Jack watched SG-3 round up the last of Cronus' Jaffa. The sight of their god's dead body had taken all fight out of the warriors and made evacuating them from the ship fairly easy. They would soon be returned to their homeworld and SG-1 would soon be heading back to earth with their new prize: one slightly used Goa'uld mothership. First, though, there was another matter to attend to.
Glancing over at the three bodies that had been placed side-by-side in front of the temple, he sighed. The warriors of Juna had already begun laying wreaths of honor at the feet of the robot SG-1. The sight was highly disconcerting.
Not only because of the eeriness of seeing yourself laid out in such a manner, but also because he'd suddenly been forced to look upon these robots as something more than he ever wanted to. He didn't want to have to admit that they were more than just metal and wires.
He'd sought to deny them their identities. There could only be one Jack O'Neill. Just because this…thing…happened to look like him, it didn't mean it was him. It didn't have feelings. It was battery operated for crying out loud! How can something with a battery in it be anything more than a machine?
Yet, he'd seen it willing to risk everything in order to help the people of this world. He'd heard concern for its teammates in its voice. Jack was certain he'd heard…sorrow (?)...in its/his voice when he announced that
their Daniel was dead.
God, even the thought of an android Daniel dying left a bad taste in Jack's mouth. He'd seen the shock on the other faces in the control room when that announcement came through the M.A.L.P.'s transmission. Daniel was offworld with SG-6 and his absence had made the statement even more unpalatable. The
thought of having to report back that his Daniel was dead was something he had long dreaded. He'd come as close as he ever wanted to again, when he'd left his friend behind to die onboard Klorel's vessel. He didn't even want to think about a few weeks earlier when he had carried Daniel's lifeless body through the stargate, barely managing to revive his friend on the other side. He could only imagine how his doppelganger must've felt.
Felt? He just admitted to himself that the other O'Neill had feelings.
Walking over, he knelt beside the still form of his double and sighed.
"Well, you'll be happy to know you succeeded," he said softly. "It was an honor serving with you...Jack."
Just at that moment, one of the natives walked up, reverently placing a small object between the O'Neill and Teal'c clones. It was the size and shape of a--
"Oh God." Jumping to his feet, he backed away from the sight of the severed head. Despite the circuits and wires that were clearly visible, he found himself fighting the urge to retch. It looked so much like his Daniel... "Carter!" If he got back to the base within the hour, he should make it for SG-6's next check-in.
His 2IC looked over from where she was helping the technicians who were studying their newly acquired ship.
"Sir?"
"I'm heading back to earth. Need to check on Teal'c and...some other stuff. You staying here?"
"Yes, Sir. Until Dr. Fraiser releases Teal'c from the infirmary, this is our best hope of learning how this ship operates."
"Beats working on a motorcycle, eh, Major?" He almost laughed out loud at the shocked look on her face. "I'll be sure to send Siler to give you a hand." The answering blush told him all he needed to know about the Major and the Sergeant's secret hobby. 'Damn. Owe Danny another fifty bucks.'
He'd only managed to walk a few feet toward the 'gate before he heard Carter's sing-song voice calling after him.
"Tell Daniel hi for me, Colonel!"
Sam watched her C.O. nearly trip over his own jaw. 'Janet, you owe me fifty bucks.' Smiling smugly, she went back to her work.
¤¤¤¤¤¤
Darian and his people stood watching the huge pyramid-shaped ship rise into the sky and disappear. They were free once more, and once again they had SG-1 to thank. This time, however, there were two teams that had earned their gratitude. One of those teams still remained, lying together and awaiting the funeral services that would soon take place. They would receive the most honorable burial that a warrior of Juna could expect.
A solemn procession carried the three bodies, Darian carrying the head of the man/machine that he had been forced to kill, to the clearing near the stargate. They were planning to rebury the gate and would place their defenders there as well. A symbol of their defenders guarding the entrance to their world.
Before they had a chance to begin, however, the stargate began to activate. Darian and his warriors placed their precious burdens behind themselves and took up a defensive position, weapons pointed at the gate.
As the portal opened, they were surprised to find a lone figure scurry out of the blue event horizon.
"Comtrya!" The jittery, balding figure made a gesture with his hands, obviously meant to be some sort of greeting. "I am Harlan." He smiled nervously at the warriors and the weapons trained on him. "I mean no harm."
"Harlan? I know this name." Darian was sizing the man up speculatively.
"Yes. Yes. I was present when you and Colonel O'Neill were speaking with...uh...the other Colonel O'Neill."
"Oh, yes." Darian signaled the others to lower their weapons. "You have come to attend the funeral rite, then."
"Funeral rite?" The android was puzzled for a moment, then noticed the still figures lying behind the people facing him. "Ah! No. No. You don't understand! I've come to take them home. I have become accustomed to them, can't leave them here to be buried in sand. Oh no, no, no. That would never do."
Darian looked at the little man in puzzlement, then remembered his conversation with O'Neill as he was expiring.
"But you are a machine. Can you not be...fixed?"
"Perhaps..."
There had not seemed much hope at the time and the real SG-1 had not seemed to believe they could be repaired. At least they had made no attempts. Yet this man...
"You have the ability to repair them?"
"Oh yes!" Harlan made a strange sound that could've been a laugh. "Bodies can be easily repaired."
"But Daniel Jackson..." Darian reached round and picked up the head once more, hesitantly showing it to the man.
"Oh! Oh dear!" Harlan made a distressed sound and hurried forward, taking the head in his hands and turning it to face him. "How many times have I told you? Missions are bad!" Turning the head over, he examined the wiring and slowly a smile crept across his face. "You are very fortunate, young one," he scolded the head. Looking back at the confused young man before him, Harlan asked, "Could you possibly assist me in getting the others to the stargate? If you just put them through, that would be a great assistance."
Darian and the other warriors gathered up the other three forms as Harlan dialed up the gate, scolding the head in his hands the whole while.
"You should know better than this. Going out all the time, risking yourself. Now look what happened."
The android bid the people of Juna farewell and stepped through the event horizon. Standing on the other side, he made sure to scold each of the three bodies that appeared at his feet.
"All this work you put me through. You are going to cause my main circuit board to overload one day."
It was time to get his family back.