Chapter 20
"We couldn't really have expected to get so lucky every time," Vala began unexpectedly.
Daniel nodded in agreement, dropping his head down to rest on his chin and stared across the scarred table. They'd come this planet following one of several leads the Hans had given them, trusting in the pair to pursue whichever of the lost treasures they chose themselves. Unfortunately, they'd arrived on the planet to discover that most of the land immediately around the Stargate was covered in very dense growth. The locals used the numerous waterways as their means of travel and never ventured into the dark, dangerous wilderness. "So what do we do now?"
Vala took a swig from her tankard. "We go back the the Hans and give our apologies, then pick up another of the leads. I'm certainly not about to traipse all over the jungle in search of a cave system the locals don't think even exists, and they're too afraid of the nasty creatures in the darkness to go find out for themselves. Besides, legends have such a terrible tendency to be pure fiction."
"In my experience, legends have a tendency to be based on fact where the Goa'uld are concerned." She raised an eyebrow at him, as though questioning his experience. "Arch-ae-ol-o-gist, remember? From a planet obviously left un-touched by the Goa'uld for thousands of years?"
She shrugged. "Probably a lot of history is disguised as myths, then, but I don't think that's the case here. The Lost Caverns of Kebek Ramor are a fairytale, and not the kind where I'm a pirate and you're a prince, either. Seriously, Daniel... a fire-breathing dragon?"
Daniel leaned across the table slightly. "Isn't the fact that so many cultures share the mythology of a dragon proof in itself that dragons may not have been so mythical themselves?"
"What?"
He took a breath. "I've been comparing some of the different mythologies and pantheons using the information at the Han's library, specifically anything dealing with cross-cultural similarities. The library computer is really quite good at cross-referencing different books, once you figure out how to use it."
"Oh, so that's where you were all week. We spent five days in a gorgeous palace being waited on hand-and-foot and you wasted most of your time in the library?"
"Arch-ae-ol-o-gist," he repeated, grinning. "Anyway, dragons and phoenixes are two things which crop up in various mythologies from several of the major Goa'uld families. Now, we've actually seen evidence of the first... the Benuui was a depiction of a phoenix."
Vala's eyes narrowed. "What does that have to do with the Caverns of Kebek Ramor, exactly?"
"Nothing specifically," he replied. "I'm just pointing out that just because it's supposed to be the lair of a fire-breathing dragon, doesn't mean that there didn't used to be a fire-breathing dragon that really occupied it."
"Well, in that case, Daniel, we'd probably do well to be a lot better armed and armored before we try to take on a dragon."
She was teasing, and he knew it. It was odd how their relationship had changed almost overnight, shifting from an alliance of disparate--and desperate--individuals in need of one another's skills, to an easy-going, casual friendship of surprising warmth and good humor. Even though he'd spent most of the last week with his nose in a book, they'd shared their meals together--after he'd been politely kicked out of the library by one of the servants--and chatted amicably both then and at other Han family gatherings.
He was remembering so much more now, even though much of what he knew still remained shadowed and unclear. Despite the niggling feeling that he had gotten into some very bitter fights with Jack, the other snatches of remembrance Daniel had of the older man were all pleasant, all moments of relaxed familiarity. Some were darker, like sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a gray room waiting for the approach of something they both dreaded. Others were lighter and more care-free, such as relaxing in front of a flashing, colorful box, drinking and eating food Daniel didn't particularly care for, but consumed because it was just part of "unwinding" with his friend. He suspected the reason these came to light more readily now than the arguments was because he and Vala had adjusted their own relationship to a more comfortable companionship.
He'd also discovered three more languages he knew, based on texts found in the Hans' collection, and two others he recognized but couldn't immediately translate. Because one of the "new" languages was very similar to one on which he'd already tested, he and Vala now put his total number of known languages at twenty, and the count could go higher still if he could figure out the two which were just out of his reach. Han Yuna, having overheard their discussion, had shaken her head in wonder.
More importantly, though, the two treasure hunters had discovered common ground, even though--as Vala had so eloquently phrased it--most of Daniel's territory was uncharted. She'd even thrown in a flirtatious suggestion to help him with "mapping" that had left them both gasping for air between howls of laughter. Humor aside, they were both stubborn, independent, and intelligent. They'd each had rocky relationships with those they'd been closest to--Vala admitting that she and her father hadn't been on speaking terms for almost twenty years--and both felt that while home was the "road" for now, they still craved to find a place where they belonged.
"You think we'll know our home when we see it?" Vala had asked, snuggling against his side as they lazed about in the drawing room, listening to the Hans' youngest daughter give a mini-recital on her guzheng.
"It's possible," he'd agreed, arm curled around her shoulders. Even the realization that she'd said "our home" and not "our homes" hadn't come as surprise, nor had the thought that he was slowly becoming comfortable with the idea. Home, right now, was with Vala... so why wouldn't it be the same in the future?
That, as his friend Jack would have said, opened a whole new can of worms. In the last week, he'd remembered his wife, remembered he'd lost his wife, and was now developing a more-than-casual friendship with a woman who vexed, annoyed, perplexed, and intrigued him. When he'd awakened to find Vala bent over him with a glowing tool in her hands, he'd briefly mistaken her for the late Sha're, even though he'd known better. Once the connection had been made, though, he couldn't stop making comparisons: their hair, their spirit, their stubbornness, and their determination to not be ruled by their tormentors.
He wasn't entirely sure of the details, but he knew Sha're had beaten her demon before she died, though the victory had come at the cost of her own life. Vala had had help in defeating her own parasite, but her strength was no less. The way she had described the horrors inflicted upon her by Qetesh, he knew that her freedom had come at a price. Since she didn't seem to suffer from nightmares like he certainly did, Daniel could only guess that she'd found a way to suppress the worst of what she'd witnessed.
The woman in question cleared her throat, startling him out of his reverie. "You're right, of course," he blurted, recollecting his thoughts. "If we tried to find the caves out in the jungle without knowing where we're going, we'd be asking for trouble. It would be far better if we got a cargo ship or something to scan for tunnels beneath the surface."
"Okay," she began, propping her forearms on the table and mirroring his forward lean. "Well, Mister Brains-of-the-Outfit, how do you propose we get one of those?"
He shrugged. "I thought I'd leave that up to Miss Finances."
She shook her head. "Remember what Kazo said last month? Between the Goa'uld and the Lucien Alliance, there's a shortage of ships right now. We'll have to find a lot more treasure if we want to buy one."
Daniel shook his head, marveling to himself how far he'd come in a month. "Remember how we met?"
"I'm not the one with the memory problems, Dan--oh."
He raised his eyebrows. "And?"
"I take it back... I'm a terrible influence on you." She tipped back the rest of her drink and rose from the table.
"Well, yes, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't a saint even before we met," he answered, bounding up from his own stool to follow her out the door. "Come on!"
"It's a horrible idea, and I can't believe you're suggesting it."
Daniel shook his head. "I notice you haven't said 'no' yet."
Vala stopped in the middle of the muddy street. "It'll never work."
"You only say that because you've never gotten it to work," he reminded her. "We're a team. Together we can do the impossible, right?" She was still frowning at him stubbornly, so he pressed on determinedly. "The Benuui was missing for over fifty years and we found it!"
"You found it."
"I wouldn't have gone looking for it without you," he replied, raising a finger in the air. "Okay, how about this? Peklenc's treasure hadn't been seen for over a thousand years. Neither of us could have found it on our own, but together we did!"
She didn't stand a chance in the face of such unfailing optimism. "Oh, fine. But our priorities still lie with our work with the Hans, not stealing a ship!"
Daniel beamed. "And now we're pirates."
"Oh, I know I'm going to regret this," Vala sighed.
"Oh, no you won't," he replied. "If I know you, you're going to have fun relieving someone of their property... especially if it's a ship we take from the Goa'uld or someone in the Lucien Alliance, right?"
"Well, I do have to admit that the Luciens owe us for trying to kill us and succeeding in destroying a very lucrative business opportunity. We were even going to make that our secret underground lair," she pouted.
He cocked his head to one side. "And there's another good reason for getting our own ship. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't cargo ships have ring platforms?"
"Yes. And?"
"Couldn't we use those to ring down to Peklenc's palace?"
Vala stared at him in shock for a long moment. Then she let out a squeal of delight and threw herself at him for an exuberant hug.
Author's Notes:
Let the deluge of email begin... FFnet's SMTP server seem to have resumed operation!
Oh yeah, the chapter! It took only TWENTY chapters (seventeen, less SG-1's input) to turn Daniel and Vala into pirates! Well, not that they've succeeded in commandeering a ship yet, but they've at least declared their intent, right?