The Trevithians did, indeed, approach – by air, without the slightest hint of machinery. SG1 and their escorts stood on the balcony where Sam had spoken with Faelan earlier. Watching them winging in like some kind of graphic novel super heroes, Jack murmured under his breath,
"Holy air force, Batman."
"I'd say they can fly, sir," Carter pointed out obviously.
Five more of the forbidding winged beings came to land on the balcony, back winging in a way that made the air currents rush around SG1. They were dressed in leather, but not in any way that resembled a uniform. They were armed with lethal looking crossbows and knives. Four of them lined up neatly behind a man who made Faelan seem short and insignificant.
Faelan spoke to him.
"These are the strangers I sent word about," he began and then made introductions of each member of SG1, "Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, Major Carter and Teal'c. Colonel, our Weyr Leader, Solivar."
The imposing male gave a short, brief nod of his head in O'Neill's direction. O'Neill returned it in kind.
"My Flight," Faelan said, indicating the others who had just arrived, "My sister Rhaevan and her mate Draekovar, their son Kristovar; and Solivar's son and second in command, Gavinar."
Solivar turned his golden-eyed gaze on Jack in a way that should have branded the colonel.
"Faelan's message explained the situation," he said, bluntly, "Tell me, O'Neill, why I should risk my friends and family to save yours?"
Jack was startled for a moment, though it didn't show outwardly. If he were to be honest, there was no answer to the Trevithian Leader's question. In Solivar's place he would be asking the same thing.
Sensing the beginning of a testosterone driven pissin' contest, Daniel saved him from having to reply. He stepped forward, imposing himself between their only hope for rescuing Mallory and Davidson and whatever smart-assed remark Jack was about to make.
"Because you hate the Goa'uld, the ones you call Luciferians,as much as we do."
Daniel spoke with such authority that his own team turned to gape at him. He ignored them, his blue eyes riveted on Solivar as if they were the only two people in the world. Solivar's eyes narrowed dangerously, which Daniel appeared not to notice. Teal'c noticed though. His broad frame tensed in preparation, in case he needed to get between Daniel and someone intending to lop his head off.
"Decades ago," Daniel went on, "they took your sister. They probably still have her."
"Daniel," Jack interrupted.
Daniel turned his head just enough to see Jack from the corner of his eye.
"Jehain showed me their history. It's documented."
"And you failed to tell me this, why?" Jack demanded.
Daniel rolled his eyes impatiently. "Since when do you want a lecture on history? Besides, you were asleep."
"I wasn't sleeping!" he protested.
But then Jack fell silent again. He wasn't sure what Daniel had discovered, but he had always been their voice. Jack would run with this. O'Neill glanced at Jehain, but she was staring at Daniel.
From the time she had been quite small, Jehain had seen and felt the emotions of others. She was familiar with all the rainbow colors and subtle textures of feelings in a way that only those born to be Empath could claim.
She had never encountered anything like the aura surrounding Daniel at this moment. He was angry, but it was not anger she was used to. The aura surrounding Daniel was black, in a way that spoke of winter midnight and deep caverns, cold and dismal. He had used the word 'hate' to describe the way they felt about the Goa'uld – and his team had reacted with the usual reds and oranges that signaled anger. Whatever Daniel felt for the Goa'uld, it was far more than hate. Whatever the Goa'uld had done to him, it had unleashed something from the darkest abyss of the human soul.
My wife died a long time ago…
The realization hit Jehain hard. Tears rose in her eyes and fell unchecked.
"Faelan," she whispered, putting her hand on his arm to draw his attention.
If Faelan had any questions, they were answered when he saw Jehain's tears.
"Solivar," he said, in a soft differential tone, "Perhaps you should listen."
Solivar had not taken his eyes off Daniel.
"Yes," he said, finally, "They did; and I have no great motivation to risk any more of my kind to them. Gabrielan is lost. None have ever come back."
"That isn't true," Daniel challenged, "or maybe it is here, but it isn't for us. We have allies who can remove the parasite and save the host. We've done it. We saved my brother-in-law."
"The Luciferians had your brother?" Solivar asked suspiciously.
"My brother-in-law, my wife's brother," Daniel said, "and not the Luciferians but those like them. The Goa'uld live on many planets. If you take us to Cria, we'll help you find Gabrielan."
The more Daniel spoke of the Goa'uld the more the aura around him writhed like something trying to break free, terrible and malignant. Jehain was horrified; wondering what would ever happen if Daniel lost control of it, or worse, decided to embrace it. She didn't know how he lived with it, how he endured it.
"We don't leave our people behind, especially not in the hands of the Goa'uld," Daniel went on, "I'm not sure what else we can offer you in an alliance, but at the moment we can offer you hope. If Gabrielan is alive and we can bring her back with us, our allies will free her from the demon. Look, Solivar," he began to speak in a rush, bolstered by the courage of his own convictions; "I don't know exactly how long a Trevithian lifespan is. I don't know what a year is here compared to a year on my home world. I know Faelan is serving his third term as Caller in the Circle of Gifted, so you must out live humans by decades. Is that what you want for your sister? Decades of living hell at the hands of a demon, unable to escape even into death?"
The members of the Flight were exchanging significant glances. Daniel was reaching them if not their Leader. Jack had shifted uncomfortably when Daniel promised to find Gabrielan as well as Mallory and Davidson. But there wasn't much he could do about it.
Daniel was still speaking, knowing from experience that his audience – in this case Solivar – was listening and starting to be swayed.
"There aren't enough of us to do more than rescue those three, but we can come back with a larger force, with ships and enough troops to take the island and rescue as many as we can."
Jack and Teal'c exchanged a glance, each wondering what exactly Hammond was going to say about that.
Without warning Sam spoke up. "What Daniel is telling you is the truth. I was once taken as a host. Our allies, the Tok'ra, can remove the parasite."
Daniel shot Samantha a look that showed how moved he was by her admission, and grateful. Sam hardly ever talked about Jolinar, unless circumstances demanded it. She certainly never talked to Daniel about it. It had been pure misery for them both that Sam had never been able to unbury the one memory from Jolinar that they had wanted. Jolinar had claimed to know where Sha're could be found, but Sam had never been able to determine if it had been the truth. Daniel had never blamed her, never let it adversely affect their relationship. But Sam had always felt like she had let him down.
It was bending the truth a little bit, now, to say the Tok'ra had saved her, but her survival after being taken as a host was all that mattered at the moment.
Solivar regarded Carter with no expression at all for a moment. Then he looked over his shoulder, shifting one enormous wing out of the way, at Gavinar.
"Send for the rest of the Flight. Have them bring carriers. We leave for Cria at dusk."
Gavinar nodded with military precision, walked to the edge of the balcony and launched into the air. O'Neill had to admit it was among the coolest of things they had seen in their travels through the Gate.
Solivar turned back to SG1.
"Your people should be ready as well, O'Neill," he said.
"They already are," Jack answered.