Wow... So many people still reading this! Thank you all very much. Once again, I would like to thank my reviewers, Bananarock509 and ManekiNeko for your reviews. Sorry to Bananarock509 for not responding to your review, but I hope that this chapter answers your question. ;) Since there are some very loyal and amazing readers who are reading this because of my sister's story, I just wanted to say two things: firstly, Cats should be updated within a week or two. Secondly, I will try to provide some background info for you on what occurs in Star Gate if it is needed. If you already know what Star Gate is about, you can just skip to the story. Enjoy! Otherwise, here is a quick handy guide for the Star Gate knowledge in the chapter.
So, Goa'uld are essentially aliens from space. In the tv show they are believed to have essentially been the Egyptian Gods and built space ships shaped like the pyramids. They are essentially snake-like beings who can control humans by attaching to the spinal cord.
Jaffa are the slave race created by the goa'uld. They have a pouch in their stomach to carry a symbiote(young goa'uld not able to take a host yet) and often carry out the duties that the goa'uld system lord they serve demands of them. In SG-1, Teal'c disobeys Apophis because he believes that what the system lord is doing is wrong, therefore joining the SG-1 team.
Finally (I think), Sam and Jack have both at some point been taken over by a race similar to the goa'uld known as the Tok'ra. Unlike the goa'uld, the tok'ra usually only take a willing host and work together with them (Sam's father is host to a Tok'ra as they also can keep their host alive and he was dying of terminal cancer). Having been a host enables them to use some goa'uld technology.
Done! Enjoy the story, and feel free to PM me if you would like a private update prior to the story so I can go into more detail. Hopefully this cuts out some of the googling! :D
Chapter Two:
Jack stared at the Goa'uld standing before him on the ramp leading to the Star Gate. He was tall, perhaps even as tall as Teal'c with brown hair that was mostly covered with a tall hat. The man was clothed in blue and white garments that were, unsurprisingly, reminiscent of Ancient Egyptian apparel while behind him was a long, white cloak. His eyes had returned to the cold blue chips Jack had seen before, although the smirk remained. Finally, he spoke.
"Well, this was not the welcome I had expected upon my arrival. This doesn't particularly bode well for the rest of the negotiations. I do hope that the rest of our…meeting doesn't proceed this slowly. If you're as stupid as you seem I don't see any reason why we should bother to ally ourselves with such pitiful specimens of the human race."
Remembering himself, Jack managed to bite back a nasty retort as he stepped forward, stopping a few feet in front of the Goa'uld, carefully keeping himself out of arm's reach. Then he politely addressed the Goa'uld. "Yeah? Well, you could have come straight through if you'd wanted a spectacular greeting. How about you tell us what you want us to call you by, so we can all start to be good friends." Okay, Jack mentally amended. More like passive aggressive.
The Goa'uld tilted his head, amusement showing on his face similar to that of a child watching a bug under a magnifying glass before lighting it on fire.
"I highly doubt we'll ever be… 'friends'. As for my name, you are the ones who contacted us in hopes of forging an alliance. If you want my name, you'll have to show that you possess at least some intelligence between the lot of you.
Jack's jaw almost dropped. This Goa'uld was just as annoying as the rest of them, and he was trying to get under Jack's skin. Before he could say something that probably would have ruined any chances at a treaty, not to mention might have gotten him killed, a female voice spoke up.
"You could be a little more polite, Seto, at least until we've heard them out." Jack stepped back as another Goa'uld, a woman, came through the gate. She was dressed in long flowing clothes with a headdress covering her head. Inclining her head slightly toward Jack in acknowledgement of his presence, she spoke once again.
"Please excuse my companion's manners. It has been quite a while since we have had to watch what we say to those who don't know us. We have also not returned to this planet in quite some time, and the decision to return was… difficult. Let me introduce myself and my companions. I am Isis, and this is Seto. The others are Mana, Mahad, Karim, Akhenaden, Shada, and Shimon." Even as she spoke, the people she'd been introducing came through the gate. Each one, Jack noted, was also a Goa'uld.
"Well, I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill and my companions are Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."
Isis's eyebrows rose as she noticed Teal'c. "A Jaffa? Interesting friends you have, Colonel O'Neill." Was all she said as she and the others moved down the ramp, guns trained on the group the entire time.
Jack shot Teal'c a pointed look before responding. "Well, seeing as how we're all set to start, how about we take you to one of our secure conference rooms. They're just as much for your protection as anything else."
Seto snorted, however before he could say anything Isis shot one of her companions, Jack believed he had been introduced as Mahad, a look and soon Seto was silently shooting death glares at him. Isis gave Jack a polite smile, "I'm certain that nothing will happen to us during our stay here, so thank you very much for your concern over our safety."
As Jack began leading the snakes through the halls, he heard the young girl, Mana, whisper, "As if we needed their protection to ensure our safety," followed by giggle.
Mahad leaned down, hissing, "Mana, behave yourself. We owe them enough to at least hear them out."
Pouting, Mana remained silent throughout the rest of the journey through the halls. Jack was left with the rather uneasy feeling that all their precautions would be useless against these Goa'uld.
When they arrived at the conference room, the group sat down. Jack sat on one side of the table alongside of the rest of SG-1 and General Hammond while Seto, Isis, Mahad, Shimon, and Akhenaden sat on the other side. The other three Goa'uld remained standing.
Silence reigned briefly before Isis spoke, addressing General Hammond. "To restate what you would like to discuss with us, you need our assistance against the other Goa'uld system lords. Seeing as how we are not involved in their internal struggles, you assume this is because we have some weapon that they fear. You are partially correct in your assumption. As we are amenable to an alliance between us, it would speed things up to proceed directly to the terms of the agreement. We have many humans living with us, all of whom are descended from those who followed us when we left Khemet many years ago. All of them are free to live how they will, but you are more than welcome to ascertain this for yourself. We are more than happy to share our…'weaponry' with you, however there is a slight catch. Our weapons can only be operated by us. This is not a matter of us not allowing you access to them, but if you were to try you would be instantly killed in a rather painful way." Looking over at Carter, she smoothly interrupted the woman's comment, "And no, even having once been a host for a Goa'uld will not enable you to handle them. Of course, we will have some requests of our own in exchange for our help."
Seto spoke, voice flat and uncompromising. "We want unlimited access to Earth. This will include leaving the compound."
Jack's eyebrows shot up, "You expect us to agree to these terms?" He demanded, "I mean, why on Earth would we give aliens free access to our planet? The rest of you want to take over the world... What if you just want access for an easy takeover?"
Carter interrupted him before he could continue, addressing Isis, "How could you tell what I was going to ask? We never told you what happened, and there are no outward signs. You've also covered the issues we were going to mention ourselves…"
"When we were… younger, the false god Ra gave us very powerful weapons. Later, we used them to drive the false gods away. One of these, the Millennium Necklace, enables me to see the future. I already know, for instance, that you will determine our demands to be worth the extra effort, just as I knew what you would ask of us. In addition, I know that you, General, are going to ask to place an outpost on our world, a request which we must deny. To do so would make our world a target for the Goa'uld, and the protection of our people is our foremost concern, even above this alliance."
Jack watched as General Hammond sat back in his chair, releasing a deep breath. "So, you can tell what we'll do before we do it. How can we tell that you aren't going to go back on your word? You could use us for as long as it suits you, and then simply foresee an opportunity in the future to get rid of us."
Isis shook her head. "The Millennium Necklace does not work exactly like that. I could foresee this meeting, as it would have occurred, however events in the distant future are less certain, more likely to change as people make decisions. The futures I can see are the most likely ones, therefore often come true, however there is individual choice which must be accounted for."
Mahad spoke for the first time since the meeting had begun. "You will simply have to trust us and trust that we will not betray you, just as we must trust that you will not reveal our location to any other Goa'uld."
Hammond thought about the response for a few minutes, ignoring Jacks 'subtle' attempts to shake his head without seeming to do so. Jack was about to start coughing 'no' when Hammond spoke.
"Very well. However, when you do leave this compound, you must not let anyone know you are from another planet, let alone another species. Also, you will be accompanied by SG-1 at all times."
Jack's jaw dropped, "But General, what about our offworld missions against the Goa'uld? Aren't those more important?" He quieted at Hammond's look, though. It said that he was going to have to live with the situation, whether he liked it or not.
Seto also opened his mouth angrily, but was interrupted by Shimon. "That sounds very reasonable. We would like to thank you for agreeing to our terms."
Hammond sighed. "I'm afraid that before we can actually agree to anything we must run the conditions by my superiors. Although they're completely uninvolved with the Star Gate program, they'll probably have a lot to say about us allowing Goa'uld access to Earth. I'll apologize in advance for whatever they might say. I'm afraid, though, that we might have to amend the terms a few times before they're finalized in a form we can all sign."
Isis nodded. "Very well. I assume that you would like access to our world at all times, and you are free to do so. In return, may we return to this base throughout this span of time as well?"
Nodding, Hammond stood. Jack followed his example, shaking hands with Isis, although slightly less enthusiastically. Soon, the Goa'uld were being shown back to the Star Gate, leaving the humans alone in the room.
Turning away from the door, Jack asked a question directed to no one in particular. "Why do I feel as though we just gained more problems than we solved?"
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