Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers. Brubi007 raised a good point in his latest review, saying "One thing i find weird is, When Daniel gave description about Sokar, he clearly spoke about Egyptian mythology. I find it surprising (interesting?) that Jacob Carter didn't react to that part."

My answer is, "You make a very good point, but we are seeing the story from Daniel's POV. Just because Daniel did not notice a reaction does not mean that Jacob did not react at all. Since Martouf knew Daniel-probably from conversations with Sam-Jacob would know as well that Daniel Jackson, formerly of Earth and Abydos, was with the Furlings. Daniel, however, is dressed like a Furling. His features aren't that distinguishing compared to the other humans onboard the Valhalla. With no picture, Jacob doesn't have a good way of distinguishing Daniel the aid from another human who looks similar and has been around Daniel enough to pick up some of the techno-babble, so to speak. Also, Jacob is a General. He knows that there is a time and place for certain conversations. Even if he did recognize Daniel, the middle of a planning session for war isn't the time for introductions and catching up."


The rest of Daniel's time on Netu—the rest of that day and most of the next—passed like a blur. The literal maze of tunnels beneath Netu's surface took much longer to secure than regular cities of the same size. Na'onak, the mysterious masked First Prime of Bynarr, was killed in the shoot-out in the cave and was later revealed to be Apophis, the late, great System Lord. Shocked to hear of the First Prime's real identity, Daniel was pleased both to hear of Apophis' death and to know that his host's suffering was finally at an end. Bynarr, the 'Lord' of Netu who served only at Sokar's pleasure, was captured trying to escape to Delmak via a hidden set of rings in his quarters. Bynarr was a disgusting man whose presence made Daniel's skin crawl even after only a few moments in his general vicinity.

On the evening of the third day, Daniel returned to the Valhalla. The attacks on Necropolis and Memphis had been successful if somewhat lengthy. After eating a few bites of supper, an exhausted Daniel, subdued by his experiences on Netu, joined Sujanha in her office.

"I am glad to see you return," said Sujanha in greeting as he entered, sweeping golden eyes across him, checking for any injuries.

"It's good to be back," Daniel replied, sinking into his usual chair with a tired groan.

"Ruarc tells me you performed well under fire and were of great service as a translator."

"I only wish I could have done more," said Daniel softly, thinking of Teti.

"You did all that was in your power to do. The dead are in the Creator's care now. We will see that all are accorded the honor of a proper burial."

There was silence for several minutes, and then Daniel asked, "Does it get any easier?"

Sujanha cocked her head, a bird-like gesture that seemed more appropriate on Algar than her, "Does what get any easier? Being in battle? Being at a death-bed? Or some other matter?"

"The first two."

"In some ways, yes, and in others, no," Sujanha replied slowly and thoughtfully, carefully considering her words, "Over time, a solider become more accustomed to battle. He learns through painful experience how not to panic under fire; how not to let his feelings control him when a comrade falls; how to keep fighting when he is cold and tired and hungry. Yet, he still should not be unaffected by either battle or death. If he feels nothing when his enemy falls or his comrade dies, he has been in battle too long and must find a new occupation immediately. The Jaffa of Sokar who just perished, they were our enemy, yes, but they are also the misguided servants of a corrupt master, many of whom know no other path besides service and slavery save, perhaps, for death. They are not animals that we should rejoice at their deaths. They are living beings as we are with spirits like ours. The Jaffa have families and ambitions and hopes just as we do. Many among them will die as the Goa'uld fall and this galaxy is freed, but we should pity them, not rejoice at their demise."

"How do you all do it?" Daniel asked, "Keep fighting after thousands of years of war, after so many of your own people have already died. How do you do it? Why do you keep fighting?"

"How do we do it?" Replied Sujanha, with a sad and weary shake of her head, "With difficulty, many days, but we go on because we must. What else could we do? Throw up our hands, as you say, and feel sorry for ourselves? To give into despair, to hopelessness, or even apathy, and stop fighting would render as naught the sacrifices of all who came before us, would dishonor the memories of the countless soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We fight because it is our duty, because our work in this world is not yet done."

Sujanha paused and took a drink of tea and then slowly continued, "One of our wise men once said, 'It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.'[1] By our carelessness in setting up our stashes in the Milky-Way or our negligence in failing to return for our technology or some other factor, the Goa'uld rose to power primarily on the basis of our technology. They have enslaved millions, killed more, and committed atrocities that cry out to the heavens for vengeance. It is our duty to 'uproot' their evil and make right an ancient wrong. Then we may enjoy the peace we have won for ourselves at a great cost, and those in your galaxy may determine their own fates."


The conquest of Sokar's territory was much more complicated and time-consuming than the quick sweep through Apophis' territory. From the first attacks on Delmak, Netu, Memphis, and the Necropolis in late April, it took until early June for the Furlings to be fully satisfied that they had captured all Goa'uld controlled worlds and hunted down and captured any and all of Sokar's underlings. Though Sokar's 'empire' was not massive by Goa'uld standards, many of his strongholds on his worlds were well-hidden with many twists, turns, and secret chambers that all had to be cleared, lengthening the time it took to capture most worlds. Considering the large fleet that Anarr had found on Delmak being prepared for all-out war with the other System Lords, it was fortuitous that the Furlings had attacked when they had.

Finally, this step of their work was done, and the Furlings found themselves in control of Sokar's wide domain and what remained of Apophis' holdings. Heru'ur, the son of Ra and Hathor, was picked as the next target since he was seeking to take advantage of the chaos caused by the attacks of the Furlings and expand his territory. The conquest of Heru'ur's territory began in late June and stretched until late-August, but Daniel was not present for most of it. He fell ill with what began as the local version of a cold a fortnight after the end of the campaign against Sokar. After struggling through that for a week, he fell ill with a new illness just as he was getting over his cold. Called 'Fever's Touch' by the Furlings, it was one of only a handful of illnesses that the Furlings were susceptible to (in most cases). 'Fever's Touch' was a miserable combination of pneumonia and a bad case of the flu with the addition of a dangerously high fever, from which the disease got its name.

After being sidelined in the 'hospital' on Uslisgas for well over a month, Daniel returned to the Valhalla at the tail end of the campaign against Heru'ur. The major battles had already been waged and won, though not without losses, and only clean-up and consolidation was left to do. Two days after his return, one of the oddest incidents of Daniel's time with the Furlings occurred.

It was early afternoon. Daniel was sitting reading in Sujanha's office, keeping her company while she plowed through the day's paperwork. He was much recovered after being sick, but his strength had not fully returned, and Sujanha was purposefully giving him as little to do each day as possible.

Suddenly, a chime sounded, and Mekoxe, the ship communication's office, appeared in the doorway. Sujanha looked up, seemingly happy to have an excuse for a break. As dedicated to efficiency as the Furlings were, a dislike of paperwork still seemed to be a universal constant among generals.

"The Glaðsheimr just dropped out of hyperspace," Mekoxe said, an indecipherable look on his face, "Commander Adair is asking for permission to beam over."

Adair, that's a Furling name, Daniel thought, though he could be an Asgard. There are Furlings with Asgardian names, so why not vice versa?

From the look in her eyes, Daniel was quite sure Sujanha would have blanched sickly white if she had been human. He had gotten reasonably good at reading the looks in her eyes during his almost year with the Furlings. Her golden eyes went wide in utter shock tinged with fear, before anger replaced shock.

"What is that fool boy doing here?" She growled, a rumbling, angry sound that made the hairs on the back of Daniel's neck stand on end, "He knows the orders."

Mekoxe did not respond, his face now a calm mask, but just waited to let Sujanha rein her temper back in. Sujanha had a fierce temper that usually ran cold, not hot. She rarely lost her temper, but when she did, she always got a grip within moments. Sujanha closed her eyes and pressed her paws together, forcing herself back under control.

After a few moments, she spoke again. Her voice was calm, and her eyes had cleared. "Send him down, please."

"Of course, commander," Mekoxe bowed and withdrew. A second later, Daniel heard the tell-tale sounds of a beam out.

Sujanha rose and turned to Daniel, "Why don't you take your book and find someplace else to sit for a time?" Her statement was phrased as a request but was clearly an order. "It is still close enough to the midday-meal hour that you might find Ragnar and Ruarc in the food hall." Daniel was certainly going to go look for them and ask them about this mystery with the Asgard commander. Ruarc was always happen to explain things if they weren't private or secret and not reticent, when necessary, to politely tell him to mind his own business.

Daniel closed his book, got up, and stretched. "Sure," he said carefully, "do you want me to come back after a certain time, or wait until you call?"

"I'll call for you when I need you. Until then your time is your own."

Daniel departed, passing a Furling who bore a striking resemblance to a golden eagle and must have been the hapless Commander Adair. He wondered as he walked towards the mess hall: why was a Furling serving in the Asgardian military?

Sujanha had guessed correctly: Ragnar and Ruarc were still in the mess hall. Ruarc had finished eating and was sipping on a mug of tea. Ragnar, who must have arrived not long before, was alternating plowing his way through a plate of meat and Furling potatoes and telling some story to his brother, complete with wild paw gestures. They both paused and greeted Daniel cheerfully as he slid into a seat across from them.

"Is there any reason why an Asgard commander named Adair is in big trouble with the Commander just for showing up?" Daniel asked when Ragnar had finished his story.

Ruarc, who had just taken a big gulp of tea, went bug-eyed and choked on his tea. "The Prince is here?" He spluttered, coughing.

"This will be interesting," said Ragnar with greatly exaggerated mock-cheerfulness as he pounded his brother on the back, "Cover your ears."

Daniel looked back and forth between the two brothers, more and more confused. The fact that a Furling prince was an Asgard commander was unusual, but what about his presence here was so surprising?

Ruarc coughed again and then explained in a hoarse voice, "Adair is the Crown Prince of the Furlings. Commanders Anarr and Sujanha are his cousins. Commander Thor has standing orders not to send Adair to the same region where the Supreme Commanders are for the same reason that Sujanha and Anarr are not allowed to be part of the same attack. It would be a disaster if all three of them were injured or killed at the same time."

"Commander Sujanha?" Said Daniel in astonishment, "She's part of the Royal Family?" He wondered how he had never realized before, though Sujanha rarely talked about her family. Besides her brother, Daniel knew that she had a nephew, Ansurr, but she had never talked about her brother's wife (mate?) or any other family. From a comment that Ruarc had made before the attack on Netu months earlier, it was clear that much of her family had passed during the Furling-Sicarii War.

Ragnar nodded, "She and her brother, both. Their father Atar was the much younger brother of the late king, Andórr, which makes the Commanders the cousins of the current king, Ívarr, and cousins of his son Adair."

"If they all died," Ruarc continued, "the line of succession would fall to Anarr's son, Ansurr."

And Ansurr was only a boy, so-far under age, so far from being ready to assume the throne, that it wasn't even funny. "Yikes! So the Commander is in front of Commander Anarr's son?"

Ruarc nodded. "The King's children are always first in order of succession in order of their birth. After them, the line of succession falls by age irrespective of whose children they are. Thus, the Crown Prince's children, if he were to have any in the coming years, would fall behind the Commanders and Ansurr. Midgard is different?"

The Furling method was odd, compared to what Daniel was used to from earth, but he supposed their way made sense. It did not make much logical sense to have an underage kid like Ansurr ruling, who would need a regent, when an adult like Sujanha was available to take the throne. "Quite, though there are a number of different kinds of succession. Is the Prince going to be in very big trouble? What's her proper title, then?"

Ruarc had to think a minute before he answered, "Her title does not translate perfectly well into English, but the closest would be Her Imperial Highness, Supreme Commander Sujanha Staðfastur. As to the prince, it depends on why he violated standing orders. She'll be as worried about his safety as she is angry about the orders."

Daniel absorbed this and then asked, "What does Staðfastur mean?" The word sounded Scandinavian, which meant it might be Asgard. Daniel knew a number of languages from Earth and was learning several galactic ones, but he had never been that good at the Scandinavian languages. He had also never heard either Supreme Commander addressed with a family name or a house name (like Windsor), so Staðfastur was more likely an epithet.

"The Steadfast," Ragnar answered before his brother could, "Sujanha the Steadfast. It is the title that the Asgard gave her towards the end of the Furling-Sicarii War."


[1] Tolkien.


Next Time on Ripples in the Deep:

Interlude IV: Sha're - Imprisoned by the Furlings for her own safety and that of their people until they can find away to free her, Sha're awakens one night while Amaunet sleeps. Talking with one of her guards, Sha're learns much of what has taken place in the preceding months which Amaunet has hidden from her.

Chapter 14: My Foes, They Unite Against Me - The Furling conquest of the Goa'uld 'Empire' continues. But will danger threaten the Furling advance when three of the most powerful and feared Goa'uld form an alliance to oppose the Furlings?

Chapter 15: A Fork in the Road (Sujanha's POV)

Chapter 16: Aftermath