Chapter 38
Diplomatic Encampment, Alaris
Day Five of the Confederation Deliberative Assembly
Late the night after the fifth day of the deliberation assembly had concluded Daniel cradled a cup of hot coffee in his hands to fight off the evening chill as he walked north towards the moored spaceships. Considering the sheer number and diversity of delegates present he thought the assembly sessions were going well and was amazed at the self-restraint and patience Jack was demonstrating each day with all the political shenanigans.
Nodding his head at a sentry wearing the resistance armband Daniel thought back to the first session and what had transpired that day. One of the first things explained had been the seemingly random seating arrangement. Representatives had been seated according to the population number they represented, from lowest seated in the front and most numerous at the back which is why Weir and himself were near the back—the UN technically was meant to represent Earth and if the planet’s nations actually had been unified it would have only been Weir and himself present on Alaris.
The two tables behind the podium had been the most surprising and symbolic to him. The higher table served as the seats for Jack and Sally, the Tok’ra Per’sus and Pales, the Nox Lya and Anteaus, and Aschen Jullis and Clarr. As resistance commander that had broken Aschen domination over them Jack had become the unofficial mediator, the Tok’ra and Nox were neutral observers often providing a voice of balance, and the Aschen were present to personally know and observe the assembly’s negations and decisions that would affect them.
The larger table below them was empty, each chair present embossed with a single symbol that bore silent witness to the worlds that had no people to speak for them.
It did puzzle Daniel that the Asgärd did not have a seat at the high table but he was hoping to speak with an Asgärd himself tonight as he had arranged to meet with Janet onboard Iðavöllr instead of their usual get together in his tent since his arrival on Alaris. He was also hoping to get some answers about how and why Jack had such Asgärd support—tablets, communication stones, spaceships, etc—as it was not something that could simply be explained away with Jack and Sam living amongst the Ida race for some time.
Daniel reached his destination, a square of barren patch of earth that was designated as the Iðavöllr transport area even though he knew that the Asgärd transport beam could be utilised anywhere on the planet. Daniel checked his watch to see he was right on time just as whiteness enveloped him.
The white light and spots dancing before his eyes faded and Daniel found himself in an architecturally distinct Asgärd chamber with a brown skinned woman beside the terminal in the room.
“Kveðja,” the woman greeted in Asgärd.
Daniel’s blue eyes widened behind his glasses as he looked at the woman with increased interest; she was not a resistance soldier but an Asgärd inhabiting a human form replicator. “Hello, I am Dr Daniel Jackson.”
“I am aware Dr Jackson,” the woman responded in English, “I am Skuld. Dr Fraiser apologises for not being present at your arrival. Follow me and I shall escort you to her quarters.”
Eagerly Daniel fell into step beside the Asgärd and hoped their journey took a bit of time so that he could ask some questions and maybe have some answered. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some questions.”
“I believe Supreme Commander Thor has said that is what you do,” Skuld responded urbanely. “Ask and I shall endeavour to answer.”
That response practically had Daniel vibrating with excitement and his mind race through all the questions he could ask and those that he wanted to ask. To his chagrin, he uncouthly blurted his first question out: “Why are you black?”
“Pardon?” Skuld questioned as they turned down another hallway.
“I am sorry,” Daniel responded flustered, “I have seen Thor in his replicator form and wonder why you chose your skin colour to be so dark?”
“I did not choose it,” Skuld responded as she looked at him. “It was First’s selection.”
“You are the one who volunteered to first inhabitant a replicator?” Daniel asked in surprise, now recognising the Asgärd’s name and remembering what Jack and Sam had told him about the Asgärd coming to inhabit replicator bodies.
“Correct. This form was modeled after the automaton humanoid that we found in the Nilor sector that allowed their evolution. It is most fortunate that Commander O’Neill developed his strategy for us as the replicator’s evolution was proving most difficult to combat.”
Daniel’s eyes widening behind his glasses. Not wanting to think about what a statement meant in terms of the replicator advancement if one of the Four Great Races had been unable to hold them at bay any longer. “Is that why you are here?”
Skuld looked at Daniel and her silence prompted the archaeologist to detail his question.
“Is that why the Asgärd are supporting Jack’s resistance?”
“Indeed we are not.”
Blinking stupidly at that respond Daniel stuttered out, “B-but, you are! You’re here, we’re using your technology like the tablets and communication stones, and Jack is using this ship!”
“As is his right,” Skuld responded calmly as she looked away from Daniel once again.
“His right?” Daniel questioned. “What is his right?”
“Access to all our resources is the right of every citizen although most do not earn the amount of credits—which O’Neill earned while battling the replicators—to use the amount of resources that O’Neill is currently utilising. Even if he did not have enough, it would still be the right and honour of myself and my sisters to aid O’Neill with Iðavöllr.”
Daniel blinked rapidly as his brain struggled to compute two of the terms used by Skuld: ‘right’ and ‘citizen.’ Voice slight strangled by the implications he asked, “Is Jack an Asgärd citizen?”
Skuld cast a glance back at him as they turned another corner. “The O’Neills are.”
Daniel was floored by that revelation and intended to demand answers from Jack and Sam via his Asgärd tablet just as soon as he could get back to it. For Jack though, it might be a better idea to try harder at cornering the man on Alaris during break periods as he still had not gotten a response from a single email even after their brief meet up the first day of the assembly. Face to face also meant he would be able to interrogate more answers out of Jack and he was sorry that he had let his duties as aid to Weir and fascination with the assembly interfere so far with his intentions of having a serious talk with Jack.
“We have arrived Dr Jackson,” Skuld’s voice interrupted his thoughts as they finally stopped in front of a door identical to the multitude they had already passed.
Daniel opened his mouth to see if he could get one more question asked when the door hissed open to reveal Janet in the doorway.
“Come on in Daniel, I am sorry I wasn’t in the transport room to greet you but I got delayed conferencing with Dr Chan of the WHO.” Janet smiled as she turned to Skuld, “Thank you for escorting him here Skuld.”
The Asgärd regally inclined her head and strode off before Daniel could voice his own thanks. When he looked back at Janet, she was studying him with a curious look.
“You look a little stunned Daniel,” Janet remarked as she ushered him into her quarters. The two friends settled into the seating area and soon were deep into discussion about Daniel’s latest discovery about the O’Neill’s citizenship status, how Phase IV was progressing, Cassie’s attempted kidnapping, Robert Kinsey’s arrest, and many other matters.