Chapter Nine
Surrounded by the faint humming of the Ha'tak's inner workings Egeria laid there. Confusion rested in her for a moment as she awoke. That confusion was born from a sharp pain that thumped in the recesses of her host's skull. She couldn't figure out where the pain had come from, but she soon left that question behind as it shifted from her skull to travel down the entire length of her host's body; leaving the whole of her being to ache.
Carefully she arose from the velvet bed and stumbled away. Her intention was to make her way to the adjoining bathing room, but the pain pulled her from it. Instead she dragged herself over to the room's window and collapsed upon a small sill.
Taking in a few breaths her Goa'uld mind wondered again as to the cause of this strange ache that coursed through her host's body. It was only a dull ache, one that would normally come from hunger or a lack of something else, yet it was still enough to cause her this moment's rest before attempting to reach the bathing room again. With nothing else to do as she leaned next to the window she looked out at the deep purple hued space. Normally this color that was invited upon entering hyperspace was enough to calm any tension and ill feelings that she might have. This time though the scene did nothing to ease her and only served to remind her that time was dwindling before she once again had to face the stifling arrogance of a fellow System Lord.
As she thought about it in that moment the question came up about whether or not Osiris could be of any use to her. She had just left behind five other System Lords which had wasted her time. If she was to take on Ra and hope to be successful then timing would be the key element. Her assault on his domain would have to be swift and precise, making sure that his forces were scrambled and his strategies crippled before he even knew the assault had begun. For that to happen then her timing would have to be exact. Something which seemed to be harder and harder to accomplish the more time she wasted on trying to gather allies.
While so far her attempts to gather support against Ra had been futile, she had not yet decided to give up. True her time spent on Reloor had become a waste of precious time, but it had served one purpose. Despite the fact that none of the Goa'uld present had decided to support her they had served as a base for how others might feel about taking on Ra. The thought of an alliance between rivaling Goa'uld seemed a strange concept in these times; a concept only to be used in the most desperate of situations. To Egeria the impending doom from Ra did make things desperate, but to the others he seemed less threatening. So she had used her words and their reactions to test the water for alliances and opinions.
In reality that testing seemed to be irrelevant though. Like them she was a Goa'uld, and as a System Lord she was a Goa'uld with power. Being in the same position as them should have allowed her to know their thoughts and beliefs before they even had them. She should have been able to use their kindred lifestyle to know how they would react to her proposal and to know how fruitless that endeavor would be. Yet for some reason their behavior had not been completely predictable. Wondering for a moment about that fact she realized that she was different from them. Not in any significant way perhaps, but enough for the difference to be noticeable. She asked herself if that difference had been the cause for their rejection of her proposal. Quickly though she realized that even if it was it didn't matter, and dismissed the entire thing.
Differences aside, each one of them faced the same situation. Ra was a threat, even the System Lords on Reloor were aware of this fact. If he did end up moving against them then they would all share in a common demise. It was not for her own demise that she was concerned with, but the demise of the Goa'uld race and their way of life that truly bothered her. Again and again she had stated this concern before the other System Lords, and each time they either blatantly ignored it or simply wrote it off as a tactful scheme to erode their own power. Thinking of their reactions frustrated her nearly as much as actually being before them had. Couldn't they look beyond the petty fighting that had become the norm and realize the greater stakes and the greater sincerity of her words? Just because they didn't expect each other to be forthcoming about everything did they really have the right to make the same assumption about her?
Once more she pushed the question from her mind. It didn't matter that she had been as clear and as open about everything as much as words allowed. Nor did it matter what they thought of her and those words. In the end they had rejected both, and she had been forced away without an ally and without a shred of hope. That was the fact that she resigned to focus on, knowing that when the entire matter from Reloor was boiled down it left nothing but their foolish rejection. A rejection that would lead them all to Ra's heel if she didn't find a way to stop him.
Thinking of this once again reminded Egeria of how precious time was in this matter. With the clock seemingly ticking away she wondered for a moment why she was simply laying there, staring out the force shielded window, pondering over what had already occurred. If she was really to stop Ra then action was needed and courses had to be taken. This prompted her to suddenly stand back up, and to suddenly be reminded of why she had decided to rest in the first place.
A wave of ache and dizziness washed through her host's body the moment she arose. Being in such a large degree both of these nearly sent her tumbling back down upon the sill. For a moment her mind focused once again as to what was causing her host's body to feel such a way. Another question quickly arose in why with her Goa'uld healing abilities she was unable to solve the crisis. It almost seemed as though this illness, whatever it was, also affected her Goa'uld self. Realizing that no answers could be found standing there, and that simply standing there would only further waste time, she pushed her ailing body towards the bathing room.
Stumbling into the adjoining room Egeria ignored the pain as best she could as she made her way to the decorated sink and turned the faucet on. Letting the cool water run over her hands she relaxed for a moment. The mysterious pain was left behind her in a realm of uncaring as the water's calm embrace lifted her into some long ago memory of time spent swimming in a sparkling lake. That memory seemed odd to Egeria, as she couldn't recall ever swimming in a lake, yet it was such a pleasant memory that she couldn't help but to lose herself to it. As she did so the pain and everything connected to it seemingly disappeared; right up to the point when she decided to open her eyes and stare at herself in the smooth glass mirror.
Suddenly seeing herself, or at least her host's self, brought the pain's harsh realization back to her. While the pain itself had been imbedded deep within her being it had manifested itself in a very unappealing way. Red strands of hair shot off wherever they willed, fatigue was readily evident in her eyes, and even her skin seemed to be a less flattering tone. Some how her once majestic look had been lost while she slept, and that was something she could not tolerate. She was a goddess, and as a goddess she was expected to carry such a presence of perfection and beauty. No one would kneel at her feet in worship were she to be presented in this state. Reaching over and grabbing hold of a hair brush she began to try and gain some control over the wild hair.
Brushing her hair into place and feeling overall disgusted with her state she tried to push the matter and the questions out of her mind. She had to focus on what lay before her; of her meeting with Osiris. Any reaction that her Jaffa might have about her current state would be pale in comparison to that of Osiris. Egeria knew that a tenuous relationship existed between the System Lords and that the only thing that kept one from being conquered was an obvious show of force. For Osiris, or any other Goa'uld, to respect her then she needed to present the strong and majestic presence of a true goddess. Only that show would save her from Osiris' forces, and force him to consider her words.
Having spent several moments working on her hair and any other obvious traces of imperfection that she could find Egeria stood there and looked back at her new reflection. A smile made its way to her face as she gazed at the familiar face of her majestic goddess self. This was her true self, the self that would lead armies of Jaffa and conquer entire worlds; bringing them all to her feet in worship. Though the face she saw was not actually her own she still felt pride in it. After all, considering that a Goa'uld could choose to have any face they wished didn't that choice reflect their true power and grace? Her host was truly stunning, and she knew that beauty made the image of her Goa'uld self equally impressive. Satisfied, she turned away from the mirror and made her way out to her quarter's main room.
Walking across the comfortable room she took notice of a glint of gold out of the corner of her eye. Ignoring it for the moment she stepped into her closet and chose an outfit that highlighted her host's more attractive features while still conveying the raw power of her Goa'uld self. Changing into the outfit and smoothening it to make sure that any imperfections in the outfit itself were unnoticeable she stepped back into the main room and focused her full attention onto the gold that had caught her eye.
Once she had approached the gold device she stood there for a moment and simply placed a hand on it. Looking down at the sarcophagus she was once more reminded of the debilitating pain as a fresh wave of it rippled through her being. It had been several weeks since she had used the device, choosing to rest in the more comfortable velvet bed in its place, and until that moment she had more or less forgotten its existence. Now though she was drawn to it for some reason. She was drawn to it and by way of her pain she considered using it once again. If the healing powers that she possessed were unable to curb the mysterious pain then surely she would need the sarcophagus to get rid of it and return her to a normal sense.
Thinking it over for a moment her hands made their way across its smooth surface. The pain that had found its way into her made her entire being seize to it. She knew that it was a stubborn pain, and one that would not go away so easily. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to focus her entire self on Osiris or on her plan to bring down Ra as long as the pain coursed through her, she unconsciously pressed in a symbol which caused the device's top part to split and slide open. A voice somewhere in the recesses of her mind returned to try and convince her against the device's use, but seeing no other way to end the pain she ignored that voice and began to step in. Before doing so something new caught her eye. Moving her attention towards it she stepped away from the healing device and almost instantly forgot her near use of it.
Beyond the invisible force shield of the window the view had changed and the hue gone from purple to black. Something else now filled the window's view. That something was a planet. The planet Nevar to be exact; Osiris' home world. Seeing this world, and realizing that they had arrived at their destination, forced away any lingering thoughts Egeria had about the sarcophagus and the pain. She no longer had the time to afford to such things as their arrival at Nevar meant her immediate departure. Trying her best to ignore the lingering pain she took one last breath of the calming effect of her quarter's before making her way out of them and out towards her meeting with Osiris.
In the hallways outside several Jaffa stood guard or went about their various activities. Each one of them felt the need to bow in reverence as she passed; something which she felt to be a waste of precious time. Despite that feeling she let the action go without remark, knowing that being before their goddess their reaction was automatic and considered necessary. She couldn't fault them for their devotion towards her, nor did she see any true reason she should. Even though she welcomed their reverence there were times, such as this, where she almost felt things would be better without it. Letting the matter fall away she simply ignored them as she continued on her way to the ring room.
Along the way she ran into Aphrodite, who undoubtedly was on her way to Egeria's quarter's to inform her queen that they had arrived at Nevar. Egeria almost laughed at the notion that her subordinate would believe her to be so oblivious to what was going on. Did she not believe that, having a room with a large window, she would notice their arrival? Like her soldiers she decided not to fault Aphrodite for her attempts to better serve her. Instead she just calmly walked on as the blonde haired woman decided to walk beside her.
Walking along in silence neither Goa'uld spoke, leaving only the actions of the passing Jaffa to break the stillness between them. Several times Aphrodite's glance wandered over to her queen, each time lasting on her for only a moment before turning back to the hallway before them. Inside of her mind a question kept whispering for her to ask it to Egeria. Though she felt she needed to ask it, she found that in the moment she could not.
Aphrodite's actions did not go unnoticed by her queen as they made their way through the torch lit hallway. While she had not given her subordinate an acknowledging look she had still been aware of Aphrodite's glances at her. She guessed that something was on her subordinate's mind, and that because she was about to ring down to the planet Aphrodite didn't feel it important enough to bother her with. Whether or not her subordinate deemed it worth her time Egeria felt was irrelevant. She was a queen, a goddess, a System Lord. All of these and more made it imperative that she know everything that was going on in the confines of her domain and within the confines of those in that domain. "What is it Aphrodite?" Egeria asked keeping her attention focused ahead and her tone full of authority.
Even though Egeria had made it apparent that she wished to know what was on Aphrodite's mind the blonde haired subordinate was still hesitant about saying a word. After the encounter they had had before Egeria's return to Reloor Aphrodite had been left to consider her actions. Like Egeria she was a Goa'uld, and all Goa'uld craved power. But unlike her queen she had no tangible power at her fingertips. She was a conquered being, and as such there were certain guidelines to follow. For her to step so far outside of those guidelines jeopardized not only her life but her ambitions as well. Deep down she knew that whether she liked it or not she had to play the submissive role in her dealings with Egeria, lest all of her work over the years be laid to ruin.
Carefully Aphrodite wetted her lips, pausing for a moment before responding to Egeria's question. She took this action in the belief that to come off too strong willed would do neither of them good. Once she felt that she had reinforced the role she was in she spoke. "Are you going down to meet with Osiris alone, my queen?"
Looking over at her subordinate with a questioning glance Egeria wondered why Aphrodite had asked such a thing. "Of course," she simply said as though it were a given.
"My queen, when you ringed down to Reloor you more or less walked into an ambush. One not of weapons, but of words. Having no support made the task of convincing them all the more difficult."
"Your point?" Egeria asked in a fierce tone, yet keeping it hushed some in the presence of the many Jaffa.
"My point is that maybe you would like me to accompany you to the surface. With both of us standing before Osiris and telling him of the impending doom by Ra then surely he would be more inclined to agree with us."
Thinking over Aphrodite's words Egeria saw the sense in them. On Reloor she had been forced to fight a battle on five different fronts without any support. Were Aphrodite to come with her then it would back Osiris into a corner. One with only capitulation providing an escape. Though they made sense she knew that she could not agree with those words. This was something that she needed to do on her own. "No Aphrodite, you will stay aboard the Ha'tak," she said firmly and finally.
Being forced from usefulness Aphrodite scrambled to think of some other way she could help her queen. "What about the Jaffa?" she suddenly asked. "Osiris does not know of your intent to come here. For you to suddenly ring down to his stronghold unannounced would force him to send his own Jaffa to destroy you."
"No, I cannot afford to ring down with any Jaffa either. To do so would be an open declaration of war against Osiris." Egeria replied as the two stepped through a pair of golden doors and into the Ha'tak's primary ring room. "I am here to gain allies, not more enemies."
Feeling rather confused by her queen's words Aphrodite felt compelled to further advise Egeria as the goddess moved to the ring platform's center. "But for your protection my queen. Surely you need a few personal guards to ensure your safety down there."
"Do not worry Aphrodite," Egeria said with a slight smile as she removed something from her outfit's pocket. "I will not be totally vulnerable." Slowly she moved the object to her hand and placed her fingers into the five golden slots. A slight glow emanated from her hand as suddenly a series of large metal rings appeared around her and whisked her away on a white brilliance of light.
Down on the surface below Osiris sat on his ornate throne completely oblivious to Egeria's presence or her intentions. A smile came to him as he took in all the beauty that surrounded him, beauty that was well befitting. While the entire world around him may have been coated in all things shimmering that beauty was pale in comparison to another beauty. Turning his head he took in the sight of her; his true beauty Isis.
Taking in the sight of his queen he leaned over and brought a finger to rest under her chin. Gently her head turned in response to his touch and their eyes met. Looking into Isis' eyes Osiris found his breath truly taken away. "Isis my queen," he said softly before pausing in his words to enjoy her in silence for a brief moment more.
"Yes my lord?" she asked in as soft and gentle a voice as could ever come from a goddess.
"Your grace makes even me, an all powerful god, unworthy. Grace though is nothing compared to your beauty. Your hair is more stunning than the dunes of Ralk'tyr, and your eyes as blue and depthless as the oceans of Harradsur." Pausing for a moment to once more just enjoy her stunning beauty he guided her closer with his finger, adding "I am nothing without you. My queen, my goddess, my love."
A smile made its way across Isis' face and a gentle glow came to her eyes. That glow did not come from her Goa'uld self however, but simply from her host as her emotions floated to the surface. Moving closer their lips nearly touched in pleasure, until a noise suddenly came from outside of the room and pulled Osiris' attention away from his queen.
Inside of the room Osiris could hear the shouts of several Jaffa, followed by a series of soft thuds. "What is going on?" he shouted over the growing commotion. Both he and the Jaffa present quickly realized something else about the commotion; it was getting closer. Without hesitation the Jaffa guards moved into place between their god and the door that led into the room. Within seconds that door flew open and the Jaffa just as quickly reacted.
Rushing towards the door the Jaffa moved to repel the mysterious attacker. From where he sat Osiris couldn't make out anything except for the gleam of the Jaffa's armor as they rushed ahead. A noise suddenly erupted, a noise that was familiar yet Osiris knew it couldn't be caused by the Jaffa guards. Following that noise he watched on as the guards' feet were lifted from the ground and each one of them was tossed into a crumpling heap.
With the Jaffa no longer blocking his view Osiris nervously looked ahead towards what had just incapacitated his entire legion of guards. Standing just inside the doorway was a woman with her hand still outstretched wearing a device that Osiris knew all too well. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked of the woman, knowing only in that moment that she was an intruder in his palace.
Bringing her hand down to rest at her side the woman took a step forward and firmly said "We need to talk Osiris," as her eyes fiercely glowed.
Taking in the sight of the intruder, Osiris' mind slowly began to recognize her. "What possibly could there be for us to talk about, Egeria?" he asked as her name finally came to his mind.
Letting her fierce bravado slip away Egeria's manner smoothened and she fell into the more diplomatic role she had played on Reloor. Knowing that it had proved useless before the other System Lords made her hesitant on using it here again, but ultimately she decided that it was the best tactic to use if she were to convince Osiris. "A matter of grave importance," she said suddenly and firmly. "A matter of life and death."
As Egeria softened her manner so too did Osiris. He still viewed her very much a threat, having so suddenly burst into his palace and made useless of his Jaffa guards. Something else came from her though. At almost the moment she spoke her words Osiris saw them in the reality that they were and knew that she would some how use those words against him. Still they intrigued him, and seeing no harm in the fact, he decided to amuse her. "Go on," he calmly said as he eased back into his chair.
Having just gone through the issue in detail with five other System Lords Egeria was far from eager to go through it again. Deciding to skip the long winded politics of their discussion she jumped straight to the point. "I have come seeking allies against a mortal threat to our way of life."
"Oh?" came Osiris' reply with a coy smile. He was enjoying this little show that Egeria was putting on for him. By admitting that she needed help in this instance served to show her own weaknesses, and by coming to him served to show his glorious strength.
"From Ra," Egeria added with finality.
With the would be threat now given an identity it caused Osiris to carefully think over such a threat. Like every other Goa'uld in existence he knew of Ra, and of Ra's power. That power was without question vast and easily made any other Goa'uld envious of it. But what could cause that power to be viewed as a threat? Curious about this prospect he made a simple gesture with his hand, urging the Goa'uld queen before him to continue on.
"There are no details that need mentioning here Osiris," Egeria quickly responded as she no longer felt the need to point out Ra as a threat. Anyone who knew what was going on outside of their sheltered domain could easily see the threat he posed. "It is obvious to me, as surely it is obvious to you, that Ra has vast power and needs to be stopped. If he is not stopped soon then he will march across space virtually without opposition until the whole of our domain's fall under his rule."
"I do recognize him to be a threat in the grand scheme of things, Egeria," Osiris shot back, feeling as though she had insulted him by implying he didn't know of Ra's true power. "But why should I commit my forces against him? Surely if you wanted Ra to be defeated then you would do so yourself."
Feeling frustrated by both Osiris' disregard of the situation and for his pathetic attempt to demean her forces she clenched her fist and chose her next words carefully. "Actually Osiris, I do not want your help. I want the help of your master, Anubis." She hoped by revealing this it would show Osiris just how little she thought of his forces and of his power. The expression that quickly graced his being almost made her smile with pleasure.
"Anubis?" he shouted the name with a tone that made it seem poisonous to his tongue. "He is no master of mine. I have no master!" he shouted as he grew angry at Egeria's words and quickly began to lose his patience in the matter.
"Oh come now Osiris. You don't have to play games with me." As Egeria spoke she did so with a smile and a manner that made it obvious of how dramatically the tables had just turned.
Coming down from his throne Osiris walked towards Egeria, hand outstretched and eyes glowing. When he reached the Goa'uld queen he put his hand upon her throat and brought her within inches of his face. "Anubis is not my master." He said firmly.
Even though Osiris' hand was now firmly placed on her neck Egeria made no movement. As Aphrodite had done before Egeria simply stood there and stared into Osiris' eyes without a flicker of concern. "All right then what do you call him Osiris? Ally perhaps?"
"He is an acquaintance. Nothing more."
"All right then, an acquaintance." The Goa'uld queen relented, but made no sign that she thought the situation to be any different then before Osiris' admission. "As an acquaintance of his then can you send him a message for me?"
Loosening his grip Osiris continued to stare fiercely into her eyes. "Even if I was inclined to be of some help to you, why would either Anubis or myself wish to take on Ra? He is of no concern to us."
"Think of what could be gained in his defeat," Egeria calmly said in a tone meant to seduce him into thinking over the prospect. "Think of all the soldiers, the resources, the raw power that you would gain in his defeat. The vastness of his domain is only there to benefit those of us that conquer him." While she had also unsuccessfully tried this tactic on Reloor she hoped that without anyone else to raise concerns Osiris might be persuaded by her words.
Taking his hand fully back he thought about the prospect for a moment. There did seem to be a great amount to gain by defeating Ra, but at what cost? "Surely to take him on would be nothing more than suicide!" he shot back, giving his deep rooted concern life.
"Not if we plan it right," she continued in the same cool tone. "Plus Osiris, are we not gods? How can gods be killed? How can gods falter at all? The simple fact that we are indeed gods will be enough to ensure our victory over Ra."
Stepping back he looked at Egeria and at the situation on the whole. There was some sense to the matter, but surely the matter was too large to be decided upon so hastily. "I will consider it," he quietly said before turning away from the Goa'uld queen and making his way towards an exit behind his throne.
Smiling at the fact that her words might have finally had some success she turned her gaze towards the Goa'uld queen Isis, who silently sat there and stared at her. In that moment she felt a connection being made with Isis. Some how it seemed as though the entirety of the situation was shared between them without a single word being said. Isis gave a slight nod to Egeria, confirming to her that the queen before her was no mere ornament in the court of Osiris. There was a power and a grace that she too commanded; and it was a grace that Egeria felt was very much like her own.
"Isis," Osiris called from the room's exit, breaking the silence and beckoning his queen. Closing her eyes for a moment Isis simply sat there before slowly rising from her chair and moving towards the exit; exuding that grace and power that Egeria had sensed in her. With both Goa'uld now gone Egeria saw no reason to stay and simply turned around and made her way back towards the palace's ring room.
When Egeria ringed aboard the Ha'tak she found Aphrodite to be standing there, waiting for her queen's return. She quickly assumed that Aphrodite's presence was because her subordinate was anxious to hear Osiris' reply to her offer of an alliance. Looking upon Aphrodite's face though made her dismiss such a notion. "What is it Aphrodite?"
Felling once more to be in a disconcerting position as she was forced to relate more bad news to her queen she simply said "It's Ra. He's launched an attack on Karmarik."
"What?" Egeria said with anger and shock at the news.
"Someone must have told him, my queen. Someone from Reloor must have told him that you were moving against him." Aphrodite said quietly yet still full of conviction.
Tightening her fist in rage Egeria moved towards the room's door. "When I find out…" she muttered under her breath as she planned her response to this attack and to the obvious treachery she had been dealt.
"Are you done with Osiris then?" Aphrodite asked of her queen as she moved to catch up.
Stopping at her subordinate's words Egeria suddenly remembered Osiris' response. If she stayed in orbit then her continued presence might further convince him to accept her proposal and contact Anubis. But to stay here when her soldiers needed their goddess the most? No, leaving now and furthering their belief that she was their protector was the better move in this instance. "For now Aphrodite," she said over her shoulder at her subordinate. "Come, we must go to Karmarik and begin our campaign against Ra."