Strategic Differences

by Jb

part three, of five

O’Neill turned his head, listening. Satisfied that at least in this general vicinty the Jaffa reisistance was overcome, he thumbed his radio switch. "Makepeace? Time to cross the streams." He listened to the affirmative response and then indicated to Teal’c and Carter to advance.

Teal’c gave him a raised eyebrow, while Carter tried to hide a smile. "He means we should head over toward SG3, Teal’c; to cross back over the Jaffa’s main path and try to squeeze any remaining Jaffa in the middle."

"Then why did he not say so?"

"I just did say so." Jack gave each of them a slight shove, and immediately regretted it as a vivd memory of what happened the last time he gave someone a shove flashed through his mind.

"It’s from a movie, Teal’c, called Ghostbusters. It was a, well, a fairly dangerous tactic they used to, ahm, defeat their enemy." Carter didn’t try to hide the smile this time.

"I see. Is there more to this tactic which will help us to locate Daniel Jackson?"

Oh thank you so much, Teal’c. Jack’s tension had lowered several notches as they’d run across several of the Byrsa in the woods during the firefight and learned that as far as the men knew, no one had been captured. But they still didn’t know where Daniel was, and now with Teal’c’s abrupt reminder, Jack felt the stress go up more than just a few notches again.

"No, actually, it refers to something they did with their weapons. See, they had these really nifty energy guns, and they..."

Jack listened to Carter explaining about movies that dealt with busting ghosts and crossing energy streams as he followed Teal’c and Carter through the trees. Teal’c was surprisingly receptive to the inane topic of conversation, asking the occasional semi-intelligent question, such as, what was a Sta-Puft marshmallow man and just how big was he? After several hours of skulking through the brush and similtaneously evading and hunting down the Jaffa, a spot of mood-lightening was probably just what they all needed, so he didn’t call a halt to it. It wasn’t distracting; they were all able to concentrate on their surroundings, alert for any noises or signals that there might be something in the brush around them which would require their attention.

Or so they thought. Abruptly, and with a stealth that was all at once both alarming and instructive, two Byrsa stepped out of the trees directly alongside Jack. He started and brought his weapon halfway around to bear before he even realized who they were. Shaking his head, knowing he ought to be chastising himself more than them, he lowered the rifle and complained. "For crying out loud! That’s a great way to get yourselves dead, you know that?"

The Byrsa looked at him with what he suspected, but wasn’t entirly certain, was amusement. Teal’c helped to clear up any question about that. "O’Neill. They were aware of our presence before we were of theirs. They took the leap on us." The Byrsa beamed. Amusement was a polite word for the look on their faces.

"It’s ‘got the jump on us’, Teal’c." Jack turned to the Byrsa. "We’re just doing a sweep, trying to be sure we got them all. But a few of them could be hiding out."

"Our people have searched. Behind us, the forest is clear." One of the Byrsa pointed in the direction SG1 was heading. "There are a number of Jaffa that way. They are making their way back to the village, but we are waiting at the Circle for them. They will not escape."

Jack nodded. He knew what was in store for those Jaffa, and truthfully, he had no qualms about what the Byrsa would do. The Jaffa couldn’t be allowed to return through the Stargate. Jack knew that the captive they had left tied up in the village square – the one who had brashly and undeniably truthfully told Teal’c they had not sent for reinforcements; that they were more than capable of destroying the Byrsa and the Tau’Ri on their own – was very likely not in remotely the same condition as they had left him. Hell, that was just fine. "Okay. So, we’re heading in the right direction then. Our other team is heading this way from across the other side. We’ll rout them out and catch them in the middle."

"We will join with you. You can show us your methods." The two Byrsa moved to head off, and then paused as one of them added a not so subtle joke at SG1’s expense. "You can teach us how to move silently through the forest." They grinned widely at one another.

"Wait." Carter stepped up to them. "We’re looking for our friend... he, he stayed here when we left before?"

The grins faded quickly, being replaced with concerned looks. The two men shuffled their feet a bit, and one of them nodded. Jack felt his stomach knot up; it was pretty clear they knew of Daniel, and whatever they had to say was not the best of news. "Well? You know where he is?"

"Yes. We know where we left him."

They weren’t exactly a fountain of information. Carter go to it before Jack could. "You left... Oh God. Is he all right? Perhaps one of you could take us to him? Or tell us the way?"

The taller of the two turned away from Carter to stare at Jack. "Hanno returned to watch over him. That way, across the creek. We left him concealed in the woods which border the meadow. By the largest stand of trees. We cleared the area of the Jaffa, but Hanno may have decided to move him, if your friend became able to do so." The tone wasn’t exactly friendly. "You worry about him, now?"

Under normal circumstances Jack knew his reaction to the animosity and barely concealed accusation would have been anything but docile. Now though, he was acutely aware of Teal’c and Carter waiting on his reply, and even more aware of the heavy stone sinking in his stomach. They had left Daniel with Hanno to be ‘watched over’... Hanno may have decided to ‘move him’... Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and then returned the stare. He made an effort to keep his voice as quiet and as level as he could. "Yes. We’re worried. Very worried... and now we’d like you to answer the question, right? What condition is he in?"

"Your friend cries out with pain and cannot walk. His stomach... he becomes ill with the pain." The smaller of the two Byrsa gave Carter a sympathetic look upon hearing her sharp intake of air. "Hanno found him at the Circle after you had first left. He was injured then. He took some of your... your... medicine?" Carter nodded. "He helped us to prepare for the coming of the Jaffa, but then he fell ill again. We took him into the forest with us. We stayed with him to protect him from the Jaffa’s approach but..."

Uh oh. The last thing Jack wanted to hear just then was a ‘but’.

"But he is very stubborn." The tall Byrsa turned to Carter and raised his hands in a gesture of hopeless resignation. "How do you people function together?"

Deja vu. Through a thick haze in his head, Daniel became aware of the warmth of Hanno’s body behind him and sighed. He had a distinct memory of having been there, done that, not all that long ago. He cautiously shifted his position, and behind him Hanno sat up straighter to support the adjustment. Opening his eyes, his head nestled in the hollow of Hanno’s shoulder, Daniel tentatively brought up his knees slightly and scraped his heels back and forth on the ground. Thankfully, the pain in his legs proved to be more or less insignificant; above it, he could feel the sensation of his legs coming into contact with Hanno’s as they sat back to front together.

A twinge in his thigh drew his attention. Daniel winced as he saw the large bloodstain on his pant’s leg. He reached down and cautiously pulled at the fabric. His hand looked... weird, distorted a bit, the fingers too long and seemingly moving too slowly. The cloth was stuck to his skin, the blood partially dried, a testament to the passage of an unknown amount of time. Once again he’d let the drug get the better of him.

"You are all right?" Hanno’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, in Daniel’s left ear.

Daniel became aware of the tension in Hanno’s body; of the tight grip of the other man’s hands under his elbows and the feel of a rapid heartbeat against his back. He tipped his head backwards slightly to look up at Hanno’s face. Hanno’s eyes were closed.

"Hanno… I’m okay. I’m fine. The Jaffa... are we safe here?" His own voice sounded just as strange as his hand looked.

"Yes. You screamed."

"I... what?"

"When I... gave the medicine."

Daniel recalled the not-so-wonderfully-memorable injection – the pain of the needle going in and the everlasting sting of the morphine as Hanno had taken infinitely more than forever to deliver the contents of the syringe – but nothing after that. He recalled it being painful, but as for screaming... "I, uh, I don’t remember that. I’m sorry." It wasn’t a far stretch to imagine just what had happened. He must have passed out right after Hanno had injected the drug.

"Twice."

Twice... what? "Uh... huh?" Oh, good. Really alert, Daniel.

"Twice. You screamed twice. And then the, the wound... was bleeding and would not stop."

Oh. Twice that.

Insight penetrated the fog in his mind, and Daniel understood what Hanno’s tension was all about. The poor man probably thought he’d near killed him. Daniel glanced back down at his leg. The bloodstain was magnificent, covering much of his thigh from knee to hip and extending around to the back of the pant leg. "You needed to apply some pressure to it, to, uhm, push on it hard just over where the needle went in. It would have stopped pretty much right away." Surely Hanno would have known that; that pressure on a puncture stops the bleeding?

Hanno shifted behind him and Daniel leaned forward a bit, thinking Hanno wanted to get up. Heat swelled in his back and wondered if it was such a good idea, but then he felt the hands on his elbows pull him back, and sensed more than saw Hanno shaking his head. Daniel felt the vibration in Hanno’s chest as the Byrsa cleared his throat roughly and spoke. "I didn’t... Not to mind."

Daniel twisted around as best he could, and caught another glimpse of Hanno’s face. His head swam a bit with the motion and he blinked against a swirl of colour which passed through his field of vision. Hanno’s eyes were still closed. "Hanno? Never mind, what? Really, I’m okay. You did the right thing; I’m feeling much better." Yeah, better. Feeling, ohh, better. Vaguely, fleetingly, Daniel wondered why he hadn’t felt this spaced out after the previous injection.

"I didn’t... want to harm you further."

Huh? Daniel gazed at his thigh, and it struck him that Hanno was afraid of the needle and of the drug; he’d been afraid to apply pressure on the injection site. Hanno hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but, he’d been unconscious, he hadn’t even been awake... and that technique...

Daniel heard a loud snort, and with a start realized it came from him. Suddenly his shoulders were shaking and he couldn’t get them to stop, the tears sprang to his eyes and he couldn’t blink them back, and then he heard an almost identical snort come from behind him and completely lost all hold on himself. He convulsed with uncontrollable laughter, tears streaming down his face and both hands pulling his vest forward in an attempt to apply some tension and brace his back. He felt and heard Hanno behind him, caught in the throes of a similar release.

"Fearful it would harm..."

"Not even awake... Hanno..."

The discomfort in his back trebled, but even worse was the awareness of new spasms, in a new place. He struggled to get control of himself, knowing that if he couldn’t do it, he’d soon be very embarrassed. Thankfully, Hanno got a grip on himself and with that influence no longer there, Daniel was able to push back the semi-hysterical laughter to the point where he could fend off the impending flow and speak more or less intelligibly. "I have... Hanno, I have to get up."

His attempt to push himself off Hanno was stalled by a soft voice in his ear and a firm hand on his shoulder which pulled him back against Hanno’s chest. He felt the moisture on Hanno’s cheek transfer to his own. "Wait." Hanno sniffed, and Daniel felt the man’s hard swallow against the side of his own face. "While you slept, I have thought about your words. Tell me... what is a phil... philosophy?"

Daniel really had to empty his bladder. Much sooner rather than later. But there was an forlorn-sounding edge to Hanno’s voice which could not be ignored. Daniel bent his knees up and slid his feet back as close to his body as possible. "A philosophy? Philosophies are the principles that form the underlying basis for our codes of behavior, our morals and ethics. Why do you ask?"

The sigh from behind him was huge. "Morals, and... what are these things?"

Ah. Need to back up here, Daniel. "Uhm, okay. Okay, what my people call morals and ethics are the things we use to guide our behavior; I guess, put simply, you could say they’re our rules about right and wrong. Philosophies are our basic beliefs about life, the ideas that we use to decide what our morals should be. Why?"

"Like our mandates?"

"Well, yes; I don’t know exactly what they are, but I’m guessing that your mandates are a set of rules about how your people behave?" With the answering nod, Hanno’s faint stubble scratched Daniel’s face. "Okay, so your mandates are the expression of your morals. And you decide on them because you have certain basic beliefs, philosophies. Hanno... it doesn’t really matter what the definition of a philosophy is; it’s just our word for things you already know. Why are you asking this?"

"You said I protected not you, but a philosophy."

Ahh. Right; that was mentioned, wasn’t it. "I meant... Okay, your people believe that the group is responsible for the individual. That’s your philosophy. When I said that... Look, in that situation, protecting me would not have done any good. We all would have died. So, you weren’t really protecting me... you were following your ways which tell you that’s how you need to behave. Being true to your philosophy, regardless of the outcome, was on the top of your list."

He felt Hanno straighten up behind him. "And your people do not feel it is worthwhile to do so?"  The voice held a mixture of incredulity and disapproval.

Oh, damn. Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but there weren’t any words there. A small puff of air escaped, and he shook his head in mute confusion. Hanno seemed to sense his quandry. "I know nothing of your people, but I believe that you were untruthful; you do feel it is worthwhile to live honourably. You spoke of self-sacrifice. You believe that the one should give up a life for the many? And this caused you great difficulty, and caused you to try to convince me to behave dishonourably?"

"Yes." Uh, wait... "No. I mean, yes, I believe people should live honourable. And, no, I don’t believe that people should be expected to give up their lives for others... I believe that people should protect... I believe... Oh, hell. Okay, wait." Daniel paused to gather his thoughts. "I believe that we should protect one another; that life has great value, and that the loss of even one life is unacceptable. If I could prevent the loss of just one, never mind many lives, then whatever I needed to do, I’d have to do it."

"Then our philosophy is the same. The Byrsa believe as well that every life has great value."

"Yes."

Hanno was silent, but Daniel could hear loud protests nevertheless. It was his bladder, and the protestations were climbing all the way up his body into his throat, turning into urgent shouts as they went. "Hanno, I’m sorry. I really have to get up now."

"Does O’Neill have this philosophy?"

"Yes. Of course. Uhm, I really need to get up..."

"And your Jaffa friend? He believes this as well?"

"Teal’c? What? That all life has value? Well, I don’t know how he feels about the all part. But he wouldn’t have saved my people and turned against the Goa’uld if he didn’t believe -- Hanno, I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to get up." Daniel pushed himself forward away from the Byrsa and tried to place his hands on the ground either side of Hanno’s legs to push himself up. "I’m going to get up now."

Hanno absently pulled his legs out of Daniel’s way. "Yes. He saved us who sought to kill him. Then, we all believe the same thing?" Hanno shifted backward and placed a supporting hand on Daniel’s back as Daniel attempted to rise onto his knees. "Your O’Neill does not seem to believe as us. He would have protected Teal’c through force. And he left you here. He only values life according to his own wishes."

Daniel reached out for the tree for support, but it was too far away. His lower back burning, he fell onto all fours and started to crawl toward it. Hanno’s words echoed in his head, but Daniel couldn’t find the will nor the breath to deal with them right then. He managed a faint mumble. "No. Not true. We all use different strategies."

"What is a strategies?"

" A strategy, not a strategies. A thing... something you do... the way you try to achieve a goal." For some reason, it was clearly important to Hanno to come to an understanding of everyone’s behavior throughout all that had happened. How could he explain the differences between his own and Jack’s attitude and actions to Hanno? Daniel couldn’t even begin to try to explain moral dilemmas to Hanno, when in Hanno’s eyes Jack’s actions would speak louder than his words ever could. He wasn’t so certain he understood that himself. Jack left him here. For hours and hours. God.

Daniel shook his head to clear it; he was getting very dizzy. He was almost at the tree, up on his knees reaching out for it, just a finger’s breadth away, when Hanno’s hand closed over his own and a strong arm supported him underneath his own. "Where are you going?"

"Told you... have... to get up."

"Why?" Hanno supported him, but did nothing to help him to stand up.

Enough was enough. "I have to pee! For God’s sake -- help me up!"

"What is this, pee?"

Daniel twisted and rested his forehead on Hanno’s thigh. Oh God. This was worse than dealing with a two year old child. What? Why? What? Too tired, pained, and spaced to ask again for help to stand, he reached down and fumbled at his fly. The hell with it. He had the zipper halfway down when suddenly he was grasped under both arms and heaved to his feet. Hanno helped him to shuffle forward. Gratefully leaning against the tree, Daniel turned to look at the Byrsa and immediately raised a hand to forestall the question he saw forming on Hanno’s lips. "Yes. To pee is to, ah, pass water. So, if you don’t mind..." He swept his hand around in an arc a couple of times.

Hanno just stood there, watching the hand go through the motion. "What?"

This was getting monotonous. "What, what?" Hanno repeated the hand motion, raising his eyebrows. "Oh. Privacy, Hanno. My people, we do this in private."

"Oohh." Hanno turned his back to Daniel.

So just how full does a water balloon get until it springs a leak? Not having a wealth of childhood experience with that sort of thing, Daniel wasn’t entirely sure.

He looked up at the branches overhead, watching the leaves twist in the light breeze. He thought about his aching back and the pains which were beginning to radiate out into both buttocks as he stood there. He tried very hard not to think about the other pain which was growing by the minute. He examined the minute detail in the variegated colouring of the fungus growing on the tree trunk. Listened to the birds and played a game of trying to locate them in the trees from where their songs seemed to originate.

Every so often lightheadedness made him waver and the ground seemed to warp underneath his feet. The haziness was clearing up nicely, but as he waited Daniel thought about just how totally spaced out he’d felt. The blood on his pant leg. The incredible sting of the injection before he passed out...

The incredible stinging, the blood... Wait a minute...

"My father."

Huh - what? Daniel turned his head to look at Hanno. The Byrsa still had his back turned. "What?"

"I thought your people did not believe as us. I thought you were as the Jaffa who come so often and steal my people away. That you did not value life."

"You wanted to punish Teal’c. I know. It’s okay, Hanno. I understand." Daniel turned his attention back to his own problem. It must be because of his back - the general tension from muscle spasms. Or maybe it could be the morphine?

"No, you do not understand. I wanted to punish all of you. Your words in the Cor-ai were noble and passionate, but I would not hear you, because of what my father..." Hanno’s voice trailed off.

"Because Teal’c killed your father."

"No. Not because of that." Hanno moved suddenly, crossing over to Daniel. "You cannot do this. I have a method which can help." Hanno surveyed the source of Daniel’s difficulty with a critical eye.

Daniel felt the heat rise in his face. He turned his body slightly further toward the tree, wishing he could run off into the bushes and hide from that invasive stare. "Ahh, no. That’s... ookaay. I can, uhm, I can manage." He turned his head away as well, mumbling into his collar. "Give my left leg to turn on a tap right now."

"What is a tap?"

Oh God, not again. "It’s a... Oh, never mind."

"If you stand facing that way, you may become wet."

Oh crap. Just go away. Daniel looked down at the six inches or so between his body and the huge tree trunk. Yeah. Well, from the looks of his situation, he could stand right up against the damned thing and stay bone dry. Nothing was happening and the pain was getting worse. He locked his knees and shoved his shoulder firmly against the tree. Getting all tensed up wouldn’t help. Okay. Try a distraction. "What did you mean, about it not being because Teal’c killed your father?"

Hanno’s face was serious, his eyes wide and sad. "All my life, I have been angry about the death of my father. As a young child, I swore to make up for his death. I wanted to become a man who others could rely on to always protect them. To honour life. To live honourably."

"Well, you are. You do live honourably."

"No. I do not. I wished to kill your friend even in the face of your argument. In the forest, I would have sacrificed my men, my friends, to prove to you that I was honourable. That is not honour." Hanno voice suddenly changed. He spoke pleasantly. "When you spoke in the Cor-ai of your friend killing my father for the good of others, and when you sought to sacrifice yourself in the forest, it angered me. I understand why, now."

Daniel wasn’t too sure that blinding bladder spasms went well with hearing confessions. But Hanno was clearly working through something very important to him. "Just who are you really angry with, Hanno?"

"My father placed himself in your friend’s path. He raised an arm to your friend. He asked to die. To leave me."

Sacrifice. Self-sacrifice. "Hanno. I’m sorry. But your father, he knew there’s more than one way to honour life, to protect those you care for."

"I turned my anger at his choice onto you. I refused to hear your words. That is what you meant, is it not? That my father, your Jaffa friend, you, O’Neill... our actions are not the same, but we all believe the same thing." He appeared right at Daniel’s side and grasped him by the shoulders. "You need to hear your own words. You need to settle your differences with O’Neill." Daniel didn’t have much time for amazement, because the subject changed immediately. "I understand your word, strategy, now. And I have a strategy for this." Daniel tried to resist, his modesty overcoming his need, but Hanno simply pulled him away from the tree so that there was no choice but to use Hanno for support.

"We will face this way." Hanno adjusted Daniel’s position against him so they stood shoulder to shoulder, turned slightly toward one another. "You must relax, if the strategy is to work."

Daniel closed his eyes, insanely hoping, like a small child, that maybe in the resultant darkness he’d disappear from view himself. How totally embarrassing. He felt Hanno moving, making irregular small motions, and suddenly he heard the familiar noise. He opened his eyes to see that Hanno had turned on the tap.

With a sharp pain and a rush that brought a cry to his lips, his body responded. And so vehement was that response that when he heard the coincidental rustling of the bushes and the deep voice, and looked up to see his friend standing there, despite his utter humiliation there was no way he could interrupt the release.

"Come no closer." One eyebrow raised almost impossibly high, Teal’c looked over his shoulder, directing his voice back behind himself. "He is here, but approach is – unwise.

They are... crossing the streams."

Now that they had found him, Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to hug Daniel or tear a strip off him. He hung back and watched, not knowing quite what to say or do, as Carter used her knife to confirm the source of the dried blood on the thigh of Daniel's pants. The resultant long tear in the fabric revealed a sizeable bruise and equally sizeable and sore-looking puncture. Well, big enough, anyway, for having been caused by a large gauge injection needle. It looked as though the needle had been used as a drill bit – a waayy-off-kilter drill bit – and, it had struck liquid gold.

The inseparable mix of anger and concern intensified. Daniel could have died. He became aware that Carter and Daniel were speaking softly, calmly discussing what – in this backwater without any medical support – could have been a fatal injection, as if it were the weather. Hanno, sitting on the ground right next to Daniel – no; supporting Daniel – clutched Daniel's arm and looked both alarmed and sickened. Jack felt an irrational surge of satisfaction.

But then the topic of conversation changed. Something about pain in Daniel's back. So that's it. That's what he had done to him. Damn. It was his back... and it was starting to hurt more. Down his legs, again. Did he just say, 'again'? Jack closed his eye for a moment to block out the concern he saw on Carter's and Teal'c's faces. But he couldn't block out his own concern, nor his guilt. And he couldn't block out the unspoken accusation he'd seen in Hanno's eyes as the Byrsa had greeted them when they arrived; how Hanno had stood holding Daniel up beside him and pointedly remarked that it was well past time for Daniel to be going home.

Damn right, it was. Jack abruptly broke free from his doubt and stepped forward. "Okay, it's about time we got back to Earth. Teal'c, help Daniel. Carter, grab the..."

"Sir!" Carter stood up quickly, crossing over to him in two giant strides. "Daniel can't just pick up and go, just like that, Sir." She lowered her voice, glancing back to where Teal'c kneeled down in the spot she had just vacated. "It's his back."

"Yes, Captain. I heard that. He made it all the way here from the village, and he was standing up when we got here, not five minutes ago."

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean it's okay to do it again. We don't know what's wrong, Sir. And even if it's just a muscle strain, even with the injection Hanno gave him, he's in pain." She cast a look over her shoulder, back to Daniel. "And it looks like it's getting worse."

Jack reluctantly looked at Daniel, at the pale and haggard face which was turned toward Teal'c, and with a flash of disgust with himself realized that this was the first time he'd actually looked at any part of Daniel other than to glance at his leg. He forced himself to keep his eyes on Daniel's face, to watch as Daniel grimaced and tried – and failed – to answer a question from Teal'c without gasping. He forced himself to watch as Daniel shifted his position against Hanno, grabbing out for the other man's hand and squeezing his eyes closed as his body tightened in what was clearly intense pain. Jack felt his own hand convulse sympathetically, his grip tightening on the barrell of the M16 to the point where his fingers hurt. And he watched as Hanno responded to Daniel's need, allowing and returning the tight grip and providing his strength in action and soft words of encouragement until the spasm subsided.

Jack felt like an utter shit.

Daniel opened his eyes, bit his lower lip, and turned that face directly toward him – and Jack was done for. The possibility of maintaining any semblance of being the efficient, decisive soldier was washed away by the overwhelming knowledge that he had caused this, and that he simply didn't know what the hell to do to make it right. It sure wouldn't work to deny it, though; to pretend Daniel was okay – to make matters worse by asking him to hoof it all the back. Stupid. He was so stupid.

Jack averted his eyes, and as he turned away he thought he saw disappointment flash across Daniel's face. Daniel was disappointed in him. Hell, so the kid should be. Disappointment was far too mild a word for what he felt about himself.

"Okay, then... Uhm, we can..." His voice sounded pitiful to him, too quiet and indecisive. He turned away from Carter and blinked hard against the rising need to get away, to run away from what he'd done. "Okay. You and Teal'c stay here. I'll go back and get a medical team. We'll bring a stretcher through for him." His feet were moving before he'd even finished.

"Okay." Carter turned, stepped away. "I'll tell him."

"No." Jack took a step back and his hand had shot out and wrapped itself around her arm even before his conscious mind had anything to say about it. "I'll do it." Surprised at his own action, he let go of her and shook his head, more to himself than to her. "Sorry."

"That's okay. Actually, it's a good idea for you to talk to him before you go. Doctor Fraiser will probably want to know what to expect."

Yeah. Well, he already knew exactly what to tell her. To expect one banged-up, exhausted, quivering-with-pain, disillusioned Linguist-cum-Archaeologist-cum-all around undeserving victim, courtesy of one misguided, testosterone-laden, antagonistic Colonel-cum-Moron Jack O'Neill. Right. Anything else he should tell her?

His feet took him over there, his knees brought him down to the right height, his eyes caught the attention of his target... but his voice wouldn't cooperate. Jack looked at Daniel, feeling swallowed up by the questioning blue eyes. His head told him to simply ask Daniel what his symptoms were and beat it the hell out of there so they could get him home sooner rather than later. His heart screamed at him to say and do something entirely different.

His mouth and his body did neither.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice was far too husky, his pain and fatigue plain to hear. "We can go now?"

Jack's heart lurched, wanting to do nothing less than scoop Daniel up and head for the 'Gate. His head told him to run for it, but, alone. His head won out. "No, Daniel. We can't go anywhere quite yet. Teal'c and Carter are going to stay here with you. I'm going to go back, and bring through a medical team and a stretcher."

"What is this, stretcher?"

Daniel let out a huge snort and started to giggle. His hand found Jack's arm and squeezed as a spasm of pain accompanied the inexplicable laughter. The weakness of that grip was alarming. Jack closed his hand over Daniel's. "Jesus... take it easy here. What's so funny?" Daniel just shook his head as the smile faded into a wince and the giggles turned into soft grunts. Jack turned to Carter. "Maybe while I'm gone you should be sure to take it easy on the morphine? Looks like he's had enough."

"It was quite some time ago. Over three of the larger notae."

Jack turned to Hanno and raised his eyebrows. "It... huh? Not a, what?"

"Yes. Notae. The last medicine. Three of the largest notae are gone by." Hanno bent and looked at Daniel's digital watch. He grinned and pointed to it. "This is very interesting, the way you mark time. Daniel showed it to me." Hanno straightened up, the grin gone, and looked at Jack intently. "Daniel has shown me a lot of things. What is a stretcher?"

Daniel threw his arm across his face and groaned. Taking the tortured sound as his cue, Jack pulled away from him and stood up. He didn't have a clue what Hanno was babbling about, but it didn't matter. Daniel was suffering. "Okay, that's it. Hang in there, Daniel. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Do you not wish to await the return of my men, so that you may accompany Daniel home? They will be back soon with the lectica for him." Hanno looked up at him, the incomprehensible words and pure helpfulness on his face confusing the hell out of Jack. The Byrsa were right th... Jack turned to find that the two men who had escorted them to Daniel were nowhere to be seen.

Okay, so they were gone. They went to get a... a something, for Daniel. Was that good? "Lec-what-a?"

Daniel laughed outright, his eyes shining with humor. Okay, so maybe Daniel wasn't suffering so much as he'd thought? "It's Latin, Jack. It's a kind of bier."

Oh, beer. Now, that made perfect sense. Just what they needed right now. Sure. Uh-huh. Jack was becoming convinced the universe was out to get him. He felt his mouth open, but thankfully it closed of it's own accord before hard evidence of his ignorance escaped.

Carter didn't seem to have any problem with it. "Oh! Good. That will help a lot, Sir. Hanno, how soon do you think they'll get back here?"

"It should not be long. Certainly, it will be faster than O'Neill travelling to the Cirquacona and then back here again." Hanno looked at Daniel and patted his shoulder. He got a grateful-looking smile in return. Jack felt an uncomfortable sensation in his stomach, like worms crawling and burrowing and squirming around.

Carter gave the two men on the ground a relieved grin. Teal'c was nodding. Everyone seemed sooo happy. Jack's only recognizably coherent thought was never mind about Daniel; he himself could sure use a beer or two or three right about now.

"Uhm, Jack." Huh? Daniel?

"Uhh, Jack, it's, bier."   Yeah, so?

"A small type of bier. B-i-e-r, Jack." Ooohh. Oh for crying out loud.

"Like, a litter." Yeah right, Daniel. I got it. Fine. I'm embarrassed enough as it is; you don't need to spell it ou... oh.

Jack straightened up as much as he could. Taller is always better. "I knew that."

Go on to part four

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