NOTE:
So, I finally got the time to post something. As always I own nothing. This chapter is in Dani's POV. Enjoy!
Being spit out of a wormhole is not altogether that pleasant. But I guess the circumstances, which weren't all that great either, kind of made the experience worse than usual. Sure, I never knew Drey'auc personally, but the barely restrained panic on Teal'c's face when Bra'tac announced she was ill… It was awful. Teal'c was probably the most restrained and controlled person I knew, and he was panicked. It was almost terrifying. But as Bra'tac lead us toward the village, I could see Teal'c regaining his composure, and I calmed considerably along side him. I began to take in our surroundings. There were children running and playing around us, happy and content people milling around. It was amazing. And I could almost see Jack rolling his eyes at me. But it was true! These people had gone through hell, yet they were still alive and thriving.
"… and I have gone against their wishes to bring you here."
I broke out of my thoughts to hear Bra'tac's revelation to Teal'c. And though Teal'c gave no outward response to it, after 5 years of knowing him, I could sense it. I couldn't be sure what he was thinking (he wasn't the easiest person to read), but whatever it was he pushed it away as we approached the tent. And the sight that greeted us broke my heart. Ry'ac had the saddest look on his face as he exited the tent. His eyes swam with tears and I could see his hands trembling. But as he caught sight of his father, anger mixed with the tears.
"It's your fault!" He spat, angrily swiping at the tears leaking out of his eyes, "It's your fault that she's dead!"
He stormed away, but everyone else froze. Shock. Sadness. Confusion. They were tangible between the three of us standing outside the tent. The tent now holding the dead body of Teal'c's wife. Oh, God. And then without a word, Teal'c entered the tent.
Bra'tac bowed his head to me, "Excuse me. I must attend to my other duties."
And then I was alone. But that meant that Teal'c was too. So I went inside.
It was very dimly lit. There were a few candles around the small space, and maybe a few other pieces of small furniture. But the most prominent feature of the space was the bed that Teal'c was kneeling next to. Drey'auc must have been very beautiful while she was alive. She still was. She looked peaceful. Her face was uncovered, but the rest of her body was under a thick layer of fine netting and silk. And then there was Teal'c. He was crying. His body shook with his despair as he stared at his wife. I walked over and took a stance behind him. Reaching over him, I carefully draped the netting back over her face and rested my hands on his shoulders. I rubbed his back in soothing circles and he leaned into me in the slightest, acknowledging my comfort and taking it. I'm not sure how long we stayed there, but after a while Teal'c grabbed ahold of his emotions again. The tears stopped. His slight trembling ceased and he stood up. Bowing his head to me in a silent thank you, he stood, exiting the tent to presumably find Ry'ac. Taking in a deep breath, I did a final sweep of the room, and started out to follow Teal'c. But as I reached the opening, I stopped and turned to face Drey'auc again.
"Goodbye, Drey'auc. You died free."
And I turned and walked away. As I stepped outside, I winced against the harsh light that greeted me. It took only a few moments for my eyes to adjust, and I scanned the area for Teal'c. I bit out a quiet curse when I found no sign of him and looked around once again.
I can track him. May I have control?
Without a word, I slipped into the back of my mind and allowed Nathifa to come forward, her trained eyes picking out Teal'c tracks with a practiced ease. She followed them quickly, and soon we approached a small clearing in a nearby forest. Nathifa silently relinquished control and the still slightly strange tingling spread throughout me, dissipating just as soon as it had arrived and giving me control. I took a few steps forward and saw the butt end of a staff weapon smacking Teal'c painfully across the face. Instantly, my beretta was out and the safety off, but I was stopped by Nathifa's soft whisper.
Wait…
So I did.
I took a step forward, and heard an angry voice in tandem with the blows.
"You… didn't… care… You ...didn't even… think... about us... before…. going off… and joining... the Tau'ri!" Ry'ac spat the last word out like we were vermin. Teal'c did not respond and I figured it would probably be best for Ry'ac to blow his steam off before anyone tried to reason with him. But as Ry'ac screamed in anger as he prepared for his next blow, I decided that maybe it was best to interfere. My eyes quickly spotted Teal'c staff weapon, laying unused about a yard away. Immediately my gun was back in it's holster and my hands were grasping the staff weapon. I jumped right in front of the extremely harsh blow Teal'c was about to receive as Nathifa's experience and training kicked in. Our weapons met with a crash and he pulled backwards with shock.
"How dare you! You should not protect this… this traitor! And you cannot protect him! He should protect himself, not some human!" Ry'ac spun his weapon and surged forward. I met him blow for blow, block for block, not any more or any less. He might as well take his anger out on me, not Teal'c. His blows were messy, uncoordinated. They were fueled by anger. Blinding anger and grief. They were clouding his fighting ability and finally, when his blows began to loose any sense of logic, I spun my weapon and locked it against his. Neither cold move, but he tried, yanking and pulling on his weapon until he almost screamed in frustration. Tears of pain, anger, or sadness, I could not tell, leaked out of his eyes and he turned away, releasing his hold on the staff weapon.
"Why?"
His voice was hoarse, and I could see his form trembling slightly, the anger draining out of him along with his adrenaline. I stepped forward toward him and signaled for Teal'c to stay where he was for the moment. Resting both of my hand on Ry'ac's shoulders, his back to me, I spoke quietly.
"Because he cares. He is not a traitor, he is probably the most loyal and forgiving person I have ever known. And he loves you so much. You and your mother were what allowed him to risk his life every day. He wanted you to live in a better world, a world free from the Goa'uld. And he has had to sacrifice so much. And it has paid off. We are bringing the Goa'uld to their knees. And yes, he has had to leave, but it is for the opposite reason you think." I paused, and let the conversation veer away from Teal'c for a moment, "I know what it's like to loose a parent. I realize that you are angry. Looking for someone, something to blame. But your father is not at fault. He is hurting just as much as you. And while you may thing that is not possible, it is." I had lowered my voice, so only Ry'ac could hear my words, "He believes he has not only lost his wife, but the one most important person in the world to him. He believes he has lost your trust. And I know you may think you don't care about him, that you hate him, but that's not true. It's a thin line between log and hate, and sometimes that gets fuzzy, trust me, I know. But don't push him away. You need him just as much as he needs you. Your father would die for you. And I have a feeling that you would do the same for him. Trust me, Ry'ac. Trust him." I squeezed his shoulders and backed away, going to stand next to Teal'c.
"Go." I whispered, and he did. He got up and walked over to his son, pausing a moment in front of him before pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. I smiled and turned away.
Well done.
Thank you. Think they're going to be okay?
Of course.
After a few moments, I sensed rather than heard Teal'c and Ry'ac approaching behind me (Jaffa, despite how loud they are in those suits, can be creepily quiet when they want to).
"Danielle Jackson. We should proceed to the stargate. I believe that O'Neill would appreciate a check in before the ritual occurs."
I didn't ask the details of the ritual, I just turned around and nodded, beginning the walk back to the 'gate. Despite the heartwarming reunion of Teal'c and Ry'ac, Drey'auc was still a very sore subject. It would probably take a while before Teal'c could talk about it. So I was silent. There was no need for words. I knew that he needed to talk eventually, but now was most definitely not the time. When my husband was killed, I had not wanted to talk. Or really be near anyone at all. So I decided to respect Teal'c's boundaries and vowed to talk to him when he was ready. Let him come to me. Well, that was unlikely, but at least wait a while before bringing it up.
"Danielle Jackson."
I stopped and glanced over at Teal'c with a questioning expression.
"Did you…" He hesitated, "How were you able to process the death of your husband and sister?"
I had not been expecting that. I blinked at him for a few seconds, attempting to formulate an answer to that question. I had assumed it would take him a while to be able to talk about it, but I guess he wanted to deal with his grief as quickly and painlessly as possible, if grief could be painless.
I looked up at I'm as he spoke again, drawn out of my thoughts, "I apologize. It was, perhaps, a too personal question."
"No, no. It's alright. I was just thinking about how to respond. I hadn't really ever thought about it that hard." I sucked in a breath between clenched teeth, "I- I guess it just sort of happened. I'm not sure how I felt with it. I mean, they were my husband and sister!" I dropped my head onto my chest. My emotions were running high after Drey'auc's death. But even after 2 years their death still affected me.
Breath, Danielle. It's alright. You must regain control. He needs to know this to be able to heal.
I just-
I know. Believe me, I know. Allow me to take your explanation from here. I can explain better than most.
Without a word, I relinquished control over to Nathifa.
"Teal'c." She had my body take a deep and slightly unsteady breath, "You never really process death. To process it is to become immune to it. Your loved one's will always be there, and perhaps in time their emotional hold on you becomes weaker, but they are never gone. When you process something you are done with it and it is sent away. The death of a family member will never be dismissed that quickly or easily. It will take time to become used to the idea of her not being here to share in the world, but you can never process her death, because she will never be truly gone."
The harsh voice of the symbiote had become softened by the end of her explanation. Silence reigned for a few moments, only to be broken again by Nathifa.
"Being able to be less affected by emotion after loss is a process that truly cannot be fully explained. Death affects some deeper than others. But those that bottle up their pain are the one's who will never heal at all. And others can help, especially Danielle and I. You only have to ask."
May I?
Of course.
Nathifa ducked back into my subconscious and I retook control.
"And while much of that may be a chichè, it's true. Healing will take time and most of your patience, but it will be alright." Seems like it was a day for long speeches.
He bowed his head and spoke quietly, "Thank you, Danielle Jackson and Nathifa."
"Yes, thank you." Ry'ac echoed.
I simply gave a sad smile and we continued on until some chatter began to reach my Tok'ra enhanced ears.
"…chapa'ai…"
"…who would come?"
"The tau'ri?"
"…a Jaffa?"
"Guys." I said, "Let's pick up the pace."
As we got closer, I could see the wormhole evaporating and a single Jaffa figure walking down the stairs that were in front of the stargate, Bra'tac joining him once he reached to foot of the stairs. They made a beeline straight for us.
"Danielle Jackson of the Tau'ri, Teal'c. I come with news." He paused to take a breath, "Anubis is attacking earth."
My mouth gaped open for a moment at the sudden declaration, "Can we help them?"
He tilted his head, "Indeed. He is attacking them through the chapa'ai. He is using a weapon that sends energy through the chapa'ai and destroys the world in question. You must stop him by destroying the weapon."
"Shaq'rel, do you possess the address to the world this weapon is on?" Teal'c said gravely, taking a step forward.
"I do. The planet is called Andari."
"Nathifa knows where it is. We have to go now!" I stared to head toward the DHD, only to be stopped by a hand on my arm. I turned to Shaq'rel with raised eyebrows.
"You cannot use the chapa'ai. It is too well guarded. You must travel by ship."
My eyes narrowed, "You keep saying 'you' instead of 'we'. Are you not coming?"
"I cannot." He shook his head sadly, "I am sorry, I have other matters to attend to."
Teal'c didn't seemed bothered by that at all, and jumped right to the problem, "We do not possess a ship to travel in."
He exchanged a slightly worried look with Bra'tac while Ry'ac spoke up.
"But we must have one somewhere! The Goa'uld possess them, so we must."
"Perhaps the Tok'ra could spare a ship." Everyone looked to me.
Shaking my head, I sighed, "No. I takes to them yesterday, they gave me an update on the current events and whatnot. They can't spare any ships."
I know where we could get one. But it may be a little risky.
Please. Risky is my middle name.
A smile flickered over my face, "But I know where we could get one."
Ignoring their slightly confused looks, I approached the DHD and quickly entered an address, watching as the wormhole whooshed open. I walked up the steps to stand next to the gate, spreading my arm out.
"After you."
Tea'c was the first to step through, then Rya'c and Bra'tac.
"Danielle Jackson. Good luck on your journey."
I turned my head to smile at Shaq'rel, "Thank you. I have a feeling we'll need it."
And I walked through the open wormhole.
The planet was very busy, and, to be truthful, a little overwhelming.
It is a trading planet. I can guarantee that there will be many ships here that we can trade for.
And what do we have to trade?
Information. I have plenty of it.
I don't doubt that.
You shouldn't. Now, there is a man that will most likely have multiple ships we can choose from. His name is Jayden. I can take control and lead us there. It is probably best that I do the talking in your voice when I confront him though. Many people here are bounty hunters, and a live Tok'ra is worth a lot of money. It's probably best that nobody knows who we really are. But even with me speaking in your voice, everyone must be careful. Two members of SG-1 are also worth quite a lot.
I'll keep that in mind.
I stepped up to Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Ry'ac, "Be careful, Nathifa says there are some bounty hunters here. You remember Aris Botch." I glanced meaningfully at Teal'c, "But more to the point, she also knows a guy who can give us a ship. She knows where he is."
"Then let us begin looking for this man immediately." Bra'tac stated.
Lead the way.
She took control with ease and begin to wind her way through the roads, stopping at a stand on a corner.
"Jayden."
The man in question turned with raised eyebrows, "Yes?"
"We would like to trade for a ship." Nathifa said quickly.
He just laughed, "Alright, what would I get in exchange for say, one of my best transport vessels?"
"Information."
He laughed again, "There is no information that I need at the moment. Sorry to waste your time."
I- or Nathifa- smiled, "Well," she started, "I wasn't talking about information. I was talking about keeping it."
His smile dimmed, his bravado fading.
"You see," Nathifa smiled again, "It would be such a shame for Baal to figure out that it was you who screwed him over and managed to steal 4 of his ships, completely messing with his plan to attack Cronus a while back. And while it was many, many years ago, Baal is definitely one to hold a grudge, wouldn't you agree?"
Jayden swallowed, "Who are you? How do you know that?"
"I have my ways." Another smile, "So, a fair trade?"
He began to regain his composure, "A fair trade." He pulled out a remote and handed it to Nathifa, "This will allow you access to the ship. It should also allow you to locate it. It's in a nearby clearing."
"Thank you." She turned and walked away, Bra'tac, Teal'c, and Ry'ac following."
"Danielle Jackson, I was not aware we were going to…" he searched for the right word, "…blackmail this man."
I retook control, "Me either! That was all Nathifa. She told me she was going to trade information."
Well, it was the only way to get a ship.
You could have actually traded something!
We did not have anything.
That's… that's beside the point.
It's exactly the point.
Okay, fine. Just warn me next time. Not that there will be a next time…
I will try. But there is always a next time.
I blocked her out and focused down on the controller I was handed. I looked over to Teal'c, "Do you know-"
"Indeed." He took it and motioned for us to follow him. After maybe a few minutes, we came to a stop in front of a cargo ship. The cloak was off, and the door already open, so we simply just went inside.
"I will fly the ship. I am just in need of a location." Ry'ac smiled at me, "I have been learning how to fly."
I smiled back, walking over to the front console to enter the location of the planet, "Has Bra'tac been teaching you?"
"Yes. he has also been training me."
"He is a very good student, and will be a fine warrior someday."
"I have no doubt." I took a step back as Ry'ac claimed the pilot's chair and placed his hands on the red sphere, starting the ship up. Watching Teal'c take the seat next to his son and Bra'tac standing behind Ry'ac to give him pointers and watch him pilot, I decided to check the rest of the ship out. The ship had the usual golden interior of the Goa'uld, and also the usual two sections. The second section was blocked by the door, so I moved over to the panel to open it up, but paused. I had no idea what the code was. So I decided to put one of Sam's usual tricks to use. Pulling off the cover, I rearranged a few crystals. The device clicked and the door slid open.
Smiling in satisfaction I meandered into the chamber. It was pretty average. The usual Goa'uld room minus all the fancy furniture and whatnot. But there was a tall pile of boxes that went all the way to the ceiling near one of the walls. Standing on my tip-toes, I carefully reached up and pulled one of the boxes down, staggering as it's weight pulled me down. Setting the box on the ground, I clicked it open and started opening the lid when I froze. The familiar feeling of the barrel of a gun pressed itself against the back of my head, and a female voice behind me spoke.
"I wouldn't do that if I wanted to keep my head."
NOTE 2:
So that's it! I hope you liked it. The next chapter, I haven't decided, will still be Dani and Teal'c, or will change to Sam and Jack. I will post as soon as I can, I promise. Please review! Thanks :)
