610 The Cure
Before SG-1 traveled to Pangara O'Neill reported to General Hammond's office and when he saw one of the Joint Chiefs he nearly did an about face. There was a serious discussion of the viability of continuing to use this Alpha Site or had it location been blown. His actions at the Alpha Site were also a matter of discussion, O'Neill wasn't exactly reprimanded for the situation between Tok'ra and Free Jaffa there but was enjoined to act in a more diplomatic manner toward our allies. He thought he had. Consequently coming through to Pangara O'Neill looked like a fool. SG-1 was virtually unarmed and found a planet with a seemingly genial population and large roiling pool of Goa'uld symbiotes.
O'Neill and Carter returned to the SGC with the elixir of great promise in hand and when Jack saw the suit with Hammond. He was ready to bolt back through the wormhole. Pity they didn't work in both directions.
He sent Sam straight away to the labs to have the potion tested while he met with Hammond.
It seemed it was one of O'Neill's least favorite men (he did have quite a list) in the general office. He was there for an account of the damage done to the Alpha site.
General Hammond said "Colonel O'Neill, please come in, this is Mr. Robinson."
Unfortunately O'Neill had been called to account by this man in the past.
"Colin, may I call you Colin?" Jack asked. No one could mistake that slight upturn of Jack's lips for a smile.
The general gave Jack a steely eye and O'Neill bit his lip and stood to attention in respect to the general, and the general alone. The man immediately said he understood full well there had been an enemy incursion then proceeded as if he neither knew nor cared. Among other things that annoyed the man, the buildings had been riddled with large caliber ordnance, necessitating costly repairs or replacement.
"And for all the bullet holes" the account said adding insult to injury "it was a half dead old man that killed that thing. And because of the animosity between our supposed alien allies and possibility the location was now known to the enemy, the site itself might have to be abandoned." The account nattered on and on how constructing the new site would obviously be time consuming which they didn't have and cost a small fortune which was not in the budget. He also complained at length of the excessive use of ammunition.
Jack wondered if the bean counter thought O'Neill himself had hired the Ashrak. Then he wondered if he could. He could tell from a subtle nod of Hammond's head it was better to just let the man vent and it would be over. Arguing would be futile. The worst part was O'Neill wasn't only angry, he was embarrassed by the destruction at the Alpha Site and totally drained of energy.
When Hammond finally excused O'Neill to get checked out in the infirmary he was again seething with anger and a headache was roiling behind his left eye. Didn't that fool realize good men had died out there. They lost all of SG-12 getting the nearly decimated Tok'ra to the Alpha Site. And there they lost more of the Tok'ra, and Free Jaffa and some of their own to the Ashrak. Didn't their lives count for anything or was everything weighed in dollars and cents.
O'Neill found Carter in the Medical- Exobiology Labs with Doctor Fraiser. Looking at their expressions he said "Good news, please good news."
"Sorry Sir" Was the only reply.
Carter's news of the nature of the drug didn't help his mood any. The drug acted much like the symbiote in a Jaffa, replacing the immune system and destroying it in the process. They were seduced with promises of health and long life and found only the possibility of addiction or death.
It took Jack a few beats - but couldn't that be what the Jaffa had been looking for. It could give them freedom from the Goa'uld in one way and yet still be reliant on them. They would merely replace one dependency for another. He thought too of the symbiote poison. If they used it they killed both friend and foe. Nothing was simple, nothing straight forward.
He looked at Carter, grimaced and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. She looked back at him with concern.
"Just a headache."
These damned Goa'uld turned up most everywhere they went. Jack didn't like symbiotes, Tok'ra or Goa'uld, but to grind them up to make medicine didn't sit right with him. Pangara was one of those worlds that got your hopes up only to dash them a moment later. Where the arrogant ones merely refused to help them. Worse perhaps were the ones that sought to dominate them or was it the ones that crushed their hopes with empty promises.
The Tok'ra were summoned to Pangara when it was determined that the queen being exploited for the symbiotes was their founder, Egeria.
The men of Earth were lured with a promise of a cure for all diseases and presented instead with addiction or a death sentence.
The Tok'ra were lured here with the promise of being united with their long lost queen only to witness her death. Kelmaa sacrificed herself as sanctuary (cal mah) for Egeria. Both found death.
They thought they found allies only to find more dependents.