"Excuse me?" Daniel stared at Omoc, a man he had come to respect and even care a great deal for. "Could you repeat that?" He looked away from the screen he had been intently reading.
"The Curia has decided that talks with Earth would be beneficial to our world."
Omoc patiently repeated. "And as a junior member of the Curia, they feel that your experience with the people of Earth make you the right person for the job."
Daniel raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's what I thought you said." He sat back on the couch and motioned for Omoc to take a seat. "What changed their minds? Last I heard the Curia was set against letting offworlders have access to Tollana."
Omoc inclined his head as he sat on the couch across from the one Daniel was sitting on. "I am unsure why the Curia has changed it's mind. When a second vote was called, I was sure the outcome would be the same. I was wrong." He frowned. "I spoke on your behalf, Daniel, but I fear my arguments were ignored."
"Thank you for your concern." Daniel sat back on the couch. "But I've been on Tollana for a year now and I think I've learned enough to conduct talks with Earth." He set his jaw in a sign of stubbornness.
"Very well, I will inform the Curia that you will accept the position as liaison for the Tollan people." Omoc stood and turned to leave but before he exited Daniel's home, he turned back around. "This is a position of great power, Daniel. There are some that do not trust that you will keep Tollan interests in mind when speaking with the representive from Earth. As my son, they can do nothing but watch you. Bear that in mind and prove to them that you are not as young as they would like to think." With that said he disappeared out the door.
Daniel frowned when he heard the door close behind Omoc. "No pressure then." He mumbled under his breath as he stood and moved towards his small yet functional kitchenette. "Stew and coffee, please." He told the built in computer. Even after a year he was still in the habit of saying please and thank you to the artificial intelligence that ran his household. Within a few moments he was sitting down to enjoy a meal of rich, meatless, flavorful stew and coffee, it wasn't real coffee because the caffeine in real coffee tended to set his health implant off. What he was drinking was one of a wide variety of Tollan beverages that tasted the same but contained none of the caffeine; he had Omoc program his computer to distribute the drinks under the command of coffee. As he ate his meal, he couldn't help but think about Earth and the friends he left behind. What would they say if they could see him now? He wasn't the same Daniel Jackson that left Earth a year ago under the threat of treason. Oh no, he was just plain Daniel now, adopted son of Omoc. And when he spoke to the Earth representive, he was going to be speaking as a Tollan.