"Going by what I saw, Kandaulo tried to leave the party on his god's coattails. Wasn't quite fast enough. He got cut in half by the ring transporter. So, the bottom part is buried in the ruins somewhere, and the top part ended up on the mothership. After that, I'm not sure. Maybe Baal boiled his head."
"If you're worried about the political stability, sir, I don't believe Kandaulo's presence would have helped," offered Major Carter. "He was the one who organized the attack on the Tyrean ship. Two birds with one stone: the potential embarrassment of Abibaal's peace plans went away, and Kandaulo got to be High Priest. The Phrygians know about it, and they'd never have trusted him."
"How sure are you of this?"
"Very, General Hammond," said Teal'c. "We sailed on the vessel they had used in the attack. There was no doubt that it had been in battle recently. Furthermore, several of the Temple Guards confessed to having participated."
"So what's going to happen to these people? Provided the two factions manage to come to an arrangement, who's to say that Baal won't come back?"
"Ah." The pen went into another spin, counter-clockwise this time, and Jack O'Neill looked smug. "Ihad anidea, sir. With yourpermission, I'd like to contact the Asgard. I think there's a good chance of making P2X 159 a protected planet. The System Lords will probably agree just to get one over on Baal. He's kept his little social experiment a tad too quiet, and they won't like that very much."
"Permission granted, son. Anything else?"
"As a matter of fact, yes!"
It took some doing, but George Hammond managed to smother a wince. He really needed a pit-stop. Given the identity of the speaker, the pit-stop might just have been postponed indefinitely.
"Yes, Professor?" Hammond made no effort to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"I'm sorry, but I really don't appreciate the way my research is being obstructed. "Dr. Kelly aimed a vitriolic stare across the table at Jack O'Neill. "I'd like to clarify, once and for all, whether or not Mithraic initiates are naked and covered in honey during the ceremony."
Colonel O'Neill went bright red, and there was a stifled yelp from Dr. Jackson. The Colonel's 21C had taken cover behind a notepad, which was shaking suspiciously. Teal'c's left eyebrow evinced polite interest.
"Professor, I think you should discuss this privately... Always provided the Colonel is willing to cooperate. Under the circumstances I don't think I should force him..." General Hammond decided to get out before he started guffawing and rose. "Well done, people. Dismissed."
Somehow Sam and Teal'c had contrived to coax a hissing, spitting Professor from the briefing room. Jack stood by the window and looked down at the `gate. It was now or never, Daniel supposed. He'd hoped to talk to him this morning in the commissary, but Kelly's presence had put paid to that.
"Jack?"
"Yeah." Fists tucked into pockets, he caught Daniel's reflection in the glass pane. "You're going to tell me you remember, aren't you?"
So much for broaching the matter gently. By now he should be used to Jack's opening gambits. They had a tendency of blowing your own straight out of the water. Daniel swallowed. "How did you know?"
"You mean apart from the deer in the headlights looks?"
"Jack, I -"
"Daniel, you did what you believed was right."
"But it wasn't!"
"Maybe, maybe not. Point is, nobody's ever gonna be able to tell. There is no straightforward answer." Jack suddenly turned around. "What I do know is that I'd have gone nuts without you. I'd have given up. You didn't let me."
"So that's why I'm not inhabiting a nomad tent on Vis Uban?"
"Something like that." A small grin edged over his face and wandered off again. "Remember what you told me in the infirmary? That I'd be okay? You were right about that. I will be."
"Yeah. I remember." Daniel smiled. "And you don't want to talk about it."
"No."
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