Chapter 5- Daniel Jackson and Dinner

If everyone else was like Carter and sick, Laura was the only exception. For some reason the Stargate didn't make her feel ill after going through it like Kawalsky said would happen to Carter. Granted, she felt the freezing aspect of it and had ice on her face, but she wasn't puking like Carter and the others were doing. "You okay, kiddo?" Jack asked, touching her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Dad. You might want to check on Carter and the others, though," Laura said as an airman made retching sounds and the smell of vomit was enough to nearly turn Laura's stomach.

Carter was seated, shaking from trying to suppress her own stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick," Carter said with a groan.

"Maybe you shouldn't have had that big lunch, huh?" Jack asked teasingly. Everyone got to their feet and Laura got her first look at Abydos. She felt a feeling of deja vu.

"I have been here before," Laura stated calmly.

"When, Laura?" Jack asked, one hand firmly on her shoulder.

"I don't know, but this room, I have seen it before. This place is normal and well-known for all the Goa'ulds and Tok'Ra and any younglings they may have," Laura said, looking around with her sharp blue eyes.

"Tok'Ra and Goa'uld?" Kawalsky asked.

"Goa'uld are the ones who attacked the base. Tok'Ra look like the Goa'uld and their hosts eyes glow, but they don't like the Goa'uld on account of what they do to humans and they only have hosts who wish to be hosts and they allow their younglings to live as opposed to the Goa'uld who kill their younglings as soon as they are born," Laura said.

"So you've been here before? Any idea who brought you here?" Jack asked.

"No, but if I had to guess it would be a Tok'Ra if I have what it is that makes the Goa'uld kill their offspring," Laura said as a bunch of kids carrying machine guns came out. Everyone cocked the weapons and pointed it at each other.

"Cha' hali," a man with shaggy brown hair stepped in front of them, his hands raised. If the man ditched the glasses and cut his hair, Laura would have considered him quite good-looking with his blue eyes. Considering that her father called Daniel Jackson a geek, Laura could only assume this was Daniel Jackson. "Cha' Hali. Lower your guns.," Daniel said again and everyone lowered their weapons. "Hello, Jack. Welcome back," Daniel said with a brief, nervous smile. Daniel looked guilty. It was the same look Laura and Charlie would have if Jack caught them doing something wrong.

Jack's eyes went to a point beyond Daniel's shoulder and he walked past him. He stood in front of a boy 4 or 5 years older than Laura who had dreadlocks in his hair. The boy saluted. Jack saluted back. "Skaara," Jack said by way of greeting.

"One-'Neill," Skaara said and the two of them hugged and laughed. "Yeah, I did not think to be seeing you again," Skaara said as Jack then looked at Daniel.

"Daniel, how ya doing?" Jack asked.

"Uh, good. You?" Daniel asked.

"Much better now that I see everybody's okay," Jack said, looking around.

"Greetings from Earth, Dr. Jackson," Ferretti said, giving the Vulcan salute. Laura laughed and removed her cap, running her fingers through her brownish-blonde hair.

"Hello, Ferretti," Daniel greeted.

"Brought you a little something, Daniel," Kawalsky said, handing Daniel a travel-sized Kleenex packet.

"Kawalsky," Daniel said, taking the packet and a dark-haired woman with a dark complexion, curly dark hair and a beige dress pushed open a tent flap and peeked shyly into the room. Daniel noticed her. "Sha're don't be shy. Sha're went to Daniel and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Hi. Good to see you again," Jack said, holding out his hand to Sha're.

"So, I had to figure it was only a matter of time before you had to tell the truth about us still being here," Daniel said as they got down to the matter at hand and Laura stood next to Jack, holding onto his hand.

"Yeah. Oh, Daniel, this is my kid, Laura," Jack introduced Laura.

"Hi, Dr. Jackson," Laura said, feeling a little tongue-tied as she hated meeting new people.

"Please, Daniel. Your dad told me about you," Daniel said, shaking her hand. Sha're then started babbling, her eyes locked fearfully on Laura.

"Why is she looking at my kid like that and what is she saying?" Jack said, releasing Laura's hand and wrapping his arm around Laura's shoulders.

Daniel followed the conversation for a few seconds. "She says that Laura is a Star child; a Harcesis," Daniel said.

"A what?" Jack asked confused.

Daniel asked Sha're what she meant. Sha're answered. "A Harcesis. A child whose parents are Goa'uld, but how you survived, Sha're doesn't know as the Goa'uld murder their human offspring once they are born," Daniel said.

"Why?" Kawalsky asked.

"Because I am born with all the secrets of the Goa'uld inside me. It comes from the Goa'uld who fathered me," Laura said.

"She's right. Tell me, have you found out that you know things?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah. I know what a Jaffa and a staff weapon are, I went through the Stargate without being sick, and I've been here before," Laura said as Jack looked around.

"Why the militia? Has something else come through?" Jack asked, changing the subject

No, we're just taking precautions, why?" Daniel asked.

"Amazing. This is what was missing from the dig at Giza. This is how they controlled it. It took us 15 years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on earth," Carter enthused behind them. Laura looked over as Carter looked at the DHD.

"Captain," Jack said.

Carter went on as if Jack hadn't said anything. "Look how small it is!" Carter said with a laugh.

"Captain!" Jack nearly shouted, getting her attention finally.

Carter turned. "Oh, right. Excuse me. Dr. Jackson, I presume. I'm Dr. Samantha Carter," Carter said, shaking Daniel's hand.

"Thought you wanted to be called Captain," Jack said.

"What's going on, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"Six hostile aliens came through the Stargate on Earth. Four people are dead, one's missing," Jack said.

"General Hammond and base personnel said that one of them looked like Ra, Daniel," Laura said.

"Well, they didn't come from here. I mean the boys take shifts guarding it 36 hours a day, every day. We'd know if they came through here," Daniel said, looking confused.

"Well, they came from somewhere, Daniel. I'm gonna have to look around," Jack said.

"All right. I think I can help you find out who it was, but it's gonna have to wait until the sandstorm is over. Uh, we were about to have our evening meal. Why don't you join us?" Daniel invited and they all sat down as the women of the tribe brought food. Laura noticed that everyone of the tribespeople looked at Laura with awe and a bit of fear like Sha're had, but she looked down at the fruit in front of her and ate it , trying to look as if she appreciated it.


Whatever could be said about the Abydonians, they served good food and liked to laugh. Once they realized that Laura wasn't a threat, the women and girls all crowded around her. They seemed fascinated by her clothes, hair, and blue eyes. Laura figured that brown-blonde hair and blue eyes were an oddity since everyone here had dark hair and eyes. Laura had seen the same fascination with Carter's hair and eyes as the little five year old girls touched their hair shyly. Laura smiled as an Abydonian told some joke in a language that sounded familiar, but Laura couldn't translate a word of.

Skaara then came up to Jack with some kind of pewter cup. "What is this?" Jack asked, looking at the cup skeptically.

Jack took it and sniffed it. "Drink," Skaara said.

"Moonshine?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows. Laura, seated next to him also smelled. The smell of the alcohol was enough to shut down a person's brain.

"Moonshine?" Skaara asked, clearly confused by the term.

"Yeah, moonshine. As in booze. Uh- Daniel, what are you teaching these kids?" Jack asked indignantly, interrupting himself.

"Try it," Skaara said. Jack looked at Laura.

"Dad, if you want my opinion, I would say don't," Laura said with a laugh.

"Dad?" Skaara asked confused.

"What kids on my planet call our fathers, Skaara," Daniel explained.

"Oh. Drink," Skaara said again, indicating the cup in Jack's hand.

"All right. Skaara's moonshine. Give it a little shot," Jack said, sniffing it again and then taking a drink. Jack coughed. Everyone laughed. "Smooth. Very smooth," Jack said in a hoarse voice.

"Moonshine!" Skaara said as everyone laughed again.

"Your little soldiers are all grown up, Colonel," Kawalsky said, taking a sip of Skaara's moonshine.

"Yeah, I'm so proud," Jack said sarcastically.

"Well, Dad, it could be worse. I could have made that stuff," Laura said.

"I don't think so. You ever make moonshine, I'm grounding you for life. Whoa," Jack said, hugging her with one arm and handing Carter the drink with his other hand.

"O'Neill. Your lighter," Skaara said, handing Jack a cigarette lighter.

Jack shook his head. "No. It's yours. I gave that to you to keep, remember?" Jack asked.

"Thank you," Skaara said, closing his hand over the lighter and disappearing in the crowd.

"You know, he's never had that out of his sight the whole time you were gone," Daniel said.

"Yeah?" Jack asked, clearly looking touched.

"So, this- this man, the one who looked like Ra- He must have come through another gate," Daniel said, changing the subject.

"What other gate? The Stargate only goes here?" Carter asked.

"There's another gate?" Jack asked at the same time.

"No, no. I think you're wrong about that," Daniel said with a slight laugh.

"I was there. We ran hundreds of permutations," Carter said.

"No, Daniel is right. This place is familiar, but I remember going through the gate and seeing other places. Deserts like this, places with trees. I think I remember a place that's all water," Laura said.

"She's right and you didn't have what you need," Daniel said around a mouthful of food.

"Daniel, what are you talking about," Jack asked.

"Daniel, the storm has passed," Skaara said, walking back to the group.

"I'll show you," Daniel said, getting up. "Sha're, ben qua ri. Jack and his friends to see the vili tao an," Daniel said to Sha're. Laura could only guess Daniel was telling Sha're where he was going. It didn't take much to figure that Sha're was Daniel's wife.

"Bonni wai?" Sha're asked.

"I won't be long," Daniel said. Daniel kissed his wife's forehead and she pulled his lips to hers and kissed Daniel passionately. Laura looked away. Seeing Sha're kiss him like that was embarrassing; Dad-singing-in-the-shower embarrassing. Apparently everyone else enjoyed the show.

"Goodbye, my, Daniel," Sha're said, stroking his face.

"Laura, do you want to come with us or stay here?" Jack asked, hugging her in the crook of his arm.

"I'll stay here. Dad, I'm still eating," Laura said, eating what looked like beans as everyone stood, with the exception of Ferretti and two or three airmen.