Still need to fix this chapter up, but eventually I'll redo the whole story, so it can wait until then. Working on getting the information out of the way so the fun can begin. It's a necessary evil.
-----
Daniel shifted uneasily.
"I believe so, yes. Although there is nothing to indicate that she's actually dead."
"Are you saying we have a snake out there whose host can do what Vala can?" He'd like to have said he didn't believe that, but Daniel was usually right about these things. He ignored the fact that it had only been a matter of days since they'd discussed something similar about Angitia.
Besides, Jack figured, that would be our luck.
When Daniel nodded an affirmative to the possibility, Jack couldn't help but sigh before turning to Teal'c.
"And you've never heard of her?"
"I have not, O'Neill."
"Terrific," came the annoyed response.
"Relax, Colonel. Don't you think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here? We're not even sure this Gullveig is alive. The fact that Teal'c has never heard of any such Goa'uld may even be an indicator that she isn't. Until we know more, we really can't do anything. And until Vala wakes up, or Thor returns, we have limited options. In the meantime, it is my recommendation that you all get some rest."
It wasn't just that SG-1 was starting to look like they were dead on their feet, fraying around the edges, that made Hammond give the 'suggestion'. Truth was, as they all knew, if this turned into something; then things were likely to happen and happen quickly. Rest should be taken while it could be.
And they still didn't have a clue as to who had known to dial the gate when they had – or, perhaps, more unsettling, how they had known it in the first place. The Goa'uld they currently had in confinement wasn't offering up any insight on the situation.
Once the gate was activated from offworld, assuming no code was received, the times that iris was left open were few and far between; usually when they simply weren't able to close it. But that was the problem: Vala had been the reason they couldn't close it and nobody had known, including her, he'd wager, that she was going to do that. Which meant that the Goa'uld , or whoever was in charge, had terrific intel or SG-1's sort of luck.
He could refuse to believe any of his people had committed treason, but to disregard a possibility like that, regardless of how much he'd like to be able to, would only prove a bane. It was foolish and he hadn't gotten to the rank of general by being stupid.
Of course, all things considered, if there was a traitor, it could only be someone in the select number of people who had been present in the control room. Otherwise they'd never have been able to get such a message out so quickly. While that was still a larger number than he'd like, it was better than the whole base.
Hammond sighed, rising and making the short trek to his office. Thor was coming back, eventually. Until then they would all just have to sit tight.
Without a visual sign of annoyance, the general sat down and dug into the pile of paperwork sitting before him on the desk. While he didn't care for the task any more than Jack did, he was unable to get by without doing it like his second-in-command seemed to be able to. Proof that while being at the top of the food chain had its perks, it also had its dire drawbacks.
As the work thinned out a bit, he glanced toward the clock and was surprised to find that over two hours had gone by. Deciding to follow his own order, Hammond grabbed his coat and left his office. He needed a few hours of sleep after the long day that they'd all just had. Doctor Fraiser likely wouldn't leave; snagging a few hours of rest in her office – if she allowed herself the luxury at all.
She'd call if anything changed.
Secure in that knowledge, the general departed Cheyenne Mountain
-----
Head draped across massive paws, Ca'eles listened to Vala breathing. The steady rhythm was soothing to his mind. He was aware of the increase in activity around him and some corner of his brain told him of dawn's arrival.
They constantly checked the machines hooked up to the Ka'rosh. Taking readings. Dimly, Ca'eles wondered what they had to measure those numbers against. They didn't know what a completely healthy and well-rested Vala was like. He assumed they were using the results of the woman doctor's earlier tests as a base.
The human had been impressed, apparently, by her findings about Vala. She'd never known how depleted the Ka'rosh was by that point. How slow her reactions had gotten. But Vala was improving, he knew it. He could have told them that Vala would be fine, if they'd asked.
Of course, nobody did ask him. Never mind the fact that even if they had, he wouldn't have been able to communicate with them.
Closing his eyes, trusting in Lasha to keep watch, he drifted into sleep.
Lasha continued the vigil, guarding over both of her bond-mates.. even if wasn't completely necessary.
----
By the time Jack arrived on base the next morning, things were already interesting. Arriving in Hammond's office, to get the latest, he rubbed is hands together in half feigned eagerness, eyeing the bald general with a certain gleam in his gaze.
"So, what's up?"
"Good morning Colonel."
"Good morning, sir. .. So. . what's up?"
Hammond briefly toyed with the idea of messing with his subordinate but dismissed the notion almost immediately. It wasn't kindness that caused him to do so, but rather a desire to remain sane.
"A little over an hour ago, Ms. Kyair awakened. Doctor Jackson is currently with her, as I believe are Teal'c and Major Carter."
"Sir, permis-"
"Permission granted." Tossing a small pile of completed paperwork into a basket, he glanced at his door in time to see it close behind a cheerful Jack O'Neill.
Hammond just shook his head.
----
Pausing at the entrance of the infirmary, Jack took in the scene, somewhat surprised. Hammond had said that Vala was awake, what he failed to mention was that she was already up on her feet and giving one of the med techs a difficult time. The man, obviously not pleased about that fact, was attempting to get her to lay back down. Vala wasn't having any of it.
"I do not require any of your aid." Her tone was patient, yet there was an undercurrent of something dangerous in both her voice and her movements.
"Nor do I require more rest." The last wasn't wholly accurate, but truth be told, she was restless. Something was gnawing away at her subconscious, demanding her immediate focus, and she couldn't concentrate enough to figure it out. Regardless of what she'd spoken, she was still tired and regaining her equilibrium amongst all the activity and noise going on around her was proving to be more difficult than she'd first counted on. Luckily Lasha and Ca'eles were being silent, for the moment. She had no doubt that that would change fairly soon, but for the time being it was greatly appreciated.
And there were other matters to be dealt with. Someone had recently tried to kill her - well, many people had, in all actuality. She had no doubt they were the pawns of someone who, in all probability, still very much wanted her dead. That concept really didn't bother her. It wasn't the first time for such an event, nor was it likely to be the last – assuming she survived this one. But it was an old game.
The fact that Goa'uld were involved just upped the ante.
Right now, that little detail was one of the only things keeping her from killing the Asgard. Whatever else she might think of the worthless creatures, she couldn't convince herself they'd align with Goa'uld – especially not just to kill her. Being the last of her species made her a limited threat, at best. She wasn't vain enough to believe any of them would bother.
Not that she couldn't do some damage, but in the grand scheme of things the results would be minimal.
Still, she wondered how the Asgard had known she was here at all. It was entirely possible they'd been monitoring Earth and recognized her energy signature – it was somewhat unique in the universe. But why had they cared? The only possible explanation was that the Asgard wanted something – help with something, she seemed to recall – and that really wasn't going to happen.
She had no idea what it was, and honestly didn't care.
Vala hadn't yet managed to bring herself to hunt down and destroy the Asgard, as a whole or individually; vengeance wasn't a trait of a Vanir's normal personality make-up and she'd had troubles dealing with its onset.
Familiarity with hatred had come with that of revenge.
In spite of the passing centuries, since the downfall of her kind, she hadn't gotten past the verbal realm. Once in awhile, if she indulged the pettiness, she would curse the existence of the Asgard. Curse the day the spineless creatures ever set foot on Vanaheim. She might even allow herself to blame them for all of the misfortunes that had befallen her species.
Somewhere, however, she knew it wasn't entirely true. Only so much of the responsibility could be lain at the feet of the Asgard. In the end, the Leaders of the Vanir had made their choice; to help a species who'd brought them nothing but pain and trouble.
Whatever worth the Leaders had seen in the Asgard, Vala now failed to, but aside from those rare moments when she let hatred overshadow reason, she couldn't fully condemn them – couldn't bring herself to act physically upon her feelings.
That didn't mean she was going to help them. She might not have been able to bring herself to consider them prey, but she wasn't going to stop anyone else from doing so. She might have even wished them luck, if the hunters were anything other than Goa'uld.
She couldn't help the irritation that was rising; due in part to the nerve of her enemies as well as the fluttering about of the human in front of her. He may well be one of those responsible for the health of the people in this facility, though she knew he wasn't in charge, but she didn't really care about that either.
And, of course, she fully realized that she was behaving as a child.
That struck her as amusing, all things considered. She smiled, albeit faintly, and kept up a calm front.
"I appreciate your concern, but I will be quite well on my own. There is nothing more you can do for me." That, at least, was completely true.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
This time a genuine smile formed. "I am certain, Daniel."
The linguist grinned in return, and she couldn't miss how relief eased the worry lines that had etched into his features.
Humans really were an odd lot.
"General Hammond would like to speak with you, if you're up to it." Sam, who like Daniel and Teal'c, had remained quietly observing Vala with the infirmary's staff. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Janet had been here to deal with it herself. Nobody argued with the petite doctor, on her turf, and won. It might have been interesting.
Ah, well. Probably best that Hammond had ordered her to rest when the Ka'rosh had awakened with no sign of injury.
"And how are we all doing this morning?" Jack asked happily as he finally strolled forward and made his presence known. He'd already known that Fraiser wasn't awake, but the scene had been entertaining anyway. For once, it wasn't him arguing with them.
"Good, sir. How're you?" As if she couldn't tell by the smile lighting his face.
"Terrific!"
"Someone's in an awfully good mood this morning." Daniel arched a brow in polite inquiry.
"Must be what a good night's rest will do," he replied with a contagious smile. "So, briefing room again huh?"
When Sam nodded, he briefly sighed. "Well, I suppose it could be worse."
------
Twenty minutes later, he found himself sitting between Carter and Thor. Vala hadn't spoken a word since the Asgard had returned, but her tense muscles combined with the narrow gaze she fixed the little gray guy with, clearly stated that things hadn't changed. Of course, now that Jack knew some of the history, or at least the mythological take on it, he understood the situation a little better. Not that he believed for one minute that the Asgard had actually tortured anyone.
Looking at Thor, who was seated at Jack's right, he found himself reconfirming the idea. Not a chance in hell.
He looked directly across the table at Teal'c and Daniel, then lifted his gaze slightly to glance briefly at Vala; who stood motionless behind the Jaffa and linguist.
"So…."
"I'm trying to understand this situation," Hammond said, moments later, unwilling to endure this impasse anymore until he at least comprehended what the problem was. And he wasn't looking for the myths, now. He wanted the real deal. "Because I believe that in order to accomplish whatever it was you came here for," he said, looking directly at Thor, "We're all going to have to work together."
An oddly empty voice answered him, as Vala finally broke her self-imposed silence: "There is nothing to discuss. I will not aid the Asgard by any means. I merely await your consent on my departure. I do not wish to harm anyone again."
"That action was not warranted, you realize."
Those odd, overly bright, blue eyes truly focused, for only the second time since Thor's first arrival, on the Asgard. "I do not believe I was speaking to you. I neither require nor seek your grand wisdom."
She may have appeared calm and detached, but underneath she was seething at being forced into proximity to the Asgard once more. She could leave, but she wasn't foolish enough to risk a repeat of earlier events. She'd hurt people then, and it had never been her intention to do so. In anger, one did not always act wisely. It was a lesson learned long ago, and one she occasionally still found hard to remember when it was vital that she do so.
"I do not believe myself to be wiser than you are."
"Funny, now when did that happen? Have the mighty Asgard fallen to the same depth as the Vanir? Would not the Leaders faint to hear such a thing.."
"Stop!" Hammond's voice cut through the room with authority that effectively shut the two up. Thor merely blinked at the outburst. Vala arched a brow elegantly, almost challengingly. But the expression vanished and she maintained the commanded silence.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. Now, as I politely asked earlier, I want to know what history the two of your races share. Ordinarily it's not the policy of the SGC to interfere in other species' relations, but you've brought someone's attention to us. I'd like to understand why and just who is knocking at that door." He needlessly pointed to the stargate just beyond the window. Looking at the two 'guests' in turn, his expression plainly showed an expectation for answers.
Almost strangely, it was Vala who began the story. Her tone was low, once more painstakingly devoid of emotion.
"Thousands of years ago, my people lived peacefully in our world. We had a close bond with the ground and water, due in a very large part to our energy based natures. It was from these elements that we had long since learned we could draw sustaining force. Peace reigned on the whole of the world. Until…"
"What?"
"One day the skies darkened and the ships of the Asgard came. They were seeking aid against their enemy."
"The Goa'uld?" Daniel asked.
"Yes."
"Weren't they your enemy too?"
She shook her head, gaze distant as she recalled the memories. "We did not know of them yet. The Leaders refused to act, at that time. We were not warriors; we were not meant to be."
"And then?"
"The Asgard departed."
"And that's the reason you hate them?" Jack was incredulous.
Turning a nearly lifeless gaze on the human, she continued. "Soon after they departed, one of the Leaders, Gullveig, began to act strangely. She became infatuated with technology and her research."
"Why was that odd?" Sam couldn't fathom why being into your work was abnormal.
"She was not a scientist. Never had she shown an interest in our technological advances .. or our genetic ones. Suddenly she was consumed with ideas of bettering our species and using our ships to leave the planet. It was not long before some of my species began to vanish. It was anomalous, for no one could hear their voices."
"Hear their voices?"
"Vanir were linked through our minds. We could hear one another, sense one another's presence."
"I thought you weren't telepathic." Jack said suspiciously.
"Outside of my own species, I can not communicate in such a manner. Since my species is effectively dead, I do not believe that I fit anything near your definitions of the word."
"You were saying..?" Hammond interrupted before Jack could continue pressing that particular issue.
"Gullveig was later discovered to have been experimenting on the missing, who by that time were found to be dead.
"Attempting to create something so beyond what the Vanir were, that the first who saw could not begin to understand the implications. She advanced our genetic makeup to a nearly pure energy state."
"I thought that's where you are now." Sam was puzzled.
"Yes."
"If she killed all her subjects …"
"I was not one of the original subjects. I came into existence nearly a century later."
"Wait, a minute. This entire story you've been telling us, you've told it as though you were there." Jack was beyond suspicious now.
"In a manner. Memories are passed down genetically, I remember what my father saw. In many ways, it can seem as though I was there. By the time I was born, the Asgard had returned and Gullveig had vanished. It was not until she was gone that they bothered to tell the Leaders of the Goa'uld. The enemy they had brought into our world with their own arrival."
"Surely that couldn't have been intentional! To hate the entire Asgard species for something like that… "
"You think I hate them for that?" She raised a brow, again, coldly watching the colonel.
"On the contrary, my species thanked them for the knowledge and vowed to be more on guard should the need arise. The Asgard were not pleased by the revelation that we would not be joining the fight against the Goa'uld. Which is amusing, really, since they considered the Vanir so far behind them on the evolutionary path.
"However, in less than a century, when those of my…. " she paused, as though searching for the right word, "generation? began to be born, it was clear that the peaceful nature of the Vanir had been altered. The Asgard once more returned, and this time the Leaders agreed to aid them. What had happened to us, could happen to another species. It was not until much later that we realized that while we were out there, fighting their war, they were busy in useless council with the other races that made up their sacred Four. Confronted, they declared that the Vanir were not advanced enough to join them. The flat refusal riled many of my generation, and war was waged. In the end, the Asgard called for a truce.
"Ironic, is it not, that such a lower species could bring yours down?"
"We misjudged, I do not deny this."
"Yes, you did."
Glad to be getting somewhere, even if it was a lot to process, Hammond asked for Vala to continue.
"In the end, the Leaders agreed to renew the fight against the Goa'uld. Over several centuries, after the Goa'uld became aware of us and learned they could neither use us for hosts nor as slaves, they began to systematically wipe out any of the Vanir they could find. It was then that the Asgard left.
"In terms of sheer numbers, we were vastly outnumbered and our population was shrinking rapidly. They had found some manner to track our weaponry. Our technology would cause sensors on their ships and at their gates, to go off. We began to focus more on using our own energy as opposed to outside force. While effective, it also limited the time we could engage them before we grew too weary to oppose the enemy. In the end, those who remained withdrew and found a new world – our old home having long since been destroyed. We no longer associated ourselves with being Vanir, and simply called ourselves Ka'rosh."
"What does the name mean?" Teal'c inquired in his usual tones.
"The end. Of course, we were wrong. The Asgard once more brought us into the fight. Unintentionally, I'm sure." The sarcasm was biting. "Coincidently, the Goa'uld arrived one evening, as the second sun was setting for the day."
"What happened?"
"As far as I know, I am the only one who made it out of that trap. I have not heard another's voice, nor felt another's presence, since that day."
Okay, so Jack felt bad for her. He understood well how such things happened though. How in war, sometimes there was no choice but to fight.. and that yes, sometimes the enemy showed up at your doorstep without warning.
"I don't believe it." He raised a hand before Daniel could interrupt. "I believe that that all happened, I just don't buy that it was intentional." He looked to Thor for confirmation.
"We did not know that we were being followed, but we did know of the Ka'rosh home world."
"You knew, as you left our galaxy, that the Goa'uld were there." The tone wasn't accusatory, it was just tired now. "You knew they'd find those who remained."
"Yes."
"What!" Jack just looked at Thor in something like disbelief mixed with betrayal.
"We could not interfere. All planets in that system were, under treaty, Goa'uld territory."
Smiling bitterly, Vala leaned casually against the wall. "It was not Goa'uld territory when we went there. You knew of our location, and yet you signed the planet away as though you had the right. Some ally you proved yourselves to be."
Jack sighed. Despondently, he muttered to Carter. "See, I told you it could be worse."