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Happy birthday, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
abyssinia4077! 
Title: A Gift of Consolation
Author: Fig Newton (sg_fignewton)
Rating: G
Pairing: Sam and Daniel friendship
Word Count: ~1,700
Summary: Daniel introduces Sam to his new translation project.
Spoilers: references Enigma and Shades of Grey; draws concepts from Between Two Fires. Set in late S3.
Disclaimer: None of them are mine. They all belong to their respective copyright holders.
Author's note: After reading the marvelous Five Things that Abyssis wrote in honor of her birthday, I wanted to give her a present in kind. She is one of the newer authors of brilliant Sam and Daniel friendship fic, so what else could I possibly write for her? This was written a little too hastily, and the birthday tie-in is a little too forced, but Abyssis is well worth the effort! I hope she enjoys this. :)
This story has now been podficced. You may download it here.
The rhythmic chirping, Sam decided as she walked the perimeter of their camp, was just an octave higher than the crickets on Earth. It made for an interesting counterpoint to the rather insistent hooting that occasionally sounded from the upper branches of the nearby trees, and it helped to mask the sound of the colonel's persistent snores.
She always liked the quiet of late night watches, especially when their mission had been successfully completed and they were on their way home. She wondered if she could find some discreet way to thank General Hammond for giving them such a benign, peaceful mission for SG-1's first trip back through the Stargate after the colonel's return from his black ops mission. They'd been granted a little oasis of time, with enough breathing space to help return the team to something approaching normal.
Satisfied that all was well, Sam returned to the camp. Teal'c sat cross-legged across from the fire, eyes closed and face serene. Colonel O'Neill's snuffled breathing rumbled across the clearing, and she suppressed a grin. Once again, she wondered how her CO, who slept absolutely noiselessly and practically open-eyed in times of danger, could possibly know when it was safe to snore so loudly.
Daniel still hadn't gone to sleep. She'd taken over his watch nearly twenty minutes ago, but he was still sitting up in his sleeping bag, absorbed in studying something on his laptop. She'd noticed him snatching spare moments throughout the last three days, stealing the odd minute here and there in order to concentrate on… what, exactly?
Sam decided it was time to find out.
She slung her rifle to a more comfortable position and paced toward him, watching the firelight play across his face in an intricate dance of light and shadow. He looked up and smiled as she approached, but she noted that he hastily closed the laptop.
"Hey," he greeted her quietly. "All quiet on the western front?"
"Yep." She settled down next to him, her shoulder brushing his for a moment. "Aren't you planning on getting any sleep tonight?"
"In a bit, I guess," he said vaguely. His long fingers traced invisible patterns on the laptop's cover.
She reached out and stilled his fingers, gripping them lightly. "Daniel, you almost never take a laptop off-world with you. But you've been working on this one non-stop, and I haven't seen you writing in your journal at all on this mission. Is everything all right?"
"Of course," he said, looking honestly surprised at her question. "It's just a little personal project, something I started working on before the mission."
"And do I get to see what it is?" she prodded gently.
He hesitated for a moment, then tipped her a rueful grin. "Well, to be honest, I'd planned on waiting until the day after tomorrow, but – okay, here. Come and take a look."
Sam leaned forward as he opened the laptop again and the screen glowed into life. She easily recognized the program as one of Daniel's, created to his specifications by one of the computer whiz-kids at the SGC. The writing was grouped in threes: an odd script that she didn't recognize, although she could see that it ran from right to left; nonsensical words spelled in English, which she knew must be the transliteration of the foreign script; and individual words and phrases in English, which were the results of Daniel's efforts at translation. There was little syntax in the lines of actual English text, although there didn't seem to be many empty gaps.
"You've worked through quite a lot of it already," she observed, familiar with Daniel's methods after three years of watching him work. "You say you only got this a few days before the mission? I'm impressed." She skimmed through the lines of English, then pointed to one section where the phrases were nearly coherent.
"...determination great good," she read aloud. "Or 'value,' you suggest. Most important open distribution knowledge..." She looked up. "No articles?"
"Haven't figured those out yet," he conceded. "And I really don't want to cheat and ask."
Sam's gaze had already strayed back to the intriguing words on the screen, but now she whipped her head around to stare at him. "Did you say ask?" she demanded.
Daniel blinked at her. "Er... yes?"
She jabbed an accusing finger at the foreign words on the screen, with their thick, almost blocky shapes and odd groupings. "Isn't that one of your ancient languages? Exactly who could you possibly ask about it?"
"Ah." He cleared his throat. "That one's not old, actually. Just alien." He tapped on the keyboard for a moment, bringing up a different section. "Try here, Sam."
Frowning a little, she leaned forward. Daniel's translation was much more fragmented here, the phrases riddled with alternative suggestions and question marks. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she read.
[sense] science [prevent?denies?] superstition [angel?avatar?] comprehension
She glanced back up at him. "So?"
"So, so, so look at the transliteration."
The look of anticipation on Daniel's face puzzled her. She gave him a dubious look, then humored him, reading through the transliteration and silently mouthing the exotic syllables. The second-to-last word made her stop.
"That word. 'Shehr-MOH.' Why does it sound vaguely familiar?" she wondered aloud.
"Probably because you're the one who told me how to pronounce it," Daniel said mildly.
"I told you?" Sam stared. "Since when do I teach you how to pronounce words in foreign languages?"
His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Quantum physics terminology?" he suggested, then grinned and ducked his head as she swatted at him.
"Soft science geek," she said affectionately. "Okay, explain."
Daniel paused, studying her face. "Narim told you about it, two years ago," he finally said. "This language is Tollan."
Sam knew she was gawking. It took a conscious effort to close her mouth.
"Travell gave me a little present before she left Earth," Daniel continued, gesturing vaguely at the laptop. "She called it an apology, actually."
"Travell gave you technology?" Sam couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. "After all that?"
"Of course not," Daniel said, sounding almost insulted. "This isn't Tollan technology, Sam! This is much more important. This is their history!" He sat up a little straighter, his gestures growing more animated. "Did you know that their society is completely open about sharing knowledge with each other? Any political discussion takes place completely in the open, and every person has access to the details of every governmental meeting. And it's not just their political system, but their science and culture, too! There's no such thing as a patent – any invention is offered, complete with detailed schematics, to the general public for instant access. Music, philosophy, art – it's all free and open. They profess themselves to be above religion, but I'd say they look at knowledge itself as a –"
"Excuse me," Sam interrupted. "This is the Tollan we're talking about, right? The ones who call us 'primitives' and threatened to cut off all ties because of Maybourne's illegal operation?"
The ones who demanded that we take care of the problem ourselves, and dumped it all in the colonel's lap, and nearly destroyed SG-1 in the process?
She looked across the fire at her sleeping CO, feeling that simmering resentment at not only the Tollan and the Asgard, but also her own military. Colonel O'Neill couldn't disobey an order by his superiors, even if it threatened to destroy their team. But the demand wouldn't have been made in the first place, if their allies hadn't insisted on secrecy. Even her genuine liking for Narim didn't allow her to feel very friendly towards the Tollans at the moment.
"Sareta, Sam," Daniel reminded her. "Narim told you about it first, right? The neighboring planet that destroyed themselves when the Tollans gave them technology? The need to share knowledge is deeply rooted in their culture, but self-preservation is a powerful impulse, too." He sighed. "I know it can feel infuriating, but Sareta blew up and actually knocked Tollan out of its original orbit, Sam. That's why they had to leave their planet in the first place."
"So they'll share knowledge with each other, but not with us," Sam said, her voice a little sour. "Explain that, then." She waved at the words glowing softly onscreen.
"It was an apology," Daniel repeated. "Travell said that she regretted the role I'd been... forced to play on Tollana." His voice stuttered a bit, and Sam nudged his shoulder again in an offer of silent comfort.
He gave her a small smile in return. "So, while she still couldn't offer Earth any technology, she said she could at least offer me what she knew I most wanted in the first place."
"Their history," Sam said quietly. "That's really quite a gift, isn't it?"
"Yes," Daniel said, his smile growing. "It's all there: their language, their recorded history, even the stories they tell their children. This is the Tollan's legacy, Sam. Not their technology and their big honkin' space guns. It's a society dedicated to the peaceful advancement of knowledge for the sake of learning more about the universe."
Sam considered for a moment, trying to imagine herself as part of a society that valued knowledge for its own sake – one that thrived on teaching and sharing that knowledge to others. "My kind of place," she murmured, feeling a little wistful.
"I know," Daniel said. "That's why I wanted to wait, Sam."
"What do you mean?"
He ducked his head a little, then shrugged. "I was hoping to get a little farther in the translation, and then show it to you the day after tomorrow."
"Because...?" A slow smile grew on her face as she realized the exact date, which meant that the day after tomorrow was –
"Because you love knowledge, Sam," he said simply. "Even if it isn't quantum physics. And I wanted to give you something special."
Daniel reached out and squeezed her hand. "I guess it'll just have to be an early present, then." He gestured grandly at the laptop. "Here you go, Major Carter. We'll have to keep working on it, of course, but… We'll have a lot of fun exploring the Tollan's legacy together, I think. Happy birthday."
abyssinia4077! Title: A Gift of Consolation
Author: Fig Newton (
sg_fignewton)Rating: G
Pairing: Sam and Daniel friendship
Word Count: ~1,700
Summary: Daniel introduces Sam to his new translation project.
Spoilers: references Enigma and Shades of Grey; draws concepts from Between Two Fires. Set in late S3.
Disclaimer: None of them are mine. They all belong to their respective copyright holders.
Author's note: After reading the marvelous Five Things that Abyssis wrote in honor of her birthday, I wanted to give her a present in kind. She is one of the newer authors of brilliant Sam and Daniel friendship fic, so what else could I possibly write for her? This was written a little too hastily, and the birthday tie-in is a little too forced, but Abyssis is well worth the effort! I hope she enjoys this. :)
This story has now been podficced. You may download it here.
The rhythmic chirping, Sam decided as she walked the perimeter of their camp, was just an octave higher than the crickets on Earth. It made for an interesting counterpoint to the rather insistent hooting that occasionally sounded from the upper branches of the nearby trees, and it helped to mask the sound of the colonel's persistent snores.
She always liked the quiet of late night watches, especially when their mission had been successfully completed and they were on their way home. She wondered if she could find some discreet way to thank General Hammond for giving them such a benign, peaceful mission for SG-1's first trip back through the Stargate after the colonel's return from his black ops mission. They'd been granted a little oasis of time, with enough breathing space to help return the team to something approaching normal.
Satisfied that all was well, Sam returned to the camp. Teal'c sat cross-legged across from the fire, eyes closed and face serene. Colonel O'Neill's snuffled breathing rumbled across the clearing, and she suppressed a grin. Once again, she wondered how her CO, who slept absolutely noiselessly and practically open-eyed in times of danger, could possibly know when it was safe to snore so loudly.
Daniel still hadn't gone to sleep. She'd taken over his watch nearly twenty minutes ago, but he was still sitting up in his sleeping bag, absorbed in studying something on his laptop. She'd noticed him snatching spare moments throughout the last three days, stealing the odd minute here and there in order to concentrate on… what, exactly?
Sam decided it was time to find out.
She slung her rifle to a more comfortable position and paced toward him, watching the firelight play across his face in an intricate dance of light and shadow. He looked up and smiled as she approached, but she noted that he hastily closed the laptop.
"Hey," he greeted her quietly. "All quiet on the western front?"
"Yep." She settled down next to him, her shoulder brushing his for a moment. "Aren't you planning on getting any sleep tonight?"
"In a bit, I guess," he said vaguely. His long fingers traced invisible patterns on the laptop's cover.
She reached out and stilled his fingers, gripping them lightly. "Daniel, you almost never take a laptop off-world with you. But you've been working on this one non-stop, and I haven't seen you writing in your journal at all on this mission. Is everything all right?"
"Of course," he said, looking honestly surprised at her question. "It's just a little personal project, something I started working on before the mission."
"And do I get to see what it is?" she prodded gently.
He hesitated for a moment, then tipped her a rueful grin. "Well, to be honest, I'd planned on waiting until the day after tomorrow, but – okay, here. Come and take a look."
Sam leaned forward as he opened the laptop again and the screen glowed into life. She easily recognized the program as one of Daniel's, created to his specifications by one of the computer whiz-kids at the SGC. The writing was grouped in threes: an odd script that she didn't recognize, although she could see that it ran from right to left; nonsensical words spelled in English, which she knew must be the transliteration of the foreign script; and individual words and phrases in English, which were the results of Daniel's efforts at translation. There was little syntax in the lines of actual English text, although there didn't seem to be many empty gaps.
"You've worked through quite a lot of it already," she observed, familiar with Daniel's methods after three years of watching him work. "You say you only got this a few days before the mission? I'm impressed." She skimmed through the lines of English, then pointed to one section where the phrases were nearly coherent.
"...determination great good," she read aloud. "Or 'value,' you suggest. Most important open distribution knowledge..." She looked up. "No articles?"
"Haven't figured those out yet," he conceded. "And I really don't want to cheat and ask."
Sam's gaze had already strayed back to the intriguing words on the screen, but now she whipped her head around to stare at him. "Did you say ask?" she demanded.
Daniel blinked at her. "Er... yes?"
She jabbed an accusing finger at the foreign words on the screen, with their thick, almost blocky shapes and odd groupings. "Isn't that one of your ancient languages? Exactly who could you possibly ask about it?"
"Ah." He cleared his throat. "That one's not old, actually. Just alien." He tapped on the keyboard for a moment, bringing up a different section. "Try here, Sam."
Frowning a little, she leaned forward. Daniel's translation was much more fragmented here, the phrases riddled with alternative suggestions and question marks. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she read.
[sense] science [prevent?denies?] superstition [angel?avatar?] comprehension
She glanced back up at him. "So?"
"So, so, so look at the transliteration."
The look of anticipation on Daniel's face puzzled her. She gave him a dubious look, then humored him, reading through the transliteration and silently mouthing the exotic syllables. The second-to-last word made her stop.
"That word. 'Shehr-MOH.' Why does it sound vaguely familiar?" she wondered aloud.
"Probably because you're the one who told me how to pronounce it," Daniel said mildly.
"I told you?" Sam stared. "Since when do I teach you how to pronounce words in foreign languages?"
His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Quantum physics terminology?" he suggested, then grinned and ducked his head as she swatted at him.
"Soft science geek," she said affectionately. "Okay, explain."
Daniel paused, studying her face. "Narim told you about it, two years ago," he finally said. "This language is Tollan."
Sam knew she was gawking. It took a conscious effort to close her mouth.
"Travell gave me a little present before she left Earth," Daniel continued, gesturing vaguely at the laptop. "She called it an apology, actually."
"Travell gave you technology?" Sam couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. "After all that?"
"Of course not," Daniel said, sounding almost insulted. "This isn't Tollan technology, Sam! This is much more important. This is their history!" He sat up a little straighter, his gestures growing more animated. "Did you know that their society is completely open about sharing knowledge with each other? Any political discussion takes place completely in the open, and every person has access to the details of every governmental meeting. And it's not just their political system, but their science and culture, too! There's no such thing as a patent – any invention is offered, complete with detailed schematics, to the general public for instant access. Music, philosophy, art – it's all free and open. They profess themselves to be above religion, but I'd say they look at knowledge itself as a –"
"Excuse me," Sam interrupted. "This is the Tollan we're talking about, right? The ones who call us 'primitives' and threatened to cut off all ties because of Maybourne's illegal operation?"
The ones who demanded that we take care of the problem ourselves, and dumped it all in the colonel's lap, and nearly destroyed SG-1 in the process?
She looked across the fire at her sleeping CO, feeling that simmering resentment at not only the Tollan and the Asgard, but also her own military. Colonel O'Neill couldn't disobey an order by his superiors, even if it threatened to destroy their team. But the demand wouldn't have been made in the first place, if their allies hadn't insisted on secrecy. Even her genuine liking for Narim didn't allow her to feel very friendly towards the Tollans at the moment.
"Sareta, Sam," Daniel reminded her. "Narim told you about it first, right? The neighboring planet that destroyed themselves when the Tollans gave them technology? The need to share knowledge is deeply rooted in their culture, but self-preservation is a powerful impulse, too." He sighed. "I know it can feel infuriating, but Sareta blew up and actually knocked Tollan out of its original orbit, Sam. That's why they had to leave their planet in the first place."
"So they'll share knowledge with each other, but not with us," Sam said, her voice a little sour. "Explain that, then." She waved at the words glowing softly onscreen.
"It was an apology," Daniel repeated. "Travell said that she regretted the role I'd been... forced to play on Tollana." His voice stuttered a bit, and Sam nudged his shoulder again in an offer of silent comfort.
He gave her a small smile in return. "So, while she still couldn't offer Earth any technology, she said she could at least offer me what she knew I most wanted in the first place."
"Their history," Sam said quietly. "That's really quite a gift, isn't it?"
"Yes," Daniel said, his smile growing. "It's all there: their language, their recorded history, even the stories they tell their children. This is the Tollan's legacy, Sam. Not their technology and their big honkin' space guns. It's a society dedicated to the peaceful advancement of knowledge for the sake of learning more about the universe."
Sam considered for a moment, trying to imagine herself as part of a society that valued knowledge for its own sake – one that thrived on teaching and sharing that knowledge to others. "My kind of place," she murmured, feeling a little wistful.
"I know," Daniel said. "That's why I wanted to wait, Sam."
"What do you mean?"
He ducked his head a little, then shrugged. "I was hoping to get a little farther in the translation, and then show it to you the day after tomorrow."
"Because...?" A slow smile grew on her face as she realized the exact date, which meant that the day after tomorrow was –
"Because you love knowledge, Sam," he said simply. "Even if it isn't quantum physics. And I wanted to give you something special."
Daniel reached out and squeezed her hand. "I guess it'll just have to be an early present, then." He gestured grandly at the laptop. "Here you go, Major Carter. We'll have to keep working on it, of course, but… We'll have a lot of fun exploring the Tollan's legacy together, I think. Happy birthday."
Tags:
no subject
I love that you have written a fic featuring the Tollan. Daniel's curiosity would definitely be sparked by something as important as a library of knowledge, and how lovely that he thinks of the pleasure it would bring Sam.
As to a title; maybe the old latin maxim: Scientia Potentia Est
Knowledge Is Power :D
no subject
Still thinking on the title. I like your suggestion, but... we'll see.
no subject
You wrote Sam and Daniel friendship for me and it's wonderful and beautiful and I'm the luckiest person ever!
I love how it starts - lulling us into the peacefulness of nature only to be blind-sided by the racket of Jack's snoring.
Once again, she wondered how her CO, who slept absolutely noiselessly and practically open-eyed in times of danger, could possibly know when it was safe to snore so loudly.
Okay, this was great. I really like (and totally the believe) that even while sleeping somewhere in his mind Jack decides whether it's safe for him to snore or not. It's cracking me up.
I like your description of Daniel's program and translation methods (can totally see them) and I love that Sam is familiar with how Daniel approaches a translation problem.
but now she whipped her head around to stare at him. "Did you say ask?" she demanded.
Hee :) I love this - that Daniel could have the translation handed to him but wants to work on it and I love how he casually throws out that information and Sam takes a minute to realize what he said. I can so hear them having this conversation.
His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Quantum physics terminology?" he suggested, then grinned and ducked his head as she swatted at him.
And now I'm just reading this with a stupid grin on my face.
This isn't Tollan technology, Sam! This is much more important. This is their history!
Oh. Daniel!
Also - I love, love, love what he says about Tollan society and I love how much Daniel loves the idea and knows Sam would too.
(There's an episode of Atlantis where Rodney McKay's sister helps them out and she makes this point too - that she got frustrated with the science community because knowledge should be shared, not patented - and I so agree because it's very much a frustration I have myself).
It's all there: their language, their recorded history, even the stories they tell their children. This is Tollana's legacy, Sam. Not their technology and their big honkin' space guns. It's a society dedicated to the peaceful advancement of knowledge for the sake of learning more about the universe."
And now I really miss the Tollans - for their faults, they really weren't bad allies and they were interesting. *sniff* (also, this line is SO Daniel)
Awww! I love them both so much! I love Daniel and his belief in people and fascination with learning about another society and Sam and her love for knowledge and the idea of them working together to puzzle something out. And Daniel is so thoughtful when he wants to be because he isn't just giving her knowledge but is giving her the puzzle so she can play a role in solving it because she likes figuring things out too. And it's time they get to spend together. Perfect on every level.
Thank you so much!
no subject
I can so see Jack as a chronic snorer, and it would be utterly like him to have a little switch in his mind that knows that it's safe to snore/complain loudly/sing Wizard of Oz songs and when it's not.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this, and that the touches that mattered most to me - their camaraderie, Daniel's viewpoint, Sam's fondness for Tollana - were all things that you liked, too.
And now I really miss the Tollans - for their faults, they really weren't bad allies
Oh, I hated what they did to Travell in Between Two Fires. I liked the Tollans quite a lot, especially with their background - they weren't just being smug, they'd watched their planet tear itself apart because they'd made the mistake of supplying technology to someone who wasn't ready for it. And I loved that Omoc was rude. Just because someone has a clear moral compass doesn't mean he's a nice guy!
Most of all, though, I wanted the Tollans to acknowledge that they'd put Daniel in a very bad position in Shades of Grey, especially after everything he'd done for them. So this would be the perfect consolation gift (which keeps nagging at me as a good title for this, but I'm not quite sure!) - something that doesn't break their rules, and something that Daniel would truly appreciate.
And yes, they'd enjoy studying it together. Because Sam and Daniel equals LOVE. Speaking in a gen fashion, of course. ;)
Happy birthday again, and I'm so pleased you liked your little gift!
no subject
Lessee....
Fic written by you especially for me? check
Sam and Daniel front and center? check
Sam and Daniel's friendship in all it's knowledge-loving glory? check
Funny observations about Jack? check
Daniel playing anthropologist, historian, and linguist? check
Sam and Daniel working together on a puzzle? check
etc, etc.
Yep, safe to say I liked it.
Jack as a chronic snorer, and it would be utterly like him to have a little switch in his mind that knows that it's safe to snore/complain loudly/sing Wizard of Oz songs and when it's not.
Hee :) Now I want a story where Jack sings in his sleep.
Re: the Tollan
I know! They're a really interesting society (I still wonder how they grew so advanced without the Goa'uld noticing and stopping them) and they have good reasons for why they do what they do and they (eventually) explain those reasons and they have a well-functioning society and don't just dismiss the Tauri out of hand and to suddenly have them disappear completely was just...too much. I also think Travell would me smarter and craftier than she came across in "Between Two Fires" - that they would have found a way to not have the Goa'uld bind their hands. I still don't understand why they didn't use the weapons they were building for Tanith to destroy Tanith's ship.
With Shades of Grey - was it that much worse for Daniel than Sam or Teal'c (from the Tollan's actions, not form Jack's?). I mean, yes Daniel prepared for the meeting, but I'm guessing at least Sam did too, and surely Daniel had harder repercussions because he drew the short straw to seek out Jack, but the Tollans can't be blamed for that. But then, Daniel isn't a soldier like Sam and Teal'c are - I'd believe the duplicity and such that were required were harder for him to understand.
But, regardless, I still love the idea of Travell giving Daniel something to make up for it - especially something this perfect. And I love Sam and Daniel working together on a problem.
THANK YOU AGAIN!
(I'm sorry I can't help with any good title ideas - I have a horrible time coming up with titles myself)
no subject
Another one of my to-be-written-someday meta essays will be my angry rant at how TPTB take every. single. victory. the SGC ever has and destroys it. The destruction of Tollana, senselessly, is just another one on the list.
I loved Travell in Pretense - her serenity and her cool head and her refusal to be intimidated, and her classiness when she thanked Teal'c. Her behavior in Between Two Fires was so OOC that it actually hurt.
With Shades of Grey - was it that much worse for Daniel than Sam or Teal'c (from the Tollan's actions, not from Jack's?).
I think it was, yes. Consider who Daniel is, for the Tollans: the man who stepped up for them when they were trapped on Earth, who risked his life by standing between them and Maybourne's soldiers when they walked through the Stargate. Even Omoc liked Daniel, and that's saying something! :)
Then necessity and orders force Jack into duping Daniel into creating a presentation that he knows he's going to torpedo within the first sentence or two. And Travell has to be in on the scenario, in order to play her part. And I think that Travell has seen enough of Daniel - both from she heard from the Tollans who met him in Enigma and from watching him in action during Pretense - to understand that he wouldn't have asked for technology. And when Daniel asks, in her presence, "So, just to clarify..." and adds that little aside about how much work he put into the presentation, Travell would have gotten a very clear idea of how disturbed Daniel had been.
So I do think she would have felt badly about it. It's not a question of not sympathizing with Sam or Teal'c - as I said, she clearly has a lot of respect for Teal'c in particular, and Narim would surely have given her a favorable impression of Sam. But yes, I can easily see Travell thinking, "We forced Doctor Jackson to ask about something that doesn't interest him instead of what he would really want to know - it's the first thing he asked Omoc about way back when they met. The least I can do is give him what I know he would want to see, especially since it doesn't violate our laws."
I'm really, really glad you enjoyed your birthday story. :)
no subject
I mean, really, is one other culture we successfully interact with that unbelievable? Of course, as the show progressed it got more Earth and "galaxy war" focused and less "let's see what's out there" so, yeah.
I hadn't thought about that with Daniel and "Shades of Grey" but it does make a lot of sense.
Burning Bright
Re: Burning Bright
Nope, never enough Sam & Daniel fic! And it would be nice, wouldn't it, if the Tollan civilization didn't just vanish in a fit of Tanith's pique.
Glad you liked it. :)
no subject
"I told you?" Sam stared. "Since when do I teach you how to pronounce words in foreign languages?"
His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Quantum physics terminology?" he suggested, then grinned and ducked his head as she swatted at him.
"Soft science geek," she said affectionately
Hee! I also like Jack knowing when it was safe to snore.
Pedantic nitpick that you can feel free to ignore, but you know me and my anal retentiveness over trivial details. The first Tollan planet was known as Tollan. Their new homeworld was Tollana.
HAMMOND: Sir, I'd like to know who you are and what you know about the Goa'uld.
OMOC: I am Omoc. Our world is called Tollan. [/end pedantic notes]
I can't think of a good title. "Late Night Missions" sounds more sneaky than fits. It's lovely and sweet though.
no subject
I'm glad you liked this. I just love the Sam and Daniel show and wish we'd gotten more of it!
no subject
She looked across the fire at her sleeping CO, feeling that simmering resentment at not only the Tollan and the Asgard, but also her own military. Colonel O'Neill couldn't disobey an order by his superiors, even if it threatened to destroy their team. But the demand wouldn't have been made in the first place, if their allies hadn't insisted on secrecy. Even her genuine liking for Narim didn't allow her to feel very friendly towards the Tollans at the moment.
I'm not entirely sure I agree with this, though. Yes, the Tollan demands caused a rift in SG1, and yes Jack had to follow orders, but from the Tollan point of view, I'm not sure I can fault their thought process. The secrecy makes sense in light of the fact that they didn't trust Earthlings to begin with. From that standpoint, the fact that their technology was being stolen by SG personnel (as far as they knew), would've made them even more distrustful.
I imagine Hammond had a hard time convincing the Tollan and the Asgard to even let Jack try to figure out what was going on, much less anybody else. And while I can see the rest of SG1 being hurt that the Tollans didn't trust them enough to let them help, being hurt isn't quite the same thing as being angry. Just my $.02. YMMV.
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Thanks for your honesty. Nothing like real feedback to make an author really smile! Something to remember, though, is that those are Sam's thought processes, not mine. :) Sam has every right to be resentful of the chain of events that led to the orders that might very well have destroyed the cohesiveness and teaminess of SG-1. Whether the Tollan deserve that resentment is something else!
Again, to be fair to the Tollan, I'm pretty sure it was Thor&Co. that insisted it be a solo affair. And Daniel did remind her right afterwards that the Tollan had a pretty good reason for being so wary. But... still. Sam is annoyed that her team came so close to dissolution. I think we can allow her that. :)
I'm really, really pleased that you enjoyed the story, and thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think - both the parts that you liked, and the parts that you didn't.
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I'm glad you like it. Icons really aren't my thing, so I found one I like and use it pretty much everywhere.
Nothing like real feedback to make an author really smile!
lol - I don't know. I've left concrit plenty of times and gotten...something other than a smile in response. It's always a relief when an author's able to accept a comment gracefully. Thank you for that.
Sam has every right to be resentful of the chain of events that led to the orders that might very well have destroyed the cohesiveness and teaminess of SG-1. Whether the Tollan deserve that resentment is something else!
It fascinates me to see how other people interpret the source material, especially when they see things differently than I do. And I agree that Sam has a right to feel resentful. I just think she'd be more likely to take that out on the Maybourne and jolly bandits than on the Tollan. Like I said - different reading of the source text. It's all good. :)
... thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think - both the parts that you liked, and the parts that you didn't.
Oh, I liked it all, so no worries there. I just have a slightly different interpretation of events than you do, and sometimes it's fun to talk about those. Thank you for reacting so positively to it.
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You'd think so, wouldn't you? I have never understood how any member of SG-1 could bear to even look at Maybourne, much less work with him. Yet that's exactly what they do, on a number of occaisons. And as for Maybourne's huge popularity with a large number of fans...! It leaves me stumped.
Shades of Grey is one of those fun eps that can be interpreted in dozens upon dozens of ways. Did Daniel figure it out? Did any of the others? Why did Thor insist that it be a one-man job? Why did Travell agree to it? Was Makepeace a mole like Jack and really innocent, too?
I will point out, though, that Sam's resentment of the Tollan, in this scene, is emphasized only because they're the current topic of conversation. I didn't mean to imply that she was only angry at the victims who demanded restitution for Maybourne's misdeeds. :)
Fun discussion, this!
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