Teal'c stood among the assembled free Jaffa, listening intently as the newly appointed leader spoke of past obstacles and victories, and the glory that was now their nation. His face spoke of deep fatherly pride as his son, Rya'c, outlined his plans for the united Jaffa nation. The young man's confidence was tempered by the truth and sincerity of his words. He would be a great leader. Jaffa everywhere would benefit from his spirit, his candour, his tenacity and his strength. More would join their cause. The Goau'ld would never again reign supreme in this galaxy. All around him, Jaffa cheered at his son's words, recognizing his greatness even as Teal'c did. Beside the young leader, his wife, Kar'yn, stood gazing lovingly at her husband, their infant son tucked snugly in her arms. She radiated all the pride, love and joy a father could wish for his son to have. She was, in every sense, the young man's partner. They had fought together, loved together, and risen together to this point, this position. His achievement was hers as well. Teal'c beamed at both of them, his heart full of love for his son, for Rya'c new family, and for the hope they gave the new Jaffa nation. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined such events would come to pass. Now, however, he could grow old knowing of the successes he himself helped wrought in giving life to this young man, and starting the rebellion his son would now complete.

The Jaffa around him were cheering wildly now, welcoming Rya'c as their leader, welcoming the victories they would share as a united nation of free Jaffa. The din was uproarious. Rya'c gaze roamed the crowd, resting briefly on his father's face. An acknowledging smile escaped the young man as he nodded briefly and moved on, locking eyes with many of his supporters, sending them further and further into their frenzied cries of acceptance and joy. Teal'c slowly melted back into the crowd, allowing the gathered throngs to carry him away from the platform, from his son and grandson, from the noisy celebration going on all around them. Reaching at last a doorway by which he could escape the crowds, Teal'c made his way sedately down the long, stone corridor, out into the bright sunlight of Dakara. He could rest now, knowing that his son would continue as he had began, knowing that his people would rise to greatness in this galaxy. Knowing that his lifelong foes, the Goau'ld, would be forever destroyed.

Teal'c smiled. Satisfied, yet wearily, he began the trek home. His heart was light, even if his feet were not. His body was beginning to show its age. He was not as limber as he had once been, nor as strong. He was glad there were younger warriors to take his place in the fields of battle still to come. His days of fighting were at an end. Stumbling slightly over the dusty terrain, his body ached in protest at the jolt. His body? Surely his body was not yet so weak as to stumble and ache quite like this. Where had the years gone? Something troubled him, nagged him from the depths of his long-lived memory. Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter. He had not thought of them in years. Were they even still alive? The nagging feeling grew more intense, demanding him to focus, to remember. He had to find Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter.

Changing direction, Teal'c made his way to the Stargate, forcing his protesting body to cover the distance quickly. The dry earth gave way to the force of his unyielding steps, reminiscent of a time when he would have run, full-strength, the distance between himself and his goal melting easily beneath his long, easy stride. He pushed himself harder, ignoring the pain lancing through his legs, his back. He had to find the rest of SG-1. Something wasn't right. He shouldn't be this weak. Not yet. He couldn't remember the years, although his aching body could. He needed their help, their medicine. They would set things right again. He would be able to watch Rya'c's children grow. He pushed harder, closing in on the Stargate. His chest heaved painfully as his lungs begged for more oxygen, and he gasped, chocking on the dry air of Dakara. Falling onto the DHD, Teal'c stretched his arm painfully, slowly dialling the familiar combination to Earth.

The Stargate whooshed to life. Forcing himself upright once again, Teal'c limped towards the gate, his limbs on fire and his lungs chocked with dust. Stumbling through the event horizon, he had the strangest sensation that he wasn't all there, as if the wormhole had somehow forgotten a piece of him back on Dakara. Hoping to find answers among the Tauri, he resigned himself to the possibility that this would be his final trip through the Stargate.

Daniel was floating, drifting, no longer tied to any one celestial body. Gone were the days of gate travel. He was no longer bound to the corporeal rules of physics. Light doesn't need a Stargate to travel. Drifting freely through the expanse of the universe, he was aware of everything. So much more than the five senses of sight, taste, smell, sound and touch that bound corporeal beings, Daniel was able to sense and process everything around him, simultaneously. He witnessed the birth of a new star, the destruction of a planet at the hands of the Goau'ld; the pain of his friends at his loss.

Death had been a release for Daniel, a transcendent experience. Ascension was a rebirth, a renewal of all that he was, coupled with the awareness of all that was in each and every instant of time. It was as if the inner recesses of his mind, his being, encompassed the whole of the universe, as if everything and everyone were on display for him to see. For him to know. He could focus in on anyone, on anything, he wanted to see more clearly. He could offer support, comfort, to his friends, their allies, in times of need. In truth, he felt he could do much more now than he had ever been able to do in life.

Daniel drifted peacefully through the Universe, watching, listening, learning. So many cultures, so much history in the making. He could watch it all unfold. A thousand years from now, he would still remember what had come before. He would be a volume in a vast library of sentient archives for the combined knowledge and understanding of the cosmos. The thought sent a thrill of satisfaction through his incorporeal being. He would matter. A thousand years from now, his experiences in this form would still matter. They were important. Critical, even, for continued enlightenment. Beyond the Stargate program back on Earth, the work he had done on his home planet was already long forgotten. His contributions, correct in every respect, had been ridiculed by the leading minds of his field. He'd been laughed offstage. But here, in the vastness of space, he was important.

Daniel stretched his senses as far as he could, absorbing all that he could. He would be meticulous in his record keeping. His attention would never lapse. How could it? In life he had never been able to imagine anything like this. The freedom to move and explore, the limitless potential to learn for all eternity. The power to contribute to the greater good simply by maintaining his enlightened state, and his vows to uphold the natural balance of the universe. This state, this ascension, it was beyond perfection. To remove oneself from the petty struggles, the rivalries, the bitterness and grief of daily life to rise above and see it all for what it was, for what it could be, was pure and utter bliss. The living were all as children, while the ascended, beings such as himself, were more as loving grandparents, silently watching the antics of the very young, at times amused, at times aggrieved.

He felt immeasurably diffuse, his senses as widespread as they were. It was a bit dizzying, in fact. Reigning in his enthusiasm, Daniel tried to focus his attention on the immediate vicinity, but to no avail. It was as if he were suddenly powerless to hone in on any one thing, any one event. His senses were nearly overwhelmed with stimuli now, bombarded with flashes of conversation, war, peace, love, despair... It was all a jumble, meaningless without it's natural order, without a sense of the actual progression. Again, Daniel tried desperately to reel his sense in, to focus on one person, one thing in the universe. He failed. He was spread so thin he wasn't sure they'd ever find all of him. For surely the Others were aware of what had happened?

Daniel schooled his mind to search for the people he knew best, for Sam and Jack and Teal'c. They should be easy to find. He knew them all as well as he knew himself, his old self, his old life. They were a part of him. He should be able to zero in on any one of them, no problem. Only he couldn't. He couldn't find any of them in the sudden chaos reeling through his mind. They weren't there. They had to be there. Daniel tried harder. He fought against the chaos, batting one useless image after another from his conscious mind. He needed to find his friends. He needed to focus. Clearing a small section of his awareness for himself, he focused his attention on finding his friends. Clarity was fleeting. His senses were by now completely overwhelmed, his awareness hypersensitive to the overabundance of stimuli. He couldn't find them. Desperate to reconsolidate his being within the abyss which threatened to destroy him, he lunged towards a small planet with a Stargate. If he couldn't find them using his heightened Ascended senses, he would find them the good old fashioned way. He'd dial Earth and shove his whole, eerily diffuse self through the gate and hope to come out intact on the other side.

Hurtling towards the now active Stargate, Daniel was only dimly aware that he might never make it to the other side if his powers couldn't consolidate enough to push his being through the iris protecting the Earth gate.