I was re-watching the episode Cor-ai, and couldn't help thinking about the episode The Powers That Be and the similarities between Teal'c and Vala. If anyone can understand her journey, it would definitely be him.
Series: Idioms - A series of stand-alone stories based off random idioms.
A/N: All definitions can be found in From the Horse's Mouth by John Ayto.
Disclaimer: Own it? Only in my dreams
Spoiler Warning: S1 Ep14 Cor-ai and S9 Ep5 The Powers That Be
Idiom: day of reckoning: the time when past mistakes or misdeeds must be punished or paid for.
Day of Reckoning
"Vala Mal Doran, you do not eat."
Vala looked up in surprise as Teal'c took a seat across from her. She had been on Earth for quite a while now and this was the first friendly overture the Jaffa had made. She stared at him suspiciously but he returned her glare with an unreadable expression. After a few moments, Vala returned her attention to the snack she'd been poking at.
"I'm just not hungry, I suppose."
"You are thinking of the events which occurred on P8X-412."
"Maybe." Vala glanced around the nearly empty commissary then back to Teal'c. "I can't help but feel they were right. That they should have followed through with their original sentence."
"Have you heard of a planet called Chartago?"
"Yes, Qetesh visited there a number of times. It was a breeding planet for hosts, right?"
"Indeed. In my early days with SG-1, we travelled to Chartago where I was recognised as the man who killed the father of one of the villagers. I was put through a Cor-ai, a trial, and sentenced to death for my crime. I, too, wished the villagers to carry out my penalty. It felt deserved."
"But that wasn't your fault. You were simply doing Apophis' bidding, you had no choice. I chose to enslave those people. It was me, not Qetesh."
"I also knew what I was doing and did so willingly."
"It's still not the same, Teal'c." Vala said dejectedly. "You are a good, honourable man. I am nothing more than a liar and a thief."
"I disagree, Vala Mal Doran. I have seen you fight to keep alive the very people who wished to kill you. You could have walked away and allowed them to die, but you chose to stay and help. That is honourable. You, just as I, do not deserve to die for your past crimes. We cannot change all that we did, but we can move forward and choose our own path. Choose wisely, Vala Mal Doran." With that, Teal'c rose with a nod and left.
Vala stared at the spot the Jaffa had just vacated. Perhaps he was right. She couldn't change the past but maybe she could write her own future. She simply had to decide what that was going to be.
The End