Diplomacy, by Night Spear (PG-13)
My 400th rec! Thanks for putting up with me, folks. :)
Rec Category: Gen
Pairing none
Categories: gen, Daniel, team, Jack and Daniel friendship, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Robert Rothman, Sha're, Kasuf, AU, drama, episode related
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: night_spear1287
Author's Website: List of Stories
Link: Diplomacy (table of contents)
Why This Must Be Read: This fantastic, novel-length AU story gives us a 15-year-old Daniel Jackson, who grew up on Abydos (Mel and Claire opened the Stargate in '82, and stayed behind) and is now training at the SGC to help fight against the Goa'uld and get his brother and sister, Sha'uri and Skaara, back home. I have already recced the wonderful Translations, which covers this AU's version of Season One. Now, in Diplomacy, Night Spear treats us to fascinating twists and turns in canon, exploring the different ways events turn in Seasons 2-3 when a younger Daniel is present at the SGC, but not an active member of SG-1
The fic is technically WIP, since only 18 of 26 chapters are currently posted. But you'll want to start reading this right now - for the lovely characterization, the impeccable writing, the tight plotting, the twisting of storylines (Secrets and Thor's Chariot as one!), and the fixing of canon loopholes. There is less onscreen Teal'c and Daniel friendship than there was in Translations, but the amazing Jack and Daniel friendship will more than make up for it. My two current favorite scenes include Jack teaching teenaged Daniel how to handle a weapon, with the memory of Charlie looming; and the awesome rendition of The Fifth Race, which is somehow even better than the version on the show.
Make sure you've got plenty of time, though; it stands at over 160,000 words now, and once you get started, you won't be able to stop!
“Jack. Jack, say something.” Then, because English seemed to be getting less and less effective, he added, “Please. Comdo”-he flipped through his notes-“dic...uh, dic mie...gods, Jack! How am I supposed to learn this language if you won’t talk to me, huh?”
Apparently hearing something in his voice that he hadn’t been intending to let out, Jack slowed, tilting his head in consideration, then cupped a hand around the back of Daniel’s neck as he passed. “Daniel...ani ansius. Nol.”
Daniel couldn’t help an odd-sounding laugh from escaping. “So that’s how you say ‘worried,’ I guess. We thought it was anquietas at first. So ‘nol’...you’re telling me not to worry. A negative imperative-okay, that’s good, that’s great, we’ve been getting stuck on the grammar-” Jack’s hand squeezed gently to cut him off. “No, Jack, it...it’s fine. I’m not worried.”
“Nani veriumas.”
“Not the truth,” Daniel translated aloud while scribbling down a note about the contraction of the negative particle with the copula verb, because it was interesting, it was, really. “Yes, it is the truth, Jack. Veriumas ani.”
“Ego ansius.”
“Nol,” Daniel ordered, leaning into the warmth behind him. “Don’t you worry, either. We’ll figure it out.”
Jack sighed. “Na putas tua.”
“Yes, I do believe that. Don’t give up yet. Nol...uh, nol abiecieri. Don’t give up.” He turned and looked up into Jack’s eyes. “Everyone’s working on it-we all need you here. We’ll solve this. I’m sure we will. I’ll even leave base and go home, yeah? Show Shifu how messy your house is?” he tried to joke, which didn’t work too well when he wasn’t sure how much Jack was actually hearing.
A pained look came across the man’s face. “Indes tua dormata.”
“Ego indeo Jack!” Daniel burst out, then ripped his glasses off to scrub at his gritty, exhausted eyes and sighed, frustrated more than embarrassed. “Look, okay, stop worrying about me. I’ll sleep, I promise, but first we have to figure out how to-”
But whatever control of himself he had temporarily regained, Jack suddenly turned away and practically ran out of the archaeology office without a backward glance. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, put his glasses back on, picked up a dictionary, and followed him out.
Rec Category: Gen
Pairing none
Categories: gen, Daniel, team, Jack and Daniel friendship, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Robert Rothman, Sha're, Kasuf, AU, drama, episode related
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: night_spear1287
Author's Website: List of Stories
Link: Diplomacy (table of contents)
Why This Must Be Read: This fantastic, novel-length AU story gives us a 15-year-old Daniel Jackson, who grew up on Abydos (Mel and Claire opened the Stargate in '82, and stayed behind) and is now training at the SGC to help fight against the Goa'uld and get his brother and sister, Sha'uri and Skaara, back home. I have already recced the wonderful Translations, which covers this AU's version of Season One. Now, in Diplomacy, Night Spear treats us to fascinating twists and turns in canon, exploring the different ways events turn in Seasons 2-3 when a younger Daniel is present at the SGC, but not an active member of SG-1
The fic is technically WIP, since only 18 of 26 chapters are currently posted. But you'll want to start reading this right now - for the lovely characterization, the impeccable writing, the tight plotting, the twisting of storylines (Secrets and Thor's Chariot as one!), and the fixing of canon loopholes. There is less onscreen Teal'c and Daniel friendship than there was in Translations, but the amazing Jack and Daniel friendship will more than make up for it. My two current favorite scenes include Jack teaching teenaged Daniel how to handle a weapon, with the memory of Charlie looming; and the awesome rendition of The Fifth Race, which is somehow even better than the version on the show.
Make sure you've got plenty of time, though; it stands at over 160,000 words now, and once you get started, you won't be able to stop!
“Jack. Jack, say something.” Then, because English seemed to be getting less and less effective, he added, “Please. Comdo”-he flipped through his notes-“dic...uh, dic mie...gods, Jack! How am I supposed to learn this language if you won’t talk to me, huh?”
Apparently hearing something in his voice that he hadn’t been intending to let out, Jack slowed, tilting his head in consideration, then cupped a hand around the back of Daniel’s neck as he passed. “Daniel...ani ansius. Nol.”
Daniel couldn’t help an odd-sounding laugh from escaping. “So that’s how you say ‘worried,’ I guess. We thought it was anquietas at first. So ‘nol’...you’re telling me not to worry. A negative imperative-okay, that’s good, that’s great, we’ve been getting stuck on the grammar-” Jack’s hand squeezed gently to cut him off. “No, Jack, it...it’s fine. I’m not worried.”
“Nani veriumas.”
“Not the truth,” Daniel translated aloud while scribbling down a note about the contraction of the negative particle with the copula verb, because it was interesting, it was, really. “Yes, it is the truth, Jack. Veriumas ani.”
“Ego ansius.”
“Nol,” Daniel ordered, leaning into the warmth behind him. “Don’t you worry, either. We’ll figure it out.”
Jack sighed. “Na putas tua.”
“Yes, I do believe that. Don’t give up yet. Nol...uh, nol abiecieri. Don’t give up.” He turned and looked up into Jack’s eyes. “Everyone’s working on it-we all need you here. We’ll solve this. I’m sure we will. I’ll even leave base and go home, yeah? Show Shifu how messy your house is?” he tried to joke, which didn’t work too well when he wasn’t sure how much Jack was actually hearing.
A pained look came across the man’s face. “Indes tua dormata.”
“Ego indeo Jack!” Daniel burst out, then ripped his glasses off to scrub at his gritty, exhausted eyes and sighed, frustrated more than embarrassed. “Look, okay, stop worrying about me. I’ll sleep, I promise, but first we have to figure out how to-”
But whatever control of himself he had temporarily regained, Jack suddenly turned away and practically ran out of the archaeology office without a backward glance. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, put his glasses back on, picked up a dictionary, and followed him out.