53

Fact-finding

"It is a simple enough thing," Konaseus muttered. He had seemed distracted since he had learned that Evree wasn't there. "You simply put the book under the scanner and tell the machine which language you wish it translated into. The translation will appear on the screen."

"Do I need to go through this every time I turn a page?" Daniel thought it would prove a little awkward if he thought he was on the track of something and flipped back and forth through the pages confirming it.

"Not at all, sir." Konaseus fought to keep the impatience out of his voice. He had been most distressed to find that his queen was no longer within his walls, and the niggling suspicion that she might not return was making him irritable. "Merely tell the translator which page you want to view. Most of my books are already stored in its memory."

Daniel looked at the device skeptically. The framework to allow a book to be placed within was the bulkiest part of the device. He certainly didn't see any part of it that was spacious enough, in his experience, to have the memory to store the information from hundreds of books, let alone all the languages it was supposed to be programmed for. "Is this hooked into some computer mainframe elsewhere?" he inquired. From what it looked like, the operating system was no larger than his doubled up fists put side by side.

"No," Konaseus answered shortly. "The unit is self-contained." His impatience was beginning to show. "Were there any more questions, Dr. Jackson?"

Daniel realized that Konaseus was almost at the breaking point, but there was one more question he just had to ask. "How do you turn it on?"

&&&&&

"I know you have to dress to impress," Jack sighed. "But all your jewelry?" When she had stumbled on them begging for asylum, she'd been wearing enough, in his opinion, to stock a small store.

"This isn't all of it," Evree corrected him, adjusting a dangling earring. "Only what I was wearing when you found me. I had many times as much sitting in the coffers." She turned away from the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Overdone," O'Neill replied bluntly. Evree hadn't worn her jewelry since she'd taken it off at SGC, and now, combined with the fancy garb, she seemed more alien.

Evree pouted slightly. "I was trying for impressive," she grumbled. "You do not like it?"

O'Neill realized he'd stepped in it again. "I think you're pretty impressive without all the fancy doo-dads," he declared. "I'm just not used to it. But it might do to make Konaseus' eyes stand out on stalks. That's what you were aiming for, wasn't it?"

Evree's face had lit up, and she missed the question entirely. "You think I am impressive?"

&&&&&

"Is it just me, or should Colonel O'Neill and Evree have gotten back by now?" If there had been a clock on the wall, Sam would have been watching it.

"Perhaps they were delayed," Teal'c offered, remembering how difficult Evree, with her short legs, had found it to keep up with them. "Or perhaps..," His head shot up from the page of notes he was making in Evree's stead, and looked towards the doorway. "They are here."

O'Neill, clean, freshly shaved and in a clean uniform, and Evree, in a dazzling array of silks, satins and several pounds of jewels entered.

"Are you going to a party?" Sam asked. "And are we invited?"

"Just giving Konaseus what he expects," O'Neill explained. "Teal'c, you might want to go get cleaned up. We brought you a change of clothes too. Got to be all spruced up when you're part of the queen's honor guard."

"Laying it on thick, sir?" Sam viewed Evree with interest. The Goa'uld queen seemed more self-assured than she'd ever seen her. Almost like when she'd donned her jewelry, it was akin to putting on a suit of armor.

Teal'c seldom looked disheveled, unless he'd been in a prolonged fight, but he came back in a remarkably short time looking like he, along with his clothing, had been cleaned and pressed.

"I'm surprised you didn't suggest dress uniforms, sir," Carter commented.

"Well, we are in the field," O'Neill mumbled a little defensively. Hammond had suggested it, and Evree had been enthusiastically for it. He'd had to do some fast talking to convince them that it would be over the top. Leave the extra frills for Evree, since she was obviously the focus of attention.

"What exactly is my part in the plan, sir?" Sam felt she had a pretty good idea, but a little confirmation never hurt.

"What you're doing now, Carter," O'Neill replied. He looked at Teal'c and Evree. "Why don't we go find Konaseus before he has a nervous breakdown?"

&&&&&

Konaseus was pacing in a room near the center of his citadel. He had refrained from monitoring the door against the queen's return. That way lay madness. But this was very little improvement. He was startled to see a servitor enter the room. He had not summoned it, and was about to make comment when..,

In floated Evree, trailing swaths of saffron satin, glittering with gold and gems. She also had trailing behind her O'Neill and Teal'c, quiet and precise, the perfect palace guards.

"My regrets for not informing you that I would be away, " said Evree in a voice that contained not the slightest hint of regret. "But I do assure you that it was entirely necessary."

"I understand completely." Konaseus was too relieved to be irritated. His queen had returned. All was not lost. "Might I have the honor of giving you a tour of my humble abode?"

"Yes, please." Evree flashed him a smile, and Konaseus, who was generally quite observant, missed the fact that the smile did not reach her eyes. "I should have suggested it myself, but things have been in such.., disarray." She made a languid gesture that caused bracelets to clink together and bared a portion of one slender arm.

O'Neill forced himself to watch the performance in silence. It wasn't as bad as he might have thought, because Evree like this, didn't seem like the person he knew. But he noticed the way the big man's pupils dilated when Evree showed that little bit of skin. He'd better have a word with her about taking care as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Konaseus eyed the 'honor guard'. He did not bother inquiring as to their necessity. But it galled him that they were there. They were a hindrance to his plans. "Is there anything in particular you wish to see, or shall we go through the entire complex?"

"All of it." Evree made another gesture, and noted, as O'Neill had, the effect it had on Konaseus. "I would request, however that you go slowly." She looked up at him, then fanned luxuriant eyelashes over delicate cheekbones. "Your legs are much longer than mine."

"Of course, my queen." Konaseus bowed. Then, he offered her his arm as he had seen O'Neill do, and even though it made her skin crawl, Evree reached up and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.

&&&&&&&

Daniel slid another book back into its place on the shelf. So far, he hadn't found a single thing that made all this trouble worth the while. Every book he had looked at so far had to do with one Goa'uld or another taking over this or that planet. And, how they had done it, though that was scarcely a revelation. Most of the time they just moved in, said, 'I'm taking over', and killed off anyone who objected. And yet this was the section Konaseus had directed him to, and he was nearly through it. Or was he being incredibly naive, taking Konaseus' word that this section contained what he was looking for? On a whim, Daniel pulled a book from one of the shelves that Konaseus had designated 'fiction'. He put the book in the scanner.

And the screen lit up with the technical schematics for a set of transport rings.

&&&&&&

Evree felt like her face was going to crack from the strain of keeping an insincere smile plastered on it. And she had had to remind Konaseus to slow down so many times that she was seriously beginning to entertain the idea of just kicking him in the ankle the next time he started stretching those long legs of his. She was becoming so obviously bored of seeing one lavishly decorated room after the other that she had acceded to Konaseus' suggestion that they break up the tour with a visit to his roof garden. She strongly suspected that these were not the circumstances he had in mind when he'd initially made the invitation, but this was as good as he was going to get.

Evree's guard had dropped back a few more paces. Not many, there was still less than ten feet between them. But they could converse without shattering the illusion if they kept it low.

"Do you hear that noise, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired softly. He stopped and listened intently for a moment. "It is gone again. But I have heard it on and off for over an hour."

"What kind of noise?" Jack murmured, not taking his eyes off the pair in front of them.

"It was a grinding sound," the Jaffa replied. "I am surprised you have not heard it. Each time that I have, it has come from your direction."

"Really?" O'Neill was pretty sure now what his friend was hearing, but didn't feel like enlightening him. He kept his eyes pointed straight ahead, and saw Konaseus laugh at something Evree had said and pat the fingers trapped in the crook of his arm.

"There it is again," Teal'c remarked. "Are you certain you do not..?" He broke off and glanced at O'Neill and saw the tension in his jaw, and his expression became one of understanding. "Ah, I see. You do not like him making physical contact with Evree, is that it?"

"I don't like him breathing the same air that she does," Jack grated out in a low growl.

Further conversation was halted as a delighted gasp from Evree took their attention, and they looked to see what had prompted the reaction.

They had made their way to the center of the garden, and dead center was a flowering tree. The blossoms were off-white with deep mauve centers, and they were easily the size of a dinner plate.

"It's lovely." Evree had stopped in her tracks, just taking in the sight. She sniffed the air. "Have they no fragrance?" she asked in disappointed tones. She felt that blooms that beautiful should smell as wonderful as they looked.

Konaseus nodded. "They do," he informed her. "But the aroma is very subtle, and does not carry far. You have to be quite close to smell them." He let the information sink in before adding, "It is well worth the effort."

Evree looked at the tree in dismay. The lowest branches were still over Konaseus' head. "What a pity," she murmured, beginning to turn away. She really would have liked to smell those flowers.

"There is no reason why you should not be able to enjoy the flowers' fragrance," Konaseus declared. And before anyone knew quite what he was up to, his big hands had encircled Evree's waist, and he lifted her up to the level of the nearest blooms.

Evree let out a startled and somewhat indignant squeak at the unexpected manhandling. O'Neill's hand went almost automatically to his weapon. He didn't even realize it until Teal'c laid a restraining hand on his.

Evree did not like the helpless feeling she got from being so far off the ground and having to trust Konaseus to get her back down safely. But since she was up here, she might as well take advantage of the opportunity. She gently cupped the closest blossom in her hands, brought it near her face and inhaled deeply.

It smelled heavenly. "May I pick one?" Evree asked politely, forgetting the Goa'uld hauteur for the moment. But Konaseus obviously took great pride in his garden, and she would no more think of plucking one of his prized flowers without permission than she would of meddling with a piece of machinery that she had no notion of how to operate. It just didn't sit right.

"Every bloom on the tree if you so desire, my queen," Konaseus replied, over the top as was his wont.

"One will do, thank you." The words were gracious, but the attitude was back in place. Hopefully Konaseus hadn't noticed the slip. She grasped the flowers' stem with both hands. It was fairly thick, and she assumed it would take her some effort to break it. She gave a mighty tug and the stem snapped easily, but only after it was too late for Evree to check her momentum. She felt herself begin to fall, the caught up again in strong arms, cradled like a baby.

&&&&&&

"Sam."

The person so addressed jumped visibly. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and she had been pretty wrapped up in what she was doing. "Daniel. I thought you were busy in the library."

"I thought you might want to see some of this." By luck and fiddling around, Daniel had found a button on the translator that would give him a copy of the page being currently displayed. Konaseus hadn't seen fit to mention that little option. He put one of the pages in front of Sam now. "What do you make of that?"

Sam stared at the diagram intently for a long moment, then she looked up, awestruck. "Daniel, this looks like the schematics for a sarcophagus."

"I thought so too," Daniel remarked. "Until I started reading the text that went along with it. It is a sarcophagus, but Konaseus has evidently made some modifications."

"What sort of modifications?" Carters' eyes were back on the page in front of her.

"Well, according to Konaseus' notes," Daniel began. "He may have found a way to get rid of the psychological side effects, not to mention improving the healing process itself. You could use that maybe once a week and live a very, very long time."

"How long?" Sam felt a tingle of excitement. This could make the whole trip worth while and then some.

"I'm not sure," Daniel confessed. "But Konaseus is very methodical, he dates his notes. And if I've figured out his system correctly, these notes are over fifteen hundred years old."

&&&&&&&

"I meant no impropriety." Konaseus wasn't sure who was glaring at him more fiercely, Evree or O'Neill. "But if I had not done as I did, she would have fallen." For some reason, he felt moved to make his explanation to the queens' guard rather than the queen. It was easier for him to keep up the subservient act now that he had accomplished something he had been trying to do nearly from the first. To get Evree to inhale the scent from his genetically engineered blooms.

"Yeah, sure, we understand." O'Neill was fighting to get it back together. But it was a struggle. He didn't know what had been worse, seeing Evree about to fall, or seeing her in Konaseus' arms. Either way, he didn't like it. But he was still trying to make nice, so smile and suck it up.

Konaseus turned to Evree, and went as far as to drop to one knee. "Will you forgive me, my queen?"

Evree's eyes were still blazing. "It would not have been necessary for you to ask for my forgiveness had you not laid hands on me without asking my leave." She was far from mollified, and it showed.

Konaseus bowed his head, giving every appearance of complete contrition. "My most humble and heart-felt apologies, my queen," he murmured in tones silken and soothing. "But you so very obviously wanted to smell the flowers, and I wished only to please you. In my eagerness to do so, I forgot myself. I beg your forgiveness." Konaseus hated the display of abject humility, but soon enough, he would be calling the tune that the little queen danced to.

Evree dithered for a few seconds, and then, since Konaseus wasn't watching, glanced at O'Neill for guidance. O'Neill made a gesture which she interpreted to mean that she should cease the show of temper. It seemed the wiser course of action, since if she failed to be placated soon, she would have to kill Konaseus or prove that she was not the Goa'uld that he thought her to be.

"In future, you will request my permission before laying hands on me." Nothing said about absolution, but it did let Konaseus know that he was going to be allowed to live a while longer at least.

Konaseus lifted his head to look at her, making sure that he made eye contact. Their gazes locked for a long moment.

Evree blinked, feeling a little dizzy and disoriented, as if a very high fever had just broken. She looked at the figure kneeling before her, and somehow, it just didn't seem right, that such a proud creature should be bowed down before her. "I forgive you, Konaseus." She knew that she had not intended to pardon him, but somehow, she had felt compelled to.

At last, Konaseus rose to his feet, slowly, almost majestically. "I am honored by your most gracious exoneration," he said formally. "Would you care to continue your tour? Or perhaps you feel fatigued and would like to rest." The conflicting suggestions were a test. The chemicals that she had inhaled should, amongst other things, be making her more suggestible, and giving her a choice should confuse her. Not too badly, at this early stage, but noticeably.

Evree thought furiously. Or tried to. A simple enough decision to make, surely, so why couldn't she decide? She was nearly ready to wring her hands in frustration. Only the realization that she still held her hard-won flower halted her. She inhaled its divine aroma once more, and in some inexplicable way, it seemed to help make choosing easier. She would cut the tour short today. For now, she wanted to get her precious bloom into some water so she could enjoy it as long as possible.

"Truly, there has been so much to take in," Evree said thoughtfully. "Perhaps it would be best if we were to continue tomorrow." Her eyes flicked toward O'Neill, as though asking him if she had made the correct decision. Odd, the responsibility for making choices had never seemed to be particularly onerous before.

Jack gave a quick, jerking nod of his head, but wondered just what Evree was up to now. The two of them had discussed things pretty thoroughly on their morning hike, and now she was ad-libbing. He'd have to wait until they were well and truly alone to ask her about it.

Teal'c didn't know the specifics of the plan, there hadn't been time to fill him in. They'd just trusted him to play along, and he had. But he had known O'Neill long enough to be able to read his expressions fairly accurately, and Evree must have done something to deviate from the plan. Until he knew the whole of the situation, however, he could only do what he had been doing, which was backing up whatever O'Neill and Evree did. But something was not right, and he would be willing to wager that somehow, Konaseus was at the bottom of it.

Konaseus merely smiled, bowed, and left them.

&&&&&&

Rather than continue to ask Daniel questions that he couldn't give her the answers to off the top of his head, Sam had joined him in the library. And was finding it to be a treasure trove, if a curious one.

"It's all here," she muttered. "Sarcophagi, death gliders, zats, staff weapons, rings, just about every single piece of technology that the Goa'uld use on a regular basis. Except for one."

"Not even so much as a mention of a stargate," Daniel finished the thought. "It's a pretty serious omission. I wonder why it isn't here."

"Maybe it is," Sam suggested. She waved a hand at the walls full of books. "Maybe you just haven't found the right book."

"Maybe," Daniel admitted grudgingly. "But if Konaseus is engineer enough to make some of the improvements we've seen on some of the other gadgets, what could he have done to the stargate?"

They both fell silent in contemplation of the awful possibilities.