"What do you want?" The words and acidic tone were directed at the Asgard alone, as was the hostile glare from Vala's overly bright eyes. Those nearby could do little more than watch the scene in a twisted sort of fascination.
"I came to seek your aid." Thor spoke bluntly, as was custom of his kind, and there was an earnest seriousness to him that sobered the room immediately, so that the laughter came as a complete shock.
"My help?" the Ka'rosh's mirthless laughter continued. "Your species always did have a lot of nerve. What vanity would possibly lead you to believe I'd ever help you?" Not waiting for an answer, nor giving any sign of caring for one, the soft, emotion-filled voice continued. "I would gladly encourage any suffering of the Asgard."
"I had hoped -"
"Hoped what? That I would have gotten over it? That I would have moved on and forgotten?"
"Maybe forgiven."
"Your species does not deserve forgiveness."
Finally a new voice interjected, "Excuse me, will someone please explain what is going on here?" The general had had enough and wanted answers. Some good reason for an old ally and a possible new one to act in such a manner against each other.
Those angry blue eyes turned on him then, although the tone used to address Hammond was restrained. "The Asgard are your friends and allies?"
"Yes, they are."
"Then I demand to be allowed to leave."
"You're not really in a position to demand anything," Jack countered.
"O'Neill," Thor started to speak, only to be cut off by the general.
"Until I know exactly what is going on here, nobody is going anywhere."
Bristling in anger and indignation, blue energy flared outward from the silver-haired beauty, causing everyone in the control room to drop, writhing in pain. The agony was quickly replaced by an inability to move. Seizing the intended opportunity, Vala quickly departed down the flight of stairs and entered the embarkation room. With a wave of her hand the doors closed, barricaded by an energy that would allow none of the quickly recovering humans to enter.
"Get down there and stop her!" Hammond yelled at the guards, who moved as fast as they could to obey, only to find the doors were holding fast against all attempts to pry them open. Most of those present had, by this time, managed to drag themselves to their feet again and stood watching as the Ka'rosh walked up the ramp and raised her hand, palm facing outward toward the gate.
"Close the iris," Hammond instructed in a last ditch effort to bring a semblance of control to the situation.
"I can't, Sir. Her energy is apparently affecting the computers." Carter's voice was strained. The energy they'd been stunned with was having a slight but lasting affect on the majority of those hit.
Suddenly the gate came to life as chevrons locked, which wasn't surprising since that's what they had figured she was going to do. What was unexpected was that Vala's head snapped up in alarm at the sound and she dived away from the Stargate moments before it opened, narrowly missing the onslaught of raw power caused by the unstable wormhole. Rising to her feet, she backed away - every muscle taut and ready for action, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
The suspicion proved founded as a Goa'uld walked through the event horizon, glowing eyes instantly focused on the sole occupant of the room, hatred clearly etched into his face. "Ka'rosh." A single word, spoken harshly.
Moving slowly, reminiscent of animal circling it's prey, Vala didn't respond. Supple muscles rippled silkily under her skin with each motion, and when the leap came, the Goa'uld was caught off guard. Using her weight, strength, and the element of surprise, Vala managed to knock the parasite backwards, upsetting his balance. Without wasting a second, she delivered a series of kicks and punches, each landing with the precision that could only come from a born fighter.
All of those in the control room, minus Thor, looked on in rapt awe, unable to completely believe what they were seeing. The woman was going hand to hand against a Goa'uld and she was winning, her fighting ability and style far exceeding that of this particular snake. He managed to deflect some of the blows, but ultimately he wasn't able to collect himself and made a mistake. It proved to be all that Vala needed. Diving forward, she drove the blade of her knife, which had seemed to materialize from nowhere, deep into the host's heart. That done, she quickly wiped the dagger and replaced it before laying her hands on the fallen enemy, engulfing the form in blue energy. Slowly, the body seemed to lose structure, falling in on itself. From the wounds, smoke seeped, permeating the air with a foul stench and indicating to any who saw, that the body was burning from the inside out.
That done, she turned to the Jaffa now stepping from the gate. Not bothering to wonder why they did not proceed the Goa'uld, as would have been custom.
Raising her hand in an instinctive response, azure energy flared up around her acting as a shield from the staff weapon blasts sent her way. Then with an apparent effortless flick of her wrist, the energy surged outward and enveloped the Jaffa, killing all but one who'd managed to dive out of the way and was now trying to move behind her. Pivoting, she turned away from the gate to keep her enemy in sight.
Weaponless, the Jaffa attempted a feint to throw her off guard. Allowing him to believe his bluff had worked, she shifted her weight as though to block him. As the Jaffa lunged forward to the opposite side, she shifted again with animal swiftness and countered. The knife reappeared and entered his forehead - the only viable option on this one given his armor.
Now facing the window to the control room, she paid the people no attention. Had she, she would have noticed the change in their expressions as they gazed behind her. As it was, senses shouted a warning only a moment before her eyes widened in shock and the whole world exploded in agony that effectively dropped her to her knees. Frozen, she could smell the Goa'uld now. The scent was so strong she could taste it, and she fought the urge to throw up.
Casting a disinterested glance at those observing, unmindful of the sounds by the doors indicating the flurry of activity in trying to get them to open, the parasite came to stand in front of the fallen Ka'rosh.
Tilting her head back, though the muscles of her neck protested, Vala gazed in contempt at the enemy - or rather the red-haired female host. The Goa'uld, for her part, watched in mild amusement - although anger was present. Hatred.
Raising her hand, revealing the tell-tale hand device, she placed it near Vala's forehead and, eyes glowing, activated it.
The Ka'rosh gritted her teeth, nails digging into the flesh of her palms to keep from crying out, but the lack of response only served to enrage the Goa'uld further and the pain quickly increased. Unable to help herself, Vala screamed as every nerve in her body was set on fire. It was hard to concentrate, every time a thought attempted to form it was washed away in waves of agony. She'd managed to silence herself and attempted to block out the hurt. Summoning the centuries of training, she gathered her own energy together and used it to push back - slamming the Goa'uld into the nearby wall. Released, Vala slumped forward.
Shaking her head, the Goa'uld was also trying to regain her bearings. Slowly, as the moments passed, they both began to stand. The Ka'rosh backed up at a steady pace, her movements less graceful: the pain and weariness more pronounced with each step. Eyes shimmering, the blue barrier once more erected itself around her a second before the enemy weapon slammed into it. Vala clenched her teeth and held on, knowing that death was imminent. She could feel her control slipping, weakness would cause her shield to fail.
Smiling in victory, the Goa'uld moved forward as the cerulean construct of the Ka'rosh faded. Derision evident on arrogant features, she delivered a lazy, though powerful, backhand to an opponent whose arm moved miles too slow to block the blow. Now standing with it's back to the gate, the Goa'uld raised it's hand, amber stone glowing, and sent the barely standing Vala through the air. Her skull connected with a solid thud against the control room window, leaving an iridescent blue-red blood trail as the nearly lifeless body slid down the wall, coming to a sprawling rest on the ground.
The world was a spinning, hazy mess as Vala tried to open her eyes. Everything seemed so surreal, even when she dimly felt her hair being yanked back, saw a shadowy figure leering down at her. When it lifted her up, she couldn't feel the hands that held her. Didn't notice their release, or the momentum her form gained as it sailed through the air. She didn't even feel the thing that slowed, then stopped her flight, but her vision had cleared momentarily. Enough for her to gaze down at the object now protruding from her midsection - stained with her blood.