Chapter 14: I treat you as such
O'Neill had been meaning to talk with Daniel but got caught up in talking with Hammond about threat assessments, and by the time he went hunting for his friend he was very worked up.
It did him no good to find him in his office with Varielle. The young girl was sitting on the desk resting her feet on a box, clad in a sleek black t-shirt that fit like a second skin, combat trousers and boots, all sign of plaster casts removed. Her hair was once again scraped back, but she still looked very pretty. Daniel was looking at his computer and apparently impervious to all distractions outside the text and his companion.
"No," she shook her head. "Nothing like that. I do not recognise anything."
"I'd hoped there'd be something," he slumped back.
"Daniel?"
"Is it not customary on this planet to knock?" Varielle asked impishly.
"Yes," Daniel said. "Coffee, Jack?"
"Is he being rude or friendly?" she asked.
"Well…"
"Friendly," Jack said.
"Ah. Both." Daniel sighed and handed Jack a cup of coffee. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you." She sighed and reached for an open book. "If there are alikes in our history, I do not know them. I wish I had studied history more."
"You never really learned it?"
"I learned the history of our planet and the Long Journey." Both listeners could hear the capitals. "But the Republic, the old galaxy? No. There was too much to learn in a lifetime. There are historians on my planet. Perhaps one will have the answers you seek, Daniel." She handed him the book. "I cannot help you."
"What were you trying to do?"
"Oh, ah, we were trying to figure out which galaxy humans originated in."
"We had always thought we were native to our old galaxy," Varielle said. "But perhaps it is not so. Whether it is or not, it will cause uproar among the scientists. There will be debates fit to shatter glass."
"We had that here, too."
"But with you it did not go out to the world. You hide your secrets here in this hole in the ground, keeping them from other nations. Technology I can understand if you do not wish to share, but general science? The knowledge that faster-than-light travel is possible, or there is a cure for death, whatever the drawbacks, or that your species is not the only one that exists that can think for itself?" She shook her head. "I am sorry. I should not judge."
"Could I have a word, Daniel?" Jack asked.
"Sure, what about?"
He darted a glance at Varielle, who was examining an artefact from West Africa.
"You wish me to leave so you may talk to your friend alone?" she asked.
"Well - yeah."
"Then why not did you say so and ask me to leave?"
"Er. It seemed rude?"
"Is it any more rude expecting me to read your mind?"
"I didn't…"
"You expect me to violate your privacy. Perhaps rude is not the word, but it is certainly not nice." She cautiously slid down off the table. "You are a person, just like Daniel, or myself, or one of my team, or even one of the Goa'uld. I treat you as such." She walked out.
"Did I miss something?" Jack demanded of the air. "Touchy little thing, isn't she?" Daniel was tidying his desk and didn't even look up. "Daniel?"
"Jack, she's lost her friends, her team, and her father and been very badly injured. Now she may not get to go home because some of the people on this planet don't believe in human rights. She hasn't done a thing to hurt us, and she saved my life back on 992. Twice. And yours and Sam's, and Teal'c's. And was very badly injured in the process. You could show a little gratitude, or at least a little compassion."
"You like her."
"She's… good company."
"Daniel…"
"Jack, she's an alien and she's seventeen. She's also a very talented linguist."
"Daniel…"
"Jack, I feel sorry for her, alright?"
"Hey, sorry I asked!" He held his hands up in surrender. "But you're spending so much time talking with her, I just wondered…"
"It's part of the job."
O'Neill had been meaning to talk with Daniel but got caught up in talking with Hammond about threat assessments, and by the time he went hunting for his friend he was very worked up.
It did him no good to find him in his office with Varielle. The young girl was sitting on the desk resting her feet on a box, clad in a sleek black t-shirt that fit like a second skin, combat trousers and boots, all sign of plaster casts removed. Her hair was once again scraped back, but she still looked very pretty. Daniel was looking at his computer and apparently impervious to all distractions outside the text and his companion.
"No," she shook her head. "Nothing like that. I do not recognise anything."
"I'd hoped there'd be something," he slumped back.
"Daniel?"
"Is it not customary on this planet to knock?" Varielle asked impishly.
"Yes," Daniel said. "Coffee, Jack?"
"Is he being rude or friendly?" she asked.
"Well…"
"Friendly," Jack said.
"Ah. Both." Daniel sighed and handed Jack a cup of coffee. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you." She sighed and reached for an open book. "If there are alikes in our history, I do not know them. I wish I had studied history more."
"You never really learned it?"
"I learned the history of our planet and the Long Journey." Both listeners could hear the capitals. "But the Republic, the old galaxy? No. There was too much to learn in a lifetime. There are historians on my planet. Perhaps one will have the answers you seek, Daniel." She handed him the book. "I cannot help you."
"What were you trying to do?"
"Oh, ah, we were trying to figure out which galaxy humans originated in."
"We had always thought we were native to our old galaxy," Varielle said. "But perhaps it is not so. Whether it is or not, it will cause uproar among the scientists. There will be debates fit to shatter glass."
"We had that here, too."
"But with you it did not go out to the world. You hide your secrets here in this hole in the ground, keeping them from other nations. Technology I can understand if you do not wish to share, but general science? The knowledge that faster-than-light travel is possible, or there is a cure for death, whatever the drawbacks, or that your species is not the only one that exists that can think for itself?" She shook her head. "I am sorry. I should not judge."
"Could I have a word, Daniel?" Jack asked.
"Sure, what about?"
He darted a glance at Varielle, who was examining an artefact from West Africa.
"You wish me to leave so you may talk to your friend alone?" she asked.
"Well - yeah."
"Then why not did you say so and ask me to leave?"
"Er. It seemed rude?"
"Is it any more rude expecting me to read your mind?"
"I didn't…"
"You expect me to violate your privacy. Perhaps rude is not the word, but it is certainly not nice." She cautiously slid down off the table. "You are a person, just like Daniel, or myself, or one of my team, or even one of the Goa'uld. I treat you as such." She walked out.
"Did I miss something?" Jack demanded of the air. "Touchy little thing, isn't she?" Daniel was tidying his desk and didn't even look up. "Daniel?"
"Jack, she's lost her friends, her team, and her father and been very badly injured. Now she may not get to go home because some of the people on this planet don't believe in human rights. She hasn't done a thing to hurt us, and she saved my life back on 992. Twice. And yours and Sam's, and Teal'c's. And was very badly injured in the process. You could show a little gratitude, or at least a little compassion."
"You like her."
"She's… good company."
"Daniel…"
"Jack, she's an alien and she's seventeen. She's also a very talented linguist."
"Daniel…"
"Jack, I feel sorry for her, alright?"
"Hey, sorry I asked!" He held his hands up in surrender. "But you're spending so much time talking with her, I just wondered…"
"It's part of the job."