The House of Fires
Part 18 of The Asgard Sequence
Sequel to 'Missing Souls'
By Gumnut
Oct 2003
It had red eyes.
That was the first thing that sunk in.
The second thing was that it was waaaay bigger than him.
Crap.
He backed away, shuffling Eelyn behind him. His eyes darted about the room looking for possible weapons.
The monster spoke.
"So, little Asgard, what are you doing here?"
O'Neill didn't answer, his mind flicking through possible escape routes. The creature was almost twice his height, his human height that is, which made him almost four times his current Asgard height. Its body was covered in a rough bark resembling that of a tree, and it was, as far as he could see, naked - it seemed to be the trend in this galaxy - except for a belt that held what could be some kind of weapon.
A tree seemed to be a good comparison, as its legs and arms were like tree branches, and while it was basically humanoid in shape, two legs, two arms, and a head, there were various oddities about those limbs he could not quite identify.
"Well, little Asgard, what are you doing here?"
Jack was about to attempt an answer when the door behind the creature opened, and Thor walked into the room.
"Niikrahl, what are-" Thor stopped, his eyes pinning Jack to the spot. "O'Neill?"
"Thor?"
They stared at each other for a moment. Then both started to speak at the same time.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Where have you been?"
They both stopped. Both opened their mouths to speak again. Both shut them.
Niikrahl broke the logjam.
"Thor, who the mikbar is this?"
Thor blinked, and appeared to gather himself. "Niikrahl, may I present Colonel Jack O'Neill."
The red eyes blinked, an air of disbelief permeated the room.
The huge alien finally found his voice. "What? This is an Asgard."
Thor gestured to O'Neill. "Please, Colonel, this building is shielded sufficiently."
O'Neill reached into his non-existent shirt and disengaged the gadget. There was a gasp from Eelyn, and Jack's perspective suddenly gained height.
"A human?" Niikrahl looked aghast. "Not a Goa'uld? Are you a host, human?"
Jack again attempted to answer the huge alien, but was interrupted by a wail of terror.
"Neeeeeemo! What are you?!"
Jack spun on his heel, and caught Eelyn as he tried to run. "Eelyn. Eelyn." The Asgard struggled, and O'Neill heard Thor approach behind him.
"Great Master Eelyn, please calm yourself."
Eelyn stopped trying to wrest himself from Jack's grip the moment he was addressed in that manner.
Jack looked at Thor and found sadness on his friend's face.
"Master Eelyn, I would like you to meet Colonel Jack O'Neill, the man responsible for the defeat of the replicators."
Eelyn looked up tentatively. "He said his name was Nemo. He lied to me. I thought he was my friend." Eelyn hung his head.
Damn. Jack reached out a hand and caught Eelyn's chin gently, raising it so his large dark eyes looked into his own. The weak side of the little Asgard's face seemed emphasized by the sadness in his one seeing eye. The blind eye stared back at him dully. "Eelyn, I didn't mean to hurt you. I couldn't tell you my name."
The eye blinked, and a tentative curiosity replaced most of the sorrow. "What are you?"
O'Neill had rarely needed to explain his existence. Most aliens they met knew of humans, usually connected with the Goa'uld, but known nevertheless. "I'm human, from a planet very, very far away."
Eelyn tilted his head, looking up at him. "You are very ugly, not like my Chanta Nemo at all."
O'Neill stood up, and smiling, placed a companionable hand on Eelyn's shoulder. "No, I'm sure I'm not." He caught the expression on Thor's face from the corner of his eye. The Asgard was looking upon Eelyn with some sadness, but there was admiration there also. O'Neill briefly wondered who Eelyn actually was, and was about to ask, but his attention was drawn back to the large alien Thor had called Niikrahl.
"Human, if that is who you claim to be, we have been waiting a long while. I, for one, refuse to wait any longer." He stomped off through the door Thor had entered by.
"Yes, O'Neill, we must hurry. We have people of some importance awaiting us." He addressed Eelyn. "Eelyn, you must come with us. Important things are happening, and I can not have you wandering the streets with this knowledge."
"But Ros said-"
"I will speak with your Granta, everything will be well. Don't worry." He walked towards the door. "Come. They await."
O'Neill made for the door, following Thor, and was surprised to feel a small hand curl into his. Eelyn looked up at him. "You are ugly, but you listen to me." And briefly, just for a moment, Jack saw the man Eelyn had once been behind those eyes, and wondered yet again who Grand Master Eelyn actually was.
Beyond the door was a grand hallway. It's walls of carved flame so realistic that in the corner of his eye he could almost see it flickering in the stone. Great shafts of sunlight were channelled from the ceiling, and what must be through the entirety of the building itself since they were on the ground floor, to highlight engraven statues of Asgard.
The statues seemed to move as with the flickering stone fires. He realised there was something odd about the statues. They were Asgard, definitely, but they were different. A quick glance at Thor ahead of him for comparison, and it came to him.
The artwork was that old, the Asgard form had changed in the time since it had been created.
Daniel would have had a field day.
The sudden thought of his team brought a chill to his heart and sobered him. He still didn't know where they were. He edged closer to Thor, pulling Eelyn with him.
"Thor, my team came with me, we were separated. Have you located them?" There was no question in his mind as to whether Thor had actually been looking for them. It was a given.
Thor continued walking, but looked up at O'Neill. "They have been taken into custody by the Security Council. They are safe for the moment, but we are monitoring them. I had worried when it became obvious you were not with them. I was most relieved to see you arrive."
"Sorry about that. We ran into a little trouble along the way." His statement was punctuated by a hacking cough that came out of nowhere and took him by surprise. Hmm, a little trouble, yes. "I wouldn't be trusting your new aide anymore. In fact, I think you need a new one."
Thor stopped in his tracks. "Tala?"
"Yeah, he, ah, sold us out to some Nazi geneticist."
Thor blinked, obviously missing out on the reference to World War II. "We tracked you arriving on Othalla, though you did exit the wrong stargate. I had thought it may have been a simple mistake, easily corrected on Tala's part."
Jack responded with a derisive laugh. "No, he intended it all right."
"My apologies, O'Neill. I should have come myself." He turned and started walking again, his posture uncomfortable.
"It couldn't be helped." A lot of things couldn't be helped. "You are sure my team is safe? Can we communicate with them?"
"They have been taken into custody under the charge of trespassing. Although, for a while we were unable to locate any of you with our sensors due to your cloaking devices, they are clearly now located in the Othallan holding facility. Those cells are impervious to our communication devices"
"Trespassing?"
"You were asked to leave, and you returned. I did not request your presence as a representative of the Asgard Council. They do not even know of my whereabouts at this time." Eyeing Eelyn, he said, "And I would prefer to keep it that way for the moment." Directing his glance back up at O'Neill, he continued. "I requested your presence as a representative of the Alliance Council."
With that statement they came to an ornate doorway, its panels an image of billowing steam, arching away from the flaming walls. At Thor's touch they opened without a sound.
O'Neill's eyes widened.
The room was an eye in a hurricane of flickering light.
It was circular, and the walls, like the hallway, were decorated with flame, but unlike the hallway, this fire danced. Yellows, oranges, reds, intertwining with hot blues and whites, leisurely curled and warped, climbing the walls silently in a neverending, three dimensional lance of burning.
It was beautiful.
There was no other word for it.
Looking up he could see no ceiling. The walls must extend up through the height of the spire he had seen from the outside. The flames arched up into nothing, their tips reaching as if aching to lighten the darkness above them.
"Thor, what is this place?"
"This is the House of Fires, designed by Grand Master Eelyn in the year of Tennet. It is one of the five great meeting places of the Alliance. The use of flame was chosen to remind us of what could happen if we did not find a diplomatic solution." He paused, casting his sight downward. "Sadly, the building has been little used of late, and has fallen to disrepair. I hope to remedy that this day."
O'Neill's eyes had darted to Eelyn, who was looking around in rapture. He now knew the cause of the sadness in Thor's eyes when he looked at the little Asgard. Much had been lost.
Thor walked towards the large circular table in the middle of the room, and O'Neill finally noticed the people seated around it.
The first to catch his eye was obviously a Nox, female, but not one he had met before. Seated next to her was an angry looking Niikrahl, and beyond him there was a human looking man, bearded, with crystal blue eyes.
Those eyes were looking at him. He could feel their piercing gaze, and he felt a chill in his bones.
As Thor approached, the Nox and the odd looking human stood, as if in respect. Niikrahl remained lounging around in distain.
"It is about time you arrived." The large alien muttered. "Well, let's get on with it."
"Patience, Niikrahl. I would like to meet these newcomers." The Nox's voice was musical.
Thor gestured around the table. "Renaya of the Nox, Niikrahl of the Furlings, Tethys Torolla of the Pensiltinaar, may I present Colonel Jack O'Neill of Earth."
The response was immediate.
"Earth! That pathetic, backwater planet! What business of theirs is this meeting? They can hardly crawl into their own backyard, much less assist us on a galactic scale." Niikrahl's contempt flashed in his eyes, their red gleam reminding O'Neill of a pair of heating lamps on a frosty morning.
"I have to say that I agree, Commander Thor." Renaya spoke eloquently. "The children of Earth are far too young."
Tethys said nothing.
"Young though they be, they are capable of much more than mere assistance, Niikrahl."
"I suppose you are referring to that little incident with those replicator things you keep telling us about."
O'Neill felt some of the flame from the walls flare up in Thor.
"There was nothing 'little' regarding any incident with the replicators, Ambassador." Thor's eyes flashed.
Tethys spoke for the first time. "Do not let him rile you, Thor. Calm is the centre of logic. And logic binds the strings of the universe together."
The eyes were still on him, even though Tethys spoke to Thor. Calculating, sizing him up. This guy really creeped him out.
"Still talking in circles, Tethys, I see. Tell me, is there a fancy way of saying 'Shut the mikbar up'?"
"Ambassador Niikrahl, please restrain yourself. This petty bickering will get us nowhere. We are here to discuss the threat to the Asgard. I suggest we excuse the human from the proceedings and begin some productive discussion." The Nox's voice became cold.
O'Neill had had enough.
"Excuse me, your royal sirs and ma'am, but I was invited to this little party to do what I can for Thor and his people, and, in turn, the people of Earth. Now, I don't know where the hell you have all been in the last couple of years while the replicators have been taking the Asgard apart, but I can say that there was definitely nothing 'little' about that war." He glared at Niikrahl before turning to Renaya. "Secondly, yes, we are a young race, and, yes, we don't always do as we are told. But what we do do is our best. Our damnedest best, to protect ourselves and our allies from any threat." He paused for a breath, no-one interrupted him, so he continued. "The Asgard are threatened. They asked for our help, so I am here. So I politely ask all three of you to please shut the hell up, and let's get productive." He sat down in the nearest seat, pulling Eelyn into a chair beside him.
Four sets of eyes stared at him. Thor's were smiling.
Niikrahl spoke first. "You were right, Thor, he is an upstart and stubborn little picton."
O'Neill glanced back at Thor, and saw the mirth behind his eyes. "Welcome to the meeting of the Alliance Council, Colonel O'Neill." He turned to the room at large. "My fellow members, may I present the Ambassador of the Fifth Race."
**********
Teal'c had his eyes closed, but he knew the scene before him without seeing it.
Daniel Jackson sat on one side of the cell, fuming, his worry manifesting itself through anger.
Samantha Carter sat opposite him on the other side of the cell, glaring at the archeologist.
The words had been uttered , had been said, in anger, and Teal'c knew that neither of them meant what they had said. The tension was simply straining them both.
Teal'c, himself, was not short of ire regarding their current situation, but as he could not affect any change towards improving it, he chose not to anger.
He did, however, not have a choice regarding worry.
O'Neill had been his responsibility, and he had lost him.
Losing his commanding officer did have some possible positive outcomes, but due to O'Neill's condition on their last contact, Teal'c seriously worried about the more negative results.
Major Carter had been returned to them shortly before Daniel Jackson had been taken. Upon his return, Teal'c had steeled himself for the battle of wills he was sure was going to occur, but his own beam out had yet to happen. The length of time that had passed, led him to believe that perhaps he was not going to be questioned after all.
Major Carter had returned with some startling news. The Asgard Frere was possessed by a Goa'uld. It would explain why Teal'c hadn't been called for questioning. The Asgard had not known of Major Carter's history, and had intended his possession to remain secret.
It was a secret no longer.
His thoughts were interrupted by yet another outburst by Daniel Jackson.
"We have to get out of here."
Major Carter sounded tired. "We all know that, Daniel. If you have a constructive suggestion, please don't hesitate."
"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm just worried."
"We all are." She sighed.
Teal'c chose this moment to open his eyes and interject. "Colonel O'Neill is strong. He will recover, and no doubt, attempt our rescue." He meant his words to encourage, it didn't work.
Daniel Jackson seemed to become even more frustrated. "How exactly, Teal'c? God, Jack is good, but this is Asgard technology in the hands of a bastard Goa'uld." He appeared to shake himself, gain a little control. "I'm sorry, Teal'c, but Jack is probably in the cell next door to us."
Teal'c levelled his gaze. "You have little faith, Daniel Jackson."
"I don't need faith, Teal'c, I have reality."
This was unlike the archeologist. Major Carter's expression had flickered to one of concern.
"Daniel, we have to be positive."
"What is there to be positive about, Sam?"
Major Carter bit her lip as if deciding whether to say something. "Daniel, several years ago, I woke up beside an injured Colonel O'Neill on a deserted planet surrounded by ice." Teal'c remembered the incident clearly, they had nearly lost the both of them, and with them the fate of the planet. For if they had not been found, Earth would have fallen to Apophis not long after.
The Major swallowed, and continued, Daniel Jackson's gaze pinning her where she sat. "I tried everything that day, nothing worked. Every idea, every solution I thought of ended in disappointment. The Colonel was severely injured, and we both knew he was dying, but from the moment he awoke, we were going to get home." She returned Daniel's gaze with equal determination. "Faith and hope kept us going in an impossible situation, and we survived. Even though our rescue was entirely thanks to the two of you, I don't think we would have made it as far as we did without the Colonel's determined stubbornness in the face of defeat. You have both seen it at work, and even though he is not here with us at the moment, we should not give up on him. He would never give up on us."
There was silence as the truth echoed throughout the room.
And then the room disappeared.
**********
Jack O'Neill felt like he was making history, but also, that he was wasting a hell of a lot of time.
As the meeting worn on, and the discussion wandered off into petty argument, his mind repeatedly returned to the fate of his team. He trusted Thor, but he did not trust fate.
And to top it all off, the damn room was sweltering. He wondered if the walls gave out heat as well as flame, he didn't recall it being this warm when he first walked in.
The discussion had revealed more about the four races involved than he would have ever thought possible.
The Nox woman was exactly what she was - a Nox - complete with a pacifistic attitude that riled O'Neill each time she spoke against any suggestion remotely involving any form of violence. He had had to fight the urge to climb over the table and throttle her several times.
Niikrahl had no such hesitation. Only several sharp words on Thor's part had stopped the Furling from causing Renaya permanent damage. Actually out of all of them, except perhaps Thor, O'Neill found himself to have the most in common with Niikrahl. The brash alien was alarmingly honest, and didn't hesitate to lay his cards on the table at any point.
Tethys, on the other hand, was a mystery. He hardly said a word. And when he did, it was so couched in incomprehensible jargon that no-one really understood what he said in any case. Niikrahl hadn't made any positive comments in his direction either.
Thor was showing his strengths as a commander and diplomat. O'Neill had known the Asgard for quite awhile now, but apart from the occasional command, Jack had never seen him interacting in such a position as his title - Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet - entailed.
He played the room like a musical instrument.
One word here would quieten an irate Niikrahl, another one there would encourage the reticent Tethys to speak. He kept the meeting in order, on topic, and flowing in a positive direction.
Even though O'Neill could see a similar impatience to his building in the Asgard.
As for O'Neill, he found himself to be largely ignored. It seemed he had yet to prove himself to this group. Renaya treated him like a five year old, Tethys refused to speak to him, only Niikrahl seemed to warm to him at all, even if it was to roll his eyes ceiling ward each time Renaya opened her mouth.
Thor had been the instigator of the meeting. Due to Anubis' obvious access to Asgard technology, and his recent access to Asgard personnel as well, Thor had become suspicious of various persons in the Asgard Government.
Making his own enquiries into the matter, he had found repeated inconsistencies. Something was brewing in Asgard politics. Something not good.
Thor's investigation had led him to being shot. The fact that the incident had apparently involved the human contingent, and said human contingent had been firmly and abruptly removed from the planet, had set Thor's hackles rising.
It had sent him hunting deeper. What he had found, sent him into hiding.
No one could be trusted.
No one on Othalla.
So he had called for outside help.
And worse. What seemed to be happening on Othalla had happened before.
It could not be allowed to happen again.
The Council of the Alliance was called for the first time in millennia. His desperate call had been answered. And now they were five.
But O'Neill seriously wondered if this bunch of politicians were capable of any decisive action at all other than arguing.
"If it wasn't for you people giving them the technology in the first place, we wouldn't have this problem." Tethys' blue steel gaze pierced the air in the room as he said his first intelligible thing for the day.
Niikrahl stared back at him, shock on his face.
The Persiltinaar continued. "You were warned, but you chose to ignore us. Every death perpetuated by the Goa'uld can be laid at the feet of the Furlings."
Niikrahl found his tongue. "We were not to know."
"You should have known, it has been proved many a time."
O'Neill had to ask. "What happened?"
Niikrahl looked across the table at him, guilt and sorrow plainly written on his face. "We made a mistake."
"Tell him, Niikrahl. Tell him how your race condemned the humans to eternal slavery." Tethys' tone was utter contempt.
The Furling was quiet, his brashness gone. "Millennia ago, the Furlings came across a planet of a pre-industrial civilization, those you know of as Unas. They were a very young race, but valiant and determined. We saw very much of ourselves in them, and the decision was made to assist them technologically. Unfortunately we neglected to realise that there were two types of intelligent life on that planet. We gave freely, and they grew and prospered. Eventually those Unas possessed by Goa'uld took our technology for their own. Shortly thereafter they turned on us. The very technology we had so freely given became the tools of our destruction. There was a great war. One the Furlings did not win." His face spoke of unspeakable horror. "The devastation was almost total. We almost did not survive. It was the Asgard who saved us."
"They should have let you die, it would have been only the beginning of what you deserved."
Renaya interrupted Tethys. "Punishment would not have negated the problem."
Tethys' sharp gaze was turned on the Nox. "Oh, so you have forgiven the Furlings for what the Goa'uld did to your people?"
Renaya looked away. "That was our doing. We have learnt from our mistakes. We make war no longer."
"But it was a Goa'uld who fanned the flames of your civil war, was it not?"
"He paid for his crimes." Renaya's voice was venomous, and it startled O'Neill. He had never seen an angry Nox. He now understood why.
Thor called their attention to himself. "Let us learn from history, not argue it." He stared from one diplomat to another. "My people now face a similar crisis, and I am asking for your help."
"I don't think they can help you, Thor. You are too late."
The voice came from the door.
There were weapons, there were Asgard, and there was Frere.
Damn it, thought O'Neill, here we go again.
**********
FIN
Part 18 of The Asgard Sequence
Sequel to 'Missing Souls'
By Gumnut
Oct 2003
It had red eyes.
That was the first thing that sunk in.
The second thing was that it was waaaay bigger than him.
Crap.
He backed away, shuffling Eelyn behind him. His eyes darted about the room looking for possible weapons.
The monster spoke.
"So, little Asgard, what are you doing here?"
O'Neill didn't answer, his mind flicking through possible escape routes. The creature was almost twice his height, his human height that is, which made him almost four times his current Asgard height. Its body was covered in a rough bark resembling that of a tree, and it was, as far as he could see, naked - it seemed to be the trend in this galaxy - except for a belt that held what could be some kind of weapon.
A tree seemed to be a good comparison, as its legs and arms were like tree branches, and while it was basically humanoid in shape, two legs, two arms, and a head, there were various oddities about those limbs he could not quite identify.
"Well, little Asgard, what are you doing here?"
Jack was about to attempt an answer when the door behind the creature opened, and Thor walked into the room.
"Niikrahl, what are-" Thor stopped, his eyes pinning Jack to the spot. "O'Neill?"
"Thor?"
They stared at each other for a moment. Then both started to speak at the same time.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Where have you been?"
They both stopped. Both opened their mouths to speak again. Both shut them.
Niikrahl broke the logjam.
"Thor, who the mikbar is this?"
Thor blinked, and appeared to gather himself. "Niikrahl, may I present Colonel Jack O'Neill."
The red eyes blinked, an air of disbelief permeated the room.
The huge alien finally found his voice. "What? This is an Asgard."
Thor gestured to O'Neill. "Please, Colonel, this building is shielded sufficiently."
O'Neill reached into his non-existent shirt and disengaged the gadget. There was a gasp from Eelyn, and Jack's perspective suddenly gained height.
"A human?" Niikrahl looked aghast. "Not a Goa'uld? Are you a host, human?"
Jack again attempted to answer the huge alien, but was interrupted by a wail of terror.
"Neeeeeemo! What are you?!"
Jack spun on his heel, and caught Eelyn as he tried to run. "Eelyn. Eelyn." The Asgard struggled, and O'Neill heard Thor approach behind him.
"Great Master Eelyn, please calm yourself."
Eelyn stopped trying to wrest himself from Jack's grip the moment he was addressed in that manner.
Jack looked at Thor and found sadness on his friend's face.
"Master Eelyn, I would like you to meet Colonel Jack O'Neill, the man responsible for the defeat of the replicators."
Eelyn looked up tentatively. "He said his name was Nemo. He lied to me. I thought he was my friend." Eelyn hung his head.
Damn. Jack reached out a hand and caught Eelyn's chin gently, raising it so his large dark eyes looked into his own. The weak side of the little Asgard's face seemed emphasized by the sadness in his one seeing eye. The blind eye stared back at him dully. "Eelyn, I didn't mean to hurt you. I couldn't tell you my name."
The eye blinked, and a tentative curiosity replaced most of the sorrow. "What are you?"
O'Neill had rarely needed to explain his existence. Most aliens they met knew of humans, usually connected with the Goa'uld, but known nevertheless. "I'm human, from a planet very, very far away."
Eelyn tilted his head, looking up at him. "You are very ugly, not like my Chanta Nemo at all."
O'Neill stood up, and smiling, placed a companionable hand on Eelyn's shoulder. "No, I'm sure I'm not." He caught the expression on Thor's face from the corner of his eye. The Asgard was looking upon Eelyn with some sadness, but there was admiration there also. O'Neill briefly wondered who Eelyn actually was, and was about to ask, but his attention was drawn back to the large alien Thor had called Niikrahl.
"Human, if that is who you claim to be, we have been waiting a long while. I, for one, refuse to wait any longer." He stomped off through the door Thor had entered by.
"Yes, O'Neill, we must hurry. We have people of some importance awaiting us." He addressed Eelyn. "Eelyn, you must come with us. Important things are happening, and I can not have you wandering the streets with this knowledge."
"But Ros said-"
"I will speak with your Granta, everything will be well. Don't worry." He walked towards the door. "Come. They await."
O'Neill made for the door, following Thor, and was surprised to feel a small hand curl into his. Eelyn looked up at him. "You are ugly, but you listen to me." And briefly, just for a moment, Jack saw the man Eelyn had once been behind those eyes, and wondered yet again who Grand Master Eelyn actually was.
Beyond the door was a grand hallway. It's walls of carved flame so realistic that in the corner of his eye he could almost see it flickering in the stone. Great shafts of sunlight were channelled from the ceiling, and what must be through the entirety of the building itself since they were on the ground floor, to highlight engraven statues of Asgard.
The statues seemed to move as with the flickering stone fires. He realised there was something odd about the statues. They were Asgard, definitely, but they were different. A quick glance at Thor ahead of him for comparison, and it came to him.
The artwork was that old, the Asgard form had changed in the time since it had been created.
Daniel would have had a field day.
The sudden thought of his team brought a chill to his heart and sobered him. He still didn't know where they were. He edged closer to Thor, pulling Eelyn with him.
"Thor, my team came with me, we were separated. Have you located them?" There was no question in his mind as to whether Thor had actually been looking for them. It was a given.
Thor continued walking, but looked up at O'Neill. "They have been taken into custody by the Security Council. They are safe for the moment, but we are monitoring them. I had worried when it became obvious you were not with them. I was most relieved to see you arrive."
"Sorry about that. We ran into a little trouble along the way." His statement was punctuated by a hacking cough that came out of nowhere and took him by surprise. Hmm, a little trouble, yes. "I wouldn't be trusting your new aide anymore. In fact, I think you need a new one."
Thor stopped in his tracks. "Tala?"
"Yeah, he, ah, sold us out to some Nazi geneticist."
Thor blinked, obviously missing out on the reference to World War II. "We tracked you arriving on Othalla, though you did exit the wrong stargate. I had thought it may have been a simple mistake, easily corrected on Tala's part."
Jack responded with a derisive laugh. "No, he intended it all right."
"My apologies, O'Neill. I should have come myself." He turned and started walking again, his posture uncomfortable.
"It couldn't be helped." A lot of things couldn't be helped. "You are sure my team is safe? Can we communicate with them?"
"They have been taken into custody under the charge of trespassing. Although, for a while we were unable to locate any of you with our sensors due to your cloaking devices, they are clearly now located in the Othallan holding facility. Those cells are impervious to our communication devices"
"Trespassing?"
"You were asked to leave, and you returned. I did not request your presence as a representative of the Asgard Council. They do not even know of my whereabouts at this time." Eyeing Eelyn, he said, "And I would prefer to keep it that way for the moment." Directing his glance back up at O'Neill, he continued. "I requested your presence as a representative of the Alliance Council."
With that statement they came to an ornate doorway, its panels an image of billowing steam, arching away from the flaming walls. At Thor's touch they opened without a sound.
O'Neill's eyes widened.
The room was an eye in a hurricane of flickering light.
It was circular, and the walls, like the hallway, were decorated with flame, but unlike the hallway, this fire danced. Yellows, oranges, reds, intertwining with hot blues and whites, leisurely curled and warped, climbing the walls silently in a neverending, three dimensional lance of burning.
It was beautiful.
There was no other word for it.
Looking up he could see no ceiling. The walls must extend up through the height of the spire he had seen from the outside. The flames arched up into nothing, their tips reaching as if aching to lighten the darkness above them.
"Thor, what is this place?"
"This is the House of Fires, designed by Grand Master Eelyn in the year of Tennet. It is one of the five great meeting places of the Alliance. The use of flame was chosen to remind us of what could happen if we did not find a diplomatic solution." He paused, casting his sight downward. "Sadly, the building has been little used of late, and has fallen to disrepair. I hope to remedy that this day."
O'Neill's eyes had darted to Eelyn, who was looking around in rapture. He now knew the cause of the sadness in Thor's eyes when he looked at the little Asgard. Much had been lost.
Thor walked towards the large circular table in the middle of the room, and O'Neill finally noticed the people seated around it.
The first to catch his eye was obviously a Nox, female, but not one he had met before. Seated next to her was an angry looking Niikrahl, and beyond him there was a human looking man, bearded, with crystal blue eyes.
Those eyes were looking at him. He could feel their piercing gaze, and he felt a chill in his bones.
As Thor approached, the Nox and the odd looking human stood, as if in respect. Niikrahl remained lounging around in distain.
"It is about time you arrived." The large alien muttered. "Well, let's get on with it."
"Patience, Niikrahl. I would like to meet these newcomers." The Nox's voice was musical.
Thor gestured around the table. "Renaya of the Nox, Niikrahl of the Furlings, Tethys Torolla of the Pensiltinaar, may I present Colonel Jack O'Neill of Earth."
The response was immediate.
"Earth! That pathetic, backwater planet! What business of theirs is this meeting? They can hardly crawl into their own backyard, much less assist us on a galactic scale." Niikrahl's contempt flashed in his eyes, their red gleam reminding O'Neill of a pair of heating lamps on a frosty morning.
"I have to say that I agree, Commander Thor." Renaya spoke eloquently. "The children of Earth are far too young."
Tethys said nothing.
"Young though they be, they are capable of much more than mere assistance, Niikrahl."
"I suppose you are referring to that little incident with those replicator things you keep telling us about."
O'Neill felt some of the flame from the walls flare up in Thor.
"There was nothing 'little' regarding any incident with the replicators, Ambassador." Thor's eyes flashed.
Tethys spoke for the first time. "Do not let him rile you, Thor. Calm is the centre of logic. And logic binds the strings of the universe together."
The eyes were still on him, even though Tethys spoke to Thor. Calculating, sizing him up. This guy really creeped him out.
"Still talking in circles, Tethys, I see. Tell me, is there a fancy way of saying 'Shut the mikbar up'?"
"Ambassador Niikrahl, please restrain yourself. This petty bickering will get us nowhere. We are here to discuss the threat to the Asgard. I suggest we excuse the human from the proceedings and begin some productive discussion." The Nox's voice became cold.
O'Neill had had enough.
"Excuse me, your royal sirs and ma'am, but I was invited to this little party to do what I can for Thor and his people, and, in turn, the people of Earth. Now, I don't know where the hell you have all been in the last couple of years while the replicators have been taking the Asgard apart, but I can say that there was definitely nothing 'little' about that war." He glared at Niikrahl before turning to Renaya. "Secondly, yes, we are a young race, and, yes, we don't always do as we are told. But what we do do is our best. Our damnedest best, to protect ourselves and our allies from any threat." He paused for a breath, no-one interrupted him, so he continued. "The Asgard are threatened. They asked for our help, so I am here. So I politely ask all three of you to please shut the hell up, and let's get productive." He sat down in the nearest seat, pulling Eelyn into a chair beside him.
Four sets of eyes stared at him. Thor's were smiling.
Niikrahl spoke first. "You were right, Thor, he is an upstart and stubborn little picton."
O'Neill glanced back at Thor, and saw the mirth behind his eyes. "Welcome to the meeting of the Alliance Council, Colonel O'Neill." He turned to the room at large. "My fellow members, may I present the Ambassador of the Fifth Race."
**********
Teal'c had his eyes closed, but he knew the scene before him without seeing it.
Daniel Jackson sat on one side of the cell, fuming, his worry manifesting itself through anger.
Samantha Carter sat opposite him on the other side of the cell, glaring at the archeologist.
The words had been uttered , had been said, in anger, and Teal'c knew that neither of them meant what they had said. The tension was simply straining them both.
Teal'c, himself, was not short of ire regarding their current situation, but as he could not affect any change towards improving it, he chose not to anger.
He did, however, not have a choice regarding worry.
O'Neill had been his responsibility, and he had lost him.
Losing his commanding officer did have some possible positive outcomes, but due to O'Neill's condition on their last contact, Teal'c seriously worried about the more negative results.
Major Carter had been returned to them shortly before Daniel Jackson had been taken. Upon his return, Teal'c had steeled himself for the battle of wills he was sure was going to occur, but his own beam out had yet to happen. The length of time that had passed, led him to believe that perhaps he was not going to be questioned after all.
Major Carter had returned with some startling news. The Asgard Frere was possessed by a Goa'uld. It would explain why Teal'c hadn't been called for questioning. The Asgard had not known of Major Carter's history, and had intended his possession to remain secret.
It was a secret no longer.
His thoughts were interrupted by yet another outburst by Daniel Jackson.
"We have to get out of here."
Major Carter sounded tired. "We all know that, Daniel. If you have a constructive suggestion, please don't hesitate."
"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm just worried."
"We all are." She sighed.
Teal'c chose this moment to open his eyes and interject. "Colonel O'Neill is strong. He will recover, and no doubt, attempt our rescue." He meant his words to encourage, it didn't work.
Daniel Jackson seemed to become even more frustrated. "How exactly, Teal'c? God, Jack is good, but this is Asgard technology in the hands of a bastard Goa'uld." He appeared to shake himself, gain a little control. "I'm sorry, Teal'c, but Jack is probably in the cell next door to us."
Teal'c levelled his gaze. "You have little faith, Daniel Jackson."
"I don't need faith, Teal'c, I have reality."
This was unlike the archeologist. Major Carter's expression had flickered to one of concern.
"Daniel, we have to be positive."
"What is there to be positive about, Sam?"
Major Carter bit her lip as if deciding whether to say something. "Daniel, several years ago, I woke up beside an injured Colonel O'Neill on a deserted planet surrounded by ice." Teal'c remembered the incident clearly, they had nearly lost the both of them, and with them the fate of the planet. For if they had not been found, Earth would have fallen to Apophis not long after.
The Major swallowed, and continued, Daniel Jackson's gaze pinning her where she sat. "I tried everything that day, nothing worked. Every idea, every solution I thought of ended in disappointment. The Colonel was severely injured, and we both knew he was dying, but from the moment he awoke, we were going to get home." She returned Daniel's gaze with equal determination. "Faith and hope kept us going in an impossible situation, and we survived. Even though our rescue was entirely thanks to the two of you, I don't think we would have made it as far as we did without the Colonel's determined stubbornness in the face of defeat. You have both seen it at work, and even though he is not here with us at the moment, we should not give up on him. He would never give up on us."
There was silence as the truth echoed throughout the room.
And then the room disappeared.
**********
Jack O'Neill felt like he was making history, but also, that he was wasting a hell of a lot of time.
As the meeting worn on, and the discussion wandered off into petty argument, his mind repeatedly returned to the fate of his team. He trusted Thor, but he did not trust fate.
And to top it all off, the damn room was sweltering. He wondered if the walls gave out heat as well as flame, he didn't recall it being this warm when he first walked in.
The discussion had revealed more about the four races involved than he would have ever thought possible.
The Nox woman was exactly what she was - a Nox - complete with a pacifistic attitude that riled O'Neill each time she spoke against any suggestion remotely involving any form of violence. He had had to fight the urge to climb over the table and throttle her several times.
Niikrahl had no such hesitation. Only several sharp words on Thor's part had stopped the Furling from causing Renaya permanent damage. Actually out of all of them, except perhaps Thor, O'Neill found himself to have the most in common with Niikrahl. The brash alien was alarmingly honest, and didn't hesitate to lay his cards on the table at any point.
Tethys, on the other hand, was a mystery. He hardly said a word. And when he did, it was so couched in incomprehensible jargon that no-one really understood what he said in any case. Niikrahl hadn't made any positive comments in his direction either.
Thor was showing his strengths as a commander and diplomat. O'Neill had known the Asgard for quite awhile now, but apart from the occasional command, Jack had never seen him interacting in such a position as his title - Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet - entailed.
He played the room like a musical instrument.
One word here would quieten an irate Niikrahl, another one there would encourage the reticent Tethys to speak. He kept the meeting in order, on topic, and flowing in a positive direction.
Even though O'Neill could see a similar impatience to his building in the Asgard.
As for O'Neill, he found himself to be largely ignored. It seemed he had yet to prove himself to this group. Renaya treated him like a five year old, Tethys refused to speak to him, only Niikrahl seemed to warm to him at all, even if it was to roll his eyes ceiling ward each time Renaya opened her mouth.
Thor had been the instigator of the meeting. Due to Anubis' obvious access to Asgard technology, and his recent access to Asgard personnel as well, Thor had become suspicious of various persons in the Asgard Government.
Making his own enquiries into the matter, he had found repeated inconsistencies. Something was brewing in Asgard politics. Something not good.
Thor's investigation had led him to being shot. The fact that the incident had apparently involved the human contingent, and said human contingent had been firmly and abruptly removed from the planet, had set Thor's hackles rising.
It had sent him hunting deeper. What he had found, sent him into hiding.
No one could be trusted.
No one on Othalla.
So he had called for outside help.
And worse. What seemed to be happening on Othalla had happened before.
It could not be allowed to happen again.
The Council of the Alliance was called for the first time in millennia. His desperate call had been answered. And now they were five.
But O'Neill seriously wondered if this bunch of politicians were capable of any decisive action at all other than arguing.
"If it wasn't for you people giving them the technology in the first place, we wouldn't have this problem." Tethys' blue steel gaze pierced the air in the room as he said his first intelligible thing for the day.
Niikrahl stared back at him, shock on his face.
The Persiltinaar continued. "You were warned, but you chose to ignore us. Every death perpetuated by the Goa'uld can be laid at the feet of the Furlings."
Niikrahl found his tongue. "We were not to know."
"You should have known, it has been proved many a time."
O'Neill had to ask. "What happened?"
Niikrahl looked across the table at him, guilt and sorrow plainly written on his face. "We made a mistake."
"Tell him, Niikrahl. Tell him how your race condemned the humans to eternal slavery." Tethys' tone was utter contempt.
The Furling was quiet, his brashness gone. "Millennia ago, the Furlings came across a planet of a pre-industrial civilization, those you know of as Unas. They were a very young race, but valiant and determined. We saw very much of ourselves in them, and the decision was made to assist them technologically. Unfortunately we neglected to realise that there were two types of intelligent life on that planet. We gave freely, and they grew and prospered. Eventually those Unas possessed by Goa'uld took our technology for their own. Shortly thereafter they turned on us. The very technology we had so freely given became the tools of our destruction. There was a great war. One the Furlings did not win." His face spoke of unspeakable horror. "The devastation was almost total. We almost did not survive. It was the Asgard who saved us."
"They should have let you die, it would have been only the beginning of what you deserved."
Renaya interrupted Tethys. "Punishment would not have negated the problem."
Tethys' sharp gaze was turned on the Nox. "Oh, so you have forgiven the Furlings for what the Goa'uld did to your people?"
Renaya looked away. "That was our doing. We have learnt from our mistakes. We make war no longer."
"But it was a Goa'uld who fanned the flames of your civil war, was it not?"
"He paid for his crimes." Renaya's voice was venomous, and it startled O'Neill. He had never seen an angry Nox. He now understood why.
Thor called their attention to himself. "Let us learn from history, not argue it." He stared from one diplomat to another. "My people now face a similar crisis, and I am asking for your help."
"I don't think they can help you, Thor. You are too late."
The voice came from the door.
There were weapons, there were Asgard, and there was Frere.
Damn it, thought O'Neill, here we go again.
**********
FIN