Part 9: Treasure of A Soul

Ba'ek stood in the middle of the desert. He watched the sky, waiting for something to come down. The Observation Radar had shown that a Goa'uld cargo ship was in Cayan's orbit. He had been worried, but the ship proved to pose no threat. When the ship launched something and it penetrated the Tamen's shield, Ba'ek realized that it was not a Goa'uld ship after all; it must be Major Carter's people. The scientists working on the Observation Radar were worried, but Ba'ek had ordered them to stay calm. After calculating where the object was going to land, he volunteered himself to investigate it.

And then an object appeared from nowhere, it was like nothing he ever saw before. The object descended to the ground at a steady velocity. He was no scientist, but he could see that the half-sphere like thing attached to the object was responsible for the gravity-defying movement.

The alien object amazed him, and his eyes followed its path. And then, with a loud thud the object crashed to the ground. Sending sand around its landing point to be spluttered around. After all the sand finally settled to the ground, it appeared some part of the object was open. It looked like a door and then a man stepped out from it.

Ba'ek approached the man, he was not afraid of him, although he knew that the man was dangerous. He could sense the desperation in him, the man would do anything necessary to achieve his goal. But most of all, he could sense this man's ... commitment. He wouldn't call it love, the word did not do justice for what the man had. He was committed to her. And Ba'ek envied him ... he envied them.

"Welcome to Cayan, Colonel."

The man looked at him suspiciously, his hand was holding a weapon pointed at him.

"You're one of the Grands, aren't you?"

Ba'ek liked the man instantly, he was a sharp and straight-to-the-point type of man.

"Yes. Come, I'll bring you to her."

The man hesitated.

"Why would you want to do that?"

Ba'ek searched for the right answer. The 'Colonel' didn't trust him, which was understandable. Trust could not be gained by words alone, it had to be earned by actions. But he didn't have the time to do that, "Because I'm the only one here who can help you."

The man thought about it for a moment. Then, hesitantly, he brought down the weapon and put it aside. He picked up a small black box from his pocket and spoke into it, "Jacob, do you read?"

"I'm here, Jack."

"I'm down here."

"Can you get inside the city?"

Jack looked at Ba'ek, "Yes, Jacob. I have someone here who can help me."

"Good. Contact us again when you have found her."

"Will do. O'Neill out."

And then he put the box back inside his pocket, "Show me the way."

Ba'ek turned around and started to walk towards his vehicle, which looked surprisingly like a car, only with three wheels instead of four - two wheels on the back and one wheel on the center front. The man followed him inside the vehicle. He was prepared, he was dressed in similar clothing as the Cayans; a simple deep green long sleeved shirt and matching trousers. Ba'ek could sense confusion and awareness in him, he had expected him to do just that. The journey was spent in silence, only the sound of the engine could be heard, along with the wind's voice.

"So ... what's your name?"

Ba'ek turned to his side, "My name is Ba'ek."

He looked perplexed for a second, "Let's just call you B, how's that?"

Ba'ek was startled, shortening one's name was an impolite thing to do in Cayan culture, but he didn't sense any rudeness from this man. Instead, he sensed something else, a feeling of keenness.

"Is it customary for you to concise one's name?"

"Hell yeah. Back on Earth, some people have quite a long name. We call it a nick-name, it makes it easier for all of us to have one."

"Interesting. Do you have what you call a 'nick-name' yourself?"

The man grinned, "Of course. My full name is Jonathan, but you can call me Jack."

"Then you may call me ... B."

Ba'ek liked the way his name was changed. It was simple and easy to say.

"Good."

They could see the city from their position now, Ba'ek stopped the vehicle, turned around and faced him.

"There is something that you must know before we see her."

"Tell me."

"We put a different memory inside her head."

Jack was startled, but he quickly recovered, "You mean a memory stamp?"

"Yes."

Jack sighed, but he knew that she was strong, "No big deal, we had that once before. She'll get over it."

Ba'ek could sense that he had a lot of faith in her, "This is different."

"What do you mean?"

"This memory is real, it belongs to someone else."

Jack raised his eyebrows, "How is that possible?"

"The Abel's stone is a powerful device, we do not know how it works. But it can be done."

"Abel's stone?"

"Yes, take a look at this." Ba'ek pulled up his sleeves so that he could show Jack the device.

"Holy smokes." Jack could see what suspiciously looked like a ribbon device.

"It is not a Goa'uld ribbon device, you can see that we used a different stone here." Ba'ek turned up his palm so Jack could see the big blue-green marble instead of the usual yellowish stone.

"So, what exactly is it that this stone does?"

"A lot of things, we can read someone else's mind, we can give someone a bliss, we can..."

"A bliss? What is it?" Jack was intrigued.

"It was ... an illusion as Major Carter put it."

"Carter? You gave her that?"

"Yes, and she refused it. Most fascinating, no one had done it before, she was the first. She has a strong..."

"Woah ... listen, I don't need that information, just tell me something, can she get her memory back?"

Ba'ek considered his question for a while, "She can, but it will not be easy."

"How?"

"The Stone creates an electrical field inside her brain, this has to be maintained. She has to receive treatment every 20 planet cycles, if we cut out this treatment, the electric field will weaken and therefore her memory will resurface. The memory charge planted to Major Carter's brain originated from one of the Cayan scientists who was responsible for the Tamen's maintenance."

"Tamen?"

"The shield that protects Cayan from the Goa'uld."

"The reason you kidnapped her." Jack clenched his fists

Ba'ek could feel Jack's anger, "Please do not be angry. We did what needed to be done, Cayan needs the Tamen and only Major Carter could repair it. I'm not proud of what we've done, but unfortunately ... it was done." Ba'ek could feel regret, he could have prevented this from happening, but he was not strong enough.

"You're right." Jack conceded.

"The scientist's name was Kisa. She was a very dedicated citizen, that was why I said it will not be easy."

"Why?"

"Kisa is ... to use your own word ... is married."

Jack was silenced, but he refused to give up, "It doesn't make any difference."

Ba'ek felt sorry for this man, "It does. In Cayan society, when a man and a woman are joined, it is for eternity. You must not forget that right now, it is Kisa's memory that is dominant. She will not be very cooperative, Kisa would never leave her partner."

Jack closed his eyes and let Ba'ek's words sink in, and then slowly he opened his eyes, determination written on his face.

"That's okay. I'll drag her myself if I need to."

***

Hunsa looks furious ... he has good reason for that.

Yanu, the Healer, concentrates on his task in order to avoid Hunsa's eyes. He is afraid of him. I can't blame the man, Hunsa can be very scary if he wants to. But I'm not going to be intimidated; I look back at his eyes, challenging his authority.

"Ah ... the cut was not deep. I believe it will heal in no time." Yanu breaks the silence after he finishes putting a dressing on my arm.

"Thanks, Yanu." I turn to him and smile.

"Kisa, can I have a word with you? In the Garden." and then Hunsa leaves the room abruptly.

I know what is coming, but I didn't do anything wrong. Honest.

"Sure." I say to no one, disappointed because he didn't wait for my answer. I hop from the Healing Place's bed, "See you again, Yanu."

Yanu stops me before I can leave the room, "Kisa, don't be too hard to him. He is only worried about you."

"Yanu ... I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. I don't need him to act like my knight in shinning armour." I complain.

Yanu frowns, clearly confused by the expression I used. I sigh, once again I feel like my way of thinking is different from the majority of the Cayan's civilization, "I mean, I don't need him to protect me."

He smiles, "That's where you are wrong, Kisa. You need his protection, we all do. From the Goa'uld."

I roll my eyes, "It's not him who protects us, it's the Tamen. The machine, can you see it?"

Yanu shakes his head in amusement, no one has ever questioned Hunsa's bravery and leadership before, "The machine is just a tool, it cannot operate without a person behind it. Hunsa has sacrificed so much in order to protect us. Just remember that."

"Tell me then, what has he sacrificed? What makes him so great in your eyes?" I look at him in confusion. People around him seem to worship the ground that he walked. He is a good man, I know that, but what made them adore him?

He is troubled by my question, "I cannot say."

Damn, I could've sworn that they were hiding something from me, "Peachy."

Once again, he looks uncomfortable with my choice of words, but I can't help it. Those words automatically come out from my throat, right from the tip of my tongue. He stares at me blankly, unsure of what to say, and finally, I spare him from his misery.

"Look, I'm going to see Hunsa now. See you later." I wave at him lamely before I depart from the room. Walking unwillingly towards the Garden, I notice that people are staring at me. Why do they do that? Don't they know that it's annoying? After much grumbling and complaining (inside my head), I arrive at the Garden. It is in the middle of the 'Utama' complex, my 'Golden Cage'. I hate it here, I want to explore what's out there, I want to experience things, can't he see that? But I always love the Garden, the flowers are blooming, the leaves are green and fresh, the air is crisp and enjoyable, however, there's always a downside to everything. And for this Garden, it's the bugs. It's not that I hate them or anything, but I despise anything that crawls.

"Kisa ..." Hunsa's voice, I look to were the sound originated. He's standing near the pond, my favorite place, and I approach him. The Garden is deserted at this time of the day.

"So ... what do you want to say?" I ask dryly.

He looks at me, his green eyes soften as he lifts his hand to stroke my cheek, "I'm sorry for snapping at you back there."

I can feel a shiver run through my body. Damn, this man. How can he make me feel so powerless, my anger soon disappears into thin air, "Why did you do that then?"

"Because I can't stand of the thought of losing you." he leans towards me and places a chaste kiss on my lips.

"I just went for a walk." I reason.

"Outside is unsafe, you know that. The cut on your arm proves it." he moves his hand to run his fingers through my hair. I enjoy the sensation that he gives me.

"I feel bored here. Besides, I could handle it." he's not going to win, not by distracting me with his touches. The touches that I love, one of the reasons why I am joined to him.

His other hand pulls me into his embrace, "What about a compromise?"

My hands automatically wrap around him, "What compromise?"

"I let you go outside 'Utama', but you have to have an escort with you. How's that?" he whispers in my ears.

"As tempting as it is ... I want to go out alone." I whisper back.

"Kisa, don't be stubborn. Can't you see that we need you? We can't afford to lose you."

'We' ... not 'I'.

Sometimes, I ask myself. Do I love him more than he loves me? Is his love merely a duty? The duty to the Cayan people, that loving me is an assignment that is necessary to make sure that Cayan is safe. He is a man with a strong vision. When he asked me to be joined with him, I was delighted, I wanted it more than anything in my life. Most women in Cayan wanted it more than anything in their life.

I was the luckiest woman alive ... or so I thought.

***

Jack watched the scene before his eyes silently. When he first saw the flash of blond hair, he knew straight away that it was her.

But then, he saw him hold her. He knew it was not his Major that was in the man's arms, it was the Cayan's woman.

He knew.

He realized.

He understood.

But it was still painful.

To see her with someone else.

To see her beaming face was directed to someone else.

To acknowledge that someone other than him could bring her happiness.

...

Once again he decided.

He only wanted what was best for her.

He would do anything.

Absolutely everything.

He had nothing to lose.

She was not his to lose.

She was his to cherish.

The treasure of his soul.

***

to be continue

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