Disclaimer
Seriously, I DO NOT OWN THIS. Wish I did.
Part Seven
Ba'al, dressed reluctantly in scrubs, stood across from Doctor Fraiser and stared at Teal'c's back. "I haven't seen anything like this."
Janet nodded briefly as she collected a sample. "Shouldn't the larval Goa'uld be helping?"
"Prim'ta." Ba'al absently corrected. "It should."
"It is not. It is, in fact, getting worse." Teal'c's voice was raspy from pain.
Ba'al frowned and pulled out his healing device. Janet bagged the samples and the Jaffa watched the Goa'uld's actions impassively. He glanced at Janet. "I'll have Namzu come assist you."
She nodded and observed as Ba'al concentrated on the wound. A minute or so into the attempt, his eyes flashed as the symbiote took over. He made pass after pass with the implement and then frowned and lowered his hand. The harmonic in his voice had a sad, almost regretful, note to it. "This does not appear to be helping." He leaned in closer and then motioned for the small ruler. Janet passed it to him. He measured the lesion. "In fact, it has increased in size by three millimeters."
Neither of them commented on Janet's muttered curse.
The group, sans Teal'c, had gathered outside the door to the infirmary. Janet and Namzu were inside, conferring. Ba'al had silently exited earlier and was leaning sullenly against one wall. It was bad enough that, even with all his technology, he had failed to find a solution thus far. That he was failing someone he was rapidly coming to consider a friend was unforgivable.
Janet entered the corridor and Ba'al listened impassively to her commentary. He said nothing, lost in thought, until after Sam mentioned bringing in outside help. "Excess coding... A retrovirus?"
Janet blinked at him. "Retrovirus?"
He nodded. "That is what your people call them, is it not? I understand that there are attempts to use them to solve the issues with cancer and the various autoimmune viruses."
She let out a breath. "You're right. It does fit."
Namzu joined them. "My Lord, with your permission, I will return to the ship. I have duties there and I will examine the database to see if we have any information."
Ba'al nodded. "You may go."
Ba'al was not pleased with Doctor Harlowe. This was their expert. He inwardly snorted. It had taken the man almost an hour to validate a conclusion he'd come to in moments. Even more irritating, was that the 'good doctor' was the reason that the NID had been informed of the issue.
He couldn't stop the frown that formed on his face. On one hand, Teal'c had escaped NID custody. On the other hand, he had ripped out his own prim'ta. That action that had both host and symbiote shuddering. He couldn't be rational.
He strode into the medical lab and stared at the prim'ta in the tank. "Are you trying to kill it?"
Janet and Sam both turned to blink at him. Sam literally smacked her forehead. "Ba'al... How do we help it?"
He moved quickly around the lab, grabbing batteries and cobbling together a small item to add electrical current. He attached it to the tank and turned to Janet. "I need..." He grumbled. He really needed to review medical terminology in her language. He dipped his fingers into the water and tasted it. "Electrolytes. And...lipids in suspension. It's not warm enough..."
Minutes later, the young symbiote was much happier.
Ba'al snorted as he reclined on Jack's sofa. Drugs. Who would have thought? His kind had eschewed them for centuries. They were primitive, damaging, and... they worked.
He smirked at Daniel as he related the 'war games' Teal'c had indulged in with the Tau'ri child. The Jaffa added his own input. Doctor Jackson spent the conversation alternately complaining and grinning at the way he'd been assaulted. Teal'c was more concerned with him correctly describing the tactics he had taught and used. Jack's shoulders were shaking and he was biting his lip to keep from actively laughing at his friends. Sam had no such compunction. She had her head buried in Ba'al's shoulder and was futilely attempting to catch her breath.
Ba'al picked up his beer. "Teal'c, well done." At the Jaffa's nod, he took a sip and winced. Next time, he was bringing the refreshments. He didn't care what he'd have to do to get them through the SGC's idea of 'customs.'
"So, you have found the Tok'ra." Ba'al leaned against the table and watched the woman he would have as Queen.
"We think so, yes." She was double checking the contents of her pack, preparing to leave.
"Should you really be telling me this? I assume that you intend to try for an alliance with them, despite my sentiments on the topic." He absently fiddled with a Newton's cradle, watching the beads bounce back and forth. "You know my first inclination is to destroy them."
She sighed. "You're smarter than this, Ba'al. I know it still hurts, but it was several millenia ago." She stood and wrapped arms around his tense body. "We need an alliance with them, if we can get it."
He fought down his emotions and tried to see it logically. It had been brought home to him that he couldn't be everything she needed when Teal'c had nearly died. It hadn't been him that saved her friend. A failure that left a bitter taste in his throat and caused his symbiote to twitch restlessly.
"If you believe that you need to do this, then you must." He returned her embrace and nuzzled into her hair. "Be careful. Their self-interest is just as deeply ingrained as that of my people."
"I will." She looked up at him. "Will you keep an eye on my father for me?"
"Of course."
The Tok'ra were less than welcoming. But, Sam admitted, any resistance against the Goa'uld would be suspicious of someone walking around with a Jaffa and allied with a System Lord. Thankfully, Jolinar had been with the group that found them. She obviously remembered Sam's intervention with Ba'al.
They were quickly escorted into the base.
Ba'al looked up as General Hammond entered the hospital room. "You might as well save your breath, he is as stubborn as his daughter." At the dirty look from both men, he sighed. "I believe there might be something in the cafeteria worth analyzing. I will return."
Later, Hammond and Ba'al both saw the doctors revive Jacob. The doctor mentioned the difficulty in determining how long he would live, then quickly left. Ba'al eyed the General, then shook his head at the man's questioning look. He kept his voice low. "I am sorry to say that... our techniques would be a temporary measure in this instance and require... repeated application." He touched the back of his neck. "Only a more permanent... relationship would be able to stem the advance of his illness and reverse the process."
He fought down the waves of despair at the disappointment on the general's face, and knew that Jacob wouldn't be given the clearance 'just' to receive long-term medical care. Especially since they didn't have the sarcophagus modified for safety. Tau'ri and their secrets... He didn't look forward to explaining the same to Samantha.
He had won so many battles and yet, like Jacob, he was loosing the one that counted.
Their meeting with Garshaw of Belote was tense. The question of trust was raised, repeatedly. Still, the discussion went a little better when Sam's story matched Jolinar's. Garshaw's host seemed to like them, though the others in the facility were more than a little nervous about having a Goa'uld's 'friends' in their base – much less Ba'al's apparent paramour. The looks they received were hostile, at best.
The Tok'ra were desperate for hosts. It was the many conversations that Sam had had with Ba'al that allowed her to recognize this fact immediately upon being shown Selmak. The Tok'ra were understandably disappointed that they didn't agree to blend. Still, at least they didn't take great offense at the refusal. They just decided that it meant Earth couldn't be trusted.
Sam didn't voice her own inward opinion: They wanted to make sure they could be trusted by allowing one of their operatives to have complete access to all their secrets. Yeah, that was not going to happen. There was no way that any member of the Stargate program would be authorized to 'blend.'
It was only when they were in the Council meeting that Sam considered that Ba'al might have been correct. Their statements amounted to the basest self-interest. She restrained herself as well as she could until Colonel Makepeace arrived with news of her father and they were told that they would be kept and basically considered dead by their own people. There was no mention of release. The Tok'ra would not send them home.
Garshaw's statement that their world would be a 'priority target for the System Lords' infuriated her. "You're serious? I hate to be the one to tell you this, but a System Lord already knows precisely where you are. He knew that we were coming here to speak with you. He watched us dial the Stargate."
The Tok'ra reeled back in shock, but Sam wasn't done. "He knew that we came to offer alliance, and he endorsed it. He wasn't pleased, called you a bunch of self-serving hypocrites, but he knew and agreed that we needed to meet with you. His only concern was that we be careful – that we keep ourselves from harm."
"He has almost burnt himself out trying to help us, stepped back when we needed him to and willingly shared everything that we're prepared to handle. He has talked us out of mistakes and shown far more tolerance than I could possibly have expected." Her hands clenched into fists as painful memories surfaced and threatened to overwhelm her. "A few members of my species tortured the both of us. He didn't destroy our planet. He didn't land troops and tear apart our people."
She gave a bitter laugh. "I know that I would have been tempted. Hell, I was tempted to ask him to wipe the NID from the planet. What's more, he would have if I had just asked." She took a deep breath, ignoring the surprised noise Jack made. "But I didn't and so neither did he. I can't judge him on things that happened long before I was born. I can only base my opinion on what he is now. And he is a good man."
She ran a hand through her hair, dislodging her cap. "If we fail to make our check-in... If we don't return, he will let nothing stop him from either finding us or destroying whoever killed us. He will rain down fire and salt the earth. He will be a plague to your people. Nothing will stop him."
Cordesh snorted. "You speak like one of his priests."
She drew herself up, meeting his gaze with her own and drawing on her memories of Ba'al for strength. She felt warmth blossom inside. Her brief time with Jolinar supplied the words that she needed. Her tone was dignified, firm, and only as loud as it needed to be in order for them to hear. "No. I speak as his Queen."
There were mutterings, including some rather profane ones from Jack. Jolinar spoke over them. "'She is my Samantha, as I am her Ba'al.' He spoke those words to me, himself. Traditional words that haven't been used by any symbiote - of either sect - in thousands of years."
Everyone stilled. Cordesh glared at Sam. "She has no symbiote. He is merely toying with her."
Sam laughed. It was a deep, throaty noise. The feeling in her chest was manifesting in a strange confidence, as part of her realized exactly what he'd been trying to make her see over the past few months. Their lack of extended physical intimacy hadn't been just because he was 'traditional.' Though that played a part, he'd been trying to make her understand something that most human couples took for granted – something that he couldn't afford to let her doubt about him. "He doesn't care. He would rather have me than some power-hungry, psychopathic bitch wearing my body. It's my mind and soul that he loves. It's my mind and soul that he will mourn when I die."
"Yet, he lets you place yourself in such danger?" Garshaw looked doubtful.
Sam shrugged at her. "I wouldn't be me if he locked me away. I would be a... bare shadow of the woman he wants. He's no fool and he'd have to be not to see that."
She almost had them... and then they were informed of incoming Hat'aks.
Ba'al ducked into the men's room when his communicator chimed. A quick check ensured privacy. He pulled the device out. "Yes?"
Babati's voice echoed. "My Lord, two of Heru'ur's ships have entered one of your systems. They are..."
The evacuation was in full swing when another messenger arrived. Sam had been trying to convince the Tok'ra that her father would make a good host, but she stopped short at who accompanied the Tok'ra scout. "Ba'al..."
He nodded, retaining his regal bearing despite the number of weapons pointed at him. His voice was harmonic, a sign that she knew meant he was upset or worried. "Samantha." His gaze swept the room and landed on Garshaw. "I assume that you are one of the Council, from your attire?"
Garshaw nodded, in more than a little shock. "That is correct. Why has a System Lord come to our base?"
Said System Lord smirked. "Are you aware that you are in my domain?" At her nod, he gave a faint chuckle. "Two of Heru'ur's Hat'aks have been intercepted by my own. Officially, they are being assaulted for daring to violate the sanctity of my borders."
Garshaw blinked. "Why?... Why do this?"
He gave an elegant shrug. "If you must have a reason that suits you, then assume it is because I enjoy my human pets. If you want the truth, then it is because Samantha is desperately needed at home."
Sam's swallow was audible. Ba'al ignored the guards and crossed to her. "Your father hasn't much time."
She closed her eyes and nodded, leaning into him when his arms encompassed her. "They won't let us go. They... They said that we were never going home."
She felt the small lump in a pocket on his chest and recognized it for what it was: her kara kesh. They had stripped his from him and failed to search further. No Goa'uld carried a backup, after all. He quirked an eyebrow when she looked up at him. She gave a marginal shake of her head, which was returned with just the slightest nod of acknowledgment. He would follow her lead.
Their exchange went unnoticed, having taken less than a second. "Will the sarcophagus cure my father?"
His bearing was unchanged, just as arrogant as ever. Still, she saw the apology in his gaze. "It is not a permanent cure, I am afraid. In the short term, it can return him to health. However, the genetic markers that cause his disease are... virulent and the issue would recur. He would require repeated application to live for any amount of time. I believe we all find that to be nonviable."
They both ignored Jack's quiet, "Ya think?"
Garshaw watched the interaction, baffled and bewildered. No Goa'uld showed affection so openly. It wasn't done. It was all but taboo. And to allow a human to speak so familiarly in his presence? No System Lord would have permitted it.
She stumbled for a moment, unsure of how to address the human, before finally settling upon the title she was originally introduced with. "Major Carter, do you believe that your father will agree to host a Tok'ra symbiote?"
She stepped away from Ba'al and frowned. "I can only say that it is likely."
Ba'al's attention returned to Garshaw. "Very likely. He is just as stubborn and full of life as his daughter."
Garshaw eyed him with distrust. "Two may leave. The Goa'uld and the others stay to ensure your return."
Ba'al looked mildly affronted at the tone when she referred to him, but nodded regally. His voice had slipped back into human levels. "We are content to remain."
Garshaw's head snapped back as if she had been slapped. "You are... blended."
Sam and Jack followed one of the guards out as Ba'al laughed quietly, viciously. "I was once one of you. Didn't your Jolinar tell you that? I know Samantha revealed it to her."
"We... did not believe her. The Tok'ra are for life."
He snorted. "The Tok'ra. So sure of their supremacy and their cause. Tell me, how many must die before you stand and fight? How many would rally to your cause were you to raise your banners high? Instead, you hide like rats and allow atrocities to continue."
"Goa'uld atrocities!"
"The Tau'ri have an interesting saying, 'All that it takes for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.' My Queen tells me that a good man does not stand by and 'do nothing.' Therefore, I contend that they are just as much your responsibility as they are the responsibility of the System Lords."
Garshaw took a step back, but Ba'al continued before she could speak. "Do you not wonder why you continue to lose contact with those spies you send to my realm? They are not dead. They become my allies - my people – and work to ensure the safety and security of the humans under my rule. They know that, at least with me, they can make a difference. My premier healer, Namzu, is known to you. He once bore another name: Ashur of the Tok'ra."
A split second of silence was broken as a dozen cries of dismay wafted around the room. Ashur had been a great loss. Though he had despised war, he had willingly followed the command to spy on Ba'al. His disappearance had been mourned for years. Some still mourned him.
Garshaw rallied. "And, yet, you would fool civilizations into believing that you are their god! You would sacrifice them on your own personal mountain of pride!"
He gave her a flat, level stare. "You have been in my territories. How are the people treated when compared to others? Are they healthy? Are they happy?"
"That is beside the point!" Her eyes were glowing in rage.
"Is it?" He noticed the others had quieted, content to listen to the debate. "We are above them, to an extent. We have knowledge and wisdom that they do not. In a sense, our technological marvels are magic to them. Our long lives make them believe us to be greater than they."
He shrugged. "If it comforts them to believe us to be gods, to be beings that must be worshiped and praised, then that is what we must be. In us, they find comfort in the knowledge that 'there are no accidents' and that they are not merely creatures that will live and die in obscurity. They have hope that they are – perhaps – loved by a entity more powerful than themselves..."
His expression was serious, sincere. "They need that belief in order to aspire to be more than they are. They need it when they – or their families – lie dying. That hope, that ephemeral dream of blessing, is perhaps the greatest gift we can give them. Would you deny them the care of even a false god that, at the very least, answers some of their prayers? Even if I fail in some things, I can offer them guidance and support when crops fail and plagues spread."
Teal'c's eyes had widened minutely in surprise at the impassioned, though quiet, speech. Daniel knew that expression was as good as gaping for the normally stoic man. He considered Ba'al's words. He'd never pondered that side of the debate. He knew that he had prayed to Ra and the others when his parents had been killed. His pleas for their return hadn't been answered, but he had still found some peace as a result of his belief in an afterlife.
The knowledge that the gods were uncaring, unfeeling aliens had left him far more hollow than any ridicule he had experienced in his time as an academic. The idea that a Goa'uld could serve a purpose, no matter how small, as a force for good in the religious development of a world was revolutionary. He'd argued before that power brought responsibility, and here was Ba'al saying that he was doing his best to uphold that. A feeling of rightness settled into place inside him.
Garshaw recovered her voice. "The audacity! To try to make your self-serving agenda a service to the people you would oppress?"
Ba'al cocked his head. "How do I oppress them?"
"... You stop them from growing as a people!"
"How?" He seemed genuinely curious. "I do not stop them from developing art, music, or literature. That nonsense was Ra's foolishness, and we all saw how well it worked out for him. I do not prevent them from developing new technologies, should they choose to explore their worlds in such a manner. Once they have reached a reasonable level of technological advancement, I reveal myself for what I am – the warlord that has protected them from those fouler than himself – and I offer my continuing protection."
"And their payment for that protection?" Cordesh cut in with a sneer.
Ba'al glanced at him, then directed his answer at Garshaw. "They are not to associate with worlds that haven't achieved that level of advancement, so that they may develop normally. Their Stargates are shut down and a security net placed to allow me to monitor for other Goa'uld that might compromise them. A quarterly tithe of supplies is established and a building designated for the willing recruitment of Jaffa and hosts."
Garshaw blinked. "We had wondered why so many of your worlds became unreachable just as they were beginning to understand. But, how do we know that those worlds are not in far worse a condition than you would have us believe?"
He nodded agreeably. "You will assume the worst, I'm sure. From what I recall, Tok'ra are very pessimistic. I will take you to visit one such planet and prove my assertions, if that is your desire."
Cordesh snorted. "Such lofty statements, and yet you ally with the System Lords."
Ba'al gave him a bland smile. "I am a System Lord. I am host to a Goa'uld. It is the proper word for the symbiote and not a system of ideals, after all. In the protection of my peoples, I am required to be a warlord and a politician. To this end, that is what I have willingly become. I do not forget – both host and symbiote will never forget – what it felt like to be at the 'mercy' of the other System Lords and the Tok'ra."
Daniel marveled. Many of the murmurs in the room had changed to agreement, or at least consideration of his arguments. For all his fleets and weaponry, Ba'al's most finely-honed weapon was his voice. He suppressed a grin as he pictured him on the floor of Congress or the UN. The world would never be the same...
Cordesh, however, was incensed. Logically, he should have maintained his position with the Tok'ra and merely informed the other System Lords of Ba'al's duplicity. There would be war as they sought to destroy the dissident, but he would still be able to gather intelligence. In practice, few Goa'uld believed in or used anything approaching logic – especially not when they were furious. He snatched a weapon from one of the guards and leveled it at Ba'al. "You are a traitor to the Goa'uld!"
The guards moved to stop him, but they were too late. He pulled the trigger. The blast impacted the System Lord in the chest. The force of the blow knocked Ba'al back slightly, and Daniel caught him as he fell to the ground. The guards had wrestled the weapon away from the spy, and Garshaw was barking furious orders to detain him and search his belongings.
Noting that the situation was being contained, Teal'c hovered over the pair as Ba'al's eyes fluttered open. "Doctor Jackson..."
Daniel pillowed the man's head on his lap. "Don't talk, we'll get you a healer."
A faint smile flickered across Ba'al's lips. "Remind me that I owe Samantha a new kara kesh."
"You'll tell her your... What?" The archaeologist blinked down at him.
Ba'al slid one hand into his robes and pulled out the mangled piece of metal. Parts of it were glowing from heat. "I seem to have broken the one I gave her."
Realizing that Ba'al wasn't going to die, Daniel rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you're not the queen in your relationship? And, by that, I mean the drama queen."
Ba'al snorted at the joke and winced. "You have spent far too much time with Colonel O'Neill." Daniel helped him sit up, and Ba'al's hand went to his chest. "I am glad I wore my new armor beneath my robes. Even with the deflection the kara kesh provided, I doubt I would have survived otherwise."
He glanced over at the arguing Tok'ra. "Doctor Jackson, would you mind asking them for some place I can rest until my ribs are healed."
"It's Daniel." He gave a little chuckle, seeing a few staring in their astonishment that the Goa'uld still lived. "And, no, I don't mind asking."
They arrived back at the complex to find a maelstrom of activity. Jacob was alternately trailing behind and moving ahead as his attention was captured by new things. His mind was spinning with concepts and questions that he wanted to ask, but he knew he didn't have the time. His introduction to Teal'c was quick and hurried, but he was more interested in the information Sam was receiving from one of the Tok'ra: a woman named Jolinar.
"You were correct. I stand before you and offer apology, Samantha. He is far different than what we had believed."
Sam smiled at her as they walked. "I know. Oh... This is my father, Jacob Carter. Dad, this is Jolinar of Malkshur."
"It's a pleasure." He eyed the petite woman. It was hard to believe that she was an alien.
Jolinar nodded in response, then turned back to Sam. "Ba'al is resting with Selmak, at Selmak's request."
"Resting?" Sam's voice went up a bit at the end. Goa'uld seldom needed to rest during the day. Not unless there was a problem. "What happened?"
"Calm yourself, he will be fine." Jolinar turned and led the way to Selmak's rooms, speaking as she walked. "One of our number was a spy for the.. System Lords. He attempted to kill your mate."
Jacob stumbled as the last sentence registered in his brain, only for Jolinar to catch his arm. Her grip was like iron. "Mate?"
Sam bit her lip. "There's a few things I haven't explained yet, Dad. I will though."
"You better." He gave her his best 'stern father' expression.
Sam nodded. "Continue?"
Jolinar released him, but kept a wary eye in case of a repeat of his near-fall. "Cordesh shot him with a staff weapon. Had it not been for your kara kesh and his own armor, we would be having a very different conversation. As it is, he merely needed to rest and heal a few broken ribs."
"My kara kesh." Sam didn't know what to say. She doubted that they appreciated him smuggling her a weapon.
"Indeed. It was destroyed due to taking most of the heat of the blast. I believe that your Doctor Jackson is to remind him to get you a new one." Jolinar looked mostly amused, to Sam's relief.
"A new one. Great. Just how many people am I going to nearly lose in one day?" Her companions pretended not to notice the rest of what she muttered to herself.
When they entered the room, Sam was next to Ba'al in an instant. He was shirtless, letting one of the Tok'ra poke at his chest and spread a salve on it for pain. He smiled up at her. "Hello, my Queen."
Sam blushed. Apparently, someone had filled him in on her part of the argument with the Council. She drew herself up, determined to be a credit to him. "My Lord. Are you well?"
A chuckle made it's way out of his chest. "I will be fine, Samantha." He looked past her. "General Carter, you seem to be feeling better than when we last spoke."
"Hope will do that for you." Jacob didn't understand the pointed glance at the woman standing across from Ba'al, but he didn't care. He moved to the platform that passed for a bed. "Is this Selmak?"
Ba'al spoke before the others could. "No. This is Saroosh. She is Selmak's current host."
Jacob looked at him, noticing that he'd switched to a harmonic voice. "Am I talking to Ba'al?"
Ba'al smiled. "We are both Ba'al. We agreed upon that the very day that we blended. We both discarded our old names and chose a new one to represent us."
"Will I have to...?"
"Not unless you both choose to do so." He shook his head, then nodded at the medic in thanks as he made to withdraw. "In this, as far as we are aware, we are unique amongst our kind."
"Oh." Jacob looked down at the host. "So... now what?"
The woman on the table spoke. "Now we talk. Blending lasts for a very long time, and I want to make sure I will like you."
Ba'al looked at him, and spoke in a human voice. "That is Selmak." He pulled himself to his feet, and Jacob noticed the bruises on his chest had reduced dramatically since he had entered. "We will leave you to become acquainted."
"Ba'al..." Sam caught his arm.
He brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. "This is a very intimate thing, Samantha. Only those he considers family should be present."
"Ba'al." He faced her father. "As I understand it, you've all but married my daughter."
"That is correct. The... marriage only had for her to accept it in front of someone who had witnessed my statement, which she did." She could feel the tension in the arm under her hand. He was – she realized – afraid that he was about to be rejected by her family. Or her.
He considered it for a moment. "Then, one, call me 'dad.' And, two, that makes you family." Jacob met his eyes. "Please, stay."
Ba'al looked around the nearly empty room. Garshaw, Martouf and Jolinar had withdrawn. Even the rest of SG-1 had left. "I cannot do so in public, as it will cause issues diplomatically, but I will be proud to call you.. 'dad' in private."
Jacob nodded, then turned back to Selmak. "So, let's talk."
Ba'al eased himself down on the bench, still a little sore. His Queen settled beside him, and he wrapped an arm around her. He tugged her against the uninjured side of his chest. The tension drained from his body and he nuzzled her hair.
The Gate shut off and Jack glared at Ba'al. "I don't believe it. They won't give us the time of day, yet they're willing to be absorbed into your intelligence network."
"Provisionally, assuming that I prove my assertions to them, some of them are planning to do so. Others will strike out on their own and create more chaos for me to handle." A wry smile twisted his features. "They are prejudiced in a way that you do not understand, Jack. Your lives are very short to a symbiote. In their minds, you cannot hope to achieve the wisdom that they have attained."
"So they think we're what? Monkeys?"
He considered the question as they started their walk to the infirmary. The symbiote spoke. "Yes. That would be a close approximation. My... relatives can be very short-sighted. They do not open themselves to many possibilities that I have seen become reality."
"They seemed to think that a Goa'uld could become addicted to the sarcophagus." Daniel, not privy to that earlier conversation, shot Jack a curious look.
Ba'al sighed. "If a symbiote chooses not to regulate the endorphins, and it is used too frequently, then the host can become addicted... It is very rarely possible for the symbiote to do so. However, many Goa'uld use it to control strong-willed hosts. I spoke to you of proper usage and was unclear in my response. I apologize for not elaborating further."
"Huh." Jack cocked his head to one side. "All things in moderation?"
"Precisely."
"So, how come it seems like it 'drains the good' out of them?"
"Morality is a human trait, Colonel. Once the host no longer cares about it, neither does the symbiote. By nature, a Goa'uld is an aquatic predator. It is not - and never will be - a saint."
Okay, I'll admit it. I like tossing Ba'al around a little. It's the whole, 'he's closer to invulnerable' thing. I like to see that actually used instead of just talked about.
I went back and reviewed the series, again. It seems that I made a larger mistake than I thought. Carter wasn't a Colonel or a Major at the start. She was a Captain. I really boosted her rank, didn't I? Since I'm too lazy to go back and change every instance and then republish, we're going to go with the excuse of this being an alternate universe. She got promoted a little bit sooner than we thought and is a Major.
For those who have read Beginnings: Ba'al, I found the story that mentioned the plague. It's "Not Your Everyday Circumstance" by Misaffection on Dreamwidth. The story is in two parts and contains graphic descriptions, so read at your own risk. The first part is fairly grim and the whole thing is definitely NC-17. The plague is discussed in the second part.
Thanks to kc5mzr for reviewing!
