Chapter 3
The next day started much like the last. Jack was hauled off to the throne room which was vacant except for the engineers and architects he had seen yesterday conferencing with the Goa'uld. They were unfurling and juggling the ungainly scrolls. Jack figured they had some revised plans to present to Sop'du. The Goa'uld looked up from the scrolls and made eye contact with Khon'du. Whatever was relayed, O'Neill was sure he wasn't going to like it.
Sop'du looked from the captive to Khon'du. His stern glance in the first Prime's direction informed the Jaffa of the pharaoh's displeasure. He did not want bloodied men in his presence. Sop'du preferred the use of the Was, the pain stick, a symbol of the god's authority.
Khon'du preferred the use of his fists, the slap and thud against flesh. But Khon'du would do as his god commanded. From now on he wouldn't let the bruises show.
The Goa'uld, here more business-like and less beatific, retired to another room and took his builders with him. Jack assumed this was a place where they could spread the scrolls out on a table, easier to study them. He was somewhat surprised he wasn't the one to leave the throne room, not the god. Perhaps it was Khon'du's mistake bringing him here. With his guard Jack stood in the virtually empty room for the next 4 or so hours.
Again before he was allowed back in the cell Khon'du stopped him. He grabbed a pain stick and drove it into Jack's bad knee. O'Neill's silent scream had his team shouting and banging on the bars, demanding the Jaffa stop. Khon'du glared at them, driving the pain stick deeper, confident of his control. He tossed the weapon to the other guard and bent low to whisper in Jack's ear, as he gasped for breath.
"Slave, do you hear me slave. I'm going to send your servant to the mines. The Jaffa will join my troops. And I'm going to take your mouthy woman and sell her to a pig farmer, that's after my Jaffa use her."
Jack was shaking with fury. One moment he was kneeling there looking into the angry Jaffa's face and the next he launched himself at him. Jack was caught before he could touch Khon'du who seemed surprised. He laughed at O'Neill's audacity and tossed him into the cell. Khon'du wasn't sure if the foreigner was reacting to the threat to his fellows or just saw an opening to attack.
"I hate that son of a bitch." was all Jack said as he hobbled over to the bench. It took a good half hour for the pain in his leg to subside. From the knowing way Khon'du looked at him and what he had said, Jack figured this Jaffa knew exactly how to exploit his weaknesses.
Sam heard the early morning routine of a gate rattling as woman slaves entered the bowels of the prison to feed the inhabitants. Still entwined with the exhausted colonel she woke him. He got up wordlessly and performed his morning ablutions. Khon'du, so far, had kept to a routine but O'Neill did not want to be caught with his pants down both figuratively or literally. Daniel slept on but Teal'c was aware of everything.
Khon'du arrived at his usual time and O'Neill was again escorted to the throne room. He wasn't thrilled to go but he would rather it be him than Carter. There in the hall were the usual crowd of sycophants, rich men elegantly dressed and some men of the elite priestly caste. They all milled around for about two hours until the Goa'uld Sop'du made his appearance. The priests again petitioned for the work on the temple to be completed. Sop'du roared at them for their impudence. He turned to Khon'du and had the prisoner brought before him. He wanted the rest of the attendants to witness this.
Jack was forced to his knees before Sop'du's throne.
"Who are you?"
"I and my people are traders, looking for new markets."
Sop'du flicked his eyes to Khon'du who then drove a pain stick into Jack's back.
"I saw no wares among your belongings, however there were powerful weapons."
"Many of the worlds we have traveled to are dangerous." O'Neill choked out the words.
"You will find this one is too." Again Sop'du looked to Khon'du and the pain stick was rammed into Jack's back.
"Why do you have a Jaffa traveling with you?"
"Security. Gonna have to fire his ass."
Khon'du did not wait for Sop'du's ascent and rammed the painstick into the gasping man.
With a flick of a hand the Goa'uld dismissed them. The Jaffa dragged O'Neill to a back corner of the room. Sop'du glanced over to the rest of the men gathered there, letting them know they were not immune to similar punishment for whatever grievance Sop'du perceived.
The conference continued by the throne although in muted and more respectful tones while Jack and the guard remained out of ear shot. Khon'du made obeisance to the god and left.
Khon'du needed to remind the Jaffa, who traveled with these humans and who bore the sign of Apophis, of the power and authority of the gods. These slaves he traveled with needed to learn to respect the majesty of the gods. They needed to learn their place.
