Daniel was vaguely aware of shifting in his sleep, trying to get comfortable.
He looked into Senichi's eyes, and in that moment, understood. Senichi accepted his defeat, knew that his life was ended even should Daniel show him mercy, and stop the battle here. It mattered not. He was sworn to this course, following in the tradition of his father. There was no graceful capitulation. Only honor, and those sworn to serve it. He knew, and his life was forfeit to his honor, and his goddess.
The fight was not yet over. Daniel gazed deeply into Senichi's face, and the priest nodded slightly. In one swift, strong move, Daniel slashed his blade -
Daniel's eyes flew open as his body jerked in reaction. He found his breathing harsh and ragged, his heart pumping frantically, adrenaline coursing through his system.
Taking a deep breath, he sat up, shoving the sleeping bag away. It was dark, the silence in the tent broken only by Tobe's soft snores and his own irregular gasps.
Daniel slid quietly off the camp cot, and padded over to his boots, sitting by the entrance flap. Checking inside the shoes for any unfriendly wildlife, he then stuffed his feet into his boots and left the tent, making his way toward the campfire.
Stumbling over his undone laces, Daniel dropped onto a log by the fire, and a pot on the flames caught his attention. Someone was brewing coffee. Inhaling deeply, Daniel smiled. Regular, not decaf. Amen.
He looked around, and saw no one present as of yet, but there were several cups sitting by the fire-pit. Using the bottom of his shirt as padding, Daniel poured some coffee into one of the cups and sipped slowly. It tasted very familiar.
A figure approached from the north, visible in the faint illumination that was eclipsing the starlight. Teal'c. Daniel nodded to the Jaffa as he approached, and sat nearby.
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said after a moment.
"Teal'c."
"I feel that I have failed you," the Jaffa said bluntly. "I have not acted as a true friend to you, and for that I am ashamed."
"Teal'c," Daniel said, worried for the other, "did there ever come a time, in any of our missions, that you weren't there for me when I needed your help?" Without giving the Jaffa a chance to reply, Daniel continued. "You have always done everything you can to help me, and you have always been a good friend to me."
"Then why did you feel you had little worth to SG-1 and the SGC?" Teal'c asked. "I could see the rift between yourself and O'Neill, and yet I did nothing. Many times I did not give you the support you required when you were correct and O'Neill was in the wrong. Have you not told me of the phrase, 'In silence, they shout?' "
"Cicero," Daniel murmured. The phrase had been used in one of his many orations against the conspirator Cataline, who had been planning to usurp the Roman government. The phrase itself condemned the lack of action on the part of the senators who did not speak out against Cataline, for their very silence itself screamed support of the would-be dictator.
Daniel made a wry face, acknowledging the truth of Teal'c's statement. "You couldn't do anything about the problem between Jack and me," Daniel replied quietly, taking each one of Teal'c's points into consideration. "That is between us. And yes, several times I did feel betrayed when neither you nor Sam would say anything to support me. But I was also glad that you didn't come right out and take sides."
"I do not understand this, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied.
Daniel winced slightly. How to explain this? How to explain the relief that while neither Sam nor Teal'c spoke out with him, they didn't speak out against him, either? How to explain the cutting pain when their silence ensured that they weren't on his side anyway?
"You didn't support me, Teal'c, but neither did you undermine me," Daniel said simply. "You and Sam knew that the real problem was between myself and Jack, and you didn't want to get involved. Jack used your silence against me, and I let him," Daniel sighed. "But none of it was your fault."
The Jaffa nodded, and Daniel could clearly see that his feelings on the subject had not changed. "I would ask that you forgive my negligence towards your friendship."
Daniel flinched. He had known that was coming. "Teal'c, sometimes things just happen." Daniel knew this wasn't coming out right, but he had to try. "Friendship is always something that needs to be worked at. Some friendships, like with Jack and me, take a bit more work. Some, like ours, just need a little bit of patching from time to time. There's nothing to forgive, Teal'c. We just - we have to work on it."
The Jaffa's face cleared, and comprehension swiftly overtook the clouded unhappiness that had wreathed his frame. "I believe I understand, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel sipped at his coffee, more at ease now. His friendship with Teal'c, much like his friendship with Jack, defied all odds. To some, it was inconceivable that Daniel should ever be able to work closely with the man who had offered up his wife to the Goa'uld, and later killed her. But Daniel knew that Teal'c had had no choice in those matters, forced by the situation into decisions that hurt others no matter the outcome. Daniel understood, and while he was only human, and had felt anger, he had let go of that emotion and come to know Teal'c. Once the bond had been forged, its strength had been surprising.
Daniel sipped the last of his coffee, and looked to the sky. Teal'c had taken his leave some time ago, in order to resume scouting the perimeter. Daniel had come to terms with the changes in his relationship with the big Jaffa, thinking his way around and through the issue as the sun gently rose into the sky.
Bringing the mug with him, Daniel returned to the tent to get dressed. Despite his still -unusable arm, he planned to get back to the Essene excavation, leaving the problem of the NID squarely in Jack's lap for now.
Once in the tent he managed to get dressed without needing help or waking Tobe, glaring at the sling as he struggled into it once more. Galya would rip him up one side and down the other for entering her sight without the cursed thing.
Putting his boots back on and tying them this time, Daniel made his way to the chow line, where only a few students and Smitty were up, everyone but the dapper chef yawning mightily. The cook, in contrast to the general prevailing mood of grumpy sleepiness, was wide-awake and cheerfully mixing oatmeal and scrambling eggs. Toast was burning and coffee was brewing, and the smells were tempting more and more people out of bed. By the time Daniel was seated and started his meal, the chow line was full and everyone was up.
"Good morning," said Ziv, cheerfully sipping some Chai tea he'd snuck into camp during the last mail run.
"Stuff it," grunted Louie, dropping down at the table next to Daniel, who just smiled a little.
"Damned unnatural," Galya muttered into her oatmeal.
"What?" asked Ziv, sipping his tea again with a look of blissful content.
"You," Michelle growled. She poked at her bacon, then abandoned the meat for fruit with a noise resembling a soft snarl.
Mac, approaching with his own tray of fruit and eggs, snorted. Saloma, right behind him, poured on the speed and snagged the chair Mac was aiming for - as far from Galya and Ziv as possible. The two ground on each other's nerves until sometime before lunch - Daniel had been yet unable to pin down the exact moment of the changeover, as everyone was usually too thankful to hear them speaking civilly to check their watches.
Mac glared at Saloma, who dug into her cereal with a blithely oblivious expression, which turned to a triumphant grin the moment Mac turned and made his way to the other end of the table and the only empty chair - right between Galya and Ziv. The smile was gone by the time Mac, glancing warily at the combatants poised on either side, sat down.
The rest of the meal went pretty much as expected - Galya snapping at Ziv, who remained undauntedly perky, while Louie interjected a comment every so often and Mac cringed uncomfortably. Daniel, Michelle, Saloma, and Tobe - when he arrived near the end of the meal - kept their heads down, exchanging amused glances as the coffee started to kick in.
When Daniel returned his tray to the section of the pavilion designated 'kitchen', he saw Jack entering the tent and glancing around at the students beginning to clear away their dishes. The Colonel was more awake than many of the students, who huddled near the coffee machines filling cups and thermoses. Daniel caught a gleam of humor shining out of Jack's eyes as he glanced at the crowds gathering coffee as if it were nectar of the gods in order to fortify themselves for the day. "So it's a genetic thing," he remarked as he stopped next to Daniel for a moment before heading to the chowline.
"What?" Daniel asked, not really paying attention.
"The coffee gene. Probably a recessive trait that only comes out in archaeologists," Jack replied smartly. There was humor, and a little wariness in his eyes that dissipated as Daniel smiled.
Daniel turned to leave, and Jack said quickly, "What are you going to do?"
"Today, I'm working in the Essene dig. Over there," Daniel said, waving a hand toward the highest point in the village.
"Have fun."
And that was the extent of their conversation for the morning. It had gone pretty well, Daniel thought dryly. Neither one of them had ended up hurt, angry, or upset at the end of it.
He was digging with his trowel while contemplating these rather distracting thoughts when he heard the distinctive noise of metal impacting on metal. Carefully, Daniel removed the trowel and took up a heavy brush. Vigorous wiping revealed the edge of a metal disk, glinting slightly in the sun.
Daniel, crouched low in the dirt, sat back for a moment and cocked his head to the side as he contemplated the best way to remove the piece. After a moment, and a glance at the assorted tools nearby, he reached for a small pick and began to loosen the dirt around the disk.
"Whatcha doin'?" came an interested voice from above him. Surprised, Daniel squinted up to find Jack watching him, sitting at the edge of the pit in which Daniel was working.
"Think I found something," Daniel answered.
"Cool," said Jack.
"Yes. Jack?"
"Daniel?"
"Shut up a minute, willya?"
Jack was still for a moment, and then Daniel glanced up with a shy grin. Jack snorted. "Yea sure you betcha."
He watched as Daniel painstakingly unearthed the rest of the metal disk.
"So what is it?"
Daniel glanced up again, this time a look of wry amusement warring with a carefully veiled surprise. Surprise that Jack was showing an interest in what he was doing. Dammit, Danny, Jack thought sadly. Meet me halfway. I've always been interested in what you're up to.
"It's a firepan."
Jack just gave him a blank look. "And? So? Therefore?"
Daniel shot another wary look at Jack, before taking a breath and launching right in. "Firepans. Sacred vessels used by priests to carry away the ashes of sacrifices or used as censers to carry live coals. Incense was sprinkled on the coals as an offering to God. The Bible recounts that they were used in sacrificial rituals, but no mention is made of how. They were usually made of bronze, and that's referenced also in the Bible, when Israel worshipped at the portable tabernacle. In Solomon's temple, the firepan and other such sacred utensils were made of gold."
"Daniel, I know we're talking Christianity here, but -" Jack's face was tense, his hands looking as if they would be more comfortable holding his P-90.
"But?" Daniel prompted.
"Sacrifices? What's the snake probability on this one?"
"Sacrifices of animals were commonly practiced in early Chrisitanity. The only episode that is slightly questionable is the near-death of Isaac at the hands of his father Abraham, supposedly by the will of God. It was actually a test of Abraham's faith, and a goat was sacrificed in the boy's stead after an angel intervened on behalf of God."
"Yea, I know." At Daniel's look of surprise, Jack replied, "O'Neill. Irish Catholic."
"Ah."
"Yea. So - snake probability?"
Daniel, still crouched in the dirt, sat back on his butt and frowned at the firepan.
"Danny?"
There was a slight stiffening of Daniel's shoulders, but he answered. Even if he wasn't meeting Jack's eyes. "I'm - not entirely sure." Jack's brow rose. "From what we know of the major System Lords, our planet has been pretty much left alone since Ra was overthrown in the early millennia B.C. However, there are several other factors that need to be considered."
"Such as?" Jack definitely did not like the sound of this.
"Seth. Osiris. And our last mission," Daniel said, still frowning down at the dirt. He crouched again, and picked up a nearby camera, photographing the find in situ. He moved around the pan, recording its position relative to the landmarks of the dig, and measurements from the walls. Jack mused over the Goa'uld Daniel had mentioned while the archaeologist worked to catalog minutia of the site before he carefully lifted the firepan from where it had been embedded in the soil for centuries. Daniel then placed several small marking flags around the large divot in the ground.
"The last - but Amawassis was defeated by Lazy Susan. Then Seth took him out. No worries, right?"
"Well, on that score, yes. Technically."
"Technically?"
Daniel frowned at the pan he was turning over in his fingers, not bothering to look around and make sure the other archaeologists were out of earshot. If Jack had brought this up, then they would be.
"Our last mission. The discovery of a feudal Japanese society with the presence of Samurai argues cultural transplantation of 16th century Oriental peoples. However, there is also the point that people of an earlier timeframe could have been transplanted and naturally evolved to that era as the people on Earth did. They had many of the same key cultural foundations, such as their honor and judgement codes, but there were also subtle differences. For one, Amaterasu appeared to be the dominant deity on P5Y-362, with little or no mention of other gods prominently found in the Japanese culture. Given these differences, I believe this to be the case. " Daniel stopped for a moment. "Also, history was much more accurately recorded in the 16th century, no matter where you're looking on the globe. I find it hard to believe that a Goa'uld would be able to take a substantial amount of people without it showing up somewhere - a mention of a light in the sky, or the populations of several villages disappearing. Anything, even if it became an urban legend."
"Final verdict?" asked Jack nervously.
"Hmm?" Daniel was caught up in his thoughts, absently examining the firepan. "I'd say the people on P5Y-362 were transplanted by Amaterasu much earlier than the 16th century. But if you want me to verify that there was no Goa'uld dipping its fingers in the roots of Christianity, I can't."
"Why not?"
Daniel shrugged, moving to stand. He stretched his legs as bit as he continued. "Look at the evidence. In Christianity itself, most notably the story of Jesus. A man is brutally killed, and later rises from the dead after being placed in a tomb."
Jack winced. "Sarcophagus?"
Daniel shrugged again. "Ascension into heaven is mentioned, as well."
"Oh, not one of those glowy energy people again," Jack grumbled.
"Beats me. While the story is taken from different angles by Judaism and Islam, the main idea is still roughly the same. The major difference is that Jesus is regarded as a prophet by Muslims and Jews, rather than the heir of King David - the Messiah - and the son of God, as Christians believe." Daniel began to walk toward one of the ladders leading out of the pit. "It keeps going. Lazarus, raised from the dead. The concept of 'laying on hands', which was a ritual usually preformed by priests or those who were in the presence of God, could be interpreted as using a Goa'uld healing device. The story of Abraham and Isaac. The concept of the hand of God striking down the unrighteous."
"Ribbon device." Jack stood and followed Daniel's progress on the edge of the pit.
"Or it could all just be coincidence. Take this?" Daniel stretched, handing up the firepan, and Jack grasped it gently as he bent precariously over the pit. Daniel mounted the ladder. "Many of the concepts I just enumerated are found even farther back in history. There is a Greek tale that corresponds to the story of Abraham and Isaac."
"Cronus," Jack grumbled.
"Exactly. The idea of returning from the dead is found in nearly every culture and religion. Divine healing, divine punishment - " Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose as he dismounted from the ladder, reaching out for the firepan. Jack placed it carefully in his grasp. "What I'm saying is that, while it was definitely more possible for a Goa'uld to have an impact on history two thousand years ago, it would be almost impossible for one to go unnoticed in the fifteen hundreds. And even taking that into account, I figure that many of the concepts in the Bible filter down from older religions that were derivatives of the ones the Goa'uld established thousands of years ago. Most of Christianity was developed by the Essene, who studied many assorted faiths. It's only reasonable to assume that they incorporated many main ideas from older religious practices into the theology - which would account for the veiled references to Goa'uld technology."
"So - no?" Jack asked, having followed through the entire conversation.
"No," Daniel confirmed. His attention returned to the firepan as he directed his steps toward the closest tent
Jack waited a minute, and then said, "What were you doing back there, with all the pictures and tape measurements and the little flags? Never seen that before."
Daniel became even more focused on the object in his hands. "Oh - that? Mac's a tyrant about preserving the site, and absolutely finicky about knowing exactly where everything was found. Makes for more precise dating, more accurate evidence about the site, which in turn supports the credibility of any information and hypothesis made about the dig, or anything relating to it. And the reason I don't do it is because of the time constraints on the teams. It wasn't even logical to bother on 888."
"I'm sorry about that," Jack said seriously. "I can see how much you love this, and I know -"
"Jack -" Daniel cut him off and then stopped. After a moment, he began speaking once more. "I've gotten used to it off-world. I mean, gate-travel itself could almost make up for the shortcuts I have to take."
"Almost," Jack said softly.
Daniel's head dropped. "Part of me always knows that what I'm trying to do is ridiculous," he replied. "I mean, our UAV's and MALP's survey roughly twenty miles around the gate. And from these twenty-mile scans, we assume a planet is inhabited, or not, based on the assumption that the people would stay near the Stargate. It's illogical to think that an entire planet is deserted based on a twenty-mile circumference." Here Daniel snorted. "Hell, when you and Sam ended up in Antarctica, you thought it was an ice planet - and that was just one continent."
"I see your point," Jack said. They reached the tent, and Jack pulled the flap back as Daniel walked into the shelter from the hot noon sun.
"Yo, Daniel!" said Tobe, a grin lighting his face. "Whatcha got?"
"Firepan," Daniel responded. He was mobbed by eager students in a heartbeat, and within moments was explaining the significance of the find, the location, and that it was most probably traded to the Essene rather than made by them, given the markings and quality of the metal.
"What's the deal with these Essene, anyway?" Jack asked when Daniel finally extracted himself from the students, leaving the firepan in their collective clutches. Daniel raised a brow. "Irish Catholic, huh?"
Jack pulled a haughtily offended expression. "Yea. Wanna make somethin' of it?"
Daniel snorted. "Try to remember where you are, Jack."
"Standing in a tent?"
"No. Israel."
"Ah. Got that." Jack flashed a sheepish grin, and Daniel smiled back. For moment, it almost felt like the last year had never happened.
"Ask again at lunchtime," Daniel suggested as they moved out of the tent before he could be ambushed by eager students about location and position and God knew what else, Jack reflected.
"Speaking of lunch," Jack commented.
As if on cue, a loud bell rang out, and the noise level coming from inside the tent practically tripled.
"Looks as if we're going to hurry if we want anything to eat," Daniel commented, setting out at a brisk pace.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(looks around warily) well, this chapter has probably pushed me from half-lapsed to excommunicated, but I've been wanting to expound on the possible Goa'uld references in the Bible for a loooooong time. (grins). I hope you're all enjoying the s -l - o - w reconciliation. It gets better! I promise! (and reviews make me sooo happy!) Thank you to all my faithful reviewers! Thank you thank you thank you!!