Chapter 35
"Jeez!"
Jack jumped back from Freya's body bringing his P-90 up as he swiftly came to his feet.
The staring eyes blinked, their focus becoming clearer and shifted from Jack to look at Jacob who had remained standing next to him.
Staring at Jacob, Freya's bloodied and torn lips moved slightly in what appeared to be an agonizing attempt to communicate with the men standing over her. She closed her eyes again as a look of pain crossed her altered features. Jack felt Lya try to brush past him, but he blocked her and shook his head at her. He would not let the woman near Freya until he was sure it was Freya.
Freya opened her eyes again and with what looked to be a supreme effort of will tried to speak again. "Sel…mak." Her whispered words sounded ragged and raw and Jack's own throat hurt just hearing them, but amazingly they were understandable. Unfortunately they were also not human. Jack tightened the grip on his rifle and he could hear Teal'c's staff weapon open behind him.
Jacob knelt down to get closer to the woman, "Jacob…" Jack put his hand on the man's shoulder in warning.
Without taking his eyes from Freya, Jacob nodded his head conveying to Jack he understood, then closed his eyes and allowed Selmak to the forefront.
"You are not Anise…who are you?" Selmak demanded.
The unknown symbiote took a ragged breath and as it struggled to speak. "I am Garshaw, Selmak." Tears fell from the dark eyes and a deep sob escaped her. "I am Garshaw…"
Tears came into Selmak's eyes as she brushed a lock of sweat soaked hair away from Garshaw's face. "Be still, my sar'shesh. All will be well."
Jack watched the two Tok'ra carefully, not completely convinced that it was truly Garshaw inside of Freya. However he did not stop Lya as she pushed past him and knelt down next to Selmak. Looking at Selmak for permission and receiving it in the form of a nod, she placed her hands under Freya's neck and closed her eyes. Both women began to shimmer and soon become transparent as Lya endeavored to heal the symbiote and host. A moment later she opened her eyes. A great sorrow filled them and she looked extremely troubled as she removed her hands and looked up at Jack.
"I have been able to help, the symbiote, Garshaw, but she cannot remain in the host if she is to survive." She told him. "The host is beyond my reach."
Daniel came up to stand next him a frown on his face. "You can bring people back from the dead…"
"I can bring her body back, Daniel, but that which makes Freya who she is…can no longer be reached."
"What do you mean 'can no longer be reached'?" Jack asked. It irked him that the snake was salvageable, but the human host was not.
"I…" Lya began "I can not find her." The Nox woman looked completely lost as how to explain the problem she was having.
"Freya is gone, Colonel O'Neill." Garshaw's said her voice somewhat stronger now. "Sekhmet's destruction of her was total…her conscious mind was unable to withstand the tortures forced on it. I tried to keep her with me, but there was nothing to keep. Nothing left, but the body. I believed I would soon be following her."
Seeing the confusion on the men's faces Selmak tried to clarify what Garshaw was trying to say. "Once Sekhmet has taken a human host, the first thing she does is destroy the conscious mind and will of that host. It provides her with more longevity." Selmak turned back to Garshaw and asked the question that was foremost in all their minds. "Where is Samantha Carter, Garshaw?"
Garshaw turned her face away from them reluctant to answer their question a sign that did not bode well in Jack's mind and made him what to reach down and shake the answer out of her.
Speaking gently, Selmak touched her shoulder, "You must tell us, sar'shesh."
After a few moments of silence she turned back to them. "I am sorry, Selmak. Sekhmet has taken Jacob's daughter."
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The outer door of Vintio screamed in protest as it was wrenched opened and bright sunlight pushed back the darkness within. But the light had little chance to warm its metal interior as a heavily robed figure blocked the doorway, bringing with it… a deeper darkness…
She could feel it…the steady throb of its life thrummed within her. It was still here. It was still alive. Soon she would be powerful again. Soon she would shed this weaker form…
Soon she would have her revenge!
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The last two days had been quiet for Sam Carter. Other than occasional meetings with Breeshan or Rya'c she spent most of her time searching the ha'tak's data base for any useful information that might aid her in her mission.
She found little that was helpful; however, the chance to play around in a ha'tak's computer system at a leisurely pace had given her a better idea of how the Goa'uld utilized the huge vessels.
Unfortunately the quiet of the last few had come to an end.
Sam stared into the mirror that hung in her personal quarters of the Ha'tak vessel. A vessel that at any moment would be dropping from hyperspace and entering the Vedarin System.
She had donned the golden overdress she had worn on Bastet's planet. She shifted uncomfortably. She did not enjoy seeing herself dress like this. It was unsettling to see what she could be, should she be captured and infested by a Goa'uld. It is a fate that is undeniably possible considering her job.
"Shake it off, Sam." She said aloud, thinking that saying it out loud would help. It didn't. Her Goa'uld sounding voice was not the least bit comforting. It just added to the disconcerting whisperings that seemed to linger in the back of her conscious mind. She knew that the thoughts and memories of Sekhmet could not injure or control her, but still they were there circling her conscious mind waiting for a moment of weakness to inject themselves into her actions or words. She had noticed minute changes in the way she was reacting to the situations around her. Her temper was quicker. Earlier today she to fight the desire scream at Breeshan for muttering to himself while he was going over the last bits of their plan once they landed on the planet. The noise had irritated her more than it should have. Sam would love to palm it off as stress, but she could not. She knew that it had to do with something else.
Sam shook her head to get rid of the disturbing thoughts.
With a quick flick of her hand, she finished the gaudy Egyptian style makeup Sekhmet had preferred and began mentally preparing herself for next big performance. She was nervous. Although her ruse had worked well enough on Bastet's planet she was anything, but confident about the next few weeks portraying the cruel Goa'uld. Add to it that Sekhmet could show up at anytime did not help her apprehension.
She reached over to a small nearby table and picked up the intricate phoenix pendant and clasped it around her neck. It nestled down along her bare sternum to fall just past her breasts and Sam squirmed a bit at its heavy weight. The red piercing eyes stared outward into the mirror giving her the feeling the fiery bird was looking inside of her and reveling in her fears. Just as its owner would…
Enough! She mentally scolded herself and pulled her gaze away from the mirror. She walked across the chamber and brought up the schematics of Sekhmet's fortress once more. It was an unnecessary exercise. Sam knew the fortress and the surrounding area thoroughly, but the action of going over it helped to calm her.
She rubbed her hand over the back of her neck trying to work out some of the tenseness and get ahead of the headache that was forming. She did not want another headache. Ever since the download she had been experiencing them regularly. They were nothing debilitating just uncomfortable and damn irritating. Like her brain simply wanted to remind her of its existence every once in awhile. She wondered if it had anything to do with her DNA and the changes going on inside her body. She genuinely hoped it was the changes and not something worse…
With a deep sigh she slipped Sekhmet's hand device on. Another device she despised. The things only function was to kill. It fulfilled its purpose, quickly or slowly, but always effectively.
"Samantha."
She turned at Breeshan's voice. She had spoken directly to Pha'esh very little these last few days. It had been decided early on that the symbiote would not surface unless absolutely needed. Jaffa only carried symbiotes. They never hosted them.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Sure. You betcha." She murmured to herself.
"What?"
"Yes. I'm ready." As she took a step toward him, the ship left hyperspace and she swayed slightly as the ship's inertial dampeners quickly compensated for the radical loss of speed. Sam was used to the feeling having experienced it many times in the past. What she was not familiar with was the slight vibration that radiated from her chest to the rest of her body a millisecond after the ship dropped back into real space. She looked down at the phoenix pendant resting on her chest curiously.
That was weird, she thought. She set her curiosity aside when Breeshan reminded her they had to go. She would have time later to think about it.
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The SGC spent a number of days abuzz with activity as plans to find Major Carter were formulated and discarded, reformulated and discarded again to the frustration of the involved staff and especially to SG-1and Jacob Carter.
Freya and Garshaw had been brought back to the SGC to be checked out by Doctor Fraiser, but her tests only confirmed what Lya and Garshaw had told the others. There was no brain activity except that created by Garshaw to keep the body functioning. The symbiote had to be removed or they would lose her as well. Without a host Garshaw was unable to communicate with anyone and according to Selmak even if one was provided it was unlikely the symbiote would be able to blend with them. Lya's healing touch had kept Garshaw from death, but she was unsure how to heal a symbiote. She only knew humanoid physiology and was concerned she would do more damage than good should she attempt more than she already had.
The one thing they did know for sure was that no further information could be garnered from the Tok'ra symbiote and what she had already told them had everyone scrambling to find a way to get to Sekhmet's world and fast. Garshaw's last words reverberated through everyone's mind.
Sekhmet had Sam Carter.
All they had to help them was the information Major Carter had sent to Colonel O'Neill, but even with the Stargate address and the technical information in holographic message, finding a way onto the planet was wrought with difficulties.
Sending a MALP was a not a good idea. The standard device the SGC used to check out a planet before sending in their teams was well known to the Goa'uld and sending it would take their element of surprise away. A head on assault was out of the question. They would be running in to an unknown situation. With no other options they looked into the idea of traveling by ship.
The Tok'ra were contacted and a ship was arranged to meet them on a planet closer to the Vedarin system where Sekhmet's home world resided. By using this closer planet it would cut their travel time considerably, but it would still take a little more than a week to reach the system and another couple days to travel to the planet.
Once there, the schematics and other information given to them by Major Carter would enable them to infiltrate the facility and hopefully find the Major or, if need be, finish the mission for her.
It would be a few days before the Tok'ra would arrive with the ship on the planet near Sekhmet's system, so Daniel Jackson was back in his office buried deep among his ancient books and tablets trying to figure out as much as he could from the ancient tome brought to him by Lya.
After hours of searching, Daniel finally found more references to Sekhmet's planet, Sih'phmem, to add to the location which he had discovered before being shot and landing himself in the infirmary.
The planet was in a remote region of space well out of the way of the other Goa'uld system lords who would find no advantages to conquering a lifeless area with no assets of strategic value. It was basically a barren rock.
For some reason, however, Sekhmet had chosen it and claimed it as her own. The tome noted that at the time Ra simply granted her wish believing it was her instability that created the desire for such a worthless place and dismissed it. Sekhmet spent little time there during her service as Ra's avenger. Being in the Goa'uld's service meant she spent most of her time with Ra and Egeria on a planet the book referred to as the 'First Planet'.
Earth.
Resisting the urge to read more about his own planet, Daniel skipped ahead to find more on Sekhmet's chosen home world.
After the rebellion on Earth and the massacre of the human worlds by Sekhmet, Ra banished Sekhmet to her planet. However, unknown to Ra, Marcreat's advanced mind was beginning to calm the unstable Goa'uld giving her the ability to focus on her own desires and begin building her power base.
Although it was not mentioned in the tome, Daniel did recall that during his time among the ascended that Marcreat told him Sekhmet had used the ancient knowledge in his mind to create her fortress and the defense systems in place around her planet.
What was mentioned in the tome made Daniel extremely nervous about their plan to simply fly to the planet. When Ra had realized that Sekhmet was gaining too much power he sent a fleet of ships to destroy her stronghold and capture her. The attack failed. According to the account in the ancient book. Unholy light destroyed Ra's fleet. Ra was informed of the defeat with the delivery of his First Prime's dismembered body and a holographic recording of the fleet's destruction.
Even though Ra finally captured and placed Sekhmet in stasis he never defeated the defense system. Anyone who entered Sih'phmem's system would be obliterated the moment they approached the planet.
Daniel sat back in his chair with a sigh.
"This could be a problem."
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Sam entered the bridge of the ha'tak vessel with Breeshan at her side and took her place standing before the elevated throne-like command chair that dominated the room. Although outwardly she projected an icy calm inside she was scared as hell. She was unsure of so many things. How Sekhmet ruled her world, her habits, and many other things still eluded her.
The Jaffa Lam'zel, who was piloting the huge vessel, slowed the ship and Sam glimpsed what looked to be a huge mass of metal debris scattered around the border of the system. Lam'zel did not seem concerned about it and carefully navigated their way through, but the sight of a multitude of destroyed ships littering the entry point of Sekhmet's system bothered Sam. It gave her the feeling that she was missing something. Something extremely important.
Exiting the debris field, Sam could see the planet in the distance and something else. A large metal structure was orbiting the planet. It looked like a huge metal hourglass, wide at the top and bottom and narrow at the center. The structure held its place above the planet completely docile the only sign of movement was a red light on the topmost part section that had begun to blink when the ship cleared the wreckage.
Lam'zel brought the ship to a halt just outside the debris field, removed his hands from the control console, clasped them behind his back and did nothing more.
The light on the metal structure began blinking faster and the structure began to rotate ominously. Sam felt a prickle of unease at the way the Jaffa on the deck seemed to tense when the structure began turning and even shift uncomfortably, almost nervously, as its speed began to pick up.
Sam had to stop herself from fidgeting. She had no idea what was expected of her. There had been nothing in the ship's database about the thing powering up before them. She searched Sekhmet's memories for some clue of what her next step should be.
Should she give the command to proceed?
Hit a control button?
Sing a damn song? What?
She saw Breeshan glance at her a very clear 'Do something' expression on his handsome face and Sam had to resist the urge to slap it off.
Sam was becoming frustrated. Where was the damn information she needed to get past this thing! The metal structure's rotation had begun to increase and Sam somehow knew she was running out of time.
You will fail.
Sam told the whispers to shut up, but they became more persistent.
You will fail and those with you will die. You are not strong enough.
Come on Sam, she chided herself, ignore it!
A feeling of panic began to creep up as she realized that she was about to blow the whole mission. Ignoring the whispers she searched her own thoughts. Maybe if she looked at the console? Or maybe the command chair? Was there a special button or lever on the throne? Damn it!
'Calm down, Samantha…'
A soothing voice entered her mind drowning out the malicious whispers. The voice was vaguely familiar. A voice she had heard only once.
'Relax and go with your instincts. The information in your mind will guide you if you let it. The answer is there.'
Relax? Oh sure that should be easy. She thought irritably. And why should she trust this voice again? Sam was positive the ascended being was behind the changes in her DNA.
A high pitched noise erupted from the navigating console where Lam'zel stood. The Jaffa did not move, but Sam could see his body go rigid at the sound.
Damn it! She had no choice. Sam closed her eyes and consciously made herself relax. As she did, an image came to the forefront of the countless of memories that were ever present in her mind. She saw someone who looked like her (Sekhmet?) stepping down from the throne and advancing toward the view screen at the front of the bridge.
Without opening her eyes Sam did the same. As she approached she felt a searing heat on the skin at the center her chest. She ignored it and continued forward stopping at the same time her twin in the image stopped. The pendant on her twin's chest, she assumed it was the same as the one she wore now, began to hum the metal deepening to a vibrant red. The hum became marginally louder and Sam realized that it was not coming from the image, but from the pendant she was wearing.
She opened her eyes to see that she now stood in front of the view screen her own ghostly looking image reflecting back at her. The phoenix pendant was now a deep metallic crimson hue and the eyes of the bird were beginning to brighten and glow.
In the view screen Sam could see the metal structure…the Isurue.
The bastardized ancient defensive system created by Sekhmet thousands of years ago. The memory she needed was clear in her mind and she knew what she had to do. Raising the hand wearing Sekhmet's hand device toward the defense system, Sam saw the eyes of the pendant flash red and felt a jolt of energy race up through her chest over to her arm and down into the hand device. Instinctually she readied herself for the energy backlash as the hand device emitted a powerful pulse of energy that passed harmlessly through the ship and connected with the blinking light…Sam held her breath as the metal structure began to slow and the blinking light dimmed back to a steady red. She remained at the view screen as the vessel began to move once more and resumed their course to the planet.
'Well done, Samantha.' The disembodied voice echoed through her mind. 'Well done.'