CHAPTER SEVEN
That evening, while everyone else ate cold fried chicken for dinner, the colonel dined on the fish that he caught, repeatedly remarking on how good it tasted.
"I'm glad you like the fish so much, Jack," Daniel said in amusement. "I, on the other hand, am looking forward to a nice juicy steak tomorrow night."
Jack sat up a little straighter. "Steak?"
"Uh huh. Four of the steaks we brought aren't frozen, so we'll have to eat them soon."
Jack made a dismissive noise. "You can have steak any old time. How often do you get the chance to eat freshly caught bass?"
"I thought they were like trout, sir," Sam said, also amused.
"Whatever. It's fish, caught today. It doesn't get any better than that."
Daniel and Sam shared a smile, then resumed eating their chicken.
The next day, the scientists decided to go for a hike. They invited Teal'c along, but he had been talked into trying his hand at fishing in a body of water that actually had fish. Leaving the Jaffa to suffer the colonel's obsession alone, Daniel and Sam filled their backpacks with what they thought they'd need and went hiking up into the nearby hills. As they hiked, Sam found herself wowed yet again by Daniel's vast storehouse of knowledge, only, this time, by his knowledge of geology.
"I didn't realize you were a geologist, too, Daniel," she remarked after he'd explained about the strata visible within the face of a rock wall they passed.
"I'm not really, but archeologists do need to know something about geology. It was one of my bachelor's degrees."
Sam smiled. "And how many bachelor's do you have, Doctor Jackson?"
"Um . . . a few."
Sam's smiled broadened. Daniel, in fact, had quite a number of bachelor's degrees to go along with his impressive collection of master's degrees and doctorates.
By the time they were heading back toward camp a few hours later, it was getting close to sunset.
"This was fun," Sam said.
"Yes, it was," Daniel agreed. "I guess the people who were here before recognized the value of having a good time. I honestly can't remember the last time I had a real vacation, one where I actually went out and did fun things."
"Me neither. How sad is that?"
"Pretty sad."
Sam smiled and turned to him. "So, what fun is planned for tomorrow?"
"Well, it was pretty warm today. If it still is tomorrow, I was thinking that we could go swimming."
Sam's eyes lit up. "Well, as it so happens, I brought my swimsuit."
Daniel's face split into a grin. "So did I."
Sam and Daniel continued their walk back to camp. The sun was just setting when they arrived. Wanting to see the sunset on the water, Sam went to the lake as Daniel got started fixing dinner, it being his turn to cook.
Jack presented him with three fish to cook, but Daniel shook his head. "Steak tonight, Jack. Remember?" he said.
Jack snorted. "I thought you guys might have changed your mind. You really don't know what you're missing."
"Yes, we do. We had fish the first day we were here," he glanced at the ones the colonel had caught, "and those look exactly the same as the ones we ate then."
"Fine," Jack said shortly. "Just fix one for me, then."
"Whatever you want, Jack."
And so it was that, as Jack yet again ate fish that evening, the rest of his teammates dined on steaks cooked over an open fire with onions and baby carrots. Jack kept glancing at their plates, the smell of the beef and onions making his mouth water.
"How's the fish, Jack?" Daniel inquired in a voice that sounded a tad more innocent than it should have.
"Delicious. Can't get enough of it," the colonel replied a bit too enthusiastically.
"That's good."
Jack glanced up and caught a smirk on the archeologist's face, also seeing one on Sam's features.
"Do you not grow tired of eating those creatures, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.
The widening of the smiles that Daniel and Sam were trying to hide ticked Jack off. "Nope, not at all, T. In fact, I'll probably be having fish every night we're here. I'm taking advantage of the bounties of this planet, as all of you should."
"No offense, sir, but, though I do like fish on occasion, I'd rather take advantage of the bounties of the grocery store," Sam responded.
Daniel's snort of laughter resulted in a glare from Jack.
"You people just have no appreciation for the finer things in life," the grey-haired man grumbled.
About half a minute of silence had passed when Daniel suddenly said, "So, Jack, did I ever tell you that I went fishing in the Nile a couple of times?"
Jack stared at him, open-mouthed. "You . . . you fish?"
"Uh huh. Sometimes on digs, it made more sense for us to catch our own food than to pack it in from the nearest town or village."
"You fish?" Jack repeated.
"I remember there was this one time that a friend of mine talked me into going deep sea fishing with him in the Red Sea, and I accidentally caught a shark. Then there was that time on the Amazon—"
Jack waved his hands about. "Whoa, whoa! Okay, let me get this straight." He paused. "You fish?"
Daniel looked at him, then at his other teammates. "Didn't I just say that?"
"Indeed you did, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied. "In fact, it appears that you have more experience in fishing than O'Neill."
"Why the hell didn't you ever tell me this?" Jack wanted to know.
"Because, if I had, you'd never have left me alone, Jack," Daniel told him. "You would have wanted to drag me off fishing every time we had leave."
"Of course I would. The Nile? The Red Sea? The Amazon? Damn."
"Yes, Jack, I've been fishing in all those places and more, but it's not my most favorite thing in the world to do. Most of the time, it was simply a way to feed myself and others on the dig. It's been at least ten years since the last time I picked up a fishing rod."
"We could go tomorrow," Jack said hopefully.
"Sorry, Jack. I've already got plans for tomorrow." Daniel paused upon seeing the disappointed look on his friend's face. "But there's always the next day."
Jack's face was transformed into a smile. "Sweet."
"I do not understand this fascination with fishing," Teal'c said.
"You didn't enjoy your experience today?" Sam asked.
"I did not."
"Oh, he's just sore because the only thing he caught was the size of a minnow," Jack stated. "I think he scared all the other fish away. They took one look at his frowning face and skedaddled."
Said frowning face frowned even deeper.
"I bet you'd like spear fishing, Teal'c," Daniel commented.
"You can do that, too?" Jack asked, amazed.
"I'm not talking about fishing underwater with a speargun, Jack. I'm talking about standing in a river with a spear in your hand and spearing the fish that swim by. And, no, I can't do that, though someone did try to teach me once."
"That does, indeed, sound most intriguing," Teal'c stated, thinking that it would take a great deal of skill to successfully catch fish in that manner.
"Well, maybe one of these days, you can try it."
"What about tomorrow?" Jack asked.
"I do not have a spear, O'Neill," Teal'c pointed out.
"We could make one. There are plenty of saplings around here. Just whack off the branches, sharpen the end to a point, and you've got yourself a spear."
"Actually, a lot of fishing spears have three prongs, but I suppose that would do," Daniel said.
Jack slapped Teal'c on the shoulder, grinning. "Okay, big guy. Tomorrow you get to go spear fishing."
Teal'c inclined his head, smiling faintly.
"You sure you won't join us, Daniel?" Jack asked.
"No, Sam and I are going swimming tomorrow."
"Oh. Well, okay, but you're not getting out of going fishing before we leave this planet, Daniel."
Daniel smiled in amusement. "Yes, Jack. Whatever you say."
The colonel looked at him for a few seconds, then, "I really like hearing you say that, Daniel. I suppose it would be too much to ask to hear it on missions, too." He read the expression on the archeologist's face and sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Daniel's smile was joined by one from Sam and a tiny one from Teal'c as they returned to their meal.
The next day turned out to be even warmer than the day before, and both Sam and Daniel agreed that it was the perfect weather for swimming. They tried to convince Jack to join them, but he told them that he hadn't brought a swimsuit. Besides, he was looking forward to seeing Teal'c try his hand at spear-fishing. The Jaffa and the colonel had gone in search of a suitable sapling for the spear and found one that was almost perfectly straight. Once the branches had been trimmed off and the end whittled down to a sharp point, the two men went off to see who could catch more fish.
Daniel and Sam spent a good part of the afternoon in and out of the water, swimming, racing and frolicking like a couple of teenagers. Finally having enough of swimming, they laid out in the sun, soaking up the delicious warmth. After almost an hour of just lying there, Sam turned and looked at Daniel. The book he had been reading was beside him, along with his glasses. His eyes were closed, face turned up to the sun, wearing an expression of peace and contentment.
"This surprises me," Sam remarked.
Daniel looked at her. "What does?"
Sam turned onto her side and propped her head up on her hand. "You lying there, perfectly content to do absolutely nothing. You always struck me as the kind of guy who has a hard time doing nothing. You're always busy with something."
One of Daniel's eyebrows quirked upward. "Isn't that kind of a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Sam?"
The astrophysicist smiled. "Okay, so I'm sort of the same way, but I do appreciate the opportunity to slow down on occasion as long as I'm doing something I enjoy, like this. How many women don't love sunbathing?"
"Well, despite what you may think, I do sometimes do nothing, though I admit that it's not often." Daniel sat up and wrapped his arms loosely about his legs, his eyes on the lake. "Whenever I was out on a dig, I used to enjoy going off by myself and just sit and look at whatever natural or manmade wonder was in view. I remember one evening when I was on a dig in Egypt, I sat and watched the moon rise over the ruins, thinking about my parents and how my life had turned out." He faced her and gave her a smile. "So, you see? There are some things you don't know about me. I do have a few mysteries left."
Sam returned his smile. "I'm sure you do. So, I guess this is another way that we're alike. The colonel would probably fall over in shock if he knew that we really were capable of doing nothing."
Daniel chuckled. "Yes, he probably would. Of course, then, he'd insist that we both go with him to his cabin in Minnesota and spend a week doing absolutely nothing except fish an empty pond. As it is, I'll be lucky if I don't get dragged over there now that Jack knows I can fish."
Sam gave a laugh that was almost a giggle. "I have to say that I felt so sorry for Teal'c when I found out about that trip they took there. He must have been miserable."
"Yeah, well, he was having a better time than I was. I'll take fishing an empty pond over a round with a ribbon device any day."
"I would, too," Sam said.
Daniel's expression grew serious. "Thanks, Sam," he said quietly.
"For what?"
"For this, for being a friend. With everything that's been going on in my life lately, it's really good to know that I can still count on you, Jack and Teal'c."
Sam reached out and rubbed his back soothingly. "We'll always be here for you, Daniel. That's a promise."
Smiling at each other, they lay back down and let the warm sun and the tranquility of the area wash away the cares in their minds.
The next day, just as he had promised, Daniel went fishing with Jack. Much to the colonel's delight, the archeologist gave Sam a rudimentary fishing lesson, and she joined them. Even Teal'c agreed to again try fishing with a rod rather than a spear, though he'd had a great deal more success with the spear, his fast reflexes, infinite patience, and ability to remain absolutely still for hours making him a natural spear fisherman.
And so it was that the four friends lined up along the bank of the lake and went fishing. Sam was as excited as a little kid when she got her first bite and managed to land it all by herself with lots of shouted coaching from both Jack and Daniel. The three humans were all amused when Teal'c displayed his own version of Jaffa excitement as he landed his first real fish caught with a rod. Sam and Teal'c each caught one more fish before the day was out. Jack was pleased with the three he caught. Out of all of them, however, it was Daniel who really struck it rich, landing five beautiful specimens. The problem was that he released every one of them, much to Jack's dismay.
"We've already got enough fish, Jack," the archeologist told him after he'd released his final catch.
"But we could have stuck them in the freezer for later," the colonel complained.
Daniel looked at him, a tiny hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll tell you what. The next time we go fishing, I won't release the ones I catch."
Jack's face lit up. "Next time?"
"Uh huh."
Grinning broadly, Jack slapped Daniel on the back. "It's a deal."
"But remember, Jack. In order for me to catch fish, there has to be fish to catch."
"Got it covered, Daniel. I know just the place," he paused, "that is unless you'd like to fish again while we're here."
"Jack, this is the fourth day in a row that you've spent fishing. Wouldn't you like to do something else?"
The colonel thought about that for a moment. "Nope, not really."
Daniel shook his head, not at all surprised by the answer. "Well, I came here mainly to check out these ruins, so that's what I intend to do tomorrow."
"To each his own, I guess."
The rest of SG-1's time on the planet was equally as enjoyable as the first four days, Sam and Daniel sometimes managing to drag Jack away from his fishing.
As the team exited the Stargate back on Earth, General Hammond came forward with a smile. "Welcome back, SG-1. I hope you enjoyed your leave."
Jack beamed. "You bet we did, General."
"Glad to hear it. Now, I know that this is the last thing you want to do after returning from vacation, but you will all need to report to the infirmary. You may not have been on a mission, but you were on another planet."
"Understood, sir. Oh, by the way, we brought back some fish for you. That was one sweet lake, sir."
Hammond smiled. "Well, thank you, Colonel. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. You know, I was quite the avid fisherman in my youth."
A smile started growing across Jack's face. "You were?"
"Yes, I was. I spent many an enjoyable hour on this little stream not far from where I grew up in Texas."
"Really. Say, sir. Have you ever been to Minnesota?"
The next day, a call came through from the Tok'ra. A moment later, Jacob arrived, an expression of concern on his face.
"We need to talk," he told Hammond and SG-1.
A short while later, they were all in the briefing room.
"We may have a problem," the Tok'ra said. "As you already know, word of Daniel's abilities have been spreading among the rebel Jaffa. It was really nothing big at first, though it was big enough to cause a stir. Well, all that changed when Daniel chose to play catch with a Stargate. The Jaffa at the Alpha Site found out about it and everything else, and it all got added to the stuff that was already being circulated."
Daniel looked down at the table uncomfortably. He was already well aware that the Jaffa knew all about the things he'd done. He had spent hours talking with them, trying to make them see that he was nothing more than a man.
"And?" Jack asked.
"And, as of now, we've officially got a major wildfire going. News of this new and immensely powerful ally of the Tau'ri and rebel Jaffa is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's igniting the spirit of the rebel Jaffa to new heights. The Tok'ra have never seen anything like it before." Jacob looked at all of them. "We had a major incident two days ago."
"What?" Daniel asked, almost afraid to find out.
"There was an uprising among the Jaffa in the service of Aker, a minor System Lord. He's dead."
Sam's mouth fell open. "His own Jaffa killed him?"
"They didn't just kill him, Sam. They tore him to pieces. There wasn't enough left of the symbiote to put in a teacup."
"My God," Daniel whispered, utterly stunned. "Why?"
"Aker had just mounted a battle against another System Lord," Jacob explained. "When things got too hot, he fled, leaving his Jaffa to die. Normally, the Jaffa would have accepted this as the will of their god, but things are changing since they heard about you. Not only are you being hailed as a godlike being, every Jaffa who has been told about you has also been told that you are a trusted friend to all Jaffa who rebel against the Goa'uld, that you treat them with absolute respect, value their lives greatly, and will courageously fight at their side no matter what the danger. That's something no Goa'uld can claim."
Daniel lowered his head into his hands. "Crap," he muttered, realizing that his attempts to minimize his image in the minds of the Jaffa had seriously backfired.
"When Aker ran like a coward with no regard for the lives of his Jaffa, it was the last straw for many of them. They killed him in your name," Jacob finished.
Daniel was starting to feel physically ill. This was not what he wanted. He didn't want Jaffa slaughtering Goa'uld in his name.
"Whoa, wait a second," Jack said. "In Daniel's name? You mean all the Jaffa know Daniel's identity?"
A chill passed through the archeologist and all of his teammates, as well as Hammond.
"Do they, Dad?" Sam asked in a scared voice.
"That's the one piece of good news I have," Jacob replied. "It seems that someone has given Daniel an alias. Very few Jaffa know his real name."
"Alias? What alias?" Daniel questioned.
"You're being called Dan'yar."
"Dan'yar, huh?" Jack mused. "Kind of has a nice ring to it."
"Well, that alias is probably the only thing saving him and the rest of you from a whole lot of trouble. Not surprisingly, all of the System Lords have found out about this mysterious Dan'yar and are trying to learn more about him."
"Crap." This time it was Jack who had spoken the curse.
"I agree. All we can hope is that they don't find out the truth. If they do, Daniel is going to be instantly catapulted to the top of the Goa'ulds' Most Wanted list."
Jack groaned. "Oh, this is so not good."
"The biggest fear is that Anubis will find out. We can't get a Tok'ra operative close to him, so we're in the dark as to how much he knows, though there is no doubt that he's heard of Dan'yar."
"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.
"Nothing for now. The Tok'ra have placed as many spies as they can afford among the ranks of the most important System Lords and are keeping their ears to the ground. Hopefully, if someone does learn of Daniel's identity, we'll find out in time to get him to safety."
"Where in the hell would he be safe with every Goa'uld in the galaxy after him?" Jack wanted to know.
"That's a good question," Jacob admitted. "Perhaps with the Asgard or the Nox?"
"I'm not going to hide," Daniel stated.
"Daniel, you may have no choice," Sam told him.
Daniel's eyes met hers. "For how long, Sam? Until all the Goa'uld are defeated? That could take years. We might not even see that happen in our lifetimes. I can't just go disappear among the Asgard or the Nox for the rest of my life."
"Better that than being dead," Jack snapped. "Or, worse, being made a Goa'uld."
Dead silence fell over everyone.
"I'm also here about the weapon we've been developing," Jacob said after a moment. "We've got a working prototype, but it's only seventy percent effective at counteracting the reanimation technology."
"Seventy percent?" Sam repeated. "We have to be able to do better than that."
"I agree. Unfortunately, we're having trouble increasing its effectiveness. The truth is that this prototype should have been completed weeks ago. There have been a number of delays in its development, one of which is that I've got a lot fewer Tok'ra working with me on the project than I'm supposed to have because our numbers are spread thinner than ever due to this stuff with Daniel and the Jaffa."
"So, it's my fault," Daniel muttered.
Jacob looked at him with a fatherly expression. "No, Daniel. This isn't your fault. None of us could have anticipated that this was going to happen. You asked the Jaffa not to tell anyone about you, but it happened anyway. And, after that incident with the Stargate, I doubt that anyone could have stopped the word from spreading. It happened. Now, we just have to deal with it."
"Dad, maybe I can help with the prototype," Sam suggested. "Perhaps you just need a new pair of eyes looking at the thing."
Jacob smiled. "I'd welcome your help, Sam."
After leaving the briefing room, Sam got busy gathering what she thought she'd need. Two hours later, she entered the gate room, where her father was waiting for her.
"Got everything you need?" he asked, looking that the crate of things being loaded onto a FRED.
"Yes, I think so." Sam gave a small sigh.
Jacob noticed the expression on her face. "You okay, kiddo?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, Dad. I'm fine."
Jacob looked at her sympathetically. "I'm worried about Daniel, too, you know."
Not surprised that her dad had guessed the reason for her distress, Sam gave him a weak smile. "It'll be okay. Everything will be fine," she said, trying to convince herself of the truth of that statement.
Jacob gave her arm a squeeze. "Sure it will."
The rest of SG-1 came into the gate room to wish them goodbye.
"So, how long are you going to be gone, Carter?" the colonel asked.
"I don't know, sir," Sam replied. "There's no way to tell yet."
"Well, try not to make it too long. I'm beginning to forget what it's like to go on missions. We are SG-1, after all."
Sam smiled faintly. "I'll try to be as quick as I can, sir."
The Stargate activated, and everyone turned to it.
"We'll keep in touch," Jacob said. "As soon as we have a fully functional prototype, we're going to get busy manufacturing it. That's where the SGC is going to be a big help. You've got a lot more resources for that than the Tok'ra do."
"Don't worry, Jacob. We'll have those things cranking off the assembly line in no time," Jack said.
"Take care, Sam," Daniel said quietly.
"You too, Daniel," she responded. Then she turned and, along with her father, walked through the Stargate.
Anubis sat brooding on his throne. The more time that passed, the more he heard about this mysterious ally of the Tau'ri and the rapidly growing Jaffa rebellion. Since first hearing about the man, he had been attempting to learn more about this Dan'yar, turning most of his attention to it. The information he had managed to get was most disturbing. The power Dan'yar possessed was like that of an ascended being. Yet how could he be one of the Ascended? If one of them so blatantly defied the rules of the Ancients, they would be punished. They would not be permitted to continue.
Anubis had never quite understood the motivations of the Ancients and the reason for their insistence on not interfering in the affairs of mortals. Deep down inside he had wondered if they had some sort of ultimate plan. Now, Anubis was wondering if Dan'yar was part of that plan. Could he be one of the Ascended after all, perhaps even one of the Ancients themselves?
Anubis knew that, if the Ascended chose to actively work against the Goa'uld, that would be the end for all of them, including himself. Though they could not destroy him, they could defeat him.
There was, however, another possibility. This Dan'yar might simply be a mortal who had somehow developed extraordinary power. If that was the case, he must be eliminated. He was far too dangerous to be allowed to live.
Recently, another concern had come to Anubis' attention. There was a rumor that the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra were developing a weapon that could destroy his drones. This was an even bigger threat than Dan'yar, one that he must eliminate quickly.
Anubis' armies had just gained a major victory against the System Lord Olokun. There was a chance that there were some rebel Jaffa among those taken prisoner, or maybe even a Tok'ra operative. If so, they might be able to give him the information he needed about this new weapon . . . and perhaps about Dan'yar as well.
To be continued.
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