Chapter 26: Debriefings
SG-1 sat around a dark stained meeting table with General Hammond and SG-2. They were in the briefing room they were accustomed to with their commanding officer, but this was clearly not a normal meeting. For one, a group of Marines stood guard in the room, their weapons pointed both at SG-1, SG-2, and the SGC's other guest. The identity of the other guest, Khonsu, was the other abnormality.
"So," the General began, not really knowing where to begin, "let's talk about what just happened, first. Khonsu…"
"My real name is Khon'shu'la, general. I adopted the name of the false deity years ago in my attempts to infiltrate the gou'ald." The Tok'ra agent spoke, sounding embarrassed about the name. The man's eyes ceased glowing and a soft-voiced human sounding voice followed, showing that the host was speaking rather than the symbiote. "And I am called Kendil. I want to apologize for our part in the tragedy here at your base. Had we known this would happen we would never have instructed Her'ak to capture SG-2."
"So, you did have your men capture my team? I think you had better explain yourself," the base commander replied gruffly. His patience with alien allies was heavily tested when his men were placed in danger.
Once again, the symbiote took over to explain. "Our original intention was to have your team captured so that we could relate some vital information back to the Tok'ra underground. Once I had the chance to pass on the information, we would then have released your people during a staged Jaffa uprising. Those Jaffa closest to me are rebels, seeking freedom from oppression. I would have sent several of them with your team.
"Unfortunately, Her'ak did not follow my instructions. He was supposed to bring the prisoners directly to me, completely unharmed. He must have already expected I was a spy against the System Lords before he left and used the opportunity of having SG-2 allow his men in as a final proof. As Kendil said, we are truly sorry for the harm we caused, no matter how unintentional."
"And SG-2?"
"They will be fine. The serum that was used on them is powerful, but has no harmful side effects once out of their system," Kendil reassured. "In fact, now that they have been given an antidote, they should have an increased resistance to any attempt to affect their minds by other means, such as through a hand device, for quite some time. And they will be entirely immune from any further attempts to use the same serum against them. That is one of the major drawbacks of this method of mind control, and one of the reasons it is rarely ever used by the gou'ald."
"And we do thank you for helping to provide the formula for the antidote, Khon'shu'la… Kendil."
"That was the least we could do. Now, general, we must be getting back to the resistance to relay our message. The movements of Anubis pose a serious risk to our people, and to the Tau'ri," the Tok'ra requested. "Please arrange for my men and I to be gated to a planet controlled by rebel Jaffa. I will make contact with my people from there."
After the Tok'ra agent left, the briefing continued with a very sheepish SG-2 reporting everything about their capture and how they were affected by the serum. Jonas Quinn, who apologized profusely to Daniel in particular, was introduced to SG-1. When he got done apologizing, the scientist from Langara expressed his deep admiration for Daniel's and Sam's technical abilities.
"That's enough, Jonas. Next time you want to thank SG-1, try not shooting them," Hammond said jokingly. Then he ordered SG-2 for further medical studies. Very reluctantly, the other team left the briefing room.
"Now," the large base commander began, "Can you explain to me where you've been for the past half a year? And please don't tell me you don't remember."
"Oh, drat. That was what I was going to go with first," Jack said, snapping his fingers in mock exasperation.
"Well, sir, this is going to be difficult to believe," Dr. Carter began. Considering that they were in a secret base that sent people to other worlds across the galaxy, regularly dealt with aliens and more than a few global threats, saying the general would find it hard to believe was a bold preface. "We've been in another universe."
"Or, plane of existence if you prefer," Daniel chimed.
"Fighting zombies," Jack offered.
"In another universe fighting zombies?" General Hammond repeated their statements with a hefty dose of incredulity.
"It is indeed as they have said, General Hammond. We were in another universe and we did fight zombies, among other things," Teal'c confirmed.
"Oh, and Sam and I have become practicing wizards," Daniel added. Sam covered her face with her hand. "Not wizards like in the KKK, of course, wizards like as in…"
"…Oz," Jack finished. "And before you ask, I'm pretty sure we were not in New Zealand, even if a good part of what we saw looked like it could have been part of the Lord of the Rings."
"Let me get this straight," their commanding officer asked. The four of you were gone for half a year because you travelled to the land of Oz. And became wizards."
"Don't look at me," Jack said, holding his hands up in protest. "It was Daniel and Sam." Then Jack swiveled around and gestured towards Teal'c as if he were tattling.. "Oh, and that one went and found a new god and became a priest. Though in his defense, he did pretty much bring me back from the dead."
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Tamil opened the door to the Sunken Flagon and strode in with the rest of her companions filing in behind her. A cheer went up from the patrons in the common room, acknowledging the return of the establishment's most prominent entertainer. Grobnar, who had been playing a tune trailed off in the middle as his audience left, but then bounded over with a bright smile on his face when he saw the group had returned.
The short, bearded form of Khelgar Ironfist was next to join them, putting down his mug of ale from the bar and charging over. He looked the group over, seeing Shandra Jerro but none of the members of SG-1. His face turned grim.
"Found the hideout of the remaining githyanki in town. Most o' them had already cleared out, but there were a few still hanging around. Me, the marshal, that tree huggin' lass, an' some of the boys from the Watch cleaned 'em out good. Should think we won't be havin' any more o' that lot bustin' things up in the city. That's fer sure."
The dwarf paused for a moment before broaching the subject of the rescue mission. "I can see ya' brought back the farmer lass, Shandra. That's a good thing," but then the dwarf became solemn. "But if our friends from another world were lost in the attempt, well…" the dwarf trailed off a bit, not quite sure what to say.
"No, they got through it fine," Tamil reassured her shorter friend with a smile. "In fact, they managed to find a way to get back to their world. All four of them. Rescued Samantha when we got Shandra back. Gonna miss having them around."
"Aye, me too, lass. They were good in a fight an' always had yer back. Especially the tall dark fella with the mark on his head," the dwarf concurred, pointing out how useful Teal'c was in a battle.
Duncan found his way over and congratulated them on making it back alive and in one piece. Tamil took that as a way to manage to segue into the topic of the missing shard. She pointedly asked Duncan how she managed to have a shard of a magic sword in her body all this time, and what else he had kept from her.
Her foster "uncle" very awkwardly explained how West Harbor had been the scene of a battle back when she was still a very young child, just barely beginning to walk. A warlock referred to as the "King of Shadows" had brought an army of demons into town and they were met there by forces of Neverwinter, the town's own militia, and some kind of shadow army. In the course of the battle there was a massive explosion, an explosion that killed Tamil's birth mother and left her wounded and bleeding from her gut. Apparently that was when the sword shard became lodged in her, but nobody had realized it.
As to how she survived and even thrived with a piece of magic sword inside of her all this time, the guessed it must have been one of the properties of the piece of sword itself. Some especially powerful swords even heal their wielders. Other than that, they had no idea how it was possible.
After discussing that, Tamil reported that Bishop had faithfully completed his assignment, even sticking through to the end fight. Duncan gave Bishop a nod of appreciation. In response the ranger surprised everyone by suggesting that he wanted to stay on with the group, to "fully repay" his debt. Tamil was extremely skeptical of the ranger's intentions, but Duncan told the ranger he could continue to stay at the inn without charge.
With that, the group settled back into their routine for the next few days before planning to set out to discover what was wrong with the swamplands around West Harbor.
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After the debriefing finished, General Hammond ordered SG-1 to undergo a thorough medical examination. Major Janet Frasier was extremely surprised by her findings, most of all with the former Jaffa.
Dr. Carter and Dr. Jackson checked out as fully fit. They had a few new unknown antibodies in their system, but that was not unusual for teams to develop immunities to diseases from worlds they were on for any length of time. Their brain scans showed nothing abnormal, although both had somewhat higher brain function activity from before their mission, but nothing to be worried about.
Jack had been more of a surprise. His heart rate and overall health had improved remarkably. He was in better shape than he was when he was younger. It was as if he had returned to his prime, but with increased strength and agility. He explained the change as a product of the training and exercise he began on the other world.
But Teal'c had completely shocked her.
"Teacl'c, we have good news. During your absence, SG-2 made an amazing discovery. We have a way of removing a symbiote from a Jaffa without compromising their immune system. It's called, Tretonin."
"That is excellent news, doctor. This will enable many of my Jaffa brothers and sisters to be freed of their dependence on gou'ald symbiotes."
"Yes, and we'll be able to do the same for you, once we've made sure you are in proper health. Now, please remove your shirt."
Teal'c complied with a serene smile on his face. "As you can see, Dr. Frasier, I will not be needing to use this Tretonin you spoke of. Tyr has taken care of that."
Major Janet Frasier looked at Teal'c's abdomen. It was completely unmarked. There was no sign that at symbiote had ever been introduced in the way that Jaffa were created. The man before her was no longer a Jaffa. "How is that possible?"
The SGC's Chief Medical Officer ran numerous tests. The results she found were astounding. Not only was Teal'c functioning without a symbiote, he was functioning just as well as if he had one. He showed a powerful resistance to disease, superior stamina to when he had first been examined (and that was already quite impressive), and healing as if he still had the symbiote. Yet all scans showed there was nothing wrong with him, no abnormalities. His brain scans were a match to his previous scans.
Doctor Frasier was at first very skeptical of his claim of having been healed by a divine being. But when Teal'c got out of bed and healed several patients, some who had contracted an alien infection that was resistant to antibiotics and some who had been injured by falling, her skepticism was blunted. She had no explanation for how Teal'c was able to do what he was doing.
"Well, Teal'c, that's the last of your test results. You're cleared to return to duty on the base," the doctor proclaimed. Dr. Frasier looked around her near empty medical room and back to the surprising former Jaffa. "I'm afraid you are going to put me out of business, Teal'c."
Teal'c smiled warmly. "I do not believe that will be the case, Major. As I understand the teachings of Tyr, the gifts given me are rare, and meant to aid the cause of justice and help people develop faith. Likewise, there must be a balance of struggle and sickness to try that faith and create a balance necessary for justice to exist." Dr. Frasier nodded at the wisdom in the man's words before Teal'c continued. "However, I fear the power I was given is nearly depleted. I have expended most of what was given to me. And unlike in Neverwinter on the world of Abeir-Toril, the power I expended has not been restored. I fear we are cut off from the power of Tyr."
Dr. Frasier couldn't help but voice her skepticism of Teal'c's newfound faith. "You know," Dr. Frasier suggested, "if Tyr can't reach across to our universe, perhaps he is not really a god?"
Rather than be affronted as Major Frasier feared when she decided to express her doubts, Teal'c gave her a nod and a smile. "I have wondered the same myself. But I have decided it does not matter whether the Even-Handed is a god on his world or if he is simply an advanced benevolent entity. I do not regret any action I have taken in service to that being and I am grateful for what Tyr enabled me to accomplish. I find Tyr's teachings to be worthy of emulation and intend on continuing to follow them, be he a god or otherwise."
Doctor Frasier smiled back at the Jaffa. "That's very admirable. I can accept that. Perhaps you might tell me about this god of yours some day. If I could learn to heal people the way you've done it would be a great help to my career."
Teal'c acknowledged her jest with smile and a slight bow before leaving the infirmary.
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Colonel Jack O'Neill loved being home on Earth. He loved being able to eat food he was used to. He loved being able to sit back and watch a bit of TV. He was incredibly happy to have all the modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, electric lights, and air conditioning again. Neither the githyanki nor the undead were the true horrors of what Jack had experienced in that other universe. That honor went to the chamber pot in the Sunken Flagon.
But back on Toril, traveling with a group of hardcore adventurers, he had gotten used to a training routine. When morning came, he found himself wide awake, ready to stretch his muscles out. All that lying or sitting on a bed while the doctor poked and prodded him in all the uncomfortable places that doctors poked and prodded people had given him enough of just sitting around.
After running around the nearly empty gym facility in Cheyenne Mountain, most of SG-5 showed up. These were Marines whose missions were often combat oriented rather than exploratory, taken from Marines Special Forces teams. They were heavier on training than the more exploration or diplomacy oriented SG teams and had the habit of being early risers for an extra workout to keep them sharp.
"Good morning, Colonel," one of the younger members said. Davis, if Jack remembered correctly. "Kind of early to be up running, isn't it sir? Got something on your mind?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders and explained he just felt like working out. Before long, Colonel O'Neill had joined them in their routine, the older former black ops soldier surprising them by being able to keep pace with them. They were in for a bigger surprise when Jack suggested they practice hand to hand combat with him. Unarmed, Jack beat his sparring opponent one on one, though it was a close contest.
But then Sergeant Soong decided to see what the veteran could do in a knife fight. He tossed Colonel O'Neill a practice knife with a, "Let's see what ya really got, old timer," and came in to attack. Soong felt Colonel O'Neill's practice weapon stab into him once, then twice, his own attack being knocked away. Jack scored several more blows, before disarming the soldier and taking the second weapon.
General Hammond was walking by the base gym facilities when he heard a commotion. A large crowd had gathered around an open area of the floor. A bit concerned, he walked over to hear the sounds of shouting and cheering. As he approached, the men and women made way for him. When he saw what everyone was looking at, he became a bit alarmed.
Three soldiers, all armed with their practice knives, circled Colonel Jack O'Neill looking for an opening in his defenses. They would lunge in with a quick strike, followed by an attack from the soldier on the opposite side. But Jack was too quick. At the moment one began to strike, he would step at just the right angle so that he could defend both attacks at once. Or, he would commit to a single direction, scoring several quick hits, his hands moving as nearly a blur, defeating one opponent and turning to face the other two. The group of three would occasionally land a glancing strike to an overexposed arm or leg, but Jack was scoring quick, decisive kill strikes to the chest or necks of his opponents. Fortunately for them, the rubber practice weapons only left bruises rather than fatal cuts.
"What the blazes is going on here?" General Hammond demanded.
The members of SG-5 quickly put their practice weapons away and turned to salute the General. Jack lowered his weapons, relaxing from his combat stance to something more casual and threw his arms out a little wide in a "don't look at me gesture". "I'm just having a little workout with some of the men, sir. Getting some exercise."
The practice broke up with several of the men from SG-5 walking up to give a pat on the back to the colonel and thanking him. There were murmurs of what almost sounded like awe from several of the spectators. Jack hadn't realized exactly how much he had improved in melee combat since he first arrived on Toril. If there was anything he was going to miss from that place, other than some of the more colorful companions, it was going to be those practice sessions.
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Samantha Carter was right back at home in the SGC. She was surrounded by computers, monitors, and controls of all different shapes and sizes. Glass marker boards had physics equations on them and graphs and charts interpreted data into a model of how the universe worked. Carter was once again immersed in the real love of her life: science.
She could almost forget that she was a wizard. That is, if she wasn't trying to explain some of the insights to the universe she had gained by the use of incantations and magical portals to another universe to a group of very skeptical scientists. The basics of the laws of magic were simple enough that a typical university student could grasp the rudiments. But to understand the higher order of magic took a brilliant mind. Like the mind a genius astrophysicist with a deep grounding in theoretical quantum and string theory.
Dr. Carter enthusiastically discussed her insights with her colleagues. Her experiences supported some of the current theories, while some longstanding ideas were either cast in doubt or discredited entirely. Occasionally, she would turn to Daniel Jackson and ask his opinion on one thing or another and he would express his understanding of the topic she asked or relate some text he had read to the discussion.
Daniel was absorbed with his own tasks, though. He had all the equipment they had brought back with them down from Toril and was labeling it for testing. There were a few minor magical rings that provided various forms of protection. There were several magical wands, each with their own special function. They had used up all but four of the potions Tamil had handed out, and of those four, three were meant for healing minor injuries, the fourth being a potion that was supposed to bestow greater dexterity on the drinker. And most intriguing, especially to Carter, was the weight and size reducing magic bag that Teal'c had been carrying.
Then there was all the data he had recorded from the Neverwinter archives and Sand's personal library. These were languages that had entirely new orthographies, lexis, and even some syntactic structures that had no parallel in any Earth language. Each record was a lifetime's worth of work for many linguists or anthropologists. It was at least enough to keep Daniel busy for months.
And then there was his spellbook. He had both his travel copy and his digital photos of it from the camera. There was so much to those writings that Daniel could very easily obsess over every little nuance of how they were written. In most languages orthographic distinction was usually of minor importance in comparison to language features with more bearing on semantics, perhaps related to the medium by which the language was transmitted. However, with arcane scripts, the details of different curves, the degree of boldness of a stroke, the relative spacing of symbols- it was all relevant to a deeper meaning.
On some level Daniel knew that Sam was asking him something, but he was lost in his thoughts.
Daniel Jackson was by far the least excited about having returned to Earth. Sure, he was relieved he had gotten home, but there was so much that he had lost. There was an entire world, rich in a completely new culture with no roots or connection to Earth and all he had were a few notes. As big of a loss as that was, it was not the greatest of his losses. After all, he was in the Stargate Program. There were other worlds to visit and explore, other cultures to study. But none that had what Toril had.
He was the first to realize that he could no longer memorize spells. He could remember the symbols, but they no longer translated into power that he could expend as magic spells. He still retained the magic he had memorized before arriving back on Earth, what was left of it, but Daniel was the first to realize that once he cast any spell he could not get it back by studying it. He wasn't sure what this meant. He guessed that the power of magic still existed, but the Weave of Mystra as the books called it, was not present to allow him access to it.
"Daniel?"
And then sometimes he would remember that first, and last, kiss from Neeshka. She was so different from Sha're, his wife from Abydos who had now passed on, but in some ways she had the same warmth and affection, as well as the vulnerability that had drawn him to her. Of course, the fact that Neeshka was part demon was something to seriously consider, but he could tell the tiefling was not evil. He had felt evil when he had passed through two hells. No, Neeshka was just roguish, but in a cute, charming, bedeviling way. He was going to miss her more than he wanted to admit, more than any of the other friends he had made there.
"Daniel?" Carter asked him for the third time.
Dr. Jackson broke away from his thoughts to respond. She wanted to know his opinion on a particular physics equation and the principles of magic. He shook his head. He had no idea about this.
"Damn. Now that I'm back, I wish I had more time on Toril to learn more of that…. magic stuff."
"Me too, Sam." Then Daniel looked at the digital photo of him and Neeshka together and repeated again more softly, to himself, "me too."