Past the furious marker on his anger scale, Jack was building toward outraged, as he shoved the guard aside and burst into the room pointed out as Breetan's sleeping quarters.

"Leader O'Neill, I am pleased to have you join me for the morning meal." The man reclined in his huge bed, a tray of food on his lap, much as the one delivered to their rooms. At his nod a servant rushed forward, moving the tray to a nearby table while another hurried to assist him to a chair. "Please forgive me but I am always weak at the beginning of Kom'Ki."

Mincing no words, Jack came to the point, barely controlling his anger. "What the hell did you do to Daniel!?"

Breetan frowned. "I do not understand."

"I wanna know why everyone around here is suddenly calling him the Chosen One and what the hell did you give him. He acts like he's been drugged."

"He is the one spoken of in the prophecy." Breetan waved away the guards who had followed him into the room, commanding the servants to leave aw well. "He is the reason you are here. You came to Jalana so that we may become one just as it is written."

"What!?" Jack's breath caught in his throat, his hand automatically dropped to his sidearm. 'Become one' Were they actually Goa'uld after all? No! Carter or Teal'c would have sensed it. The same with the Tok'ra. So what the hell kind of race were they dealing with? "I don't know anything about a prophecy. What I do know is that we came to here to talk about making a possible alliance that might benefit both our worlds and now a member of my team.....my friend....is laying in that room....sleeping like he's in a coma."

"Please do not worry. He will soon awaken completely refreshed. I promise you Leader O'Neill, by embracing the inevitable and, accepting the Kom'Ki Daniel will suffer no pain. The joining will be peaceful and his passing pleasant" At a loud clap of his hands, a servant who must have been waiting just outside the door rushed into the room. "Bring Malina to me at once." He returned his attention to Jack. "Daniel also spoke of this allience between our worlds. I know it would please him greatly. You have my word, when the Kom'Ki is complete-"

"What the hell is this Kommy'Kat crap you keep babbling about!?" Frustrated, fear washing over him in tidal waves, the colonel fought to retain control.

"The Kom'Ki is the ritual in which Daniel Jackson and I shall become one."

"You already said that....You talking blood brothers, lovers, husband and wife, what?!" Jack suddenly felt as if his knees had turned to water, Breetan's words ringing oppressively in his ears. 'His passing will be pleasant.'

"If it pleases you Great Breetan I will attempt to explain Kom'Ki to Leader O'Neill."

Jack spun to find Malina standing in the doorway. She moved to helped the native leader back to bed. "You must rest Great Breetan. You know how quickly your energy fades these days."

"You are correct Malina." He sighed wearily pulling the sheets up under his chin. "Malina will answer any remaining question, Leader O'Neill. I apologize for my weakness, however, I will be stronger than ever before once the Kom'ki is complete."

Pissed at the dismissal, Jack spun on his heel and stormed from the chamber."To hell with this! We're outta here!" Jack announced as Malina hurried down the corridor behind him. "No member of my team becomes one with some over indulgent alien without my permission. Thank your.....king or queen or whatever he is, but we're gone."

"Leader O'Neill you-"

"My name is Jack, not Leader O'Neill and you can save your arguments because there's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind!" Yet her next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Only Norita and I can prevent Daniel's death."

*****

His head swimming with the implication of her words, O'Neill gripped Malina's arm, dragging her through the corridors to Daniel's room, his expression clearly daring the guards to try and stop him. Practically throwing her into the room, slamming the door, Jack momentarily leaned against it before crossing to the bed to check on Daniel.

"He's still sleeping, sir." Carter glanced at Teal'c, fear and confusion in her eyes at her commander's actions. "Is Daniel alright sir."

"I don't think so." Trying desperately to contain his anger, Jack shoved Malina into the nearest chair. "Start talking! And you damn well better make it good!"

"Leader O'Neill,.....I apologize-"

"I don't wanna hear any apologies. I want you to tell me what is going on with my friend and I wanna hear it now!"

"Norita and I were unsuccessful in convincing Breetan you are not the travelers spoken of in the prophecy. Many of the signs were there but not all." She met his angry gaze steadily. "Norita, having spent more time with Daniel, was the first to notice the discrepancies, however, I make no excuses for Breetan except to say he is desperate."

O'Neill's glower deepened as he interrupted her. "This is not telling me what he did to Daniel!"

"To understand Leader O'Neill, you must know the history of our world."

All eyes turned to the bed as Daniel began to stir, as if sensing they were about to discuss something that would fascinate him as well. Jack was suddenly uncertain he wanted Daniel awake. It might be easier for his friend, not knowing the fate Breetan had in mind for him. From what he was able to put together so far, the archaeologist had been chosen to die or become a host, either of which was unacceptable to Jack.

His uncertainty was settled with a yawn and languid stretch and Daniel's look of bemusement as he slowly pushed into a sitting position, his bewildered gaze moving over the people gathered in his room.

"What's going on?" He mumbled sleepily seeing his own confusion mirrored in Sam and Teal'c's eyes, Daniel turned to the one person he could completely count on. "Jack?"

Cursing under his breath, Jack sighed. "Malina here was about to tell us a story Danny. One I don't think any of us are going to like very well."

"Jack!" Excitement suddenly lit Daniel's azure blue eyes. "I had a chance to read some of the history. Most of these people originated on Abydos! They were brought here by Ra! When Earth turned against him, he took people from Abydos to seed this world. According to the books, there were a few others here from another....." His voice suddenly trailed off, as Jack's expression registered in his brain. "What's wrong Jack?"

"Danny....I.....You need to hear what Malina has to say." Shoving his hands in his pockets, the colonel crossed to a window, leaning against the sill, his eyes never leaving his friend as the woman began.

"Daniel speaks truly. When the people were brought to Jalana from another world by the sun god there were others here, the ancestors of the priestess'. The sun god provided generously and told us he would return. He did not. There were few of us but slowly our numbers began to grow. We survived famine and disease but our numbers suffered great losses. Over the generations our leaders...." Malina hesitated, searching for words that wouldn't offend their sensibilities, "their children were fewer. For many generations we have relied on the Kom'Ki ritual only for emergencies, waiting for the prophecy to be fullfilled. Breetan is the last of his line. The Kom'Ki has kept him alive for many years. If he dies, we have no leader."

"He doesn't look that old. Why doesn't he just marry and have children or take a concubine....or something." Sam commented.

"Breetan is one hundred and fifteen of our years. He has been married several times but is unable to produce children." Malina sighed deeply. "The Kom'Ki keeps our leader alive and healthy, however, I believe it will eventually kill our world. Even now our young men grow fewer."

Jack's impatient voice cut in, "I'm still waiting to hear what the hell this Kom'Ki thing is and just exactly what it has to do with....Daniel."

Daniel's head jerked in Jack's direction.

"The Kom'Ki allows Breetan to absorb the life energy of others."

"How?" Sam questioned.

"Carter! How many times do I have to say I don't give a damn how something works! Do the words absorb life energy have any meaning to you?" Jack flared angrily. He wasn't a scientist but, even he realized that if indeed Breetan was able to draw energy from Daniel it would still have a detremental effect on the anthropologist. The sidearm appeared in Jack's hand so swiftly no one could say for sure how it got there as the door opened.

Norita slipped silently into the room. Her eyes full of sadness and compassion, she opened the book and bowing moved to hand it to Daniel.

"Sir. If we know how the process works we may be able to reverse it." Carter pointed out.

"There is no way to reverse the Kom'Ki." Malina responded, motioning Norita to sit. "Once again, I apologize, I did not realize Breetan would act so quickly. I had hoped we would have today in which to convince him of his error or to allow you to return through the Gateway to the Stars. Unfortunately he has already given Daniel the elixir. It would have been placed in the morning wine."

"So just how does this....elixir....work?" Jack's slight smile at the sight of Daniel, his concentration focused on the book in his lap, faded hearing once again Breetan's words. 'Embracing the inevitable, accepting the Kom'Ki Daniel will suffer no pain. The passing will be pleasant.' Well, Daniel was never one for accepting the inevitable if there was a way around it and neither was he.

"I am sorry to say, Leader O'Neill, I do not know the effects it will have on Daniel. In his desperation, Breetan did not allow the Chosen One to be properly prepared."

"How can you be certain, Daniel Jackson has been given this elixir." Teal'c questioned somberly.

"Leader O'Neill, did you not see the wound on Breetan's left hand?"

"I wasn't particularly worried about his health, but I do remember seeing some kind of wrapping." O'Neill snapped, his irritation growing by the second.

"For the Kom'Ki to work, the elixir must contain the fresh blood of our leader."

Daniel's head snapped up. The color draining from his complexion, the linguist slapped a hand over his mouth and jumping from the bed, rushed to the basin in the adjoining room. Teal'c followed, one hand resting gently on his friend's forehead, the other rubbing soothing circles on his back as Daniel continued to retch until dry heaves proved there was nothing left in his stomach.

"What other ingrediants are in this elixir?" Carter finally asked.

"It is made of many roots and plants." Norita spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Many generations ago, the flower that will prevent the Kom'Ki elixir from completing its task was ordered destroyed by the leaders of Jalana, however, the mother of my mother knew of several plants which survived. We must leave quickly, for they grow in the mountains, two days walk from the Gateway and if Breetan learns of our plans he will do whatever necessary to stop us."

"Plain and simple, I want to know exactly what to expect....what's going to happen until we get the antidote in him."

"I am sorry Colonel Jack O'Neill. We do not know. As my mother told you, Breetan did not take the time to properly prepare Daniel. When the Chosen One agrees to the Kom'Ki, several days are spent in preparation. He is given roots which insure, the elixir will no pain. At the end of the fourth day, he simply falls into a deep sleep and on the fifth the transference is made."

Jack thought again, how much she reminded him of Daniel as she paced in front of them, her voice soft and thoughtful. "What is of most concern to both mother and myself is that the Chosen One is not of our world."

"Which means?" Jack looked to Carter for a translation.

"They don't know how he's going to react."

"Just fucking wonderful!!" This mission was just getting better and better.

"Sir, I don't think Daniel should be moving around too much. With your permission Teal'c and I will go with Norita-"

"I am afraid Daniel must go with us! There is a juice in the flower which must be ingested, shortly upon being broken from the vine or the effects will not work."

"Forgive my ignorance but aren't we forgetting one thing here." Jack threw his hands up in exasperation. "Daniel is allergic to flowers."

"I'm allergic to pollen Jack, not the flowers themselves per se." With a nod of thanks, Daniel accepted the cool cloth Teal'c offered, sinking into a chair.

"But aren't you still ingesting the pollen if you eat the flower? The idea here is to keep you from dying not...." Jack clamped his teeth together seeing Daniel duck his head, in an attempt to hide the fear, the colonel himself was feeling.

"So what kind of a time frame are we looking at." Daniel hesitated, covertly glancing at the others before once again ducking his head, unwilling to cause them further worry but needing an answer to his question. "How long before it kills me?"

"The Kom'Ki takes five of our days Daniel....Breetan always assures they are the happiest days of the Chosen One's life. Anything he desires is granted."

"How about not wanting to be the Chosen One." He quipped.

"Among our people it is considered a great honor." Malina pointed out.

"Teal'c, Carter get the gear. It's time to get the hell outta Dodge."

"You have a plan Leader O'Neill?"

"Yeah, I have a plan and my name is Jack for cryin out loud!" Rolling his eyes he turned from Malina to his teammates. "Carter you and Teal'c gate back and see if Janet can give us any help. If nothing else she may be able to tell us what side effects this flower may have on Daniel. We'll go with Norita. I'll leave a trail, Teal'c will be able to follow."

"Do not worry O'Neill, I will find you and Daniel Jackson."

"This wasn't your fault Teal'c." Daniel quietly assured him, immediately sensing the Jaffa's feelings of guilt. The warrior had failed in his self appointed duty to keep the youngest member of their team safe.

"Sir, it may help Janet if I took a sample of Daniel's blood back. I can rinse one of the morphine hypos from the medikit to use."

"Do it and then get your asses in gear. The sooner you leave the sooner you get back."