Sam was fine through waking up Paige, and explaining that she and Cassie were going to be spending the next couple of days with Helen. Fine through helping hurriedly but thoroughly pack two duffels full of medical test paraphernalia. Fine through gating to Vorash, powering up the Tel'tak, and plotting a course. Then suddenly she had a twelve hour journey ahead of her and absolutely nothing to do. She had rather quickly run out of distractions. Janet was now hovering around her, and Sam could tell she was itching to confront Sam about her handling of this situation. Sam was fine, and didn't want to discuss it. Just a tad desperate, she sought out Daniel.
He was in the cargo bay with the Colonel and Teal'c. Teal'c was using the time to rest in a light state of Kelnoreem. The Colonel was playing with a blue yo-yo while lounging in boredom on some storage crates. Daniel was absorbed in his reading. Sitting against the left wall he was surrounded by books, most likely researching the mythological background of their newest foes. If she knew Daniel, and she did, he would be more than willing to distract her with a barrage of information.
"What can you tell us about these Goa'uld?" she asked with more enthusiasm than she actually felt, then took a seat on a nearby crate. Sensing the importance of the information Daniel was about to share, the others shifted their attention to Daniel.
"Olokun and Olorun are based in the cosmogony of the Yoruba people of Africa, specifically of Benin, Togo and Northwestern Nigeria." At their blank looks he further explained. "The Yoruba are a group of about fifteen million linked mainly by language, but also religion and geography. Olokun and Olorun are brothers. Olorun, also referred to as Olodumare—'Almighty'—is the god of the sky, and therefore ruler of everything the sky covers. Olokun is the god of the sea.
The two brothers have a history of competition. At one point, Olokun challenged Olorun's supremacy as the sky god. The story goes that the people would choose who was supreme based on who was best dressed."
"You have got to be kidding me!" the Colonel explained, although not entirely surprised by the vanity of the Goa'uld.
"Nope," Daniel said, glancing through the book in his hands. "Neither chose to get their hands dirty in actual battle unless absolutely necessary. In fact, Olorun didn't even participate in the contest himself. He sent a messenger—supposedly a chameleon—to represent himself. The chameleon matched whatever Olokun wore, and Olokun eventually conceded the superiority of his brother."
"But isn't Olokun the one with more power right now?" Janet asked, not certain she knew who was who yet.
"Yes," Daniel confirmed. "Olokun is a system lord at present. Despite this, he still holds a bit of a grudge. According to the intel Sinon and Anise gave us, Olorun was the first Goa'uld whose Jaffa were targeted by the 'virus'—for lack of a better term—but not the only. Almost all of the system lords have been affected.
The Colonel broke in here. "If he succeeds in devastating their Jaffa population, he has removed most of their power base. If he allows most to get sick and some to die, and then spreads a cure, he succeeds in becoming even more powerful. What better way to gain loyalty than to prove the weakness of their own 'god', and then prove his own strength? This 'Koon' guy could suddenly possess the allegiance of the council's entire power base, all by himself. And as much as I wouldn't miss the rest of the system lords, I don't want any one Goa'uld to have that much power."
"It's a risky situation for us," Sam mused, "but could benefit us incredibly if we can find a cure. The inability of the system lords to cure their own Jaffa must already be creating doubt in the face of their supposed omniscience. If we were to present a cure, it could sway those who are uncertain where their loyalty lies."
"These may be convinced to rebel against their 'gods,'" Teal'c appended, and she nodded.
"If everyone is certain that Olokun is behind this, why haven't the other system lords taken action against him?" Janet asked.
"The System Lords are a council of the most powerful and well matched of the Goa'uld," Teal'c explained as the most knowledgeable of Goa'uld politics. "It exists solely because these Goa'uld do not want to risk devastating their resources in battle against each other. It is an often unspoken but important compromise they would not risk disrupting unless faced with no other choice."
"If they hesitated," the Colonel conjectured, "their forces could have been incapacitated or at least thrown into barely controlled chaos before they could decide to act."
"If that's the case, then we're on our own," Sam said, betraying her current pessimism.
"So as usual, no pressure," the Colonel quipped ironically. No one smiled.
[][][]
Four hours later Teal'c was at the helm—just in case, as the ship was on autopilot at this point—and everyone else was sleeping in the cargo hold. Attempting to sleep anyway. Sam had watched Daniel and Janet drop off almost immediately, and the Colonel following soon after. She had yet to join them, and was getting ready to give up. Rolling over again with a quiet sigh in a feeble attempt to get comfortable on the cold, rigid floor she found herself looking straight into an open pair of brown eyes.
"Sir!" she gasped in surprise. "I didn't mean to wake you." She was apologetic for disturbing his sleep, but more embarrassed at being caught out.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked with concern. Despite her best efforts the strain of her worry for her father had been visible all evening, and he had paid close attention to her actions.
She nodded, suddenly fighting tears. "I just keep remembering him in that cell on Netu," she confessed. "I thought I'd lost him. It seems like just yesterday we got him back from there, and here he is—in trouble again. Paige is just getting to know him, and I don't want to have to explain to her that her grandfather is gone."
He knew the truth behind that statement. She didn't want to have to explain to herself that Jacob was gone. "Jacob just has the same knack for trouble that you do," he said with a comforting smile. "And he's made it this far, so it seems he has the same streak of impossible luck. We'll find him."
She returned a teary smile. "I hope so."
"Should the worst happen though," he said, knowing it was a distinct possibility, "we're all here for you. I'm here for you."
A tear escaped from her eye at this, and began to run into her hair. She reached up to wipe it away but he caught her hand in his, and used his other to wipe it away himself. For just a moment she saw desire flash through his eyes. Desire to hold her, and help her through this. He settled for holding her hand, and they both finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.
So I finally got a teeny bit ot ship in there. I promise there is much more to come. Please review!