FOR MY HONOUR
BY JENNA BRADING
"At ease, Major." The chubby form of General George Hammond ordered as Major Samantha Carter stood to attention in the General's office at Stargate Command.
The Major – a fair haired woman with pretty features - settled into a relaxed pose, standing as she was to Hammond's left side of the desk.
"Sir?" Samantha asked, wondering why she was called in although she had a faint suspicion that she knew.
"Your opinion is valued in this matter, Major." The General went on.
"Daniel." Samantha guessed shrewdly. The General nodded.
"Is he, in your opinion and not the Colonel's, fit for carrying on working with the SGC?"
Sam hesitated, knowing that should she give the wrong answer her name would forever be mud with SG-1, eventually, she said as calmly as she could, "I believe him well enough to be tested, yes, sir."
"In other words, you've been brain-washed by Colonel O'Neill into saying yes." General Hammond didn't seem angry and Sam was grateful.
"With respect, sir, I do agree with the Colonel, but no, he did not brain-wash me, as you so succinctly put it. Sir." She added for good measure.
"Your reasoning?" General Hammond opened his arms wide.
How long is a piece of string? Sam wondered, but out loud she said calmly, "The only person who can help him is Jack, sir. They understand each other in ways that the rest of us can't. Jack's like a brother to him."
"I see." General Hammond thought a moment and was about to speak when the klaxon sounded.
"General Hammond to the Control Room! General Hammond to the Control Room!" The Duty Officer's voice sounded over the base wide tannoy system. The two of them looked at each other.
"Let's go!" Hammond rose from the desk and hurriedly walked towards the door. "We'll talk more on this later, Major."
"Yes, sir." Truth was Sam was relieved the discussion about Daniel was over for now. She hoped Daniel would be given recovery time but he needed distracting and working was the best way. He was ready to go back to work even if he himself thought otherwise.
Sam stood to attention then followed the General out of the office at the run.
They reached the Stargate Control Room shortly before O'Neill and Teal'c. Daniel wasn't with them. Sam glanced quickly at O'Neill.
"Resting," O'Neill whispered to her.
"Not surprised," Sam replied instantly.
"It's an unauthorised signature, General." The lieutenant on duty said. "Shall I close the Iris?"
"Recognised!" Sam called out urgently, seeing the signature appear on the screen. "It's Tok'ra."
"Let them through." Hammond ordered at once and the Iris inside the gate opened up. O'Neill tensed – he knew why they had come.
"Guess why they're here!" Jack muttered a little sourly but nobody took any notice of him.
He shrugged to himself as he stood next to Hammond. They all moved as a group into the Gate Room to greet their allies and friends.
Martoof and Sam's father was with the Tok'ra as was a guard. Martoof greeted Sam warmly. Then greeted the others more formally.
"General Hammond?" Martoof glanced about him. "There is no Daniel Jackson?"
"He's resting." Hammond answered cordially, indicating they should leave the Gate Room. "Come, we will talk in the Debriefing Room."
"Very well. Perhaps this should not be said publicly." Sam's father remarked as they started to walk.
As they entered the Debriefing Room, Sam stood next to Martouf.
"How serious are the charges against Daniel, Martoof?" Sam asked quietly. "He won't tell us a thing!"
"That he killed a High Councillor of Tallene?" Martoof enquired and Samantha simply did not believe the charges made against the archaeologist.
"Very," Martouf continued. "To kill one of their number, whatever the reason, is tantamount to treason in their eyes."
"But Daniel didn't do it!" Sam was sure of that but his secretive nature since he had returned from Tallene made him look as guilty as sin. Daniel was hiding something, but he wouldn't say why or what it was. If only he would!
"I am certain he did not, either, Sam." Martoof replied much to Sam's relief. "Our mission here is to gather all the facts and report back to the Council."
"I thought you had all the facts!" O'Neill couldn't resist saying. He glanced at the General who frowned at him.
"Unfortunately, there are some parts of the tale that Daniel would not talk about to the Council when he was alone with them, before you came to the rescue." Martoof answered grimly.
"Oh, Daniel!" Samantha was hurt beyond belief. "Why didn't he just tell the truth?"
"Probably because he was unsure if they would believe him," Hammond remarked, as they all took their seats.
"It seems Jackson withheld certain facts." General Hammond remarked as they took seats.
"Then let's call him in!" Sam looked at Jack and a silent Teal'c.
"I can get him but he should be resting." O'Neill was fuming inwardly.
"Get Jackson, Colonel." Hammond ordered sharply. O'Neill nodded and left the room returning with a tired looking Daniel.
"Colonel?" Daniel recognised the two visitors and felt sick to his stomach. He knew why they were here. "I've done nothing wrong." Daniel told Sam's father who was grimly quiet.
"According to the Tallenes' you have, Doctor Jackson." Martoof replied seriously. "You took the life of the High Councillor, no less, in their eyes you must pay for your crime."
"I cannot tell you why I did it." Daniel told the three grimly.
"You must, Doctor Jackson." Hammond rounded on him.
"I had to fight for my survival, General. I fought and won. Why am I still being questioned?"
"This will go on your record, Jackson." Hammond warned him. "The senseless murder of innocents will not be tolerated."
"Yeah, for the record." Jack muttered sourly. Sam frowned. Daniel had convinced her he wasn't guilty – and Jack too, but Hammond and Teal'c? She didn't know what they thought.
"Daniel?" Samantha's father spoke to fill the silence that had descended. "You know that in order for relations between us to continue on the level that they have been, open honesty is required. We lost one of our men in the fight for the Citadel."
"Yes." Daniel's face tightened. "I know."
"What else?" Hammond looked sternly at Daniel. There was something. Whatever was Jackson hiding?'
"I did not kill the High Councillor." Daniel stated categorically, eyeing Martoof and Sam's father directly.
"I believe him." O'Neill replied to empty air. "For what it is worth."
"But there is more to it?" Sam's father stood up to stretch his legs. "We must know, Doctor Jackson."
"I gave my word." Daniel said, feeling trepidation. Was he going to die?
"If words save misunderstandings, Doctor Jackson." Martoof's eyes flashed briefly. "You must speak. So far, we also, have protested your innocence, but the High Council are adamant that you killed him."
"I did not!" Daniel rose to his feet, glancing at Jack. "Can I go back to sleep, now, Jack? I'm tired."
Jack was all for agreeing but Hammond refused the request. Daniel knew he would have to tell them, would have to break the binding oath he'd made. Daniel reluctantly sat back down.
"Sorry, Daniel." O'Neill felt an apology was in order.
Daniel nodded his head feeling more miserable than he had ever done in his entire life. Sam's father and Martoof were right. War between three worlds – Earth, The Tok'ra and The Tallenes' had to be avoided at all costs. SG-1's mission, after all, were to be peaceful ones, with thoughts of other worlds joining in the fight against the Gou'alds.
"I did kill someone, yes." Daniel finally admitted to shocked faces from his closest friends. He looked Martoof and Hammond straight in the eyes. "But not the High Councillor. I killed the man who killed the Councillor. It was a Tok'ra who killed the High Councillor. The one you lost."
"No!" Martoof leapt to his feet. "That is not possible! We Tok'ra's are not murderers!"
"But it is the truth." Daniel told him assertively.
"Jackson!" Hammond looked across the table at him. "Would you be willing to face hypnosis?"
"I'll do it." Daniel replied. "Then you will see the truth of the matter."
Jack groaned inwardly. If Daniel was agreeing, his protests would not be worth one grain of salt. Maybe I should just shut up? Jack thought angrily to himself. He was the team leader for goodness sake! He didn't know why Hammond and Martoof were ignoring him. He was determined to stand up for Daniel as much as he could.
"We know how you feel towards Daniel, in this matter, Colonel, but it could be the only way." Hammond remarked looking at Jack. "It's a risk both Jackson and myself are prepared to take for the sake of continued peace between us and the Tok'ra."
"I don't like it, General." Jack's concerns were obvious to all. Then he rounded on Daniel. "Did you have hypnosis with the Tallenes?"
"Something like it." Daniel admitted honestly, "but by then I had already promised the dying Tok'ra that I would say nothing about his part in the murder. When you arrived it began to look like I had committed two men to their deaths, but I had only killed the one in order to protect the High Councillor, I had to murder the Tok'ra." Daniel looked at Martoof. "For that I am sorry."
"As are we, Doctor Jackson." Martoof replied grimly.
"Incoming! Incoming!" The tannoy suddenly sounded. They all rose to their feet.
"Come on!" O'Neill was glad to leave the room. It had been cloying. Hammond nodded but Daniel didn't move neither did the Tok'ra. Sam and Hammond followed O'Neill out of the room at a dignified run.
"Who is it?" Sam asked, as they reached the console.
"Tok'ra." Came the immediate reply.
"Open the Iris." Hammond ordered immediately.
The Iris opened and two Tok'ra's plus another alien stood at the top of the ramp when they came through the portal. Sam and O'Neill greeted them.
"We would speak with the one called Daniel Jackson." The alien said. "I am Trabeck. One of the Councillors from the High Council of Tallene."
"If you've come to kill him…" O'Neill's senses were instantly on high alert. The dark-skinned man bowed.
"No, nothing of the sort, Colonel, but we must speak with him."
"This way then, gentlemen." Hammond led the way back to the Debriefing Room. Daniel, Martoof and Sam's father were still there.
-?!-
"This is Councillor Trabeck from Tallene." Hammond made introductions. "Doctor Jackson is seated."
"Councillor." Daniel eyed the man warily.
"We have come to correct a grave misunderstanding." Councillor Trabeck replied in answer to the unasked questions floating in Daniel's brain. "We have acquitted him of all the charges laid against him." He went on. "Doctor Jackson's actions were witnessed by a fellow Tok'ra who reported what he had seen and what had happened."
Daniel looked up startled.
"Then it is true?" Martoof turned with some relief to his fellow Tok'ra. "Who witnessed the murder?"
"I did." The Tok'ra admitted looking directly at Martoof. "I was too scared initially to come forward, but when the Tallene's arrested Doctor Jackson, I knew I had to do something."
"A pity it wasn't sooner!" The Councillor rebuked him.
"I did try and save the High Councillor's life." Daniel told the Councillor. He looked at the Tok'ra. "Thank you."
"Granted. Who was the killer?" Martoof replied, looking from Daniel to Trabeck.
"Dav'si." Came the reply. Martoof nodded his head grimly. Dav'si was young and headstrong. "He is dead now. The Council condemned him and he died a traitor's death."
"Good!" Sam's father replied with feeling. He turned to Daniel. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding also, Daniel. Perhaps we can forget this happened?"
Daniel nodded.
"It would seem you are off the hook, Jackson." Hammond was more than relieved. "Go back to your quarters and rest."
"Yes, General." Daniel turned to leave and his legs collapsed under him. He fell to the floor but sensed hands catching him and lifting him up. O'Neill. It had to be.
"Sir?" He vaguely heard Jack's voice as unconsciousness swept over him and the room went blank. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation.
"Take him to Sick Bay, Colonel." Hammond ordered in a sympathetic voice. Martoof and the others made to leave.
"Farewell, General Hammond." Martoof smiled as Sam's father hugged her. "I am glad this ended well."
"As am I, Martoof." The General remarked candidly. "I hope we meet again soon and under better conditions."
"I agree with that!"
"Iris open!" The duty officer called out and Martoof and his group entered the Stargate…