Sam heard a squeal and looked up from her scans of the potentially naquadah-laden sand. Vala had broken off from the rest of the team and was running in her direction. "What's going on?" she asked when the woman had come close enough to hear easily.

"It's Daniel," Vala replied breathlessly.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked in alarm. "Why didn't you radio?"

"Something's interfering with the signal. But nothing's wrong, just unusual. Actually, you're missing out on a lot of fun."

"Fun? Daniel found something fun?"

"Yes, he's got a big banana."

"What?"

"A ginormous banana. It's huge!"

"A banana? As in, it's yellow and you can eat it?"

"It's more of a pinkish colour, but it's certainly shaped like a banana. But much bigger. And he won't let anyone eat it. He says it might not be safe. But it certainly looks delicious. I tried to sneak a taste, and now he won't let me touch it. If you ask me, I think he wants to keep it all to himself, even though I told him it's big enough for everyone. Do you think you could help me convince him to let us try it?"

"Vala, if Daniel says 'no', he means 'no'. It could be toxic to humans!"

"Come on, Sam! I'm sure it's perfectly harmless... even though it's a bit sticky."

"Fine. I'll come and look, if only so I can get back to work."

"Oh thankyou Sam!"

-

"Well?" Vala wanted to know.

"I'm picking up some unusual energy readings from the... banana. If that's what it is."

"I'm sure it is! What kind of energy readings?"

"Very complex, but faint. Daniel, where did this come from?"

"Ahh, it fell out of that tree," Daniel answered, pointing at a very tall piece of vegetation.

"It looks similar to a palm tree. A very tall palm tree. Are there any more around?"

Daniel shook his head. "There's one a few minutes walk away."

"And one in the opposite direction, about the same distance," Cam offered.

"They are in fact spaced and large and regular intervals along the beach," Teal'c reported.

"Curious. I'll need to climb up."

"Up?"

"To the top of the tree."

"Carter, we don't have climbing gear. It's a beach," Cam reminded her.

"It's the right size and rough enough that I can get up and down again without any problems."

"Don't you need to operate your... energy reading detector scanner device?"

"I'll set it to record and clip it to my belt so I can't drop it and have both hands free."

"Fine, just be careful. We need to get to the bottom of this."

"She is in fact getting to the top," Teal'c observed.

-

"Well?" Vala asked again.

"The energy readings are a lot stronger up there, but only around the 'fruit'. But when I analyse the signals... I think they're some kind of antennae."

"Antennae?"

"I believe these 'trees' are organic communications relay stations," Sam admitted.

Daniel blinked. "You mean..."

"Please don't say it," Cam urged.

"It is, in fact, a 'banana phone'," Teal'c intoned.

Vala looked positively gleeful, amid tired sighs from the others.

-

Note:

Now that this chapter is written, it is coincidentally time to eat a banana.