Chapter 5

Carter passed two soldiers, smiling at them. She slowed as she came to an open door, listening.

"But how can you be sure?" Daniel asked, and then paused. "But the context is wrong. Frank, you haven't ever met the Anatir before, how can you be so sure that this structure is right? Based on what, exactly?"

She smiled, walking into the room. A large whiteboard was filled with symbols and open books were scattered around him. He held a text in his hand, but stared at the board.

"The Punjabi? They don't even have a written language! Where? Frank, where?" Daniel sighed, tossing the book aside. "Do you want to do this? Well then, stop telling me I'm wrong. I am not wrong!"

Carter cleared her throat. Daniel turned and smiled.

"Hey, Sam."

She sat down on a stool.

"What are you two arguing about?"

"The Anatir language. He says the verbs aren't verbs and there are no adjectives, and I say he's wrong." Daniel walked over to a table, sorting through the text. "Now he wants proof."

Carter laughed. Daniel smiled, glancing at her.

"What?"

"What if he's right?"

"You'll never know."

Carter nodded. "Something tells me Frank would tell me."

Daniel pulled a thin book from the pile. "Did you finish scanning that Prior's staff?"

"Yes. It has an organic power source that's living."

Daniel leaned on the table. "A living power source?"

"I've never seen anything like it."

"But doesn't that mean," Teal'c's voice began. He entered into the room, standing next to Carter, "That if it has a power source, it can be disabled?"

"Yes. One shot from a zat or staff would kill the organism."

"However you'd have to get close enough to one to shoot it," Daniel opened the book, thumbing through the pages. "And from what we learned from the Ori, we're going to have a difficult time figuring out how."

"But it does mean they have a weakness," Teal'c pointed out.

Daniel smiled at him. "Yes. It does mean that." He turned back to the white board and began erasing and replacing words. "Okay, so that one verb was wrong. That doesn't mean you're right."

"Whom are you speaking to?" Teal'c asked.

"Frank," Carter and Daniel answered.

"You converse with him out loud frequently. It makes many people uncomfortable."

Daniel stopped writing and turned. Carter looked up at Teal'c.

"Any person in particular?" Daniel asked.

"Yes."

'So that's why he hasn't talked a lot to us.'

"I'm sorry."

"As am I. Frank, you have raised your daughter well."

'Say what?'

"He has?"

"Yes. She was very brave while were captive and respectful towards Colonel Mitchell and I. She spoke highly of her father, but does wish she could see him again. She was very careful not to reveal what you are to us, and we did not tell her we knew. I believe Mitchell believed the same as I, this is something you must discuss with her."

Daniel nodded. "I want to. I mean, we want to, but we can't. Not yet."

"Why?" Carter asked.

"She doesn't have clearance and probably won't for another year. For now... He'll just have to email her."

Daniel turned back to the board.

"At least General Landry agreed to move her to a back up team. Frank is thankful for that." Quietly he added, "He just hopes we live long enough to tell her the truth."

Carter and Teal'c didn't say anything, not sure there was anything to say at this point. Neither of them could get her the clearance she needed to be told classified information like Daniel and Frank's joining.


Rakish had been a faithful follower of the Ori since birth. He had memorized the Book of Origin cover-to-cover. When the Prior came to the temple and asked him to become a Doci, his village was pleased and blessed him for being chosen. He followed the Prior's to a strange location that was out of a dream – a blissful, pleasant dream. They led him into a temple and through halls where he passed other Priors. He was led into a room with a chasm of fire behind a fence. The Prior opened the gates in the fence and motioned him in. He was afraid suddenly, not sure what this honor was going to be. But his faith found him and he walked through the gates to the edge of the cliff. From the flames leapt something that was illuminated as bright as a sun. He closed his eyes as it passed into him. There was pain, but it was brief and suddenly Rakish was gone.

The Doci turned and left the flame. Priors entered the room, surrounding him.

"My faithful followers," the Ori spoke through the Doci. "We have suffered a loss of a Doci and followers, but the news of this is not as grave as the new knowledge we have learned. From the Jaffa followers, we discovered beings called the goa'uld but we thought them of little threat. Alone, they are not. But when I was given the follower of Earth called Daniel Jackson, I found in him one of these goa'uld, and the lies the creature had told this follower were nothing short of blasphemy. I tried to separate their minds and to help the follower, but the battle was lost to this sooth-saying parasite. I learned there are others like them, but I was unable to learn where they hid as they led our followers onto paths of darkness. You will search out followers that have joined with these goa'uld, and you will cleanse them both."

"We will obey," the Prior's said.

"And Daniel Jackson and his parasite are to be returned to me. I will cleanse them myself. Go forth and spread the word of Enlightenment."

The Prior's left the room. The Doci looked at the flames, hearing the words of the others in the flames.

"Yes. This abomination will be eradicated and stopped from corrupting our followers further. I will see to this command myself."

The Doci left the room.

The End