The World According to Teal'c
Genre: Drama/Humor
Rating: PG
Spoilers: This is an ongoing story, so anything up to the present is fair game. It starts after the first episode of season 8 and runs through season 8. Some of this is based on actual episode events. The rest I made up.
Notes: I'm not a feedback whore, but it would be nice to get some. I'd like to know whether you think this is worth continuing or whether it's just tedious.
Daniel Jackson has suggested that I keep a journal as a means of organizing my thoughts. I told him that I believed the activity to be an unnecessary use of my time. An odd expression flickered across his face, and I believe I have hurt my friend's feelings. I attempted to explain that I did not think the activity was a waste of time in general, just for me. DanielJackson has a great deal many more thoughts than I do and a greater need to organize them. O'Neill laughed and said that I was correct, that DanielJackson thinks too much. I am certain that is not what I meant.
Colonel Carter said I might benefit from the activity, and that her scientific journals often bring her clarity during times of intellectual disorder. I do not see how it can hurt, so I have decided to record my thoughts in this leather-bound book. Colonel Carter said it would be easier and faster to type my words into a computer, but DanielJackson insisted I handwrite them. He has much experience in keeping thought records, so I will heed his advice. O'Neill suggested I write on the bathroom walls. I believe that idea is impractical, but he might have been joking. Despite nearly eight years living among the Tau'ri, I have not fully grasped their sense of humor, and O'Neill's is most elusive of all.
My annual physical was today. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, except that it was the first time the procedure was not performed by Dr. Frasier. Dr. Brightman is highly competent, but I find myself missing Frasier's presence. She died like a warrior, but it would have been better if she had not died at all. I admired greatly how one so small in stature could inspire so much fear in trained warriors. She would have made an exceptional First Prime. O'Neill often called her "Napoleonic," but I do not believe she was of French descent.
I am confused as to why Dr. Brightman affords so much attention to my arms. They are merely arms, and yet she squeezes them and examines them to what seems an excessive degree. But Frasier did as well, so perhaps it is a part of the Tau'ri medical process that I am not aware of. When I shared my observation with Colonel Carter, she giggled. Colonel Carter rarely giggles. I will have to give the matter more thought.
I spent the afternoon moving several large boxes into DanielJackson's lab. SG4 brought them back from an exploratory mission this morning, and DanielJackson wishes to examine their contents. He is unable to carry them himself because he is still recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained when O'Neill shot him.
Once again, a Gou'ld managed to infiltrate this facility. I am not sure Anubis can technically be described as a Gou'ld anymore, but that is what I will call him. He took control of several SGC members in an attempt to escape. He failed, but there was one fatality, and DanielJackson's arm is in a sling. I have seen my friend suffer much worse injuries, so I am not overly concerned. O'Neill seems to be having more difficulty with the series of events, and I am having trouble understanding his feelings. As a warrior with much experience, he has made difficult decisions before. He has even imperiled DanielJackson's life before. I believe his unease has more to do with his new responsibility. He does not appear to enjoy the role of "Big Cheese," as Major Ferretti calls him. But it is not my place to question O'Neill in this matter. I am confident he will come to some form of peace with it.
I have complete confidence in Colonel Carter's command ability, but I must admit to missing O'Neill's presence on these offworld missions. This one has been quiet so far. We are here to take water and soil samples and then return to Earth. Still, experience has taught me that anything can happen on a seemingly quiet world. Colonel Carter is on watch now, and I am sitting in the tent I share with DanielJackson. The colonel suggested I write in my journal while on watch instead of now, when it is time to sleep, but I would never endanger their lives by diverting my attention from my duty.
Before O'Neill accepted his much-deserved promotion, he was the only one to share a tent with DanielJackson. I did not understand why before, but I do now. My friend's sleep is disturbed by many nightmares. Before we left on our first mission without O'Neill, the general said to me, "Wake him. Don't let him ride them out." Now I understand what he meant. It has become my duty to guard DanielJackson's dreams as well as his physical form. It is a duty I accept with honor.
I sense Colonel Carter misses O'Neill as well. Before, she had the freedom to get lost in her scientific discoveries, knowing that O'Neill was tending to the command details. Now she is forced, by necessity, to bypass what she considers interesting but militarily unimportant discoveries. It sometimes makes her…cranky.
I must stop writing now. DanielJackson stirs.
Our recent mission to P3X-457 turned into much more than water and soil samples. We encountered a small but ancient civilization near the bottom of a mountain, a civilization descended from a place the Tau'ri call Babylon. DanielJackson was excited by the inclusion of several "inexplicable" elements into this society, and he theorized that they'd had some contact with Stargate travelers in the distant past. There was no evidence of Gou'ld influence.
The people were exceptionally friendly, but Colonel Carter and I did not speak their language, so we could not communicate. The leader of this society, a man by the name of Oshti, believed the gods had sent him a new mate through the Stargate. DanielJackson attempted to convince him otherwise, but he was unmoved. Oshti decided right away that I was unsuitable. He spent a great deal of time examining my arms. Perhaps ancient healers from Earth's past traveled through the Stargate to this world. I will have to present my theory to DanielJackson when he regains consciousness.
Oshti spent a long time examining Colonel Carter and DanielJackson, and he eventually decided that DanielJackson would make a good mate. I cannot be certain, but DanielJackson seemed confused, while Colonel Carter merely seemed annoyed. DanielJackson was taken to a private room, and Colonel Carter and I were marched to the Stargate at gunpoint. When we returned to rescue DanielJackson, we discovered that he'd been knocked unconscious and tied to an altar, as per this society's wedding ritual.
Colonel Carter suggested that we "get the hell out of Dodge," and I carried my friend back to the Stargate. When we emerged on the other side, O'Neill looked displeased. Dr. Brightman was almost as displeased, but she says he will recover and should awaken shortly.
While we were waiting for the doctor to finish examining DanielJackson, Colonel Carter asked me if I think DanielJackson is prettier than she is. I did not know how to respond, so I didn't.
O'Neill, Colonel Carter, DanielJackson and I dined at O'Malley's this evening. DanielJackson has been released from the infirmary and cleared for duty, and O'Neill felt we all needed a "good meal and great beer." I regularly eat as much food as I require, and the colonel seems capable of feeding herself as necessary, but DanielJackson frequently forgets to eat. It happens most often when his mind is occupied with scholarly pursuits. And today he spent much time telling us about the significance of the Babylonian legal system. Colonel Carter seemed genuinely interested. O'Neill rolled his eyes. I feigned interest. When we discovered that DanielJackson had forgotten to eat breakfast and lunch in his enthusiasm for the artifacts SG4 brought back, O'Neill said he was incapable of focusing on survival and rocks at the same time. Colonel Carter tapped his head and suggested he install more RAM. I am confused.
At dinner, we told O'Neill more about our recent experience offworld. We were relieved to discover that we had rescued DanielJackson before the marriage was consummated. I cannot help but think of Hathor and the way she forced my friend to have intimate relations. But that was a long time ago, and DanielJackson does not seem unduly traumatized by recent events.
O'Neill and Colonel Carter seem much more disturbed, however. I believe the colonel feels guilty for letting the situation get beyond her control, but I do not see how she could have reacted differently. As for O'Neill, I have decided that he misses our presence as much as we miss his. His mouth tensed when we told him of our adventure, and I observed the sadness of loss in his posture. I regret that I cannot make things easier for him.
I sampled a Tau'ri delicacy known as "guacamole" at O'Neill's house tonight. It is green. I enjoyed it very much. It is especially good with thinly sliced, deep-fried potato circles. I must tell Master Bra'tac of this.