Chapter 9: Another meeting
"Well, people?" Hammond asked.
"She won't tell us where she comes from, sir," Carter said. "Not a whisper. She's very… adamant about that."
"Did you discover what that implant in the back of her neck was?" he asked. "Apparently it contains some kind of explosive…"
"I asked her about that," Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. "She said that her people can make a kind of device to extract information from the brain of someone who's dead. I think she was talking about reconstructing neural pathways by computer." Looks were exchanged. "I'm not quite sure. The translation was a bit… vague. She says all her team had one surgically implanted. It measures neural activity and body temperature; when the readings drop below a certain point, the explosive detonates. It's a shaped charge designed to completely destroy the brain."
"Nice," Jack remarked sarcastically.
"Yes, but it also means that the Goa'uld can't use a sarcophagus to resurrect any of her team and torture them for information," Daniel said. "So we don't have to worry about that."
"You're sure of that, Doctor?"
"I am, sir," Fraiser said. "If it can do that, there won't be enough of the brain to repair. You might be able to get a body to work again, but the memories and personality will be gone."
"Good," Hammond finally said. "But it's not going to go off here and now?"
"Not as long as she's alive," Daniel said. "She seemed very sure of that."
"What can you tell us about her personally?"
"She's young, intelligent, well-educated…" he paused. "I don't think she's military. She said that there were three types of people on the teams. I think one term she used means civilian scientists, like me, people there purely to study and research the planets they travelled to. There were the military, there to protect the others, and detect threats to their home and people, and one group she called 'Jedi'. She couldn't explain to me exactly what they do, but she said she was studying to be one, and her teacher had brought her along since she was also a biochemist. She was quite clear on that, the scientific training was secondary." Daniel glanced at his notes. "She talked to Captain Marsters, the best biochemist on base; he said she's good enough to have a Masters degree on Earth." He shrugged. "I get the feeling the Jedi are trained in combat, but I couldn't get her to elaborate."
"Well, she'd have to be, with what she did," Carter said.
"I concur," Teal'c spoke for the first time. "She was most skilled."
"Spies?" O'Neill asked.
"I don't think so," he said slowly. "But I'm not sure. Jack, neither of us can grasp each other's language well enough to be sure of anything."
"How long to learn her language properly?"
"Weeks, probably, General. Her language is incredibly subtle and complicated compared to English, and I do know that her home has more than one language. What she's been teaching me is a sort of polyglot mix of all of them that's evolved over the years, but the other languages have still persisted. She was very careful not to tell me much about her home. Nothing about their technology level, military, how long they've been using the Stargates… I asked her and she just clammed up. Wouldn't say a thing."
"Well, she probably sees it as her duty," Carter said. "To protect her people. She understands that this can mean controlling information."
"Yes, she's concerned that the Goa'uld might learn about her people from someone here."
"That wouldn't happen," Hammond said.
"I told her that, but she didn't believe me. She said that it would only take one traitor or one person who talked under torture," Doctor Jackson said it evenly. "She knows we're at war with the Goa'uld; she's also worried we'll lose, and they'll get the information after that. She knows at least some of it is being recorded. She's not stupid, General. She's also cynical."
"Do you think she'd be amenable to opening diplomatic relations with her people?"
"I don't know. If she did, she'd do it out of duty. I learned one other thing about her - you remember how she said she'd remember her team had died because of our war?" The others nodded. "Well, she didn't just lose her team and friends. She lost her teacher." He looked at each in turn. "Who was also her adopted father."
"Well, people?" Hammond asked.
"She won't tell us where she comes from, sir," Carter said. "Not a whisper. She's very… adamant about that."
"Did you discover what that implant in the back of her neck was?" he asked. "Apparently it contains some kind of explosive…"
"I asked her about that," Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. "She said that her people can make a kind of device to extract information from the brain of someone who's dead. I think she was talking about reconstructing neural pathways by computer." Looks were exchanged. "I'm not quite sure. The translation was a bit… vague. She says all her team had one surgically implanted. It measures neural activity and body temperature; when the readings drop below a certain point, the explosive detonates. It's a shaped charge designed to completely destroy the brain."
"Nice," Jack remarked sarcastically.
"Yes, but it also means that the Goa'uld can't use a sarcophagus to resurrect any of her team and torture them for information," Daniel said. "So we don't have to worry about that."
"You're sure of that, Doctor?"
"I am, sir," Fraiser said. "If it can do that, there won't be enough of the brain to repair. You might be able to get a body to work again, but the memories and personality will be gone."
"Good," Hammond finally said. "But it's not going to go off here and now?"
"Not as long as she's alive," Daniel said. "She seemed very sure of that."
"What can you tell us about her personally?"
"She's young, intelligent, well-educated…" he paused. "I don't think she's military. She said that there were three types of people on the teams. I think one term she used means civilian scientists, like me, people there purely to study and research the planets they travelled to. There were the military, there to protect the others, and detect threats to their home and people, and one group she called 'Jedi'. She couldn't explain to me exactly what they do, but she said she was studying to be one, and her teacher had brought her along since she was also a biochemist. She was quite clear on that, the scientific training was secondary." Daniel glanced at his notes. "She talked to Captain Marsters, the best biochemist on base; he said she's good enough to have a Masters degree on Earth." He shrugged. "I get the feeling the Jedi are trained in combat, but I couldn't get her to elaborate."
"Well, she'd have to be, with what she did," Carter said.
"I concur," Teal'c spoke for the first time. "She was most skilled."
"Spies?" O'Neill asked.
"I don't think so," he said slowly. "But I'm not sure. Jack, neither of us can grasp each other's language well enough to be sure of anything."
"How long to learn her language properly?"
"Weeks, probably, General. Her language is incredibly subtle and complicated compared to English, and I do know that her home has more than one language. What she's been teaching me is a sort of polyglot mix of all of them that's evolved over the years, but the other languages have still persisted. She was very careful not to tell me much about her home. Nothing about their technology level, military, how long they've been using the Stargates… I asked her and she just clammed up. Wouldn't say a thing."
"Well, she probably sees it as her duty," Carter said. "To protect her people. She understands that this can mean controlling information."
"Yes, she's concerned that the Goa'uld might learn about her people from someone here."
"That wouldn't happen," Hammond said.
"I told her that, but she didn't believe me. She said that it would only take one traitor or one person who talked under torture," Doctor Jackson said it evenly. "She knows we're at war with the Goa'uld; she's also worried we'll lose, and they'll get the information after that. She knows at least some of it is being recorded. She's not stupid, General. She's also cynical."
"Do you think she'd be amenable to opening diplomatic relations with her people?"
"I don't know. If she did, she'd do it out of duty. I learned one other thing about her - you remember how she said she'd remember her team had died because of our war?" The others nodded. "Well, she didn't just lose her team and friends. She lost her teacher." He looked at each in turn. "Who was also her adopted father."