Title: The Hand of Friendship.

Author: LetitiaRichards

Rating: T

Category: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Smarm.

Season: Mid 8

Summary: A benign race of aliens extend the hand of friendship towards Jack.

14,254 words.

THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP.

by LetitiaRichards.

"Ambassador Kaytan insisted?" Brigadier General Jack O'Neill asked in disbelief.

"He did!" Daniel Jackson confirmed.

"Then I guess I should be able to squeeze him into my 'very' busy schedule," Jack grimaced. He really hated negotiations. Normally that was Daniel's forte, but part of his duties as head honcho of the SGC included being a diplomat; not at all his strong point. Give him a P-90 then send him off-world and he'd be more than happy. Like a dog with two tails.

"Ah...busy?" Daniel asked, giving the General a sceptical glance over the top of his spectacles. Jack was joking, right? Since when had Jack ever actually been...busy? He'd always managed to look busy, but being busy and looking busy were two different things in the O'Neill book of logic.

Jack waved a languid hand in the air, pouting.

"Yes Daniel, I'm a busy man." Jack asserted with a frown.

"Ah! I see," Daniel sighed in understanding. "Menu changes? Light bulbs? Pencils?"

"Don't forget the toilet rolls Daniel, they're very important. Can't run a base without them."

Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter snickered, she just couldn't help herself.

"Something funny Carter? Did I miss a joke or something?" Jack asked pointedly.

"Ah...no sir," she grinned, trying hard to keep a straight face. Her CO was being serious for once.

"Sooo..." Jack sighed with a little hint of glee. "Does this mean I get to go off-world?" Oh he sure hoped it did! It had been an age since he'd been through the Stargate. Being 'the man' and in his position, he was now the one who had to stay behind and watch the others travel to distant planets and have all the fun.

"It does not!" Teal'c the Jaffa warrior stated blandly.

"No?" Jack couldn't help the disappointment show on his face, before he quickly masked it. He looked at the other two with a pleading look. "Yes?"

Daniel, Sam and Teal'c shook their collective heads to confirm Teal'c's statement.

Damn! Jack cursed inwardly. He was hoping...

"Kaytan wants to come here to meet with the great Jack O'Neill," Daniel smirked. "He wants to see for himself what sort of person you are Jack, and what he's getting himself and his people allied to."

"He's heard of me?"

"Yes. They have a thriving grape vine too," confirmed Daniel.

"Only good things, I hope," Jack smiled.

"Sure. Things like; well, that you have a potty mouth; that you have a badass attitude..."

"Hey!" Jack interrupted with a frown.

Daniel stopped his growing list with a smirk and glanced at Sam across the table; she was trying hard not to laugh. He sooo knew how to yank on the General's chain.

"I have a reputation to maintain Daniel. Comes with the territory."

"So you'll see him?"

"See who?"

Daniel groaned; offering up a little prayer to the god of patience.

"Ambassador Kaytan, Jack. We've been here before."

Jack pulled himself upright in the chair.

"I guess I could," he sighed with resignation.

"Good. I'll let him know when, just as soon as Walter can find a suitable slot in your very full diary."

"And he wants to visit because...?"

"They have a very nice planet, and it's full of Naquadah sir," Sam interrupted before things got out of hand between the two of them.

"Ah! Nice!" Jack grinned.

Daniel rolled his eyes and groaned at the comment. Sam manfully ignored the gesture and carried on.

"Exactly sir."

"What did we offer them in exchange?"

"That's just it sir. They didn't want anything in particular. A few medicines perhaps, and a little technology, but nothing specific sir."

"Really? They must want something Carter?"

"The Ambassador was mainly interested in how we had recently defeated the Goa'uld, Anubis," Teal'c rumbled. "Apparently they had run into him and his kul warriors already. They wished to know how to set up a line of defence so we suggested that Colonel Carter would be able to help them or, yourself of course. That is why he wishes to meet with you."

"How do you propose we do that? Even we don't have that level of technology open to us anymore without a working ZPM," Jack stated with a frown. "Yet!"

"We did not promise them anything O'Neill, but we can educate them in the ways of defending themselves; do you not think?" Teal'c added.

"I guess."

"We do need the Naquadah sir."

"I know!"

Jack turned away, swivelling his chair round, yelling for Walter.

The tiny technician came running.

"You called sir?"

"I did. I need a slot in my 'hectic' schedule to fit in a visit with an ambassador from..." he stopped and looked at Daniel for the planet's name not it's designation. "...Daniel?"

"Ah...Venastras," Daniel supplied.

"Right. Venus!" Jack repeated, ignoring Daniel's groan and rolling eyes.

"Yes sir," Walter smiled at the play on the planet's proper name. He understood the General perfectly. He opened the big black appointment book and ran his finger down the days. "There's a two-hour slot on Friday sir; 10.00hrs. We could fit the Ambassador in then, if that's okay?"

Jack started frowning.

"Hey. I was due to go to..."

"I know General, but I can easily cancel that 'trip'. I can always arrange it for Monday now sir."

"Friday will be fine Jack. I'll let Ambassador Kaytan know."

Jack glared at Daniel. He sooo didn't want to do this, especially as he had booked that time off specifically for that 'lunchtime meeting' to be held down town with an old friend. He'd been looking forward to getting outside the mountain for a while. It had been an age since he last had any quality time off and away from the base. For cryin' out loud, it was only a couple of hours he wanted!

"Fine!" he sighed in resignation. "Book it."

"Yes sir," Walter duly replied and hurried away.

Daniel grinned and Jack pouted at him.

"You did that on purpose Daniel."

"No I didn't!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"You sooo did!"

"Jack!"

"I'm cancelling this next mission."

"What?" Daniel and Sam gasped horrified. "Sir?"

"If I have to face this Ambassador, then you are staying right here with me until you see him back through that Stargate Daniel," Jack stated emphatically pointing to the Stargate sitting in the room below. "I will not do this on my own. You know me...I could well insult the man without knowing it."

Daniel sighed in acceptance, with a touch of frustration too. They had been scheduled to go off-world early on Friday morning to what he considered a most interesting looking planet; one that held ruins of what resembled an Aztec culture. He was itching to get there, but Jack had quashed that now, at least until Monday.

"Okay. Fine. I'll stay," he pouted.

"Right kids. Dismissed," he grinned, knowing he had ruined Daniel's plans just as he had thwarted Jack's schedule for Friday.

Jack left the room and returned to his office. He turned to shut the door when he discovered that Daniel had followed him into the room.

"Daniel? Something else on your mind?" Jack snapped, sitting down in his chair and frowning up at his friend. He sooo did not need a lecture about dashing his hopes to go off-world.

Daniel sat down in the chair opposite without an invitation, ignoring Jack's position as the General; the privilege of a long-standing friendship.

"Jack. Um...there are certain rules that you have to understand when dealing with the Ambassador, well, with all the Venastrans really. As a general rule..." Jack rolled his eyes at the pun but Daniel ignored it and continued tactfully. "...I'd say, that you're, well, you are a...a very...um...'tactile' person."

"And? Your point being?" Jack asked wondering where all this was leading.

"The Venastran's won't like that. They never touch each other or...or anyone else for that matter. It's their way."

"Doesn't say much for their sex life does it?" Jack quipped.

Daniel glared at him and Jack sighed in defeat.

"Sorry. You were saying?" he apologised and waved a hand in the air for Daniel to continue.

"Actually they have a very odd way of going about that, but that's digressing slightly."

"Really?" Jack asked, his interest peaked.

Daniel scowled waving away Jack's superfluous curiosity and carried on as if Jack hadn't spoken.

"Anyway, I just wanted to warn you not to...you know...not to actually touch them. It's a...um...a sensual thing, and you said yourself that you didn't want to insult them. If you were to touch them on the shoulder or other places, it means, well, um...something...ah...sexual," he coughed and blushed slightly with embarrassment. "If he makes the first move to shake hands then that's fine, okay. Hands only Jack. Don't whatever you do touch him anywhere else! I know it'll be hard for you because, well, because that's who you are. I mean it doesn't matter to us, we're your friends and..."

"Daniel! " Jack warned, holding a hand up to stop the archaeologist from rambling. "What would happen, say, if I did? I mean...you know me..." he asked, not at all sure that he really wanted to know.

"You won't want to Jack. Believe me!"

"Why?" Jack persisted.

"You want to add becoming his gigolo to your busy schedule Jack? That'll certainly add to your bad ass reputation," he snickered at his unintentional pun.

"Ah!" Understanding dawned and Jack grimaced in horror. "So, no touching. Right. Got it!"

"And they're not from Venus Jack!"

"I know that!"

"We really do need this alliance!"

"I know that too," Jack assured him.

"Good. Just so long as you do realise that; I can go do some work. I have that artefact from '908 that Mathews and his team brought back."

"Go! Play! Have fun Daniel. I'll be right here, buried under my mountain of paperwork," Jack growled.

Daniel hurried from the room leaving Jack looking longingly at the door as if he wished to escape as well.

Feeling somewhat deflated because he hadn't got a hope in hell of getting out of there until midnight at least, Jack picked up the first folder on his desk; groaning at the sight of another dozen or so that lay beneath it. 'Oiy', he muttered; he really, really hated paperwork; it was the only downside to his being in charge. Being 'The Man' wasn't all it was cracked up to be. How the hell did Hammond cope with it all?

TBC