710 Birthright

They were at a secret meeting with a Jaffa in Moloc's ranks, who was seeking the freedom that Teal'c's rebellion promised. Before they could talk they Moloc's troops attacked and then in turn all were attacked by warriors coming out of the mist. They were Jaffa women warriors, the Hak'tyl.

O'Neill was leery at first when they were invited to meet the women's leader. Teal'c was distrustful considering one of the women took the symbiote from a wounded male Jaffa. But this could be a mission right up Teal'c alley. In fact as SG-1 walked down the hill into the Hak'tyl camp it might be a treat for all the males of SG-1.

Sam Carter saw O'Neill looking at the women warriors and thought he doesn't look at me that way any more. She was happy to be seen as a professional, respected. But she's a woman too… she can't have everything. From him, it seems, she can't have anything.

Jack had been grousing about Felger drooling over Carter. Now he found Carter was shooting daggers at him for drooling over the scantily clad and buff Hak'tyl.

These women and well as all Jaffa were in immediate serious need of symbiotes. Due to the constant warfare among the various Goa'ulds for territory, the pressure of the Tok'ra and Tauri and the Jaffa rebellion symbiotes, which were in short supply, were carefully guarded. The problem for the Hak'tyl had a more malevolent reason, the god Moloc. Moloc sought to control his population by limiting symbiotes to males only, male who were to be his soldiers. Female, new born, were sacrificed in the sacred flames to the god. These women, the Hak'tyl, saved as many as they could, raised them in safety and trained them to defeat the barbaric Goa'uld that dominated their homeworld.

After Carter had a try, O'Neill reasonably thought Teal'c would be the best to approach Ishta, the leader of this band of women. However this conversation between them seemed to comprise a rather vicious fight.

"You should do something." Sam was seriously concerned. "I think they're killing one another."

"Oh Carter, it's just Jaffa foreplay." Jack wasn't entirely sure but he wasn't getting into the middle of this.

In the SGC's infirmary the lives of three of the Hak'tyl are weighed in the balance. Mala who attempts to forgo her symbiote for tretonin does not survive. The adolescent Nesa who has never had a symbiote does well with the drug. And the seriously wounded Neith, in a hard fought decision, chooses life and takes tretonin.

The transition from symbiote to tretonin for Teal'c was difficult. And in fact he had no choice in the matter. It was tretonin or death. O'Neill was well aware of that. And it seemed that as difficult as it was for some, for others it was not possible.

Nesa did her best to convince Neith to save her own life and try tretonin.

Observing the interaction, O'Neill sat beside Carter. He said, mostly musing to himself, "It's the kids, you know, the influence children have on our lives. We seek to protect them and guide them. But they see the future, they are the future and they're not afraid of it. We'd do well to listen to them."

With that he got up and left. Sam thought it had brought up too many painful memories for the Colonel. Meanwhile Jack penned a note for Daniel:

"If the Jaffa young, when coming of age, were given tretonin instead of a symbiote the transition among the Jaffa people might be gradual and more acceptable. Perhaps a ritual could be created similar to the primta ceremony to ease the transition."

When Ishta took her leave from the SGC a bond between the Hak'tyl and the Tauri had been established as well as a bond between Ishta and Teal'c.