Section 25: Of Cabbages and Kings
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"What will she do to him?" demanded Aeryn as soon as the door clanged shut behind them.
"I don't know," said Jack tightly with a quick glance at Daniel. Watching the by-play, she guessed that even if he didn't know, he had a frelling good idea.
"What is it?" asked John, picking up the same vibes. They were standing with their shoulders touching, facing the four humans - or three humans and one reformed Jaffa. Aeryn resisted the urge to beat an explanation out of one of them.
"He's our friend and we deserve to know," she said dangerously. After another moment, Jack nodded.
"We can't be sure since D'argo is a different species, but she could want to find out what he is, what he's made of. Some Goa'uld tend to . . . experiment," Daniel fixed his gaze on the far wall. "Of course, Nit, or Neith in the classical Egyptian pantheon was originally a goddess of war in the Sais region of Lower Egypt in the Predynastic era. She might not even be interested in redefining the perfect soldier. She could just be curious."
"Well, that's a relief," Jack said sarcastically.
Daniel merely flicked him a glance. "Yeah, well, she was also the patron of weaving, and according to one set of myths, the mother of Ra and Sobek."
"And this means what exactly?" asked Aeryn tensely. The strange names added only more confusion and frustration, rather than clearing things up. Beside her, John was just as confused.
"It means she's old and the mother of one of the snakeheads we killed. Not a happy camper," Jack summed up.
"Torture?" asked John flatly.
"Yeah," Sam confirmed.
Aeryn felt John tense as her own skin went cold, too many recent memories surfacing in her mind. "What about the rest of us?" she asked quietly.
Jack and Daniel shrugged in unison, their own faces as closed off as Teal'c's. Sam for her part looked worriedly at her two teammates, and Aeryn knew they had been captured and tortured before. And killed.
"What were they calling you in there?" John asked, breaking the heavy silence that had draped over them.
"What?" Daniel appeared to mentally shake himself.
"Those names. Tory - n - shovel," John clarified.
"Oh. Taur'i and sholva," Daniel corrected him. Nearby Sam and Jack slid down the wall to sit on the floor. " 'Taur'i' is the Goa'uld word for humans form Earth. It's our tribe if you will. 'Sholva' means traitor. They're talking about Teal'c because he defected to us. It's not a very nice word."
Aeryn laughed harshly. "They seldom are." Silence settled over them once more as did the weight of thinking dark thoughts that came with waiting in a cell. Aeryn wandered with John over to the door, but found that Jack had been right. There was nothing they could do from the inside. Finally, she and John settled against the opposite wall from the others. Teal'c sat cross-legged with his eyes closed much like Zhaan used to when she meditated.
"So, got any names picked out yet?" asked Jack. Startled, Aeryn looked at John who tried not to look guilty about having told them about the baby. When she simply smiled he grinned back.
Aeryn shook her head, still caught up in John's gaze. "No, not really."
"What, no John Jr.?"
"I'm already a Junior," John sighed with another wry grin for the Colonel. "It was bad enough growing up in my dad's shadow, worse with his name. And with my rep in the Territories . . . no way."
"What about other family names?" asked Sam. "That's what my brother and his wife did. One from each side."
"How 'bout it, Aeryn? Any juicy names from your family?"
The ex-peacekeeper smiled sadly. "We named Moya's son after my father," she said. "He died a cycle ago."
"I'm sorry," said Daniel.
"Moya had a son?" Jack asked curiously. "Another ship?" Aeryn nodded. "How did he die?"
"A warrior," Aeryn answered. Even now, it still felt like only yesterday that she was helping Moya calm him down after he was born. She wondered if time would pass as quickly for her own child.
"What about your mother's name for a girl?" asked Daniel. His attempt at lightening the subject failed as Aeryn thought of her mother, a woman destroyed by her love for a man she was forced to kill and the daughter she grew to hate.
"I have no mother."
"Aunts, uncles, grandparents?" asked Jack.
"I have this crazy uncle Pete," said John, diverting attention away from her. As he launched into a story about roadsters and cops, Aeryn took his hand in a silent thank you. He squeezed her hand back.
"We are not naming him Pete," Aeryn told them when he finished.
"Why not? Pete's a great name!" John protested.
"I don't like it."
"You could name him Daniel, or Danielle if it's a girl," suggested Jack cutting his eyes at his friend who immediately protested.
"Jack!"
"What? You have a good solid name. Nothing to be ashamed of."
"I'm not ashamed of it, but I hardly think they should name their child after me."
"Sam!" Jack snapped his fingers. "Good for a boy or a girl . . ."
"How about Jack?" Sam glared at her commanding officer. "Or Jonathan."
"Hey!"
"That's your first name?" asked John.
Jack rolled his eyes and nodded. "Could be worse I suppose. Could be something like Angus."
"You know when we get back to Earth we can get you guys a baby name book," said Sam.
At the mention of Earth, they all fell silent. Jack and Sam glanced around their cell, looking for anything they missed.
"So anyone come up with an escape plan?" asked John.
"Carter?"
"We're in a pretty primitive lockup, sir. We're not getting out until we're let out."
"Too bad there are no Jaffa to sweet talk."
"Or steal weapons from," added John.
"So how did you two get out of that prison we rescued you from?" asked Daniel
John smiled slightly. "We used the sick prisoner trick. Knocked out the guards when they came in."
"I do not believe that will work here," said Teal'c, startling them all with his return to the conversation.
"No," Jack agreed. "We'll have to try something else. Something that will hopefully take out the Nitwit while we're at it."
"And get D'argo."
"And get D'argo."
Aeryn only prayed he was still alive.
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The Nit info came from the same site reference from section 24.
*
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"What will she do to him?" demanded Aeryn as soon as the door clanged shut behind them.
"I don't know," said Jack tightly with a quick glance at Daniel. Watching the by-play, she guessed that even if he didn't know, he had a frelling good idea.
"What is it?" asked John, picking up the same vibes. They were standing with their shoulders touching, facing the four humans - or three humans and one reformed Jaffa. Aeryn resisted the urge to beat an explanation out of one of them.
"He's our friend and we deserve to know," she said dangerously. After another moment, Jack nodded.
"We can't be sure since D'argo is a different species, but she could want to find out what he is, what he's made of. Some Goa'uld tend to . . . experiment," Daniel fixed his gaze on the far wall. "Of course, Nit, or Neith in the classical Egyptian pantheon was originally a goddess of war in the Sais region of Lower Egypt in the Predynastic era. She might not even be interested in redefining the perfect soldier. She could just be curious."
"Well, that's a relief," Jack said sarcastically.
Daniel merely flicked him a glance. "Yeah, well, she was also the patron of weaving, and according to one set of myths, the mother of Ra and Sobek."
"And this means what exactly?" asked Aeryn tensely. The strange names added only more confusion and frustration, rather than clearing things up. Beside her, John was just as confused.
"It means she's old and the mother of one of the snakeheads we killed. Not a happy camper," Jack summed up.
"Torture?" asked John flatly.
"Yeah," Sam confirmed.
Aeryn felt John tense as her own skin went cold, too many recent memories surfacing in her mind. "What about the rest of us?" she asked quietly.
Jack and Daniel shrugged in unison, their own faces as closed off as Teal'c's. Sam for her part looked worriedly at her two teammates, and Aeryn knew they had been captured and tortured before. And killed.
"What were they calling you in there?" John asked, breaking the heavy silence that had draped over them.
"What?" Daniel appeared to mentally shake himself.
"Those names. Tory - n - shovel," John clarified.
"Oh. Taur'i and sholva," Daniel corrected him. Nearby Sam and Jack slid down the wall to sit on the floor. " 'Taur'i' is the Goa'uld word for humans form Earth. It's our tribe if you will. 'Sholva' means traitor. They're talking about Teal'c because he defected to us. It's not a very nice word."
Aeryn laughed harshly. "They seldom are." Silence settled over them once more as did the weight of thinking dark thoughts that came with waiting in a cell. Aeryn wandered with John over to the door, but found that Jack had been right. There was nothing they could do from the inside. Finally, she and John settled against the opposite wall from the others. Teal'c sat cross-legged with his eyes closed much like Zhaan used to when she meditated.
"So, got any names picked out yet?" asked Jack. Startled, Aeryn looked at John who tried not to look guilty about having told them about the baby. When she simply smiled he grinned back.
Aeryn shook her head, still caught up in John's gaze. "No, not really."
"What, no John Jr.?"
"I'm already a Junior," John sighed with another wry grin for the Colonel. "It was bad enough growing up in my dad's shadow, worse with his name. And with my rep in the Territories . . . no way."
"What about other family names?" asked Sam. "That's what my brother and his wife did. One from each side."
"How 'bout it, Aeryn? Any juicy names from your family?"
The ex-peacekeeper smiled sadly. "We named Moya's son after my father," she said. "He died a cycle ago."
"I'm sorry," said Daniel.
"Moya had a son?" Jack asked curiously. "Another ship?" Aeryn nodded. "How did he die?"
"A warrior," Aeryn answered. Even now, it still felt like only yesterday that she was helping Moya calm him down after he was born. She wondered if time would pass as quickly for her own child.
"What about your mother's name for a girl?" asked Daniel. His attempt at lightening the subject failed as Aeryn thought of her mother, a woman destroyed by her love for a man she was forced to kill and the daughter she grew to hate.
"I have no mother."
"Aunts, uncles, grandparents?" asked Jack.
"I have this crazy uncle Pete," said John, diverting attention away from her. As he launched into a story about roadsters and cops, Aeryn took his hand in a silent thank you. He squeezed her hand back.
"We are not naming him Pete," Aeryn told them when he finished.
"Why not? Pete's a great name!" John protested.
"I don't like it."
"You could name him Daniel, or Danielle if it's a girl," suggested Jack cutting his eyes at his friend who immediately protested.
"Jack!"
"What? You have a good solid name. Nothing to be ashamed of."
"I'm not ashamed of it, but I hardly think they should name their child after me."
"Sam!" Jack snapped his fingers. "Good for a boy or a girl . . ."
"How about Jack?" Sam glared at her commanding officer. "Or Jonathan."
"Hey!"
"That's your first name?" asked John.
Jack rolled his eyes and nodded. "Could be worse I suppose. Could be something like Angus."
"You know when we get back to Earth we can get you guys a baby name book," said Sam.
At the mention of Earth, they all fell silent. Jack and Sam glanced around their cell, looking for anything they missed.
"So anyone come up with an escape plan?" asked John.
"Carter?"
"We're in a pretty primitive lockup, sir. We're not getting out until we're let out."
"Too bad there are no Jaffa to sweet talk."
"Or steal weapons from," added John.
"So how did you two get out of that prison we rescued you from?" asked Daniel
John smiled slightly. "We used the sick prisoner trick. Knocked out the guards when they came in."
"I do not believe that will work here," said Teal'c, startling them all with his return to the conversation.
"No," Jack agreed. "We'll have to try something else. Something that will hopefully take out the Nitwit while we're at it."
"And get D'argo."
"And get D'argo."
Aeryn only prayed he was still alive.
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The Nit info came from the same site reference from section 24.
*