A/N #1: The chapter title is a LOTR reference, because I can't help myself.
A/N #2: I'm off to a new country tomorrow, and it'll probably also be a longer than usual interval before the next chapter is up.
Someone once said, "The things that change the world … are the tiny things."[1] One tiny change can snowball into world-altering effects. In one universe, the inhabitants of a minor world called Pangar excavated a temple of Ra near the Stargate and, in it, discovered a canopic jar holding the still living body of a Goa'uld queen. It was the year 1940, as the Tau'ri measured time, and the queen was Egeria, the lost progenitor of the Tok'ra, who were a dying race without her. After decades of forced breeding and experimentation, the Pangarans developed Tretonin, which could treat any ailment and would later free the Jaffa from their dependance upon Goa'uld symbiotes. The strain on Egeria's body, however, led to her death in 2002, and with her death ended the last hope of the Tok'ra of ending the slow extinction of their race.
In another universe, the excavations of Ra's temple were delayed for some reason we may never know. Perhaps it was a weather system that slowed the work or that swept dirt and mud back into already cleared rooms and corridors. Perhaps it was a sickness among the workers or the archaeologists that delayed the work. Perhaps they focused on the wrong areas. Maybe the weather was too warm to work. Maybe there was a strike among the workers for some reason or another, wages perhaps, or the food. Bureaucratic problems perchance. Maybe even the discovery of the temple itself was delayed, and not just the excavations within. For whatever reasons, the discovery of the temple or the excavations thereof was delayed, and it was not in 1940, but years later, that the canopic jar trapping Egeria was discovered in its little niche in the catacombs.
With that one little change, the domino effect began.
The dominos continued to fall, one by one, though how exactly one may never know until the Pangarans discovered the Stargate earlier than in many universes where they discovered it at all and the Tau'ri discovered them earlier.
And that, as the saying went, made all the difference.
39th of Domust, 6547 A.S.
(November 7, 2000)
Uslisgas, Asteria
Command was a lonely place. Ruling over a military that guarded multiple galaxies, included hundreds of vessels and hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and encompassed many species, and being responsible for making life-and-death decisions that had the potential to save or doom entire species—including your own once—did not lend itself to an easy life or to many close companions. Command—and war, generally—was not a glamorous thing either. For all the days and hours spent fighting on the front lines, leading a strike-force into battle, there were many, many more days (and weeks) spent overseeing operations on a high level, constructing battle-plans, reading (a lot of) reports and other paperwork, approving reacquisition forms, filling out other forms, meeting with subordinates or allied commanders, attending briefings, or doing the other monotonous and boring tasks on which militaries run.
The first month of the Furling new year saw some minor developments in the war against the Goa'uld. After several months, the Goa'uld scientist Ptah was finally rooted out of his hiding place and killed during the ensuing battle. The simultaneous campaign against the System Lord Amaterasu wound towards its close, after she was killed during the fall of her homeworld Takamagahara. Some of her underlords still survived, and there were some isolated systems still holding out, but the back of her little 'empire' (loosely so-called) had been broken, and the end was near. This allowed for Sujanha and the High Command to start turning their attention to their next major campaign, that against Morrigan, a shadowy and ruthless System Lord.
The final week of the first month brought Sujanha back home, back to Uslisgas, for a short while, as the somewhat of a lull between campaigns presented her less pressing need to continuously remain on or near the front lines. Life at home was … noisier and somewhat more chaotic than it had ever been … probably since she was a child still living at court on Drehond, pseudo-siblings and pseudo-siblings'-children and all, but it was still a wonderful improvement. The noise (and the smells), watching out for a little one underfoot who was getting faster and faster in maneuvering around the house, and having to "child-proof" some things in the house, that was all a small price to pay for actually having a real family to come home to.
Eating real home-cooked food from the fruits of whatever Sha're had haggled for in the market, sitting down to enjoy a meal and not just consume it for sustenance before returning to work was just one small way that life had improved for Sujanha. Eating a slower-paced meal, helping to entertain and wrangle Shifu in the evenings, all that took time away from work, but as Malek kept reminding her, life was not all about work and reports, even though the High Command had been the all-encompassing factor of her life for many, many years.
Late on the morning of the 39th, Sujanha was sitting in her office, her chin propped on her left paw, by all appearances intently studying a massive three-dimensional holographic map that was longer and wider than her desk. The star-chart plotted out the extent of the territory currently known to be held by Morrigan. Furling and allied scout ships (also plotted on the map) were currently creeping through her territory, gathering intelligence, and that data was being transmitted back to the Furling High Command. Thus, as the days progressed, various updates were being made to this particular star-chart: lists of inhabited and uninhabited worlds with rough population estimates, concentrations of Goa'uld ships, classification details about inhabited worlds (gravity compared to Uslisgas, weather patterns, etc.), and the like.
There was actually not enough data collected about Morrigan's territory yet for Sujanha to be able to start drawing any conclusions or making any broad, overall strategic plans. That would come in time. With her stack of reports to be read and forms to be filled out finished for the moment, studying the star-chart gave her, or rather Malek, something to do. Malek was studying the chart. Sujanha was more … staring off into space, lost in thoughts that had nothing to do with war and more to do with home, happy thoughts that had led to bittersweet ones about Drehond and all that she had lost.
The rap of knuckles on the doorframe between her office and the outer office snapped Sujanha from those thoughts and Malek from her consideration of the star-chart programming and the differences between it and the nearest Goa'uld equivalent. By far inferior and outdated. Asik was standing in the doorway, a somewhat surprised look on his face. "Kelmaa-Gwyneth of the Tok'ra are here to speak with you, Commander, if you have time." Since he was speaking in Furling, he added, "Someone forgot to send across a notice when she arrived."
An annoying though not disastrous lapse in this case. It's not Zulaar arriving without warning. Sujanha needed all the warning she could get whenever Zulaar appeared. Someone among the caretakers or the guards of the Stargate was still probably going to end up getting lectured for the lapse, nonetheless, if the now annoyed look on Asik's face was anything to go by. Jaax would have been even more bothered.
There was a mental rustle of excitement from Malek. Kelmaa and Gwyneth were old friends of hers and of her former host, Loknu, who had died during the earthshakes on Vorash the year before. How has it already been almost an entire year? Malek and Kelmaa both shared a specialization in biochemistry and had often worked together before Sujanha became Malek's new host.
*She picked a good day to come,* Malek noted. *Her arrival is unexpected, though. I hope nothing is amiss.*
"Of course, we have time," Sujanha replied, giving a mental nod of agreement at her symbiote's words. "Please, send her in."
It had been some time since the two had last seen Kelmaa-Gwyneth, but they looked the same as they always had as they entered, wearing the darker of the two Tok'ra uniforms, neat golden curls falling around their face, and multi-colored eyes that jumped from point to point, missing nothing. Sujanha pushed herself to her feet with somewhat less difficulty than she often had—today was a good day, and Malek and happiness were boons to her health—and the two women clasped hands in greeting.
"You are welcome here, Kelmaa," said Sujanha, gesturing to an open chair by her desk. "Your arrival is unexpected. Is all well among the Tok'ra?" She is not one of the usual cadre of operatives who bring intelligence to us.
Kelmaa smiled and nodded, taking the proffered seat. "All is well. I am actually here to speak with Malek. SG1 has requested assistance on a scientific matter on a world they are currently visiting, and Malek's expertise would be of great benefit."
"Of course," replied Sujanha. "One moment."
*Today is an excellent day for the Tok'ra to have need of you,* she told her symbiote. *There is nothing pressing upon my schedule, and you have as much right to this body as me. If you need to go off-world for some hours or even the day, there should be no issue.*
Malek slipped forward seamlessly into control as Sujanha finished speaking. "Welcome, my old friends. What happened?"
The summary of the situation in which SG1 had found itself was comparatively simple. The repercussions of the situation, however, were not so simple. The inhabitants of a world called Pangar, who had developed into a currently rather advanced industrial society—rather advanced for a world once controlled by the Goa'uld, that is—had created a drug which they called Tretonin, which they were willing to trade with earth. This drug made the immune systems of those who took it regularly impervious to any ailments and diseases. One of the Pangarans had warned Nyan and Teal'c that there was something that "they needed to know" about the drug, and when they began to "investigate" the Pangarans' main medical facility where the drug was manufactured, Nyan and Teal'c discovered a massive tank filled to the brim with symbiotes. During an ensuing confrontation with the Pangaran security guards, one of the guards was taken as a host, but the blending was unusual, leaving the host essentially in a coma, which was why the SGC had asked the Tok'ra to consult on the matter. The blending had not failed, else both host and symbiote would be dead, but there were concerns that the symbiotes, which were being bred and raised in captivity, purposefully for use in this drug, might be developmentally hindered in some way.
Forced breeding.
Medical experimentation.
And how exactly are these symbiotes used in this drug, I am terrified to ask?
If they are used as an actual component of the drug? Stars in Heaven and Maker have mercy!
The longer Kelmaa spoke, the more horrified Sujanha became, the sicker she felt, and the more it brought back memories of the Great War and the experimentation on their people to advance the Enemy's biological weaponry. Yes, this drug, this Tretonin, was supposed to save people, not kill them, but at what cost? What price was acceptable for medical advancement?
Not this one.
Never this one.
If the symbiotes were being used as components of that drug, that was mass murder.
Medical experimentation on sentient creatures … cruel and unusual punishment, at the very least, and unacceptable treatment of … could you classify the symbiotes as prisoners of war? That might be a stretch. It's unconscionable, regardless.
Forced breeding of a sentient creature. Rape.
All were high crimes … or war crimes in the right circumstances … under Furling Law.
All would draw the stiffest penalties.
*Under our laws, I could be executed for high crimes for even knowingly allowing something like the Pangarans are doing to continue within my domain!* Sujanha exclaimed in sheer horror once Kelmaa had finished her tale.
*Goa'uld symbiotes. They are working with Goa'uld symbiotes,* Malek objected. *Their world was under the thumb of the Goa'uld for who knows how many years. If the Pangarans can save lives by their work, is that really wrong?*
The mental feelings pouring off of Sujanha in waves were scathing. *There is no morality for committing atrocities to accomplish a good end. Pleading that at the end of our days will accomplish nothing when we make an account for our life's actions. The Goa'uld, whatever evils they have done, are Still. Sentient. Beings, and they are Sentient. Beings. That. Feel. Pain.*
Sujanha paused and collected herself, and when she continued, there was an undernote of anguish in her mental voice. *Our peoples died by the city-full, sometimes the planet full, because of the biological weaponry that our Enemy produced by conducting mass experimentations on prisoners of war, on my people, on my men. We are STILL excavating the mass graves, and it has been almost eighty years since the war ended. Medical experimentation is not something that we would conduct on our worst enemies even if by doing so we could save ourselves from utter extinction. Better to die with our honor intact than win for ourselves an everlasting curse upon our memory.*
Malek was still not sure that she agreed with her host's opinions, but could readily understand where Sujanha was coming from. *Be that as it may, something needs to be done about the unusual blending of the guard. If we can free him …*
*You should,* Sujanha replied. If the Furlings lived according to the philosophy of "Do unto others as has been done to you," she might have thought differently, thought even that the guard deserved his fate.
"Give us an hour," Malek said aloud to Kelmaa, "and then we can leave for Pangar."
Some in the High Command were not exactly pleased with Sujanha's plans to leave for Pangar, which was not a Furling-controlled world or even an allied world, without any bodyguards, but Malek had as much right to use of their body as Sujanha herself did for as long as they were blended, and on a Tok'ra operation, having her usual complement of bodyguards would be … attention grabbing. Which is not preferable. A corvette was dispatched from the closest Furling base to provide assistance in case something did go wrong.
Once those bureaucratic details were completed—they took the majority of the hour—Sujanha sent word home to Daniel, asking if he wished to accompany her on a trip that she hoped would take no more than a day in order to see his old teammates. Then she then turned her attention to finalizing the appearance of her solid-state hologram, which she had needed for many years. The physical appearances of the Furlings were quite … striking … and attention grabbing, especially so on a Zukish planet like Pangar, just recently re-exposed to the wider gate network. Going in her true form would draw attention that Sujanha did not want, and so like her bodyguards had done during that trip to Abydos after Daniel had found Sha're, using a solid-state hologram was preferable.
Malek studied their human guise in a small mirror in Sujanha's small quarters adjoining her office, which had not seen much use for a while now. Dark skin. Dark eyes. Short-cropped hair. (*Hair is the one thing that our solid-state holograms cannot do well reliably. Shorter hair causes fewer issues,* Sujanha explained.) And at Malek's request, two small gold studs in each ear. (Given the length of her fur, Sujanha would have found long hair strange anyway.)
*We bear a striking resemblance to Ocker,* Malek noted idly. She shared a mental picture of the Tok'ra security chief, and Sujanha agreed that there was a striking resemblance. *This guise could almost be his host's sister.*
When they met Daniel at the Stargate some minutes later, he did a double-take and stared at her in puzzlement for a moment before he recognized her. "I haven't seen you use one of those before," he said. "I almost didn't recognize you."
Sujanha gave a rumbling chuckle. "I rarely go to a world on which I need one, but sometimes a less eye-catching guise is needed."
Daniel made a wordless face of agreement. "You look nice."
Further conversation was cut off as the Stargate finished dialing and opened, the vortex whooshing out violently before settling back in, leaving an unrippling, shimmering wormhole behind. Kelmaa stepped into the event horizon first with Malek—the two switched control quickly—a half-step behind, Daniel at her side.
On Pangar, the Stargate was located midway down a broad, shallow valley, surrounded by grassy, woody slopes dotted with old ruins and, a little way off, some towering, jagged peaks that rose knife-like from behind the trees. The Stargate itself stood on a platform, several steps high, and Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were waiting a few steps away by the dialing device.
"I am Kelmaa of the Tok'ra," said Kelmaa as the two groups met. "You have met Malek before."
Colonel O'Neill studied Sujanha for a moment from head to toe before quipping, "A little less furry today, Commander."
Daniel face-palmed.
*Really?* Malek gave a heavy mental sigh. She stared back at the colonel impassively, replying, "We are here to do a job, not draw attention because of our race, Colonel O'Neill. Now where is the guard who was made a host?"
Daniel split off to join Teal'c and Nyan who were helping one of the Pangaran archaeologists with translations at a nearby Goa'uld temple, while Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill led Kelmaa and Malek to the Pangaran medical facility, which looked like many another medical/scientific/research facility on other worlds. This place even had the same medical odors—cleaning products?—that made Sujanha want to sneeze, they tickled her nose so much.
The interior of the facility—the available equipment, the building style, even the uniforms of the workers—reminded Sujanha much of Midgard, though perhaps this was more representative of what Midgard could have been some years early. The Midgardians were obviously more advanced currently than the Pangarans were. The unlucky security guard was being kept in a large and airy room lit up by two large windows. He was strapped to the bed by his wrists and ankles with a much larger and thicker strap securing his waist.
Not that the restraints would really have been needed.
The guard … he was alive … by some definition of alive. His breathing and his heart-rate were normal. His body reacted to painful stimuli, his eyes to light, but otherwise … there was essentially nobody home, no controlling consciousness.
How odd. How very odd.
Malek and Kelmaa ran a full battery of scans and tests, both with the Tok'ra equipment and the Furling scanner that Sujanha had brought, and those scans and tests only made the situation more confusing.
"It is as though the symbiote within this man has taken a host before it was mature enough to do so," Kelmaa concluded.
"And yet," Malek continued without missing a beat, "our scans indicate it to be a full-grown adult. Most puzzling."
It's as if the symbiote is in control but is almost … brain-dead, essentially. There's like nothing there.
And the guard is just … trapped. Sujanha shuddered internally at the thought.
"Can you account for its lack of identity?" Major Carter asked. She and Colonel O'Neill were standing in the doorway of the treatment room, observing silently (until now) all that the two Tok'ra had been doing.
Malek pivoted both to address them and not have them at her back any longer. "As you know, memory is passed on genetically by the queen," she began, half-switching into lecture mode, "allowing them to be born with the collective knowledge of their lineage."
Kelmaa broke in when Malek paused for breath, noting suddenly, "It is possible that the queen that spawned him was unable to pass on this information to her progeny."
Unable? How would that happen?
O'Neill verbalized that same question.
"The knowledge imparted upon her young by a queen is done so voluntarily," Malek answered.
*But that's different, Malek,* Sujanha countered. *Unable to and not choosing to do so are different issues.*
"In this case, if nothing were passed on to the symbiote, it would be, as you say, an empty vessel," Kelmaa added. (It was interesting, when listening to the Tok'ra speak, to notice how Jacob's earth idioms were spreading.)
"Can you remove it without harming the host?" Major Carter asked. Freeing the host was the main reason the Tok'ra had been asked to come in the first place.
"Possibly," Malek replied somewhat reluctantly after staring at Kelmaa for several long seconds and having some sort of communication pass between them. Even with our updated procedures … until we know more … until we know what has happened exactly and why … "Such a procedure would be dangerous." She paused and then continued, turning back to SG1. "We would like to see the queen that spawned this Goa'uld."
The Pangarans were willing to allow the Tok'ra to see their captured Goa'uld queen, and within only a few minutes, an escort had arrived to take Malek, Kelmaa, Colonel O'Neill, and Major Carter down several levels to the lab in which the queen was currently being held. A regular Goa'uld (or Tok'ra) symbiote was no thing of beauty: long fangs, beady eyes, scales. But this queen … it did not look well at all, and the breeding … sac … attached to it looked no better, perhaps even worse. The symbiote's head was down. It almost seemed listless, though it seemed to sense their presence.
*Can the queen see us?* Sujanha asked.
*No. Well, see us, no. See our movements, maybe. When not in water, our eyesight outside of a host is poor. If we were right by the tank, probably, but across the room … especially in this light …*
The lab was dark and almost oppressive, with little light and only research equipment to be seen. The four stood there for a few moments, staring at the holding tank. The tiny holding tank. The Pangarans had not even given the queen that much room to swim around in … for when she was not being forcibly bred and therefore attached to that breeding sac.
(Sujanha felt a little sick).
"Not a pretty sight, even for a Goa'uld, huh?" O'Neill noted quietly.
"She is extremely old," said Kelmaa, approaching the tank to study the queen more closely.
I wonder who she was … is.
Malek stared at the tank for a few more moments and then asked, "She has been kept in this manner for decades?"
How cruel.
"According to the Pangarans," Carter replied, "they began using her for medical experiments about fifty years ago. She's been breeding symbiotes to make Tretonin for a little less than half that time."
Stars in Heaven above.
Fifty years in a tank like that.
Forced breeding for so many years. It was sickening.
Sujanha shuddered eternally, even as Kelmaa and Malek both whirled to look at each other and then Carter in surprise. They turned back to the tank and returned to studying the queen with new interest. Sujanha followed the threads of Malek's thoughts and quickly decided that there were some things about symbiote fertilization that she would happily remain ignorant about.
"Alright now, how is that possible?" O'Neill asked slowly, stepping up beside Malek. "I mean, how does she make kids without a …"—here he hesitated—"man friend?" It was surprisingly delicate phrasing.
"Symbiote queens are able to fertilize their own eggs," Malek replied in a slightly distracted manner, the majority of her attention on studying the queen. "It is essentially an asexual process."
*But that can cause problems when taking hosts,* she continued mentally for Sujanha's benefit. *Having the DNA of the species who are to be the hosts of the symbiotes for use in the fertilization process is preferable.*
"That why you guys take hosts?" O'Neill sounded idly curious.
Some questions are better not to be asked, Colonel.
"It is impressive that a primitive human culture could develop this process of creating such a drug," Kelmaa noted. She stepped back from the tank and began to study the other equipment in the room with some interest.
Kelmaa! For the interests of diplomacy, "primitive" is not a wise word to use! What could be true and what should be said were two completely different issues.
"Does it bother you at all that they use Goa'ulds like this?" O'Neill asked.
YES!
"No," Malek replied. "The Goa'uld have done no worse than this to humans for centuries. That the Pangarans can use them for a beneficial result is surprising, but not morally objectionable to me, if that's what you mean. Sujanha, however, thinks all of this is …"—she waved a hand to encompass the entire room and, implicitly, all beyond—"indefensible."
Before more could be said in that regard, Kelmaa returned to the tank as one of her scans finished running and said, "I believe her condition is the reason her offspring are not mentally developed. It is most unfortunate." She shook her head.
What are you saying?
"What is it?" Carter asked, stiffening.
"My scans indicate severe levels of cellular degeneration. The queen's health is … she is in very poor health. If the Pangarans continue to breed her as they are doing and leave her in these conditions, she will die … and soon."
And for her, that would probably be a kindness.
Midgard dialed in soon thereafter, and Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter left the medical facility for the Stargate for a meeting with General Hammond. There were no more scans for Malek and Kelmaa to run for the moment, so they stepped outside to get some fresh air and freedom from the smallness and oppressiveness of the basement labs. Kelmaa had seemed especially affected after a few minutes in there, as after being trapped in the Vorash tunnels for hours in the oppressive, inky blackness, she had developed what the Midgardians called claustrophobia. She even generally did not remain at the main Tok'ra base … in the tunnels … but stayed off-world with the scientists and some of the critical research that had been moved to a planet in Furling-controlled territory after Vorash.
The queen's precarious health became an even more time-sensitive issue given the news that O'Neill and Carter brought back within an hour. The SGC had been running tests on a vial of Tretonin that the Pangarans had given SG1 after their arrival a couple of days before, and the results of the tests were … problematic in the extreme.
Tretonin could affect miracles, but it had potentially deadly hidden consequences. Like a symbiote for a Jaffa, Tretonin could greatly advance the body's ability to heal itself, but also like a symbiote, the drug also replaced the human's normal immune system. Once the immune system was gone, it was gone forever. The drug meant significant disease resistance … only if you continued to take it.
Some things are too good to be true.
If the queen died, the Pangarans who were on the drug—thankfully, not the entirety of their population—would die … unless current circumstances changed.
"The Pangarans already knew they've got a problem," O'Neill drawled, rocking back on his heels, once Carter finished explaining what they had learned from the tests at the SGC. "We'd been wondering why they were so interested in those Goa'uld homeworlds."
"They are hoping to locate another queen to replace this one." It took Malek only seconds to put the pieces together.
Replace … you do that to specimens and … what do the Midgardians call them? … lab rats, not sentient creatures.
*Malek, let me have control for a moment.*
Malek willingly pulled back, and Sujanha retook control. There was a weird feeling for a moment just being back in control. This was the longest uninterrupted stretch of time in which Malek had totally been in control for some time, and it took Sujanha a moment to settle back into her own fur. "And I hope Stargate Command is not considering aiding the Pangarans in acquiring another queen," Sujanha said quietly but pointedly.
The two members of SG1 exchanged looks for a moment, before O'Neill answered, "The worlds they're interested in are all classified off-limits to all SGC personnel. Two of 'em are controlled by your forces now, anyway."
"But if we did …" Carter asked.
"Our treaty with Midgard would immediately be abolished. What the Pangarans are doing would be high crimes—or war crimes—under our laws. Any aid given them to acquire a new queen to replace this one, if or when she dies, would make Midgard … accessories … accomplices. My knowledge of Midgardian legal terms is poor, so I am unsure of the right word."
Complicit … maybe. I'm not a legal scholar.
The atrocities that the Goa'uld have committed cry out for justice, but doing what the Pangarans are doing is a tactic worthy of the Goa'uld themselves.
We must never sink to their levels … even for good ends.
O'Neill looked somewhat angry, and he opened and closed his mouth for a moment as if restraining himself from saying something rash—you're learning—and finally only said, "Good to know, Commander." He turned to Carter. "I think we need to have a … chat … with Dollen and Tegar." He flapped one hand at the Tok'ra. "We'll find you when we know anything more. Do whatever you … do … in the meantime."
Considering it was now mid-afternoon, local time, what Malek and Kelmaa did was find a place to sit in the shade and snacked on the bag of Asgardian emergency ration tablets that Sujanha kept tucked away in a pocket of her jacket. Kelmaa, surprisingly, actually liked the ration tablets, enjoying the green ones, especially, which Sujanha liked less. (Malek noted internally that, compared to some old Tok'ra rations, almost anything was good in comparison.)
An hour passed. Kelmaa and Malek talked quietly in Goa'uld about current events among the Tok'ra, what research was being conducted, who had joined, who was deployed where, and about Tretonin. They were not particularly concerned about being overheard where they were, but they kept an eye (and an ear) on their surroundings, nonetheless. The Pangarans were able to translate Goa'uld inscriptions in the temple by the Stargate, but that ability did not translate necessarily to a corresponding comprehension of spoken Goa'uld.
Eventually, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter returned from their meeting with the two Pangaran officials. The fundamental problem that the Pangarans were facing was their inability to refine Tretonin and deal with its negative side-effects. They had hoped to be able to reap the benefits of the drug WHILE working to overcome its downsides, but that hope was failing. Despite their best efforts, the Pangarans scientists had so far been unable to reverse the drug's effects. And now, with the queen in such precarious health, they were running out of time.
"The Pangarans need more time to try to find a way to reverse the drug's effects. We were hoping that you two might be able to help," Major Carter concluded. "Isn't this sort of your area of expertise?"
Part of me would like us to have nothing more to do with them.
But there are innocents who have taken this drug, who have nothing to do with these horrors. They do not deserve such a fate.
"We are not medical scientists," Kelmaa cautioned, "but we are willing to examine the drug."
"If it acts as I suspect, it may be impossible to perfect as the Pangarans would hope," Malek added. "The best we might be able to do is essentially provide an antidote that would allow their normal immune systems to regenerate. They would not possess the superior health that they do now."
But they would be alive, and their lives would not be bound to the fate of a Goa'uld queen. Any Goa'uld queen.
"And how long would it take to go from 'theoretical' to 'enough for everyone'?" asked O'Neill.
Malek shrugged. "That we will not know until Kelmaa and I begin to examine the drug in detail. We can make no promises as to speed or as to final success, but we will, as you say, do our best and begin immediately."
It was clear to Sujanha by then that this trip to Pangar would not just be a day-trip. She sent a message up to the Furling ship in orbit to be transmitted back to Uslisgas, informing the High Command of her intent to stay until the next day, at least, and asking for any updates to be forward to her discreetly, as necessary. Daniel left his translation work long enough to add in a message to be sent to Sha're at home, saying that he would also be staying on Pangar for a little longer but that he could return immediately if she needed him. Once those messages were sent, he updated Sujanha on the status of their work. The most interesting discovery so far was that, although Pangar had most recently been ruled by Shak'ran, it had originally been a planet within Ra's domain and one where the former Supreme System Lord had once lived. If there was any significance to that fact, they did not know, but it was an interesting fact.
After sending those messages, Malek and Kelmaa returned to the sunlit laboratory to begin their study of the drugs and remained there for the rest of the day. The Pangarans were extremely grateful for their help and happily provided them with the evening meal and then beds for the night in the same facility where SG1 was being housed for the duration of their mission. All was progressing in a straightforward manner—though some of their new findings were concerning—until mid-morning the next day when Daniel rushed into the lab, wide-eyed, streaks of dust lightening his hair by several shades.
*Give me control!* Sujanha exclaimed as he entered, feeling a momentary wave of panic before she recognized that he looked unhurt. He has his shield.
"What's wrong, Daniel?" She asked in Furling.
"We need to talk … now … uh, privately," Daniel replied, shooting an apologetic look at Kelmaa, seemingly forgetting that he was speaking in Furling, also, and thus that she would not have understood a word he said.
Sujanha's brow furrowed with concern and puzzlement, the emotions much clearer on her face in this human guise, but she nodded. "Alright. Let's take a walk." She turned to Kelmaa and switched into Goa'uld. "I need to speak with Daniel, but I will return soon. Are you alright to continue meanwhile?"
Kelmaa nodded, so Sujanha led the way outside. Daniel was wide-eyed, almost vibrating with tension. Only once they were out in the clear, a good stone's throw from the main doors of the medical facility, did he speak.
"We've got a, uh, really big problem, Sujanha," Daniel began in a rush, his words almost tripping one over the next. "Nyan and Teal'c are on their way to tell Sam and Jack right now."
Define problem.
"Take a deep breath, Daniel," replied Sujanha, placing her hands on his shoulders. "What kind of problem? Do you feel there is an immediate threat?"
Daniel took a deep breath in a great whoosh and visibly tried to settle himself. "No, there's no danger, but we still have a huge problem." He took another deep breath, and then the flood of words slowed. "So, I told you yesterday afternoon that this was one of Shak'ran's world, but that it had originally been Ra's."
Sujanha nodded. "Yes, I remember."
"The upper level of the temple was built by Shak'ran, but some of the lower levels, including the hall where I was working with Nyan, Teal'c, and a Pangaran archaeologist, a woman named Zenna, preserved some sections of an older temple, built by Ra … including inscribed frescos."
"And you found something on those frescos of importance?" asked Sujanha.
"Uh, yeah." Daniel swallowed hard. His eyes, behind his glasses, were wide. "The queen the Pangarans are breeding? She's not any old Goa'uld or System Lord's consort. It's … Egeria. Ra put her in a stasis jar and buried her away for eternity in his temple … until the Pangarans found her. It's Egeria, Sujanha. She's alive."
Alive … for now … just in very precarious health because of what the Pangarans were doing.
Oh, Stars in Heaven!
There was a flood of mental horror from Malek. Of all the news that Daniel could have brought, this possibility would have never entered her mind. She was shocked beyond words, caught between disbelief that this was actually true and mounting horror about the conditions under which the Tok'ra's queen—and only hope of rebuilding their race, slowly being lost to attrition—had been held and was being held. (She was now regretting her earlier blasé statement about not being bothered by what the Pangarans were doing.)
Sujanha stared at Daniel for a moment in almost disbelief. "You're sure? Absolutely sure?"
He nodded. "The inscription is clear. There's not an alternative explanation for 'Here lies Egeria, betrayer of the Goa'uld. May she suffer for all eternity.' This planet seems to have once been Ra's home-base, which could explain why Egeria was buried here and not on what we would have considered to be one of his more major worlds."
Sujanha scrubbed her paws across her face. "Stars in Heaven," she murmured. "That is a … problem … to put it mildly. Come with me back to the lab. We need to tell Kelmaa, and then we can figure out what is to be done."
*What is to be done?!* Malek exclaimed mentally as the two started back inside. *She must be freed. This is an affront to the Tok'ra. They are killing our queen!*
*Agreed. The end result is clear: Egeria does need to be freed. But since neither the Tok'ra nor the Furlings are at war with or traders with the Pangarans, we have nothing to leverage, if that were even moral to do so. Considering your findings so far, there are issues even with the antidote, and the Pangarans have no incentive to free her. They would just be dooming themselves more quickly as conditions are currently. I agree that Egeria must be freed … soon, but we must not be rash in how we accomplish that end.*
Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were approaching the lab from another corridor as Sujanha and Daniel reached the lab door. "I'm guessing he told you, Commander?" O'Neill said.
Sujanha nodded. "He did. We were just returning to tell Kelmaa."
"Tell me what?"
The discovery in the temple was quickly summarized for Kelmaa, who was just as shocked as Malek had been. "Many of our historians speculated that Ra did not kill Egeria as was widely believed, but …" She shook her head, raw hope and disbelief clear in her face. Her voice lightened. "We never dared hope that she would ever be found."
"She must be freed immediately, of course," Malek declared. "Every moment that she is kept in this condition is an affront to the Tok'ra."
Carter nodded. "We're going to talk to the Pangarans now." She hesitated before adding, "It would help if you had something to offer."
"Like, say, an antidote?" O'Neill mused.
For the drug which they have only been studying since last evening?
"Unfortunately, finding an antidote to the Tretonin may be more problematic than we had first hoped," Malek replied.
Naked suspicion passed across O'Neill's face and entered his voice. "And … why's that?"
*I think he thinks the timing of this conclusion is … suspicious.*
"There is something unusual about the genetic structure of the symbiotes, beyond their lack of knowledge," Kelmaa explained in brief.
"In fact," Malek noted, following on from her friend's statement, "the Tretonin should be working far better than it does, and we're not sure why it doesn't."
"We cannot seem to identify the defective gene that is causing its effects to break down," Kelmaa concluded.
"But we can say you'll solve this eventually, right?" O'Neill prodded … proposed … asked.
Malek shook her head. "At this moment, all I can say is it is a mystery."
"What, you're suddenly stumped?" The Colonel exclaimed.
Carter winced and studied her boots.
Daniel cringed.
Malek bristled. "I understand the implication, Colonel. This revelation about Egeria is in no way affecting our analysis of the Tretonin. As of right now, we cannot help the Pangarans."
"So … now what?" asked Daniel in English once the two members of SG1 had departed to speak with the Pangarans. He and Sujanha had reentered the lab and closed the door behind them. The Pangarans had granted the Tok'ra a private lab to work out of, and there were no others inside or nearby to overhear their conversations, and the walls and doors were thickly built.
Sujanha, back in control now, looked up from writing a message on the small portable tablet that she had pulled from the breast pocket of her jacket. (Since the pockets on her actual jacket were different than those on the Tok'ra uniform that her holographic guise wore, it looked like she had stuck her hand into nothing and then that the tablet had appeared out of nowhere.) "Now Malek, Kelmaa, Gwyneth, and I will wait to see what the Pangarans do next. I need you, Daniel, to take messages back to Uslisgas to see what actions the Furlings might take on Egeria's behalf," Sujanha replied in English, before adding in Furling, "Please bring back a translator for Kelmaa, as well, just in case we need the extra privacy."
Daniel nodded, and Sujanha turned her attention back to what she was writing, as Kelmaa returned to her study of the Pangarans' miracle drug, made possible by the deaths of countless Tok'ra symbiotes. Writing was hard enough for Sujanha some days, but wearing a human guise—and seeing human hands—only made the situation more difficult. She was used to her short, stubby, claw-tipped 'fingertips' on her paws, but her human hands had long fingers, though she had, at least, remembered to see it so that she was missing the smallest fingers on each hand. The different finger-lengths—and the resulting disconnect in her mind—meant that her reach was off, and sometimes when she tried to grab her stylus or tap something, she completely missed it or hit a key that she did not intend.
Having five 'fingers,' instead of four, would only make this worse.
"Can I help?" Daniel asked Kelmaa quietly.
Her reply was lost to Sujanha, as she forced herself to focus on her writing. This situation was incredibly politically complicated, especially because this was the Tok'ra's queen at risk, and with her own government, Sujanha did not want to risk a misstep where the High Council might think any concerns about her objectivity or her loyalty to the Empire where the Tok'ra were concerned might be validated. The critical faction on the Council had lessened in the weeks following her becoming a host. (Janth's missteps in the wake of those events had lost him support among his fellows on the Council and had heaped great popular … infamy … on his head.) This situation still required great care and caution.
Malek had been absolutely delighted to see Janth's star wane.
Sujanha sincerely doubted that the Pangarans would agree to the Tok'ra's demands that Egeria be immediately freed. Given the situation with the Tretonin and the necessity of continued production to keep those of their people on the drug alive, the needs of their own people would likely win out.
For the Tok'ra queen to have any chance of recovering, the forced breeding of Egeria needed to be stopped. She needed better living conditions, a better tank, better feed, at the very least, and both Malek and Kelmaa expected that her best chance would come if she took a host. That needed to happen soon.
Sujanha did not want Kelmaa to do anything rash that could risk her life, Egeria's life, or the lives (or safety) of the others on world in an attempt to free the queen from her captivity. Malek would not do anything rash, Sujanha thought privately to herself, because it would involve me.
If Kelmaa does something rash and it brings more Tok'ra down, also being rash, the Pangarans could turn on us, and for now they outnumber us.
We could lose people trying to get to Egeria. With us scattered across the city and the outskirts, it would take longer for my ship to beam us out.
This could go wrong quickly.
And that was why Sujanha urgently needed guidance from Uslisgas on what she (on behalf of the Furling Empire) could do. Under Furling Law, a race like the Pangarans who were known to be committing acts like medical experimentation on sentients, forced breeding (which bordered on rape), and mass murder would usually either have communication and travel blocked if at all possible or, if communication or trade or travel were necessary for some extreme reason, would be labeled as a hostile power. Given that the Tok'ra were close and valued allies of the Furling Empire and that it was Egeria herself who was being held prisoner—as Queen and progenitor of the Tok'ra, she would be considered a political leader—if the King and the High Court would label the Pangarans as a hostile power holding an allied political leader prisoner, that would allow the Furlings to take actions to free Egeria … as long as no Pangarans were killed in the attempt to free her.
We are not declaring war. Egeria just needs to be freed.
After the alliance between the Tok'ra and the Furlings began years earlier, a continuously updated list had been created of those within the Furling military who would be willing to become hosts. One of the messages Daniel would be taking back would set into motion a search down that list for a human—or near-human—host with no dependents … who was willing to take the risk of becoming Egeria's host. A host could more quickly be found among the Furlings than the Tok'ra, generally, but because of Egeria's precarious health, any host would need to be aware of the risk involved. The blending could fail, in which case both host and symbiote would likely die. And be buried with all honors and mourned by both our races … but still dead.
If the King and the High Court agree with this course of action …
If a prospective host can be found quickly …
Daniel might need to go back by way of Nistra—the Tok'ra current homeworld—so that the Pangarans think we are asking for more assistance for work on the antidote. He'd want to return from there, as well.
Then the prospective host can return in a Tok'ra uniform …
As long as we are working on the antidote and don't make the Pangarans suspicious that we will do something rash … that might give them more freedom to move about the facility.
Maybe.
As long as someone was outside the room, not inside where they could see what was being done, it would only take moments to free Egeria … from what I saw of that tank.
They would just need enough time to begin the blending.
Could they safely be beamed up while that is ongoing? I'm not sure. Not a healer.
We've got some time to determine that.
If we can free Egeria without anyone being injured or even stunned, that would be by far the better. The guards are not the ones responsible for these atrocities. (Following orders was not an excuse, though, for anyone.)
Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter returned to the lab, joined by Dollen, the leader of the Pangarans, and Tegar, the commander of their military forces. Sujanha was just finishing gave Daniel the written instructions and messages to be carried out and dispersed on Uslisgas as they entered. For a moment, she ignored them and passed on a few final instructions in Furling, before sending him on his way back to the Stargate. O'Neill's eyes followed him out, but he wisely did not ask where Daniel was going … considering the audience.
The Pangarans were sympathetic and apologetic given the situation but, as Sujanha had expected, utterly unwilling to release Egeria.
"I'm sorry, but you ask the impossible," Tegar stated bluntly after Malek had reiterated the Tok'ra's demands that Egeria be immediately freed. He stood his ground even after Malek strode across the room and almost got in his face. Even in this human guise, Malek still managed to find a way to be intimidating. Kelmaa, not one for open confrontation, was keeping her head down and, at least, attempting to try to continue working … despite the distractions from the raised voices.
Malek was not taking no for an answer. "She is our queen. Her freedom is not open for negotiation."
Dollen broke in, his voice the conciliatory tones of an experienced politician. "We deeply regret who she is, but freeing her would mean death for many of our people."
"Unless, of course," Tegar continued, "you can offer an alternative."
And what if Egeria were to die before we could finish an antidote?
Your people would die, and the Tok'ra's hopes would die with her.
Neither of us would be any better off. Would the Tok'ra even be willing to continue working on an antidote if Egeria dies? Sujanha had her doubts.
Major Carter broke in with a further explanation of why an alternative—the antidote—was in doubt. "Malek and Kelmaa are having trouble locating a particular element in the symbiotes' genetic structure. Obviously, until they do, the chances of synthesizing an antidote are slim."
"Then we have no choice," Dollen replied.
"You do not understand," Malek stated firmly. "Her existence is a miracle to the Tok'ra. We are also a dying race. You may lose thousands; our kind will become extinct." It was an unspoken reality among the Tok'ra … the knowledge that each operative to the Goa'uld brought them that much closer to extinction as a people. There were not enough born Goa'uld who learned the error of their ways, Goa'uld like Jolinar and Garshaw, and joined the Tok'ra to forestall that eventual extinction.
Only Egeria's survival could make a difference.
"I am sympathetic to the Tok'ra, but what you are asking of us would amount to a holocaust." There was little actual sympathy apparent in Tegar's voice. This is a disaster of your own making. If you had not attempted to play … Maker … on the backs of the deaths of thousands of sentient creatures, you would not have found yourself in this dilemma in the first place.
"She is a sentient being," Malek angrily exclaimed, reusing Sujanha's own arguments for why she was disgusted by the Pangarans' actions. "Using her in this manner is an insult to her very existence."
The round-and-round arguments continued for some minutes longer without any progress. Finally, Dollen and Tegar departed, but before the door closed behind them, Sujanha noticed that the number of guards in the hallway had increased.
"You know, if you would just hand over the antidote, the Pangarans would release Egeria, I bet," O'Neill stated bluntly.
Malek whirled toward him, fire in her eyes, but Sujanha leapt into control before her symbiote could verbally explode. "Hand over the antidote, you say, Colonel?" The Supreme Commander said slowly in a tone that would make anyone with sense take notice and be extremely careful what they said next. "Perhaps you on Midgard have unknown talents, but at least among the Furlings, we are not able to hand over something which. Does. Not. Exist. Yet."
Carter cringed.
There was frank suspicion in O'Neill's eyes. Does he really think that we are just withholding a cure to get what we want first, to risk thousands of lives? Malek and Kelmaa wanted to see Egeria freed NOW, but they were still willingly trying to find a way to make the antidote, even with the genetic abnormalities that were creating roadblocks.
"We are not withholding the antidote for Tretonin, Colonel O'Neill," Sujanha ground out. "You may not believe Kelmaa or Malek, but you would do well not to question me."
Shortly after nightfall on Pangar, Daniel returned with a Boii woman in tow, dressed in a Tok'ra uniform, and the two joined Kelmaa and Malek at their lodging. The increased security had continued throughout the day, even after Kelmaa and Malek had returned to their temporary quarters, but Sujanha had noticed that the Pangarans were focused on her and what she was doing, likely because Malek had been the most outspoken in their opposition to the Pangarans' treatment of Egeria. Kelmaa was largely being overlooked, and that will probably soon prove very useful.
Daniel passed the translator to Kelmaa first, and only when she had activated it and clipped it to her uniform, did he begin, speaking in Furling, "The Valhalla is now cloaked in orbit, replacing the Diakonn. These are the instructions from the King." He passed Sujanha back her tablet.
Sujanha nodded and, taking the tablet, quickly scanned through the lengthy reply. Given the circumstances Sujanha and Daniel had described, the High Court and the King had labeled Pangar as a hostile power. Given Egeria's position within the Tok'ra and her precarious condition, the Furling military was authorized to undertake a rescue attempt, as long as no Pangaran civilians were endangered. Lethal force was forbidden. The Valhalla had been sent to provide further assistance, and a better holding tank was onboard, as well as the Furlings' most skilled healers with experience working with symbiotes. (What the Tok'ra did in regards to the antidote was up to them.)
"You are on the ground, not us in the capital, so you must set these plans in motion as you see fit. May the Maker be with you," the missive concluded.
Sujanha looked up, fixing his gaze on the Boii woman. "And your name is?" She asked kindly.
"S'Rituk," the woman replied. She was a few fingers' width taller than Daniel was. Her skin was dyed a deep tan by long hours in the sun, and a rope of jet-black hair was draped over one shoulder and hung nearly to her waist. Her dark eyes were calm and determined. "I was among the scouts first sent out at the beginning of the war."
"And you were told what is being asked of you? And of the risks?"
S'Rituk nodded. "My general told me all, and I willingly volunteered. More than a few of my ancestors are among the Missing, and when I heard of her suffering …" She shook her head. "I have family but no dependents. If by my life or death I can serve, then I am willing."
"If you have any letters that you wish to write for your family … in case, then I would recommend that you do those now so that we may proceed," Sujanha urged. There was enough inherent risk in being a scout that they were required by law to keep updated wills made out.
"Already done, Supreme Commander, before we departed Uslisgas," S'Rituk replied.
"Very well." Sujanha took a deep breath, running back over the plans … the ideas, really … that she had thought of the past few hours. "This type of infiltration is not my area of skill, so feel free to correct me." Her gaze passed across S'Rituk and Kelmaa, and her thoughts turned toward Malek, as well. They nodded, and she continued, "The Pangarans' attention is primarily on Malek, so Kelmaa, you should have somewhat more freedom of movement. Anyone who is familiar with scientists knows that your work does not always happen during normal hours."
Daniel grinned and unsuccessfully tried to muffle a snort of laughter.
Kelmaa gave a small grin, as well.
*Gwyneth has a hard time sleeping if she works at all hours,* Malek confessed for her, *or Kelmaa would probably be working later here than she is.*
"The Pangarans should think that S'Rituk is Tok'ra, here to provide further assistance, given the way I sent Daniel off. What I would recommend is that Kelmaa, you and S'Rituk return to the laboratory. The guards have been staying out of our work room so far. Work for a time to let them think all is normal. Then, S'Rituk … do you have a cloak?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Good. Make sure you are working out of view of the door, which you will need to leave open. An idiot would notice a manual door like that opening and closing by itself … unless Kelmaa were to leave simultaneously, with the door shut, to complete some other task. You should be able to slip down to Egeria's holding cell under your cloak. Be careful of the guards. There must be no permanent injuries or even longer-lasting ones. No civilians can be endangered in this mission."
S'Rituk nodded. "I have a stunner, and the healers gave me several doses of a sedative. Which I use will depend on what the exact situation is when I get there. If I can go in right after a shift change, the sedative will give me more time until I am discovered."
That would be good.
"Have the healers concluded whether it would be safe to have you beamed up immediately after freeing Egeria?" Sujanha asked.
"Considering her condition," S'Rituk replied, "they think that would be unwise. That is why I hope to be able to use the sedative. I might be able to escape in that case before we are found out. Otherwise, the Pangarans need Egeria alive, so we … should not be at risk."
A few modifications were made to Sujanha's suggested plan, and then Kelmaa and S'Rituk departed back to the lab. In the ensuing quiet, Sujanha and Daniel lay down to sleep, not that either expected to sleep much. Plans had a way of not surviving actual contact with the 'enemy'/opposing forces, and Sujanha was not going to be surprised to be woken up by very displeased Pangaran security forces in a couple of hours as soon as their ruse was discovered, which was why she told Daniel to sleep with his shield activated. And I will do the same. That will prevent problems if the Pangarans react … especially badly. Shields could make the difference in those few seconds before the Valhalla could beam them to safety.
Daniel eventually fell asleep. Sujanha could hear his breaths even out, and then with Malek in control, she too fell asleep, only for them both to be startled awake some hours later by loud and insistent pounding on their room door. Malek rose, turned on the light, and the two went to the door. A company of Pangaran guards were there, as expected, along with Tegar, and SG1 (with a very … unhappy … looking Colonel O'Neill) had been roused, as well.
"Our security was breached in the manufacturing wing," Tegar almost growled. "What have you done?"
Malek almost looked down their nose at him. "What needed to be done to free our Queen."
Although it was the middle of the night, the Pangarans escorted the Tok'ra and SG1 back to the medical facility. Dollen was not happy but more understanding of the situation and less in your face than Tegar had been, and Malek was given leave to go to the treatment room where S'Rituk-Egeria was … while the blending finished. Kelmaa was there, sitting with her.
"All goes well so far," said Kelmaa, greeting Malek with a relieved smile. "Their vitals are strong, and enough time passed that the movement seems to have caused no ill effects with the blending."
"Good."
S'Rituk-Egeria's condition continued to remain stable, which gave hope, at least, for the immediate future. Once there was some sort of resolution with the Pangarans and once it seemed apparent that the newly blended pair were not at risk of dying in the immediate future, word would need to be taken back to Nistra and to the Tok'ra High Council. Selmak, especially, would want to know, as she was one of the eldest surviving of the Tok'ra and remembered Egeria herself.
Finally, around dawn, the two awoke with Egeria in control. Kelmaa was still sitting by their bedside, but Malek, retaking control from Sujanha, went to kneel beside Egeria. (On her own, Sujanha knelt only to the High King, but since she and Malek were separate beings, her symbiote's actions, even using her body, did not trouble her.)
"It is an honor, my Queen," Malek began. Behind them, Dollen, Tegar, and SG1 with Daniel next to them gathered in and around the doorway.
Egeria's voice was soft, somewhat weak, and slightly flavored, curiously, by S'Rituk's own accent. "Rise, Malek. You are not my servant."
Malek rose somewhat reluctantly. It was somewhat of a miracle that she was able to kneel and rise again without Sujanha's legs collapsing under them or without even both knee-joints of her leg braces having to lock into place to keep them upright. The right did, but that was common.
"My host has shared her knowledge of the Tok'ra with me. You are beyond my greatest hopes and dreams," Egeria continued. "Kelmaa's assessment of my condition was correct. I am weak. I only hope that S'Rituk's sacrifice was not in vain."
"Then save your strength, my queen," Malek urged. "Your people need you, now more than ever." Her gaze flicked up to SG1, standing in the doorway. "These are the Tau'ri, who have allied themselves with the Tok'ra and with my host's people."
"I know," replied Egeria, voice still weak. *We must not keep her talking too long. They need to rest.* "Come forward, Major Carter." Looking somewhat uncomfortable, the woman came to Egeria's bedside, and then the queen continued, "I am told that you seek to help the Pangarans despite what they have done to me." Her voice was a little stronger and firmer on those final words.
Told by whom? I know that, but how does S'Rituk? It must be from something Daniel told her.
Dollen cringed, his gaze dropping, and Major Carter looked even more uncomfortable. "This has all been a terrible mistake, but not a malicious act." That is one way of considering the situation. These were still deliberate acts against a sentient being.
"Nor was mine, Major Carter."
What?
"I passed on the flawed gene that gave the drug its weakness. You were unable to construct an antidote because of the manner in which I sabotaged my young. I did it in the hope that they would ultimately prove useless to the Pangarans. I wanted to force them to abandon their research once the drug proved untenable. Instead, they continued to make it in ever-increasing quantities." Egeria's voice was shaky and terribly grieved. Her eyes flicked from staring at Major Carter to restlessly staring straight-forward.
"And now they can't live without it." The other woman summarized the situation bluntly.
The look on Egeria's face was almost rueful. "It is not what I intended."
"Their fate is their own doing, not yours," Malek rushed to assure her. "You merely tried to free yourself the only way you could."
Egeria met their eyes. "They do not deserve this end, not when it can be prevented." The depth of character to still be able to grant such mercy, even after such torture.
Major Carter realized the import of the queen's words first. "You created the flaw. You can create the antidote that will save them."
"I will tell you what you need to know."
A look of utter, heart-felt relief passed across Dollen's face. "Thank you. On behalf of our people, please, forgive us for what we have done to you. Had we known, we …" His voice almost broke, and his words trailed off as he shook his head sadly.
Would have not treated the Tok'ra queen thus but might still have a Goa'uld queen?
Principles should not be determined by the identity of your opponent.
"I will tell you what you need to know to save your people," Egeria repeated. "Such is the spirit of Tok'ra that I wish to live on."
With the knowledge that Egeria was able to provide, Malek and Kelmaa were quickly able to develop the necessary antidote for the Pangarans. The queen herself was still weak, but she and S'Rituk were holding their own. It was too dangerous for her to stay on Nistra, the Tok'ra's forward operating base, so she was taken home to Vestra, the Tok'ra base on a Furling-controlled world to which Kelmaa and many of the other scientists along with the older, more vulnerable host-symbiote pairs and those symbiotes awaiting hosts had been moved.
A few small changes somewhere along the path.
A few small ripples in the ocean of time.
And the fate of the Tok'ra was completely changed.
[1] A/N: A quote from Good Omens.
