Trust

"Daniel, please tell me about the weapons cache," Calliope asked again, with just a hint of pleading in her tone.

Daniel sat up a little higher in the bed. "Why do you keep asking about that?" he replied, giving her the pleasant, slightly unfocused look that he hoped made it appear that he was still under the influence of her injection. "I told you before that we were just explorers. Our probe sent back images that made your museum look like an abandoned temple. They're all over the galaxy, you know. I remember one we found, that was dedicated to ..."

Calliope smiled in response, but inwardly, she was growing anxious. She had so far avoided pressing Daniel on the subject of the alien weapons. If she pushed too soon, before he trusted her completely, he might become suspicious. That could destroy any chance of getting the information from him. So instead she had focused her questions on his travels. Every now and then this had created an opening for her to ask about their purpose in coming to Gallia Nova. So far, his responses had always led away from a discussion of the weapons. Her partner was growing impatient with her progress.

She realized that Daniel had asked her something that she hadn't really heard. "What did you say?"

"I need to get up," he said. "I feel strong enough. May I please? I'd really like something to eat, and I'm tired of eating in bed."

He has to trust me, Calliope thought. If I don't let him get up, he'll get suspicious.

"All right," she replied.

He started to get up, but then just as quickly, laid back down. "I need some clothes."

She smiled at him. "I'll see if I have something of Lysander's that will fit you. You're about the same height, but a bit broader in the shoulders. You'll need a shirt that we can get on over that sling. Just give me a minute." She slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She was startled to see her partner standing there, listening.

Her mouth opened in surprise, but all that came out was, "M -- umph." Her voice was abruptly cut off as Lysander grabbed her, putting a hand over her mouth. Then he released her and gestured for her to follow him. He led her into the other upstairs bedroom.

"Stupid woman!" Lysander growled, keeping his voice low. "He could have heard you,"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that you were listening at the door!"

"Why are you leaving him? You should be spending every moment he's awake getting the answers that we need!"

"He asked to get up and get dressed. I can't keep refusing or he'll get suspicious," Calliope replied defiantly. "Letting him have some movement around this house is an important step in building the relationship we must have if I'm going to get any useful information. You know that!"

"I know that we're on our second day with him and you've gotten nothing useful. Are you sure that he isn't aware of what you're doing?"

Calliope hesitated just a fraction of a second.

"You aren't sure, are you?"

"It's difficult to tell," she admitted, backing away a few steps. "He's still talking freely like he should be, but it's gotten harder for me to control the direction of the conversation. Every time I bring up the subject of a weapons cache ..."

"He changes the subject. I gathered that from listening to your recordings." Lysander reached out and stroked her hair, but his dark eyes were cold. "You have the rest of the day. Let him get dressed, go downstairs and eat something, if you wish." His hand moved down to wrap lightly around her neck. "But get those answers. If you don't, then tomorrow, we'll start doing things my way."


Vala's eyes lit up when a loaf of bread and a mug with a hot, sweet drink was set before her, followed by a tray of cheese and fruit. She was sitting with Cam, Teal'c, Cicero, Alcaeus and a few other members of the rebel leadership at a table in their main hall, where the second meal of the day was underway. All of the recently-arrived women and children were being fed.

"I don't understand how you have so much food here when there is very little for the people in the city," she mused.

"There is plenty of food for the citizens," Alcaeus replied. "It is only the freedmen who go hungry. But there are meadows nearby where we grow food, and of course, we gather quite a bit more from the forest itself. Some we steal." Then he looked over Vala's shoulder.

"Aleka, please join us," he said.

Vala looked up to see Gaiana's elderly neighbor approaching the table. So that's her name, she thought. They'd never had time to be properly introduced.

"Aleka told us of your exploits," Alcaeus said. "Quite impressive – a single woman overcoming nearly a dozen of the Viceroy's soldiers. I would like to get a closer look at these weapons of yours."

Then I'm glad that I don't have them all, Vala thought. She had handed Cam and Teal'c each a zat as soon as she'd been reunited with them. That left her with the hand device, which, as far as she knew, only she could operate. If it came to a fight, it would be more of a challenge for the rebels to take down three armed opponents rather than one. Harder, but not impossible. Alcaeus was almost as large and imposing as Teal'c, and he was sitting right next to her. As Vala mentally calculated the odds of taking on all of the rebels in the room, she realized with some anxiety that Teal'c wasn't looking well. His breathing seemed labored, and she could make out a bead of sweat along his brow.

"No doubt," Cam interjected, choosing his words carefully. "As I said before, my people are willing and able to helping you, especially if it leads to an alliance that is beneficial for everyone."

"Then you would be willing to demonstrate them to us?"

"Perhaps, but we would need your assurance that we'd be permitted to keep them. It would be a sign of your good faith to us."

"Agreed," Alcaeus nodded, "for the time being. But you must understand that our situation is desperate. We cannot leave our women and children to die in the internment camp. If you will not let us have your weapons, then we will expect you to fight beside us."

Without waiting for Cam's answer, Alcaeus turned to Vala. "You were arrested at the museum with the others. Surely you would have been searched. How is it that you came to possess these weapons?"

I'd like to know the answer to that one, too, Cam thought.

"The weapons that I found came from the museum itself. I tricked Quartus into taking me back there. It was easy, really. They were just lying in open cases." Though her answer was directed to Alcaeus, Vala's eyes flicked over to meet Cam's. He had been with the rebels for a while, and would have a better feel for their trustworthiness. At Cam's minute, but encouraging nod, she continued. "The curator evidently thought they were decorative," she added with a chuckle.

"Were there more?" Alcaeus demanded.

"Yes, a few," Vala replied. "But I expect that the government has removed them by now."

"Where would they take them?" Cam wondered aloud.

Cicero spoke up. "I know." He hesitated a moment, as all eyes turned to him. "They would take them to the Security Council's research facility. It's where all of the weapons research is conducted."

Cam gave Cicero a suspicious look. "And you know this because ..."

"I do have a few friends in the research community," he replied, in a slightly hurt tone. "I know some people that work there."

"Would they do medical research there, too?"

"Only if it was weapons related, I think," Cicero replied.

"Teal'c here carried some medicine in his pack that he needs on a regular basis." Cam said, gesturing toward the Jaffa. "Is that where they would take it?"

"I think so," Cicero responded. "But I can't be sure."

"Could you find out?"

"Yes ... maybe. I don't know if my arrest is public knowledge. If it is, then no one will talk to me."

Cam turned to Alcaeus. "Can you find that out?"

"It has already been done," Alcaeus replied. "Our people in the city have heard nothing of his arrest."

Cam sighed. He had to ask Alcaeus the question, even if it put Cicero at risk . "Do you trust him?"

"Not entirely. We did search him thoroughly upon his arrival and found no recording or transmitting devices. And everything that he told us about the events in the museum has proven, so far, to be true. Of course, if we find out differently ..." he glowered at Cicero.

"You can trust me!" Cicero sputtered. "You can trust me to tell the truth, anyway." His voice softened a bit. "I don't want to get directly involved in the fighting, or get any of my friends killed. But I won't lie to you. Like I said before, I believe this is about the future of our people. There is so much that we could learn from these people. And if there really are worlds and races that would harm us, like Mitchell said, then we should stop fighting each other and prepare to defend ourselves."

Another rebel spoke up. "And what about these people?" he said, gesturing to the members of SG-1. "How do we know that they are worthy of their trust? All we have had from them so far is words."

"Not just words," Aleka replied. "You have a captured military vehicle and several freed women and children that prove otherwise. If that is what just one woman of these people can accomplish, imagine what a team of them could do!"

"We could just as easily have concerns about trusting you," Cam added. "After all, you kept Teal'c and me tied up in your attic for an entire night."

"We apologized for that --" Alcaeus began.

"Yeah, yeah, no problem," Cam interrupted. "The point is, there's going to have to be some level of trust between us if any of us are going to accomplish our objectives." He pointed at Alcaeus. "You guys want to be treated as equals with the citizens, have the freedom to worship the way you want, have enough to eat. I can understand that."

Cam turned to Cicero. "You want to have your research validated, make contact with alien worlds, help your people into their future. I can understand that, too." He gestured to Vala and Teal'c. "We just want to find our missing team member, and get home in one piece. I'm sure you all can understand that. And there is one person standing in the way of all of our goals -- the Viceroy."

Cam leaned forward, putting an elbow on the table, and dropped his voice a little. "If we can manage to trust each other, then I have a proposition that will benefit us all."


Daniel didn't have to wait long before Calliope returned to the room with a loose shirt and some pants. She helped him get the shirt over his injured shoulder, and then gave him a moment of privacy while he manuvered into the pants. When he tried to stand, he found that his legs were unsteady from spending the better part of two days in bed. Except for a few brief trips to use the small bathroom, Calliope hadn't permitted him to get up at all. She called for Lysander to help him down the stairs.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't find any shoes to fit you," Calliope said, as they reached the first floor.

"That's all right," Daniel replied. "You've already done so much for me." He was a bit surprised at how easily the words came off his tongue. I guess I'm getting better at deception, he thought, with just a touch of dismay. That's what experiences like this do for you.

Calliope and Lysander eased Daniel into a wooden chair at the kitchen table, accidentally jarring the elbow of his injured shoulder against the armrest. He couldn't help grimacing in pain. Calliope looked at him with concern. "You need some more painkiller," she said gently.

Daniel had learned that his objections were useless, and sat quietly as she gave him yet another injection. How many does that make? he wondered. He'd lost count. But while the drug gave him an irresistible impulse to talk, he had realized that he could exert some control over what he said.

"I've told you so much about myself and my world," he began, "but I've learned very little about you."

"What would you like to know?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

"Well, to start, what do you call this place?"

"Gallia Nova."

"New Gaul." Daniel allowed himself a moment of excitement that his theory about their origin had been right. "What do you know about your history, where your people came from before Gallia Nova?"

"There was no 'before here' ... our people began here," she said impatiently. "There are myths about our beginnings in a mystical far-off land, but only the weak-minded believe them."

Even after meeting someone from another world? Daniel mused. But instead of challenging her, he changed the subject. "Then tell me about you. How long have you and Lysander been married?"

She hesitated. "Two ... years, yes, two years next month." It would take a few minutes for the drug to take effect, so she decided to let him direct the conversation, for the moment.

"Any children?"

"No, not yet. Lysander's been in prison most of that time, remember?"

"Oh, right." Daniel struggled against the growing fuzziness in his head. "How long was he in prison?"

"About a year and a half, not long after we were married."

"Any other family?"

"All I ever knew about my father was his name, Caelius. He was a citizen. My mother Sybil died several years ago."

"Why you didn't take your father's name?"

"What?"

"Your name is Greek in origin, and so is your mother's. But in Roman culture, a daughter always took her father's name."

Calliope found herself intrigued by the conversation. He spoke of Roman culture as something that existed in the past, but it was all she had ever known. To be a citizen was to be a Roman, and to be a freedman was to be a Greek. The two were synonymous. "Well, you are right, except that it was not by my choice. Only citizens may have Roman names."

"But why aren't you a citizen?"

His simple question startled her. "Both parents must be a citizen if a child is to be born as a citizen," she replied. "Because my mother was a freedman, this was denied to me. It is how things have always been."

"That's strange," Daniel said with effort, struggling to keep his eyes open. "If your people came from Gaul, I'd expect there to be ... more evidence of Gallic culture, but I've seen ... very little." Then he hesitated. "I ... I think I'd better lie down now." The room around him blurred and then faded.

He heard Calliope speaking, as if from a great distance. "Daniel, can you make it up the stairs?"

"I don't think so. You gave me too much this time," he blurted. Oh, crap, he thought, just before he passed out. I probably shouldn't have said that.


Shortly after sundown, several vehicles left the dirt track that led from rebel stronghold and turned onto the paved highway. All but one of the vehicles headed toward the interment camp south of the city. The remaining vehicle was the military truck that Vala had hijacked. The truck followed the other vehicles for a while, and then turned toward the city itself. A couple of rebels were driving, dressed in the uniforms Vala had provided. In the back was a team of about a dozen more, plus Vala and Cam. All were heavily armed.

Their parting from Teal'c had been brief. Refusing to give in to his weakness completely and lie down, the Jaffa was sitting on a low cot. He leaned against the wall behind him.

"I would go with you, if I could," Teal'c had said, "but in my present condition, I would be a liability."

"Liability? You? Nah," Cam responded lightly. But then his expression turned earnest. "You just hang in there 'till we get back."


A/N: Thanks, everyone, for continuing to follow this story. As always, your reviews are appreciated! (Waiting with excitement for the next batch ...)

HAZMOT: I'm glad you like the action in the last chapter. I thought it might be a while before I could update, and I didn't want to leave you guys with a cliffhanger! BTW - the rebel is Gaiana's neighbor, not her mother. I guess it was confusing since I didn't refer to her by name. I assumed that they were just too busy with soldiers to introduce themselves. I took care of that in this chapter.

Khentkawes: I tried to address the issue of trustworthiness in this chapter. The rebels and SG-1 need to trust each other to get what they want. Though it is risky for both parties, it's the only option I've left them :)

gioia-gg: I had actually written the chapter with Gaiana being dragged off while Vala sat in the next room, and I just couldn't buy it. I liked writing the reunion scene so much better. I guess I'm just a romantic at heart. I'm glad that you liked it, too. Poor Daniel, he'd connect the dots better if Calliope would quit drugging him.

Ashaman92: Thanks for the review! Vala may just get a chance to use the ribbon device before this story's over. I agree, it would be fun for her to use the personal shield. However, since she got it from the museum, I've concluded that it's an old one that doesn't have the shield (it was a new invention when it first appeared in season one).

BkWurm1: I'm very glad that you find the story meaningful -- makes all the effort to write it worthwhile!

Enajnitram: ;)

acer-sigma: Vala and the boys had better hurry up -- it's about to get worse for Daniel. I noticed that you posted an update to one of your stories. Now that this chapter is up, I'm off to read it. :)