“Oh, for crying out loud.” The frustrated colonel made an about-face before returning to the door and opening it. Sure enough, Daniel was just standing there, his arms folded tightly across his chest. His long shaggy hair was hanging in front of his face, covering his eyes. To Jack, it looked like it was by design, as if the young man were hiding. “Daniel, get in here.”
“Maybe I ...”
“DANIEL ... MOVE!”
The two teammates had been arguing for hours. It had begun on PN2-382 when SG-1 had stumbled across an ancient temple that resembled the world's first civilization -- Sumer. Daniel had spotted writings that he believed spoke of Enlil, one of the major gods in the Sumerian world. He had wanted to stay for a while to study the writings and the temple, but Jack had refused.
“This is a military mission, Daniel, not a science retreat,” Jack had told him, a claim that was subsequently backed up by General Hammond.
“Doctor, I respect your argument, but the directive of this command does not include scientific exploration,” the major general had told Daniel in the heated post-mission briefing.
Now, the archaeologist walked slowly into Jack's house where he was staying until he could find an apartment of his own. He ambled over to the patio door and stood there, a stoic expression on his face as he stared out at the yard.
Having closed the front door again, Jack walked into the living room and let out a groan at the emotional distance that was separating the two men.
“Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slam the door in your face, but you have me so blasted angry.”
“You're wrong, Jack.”
“Wrong? I know what I intended, and I certainly didn't mean ...”
“No, not about the door,” Daniel clarified, turning around to face his friend, who was now his professional adversary. “You're wrong about why we're out there. We need to take advantage of everything we find, not just those ... weapons you glorify so much.”
“The SGC is not a museum.”
“The SGC doesn't know what it is; it's new, Jack. We have to ... we have to pave the way; we have to ... have to show them what it could be, in time, but every time we walk away from ruins like we did today, we're cheating ourselves,” the younger man opined passionately.
Plopping down on the sofa, Jack argued, “We're not in this for education, Daniel.”
“Aren't we?” Daniel challenged, walking forward a few steps, his arms still tightly wrapped around himself. “Aren't we trying to find out everything we can about our enemies and how to defeat them, and, to do that, don't we need to make sure we understand ourselves?”
Jack simply stared blankly at the scientist, wishing the argument would end so the two could get something to eat. After all, it had been a long day, and he was hungry.
“Jack, we need to make discoveries, all kinds. I realize this program is being run by the military, but that doesn't mean we have to turn a blind eye to what we can learn about our history. I mean, history can teach us about the future,” Daniel stated, hoping to get his friend to realize that the need for scientific exploration was at least equal to that of military acquisitions.
“We've been through this, Daniel. SG-1 is a first contact unit.”
“Exactly, and when we make contact, we need to learn as much as we can.”
“From an empty building?” Jack asked in a raised voice as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen. ~I need a beer.~
“No! And where are you going?”
“To get a beer!” Jack shouted. “Do you mind?”
“Yes, I do. We're having a discussion, and ...”
“Daniel, we're *arguing*, and we've been arguing since we left P-all-kinds-of-letters-and-numbers. I'm hungry, and I want a beer,” Jack stated a bit loudly.
“Fine, but you can't ignore what I'm saying,” the impassioned scientist insisted as he continued to face down the other man. “We can learn a lot from a temple alive with a people's history, and that's what we left, not an empty building.” Walking two steps forward as he relaxed his stance and lowered his arms, he implored, “Jack, there's a culture within those walls. Lives, so many lives, are written about there. There were artifacts, things people used to live, to ... make do from day to day. Didn't you see them, Jack?”
Still standing by the counter that was on the edge of the dining nook that was part of his kitchen, Jack listened to the archaeologist while wondering, ~Has he always been like this? What did his teachers think in school? Of course, for those joint school projects, it was always helpful to have a geek to do all the hard work.~
Oblivious to the colonel's thoughts, Daniel continued, “The god Enlil, his intended bride-to-be Ninhil, their servants: all of them were there.” His voice sounded faraway as he pondered the wonders of the temple and the people who had built it, and his eyes shined with excitement. Then, he again focused on his friend standing a couple of feet away, and it was clear he hadn't made up any ground at all. More forcefully, he insisted, “It's worth a bit of our time, Colonel.”
“Daniel, I'm sorry, but we can't do it. The Pentagon ...”
“Stop being an ostrich, Jack. You have a brain, use it!”
“Very funny, Daniel. I'm part of a chain of command.”
“You just don't want to. It's ... inconvenient; interferes with ... fishing and, d'oh,” Daniel said, raising his hand and slapping it against his forehead in a sarcastic gesture, “watching cartoons. Isn't that the truth?”
“Daniel, can it,” Jack said agitatedly, tired and frustrated of the battle. He turned, shaking his head rapidly as he requested, “Just let it go, will ya?”
“I can't. This is too important.”
“Important to you, Daniel, not to the military, and certainly not to the Goa'uld, who personally don't care one bit about what urn was used by ... Entel whatever.”
“There's more to what we're doing than the Goa'uld.”
Jack turned back to face Daniel and spoke angrily, “Tell *that* to the Brass!”
“I have been, with no support from you.”
“Support? Daniel, I'm a colonel in the United States Air Force. I follow orders, something I *wish* you'd learn to do.”
“I'm not in the military, Colonel.”
“That's painfully obvious,” Jack retorted, finally turning around and going to the refrigerator and pulling out a beer. “Stubborn scientist,” he muttered as he twisted open the bottle cap and took a swig.
“Fine,” Daniel responded as he walked away.
At first, Jack was relieved, thinking, ~War's over for today.~ In a flash, though, he panicked. Something inside him began to churn. He felt uncomfortable, and as he honed in on the feeling, he realized it was a warning. ~What the ...?~ He walked hastily into the living room and toward the steps leading to the second floor, going up three stairs before he caught up with his friend and asked, “Daniel, for crying out loud, where are you going?”
“To a hotel, somewhere, anywhere but here.”
Sighing, Jack replied, “We've been through this, Danny.”
“Daniel,” the younger man corrected sternly. “Jack, we're two very different people. All we do is ... argue.”
“No, we don't. Danny ... Daniel,” Jack corrected, seeing his friend's face, “you're right. We are different. We believe different things, and we do things differently, but that doesn't mean we can't find a way to get along.”
“How? I mean, we've been fighting for hours.”
“Yeah,” Jack replied with a smile. “Exhausting, isn't it?”
“Very,” Daniel conceded, a small smile appearing on his face as well.
“So, we go on the roof, have a couple of beers, order some pizza, and ... talk about ... whatever we talk about.”
Daniel pondered Jack's idea. He hated beer, and he'd had more pizza in the past few weeks than in his entire lifetime, but he found that the concept of sitting up on the roof deck under the stars with Jack O'Neill was strangely appealing to him.
“Let's agree to disagree,” the older man pleaded. “Sure, we'll fight. That's who we are, but at the end of the day, let's put it to bed. Uh, that's a figure of speech.”
“I figured that out, Jack,” Daniel replied dryly. He looked into Jack's eyes, seeing friendship there, and that was something that he wanted desperately, even if Jack did drive him crazy half the time. “Fine. We'll ... agree to ... disagree.”
“Good man. I'll order the pizza,” Jack said, walking over towards the phone.
“Jack, I won't let this go; it's just too important. I wish I could make you understand that.”
“I'm just a dumb colonel, Daniel. I don't know anything about culture and dead gods. They pay me to follow orders, and those orders say nothing about learning about new cultures.”
“You're wrong,” Daniel stated, noticing that the other man was paying attention to his words, even if the look on his face was one of skepticism. “You're not a dumb colonel. I don't believe that. Just ... think about what I said, okay? That's all I'm asking ... for you to think about it.”
“I'll give it all the thought it's worth.”
~Why don't I believe him?~ Daniel sighed. ~He's right, though. I'm tired of fighting today,~ he thought, deciding to give up the battle for the night, especially since he was hungry, too. Walking by his friend on his way to the patio, he requested, “And get some cheese sticks, too.”
“Bossy.”
“Takes one to know one.”
The two friends chuckled and then continued on with their night, leaving their exploratory difference of opinion for another day.
====
“It's just so frustrating, Sam,” Daniel lamented as the two friends talked in the captain's lab the next afternoon.
Daniel was standing, leaning over the large table in the room. A half-full coffee cup was practically glued to his hands, since he was holding onto it so tightly.
Seated on a stool across from the archaeologist, Sam replied, “I know it is. I agree with you, Daniel, but I guess I understand the other side, too.”
“The military scientist,” Daniel chortled and then took a big breath as he hung his head.
“You have to understand that this is all still new. The Air Force, well, any branch of the military, is used to combat situations. Peaceful relations with alien cultures just isn't in the book.”
“So we just ignore what we could be learning from those cultures?”
“No, but we have to give the military ...”
“You mean the Pentagon,” Daniel interrupted, seeing the woman's affirming nod.
“We have to give them time to catch up with us and what the Stargate offers.”
“You know, I realize I'm here on a pass, and if Sha're weren't out there, I probably wouldn't be here, but we're fools, Sam, to see what we're seeing on other planets and not learn from it.”
“Daniel, I do agree with you, and it may not seem like it, but I am trying to help. All of my mission reports have paragraphs devoted to what we could be learning, and I've talked with General Hammond, too. I can't do more; I'm just a captain.”
“Have you told Jack?”
“The colonel isn't really interested in cultural things.” Seeing Daniel's hopeless expression and knowing that she could have been more vocal with the colonel in the past, Sam added, “But I promise you, Daniel. The next time we're in a position like we were on PN2-382, I'll support you.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Daniel said, his hold on his mug loosening a bit as he took a sip, grimacing. “Oh, uh, cold.”
Sam chuckled as the archaeologist gave her a tiny smile and then walked towards the door to return to his office and a fresh, hot cup of coffee.
====
The following week, SG-1 visited another new world, known as The Land of Light, where they were hoping to discover new technology or anything to help in their war against the Goa'uld. Instead, they found a simple but welcoming people with a heritage rich in an ancient civilization.
Once again, Daniel wanted to stay and learn about the culture. Once again, Jack refused.
Returning to Earth, Daniel immediately made his disapproval known when General Hammond greeted the team at the foot of the ramp in the gate room. He felt duty-bound to make his case. He was exasperated, though, when Jack dismissed his comments.
~I won't lose this argument, Jack. Enough is enough, and this is enough,~ Daniel determined silently.
====
As the briefing began and Hammond walked over to his seat, Daniel stood up to emphasize his position, saying emphatically, “I'm sorry, Sir, I know I'm a guest at this party, but I have to protest.”
“Let me guess, Doctor. This is the science versus military discussion again,” Hammond stated, knowing that would be brought up in the debriefing.
“Well ... yes. This mission was a perfect example of my argument. We
should have stayed on that planet longer; it was the perfect opportunity to study Minoan culture.”
~Great. Just great.~ Jack grimaced as he listened to Samantha Carter, his second-in-command, support Daniel in his quest. ~How'd I end up with two scientists on my team anyway? Two?~
~Thanks, Sam,~ Daniel thought, hearing his friend speak and knowing she'd also spoken up on the planet, especially on their walk back to the Stargate.
Jack grimaced again as Daniel and Hammond conversed, and then he yawned while the archaeologist talked about the opportunity to study the Broca Divide, whatever that was, not that he really cared.
Finally, when he thought Daniel and Sam were through with their history lesson, the colonel inquired, “Should I start the debriefing, Sir?”
~Gawd, he's infuriating. He's just dismissing everything I've said,~ Daniel thought upon hearing the question.
Hammond answered, “Well, that would be a good idea, Colonel.”
Objecting, Daniel argued, “Now, just, just ...” he flung his hand downward in front of him, “... wait a minute!”
~I probably should have told him before we began.~ A bit frustrated, Hammond interjected, “Doctor Jackson, you're wasting your breath. You've already won the argument.”
Daniel slammed his hand on the table, Hammond's words not having sunk in yet.
“But I have to insist that you ...” Daniel looked up, stunned. “Wh...what, what, what, what? I've already won?”
The general explained, “The President agrees with you. He's asked that we evaluate the scientific and cultural value of each mission from now on.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Jack protested from his seat near the general. ~Why'd he have to make it official?~
“He has?” Daniel asked in shock. ~Really? Someone actually listened to me?~
Sam was excited, exclaiming, “That's great!”
~I can't believe the President actually listened to me. Wow,~ Daniel thought as the briefing continued.
====
When the meeting was dismissed a while later and the personnel began to disperse, Daniel looked at Jack and stated, “A little science won't kill you, Jack.”
“It might,” Jack claimed.
“How?” Daniel asked.
“It might bore me to death.”
Daniel rolled his eyes and left the room, leaving only Jack and General Hammond in the conference room.
====
~Shoot!~ Before reaching the elevator that would take him to his office on Level 18, Daniel realized he had left his notebook on the table in the briefing room. He turned around and headed back to retrieve it. He was about to enter the room when he heard his name. Old habits were hard to break. Feeling vulnerable, the archaeologist chose to back up a bit and stay out of sight. ~I shouldn't eavesdrop, but ...~
Daniel was still so unsure about his position at the SGC, and with Jack's lack of support for his cultural study on missions, he couldn't help but listen in.
“Jack, why are you giving Doctor Jackson such a hard time about this?”
“Oh, you know how it is, Sir, scientists and their civilizations. It's not exactly the yellow brick road for the military.”
Hammond smiled as he glanced down for a second while responding, “Colonel, if you don't approve of these missions, then why did you spend thirty minutes in my office last week, suggesting that we allow Doctor Jackson to -- what was your word, Jack?”
Jack coughed, answering, “I believe I said 'indulge', Sir.” As Hammond stared in expectation of a response, the colonel explained, “I'm just trying to humor the geek, General.”
“Right, Colonel,” Hammond spoke with a disbelieving expression.
“You know me and rocks, Sir; we just don't get along.”
“Of course, you don't.” Hammond sighed and then ordered humorously, “Get out of my hair, Colonel.”
“Hair ... Sir?”
--
In the corridor, Daniel couldn't help a tiny smile from appearing on his face. Still, he didn't want to get caught, especially now.
~ I’ll get my notebook later.~ As he headed to the elevator, the young man's smile grew, knowing that his friend had obviously given his view on cultural study the thought it deserved after all. ~Thank you, Jack.~
The elevator doors opened, and Daniel went inside, pressing the proper button.
~Maybe someday I’ll let you know that I just overheard that conversation, and that I know you're really a marshmallow.~ Daniel's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of confusion. ~A marshmallow? Jackson, you're losing it.~
Daniel shook his head at his strange thought and waited for the elevator to reach his destination so he could return to his office and begin to write his mission report on The Land of Light.
====
Back in the conference room, Hammond glared at his 2IC for the comment about hair. The major general was bald and obviously didn't appreciate Jack's current attempt at humor.
Jack smiled innocently and made a slow retreat. He had some time to kill before he needed to start his next task, and as he walked down the corridor to his office, he wondered what he could do. Then he smiled deviously and headed towards Level 18.
“Oh, Dannyboy,” Jack called out a couple of minutes later as he entered the archaeologist's office.
“Jack, put that down!”
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