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Jack looked around the SGC briefing room. It was unusually full, too full for his taste. On one side, their backs to the long table and facing the projection, President Hayes was flanked by representatives of others Earth countries. On the other side, Jack lounged in his chair, Daniel and Teal’c at his side. Hammond, Carter, and other SGC members filled the remaining seats along the table. Jack glanced at the former SGC commander with a half smile. The man had taken the excuse of the meeting for a trip back to Colorado, and as soon as he stepped in the mountain, the SGC welcomed him like family.
At the front, giving her presentation, was Doctor Weir. Hayes had taken advantage of her presence on Earth to request an update on the Atlantis expedition and its findings. Weir began with recent missions and their outcomes, then moved on to the most significant scientific projects in progress, along with discoveries made by exploration teams within the city. As she started this last section, she set an artifact on the table. About thirty centimeters high, shaped like an obelisk. It was some dark gray, with inscriptions engraved on each side.
As she continued, Jack started to get annoyed. It was her briefing, but the way she spoke about an Ancient artifact as though she was the expert on their culture and language irked him, especially with Daniel sitting right there. Jack glanced at his left. Daniel didn’t seem bothered, the archaeologist was going through the file they’d been given at the start of the meeting. He paused on a serie of pictures of the obelisk. Behind the glasses, his eyes squinted as he studied the images. Jack watched, curious at what had caught his attention. At the same time, a pang of guilt hit Jack as he watched Daniel’s finger run over the images. He was the one who hadn’t wanted Daniel to go to Atlantis. And when he finally relented and signed the paperwork, he was also the reason Daniel turned it down. Yet Daniel never seemed to regret his choice or blame Jack. And for some reason Jack couldn’t figure out, Daniel was happy with him.
“After a thorough analysis of the artifact by my team,” Weir said, pulling Jack back from his thoughts. “And following my translation of the inscriptions, this object was deemed valueless. There is no power source coming from it, and the words are nothing but random inscriptions. Despite this, its offers a new perspective on the Ancients…”
Jack frowned. That didn’t sound right. He looked at Daniel, curious for the linguist's reaction, but Daniel didn’t acknowledge Weir's words. Jack wondered if he was even hearing her anymore. On his notepad, three columns of words, a transcription of the obelisk’s sides. He was finishing the last one before moving on to the English translations. When done, he picked one of the photos for closer inspection. Jack glanced across Daniel to Hammond, who was already watching. A slight smile on both their faces. Daniel was onto something. Something Weir and her team had completely missed. And once again, without even meaning to, Daniel was about to discredit someone else’s work with the truth.
Unaware of this, the head of Atlantis was now answering questions from the other side of the table.
Jack let himself watch Daniel freely, anticipation growing. The archaeologist picked another photo, his finger tracing a horizontal line below each set of inscriptions. Jack looked at the obelisk again and saw what Daniel had noticed: seven thin lines circling it. After a minute, Daniel took his pen back and started scribling on his notepad. Jack watched as the page became more and more chaotic. After a few minutes, there were crossed-out words, circles, and arrows everywhere. It was unintelligible for anyone, except Daniel.
Sitting so close, Jack was able to hear Daniel’s quiet mumbling, likely reading back what he had worked out. After a contemplative pause, Daniel reached for the remaining photos, going trhough them, one by one. The top view was discarded quickly, along with the one showing two faces at once. But then he froze on the bottom view. A familiar glint lit his eyes. Passion. Excitement. Hope. Jack knew it well. Daniel set the photo down before half standing to reach for the obelisk.
Jack looked down and froze. Four symbols.
“Doctor Jackson, what are you doing?” Weir demanded as she saw Daniel with the obelisk in hand, making all eyes turn to him.
“This is an Atlantis artifact, not a toy. Security?” she said, glancing at Daniel, then at the airman by the door.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw the man, surprised then hesitating.
At the SGC, everyone knew better than to mess with Daniel in what Jack called “archaeologist mode.” Office, hallways, cafeteria. It didn’t matter. If Daniel had his nose in a file or an artifact in hand, people stepped aside and didn’t bother him, unless it was a direct order from Hammond or Jack.
A single gesture of Jack’s hand put the airman at ease.
“Last I checked, Doctor Weir, you weren’t in charge of this facility,” Jack said firmly.
“I also believe telling Daniel Jackson an artifact isn’t a toy is laughable,” Teal’c added deadpan, making Jack smirk. You could always count on the man to point out the obvious.
“Still, this is an Atlantis—”
“Do I need to remind you, Doctor,” Hammond cut in, “that without Doctor Jackson, Atlantis would still rest untouched for thousands of years at the bottom of an ocean and that he is the foremost expert on the Ancients?”
Weir stiffened, clearly irritated, but said nothing.
“After all, the guy did party with them for a year in glowy land,” Jack said, his eyes never leaving Daniel.
Daniel, oblivious, pulled at the pyramid-shaped top of the artifact, then started to turn the engraved sections to align the words as he wished.
After spotting the symbols in the photo, Jack already had an inkling of what was coming. Daniel set the obelisk back on the table. The top opened like a blooming flower, revealing an orange dome. Jack beat him to the next move, reaching out and placing two fingers over it.
He and Daniel were the only ones not to flinch when a burst of light shot toward the ceiling and four excerpts of text appeared in different languages. Jack touched the sphere again, changing the projections and here it was: the chemical elements. Everyone was looking around the room in awe and curiosity, except Jack. His eyes were focused on Daniel’s expression: pure excitement.
“What is this?” one of the representatives asked.
Jack looked across the table. “Heliopolis.” His gaze flicked to Weir, a hand gesturing at the holograms. “That’s what happens when you don’t dismiss something as ‘valueless’ just because you don’t understand it.”
“Wait.” Sam leaned over the table. “Heliopolis? You mean Ernest’s planet?” Jack nodded.
“Jack…” Daniel finally spoke. “Do you know what this means?” he asked, flipping to another page.
“True universal language. Meaning of life stuff,” Jack replied, echoing Daniel’s words from ten years earlier.
Daniel turned to him, smiling brightly.
“Doctor Jackson, how did you know?” Hammond asked, still amazed after all this time by how the younger man’s mind worked.
“In stillness of ages, knowledge remains concealed.
A message preserved, quietly sealed.
Joined across galaxies, the bond holds true,
An echo of unity, shining endlessly through.”
Daniel recited his earlier translation of the obelisk’s inscriptions, now in the correct order.
“The Ancients wouldn’t waste their time, or precious material like naquadah, just to carve random words. And then there are the four symbols.” He passed a photo to Hammond. “One Ancient, one Nox…”
“One Asgard,” Hammond supplied when he saw it.
“And one Furling,” Jack finished.
“Do you believe this artifact contains the same knowledge as the repository of Heliopolis?” Hammond asked.
“I’ll need to compare it to Ernest’s journal. But for now, it looks that way.” Daniel said, eyes on the floating holograms, hands gesturing at them with enthusiasm.
“You’ll need a bigger office to work on this,” Jack said with a chuckle.
“Hmmm. The artifact was found on Atlantis. Therefor, my team should be the ones to study it,” Weir pressed.
Her words faltered when Teal’c, Carter, Hammond, and O’Neill all turned sharp looks on her.
“Was any of your team on Heliopolis? Do any of them know Ernest Littlefield?” Jack asked.
“Do they have as much knowledge of each of the four races of this alliance as Doctor Jackson?” Hammond added.
“Are they the reason any of us ever stepped through the Stargate?” Sam pressed.
“Or met and earned the respect of two of the Ancients’ allies?” Teal’c concluded.
Jack smiled. Things might have changed, but one thing never would: try to undermine a member of SG-1, and you’d answer to all of them.
“Actually, I think Doctor Beckett knows Ernest,” Daniel said absently.
“I don’t think Doctor Beckett would be working on it, Daniel,” Jack said with a fond shake of his head.
That was when Hayes stood. “If that’s all, Doctor Weir, I suggest we close this meeting. And leave the device in Doctor Jackson’s care.”
Still half in his own world, Daniel muttered, “I need to call Ernest and Catherine.”
Jack kicked him under the table, startling him.
Daniel looked up. “Right, yes. Thank you, sir.”