Author's Note #1: For the umpteenth time, sorry for the delay. Since I lasted posted a chapter, I planned a move, packed for that move, and actually moved several states away from where I previously lived. Such things took an inordinately long amount of time, much longer than I expected, and for awhile writing had to take the back seat.
Author's Note #2: If you ever have plot-ideas for scenes you would like to see, please suggest them. If I like your idea, I might be able to incorporate or, if time and my muse allow, write you a small one-shot.
Author's Note #3: This story has almost reached 100,000 words in my Word document and is currently 220 pages long. I never expected this story would become quite this big!
Vekix, 6546 A.S. (January 2000)
Uslisgas, Asteria Galaxy
Events moved quickly after Ruarc brought news to Daniel of the completion of the medical procedure to free the hosts of captured Goa'uld. Three days later, Sujanha was reinstated as Supreme Commander of the Furling Fleet, and Algar returned to his former position as High Commander. The High King had felt, after considering the issue in great depth, that, while the High Council's stated concerns were not without merit, Sujanha was still fit to command and that her new ties to the Tok'ra would not be an undue influence on her.
On the morning of the fourth day, Daniel went with Sujanha to Idroth, one of the prison worlds used by the Furlings for holding captured Goa'uld and Jaffa. The Goa'uld who were first to be judged and had been held on Ardea had been moved to Idroth in the intervening days. Sujanha, for some reason, was personally overseeing the transfer of all the prisoners to Uslisgas to face the king's judgment.
Idroth was a snow-covered world that looked to Daniel like the forests of Siberia in the midst of a harsh winter. The Stargate was located in the midst of a large clearing surrounded by barren trees as far as the eye could see and no discernible paths.
Dusk had already fallen when Sujanha, Daniel, Ragnar, Ruarc, and four extra Iprysh bodyguards stepped through the Stargate onto Idroth. The sky was overcast, and a light snow was falling. Daniel was bundled up warmly, but the cold nipped at his nose and stung his fingers, which he hastily shoved into the pockets of his jacket.
How are we going to find our way through this? He wondered. Bad light. Cold. No path.
"Just wait," Sujanha said softly from her position just off of his right shoulder, seeming to read his mind. Boy she knows me well by now.
Daniel waited. The others seemed to be expecting the wait, not that with thick fur coats and armor the Furlings or Iprysh would have felt the cold. Ragnar and Ruarc fell into their usual formation just behind Daniel and Sujanha, and the Iprysh guards settled into a square-shaped formation around them.
The noise was the first clue of their arrival, the slightest crunch of freshly fallen snow or the snap of a branch carried on the still night air. Then Daniel felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up, as a sense of an incoming weighty presence fell upon them.
Then they arrived.
Four great beasts, not much shorter than Daniel himself, emerged from the long shadows of the forests. Like white sentinels, they paced toward the travelers, moving in perfect unison. The dinner-plate sized paws carried them easily over the deep snow, and if not for their movement, their pure-white coats would have allowed them to easily blend into the environment. Their eyes … their eyes, a bright vivid blue, were piercing, full of sharp intelligence, but with a promise of danger if crossed that could freeze a man's blood cold.
Daniel gulped and restrained himself from taking a step backwards. Oversized polar-bear sized tigers. This is new, even for Asteria. What next? Dinosaurs?
The beasts stopped less than 10 feet away. Sujanha stepped forward and was met in the middle by the largest of the four. She bowed her head in greeting and touched his massive head with one paw.
"Sharp-Claw and Long-Fang, but where's their father?" Ragnar whispered to his brother.
Ruarc made an indeterminant sound that could have meant anything from an acknowledgment of his brother's statement to a verbal shrug.
After a few moments, Sujanha stepped back and motioned for the others to follow single file. Two of the tigers, for lack of a better name, led them deep into the forest along a twisting route. The other two came behind, obscuring their tracks. The group probably only walked for about ten minutes, but by the end Daniel was completely lost. All the trees look like all the other trees.
The group stopped before a stone pillar that bore a great resemblance to the Asgard transporter on Cimmeria. Sujanha reached forward to touch it, and immediately all twelve of them were scanned. A white light engulfed them, and the humanoids were beamed away.
Like on Ardea, Furling prisoners were confined within a massive, elaborate, sprawling tunnel system deep below the surface of Idroth. The tunnels were broad, made of large, finely cut stones with construction that put even the sprawling complexes of the Serapeum at Saqqara or the Roman catacombs to shame. Periodically, the tunnels narrowed to choke points useful for defense in case of a breach.
Another Ipyrsh soldier met them (a commander, perhaps), and he and Sujanha began to speak at length there in the tunnel, but not in Furling. Sujanha seemed to know a considerable number of languages. Besides Furling, she knew English, Goa'uld, Ancient, the languages of the Asgard and the Dovahkiin, and apparently the language of the Iprysh, as well. Most Furlings did not seem to know that many languages. Perhaps, because she is a member of the royal house.
Daniel took a step backwards and asked Ruarc quietly, "Who were they? Those tiger-like creatures."
"The guardians?" Confirmed Ruarc. Daniel nodded. "The Azhuth. They are native to Idroth but have become more wide-spread. They serve as guards for us and, in return, we provide them with meat when the winters here are especially harsh."
After a few minutes, the conversation finished. Sujanha gave a curt nod and pivoted back toward her men, while the Iprysh (commander?) departed. "There will be a short delay. One of the prisoners, not Amaunet, is being uncooperative and is resisting preparation for transport."
The Furlings especially, but their allies as well, had no fond feelings for the Goa'uld, but would not stand for the mistreatment of prisoners either. There were no beat downs or drugs to subdue uncooperative prisoners. As long as the prisoner was confined and not a danger to himself or others, all the guards were allowed to do, for at least a short time, was wait the prisoner out, and most prisoners would eventually cooperate. In some cases, a prisoner could forcibly be transported (e.g., marched or beamed) as long as it would cause him (or her) no harm.
They were escorted to a quite large waiting room or conference room, which, seemed to be part of the 'officers' quarters. The Ipyrsh guards took up positions in the hallway outside, leaving Ragnar, Ruarc, Sujanha, and Daniel to wait inside.
Sujanha took one of the seats farthest from the door, and quickly her face went blank, as if all her attention was turned inward, a clear sign that she was speaking mentally with Malek. The two seemed to be getting along quite well and had ironed out how they switched control. Unlike the rest of the Tok'ra, Malek had stopped using the dual-flanged voice or bowing his head when switching control while among the Furlings, their allied races within Asteria, or the Asgard. (Considering Sujanha's golden eyes, the eye flash was barely even visible). Among the Furlings and their allies, where Sujanha was well-known, body language, speech patterns, pitch of the voice, and vocabulary all made clear who was in control. When members of the Tok'ra or Jaffa were present, Malek often fell back on the older method.
About fifteen minutes later, Sujanha's comm chirped. She straightened, her eyes coming back into focus. On the other side of the room, Daniel could not hear what was said in the quick conversation, but considering the resulting scowl that appeared and settled on Sujanha's face, she was not pleased.
"Commander?" Ragnar rumbled cautiously, when the hologram had disappeared from her gauntlet after a lengthy conversation.
"I fear we shall have a further delay," Sujanha began, "One of the Diagoth's generators failed while the ship was attempting to jump to hyperspace to come to Idroth."
From what Daniel had overheard at Headquarters the previous day, the Valhalla was still in the Milky-Way under the temporary commander of an old, experienced Furling named Ulfar. The Furlings were currently contending with the combined forces of Bastet and Kali, two crafty System Lords who had gained power in recent months capitalizing on the recent power vacuum among the Goa'uld. Sujanha had chosen to leave her flagship, one of the three most powerful ships in the whole fleet, in the Milky-Way where its power would be of more use, rather than have it return to Asteria to ferry her around on what would have been termed "house-keeping" missions or "milk-runs" on earth. The Diaogth must have then been the ship coming to transfer the Goa'uld prisoners to Uslisgas.
"When you say failed…" Ruarc asked when Sujanha paused.
"A critical overload." Which means, I'm guessing, the generator failed in a spectacular—explosive—fashion.
"The crew?" Ruarc's voice had gone suddenly strangled. Daniel wondered if he had friends onboard the ship.
"The explosion-suppression system did its job and kept the ship from being blown apart, but twenty are dead, many more wounded. The ship has major damage, including to its hull."
Ruarc sunk heavily into a chair, his expression stunned. His ears drooped, and Daniel thought he heard a low whine. Ragnar squeezed his brother's shoulder and asked, "Is it known what caused the overload?"
Sujanha shook her head, "This only happened an hour ago. Asik just received the report and immediately sent me the news. The Diagoth and nearby ships were too busy doing damage control in the meantime. What concerns me is whether this is an isolated problem on one ship or not."
All Furling ships were powered by neutrino-ion generators, a technology borrowed from the Asgard, except for the Flagships which also used some Ancient power source to power their primary shields.
A flat mechanized voice suddenly spoke from the doorway, where one of the Iprysh guards had appeared. "The Diagoth is one of the oldest ships in the fleet. Age or over-use could have contributed to the overload."
"It could have," Sujanha acknowledged, "or mishandling or maintenance failures or any other of a host of causes. Aegir was at Uslisgas on business for Thor, and he is going to tow the ship to Ocelum. Perhaps the engineers there can shed some light on this terrible accident."
"What are you going to do in the meantime? What about the other ships?" Daniel ventured to ask, his mind torn between his concern for the injured and his desire for the judgment of the Goa'uld not to be delayed.
"I … am unsure," Sujanha said slowly, "As far as I know, such a problem has never occurred, except perhaps on battle damaged ships, as long as we have used Asgard generators, and I do not know of any such occurrences among the Asgard either. The Diagoth is old, and I hope that a fault just with that ship is to blame, but am I willing to risk the lives of my soldiers across three galaxies on such a hope?"
"There could be construction differences between the Furlings and the Asgard even using the same plans," the Iprysh guard spoke again. While Daniel had nothing against any of the Iprysh personally, their mechanized voices set his teeth on edge.
"Again, it could have. There are too many possibilities and not enough facts. Most of the dead are among the engine crew, which will not aid answers."
"What are you going to do?" Ruarc asked, speaking again for the first time in several minutes.
Sujanha gave the Furling equivalent of a shrug, "I told Asik to have a fleet-wide warning sent out to all our ships in Ida, Asteria, and the Milky-Way, instructing the ships to conduct immediate checks of their generators and to exercise extreme caution when jumping to hyperspace. For the moment, until I know more, that is all I can do. … I could ground the fleet, but that would be potentially disastrous on multiple levels. The Asgard are depending upon our support in Ida, and if I ground my ships in the Milky-Way, they will be stranded far from our shipyards and my brother will have to pull back his troops, since I will not leave them unsupported, and the Goa'uld could regain back lost ground."
"Is Judgment going to be postponed?" Daniel asked the question most-of-all on his mind.
"NO!" Sujanha replied vehemently, "The Sul, an Iprysh warship, has been reassigned to transport us and the prisoners to Uslisgas."
Although several other races in Asteria had intra-galactic hyperdrives, the Iprysh were the only other race, besides the Furlings, to have inter-galactic hyperdrives. They possessed a large fleet of ships of various classes. Some were used for scientific purposes or for large-scale transport, while others were used for war. Daniel did not think he had ever seen an Iprysh ship or, if he had, had not recognized it as such.
"When will it arrive?"
"At least an hour. It's coming from Skeshan. The Ipyrsh have science vessels and transports closer, but they are reluctant for using those as prisoner transports."
"Agreed," spoke Ragnar, shooting his brother a concerned glance.
After an update was sent to the base commander concerning the unexpected situation, Daniel and the others settled in to wait. Sujanha spent the next hour almost entirely in conference with the holograms of six of her top commanders as well as Algar, Bjorn, Anarr, Thor, as well as an Asgard, an Etrair, a Lapith, and two Ipyrsh, all of whom Daniel did not recognize. They spoke in a mix of languages that they seemed to all understand but that made it impossible for Daniel to follow, though he made a few notes about the languages in a notebook that he always carried with him.
Sujanha lapsed into silence when the last of the holograms finally disappeared and remained silent for several more minutes, her gaze turned inward. Finally, she roused and looked around. The Ipyrsh commander, not one of the guards, had appeared in the doorway.
"The Sul has arrived," he spoke in a mechanical voice almost identical to the guard, "and the prisoners are ready for transport. The transport shuttle will arrive in a few minutes."
"Very good, Commander. I thank you," Sujanha said, rising (somewhat stiffly) from her seat.
The group was led out of the waiting/conference room down a series of tunnels. As they walked, Sujanha gave an update. "If there is no information on the cause of the Diagoth's overload by the time night falls on Uslisgas and there are no clues from the scans on our other ships, I am going to ground all ships of similar age with identical generator models as the Diagoth."
"How many ships will we lose for a time?" Ragnar asked.
"Too many," Sujanha replied, concern clear in her eyes, "I do not know the exact figures yet. If the worst happens and I am forced to ground those ships, the Etrairs, Lapith, and Ipyrsh have already pledged their full support. I will divide my remaining ships in Asteria between Ida and the Milky-Way. The Iprysh will send what ships they can to fill any holes in the Milky-Way, and the Lapith and Etrairs will temporarily become responsible for galactic security with oversight from Uslisgas."
"What can I do?" Asked Daniel.
Sujanha gave him a grateful look, "Remind me once we return to Uslisgas to have warnings sent to the Tok'ra and the Free Jaffa and to ensure word has reached the Dovahkiin of this situation. Their crafters and engineers would be of great use," her voice dropped in pitch to give a semblance of privacy, "Once that is done, you are released from all duties until Sha're is free and settled."
"Commander…"
"I managed without you for quite some time before your arrival, and as appreciative as I am of your presence, I can manage without you while you care for your wife."
The shuttle bay was a massive underground chamber filled with small flying crafts as well as boxes and pallets of supplies. The Iprysh craft that they were led to bore a striking resemblance to an oversized brick. Why do the Iprysh even need shuttles? Don't they have beaming technology like the Furlings and Asgard? The Furling seem quite willing to share their technology within the empire.
The prisoners were already inside, seated on benches along either side of the craft. The six Goa'uld—Cronus, Sokar, Nirrti, Heru'ur, Klorel, and Amaunet—reacted strongly to the arrival of Daniel and Sujanha, and several expressed themselves rather violently in their own tongue. Sujanha ignored them and went to the cockpit with Ragnar and a still unusually silent Ruarc. Daniel, after pausing in the doorway and looking back at his wife (oh, how he missed her), joined them.
After growing used to Furling technology and Furling ships, the Iprysh shuttle (and its crew, for that matter) was a distinct change of pace for Daniel. The inside of the shuttle was much darker than Furling crafts and had a distinctly sterile appearance that was even more futuristic and sci-fi-like than the Furling ships. Except when they had to check on the prisoners or speak to Sujanha, its crew was utterly silent and unnervingly still. Not even the hands of the pilots moved!
Now this is freaky!
The doors of the shuttle bay opened smoothly, and the ship lifted off, accelerating quickly into the atmosphere. The artificial gravity and inertial dampeners did their work, making the journey no bumpier than a car ride down a straight highway. In great contrast to the personal armor of its people, the Ipyrsh ship in orbit looked surprisingly frail. It was long and sleek with a smooth, gleaming hull. Unlike the vague hammer shape of Furling and Asgardian warships, the Ipyrsh ship was wedge-shaped with protruding engine bays at the rear.
Passing through an energy shield, the shuttle landed in a large bay area filled with supplies and other shuttles. The Goa'uld prisoners were escorted from the bay, presumably to temporary holding cells—the Iprysh guards went with them—and Sujanha with Daniel and her bodyguards were led up to the bridge to pass the journey.
It was around mid-day (Uslisgas time) when the Ipyrsh warship dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the solar system in which Uslisgas was located. (The Iprysh hyperdrive seemed to be somewhat slower than its Furling counterpart.) Because of the high volume of space traffic that passed through that solar system on a daily basis, ships were not allowed to jump to hyperspace within the system's confines to prevent accidents. Traveling from Uslisgas to the system's edge via subspace engines was only a minor delay and inconvenience.
A shuttle transported Sujanha, Daniel, Ragnar, and Ruarc down to the citadel, while a separate shuttle transported Sha're and the other Goa'uld prisoners to a separate location to await the High King's judgment at sundown. (Daniel wondered again if the time had been symbolically chosen.) The whole citadel, and Headquarters especially, was in a state of organized chaos. The impact of the explosion on the Diagoth was clear in the worried glances, concerned frowns, hustle and bustle, and subdued voices of all. One ship; twenty or more dead; and a potential fleet-wide impact that could cause havoc in two wars in two galaxies at the same time.
"Remind me…" Sujanha said suddenly as soon as they reached her office, waving Asik and Jaax to join them inside.
Daniel took a seat even as he replied, "Make sure warnings are sent to the Free Jaffa and Tok'ra, and ensure a call has gone out to the Dovakhiin for assistance."
"Of course. Thank you. You are free then," Sujanha replied.
"I'll sit here for a while, if you don't mind," Daniel replied. He wasn't sure what to do with himself for the hours until sunset. He didn't really want to go home and wile away the hours alone. At least at Headquarters, he could sit and listen and scrawl notes and ideas in his notebook when he wanted.
Sujanha shrugged, "As you desire." She turned her gaze to her other aids, scrubbing one paw across her muzzle. The morning's disaster seemed to have temporarily aged her. "Any word from Ocelum or our other ships?"
"Yes, and no," Asik replied with grimace and a regretful look, "There have been no overloads or warning signs on any of other ships, so far. Thank the Creator! However, the engineers and workers at Ocelum have to wade through much debris to find and examine the ruins of the generator. They have already said that if both generators had been in the same compartment, there would have been a chain reaction, and the ship would have been lost."
Jaax picked up the narrative when Asik paused. Daniel always was amused watching them work in concert. They had a stereotypical-twin-like ability to finish each other's sentences and pick up the thread of the conversation where one had left off. "The wounded were transported to the Eir, which was closer than Uslisgas." He paused and then continued. "Five more have died of their injuries, but the healers expect the rest to survive."
The look on Sujanha's face was horrifying. She looked like she had been hit by a truck, and it was several moments before she could bring herself to reply. "Five more?! 25 dead from one ship. A tenth of the crew. There has not been a disaster ship-board this catastrophic since the Great War. What else?"
Asik continued, "The Ipyrsh will have their ships mobilized within a day. The Etrairs and the Lapiths will need at least another three days to get their full fleets ready to travel, but they say they can shorten that time if we can help them with food supplies in the short term."
"We can do that," Sujanha replied but then made a face, "Can I authorize that?"
Asik had to look up the answer, "You can, if it is from the fleet's stores of provisions. You need … the king's approval if it is from elsewhere."
"Check with the Lapiths and Etrairs, and see how many ships and how much food. If possible, take it from our stores, but if you do, make sure not to go below the buffer zone. If necessary, get the king's permission and take the necessary amount from the national storehouses."
"I hear and obey," Asik replied, "They did say that they would, of course, repay that debt at the earliest possible time."
Sujanha nodded, and then Jaax broke in, "Also, we received a message—addressed to you, your brother, and the High King—from Drehond from Great Queen Sariiz. She has heard of the disaster with the Diagoth, how we are not sure, and offers any assistance that the Dovahkiin can provide."
"Any details that we know of what happened, send them to Drehond and request that any engineers and metal-workers experienced with ships go to Ocelum to assist."
"Of course, Commander."
"As soon as that is done, send word to the Tok'ra and Free Jaffa … Actually, no. We cannot risk this information being overheard. Send a messenger to the Free Jaffa and another to the Tok'ra. Tell Master Bra'tac that I need to speak with him urgently. A planet of his choosing will work. Here would work better. Ask to speak with Selmak on Vorash, if possible. Martouf or one of the other Tok'ra with whom we have had personal dealings will work also."
"Of course, Commander."
Asik departed to have the messages sent, but Jaax remained, lingering by the doorway. "Do you have need of anything else for the moment?"
Sujanha thought for a moment and then asked, "Where is Bjorn? I need to speak with him about the current situation of the war with the Replicating Ones in Ida. There was no time to speak with him about that subject after the meeting, and I have not received a report from the Asgard recently."
"Bjorn and the Taygeta are currently returning from Ida, leaving Fleet Commander Narr in charge of current operations against the Replicating Ones."
"A risky choice," Sujanha noted, "I hoped he completed the checks of his generators first. The last thing I need is to lose one of my High Commanders."
"Our long-range sensors are currently tracking him. Considering his speed, he is almost certainly using the potentia to power the engines, not the generators."
"A reasonable temporary solution, though a poor long term one," Sujanha conceded, "Our cache of potentia is finite without another find, and we need them, first of all, for the shields."
Jaax nodded and departed with a promise to tell the High Commander as soon as he returned that Sujanha needed to speak with him. As soon as Sujanha and Daniel were alone, the commander gave a deep sigh and leaned her head against the back of her chair. She seemed very tired.
"On earth," said Daniel, "this would be one of those days where you wish you never got out of bed in the morning."
Sujanha gave a throaty chuckle that was more of a rumble, "We have had worse days, but it has been some years, thank the Creator."
"I know you said I'm off duty now, but is there anything I can do to help?"
Sujanha shook her head, "Messages have been sent out, and for now I think I must wait. Your presence here is enough."
The afternoon passed slowly for all parties involved. Sujanha was in meetings almost constantly, first with Bjorn, then with Jacob-Selmak, and finally with Master Bra'tac. The Supreme Commander had been out of commission long enough after the Vorash earthquake that both men, especially the old Jaffa master, were glad to see her recovered.
Daniel's nervousness increased as the afternoon went on. After two-and-a-half tortuously long years, his wait was at an end. Sha're would soon be free, and they would be able to be together again. Yet, he was uneasy that something would still go wrong when his dream was so near that he could almost touch it. Sujanha seemed to pick up on his discomfort, not that his tapping fingers, restless movements, and occasional sighs did much to conceal his uneasy thoughts. Though she had earlier declared he was free until Sha're was free and settled, Sujanha took pity on him and gave him periodic small errands to run just to give him a distraction.
Finally, the shadows lengthened, and the sun began to fall, painting the sky with rich hues. Sujanha closed off her screens and rose.
"It is time," she said, "Let us depart."
The king's judgment upon the Goa'uld would take place in the Palace where Daniel had been for Judgment Day not many days before. The crowds would be less, though. The Furlings allowed only select individuals to be present for court cases, besides those relevant to the matter of hand, and they did not have press, either. As someone had once remarked and Sujanha had quoted, "We are here so that justice might be carried out, not to create a public spectacle." Who would be present beside the High Council, the High King, and System Lords, Daniel did not know. He was, of course, allowed to be present since he was family of two of the hosts.
Sujanha spoke briefly with her other two aids, as they exited her office, telling them to send for her immediately if any news came from Ocelum or any of her other ships. She seemed to be taking this accident and the loss of her men as a personal afront.
The Throne Room (Hall) was about one-third full when Daniel and Sujanha arrived with Ragnar and Ruarc, a small crowd already having gathered around the periphery of the room. The entire High Council was present, now that Sujanha had arrived, and the High King was just entering. The number of the guards had also increased at least two-to-three-fold. Daniel took his place with the crowd near to the dais. Ragnar joined the other guards, while Ruarc stood beside Daniel.
Now they waited.
The waiting was short. Only a few minutes passed, and then as the sun touched the horizon outside, the six Goa'uld were beamed in.
Judgment was finally at hand.
The six Goa'uld were beamed into a circle in the middle of the great hall, and instantly a shield snapped up around them, hemming them in.
Daniel felt a lump in his throat, seeing Sha're so close. Hold on, my love. Just a little while longer now. Ruarc placed a paw on his shoulder in a gesture of encouragement.
High King Ivar rose from his throne and stepped down to the level of the main dais. He spoke first in Furling and then repeated his words in Goa'uld. His voice was not loud but carried well and was solemn, filled with gravitas, as befitted the occasion.
"Cronus, Nirrti, Heru'ur, Amaunet, Klorel, Sokar. For thousands of years, you and your fellow Goa'uld and System Lord have reigned over and terrorized the galaxy as false gods. As your recent defeats have indicated, your reigns are over. The Goa'uld empire has ended."
"You have been brought here to this court today to be judged," the king continued, "Backed by the testimonies of many witnesses who have told of crimes that cry out for justice, you are charged with the false imprisonment and suppression of your own hosts, with murder and torture of your subjects and your prisoners and even your own kind, and with human experimentation. Do you have any word to say in your own defense?"
The six Goa'uld all tried to reply at the same time. Some of the replies were unrepeatable in any sort of polite company, while most of the rest were of the "I am your god: who are you to judge me?" variety.
Ivar waited until the Goa'uld had shouted themselves out before calmly continuing, "For crimes innumerable and unutterable, I sentence you. Blood you have shed, and thus your blood shall be shed. This is my decree under heaven on the 29th of Vekix. Thus, shall it be."
Daniel blinked back tears. It's over, finally over. For Sha're and Skaara. He thought of Kasuf on Abydos with Shifu, a father bereft of his children. Soon. Soon.
The Asgard beams activated, and the six Goa'uld disappeared.
Slowly, the crowd dispersed, but for several minutes Daniel stood frozen, mind trying to comprehend that his dream had finally come true and sending up thanks for the situation that had led him to the Furlings in the first place. Finally, Ruarc roused him with a gentle nudge when Sujanha approached from the direction of the dais. Anarr was waiting a polite distance away.
"My heart is glad for you," she said, "to see that your wife will soon be no longer plagued by the demon's presence."
"Where are they taking her?" Daniel asked, his voice rough.
"The Halls of Healing. Our healers are ready to immediately extract the symbiotes, which then will be handed over to the army for the king's sentence to be carried out."
"Can I go there?" Daniel asked.
"Of course," Sujanha replied, "The Halls are open to all who have need of healing of any kind and to the family of those in the healers' care. I do have need of Ruarc, though."
"I know the way," said Daniel. At least, I think I do.
"Then go," said Sujanha kindly, "One of us will check on you later, but for now there is fleet business to deal with."
Daniel was too tired and too distracted to ask here if there was any news but figured someone would update him later.
A watched pot never boils.
A watched pot never boils.
A watched pot never boils
A watched pot never boils
Daniel reminded himself frequently, as he paced the clinically sterile, cookie-cutter halls of the Halls of Healing. After years of waiting, he was done waiting any more, and years seemed to pass for every hour that he had spent at the Halls since the High King had declared judgment.
One pass of the hall.
Two passes.
Three passes.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Eventually, Daniel lost count. He was a relatively patient man by nature. Archaeological discoveries and complex translations did not come at the snap of one's fingers. They took time and patience. Took over twenty years for hieroglyphs to be deciphered after Napoleon's campaign. But Daniel was out of patience.
Daniel paused on his umpteenth circuit of this particular hallway/seating area where he had been told to wait. He checked the chrono in his pocket. Only two hours! It can't be.
The Halls were quiet, since there only a few hours left in the day. Daniel wished fervently for company. There was nothing worse than waiting alone for news at a hospital/doctor's office (or the inter-galactic version thereof). He wondered what Sujanha and the others at Headquarters were doing, if any news had come or whether she would be forced to ground most/all of the Fleet. He could not comprehend the amount of weight resting on her shoulder's right now as she tried to balance her concern for the lives of her men and the two ongoing wars that her ships were waging. Talk about the Sword of Damocles. He wondered also how Ruarc was. He hadn't been the same all day since the news of the Diagoth had arrived.
Daniel paced. And paced some more, leaving the hall only once for a short time just long enough to get some food and a mug of spiced tea. He knew that he would be fussed at vigorously as only a Furling could if he didn't take care of himself. Getting scowled at by a Furling was quite an experience!
Finally, his waiting was over. One of the chief healers working on the project to free Goa'uld host emerged out of a side corridor and approached Daniel. There was a stain of blue blood on her apron, but her expression was pleased, or as pleased as Risa could manage to look. Risa was, as best Daniel could tell, a half-breed in the most literal and least derogatory sense of the word. Her appearance indicated that she was half-Furling and half-Lapith, which made her look more intimidating than she actually was. Her bedside manner would beat many physicians Daniel had been forced to deal with on earth, but she often talked almost as technically as Sam did on a role.
"The procedure appears to have been successful on both your wife and her brother, Doctor Jackson," Risa began. Daniel sank to a seat with a sigh of utter relief. He would never forget how disastrously the attempt to free Charlie Kawalsky had turned out.
Risa continued, "Work continues on the others so I can only stay a few moments. Your kin are being tended to and will be moved to isolation chambers until they wake from their drugged sleeps on the morrow. You will be allowed to sit with them both, if you wish, but you must stay outside the shields."
Daniel could understand their caution. Extractions could seem successful at first but fail in the end. The last thing the Furlings needed were Goa'uld lose on their homeworld. "Of course," he replied, "Can I stay until morning?"
"Yes, though there are only chairs and no beds." The Furlings apparently had no concept of visiting hours.
"That won't bother me." I've had worse between digs and bedside watches at the SGC.
Daniel visited Skaara briefly—he looked peacefully asleep, a far cry from the last time Daniel had seen him during Apophis' attempted invasion of earth—and then settled in for a long night by Sha're's bed. The healers had gone great length to care for her and make her comfortable. She was dressed in Abydonian clothing, probably brought from her cell, and covered in Abydonian blankets. Her long, dark hair had been washed and carefully brushed and plaited to keep it out of her face until she had time to care for it herself. Her face was peaceful and serene, the slightest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. The trials of the past years had melted away, and Daniel could almost imagine, if the room were different, that they were still on Abydos.
Daniel touched her cheek gently, murmuring a greeting in Abydonian, and then settled down in one of the two chairs. A healer appeared from time to time to check on Sha're, but largely he was left alone with his thoughts.
A few hours, the door opened again. The lights were low, except for the glow of a lamp next to the bed, and it took Daniel a long moment to realize that it was Sujanha and not another healer.
Sujanha gave Sha're a wary glance before moving the second chair quietly and taking a seat next to Daniel. "Malek says I must not be here when she wakes," the commander spoke in an undertone, "lest she sense him and the naquadah in our bloodstream and become frightened, but I can stay for a time if you do not mind my presence."
"Of course not," Daniel replied, feeling a hint of concern as he looked at her. She seemed even more exhausted than earlier, "It's too quiet here, too much time to think." He was used to the beeping of machines in hospital rooms.
"I have been in your place before," Sujanha said without explanation, "And I cannot say that I do not feel the same."
"How are things at Headquarters?" Daniel asked, wishing both for a distraction and an update.
Sujanha gave a rumble-groan, "Not well. Bjorn has returned from Ida, and he and Frár are overseeing matters until morning. Anarr and I are supposed to be going home to rest."
"I won't tell."
"As you say, there is good news and bad news as to the situation with the Diagoth. The fault with its generator has been discovered after an inch-by-inch search of the wreckage and a disassemblage of the remaining generator. Apparently, due to the heavy wear on the generators over the last several thousand years" (the timeframes on which the Furlings dealt still took a bit of getting used to) "several small components deep in the mainframe wore down, damaging the failsafe mechanisms, thereby allowing the overload to occur."
"That's a relief. That you found the problem, that is. So, what's the bad news?"
"Now that our engineers know what problems to look for, the High Command was able to assemble a list of the ships that must be grounded while their generators are replaced or repaired. So far, however, this problem is appearing on almost all of our ships, not built within the last four centuries or retrofitted with updated generators at the end of the Great War."
"When you say 'almost all,' how many is that?" Daniel asked. He was getting a VERY bad feeling of where this was going.
"All three of our flagships are in good condition. Even if they were not, we could still power the hyperdrive with the potentia for a short time. Our relief ships" (what the Furlings called the 'hospital ships') "were all built within the last century during the preparation period for this war, and the same applies to most of our troop carriers."
Those three classes of ships accounted for only about 1/11 of the entire Furling Fleet, not counting the contingents from other races that were only rarely called up for service.
"The same is not true for the other warships, I'm guessing?"
Sujanha shook her head with a curl of her lip and a dark growl. "Of 200 motherships and 100 cruisers, spread between Algar and Bjorn's fleets, I just had to ground about three-quarters of each. I have less than 100 of my own warships with which to wage two wars in two widely-separated galaxies and protect my own galaxy."
"What about the ships from the Ipyrsh and the others?"
"The Ipyrsh have a very limited number of warships to deploy, since they only have to protect their homeworld and a handful of nearby outposts. The Lapith and Etrair ships can manage galactic security as long as their supplies last but are not equipped to face powerful enemies."
"We'll survive. You survived the Sicarii. This is only a temporary setback."
"Survival was never in doubt," Sujanha acknowledged, "What concerns me is how much territory we will lose before my ships are fixed. I cannot leave my brother's garrisons unsupported. We'll have to pull back from Bastet's territory for now. We have to focus on protecting our major strongholds, allied worlds, and important captured planets."
"Makes sense."
Silence fell for a short time. Sujanha seemed to be temporarily lost in thought or simply introspective.
Finally, she asked quietly, almost sadly, "What do you plan to do now, Daniel? Your wife is free. Will you return to Abydos and your son?"
"I don't know yet. It will depend on what Sha're wants. I want to be a family again, but I also would like to stay if possible. I've become quite attached to this place."
Sujanha's eyes smiled, "And I have grown quite used to your presence. I want what is best for you both, but I would be loath to see you leave."
"Thank you. The main consideration with staying is space. I need a place with enough space for all three of us."
Sujanha tilted her head, her brow furrowing, "Your room, at least by our standards, is large enough for two adults to sleep, and the room across the halls if yours if you wish it."
"But you're using it?"
"Only for storage," Sujanha countered in a soft voice, making a dismissive gesture with one paw, "Some of those things have been there for centuries. I need to clean it out eventually, but I can easily move it for the moment. You could use that room for your boy."
Daniel was floored by her generosity. "That's very … very generous of you. But are you sure you would want all three of us in the house? Shifu's not even a year-and-a-half yet."
Sujanha shrugged, "I like children. I have none of my own and never will. His presence will not trouble me, and I am often away. Your wife and son could have the run of the house except for my library and bedroom." She paused and then clarified her last statement, "Your wife would be welcome to my books but not …"
"No babies, please, among your collection, I understand," Daniel smiled and thought of the havoc a child could wreck in his office at the SGC full of artifacts, books, texts, and the like. He wondered what had happened to all his stuff there and at his apartment. "I'll think about your offer and talk with Sha're later."
"Of course. I should go sleep," Sujanha said, starting to rise, "Morning is going to come too early. Do you need anything first?"
Daniel shook his head, and Sujanha slipped out as quietly as she had come.
For Daniel, unlike Sujanha, morning seemed to come much too slowly. The chair was not the most comfortable, and he only dozed, waking at slight noises. As the night passed, Sha're began to rouse slowly, making small movements or low noises in her sleep.
Murphy's law, Sha're finally awoke when Daniel had stepped out for a few minutes to use the bathroom and buy a mug of tea in the 'cafeteria.' He heard raised voices as he neared her room and hurried forward. Risa was inside the room but outside the shield that surrounded Sha're's bed and was trying to talk with her. Risa's strange appearance seemed to have frightened his wife—all of her guards on Ardea had been human—and Sha're had retreated to the far end of the bed and was only answering in Abydonian.
Does Risa even know English? Daniel wondered. A growing number of Furlings knew English because of the military's dealings with the Tok'ra and Free Jaffa, since English was preferable to Goa'uld. Outside the military, however, there were fewer who knew the language.
Daniel hurried inside, setting his mug down with a little too much force on a nearby table, sloshing the contents. With a little mental effort, he switched his brain out of Furling back into Abydonian.
"Sha're, my love, it's alright. Risa is a friend, a healer. She wants to help you."
Sha're's gaze immediately snapped from the strange-looking alien over to Daniel at the sound of his voice. She tried to rise and move toward him but was blocked after only a few steps by the flare of a blue shield.
"Dan'yel?" Sha're asked, her gaze on a continual moving loop around the room, "Where am I? What is happening?"
"Everything is alright. You're in the healer's … tent on my world among the Furlings. They took the demon from you." Sha're nodded her understanding. "They wanted to make sure that the procedure had worked, that it was you, who woke up, my love, not the demon in hiding."
"The demon is gone?" Sha're asked. She seemed to want confirmation. "The nightmare …"
"It's over," Daniel confirmed, stepping forward until he was just on the other side of the shield from her. He longed to hold her in his arms again but knew he had to be patient just a little while longer. "Skaara is free, too. He's still asleep, just down the hall."
"I thought," Sha're murmured, her brow furrowing, "I heard his voice—Klorel's voice," she spat, "The demon took my sight, but I felt her fear, and sometimes her strength wavered."
"Doctor Jackson?" Risa prompted in Furling, breaking into their discussion, "Can you confirm independently that the person speaking is your wife, not the Goa'uld?"
"Yes," Daniel nodded, "That's Sha're speaking. I know her mannerisms, her way of speaking." Even Malek would not have been able to mimic Sujanha that well, and he had tried once, at the Commander's request, as an experiment not long after the two were hosted.
Risa nodded, made a few more notes on the tablet cradled in her left arm, and then swiped a hand through the air to bring up a holographic screen. Sha're flinched backward in surprise—floating holographic screens, except on a peltak, were not a thing among the Goa'uld—and Daniel murmured something soothing in Abydonian.
In moments, the shield around Sha're's bed fell. "She is free to move around this facility with an escort—since she does not speak our tongue—but is not yet free to leave. Speak to one of the healers if she is in need. Someone will check on her in a few hours," spoke Risa.
"Thank you!" Daniel replied with heartfelt sincerity, "Can you make sure the Supreme Commander is informed?"
"Of course," Risa replied. She bowed once to Daniel in the military fashion and again to Sha're and then departed.
Daniel took a slow step forward after the door had slid shut behind Risa and opened his arms. He could not imagine how Sha're had suffered at the hands of the Goa'uld (and of Apophis). He wanted to leave her room to make the choices now. Sha're, though, had no hesitation and immediately threw herself into her husband's arms and began to weep.
After much weeping, apologizing, and explaining (on both sides), Sha're and Daniel sat down on her bed and began to talk. Her first question was for their son.
"What about the boy? Where is he? Is he safe?" Sha're asked, showing clearly the result of her knowledge gaps because of Amauent's attempts to blind/deaf/silence her host while Daniel was present, and what news she had gotten from her guard that one time was grievously out of date.
"Shifu's safe. He's on Abydos with your father," Daniel replied, rubbing his hands up and down her arms in a soothing gesture, "He's 14 months old by Earth's measurements and is growing quickly. He's a very sweet natured boy. I have pictures." He started patting down his pockets, looking for the picture stone that he had gotten soon after he arrived on Uslisgas. "Actually, I don't have it with me right now, but I'll bring them soon."
"But he is harcesis," Sha're protested, her brow furrowing, "the demons, they will hunt him."
"The System Lords are falling one by one," Daniel explained, "The Furlings have been waging war on them for the past nine months … moons, and many have fallen. Abydos is carefully guarded."
"It is forbidden because of his knowledge. It will harm him."
Daniel shook his head, "The Furling healers have technology. They blocked Shifu's access to his memories. He is safe." How exactly they had accomplished that miracle, Daniel did not know.
Sha're sagged with relief. "Can I see him?"
"Soon. Once you're strong enough and the healers release you, we can go to Abydos—I know my good-father will want to see you and your brother—or I can bring Shifu here. It's your choice."
Sha're and Skaarra stayed in the Halls of Healing for four days before the healers allowed them to leave. They then spent another three days on Uslisgas in quarters allotted by the Furlings before they were allowed to return to Abydos, the intervening time being another check that no unexpected problems arose. Of the other hosts, Cronus and Sokar's hosts had died at peace, their bodies overtaken by rapid aging without the presence of their symbiotes. Since knowledge of their original homeworlds had been lost in the intervening years, the Furlings had buried them in their own fashion among their own dead on Numantia. Nirrti's host as well as Heru'ur's had fortunately survived, those both were traumatized in the extreme.
Sha're, Skaara, and Daniel returned to Abydos, as soon as the two former hosts's travel restriction were lifted. It was good to spend time as a family at peace, far from wars and travails. Only the shadows in the minds of Sha're and Skaara darkened the trip, and those scars would take many years to heal.
Eventually, after several weeks, it was time to return to Uslisgas. Skaara had elected to remain on Abydos with his father and his people, though the Furlings would have allowed him to remain in Asteria if he had so wished. Sha're, on the other hand, after thoroughly considering Sujanha's offer, had agreed to move into the Supreme Commander's house. Thus, Daniel was going to get the best of both worlds: his family with him and Uslisgas.
Daniel knew that there would be setbacks in the future, but for now life was good. He has his wife and his son, and they were all together, safe, in the same place for the first time in several years. Life was good.
Next Time on Ripples in the Deep:
Chapter 18: No Trespassing - Unexpected visitors to a Furling-controlled world prompt an unexpected but very welcome reunion and raised the possibilities of a new alliance for the Furling Empire.
Chapter 19: New Allies
Interlude V: The Cost of War
