CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
The next morning, Daniel was busy with a translation when he sensed Jacob's approach.
"Busy?" the man asked as he came in.
"Nothing that can't be put off for a few minutes. What's up?"
"I just wanted to thank you personally for what you've done."
"That wasn't necessary, Jacob."
"Maybe not, but I wanted to. I haven't been involved in this war for very long, not compared to the millennia that the Tok'ra have been fighting it, but from Selmak's memories, I have seen the centuries of loss and hardship, the struggle to win against an enemy so much more powerful and numerous than the Tok'ra. It's been a long, hard battle, and, thanks to you, it's now over for good."
"Jacob, I only played one part in this. Without all of our efforts, it would never have happened."
Jacob nodded. "Yes, you're right. This is a victory we've all fought hard for, and we can all share in the pride that it's been achieved."
The Tok'ra held out his hand. Daniel got to his feet and took it, finding himself pulled into a hearty embrace. With that contact, he began sensing something, something that made him grow still. As the two men parted, Daniel searched Jacob's face.
"What's wrong?" the Tok'ra asked.
"Selmak. He's dying."
Jacob's gaze dropped. He sighed. "Yes."
"How long have you known?"
"For a while now. He's old, Daniel, two thousand years, the oldest living Tok'ra. Using the sarcophagus, a Goa'uld can live for tens of thousands of years. The Tok'ra do not use the sarcophagus, so their life span is much shorter."
"He doesn't have much longer, Jacob."
Jacob nodded. "I know. He's been telling me that I have to let him go, but I thought we needed him to help fight Anubis. And. . . . Daniel, the bond between a Tok'ra and his host is so complete, beyond mere friendship. I . . . didn't want to let him go." Jacob sighed again. "But I know that I have to. If I don't, I'll die with him."
"I wish I could do something to help. I have the power to heal, but I can't reverse old age. I couldn't do that even when I was ascended. The most I could even hope to do is strengthen him a little, give him a bit more time, and I'm not even sure of that. He isn't even close to being human."
Jacob smiled gently. "No, Daniel. Selmak doesn't expect you to do anything, and neither do I. Anything you did would just be delaying the inevitable."
Daniel felt very sad, both for Jacob and for the loss of Selmak. He'd had very few chances to talk to the symbiote himself, but the few times he had, he'd seen someone who was good, and noble, and honestly cared about people. Selmak's death was going to be a great loss.
"What needs to be done?" Daniel asked softly.
"In a situation like this, the symbiote usually leaves the body of the host, either on its own or with the help of the other the Tok'ra, if it's too weak to do it alone. The effort will kill it almost immediately." Jacob's attention turned inward for a moment. "He says that it needs to be done very soon, before he is too weak to prevent the release of the poison that a symbiote releases as they die."
'All right, my old and dear friend,' Jacob told Selmak silently. 'I don't want to say goodbye, but I know it's time.'
Jacob returned his attention to Daniel, who was looking at him sadly. "I need to talk to Sam, and then I need to contact the Tok'ra."
Jacob went to his daughter's lab. He watched her a moment from the door before she noticed him and smiled.
"Hey, Dad." Then she got a better look at his expression. "What's wrong?"
Jacob came forward and took her hands. "There's something I have to tell you. It's about Selmak. He's dying, Sammie. He doesn't have much longer to live."
Tears filled Sam's eyes. "Oh, no," she whispered.
"I've been putting it off, but I can't any longer. I need to let him go."
"Oh, Dad. I'm so sorry." Sam wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly.
"I'm going to call the Tok'ra and tell them," Jacob said as they finally drew apart. "I want it to happen here, with my friends and family, with the people Selmak has come to care about, too."
Sam wiped a tear from her face. "Is there something we can do to help?"
"No, just be there for us."
Sam nodded.
Giving his daughter a second, briefer hug, Jacob then went to Jack and told him. Jack didn't think he'd ever feel sorrow over the death of a Tok'ra, but he'd been wrong. Out of all of them, Selmak had been the one Tok'ra Jack truly liked and respected.
Two hours later, a small party of Tok'ra came through the gate. Considering who Selmak was, there should have been more. The entire High Council should have been there to say farewell and pay their final respects, but Selmak and Jacob's relationship with the High Council had greatly eroded, especially since the day they found out that the council had deliberately kept from them the fact that there was a Tok'ra spy in Olokun's inner circle.
Selmak was not upset that so few of his fellow Tok'ra had come. He wanted his final moments to be spent only with the people who cared about him.
Everything was set up in one of the infirmary isolation rooms. Lying on the bed, Jacob looked at Jack and the three members of SG-1.
"Selmak wants to say something to each of you privately," he said. "Jack, you're first."
The others left the room.
"Jack," said the deep, echoing voice of Selmak. "What can I say? You are one of the most aggravating humans I have ever met. But you're also one of the bravest, one of the most determined and dedicated to helping your world. I have admired your strength and stubbornness at the same time as I cursed it. You are a good, man, Jack, and one of the best leaders I have ever known."
Touched by the symbiote's words, Jack didn't know what to say, "Thank you," he finally murmured. "I've made no secret of what I think about the Tok'ra, but, coming from you . . . it means something to me to hear that. You're a good . . . person, Selmak, definitely the best damn one of the whole lot of you. The Tok'ra are going to be a lot poorer without you."
"Thank you, Jack."
Teal'c was the next one to come in.
"Teal'c," Selmak said. "When I learned that a Jaffa had openly defied and rebelled against the Goa'uld, I almost couldn't believe it. And then I met you, and I thought, 'Yes. I see it. This one is not a sheep who followed the Goa'uld without question.' I have such great respect and admiration for you. What you did took so much courage and strength. You paved the way to the freedom your people now have, and I know that you will continue to lead them into becoming a great nation."
"Selmak," Teal'c said, feeling pride and honor that the Tok'ra felt that way. "The Jaffa and the Tok'ra have never been friends, and I believe never will be. But you are a great one among your kind, one who deserves the respect of all Jaffa. I will grieve upon your passing, my friend."
Teal'c crossed an arm over his chest and bowed his head in deep respect.
It was Daniel who came in next. Selmak laid a hand on his forearm. "Daniel, in all my two thousands years, you are one of the most courageous, noble, selfless and compassionate people that I have ever met. From you I learned how limitless the depths of forgiveness and mercy can be. Since gaining your abilities, I've seen you grow and mature even more, becoming a man of such amazing strength and determination, a true leader, though I know you probably wouldn't agree with that. You have succeeded in doing something that I believe many of the Tok'ra thought would never happen. You have completely rid this galaxy of the Goa'uld for all time, and, for that alone, you will have a great place in history. It has been a great honor to know you, Daniel."
Daniel felt the sting of tears, and, for a moment, he couldn't speak. "I don't really know what to say."
Selmak chuckled. "Too bad Jack's not here. He'd call this a red letter day."
That made Daniel smile. "I never got to talk to you much. It was usually Jacob. But I know the kind of person you are through him and through the things you've done for us. We owe you a lot, Selmak, more than we could ever have repaid you for. I'm not like Jack. I never disliked the Tok'ra, although I have had . . . issues with one or two of them."
That made Selmak laugh again.
"I recognize that the Tok'ra did help us a lot, that there are things we accomplished that we never would have without them. But out of all of them, you're the one who helped us the most, the one who was our greatest friend and our strongest ally. And for that, I want to thank you."
Selmak nodded once. "Thank you. Your words mean a great deal to me." He gazed deeply into Daniel's eyes. "Tell all the others not to grieve for me. I've had a long, full life, and I have had the pleasure and privilege of living long enough to see the dream of the Tok'ra come true. I'm dying happy and content." He grasped Daniel's upper arm. "Goodbye, my friend. I leave knowing that the universe is a far better place now and that you will be here to continue fighting for all humanity and its allies."
Daniel gave a nod, his throat tightening. Feeling sad, yet also strangely uplifted, he left the room.
The archeologist walked up to Sam. "It's your turn, Sam."
"I don't know what to say to him," she said, already starting to cry.
"Say what's in your heart, Sam. That's what he wants."
Slowly, Sam entered the room. The face of her father smiled at her.
"Sam," Selmak said. "Come. Sit beside me."
Sam took the seat beside the bed, and Selmak took her hand.
"Martouf told you long ago that, with the Tok'ra, the host and the symbiote feel as one. What the host feels so, too, does the symbiote. The fact is that this is not always entirely true. Sometimes, host and symbiote do not completely share feelings. But, other times, it is very true." Selmak looked into her eyes. "When Jacob became my host, I came to love you like my own daughter. The pride he has in you is a pride I have as well. When he was fearful or worried over you, I had those same feelings. When you grieved and it tore his heart to see it, that pain was also within me." The Tok'ra touched her cheek. "You are precious to both of us."
Sam began crying again. She pressed his hand against her cheek.
"If I had been born human," Selmak said, "and had been blessed with children, I can think of no one that I'd rather have as a daughter than you. You are such a beautiful woman, both on the outside and on the inside, the place that truly matters. Many of my fellow Tok'ra would scoff if they heard me say that your intelligence can be nothing short of amazing. They tend to forget that much of our intelligence comes from our longer lives and having access to more advanced technology and knowledge. You don't have those advantages, yet you have accomplished things that the Tok'ra could not. And that really is incredible."
Selmak took her hand in both of his. "Sam, I want you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"After I'm gone, I want you to help Jacob. Every time a symbiote loses a host, we grieve, but from the moment we are joined with a host, we know that a day will come when that host will die and we'll have to say goodbye. We prepare ourselves for that eventuality. But on that rare occasion when a host loses their Tok'ra symbiote, it can be so much harder. The host does not expect to be the one who outlives the other. Also, with a symbiote, when the host dies, a new host is found, and bonding with that one helps ease our pain. It was that way when I bonded with Jacob. But Jacob will not have that. There will be no new symbiote to help ease his pain. He will be alone within himself, no more voice speaking mind to mind, no more consciousness to share his inmost thoughts and feelings with. It will be so very lonely for him after I'm gone."
Sam was almost sobbing now, already hurting for her father.
"You know your father, Sam. He'll pretend that he's all right. Don't let him get away with it. Get him to talk about how he feels."
Sam nodded. "I will." She gave him a watery smile. "Is he yelling at you right now for telling me this?"
Selmak let out a soft chuckle. "As a matter of fact, he is. And let me say that his comments are less than complimentary."
Sam choked back a little laugh. She then leaned forward and gently kissed the man's cheek. "That was for you, Selmak. You saved my father's life, for which I will always be grateful. I know that these years he's spent with you have taught him so many things and given him a much richer life. He's gotten to experience things that so few people do. I want to thank you for that, too." She took his hand again. "And I want to thank you for me. Not only did you save my dad's life, you also brought the two of us closer together. We've been able to share things that we never would have otherwise. I always wondered what it would be like to really work with my dad, side-by-side. You made that possible, and it was great. I wish that Mark was here to thank you for your part in healing his relationship with Dad. We all owe you for that."
Getting up out of her chair, Sam wrapped her arms around the man who wore her father's body, but, at that moment, was a person that she had come to like and respect in his own right.
Once they drew apart, Selmak gave her a peaceful smile. "It's time now, Sam. Please ask the Tok'ra to come in."
"Do . . . do you want me to stay?"
"No, it would be best if you weren't here. It will be easier for both you and your father."
Saying goodbye one last time, Sam left the room, telling the Tok'ra that Selmak was ready. Janet went in with them to monitor Jacob's condition.
Sam sat down beside Daniel, and he touched her arm comfortingly.
"Are you all right?" he asked gently.
"Yeah. I'm worried for Dad, though. It isn't going to be easy for him afterwards."
"We'll help him get through, Sam, all of us."
A while later, one of the Tok'ra came back out.
"It is done," he said solemnly.
"Is my father all right?" Sam asked.
The man nodded. "He is resting now. The process weakens the host to some extent, but he will regain his strength quickly."
Sam looked at Daniel. "I'm going to sit with him."
He gave her an understanding smile. "Okay. You know where I'll be if you need me."
It was a little over an hour later that Jacob awakened.
"Selmak," he murmured. His eyes then blinked open, full of confusion. And then the memories came, along with the realization that he'd never hear Selmak in his mind again. Sudden grief came crashing down upon him. He felt empty, like only half a person.
Jacob felt someone clutch his hand. He turned to see Sam sitting beside him.
"Dad," she whispered, her eyes dark with shared grief.
"He's gone, Sammie," Jacob said.
Sam nodded and started to cry.
"I feel . . . lost."
"I know, Dad, but it'll be okay. I'm here, and it'll be okay." Sam got to her feet and wrapped her father in a tight hug, feeling his body shake against hers with suppressed sobs.
At 3:30 the next afternoon, Daniel and Teal'c stepped through the Stargate on Dakara. The archeologist was stunned by the sight that met his eyes. Thousands of Jaffa stood all around the gate. He hadn't expected this many.
What happened next really did not make Daniel happy. Every single one of the Jaffa that he could see crossed their arm over their chest and deeply bowed their head.
One of the Jaffa stepped forward. "It is a great honor that you have come, Dan'yar," he said, his tone one of quiet reverence.
"What's your name?" Daniel asked.
"I am Akdar."
"I'm honored to meet you, Akdar, but I am not Dan'yar anymore. My name is Daniel." He held out his hand to the man.
Akdar hesitated, clearly uncertain, then he grasped Daniel's forearm, and the archeologist did the same.
The two members of SG-1 walked across the courtyard, the mass of Jaffa parting to let them pass. They ascended the stairs leading up to the structure that sat nestled against the mountain. Just beyond the four columns at the entrance they found many familiar faces, including Bra'tac, Ka'ter, Raknor, M'zel, Har'tec, and, to Teal'c's delight, Ry'ac, his young wife, Ka'ryn, and Ishta. Teal'c stepped forward and embraced his son.
"Ry'ac, I did not know that you would be here."
"We did not wish to miss it, Father. This is a glorious day for all Jaffa."
Bra'tac stepped up to them with a smile. "Come. The others await us."
The group went into the main chamber of the building. Around thirty Jaffa already stood waiting inside. Daniel's eyes went briefly to the darkened entrance of the room that held the control console for a weapon that no longer existed.
As everyone except Daniel, Teal'c and Bra'tac joined the others, Tolok stepped to the fore.
"For the first time in the history of our race, we stand here today as a free people," he said as he walked slowly around the room, looking at those assembled. "All of our brothers and sisters across the galaxy are slaves no more. Their masters, the Goa'uld, are gone and shall never return." He turned and stepped up to Teal'c and Bra'tac. "These two men have fought long and hard for this day, for a goal that, in the beginning, they were the only ones to have the courage and determination to pursue. If it had not been for their actions, I believe that this day may never have come." Tolok then moved to Daniel and placed a hand on his shoulder. "This man, though he is not Jaffa, has battled as fiercely for the destruction of the Goa'uld as any one of us here in this room. Because of his actions and the power he possesses, we have seen a complete end to the Goa'uld far sooner than any of us could have hoped or imagined."
Tolok took a small step back, facing all three men. "Brothers Bra'tac of Chulak and Teal'c of the Tau'ri, for your enduring courage, vision and strength of will that was instrumental in gaining our freedom from the Goa'uld, and Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri, for your mighty power that dealt the final blow against the Goa'uld and prevented the destruction of all life in this galaxy, I hereby bestow upon you the highest honor any Jaffa can know." He began touching the head of his staff weapon to each of their shoulders, much like a ruler awarding a knighthood. "From this day forward, you shall be known as blood kin to all Jaffa!"
Daniel was stunned. He'd been expecting something, but not this.
The other Jaffa began to cheer. Tolok raised his hand to silence them. He and the others then knelt before Teal'c, Bra'tac and Daniel, which upset all three of them. They look at each other. Bra'tac then walked up to Tolok and, taking his arm, made him get to his feet.
"Brothers!" he called out, causing the rest of the Jaffa to rise. "From this day forward, no Jaffa shall bow before anyone and never again before a false god."
Tolok turned to the assembled Jaffa. "Hail, Brother Bra'tac! Hail, Brother Teal'c! Hail Brother Daniel Jackson!"
The other Jaffa let out a shout, and someone blew a horn. Teal'c and Bra'tac, fists laid over their hearts, turned to walk out, Bra'tac gently taking Daniel's arm to bring him along.
"Be proud, Teal'c," Bra'tac said. "Today we are free."
His former student smiled. "Indeed we are, old friend."
"Um, did either of you know that was going to happen?" Daniel asked.
"We did not," Bra'tac replied. "We knew only that the Jaffa wished to honor all three of us." He looked at the human. "You should be greatly honored, Daniel Jackson. In the entire history of our people, no member of another race has been declared blood kin to all Jaffa."
"I am, Bra'tac. It's the highest honor I've ever received. So . . . what now? Do I, uh, have to do anything?"
Bra'tac smiled. "No actions are necessary on your part, except to respect what has been given to you this day."
As the three men stepped out into the sunshine, a mighty shout arose from the throats of every Jaffa assembled in the courtyard below. They lifted their staff weapons skyward and repeated the hail that had been given inside. Though Teal'c and Bra'tac handled it well, Daniel was a little overwhelmed.
"Oh, boy," he murmured under his breath. Well, at least this was a lot better than having them all calling him a god. He could handle being considered blood kin to all Jaffa.
Ka'ter, Har'tec and Ry'ac came up to the three. Ka'ter gave Daniel an embrace, smiling happily.
"I have heard about what happened," Ry'ac said, eyes filled with wonder. "Those who witnessed it said that it was a glorious sight."
"Indeed it was," Bra'tac confirmed. "Never in all of my one hundred and forty years have I seen anything more glorious."
Har'tec smiled at Daniel. "And this is the man that I dared challenge to Joma Secu. If I had but known what you had the power to become, I would have offered my allegiance to you along with all other Jaffa."
"Like I said then, Har'tec, I didn't want your allegiance, just your friendship and your help as an ally," Daniel responded. "That hasn't changed."
Har'tec rested a hand on his shoulder. "This you have, my friend, for as long as we may live."
Teal'c saw Ishta and Ka'ryn coming toward them. Bra'tac noticed who Teal'c was looking at and smiled.
"You need not keep us company, Teal'c," he said to his former student. "I am sure there are some here you would like to speak to."
Smiling slightly, Teal'c bowed his head and excused himself, going to Ishta. Ka'ryn came up and put her arm around her husband's waist.
"Daniel Jackson, may I speak with you in private for a moment?" Ka'ter asked.
"Sure."
The two men began descending the steps.
"I must confess that, when I witnessed your ascension, I had doubts that I would ever have the opportunity to embrace you as a brother," Ka'ter said. "I believed that, surely, you would not forsake the power and immortality of ascension for the life of a mortal again, at least not by choice."
"My place is not among the Ascended, Ka'ter. It's with my people and everyone I view as friends and allies."
The green-eyed Jaffa glanced at him. "Teal'c told us much, that you ascended to a plane above the others and that your power was far greater than theirs. They attempted to stop your actions but failed."
Daniel nodded. "Some of them tried to stop my attack on Anubis' forces. When they failed, they pretty much gave up. They realized that they couldn't stop me unless all of them worked together."
The two men reached the bottom of the stairs and began walking across the courtyard. Daniel noticed that virtually every Jaffa they passed bowed his head and cross an arm over his chest. A few crossed both arms, which really bothered the archeologist since the only time he'd ever seen that was when Bra'tac and Teal'c saw Oma on Kheb.
"There is something you should know," Ka'ter said. "You have been given the honor of being named a brother to all Jaffa, but there are some who believe that you are much more."
Uh oh. This was not sounding good. "More as in what exactly?"
"Some believe that you are still ascended, that you are merely taking on human form temporarily for some purpose."
"It doesn't work that way, Ka'ter. Yes, an Ascended can become corporeal for short lengths of time, a few hours at most, but if they stay in that form for too long, they will descend."
"Even so, it is a belief held by quite a number."
"Okay, is that the worst of it or is there more?"
"Some among those who believe this feel that such a being as you became must surely be like a god, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-seeing."
'Crap,' Daniel cursed in his head. "Okay, first of all, though the Ascended are very powerful, they are not all-powerful. There are limits to what they can do. Even on that plane I ascended to there are limits. Second, I can tell you that the Ascended are not all-knowing or all-seeing."
"This I know, Daniel Jackson. I am not among the ones who have this belief."
"So, is this going to be a problem?"
"I do not believe so. The number of Jaffa who feel this way is small. However, there is a large number who still view you with great reverence, far more than being named blood kin to all Jaffa would deserve. That feeling of veneration remains even though they know that you have descended. They believe that, even as a human, your power is mighty, and, more than this, that you have the ability to ascend again at will."
Daniel's gaze instantly fell to the ground, but Ka'ter saw the look that had been on the archeologist's face. He halted abruptly, causing Daniel to stop as well.
"It is true?" the Jaffa asked in wonder. "You can ascend again?"
"I don't know that for sure, Ka'ter."
"But you believe it is possible."
Daniel sighed. "Yes."
Ka'ter gazed at him in amazement. "Then you will never die."
"No, that's not true, Ka'ter. Though it is possible that I can ascend again, that doesn't mean that, if I received a fatal injury, I'd ascend before I died. When I ascended this second time, it took a conscious effort on my part. I consciously made myself ascend. If I was suddenly killed, there would be no time to do that."
"But if your death was not immediate, you could ascend before you died."
"If I was conscious, maybe. I don't know, and I hope I never have to find out, or at least not until I'm really, really old. I intend to stay human for as long as I possibly can."
The two men resumed walking.
"I was not anticipating this," Ka'ter said. "I had assumed that you would tell me this second ascension was your last, that you could never do it again. I intended to pass on that information to others."
"Okay, so you couldn't do that without lying, but that doesn't mean that you have to tell them they may be right about me."
"No, of course. I will speak of this to no one."
"So, what does this mean, that so many Jaffa feel that way about me?"
"It may mean nothing. Now that the Goa'uld are gone and we will be setting up our own government, our own leaders, how the Jaffa look upon you should have no effect to our future as a people. It is doubtful that a religion will be created with you as its deity."
"God, I hope not," Daniel said fervently.
Smiling, Ka'ter continued. "I just believed that you should know about this so that, if you encounter any Jaffa in the future, you will be prepared."
"Thanks for the warning. It is definitely better to know about something like this ahead of time."
Around an hour later, Daniel, Bra'tac and Teal'c were at the Stargate.
"I will return to Earth in four days," Teal'c told his teammate.
"Okay. Just don't be late. Cassie's party starts at three."
"I will return on time."
"There is something you and the Tau'ri must know," Bra'tac said to Daniel. "It has been decided by all the Jaffa that, before each Primta reaches maturation, it will be removed and killed and the Jaffa that carried it will begin using Tretonin. Many Jaffa have already said that they no longer wish to carry a Goa'uld in their bodies and want to remove it as soon as possible."
"I'm glad to hear that," Daniel responded.
"When the last Primta is gone, our bondage to the Goa'uld will truly be at an end for all time," said Teal'c.
Saying goodbye to the two Jaffa, Daniel dialed Earth and sent the I.D.C. code. Then he walked up the steps and entered the wormhole that would take him home.
"So, how did it go with Joe's wife?" Daniel asked Jack that evening after the general had returned from Indiana.
"Well, at first, she thought that I was some guy Joe had somehow talked into telling her all that stuff was true."
"How did you convince her otherwise?"
"I showed her photos of the gate and some of the planets we've been to, the ones that are way too alien-looking to be somewhere on Earth. She knew that it would have been way too elaborate a ruse for Joe to manage."
"So, how'd she take it, knowing all that stuff was real?"
"Oh, she burst into tears and started hugging the stuffing out of Joe, telling him over and over again that she was sorry."
Daniel smiled. "I bet that made him happy."
"Oh, yeah. I managed to squeeze in getting her signature on the nondisclosure statement between the hugging and kissing. She was quite delighted when she found out that there would be no more visions."
"So, what now? He lost his business, and none of his friends or former customers are going to know that it was all real."
"I offered him a job."
"You did?"
"Uh huh. Base barber. Part-time, of course. There aren't enough heads here to keep him busy forty hours a week. I figured he could set up a barber shop in town that caters to the military. He'll have to learn how to do a proper military buzz cut, of course."
"Did he accept?" Daniel asked.
"Are you kidding? As base barber, he'll have clearance to hear all about the missions. He'll be in heaven. His wife wasn't so easy to convince. Colorado Springs is a lot bigger than the town they live in. But she decided that a fresh start would be good for the family. I'm sure that once she takes in all the shopping opportunities here and in Denver, she'll adapt quite nicely."
"Good. I'm glad it's going to work out for them."
Jack's expression grew serious. "How's Jacob?"
"Coping. It's going to take a while for him to adapt to not having Selmak. Sam's spending as much time as she can with him. She understands what he's going through. After Jolinar gave her life for Sam, she went through that period of depression."
"Yes, but she was a host for just a short time, not all the years Jacob was."
Daniel sighed. "Yeah. It's rough."
"Well, Jacob's a tough old bird. He'll be fine."
Daniel nodded. "General Hammond called to give his condolences."
"Yeah, well, he's not the only one who called. About five minutes after I got back to base, I found out that while you and I were both gone, a couple members of the Tok'ra High Council came through. Though they didn't exactly say so, I'm guessing that they don't like the idea of a man who has all that Tok'ra knowledge staying here on Earth where he can share every little bit of it with us. They wanted him to come back and live as, and I quote, 'an honored guest' of the Tok'ra."
Daniel stared at him. "You're joking."
"Oh, no. I'm quite serious. Talk about balls. How they thought that Jacob would actually agree is beyond me. I gotta tell you, Daniel. I really wish I'd waited a day to go to Indiana, because I'd have given my eye teeth to see what happened next."
"Which is?"
"Carter ripping them a new one. From what I understand, she just about peeled the paint off the gate room walls. The Tok'ra hightailed it back through the gate with their tails tucked between their legs."
Daniel started grinning, wishing he'd been there to witness that.
Jack was also grinning. "Wanna see the tape?"
"There's a tape?"
"Uh huh. All the stuff that goes on in the gate room is taped. I was thinking we could make a big tub of popcorn, invite Teal'c and Jacob over. Not Carter, though. She'd be horrified."
"Sure. It'll have to wait until after Cassie's party, though."
"Of course." Jack shook his head. "Our little girl's goin' off to college. It's hard to believe, isn't it."
"Yes, it is. Sometimes, it seems like it was just yesterday that we found her. Other times. . . ."
"It seems like forever?"
Daniel nodded. "A lot has happened in those years."
"More than seems possible sometimes." Jack searched Daniel's face. "Any regrets?"
"Oh, Jack. If you only knew. There are too many to name."
The general looked at him sympathetically. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I just figured that, considering how it's all turned out, those regrets might not be so big anymore."
Daniel stared at the top of Jack's desk. "Some aren't. I know that some of the things that happened ultimately resulted in good things. As much as I wish that Abydos hadn't been destroyed, if I hadn't been stopped from doing something about Anubis and had succeeded in preventing him from using the weapon, I probably wouldn't have descended. I'd still be ascended, then all of the things I've accomplished since coming back wouldn't have happened. We've all lost a lot over these years, but, in the end, it's all turned out all right, better than all right."
Jack rested a hand on his shoulder. "That it has, Daniel. That it has."
On Thursday, a special courier delivered official commendations from the president to the members of SG-1, Jack and Teal'c. Along with the commendations were personal letters from Hayes thanking them for all they'd done. In Daniel's letter, the man mentioned that, if he could get away with it, he'd give Daniel another Medal of Freedom. The archeologist was relieved that wasn't going to happen.
Sam delivered her father's commendation and letter to his quarters. Upon looking at the commendation, he shook his head.
"It's Selmak who really deserves this. What I did I couldn't have done without him."
Sam grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. He squeezed it back. Having her with him during this time had been a godsend. He felt closer to her now than he ever had in his life.
Jacob smiled at her. "I'm glad that you and the others got commendations, though. You deserve the recognition. I've always believed that, because he's not in the military, Daniel's never received enough recognition from this government."
Sam had a sudden realization. "I just realized something. I never told you that Daniel was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction early this year."
A big smile lit Jacob's face, the first truly happy one she'd seen there since Selmak's death.
"That is wonderful news, Sam. It's about time he was officially recognized for everything he's done for this planet."
She nodded. "I agree. If the Stargate Program ever goes public, I'm sure that Daniel will get the Congressional Gold Medal, too. President Hayes said he'd do everything in his power to see that happen."
There was a brief moment of silence, during which Sam looked at her father closely.
"How are you feeling today?" she asked.
Jacob gave her a soft smile. "Better, Sam. It still hurts, but what really helps is that I have Selmak's memories right up here," he tapped the side of his head, "and, in a way, that makes it feel like a part of him is still with me. He may be gone, but he will always be a part of me."
Cassie's party took place Friday evening at Janet's. Just a few of Cassie's closest friends were there, so Jack, Janet, and the three members of SG-1 didn't feel too terribly out of place.
"So, you all packed?" Sam asked the Cassie at one point.
"Uh huh. I really had to squish it all into my suitcases. How's your dad? Mom told me about what happened."
"He's doing all right, better every day. He plans on visiting my brother next weekend."
It was around two hours later that Jack called for everyone's attention. By then all the guests except SG-1 and himself had gone home.
"Cassie, seven years ago, you came into our lives," he said. "Since then, you've become a part of our hearts. We've watched you grow, all of us proud of your accomplishments. Now, you're starting a new chapter of your life, and we couldn't be prouder of you." Jack raised his glass of sparkling cider. "To Cassandra Fraiser, may the years to come be filled with joy, success, love . . . and a whole lot of fun."
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Epilogue
