Fiction > Het Fic > Novels > Honor Amongst Thieves (Original Version)

Honor Amongst Thieves (Original Version) by Cleo the Muse
Rating: Older Kids
Genre: Het (Daniel/Vala), AU, Action/Adventure, Drama, Humor, Romance
Warnings: Some foul language (though nothing too severe), some questionable comments from Vala, and (since some folk don't like him) Jonas Quinn.
Episodes: Nothing's sacred. Basically, any episode which has either Daniel or Vala in it (and maybe a few which don't), so... the first movie through season ten?
Synopsis: Vala Mal Doran steals a cargo ship, but wrecks it on a backwater little farm planet whose people don't even speak a dialect she can understand. Fortunately, there is a stranger living among them who is able to translate. He arrived on that planet in a flash of light only months before, and has yet to remember who he is. When a conversation with the incorrigible thief leads him to remember his name, Daniel agrees to travel with her through the Stargate to find his past.
Notes: Loosely based on Ael L. Bolt's "Five Daniels That Weren't: The Third Daniel - Pirate". Now, the part that might REALLY send you for a loop is that I wrote and posted a chapter EVERY WEEKDAY for three months to get this plot bunny to stop nibbling on me!
Status: Completed as of May 16, 2007
Disclaimer: See The Fine Print.  I don't own Stargate... it owns me *eg*.

Ch. 1-10      Ch. 11-20      Ch. 21-30      Ch. 31-40      Ch. 41-50      Ch. 51-60      Ch. 61-70

Honor Amongst Thieves

Chapter 61

They stopped for water at the stream which separated the brush from the forest, then staggered into the woods. As much as it pained Daniel to admit, Sarilis was completely right about the state of their injuries. The bruises he'd ignored up to this point were clamoring for attention, making his gait unsteady and agonizingly slow. He had bruises on his bruises from where Osiris had slammed him into the wall, and his head was throbbing. Vala probably wasn't in much better shape, having been tossed around as much as he was and having her own close encounter with the hand device.

Unlike the trip to the village, this journey was made in tense silence. Vala outwardly had her attention on the homing device, but Daniel was sure her mind kept wandering to Sarilis and Mai. His was and he hadn't known the older of the two women even half as long as Vala had. Still, from what he understood, Sarilis' skills were legendary. If anyone could find a way through this mess, it was she.

Finally, as the evening hours began to set in, they entered the blast crater created by the detonation of the ship which had first brought them here. There was no sign of the cargo ship, but as it was doubtless cloaked, that was no real surprise. "Okay, how do we find it now?"

"Easy," Vala answered, flicking a switch at the bottom of the homing device's display. The air near the edge of the clearing rippled, revealing the ship "borrowed" from Andron.

"There it is," he smiled, scarcely daring to believe they were almost free. "Ready?"

"Ready," she agreed. She'd long since removed the uncomfortable hand device and fastened it at her hip, expressing a preference for the non-lethal—and infinitely more controllable—zat gun. She nodded to him, and he hit the switch to open the cargo ship's hatch.

Holding their weapons at the ready, they charged, quickly discovering that Andron was not in the cockpit. For a moment, Daniel thought that maybe the merchant hadn't managed to get out of his "box" after all, but then he heard a muffled curse from the direction of the engine room.

Vala shot him a grin, then pressed herself against the wall beside the cargo hold's door. In silent understanding, he flattened himself to the bulkhead on the other side of the door. Within moments, a nervously-shaking hand extended a small beam weapon through the opening, then peered around the edge, finding himself nose-to-nose with a primed zat.

"Hello," Daniel grinned as Vala quickly stepped forward and disarmed the ship's owner.

Andron's eyes went wide, looking first at Daniel, then at Vala. "Miss Mal Doran! Master... uh... What a pleasant surprise!"

"Cut the crap," the former thief warned, tucking the newly-acquired weapon into the top of her boot. "Trying to make a break for it without waiting for Sarilis?"

"She woke me up, dragged me out of bed, and kidnapped me! What do you expect?"

"As I understand it, she asked for your assistance and allowed you to come along when you insisted," she replied, her expression smug.

Andron's jowls quivered. "No! If I'd known she needed to come meet you, I'd have gladly come along, Vala!"

She snorted. "I trust Sarilis with my life. You I trust as far as I can throw you, and let's face it: even a Jaffa would have trouble pitching you any distance. And you don't get to call me by name. That's Miss Vala. Soon to be Missus, right darling?"

Daniel nodded smugly. "Missus Jackson."

"Missus Jackson," Vala repeated, savoring the words. "Darling, would you mind taking care of the propulsion systems while I have a chat with Andron? If Sarilis pulled the crystals I think she did, they both go in the console up here."

"You got it," he agreed, saluting her with his zat and stepping into the cargo hold. As Sarilis had promised, the missing crystals were located in two of the escape pods. Returning to the front of the ship, he pulled open the access panel and plugged them into place, taking a logical guess as to which went where. Immediately, the bank of crystals lit up, indicating power had been restored to that system.

"Excellent!" she grinned. "Set a course for the stronghold, why don't you? That should be a nice place to drop off our unwanted passenger."

Although "nice" was a relative description, at least it meant Vala didn't have any plans to just abandon the merchant in the middle of nowhere. He might have been a greedy coward, but he was incredibly lucky he was currently being hijacked by the two most morally-conscious space pirates in the galaxy.

Andron spluttered. "But it's my ship!"

"Mine now," Vala answered. "Consider it due payment for having sold me out to the Luciens not once but twice."

"I didn't—" he protested immediately.

"Don't lie to me, Andron! We might have clashed over a few sales a time or two, but it's hardly worth sending the likes of Hardis and Arturis Maz after me and my partner. We're lucky we escaped alive, you idiot!"

"They promised not to hurt you," he sulked. "It's not my fault."

Daniel rolled his eyes, "What, you thought they wanted to just sit down and have a chat with us over tea and biscuits?"

The merchant might not have been able to see the eye roll, but there was no mistaking Daniel's tone. "N-no..."

Vala gave an indelicate snort. "Which brings me back to one question: why? You know as well as I do that I was never any real competition in weapons and parts sales."

The ship now hovering over the peak of the pyramidal fortress, Daniel set it to hover and spun around in his seat. "It's because we beat you out on the sale with the Hans, isn't it?"

Andron frowned, crossing his arms. "This nice little setup you have with them should have been mine. Then here come the two of you, making me look a total fool in front of them, stealing the crystal sale and—"

"You lost the crystal sale before you even started," Vala answered. "There was a specific type they needed and you didn't have it. More importantly, the only reason why Daniel and I have this 'nice little setup' is because Daniel speaks and reads an ungodly number of languages. You can't even pronounce Zhiangma decently, let alone the two dozen-and-more dialects the Hans needed."

"But Hardis said that—"

"Hardis was an even bigger fool," she snapped. "He paid the price for his mistake, and so will you. Step into the rings, Andron."

He shook his head resolutely, refusing to budge. Deciding the merchant needed a little encouragement—and knowing that they couldn't stay decloaked for long—Daniel rose from the pilot's seat. Grabbing the back of the shorter man's shirt, he slowly but surely hauled him into the circle on the floor.

"What about my cargo?" he whined, trying to twist free until he once more found himself intimately close to the business end of a zat, this time Vala's.

"Consider that part of your payment," she replied with a wicked grin, stepping back once the threat had been made clear. Letting go of the fat merchant's collar, Daniel walked over to the ring controls.

He almost felt sorry for Andron. Almost. For Vala to be behaving as she was, she had to be as tired, sore, and frustrated as Daniel was.

"And for the record," Vala finished, giving a go-ahead nod, "we didn't have to make you look like a fool in front of the Hans. You did an excellent job of that on your own."

The noise of the activating rings drowned out the beginnings of the immediate protest, whisking Andron down to the platform inside the stronghold.

"That was embarrassingly easy," Vala muttered, turning around and heading for the cockpit. "We should have tried stealing a ship from him a long time ago."

Daniel shook his head. "He didn't put up a whole lot of fight," he agreed, following. When she claimed the co-pilot's seat, he took the controls and angled the nose of the tel'tak for space. Once they were clear of the atmosphere, he regarded her with a grin. "Besides, what man could resist you in that outfit?"

She giggled girlishly. "Well, you used to, silly. And now here you are, wearing those ass-hugging leather pants of yours..." She peered over the dividing console speculatively, making a little purring noise in her throat. "An awfully long way you've come."

He leaned over the console toward her. "I had a good teacher, Miss Mal Doran."

"Hey!" she objected, pushing against his chest and preventing him from kissing her as he’d planned. "I thought we agreed, Daniel."

"Ah yes," he answered, cupping her face in his hand. "I’d forgotten. I guess I'll soon have to get used to calling you Missus Jackson, won't I?"

"And don’t you forget it," she declared, grabbing his head and giving him a soul-searing kiss that made the stars spin around them dizzyingly.

No wait.

They were spinning.

"Death gliders!" Daniel yelped, breaking their embrace. "Does this thing have weapons like the last one?"

"It's Lucien, so of course it does," she replied, pressing buttons to power them. "They might have shot down our last one, but if they want this ship, they’ve got something else coming."

"Uh... Vala?"

"What?"

"There are three al'kesh up here, too."

She gulped. "Well, this should prove interesting."

Chapter 62

Jack drummed his fingers on the mess hall table nervously, barely resisting the urge to look at his watch again. Outside the window, the brilliant purple-white light of hyperspace streaked past, but the almost stately pace of the swirls was enough to drive him mad. That—along with the complete lack of press-you-into-your-seat inertia—was extremely frustrating when he was in hurry.

Every cell in his body was screaming, "Daniel's in trouble!" That wasn't news in and of itself, as the feelings of looming disaster had chased him every day for almost five months, ever since he'd learned that Daniel was alive, amnesiac, and absent.

He glanced at his watch, noting that the readout had yet to change. The colon between the "22" and the "15" was blinking steadily, assuring him that the watch was functioning as it should. He gave it a little shake, then put it to his ear before remembering that digital watches didn't tick like analogs did. The only possible explanation, then, was that some of Carter's relative stuff was to blame, messing up the passage of time so that it seemed to stretch on forever.

Ha! The minutes had finally gone up a number, displaying the number "16" with the same disregard for the colonel's impatience. The Prometheus' navigator had approximated 2300 as the arrival time to the planet which was Daniel's last-known location. He wasn't sure if he could stand to wait forty-four more minutes and wasn't at all certain how he'd survived the ten hours since first hearing about his friend's capture.

A large hand clamped over his arm, covering the face of the watch as he went to look again. "It is still forty-five minutes until we are expected to arrive," Teal'c told him, his jaw working in that "you are trying my patience" sort of way of his.

If Jack was a master of anything, it was trying patience. "Forty-four."

"O'Neill."

"Sir, you can't make the time go by faster just by staring at your watch every few seconds," Carter reminded him.

"I can try," he grumbled, not wanting to admit defeat in the face of her unfailing logic.

Jonas had nothing to add, only waving his spoon and returning to his butterscotch pudding.

Jack scowled and resumed the rhythmic tapping of his fingers. Inwardly, however, he was trying to figure out what he was going to do about Jonas after this crisis had been handled. The kid's entire planet had just kissed its own ass goodbye, and the only other survivors of the disaster were worse than pond-scum.

When they reached the rendezvous point and began ringing up the reinforcements, Fraiser and her emergency team had prepped the six rescued Andarri for travel. Jack had practically dragged Jonas in to see the three men and three women off, wanting to let them know that at least one other person from their planet had survived.

They were polite and welcoming after hearing his apparently Andarri name, but when they learned he was actually born Kelownan, Jonas was given the cold shoulder. There were times when Jack couldn't believe that the younger man was from the same region of space, let alone the same planet as these rude and extremely petty people. What did it matter of Jonas was from a rival country? He was the only other survivor of an entire planet.

One thing was for sure: Jack wasn't going to mourn this particular planet's loss. Sure, a disaster which claimed the lives of two billion people was horrific, but based on his previous encounters, the explosion could very well have been caused by the chronically paranoid Kelownans and their penchant for building weapons of mass destruction. One of those weapons had been responsible for killing Daniel, and though Jonas had been granted a pardon for his part in the events which followed the laboratory accident, Daniel had just ended up dead.

Well, dead then ascended. Somehow, he'd also ended up descended, too, which was why they were now charging through space on a daring rescue mission. A quick glance at his watch showed that maybe there was some truth in the team's insistence he not keep looking at the time, as three whole minutes had passed while he was ruminating.

The ship's intercom crackled. "SG-1, report to the Command Deck."

Jack jumped up from his chair, nearly knocking it over with the force of his enthusiasm. Maybe the 2300 arrival time had been over-estimated by forty-one minutes, and they were about to drop out of hyperspace! The rest of the team caught up to him at the lift, since he either had to wait for the next car or make a mad dash up the nearest ladder. Since he wasn't sure his knees would be happy with climbing several decks, the lift it was.

Finally, they emerged on the Bridge of the Prometheus, Jack practically bouncing with every step. "Are we there yet?"

Pendergast looked up at the team. "Not yet, Colonel. We've picked up a distress signal approximately fifteen light-years off-course."

"And?" he prompted.

The communications tech punched a switch, filling the air with a rich alto. "Requesting assist... damaged... attacked by... al'kesh... shields failing..."

"She doesn't sound like a Goa'uld," Jonas observed as the garbled message began to repeat.

"Osiris' host, Sarah Gardner, is English," Carter recalled, clearly noting the woman's accent. "What if Daniel was somehow able to free her?"

"What if he didn't and it's a trap?" Jack replied.

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. "That is unlikely, O'Neill. No one knows we are attempting a rescue from space."

"There's also the chance she might be a part of the Hans' rescue team," the Kelownan continued. "Her accent isn't like that of Han Kazo, but she might be one of the other two people they sent."

"So we're needed to rescue the rescuers?"

Pendergast shifted in his seat. "Shall we divert course?"

"It's only about five minutes out of our way," Carter added.

Jack groaned inwardly, knowing the decision was his as the ranking officer. Pendergast may have been the ship's captain, but the rescue mission itself was under his command. Whether they kept to their course and ignored the distress signal or made the slight detour was entirely up to him.

"Five minutes, then," he declared. "Let's go see what the problem is."

Pendergast nodded to the navigator, who changed the ship's heading accordingly. The minutes dragged by interminably, but at long last they re-emerged into real space. Sensors immediately detected the source of the signal and the viewscreen zoomed in for a closer look.

A badly damaged tel'tak drifted in space just below the darkened form of an al'kesh. Both vessels seemed to have taken weapons fire, though the larger ship didn't appear to have enough scoring to account for its seemingly-lifeless state. The distress call, the communications tech announced, had come from the cargo ship.

"No life signs on either vessel, but I am picking up some interference," Carter reported, taking over an unmanned sensor console. "According to these readings, neither ship seems to have been disabled by external causes."

"They blew themselves up?" Jack asked.

"Well, the cargo ship—near as I can tell—has a lot of hull damage but no breaches. The al'kesh is in far better shape, but seems to have no power."

Jonas peered over her shoulder. "That's very strange."

The major looked up with what he thought of as a "mad scientist's gleam" in her eyes. "We should try to salvage them, sir."

He shook his head. "After we rescue Daniel."

She bit her lip. "Well, I could take a team over there to see what we can do while the Prometheus continues on to the planet."

He sighed. "Carter..."

"We should determine if there are, indeed, any survivors who may need medical attention," Teal'c added.

"The sensors aren't getting clear readings on the al'kesh," Jonas agreed, "but it does seem to still have minimal life support. There could be people trapped on board."

Jack threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine! Get Reynolds and SG-3 to ring over there and check it out. If there's no danger, I might—might—consider letting you try to fix it."

The scientists shared a conspiratorial grin, leaving the colonel to wonder how in the world brilliant people like Carter and Jonas could have such skewed priorities. Here they were, fresh from a rescue mission to Kelowna, headed on a rescue mission to who-knew-where, but stopping on the way to rescue persons unknown on ships which may or may not actually have anyone alive on board! The worst part was, he knew that if Daniel were to find out he'd passed up trying to help someone in need, he'd chew his ear off in a heartbeat.

"Prometheus, this is SG-3 niner. It's dark over here, but seems to be holding heat in pretty well. We're beginning our sweep now." The seconds stretched into minutes, then finally Reynolds reported in again. "We're in the engine room, and it looks like we've found the reason why the ship isn't going anywhere: one of the panels has been pulled out and all the crystals shot to hell.

"We also have two dead Jaffa in here, both armed with staff weapons. It looks like they might have been killed by other staff blasts, only..."

"Only what?" Jack demanded.

"Well, the burns look too small and neat, sir. Direct hits like these guys took are usually irregularly shaped and as much as five inches across. These are only about two or three, round, and deep."

Teal'c stiffened. "I have seen such wounds before, Colonel Reynolds. They are caused by Anubis' drone warriors. If one is still aboard, you and your men are in grave danger."

Jack put his fists to his forehead in frustration. "Abort. We don't have anything that can kill or even stun those guys. Fall back to the rings and get back aboard the Prometheus."

"On our way, sir!"

Pendergast looked like he was missing something important, so Carter obligingly filled in the blanks. "Anubis' drone soldiers are right at seven feet tall and covered head to toe in impenetrable black armor. Teal'c and Bra'tac encountered one at a failed Jaffa summit and were completely unable to stop it with their staff weapons or zats. The only reason why it even died at all was because they're genetically engineered with a limited lifespan."

"We encountered another one a few days after," Jonas chimed in, "and couldn't stop it with a trinium dart, a force field, or even claymores."

"Prometheus, the rings on this side aren't working."

"Hold on, Colonel, we'll ring you back from this side," Carter responded. Pendergast nodded, instructing one of his crew to do the honors.

"Everybody back on board?" Jack asked, anxious to get as far away from the derelicts as possible. "Reynolds?"

Pendergast frowned. "Captain, bring up the security cameras in the ring room."

Captain Marks complied, then swallowed nervously. "Sir?"

On-screen, a "Super Soldier" paused, looked up, then raised a zat and shot the camera. The picture dissolved into static.

"Oh, shit," Jack muttered. "Okay, we need options, people."

"We can't zat it, we can't shoot it with a staff weapon, and bullets just bounce off," Jonas summarized. "What about voiding the atmosphere on the deck?"

"And risk killing anyone stuck on level four?" he retorted.

Carter looked up from her console. "Actually, Jonas has a pretty good idea. Maybe we can lure the drone into an external compartment, seal it off, then vent it into space."

"And how do you propose we 'lure' it?"

She bit her lip, but Teal'c understood the meaning clearly. "I will go."

Jack waved his hand. "Hold up there, Big Guy, you're not doing this alone. Pendergast, evacuate decks three through five and seal them off. Teal'c and I are going to go lead Ugly on a wild goose chase."

"I'll go too, sir," Carter offered. "You'll need my help sealing off the compartment and flushing it into space."

"I'll come, too,"Jonas chimed in, making it a full SG-1 endeavor. "I can help Major Carter."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Carter, you and Teal'c start on level five and work your way up. Jonas and I will start at level three and go down."

Carter turned to a nearby panel and pulled up a schematic of the ship. "There's a food storage bay on level five that has an airlock. I can rig the hatch to blow if we can lead it in one door and escape out the other. Seal them both off and detonate the charge."

"Good thing I wore my running shoes today," he quipped humorlessly. Neither Teal'c nor Jonas pointed out that he was, in fact, wearing the same style of boots he always did, so they got the message: drawing the Super Soldier's attention was his job.

Pendergast suggested bringing SG-5 and 14 along to seal off rooms as they went, pulling victims of the drone's attack to safety and reducing the available areas to which the creature could travel. Jack agreed, ordering SG-5 to meet him at the forward lift shafts on level two, and they'd progress from there. SG-14 would then meet Carter and Teal'c on level six.

As they kitted up in the armory just outside the Bridge, Jack cursed himself for giving in to the humanitarian appeal from his teammates. His instincts had warned him it was a trap, and now they were boarded and under attack by a creature that had proven completely immune to any and all weapons the Tok'ra, Tau'ri, or Jaffa Rebels had in their arsenals. Stopping to think about what Daniel would have wanted him to do had warred with his own responsibility to the younger man's safety, and if he couldn't somehow manage to rid the Prometheus of its unwanted guest, they might never get the chance to try to rescue him.

Jonas looked stubbornly determined, inspecting and loading his P90 like a pro. As many times as Jack had made him strip and reassemble the weapon in his early days with the team, he was probably as quick as the colonel himself was. He'd absorbed the necessary skills to hold his own on the team as lightning-fast as everything else at which he'd tried his hand.

"Ready?" he asked gruffly.

"No," the younger man admitted, "but it's not like we have much choice, is it?"

Reaching up with his free hand, he clasped Jonas' shoulder. "You'll do fine."

Entering the lift, they travelled down one level. SG-5 was waiting for them in the corridor just outside, looking nervous but resolved. Jack radioed the Bridge to cut power to the lift, then headed for the nearest ladder.

They'd retrieved two unconscious crew members and sealed off six rooms when Carter's voice came over the radio. "Sir, we're still on level five and just spotted the drone coming out of the corridor ahead of us. Teal'c and I are going to try to get around it, then draw it toward the storage bay."

Jack toggled his radio. "Roger. Jonas and I are on our way. Do not engage until we are on the same deck, understood?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, and though he knew neither of his teammates liked the order, they'd comply.

"Harper, finish securing this deck." Not waiting until the SG-5 team leader acknowledged the command, he motioned to Jonas and headed for the next access hatch down the corridor, rather than back-tracking to the one from which he'd previously come. If he could, he'd rather emerge on the other side of the Super Soldier from Carter and Teal'c, making it easier to draw the drone to the intended target zone.

A tell-tale whine was his only warning. He instinctively ducked and rolled, trying to put distance between himself and the unmistakable sound of a priming zat. Jonas, unfortunately, was not so lucky, crying out as the blue energy engulfed him. He fell to the floor unconscious, and as much as Jack wanted to drag him out of harm's way, the heavy footfalls of the approaching drone dictated his next action. He fled.

Racing down the corridor, he toggled his radio. "Damn it, Carter, there are two of 'em!"

"Sir?"

"Jonas just got zatted and I'm being chased! I repeat, there are two drones aboard!" He glanced over his shoulder and swore under his breath, as the distinctive black-armored figure stomped into sight. It seemed to be in no hurry to catch him, but catch him it would if he didn't come up with a plan PDQ. He slid around a corner just as blue lightning flashed past him, the hair on the back of his neck standing up at the close shave.

Unfortunately, he'd ducked into a dead end, the door at the end of the corridor stubbornly refusing to open. The heavy footsteps of the Super Soldier plodded ever nearer, and Jack gripped the P90 more tightly. Firing the weapon might be a futile effort, but at least he could tell himself he wouldn't go down without a fight. The footsteps slowed, then the drone appeared around the corner, leading with its zat.

Why a zat? he wondered. These guys carried far more deadly weapons mounted on their forearms, so why were they taking such an effort to only zat people? And on that note, why was it only about six-and-a-half feet tall instead of the usual seven?

"You're a little short for a Stormtrooper," Jack remarked, all thoughts of going down with guns blazing flown out the proverbial window.

He could have guessed for a hundred years and still not predicted the drone's response. "So? You don't look much like Princess Leia, either."

Chapter 63

"Daniel?"

He blinked in surprised recognition. How in the world had this particular voice's owner come to be aboard a ship in the middle of nowhere?

"Jack?"

"Daniel?"

Having forgotten how the mask distorted and deepened his voice, he fumbled with the Kull helmet. The flush of cool air felt great against his skin and the return of natural color to his vision was welcome. The best, most wonderful sight of all was the dropped jaw and stunned incredulity of one silver-haired Colonel O'Neill.

"Jack?"

The older man's mouth worked silently for a moment, forming words but never quite verbalizing them. Finally, he just let his P90 bang against the front of his tactical vest, staggered forward, then wrapped his arms around Daniel in a crushing bear hug. Unable to do anything else, Daniel brought his arms up and circled the other man, hanging on for dear life.

They clutched each other for the longest time, chins buried in the crooks of each other's necks. Neither tried to speak, Daniel finding it difficult to even force air in past the lump that had formed in his throat. He didn't think words were really necessary anyway, as the firm grip around him was all he really needed to know.

"Jesus," Jack muttered in a strained voice.

"No, just Daniel," he replied with a grin.

The colonel gave a choking laugh, reaching up to ruffle his hair affectionately. Daniel half expected him to call him "Spacemonkey" again, like he had all those years ago. He pulled back at last, hands going to the younger man's shoulders and giving him a thorough once-over. "You are a sight for sore eyes, Danny."

"I missed you too, Jack."

"Why the hell didn't you come home? When you got your memory back, why didn't you come back, too?"

He sighed and scrubbed a gloved hand over the back of his neck. "It's... complicated."

"Isn't it always?"

"Pretty much," he agreed. "First off, it was quite a while before I remembered enough to do anything about it. By then... well, my priorities had changed a little."

"A little?"

He started to smile, but then froze in sudden shock. "Aw, crap."

"What?"

"Does this ship have some sort of PA system?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He took a breath. "'Cause I need to stop my partner from shooting up the rest of the ship."

"Crap," Jack agreed. He grabbed the radio mounted to his vest. "Carter, Teal'c, do not go after the Super Soldier."

"Sir?"

Daniel grinned at the confusion in Sam's voice. "Can you put me on the intercom?"

"Stay put, Carter, we're heading your direction." He dropped his hand from the radio and pushed past Daniel, jogging back to the main corridor. Daniel bent to pick up his dropped helmet then followed. At the juncture of the two halls was a panel with several buttons and switches on it; Jack pressed a few controls, then motioned for him to go ahead.

"Vala, this is Daniel. This is a Tau'ri ship, so stop shooting people, okay? I'm heading your way."

"Sir, is that our Daniel?"

Jack grinned, turning off the PA and reaching for his vest again. Feeling impish, Daniel raised his arm and waggled his fingers. The colonel obligingly unsnapped the pocket and deposited the radio in his hand.

"Hi, Sam! Hi, Teal'c!"

"Daniel!" the other two team members exclaimed in unison. The Jaffa even forgot to add on his surname.

"Long time no see, guys! Jack and I are coming to you, all right?"

"We look forward to it greatly, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, somewhat recovered.

He couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he handed the radio back to Jack. "Where's Jonas?"

Jack rolled his eyes and pointed down the hall. "You zatted him when you came after me."

"Whoops," he winced, following the older man toward the fallen form of SG-1's fourth.

Crouching beside the Kelownan, they turned him over onto his back, then Jack began patting his cheek. "Wakey, wakey, Jonas! The big, bad, scary Super Soldier's not half so big, bad, or scary any more."

"I almost feel insulted," Daniel joked.

"What, that I don't find you big, bad, or scary? Daniel, the day I'm scared of you is the day I... I eat my hat!"

He chuckled. "Learn to love the taste of cotton twill, Jack. You sure did a remarkable job of running scared when I was chasing you down the hall!"

"I wasn't running scared, I was making a strategic withdrawal."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Sure, Jack. Keep on believing whatever you want to believe."

He started to squawk in protest, but Jonas chose that moment to begin stirring. "Colonel?"

"Welcome back, Jonas!"

The younger man blinked. "Ow. Did you get the Super Soldier, sir?"

"Nope, I'm afraid it got me."

"The other way around," Daniel corrected. "You're the one who initiated the hug."

"Colonels do not initiate hugs."

"Says the man who made 'Spacemonkey' the SGC's favorite new word for months." Jack's teeth clicked shut.

"'Spacemonkey?'" Jonas muttered, scrubbing at his eyes. "Isn't that the nickname you gave..." He trailed off, blinking. "Doctor Jackson!"

Daniel waved a hand at the Kelownan. "Hey, Jonas. Sorry about zatting you; the helmet on Kull armor doesn't let me see details, only thermal signatures."

"Oh. Well, that's okay, then," Jonas agreed amicably, shaking his head to try to rid himself of his persisting confusion.

"How'd you get that armor, anyway?" Jack asked.

He shook his head. "Long story. Let's go meet up with Sam and Teal'c so I won't have to repeat it."

"And your partner," the colonel added. "Looks like we finally get to meet him, eh?"

Daniel snorted to himself, realizing that the Hans must never have told SG-1 that he was working with a female. Boy, were they in for a few surprises!

There was a telltale crackle as Jack changed channels on his radio. "Pendergast, this is Colonel O'Neill. The Super Soldiers are friendlies. Unlock access to the lifts so that everyone can get back to their duty stations."

"They're friendlies?" Incredulity dripped from the unseen man's voice.

"We were being hijacked by the very people we were headed to rescue. Daniel Jackson's with me now, and he, Jonas, and I are heading down two decks to meet up with Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel's partner."

There was a long stretch of silence. "That's unbelievable, sir!"

"That's SG-1, Lionel," he grinned. He and Daniel then helped Jonas get to his feet, the younger man swaying dangerously before regaining his balance.

Jack changed channels again as they headed down the hall, alerting SG-5 to their approach. When the team cautiously appeared around the corner, Daniel was dismayed to see that he recognized none of them. It had been nearly two years since he was last at the SGC—so it was hardly a surprise—but it was still somewhat of a disappointment.

Grinning from ear to ear and radiating near-paternal pride, Jack made the introductions, reveling in the looks of wide-eyed surprise on the other team's faces. While Daniel may not have known any of these four men, they clearly knew who he was.

They stepped into the lift. "What kind of stories have you been telling about me, Jack?"

"What makes you think I've been telling stories?" the colonel asked, all innocence.

"Maybe the look of complete 'gee-golly-wow' on their faces?"

"Is that a technical term?"

"I'm a linguist. I thought I'd give your language a shot."

"You missed, Danny, try again."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jonas' head swiveling back and forth as rapidly as the conversation, trying desperately to keep up with them. Daniel decided to take pity on the poor man, as he'd clearly never experienced one of their trademark banter sessions.

Well, trademark before their friendship went south. As soon as he had a free moment with the older man, Daniel intended to address that particular mystery. Even with all his memories restored—except for the gaping hole that was most of his time he spent Ascended—he was still unable to pinpoint the exact time or reason for their dissolving relationship.

As the lift slowed to a halt, he smiled. "Ever see a tennis match, Jonas?"

Any attempt at a reply was forestalled by the sudden appearance of Major Samantha Carter and her ear-to-ear grin. No sooner had Daniel stepped into the hall than the normally-reserved astrophysicist had flung her arms around his shoulders and squeezed every bit as tightly as Jack had. When she finally stepped back to let him breathe, Teal'c stepped in and offered his extended forearm. Daniel innocently took the bait, and was reeled into an even more rib-cracking embrace than either of the other teammates had given him.

If they had no other weapons against the Kull, maybe they could consider letting Teal'c hug them to death.

"Easy there, Big Guy," Jack warned, his face alight with humor. "All right, Danny, let's go round up your buddy."

"'Buddy'?" Teal'c repeated, finally relinquishing his grasp and allowing Daniel to take in some much-needed oxygen.

"The other Super Soldier's his partner."

"He's down this way," Sam replied, jerking her head.

Daniel nodded, then turned to the quiet Kelownan. "You okay, Jonas? You look a little peaked."

"I'm having a bit of a rough day," Jonas smiled wanly. Daniel felt his eyebrows raise, and the man quickly added, "But it's turning out to be a lot better than it started." He shook his head. "It's a long story."

"I'll bet." Daniel made a mental note to get to know Jonas better, especially as he was sure to have some interesting observations and stories to tell from his last year or so with the SGC, most particularly those pertaining to the rest of SG-1.

As he walked through the corridors with his friends, he realized that there didn't seem to be any question that he would continue to interact with SG-1 on a daily or near-daily basis for the rest of the foreseeable future. Ever since he'd recovered his memories and he and Vala had their own heart-to-heart, she'd tried to push him to go beyond extending the proverbial olive branch and meet with his former team. Some part of him always felt that he wouldn't be as welcome as she hoped, but nothing he'd experienced so far was even remotely close to his fears.

She was never going to let him forget that she'd been right.

"Last we saw him, he was just heading around this corner," Sam announced quietly as they reached yet another twist in the convoluted hallways of the ship.

Daniel nodded. "Vala, it's Daniel! Come on out and meet my friends!"

The surprisingly deep rumble of her modulated voice heralded Vala's emergence from the room immediately around the bend. "Oh, the infamous SG-1?"

"Infamous," Jack repeated. "That's us."

He took a deep breath as Vala reached up to remove her helmet. "Vala, I'd like you to meet Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Jonas Quinn, and Teal'c."

Indulging herself in her flair for dramatic displays, the former thief swept off the helmet. Like a model for a hair products commercial, she shook her hair to free it from its confines, letting the raven locks spill over her shoulders. "Charmed," she replied, flashing her teeth winningly.

The expressions of stunned disbelief on three-quarters of SG-1 were simply priceless. Teal'c had his head cocked to one side in contemplation, while Sam's jutted forward at the neck, blue eyes widened to the point they seemed to comprise the majority of her face. Jonas' jaw had dropped, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Jack was grinning like a loon.

"They didn't know I was girl, did they?" Vala asked out of the corner of her mouth.

"Nope," he agreed, putting his arm comfortably around her shoulder. She obligingly wrapped her own arm around his ribcage. "Guys, this is my partner, Vala Mal Doran." He waited a beat. "Soon to be Vala Jackson."

He then had the rare privilege of getting to see Jack O'Neill rendered speechless twice within fifteen minutes. The colonel recovered more quickly this time than he had the last, though. He gave Vala an assessing look before drawling, "Daniel, you dog."

Chapter 64

Vala kept up the cheek-stretching grin despite her slight apprehension at finally meeting the people Daniel had long considered to be his family. Even when he was bemoaning the perceived failure of his friendships with the members of SG-1, there was still an underlying sense of attachment that convinced her the feelings were still there.

In essence, she was meeting her future in-laws. Was it any wonder she felt nervous?

The reality of the team she'd heard so much about was not much different from the legend. They'd lost some of their larger-than-life stature by staring at her with complete open-mouthed bewilderment, but even having known who Daniel was for as long as she had didn't quite prepare her for what it was like to be in the presence of the most formidable enemy the System Lords had ever faced.

"Not what you expected, are they?" Daniel whispered.

"Not hardly," she agreed, then addressed his team. "It's nice to finally meet all of you, though. Daniel's told me so much about you."

"None of it's true, I swear," Jack O'Neill replied immediately, looking to his younger friend. "I guess I'm not the only one telling stories, eh?"

"What makes you think I've been telling stories?"

The colonel rolled his eyes. "Smart ass. Okay, kids... this is fun and all, but we've a ship to put back in order, then I have a lot of questions for the two of you." He flicked a finger at Vala. "Mostly you. Him, I probably can't get to give me an honest answer."

Vala felt her lips quirk. "Well, I am known for honesty." Daniel snorted, so she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well, we can't wait to hear what you two have been up to," Samantha Carter smiled. "The colonel's right, though, we should probably take this to the briefing room while the crew gets the ship back in order." She frowned. "Uh, or should we go to the infirmary first?"

Vala's fingers automatically crept up to her forehead. "I'm fine for now."

"Me too," Daniel agreed.

Jack sighed. "Ribboned again?"

"It wasn't my idea," her partner replied. "But no, we're fine for now. A bit bruised and tired, but nothing that a good night's sleep won't help. I won't object to a shower, a change of clothes, and a hot meal, though."

"Consider them yours," Jack promised. "Carter, you want to take care of Miss Mal Doran?"

"Vala, please," she corrected.

Sam nodded. "Vala. If you'll come with me?"

Daniel leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you in a little while."

"Don't hog all the food," she grinned, returning with a kiss of her own. Dropping her zat into her helmet and tucking the bulky object under her arm, she obligingly followed the blond-haired woman back down the corridor. Moments later, they stepped into the lift and the door slid shut.

"So..." Sam began. "You and Daniel."

"Me and Daniel," she smiled.

"How'd you meet?"

"On Makosis. I crashed my ship there but didn't speak a word of the language. Thankfully, 'Theadan' was able to translate for me."

The lift opened and they stepped out into another of the utilitarian hallways. "Wow, you've been together all this time?"

Vala smiled and nodded at the crew members who passed her by with curious expressions. "Not together together, no. That wasn't until about a month ago."

"Oh." Her lips twisted as though she wanted to say something else, but wasn't quite sure how to word it.

Suspecting she knew the awkward question Sam wanted to ask, Vala reached out to touch the other woman's arm, causing her to stop and turn to look at her. "I love him very much," she offered, meeting the taller woman's eyes.

Sam relaxed visibly. "That's great to hear. I mean, I know Daniel isn't the best at expressing the way he feels sometimes, but he... he seems very comfortable with you."

Vala nodded. "It's not been an easy road getting there, I promise. A lot of that's my own fault, since I practically threw myself at him every chance I got!"

The major's eyebrows rose. "You did?"

"Well, I did at first, anyway. He's a very attractive man and I am female."

Sam grinned. "You'd have to be dead to not notice! Uh, well, dead or Daniel, that is."

"And since he has so much experience with being dead, maybe that's part of his problem." She shook her head. "I've been working on that, though. First thing I did was buy him a pair of really, really nice pants."

"Leather?"

"Of course!" She laughed. So far, Sam was just as she'd always imagined her: a touch of big-sister-protective, a dollop of red-blooded female, and a whole lot of fun-loving, intelligent woman. It was no wonder Daniel had enjoyed being around her so much.

"I'm sure he loved that," Sam continued, stopping in front of a plain-looking door.

"It took a while for the blush to fade, that's for certain." Vala pursed her lips. "About three months."

Sam grinned and activated the control panel for the door. "So, when did—"

She peered around the door frame at what looked to be a communal bath chamber of sorts. "Yesterday, I think. Time's a little messed up since we've been bouncing from one thing to another, but he asked me to marry him last night."

"He asked you?" Sam flushed. "Okay, that didn't come out right."

Vala laughed. "No, it didn't, did it? But yes, he asked me. I wasn't given to him as a gift or anything of the sort."

"Oh, so you know about Sha're. That's good." She cleared her throat and stepped into the room, turning to a shelf behind the door and pulling down a towel and a smaller piece of cloth. Crossing to one of the metal cabinets along the wall, she extracted three small bottles. "Shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner."

The former thief made a face. "Sorry Sam, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

The major's lips formed an 'oh' of surprise. "I didn't even think of that!" Quickly, she explained the use of each bottle. "I'll get you a change of clothes while you shower. You can just leave the armor outside the stall and I'll take care of it."

Nodding, Vala handed the helmet over in exchange for the bathing supplies. "Thank you, Sam. I know you don't know me very well yet, but I hope you and I can become friends."

"Vala, I can tell that Daniel cares a lot for you, that he loves you. If for no other reason than that, we'd be friends." She grinned wickedly. "But since the feelings are mutual? That puts you in an entire sisterhood of Women Who Love Daniel!"

Fifteen minutes later, Vala felt like a brand new woman. Her bruises and scrapes were still clamoring for attention, but she could ignore them now that her muscles had been soothed by the hot water, and the refreshing fragrance of the assorted bottles of cleaners had washed away days of sweat and grime. Undergarments, socks, and a pair of boots awaited her on the bench just outside the stall, along with a blue jumpsuit similar in style to the ones Sarilis favored.

She felt a sudden pang of worry. In all the excitement over kicking Andron off his own tel'tak, attempting to elude the pursuing gliders, and ringing aboard first an al'kesh, then this ship, she'd nearly forgotten about the two friends she and Daniel had been forced to leave on Osiris' planet.

"All better?" Sam asked, peeking around the corner as Vala laced up the boots.

"Much," she agreed. "Sam, two of, uh, our 'sisters' were left behind when Daniel and I made our escape."

The blond frowned. "Sisters? Oh, gotcha. What happened?"

She bit her lip. "Well, Sarilis and Mai made it possible for Daniel and I to get away. We have to go back and rescue them."

"We'll talk to the colonel about it," Sam promised. "We're meeting in the mess hall, since it's less crowded than the briefing room would be, plus you and Daniel can eat while you fill us in."

"Great," Vala nodded. "I'm starving."

Now that she mentioned it, she was. Her stomach growled to remind her that it had been... at least two days since she'd last eaten anything. She'd been too nervous to eat while on the way to rescue Daniel, and Osiris hadn't seen fit to feed either of them while they'd been her 'guests'.

She received fewer curious glances this time through the halls, and she assumed that was because she was now dressed like the rest of the crew. Finally, she and her escort arrived at a room full of tables and chairs, an assortment of foods spread out before her. Although there were other people present—including Jonas Quinn and Teal'c—there was as yet no sign of Daniel. Sam motioned for her to go ahead and fill a plate, then began introductions.

"This is Vala Mal Doran, one of the two people who came aboard disguised as Super Soldiers," she began, deliberately withholding the identity of the other would-be hijacker. Vala smiled to herself, realizing that some of these people probably knew Daniel, and Sam clearly wanted his arrival to be a surprise.

"Which one of you zatted me?" drawled a dark-haired man she thought looked a little like Daniel. He'd never mentioned any brothers or close cousins, though. "Deck three, port side."

"That was Vala," Sam grinned. "Vala, the noisy one over there is Major Cameron Mitchell, the squad leader for our version of the Goa'uld Death Gliders. You already know Jonas and Teal'c, of course."

"Of course," she agreed, sniffing cautiously at a piece of green fruit. It looked an awful lot like the tart apples she'd enjoyed as a child, but she'd long since learned not to judge a food by its color. A careful bite later, she decided it tasted exactly as she remembered.

"Colonel Lionel Pendergast, the ship's captain. Last, but certainly not least, Doctor Janet Fraiser, the SGC's chief medical officer."

"'Ewwo," she mumbled around another mouthful of juicy apple.

"Where's your friend?" the tiny brunette asked.

On cue, the mess hall door opened again, admitting Jack O'Neill. The colonel immediately stepped to one side, holding out his arms and pumping them exaggeratedly. Rolling his eyes in amusement, Daniel entered the room, dressed in coveralls similar to what Vala wore.

"Son of a gun," muttered Cameron.

"No," Daniel smiled. "Just—"

"Daniel!" Janet exclaimed, flying out of her chair and practically tackling him.

Vala grinned to herself and took another bite of her apple. For an only child, she sure had an awful lot of new sisters!

Chapter 65

It was amazing what a difference a shower and fresh clothes could make. Just as Daniel was zipping the top of the coveralls, Jack peeked through the door of the bathroom in his private quarters—the privileges of rank, he'd grinned.

"I sent Teal'c 'n' Jonas on ahead to get the mess hall ready for us. It's after 2300 already, so there isn't any hot food ready... plenty of sandwich-fixin's, though. Dinner a la carte."

Daniel nodded. "That'll be fine. Vala finished yet?"

"No idea. She was still in the shower when I talked to Carter." He shoved his hands in his pants pockets. "So... Vala."

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, knowing that tone of voice. "I asked her to marry me. She drives me nuts, but I love her anyway. You drive me nuts, but I still like you pretty well, too."

"Back at 'cha," Jack agreed, then sobered. "Daniel, why didn't you come home? If Vala's part of the 'complicated', she still would have been welcomed. You know that."

"Vala's a former host. As much as folks wanted to get their hands on Sam after the Jolinar incident, they would have been even more eager to get their hands on a former Goa'uld."

"Yeah, what is it with you a snaky women?" He made a face. "Er, what I meant—"

"I know," he interrupted, then shrugged his shoulders. "On the plus side, she was a host before I ever met her, so it's kinda the reverse of Sarah and Sha're. As far as I know, she doesn't have an inclinations to become a 'Destroyer of Worlds' either... more like a 'Robber of Worlds', instead."

"She's a thief?"

"And a pirate." He grinned. "Come to think of it, me too."

"Pirate?"

"I was trying to hijack a ship, wasn't I?"

Jack gave a goofy half-smile. "Good point. Wait, pirate and thief?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Don't you consider all archaeologists grave robbers?"

"Okay, you got me," the colonel admitted, raising his hands in mock-surrender. "But don't go changing the subject."

"What subject?"

"Daniel..."

He scrubbed a hand through his damp hair. "My other reasons were even worse. Keeping Vala away from the likes of Simmons is one thing, of course, but..." He bit his lip. "What happened at Abydos was my fault."

"No, it wasn't."

"Not completely, no, but part of it was. I guess some part of me thought I had to find some way to make it up to you guys before you'd welcome me back."

"Well, that was dumb."

He looked down at the tops of his boots. "I realize that now. You know me, though."

Jack nodded and leaned against the door frame. "Decided to take a little guilt trip, did ya?"

"Oh, yeah. Fortunately, Vala's been able to help me start getting my head straightened out—"

"Ooh, there's a daunting task."

"—So we thought we'd help search for the Lost City."

The colonel looked impressed. "You really do remember everything, don't you?"

"No, not really," he admitted. "I mean, I think I remember almost everything from before I... died. The time I spent Ascended is mostly a big blank, though. There are a few snatches from Abydos, but that's pretty much it."

"So, what have you found so far?"

Daniel sighed. "Nothing, yet. We'd just finished checking out the first planet on a list we compiled when we got shot down in Osiris' territory."

"Ah."

He fiddled with his zipper. "Jack? I remember almost everything, but... what happened to us? I mean, one day we were really, really good friends, then all of a sudden we were at each other's throats all the time."

Jack strolled over and hitched himself up on the counter next to the sink. "The Russian submarine."

His brow furrowed. "Really?"

"I gave Davis the order to blow the sub, but he waited for your confirmation. That's why I gave him an order, so you wouldn't have to... pull the plug. But you did it anyway."

"Believe me, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But why—"

"You think your reasons are stupid? You grew up on me, Danny. The long-haired geek I protected like an awkward kid brother proved he could do whatever had to be done. I've had a lot of time to think about this, you know.

"I stopped. It may not have been the absolute dumbest thing I've ever done, but it certainly rates in the top five. Some part of me figured that since you could handle some pretty bad shit all on your own, that maybe I could stop giving you the kid gloves treatment."

Realization dawned on Daniel. "It wasn't just you, Jack. The harder you pushed, the harder I pushed back. By the time... by Kelowna, we'd shoved each other so far apart, the Goa'uld could probably have flown a mother ship in between us."

"Yeah? Well, you still came back to me... asked me to pull the plug."

Daniel winced. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah. But you know what? I finally understood what I'd asked you to do back with the sub. I may be a complete dumbass sometimes, but I got it, though a little late."

Daniel understood, too. He may not have had the time to consider things that Jack had, but he realized now that telling Major Davis to destroy the submarine had been tantamount to giving up on Jack—and Teal'c—and the team's ability to find solutions where none existed. Similarly, his asking Jack to let him go, let him Ascend, had been asking Jack to turn his back on the possibility of finding yet another miracle. It wasn't just giving up on the life of a teammate, it was giving up on the spirit of the team. The friendship.

The family.

"A little," he agreed aloud.

"A little late, or a little bit of a dumbass?"

"A little of both?"

Jack ruffled his hair. "Smartass. All this heavy thinking is making me hungry."

Daniel's stomach growled, answering for him. "Thanks, Jack."

"Thank you, Daniel. Would you believe I'd handed in my resignation just before the mission to Makosis?"

"Really?"

"Yep. You'd been missing for four months already, and no one had any idea what happened to you. So I handed Hammond my retirement papers then waltzed down to the 'Gate room five minutes late for what I thought was my very last mission. The 'Gate wouldn't connect at first, but when we re-dialed, we got through. Found some guy named 'Darius' waiting for us."

Daniel froze. "Dar-ian. But that means—"

"That if I hadn't wasted five minutes feeling sorry for myself, we might have met you and your girlfriend at the 'Gate." Jack stood up gingerly, obviously cautious of his knees. "What's done is done, though, and I hear a pecan pie at the mess hall calling my name."

The trip through the hall was made in companionable silence, Jack peering around corners as they came to them as though expecting a horde of adoring fans to descend upon Daniel if he dropped his guard. The corridors were empty, though, he figured the late hour was the main culprit. The "time of day" held no meaning aboard a spaceship, but he was sure shifts were observed just as they would be back on terra firma.

Stepping into the mess hall, Jack slid off to one side and gestured grandly, doing a rather poor imitation of Vanna White. While he didn't recognize the two men sitting at the table adjacent to the one at which Vala sat, he did know the woman in the lab coat.

"Son of a gun," grinned the younger of the two men.

"No," Daniel corrected immediately, "Just—"

"Daniel!" Janet yelped, and before he could blink, he had the diminutive doctor wrapped around his ribcage.

He should have asked for the return of his armor!

"Hey, Janet," he grinned instead, stooping a little to give her a returning hug. "Long time no see, huh?"

She pulled back from the embrace, reining in her enormous grin to look over him with a critical eye. "Ribboned again?"

"Yes, but I'm fine. Really. Scout's honor."

"You better be," she warned. "I do not want to see you in my infirmary for anything worse than a papercut, is that clear?"

The tone of voice she adopted invoked images of syringes with long, skinny needles. "I missed you, too," he laughed.

Her face lit up again and she gave him another quick hug. "Welcome back, Daniel."

Finally released, Daniel made his way over to the food-laden table and sat down beside Vala, reaching over to give her free hand a gentle squeeze. She beamed at him then turned gratefully back to her enormous sandwich. By the way she was wolfing it down, he figured she hadn't eaten in an even longer time than he had.

Jack quickly introduced the grinning major and the impassive colonel, then sat down with his aforementioned piece of pie. "So... how'd the two of you get the suits?"

"If I could," Vala interrupted, licking her fingers. "I have a small request before we get started."

"Sure."

"Daniel and I had to leave two of our friends behind on the planet we just escaped from, so if you don't have any objections—"

Jack looked to Pendergast. "Rescue mission number four?"

"It's your call, sir."

He looked to each of the other people seated around the table, then nodded. "Anything for friends of Daniel's." The other colonel rose from his chair and left the mess hall, presumably to get the ship underway. "So... Super Soldier suits?"

Daniel swallowed his bite of food. "The cargo ship we, uh, commandeered belonged to a weapons trader Vala had previously had some dealings with. To make a much longer story a little shorter, he did us dirty, so we took his ship from him."

Sam blinked. "You stole his ship?"

"Pirates," Vala mumbled, halfway through another sandwich. "Not very good ones, but we're pirates."

"Is that a Blackbeard kind of pirate or a Captain Hook?" asked Mitchell.

"More like Penzance," Daniel admitted with a grin, eliciting snickers from his teammates and Janet, who had all gone with him to see the opera in Denver years ago. "It was our second stolen ship, though, and Vala's... what, fourth?"

"Fifth."

"Fifth. So anyway, we were leaving the planet's atmosphere when the same gliders that shot down our first ship started chasing us again. I got us out of the planet's gravity and hit the hyperdrive. One of the al'kesh went after us, but Sarilis Camir—one of our friends—had modified the engines with something we'd picked up with our last ship."

"I have heard of Huntress Camir," Teal'c announced.

"Really?" Vala asked.

"Really?" Jack echoed.

"She is a most formidable bounty hunter."

"You were hanging out with a bounty hunter?"

"Pirates," Vala reminded him.

Daniel laughed. "Pirates with terrible luck, though. Five minutes after hitting the hyperdrive, the modifications shorted out and dropped us back into real space."

"Well, that sucks."

"Oh, yeah. So here we are, frantically searching through all of the boxes of spare parts this guy had tucked in the back, trying to find crystals to replace the ones we'd just fried. Suddenly, the al'kesh drops out of hyperspace right on top of us and starts shooting. I ran back to the cockpit to take evasive maneuvers while Vala kept looking for the parts, when all of a sudden, she came across the two Kull suits."

"I have no idea where he got them," she added, inspecting a plastic pudding cup before peeling back the foil. "Nobody can kill the things."

"Actually, they're genetically-engineered to fail after only a few days," Sam informed them. "Teal'c and another Jaffa, Master Bra'tac, encountered one on another planet that took everything they had, then fell over dead from multiple organ failure."

"So Andron or one of his contacts must have found two expired drones and taken their armor," Daniel guessed. "Either way, it was really interesting getting changed while trying to evade an al'kesh. Once we had the suits on, we moved the cargo ship underneath them, then ringed aboard."

"They were loyal to Osiris," Vala continued, "and when they realized the two Kull warriors weren't on their side, two of the cowards tried to blow up the ship. We stopped them, of course, but not before they'd destroyed an entire bank of crystals."

"With two more al'kesh waiting back at the planet, Vala ringed back to the tel'tak and sent a distress call. We were hoping one of them would come investigate, and we could steal that ship."

Sam grinned. "But we showed up, instead."

Daniel nodded. "Big surprise. I didn't even know you guys were anywhere close to having a ship of this size ready."

"The naquadria helped," Jonas spoke up for the first time. "It didn't prove all that useful... in the end, but it certainly gave them a considerable head-start on hyperdrive engines."

"Thanks for bringing some along, then."

Jonas shook his head. "Thank you."

Sensing there was something else going on, Daniel opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Pendergast's voice over the intercom. "SG-1, report to the Bridge."

"That includes you," Jack declared, pointing at Daniel and Vala. "You too, Doc."

Janet shook her head. "I'll just head back the ward, but thank you, Colonel."

"What about me, sir?" Mitchell asked.

Jack rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "The president of the SG-1 Fan Club can come, too."

Daniel couldn't help but laugh at the embarrassed expression covering the other man's face.

Chapter 66

They emerged from hyperspace just as SG-1 and friends arrived on the Bridge. "Picking up two al'kesh, sir," announced the woman seated at one of the consoles at the center of the room.

"Mitchell, get your wing saddled up," ordered Pendergast.

"Yes, sir!" acknowledged the dark haired man. He spun around and leaned over a free console, activating the internal communications. "Snakeskinners, report to the launch bay!" He grinned at SG-1, and Colonel O'Neill in particular. "Presidency will have to wait another day, sir."

Up to this point, Vala hadn't been sure if the colonel was joking about the team having a fan club or not. The Tau'ri sense of humor, she decided, consisted of a lot of false statements and vague references to people, places, and events from their unusual culture. Daniel had occasionally made some confusing references of his own, some of which he tried to explain and others he just dismissed as unimportant. That, of course, had only made her even more curious to know what she was missing.

"No movement from the al'kesh, sir."

Pendergast straightened in his seat. "Take us closer to the planet, then."

"Vala, see if you can reach Sarilis from here," Daniel suggested.

She nodded and reached for her right ear, frowning when she didn't feel anything. "I think the transmitter must have washed out in the shower," she admitted, embarrassed.

"Whoops," he agreed. "Okay, new plan. Vala and I ring down to the planet in the Kull suits and help the refugees."

"Refugees?" Jack asked.

Daniel gave a small shrug. "I guess we forgot to mention that Osiris had two Kull warriors with her and sicced 'em on the native Jaffa population when we, ah... pissed her off."

"You? Piss off a snake?"

"Hey, everything I know about snake-baiting, I learned from you."

"Yeah. I'm so proud."

"Do the Kull weapons work on their own armor?" Vala interrupted before the two men could get carried away again.

"We've already tested that theory," Sam answered, "and it doesn't work. We think we managed to slow the production of more... 'Kull' by destroying the queen that was spawning the symbiotes, but that's about the only thing we've accomplished."

"Well, if their own weapons don't work on them—" Daniel began.

"—Then Anubis must have some other kind of kill-switch built in," the blond major finished. "Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what that is at this time."

"Perhaps we can buy the refugees additional time to evacuate," Teal'c suggested.

"I told Sarilis and Mai to send them to Chulak, by the way. Some of the leaders were members of the Jaffa rebellion, and the rest rebelled after their 'god' turned on them."

"And they did not recognize you, Daniel Jackson?"

"I didn't tell them who I was," he admitted. "I was a little concerned about word spreading to Anubis. It was bad enough with Osiris already on her way."

Vala crossed her arms. "Well, this is all very lovely, but how do we rescue Sarilis and Mai? 'Cause if I don't hear a better idea soon, then Daniel and will just go down and hold off the drones ourselves."

"Osiris might know what the kill-switch is," Jonas guessed. "If so, you'd be walking into a trap."

Daniel brightened. "Great idea! I mean, the last we saw her, Vala'd just blasted her into a wall with Osiris' own hand device. We ran out of the cell then and locked her in it. She might still be there."

"And since we took her ribbon," Vala added, "she couldn't just, uh, 'beam up' to her al'kesh."

"'Beam up'?" Sam repeated.

"That's what Daniel called it."

"Osiris somehow got a hold of Asgard beaming technology," the archaeologist clarified.

She nodded in understanding. "That must have been when she and Anubis captured Thor."

"They captured Thor?"

"The little guy's okay though," Jack reassured him. "He uploaded himself into the ship's computer, then downloaded back into a new body when he got the chance. It was right after you... you know."

Vala could pretty well guess that "Thor" was an Asgard and a friend of Daniel's. She cleared her throat. "Unfortunately, I left her ribbon device back on the tel'tak. It was attached to my clothing, and... well... there really wasn't any place to put it in those skin-tight Kull suits."

"The controls for the beam were on it?" Sam asked. "Well, we can pick it up when we go back to salvage those two ships, then."

"So what's our plan?" Jack interrupted.

Daniel crossed his arms. "Well, one thing we do need to do is ring down and grab Osiris. I highly doubt she'll tell us what the kill-switch is, but at least we can take her back to the Tok'ra and get them to remove the symbiote."

"I hope they do a better job on her than they did on me," Vala mumbled, hand creeping up to the back of her neck.

Sam blinked in surprise. "You're a former host? Then you must be the contact Dad—Sel'mac—told us about."

"The one he said was considered unreliable because she didn't trust the Tok'ra?" Jack turned his head toward Vala and looked her up and down. "I like you better and better all the time."

"Back to the topic at hand," Daniel sighed. "Vala and I will wear the Kull suits and lead the real Kull on a wild goose chase while the refugees finish evacuating... if they haven't already."

"I don't think so," Jack replied. "You're walking wounded. Teal'c and I will wear the suits."

"Teal'c would be better off letting his presence be known among the Jaffa. The two I met seemed pretty impressed I knew him."

"I'll do it, then," Jonas offered.

"Excellent," the colonel hissed, tapping his fingertips together. Vala figured it was probably another of those confusing Tau'ri expressions since Daniel and Sam rolled their eyes.

"One of the al'kesh is moving toward us," announced the young woman who'd spoken earlier.

"Crap," Jack muttered. "Jonas, Teal'c, let's move. If the other al'kesh decides to join the party, we might have some big trouble."

The woman shook her head. "I'm not detecting any life signs aboard the other ship."

"We didn't detect any aboard the ship Daniel and Vala were on, either."

"Our sensors were encountering interference then, sir," Sam corrected, peering over the console, "but not now."

Vala smiled at Daniel. "Okay, so Daniel and I ring aboard that ship and steal it." The suggestion earned her raised eyebrows from everyone except her partner. "What?"

"That's a great idea," he grinned. "I bet the reason it's empty is because it was Osiris' personal ship and she's already down on the planet. If we can get control of the ship's beaming technology—"

"—We could beam the Kull into space!" Sam finished enthusiastically.

"Genius," Vala nodded approvingly.

"We'll worry about picking up Osiris later, then. Take SG-3 with you, Major," Jack ordered, backing out into the corridor. "And try not to beam up the wrong Super Soldiers, will ya?"

"I'll try my best, sir," Sam replied, straight-faced. The colonel then rolled his eyes and turned down the hall, muttering something about not receiving any respect.

Daniel flashed her an approving grin. "We'd better get moving, then."

"Make it quick," Pendergast agreed. "It might be difficult to get you aboard that ship if the other al'kesh starts firing on us."

"Have Reynolds and his team meet us at the ring room on level four, sir," Sam requested, motioning for Daniel and Vala to follow. Not far off of the command center was a small armory. The major handed out black vests to each of them, then pulled down what looked to be a high-powered projectile weapon. Her eyebrows rose when Daniel reached for one of his own.

"I do remember how to use one of these," he replied, tucking what Vala assumed to be ammunition rounds into the large pockets on the front of the vest. When she reached for a rifle of her own, he held out a holster instead. "The P90's a little tricky. I think it'd be easier if you stick with the zat."

"Hopefully, we won't have to use either," she pointed out, belting the holster into place on her thigh. "All set?"

Sam passed them each a small black device with a little finger-like projection on one end. "It's a radio," she explained at Vala's apparent confusion. "It's so we can communicate with Teal'c or with the Prometheus."

"Simple enough," she agreed.

Four men in black uniforms waited for them in the ring room in which she and Daniel had first arrived, the eyes of one of them widening in surprise. "Doctor Jackson!"

"Reynolds," Daniel greeted. "Nice to see a familiar face."

"Major Carter, we're in position above the al'kesh"

"Roger," she acknowledged, then nodded to the young woman who was waiting at the ring control panel.

Reynolds looked at Sam. "We're not ringing over in front of a pair of Super Soldiers, are we?"

"No, you're ringing over with the pair of Super Soldiers who shot you earlier," Daniel grinned.

The noise of the activating rings drowned out the man's reply, depositing all seven people on the deck of the al'kesh. The four men known as SG-3 fanned out, moving swiftly and skillfully to secure the room. "All clear," their leader reported.

"We should probably try the Bridge first," Sam suggested, motioning for Daniel and Vala to follow. As the ship appeared to be as devoid of life as their sensors had indicated, they were soon in the al'kesh's cockpit. "Okay, let's see what we have here..."

Vala slid into the pilot's seat. "The controls are locked," she reported.

"They're encrypted, too," the major added, having been able to get the interface to display on the screen. "Daniel, this looks like Ancient."

He set his weapon down on the central console. "It is Ancient. This might take a little bit."

"You should probably hurry," Vala swallowed, pointing out at tiny specks of light which seemed to be growing larger. "I'm pretty sure those are Death Gliders heading our way."

Chapter 67

"Colonel O'Neill, we have incoming Death Gliders. Are you ready to ring down to the surface?"

Teal'c nodded his readiness, then hefted the P90 he'd decided to carry in lieu of his usual staff. It was a far more maneuverable weapon should he be forced to run from the genuine Kull. "I am ready, O'Neill."

"Ready," chimed in Jonas Quinn, zat in his right hand while he clutched his own helmet with the left. When the colonel indicated he was also prepared, Teal'c toggled his radio and informed Colonel Pendergast that they were waiting at the rings.

O'Neill then nodded to the young technician who waited on them, and they were swept away in a roar of light and sound. When the brightness faded, they were in a stone-walled room not unlike many thousands of other rooms Teal'c had seen in his time as a servant of Apophis or as a member of SG-1.

There was a quiet shuffling noise to his immediate right. He whirled around, aiming his weapon at the threat and was pleased to note that O'Neill and Jonas Quinn were just as swift in their own reactions. With two zats and a P90 covering the alcove, O'Neill called out, "Come on out from there with your hands up. Don't get any bright ideas."

A dark-haired, round-faced man slowly stood up from behind the stone altar he had been using as concealment, arms held in front of him with palms turned upward. Teal'c felt his lips quirk slightly at this man's interpretation of O'Neill's orders. He sobered almost immediately, though, coming to the swift realization that this was the man from whom Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran had stolen their tel'tak. The man who had, in Daniel Jackson's words, "done them dirty". For the peace-loving linguist, that was no doubt an understatement.

Although, he pondered, it seemed as though the man who had returned from a higher plane of existence was not quite the same as he once had been. He doubted O'Neill or Major Carter had consciously formed the same conclusion. Daniel Jackson was wilder, freer, and more at peace with himself than he had ever been. If Vala Mal Doran was responsible, even in part, then she had Teal'c's eternal gratitude.

"P-please don't hurt me, Master Jaffa," the trader quavered.

"Be silent!" Teal'c thundered. "You are fortunate Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran spared your life. Given the circumstances, I may not have done the same." He didn't know those circumstances, of course, but he'd played enough poker with the soldiers at the SGC to know how to bluff.

O'Neill, despite his predilection for pretending otherwise, was hardly stupid. "I still might," he added, though he likely had even less of an idea of what the weapons trader had done than Teal'c did. "Okay, Andrew, here's the deal."

"Andron," the man automatically corrected.

"Whatever. You stay here and mind your own business or we'll lock you in the same cell as Osiris. Got it?"

"Yes," Andron swallowed.

"And put your hands down, you look like an idiot."

"Oh." Suitably cowed, he lowered his arms, then sat down against the wall. "I will... wait here."

"A wise decision," Teal'c agreed. He toggled his radio. "Daniel Jackson, we are inside the fortress."

"Uh, I'm a little busy at the moment, but Vala can give you directions."

"How do I use this thing? Oh!" She cleared her throat, then began to instruct them. Shortly thereafter, they emerged from the structure into the crisp night air. The large moon overhead supplied sufficient illumination, and they were soon moving over the ground at a rapid pace.

They reached the Stargate minutes later, but the field around it was littered with dead Jaffa. It was a scene very reminiscent of the first such Kull battlefield he had discovered, with many of the warriors having been cut down while fleeing.

"Maybe they already got off the planet?" Jonas Quinn suggested.

"There are no women or children among these dead," Teal'c answered. "Either they have made it to safety or they have yet to reach the Stargate."

As O'Neill opened his mouth to reply, there was a bright flash of light to the west. Seconds later, they heard the report of the explosion, muffled by the distance. "Well, someone's still here," he remarked instead.

"Indeed." He reached for his radio again. "Major Carter, we have witnessed an explosion nearby and are moving to investigate."

"Roger, Teal'c. Vala says that Sarilis and Mai were helping the Jaffa to set up traps in hopes of slowing or stopping the Kull, so the colonel and Jonas should wait until the last possible minute before donning their helmets."

"Oh, traps," O'Neill grumbled. "Great."

"We will proceed with caution, Major Carter," Teal'c replied.

"At least it's a sign that Sarilis and Mai are probably still here," Jonas Quinn observed. "I mean, if they're still setting up traps..."

O'Neill blew out a sharp breath of air. "Just so long as we don't run into any surprises." He slowed abruptly. "Wait, was that—"

"Indeed it was," Teal'c finished, stopping beside the colonel. Inhaling, he shouted, "Shal'kek nem'ron!"

The tall brush ahead rustled, giving way to two weary-looking armored Jaffa. The pale moonlight washed out their features, making them seem almost as ghosts. "The price of our freedom is death, brother," one of them spoke. "Our god has sent these orak to destroy us for our disobedience."

"Osiris is a false god," Teal'c replied. "She has been imprisoned in her own fortress by the very people she herself attempted to hold captive."

"We're here to help," Jonas Quinn added.

The second of the two Jaffa, shook his head, leaning heavily against his staff now that the newcomers had proven to not be hostile. "The Kull cannot be stopped. They are demons, the unholy servants of Anubis. We are all doomed."

O'Neill hefted his helmet. "We Tau'ri have an expression: fight fire with fire."

The first Jaffa had begun to turn away, but snapped his head around to look at O'Neill. "You are Tau'ri?"

"I am Teal'c," the former First Prime answered, bowing. "My companions are Jonas Quinn and Colonel O'Neill."

The two Jaffa exchanged a look. "Morlem said that the human male knew of you, Master Teal'c, but we had not thought he could summon your assistance."

"He sent us to seek out Huntress Sarilis Camir and Han Mai," he replied. "Please take us to them swiftly."

The Jaffa were spurred into motion, weariness momentarily dismissed in order to accomplish their appointed task. Teal'c noted their resolve with favor, pleased that they had been trained well.

A colorful stream of expletives greeted his ears long before the growth thinned into a boulder-strewn clearing filled with huddled figures. Jaffa women and children leaned against the pitiful shelter offered by the rocky protrusions, clearly too exhausted to move but too anxious to sleep. If the Kull were to descend upon this field, they would all be helplessly slaughtered.

There was another burst of creative profanities, followed by the sudden appearance of a bright light. "Somebody give me another staff," ordered a raspy alto.

"Huntress Camir!" called one of their escorts. "We have returned with assistance."

The bounty hunter looked up from her make-shift worktable. "Really? How good are they with naquada explosives?"

"Oh, I love blowing up stuff," O'Neill remarked casually, "but I'd much rather help you kids evacuate."

Huntress Camir whipped around to stare at them incredulously. "And who are you?"

"Colonel Jack O'Neill of the—"

"Tau'ri," she finished. "A bit slow on the rescue, Colonel. I believe your wayward archaeologist left the planet some hours ago."

"We encountered Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran on our way here," Teal'c replied. "It was they who sent us to you."

She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning her elbows against the boulder in front of her. "Well, if you met them on your way here, you must have come by ship. I hope it's a big one, 'cause we're not going anywhere otherwise."

"What about the Stargate?" Jonas asked.

"The pedestal's primary crystal was removed to keep Osiris from bringing reinforcements. Unfortunately, the poor kid who was carrying it got shot by one of the thrice-damned Kull and accidentally cracked it when he fell."

"That sucks," O'Neill commented.

"More than 'sucks', Colonel," the bounty hunter snapped testily. "We've been running for close to a day and a half. I have these boys taking shifts being ' bait', just to keep the Kull from finding the rest of us. We lead 'em in circles, try to drop rocks on top of 'em whenever we can, but they just won't stop."

The desperation in her voice pulled at Teal'c. It reminded him of some of the many times when his Tau'ri friends—particularly Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter—would work themselves past the point of exhaustion to solve a crisis. He would never have believed a bounty hunter could be so self-sacrificing, and yet here was one who was leading Jaffa refugees through a crisis which seemed to be completely hopeless.

"How many refugees?" O'Neill asked.

"Six hundred in this group," Huntress Camir replied. "There are at least three other groups of equal size."

The colonel swore. "Teal'c, check to see how the kids are doing on their end."

"Major Carter, we have met with Huntress Camir. What have you discovered?"

"Osiris has placed encryptions on practically everything," Major Carter answered. "Daniel and I are working our way through them as fast as we can. They're in Ancient."

"If I'd brought Osiris' hand device, we probably wouldn't have needed to go through all this," Vala Mal Doran added. "We can't even fire the weapons yet."

"Sir, the Prometheus and the al'kesh engaged in battle just a few minutes ago. Without being able to access sensors, I can't tell how it's going. The 302s were launched when gliders started to approach our position, but the battle is too far away to watch un-enhanced."

Another distant explosion was heard, light flashing in the sky. From the lack of reaction from the despondent refugees, there had been far too many such detonations to be disturbed by them any longer.

"What are you using for explosives?" Jonas Quinn asked.

"Staff weapon cores," came the reply. "Hell, the weapons don't work against the Kull, might as well use 'em another way."

"Look," O'Neill began. "We might not be able to kill these guys ourselves, but if we can keep them on the run long enough, they'll eventually keel over and die. They aren't built to last."

"They can last longer than we can," she answered.

"Jonas and I are pretty fresh still and with these suits on, we can take a hit or two from these guys while none of you can. Let us lead them off for a while, let you rest."

"And then?"

"Teal'c, Daniel and I have cleared the last encryption! Vala's reporting full engine and weapon responses, and I think I can figure out the transporter controls."

O'Neill motioned for Teal'c to activate his radio. "Carter, work on figuring out the transporter after you go help out the Prometheus. This whole ride's for nothing if we don't have a ship to get home in, got it?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, clearly not liking his orders.

"And in the meantime?" Huntress Camir asked.

"Same as before. Jonas and I lead the Super Soldiers on a wild goose chase while you folks get some much needed rest. Daniel and Vala have a plan for getting rid of the bad guys, but it'll just have to wait a little while longer."

"I understand," she sighed, leaning against the boulder and sliding down to the ground. She delved into a pocket and pulled out a gray communications ball. "Sorat?" When there was no answer, she hurled the device across the clearing. "Well, Colonel, I seem to have lost another patrol. It's your show, now."

"We're on it," he answered, pulling the helmet over his head. Jonas Quinn followed suit, then the two men began to jog across the field in the direction of the most recent explosion.

"Where is Han Mai?" Teal'c asked as his friends departed.

Huntress Camir closed her eyes. "Hell if I know. She volunteered for one of the patrols early this evening. I haven't seen her since." She kicked at a stray rock shard. "It looks like we're all back to hoping Vala and Daniel come through for us. Again."

Teal'c crouched beside her. "I have known Daniel Jackson for many years. Not even death can stop him from fulfilling his promises."

"Spoken with the wisdom of experience," she remarked. "Once Vala sets her heart on something, she can't be dissuaded from her pursuit. Between you and me? I don't think there's anything those two can't accomplish together."

Chapter 68

The brilliant flash of the exploding al'kesh lit up the forward display, causing Daniel to flinch away briefly. Opening his eyes, he grinned across the center console at Vala. The dark-haired woman released the control yoke of their own ship and beamed at him.

"Well, that was fun."

"Lots," he agreed. "We make a good team."

She feigned a look of shock. "Why Daniel Jackson, are you flirting with me?"

"Maybe. Are you objecting?"

"Of course not... but what will my fiancé think?"

"Oh, get a room," Sam muttered from behind them, looking up briefly from her laptop.

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked down at the woman seated cross-legged on the floor, her back against the console. "Yes, Major-Doctor-ma'am. How you coming with the transporter?"

"Well, now that the two of you are finished stressing the inertial dampeners, I think I might be getting somewhere."

Their radios crackled. "Major, the 302s just took out the last of the Death Gliders. You are clear to return to orbit."

"Understood, Colonel," Sam replied. "I think we're going to be ready to test the transporter in just a few minutes."

"Have you heard from Colonel O'Neill?"

"Just before we joined the fight, Teal'c informed us that the colonel and Jonas were going to go lead the Super Soldiers away from the refugee camp. They have their earpieces in so they can hear us, but won't be able to respond."

"Very well. After we finish bringing the 302s back aboard, we'll rendezvous with you in orbit."

"Thank you, Colonel," Daniel replied. "We'll be in touch."

Vala took the controls and they were soon above the planet again. Daniel used the sensors to locate the Stargate and fed them into the pilot's controls, locking them into geosynchronous orbit on the night side of the planet.

"Oh, boy, this might be a problem."

"What?" Daniel and Vala chorused.

"Well, if you remember," Sam began, "Thor could transport people from pretty much anywhere. According to this information, Osiris had this ship's sensors calibrated to detect a very specific signal and send it directly to the transporter."

"Like a 'beam me up' signal?" Daniel guessed.

"Something like that," she agreed. "I can only presume it's because Goa'uld sensor technology isn't even half as sensitive as the Asgard's."

"It needs a homing beacon," Vala surmised.

"Essentially, yes. Now if we had the hand device here, we could probably just activate it and record the necessary signal. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to do a little digging through the computer to find it. All the notes are in Goa'uld, Ancient, or both, so I'm going to need your help."

Because Vala had more technical expertise than he did, Daniel deferred to his partner on the Goa'uld translations, and did his best to accurately convert Ancient to English.  Of course, there was still a rather heated discussion over a word which had two possible translations that were close enough in definition to seem nearly interchangeable to him, but Sam assured him could make quite a difference.

"To-may-to, to-mah-to," muttered Reynolds, having caught the tail end of the argument as he passed through the cockpit on his circuit through this section of the ship.

He cocked his head. "You know, it does change the meaning again if this symbol here is pronounced—"

"Daniel!" Sam howled in frustration, looking like she was ready to throw her laptop at him.

"—But then again, that doesn't make sense in the context of this sentence," he finished quickly, then leaned over to tap her screen.  "You want this one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She selected the indicated algorithm, then worried at the inside of her lip while the computer translated her request into something the ship's computer could understand, then displayed the new results, this time in Goa'uld instead of Ancient.  "Great, more notes."

"Actually, I think this is it."

Vala perked up, and right on cue, the laptop obligingly loaded a separate window with a wavy-looking graph.

"This is it," Sam blinked. "Okay, this actually looks like two separate signals. Maybe one is the homing beacon and the other the beam activator?"

"I don't remember there being anything in the notes about that," Daniel replied, "but that makes a lot of sense. I mean, you wouldn't want to have to... dial a phone number over and over again, just hit the 'send' button once and let it ring until someone picks up." At Vala's raised eyebrow, he reached across and squeezed her hand, mouthing a quick "tell you later".

Sam thought for a moment, then dug her GDO out of her vest pocket. Sorting through her assorted wires and connectors, she plugged one into the back of her computer and the other into the input port on the remote activator. A few minutes later she looked up and rolled her shoulders. "I think we're ready to give this a try."

Daniel held out his hand for the GDO. "Where do you want me to take it? Engine room? Ring room?"

"Why not ring it down to the planet?" Vala suggested.

"Good idea," Sam nodded. "Set it in the rings, push this sequence of buttons, then ring it out. That will start a ten-second countdown before it transmits the first signal, then ten seconds later, the other one. If it doesn't work, we'll bring it back up and try them the other way around."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, throwing her a grin as he turned to walk out of the room. Reynolds followed, and shortly after, they were standing in the ring room. Hitting the first sequence, he slid the GDO across the floor, then nodded to the colonel. The floor retracted, rings rising around the device and sending it down to the fortress on the planet's surface.

"Transmitter is away," he reported. He wished the quartermaster's supply on the Prometheus had included watches, as he instead counted the seconds off in his head.

Thirty seconds passed before Sam's voice came over the radio. "No good, Daniel. The sensors spiked after ten seconds, but the transporter didn't activate."

"Bringing it back up for attempt number two," he acknowledged, nodding to Reynolds again.

His P90 and the colonel's MP-5 whipped up at the same time, targeting the figure that appeared in the rings. When the light cleared, a familiar face was revealed.

"Andron!" he groaned. "What the hell are you doing?"

The startled merchant eyeballed the two weapons pointed his direction. "Uh... nothing?"

"Friend of yours?" Reynolds remarked.

"Not exactly," Daniel answered. "Give me the device and go stand over there next to the wall."

Unwilling to argue when he was under the gun—pun fully intended—Andron dutifully handed over the GDO and slunk over to the far side of the ring room. "This isn't my ship," he noted.

"We traded it in for a bigger model," he quipped, dialing in the second sequence with his left thumb and pitching it back into the circle.

"Daniel, it worked," Sam exclaimed. "The transporter automatically kicked in when the second signal activated and deposited it up here."

"Great job! Now we just need to try beaming it out into space," he grinned. "Hey, Vala, guess who dropped in to say 'hi'?"

"Andron!" she snapped, making the chubby merchant cringe from the force of her vehemence. "On second thought, Daniel, let's practice beaming him into space."

"I don't know what that means," Andron began, "but I really don't like the sounds of it."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Well, you're lucky I'm such a nice guy. I'm just going to let my friend—Colonel Reynolds, here—keep an eye on you for a little while. Reynolds, if he so much as twitches, shoot him."

The SG-3 team leader grinned. "Where, sir?"

He grinned. "Foot, leg, arm... heck, surprise me."

"This is not my day," he heard Andron lament as he jogged out the door.

As soon as he entered the cockpit, Sam and Vala looked up from the laptop. "We have a problem," they chorused.

"This is not my day," Daniel sighed, intentionally echoing the merchant.  "What's the matter now?"

"There's a different signal needed to process out-going beams," Vala replied.  "Locking onto the destination coordinates isn't a problem, but we have no way to actually send it there."

"Oi," he muttered, now imitating Jack. "So we can beam something up, but can't beam it anywhere else again."

"Right," Sam verified, "and we still haven't addressed the issue of how we're going to tag the Super Soldiers with the beam-up signal in the first place."

Vala practically bounced in her seat.  "Oh! I have the answer to that one... we don't have to.  I mean, Osiris beamed them down earlier with just her hand device, so they must have had some kind of signal to pick up, right?"

"And now that we know what we're looking for, we can check the transporter logs to see what kind of signal was targeted!" Sam finished.

Daniel crossed his arms.  "But since we don't want to beam them straight into the ship, why don't we confuse the transporter into thinking the cockpit is about a hundred yards—" he pointed outside the viewscreen "—that-a-way?"

The major beamed.  "Have I mentioned lately that it's good to have you back?"

Chapter 69

"So there I am, my arms wrapped around this humongous boulder, and grunting for Mai to crawl out from underneath it when here comes the Super Soldier I'd been trailing for the last half hour."

"Oh boy," Sam grinned, feet swinging like a little kid as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"'Oh boy' is about right, Major," O'Neill replied, grinning at his enraptured audience.  "I'd taken off my helmet to see what I was doing, so I was an easy target—or at least my head was."

"I was moving as quickly as I could," Mai added, looking exhausted but cheerful with her casted leg and bandaged ribs.  "When I saw the Kull approach, though, I froze."

"So here comes the Super Soldier, and I just couldn't help myself," he continued.  "I turned to it and asked, 'Can you give me a hand?'  And you know what he did?"

Jonas smiled, pushed off the wall he was leaning against, and started clapping.  Vala didn't quite get the joke, but then again, that was of little surprise to her when it came to Tau'ri humor.  If she and Daniel planned to spend any time on this planet, she was going to have to learn more about their extremely complex culture.  Frankly, she was looking forward to it, and especially wanted to pick Jonas' and Teal'c's brains for valuable insight.

"The look on his face was priceless," the Kelownan noted.

O'Neill rolled his eyes.  "I ask you: do those suits automatically turn mild-mannered academics into comedians?  Daniel over there was cracking jokes before he even knew who I was!"

"You're the one who quoted from Star Wars," Daniel replied.  "How could I resist?"

The colonel turned to the major.  "Carter, do you have any doohickeys that can detect a pod person?  'Cause I think we have one sitting right next to Vala."

"That is not a polite thing to call Huntress Camir," Teal'c admonished.

"Is anyone on my side?"

"No," the group chorused.

The Tau'ri leader, General Hammond, chuckled and shook his head. "I'm afraid you're on your own here, Colonel."

"Bunch of traitors," he muttered.

"If you wore receivers in your ears, why didn't either of you get the message about the Kull having been 'beamed' into space?" Sarilis asked, carefully stretching out her braced knee. She'd apparently twisted it during one of the attacks on the villagers and had been grumbling about it from the moment Janet ordered it iced and elevated.

"I think the cliffs were causing interference," Jonas guessed. "They were even bouncing around heat signatures, which made it even more difficult to see in those helmets."

Mai nodded. "I tried to call for help for well over an hour after the landslide pinned me, but to no avail. I am very lucky Colonel O'Neill found me."

"Yes, you are," agreed Janet, sweeping back into the main ward of the infirmary. "I'd like to keep you in here for another day, Miss Han, let those ribs get a little chance to rest. Miss Camir, while you're icing that knee, I'll have the nurse bring the both of you something to eat. The rest of you are free to go, but stick around for a few minutes, since I need to talk to Daniel and Vala."

"They check out okay?" O'Neill asked, concerned.

"They're fine, Colonel, other than a few uncomfortable bruises. Daniel doesn't even need glasses any more."

"He doesn't?"

Daniel nodded. "One of the worlds we traveled to is pretty much on-par with Earth technologically. We set them up with a trade deal with the Hans, and they fixed my vision."

O'Neill crossed his arms. "Seven years of me bugging you to get corrective surgery and Vala convinces you in what, four months?"

"Two," Vala smiled.

He glowered with mock-suspicion. "And I was just starting to like you."

"You know, Jack," Daniel began, "at first I thought Vala wasn't going to have to worry about problems with the in-laws, but you're going to be the M-I-L from hell, aren't you?"

"The what?" he answered, just as Sam unsuccessfully stifled a snort. Janet was hiding behind her clipboard and General Hammond was shaking his head again. "Okay, the Daniel Jackson I used to know wasn't half as snarky as you are. You sure Oma put everything back in the right place?"

"And on that note... would you two please join me in my office?"

"When can they leave the mountain, General?" O'Neill asked.

"Not until all the paperwork is completed," Hammond replied. "Doctor Jackson, you'd think by now, I'd be an expert at this."

Daniel grinned. "Hopefully you won't have to 'resurrect' me ever again."

"Hear, hear," Sam agreed.

Giving Sarilis' shoulder a quick squeeze, Vala slid off the edge of the bed and followed the shorter woman into her office. Janet waved them to the chairs across from her desk, then closed the door. Settling into her own chair, she folded her arms on the desk top.

"Colonel O'Neill was right about one thing, Daniel... Oma didn't put everything back exactly the same way."

Daniel frowned. "You're saying I'm not human anymore?"

"No! No, nothing like that," she quickly assured them. "Okay... what I'm trying to tell you is that your sperm count was normal."

"What's that mean?" Vala asked.

Daniel blinked. "Well, I've always been pretty much, um, infertile. It's one of the reasons why Sha're and I never had kids." He blinked and stared hard at Janet. "But if that's not the case any more, then I guess Vala and I need to consider some birth control options."

"A little late for that," the doctor grinned.

Vala felt her jaw drop. "You mean—"

"Yes."

"She is?" Daniel practically squeaked.

"Yes. No more than three weeks along, I suspect," Janet continued. "Congratulations."

Vala could barely breathe, right hand flailing out to grasp Daniel's and left hand fluttering to her abdomen as though she could feel the tiny life that was growing inside. Only a small collection of cells now, but it would one day be a little person, the spitting image of his father or her mother. A miniature Daniel or Vala.

Their child.

She turned to look at Daniel, startled to see him rendered absolutely speechless. For all his compassion and gentle nature, she had never seen him cry, either, but there was moisture in his eyes to match that which was undoubtedly gathered in her own. He'd gotten a little teary-eyed telling the Makosins farewell, but it was nothing compared to the mixed excitement, apprehension, joy, and fear that he displayed now. Their lives had just been irrevocably changed.

"A baby," he breathed, then pulled Vala to him for a crushing hug and a tender kiss. "A baby!"

"Our baby," she agreed, pressing her cheek against his chest.

When she finally looked up, it was to see the doctor surreptitiously wiping tears of her own. "Don't mind me," Janet apologized, "I'm just happy for the both of you."

"Thank you," Vala smiled.

"Do you want to tell everyone now or wait?" Daniel asked.

She snickered. "I don't think I can keep it a secret for more than two seconds, to be perfectly honest!"

"Me neither," he agreed, grinning from ear to ear. "Everyone's waiting just outside anyway... do you want to tell them or—"

"Together," she declared. "This baby's going to be the best of both of us, so together."

"Together," he agreed, capturing her hands and kissing her knuckles. "As long as I can keep from giving it away!"

"Who's going to be fussier, Sarilis or Colonel O'Neill?" Vala grinned.

Janet rolled her eyes.  "Since I don't know Miss Camir that well, my vote's on the colonel." She flicked a finger at Vala.  "You'd better get used to him driving you nuts with his constant nagging."

"Consider me duly warned."

After struggling for a moment to regain his composure, Daniel straightened in his seat. "You ready?"

"To be a mother? No. But I'll give it my best shot."

"Yeah, fatherhood wasn't exactly something I expected, either," he agreed. "But I was talking about facing the 'in-laws', so to speak."

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Janet stood and rounded the desk, taking a deep breath before pulling open the door. Rising from their seats, Daniel and Vala followed her out to the main area of the infirmary, both trying hard not to break out into goofy grins and spoil the news before they could deliver it.

Deliver... what an interesting choice of words!

"Good news, I take it?" O'Neill asked.

"Well, good and bad," Daniel replied immediately. "The bad news is, neither of us is going to be going out on missions for a while."

"But what about the team?" he practically whined.

Daniel spread his hands, but didn't look up from the floor. "Well, you managed just fine for over a year."

The colonel sulked. "Yeah, but it wasn't the same. Not that that's anything against you, Jonas. I like you well enough."

"You like me?" Jonas echoed. "Just 'like'?"

"Don't push it."

"Is everything all right?" Sam asked, cutting to the point.

"Well, our wedding plans are going to have to change, too," Vala admitted, surprising herself with how steady her voice was.

"What's wrong?" demanded Sarilis. "Osiris didn't do anything to you, did she?" She winced, "Er, not that that's anything against you, Miss Gardner."

The heretofore silent woman on the bed in the corner shook her head. "I don't even want to think about what that monster did to them."

"Which doesn't have anything to do with why we're going to be having a shotgun wedding," Daniel hastily added.

Again, Vala missed the reference, but none of his Tau'ri friends did, stunned into perfect silence. "I'm pregnant," she grinned.

She was suddenly enveloped in a two-sided crushing hug, Sarilis and Sam having crossed the room in a flash to express their congratulations. Mai looked a little put-out at not being able to get up from her own bed, and Sarah Gardner seemed too surprised to do much more than blink in their direction.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed General Hammond, rising from his chair to shake Daniel's hand. Jonas was right behind him, followed by Teal'c. As before, the Jaffa warrior pulled Daniel into a crushing hug once he'd successfully captured his arm.

"I believe you will be an excellent father, Daniel Jackson," he swallowed, pulling back after a moment. "And you a wonderful mother, Vala Mal Doran."

"Better get used to calling her 'Vala Jackson', T," O'Neill called, taking his own turn at shaking Daniel's hand. "So... a little Daniel, eh?"

"Or a little Vala," corrected Sarilis.

Daniel and Vala just looked at one another. The battle of the mother hens had just begun.

Chapter 70

"Chevron four encoded."

Daniel glanced to his left and smiled at the anxiously-bouncing woman standing next to him. "You sure you're fine with this?"

Vala turned and gave him a defiant look. "I'm pregnant, Daniel, not an invalid!"

He grimaced, realizing that he hadn't worded the question clearly. She'd already had more than enough admonishments about taking it easy and avoiding unnecessary stress from self-appointed nags Sarilis and Jack. All the attention had been exciting and fun at first, but was quickly proving to be a bit excessive at times.

"What I meant was, you sure you're okay with letting the Hans turn this into the wedding of the century?"

"It's our wedding, darling," she smiled as Sergeant Harriman called out the final chevron and the wormhole opened. "I wouldn't mind a smaller guest list, of course, but I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone either."

Turning to wave at General Hammond, Daniel stepped into the event horizon, emerging on the other side with only a gentle bump. A fraction of a second later, Vala was beside him. "Me neither," he agreed, waving and calling out a greeting to the Stargate's guard. "But seriously? The Hans, my friends from Earth, and your friends from Katana? Then there's the political guests from Earth, Jaya, the Jaffa rebels, and the Tok'ra, plus at least one Asgard, four Nox, and a who-knows-who-all-else from some of the worlds allied with the SGC. I'm telling you... eloping looks better and better all the time!"

Vala laughed and punched him in the arm. "You're not cheating me out of the chance to wear a wedding gown! Besides, I'm not sure who'd kill us faster: Sarilis or O'Ne—Jack."

"Or Sam... or Mai... or—"

"Silly. Just don't forget that I can be held accountable for only the small number of acquaintances I've made over the years, while you are directly to blame for well over eighty-percent of the guest-list... and counting."

He grimaced. "Well, I don't think I'm—"

She whacked him across the bicep again. "I thought we'd broken you of that habit?"

"What habit?"

Vala squinted at him. "Thinking less of yourself?"

"I wasn't denying anything other than the fact that I'm not the one who dialed up practically every planet I've ever visited to invite them to our wedding! I just can't believe the President—who I voted for, by the way—decided to turn this into one great big political showboat." He shook his head in disgust.

"Well, I think it shows that he thinks very highly of you," she answered, lifting her chin defiantly.

He shrugged. "Maybe so, but I can't help but feel that we're going to be the main act at a three-ring circus."

"No, only two rings."

Daniel froze. Did Vala just successfully make a joke out of an Earth reference? He stared at her in bafflement, watching the shy grin spread across her face. "Funny," he sighed, resuming his pace.

"Well, some of these people have known you for a very long time," she replied. "And if we hear back from Nick, that includes someone who's known you since you were a baby."

Daniel didn't hold out many hopes that his grandfather would get the message or accept the invitation, let alone actually show up for the nuptials. "I wouldn't hold my breath on that one." He gave her a smug look. "Hear back from Jacek yet?"

Vala scowled. "Knowing my father, he's likely to try to scam every one of the guests. I hope I don't. Besides, this isn't one of those traditional Tau'ri weddings of yours where the father walks the bride down the aisle—"

"True."

"—Because I think being beamed in by Asgard transport would be far more exciting!"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "On the plus side, having an Asgard cruiser or two in orbit of the planet would stop any curious Goa'uld or Luciens from trying to crash the wedding."

"Thank goodness for small favors," she agreed.

They continued on their set path, complaining good-naturedly about the wedding plans being practically yanked out of their hands and given over to the very capable talents of Yuna, the matriarch of the galacticly-respected Han trading family. Daniel didn't envy the plump woman the headache she would undoubtedly garner trying to satisfy all parties. Despite their tenuous alliance, the Jaffa wouldn't be happy sitting next to the Tok'ra, so the Tau'ri would probably have to have the center of the seating arrangements with the other two races on either side.

And that was just one expected snafu.

Nearly an hour after they passed through an overgrown break in the forest, they finally emerged from the springy conifers into a shoulder-high field of ripened grain. Vala probably couldn't see over the tops of the plants well, but Daniel could just make out several cleared sections where the locals were making a headway into harvesting the bountiful crop. One of the workers happened to glance in their direction, so Daniel cheerfully waved a welcome.

It wasn't until they stepped into one of the threshed areas that they were recognized, the short natives being no more able to see over the grains than Vala. "Theadan!" the young man shouted. "Theadan apistra sa!"

"Looks like they're happy to see you, too," Vala grinned, nudging him in the ribs.

She was right, of course. Excitement swept through the people of Makosis, the villagers dropping their scythes, rakes, and baskets to gawk at the newcomers, whispering amongst themselves and pointing.

"Eranos!" Daniel barely had time to turn when Atrus and his family were suddenly upon him, sweeping him into a group hug that included Vala, too. Finally, after what felt like half the village joining in, they were released, grinning faces surrounding them on all sides.

"We began to grow worried when you did not return for mid-summer festivals," chided the older man. "Your people came looking for you the very day you left!"

"I know," he answered. "I finally remembered who I was. You remember Vala?"

"Of course," replied the village leader, bowing respectfully to the dark-haired woman. "How could I forget such a beautiful lady?"

Although Vala didn't understand much of the Makosin language, she certainly got the gist of this particular message. She beamed at Atrus and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before slipping her arm protectively through Daniel's.

"Oh, I see other matters have changed!" Atrus winked, provoking laughter from the gathered crowd. "But come along, Eranos! You and I have much to discuss, I think... and the grain will not harvest itself!"

Grudgingly, the villagers began to disperse back to their duties, though a few stopped to offer their individual greetings to the man who had once been one of them and the woman who had helped him to become who he was always meant to be. Mikos, the young boy Daniel had saved from drowning nearly a year ago, threw his arms around Daniel's waist in an enthusiastic hug before dashing off to help his father sharpen scythe blades.

As they stepped up to the door of the travelers' hall, Atrus' daughters fingered the trailing edge of the scarf Daniel wore—the scarf they had helped make for him—before reluctantly returning to the fields. Atrus and his wife Melia continued on into the cool building, and the younger couple followed.

"It is good to see you again, Da-nee-el," Atrus smiled, settling himself into one of the chairs at the large dining table. "Although we could not understand each other's speech, I believe your 'Zhek' spoke highly of you when he was here."

Keeping up a running translation for Vala, Daniel grinned. "Knowing Jack as I do, he probably called me a pain in the bottom!"

Melia's eyebrows rose. "Do you still think so little of yourself?"

"That's high praise from Jack," he replied with a laugh, shaking his head. "But no, I am beginning to accept who I am. Vala has been very good for me in that regard, as well as other, innumerable ways."

Atrus nodded knowingly. "As I had hoped, she helped you to find your true self and your belief in yourself."

"It wasn't without struggle, of course," he admitted, curling his fingers around Vala's, "but we love each other very much and plan to be married."

Melia gave a cry of joy, leaning across the table to grasp their joined hands. "Oh, Da-nee-el, we are so happy for you!"

"We also want to have the wedding here. Vala and I have made a number of friends in our travels, and there are many allies I made in my past that also have an interest in seeing us exchange vows. Because they come from so many different planets, we wanted to provide a location which was neutral to all the guests." He smiled. "I think it fitting that we embark on a new journey together from the same place as we began our first."

"A complete circle! Yes, you would be more than welcome to bring your people here to see you wed!" Atrus exclaimed as though there was never any question that they couldn't hold the festivities at this village.

"I should warn you, though," Daniel continued, "not all of them will look like we do. There will be some Jaffa in attendance, as well as other races of which you have never heard."

"Any friends of yours are friends of ours," Melia promised, smiling pointedly at Vala.

Vala leaned against him. "Why do I get the feeling I'm about to get mothered to death again?"

He pulled their hands to his lips, kissing the backs of her knuckles. "Because you are," he replied, then switched back to the Makosin language. "We also have further news... better news."

"What could be better than the happiness of a young couple?" the older woman asked.

Daniel could feel the corners of his mouth curling even higher. "Well, in about eight moons, the first 'sky-eyed baby' should make his or her appearance."

Atrus' expression rivaled even the most paternally-possessive look Jack had ever managed. "Oh, Eranos..." he whispered. "I do not... Words cannot begin to say how that makes me feel!"

Words were not needed, as the softness and warmth in his eyes told Daniel exactly how much the news affected the older man. Atrus had been his lifeline when Daniel first descended from a higher plane of existence, stripped of mind and cast naked on the ground. The patience and great kindness the people of this world and this village had shown him had allowed the man with no memory to finally find himself, even though it had meant leaving their shelter to stake his life on what he could discover.

It was a chance that had paid off a thousand times over and more. Kissing Vala softly on the forehead and resting his cheek against her hair, Daniel felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

Ch. 1-10      Ch. 11-20      Ch. 21-30      Ch. 31-40      Ch. 41-50      Ch. 51-60      Ch. 61-70

Feedback, bribes, and clones of Daniel Jackson OR Theadan gleefully accepted (I'm not greedy...)

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