The Tau'ri Enigma
By Denise
I have spent several years with the Tau'ri now and I fear that I understand them no more than I did in those few weeks after I left Apophis' service.
Our most recent experiences have done little more than to exacerbate that belief.
For the first time in a long time, I found myself on equal footing with my comrades for I possessed no more knowledge about the aliens that infiltrated the SGC than they did. The visually distasteful species with their holographic image projectors very nearly attained their goal to invade this planet.
They were only stopped by the tenacity and ingenuity of Major Carter and her puzzling alliance with Harry Maybourne. I fear that I am still lacking in knowledge of the details of her adventures, however I am sure that it is a lengthy tale indeed.
Just a few days ago, I found myself in a most unusual situation. In a way, I was grateful that Major Carter was unaffected by the sedative delivered to us by the alien impersonating Doctor Frasier. I fear that, had I been alone, I would have failed in summoning assistance. I am very aware that I lack the knowledge of Earth to successfully traverse its surface for any great distance and arrive at my destination in a timely manner.
In fact, I am not even sure what that destination would have been.
I also know that, while she found an ally in Harry Maybourne, I would not have been so fortunate. I sincerely doubt that anyone would have believed my tale had I told it. Presuming that I had not been shot on sight, I would most likely have been returned to the SGC and-ultimately-suffered the same fate that I did.
I do not regret assisting Major Carter in her escape, even as I cannot say that I would willingly repeat the experience. It was my duty to help her in attaining her goal.
I know that, as a warrior, I should treat Major Carter no differently than Daniel Jackson or O'Neill. She is just as capable as them, perhaps not in the same ways, but she is still a formidable warrior.
Yet, I could not deny a sense of protectiveness that surged through my veins when I realized that we would both not make our escape. Allowing her to leave was not only the tactically best decision, it was also the only one that I could perceive allowing.
While my knowledge of the outside world is limited, my knowledge of the SGC is not. And I hoped to use that knowledge to evade the invaders. Sadly, their skills outweighed my own, a fact that I find most disconcerting.
It is not just that they overpowered me, but that they successfully invaded the SGC with such ease. How are we to guard against an invader that we cannot distinguish from our own?
I am aware the Major Carter holds faith in her harmonic generator and perhaps I should as well, yet I wonder what could happen should we encounter these aliens again on another planet. That troubling concern tempers my pleasure at safeguarding the SGC. Yet, my companions are not as troubled as I. They are, in fact, most overjoyed and happy to have succeeded.
Their joy is why we are here, gathered at Daniel Jackson's domicile to celebrate our success with the Tau'ri custom of baked bread topped with meat, vegetables, sauce and cheese and the fermented beverage beer.
"Daniel, for crying out loud, just eat the damned pizza," O'Neill says loudly, shoving the cardboard box containing the last piece of pizza at the man.
"Jack, I've already eaten six. You want it gone so badly, you eat it." He shoves the box away, the congealed slice of bread sliding precariously across the grease stained cardboard. It nearly falls to the floor before O'Neill rescues it, shifting the angle of the box.
"I'm full."
"So am I."
"There's always room for one more slice."
"Then you eat it," Daniel Jackson insists.
"Oh for Pete's sake," Major Carter says. She leans forward and grabs the last piece of pizza out of the box, taking a bite before dropping it dramatically on her plate. "I hate it when my eyes are bigger than my stomach," she says as she chews. She smiles at them, totally unapologetic for her actions.
"That was sneaky," Daniel Jackson replies; his tone that of a compliment.
"That was a waste of a good piece of pizza," O'Neill complains.
"With all due respect, sir, if you wanted it that bad, you should have eaten it."
Daniel Jackson chuckles. "Logic, it gets you every time," he gloats, taking a deep draught of his beer.
"Says the man that gets drunk on one 3.2 beer from Safeway," O'Neill replies, rolling his eyes. He pulls the bottle from Daniel Jackson's hand. "Come on, Mister Logic, help me clean this mess up." Major Carter moves to get to her feet. "Sit, Carter. Your party, Daniel's pad, we'll play Merry Maids."
Major Carter shrugs and sits back down on the sofa, taking a drink of her beer as she raises her legs and props her feet on the coffee table, crossing them at the ankle. "I could get used to this," she says, finishing off the beer.
"Indeed," I agree, glancing into the kitchen and catching sight of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson working to clear away the remnants of our impromptu celebration.
Major Carter frowns and looks over to me. "How is your arm?" she asks, referring to the minor injury I'd received during our failed escape attempt.
I shake my head. "It is a mere annoyance," I reply dismissively. "My symbiote will finish healing it shortly."
"That's good. I'm sorry it took so long to get back." She frowns slightly. "I remember the Colonel saying something about the alien Janet doing some experiments and stuff and...."
"I am sure that you returned as swiftly as was possible," I say. I am certain that she feels some guilt for my injuries and the hardships I endured during my captivity, yet she need not. She committed no acts upon me and I believe that she completed her task as expeditiously as possible.
"You still haven't told us what happened," Daniel Jackson says, returning from the kitchen. O'Neill follows him, his hand laden with bottles. He hands me another bottle of water and Major Carter a fresh beer.
"He's especially interested in the part where you shot me," O'Neill says, taking his seat in a soft stuffed chair.
"It'll all be in my report," Major Carter says, setting down her empty bottle and taking a drink from the cold one.
O'Neill shakes his head. "There's not gonna be a report," he replies.
"There's always reports," Daniel Jackson says.
"Not this time."
"General Hammond didn't say anything to me," Major Carter says.
"He will when you turn it in. We had a nice long discussion about it."
"This subterfuge is sanctioned by your leaders?" I ask, puzzled by the man's words. The Tau'ri are such a contradiction. They exhibit remarkable dedication in preserving a rendition of events as they happen, yet I also do not understand the need to preserve such needless detail.
"Yep," O'Neill confirms, taking a drink of his own beer. "A near miss on an alien invasion would play right into Kinsey's hands, so as far as they're concerned, it never happened."
"What about SG-6?" Major Carter asks.
"They were killed when an artifact they brought back exploded in the gateroom," O'Neill replies.
"Convenient," Daniel Jackson says with disdain.
"What about the imagers?"
"They were packed in a transport container, so were undamaged by the blast." O'Neill shrugs. "Maybourne has promised that they'll be locked away and deemed a low priority. All the junk we bring back, no one will even remember that they're there."
"Typical."
"That means I'll never get reimbursed for my plane ticket," Major Carter says, frowning.
"Plane ticket?" Daniel Jackson asks.
Major Carter lowers her bottle and stares at him across the table. "I had to meet Maybourne in DC. So I flew there."
"I thought you Air Force types just grabbed a ...a jump."
"It's a hop," O'Neill corrects.
"And I can't get one without the approval of my CO, who happened to be one of the people trying to kill me and Teal'c and turn us into lab rats," Major Carter says, smiling wryly. "So I flew civilian."
"We'll work something out," O'Neill promises. "Hammond will sign off on some extra overtime or some 'work at home' time," he says, making quote marks with his fingers in the air.
"You don't suppose I could work in Hawaii?" she asks hopefully. "Or maybe Tahiti."
"Dunno," O'Neill says. "But Hammond does have connections with the CO at McMurdo," he teases, nonplused by the baleful glare shot his way
"So, why did you shoot Jack?" Daniel Jackson asks, leaning forward in his chair.
"What's this fascination with her shooting me?" O'Neill asks, quaffing a drink of his beer.
"You got shot too, Daniel," she says.
"I did?"
She nods.
"When?"
"On the plane. Maybourne shot you."
"Maybourne shot me?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"You were an alien."
"He's an alien," Daniel Jackson says, pointing at me.
"Yeah, but you were an ugly alien," she retorts, grinning. She looks over at me and winks. Daniel Jackson frowns. "I mean really ugly, and slimy too."
"He was slimy?" O'Neill asks.
"You were both pretty slimy. You had this snotty stuff in your skin. It was really gross." She wrinkles her nose in disgust and then takes another swallow of her beer.
"Did she just say that we were snotty?" O'Neill asks.
"I think she did," Daniel Jackson confirms.
Major Carter merely glares at the pair of them, refusing to rise to the baiting. "We're getting dessert," she declares, levering herself up off the couch.
"We are?" Daniel Jackson asks.
"We are," she says, pulling him up from the couch. "You've got something desserty in your kitchen don't you?"
"I have no idea," Daniel Jackson says, allowing her to guide him to the kitchen.
"She's drunk," O'Neill says, leaning back in his chair.
"Indeed," I agree. "And likely fatigued from her adventures. A state which only augments her inebriation."
"Remind me to palm her keys," he requests. He sighs loudly and massages the back of his neck with his hand. "We almost lost it all today," he says softly. "Can you imagine what would have happened if Carter hadn't have gotten out?"
"I need not imagine," I say.
O'Neill grimaces. "Yeah, guess you don't." He takes another drink of his beer. "Have you ever heard of aliens like we had today?"
I shake my head. "I have not."
"So we have no way of knowing if they're only on one planet or if we could run into them again?"
"We do not," I reply.
"Nothing like a little uncertainty to keep life interesting." O'Neill smiles with sarcastic fatality.
"Indeed."
"Can you believe that he doesn't have any chocolate?" Major Carter says, rejoining us. "He doesn't have any cookie or Twinkies. The man has NO junk food at all." She drops dramatically down on the sofa.
"If you wanted to junk out, we should have gone to Jack's," Daniel Jackson says. He reclaims his chair and glances around unapologetically. "I don't think anyone over the age of ten can match his sweet tooth."
"I can't believe that you even have room for dessert," O'Neill says. "I think you ate as much pizza as Daniel."
"Yeah, but we got back from that planet. Janet's evil twin drugged us. Teal'c broke me out, I climbed twenty eight stories, drove to the air port, flew to DC to meet up with Maybourne." She ticks events off on her fingers as she talks. "You guys crashed the party, we flew back. I shot you. Maybourne shot Daniel. I snuck back into the SGC, found you guys, we cleared the base. The aliens blew up, we cleaned up the mess and then had that meeting."
Major Carter leans forward and picks up her discarded bottle, taking a drink. "All in all it's been a really long day and Maybourne is such a cheap skate he didn't even spring for peanuts."
O'Neill chuckles, seemingly amused by the woman's recitation. "Daniel, isn't there an ice cream place just a block away?"
Daniel Jackson stares at him for a second. "There's a frozen custard place on the corner."
"Custard?" O'Neill makes a face.
"It tastes just like ice cream."
"But it's custard."
"Ooh, do they mix stuff in it?" Major Carter asks, ignoring O'Neill.
"Pretty much anything you can imagine," Daniel Jackson answers.
"They'd have to if they wanted to cover up the taste."
"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Daniel Jackson says. He gets to his feet. "Jack and I are gonna go get some custard. Sam, Teal'c, what do you want?"
"Mocha almond fudge."
"Do they have mango?" I ask.
"Mango?" O'Neill raises his eyebrows.
"It is similar to a delicacy on Chulak," I answer.
"Yes, they have mango."
"Okay," Daniel Jackson says, getting to his feet. "Mocha almond fudge for Sam, Mango for Teal'c. Jack, you can decide what you want once we get there."
"We?"
"I can't carry it all by myself and Teal'c looks silly with his hat."
"Carter-"
"It's her party, remember," Daniel Jackson says meaningfully.
I look at their faces and interpret his words to mean that they are sensitive to Major Carter's condition and wish to keep her safely within this domicile.
"Major Carter and I shall remain here while you retrieve us sweets," I declare.
O'Neill stares for a moment. "Fine, we'll retrieve sweets," he says, getting to his feet. The two men leave quickly and I look to Major Carter.
The woman is still seated on the sofa but it looks as if her euphoric mood is fading. "Are you well, Major Carter?"
She slowly turns her head to look up at me. "Yeah, just tired."
I nod. "I wish to seek out some fresh air. Would you like to join me on Daniel Jackson's balcony?"
She shakes her head. "I've had enough fresh air for a while." She leans forward and picks up the remote control device to Daniel Jackson's television. "I'm gonna see what's on cable."
I nod and retreat onto the balcony; leaning against the railing and studying the people below. A man runs down the street, the sweat staining his clothes testifying to the level of his exertion. A man and woman push a carriage containing an infant. Even from this distance I can see the familiarity and joy between them. It is a joy that is reflected in the faces of two children playing a game upon the stoop of the building across the street.
They are all blissfully unaware of how tenuous life is. None of them have any perception of how close this planet came to being invaded and potentially destroyed. That is another difference between the Tau'ri and the people of Chulak. We do not hide the chappai from our people. It is as much a part of our lives as our weapons.
We also do not hide the existence of danger and threats. If Apophis has angered Cronos, our people need to know this so that they can adequately defend themselves.
I do wonder, however, how the people of the Tau'ri would respond if they were aware of the true state of their planet? O'Neill believes that disclosure would be chaotic and a mistake. And I cannot argue with his assessment. The simple fact that I must disguise myself on the few occasions that I am permitted to leave the SGC and that I am not allowed to leave unaccompanied speaks of their fear of the reactions my presence would cause.
I understand their fear, even as I rail against it. I am the First Prime of Apophis. I have led ships and platoons into battle. I have conquered planets and men would tremble at the mere mention of my name. I am the son of Ronon, the First Prime of Cronos, and one of the few that Apophis would trust with the safety of his holdings.
I was honored and respected amongst my own. In gratitude for my successes, Apophis granted me the boon of a wife and a home.
And yet I am not permitted to even walk upon the streets of this planet without a guardian. I am distrusted, disliked and even despised. The members of SG-1 are among the very few who treat me as an equal and who do not look upon me with uncertainty and fear.
My 'home' is now a small room buried under the ground and I must gain approval to purchase even the most basic grooming supplies.
And yet, I have something here that I never had with Apophis.
I have hope. Hope that I can work to expose the false gods. Hope that I can reveal to my fellow Jaffa that freedom IS within their grasp. That it is not impossible. That all they need to is to reach out and take it.
I have hope that my son may grow and marry and live, not as a slave but as a free Jaffa.
And that hope is worth any infringement upon what O'Neill terms as an ego.
I see O'Neill and Daniel Jackson return, their hands laden with the purchased sweets. They are unaware of me and I watch them. If I were to choose two men to be such close friends, I would have not chosen these two men. I would have believed that their attitudes and beliefs would never mesh into friendship.
But they are friends. And their clashes, instead of tearing them apart, seem to simply cement the relationship and make it stronger.
They share the same friendship with Major Carter; one that is acceptance without judgment, trust without question and faith without fear.
I walk back into the apartment as I hear the front door open. "Eat it before it finishes melting," O'Neill says loudly.
I turn towards the sofa, expecting to see Major Carter retrieve her treat from O'Neill's hands.
"Oh, for cryin out loud," O'Neill complains softly.
Daniel Jackson chuckles, handing me my mango sundae before taking a large spoonful of his own. "When did she crash?"
I shake my head. "I am not aware," I say. "I am not surprised, however." I glance over towards our friend. She is curled up on Daniel Jackson's sofa, comfortably asleep, his remote control device resting precariously in her slack fingers. "Saving the planet can be a most arduous task."
"That it can be," O'Neill says, sighing softly. He motions towards the open balcony door. "Let's have a picnic, let her sleep."
I follow O'Neill and Daniel Jackson back onto the balcony, clutching my melting treat in my hands. The two men talk and I am content to listen as I consume the mango sundae.
No, I do not believe that I shall ever fully understand my friends, or the Tau'ri, and I know that I shall never understand their world.
Yet, I find that I do not care. I do not need to understand the Tau'ri to know that I made a wise decision three years ago. I am no longer First Prime. I no longer command troops and lead great armies. I no longer have the honor of my own home.
However, I have something now that I do not recall ever having in my life.
I have friends.
~Fin~