The Mercy of Mot

Chapter 12

Conclusion

Thanks to all of you who have continued to read, even with all the delays. It's much appreciated!

Someone taking hold of his arms roused him. At first, he thought someone was striking him with a reed, but there was no pain. No, they were untying the ropes. Daniel opened his eyes and turned his head, seeing one of the guards working on the rope. Another was undoing the rope around his ankles. As the ropes came undone, he started to pitch forward, but a guard caught him and eased him gently to the ground.

"Let me through!" That was a familiar voice. He lifted his head, searching, until he spotted Jack pushing his way through the crowd with Teal'c close on his heels.

"I've got you," Jack said as he took the place of the guard holding Daniel. "Teal'c, help me get him out of here."

They each took an arm and pulled him upright, or as close as they could get him with his legs not working. Realizing they would end up dragging him, Jack motioned to Teal'c who grabbed Daniel's legs. Jack grabbed him under the arms and Daniel let out a grunt of pain. They began carrying their friend, but Eshmun stepped in front of them and bowed. When he rose, he extended his arm towards the council building in what appeared to be an invitation. It was the last place Jack wanted to go, but his first priority was to get Daniel checked out by Janet, and that was probably the best place to do it.

Jack nodded his head in agreement and Eshmun and the other council members led the way back to the building. Sam, Reynolds, and the four archaeologists were invited to join them.

Once inside, they were led to a different set of rooms than they had occupied earlier. Eshmun entered one, inviting them to follow. It was a drastic change from the rooms they had stayed in earlier. This one was much larger, contained a real bed, a table laden with food, and several long couches.

Jack and Teal'c carried Daniel to the bed and laid him down. Janet quickly moved in to check him over. Sam joined Jack, both of them hovering behind Janet. Teal'c and Reynolds moved about the room, checking for any threats, while the others made themselves comfortable on the couches.

"Janet?" Sam queried.

"His fever's back up. I need to treat these welts as well as his wound, and then we'll see how he's doing."

Daniel lay quietly, eyes closed, while Janet worked, an occasional wince his only reaction to her ministrations. Yara had become Janet's shadow, and she was in the room and at Janet's side before she had finished assessing Daniel. Yara helped remove the old bandages and then cleaned the wound. Sam moved closer, accepted a damp cloth from Yara, and began wiping Daniel's face. Jack could hear her talking softly to him as she stroked the cloth across his skin. Janet applied medicine to the wound, patiently working around the two women, then bandaged it again with Yara's help. She also applied ointment to the ugly welts peppering his body.

Eshmun and three of the other council members waited in the room while Janet tended Daniel. When his wounds had been treated, Eshmun approached the bed.

"I am sorry I could not prevent this, Daniel Jackson. Acharbas will be punished for interfering with the council's ruling. We would still like to discuss the possibility of friendship, if it is not too late."

"I would like that too, Eshmun," he replied, opening his eyes. "I think our people would still be willing to talk."

"That is good news. Rest and we will save the discussion until morning."

"Thank you," Daniel said.

Yara held a water skin for Daniel while Sam tilted his head to drink.

"Daniel, what's he saying?" Jack asked.

"That they would still like to discuss an alliance, Jack," he replied as Sam eased him back to the pillow.

"Are you kidding me? After what they did?"

"Jack."

"We'll talk about this later, Daniel."

Daniel sighed; he really wasn't up to a debate right now. It could wait until morning.

Eshmun opened another door that led to an adjoining room, indicating the group should use it. He and the other council members then bowed and left. Daniel was given food and more water, plus Janet's pills. He settled back into the bed, relishing the softness of the sheets, and was soon asleep.

~oOo~

"First, we want to thank you for respecting our laws and for agreeing to speak with us even after all that has happened."

Eshmun and the other council members had come early the next morning and were seated in the large bedroom, along with the SG members and archaeologists. Daniel was propped up in the bed with several pillows stuffed behind him; it had been decided to hold the meeting there rather than moving Daniel. Jack and Sam had taken turns sitting with him through the night, with Janet occasionally checking on him, while Teal'c had installed himself as guard, stopping only briefly to kel-no-reem.

Jack had watched Carter sitting on the edge of Daniel's bed, soothing him when he became restless, and gently wiping his face with a cool cloth to ease the fever. Jack could see the connection between the two had become even stronger during their ordeal, and that Carter was reluctant to leave Daniel's side. He had only been able to get her to go to bed by ordering her. As Jack took his turn sitting with his friend, he found himself hoping this bond would be strong enough to keep Daniel from leaving them.

"Now, tell us where you are from. We have never encountered people who do not speak our language," Eshmun continued. "Philos and Melqart say you are the only one of your group who does."

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, each wound protesting as he did. He had been given a soft, loose, Carthian shirt to wear, which covered the welts without irritating them. Janet had treated his wounds again, and he had been dosed with antibiotic and pain reliever, but he still felt like crap.

Daniel considered Eshmun's questions, and, not knowing how the news that they had come through the Stargate would be received, he decided on a different tack.

"Yes, I am the only one who speaks your language. I know many languages and my job is to communicate with people we meet. These four people," he gestured towards the archaeologists, "are from a place far away, in the opposite direction of the sacred city. I believe their ancestors and yours may be the same."

"What about you and the woman, and those that have come to take you back? Where is your home?"

He really wanted to tell Eshmun the truth—what else could he say that would make sense? If they became allies, they would have to know sooner or later. But he didn't want to risk any retaliation for what he was going to say.

"Eshmun, before I answer, do I have your permission to speak freely without fear of being punished?"

Eshmun gave him an appraising look before turning to the other council members. "I agree; what do the rest of you say?"

The council members all consented to listen without reproach.

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"You're supposed to be translating. What did they all just agree on?"

"I want to be able to tell them about the Stargate without offending them."

"And?"

"And, they agreed."

"Your friend is upset about what has happened. He is very protective of you," Eshmun observed.

"Yes, his job is to make sure we are safe and he feels he has failed in that duty."

"Ah, I see. I hope he will forgive us and be open to establishing a friendship."

"Um, he's working on it," Daniel replied with a sideways glance at Jack, who narrowed his eyes at his friend, wondering what was being discussed.

"Now, as to where we're from," Daniel hesitated briefly before continuing, deciding he would have to tell them eventually, "we came through the Stargate from a world far away called Earth."

The council members all looked startled at this revelation.

"Are you saying you came through the holy ring?" Eshmun asked.

"Yes, it is a portal that goes to many worlds. We are explorers who travel through it, making friends with those we meet."

"But the ring is only used by Mot," another member said.

"No, it is used by many different peoples." Taking a chance that he was right about their feelings towards Mot, Daniel continued. "We have met many different races in our travels; some have been friendly, some have not. We know of a very powerful race who takes on the role of gods, usually ruling entire planets and sometimes enslaving people. Teal'c," he pointed to his friend, "was once in service to this race—the Goa'uld—until he realized they were not gods and left. He joined us to try and free people enslaved by the Goa'uld. He knows of Mot and says that he was killed many years ago."

"It is a lie!"

"I do not believe it!"

"Could this be true?"

The members were clearly upset and shocked by Daniel's words. He remained silent while they continued to discuss what he had told them.

"Daniel—wanna fill us in?"

"I told them we came through the Stargate."

"Is that wise?"

"They're going to find out sooner or later. It's better to tell them before we actually have to go back through it. And . . . I also told them about the Goa'uld and that Mot was one of them."

"You just told them their god isn't a god?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that's what they're discussing now."

The group appeared to finish their discussion and Eshmun turned back to Daniel.

"This is a very controversial subject, Daniel. Let me tell you a little of our history and maybe you will understand our situation.

"Many of our people believe that our ancestors were created by Mot, and that he established the sacred city of Byblos from which to rule. Others believe our ancestors came from another world and were brought through the holy ring by Mot. Mot would occasionally leave through the ring, sometimes being gone for long periods of time. He always instructed the people to continue to send offerings to him through the ring until he returned. Then a time came, many, many years ago, when Mot left through the ring and did not return. Years passed, and this caused much disagreement among the people of Byblos on what should be done. One group decided to leave Byblos and establish their own city—Carthia. They continued to visit and trade with the people of Byblos, who continued to live in the sacred city, until one year our people returned and discovered the city in ruins and the people gone. Fearing Mot had punished them, our people sought to make sure they did not displease him, in the event he returned, and continued to make a pilgrimage once a year to send offerings through to Mot. They hoped that in this way they could appease him and he would not return to punish them. It is also the reason we have kept his laws."

Daniel closed his eyes, thinking of all the years these people had continued to send offerings through the gate to appease a 'god' who had been dead for centuries. And he had endured his punishment because they had been afraid of going against Mot's laws. But he had seen that many of these people might be open to hearing the truth—that they wanted change if they could be sure they wouldn't be punished for it. And if they would trust him-if they would let his team show them the truth of what the gate was—they could be free to make those changes.

Jack waited semi-patiently while Eshmun gave his little speech, then watched as Daniel closed his eyes without responding. Jack knew Daniel wasn't really up to a lengthy conversation; the beating had been a setback to his healing. A few seconds of silence was all Jack could take.

"Daniel?"

As Daniel remained silent, Janet moved to his side, checking him for fever. "This may be too much for him, sir; he's still very sick."

"No, Janet, I'm okay." Daniel opened his eyes again and met her concerned look. His gaze drifted to Jack and Sam who had risen from their chairs and were standing next to his bed. He could see Teal'c standing a few feet away, watching him. He suddenly felt overwhelmed at the concern these people— his friends—had for him. Jack and Teal'c had pushed themselves for two days to catch up with him and Sam. Sam—she had stayed behind to talk him into staying on SG-1 and ended up being forced to walk cross-country with a concussion, all the while looking after him. How could he even think of leaving them? What could he possibly do with his life that would be as fulfilling as going through the gate with them? So they had been skeptical about Sha're's son—could he blame them? It did sound a little far-fetched. But he knew that if he asked them, they would put their doubts aside and do whatever they could to help him. Hadn't they allowed him to go through with the punishment, even though they wanted to put a stop to it, in order to give him the chance to form an alliance with these people? He realized that he had been blinded by his grief; even though he would no longer be searching for his wife, he knew that he needed to continue going through the gate. He couldn't go back and change the past; he could only go forward and try to make a difference in the future. It's what Sha're would want him to do.

He was suddenly tired, as though the last of his strength was had been drained away, but he knew he still needed to convince Eshmun and the council that what he told them was true, and in doing so, free these people from the shadow of the Goa'uld.

"Eshmun, come with us to the holy ring and let us show you that what I'm telling you is the truth. You can even travel through the ring with us. This is a chance for your people to be free to determine the course of their own lives—to no longer let Mot and his laws govern them."

The council members discussed Daniel's offer while Daniel explained the situation to everyone else.

"We accept, Daniel," Eshmun said. "However, your group must undergo the cleansing ritual before they can enter the sacred city."

"We will gladly honor your tradition, Eshmun," Daniel agreed, relieved that they were willing to return to the ruins and hopeful that they had just made new allies.

Daniel informed his friends that the council was prepared to go to the ruins and see how the Stargate worked. He shifted in the bed and let out a moan as wounds protested the movement.

"I suggest we leave as soon as possible, Colonel," Janet said. "Daniel's infection is being stubborn and I really need to get him to the infirmary where I can check him out more thoroughly."

"Janet?" Sam's simple inquiry was full of concern.

"He's holding his own for now, but I'd really feel better if we could get him back as soon as possible."

"All right, what are we waiting for?" Jack stated. "Daniel, ask if we can get that litter back."

"Jack—"

"And don't even think about telling me you don't need it."

Daniel snapped his mouth shut, cutting off any retort. But then his lips curved into a smile at the way his friend had anticipated his response. "Okay."

"No agrum- What?"

Daniel continued to smile as he asked Eshmun if they could leave right away, and if they could use the litter that had brought him here. Truth be told, he knew there was no way he was walking back to the gate. At the moment he was having trouble just keeping his eyes open.

The council agreed and left to prepare for the trip while the SG members did the same. Jack contacted the SG teams that were in hiding and told them to come to the council building. A short time later, Philo and Melqart came to the room carrying Daniel's litter. They informed everyone that they would be joining them on the trip back to the city. Daniel was transferred to the litter, Jack and Teal'c taking hold of the ends, and everyone made their way to the entrance of the building.

When they reached the entrance, the SG teams were waiting for them at the base of the steps. Word had traveled quickly, and a large crowd had gathered, waiting for the council members to arrive. Jack and Teal'c set Daniel's litter down at the top of the steps. Guards approached and handed them their confiscated weapons. Sam moved to Daniel's side and knelt down next to him. His eyes were closed again, and she gently roused him.

"How are you doing?" she asked, laying a hand on his arm. His eyes opened at her touch and she could see the fever hadn't relinquished its hold.

"I'll be fine, Sam," he replied, placing his own hand on top of hers, taking in her bandaged wrists and feeling overwhelming gratitude that they had both survived. "How's your head?"

"Much better—Janet thinks it's only a mild concussion."

"Thanks for looking after me on the trip here, Sam."

"I think you did your share of looking after me, Daniel." She hesitated for a couple of seconds, getting up the nerve to plunge ahead with what she needed to say. This might be her last chance to convince Daniel to stay with SG-1.

"Daniel, when you were really sick I promised to help you find Sha're's son."

He looked confused. "I . . . I don't remember that."

"That's okay, your fever was pretty high and I heard you calling for Sha're. I just want you to know that I do believe you and I want to help you look for the boy. I know Sha're's gone, Daniel, and I know how much that must hurt, but we're still here and we care about you—we don't want to lose you."

"Thanks, Sam, but—"

"Please, let me finish," she pleaded, squeezing his arm tighter. "Daniel, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. If you hadn't spoken to them in Phoenician and asked for Mot's mercy, they would have killed us. Instead, we have new allies."

"She's right, Daniel," Jack added as he moved closer to them. "That's why we need you on the team. Who else would have been able to do that?"

"Thanks, guys," Daniel replied, touched by their words and their efforts to keep him on the team. He had already considered what it would be like to leave the SGC. To never see Sam again. To never sit with her and discuss new discoveries over a cup of coffee. He thought of Teal'c, the man who had ended his wife's life. No, he could now think of him as the man who had ended her suffering. Daniel knew he would miss that comforting presence he had come to rely on. And he would miss the look on Jack's face as he tried to follow one of Sam's technical explanations. But would he miss Jack's clichés? His short temper? His strength? His friendship? Of course he would. He thought about what it must have taken for Jack to stand by and not interfere while he was beaten. He couldn't have asked for a stronger show of faith from his friend.

He realized that the pieces that had been torn from him throughout his life had been replaced with new ones. The pain of Sha're's loss would always be with him, but it would be softened by the friendship, support, and love given to him by these people—these friends—this new family he had become a part of. Daniel was sure now of where he belonged.

"I've thought about this a lot—"

"Daniel, we really need to talk about this when we get back and you're feeling better," Jack said adamantly, hoping with time they could change Daniel's mind about leaving. "And there's one other thing," he added, going down on one knee next to his friend. "I'm sorry about what I said, you know, back at the ruins. I was angry and, well, I said something stupid."

Daniel was touched by Jack's apology. "It's okay, Jack, really, but I've already made up—"

"Don't say you've already made up your mind. Take some time to think about it," Jack interrupted once again. Surely once they got Daniel back to the SGC and he had time to heal, they would be able to convince him to stay.

Daniel held up his hand, asking them to stop. "I was going to say that I've already decided to stay on SG-1."

"You- What?"

"I'm staying."

"That is indeed good news, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.

Sam threw her arms around Daniel's neck and hugged him while Jack continued. "Oh." He paused a few seconds considering Daniel's change of heart. "You're sure you don't want to go back to archaeology?"

Daniel returned the hug before Sam released her hold and sat back.

"And give up all this?" Daniel replied, using his arm to indicate his injured body.

"Fun, huh?"

"Jack, you have a warped idea of what 'fun' is."

"Why, thank you, Daniel. Now—this calls for a team night. How 'bout a barbecue at my place when we get back?"

"Would this also involve the viewing of a movie?" Teal'c asked.

"You can pick it, big guy, as long as it's not "Star Wars." Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow.

"Colonel," Janet said, moving closer to the group. "I think you'd better postpone that barbecue for about a week."

"Janet?" Daniel said, looking her with concern.

"I'm going to be keeping you in the infirmary at least that long," she replied.

"But, Janet!" Daniel whined.

"Doctor's orders. No arguments, Daniel."

"Jack! Do something!"

"Sorry, Daniel. It's time for my physical—need I say more?"

Daniel closed his eyes, laying his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose. Was he really surprised? Janet always went way beyond thorough—the thought of being in her clutches for a week, subjected to every test imaginable, eating bland infirmary food, and given an embarrassing number of sponge baths, made a shiver run up his spine that had nothing to do with his fever.

At that moment the council members appeared at the top of the steps. Eshmun moved forward and addressed the crowd.

"People of Carthia. Our new friends wish us to form an alliance with their people. Two council members will remain here while the rest of us will travel to the sacred city to learn more about their people. Now, all of those traveling will take part in the cleansing ritual."

One of the council members stepped forward holding a large bowl, a towel draped over his arm. Eshmun gestured for the first person to approach. Each villager dipped their hands in the water and then dried them with the towel; afterwards Eshmun said a few words over their bowed head before moving on to the next. All of the SG members and archaeologists followed the same ritual, with Eshmun coming to Daniel's side to deliver the cleansing.

When everyone was finished, Eshmun addressed the crowd again.

"As a sign of our friendship, I wish to present our visitors with a small gift." Another council member handed him what looked like a round piece of metal on a strip of leather. He moved to Daniel's side, Jack and Teal'c helping him to sit up. Eshmun lifted the medallion over Daniel's head and draped it around his neck.

"Thank you," Daniel responded, taking hold of the shiny medallion and looking it over closely.

"Thank you, Daniel," Eshmun said in return, "We look forward to becoming allies and to trade with your people." He then returned to the top of the steps, directing the group to move out, as Daniel translated.

"There better be an awful lot of naquadah here, because I can't imagine what else these people could possibly have that we'd want to trade for," Jack muttered quietly as two members of SG-5 lifted Daniel's litter. Jack, Teal'c, and Sam all positioned themselves next to their friend as the caravan of people began to descend the steps.

"Daniel?" Sam asked as she moved next to him, her eyes on his medallion.

"What is it, Sam?"

"Can I see your medallion?"

"Sure," he replied, removing it from around his neck and handing it to her.

Sam took it, turning it over in her hands.

"Carter?"

"To answer your question, sir, this might be something worth trading for," she said, holding up the medallion. "I think this is trinium."

Jacks eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Really? Sweet!"

As their group began its journey back to the gate, Daniel smiled, looking at the friends that surrounded him, and thought to himself, Yes . . . yes it is.

Fin