Chapter Eleven: Germination
Daniel and Vala joined up with the rest of the team in Ishta's home. She had settled herself on some cushions and made no move to leave, so SG-1 sat as well. Teal'c trusted her and they supposed she ought to know what was going on with the Goa'uld/Lucien Alliance anyway. Mitchell and Teal'c explained what had transpired so far with Tealias, and Sam explained what they had discovered about the data crystal. When Sam began describing the signal it was transmitting, Vala jumped up.
"Just a minute, Sam," Vala apologized. "Let me go get my bags."
Mitchell nodded at Daniel who rose to follow Vala over to the guest house. Vala practically ran the whole way and Daniel was grateful for Mitchell's insistence on maintaining their PE regimens. Vala burst inside, startling Meryth.
"I need everything we brought with us," Vala gushed out at the older woman. "It's important."
Meryth didn't need another word. She and Vala swiftly gathered up their bags and Daniel helped carry them back to Ishta's home. They laid the baggage down into a space Teal'c had cleared in the middle of the communing room, and Sam began her scanning.
The main bag was dumped out and clothing, personal items and toiletries spilled out. Sam picked up each item, then moved on to the next. The pile of items scanned was growing and Vala was becoming impatient. So far nothing was revealing any sort of signal.
"Nothing?" Vala balked when the bag was empty.
"Not yet," Sam said before she picked up the bag itself and began running the Asgard scanner over it. Vala came closer to watch when the scanner began to suddenly show a spiking yellow line.
"That's it!" Vala cried. "It's in the bag!"
She began feeling along all the sides of the bag. The inside seams were searched, the outside pockets felt through, but still nothing was there.
"I don't understand, where is it?" Vala asked.
Sam was looking at the scanner, and glanced up at Vala distractedly. "Actually, I'd like to try something else." Sam stood up with the scanner and moved towards Vala herself. Vala became very still as she realized what Samantha was thinking. She waited while Sam moved the scanner around her own body then repeated her motions on Vala. Her face fell.
"I think.. it's inside you." Sam turned the scanner around and handed it to Vala to check for herself. Vala saw the wide yellow bands dancing across the display as she pointed it at herself. An anger began to fill her as she stared at the readings. If it was inside her then how did it get there? How could Tealias do this to her? They had been friends!
"Get it out of me Samantha, right now!" Vala cried in rising panic.
"Calm down Vala," Sam tried to diffuse what she could see was a volcano about to erupt. "I'm not even sure where it is yet."
"Then find it!" Vala snapped. Her eyes were wide, and she started biting her finger nail. Daniel came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Meryth, who had been sitting beside Ishta, rose and came to comfort Vala as well. Daniel looked over at Colonel Mitchell.
"Cam, could you go find Dr Lam?" he asked Mitchell.
Mitchell headed out immediately, while Sam directed Vala to take a seat. Ishta and Teal'c watched all of this silently and Meryth quietly patted Vala's arm.
Sam's concentration never faltered as she slowly moved the scanner over Vala. She shook her head, made an adjustment to the device and resumed her search. Mitchell came back with a curious Carolyn Lam in tow, who came directly to Colonel Carter. The two studied the screen of the scanner, Mitchell evidently having appraised Dr Lam of the situation.
Dr Lam and Sam both frowned at the device, and they both looked up at Vala together. Dr Lam spoke first.
"Vala, I'm going to need you to lay down on your abdomen," she spoke with professional detachment.
Vala nodded and she stretched out on the rattan mat covering the center of the floor. Lam pointed at her spine and Carter directed the scanner to where the doctor pointed. A moment later Vala felt Dr Lam's cool hand on her back. The young physician probed the spine carefully, shook her head at Sam, who scanned again.
"It looks like the signal is coming from your lower spine," Carter interpreted the results.
"But I cannot feel it, so it is likely buried deep, possibly even attached to the anterior surface of the caudal nerve cluster." Dr Lam expounded.
"English please," Mitchell injected.
Dr Lam raised her eyes to the Colonel, and glanced around the room taking in the entire team. "Whatever this thing is, it seems to be located close to the bundle of nerves at the base of the spine. This is tricky because damage to those nerves can cause paralysis to the lower extremities. I have no idea how such a device could have traveled to this location, and I can see there is no entry wound in the immediate area."
"The device may be using the increased electrical activity of the caudal nerves to power itself," Sam suggested to the doctor, who nodded her agreement.
Vala had sat up by now. "Can you get it out of me?" she asked, her normally grey eyes looking nearly blue with emotion.
"In a word, no." Carolyn stated. "Not here. We could try under surgical conditions, but I'm not optimistic." The doctor didn't sugar coat it.
"Carolyn," Sam spoke cautiously. "What if we used the George Hammond to selectively beam it out of her?"
"Unconventional, but interesting." Dr Lam considered thoughtfully.
"Sounds good to me," Vala asserted. Anything to get this thing out of her!
Mitchell moved into the circle of science then. "Hang on, wait a minute. What if we didn't remove it, not yet?" Vala rolled over and stared up at Mitchell.
"Now, don't glare at me like that. Think about it. Do we know who planted this?"
"Tealias" Vala stated promptly.
"We think it was him. But we don't know, and we don't know what is actually going on. Yet." Mitchell encompassed the group at large as he explained.
"You want to use Vala as bait?" Daniel said, incredulous at the idea.
"Why not?" Vala agreed with Mitchell. Sam and Vala worked out the technical details, while Mitchell, Daniel and Teal'c debated the strategy. When the team finally came to a consensus the meeting broke up and each moved to their other tasks in the Hak'tyl community. Ishta came along side Carolyn Lam.
"You have a warriors heart."
Carolyn turned to the Hak'tyl leader in surprise. "Me? No, no, I've only fired a weapon during basic training - at a paper target!"
"That may be so, but fighting is not the only thing a warrior must do. You were unflinching in your assessment of ValaMalDoran's condition, and that took courage." Ishta granted the Earth woman a rare smile before leaving to follow Teal'c towards the communal training area leaving Dr Lam slumped against the doorframe in thought.
...
Meryth caught up with Vala. The raven haired woman had carried their belongings back to the guest house after the meeting in Ishta's home had concluded. She was busy unpacking their things when she was stopped by the older woman's hand on her arm. Vala stopped, her arms full of clothing as they hovered above the green duffle bag and she met Meryth's eyes.
"You need to go back with them."
Vala swallowed thickly and laid the clothing down. "Of course; I must return to the SGC to get this thing removed. And to catch the worm who did this to me."
"That's not what I mean, Vala. And I believe you know it." Meryth took Vala's arm and pulled her outside. "Walk with me."
Vala complied, surprised by Meryth's sudden insistence. Meryth walked gracefully for her age, her head held high. They passed groups of villagers along the way who all nodded to her respectfully. Vala felt somewhat awkward beside the woman, having never noticed how regal the woman could be. They continued until they were well beyond the village in the opposite direction of the Stargate.
"My dear child," Meryth spoke finally. "You have cared for me more than anyone has in a very, very long time. You took me into your home, your life and your safekeeping. Should I not try to do the same for you?"
Vala turned confused eyes towards the woman who had become like a second mother to her in the few short weeks they had been together. "What are you saying?"
"This community has welcomed me, and they welcome you as well. You could do very well here, but Vala, you would not thrive." Meryth reached out and pulled a stalk of grain towards herself, neatly stripping the grains from it into her hand. "These seeds, if planted in good soil would grow, would they not? They may produce a doubling of their number, or a tripling. But when we plant them we always hope for so much more. We want, no, we need for them to produce yields much greater than that."
Vala looked at the tiny ovals and nodded in understanding. "A community needs food for the winter months, of course."
"Yes, and how very like us they are. If they are to flourish and produce an abundant crop they must have not only good soil, they must have excellent soil. It must supply the seed richly, with just the right amount of nutrients to meet it's unique needs. They must also have warm sunlight and fresh air and a certain amount of resistance that they may grown strong."
Meryth popped one of the grains into her mouth and offered another to Vala. They chewed silently on the grains until they turned soft were gone.
"This grain is good, Vala. It had everything it needed to do beyond well. But this place will not give you what you need to do well." Meryth took Vala's hands in hers and faced the younger woman. "I want you to thrive."
Vala nodded, swallowing thickly. She looked around her at the golden fields, the thick trees along the path and back towards the village. She knew what Meryth was trying to say, but she had no idea how a simple hope could become something real. Working with the Tau'ri had challenged her in new ways, while supporting her like she had never before experienced.
"I love Earth, Meryth." Vala spoke softly. "I love the energy, the people, the wild variation. I love the way... it was like being home, " she whispered.
"Then you should return there." Meryth nodded firmly and pointed back at the village. The SGC personnel could be seen mingling with the Hak'tyl people. "Those people are your home, child. When you find 'home' you keep it. You cherish it, you protect it, and you never let it go unless you have no other choice."
Home. The word rang in Vala's mind as the two walked back to the village. Home. A desire to remember home had been what had led her to Meryth. But that hadn't been home. Home was...
Vala saw Daniel cresting the ridge and she sucked in a breath. Light danced through his hair, and he laughed at something a young marine had said before looking down and seeing her. He grinned in her direction before continuing on. Her heart clenched at the sight because she suddenly knew, and she could not pretend it was anything than what it was. Home was where Daniel was.