Chapter 2: The Lady of the Sky
Daniel was the first to step forward and speak.
"Ah, ma'am," he began, uncertainly, "Ra is dead." The woman's eyes widened at the news.
"And who was it who stole my revenge from me?" she hissed, dangerously. Daniel held his hands out to her, trying to de-escalate the potential violent situation.
"Well, we did, Dark Mother," he told her blandly. "Of course, had we known that you were lying in wait to… enact your revenge, we would have gladly captured him and awaited your return."
The angry light in the woman's eyes seemed to vanish, and was replaced by a mischievous glitter.
"You have done me a service, then," she stated. "Had you but known of my plight, I'm certain you would have done as you have said." Arrogantly, she tossed a handful of her dark locks over her shoulder. "It is of little importance now. What matters now is that I am awake and aware and ready to take my place amongst my children again. You may address me as Nut. Now, tell me where I may find my beloved sons and daughters. I wish to bask in the light of their love."
"Ah, Nut," Daniel continued, "you see, there's where we run into a problem. Can you tell me where you are? And what year it is? I suspect you have been in that coffin for many centuries. Things have changed drastically since your… wrongful imprisonment." Nut, clearly becoming rapidly bored with the situation, waved her hand negligently at him.
"Ra is gone, which means I can rise to my rightful spot as Queen of the Gods, and rule them as a good mother should," she intoned. "I must also contact the other members of the Alliance." With these words, she slowly walked towards the Stargate. "I must have a full report of the state of affairs in the galaxy, and my host will want to speak with her family, no doubt." This time, it was Jack who spoke up.
"Look here, lady," he said, "I know you've been locked in a box for the past God knows how long, so you're a little out of the loop when it comes to news. I'll fill ya in: Ra is dead. So is Hathor. And Seth. And Isis… but that one wasn't our fault. She was dead when we found her." He stepped towards the Goa'uld queen, who had a look of horror spreading across her beautiful features. "The Ancients are dead. The Asgard are fighting a war they can't win against machines who have only one thought, and that is to replicate, the Nox are pacifists, and we haven't had any contact with the Furlings. Your children made it a habit to enslave people and take them as hosts against their will. They transported people from this planet to other worlds and treated them like playthings!"
Nut, clearly shocked by this news, stumbled back a few steps. "No!" she shouted. "It cannot be! My children… they have all betrayed me!" She peered around the room with frightened eyes. "I formed the alliance with the Ancients to spare my children from a horrible fate! Yes, we must take hosts to survive, but the Ancients had agreed to a symbiotic relationship with my children! And they have destroyed the peace I fought so hard for so many years to achieve!" Tears glittered in her eyes and spilled in crystal rivers down her cheeks. "My host gave her body for this cause! She agreed to share her body with me so that we may finally have peace! And it was all for naught!" Stricken with the horrible truth, Nut fell to the ground, sobbing bitterly. As she cried, the timbre of her voice changed, and soon, it was only once voice mourning.
"Why?" the host begged. "Why couldn't they honor their agreement? Why couldn't they see the benefits of our alliance?" Daniel, unable to bear the sight of the broken woman, went to her and cradled her in his arms.
"Hush, now, its all right," he crooned. "You have your life. You can still effect change."
Slowly, her sobbing subsided to sniffles. With Daniel's help, she made it to her feet where she looked at the team with eyes that were no longer a burning violet, but a soft blue.
"I am called Maera," she introduced herself. "I am Nut's host. And if what you say is true, I am the last of the Ancients." And without a word, her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped heavily against Daniel, unconscious.
After they got Maera safely to the infirmary and under the care of Dr. Frazier, SG-1 met with General Hammond in the debriefing room.
"This woman is the last of the Ancients?" the general asked. "And a Goa'uld host?"
"Willingly, if what she says is true," Sam added with a slight shrug. "There's really no way to tell at this point in time."
"And not just any Goa'uld, but a Queen," Daniel interjected. "Quite possibly the forerunner of the whole Goa'uld race." The general looked pensive.
"Well, we'll have to verify her story before we let her anywhere else in the base," he stated. "Colonel O'Neill, see if you can't get in touch with the Asgard. Surely they would know of an alliance of this nature." Jack smirked and sat back in his chair.
"One step ahead of ya, sir," he stated.
"We should also contact the Tok'ra," Teal'c interjected. "If her story is true, then the Tok'ra may have a new queen. Her sympathies do seem to lie in that direction."
"Now wait just a second here, folks," Jack interrupted. "Let's not go handing her off to the Tok'ra before we find out what's going on with her first. I think we should wait to tell them until Thor gets here."
A bright blue light and a buzzing noise burst into the room and dissipated, leaving the form of Thor in his big chair sitting at the end of the table.
"You wished to see me, O'Neill?" the little grey alien asked. Jack, naturally, perked up at the sight of his little friend.
"Thor! Buddy!" he greeted. "How have things been? You manage to smash the replicators yet?" Thor looked at Jack, and it seemed like annoyance was glinting in his huge, black eyes.
"I hope you have not asked me out here for small talk, O'Neill," Thor warned. Jack grimaced and sat back in his chair.
"Actually, Thor," Sam spoke up, "We wanted to know about the Alliance. Was there ever a Goa'uld alliance with the Ancients a long time ago?" Thor turned his curious gaze towards the major and nodded once.
"Yes, Major Carter," he verified. "Once, a long time ago, an Ancient woman named Maera and the Goa'uld Mother Nut blended. Maera was the daughter of the Lord of the Ancients. I believe you would call her a 'princess.' Her father did not believe that much good would come of the alliance, but he could not prevent his daughter, who was the Ancients' emissary to the Goa'uld System Lords, from striking the bargain. There were benefits to be had, and the System Lords were, at first, willing to abide by the laws established in the treaty." He shook his head, almost sorrowfully. "Unfortunately, Ra came into power shortly thereafter. He imprisoned the Goa'uld Nut and took her throne for his own. She was never heard form again, ad no one knows what Ra did with her body." Daniel sat up and leaned against the table.
"Well, we may have some good news there," he stated. "We found her. Nut. And Maera. Together. Alive. And she's here."
"Please," Thor asked. "Take me to her."
Thor stood next to the gurney where Nut/Maera was resting and reached out a slim, grey hand, placing it on her forehead.
"This is indeed Maera," he told them. "We are fortunate that you found her before the Goa'uld could. They would have surely destroyed her."
"Well, now we know she was telling the truth," Jack commented. "Question is: what do we do with her now?"
"Well, she is an Ancient, sir," Carter said. "And Teal'c was right. She does have interests that lie with the Tok'ra. Maybe she'll ally herself with us. She'll be a great help." General Hammond nodded solemnly.
"We'll wait until she wakes up and can move about before we pose any difficult questions to her," he states. "She has been through quite a tough time. Let her rest for the time being."
Slowly, everyone filed out of the medbay. After they were gone, Nut opened her eyes.
She had a plan. And these people would fit into it perfectly.
To be continued…