Anunnaki Part 3
By Michele
Rating: PG (Jack/Sam/Daniel)
Summary: The sky is irritating Sam, the group discovers something about Jack thanks to Nate's big mouth, Nate gets physical with an airman, the culprit is discovered, Thor's friends are dropped off, and cubs get waterproofed.
They walked back to the campout on the rim of the valley, careful to keep a distance between them. Jack felt lighter than he had since the day his son was born. If the tingling in his groin was any indication, he'd have no problem making love with Daniel. Although how he was able to have feelings for Daniel and Sam at the same time, was a little confusing. He just hoped the entire thing wasn't going to have an adverse effect with him and Sam. The three of them REALLY needed to sit down and talk.
"You're glowing," Daniel whispered. "Stop it."
"Trying." Jack whispered back. "Daniel, I'm worried about Sam. I don't want to ruin anything. I love her. I can't…."
"I know," Daniel said. "I don't want you to ruin anything, either. We'll talk when we get back. The three of us. It will give us all time to think about this."
Jack stopped, holding a hand out. "Danny, I'm not a slave to my gonads," he said. "I just want you to know that. If I thought for one minute that I was only trying to get an itch scratched, I would refused the entire conversation and let Sam be angry with me. My marriage to her isn't worth a roll in the hay, no matter how terrific a kisser you are."
Daniel smiled. "I know you're worried, Jack," Daniel assured him. "I'm a little worried myself. That's why we need to think and talk it through. I need to be sure, also, because I don't want to be the cause of you guys splitting up. If you change your mind, or if she changes hers, it's ok. If you just want a few therapy sessions to get you over any residual trauma, we can talk about that, too. I don't sleep around; I prefer to be in a relationship with someone, if I'm going to sleep with them. Paul and I may be casual, but neither of us is seeing anyone else. If I do get involved with you and Sam, I expect a full relationship; dates, holding hands, cuddling, arguing and making up, the whole nine yards. I can do without flowers but a box of chocolate would be nice."
Jack laughed and quickly looked around. "It can be arranged," he promised. They continued walking. "What about Davis?"
Daniel shrugged and nodded. "If we are a go, I will break it off with him. I will still continue with our little flirting thing here, though, unless our general wants us to stop."
"No," Jack said, grateful for the introduction back to duty. "Stay with it. Your peeping-tom is about to blow into a million pieces."
"Paul is a friend, Jack," Daniel reminded him. "When he's in town, I'd like to have dinner with him once in a while. Hang out. I'd rather you didn't get an attack of the green monsters. Will you trust me not to cheat?"
Jack looked at him. "Daniel, I trust you with my life on a daily basis," he said. "Of course, I'll trust you not to cheat. It is so surreal, having this conversation with you."
Daniel smiled. "Too early to ask exactly what your feelings are?"
Jack flushed and ruffled his hair. "Give me a little time with that one."
Daniel nodded. "I'll say this, Jack; you've been my brother, father, best friend. I love those aspects of you and I can easily fall in love with you. Do you understand the difference?" Jack nodded. "Just be open with me. You're shit at communicating, Jack, and I need the communication, ok?" Jack nodded again. "You and Sam aren't the only ones that can be hurt by this."
"I know, Danny," Jack said. "I'm trying. Sam pushes me all the time to tell her what's going on inside. It hurt to talk about all that this morning. I'm not used to being questioned."
"Jack and the general are two different people," Daniel said, putting a hand on Jack's back. Jack was uncomfortably aware of how comfortable the hand felt. He wanted to lean into it, and that just wasn't a Jack O'Neill thing to do. "Separate them. Jack needed to talk, not the general. The general can bitch about us questioning orders; Jack has to play nice in the sand box. Forget the macho bullshit; we respect you, Jack, and opening up only gives us a greater respect, it doesn't diminish it. I'm learning to open up, too, so you aren't alone in this."
Jack paused, looked around, and kissed Daniel.
"What was that for?" Daniel asked, bemused, as Jack continued their walk.
"Just checking."
"Checking on what?"
"I thought Sam was the only one that could make my mouth tingle like that."
Daniel tripped over an exposed root and chuckled.
"Good communication, Jack."
They got back to the valley rim to find cubs pouncing and climbing in their morning excitement. One pounce landed on Daniel's shoulders. A soft, russet tail wrapped around his throat.
"Good morning, T'Keet," he said, reaching up to scratch an ear. He was rewarded with a purr.
"She's got a crush on you," Jack informed him, pointing to the cub.
"Don't worry," Daniel said. "I have to draw a line somewhere." He went to check on the soil samples.
Jack found Sam and took a cup from her.
"Ok?" she asked, hiding her worry.
He nodded. "You're right," he whispered. "He does kiss well." He knew his face was slightly pink, he could feel the heat radiating.
Sam laughed and slid an arm around his waist.
"I take it you enjoyed it?" she whispered back. Jack ruffled his hair again.
"I keep thinking I shouldn't but yes, I did," he admitted. Sam buzzed his cheek.
"It's ok, honey," she said. "It feels right from my side of things. Explore this as feels right for you and I will support you all the way, whatever your decision is. Take him on a date. You guys have been out together so many times, I don't know why you don't just call it what it is: a date. Men, I swear… Girls go out together and call it a date. Court him, if you want. If all it comes down to is dating and a few kisses, that's fine. If you want to screw him into the mattress, that's good, too. Let me and him handle me and him."
Jack laughed in surprise, earning them a warning glance from Maynard before he headed down the hill. Jack took a step away from Sam. "Works for me, babe. We talked a bit," he said. "We need to think about this, and we'll get together when we get home and talk. We need to be sure about this, honey, because I am seriously confused." Sam understood and agreed.
Most of the humans were down in the Scoop, continuing with the project when Reynolds and Colins from the main camp site came in carrying more scientific things for Sam.
"Good morning, Sir. UAV is on the way," Reynolds reported.
"Morning, colonel. Sergeant." Jack said. "Teal'c, let the locals know that a strange thing is going to come flying in and not to be alarmed." Teal'c gave a nod and passed the word.
Daniel was standing on the rim, looking at the sky and frowning; with the bluish-green morning sky he couldn't tell if the shimmer was still there.
"Dr. Jackson?" he turned and saw one of the trainees standing a few paces away. Gaafar. Daniel hadn't worked with the young man yet.
"Sabaa al-khayr," he said. "Khalid, is it?" The airman cast a startled but pleased eye at him.
"Yes, Sir. Good morning to you, too, sir. Do you have a moment for a question?" He cast a nervous glance at the general who really didn't look so intimidating up close, if one ignored the barking, frowning, and overall irritability. The rest of SG-1 were relaxed with him, so maybe there was something Gaafar wasn't seeing.
"Sure but could you drop the sir? The general is sir, I'm just Daniel." The few clouds helped a little in spotting the shimmer.
"Yes, s…. Daniel. I've been learning that language you and the…Teal'c have been speaking and…"
Daniel quickly turned. "You what?"
"Uh, I was given a copy of your notes about 6 months ago and ordered to learn it," Gaafar said apologetically. Daniel looked at Jack who winced.
"Sorry," he said. "Forgot to tell you. The sergeant is an early birthday present. He speaks 12 languages."
"Finally, a little help with the linguistics," Daniel grumped. "Thank you, Jack. Go on, Khalid, what's your question?"
"My question isn't so much on the Goa'uld; I've been correcting my pronunciations and getting specifics with Teal'c, Bre'tac, and Rya'c. It's hard to learn a language properly without someone who speaks it, but this one seems to have a little Arabic in it, so…. It's the locals. Once in a while, I'd swear they're speaking a word that's familiar and I don't mean Arabic, although it's close."
Daniel nodded. "Yes, I've caught that, too, but I'm not placing it."
Gaafar shuffled, seeming slightly embarrassed. "This may sound strange, but ….well, ok, one of the adults was patting the paw of a cub. She hurt herself. And he said a word –sapu. There's a Babylonian…" Daniel snapped his fingers, cutting Gaafar.
"Sapnu!" he crowed in delight. "Oh, my God, that's what's been irritating me! Taking into account for a shift in language…!"
Daniel gripped his head, giving a moan. Jack and Sam waited for brilliance to speak.
"No!" Daniel cried out. "How the hell did Babylonian words get into their language?! And…crap, I've been hearing Sumerian and Assyrian, too!"
"You can differentiate between the three languages?" Gaafar asked, astounded.
"Uh, Daniel?" Jack waved, trying to catch his attention. "Sap..what?"
"Sapnu," Daniel said. "It's a Babylonian word. It means paw! The cub hurt her paw and her parent said sapu which with a little shift could have originated as sapnu. T'Keet," he took the cub from around his neck and held her to his chest. "Sapu?" he questioned carefully. She held up a paw. "Yes!" he snuggled her and handed her off to a nearby adult. "That's why some of the words had a familiar ring! You're going to drink that coffee, Jack! Oh, God!" He danced around again, holding his head. The others waited.
"Their name. Sua. It means cat!" Not finding a notebook in his pockets, Daniel fell to the ground and started writing in the dirt, muttering to himself.
"Welcome to our world, sergeant," Jack said, patting the confused airman on the shoulder. "You've made his year. He'll love you forever. And I'm still not drinking that mud he calls coffee."
"Daniel," Sam called. He continued his scribbling. Sam planted a boot on his rear and shook him. "Hey. Watch the birds." Daniel turned over and looked at the sky, frowning in irritation at the interruption.
The birds were actually more like flying lizards but Daniel watched the flocks dancing in the sky, looking at the ground for their breakfast. Many were watching the activity below to see if the strange creatures on the ground turned up any grubs or insects for them. They reminded Daniel of seagulls and pelicans watching for dropped food from humans or looking for an edge in stealing a fish. He finally noticed that they were darting around the section of sky they were watching the evening before.
"Interesting," Daniel said. "We're not seeing things, there is something there."
Sam nodded.
"Has anyone tried shooting anything up there?" Jonas asked, leaning on a nearby tree, watching and listening. Daniel got to his feet, brushing himself off. Jack took the gun from the back of his BDU's and called out a warning. He stood at the edge of the rim, took aim, and shot. A static charge-like energy wave rippled in the sky. Everyone below watched the space above them.
"I want to know what the hell that is," Sam said, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at the sky for daring to pique her curiosity.
"Colonel Carter, this is base," came over her radio.
"Carter here."
"UAV is incoming, Ma'am."
"Finally," she muttered. "Roger, base. UAV is incoming, folks!" she called out over the radio. Daniel opened his radio and called out in Goa'uld for the Sua to stay calm and watch the humans for instruction. The Sua were slightly suspicious of the talking things on the shoulders of the humans but they would be calm.
They heard the buzzing of the UAV and Sam watched the hand-held read-out that Reynolds had handed her in the care package. Daniel and Jack watched over her shoulder.
"Jack, when the UAV is near the spot, would you mind taking another shot?"
"Sure." He got into position, called out another warning, and waited. When the readings for the space came in on the computer, Sam nodded to Jack. He took his shot. Once again, there was a ripple of energy.
"What?" Sam squeaked, looking at the read-out. "It saying there's a solid mass up there! And loaded with naquadah. About the equivalent of a ship. No, two ships, if they're mothership size."
"General, that spot is registering as part energy and part matter," Sam said, watching the read-outs. "I think something is caught between phases. Only the Asgard have the technology to re-phase something outside of a Stargate."
"Major Bosco, send up an Asgard flare!" Jack called over the radio.
"Yes, sir!"
"Everyone out of the hole!" Jack called down to the Scoop. Everyone dropped whatever they were holding and scrambled up the rim. A burst of light shone in the sky further away and they watched the flare go up and up until it was no longer visible. Teal'c and Daniel reassured the Sua.
"Is there anything in those soil samples?" Jack asked.
"Not sure, sir," she reported. "Some of the deeper samples have a trace of something that isn't natural to the area. Very minute traces. Not radioactive and not naquadah. Almost like a meteor strike but the mineral content isn't consistent with meteors. I don't know what the trace is, I haven't seen it before, sorry, Sir."
"Daniel, you and Teal'c prepare our hosts for an unusual day," Jack ordered. "Have Sancho here help you." The three were off to collect Sua warriors. Daniel clued Gaafar in on Jack-speak.
"What's going on?" Maynard asked, catching his breath from running up the rim. Allegash, Philips, and Crawford joined him a moment later. Jack nodded for Sam to fill them in.
"Bosco," he called over the radio.
"Sir."
"Hold the gate, major, we may be calling for reinforcements and the problem isn't local. Possible Goa'uld."
"Yes, Sir!"
"You're sure these are motherships?" Maynard asked. Jack nodded.
"It isn't too often Colonel Carter is wrong," he said. "I'll go with her first instincts."
Jack abruptly disappeared in a beam of light, startling the Sua.
"Thor's here," Sam announced. "Daniel, get the locals back into the forest," she ordered. "Major, get that cub out of the hole!" she shouted at Davis who was standing close to the rim. Davis jumped in and chased the cub who thought he was playing. One of the adults yelled down and the cub paused. Davis snatched her up and she clung to his t-shirt as he hustled back up the rim. She jumped to the nearest adult and scurried under his mane, peering out indignantly at Davis.
Up above, the Asgard ship became visible. Teal'c called to the Sua, reminding them of the conversation they had.
"Is this of the gods?" M'Net asked, ears pulled far back as he looked at the ship.
"No," Daniel said. "This is a friend. We think that the sky gods are actually vessels lost in part of the sky. They aren't gods. This friend can help. Jack is up there now."
"The gods did not take him?"
"No, the light was a different way of travel. Our friend in that vessel used the light to bring Jack up to him. Jack will be back. He's safe; I've traveled that way, too. We don't know if these other vessels are friends or enemies, so we are being careful by sending the Sua to the safety of the forest. We don't want you hurt."
"You have the scent of J'k on you this morning," M'Net noticed. Daniel smiled and nodded.
"Yes," he said. "T'Lan was right, he was afraid to approach me. He isn't afraid anymore."
"He is…..expectant," M'Net said. "No, maybe anxious is a better word. There is still a fear inside of him."
"You can tell all that by smell?" Daniel asked. M'Net arched his whiskers. "I am aware of his fear and he is trusting me to help him overcome it."
"M'Net, can I ask the Sua to not talk about my relationship with Jack?" Daniel asked. "Not many of my people speak this language, but those that do don't need to hear about it. My people consider this personal information. Part of the fear in Jack is because a lot of our people don't approve of males having this kind of relationship with each other, and he could get into a great deal of trouble if others found out."
"Strange customs. Yes, I will tell my people," M'Net promised. "Is it permissible for us to speak of it?"
"Yes, I don't mind."
"Heads up!" Sam called out. She stood behind a tree and took aim at the sky which had begun to flicker from aqua to blacks and grays. SGC personnel all took a defensive position and watched. The shape of a Goa'uld mothership shown for a moment before flickering out again. Several muttered oaths could be heard.
"That was the bad guys," Daniel whispered to the Sua. "They are of the race of Ra. Let us hope that the others will be good guys."
Ears flattened as M'Net took a step backward at the mention of Ra.
"Listen up," they heard Jack's voice over the radios the moment he reappeared. "Thor is going to bring them out of this phase thing. Two ships. Looks as though they were caught in mid-battle with each other. He doesn't know who the System Lord is, but the other ship belongs to his friends. Thor is going to join the fight as soon as they appear, so….watch out for falling Goa'uld. Out."
"Back!" Sam yelled. "Now!" As humans hurried away from the Scoop, Sua followed, not understanding.
A moment later, two more ships were in the sky. Weapons were immediately reactivated on the ships and the battle resumed. Thor opened fire. Not expecting a second ship firing at it, the Goa'uld mothership retreated to re-organize. Death gliders continued to fly, firing at the unknown ship as the Asgard ship chased after the Goa'uld.
To the shock of everyone, the large valley was suddenly filled with land which overflowed the rim. Remnants of an ancient village dropped with it.
With a nod from Sam, Teal'c took aim with his staff and fired. The glider came down a few miles away in the forest. More staff weapons were fired from off in a distance; the main camp joining in the games. Two more gliders came down. As the air battle continued with help from ground forces, several gliders came in under the fire and landed. Jaffa headed out of the ships, firing into the forest.
"One squad, secure those gliders!" Jack ordered. Teal'c and Sam headed out with Nate and Jonas.
Cubs were rounded up and sent into nearby caves with the other non-combatants. A few of the older cubs, old enough to take direction, were given weapons. The humans didn't agree, but this wasn't their world and no one had time to argue the point.
The landed gliders were snuck up on from the rear and occupied before their original pilots could take them back. The Jaffa were taken out by ground fighters when they turned back to the sound of their gliders starting up. The gliders were quickly in the air and engaged. Those belonging to the missing System Lord were scattered as two of their own suddenly fired on them. Between the unknown mothership, two rogue gliders, and ground to air fire, the remaining gliders lasted only another 45 minutes.
"You still bored, Bob?" Jack asked Allegash as he stood and waited for his pilots. His 'trainees' looked back at him. A crash nearby made them jump and instinctively cover their heads and duck. Jack leaned on his P-90 and watched the smoking ruins of gliders fall from the sky. Several forest fires were started but the ground was moist; hopefully, the fires wouldn't last long. The Sua were warned of the fires and a couple of runners headed toward their village; they knew how to deal with forest fires.
"Are the sky gods gone?" M'Net asked Daniel a bit sadly.
Daniel nodded. "Yes," he said. "I'm sorry but those weren't true sky gods. They were two tribes at war who were stuck for a long time. Those belonging to the race of Ra are dead. We don't know who the others are yet, but they are friends of our friend, so I don't think they will harm you. I am sorry for the mess, though," he said, indicating all the smoldering scrap metal.
Although in shock, M'Net could see the humor in the situation and arched his whiskers.
"Daniel!" Jack called out. "Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, go play in the dirt. Not yet. That hill needs to settle and I'd rather not have to dig you out."
"Yes, Jack."
Jack looked suspiciously at him.
"Promise?"
Daniel sighed and held up his hand. "I promise. Archaeologist here; I do understand about settling earth. Could someone at least to a fly-by and get me pictures?" He leaned over to M'Net. "Please tell your people that no one is to go on the hill," he said. "The dirt may cave in and trap them. It needs to settle."
M'Net passed the word.
"Hey!" Nate called out, coming in with the others. "Where's my cigar?"
"He knows how to fly alien death gliders, too?" Maynard questioned with an arched eyebrow.
"He learns quickly," was all Jack said. "Carter, you want to take the glider back up? Daniel wants pictures."
She readily agreed, her face flushed from her adrenalin fix. She found the digital camera and started back to the glider with Davis.
"Heads up," Jack warned, watching the sky. A smaller ship left the mothership and made a leisurely descent to the ground. Sam and Davis waited, hands on their weapons. The ship landed in a nearby field and several people came off and walked toward them. Two men and one woman, leather kilts. One of the men and the woman had swords strapped to their backs.
"Who is in charge here?" Man with sword stepped forward and asked.
Jack stepped forward. "Jack O'Neill, General, US Air Force."
The man stepped up to Jack and held out his arm. "Friend Thor told us of you," he said, giving a slight bow. "I am Ninurta, Commander of Queen Inanna's armies. We wished to thank those who offered us rescue."
Daniel felt his face pale at the mention of the names. Jack grasped forearms with the man.
"We are grateful," Inanna said. "Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
"We're always on the lookout for new friends," Jack said graciously. "Just out of curiosity, who was the System Lord you were fighting?"
"That was Enlil," the second, older man, without a sword said. "We lived on your world for a time and we left shortly after he became so changed. He followed us here, where we were building a new home."
"Enlil?" Daniel questioned, slightly hoarse. "The god of air Enlil? From Mesopotamia?"
"Yes," the man said, inclining his head. "Kalam was our home for a thousand years. We do not understand what happened with my brother, except that he was suddenly changed, insisting that we worship him as our god. He's always had an ego but this was beyond what we were willing to put up with. I am Enki, chief advisor to Queen Inanna." Daniel thought he was going to hyperventilate.
"Friend Thor has told us, briefly, what happened with Enlil," Inanna said. "We mourn for Enlil's loss, but he was lost to us long ago."
"Sam?" Jack looked at her.
"No snakes," Sam said, not sensing any of the usual creepy-crawlies around the three.
"You're speaking English," Jack mentioned to them.
"Thor was kind enough to update our language," Enki said. "It seems simple, traces of Persian."
"Yes," Daniel said, lighting up. "We call it proto-Indo-European. From the Indus Valley."
Enki nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see…"
"Uh, people?" Jack held up a hand to stop the geek love-fest. "How about we sit down and talk over a few things? Like what's been happening up there?"
The newcomers insisted on first taking the hand of the one who solved the problem of their situation. Sam flushed as the men bowed over her hand. They then insisted on providing for their people still aboard the ship first and were introduced to the locals and sat down with the leadership for land negotiations. The Anunnaki were adamant that they wouldn't stay anyplace they weren't welcome. Even Daniel was biting at the bit to talk with them but Anunnaki priorities were not necessarily Tau'ri priorities. Negotiations with the Tau'ri were secondary, much to the irritation of the undercover Generals but a quick and cutting argument with Daniel convinced Jack to hold off until things are settled on the Sua home front. Many Sua from ancient times were aboard the Heaven's Bow, the former unknown ship, having been in service to the Anunnaki. With their families long dead, their society and language having changed, they needed to be re-patriated. If they wanted to be. Most seemed to be politely declining, preferring to remain with their Anunnaki families.
A shocked whisper from M'Net informed Daniel that scents were co-mingled. Daniel took it to mean a little cross-species mingling had been going on, which surprised him, given the extreme physical variations of the two species. Human strains frequently got together but it was unusual for human and non-human. The Serrakin were one of the few Daniel knew that did cross-species togetherness; Sam's friend Warrick, reptilian, had a human wife and there were many who were of mixed species, which was driving the SGC biologists a little crazy since cross-breeding wasn't supposed to be possible. Actually, thinking about M'Net's mini-biology lesson, Daniel had to admit that there were a few Sua features that could be interesting to explore.
Davis came over and handed Daniel the camera. He and Sam had gone up for the fly-by while the others talked. Daniel eagerly switched it on and began to pour over the images with Davis leaning over his shoulder, softly talking as he pointed things out.
"We need to talk, Paul," Daniel quietly said, slowly walking away from the main group as he looked at the images. "…what is that?..Oh, right. Anyway. Just to give you a heads-up, I may be starting a new relationship when we get home. Some serious negotiations need to be done, but it more than likely will happen."
Davis looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Since you haven't left this planet in the past four days, I can only assume it's with someone present. I won't ask?"
Daniel gave a soft smile and put a hand on Davis' back. "You'll probably find out, but no, don't ask." He stopped and half-sat on a rock, took Davis' hand, palms together, lacing their fingers. "It's something I've wanted for years but I didn't know there was a possibility for it so I didn't pursue it. I recently found out the possibility is there. A lot of talking and a couple of kisses have passed. You need to know that."
Davis wasn't concerned as he flicked at Daniel's hair. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Daniel, I want you to be happy. I am a little surprised that this is coming from this particular crowd. Since there are only two women here, one being married and the other a new airman, I'm assuming we're talking about a man. If he makes you happy, I'll step aside."
"I don't know yet," Daniel said. "He hasn't done this before and he's a little on the freaked side. He does want me, I think he's afraid of himself. I'm not sure who was more surprised, him or me."
"And you still want to give it a try? A relationship with him?" Davis asked with a concerned frown. "You know as well as I do that bi curious het men tend to go into deep denial. I don't want to see you hurt."
"I know and he's the one who approached me," Daniel said. "I know him, Paul, he would never have approached me if he wasn't serious about this, he has too much to lose. You're my friend and I want to keep you as my friend. I enjoy your company. Will you be alright with this if he and I do get together?"
Davis put his arms around Daniel and hugged him. "It's fine," he assured Daniel. "I'll miss sleeping with you, but I'll survive."
"I see," Daniel said, leaning back to peer at him. "I'm just a piece of ass?"
"Of course," Davis said. "A very good looking piece of ass."
Daniel laughed. "You're a shit, Paul," he informed the man. "Come on, let's get back."
They looked at the pictures as they walked, refocusing for close-ups and discussing the site. Daniel ignored the thud to his shoulders and stroked the tail around his neck as he and Paul talked about the images.
T"Keet looked at the strange thing in Daniel's hands and poked at it, chirping a query.
"Camera," Daniel said. "Pictures." He handed the camera to Paul and posed with the Sua cub around his neck. "She wants to know what it is," he explained to Davis. They got their picture taken and Daniel opened the image, showing T'Keet.
"See? T'Keet and Daniel," he said to the cub. The child was practically quivering as she looked closely at it. She gave it a hesitant poke.
"Yes, that's T'Keet." He pointed at her and zoomed in on her furry little face, blue and green eyes wide, whiskers arched as she stared at Davis from Daniel's shoulders. The image seemed to spook her a little, so Daniel turned it off. He brought her down to his chest and cuddled her. She calmed and purred in happy reassurance.
There was an argument going on when they got back; Philips and Nate. Before anyone could move, Philips was punched and on the ground, his face in the dirt. Jack pulled Nate off and sent him to cool down. Philips jumped to his feet and got in Jack's face. Daniel looked at them; despite the fact that Philips was a sergeant for their outing, he was still a colonel and had no business yelling at a general. Jack saw them and crooked a finger at them.
"Uh, oh," Davis breathed. Daniel handed T'Keet to M'Net and went over.
"What's up?" he asked Jack. Maynard and Allegash were on their way to the scene.
"What were you two doing off by yourselves?" Jack asked bluntly. Daniel held up the camera and didn't take it personally; he knew Jack was under pressure.
"Looking at the pics and talking." He handed the camera to Jack. "Nothing else, ask T'Keet. I'm sorry for not taking a chaperone."
"Teal'c!" Jack called out. "Please ask M'Net to ask T'Keet what Daniel and the major were doing."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow but relayed the question. After a lengthy, piping dialogue with the cub, Daniel and Davis talked, gave a hug, and put her in the thing. She prompted Jack to look by pushing at the camera in his hand. Jack flicked through the images until he came to their portrait which he held up to Philips.
"Have you ever tried making out when there's a rambunctious toddler in the room, airman?" he asked. "It doesn't happen, take my word for it. I'll give you my ex-wife's number, you can ask her."
"How do we know that's what the cub said?" Philips belligerently insisted, dabbing at the blood on his lip.
"Because that's what she said."
They looked up at the advance of Enki. "I apologize for overhearing, but I'm afraid most of the camp overheard. Teal'c gave an accurate account of the conversation between M'Net and the cub. And the connotation underlying 'hug' was one of friendship not lovers. With a nose like hers, she'd smell the difference no matter what someone told her."
"You speak Sua?" Maynard asked.
Enki shook his head. "No, my throat doesn't work like that but I understand the language." He looked at the gathered humans. "Even if the men were 'making out' as you say, why would that be a problem? Their presence wasn't required anywhere, was it?"
Daniel held up a finger to the military. "The modern military theory of Earth does not support shield-mates any longer," he carefully explained to Enki. "Same gender unions are frowned upon, and is, in fact, a court-marshal offence. I am not military, so I can't be punished for it, but Major Davis is military and could face charges if we had been doing something, and there is no evidence that Major Davis disobeyed regulations."
Enki frowned in contemplation. "I don't see how you are able to keep your military strong without shield-mates, but as you will."
"We are stronger without them," Philips spewed. "And there is plenty of evidence against Major Davis for a court-marshal." Davis paled and straightened his spine.
"What evidence would that be?" Daniel asked. "You're going to hold a little camp-site flirting against him? We haven't done anything."
"Over-nights at your home count, doctor, whether he's on duty or not, and he will be held accountable."
"How do you know where the major's been sleeping?" Jack asked. Everyone looked at Philips who remained silent.
"I think Colonel…Sergeant…Philips and I need to talk," Maynard said. He and Allegash escorted Philips away from the group. Jack gestured with his head for the rest of the group to disperse.
"Davis and Daniel, stay," he said quietly. The two remained. "Major, I'll say it once again: I don't give a crap. My personal opinion is that a person's bedroom is no one's business. My personal opinion doesn't hold squat with the Pentagon, however. If this does come down to a court-marshal, I will do what I can to support you. As far as I'm concerned, you are a highly valued, if unofficial, member of SG-1 and we will all back you. You have done your best by us for years, and I will do my best by you. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir, thank you, sir," Davis said hoarsely. Jack nodded and looked from one to the other.
"If you two need to talk privately, that's fine," he said. "Take one of us with you. We will stay out of hearing distance but still within sight. Or just don't leave sight of the group. Does that work?" They both nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, Jack."
"Daniel, I know that look," Jack said. "Do not take any of this as your responsibility. You couldn't have known someone would be outside your window taking pictures. Any charges against Major Davis can be countered by charges from you for trespassing and criminal negligence. Granted, it's a minor charge, but Philips would get rapped for it. He's getting an insubordination from me. Major, what's Philips got against you? Personally, I mean."
Davis thought about it. "I'm not sure, sir," he said honestly. "He and I have never hit it off; I put it down to a personality conflict. I don't know if I imagined it, but hostilities seemed to escalate when I was assigned to the SGC and Area 51. I could be wrong."
Jack nodded. "I'll check it out," he said. "You two go play. Daniel, I know you're dying to mingle and get some curiosity fixed. Davis, Carter is scavenging for odds and ends, if you'd like to assist."
"Yes, sir, and thank you," Davis said. Jack held out his hand. Startled, Davis hesitated a moment before taking it. He gave Jack a nod and excused himself.
"Thank you, Jack," Daniel said softly. He got the side of his head patted.
"I said I trust you. He's a good man and a good officer, Danny, he doesn't deserve this bullshit. Go on, make new friends. I'll deal with Philips."
"What prompted Nate to punch him?"
Jack tried to hide the smirk. "Philips called him a long-haired faggot and then told him that he was probably giving his ass up to you and Davis in exchange for my good graces. Nate told him he'd rather be putting out to you guys than be Philips' wife and have to try and enjoy his dickless self for another day. Philips called him a queer pussy and at least he had a dick. Wish I could get away with punching the bastard."
Daniel smiled and nodded. His twitching nose led him to several Anunnaki, newly off their ship, who were heading toward the river. He caught up with them and they greeted him cheerfully.
"Would you mind if I came along and asked questions?" he asked in careful Sumerian.
"Only if we can ask questions, too," one of the men said, an amused glint in his eyes. Daniel went for a swim with them, looking forward with glee to practicing his Sumerian. If only he could find a way to publish it once he got home…..
It was well into the day when Jack looked around and noted that his favorite annoyance wasn't in sight. Davis was around but no Daniel. "Daniel," he called over the radio. He got nothing back.
"Has anyone seen Dr. Jackson?" he called out.
"Yes, sir," Colins piped up. "I saw him headed toward the river earlier."
"He's helping to water-proof some cubs," Sam said. "I checked in on him half-hour ago."
Jack nodded and headed toward the water. He turned back to Sam. "Did he bring trunks?"
"Nope," she said with a grin. Jack shook his head and kept walking. The river was fairly crowded with naked human bodies all swimming, chatting, or tossing hooting cubs from shoulders. Adult Sua watched from the shore, not sure of what to make of their cubs taking to the water. Jack looked around and noted that Daniel was the only one of his people who was in the water, the rest were Anunnaki warriors. Sergeant Gaafar sat on the shore, talking with a couple of warriors who seemed to feel no need to put clothes on after their swim. Gaafar carefully avoided gazing down.
"At least someone around here has sense," Jack said, looking at him. The airman started to rise but Jack waved him down.
"Hey, Jack, come on in," Daniel called out from the water. He was carefully guiding a cub through the water, tail spinning like a rudder.
"What are you doing?" Jack called out to him.
"What's it look like? You said to go play. I'm playing."
"How do you know the water is safe?" Jack tried to see below the surface for creatures.
"Because the Sua said it was safe."
A yell came from above and Jack ducked his head. Someone came swinging down on a rope tied to a tree limb. He jumped back from the splash. The cubs hooted and smacked at the water with paws and tails.
Jack found a dry rock nearby and sat down. Daniel put the cub on his back and swam over. He got out of the water and sat on the grass. The cub, T'Keet from the looks of the russet tail, shook off, spraying water everywhere, and ran up the hill toward the adults.
"How's the peace-talks going?" Daniel asked, laying back to catch some sun, his hands locked under his head.
Jack tried to look every place else except at Daniel's perfect, naked, gleaming body laying next to him.
"Well enough with the Sua that the old guy, Enki, is now talking with Maynard. Daniel, could you please get dressed?"
Daniel opened an eye. "Why? No one else is."
"That isn't the point. Think about skin cancer. Or modesty?"
"Jack, do you see a tan line on me? I'm not parading around the rest of the SGC, I'm with locals and this is how it's done. If you don't like it, don't look."
"I do like it, that's why I'd rather you were dressed," Jack hissed, looking around for ears.
Daniel smiled. "Just think cold showers."
"They don't work," Jack muttered. He took a double-take to the other side of the river. "Daniel, what….?"
Daniel turned his head, holding a hand to his brow.
"Jack, chill," he said gently. "It's normal for this culture."
"Daniel, those are not Sua having sex on the grass over there."
"No, they're Anunnaki, and it is normal for the warriors to take comfort with each other when their wives aren't present, and since almost all of them lost their families a long time ago, they need a lot of comforting. The Sua don't care, sex is part of life and they don't hide it. Now, take a deep breath and just talk to me; what are Maynard and Enki up to? Watch out for Enki, he's the Middle Eastern version of Coyote. He's a good guy, just a little tricky."
"Who?" Jack made an effort to be dispassionate about the scene across the river, and concentrated on Daniel.
"Loki?"
"Gotcha. So Maynard is asking him about weapons and ships, as I thought he would. Enki seems to be giving him a bit of a runaround, talking about children and scalpels. Maynard isn't amused. I tried telling the Joint Chiefs about condescending older cultures, but they don't listen. After the most recent fiasco in Palestine, I understand why no one wants to give us weapons."
Daniel nodded. "Enki isn't the one to be talking to about weapons, anyway," he said. "He's the equivalent of the village wise-man. Weapons fall under the purview of Inanna and Ninurta. Inanna is about the equivalent of the President but she actually goes into battle; her word is final even to kings. Ninurta is the equivalent of Maynard and Vidrine. Enki's the one you sit with for the internal stuff; heart and spirit stuff. He's probably getting into Maynard's innards to find out what makes him tick before making a recommendation to Inanna. You want to be on Enki's good side, or you won't get anywhere. He's Inanna's mentor and Ninurta's father, and Ninurta is Inanna's consort. One of her consorts. There's a bit of an information triangle there." Daniel expounded a bit on the Earth mythology of the Anunnaki.
Jack thought about it. "Isn't that Ninurta across the river?"
"Probably," Daniel said. "He and Shara and Gibil were getting a little cozy earlier."
"Who?"
"Shara and Gibil are his warrior partners. Ninurta is one of Inanna's consorts, Shara and Gibil also serve her but they are more Ninurta's partners than hers. Shara is about your equivalent."
Jack was thoroughly confused. "Ok, never mind the pairings. If these guys aren't Goa'uld, how can they be the ones from ancient Earth?"
Daniel glanced up at him. "I spent some time talking with Shara, and he said it's Enki's doing. Apparently Enki likes to tinker around with DNA, which certainly fits with the mythology. He found a way to turn off our internal count-down clock. You'd have to ask Sam for the specifics, my biology isn't that good. Seems Enki was judicious with his tinkering, though, and only made modifications to choice leadership and a few others. The rest of the Anunnaki are off-spring of so many generations that I don't care to try and count it."
"I wouldn't tell Maynard about the DNA, if I were you," Daniel warned.
Jack snorted. "Yeah, I can imagine the negotiations for THAT one," he said.
"The NID would do anything to get their hands on Anunnaki DNA if it comes out in even one report," Daniel said. Jack agreed; it wouldn't be the first time he 'accidentally' left something out of a report.
"Did you warn Shara?" Jack asked. Daniel nodded.
"And he gave Enki a whisper. Seems the DNA tinkering did have a side-effect, though," Daniel mentioned. "Made them sterile. No children for those tinkered with."
"Makes sense," Jack commented. "Talk about over-population."
"Not to mention the inbreeding," Daniel returned.
Jack noticed a few Sua across the way, mingling in the group orgy.
"Danny, I need to go back to the main group," he said. Daniel looked.
"It's ok, Jack, I'll get dressed and go with you."
Daniel rummaged for his clothes as Gaafar looked the other way. Anunnaki locked forearms with Daniel, making cheerful comments. Daniel laughed at something that was said and left with Jack.
"What did he say that made you look like that?" Jack asked.
Daniel chuckled, slightly pink. "He said they could appreciate why my partner wanted to be alone with me badly enough to get into trouble with his superiors earlier."
Jack smiled. "The word spread, I see."
"Oh, yeah," Daniel nodded fervently. "They're finding it amusing. Commenting on the whole star-crossed lovers theme which was old by the time Shakespeare got to it. There were a few jokes about whether or not my ass was made for riding or hanging on to. Kind of embarrassing, actually."
Jack laughed. "Teach you to go native," he chuckled.
They got back to the main group and found Sam, Jonas, Teal'c, and Davis staring at Jack.
"What?" Sam crooked a finger and led him through the camp. A quarter of the way around the over-flowing rim, they found a couple of drummers. And Nate singing to a pile of hooting and spinning cubs. Very pleasantly singing to the cubs. Daniel joined in the staring at Jack contest.
"Hey, I don't sing," he protested. "Talk with Loki or Thor, they must have tweaked something."
Nate heard him. "HA!" he called out. "Just because you dropped choir, doesn't mean I had to."
"Esplain dees," Daniel said with a look of contemplation. Nate grinned evilly at Jack who groaned, tossed his hands up and turned his back to them.
"His voice did some major cracking when he was 14, so he dropped choir," Nate 'splained. "Told himself that it was for sissies anyway, so he never learned how to use the new voice. I took the time to learn."
"Uh huh," Daniel and Sam looked from one to the other. "Anything else we should know?"
"NO!" Jack yelped.
"I think his old guitar is in his mom's attic," Nate volunteered. Jack groaned and hung his head.
"Reeeaaalllly….." came a two-part chorus. Jonas and Davis bit back smiles. Teal'c's eyebrows went higher.
Jack spun around and pointed at Daniel and Sam. "Don't you two even think about it," he warned. "I haven't touched that thing in about 30 years, and I have no desire to. As soon as we get home, I'm calling Mom and telling her to burn it," he threatened Nate.
"He can also tear up the floor at a hop," Nate offered. Jack winced and walked away from them. He could hear giggles behind him.
"Jack, you're taking me dancing," Sam called after him. Jack began to make a mental list of 'How to Kill One's Clone.'
"Uh, Daniel?" Paul motioned him over. Davis looked from Jonas to Daniel. He put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and steered him away with Jonas following. "Jonas and I have kinda pieced together what's so special about Nate, that he's the general's clone, but no one has actually given us the low-down. Care to elaborate?"
Daniel stopped and looked at them. "Are you serious?" Daniel groaned, shutting his eyes for a moment. "Ok."
After he gave them the summary version of Nate's incarnation, Daniel went to find Jack and whispered a confession in his ear. Jack looked at him.
"Are you serious?"
"That's what I said," Daniel murmured, looking around. "I thought that particular report went directly to Paul's office?"
"So did I." Jack glowered. "I'd be interested in knowing where it DID go. Where's Davis? Major Davis, report to me," Jack called out over the radio. Davis came jogging into the camp a moment later and presented himself to Jack.
"Major, General Hammond sent an extremely Top Secret report regarding Nate directly to your office a couple years ago," Jack said in a low voice. "Are you absolutely sure you didn't get it? Could General Vidrine have not told you about it?"
Davis thought about it. "It's a possibility, sir," he acknowledged. "But when it concerns the SGC, there isn't much the general doesn't tell me. I'm sort of his confidant, sir, he works my security clearance to its max and he trusts my advice."
Jack rubbed his face, thinking. "Ok. I'll contact him when we get home. Be prepared for a problem," he advised. "Dismissed, major, thank you." Davis nodded, glancing at Daniel and heading off.
"Nate needs to know," Daniel reminded him. Jack nodded
One of the Anunnaki was walking toward them, his face set in a frown.
"Ninurta," Daniel whispered to Jack.
"General, may we speak for a moment?" the warrior asked politely.
"Of course," Jack said. "Daniel can stay. How can I help you?"
Ninurta was pensive as he shifted slightly. "I'm unsure of how your military deals with internal issues, so please forgive me if I over-step my bounds. And I hope my language interpretation is correct, Thor was rather in a hurry when he downloaded your language into us." Jack nodded for him to continue. "That one you are preparing to return to your home, Philips? Our Dark Queen is unhappy about him and wishes you to be aware of his darkness. Would you meet with her?"
Jack looked at Daniel and nodded.
"Sure, lead the way," Jack said. Ninurta gave a short bow and turned. "Could you explain a little about this Dark Queen?" Jack asked.
"She is Ereshkigal," Ninurta said as though that said it all. Daniel gave Jack a look and Jack paid more attention. "She sees into the heart and soul of a person, and speaks Truth to us."
"Jack, her name literally translates as Queen of the Great Earth. It's a reference to the Underworld. According to our myths, she is able to reach into a person and take their soul from them." Daniel said. "I translate that as being able to cut the life cord. The cord within us that connects our soul to being alive. It's a spiritual thing." Ninurta nodded.
"Yes, she has that ability, though she does not often use it. It takes a great deal of her strength and requires days of rest after."
They entered the Anunnaki camp and made their way to the center. Tents had been set up, the cloth having been exported from their ship which was in orbit. The tents were colorful, reminding Daniel of Bedouin tribes. Most of the Anunnaki were men, the women having died out long ago when their ship and the land below it were caught between phases. Most of the women and children had been on that piece of land. From the images on the camera, there were a lot of bones to recover. So far, Daniel had seen only five living women among the warriors, and that included Inanna and now Ereshkigal. The genetic line of the Anunnaki was going to die out.
Ninurta stopped them at the front of a tent and went in. He returned a moment later and led them inside.
"My Queen Inanna and my Lady Ereshkigal, may I present General Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson of Tau'ri." Ninurta bowed to his queens and ushered the men in. Daniel made a polite bow over Inanna's hand which Jack followed. As Daniel turned to Ereshkigal, he noticed with shock that her eyes were milk white. She was blind.
"May I take your hand, my Lady?" he asked politely. She smiled with a nod and raised her hand. He bowed over it and introduced himself. Jack did the same, giving Daniel a look when he saw her eyes.
"Please be comfortable," Inanna invited them, gesturing to the throw pillows that were scattered on the floor. The men sat and took the drinks that were offered to them by a shaved servant wearing nothing more than a cloth around his waist. Ninurta stood a step behind Inanna, waiting in attendance. Daniel noticed with a start that a large, red-gold macaw sat on a perch, eyeing them as though they were his next meal.
"You are bound to each other," the other lady unexpectedly spoke. "And to a queen," she added. She nodded to herself. "That is proper. And no, Jack, you are not damned; your darkness is not of your doing. Your beloved next to you will show you how to free yourself, for none can damn you except yourself. The choice is always yours even to the last breath."
Jack stiffened, his face whitening.
"Yes, your hearts are good," she said. "Even in your errors, your intent is not one of malice. There is one in your camp, however, that you should be warned of."
"Colonel Philips," Jack said. Ereshkigal nodded in disapproval.
"He is not your friend, Jack," she said. "I tell you this in payment for your services to us this day. That man holds secrets that could do great harm to you and your people. I cannot see the details, I can only see into his heart."
The bird muttered.
"Zu sees also but differently than I," she said. "He sees only the foremost image in a person's mind but he is unable to interpret the image. Zu, show Jack and Daniel the image you presented to us."
Before the men could react, they had a clear picture in their heads, almost like a photograph, of Philips opening what looked to be a false back in a filing cabinet.
"This image comes from your man," Ereshkigal said. "This box seems to be of great importance to him. He yearns to return home and find something in it. Perhaps this will assist you in your dealings with him."
"I'm very grateful to you," Jack said. "Can we repay you in some way?"
"No," she smiled. "You have done more for us than you can ever know just by your rescue of us. Daniel, you are the one who speaks our language?"
"Anna, Ningal," Daniel responded politely. She smiled and said something which Daniel responded to by moving close and kneeling before her, putting his hand in the one she held out. She spoke to him in their ancient language. Daniel listened carefully, stopping her now and again to clarify a word. She was patient, making sure Daniel understood the intent if not the word itself. He gave her a final nod along with the verbal acknowledgement before standing. The men felt the dismissal and excused themselves.
"What was that all about?" Jack asked when they were clear of the tent.
"She sensed my Ascension and needed to speak about it," Daniel said. "I confirmed that I was completely aware that I had ascended. Twice. She was astounded."
"I'm astounded she knows about Ascension," Jack said.
Daniel smiled. "If she can see into the hearts of men, it stands to reason she knows about Ascension. She knows about the Ancients, and knew that you carry their knowledge. Somehow, she can sense it. She's a little concerned that it may harm you in the long run. Our immature brains and all. I assured her that we are taking good care of you."
Jack smiled and gave Daniel's back a brief caress.
"She knew about us. Is Earth the only planet in the universe that has a problem with this guy-guy stuff?" Jack whined.
Daniel chuckled. "Pretty much," he said with a nod. "We're a little backward in that regard. Hey, are we leaving today?"
Jack nodded. "I think so," he said. "Maynard is a little miffed at the lack of humility aliens have toward us humans. I did warn him."
"And he has yet to meet a Goa'uld. I'd like to get together with you and Sam in a couple days. Dinner. We really need to talk. Some serious talk. We need to see where each other is at, heart-wise, emotionally, mentally. Can we?"
"Sure, I'll let her know. But, Daniel? Could you leave T'Keet here?"