Choices (AU)
Part 1: Beachhead
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not Mine. MGM and the stargate writers get to play for real, I get to play in my head.
Author's Note: FINALLY the first chapter of what will likely prove to be an epic project with my lovely co-evil-mastermind (and trusty beta of previous stories) shari aka sirah87 (on LJ) This is just the beginning to get things rolling, if you read the fic that spawned this whole thing at the xmas exchange (entitled Tu me manques, also found here on my account) you will recognize...the bulk of this chapter. sorry. hopefully the new bits interest you. if you haven't read that other fic...you could...and if you are too lazy to do that you get to enjoy a full chapter of new! (or at least hopefully enjoy...). know that more is (hopefully) on the way!!! and Shari adds: This is largely all Natalie, except for the part in the middle which was both of us several months ago (and, incidentally, blatant self-plagiarism^^) My thesis ate my soul and words make me sad in my heart, now. Hopefully I will be more useful soon. Here is Chapter 1. Be amazed.
Please please drop a note and let us know what you thought! reviews are love after all.
Gerak's motherships had retreated and Colonel Carter, SG-1 and the crew of the Prometheus were left to try and sort out exactly what was happening below on Kellana. Carter looked up from her monitor, "Okay, I've got a fix on the planet. Looks like Gerak was right. According to the sensors, its diameter has decreased by 16%."
Daniel looked at Carter in surprise as Vala crossed her arms and muttered none-to-quietly, "Planets don't shrink in my experience." Daniel glared at her with annoyance. She held up her hands and mouthed 'what?!' before he turned back to look at Carter.
"There's something else." Her console now showed a group of unknown objects.
Mitchell leaned over Carter's shoulder. "What is that?"
Daniel leaned in as well. "A ship?"
Carter shook her head. "It's hard to say. Whatever it is, I think it's composed of the objects that came through the Stargate."
Daniel, Carter, Mitchell and Teal'c stared out at the ring as it began to form an uncomfortably familiar shape.
Daniel spoke up first. "Doesn't that look an awful lot like…"
"Yeah, it does." Mitchell chimed in.
"In fact I think that's just what it is," Sam said, slightly awed.
Daniel took and deep breath and spoke slowly, "No, it can't be, because I was going to say "Stargate"."
"Try "Supergate"" Sam corrected, "I estimate it's three- to four-hundred meters across."
Teal'c spoke from his place behind Colonel Carter's chair. "Large enough for the passage of an entire armada."
Vala crossed the bridge to stand behind Marks' console to look at the information shown there. "It's incomplete; there's still time," she said as she pointed at the screen.
Daniel dismissed her with a huff. "Time? Time to do what? Everything we've done has just made things worse."
The group stared silently at the Supergate until Marks broke the silence "The planet's diameter has now decreased by up to 50%, and it's accelerating rapidly."
Carter studied the readings before her once more, "I think I know why. Only one thing in the universe could power a gate that size. It's also the only thing that could allow them to keep the gate open this long, and there's one on the other end."
Daniel nodded, comprehending what she was alluding to, "A black hole."
"That's what the force field was for. It wasn't meant to keep us out. It was designed to collapse the planet into a micro-singularity." Carter confirmed.
Mitchell stared at them both his brow knit in confusion, "Why?"
"Well, this is how they can create a wormhole that can span such a vast distance. With a black hole at either end, they can maintain an open wormhole indefinitely" Carter explained.
Mitchell had heard all he needed to know and motioned for Carter to halt her explanation. "Fine, fine. How do we stop them?"
Vala jumped in, her voice excited. "I have an idea. If we can…"
She went unheard, however, as Daniel spoke over her, "The next idea anybody comes up with has to be outside the box." Vala glared at him, but no one else on the bridge seemed to notice.
Carter began to go over the available information aloud."Okay, the gate is composed of individual units. There must be some sort of energy linkage between them, like a- like a chain."
Vala tried once more to break into the conversation, raising her voice and pointing at the date scrolling by on the screen. "Exactly, so we…"
But the rest of the group remained annoyingly oblivious. "So we need a big ol' set of bolt cutters," Mitchell drawled, cutting Vala off.
"Oooh. Too far outside the box. Get closer to the box," Daniel replied.
Vala stared at them in disbelief as they remained completely dismissive towards all of her attempts to suggest a solution. They didn't believe she had anything to offer? Frustration bubbled up inside her, mixed with a burning desire to show them all just what she was capable of, to show one of them in particular. With a last glare in Daniel's direction she turned on her heel and left the bridge at a jog.
Suddenly aware something had changed, Daniel turned in time to see Vala round the corner as she exited into the corridor and, after a moment's pause, he took off after her.
Vala ran down the hallway of the Prometheus, darting past repair crews and airmen, focused solely on the plan still forming in her mind. She hadn't heard Daniel calling her name, hadn't even realized he was behind her, until he grabbed her arm as she reached for the ring controls. She reflexively shook him off before demanding, "Daniel what are you doing here?"
"Funny you should ask, because I was about to ask you the same question," he replied, congenial words belying the heat of his tone. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Oh you care now?" she retorted haughtily. With a flip of her hair she turned towards the control panel of the ring room.
"Vala" Daniel said grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him once more.
"I am trying to help, Daniel. Someone had to do something, and you wouldn't listen." She pulled away from him and began quickly pushing a series of buttons on the control panel. "Actually, I got the idea from Colonel Carter. The objects are being held in some sort of energy field, like links on a chain, and I intend to take the place of the last link."
Frustrated, Daniel moved in front of her as best he could and batted her hands away from the controls. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" he asked.
"On the cloaked cargo ship Garek left to watch us, which I am currently setting the rings to seek out," Vala answered matter-of-factly.
Daniel stared at her agape, it appeared as though he was not entirely sure he wanted to know how she was aware of the cargo ship but was impressed despite himself. She took advantage of his momentary freeze to reach around him and finish tapping in the sequence.
He shook his head to clear it. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. If something happens to you, you'll need an extra pair of hands to finish the job. And to make sure you make it back."
"I'll be fine Daniel," she replied dismissively, still staring at the controls. She muttered a few choice words in goa'uld before smacking the side of the panel sharply. A few more lights flickered on and she nodded with satisfaction.
"You can't know that."
Vala paused as she was about to hit the final button, and for the first time met Daniel's eyes. "We still don't know if the link between us is finally broken or not, you might collapse once you're over there." He protested stubbornly.
Taking in the fierce determination on his face, she sighed. She knew very well that her plan, which was still being created on the fly, might end in her not coming back at all - and she was not interested in risking anyone but herself. However, Daniel did have a point about their ongoing attachment issue. She also didn't have time to argue with him any further.
"Fine. I suppose you may accompany me. Wouldn't want to kill the both of us by getting out of range prematurely, now would I? But, I don't want you claiming all the heroics for yourself when we return, do you hear?" she conceded, while pointing a finger directly at Daniel's face.
Daniel sighed and rolled his eyes, allowed her to key in the last piece of the sequence, and followed her onto the ring platform.
They arrived on the tel'tak and Vala quickly disposed of the Jaffa pilot, ringing him back to the Prometheus while Daniel contacted the others from the pilot's station to explain their plan. He then began moving the ship into position.
"Daniel, when that singularity forms, there will be a powerful shock wave. The cargo ship won't survive," Sam's worried voice said over the communication system.
"Yeah, apparently that's the plan," Daniel replied. He could practically hear the concerned looks Mitchell and Sam shot each other at that admission. "I didn't say it was a great plan."
"Hey!" Vala exclaimed as she came up behind the pilot's chair.
Daniel didn't bother to dignify the defensive outburst with a response. "We'll ring back before that happens, guys."
She reached over, leaning dangerously into his personal space, to hit a command into the console. "You need more thrust Daniel." She punched in another command as she squinted out the viewport before turning to look at him. His eyes pointedly traveled from her chest, which was directly in his line of vision, up to her face. He raised an eyebrow. "What? Not everything I say and do is laced with innuendo, you know." She said indignantly.
"Uh huh," he responded, turning his attention back to his 'parking job'. Tapping in some final commands he added, a few seconds later, "Okay, Vala, we're nearly there. Go get ready to ring back to the Prometheus."
Vala hurried back to the control panel, stumbling slightly as the ship jolted into place, barely beating the final section of the Supergate to its spot. She had her hand on the controls waiting for Daniel to join her when blue bolts of electricity began to surge through the ship, into the electrical systems, and by extension through Vala's hand into her body. She crumpled to the floor with a strangled cry.
Daniel whirled at the sound. "Vala!"
He bolted to the ring room, turning her onto her back. She opened her mouth to reassure him but what came out was less than encouraging, "I-I-I'm fiiuuuuuowwww…"
"Yeah, not fine, Vala. This is what 'not fine' feels like." He carefully picked her up and placed her within the rings before moving back to the control panel. It had stopped sparking and he punched the button to activate the rings. Nothing happened. He hit it again with his fist, putting a lot more force behind the blow. Still nothing.
"Just perfect," Daniel spat. It must have blown out – unsurprisingly, considering the energy that was still surging through the ship. He raised his arm to try the console one last time, in what he knew would be a vain attempt, then glanced at Vala.
She was struggling to watch him from where she lay, barely conscious and fighting every step of the way to keep her eyes open. Yet, even so, she could see all too clearly the direction in which Daniel's thoughts were heading – and knew the moment he had reached his decision.
His stare hardened, and he pressed his lips together tightly. His hand, which had been hanging uselessly in mid-air over the control panel, fell to his side.
"Daniel…what are you…don't you even-" Don't you dare.
Her lips refused to form the words.
Daniel launched himself back towards the pilot's chair, tripping and stumbling as the ship shook even more violently. He looked back to the ring room, to where Vala's face, ghostly pale under the flickering lights, was turned toward him. "I'll be right behind you" he assured her as he placed his hand on secondary ring controls.
"Daniel, no -," she attempted to say again, but in a flash of light she found herself back on the Prometheus. Her plea went unheard. She forced herself to find the energy to none too gracefully roll her aching body off the ring platform – he had said he would be coming along after her. He'd said it.
The rings lit up and began to hum. Then nothing. Daniel didn't materialize.
Vala groaned as the shockwave from the singularity reached the Prometheus, causing the floor to shake under her and her headache to worsen. Within moments she had passed out completely.
Darkness. Silence. Then, slowly, beeps and hisses and the mumble of whispered voices crept into Vala's brain. It felt as though her ears had been stuffed with cotton. She tried to open her eyes but searing pain forced her to close them again. She felt heavy, almost as if she were underwater, but then, slowly, she began to surface.
"You know, the Ori are just going to try again," Cameron's low voice drawled from somewhere on the other side of the room.
"Probably." Carter replied in a distracted tone.
Cameron's voice drifted over to Vala once again as she hesitantly attempted to open her eyes. "I'm saying we could sure use someone like you on the front line Sam, just think about it."
The grey blobs on the other side of the room slowly took the form of Teal'c, Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell as Vala's vision brightened and sharpened. She groaned when the throbbing in her head grew worse, squeezing her eyes shut once more.
She heard footsteps approach her bed. "You awake?"
"Unfortunately," Vala replied with a raspy voice. After a minute, she forced her eyelids back open a crack. "Where's Daniel?" she ventured, fearing she already knew the answer.
Cameron said, with a dryness that didn't quite match the urgency on his face, "Funny, we were about to ask you the same question."
"He didn't make it back," Vala said quietly. A statement, not a question. Her flat tone negated any doubt that what she knew the truth.
"He did not." Teal'c's low baritone confirmed from the end of the bed. Leaning back into the pillow Vala blinked rapidly, refusing to let her barriers fall in front of the group standing around her bed. She instead began picking at the fibers of the blanket on her lap with intense focus.
"What happened over there?" Mitchell asked. When Vala only shook her head and continued picking at the blanket covering her legs, he pushed, "We lost communications when the gate started to charge up and then you appeared in the ring room, alone, passed out."
Vala looked up and sighed, then diverted her eyes off to the side and away from their expectant gazes. "There was an energy surge. I was injured. The primary ring controls weren't working properly, and Daniel decided to send me back alone. I told him not to but he –" She choked on the words, and didn't speak further.
Several minutes passed before Colonel Carter coughed and piped up, filling the awkward silence, "You're lucky, the bracelet's effect was wearing off. We weren't sure you were going to wake up at all for a while there."
Vala glanced in her direction before returning her gaze to the bland gray of the metal wall. "Yeah, lucky me."
Another uncomfortable beat. Carter started to speak again, then thought better of it. Vala didn't appear to be listening; instead she seemed to retreat into herself.
At length Cameron jerked his head towards the door and gave her other visitors a meaningful glance. Taking the cue, they backed away from the bed. Cameron patted her shin awkwardly before following, saying, "Well...we'll let you rest, now, Sunshine. And if you're on your best behaviour for Dr. Lam I may even bring you some real food later. None of that infirmary gunk." He waved off the indignant noise that sounded from a couple beds down, where the doctor in question was tending to an injured Sergeant Siler.
Carter spoke in a hushed voice to Mitchell and Teal'c as the three members of SG-1 headed towards the door. "I've been going over the telemetry from the last few seconds before the formation of the singularity. A matter stream left the cargo ship just before it exploded."
Vala lifted her head from the pillow and looked at Carter with interest as the other two paused to stare at her blankly, awaiting further explanation.
"There's at least a slight chance he was pulled into the singularity," Sam clarified.
"So you're saying he could be alive, somewhere in Ori home galaxy?" Mitchell asked, raising an eyebrow as he reached for the control pad that would open the door to the corridor.
Sam nodded, "It's possible."
They all turned at the sound of Vala's voice, suddenly strong, reaching across the room to them from the woman who moments ago had seemed so small and lost. "Well then, we'll just have to find him, won't we."
SG-1 exchanged surprised glances before turning back to look at Vala. She returned their gaze with a determined glint in her dark eyes.
When Daniel woke up he immediately wished that he hadn't. His body ached all over and his head throbbed painfully. He was in a warm bed, however, he was surprised not to hear the constant cacophony of beeping infirmary monitors he had come to expect after years of coming-to post near-death…or actual death. He did however hear someone moving quietly, treading carefully as they moved about what he assumed - by the lack of infirmary equipment noise - was his room on base. And there was only person who would sneak around his quarters like that.
Daniel grunted slightly as he tried to find his voice. "Vala you are so going to pay for this. I want you to know right now that you are never allowed to make a plan ever again. Ever." Daniel groaned as he tried to roll over.
"Oh you're finally awake!" he heard a voice reply quietly. The voice however was not laced with any sort of innuendo, nor did it consist of the familiar husky accent he had expected.
The sound of someone opening curtains and the bright light that then assaulted Daniel's eyelids caused him to sit straight up, his eyes shooting open quickly. He squinted against the harsh sunlight streaming in the window until two hands pushed on his shoulders, forcing him back into a prone position. As he adjusted to the brightness of the room he could make out someone hovering inches from his face. After a moment a woman with blond hair and grey eyes came into focus.
She cocked her head slightly and looked at him inquisitively. "Who's Vala?"