Chapter Three

Vala leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the table as she sipped a rather abysmal local cocktail. Her expression bored, she let her eyes roam around the room. Over the years, she had perfected her barroom act, but it had been quite some time since she'd had to use the skill.

Sam was still trying to work her wizardry to track the communication stream. In the meantime, Vala was on a planet known for its Alliance loyalties, hoping to glean information. It was a risky maneuver—she still had a price on her head as far as the Alliance was concerned—but she figured it was worth the risk. Her supposedly easily bought loyalties were well-known, and she figured she could use that to her advantage. Plus the Alliance had to figure that once they set her up, she wouldn't be staying on Earth long. No one would be surprised to find her here, and she knew the part she had to play.

The hardest part had been convincing Daniel. He had nearly exploded when he learned she planned to come here alone. "Absolutely not!" he'd shouted. "What on Earth would make you think we'd let you do that on your own? I'm coming with you!"

"No, you're not," she'd answered firmly. "Daniel, you have a price on your head; have you forgotten?"

"I seem to recall that you do as well," he retorted. "Have you forgotten?"

"No, but I can work around it. I've been accused of betrayal. My loyalties have always been up for grabs anyway, and I can easily persuade a low-level Alliance lackey that I've cut all ties with Earth and can once again be bought. No one will believe that of you or Cameron or Teal'c. Your presence anywhere nearby would ruin everything."

Daniel wouldn't back down, and they'd argued back and forth for so long that Sam had finally stepped in. She offered to send two of her crew down with Vala. They would be unknown to the Alliance and could keep watch from a distance. Daniel fumed but acquiesced. Vala knew that somewhere in the bar were Major Styles and Lieutenant Franklin. She hoped they could blend in as well as Samantha believed, or this would end badly. She'd really rather be on her own. Damn overprotective archeologist.

Still, that warm glow was back as she took another healthy gulp of her wretched drink.

A figure dropped into the chair in front of her. She inclined her head. "Seton," she acknowledged.

A smile flickered across his face. "You remember me. I'm touched."

She shrugged. "I rarely forget someone who proves useful; you know that."

"Indeed I do. Neither do I, and you often proved useful to me. I can't say others share the same long memory though. You took a great chance coming here, Vala."

"Yes, well, I don't have a great many options left," she said indifferently. "The Tau'ri think me a traitor. They were going to imprison me, so I escaped. I am no longer welcome in their ranks, so I must move on. You know me, Seton; I was always good at facing reality when a job went bad and pulling myself together to move on to the next."

"Yes, you were," Seton agreed. "I assumed that was why you were here. I had heard you betrayed your Tau'ri friends. It's making the rounds in Alliance circles. Some think it a ruse; others aren't terribly surprised."

"Well, then both are correct," Vala said flippantly. "I didn't actually betray the Tau'ri, but since they believe I did, the end result is the same. I am once more on my own, and I need gainful employment. I wasn't able to bring anything with me in the haste of my departure, so I can't afford to be particular." She nodded to her beverage. "I managed to con this from the bartender."

Seton chuckled. "Same old Vala. I believe you are like a kay'tah; you always land on your feet." He leaned forward. "I might have an opportunity for you myself, actually."

"I'm listening."

"You remember Elymas?"

Vala rolled her eyes. "Of course. I married the idiot, didn't I?"

"I had forgotten that," Seton admitted. "That was the Kaldoran job, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and he almost blew it. Which was why we had to get married," Vala grumbled. "He always was stupid. However, since my funds are currently nonexistent, I'm still listening."

Seton chuckled at that. "Lucky for Elymas then. You are perfect for what he has in mind, and you know he pays well when he's successful. He just isn't often successful due to his innate ability to muck up his own plans." He eyed her. "He had the highest success rate with you. He'll be pleased to have you on his team again."

"That's because I was forever saving his stupid ass when his bumbling cost him," Vala said with a scowl. "However, he is rather generous, so what does he have going this time?"

"You know the Alliance is currently gathering all the Ancient tech they can find?" At Vala's nod, Seton continued, "Elymas has discovered a repository of sorts, filled with all kinds of Ancient artifacts and devices. He intends to sell it off to them a little at a time, so they won't realize it's one huge stash. He's managed to smuggle out one or two pieces on his own, but you know him—he's just barely managed it. He needs help."

Vala nodded thoughtfully. "All right. Still listening. Where is this storehouse, what sort of security is present, and what methods has Elymas been using thus far?"

Seton rolled his eyes. "Vala, this is Elymas we're talking about. He's not known for well-thought-out schemes. He's basically just grabbing and running, which is why he's nearly gotten caught already. He needs someone to flesh out an actual plan and then make it work in spite of him."

"Well, I've definitely had experience with that." Vala took a sip of her drink and looked sideways at Seton. "Why haven't you volunteered? Like you say, Elymas is generous. What's the catch here?"

Seton sighed. "As quick as ever, aren't you? The storehouse does have rather advanced security—beyond my expertise and very nearly beyond Elymas'. I don't think it's beyond yours though. Also, the planet is rich with kassa, so it's crawling with Alliance smugglers. It's actually quite shocking that no one's come across this stuff before now. It's tricky getting in and out undetected, which is where Elymas is having trouble. You, however, are good at either making yourself completely invisible or alternately creating such a distraction that no one really cares what you're doing."

Vala chuckled at that. "Oh, I've missed that. The Tau'ri are such prudes. You would not believe."

"I was surprised you stayed with them so long," Seton admitted. "They don't seem like your type, Vala."

Vala stared into her glass. "I suppose they weren't. I thought they could be, but in the end..." She shook herself and downed the rest of the liquid. "I don't suppose you'd buy me another, dear?"

Seton's eyes narrowed a bit, and Vala quickly realized her error. In her old pirate days, "darling" had always been her pet name of choice. She'd never used any other, whether for Seton or Elymas or a random mark. It was why she'd used it so casually with Daniel at first.

Somewhere along the way, though, she'd starting meaning it with Daniel, and now she couldn't bring herself to use it for anyone else. But of course Seton would notice.

Thankfully, he didn't question the change, simply stood up and headed to the bar. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and vowed to be more careful.

Seton returned with another drink. Vala decided she must be getting used to the taste; the second one wasn't nearly so bad. She drained the glass quickly. "All right. How do I get in touch with Elymas?"

"I'll take care of that," Seton assured her. "I can have him here tomorrow to discuss terms with you. We'll have you back in the game, and lucratively so, in no time; don't worry." His voice dropped seductively. "I assume you have no place to stay, given your lack of funds?"

Vala swallowed. It would help her cover immensely if she said no and went home with Seton. It was what he expected. And he had shared her bed on numerous occasions back in the day. He was actually one of her better lovers, truth be known. He would expect to share her bed again if she went with him. And that would certainly cement the truth of her story in his mind.

But she couldn't do it. She could play the part well, but she really wasn't that same person anymore. And Seton wasn't Arlos; she couldn't trick him into thinking she'd slept with him when she hadn't. So she flashed her best, brightest smile and forced herself to use the term of endearment that now belonged solely to Daniel. "Ooh, darling, if only I'd bumped into you sooner. Would have saved me so much trouble. Unfortunately, I did manage to procure a room for the evening already." She shoved down her inner loathing and pressed herself against him, looking up at him through her lashes. "Tomorrow? I was only able to get one night's lodging."

Seton ran a hand up and down her back. "Mm, tomorrow, definitely, and any other night of your choosing; you know that," he murmured. He gave a low, dirty chuckle. "I always did enjoy making Elymas jealous, you know."

She did know. It made her feel all the dirtier, but for Seton sex had been nothing but a power play. He knew all the right moves to make her enjoy it, but it had never really been about her.

Saying good night to Seton, Vala left the bar. She knew Major Styles and Lieutenant Franklin would wait awhile to follow, so as not to raise suspicion. She made her way through the streets of the town and finally managed to find a deserted alley. Once she made absolutely sure she was alone and unobserved, she took out her communicator. "All right, Samantha. I'm ready."

A bright flash of light, and she was back on the Hammond. Closing her eyes, she almost sagged with relief.

"Vala?" Instantly Daniel was there, his arm going around her in support.

She forced a smile and touched his cheek. "Daniel. I'm fine. Truly."

"So what's the dirt?" Cam asked. "Were you able to sell yourself as a freelancer?"

"Was I ever," Vala replied. "I ran into an old contact. He's got a job for me with a mutual friend. It's smuggling Ancient tech out of some sort of storehouse this friend has discovered." She smiled, a genuine one this time. "I'm hoping to be able to hand off the lesser pieces to him and save the really good stuff for us. I can get my foot back in the door with the Alliance and help Earth at the same time."

"And you're sure this guy bought it? He's not setting you up?" Cam pressed.

"Pretty certain," Vala said. "I did slip once, but it was very minor." She grimaced. "I might run into a few problems tomorrow, but I'm working on a plan."

"What do you mean?" Daniel glowered. She didn't answer right away. "Vala?"

She sighed. "If Seton brings Elymas to the meeting tomorrow like he promised, it won't be an issue. Elymas will simply pull rank and insist that since he's bankrolling this operation, I'm staying with him." She avoided Daniel's gaze. "And he won't expect anything. He knows better. If he doesn't make it though..."

"This Seton guy will expect you to stay with him," Cam surmised. "And he will expect something, right?"

"What? Vala, no, absolutely not," Daniel said immediately.

Vala rolled her eyes. "I said I was working on a plan, Daniel. Seton promised Elymas would be there tomorrow, which solves everything quite nicely. But if he isn't, I'll figure something out." She chewed her lip.

"What else are you worried about, Vala?" Sam asked softly.

Vala sighed again. "Seton and Elymas both are only on the very outskirts of the Alliance. They do business with them, but they don't know any of the real goings-on. This job establishes my credibility at being back in the game, but it doesn't bring us any closer to any real intel."

"It will take time, Vala Mal Doran. You must be patient," Teal'c said.

"But how much time? The longer it takes, the less likely it is the SGC will take any of you back."

"You mean any of us," Daniel corrected her. "No one's planning on going back without you, Vala."

She protested, "But you could! Cameron and Teal'c could go back and act like they'd just been hanging out with the Jaffa all this time. At this point, no one knows Samantha is even in on this. And Daniel, you could just say I kidnapped you or something. They'd probably believe that."

"Doesn't matter," he said firmly. "We're not going back without you."

"Yeah, what he said," Cam agreed. "Vala, we've had this discussion before. We're a team. And we take risks for you just like you do for us. It goes both ways, princess. You might as well get used to it."

She gave him a tremulous smile, her eyes watery. "You are all amazing. I know I've never said it, but thank you."

Sam hugged her. "You're welcome. Always. Now, I'm going back to work on tracing that signal. You work out your back-up plan for tomorrow. Get some rest." She wrinkled her nose. "And uh, maybe a bite to eat? Whew, that is some strong booze, Vala!"

Vala giggled. "Nasty stuff, too. Yes, a bit of food to clear the taste from my mouth sounds lovely." She looked at Daniel. "Care to join me?"

He smiled softly. "I'd love to. Let's go. We'll figure out that back-up plan together."