45
Beauty and the Beast
Konaseus beamed delightedly as the party entered the dining hall. He had known the queen to be beautiful, but now, she simply took his breath away. And Major Carter was far more attractive than he would have suspected. Sam was dressed as Evree, save for the fact that she was garbed in jade green. The two females contrasted and complemented each other. And both indeed were a delight to the eye. Perhaps he should keep them both, once he had accomplished his goals. After all, a man needed his diversions.
&&&&&
O'Neill had been against seating the women next to Konaseus, and seeing the look in his eyes now, like he was ready to eat them alive, he was glad he hadn't let himself get talked out of his decision. Let them sit as far away from him as possible, where Konaseus could look, but not touch. Definitely no touching.
Daniel caught the look too, and made a silent, heart-felt apology to every woman he'd ever ogled. Okay, so it wasn't like the way Konaseus was greedily taking in all the details, but still.., He'd been an advocate for having Sam and Evree sit near their host, and was now mightily glad that Jack had overruled him.
Teal'c glared at Konaseus, but it had no effect whatsoever, since the big man wasn't looking at him.
Konaseus noted how the men of the Tau'ri seated the ladies. A useless, but elegant gesture. He liked it. He didn't like that they'd seated them so far away from him. He suppressed a sigh. Soon enough, he would have them both to attend to his every whim.
"I hope that barring that one unfortunate incident, your day went well." Konaseus was testing the waters, checking to see if the Tau'ri were soft and forgiving.
There were exchanged looks and hesitations, as no one was quite sure how to fill in the breech. And they weren't at this time, ready to discuss the 'one unfortunate incident'.
Finally, just as the silence was starting to grow awkward, Daniel jumped in. "You seem to have a very extensive library, Konaseus. I hope you don't mind me poking around in it."
"Not at all, Dr. Jackson, not at all," Konaseus declared delightedly. They had after all believed his apologies enough to split the group up. Perhaps they would be willing to overlook the whole thing. "Please forgive my lack of manners, but I'm surprised that you can read any of my books."
"Well, actually, I can't," Daniel confessed. "I was sort of hoping that you might have some sort of computer program for translating them." Daniel was finding himself hard pressed not to cross his fingers. All those books, all that potential knowledge, and not being able to read a single word rankled.
Konaseus was a little crestfallen. How could you amaze and delight someone with a device the existence of which they had already deduced? But he put on a brave face. At least he would appear to be cooperative and forthcoming. "And I had hoped to impress you with my erudition," he answered a little ruefully. "There is indeed a translator within the very walls of the library. If you like, I shall meet you there on the morrow and instruct you in its use." His brows drew together and he frowned a moment. "Have you any languages at your command save your own? If not, I may have to take some little time to program yours in."
"He does speak and read Goa'uld," Jack chipped in. He'd bet money that was a language the machine was already programmed for.
"Most excellent," Konaseus said approvingly. "I can also explain my personal system of categorizing, so that Dr. Jackson need not waste his time on subjects in which he has no interest."
"That would be most helpful," Daniel agreed. "Thank you."
"It is my pleasure to be of service to the queen's entourage." Konaseus leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers across his ample belly and beamed at them.
"Might one inquire how you occupy your days Konaseus?" The voice was low, barely audible at their host's end of the table, but Evree was determined to do what she could to help unravel the puzzle of Konaseus.
"You have but to name a thing, my queen," Konaseus vowed fervently. "And if it is within my poor power to provide it, it is yours."
"And yet, you have not managed to answer my question," commented Evree pointedly. She was beginning to become irritated with his fawning, obsequious manner, and it was making her a bit bolder.
Konaseus gave a mental nod. There was some of the character he expected from a Goa'uld. The queen had been far to pliant and retiring for it to be quite believable. "Indeed, my queen, I have not," he rejoined in contrite tones. "I have done nothing noteworthy, I assure you. Most of my time is consumed in keeping this place operating."
"I thought you said the robots did that," Sam broke in. "You said the robots did everything."
"But someone must attend to them," Konaseus replied patiently. "Today happened to be a day that I had scheduled some of the periodic maintenance which must be done. From here on after, I shall be more available, as a good host should be."
SG-1 viewed the news with mixed feelings. On one hand, if Konaseus was more accessible, they could better keep an eye on what he was up to. On the other hand, he would also be able to keep an eye on them as well. Not that they had done anything he had not sanctioned. At least, not yet. The way things were going, they didn't anticipate that state of affairs to continue indefinitely.
"But I forget myself," Konaseus went on. "It is most remiss of me to neglect to make mention of what an honor it is to share my table with two such entrancingly beautiful ladies." His eyes twinkled, and he divided his leers almost evenly between Evree and Sam.
"Where we come from, it's rude to stare," Jack broke in just as rudely. Not too diplomatic, or possibly even smart, but the guy was seriously getting on his nerves. And maybe showing him that they weren't going to lie down and take whatever he dished out would impress him more than being doormats.
"Indeed." The distinctly Goa'uld voice came from the far end of the table. Everyone's head swiveled to look at Evree. Most of the time, she only spoke in the resonant symbiote voice when under some sort of stress. Or, when she felt it was necessary to remind someone of who and what she was. She turned her face towards O'Neill, coincidentally away from Konaseus and made a dreadful grimace. It took Jack a minute or two to realize that she was trying to wink at him. She had but recently seen the expression, and had not yet trained her muscles to the gesture. "I for one do not care to be looked upon as the main course of your meal, Konaseus."
"My most humble apologies, my queen." The words came out of Konaseus' mouth so quickly that they seemed to tumble over each other. "I was so taken by your beauty and that of your attendant that I forgot myself. Please, forgive me."
"Do not allow it to happen again." Evree didn't actually come out and say that she forgave him, and point in fact, she didn't. "I have been most remiss with protocol of late, and now I see what comes of it."
"Yes," Jack added, playing along with her, and hoping that the others would catch on. Not that there should be a problem with that. "I'm afraid that we have taken advantage of your leniency. Please forgive us."
Evree gave him an indulgent look. It was carefully calculated. What she really wanted to do was to beam with approval, but that would spoil the game. And if Konaseus wanted to play games, he shouldn't have chosen to do so with a Goa'uld. "I shall overlook it this time," she replied magnanimously. "Should it happen again, however, I shall have to take steps."
"Then we shall have to make sure that you will not need to take those steps," Teal'c added. Subservience to Goa'uld had been bred into him, but his years of freedom had done much to change his nature. The only reason he could still play the game, was that it was just that, a game. A potentially serious game.
"And all this trouble caused because of me," Konaseus murmured. "If there is anything at all that I can do to make amends, my queen, you must allow me to do so."
Evree gave him a calculating look. A look that she said she knew exactly what he was up to (which she certainly didn't), and that it didn't bother her a bit. A look that said that he was scarcely worth noticing. A look that had been honed with decades of use. "I shall let you know," she replied, in the self-same tones as someone saying that they will call you back when you know there isn't a chance they will do so. She glanced up and down the table and saw that everyone had pretty much finished eating. All to the good. Because what the performance really needed to be perfect, was a grand exit. "I find that I am fatigued. I think we shall retire now." She hoped that O'Neill and his team had had no plans for the rest of the evening, because if they had, she had just ruined them. Or, they would have to carry them out and ruin the illusion that she was running the show?
"If I may?" O'Neill was immediately standing at her side, pulling back her chair and offering her his arm.
Evree took his arm and made her grand exit, with the others all following in her wake, leaving Konaseus to stare after them.
&&&&&&
Konaseus sat in quiet reflection for some time after his guests left him. He was unsure as to what game the little Goa'uld queen was playing, but had pleased him no end when she had finally shed the subordinate facade she had presented so far. He was not so pleased about the fact that she had berated him, though. He fully intended them to rule side by side, both of them gods, but she would remember that first and foremost, her place at his side would be one step lower than him. She would be taught to remember.
&&&&&
The entire group made the trip to their room just as they had left the dining hall. Quiet, sedate, and giving deference to Evree. Things changed once the door shut behind them.
Evree immediately pulled back from O'Neill, her expression wary. True, they had backed her play, but she had acted on her own, without orders. A show of solidarity in front of Konaseus didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't in for a dressing down now. But when she actually dared to look up at O'Neill, the only word that could be used to describe his expression was.., smug.
"She's not just a pretty face, is she?" he commented.
"She sure isn't," Daniel agreed.
"No more than Major Carter is," Teal'c added approvingly.
Evree looked from one of them to another in growing confusion. "I know that I acted precipatately," she admitted. "But there was no time in which to consult you, O'Neill. Are you saying that I actually..,"
Jack came up off the wall he'd been leaning against. "You were fantastic," he crowed, catching her by the waist and spinning around with her. As he set her down, Evree, dizzied by the maneuver, though she had enjoyed it very much, clutched at O'Neill for support. He didn't seem to mind.
"It really should have occurred to us from the first," Sam mused. "He obviously knows at least something about Goa'uld, but Evree wasn't acting like a typical Goa'uld."
"If his exterior sensors hadn't confirmed that she was one, he probably wouldn't have believed it," Daniel put in.
"He may drop his guard now that Evree is behaving in a manner commensurate with his expectations." Teal'c paused and thought. "But I still believe that he could prove to be quite dangerous."
"So do I." O'Neill was all business again. He looked down at Evree. "Are you still carrying that bracelet?"
Evree fished around in the folds of her garment for a few moments before producing the device in question. "You said that I was to have it with me at all times, O'Neill," she answered soberly. "I have not disobeyed you."
Jack gave her a quick squeeze. "That's my girl. You keep that thing handy. The nicer Konaseus gets, the less I trust him."
"Do you really believe that I may have to use it on him?" Evree looked far from happy, but she didn't sound like she was brewing up an argument.
"If he gets out of line at all, or looks ready to threaten any of us in the slightest," O'Neill instructed. "You whip that out and let him have it. Shoot first and ask questions later."
"But if he is dead, how will he be able to answer questions?" Evree wondered.
"Who said anything about answering them?" O'Neill was caught unawares by a yawn. It had been a longer day than it had seemed. "T, you're first watch tonight. Everyone else, let's get some shut-eye."
&&&&&&
Evree was curled in a ball in a nest of pillows when a hand nudged her shoulder, then shook her gently. She snuggled down further into her nest.
"Up and at 'em kid." Jack bent down to whisper in her ear. The others still had a few minutes left, and he was going to try to let them have those few minutes. "Or do you want to be left here again today while I go to report in?"
Evree was sitting bolt upright on the instant. "I may go with you today?" The thought of putting a couple of miles between herself and Konaseus even if but for a few brief hours was an incredibly seductive proposition.
"If you get your cute little ass moving," O'Neill whispered, grinning. "That's why I'm getting you up early. I know how long it takes you to brush your hair. And no pretty clothes today. We're going to be tramping through the woods again."
"I know that, O'Neill." Evree slipped into the bathing chamber to change, and in an amazingly short time, for her, emerged again. Just as the others were waking.
"What's on the agenda for today?" Daniel yawned. "Excuse me."
"Evree and I are going to do the daily report," O'Neill stated. "So the rest of you keep on your toes and keep your weapons handy, in case Konaseus' kitty gets out again. Evree isn't going to be here to pull your chestnuts out of the fire."
"Will Evree be able to keep pace with you to report in on time?" Teal'c inquired. "She is not as used to the exercise as the rest of us."
"That's why we're not staying to breakfast," Jack explained. "We'll just grab a few pieces of fruit to eat on the trail. After all, if Evree is running the show, then who would the big cheese back home want to talk to?"
"It does make sense," Sam conceded. "I just hope you guys don't take too long. I think Konaseus might be a little unhappy if he took the notion into his head that Evree wasn't coming back."
"Then I guess that we'd better shake a leg, hadn't we?" O'Neill remarked. He looked over at his traveling companion. "C'mon, Evree. You look fine. You really don't have to impress the squirrels."
&&&&&
"What is the real reason that you have allowed me to accompany you today, O'Neill?" Evree inquired a little breathlessly. Jack had been pushing the pace about as fast as she could keep up.
"Getting tired of my company?" O'Neill arched an eyebrow at her as he stopped to help her over a fallen tree trunk.
"You know that is not true." Evree spared the energy for a warm smile. She would be glad to get back to where things were familiar to her. Or at least, more familiar than this place. "But you have yet to answer my question."
"Going to make me stand in a corner if I don't?" O'Neill finally took pity on her and slackened the pace a little bit. "Don't bother to answer that, I was being a smartass. I brought you along with me today because I had the time. Or would you have rather stayed behind with Konaseus just aching for an excuse to get you alone?"
Evree shuddered. "I thank you, O'Neill," she replied. "I am not entirely sure of why, but Konaseus truly frightens me. I think I would rather die than to be left alone with him."
"The idea is to keep either one of those things from happening," Jack pointed out. "And besides, now I have you all to myself with no one around." He grinned at her.
Evree looked at him suspiciously. Surely he couldn't mean what she thought he meant. Could he? The only way to find out was to ask. "What are you suggesting?"
The grin broadened. "Planning our strategy, of course," he answered jauntily. "What did you think I meant?"
"I think that you meant to tease me, O'Neill," she said severely. "And were it not for the fact that I could not imagine my existence without you..,"
O'Neill laughed aloud, even though he wasn't sure that he was ready for that much of an emotional investment. "Okay, no more teasing. How do you think we should handle things from here on out? I mean, how would you do it if we really were working for you?"
&&&&&&
Konaseus' face as he entered the dining hall was a sight to behold as he vainly searched for any sign of Evree. "Where is the queen?" he demanded.
"She went with Colonel O'Neill to make the daily report," Sam explained. "They ought to be back in an hour or two."
"She will return then?" their host asked anxiously.
"She will," Teal'c replied. Konaseus' reaction added weight to the theory that none of them would be welcome here had it not been for Evree's presence. "But she is, as you must understand, a very important personage. Stargate Command will no doubt wish to speak to her personally, to verify her well-being."
"Of course, of course," Konaseus muttered. He seemed to have been overcome by an attack of the fidgets. "If you have finished, Dr. Jackson, I shall be happy to instruct you on the use of the translator now."
Actually, Daniel had only finished about half of his breakfast, but with the state that Konaseus was in, he thought it probably wouldn't do to push the big man any farther. He hastily wiped his mouth and stood. "I'm ready," he announced. And found himself having to nearly run to keep up as Konaseus left the room at a brisk pace.
"Most interesting," Teal'c murmured, once he and Sam had been left to their own devices.
"Well, it definitely settles one thing," Sam observed. "If Evree goes, we'd all better go. As upset as he got over her being gone, I hate to think how he would have reacted if we'd had to tell him that she wasn't coming back."
"I think we might have a difficult time surviving his displeasure in that event," Teal'c remarked. "There is nothing further that I can learn by wandering the corridors today, Major. I believe that I will join you until O'Neill and Evree return."
"Well, I can't say I won't appreciate the company," Sam commented, pushing back her chair. "After I sent you off yesterday, I kept feeling the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. I felt sure that any moment that big cat was going to sneak up on me."
"I am beginning to think that that would be a more welcome prospect than having Konaseus sneak up on you," Teal'c mused.
Sam recalled the way that Konaseus had looked at her and Evree the night before. "I think you might be right."
&&&&&
"Are you sure that you can handle this, Evree?" General Hammond inquired. "If you don't think you can, I'll just recall the whole team. I don't like the sound of this Konaseus character."
"And you haven't even met him in person, sir," Jack drawled.
"I don't have to," Hammond remarked. "I saw Evree hijack the gate to turn herself over to Anubis without batting an eyelash. Someone that unsettles her as much as Konaseus does can't be up to anything good."
"O'Neill and Teal'c will see that I come to no harm," Evree said as bravely as she could manage. How she would like nothing better than to step through the chaapa'ai to safety. But she owed these people more than she could ever repay. And if having Konaseus leer at her was the price required, then it was little enough.
"Jack, I hope that I don't have to tell you that if Konaseus starts getting too familiar..," Hammond reflected that O'Neill was probably the last person he had to tell that.
"Then we're out of here," O'Neill finished. "But until he does, if he does, well, Carter seems to think there's something to be learned from those robots. And Daniel has a whole new library to play in."
The gate opened, and a couple of bundles came sailing through before it shut again.
"There are the supplies that you asked for," the general finished the exchange. "All of you be careful. And we'll talk again tomorrow."
"Roger that," O'Neill replied. He picked up the larger of the two packs and looked at Evree. "Do you think we could wait until we get within eyeshot of the place before I have to pretend that I'm your humble servant?"