“We will hear what you have to say, but we do not promise it will change our course of action.” 

“There is one other matter you should consider.” Teal’c’s voice carried across the room and Jack realized he was still stuck in the containment field.  “The people of the Tau’ri were considered by the Asgard to be the Fifth Race: the ones to take up the mantle of the great alliance of the Four Races.” 

Gray tilted his head to the side as he addressed Teal’c.  “The Asgard formed an alliance with the humans of Earth?”

“Indeed.  The Asgard Supreme Commander regarded General O'Neill as the spokesperson for the Tau'ri; he is the primary reason the Asgard agreed to an alliance.  The Nox, despite their reclusive nature, also hold the Tau'ri in high esteem." 

Gray and Red exchanged glances again and Jack assumed they were ‘discussing’ this new information. 

“If this is true, it is a great achievement.”  Gray’s gaze drifted over each of them, settling on Daniel.  “The Asgard and the Nox in particular, were reluctant to interact with other races.”

“It’s the truth,” Carter asserted. “The Asgard are all gone now, but before they died they entrusted us with the entire sum of their knowledge.”

Luminescent blue eyes widened in what Jack could only describe as awe.  “This is indeed a great honor.  The records left by our ancestors tell us the Asgard treasured knowledge and believed all races, despite their differences, had the right to live in harmony.”

“The Protected Planet’s Treaty.” Sam nodded earnestly.  “The Asgard established the treaty as a means of safeguarding the developing cultures of many worlds against the Goa’uld, something they’ve followed through on for thousands of years, and that they’ve now passed on to us.”

“What of the Nox?  Have they, too, shared their knowledge with you?”

“Well, not exactly,” Jack explained.  “Great people, the Nox.  Huge, huge,” he held his arms wide, “honkin’ floating cities and lots of very cool . . . things.  They just kinda like their own company over everyone else’s, although they did sort of take a shine to Daniel here.”

Daniel flashed a glare at Jack before making eye contact with Gray.  “The point is, a lot has changed since your ancestors left this galaxy.  The Goa’uld have been defeated, the Jaffa are free, the Asgard are gone, and the Ancients either died or ascended.  Humans have spread to many planets throughout the galaxy, as have the Jaffa.  Many of the planets you once claimed became homes to other races long ago.  For all we know, there may even be Furlings still living on some of them.”

“If there are, we will find them,” Gray replied, all haughtiness gone from his voice.

“Not this way,” Daniel said firmly.  “Look back into your own past, to the history of your race.  No one knows better than I do how a culture can evolve over thousands of years, deviating so broadly away from the people they once were; but everything we know about the Furlings tells us that they were a gracious people.  Their standing as one of the four great races speaks volumes about who they were.  I understand your desire to reclaim your native lands, and it’s a noble cause, but not like this.  We can help you find more of your people if there are others out there, but it can be done without killing anyone who stands in your way. 

“Taking back your land should go hand in hand with discovering the people you once were.”

“If you give us a list of the planets you intend to reclaim, we can search our database and find out if there are people already living on them,” Sam suggested.  “If it’s a planet we haven’t visited, then we can go together and make contact with the inhabitants, if there are any.”

“We do not require your assistance,” Red asserted.

Gray held up a hand, giving Red a pointed look; it was the first time Jack had seen any sign of disagreement between the two.  “Your words hold merit.  As you say, we as a race have evolved from who our forefathers once were, but it was born out of the necessity for survival in a harsh new land.  We became so used to taking what we needed in order to live, that the old ways were forgotten.  If the Asgard were willing to entrust their knowledge to you, and you can prove your claims, then we will also place our trust in you.  You would agree to help us reclaim our ancestral worlds?”

“If possible, yes.”

Oh no, no, no. “Daniel, we can’t make that kind of promise.”

“We’ve got to at least try, Jack.  The alternative is to watch more planets be destroyed.”

“You do realize that some of these worlds might have very large populations?” Carter’s question was directed not only to the aliens, but also to Daniel.  “Relocating them might not be feasible.” 

Daniel nodded in response, but his words were for the Renolii.  “Would you be willing to give up your claim to those worlds if we could find other planets to replace them?”

There was another long pause, which Jack attributed to another mind-reading session.  Gray finally broke the silence.  “We will consider this possibility.  You would be willing to first negotiate for their return?”

“Yes.  But if they refuse,” Daniel was quick to add, “you would leave them alone.”

Silence cut through the air, and Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from saying something he would regret later.

~oOo~

“We will consider your offer,” Gray stated.

“Consider this, too:  some of these worlds have been populated for thousands of years.”  Daniel’s voice was quiet but passionate.  “The inhabitants consider them to be their ancestral homes, just as you do.” 

Daniel suddenly felt a wave of vertigo strike him as a flood of voices linked with his mind.  Reaching for his head, he staggered, and Jack grabbed his elbow. 
 
"Daniel?"
 
Jack's voice was drowned out by hundreds of Renolii voices.  There were too many for him to distinguish individually, but from the snatches of conversation he could catch, they seemed to be voting on whether to accept his offer.  Abruptly, they stopped and a single voice sounded in his head, also echoing within the room where SG-1 stood.  

“Know this, we will not be dissuaded from reclaiming this part of the galaxy.  It is the consensus of our people that we allow you to contact the planets of our ancestors and negotiate for their return; a list of the planets in question will be provided to you. We also require that you, Daniel Jackson, be our Emissary during this process.  When this has been accomplished, we will remain within our borders and discontinue any further contact.  Our territory will be closed and access to our Stargates denied.  We also ask for your assurance that our privacy will be respected.  When that time comes, you must also choose whether to rejoin the Renolii or remain aligned with the humans of Earth.”
 
"Daniel, you'd better not even be considering it."  Jack's voice brooked no argument.
 
"Don't worry, Jack, I'm not," he replied, straightening again and meeting Jack’s eyes.
 
"Now why do I have trouble believing that?"

"I have no intention of leaving the SGC—or you guys."  The unspoken 'again' hung in the air between them, but it seemed to satisfy Jack.
 
"Okay then."

“We understand, and I am sure our leaders will accept your terms,” Daniel replied, facing the two Renolii again.  “And I would be honored to be your Emissary. However, I must decline the offer to join you.  A very small part of me may be Furling, but I am mostly human and my place is with them.”

Another crush of voices filled his head, even more intense than before, as the collective minds of the Renolii expressed their displeasure at his choice.  Pain like shards of glass piercing his brain overwhelmed him—it was more than he could handle.  Hands flying to his temples, he groaned under the onslaught, the world tipping sideways before going black. 

~oOo~

Silence.  Except for a faint beeping, it was quiet.  No voices in his mind.  However, he had no idea where he was.  Turning his head towards the sound, pain throbbed behind his eyes and he moaned. 

“Well, look who’s decided to rejoin the living.”

“Jack?”

“Got it in one.”

Daniel blinked, testing the level of pain it caused.  Bright light seared his eyes and he quickly slammed them shut again.  “Ow.”

“Here, let me get the lights.”  Sam’s voice this time, followed by a decrease in the brightness behind his eyelids. 

“Thanks, Sam.”  Slowly opening them again, he spotted Jack leaning over him. 

“Ya know, this is gettin’ to be a habit with you.  You even have that same confused look on your face.”

“What?”  Daniel shifted his gaze around the room.  He was in the infirmary—which one, he wasn’t sure—and Sam and Jack weren’t the only ones watching him closely.  “Teal’c?  Mitchell?”

“Yep, all that’s missing is your little dog, Toto.”

“Jack, what the hell are you talking about?”  The outburst sent spikes of pain through his head and he slammed his eyes shut again. 

“Hey, take it easy.”  Jack’s tone immediately shifted from teasing to concerned, and Daniel felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. 

“Where am I?  What happened?”

“You’re back on the Hammond,” Sam informed him. 

“You collapsed on the Renolii vessel,” Teal’c added.

“Yeah, you wanna explain what happened over there?” Jack added.

Events came rushing back and Daniel lurched up from the bed, eyes flying open.  “The Renolii—” Dizziness sent him listing sideways, but Jack and Mitchell each grabbed an arm, keeping him upright. 

“Whoa there, sunshine.  You might wanna take it a little slower.”

“Good idea,” he agreed, lying back against the pillow.  “The Renolii were discussing my choice—I could hear them all in my head.  I guess it was too much for me to process all at once.  What happened with them?  And the people on the planet?”

Jack and Mitchell exchanged glances, giving Daniel the feeling he wasn’t going to like it.

“The Renolii agreed to let us contact the planets still on their list,” Sam explained, moving to sit at the foot of his bed.  “I compared them to our database. There were several we didn’t know about, but the good news is that of the ones on our list, all but three are uninhabited.”

“Three?”

“Yeah, but their populations are relatively small, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to relocate them.”

“That is, if they agree.”  Daniel wondered how hard it was going to be to convince these people to abandon their homes for new ones.

“That’s where you come in, Dannyboy.”  Jack’s flippant tone threatened to make a reappearance. 

Resting his forehead in his hand, Daniel replied, “I remember.  I agreed to be their Emissary.”

“The Renolii are standing by on their vessel, awaiting word that you have recovered before sending their delegation to the Hammond,” Teal’c explained. 

“Anxious to get started?”

“Indeed they are.”

“I take it the SGC got approval to go ahead with this temporary assignment?”

“Yep, the boys in Washington were pretty eager to resolve this problem,” Jack replied. “They’ve given you permission to be our Ambassador, too.”

“Lucky me.”  Another thought crossed his mind.  “Do they know about,” he twirled his finger around his head, “you know...”

“That you’re crazy?”

He narrowed his eyes at Jack, but Sam jumped in before he could respond.

“No, they don’t,” she assured him.

“And they aren’t going to if we can help it.” Jack’s tone was serious as he waved his hand to encompass the five people in the room.

Daniel had reservations about keeping it a secret, but he also had no desire to become a lab rat for the scientists at Area 51.  Added to the fact that he’d been ascended—twice—and turned into a Prior, he figured it was just a matter of time before someone made a request to ‘study’ him. 

“Not gonna happen.”  Jack’s voice was firm and his gaze reassuring.  He didn’t need a Furling gene to know what Daniel was thinking.  

Daniel smiled his thanks, but he still had one question—two now that he thought about it—that hadn’t been answered.  “What about the planet?  And the rest of your team, Mitchell?” 

Mitchell looked down at the floor briefly, as though trying to decide how to break some bad news.  Vala’s absence suddenly struck Daniel hard—she was always around when he was in the infirmary.  “Vala—”

“Is just fine,” Mitchell reassured him, holding up a hand in an attempt to keep Daniel in the bed.  “She, Grogran, and Kal’toc are with the refugees at the Zeta Site.”

Relief washed over him and he closed his eyes for a moment to savor the news.  “So,” he said, looking up at Mitchell. “You were able to evacuate the village in time?”

Mitchell met his eyes then looked down again.  “Most of them.”

His gut clenched and he heard the heart monitor beside the bed speed up.  “Most?”

“Take it easy, Daniel.”  Jack’s hand was on his arm, this time pressing with a little more force.  “They managed to save quite a few, but not all.”

“Let’s just say there were some who were reluctant to leave, even with the Renolii ship hanging over their heads,” Mitchell explained. 

More senseless killing—of course, killing rarely made sense.  First the Jaffa ships and then the Jaffa settlers on the planet.  He felt no connection with these heartless aliens, regardless of having the ability to hear their thoughts.

“Once that beam started, though, they had a change of heart,” Mitchell was saying. 

“You were there?” Daniel asked.

“Yes, indeedy.  Thanks for talking them into shutting it down, by the way, even if it was cutting it a bit close.”

“How did you—”

“The ship beamed me up.  They managed to save some of the villagers in addition to those my team got through the gate.”

Some.  Daniel didn’t need to hear numbers to know it was bad.  He shifted his gaze to Teal’c.  “What about the Jaffa?  How are they taking it?”

“Not well.  Unfortunately, I believe it has caused a setback in relations between the Tau’ri and the Free Jaffa.  I fear my brothers will pull away even more, possibly leading to the dissolution of our alliance altogether.”

“I hope not.”  Daniel didn’t know what else to say.  If he were in their shoes, he’d probably feel the same way.  At the moment, he felt incredibly tired.  Sometimes it seemed as though they were taking two steps back for every one step forward. 

His weariness must have shown, because Sam got up and moved to the head of the bed, leaning over to kiss his cheek.  “Why don’t we let you get some rest, Daniel?  We’ll contact the Renolii ship and let them know you’re all right.”

“Thanks, Sam.” 

She smiled and patted his arm before leaving. Teal’c bowed and followed her out. 

“I’ll let Vala and the others know you’re okay,” Mitchell said.  “The Hammond will be picking them up when this Renolii thing’s settled.”

Settled.  Daniel wondered if it ever would be.  He just hoped they’d be satisfied with staying in their own part of the galaxy and not decide they needed to expand their territory in the future.  “Thanks.”

Mitchell gave him a mock salute and followed Sam and Teal’c.

“You’re worried the Renolii might be a problem in the future.”  Jack continued to stand next to his bed, hands in his pockets. 

“I was kinda hoping we’d dealt with all the major threats out there.”

“Wishful thinking.  At least this time we’ve got an inside man—you’re one of them.”

Daniel grimaced at the thought of being part Furling, wondering again how one of the four races that created Heliopolis could turn into a race of xenophobes with no conscience. 

“Why don’t you get some sleep,” Jack continued.  “We’ve got a big job ahead of us.”

Daniel gave him a half-smile, grateful for the ‘we’.  He knew he wouldn’t be doing this alone.  “Thanks, Jack, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.”

“You’re welcome.  And if you have trouble getting to sleep, just remember when this is all over we can take some downtime at my cabin.”

“But—”

“Aht!  Just close your eyes and repeat after me:  There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home... ”

Finis