Archaeology (1b/30)
Title: Archaeology ( Table of Contents)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine. I gain nothing of material value from this.
Pairings: Gen
Chapter1a
9 September 2000; Briefing Room, SGC; 1100 hrs
Daniel glanced out the window toward the Stargate and forced himself to stop thinking about SG-1 on Euronda for long enough to get through this seemingly endless meeting. He swore silently that he wouldn't tease Jack anymore for having to sit through talks with the Tok'ra.
"I don't see what the problem is," Major Graham of SG-14 was saying. "The President was careful in ensuring that clause would be mutually beneficial to the Tok'ra and Earth."
He wondered how the negotiations were going on Euronda. He supposed he shouldn't complain; he and SG-14 weren't even in negotiations in this meeting. They were just preparing a document with which to negotiate with the President, with whose approval the SGC could then negotiate with the Tok'ra. This must be easy in comparison to--
"Jackson."
"What?" Daniel said, tearing his attention back. "Oh, uh...the problem is that it could be interpreted as a contradiction of Section 176 of the Protected Planets Treaty we have with the Asgard and the Goa'uld." He flipped to the relevant section. "Sorry, I mean, 178." He passed the open book to the major. "Or am I reading that wrong?"
A moment later, Captain Blasdale, looking on with Graham, made a face and said, "Yeesh."
"At the time, it was either sign the treaty--the whole treaty--or be destroyed, Captain," General Hammond pointed out.
"Yes, sir," Blasdale said doubtfully. Daniel knew what he meant--it was one of the many sections that they would have removed or changed if they and Thor had had enough time and clout for it. They didn't actually have to worry about the Protected Planets Treaty most of the time, but reading it over only reminded Daniel that Asgard Protected Planets--like Cimmeria--could be free of the Goa'uld and still be handicapped in technological development.
"I don't think it contradicts, Jackson," Graham said.
Lieutenant Astor had opened her own copy of the Asgard treaty and was reading it with Sergeant Lewis. "Actually, due respect, sir, I think it does," she said. "Or, rather, it could, in the Goa'uld, especially if they use a more formal dialect for things like this. Is that what you mean, Daniel, that it doesn't translate well?"
"Yes, it depends on how it's interpreted by a Goa'uld-speaker," Daniel agreed. "The Tok'ra might think this means something slightly different from what we mean. Or...uh, what I think we think it means," he amended, wishing formal documents didn't have to be so indecipherable.
"Right," Astor agreed. "So unless we clarify it with the Tok'ra to make sure there's nothing lost in translation, if the System Lords find out about it somehow and decide to nitpick about the Protected Planets Treaty, we could potentially be in a lot of trouble."
"If the System Lords can find a way to meddle in our signing a treaty with the Tok'ra," Graham argued, "I don't think the Protected Planets Treaty is the first thing they'll bother with."
"You're right, Major," the general said. "But just in case, let's keep as far away from potential complications as we can. You don't have an opinion about the correct translation, Mr. Jackson?"
"I do," Daniel said, "but the point is that there are other possible opinions. Could we just change the wording altogether to make sure there can't be any ambiguity?"
"I'll work on that, sir," Astor said, making a note. "Daniel, I'll check with you or Teal'c before we finalize--"
"Off-world activation!" the technician called.
The general sighed, then stood up and headed toward the control room. Daniel looked anxiously toward the Stargate, then said hopefully, "You guys don't need me for anything else, do you?"
"Anyone got a translation issue?" Graham said. "Wording, interpretation..." No one spoke up, so the major said, "I think you're done, Jackson. Is SG-1 coming to Vorash with us next time?"
"I think so," Daniel said as the iris closed over the active Stargate. "The Tok'ra don't like people they don't recognize walking around their planet. We might end up escorting and introducing you and then leave."
From the control room, the technician announced, "SG-1's IDC."
"Major...?" Daniel said anxiously.
"Go ahead," Graham told him, nodding toward the control room, and Daniel gratefully stood and hurried to see what was going on.
Teal'c stepped through first, and then the wormhole deactivated behind him. Before Daniel could start to worry about the other two, Teal'c said, "Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter have both remained on Euronda to continue gathering information."
Daniel frowned. The last he'd heard, they'd had a good deal in the works, though he didn't know the details except that it involved advanced technology.
They waited in the control room as Teal'c made his way up the stairs. "General Hammond," he said, "we have reached an agreement with the Eurondans that requires only your approval."
"Well, unless something's changed since the last time you were here," the general said, looking confused, "then you already have it."
"O'Neill believes it necessary to learn more about the Eurondans," Teal'c said. "It is for that reason that he did not return with me. Moreover, Alar wishes for us to provide them with sufficient heavy water to enable them to defeat their enemy."
At first, Daniel didn't see the problem, because that was what they'd set out to do. Then he remembered that saving the lives of one side wasn't the same as taking the lives of the other. There were strict rules about their involvement in disputes unless one side was clearly the aggressor. "Who's their enemy, again?" Daniel asked. "Sorry if I missed--"
"We do not know," Teal'c said.
"You...don't know?" Daniel repeated. "Couldn't you just...you know...ask?"
"I believe," Teal'c said, "that the identity of this enemy is a part of what Colonel O'Neill is attempting to discover."
The general looked down at the console for a moment, as if to digest that. "What's your take on the situation?" he asked Teal'c.
"Something is being concealed from us," Teal'c said promptly. "However, it is possible that it appears so to me because their leader dislikes me." Daniel's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Because you're Jaffa?" the general said, though he was frowning.
"I thought we decided they weren't a Goa'uld planet," Daniel said. "That they didn't seem to have had any Goa'uld contact."
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "Alar knew immediately that I was not their kin, but he was not aware of what a Jaffa was before I informed him."
"Well, if it wasn't because you're Jaffa, why did he think you were--"
"I am uncertain. General Hammond, I do not wish to impede an alliance. But if O'Neill also believes further investigation is warranted, it does not seem wise to agree immediately to provide the Eurondans with what they require to win a war. O'Neill requests that the heavy water fuel be prepared but that we wait for acknowledgement from him and Major Carter."
"All right," the general said. "I'll do that. Are you going back?"
"The Eurondans have requested that I not return," Teal'c said.
"Huh," Daniel said aloud. Disliking a man wasn't unheard of, but for a people so desperate for aid as the Eurondans to decline help from someone like Teal'c...
"We'll wait for word, then," the general said. He looked for a moment like he was considering staying in the control room to wait for the other two to arrive, then remembered SG-14 was waiting for him in the briefing room. "Mr. Jackson, are you done in there?"
"They said they don't need me anymore, sir," Daniel said.
With a nod, the general returned to the briefing room. Left in the control room to wait with Teal'c, Daniel found a clear spot to stand and watch for SG-1 without bothering anyone.
"You think something's wrong with these Eurondan people?" Daniel asked Teal'c.
Teal'c tilted his head, considering. Finally, he said, "I cannot be certain."
Daniel made a face. "I didn't realize it would be so complicated," he said. "Someone asks for help, you help them. Right? But then we're not supposed to meddle in disputes--"
"It is as you said yourself," Teal'c told him, still standing stiffly and watching the Stargate for any sign of incoming travelers. "Upon receiving the message from Alar, we could no longer completely remove ourselves from the dispute. Our action would most likely win the war for the Eurondans and condemn their enemy to defeat. A lack of action would be the same as to condemn the Eurondans to death."
"So you're saying," Daniel said, "that once we received that message, our only options were to ignore it or to pick a side. And by ignoring it, we would have been picking a side anyway."
Teal'c glanced at him. "Indeed."
"I suppose the technology we'd get out of this deal with the Eurondans had something to do with that choice," Daniel muttered.
With a sterner look this time, Teal'c said, "The Eurondan lives we witnessed being lost had much to do with the choice, Daniel Jackson."
"Right," Daniel said, chagrinned, because his perspective was that of someone who hadn't seen the situation firsthand at all. He supposed it looked very different from within the underground place where the Eurondans apparently operated. "There's no chance of a diplomatic solution? Helping to find a peaceful end to the conflict?"
"I do not believe it to be possible," Teal'c said. "The war has continued too long, and each side is too distrustful of the other. Moreover, the surface of their world is poisoned, and the only way to reach one nation from the other would undoubtedly result in the death of the negotiator. They do not appear to have established other communication with their enemy."
"Oh," Daniel said. He hadn't heard about the poisoned air before. "That's why they live underground, then? Because the air was poisoned, and they had no choice but to...build..."
He frowned, thinking over that again. Teal'c turned sharply to him, perhaps thinking the same thing. "Their facility is constructed to withstand not only aerial attacks but also the toxic atmosphere," Teal'c said, sounding thoughtful. "They have lived there for a generation or more. If they had been attacked and the air poisoned as suddenly as they claim..."
"Then how did they survive long enough to build a technologically advanced war bunker where they seem to be trapped and running out of the supplies they'd stocked up?" Daniel finished.
"Perhaps they built it in response to the attacks and it serves only coincidentally as protection from the air."
"If they're underground, they have to get air from somewhere, right? Doesn't the SGC get air from pipes to the surface or something like that? If they've been fighting a long war, they must have some..." Daniel waved a hand.
"A system for the purification of heavily poisoned air," Teal'c supplied. "Perhaps some large store from which they can draw, or a chemical reaction like that used by the Tok'ra."
"Which would take time to set up, which suggests they were expecting it," Daniel said.
Teal'c nodded. Daniel had the feeling that was significant. He just wasn't sure exactly what it signified--or, rather, a suspicion was blooming, but it was something he didn't want to consider without knowing the facts first. "Or they built in that precaution to begin with and it's not an indication of anything," he added to be fair.
"That is possible," Teal'c said neutrally.
The Stargate began to turn.
"Incoming traveler," the technician announced. Within moments, the general had rejoined them at the control room console as the technician added, "SG-1 remote signal."
"Open the iris," the general ordered. "Sergeant," he added to Siler, at another part of the control room, "have the heavy water prepared for transport upon my order."
Sam walked through first, with Jack behind her, both of them aiming their weapons toward the wormhole. The security team on the floor of the 'gate room snapped into position as Jack called, "Close the iris!"
"Do it," the general told the technician, then hurried to the stairs. Teal'c and Daniel both followed him into the 'gate room. The iris closed just as they entered the room. "Colonel--"
A thump sounded from the iris. Daniel flinched. The wormhole disengaged.
"We were unable to obtain advanced Eurondan technology, sir," Jack said, and then stopped--no embellishments, no jokes, nothing.
The general must have sensed it as well and said only, "Very well. We'll debrief in an hour."
As he left, Daniel turned to Jack and Sam. "What happened?"
"The Eurondans started the war," Jack said.
"By poisoning the atmosphere?" Teal'c said.
Sam seemed surprised that they'd guessed it as well, but said, "Yes. They were trying to exterminate the other side."
"Exterminate them? For what?" Daniel said, confused.
Jack stalked angrily down the ramp and past Daniel and Teal'c. "For being different," he said, and left the room.
"We'll explain," Sam said. To Siler, she added, "We won't be needing that water, Sergeant."
XXXXX
9 September 2000; Gymnasium, SGC; 1400 hrs
Daniel found Jack punching things in the gym.
"You know," Daniel said over the sounds of impacts, "Teal'c likes me to train with more mobile opponents. So I've seen this used, but somehow, I've managed not to find out what it's called."
Without looking away, Jack said a little breathlessly, "What are you talking about?"
"The bag you're punching."
"It's a punching bag, Daniel."
"Really," Daniel said, amused despite the grim situation SG-1 had just left behind. "But the bag doesn't punch you. Shouldn't it be a...a punched bag? If you're making an adjective of a verbal participle to modify a direct object, you'd think the passive one would be used, right?"
Jack paused but didn't answer. After a moment, he started again.
Eyeing the older man, Daniel said, "Is this where the phrase 'knock the stuffing out of' comes from?"
"Daniel!" Jack said, stopping and turning around, looking annoyed.
"I know," Daniel said, nodding, "I should pay more attention to prepositions and the clauses they come at the end of."
Jack blinked, then accused, "You do that on purpose."
"Only when I'm talking to you," he admitted.
"Wasn't talking about your grammar."
"I know."
"So what do you want?" Jack said, adjusting the padding he was wearing on his hand.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked.
Scowling, Jack said, "Why?"
"Because you're turning the punching bag into a killing bag."
This seemed to confuse Jack momentarily out of his annoyance. "The bag's not killing anyone."
"Exactly," Daniel said triumphantly. "You wouldn't call it a killing bag because you're killing it; so why do you call it a punching bag because you're punching it?"
Jack stared at him for a moment, then squeezed his eyes shut. "All right. You're starting to make sense. I obviously need some sleep."
Daniel grinned but let it disappear by the time Jack opened his eyes again. He took a seat on a nearby bench. Jack considered the punched punching bag and reached out to stop its gentle swaying. Instead of starting again, though, he joined Daniel at the bench.
"It was tempting, wasn't it," Daniel said more seriously. "The Eurondan technology."
Jack gave him a suspicious look, as if he thought Daniel might be accusing him of something. Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Pretty tempting," Jack admitted.
"Yeah. Sam said there was some...miracle medicine, and some neural-interface-something weapon...something..." Jack snorted. "Okay, I don't know what it was, but it sounded really good, so I guess I understand."
"You didn't see it, Daniel. This stuff the Eurondans had--with the right planning and a little work...we could've done so much. Not only that; this is the kind of thing our scientists have been trying to do for years. And it was almost ours for practically nothing."
"Nothing but lives, yes?" Daniel said. "We can't fight an enemy by becoming them, Jack. There are choices that--"
"Apophis is alive," Jack interrupted, because when it came down to it, that was what they were facing. Apophis had a massive fleet of Goa'uld and Jaffa servants and was gaining more even now. He'd clearly progressed past the point of caring whether other System Lords agreed with him, and he hated the Tau'ri, perhaps more than any other Goa'uld did. And there were certainly enough other threats even without Apophis. "Remember that guy?"
Daniel stared at the crack at his feet where two mats didn't line up perfectly and said evenly, "Do you think I would ever forget about Apophis?"
Jack sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Guess not."
"Teal'c said there was no good choice for you, on Euronda," Daniel tried. "I didn't see what it was like, but it sounded like you made the best choice possible."
"Do you have any idea how many Eurondans are probably dead in that bunker right now?" Jack said.
"Sam said you saw about one to two hundred people--"
"Yeah, and--"
"And perhaps five to six thousand more in stasis, just in that bunker. She told me."
Jack clenched a fist and released it. "So how's that choice sound now?"
"It's what would have happened if we hadn't interfered," Daniel said, wishing there were something better to say than 'they would have died anyway.'
"You know what I keep thinking?" Jack said, standing up abruptly. Daniel leaned away, surprised at the sudden movement, but kept silent as Jack crossed his arms and looked down at him. "Alar downloaded the information and designs, and he was gonna give it to us. If we'd kept up the game a little longer--another day, maybe even another few hours--we could've had it."
"That would have been cheating," Daniel said without thinking.
"Cheating?" Jack echoed dangerously, looming the way he tended to do without noticing it when he was angry. "We lost six men last week, Daniel. That's the second entire team we've lost in two months, along with two others from other teams and a man from our security force who'll never walk again. In the last two months. And you think it would've been cheating to find a way to win this war?"
Daniel held his seat, knowing very well that Jack wouldn't hurt him for all he might bluster and loom. "I understand, Jack," he said tightly.
"The Eurondans are getting killed whether they gave us those plans or not, and we're sitting here empty-handed because we didn't want to cheat," Jack said sharply.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't," Daniel said just as sharply, standing as well, "because I wouldn't have been able to look at you if you'd done something terrible for it. That's the...the 'technology at all costs' idea you went undercover a few months ago to stop."
Jack looked thunderous for a moment, then deflated. "You're not really glad that we didn't get those plans," he said.
"No, not...really," Daniel had to admit.
Silently, there was a part of him that wished SG-1 had kept up the act, just long enough to get weapons technology that the Tau'ri would need decades to develop on their own. It would almost certainly have meant more of the Eurondans' enemies' deaths in that time, but it was tempting to turn a blind eye to that when the victims were faceless entities.
He was ashamed enough by the admission, though, that he looked back down. "But I am glad, a little," he said. "At least, I'm glad you weren't a liar and a thief and a...an accessory to genocide."
"Much good that'll do us," Jack sighed, but in resigned acceptance, so it was all right. Daniel was sure there weren't many at the SGC who'd never been tempted, at least once, to be a liar and a thief or even a murderer for the sake of something that could save their lives and their planets. There was nothing wrong with temptation, per se; what mattered was what they did in the face of that choice. He wondered if part of what bothered Jack was how close they'd come to accepting the Eurondans' offer.
"You know what's interesting?" Daniel said.
"The fact that our death toll has tripled since we got our best piece of healing technology chewed up by Replicators?" Jack said, too bitingly to be anywhere near a joke.
"The fact," Daniel countered, "that any rise in the death toll has little to do with the sarcophagus." Jack narrowed his eyes. "There's a list in our office of the people who have died since the program started. You can count on one hand the number of people in the past several months whose bodies were retrievable."
"Thanks for the statistics."
"And using a short span of time like that is not an accurate way to calculate statistics."
"So it has nothing to do with our healing technology," Jack said; "we're just getting better at getting our asses kicked out there. Gee, a fleet of remote fighter planes powered by nothing but water might come in handy there, don't you think?"
Daniel sighed and sat back down. "That's what the Eurondans were offering?"
"Pretty much," Jack said, and then, "You keep a list of the dead?"
"Well...it's become a habit for Robert and me. He used to write them down and pretend it was to keep track of the translators, but...well, everyone's name goes on there."
"That's kinda morbid," Jack said.
"It's his way of keeping track, that's all."
"We're getting our asses kicked," Jack repeated.
Daniel chewed his lip but didn't answer, knowing it was getting too close to being true for comfort. "So what happened? You said at the debriefing that the Eurondans were prejudiced against people of...of what they considered impure, uh, genetic...appearance, something like that, and that they started the war, but...what exactly happened?"
Jack shook his head. "Carter was looking around in their control room, checking out their technology, the plans for their facility... She found pipes. At first, she thought they were for air from the surface."
"Which was poisoned," Daniel said.
"Yeah. It wasn't their air source; it was how they poisoned the air to begin with. They'd built their bunker in preparation for the war long before they started it. Alar told us himself that they wanted to stop the spread of the breeders, that they were spreading like a plague."
"The...'breeders'?" Daniel repeated. "'Spreading like'...you're sure they meant humans?"
"They thought Teal'c was one of them, Daniel," Jack snapped. "So, yeah, I think we can assume they were human. Apparently, the 'breeders' reproduce with no regard for genetic purity."
"Oh. Oh. I've read about this," Daniel realized. "In your history books--wars fought over...the same thing, really. Exactly the same thing. Thousands and thousands of people killed..."
Jack glanced at him, then away again. "It's not a part of our history we're proud of."
"I can see that," Daniel agreed, thinking he understood now the strength of the disgust--from Jack and Sam but also from the general--once they'd found out what the Eurondan war was about. Abydos wasn't free from prejudice, but since most Abydons' ancestors were from a small area of Earth, and since they'd spent most of their history without enough freedom to start wars between humans, what he'd read of Tau'ri history held much more of that type of dispute than Abydonian history did. Wars were about power or ideological differences or both--they shouldn't be surprised to see parallels in planets' disputes.
"Anyway," Jack finished, "the bree--the other side launched the first attack on the Eurondans as a preemptive strike to try to stop them from poisoning the..." He made a motion with his hand like something floating into the air and dispersing.
It struck Daniel that they didn't know anything about the so-called breeders, either. The Eurondans may have been the ones trying to kill all of them, but for all the SGC knew, the other side's morals were no better. He supposed that was why they were supposed to avoid interfering in conflicts of this scale. They couldn't know, and if they didn't know, they shouldn't judge.
As if to end the discussion, Jack moved to the middle of the mat and gestured Daniel to join him. "Come on, let's spar. I feel like hitting something."
Daniel folded his arms, not moving. "You should really work on your persuasive skills, Jack."
"I can make it an order."
"So?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "You're in your workout clothes. You're here for a reason. Come on, warm up, stretch--I wanna see what they managed to pound into you at the Alpha Site."
Daniel stood and joined him on the mat, jumping in place a few times to warm himself slightly. "The civilians' physical requirements are different, you know, even for those of us on exploration teams."
"Y'think? I made up those rules for you, and then we made the rest of the scientists meet them."
"Oh. Right."
"But please tell me you managed to take down one of the Marines, at least once."
"Why, did you bet on it?" Daniel said, and then, "Jack. You bet on me against a Marine?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who says my money was on you?"
Daniel stopped where he stood and crossed his arms. "With whom?"
"Teal'c," Jack said unrepentantly. "So? Did you ever take down one of SG-3?"
Shaking his head, Daniel said, "Once. It was one of the new members. He thought he should go easy on me, and I learned from Teal'c how to deal with people stronger and more skilled than I am... They stopped going easy on me after that, so I stopped winning in free sparring."
"You only won once?" Jack said, his tone dismayed, but his expression was pleased.
"I'm not actually trying to get into MARSOC, you know," Daniel pointed out. "A lot of it was structured drills, anyway, not...trying to win or lose. So which one of you bet against me?"
"I'm not telling you," Jack said.
"I'll ask Teal'c."
"Yeah, and I'll bet you he won't tell you, either."
Daniel rolled his eyes but thought it was the better part of valor to say, "No bet."
Jack shrugged. "Warmed up? Let's go freestyle. I want to see what you need to work on."
"Want to hear something that'll make you feel better?" Daniel said as he finished a quick stretch. Jack raised an eyebrow. "SG-14 is about two hours from Washington D.C. to discuss the newest draft of the Tok'ra treaty with the President and his advisors."
Frowning, Jack said, "Why the hell would you think that makes me feel better?"
Shrugging, Daniel said, "I don't know. I just thought...schadenfreude or something."
This time, Jack laughed, so he settled into a stance and prepared himself.
"How's that treaty looking, by the way?" Jack said as they circled each other.
"Uh--oof." Somehow, he was flat on his back with Jack's weight pressing him to the mat.
"For cryin' out loud, Daniel!" Jack said in exasperation, standing up. "What the hell did I send you to boot camp for? You should've been able to take that, easy."
"You were...talking about the Tok'ra!" Daniel said, grimacing as he pushed himself to his feet and caught his breath.
Jack threw up his hands. "What, should I have--"
Daniel took the opening to kick Jack's legs out from under him and pull him to the mat. "Hah," he said triumphantly, holding Jack's shoulders pinned down. And then one of Jack's hands gripped his arm and twisted sharply, and almost before he registered any pain at all, their positions were switched. "Yi shay," he sighed.
"Don't just lie there!" Jack barked, not moving. "Throw me off, get up."
He could do this one--he reached around with a leg and twisted to liberate an arm enough to use, knocked one of Jack's arms away, and he was almost out--
Jack threw him back down, and after a short struggle, Daniel found himself facedown with one arm twisted just enough to incapacitate him.
"So what'd we learn?" Jack said, though at least he was breathing hard this time.
Daniel tested Jack's grip, winced, and stopped before he hurt himself by resisting too hard. "That...I can't get up once I'm down," he panted. Also, that Jack wasn't going to hold back with him anymore, which might have made him feel pleased if he weren't lying flat on his stomach with Jack's knee in his back.
"Then don't go down in the first place."
The weight pinning him disappeared. Daniel rolled over to see Jack backing off. "Right," he said, standing up more warily. "Do you feel better now?"
"Little bit," Jack admitted. "Still got some life in these knees."
Shaking his head, Daniel raised his guard.
From the next chapter ("Anise and Freya"):
"Welcome," the general said, then gestured as he said, "I'm General Hammond. Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson."
"This is Marnon," the woman said, and, to Daniel's chagrin, it was only then that he realized there was another Tok'ra who'd come through with her, holding a box. "You may call me Anise."