This is my very first StarGate SG-1 story (*cheers!*) but not the first story I ever wrote g>. I hope I got everyone in character.
Thanks to Petra 'Sapphire' Berghofer for her beta read.
Setting: after 'In the Line of Duty' (as you'd find out soon enough)
Author's Warning: English isn't my first language (it's German) so there are grammatical errors here for sure. Whoever finds one can keep it ;)
Copyrights belong to Double Secret Production, Gekko Production, MGM, Showtime and whoever claims them. I sure don't!
Comments welcome. Have fun!
"We have to go! Move it!"
The insistent voice got through the daze he was in, jolting him back to reality. Daniel blinked, wincing as he saw the mutilated, charred corpse at his feet. Cut down in cold blood by the Jaffa now swarming toward them. He had briefly known the man, one of the people of this planet, and he had died protecting the only way to the StarGate.
"Daniel! Move!"
Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away. His instincts screamed, resisting the retreat. They couldn't just leave....!
"It's no good!" Jack O'Neill told him forcefully and the hand on his shoulder was like a vice.
"But...."
"No!" The Colonel gave him a rough shove and he almost stumbled. "We are losing this battle and I don't want to see more of us cut down like sheep to the slaughter!" He started to drag him along. "We have to get the survivors through! Now move it!"
Angry streams of deadly fire followed their retreat, searching for a target to obliterate.
"What about the others?" Daniel asked.
"We can't do anything for them anymore."
* * *
Major General George Hammond, commander of the StarGate Project, watched as the StarGate lit up. It was a spectacle he never grew tired of watching. The bright bluish-white light of the active Gate exploded outwards, rushing towards them like a large tidal wave. From his position in the control room Hammond saw energy funneling away from the rings, reaching towards them. Just as it looked like it was going to touch the people in the Embarkation Room, the bubbling and sizzling funnel collapsed back the way it had come from.
The Gate was open.
And out of the Gate came SG-1 as well as several people Hammond suspected were from the planet they had visited. PG-2770, a planet where Native American culture had been preserved, though with a few differences from what had developed on Earth. The people were in a bad condition, bleeding, stumbling, some collapsing right after they were out of the Gate, others staring wide-eyed and in shock at the new environment. The medical teams were rushing in and starting their work, while SG-1 helped the worst cases down the ramp. O'Neill and his team didn't look much better than many of the refugees. Their faces were streaked with soot, blood and dirt, their uniforms torn or burned, and all of them, maybe with the exception of Teal'c, looked exhausted. Hammond had never really seen the Jaffa tired or worn out. Must be the Goa'uld, he thought wryly.
The general turned away from the large window front and proceeded to the briefing room. SG-1 would be in soon and then he would know what had happened – aside from what he could already guess.
* * *
She looked around. So this was it. Amazing place; completely unlike what she had seen before. Someone took her arm and talked softly to her, treating her as if she were in shock, which must be what she looked like. She played along and let the man guide her out of the large doors and down a long hallway. Others followed, some being carried, some walking under their own power. Her own body hurt, but she ignored it. It would be fine again soon. She had a job to do, a search to complete, and she was finally where she would get the answers.
I can't leave them alone!> a voice whispered urgently.
She looked around and winced slightly at the state of the people around her, aware of the need in her to help them.
We have to assist> the voice said.
We will help with the greatest pain, but the moment there is danger of revelation, we will stop and continue the search> she agreed.
A feeling like a smile coursed through her. We can search even while helping. Win their trust>
Now she smiled as well. Yes....>
* * *
Dr. Janet Frasier had the work cut out for her. About a dozen seriously injured Creatak had been hustled into the medical bay of SGC and she was busy transferring the worst cases to emergency surgery and getting the others settled down for treatment. Some were 'only' in shock or had some burns and abrasions, but the most serious cases were fighting with death. For one she guessed any help would come too late and another might lose his hand, maybe even the arm. She hated making those decisions, but somebody had to do it.
"Hi, Doc, how are things?" Jack greeted her as she walked into a separate examination room where SG-1 was waiting for their routine checks.
"Busy," she sighed. "We have it all under control, but it will take some more time till we have all Creatak taken care of. Some are very seriously injured."
Daniel nodded, looking glum. "Too many died," he said softly.
"War is not pretty," O'Neill replied. "You know that, Daniel. We all saw it before."
"And I'll never get used to it, Jack," the young scientist replied forcefully.
"Neither will I and I saw a lot more of this than you hopefully ever will, Danny-boy."
"How are you?" Frasier now asked, putting down her chart and walking over to Sam, who sat on one of the examination beds. She began checking for Goa'uld entry wounds.
"Tired, in need of a shower and hungry," Sam replied with a smile.
"You'll get all of it the moment I'm done. You know we have to get you through computer tomography as well."
All nodded. It was necessary now. Frasier continued her checks, found nothing suspicious or wrong, and then shooed them off to the CT room.
Twelve hours later some kind of quiet had returned, the medical personnel still busy with the patients, the surgical theaters treating one patient after another, but at least the hubbub of before was no more. Now was the time additional checks, for talking with the survivors, for asking for the results of blood tests and tissue samples. Frasier walked along the row of beds and nodded at the conscious patients, checking the charts. Nurses flocked around her, volunteers assisting her staff, and everything was once again the normal, controlled chaos they were used to.
"Dr. Frasier?"
She turned and discovered one of her assistants. "Yes, Ben?"
"We are done with the first set of CT pics. No Goa'uld presence or signs of anything abnormal so far."
She nodded. Since the episode with the Goa'uld hiding out in Captain Sam Carter about a month back they had had to improve their method of checking everyone for a possible hostile take-over. Even if the alien had declared that he belonged to a kind of resistance against the likes of Apophis, entering a hosts body without external wounds meant heightened alertness and a new book of security rules for StarGate Command. So far, nothing of the likes had happened again.
"How many more?" she asked.
"About two dozen. CT takes a while and we have to be sure."
"I know, Ben, I know. Get the results to my office as usual."
"Sure, Doc."
Frasier continued her checks. One bed was occupied by a young man who had been brought in with severe burns to his hands, shock, and an abdominal wound. Curiously enough he had walked through the StarGate under his own power and then broken down a few steps off the ramp. Dr. Frasier believed that shock and an adrenaline rush were responsible that he had made it this far.
The Creatak were a race that looked almost human. Frasier didn't know if they had human ancestors or had been cross-bred by the Goa'uld, but except for a few minor differences they looked like her own race. They could double for American Indians mostly, right down to the copper-colored skin and the dark hair and eyes. Some showed exceptions, with a lighter eye-color or different tone of skin. Most had tattoos on their arms and legs. She had talked with a few and had read a short report from the SG teams who had been in contact with them before the whole mess had happened, and she knew they were primitive by Earth standards, but their culture showed some interesting twists.
And Frasier had noticed how quick they were on the up-take. One of the not so badly injured female Creatak had volunteered to help treating her people, talking to those in shock and scared of the alien world around them, explaining to the doctors what to watch out or what to look for. Frasier was thankful for it; it had helped immensely. Right now this woman, Tiera if she remembered correctly, sat at the side of one of the injured male Creatak, talking softly to him, smiling, holding his hand. She had suffered some minor wounds only, light burns, some abrasions and cuts, and she had been treated right away. As Dr. Frasier approached she looked up, smiling briefly, then said something to the man and stood.
"I want to thank you for all the help you gave us, Dr. Frasier," Tiera said, smiling at her.
Frasier nodded. "You are welcome. And thank you for your assistance. It helped to treat the injured a lot more quickly." She visually examined the woman. Tiera looked tired, but not on the verge of breaking down. "You should rest," Janet then said kindly. "You have been up since this started and you are as much a victim as are your people."
Tiera nodded slowly, casting a long look around the infirmary. Frasier saw infinite sadness in her dark eyes. Like almost all female Creatak she had tattoos in her face, hers starting at the temples and, following an intricate pattern, running down her cheeks and neck. From one of the other patients Dr. Frasier had been told that Tiera held the status of a healer, a doctor, among the Creatak. No wonder she wanted to help.
"I will," she now promised.
"Have you been examined yet?"
"No. I was too busy here. I will go and see your assistant now." She smiled.
Frasier nodded. "Let Nancy take you there. You might get lost otherwise. Everything around here is a maze."
Tiera chuckled. "I noticed." Then she turned, following Nancy as she left the infirmary and led her to the CT room.
Dr. Frasier went back to her work.
* * *
Daniel Jackson was tired. He had fallen asleep throughout his work, which currently consisted of getting up-to-date with all their discoveries on the dozens of planets they had visited in the last four weeks. Because he had been constantly away, just home enough to make notes and deliver a brief report, drop off the samples and change clothes, he was now up to his ears in work. As was the rest of the team. While passing by one of the small conference rooms usually used to review old material, he had heard Jack curse over something or other. And since the incident on Crea he had one more report to add to the others. General Hammond had ordered them to catch up on their work and told O'Neill in quite clear words that even though SG-1 was the first of all teams, they were not the only one. SGs 2-12 could take over some of their work until everything was once again up to date. And throughout it, Daniel Jackson had fallen asleep.
When he woke, his head resting in an uncomfortable position on the desk, it was close to 8 a.m. Cursing himself for sleeping so long he got up, wincing as he felt his neck muscles cramp. He wasn't used to sleep in this awkward position. He took a quick shower in the crew quarters shower room and then went down to the area used as a mess hall for the soldiers stationed here.
"Morning', Daniel. You look dreadful."
Daniel grimaced. "Good morning, Sam." He accepted a cup of coffee and settled down on a chair, feeling tired and still sleepy even after the night's 'rest'. He would have preferred his own bed.
"How's work proceeding?" Sam asked conversationally, sitting down opposite of him. The rest of the mess hall was quiet and empty.
"Pretty good." He stirred his coffee, debating whether to have breakfast or not. He settled on not. "I'll be back in the office after breakfast." Daniel had a small office cubicle where he usually spent as little time as possible to write up his mission report. He hated the bare concrete walls and would have preferred the walls of his own apartment, but that was military life for you.
"You call coffee breakfast?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "You are working too hard, Daniel."
"This is important."
"I know it is, but so is you health. The colonel said he wants SG-1 back on real duty by the day after tomorrow, and Hammond agreed."
"But I'm not done yet!" Daniel protested, torn between the option of discovering new, alien worlds with ancient cultures, and catching up on all the things they had yet to evaluate and learn about.
"General Hammond said he wants your material be transferred to the special project group back at headquarters for a deeper analysis. Sorry, Daniel," Sam added with a genuine apology. "Looks like you won't be researching all that much."
Jackson grumbled something, trying to hide his disappointment. Beside his presence on SG-1 and besides being trained to shoot and defend himself, he was still very much a scientist. Missing out on analyzing and evaluating what they had uncovered .... it was painful. He only went in, got himself into danger, brought back a few snippets, but he was denied working on unraveling the mystery. Then again, his primary goal on each mission was to find his wife Sha're. Still, it felt somehow wrong. He was a scientist deep down inside!
"Hey, why the long faces?" someone asked and Daniel looked up, discovering Jack O'Neill.
"Nothing," he muttered.
Jack turned to Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Daniel wants to continue evaluating the findings from the last four weeks," she explained helpfully.
Jack turned back to look at his friend. "Take it with dignity, Daniel, but the guys back at the special project group need something to do as well." He smiled. "And I thought discovering new cultures was high up on your list of 'Things I Always Wanted To Do'."
Daniel sighed. "Yeah, maybe."
Jack gave him a light pat. "Hey, cheer up. I'll see to it you get the results ASAP and you can read them on the ride."
Daniel grimaced and Jack grinned a bit. "I think I'll get back and do what I can to get the back-log straightened out. See you guys."
He stood and left, walking back to his quarters. He passed by a woman – and stopped. Daniel turned and gazed at the woman. She walked down the corridor as if she knew exactly where she was going, as if she belonged here. But she didn't. She was one of the rescued Creatak, one of the people who would soon be relocated to a safe world. Now she turned a corner and Daniel found himself following her. He was just around the corner as he saw her enter a room. Gazing at the label he discovered it was the computer room.
How....?
All rooms were secured by an electronic lock and could not be opened without valid access cards! The Creatak could not have such a card! Impossible!
Without thinking he approached the room and carefully pushed the door open. It had not been closed shut. The woman stood in front of the main computer, typing something into the keyboard.
"Uhm, excuse me?" Daniel asked.
Mistake! his instincts screamed right away. The woman turned and for a moment Daniel had the incredible urge to run away. Her face was still human, but it held a definitely inhuman expression. He thought he caught a glint of white fire in those dark eyes and now his instincts were overpowering his reasonable thinking. He staggered back as the Creatak straightened and he fumbled for the alarm button that was installed in every high security room.
"Ah...." he managed. "I...."
His fingers found the button and he pressed it. The red light above the door started flashing and a siren wailed. "Security alert!" a female voice declared. "Set condition red..... Security alert.... Set condition red....."
The woman looked at the lamp, then her eyes fixed on Daniel and he felt like the proverbial rabbit facing a snake. And then it happened. As she took a step forward she seemed to change shape. Her legs grew longer, stretching, her feet turning into clawed digits, raising her to stand on her toes only like a cat. Her hands turned into long claws, her features shifting slightly into something more demonic.
Daniel swallowed hard, grabbing for the door and pulling it open, stumbling to the outside. "Listen...."
The black eyes lit up with the fire of possession, a snarl escaping the creature. Daniel tried to get further away as she stalked him, but suddenly she lashed out and he felt the strong hands close around the front of his uniform.
"No, you will listen, human," the alien said, the black eyes fixed on his. "I want to know what you did with Jolinar."
Daniel swallowed again, catching movement out of the corner of his eyes. Jack and Teal'c had arrived, both armed, both aiming at his attacker. The Goa'uld seemed to have seen them too because her claws dug deeper into his shirt, holding him.
"Where is he?" she hissed.
"Uhm, he is....dead," Daniel wheezed and then choked as her grip tightened, the strained material of the shirt biting into his neck skin and cutting off his air.
"So you killed him!"
"Let him go, lady!" Jack now yelled, removing the security clasp from his handgun.
The Goa'uld turned, Daniel dangling from her grasp, his feet several inch above the floor.
No! He isn't dead!>
I'm sorry, Rijk>
No!> she screamed. It can't be! He wouldn't surrender his life to these humans!>
Tiera sighed. Maybe>
No!> she cried again, eyes still fixed on the human in her grasp.
You have to accept it if it happened. And please refrain from killing him>
Why should I? They killed Jolinar!>
We don't know that. He only said he is dead. It could mean anything.....>
Jack felt his mouth turn dry as he saw what had once been a Creatak woman. She was still humanoid, but that was where the human part ended. Her eyes were black with a deep red iris and a reptilian look all in all, and they were slanted. Her face was narrow and held a few sharp angles, her cheek bones higher than the normal human's. It could be called almost beautiful and still held some basic Creatak features. What had made her transform into this creature? Jack glanced at Teal'c and saw the same expression of amazement on his feature Jack thought he was displaying as well.
"Drop him," he ordered again.
"Who of you killed Jolinar?"
"No one. He killed himself," Jack replied. A Goa'uld! Another one! What was happening to this base?! Were they now running a travel agency?
"Liar!"
"The truth," Daniel gasped. "The assassin wounded him so badly that he died!"
More soldiers had appeared by now and the Goa'uld, with Daniel in her grasp, was surrounded.
"Assassin?"
"The Ashrak," Teal'c said levelly.
The woman's eyes narrowed, fixing briefly on the sign on the Jaffa's head, then turning back on her 'victim'.
"Why don't you give up?" Jack suggested. "We find you a nice little cell, I promise, though the rooms with a view are already taken."
A deep rumble escaped from the alien's throat. Suddenly her eyes narrowed and Jack followed her gaze. Captain Samantha Carter....
"You..." the Goa'uld whispered.
Jack stared. Could she sense Sam had been a host? He knew Sam had retained some strange abilities from her possession, but could a Goa'uld feel she had once been one of theirs?
Sam stared at the demonic creature. She had seen several alien beings in her time with SGC and she had faced more horrible creatures, but this one had once been a normal looking woman! "They tell the truth," she finally said softly. "Jolinar died. He chose to die so I could live."
"You were his host?"
Sam nodded, coming closer.
"Sam, damnit!" Jack hissed. "Get back here!" She ignored him and Jack's features grew darker. "Captain Carter, that's an order!"
"Jolinar was forced to take me as a host because his Nasyan partner was killed in an air raid of Death Gliders," Carter explained, voice even, eyes never leaving the Goa'uld. "We know he belonged to the Tok'ra and that they oppose the system lords. Are you one of them as well?"
The Goa'uld's eyes narrowed. "I am Tok'ra," she proclaimed proudly. "My name is Rijk of Ten-Nar."
Jack cast Teal'c a questioning look. "Know the critter?"
"Yes. I heard of Rijk of Ten-Nar, but only in tales. She is believed to be older than many of the most powerful system lords, maybe even older than Apophis."
Jack tilted his head. "And more ugly as well."
Rijk smiled and flashed vampiric teeth. "Legends do wonders to your reputation." Then her attention swiveled back to Sam. "Jolinar is truly dead? The Ashrak did his job?"
"And got killed in turn. I'm sorry."
"Then my search is complete."
"How about letting me down then?" Daniel asked carefully.
The reptilian eyes met his. "So you can kill me?"
Sam shook her head. "We won't...."
"...in exchange for some information," Jack added smoothly.
Rijk sighed and shook her head. "No deal." With that she flung Daniel into his team mates who stumbled back, Jack instinctively grabbing for a dazed Daniel Jackson and pulling him down. When he looked around he discovered the stunned faces of the other soldiers who had suddenly lost their target.
"There," Teal'c said in his normal, rather calm voice.
Jack whirled around and saw the strange creature move quickly down to the Embarkation Room. He grabbed his gun and gave chase.
*
You should have agreed>
Agreement means imprisonment and death> she contradicted. You heard about the humans and you know about Jolinar now as well>
He died to save his host>
Rijk winced as she fled down the corridor to the StarGate. Yes, maybe....
You can't set the coordinates> Tiera whispered as she watched them flee, letting the symbiont control her body.
Rijk hesitated. She had noticed this as well. Another hostage....>
Won't work. It would be a stand-off>
They will kill me because they believe it will save you, and because of their rage towards the Goa'uld>
No> Tiera said softly. Give them some credit>
Jack was not far behind the alien when she suddenly stopped. She had her back turned to him and it seemed like she was talking to herself...well, in a way. Jack trained his weapon on the Goa'uld.
"Hold it right there, lady!"
She turned and raised her hands. As she did, her body seemed to shift, morphing back to the woman they had rescued from the Goa'uld attack on Crea. There was a strange, almost human expression in her face.
"We give up," she said, her voice not that of the Goa'uld anymore.
* * *
"She is a Goa'uld?" Dr. Frasier shook her head in disbelief.
"Yep, she is," Jack told her.
"But... but.... She didn't act like any Goa'uld I've ever seen! She helped treat the wounded, she talked to those who were going through xenophobic shock...." She made a weak gesture.
"But she never went through CT," Hammond stated. He sat at the head of the large table in the briefing room, looking serious.
"Uh, no. I checked on it right away after you called. It seems Nancy led her to the CT room, but we don't know what happened after that. Nancy has no recollection of it and neither has the CT technician. We didn't get any prints from her."
Hammond frowned darkly. "What do we know about her?" he then wanted to know.
"Uhm, well," Daniel started, "her name if Rijk, she is of the Tok'ra, and she came here with us when we evacuated Crea. Her host is a woman named Tiera, a Creatak, and apparently a shape-shifter."
"Shape-shifter?" Hammond echoed.
"I talked to some of the other Creatak," Frasier ventured forward. "They confessed that these abilities are not uncommon among their kind, but the degree of morphing Rijk/Tiera showed is unheard of."
"It might be the possession through a Goa'uld enhanced the natural latent abilities," Sam guessed. She cast a look at Teal'c.
The Jaffa took the cue. "The Goa'uld choose their hosts by their strength and power. They develop the natural abilities further. It would explain her shape-shifting powers."
"So we have a shape-shifting Goa'uld who claims to be of the resistance group Jolinar belonged to." Hammond's face darkened even more. He clearly didn't like it.
"I believe her," Sam now spoke up.
All heads turned to her.
"A 'feeling', Captain?" O'Neill asked with slight sarcasm in his voice. He knew her 'feelings' concerning Goa'uld were to be taken seriously, but she was also biased where the Tok'ra were concerned.
"In a way, yes. I felt Jolinar and I felt his thoughts. He didn't mean us harm, but he was prepared to use force to go back through the StarGate to flee from the assassin. Somehow I sense this in Rijk as well. She will do everything to get away from here, now that she knows Jolinar is dead."
"If a hunter was after Jolinar, who tells us there isn't one following her as well?" Daniel suddenly asked.
"True," Hammond conceded. "We have a living, grown-up Goa'uld for study, one that is joined to a host on what the Tok'ra claim is a symbiotic level... we will never get his chance again. But the danger that one of these Ashrak follows her is there and I can't ignore it."
"And then there is Colonel Kennedy. If he and his bloodsuckers get wind of her presence here, we'll have another kind of hostile take-over in no time." Jack raised his eyebrows at the others.
"I know. We are keeping a tight lid on this and we have to figure out what to do with her." Hammond interlaced his fingers. "Suggestions, people?"
"We could let her go." All eyes swiveled on Daniel, who smiled hesitantly. "Rijk belongs to those Goa'uld who fight the system lords and she is a valuable asset, a valuable ally. If she gets word of us back to the Tok'ra...."
"...we might buy it," Jack finished levelly. "Who says those Tok'ra Goa'uld won't just finish us off the moment we let our guard down?"
"Why should they, Jack?" Daniel argued. "They fight the same enemy we do! We could learn so much from each other."
"Like what? How to have a parasite inside you and still be yourself?"
Jackson sighed deeply and shook his head. His head throbbed slightly and his neck hurt from the prior abuse, but he knew the bruises, which would be colorful indeed, would disappear in a few days. He had come to no permanent harm and it would have been easy for Rijk to finish him off before throwing him halfway across the corridor into his friends.
"They want a peaceful solution for their problem. The Tok'ra try to co-exist, not to take over."
"That's what she says. And what this Jolinar told us. But is it the truth?"
"Guys," Sam cut in, "remember that it was me the Tok'ra used? I was linked to it, however briefly, and I felt his thoughts now and then. He didn't have any ill intent, believe me. He just wanted to leave and find another host. And Teal'c can verify the Tok'ra. We have to make a first step here because both Jolinar and Rijk took theirs."
Jack cast a long look, full of subdued worry and rather open distrust.
"I can't let this Goa'uld go!" Hammond decided. "Her knowledge alone is worth too much!"
"Then maybe we can make this a deal," Daniel said quietly.
* * *
The camera keeping a watchful eye on the prison cell showed a young woman in a black cat-suit, sitting cross-legged on the only bunk, eyes closed. She had been in this position since several security guards had locked her up. She was breathing slowly, regularly, and her body was completely relaxed.
I think I made a mistake>
Tiera shook her head. No. If at all, I made the mistake because I argued we should give them a chance>
I could have over-ruled your decision>
Sure. As if you would>
Rijk sighed. They will kill me>
No, I don't believe that> Tiera told her. They are curious, they want to know, and if something happens to you, it will also happen to me. We heard about the humans. They might hate the Goa'uld, but they won't kill a host just like this if there is a chance to separate them>
I'm not sure about that....>
Tiera sank deeper into her meditations. She was currently the part of this symbiosis who was in control and because of the shape-shifting she needed some rest. She gave it to her body by meditating, and Rijk did the rest.
We have to wait and see. If all else fails, I agree we need to use force>
Rijk sent a tingle through her. We have to leave as soon as we can. The news of Jolinar's death has to reach the others and we have to make our moves. The danger...>
I know, I know>
The Tok'ra sighed and wished she could do something. Unlike Jolinar she was a rather emotional person, someone who was prone to pacing, temper surges and speaking her mind quite openly. It had nearly cost her her life before she had joined the Tok'ra and she was lucky not to have perished at the hands of the system lords. Her pairing with Tiera had been more luck than plan. The Creatak healer was a calm and level-headed person, evening out the part now made up by Rijk's presence, and together they made up Rijk's outside appearance.
Someone has come>
Rijk drew herself back to the present and felt Tiera rise out of her meditation trance.
"Hello," a voice said. "My name is Daniel Jackson."
Who are they addressing?>
Tiera smiled. You>
Rijk nodded. I guess so>
"Hello."
The female Goa'uld looked up, opening her eyes. and Daniel shivered. Something about her made him more nervous than facing Apophis. Maybe because she had nearly strangled him, maybe because of her powers, maybe because he was probably not facing a Goa'uld but a symbiotic being.
"My name is Daniel Jackson," he introduced himself. "My companions are Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter." He gestured at the two soldiers. "We would like to talk to you."
Rijk nodded. "I believe you already do."
Daniel felt his mouth twitch briefly. "You said you took your host with her agreement?" They had heard about this from Jolinar already, but he wanted to know nevertheless.
"Yes." Rijk, looking much more human now, still sat cross-legged on the bunk. Unlike Jolinar she had not taken the stiff, soldier-like stance most Goa'uld had.
Blood flowing out of deep gashes, mixing with the earth she lay on.
Wooden clubs breaking ribs, shattering a wrist.
"Did she have a choice?" Jack wanted to know, voice neutral.
"Live or die."
Pain!
Everywhere.
She crawled back to her destroyed hut, tears mixing with the blood from a cut on her forehead.
"Die a human death or live with you inside her, controlling her every move or thought?" O'Neill snapped.
Rijk's eyes swiveled to him. "She had a choice and she still has it. Her body has been mended for a long time now and we believe in voluntary partnerships, not a hostile take-over. If Tiera feels threatened or under pressure, I would find a new host."
The night hid her from prying eyes as she curled up. She felt broken bone mend, agony spreading through her in the process. Her whimper turned into an almost animalistic wail, piercing through the blackness.
The other presence spread throughout her, enveloping her mind like a blanket, whispering to her.
"Which would be very dangerous for you," Daniel added.
"It always is for us. Few of us switch if not necessary."
"This ...host," Jack now said. "She's different. Never saw anyone do this kind of," he made a general gesture with his hand, "morphing or whatever."
"The Creatak have latent powers they don't really know about. The systems lords found these powers can be a danger to them, so they decided to eradicate the Creatak wherever they can find them."
"Powers? More than changing shape?"
"It is enough, Daniel Jackson." Rijk shook her head. "You can't imagine what power a metamorph, even a limited one, can have." She raised a hand and Daniel took an involuntary step back as the human hand morphed into a claw-like copy of what it had been. The fingers grew longer, the nails transforming into talons, everything seemed more flexible. "You cannot tell a talented Creatak apart from a normal one, except when he morphs. Tiera is a highly talented person."
Jack sauntered closer, hands buried in his pockets. "So that's why you made her choose you."
"I did not make her do anything. Tiera is free."
"Except for you."
Rijk smiled slightly.
"If the Creatak are such talented people with latent powers the Goa'uld could use," Daniel now said, "why are the Goa'uld killing them?"
"Because they are an experiment gone rogue."
"Experiment?" Jack's voice dropped several degrees.
"The Creatak were taken off other planets and Zukha, the system lord who ruled them for a long time, ordered the experiments. He wanted to create a powerful host body for himself and his followers, but everything backfired. Then he was killed by another of his kind and knowledge Crea was lost in time. Too many tried to replace the dead ruler and the resulting family wars left the winner with very little of what had once been Zukha's rule." Rijk shrugged. "The Creatak developed naturally and became what they are today. The Goa'uld can't take them over easily. Their minds fight the possession, able to kill the Goa'uld foolish enough to take them."
"So why did you chose one?" Daniel asked curiously.
"Because at the time I had no other choice and Tiera was dying. Our deal should have ended with me finding another host, but it didn't. We continued as we were and neither has taken harm from it. The Tok'ra do not harm."
"You said you were looking for this Jolinar...." O'Neill changed the topic.
"He was my friend."
"I heard Goa'uld don't really have a budding relationship if it doesn't serve their purpose. What was yours?" Jack asked provocatively.
"Survive against the system lords and oppose wherever possible," Rijk answered. "Jolinar died for this and I intend to fight the lords as long as I breathe."
"Commendable," the Colonel smiled.
Rijk didn't rise to the provocation and Jack had to admit she was slightly different from other Goa'uld he had faced. Jolinar had been unflappable and hard to provoke as well, completely unlike the other High and Mighty system lords. He had to confess that there were differences among the aliens, but he would never trust a Goa'uld.
Daniel stepped closer to the prison bars, his eyes fixing the Goa'uld with an intense expression. "Jolinar told me he knows where Sha're is," he said softly. "Do you have that knowledge as well?"
Rijk tilted her head. "Sha're?"
"My wife. She.... Apophis took her from me, as a host for his..." Daniel spat the word, "queen."
Rijk studied his face for a long time, then smiled sadly. "No. I don't have that knowledge, Daniel Jackson."
A look of defeat and lost hope briefly crossed his features.
"You have to know that our resistance is spread all over the system. We rarely meet, but we keep in contact, though not everyone knows where the other is. Jolinar was one of my contacts, but he did not share all his knowledge with me. It is too dangerous."
"I understand," he whispered.
"I am sorry, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel looked up and saw a genuine apology in the alien eyes. It surprised and shocked him in one.
"We have an offer to make," Jack now cut in.
Rijk's eyes swiveled to meet his. "I listen."
"We want to know more about you and the symbiosis, about the Goa'uld, and in exchange we will think about letting you go."
Rijk smiled darkly. "You will think about it? It doesn't sound very encouraging."
"We cannot promise you freedom," Daniel confessed, "but if you cooperate, it will show your willingness to help."
Rijk briefly closed her eyes. "What kind of cooperation do you want?"
"A medical examination for starters."
The Goa'uld opened her eyes once more. "I see. Any knives involved?"
Jack smiled humorlessly. "Depends on who you want to answer."
She mirrored the smile. Daniel shook his head. "Just blood tests, a CT and such-like. We want to know about this symbiosis."
"I know you do." After another brief minute of closing her eyes, Rijk looked up. "Personally I do not trust any of you, just as you do not trust my kind. But Tiera wants to believe and to trust. I might make the wrong decision, but I will cooperate for now."
Daniel glanced at Sam, who only shrugged. Whatever questions they had, it would have to wait until they started the examination and interview.
* * *
Jack O'Neill had his hands shoved deep into his pockets, standing at the large window giving him a very good view of the StarGate. The light of the event horizon reflected softly off the security glass and he watched as one Creatak after another left for their new home world. Relocation was going smoothly, and even though several of the injured survivors would have to follow later when he or she were mobile enough to be moved, most would soon have a new, safe world. SGs 7 and 11 were busy on the other side, helping the Creatak with their settlement, giving them all the assistance they could.
His mind wandered to the creature they had confined down in the prison cell, the Goa'uld possessed woman Tiera. He had an itchy feeling whenever he reminded himself of her, of the fact that she was carrying one of those hated creatures inside her, and was joined with it. And most likely on a symbiotic level. Symbiosis.... Anger cooked inside of him, slowly turning into rage. Sha're and Skaara had not had this chance. They had been taken over by the Goa'uld, maybe still fighting for their selves, fighting to survive in their own bodies and minds against an alien being out to destroy them completely.
Thumping one fist against the concrete wall he turned and walked out of the control room, leaving the technicians to their jobs. The StarGate continued to deliver its travelers to the evac camp for the Creatak nonstop. For them a new, hopefully peaceful life had begun.
* * *
"Dr. Frasier?"
Janet Frasier turned and looked at one of the Creatak who would soon be transferred to the new world. He was still under observation because of his wounds, but everything was healing nicely. "Yes?"
"I asked one of your assistants for our healer, Tiera. I was told she could not come. What is wrong?"
Frasier hesitated. What should she tell them? 'I'm sorry, but your healer is a Goa'uld?'. It might come to them as a shock. The Goa'uld had just driven them from their planet, had destroyed their settlements and taken their loved ones' lives.
"We still want to ask her a few questions. She has valuable knowledge that might help us in the future," Frasier finally said vaguely. "She will relocate later."
"Can I see her?"
"I'm not sure...."
"Dr. Frasier, Tiera of my family. I lost my mother and father, as well as my brother and his family. Of our family clan only she and I are still alive. "
Janet stared at him. "Family?" she managed.
"Yes, she is my sister."
* * *
"His sister?!" Jack exclaimed.
Dr. Frasier nodded. "Yes, his sister, though I somehow doubt he means sibling. He tried to explain it to me, but it sounded strange. Tiera is a healer, a kind of medicine woman, belonging to his family clan, wandering from village to village, offering her medical help or training aspiring healers. Colonel, she is respected by those people and always has been."
O'Neill shook his head. "She is a Goa'uld!"
"Tok'ra," Sam corrected.
"She is still one of those alien crawlers and none of them ever lived peacefully and without a massive entourage among mere humans!"
"She did. We just have to find out why."
"What about her brother or whatever he is?" Frasier now wanted to know.
They looked at each other. "I think we need to talk to him," O'Neill finally said slowly. "I want to hear a bit more about his so-called sister."
"Rijk and Tiera are due for the examination," Dr. Frasier told them. "Captain, if you want to be there as well...?"
Sam nodded. "I can interview her throughout the exams."
"Be careful," O'Neill advised.
"We have security personnel present," Frasier calmed him. "She won't be able to get anywhere."
"And even if she flees, where else would she go but the Embarkation Room?" Sam asked neutrally.
"Oh, I could think of a lot places interesting for a Goa'uld," Jack muttered. "A lot...."
* * *
Dr. Janet Frasier carefully drew a blood sample, then put it on a small tray and nodded at her assistant nurse to take it to the lab. The young woman hurried out. Janet looked up at her 'patient' and noticed that Tiera was gazing thoughtfully at the equipment around her, her eyes brushing briefly over Captain Carter, who silently stood close to the medical cabinet. Or was it Rijk she was facing? It was hard to tell, except when she talked. There was no hiding the voice changes whenever a Goa'uld took over. She wondered where that came from. Might be a question she would ask Rijk later on – if the Tok'ra cooperated.
Now she started to check the Creatak woman's eyes, then touched and probed her neck and throat for signs of the Goa'uld beneath the skin. As with Sam Carter there was no sign of possession. She frowned. Maybe the Goa'uld was wrapped around the spine in a different way than others..... Her fingers brushed over the tiny, almost hidden scar she had expected. It looked very old, as if Tiera had received an injury as a child. She made notes of it on her clipboard.
Frasier and Carter were not alone in the room. Two marines were with them, guarding the door, and two more were on the outside. Frasier knew that if they failed to report in every ten minutes, a whole army of soldiers would storm the infirmary. General Hammond had ordered the security measures and wanted them to be followed strictly. That the doctor was examining a woman who was by all means very womanly and would be naked throughout some of the checks had not bothered him. But it bothered Frasier, who thought that if Tiera was truly aware all the time and not simply a vessel for an alien parasite, getting stared at by two strangers was rather discriminating. So far the Creatak had not shown any signs of feeling unwell or exposed.
"Okay, I want to check your spine now," she told her patient. "Please lie down and just relax."
There would be a whole set of CT scans and x-rays later on, but physical examinations were necessary as well. Tiera nodded and lay down on her belly. Frasier undid the clasps that held the medical gown together at the back. She stopped, surprised, when she saw the bare back – which was criss-crossed by a net of scars. Tiera had undressed and dressed in the gown without Janet's presence and it was the first time she saw her naked.
"Oh, my god...." she whispered.
Sam pushed away from the wall and came over, eyes just as wide as Janet's, shocked deep down inside.
"They are old scars," Tiera said calmly. "Before I ever met Rijk."
"What... what happened?" Sam wanted to know.
She should not have crossed the line set by her tribe. A female as a Healer had been a blow into the faces of the males already, but when her abilities had grown, she had been declared a Sorceress and cast from the protection of the tribe. She had continued to practice Healing and casting protective spells, many women of her old tribe coming to ask her counsel. And then one had miscarried. The men had punished her, taken everything from her, pride, possessions, everything..... They had burned her hut, had destroyed and plundered, violated her sacred ground. They had not dared to touch her, but they had nearly killed her nevertheless with their weapons. Her abilities had not been enough to save her from the pain. She had been left bruised and bloodied, crawling into the ruins of her hut and wishing for death.
But she had not died.
She had survived, her body scarred in those places where her shifting abilities had not been enough. She had moved on then, wandering aimlessly around, living from what she could find, until she had met her fate.
The demon.
Janet stared at her, listening to the tale with shock. "But... the Creatak we met... they are an emancipated society!"
"The tribe I lived with when you came is not the one I was born to. I met them a long time after my outcasting, and after Rijk chose me. It was my mother's and her family clan accepted me as one of their own." Tiera's voice was silent, calm, almost distant. "And they knew they had powers like shifting shape, just like I do."
Something was missing from the story, Dr. Frasier realized, but she didn't dig deeper. She ran her hands along the woman's spine, checking for anything that might tell her there was a Goa'uld, but like before, there was nothing. No movement under the skin and only the entry wound was any hint at all.
"Okay, I want to take the x-rays and an ultrasound scan next. Then the MRI."
Tiera sat up, showing no modesty as she refastened her gown, and followed her.
* * *
Dr. Frasier was aware of all eyes on her and she knew what she had to say would rattle most of the present members of SGC. What she had discovered lately was astounding, to say the least.
"I finished the first examination of the Tok'ra Goa'uld," she now started, "and I believe we have to revise what we thought before. At least partially. You all have an excerpt from my report in front of you; more details will be in the final review. First of all I want to say that Tiera and Rijk cooperated nicely and except for a few minor problems everything went fine. Tiera is a Creatak. No doubt about it. She states her age at 28 years of their planetary years, which runs mostly parallel to our years. I'd guess she is about 30. She is perfectly healthy, as not differently expected from a possessed host, and there is the typical entrance wound scar on the back of her neck. Her personality is the person I met when she helped out in the infirmary. She is rather calm, controlled and easy to talk to. Her medical knowledge is immense." Frasier consulted her print-outs. "What I noticed is that she seems to 'talk' to Rijk even when the Goa'uld is not predominant. There are odd moments when you can see the conversation."
Jack nodded slowly. He remembered seeing this kind of behavior briefly when they had apprehended Rijk.
"Rijk is placed around the spine of Tiera's neck area, but unlike the Goa'uld I had exams of before she is no simple alien inside a host. She seems to be fused to Tiera."
"Fused?" Hammond echoed.
"Yes. It's hard to explain. We did a 3D MRI image of the host and as not other expected I discovered the alien presence. I had my doubts as of her position since I couldn't feel the Goa'uld when I did a manual check, just like I didn't feel Sam's symbiont. The reason for it is that Rijk is very small, almost as if missing her tail...." Eyebrows rose around the table and even Teal'c looked mildly surprised. "I'm not sure Tiera and Rijk could separate. Tiera's tissue is enveloping her, like a shield, and when Tiera starts morphing, which I asked her to do, the Goa'uld is folded into more tissue. The Creatak automatically protects her and the Goa'uld automatically returns the favor. Unlike with Major Kowalski, where the parasite was wrapped around his spine and woven into the nervous system, Rijk is part of Tiera's nervous system." The people present exchanged surprised and worried looks.
"The Goa'uld is *part* of the host?" Daniel exclaimed. "How.... I mean, none of the others ever showed remotely a connection like that!"
"I know and she didn't really answer my questions as to what this means and why it happened. Rijk took over the host once throughout the examination -- when I wanted to extract tissue from the neck. I never saw any Goa'uld so scared of anything. She actually morphed. I talked to Tiera after that and she said that taking tissue from the shielded area would be extremely painful for both of them."
"Did she give you a reason as to why her size is smaller than that of the Goa'uld we faced before?" Hammond wanted to know.
"No."
"Teal'c? Have you ever heard about it before?"
The Jaffa had a strange expression on his face. Jack turned to him and raised one eyebrow.
"I have. It's a myth." Teal'c said in a tone of voice that indicated he didn't want to be questioned about it all that much.
"Oh?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like that monster we met on Cimmeria?"
Teal'c gave him one of his patented looks. General Hammond wasn't easily dismissed though.
"Care to explain?" the general asked.
Teal'c's face held a rather dark and grim expression. "My teacher Bra'tac once mentioned the kind of Goa'uld you found in the host's body."
Jack looked expectantly at him when Teal'c did not continue. "And?" he probed.
"They are rumored to be the old ones. Those who chose hosts like the first ones."
"Like this... whatshisname...Unas?" Jack asked.
"Yes."
"But they are dead!" Daniel said, shaking his head. "Aren't they? No being can live this long!"
"Uhm, Daniel, remember the creature Teal'c and I shot over and over again? Unas?" Jack looked at the young scientist. "He was as old as that."
"Yeah, but Teal'c said they can kind of hibernate for thousands of years! Tiera is a Creatak!" Daniel protested.
They looked at each other in silence. More mysteries.
"What could she tell us about the Tok'ra?" Hammond finally wanted to know.
"Not much," Sam took over the debriefing. "She gave very vague answers and I believe she is not all that much motivated to tell us about the resistance. I understand her in this regard: we are still the enemy."
"What did she tell us so far?"
"Well, the Tok'ra seem to be a legendary group and only a few know they really exist. The powerful system lords are aware of them because they sabotage whatever operations they set up, but the lower Goa'uld and the Jaffa know them only from tales and myths."
Teal'c nodded. "I heard of Jolinar but it was like a child's fairy tale, a story to scare the young."
"Something like 'if you don't grow up to be a good Jaffa the Tok'ra will come and take you'?" O'Neill joked.
Teal'c shot him a questioning look, not completely understanding the reference. Jack only shrugged.
"Rijk didn't really reveal all that much about herself, but I gather she is really as old as the tales tell," Sam now said calmly.
Hammond raised an eyebrow and looked at Teal'c. "How old do these Goa'uld get?"
"Unknown. I have known Apophis for years now and he was ruler long before I was born."
Daniel did some mental calculations. He knew Teal'c was older than he looked, his body kept in shape by the infant Goa'uld he carried. "So she could be ancient?"
"Possible."
"But her host body... Tiera can't be that old! She is only 30!"
"Then how does she move about from host to host if she barely consists of more but a skeleton body structure?" Dr. Frasier asked. "And why fuse to a host body? I find it hard to believe that a Goa'uld would limit his defenses like that. We all know that when the Goa'uld inside Major Kowalski was removed, he left a small part of himself behind, like only shedding his tail, but he wanted to survive our surgery. Rijk.... she did this voluntarily. Then there is the scar."
"Scar?"
"The entry point into the host. It looks very old, like an injury sustained in early childhood." Frasier shrugged, not mentioning the additional scars on the young woman's back.
"What about this brother?" Hammond asked into the ensuing silence.
Jack sighed. "I had a very long talk with Selink, that's his name. I'm not sure I can make a lot of sense of what he said. He confirmed that Tiera is his sister, but he called her 'Natrik' or something like this." He cast a questioning look at Daniel.
"Natrik?" The young scientist frowned, thinking. "We know the culture of the Creatak is based on Native American cultures, but their language is like a mix of all kinds of Native American dialects. Natrik.... Na-tirek, maybe. There are some words sounding like it and they mean 'ancient', 'ancestor' or 'old one'. But other cultures use it to describe a close relative as well."
Jack shot Daniel a look saying quite clearly 'Is there anything you don't know, kid?', and Daniel simply smiled and shrugged a bit.
"Ancestor?" Sam echoed. "He calls her his ancestor and his sister?"
"Well, among American Indians calling someone his brother or sister is not uncommon, even if there is no direct line of descendance."
Jack shook his head. "No, he called her his sister. He said she is the only family he has left. He can't mean she is his ancestor!"
"Uhm, Teal'c, how long can a possessed human live?" Daniel wanted to know.
"Depending on the Goa'uld's way of taking care of his host and of the body's strength, several generations," Teal'c answered slowly.
"Daniel! You don't want to suggest Tiera is such an ancient Goa'uld vessel, now do you?" O'Neill exclaimed.
"It's possible." Daniel turned to Dr. Frasier. "Did she tell you how long they have been together now?"
"No, she evaded answering."
"Swell," Jack muttered.
"So what we have," the general now summed up, "is a possibly very old Goa'uld inside a shape-changer, who claims to be of the resistance fighting the system lords, and who nearly strangled Dr. Jackson because she was looking for a missing friend. Did I miss anything?"
"She is not the enemy," Sam insisted.
"Because you 'feel' it," Jack added, indicating with his fingers that he imagined the word 'feel' in quotation marks.
Sam shot him an angry look. The colonel only shrugged, a wry half-smile on his lips.
"Whether she is the enemy or not, I don't want a Goa'uld in this base," Hammond decided.
"We can't turn her over to Kennedy!" Sam exclaimed.
Hammond met Carter's eyes calmly. "And I won't. I don't wish Colonel Kennedy on anyone, not even my worst enemy."
"But what do we do then?"
* * *
She sat cross-legged on the bunk of her cell once more. Teal'c watched he Goa'uld with a thoughtful expression on his face. She finally opened her eyes and returned the gaze.
"Jaffa," she acknowledged his presence. "Have your friends come to a decision yet?"
"They are still reviewing the options," Teal'c answered.
"I see. Why are you here then?"
"Dr. Frasier told us some ...details," Teal'c said carefully.
Tiera, for it had been her talking all the time, tilted her head. "I suppose she did."
"Are you one of the first ones?"
And from one moment to the next he was facing Rijk. There was a subtle change in her posture, a very subtle one. "Why do you ask? What difference would it make?" she asked, her voice that of a Goa'uld.
Teal'c looked neutrally at her. "For me, none. I no longer serve the Goa'uld."
"Then why do you ask?"
"It might explain the findings of Dr. Frasier."
She smiled humorlessly. "It would, wouldn't it? And raise a lot more. Then again, I believe those questions have already been raised. And I'm not going to answer them, Jaffa. I kept my part of the deal, but it seems like Daniel Jackson does not have the power to insure my freedom."
"The people he works for see you as the enemy."
"Do you?"
Teal'c stopped. Yes, did he? He had mixed feelings about seeing a creature as an ally who belonged to a race he had been taught to bow to, a race that called itself gods, a race that killed others for their entertainment and pleasure, took their souls to use their bodies.
Rijk smiled again as he didn't answer. "I understand. I believe I will be an eternal prisoner then."
Teal'c felt shock course through him at the words. Not all of them; just one. Eternal.... Was it just a word or had she used it on purpose? Before he could think about it some more, the door was opened. Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson and several security guards entered. O'Neill looked grim and Daniel appeared frustrated and angry. And it told him what decision had been made.
Not good> Tiera whispered.
Rijk nodded slowly. Whatever they decided, it is definitely not good>
She got up slowly and watched as the door was unlocked, then they were walked out of the cell. The expression on the faces of Jackson and O'Neill were grim. They ended up in the briefing room, still under heavy guard, and the man who had been introduced as General Hammond, the commander of the humans here, rose from his seat.
"You made up your mind," Rijk said before he had any chance to do it for her.
"Yes, we did," Hammond answered slowly.
She sighed deeply, something only heard by Tiera, then shook her head. "I had hoped you understood, but I was mistaken."
"We understand a lot, but you have to understand our side: you are a Goa'uld. We fight your kind and now you come along and want us to trust you into releasing you."
"I don't want your trust, only my freedom," Rijk told him, suppressing her rising temper.
"We can't risk it."
She shook her head. "What do you think would happen? Apophis, as well as other system lords, know where to find you. What would I be able to tell them?"
Hammond shook his head. "We made our decision."
Rijk felt Tiera steel herself. "I hope our death will be a quick one," she then said.
"We are not sentencing you to death. We are sending you to a world called Cimmeria....."
Rijk felt herself grow cold. Cimmeria. She knew the planet, had been there before the Asgard had arrived... and she knew what the enemies of the Goa'uld system lords had done to protect the planet.
"I thought you didn't sentence me to death?" she said, her voice curiously calm.
"Well, you won't die as long as you don't leave the maze," O'Neill said levelly.
She looked at him, face a mask. "We will both die, thank you, O'Neill." She turned to look at Hammond. "Why don't you kill me here and use what is left for your experiments? It would be more humane in the end."
Tiera withdrew further, shocked and frightened. We have to find a way out!>
There is none, as you pointed out when we let ourselves be caught. They control the doorway>
Yes.... But we will find a way. One day. Somehow>
The StarGate opened with a 'whoosh' of light and Sam wished she could tear her eyes away from the lonely figure standing at the edge of the ramp leading to the alien gateway. Tiera was clad in her Creatak outfit, standing proud and tall. Three times as many guards as normal were in the Embarkation Room, all armed to the teeth and all wired. Tiera walked slowly toward the softly glowing event horizon, then, without turning to look back, stepped through.
Gaerwyn and her people had been informed of her arrival and they would wait in a safe distance until the Hammer had performed its duty. SG-1 would go through and check on things. Sam hugged herself briefly. She felt unwell doing this to the Goa'uld and her host. She was a member of the Tok'ra. Sam remembered all Jolinar had told her about the Tok'ra and she had been left with a distinct impression of what was true and what not. Rijk had told the truth, she felt it. But there was no rational explanation for it. Now they were condemning her and her host to be imprisoned forever.
The gate closed down and Sam turned away, going down to the Embarkation Room to get ready. They were due to leave soon.
And she hated the news they would hear.
* * *
"What?!"
Jack O'Neill's voice echoed over the cold, wintery plains. Gaerwyn faced him with calmness.
"Thor did not take her. He did not send her to the maze. I believe you must be mistaken about the Ettin inside her. Thor's Hammer remained silent and peaceful."
"Impossible! That thing is inside her! Are you sure it's not broken?"
"Yes. After you left, two more attacks were planned on our world, but the Hammer thwarted them, sending the Ettins to the maze and their fate. The one you sent, she was not taken, though she was prepared for it."
"Is she still here?" Daniel now asked.
"No." Gaerwyn shook her head. "When nothing happened, we approached her. She asked us not o and we stopped. She said she would leave again and never return, then used the device to open the StarGate. Shortly after she was gone, you arrived."
"I don't believe it!" Jack exclaimed. "She was a Goa'uld!"
"No," Sam said, "not really. She was of the Tok'ra and additionally to that she showed signs of being far different from the Goa'uld system lords and their own. Maybe this shield Tiera's body formed around her is responsible for it."
O'Neill didn't look like he was bursting with joy about those news. "Damnit, she is lose and now also knows she can come here without getting zapped! What else do we need?"
"I do not believe she is a bad person," Gaerwyn now said.
"She is Goa'uld!"
"So was Kendra and she fought and won over the Ettin."
"Yes, with the help of the Hammer. This host is still joined to the parasite."
Sam shook her head. "Colonel, please! We know she is different. For sure now. Thor told us that the Hammer makes an exception for Teal'c. Maybe it makes an exception for her as well....?"
Jack shot her a dark look. "Sure! Why not for every other damned Goa'uld as well!" He sighed, shaking his head, and turned to Daniel. "Dial home, Daniel. We have to report these terrific news to the general. He will be thrilled."
Maybe continued (if I ever get a plot together for a sequel g>)