Chapter 40: Justice
July 31
Gaia Prison Cell
Over the last week or so, Daniel had been contemplating the events that had led him to this point in time. The connections were amazing, delicately intertwined, each decision leading inexorably to the next. He found himself in awe of the People who had adopted him as one of their own.
From the moment he'd set foot on Furdani, he'd never been alone. The Furlings' advice had always been sound and kindly intended. Their wisdom had been hard-won, borne of great tragedy.
And in the end, they'd been right. el-Mikha had asked Daniel to trust him. Now, at last, he understood why.
Carolyn Lam was smiling as she sat in a small chair outside the tiny, drab little room where Daniel paced restlessly. "Zeus is dead, Daniel. I can't explain it, but the scan we performed just this morning confirmed it. From the rate of decomposition we've detected so far, your body should completely absorb the remains within a few weeks."
He nodded. "I knew the symbiote was getting sick," he said. "I just wasn't sure if it was really dead or just in a coma. Nice to know it's gone for good."
"So. Party?" Her grin broadened.
Daniel glanced around the confines of the cell. "Getting out of here would be nice."
"We're just waiting on official clearance from the Furling medical council," she assured him. "Should be any minute now. We'll be moving you back to your old quarters."
That was good news, indeed, but there were other things on Daniel's mind aside from his pending freedom. "Is Jack still on board?"
"Yeah, he is." Carolyn cocked her head, her joy fading fast. "Funny thing 'bout that. The Furlings haven't been in any hurry to ship him back to Alpha." Her expression grew haunted. "I know he wanted to visit you, but he just couldn't bear..." Her eyes misted and cleared quickly. She didn't have to finish the sentence, but gave him a small, trembling, humorless grin. "It was hard enough for me to come check on you every day, Daniel, but as your physician, I had to. General O'Neill asked me every day how you were doing, and we were so hopeful when we saw the symbiote was really on its way out."
She put her hand to the comm link wrapped around her left ear and glanced away as she listened. When she made eye contact again, she was beaming. "Time to go!" she announced, pouncing to her feet. She studied the Mountain guards outside the cell, drawing Daniel's gaze with hers.
The two giants turned in unison and left their posts. One of them stopped at the control panel on the wall and released the force field that kept Daniel prisoner. With a flicker of shimmering light, the barrier disappeared.
It was if an enormous weight lifted off Daniel's shoulders. "I want a bath," he moaned with obvious desire. "Then maybe to sleep for a week."
Doctor Lam gave him a quick, fierce hug and stepped away, her hand reaching up to the communication device again. "I'll tell the General you're on your way to your quarters. He'll probably be waiting for you when you get there."
He was. The moment Daniel turned the corner in the corridor, he found Jack approaching him at a jog. He swept his friend up in a back-slapping hug, then stepped back and grabbed him by the shoulders, grinning madly, eyes misted with tears. "Daniel!" he chortled.
"Jack."
That was all that needed to be said.
Daniel held up one finger. "Bath."
"Definitely."
"Oh. Thanks."
"You're welcome." Jack turned, pounded Daniel's back again and propelled him the rest of the way down the corridor to his rooms. "You wash up, get some sleep, and let me know when you're ready to party."
That took Daniel two days.
Once he was back on his feet, the humans celebrated in his quarters. Jack and Doctor Lam got stinking drunk with him, and they all gorged on the closest thing to beer, pizza, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake as the Furling kitchens could create. All too soon, though, the party was over and it was time to go home, to return to Alpha and help with rebuilding a new society.
At least, that was the plan.
Daniel's guests had returned to their quarters to start packing, but he couldn't seem to get motivated to sort through his own things. He just wandered around his rooms, picking up items and setting them back down, glancing at the door as if he were waiting for someone to appear, but he had no visitors. The hum of tiny, invisible wings was completely absent.
The Furlings had conspicuously maintained their distance, staying out of sight, holding their voices down as they passed his rooms, keeping his comm channel quiet from chatter. That had made it a trifle difficult to obtain the information he wanted in a more casual manner, so he finally left his quarters to hunt Rhami down in the infirmary and ask his question directly.
He gazed down at the little healer, uncertain if he were really prepared for the truth. "What's happened to el-Mikha?"
"He lives," Grass told him solemnly, "but no longer leaves chapel. Cost him greatly, friend. Greatly."
"I want to see him. Is it permitted?"
Rhami gave him a little bow, filled with great respect. "Only you can save him."
Daniel was shocked by that insight. He'd wanted to say goodbye to Mikha before transporting off the ship, but now he couldn't leave, not without knowing the elder would be all right. Scout had earned Daniel's gratitude. Mikha deserved so much more than that, but this was unfamiliar territory for Daniel, and he didn't quite know what he'd say to the elder.
He jogged to the nearest transport chamber and hurried to the chapel from there. Two members of Scout's household stood outside the doorway, their faces drawn, eyes filled with guilt and grief; this looked like a death-watch. After passing an obviously worried Jet standing at parade rest, waiting for his master, Daniel strode purposefully down the aisle.
The chapel of el was a large, open chamber with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. At the far end of the room was a long, low altar bearing only a small, crystal container filled with water, a beautiful Furling geode symbolizing the earth, and a golden metal bowl flickering with a small eternal flame. Above the table, a holographic circle floated in the air, twirling silently in space, the three-dimensional surface of the ring constantly changing colors. That, Daniel knew, was a symbol of el, with no beginning and no end.
Before the altar, a lone figure was down on one knee, head bowed, still and silent, his dark green hair draped over his shoulders and down his back like a veil. He wore loose black robes, devoid of decoration except for a single mark in the middle of the back, barely revealed beneath his mane: the glyph for Earth.
That was Daniel's personal symbol, no doubt donned as part of the elder's penance. Without being told, Daniel knew instinctively what Scout had done. This was his sackcloth and ashes, and he had probably been here in this room for days on end. If he stayed long enough...
A pang of sympathy clutching at his heart, Daniel advanced quietly, moving up on silent feet until he stood beside his friend, certain he could be seen if Mikha's eyes were open. Respectfully, Daniel waited.
There was a tiny movement. Mikha adjusted his position, shifting his weight from one knee to the other with a barely-perceptible groan deep in his throat. His head flinched slightly in Daniel's direction.
"It's just me, Mikha," announced Daniel softly, sure now that his presence had been acknowledged. "Zeus is dead."
The elder gave a tiny nod of affirmation, but said nothing. He didn't look up, but kept his head slightly bowed, his face hidden behind the curtain of long hair.
"You didn't come to visit me in prison."
Scout's voice sounded rusty from disuse, nothing more than a raspy whisper. "I didn't believe I'd be welcome."
There was such wisdom here, Daniel recognized. The pieces were all falling into place in an amazing display of brilliance and foresight. "Not at first, no. I think I get it now, but I'd like to hear your explanation. Please."
Mikha loosed a sigh and sat back on his heels. Daniel grasped the elder's elbow and helped him to his feet, gesturing him to a bench in the first row, where they sat down together.
Scout put his hands on his knees, rubbing at them absently. He turned his head slightly, speaking to Daniel's boots, only the barest sliver of his forehead visible. "You wanted justice," he stated, his voice gentle, like an adult explaining something simple to a child, "yet you couldn't imagine what that might look like, because the answer was... unthinkable. It would never have entered your mind to share your soul with your greatest enemy, yet that was the only way you'd be able to find what you wanted: for him to experience first-hand all your loss and pain."
"Yes." Tears misted Daniel's eyes. He nodded. "It drove him mad. In the end, I think it may have been what killed him."
"No, Dani." Mikha's head shook slightly, his hair rippling with the negative motion. "That was the jing in your body. The Goa'uld was doomed from the moment he took you, eradicated as effectively as any infection would have done."
"Jing?" Daniel frowned at the elder. "I've never heard that word before, or seen it written. What does it mean?"
The Furling got slowly to his feet again with a grunt of protest. He stretched for a moment, then sighed again as he finally met Daniel's gaze. "It's the greatest treasure my people possess, given to you on Furdani, after we looked into your memories and saw who you were. Only the elders may carry them, because they are rare and precious, the last legacy of our civilization when we were free."
Mikha looked down at himself and placed a hand on his chest. "The jing are tiny machines, created by my ancestors, el-Dani. Their purpose is to preserve life and health, to repair damage, and keep us fit. Only the greatest minds and hearts among our people are given this gift, always without their knowledge, when their worth is proven. In time, the secret is shared with them."
He met Daniel's startled gaze again, his face etched with grief and resignation.
"What?!" Daniel was horrified by the announcement. "Do you mean, something like nanites are inside me? Replicators?"
The elder nodded. "That will do as a similar frame of reference, yes, though they are much more than that." He dropped his gaze and clasped his hands behind his back as he stepped away.
"Get them out of me!" Daniel blurted, stepping toward the elder. "Shut them off. I don't want them." His hands clutched at his cheek and chest, as if he might dig them out of his body.
"Nor did I, when I was first informed that I'd been chosen," said Mikha solemnly, shaking his head. "The will of the council prevails in this matter, my friend. My vote alone wouldn't carry the decision, though my point of view is far different now than it was when I agreed you should have them." He gave Daniel a fragile smile and took a step toward the door. "You will live a long, healthy life, friend. Longer than any other of your kind."
Daniel felt the blood rushing to his feet, making him light-headed. He could hardly think. "How-how-how long..." He didn't even know how to frame the question.
"How long will you live?" Mikha flashed him a wry smile. "Longer than you want, no doubt. I certainly have." He shrugged. "But you won't live forever. Your body will eventually age and decline when the jing do, as the quality of their resources diminish. Your lifespan will be many times what is normal for your species."
"Oh, God." Daniel sat down heavily on the pew again. He propped his elbows on his knees, fisting his hands in his hair. He started to rock. "Oh, my God. I don't want this. I don't! Take it back. Turn it off. Get it out of me. Please!"
"That can't be done." The elder turned and gazed down at him serenely. "You'll get used to it, in time. I'm sorry, Daniel."
A snippet of conversation from months ago rushed back to the forefront of Daniel's memory. Scout had told Daniel that he was very old, mentioning that the members of his household were his descendants. Only Mikha hadn't told him how old he was, and Daniel didn't ask, not then.
As if the Furling could read his expression, Mikha told him, "The average lifespan of Forest Clan is five hundred of your years. I stopped counting long ago, but requested a calculation while you were imprisoned. I am over seven thousand of your years, el-Dani."
"Seven. Thousand." Daniel couldn't believe it. He searched Scout's face for some trace of deceit or exaggeration, but there was none, no trace of humor or deception. This was real.
"Close enough, yes."
"Wh-why?" Daniel's question was breathless, stunned. His hands flailed in the air as he sought to understand the motive behind doing such a thing to themselves -- or to him, especially without his knowledge or permission.
"Because we value wisdom above all things." Mikha sat down beside him again and clasped his hands in his lap. "Those who are chosen to be elders must prove themselves with many trials. They must demonstrate their innate kindness and selflessness, putting the needs of others above their own. To be an elder among the People is not to be a leader, but to be a servant; I've told you this before."
Daniel blinked back tears as he met Mikha's warm amber gaze. "But I'm not an elder. I'm not even a Furling. I'm human."
Mikha nodded and smiled gently. "And now you'll be the first of the elders of your people. You'll offer them your knowledge and wisdom, for as long as they need it. Their future will be hard enough with your help. I believe that, without you, they might not survive."
"So at some point in my life," Daniel mused, his voice quavering, tears rolling slowly down his cheeks, "everyone I know will be dead." He hugged himself, head bowed in grief and horror.
"No," said the elder, his deep voice resonating with affection and understanding. He shook his head. "You'll know generations of your people. You'll watch them be born, grow up, grow old. You'll say goodbye to them, and you'll mourn for them. The ache of those losses never goes away, but everyone endures the deaths of loved ones as we go through life. In that way, you'll be no different from anyone else. You won't be alone, el-Dani; none of us are."
He stood up and tilted his gaze toward the hologram above the altar. "In our belief system, we're all connected; the spirit of el runs through every living being, joining us together, soul to soul. Killing our enemies is equal to killing ourselves; the Ancients never understood that about us."
The cosmic irony finally dawned upon Daniel, and he straightened. "You keep too much to yourselves," he said with a harsh rasp of laughter. "You can peer into another's mind, and you assume others know what you're thinking, when they don't. You only answer the question that's been asked, instead of fully explaining. Maybe that's why the Ancients jumped to the conclusion that you were trying to kill them off, instead of blending races with them -- because they didn't ask the right questions, and your people assumed they knew your intentions."
He was reeling from this revelation, but slowly recovering his wits, his mind ticking along a few beats after the conversation. "When did you do this to me?"
"A few days after you arrived on Furdani, while you were injured. We couldn't risk losing you, after viewing your... ascension." Mikha shook his head, smiling in wonder as he got to his feet. "We knew then that worlds would shake with the thunder of your footsteps, and that you would lay your enemies low with a tender hand."
Daniel blushed. "You said I was the first. There are others?"
Scout chuckled and turned away. He didn't answer, which Daniel took as a response in itself.
He jumped up and hurried after the Furling. "Who? Who've you chosen? Have you already given them the jing? Have you told them yet?"
"You won't be alone in your servitude to your people. Several have been chosen, and when the time comes, they'll be informed."
"Look, you have to tell humans!" Daniel countered, touching his friend's elbow. "You have to give them a choice, a chance to say no."
Mikha's expression was almost paternal. "Haven't you learned yet that we have reasons for the way we do things?" he asked patiently. "You'll learn from us, Dani." He gave a nod toward the chapel entrance, giving Daniel the tiniest hint to get him started walking toward the doorway. "Our people learned long ago that one who has fallen off a mountain is far closer to enlightenment than one desperately clinging to the peak. In order to fully embrace life, you must be able to let go of it. We did that when we arrived on Furdani."
Daniel stopped walking, suddenly eager to continue learning from Mikha. The elder had seen so much of Furling history in person, had learned so many harsh life-lessons -- Daniel didn't want to lose this opportunity. He didn't want Mikha to believe there was any resentment between them.
"Come with me to Alpha," he blurted. "I've lived among your people now for a year. You should live among mine for a while, learn about us, teach us." Daniel stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "You're my friend, Mikha. It hasn't always been easy for me to see, but I know you've tried to do the right thing for me, at every opportunity. Making me a host for Zeus was--" He swallowed hard and felt the prickle of tears sting his eyes as memories of the constant, agonizing war resurfaced, along with the distant, duller memory of Earth's destruction. "It was the second most terrible thing that ever happened to me. It was also the only justice that would ever have been right for my people. They have to know what happened, and I intend to tell them."
A voice called from the doorway, making both of them turn. "You ready to go yet, Daniel?" asked Jack, hanging on the threshold, obviously unwilling to set foot into the chapel.
"In a minute," Daniel called back.
"I don't believe your friend would allow me to visit your new world," observed the elder wistfully, clasping his hands behind his back and bowing his head slightly, "but I appreciate the invitation. I would've enjoyed exploring Alpha and watching your civilization grow."
Daniel studied him, thinking. "If I extend the invitation, Jack and everyone else will honor it. I'll explain. They'll understand. Eventually." He grinned and nodded toward the door, stepping out of Mikha's path. "Come with me."
"Perhaps. Before you return to Alpha, however, we'd be honored if you'd accompany us on our first visit to our ancestral home."
Surprise and confusion twitched Daniel's brows together. "We've been in orbit for weeks now! Why haven't you--"
"We've been waiting for you to be free of your burden." The elder's expression was kind, glowing with pride. "There are those who shatter beneath the weight of their tragedies, and a few, rare others who summon power from them, el-Dani; you are a summoner. We couldn't have made this journey without your guidance, and none of our race will ever set foot on the planet below without you in attendance. It's an honor you've earned."
Without hesitation, Daniel turned and called across the chapel to his human friend, still hovering in the doorway. "Side trip, Jack. We're going down to the planet."
O'Neill's shoulders slumped briefly in exasperation. "Are you kidding me? I thought you couldn't wait to get outta here!"
"No hurry," Daniel shot back. "I think I've got plenty of time now for everything I want to do." He steered his Furling friend toward the door. "C'mon, Mikha. Let's go see what's down there."
Two steps later, a thought suddenly dawned, and Daniel turned to face the elder as they walked side by side. He nodded toward the man standing in the corridor. "Is Jack one of the... you know... recipients?"
The answer was in the Furling's twinkling amber eyes and ready smile.
~~**~~
The Planet E-Thien
When the away team arrived on the planet's surface, it was raining. After Daniel cleared away the clouds, they strolled the magnificent streets of the largest of the aboveground cities. The entire planet had been landscaped eons ago, and even after millennia without care, remnants of that order were still apparent in the low walls edging massive gardens and parks. Streams rushed through tamed curves wending alongside golden streets and silver footpaths, half covered by wild vegetation, but still visible enough to declare how miraculous this place had once been.
Jack walked at his side, the two of them trailing after the rest of the away team. In the distance, a flock of Sky Clan were darting into open doorways, their excited chatter coming clearly through the comm link now back in place over Daniel's left ear. A handful of Forest Clan jogged down the streets, heads turning from side to side, keeping watch for danger, their elder moving at a more sedate pace behind the vanguard. At Mikha's back, still well in front of the humans, Denali and the elder of Mountain Clan walked with long, earth-shaking strides on either side of Rhami and Hunter, who had arrived on board Gaia during Daniel's incarceration, along with the other elders, just for this occasion.
Daniel's eyes roved over the soaring ruins with their fluid lines and rich, artistic detail, aware of his human companion, but not looking at him. He didn't have to see Jack's face to have an idea what was going through his friend's mind. "Finger off the trigger, Jack," Daniel warned quietly, his voice a low, gentle murmur.
"I could kill 'em all right now," O'Neill stated grimly, "for what they did to you. They deserve it." He shook his head. "I can't even begin to fathom how you must feel, Daniel. They sent you to hell. How can you--"
"They did the right thing," Daniel cut in. "They didn't give me to Zeus, you know. It was the other way around. They gave him to me."
"Doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of difference, from where I stand."
"Trust me," Daniel said quietly. "The difference is vast."
Jack didn't reply.
Daniel could see he was going to have to do a much better job of selling, because O'Neill wasn't buying. He tried a different tack. "The Furlings are great believers in the power of names. Mine means, 'God is my judge.' They took that literally, and decided I was the only one who could judge the Nox for them. They trusted me to find the right punishment for Zeus, too, but I couldn't see it. Not until after he was dead." He reached up with his right hand, his fingertips sliding underneath his hair to the nape of his neck. There was no scar, no sign he had ever been a host, thanks to the jing circulating through his body.
"Oh, I get it, Daniel," Jack growled unhappily. "That doesn't mean I agree. You'd been through enough. It should've been me."
Daniel shook his head. "You didn't see what happened to Earth," he countered, eyes on the golden street passing beneath his boots as it widened into a beautiful circular plaza.
"Yeah. I did."
"What?" Daniel's head whipped around, mouth dropping open in surprise. "You didn't!"
Jack nodded. "Doc Lee accessed your memory by accident. He thought the council ought to." He cleared his throat nervously. "Bill's a sneaky bastard sometimes. Didn't give us a chance to look away from the mother of all train wrecks."
"Oh." Daniel could feel the heat from the stargate not far away, crackling with flame that covered every surface of the device. He stared at it, contemplating that revelation, then shook his head. "It had to be me. Let it go, Jack. Please. The Furlings are good people, and as hard as it was, they made the right choice, the one I couldn't make. They're still suffering from the consequences, especially Mikha."
"Still wish I'd killed him."
Daniel turned to study Jack's stubborn expression. "I'm asking you to forgive him, Jack. Forgive them. Maybe you can't right now, but later. At least try." He shrugged. "I've asked him to come with us to Alpha. He's my friend, and I want to make that plain to everyone. I have to set an example here. I'm thinking you should, too."
O'Neill's lips thinned, keeping any retorts or argument to himself. He glanced at the ground and kicked at some weeds growing up through the precious metal pavement.
Daniel nodded, knowing that was as good as he was going to get for the moment, and turned to his exploration of the Burning Gate and its unique DHD. In the center of the dialing device, the dome-shaped red crystal was absent. In its place was a circular depression, just the size and shape of the PDHD.
He reached into the pouch at the small of his back and withdrew the device. After lining it up, he set it into place, pressing it down with a satisfying click. The response was instantaneous.
A hologram appeared between the gate and the control pedestal. Four figures of equal height but vastly different build, each about the size of a human being, appeared in a semi-circle, their backs to the stargate. Behind them, rows of script glowed with deep blue light, so bright it hurt Daniel's eyes to look at them, but he stared anyway, needing the details. Above each head, a circle floated, symbolizing el. One of the figures had a pair of wings affixed to its back.
"The original elders," whispered Daniel in awe. "One for each Clan."
He studied the ancient script, barely recognizable compared to modern Furling writing, and was stunned to realize he'd seen it before.
On Earth.
The holographic inscription was written in ancient metaphysical symbols called the Celestial alphabet.
Intuition switched on, and he found himself running, heart pounding, straight at the Forest Clan elder. He skidded to a stop, grabbing his Furling friend by the arm, spinning him around. Daniel was breathless, thrilled, certain of his conclusion, but needing confirmation.
"Your name," Daniel blurted. "What does it mean?"
Scout's brows dipped low in confusion. "It's an exaltation of the glory of el. Why?"
" 'Who is like God!' " Daniel crowed, lifting his hands to the sky. "That's what it means, doesn't it?"
The elder nodded. "Yes. Why is the meaning of my name suddenly so important, Dani?"
"Of course!" Daniel jumped up and down, fists pumping the air.
"What are you going on about?" Jack demanded, joining them.
"Angels! They're angels!" Daniel was beaming.
"Huh?"
"el-Mikha. Mikha-el. Michael! The archangel Michael!" Daniel pointed at Scout. Then he turned to Hunter. "el-Ur, or Urel. Uriel." He smiled at the Sky Clan elder. "el-Riel. Gabriel." Cocking his head, warmed by his certainty, he glanced at Mountain's elder. "And your name would be some form of Raphael, right?"
The giant nodded. "These are not the names with which we were born, but given to us when we assumed our places as elders. Always the same four names."
"Archangels." Daniel looked around him at the other Furlings, reciting aloud the few true names he knew. "Rhamiel. Nariel. Both names of angels in our history. These four are the el-akhim -- their word for elders -- but I didn't make the connection the first time I heard it. We'd pronounce it Elohim, the children of the goddess, el."
He looked at Jack, hoping he was making some kind of sense. "The Asgard had to have told the story of the Furlings to the humans on Earth. It's even in this place name, Jack. It's called E-Thien. Eden! Look at how it's guarded. The images of four glowing beings with haloes, one with wings, standing before the Burning Gate, forever barring the way back to this place. It would be easy to garble the details and change it as the story passed through history."
O'Neill shook his head, but there was an obvious glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Not buying it, Daniel. Sorry."
Daniel grinned and gave a little chuckle as some of the euphoric excitement left him. "Yeah, I guess that is a little... out there, as far as theories go."
Still, there was something kind of... right... about the idea. If the Furlings weren't the source of the angel legends in Earth's ancient history, then maybe they should have been.
It would have made a great story, anyway; one that would never be told. The full truth of Furling history might never be fully rediscovered, but he had plenty of time to look for proof for his wild theory. He wanted to know who they really were, how they thought, what they had learned in the long span of time they had survived.
He would spend a little time teaching on Alpha, then return to traveling through the stargate or on board the great ship, Gaia -- his ship, given to him as a gift by these amazing people. There were so many mysteries still waiting to be solved, so many histories yet to be written. Human colonies had been scattered among the stars by the Goa'uld, the Ancients, and the Asgard, and they might need help. There were alien civilizations still waiting to be discovered by other races.
Daniel's journey among the stars had just begun.
"Let's see what else we can find," he told his friends with a happy smile as he headed for the nearest inscription, so he could begin his work. "I have a lot to do here, and I'm just getting started."
Finis