Shay was feeling more guilty than she had ever felt in her life. Not only had she been misleading these people, but, she was also playing games with them by dropping clues for them to puzzle over. She was hopeful that the team would figure the truth out for themselves and that would soften the blow. She kept telling herself that it would be dangerous to tell them the truth while deep down she hated herself for it. Shay was torn between the thought that they might not be able to handle the truth and what if they can save her world.

After leaving Sam and the rest of SG-1, Shay headed for the room that had been loaned to her. Everything she owned had been grimy and slightly damp when she arrived so after her shower she had dressed in the sweat pants and tee shirt that Sam had given her. When she got to her room she found all her own clothes were on the bed in a neat stack, having just been laundered. Shay decided to wear the sarong style dress she had picked up in her travels and the sandals she had worn to the beach the day she left home. She packed the rest of her belongings into her backpack and left to find the commissary.

Sam was waiting when she finally made it to the commissary. Shay had noticed the appreciative looks some of the men had given her and wondered if she had overdressed. "I hope this is okay," Shay said smoothing her dress. It was a deep red-brown color and had an intricate design of brightly colored flowers around the top and at the hem, all done with tiny hand carved seed beads. "I don't have a lot of clothes and it was this or khaki."

"It's beautiful, and very seasonal. Where did you get it?" Sam wonders looking it over.

Shay screwed up her face, trying to remember the exact place. "On my forty-seventh planet, I think. I performed CPR on a local girl and the mother was very grateful." She explains.

Sam raised her eyebrows; an impressed look on her face.

"She got into water over her head while playing in the river. It wasn't a big thing. I just got to her first. This was supposed to go to the daughter when she was old enough, but her mother said 'If not for you, my daughter would never again wear clothes.' So how could I say no?" Shay sighs at the memory.

Shay seemed embarrassed so Sam smiled and let it drop. "Are you ready to go?" Sam asked.

While the girls were out, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were examining the records that Shay had copied for them. Daniel had volunteered and Teal'c was there to see if he recognized anything that Daniel didn't. Jack was just being bored. All three crammed into Daniel's tiny office, which was already crowded with assorted books and artifacts. Daniel sat in front of the computer with Teal'c nearby. Jack, meanwhile, roamed around the room looking at and touching the various artifacts, making comments when Daniel read something aloud.

"This reads like a cross between a personal journal and a letter to someone you don't like. She keeps saying how glad she is to finally be taking this "marvelous vacation" and "I wish you could be here to enjoy this fabulous view." Shay is definitely an excellent writer though. Listen to this "The surroundings sometimes amaze me. There are promenades and paths that criss and cross through tall trees. Every tremendous tree seems to be spotted with tiny jade jewels that glisten and glimmer when the faintly filtered sunlight spots them.' I think she was trying to be funny." Daniel frowned a bit. The scientist in him was annoyed at the levity in a serious report, but he was also impressed that she had managed to keep a sense of humor.

"She actually sounds a little like you Jack!" Daniel told him worried.

"I don't do alliteration, I do sarcasm." Jack defended himself from the corner.

"Try this one then. She seems to have been writing it from a very muddy place. 'I have a very great deal to report about this planet. It seems to be a little damp, but, otherwise it is a wonderful place. I am considering setting up camp here permanently. I would like to thank you for being so considerate and not making me wake up for something so small as being moved to a new planet. I so love to wake up in a strange place with insects and fragrant moss all over me. In the meantime I have explored thoroughly and am loathe to leave with so many fabulous things to look at. Who knew that mud came in so many different scents! I am having the time of my life! Wish YOU were here!' I paraphrased that last part, but you get the idea."

"I would never write that in a report." Jack stated strongly.

"You would say it though, complete with the smiley face. You're just smart enough not to put it in writing." Daniel knew for a fact.

Jack grinned while asking. "I'm smart?"

"I said you were 'just smart enough'." Daniel corrected him.

Teal'c uncharacteristically interrupted them "There seems to be a discrepancy here, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel instantly turned to the computer. "Where... Oh that's interesting." He frowns at the display.

"What's interesting?" Jack was looking over Daniel's shoulder trying to see what was causing the trouble.

"Well it seems that Shay numbered her entries after about the third or fourth one by titling them "The sixth planet... The nineteenth planet... and so on. She later added a subtitle when she learned the actual name of the planet." Daniel explains while still looking at the computer.

"Kind of like we do?" Jack interrupted.

"Yes, but, that is not the unusual part. Here it skips from the tenth planet to the twelfth and again here it skips from the twenty-second to the twenty-fifth. Also, there are very few personal entries. There are some, but not very many." He deepens his frown at the realization.

"Not everyone loves to talk like you do. I wouldn't have written very much." Jack admits.

"You would have written 'Lots of trees' that's no comparison. But Shay does like to talk and she is very wordy when she writes." Daniel points out.

"Might she not have kept a separate private journal that she did not feel like sharing?" Teal'c asked.

"I suppose it is very possible, but it doesn't explain the missing entries." Daniel looked confused by this turn of events.

"She got bored with doing the numbers in order maybe?" Jack offers.

"Or she didn't want us to know what was in those reports." Daniel stated.

Shay was even more miserable when she returned to the base. Sam was being just fabulous. She had known exactly what Shay would love to do. They had gone window shopping at the local mall and then they went to see a movie. They had eaten pizza and ice cream for dinner. All of these had been suggested by Sam. On the way back to the base, Shay asked how Sam had known just what she really wanted to do most.

"I just thought what I would miss if I had to be off the planet for three years and suggested some of the things on that list. I can't imagine what you must have gone through." The sudden sympathy in Sam's voice startled Shay.

"It wasn't all bad you know." Shay tried to lighten the mood. "I've been to some really fabulous places. I got to visit a planet where the sky was always changing colors, like it was sunset all the time and I saw one where everyone lived inside tree-houses. I got to ride on the back of a bird and I even saw a star system up close once." Shay said matter of factly.

"How?" Sam was incredulous.

"I meet people that had starships and was allowed to explore space with them." Shay smiled at Sam's reaction.

"I would have loved to have done that." Carter stated.

"That was a really great planet. The locals hide from their enemies all the time, but, other than that it was a fun trip." Shay added remembering the whole place.

Sam was smiling slightly now and Shay grinned at her success. She had already lied to her new friend about not knowing her Boss and didn't want her to be tied up with pity as well. Even if it means her death Shay had to protect her employer and her trip to the Nox Homeworld had been exploration without needing to say anything more than being a peaceful explorer from Earth. The trust SG-1 had gained made the locals want to help her and they allowed her to explore their solar system for free.

The Nox people had laughed at Shay Morgan riding the Fenri around in circles when she discovered how useful it was for their personal transportation needs.