Summary: Eye trading is nothing new on Shadna, until SG-1 finds themselves in the center of a turbulent deception.

Season 3'ish 

Posted January, 2012

There was something about her, the way she looked at Daniel with those disconcerting white eyes; the way she moved, as though her body was a silk veil, slinking around in a breeze but never touching. She gave them the creeps, and it wasn't just the eyes.

Daughter of the provincial Satrap, head of state and renowned medical man, a surgeon, Senander was a pseudo leader neither heir to the land nor successor to the ministry. No, this was a matriarchal society, and Daughter BenkaSa was already in charge and had been for three years. What BenkaSa wanted, BenkaSa made sure to get, as SG-1 had been quick to discover. Only seventeen, she had the temperament of a teenager, laced with the imperiousness of royalty.

And for some reason for which SG-1 hoped they were mistaken, she seemed to be habitually shadowing an almost oblivious Daniel.

“She's just curious, Jack,” Daniel nonchalantly kept his eyes on his work pad, scribbling notes. The customs of this society were not that uncommon amongst cultures of many planets. They had certain traditions, foods, dances, music. Jobs seemed to be in the manner of tradesmen and apprentices, slightly at odds with the technological advances of the society to date. They had a sovereign solar-powered vehicle, solar-powered grain separators, even solar-powered illumination. This was evidently a sunny province.

Yet, in spite of advantages and advances gained from the sun, the people were of a simple, happy-go-lucky temperament, baking their own bread, growing their own crops, building their own small homes. Communication was by word of mouth, entertainment was live, advertising was chalk on stone and nailed to the outside of local businesses. To Daniel it was a step back in time, comfortable and refreshing.

“What's with the eyes, anyway?” Jack wondered aloud, lounging on the camel-hair mattress. Daniel had his notes spread around him on his own mat, and Sam was organizing devices that were said, by her, to measure the variance between technological consumption and the sun's output or something. Jack hadn't been listening, much. As she rattled off her calculations Teal'c was politely frowning, feigning interest. “Everyone else's are black. But she can still see, even with those itty bitty pupils.”

Daniel nodded, not looking up from his journal. “Yes, they didn't explain it. Something about her father performing eye surgery. He's a skilled eye surgeon, apparently. Maybe she was born with a defect.”

“Nice.” Jack paused in thought. “Might be something worth taking back. Or bringing Frasier here for.”

At that, Daniel finally raised his head. “Can you imagine, Jack, bringing back medical information that would allow sightless people to regain their vision?” The thought excited him. What other medical and technological advances would they encounter here, in a society that seemed to easily forge a balance between technology, community, and nature? No one seemed to take more than they needed; unity reigned, at least from an outsider's perspective. No doubt they needed more time here to study the intricacies of this culture. “Harmony,” Daniel whispered his last thought aloud.

Jack seemed to know what Daniel was on the verge of thinking. “Careful. Might be a nice place to visit, but don't let your guard down for a second.”

Just then the object of his own thoughts and questions walked through the door, in the person of BenkaSa. Apparently knocking wasn't on her own list of necessary harmonies.

“Father has sent me to invite you to a banquet tonight,” she informed SG-1 pleasantly, her white eyes and pinpoint black pupils seeming to focus again on Daniel, although it was sometimes difficult to tell exactly where her gaze was directed. “It's to begin at sundown.”

Again?

“Hold on,” Jack intervened. “Your father granted us a private dinner tonight. We have important business matters to discuss with him.”

“I decided I want a banquet. Don't be concerned, he agreed.”

Jack rose, his annoyance held in check for the time being. Their “business” meeting had been pre-arranged; SG-1 had to report in to Hammond tomorrow morning, and a party two nights in a row had not been conducive to lengthy discussion. Three days - and two nights - had already been spent getting to visit and know the customs of the people; tonight they had all agreed to get down to real business. “I'd like to speak to him.”

BenkaSa's annoyance was not as invisible as the colonel's. Body taut, she looked about ready to stamp her foot, but reconsidered. “No need. I remind you I'm the one in charge here. What I say goes. You may speak with my father at his dinner table. Oh, and Daniel, you'll sit at my table tonight.” As she turned to leave, Jack again interrupted.

“Daniel sits with us.”

BenkaSa faced him pleasantly, no malice in her voice but her tone determined and clear. “Daniel sits with you in these quarters. At dinner tonight, he'll sit by me.” She turned abruptly and let herself out through the carved wooden entranceway.

Annoyance emanated from the man still facing the empty doorway. “Yep, that went well.”

_____

“My daughter is rather stubborn at times,” Satrap Senander admitted. “I find it best not to argue.”

“Hey, she's what, seventeen? She needs a guiding hand,” Jack refuted. Or a backhand, he didn't add. Since they'd arrived two days before, the girl had gotten her way with regards to SG-1's quarters, SG-1's schedule, firing of the chamber cook, upcoming use of the royal vehicle, two previous evening feasts, and scheduled use of the stargate. Not to mention this third banquet, and Daniel's seating arrangement, although Jack wasn't done with that one yet.

Senander sighed. “Since her mother left for other worlds going on three years now, she has accepted no guiding hand from me, not that she ever did. BenkaSa looked up to her mother, who was Empress for a dozen years, after my wife's own mother died. Women know their roles here, and most of the time it works out well. Our men have few complaints. My daughter, she's headstrong, but intelligent. She wouldn't put the province at risk, and when in doubt she'll ask for the wisdom of my years.”

“Ask, or accept?”

But Senander changed the subject. “She is taken with Daniel Jackson. I have some concerns.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Daniel isn't interested in her, so you don't have to worry about that.”

Senander stared at him. No, that wasn't what he was worried about. “Gather up your team, O'Neill. The banquet is beginning soon.”

_____


“What is it you want from him, BenkaSa? Your actions are becoming transparent.” Senander tried not to withdraw from his daughter, but her glare almost made him cower.

BenkaSa shrugged nonchalantly. “I love his eyes. The colour of the sky at midday.”

“No, BenkaSa.”

“Why not?” The growing edge to her voice was sudden, slicing the tension of the moment.

Senander knew she had the power to send him away, banish him to the harsh environment of Karzeneal, as she threatened every time he countered her requests. But this one - this one, he knew he had to try to deny. He liked the SG-1 team; he liked O'Neill, and the Major female who spoke so respectfully to the colonel. Of the pair, he wasn't sure who had the final say, but he believed it was the woman, for she was, after all, called the Major of the team. No doubt she was allowing O'Neill to be the one to bring up discussions with Senander himself, a perceived male to male bonding. Sendander wasn't certain what he felt for the tall dark male, but he did like Daniel, quiet but questioning, curious but gracious. “He isn't interested in you.”

“Fine. I'm not interested in him. I just want his eyes.”

Senander refrained from raising his voice in exasperation. “And you wanted the eyes of Doca Lo; they reminded you of pearls, you said. Now you have them, and you no longer want them? And where is Doca Lo now, since you betrayed his love? Since you used him for your own wishes, since he traded you his eyes along with his heart?”

“It isn't my fault that his home world wouldn't accept his return. My black eyes were purely beautiful. Dark embers. They look well on Doca Lo.”

“But on Doca Lo's world, eyes are white. He's now seen as impure. He never expected the need to return, until your rejection of him. Working as a labourer here for the rest of his life, giving up his superior position on his homeland, and for what? That is not what such a man wished upon himself. And all he did was fall in love with you. You took his heart along with his passion for life.”

“I won't argue about this, Father. Doca Lo made his choices.”

“And Daniel Jackson will make his. Will you accept his decision, if his answer is no?”

BenkaSa did not need any time to ponder the question; she had asked it of herself and already knew the answer. “No. If he refuses, you'll trade me his eyes anyway. He'll grow to love these, in time, pure white pearls. They're beautiful. They will go with the smooth watery colour of his skin and hair.”

“And if I refuse?” But the surgeon knew the answer. He had come to despise his unique skill of eye trading; once, he had been renowned on many planets. His had been a skill highly requested by the fashion-conscious, trend-setting royalty and other wealthy governing diplomats of his tiny universe, but since his wife's disappearance… death… he had become moody, solitary, and repentant.

He was expecting the threat of Karzeneal, not what next uttered from his daughter's lips.

“I'll tell the people you killed Mother,” she announced with an air of superiority over the man before her, the man whom her mother had married. The man who was her father. Men; she had little real use for them. She'd already thought about this issue. She'd anticipated her father's response. Ever since Doca Lo, she knew her father would take much convincing to convert her eyes ever again. But she loved the newest fashions, stylish popularity amongst her friends, and she was taken with this silky blueness she'd never before seen. She wanted Daniel's eyes. They'd look seductive, with her long tar black hair and sun-darkened skin.

Senander froze. The people of the province would revolt. They all believed Franaica had returned to her long journey through the stargate, in search of True Meaning. They expected her home some day with all the knowledge of the universe to teach them; until that time, they allowed BenkaSa to rule the province in accordance with her mother's specified wishes. “That would be a lie.”

“You gave her the eyes. It's your fault she went mad.”

“She requested them. It was a mutual agreement, just as yours was with Doca Lo.”

“She went crazy, because of you.”

“No. The trade worked. The transfer was successful, because of my expertise and competence. No one could have predicted she would react so badly to the multiple lenses.” They'd realized too late that the kaleidoscopic eyes of the Botereans, with their numerous lenses, just couldn't be handled by most species. All further such trade with the Botereans had been cancelled by Senander himself, with falsified reasons and cover-ups.

“You were the one who gave them to her, without proper research.”

“She thought the eyes were too beautiful, the reaction you had the moment you saw Doca Lo. She wanted nothing more from that moment on than to try her own pair.” His thoughts drifted off, back to his beloved wife. She had thought those eyes so wonderful to look at, so exciting. Diamonds. Diamonds and … now pearls. But they had caused her to become physically ill. Only days after the transfer, she had gone mad and… well, as was known to only a few close confidants, she had jumped from the edge of the land into the most tumultuous strip of sea. Her body had never been recovered. That had almost been a blessing for Senander, for if it had been counseled that the eyes had destroyed the will of the Empress, both he and his work would have been banished. He would never have seen his daughter again, and she would have become sole and solitary ruler at age fourteen. Now, the threat of public incrimination would bring wrath upon him like never before seen in this province.

“Trust, Father. The Empress trusted you. My mother,” she added forcefully, “trusted you.”

Senander knew just how true that was. He should have foreseen, should have tested more carefully, but he loved his wife dearly and would do anything to please her. He cursed his medical skill and specialty now even more than after his wife had committed suicide. He also knew how much his daughter hated him for his weaknesses.

BenkaSa knew she had won. “Tonight at the banquet I'll tell Daniel about the ancient writings at Urann. Tomorrow, he'll come with me to see them. You'll keep the others occupied until we have gone.”

Senander refused to look upon his daughter's face. “And then?”

“And then you'll join us at Urann.”

Urann. Most ancient territorial island of Istach Province. Sacred ground, home of the great horned whispet.

Urann, where Senander's lab and medical facility was located.

_____

“You sure you want to do this? You'll be with her all day.” Jack wasn't convinced this little ploy of BenkaSa's wasn't intended just to get Daniel to herself for a few hours.

“Not alone, Jack. Her attendant will be there, along with their driver. When Senander's finished showing you and Teal'c their solar-powered protection boundaries he said the driver can come by to pick the rest of you guys up, if you want. Or you're welcome to come along right now.” Daniel grinned, knowing how Jack had protested against a two hour's drive in the royal vehicle just to look at some “chicken scrawl” on a bunch of rocks. Sam would be involved most of the day with their plans to build flying machines also powered by the sun's energy, so she was on her own as well.

“Oh, you know me, I just love to watch you stare at ancient scratches in the dirt.”

“Jack, these are supposed to be the most sacred writings ever found on this planet. The pillars are covered with them.”

“Yeah, so you've told me more than once. You made your point, Daniel. But if she so much as flicks a fly off your elbow, remind her you're old enough to be her… much, much older brother. And by the way, do the math. If the driver comes back for us, that leaves only you, BenkaSa, and her attendant. Who's probably on her side,” he added distastefully.

“Jack, as you've just pointed out, I'm old enough to take care of myself against a flirtatious teenager. Which she hasn't really been, yet.”

“A willful teenager with lots more money and power than you or I will ever know.”

“But I'm bigger and stronger than she is,” Daniel grinned. This was a nonsensical, silly argument. He was pretty sure Jack thought so too.

Jack cocked his head. “Now I'm really worried. You wouldn't swat a fly.”

“Would if it tried to kiss me on the lips.”

Jack paused and stared. “Yeah, okay, I'm done. Have fun.” He had a date with a weapons analyst… although that was his own translation for boundary protection expert. What the heck was a protection boundary, anyway, and what did these people need protection from? Or boundaries? The next province over? What exactly had Senander not told them?

_____

Daniel frowned at the large body of water reaching to near infinity before them. “I thought you said it was a two hour drive.”

“No, what I said is it will take two hours to get to Urann, and we'll go by sovereign vehicle. We've been driving for one hour and now we must transfer to the zigute.”

“Zigute? Boat?”

BenkaSa smiled with as much charm as she could manage. “Right over there.” But she needn't have pointed; it was the only manmade contraption at the water's edge. They were on the border of nowhere, it seemed, and the water lapped as gently as a zen fountain. As soon as they'd left the community behind, they'd encountered open plains and countryside nearly barren of civilization.

“I guess I can see why the ancient writings have been left untouched after all this time,” he commented for the sake of small talk. “Too hard to get to?”

“And the island is sacred. I told you that.” BenkaSa strolled towards the strange-looking double-platformed water structure, with its tall spiked edges looking like a king's over-sized crown. She stepped onto it as it gently swayed, and held out a hand for Daniel. Remembering Jack's warning, he stifled a chuckle. About to accept her offer of assistance, he diverted his hand towards his face and flicked at his cheek. “Fly, I think,” he muttered, ignoring BenkaSa's look of curiosity. “Uh, where's your driver going?” As the attendant stepped onto the water vehicle, the driver of the land coaster returned to the machine that had brought them this far.

“He's going back to pick up my father. He always enjoys the privacy and solitude of this island.”

“I don't think my teammates will be ready to come yet,” Daniel protested. A bit uneasy, he was doing the math. When the driver eventually brought the others to the land's edge, the attendant, who had started up the already moving boat, would have to bring this contraption back to pick them up. And that, by his and Jack's calculations, would leave him alone with BenkaSa, for at least two hours.

His nerves hoped they would both get very involved in those ancient writings.

_____

Daniel couldn't wait to tell Jack how wrong he'd been.

The attendant had left almost at once, leaving Daniel and BenkaSa to a sight Daniel had definitely never been expecting. The island, reached after well over an hour's journey even thought the boat was far speedier than it looked, was far from barren. The ancient writings were not covering ruins or standing rocks, nor were they petroglyphs covering hillsides. No, they were neatly etched into the marble sides of a tall, well-kept wall, four-sided and stretching around what looked to be the area of a football field. Enclosed within its boundaries was a long, single-story granite building, still polished to a shine after all these years.

“This complex is ancient?” Daniel queried. “It looks new.”

“My father's ancestors discovered it. They think it had been left by early visitors to our planet.”

“And this building?”

My father's medical facility, BenkaSa thought almost proudly. “It's served sovereignty for a long time. No one else has ever been allowed here.” Her way of bending the truth was a craft, she applauded herself. And Daniel was the easiest person to manipulate.

“A temple?”

“To the body,” she nodded, then led him to her favourite part of the wall. The writings bored her stiff, but the trees that grew there were always filled with blossoms. “Begin here.” She sat on a stone bench at the base of the largest tree, its fragrance wafting down to her from above, enveloping her senses. She closed her eyes in appreciation. This was a very romantic spot. Doca Lo, too, had been roused and inspired by its solace and serenity. He would have given her anything, promised her the world, under this very tree.

Yes, Daniel thought, he couldn't wait to tell Jack how wrong he'd been. After almost an hour, BenkaSa hadn't made a move towards him. In fact, she'd barely even spoken a word.

An hour later, he wished he hadn't made such a premature assumption. Was she coming on to him, or was she just bored and making friendly teenage conversation?

“I love your eyes,” she'd just said, slinking up behind him and running her hand along the back of his arm.

“Um,” he floundered. I like yours too? How did she want him to respond? “Thank you.”

“The woman with you has eyes of the same tint. Is this normal on your world?” She could never have asked her father for Major's eyes; women never asked to trade with a woman.

“Yes, on my planet people have eyes that are blue, green, gray, light brown, and dark brown, sometimes almost black.”

“Like my people's?” She cursed to herself; perhaps Daniel would have easily agreed to trade if she'd still had her own birth eyes. Damn Doca Lo for ever coming to her homeland.

“Almost.”

“But none have eyes like mine?” Like Doca Lo, Daniel might not be allowed to return to his home world after the trade. So be it; it would be too late for the others to stop him, by the time they found out. There were things Daniel could spend his life doing in this province, like reading these useless writings about the life before. Yet… delightedly, she realized she had also discovered that the diversification on Daniel's world could mean he would be accepted back no matter how he returned, that the colour of his eyes would not be an issue. Then, the fate of Doca Lo would not be a point of contention to revive and fuel her father's guilt.

“No. Yours are … unusual. I imagine you find them very special.” Dare he ask what had happened? And why would BenkaSa be pursuing this line of conversation? Did her eyes bother her? A teenager who was so different from others might feel self-conscious; was this why she was so willful and sometimes seemingly arrogant, to cover an inner insecurity?

“I do. I loved them when I first saw them.”

Puzzled, Daniel frowned. “What do you mean?” Then he mentally kicked himself for the phrasing of that query; had she been blind until surgery, speaking now of her first glimpse in the mirror? How old had she been? He was about to apologize, when she continued.

“Doca Lo, my boyfriend, had them. He agreed to trade.”

A shiver melted its way along the back of Daniel's neck. “I don't understand. What do you mean, trade?”

“My father operates a business in eye trade. I thought you knew,” she lied. “We do it here all the time. Wealthy people come from all around to hire him. They love his work, and pay the highest fees.” She paused for only a moment, letting that sink in. It was hard to read the message she saw in Daniel's expression, but his eyes had become wider, looking even more elegant and inspiring. “He would make an exception and do yours for free, though,” BenkaSa smilingly suggested, hoping the monetary incentive and special treatment would be a temptation. “What do you think of my eyes?”

Frozen, Daniel stared, trying to process what she was telling him… and what she was asking. “Uh, BenkaSa…” Was she saying what he thought she was saying or was there some miscommunication on his part? Was she really…? He continued to gape at her, writings temporarily forgotten, unease growing heavily in his gut. “What is it you want from me?”

“Your eyes.”

Daniel couldn't move, couldn't release his stare from BenkaSa's, untouchable thoughts drifting around the surreality of the moment.

It was BenkaSa who finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

“For mine. You said they're special.”

Stumbling out his next words, Daniel tied to recapture control of the moment. “Yes. But…” I don't want them. “I like mine too. No, BenkaSa, I'm sorry. I'm not interested in trading eyes with you.” God, had he really just needed to say that? Enough. Jack had been right, although none of his team had expected something like this. "My eyes don't work very well, BenkaSa. You wouldn't want them."

"My father can easily fix that."

“No. No, um, trading is out of the question. I'm sorry." His mind speeding into agitated turmoil, Daniel needed another way out. He wanted this conversation to end. "I think we need to go and wait for the boat. I'm finished here.”

“No, the zigute's here. My father has already arrived.” She nodded towards the walkway that led to the wall. There, watching and waiting for her signal, were Senander, the driver, and the attendant. She had timed this moment perfectly.

“Where's my team?” Daniel demanded upon their approach.

“They were still involved with my researchers,” Senander apologized, “But I wanted to join you and my daughter here. I do love this island.”

“Your daughter has made an unusual request,” Daniel began, but BenkaSa pinched his arm to catch his attention, and gave him a slight shake of her head.

“Yes, I was hoping we could stay until evening to watch the sunset,” she improvised. “It's spectacular,” she smiled at Daniel.

Caught off guard but immensely relieved that her request for the eye trade seemed to be just the passing whimsy of a teenager tired of her colourless irises, Daniel forced a smile too. He wouldn't reveal her entreaty to her father, if that's the way she wanted it. “That sounds nice,” Daniel agreed, in spite of the discomfort he felt at staying away from his team for so long. He knew they'd worry, and without transportation there'd now be no way they could access the island. The governing family might have more than one road vehicle, but he'd seen only one water vessel at the sea's edge.

Senander was staring blankly at his daughter. He knew now that Daniel had refused her demand, otherwise they'd all be heading inside his office by now to set up the plans. No, Daniel would be an unwilling donor, and preparations needed to be made. None of them would be leaving this island tonight.

_____

The sunset had indeed been spectacular, given their almost 360-degree vantage point and the reflections off the water. As the last of the rays dipped below the horizon, Daniel was definitely feeling an increasing unease. It was later than he'd imagined, and his queries and concerns about his teammates went without satisfactory answers. 

“We often stop to watch the sunset; they'll be told, I'm sure,” was all the reassurance he'd been given.

“I'd like to be getting back now,” Daniel announced, uncertain as to why the small group appeared to be heading back towards the temple, where they'd had a basic evening meal. The temple had a kitchen. Daniel hadn't yet seen anything that looked like a worshipping hall, although he'd been rebuffed when asking for a tour. Later, they'd said. Later.

The driver, whose name Daniel had learned was Atoshee, turned to reply. “It's too dark. We cannot return until morning.”

“What? Why not?” Daniel's voice revealed both apprehension and indignation as he stopped in his tracks. “My friends - ”

“You know our vessels are solar powered. We must wait for sunrise.”

“But - but don't they carry a reserve charge?” Daniel countered.

“No. Tonight we'll remain on Urann and sleep indoors.”

“When you said we'd stay and watch the sunset, I didn't know we'd be staying until tomorrow,” Daniel argued.

“Daniel,” Senander spoke calmly, feeling nothing of the sort. This deception would hurt relations between his planet and that of SG-1, but in his mind that was far better than his own daughter betraying him. He hadn't even known of these people four days ago; he'd done without them this long, he could do without them completely. “I'm sorry we did not anticipate the misunderstanding. It's not a choice we have now, however. Our transportation will not see us back to Shadna until sunrise. We will leave in the morning.”

Uncomfortably and with trepidation, Daniel trailed behind his hosts. He couldn't shake the sensation that something was going on, something nefarious that intentionally involved his separation from the rest of his team. And there in the back of his mind was the nagging feeling that he had not seen the end of BenkaSa's request.

_____

Jack had his suspicions as well. “They would have been back by now, if that had been their plan.” Still angered that Senander had left for Urann on the sly, he'd been on a ranting rampage the rest of the afternoon. The Satrap had skipped out, ostensibly to speak to his workers. He'd never returned, leaving the remainder of SG-1 with bogus researchers who had nothing of value to offer. Carter's trip to the aerospace plant had turned up nothing but hastily prepared blueprints, the machines not even off the drawing board. Perhaps not even on the drawing board until that day. “We apologize for any misunderstandings,” they'd said.

Likewise, boundary protection had more to do with safety from floodwaters than a manmade threat from other parts of the globe. They apologized for the miscommunication. By that time, Senander was long gone. That had been a misunderstanding too, apparently.

Apparently, SG-1 couldn't get anything right. “BenkaSa plots to leave with Daniel. Suddenly, Senander disappears to Urann without us. They were supposed to be a few hours. It'll be dark soon and they're not back yet. Anyone else have a problem with this?” The question was rhetorical, intended only to appease Jack's tension-releasing need for sarcasm.

“You think it's got something to do with BenkaSa wanting Daniel, Sir?”

Jack glared at Carter. “I do.”

“As do I.”

Sam nodded. “That makes three of us, Colonel. Daniel's in trouble.”

“No kidding. We need to get to Urann.”

_____

Daniel had excused himself early from dessert in the kitchen with the others. He had begun to feel unnaturally drowsy, and now lay in his assigned quarters fighting off an unnervingly strange sensation of lightheadedness. He had to stay awake to think, but thinking was growing more and more difficult. If he didn't know better, he'd conjecture that he'd been drugged.

Did he know any better?

Suddenly afraid, grogginess trying to subjugate his mind, Daniel stood on wobbly legs and inched his way out of his room, grabbing the door and walls so as not to lose his balance. He had definitely been given a helping of something not normally on the menu.

What he needed was air. What he needed was a way back to his team, but that wasn't about to happen. He needed to leave this place, get some air into his system, and figure out a way to work that boat before morning.

Voices drifted from a room to his right. Propping his back against the wall, Daniel leaned back, hoping not to fall and create a disturbance. He listened, only a few words making sense. Most of what was being said flowed through his mind and back out like sand through a sieve.

“He'll get used to them, just like I did.”

“He wants to keep his own, BenkaSa.”

“I don't really care what he wants. Men abide by the wishes of women on Shadna, or have you forgotten?”

“Your father has lived on Shadna far longer than you have, my girl.”

Daniel dropped his head to his chest, dizzy with drugs and fear. They were all in there, Atoshee and the attendant Pesde included. They were in this together, and he could guess what they were talking about. They knew about BenkaSa's request. They'd planned all along to keep him here tonight. And more than likely, willful BenkaSa was about to get her way.

“The anesthesia should be taking full effect within an hour; he'll be deeply asleep by then and we'll have little trouble carrying him to the lab.”

Feeling a rock settle in his gut, Daniel didn't stay to hear more. Air was now the first thing on his list; air, open space, boat dock, escape. If he could manage to remain upright until then, he might be able to make it out of this place.

_____

“Damn this!”

Three teammates stared at each other ineffectively. It was futile; the three small working vehicles they'd earlier found in what could be termed a storage garage had been out of power, and one had taken hours to recharge after being hauled by hand by SG-1 and a few palace workers into the fading sunlight. It seemed that no one except the provincial leaders deemed it necessary to ever leave town. Even the odd-looking camels fenced into the occasional yard were rarely seen out on the street. Upon second glance, Jack had decided to go with the vehicle.

After setting out in earnest, racing the land coaster as fast as it could be forced to go, they'd reached the end of the road. Yet facing them now was nothing but water, as far as the eye could see. The faint hint of land on the horizon was as unreachable as the moon.

“We did not lose our way, O'Neill. Of this I am certain.”

“No, Teal'c. We didn't. They don't want us to reach Urann.” And while the reasons for that might not yet be clear, the possibilities were beginning to frighten him.

“What now, Colonel?” The question needed not be asked, though, as their only choice was to return to Shadna.

“Now, Carter, we go find the damn bastards who set us on this route, and find out what the hell's going on!”

_____

The hallways were dark and seemed never-ending to the groggy, disoriented young man, although in reality he figured he'd gone only a matter of metres. The building was not so large, and even in his vertiginous state his wits and memory told him the hallways all led to the gardens. Feeling his way along the walls for support, he dazedly wondered how long it would be before anyone noticed him missing. Not more than an hour, at the very most.

As Daniel stumbled into the night air he was momentarily revived, but within seconds the woozy distortions returned. He fell as much as slid to the ground face first.

The ground felt cool and damp, but he was tired. All he wanted to do was sleep.

_____

The return trip had been alternately filled with angry cursing and uncomfortable silence, as SG-1 sensed a conspiracy against them and, more importantly, their missing archeologist.

Yet what was far worse was the discovery upon their return of the true location of Urann and what was on that island besides the lure of ancient writings - which weren't all that ancient after all. Far more menacing was the news that Urann was the location of Senander's own medical facility, coupled with the knowledge that BenkaSa wanted Daniel badly enough to trick him into visiting. What was also disconcerting enough to add to their distress were the facts, theories, and rumours they'd been told about BenkaSa's mother, Senander's wife. Long before she disappeared through the stargate, the man had been doing eye transplants.

They could only surmise that optical surgeon plus daughter who almost looked blind, equaled one tempting blue-eyed archeologist.

“He won't do it, Colonel. There's no way Daniel will allow eye surgery.” Sam, feeling her own horror manifest as something more physical, watched Jack pace angrily back and forth in the moonlight across the narrow track that led through town, his arms clasped behind his back, head lowered and face twisted into a worried anger Sam had only ever seen once or twice.

“Of course he won't, Carter. But he's outnumbered.”

“What about Senander, Sir? How will he return here, when the people find out Daniel was forced into something he refused to voluntarily do? The locals look up to the family. They'd risk being disgraced.” She was grasping at psychological straws, and she knew it.

“Not if something happened to Daniel during surgery and he wasn't around later to talk about it.”

“You think they'd kill him?” Distraught and further horrified, she turned to face the colonel with widened eyes. “But if he didn't survive surgery that could discredit Senander's surgical skills and hurt his business.”

“A business these people say he stopped practicing after his wife left town. And where'd she go, anyway?”

“According to runours, she went through the stargate to look for 'truth'.”

“Or something,” Jack scowled. “Who started the rumours, Major?”

“I don't know.”

“Ten to one it was Senander. He probably killed her too, to cover up a botched surgery.”

“For what reason would he perform this technique on his daughter, O'Neill, if he were not competent to do so?”

“You heard him, Teal'c. What BenkaSa wants, BenkaSa gets. And I'd bet a year's wages she's tired of those eyes of hers.”

“You might have hit on it the first time, Colonel. Maybe the surgery wasn't botched. Maybe it was an experiment that his wife didn't want to undertake, and he killed her to stop her from talking to the townspeople.”

“Terrific. That makes me feel so much better.”

“On what grounds do you believe he killed his wife, Major Carter? Perhaps it is true that with her revised sight she traveled through the stargate to seek new understandings and philosophies, much as Daniel Jackson desires to do.”

“So where's his wife, Teal'c?” Jack faced the large man down. “Why hasn't she come back? It's been three years, for crying out loud.”

“Perhaps she has not yet found what she has been searching for.”

“Or she found a life she liked better, Sir.”

“Or she can't because she's dead. And this is getting us nowhere. If Daniel's in trouble, we can't help him.”

_____

Daniel opened his eyes, panic overtaking him. Had he slept? No, for he was sure to do so meant he wouldn't have woken up. Not until the sedative wore off, not until they'd found him out here and brought him to the operating room, not until they'd switched his eyes with those of BenkaSa.

Shoving himself up to his knees, he could go no further.

Daniel half dragged, half crawled his way along the path to the dock.
_____

“But we can search, Colonel. A UAV might send us photos.”

Jack perked up. He hadn't thought of UAVs since meeting those little naked white men. “Think you can get it to work this time?”

“Yes, Sir. It only crashed because of the interference with the auditory signals.”

Jack shrugged. “I guess if it crashes, we might scare the hell out of Senander and Daniel can make up a story about vengeful SGC teams or something.” He snapped his fingers. “Can you get it to drop flyers? Tell them to bring Daniel back safe and sound or we'll declare war on their world?” While in no joking mood, Jack knew he wasn't joking. They had to get a message to Senander before he touched a hair on Daniel's head… or a cell in Daniel's optical nerve. Who knew how long they had, or if something tragic hadn't already transpired?

“Easy enough to rig it for that, Sir. It'll take me about half an hour.”

“Then get going. Teal'c and I will wait by the gate.”

_____

They hadn't come out searching for him yet, and that was a good thing. Falling into the water vessel, Daniel collapsed on the lower platform, trying to recall how Atoshee had driven this thing. Something stirred in his memory, something not tangible enough for a groggy brain to bring to the surface.

Reaching an arm up to the forward knobby spikes, he missed completely, then toppled over and passed out.

_____

“You sure it knows the way?”

Carter smiled. “Yes, Sir. It knows the way.”

“GPS?” Jack muttered almost apologetically.

“Pretty much.” The UAV launched into the night's darkness, and three quarters of SG-1 sat rigidly down to wait. “It's set to circle the areas where the locals believe the island to be. None of them have ever seen it first hand though.”

“So they might be guessing.”

“They might be guessing, Colonel.”

_____

The voices stirred him awake.

“He can't have gone far, anyway.”

“I still say he's in the complex. He could have passed out in some corner somewhere.”

“We didn't see him. Pesde and Benka are still looking.”

“She was furious with you.”

“Look, we prepped him and left him in his room. You know that as well as I do.”

“Your daughter knows that as well, but she's still on a rampage and out for your blood.”

“We'll find him. He can't have gone far.”

They were close.

Daniel reached his weak and weary arm up once more, and in the darkness, pulled himself to his knees by the wall levers. With a final flush of adrenaline, he grabbed the tallest of the spikes as he'd seen Atoshee deploy moments before the vessel had revved up, and pulled it towards him. That was when that nagging feeling of something caught in a forgotten memory rose to the surface. Nighttime; the boat needed the sun to run.

Oh, please.

With barely a sound the vessel breathed in air and took off, as Daniel fell towards the ground, spikey lever still clutched in his hand.

Senander had lied.

They could have gone home after sunset.

_____

The UAV circled the skies farther and farther out, finally finding an island with life forms. Signals indicated a low power source of some sort, barely detectable to the UAV's sensors. Infrared showed two forms moving around; whether either of them were Senander's team, Daniel, or complete strangers, could not be discerned. Range indicated the island was twenty-eight kilometers off the coast of Shadna's Istach province.

“Not that far.”

“Without a means of transportation, Sir, one kilometer is too far.”

“No kidding. Drop the flyers.”

“We can't get close enough yet to tell who's out there.”

“It's Senander or his men. Just do it, Carter.”

_____

Daniel woke again, and this time the sun was rising in yellow shades along the horizon. His head spinning slowly, he pushed himself to a half sitting position and steadied himself against the edge. The vessel undulated gently. He was feeling better this morning; the sedative must have nearly worn off. The water vehicle was gently swaying, stagnating in the middle of nowhere. Without his hand on the steering spikes, it had halted its journey. At least the others were unable to come after him. For the moment, he was free. Free with no food or drinkable water, free with no clear direction. For all he knew, he might end up in another province… or worse, back on Urann.

He could see an island not far away, and another behind him. From which direction had he come?

There was no way he could return to Shadna, to wherever they had left the land coaster, without proper directions. He would have to head to one of the two islands… but which one? If the boat had turned around during the night, and he headed back to Urann, he'd be right back where he'd started: on an operating table. 

He had had only one idea, once his grogginess had begun to clear. Perhaps, if he did return, he could convince BenkaSa that Earth might be able to fit her with some contact lenses, in a colour of her choice. He had no idea whether they would fit those irisless eyes, nor whether she'd believe him or even want to try, when she felt she could have a brand new pair of eyes of her own. He'd just have to take the chance, if that's what it came down to.

It would be safer to make it back on his own, though, but there was nothing to direct him, no landmarks to give him a clue. He wasn't close enough to make out any sort of buildings on either island. Finally, leaving what seemed like the flatter of the two islands behind him, he steered the unwilling vessel towards the other, the craft fighting him all the way. Atoshee had made this look so easy. Maybe it was almost out of power.

As the vessel approached the small island, Daniel held himself rigid, his stomach queasy. Should he see any indication Senander was here, he'd turn tail and flee as abruptly as a squirrel from a snake.

But this place was not where they'd docked the previous day. There were a lot more ruins, mostly piles of rubble, and a few small stone walls, all in various stages of crumbling. Unless he'd drifted completely around the island, this was not Urann.

And unless he found some complete set of ancient writings on post-it notes, or a GPS rock, he had no idea how to get back to Shadna. Without food or drinking water, he knew he'd better come up with a plan asap.

_____


Walking around the ruins aimlessly was not as enjoyable as it would have been with his team present and a stomach full of food. The dinner the previous night had been meager, but events of the night along with the drugs seemed to have increased his appetite. He was definitely hungry.

So far, no writings had survived save for a few broken symbols here and there. There was nothing Daniel could use to help him know where he was, or this island's relation to the rest of the province. He could drift aimlessly about the sea for days, searching for the land of the stargate. One thing was in his favour, at least; the vessel would take a while to run out of fuel, repowering itself throughout the day. Senander had, for the most part, lied about its reserve storage capabilities.

From what he could tell, this island had never been home to many people. The few buildings that had collapsed indicated a small colony, possibl -

“You!”

Daniel jumped, swiveling around towards the startling voice. He found himself face to face with a grizzled woman, wrinkles set across her mouth and eyes like railroad tracks on a map. Her long dark hair was patched with gray, her clothes were loose and tattered, a dirty brownish ochre. But her most disconcerting aspect was the eyes - large, sparkling, and assorted shades of grays, blues, and lilac. They were like crystals, multi-faceted, and held him momentarily spellbound.

“Um, hello. I'm Daniel. I'm, uh, I'm … lost.”

The woman cocked her head, seeming to gaze right through him. Finally she spoke, her voice a gruff remnant from a past time, a time in which she likely had a deep, rich tone. “Who are you?”

“Daniel,” he repeated. “Who are you?”

“Who, Daniel? Daniel. Daniel, who arrived in the sovereign zigute. I don't know you. You're not of the Satrap's family.” She paused, then interrupted as Daniel's lips parted in the attempt to explain, as an idea came to her. “Are you my daughter's husband?”

“What?” Daniel was caught off guard, both by the words and the woman's unnerving, captivating stare. “Who is your daughter?”

“BenkaSa. So, answer. Are you her husband?”

“What?” Daniel was again at a loss for words. What does one say to a woman whom, he'd been told, had gone through the stargate in search of adventure three years earlier? 'Did you take a wrong turn?' He glanced around, almost certain there was no second stargate on this island. “No. No, my team and I arrived through the stargate a few days ago, to make contact with the people on Shadna. I just met your daughter, and your husband, when we arrived.”

The woman's unsettling scrutiny sent a shiver up his neck.

“Did you steal the zigute?”

“No!” Daniel exclaimed. “Well, not from Shadna, anyway. BenkaSa tricked me into going to Urann to see some ancient writings, and then told me she wanted her father to trade my eyes with hers. I refused.” Daniel frowned at the memory of being trapped in a lab with a madman and madwoman, characters out of a Grimm's fairytale or Hitchcock movie. Now, he faced a woman with kaleidoscopic eyes, mother of a daughter with pure white ones. Something told him this woman's were not hers from birth. If she condoned eye trafficking, how would she react to his rejection of her daughter? “I took the bo… zigute and got lost. Here I am.”

The woman continued her discomfiting visual probing, her eyes glittering with the slightest movement.

She nodded. “My daughter must be careful what she wishes for.”

Taking a breath, Daniel dove in. “I was told you had left Shadna through the stargate in search of wisdom.”

“The Wisdom Ring is what you call the stargate?”

Daniel nodded.

“Then my family is spreading myths.”

Confusion had already wrapped itself around Daniel's consciousness; now, he was about to unravel the story of this family. Whether it served his purpose or not, he was interested. “What really happened?” he asked softly. “What are you doing here… um, I don't know your name.”

“My name…” she hadn't heard her name spoken aloud in many years. “My name is Franaica.”

“That's a lovely name.”

“It goes with my lovely eyes.”

“Yes, it does.”

“I was mocking.”

Another frown deepening his tense features, Daniel gave a minute shake of his head. “I don't understand.”

“My loving husband granted me the wish of trading eyes with a Boterean. He never even suggested I might not be able to handle the sensory input of manifold lenses.”

It took a moment for Daniel to comprehend exactly what had taken place so long ago in her past. “But you seem to be doing fine.”

“I've had years to adjust.” She shook her head, still cocking it from side to side. “And even now, I cannot tell if those angles and bumps all over your face are real.”

“No. They're not.”

“Allow me to touch your face?”

Only a moment's pause. “Yes.”

With eyes closed, the woman laid gentle fingers around Daniel's face and head, then along his arms and upper body. “No, this is not what I see. I feel smoothness.” She opened her eyes. “My eyes may be beautiful to look into, but it is not I who sees them. I live from behind and within. My daughter must be careful what she wishes for.”

“So… tell me, what happened, Franaica?”

“Sit down, Daniel, and I'll tell you. It's hard for me to walk and stand so long.” She took his sleeve, and with an inelegant gait, pulled him towards some fallen stones. She sat on the largest, motioning for him to join her. “I could not handle the vision. I screamed at Senander to trade my eyes once again, but the Boterean was pleased with his new ones and would not hear of returning them. I believe my husband sent his people back through the Wisdom Ring and cancelled all further dealings with them. No one in the sovereign household, after seeing my distress, would volunteer to trade eyes with me. I couldn't take it any more. It was terrible, nothing looked like it was supposed to; I could barely tell up from down, and I was sick to my stomach all the time. My husband appeared to have dozens of eyes, dozens of noses; my daughter looked frightening to me.” She paused. “Everything looked frightening. One afternoon Tharatel, my husband's sister, lured me to the zigute, saying she wanted to speak to me in private. We had some drinks and delicacies on board - hard as it was for me to eat, but I kept my eyes closed - while she told me her worries about an Empress who was seemingly going mad. She said I could no longer guide the province and should hand the duty over to my daughter. I refused; BenkaSa was too young. The next thing I knew I awoke here, alone.”

“Unable to get back,” Daniel finished for her. “She drugged you.”

“Yes.”

Daniel looked around uneasily. “And you've lived alone here for three years. What about food? Shelter?”

“There is a garden left over from the early peoples who inhabited this island before moving to Shadna. Fruit grows in abundance from the trees; nuts and berries are plentiful. There are some open caves to sleep in, but the sun is almost always shining on this land. The small amount of rain is just enough to keep the trees happy. There are manmade wells to drink from.”

“The others never came looking for you?”

“Oh, I'm certain Tharatel made sure to tell some intricate story of my demise. Or, my departure,” she amended, “through the Wisdom Ring, as you've already mentioned.”

Daniel nodded in thought. “If you know the way, I have a way back now.”

“Yes. You have the zigute.” She stood up clumsily. “You said they took you to Urann?”

“To perform surgery. Yes.”

“So they're all trapped there.”

“Apparently.”

“Take me to them.”

Daniel hesitated. “Uh, no. They'll be looking for me. I'd rather go to Shadna and have someone else pick them up from there, if it's alright with you.”

She smiled. “Daniel, I'm still head of this province. I will be in control of what my husband and daughter do from now on. If we return to Shadna with them, Tharatel will be confronted by Senander and forced to admit her treason. If we return alone…,” she paused, “Tharatel might trap me again and no one will ever be the wiser.”

“My team will protect you.”

She shook her head. “I don't know them. We will go to Urann.”

“Franaica, your daughter wants my eyes,” he reminded her.

“And you say you refused?”

“Yes, but Senander can't seem to say no to her.”

“He bends to her will. He must; she's the leader now. But when I return with you, BenkaSa's power will automatically be rescinded. I'll reclaim my status as head of state and put an end to my daughter's nonsense; she will not have your eyes. Senander will be happy to listen to me instead. I'm sure he's been very troubled by my disappearance.”

“My team is on Shadna. I'd really rather head back there first.”

“I would not. Urann is on the way, and that is where I'll direct you. Trust me, Daniel. It will be much better this way, arriving on Shadna with the Satrap and his daughter, the matriarch of the province home at last.”

_____

Senander fingered the slips of paper that were littering the island come morning. Notes about bringing Daniel back or facing the consequences. What powers did these people possess, to reach him all the way out here? There were no more zigutes, and SG-1 was not in evidence. Was this some sort of magic?

But he didn't care about an offworlder's idea of consequences when his daughter was threatening something far more personal. He could always ban the Earth people from re-entering his stargate. “They know we're here but cannot reach us.”

“We can tell them he's been lost in the sea.”

But the zigute was gone and Senander was worried. “Or maybe he's already making his way back to Shadna.” And then they'd all learn the truth.

_____

The zigute approached the island, as Daniel helped steer. Gut instinct told him this was not the smartest of moves, but he was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Franaica would have left one way or the other, with or without him. And he depended on her to lead the way. He just hoped Senander would be as happy to see Franaica as she believed.

There were four people standing on the shore when they pulled the tiny vessel in to dock and cut the solar power access. Four people gaping, silently, as no one moved.

Franaica disembarked, with Daniel's helping hand. The boat wobbled.

The woman stood there, cocking her head, trying to discern her husband from the other two men. BenkaSa, although older than fourteen now, she recognized right away.

As her family stepped closer, she announced loudly, “I don't know what you believed, but the lies were Tharatel's.”

“Franaica?” Senander's voice was weak.

“Mother?”

“Benka.” Franaica held out her arms, and BenkaSa ran towards her. Stopping just short of her mother, BenkaSa paused. Her mother lowered her arms.

“Benka, your mother is here to take over once again,” Franaica said gently. “Your time will come, but it is not now.”

After a pause, BenkaSa replied, “I know, Mother.”

Franaica waited for Daniel to sidle up to them, as he did hesitantly, then she diverted her gaze to peer around at the island. Her eyes scanned the wall, behind which was the lab. “I remember this,” she said to no one in particular.

“Franaica, where have you been living all these years?” A stunned Senander finally found his voice. So certain his wife had committed suicide, he now realized it was his sister who had informed him, who claimed she had tried in vain to stop her. Yes… Tharatel had been the only true witness. Thara, who had likely wanted the power of ruling, the adult voice behind BenkaSa.

His wife looked rough and older, not the flaming beauty she had been three years before. In her madness, would her wisdom still endure?

“Tharatel left me on the island of Viban.”

“Where no one goes any longer.”

“Yes.” She pulled Senander aside, speaking in a low voice, wishing he had taken her into his arms. “Husband, these eyes still torment me, after so many years.”

She could sense the pain and guilt in his voice when he spoke. “I'm so sorry, Frana. I wish I had known.”

“You can help me, Sena.”

“You know I'd do anything for you, love.”

“Good. I want the eyes of that young man.”

Senander's joy at the return of his wife and dismissal of his daughter as head of state, turned suddenly sour. Memories of years past returned with a suddenness that made his stomach clench. “The last time you asked this of me it turned out badly. I swore I'd never use my skills again in such a way.”

“Yet you were going to use them for Benka,” she accused. “And even I can see you already did, once.”

“She was threatening to expose me. I would have been sent to Karzeneal, or worse. BenkaSa would have been alone in guiding the province. We both know she's too young.”

“And now you need no longer worry about her commands. But you can tranfer the eyes for me. I have good reason, Sena. A leader needs to see. A leader needs full capabilities of her senses. A leader needs a calm mind.” But mostly, Franaica wanted her life back again. She wanted to be able to see, read, write… eat without discomfort. She had certainly become used to seeing in this way, but nothing was normal.

“And what of Daniel? He won't have any greater success with those eyes than you've had.”

“He's not the leader of his country, Sena, is he? I need that simple blue vision more than he does.”

“Back then, you would never have taken by force.”

“Back then I did not know what it was to live the way I've been living.”

Senander sighed. He knew when he was trapped; he had to bow to a woman's wishes, whether she be his mother, his wife, or leader of the province.

“We'll have some tea,” she continued. “Refreshment after our journey and my long exile. You know what to put in Daniel's.”

_____

Daniel had thought of refusing the offers, but he really was hungry. He trusted Franaica, and listened to their plans of a triumphant return. He just wished they'd make the plans while traveling in the zigute, instead of here on this island he'd come to despise. The separation and distance from his friends was worrisome; he'd seen the UAV, his team's only way of reaching him. It was a limited, ineffective effort, but told him how desperate they were to find him. And this building was just a place of bad memories, the previous night still fresh in his mind. He'd refused to step inside, and they had all agreed to have lunch in the garden.

But now, something was wrong. The voices seemed to be fading in and out, just as they had the night before. Bodies moved in slow motion, an actuality his conscious mind knew to be impossible.

Daniel rose, making a movement towards the water, towards the vessel. He was not going to be caught again; he'd jump into the water if need be and swim for some other place on the island. He'd take the zigute and find Shadna by trial and error; he'd do anything but give his eyes to BenkaSa. Franaica had promised it wouldn't happen, so what was going on? Was the food spiked, or did it just have hallucinogenic properties? Was the water alcoholic, perhaps? Or had he once again been drugged, tricked? He didn't know what was going on. He didn't understand.

And he didn't hear the footsteps. “Where are you going?”

Daniel halted, half-turning, his vision swimming. “I don't feel well.”

“Come inside and lie down.” Franaica put her hand on his shoulder.

“No.” He shrugged her away. “Just take me to Shadna.”

“We will.”

“Now, Franaica.” He heard his voice slurring. Thoughts were in his brain, but were they coming out of his mouth? “Or I'll take the zigute myself.”

“You won't. We'll take you to Shadna after the transfer.”

Heart lurching loudly in his chest, Daniel thought he'd be physically sick at any moment. “What transfer? You promised…”

“I need your eyes, Daniel.”

You?

His heart might have stopped, for a second, yet still he remained upright. It definitely was pounding hard and fast, not the effect of drugs.

Contact lenses could not alleviate this woman's problem.

“No.” Even in his sedated state, the words shocked and threatened. Waking up with barely functional diamond eyes was something he would fight with his last living breath; he'd rather rush the water and take his chances with drowning. There were three large bodies coming towards him, slow motion men he thought he knew but somehow had no names for. As he turned back to the water, noting too many meters until he reached the boat, Daniel took one step forward and passed out.

Four people stared down at the inert body.

“Are you certain about this, Franaica?”

The woman glared at her husband, then softened her expression. “I have never been more certain about anything in my life.”

_____

“I see them, Colonel!” Holding the binoculars in one hand and pointing with the other, Sam could make out the forms of several people in front of a wall, just past the shoreline.

The Shadnaians might not have had many of their own water vehicles, but Earth did. Twenty-eight kilometers wasn't far on an almost featureless sea, and inflatable Zodiacs took care of the job in under an hour. Procuring them had taken half the morning, though. While waiting for the inflatable boats to arrive, Senander's other two tiny land coasters had needed to be charged. A couple of hours in the sun had given them enough juice to start out with, although the vehicles had been greatly slowed down with the added equipment, along with the four SGC members they'd crammed into each one. With the UAV's coordinates, Urann had not been hard to find, and finally, three SG teams had now nearly caught up with Senander and, hopefully still in one piece, Daniel.

For SG-1, the hours had been infuriatingly long. It had been a miserable day and night since Daniel had been gone - kidnapped and held captive - and the three teammates held little hope that all was well.

The Zodiacs neared the shore, but not fast enough for Jack. “Can you see Daniel?”

“Not yet, Sir.” She could make out Senander, BenkaSa, the driver, the attendant, another woman. “Wait a minute… they stepped aside, Sir. Someone's on the ground; it could be Daniel. He's not moving.”

“Damn.” Could they switch eyes with a dead person? Or might they have completed the surgery, leaving Daniel unconscious… or dead? Had they been heading out to the boat contraption, returning home? Might they have been planning to drop Daniel into the sea somewhere along the way?

“If we're too late, Carter, I'm going to use this thing.” Jack moved his shoulder, jostling his rifle. Anger steeped inside, but on the surface he remained calm. He'd do whatever it took to rescue his teammate, and if that meant forcing Senander to reverse the surgery, then that's what he'd do.

As long as Daniel was alive. If not, those people would wish they'd never set eyes, no pun intended, on SG-1.
_____

On the island, the men turned to look. Approaching was an odd sight, nothing they'd ever seen before. Those zigutes didn't belong to their ruling family. They appeared to be nothing more than floating tables.

“What are you waiting for?” Franaica asked. Her daughter was pouting in the garden, refusing to move. She needn't be present for the surgical procedure anyway, and it was best that she remain self-occupied. The men seemed to be watching something out at sea, but she couldn't see nearly that far. No, Franaica's world consisted of a span of about thirty feet in any direction, and she was tired of it. Soon, not too soon for her, she'd be normal again.

“Some sort of zigutes approach.”

“What? How is that possible? Have you commissioned more than this one, since I've been gone?” She knew her husband would never have allowed the commoners to obtain access to the private islands.

“No. They must belong to Daniel's world.”

“Then hurry up. Get him inside.” Once the procedure had begun, no one would be stupid enough to stop it. That would leave them both blind.

“No.”

“Senander? Are you refusing a female's orders?” Franaica's wrath could rival her daughter's.

Senander paused.

“I thought you loved me.”

“Franaica - ”

“You did this to me, Sena.”

“You begged me to. I was happy to look into your dark eyes, Frana.”

“Will you be happy to see my pain every day? To watch me go mad?”

“We'll find someone willing to trade.”

“There is no one so stupid, Sena.”

“I could test the camels…”

Franaica looked up in horror. “Not a chance! I won't use a camel's eyes or be the subject of another experiment. That man has what I want!”

But Senander hesitated just long enough. Thunderous noises boomed, as tree branches broke off and fruit bounced to a halt too close to their feet. The newcomers had some strange powers, strong magic, and no one on the island moved. When the tiniest zigutes he'd ever seen finally docked, and a dozen outraged men and women in matching green outfits swarmed his staff, his family was easy to subdue.

With subjects cooperating and being manhandled into two of the boats by SG-6 and 7, SG-1 turned their attention to Daniel, lying on the ground. A single Zodiac awaited them.

“Hold it!” Jack ordered the other teams. “Don't leave yet. We might need Senander.” Just in case. There was no way he was leaving Daniel to an uncertain fate, if further surgery was necessary.

“Daniel, hey.” Reaching over to find a slow pulse, Jack sighed a breath of relief and nodded at his worried teammates. He gently patted Daniel's cheek, but the other man didn't stir. Jack pried open an eye, finding blue, then closed his own eyes and lowered his head, waving the Zodiacs off. He'd been more than worried; he'd been going ballistic. Retrieving his own sense of stability, O'Neill finally met his friends' eyes with compassion and renewed leadership, commanding them home, as all three carefully lifted and maneuvered their unconscious teammate into the last awaiting boat.

_____

Daniel slowly fought his way to consciousness, becoming aware of the sound of a motor and low, quiet voices. Suddenly remembering what had been about to take place, he shot up with a start, making it only as far as one elbow before dropping back to the ground, eyes falling shut.

In that instant, he thought he'd seen his team. If that's what Boterean eyes could do, work miracles, it wasn't all bad.

“Hey, you. Welcome back.” It was a voice that matched Jack's. Boterean ears were good too.

“We're on our way home, Daniel.” Sam was around somewhere, whether in his imagination or on this island. The island, or his imagination, was moving.

Slowly, Daniel's world began to make more sense. “Sam? Jack? Teal'c?”

“Right here, Daniel.”

“Am I alright?”

“What? Oh. Baby blue, buddy, not white. Don't worry.”

“White? No, diamond.”

“What?” Was Daniel still out of it?

“What?”

“Sir, let him rest. You're fine, Daniel. You've been unconscious. Get some rest and we'll let you know when we make land.”

“No.” Daniel struggled to sit up, but his world spun and he flopped back down, the brief moment of sunlight too much for his aching head. Nothing seemed quite right, but nothing seemed quite wrong either, not the way it would have been if... “You sure I don't have multi-coloured eyes?”

“No, Daniel, your eyes are fine.” Then it hit; the woman they'd seen… her eyes had been strange, not that anyone had looked too closely, in their haste to check on Daniel. Franaica? Senander's wife? “Daniel, you awake?” Jack slid from the inflated edge of the cramped boat to his knees, and patted Daniel's cheek again.

“Yes. Obviously.” Although his eyes remained closed and his head thumped rather too harshly.

“Who was that woman?”

“Who?”

“Back there. On the island.”

“Don't know, Jack, I was unconscious.” In his growing awareness, he smiled. He knew who Jack meant. “Oh. Senander's wife. I guess you weren't introduced.”

“Uh, no. What's she doing here?”

“She was left on another island by Senander's sister, who wanted BenkaSa to take over Shadna.” Probably to give her own advice to her niece and rule by proxy. Daniel finally opened his eyes, in readiness to try and rise once more. This time, the sky and his teammates were almost staying grounded. There was sky above, and the sound of a motor. Oh… Sam had said something about reaching land. Where'd they get a boat? He tilted his head to see Teal'c at the rear controls. Sam was seated on a puffy edge. Zodiac? Weren't they still on P3…3…something? The interior of this boat was tiny, and with him stretched out nearly to Teal'c's feet, his teammates had little room left in which to perch.

“The plot thickens.”

“Jack?”

“Yep?”

“Are we there yet?”

“Another half hour, buddy.” Jack smiled fondly down at his friend; Daniel still seemed out of it, but he was alive and himself and that was all that really mattered. That would definitely be the last time he'd let Daniel go off on his own, ever, anywhere, even if it meant watching Daniel ogle chicken scratches on a bunch of rocks for an entire month. He'd always keep an eye on him, no distasteful pun intended.
_____

Had this been Earth, and had he been able to have his way, Jack would have had Senander and the entire gang up on charges in a heartbeat. As it was, the only thing he could do was forego trade… and no, none of the dozen SG team members would agree to do so with Franaica, as trading eyes was not part of their wish list nor their job description… and return home. The leaders of Istach Province didn't seem to care one way or another any more, so leaving in a huff wasn't as satisfying to Jack as he'd hoped; not like being able to slam a door and make a grand exit, or slap the handcuffs on someone. Still, Daniel was okay and he'd have to be content with that. He could live with the rest.

Actually, if there was any satisfaction to be had, it was in the finality of the word 'no'. Franaica was somewhere sulking, angry at Daniel, the SG teams, and probably Earth in general. Jack had taken a closer look at her, back on land. He almost felt sorry for the woman, until he remembered she'd brought this upon herself with her own vanity. BenkaSa was also off pouting, mostly at her parents. Even Senander refused to talk to them, likely pondering what he would tell the populace and how he would manage his wife and daughter, not to mention who would be running the province. And there was still his sister to deal with.

Although even as small as the Shadna community was, Tharatel was nowhere to be found.

“Do you think we screwed up a harmonious society, Jack?” Daniel was agitated, hardly saying a word to his teammates since his improvement, as three teams walked unescorted to the stargate, manually pulling a trolley containing inflatable dinghies and air pumps.

“Harmonious my foot. You saved that woman from a solitary life on a deserted island, Daniel. You saved an entire province from rule by that witch of a kid. If they can't find their own wisdom now to sort things out, that's not our fault nor up to us to fix.”

“O'Neill is correct, Daniel Jackson. Do not concern yourself further with their affairs,” Teal'c agreed from behind.

“What they did was unethical, Daniel,” Sam added. “Hopefully they've learned something from us.”

Subdued, deep in thought, Daniel could only nod. He'd come too close to losing everything, sanity included, to have much empathy for those folks. His team had rescued him with less than an hour to spare. For that, he had no room left inside to feel anything but gratitude. Maybe tomorrow, when he awoke and looked in the mirror, he'd think about it more deeply. Now, all he wanted was to get home and off this planet. “Thanks.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and knew his friends would always be by his side.

“Did it for myself, buddy. I'd've hated to see you with those weird eyes. And talk about scaring kids on other planets.”

“We weren't.”

“Weren't what?”

“Talking about scaring kids.”

“Well, we would've been. Tomorrow morning, first thing.”

“Would I have been off the team?”

“More like in a cell at Area 51, with NID examining your eye transplant. Anyway, you could hardly walk around town looking like that. Even if beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It would give a whole new meaning to eyeballing someone.” Jack's intentional quips didn't wipe the seriousness off Daniel's face.

Daniel just nodded, lost in thought, the stargate looming before them. He shook himself back to reality and sat down to rest for a moment on a boulder; there were some things he'd never allow himself to dwell on. The hand on his shoulder anchored him, and he knew Jack knew it too.

“How about giving us a hand, here,” Lou called, trying to aim the trolley's wheels up an improvised set of ramps to the stargate. Teal'c and Sam hastened on ahead as Jack called back, “Hey, it was my idea. My job here's done.” He ignored Lou's retort. There were more than enough campers to handle the equipment.

“You okay?” His gaze met Daniel's, sincere concern on his face. He was relieved when Daniel finally released the tension in his jaw and eyes and smiled.

“I will be,” Daniel nodded. “The boats were your idea?”

“Mine, Carter's, who cares about the details, eh?” Jack grinned, then patted Daniel's head. “Just another day on the job. Ready? If we let them do all the work we'll never hear the end of it.” Not that they were really needed; the gear was already disappearing through the gate. Holding a hand out for Daniel, he nodded towards the trolley now vanishing through the stargate. Teal'c and half of SG-7 were already taking control of dismantling the ramps. Yep, all in a day's work. Never a dull moment. All's well that ends well, even if there was a lot more to this mission than met the eye. Jack vowed to never have the wool pulled over his eyes again. Or have Daniel see through someone else's eyes, literally. And as soon as Daniel was back in full form, like tomorrow, he'd have to get the linguist to research some new cliches.

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