STARGATE SG-1
RELATIONSHIPS
Part one: The Host
By Gen Varel
Category: Drama/Action/Romance
Spoilers: Rite of
Passage
Divide and Conquer
The Lost
City
It’s Good
to Be King
Season: Eight
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Sam is
kidnapped to become host to Ba'al's
new queen.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1
and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret
Productions and Gekko Productions. I
have written this story for the enjoyment of Stargate SG-1 fans all over the
world. No copyright infringement is
intended and no monetary gain is expected.
Chapter one
Screams, wailing and weeping was all she heard. She could not see clearly through her
tears. Still, she did not want to tear
her eyes away from the dear faces she may not see for much longer.
They had tried, and failed.
Despite their failure and the betrayal they never expected, they were
not sorry. They had risked everything
for a cause worth dying for. There was
no doubt of that, not even on the faces of those who knew they were about to
be executed.
Her father, her dear, wise old man, now knelt in defeat but still
defiant before the despised Goa'uld. The being that proclaimed to be a God, but was nothing but a
parasite that enslaved and abused her people. Her two older brothers, always so strong and
willful, were now beaten, but still proud.
The three of them stared straight ahead with their heads high, mindless
of the terrified stares and whispers coming from their people around them.
They had been gathered in the spacious courtroom, normally a place
she associated with the gentle ways of the Xentex
court life. Now the air reeked with
fear. The nobles, their families, and
even some of their servants, had been abruptly taken from their homes and
brought here. They were to bear witness,
and maybe die. They all knew what was
coming. The gloating, the sentence, and
the brutality they had witnessed so many times before.
She did not care about herself.
She even accepted the death of those most dear to her. But she could not permit the massacre of her
people. She tore free from her captors
and ran to the hated Goa’uld, kneeling at his feet, “I beg you, My Lord!” she
shouted, bowing at Ba’al. “Do not punish those who had nothing to do
with our betrayal! Take the lives of the
royal family, but spare our people. They
had no knowledge of our actions. Show
mercy for your subjects!”
The large group of people in the courtroom, huddled in fear,
stared at her and then at Ba’al with hope in their eyes. She knew many of them personally and even
knew of those who participated in the conspiracy, but did not want to see any
of them dead. Even if
the traitor was amongst them. She
did not know who he or she was, or if there were more than one for that
matter, but they were still her people, misguided as they may be. She lifted her green teary eyes to Ba’al, still on her knees and opening her arms in a
heartfelt plea. “No good comes from the
slaying of innocents! Take your revenge
on us and spare them.”
Ba’al stared at her with barely
contained amusement, a cruel half-smile on his lips. He got up from her father’s throne,
approached her slowly, and continued to stare at her. She bowed her head in fear, waiting for a
response, barely able to breath. Her heart felt as if it would explode, her
trembling hands still spread wide in supplication.
She suddenly felt her chin grasped in a steely grip, forcing her
large eyes to the Goa'uld’s face. “You would die for your people,
Princess? You would have me spare the
lives of countless traitors? Why would I
do that?” His mocking tone made her hate
for the beast flare up, but she continued to look at him with pleading in her
eyes. Her response surprised the Goa’uld
when it came. “Because
it would be a waste of laborers, My Lord. Because your revenge on
the royal family would be enough to maintain control of those who remain.” Her voice was firm, fearless.
He laughed at that, turned around letting go of her face, took a
few steps and faced her again. “Of
course you are right, Princess Alana.” Ba’al’s First Prime, staring at the Princess from a few
feet away, with obvious pity and admiration, was shocked by his lord’s
response. “I will spare your people, but
only because you have managed to amuse me today. It has been a miserable day, don’t you
think?”
Turning brusquely toward his First Prime, he commanded him with
his eyes and a nod of his head. Jano knew what this meant.
He had spent enough years in the service of this false God. With a heavy
heart, he shouted a few orders to his fellow jaffas
and they immediately approached the three men kneeling in the middle of the
room. They pointed their weapons at
their heads from behind, and waited. Jano looked at the young woman, dreading her reaction.
Princess Alana closed her eyes, but Ba’al
shouted at her. “Watch, Princess! This is what happens to those who betray
their God!” She shouted back
immediately, desperate to escape witnessing the murder of her family. “You must kill me too! I am part of the royal family! Kill me with them!”
“No, Princess. I have other
plans for you,” Ba’al said softly, smiling at her. He looked at Jano
and his First Prime responded. Jano felt guilt and overwhelming shame for what he was
about to do, but no one would have been able to guess it. He shouted the order, and the jaffas fired. The
three men fell forward, lifeless.
Princess Alana just closed her eyes and wept.
-----
Deep beneath the royal palace of planet Xentex,
the Tok'Ra opened his eyes in darkness,
face down on a cold and dirty floor.
Ah, yes, he remembered immediately where he was and why. His symbiote
stirred in his mind. “Stay still, Jalel. You are
mending, but far from able to stand yet.”
Jalel sighed and rolled on his back, not much
more comfortable than on his face. He
could feel the muscles of his back complaining, but decided to stay as he
was. “How much more of this can we take,
Karesh? You
know they will not stop until we talk.” Karesh did not respond immediately, busy trying to keep
them alive. “We will take this one step
at a time. For now, just try to sleep
again. It makes my work easier. We will survive, as we have survived together
for more than eighty years. Don’t
despair.” Jalel
closed his eyes again and drifted to sleep, aided by Karesh.
-----
The next day, Ba’al sat in his chambers,
eating slowly while watching Princess Alana, newly
attired in a green gown that matched her eyes perfectly. “Like jewels, your eyes are! So beautiful, yet so full of hate and
defiance! Did you not learn anything
from what happened to your family?” he asked, walking around her to better
appreciate her beauty.
She stood silently staring at the back wall, trying not to
listen. She was miserable, drained,
exhausted, and in pain. Her life was
over and she had nothing but horror in her future. She would have killed herself if given any
opportunity, but she had been constantly watched since she was taken from the
courtroom. She still could see the
lifeless bodies of her family, lying in a large pool of blood in the middle of
the floor. Her heart felt like it was
made of lead. She did not know if this
was because of her loss, or because of her dread at what awaited her. It was probably because of both.
“You will make a fine host for my new queen.” He said, stopping in front of her. He reached for a fruit bowl and offered it to
her. “Here, eat something. I am told you have not eaten or slept since
our unfortunate incident yesterday. We must
take good care of your body now. You
are about to share it with a most important God.”
At this, she looked straight at him and spat at his feet. Before she knew what had happened, she was
laying on the floor with a bleeding lip, Ba’al
standing over her with a black look on his handsome face. He threw the bowl of fruit at her, the pieces
rolling on the floor about her body.
“What happened to taking care of my body?” she mocked, looking up
at him with hatred.
“I can torture you and kill you a thousand times, woman! Do not forget I possess a sarcophagus and can
revive you anytime I wish. Do not tempt
me!” He was shouting in her face,
leaning close.
Brushing her long auburn hair away from her eyes, she just stared
at him in defiance and hate, not caring what he did next.
“Take her away! She tries
my patience!” Ba’al ordered Jano,
waving a dismissive hand at her. Jano immediately bent over to help her up, but his hands
were pushed away by Alana. She looked at
him with scorn, knowing he had taken part in the death of her family. “Do not touch me! I can walk unaided!” She got up from the floor and turned to leave
the room, her back straight and her stare hard.
Jano and two more jaffas
followed her out.
-----
In her own chambers, which now felt strangely alien, she stood
still, waiting to be left alone. She
would find a way to kill herself in a way so that nothing could revive
her. She just had to think of a way.
“Do not harm yourself, Princess,” she heard, and turned to face Jano, surprise and anger on her face. “It will do you no good.” He was looking at her with a surprisingly
soft look in his brown eyes. His voice
was also gentle and his stance non-threatening.
He had dismissed the other two jaffas, which
were no doubt standing guard at her closed door. “You must not lose faith. It will be many days before the queen symbiote is ready for implantation. Many things can happen during those days.”
“Yes, I know how much fun I will have. Your lord has made it very clear,” she
remarked bitterly. She then looked at Jano with curiosity.
“Why do you care whether I harm myself or not? Ba’al has one of
those dreadful devices, so my body would probably be intact for the queen
Goa’uld, no matter what I do.”
Jano looked at her and thought
again how magnificent she was. In the
middle of her ordeal, she was still very much a princess. “I would not want you to suffer needlessly,
Princess Alana,” he answered, deep feelings in his voice. She was more than shocked at his response.
“Again, why would you care?” she frowned at him, now honestly
curious.
At this, he lowered his eyes, then looked at her again and said,
“I promise that I will find a way to save you.
I have influence over Lord Ba’al. Do not hurt yourself, and try not to anger
him. He is a cruel being. He will enjoy making you suffer. The more you taunt him, the worse it will
be.”
He then approached her, now talking to her earnestly, “Have
patience and give your royal blood a chance to survive.” Looking embarrassed by his outburst, he bowed
to her and added, “Try to eat and rest.
You will need your strength.” He
then turned and left quietly, leaving her completely baffled.
Chapter Two
Jano could see the infamous Tau'ri team come through the gate from a hundred feet away,
but they could not see him. Not only
was he hidden behind one of the many rocks littering the stargate
area; he was also aided by Niirti’s invisibility
shield. It had not been easy to convince
Ba’al to let him use it, but the Goa’uld must have
wanted this badly enough to finally give it to him. It was one of his most prized possessions,
not having been able to retro-engineer the device yet in order to produce any
more of them.
He had been very careful in his attempts to influence Ba’al on the wisdom of this mission. He had not wanted the Goa’uld to see how much
this meant to him. Ba’al
would have been very suspicious of his motives and begun to distrust him.
“Why settle for a host you do not really want? Why not try to obtain the one you truly
desire?” Jano had asked him after the Goa’uld had
sent Princess Alana back to her chambers, following another unpleasant meeting
for the girl. “We have the means to set
a trap with the useless Tok’Ra agent.”
They both knew the Tok’Ra would never
talk, no matter what they did to him.
“You could take your revenge on the Tau’ri
for all the trouble they have caused,” he enticed. He had continued to tempt the Goa’uld at
every opportunity, knowing the beast was intrigued with the idea. At the end, Ba’al
had been unable to say no.
He could see the blond head of the leader of the three- person
team as she readjusted her cap. It was
hot in this planet, too hot. They had
not taken more than a few steps when they decided to discard the top layer of
their uniforms, revealing sleeveless black shirts. They piled their discarded clothes on top of
the M.A.L.P., to which they had strapped the U.A.V. that had followed it
through the gate, and sent everything back to where they had come from. They readjusted their weapons and, always
watchful of their surroundings, proceeded south toward the ancient ruins. He could hear them talk, but not well enough
to understand what they were saying.
They were keeping their voices low as they stepped carefully through the
tall grass.
The leader, Colonel Samantha Carter, made a few hand gestures and
the other two men separated a few feet, each watchful of any threats from a
different direction. Then they proceeded
slowly toward the larger ruins that could be seen in the distance.
They were here because his plan had been successful. They had let the Tok’Ra
escape, supposedly aided by rebel jaffas in Ba’al’s service. He
had promptly delivered the misinformation he had been fed to his fellow Tok’Ra. They thought
there was a repository of knowledge left by the ancients somewhere amongst
these ruins. Ba’al
was supposed to be on his way to the planet to search for it, not having the
gate address. The Tau’ri
and the Tok’Ra had been able to figure out the
address of the planet given its location and the gate addresses they had
obtained through the one called O’Neill. Ba’al knew
they would. The trap had been set and
they had promptly fallen for it.
-----
“God, it’s hot here!” exclaimed the
woman, wiping her forehead.
“It is exactly 110 degrees Fahrenheit,” said the shol'va calmly, apparently not too bothered by the
heat. Jano
thought this was unusual, since he knew the former First Prime no longer
carried a symbiote.
Jano himself was uncomfortably hot. He had been sweating long enough while
waiting for them to arrive.
“It feels hotter than that,” said the one called Daniel
Jackson. Jano
knew these people well. He had faced
them in battle on many an occasion, and he knew they could be formidable. He admired and envied them. They were free. They could live or die for what they believed
in. He was not so lucky.
His mother and siblings depended on him and his position as First
Prime. The youngest sister was only ten
years old, a sweet and intelligent little beauty. He would do anything for her. He had done many unspeakable things in Ba’al’s service. He
was tormented by his memories. He could
not escape them, even in his sleep. The
bloody faces of his victims followed him everywhere.
He knew he lived straddling an invisible line, serving Ba’al and hating him at the same time; knowing him for a
false god and wanting to join the rebellion.
Doing the false god’s biding while saving as many victims as he could
was all he had been able to do so far.
No one, not even his family, knew his true feelings. It was too dangerous. Now he had to do something he found
abhorrent, but necessary to save Princess Alana’s life. He had to provide Ba’al
with the host he had always wanted for his queen, the one called Samantha Carter.
-----
“I hope we find this repository soon,” Sam said. “We can’t afford to stay here too long. If the heat doesn’t kill us, Ba’al will when he arrives,” she added, squinting in an
effort to avoid some of the glare. She
pulled out her dark glasses and put them on.
“I hate having to blow it up, Sam.
It’s such a waste!” Daniel said,
breathing hard as they hiked through the ancient ruins.
“I know, Daniel. But
General O’Neill’s orders were clear.
Find it, blow it up, and come back.
It’s too time consuming to try to remove it. The most important objective is to prevent it
from falling in Ba’al’s hands.”
“I know, I know… it’s just…” he said,
stopping in front of a low, badly scarred structure. “You know, I don’t think the Tok’Ra’s information is accurate. These ruins are quite different from the
colonnade where we found the last repository,” he said with a puzzled look on
his face and wiping some sweat at the same time. “It is clear that these ruins belong to the
Ancients, but they seem to be of an unimportant small settlement.”
“Well, the first repository we found was in a strange room that
looked nothing like the second spot, Daniel,” Sam said while looking
around. She then walked ahead and
proceeded deeper into the ruins. She leaned
and took her glasses off, trying to read some writings on a wall that had
broken in two. She turned to call Daniel
when she noticed Teal’c. He was silent,
with a watchful expression on his face.
Sam could tell something was bothering him, and was about to say
something when he suddenly turned around with his weapon ready. He crouched low and said quietly, “We are not
alone.” The next moment, a zat gun flared from his side only meters away and rendered
him unconscious, his body falling heavily on the ground.
“Take cover!” Sam shouted while ducking behind a low wall and
trying to see where the shot had come from.
She could not see anyone, but knew the enemy was there. “Daniel, try to run back to the gate! I will try to cover you!” she shouted again,
her weapon ready.
“What? And leave you here
with Teal’c knocked out? Jack would skin
me alive!” he shouted back, his back against the low building he had been
inspecting and ready to shoot at anything in front of him.
Sam heard something moving a few meters from her, but could not
tell exactly where it was. She stayed
low, scanning the area. “Don’t argue,
Daniel! You are closer to the gate and
this guy is closer to me, so run for it when you can, is that clear?”
“Yes, sir!” he shouted back.
“I’ll try anyway,” he murmured to himself, getting ready to sprint.
Moments later, Sam clearly heard something rustle to her
right. She sprung up and started
shooting in a wide arc, covering the area.
Daniel started running in the opposite direction, but did not get very
far. Whoever it was,
shot him from a good distance with no less effectiveness than if he had been a
few feet away. Daniel grunted and
fell on his face in the grass.
Sam was horrified when she saw him fall, but could now determine
exactly where the shot had come from.
She continued to fire her P90 in that direction, high, low, arching her
way from left to right and back again.
Everything was quiet and she thought maybe she had hit the target, when
suddenly she heard unmistakable heavy steps running towards her, too close for
comfort. Before she could turn and fire
again, she was tackled to the ground, knocking the wind out of her and leaving
her dazed, face up on the grass. She had lost her cap and the sun was blinding
her, but there was nothing to see.
She was desperately trying to catch her breath when she felt
strong hands pulling her weapon from her grasp.
She saw it fly away from her and fall on the ground. Immediately, she reached for her hand weapon,
still unable to breathe, and managed to get it out of its holster. However, before she could raise it to shoot
at whatever was straddling her middle, she felt a strong grip around her wrist
and another hand grabbing the weapon.
The enemy threw the hand weapon still farther and grabbed her other
wrist, pinning her to the ground.
Sam was dizzy from lack of air, a heavy, invisible body on top of
her. However, she was still trying to
struggle free. She froze when she heard
a deep voice tell her in a no-nonsense tone, “Stop struggling, come with me
freely, and I will let your friends live.
Make it difficult for me and they will be dead within moments. Do you agree?”
Sam still could not speak, but nodded hoping to save her
friends. She felt the weight of the body
get off of her and the next moment she saw a tall, dark man materialize,
straddling her. He had Niirti’s shield, no doubt.
If she had been able, she would have kicked him, but she still could not
move. She was trying to breathe in some
air and clear her head, but she could immediately see that this was a First
Prime Jaffa by the golden tattoo on his
forehead. When she could focus, she saw
he was Ba’al’s, and her blood froze in her
veins. “They are already here?” she
wondered in dread.
The man was calmly staring down at her with a serious look on his
face. “I don’t want to hurt you, but you
must come with me.” This was very odd
behavior for a First Prime. They tended
to be arrogant, obnoxious men.
“Why?” Sam said
breathlessly, wondering what was going on.
Why did he not kill them all and bring their bodies as trophies to his
lord? Why just take her? Why was he letting Teal’c, a hated shol'va, live?
Daniel was certainly a fountain of information any Goa’uld would kill
for. Why not take him too?
“We don’t have time to answer your questions. Your friends will become conscious in a few
minutes and I would prefer not to hurt them, so come with me now,” he said,
extending his hand to help her up. “I
would also rather not shoot you, so you can walk on your own. The ship is a quite a walk away, and your
friends would catch up with us if I have to carry you. Don’t make me kill them by having to shoot
you,” he warned seriously.
“OK, OK,” she said, taking his hand and getting up. She was better able to breathe now, but knew
she was in no condition to fight him. So
she started walking in the direction he indicated, holding her bruised
ribs. Better to get far away from this
position, where he still could kill Teal’c and Daniel while incapacitated. She could try to fight him later.
The heat was making it difficult for her to recuperate her
strength, especially at the pace he was making her walk. They were quickly covering ground heading
deeper into the woods surrounding the ruins, still heading south. The U.A.V. had not spotted a ship anywhere
near the ruins, but she imagined it could be cloaked. She could barely see straight with so much
sweat running into her eyes.
They had walked for about a mile, and emerged into a clearing,
when she stumbled and fell to the ground, grunting and grasping her left
ankle. Jano
was a few steps behind her, but did not fall for her ruse. He had expected her to try something and was
surprised she had not done it earlier.
Maybe it had taken her this long to feel like she could fight him.
“Get up and continue. I
know you are not really hurt,” he said patiently. “Your friends must be awake by now and trying
to track us. We don’t have time for
this.”
“I don’t know if I can walk, seriously. I think I twisted my ankle badly,” she said
looking up at him innocently and rubbing her ankle, while her right hand was
reaching toward her knife. She just had
time to brace herself when she saw Jano sigh and
calmly aim the zat gun at her.
-----
Jano bent over and picked up
Sam’s unconscious body from the ground.
She felt surprisingly light for such a tall woman. The ship was only feet away, so shooting her had been the most expeditious manner of getting her
there. He pressed a button on a remote
on his wrist and the ship materialized.
He carried Sam through the door and into the cargo hold, depositing her
on the floor carefully and locking the door behind him.
He had made sure she had no other weapons on her and had even
taken off her shoes for good measure. He
had frisked her briefly and had felt her firm flesh under her clothes. He could understand why Ba’al
desired her as host for his new queen.
The woman was truly beautiful and strong. But the main reason Ba’al
had wanted her was because of the knowledge she carried within her mind. These Tok’Ra and Tau’ri secrets would make Ba’al’s
enemies less effective against him. His
dominance over the other system lords had taken time, but was almost
complete. Only Yu and Amaterasu remained.
Once he vanquished them, his attention would be directed towards the Tau’ri, and lastly, the Tok’Ra.
With this woman as host for his new queen, Ba’al
felt he would be invincible. But all Jano cared about was Princess Alana. She no longer would be needed as host, and Jano would ask for her as his prize for delivering Samantha
Carter to Ba’al.
The Goa’uld could not refuse him.
He had promised he would grant his First Prime anything he wished, if he
was successful in this mission.
Ba’al truly did not think Jano, a lone man, could succeed. He was wrong.
He had planned every detail carefully, beginning with the captive Tok’Ra and, finally, patiently waiting for SG-1 in the
hellish planet. He had also made sure Ba’al would allow him to do this alone. He did not want to eliminate the Tau’ri team. He
secretly hoped they would ultimately prevail, and he wanted to continue to be
in a position to, some day, help them do so.
He truly hated having to deliver this woman to the beast. But Princess Alana had to survive. Jano would let her
go in order for her to join the Tok’Ra rebellion, and
continue the work of her family. He knew
this is what she most wanted, and the only way she could ever forgive
him. He remembered the many moments he
could steal during the last few days in order to visit her. She had started to look at him
differently. She had finally believed he
was truthful about his intention to liberate her. She was the only one who knew details of
his plan. Knowing there was an end to
her torment had given her strength and patience. But she did not know the identity of the
replacement host. He knew she would have
a problem with that, so he had kept the name from her. He had just told her he was providing Ba’al with a host he had always coveted.
Jano had to be certain that
Alana would not lose faith. He knew she
had suffered at Ba’al’s hands repeatedly. She had even had to use the sarcophagus once,
her battered body unable to mend on its own.
Ba’al had boasted in more than one occasion
that she had been enjoyable, especially when she could not help but fight
him. Jano had
felt hatred so black and all consuming that he had barely been able to hold
himself back, and keep a blank expression on his face. But the ultimate goal was the most important,
Alana’s survival and freedom. He loved
her enough to do anything to ensure that.
Chapter Three
Daniel had never seen Jack so enraged. The archeologist sat at the briefing table
outside the general’s office and just watched the man pace the floor, not
knowing what to do or say to calm him down.
Teal’c was typically silent, also sitting at the table and stoically
staring at his clasped hands. Daniel
knew the former jaffa felt responsible. He thought he had failed his friends, and
felt mortified at having been taken down so easily. His concern was obvious, but like Daniel, he
did not know what to do or say either.
SG-3 had been sent back to the planet to quickly survey the ruins,
and confirm that there was no repository of knowledge to be found. It had been a trap the whole time.
Jacob also sat at the table, his head in his hands, looking
distraught. Daniel had told them how
they had awakened in the boiling planet, and had started to track Sam and her
captor immediately. They had advanced maybe
half a mile when they saw the ship in the sky, flying away from them. Teal’c and Daniel had just been able to stare
at it until it disappeared, then dejectedly had started back to the gate.
“I knew it! Another Tok’Ra screw up! Why am I
not surprised?” Jack kept pacing, his
eyes throwing sparks. He did not look at
anyone in particular, but obviously addressed Jacob, the unfortunate Tok’Ra representative.
“I expect you people to mobilize all your infiltrated operatives and
find out where she was taken! And don’t
tell me there are other priorities because, God help me, I will kill my first Tok’Ra!”
Jacob looked at him stunned, not believing his ears. “Jack, this is my daughter we are talking
about! What do you think? That I would just sit here and do
nothing? We already started
looking. It has to be Ba’al, wherever he is at the moment. His mothership
could be anywhere. He has had enough
time to move since Karesh escaped.”
“Don’t even…!” Jack said,
lifting his finger and stopping himself.
“Karesh, Jaleel, or
whatever his name, should have known it was too easy to escape. They obviously let him go! But did that stop you guys from taking
everything he said as gospel? NO! You just assumed everything was true. If I had known how you had come up with your
information, I never would have approved the mission. Next time you are shorthanded,
don’t assume we will be there to pick up the slack!” He dropped heavily on his seat looking
across the table at Jacob.
Jack seemed to have run out of steam for a moment, but then
continued addressing Jacob, still angry, but no longer shouting. “Don’t take me wrong, Jacob. I know this hurts you personally as much as
it does us.” He leaned back on the seat
and covered his eyes with his hands.
“But Carter’s life is lost unless we come up with her whereabouts
pronto! They could kill her, or worse.
If they decide to make her a host, you know what that could cost
us.” In despair, Jack remembered Sha’re’s fate. They
had been unable to save her.
The part they were all thinking about, but no one wanted to
verbalize, was the gaping whole Sam would leave in their hearts. Jack felt his heart bleeding already, and only
his rage kept him from totally loosing it.
He suddenly got up and left for his office, slamming his door shut.
Daniel looked at Jacob apologetically and asked the older man,
“Give Jack a break Jacob, I don’t think he is thinking very clearly right now.”
Jacob slowly got up, misery on his face. “I know.
None of us are, I believe. I
don’t know why I never saw it coming.
Are we getting too smug?” Daniel
just shook his head and looked away, still not knowing what to say.
Jacob started to walk toward the exit door, but hesitated briefly
and told them, “I will return and let you know the moment we find out
anything.” His voice betrayed his
concern. With his head down, he left.
Daniel looked at Teal’c. He
was like a stone statue, but Daniel thought he saw his hands tremble on the
table.
Chapter Four
Sam slowly gained consciousness, first feeling the cold floor
beneath her, then hearing a familiar sound, the low humming and vibration of a
ship in movement. She groaned and opened
her eyes. Yes, she was inside the hold
of a cargo ship, a teltak, surely locked in. Her whole body ached. She groaned in complain, but she slowly
turned over and managed to stand up. The
floor was uncomfortably cold under her bare feet.
Unsteady, she looked around for anything she could use as a
weapon. Of course, there was
nothing. She walked toward the locked
door and listened. She then banged on
it. She could hear muffled sounds on
the other side, but no one came. She
diverted her attention to the lock mechanism on the right wall and tried to
pull on it. Without so much as a penknife
to pry it open, it was useless. Her
fingers sore, she started banging on the door again.
She had no idea how long she had been out, but she imagined it
could not have been longer than half an hour.
There was enough time to talk this guy out of turning her in. He was different from any other jaffa she had encountered, except maybe for Teal’c. It seemed like he almost regretted having to
kidnap her. She kept banging on the
door until her fists hurt, but did not stop.
Suddenly she heard movement on the other side of the door. She knew he was there, probably just standing
by, hoping she would stop.
“Please, open the door!” she shouted. “I know you are there. I only want to talk to you.” She waited for a response for half a minute;
she then banged again. “Please! Open!”
Suddenly, the door opened and she took a couple of steps back in
surprise. He was standing there,
apparently unarmed, just staring at her.
“What do you need?” he asked in a low voice.
For the first time, Sam noticed how tall and handsome the man was,
with sad, brown eyes and a full mop of dark brown hair. He had a square chin, a muscular body, and
large hands, which she knew were very strong.
She caught herself soon enough to respond, “Just some water, for now, if
it isn’t too much trouble.” First things
first, she felt parched.
He turned around and picked up her canteen from the floor, next to
the door, where he had dropped her equipment.
He handed it to her silently and waited for her to finish drinking. “Thank you”, she said, but she kept the
canteen.
“I see your ankle is doing better,” he said with a little smile,
“maybe the electrical shock cured it.”
Sam flashed him a resentful look.
“Can I have my shoes back? My
feet are cold.” Jano
nodded with a smile and handed her over the socks and shoes. He watched her quietly as she put them on.
“I suppose you think this is funny, since you are the captor and I
am the prisoner,” she said. “Fair
enough, I guess. But could you help me
understand why you took me prisoner and spared my friends when you could have
killed them? It just doesn’t make much
sense.” Sam looked at him in puzzlement,
realizing that he did not know whether to respond or not.
He finally sighed and said, “I just did not see the need to kill
them when Ba’al could not know whether I had them at
my mercy at any point. I only kill when
I have to. Does that answer your
question?” he asked, looking at her steadily.
Sam was confused. “I
thought you were Ba’al’s First Prime. Am I wrong?”
“No. You are right; I am Ba’al’s
First Prime. It’s just that I am because
I need to be, not because I want to be.
I have a family to look after.”
He looked down, then up again, his hands on his sides, no longer
smiling. “Things are not as black and
white for me as they are for you.”
“Oh, believe me, uh… I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
“Jano,” he responded.
“OK, Jano. Things have distinct shades of gray for me as
well. I have had to do many things I did
not want to do during the past few years, following orders and all that. It seems you really do not want to turn me
in, but you will anyway. Is it because Ba’al is threatening your family?” Sam held his gaze, waiting for an answer.
He hesitated for a few moments, not too sure he wanted her to know
too much about her situation, but then responded, “Not this time. This time it is someone else, someone very
important to me and to others. This
someone must survive.”
“What does that have to do with me?” asked Sam.
This someone was destined to be the host for Ba’al’s
new queen. You will take her
place.” He saw Sam’s horrified look and
regretted telling her immediately.
“You can’t do that! If what
I suspect is true and you really are against Ba’al,
you cannot let him have me. He would have
access to information he must not have if I am made a host. There has to be another way to save your
friend.” The pleading in her voice
affected him more than she could imagine, but his tone was resolute when he
answered, “I am sorry. I truly am.”
Sam jumped him. Although
taken by surprise, he did not lose his footing, and managed to grasp her
arm. She used the other one to deliver
a blow to his face and immediately brought up her knee aiming at his groin, but
he moved away and flung her to the floor.
She fell face down with a cry of pain and slid a few feet, but
tried to get up quickly. Before she
could do it, he was on top of her, grasping her wrists and letting the full
weight of his body pin her to the floor.
With her cheek against the cold surface, she screamed, “Please, you
can’t do this!” She continued to
struggle to free herself, but he was just too strong. “If you let me go, we will help you free your
friend. I promise we will!” She was gasping and struggling without
success.
Jano suddenly got up, bringing
her up with him, her body firmly trapped between his arms, his hands still
holding her wrists. He dragged her
backwards deeper into the cargo hold. The
whole time she kicked and screamed at him, begging for him to let her go. Once well inside the cargo bay, he let go of
her, throwing her to the ground and giving himself
enough time to leave the room and lock the door again. She flung herself at it and pounded again and
again. “Please, please listen to
me. We will help you. I swear we will! Please let me go! Please!
Listen to me!” He did not
respond. Sam did not know, but his head
was leaning against the other side of the door, his eyes closed in regret.
Chapter Five
Princess Alana sat numbly in the room they were keeping her in
while in the mothership. They had left Xentex,
but she had no idea where they were headed.
Jano had left for parts unknown shortly before
their departure. He had assured her that
he would catch up with the ship when he completed his mission.
Her room was small, but well furnished and comfortable. Ba’al had left her
alone since their departure, although she did not know why. Maybe he was not even in the ship. She hoped he would never come back, knowing
it was wishful thinking.
She reached for a piece of fruit and gave it a bite. Everything was tasteless. She had, however, made an effort to eat
something every day since Jano left. She had promised him she would.
Thinking of Jano stirred hope in her
heart, and something else. She did not
dare to confront her feelings yet, but knew he had become the most important
person in her life, for whatever reason.
She supposed it was normal to cling to the one person who seemed to
care about her. Her family was dead and
her people lost to her forever. Not even
her body would belong to her if Ba’al accomplished
what he was planning. Yes, Jano was her only hope.
She heard a female voice outside her door, obviously talking to
the jaffas, and her heart lurched. Was Ba’al sending
for her again? She dropped the piece of
fruit and stood, pale and anxious with dread, waiting for the door to
open. When it did, a small, middle-aged,
dark-haired woman entered carrying a bundle.
The petite woman stopped a few feet into the room and stood silently
until she heard the door close behind her.
She turned to verify they were alone, quickly dropped the bundle
carelessly to the side, and approached Princess Alana.
“Princess Alana, my name is Tera, and I
don’t have much time,” she whispered hurriedly.
“I have come to let you know that you are not alone. Your family’s service to the Tok’Ra cause will never be forgotten, and we will try to
help you.”
Princess Alana, although surprised, did not waste any time. “What are you to the Tok’Ra?”
she asked, also whispering.
“I have been an informant for the Tok’Ra
for the three years I have been in personal service to Ba’al. I am a slave, and Xentex
was my home before I became one. I take
care of his clothing, polishing his boots, things like that. Therefore, I am often within ear shot of
important conversations. They don’t even
notice me most of the time.” She smiled,
and Alana thought she looked almost pretty.
“I have already let the Tok’Ra know that you
are being held prisoner, and the plans Ba’al has for
you. I am expecting instructions and I
will come again when I do get them.”
Tera picked up the bundle from
the floor and opened it to reveal some fresh clothes for Alana. She took some discarded clothes from a basket
and headed for the door. “Keep your
spirits up, Princess. You may not be
destined to be a host after all. I must
go now!”
“Wait!” Alana stopped her,
hesitating. “There is someone else that
is trying to help me. Is he aware of
your loyalties?”
“I don’t know who you are talking about, but no one is aware of
my loyalties. Who is it?” Tera asked.
“I’m sorry, but I think I better wait to tell you later. You must go,” Alana smiled apologetically.
“You are a wise woman. Do
not worry, we will talk again, hopefully to let you
know how we will free you.” She quickly
walked to the door and left without turning back.
-----
Jacob was talking fast while running up the stairs towards the
briefing room. Jack was keeping up with
him, listening carefully, with Daniel and Teal’c close behind them. There was tension and excitement in the room
as they sat at the briefing table.
“We found out through a slave in Ba’al’s
mothership, who has been an informant for years. She said she heard a conversation between Ba’al and another minor Goa’uld in his service. During this conversation she clearly heard
him say that he was expecting the results of a mission involving the Tau’ri woman, Samantha Carter. From what she heard, she believes Ba’al intends to use her as host for his new queen. She also mentioned that this did not make
sense to her, since there is already a woman destined for this purpose being
held in the ship. She said this woman is
Princess Alana, from the planet Xentex.”
“Planet what?” said Jack, making a face.
“Xentex, a small planet, but rich in naquadah. It has been under Ba’al’s
dominion for many years. This
corroborates the information Karesh gave us. He told us the royal family of the planet had
been wiped out for secretly collaborating with him. He used to move freely between the planet and
Ba’al’s ships with the king’s support, supposedly as
a Goa’uld envoy. A man called Amanas
betrayed them to Ba’al and he is now king,
controlling Xentex and its naquadah
for Ba’al. Karesh didn’t know Princess Alana was still alive.”
“So if this woman, princess if you will, is going to be the host
to Ba’al’s queen, why take Carter?” Jack asked, confused.
“We don’t know. Ba’al may have changed his mind for some reason. Maybe this Princess Alana is just a back-up
host, in case he could not get Sam,” Jacob answered, clearly bothered by the
whole notion.
“Sam doesn’t have much time if this is all true,” stated
Daniel. “It has been almost two days
since she was taken. They could be
meeting Ba’al at any moment!”
“Yes, but it seems Ba’al’s queen is not
ready for implantation yet. Our spy
tells us that the symbiote is not even aboard the
ship. No one knows where it is or
exactly when it will be arriving. The
most important piece of information yet is the position of Ba’al’s
ship as of an hour ago, in orbit of planet Khoman,
which has a stargate.
They are replenishing supplies.
We know the stargate address. We need to access the mothership
before it moves on!” Jacob said
urgently.
“How will we access the ship from the planet?” asked Teal’c,
eternally calm.
“The Ancients’ ship,” Jack responded thoughtfully. “It can fly through the stargate,
and it should already be fitted with weapons.
The power source was replaced with a naquadah
generator. We are just not sure of all
its capabilities yet, but this is a good time to find out.” Jack got up with a purpose. “Let’s get ready people!”
Chapter Six
Sam was sitting on the floor, her arms around her knees, leaning
against the far wall when Jano entered. He placed the plate of food on the floor in
the middle of the cargo hold and turned back to leave when her voice stopped
him.
“What’s her name?” Sam asked in a soft voice.
“What?” he asked, turning back to her.
“What is the name of your friend, the one you are trying to
save?” she asked louder, not moving from where she was.
“Alana. Princess
Alana, of the planet Xentex. She is the only survivor of royal
blood. Xentex
is my home planet, although I have not lived there for many years,” he explained
slowly, carefully choosing his words.
“The only survivor? What happened to her family?” Sam asked,
sincerely interested.
“They were murdered for collaborating with the Tok’Ra. This happened ten days ago.” He sat down close to the door, obviously
willing to talk.
“So you are helping your queen to survive? Is that it?” she asked, not believing for a
moment that that was the whole story.
“Yes. Is that hard for you
to believe?” he responded defensively.
“No, I just think that there is more than that involved. This woman seems to be important to you
personally. Do you know her well?” Sam was still sitting against the wall, ignoring
the food.
“I have come to know her only during the last few days, but I
watched her grow up. The first time I
saw her, she was a girl of 13, still a little plump.” He smiled at the memory. “I thought she was the prettiest thing I had
ever seen. She was already wise and
willful, full of life and determination at that age. You can’t help but admire that.” He paused, remembering. “I tried to visit my family in Xentex as often as I could.
My mother, brother and sisters still live there. Every time, I would make it a point to spend
time at the palace, attending to Ba’al’s business,”
he said, raising his eyebrows. “I just
wanted to see her, make sure she was doing alright.”
“You are in love with her, aren’t you?” asked Sam with a smile.
Jano did not answer. He stood up and said, serious again, “She is
a princess and I am a hated enemy of her people.” He started to leave, but Sam said, “That
could change!”
He looked at her again, an angry look on his face. “What could possibly change the fact that I
gave the order to kill her father and her two brothers? Do you think she will ever forget that? She may forgive me in time, especially if I
can give her a life worth living for, but she will never forget.” He sounded bitter and hopeless.
“You give up too easily, Jano. You don’t know women, do you? We can forgive and forget when we love
enough. Besides, she must know that you
were just following orders. Does she
know what you are doing to help her?”
“She knows I am providing Ba’al with
another host in order to free her. She
is not happy about having another woman face her fate, but she does not have a
choice in the matter. I
convinced Bahl to let me try to bring you to him.”
“I have a lot to thank you for, don’t I?” Sam said bitterly, but her eyes were not
condemning him. “I understand your
motives, Jano.
I just wish you could help us both, Alana and me.” Sam got up, picked up the plate from the
floor and sat down again to eat.
Jano watched her for a few
minutes. He then approached her
again. “What would you have me do
now? I already communicated to Ba’al that I have you, and that we would meet his ship in a
few hours. Giving you to him is the only
way he will give Alana her freedom!”
Sam looked at him, noticing the turmoil the man was in. “Just give me a fighting chance. Once Alana is free, help me escape. You said the symbiote
is not ready for implantation. Therefore
we may have some time. You are First
Prime, so you have access to everything,” Sam suggested hopefully.
He seemed to ponder that.
He said as he left the room, “I will try.”
And that was all Sam could hope for.
-----
“The Tau’ri woman prisoner is here. I saw her being led to Ba’al
as I made my way here.” Tera was speaking quietly but quickly. She had come to Alana’s chamber to inform her
of the imminent rescue attempt. She
still did not know who Alana’s other friend was, but she suspected, knowing
that the First Prime had been the one to abduct the Tau’ri
woman. She was sure this was Samantha
Carter, the woman the Tok’Ra were
searching for.
“We must be ready to leave soon.
The Tok’Ra will be coming to free you and the Tau’ri woman as soon as I let them know that she is
here. There is a zat’n’ktel
in this bundle. Hide it, but have it
close. Next time I come, you may need it
to disable the jaffas at the door.”
Alana nodded and gave the small woman a hug. “Thank you, Tera. You are coming with us as well?”
Tera responded, “I am not
sure. If I am compromised, I will have
to leave with you. If not, I will remain
and continue my work. There is still
much to do ahead of us. You must
continue your family’s work too,” Tera encouraged,
holding the princess’ hands.
Alana was high on adrenaline.
She had to calm down, relax. She
could not make any mistakes. “I will
never forget this, Tera. And, yes, I will continue to fight these
monsters. I will not rest until my
planet and every other is liberated.”
They hugged again and Tera left, leaving Alana
on pins and needles.
-----
Sam walked stiffly, followed by two jaffas,
Jano leading the way.
They entered the bridge, where Ba’al was
waiting with a broad smile on his hateful face, pacing like a panther,
completely dressed in black.
“Major Carter! Or, as I heard, you are now Colonel
Carter? What does the change implicate,
exactly?” asked Ba’al sarcastically, approaching Sam
in delight.
“It means we have been good at kicking your butts, exactly.” She watched him lose his smirk and stop a few
inches from her.
The blow came so fast she never saw him lift his hand. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt dazed,
losing her footing but being held up by the two jaffas
at her sides. Jano
winced but did not move a muscle, standing next to the Goa’uld.
“You think you will be successful at defeating us? You have been nothing but a nuisance! I have let you take care of my enemies for
me. You have done nothing but prepare
the way for my complete dominance over the galaxy!” he shouted in her face.
“Actually, we were just going by order of importance, killing the
most powerful Goa’ulds first. We were saving you for last,” she said,
looking into his eyes with a small, bloody smile, perversely enjoying his lack
of control.
Ba’al brutally gripped her
throat and squeezed, almost lifting her from the floor. She tensed and automatically grasped his
wrists, closing her eyes and concentrating on holding herself as taught as
possible. It seemed like minutes passed,
her heart pounding in her ears. She
thought she heard Jano’s voice, but could not be
sure. Her head felt like exploding and
she realized she was beginning to lose consciousness.
Ba’al suddenly dropped her, and
again, the two jaffas caught her. She coughed, gasping for air, and felt her
neck without trying to stand. “Let them
hold me for a while, what the heck!” she thought. She just tried to breathe in as much air as
she could.
“The shield made it possible for me to complete my mission, My
Lord. I have brought it back in working
order.” Jano
was extending the device to Ba’al, hoping to distract
him from Sam. The Goa’uld turned to him,
still furious, and snatched the device from his hand. He tossed it aside carelessly, immediately
turning his attention back to his victim.
“You have done well, Jano. You will be rewarded accordingly.” He dug his hand into Sam’s blond hair and
pulled up cruelly until her eyes met his again.
“She is truly worth any prize. I
will enjoy making her suffer immensely before she becomes host to my
queen. Then I will relive my victory
every time I lay eyes on her, and every time I touch her skin,” he said,
running his fingers along her face and down her throat, sadistically enjoying
the pain in her eyes.
Sam felt her skin crawl, but could not pull away. A sense of despair started to slowly worm
itself into her gut and she tried to close her eyes. But Bahl pulled
even harder and shouted in her face, “Look at me, woman! You will live forever trapped in a body that
no longer will be yours. You will do my
biding, and you will touch me when I please, and as I please, for hundreds of
years to come. And there is nothing you
can do about it!” At this, he smiled
broadly again and let go of her hair.
“Jano, take her away and whip her. I want her to start losing her defiance
immediately. But first, take her to see
Princess Alana. I want the princess to
see who is offering her a reprieve, for a short time. I will find another symbiote
for her eventually,” he ordered, turning his back on Sam.
“My Lord, I wish to talk to you regarding my reward, if you are
pleased with my performance,” Jano said, bowing to Ba’al.
“Of course, Jano. How thoughtless of me! You have served me well for many years and
this is your highest achievement. You
deserve your reward. What is it that you
wish?” he said, sitting down on a huge throne-like seat.
Sam watched Jano carefully, her hand on
her achy throat. She could not help but
be curious at what was about to happen.
Would Jano succeed in freeing Alana or were
all his efforts for nothing?
“I wish to marry, My Lord.
I have chosen a woman, and I beg for your blessing.”
“Marry, Jano? I did not know you had fallen in love!” He laughed aloud, clapping his hands in
amusement. “Who is this lucky woman?”
“Does this mean I have your blessing, My Lord?” asked Jano again, his head still bowed.
“Of course, whoever you choose will be yours! Now, who is it?” Ba’al
waited, still chuckling.
“Princess Alana is my chosen one, Lord Ba’al.” At this, Jano
looked him straight in the eyes, daring him to break his word.
Ba’al’s countenance
shifted so swiftly that Sam thought it was comical. The Goa’uld remained silent for a long
moment, feeling cheated and outmaneuvered, a mask of
fury back on his face. He slowly stood
up, approached Jano and stared hard at his face. Jano was staring
back, awaiting his response. He did not
seem afraid or worried in the least. He
just stood patiently, waiting for Ba’al’s response.
“Take Princess Alana and be gone.
You are no longer my First Prime!
You will be sent, along with your new wife, to oversee the mining
excavations of the planet
Planet
Sam knew about
Jano roughly grabbed Sam’s arm
and directed her to the door. She was
still having a little trouble standing, let alone walking, so she was grateful
for the support of his hand on her arm, even if it was painful.
Chapter Seven
Two jaffas followed Jano
and Sam down the corridor to another chamber, which they entered without
preamble. There stood a beautiful young
woman, obviously agitated and trying to control herself. Her eyes looked at Sam curiously, then moved
to Jano and they immediately softened. “My God, she loves him and he doesn’t know
it!” Sam thought.
The jaffas remained outside, standing
guard. The moment the door closed, Alana
threw herself at Jano and wrapped her arms around his
neck. “I did not know if I would ever
see you again! I am so grateful that you
are here.” She was looking up at him,
smiling.
Jano could not believe this was
happening. He instinctively hugged her
back and smiled as well. “I told you I
would be back. Nothing could keep me
away. It worked, Princess. He gave you to me and you are now free. We will be leaving together as soon as I can
prepare.”
Sam cleared her throat, still having a little trouble
standing. She felt battered, but could
not help but be glad for Jano. They both looked at her at the same time, as
if surprised she was there.
“Alana, this is Samantha Carter.
She is supposed to take your place as host to Ba’al’s
queen,” he introduced, looking at Sam.
“Samantha Carter, of SG-1? That
Tau’ri woman?” Alana asked incredulously. “How could you?” she shouted at Jano, pulling away from him.
“We will help her escape, I promise. Even if I have to die trying, I promise she
will live as well,” he told the princess, trying to placate her.
“Jano, something will happen soon!” she
said, remembering. “There is a Tok’Ra spy in the ship.
She has been in touch with them, and they are on their way to rescue
us, both Samantha Carter and me. The spy
is Tera, you know who she is. She will be coming here once they arrive!”
“How do they expect to get into the ship?” Jano
asked. Both women looked at each other, then Alana explained the details she knew.
-----
Jack sat at the controls of the Ancient’s ship. “This is the best ride ever!” he said to
Teal’c, sitting at his side.
“Indeed it is a most advanced piece of machinery, O’Neill. It should serve our purpose well.”
They could see Ba’al’s ship looming
ahead, but they could not be seen thanks to the ship’s cloaking device, now
engaged. The naquadah
generator was doing a fine job of providing power for everything they had
needed so far. The scientists working on
the ship had not been at all happy to let it go, insisting they were not sure
it was ready for a combat situation.
Jack had assured them that he would try to avoid combat if at all
possible. They were depending on its
stealth capabilities.
Jack was still the only man able to fly the ship. They had tested everyone on the base for the
ancient gene and had come up with no one else yet. That was just fine with him, since he was not
about to let someone else take on this mission. This one he had to lead. He wanted Sam back, safe and sound, where she
belonged.
His mood had steadily improved as they had quickly completed the
rescue plan. The spy, Tera, had informed them of Sam’s presence in the ship and
had been informed of the plan details.
She was in position to assist, but she had insisted that Princess Alana
be rescued as well. Jack had said OK,
but in his mind the princess was a secondary objective. So sue him if he had other priorities!
Jacob and Daniel sat in the back, watching as they drew closer to
the huge ship. Jack knew, from previous
experience, that the ship could penetrate the Goa’uld ship’s shields. However, this capability was not needed. There was still a significant amount of
activity around the mothership. Teltacs were flying
into the landing bays, no doubt heavy with supplies. The shields were not up. The question was whether they could get in
undetected or not. Tera
must be close to the indicated landing bay already. But would she be able to open the gates for
them?
-----
Tera was hiding behind a wall
close to the landing bay, tightly gripping a zat’n’ktel. There was no one close by, but she had to
wait for the exact time she had been told to open the gate.
She prayed no one would come close before then, and that no one
decided to use this particular landing bay at this time. It was reserved for Ba’al’s
alkesh, now just sitting there empty. She had only used the zat’n’ktel
once before, and hoped she would be fast enough to render the guards
unconscious before they overpowered her.
She was about to make her move when she felt, more than heard,
someone behind her. Her heart came up to
her throat when she looked up into Jano’s face, and
she almost screamed. But he quickly
covered her mouth with his huge hand, and put his finger to his lips. She did not make a sound and nodded. So it was the First Prime, after all. The princess must have told him of the plan
or he would not be here. Now what?
Jano moved ahead of her,
looking both ways down the corridor, and turned to her. “Go to Princess Alana and the Tau’ri woman. Stay
with them until I come for you.” She
nodded, not daring to make a sound, and started down the corridor, hiding the
weapon under her clothes.
Jano proceeded to the landing
bay. It was time. He opened the main door and faced two guards,
who came to instant attention when they saw him. “Come with me!” He commanded and turned for them to
follow. He walked away and entered a
nearby storage room where he promptly zatted both
men. He disarmed them, left them on the
floor and locked the door behind him.
He went back to the now empty landing bay and pressed the controls
to open the gate. He waited impatiently
for endless minutes until he heard something.
He could not see a thing, but could clearly hear the unfamiliar sound of
an engine and feel the heat of the ship, as it got closer to where he was
standing. “A cloaking device, very
good”, he thought.
He knew the rescuers would not be expecting to see him, so he put
away his weapon and lifted his hands high, facing the invisible ship. He heard the door open and saw the men slowly
and soundlessly disembark. They had
obviously seen him from inside the ship because they were not surprised, just
cautious as they approached, their weapons aimed at him.
“And you are?” asked the leader, pointing a zat’n’ktel
at Jano.
“I am Jano, former First Prime to Ba’al. I am here to
help you escape. Actually, I am hoping
to escape as well, if you will allow me to accompany you,” he said, with his
hands still high in the air.
“Where is Tera?” asked the older man,
obviously a Tok’Ra, by the sound of his voice.
“She is waiting with Princess Alana and Samantha Carter in the
princess’ chamber. I did not think it
wise to expose them to danger until I was sure you were here.”
Teal’c and Daniel were standing behind the other two men, Daniel
looking a little baffled, and Teal’c with a suspicious look on his face. “Too easy,” he thought.
“O’Neill, we must exercise caution. He could be delivering us to Ba’al without any resistance,” he said, staring at Jano with distrust written all over his dark face.
“You are Teal’c. And you are
Daniel Jackson and Jack O’Neill. I am
sorry, I do not know you,” he said addressing Jacob.
“You know us?” asked Daniel.
“I have engaged you in battle many times, always careful not to
injure you, of course,” he said with a smile, his hands still up. “I could have killed you when I took Samantha
Carter from you, but I did not. That
should convince you that I am on your side,” he added.
“You took Carter?” asked Jack.
“I did.” At Jano’s response, Jack commented and pointed at Teal’c and
Daniel with his thumb. “We were quite
puzzled about the survival of these two.
It just did not make sense.”
“My mission was to bring Samantha Carter to Ba’al. I saw no need to injure them, but at the time
I did not see any other way to procure the freedom of Princess Alana. I am grateful that now we have other
options. If you will accept my
assistance, I will bring the women here while you wait. You must remain concealed. No one suspects me and I can bring them to
you without bloodshed.” He had lowered his
hands now and had relaxed his stance.
“I don’t know, Jack. Tera did not mention this guy,” the host of the Tok’Ra said.
“Tera just found out about me a few
moments ago. Princess Alana was guarding
my secret. It was I the one who sent Tera back to the princess’ chamber to wait for us.”
“How far is this chamber from here?” asked Jack, starting to trust
Jano.
“It is about 200 meters away on this level, toward the
bridge. Again, I believe you should
remain here, guarding the ship,” he insisted.
“OK, we’ll do it your way,” Jack said. His three teammates looked at him in
surprise. “Teal’c, you stay by the door,
Daniel and Jacob, take positions to back up Teal’c in case of trouble. I will remain in the ship, ready to fly,” he
said, making a gliding gesture with his hand.
Jano nodded and turned to
leave. He turned back again and said, “I
should be back in a short time.”
Jack nodded and waved him good bye. Jano left
quickly. The door had just closed when
Jack turned to Teal’c and gestured for him to follow. “You two stay here until we get back. If you hear weapons fire, bring some back
up.”
“That’s the Jack I know!” said Daniel after Teal’c and Jack had
disappeared through the door. “I was
lost there for a minute.” Jacob just
smiled.
-----
Sam was sitting down, letting her body get some rest while it
could. She felt as if a truck had hit
her. There were ugly bruises on her
neck, her mouth was swollen, her ribs hurt, and she desperately wanted to soak
in a warm bath for her achy muscles. She
had eaten fine, but had not slept well during the last couple of days. Alana had offered some water and fruit, but
she only drank enough to quench her thirst.
Then she had freshened up the best she could. She now felt slightly better.
The two women had been talking, getting acquainted, when Tera came it, giving the two jaffas at the door some excuse for needing to see the
princess. As soon as the door closed,
she ran to the two sitting women and told them about Jano.
Tera handed her zat’n’ktel to Sam, who took it and placed it behind
her. Alana had the other one nearby as
well.
A few minutes later, Jano entered the
room. “Get ready to go now, they are
waiting!” he said. He had not finished
speaking when the door opened again and Ba’al entered
the room followed by four jaffas.
“Shol’va, kree! You disappoint me, Jano,” he said, looking angrily at his former First
Prime. “You will die with dishonor!” he
shouted as he lifted his palm towards Jano, making
him fly against the back wall. Jano hit it hard and fell, semi-conscious on the hard
floor.
“Seize them!” shouted the Goa’uld, and the four jaffas started to move toward the women. Both Alana and Sam reacted at the same time,
pulling up their weapons and shooting two of them as they approached. Ba’al immediately
activated his personal defense shield.
The other two kept coming, one grabbing Alana’s wrist before she could
fire again, the other hitting Sam’s arm with his staff weapon, making her fall
to her knees and lose her weapon in the process.
Tera ran with a blade high up
in the air, trying to get to the one jaffa
struggling with Alana, but Ba’al used his weapon
against her as well. She was luckier
than Jano in that she fell against Alana’s bed, but
she had lost her knife.
At this point, Sam thought it was hopeless. Therefore, she was stunned when she saw Ba’al open his eyes wide, grunting loudly, and fall face
down on the floor, only a few feet from the jaffa
standing over her. The jaffa turned quickly only to be zatted
by an approaching Teal’c. Jack was also
inside the room, taking care of the other jaffa,
which had let go of Alana in an attempt to defend himself. It had all taken a few seconds. She was still trying to figure out what had
happened when she saw Jack’s knife protruding from the back of Ba’al’s neck.
“Carter! Are you
alright?” Jack asked, taking in her
battered appearance. Teal’c was already
helping her up.
“I think I’ll be OK, Sir.
It’s good to see you!” she said, holding her injured right arm. She thought it might be fractured.
Alana was kneeling by Jano, who was
moving slowly into a sitting position and bleeding from an injury on the back
of his head. Alana used a cloth to press
on the wound and helped the former First Prime to his feet as he asked what
had happened.
“We gave you a little back-up, that’s all. But we have to get going. All this noise will bring some jaffas running this way.”
Talking into his radio, Jack addressed Daniel and Jacob. “Guys, we are heading back. There’ll probably be some resistance along
the way.”
“We hear you, Jack. I’m
headed your way,” answered Jacob.
Jano was staring at the
lifeless body of the Goa’uld wit contempt.
He suddenly lifted his zat gun and aimed it at
the body, intent on vaporizing it.
Teal’c put a restraining hand on the weapon. “We should show his dead body to our
brothers. They must see that he is not a
God. We must try to convince them to
join the rebellion.”
Jano nodded and lowered the
weapon. He stooped and lifted the body
from the floor by the collar. He dragged
it outside the room and started down the corridor followed by Jack, Teal’c, and
the three women, Sam in the rear. They
could hear footsteps running their way from every direction.
“Kree!” Jano
screamed, aiming his weapon at oncoming jaffas. At the same time, the sound of a staff weapon
was heard behind them, hitting something.
Jack and Teal’c immediately turned and fired their zats
at the jaffas behind them, disabling two of
them. The other two jaffas
with them just dropped their weapons and raised their hands at the sight of
their First Prime dragging Ba’al’s corpse.
Horrified, Jack noticed that Sam was clinging to the wall, deathly
pale. “Carter!” he screamed and ran to
catch her as she fell. The blast had hit
her on the side. “Carter!” he called
again as he turned her face toward his.
Her eyes were full of pain.
“Jack!” she gasped, trying to raise her hand to his face. But her hand dropped before she could touch
him and her head fell back. Jack
realized, looking at her semi-closed eyes, that she was gone.
“SAM, NO!” he cried, holding her tightly against his chest, his
face buried in her hair. For those few
moments, no one had moved, too shocked by what had happened. Alana was the first one to react. “Jano,
the sarcophagus!”
Jack heard this and looked at the princess and then at Jano, his face full of hope. The former First Prime, who was still holding
his weapon, keeping the jaffa at bay, now spoke to
them. “Brothers, hear me! The false god Ba’al
is dead. SEE HIS DEAD HUSK! We are free!” he shouted, raising the limp body as
high as he could.
Teal’c moved to Jano’s side and added,
“No one else has to die today. Join the
rest of our freed brothers and sisters!
Resist those who would continue to serve false gods. Help us hunt down the remaining Goa’ulds in the ship and we will be free to go back to our
homes.”
All the jaffas surrounding them looked
at each other and started dropping their weapons, some with smiles on their
faces.
Jano turned to Jack, who was
lifting Sam’s limp body into his arms, and commanded, “Follow me, this way!”
Jack did not have to be told twice. He followed Jano
and the two women, Teal’c behind them, down the corridor for what seemed an
endless distance. The jaffas just allowed them to pass, muttering to each
other. The sight of Jano
dragging Ba’al’s dead body was enough to stop anyone
in their way.
Sam’s body felt strange against Jack’s chest. She was normally so strong, so full of vitality. Now she was hanging from his arms, not
breathing. His heart felt as if it had
been stabbed repeatedly. All he could
think was “Let her live, God, please, she can’t die, she can’t die!”
They met Jacob in the corridor.
He had zatted a few jaffas,
which were littering the way ahead of them.
He was surprised at seeing them come toward him followed by obviously
supportive jaffas.
“What is going on? What’s wrong
with Sam?” he asked with paternal concern, staring at his daughter and not
liking what he suspected.
“She is in need of a sarcophagus, Jacob Carter. We are headed there now.” Teal’c was brief but informative. Jacob joined the group without taking his
eyes off his daughter. He suspected she
was dead, but did not want to face the fact, especially when a sarcophagus was
at hand. He kept quiet and wondered at
Jack’s silence. He looked at the
commander and saw a mask of anguished control trying to cover the horror the
man felt.
Jacob had always suspected there was more than friendship between
Sam and Jack. He had even, during some
father-daughter talks, hinted at what he suspected. Sam had always changed the subject, quite
clumsily sometimes. She had never wanted
to talk about it. He had respected their
privacy, knowing what it meant for them if they really allowed themselves to
have a relationship. Now he had no
doubts left regarding Jack’s feelings for Sam.
These were written clearly on his face for anyone willing to see.
The group entered a spacious chamber with a sarcophagus sitting in
the middle. Jano
quickly opened the device and Jack gently placed Sam inside, stepping back as
the cover closed slowly. Jacob, on the
verge of tears, looked at Jack, who was running tense fingers through his hair,
still staring at the now closed sarcophagus.
At this point, Selmac took over. “We will go and meet Dr. Jackson. We left him with the ship. The mothership’s
crew must be kept under control. And we
must capture the remaining Goa’ulds.” Jack just looked at him and nodded. “She will survive, O’Neill. The sarcophagus will not fail.”
“Right! Yes, I know.
Please go ahead, I will join you soon.”
Jack’s subdued tone worried Selmac, but he had
to let him be. He left with Teal’c, Jano and a group of jaffas in
tow. The man was still dragging Ba’al’s corpse.
Only the two women remained in the room with Jack. “Your woman will come back to you. You do not need to despair.” Tera was looking at
him with pity and concern. Witnessing
his reactions, she had assumed Sam belonged with Jack. He looked at her guiltily, as if caught with
his hand inside a cookie jar, and opened his mouth to respond, but no sound
came. Alana put her hand on Tera’s shoulder and said, “Let’s see if we can help the
others, Tera.”
Turning back to give him a knowing look, she ushered the other woman out
of the room.
Chapter Eight
Jack did not know how long he waited by the sarcophagus, alone in
the room. Memories flashed through his
mind. Sam saluting him the day they met,
Sam’s childlike fascination and enthusiasm with every new thing, Sam’s
indignation when she felt a woman was not being treated fairly, Sam’s barely
suppressed smiles when he said something funny, Sam’s distraught look the day
he would not leave her behind. That day
he had fully acknowledged to himself that he preferred to die, rather than live
without her. He also remembered her eyes
through the laboratory glass the day he admitted aloud to others that he cared
for her in a way he was not supposed to.
So many memories, so many moments full of Samantha, he could not imagine
life without them.
The meager crumbs he had learned to live with, being able to see
her almost every day, hear her laugh, feel her near, had almost been snatched
away. He was still afraid that the
sarcophagus would open and she would still be dead, and he would never be able
to hear her voice again. He knew the
damn machine would work, of course. But
he could not get rid of the pain in his heart until he could see her open her
eyes.
A lifetime seemed to pass, but the sarcophagus finally started to
open. Jack got closer and held his
breath unconsciously. When it fully
opened he could see her, lying inside very still, her eyes closed. For a moment of panic, he thought his fears
had materialized, but then he saw her chest go up and down in a deep
breath. He smiled involuntarily, relief
beyond any he had ever felt before flooding his senses.
Sam slowly opened her eyes, and she blinked a couple of times,
confused. She frowned lightly and licked
her lips, then spotted Jack’s face close by, an unusual smile on his
lips. “Sir!” She started to sit up and he reached inside
to help her out. She stood unsteadily
next to him, closer to him than she ever remembered allowing herself to be. His hands were still on her waist, one of
them softly stroking her skin through the gaping hole the blast had left on
her shirt.
“Welcome back, Colonel”, he said softly. “You gave us quite a scare.” She felt embarrassed by his nearness, his
touch and his tone, uncharacteristically soft and sweet. She smiled and brushed her hair off her
forehead in an awkward motion. She said,
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you ever do that to me again”, he suddenly said, his
smile gone and pleading in his eyes.
She looked into his eyes and saw all the feelings he had been
suppressing for years, the same feelings that had been living inside of
her. And she remembered, in a flash,
those last few moments after she had been hit by the staff blast. She had known she was mortally wounded and
had no knowledge of a sarcophagus nearby.
She really thought these were her last moments of life. She remembered Jack holding her close,
calling to her. And she realized that
she had not thought of Pete, her fiancé, during those last few moments. She remembered that all she wanted was to be
able to tell Jack, before she died, that she loved him.
Jack realized, as he looked back at those huge blue eyes, that
they were very close, that she was alive, that he had almost lost her forever,
and suddenly he did not care about their military ranks anymore. He pulled her even closer and lowered his
mouth to hers, wrapping his arms tightly around her and kissing her with all
the passion he had been holding back for so long.
Sam thought she had died and gone to heaven. After all, had she not died? So this had to be heaven. That was the only explanation. She kissed him back eagerly, her hands
holding his face, then her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. They kissed for long moments, not wanting to
let them end. They briefly separated,
looked into each other eyes as if to ask “Is this really happening? Is it OK?”
and then kissed again, their passion mounting, his hands stroking her back, her
body molding to his.
Sounds could be heard coming closer to the door, but they could
not hear, lost in each other. The door
opened and Daniel entered, obviously concerned for Sam, and stopped dead in his
tracks. “Oooh! Sorry!” he said, blushing.
Jack and Sam stopped kissing abruptly and reluctantly let go of
each other, looking guiltily at Daniel.
“I see you are OK now,” Daniel remarked, not knowing what else to
say. “I was very worried about you.”
“Thank you, Daniel. Yes,
I’m fine now,” she said, smiling awkwardly and taking a step away from Jack.
“Actually, I feel better than I have felt for the last few days. These things really do miracles!” OK, she thought, keep babbling, like no one
here knows what’s really going on.
“Daniel, I’m sorry you are now in a difficult position.” Jack sounded sincere.
“What position? Why
difficult? You forget, Jack. I am not military and I have not seen a
thing!” he retorted, smiling broadly.
“Besides, it is not as if I did not know you too loved each other for
like, ahh, eons.”
He then added, “I am sorry, actually, for barging in like
that. Just, keep doing what you were
doing and I will go and continue to help the others hunt down bad guys, OK?”
He started to leave and both, Jack and Sam, said at the same time
“Daniel, you don’t have to…” but Daniel put up a hand and stopped them. “Yes, I do.
Please.” He then got serious, coming a couple of steps closer. “You need to be alone, if not to continue
what you were doing, then at least to talk to each other about this. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I bet you two
are as surprised by your actions as I am.
Not that I think they are bad actions.
They are not! Actually, I’ve
always thought…”
“OK, Daniel, you can stop now!” said Jack, asking for a
break. Sam was looking at the floor with
a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh.
“OK, OK!” Daniel said,
putting his hands up and turning to leave quickly, the door closing behind him.
Jack turned to Sam. Now
that his heart had slowed down, he was feeling a little sorry for what he had
done. Things tend to come back into
perspective when you are not caught in the moment. Heck!
He had even forgotten that Sam was engaged, for crying out loud! “Are you OK?” he asked softly.
“Yeah!” she nodded.
Although facing him, she was still looking at the floor.
“I am sorry, Sam. I
shouldn’t have…” he did not finish, stopped by her angry look.
“Don’t say you are sorry, please!
After all this time, after all we have gone through together… and you
say you are sorry?” She huffed and
turned her back on him, crossing her arms tightly in frustration.
“Sam,” he reached for her shoulder, turning her around to face him.
“What I meant was, well, I totally forgot about your feelings for Pete.
That was selfish of me.” He
was holding her by the shoulders at arms length, an apologetic look on his
face.
“Pete…” Sam sighed. “Would you believe me if I told you that I forgot about him too?” She looked away embarrassed. At this, Jack gently turned her face toward
him and looked her in the eye. “You have
gone through a lot, Sam. You are
entitled to be confused and emotional.
It was I the one that should have controlled myself
better. You’d think I’d be able to,
after all the practice, but… I thought I had lost you,” he said with feeling.
Her soft response surprised him.
“I’m glad, Jack. Whatever happens
later, I am happy that you didn’t control yourself this time.” Her eyes were full of longing and Jack felt
tempted to bring her into his arms again.
But the old Jack, the one in full control of his emotions, was
back. He just looked at her with a sad
smile and answered, “Me
too.”
Note from
the Author: I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at writing.
Find out what happens next in Relationships, Part
Two: Decisions.