Hawkcam1996; Too true, there's plenty of differences between Trill and Goa'uld. There's no reason to assume they are medically similar in any way, but I rationalized that there's no reason to assume the opposite either. I went to the half-way point… they're kinda similar. A Goa'uld larva acts as the Jaffa's immune system and therefore they can't live without one; it's unknown (at least to me and my memory of the plethora of Jadzia-episodes in DS9…) exactly what a Trill symbiont does for its host (does it grant great strength, too? There has to be a reason, beyond a lifetime of technical practice, as to why Jadzia can hold her own against a Klingon warrior, in my opinion… but maybe all Trill are just super-strong. Either explanation works for Jadzia's Klingon-strength and Ezri's sudden ability to perform gymnastics without injuring herself), but the Trill host cannot live without the symbiont either. So, there's that. Early Trill (I guess, a different species of the same alien in TNG's "The Host"? Star Trek has this way of simply ignoring any previous episodes considered canon when they want to do something new… haha) assumed complete control of the host, though, so that is a possible similarity, as well. Anyway, I hope it's not too much of a suspension of disbelief. In the end, I guess my reasoning is… it seemed fun to me? haha

Chapter 19: Close Enough

"What a—awesome looking place." Jack caught himself just in time. It was, honestly, a rat-hole. Actually, Daniel had corrected him on that. It was a Cardassian-vole-hole. But that didn't sound as good. Except for the rhyme. That might make it fun to say. "Cardassian-vole-hole," he whispered just under his breath.

Yep. Fun to say.

The station had been under the care of Starfleet and the Bajorans for two weeks now. The Cardassians had come back again and left just as quickly, marking the shortest attempt at reintroduction of power in the galaxy after the wormhole was discovered, but other than massive power failures and computer glitches nearly killing everyone on the station… it looked like life on Deep Space Nine was just peachy. Many shops on the Promenade had reopened and the place was bustling with as much life as could be expected.

"Sam!"

"Jake!"

The two somehow managed to find each other in the flood of sentient beings leaving the cargo ship: the first available cargo ship going past Earth all the way past Bajor and into the wild star-flecked yonder. Lots of them wanted to see what Deep Space Nine was like these days without the Bajoran laborers collapsing at their feet from exhaustion and worse.

Jack supposed it was an improvement, but he didn't get to comment on that. Probably for the best. Sam and Jake were chattering. "My dad said you were coming!" Jake said happily after separating himself from a hug. "Do you want to see the wormhole?" he asked. "Ships have been coming in and out of it ever since it was discovered!"

"Can you see it from here?" Sam marveled, looking around at the large windows around the Promenade.

"I'd like to see it," Daniel spoke up, tucking a book under his arm.

Jake took Sam's hand and dragged her down the main thoroughfare of the Promenade and up some stairs to the top level. Daniel and Jack followed behind, barely half-listening to everything that Jake was excitedly telling Sam about. He wasn't as keen on this place before he got here and Jack had to imagine he couldn't have developed a different opinion this quickly. However, a kid was likely to make fast friends in a place like this…

"It'll be right there," Jake said, pointing into a blank space between Bajor and… more blankness. "A ship is scheduled to go through in about ten minutes. I can show you around until then." He grinned up at her with ridiculously white teeth, then turned a hopeful glance at both Jack and Daniel.

"Actually," Daniel said gently, as though he was breaking some bad news. It might have been bad news. Jack still wasn't sure. Exchanging a snake for a worm… "Do you know where we could find Teal'c?"

He asked that as though Jake would know who Teal'c was and, of course, he would have. Teal'c was a man alone in the universe, the only Jaffa on this side of any wormhole. "Oh," Jake said with a nod and pointed back down below where they had started. "I don't know where he lives, but he usually shows up at the infirmary every other day or so."

"How is he?" Sam asked.

Jake shrugged. "I don't know. Good, I guess?" He looked around and then said, "I can take you there now. There will be other times you can see the wormhole."

Sam nodded contemplatively, like she was trying to decide if she wanted to go see Teal'c or stay for the wormhole. Jack had to admit, he was pleased as punch that there was an artificial wormhole now in this universe, but he wasn't so happy that seeing a friend they hadn't seen in what felt like eons would take back-seat. Besides, if Jack had learned anything from Sam, it was that just because someone slapped the label "wormhole" on a some special anomaly… it didn't mean it could send them home.

And it wasn't as though it really mattered at this point anyway. Jack wasn't sure if he could readjust to 21st century US. Gate-travel or no.

"To the infirmary!" Jack announced, and headed back down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and looked up to make sure he was being followed… partially because he had no idea where he was going. Jake knew the way, fortunately, and wasn't as inexplicably nervous as Jack was. He had to guess everyone else felt the same—but why? It was the same old Teal'c.

The infirmary was a bright, white place with a few biobeds and was, in general, not too different from sick bay on any of the starships that Jack had been on. The doctor wore the same teal uniform as all the others, but he was supplemented by a few Bajoran nurses in purple-and-gold get-ups. And, sitting on one of the biobeds, was a sight for sore eyes.

"Teal'c!" Daniel was the first to find his voice.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said with a smile. "It is good to see you are well. Colonel O'Neill." He nodded, and then greeted Sam the same way.

Jack didn't say anything, since… he looked sort of different. Maybe they all did. Daniel had started wearing the even more-horrible sweaters of this era. In fact, Jack realized that Daniel's shirt and Jake's shirt appeared to have been made by the same color-blind replicator. But, no, Teal'c was different-different. It wasn't his clothes; it was something else.

"Colonel O'Neill," the doctor said, offering a hand for a handshake. "I'm Doctor Julian Bashir, but you can call me Julian. Most people do. I've heard a lot about you—all of you, actually." The young doctor glanced at Daniel and then looked at Sam. "Nice to meet all of you, finally."

"What's the story, then, doc?" Jack asked.

"Oh, Teal'c is doing fine—at least for the moment," Julian said. "The Symbiosis Commission on Trill took some… um, convincing," he said with a sly smile, as though he'd gotten away with something magnificent. "But, they eventually decided that since his life was at stake and, if he were a Trill, he would have been an outstanding initiate candidate with his knowledge in combat and weaponry… it wouldn't be a waste of Zan's time."

"Zan?" Sam asked.

"The Trill symbiont within me," Teal'c answered. "Zan was most kind in volunteering to save my life, in exchange for my experience."

"It's been quite a journey. For both of them," Julian admitted. "Though, only temporary. As soon as we can successfully clone the Goa'uld larva, Zan can return to a Trill host. It's been difficult seeing as this is the only specimen we have of the Goa'uld and, from what Teal'c tells me, all the genetic material in a Goa'uld comes from the queen." He stopped, sighed and then took another deep breath. Man, Jack wondered, could this kid talk. "In the meantime, supplemental injections are making up for the lack of immune system," Julian explained. "Coupled with anti-rejection drugs… those should be able to stop, soon, though," he added quietly.

"Sounds like you live in the infirmary," Daniel joked weakly.

"I live in the temple," Teal'c said.

Jack almost laughed at that. Seemed appropriate enough—but there was a temple? On a space station?

"Sort of," Julian helped. "The Bajorans at the shrine next door have allowed Teal'c to meditate there, at night."

"Old habits die hard, I guess?" Jack asked. He probably spoke out of turn. Maybe Trills meditated just as much as Jaffas did.

"His meditation habits actually helped the Symbiosis Commission decide in his favor," Julian said. "Much of the worry when joining a symbiont and a host is the psychological effect on the two. Teal'c's method of meditation is, shall we say, deeper than the usual meditation a humanoid can achieve? Outside of Vulcans, I suppose." He shrugged, as if he didn't understand it. He probably didn't. "In any case, he's doing well enough with medication and the Trill host. I can't authorize any space travel or, actually, anything much outside of laying low. Losing the larva has put quite a strain on his system and I wouldn't want to tax it any more than necessary."

"Understood," Sam said with a nod. "Are you done here, Teal'c? Maybe you can show us around."

"I would be happy to," Teal'c agreed. "I was once stationed on an outpost similar to this one," he said as he walked out.

Jack frowned. "You were?"

"Zan was," Teal'c explained. "It was a Trill science station on the edges of the known galaxy at the time. Zan was a security officer, then."

"Anything exciting happen?" Jack asked. They had exited onto the Promenade and were walking around the ring. Jake was still next to Sam, but another alien creature, a Ferengi, Jack happened to know, and joined him and was trying to get him to go somewhere else.

Teal'c shook his head. "I do not believe so. Zan became an excellent marksman on that posting because there was nothing to do with his spare time."

Sam, with a disbelieving smile that Jack couldn't tell if it was happy or sad, asked, "So, you're still Teal'c then?"

"The joining is unlike that of Goa'uld and host. Even unlike that of Tok'ra and host," Teal'c explained. "I am Zan. And Zan is me. There is a Trill on board, her name is Jadzia and her symbiont's name is Dax. She now calls herself Jadzia Dax for that reason." Jack was befuddled at that—in fact, all of them seemed rather confused. Or concerned. It was hard to tell. "It is… difficult to explain. I feel as if I know people on the Trill home-planet that Teal'c has never met. Likewise, Zan knows what it is like to be the First Prime of Apophis, what it is like to travel through the chappa'ai."

Sam pursed her lips and her brow furrowed. It was sort of cute, when she thought so hard like that. If only they could channel that thinking into figuring out a way home as soon as possible, so they could have Teal'c back and not… Teal'c Zan. But, it was better than having no Teal'c at all, Jack decided. Just weird. Everything was weird. Nothing was not-weird. And, even worse, he was getting used to it.

"Hey, look," Daniel said, suddenly pointing up at the windows on the level above. A giant, goldy-blue hole in space whirled open and a ship went through.

"That's the wormhole!" Jake announced.

As if they couldn't figure it out by themselves. Jack wasn't sure that thing would work for them, though… it was massively huge. It was big enough for ships. They could never walk through that thing. At least they could all agree on something, though…

"Wow," Sam marveled. "It sure is beautiful."