CHAPTER FIFTEEN

As the light flared up, Daniel cried out in shock and dropped the crystal.  It continued to blaze for several seconds, then faded.  It was now a brilliant, crystalline blue.

"What the hell just happened?" Jack yelled.  "Daniel, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah.  It just startled me."

Jack looked at the chieftain.  "Gennae, what was that?"

The old man was taking turns gaping at the crystal and Daniel.  "I-I-I do not know," he stammered.  "The life receptacles have never done that before.  It is blue.  They are never blue, and the light is always red."  He stared at Daniel.  "What did you do?"

"I . . . I didn't do anything, really.  I mean, if I did, I don't know what it was.  The crystal looked familiar to me, like I'd seen something like it before, except that it was wrong."

"Wrong?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah.  My memory was telling me that it shouldn't look that way, that it shouldn't be that way.  It should be different."  He pointed at it.  "It should look like that."

"Okay, so how would you know that, and what made it change?" Jack wanted to know.

An expression of realization filled Daniel's face.  "It's Ancient technology!"

"What?!"

"It's got to be.  I must have memories of some of their technology buried in my mind.  When I descended, I had complete knowledge of their language, so it is possible that I also have at least some hidden knowledge of their technology."

Gennae was staring at him.  "Ayarla told me you said that Dengai was one of these beings you call Ancients.  Is that true?"

"Um, yes."

"How is it that you have their knowledge?"

"Uhhh . . . because I was one, sort of, at least for a while."

The chieftain's eyes grew huge.  "Y-you were a . . . a god like Dengai?" he said in a hushed voice.

"No!  They're not gods, Gennae.  The Ancients are an advanced race of beings.  Once, a long time ago, they were like us, creatures of flesh and blood, but they found a way to ascend to a higher plane of existence, become a more advanced lifeform that no longer needs a physical body.  I met one of them.  Her name was Oma Desala, and she taught me some things.  About a year and a half ago, there was an accident.  I was dying.  Oma came to me and helped me to ascend, to become one of them.  I stayed that way for a year.  Then something happened, and I was made mortal again.  I'm just a man now, Gennae, like you."

The Dicharin shook his head.  "You are not a man like me, for I could not make the life receptacles glow like the sun and turn blue."

Daniel looked at the crystal.  He bent down and reached for it.

"Daniel!  Don't. . . .  Too late."  Jack sighed as his warning not to touch the thing came too late.

The archeologist gazed at the crystal in his hand.  "It feels different.  It's warm.  It was cold before."

"Cold?  I didn't notice any coldness," Sam said.

"This is the way it's supposed to be," Daniel said with conviction.

Jack looked at his 2IC inquiringly.  "Carter?  Got any explanations?"

"Well, sir, this might be similar to how it is with me and Goa'uld technology.  Jolinar left me with the memory of how to use the ribbon and healing devices.  I was able to control them because of that and the fact that I have Naquadah in my blood.  We might be seeing something like that with Daniel.  Somewhere in his memory is the knowledge of what that thing is and how to use it.  He ended up accidentally turning it on.  Daniel, you said that it was wrong before, that this is the way it should be."

The archeologist nodded.  "I think it's possible that Bendrak got hold of whatever these things are and altered them for his own purpose.  I do know one thing for sure, they were not designed to take the life energy from people."

Sam turned to Jack.  "Sir, I'd really like to take this one back with me.  I'd also like to borrow one of the red ones.  I want to run some tests and see if I can detect a difference in them.  Would that be all right with you, Gennae?"

"Yes, you may take one of the others and you may have that one that Daniel has changed."  He glanced at the linguist, a touch of awe still on his face.  "I must go now to spread word of tonight's gathering."  The old man bowed and quickly left.

Daniel made a face.  "I really hope this isn't going to cause a problem."

"What's the matter, Daniel?  Worried that they'll want to start worshiping you?" Jack asked, amusement on his face.

"Are you kidding?  Do you know how much work it is to be a god?  The paperwork alone would kill you."

"I do not recall seeing the Goa'uld doing paperwork, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c commented.

The other three smiled at the remark then grew serious.  Daniel's expression turned thoughtful.

"You know, this might also explain why I was able to sense Bendrak's presence, but none of you could," he said.  "Sam can sense the presence of a symbiote because she had one.  Maybe I can sense the presence of an Ancient or a creature like an Ancient because I was ascended."

Sam nodded.  "You could be onto something there.  That is a logical explanation."

"So, you're now our glowy person detector, eh?" Jack said.  "Well, that's good to know, because if any of those guys come around, I want to have a serious talk with them."

"Ticking off an Ancient isn't a good way to ensure your continued health, Jack."

"Hey, who said I was going to tick any of them off?  I just want to express my dissatisfaction about their totally ludicrous policies on noninterference."

"Uh huh.  Just don't be standing anywhere near me when you do."

Daniel went out to speak with the Dicharin people, carrying along an armful of books.  The rest of the day was spent getting to know them.  It didn't take long before all of the people were treating Daniel like a much loved member of the village.  He talked with Ayarla some more, learning about their history and their culture.

"Gennae told me about what you did to the life receptacle," the woman said when there was a lull in the conversation.  "He told me that you said you were once a being like Dengai."

"Um, yeah."

"Yet you say you were not a god."

"No, the Ancients are not gods.  They are simply a very advanced lifeform, one that doesn't normally have a physical body."

"What was it like to be such a being?"

"I'm afraid that I have almost no memory of that time," Daniel told her.  "You see, the Ancients have very strict rules about some things.  One of their biggest rules is that they are not allowed to interfere with or help other races, not even individuals.  I, um, had sort of a problem with that.  I don't remember the incident myself, but my friends told me about something that happened.  An entire race of people were in danger from an evil creature called Anubis.  I found out that Anubis was going to come to the planet in search of a powerful weapon.  I warned Jack about it, and my friends went to the planet to keep Anubis from getting the weapon.  I helped them out even though I wasn't supposed to.  Things got very bad, and I tried to stop Anubis from destroying the planet.  I failed.  Though I have no memory of it, I think the Ancients prevented me from stopping Anubis, and, because I had interfered, they punished me."

"They made you flesh and blood again as punishment?"

"I think so, though I can't be sure.  Perhaps they gave me a choice, and I chose to be human again."

"But I do not understand this.  Dengai saved my people from destruction, yet he was not punished.  He came to this world for several years afterwards to see if the people were well."

"Yeah, I know.  I don't know for sure why Dengai wasn't punished," Daniel admitted.  "To be honest, I don't understand the motivations of the Ancients at all.  I can't understand why they won't allow their kind to help people in need."

"If you were still an Ancient, you would not be allowed to help us now?"

"No."

"Then, though you are mere flesh and blood, you are greater than the Ancients," Ayarla stated with conviction.  "No matter how great a person's power, if they cannot or will not use it for the sake of others, that power is of no value.  If it was your choice to become mortal again, you made the right decision."

Daniel smiled faintly.  "I think you're right, Ayarla."

It was after the evening meal when a group of the villagers, including Gennae and Ayarla, gathered to discuss SG-1's proposal.  Jack, Daniel, Sam and Teal'c were invited to be there so that they could clarify things and answer questions.

"You will bring all of the Dicharins through the enkali?" one man asked during the gathering.  "None will be left behind?"

"If there are only twenty villages, as Gennae said, then we shouldn't have any problem getting everyone, that is if everybody agrees to go," Jack replied.  "We won't force anyone to come."

"What will happen to us once we are taken to our new world?" someone else asked.

"We'll help you build new villages," Daniel told him.  "We will make sure that you have everything you need: food, clothing, medicine, tools for building.  We won't abandon you to fend for yourselves."

"We've done this sort of thing before," Sam said.  "This wouldn't be the first time that we've helped a society move to another planet and get established there."

"How do we know that Bendrak will not follow us to this new planet?" a woman asked.

"We're pretty sure that what we're planning on doing will kill Bendrak," Jack answered.  "But, even if it doesn't, the Stargate will be destroyed, or, at the very least, buried.  There's no way that he'll be able to follow you."

"So, we would truly be free from him?  No more tribute?"

"No more tribute."

The villagers whispered among themselves.

"Do any more of you have questions for these people?" Gennae asked.  Everyone shook their heads no.  The chieftain turned to SG-1.  "Please, then, let us discuss this.  I will give you our answer when we have decided."

SG-1 left the meeting hut and went to their own.

"So, you think they'll go for it?" Jack asked.

"I think so," Daniel replied.  "What reason would they have for not doing so?  We're offering them the chance to be free from Bendrak."

It was a little over half an hour later that Gennae came.

"We have decided to accept your offer, but only if all of the other villages do the same.  We do not want some of our people to be left behind to be destroyed by Bendrak or by this weapon of yours."

Jack nodded.  "Fair enough.  We'll get started on the planning stages tomorrow."

"Gennae, we're going to need some of your people to come with us to the other villages to talk with them," Daniel said.  "They may not trust us if we go there alone."

The chieftain nodded.  "Yes, that would be a wise thing.  But it will take many days for us to walk to all of the villages."

"We won't need to walk.  Our people have machines that can fly.  One of them is going to be brought through, and we'll use it to go from village to village."

Gennae shook his head in wonder.  "Your people can truly do amazing things."

The next morning, all four members of SG-1 returned to Earth.  Daniel wanted to do some research, and since the villagers had already decided to go along with the plan, there was no need for him to stay.  He intended to return to the planet, which they now knew was named Dichar, as soon as they got the okay for relocating the people.

In the debriefing, SG-1 told Hammond their plan.

"So, you intend on detonating a Naquadah bomb to destroy Bendrak?" the general asked.

"Yes, sir," Jack confirmed.  "It seems pretty likely that it would be enough to kill that thing.  Even if it doesn't, it'll put the Stargate out of commission and trap Benny there with no more people to feed on."

"You do realize that I will have to get permission from the president for this."

"Of course, sir," Sam said.  "In the meantime, I'd like us to get started searching for planets that will be suitable for the Dicharins."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Jack remarked.  "It's not like there's a lack of trees on most of the planets we go to."

"Yes, but we'll want one that doesn't already have an intelligent species living on it," Daniel said.  "It's going to be a lot better not having to introduce the Dicharins to another intelligent lifeform that already has a claim on the planet.  Of course, short of exploring the entire planet, we won't be able to tell for certain that there are no forms of intelligence on it, but at least we can check the area within a few hundred miles of the gate."

The debriefing continued, and they soon brought up the issue of the crystals and what Daniel did.  The general looked at him.

"Are you certain that these crystals are Ancient technology?"

"Not one hundred percent certain, but it makes sense," Daniel replied.  "I somehow had knowledge of them, and I was able to change that one crystal back to the way I knew it should be.  Since I'd never seen anything like them when I was human, the only way I can think of that I would have that knowledge is if I gained it while I was ascended.  I suppose there is a chance that I merely witnessed the use of them by someone else while I was on some planet, but that wouldn't explain how I was able to change that crystal.  I just have a feeling that those things were made by the Ancients."

"Which means that you retain at least some knowledge of the Ancients."

"Yeah, about that, General," Jack said.  "Is there some way that you can sort of skim over this part in your report?  The thought of the NID finding out that Daniel may have knowledge of Ancient technology hidden in his mind really makes me nervous.  It's been a concern of mine ever since Daniel descended that the NID might think about that and decide that they'd like to do some investigating, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do know what you mean, Colonel, and you are right that it's something to be concerned about.  We've all seen what the NID is capable of when they're seeking new technology, and, though they seem to have cleaned up their act, I still don't trust them entirely.  I will downplay the incident with the crystal as much as I can in my report."

"Thank you, sir."

The debriefing ended, and everyone went off to their separate tasks.  Sam got several people started on the search for a planet, then went to her lab, bearing the two crystals that she'd brought back.  She ran several tests on them, the first being an attempt to see what was inside.  Whatever the material was that the crystals were made out of, it could not be penetrated by the CT scanner, and she dare not use an MRI because of the chance that the device had metal parts inside.  She then ran some scans to see if she could detect some kind of energy output.  She had a lot more luck with that, though what she learned still could not help her understand how they worked.  One interesting thing she did note was that the energy signature from the crystal Daniel changed was significantly different from the unaltered one.

Sam then tested the reactions of the crystals to being touched.  There was no reaction at all, which didn't surprise her since she knew that it took a certain amount of concentration to turn them on.  Knowing what the red crystals did, she wasn't about to try getting these to work without setting up a whole lot more safeguards.

Sam placed the crystal she was holding back in the case.  "Let's check for radioactivity next, Lieutenant," she said to her assistant, Graham Simmons, who was up in the booth overlooking the room she was in.  "Start with. . . .  Whoa, what's going on?"

"Major, the energy readings from both crystals are climbing," Simmons warned.

"Yes, I can see that, but what's causing it?"

"Energy levels are still rising, Major," Simmons announced a moment later.

"Okay, something's happening here.  I think we'd better—"

"Hey, Sam.  How's it going?" Daniel asked from the doorway, startling the major.  He then got a good look at her expression.  "What's wrong?"

"We detected a slight energy output from the two crystals.  It was pretty low up until a few moments ago, then it suddenly started climbing."

Daniel came all the way into the lab and walked up to the case containing the crystals.  "Dangerous?"

"I don't know.  I have no experience with these energy patterns.  They're unlike anything I've ever seen before."  Sam looked at the monitor.  "Okay, the levels seem to be holding now.  They've stopped climbing.  I think we're all right."

"Do you have any idea how they work?" Daniel asked.

"I'm afraid not.  But the crystal you changed is definitely different from the other one.  The energy pattern isn't the same.  Whatever you did to it, it was more than just change the color."  Sam looked at him.  "You still don't remember anything else about these things?"

The archeologist shook his head.  "I've been doing some research.  I was hoping to find some historical reference to something like these things, but I haven't found anything so far.  Of course, I've really only just gotten started.  It could take weeks.  I was just checking to see if you'd learned anything."

"Not much, I'm afraid.  And, now, I've got a new puzzle to solve."

"Well, I'll let you get back to work.  Maybe we can get together for lunch."

Sam smiled.  "That would be nice."

Daniel left the office.

"Major, the energy levels are decreasing," Simmons told her a moment later.

"What?"  Sam looked at the monitor.  Sure enough, the levels were going down.  "How strange."  She watched as they returned to their former levels.  "Okay, let's check for radiation."

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