Stargate Hastings

Chapter seven: Symbiotic and Parasitic

Tok'ra base, unnamed Tok'ra safe world.

Anise was stood in the centre of the high council chamber. When she was certain they were all ready, she began her presentation. "So that you will be able to understand what is happening to your friend, I will first have to explain. What it means, to be joined with a Symbiote". She started pressing buttons on a device, that she was holding in her left hand. A screen that simply looked like a pane of glass, suddenly came to life. Even after witnessing Larry's amazing picture shows, the humans of the earth were amazed by what they saw. The Abydonians must have gotten used to seeing the seemingly magical technology, it did not seem to look like magic, to them.

On the screen were two vertical lines. In English above the line on the left hand side, was the name Freya and above the other was the name Anise. She pressed something on the device in her hand and the two lines became active. Instead of two straight lines, zigzags appeared and disappeared up and down the lines. "If you look closely at the two sets of brainwaves, you will see that they are two distinct patterns".

When they all indicated that they could see, that they were indeed different. She pressed more buttons and the image changed again. A third active line appeared in between the other two, that had characteristics of both. "This is the part of our brains, that is the result of the blending of our consciences. It is purely on a subconscious level but it is effected by our conscious actions".

Anise seemed to swipe her hand across the device in her hand and the image changed. This time the two lines were labelled Gau'auld and Host. "As you can see, the brainwaves of the Gau'auld are far more active, than that of the Host". The Gau'auld's line was going crazy, while the Hosts was almost completely still.

Anise placed her hands on the screen, over the Hosts readings and then spread them apart, zooming into the image. "As you can now see for yourselves. The Hosts brainwaves are still very much active, they are simply suppressed. The Gau'auld achieve this by completely destroying the Hosts spirit...". A disgusted look came upon the faces of all of the Tok'ra present but none compared to the look that was on Hassif and his two sons faces. "...They are essentially trapped, in a hell of the Gau'auld's own making". She avoided looking the Abydonians in the eye, she knew all about Hassif's sister.

Anise zoomed the image back out to its original size and pressed something on the device. The third line appeared again but it was identical to the Gau'auld's. "The part of our shared consciousness, that is truly symbiotic. Where the Gau'auld are concerned, it can only be described as parasitic".

She swiped her hand across the device in her hand again but instead of two very different brainwave patterns, there were three and they were seemingly identical. They did not have names above them, as the others had. "Although the three patterns look identical, I can assure you they are not. It seems that they have been fighting each other, using their memories. This is how the Gau'auld destroys the Hosts spirit but it as never been known to be used by a human, to do the same thing to a Gau'auld. I have an hypothesis but no one as ever seen anything like this before, so it may not be an accurate one".

Anise pressed something on the device in her hand and the screen became a seemingly simple pane of glass, once more. "In humans, memories are stored not only in your brains but throughout your entire nervous system. Because they are distributed throughout your entire body in this way. It makes them far more difficult to access, than it does for the Tok'ra or the Gau'auld. We possess a genetic memory, that Symbiote's are able to pass on to the next generation. Our memories are stored in a specific part of our brains, that allows for far more accurate recall of those memories. I do not know how but it seems your friend is using his own memories to destroy the Gau'auld's spirit. The result of this, is what I have just shown you. Neither of them know who they are any longer. Do you have any questions?". Anise asked them.

Rachael had heard everything she needed, so said. "I want to see him now, take me to him". It was not a request.

Anise fiddled with her device, then the screen came back to life. Only the image was that of James and he looked like he was insane. His arms were restrained behind his back and he was walking around in circles, in his cell. The room he was in looked the same as all of the others but when James would run head first into a wall, in an attempt to harm himself. Some kind of force field made him bounce back, then he would start cursing at the wall. They could hear what he was screaming but it was a mixture of both English and Gau'auld curses.

Rachael was not appeased by the image. "I said take me to him. You have no idea how to get through to him, I do!".

Anise reduced the volume of the image on the screen and then Garshaw answered her. "Believe me we have tried everything to get through to both of them but we have been unsuccessful. Why do you believe you will have any more success?". He asked her.

Rachael wished her father were here, he would have seen the same as she had and would be able to make a far better demonstration than herself but she would give it a try. Jacob was her target. She had drilled him enough times as a youth, when he had been sent to train with her father. She walked behind where he was standing and did the best impression of her father, that she could manage. "Attention!". She bellowed as loud as she could.

Not just Jacob but Donald McCain, her cousin and most surprisingly of all Kaar, all stood to attention. Richard could not stand of course but he definitely reacted to the order. Rachael laughed and then explained. "All of these men have gone through some form of military training. The reason the Gau'auld could not break him, was because he as already been broken and replaced by someone else. Our people do not have the amazing technology that yours has but when it comes to training soldiers, we are probably ahead of you in many ways". Rachael declared.

"What makes you so certain of that claim, we have been fighting the Gau'auld for almost two thousand of your years. We have developed many training methods in that time". Garshaw said, a little defensively.

Richard Hastings cut in then. "You have been fighting the same enemy for two thousand years, whilst never having a military that could truly challenge it. Even with your disadvantage, our people would have triumphed over the Gau'auld by now. Our lack of technological advancement, a result of the religions that rose up after the Gau'auld left our world. As meant that we have had to rely on adapting tactics, to an ever changing battlefield. My cousin means no offence but we have reliable intelligence on Gau'auld military tactics and they are predictable, the way their Jaffa will react is predictable. They are meant to intimidate slaves. Not face the highly skilled, very adaptive killers. That our nation has spent centuries, perfecting the training of". He spoke in the same matter of fact tone, that the Tok'ra used when speaking to them.

Garshaw did seem a little impressed by the statement, even if it was phrased partly as an insult. "Indeed there is much we need to learn about one another". He then addressed Rachael. "He will not be able to break free of his restraints but he will still be able to attack you. Two guards will accompany you".

Rachael instantly replied. "No. I will go in alone but you can watch us from outside, if you wish". She pointed to the screen, that James could be seen silently screaming on.

Selmak escorted Rachael to the cells where both James and San'kha were situated. The rest of the group stayed in the council chamber and would watch them from there. When they reached the corridor San'kha's cell was opened. Selmak said to her. "San'kha is not a prisoner, we do not completely trust him but he as given us no reason not to".

Rachael stopped at the open cell, then entered. San'kha stood up at her entrance but not in a threatening way. He must have known where she was from and who she had really come to see. She started speaking to him, in the language of the Gau'auld. She had learned it from Meera and become fluent in the past year. She and Donald, had decided to stay with her since her return from Abydos. Something she had been very grateful for. "I have been told about the role you played, in bringing the one I love back to me. I will be eternally grateful to you and you have a place in my home, if you decide to come with us to our world, when we return there".

San'kha seemed to be ashamed, when he replied. "I tortured your mate, worse than I have ever even witnessed, a man being tortured. Then I witnessed him defeat a God, a false God. I have found a brotherhood that I have never felt towards other Jaffa, because of Jeem. It is I, who will be forever in his debt and if you intend to go in there with him, I request that you allow me to accompany you". He bowed his head in respect, when making the request. Rachael thought to herself, that he would certainly be strong enough to handle James, if he did try to attack her. So agreed to his request.

When they reached a wall, that Selmak told her was James Eldens cell. Selmak dropped her head, then Saroosh excitedly declared. "You wanted to see how the tunnels are made, well this never gets boring". She laughed as she pulled out a crystal and stabbed it into the wall. The wall vanished to reveal another one behind it. Then Saroosh picked up the crystal, that had gently lowered to the floor. As the opening appeared.

She passed it to Rachael and instructed. "Stand clear of the opening when you are inside, I will regrow this wall. Then you will be able to open that wall in the same way I have just opened this one. San'kha knows how to regrow the walls, for when you are ready to leave. The guards will monitor the situation and will offer any assistance if needed". She then stepped aside, to allow them to enter the airlock.

On the right hand side wall of the airlock was a smaller version of the glass screen, that they had seen James on earlier. He was back to just walking around in circles, he seemed to have worn himself out and was no longer running at the invisible barrier. When she saw that he had is back to where the screen, indicated the doorway was. She stabbed the crystal into the wall and was amazed by how the wall seemed to melt away into itself.

San'kha tried to go in ahead of her, so that he could protect her if James attacked but Rachael stopped him and said. "Be ready to act but I am not a defenceless woman".

"If you are his mate, I would not expect you to be but the strength and speed that the Gau'auld Grant's him, is even greater than that of a Jaffa". San'kha replied.

She stepped aside and allowed him to enter first. When James saw San'kha, he showed no reaction to his presence but when his eyes met Rachael's, they flashed with a bright light, that even shone through his now pale skin. He then said very quietly, in the voice of the Gau'auld. "You must run my love, the beast sleeps. He tires himself out when he runs into the force field, I trick him into doing it but he will awaken soon and when he does, he will take you away from me again. Please don't let him take you away again. Please leave, before he takes you away again?". He begged her, with tears streaming from his eyes.

Rachael looked at the pathetic creature before her and knew it was not the man she loved. He was the beast that the Gau'auld spoke of. What have you done to him James. She asked herself in her own internal voice. If she was to guess, she expected that he had used his own love for her, against the Gau'auld. With their minds so intertwined, he probably killed her over and over, in order to break him and he or it, was definitely broken. Unlike the army, who broke you so that they could remake you. This one had been broken and then broken again, with no end to the constant cycle. It was probably only the part of it that was James now, that was continuing the fight still and it was that part she needed to reach.

She stared at the pathetic creature for a moment. "You are not James Elden. You are the beast that tried to destroy him but he told me of a place that had came close to destroying him. That is where he keeps taking you, isn't it?".

The pathetic creature did not attack her, he did the opposite and backed off towards the far wall of the cell. Still in the booming voice he was saying. "Day time we can't find the bastards. Night time comes they are everywhere, killed so many of them. Only time I ever ran in my life but they were all dead except Smithy and Fraser. We had to bloody run but I lose the boys and then your at my back and they are coming. So many of them but they can't touch us. I am there with my Queen at my back and they can not touch us. Then they are all defeated and I reach up to hold your face in my hands. Then he wins our battle and kills you over and over again. Please leave?". He was genuinely worried for her safety, she did not know what to think about that.

She was not here to help the thing that possessed her love, she was here to get through to the man himself. Before she could get to doing, what it was she had came in here for. The wall behind them melted away and her cousin came rolling in. "Attention!". He screamed at the top his voice.

The man who was almost cowering down a moment before. Suddenly was stood up and the best a man could possibly manage, whilst wearing a straightjacket. He stood to attention. Richard then bellowed. "I still have not received your mission report, soldier!".

Richard knew what his cousin was trying to get at, with her earlier demonstration. He did not doubt that his friend was still in there but after a year of constantly doing battle with an internal enemy. That man would certainly not, be the man he remembered. Hell he was not even the man he remembered, the last time they had seen one another. He knew as is cousin did. That the last part that would truly break, the part of him that was still fighting. Would be the soldier that had been forged, by over two decades of service.

James started recounting the entire mission to Abydos. There was not a hint of the Gau'auld, in either his voice or in his mannerisms. It was pure James Elden. They did not stop him, they just listened to his report. Then he reached the part that they had not heard before. The Abydonians had told them about the parts San'kha had witnessed but they were patchy and had little detail. So Rachael and Richard paid extra special attention, to what he was saying.