Balinor cleared his throat and looked at her expectantly. "Back to your story, Major. You can't just stop it there. You were just reaching the crucial conjunction where we learned how Anubis found out about Egeria and what was done to her. Not to mention the most vital part, the daring rescue. How did you retrieve your team members from Anubis' ship?"

"Well, without Lord Yu's help, we could not stop him. Jonas was captured when he and Daniel split up. The information was pulled from his mind with a mind probe. Intrigued as he was with the idea of naquariah, Anubis preferred the information given about Egeria. After all, it would give him an infallible servant, one who would not betray him. Although, he did take them to Kelowna, now known as Langaria. During all this, Teal'c was with Lord Yu. He took a chance and convinced Lord Yu's First Prime, Oshu, to help us out by calling in Ba'al."

"Deal with the devil," he muttered.

"And you'll get burned," she wryly finished. "I know. But what other choice had we? Our other allies were busy-or are unwilling to give us a hand. We were able to save Langaria and our team members. Actually, Daniel and Jonas saved us. Anubis got away. Armed with the knowledge of Egeria's ability to manipulate any symbiotes born of her, he still had quite an ace up his rather large sleeves. All Anubis had to do was find a queen who would be willing to birth the symbiotes-and not pass along any genetic information."

"All right," he sighed, shaking his head. "Let us see what we can do with what you know, what I know, what the Tok'Ra have contributed, and the foundation the Ancients provided."

656

"This will not work," Balinor announced after they had been working on the project for a few hours. He didn't sound too frustrated, though there was a note of…something in his voice that surprised her. It was almost like he was disappointed and discouraged.

Her head shook, agreeing with him. "No." There was no point in denying what their considerable testing had done. Their technologies were to incompatible to work together smoothly. "What if we take out the things we put in and use the technology of the Ancients and your own only? They are more compatible, aren't they?"

"I do not believe that would work, Major." He finally decided after giving the query some thought. "It is the very manipulations made to the technology using Earth based knowledge that has produced the results that went into creating this weapon. The Tok'Ra contribution is not as strong as your Tua'ri knowledge. Unless there is something you have not told me?"

Sam pondered the half-question for a moment before shaking her head. "I've told you everything I know. I didn't work on the project from start to finish unlike a few other scientists did and they worked with the Tok'Ra at the Alpha Site. Perhaps we should call them in on this."

"We do not have that kind of time to waste if they are unable to come up with the answers that you are not. As you are the leader of your own science department, you had to have looked over it at some point."

"Well, yeah, I did." She felt uncomfortable under that piercing look. "I am the supervisor of the science department, though Dr. Lee did most of the work. His doctorate made him more eligible for it. Of course, he is working in the lab down in Antarctica with another of our scientists, a Dr. Rodney McKay. Both of whom have a little more basis in it than I do."

His eyes pierced hers, seeming to read into her mind. "Are you sure that you translated the writings correctly?"

"Daniel did the preliminary translations," she began, feeling even more uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze.

"Major Carter, that is not what I asked. I asked if you were sure that the translation you did was correct."

"I'm an astrophysicist," she replied, feeling as though he was attacking her. But she could not say for sure why she felt that way. "My symbiote speaks only her native language, that of the Goa'uld."

"And?" he asked, turning off the machine. He got up and began to search the room for something, muttering the whole time.

Sam was not fooled by his distracted act. Balinor was listening for her answer.

With a sigh, she shook her head. "No, I am not sure that it was correct. I kept the pictures and sketches that Daniel did of the artifact when he retrieved it and of where he found it. In order to show you, I need to return to the SGC to get them. This turned out to be a good thing since the base where I was working on it with the Tok'Ra was attacked by the Kull Warriors."

"We need that information," he stated, searching around another desk for something. "Ah-ha!" Pressing a button, both heard a sweet sound pierce the air.

"I need to talk to Teal'c and let him know what's going on," she started to tell him, her training kicking in. Looking over the work they had done, she knew Balinor was right. They needed that information on the artifact. She also knew that she needed to check in with her commanding officer before leaving.

"We do not have the time for that. You must go. And go now," he gestured to a circular tube in one corner of the room. "I shall send you there immediately. If they come looking for you, I will make it clear that I took the decision out of your hands. Go on, get in."

"But I would need to visit the General to let him know that I was sent in by the Nox," she protested. "It would not be a good thing if he were to think that the Goa'uld had found a way into the base."

"Then I shall transport you directly into your General Hammond's office." He once more gestured for her to enter the tube. "The Asgard are not the only ones with teleportation technology. It is perfectly harmless, I assure you, Major Carter."

Feeling more than a little queasy about doing this anyway, she entered the tube and found herself in General Hammond's office within seconds. Luckily, he was alone, though she could hear the sounds of someone approaching.

"Major Carter? Something I can do for you?" he greeted her. Calmly, he thought, as though his people were always being beamed into his office without the usual light that signaled that it with the Asgard's aid that they had done so.

"Balinor, the Nox official wizard, sent me to get the information about the artifact we used to create the weapon against the Kull Warriors. I'd say more but he's only giving me ten minutes to grab it and get back here."

"Wait a minute," he dialed the phone. "Walter?"

"Sir?"

"Do me a favor and make sure that the path to Major Carter's office and lab is clear," he ordered.

Though there was confusion in the voice, he quickly began to process the request. "Give me two minutes, sir."

"Call me when it's done," he hung up the phone and looked at Sam, expectantly.

"I'll bottom line it for you, sir. We met Lya and she told us that Ba'al has taken control of the Kull Warriors. He's seeking the secret of invisibility. Teal'c is assessing the situation but has told us that it would be best to do what Balinor says," she paused, seeing the question on his face. "Sir?"

"Who is Balinor?"

"The official wizard," she shrugged, revealing her consternation at the use of the word. "I guess that's their way of saying lead scientist. To be truthful, he's their only scientist, since he works alone. Can you imagine? I saw some of what he's accomplished on his own and can't imagine creating and maintaining such things without help."

"Major Carter," he warned, pointing out that she was swerving off topic.

"Sorry, sir," she briskly resumed her explanation. "He examined it and decided that we need to start at the beginning in order to figure out how to combine all of the different technologies into one cohesive unit. After trying that, he realized that he needed to start from the artifact itself."

"The artifact that was destroyed," he stated.

"Yes, sir. Actually, he never said he wanted to see the artifact. He wants to see the translation of it. I mentioned that we might want to look at the sketches and pictures of the artifact. Hence, my being here," she was cut off by the phone.

"Yes?"

"Everything is as you requested, sir. The whole sector has been closed off. Major Carter even has an escort, should she require one."

"Why would I need one?" she asked when he mentioned it to her, concerned. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Keeping his hand cupped over the mouthpiece, he answered her questions. "Dr. McKay returned and has been waiting anxiously for SG-1's return. Says they found something important down in Antarctica, a strange looking artifact. I'm not sure if he's waiting for you because he wishes to show you what he's found. Or if its because Dr. Jackson is with you and will translate it for him."

Biting her tongue to prevent herself from saying something nasty, she smiled tightly. It wasn't that she didn't like McKay. There were even times she found his company, well not enjoyable, but tolerable. They both techno-babbled with a rapidity that shocked and confounded her people. An intellectual equal, she rarely felt the need to 'go slow' with him when they spoke. He could grasp what she was saying with ease and rarely felt the need to hold back his opinion if he thought her wrong.

Nevertheless, he looked down on her because she was a woman and blonde. He found her military status an impediment to true kinship. And he had a tendency to get so caught up in his own sense of self-importance and his work, that he rarely listened to any one else.

She found it irritating. It was a reminder of how her alternate self had been. How she could be if she forgot those who supported and helped her out. Like most people, she hated to see an unflattering light shine upon her. "I would love to have an escort."

"Walter, how soon can you have an officer up here?"

"Sgt. Siler should be there right now, sir."

"Very good. Inform SG-6 that their briefing has been moved back a half hour."

"And Major Davis?"

George's eyes closed for a moment before he nodded. "No. It would be best to see him when he comes. This meeting is rather important."

"All right, sir."

"Thank you, Walter," George hung up the phone. "You know, you can't avoid him forever."

"I don't want to," she said. "I would just like to get this situation with the Nox settled first. Then I will tackle the Ancient stuff with McKay."

"Major Carter," Sgt. Siler greeted as he walked in and saluted them both. "Sir."

"At ease, Siler," the general waved them both off. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir." They made their way quickly down to the nearly deserted hall, Siler pausing every once in a while to talk into a radio. The unnatural stillness grated a bit on Sam's nerves but she quickly learned to ignore it, knowing that her mission was to important to be distracted from, though she couldn't help but wonder why McKay was here.

Ancient technology was his and Kavanaugh's field, not hers. They had even created another department to handle it, one that she was not directly involved with. One that he personally oversaw. So, why was he here?

"Major, Dr. McKay is waiting outside your lab. Is there another way in?" He asked, glancing back at her.

"Not one that's close by, as you very well know," she replied with a smile.

Though he returned it, his expression remained serious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get rid of him," she answered, half regretfully. "Without harming him. Annoying though he is, he is one of the most astute minds we have. We need him, if only for that."

Nodding, Siler moved off down the hall and stood in front of the doctor. "Dr. McKay, were you not aware that this section is being closed off?"

"For a leak in a gas pipe," he dryly said. "I saw that movie. If it didn't work on those dimwitted soldiers, why do you think it would work on me? No, the only reason this section is closed is that Major Carter has returned early. I need to see her."

"I'm sorry, Dr. McKay," he firmly said, guiding him away. "But, even if that were true, orders were given."

"I am not military," he retorted, futilely trying to break free from his grip. "Get your hands off me, you overbearing clod."

"You may not be military but you signed the agreement to follow our rules. That includes obeying even the most inconsiderate of orders," he smoothly lead him away.

Sam darted into her office, startled to see Jonas there.

His hands instantly went up in surrender before she could speak. "I've been hiding in here from Rodney. He's very…intense about his work."

"He is at that," she sighed, relieved. He wasn't here to bother her with work. "Help me find that stuff on the Fountain of Youth artifact. Who decided to call it that anyway?"

"Dr. Lee," he replied, helping her search through the file cabinets. "He thought it would help everyone remember what it was about."

"I suppose that makes sense. That is the reason we sought it," she muttered. Quickly flipping through the work, she felt uneasy about something. Glancing up at the clock, she noticed that she was down to a minute and a half.

"Found it!" Jonas triumphantly held the folders aloft.

"Thanks, I owe you." She grabbed it and ran off, taking care to avoid the path that Siler had taken McKay in. With seconds to spare, she skidded into the general's office and tossed off a quick salute to them both. "Nice to see you, Major Davis. Thanks. See you later, General Hammond."

"Hello to you too…Major?" his voice trailed off uncertainly. His hand dropped and he blinked. Turning towards the general, he gestured to the empty space the major had just been. "Uhm, don't the Asgard have some kind of light show accompanying their teleportation devices?"

"They do," he replied with a shrug. "Major Carter was taken by the Nox. Now, what does the president have to say about the proposal?"

"As much as he would love to send the conspiracy theorists away, he figures that it would cause more trouble. They do have families and jobs, people who would notice if they suddenly went missing. He did get a good laugh out of the idea, though he did say that it wasn't like you to think like that. He made some comment about you being a better man than that," he paused and looked at him expectantly.

When General Hammond neither confirmed nor denied his words, he went on. "And, while he loves the idea, he doesn't think that Vice President Kinsey would voluntarily go on a trip through the gate. I believe that the Vice-President doesn't quite trust you."

"I knew it was a long shot," he sighed. "Still, it was worth a shot."

"Sir, if I may ask you," Paul began.

"Does this have anything to do with Colonel O'Neill?" George finished for him. "In a way, I guess that it does. Call it a favor for him that he's no longer here to enjoy."

"What do you mean?" he asked, intrigued.

"Now, that's something that I can't tell you."

Back in Balinor's lab, she handed him the packet. Furiously he began to flip through the pages and start to read over the markings. Grabbing a quill and scroll, he started to furiously write what he read.

Glancing up once, he barked out one thing. "Get me Dr. Jackson. I need him to read over this. It has been a long time since I have read Ancient."

Daniel entered the lab at a run and looked at Sam, trying to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do. It didn't look like there was any kind of emergency or anything that he would know how to do here. "What?" he started.

"Translations," she succinctly told him.

"For what?" he asked, startled.

"The artifact you and Dr. Lee brought back. Ask Balinor to explain it to you. I'm still confused about what exactly he thought he'd find in our weapon that he didn't before." She pointed to where the Nox scientist was frantically working on seven or eight things at once without a pause. "And I thought we knew how to multi-task." It was said with a slightly envious look at him.

"Okay." He slowly said, for want of anything else to say. He walked over to the Nox, trying to figure out what to say to him when he still felt confused as to what he was supposed to be doing there. "Whoa!" he jumped back when he nearly slammed into him.

"Sorry," Balinor muttered automatically, glancing up. Recognizing Daniel there, he pulled up a sheaf of papers and shoved them at him. "Read. Translate. Work on it, so that I can do my work. Major Carter. Come here. Work!" He barked out his orders, waving at them to get started on their various tasks.

Daniel accepted the papers and read over the translation the scientist had started. With a slight shake of his head, he made some vital corrections to them. After a thorough study to make sure he had it right, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting a second chance if this was wrong.

"Everything all right?" He tentatively asked them after a moment, handing the corrected papers back to Balinor.

"It will be. Yes, it will now that I know that I was correct in what I originally thought about your weapon. The original weapon does not, in actuality, kill the Kull Warriors. It merely stuns them for a time, similar to what a zat'nik'atel does. The right part was extracted for use from the device. But the frequency is all wrong," he bustled off.

"Stuns? Like a zat does?"

Balinor paused, staring at him. "Isn't that what I said? Though I am afraid that explanation is an elementary way of putting things, but that was the only way I could think of to help you understand. The good thing about the weapon is that the frequency was high enough that the results of the shot last longer, so no harm is done."

"No harm?" Sam repeated dumbly. "Balinor, we use that gun as our main defense against these warriors. Now, you say that it does not kill our enemies, merely stuns them?"

"Do you remain on the planet once you have secured a path to safety?"

"Not usually," she replied. "Staying on a planet that the soldiers have been on is rarely a good idea. They have a tendency to send in others if they don't hear from them."

"Then I will stand by my earlier assertion, Major. There is no harm done," he replied in satisfaction. "And now that you have an accurate translation, you can fix the error."

"Right," she dryly said.

Daniel stood off to the side, unsure of what he was supposed to do now that he had finished the translation. Things that were Sam's forte rarely interested him, though he certainly supported her. Nor was he particularly interested in this weapon's progression, necessary and helpful though it was.

But her anger at her own human weakness was palpable. He couldn't just stand there, letting her beat herself up over what amounted to a simple error. It wasn't in his nature to leave someone in pain, even if he wasn't always sure of the cause for it.

"Sam," he hesitated, even after she had turned to face him. "It was a mistake anyone could've made."

"It was more than a mistake, Daniel. It was a slip-up that could have gotten our people killed." She harshly declared, not giving herself an inch of leniency. "I made the call to use an inaccurate translation. I approved it for general use by us all based on what was produced by the team I chose to work on it. If we had used them in Antarctica, we would be in deep trouble because the warriors would be alive."

"We didn't," he reminded her. He wondered if she knew that when she was upset, Jolinar did the talking for her. Knowing Sam as he did, she probably realized it and was relieved by it. But he wondered if she knew how disconcerting it was to those she was talking to. "Jack didn't pack them."

"No," she spat out. "He didn't. Which means that he knew that I had made a bad judgment call. Why didn't he tell me?"

"I doubt he really knew, Sam. He probably didn't even know what they were for by the time it came to pack up and leave." Daniel spoke hesitantly because he couldn't get the words to pass his thick tongue. Lying to friends usually caused him discomfort, but was he really lying to her?

There was no way of truly knowing what Jack had or hadn't known when all of the knowledge had become fully active in his mind. Therefore, no lie in what he said. Still, he couldn't help but feel as though he was misleading her in some way.

"Come on, Daniel, he had the knowledge of the Ancients in his head. The Ancients who created the device we used to create the weapon. Of course he knew," she bitterly said.

"Actually, the knowledge in his mind would not be complete. The repository was built to hold only a part of their wisdom." Balinor commented as he walked back into the room. Grabbing something off the shelf above him, he began to tighten the weapon in his hands.

"Oh," she said. They exchanged startled looks, not having noticed that he had left them alone. His movements had been getting downright dizzying, they had automatically separated him from them so that they could function. A thought occurred to her and she looked accusingly at Daniel. "You already knew this about the incomplete repository."

"I suspected it," he corrected her carefully. "Knowledge, like power, can corrupt. Having the full knowledge of the Ancients in cognizance is a deadly thing for anyone. I doubt they would take the risk of its corruptible influence-especially knowing that the Ascended ones are the Ancients and that they do not interfere now that they have become more. I will admit that they did bend it slightly when they allowed Shifu to give me the knowledge of the Goa'uld for use, though I do not quite understand why they would do so. Was it just to teach me about the dangers of having absolute power? Somehow, I don't think it could be that clear."

Yet, it still haunted him. What he learned that day, stayed with him. But the fact that it had happened at all bothered him. With their attitude towards interference, why had they allowed it?

Balinor shooed him out. "You've done your job, now it is time for us to do ours," he snapped at them.

Sam jumped up, startled and a little upset. She had been working on what he allowed her to, not that she understood any of it. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"No more sitting about, merely helping me. Now, I want you to work with me, to learn from me, Major." He said, pulling out a sketch board and diagramming a few things.

Though uncertain, she leaned over his shoulder and watched him. After a moment, she cleared her throat. "I think that is wrong."

"You think?" he asked. "Why do you only think that it is wrong? Do you not know?"

"Fine," she snapped. "What you are doing is wrong because of gravitational laws."

Daniel left them in a discussion of the principles of gravity. As he walked around the city, he met up with Martouf, Teal'c, and Lya out in the hall in front of the library. So deep in thought was he that he almost passed them by. Only Martouf's question stopped him.

"What is wrong?"

He shrugged, not knowing how to answer him. "Not much, at least for me. Sam is getting the runaround."

"What did Ilis speak to you about?"

"Oh, a few things. Some of it was stuff that she said should stay between us. But it was mostly about the technology of the Ancients." He answered Teal'c's question, giving it some thought. "Ilis warned me about relying on it. She warned us all. I got the feeling there's something about it she isn't telling me. Something that she feels that I should already know, that I've already learned this lesson."

"What did she say?"

"That we shouldn't use it if we can avoid it. At least, not in its pure form," he answered, while pondering her words to him. There was more than a slight warning to them-both the words she had spoken and the tone in her voice. Could she be referring to Shifu's lesson to him that he was to teach to them all?

"Pure form?" Martouf asked, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"I have no idea," he replied, feeling his way through his answer. "If I had to take a guess, I think it means that we can't just pick it up and use it as it is. It is what killed Jack. The burden of it was to heavy for him to bear."

Teal'c and Martouf stared at him. For the first time he could ever recall, he could see the blank stupefaction on their faces. If not for the seriousness of the situation, he would've laughed about it. It reminded him of the look Jack's face would always get when he slipped into his professor mode in their briefings. Or whenever he had the opportunity to indulge in his passion. Any of them.

"It might not make much sense but it's the only thing I can think of right now. With the other technologies we've come across, we can question people about it. We can find parallels for them in our own world. But the Ancients have left behind no "how to manual", no reference guides. And without Jack," he paused for a moment, swallowing. "Or someone else with that gene who is comfortable using it, we have no one to show us the pitfalls. The dangers to us if we use that technology."

"We've got it!" Balinor came down the hall, waving at them as he rushed by them. Turning the corner, they soon lost the sound of his footsteps.

"Teal'c, what's the plan?" Sam asked. She looked tired but exhilarated.

Daniel guessed that Balinor and she had bonded over their work. For a while, he had been worried that the both of them would not get along. That Balinor's rather brusque people skills would be detrimental to a working partnership. Balinor cut her no slack, he did not give praise lightly. But it was clear that he approved of what she had accomplished with their primitive technologies.

The Jaffa outlined his plan for them. With his usual deliberation, he had crafted a nearly flawless one. "There is one thing that I must ask, do the Nox need our help still?" he asked, turning to Lya. "They now possess the modified weapon, our presence now may be only extraneous."

"It is a wise question to ask, Master Teal'c," Ilis said as she walked up to them. "We shall see what is to be after Balinor gives the weapon a test."

"So, that's it?" Sam asked, feeling somewhat let down. "We just leave if it works?"

"It is not up to us to fight every battle, Major Carter," he gently reminded her.

She sighed. "I know. It just seems so…anti-climatic." Moving to an observation area, they waited. Though there was a slight sound, nothing seemed to happen. "Lya?" she asked.

"They are gone," she nodded in satisfaction.

"But how?" Sam asked, looking out at the country below them. "Nothing happened."

"Not to our eyes," she agreed serenely. "But on another level, the level the weapon was designed to attack, the Kull Warriors have been destroyed."

"It is well done," Teal'c said, bowing to them. "This victory for your world should be yours and no matter how well I planned, I would not be able to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

"Please, stay with us to celebrate our victory." Lya invited them, waving towards the palladium on one of the mountains. "It would delight us to have our friends stay with us."

"We would be honored to do so," Teal'c agreed.

656

Carter stepped out of the gate and nearly turned right around. Rodney McKay stood at the bottom of the ramp, waiting for them, an impatient look on his face.

"So good of you all to return before I have to go back to Antarctica," he greeted them snidely. "Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, would you both come with me?"

"Dr. McKay, I told you that I would send them to you once they have finished both their medical check-outs and their debriefing." General Hammond sternly reminded him, staring at the man, with an annoyed look on his face. "I do not appreciate your actions to prevent my people from fulfilling their duties."

"This would fall under the category of their duties."

"Not until after they have reported their latest efforts," he replied.

"Sir," she saluted, interrupting McKay's reply.

"It is good to see you, General Hammond. We come bearing a gift for you from the Nox to thank you for your aid," Teal'c said. Behind him, Daniel stood with a basket with something in it, though Lya had been reluctant to tell them more.

Handing it over, Daniel smiled. "Lya assures us that it is a benign gift."

Accepting it, General Hammond acknowledged his words with a smile. "I don't doubt it for they are not a malicious people. This gift is unnecessary under any circumstances. From what I understand, we only helped them a little by giving them a nudge in the right direction and offering our assistance in whatever capacity they needed it."

"She said that you would say that," Daniel said, shrugging. "Lya felt that it was the proper thing to do."

"Very well," he said, passing the basket to Siler. "See that this is taken care of, will you, sergeant?

"Yes, sir."

"We'll de-brief in two hours. You're dismissed to get your check-ups. Dr. McKay, your plane does not leave for another day, you can wait that long."

"Fine," he stormed out of the room, clearly upset.

"Thank you, sir."

"It was not a problem, Major. But I can't continue to help you evade him. Sooner or later, you will need to address his problem. For all I know, it could be quite serious," he said as they walked out the door.

She nodded, sighing. "Most likely, sir. Dr. McKay is well versed in his field and rarely makes rash choices. At least, when it comes to his craft. His personal judgments about people, on the other hand, could use some work."

After the debriefing, Sam went to see Dr. McKay. "You needed to see me for something?"

"Actually, I needed to see both you and Dr. Jackson," he corrected. "Before we can do any work on this, it needs to be translated. Unfortunately, no one here seems to recognize the language, though someone thought that an artifact was brought in a few years ago with this writing on it."

Taking it from him, she turned it over and studied it. A smile broke out on her face and she smothered a chuckle as she recalled seeing something like this. An experience that didn't seem all that long ago in fact. It was a memory that brought a smile to her eyes.

"What?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously and he stared at her. This laugh, while not malicious, was suspicious under the circumstances. He wondered suddenly if she was making fun of him.

"This is Borgas. A language that Daniel used on a tablet that he wanted both Martouf and I to take a look at. It was one of the things that go us to talk to each other more easily than we had been before. We used to drive the Colonel nuts with our actions." There was no hesitation in her rather revealing reply, for all that they were not friends. And she let herself enjoy another chuckle. "It was all Daniel's idea, though the colonel had quite a bit of influence in it."

For the first time in two months, she could laugh about the colonel.

"What's so funny?" Daniel asked, entering the room. His hair was still damp from his shower but he looked more relaxed than he had on the mission. Inside, he felt a little bit better about things, his perspective about life had been altered.

Helplessly swallowed up by laughter, she could only hand over the item. Almost she wished that Teal'c and Martouf had been asked to be here as well. They would love this, though she did enjoy sharing it with Daniel alone.

Besides, he was the one who had started the whole thing.

Daniel took it hesitantly, in case the purpose behind it was hysteria. An enemy blinded by their own emotions can't fight. When nothing happened, he decided that there would be no harm in further examination. Turning it over in his hands, he couldn't determine what was so funny-until he saw the language.

A shout of laughter escaped him. "Oh, now that's funny. That's really funny." Taking a closer look, he really let loose with his laughter. "Sam, do you know what this is?" He asked, turning it over and over in his hands, absolutely astonished by it.

"An artifact found in Antarctica?" she replied, trying to regain control.

His head shook, his mirth stilling for a moment. "Nope. I recognize my own work."

She stopped laughing, staring at him in absolute bafflement. The meaning behind his words sunk in and she gaped at him, jaw slack in disbelief. "You're kidding me."

"Nope," he repeated. For a moment, they stared at it in awed silence. Then at each other before letting go and howling with laughter at a joke only they knew. "Only Jack would do something so…so…" he trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Ridiculous?" she asked, wiping away tears from her eyes. "Insane? Absolutely in character to remind us that he's still here? Still watching out for his kids?"

"So Jack," he finished.

"I'm so glad you find this item to be of such hilarity," Dr. McKay stiffly said. He had quickly grasped the significance of their words and knew it meant only one thing. He was going to be in trouble for leaving his position to follow a false trail. "If I'd known that I was wasting my time over a falsified object, I wouldn't have worried so much over it."

Wiping away tears, Sam chocked back a bit of laughter. "I'm sorry, Rodney. Really."

"Just go away, I need to find something here to justify my leaving Antarctica." He stiffly said, waving them out the door.

"I have just the thing," she consoled him. "It has to do with the weapon we created to kill the Kull Warriors."

"What of it?" he asked, sounding uninterested. It wasn't that he didn't care, he did. But he had already done the work on it and moved on. He found that his real passion in exploring the technology of the Ancients. Not changing them around, but to use them as they were.

"Balinor of the Nox says that it only stuns, it does not kill the warriors. We need to fix it," she told him, not fooled by his tone of voice. "We have more accurate translations for what the artifact originally did."

"Who's Balinor?"

"Head scientist of the Nox," she told him. "Come along, I'll show you what he showed me about it."

Rubbing his hands together, Rodney followed her out the door and down to the lab. It wasn't Ancients technology, but it was another race's mingling with their own. Quite interesting in its own right.

Daniel watched them go, still chuckling. The absurdity in the timing of the find was just so…semi-clichéd. It didn't seem quite like Jack, yet he knew it was. Somehow, even in the depths of his own misery, Jack had found a way to shine a light on them and make them laugh even when it felt like they were in the darkest of days. Tossing the tablet up in the air, he easily caught it before walking out the door.

He had wondered what had happened to it after they had left Jacob's shuttle.

656

Heimdahl looked curiously at the flashing blue light on the console. Moving it to the side, a window opened and he looked at Ilis. "Is everything all right, Lady Ilis?"

"Once more, everything is as it should be with us. Ba'al's forces have been decimated and he has taken flight, hopefully never to return to our fair world. If he does, we shall be ready for him," she said. "How are things with you?"

"Things continue to be problematic for us. We have found no solution to the problem with the Replicators."

"That is most unfortunate," she replied sympathetically. "How goes Thor's project?"

His head shook. "That does not go well, lady."

Ilis nodded gravelly. "Yes, I suspected as much. Have you told him of our offer?"

"I have."

"And?" she pressed.

"Thor will not even consider it."

"It is what I thought he would do. Still, we had to offer," she shrugged gracefully.

"We are grateful," Heimdahl told her. "Yet, it is best this way." The doors swished open and both pairs of eyes looked to see who entered the room.

"Loki." Ilis greeted, noting the suspicious way Heimdahl looked at the other Asgard. Nor did it escape her attention that Loki looked around before entering the room. She wondered what was going on between the two of them.

He nodded at her before addressing Heimdahl. "I would like to see O'Neill."

The dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you asked Thor if it is all right?"

Loki bristled. "I do not need his consent to help the man who has aided us."

"If you plan on conducting your unsanctioned experiments, you would be rejected firmly. I do not want you anywhere near O'Neill. He has done much for us. I do not wish to repay him by letting you play with his genetic coding." Thor spoke from the open doorway, his voice full of his displeasure. "Lady Ilis."

"Supreme Commander Thor," she returned the greeting.

"What brings you here?"

"I wish to tell you news of SG-1," she said. "And to say that a way has been found to defeat the Kull Warriors that Anubis created. Balinor is of the opinion that you might be able to modify the technology to serve in your own battles."

"What of SG-1?" Heimdahl asked. "Are they not all right?"

"They are still grieving," Ilis softly said. "I fear that I have caused Dr. Jackson much pain by reminding him of O'Neill. He does not seem…whole any longer. I tried to help him realize the truth. That while O'Neill may be physically gone, he is always with him. It only seemed to weigh him down, to bring him pain."

"It is a hard thing for him to bear," Thor agreed. "It was the same way when Daniel ascended. O'Neill knew he was there, but he was not comforted by the knowledge. I do not know how to help him."

"You may not know how to help Dr. Jackson, but you should attend to O'Neill."

"Loki, what do you mean?" He started to ask when a strange energy entered the room. It centered around O'Neill, covering him in a thickness of mixed light and darkness, before a familiar form stood beside the figure on the bed. "Antiam."

"Not quite," she said, coughing a bit. "But don't let that worry you. I know it won't bother me any. What's wrong with Daniel?"

End, Act 24.

Author's Note: the stuff about bards is part truth and partly a combination of the druids, vates and bards of Celtic times. I based some of what I said about them in the last chapter on "The Pendragon Cycle" by Stephen R. Lawhead. Specifically, the fourth one published, though it kind of weaves its way through the events of the second, third, and fifth ones really. The stories deal with the Arthurian Legends in a new light, more akin to Celtic tradition-though there is a some Christianity in it-and it is interesting saga. It is one of the few stories I've read where Gwenevere is not a cheating spouse and Lancelot doesn't exist by that name, though he is there.

Another source I used was "The Sacred World of the CELTS" by Nigel Pennick. He speaks in one section about the bardic tradition that there were three groups of men who were held in exceptional honor, the Bards, the Druids, and the Vates. Bards were musicians, poets and singers. The Vates were soothsayers, diviners, and natural philosophers. They were also the only ones who had no formal training, just the ability. The Druids were the lawgivers and priests. The highest of those honored were the Bards. One of the quotes he uses to describe bards, I thought fit Daniel perfectly.

"The three principle endeavors of a Bard:
One is to learn and collect sciences.
The second is to teach.
And the third is to make peace
and to put to an end all injury;
for to do contrary to these things
is not usual or becoming to a Bard."
The Triads of Britain.

In relation to the weapon built and all that stuff about merely stunning rather than killing the Kull Warriors like the zat guns do. Well, I thought they came up with this ultimate weapon to easily. I mean, here's this big, bad, Ancient-Ascended-Goa'uld whose got all this knowledge and stuff and his brand new spanking warrior gets defeated by a weapon that's never been tested. Like or dislike the X-301, 302, and 303, at least they had problems in their testing and creation.