FICLET: The Walls of Jericho, Jack/Daniel. Partlet - 18

The Walls of Jericho - 18 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus



Daniel paused on the bluff and tugged at the shoulder strap of his backpack. It seemed to grow heavier with every mile, and his throat was raw from the cold and the slightly acrid air. Below his feet stretched a barren landscape carved of curves and edges of blue and black: fresh smoking mountains a little flatter than they should be (that would be the difference in gravity) sprouted amongst worn hills of ancient stone.

Occasionally a black plate slit with cracks of orange glinted like a pools in the darkness below, winking at them teasingly. But no, the caverns were always a little farther.

Their guides were uncommunicative, and tireless.

This planet was old. It looked old, and it felt old.

The stars were the only relief. They winked in a vast deep blue sky, distant, cool and pristine. Daniel gazed at the brilliant 'day stars' on his left, and wondered what their individual names were, and whether these people made legends and myths out of the constellations just as humans had. They would do well to make a religion of the stars here, he thought, gazing at the bright hopeful points of light. But perhaps they had and that was the significance of the gate symbols to them.

Further down the trail, Jack turned and gestured for him to keep up.

Pebbles crunched underfoot as Daniel loped downhill and Jack matched his stride, P-90 at ready. The two of them took their little group's six, a comfortable team, falling slightly behind. They walked in tired companionable silence.

"It won't work," Jack said out of the clear blue sky, staring straight ahead as if at something very interesting.

"Whaee-?"

Daniel hated these inarticulate moments and blamed the cold.

"The retirement idea. It won't work." Which clarified surprisingly little.

As their footsteps crunched along, Jack finally continued in a low, tight voice. "Daniel. I'm a colonel. I have a pension at stake and a little cabin in Minnesota that's counting on it." He spat. "The highest ranking fag to ever… risk it," Jack couldn't even say the words, "was, if I recall, a rank below mine." He fixed Daniel with an accusing stare, one eye nearly scrunched shut. "I've already thought about it. Didn't you think I would?"

Daniel's watched the ground, the little stones kicking around their feet, and felt slightly ashamed. Of course Jack had considered all the options. That was his way.

"Colonel actually," Daniel said after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"The highest ranking, um, fag as you say. Was a colonel."

"Threw the book at him, didn't they?"

"Her actually. And yes, they did."

Jack was staring at that very interesting something again. "The Air Force might ignore a corporal or captain who turned queer after they got out, but someone at my level?" He made a face and shook his head. "Nah. I have way too many enemies to chance it. You're just gonna have to accept that I chose this. For good or bad. So, it's not as simple as it once was, with Sarah. So what."

Daniel walked alongside Jack in thoughtful silence, as the day stars shifted behind them and slightly to his right.


Part 19 is here. This link goes to the corrected version.

FICLET: The Walls of Jericho, Jack/Daniel. Partlet - 19

The Walls of Jericho - 19 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus


Corrected version is here.

( This part has been changed. )

Watching Behind Enemy Lines

wildernessguru pointed to the plane on the deck of the aircraft carrier:

"Okay here's a test. What kind of plane is that?"

I chirped up immediately, "It's an F-18. Probably an F-18E."

He was so proud.

FICLET: The Walls of Jericho, Jack/Daniel. Partlet - 19

(Okay, I should not have split up this and the previous part, I was just stuck earlier today. But I promised lerah99 I'd have something for her, so this is the complete version.)


The Walls of Jericho - 19 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus


Daniel took a slug from his canteen, capped it, and stared off at the 'day stars' again, now directly ahead.

Jack held out his hand and Daniel passed the water bottle over. The rest of the team rested on the trail, packs off; their hosts squatted together a distance away. Which was always a bad sign for inter-cultural relations, though he was getting a little tired of the brush off at this point. They needed some common ground; a starting place.

Daniel peered at the sky again. "Jack..." He tugged at his sleeve. Jack handed the bottle back, swallowing hurriedly as he wiped his mouth.

"No, no. Look." Daniel nudged in the direction of the stars and murmured, "Unless these aliens have some technology that can rotate their world on its axis, which I sort of doubt, that's the second time those stars have been in front of us."

"Yep." Jack sounded unsurprised. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We've been going in circles for hours. I figured they were just trying to confuse the way to their secret hide-out - I would, but," Jack sucked air through his teeth, "we're not going to their caves."

Sam approached with a look of irritated concern. "Sir…"

"We're on it, Carter." Jack calmly turned towards the aliens.

Daniel held up a finger. "Um, Jack? I'm on it."

He approached the aliens with a wave, not for the first time wishing that they'd been willing to give him their names. But who knew? Maybe names were sacred or... something. He lifted his hand in a shy wave. "Hi..."

The aliens looked a little twitchy. He'd bet any amount of money they'd guessed their gig was up.

"It's, ah, getting a little... late. How much farther do we need to go?"

"It is far."

Daniel licked his lips and tried again. He felt SG-1 close ranks behind him, which was not the attitude he needed right now. Not if they wanted to become friends with these people. At some point. "How long then do you think it will be?"

"As I see it," Jack broke in, "we have two options here. You can take to these... caverns, like you said, or we can go back to your city."

"Jack..." Daniel cast a look over his shoulder.

"What'll it be?"

They didn't answer.

"Perhaps it is simply too far a journey for such a late start," Daniel suggested. He gestured. "We can... come again another time."

The two aliens looked at each other, obviously at a loss. Daniel suspected they probably had orders to keep them occupied, at least for a while.

Jack stood and gestured to Teal'c and Carter. "Okay, everyone. Let's head home."

"You do not know the way," the taller alien said.

"Oh, I think I can manage."

Daniel interrupted, making a wild guess, "You see, it would be most discourteous of us to keep you away from your homes for too long."

The two aliens paused.

"Yes," Jack's eyes flicked between to the two of them. "Discourteous. Very, very bad."

They nodded and acquiesced. Their shoulders relaxed with obvious relief at the explanation they could accept. "Then we will come another time," the tall one said. Lying through his teeth of course.

Along the trail Jack bumped up against Daniel's shoulder. "Not bad, Daniel. I guess that's why they pay you the big bucks."

"Well, they were always so careful to be polite," he murmured back. "Were you really willing to just walk away like that? I mean, we're pretty far out here." He gestured at the dusky landscape.

"Oh yeah. I made sure to leave us a little trail of bread crumbs."

Daniel pursed his lips in concern. "Um. Didn't Hanzel and Gretel get cooked and eaten by the wicked witch?"

"Hey. Not in the Disney version."

"Let's hope we're in the Disney version then." Daniel thought for a moment, and began, "You know Jack…"

"What?"

He closed his fist and decided to leave it alone. "Never mind."



Part 20 is up now.