything in their path.

Once that was done and the way was cleared, parties of Furlings would begin boarding the ha'taks and taking prisoner whatever enemy forces would lay down their arms.

Daniel and Jack would be part of one such team, accompanied by Mikha, Denali, and a handful of other Mountain giants, and once they arrived on board the flagship of Zeus's armada, nothing would stand in their way. 

June 17
Five Days Later
Gaia Laboratory Five

"So it begins," announced Teal'c. He removed his gray robe and handed it to Daniel, who stood in the spacious room beside his friend. Barefoot, dressed only in a pair of loosely fitting trousers, Teal'c mounted the open space in the DNA re-sequencer, then turned to confidently face his audience.  The Jaffa stood in his usual pose at parade rest, his friends on either side outside the platform, a handful of Furlings busy with various machines all around them.

"You don't have to do this," O'Neill told him, eyeing the alien apparatus with suspicion.

"On the contrary," Teal'c returned quietly, "I must." He nodded toward the device, his gaze traveling up to the five-foot-wide orange ball set into the ceiling above the raised silvery pad. "If the Furlings are successful, my people will be truly free of the Goa'uld." He smiled. "I consider this a great honor."

Glimpsing a tiny movement in his peripheral vision, Daniel smiled as he glanced down at Jack's hands and caught him crossing his fingers for luck.

A memory of General Hammond flashed through Daniel's mind. "Godspeed," he said.

Teal'c inclined his head briefly, then turned his attention to the diminutive Grass Clan healer commanding the controls. "I am ready," he intoned.

Rhami nodded, her tiny fingers dancing across the buttons and levers to activate the re-sequencer. The orange crystal above Teal'c's head began to glow, and a holographic helix formed in the air all around him, slowly spinning as the device scanned his body for exact biological construction.

Once that was completed, she entered additional information into the keypad. Rhami's hands settled on a yellow gel-like pad on the middle of the console, her fingers digging in gently as she altered the construction of the Jaffa's DNA one tiny fraction at a time. With the delicate, touch-sensitive gel, she set new parameters, made a few more adjustments, and finally set the transformation in motion. 

Teal'c started to sweat, beads of perspiration rolling down his face and neck.

Jack rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand, head down, and began to pace.

Daniel struggled to try to avoid getting his hopes up, in case this didn't work.

"Come on, come on," whispered Doctor Lam urgently from just behind Jack. "If this works," she murmured to no one in particular, "there won't be a need to build that Tretonin plant on Alpha. We won't have to scavenge for Goa'uld to make the drug. The Jaffa can be human again."

Jack shushed her, still pacing, and stopped long enough to glance at the re-sequencing chamber.

He froze.

Carolyn gasped. "Oh, my God! His pouch -- it's closing up!"

Teal'c's stoic expression slipped. He grunted with pain, his hands rising from his sides to hover over his belly, with its X-shaped opening. He looked down at himself, watching the slits disappear, and as his abdomen became seamless, rippling with uninterrupted muscle and gleaming with perspiration, he started to laugh. 

Daniel had never heard such a sound from the man. It was deep and rich, filled with indescribable joy.

"I am free!" Teal'c shouted, fists punching the air. He kept laughing, looking down at his belly and rubbing his hands gleefully over the smooth, unbroken skin.

The illuminated DNA helix began to fade and disappeared as the lights in the machine went off. Rhami stepped away from the controls and turned to the gathering. "Finished," she announced with a pleased smile.

Teal'c of the Tau'ri stepped off the platform as a human being, no longer needing a symbiote or drug to keep him healthy and extend his life. Now he would age like any other man and be susceptible to illness just like his friends from Earth. His dependence on the Goa'uld was over, as it would now be for the rest of his people.

He raced over to Rhami and swept her up in his arms, lifting her up onto his shoulders as if she were a child. He danced -- Teal'c danced! -- brimming over with excitement that could not be contained, still laughing as he hugged everyone in the room.

Doctor Lam cheered and clapped.

Jack got crabby and poked at his eye, protesting that he had something stuck in there.

Daniel cried unabashedly as he reacted to the fact that Teal'c was only the first to benefit from this research. The information they'd acquired from this procedure would be relayed to every Furling ship and colony, every world where they lived. Re-sequencers would be built as fast as the People could manage, the technology offered to anyone who wanted to shrug off the yoke of enforced servitude to and worship of false gods.  Soon there would be no more Jaffa; they would all be human, as they had been once upon a time long ago, before the Goa'uld came to enslave them.

This was a moment that would be remembered forever, and a debt that might never be repaid. Best of all, though, was that the service had been --and would continue to be -- rendered out of compassion, with no strings or price tag attached, just because the Furlings wanted to help.

Daniel thought he'd made a pretty good choice when he'd set them free, releasing the Furlings from their imprisonment by the Ancients. Still, there remained one other question regarding the future of the Jaffa. He turned to the chief healer, now back on her feet. 

"What becomes of the symbiotes now incubating? We haven't addressed that yet."

"Must be harvested first," Rhami told him. "Then we set Jaffa free."

That was the benevolent choice, to be sure. It didn't end the threat the Goa'uld posed, though. He remembered the Furdani stargate, how it had been locked, the planet guarded from space. He thought about Chaka and his people, the Unas, who had been the first unwilling hosts to the snake-like aliens.

"We should try to find them a world where there are no other potential hosts," Daniel added thoughtfully. "One with no stargate. No one should be able to approach or leave the planet. Maybe in a few thousand years, the Goa'uld will evolve into something more rational, less megalomaniacal. Maybe not. But everyone else should be protected from them." 

Daniel studied Scout's face for a reaction, knowing he was basically repeating the fate handed down to the Furlings by the Ancients, but without the genocidal war.

The elder was pensive, considering. He gestured toward the re-sequencer. "There is no longer a threat from them, friend. Anyone taken as a host can be freed."

"You don't know that for sure," Daniel countered. "You haven't successfully separated symbiote and host yet. You've just taken the incubators out of the equation."

el-Mikha smiled. "Then we'll have to capture a Goa'uld and its host, and discover how this may be safely done. I'm not willing to repeat our fate with another race, Daniel, no matter how just you believe they might be. In the minds of the Goa'uld, they are deserving of worship and servitude of others. They must learn to distinguish the truth of what they are from the fantasy of what they wish they were, and imprisonment won't help. We must perfect a way to free the hosts, so they'll no longer pose a threat. Only when their power has been removed will they learn to see reason."

"If we can contact the Tok'ra, they know how," Jack offered. "I've still got connections."

The elder gave him a gracious bow. "We'd be honored to assist them with freeing those who are unwilling hosts; however, if they're not inclined to share the knowledge, we'll happily defer to them."

"This is a great day," announced Teal'c, still smiling broadly.

"Indeed," Daniel agreed. He glanced at his tall friend and saw a single eyebrow arch in response to his intentional theft of Teal'c's pat response. He grinned back. 


June 24
One Week Later
Kheb

Jack O'Neill clutched his P-90, his index finger lying flat alongside the trigger guard, ready for action. He frowned as he scanned the temple grounds, though no one was in view. The setting was peaceful, the area still well maintained since SG-1 had been there years earlier.

"I hate this place," he growled, glancing at his companion.

Daniel nodded. "I know." He didn't have to make much of an intuitive leap to figure that out. This had been the starting point in Daniel's journey toward ascension. This was where he'd met Oma Desala for the first time.  He turned to Jack. "You can wait here, if you'd like. I won't be long."

O'Neill gave him a brusque nod, then reached up with his left hand to touch the Furling comm device on his ear. "Everything secure at the gate, Scout?"

"We're ready," came the reply through the earpiece.

Taking a moment to remove his boots and socks, Daniel stepped up onto the wooden deck and pushed open the shoji-style doors of the temple. A young monk glanced up at him briefly, then returned to his meditation without greeting him.

He took a seat on a floor cushion across from the youth, folding his legs beneath him, wrists balanced on his bent knees. "I've come to speak with Shifu," he announced quietly. 

"You have been expected," said the monk without opening his eyes. "He will join you shortly."

"Thank you." Daniel rose and padded back to the deck alone, hands thrust into his trouser pockets. He concentrated on his breathing, in and out, and the sweetly scented air of the well-manicured gardens all around him. It was beautiful there; he thought he might like to visit Kheb now and then, just for the view and the atmosphere of serenity.

He watched Jack patrol the perimeter, gravel crunching beneath his boots as he strolled around the opposite end of the courtyard, watching the horizon beyond the arched doorway set into the surrounding wall. O'Neill's attention was directed outward, on watch, looking away from the isolated building where Daniel stood waiting.

In the meditation hall behind him, the monk remained sitting in silence, unmoving.

"It has been a long time," called a voice to Daniel's left. 

Daniel's head whipped around. Not far away, a teenage boy dressed in orange robes stood solemnly observing him. Daniel recognized him immediately, though his features had changed significantly, and he had grown a couple of feet. He still looked like his mother, Shau'ri.

"Shifu!" Daniel called, smiling in warm welcome. "You're so tall now!"

The Harsesis child was well on the way to becoming a man. He had a slender build and delicate hands that had never known the joy of manual labor. His hair had grown well past his shoulders, and was now worn in Abydonian dreadlocks, pulled back at his nape, rather than shaven. His expression was serene, but his eyes were troubled. He didn't smile. 

"Your journey has been a difficult one," he commented. 

"Have you been observing?"

"You have come here with a weapon," Shifu stated. 

Noting that the youth hadn't answered his question, Daniel told him, "No, not really." Daniel's welcoming smile dimmed to a shadow of its former brilliance. "I've come with an invitation."

"I do not understand."

Daniel shot a glance at Jack, who was strolling not far away, keeping an eye on them, but maintaining his distance.  Their chat would be private.

"There's a cure for the plague the Ancients were suffering when they ascended," he told the boy.  "They need no longer fear the disease. They can return to mortal form and live out their lives on this plane. I urge them to accept this offer. It's a generous one."

Shifu's head bowed as he contemplated that announcement. "Some may consent. Most will not. They have no need."

"Yes, they do," Daniel told him gently. His heart ached a little for Shau'ri. This was her son. Had things been different, he might also have been Daniel's. "They have a debt to pay, Shifu. Didn't they tell you about the terrible crime they committed?" 

"They were afraid," said the youth. "They did not want to die."

"Neither did the Furlings."

"The Ancients have become enlightened." Shifu's voice held a note of pleading. He was reluctant to let go of the beings who had saved his life and his sanity, and fear glimmered in his dark eyes. "They have helped me learn to control the terrible things in my mind."

Daniel nodded. "Yes, they have. You were one of the few good things they did, Shifu. Most of the time, they turned their backs on people they could have helped. Should have helped. Uncountable billions have suffered enslavement beneath the race who created you; you know what kind of suffering they've caused. What about all those the Ancients chose not to help? Don't they count, too? Why was it all right to help you and not them?" He wrapped his arms around his middle and ambled toward the youth, who fell into step with him as they strolled along the deck surrounding the meditation hall.

"Not interfering is a lesson they learned while they were still mortal." Shifu's pace slowed as he spoke, and he walked a little closer to Daniel's side, as if seeking comfort for emotional distress. "In the end, the Third Race was given mercy. Some were spared."

This subject was obviously uncomfortable for Shifu, but it had to be covered. That was why Daniel had come there, after all. He understood the young man was reasoning his way through behavior he didn't truly understand, trying to justify what he knew, and to defend those who had helped him. "The Ancients left the Furlings with no provisions, no shelter, no way off that world. They left them there to die, Shifu. Far from being an act of mercy, it was the final phase of a punishment they didn't deserve."

Shifu lifted his dark eyes, so like his mother's, to search Daniel's face. "They do not want--"

He was interrupted by a distant rumble of thunder, low and angry, like the growl of a cornered beast.

Surprise flickered into Shifu's expression. "They are preparing to destroy the ship that brought you here!" 

Daniel whipped around, shouting to Jack across the courtyard, "Now! Tell them to activate the machine!"

Jack's response was immediate; before Daniel even finished his sentence, the order was being relayed.

The sky clouded over and grew dark in a matter of seconds.  This time, he knew, it wasn't because of his own stormy emotions.

"Stay here!" Daniel called to Shifu, bolting off the deck, running right for Jack.

Lightning was on the way. Daniel could feel it, and Jack was the target.

He wasn't going to make it in time. The hair on his forearms lifted as the static charge in the air increased. His right hand reached out as he ran, fingers spreading wide open.

"No!" Daniel cried. He loosed a pulse of energy, a shockwave that lifted Jack off his feet and flung him backward into a Zen garden, just as a bolt of white light struck the ground where he had been standing. Pebbles scattered everywhere and a cloud of dirt kicked up into the air.

Jack rolled to his feet, glancing up at the sky, racing for Daniel. "I've got nothin' to shoot at!" he cried.

As soon as Jack caught up, Daniel turned, and they raced back to the temple together, as fast as their feet would carry them. His fingertip brushed the controls on the comm link on his ear. "Any time now," Daniel called urgently into the device. "Just give it--"

A ball of light hit the ground between them and the temple, and when the glow faded, a naked old may lay curled up on the dirt. Another, and then another appeared, nude men and women of all ages falling out of the sky all around them in a celestial rain. Daniel knew instantly who they were, though he had never seen their faces before.

These were the Ancients.

"It's working!" Jack yelled enthusiastically. He glanced around them as they came to a stop at the edge of the deck. "Holy buckets, Daniel! How many are there?"

"Thousands," he panted. "Maybe millions. Not all here." Winded from the run and the effort of the telekinetic blow, he leaned forward, hands on knees, to catch his breath. "The Furlings will be funneling the signal through the stargate network, like Sam and Jacob did with the energy wave that destroyed the Replicators."

"You warned 'em," observed his friend triumphantly. Jack's expression turned grim. He adjusted his grip on the P-90 as he watched the crowd of Ancients in their birthday suits getting to their feet. "Now it's time to pay the piper for the dance."

Daniel eyed the crowd, then glanced up at the clearing sky.

The old man who had descended first tottered up to them, brushing dirt off his shoulder and turning rheumy, guilty eyes on Daniel. His shoulders were hunched, head tipped downward, like a tiger backed into a corner and about to pounce. "You have forced us back to mortality, used your machine to take from us what we rightfully achieved on our own. What will you do with us now?" he asked, his voice hoarse with accusation and leashed rage. 

"For the moment, you learn how to be mortal again," Daniel answered as compassionately as he could. "The Furlings will be bringing food, clothing, and medicines for you. Eventually, you'll all be gathered up and taken through the stargate to the Nox homeworld."

"And what becomes of us when we get there?" asked a beautiful young woman, not bothering to cover her body with her hands. She looked resentful, angry, maybe a little scared. 

Daniel cocked his head, thinking about the punishment the Furling council of elders had suggested, still not understanding it. "Both you and the Nox will be provided simple tools and provisions enough to survive, but all advanced technological devices will be removed from your possession. The stargate will be taken away. However long it takes you to rebuild your societies from the most basic level, that's when you'll be free to roam the galaxy again. If it takes ten years or a thousand, you'll have that long to really think about the decisions you made. Be grateful they didn't do to you what you did to them." 

Most of the Ancients were staring at the ground in shame, but some eyed him with obvious hatred, others had chins held high, no doubt believing they had acted correctly. His judgment brought only a faint ripple of protest, a distant grumbling of disagreement. No one spoke loudly or clearly enough for him to hear, and he knew there would be no argument. Daniel thought the Furlings had been generous, after having spent millennia preparing for a war they wouldn't fight. Given the option, they were a peaceful race. Backed into a corner, they would not easily be defeated.

More than ever, Daniel felt the Furlings had been frighteningly misjudged and was happy he'd been able to help rectify that matter.

He knew the Ancients could try to run and hide, but the virus would find them and, without the Furlings' amazing medicinal tea, any stragglers would die. If they wanted to live, they would submit to this sentence. If they ascended again, they would simply be brought right back to the mortal plane.

"What will become of me?" asked Shifu, reaching out to touch Daniel's shoulder.

Daniel smiled at him. "You've committed no crime," he reminded the teenager. "You can go wherever you want."

"My mother's world is gone, as is yours. Where should I go?"

"There's our new home," offered Jack lightly, "and the Furlings are nice folks, too. They have a cool music box."

Leave it to Jack to simplify things, Daniel thought. "The Furlings are very wise," he suggested. "There are some on Alpha, if you decide you want to go there. I think they may have much to teach you."

The tiniest impish grin touched the corners of Shifu's mouth. "Then I would like to see both places." 

"You got it," agreed Jack. He patted the boy on his shoulder as they took a step off the deck. "That is, if it's stopped raining naked people." He glanced hesitantly up at the sky, then at the crowd, which silently parted to let them pass.

"Sky's clearing," Daniel observed, and then his gaze turned to the ground beneath his bare feet.

"Daniel," said Jack. "Shoes."

"Right." He pivoted and turned back to the deck to put on his footwear. He didn't look up at the crowd of Ancients as he pulled on his socks, his mind wandering to far places.

At that moment, a fleet of Furling ships would be closing in on the new Supergate, carrying another of Daniel's machines to the galaxy where the Ori ruled. When they arrived, the Furlings would activate the device and return the Ori to physical form. What became of them afterward would be the decision of those who had worshipped them under penalty of death.

Without the power of the Ori, the Priors would become ordinary mortals again. Truth would reign at last. False gods would be revealed as the imposters they truly were, and humanity would have an opportunity to make a fresh start.  Daniel looked forward to that, and to bringing justice to his lost world.

He adjusted his left boot and got to his feet with his head high, eyes forward, step sure. Soon now, he hoped he would be standing face to face with Zeus.

May 30
The Next Day
Gaia Conference Room

The connection to the council was made right on schedule, and a hologram of the group appeared in the middle of the table in the main conference room on board the ship.

Daniel barely recognized Jack, whose face was covered with a neatly trimmed full beard, his hair gone mostly white and now well past his collar, forelock trimmed into bangs that fell near his eyes. He looked like a mountain man, tanned, lean, and full of energy.

He smiled into the video device and gave a friendly little wave. "Yo, Gaia. Daniel and company. How's tricks?" He barely paused when he leveled Daniel with a stern gaze, his friendly grin vanishing. "You been behavin' yourself, keeping out of the hunt for you-know-who?"

With a sigh of resignation, Daniel nodded. "Strictly archaeological pursuits as ordered, yes," he informed his friend, "and we've made a discovery that the entire Furling nation needs to be made aware of. I see you have their Alpha representatives present, as requested."

Each of the four clans were embodied by at least one member at the table. Tiny Sky Clan were barely visible, hovering near the shoulders of Grass with their s'resh-lights on to make them more easily seen over the holographic connection.

"Of course," Jack returned. "So," he rubbed his hands together, obviously ready to get down to business, "what's up?"

Carolyn Lam, seated at Daniel's left, answered the question, her gaze shifting to Jarvik, who sat next to her. "We're sending you an upload of information obtained at a Furling colony called Con Thien. We were able to obtain complete records of the project they were working on that inadvertently caused the Ancients to attack them."

She nodded, and Jarvik manipulated the controls on the sleeve of her s'resh to send the data through the conference uplink.

"Oh? That's pretty... significant. Big and honkin', even." Jack glanced at some of the diminutive aliens seated among the humans at the table.

"You have no idea how significant," Daniel agreed. "The biggest 'big' ever!"

Jack's dark eyebrows lifted beneath his shaggy silver bangs. "That's pretty obscure, even for you, Daniel."

"I'm not going to spoil the surprise," Daniel shot back, grinning wider. "This is Doctor Lam's show."

Carolyn chuckled slightly. "This is really the Furlings' show," she countered. "They ought to be telling this, but they thought it'd be better coming from me, so..." She shrugged and gave Jarvik a pat on the shoulder.

The little Grass Clan healer smiled and bowed her head.

Daniel knew Jarvik had a right to the pride glowing in her elfin face. He still couldn't believe the data he'd seen with his own eyes. So many questions had been answered for him in the past few days, and he'd made so many startling realizations, his head was still swirling with them.  He closed his eyes and just listened, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

"A long time ago," Carolyn began, "four great races met in this galaxy and began to exchange information. Each realized the potential of the others; at first, they celebrated their differences while still seeking ways of understanding each other. We saw this in the aap, the universal language machine that SG-1 found with Doctor Ernest Littlefield. After meeting the Furlings, we learned the aap was their design, a first attempt at bridging the language and culture barriers between the Four Races."

Jack nodded. "This isn't news, Doc."

"Everything in context," she promised, leaning forward slightly. "I have to start at the beginning, or the rest of the story won't make sense."

The General sat back in his chair. "Go on."

"At this point, the Asgard had already committed themselves to cloning as the only approved method of reproduction," she added. "They were great geneticists, but with limited imagination. The Asgard focused on cleaning out the complications of gender behaviors from their species, but didn't look far enough ahead to see that this would be a genetic dead-end for them. By the time they realized that, they were on their way to extinction."

She stared into the video capture device at the center of the hologram on the table. "The Furlings wanted to help, so they began experimenting with a way to bring gender back into Asgard DNA. They found volunteers among their own people who agreed to have their DNA manipulated for the sake of their alien allies, and the DNA re-sequencers were built."

"I thought that was so they could adapt to different alien environments?" asked Doctor Lee from the hologram.

"So did we, at first," Carolyn agreed, nodding, "but I kept coming back to the presence of the null genders in the Furling population. What possible biological purpose could they serve, since they're incapable of reproduction?"

She held up her hands, palms outward. "But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here."

"I'm dyin' to see where this is going," Jack added, his voice edged with sarcasm. He looked a little bored, his chin now propped in his hand, elbow on the table, doodling on a pad with his pen.

"Buckle your seat belt, Jack," Daniel advised lightly. He glanced at Doctor Lam and nodded for her to continue.

"The Furlings combined their own DNA with that of the Asgard," she announced. "Their eyes became bigger. Their pupils changed shape. Their noses got smaller, and so did their bodies. That's when they got the bright idea to use the re-sequencers to help them adapt to planetary conditions; doing that marked the origin of the four Clans, but that was just another step in an incredibly complex biological puzzle that has only recently been completed." 

At the Alpha conference table, Furlings began to speak softly to each other in their native dialects. They were concerned where these ideas were headed, yet anticipation was high. Daniel understood their comments, and waited with Carolyn for their discussion to finish.

"Please, listen to Doctor Lam," Scout admonished them from Daniel's right. "Your questions will be answered, as ours have been."

Silence fell on the other end of the wormhole transmission, and all eyes returned to the video device.

"There's a gap in the research history," Carolyn told them. "Some of the machine memory was degraded, so we don't know exactly where the original specimens originated, whether they were created in a Furling laboratory or were the result of some incredibly artistic and detailed gene manipulation, but... from the data we examined at Con Thien, it seems the Furlings concept of a universal means of communication between the Four Races was carried from ideological concept to an actual physical bridge between species."

Doctor Lam beamed. "They created us, General O'Neill. The human race."

The reaction at Alpha was instantly animated and riotous. Human scientists and Furlings alike were dynamic in their discussion, which became louder by the moment. Some stood up, hands waving as they sought to make points, deny, laugh, argue.

Scout barked an order, a single word in the Forest dialect.

Instantly, the Furlings at Alpha hushed and resumed their seats, attention directed at the camera.

The humans took a little longer.

Jack stood up and steered the Alpha council back to their chairs, demanding quiet. When decorum had been restored, he returned to his seat and eyed the Gaia connection. "You got proof of this?"

Carolyn nodded. "Yes, Sir. It's in our genes." She leaned over to Jarvik and whispered in her ear, then straightened up, pointing to new holograms rising up from the projector on the conference table, mirrored at the Alpha site.

"These are several human DNA samples from our database. I've highlighted key areas on each sample that are markers from each of the Four Races. We all have them; they just hadn't been identified until now. Some genes are active and responsible for specific physical attributes. Others are inactive, but still present. They're present in every human DNA sample I've examined, without exception."

"But..." Jack's eyebrows darted downward in resistance and confusion, "Daniel didn't have the Ancient gene Doctor Beckett discovered. He couldn't activate any of the devices."

"His is switched off," Carolyn explained, "but still present. Our electron microscopes weren't capable of locating the inactive marker, but the Furling analyzers clearly show--" She pointed at Daniel's sample.

"So that whole Adam and Eve thing is wrong?" Jack looked doubtful. 

Scout waded in for the theological discussion. "I've read your Bible," he announced quietly, "and this history could still be accurate. I believe our Creator may well be the same as the One mentioned in your Christian doctrines. If our el, the one you call God, created my Furling ancestors in the image of the Divine, and then we went on to create humans, can it not also be said that God fashioned your species, using us as a tool?"

Jack shook his head. "Kinda boggles the mind," he returned, turning his gaze to his old friend. "You sure about this?"

Daniel held up his hands. "The Furlings who died at Con Thien told us where to look," he told Jack. "I didn't understand at first, but you'll find it in the data burst we sent you at the beginning of this meeting. There's a recording of Grass Clan scientists who were working on the project, under attack by the Ancients. One of the geneticists makes this hand sign," he demonstrated, his right hand in an inverted "peace" sign, his left making the American Sign Language symbol for the letter 'o', backs of his hands touching, "while declaring that the data they were working on was protected."

"And this means..." O'Neill shrugged.

"Look at it, Jack!" Daniel told him, smiling softly, holding his hands higher. "It's the stargate symbol for Earth."

"I don't know," Jack returned with a slight shake of his head. "That seems like an awful big leap."

"Verification is in the files we uploaded to you," Carolyn promised. "Every detail of the process, beginning to end, except for that one little gap." She flashed a secretive half-smile.

"And then there's this." Carolyn turned to Jarvik with additional instruction, and the Furling opened up a hologram of the pyramid crystal Daniel had found in the second set of ruins the Gaia team had explored. "The first time we examined this artifact, the only image we thought it contained was the DNA helix for Virus A," she stated. "Daniel found another encryption in it that unlocked five other data points. Very important ones."

An image of the pyramid appeared on the table beside the hologram of the Alpha council. The lines of the clear crystal were inscribed with light, gleaming and beautiful, straight planes with sharp edges glinting with the colors of the spectrum. Inside the heart of the crystal, a single helix rotated slowly.

Daniel stared at the three-dimensional picture as he spoke. "Remember when I found the key to the stargate glyphs, Jack? Six points in space, with a seventh determining the point of origin. I drew a funny little cube to illustrate the concept for General West and all the other brass, including you."

"Yes, I remember." Jack's voice was low and calm. "Seems like a lifetime ago."

"I didn't think about it at first, but there had to be a reason for the choice of the pyramid shape for the crystal," Daniel mused, "otherwise, the Furlings would have chosen a sphere to store the DNA data for the virus. The pyramid has four corners on the base, one for each of the Four Races. Follow the lines upward, and they all merge into a single point at the top. Four points become one, with the aid of the converter at the center."

Daniel huffed an amazed little laugh. "We're the Fifth Race, Jack. The Asgard told us that a long time ago; They just didn't tell us what it meant. Our destiny is to become the bridge between the greatest races in the galaxy."

"What about the virus?" asked Doctor Lee. "Where did it come from? Why were the Furlings studying it?"

"They created it," Carolyn verified, her voice edged with sadness. "They were working on a cure as part of the development process when the Nox interfered. It wasn't supposed to be released until the remedy had been produced and verified." She sighed. "The virus acts as a catalyst, changing only a tiny fraction of the DNA of infected individuals. It's designed to broaden the recognition coding on the protein coating of haploid cells -- that's sperm and egg cells, in layman's terms -- so that interbreeding between species would be possible."

"And why would we want that?" asked Jack.

She grinned. "Don't you see, sir?  The Nox don't have to die out. The survivors of Earth don't need a genetic lottery, or enforced breeding, or any of the other unpalatable options we've discussed. We can produce offspring with both the Furlings and the Nox, and they with us."

"That's the point of all this," Daniel interjected. "They were trying to build common ground for the Four Races. That's why they developed the aap on Ernest's planet. Becoming a single race -- for the Furlings, that was the key to understanding the other three races -- to become them."

"Well." Jack turned to eye Doctor Warner. "I guess that explains it."

Alpha's Chief Medical Officer was grinning from ear to ear and nodding. "I guess the hell!" Warner chuckled as he turned to face the Gaia link. "We had an unexpected pregnancy reported yesterday and have been trying to figure out... um, how it happened. The woman swore she hadn't been intimate with any of the men on base, wasn't on the lottery list, but the test was absolutely positive. I guess we were just looking in the wrong population for the father. Nobody suspected one of the Furlings might be responsible. We hadn't even considered the idea, because they're so biologically different from us." 

"I've begun to suspect anything is possible, with them," Daniel murmured.

"You've given us a lot to think about," Jack stated, leaning back pensively in his chair now, fingers interlaced over his flat belly. "We've had some things going on here, too. The results of the recently-held elections are now official, and thank you for sending in your votes. I'm officially retiring in a couple of weeks, when I hand off command of Alpha to our new Chief here." Jack nodded at Sergeant Harriman, who smiled and ducked his head slightly.

A ripple of congratulations sounded on both sides of the wormhole connection.

Daniel glanced at Colonel MacFarland, sitting across the table from him. "Rose has told us she's being recalled to serve on the Cabinet." He stood up and reached over to shake her hand. "I'll miss you, but I know you'll do great things on Alpha," he told her warmly.

"Thanks, Dan'l." She winked at him. "Y'make a great cheerleader, son."

"And as soon as I get done here," Jack continued, "I'd like to pay a visit to Gaia, if that's okay with the Captain, and take 'er for a spin, see a bit of the galaxy."

"We would be honored to have you among us, General O'Neill," said the Mountain Clan commander.

"I'll let you know when to expect me, then, and you can send me coordinates when it's time." Jack glanced around the table at the council members and their Furling guests. "Anybody else got anything, or is this enough to keep our heads spinning for a while?"

After a brief discussion, the meeting drew to an excited close, with a promise to come together again soon for more Q&A.

Daniel felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment settle over him. Important questions had been answered for him over the last few days, and any lingering doubts about the Furlings had vanished. Soon he would say farewell to his new friend, Rose, and welcome two old teammates aboard Gaia. Teal'c would also be returning to the ship soon, at the invitation of the Furlings, reuniting the majority of SG-1 again.

The thought of their reunion lifted his spirits. He felt Sam's loss keenly, but it would be great to have most of the old gang back together. A flutter of hope was brushed quickly aside, but returned forcefully to cling to his heart.

Maybe, just maybe, if Jack and Teal'c were with him, he might be able to return to the hunt for Zeus, and finally have a chance at justice for Earth.


June 12
Two Weeks Later
Gaia Transporter Room

"Greetings, O'Neill," said Teal'c from beside the shipboard stargate ramp. "It is good to see you again."

"T! Buddy! Been a long time." Jack gave the Jaffa a quick, back-slapping hug, then reached out to do the same to Daniel. "You been behavin' yourself, Daniel?" He dropped a large duffel bag on the floor and slipped a backpack from his shoulders as he glanced around the spacious arrival center. "Nice place. Sparkly." 

Daniel grinned. "The Furlings don't do anything halfway." He reached down and took the duffel bag, hoisting it over his shoulder while the official introductions were made.

Jack shook hands with Captain, his officers, and Scout, congratulated Rose on her new position, and stepped aside as an outgoing wormhole was established that would take her back to Alpha.

"I'll see you soon," Daniel promised her, enveloping her in a firm, affectionate hug.

She gave him a crooked smile. "I'll believe that when I see you comin'," she shot back playfully, her arms tightening about his waist. "Damn sure better write to me, or send me video messages or somethin', though. Promise?"

"I promise." He leaned in and whispered where only she could hear, "Thanks for watching my six. I know I don't make that an easy job for anybody." 

She patted his cheek with one hand and gave him a warm smile. "You're like a son to me, Dan'l. I'm sure that's just what Jack intended. You take care out there, ya hear?"  

"Yes, ma'am," he promised, "and I will come see you, soon as I can."

She just nodded, turned away, and walked into the rippling blue of the event horizon without a backward glance.

Daniel aimed a fixed smile at Jack, glad to see him again, but feeling more than a little awkward at their changed circumstances. O'Neill was no longer his commander, and he wasn't a civilian consultant attached to the military. If anything, Daniel was more in charge, and Jack was an observer. "Let's get your gear stowed away, and I'll give you the grand tour. Then we can have a little chat about a few things."
 
"Uh-oh," Jack deadpanned. "Do I need a seat belt for this, too?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt. C'mon. Let's get you settled."

"Lead the way, Daniel. It's your ship, after all."


Laboratory Fourteen

Daniel took a deep breath, his guts clenching as he led the way into the room, with Jack, Teal'c and Scout right behind him.

"This is my workshop," Daniel told them with an expansive gesture.

Jack moseyed over to the counter in the middle of the small room, studying the object sitting on top. "And what sort of toys do you build here, Santa?" he inquired lightly, but it was obvious by the intensity of his gaze that he recognized the small machine.

"You know what that is," Daniel answered, glancing at Teal'c's face as the Jaffa approached the workbench. "This room is in a different... um, area of space, if you will, so we can keep its contents protected. If it works as planned, and I'm pretty confident it will, then we'll have nothing to fear from the Ori, ever again."

"They have a new Supergate," Jack observed, gaze still on the machine, hands in his pockets. "Maybe we can christen it for 'em."

Daniel shook his head. "This machine is a slightly different design," he said softly. "Merlin's device was engineered to destroy the Ascended. This one..." He smiled. "I had something else in mind for them."

Jack picked up an elegantly detailed screwdriver with a tempered cobalt blue glass handle trimmed in silver. "I'm listening," he said absently, then set the tool back on the counter and made eye contact.

"The Ancients -- and presumably, the Ori, too -- ascended in order to escape certain death," Daniel told his friends. "The Furlings now have a cure for the plague that was killing them. There's no reason they can't return to the mortal plane now, and finish out their lives like everyone else, is there?"

Jack's dark eyes flickered with understanding as his imagination led him to a startling conclusion. "You're going to manually descend them with this thing?"

"Yes."

O'Neill's eyebrows lifted. "Gentlemen, I think this calls for a beer. Maybe a whole keg." He glanced at the elder, standing at Daniel's side. "You folks do have beer, don't you?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "Actually, no, Jack. They don't drink. Alcohol kills brain cells."

"Well, crap. I knew there was somethin' about 'em that bothered me." Jack stuck his hands into his pockets and pulled a frown. "So what do you folks do to let your hair down?"

el-Mikha opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Daniel cleared his throat loudly and hurried over to Jack.  "You really don't wanna know."  He towed him toward the door by one elbow. "Let's get something to eat," he suggested.

Jack let the remark pass and called over his shoulder to the others, "You guys comin'?"

Hoping Mikha would keep his mouth shut and not take the opportunity to educate his human audience for once, Daniel glanced over his shoulder at the elder.

Teal'c studied Scout with one eyebrow lifted. "Indeed." He gestured toward the door, respectfully allowing the Furling to precede him.


"Permission to enter," called Scout from the open doorway of Jack's new quarters a few hours later.

"I'll never get used to not having doors," Jack confessed. "C'mon in, Scout." He waved the alien into his foyer.  "Take a load off." He set a small stack of metal picture frames on a low table, watching while his guest entered.

"I won't stay long," the elder declared cordially. "You seemed to want to speak to me privately. Did I read your body language correctly? I'm still learning human gestures and expressions, but many are very similar to the People's."

Jack nodded. "Yep. Thought we might have a chat about Daniel. How's he been lately? Doc Lam says he's not showin' signs of the telekinesis or lightnin' shooting out his fingers anymore."

Scout nodded. "He's achieved control of those abilities, though it was a difficult ordeal for him. Why do you ask me, and not Daniel himself?"

One by one, Jack opened the stands on the backs of the picture frames and set them up along the rear edge of the table. "You're the one he spends the most time with," Jack stated, avoiding the elder's eyes. "You'd know best what his state of mind is, and frankly, whenever I ask Daniel himself, his pat response is always, 'I'm fine.' Figured if I wanted to know what was what, I should check with someone close to him."

"Daniel's been through a great deal of trauma," Scout observed, clasping his hands behind his back, his expression cool, unflappable. "He's adjusting very well and is a functioning member of our society. He has tremendous reserves of strength, no doubt due to the many obstacles he's had to overcome in his lifetime."

"You care about him," Jack assessed, making a final adjustment to a photo of Charlie, his late son, and straightening up to meet his guest's eyes. "Well, so do I." He put his hands on his hips.

The elder tilted his head and flashed a half-smile. "Is this a..." Scout's left hand made a few small circles in the air as he searched for the proper slang term. "I can't remember the phrase. Something about bodily waste and competition."

"Pissing contest?" Jack shook his head. "No. I just wanna make sure the Furlings have his best interests at heart."

"We do." Scout's humor faded. His amber eyes gleamed, his dark green eyebrows dipping lower. "In fact, we've been waiting for the right time to speak with you regarding Daniel's clearance to pursue Zeus.

"We have information on the Goa'uld's location. The People are following him now, but we haven't reported his location to Alpha, because we thought his capture and punishment should rightly belong to Daniel. Do you agree?"

Jack knew what Scout was asking. He quickly weighed and measured and considered, then made his decision. "Yes," he said softly. "Let's go get the son of a bitch. It's what Daniel needs. Maybe it'll give him some peace."

"Arriving at Zeus' location will take us some time," Scout informed him. "If he moves elsewhere, we'll have to adjust our course, but eventually, we'll intercept him. There is no place he can go where we won't find him."

"Then consider Daniel un-grounded."

"Done." Scout gave him a slight bow, a gesture of respect from one elder to another. "Is there anything else we can offer that will make you more comfortable, General?"

"Just Jack. And unless you folks can whip up some beer, I think I'm good."

"I'll see what I can do about the beer." The alien chuckled.  "Welcome to Gaia, Jack." He turned and left with silent steps.

For a moment, Jack just stared at the doorway, thinking about their conversation. So damned much had happened over the past eleven months. Few things still had the ability to make his insides knot up, but the thought of Daniel facing off with Zeus was one of them. He didn't know what seeing the Goa'uld up close and personal would do to his friend, or how Daniel might react when he finally laid eyes on the asshole who had destroyed his world, his civilization, almost everything and everyone he held dear.

It might send Daniel over the edge.

It might also free him from the incredible burden he'd been carrying for almost a year.

There was no way to tell which way fate would take him, a flip of the coin either way, but Jack knew pursuing Zeus was something Daniel had to do. Jack would be right beside him, ready to pick up the pieces, if necessary. Either way, it would put an end to the matter once and for all, and that was an absolute must.

Justice or revenge would plot their course through the stars, and in short order, Jack would know which way the winds would be blowing.

May 24
One Month Later
Aboard the Gaia

Daniel stood on the tiny balcony, leaning on the railing, gazing down at the glowing heart of the great ship. This was his private place, the one room where only he could enter. Scout had closed it off with doors to the balcony and the corridor, locking them with a biological scanner that would only allow Daniel to pass. It was a tiny room, little more than an alcove, but it was his alone.

Whenever he felt restless or stressed, he would shut himself up in the tiny space. In there, he could breathe and relax. He could lose himself for a little while, and his meditations in that room helped tremendously. Day by day, he found more doors opening in his subconscious, and that introspection helped him to shut down the wildly random outbursts of his growing Ascended powers. He could turn them off when needed, and that was all he wanted.

But just now, with the stillness and quiet of solitude gathered around him, he'd found something in his hidden past that he knew would change him forever.  He bowed his head, the memory rushing into his consciousness, swirling about, churning in his soul like whitewater.

Leaving the ranks of the Ascended the first time had been his choice, not a punishment handed down to him by the Others. Watching Jack die over and over at Ba'al's hands had been the starting point, but being prevented from saving the Abydonians had been the last straw. He'd been snatched back at the last moment by Oma Desala, then forced to witness the destruction of his adopted home and his wife's people.

As he stood there in contemplation, so long after the event he'd locked out of his mind, Daniel's heart ached for the Abydonians, but he forced himself to keep his grief at bay. His hands tingled, his body reacting to the rising energy, but he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, using the lessons Scout had taught him to keep the newfound memories in check. He didn't want those powers; with a little more practice, he'd be able to safely tie the abilities off and make himself normal again.

Only that wasn't all he'd discovered during his introspection. He'd found another memory, bright and clear, and understood every detail of it. He could build Merlin's weapon, if he wished.

He just wasn't sure he wanted to have the annihilation of an entire race on his hands.

He needed more time to think about that and make sure he chose the right path. Such a weapon could easily destroy the Ori, but if it were unleashed in this galaxy, it would wipe out the Ancients. That might be something the Furlings wanted; maybe it was even the justice they deserved.

Or perhaps they had deserved their exile and near-annihilation; he still wasn't sure. There wasn't enough evidence to know either way. Not yet, but perhaps exploration of the next Furling colonial world on his list might shed some light on that question.

All he knew for certain was that he didn't want to share this information with the Furlings until he knew more about why the Ancients had put them away, and that puzzle still remained tantalizingly unsolved. He would wait and watch, and search for the truth. For now, he had a little peace, and it was good.


May 27
Three Days Later

The ruins called Con Thien were all above ground, laid out in a spiral with smaller curved trails cutting through to the larger radiant arms of the streets. Some of the buildings had been blasted to rubble and dust, others worn away to mere skeletons, but toward the center, a handful still stood in pristine glory.

Exploring them was the hard part, because the ceilings were only five feet high.  This was a world once populated by Grass Clan, and these ruins had been the center of their civilization on this devastated planet. Very little life remained near the cities, which were barely more than burned-out craters. Only this place still gave off an energy signature, which the away team had followed eagerly, hoping to find another piece of the Furlings' puzzling, mysterious history.

On this mission, they were accompanied by Jarvik, chief of the Furling infirmary staff. Although she had the stature of a child, the grief and shock on her face were clearly the outward signs of adult feelings; she understood what she was seeing around her.

She also seemed to know where she was going, leading the party down side paths, moving always to the right until they reached the city center. Her small body fit easily through the archway in an outer wall of the central building. It was too small for Denali to enter, and Daniel, Scout, and Rose had to bend over to get through it.  

The giant would remain vigilant at the entrance, in contact with the team through the comm link.

By the time they reached the structure's inner chambers, Daniel's back was aching. He needed to stretch, but there was no place to do that, short of lying down flat on the floor.

"Are we there yet?" asked Rose, leaning over with her hands on her knees as they came to a stop inside a large room at the center of the complex. "I'm too old for this kids' clubhouse thang."  She joined the others as they examined their surroundings. The walls were lined with dark, silent machinery, many of which bore similarities to the incredibly high-tech analyzers in Gaia's infirmary.  "What is this place, anyway?"

Jarvik spoke a single word in her dialect, and immediately, the readout inside Daniel's visor translated, Laboratory.

"What kind?" the Colonel shot back, a definite tone of uneasiness now in her voice.

Curious, she wandered closer to the central unit, reaching out to touch the sleeping device. A sonic pulse similar to the startling ship's klaxon reverberated through their bodies, and her hand bounced off an invisible force field, preventing her from getting near the apparatus.

"Protected," said Jarvik. She gestured around at the circular room, lined with dormant equipment. "Secret research. Only Grass may touch." She looked a little afraid, her big gray-green eyes shifting to Scout's face as if waiting for instruction to proceed.

Daniel glanced at the elder, who had taken a seat on the floor, knees drawn up, forearms resting on them. "Continue, Rhami," he said quietly, the picture of calm acceptance. "We are prepared for whatever we might find here."

Daniel was intrigued to hear the healer's true name, and filed the information away for later.

With an acknowledging nod, Jarvik withdrew a small portable power supply, a mini-ZPM of Furling design, from a pouch slung over her shoulder.

They watched as Rhami plugged the powerful little battery into the appropriate hole in the device, and all around them the room came to life. Tiny lights flicked on and machinery began to hum.

Excitement shot through Daniel. This was the first Furling colony they'd found with an intact computer system, and he was hoping they'd find answers here. He was also hyper-aware of the fact that, if things didn't go well, he and Rose would be witnesses. That put them in a very precarious position. He would not be unprepared in the event they found something the Furlings wanted kept quiet, so he stepped to one side, casually placing himself between the aliens and Rose.

His fingertips tingled as he recognized the warning sign of potential power discharge, brought on by the thrill of discovery. He couldn't afford to let himself get carried away and possibly damage the machinery in the room, so he quickly tamped down the energy building up inside him.

Still, he might need to defend himself and Rose if what they found here further implicated the Furlings in a plot to destroy the members of the ancient consortium to which they had belonged. Very carefully, using his mind rather than his hands, he activated the tissé built into his s'resh as a precaution, setting the weapon to stun.

Rhami's small hands swept over the controls on the central database, designed much like a small DHD. "Accessing last security recordings," she reported to the rest of the team. "Final moments of Clan."

A hologram appeared beside the device, showing the whole room in miniature. A dozen or so diminutive Grass Clan researchers lay face down on the floor, hands clasped behind their heads, while human-looking beings -- the Ancients, Daniel assumed -- stood over them with weapons aimed and primed to fire. Every one of the Ancients looked ready to kill, teeth bared, expressions grim and filled with fear and fury.

One of the Furling researchers awkwardly twisted around, in an effort to look up at the Ancient officer in charge. "Must not stop research!" he cried, obviously desperate. "Nox released sickness, not Grass!"

"Silence!" screeched the commander. "They brought us evidence of your plot to destroy us, Furling. It was not their fault the sample was compromised. You have killed us, you murderous traitors, and we shall do the same to you!"

"No! We can save you!" Grass protested, lifting his head still further off the floor. "Sickness not meant to kill, Ancient!" The healer's hands pressed against the floor, and twisted upward a little more, tears streaming down his cheeks. "All will be reborn! All, even Asgard. Please--"

"Liar!" growled the Ancient, his eyes flashing with hatred. He pointed his weapon at the Furling. "Where is the research data? We will find the cure for this plague ourselves, and undo what you have done to us."

Slowly, carefully, the little Grass Clan healer pushed up to his knees and sat back on his heels. He gathered his hands into his lap, left over right. His head swiveled, and eerily, he seemed to look right at the recording device for a moment, speaking to it, rather than to his captor. "Sickness cannot be stopped," he said quietly, resignation etched into his face; he knew he was about to die. "Will change us all. Data is not here. Is hidden."

His fingers moved, barely noticeable, but enough that Daniel saw the strange gesture.

"Tell me where it is!" the Ancient roared.

The Furling shook his head and sighed, gazing at the floor. That was his last breath. His death was vividly recorded, along with the systematic execution of all the other Furlings in the room. The recording scrolled onward, revealing the Ancient soldiers' desperate search for a way into the machinery, but they couldn't touch it, couldn't interact with it; even their weapons fire just bounced off the shields protecting it.

Rhami sent the playback into high-speed, showing the bodies being cleared out and more teams of Ancients arriving and working with the alien technology, trying to hack their way into the system. Their movements grew halting, labored, their complexions turning sallow or gray as they sickened and then ceased to appear in the room, their numbers thinning out until the lab remained empty and grew dark when the power supply was exhausted.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Daniel sat down on the floor by Scout, and Rose joined them a moment later.  "What did that last bit mean?" she asked as he sat down a little hard on the floor. "Sorry, but I always have a little trouble following Grass' conversations."

"I'm wondering about that, too," Daniel agreed. "Is that a reference to the crystal pyramids we found?"

Scout nodded at Rhami. "Perhaps Grass will find more information in the database," he suggested. His shoulders slumped, and he turned a weary, relieved smile on his human companions. "While the People do seem to have been the creators of the virus that killed the Ancients, this seems to support Mountain's message that said the Nox were the ones who released it. According to this account, it was being engineered for another purpose, one it had yet to fulfill."

"And they died before they could achieve it," Daniel added. "They said everyone would be reborn.  He directed a question to Grass.  "What does that mean?"

The little healer's expression was closed. "Have ideas," she returned enigmatically. "Not ready to say yet. Need to study records." Her gaze moved to Scout's face as if searching for support.

"We may find our answers here," the elder agreed. "Please proceed, friend. Report to us as soon as you have a solution to this mystery of our past. I will ask if Doctor Lam wishes to assist."

"I'd like to stay, too," Rose volunteered, "so I can report to General O'Neill."

Scout nodded and got to his feet. He took a step, bent over beneath the low ceiling, and glanced at Daniel. "Would you also like to remain?"

Daniel studied the relief etched into Mikha's face and shot a glace at Rhami, already working on the computer terminal, disarming the shields and setting search parameters, all within full view of the entire party. There was no hint of subterfuge here, no attempt to hide any of the data they'd found.

Daniel felt his last remaining suspicions slipping away. The Furlings had been honest with him from the beginning, if not fully forthcoming with details of every strategy. If he asked the right questions, he'd found theyd given him all the answers. That was the key to communicating with them. They had trusted him with their history, including events that had the potential to be damning to them as a race.

He smiled at Scout and shook his head. "I can check the progress reports from Gaia," he returned cheerfully. "I'll be a lot more comfortable in my office than in these buildings. You remember the way out?"

Twenty minutes later, they'd rejoined Denali and returned to the ship, arriving just as Doctor Lam and six of the Grass Clan medical staff arrived in the transporter room to go down to the surface. He smiled and waved to her, watching as she and the little Furlings disappeared in a shimmer of humming light. Scout kept pace with him, head down, hands clasped behind him, obviously deep in thought.

"You seem relieved to find out your people didn't intentionally kill the Ancients," Daniel mused. "Did you have doubts?"

Mikha nodded. "We have never been a people who expected the worst of others," the elder explained. "We were innocent then, and could not have imagined what the Ancients did to us. They were our friends, according to the historical records we managed to maintain." His gaze lifted to Daniel's face, the orange ring around those amber irises intense. "But those who survived on Furdani theorized the Ancients might have been plotting to make war on us all along. If that were true, then we would not have been prepared. That is the only reason we can imagine our people might have had for creating the virus -- as a way to strike back at those who would do us harm."

For a moment, Daniel just stared into those alien eyes, contemplating what he'd seen in the hologram. The hand movements the Grass Clan scientist had made nagged at him. It was a hint, but he didn't know what it meant, not yet. He'd have to look through the Furling database for the appropriate character in their written scripts to see if he could match it.

Right hand, first two fingers extended and spread, thumb tucking the last two fingers into the palm. Left hand on top, thumb and index fingertip touching, all the fingers curled into a tube shape, backs of the hands touching.

"I think there might be another reason your people created this virus," Daniel said carefully. "The researcher said everyone would be reborn. That's the key, Mikha. He was trying to buy his people's lives with that promise, only the Ancients didn't listen."

A sensation gripped Daniel's heart as he turned his gaze down the corridor to watch where he was going. It was something like fear, regret, hope, and anticipation all rolled into one. The germ of an idea lay just out of reach in his consciousness; if he could catch it, he thought all the pieces would fall into place at last.

He suspected the Ancients had made a colossal error in judgment by condemning the Furlings to death and exile. If this intuition proved true, the Ancients might have killed off the only race in the galaxy who could have saved them -- would have saved them, given a chance.

Daniel made a decision then, and a great weight lifted off his heart. "I'd like you to come with me to my office," he told his companion. "There's something I want to show you. I'm going to start drawing up the plans for a machine the Furlings can use as a weapon against the Ori. We tried it once, but it was apparently destroyed before it could be put into action. This time, I think we can make a few adjustments that will be to everyone's best interest."

"A weapon?" asked Scout, his elegant eyebrows lifting in surprise. "From you?"

"Hey, I just remembered how to build it three days ago," Daniel shot back, recognizing a tease when he heard one. "Gimme a break."

"Very well. What would you like broken?"

Daniel couldn't help grinning.


May 29
Two Days Later
Gaia Infirmary

Carolyn looked tired as Daniel sidled up beside her in the testing bay. "You rang?" he asked quietly.

She glanced up at him with a weary smile. "Hey, yeah. I wanted to tell you about what we found at Con Thien." Her hands moved expertly over the controls of the database, sliding across virtual screens and pulling up data that floated in the air, inscribed with light. "Apparently, the Nox suspected the Furlings were plotting some kind of biological warfare and stole some samples of the virus from where it was being developed. That's how the contagion began, with the specimen containers being compromised."

"Which is pretty much what those two holograms on Helikon and Con Thien both indicated," he reiterated, nodding. "But why develop the disease in the first place, unless they really were planning a bio-war?"

She smiled, her chin dipped down, dark eyes sparkling with secrets. "Jarvik and I have a theory," she told him. "Can't tell you about it yet, but if it's true..." She shook her head and gave a soft chuckle. "It'll knock the whole galaxy on its collective ass, Daniel."  

Oh, how he hated being teased with information just out of reach. He frowned at her. "No hints?"

Her lips pressed together as she struggled to keep silent, and failed. "Okay, just one. Look at this."  Her left hand swept across a sensor panel, and two DNA holographs that had been minimized leapt up into view, spirals twirling silently in the air. She pointed at one. "This is us," she murmured, her gaze riveted to the helix. "Human DNA. Specifically, yours."

He cleared his throat nervously and waited for identification of the other graphic.

"This is Virus A," she whispered. "What do you see?"

Daniel squinted at the images, his eyes shifting from one to the other, back and forth, looking for something, anything that would trigger recognition.

Then he understood.

His eyes widened. He gasped, "Oh, my God."

Then he bolted, running out of the infirmary and down the corridor as fast as he could, headed straight for Laboratory Six and the crystal pyramid he'd found months ago, in another set of Furling ruins. The answer had been there all along; he just hadn't been looking for it in the right place.  

March 24
Gaia's Bridge

For the first time, Daniel saw how the Furlings responded to aggression. When two Ori warships attacked them, their response had been immediate, and their shields had gone up well before the first salvo of enemy fire hit them. A Forest Clan officer gave orders for evasive action and countermeasures, directing Gaia's responsive maneuvers until a battle strategy could be completed by Captain and his senior officers. 

Daniel and Scout stood nearby, ready to help wherever they were needed.

Wave after wave of Furling fighter craft, operated by skilled warriors of each of the four Clans, were launched against the enemy. Most of the pilots were Forest and Sky, but each had a specific role to fill in the battle.

Sky Clan's tiny darters were almost impossible to hit, due both to their size and their efficient cloaking mechanisms.  Their pilots provided a constant stream of intelligence to other fighter-craft, moving in close to examine the Ori cruisers and probe for weaknesses. 

Grass Clan's ships were roughly triangular in shape, with the blunt end of the wedge curved like a shield. They provided protection for Gaia, holding positions near the ship in strictly defensive formations.

Forest's sleek predator-craft attacked furiously, continuously firing on the huge warships as well as the smaller Ori fighters. 

It wasn't until the end of the battle that Mountain Clan pilots took to space, flying huge bombers appropriate to their intimidating size. The destruction they caused was massive, and moments after the giants entered the fray, it was over. Both of the Ori ships had been reduced to clouds of shrapnel and dying flame.

Hunter's off-handed comment, made to him so long ago now, came back to haunt Daniel yet again.  Sky watch. Grass defend. Forest attack. Mountain destroy.

He shuddered as he thought about the report he'd seen in the Asgard database just before the battle began, wondering just how well he really knew these people.

If this project of Three succeeds, the ancient Asgard writer had said, the Ancients and the Nox will be no more. The DNA re-sequencing process has achieved in excess of Third's expectations. We cannot condone this dangerous plan, but neither can we condemn it. We stand by and observe, taking no part, reserving judgment until the final tests have been accomplished and results indicate whether or not annihilation is complete.

That was all Daniel had been able to read before the battle stations alarm had pulsed through the ship.

Now, hours later, Gaia had taken a beating, but emerged victorious. The ship and her crew had sustained damage, and as he hurried back to his office, Daniel took note of what areas had been hit. He'd be busy over the next few days, lending his hands wherever they were needed, but for now, he had to check the rest of that report.

Daniel's office was dark when he stepped inside. The lights didn't activate upon his entry as they usually did. None of the ambient sounds were playing. When the sensory alarm klaxon had sent him on the run, he'd had his computer on and just located an important document in the Asgard database, but now the holographic windows he'd left open on the desktop were gone.

He listened, but there were no tell-tale sounds of possible surveillance, just the stressed voices of the Furlings recovering from battle.

Had someone turned it off, or had it been damaged during the battle? He tried to activate the computer linkup, but everything in his office remained still and silent. Moving to another office in a different section of the ship, he again tried to access the Asgard database.

System damage, flashed across the screen in Furling script and English. Unable to access data.

With a sigh, suddenly aware of the high-pitched hum of tiny, cloaked wings nearby, he turned away from the terminal.

Alpha would still have the information, since the Asgard database had been downloaded from there. Daniel could contact Jack and have him access it, or possibly even go back to the camp and find it himself. He'd make arrangements to do that later, but for now, he needed to get to work with relief and repair.

Things were not looking good for the Furlings' claim of innocence, but he sincerely hoped his intuition was all wrong. 


April 23
One Month Later
Gaia Infirmary

Without a word, Daniel set a small, covered specimen container, labeled with his name and SGC ID number, on Carolyn's desk.  He stepped back and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers.

She knew instantly what it was and glanced up from the semen sample to his closed expression. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Were you able to find a little privacy, I hope?"

He nodded and spoke to his boots rather than meet her eyes. "Scout put a lock on my memory scans after a... chat... we had a little while ago. My more recent downloads won't be available for public viewing until after my death."

She nodded. "I've heard the crew grumbling about that since Christmas. Apparently, your life was sort of 'The Truman Show' for them, and they're terribly disappointed."

This was not news to him.  "I'm not." He looked rather smug, insufferably pleased.

Carolyn shook her head, trying to hide a bemused smile. "I wasn't aware Scout had the authority to change their policy."

"He's kind of like the President of the Forest Nation," Daniel explained, finally giving her a slight grin, "only with no Secret Service. He's his own bodyguard."

"That was nice of him. I'm sure it helped."

"Yeah, it did. He also gave me a place where I can have some solitude when I need it. That did the trick." Daniel rocked back on his heels a bit, fiddling aimlessly inside his pockets for a moment while his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I'm just gonna... go now."  Giving her a plastic smile, he ambled out of the infirmary.

She picked up the sample cup, still slightly warm, and carried it over to the analyzer in the testing bay. The examination she'd be conducting was perfunctory, undertaken with every biological sample taken for the Alpha genetics bank, to test for diseases and do a preliminary DNA match -- not that she thought Daniel would have given her anyone else's semen; this was just a formality for the records. She collected a tiny drop of the fluid and placed it on a small glass plate, programmed in the required tests, and started the machine running.

The rest of the sample she placed in a cryogenic unit, safely sealed away for safekeeping and eventual transfer to Alpha.

It had been a rough ten days for everyone since the battle, but spirits were high, and the Furlings had just finished celebrating another holiday in the midst of the clean up. Apparently, the festive air aboard ship had had a positive effect on Doctor Jackson. This would be a load off both doctor and patient, not to mention General O'Neill, since nobody would have to pester anybody about it anymore.

Ten minutes later, after a tea and snack run to the food court, she checked to find the process completed. As she'd expected, the sample was clean, no trace of STDs or other illness.

The other result, however, was unforeseen. She leaned closer to the display panel and read the results, translated into English for her by the ship's database, along with a report in Furling script that she couldn't read.

She ran the comparison again, pulling up a holographic display of the original recorded DNA from samples in SGC records, calibrated the analyzer to make sure it was measuring correctly, and waited while the test was repeated.

The second analysis confirmed the outcome.

The DNA in the sample was close to Daniel's, but not an exact match.

She touched the comm link attached to her left ear and summoned Daniel to the infirmary.  She crossed her arms, foot tapping as she waited, trying to figure out what had happened.

When he arrived, he was dressed in a simple black tunic and loose-fitting trousers, possibly having just had a bath and changed clothes. He looked tired, but he hadn't complained about losing any sleep lately. "What's up, Carolyn?" he called, striding over to where she stood in the testing bay.

"You wanna explain this?" she asked, hooking one thumb toward the two holographs, side by side above the sample tray. She pointed to the first record. "This is a display of your DNA, taken from SGC records. This is from the sample you just gave me." She turned to aim a stare at him.  "They don't match."

He frowned. "What? There must be some mistake. Run it again."

"I did," she returned. "This is the second assay, following a calibration of the analyzer, and it's identical. That is, the test results are identical. The DNA has inexplicable variations that indicate it may not be yours."

Daniel blushed to the roots of his hair, his eyes gleaming with indignation. "I can promise you it isn't anyone else's. There has to be something wrong with the equipment." He frowned mightily at the machine.

"Then the only other possibility is that your DNA has changed."

"What could possibly have done that? I don't understand." His high color faded and a look of faint horror made his eyes widen. He held out one hand and shifted his gaze downward to examine it, as if it might suddenly look completely different than it had moments earlier. "How have I been changed, Carolyn?"

"I don't know," she told him honestly. "You've been exhibiting Ancient abilities lately. I've been testing the hell out of you for weeks now, and can't find anything, but you can damn sure bet I'm going to. Park your butt on one of the exam beds, Daniel. You're checking into the infirmary."

He didn't argue, just turned around and headed for the closest free bed and started rolling up his left sleeve for the blood draw he knew was coming.

The doctor glanced around at her Furling staff, wishing she had a human or two helping out in there, along with some familiar Earth equipment she knew she could trust. Perhaps it was time for her, the Colonel, and Daniel to return to Alpha for some down time. She could get her testing done there with people she trusted, and maybe whatever was happening to Daniel might stop.

Until then, she owed it to her patient and friend to do everything in her power to figure out this mystery, so she gathered up the equipment she needed to get her research started.


April 24
The Next Day

Carolyn and Daniel sat at a table in the garden room, both of them keeping watch for anyone approaching as they faced each other.  "The answer was right in front of us," the doctor said quietly over her teacup, "but I didn't put all the pieces together till Jarvik started looking over my shoulder, pointing and making suggestions. I still can't believe what the results indicate."

"Oh, please, tease me some more," Daniel shot back dryly. "I so enjoy not knowing what's happening to my own insides."

"Sorry." She gave him a tiny smile. "You're fine, Daniel. Really. It's just... Well, I might as well come out and say it. You've got a Furling gene. Actually, more than one."

Daniel sat back in his chair, eyes wide, mouth dropping open into a small 'o' of surprise. "Wha-what?"  He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, disbelief and shock written all over his face.  "What?"

"You know, of course, that Doctor Carson Beckett discovered some humans have a gene in common with the Ancients?" she asked, stirring her tea slowly. "General O'Neill is one of them. Beckett had it, too. And John Sheppard."

"Yes, yes, I know, but Furling genes? Me? How the hell--" He threw up his hands, then laid them palm down on the table, leaning closer and making an effort to keep his voice down. "Have I always had them, or is this... new?"

She took a sip of the fragrant, sweet emlaa tea that was her favorite, as she considered all she'd learned about him recently. "You've always had it," she answered slowly. "That part of the DNA profile we worked up was very clear. I just didn't recognize the structure at first." She sighed, lifting her gaze from the cup to his still-startled face.

"So what's changed?" he demanded. "Why did my... um... sample come up different?"

"Because that's the only component in your body that's changed," she told him. "One tiny piece of code that only affects the chemical trigger on the surface of your... little swimmers. They're healthy, motility's good, but..." She shrugged. "There's a protein coating, kind of like a barrier or shield, on the surface of our haploid cells -- that is, sperm and eggs -- that only recognize other material with the exact same material. That's what prevents one species from cross-breeding with another, like human and chimpanzee. Even if we mate, we wouldn't produce offspring together. Only species that are very, very closely related can interbreed, like lions and tigers, for instance, because their haploid cells have the same protein coating. Yours is altered now."

For a moment, he was quiet. His complexion lightened a few degrees. "So, are you telling me I'm sterile?" 

"I don't know." She shook her head, her stomach knotting up as she thought about this mystery. "Your sperm is different. That's all I can tell you for sure. That, and you've definitely had Virus A at some point. There are antibodies in your blood, so I'm guessing you might've contracted it while you were recovering from that first injury on Furdani."

His gaze dropped to the table. He nodded, his expression tempered with acceptance and sadness. "I've always kind of wondered why Shau'ri and I didn't have children together."  Then he looked up and gave her a slight smile. "I guess I just wasn't meant to have kids."  He stood up, easing out of the chair without pushing back from the table, graceful as a dancer.  "Thank you, Doctor."

"Daniel, wait."

He obeyed instantly, one step away, but turned just his upper body toward her.

"I said I don't know what all this means," she told him firmly. "We won't know until... well, you can enter a blind lottery or put your name on a list and wait till somebody picks you. Which probably wouldn't be long, given your standing in the Alpha community, but that's the only way you can really know for sure. And this doesn't necessarily have anything to do with you and your late wife, Daniel. I'm still not certain why it happened or what caused the alteration, but I'll keep looking. I'll get you answers. I promise."

He nodded. "Thanks."

Then he was gone, his steps measured and silent.

She'd already sent a report and his specimen off to Alpha, but he'd needed to hear the results. It wasn't bad news, after all. He was perfectly healthy, physically fit.  Only his ability to procreate was in question, and he didn't have a wife or the prospect of one in the near future. He had time to make that discovery, and hopefully before that time in his life arrived, Carolyn Lam would be able to determine whether fatherhood would be possible for him or not.

This was the downside of being a doctor, the part she hated. If he were sterile, as he suspected, she'd have to be the one to tell him, and see the disappointment in his face all over again. He was the kind of guy who ought to have kids. He had wonderful gifts and knowledge to pass on to them, but if something had happened -- some kind of radiation exposure, for example -- she'd figure out when and where he'd been exposed and continue her discussions with her Furling teachers, to see if they might be able to repair whatever damage had been done to him.

If he wanted a family someday, she wanted him to have that possibility in his future. As his doctor, it was the least she could do for someone who had already lost so much.

End Chapter 33

March 10
Aboard the Gaia over Helicon

Daniel's office was dimly lit, the sound of virtual crickets in the background soothing his jangled nerves. Overhead, the holographic ceiling flickered with artificial starlight.

He leaned his elbows on the cool surface of his desk as he waited for the active communication link to be established to Dakara.  While he had the chance to make a live connection, he thought he should check in with his friends and give them an update. He'd already spoken with Jack on Alpha, and now he needed to catch up with Teal'c. 

The last two days had been trying, cooped up as he'd been in Scout's quarters, feeling as if he were constantly under guard. The Furlings had finally gotten all the refugees resettled on the planet, and now Daniel was once more free to roam the ship at will, with his face uncovered. He'd grown to cherish working in his beautiful office, and had missed being there every day. It was time to get back to the daily grind; soon they'd be leaving orbit and heading off to explore another potential Furling colony or world under Zeus's control.

As soon as the link was established with Dakara, the desktop lit up with a view of Teal'c in his gray robes.

Daniel smiled. "Hey, Teal'c."

"Greetings, DanielJackson." The Jaffa wasn't one to waste time on idle chitchat. "You have news?"

Daniel decided he might as well follow suit. "Two days ago, we were attacked by the Ori. Scans of the three ships showed that they'd found a ZPM in the Furling ruins we came here to explore. They escaped with it." 

The Jaffa looked grim. "We have heard rumors that the followers of the Ori are building a new Supergate. Perhaps they intend to use the ZPM to power it." He sighed. "We also have received word that the Ori were not eliminated by Merlin's weapon, as we had hoped. The Priors have returned to their mission of conversion with renewed vigor, and if a new Supergate is opened, more troops and ships will no doubt soon appear to fuel their efforts to convert this galaxy."

Daniel was silent for a moment. "That's a war we not only can't win, we also can't fight it," he mused.

Teal'c's gaze slid sideways and down. "Perhaps the survivors of Earth cannot," he agreed.  His chin tipped up as he faced the camera again, and the tiniest smile lit his eyes.  "But do not forget you now have powerful allies in the Furlings. Even the Jaffa nations have not been unaffected from their kindness and generosity." 

That veiled reference reminded Daniel that Hunter, the Grass Clan elder, had gone to Dakara with Teal'c. Daniel grinned. "How is our little friend?"

One eyebrow arched, and Teal'c's humor vanished as a frown tugged the corners of his mouth downward. "He enjoys... fishing," the Jaffa announced with obvious disdain.

Daniel had to chuckle a little at that. No doubt Teal'c had been roped into going fishing with Hunter; knowing how often Teal'c had been coerced into roughing it with Jack at his cabin for R&R, Daniel knew how much the Jaffa hated it. He probably wanted to be rescued.

"You could always come back to Gaia to help me," Daniel suggested helpfully. "The door's still open. More or less."

The big guy inclined his head in gratitude. "I appreciate the offer, DanielJackson, but I now have a permanent place on the High Council. I must see to the future of my people. We have much work to do."

Daniel was filled with a sense of warm pride. "I can't think of anyone better suited to the position, Teal'c. Congratulations."

"Hunter has advised me that he will speak with the Furling elders regarding an alliance against the Ori," Teal'c added. "Since they have taken over many Jaffa worlds, we will be grateful for assistance in combating them."

Daniel nodded. "Maybe fighting the Ori will give them an opportunity to feel they've found justice against the Ancients," he mused.

He glanced away, intending to mention something else, when his gaze landed on a holographic display of an SGC mission report from P3X-367. He remembered Teal'c had been there when Nirrti had been experimenting on his teammates. The machine hadn't been used on Teal'c, but he would still want to know what Daniel and the Furlings had found there on Helicon, in the ruins of their hidden, protected city.

He cleared his throat. "The Furlings were the ones who created the DNA re-sequencer Nirrti used on Sam and Jonas," he said quietly. "They've found another one on this world, Teal'c. They're in the process of installing it here on Gaia so they can study it." He hesitated, trying to read the other man's stoic gaze. "They may have created the virus that destroyed the Ancients. There's also a possibility it was the Nox who killed them. We don't know for sure yet, but we're going to keep looking."

The Jaffa nodded, his expression unreadable. "Then I will await further information from you, DanielJackson," he returned, a slight edge to his voice. "I have nothing further to report."

Daniel nodded. "Same here. See you later, Teal'c."

"Dakara, out."

Daniel watched the image of his friend reach over and sever the virtual connection between his world and the ship. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, the darkness returning to the room, only the glimmer of artificial starlight illuminating the furnishings.

He bowed his head, thinking. They had made so many discoveries so far, yet the truth seemed to always be tantalizingly just out of reach. He brought up the Furling star chart above his desk and studied the layout of the galaxy, with Gaia's location marked by a tiny dot of shifting colors, hitting every hue in the spectrum. Captain and Scout would be waiting to discuss his opinion on their next destination, and he didn't have a clue where to go. 


March 22
Twelve Days Later
Gaia Music Room

el-Mikha stopped walking just inside the doorway of the music room and leaned against the wall. Above his head, Nari hovered with the high-pitched hum of tiny wings, eyes forward, watching. In the middle of the spacious, high-ceilinged room Daniel Jackson sat at the piano the People had crafted for him from information obtained from Alpha databanks. Except for Daniel the room was empty, and the two Furlings kept their voices low to avoid disturbing their human friend.

Daniel sat with his hands on his thighs, staring at the black and white keys, but making no move to touch them. 

"Why does he not play?" Nari asked in a hushed whisper.

"He is waiting for his mind and heart to be right to channel the music," the elder answered in a soft murmur. He himself had once been renowned for his singing, but had not performed for generations; the music had abandoned him long ago, but he still retained his pleasant, although distant, memories of it. It was good to see someone with talent expressing it. "It is a meditation for him." 

Daniel bowed his head and closed his eyes, fingers lightly drifting over the keys like a lover's caress. The alien music was muted, moody, and it was obvious that the human had talent.
"What is this piece?" asked Nari, breathless with wonder.

"It is called Moonlight Sonata, by an Earth composer with a strange name.  I believe Daniel told me his name was... Beethoven." el-Mikha smiled a little, remembering. "See how he touches the keys? He feels the subtle vibrations of the notes with his whole body. He is not a casual musician, as he told us, but an artist."

The melody played over and over, each time with different phrasing, colored with a flood of emotions eloquently spoken by the oddly beautiful instrument.

With a nod of his head, Scout directed the tiny female back outside the music room, into the corridor. "Somewhere inside him," the elder continued, "are the memories he has kept hidden from himself, walled up, out of everyone's reach. He will soon discover the doorway inside, Nari. When he does, he may find a way to control the powers that endanger all those around him, friend and enemy alike. He will have answers to questions he is reluctant to ask."

He stepped forward and made eye contact with the Sky Clan female that Daniel called Claire. "He may even have answers to questions we would prefer he not know. We must be prepared for this."

Nari hugged herself and gave a delicate little shiver, her expression drawn and sad. "I like him, Elder."

"As do I." el-Mikha sighed resignedly. "He is still distracted by his hunt for Zeus. He would not be pleased to learn that we already know where to find his enemy." He frowned and examined the toes of his boots. His tiny companion didn't know about the deal with the Goa'uld; no one would outside the council of elders, until it had been carried out. There would be outrage, he was sure, but the decision had been made by the council and would be carried out at the proper time.

She turned in mid-air to face him, her face set, eyes half closed and glittering with anger. "And we have found our enemy, as well. The Ori share the same origins as the Ancients. Sky Clan reports that their Wheel of Galaxies has been completed, and more of their warships arrive daily. Have you other news?"

The elder nodded. "The humans call it a Supergate. We are fully at war with their followers, little one."

Nari cocked her head. "How do we fare in battle, my lord?"

He met her gaze calmly. "Our weaponry is evenly matched. There are victories on both sides. This will not be an easy war to fight, but it will serve its purpose and give the People some small representation of justice. What interests me is the rumors of the Ancient weapon Daniel made and sent back through the first Supergate to destroy the Ori. Reports indicate it was disabled before it was activated, but perhaps, if we were to study its design, we might find ways to create an even more effective weapon... one that could be used in this galaxy." He smiled at her knowingly.

She grinned back and zoomed off in a graceful loop, coming back to buzz excitedly around his head. "And the only place to find that information--"

el-Mikha bent his head to look away from her pleased face into the music room just beyond, to the contemplative visage of Daniel Jackson, still immersed in his music. "--is right over there. All we need do is help him find it."

Nari turned in mid-air and faced the piano again. "He plays well."

The elder shrugged, then nodded in agreement. "He has told me he is out of practice, but each note is played with passion. He has the soul of an artist, that is certain."

el-Mikha closed his eyes and listened, ignoring the faint, high-pitched hum of Sky Clan's wings, soaking in the resonance of the golden notes. "Daniel has spent a lifetime looking outside himself and dreaming. Now he must look inside himself and awaken. It is a hard journey he makes, and there is much pain ahead for him." He sighed. "We will give him what comfort we can, Nari. Perhaps, when the time comes, he will forgive us our betrayal, because we showed him kindness."

Nari flew up close, landed on his shoulder and nestled against his neck beneath his hair. "Must we hurt him, el-Mikha?"

He reached up and gently folded his fingers around her lower legs in an affectionate touch. "Yes, Sky. We must. There is no other choice." 

The elder had never felt as old and weary as he did at that moment. Filled with regret and sadness, the emotions spilled out, misting his eyes, blurring the distant image of the human he called his friend. All he could do was delay the inevitable, not prevent the future that was already set into motion.

Time was his gift for Daniel Jackson, delaying the inevitable. That was all he had the power to do for the man he called a friend.


Gaia Infirmary

Carolyn Lam bent over the exam table, applying the last of the seals to her latest patient's wound. Jet had been injured off-world, his inner thigh sliced open by the claws of an alien animal, as he sought to protect his master; the away team had just returned to get him the medical attention he needed.

Only Jet wasn't a 'he.'

The doctor couldn't help stealing a glance at Jet's crotch as he reclined beneath a disposable paper tunic, with another sanitary drape over his lap. Jet was completely devoid of any genitalia whatsoever, inside or out. Even his DNA, which Carolyn had seen on the molecular level, showed no sexual markers. There were only the physical apertures of elimination, which she knew some Furling null genders made use of in sexual congress with others.

For them, the sex act existed only as entertainment, a curiosity; they could enjoy it, but they never quite understood it. She'd studied some of their psychology and resulting behaviors, but simply couldn't grasp what possible biological purpose such beings might have in Furling genetics. In all of nature, there'd only been the one species she'd ever encountered--

Her head came up. She looked Jet in the eyes, her bedside smile vanishing. "Oh, my God," she whispered as intuition dawned. "Excuse me, Jet, but you're fine, and I just have to... go..."

But no, patients came first. She shook her head, tucking away her excitement. "Sorry. I was distracted." She checked the shiny, transparent chemical "bandage" and decided it was set well enough for him to go. "You can get dressed now. I'd like to see you again in two days to check how that's healing. Meanwhile, no strenuous exercise till then, okay?"

He nodded and smiled at her. "Yes, Jehani."

Those big, beautiful eyes could do some damage, she mused privately as she grinned back at him.

After making sure he could get up and no longer needed her aid, she left the examination table and headed for her desk, plopping into her chair. In seconds, she had accessed the Furling database, and set up a search parameter for biological data on the Asgard.

Hours later, she found herself skidding to a stop inside Daniel's office, breathless with excitement and discovery.

Doctor Jackson was asleep at his desk. He must have taken a moment to rest his eyes and drifted off, head resting on his crossed arms, face slack and eyes closed. If he were that tired, he probably should have been in bed in his quarters.

She shook his shoulder, calling his name to waken him.

He sat right up, wiping at his mouth and glancing around, obviously trying to get his bearings. "Carolyn, what are you doing here?" His hands moved on the desk, as though he were shuffling papers, only there was nothing there. He blinked at the holographic files he had open, seeking where he'd left off in his research.

"I just had to talk to somebody," she blurted, taking a seat in the guest chair. "It's something that's been bugging me since I met the Furlings, and I think I may have found an answer. Have you got a few minutes?"

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face to help him wake up more fully, and said, "Okay. Shoot."

"It's the Furling null genders," she began, leaning forward. "What's their biological purpose?"

Daniel held up one finger, and his eyebrows lifted. "Um..." His mouth opened and closed as his mind skipped a beat.

"Exactly! There is no purpose. Nowhere in natural history, at least, what we know from Earth, are nulls included in a species population. They're a biological dead-end, incapable of reproduction. The only place we've ever found them is..." She held up both hands and waited for him to get it.

He frowned, his lips pursing slightly. "Well..."

She answered the question for him. "The Asgard! They manipulated their genes to remove all gender markings from their species, depending on cloning for reproduction. What if the Furlings were trying to do the same thing? Or--"

Carolyn stood up and started pacing, her mind racing as she pursued this incredible idea, needing him for a sounding board. "What if they looked ahead and could see the Asgard were going to have problems, and were trying to help them find a way back to becoming a gendered species?"

"But--"

"We know the Asgard had recovered a few cryogenically preserved specimens of their forebears," she continued, arms crossed over her chest, head down as she watched the floor with its velvety green carpeting beneath her shoes. "We know the Furlings had the DNA re-sequencers prior to their exile. We presume they invented those machines to help them adapt to alien environments, which resulted in the development of four distinct races in their own population, but what if they were trying to help the Asgard, too?"

"That might explain why they didn't take part in the war," Daniel agreed. "I'd think they might have taken sides with the Furlings against the Ancients and the Nox, though, if that were the case."

"Maybe." Carolyn stopped pacing and eyed him. "Bring up a DNA reference from the Asgard database, if you wouldn't mind. I want to check something." She hurried back to his desk and came to stand beside him, looking over his shoulder at the display. 

His fingers slid through the virtual controls on his desktop, accessing the requested information and displaying it in a hologram hovering at one end of his workspace.

"Can you access infirmary records from here? I want to look at a particular record."

He opened the records window, then rose from his chair and moved aside to let her search for the treatment data on her last patient.

She sat down and browsed through the files, opened the right one, and pulled up the DNA scan, displaying it right beside the Asgard one. She studied the two, side by side.  Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in surprise. "Oh, my God," she whispered, and covered her mouth with one hand.

"What?" asked Daniel, leaning closer, studying the twin spirals. "I don't know what I'm looking at, here, Carolyn. What do you see?"

Her throat tightened as possibilities shot through her brain at light-speed. "They're related!" she whispered excitedly. "The Furlings and the Asgard. They share some of the same DNA."

She moved the second image so it overlaid the first, making her observation crystal clear.

"Why didn't I see it before?" she whispered, getting up from the chair and pacing again. "The size of their eyes, the shapes of their noses... well, Furlings have prettier noses than the Asgard did, but still..."

"Wait! Wait!" blurted Daniel, sliding into the chair again, his hands busy manipulating the computer interface. "Take a look at the hologram from Helicon."

Carolyn glanced at the desktop, temporarily sidetracked by her cohort's line of thinking. "Yeah, I remember you said it was a Mountain female. They've completely outgrown the need for two genders, reproducing by parthenogenesis, so that image had to be pretty old."

"Partheno..." He scowled at her in confusion.

"Parthenogenesis," she repeated. "Single sex reproduction. They can reproduce spontaneously or in response to sexual stimulation, because they have complete reproductive capabilities built in. They have no need of females any more because they're not exactly males, as human males are. They're something kind of... biologically unique."

She pointed at the data he'd pulled up from his recorded memory of the holograph of the Mountain Clan female, now displaying a tiny view of her enormous figure on the desktop. "Look at her eyes and nose, how almost human her features are."

She stared, studying. "Close enough that a bio-scan would show Denali as related to her," Carolyn agreed, "but different. Daniel, this is an enormous discovery! Somewhere along the way, the Furlings and the Asgard got together and became a new race."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, shock turning grim as more ideas dawned.

"So why didn't the Asgard help them when the Ancients tried to wipe them out?" she whispered.

"Maybe they tried," he murmured back. "Or maybe they didn't know what was happening until it was too late. There's no account of the annihilation in their history, Carolyn. I've looked. My search routine has been running through their database here on Gaia for weeks now, and there isn't a single entry."

She swallowed hard. "That seems kind of... ominous. I'm guessing we should keep this to ourselves until we have more information, right?"

He nodded. "We have to keep looking for information," he told her grimly. "This is amazing, but I have the feeling it's just the tip of the iceberg. Somewhere there's a missing piece of history waiting to be discovered that'll tell us everything; we just have to find it."

"'Look for the Burning Gate,'" she recited, recalling Baal's dying hint. "Any idea where that might be?"

Daniel flashed a weary smile and sighed. "Still looking."

"Well, why don't you knock off for now, and get some sleep?" she suggested. "You look like you need it."

He gave a raspy little chuckle. "Like I could sleep after this adrenaline rush," he shot back. "Maybe after the excitement's worn off a little. I think I'll get back to it for now."

"Yeah, me, too. Let me know if you find something, okay?" She watched him settle back into his research as she left his office, still reeling from the insight she'd just gained. This changed everything, and the ramifications were staggering.

There was still so much left to know, though, and she was just getting started prying the lid off this box of secrets.

She just hoped she hadn't opened the door to a demonic horde that might destroy them all.


March 24
Two Days Later
Daniel's office, aboard the Gaia

The search routine was almost completed, and Daniel watched the main screen change color as the ship's computer scanned the files for his parameters. All around the edges of the holographic window were orderly groups of icons, titled with the general groupings of information, spreading out like tree roots off the sides with sub-folders. There were thousands of them, and he couldn't possibly have explored them all. Only a small spot in the center of the graphic remained black.

Then the dot was gone, with no matching results.

He frowned at the display.

To his knowledge, the Asgard had only mentioned the Furlings once in the many years the humans had been acquainted with the little gray aliens. Could they, like the Nox, have wiped all traces of the Third Race from their databanks, and kept only the name alive?

Daniel just couldn't believe that. The Asgard were too thorough, too intent on detailed record-keeping to intentionally leave such a significant fact from their own history.

Unless...

He closed his eyes and listened, trying to hear the hum of tiny, invisible wings over the ambient noise constantly playing in his office. In the background was the faint, deep thrum of the ship's engines vibrating all through every surface. He just couldn't tell with all that other sound-clutter if he had company or not, and while he had no real privacy, he needed the sense that he might be alone, if only for his own comfort.

The thought had occurred to him that the Furlings might have intentionally excluded the files he wanted to see, or locked him out of them. It was possible, though not something he wanted to believe of the People whom he now called his friends.

Maybe if he tried a different search parameter...

He opened his eyes and stared at the screen, considering what he should try next. Directing the interface to the search queue, he entered his command text in Asgard script instead of English.

Rather than repeat any of the previous query parameters, he tried a few words that Doctor Lam had inspired.

Genetic manipulation. DNA re-sequencer. Asgard hybrids.

This time, he didn't mention the Furlings by name.

He set the search in motion, then started work on a Furling text lesson, copying the pictographic symbols into his journal. Writing in the languages he was learning helped him memorize, and he enjoyed it. Time passed -- he wasn't sure how long, but it couldn't have been more than an hour -- and records began to appear in the background behind the tutorial. 

There were lots of them. He entered a secondary filter for those files while the main query continued.

Three. Ancients. Nox. Danger. Annihilation.

Unable to concentrate on the writing lesson while the distillation proceeded, he just watched the holographic screen.

A file appeared, followed by another.

Daniel couldn't wait for the search to finish, so he opened the first one, scanning for the highlighted words that had matched both query strings.

His eyes widened, his mouth suddenly dry. He reached to scroll downward in the document, shaken by what he was seeing, but before he could follow through with that, something happened.

There was a massive pulse wave of sound that seemed to fill every spectrum from sub-bass to inaudibly high, all at the same time, only lasting for an instant. Accompanying that, a tiny shockwave seemed to emerge from his core and radiate outward through the ship, feeling as though a bomb had detonated inside him, but leaving no damage in its wake. He had no idea what was going on, but it was terrifying.  Reacting only on instinct, he bolted out of his chair and ran for the nearest door.

Out in the corridor, Furlings were on the run, faces set and grim.

"What's happening?" he called, dancing on the edge of panic.

The pulse echoed again, fainter but just as arousing. He bleated in shocked surprise and instinctively ducked, pushing himself up against the nearest wall. "What the hell was that?" he demanded of no one in particular.

"We are under attack," someone shouted. "We must report to our battle stations."

Daniel dashed for the nearest elevator, his database search temporarily abandoned. 

There were more important things on his mind now; ancient history could wait.

End Chapter 32

March 6
Aboard the Gaia

Colonel MacFarland stepped off the transporter pad with barely a glance at Daniel, who was standing off to one side, actually wringing his hands, his whole body quivering with anticipation. He'd wanted to go with the away team so badly, but he was still medically grounded, endlessly tested every day to try to discover why some of his Ascended abilities had returned.

She stepped around him as she opened her helmet. "We got nothin', Dan'l. Sorry."

Rose tried to hurry past him, anxious to get out of that clingy uniform and confining headgear, but Daniel pursued her, his long stride easily keeping up. He was close, right at her elbow, and his excitement was obvious, talking so fast his words ran together a little, making his questions hard to understand.  "So was there any Furling writing? Did you talk to anyone? Were the Jaffa--"

She lifted her head, intending to order him to just chill out, but one of the built-in circuits in her s'resh fried, just from being too close to him in that energized state. The insulation protected her from being burned, but it made an audible pop and sizzle, and she flinched instinctively.

"Oh, crap, was that me?" Daniel backed off a little, putting a few paces between them.  "Sorry, Rose."  When she kept walking, he pursued her doggedly -- from a distance. "Sorry, sorry! But what'd you find out? I need details!"

Frustration and weariness hitting their peak, she whirled on him, hands on hips, chin jutting out as she glared. "Dammit, Daniel, can't you give it a rest for five minutes? Give a gal a chance to make a pit stop and catch her breath, wouldja? We've been down there for two days, feelin' out the locals and diggin' in the dirt, and I'd just like to freshen up a bit before we debrief, for cryin' out loud!"

She turned away, muttering so low she was pretty sure he couldn't hear her. "Swear t'God, just like a kid at Christmas, all big eyes and dimples. Any time we go anywhere without him, he's every five minutes on the comm link. Dancing a freakin' jig at the transporter pad when we get back. Can't wait to hear every detail and look at all the data." She huffed to herself, hands waving in the air, then swinging at her sides in loose fists. "Might as well be going with us, the way he carries on."

"I heard that," he called from somewhere behind her. "Could you talk to Jack about that for me? Pleeeeease?"

With a sigh of resignation, she realized there really wasn't any point in keeping him confined to the ship; his abilities were more useful in the field, as long as he made an effort to keep himself in check. Going out on missions would probably help his emotions stay on a more even keel, as long as they stuck to exploring and stayed away from interaction with Jaffa cultures under Zeus's control.

"Give it a rest!" she threw over her shoulder.  "And yes, I'll talk to him, Daniel. Just let me... wind down a little, will ya?"

"Yes, ma'am," he sing-songed back to her, his voice fading as the distance between them increased.

She grinned in spite of her pique, knowing he couldn't see her face as she continued to stride away from him. The varmint was just too damn cute for his own good -- or for hers, apparently. "Gotta let 'im run around outdoors and tire himself out," she muttered under her breath. "Keep 'im busy, and keep him outta trouble, just like a five-year-old."  

It wouldn't take more than a day or so to send her recommendation to Alpha and get a response.

"God, I'm so easy," she said, shaking her head at herself. Only a few people could have manipulated her so thoroughly. Her late son had been one of them; Daniel Jackson was another.

She headed to her quarters to peel out of her s'resh, have a hot shower and grab a quick snack. After that, she'd make her report to Daniel and then send her request to General O'Neill to rescind Daniel's desk duty and let him get back to the field.

Rose suspected Jack would just sigh, shake his head and agree to it, just because he understood the pervasive influence of Doctor Jackson all too well himself.

And because they needed him out there.  No one would understand that better than the General.


March 8
The Planet Helicon

At first glance, the landscape appeared devoid of any artificial structures, but Daniel had grown accustomed to the genius of Furling architecture. Time and the elements had worn away much of the once-great city perched on the isolated mountainside, but there was enough of it left to trigger his admiration. Huge pinnacles of stone reached heavenward, decorated with faint whorls and the remnants of elegant scrollwork. Behind them, a range of snowy peaks cut into the horizon, and all about them a cold wind howled a lonely, haunted song.

Far away, well down the slope in the verdant valley below, trails of smoke smudged the blue sky, feathery gray plumes from open cooking hearths and the fireplaces of small stone huts. Both Ting-sha and Jaffa loyal to Zeus lived there, and Daniel and his away team had given the village a wide berth. The residents didn't come up to the ruins, according to the Artisan spy network, but Scout hadn't wanted to take any chances, so ten of the super-sized Mountain Clan Furlings had come with them and were now patrolling the perimeter, keeping watch on the surrounding territory.

Daniel was pleased to see how well the giants fit in with the scale of the ruins; he surmised that this must have been one of their colonies. The grandeur of the scenery seemed to be a place where Mountain Clan would feel at home.

With a final appreciative scan of the landscape, Daniel turned back to tackling the rocky slope. Scout was twenty feet ahead of him, scattering pebbles with every step, despite the careful placement of his boots. Denali prowled off to Daniel's left, with Rose in the middle between them.

"Holy crap!" she cried suddenly, dropping into a slight crouch and raising her right fist, built-in weaponry aimed and ready to fire.

Daniel turned to catch the briefest glimpse of something just in front of her -- and then it was gone.

"What the hell?" she breathed into the comm link. "Did anybody else catch that but me?"

"What did you see?" asked Denali, taking huge strides toward her.  

"No wonder the locals think this place is spooky," Rose growled, straightening up and lowering her arm. "I don't know what that was. Didn't see it for long enough, but it was big." She eyed the giant. "Bigger'n you."

"I think it was a holograph," Daniel told her. "See if you can activate it again. Do whatever it was that you were just doing."

She backed up a bit and tried to repeat her movements, but the image didn't reappear.

Scout's voice called through the link, and more pebbles scattered in his wake as he hurried over the crest of the slope. "This way. I've found the portal to the city."

Daniel, Rose, and Denali raced toward him, but just as they reached the ridge, everyone skidded to a halt beside the elder. The slope flattened slightly, and in the middle of the level spot, a circular marble platform had been carved into the mountain, its weathered surface incised with barely-visible Furling characters. It closely resembled the bejeweled transporter pad Scout had used to take Daniel to Shahr on Furdani. On either side of the disk stood a tall stone pillar; one still erect and intact, the other toppled over on the grass beside the round platform.

What caught their attention, however, was a pair of legs extending from underneath the pillar.
The limbs looked human, and as the team drew closer, Daniel thought the clothes looked disturbingly familiar.

Scout was fastest, with Daniel hot on his heels. The elder called for assistance from the nearest of the Mountain Clan, and with some effort, they managed to lift enough of the rock off the body to pull it clear. The man was face down, but Daniel thought he recognized that head of dark hair. He reached to turn him over, but Scout stopped him.

"Let me scan him first. He may need to be taken to the infirmary without being otherwise moved." Scout ran the sensor in his s'resh over the victim, checking for damage, and then shot a meaningful glance at his companions. "He's unconscious. Badly injured, but still alive."

Daniel accessed the bio-scan data through his link and felt his stomach clench. The man was almost cut in half, his midsection squashed flat. Even with the amazing advances of Furling medicine, Daniel was sure these wounds would be too severe for him to survive. All they'd be able to do would be to make him comfortable.

The transport operator on Gaia beamed the team directly to the infirmary with the rescued man, and as soon as the body was turned so he could see the face, Daniel felt himself grow cold inside.  

It was Ba'al -- or one of his clones.

Rose nudged Daniel with her elbow as they stood nearby, watching the medical teamwork on their patient. "Isn't that..."

"Yeah," he answered, flicking his helmet open. "It sure looks like the System Lord, Ba'al."

"Doctor Lam," Rose called out. "There's a Goa'uld symbiote inside him. Be careful."

Carolyn didn't look up, her hands busy, attention focused on her patient. "It's not going anywhere, Colonel," she shot back flatly. "Trust me on that."

"Correct, Doctor," gasped Ba'al, his voice unnaturally husky with alien influence. He swallowed visibly and flashed a weak, resigned, totally mirthless smile. "I am dying. We are dying. Nothing. Can stop that. Now." He coughed slightly, his face contorting with the pain it caused him, and a few flecks of blood spotted his lips.  

Daniel stepped closer, leaning slightly over the bed to put his face into Ba'al's view. "What were you doing on that world?" he demanded.

Ba'al's dark eyes focused on him.  "Ah. Doctor. Jackson." The Goa'uld's feverish gaze moved around his bed, taking in the sight of tiny Sky Clan messengers flying overhead, the diminutive Grass Clan healer, Jarvik, guiding the human doctor, the tall Forest Clan elder standing at Daniel's side, and the giant Mountain Clan male standing at the foot of the bed. He forced another smile, this one tinged with irony, his eyes rolling slowly back to look into Daniel's face.  
His words were halting, difficult, obviously spoken with great pain by the symbiote as his host struggled for breath. "These must be. The exiles."

Chatter in the infirmary ceased, and all eyes turned to the man on the treatment platform. Only Doctor Lam kept moving, placing a thick pain relief patch along the base of the Goa'uld's throat, as Jarvik directed her. She started cutting away the black tunic her patient wore, zapping every wound she could find with a small laser tool that immediately closed them up.

Finally, she sighed and straightened up, eyes only for the man in the bed. "That's the best I can do," she said quietly. "The patch should numb the pain in another few seconds. I wish I could do more for you."

"Thank you. Doctor," Ba'al wheezed. His head turned slightly as he met Daniel's curious gaze again. "You have. Interesting. Friends, Doctor Jackson."  

"You brought the Hub to the SGC and forced Sam to download our database into it. Zeus stole it from you and tried to make me unlock it. I want to know where you found it." Daniel reached behind him, fumbling to pull the PDHD from its carrying pouch at the small of his back. He held it up for Ba'al to see. "Where did you find this? What were you doing in those ruins?"  

When an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, he leaned a bit closer and rasped out, "Tell me!"

"Looking for. Technology. Weapons."

"Where--"

"Daniel, leave him alone," Lam snapped, giving him a little push. "Let him rest."

Scout gave an order in his native dialect, and Jarvik hurried to carry it out. The little female's hands activated a panel near Ba'al's head, and a memory-recording unit curved upward over the top of his skull.

"Look for. The Burning Gate," said Ba'al wetly, more blood spotting his lips. "For their. Origin." His gaze softened, turning almost wistful as it shifted to Scout's face. "I would have liked. To have known them."

He closed his eyes and relaxed just as the memory recorder lit up, finally ready to do its job, but an instant too late.

Daniel had seen enough death in the last ten years to know without being told that Ba'al had just died, and whatever information the Goa'uld knew about Furling history had expired with him.

Daniel leaned on the edge of the treatment platform, his head hanging in defeat as Doctor Lam made it official. He frowned, angry and frustrated that they hadn't arrived sooner; if they had, there might have been more they could have done. And there was still so much left to do. There was a whole Furling city down there, waiting to be rediscovered.

"I'm going back to the ruins," he announced to no one in particular as he pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the infirmary, heading for the transport deck, his stride purposeful.

"We all go," Scout agreed. Denali, Rose, and the elder followed him back to the transporter room.

Minutes later, the away team stood on the stone platform on the mountainside, searching for a way inside the cavern beneath the ruins that they all knew were there. This city was shielded, and they hadn't been able to beam directly into the subterranean structure. It hadn't even shown up on their scan of the planet, which indicated some of the Furling technology might have survived. Maybe some of the Furlings had, too.

This time, they stood six feet apart, walking abreast as they advanced up the slope, carefully searching in a well-defined grid, going over every inch of ground together, each determined to make the planet give up its secrets. It was hours later before they again arrived beside the worn stone transport platform.

Daniel's stomach rumbled. He was tired and leaning toward impatience when he spoke. "Anybody got any ideas? I don't want to leave this site empty-handed, but I'm beginning to think there may be no way down there."

"There's always a way," el-Mikha mused, crossing his arms over his chest. "We simply have to be patient enough to find it."

Denali wandered back down slope, heading to the place where Rose had seen the flash. Just as he crossed the spot, an image appeared in front of him. Instead of disappearing, it held its position, standing just a few feet off to his left. Denali gave a surprised little whuff, raising his hands as if to defend himself.

Daniel whirled around at the sound and froze as he saw his Furling friend and the hologram that stood so close to the giant. "Whoa," Daniel exclaimed under his breath, eyes riveted to the image.

It, too, was a Furling, but unlike any he'd ever seen. For one thing, it was a good six inches taller than Denali, just as Rose had mentioned in the brief glimpse she'd seen of it. For another, it was obviously female. Daniel knew there hadn't been any females among Mountain Clan for millennia.

She looked different, too. Her body proportions were much more like a human's, except for her size -- smaller eyes, a more prominent nose, and platinum blonde hair. Her irises and pupils were vastly distinctive, though -- the pale blue iris took up most of the visible eyeball, and the pupils were slitted in the bright sunshine, like a cat's.

When she spoke, her voice seemed to come from everywhere around them. The language was a Mountain dialect, but archaic in form, so some of the words Daniel didn't recognize at all. He had to read the translation on his visor to follow the conversation.  

"You are of the People?" asked the hologram.

"I am," Denali answered. His exultant excitement at the appearance of this apparition was obvious, his face lit up with joy. "We would speak with you directly, rather than to your image. By el, we had not thought any of our kind survived on other worlds!"

She cocked her head slightly, her expression sad. "We have not," she returned quietly. "This image is generated automatically in response to the scan of your body. I am programmed to interact only to a small degree."

"We wish to enter the city," Denali stated.

"I cannot grant access. The system is secured, set to welcome the return of our People; however, there is now no one left to allow you entry."

"Then how can we get inside?"

She smiled slightly, a trace of irony in her pale eyes. "The only way to enter the city is to destroy it."

"No!" Denali choked. "We cannot!" He shook his great head, lifting his hands in supplication to the avatar. "What happened here? Are there no survivors? We have so many questions."

The apparition's eyes stared into the far horizon, her expression wistful. "No one has survived. At the time this message is being prepared, our colonies are being destroyed everywhere. Few of us have survived here, and we shall not last much longer, cut off from the surface as we are."  

"Is that what happened?" asked Scout, his voice thick with grief. "You sealed yourselves up in the city, and it became your tomb?"

The avatar nodded. "There is nothing else we can do. The Nox have killed the Ancients, and now the Ancients are killing us."  

"What?!" blurted Daniel, hurrying over to the image, trying not to get too close, for fear of accidentally shutting it off. "The Nox killed the Ancients? How?"

Frowning, the giantess turned to look at Daniel. She leaned closer, eyes narrowing as she studied him. Her gaze shifted to Rose, and both humans heard a faint, brief hum that accompanied her scrutiny as they were scanned by the machinery guarding the subterranean ruins.

Then the image of the ancient Furling female straightened, looking genuinely surprised as she began to laugh.

"I didn't know computers had a sense of humor," Rose stated dryly, hands on hips. "What's that about? Do we look funny or somethin'?"

The hologram's attention turned back to Denali. "We have apparently succeeded, brother," she told him enthusiastically. "This is a cause for celebration. Perhaps we did not die in vain, after all."

"Explain," Denali demanded, his dark brow wrinkling in confusion. "We do not understand."

"You must act quickly," said the giantess, her humor slowly fading. "Soon the planet will begin to shake. The city will fall in upon itself, and you will lose what chance you may have of finding your answers. I repeat; if you would see your past, you must destroy that which protects it and keeps it hidden. Come, brother, while there is still time! You do not have long. The failsafe has been activated by a recent intruder, and what has been set in motion cannot be stopped by my memory."

The apparition abruptly vanished, and the away team exchanged shocked glances.

"The Nox killed the Ancients?" Daniel asked, repeating what the system message had told them. "How did the Furlings succeed? Why was she laughing?"

"We must get to the city before--" Scout's directive was cut off by a strong tremor that ran through the ground beneath them. He turned, glancing toward the village down the slope. "Those people. They may be in danger."

His hand touched the control link on the comm system, and he called the ship. "Captain, scan this area for potential damage by seismic activity. Is the village threatened?"

A moment later, the answer came clearly through the comm link. "Damage will be minor, but there may be casualties."

Scout's attention turned immediately to other matters. He started off down slope at a jog, calling through the link, "Begin sending the People to the village to help evacuate. Target the energy source for the underground city's security generator and destroy it."

"Scans do not penetrate," Captain reminded him. "We do not know if the protective machinery will be in the same place as in our other cities."

"Then guess!" Scout ordered. "Do your best. Destroy it all if you must, but shut it down!"

Then he was running, with the rest of the away team right behind him.

First, they would save lives. Then they would recover their past, if there were anything left of the dead city.

Daniel felt ill, all too aware of the potential for loss here. Instinctive panic set in when the tremors increased. As they neared the settlement populated by Jaffa and Ting-sha, he could hear the percussive strikes of Gaia's weapons hitting the mountainside with laser precision, cutting deep into the planet, searching for the source of the underground city's protective shields.

The earth split along fault lines, and the ground ruptured open all around them. Mud and stone huts toppled into the cavern and newly-created chasms as the bedrock cracked and split. At the same time, plinths of granite pushed upward, cutting into the sky. Everyone was screaming, looking for sanctuary, but there was no such haven during a planetary quake.

Daniel watched groups of people disappear all around him as the Furling crew beamed them aboard the great ship. At times, he couldn't think, too terrified to do anything but run. Then reason would take hold, and he'd look around for someone to help. His hands went out to everyone who needed it -- even to the wolfish Ting-sha -- dragging them out of rubble, carrying them to huddled clusters to be transported away.

By the time the tremors finally ceased, there were few survivors left in the village, and the sound of screaming had receded to eerie silence. All along the northern edge of the settlement, nothing had been spared. Houses and buildings had been flattened, shaken apart by the quake, or swallowed whole. Wide cracks had opened in the solid rock, but most of the damage to the village had been the result of the ground giving way, falling into the cavern below the surface, where the ancient Furling city had been hidden for eons.

Daniel stood near the edge of the biggest chasm, holding onto a Ting-sha child, who clung to him with an iron grip. He peered down into the abyss, taking note of the silent ruins now visible in neatly terraced layers, disappearing into darkness far below him.  Much of the city had been destroyed -- that he could see from where he was standing -- rubble and dust filling doorways and spilling over the edges of balconies, but he hoped there would be something left to study.  

He had a new clue, a tantalizing hint that the Furlings' history was even more complicated than he had imagined, and that the Nox had played a much bigger part in the near-genocide than they had admitted. Daniel had to know the truth.

The little one wailing against his helmet was getting heavy, so he turned away from the chasm to carry it toward the handful of villagers, hoping someone there would look after it until it could be reunited with its relatives.

After depositing the pup with the other survivors, Daniel went in search of his teammates. He found Scout kneeling beside Rose, applying pressure to a wound in her left chest. She'd fallen into some rubble and been speared with a large piece of broken glass, which was still sticking out of her upper body.

He was arguing with her, his gloved hands on the wide edge of the shard.  "Let me--"

"No, God damn it!" she grunted. She batted his hand away with her right arm, then flopped back against the ground, panting in agony. "You pull that thing out, and I'll bleed to death before you can get me back to the ship!"  

"Oh, God, Rose!" Daniel cried, hurrying to her side. He dropped to his knees, guts twisting at the sight of his wounded comrade.

Scout's fingertips tightened on the glass. "I have to get this out of you, friend," he pleaded. "Please, let me help you."

"Get me. The hell. Back. To. The. Ship!" she ground out through clenched teeth.

Even though Daniel couldn't see her face behind the visor, he could hear from the way she said the words that she was both pissed off and fighting tremendous pain.  

The elder finally acquiesced and turned loose of the shard. He glanced about and spied Denali approaching them with long strides. "Help me get her back to Gaia!" he shouted to the giant. "Carry her to that group waiting for transport." He nodded his head toward the nearest survivors, then bent to help Rose to her feet.

Daniel slipped his arms beneath her on the other side and together, he and Scout lifted her. She grunted with pain but didn't cry out. There were little flecks of white foam mixed with the blood around her wound, and Daniel realized her left lung had probably been pierced.

"We have to go now," he told Scout, adjusting his comm link to call the ship. "We can't wait for Denali."

It was only a matter of moments before they'd been beamed up and had Rose in the infirmary. A busy medical staff shooed them off, and Daniel walked with Scout into the corridor, where they could watch through the big observation windows without being in the way. It was only then that Daniel noticed several deep slashes across the elder's chest; something had cut him deeply, all the way through the tough fabric of his s'resh. The front of his uniform was stained with blood, and Daniel was sure now that much of it was Scout's, as well as Rose's.

"You should have someone look at that," Daniel suggested, pointing.

"What?" Scout's gaze dropped to his chest. "Oh. I will heal." He turned his attention back to Rose's bed and the group working on her, without the slightest hint of concern for himself.

"Look, I know that taimin tea is great stuff," Daniel returned, "but those are pretty deep cuts. You need stitches, Scout. Come on. I'm sure we can find someone to--" He'd put his hand under one of the elder's elbows, trying to turn and guide him back into the infirmary.

"Leave it!" Scout snapped, pulling his arm away and shooting him a brief glare before returning to his watch over Rose. "I'll be unmarked in a day. This is merely an inconvenience."

Chastened, Daniel didn't argue, even though he'd spent enough time with the Furlings to know a little something about their physiology; none of them healed that fast. Though Scout had exhibited more robust health than all the others around him -- he'd never been ill or injured in the entire time Daniel had known him -- he was still subject to the rules of the flesh. If he didn't want to be bothered now, Daniel would bide his time until Rose had been stabilized before bringing the subject up again.

They waited and watched together.

Eventually, Denali joined them, after tending to his duties in helping to resettle the villagers aboard the ship. His expression was filled with concern as he came to stand beside Scout. "Any word?" he asked quietly.

Daniel was familiar with the rhythm of a trauma team, and he could see from the way they worked that the crisis had passed. Rose lifted her hand, and Daniel heard Scout sigh in relief. "I think she's gonna be okay." He turned to eye the elder. "Can we get someone to look at your cuts now?"

Scout smiled and shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, but it's really nothing. Come, let's check on the Colonel, and then I'll show you." After they'd received a report confirming Rose's eventual recovery, the elder led the way to his quarters, with Denali strolling along behind them, acting as escort.

"The Captain has suggested that our friend here," the giant glanced meaningfully at a small group of Ting-sha being herded down the corridor, carefully avoiding mention of Daniel's name, "be sequestered in the elder's quarters until the refugees have all been cleared from the ship."

Daniel's head came up. His helmet still covered his face, but if he wanted to eat and drink with his identity secure, he'd need to make absolutely sure none of the Jaffa or Ting-sha could see him. He hadn't given that idea a thought until now.

"I could just stay in my rooms or my office," he suggested, not liking the idea of what amounted to house arrest.

"You have no retainers to stand between you and any unintended visitors, and we have no doors to shut them out," Scout reminded him. "Posting guards outside your quarters would be advertising that there's something or someone inside we don't want anyone to see. If you're in my household, newcomers will be screened before they enter, as would be appropriate for my station in our society."  

"I walk right into your place all the time," Daniel countered. "Nobody even notices."

The giant chuckled, his deep voice a soothing rumble behind them. "And you are never unexpected or unobserved. While there are strangers on board, the elder's rooms will be guarded, his staff visible, and there you may remain undisturbed until you are once again free to go wherever you choose without risk of recognition."

As they arrived at the entrance to Scout's apartments, Daniel saw that guards had already been posted; two Mountain giants, clad in gleaming red and silver armor, were stationed on either side of the door, and they gave Scout a slight bow as he stepped between them.

Having finished his escort duties, Denali continued on his way without coming inside, handing off his charges to the household staff.

Still certain that el-Mikha needed medical attention, Daniel followed him into the suite, all the way through to the elder's private bathing area in the back.

His friend grimaced as he tried to peel off the tight-fitting s'resh, then shot Daniel a frustrated glare. "Would you mind helping me out of this?"

Daniel was already up and pulling on the garment's collar, tugging close-fitting upper portion of the one-piece suit off over Scout's broad shoulders. It was hard enough to put on or remove those things when there weren't injuries, Daniel knew; rather like putting on a wetsuit for deep-sea diving.  "I still think..."

"I'll be fine." The elder grunted as his friend helped extract his other arm. "I can do the rest myself. If you'd like to clean up, you know where the guest quarters are. Make yourself at home."

"Thanks, Scout." As el-Mikha resumed undressing, Daniel turned away and went to the closest of the plush guestrooms, where he cleaned up quickly and rummaged in the closet for something to wear.  He dressed in a loose-fitting white tunic and red pants, tied at the waist with a drawstring. These were one-size-fits-most extras, kept for guests who might not have brought their own clothing, and they'd do till he could get to his own duds.

He hadn't worn any color besides black in such a long time, it felt odd to be dressed in anything else.

As soon as he was finished, he padded barefoot back to Scout's door-less bathroom and barged right in, just like all the Furlings did. The elder had already stepped into a pair of black pants, but was still shirtless. Daniel stared in amazement at the mere scratches that remained on Scout's chest.  

"You see?" Scout murmured.  "Better already." He gingerly touched the reddened skin around the wounds, gently prodding at them to test for soreness. "Ouch!"  Grinning, he looked up at Daniel.  "Is that the proper English word?"

"Yes. It's more of a sound than a word, but..." Daniel turned wide eyes up to his friend's face. "How is this possible?"

"Elders are of great value to our people," Scout told him enigmatically, buffing his skin dry with a towel, blotting it carefully over the wounds to keep from reopening them. "I've lived far longer than you can imagine." Suddenly, the alien looked weary to the core. "It can be both a blessing and a curse, to live as long as I have," he confided quietly. "As long as I will."

Daniel frowned. "What do you mean?" He'd never actually asked Scout his age, just assuming by his general appearance compared to other Furlings that he was nearing mid-life. "I don't understand. How old are you?"

Scout shrugged and turned away to fetch a clean shirt. "I lost count some time ago. The way I keep track now is by the generations of my family." He gestured with one hand toward the more public rooms of his apartment. "Those of my household aren't my servants, you know, despite how it may appear. They're my descendents, by many generations."

"I had no idea," Daniel whispered. "You sure don't look... um. Why -- how -- uh." His mind was so blown, he couldn't separate all the questions he wanted to ask into a single coherent thought.

"I'll grow old and die, at some point," Scout assured his friend, "only very slowly. Until that time, I live in service to my people. Being an elder of the Forest Clan isn't a position of leadership, as our Ting-sha guests assume, but of servitude. That's the true price of power, el-Dani. Those who rule wisely, do so from the most humble of positions. Remember that."

Daniel nodded, tumbling the concept around in his head. What made the distinction Scout was talking about was an attitude of the heart. By becoming a true servant to his people, the elder rested at the pinnacle of their esteem. The paradox was intriguing.  

He began to wonder what other Furling secrets he had yet to discover. He wanted to know how they kept Scout so youthful and healthy, to learn all the history he'd seen during his extended lifetime, to really explore his background. Daniel had so much he still didn't know, and only a mere mortal lifespan to research it all. In a way, he envied Scout his longevity, but he also sympathized with his emotional fatigue.

The elder had probably lost everyone he'd ever loved, one by one, over and over again with each passing generation. Daniel understood loss, but not to that degree. To live that kind of lifespan would wear on a person after a while, and possibly make him less prone to get attached to others.  

And yet, as they'd stood outside the infirmary after they'd returned to the ship, it was obvious that Scout cared a great deal about Colonel MacFarland -- not in a romantic way, but as a teammate. That sense of empathy and the respect he had for others made Daniel's admiration for Scout grow even deeper. It was also obvious to Daniel that Scout was attempting to share a deeply personal insight with him.  

This could be a great opportunity to make a first step toward becoming real friends. Daniel liked him, enjoyed his company. They'd spent so much time together in the last six months, yet Daniel really didn't know him at all. He felt he knew the elder, but not el-Mikha.  

"You don't talk about this much, do you?" asked Daniel intuitively.

Scout shook his head. "Few can understand," he admitted slowly. "Even inside the council, we don't discuss our feelings or share our burdens." Shrugging, he turned away to pull on a tan velvet tunic, embellished with gold thread in the shape of flames rising around the hem, at the cuffs, and across the chest. "Maybe I shouldn't have..." he murmured as he fastened a well-used leather belt around his waist.

"I might not be able to understand," Daniel offered as he watched Scout push his feet into a pair of knee-high black suede boots, "but I know how it feels to be alone in a crowd, to live on the outside of everyone else's lives. And I think you'd find I'm a good listener, if you ever want to talk. Sometimes that helps, just to say what you're feeling."

Scout finger-combed his damp hair, tossing his long evergreen mane back over his shoulder when he was done with the cursory grooming. "I would like that, my friend. Perhaps we'll talk after dinner. Since you're restricted to my quarters until our guests have been resettled, my family and I will be pleased to have you join us." He flashed a smile and led the way to his household dining room with Daniel at his side.  

End Chapter 31

February 18
Gaia's Infirmary

"But Carolyn--"

"That's Doctor Lam," she snapped, whirling on Daniel as he tagged along right behind her, "and I'm not clearing you for duty until I know what the hell is wrong with you!" She flung her hands in the air, then clenched her fists down at her sides in frustration.

Daniel backed up a step in the face of her pique. "But you just said you couldn't find anything wrong with me," he argued tentatively, his brow wrinkled as he tried to circumvent her logic -- or lack thereof. "I have stuff to do."  He knew he was whining and simply didn't care. "I need to get back to it."

She jammed her hands onto her hips, frowning at him. "I don't care how long it takes. You're not leaving this infirmary until I know why you can perform telekinesis and discharge lightning from your hands. You're perfectly healthy, but there's got to be an explanation for this, and I'm going to find it! Besides, I'm under orders here. General O'Neill will personally crucify both me and Colonel MacFarland if I let you off this ship before this issue's been resolved."

He held up both hands, as if to ward her off. "You don't have to let me off the ship to let me go back to work," he suggested. "I can get things done in my office, and that crystal's still in the lab, waiting to be cracked -- so to speak. I'm perfectly normal, Carolyn."

"Daniel."

"You said so yourself, and besides, I drink a lot of that taimin tea and--"

"Daniel."

"You know what it can--"

"Daniel!" she shouted. "Not. Now." She pivoted on her heel, intending to leave him behind in the ward, but he followed her right out of the infirmary, so she rounded on him again, stopping in the corridor. She shot him a furious, impatient glower. "Don't make me call Security."

"But--"

"And stop whining!" She glared at him, hands clenched in the pockets of her lab coat.

He gave her his best pout, trying his hardest to look absolutely pitiful. It was the expression his mother could never resist, always used as a last resort because he hated subterfuge, but he was bored to death. He wanted out of the infirmary.

"All right!" She sighed, holding her hands palm-outward in the universal sign for surrender. "It's against my better judgment, but you can go back to work." She glared at him, forcing him to keep eye contact with her as she pointed at him with her index finger. "But you start every single day in the infirmary, and I test you until we have answers. Plus, you don't set one toe off this ship until you're fully cleared. Understood?"

Both fists pumped the air as he filled with glee, grinning hugely. "Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" He peeled off, walking briskly toward the science labs.

Doctor Lam rolled her eyes and huffed as she continued on her way.


The crystal pyramid was sitting right where he'd left it the week before. Beside it, the crescent-shaped docent machine lay in pieces. That had been found to be a supreme disappointment, since it would only work in proximity to the museum. It didn't actually store any information, but rather served as a conduit to what had been recorded in the facility, now left far behind. The Furlings were in the process of copying the technology, intending to rebuild it and send the original back to the team of scientists and priests now stationed on that planet, studying their past and burying their dead.

No one else was in sight in the lab, and the latest reports indicated that the pyramid's secrets were still safely hidden within its gleaming planes. Rose had been working with the Furlings, carefully testing the crystal while Daniel had been stuck in the infirmary. She had reported that she'd gotten nowhere; the artifact kept its silence, filled with mystery. Daniel wanted to make it talk; make it sing its secrets.

That thought struck a chord inside him, and he chuckled at the irony. "Of course!" He smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. "I should've thought of this ages ago. It's so basic! Crystals resonate with sound. Duh!"

He located a musical scale in the ship's computers and played selected notes in a range, watching the artifact for a response. It was hours later, when he finally got the harmonics right; the internal security mechanism unlocked, and an image appeared.  As the computer perfectly held the notes, keeping the display steadily glowing, a spiral of light twirled silently inside the triangular planes of the crystal.

Daniel didn't yet know what it all meant, but he was inordinately pleased, warm all over from the joy of discovery as he touched the comm link curled around his left ear. "Rose, I had an idea about the pyramid and managed to find the key. Grab Scout and Doctor Lam, and meet me in the lab."


"Well, I'll be damned." Rose shook her head as she gazed down at the countertop minutes later. "You did it, Dan'l."

He eyed the image proudly. "Now, we just need to identify what that hologram is, to start unraveling this puzzle."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I can help you out there." Doctor Lam stared at the image turning in the heart of the crystal. "I... I've seen it a lot over the past few months, and I know exactly what it is." She turned wide eyes on Daniel.

A little thrill of excitement shot through him. "Really? What?"

Carolyn's gaze shifted to Scout's face, then back to the pyramid. "It's the virus that killed the Ancients." She looked distinctly uncomfortable and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I've been studying the illness that hit Alpha back in December, and I discovered something interesting. The scientists at the installation in Antarctica - remember, where that frozen Ancient woman, Aiyana, was found? They captured the DNA from that organism. The SGC also obtained samples of the virus that the Ori sent to Earth. We determined both had similarities, and might have been a mutation of the same virus."

She tucked her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "That's the same organism. I'm sure of it."

Daniel's eyes moved from her anxious face to the image, making an unwanted connection. The crystal pyramid had been found in a Furling museum, and now it seemed it held an image of the virus that had destroyed the Ancients. It didn't take a genius to connect the dots, and the picture it revealed wasn't one he wanted to believe.

He turned to Scout. "Maybe your ancestors were looking for a cure, trying to help the Ancients. Just because they knew the structure of the virus doesn't mean anything."

The elder managed a tiny smile. "Perhaps." He shrugged, and his gaze slid away to the pyramid on the counter, glowing with light. "Or perhaps it's the reason they killed us, as Doctor Lam seems so politely trying not to say." Scout gave her a slight bow with a regretful smile. "Either way, I suspect there's much more to this mystery than we know yet.

"We'll continue looking, and hopefully, when we've found enough pieces of the puzzle, we'll discover the whole truth. Like you, Daniel, I'm not willing to leap to conclusions, neither to exonerate nor indicate culpability. Not from one small piece of information."

Without waiting for a reaction from anyone, he left the lab with his hands clasped behind his back, head high.

The three humans just stared at the artifact, each of them equally filled with hope and dread.


February 20
Four Winds Palace, on the planet Clio

Zeus never bathed with servants present. He couldn't tolerate having their unworthy hands anywhere near him, and preferred to wash himself. Once that was completed, he lay in the small pool that was his heated bath, head resting on a silken pillow embroidered with gold thread, leaning against the sloped marble side of the pool. The water was soothing, relaxing his tense muscles, and he drowsed a little, breathing in the scent of perfumed air.

At the far end of the marble enclosure, a serpentine dragon lifted its marble head, arching upward. Its sinuous body encircled the lip of the tub, the gleaming black stone polished with great care. Only it wasn't really a dragon, Zeus knew; it was a representation of the Goa'uld, many times larger than life. This palace, this sculpture, had once belonged to his queen, Hera. She had borne him many thousands of children in this water, but now he kept her in stasis, hidden away, until he had need of her again.

The Jaffa were failing as hosts, turning away from their rightful gods, whereas the Ting-sha were loyal and devoted, without the biological imperative that kept the Jaffa enslaved to their masters. The Jaffa were outgrowing their usefulness, but their intelligence was still far superior to the bestial Ting-sha. Zeus had decided he would keep both races in thrall a little while longer, until a solution could be found that would offer him both loyalty and brilliance in his slaves.

He sighed, slipping a little further into the warm water. His eyes closed, and he listened to the stillness around him.

The hum of an insect's buzzing wings caught his attention, and he almost called for a servant to come and kill it.

Almost.

His eyes opened to mere slits as he tried to locate the offending pest. From the pitch and speed, he knew it would be big... but there was nothing in view.

He sat up quickly, turning in a circle, intently searching for the bug now, but he appeared to be completely alone. The noise was familiar, registering now as a pitch he'd heard often recently, hidden in the background at temples, on his ships, in his palaces.

He knew that resonance, but there was nothing present that could create such a noise.

Zeus's eyes widened as a memory clicked into place. There was a legend of a flying creature that could make itself invisible; the Goa'uld had been hunting them for millennia. Rumor had it that Apophis had found them but kept the secret to himself, never availing himself of their power.

This wasn't the planet where the beasts could be found, however. Clio was nowhere near that world, yet invisibility was the only explanation Zeus could find for the sound with no source.

"Show yourself!" he ordered. "I know you are here."

Presently, the hum ceased.

He sloshed around in the water, looking in every direction, trying to determine where the creature might have alighted.

"I am here," called a small, high-pitched voice from behind him.

Zeus turned again, facing the sculpture at the foot of the pool, and then he saw it. His mouth dropped open in surprise, then hastily snapped shut again. Gods, he knew, were never taken unaware.

The creature looked almost human, but with oversized turquoise eyes set in a face framed with spiky, pale green hair. It was dressed in a black suit that covered most of its body -- which he saw appeared to be female -- and had four small wings fastened behind the being's shoulders. A smooth helmet had folded up into the collar of the suit as soon as it materialized.

His host's heart was pounding, both excited and a little afraid of it. Did it mean him harm? Could it do damage the sarcophagus couldn't reverse? Why had it been watching him?

"What do you want?" he demanded haughtily.

The being cocked her small head. "History," she answered enigmatically. She pulled her knees up and embraced them as she sat perched on top of the stone dragon.

"The history of what? I do not understand."

"Are you not a god?"  She laughed, a merry little tinkling sound that set Zeus's blood to boiling.  "You should understand everything."

What trepidation he'd felt a moment ago vanished beneath a wave of righteous anger. "What is it that you think I can give you? Surely you have been spying on me for some reason."

A flicker of surprise flashed across the being's face. Apparently, she wasn't aware he'd realized he'd been under surveillance. Then her expression composed, hardened, and cooled. "You were once in possession of a device my people call the Hub," she explained, calling forth a holographic image of the device above the palm of her left glove. "Where did you obtain it?"

He considered, his mind racing as he immediately recognized the item. His queen, Hera, had stolen it from Ba'al and brought it back to Zeus as a prize. She had learned something of its history, and shared the details with him. He'd thought that part of the tale insignificant, compared to the information the device supposedly contained. He'd assumed the machine had been destroyed along with the ship that had carried Daniel Jackson.

The human, however, had survived. Perhaps the Hub had, as well. Now, it seemed, the origin of that ancient machine might be useful to him after all.

Deciding not to answer her query, at least for the moment, he settled himself back against the pillow with a sigh. "Now I know what you want. You shall hear what I want. Perhaps we will bargain."

Her gaze glittered with frosty certainty. "I might offer you your life. Tell me what I want to know, and I shall not kill you."

He chuckled. "I have no fear of death, Little One," he challenged honestly. "If you kill me, you will most certainly not get your answers. Try again."

"I could cause you great pain," she suggested grimly, her sweet face gone very dark with leashed menace.

"My slaves would come and kill you," he countered easily. "You have no power over me, except in the exchange of item for item."

She hesitated, her expression turning sour, recognizing that she was being forced into a bargain on his terms. "Tell me what you want, and I will tell you if it is something we can provide."

"Can, or will?" he asked with a knowing grin. "Though you are small, I believe that many of you could fulfill my desire, since you can move about without being seen."

She turned her head slightly and sighed, feigning boredom.

He laid out his terms, scooping up handfuls of water as he spoke, and idly watching the liquid drip from his knuckles. When he finished, his imagination was brimming with details, and he felt satisfied, happy. "Now, what sort of history is it that you want, little insect?" He flicked the last trickle of water at the tiny being.

The creature didn't flinch, letting the droplets spatter her. "We wish to know the location of the world where the Hub was found. Do you know this information?"

"Yes." His grin widened as he let his gaze travel all around the room, looking everywhere except at his unexpected visitor. He was enjoying this game.

"Have you been there?" she inquired flatly.

"Yes."

"Tell me what you saw," she demanded. "I will know from your description if you are lying."

Zeus thought back to that fruitless journey he's made after Hera had given him the Hub. He sighed, playing in the water again. "Ruins, in a great cavern, accessible only through the transport rings. On the surface, the chaapa'ai was burning with a flame that could not be extinguished. Everything around it was scorched and black. The control device was unlike any other, and instead of the great red crystal at its center, there was only a circular space, carved in detail. That is where the Hub was found."

Only it was Ba'al who had found it, though this little pest didn't need to know that. Hera had stolen it from him, and Zeus had placed Hera in stasis after she had given it to him, because he hadn't wanted to share the prize... or his queen. Though he had already cast her aside prior to her betrayal, he'd expected to go back to her when it had suited him, as long as she remained faithful and in his service. When she had mated with Ba'al to obtain something of interest to Zeus, in an effort to regain his attention, she had sullied herself beyond redemption in his eyes.

She'd gained his notice, all right. And as soon as he'd taken possession of the Hub and followed the trail to its disappointing dead-end, Zeus had summarily removed her from her host and put her in storage for her trouble. She had been defiled by another System Lord. He should have killed her, but she was a queen, and the Goa'uld were a declining race. As long as he had the potential of breeding with her, it would be useful to keep her alive.

A look of longing touched the tiny alien's face as he described the dead world. The wistfulness melted quickly away when he was finished speaking. She stood up carefully and her glassy wings began to vibrate and hum, beating so fast they were just a blur. She rose into the air, hovering above the marble dragon's head.

"We have a bargain, Zeus," she announced, her voice and expression going dark. "We will make arrangements to bring your prize, and when you have it, you will give us the location of this world. If you do not keep your word, you have my own -- you will die a slow, painful death, one that will take centuries."

Her helmet closed over her head, and then she vanished.

A moment later, the high-pitched background hum was gone.

He was alone now, and before long he would have his treasure.

Soon, he would be a real god.


March 2
Alpha Council Meeting

Jack O'Neill took his seat, aimlessly shuffling papers until the last of the attendees had taken his seat.

From a brief glance, it was obvious to Jack that Doctor Bill Lee was deeply troubled. He looked a little gray beneath his geeky pallor, and there were dark circles under his bespectacled eyes.  Lee was the one who had called this meeting, insisting every head of each department, including the military, be present.

Things had become way less formal in the months since Earth's destruction. Military rank was still recognized in a leadership role, but everyone was sporting longer hair, less-than-crisply-pressed uniforms, and speech was much more casual. Rules had relaxed all over the place, and slowly but surely, an actual government was taking shape. O'Neill was still in charge, but even that would be different soon. This council was evidence of the changes.

After a moment's uncomfortable silence, Jack cleared his throat, his gaze directed at the scientist. "Well, Doctor. The gang's all here."

Bill didn't look up from the table in front of him. He lifted his gaze slightly, but still didn't make eye contact. He started to rock slightly in his chair. "I found something," he mumbled. His head bowed again, this time his stare moving to his lap. "I shouldn't have seen it," he added. "Shouldn't have."

"Bill?" Jack felt a shiver of dread brush cold fingers across the back of his neck. "Hello? Are you with us?"

Misty, pale blue eyes turned his direction. Doctor Lee spoke a little louder now, but there was a roughness to his voice, tinged with heavy emotion. "Daniel -- Doctor Jackson - he...  he advised that we only review information in the Furlings' memory database from the lives of those dead by at least a generation. He said we had a moral obligation as human beings to observe our own rules of privacy, and we agreed with him."

Jack's stomach tightened. That very thing had been the subject of hot debate among the council when the Furlings offered to share their history with Alpha, through their database of every Furling whose memories they had recorded for thousands of years, including current accounts. The military folks wanted to look at everything, to try to get at the basic truths of who these aliens were, how they thought, and what they were planning. The civilians, however, had different ideas, and they had won by an incredibly slim margin in the voting.

"Go on," Jack prodded gently, keeping his voice quiet. It was patently obvious that the scientist had seen something he shouldn't have, and he was having trouble dealing with it.

Lee sighed. He shook his head. "We have all of Doctor Jackson's memories, as recent as his last visit to Alpha," Bill continued. "The Furlings made us an interface that would allow his data to be researched for historical and linguistic information, without actually viewing the personal stuff, the actual memories, but..."

Jack watched as the man's eyes filled, his mouth pulling into a grimace as he sucked back a sob. Whatever Lee had witnessed, it was bad. O'Neill kept his mouth shut and waited.

"There was a glitch," said Bill, his voice strained. "I accessed a personal record by mistake. And I think we should all see it. Everyone at Alpha."

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Doctor Warner snapped, holding up both hands in protest. "We already made a decision on this. No one living--"

"I know!" shouted Lee, close to tears now. "Don't you think I know? My vote was the one that carried the resolution, but now." He couldn't finish, just shook his head as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

Then, without warning, he hit the controls for the holographic viewer, built into each seat at the conference table. In the center of the room, an image appeared. All eyes were glued to it instantly, instinctively, and before anyone could protest, they were all looking at it, viewing the terrible thing that Bill Lee had accidentally beheld.

The image was blurry, but it was impossible not to recognize the familiar stars sparkling in a black velvet sky. Hanging like a slightly out-of-focus blue and green jewel in the center was the unmistakable shape of planet Earth. Framing the view was a brassy metal window incised with indistinct Goa'uld hieroglyphs and Roman characters.

A familiar voice rang out in protest, pleading for mercy, roaring in agony and measureless grief in a gut-wrenching soundtrack.

"Oh, my God," Walter Harriman breathed from Jack's left. "That's Doctor Jackson."

Through Daniel's eyes, they watched him struggle, heard him beg, his voice straining until it broke. They watched, mesmerized, as Zeus looked down his nose and smiled at Daniel's horror and distress. His shock was palpable, fresh and raw, and every member of the council felt it with him. Men and women were openly weeping, some with their faces covered -- everything but their wide, staring eyes -- sobbing softly into their hands.

Jack's mouth wouldn't move. He wanted to yell at Lee to turn it off, but he couldn't. He sat frozen in his chair, just like everyone else, riveted to the final moments of his world, unable to look away. 

It exploded in utter silence, fiery fragments flying out into the empty sky.

Then, Earth was gone.

Startled gasps became horrified whimpers, followed by soft sniffling. It was one thing to hear about the destruction, to know it had happened, and quite another to behold it in full color through Daniel's myopic eyes. Even second-hand, viewed with the lack of clarity only nearsighted vision could afford, and after all this time, the impact was devastating.

Every person present witnessed the moment Daniel's struggles ceased, when his mind switched off and his body grew still.

Bill Lee still stared at the table, tears tracking silently down his unshaven face. "I just." He sniffed and took off his glasses, setting them on the table before wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "I didn't think it was right for Daniel to have to carry that memory all by himself.  My God, General! What he's done for us. For all of us." He lifted his teary gaze to his commander. "What he's still out there doing."

Jack swallowed down the tightness in his throat. "I know, Bill. And you're right. He shouldn't have to bear this burden alone. Thank you." He sat back in his chair. "I'll have a little chat with our Furling friends and have them strengthen the encryption on the rest of Daniel's memories," he announced to the group. "I don't want any more accidents like this. Doctor Jackson's given up his privacy to live with those folks who don't know the meaning of the word. He shouldn't have to give up his memories, too."

While he spoke, his gaze traveled over the faces of the council members, one by one. Few were dry-eyed now; none were untouched by the view of the fate of their world. He studied Doctor Lee, who was obviously still shaken from his discovery, but calmer now that he'd shared the burden.

He'd been right about bringing this to the council. It was something they'd needed to witness first-hand in order to fully grasp the fact that Earth was really, truly gone. It made a difference, and now Jack needed to have a chat with Daniel.

"Do you have anything else on your agenda, Bill?" asked O'Neill.

Lee shook his head. "No, sir."

"All right, then. I have some business for the council," said Jack. "We've been dickin' around with our attempts to form some kind of government, and haven't made enough progress. I say it's about time to hold some elections and get this bird off the ground. I'm ready to retire; in my opinion, we need a President, a real one, and a legislative and judicial branch, not an advisory council with a military leader. So we gotta get our butts in gear and do something about that. The sooner, the better."

Every eye shifted to him and acknowledged his demand with a nod of agreement. Resolve had been strengthened, and Jack knew who had done it. 

Daniel Jackson.

Even though the archaeologist wasn't present, seeing that glimpse of his past and knowing he'd managed to move on provided a little needed push to these people. Just after witnessing the most terrible moment of the human race, they were galvanizing themselves to go forward and accomplish the rebirth of their society. He could see it in their faces, in the lifted chins and straightened shoulders, where moments ago they'd been slumped in their chairs in defeat.

Doctor Lee raised his head and made eye contact. "I nominate Daniel Jackson for President," he said quietly.

Ripples of approval and agreement were voiced all around the table.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "Well, he'd have my vote, and I think he'd be damned good at it, but I have an idea he'd quote LBJ on that and refuse to serve, if elected. He's got other things on his mind right now, and I doubt we could get him back to Alpha till he's finished with that. We can ask him, though."

What Jack didn't tell them was that he, too, had been affected by the images he'd seen, by Daniel's pleas for mercy for his world, by his cry of horror as he realized his capitulation had come too late. Now Jack could admit to himself that Daniel had been right to do as he had, to pursue the monster who'd destroyed their world, despite Jack's orders to the contrary. And as soon as there was somebody else to fill the role Jack now occupied, he planned to turn over the reins and go help him. 

January 31
Lab Six, aboard the Gaia

Frustrated, Daniel frowned down at the crystal pyramid. He leaned on the counter with both hands, thinking.  "We've tried activation with light," he stated aloud. "We've tried dropping it, like Rose did with the one in the drowned city. We've tried direct electrical current, and nothing has displayed the information stored inside it."

He turned to Rose, Doctor Lam and Scout, who were all gathered around him. "Any other ideas?"

"Maybe it's password-protected," offered Carolyn with a shrug.

"Maybe the battery's dead," quipped Rose.

"It's a crystal," Daniel snapped in frustration. "They store energy and information. No batteries required." He blinked at Rose. "What is it with you and batteries, anyway?"

"I don't know, Dan'l, but we've been at this for the better part of a day now, and I'm tired," Rose told him with a sigh, throwing up her hands in resignation. "I'm gonna go to bed now. You kids have fun playin' with your new toy."

Carolyn crossed her arms over her chest and leaned one hip against the counter, angling to make eye contact with Daniel. "She's right, you know. We're all beat. Why don't we just get some rest, and try again in the morning?"

"All right." Daniel dropped his chin onto his chest in defeat. "We'll pick it up again in the morning. Good night, everyone."

The trio left the lab together and headed toward their quarters, chatting amiably about recent events and shipboard news. Daniel and Scout walked Carolyn to her rooms, then Scout accompanied Daniel to his before wishing his companion pleasant dreams.

Then the elder passed right by the doorway to his apartment, made a circuitous journey to the galley for a snack, and headed back to the lab alone. Three other Furlings were already present, all gathered around the table that held the crystal pyramid: Nari, also called Claire; Rafa, who served as Captain of the Gaia, and Rhami, chief healer of the Grass Clan, whom Doctor Lam had named Jarvik. They were the highest-ranking members of the other Clans on the ship; the four of them would be conducting their own private investigation into the mysteries of the relic.

el-Mikha waited until he'd received confirmation from Sky Clan that all three of the humans were in their beds and sleeping before they began.

"Our friends have not privately discovered the records hidden within the crystal, have they?" Captain inquired of the Sky Clan watcher he knew was hovering invisibly nearby.

The pink-haired male, whom Daniel had named Jack, materialized with helmet open and shook his head. "No. There will be more tests tomorrow."

Captain stared at the crystal pyramid sitting on its smooth base, illuminated from below by a soft blue light. "It is good that we review the data first, in order to be prepared for any unexpected revelations."

"Shall we begin?" asked Nari.

Rhami nodded, took a deep breath, and exhaled a soft, single note in the alto range, holding the pitch precisely. Captain's rich voice boomed in deep bass. Nari's soprano was high-pitched, unamplified, and Scout chimed in with a clear baritone. Their voices merged in perfect harmony, each singing a single tone, their individual security clearance, assigned to them by their rank within Furling society.

The pyramid began to glow as the auditory key activated the information stored within it. An image formed in the heart of the crystal, a section of twisted spiral twirling slowly, revealing every molecule on the DNA helix. Another formed above the peak of the pyramid, and four more projected from each corner of the base, extending outward into the air. Each helix was different from the other.

As their voices faded with their breath, the images dimmed and vanished.

The observers stared at the pyramid, brows furrowed in concentration.

"Recording of the data is complete," Sky Clan Jack reported from a nearby workstation. "The information has been scanned and results will be available... now."

Captain downloaded and displayed the data holographically above the palm of his s'resh. A duplicate image of the pyramid with all five spirals, but in much smaller size, formed and held. They stared at it, and no one dared breathe.

Grass pointed to one of the icons radiating from the base. "Us," she stated clearly. Her finger lifted to the helix floating above the central point of the pyramid. "Our friends. Do not understand significance yet. Must study."

"We cannot allow the humans access to this data," Captain announced in a tense murmur.

"Nor can we erase it," Scout added. "el-Dani has seen that the crystal is undamaged. He will eventually discover the resonance key and be able to unlock the information contained within the pyramid. The memory recorder in his quarters indicates the jing we gave him is improving his brain function, which may account for the development of the weather anomalies we have observed originating from him. He is learning a great deal from the technology and histories we have shared with him, and this puzzle will not long hold its mystery." He nodded toward the sleeping crystal.

"Then we must erase part of the data to delay him," suggested Claire. "Allow one piece to be unlocked, while withholding the rest. If he believes he has deciphered the crystal's secret, he will not be tempted to look for more within it."

Jarvik studied the pyramid with narrowed eyes, considering. "Still will not keep him from truth," she observed. "Not for long." She turned to Scout. "Then what?"

The Forest Clan elder's handsome face darkened, his chin tipped downward, his amber eyes gleaming with dangerous intent. "Then we may have to lie outright, rather than skirt around the truth, in order to keep the People safe."

"He will know the difference," Captain argued gently. "Can we risk losing his trust?"

Scout's eyes rolled up to meet the giant's and a slow smile formed. "He has already opened the Wheel of Worlds for us. We are free, and no one will lock us up again."

For a moment, there was silence, and they all glanced down at the crystal.

"Which images do we allow him to see, then?" asked Claire.

"Center," said Jarvik, pointing into the heart of the pyramid.

"It is the most intriguing," agreed Captain. "Any of the four at the base would indicate three others. Why not the top?"

"Jehani would recognize it," Grass stated firmly. "Must be center. Give us time."

"Done." Scout glanced at the giant. "You will see to it?"

"Immediately, Elder." Mountain offered a respectful bow to Forest. "Sleep well."

Scout passed his hands over those of Mountain and Grass. With a nod to the members of Sky Clan, he left the lab with head high and sure steps, retreating to his quarters and his bed. His conscience was clear.

Daniel Jackson would likely unravel truth behind the clues the People had just witnessed, but it would take him time. By then, they would be many steps ahead of him, and certain of the meaning of the symbols they had just seen. If el-Mikha's ancestors had created the virus that had killed the Ancients, as he suspected, then he wanted to know what potential threat the humans might still pose... and whether or not there might still be any risk posed by the Ancients who had ascended to escape the plague. 

After all, Daniel had been among the Ascended Ones once. He might even now be working for them as a spy, and the People had learned well not to trust too much. Even the best of friends might betray them at the moment they least expected, and the lessons of their past had not been forgotten. They would not be caught unprepared.


February 10
Aboard the Gaia, in orbit around Calliope

Rose leaned against the doorjamb at the entrance to Daniel's quarters, watching him fuss with his new wardrobe. The Furlings had redesigned his s'resh, making it match his skin tone, smoothing the surface so it was almost impossible to tell he was wearing the protective device, sans helmet. Over the top he had on a black Roman-style robe, much like what the Jaffa wore on other Zeus-dominated planets. He was shod in black sandals, and wore no weapons at his sides, only the built-in tissé hidden on the gauntlets beneath the voluminous sleeves of his robe. Wearing any other weaponry outside his garment would have made him stick out from the native population. 

One of the retainers from Scout's household had just finished dressing Daniel's hair, now grown out to his shoulders. It was pulled away from his temples and fastened at the back of his head with a gold clasp. The style was more Furling than Roman, but Rose doubted anyone would really clue in to that detail.

"Lookin' good," she commented. "You sure this is a smart thing to do, Dan'l, showin' yer face around like that?"

"I won't be alone," he reminded her distractedly, glancing down at his outfit, tugging and adjusting it. "You'll be right there, along with a dozen or so Sky Clan, Scout and Denali. You'll all just be invisible." He squatted down to tighten the straps on one of his sandals.

"Gen'ral O'Neill will hand me my ass on a plate if anything happens to you," Rose mused.

Daniel's mind was obviously elsewhere as he fidgeted with his clothes, finally turning a plastic smile, probably meant to be reassuring, in her direction. "I'll be fine," he recited. "It's not like I always obeyed Jack's orders back in the old SG-1 days. I'm sure he told you all about that."

She nodded, still observing him, trying to decide if the young man were having second thoughts of his own about this hare-brained mission, or if he were just thinking ahead, planning his moves. "Yup. I'm sure he expects me to do better, too. Maybe have a little motherly influence on you."

He grinned for real now as he reached for a mug of coffee on a nearby table, his eyes aimed at her face.

Rose held her breath as she watched the cup slid a couple of inches across the smooth surface, fitting itself neatly into Daniel's grasp. Her eyes widened as she straightened up, staring at his hand as he lifted the mug to his mouth. "Holy cow," she whispered in awe. "Did you just...?"  She pointed, hardly able to believe what she'd just seen.

He didn't seem to know what she was talking about. "What?" He finished off the hot brew and set the empty cup back down.

"You just moved that cup without touching it," she wheezed breathlessly. "Do it again."

He seemed genuinely startled and glanced down at the empty container as if it might bite him. "I did not."

"Did. Try it. Move the damn cup."

Daniel stared at the mug, frowning. After a moment, he put his hand out toward it and concentrated. He stared intently, fingertips twitching with effort.

Nothing happened.

Rose began to doubt what she thought she'd seen. Maybe it had been closer than she'd known. Maybe the motion of the ship...

She shook her head. "Never mind," she told him. "I musta been seein' things. The stress of watchin' your six is gettin' to me. Let's get this thing over with, hon."

Daniel straightened up, staring at the cup for another second, then switching off his interest in her theory and returning his attention to the mission at hand.


February 15
Gaia's Conference Room

Colonel MacFarland sat at the conference table, waiting for the live connection to Alpha to be established. She had a full report ready to send, but didn't want to just put it into General O'Neill's hands without discussion. It'd be better to answer the questions she knew would be coming before he read it, rather than after the fecal matter hit the oscillating air mover.

Presently, a holograph of O'Neill appeared above the table, looking right at her. He appeared to be alone. So did she.

"Colonel," he greeted her with a slight nod.

"Sir."

He looked a little uncomfortable, his eyes intense. "Have you debugged?"

She knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if her broadcast would be secure, but she knew there was no such thing as privacy aboard the Gaia. "Not possible," she returned with a shake of her head.

He frowned, then nodded. "Acknowledged. What's up?"

"I'm sending a report of recent activity," she informed him, hitting the transfer code on the sleeve of her s'resh, "but there are points I'd like to discuss."

"You want me to read it all now?" he asked, eyebrows rising a little in question.

"No, Sir. Just, well, there are some things you ought to hear in person." She sighed, directing her gaze toward the table, rather than his eyes. "We've established contact with several Jaffa settlements in the last few days. The idea was, get Daniel's face out there. Just have him walk around, be seen. Then a few days later, when Gaia was safely away, the Furlings doing our recon on each of those planets would broadcast that recording they made on Olympus and chisel his message onto the temple walls, just like they did there."

Jack did not look amused, but his tone of voice was light, conversational, masking his obvious displeasure. "I saw the movie," he quipped. "Burt Lancaster in Valdez is Coming. One of my favorite Westerns, which is probably where Daniel got the idea. God knows he's seen it enough times over Domino's Ultimate Deep Dish and Coors."

She nodded, letting the anecdote slip by. "The first couple of times, that's what happened, but you know Daniel; just like you warned me, he can't walk away from the hard things." She lifted her gaze to look straight into the General's face, and she actually saw him brace himself.

"And?"

"Something's happening to him, sir. It started before Calliope, the first settlement we visited after Olympus. He..." She swallowed hard, shaken to the core by what she had seen during the last several days.

The General's deep brown eyes bore into her. "Spit it out, Colonel."

She exhaled noisily. "He's moving things with his mind. At first, he didn't realize he was doing it. Then five days ago we were at a place called Melpomene, and things got ugly. A handful of Jaffa rebels were under attack by the Ting-sha. I told him to get the hell outta there, but--"

"He didn't listen," Jack finished for her, his expression turning grim. "Jumped right in the middle of everything, didn't he. Is he hurt?"

"Not that time, no, Sir." She loosed an exasperated sigh. "I can't say you didn't warn me."

"I suppose I should just let you tell the tale." He nodded, sat back in his chair, and said, "Go on."

"We got him off Melpomene with just a few scratches, nothing serious, but not before he..." She shook her head, hands flying up in the air in exasperation. "He pulled weapons right out of the Ting-sha's hands, without even touching them. He'd lost it, sir. Daniel was mad as hell, screaming at the wolves to leave those people alone. He didn't even realize. He just did it. Then when it registered, he couldn't do it anymore. Nearly got his ass shot off."

Jack sat forward and laced his fingers together on the table. He looked troubled. "There's more?"

Rose took a deep breath and just said it. "Last time out, which was a couple days ago, he shot lightning out of his hands."

The General didn't explode with anger or alarm as she had expected. He sat back again and glanced at the floor, stroking his lower lip thoughtfully with finger and thumb. Then he looked back into the holographic projector.

"He's actually done all that before, Colonel. You might've missed the mission details because it was classified, but I saw it. Carter reported he was under the influence of Merlin's head-grabber thingy, and started exhibiting some of those ascended powers. He reported all that was gone by the time they returned to base. Maybe he lied, though I've never known Daniel Jackson to do that, at least, not to the SGC.

"Tell Doc Lam to give him a thorough once-over, every nook and cranny, under one of those fancy Furling microscopes."

"Will do, sir." She glanced around the room, listening for the sound of high-pitched wings in motion, but there was only silence, save for the faint hum of the holographic projector, almost inaudible.

"Colonel?" The General had obviously taken note of her expression as she wrestled with what to say, as well as how to say it.

"I just..." She hesitated, frowning into the comm relay. "Things aren't right with him. I'm wondering if... maybe... the Furlings might be doing something to him."

Jack didn't seem surprised, and considered her notion quickly. "Any proof?"

She shook her head. "Not one iota. It's funny, 'cause I pride myself on being a good judge of character. I've never been wrong about who to trust before. Call it woman's intuition, if you have to, but it's just a gut feeling. Everything in me says we can trust these people. Every fiber of my being says they're good guys, but there's still that nagging... something... that I just can't explain, telling me to watch the hell out. Something's up with Daniel, Sir, and I don't have a clue what it is, but he's not right. Not normal."

"Daniel Jackson has never been normal," Jack shot back, his expression deadly serious. "A royal, first-class pain in the ass, yes. An arrogant know-it-all, absolutely. A flaming pacifist, in spades. But he's also a certified genius, light-years ahead of his geeky peers, and one of the best men I've ever known. He never has been and never will be anything near normal. A fact for which we should all be grateful."

Rose cracked a grin at the image of her CO and Daniel's friend. "Yes, Sir," she confirmed, recognizing the argument against her perceived mild insult, "but that's not what I meant." Her smile slipped away as she remembered the previous mission, and Daniel's heroic save of a grossly outnumbered group of rebel Jaffa. "He was injured our last time out. Didn't think he was gonna make it. Then two days later, he's up walking around, back at his desk on light duty; that doesn't happen to ordinary human beings."

The General mulled that over for a moment. "Keep an eye on him, MacFarland," he ordered her. "Be a 24/7 bodyguard, if you have to. Run him under Doc Lam's microscope as many times as it takes, but find out what the hell's going on. Talk to the Furlings on Gaia, and I'll have a chat with the elders still on Furdani. Whoever gets info first, shares."

"Understood."

"You got anything else, Colonel?" asked O'Neill.

"No, Sir. Except..."

"Yes?"

She shrugged. Maybe he'd already heard the rumors and knew what she was going to say. Maybe it would really be news he needed to know. "The Furlings seem to be eager to share information," she mused thoughtfully. "Some of it, anyway, as long as we ask the right questions. They're telling us Daniel's getting quite a following out there among the Jaffa. Some think he's a new god, though he's quick to dispel that every time he goes out. The boy's plan just might be working. He wanted shock and awe, and he's damn sure making Zeus look inept."

Jack cleared his throat and tipped his head back. "Sweet," he returned, obviously trying not to look proud, and failing miserably. "The dweeb's turned into quite the warrior, huh?"

She nodded, grinning hugely. "Woulda made a good covert ops man."

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Read my report, Sir; it'll blow your mind." Her smile softened. "That's all I have, General O'Neill. Thank you for your time."

"Alpha, out."

The transmission disconnected with a touch of Rose's finger on her s'resh. She sighed and sat back in her chair, thinking, hoping she'd be wrong and that her intuition would somehow be off the mark just this once.  She had to find out what was happening with Daniel Jackson, before he became a danger to himself or anyone else. He wouldn't be happy about her inquest, but he'd have to deal with it. She was grounding him, until Doctor Lam declared him physically and emotionally fit for duty, by the General's orders.


February 16
Temple of Zeus, Melpomene

Seven bodies lay on the floor at Zeus's feet. He roared at the Jaffa cowering before him, demanding they pay him tribute. The Ting-sha poked and prodded at his slaves, snapping and howling for their obedience.

"Mercy!" cried a trembling, terrified voice from directly in front of him. "Mercy, great Zeus, greatest of all gods. Please, hear us!"

Zeus's eyes fixed on the figure of a gaunt old man on his knees, white hair disheveled, stubble lining his angular jaw.

Unlike the other scum cowering on the floor, this old man had some spirit. He looked more sad than afraid, and a whim took hold of Zeus. Instead of frying the old fellow with the ribbon device, he crossed his arms over his chest and gazed down his nose. "Speak, slave. Give me a reason why I should spare those who have turned against me."

"We were fools," the Jaffa admitted, bowing his head in shame. "We were misled by a false god. He had such great power." The elder clasped his hands together prayerfully. "The wind stirred with his displeasure. He disarmed the Ting-sha with his will alone. He wielded the power of the storm, lightning passing from his naked fingertips. We..."

He glanced around with his rheumy brown eyes, liquid regret trickling down his cheeks. "He said he was not a god, that he was just a man, yet he had such power." He shrugged, lifting his hands in supplication. "What were we to think? We are a simple people, great Zeus. We beg you, forgive our loss of faith. We understand now, truly, that you are to be feared above all."

The Jaffa's earnest plea almost tipped Zeus in his favor. There was unrest everywhere, Jaffa rebellions cropping up in far too many places. If he were merciful, he might be perceived as weak.

Zeus was not weak.

He activated the ribbon device and blasted the old fool, along with every other Jaffa in the temple sanctuary, except for the high priest.

He wanted one survivor, one witness to his power, someone who would whisper of this day in terror, and thus enforce the worship of Zeus on this pitiful world. He wanted word of this massacre to spread, to combat the effect of Daniel Jackson's incitement of rebellion.

With a haughty glare, he ordered the priest and the loyal pack of Ting-sha to leave, to spread the word and choose a site for the building of a new, larger, more magnificent temple than this one... because he was about to raze it to the ground.

"Tell everyone," Zeus warned the human, "that Daniel Jackson must be found. He will be delivered to me, or every world he has touched will die."

The Ting-sha didn't wait for a third warning and scattered like flies about to be swatted. The priest fell down, babbling, clutching at Zeus's gilded sandal. The Goa'uld kicked him, causing the hapless man to fall backwards.

"Run," Zeus commanded, his voice a low, angry growl.

The human struggled to his feet, his face white with fear, skinny legs moving fast.

Moments later, aboard his ha'tak, Zeus watched with satisfaction as the ship's powerful weapons were discharged toward the surface to destroy the temple with blinding light. 

"To Calliope," he growled to his Jaffa helmsman.

Still fuming, he stood before the viewing portal on the bridge and watched the planet fade from view, his mind turning over and over the reports he'd heard. It wasn't possible that a mere human could do those things, he knew. Perhaps Daniel Jackson had found some new weapon, some previously unknown technology, which had given him those amazing abilities.

Then again, Zeus knew the Earth archaeologist had once been ascended. If he'd retained or rediscovered his powers...

A slow smile dawned with the warm glow of satisfaction as he closed his eyes and considered the outlandish idea. All Zeus had to do was catch Jackson. It was a simple enough task. There was no place for the human to hide now. The price on his head was vast, and it was only a matter of time before he bowed at the feet of Zeus, offering himself and whatever powers he had in service to his master.

And when he did, Zeus would truly be a god.

January 19
Two Days Later
Gaia Ready Room

No one had slept much since the battle, each crew member contributing to ship repairs and personnel support. The communications array had taken the most time to fix, after which a message had been sent to Alpha, requesting a live conference with General O'Neill and the council of advisors. Now all the senior officers of Gaia sat around the conference table, along with Colonel MacFarland and Doctors Lam and Jackson. The connection was made at the appointed time, and a two-foot-tall holographic image of the group of the seven men and women from Alpha appeared in the middle of the table.

"Hi, Daniel." Jack's expression was guarded as his gaze shifted to include the full complement of staff seated in the ship's ready room. "Everyone's here on this end, as requested. What's up?"

There was an attempt at lightness in Jack's voice, but he had to know something significant had happened. "I'm not conducting this meeting, Jack," Daniel returned quietly. "Captain will be discussing the events with you and the Alpha council. I'm just here as an advisor."

"Oh. Okay." Jack eyed the Furling giant seated at Daniel's left. "How're things, Captain?"

Mountain folded his large hands on the tabletop. "Doctor Jackson advised us that it would be wise to report to you an attack on the planet we recently visited by the followers of the Ori." His newly-acquired command of English was excellent. All the officers of Gaia had been required to learn their human allies' language, but none had become as adept with it as Scout.

Jack cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "Would that be the planet Colonel MacFarland requested the mission report on a few days ago?"

Captain nodded. "It would. Your alphanumeric designation P3X-367, where the Goa'uld, Nirrti, was killed."

The General nodded. "We haven't heard from those folks in a while."

Jack didn't ask if there were survivors, or what damage had been done. He was waiting for the Furling commander to tell the story his way.

Mountain sighed and shook his head. "The villagers are all safe," he told the hologram. "The followers of the Ori were only interested in the ruins of an underground city left by the People. We believe they may have found an important artifact, but are not certain what they took before they blasted the place into pieces."

Jack's eyebrows lifted in unhappy surprise. "There was a Furling city on that planet? Daniel, why didn't you--" He stopped himself and frowned. "Oh. That was when Jonas was with us. Sorry."

Scout grinned slightly. "You're correct in your assumption that Doctor Jackson found the city, General O'Neill," he interjected. "It was beneath the fortress where the one called Nirrti was using one of our machines to re-sequence the DNA of her victims. That is not a science for novices in the subject."

From his seat next to Jack, Doctor Bill Lee leaned forward across the table. "Wait, that was a Furling machine? We were certain it'd been built by the Ancients, but our researchers never got a chance to examine it. We were just going by the descriptions in the reports from SG-1. Are you sure?"

Captain nodded. "We examined the remains and found where the machine had been removed from the ruins. Unfortunately, the Ori ships razed the city before we were able to retrieve any artifacts from it ourselves."

"Ships?" asked Jack.

"Three of them," Captain verified. "We destroyed one, but the other two escaped."

Jack's expression shut like a door, his demeanor all business now. "What sort of damage did you folks sustain? Do you need assistance?"

Scout smiled broadly at the table, but kept silent.

Mountain shook his head. "It has taken us two days to repair our communication devices so that we could contact you, General. Other repairs are under way, but we should be fit to travel in another day. We appreciate the kindness of your offer, however." He inclined his head with a slight bow of respect.

"Casualties?" asked Jack.

Carolyn Lam winced, then her composure slipped neatly into place as she answered for her department. "Twenty-nine dead so far, General, with ninety-two injured. I think those numbers will hold. We shouldn't be losing any more. Most of the wounds were minor and over eighty percent of the injured are already back at their posts."

Jack nodded, his expression grave. "Do we know what the Ori found in the ruins?"

"No, but you can bet it was incredibly important," Daniel answered. "The Prior they'd sent to convert that world packed up and left with the ships. I've never seen the Ori just drop an attempted conversion like that without punishing the population. They just left, Jack." He rubbed his face wearily.

"This was our first encounter with the followers of the Ori," Captain declared. "We are learning, General O'Neill, and we will not be caught unaware again. Our council of elders will be informed, and word of the Ori will be disseminated to all the People. We will visit those worlds you know to be under Ori control and offer aid to those who wish their freedom."

Scout added, "Please share all you know about the Ori with those of us who now live among you on Alpha, and take care to watch your skies and your stargate. A full report will be transmitted to you shortly, and we on Gaia will be available to answer any questions you may have."

Captain bowed and gave the Furling hand signal to indicate he'd spoken his piece.

Jack addressed Colonel MacFarland. "I assume I'll have your report included in that download?"

She nodded. "The SGC staff on Gaia are all fine, sir. The casualties were all on the Furling side."

"Our condolences for your loss, and our gratitude for looking after our people," said Jack sincerely. "We'll get back to you ASAP, Captain. Thanks for the heads-up, and I'll be looking for your reports shortly. You'll have one from us in return, as soon as we can get the information compiled for you. Alpha, out."

For a moment, there was only silence in the room, everyone occupied by their own thoughts.

Scout sighed and folded his hands. "We should decide our next destination," he observed, and lifted his gaze to Daniel's face.

Daniel had figured that was coming. "To Paradise," he said quietly. "Just don't eat any of the plants while we're there."

Four years ago, while he'd been among the Ascended, SG-1 had visited P5X-777. Jack and Harry Maybourne had disappeared through a portal and been marooned on the planet's moon. The two men had eaten native plants in order to survive, but the hallucinogenic effects had come close to driving both of them mad. During their absence, SGC scientists had combed over the temple where the portal was located, studying the Furling invitation to join them in a utopian paradise.

Once the men had been rescued, the ruins where they'd been trapped were also studied, but the site was eventually abandoned, the information catalogued and filed away as unimportant.

Daniel couldn't help but wonder just what shadow of information might have been missed in that initial exploration; he looked forward to seeing the site himself.


January 20
Next Day
Gaia Infirmary


Daniel had been by the infirmary several times over the last few days, visiting with those who'd been wounded in the battle with the Ori ship. Every stop he'd made, Dr. Lam had been there, working with her all-Furling medical staff, learning their healing techniques and applying that knowledge to her already considerable skills. She was dead on her feet, dark circles under her eyes, but she'd refused to leave her patients until the most critical period was over.

"Hey," Daniel said to her as he handed her a tall cup of strong Furling tea. "How're you holding up?"

"Thinking about going to bed for a few hours," she told him with a weary smile, accepting the cup and sipping the contents with a sneer of distaste. "This tastes terrible, but it's kept me going for three days straight. Good stuff." She lifted it in salute to him. "Thanks for bringing it."

She glanced around the spacious ward, once discouragingly empty, now alarmingly full. "I'm gonna make rounds one more time, and then hit the hay. Wanna come with me?" What she'd just offered registered a beat later, and she hurried to clarify. "Um, I mean, on rounds. Do you want to accompany me on rounds?"

She bowed her head, closed her eyes and rubbed her face with a sigh. "Boy, am I tired. Guess that's kind of obvious, huh?"

Daniel grinned, tickled by her unintentional slip of the tongue. "Yeah, a bit." He followed her orderly progress, row by row of beds, watching her kindness as she interacted with her patients, her professionalism as she dealt with her staff, and how intently she listened to her Furling teachers. He marveled at how she managed to deliver the same level of care to all of the wounded, regardless of their size, as they lay in their beds.

For a moment, he remembered Janet Fraser, thinking privately how well the diminutive doctor would have interacted with Grass Clan. He missed her warm smile and dangerous wit. She'd have owned this infirmary in short order -- Jack's "little Napoleon" of a doctor. He smiled at the fond memory.

As his attention shifted from the doctor to her patients, he returned to the questions that had consumed his attention since he'd returned from the drowned city.

Examination of the wreckage of the machine Nirrti had used to alter the DNA of the people on P3X-367 indicated that it had been of Furling origin, not a product of Goa'uld technology, as had originally been assumed. It had all the hallmarks of the Furlings' sense of artistic design, and they had even found its previous location in the flooded cavern beneath the fortress. There was sufficient evidence to credit the ancient Furling society that had been destroyed with its invention -- but to what purpose? Whose DNA had they wanted to change?

He glanced away, frowning as that thought rattled around in his mind.

A Grass Clan female, whom Carolyn had named Jarvik, strolled up to them with a portable database tablet that linked into the ship's system and handed it over for her review. "Three patients ready to release to their quarters, Jehani," the alien reported, calling the doctor by her Furling title.

Doctor Lam checked through the records, approved the releases, and thanked the Furling healer. Just as she finished, she was summoned to another bedside for a consultation by one of the tiny Sky Clan physicians who worked with her.

Daniel grinned as the light bulb of intuition finally went on over his head. "How many times do I have to see the forest before I finally recognize a tree?" he murmured to himself and shook his head in wonder.  

Everything made perfect sense now.

Lya had told him the last time he saw her that the Furlings adapted to a variety of environmental conditions with incredible ease, setting up colonies on planets all over the galaxy. She'd called them 'masters of change,' and now he understood how they'd managed to proliferate so easily on so many worlds. They'd changed their own DNA to be able to survive almost anywhere!

Furdani had been a microcosm of the habitats to which they'd adapted. Sky Clan were tiny and lived in the rocky, arid canyon lands around the stargate, where food and water were scarce. Grass Clan were tailored for areas a little richer in resources, yet still small enough to hide from large predators in the meadowlands. Forest Clan were lithe and graceful, adept at climbing trees and moving stealthily through the vegetation, and the Mountain giants were tall and strong, capable of carving out great cities from the heart of the bedrock of whatever planet they occupied.

Yet, if all that were true, why were there so many genders? What was the biological purpose of the nulls, who were neither male nor female, and incapable of breeding?

What did the helix displayed by that device Rose dropped in the cavern signify? Whose DNA was it, and why had it been in that underwater museum?

So many questions, and he instinctively knew he hadn't yet scratched the surface of this mystery.

The text he'd recorded from the wall in the cavern was incredibly old. The Furling language had changed so much in the millennia since the People had been forcibly removed from that world, the translation was slow going. He'd left it in the hands of the scholars aboard Gaia, checking their reports several times a day to see what progress had been made. Although deciphering the meaning behind the characters was difficult for them, it was all but impossible for him. He likened the challenge to early Earth linguists trying to understand hieroglyphs prior to the discovery of the Rosetta stone. The mystery of the drowned city would take some time to unravel, and might require the discovery of other pieces of Furling history before the true meaning of the text was known.

Meanwhile, they were on their way to P5X-777. It would take approximately ten days' travel, including time for repairs, to get there, but Daniel hoped they'd find something important, something the SGC's first teams had missed. Even if they didn't, the Furlings would want to lay claim to another piece of their heritage, and Daniel wanted to be there for that.

Until they arrived, repairs would continue to be made to both ship and crew.

He sidled up to Doctor Lam as she finished her last consultation with a sigh. "Get some rest, Carolyn," he urged quietly. "This is as good a place as any to step back for a little while."

She nodded with a weary grin. "I think I'll do that," she agreed, signing off the duty roster with a Do Not Disturb notation beside her name. "See you later, Daniel."

After he watched her leave the infirmary, he stayed a little longer to visit the wounded, then retreated back to his office to work on his own projects for a while.


January 30
Ten Days Later
P5X-777

The temple sat perched on the knee of a mountain, halfway up a ridge of rock on a neatly carved pillar of stone. Each of the towers was capped with a pyramid-shaped cone, the largest at the center of the building. Inside, the floors and walls were covered with dirt, and the native vegetation had gained a stronghold in every nook and crack.

The mystery of the portal's auto-dialer had been resolved long ago, and the "Paradise" on the nearby moon fully explored by the SGC. They had found nothing of interest, but now the explorers were the people who had built the elegant temple, alongside a human being with a knack for unraveling secrets. This time, the underground city was discovered through scans conducted on Gaia, halfway across the planet.

No secret doors or passages were found above it, and in the end, the only way to gain access was through Gaia's transporters.

As with the temple ruins on the surface, time and nature had taken their toll on the subterranean city. The area where Daniel, Rose, Scout and Denali arrived was one of the few places still structurally sound. Seismic events and erosion had made most sections of the cavern unstable, much of it already collapsed. Only a few areas had survived intact, but the remains of the once grand metropolis were in total darkness.

The away team arrived with their lights on, all facing a different direction, the illumination reaching out in white fans around them and disappearing into vast space.

For a moment, no one moved as they allowed their eyes to adjust to the dimness.

All around them, giant pillars of rock stretched upward, some tilted at odd angles, others lying sideways on the floor. The stillness was unnerving. There was no sound at all except for their breathing and the whisper of the s'resh fabric they wore flexing as they moved.

"Looks like we're in a marketplace," Daniel observed, eyeing the jagged remains of the buildings around them.

"Then the museum will be this way," Scout added, stepping toward his right.

The others followed his lead, their footsteps crunching against loose rock and throwing up little clouds of dust as they walked, making their way around, over, and through the many obstacles in their path. After two hours of laborious travel, they squeezed into the entrance of what had once been a great library.

The foyer was as far as they got. Chunks of stone, debris and dirt made it clear that the rooms behind the entry were impassable, so they began to examine the objects around them.

A glint of light caught Daniel's eye, and he headed for a pillar lying on the floor, no doubt toppled by the quakes. A glass case lay in pieces beside it, and amidst the shards was another clear crystal pyramid, lying on its side. He smiled to himself and carefully picked it up in his gloved left hand.

"Hello, beautiful," he said to the artifact fondly, as if meeting an old lover. In the beam from his s'resh, he examined it, looking for cracks or chips, any sign of damage. He sighed as he realized it was still intact. "Maybe now I'll be able to find out what the other one had in it. I hate not knowing things like that."

"Oh, you found another one," chirped Rose through the comm link. "Lookee what I got. Cool, huh?"

Daniel turned to the woman at his side and gaped as he spied her discovery.

She held a crescent-shaped object about the size of a soup bowl with numerous small buttons and inscribed keys on its upper surface. Intricate designs were incised and embossed all around it, and though centuries of dust and grime were caked into the spaces, the precious metals gleamed softly where she had brushed the dirt away. One finger stroked over a touch-pad in the center, and it flickered to life.

A hologram projected from the center of the device, and the image began speaking in an unfamiliar dialect of Forest Clan, which the translator in his helmet converted into English script on the inside of his visor. The being resembled a Furling, but was still vastly different, with smaller eyes, slitted pupils, and a more prominent nose. Distinctly female, she introduced herself and started describing the displays in the room where they were standing.  

"It's a virtual docent," Daniel gushed, unable to even blink as he stared at the recording. "Rose, this must be a guided tour device. That means information on everything that was in this museum will be in here!" He tucked the pyramid into the crook of his left arm and reached for the machine with both hands.

"I knew you'd be happy." She patted his shoulder and handed him the device after turning it off again. "I'll go see what else I can find. Don't run the batteries down in it."

Daniel didn't know how long he stood there gawking at the device, studying the characters on its surface, turning it on and listening, jumping ahead in the narrative, playing back pieces. He was fascinated, overwhelmed by Rose's luck. If they found nothing else, this would make the trip worthwhile. They'd hit the jackpot!  

Then a cry of anguish jerked Daniel's head around.

The sound came from the comm link curved over his left ear, and he had no idea where to look for his teammates, but he knew whose voice it had been.

"Scout, where are you?" he called, turning in a circle, looking for his friend.

There was no answer, save the sound of anguished weeping.

Dimly, he saw Rose's helmet reflecting the light from his uniform. "He went this way," she told him, her voice strident, filled with alarm. "His tracks are right here, Daniel. Come on."

They followed the dusty footprints out of the library, around the edge of a crumbling balcony, and into the ruins of what had once been a massive temple.

Scout was on his knees, bent over and trembling, his helmet open, long green mane dangling in the dust.

At his side, Denali stood rock-still, staring straight ahead, massive fists dangling loosely at his sides.

Daniel and Rose hurried toward them.

A few steps away, Daniel caught sight of what had wrenched that terrible cry from the elder.

Bones.

The temple was filled with them. Large and small skeletons, adults and children alike, lay in enormous heaps. The structure of the skulls verified that they were Furlings.

"God. In. Heaven," Rose breathed. "There must be thousands here. The whole city."

Daniel's eyes burned, but no tears would come. He settled both of the artifacts in the crook of his left arm as he stopped at Scout's side. Daniel placed his free hand on his friend's shoulder, offering what comfort he could from that simple touch. He understood what the elder was feeling, the gravity of his loss, changed in a single moment from the stuff of dry history to real personal grief.

These had been Scout's people, millennia ago. They had been destroyed by the Ancients, murdered in a place sacred to them, and abandoned.

Daniel looked down at the alien's bowed head. "Mikha," he called gently, "we should go. There's nothing you can do for them now."

"Their bones must be burned, according to our custom," Scout choked out, his gaze on Daniel's boots rather than meeting his eyes. "I will summon my people, and they will see to it." Tears streaked down his bronze cheeks and dripped off his chiseled jaw.

"Yes. Send for your priests and priestesses. They'll want to clean the temple properly, and pay homage to the lost ones." Daniel waited for his friend to rise, then glanced at Denali, still staring at the mountain of remains.  

The giant's helmet was also open, his face was in shadowy profile, but Daniel could see enough of his expression to understand what Denali was thinking and feeling, and it sent a chill of fear through his human heart as he recalled something Hunter had told once him about the People.

"Sky watch Wheel. Grass protect. Forest attack. Mountain destroy."

That description now held a more ominous note for Daniel, and he observed privately that he would not want to make an enemy of any of the Furlings. They were no longer prisoners on Furdani, and Sky Clan weren't just sentinels on the stargate. Now, they were keeping watch on numerous other worlds, invisibly observing other races and societies as they had the Jaffa and Ting-sha population on Olympus.  

Grass Clan were healers, offering protection from illness.

Forest were warriors.

Mountain...They were a quiet race, innately gentle and good-natured, but Daniel suspected there were deep passions bubbling beneath their calm, almost unshakable exteriors.

He waited until Scout and Rose were gone to approach the giant, gently touching the big alien's elbow, since he couldn't reach Denali's shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Denali's face, lit from below with the glow from Daniel's s'resh, was frightening. His lips twitched as he struggled for words, but he said nothing, just turned away and stomped after the others. Daniel cast a glance back at the tragic scene, and hurried to catch up.

He'd never had a problem keeping company with the dead before, since that was part and parcel of being an archaeologist, studying the bones of those who had passed into history long ago.  But there was something about this place that scratched at his soul and made him eager to leave; it was almost as though he could hear the echoes of their screams as they died.

He didn't believe in ghosts, but this place, these people, were not at rest.

He couldn't wait to get back to the ship.

January 17
P3X-367

"Breathe, Daniel," called Rose through the comm.

He exhaled with a gasp, not realizing he'd been holding his breath while he swam. The heaviness of the water pressed against him, weighing down his limbs as he stroked and kicked; the unfamiliar sensation heightening his realization that he was well beneath the surface. Instinct triggered and brought a surge of mild panic, forcing his breathing into high gear. Logically, he knew he wasn't drowning; he could breathe just fine, but his body reacted, causing him to flail a little. The whole world narrowed down to the tiny space inside his helmet, all that was separating him from the dark water and the surface he could no longer see.

Rose caught at his shoulder and pulled him around to face her. "Easy, there, Rattler," she cooed gently. "Nice, regular breaths. Everybody feels that way, first time diving. Just relax."

Her voice was calming and helped him regain his emotional footing.

She continued to talk to him, concentrating his focus on her rather than the fact that he was hovering in the middle of a dead alien city.  "Cave diving isn't like ocean diving," she told him. "The water's been filtered through layers of rock, so it's crystal-clear, no sediment, no algae. Watch your readouts for currents. These stretch-suits--"

"S'resh," he corrected automatically. Then he realized she'd probably done that on purpose, to distract him. He could hear the smile in her voice as she continued with barely a skip.

"--measure the currents just like they do wind speed. Gotta be careful down here, because you can't see the water moving in front of you, and if you swim out into a really fast-moving shear, it can..." She stopped. "On second thought, never mind. Just stay behind me and watch your data."

"What about the bends?" Daniel asked. "I don't know that much about diving, but I know that's a danger, and the Furlings don't have decompression chambers aboard the Gaia."

"What're the bends?" asked Scout. He was swimming in lazy circles around them, his lithe body rippling with the motion of a porpoise, little synchronized kicks propelling him easily through the water.

"Decompression sickness," Rose explained, twirling in the water to face the elder. "The force the water exerts on the body makes the lungs contract in size the deeper we go. Nitrogen filters into the body, so we'll have to come up in stages to avoid developing gas bubbles in our blood."

"Oh, I didn't know the term, but I understand the problem. We don't have to be concerned with that, not while we're protected by the s'resh," the alien told them with a little chuckle. "It contains inertial dampeners to shield against the compression of the water, and doesn't allow the penetration of high-pressure gasses or foreign elements into the body. All we need be concerned about is our air supply and, as you mentioned, the water currents." 

He continued to swim around his human companions like a fish.

"That's an interesting stroke," Daniel commented, grinning inside his helmet. "I'd like to learn it when we're not in such a hurry."

"We have no pool on Gaia," Scout reminded him, a smile in his words. "Pity we don't have more time for such pleasures. I love the water. Ready?"

"Yeah." Daniel glanced at the colonel's shiny black visor, completely hiding her face and reflecting his own helmeted head. "Thanks, Rose."

She angled away with a strong kick, following Scout down the submerged passageway.

Phosphorescent blue-green algae clung to the stone walls on either side of the staircase, giving off enough light to make the emerging landscape eerily visible, ghostly and grim. The water was crystal clear, filtered by layers of stone, and their lights cut into the chamber below and showed them a stunning panorama filling the cavern. An entire city lay before them, oddly reminiscent of Shahr, but silent, drowned and obviously ancient. 

The spires of carved rock were dissolving away, even as other mineral deposits formed and expanded, giving the place the appearance of a giant shipwreck.

"This way," called Scout, undulating through the still water to the left. "If it's a city of the People, we will recognize it, because they're always built in the pattern of our sacred architecture."  The others followed him, their arms and legs propelling them with strong, intent strokes. 

Daniel felt as though he was flying. His fear of heights made his heart race and his mouth dry, but he pushed on, staying close to his companions. Their descent into the heart of the multi-level cavern was slow, but he wouldn't have missed out on this adventure.  He was tired from the exercise by the time they reached their destination. A check of his oxygen readout revealed they had almost reached the halfway point, so they'd have to hurry.

Without hesitation, Scout led his companions to the entrance to an ancient Furling museum. 

Right at the entrance, the floor and ceiling showed obvious recent damage. The pattern matched the general size and shape of the components to the DNA re-sequencer in the fortress above ground. Daniel studied it for a moment, amazed by the well-preserved condition of the surfaces. In this lightless world, there was no algae growth, no slime, only the crystallization of minerals on some surfaces. Everything else was perfectly preserved. 

"Now we know for sure where Nirrti got that machine," he told his friends.

"We don't have time to waste on an investigation, hon," Rose reminded him. "C'mon. We got work to do here, and not a whole lot of time left. Check your readouts, Dan'l."

"Right." He followed his friends, now several strokes ahead of him, swimming down a wide corridor into the heart of the museum complex.

"Pick an artifact on display to carry back with you, something small and portable that'll be easy to carry while swimming," the elder told Daniel upon arrival in the largest display room. "We have no time to explore. You've used up much more of your oxygen than the Colonel or I, and we must get you back safely." 

"You peekin' at his readouts?" asked Rose, a light tease in her voice.

Scout chuckled through the comm link. "I thought it best, yes."

"Be right back," Daniel agreed, thinking to himself that he'd take as long as he needed to choose the right object. Their descent had taken all of ten minutes, but Daniel knew swimming back to the surface with a burden would be slower and more physically taxing, unless the objects they found were very lightweight. He glanced at his readouts and frowned. Maybe he'd just swim a little faster, and he'd make it.

"You agreed to the rules before we hit the water, Dan'l," Rose admonished gently, as if reading his mind. "We'll each grab something, all right?" She started toward a glassed-in case, then turned to Scout. "This stuff isn't booby-trapped or rigged with alarms, is it?"

"Shouldn't be," Daniel answered for him. "The People have an enormous sense of trust."

"Shiny." She pushed on the case and watched as it toppled slowly over in the water. A clear, iridescent crystal pyramid about the size of a small melon rested on the pedestal base, and she grasped it in one hand, holding it aloft. "Got mine."

Daniel glanced around and spied some writing on a nearby wall. He swam toward it, attracted by the Furling script he was still learning to read. There was no way he'd be able to take the entire wall with him, so he activated the recorder on his s'resh helmet and filmed as much of the text as he could illuminate with the light affixed to his chest.

Suddenly, the water all around them began to vibrate with the remnants of a huge shockwave making the surrounding cavern ripple, disturbing the layers of sediment on the cave floor in a visible pattern, the water rumbling with the muted echo of an explosion or quake. A chunk of the ceiling tore loose and dropped to the floor right beside Daniel, pushing him out of the way as it fell, kicking up a cloud of sediment. Other displays sitting on pedestals toppled over all around the trio, churning up the debris in the water, making it hard to see.

"What the hell was that?" demanded Rose, turning to Scout, her voice ringing with alarm. "I thought you said this place wasn't wired?"

Denali's strident voice came through in a group transmission. "The Captain says we are under attack! Return to point of entry immediately." 

"But--" Daniel glanced around, searching desperately for something small and portable that he could take.

"Now, Daniel," Rose barked, pronouncing his name crisply, without her customary drawl. Her tone left no doubt she meant him to obey.

He watched with profound regret as she dropped her booty and reached for him. "All right!" he growled unhappily, turning in the water to start back toward the entrance to the drowned city.

As the artifact Rose had been carrying impacted with the floor beneath them, the contact apparently switched the device on, the interior glowing with blue and green light. Daniel glanced down at it and saw a hologram flicker above the point for an instant, and then it was gone, too quickly to record. "Wait!" he called, and started to return to where the pyramid lay.  As two sets of hands grabbed for his arms and hauled him upward, Daniel sighed inside the confines of his helmet and resigned himself to the loss.

The cavern that housed the ancient city was collapsing in on itself as the trio adjusted their comm links to pick up the ship's chatter, listening to reports of the attack from Gaia's perspective. The stone structures all around Daniel and his friends shook and sounds of nearby explosions gave evidence that the bombing was still underway. The ancient buildings began to break apart, crashing into chunks and pieces all around them.

Clouds of dust and debris obscured the rooms, making it impossible to see their way out, but Daniel's s'resh was now sending out sonar signals, bouncing off the structures all around them to show him what his eyes could no longer distinguish. The view inside his helmet changed to a wire-frame display clearly showing him the shapes of his surroundings and the locations of his companions.

By the time they reached the surface, Daniel was exhausted, his legs rubbery and weak as he hauled himself along the stone floor of the fortress.

"This way!" called Denali.

Daniel turned toward the sound of the EXO's voice and struggled to stay on his feet. His limbs were weak and weary, but a spurt of adrenaline gave him his second wind. The group raced out of the disintegrating building just in time to see beams of energy-weapons fire erupting from the sky above them, aimed at the fortress and the submerged city beneath it. They double-timed it to the shelter of a group of trees about a half-klick away, and only once they'd gained that distance did they turn to watch the destruction as it rained down from space.

"Who's shooting at us?"  Daniel called through the comm link to his teammates. He couldn't tell from the controlled pandemonium of Gaia's radio chatter. 

Three enormous alien ships had emerged from the far side of the planet, where apparently they had been in orbit and hidden behind the curve of the globe. As the enemy had appeared, one ship had opened fire on the Furling ruins below. Another had attacked Gaia without hailing them or offering any sort of introduction or warning. The third had begun to pull away, leaving orbit and heading out into space.  Now Gaia was busy fighting back.

"One moment," said Denali, working the controls on the gauntlet of his s'resh. As the group caught their breath, watching helplessly as the ruins were destroyed, the Mountain officer downloaded information from Gaia's database and brought up a holographic recording of the three ships above his left palm. "Here are our enemies, el-Dani."

Rose swore a blue streak as soon as she saw them and stomped off a few paces, muttering to herself, hands on hips, trying to collect her temper.

"Those are Ori ships," Daniel puffed, glancing up at the sky and back to the hologram. "What are they doing here? And why would they want to destroy those ruins? It doesn't make any sense."

"Yes, it does," Rose snapped, opening the helmet of her s'resh with a flick of her finger. She stared at him with hot, angry eyes. "Nirrti obviously found something important down there. We saw the spot where her Jaffa pried the thing off its base. My guess is the leftovers of the Ori army found something, too, and didn't want anyone else snooping around."

She turned to Denali. "Gaia can't beam us up while they're under fire, right?"

"Correct," he said with a nod, his expression grave. "We must wait until their shields are lowered, when the battle is over, to be retrieved."

All eyes turned skyward as everyone tuned into Gaia's background chatter through the comm devices over their left ears. They listened breathlessly, waiting, hearts pounding as more fire poured down on the fortress, completely obliterating the site.

Daniel's heart sat like a cold lump in his chest, each beat aching with hatred of the Ori. Almost immediately, the wind picked up and the temperature started to drop. Thunder rumbled in the distance, muted and choked by a sudden fall of thick, fluffy snowflakes. The piercing wind scattered the snow, driving it against their bare faces. 

Scout put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and glanced up at the falling snow. "Be calm, el-Dani," he cautioned, gesturing meaningfully at the sky. "Manage your emotions. This attack will pass, and we will move on from there. Review the writings on the wall in the museum, to give your mind something to occupy it. Control your influence on the weather." 

"What?" snapped Rose, her brow furrowed in alarm and confusion. "Daniel's influencing the weather? How?"

"Never mind," Daniel shot back, wanting to avoid the subject entirely.

Fortunately, Rose let the subject drop at the sound of a particularly close volley of blasts and turned her attention back to the attack.

Daniel flipped up his visor, calling up the recording he'd made in the drowned city, struggling to get a grip on his emotions.  He put his head down, clasped his wrists behind his back and began to pace, studying and thinking. As he distracted himself, the wind died down and the snowfall began to lighten.

Then Daniel remembered the glimpse of the hologram he'd seen from the device MacFarland had dropped. It reminded him of a DNA helix. He wondered about its significance and was about to try to cross-reference the artifact with the text on the wall when he became aware of a sudden, eerie silence in his helmet. His head came up and he turned toward his companions.

The rain of weapons-fire on the ruins stopped. The unexpected vacuum of silence made him a little off-balance for an instant. There was no sound at all -- not the percussive roar of explosions, no chatter from their ship, no bird or animal noises, just nothing. A light dusting of tiny flakes still drifted soundlessly through the air, but they didn't make the typical muffled sparkly sizzle that Daniel associated with snow.

Then he realized it was ash, not precipitation.

The dead calm gave him the creeps.

"Gaia?" whispered Rose, worry etched into her lined face. She touched the comm device on her left ear, made adjustments in the controls in her s'resh, but there were no broadcasts on any frequency. "Do you think she's been hit? Why can't we hear anything?"  

Denali was already trying to call the ship. He hailed them on several different channels, but there was no answer.

Daniel's heart sank. Had the three Ori ships destroyed the lone Furling vessel? He stepped forward to hurry towards his friends, but suddenly found himself and the rest of his team on Gaia's transport deck, where Furling crewmembers were rushing here and there, handling damage control. The tang of smoke was in the air, and one of the corridors leading away from the arrival center was dark.

Denali stepped off the pad and barked at the officer posted to meet them. "Status report."

"The ship has sustained some damage, but the shields held until our enemies departed," a young Forest Clan female replied. "We lost a communication array, though no vital systems were damaged. One enemy ship has been destroyed; the other two have fled; we must make emergency repairs before we can pursue."

"Then they will likely be lost in hyperspace," Denali growled unhappily. "We have scans of their ships?"

"Yes, sir."

"What of our crew?"

The officer's chin dipped downward. "We are in the process of getting the wounded to the infirmary. The healers are working on the injured as they arrive."

"Casualties?"

"Twenty-seven dead," she reported thickly. "Ninety-four injured."

Daniel's heart sank. Though he realized it wasn't a logical assumption, part of his mind had come to believe that the Furlings were invincible, that whatever they put their minds to would automatically ensure success. He'd seen them the way a child views a parent: having all the answers and able to vanquish all others with their superpowers.

It was crushing to realize they were just as mortal as he was, just as capable of defeat at the hands of a powerful, arrogant enemy. The followers of the Ori had awe-inspiring weapons at their disposal, and even though they had been cut off from their masters with the destruction of the Supergate, those who had been left behind were still a potent threat. Their ships had outnumbered the Furlings three to one, and Gaia's crew hadn't come away from the battle unscathed.

Mountain's lips pressed into a thin, white, angry line for a moment. He touched the communication device on his left ear. "EXO reporting, Captain. We are safely on board." His head tilted in a listening posture, and then he gave a quick nod of confirmation. "Understood."

He bowed to Scout. "I will inspect the damaged areas personally, look in on the infirmary, and then present my report to the Captain."

"I'm going to the infirmary," Daniel announced, stepping down from the transporter pad.

Scout and Rose fell in behind him.

Somewhere along the way, the trio split up to help with the recovery efforts, lending hands to repairs, clearing away debris, pitching in to carry the wounded to the ship's hospital.

Daniel felt his eyes sting with tears and a lump form in his throat once he reached the health facility and saw the effects of the damage with his own eyes.

The dead were everywhere. Furling healers were hard at work performing triage, administering pain relief, cleaning and repairing wounds, moving those who expired out of the way to make room for the steady influx of more casualties. Furlings all around Daniel were bleeding, their flesh scorched and torn, and many were weeping and crying out with pain.

Reality had taken a sudden, agonizing turn.

"Peace, el-Dani," Scout murmured gently from behind him. "Find your balance, friend. Don't complicate the situation by letting your emotions run wild."  The elder put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and turned him away from the infirmary. "These are in good hands. Come with me, and we will meditate a little while."

Daniel's view of the corridor blurred as his eyes filled with tears. He didn't resist, just let Scout propel him to the serenity of his office, where he swallowed down his heart, closed his eyes, and let the elder's soothing voice guide him back to equilibrium, if only for a moment in time.


Ten Hours Later
Aboard the Ori ship, the Faithful


Captain Anthys of Ver Isa paced the deck above the hangar bay, his strides pounding the metal sheeting that made up the floor of the battle cruiser, Faithful. The alien starship had destroyed one Ori vessel, but the one carrying their prize was virtually untouched. His craft, on the other hand, had sustained significant damage.

Even now, as they dropped out of hyperspace, they were making plans to abandon the battle cruiser under his command, the crew transferring to the Gospel, traveling at their side. He would be among the last to leave the Faithful, because he would have to help set the self-destruct mechanism. Today, the Ori had lost two warships and hundreds of devout soldiers... but they had gained so much more.

He only hoped what they had won would be worth their sacrifice. The followers of the Ori had been unable to communicate with the Priors in their home galaxy for almost a year now, and doubt had begun to creep into many hearts. There were rumors that the Ori had been destroyed along with the Supergate, but Anthys could not accept that belief. He'd been promised ascension and spent his life in service to the Ori. His life was nearing the end of its span, and all that kept him going was the assurance of eternity among the celestial beings he worshipped.

Anthys glanced at his left hand, spotted with age, his skin thinned out and shiny. He barely recognized the hand of the warrior he'd once been. Fear of death coiled up in his belly and made his heart thud with sickening speed in his chest. He had to believe in the Ori. Had to.

Transporting the soldiers and crew to their sister ship took hours, and Anthys supervised every departure. Food, weapons and medical supplies were also carried over, along with every other item they could carry that would serve basic needs. Finally, the sequence was initiated into the ship's computer, and the last of the ambulatory personnel gathered at the infirmary door.

Anthys listened to the Prior as he wandered among those who were gravely wounded and could not be moved, imparting final blessings on them and promising them the bliss of ascension.  Many were strong in their faith and smiled, certain they were about to join the Ori for their guaranteed reward, but a few cried out, begging to be carried away. Anthys lowered his gaze so he wouldn't have to see the fear in their eyes.

Doubt crept in, just for a moment, its cold hand clutching at his heart. What if the heretic Daniel Jackson's warning were true? What if the promise of Origen really was a lie, and all those who lay here, pleading for their lives, were about to be forfeited for nothing? What if everything Anthys himself believe were untrue? What would become of his own soul, when he reached the moment of death?

He glanced up at the Prior's milky eyes and found them staring at him, as if the ghostly old man could see right into his soul.

Instantly, Anthys pushed aside his fear and lifted his chin proudly. "Hallowed be the Ori," he chanted at the end of the blessing, his voice stronger than the rest. He chastised himself, for his weakness in doubting, and committing himself to penance when the proper moment arrived.

The Prior led the way to the transporters. He, Anthys and the last of the officers beamed across to the Gospel, deserting their own ship and its hapless wounded crewmembers.

Still, Anthys's heart burned, and his spirit remained uneasy. He stormed off the transporter deck and made his way to the chapel, already aware where their prize would have been taken. He wanted to know what had been worth the cost of so many lives.

On the altar at the back of the room, an object lay draped with a luminescent gold cloth.  It was so small, barely the span of both his hands tall, less than one across.

"Let me see it," he growled to the two Priors standing watch.

Anthys's had proven his mettle and intelligence, as well as his faith, in a lifetime of service. He had risen through the ranks to command armies in the name of the Ori. He had knelt at the feet of the Orisi herself.

"As you wish," the Gospel's senior Prior replied. He bent to lift the cloth off the artifact, holding the fabric up by its corners. "It is called a Zero Point Module, Captain Anthys, and will provide us with enough power to build another doorway to our galaxy, so that more ships and soldiers may come to bring the word of Origen to this dark place." 

Anthys stared at the little thing, so fragile-looking, housed in what appeared to be some kind of amber glass.

The priest touched it, and lights inside it began to glow.

"It is so small," Anthys declared, his voice trembling, revealing his doubts and shaky faith. He straightened his posture and steadily met the Prior's rebuking gaze, his voice firm and strong as he added, "But if it helps our cause, then it is indeed a blessing."

Approval glimmered in the priest's milky eyes, and he smiled. "It will be a great thing, Anthys. Of this, you can be certain. All we need do is open the gate to the followers of the Ori, and a cleansing flame will issue forth to bring the light of Origen to all."  He chuckled and let the cloth drop back into place, hiding the ZPM from view once more.

A chill of fear shivered up Anthys's spine, and he couldn't help feeling that something had gone terribly wrong somewhere along the way. His life had been touched over and over by the impossible, driven by fate down a path that had taken him far from everything and everyone he had ever loved, and he could see only one end to it. He had not intended to be a soldier; this much he knew, but it had been necessary that he take up the way of the sword.

None could resist the will of the Ori, least of all a simple man like himself.

End Chapter 27

January 15
Two weeks later     
Olympus, in the temple of Zeus

High above the floor of the temple of Zeus, cloaked from the view of the massed congregation, el-Riel hovered in her protective s'resh, the helmet closed. On a whim, the Goa'uld had chosen to visit this planet, and word had been sent immediately to Furdani. el-Riel responded, watching the tyrant hold sway over his followers, disgusted by the groveling of the animalistic Ting-sha as they prostrated themselves mindlessly at Zeus's feet.

The Sky Clan elder had come to Olympus in secret, passing invisibly through the Wheel of Worlds with a shipment of precious metals and gems. She had wanted to see Zeus herself, to study and observe him and glean what she could of his nature.

As intrigued as she was sickened, she studied the physiological scans of the creature on the gaudy golden throne as the information appeared inside her helmet. Two beings, just as Daniel Jackson had described them, were housed in that body. One consciousness was a prisoner of the other, and the symbiosis that held them together might only be sundered with great difficulty. The People could not tackle that challenge without one of them to study directly, but these Goa'uld were apparently quite rare in the galaxy.

That, however, was a matter for another day.

Now, it was time to deliver a message and start the wheels of destiny turning.

Amid great pomp and circumstance, the doors to the inner sanctum of the temple were opened. Twenty priests lined up on either side of the golden throne in the naos, and the acolytes filled the chamber with incense and songs of praise.  Zeus graced them all with a beneficent smile as he gazed down in pleasure at the gift brought to him by the Artisans of Furdani a few weeks earlier.

el-Riel could kill him now, but she would not; it had been determined by the council of elders that execution was not the correct punishment for Zeus's crimes. There was much to do before the alien tyrant could be brought to justice, and the People's next action was only the first step, a warning to him and his followers. It would be the first of several opportunities that would allow him to give up his merciless oppression of others.

This was another test of the humans from Earth and of this Goa'uld, and the People were pleased they had not been asked to carry out a death sentence. 

el-Riel flew just outside the doorway of the naos and chose an opening in the crowd of junior priests waiting outside the inner sanctum. Directly below her, she initiated a life-sized holographic projection of Daniel Jackson, dressed in fine black robes. At the sudden appearance of the image, those nearest it gasped and moved away, clearing a space.

She knew Zeus had to be looking right at it, directly into the eyes of the hologram, and this was confirmed when she saw the flash of surprise on the Goa'uld's face as he eased slowly to his feet.

el-Riel slowly flew forward, and the previously recorded projection appeared to stride confidently into the naos, stopping just in front of the altar where the Eternal Light glimmered with rainbow radiance.

"Ready the message, Sky Clan," the elder transmitted to her equally invisible companions, their presence marked only by faint heat trails on the inner surface of her visor. Acknowledgments from the five who accompanied her came clearly through the helmet's speakers.

The Goa'uld began to speak to the hologram. "You realize you are a dead man, do you not, Doctor Jackson?" He smiled, just a fraction, casually clasping his wrists behind his back.

The image didn't reply. After a moment's pause, its right arm lifted, hand closed in a fist aimed right at Zeus. The Ting-sha reacted instantly to the possible threat and leaped, flinging themselves at the image. They tumbled right through it, slamming into each other and landing on their bellies in a pile on the floor.

Pleased by the gasps of surprise and awe coming from the crowd, el-Riel directed the hologram to step back.

The Jaffa priests shrank away, pressing their backs to the walls, where some dropped to the floor on their knees. These primitive beings had never seen a hologram and were obviously terrified of its presumed power.  "Cowards!" barked Zeus, dropping fisted hands to his sides as he shot scathing glances at his priests. "It is only an image, you idiots!"

The likeness of el-Dani Jackson pivoted without a word, one uplifted hand now aimed at the eastern wall.

"On my command," called el-Riel softly, watching a countdown on her visor. "Now!" She activated the motion, and the holographic Daniel began to sweep his arm through the air, index finger pointed as if he were writing on the distant wall.

The others of Sky Clan, hovering in position inches from the intricate mosaic, fired laser-cutting tools they had brought with them, carving words into the tiny ceramic tiles. The letters were twice as tall as they were themselves, and from the perspective of the audience on the floor of the naos, it seemed as though the script were appearing by magic, incised by bright flames of energy formed at the will of the hologram.

The elder chuckled inside her helmet as her subordinates worked quickly to put up their message.

Daniel Jackson is coming.

One of the Ting-sha panicked and shot at the hologram, the discharge from its weapon taking a chunk out of the floor. That reaction started a firefight as others responded, shrieking and crying out in fear and pain when blasts hit home. Ting-sha and Jaffa alike fell beneath the terrorized assault, until Zeus's voice finally boomed out in frustration for them to stop.

"Morons!" he bellowed, running a hand through his long blond hair in obvious exasperation. "Fools! Do you not see he is not truly here?"  He turned to regard the writing, reading it with a quick sweep of his gray eyes.

el-Riel watched his complexion darken and mottle with rage.

The next command was given in a voice that quickly increased in stress level and volume, until Zeus' fair face was bright red, his eyes glowing white. "I... want... him... FOUND!"  He turned back to his minions, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Bring me Daniel Jackson!"

His left hand lifted from his side, his fingertips capped in gold, a metal ribbon wound around his forearm. At the center of his palm was an amber jewel glowing with energy. A shockwave radiated from his hand, lifting those nearest him and flinging them through the air, their bodies smashing against the wall by the door.

Those who could, Jaffa and Ting-sha alike, picked themselves up off the floor and ran from the naos, screaming in panic. Only a few priests kept their places, cowering on their knees at their angry god's feet.

el-Riel shut the recording down, causing Daniel's likeness to fade away to nothing.

Zeus seethed as he stared down at his followers. "Remember that face," he snarled, tiny drops of spittle flying from his lips as he spoke. "Tell everyone on every world."  He leaned closer to the Jaffa high priest with some final words. "None shall rest until Daniel Jackson has been captured and delivered to me!"

"Yes, my lord," Teum whispered. "It will be done."

Zeus returned to his seat on the throne, staring at the Eternal Light in deep concentration.

The audio assembly in el-Riel's s'resh picked up the whisper of a pair of priests not far away from the throne. "How can we capture him? He appears and disappears at will. He writes with fire, cutting through stone with a wave of his hand. Is he a god?"

Apparently, the Goa'uld heard it, too.

With an impatient sigh, Zeus rose from his gilded seat and sauntered over to the hapless man, who was just rising from his belly to his knees. Zeus bent slightly and clasped his left hand over the man's forehead, showing his perfect teeth in a fierce, angry grin. "He is no god," Zeus growled through clenched jaws. "That was a trick. He is just a man, just like you, and when you bring him to me, I will kill him, just... like... this!"

The jeweled orb on the Goa'uld's palm glowed again and the priest shook with violent tremors of pain. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned, the stench of scorched flesh filling the room. The priest finally fell to the floor, blood trickling from his nose, the skin of his brow burned away to the bone, his brain thoroughly cooked. 

The handful of worshippers who were left prostrated themselves and began chanting, begging for mercy, reciting prayers of faithfulness and love to their god.

"Sky Clan, withdraw from the temple," el-Riel ordered quietly into the communication network. "We now have a location for the one called Zeus, and I must not lose track of him. The pursuit has begun."

Her order was acknowledged, and on her command, the rest of the cloaked Sky Clan exited the temple, heading back toward the Artisan's house. They would secretly return to Furdani, but el-Riel's mission had already been determined; she would stay with Zeus wherever he went, watching and waiting, and when the moment was right, she would act.

This was the being who had possessed the Hub prior to Daniel Jackson's theft. He had information the Furlings wanted, and they meant to get it. A personality ruled by such a large ego offered many opportunities for leverage. Now he had revealed a potential bargaining chip, and a plan had already been set in motion to obtain it. 

In a few weeks, a specially outfitted ship, cloaked and well protected by other Furling ships, would arrive in orbit around this planet. As it came into transporter range high above this temple, it would dematerialize the great statue of Zeus, reassemble it into the hold, and carry it back to Furdani.  There, it would be housed in a museum, where it would no longer be worshipped as the effigy of a false god, but instead, cared for as a priceless relic of a lost world.

~~**~~

January 17
Two Days Later
P3X-367

A heavy blanket of snow had fallen on this alien world, but Daniel wasn't cold. The s'resh he wore almost constantly now kept him comfortable and clean, and whenever he was away from the ship he kept the helmet in place to conceal his identity, just in case anyone might be watching. He'd grown so accustomed to the view through the visor and the ability to access so much information, he rarely took it down on missions.

The SGC's report from the exploration of this planet had been sketchy at best. Nirrti had kept SG-1 busy while the team was trying to assist the human population in dealing with a strange illness that caused them to literally come apart at the seams. One man had died in the base infirmary, his body breaking down into its basic components in a terrible, painful metamorphosis. Almost upon arrival, the locals had captured the team, and only through Jack's simple but persuasive reasoning with Wodan and Eggar had SG-1 managed to escape with their lives.

Nirrti had been killed, but not before revealing the secrets of an advanced machine she had used to perform her ghastly experiments. Wodan had promised Jack they'd destroy it once they finished changing their people back to normal. The SGC hadn't followed up with anyone to see if that vow had been kept. The villagers had simply kept to themselves, and the connection to the SGC allowed to lapse.

Now, years later, Daniel was visiting the planet for the first time, since the original mission had been conducted during his ascension, when Jonas Quinn had been part of the team.

The fortress where SG-1 had visited was now abandoned, but scans from the Gaia indicated the native population was still living in a village further east. That cleared the way for Daniel and company to prowl about without disturbing anyone. Scout, Rose and Denali were all exploring nearby, though the giant had to duck to enter the rapidly deteriorating edifice where Nirrti had kept her deadly machine.

They didn't have to look for long before they located the remains of the device. The platform base was still intact, but overhead, a giant reddish-orange ball had been smashed open, revealing bits of damaged machinery. Not far away, a control station lay tipped over, hammered into a misshapen mass, just as Wodan's people had promised Jack O'Neill they would do years earlier. 

Denali peered into the orb attached to the ceiling, squinting as he studied the displaced mechanical innards. "Interesting," he commented. "Much of this looks familiar."

He concentrated then on the walls, which were notably devoid of markings in that room, except for one spot where a thick layer of plaster had fallen off, revealing the stone wall beneath. He leaned forward, studying the artwork. "I recognize this, too." His pulse quickened with excitement. "This planet was marked as a Furling colony in the PDHD database, and either this building was built by your ancestors, or the people who lived here knew them and influenced their architecture."

"Agreed," said Scout, squatting beside the control station. "I believe this machine was made by our people long ago." He pawed through some of the broken bits and picked up a fractured control crystal with a metal fitting around one end. The lines were clean and elegant, and there was unnecessary embellishment added to it to make it beautiful as well as functional.

Daniel scrabbled at the plaster with his gloved fingertips. "Wish I had my tools," he grumbled to himself. Fortunately, the covering broke easily and came away to reveal more of the writing on the wall. When he found a seam between the stones that made up the wall -- one that shouldn't be there -- he called for help, excitement rising as he realized what he'd found.

"It's a doorway!" exclaimed Rose, tearing off a hunk of the crumbling plaster. "It's been sealed up."

"I'll give you one guess who did that," Daniel shot back triumphantly.

"Nirrti?" Rose asked with a grin, stating the obvious conclusion. Her helmet was open and she was sweating, her face swiped with dirt and powdered with white dust from their excavation.

The door was locked, but with a little effort, the team got it open, and an odor of decay and water wafted to them.  Daniel turned on the chest light on his s'resh and stepped forward into the dark room, where he tripped on something and almost went down.

Scout caught his arm and righted him, then angled his chest-light toward the floor to see what had caused Daniel to stumble.

Four Jaffa skeletons, their armor still in place, lay crumpled on the ground. 

"Probably the construction crew," Daniel observed with a note of irony as he scanned the area for possible booby traps, both visually and with the aid of the devices built into his protective suit. "Nirrti guarded her secrets jealously."

He took note of the height of the arched ceiling above them, all the elegant architectural detail, and was absolutely certain the Furlings had constructed this building.  Leading the way down the passage, he stopped when he came to the end of the corridor. At his feet lay a twenty-foot square filled with water, perfectly still and glassy-smooth like a reflecting pool, except this one had wide steps cut into it, descending into darkness. The first few steps were visible in the glow of their lights, but further down they seemed to vanish into the shadows. 

"Why put steps into a pool this size?" Rose asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Where do they go? We can't see the bottom. Those stairs gotta curve at some point."

Daniel's attention had been directed at the columns supporting the ceiling, with incised text in an ancient form of Furling writing. Much of the letters and symbols were filled with dust. "I don't think it was originally intended to be a pool," he commented, directing his light down to the base of the nearest pillar. "Look. There are signs of flooding here. It might be an opening to an underground city like Shahr."

Rose stood peering down into the depths. She sighed. "Y'all know if these suits are water-tight?" she asked. "'Cause somebody needs to check out where the stairs go." 

"Once the helmet is sealed, yes," replied Scout. He glanced up at Denali towering over their group, then patted the giant on his shoulder. "Wait for us here and watch our backs, friend."

Denali nodded and stepped back a little, turning so he could see both the pool and the way back to Nirrti's fortress with a glance in either direction.

Daniel activated the sensors on his s'resh, enabling a type of sonar mapping that would help him navigate under the surface. "How much air will we have?" 

"The s'resh will filter some from the water," Scout answered, following Daniel's example, "but not enough to give us unlimited range. A timer will show on the display once you're completely submerged, calculating the distance you've traveled and how much time you have left to return to an oxygen-saturated environment. The halfway point will be clear, and I warn you not to push it."

"I'll make sure he heads back on time," said Rose through the communication link. "And just so's y'all know, I'm a certified underwater rescue specialist, from my early days in Special Forces. Either of you boys ever been diving?"

Scout nodded. "I've used the s'resh in this fashion many times."

"Lots of recreational swimming," Daniel answered with a shrug. "A little snorkeling for shallow-water archaeological site exploration, but no diving. I never found the time to learn that."

Rose activated her helmet. "Then you should be aware there are rules. We stay together, always within sight of each other. Check your gear. Stay calm, and if Scout or I give you an order, you don't ask questions or argue, you just do it. We don't know what's down there, and it's damned dark, so we have to be careful. If we can't see each other's lights, we come right back up. Understand?" She put a hand on his shoulder with a firm squeeze.

"Yes, ma'am," he returned, thinking privately that she was every bit as protective of her teammates as Jack O'Neill had been. Not that he minded. In fact, he kind of liked it a little. 

After wading shoulders-deep into the water, Daniel checked his suit for leaks, temperature changes, variations in the readouts, but everything seemed to be working properly. Once he was completely underwater, he heard Scout and Rose calling in to verify their communications gear was operational, and he did the same. "I can hear everybody just fine, and the lights cut a decent path in the water. Let's go."

He continued down the steps until he was fully submerged, then put his head down and kicked off, diving into the inky blackness, following the chiseled stone steps downward in a lazy circle. The s'resh-lights penetrated the darkness in widening swaths, eventually disappearing in the dark. The sonar mapping was displayed in readouts on the insides of their helmets, scanning the area with sound, and they swam lower and lower into the depths of the drowned Furling city.

December 29
Early Next Morning
Olympus

Standing on a balcony on the upper floor of the Artisan house in the Olympian marketplace and sipping water through a straw-like apparatus inside the helmet of his s'resh, Daniel looked down at the passers-by and vendors.  He supposed he was eavesdropping, but he almost felt entitled as he listened in on a conversation that was taking place downstairs between the Furlings and the five Jaffa Daniel had rescued.  He knew Teal'c and Colonel MacFarland were both present, following what everyone was saying with the aid of the translators in their helmets, but Daniel couldn't show his face on that planet without risking being recognized, not even to the people whose lives he had just saved.

The old man was called Bathys. "I was a librarian," he told Scout in a shaky voice. "My crime was blasphemy against the one called Zeus. I dared to tell others that he is not a true god."

"You were wise to disbelieve," Teal'c rumbled gently, his s'resh both disguising his voice and providing a Latin translation for his response. "The Goa'uld are not gods. They are tyrants."

"I do not know the one whose symbol you wear," Bathys continued. "Do you not seek to sway others to follow this serpent-god of yours, First Prime?"  Daniel imagined the old man had already studied Teal'c's golden forehead tattoo, revealed when he'd opened his helmet earlier.

"The Goa'uld Apophis is dead," Teal'c declared with a note of pride in his voice.  "Though I served him and called him my lord for many years, eventually I chose to lead my people in revolt against him and all others of his kind.  On many worlds in this galaxy, the Jaffa live free of the tyranny of the System Lords.  We stand ready to offer your people their freedom as well."

One of the young men spoke. "There are many here who hold this same belief, Teal'c. The Jaffa of Olympus have already been working toward throwing off the rule of Zeus, but the Ting-sha are many and powerful. They blindly follow their god and are quick to act if they hear a breath of rebellion."

"That is why we were cast into the arena," said another male voice. "We were caught attempting to free some of the gladiators condemned to die in combat."

"We will take you to a safe place," Scout offered. "One of the free Jaffa worlds, perhaps?"

Daniel expected that question had gone to Teal'c.

"Indeed," the big man replied. "I will escort them to Chulak and see them settled there."

"I cannot thank you enough for our lives," said the young woman, "and for the life of my child. Will it be possible to speak with the one who risked his own life to save us?"

"He can hear you," Scout told her. "Say to him what you will."

Head bowed, Daniel listened to the five Jaffa express their gratitude, each wishing they could offer him more than mere words. He adjusted the controls to connect to Teal'c's comm device. "Tell them no thanks is necessary, and I'm just glad they're alive."

Daniel smiled as Teal'c's repetition of his message was much more elegantly put than his own simple words.
 
"We welcome you to the Artisans' house," announced Janet's voice through the speaker. "Please come with me, and I will show you to rooms where you may bathe and rest. A meal will be served shortly, and tomorrow we will be leaving this world."  At that point, Daniel knew the conversation with the rescued Jaffa was over. Their guests would be made comfortable for the night until departure time arrived.

He thought about what he and Scout and the others had accomplished, and what remained to be done. These refugees would be an excellent source of information about the culture of the people under Zeus' rule, and since the Goa'uld himself was no longer present, Daniel couldn't see any valid reason to remain on Olympus. The Furlings who now lived and traded there would remain as a conduit of intelligence, and would no doubt soon make connections with the Jaffa underground.  A seed had been planted and would be tended with care.

Meanwhile, no one but Daniel's companions would ever know that he had even been there, and the great statue of Zeus would remain intact, revered by those who lived in awe and fear of their false god.  That gnawed at Daniel, but he knew announcing his presence would put the Artisans in danger, if there were any way he got connected to them. His actions in the arena had already done more than enough potential damage. He needed to keep his face covered, and his mouth shut, even though that went against every fiber of his being.

Daniel wanted Zeus to know he had been there, but he couldn't risk exposing his identity and being associated with the Artisans. He wanted to destroy that statue, but the very thought was abhorrent; it was a piece of Earth's lost history, and Daniel's entire life had been about preserving the past. He was at war with himself, and there would be no resolution to that impasse, not in the foreseeable future, if ever.

The s'resh he wore kept him from feeling the light caress of the increasing wind, but the weather data scrolling up inside the helmet visor indicated decreasing barometric pressure and a spike in the relative humidity. A storm was coming, and already dark clouds were gathering overhead, blotting out the stars. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled a distant warning as Daniel turned and walked back inside. 

Claire regarded him sleepily from her bunk shelf above his bed.  "Something troubles you."  Following close on her words, there was a violent crack of thunder, a bolt of sizzling white light illuminating the sky and the room for an instant.  She sat up and dangled her s'resh-clad legs over the edge, leaning on her hands as she studied him.

Daniel stepped off the balcony and into the room. He opened his helmet, glad to breathe from the freshening breeze preceding the storm, and patiently explained what he'd been pondering.

The Sky Clan female closed the helmet of her uniform and adjusted the volume on her broadcast so he could hear her more easily.  "This is an interesting dilemma," she observed, pushing off the shelf and dropping into a free fall, her wings catching her in midair and lifting her closer to his face. "You want the statue preserved, yes?"

"Yes, but not so it can continue to be part of Zeus's worship," Daniel agreed, nodding.  "As far as that monster goes, I only want people to see what kind of pathetic posturing creature he is, and have him remembered for that.  But the structure is so old, so fragile; I doubt it could be moved without destroying it."

Claire pondered his statement, her hands clasped in front of her in a contemplative pose.  "One moment, please," she told him. 

As Daniel sat quietly, watching and waiting, her hands waved in the air, and he knew she was having a private conversation with someone else in the Furling network.

Finally, she spoke to him, a smile in her voice. "Rest easy, friend. We have a solution to your problem."

Daniel raised his helmet once more and asked for details. Inside the privacy of his helmet, he heard Scout's voice describing the plan.  The Furlings intended to bring one of their cargo ships to Olympus, one large enough to haul the massive statue of Zeus.  Using their transporters, they would bring it into the hold and fly it back to Furdani, where it would be beamed directly into their museum, so that every Furling could see the face of the fiend who had destroyed the world of their liberator and friend, Daniel Jackson.

In that place, Zeus would never be worshipped as a deity but would instead become a marked man, whose face was known to every Furling who lived and breathed.  That, Daniel decided, would be an acceptable fate for one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of Earth, the only one to have survived its destruction. It would serve as an intergalactic wanted poster, and there would soon be no place for Zeus to hide from the Third Race.

"I'm in your debt," Daniel told his friends softly.

"As we will always be in yours, Daniel," Scout gently reminded him with a smile in his voice.


December 30
The Next Day
Olympus

The Artisan lord, his pair of retainers, five new slaves, and three helmeted bodyguards stood patiently in the shade on the patio, watching the stargate, where Ting-sha solders still stood guard, checking each departure and arrival. 

Scout had recommended they take their time leaving the planet, making it known they were in no hurry to begin their journey home. Jaffa passers-by gave them long looks, pointing and whispering as they stared, no doubt gossiping about the dramatic rescue that had taken place in the arena the previous night.

Scout finally gave the order to move out, and the bodyguards took their places. This time, Daniel stood first in the line, taking point for their return to the ship. Smiling inside the confines of his helmet, he turned to the Mountain Clan Artisan who had been their host and gave him a respectful bow.

Daniel glanced to the left at the massive white marble temple with its colorful mosaic across the top, imagining how his message would appear.  The Furlings had presented him with an ingenious plan, one that would serve his purposes well. He had spent several hours composing the message he wanted to send to Zeus and his followers, and finally decided on something simple and brief, written in his own hand, and displayed in an incredibly public and impressive manner. 

He only wished he'd be able to see Zeus's face when he read it.

That pleasure, he decided, would be far less satisfying than the build-up of tension and frustration in the Goa'uld as Daniel's warnings accumulated. In time, the trap would be sprung, but not until the reputation of the false god lay in tatters around him. Daniel's dream was that Zeus would be discredited, embarrassed, and driven to rash decisions that would ultimately lead to his downfall at the hands of those he ruled.

And with the Third Race at Daniel's side, he had little doubt that dream would come true.


January 1
Two Days Later
Aboard the Gaia

Following several paces behind Bathys and the other rescued Jaffa, Daniel strode alongside Teal'c, his heart heavy as they made their way toward the transport deck and the ship's stargate. His old friend would be taking the refugees to Chulak to see them resettled, then make his way back to Dakar to report the latest developments with the Furlings to the Jaffa High Council. There had even been talk recently, messages received and returned as they traveled, of Teal'c taking a seat on the council himself.

This was important work, but Daniel would miss his comrade while they were gone.  "How soon do you think you'll be back?" he asked Teal'c hopefully. Daniel tugged at the collar of his black tunic, uncomfortable to be back in his normal clothing, now that he'd become accustomed to the weightless fabric of the s'resh.

Teal'c, too, had switched back to his Jaffa robes in preparation for returning to his people.  He walked with his hands lightly clasped behind his back. "I do not know," the big man answered. "It will depend on how well the High Council accepts the idea of aid from an advanced race."  He shot a meaningful glance at the pink-haired Sky Clan Jack, who was leading a group of three other fairies, buzzing along in front of him and Daniel.  Those four members of Sky Clan would be accompanying Teal'c as liaisons to the Jaffa.

Daniel caught his buddy's unspoken message, evident in the shadow of a smile and twinkling eyes. "You like them," he surmised.

Teal'c nodded. "I believe O'Neill will soon understand that these people will scrutinize your six, Daniel Jackson."

"That's 'watch my six,' " Daniel corrected, his own grin widening, "and yeah, they have so far. I trust them, and Jack needs to learn to do that, too."

Teal'c stopped walking, letting the flight formation move a little farther away, out of hearing range. He arched one eyebrow, his expression serious now, but curious. "I have known you for ten years, so I am well aware that it is your instinct to trust others, especially when they have been as kind as the Furlings have been.  But do not ignore the fact that long ago, the other races thought it best to almost eradicate them from the galaxy.  They saved only a few, and those were sent into exile. Surely there must have been a good reason for such devastating action."

Daniel sighed. "I haven't forgotten about that, Teal'c. I'm still looking into their history. That's why I went to the Nox.  Only they didn't have the answer, either."

"You could always follow the example set by the Furlings," the big man suggested. "Search through their recorded memories and learn their true motivations. They have already admitted they are withholding secrets from all of us. It would be a simple matter to research."

Recoiling in dismay, Daniel shook his head. "I'd never do that!" he shot back. "Even though it's part of their culture, it's not part of mine. We respect privacy and don't pry into the intimate thoughts of others.  I just..." He shook his head again.  "I couldn't. That idea goes against everything I believe. Sorry." Daniel grinned and gave a little chuckle. "You couldn't do it, either, huh?" 

The Jaffa's expression was grave. "I could not." He shook his head. "But be careful not to trust too much."

"I'm not as innocent as I was when you first met me." Daniel gave him a sad smile.

Teal'c gave him an approving clap on the shoulder. "No. You have become a fine warrior now. Zeus should be afraid." He smiled, a glimmer of contentment in his dark eyes. "I would not want you hunting me, DanielJackson. You are an excellent comrade, but you would be a formidable enemy."

Daniel wasn't sure how he felt about that statement, but he was certain it had been meant as a compliment. "Thank you?"

The two men continued down the corridor toward the transporter room, where Daniel wished all the travelers a good journey and watched them disappear through the ship's stargate.

Once the wormhole shut down, Daniel thanked the transport crew and strolled back toward his office, thinking about the research he'd be tackling once he was settled behind his desk. Abruptly, he found himself turning toward Scout's quarters, just wanting a couple of words of sociable chat to ease the parting between companions. Daniel had enjoyed having Teal'c around, and the big guy would be missed.  Daniel was lonely already.

The lights were low when he arrived in the lushly decorated entry room. These quarters were simple but elegant, filled with the finest Furling artwork and furniture, befitting an elder of the Forest Clan. Each of the walls held a holographic screen filled with images of an ancient woodland on Furdani.  Entering the room was like stepping into a tree-lined glade. Even the air was scented with leaves, flowers, and rich soil.

Scout wasn't in the foyer, so Daniel announced himself quietly. None of Scout's personal staff appeared, so he continued cautiously into the apartment, calling out the elder's formal name. He found his friend in a small alcove off the bedroom, just settling into a contemplative posture that reminded Daniel fondly of Teal'c.

"Greetings," el-Mikha responded with a warm smile.  The nook was lit by dozens of palm-sized crystals affixed to the walls, and there was a spare cushion facing him. 

"Mind if I join you?" asked Daniel. He, Scout and Teal'c had often meditated together during the few weeks the Jaffa had been on board Gaia.

"Please do," said Scout cheerfully, gesturing invitingly toward the other seat. "In fact, I intended to speak with you later today. There's a subject I'd like to discuss with you."

Daniel lowered himself onto the extra pillow, his legs crossed, wrists propped on his knees.  "Okay. What's up?"

Scout's expression was composed, unreadable. "Do you remember the storms on Olympus?"

"There were storms?"

"The first one was during the gladiatorial contest. Didn't you see the clouds gathering overhead, or feel the wind pick up?" Scout was smiling, just a tiny bit.

"I didn't pay much attention to the weather, no," Daniel admitted. "I was focusing on what was happening in the ring. Why do you ask?"

"Before that, as were preparing to leave Furdani, do you recall any of the weather reports over the city of Shahr?"

He shrugged. "Why would I? Shahr is underground."

Scout tilted his head. "At first, we didn't notice it much either, until a pattern began to be established. You see, whenever you returned to Alpha, skies above the city were clear, and the weather was appropriate for the season. On the other hand, when you were in residence at Shahr, the more disturbed you became, the more violent the atmospheric conditions on the surface. That's why I came to you and took you to Ahmega, to show you the ships and make our offer of support for your cause."

"Are you telling me I'm affecting the weather?"  Daniel frowned.  "Sorry, but that's not possible. I don't have that kind of power."

He shook his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing, but his gaze slid guiltily to the floor. Part of him knew he was capable of that, and of much more. He had cast lightning from his fingertips in the middle of building Merlin's weapon to fight the Ori, and he had also performed telekinesis, moving a canteen through the air with only the power of his mind.  But he'd believed he'd lost the ability to do those things when he'd left Merlin's repository machine behind on the world where they'd found it.

"I've studied many of your memories," Scout went on quietly. "While you're not able to access the events or abilities you had while you were ascended, the information's still there, still part of you. It's something you close off from yourself, because much of it is so painful to recall."

Daniel ducked his head, pulling at a tiny piece of cuticle sticking up beside a fingernail. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about that."

Scout nodded. "I know, Daniel, but these abilities are growing, along with your level of disquiet. If you don't explore them and learn to harness them, you may become a danger to all around you." He hesitated, his eyes filled with sympathy as Daniel met his concerned gaze. "There's atmosphere in this ship. Already there have been a few incidents with energy overloads, always in your vicinity, always when you're in anguish. We're asking you to let us help you learn to control either your emotions or this power, which we don't truly understand, for your own safety and that of those around you."

Bowing his head, Daniel knew the elder was doing his best to be as diplomatic as he could with this news, but it was still a shock. He took a deep breath and let it go, his shoulders slumping. "What do you want me to do?"

"For the moment, nothing," Scout advised. "Sit still and feel the quiet all around you. Have no thoughts, and let your feelings settle within you. Just breathe, and be."

Closing his eyes, Daniel sat up straight and settled into the meditation posture. He followed his friend's advice, taking the first step on a journey toward opening up his mind to the one place he never wanted to go for as long as he lived.

December 29
Olympus

On this planet, it was late summer, and the day was bright and clear. A cool breeze from a nearby ocean kept the temperature mild and pleasant, and in the early evening there was still plenty of light to illuminate the coming spectacle.

Daniel brought up the rear as the party of Furlings entered the arena, guided by a youth in a splendid maroon Roman toga. They walked through a well-lit private corridor, up a flight of broad steps, through a short passageway, and out into the sunshine, onto a spacious balcony lavishly decorated with red velvet padded couches and gilded tables. The balcony ledge was draped with scarlet bunting trimmed in gold, and there was matching fabric on an awning above them, which provided some needed shade.

The high priest, Teum, was already seated on a throne, modeled after the one in the temple but simplified, carved of rich reddish wood accented in gold leaf. He did not rise to greet them, but used the wine goblet in his hand to gesture Scout towards a seat on a nearby reclining couch.  "Welcome, my lord," Teum said with a little laugh.  He appeared to be well on his way to inebriation. "You are just in time. The festivities are about to begin."

"Thank you for your generous invitation," Scout returned politely. He took his seat and extended a hand to Janet without looking at her. She quickly placed a bunch of grapes into his palm, careful not to actually touch him. 

Rose and Teal'c were stationed directly behind the Furling dignitary with his retainers standing at either end of the couch. Daniel guarded the entrance to the balcony, watching from the rear of the group.

The old priest lifted his hand and nodded his head, and a band of musicians on the far side of the stadium began to play a rousing tune. The seats were filled with Ting-sha and Jaffa, who cheered and clapped as the music swelled to a final crescendo, while a grand procession of the various fighters trooped around the circuit of the sandy field below them. After the participants returned to the entrance tunnel beneath the stadium seats, a man in a white toga and iron breastplate strode to the center of the arena and addressed the crowd, announcing the first match.

Daniel knew these would be the mock fights. Twelve men entered the ring with clubs and whips, many looking as if they had no clue why they were there. A few with grim expressions started the action by attacking the others, chasing them around the arena and doing what damage they could. The crowd responded with mockery and laughter, and Daniel saw his Furling companions stiffen as they watched the barbaric display.

Fortunately, little blood was spilled, and the master of ceremonies, or editor, as the Romans called him, returned to send them back underground.

The next event was a display of exotic wild animals. Some were trained beasts that performed tricks; others were merely released and allowed to attack and devour each other. The carnage was sickening, but the Ting-sha soldiers showed noisy appreciation for the gruesome spectacle. 

The few animals that survived were then summarily killed by specialized gladiators called bestiari. Slaves hauled the bleeding and half-eaten carcasses to a pit that opened up in the center of the amphitheater, and then raked the stained sand back over the closed door before the next match began.

Platters of meat and bread were brought during this intermission, but none of the Furlings would touch the food. As Daniel sensed a growing displeasure radiating from his friends, he switched to a private communication link and moved closer to the group, positioning himself just behind Teal'c and the Colonel. "Rose, Teal'c, stay alert. Our 'masters' don't look too happy."

He touched the sleeve of Teal'c's s'resh and looked up at his friend's helmeted head as it jerked to face him. Neither man could see each other's face behind their black visors, but Daniel could feel the tension emanating from the Jaffa. "Try to take it easy," he advised gently through the microphone.  Teal'c nodded, and Daniel eased a step to the right to get a better view. He could feel his friend relax a little through the light contact.

Knowing there was much worse to come, Daniel tried to prepare himself for what would happen next. He scanned the crowd instead of watching the main event, but the clang of steel on steel and the shouts, grunts of effort, and cries of pain pulled his unwilling gaze to the ring.

These were the professionals gladiators, who trained to fight to the death. There were eight men in the ring, and all but two wore helmets and armor. In three minutes, the first warrior fell, limping off with a wound to his side. Thirty seconds later, another lost consciousness after a sharp rap on the base of his neck. One more minute, and a Jaffa died.

Scout stood up slowly, his face ashen beneath his bronze skin, his hands curling into fists at his sides, but his expression remained composed, carefully neutral. His left arm came up parallel to his chest, right hand reaching for the bejeweled controls of his kingly s'resh.

Fortunately, the old priest was oblivious to his guests, well in his cups and swigging down more wine.

Daniel saw the Furling elder pressing his lips together, head bending over his gauntlet, sensing Scout was about to give an order that would undo them all.

"Don't do it, Scout!" Daniel warned, knowing that no one but the Furlings and his human friends could hear him speak inside his helmet. "It's ugly and terrible, but we can't change their culture with a single act of mercy. We can't show our hand. Not yet."  The elder made a great show of adjusting his costume and sat back down, turning gleaming eyes to the violence below him. His body was perfectly erect, hands on knees, gripping with white-knuckled disapproval. All of the Furlings mirrored that sentiment, hating this senseless loss of life.

Had Daniel not known Scout so well, he wouldn't have been able to discern the faint glimmers of revulsion on his face and in his posture.

"Just so you know," Daniel added quietly, "it's going to get worse."

Nine minutes after the match began, one Jaffa was left standing, and the contest was over.

The audience exploded in thunderous applause as the field was cleared of the dead and wounded.

When the editor announced the next event, Daniel cursed inwardly.

Damnatio ad bestias.

Damnation by the beasts, a form of execution reserved for blasphemers.

An old man limped out into the ring, followed by a teenage boy. Behind them, two young men emerged, holding tightly to each other. The Jaffa prisoners walked with their heads up proudly, tears trickling silently down their faces, each forehead emblazoned with the lightning-bolt tattoo of Zeus. Each visage reflected the terrified and hopeless anticipation of impending death.

Last of all was a young, dark-haired woman, her lower arms wrapped around a belly swollen with pregnancy, obviously near term.

She looked vaguely like Sha'uri.

"No," whispered Daniel, shocked by the sight of her.

"Luz Hala, s'oile!" snapped Scout, giving an order in the dialect of the Forest Clan. He leaped to his feet as he spoke, and his right hand shot out, pointing into the ring. The elder had just commanded Sky Clan to protect the Jaffa in the ring. Daniel heard the order, and fueled by his memories and instinctive need to render aid, he reacted without hesitation. He took a step before he realized what he was doing, eyes glued to the woman in the arena.

Someone called Daniel's name within the confines of his helmet, but he ignored it, barely recognized the voice as Teal'c's. Then he was over the edge of the balcony, holding onto the scarlet bunting, riding it to the sandy ground as the rigging on one side gave way beneath his weight, then fluttered to the ground, completely detached from the balcony.

His brain kicked into gear then, but it was too late. There was no way back to the terrace aside from the gate on the far side of the arena. He was committed now, and all hell was breaking loose, voices shouting at him inside his helmet, the crowd almost drowning them out as the audience erupted with surprised shouts and cheers.

"Make the priest a deal, Scout," Daniel called into the microphone with a glance up at his friends peering over the ledge at him. "Tell him you wanted to show off your people's fighting skills. Think of something!"

Daniel bolted and was halfway across the arena, just about to reach the tiny knot of people, when a barred gate opened in a side wall and two full-grown katen darted out. The big cat-like creatures were snarling at the Ting-sha who had chased them out of their cage. The animals were probably starving, and the smell of blood was everywhere. For a moment, their attention was directed into the tunnel at their captors, and then the latticed gate dropped closed, trapping the animals in the arena.

They blinked in the bright sunlight, getting their bearings, locating their intended prey. Then their heads dipped and they crouched down, bellies low to the ground as they slunk forward, circling, prowling, sniffing the air. They were hunting now, judging what kind of threat their prey might pose before they committed to attack.

"Crap!" Daniel stopped in the sand, facing the closed gate. There was no way he could deal with these animals. He wasn't fast enough and wasn't competent with Furling weaponry yet, but he touched the sleeve of his s'resh without looking at it, hoping he'd activated the right controls.

The s'resh initiated a scan of atmospheric readings instead.

He wasn't about to look away from the animals to find his weapons and fiddle with getting them set for use. As he paced toward the beasts, he turned the weather module off and tried another combination, finally activating the tissé -- and found it set to dispense paintballs.

The audience roared along with the confused, hungry katen. Scout's voice sounded through the communication link in his helmet, but Daniel couldn't understand for the background noise. Daniel's gaze shifted from one katen to the other, trying to decide which would attack first.

The crowd noise ebbed to an expectant hush with an under-girding of surprised exclamations as a growl of distant thunder sounded, but Daniel kept his eyes on the animals.

Something pelted against his visor, rapping three times in perfect rhythm.

"We are here to help you," called Claire through the speaker in his helmet.

Daniel couldn't see Claire, but trusted that she was right in front of him. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Approach the female," said his cloaked friend, "the smaller one."

Another rumble of thunder quieted the crowd to a nervous murmur. The sky darkened, but Daniel didn't shift his attention away from the katen. He took a step toward the nearest animal, hands low, palms out and open. He moved slowly to keep from startling it.

Twenty feet away, he eased into a low crouch.

Neither of the katen had attacked yet, but they were circling closer, looking for an opening. If the beasts heard the buzzing of Sky Clan's wings, they gave no notice, focused intently on the cluster of people in the center of the amphitheater. The scent of fresh blood was in the air, and nothing would be as important to the starved carnivores as their intended meal.

"Dive!" Claire called to her cloaked companions.

The larger male bolted suddenly away, surprised by a sudden swipe from its invisible attacker. The katen turned in a circle, seeking the source of the blow, then directed its attention back to the Jaffa when no enemy was located. It flinched and darted close to the wall as more strikes landed against its solid body.

The female gave a startled leap sideways, then ran for the gate. It yowled unhappily, ears laid back, one paw slapping uncertainly at the air. Backing its hindquarters against the wall, it snarled and cowered, all big eyes and sharp teeth.

Daniel could imagine how the scene in the amphitheater looked. As he drew nearer, the animals backed away. He edged closer, one hand reaching out. Daniel searched for the right button on his chest plate, activating the exterior voice controls, and finally armed the tissé, preparing his built-in weapons for use. He felt so sorry for these magnificent animals, hoping he wouldn't have to hurt them.

He knew the katen were just abused and hungry. Something was attacking them, but their senses and primitive instincts couldn't process what little information they were getting from the s'resh-clad Furlings. The animals were trying to look scary and tough, but underneath the bravado, he knew they were terrified.

"It's okay, girl," he cooed to the nearest one. "That's a good girl. Gooood girl."

The katen finally noticed him and gave a fierce growl, backing closer to the wall. It slapped one paw into the air, claws dangerously exposed, obviously threatening.

If he got too close, he knew it would rush him, and he'd have to shoot it. He paced in front of the beasts, keeping some distance, hands low, voice soothing, keeping up a steady stream of senseless patter, counting on the sound to hold their focus. Their eyes were on him now, probably more because he was moving and the Jaffa behind him were still, but at least he had the katens' attention.

"Drive them to the gate," he murmured softly in Sky Clan dialect. "Hold them there."

The male flinched and wheeled suddenly as something bounced off its flank. It lashed out, sharp claws raking the startled female animal across the nose. It fought back, a flurry of strikes exchanged before they broke apart, then darting toward the tunnel instinctively once they'd realized they were fighting each other and not their invisible attackers. Both animals loosed mournful wails and caterwauls, begging for shelter from their unseen enemy.

The Jaffa in the audience cheered. An unhappy howl went up from the Ting-sha contingent of the crowd. The sudden noise sent the skittish animals darting away, and Daniel danced backward, hoping the animals wouldn't attack.

In their confusion, the beasts started toward the Jaffa, but Daniel hurried to cut them off. He called out to the people, ordering them to sit down and be still and quiet. He was really pissed off now, desperate for some way to save both the condemned Jaffa and the katen.

The sky darkened and thunder rumbled loudly. Despite Daniel's warning, the humans routed, dashing off in different directions. The woman screamed in terror, and their motion attracted the hungry katen.

The animals were fast. Daniel threw himself at the female just before it attacked, hitting it broadside, knocking it down. The female rolled out from underneath him and got to its feet and he hurried to do the same, managing to get onto hands and knees just as the male bowled Daniel over. Its great dagger-like teeth gripped his shoulder, but couldn't pierce the tough fabric of the s'resh.

The big male suddenly abandoned its attack, squealed in pain and leapt away. It stood with head lowered, eyes glaring at him, braced on all four feet. 

"Run!" Claire called to Daniel through the comm link.

"I can't!" he argued. "They'll chase me. We've got to drive them back to the tunnel. Make it look good, Sky Clan."

He held up a hand, palm facing the male katen, and strode slowly toward it, hoping it looked to the audience as if he had some great power over the beast. It continued to jump and flinch, backing away from him as he directed Sky Clan's attacks. He glanced at the female and it ran, heading for the gate with a miserable yowl. 

After another few moments, the male joined its mate, tails carried low to the ground in defeat.

The gate finally lifted, and the pair of katen dashed inside the tunnel.

"Well done," Scout's voice called from the speaker near Daniel's ear. "You have earned the prisoners' price as my slaves." The elder's message would have been public, audible to the high priest, who was sitting at Scout's side, since the Artisan leader's head wasn't enclosed in the privacy of a helmet.

"Thank you, my friends," Daniel panted inside his s'resh, broadcasting to his invisible Sky Clan helpers. He bent over slightly to catch his breath, then turned and gestured to the prisoners to come with him. He straightened and escorted the five Jaffa to the gladiators' gate and waited for it to be opened.

The prisoners were awestruck, confused.  "What is happening?" asked the woman, holding a hand to her rounded belly.

Daniel set the speaker controls to broadcast his voice and adjusted the volume so only those close to him could hear. "Just keep quiet," he told the Jaffa in Latin, so they would understand him. "You will not be executed." He wanted them to calm down, but didn't want them to know too much.

A grumbling Ting-sha soldier let them out of the arena and led the way to the balcony. It gave him an evil, angry stare before taking its leave at the doorway.

"Stay here," Daniel told the prisoners. "All will be well. You are safe."

He started up to the balcony just as Colonel MacFarland was coming down, her gloved fists clenched and swinging angrily at her sides.

Her stern voice was clear in the confines of his helmet. "I swear to God, Dan'l, I thought Jack was talkin' out a his ass with all those wild stories he told me about you, but I'll bet every damn one of 'em was true! What the hell were you thinkin', boy? And turn y'damn speakers off! Yer broadcastin'."

She lightly cuffed his shoulder and continued down the tunnel to take charge of the Jaffa.

He'd probably just scared her, he decided, and she had reacted to that fear with a show of gruffness. Hell, he'd scared himself!  He adjusted his system for internal communication and gave a low chuckle. "I'm okay, Rose. Just a little sore." He rubbed his bruised shoulder where the katen had bitten him.

"Remind me to kick yer impulsive ass later," she grumbled in his ear.

Daniel smiled as he stepped onto the balcony, his grin hidden by the visor. Scout remained seated on the couch with his back to the entrance, but Teal'c's helmet was turned in his direction. The set of the Jaffa's shoulders indicated both pride and relief that his friend was safe. Daniel went to stand beside him at the end of the Forest Clan elder's couch.

Scout leaned closer to the high priest with a mischievous grin. "What is your opinion of Artisan warriors now, Teum?" he asked lightly, his Latin graced with an elegant, alien accent. "You see, on our world, fighting beasts such as those is a right of passage for our children." 

Daniel wondered if that boastful statement weren't far from the truth. He'd seen some of the wildlife on Furdani and knew there were many fearsome predators coming-of-age Furlings encountered during the Hunt that would earn them the rights of adulthood. The katen seemed relatively docile compared to the giant sadeesh that lived in the woodlands.

The priest's eyes were wide as he glanced at Daniel. "Impressive," the old man said with a drunken slur, "but I am not certain Zeus approves." He pointed to the heavens, indicating the storm clouds that had been gathering in the last few hours.

"Perhaps you should look again." Scout chuckled and nodded toward the arena. "Or perhaps it is our goddess who smiles upon the Artisans this day."

Teum leaned forward unsteadily and looked beneath the overhanging awning at a rapidly clearing blue sky. His face grew slack with wonder and a little fear. The old man nodded. "Zeus is pleased. Your bargain will be honored, Artisan." The Jaffa priest gave a little bow and rose unsteadily from his god's throne.

As Daniel stepped aside for the priest to leave, he studied Scout's expression.  The elder was still smiling, a merry glint in his amber eyes. "Come. We shall take these Jaffa to the Artisans' quarters in the marketplace. Then, we shall talk."

"Yep. I'm in trouble," Daniel sighed to himself in the confines of his helmet. He rubbed his aching shoulder and turned to accompany the others back down the tunnel and out of the stadium, just as the sun had almost reached the horizon. As Scout had indicated, the sky was clearing, clouds scudding away on the wind, freshened with the scent of rain.

It would be a pleasant evening, he thought.  He found himself smiling at the pregnant Jaffa woman, even though she couldn't see his face and might never know the identity of the man who had saved her life and that of her unborn child.

December 29
Olympus

The chief priest's eyes glittered with avarice as he gazed inside the small but exquisite box laid at his feet. His wrinkled face creased into a pleased smile as he lifted his eyes to meet those of the Artisan lord who had brought this tribute for him, along with a small cabinet for Zeus. "Our god will enjoy this new treasure," he said softly, his voice quivering with excitement. He reached into the smaller box and pulled out a wide golden collar and matching cuffs, gifts meant for him.  He put them on, caressing the cold metal with greedy fingers.

Daniel watched in silence as Scout played his role. "Would you like to see our homage to Zeus?" asked Scout warmly, smiling and giving the priest a small bow.

"Yes! Yes, of course. A priest must examine and sanctify any offerings to Zeus before they may be presented to our god." The old man tore his attention from his shiny baubles and studied the other container with interest.  

As Scout opened the small cupboard's door, Daniel studied the priest's rapturous expression as he saw what the Furlings had brought to the great temple of Zeus: a small device encased in a glass cylinder, inside of which were delicate, thin spirals of gold twirled upward from a star-shaped base, not quite touching at the top of their individual arcs. Each of the spirals supported a chain of sparkling, polished gemstones, floating and twirling beside the golden metal swirls, all with no visible means of support. The cage formed by the spirals housed a bright light at the center, flickering like a flame but radiating all the colors of the spectrum like a living rainbow, reminding Daniel of the pleasure-inducing light-works in the Goa'uld pleasure palace SG-1 had explored years ago.

The glow was suspended in the center of the precious metal framework, with no apparent source for the light, and it bathed the interior of the temple with a hypnotic display of multicolored illumination. The priest gasped as he stared at it. "What is this wondrous thing?" he whispered in awe.

"It is very old," Scout answered dramatically. "We found it on another world, in an ancient temple devoted to Zeus, and now we are restoring it to him, as a token of our respect." He bowed again, deeply. "It is called the Eternal Light."  

Daniel thought Scout was putting on a great show; he almost believed the story himself, except their whole party knew the truth. The device had been built by the Furlings with this specific purpose in mind: to play upon the ego of a megalomaniac who wouldn't be able to resist such an amazing toy. The device had a tracking beacon surreptitiously built into the base; the hope was that it would be given directly to Zeus, thus enabling the Furlings to keep track of the Goa'uld's movements. Witnessing the priest's reaction, Daniel had no doubt the Furlings had predicted correctly.

He glanced around the temple interior, letting his attention wander as Scout plied the priest with more flattery. A forest of majestic fluted limestone columns surrounded the opithodomos, the outer area of the temple where the public gathered to await religious ceremonies. Brass braziers held brightly burning fires lifted high off the hexagonal-tiled marble floor. There were few worshippers there at that time of day, most engaged in the business of earning their livelihoods, and only a handful of junior priests moved about in the shaded opithodomos.

"Come, come," the high priest gushed, his eyes wide as he glanced between the Furling device and Scout, whom he assumed to be an Artisan king. "You," he gestured toward Janet and Jet, since they had carried the chest into the temple, "must bring the Eternal Light to the naos and place it upon the altar."

After receiving Scout's nod of agreement, they lifted the heavy case, and the entire entourage followed the priest into the pronaos, an inner room where votive offerings had been made.  Here the space was lined with bronze shields, and the mosaic walls were painted with brightly colored murals depicting Zeus creating the world, the adoring races who worshipped him arranged at his feet.

The priest opened a pair of massive bronze doors, leading the party into the naos, the heart of the temple, where a giant chryselephantine statue of Zeus sat gazing paternally down on a huge altar from his gilded, bejeweled throne.

A tide of emotion swept through Daniel as he gazed up at that stone face through the visor of his helmet. Part of him was filled with awe at seeing a treasure from Earth's distant past. This had to be the statue sculpted by Pheidias in 438 BC! It exactly fit the description recorded by Pausanias; the original was said to have been destroyed or carried off 800 years after it had been built.

The statue stood nearly forty feet high, its head graced with a crown of gilded olive branches, its skin made of sheets of ivory that had turned brown with extreme age. In his right hand, Zeus held a figurine of Nike, goddess of Victory, and in his left a tall scepter topped with an eagle. The golden mantle draped over Zeus' shoulder and lap was decorated with inlaid animals and lily-flowers, and his sandals were also gilded. The throne was adorned with symbols of other gods, connecting the Greco-Roman to the Egyptian with Sphinxes, the Graces, the Hours and other representations of Victory.

Daniel moved his gaze to the base of the statue, where he read the line of text inscribed in ancient Greek on the right foot: "Pheidias, son of Charmides of Athens, made me." He was looking at a piece of Earth's precious lost past, the genuine article, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  He wanted to cry with joy at the discovery, but as he lifted his eyes to that beautifully sculpted, handsome face, he was filled with cold hatred, and his heart was hardened.

It was Zeus, all right.

Daniel would never forget that face.

He watched as Jet and Janet set the treasure chest on the altar under the priest's direction. They removed the device from the box and set it down at the feet of the statue, where the rainbow light sparkled and flashed off the gilded surface, making it almost seem alive.

"Is that our guy?" asked Rose through the earpiece.

Daniel nodded reflexively, then remembered his head was covered by the s'resh helmet. "That's him. No doubt about it."

The high priest bowed deeply before the statue, then turned to face the visitors with a smile. "Zeus will be pleased," he stated huskily. "The Artisans will be treated with the honor and respect worthy of such a gift. You will sit with me in the balcony at the arena tonight and bear witness to the might of our god." He clasped his hands together and gave them a polite nod.

Scout hesitated. He glanced at Daniel, quickly, subtly, but Daniel read the question in his eyes and understood that the elder wasn't sure if he were supposed to acknowledge or decline the invitation.

"I think you should probably accept," Daniel advised him through the microphone.

The Forest elder bowed slightly. "I would be delighted." He signaled his party, and everyone pivoted to leave the inner temple.

Daniel was in the lead now, but as he faced the exit, he stopped, staring.

The massive brass doors were engraved with a star map, showing the location of every world under Zeus' control. Some had been freshly incised into the metal, presumably representing recent acquisitions by the Goa'uld overlord. The information was invaluable, and Daniel wanted to record it. He knew there was a setting in the s'resh controls for just such a thing, but couldn't remember the commands.

"We need to get a picture of these doors," he snapped, walking slowly toward them. "Does anyone remember how...?"  Daniel smothered a curse, his opportunity lost as a pair of junior priests opened the doors for them, hiding the panels from view against the walls.

Once they were outside the naos and out of earshot of the acolytes, Scout spoke to him softly. "The map has been recorded in all our thoughts, but I will show you how to work the controls in the tools of your s'resh, at a later time. For now, we shall return to our lodgings."

"Oh. Right." Daniel had forgotten about the nightly memory recording, and promised himself to make better use of it as a research tool.  He also needed to learn to be more patient with himself and not focus on his perceived failures. The mission wasn't about being perfect, but to be observant and offer his best performance, while trusting his teammates to deliver theirs. If he let himself get too wrapped up in self-recrimination, he could miss something important.

Scout laughed a little, his eyes twinkling. "Don't forget your first days among us, my friend. There are other possibilities you may not remember." His message was cryptic.

Daniel didn't press for an explanation, since they were still in public, but he mulled over what the elder had said all the way back to the marketplace and the Artisan house, still uncertain of Scout's meaning.

Once inside the building, they all opened their helmets. None of them had had time to record the star chart in the temple, and he doubted the quick glance he and the others had would be able to encompass every detail of the huge maps. How could the Furlings have managed?

"We've had extra eyes watching over us, friends," Scout declared to the humans, turning his eyes on Daniel, "just as we watched you from the beginning." He held out his hand, palm up, as if to offer a gift, but his hand was empty.

Daniel heard a familiar hum, barely audible, and the air above Scout's palm began to darken into a familiar shape.

Daniel gaped at the revelation. "Claire! You've been here all along?"

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Rose, sitting down on the nearest piece of furniture.

"Indeed," added Teal'c, his eyebrow lifted in surprise.  

More and more of the Sky Clan began to appear, some seated on furniture, others hovering in the air near the ceiling, still more zooming in and out of the doorways. A few Forest Clan people materialized in the corners as well, each clad in helmeted s'resh from head to toe, revealing their race when their visors opened.  

A memory of Daniel's first meeting with Forest Clan burst into his consciousness, and he recalled how the aliens had seemed to appear out of the shadows of the trees as they trekked toward Shahr. His eyes widened as realization struck him like a thunderbolt. The Furlings had often reminded him they'd been watching him since the moment he stepped through the stargate on their world. Now, he understood that many of them had been invisible, observing him up close, even when he'd been with SG-13, his every step and action under their direct scrutiny.

Not once had he ever been alone.

For a moment, he felt like a fool not to have made the connection sooner. The evidence had been there all along; he just hadn't paid enough attention to what his senses had been telling him. The quiet drone of tiny wings was a sound he'd been accustomed to screening out on Earth; insects were routinely ignored on his world and his mind filtered out the sound unless they got close. He'd heard them all along, and never noticed.

"Third Race," Daniel said aloud, reminding himself and his human teammates with whom they were dealing. "The Nox can make themselves invisible, heal injuries and raise the dead. The Ancients built stargates, and the Asgard..." Daniel shook his head, struggling to take it all in, sort it all out. "The Four Races shared their knowledge with each other. Whatever we've seen the others are capable of, we should expect from the Furlings."

He met Scout's acknowledging gaze and added, "You may have been in exile for millennia, but you had all that knowledge when you were marooned on Furdani, and you've obviously maintained a lot of it."  

Scout shrugged. "The Nox, Asgard and Ancients may have made advances after our exile that we don't know, just as we may've made discoveries beyond their capabilities at that time, but you're correct in your assumption. We still have much left to reveal to you and your people."  

And the Furlings had had every reason to be cautious. They'd been betrayed by those they'd once called friends and allies, nearly destroyed by them. Once burned, twice shy.

Daniel accepted their revelation in the spirit in which it had been intended, a sense of disgruntled acceptance settling into him. So much for what remained of his perception of privacy. Now he'd be listening as well as watching for observers when he wanted a moment alone.

"So, I take it someone was able to record the star chart on the temple doors?"

"Yes," Claire answered, taking to the air again and hovering in his line of sight. "We have images of the entire temple complex waiting for you to study. It is already in the database." She gestured toward his chest and the controls on his suit. "We have been recording all the events surrounding us from the moment we arrived."

Daniel closed the helmet and accessed the information on his visor. After quickly viewing what he needed, he sighed with relief and folded the helmet back into the collar of his s'resh. "Okay, that's two things you have to teach me now. Cloaking could come in very handy in the field."  

"Ditto," said Colonel MacFarland with a wide grin, a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes as her gaze slid to Teal'c. "No tellin' what a gal could get up to, if she were invisible.  There could be... shenanigans."  Her eyebrows waggled at him suggestively.

"I am forewarned," Teal'c countered, a sidelong glance at Rose enhanced by a tiny smile from the big Jaffa. "My senses are keen, and I will be aware of your presence, if you should attempt to steal upon me in secret."

"When you least expect it, T-Bone," she taunted him, slapping his shoulder playfully.

His retort was a single arched eyebrow, daring her to try.

"Not touching that conversation with a ten-foot pole," Daniel mumbled.  It was obvious that Teal'c and Rose had hit it off, already behaving like long-time friends. Still, it was fun to see them playing like that. He suspected there might be pranks pulled at some point between them, and just hoped they'd harass each other and leave him out of the hi-jinks.

"We'll enjoy a refreshing meal, take a little rest and then have another lesson on the operation of your s'resh," announced Scout. "When we finish, we'll go to the arena for the gladiatorial contests."  

Platters of individual-sized meat pies, small casseroles, hearty sandwiches and blocks of cheese were being delivered as they spoke.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Daniel agreed, reaching for a plate and loading it up, starting with one of those tantalizing meat pies.

December 28
Gaia's Ready Room

The away team, comprised of Daniel, Rose, Teal'c, Scout and two other Furlings, assembled in a spacious briefing room just off the bridge, seated at a round table with Captain.

"We will maintain a position here," the ship's commander said, bringing up a holographic projection of the solar system they were approaching. "The most distant planet will provide us a place to keep watch and listen to your transmissions. If we are called to war, we will send the fighters in first, then follow up with Gaia's approach. Depending on the information obtained, you may choose to leave this world without announcing such intentions, in which case, our discretion will be advantageous."

Scout followed up, enlarging the view of the second planet. "We established trade months ago with the population on this world and are accepted among them as a neutral party, as long as our presence is kept to a minimum, and we do not interfere with their religion." 

He pointed to a section of one continent to zoom in on a single city. "This is the major temple for Zeus on this world, called Olympus. He has been here recently, but left several days ago, his destination unknown. It is said that he travels by whim, rather than planning, in order to prevent others from mounting an attack based upon a known pattern. Still, we may be able to glean some additional information on his habits and the hold he has upon his slaves."

"As our friend here," the elder gave Daniel a small smile and an acknowledging nod of his head,  "has told us, the humans under Zeus's control live in fear of his wrath. The Ting-sha who rule them in the name of the priests are cruel, and we believe the Jaffa would welcome deliverance."

This wasn't news to Daniel. He'd seen enough on Zeus's ship and from previous experience with the Goa'uld to know that many of the Jaffa would respond well to the seeds of rebellion. All they'd need would be the right inspiration at the right time; he and his comrades could provide that.

"We will make contact with others of the People once we arrive," Scout went on as he looked at the humans at the table one by one.  "In order to keep your identity concealed, you must wear s'resh and keep your faces covered at all times. There were many Jaffa and Ting-sha on Zeus' ship who saw Daniel, and it would endanger us all if you were to be recognized."

Daniel nodded, agreeing with the plan so far. He glanced at Colonel MacFarland, seated to his left.

"What weaponry will we be carryin'?" she asked, typing in a note on the right gauntlet of her new s'resh. "We've been trainin' with y'all's stuff, but I'm more comfortable with my standard-issue-"

"Earth weapons might also be recognized from the Ting-sha's previous encounter with SG-13," Scout countered. "You must wield ours, Rose."

The colonel sighed. "You're right, sir. Sorry for interruptin'."

"We have additional information on the nature of the Ting-sha, which the People have observed and documented for us," Scout added, gesturing toward another member of the newly-formed away team.

This was one of the Forest Clan null-genders, who bore no sexual markers at all. These beings were mostly androgynous in appearance, but some had neither sexual organs nor attractions; others had one or the other. This one had deep blue eyes and black hair, and Daniel had been told he was as sexually neutral as an Asgard, but had chosen a male gender identity.  The humans called him Jet, for the color of his raven locks. 

Jet programmed in another hologram and stood up. Gazing down at the images, he gave his report. "The Ting-sha are not as intelligent as humans. Their language skills are limited, and they do not reason well, which makes them perfectly obedient slaves. The structure of their society is that of a pack, all following a strict hierarchy of leadership. Their innate sense of loyalty also makes them an excellent selection for soldiers, for they do not question their masters, and their belief in Zeus as a god is absolute. They enjoy fighting and are prolific breeders. We have found them on every world where Zeus has a hold, and the Ting-sha have proven an effective force for helping him maintain his rule. We cannot hope to influence the Ting-sha in sufficient numbers to create rebellion. We must, therefore, concentrate our efforts on the human Jaffa population."

"A wolf pack," commented Rose with a trace of disgust. "Wonder if they howl at the moon?"

"Not that we have observed," answered Jet factually as he resumed his seat.

Daniel caught Rose's grin and squelched one of his own. "How have the People acquired this information?" he asked.

"We have sent out ships to explore, along with small parties of traders who left through the Wheel of Worlds as soon as it was opened," Captain answered. "Our goods are much in demand everywhere we go. On this planet, we are called the Artisans."

Scout stood again. "I will play the part of one with great power and wealth, and the humans will act as my security staff. Two members of my household, " he gestured to Jet and a Forest Clan female the humans had named Janet, due to her uncanny resemblance to the late Doctor Fraiser, "will accompany us, to tend our affairs as we interact with both Jaffa and Ting-sha. Our contacts have advised us that this hierarchy is expected behavior in Olympian society, and it will help us to blend in."

He turned to address the humans. "The s'resh will keep your voices inaudible so that your comments can only be heard by the People. If you wish to speak aloud, the s'resh will modulate your voices so they cannot be recognized; this will also help to keep your identities hidden."

Scout looked at Daniel and Teal'c. "You will decide how best to foment rebellion among the Jaffa."

"That's gonna depend on what information we acquire," Rose told him. "You've already got a plan for that, I'm guessin'."

The Forest Clan elder nodded. "We will visit the People now trading on Olympus, and then go to the temple to present an offering to Zeus. This will make the priests more amenable to our inquiries about their god. Afterward, we will decide how long to stay on Olympus and where to go next in our search." He glanced at Daniel for approval.

Daniel found everyone at the table looking at him. "Um, I'm not a military commander," he told them, holding up his hands.

"Perhaps not," agreed Teal'c with an arched eyebrow, "but you know the Goa'uld and the Jaffa far better than the Furlings, who look to you for guidance in this conflict, for they are fine warriors themselves. You will do well, DanielJackson."

Daniel's gaze met the Jaffa's and held it. That vote of confidence meant a lot to him, as did the fact that he knew his old friend still lived. He smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay. Is there anything else we need to know?"

Questions were asked and answered, and an hour later, the team was checking their gear in the transport room as they stood on the pad beside the bejeweled stargate. A cape draped over Daniel's shoulders hid the PDHD in its carrying case at the small of his back, and a few taps on the controls brought the helmet up from its hiding place at the base of the s'resh to cover his head. The team, all except for one last member, stood by while their destination was programmed into the Furling 'gate.

When Scout arrived, Daniel's mouth dropped open. The elder was resplendent in black robes trimmed in gold that elegantly disguised the s'resh he wore underneath. His dark green hair had been dressed into a smooth, shining mane held with golden clasps at his nape. The backs of his gloved hands sparkled with gems, and a pair of huge, clear, sparkling brooches fastening a cape onto his shoulders.

He looked like a king... which Daniel supposed he really was, after a fashion.

Rose sidled up to Scout and teased through the helmet speakers, "Holy moley, honey! Where've you been hidin'?" She looked him up and down in obvious admiration.

The elder chuckled as he gave a nod to the Captain, who stood by the stargate controls. "I believe we're ready to depart." He counted off numbers as he tapped each of the away team on the shoulder to give their exit order, positioning himself next-to-last, with Daniel bringing up his six.

Teal'c and Rose would be first, Janet and Jet next, then the master of the house and a bodyguard to watch his back.

Daniel hoped they'd find Zeus on the planet below. He wanted the chance to confront the monster who had destroyed his world, and dole out a little justice of his own, but as he stepped toward the ship's stargate, he realized it wasn't really justice he wanted -- it was revenge.


Aboard the Gaia

Carolyn Lam carried her breakfast to her office, still tired but eager to get started on the day. The Furlings were excellent teachers, and their equipment was a physician's wet dream, but there was still so much to learn. Her excitement never waned, so she let fatigue determine when she took her breaks.

Every morning at nine o'clock -- Alpha time -- she connected to the base for uploads of important data, reports, and orders, sending back the information she had collected in her own research.

Buried in the current download was a brief report that caught her eye regarding Virus A, the disease that had stricken Alpha colony several months earlier. She read it twice before contacting Denali, the executive officer on board the Furling vessel, to establish a live link to communicate with the base.

Now that Gaia was at full stop in the Olympus star system, interactive communication was possible between Alpha and the ship.

Once the connection was made, she waited until she could speak directly with Doctor Karl Warner, now Chief Medical Officer of the colony and her immediate superior.

She smiled at the holographic image of her boss. "Hey, Karl. How's everybody there?"

He chuckled, smoothing a hand over his wavy gray hair, now much longer than military standards once allowed. "Obnoxiously healthy! I think the Furlings are going to render us out of a job soon, Carolyn. I don't think I've ever seen such an absence of illness before! Except for the occasional surgery to repair accidental damage, there's not a lot for us MDs to do here these days. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, you know. How about you?"

She nodded and laughed a little. "Yeah, here, too. I'm still getting my feet wet with all this amazing technology. Blows my mind sometimes."

"You know, I suppose there are worse things than a doctor being out of a job." He cocked his head. "Believe it or not, I was thinking about switching over to agriculture. There's a lot of use for that here. For the moment, I've been doing more research than actual practice of medicine."

"Yeah, about that," she began, bringing the conversational pleasantries to a close and getting down to business. "I was looking at Doctor Jensen's report on Virus A. Has a source been found for it yet?"

Warner shook his head. "The incubation period of the illness varies with the health of the individual, so we haven't been able to pinpoint an absolute starting date for the infection. Some fall ill within days of exposure; others may hold off as much as a few months before they actually have symptoms. All we know for sure is that Alpha was the first place where it presented, sometime after Omega Day."

That was the day Earth had been destroyed, she knew. She glanced back at the report, thinking. "I'm starting to wonder if we might be looking at the wrong thing. Maybe instead of researching everyone who's had the virus, we should be checking out those who haven't. I don't see a listing here of those who showed no symptoms on Alpha."

"Let me pull that up." Warner's image turned slightly away, and his hands began to move off-screen in the familiar pattern of typing on a keyboard. "Um, looks like..." He squinted at the screen and leaned closer. "Almost a hundred percent infection rate. Only General O'Neill hasn't presented with any symptoms... hmmm... and Doctor Jackson, as well, but he may have had it and not known it during the period prior to his arrival on Alpha."

"None of the Furlings have shown any signs of it, either. In fact, I've never heard them talk about it except when they were treating us." She frowned. "You don't think they brought it to us, do you?"

"Well, if they did, they also provided the remedy," Doctor Warner reminded her. "That vile tea of theirs has a perfect cure rate, and it's also a great booster to the immune system, as close to a miracle drug as we've ever found."

She rested her chin in her hand and reviewed the report again. "Would you mind taking a look at General O'Neill's antibodies? If he has some kind of natural immunity to the virus, it could be important."

"Sure thing. Anything else I can do for you?"

"I'd like to take a look at the General's complete medical history, just in case I may have missed something. Maybe you and the Furling healers there on Alpha can do a complete rework of his samples. Could be helpful."

Warner nodded, then all traces of humor vanished. He cleared his throat and folded his hands on the desktop. "Have you completed retrieval of Doctor Jackson's requested samples?"

"Not yet." She shook her head, shuffling some papers on her desk to avoid eye contact. "It's complicated, Karl, but I'm working on it."

Carolyn didn't tell him that Daniel wasn't even on board the ship. If the Alpha council learned he'd gone off-world on missions to hunt down Zeus, they'd have her head on a platter, and Daniel would be summoned back to Alpha permanently. Somehow, she doubted he'd obey that order, but she didn't want to put him into that position.  Provided, of course, he didn't get killed while he was on Olympus. If that happened, she'd be in some very serious trouble.

"I'll be sure to let you know as soon as we have it, sir," she told him coolly. "Lam, out."

She severed the connection immediately and buried her face in her hands.

Earth had required a lot of Daniel Jackson over the past ten years of his life, and to her knowledge, no one had ever publicly acknowledged his contributions. Now the survivors of his planet were making demands that, in her opinion, they had no right to ask. Maybe it was time for the military to stop giving orders, and to think about what was right for the people. Maybe it was time they just left Daniel alone to do what he wanted for a change.  He'd earned that.

Carolyn sighed and opened up the holographic interface with Gaia's immense data banks, pulling up records on Furling physiology to look for traces of the alien virus and antibodies in their systems, to see how they managed to avoid the illness. She ate mechanically while she studied, part of her mind working on the problem with completing her mission and her duty to her patient's rights. There had to be a way to service both, where everyone would be satisfied with the results.


Olympus

As soon as Daniel exited the stargate, he started to sweat in the temperature-perfected environment of the s'resh. Ahead of him, Teal'c stood with his feet braced, his identity concealed behind the helmet of his new uniform. To his left, Rose was equally disguised, both of them looking every inch the professional soldier. Jet and Janet, the Furling retainers, were just behind the Jaffa, positioned to protect Scout, who stood at the center of their group. The three humans wore helmets, but the Furlings had left their heads uncovered so they would be recognized as Artisans on that alien world.

The away team was surrounded by Ting-sha soldiers -- twenty of them -- on guard duty at the 'gate.

One of them approached Jet, studying his face with narrowed eyes. "You 'uman?" it asked in a low growl of mangled Latin. It reached out and placed a thick-skinned palm against Jet's chest to stop him from advancing further.

Jet's reaction was instantaneous and savage. He grasped the Ting-sha's wrist, twisted it and forced the alien soldier down on one knee. "How dare you confuse us with slaves!" Jet snarled, his Latin perfect and cultured.

The other Ting-sha lurched toward them, weapons lifting to firing position.

Teal'c, Colonel MacFarland, and Daniel stepped closer to Scout, taking up defensive stances.

From that posture of submission, the wolfish commander growled over its shoulder at the other Ting-sha, forcing them back. It stood as Jet released the wristlock, giving the entire party a closer look. "Artisans?" it asked, head lowered slightly in humiliation.

Jet reached out again, his fingertips flicking a brooch fastened to the silvery scales covering the Ting-sha commander's chest. "You wear our handiwork but do not recognize us," said Jet haughtily. "We will inform our merchants not to trade with you until you can tell the difference. What is your name, Ting-sha?"

For a moment, the alien's pointed ears pitched forward, its yellow eyes widening in surprise and dismay. Then its ears folded contritely back against its furry head as it gave him a slight bow. "Pardon, Artisan. Forgive Hamuk?"

"Your request will be considered." Jet lifted his head and looked around the busy city square. "We are to be met here by one of our people. Show us where we may wait comfortably."

"Hamuk cannot leave post," said the commander, its voice colored with genuine regret. "Grak take you." The Ting-sha turned, growling and snapping orders to one of its underlings and making gestures that indicated haste to obey, speaking in their own alien language.  The one called Grak bowed toward its master, head cocked to one side, exposing his throat in a gesture of submission.

Daniel was surprised to see a translation of the Ting-sha verbal commands, written in English, begin to scroll up on the inside of the visor of his helmet.

"This is so cool," said Rose's voice in an admiring whisper through the speaker at Daniel's ear.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.

Though the sky was clear, and it appeared to be a warm day in the city, Daniel was perfectly comfortable inside the s'resh and marveled at the extent of Furling technology. The suit was weightless and comfortable, equipped with extensive technology, offering climate control, weaponry and defensive capabilities, and it looked damn cool at the same time. Rose was right about the s'resh, and Daniel made a mental note to thank his alien friends for the gift.

Jet turned with a small bow to Scout. "This way, my lord."

The party started off toward a large marble hall two hundred feet away. The façade was graced with a wide porch lined with columns, offering shade from the noonday sun. The structure appeared to be some kind of reception station where information and refreshments could be had.

Daniel felt as he often did when visiting other planets - a sense of traveling back in time in a weird juxtaposition with the strangeness of the utterly new and alien. They might have been in Athens, strolling past the Acropolis, except for the presence of strange creatures like the Ting-sha leading beasts of burden that resembled horse-sized greyhounds with vulture heads. Jaffa were dressed in togas of a multitude of solid colors, belted at the waist, covering tight leggings tucked into boots. The buildings surrounding them were grand and massive, but further down the streets leading away from the main square were smaller, more modest structures with plaster walls and clay tile roofs.  It was Rome and Greece, ancient and familiar, but also somehow new and alien.

Daniel studied everything he could see, following the others in his party as they headed for the portico.

"Dan'l, heads up," called Rose through the earpiece. "Folks are movin' in a little close here."

He'd forgotten all about being a bodyguard.  "Sorry."  He put a hand out, warning people off, putting more space between Scout and the crowd. Once they reached the portico, Grak gave them a bow and left to return to the 'gate, and Janet found a couch where Scout could sit in the shade. The rest of the team gathered around him, retainers out front, Teal'c at point, Rose and Daniel behind the couch.

They didn't have long to wait for their contact to arrive.

He was from Mountain Clan, his russet hair pulled back at his nape with a silver clasp, his red tunic showing off a large expanse of massive chest. His gray eyes were lined with kohl, and his mouth tinted with vibrant crimson. He smiled and bowed in greeting. "My lord," he rumbled, addressing Scout with a deep bow, "the People make you welcome on Olympus. Please follow me to your humble lodgings."

"Greetings, Friend," Scout returned cordially as he rose from his seat. "We hope you will share what you have learned of this city on our way."

Mountain was happy to oblige and an excellent guide. He pointed out sites of interest, prominent buildings, places of historical import. They walked across carefully laid stone streets, and as the architecture simplified and buildings grew smaller in stature, the streets turned to cobblestone, and finally to hard-packed earth. Half an hour from the 'gate, they were in the marketplace.

The street was lined with shops. Small kiosks took up space in the center of the avenue. There were hawkers with handcarts selling their wares, and a river of people passing up and down in orderly chaos. The rich rubbed elbows with the dangerously poor, Jaffa with Ting-sha, master and slave. In the market, all had needs they meant to satisfy.

Daniel's senses perked up. As a boy, he'd spent time in Cairo's bazaars and knew well what to expect here. There would be thieves, assassins, and cutthroats everywhere; one glimpse at Scout in his finery would make him a target.  Daniel stopped taking in the sights and watched the people around them instead, concentrating on facial expressions and whether or not hands were in plain sight.

Soon enough, they stepped into a walled courtyard beside a small jewelry shop. Once the gate closed behind their party, Daniel relaxed a little, but it wasn't until they were indoors that he felt himself let go of the tension he'd been holding in his body, ready to act in Scout's defense. He smiled at himself a little in the confines of his helmet, realizing he'd been a real bodyguard for a few minutes.

Mountain turned to give them a slight bow. "You may unmask while you are inside our villa."

Scout nodded in agreement, and the humans deactivated their helmets, baring their faces at last.

"Whew," Rose sighed with a relieved grin. "Gets a little close in there after a while."

Daniel grinned at her. He'd been so comfortable in his helmet, with all the information constantly available to him inside it, that he'd barely noticed being enclosed. He felt a little spoiled by the constant but unobtrusive technological feed on the visor display, and reluctantly opened his helmet.

"Come. We have food and drink prepared." Mountain led the way into the house with its high ceilings and terracotta walls, gesturing them toward three couches around a long rectangular table piled with fruits, meats, fish, cheeses, breads, and seasoned vegetables, with beautiful silver pitchers of cold water sweating on each corner beside etched multi-hued glass chalices.

Scout was first to take a seat, and Jet knelt to serve him, as was his place in Scout's household. Daniel and Teal'c shared a sofa, and Daniel began pouring water and handing the goblets to the others as they took their seats. Mountain remained standing at the end of the table facing the group, his hands clasped loosely behind his back.

"The level of savagery in this society is impressive," he commented idly in his own tongue.

" 'Scuse me," Rose interjected with a nod toward the guide, her gaze shifting from Mountain to Daniel, "but what'd he say?"

Daniel translated, keeping his voice low so she and Teal'c could understand the account.

"War is the primary industry here," Mountain continued, "and every young person capable of participating is trained to fight from an early age. Those who do not excel are quickly routed into other supportive industries, such as forging armor or crafting weapons. Those who show an aptitude for battle are quickly added to Zeus' army, but others are used for entertainment."

Daniel's head came up, making an instant historical connection. He addressed the guide in Ancient. "In antiquity on Earth we called them gladiators."

Rose sighed and reactivated her helmet, speaking to the group through the communication link they all wore over their left ears. "I'll just read the translation on my visor, hon," she called into his earpiece.

Teal'c followed suit, picking up on her idea.

Mountain's expression was grim as he continued his report. "The warriors fight to maim or kill. Only the best survive, and those who do are rewarded with special privileges." He turned to address the Forest elder. "We are just beginning to hear whispered words regarding a system for smuggling those condemned to death in the ring to freedom. It is something we wish to pursue."

Teal'c made a noise, a deep, disapproving growl in the back of his throat. "I wish to assist in this endeavor. Perhaps the Jaffa will offer deeper trust to one of their own."

Jet stepped close to the Mountain guide to translate the humans' remarks for their host.

Scout studied Teal'c's shiny helmet as if he could see the dark eyes behind the visor. "Daniel has told me you were once the servant of a Goa'uld called Apophis." He shifted his gaze to the Furling giant. "Is that name known here? Will Teal'c be treated as a friend or enemy?"

"I am Jaffa," Teal'c declared proudly through the comm link, his posture straightening slightly. "I will be welcomed as a brother, even if my allegiance is unknown."

Daniel wasn't so sure, and shook his head. "You might also be mistaken for a spy, Teal'c. Maybe we should investigate a little more before you show off your First Prime tattoo. Otherwise, you might end up in the circus yourself." 

"And if you are identified as Jaffa while wearing the s'resh, you might endanger all of the People on this world," added Scout sagely. "We will be cautious. We will be above reproach. We will be honored guests and valued artisans, until the time comes when it becomes necessary to reveal our true purpose here." His orange gaze shifted back to Teal'c. "When that day comes, friend, do not doubt that the Jaffa will have their opportunity to taste freedom. That is my promise to you." He smiled, leaning forward slightly to emphasize his words. "Be patient. Everything in its own time."

Teal'c's helmet and left shoulder inclined in a slight bow of acquiescence to Scout's authority in the matter.  Daniel didn't have to see his friend's face to know he was pleased by that acknowledgment from the Furlings.

Movement at his left made Daniel glance toward the floor. A gray furry thing about the size of a large house cat approached on four silent, stubby paws, head and tail up in curiosity. Large, beady black eyes gazed at him, and two rounded, translucently delicate pink ears on top of its elongated head pitched toward him in interest. It sniffed at the leg of his s'resh and then rubbed itself against him.

"Hello," he said to it gently, reaching down to pet its fur. The amazing gloves of the s'resh translated an approximate feel of the softness through to his hand. "I didn't realize the People kept pets."

"We do not," Mountain told him with a wry grin. "This creature is called a katen. They are native to this planet and have a great dislike for Ting-sha. Their senses are quite sharp, and we keep them to provide us advance warning when the Ting-sha are coming."

The katen leaped lightly onto the sofa and curled up in Daniel's lap. Another one appeared and stretched out beside him. Then an adult katen wandered into the room, and Daniel could sense everyone in his party holding their collective breaths.

"Dan'l, maybe you oughtta leave that thing alone," Rose advised. "Mama might not take kindly to you messin' with her babies, there."

The creature striding into the room was huge, as large and heavy as a full-grown lion or tiger, with a similar build. A shaggy mane framed its muscular neck, and down its back a row of wickedly curved spikes extended out of the thick, soft fur. It moved on silent paws with cat-like grace, head lowered, aloof but watchful black eyes scanning the new arrivals. Then its nostrils flared. Its head came up, and a look of satisfaction brought the corners of its mouth up, eyes half closed.

Daniel stared at it, his heart fluttering with excitement. He'd never seen a live big cat up close, and had always wanted that experience. These alien animals were beautiful creatures, full of life and incredible power. It never occurred to Daniel to be afraid of the beast. He just wanted to touch it, feel the texture of its fur, the warmth of its body heat and the subtle thudding of its beating heart through its ribcage.

It walked regally to him and plopped down on its side at his feet.

"Reckon that's some kind of cat?" asked Rose, her voice breathless with wonder, and maybe a little fear.

"Not even close," Daniel replied, smiling. "Something completely alien, but every bit as magnificent. Don't you think so?"

"I guess the hell!" Rose eased off the sofa, squatted down and held out her gloved hand toward the mother, hoping to get close enough for a pat. Disdainfully, the beast turned its face away from her and rested its chin on Daniel's knee.

The guide chuckled. "The female likes you, friend," he observed bemusedly. Then he turned to eye the Forest Clan elder and murmured quietly in the Mountain dialect, "Furben tara shushen furdani fur-el."

Daniel understood the literal construction of the sentence, but wasn't sure what the giant meant by that enigmatic statement. 

Rose's voice sounded in his ear. "You wanna take a shot at explainin' that, Dan'l? Somethin' must've gotten lost in translation."

Janet, the Forest Clan female, answered her. "Fur is an identifier denoting a specific thing, rather than something general. Your word would be 'the'. El is our concept of God. That which created all is neither male nor female, yet both; no gender, yet all genders." She smiled. "To our understanding, of course."

Daniel looked down at the mother katen reclining at his feet and bent to rub his hand over the creature's powerful shoulders, pondering the meaning of the Furling's private comment. He scrubbed the animal's head and ears as he spoke to Rose in English, "The agent of destiny recognizes the Creator's judge. At least, that's what I got from it."

"Oh...kaaay," said Rose. "That's still a little cryptic to me."

"The message is clear," Teal'c rumbled with a note of certainty, nodding slightly.

"I am not certain I understand it, either," Daniel commented to his host in Ancient. "Who is 'the agent of destiny'?"

Scout glanced down at the katen, then up at Daniel's pensive frown. "Animals have a unique ability to sense many things beyond our understanding," he explained. "We look for such signs. The katen are drawn to you."

Feeling terribly self-conscious, Daniel straightened up, taking a big gulp of cold water from his goblet. He shrugged, as if that gesture could dislodge the attention suddenly being cast upon him. "I've just... always been good with... animals."

He decided he didn't want to pursue any deeper meanings, and a change of subject was in order. "So what's our next move?" he asked no one in particular with an uncomfortable, false smile.  He shot an embarrassed rescue-me-now glance to the man seated beside him. 

Teal'c opened his helmet to pop a small fruit into his mouth and take a long draught of water. When he turned to face Daniel, his left eyebrow was lifted, and he was looking terribly smug for some reason. 

"Now," Scout answered in English for his teammates, "we will go to the temple of Zeus and make a sacrifice to the god of the Ting-sha, if our gift is ready."  His smile was cool and calculating. 

"It is," Mountain assured him with a nod, after Janet posed the question in a language the giant understood.

Daniel knew the elder had something up his gilded sleeve, and Daniel was eager to find out what it might be.

December 26
Daniel's Office, Aboard the Gaia

Colonel Rose MacFarland had an impeccable military record. Daniel read through her digital file, examining the commendations and declassified information on the woman Jack had sent to look after him. She had a degree in computer science and another in ae