Part Six:
Lara felt the door shut behind her and tried not to seem nervous. She hoped that even close up Svarog would be fooled by her disguise. Despite Anise's assurances that she looked almost exactly like Bastet, Lara had her doubts. But she wasn't about to back down from a challenge, nor would she refuse to help her friends.
Lara walked forward, apparently completely as ease. She kept her eye on Svarog as she put a seductive sway into her hips and saw his eyes darken. Lara felt her lips curve into a smug smile. It seemed even Goa'uld were not immune to a beautiful woman. She would use that to her advantage.
"What do you want, Svarog?" she asked, her voice as husky as she could make it.
"I would have thought that was obvious." Svarog said, as he eyed her, his gaze hot.
"Tell me." She said, using the same ruse to distract him she had used before – although in slightly different circumstances. It had worked then, and Lara saw it was working now.
"I thought we could...talk." Svarog said.
"Talk?" Lara asked as she walked past him, just out of range, and continued to wander around the room.
"Amongst other things." Svarog said.
"Ah." Lara said, turning on him. "And here we get to the real heart of the matter." Her tone was no longer seductive, but angry. "Is all this an attempt to distract me from the worth of my trade and cheat me of the Tok'ra?"
"No." Svarog was suddenly on his feet, and surprisingly, Lara got the feeling he was telling the truth – or as close to the truth as the Goa'uld got. "I never thought to cheat you, Bastet."
"Then what did you want?" Lara let the anger fade from her tone.
Svarog looked at Lara and smiled. "You are a beautiful woman, Bastet." He said. "As well as a dangerous one. I like that."
Lara looked around the room that was so obviously set for seduction. "You want an alliance of sorts." She said.
"Yes." Svarog said. "We are both powerful. And if we were ever to fight, I do not know who would win. All I want is that we form a truce. We do not fight each other."
Svarog looked at Lara with a measuring glance. "I will not ask you to fight my battles." He continued. "Nor would I begin to suggest that you would need any help fighting your enemies. But perhaps we do not need to fight each other."
"And what would we get out this arrangement?" Lara asked.
Svarog just grinned. "I think you already know."
Lara smiled back at him, but it was a slightly cruel smile. "Yes. I think I do." She paused for a second. "But should we not complete our trade first?"
"Will you not have a drink first?" he asked, pouring wine into a goblet.
She accepted it with a seductive smile and took a seat on the chaise Svarog had been lying on only moments before. She watched as Svarog poured himself a goblet and took a drink, before she sipped the wine herself. You could never be too careful.
"What does the Tok'ra mean to you?" Svarog asked suddenly.
The question surprised Lara. "He is my enemy." She said after a moment.
"He must be more than that." Svarog said. "For you to go to so much trouble to have him."
Lara glanced at Svarog, and saw the measuring way he was looking at her. "He killed my last First Prime." Lara said, her mind whirling to think of a credible answer. "I was fond of him. And he made a mockery of me to my people. I intend to show them what happens to those who defy me."
Svarog nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. Then he put his goblet down and walked right up to where Lara sat. "I don't feel like talking anymore." He said and reached out a hand to Lara.
Taking a deep breath, Lara put her own goblet down, and placed her hand in his.
Sam, Janet and Daniel watched in concern as the door to Svarog's chambers shut, leaving Lara alone inside with him. The male servant took his opportunity and fled. Daniel looked in concern at Sam. "What do we do?" he whisoered.
"We can't talk here." Sam replied. "Let's go."
The three of them made there was down corridor after corridor until they found an empty room. After taking a look around, Sam turned back to Daniel and Janet. "We should be alright here for a moment." She whisoered.
"What are we going to do?" Daniel asked.
Sam sighed. "I don't know."
"I think we'll just have to trust that Lara can handle herself." Janet said.
Sam nodded. "And we should probably return to the room and wait for her." She added.
Daniel nodded, but his face was still worried. "I hope she'll be alright." He said quietly.
"So do I." Janet agreed.
Sam looked at her two friends. "She'll be fine." She said. "As long as she doesn't hit him."
Daniel smiled softly. "Yeah."
The three of them made their way back to the quarters Svarog had given them, each lost in their own thoughts. They had just reached the door when a siren began to sound. The computer said something in Goa'uld, repeating, before falling silent once again. Sam turned to Daniel. "What's going on?" she whispered urgently.
Daniel face was worried as he looked back at her. "There's another mothership approaching." He said. "And from what I can tell, they're not friendly."
Jack's head jerked up when the siren sounded. All the boredom and tiredness that he had felt for the past couple of hours fell away. "What's going on?" He asked Teal'c softly.
"There is an enemy approaching." Teal'c replied, almost unconsciously bringing up his staff weapon.
"Anything we can do?" Jack asked.
"Not without making Svarog suspicious." Teal'c said.
Jack growled in frustration, but remained where he was. A moment later he was glad he had, because one of Svarog's Jaffa ran into the room. He looked at Teal'c. "My lord Svarog says I must escort the prisoner to him." He said.
"Why?" Teal'c asked.
"The trade is complete." The Jaffa said. "You must let me pass."
"No." Teal'c said. "My queen has not ordered me to do so."
The Jaffa's face turned into a mask of anger and disgust. "Your so called queen is dead." He snarled. "And if you do not move, so are you."
"I cannot let you do that." Teal'c said levelly.
In response, the Jaffa charged his weapon and smiled cruelly. "I am almost glad you said that." He said, and fired.
Lara felt the door shut behind her and tried not to seem nervous. She hoped that even close up Svarog would be fooled by her disguise. Despite Anise's assurances that she looked almost exactly like Bastet, Lara had her doubts. But she wasn't about to back down from a challenge, nor would she refuse to help her friends.
Lara walked forward, apparently completely as ease. She kept her eye on Svarog as she put a seductive sway into her hips and saw his eyes darken. Lara felt her lips curve into a smug smile. It seemed even Goa'uld were not immune to a beautiful woman. She would use that to her advantage.
"What do you want, Svarog?" she asked, her voice as husky as she could make it.
"I would have thought that was obvious." Svarog said, as he eyed her, his gaze hot.
"Tell me." She said, using the same ruse to distract him she had used before – although in slightly different circumstances. It had worked then, and Lara saw it was working now.
"I thought we could...talk." Svarog said.
"Talk?" Lara asked as she walked past him, just out of range, and continued to wander around the room.
"Amongst other things." Svarog said.
"Ah." Lara said, turning on him. "And here we get to the real heart of the matter." Her tone was no longer seductive, but angry. "Is all this an attempt to distract me from the worth of my trade and cheat me of the Tok'ra?"
"No." Svarog was suddenly on his feet, and surprisingly, Lara got the feeling he was telling the truth – or as close to the truth as the Goa'uld got. "I never thought to cheat you, Bastet."
"Then what did you want?" Lara let the anger fade from her tone.
Svarog looked at Lara and smiled. "You are a beautiful woman, Bastet." He said. "As well as a dangerous one. I like that."
Lara looked around the room that was so obviously set for seduction. "You want an alliance of sorts." She said.
"Yes." Svarog said. "We are both powerful. And if we were ever to fight, I do not know who would win. All I want is that we form a truce. We do not fight each other."
Svarog looked at Lara with a measuring glance. "I will not ask you to fight my battles." He continued. "Nor would I begin to suggest that you would need any help fighting your enemies. But perhaps we do not need to fight each other."
"And what would we get out this arrangement?" Lara asked.
Svarog just grinned. "I think you already know."
Lara smiled back at him, but it was a slightly cruel smile. "Yes. I think I do." She paused for a second. "But should we not complete our trade first?"
"Will you not have a drink first?" he asked, pouring wine into a goblet.
She accepted it with a seductive smile and took a seat on the chaise Svarog had been lying on only moments before. She watched as Svarog poured himself a goblet and took a drink, before she sipped the wine herself. You could never be too careful.
"What does the Tok'ra mean to you?" Svarog asked suddenly.
The question surprised Lara. "He is my enemy." She said after a moment.
"He must be more than that." Svarog said. "For you to go to so much trouble to have him."
Lara glanced at Svarog, and saw the measuring way he was looking at her. "He killed my last First Prime." Lara said, her mind whirling to think of a credible answer. "I was fond of him. And he made a mockery of me to my people. I intend to show them what happens to those who defy me."
Svarog nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. Then he put his goblet down and walked right up to where Lara sat. "I don't feel like talking anymore." He said and reached out a hand to Lara.
Taking a deep breath, Lara put her own goblet down, and placed her hand in his.
Sam, Janet and Daniel watched in concern as the door to Svarog's chambers shut, leaving Lara alone inside with him. The male servant took his opportunity and fled. Daniel looked in concern at Sam. "What do we do?" he whisoered.
"We can't talk here." Sam replied. "Let's go."
The three of them made there was down corridor after corridor until they found an empty room. After taking a look around, Sam turned back to Daniel and Janet. "We should be alright here for a moment." She whisoered.
"What are we going to do?" Daniel asked.
Sam sighed. "I don't know."
"I think we'll just have to trust that Lara can handle herself." Janet said.
Sam nodded. "And we should probably return to the room and wait for her." She added.
Daniel nodded, but his face was still worried. "I hope she'll be alright." He said quietly.
"So do I." Janet agreed.
Sam looked at her two friends. "She'll be fine." She said. "As long as she doesn't hit him."
Daniel smiled softly. "Yeah."
The three of them made their way back to the quarters Svarog had given them, each lost in their own thoughts. They had just reached the door when a siren began to sound. The computer said something in Goa'uld, repeating, before falling silent once again. Sam turned to Daniel. "What's going on?" she whispered urgently.
Daniel face was worried as he looked back at her. "There's another mothership approaching." He said. "And from what I can tell, they're not friendly."
Jack's head jerked up when the siren sounded. All the boredom and tiredness that he had felt for the past couple of hours fell away. "What's going on?" He asked Teal'c softly.
"There is an enemy approaching." Teal'c replied, almost unconsciously bringing up his staff weapon.
"Anything we can do?" Jack asked.
"Not without making Svarog suspicious." Teal'c said.
Jack growled in frustration, but remained where he was. A moment later he was glad he had, because one of Svarog's Jaffa ran into the room. He looked at Teal'c. "My lord Svarog says I must escort the prisoner to him." He said.
"Why?" Teal'c asked.
"The trade is complete." The Jaffa said. "You must let me pass."
"No." Teal'c said. "My queen has not ordered me to do so."
The Jaffa's face turned into a mask of anger and disgust. "Your so called queen is dead." He snarled. "And if you do not move, so are you."
"I cannot let you do that." Teal'c said levelly.
In response, the Jaffa charged his weapon and smiled cruelly. "I am almost glad you said that." He said, and fired.