Godsend to PaDanno
 
 
by Travelling One
 
Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca
Website: http://www.travellingone.com/
Summary: While negotiating a trade deal, SG1 finds themselves in over their heads.
Season: 4
Related Episodes: Learning Curve
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM Global Holdings Inc, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, situations, and storylines are the property of the author.
 
February/06
 
 
The night sky would have shown up dark and starry, had it not been for the illumination soaring colourfully overhead. Gold, green, deep blue, red, silver, and purple glitter flashed outwards, noisily spraying over trees and rooftops towards them. And as SG1 watched, those colours morphed into shapes, becoming designs of words, numbers, dancers, stars, animals, flowers; perhaps more, but they hadn't been there long enough to know.
 
"Wow."
 
"Whoa, holy smoking skyshow. What do you think's going on?"
 
"Fireworks." Eye-dazzling, breath-taking, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring fireworks.
 
"Oh, really?… That wasn't what I meant, Daniel."
 
"How would any of us know what's going on? We only just got here." Daniel knew exactly what Jack had meant. Sometimes his skills were taken way too much for granted by his team leader; he'd have to work on that. Much as he appreciated the other man's belief in him, he didn't enjoy the exasperation evidenced when he had no immediate answers.
 
"Consider it a rhetorical question."
 
"Oh." Daniel shrugged in apology, but Jack had stopped paying attention.
 
All eyes remained glued to the night sky as those intriguing shapes danced overhead, pyrotechnics ablaze in glory, the most intricate patterns that might ever have been envisioned or envied by the most skilled of special effects engineers. "This is awesome."
 
"Indeed it is, Daniel Jackson." Even Teal'c's eyes were wide in delight. "I have never seen such a display as this."
 
After spending the next hour with their heads turned upwards, Jack finally rotated his stiff neck. "Come on kids, let's find out what's going on." Ground Zero seemed to be just a few blocks away, with silvery-white reflecting stones spiking the route into the darkness. Jack eyed the markers suspiciously. "More impressive than a trail of breadcrumbs, but does anyone else get the feeling we're being lured like prey to a feeding ground?"  
______
 
Festivities and revelry were nearing an end, the new season being a bi-annual cause for celebration. All night and into the following day the local inhabitants of P2X 900 - PaDanno - feasted and danced, welcoming the newcomers with open arms.
 
The tourist explorers were guided around the city, Daniel's videocamera capturing the stylized architecture and town planning. Homes on stilts carved in dark rich wood, polished and painted with frescoes, hovered majestically over ponds and manicured gardens. Fountains trickled water through sculpted rocks, providing life for the plants and flowers growing in their crevices. Townsfolk came and went, chatting, their clothing crisply colourful, hairstyles as intricate as the jewellery and beading that adorned them. Artwork plastered every wall, every gate between intersections, and spiralled off doorways and rooftops and balconies.
 
Since the previous night when they'd arrived on this planet awestruck and amazed, SG1 had been treated with nothing but respect and hospitality. Eager to please, the folks had gone out of their way to be accommodating, determined to convince SG1 of the sincerity of their ways. This evening's show was the culmination of their seasonal celebrations.
 
The song was riveting, music nearly ethereal in its chimes and vibratory tones, resonating with the wind and stars and atmosphere to bore straight through the heart into the soul. Tinkling bells and magical wind instruments further contributed to create a sound unheard on Earth, blended by vocal harmonics into a moving, heavenly rendition. Slowly, gracefully as if feathers on an uplifting breeze, the young dancers moved in time to the music, unburdened and all-knowing.
 
Even Jack sat through the performance mesmerized.
 
And when the dancers touched their heads and fingertips to the floor for the final bow, holding the pose to the last fading notes of the flute-like reeds, all the audience remained silent.
 
There was no applause here, as the performers drifted upwards like petals after a rain and disappeared into the night. In a moment, even before SG1 knew what was happening, the audience, too, had blended into the darkness as silently as the Earth sun sets at the end of day, and SG1 found themselves alone.
 
"Wow." Daniel stared at the now empty enclosure that had been used as a stage. A linguist left without words was the ultimate in congratulations and praise. "To think, they're no older than fifteen."
 
"Yeah. All as one." Jack shook the disquieting thoughts free from the brain file he'd deposited them in during the show. SG1 had gathered some disturbing information that afternoon, and he knew that eventually - sooner rather than later - they'd all have to deal with it.
 
"Well if they wanted to give us a demonstration, I'd say that was as good as any," Daniel agreed again, each team member knowing just what the others were thinking.
 
"It still doesn't prove that all they get is the artistic knowledge," Jack reminded them of the one doubt they'd shared, the one claim they'd all viewed with suspicion.
 
"In a way it does, Sir. Those children are all highly functioning."
 
"We don't know which one - if any - of those kids was really the one to donate the nanites. Maybe they're hiding that kid from us, saying their donors remain undamaged."
 
"Good point, Sir, but what would be the purpose of lying?"
 
"Well tell me, Carter. You believe that they can just use nanites to impart specific knowledge? That the rest of the brain remains untouched, the kids go on functioning normally?"
 
"They say they use the technique on adults too, Sir, often. Anyone with a gift, or particular skill or talent, can have it absorbed into nanites and distributed to others."
 
"Do they retain their own talent or get it all sucked out?"
 
"They supposedly come out of it fine. Depends on the precision and skill of the facilitator, and number of nanites."
 
"And yet, the people on Orban neglected to tell us about this modification?" Jack would need more than that to quell his skepticism.
 
"It's likely they don't know about it themselves, Jack, or they'd be using it too. These people said they'd lost communication with Orban decades ago, when they were attacked by the Goa'uld." The technology would have been in its infancy at the time; the Orbanians developed it only half a century ago.
 
"And the people of Orban have not yet encountered the Goa'uld," Teal'c reminded the CO.
 
A voice sounded in the darkness, startling them. "So, I must ask, did you enjoy the performance?" Mallyetouse smiled as he sidled up shyly to SG1.
 
"We did indeed," claimed Teal'c, speaking for all of them.
 
"It was wonderful," smiled Carter. "We've been trying to figure out who the original student of the dance was, the one who donated the nanites."
 
"That would be Marliyettra, the oldest. She was in the front in the pale yellow clothing. She has studied dancing since the age of two, and has become so adept that all the children who come of age ask for her to share her ability with them."
 
"So," Daniel clarified, "she was given nanites that soaked up her dance knowledge - "
 
"They were designated solely for that purpose; each session of nanite installments is able only to access one single skill or area of the brain."
 
" - right; so, they soaked up her dance knowledge, and then they were removed and distributed to all those other children."
 
"The fewer the recipients, the more intense their acquisition. The rate of dissemination of knowledge, and degree of intensity, are directly proportional to the number of nanites used and number of recipients."
 
"So one recipient getting ten nanites would gain more than ten recipients getting one each." Jack clarified.
 
"Exactly."
 
"How long did it take those children to practice the dance we just saw? Or the musicians, to learn those tunes?" Daniel queried.
 
"Some received their nanites a month ago. Others, just today."
 
"Today?" It was Jack's turn to be in awe, however dubious he remained.
 
Mallyetouse smiled at the reaction. "Yes, to establish a complete repertoire for this show. For you."
 
Oh. For us.
 
"So let's say I wanted to share all Carter's knowledge about gadgets and electronic gizmos. She could be injected with nanites to absorb all of that, and then they'd be given to me?" At Carter's disturbed glare, O'Neill added, "Theoretically, Major. Trust me, I don't."
 
"Yes. You would then know what she knows - about electronic… whatever you called them."
 
"And she'd still retain all her knowledge? No brain damage?"
 
"If she were to give nanites to several hundred people, she may be at risk to lose a degree of knowledge herself. But most would be retained. She would be able to re-acquire what she had lost."
 
"So it's not infallible."
 
"It is for this reason that we do not implant an over-abundance at any one time. As we leave them in for only days instead of years, they do not replicate out of control. Our process is perfectly safe. We always allow one of the programmed nanites to remain in the donor, who thereby retains the same knowledge that was given to the others."
 
"Hang on a minute - you allow them to keep one? Why don't they do that on Orban?"
 
Mallyetouse frowned. "As far as I recall, Colonel O'Neill, Orban was using a primitive method of removal, and if your claims are true, they are still using the earliest stage of this technology. They know only how to remove all the nanites at once, and only afterwards do they separate them through a laboratory process. We, on the other hand, remove each individually. This process takes much longer but allows us more control and the donor's mind is not wiped clean. Therefore it is safe to perform at any age. The Orbanians were, or are, able only to give fresh, unused nanites to very young children. We are not so limited."
 
If seeing was believing, and if that Marliyettra really had been the original donor, then SG1 had no reason to doubt the word of these people. People whose art was displayed around every corner, in their architecture, their gardens, their sculptures. It showed in their clothing, their jewellery, even their colourfully decorated food. They had music, libraries, displays of fireworks in the night sky.
 
"It is a very quick way to teach, Colonel O'Neill. Everything from history to politics to gardening. Anyone decides what they wish to learn, and the knowledge or skill is given to them immediately from anyone willing to share."
 
"From volunteers."
 
"Or teachers. Yes. It is how teachers distribute information to the public. There is no need for the schools here that we have seen on other worlds. All it takes is one session for a subject to be learned."
 
"Cool. A one-day school year. Now they tell me." Noticing Daniel's partially disguised smirk Jack added, "Just think; you could have had 873 Ph.D.s by now."
 
"So, Colonel O'Neill, if you are satisfied, am I justified in believing that we shall begin cultural and trade negotiations come morning?" This was not the first time the topic had been brought up. Nor was it the second.
 
"My team and I will discuss it tonight, Mallyetouse. We'll see you tomorrow."
 
"Very well. Then I bid you good-night." He nodded his head and left SG1 still standing in the starlit night.
 
_____
 
"Do you get the feeling there's something not quite right here?" Lying on his thick quilted mattress in the room SG1 had been offered, Jack stared up at the ceiling.
 
"No."
 
"Come on, Daniel. For a community that seems to have everything, they seem a little too eager to do business with us. They're pushy."
 
"They just want to learn from us and share what they can. They're a culture hungry for new knowledge."
 
"Too hungry. We haven't even told them what we have to offer."
 
"We did mention medicine this morning, Sir."
 
"And we don't know what they can offer us. I don't want nanites."
 
"What if we can mix their nanite technology with medicine, Jack? Maybe that's even what they want to do."
 
"Use it to heal people?"
 
"It's a thought."
 
Lying on the mattress, Jack watched the patterns on the ceiling shift in the light of the ganotor lamps, another curious illusion that reminded him of distant fireworks. "So, everyone wants to give this a shot?"
 
"I do, Sir."
 
"Indeed."
 
"Yes."
 
Right. And that's what they were here for, so why was Jack feeling that creepy uncomfortable doubt tugging at his instincts?
_____
 
And so negotiations began the following morning, both sides curious as to what the other would offer. By lunchtime break, SG1 was even more confused.
 
"So. They don't want our medicine."
 
"Apparently not."
 
"They knew about gate travel long before we did. Food is abundant - not to mention an art form; crops are plentiful, water is clean, and everyone's employed. They don't want weapons and our cameras and radios didn't impress them; we have a lot to gain from them but they haven't asked for anything from us yet. What gives?"
 
"Maybe they're not sure what they really want, either."
 
"And yet they keep asking us to tell them more about what we have on Earth. Tell us more. Tell us more. I'm running out of things to talk about."
 
"Jack, what if I go speak to Mallyetouse in private? Maybe I can find out what they're looking for."
 
"And I'll see if I can get into some of the labs, Sir, and have a chat with the researchers."
 
"Okay. Teal'c and I will take a stroll around the neighbourhood." Snoop around the neighbourhood, looking for any signs of discontent.
 
_____
 
Daniel tapped on the doorless entry to the sitting room where Mallyetouse, Shevogher, and Pyetchen were having a drink. The room was delicately decorated, with hanging plants in woven baskets, and identically-covered seats around a circular braided mat. On the wall hung an assortment of stringed instruments. "I'm sorry, is this a bad time? I was hoping I could ask a few questions about your society."
 
"Come in, Daniel. You are very welcome. Would you like something to drink?"
 
Daniel looked hesitantly at the three men, then entered and sat down. "No, thank you. I've already shared a meal with my friends."
 
"Of course."
 
"So." The ensuing moments of silence were awkward, with the men all staring at him questioningly. But this was his job, and Daniel began his quest. "Is there any sort of archaeology here on PaDanno?" he smiled, eyes bright and searching for knowledge, any ulterior motive completely obscured.
 
"Fortunately, Daniel, we do not have a need to dig up our past, or our land. Most of our history has been recorded as it occurred, and whatever has been lost is irrelevant."
 
Daniel blushed. In the single statement, his life's ambition and passion had been knocked to the ground. He couldn't take it personally. "What is important to you, then? I know you have a love of music, dance, architecture…"
 
"Whatever is visual and auditory, yes. Tactile too; we put care into our fabric and clothing," Pyetchen absently rubbed his fingers along the smooth silk of his long skirt, eyeing the rough BDUs Daniel sported. "We feed our minds."
 
With that single movement, however unintentional and quickly aborted, Daniel had realized that SG1 - and their world called Earth - likely seemed coarse and uncultured to these people. With their large awkward weapons, bland clothing and packs, food from packages, SG1 probably seemed impoverished and uncouth. "Research? You have many labs and scientists. What are they studying?"
 
"Our environment, mostly. Animal life, human life, medicine, plants, crops."
 
Daniel nodded, then pursed his lips. "So I don't understand. To be honest, my team and I are having a hard time trying to figure out what we can offer you."
 
The shifting of legs, the contrite looks that passed between the men at that moment, the fidgeting… Daniel suddenly found himself sorry he hadn't listened to Jack's suspicions. These men were hiding something.
 
"Tell me what's on your mind," he urged quietly.
 
"Daniel, we haven't been completely truthful, but you've already figured that out." Mallyetouse nodded. "The moment we saw your group we knew there was something you could offer us." He paused, and Daniel had sudden overwhelming misgivings about this meeting, a sense that he would not like what was about to be said. Why would the men have waited this long to ask for something, if it were to be easily honored?
 
For a long moment he thought the speaker had changed his mind about disclosing their requests. But then, what good would it do for SG1 to still be here if these people were never going to open up to them?
 
"Go on," Daniel urged.
 
"The Goa'uld come here regularly, Daniel."
 
Daniel's eyes went wide, and he stared at the man's lips as if stung. How regularly? Were they here now? Did they want something from SG1?
 
"They take hosts, order us around, and leave."
 
No, I really don't want to hear the rest of this, do I.
 
"And… you want our help fighting them?" Please don't ask us for hosts.
 
"No! No, we don't fight. We have men, we have weapons if it comes to that. What we don't have…" Mallyetouse noted the panicked intensity of Daniel's pale blue eyes, saw the urgency and fear escalating. "What we don't have is knowledge of the Goa'uld language. We want to be able to understand when the Jaffa speak to each other, Daniel. We have a plan to infiltrate the next arrival - but we must first learn the language."
 
"When we saw you come with the Jaffa - a friendly one -" Shevogher jumped into the conversation, "we knew he would be able to speak the Goa'uld language. And teach us."
 
Daniel's surprised look turned into a relieved smile. "That's what you want? I'm sure Teal'c would be happy to teach you the language. As would I."
 
"You both speak it?"
 
"Teal'c has spoken it all his life. I'm not completely fluent, but I can manage."
 
"Then Teal'c would be sufficient, Daniel."
 
Seeping in once more, the unsettling misgivings tugged again at Daniel's thoughts. SG1 would not be leaving Teal'c behind indefinitely on PaDanno, and he didn't like the other idea that he suspected was coursing through these peoples' hopes. "Um, there are others at my home base who have learned the language as well. I'm sure General Hammond will be happy to put a team together to stay here a whi-"
 
"No."
 
"No?"
 
"We must learn the language as quickly as possible. We have to get our plan in place before the Goa'uld return."
 
"If you're saying that you want Teal'c - "
 
"To fill nanites with his language."
 
A heavy exhaled breath initiated a tense moment of silence. Not wanting to hear this hadn't kept it from being said. "I don't know if he would be willing to do that, or if J…Colonel O'Neill would even let him."
 
"It is all we ask from you. It could one day save our people." Accusation in the tone was accompanied by beseeching, and the intent was clear; we can give you more than enough and all we want in return is a language.
 
Daniel rose, his gaze searing the floor. "I'll talk to my team."
 
______
 
"Knew it. I knew it! Well isn't that just peachy." Jack's face contorted into a scowl as he paced the room. "The one thing they're not going to get to do is mess with one of my team member's brains!"
 
The others remained as silent as they'd been since the rampage had begun. Daniel sat on a woven pillow by the wall, Teal'c had his back turned as he stared out the single window. Carter sat at the small carved table, glancing nervously from Teal'c to Daniel.
 
"They can learn the language the old-fashioned way, with books and a blackboard. You have transcripts of Goa'uld, Daniel?" Jack was still pacing.
 
Nodding, Daniel finally broke his own silence. "They said that won't be fast enough."
 
"The hell it won't. They're just too lazy to do it that way."
 
"We don't know that, Sir. The Goa'uld could come at any time. These people are impatient, as we would be, if we had a quicker way."
 
"They don't have a quicker way, Carter. It's too dangerous."
 
"They don't believe it is."
 
Another silence reigned, a thick heaviness permeating the room.
 
Teal'c finally turned away from the window, his hands clasped in front of him. "I believe the PaDannos are correct in their evaluation of the situation. Time is of the essence."
 
"And? So? Therefore?"
 
"If we are to aid these people, I must consider what they are asking."
 
"I don't trust them, Teal'c."
 
"You do not trust them, or the nanites, O'Neill? What we witnessed on Orban has clouded your judgement. It clearly is not the same situation on this planet."
 
Jack dropped onto a seat in defeat. "So you're saying…?"
 
"I shall do what they wish."
 
Daniel had not moved a muscle during the conversation; now he shifted his hands to his knees. "Are you sure, Teal'c?"
 
"I am."
 
_____
 
"I don't like this." Jack still glared angrily at Teal'c as the man lay on his stomach, headgear attached to a tiny vibrating stationary device that was injecting dozens of nanites into his brain. "Tell me again, why can't he just give you one and you make more to dish out?" he growled to the five PaDanno men occupying the room. Two were strangers to SG1, supposedly the most knowledgeable regarding information transfer.
 
"Second-hand knowledge does not transmit well. Nanites do not learn from nanites; the information becomes tarnished, contaminated, defective. The nanites Teal'c gives us will remain inside us, but they will not develop or transmit to other nanites. They become single entities working as such."
 
"Like burning a non-rewritable CD. Afterwards you can play it, but not record on it," Daniel murmured to anyone within earshot - which happened to be Jack, who tossed him a scathing look.
 
"You can still download it and burn the information onto another CD!" Jack retorted, his eyes still locked on Teal'c. The device had just been removed along with the headgear, and Teal'c's eyes were open. "How are you feeling?"
 
"I believe I am well."
 
"Now," Shevogher told him, "concentrate on the Goa'uld language. It would help if you speak it with Daniel for the next few hours. In the morning we will begin removing the nanites."
 
"Begin?" Jack frowned.
 
"It will take approximately three hours. Teal'c has 80 nanites, and we withdraw them one at a time."
 
_____
 
"It's an honorable thing you're doing, Teal'c." Daniel sat on the rim of a flowering fountain with the Jaffa, practising Goa'uld and allowing the nanites to do whatever they were supposed to be doing.
 
Teal'c bowed his head. "I wish to help these people defend themselves from the Goa'uld."
 
"And free themselves."
 
"Indeed."
 
"Are you worried?"
 
Teal'c hesitated in his reply, considering his options. "When there is little choice in a matter, it does not, as you would say, pay to worry."
 
Daniel nodded slowly. "So you believe the nanites work as they say?"
 
"I believe in what my eyes have seen, Daniel Jackson. Do you not believe it yourself?"
 
"I want to."
 
"But you are uncertain."
 
"Let's say I find it a bit scary."
 
"As do I."
 
Daniel nodded again, mostly to himself. That was the closest Teal'c would ever come to accepting or admitting fear. But he was right; they had seen for themselves the citizens who populated PaDanno, and they were healthy and productive people - even the children. There was no cause for concern. "This is for a good cause, Teal'c. I commend you for what you're doing."
 
"I apprreciate your words, Daniel Jackson. They mean a great deal to me."
 
_____
 
But…
 
…the following morning, when the scanner was plugged into the designated area of Teal'c's brain and the removal apparatus turned on, there were no nanites to be found.
 
Adjusting the position of the equipment, the PaDanno scientists were dumbfounded. "I don't understand!" Drascolter exclaimed. "There's nothing here."
 
At the same moment, both Daniel and Jack blurted, "Junior."
 
"Who?"
 
"His symbiote somehow must have detected foreign bodies inside him, and destroyed them. It functions as his immune system to keep him healthy," Daniel explained.
 
"So he is unable to receive nanites?"
 
Daniel nodded hesitantly. "Apparently."
 
The faces of the aliens fell, their hopes shattered.
 
"But I know some of th - "
 
"Daniel!" Jack's sharp voice accompanied the hand tightening over the younger man's arm. "Be quiet."
 
"They already know I know it, Jack," Daniel turned imploringly. "I was speaking Goa'uld all day yesterday with Teal'c."
 
Shevogher agreed. "Daniel is much better at it than he had led us to believe. His knowledge will be sufficient for our purposes."
 
"Just wait a minute. Daniel hasn't agreed to anything." Jack spoke more softly now, although traces of anger were still evident in his manner. "Daniel? A word."
 
_____
 
"How can you let Teal'c do this and not me?" The double standard was frustrating, and to do his job properly Daniel needed support from his entire team.
 
"For one thing, I suspected Junior might not let anything bad happen to Teal'c while those jigsaw pieces were being removed. Far as I know, you don't have insurance like that. And, lest you forget, I didn't want Teal'c to do it either."
 
"It's not an experimental procedure here, Jack. They do it all the time."
 
"You want them playing around inside your brain?"
 
"No." Daniel sighed. No, the thought of it hadn't exactly made him jump for joy. Okay, it scared the hell out of him. The initial idea, when first put forward in that sitting room, had even appalled him. "No. But I don't particularly like MRIs after every mission either."
 
"At least they're non-invasive."
 
"The PaDannos said this doesn't hurt. And it supposedly has no lasting effects."
 
"Contrary to what we witnessed with our own eyes on Orban?" Jack countered.
 
"Their method is more advanced and refined. More precise."
 
Jack's features contorted. "You're going ahead with this, aren't you."
 
"I think so."
 
"You think? You'd better damn well be sure. If anything happens to you - "
 
"I'm sure," Daniel suddenly decided. May as well step in with both feet, as usual. "And it won't. I trust them, and they need my help."
 
Jack sighed in resignation. This was the most nerve-wracking part of his job, arguing futilely with his teammates, agreeing to things he was dead set against, in the best interests of other worlds. They'd better make one hell of a good deal out of this. As far as he was concerned, PaDanno owed them the world. "Fine." Not that his blessing served any purpose, once Daniel had made up his mind.
 
_____
 
Déjà vu.
 
Daniel and Teal'c were once again conversing in Goa'uld, causing Jack to cringe with every word. The procedure of implanting the nanites had gone smoothly, but that hadn't been the part the rest of SG1 was worried about. In spite of Daniel's rugged nonchalance, Jack knew the archaeologist, too, was damn nervous, but for the rest of today the younger man was going to do his best to not think about it.
 
Jack, however, would not let Daniel out of his sight. And so, he had to listen to that infernal language all day long.
 
Sam had gone back to the labs, having been granted supervised access to anything that might benefit Earth. Get everything, O'Neill had ordered her, as her wide questioning eyes frowned in submission.
 
_____
 
But no matter how little he slept or how long he'd stuck around Daniel, day could not be prolonged as it turned into night and back into day and the dreaded procedure could not be avoided. Daniel had sat up for most of the night, looking out that single window at absolutely nothing, and Jack had silently stayed by his side. What Jack wanted to say, but didn't, was… 'if you think the procedure is so harmless, why can't you sleep?'
 
Jack himself still wasn't all that convinced, no matter how many dancers he watched or how many artists had their similar styles of paintings displayed on walls. Don't you dare wake up like those Orbanian children, Daniel, he admonished uneasily, wordlessly, not wanting to contribute to Daniel's sleepless night. There was nothing more he could say; it was already too late to talk Daniel out of this - what with all those nanites already in his brain - and he could only hope he was worrying for nothing.
 
As the hours dragged on and another teammate tossed and turned and muttered in her sleep while their fourth shifted and reshifted in his sitting state of Kelno'reem, Jack felt his own eyes closing. His hand moved to Daniel's shoulder, and he squeezed gently.
 
Finally Daniel dropped his gaze from whatever out there had captured his interest. Blackness upon blackness, and only inner thoughts had occupied the aging night. "Guess I'll get some sleep now," he whispered, and Jack just nodded, fingers gently slipping off Daniel's back as he lowered his arm.
 
_____
 
"Hey. You okay?" Addressing a nervous Daniel sitting there on the alien gurney, Jack looked firmly into his friend's eyes.
 
"So far. Seeing as they haven't started yet."
 
"Crap, Daniel. When I was on Orban I never thought I'd be watching my own team go through this."
 
"There are a lot of things we never thought we'd be watching happen to us, Jack."
 
Mallyetouse approached from the corridor. "Are you ready, Daniel?" The aliens had brought another unfamiliar face. "This is Adervitho. He is another specialist in nanite transfer, and a member of my research team."
 
Daniel just nodded. Didn't really matter any more; he just wanted this over and done with.
 
"How long will this take?" Jack asked. Two to three hours, they'd said yesterday. A long time for Daniel to lie still, though.
 
"We can extract thirty nanites each hour, therefore it should take approximately eight hours."
 
All of SG1 looked up sharply, breaths reflexively inhaled. "What? I thought you gave him eighty nanites."
 
"We gave Teal'c eighty. We gave Daniel two hundred and fifty."
 
"Why?" Jack exploded. "Wait, let me guess! You planned on coaxing Daniel into doing this anyway, along with Teal'c, to increase your number? But now you only have Daniel to work with!"
 
"He does not have as much Goa'uld knowledge as does Teal'c, Colonel, and he requires a more intense concentration. Two hundred and fifty is still safe."
 
"It damn well better be!" Hundreds… Jack consoled himself only by the fact that the Orbanian children had had millions. But they didn't have them vacuumed out one at a time.
 
Jack would hang around for eight hours, but Carter's time was better spent elsewhere. "Go. Dig around and see what you can find out about the danger zones for this procedure. Check out their past research." Should have done that long before now, but there hadn't been a need, Jack realized, fuming internally. "If that many is dangerous, I want to know!" Daniel had damn well better come out of this with everything he was going in with.
 
_____
 
Carter had been sitting on the outside steps, cooling off - internally - for ten minutes, before heading down to the labs. She'd been down there for two days already, and nothing clandestine had turned up. Not that she'd been actively looking. Up 'til now, the PaDannos had seemed to be open and honest with them; this, however, was an unjust deception that had left her seething. If there had been no trickery intended, why hadn't they just asked Daniel's permission in the first place? The man had already been openly willing to offer everything he could to help these people. It wasn't as though Daniel had done any complaining; he'd offered himself without even being asked. And now they were taking advantage of that generosity.
 
"… we do not implant an over-abundance at any one time". Mallyetouse himself had told them that. How many did they consider to be an overabundance? The Orbanian children had had millions of nanites in them; perhaps that was where the problem lay. Their original nanites had kept multiplying, which was supposedly the reason Daniel's were being removed so soon.
 
He would be fine.
 
But eight hours lying there for any procedure… that was unfair to the archaeologist.
 
"Marliyettra!" Sam recognized the fifteen-year-old who had been the lead dancer three nights before, and she did her best to conjure up a smile. Standing and making her way over to the passing girl, Sam knew this was a chance to have her questions answered honestly. The street was mostly vacant, with a few pedestrians on their way to somewhere else.
 
Marliyettra smiled. "You are one of the newcomers."
 
"Yes. I've been hoping to meet you. You dance beautifully."
 
"Thank you." The girl bowed her head. She was lovely, with long dark beaded braids and pastel flowers painted delicately on one cheek.
 
"Mallyetouse says you've been practicing since you were two."
 
At the words, the girl's head perked up, her dark eyes puzzled. "No, I just began learning three weeks ago."
 
This time it was Sam's turn for confusion. "But I thought you were the one who gave the dance nanites to the others?"
 
Marliyettra didn't know whether to chuckle or be shocked. "Absolutely not. Mine, as well as all the other dancers and musicians, were from two women on Baltessa. Nanites are not taken from our planet dwellers; it's too dangerous."
 
Sam froze at the words. "What?"
 
"Those who donate nanites are never the same again."
 
The words shot out like a poisoned arrow. "Mallyetouse said it's safe!"
 
"No," Marliyettra shook her head emphatically. "He's deceived you."
 
"Oh my god." Sam turned to run back into the building, then stopped abruptly. "Marliyettra, when was the last time the Goa'ulds visited your planet?"
 
_____
 
"Stop what you're doing!" Carter barged into the room, wide eyes staring at the perforated headgear attached to the back of Daniel's head as he lay on his stomach on the gurney. Pyetcher's arms held her from surging forward.
 
"Carter?" Jack glared at the intrusion, knowing there had to be a damn good explanation, and he wanted to hear it.
 
"Stop!" Her own glare could have melted metal. "Just get away from him!" Shoving Pyetcher out of the way, Sam had her zat ready and aimed, her fury raining down on Mallyetouse. "How much do they pay you?"
 
Now Teal'c's zat was raised as well. He silently regretted the decision to leave his staff weapon in their quarters with the rest of the gear.
 
"What is this?" Mallyetouse demanded as the six aliens moved out of Carter's way, ignoring the accusation, as she rushed over to Daniel.
 
"What have they done to him so far?" It had only been thirty minutes and they'd said it would take eight hours - but that had been a lie too. The longer they dragged this out, the more knowledge the nanites could extract.
 
"Carter! What the hell's going on?"
 
"Their methods aren't any better than those on Orban, Colonel! And the Goa'uld have never been here! No one's even heard of them."
 
"What?" Jack's rage turned outwards, and he shoved Mallyetouse up against the wall. "What the hell game are you playing?"
 
But it was an incensed Carter who served up the information. "They're dealers, Colonel. They procure nanites for anyone who's willing to pay. Traders and merchants have wanted access to the Goa'uld language to more easily do business and government with the Goa'uld-speaking planets they visit. They need it to increase their trading capacity, and have been at a major disadvantage until we arrived. This little group here sells to anyone who'll pay!"
 
"You son of a bitch! Why didn't you just get someone on one of those planets to teach your people the language?" Jack still had Mallyetouse pinned to the wall, his remaining two team members holding off the rest of the men with zats.
 
"They can't learn it without nanites."
 
"And none of those people would do this for you? Ever wonder why?"
 
"Oh, they know why, Colonel. They knew what the procedure does and no one out there trusted the PaDannos." Carter was livid.
 
"They don't care if they do business with our people or not." Mallyetouse was almost trying to explain.
 
"Right, no skin off their backs." Jack shoved Mallyetouse once more, then released him, barely withdrawing from his space. "What happens if those things are left inside Daniel?"
 
"They will continue to multiply."
 
"Will they kill him?"
 
"Eventually. He may go mad first. They shall overwhelm him until he's unable to cope. This is why the Orbanians remove them from their children no later than the age of twelve."
 
"But if you remove them, he'll be a blank slate!" The fury inside O'Neill was above its boiling point; he was ready to kill. If Daniel had been intentionally damaged -
 
"No. These were programmed to only take the Goa'uld language from him."
 
"That's not possible. The Orbanians - "
 
"Have the same extraction method but less sophisticated pre-programming. Theirs take all knowledge, ours are specialized. Theirs damage neural pathways, ours are not left in long enough to do so."
 
Jack's sharp glare bore into Mallyetouse. He was aware of Carter's zat pointed at Shevogher and Pyetchen. Teal'c had the others covered. "You're saying he'll only lose the knowledge of how to speak Goa'uld?" Not that Jack would let them touch his teammate again, but he wanted to be clear on this. "I don't believe you."
 
"It's not that specific, Sir," Carter had learned all she needed to know, all the pieces falling deftly into place. Nanite specialization was common knowledge - and common, not-so-clandestine, practice on PaDanno. "Daniel was also talking English with us yesterday, as well as Goa'uld with Teal'c. He was doing a lot of things yesterday, Colonel."
 
"What else will those things take from him?" Jack pressed both hands against Mallyetouse's shoulders, the PaDanno man pinned flat against the frescoed wall as he eyed the Earth weapons, unsure of whether they could kill.
 
"Nothing."
 
Jack shoved. "I want the truth! Will it take his English?"
 
"It is unlikely," the man lied.
 
"But possible?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Anything else? Other languages? Knowledge?" The moment of hesitation was all Jack needed to recognize the deception. He let go of Mallyetouse, lifting his own zat. "You'll find I'm not a patient man, when it comes to my friends' lives and well-being. One more lie and we're the last foreigners you'll ever see."
 
Mallyetouse didn't doubt the threat. His partners were standing in shock, submissive and helpless. "It may also remove other foreign languages." They'd been hoping. The full day should have been enough for hundreds of nanites to soak up everything they needed. There were so many worlds out there, so much potential, if only communication had been clearer and easier for their tradespeople. Daniel had been the godsend they'd been searching for.
 
"Carter, get Daniel unattached from that gear."
 
"Yes Sir."
 
"You risk damaging him more than the nanite removal will! The process has already begun."
 
"I'll take my chances." Jack saw Shevogher tense as Carter turned her back on him. "Move again and you're all dead."
 
With a look of revulsion and resignation, Shevogher sighed, stiffening. At least they had a few of those nanites in the tube already. Languages were a sought-after commodity on PaDanno, and would have sold well. His team would just have to greatly up the price to the few whom they could service; this job had been far more difficult than anticipated, barely even worth the effort.
 
_____
 
"Hey." Jack held on as Daniel stumbled from the gurney, disoriented and dazed. "Can you understand me?"
 
The confused look eradicated any hopes of conversation.
 
"Teal'c, watch our backs. Carter, help me with Daniel."
 
Together, they walked the archaeologist out of the building, Teal'c finally emerging, the sound of six zat blasts ringing out behind him.
 
"Teal'c?"
 
"I could not help myself. They will revive." So, he'd only shot them once each. Jack was almost sorry he hadn't watched them go down. "But they will not find this when they awaken." Teal'c held up the tube of fluid with nanites already extracted.
 
"Good," Jack nodded. "Give it to the lab when we get home."
 
Daniel was stumbling, his arms wrapped around the waists of O'Neill and Carter, his eyes rarely blinking.
 
"Let's let him rest while we grab our gear."
 
"Colonel?" Carter's eyes were wide and worried as she helped set Daniel down on his mattress in the room they'd been occupying.
 
"Carter?"
 
"What if this really does end up killing him?"
 
"We can't let them suck the rest of his brain out."
 
"Just his languages… maybe."
 
"And that's not enough? This is Daniel we're talking about. Language is his life, Major."
 
"We can't do anything to help him."
 
"Neither can they." At her disconsolate look, Jack became more adamant. "We are not letting them touch him again."
 
Sighing, Sam shook her head. She knew they couldn't trust those men a second longer. Had any of it been the truth? Did they have more advanced nanite programming than Orban, or was that a lie too? Had they even stopped the procedure in time? According to Marliyettra, the extraction method was banned for use on PaDanno civilians, except for implantation of filled nanites. They looked elsewhere for unsuspecting aliens gullible enough to buy into their poignant stories - stories designed to change according to their needs. A single donor could satisfy hundreds of paying recipients, with the dealers growing wealthy in their lucrative business. "No, Sir." Her anger returned, filling her with outrage. Anyone willing to take advantage of Daniel was evil, in her books. And they'd tried to do the same to Teal'c.
 
No, they'd known it wouldn't work on Teal'c. And they'd hoped for more languages than just Goa'uld.
 
They'd wanted Daniel all along.
 
"The Goa'uld may not yet have arrived on this planet, Major Carter, but the behaviour of these people equals that of the Goa'uld."
 
"What do you mean, Teal'c?" Sam glanced up in the process of securing her pack.
 
"He means, Carter, that everything in this culture has been stolen from someone else," Jack snarled. "Now let's get out of here before they decide to grab us by force and take him back. I don't think they'll be happy to find their prize gone," Jack nodded towards Teal'c's pack, now housing the partly filled test tube. "Let's just hope whatever they've already done hasn't damaged him too badly." Daniel was still staring at the ceiling, unresponsive.
 
_____
 
The walk to the stargate had been unhindered. No one had come after them, but Daniel had spoken only one word so far.
 
"Jack?"
 
Arms around his waist had pulled him closer, steadying him, and heads had turned hopefully. "Daniel? How're you doing?"
 
But Daniel hadn't answered.
 
"We're going home, Daniel. We'll soon be away from here." The one place your instincts hadn't turned out right, buddy. Not your fault, though. They even had Teal'c fooled. "You'll be okay."
 
Daniel may have been disoriented throughout the journey back to the gate, but tentative smiles lit up the faces of three SG1 team members as the home-bound wormhole engaged, and Daniel uttered two more words.
 
"I'm hungry."
 
_____
 
But once at the base Daniel had lapsed back into a stupor, struggling to regain his bearings, and eating had been forgotten, if it had even been more than a moment's passing urge. For the rest of the day he hadn't uttered a complete sentence, speaking only in sporadic, infrequent word pairs, while medics and lab technicians pulled samples and did their tests, frowned into microscopes and jotted down notes. But no one brought any news to SG1.
 
His teammates frequented the lab, the briefing room, and the infirmary. All they could do was wait, watching as Daniel's eyes would open, drift around and then settle, his lips moving before he'd again lie still.
 
Sounds and faces wafted in and out of his murkiness. The need for sleep was overwhelming, the fight against intense sensations of suction pulling at parts of his brain exhausted him, and the tingling and headaches alternated in an unwanted pattern. There were people surrounding him; that recurring cognizance was fleeting as well. "Help me," he thought he said, before succumbing to another plummeting loss of awareness.
 
"We are," Jack mumbled without conviction, and Sam took Daniel's hand in her own. "We're trying." They were well aware that while the med team was doing all they could, 'what they could' was severely limited by Earth knowledge and medicine. The bottom line was they had no real idea how to help Daniel.
 
The second thing they'd heard him say was, "I'm sorry."
 
"For what?" Jack asked softly, lightly shaking Daniel's shoulder in hopes of a response, but there was none and his teammate's eyes had again closed. "What's he apologizing to us for?"
 
Carter just shook her head, grasping Daniel's hand more tightly, as Teal'c looked on from his upright post at the foot of the bed.
 
"Damn it. A couple hundred nanites can't do that much damage, can they?"
 
"Two hundred?" The voice belonged to Dr. Frasier, now approaching. "No, Colonel. There are several thousand of those things in him, with hundreds more in his bloodstream."
 
Jack looked up sharply as Sam's intake of breath reflected his own crashing hopes; that could only mean one thing. "They're multiplying?" Damn it to hell.
 
Thousands? So the PaDannos had lied about that too.
 
_____
 
Come on, Daniel. Time to wake up and talk to us. Even two words would be good.
 
With hands in his pockets, Jack still stood where he'd planted himself twenty minutes earlier, watching over an unconscious teammate. Same spot he'd stood a dozen times over the past few hours. Carter and Teal'c had been in and out as well, no one understanding why Daniel remained so inert and unaware. Nanites and nanocytes had not affected the Orbanian children, or the Argosians, this way. Well, the Pelops machine had dictated the sleep and waking patterns of the latter, but there was nothing in play like that here. Was there?
 
"Marliyettra said those who have the nanites removed are never the same again."
 
Jack didn't look up to acknowledge Carter at his shoulder. "He hasn't had them removed."
 
"They don't leave them in this long. Maybe there's a reason for that that no one told us."
 
Jack scowled. "Now there's a surprise."
 
Carter hesitated. Not that she wanted to bring this up, but the discussion needed to be broached. "Maybe we should take the chance that removal will only affect some of his knowledge."
 
"What?" She'd finally caught Jack's full attention, and his head snapped up, a glare in his eyes. "They lied to us about everything, Carter."
 
"We have to do something." It was nearly a plea, yet Sam almost wanted to be convinced that the option was wrong. But what alternative did they have? Not that removal was a decent choice, but standing there doing nothing wasn't helping; that much she could vouch for.
 
"Sir, Teal'c wants to go back and find out where that Baltessa planet is that Marliyettra mentioned."
 
"Why?"
 
"We think the Baltessans will be more forthcoming and honest about these nanites."
 
"We know about the nanites, Carter. We've seen the Orbanians."
 
"Then why is Daniel completely unresponsive?"
 
_____
 
Anxiety was palpable in the briefing room. Jack drummed his fingers in agitation, while Carter tried not to catch his eye. While Teal'c appeared almost passive, those who knew him could sense his unease.
 
"General… I don't see that we have another choice."
 
"Colonel, I don't need to point out that at the present time, the PaDannos are undoubtedly angered and antagonized by the events that have taken place."
 
"Yes, we pissed them off. We've pissed off Goa'uld too; that's never stopped us."
 
"Therefore," Hammond continued, "we have no idea to what extreme they would go to retaliate. I'm afraid that going back to ask for coordinates to a planet - one which no longer trusts them, I might add - will undoubtedly be ineffective. I cannot agree to put you all at risk for what I see as a futile effort."
 
"Sir, Daniel is lying there with thousands of nanites in his brain, multiplying as we sit here and argue -"
 
"General?" Four heads turned as Sergeant Harriman appeared at the top of the winding staircase. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Doctor Fraiser has been trying to locate SG1. She wants them in the infirmary right away."
 
Before the last of his words were out, the thud of leather chairs slamming wood indicated that three team members were already on their way.
 
_____
 
"Doctor Fraiser?"
 
"Sirs. Sam." Janet glanced around at the solemn faces of SG1 and General Hammond. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I knew you'd want to know right away that the nanites in Daniel aren't multiplying. They never have been."
 
Jack's features twisted in incomprehension. "You said he had thousands."
 
"He does. Did. Daniel had several thousand of those nanites in his brain when you brought him here, and hundreds in his bloodstream. But, there are a good many more in this bloodstream now." She paused.
 
"Janet?" Carter thought she knew where the doctor was going with this. "Are you saying that's a good thing?"
 
Janet nodded. "It seems the nanites are being absorbed into his body, the way yours and the Argosians' did once the Pelops machine was turned off, Colonel. Even Merrin said her useless nanites would become disconnected from the brain and absorbed into her blood, and this seems to be what's happening to Daniel."
 
According to the scans, the nanites in Daniel's brain - and those loose in his blood - were disappearing, the way Jack's nanocytes had been absorbed back into his body as he'd steadily regained his semi-youth. Youth, according to a former eighty-five-year-old.
 
"He's getting better?" Jack looked dubiously at the sleeping man. "Why's he still like that?"
 
"In my opinion? He just needs more time. I think the foreign technology overwhelmed his system. People weren't meant to go through something like this," Fraiser reasoned.
 
"So we made the right choice." Jack's relief was overwhelming, threatening to overflow and drown him in self-forgiveness. He'd known… but hadn't. Second-guessing himself was becoming a part of his routine these days.
 
"You made the right choice, Sir. I wasn't certain." That had been a decision Sam wasn't sure she could have made, had she been commanding officer of the team. She certainly hadn't trusted the PaDannos, but leaving those nanites to multiply in Daniel's brain to become millions had been a frightening, unappealing consideration. Once again, though, the PaDannos had lied. The nanites weren't multiplying; once filled, they'd begun to rapidly dissolve. They were of limited use, and therefore had to be harvested quickly. The PaDannos had been on a tight schedule.
 
"You would have done the same, Carter, had it been your decision."
 
"Whoever decided, thank you." The voice was barely audible, and all heads turned to see Daniel's eyes opening.
 
The younger man smiled shyly and turned away, as Jack plopped himself on the edge of the bed and fluffed Daniel's hair, grinning. "You're welcome." It's about damn time. Four words in a row; that was a record so far. It could be counted as a complete sentence, right?
 
Fraiser was smiling too. "Welcome back, Doctor Jackson. Do you know where you are?"
 
"Home."
 
"Ah," Jack held up a finger. "But can you say that in twenty-three languages?"
 
After seventeen, Jack cut him off, his attention turning elsewhere. "I don't get it, doc. The nanites in the Orbanian children kept multiplying, right?" Why were these any different? Not that he wasn't damn pleased and grateful, but he could ask, no longer being afraid of the answers.
 
"Right. Which is probably why they're removed just as the children reach puberty. After that, they begin to lose their potency and capacity for renewal," Janet theorized. "They're not meant for extended use in adults, just like the nanocytes that had aged you, Colonel. The Orbanian children are given nanites at infancy, before their neural pathways are established. Once implanted into the adults, the programmed nanites don't replicate. And Daniel has no traces of silicon or trinium in his blood."
 
"So I'll be fine." Finally, Daniel seemed to be relaxing, growing increasingly more aware and alert.
 
From his seat on the edge of the bed, Jack patted his friend's blanketed leg. "You know, we still have some of your sucked-out nanites. Think I need to learn Goa'uld?"
 
"With my brain cells?"
 
"Nah, they'd probably overload in my head and I'd short circuit. Wonder how much I can auction them for."
 
"Colonel! - "
 
"Jack!" Daniel scoffed at the joke.
 
"What? With that money we could probably keep Kinsey off our backs for a good long while, keep the gate running for a year or two -"
 
"Jack?"
 
"What?"
 
"Stop shaking the bed."
 
"Oh. Sorry." Jack ceased his movements and rose from the edge of the mattress. "Get some sleep, you look bushed."
 
"Not so much." But Daniel nodded, his eyes nearly closing. He remembered Jack sitting there beside him, staying up, keeping him company that night on PaDanno, and he had no idea how much time had passed since then. "You too."
 
"Right. Glad you're okay."
 
"Thanks. Jack?"
 
"Hmm?"
 
"You know, some race out there may have perfected the use of those things. How to heal with them… you know."
 
"Maybe, Daniel. But if we find them, we're not going to test the things out, no matter what they want to trade for them. Once they're tested and ready for use, I'm sure we'll find them a lot cheaper on eBay."
 
With four pairs of eyes now directed his way, Jack stopped rambling. "What?"
 
Fraiser grinned, and left the room with a last instruction to Daniel to sleep for a while. Carter sidled up to the colonel, gently speaking close to his ear. "With all due respect Sir… I think you need a nice long rest too."
 
"Oh really?" He squinted at her. It had been a long couple of days worrying about a dazed Daniel's brain, and the unleashed stress and enormous relief was leaving him giddy. "You know, I think you're right." Turning to Daniel, he saw his friend was already asleep. No nanites sucking up his brain, but a race of aliens out there still preying on unsuspecting individuals with their get-rich scams, and SG1 had done nothing to put them out of commission. If it hadn't been for a not-so-innocent fifteen-year-old… one who'd accepted nanites from an alien woman in order to accelerate her own dancing abilities… Daniel would not have been speaking to them right now, or possibly ever again. Glad you're okay and whole, buddy. Funny, to think that what an alien race so badly wanted was right here with SG1, belonging to them, part of their very own family.
 
Jack sighed in resignation. He should have had Teal'c zat them twice.
 
"Talk to you later, Daniel." But I'll pretend not to enjoy it, if that's okay with you. With a final light pat to Daniel's knee, Jack turned to take Carter's advice.
 
_____
 
For the past four minutes Daniel had been pacing the corridor, reluctant to stop at his intended destination, Jack's office. Finally, though, he accepted his mission and traipsed the rest of the way down the hallway, stopping in the open doorway.
 
"Hey. Good to see you up." Jack put down the paper wads he'd been juggling.
 
Daniel studied the familiar room, focussing everywhere except on the expectant CO, realizing he was pulling a Jack; did Jack play with everything he could find in Daniel's office just to avoid opening up delicately painful discussion topics?
 
"Sit." Jack's narrowed eyes and pinched lips - readjusted from the smile that had beamed off them only moments ago - spoke of his awareness that Daniel was about to start… apologizing for something.
 
"Right." But it took another five seconds before Daniel chose a chair and followed that instruction. "Jack… I'm sorry. All they did was lie, and I bought into it."
 
"You're not a mind reader, Daniel. You thought they needed help."
 
"I nearly destroyed Teal'c."
 
"No. They didn't want Teal'c. They wanted you."
 
Daniel's repentant expression turned to one of confusion, while Jack's own mind suddenly cleared; he realized Daniel still didn't know the extent of the scam.
 
"I don't understand. They took T -"
 
"They wanted more than the Goa'uld language, Daniel. When we arrived that first night, you tried four languages before Mallietush let on that he understood English."
 
"Mallyetouse. He said the noise of the fireworks impeded his hearing."
 
"And that was his first lie."
 
As Daniel's eyes grew wider in the shock of comprehension and insight, Jack held his own intense scrutiny steady. He knew what was coming.
 
"I was stupid and gullible." And now, feeling even more of a fool. "I'm really sorry."
 
"Daniel, we all fell for it, Teal'c included."
 
He shook his head. "No, I don't think you did. And Teal'c was enticed by his desire to defeat the Goa'uld."
 
"And you were enticed by your desire to help people. That's not something to be ashamed of, Daniel."
 
"What about you? You knew something was wrong."
 
"I didn't question it enough to dig into their backgrounds, Daniel. And for that, I'm sorry." Knowing something was wrong and not acting upon it was, in his books, worse than making the wrong choice for the right reasons. And he'd nearly lost Daniel because of it.
 
Finally, Daniel sighed, giving up the argument. "Guess I should be more careful about trusting aliens."
 
"We all learned from this, Daniel. We let our guards down. It's something we just need to be more careful about."
 
Daniel nodded. "Thanks."
 
"That's what I'm here for."
 
"You still trust me?"
 
"Never stopped. You?"
 
"Me?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"What? Trust me, or you?"
 
"What?"
 
Daniel stared at Jack, realizing his linguistic skills had just been rendered useless. "I think you've just succeeded where the PaDannos failed."
 
"What?"
 
"Forget it. See you later." Rising, Daniel headed towards the door.
 
Jack grinned. "Glad you're alright."
 
As he exited, Jack thought he heard Daniel mutter an indignant, "Thought I was."
 
"What?" the CO called, receiving no reply. Jack just grinned, scooping up his wads of paper and resuming his juggling. "Oh yeah, that's our boy."
 
 
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