CHAPTER SEVEN
Sam was pacing. She had tried to get some work done, but she'd spent more time staring at the phone, expecting it to ring, than actually accomplishing anything. General O'Neill had arrived an hour ago, yet no call had come requesting her presence. Maybe the general had decided to make them suffer, keep them hanging on tenterhooks for a couple of hours. No, that didn't sound like something he'd do.
"Good afternoon, Carter," said a voice from the doorway.
Sam nearly went airborne. She spun around to stare at Jack.
"S-s-sir!" she stammered.
Jack came further into the room. "Relax, Carter. I'm not going to bite your head off."
"Yes, sir. I mean, no, sir."
"How about if we sit down," Jack suggested, pulling up a chair.
Feeling too wired to sit down, Sam, nevertheless, did as he requested.
"I had a chat with Daniel a while ago," Jack told her. "Interesting conversation."
"It was?" Sam almost squeaked. She cleared her throat. "It was?" she repeated in a more normal tone of voice.
"Uh huh. From what he tells me, I gathered that this thing between you two wasn't exactly started slow and easy."
Sam blushed, saying nothing.
"So, as your commanding officer, I have to ask if either of you considered the ramifications of this when it happened."
Sam's cheeks reddened even more. She avoided Jack's gaze. "Not . . . not the first time, sir."
"Ah. I see. And afterwards?"
"We, um . . . we realized that we'd made a mistake. We weren't . . . going to do it again."
Jack was starting to get a better picture of what happened. "I'm assuming that plan didn't quite work out the way you intended."
Sam's cheeks were now quite pink. "No, sir."
"Not surprising. Plan A almost never works, in my experience. So, is Plan B working out well for you two?"
Sam swallowed. "Yes, sir."
"Well, that's good. Having to go to Plan C usually sucks, especially when there is no Plan C." Studying Sam's face, Jack decided to get serious. "Are you happy, Sam?" he asked gently.
She finally looked at him. "Yes, sir, I am. It's been . . . really great."
There was a long moment of silence, at the end of which Jack decided that it was finally time they talked about the one subject both of them had been avoiding for years.
"Carter, you and I have never talked about the . . . thing between us." He watched Sam's eyes drop again. "The truth of the matter is that I've done everything I can to avoid talking about it. A lot of time has passed since that whole Zatarc thing. A lot of stuff has happened since then, and, well. . . ."
"You don't have to say it, sir," Sam quickly interjected, lifting her head. "I already guessed that you don't feel that way anymore."
Jack looked into her eyes. "I still care, Carter. It's just no longer something that I . . . desire."
Sam nodded. "I do understand, sir, and it's fine."
Jack searched her eyes. "Is it?"
"Absolutely, sir."
"Good. That's good. And you have Daniel now, who, if I'm completely honest with myself, is way better for you than I'd ever have been."
Sam didn't say anything to that.
Jack decided to ask her the same question he'd asked Daniel. "Do you love him?"
Gone again was the eye contact. "I've always loved him as a friend, sir," Sam replied evasively.
"Not what I'm asking, Carter."
Sam began fidgeting. "That's . . . that's a really personal question, General."
"True, but it's also a simple one."
Sam was getting more uptight by the second. "I . . . I care about him deeply, sir. What we have means a lot to me. We make each other happy."
Jack stared at her narrowly. Crap. She was hiding from the 'L' word just as much as Daniel was. What a pair. He had to wonder if two people so afraid of love could really have a successful relationship. But then, he wasn't really one to talk. For the longest time after losing Charlie and Sara, he hadn't wanted to let himself love someone with his whole heart. But things were different now. He'd finally decided that it was time to really start living his life, to let love be a part of it.
Jack hoped that Sam and Daniel somehow managed to do the same thing, that they could find their way through this. They both deserved to have some lasting happiness in their lives.
By that afternoon, not much progress has been made on Castiana and Sahal. The teams on Castiana were slowly covering the area, but the murky, poisonous atmosphere was not making it easy. As for Sahal, the video feed from the remote-controlled helicopter revealed something that might be the remains of structures. The problem was that they were in a meadow that would take around two days to reach by foot.
Upon receiving the report from the team on Sahal, Landry told them to go ahead and head out to the meadow. Then he called Daniel to his office.
"You know, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that something as important as this weapon of Merlin's would be at least within a couple of hours' walk from the Stargate," the general remarked.
"No, you're right," Daniel agreed. "It wouldn't make sense for it to have been put someplace that would take days to reach." He shook his head. "We have to be missing something."
"Such as?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's . . . it's hidden. It would make sense. It wouldn't be left out in the open for anyone to find."
"Well, you're the expert on all things Ancient. And ideas on how we can find it?"
Daniel frowned in thought. "It's possible that something in Merlin's library in Camelot could give us an answer or at least provide some clues on where to look."
"So, you're suggesting that I send SG-1 back there."
"No, it wouldn't be necessary for all of us to go. There wouldn't be much the others could do. I can just go there. I could probably manage to do a quick read-through of everything there in a week or so. Of course, a more extensive search would take a lot longer."
Landry thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "All right. You can head out in the morning. Let's hope that you have more success than the teams have so far."
After leaving the general's office, Daniel went to Sam's lab. He told her about the trip.
"How long do you think you'll be gone?" she asked.
"That all depends. If I poured over every word, it would take several weeks. I'll just do a quick read-through first, which I figure will take around a week. Maybe I'll get lucky and find what I'm looking for right away."
Sam gave him a look. "And how often does that happen?"
The archeologist sighed. "Not often." He met her eyes. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you, too. Too bad I would be of absolutely no help to you there." She smiled. "If I could have been of some help, you could take me along as your assistant."
"Yeah, I'm afraid Landry wouldn't buy that for a second." Daniel gave her a smile. "Would you like to come over to my place tonight? I'd go over to yours, but I've got to pack some things." He shook his head. "Now I wish I hadn't gone grocery shopping yesterday. A lot of it will keep, but some of it won't. I don't know why I even bother getting things that are perishable. It seems like half of it ends up in the trash."
"I can take what won't keep. There's no sense in throwing it away."
Daniel smiled again. "So, does that mean you're coming over?"
"You bet. This is the last night we're going to be able to be together for a while."
Sam arrived at Daniel's with Chinese take-out at 6:30. After the meal was finished, the two of them chatted as the archeologist packed the things he was going to be taking with him from home.
"So . . . how was your conversation with General O'Neill?" Sam asked after a few minutes.
Daniel paused in what he was doing. "Unpleasant, which is about what I was expecting, although I know he could have given me a lot harder time than he did. How about you?"
"Oh, I think it's a safe bet that you got the worst of it. I have to say, though, that it was definitely one of the most embarrassing conversations I've ever had. It's certainly not one I'd ever have pictured having with him."
"I bet." Daniel went silent for several seconds. "Sam, you're . . . you're happy with the way things are with us . . . aren't you?"
Sam stared at him. "Of course I'm happy, Daniel. I love what we have together. It's wonderful." She searched his face. "Why are you asking that? Did General O'Neill say something?"
Daniel turned back to his bag. He shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget I said anything. Jack just said something that's been on my mind a bit."
Sam stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, whatever it was that he said, just ignore it. I," she kissed his cheek, "am very," a kiss on his forehead, "very," a kiss on the other cheek, "very happy with our relationship." She ended with a kiss on his lips. Daniel grabbed hold of her and drove his tongue deep into her mouth. He lifted her up, walked around to the side of the bed, and fell with her upon it, his hands going right away to the buttons of her blouse.
"What about your neighbors?" Sam asked, her breath hitching when he inserted his hand inside her bra.
Daniel lifted his head from the kisses he'd been placing on her neck and looked at her. "To hell with the neighbors."
By the time Daniel and Sam's lovemaking reached its end, there was no doubt that the neighbors knew exactly what was going on inside the archeologist's apartment. As the couple lay panting in the aftermath, Daniel let out a breathless chuckle.
"It's a good thing I'll be leaving for a few days. Otherwise, I could probably expect a few looks from the neighbors. Hopefully, Christine will stop hitting on me. I should imagine that Mrs. Cook across the hall is very unhappy. She's been trying for the past year to fix me up with her daughter. At least Bob Hoya will probably leave me alone now."
"Oh? Was he trying to fix you up, too?"
"Um . . . not exactly." Daniel's face colored. "He's gay, and, uh . . . didn't make it a secret that he likes me."
Sam tried very hard not to smile. "My, Daniel. I didn't realize that you were so . . . popular in your apartment building."
What the neighbors heard next was not the sounds of lovemaking, but, rather, Sam's shrieks of laughter as Daniel tickled her mercilessly.
Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with a weary sigh. Seven days. He'd been here in Camelot for a full week, going through every book, every manuscript. And what had he found? Nothing. Oh, he'd learned plenty of interesting things, things that would probably have intrigued him at any other time, but what he didn't learn was anything to do with the location of the Sangraal. Not even one clue resided in Merlin's library. Yes, he could go back through everything with a fine-toothed comb, analyze every word, pick apart every sentence, but, in this first search, he hadn't found even the smallest reference to the weapon or anything that could have to do with it. Would a more detailed search reveal something he failed to see the first time around? Daniel didn't think so.
The archeologist closed the book he'd been searching through, then closed his eyes, feeling defeated. Morgan had broken the rules of the Ancients, possibly sacrificing her existence as one of the Ascended in order to help them get the Sangraal, and they couldn't even find it. If something had been found on Castiana or Sahal, Daniel would have been contacted, so he could only assume that the teams had come up empty.
Did Morgan lie? For what reason? To lead them astray, to make them waste valuable time? No, that made no sense. Why deliberately sabotage their efforts to beat the Ori? No, there still had to be something they were missing. If Merlin's weapon was hidden, one of the search teams could have been within a few yards of it and not have known.
Daniel thought about what Morgan said just before the Others snatched her away. "Merlin's weapon is not—"
Wait a minute. Merlin's weapon is not what? If she was going to name the planet the weapon was on, she wouldn't have said "is not". She'd have said "is on". Why didn't he think of this before?
So, what did this mean? What was Morgan going to say?
"Merlin's weapon is not on either planet."
Daniel spoke the words aloud, wondering if they were true. But if it wasn't on either Castiana or Sahal, then where was it? He dearly hoped that it wasn't on Vagon Brei, and they'd missed it. They could never go back to that planet, a land of the dead where virtually every living thing had become victims of a microscopic parasite that put you to sleep . . . never to wake up again.
Daniel got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. There was no point in staying here any longer. He was ready to go home. He missed Sam, even more than he had thought he would. And it was a lot more than just the sex and company in his bed that he missed. He missed her, just seeing her, being with her, hearing her voice, seeing her smile. There was a time when he could have gone a week without seeing Sam and not thought much about it, but not anymore.
As he walked through the village, Meurik approached him.
"Did you find what you seek?" the village leader asked.
"Unfortunately no. I suppose there isn't some other place that Merlin did research or kept documents."
"No, the place you left is all that remains of Merlin's time here."
Daniel sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured."
Meurik gazed at him. "I hope that you will find success in your quest, Daniel."
"So do I, Meurik. The lives of countless billions of people depend on it."
The look on Daniel's face when he existed the wormhole told General Landry that the archeologist hadn't found anything. At the debriefing an hour later, he confirmed it.
"So, what next?" Vala asked.
"Right now, I have no idea," Daniel replied. "The fact is that we really don't know what Morgan was going to tell us. She was taken away by the Others too soon. Those three planets must have something to do with the Sangraal, and it might still be that it's hidden somewhere on one of them, but I have no clue on how to find it."
"So, we're back to square one," Cameron stated with a frown.
"Not entirely. We know a lot more now than we did before we went to the Pegasus galaxy."
"Yeah, well, let's just hope that Baal doesn't find that weapon before we do."
Daniel stared at him. "Baal?"
"Oh, I guess you haven't heard about the bit of excitement we had here while you were gone."
Daniel was filled in on the events that happened while he was off-world. The news alarmed him.
"If he finds the Sangraal before we do, he'll use it not only to wipe out the Ori, but all the Ascended as well," he said.
"Would that really be all that bad?" Vala asked. Everyone stared at her. "It's not like they've been all that helpful so far."
"If it wasn't for the Ascended, Earth would have been decimated by the Ancient plague," Daniel informed her. "Though it's true that they haven't helped much, they haven't been completely passive, or at least some of them haven't. According to Morgan, there are a number of Ascended who want to help, but they can't because they're in the minority, and there's not enough of them to defy the rest. But that could change."
"Well, until you come up with something new, I'm putting SG-1 back on the mission roster," Landry said. "We're having a tough time keeping up with all the planets that the Oris' followers have visited."
When Daniel's doorbell rang that evening, he knew it was Sam. He let her in silently, and they went to the couch.
"I saw the look on your face at the debriefing," Sam said. She took his hand. "Don't give up hope, Daniel. We'll find the Sangraal somehow."
"How, Sam? I'm fresh out of ideas or stunning revelations, and, now, we're in a race against Baal." He saw the way she was looking at him and sighed. "No, you're right. I'm not giving up hope. I'm just frustrated. I feel like I'm letting Morgan down," his voice dropped, "letting everyone down."
"Hey. You're not letting anyone down. No one expects you to perform miracles, Daniel. You'll find the answer. It's just going to take more time."
'Time during which more people will die or be enslaved,' Daniel responded voicelessly.
Sam spent the night, the two of them just holding each other, Daniel taking comfort from Sam's presence.
Over the next week, SG-1 went on three missions, most of them having something to do with the Ori. Whenever they weren't on a mission, Daniel continued his search of information about the Sangraal and the three planets. He was looking through the pages of a book when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He immediately went to see Landry.
"I need to go to England," he announced.
Landry stared in silence at him for a few seconds. "For what reason?"
"Well, for one, that's where we found the hidden chamber with the communications device. Secondly, England is where Merlin spent his time on Earth after he descended. It's possible that there are clues to the Sangraal buried in some library or collection somewhere."
"And how would you even begin to find it?"
"I have some contacts there, historians, collectors in artifacts and old books and manuscripts from the period in time that Merlin would have been on Earth. It's worth a try."
The general nodded after a moment. "All right. You're scheduled for a mission tomorrow. You can leave the next day. Let's hope that this trip is more fruitful than the last one."
"England, huh?" Cameron said the next morning as they waited for the gate to dial up. "I've always wanted to go there, try the cuisine, check out the sights, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge."
"Tower Bridge," Daniel corrected.
"What?"
"You're probably thinking of Tower Bridge. A lot of people get the two confused. The historic London Bridge isn't even in England anymore. It was dismantled and reassembled in Lake Havasu City, Arizona."
Vala looked at him. "They took the whole bridge apart, moved it thousands of miles, then put it back together?"
"Yep. Well, sort of. The frame of the bridge in Arizona is new. They used the stones from London Bridge as cladding, covering the outside."
"Why do that?"
"Tourist attraction."
The wormhole opened with its usual kawoosh, and SG-1 went through as Vala looked on, wishing again that she was going with them.
She would have changed her mind fifteen minutes later.
"You know, I wish someone had told us that these people don't like visitors!" Cam yelled as he returned fire at a large group of the planet's inhabitants who were attacking them. He aimed low, kicking up dirt and rocks, hoping that it would scare the attackers off. It didn't work.
"If these people have completely bought into the belief that the Ori are gods, they might be attacking because they know we're enemies of the Ori," Daniel shouted back.
"We're not going to be able to hold this position much longer," Sam said from behind a boulder a few yards away. "We need to make a run for the gate!"
In the next instant, Daniel watched in horror as a shot from one of the attackers' weapons struck her. She crumpled into a heap and lay still.
"Sam!" Daniel screamed.
With fear and anguish burning inside him, Daniel turned back to the natives, taking down three of them with his sidearm. His mind was screaming at him to go to Sam, but it would be impossible for him get across the distance separating them without getting hit, too.
Cameron looked at the woman lying unmoving on the ground, then at the man who was her lover, seeing the raw emotions on Daniel's face. They had to get out of here now.
"We're getting out of here!" he yelled as he got a grenade from his belt. He pulled the pin and threw it with all his might into the midst of the natives. It exploded with a horrendous roar. Daniel was instantly on his feet and running toward Sam.
He never made it.
Sights and sounds slowly filtered into Daniel's awareness. He cracked his eyes open. He was in some kind of hut . . . and he was not alone. An armed native was watching him from a few yards away.
Upon seeing that the prisoner was awake, the man went to the door, opened it, and talked to someone outside.
As this was going on, Daniel had discovered quite painfully that he had been wounded. He didn't think it was serious, but it sure hurt like hell. Right now, though, his own physical condition was of far less importance to him than the fate of his teammates. Were they okay? Was Sam okay?
Another man came into the hut. Daniel slowly sat up, ignoring the protests in his damaged shoulder. He looked up at the guy who was glaring down at him.
"Where are my friends, the people who came through the Stargate with me?"
"I will ask the questions," the man snapped. "You have no right to ask anything. Your demon priest comes to our world and threatens that if we do not submit, we will all die, and, now, you come. Were you to be the assassins?"
"What? God, no! You have it all wrong! We're not with the Ori. In fact, we're fighting against them."
The man frowned. "So you say."
"It's the truth! We came here because we'd heard that a Prior may have visited, and we wanted to see if it was true and what was happening with your people. Please, you have to believe me. We're on your side."
"The words you speak may only be lies uttered to save your life."
Daniel shook his head. "Just . . . just let us go back to the Stargate and talk to our people on our planet. They'll confirm what I'm telling you."
"More likely you will warn your masters so that they can send more killers through."
Daniel was getting frustrated. He didn't know what to say to convince this man that he was telling the truth.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"I am Nonan."
"I'm Daniel. I'm not your enemy, Nonan. We're not your enemy. Please. Just let me see my companions, and we can all talk with you together."
"That will not be possible."
"Why not."
"Because they are all dead."
'No. Oh, God, no.'
Grief, terrible and absolute, crashed down upon Daniel. He didn't even notice when the two men left a moment later. They were all dead. Sam was dead.
A sob caught in Daniel's throat, then spilled out as the anguish overwhelmed him and dragged him down into a bottomless pit. The minutes passed as he cried, feeling like the better part of him had died along with his friends and the woman who had come to mean more to him than anyone else had in seven long years.
Huddled in the corner on his cot, Daniel paid no attention to the woman who brought in some food. He didn't care when the hut began to grow dark as the sun set. By now, Landry must have tried to contact them and was probably wondering what happened. Would he send another team through? More innocent people to die at the hands of men who refused to listen to the truth? If Daniel could talk to Landry, he'd tell the man not to send anyone through on a rescue mission, to just leave Daniel to his fate, whatever that fate might be. He didn't care. If he was to die, too, at least it would end this unbearable pain inside him.
Daniel didn't know how much time had passed when Nonan came back in, along with a guard.
"Come with me," the man said.
The archeologist lifted a tear-stained face to him. "Are you going to kill me now, too?" he asked in a dull, lifeless voice.
His question was not answered. The guard helped him to his feet, and he was taken outside. They went to a larger structure. Daniel was left alone in a room with several chairs and a table. He lowered himself into one of the chairs and stared at the floor, waiting to see what was going to be done with him.
He had been there for around ten minute when the door opened. Not really caring, he didn't look to see who it was.
"Daniel?" said a trembling voice.
Daniel's head shot up. He gasped at the sight before him. It was Teal'c, Mitchell . . . and Sam.
"Oh, God. Sam," Daniel choked out. Then he was on his feet and across the room, pulling her into his arms, not caring about the pain the movement caused in his shoulder.
"They told me you were all dead," he whispered against her hair.
"They told me the same thing," she responded.
"That's what they told all of us, apparently," Cameron said.
Daniel pulled back and cupped Sam's face with the hand of his good arm. Now that he was really looking, he could see the evidence that she had been crying.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "You got hit."
Sam nodded. "I'm all right. They have a sarcophagus, Daniel. They put me in it." She finally became aware of his injury. "Your shoulder!" she cried, grasping his arm.
"It's not bad."
"You will be healed as well," said Nonan.
The archeologist turned to him. "Why did you do this? Why did you tell each of us that our friends were dead?"
"Grief says much about a man. As each of you grieved, we watched you. This one," he pointed at Teal'c, "grieved in the manner of a warrior, which did not tell us if his heart was good or evil." He gestured at Cameron. "That one shed no tears, but the pain could be seen by all on his face. The woman did cry, the tears of the heartbroken, but the tears of women are as common as flowers in the spring."
Sam wasn't pleased by that statement and was all set to utter a few scathing remarks, but she didn't get a chance.
The man turned to Daniel. "It was your tears that convinced us that you had spoken the truth. You grieved as a man who had lost all that he loved in life."
Daniel looked at Sam, meeting her eyes for a brief, intense moment.
Nonan continued speaking. "Yet, even in the depth of your grief, we saw no anger or hatred in you, though you had good reason to hate." He bowed his head, eyes cast downward. "I and my people give apologies for attacking you. We know now that it was a mistake."
Daniel decided it wouldn't be wise to point out to the man that even mass murderers were capable of loving someone and feeling grief.
SG-1 was taken to another room. At its center sat a sarcophagus.
"Where did you get it?" Daniel asked.
"Many centuries ago, my people were enslaved by an evil being who claimed to be a god. One day, he ceased coming our world. All that he left behind was eventually destroyed by the people except for this box, which they knew could heal the sick and injured and even bring the dead back to life. All those who were injured or killed in the battle with you have been healed. Now, it is your turn."
Daniel stared at the sarcophagus nervously. The last time he was in one, he'd ended up addicted to it. Though he knew that using one a single time to repair an injury would not cause addiction, he had fervently hoped that he'd never have to see the inside of a sarcophagus again.
Nonan apparently noticed his reluctance. "Is there a problem?"
"Um . . . let's just say that my last experience with one of these things was not very pleasant. You know, this wound really isn't all that bad. We have excellent doctors back home who can fix me up just fine."
Nonan frowned. "You do not wish us to heal you?"
"Using the sarcophagus on this occasion would not cause your addiction to recur, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.
"Yeah, I know. I just, um, really would rather avoid ever getting into one of those things again." He slowly lifted his injured arm. "See? It's not bad at all."
As he rotated the shoulder, agonizing pain lanced down his entire arm. He gasped out a cry, his face going white. Teal'c was at his side in an instant, grasping his good arm to steady him.
"Okay, so I guess I spoke too soon," Daniel panted.
"Okay, that's it," said Cameron. "I know you don't like those things, Jackson, but you can't afford to be laid up for weeks as that shoulder heals. Just get in the thing and get it over with."
"He's right, Daniel," Sam agreed. "There could be nerve damage."
With a sigh, the archeologist reluctantly agreed. Trying not to tense up, he got into the sarcophagus and laid down. He shut his eyes tightly as the lid slowly closed, his heart rate and respiration rising in spite of his attempt to remain calm. Then his mind drifted away as the device put him to sleep.
Consciousness returned a few minutes later. The second the lid was far enough open, Daniel was out of the sarcophagus, quickly putting several yards between him and it. He palpated and moved his shoulder about, not surprised that it was completely healed.
Cameron turned to Nonan. "Okay, if it's all the same to you, we'd like to have our stuff returned to us and get on back home. Our boss is probably getting ready to send people through to come looking for us."
All of their things were returned to them, except for their weapons, which were carried by Nonan and the three other men who accompanied the team to the gate. Apparently, the trust these people now had in them had its limits.
When they got to the gate, they saw that a MALP had been sent through, most likely to take a look at what was going on.
Their weapons were given back to them, and Daniel dialed the gate. As soon as the wormhole connected, Cameron got on the radio.
"Colonel Mitchell," said Landry. "I was just about to send a couple teams through to go looking for you. Care to tell me what's going on?"
"We ran into a bit of trouble, sir. It's been straightened out. We'll be coming through in a couple minutes. I'm sending the MALP back through now."
Daniel turned to the natives. "I know this is probably not something you want to hear, Nonan, but you can't fight the Ori. The Prior who came here has the power to kill every one of you, and the Ori have spaceships that could decimate this planet. If you fight them, you'll all die."
Nonan's spine straightened, his chin lifting. "Our people were enslaved once. We will not be so again."
"Hear me, Nonan," Teal'c said. "My race has known the bitter taste of slavery. We fought long and hard to gain our freedom, and many of us died in the battle. But if you fight, you shall all die. To fight when there is no hope of victory is not wise."
"Teal'c's right," Cameron said. "It isn't going to do you any good to put up a fight when all it's going accomplish is getting your entire population wiped out."
"Just . . . just pretend to submit, Nonan," Daniel told the man. "It won't be forever. We're trying to find a way to get rid of the Ori. We're not going to give up until we succeed."
Nonan said nothing for a moment. "I will think on your words."
Knowing that was as much as they were going to get, the teammates turned away and walked through the gate.
