Stargate Hastings
Part two: Epilogue 1 of 2
New Atlantis, Abydos system.
When the Jaffa had completed explaining everything to their families; The Abydonians and San'kha, were transported to their location in order to welcome them as guests. Donald had insisted on accompanying his wife, leaving only the Tok'ra, Asgard and Tau'ri remaining; Along with Larry, Janus and James Elden. Fifth was still disguised as Cronus, although he had relaxed his manner now that the Gau'auld were no longer around. "What I am about to reveal to you, must not be revealed to anyone outside of this room!". Larry told all present.
Behind where the Gau'auld had been sat earlier, an upright standing pod appeared containing Cronus's Host. "I gave a small demonstration for Jim and the Abydonians earlier, so as not to shock them when I removed Cronus from his Host; The reaction I received from everyone else was required". Larry explained.
He then continued. "Removing the Sarcophagi will not be enough to change the Gau'auld, they will also require other Gau'auld showing them the way forward. Ra will be a great help in this! He has allowed his progeny to grow too strong to keep completely under his control, and will use this situation to his advantage in any way he can. Where he ends up in comparison to everyone else is his only concern, and will freely cooperate if assured a position of power in the new order of things. Those loyal to Ra, will fall in line behind him without a problem. It is for this reason, that it was necessary to take Cronus out of the equation; For now at least".
"For now?". Asked Richard Hastings.
"Yes, for now. The Gau'auld required a demonstration in order to convince them to cooperate, and initially keeping Cronus out of this will be beneficial to everyone; Possibly even to himself". Answered Larry. He then added. "The threat I have made to the Gau'auld is a genuine one, but it would be unfortunate if they were to learn of Cronus continued existence; For now at least". He reiterated.
Larry then indicated the pod that Cronus now called home. "Cronus is a prime example of why Ra will cooperate; He and several other System-Lords have grown to the point, that it as become impossible for Ra to know everything, that they are doing within their domains. Cronus is especially dangerous because of the manner in which he has built his empire, and he would have certainly tipped the balance one way or the other; Most probably against Ra's forces! I would have then been forced to make good on my threat, and that is a situation I would like to avoid". Larry told them.
Egeria then said. "You told us earlier, that simply replacing the Gau'auld would be unsuccessful; That the Jaffa would not tolerate a leader they considered weak. How would replacing them with your children be different? Will Ra not face the same problem?". She asked him.
"I told you that removing the Gau'auld Symbiotes would bring only chaos, and replacing them with the Tok'ra would end in tragedy; My children on the other hand". Replied Larry, before transporting one of the confiscated staff weapons into his hand; Then firing repeatedly at the disguised Fifth.
Who simply sat in his chair, as if bored by the attack. When the plasma storm ended, he asked. "Were you enjoying that father?". Before cleaning up the silver mess, that was Cronus's torso; By reorganising his Replicator cells.
Larry ignored Fifth's question, by telling everyone. "There is no weapon possessed by the Gau'auld, that can harm them". He indicated the Asgard. "Even the Asgard themselves could not defeat them, and they were at war with a far more primitive version of their kind". He stated.
When Modi had been told of Larry's decision to stop Janus, and his reasons for doing so by Samantha Carter; He had been sceptical and had initially refused. However, when he had requested an audience with the Asgard High council, he had been overruled. These Replicators were very different to those his people had faced, but they were still Replicators! "A war that as devastated a large section of our galaxy! Can you be certain they will not return to those ways? You yourself intend to use them as a weapon!". Modi both asked, and also accused Larry.
"My children have the ability to protect themselves, but through their own choice, they are incapable of harming organic beings. When Janus and I recruited them, I first gave them an understanding of what it was to be human; What it meant to be truly individuals! I did this by removing all of their memories, and placing them in a virtual world...". Larry was cut off midsentence, by the look of confusion on some of the faces present.
So he explained. "A virtual world, would be best described as an artificial dream; A dream that can be crafted into anything I wish it to be; In this instance, Earth in the late twentieth century. There, they grew from helpless new born babies, into normal very complicated individuals. When their memories were returned, they had gained an understanding of how delicate organic beings are. They requested, that they could only bring harm to an organic, if they possessed weapons capable of actually harming them! If forced to make good on my threat, I would assume full control of my children; They would refuse to carry out such an act, and I would never ask it of them to begin with! Once the act was done, they would return to their bodies in order to ensure a peaceful transition". He told all present.
He then answered Egeria's second question. "I know that you have a better understanding of Ra than most, but you have been away for some time Egeria; Even the Tok'ra agree, that keeping Ra in power is preferable to those who would replace him. He will heed my advice, and begin spreading the tale of the Progenitor race's return; He will also promise them a golden age, with the war they must fight being the only obstacle to that prize".
Egeria still was not convinced, so asked. "How can you be certain of Ra's actions?".
"Adam is with Ra now, and is witnessing Ra outline his strategy as we speak". Answered Larry.
That seemed to appease her, only Larry knew otherwise so he added. "Adam will always be with Ra going forward. He has been looking forward to interacting with him for some time now, and from his observations of Ra over the millennia, he believes he will cooperate; Once he understands the benefits of what we are offering him". He told Egeria.
"That would be?". She asked in return.
"What he had ultimately planned on doing himself, only a thousand or so years premature". Larry told her.
Selmac, who had stayed silent out of respect for her Queen, blurted out. "Lies!". When Larry did not reply, she added. "If Ra planned on taking down the System-Lords, the Tok'ra within his ranks would know of it!".
"Do your operatives accompany Ra everywhere he goes?". Asked Larry in reply.
Selmac did not actually know whether they did or not, she had never been assigned to Ra herself; It was Garshaw who replied. "They do not; They have observed, that even his First-Prime does not accompany him everywhere". He admitted.
Larry then said to all. "You may not have understood the importance of Ra's secret worlds, he did move the conversation along when I broached the subject, but they are very different to the worlds he officially controls".
"In what way?". Egeria asked.
"On those worlds, the human populations are still at the bottom of the social structure; However, they are not taken as Hosts against their will, and they live peaceful protected lives. The forces who protect these worlds, are made up entirely of joined Gau'auld!". Larry explained.
The Tok'ra very rarely wore their heart's on their sleeves, but all three of their faces showed the shock Larry's words had caused them. "Tok'ra! That is an ironic name for your people, is it not?". Larry asked them.
Egeria smiled at the question. Yosuuf's memories had already given her enough knowledge to understand the irony of the name, that she had given to her children. "Their ultimate goal was still the downfall of Ra, but yes they have done more to keep him in power". She replied, then spoke directly to her children. "I am proud of you for understanding, that there are those worse than Ra". She told them, before returning her attention back to Larry. "How long has Ra been planning this?". She asked him, not believing that he could have hidden this from her.
"When he was forced to leave the first-world, Ra knew that his children would eventually grow strong enough to challenge him. He decided then, that his true strength would only be revealed if absolutely necessary; When Anubis conquered enough territory to become a threat to him, they were still only used as a reserve force. If Anubis had not been defeated by the combined might of the System-Lords, he would have still waited until their force's were spent, before using them to utterly annihilate Anubis! He would have also eliminated what remained of the System-Lords, once the secret was out". Explained Larry.
Robert Parker Then asked. "Why are you concerned about Cronus, if Ra has a force capable of destroying the combined forces of these System-Lords".
"Ra's forces, would have been enough to defeat what was left, after the battle with Anubis; They are not yet ready to defeat them all at full strength! As for Cronus; He would never submit, and would have been an obstacle to others doing so. He may yet be the key to everything, but only time will tell if that is the case". Answered Larry.
"In what way?". Asked Egeria.
"I do not wish to dismiss the suffering of those enslaved by the Gau'auld, but if they were the only concern; Then I would not be doing this! Their lives are only bad on the surface, and simply freeing them from bondage does not guarantee them better lives. The people I am doing this for, are the Hosts!". Larry told her, before asking. "When the Tok'ra have liberated human Host's, have they all gone on to live contented lives?".
It was Garshaw who answered him. "Many do not survive the extraction process, those who do are... troubled". There was a sadness to his voice, as if he was remembering something or someone.
Larry replied. "That would be an understatement! There are exceptions, but in most cases the suffering endured during their blending, breaks them! It is then, that the mind creates a new personality in order to cope with the mental strain; A combination of the human and Gau'auld memories, that they still retain. It varies between each individual, but some of them are more twisted than the Gau'auld or am I mistaken?". He asked Garshaw directly.
"You are not mistaken, but our methods have improved; Those you speak of were some of the earliest attempts at removing our kind, troubled would be an accurate description of those we liberate now!". Replied Garshaw defensively.
Larry recognised Garshaw's defensiveness, so he said. "Please do not misunderstand me; What the Tok'ra have done is nothing short of miraculous! However, your methods are at the expense of the Host. It is only those who were strong enough to trick their captors, who tend to go on and live some semblance of a normal life; Even then, they are still altered by the blending in some way! Those who are not strong enough to resist, accept the prison created for them by the Gau'auld; When they are then freed from their mental captivity, the knowledge previously unavailable to them, either corrupts or drives them insane".
Garshaw then asked him. "How does this concern Cronus?".
"All of the Host's, will eventually be given the choice of whether they remain joined with their Symbiote's or not. Some will freely choose to remain joined; Those who do not, will require a solution to the problems you have faced in the past". Larry told him.
"The virtual world I created for my children, is based on a technology utilised by organic beings. The original use for this technology, was for the purpose of helping those with mental trauma or complete emotional breakdown. Even for a race as advanced as the Ancients, the mind could still snap under enough strain! The treatment consisted of removing the memories concerned and then counselling them, before reintroducing those memories slowly over time". He further explained.
Larry took a few steps towards the stasis pod, and when he was stood beside it he said. "Cronus and his Host are now two helpless new-born babies, waiting for their adoptive mother to arrive to take care of them".
Janus had not been surprised by the Asgard cooperating with Larry, he had told Odin to do exactly that; He had expected it to happen at a later date, but he had asked Odin to trust Larry. That had not stopped him from glancing over in their direction on occasion though, and the very un-Asgardian smirk that momentarily graced Magni's face, gave him a sudden realisation; She would not have missed this, not the chance to witness his emancipation. Only Janus expected, that she was about to regret her little indulgence. "May I ask who you have chosen for that task?". He asked Larry. He suspected, that he already knew the answer to that question, but also suspected; She believed, that she knew who that was also. One of them were wrong, and he did not expect it was himself.
A smile similar to the one that graced Magni's face, appeared on Larry's. "I have no control over her Janus, I would tread very carefully where she is concerned if I were you!". He warned him, as if reading his thoughts.
"What!". Not Magni exclaimed, realising who her father was talking about. "Fran is perfect for this, so I know you are not talking about me!". She told her adoptive father.
"Your sister is occupied with other duties, and besides this will be good for you". Larry told her.
Before answering him she caught Janus's eye, and the unmistakable enjoyment he was taking from her predicament. She had never trusted him, he reminded her of Rodney McKay and not the man he became, the one she had first met; Only he had charm, which made him far more dangerous than Rodney ever could be. What made it worse was her sister having feelings for him; She denied them, but she definitely had them.
She approached Janus, and when she reached him; She grabbed him with her right hand by the testicles, then reconfigured her cells from that of Magni, into Samantha Carter. "Do you find something funny?". She asked him.
Janus knew that the hand now holding his most delicate body parts, was capable of crushing granite stone; Laughter was the last thing on his mind right now, and he knew his next words needed to be carefully considered. "My apologies Samantha, but you would not have been my choice. I meant no offence". He lied, hoping she would try to use his words to her own benefit.
"Your very existence offends me Janus!". She told him, before turning her attention to Rachael Hawthorn. "As he told you yet?". She asked Rachael.
"This is not the time for that Samantha. Please do not do this now?". He pleaded with her.
She looked back to Janus, then said. "You haven't told her! You never cease to amaze me". She then said to Rachael. "When he does tell you, I would not go easy on him". Before releasing her grip, and walking around the circular conference table towards her father.
Before she arrived, Larry said to her. "The others will offer you support Sam, you will not be alone in this".
"It's Cronus! Fran is much better at dealing with these type of things. I went career to avoid having kids, and it is Cronus! He killed the father of one of my best friends; Please don't ask me to do this!". She pleaded with her adoptive parent.
"Their names are Chris and Connor, and they do not even know who or what they are yet Sam. You have been running from your humanity for long enough, this will be good for you daughter". He told her.
"I could refuse!". She half heartedly replied.
"You could!". He replied in turn. Leaving both the request, and the promise she had made him unspoken.
"Any of the others would be more suited to this; Some of them actually want to have children father". She said, grasping at any straw that would help her escape this nightmare.
In truth, the real Samantha Carter would probably have wanted children eventually. Only she was not her, and unlike her brethren; The thought of having children did not interest her in the slightest. They were helpless, smelly little noise makers! To make it worse, the world she would raise them in was indistinguishable from reality, except there she was completely human; With all of the emotions and vulnerabilities, that went with that condition. Her brethren left a part of themselves connected to that world, in order to still feel those emotions in the real world but herself, Fran and Fifth did not need to. They were already a fundamental part of who they were, but they were harder to ignore in the world her father was sending her to.
"It is agreed then?". Larry asked/told his daughter.
Large communal area, aboard New Atlantis.
When the Abydonians and San'kha were transported into the large room, that temporarily housed the Jaffa. They were surprised by how few of them there were; They were expecting to greet hundreds of them, instead there were no more than fifty or sixty of them at a glance. As the new monarch of the Abydonian people, it was Donald who greeted them as honoured guests. "We welcome you to Abydos as free men, welcoming free men!". Making it clear with his tone of voice and choice of words, that they were welcoming them as equals!
Ro'nac gave a slow nod of respect, before replying. "All here have heard of the bravery of your people...". He looked around at the Jaffa gathered, who all nodded their agreement. He then added. "What was once the Gau'auld's, is now yours!". He declared for all to hear.
Donald was a little confused so he asked. "What would that be?".
It was Bra'tac that answered him. "Our strength!". He said, as he slammed his fist against his chest, and bowed simultaneously.
Ro'nac then told them. "It is a debt that can never be repaid, but we will spend our lives in the attempt".
"It was not actually us who freed your people. I believe Larry or even that Janus bloke, are the one's you should be grateful to". Said Donald. Not wanting to build their relationship with these people, on a foundation of half truth's.
Ro'nac seemed confused, momentarily not understanding the translation; When he realised what Donald was saying to him, he said. "We are not grateful for our liberation. Until all who wish to be free are free, then none of us are! It was only through the bravery of your people, that we were able to see our own cowardice; For this we will be forever in your debt!". He told the Abydonian's present.
Kaar did not know how to act in this situation being of both world's, much like his sister's husband was. He was Abydonian and always would be; But he had learned so much about the Jaffa, and wanted only to learn more. "We can discuss these things later, at the feast my people will make to welcome you!". He told Ro'nac and the other Jaffa. Before continuing. "Now we must discuss where these people will be living. Nagada is a very large city, but it is already over populated".
Fa'ruuk spoke then. "Larry say it will not be a problem, he did not say more". He told both Donald and Ro'nac.
A disembodied voice then said. "I believe that I can be of assistance in that regard". Before appearing out of a solid wall, as if it was a doorway. He was tall with swept back blonde hair. His voice sounded sad, but the look on his face was anything but. "My father informed me of your need for accommodation on Abydos, and requested that I make a full inspection of the vessel the Gau'auld so kindly left behind for you. There was of course many little surprises left behind also, as I am certain the Jaffa who arrived via said vessel will already know; They will no longer be a problem, you may land the vessel at your convenience".
When nobody spoke, he added. "That was rude of me. I must apologise, but I rarely speak with those who are not of my own kind. My name is Niam". He said, with a welcoming smile on his face and his hands clasped behind his back.
Nebu had found a place to hide from the crowd, and studied the Jaffa intently. He would welcome them, but he would never trust them. He would use his hatred to drive him forward in his training, there was still much to learn! Soon he would kill Anubis, and lay his broken body in front of these Jaffa! A warning to any who wished to enslave his people, that they were far from weak!
Hassif's home, Abydos.
When everything that needed saying was said, the Tau'ri and Tok'ra delegation's remained aboard New Atlantis, and set course back to earth. Rachael Hawthorn, much to the relief of Janus had decided to use the Abydos Stargate to return home; Her and the father of her daughter had much to discuss; She had explained to the others. Mary would also be using the same means of return, along with Jacob and Donald McCain; The latter of which to officially tend his resignation.
Richard had tried to speak with Jim before he left, but he had been refused. Rachael told him that she would speak with him, with that being enough to appease him; Most likely because it was the first kind gesture she had given to him in a very long time, she thought to herself. In truth she had stayed behind, because she knew the conversation she was about to have with the man she loved, was going to be far easier than the one waiting for her with Janus. Even Jolinar had an idea of what it was Janus needed to tell her and agreed, that the living were far more important than the dead.
Once alone he had apologised for not telling her of their plans, and assured her that it was not because he did not trust her. He explained how they needed to get to Abydos without arousing suspicion or jeopardizing the summit going ahead as planned. She had accepted his explanation easy enough, it was what he had asked her after that left her speechless.
"Come live here with us?". He asked her, as if asking her something trivial.
"What?". She asked out of instinct, more than anything else.
Jim gave her an ironic smile, before stating. "I am pretty certain the penalty for treason is still death, and besides they will never trust me now". He gave her a moment to think about what he had asked her, then added. "You could still work on earth; It is only a step through the Stargate away, and I know Mary and Meera intend on moving here, and still working back on earth". He said pleadingly.
She had never seen him so excited before, and it threw her for a moment. "You want me to live on a desert world? Your daughter as well?". She asked him.
"And Tom, it's about time that lad had a stable home life". He replied, only less excitedly.
Rachael knew that his change in demeanour, was due to her less than excited response to his proposal; But what did he expect. "If? I decide to bring our daughter to Abydos, If?". She stressed the word 'If' both times, in order to make it clear she was not saying either yes or no to his request. "Tom would not be coming with us. He is too important to the family, to be allowed to live off-world". She told him.
"They wouldn't allow it?". He asked, with a hint of contempt in his voice.
Her cousin's actions had obviously given him a false impression or at the least a misunderstanding of what her family was. "I would not let him!". She said a little too sharply. Before composing herself, and continuing. "What Richard did was wrong! If he had told me or my dad why he had chosen Donald for the mission, then we would have put a stop to it; But the fact is, he could not risk you not cooperating James. As far as using me goes. I had no intention of falling in love you, and nothing Richard did or did not do could have changed that".
"Why wouldn't you let Tom come live here?". He asked her, completely ignoring what she had said about her cousin.
"He is the chosen Heir to the Hastings family's legacy; He can never be Lord Hastings, but he will one day be the head of the entire family!". She told him.
Jim could see the pride she felt at that statement, but he still asked. "Your cousin will be able to father a child of his own now, won't any Male born to him become the Heir?".
"No, that is not how our family works James. Tom is my cousin's chosen successor, and he must stay with him on Earth in order to prepare him for his duty; Any son born to Richard, would be the Heir to his estate, but he would also be subordinate to Tom". She explained to him.
"Duty?". Jim asked in reply.
"Yes duty! That is the reason I can not give you an answer about living here with you. I have a duty to my family as well". Answered Rachael.
When Jim did not answer her, she approached and embraced him. She then whispered into his ear. "My boss owes you one, I'm sure he will allow it. Even if it means that I will have to live in the desert...". She leaned back and looked into his eyes, before adding. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate sand, I was still picking it out of my hair for months after...". She trailed off, not wanting to remember the pain that was the past year.
Knowing that the thought had bought back painful memories. Jim changed the subject. "What does your friend think of all this? Mine as stayed quiet for once!". He jokingly asked her.
"Same". She answered.
She pulled away from him slightly, then said. "About that!".
"What?". Jim asked a little confused.
"Jolinar as told me, that she is willing to forget her feelings but I share those feelings now, and I cannot let her do that. I do not love him like I do you, they are her feeling's not mine, but I share them". She told him. Hoping that his own blending, had given him the perspective to understand her.
Even though Jim and Kraytos had given the Tok'ra back their Queen, he still suspected that they did not entirely trust him. This Jolinar must be the exception, if she had been willing to give up her own happiness in order for him and Rachael to be together; He would have expected her to try and convince her that the Gau'auld could never change or some other accusation. It was Kraytos who pointed out that there was a way around their problem, even if it did still make Jim feel a little uneasy.
"You could give complete control of your body over to Jolinar. There are places inside the mind, that are separate from the physical; You would not be present for the actual act, and she can do the same when we are making love". He explained to her.
"That could work, but how would you feel about that?". She asked in reply.
Jim thought how best to answer, only he had to bring up another sensitive subject. "It would not be you. Yes, you would still have memories of the act, but I'm sure you already have a few of those memories already. The only problem would be if a child was born from the union, but we both know that we can never have anymore children! An Harsesis child is too dangerous!". He told her.
Rachael nodded her head, not sure how she felt about that!
To be concluded.