A/N: One: don't read this story if you haven't seen "Unending" and don't want to be spoiled!

Two: I can think of at least a thousand reasons for Teal'c to lock Vala and Daniel in a dark room (for three months, if necessary!) and play Cupid...but we all know he won't do it, so, as he's (much) older and wiser, let's see one possible reason why!

(two and a half: I know I have an ongoing story, and I wouldn't abandon it in a thousand years...but "Unending" understandably changed my focus a little)

Three: This story contains spoilers! Oh, did I say that before? I'll just shut up now...

Silence Is Golden

-Prologue-

The ground shook beneath them again, and one of the framed maps on the wall crashed to the floor.

"Whose idea was it to play with the Asgard gadgets again?" Mitchell muttered, just as the lights in the briefing room flickered and the red alert alone shone for one second.

"Implementing their technology into SGC computers is the natural next step," Daniel replied, feeling that he was pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah, if you do it right…" the colonel retorted, his tone light enough to make it clear he was going for humor rather than any kind of accusation. The sound of a small explosion reached them through the open door, followed by thin wisps of smoke. "Sam, are you sure you can't figure a way to make their toys and ours play nice?"

"Not in two days, I can't…"

"Which is…what, again?" Vala asked in a falsely casual tone. "The time we have before the mountain comes crashing down on us?"

"With the Asgard matter conversion equipment trying to emulate the phase technology on our base… pretty much. It's affecting the electromagnetic and gravitational fields on a small perimeter around the base, causing the landslides, earthquakes and storms…"

"So the mountain is going to slide and rain down on us…" the brunette commented.

"Sam, you told me you suspected something like this might happen before beginning to adapt the Asgard knowledge to our systems…"

"That's precisely it, Daniel, I did!" Sam explained with an edge of frustration to her tone. "I mean, obviously, two levels of technology so different would not interact smoothly! That's why I stayed away from the matter conversion database, or anything else that was simply too advanced for our system…but I didn't realize that the Asgard systems are so integrated! When I accessed one component through our computers, my link was automatically replicated and rerouted to all the others!"

"Can't you shut it down?" Mitchell suggested, half-knowing things were never that easy. Surprisingly, it was not Sam who answered his question.

"The central power source of the Asgard core was not designed to be shut down."

It was then that the connection clicked for all of them simultaneously, and four pairs of eyes fixed Teal'c with curious gazes.

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"I do not believe that to be a good idea…Colonel Carter."

"I know, Teal'c…I don't really like it either, but none of us can think of a better alternative."

"I like it," Vala piped in.

"What if you find out that…a flowerpot fell down and killed you?"

"Then I'll feel twice as lucky that we never got stuck on the Odyssey in the first place!"

Mitchell rolled his eyes and abandoned the topic, turning back to the Jaffa.

"Look, Teal'c…we don't want to create a precedent either…but if Sam faced this problem on the Odyssey and it took her weeks to figure it out…this whole base will be buried under tons of dirt in two days."

"I am aware of the situation, Colonel Mitchell," the Jaffa assured him, "and were I to know the solution, I would readily share it."

"I know you don't remember exactly, Teal'c...but...we probably had regular meetings for me to update everyone on my progress with eliminating the…" Sam struggled to find the right words.

"Bumps in the road to Asgard technology," Mitchell provided, and she nodded, with a small smile.

"We could use the memory device to watch the last of those meetings…" she suggested, giving Teal'c a half-hopeful, half-apologetic look. She could understand the ambivalence of the Jaffa; finally, her empathy for his unfortunate situation won over her desire to find a quick solution. "No…I guess you're right, Teal'c. We need to go through the learning process ourselves. There's so much that could have happened on the Odyssey in that period that we might encounter again…if we ask you to do this now, who's to say we won't do it again next time there's a problem with the Asgard core. It might be better on short-term but we'd come to regret it eventually."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and even Vala, though making a great show of showing her disappointment, gave him an understanding nod. Teal'c fixed the four of them with a thoughtful gaze.

"I am most relieved to hear that," he eventually spoke. "I did not doubt that you would understand my position in…adverse circumstances such as these." Daniel opened his mouth, presumably for further reassuring, but Teal'c continued before the archaeologist could get a word out. "However, I have carefully analyzed the situation, and I believe this set of conditions can not repeat itself."

"You mean Sam had no other problems with the technology in fiftyyears?" Mitchell asked incredulously, then caught himself. "Right, that'd be telling, wouldn't it."

"Indeed. Most of Colonel Carter's meetings referred to the issues contained on the crystal I have already presented her with."

"Teal'c…I'm still not convinced…the memory device isn't always quick and efficient…we could still see things we're not supposed to see."

"That is a risk we must all take."

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"Alright…try to focus precisely on the meetings on that topic," Sam suggested, preparing to activate the memory device.

They had tried to limit the damage to a minimum, asking for a closed-circuit screen and none of the surveillance or reports that usually followed the use of the device, but they had also agreed that the whole of SG1 and general Landry should be present. They now stood around Teal'c, eager and wary at the same time, knowing that they were only going for essential information on the Asgard core, but feeling they were inadvertently opening a window to their future…

"Ready?" Sam asked, and, receiving the Jaffa's nod, entered the initiation sequence; they all directed cautiously curious gazes to the screen.

Teal'c thought back on his years on the Odyssey...and despite his conscious efforts, it was not the intended meetings that came to mind.

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A/N: The prologue is simply meant to create some background, and I am uploading the next part right after this one! Still, if you think it's bad mojo to have no feedback on the very first 'chapter' of a story...you know. Thank you for reading:)!