Galactic Nursery
Part 2
Followed to the Stargate by a small delegation of Kozians, Jack was relieved the journey had been uneventful. Wincing at the sound of muffled sobs, SG-1 stared doggedly ahead, unwilling to engage in conversation. With the Stargate peeking out from the canopy of a grove of trees, Jack almost felt like running the rest of the way but held back as he watched Carter's stride slowing, her precious bundle starting to wake.
"Carter?"
Rubbing smooth circles over the child's back, she paused mid-stride. "It's fine, sir, he's just a little restless."
A shout from behind Jack had him swinging around suddenly and bringing his weapon to bear. "He's not the only one. Damn it! Teal'c!"
Caught unaware, a single male Kozian had closed the gap while Jack was preoccupied.
Stopping a short distance away, the male called out, "Rak'radai Ja'k."
"You can stop right there, buddy." Face hardened and expressionless, Jack leveled his weapon at the man.
"Dea'naug di'nance, Iy'ta o bakai."
"Carter?"
"Still not a linguist, sir."
The man took another step forward and Jack had to wonder if the guy had a death wish. "Now is not a good time to test my patience, mister." Jack tapped the side of his P90, hoping his intent was clear. "Best you keep your distance. Well be gone in just a few minutes."
"Ja'k."
"Sir," Sam took a step forward, bringing herself up to Jack's shoulder. "I think he's saying your name."
Taking a chance, Jack repeated his name and tapped his chest, watching as the Kozian smiled and repeated the action. "Bukaht."
"Bukaht." Jack tilted his head to the side and whispered at Sam, "Well, it's a start, I guess."
"Keep him talking, sir."
"And say what, Carter?"
"I don't know, but Daniel always starts with names."
"Daniel does this for a living."
Biting back a snort, Sam added hastily before stepping away, "I don't think shoot first and ask questions later will work this time."
Shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, Jack murmured sarcastically, "Pity, its always worked so well in the past."
"O'Neill." The sound of a staff weapon activating reached Jack's ears at the same time as Teal'c call. "More of the villagers approach."
Looking past Bukaht, Jack tsk-ed and looked long and hard into the man's eyes. "Bukaht." He tilted his head toward the oncoming villagers. "No."
Watching Bukaht closely, Jack was sure the man hadn't understood. It took several long moments before he turned in the gestured direction and saw his people coming closer. Nodding slowly, Bukaht turned away.
"Nia," he called at the top of his voice, one hand raised in the air. Seeing the expression on the faces of small gaggle of Kozians, Jack could only conclude that Bukaht had instructed them to stop.
"So 'Nia' means stop?"
"Not a linguist, Carter."
"Oh," Sam chuckled softly, "I asked for that."
"Ja'k, Koza Nia." Bukaht still had his hand held out to the Kozians behind him and Jack could only assume that he was being assured that they would come no closer.
Okay, Jack thought, where do we go from here, my friend? Daniel, this would be so much easier with you here to do the talking. Taking a small leap of faith, and not entirely sure if he was asking the right thing, Jack summoned up as much linguistic skill as he could. It wasn't much. At all.
"Bukaht!" Jack said it loud enough to ensure he had the man's unwavering attention, and pointing over his shoulder at Sam and the child, he added, "Daniel?"
Bukaht appeared surprised, his pale eyebrows stretched high and his jaw slackened. "Nia, Daniel."
That doesn't sound right. Stop, Daniel?
"Nia, Daniel?" Jack repeated, hoping he could make sense of the word.
Face breaking into a wide smile, Bukaht nodded vigorously in response and once again pointed at the child cradled in Sam's arms. "Sia, sia. Nia, Daniel. Su tekla ci, Danyaht."
"Riiiigght, so not getting any of this." Hearing a muffled snort behind him, Jack threw a glance over his shoulder at Sam, "and you can quit with the giggling, Carter, unless you've got something useful to add."
"No, sir, you're doing just fine."
"Well, step in anytime you want."
"I'll just be over here babysitting."
"Yes, give those mothering instincts a work out."
Sam coughed.
Jack shook his head, bringing his focus back on Bukaht, the man standing silently, a puzzled expression on his face indicating his lack of understanding at their casual banter.
"So, ah, Bukaht." Jack fought over the words to say, and pointing back at the child, he stammered, "Nia, Daniel, Sia Danyaht?"
"Sia!" Bukaht cried out, "Sia, Danyaht!"
Oh thank god. Jack could almost kiss the man. Nia meant 'No' and Sia meant 'Yes'.
"Yesss!" Jack hissed, and threw his hands in the air, his P90 left dangling unattended on its clip. "That," he pointed back towards the child, "is Danyaht, not Daniel."
Having kept his silence for so long, Jack almost jumped when Teal'c's deep voice rumbled from behind him. "If this is a child of the Kozians, then surely they know where Daniel Jackson is."
Jack snapped his attention right back to Bukaht and gesturing in the direction of the village, asked, "Sia, Daniel?"
Bukaht remained silent and Jack knew in a heartbeat that he'd understood the question. The Kozian's already pale features lightened even more, a sure sign to Jack that he'd hit a raw nerve with the man. Not wanting to give him time to think, he leapt straight back in, weapon back in hand and voice hardened. "Bukaht, sia, Daniel!"
Bukaht nodded austerely. "Sia."
Barely containing his rage, his finger caressing the trigger guard of his P90, Jack stared down the Kozian and sneered, "Bastards. Translate that!"
"O'Neill." Jack felt Teal'c's hand grip his shoulder, restraining him. "We have the answer we seek. Further hostility is unnecessary."
"No, but I'd feel better."
"Daniel Jackson would not approve of this action."
Shoulders sagging, Jack waited a few moments for his anger to fade, and uncurling his finger from the trigger guard, he resigned himself to the obvious. "No, its not. Let's go find our lost archeologist."
Winding their way back the village was easier than Jack had expected. With the exception of Bukaht, the rest of the villagers had been content to follow, though the woman Jack assumed was Danyaht's mother had tried to touch the child. Her attempt was short lived when Teal'c moved between her and Sam and uttered a deep growl. Subtle in its delivery, it had done the trick and the woman moved away. Jack could see the pain etched on her pale face but refused to be drawn in by her lamenting.
"Well, well," Jack muttered as Bukaht led them towards one of the previously denied buildings. "Hands up who couldn't see this happening, kids."
"It is indeed an obvious outcome, O'Neill."
The small building was near the center of the village. Totally unremarkable from the outside, its austere face reflected the architectural theme of the village. Bukaht opened the door and stepped in first, letting the team through with Teal'c deigning not to enter until the rest of the villagers had passed.
Looking around the room, Jack bounced on his heels and let out a soft whistle. "So, not a place of prayer then, Teal'c?"
"It does seem unlikely."
Ceiling to floor, the room was a mass of technology and Jack could feel Sam salivating, her emotions vibrating like a highly strung bow. "Carter, give the child to me and check this place out." He knew she wouldn't need convincing. Taking the sleeping bundle in his arms, Jack was forced once again to keep his own emotions in check. The soft warm cheek nestled against Jack's whiskery face. The feelings he'd kept hidden so well surfaced, and swallowing hard, Jack struggled for control, "Damn it all, Daniel." Briefly shutting his eyes, he thought how ironic it was that the one person who helped him through those dark times after his son died was now the one stirring the memories again.
Jack softly cleared his throat. "Carter?"
"Sir, this stuff is way beyond anything we've seen before. I can't even begin to surmise what any of this stuff does."
"Yeah," Jack announced sadly, "that's what I thought you were going to say." Seeking out Bukaht amongst the small crowd of Kozians, he called the man over and asked, "Daniel?"
"Sia, Daniel. Nanta Danyaht haldona."
"Okay, slow it down. Sia, Daniel. I get that. Haldona? What's that?" Jack shook his head, showing his clear confusion, but Bukaht was way ahead of him, and waving at the Kozians, he pointed at Danyaht's mother. "Danyaht haldona."
Jack looked at the woman and then back at the child. "Haldona means, um, mother? Danyaht's mother?" Gesturing between Danyaht and the mother, he repeated the words, "Danyaht haldona?"
"Sia, sia."
Letting out a long held breath, Jack closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. "So, if I've got this right, Bukaht is saying that Daniel is here and he wants us to give little Danyaht back to his mother."
"Not a wise move, O'Neill, although your understanding of the language is most impressive."
"Is that supposed to be funny?"
"I was not attempting to be humorous."
Jack blinked and bit back a chuckle. "No, we are not giving back the child until we get Daniel back."
"Sia, Daniel." Bukaht walked over to a small door partially hidden by a bank of equipment. "Nanta korbo."
"There goes it with 'Nanta' again," Jack grumbled, his arms starting to tire under the weight of the slumbering child, and looking down at the peaceful little face, he smiled. "You're a lot heavier than you look."
Tapping a finger on her lip, Sam mumbled a few of the Kozian words. "I think Nanta means please. It makes sense if he's asking us to follow him."
"I thought you weren't a linguist, Carter?"
"I'm not, don't trust anything I suggest."
"Very funny, this little guy isn't getting any lighter so let's get moving."
The doorway led to a stairwell that seemed to plunge straight into darkness and Jack was uneasy carrying Danyaht down them, but no sooner had Bukaht crossed the threshold than the whole area lit up. Following the Kozian down into the depths, Jack paused as the child wriggled in his grip, his small head bouncing off Jack's shoulder with every step.
"Dona," Danyaht whispered, his thumb working its way back into his mouth past his rosebud lips.
"Shhh, kid." Tucking the boy's head in close to his neck, Jack rolled his eyes as he came to the end of the stairs and back on even ground. "I was never good at this babysitting thing,"
"I dunno, sir, it kind of suits you."
"Angling for a desk job, Carter?"
Sam swallowed audibly and held back a smile. "Shutting up now."
Entering through a double set of doors, their hinges protesting at the movement, Jack heard Sam give an audible gasp. Opening out before them, the room released its secrets as row after row of liquid filled tanks came into view. Reaching almost to the ceiling, the tanks were square and filled with a bubbling yellow tinged liquid, and almost every tank was occupied.
"Holy Hannah," Sam whispered, her face paling as she ran her eyes down row after row of the tanks, "there are hundreds of them." Walking up to the first tank, she peered at the bank of lights on its base and then back at the sleepers face. "He's alive."
"How can you tell?"
Pointing up to the sleeper's head, she said, "Whoever this is, he's breathing."
"And again, how can you tell?"
Nodding her head, she pressed her face up close to the tank. "His chest is moving, yep, definitely breathing. Sir, this reminds me of liquid breathing."
"Oh yes. Me too, Carter." What the heck is she talking about?
"Liquid breathing is a form of respiration where oxygen is replaced with oxygen rich liquid. It was considered for use in the Space Program and for deep sea diving." Glancing back at the tank, she added, "There were some medical benefits as well."
"And this helps Daniel how, Carter?"
"Err, it doesn't, I guess."
"Well, right now, he's the only concern we have. Take the kid." Handing Danyaht back to Sam, Jack patted Teal'c on the shoulder and pointed to the right. "We go row by row. Carter, find somewhere to put him down and keep an eye on him. I want your hands free and weapon ready. My trust in these people is still running thin right now."
As the rest of his team went about their business, Jack walked along the first row of tanks, gazing up at the restful faces of the sleepers. "Come on, Daniel. Tap on the tank or something; my knees are killing me from all this walking."
"O'Neill!" Teal'c cried out from the other side of the room, barely moments after starting his own search, "I have found Daniel Jackson!"
"Well, about darn time. Hold on, Danny, we're coming."
Running down the rows, Jack pulled up short in front of Teal'c, his friend feeling around the edges of the tank for an opening. "Anything?"
"I can find no opening."
"Bukaht!"
The Kozian scuttled over, his sandaled feet echoing on the hard floor as he went. Striding up to the tank, he smiled at Jack and placed a hand palm down on the glass casing. "Daniel."
"Yes, Daniel, now get him out."
"Iy hilanda."
"Aye Karumba, whatever, I don't care." Stabbing a finger at the tank, he grabbed Bukaht by the scruff of his tunic and pulled him in close. "Sia, Daniel, out!"
"Nia."
"No, don't nia me! Try sia." Jack's temper was reaching critical mass but he was fairly sure Bukaht was getting the message.
"Nia, Daniel."
Or not.
Letting go of Bukaht, Jack shoved the man away and pulled up his P90, aiming it at the outer base of the tank.
"Colonel!" Carter's cry rang out from across the room.
"Unless you've got some incomprehensible plan for getting Daniel out of here, don't interrupt me, Carter."
"Sir, just pulling him out of the tank could kill him."
"We can't just leave him here like this!"
Rushing forward and standing in front of the tank, Bukaht stretched his arms out across the glass protectively. "Nia, nia, Ja'k. Dea'naug di'nance."
"What?" Grabbing Bukaht by the shoulders, he shoved the man aside once again and snapped, "Do that again and you won't need to worry about me shooting your precious tank!"
His anger finally getting the better of him, and ignoring the pleading cries from Carter and Teal'c, Jack let loose a short barrage of weapon fire at the outer edge of the tank, cringing reflexively at the deafening sound they made. Curious that the tank had remained intact, he raised the weapon once again but withdrew quickly when a loud cracking sound filled the air, and within seconds, the front panel of the tank split and water gushed out like a geezer. Stepping quickly away to avoid the fallen glass, Jack sprang into action as the nude body of his friend, no longer suspended in liquid, slowly slid toward the bottom of the tank.
"Gimme a hand here, Teal'c."
Carefully manhandling Daniel from the tank to the floor away from the debris, Jack whipped out his survival blanket and bundled it around his friend's body. "Come on, Daniel, you need to breathe here, buddy."
"I can find no pulse, O'Neill."
"Carter, get over here!"
"The boy-."
"Forget the kid, just get here now."
Jack rolled Daniel onto his side and patted his back, hoping the motion would clear the fluid from his lungs. "There's never any straightforward waking up with you, is there?"
With practiced ease, Jack rolled Daniel onto his back. "This is getting old," he murmured, pulling the blanket away from Daniel's chest. "Start CPR, Carter. Teal'c, grab me another blanket and watch the natives."
Jack reached under Daniel's chin for the pulse point, shivering involuntarily at the coldness of his skin. "This is getting really old," and positioning his hands on his friend's chest, he started counting compressions. Sweat beading on his brow, Jack could have sworn they'd been at this for hours. "Come... on... Daniel... breathe." Grunting, he reached up to check his pulse again as Sam blew life giving air into Daniel's lungs.
"Hold off, Carter, I've got a pulse. Weak but there; lets turn him." Grabbing Daniel by the shoulders and waist, they turned him onto his side again, gently patting his back and supporting his head. Jack heard a low throaty cough and smiled as Daniel retched and coughed out a large amount of the viscous fluid onto the floor. "That's right, get it all out."
"I think that's it, sir."
"Let's turn him back. Grab me that other blanket and get yours from your pack. We need to get him warmed up quickly." Reaching down, Jack tucked another blanket around Daniel and tapped him on the cheek. "Come on, buddy, open those eyes for me. Time to go home now."
Eyes fluttering, Daniel moaned, and Jack could see the effort it was taking him to wake up.
"Jack?"
Jack slumped forward. Adrenaline spent, he suddenly felt old. "I'm here, Daniel. We all are. Just trying to warm you up."
"Tired." Daniel's voice came out weak and broken, and Jack frowned at the way his gaze moved listlessly around the room, not really seeing anything before they closed again and he was asleep.
"Carter, he doesn't look quite right to me."
Sam moved over to the broken tank. Treading carefully over the broken glass, she reached down and drew up some of the liquid into a sample bottle from her pack. "I'm going to take this back for Janet to analyze. It could be the solution he was suspended in had sedative like qualities which might explain his lethargy." Pausing, she turned to look down at Daniel then back up at Jack. "With that, and his rather abrupt exit from the tank, his body is bound to be a bit shocky."
Jack didn't need to read between the lines to know what Sam was implying. "They weren't going to get him out for us, Carter."
"I know," she nodded in agreement, "I just hoped there was a better way."
"Well, it's done now. Teal'c, see if you can find somewhere for Daniel to rest. I want him out of here as soon as he's up to it."
Jack caught the scowl on Teal'c's face as he turned towards the Kozians. "I fear my linguistic ability will rival yours, O'Neill."
"Hey! It worked, didn't it?" Jack tried not to be offended but grimaced when Teal'c raised an arched eyebrow in his direction and added, "Indeed."
Jack swung his legs side of the small cot and reached over to snag the blanket back up around Daniel's shoulders. The man was not sleeping well and yet seemed to be having trouble waking up.
"Jack?"
There he is. "I'm here."
"Where are we?"
"Still in the Kozian village. Remember them? Tall guys, lots of kids?"
Daniel shook his head slightly, wincing as though the effort hurt. "Ul'lo, Jack, Iy dea'naug flisai."
"Ah, Daniel?"
Daniel shivered and pulled the blanket up higher, turned onto his side and curled up into a tight ball. "It's cold."
"What did you just say?"
"It's cold, aren't you cold?"
"Before that, Daniel. What did you say before that?"
Daniel shrugged and pulled himself down further into his bedding. "I don't remember."
"You need to try."
"No." Daniel looked up at Jack through tired eyes. "That's what I said, I don't remember."
Jack shook his head, and grabbing a blanket off the end of his cot, shook it out and wrapped it around Daniel. "You said it in Kozian."
"I did not."
"Did."
"Not."
"Aht!" Jack raised a finger in the air, silencing Daniel's expected retort. "I've been dipping my toes in you rather large linguistics shoes for the last day and I can tell you, you said it in Kozian."
Daniel groaned, and lifting the blanket over his head, curled himself up even tighter. "Water," he whispered as small shivers coursed through his body.
Rising from his own cot, Jack knelt down by his friend's side, cursing the pain in his knees. "Daniel?"
"Water."
"What about it?"
"I'm sore. There were hands holding me under the water." Daniel's body was positively vibrating through the several layers of bedding and Jack reached out to drag another blanket off his cot.
"I'm sorry." Rubbing his friend's shoulder, Jack coughed and shook his head. "They snatched you from right under our noses and it's been a bit of a battle to get you back."
When Jack got no further comments from Daniel, he assumed his friend was asleep. Crossing back to his own cot, he considered checking in with Sam and Teal'c but was immediately on his feet as Daniel struggled through his blankets and sat bolt upright.
Returning to his side, Jack reached out to grip Daniel's trembling shoulder only to feel his hand shrugged away. "No!" Daniel yelled, seemingly struggling against a perceived threat.
"Daniel!"
"No, you can't have me. I don't want this!" Daniel tried to get to his feet. Legs twisting up in the bedding, he landed heavily on the cold floor. "Get away from me."
Jack moved faster than he thought his knees would carry him. Reaching Daniel in two short strides, he moved to help his friend up, staggering backwards as a wayward fist caught him in the stomach and had him gasping for air. Lungs struggling to draw breath, Jack lunged at Daniel, landing on top of him and pinning his arms across his chest. "Way too damn old for this. Daniel!"
Daniel ceased his struggles and collapsed back to the ground, energy spent. "Ul'lo," he stammered, every breath ragged and wheezing.
"Okay, I got you now. Let's get you back up on the bed." Reaching out, Jack tapped him lightly on the cheek. "You back with me now?"
"Sorry," Daniel murmured lazily, "I remember."
"Yeah, I figured as much. Gotta tell ya though, this speaking in two different languages is doing my head in. One is more than enough for me." Grabbing Daniel under the arms, he helped him back onto the cot. "Better now?" Daniel just nodded back and curled up.
Patting him affectionately on the shoulder, Jack let out a sigh and whispered, "You just rest, and I'll be right over here doing the same thing."
"Are you sure about this, Daniel?"
Rubbing a hand across his stubbled chin, Daniel nodded slowly, careful not to ramp up the headache already coursing through his skull. "I'm sure. I don't like it, but Setahaht is the only parent Danyaht knows." Letting his eyes close briefly, he brought up the image of the small child, teasing his mother's cheeks as she hugged him closely, the bond they shared evident by their open emotions.
Sitting opposite Daniel, Jack pursed his lips and sighed, "I don't know that I could do it."
But Daniel knew he didn't have a choice. Finally succumbing to the rest his body so desperately craved, Daniel awoke to a mind full of memories he could barely process. Images of death and mourning mixed with the laughter of children left him more spent than when he'd first been pulled from the tank. Explaining it to the rest of his team had been more difficult than he expected; Jack's barely concealed anger made the whole process that much more difficult. Thinking back, maybe he should have spoken to Bukaht first but Jack had made it clear that until help from the SGC arrived, the Kozian's were off limits. One attack against the team was enough, and despite Daniel's animated and quite earnest assurances that they no longer posed a threat, Jack was not convinced.
Instead the team had retreated to just outside the village limits and Daniel had been bundled up and slept for the rest of the day till a nightmare had pulled him from his slumber and forced him to recount what he'd discovered in his mind.
Their suspicions about the Kozian children had been right. Created mostly from the DNA of unsuspecting visitors, they had been blended with genetic code of the few remaining true Kozian adults and grown in maturation tanks.
Hundreds of years ago the Kozians had been a proud and technologically advanced race. Outwardly humble, they drew little attention from the minor Goa'ulds that roamed through their system, and very few knew of the Kozians' true achievements. Scientists of high note, they kept to themselves, preferring the simple life but using their technological and mental prowess to help others in need. An insular society, they were ill prepared when trouble finally found them.
Nirti had taken an interest in Koza.
At first outwardly friendly to the Kozians, her true nature had reared itself when she began practicing her genetic experiments on the women of Koza. The gestation of a Kozian pregnancy was long, and live births were cause for great celebration. With mortality rates so high and the Kozians unable to solve their own dilemma despite their advances, Nirti had promised her help in return for shelter and unwavering loyalty. It seemed a fair offer, and within a short space of time, she had proclaimed Koza the seat of her domain and began her silent but effective reign of terror on the population.
Instead of decreasing the infant mortality rate, it increased. Most prenatal deaths were females, and despite Nirti's assurances that she held their interests at heart, over the span of fifty years, the birth rate dropped to below ten percent. The Kozians as a species were doomed. Fleeing the planet on the heels of a planet-wide rebellion, Nirti had left her laboratories intact, and instead of tearing those down completely, the Kozians utilized her equipment by integrating it with their own.
Fate was against the Kozians. Using the technology so cruelly acquired, they tried to breed their own children, but none save the most hideous and deformed survived. Their own cloning techniques proved futile as well, but through a chance encounter, a blending of off world and Kozian DNA had produced the first healthy child in over one hundred years.
Born out of the need to keep their species alive was a galactic nursery of children so diverse as to be a joke.
The Kozians didn't just take any traveler that passed through their gate. No. They chose carefully. The young and intelligent were prime targets. Once selected, donors were stored in hibernation tanks, their bodily functions regulated, their DNA harvested. They were the builders of a civilization they would never know about. Breeding stock of the future.
DNA harvested and blended, the children were matured to four years of age inside maturation chambers and then given to their Kozian genetic parent. Born with the ability to speak the Kozian language and bonded automatically to their parent, they would spend the first month of their life within reach of the maturation chambers. Genetic coding stabilized, the new family would be sent off to various cities across the planet to live out their lives.
The Kozians had become no better than the Goa'uld that had enslaved them.
Daniel instinctively knew Jack would balk at this news and he wasn't disappointed. Head hung low, Jack cursed in a few languages that had even surprised Daniel. Springing to his feet, Daniel watched as Jack took off for the perimeter of their camp to cool down.
Sam was an enigma and the first to ask the obvious: how did Daniel know what he knew and why had the language, at first so difficult for him to learn, suddenly become second nature? It was a gift, he told her. Realizing that he had known none of this when he'd awoken, he had Bukaht confirm his suspicions. The Kozians had not only used their captives as donors, but had in turn, genetically imprinted their history and oral language on the unwilling subjects as a type of apology, should they ever be revived.
Tapping the side of his head, Daniel smiled wryly. "I guess that's one more to add to the list."
Sam was not impressed.
The last of his teammates was totally unreadable. Nothing new there, Daniel had mused. Teal'c had sat and listened to everything, his face never once reflecting his emotions, but Daniel had known the Jaffa for too many years not to know when something was bothering him. Looking solemnly into his friend's face, he knew Teal'c would have nothing to add to the conversation and relaxed.
Shaking his head ruefully, Daniel tried to banish the conversation from his mind but found himself inevitably wandering back there. When Jack had finished brooding in the bushes, he'd contacted the SGC and brought SG2, Fraiser and a medical team through the gate. Initially trying to dismiss Janet's fears, Daniel had caved in under her skunk-eyed glare and submitted himself for an examination. Told he was dehydrated, a fact he surprisingly disagreed with, she obviously hadn't heard about his nude dip in the cooking pot, and in need of some sleep and fluids, well nothing new there, she decreed him fit enough to travel to the gate and straight into her infirmary.
Fortunately Jack stepped in and guided her off in the direction of the Kozian village, entourage in tow.
Sitting back quietly with Jack, he was forced to ponder his friend's last comment. Could he really walk away from Danyaht, a child of his own genetic stock? He and Sha're had tried for a year to conceive, and the child that she and Apophis had born was lost to him as well. Could this be an opportunity he couldn't afford to lose? Looking back towards the village, Daniel sighed audibly and knew without hesitation that this child would be lost to him as well. The genetic manipulation that the Kozians enforced on all their children made the likelihood of ever forming a relationship with the boy remote. Teaching Bukaht to speak English had never gotten past his and Jack's name and that had taken a good day. These children would be lost to their true parents and would remain citizens of Koza.
Without a right Daniel wasn't sure they had, the SGC had ordered the dismantling of the lab and the revival of the other donors held in the hibernation tanks. Janet didn't have enough information to know if they would all survive the process, some had been held that way for countless years. What she did know though was that the children created on Koza were all healthy and fully capable of rearing their own young. Daniel was relieved, but even he knew that within a short historical time, most of the Kozians' bloodline would be bred out of the race and very little of the species would remain.
Looking back up at Jack, who was slouched lazily on the ground, his cap pulled over his eyes, he coughed lightly and nudged him with his foot.
Snorting loudly, Jack rolled over and squinted at Daniel. "What?"
"I don't know that I can leave Danyaht either, Jack, but the best person to raise him is right here on the planet."
Jack nodded slowly, and brushing the dirt from his trousers, he stood, "You know once we leave this place, there is no coming back. We don't have the resources to check this whole damn planet for any more cloning labs so Hammond is locking it out of the dialing computer and alerting our allies. You'll never be able to return."
"I know."
"And you're okay with this?"
"No," Daniel looked toward the village and tried to single out his child amongst the cries of happy children, "but he will be."
The End
