Countdown (PG)
Jan. 29th, 2009 11:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aurora_novarumTitle: Countdown
Rating: PG
Characters: Daniel Jackson (references to Jack, Sam, and Teal'c)
Category: Angst; Action/Adventure
Spoilers: Set any classic team season
Word Count: 500
Summary: Daniel has a plan to save his friends.
Author's Notes: Another of my icon ficlets (Woot! Finally one that fits in a comment!) This one for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sg_betty's icons: 
and 
. Coincidentally *whistles innocently*, it's also sg_betty's birthday. What timing. ;-) Thanks to abyssinia4077 and astrumporta for betaing.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 characters are owned by MGM, Double Secret, Gekko Productions, and a host of other people not me. No infringement or monetary gain intended or implied by this "homage".
Two days since SG-1 first arrived on the planet to do the evaluation, and two hours since Sam and Teal'c had gone without answering their last check-in. Minutes that felt like forever since Jack had been ambushed and radioed Daniel to get home.
Daniel had his own ideas of how to best go about that.
What little he'd heard from Jack's radio had told him enough about the identity of the attackers. The temple had already told him why they were here. He'd previously translated some of the modern graffiti on the wall where he now placed the explosive putty. Living on a different planet, they arrived through the Stargate to pay homage to Xolotl. SG-1's visit ended up coinciding with their arrival to pay tribute.
Bad timing was becoming a habit with SG-1.
If Daniel had only been able to figure out the solar calendar as it related to this planet's cycle in time, maybe there would've been time to warn his team.
Too late now.
Confronting the natives was out. He doubted explaining Xolotl's twin, Quetzalcoatl, was best buds with his grandfather would help much. Neither would noting human sacrifice was frowned upon in Earth traditions of the religion. As far as he knew, some Goa'uld had stolen the giant aliens' shtick and imposed it on this people. After all, Hathor had shown up in Mexico.
Words would not work. Action was needed. A sign from "the gods."
The graffiti and the iconographs these people kept prominently displayed gave clues to their corrupted beliefs. The violent destruction of their temple should be taken as deity wrath over the capture of SG-1. Daniel would bet his life on it. He bit his lip as he steadied his hand on the charge. He only worried about betting his friends'.
As he set the final explosive, his fingers paused over the old stones that held secrets of the race of giant aliens. He remembered a few years ago how upset he'd been at the thought of abandoning Heliopolis before it slipped into the alien sea. He had been willing to risk his own life for the knowledge to be gained. Now, despite the chamber full of insights to the race that hosted Nick Ballard, Daniel had no regrets.
He'd made the decision at Jack's choked off cry through the radio speaker.
Instead of rushing towards the Stargate as Jack had likely intended, Daniel had doubled back to the temple. He'd passed unseen where large warriors guarded Sam and Teal'c–still alive, thankfully–waiting for the rest of their party to rejoin them. Too many for Daniel to tackle alone. The people would want their sacrifice, relieved they had strangers to slaughter instead of their own. Perhaps this way they would discover they need slaughter no one.
He knew this would work; he hoped this would work.
Leaving the temple, he hid in the forest, listening for the group's approach. Their shadows neared his hiding place. He spotted familiar green amongst the procession. Jack, bloody, but still alive, was trussed next to the others. Daniel held his breath and flicked the safety off his pistol. His other hand held the detonator.
The seconds ticked away as Daniel timed it. Too close, his team could be hurt; too far, his "message" could be misinterpreted. Daniel flipped the toggle.
Almost there. His finger was steady over the button.
Now.
Fin.
Rating: PG
Characters: Daniel Jackson (references to Jack, Sam, and Teal'c)
Category: Angst; Action/Adventure
Spoilers: Set any classic team season
Word Count: 500
Summary: Daniel has a plan to save his friends.
Author's Notes: Another of my icon ficlets (Woot! Finally one that fits in a comment!) This one for
sg_betty's icons: and . Coincidentally *whistles innocently*, it's also sg_betty's birthday. What timing. ;-) Thanks to abyssinia4077 and astrumporta for betaing.Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 characters are owned by MGM, Double Secret, Gekko Productions, and a host of other people not me. No infringement or monetary gain intended or implied by this "homage".
Two days since SG-1 first arrived on the planet to do the evaluation, and two hours since Sam and Teal'c had gone without answering their last check-in. Minutes that felt like forever since Jack had been ambushed and radioed Daniel to get home.
Daniel had his own ideas of how to best go about that.
What little he'd heard from Jack's radio had told him enough about the identity of the attackers. The temple had already told him why they were here. He'd previously translated some of the modern graffiti on the wall where he now placed the explosive putty. Living on a different planet, they arrived through the Stargate to pay homage to Xolotl. SG-1's visit ended up coinciding with their arrival to pay tribute.
Bad timing was becoming a habit with SG-1.
If Daniel had only been able to figure out the solar calendar as it related to this planet's cycle in time, maybe there would've been time to warn his team.
Too late now.
Confronting the natives was out. He doubted explaining Xolotl's twin, Quetzalcoatl, was best buds with his grandfather would help much. Neither would noting human sacrifice was frowned upon in Earth traditions of the religion. As far as he knew, some Goa'uld had stolen the giant aliens' shtick and imposed it on this people. After all, Hathor had shown up in Mexico.
Words would not work. Action was needed. A sign from "the gods."
The graffiti and the iconographs these people kept prominently displayed gave clues to their corrupted beliefs. The violent destruction of their temple should be taken as deity wrath over the capture of SG-1. Daniel would bet his life on it. He bit his lip as he steadied his hand on the charge. He only worried about betting his friends'.
As he set the final explosive, his fingers paused over the old stones that held secrets of the race of giant aliens. He remembered a few years ago how upset he'd been at the thought of abandoning Heliopolis before it slipped into the alien sea. He had been willing to risk his own life for the knowledge to be gained. Now, despite the chamber full of insights to the race that hosted Nick Ballard, Daniel had no regrets.
He'd made the decision at Jack's choked off cry through the radio speaker.
Instead of rushing towards the Stargate as Jack had likely intended, Daniel had doubled back to the temple. He'd passed unseen where large warriors guarded Sam and Teal'c–still alive, thankfully–waiting for the rest of their party to rejoin them. Too many for Daniel to tackle alone. The people would want their sacrifice, relieved they had strangers to slaughter instead of their own. Perhaps this way they would discover they need slaughter no one.
He knew this would work; he hoped this would work.
Leaving the temple, he hid in the forest, listening for the group's approach. Their shadows neared his hiding place. He spotted familiar green amongst the procession. Jack, bloody, but still alive, was trussed next to the others. Daniel held his breath and flicked the safety off his pistol. His other hand held the detonator.
The seconds ticked away as Daniel timed it. Too close, his team could be hurt; too far, his "message" could be misinterpreted. Daniel flipped the toggle.
Almost there. His finger was steady over the button.
Now.
Fin.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 04:57 pm (UTC)(And the timing is indeed fortuitous what with it being my birthday and all! :)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:10 pm (UTC)I know, I vowed not to do birthday fics this year (because it broke and exhausted my muse last year...and I still owe a few), but since I owed you an icon fic anyway...
It just seemed...serendipitous. :-)
Happy, happy birthday!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:12 pm (UTC)(And I haven't forgotten your icon fic. I'm mulling on the SGA crossover aspect...and trying to keep the plot bunnies reined in. I swear! I'll get them all done...by next Christmas, maybe, but I will do them!)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 07:44 pm (UTC)And you know, I was focused on showing Daniel's scholarly interest warring with his caring for his friends, and only as I was in the final run through did I notice how taking this way was still "finding the other way around"...so it was a more unconscious, but still consistent step of his characterization as an idealist.
And thanks!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 08:35 pm (UTC)"C4 - Fixes everything, regardless of whether it was broken to begin with" I have the poster size above my cube at work but it doesn't scale down nicely. I need to find someone good at photo manip so I can get a proper icon out of it.
I love that Daniel never loses his idealism over the years - he just learns to stop getting kicked around for it.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 10:03 pm (UTC)And while I think Daniel becomes more cynical towards the end...he's still got that core of idealism. IF that makes sense.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 05:25 am (UTC)PS. Sorry for spamming your comments with icons for Ziparumpazoo. I'll delete as soon as they are grabbed if I can... Didn't think about how much space that would take up...
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 04:49 pm (UTC)When I get, multiple comment edits falsely inflating my inbox...that makes me feel a little less loved. ;-) (Although I'm guilty of doing it from time to time myself sometimes).Hope you had a lovely birthday with lots of goodness!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 05:23 pm (UTC)(Like the old Bill Cosby routine. "And then I thought, there's milk in cake, and EGGS! That's nutrition!")
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 12:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 04:48 am (UTC)If it does turn up, I may ping you if that's ok? Thank you for the offer and happy birthday!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 06:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 06:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 06:38 pm (UTC)Thank you so much - they're great! (and I think it's of better resolution than the one I had) Let me know if there's something I can do for you in return.
And thank you Aurora for letting us spam your inbox. *sheepish smile*
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 10:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 11:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 12:33 am (UTC)Heh, excellent. Very tense, very nicely terse. I do like this Daniel - later on, having found that his priorities have shifted. Practical and unhesitating as always, though, about implementing his decisions. Chel nak.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 04:40 am (UTC)I'm so glad the terseness worked. (hmm, maybe I should practice this more often. LOL). Like your insight on Daniel.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-01 10:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 03:58 am (UTC)