"Where's my dad?" asked Sam, a question Shezmu found strange in wake of everything that had transpired.
"Why should I know the location of your father?" he countered quizzically, and her face grew indignant.
"You said he'd be here!" she exclaimed, and for a moment he grew confused, before drawing the only logical conclusion he could think of.
"Oh, you are referring to the Tok'ra, are you not?"
The blonde nodded.
"Forgive me, I did not know you shared a relation by blood. I believe Seshem can inform you of his whereabouts."
His First Prime inclined her head. "He's currently being cared for in the healing chambers. I can take you there, by my Lord's leave, of course." she said, and looked to both Sam and himself in turn.
He waved a hand in response, conveying that she had his permission. The two women left, joined shortly thereafter by the others, who trailed along after a moment's indecision. They likely did not trust his First Prime enough to warrant one of their own being taken away to an unknown location.
Originally, the healing chambers had constituted the sarcophagus room. For obvious reasons, Shezmu had prohibited use of the device, unless considered absolutely necessary.
It was of Ancient design, by origin, and therefore tailored to the genetic makeup of the now lost species. When Thoth first laid his hands on the device, it had responded badly to humans and even worse to Goa'uld. To his credit, he did manage to make it somewhat functional, healing grievous wounds to the point where even recently deceased could be brought back to life.
Unfortunately, the benefits did not come without a catch, and the unexpected side-effects were only recognized when once was already too late. Most of his contemporaries found themselves in wars and skirmishes so often that they had been exposed to far too much of the unhealthy radiation.
While their bodies remained at a functional peak, the same could not be said for their sanity. Goa'uld were already wicked by nature, a fact he was aware of, but the sarcophagus went on to rob them of what little reason and compassion they had. These behavioral changes were then passed on to younger generations through imprints in their genetic memory. Until Shezmu found a way to repair the damage caused, an overwhelming majority of his kind would only respond to power and fear.
Which brought him back to the present, and a certain someone he had yet to confront. Realizing he was still holding Sokar's dead body in a tight grip, he placed it in a bowl beside his throne and stood up.
Apophis stared in unease as he was approached, and was caught completely off-guard by the solid strike aimed for his jaw. The man was lifted off the floor, hurled to the side by the sheer force of the blow. The Jaffa restraining him quickly backed away, fearful of their Lord's rare show of wrath. His eyes shone so brightly they seemed to light up the entire bridge, and when he spoke his words came out as a distorted growl.
"I am greatly disappointed in you, Apophis. I thought better of you, knowing you once opposed the ways of Ra to the point of declaring him your mortal enemy. Yet here I find you, after all these years, under the heel of Sokar and struggling against some primitive humans."
His words managed to provoke some anger from his fellow god, who looked back at him with a hint of defiance.
"Your insults mean nothing, traitor. Now that you have dared to show your face again, the System Lords will hunt you down like the abomination you are." he spat, and Shezmu shook his head dejectedly, saddened by the foolish response. It only enforced his earlier assumptions.
"They will not. I now possess a force deemed large enough to face the System Lords head on and emerge victorious."
"You are honestly expecting Sokar's Jaffa to bow to you?" Apophis questioned, swaying slightly as he rose to his feet.
"I am. As were you, I assume, had you been allowed to roam free. I would also recommend worrying less about them, and more about yourself. Your fate remains to be decided."
The hint of defiance that had formed on the Serpent Lord's face vanished instantly, replaced entirely by fear now that the threat of death had become, in his mind, very real. The two Jaffa that had backed off earlier strode forward at his words, grabbing hold of the captive god's arms.
Shezmu placed his hand against the masked side of his face, ignoring his pleas for mercy.
An ear-splitting scream of agony echoed across the bridge, and he saw the pilots wincing from where they were silently observing. He had completely torn off the metal plate welded against the disfigured part of Apophis' face, exposing both naked flesh and poorly healed scar tissue underneath.
The red gem on his Kara'kesh then began to glow, and he passed his hand over the various wounds in a gentle caress. Previously damaged tissue regrew and knit itself together, leaving no trace of injury and only smooth and unblemished skin.
"How is this possible? And without the aid of a sarcophagus…" mumbled Apophis, pressing the palm of his hand against his healed cheek.
"I was expecting words of gratitude, truth be told. But to answer your question, I suppose my divine powers must be superior to yours." Shezmu replied sarcastically, in a mockery of the usual Goa'uld spiel.
He returned to his throne, casually assuming his seat once more. "Now that you are presentable, you shall join me in addressing the people of Delmak."
"Excuse me?" the Serpent Lord asked, not believing what he had heard.
"Did I stutter? If so, allow me to make myself clear. You are alive for the sole reason of assisting me in commanding my new fleet. Betray me, and you will die. Attempt to flee, and you will die. Am I understood?"
A long, deafening silence reigned across the bridge, until Apophis finally lowered his head.
"As you wish, my Lord."
Shezmu smiled, inwardly elated at the progress he was making. He knew that dealing with his kind would require a very particular brand of psychological approach. While needing to ensure their cooperation, he did not want them to feel too subservient or under constant threat.
That was, in fact, the very cause of much of the infighting amongst the Goa'uld.
"No need for formalities. We are family, are we not? Prove yourself worthy, and your word will come to bear as much weight as my own."
That would never happen, of course, but it was not necessarily a lie. The opportunity to grow and earn respect was a universal right amongst his people.
He sighed and passed a hand through his hair wearily. So much had changed so quickly, and had someone told Shezmu that all of this would happen a mere day ago, he would have advised that person to seek mental aid.
His thoughts were interrupted when Seshem rushed back to the bridge, nearly stumbling in her hurry to speak with him.
"My Lord! There is something you must hear immediately!" she exclaimed, forcefully thrusting a small device into his hands. Jack and his comrades returned as well, panting slightly from sprinting, accompanied by an older man fitted in tattered robes.
"Yeah, you might actually want to listen to that." Daniel said nervously, fidgeting almost imperceptibly.
Shezmu recognized the item in his hands as a communications device, similar in design to the ones he used himself. It probably belonged to the Tok'ra.
He pushed a button on its back. "With whom am I speaking?" he asked.
A moment later a voice responded, muffled slightly by static. "I am Teal'c of Chulak. You must reposition your ship immediately."
"Would you care to elaborate on that?"
"Ne'tu is set to explode within ten minutes. If you remain where you are, you will be caught in its blast radius and destroyed along with it."
If he ever met Teal'c, he would have to commend the man for keeping his voice so impeccably calm and composed, even when relaying a message of this significance. Apophis, on the other hand, did not seem as impressed, from the way his face scrunched into open disgust.
"Shol'va!" he snarled, and turned his back to the group. Shezmu filed that away as another piece of interesting information, and spoke into the device again.
"Thank you for telling me this, Teal'c. I assume you are of close relation to my guests, in which case they shall be transported aboard your ship once placed within range of my own."
"Very well. You have my gratitude."
With a buzz of static the transmission ended, and he faced the assembled company. The sheer ridiculousness of it finally hit him, and was enough to make him guffaw.
"What's so funny?" Sam inquired, with a little annoyance. "Didn't you hear what Teal'c said?"
"I heard." he replied. "It is simply that I cannot help but feel amused whenever I see three humans, two Tok'ra and a notorious Goa'uld Lord standing together in relative ease."
Jack huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, don't get to used to that. By the way, I could have sworn Apophis had less of a face when we got here."
"All will be revealed in time." he said softly, yet with a sense of finality to let the mouthy human know it was prudent to drop the subject.
"My Lord, our sensors are detecting massive fluctuations in the moon's core. The atmosphere is collapsing." a pilot warned, sounding rather alarmed.
Ne'tu was indeed looking out of the ordinary, at least as far as a moon terraformed to appear as hell went. Massive amounts of magma was being spewed out from beneath its crust, so much that it was even visible from space, and thick, dark clouds looked as though they were seeping out of the moon.
"Ignite the sublight engines and position us behind Delmak. The planet will shield us from any debris." ordered Shezmu, and within seconds the ship began to hum with power.
The Tel'tak they had spotted when first arriving sped past them, in the same direction as they were headed. With a start, he remembered the Ha'tak that had also been orbiting the imminently exploding moon, and turned promptly to his First Prime.
"Seshem, none of our own are aboard Sokar's flagship, I hope?" he asked, wishing profoundly for that to not be the case.
"Of course not. Only the Ashrak were sent aboard, and as you know, they've already returned. As soon as their mission was completed, the Chiefs took off for Delmak. Together with several squadrons of Jaffa, they're occupying strategic points across the planet and subduing any resistance." she said, looking exceedingly pleased with herself.
Shezmu relaxed, feeling the tension that had built up melt away.
"I doubt there's much resistance at all, really, considering the type of person their ruler was. In any case, once we arrive, I'm sure you'll be able to sway the last of them to our side." the woman finished, placing her hands against her hips.
The humans were not so thrilled, however. They all had their eyebrows raised highly and looked at him in a combination of shock and incredulity. Both of the Tok'ra, though, especially the old man he had come here to rescue in the first place, looked at him oddly before speaking.
"Selmak told me a lot about you, you know, while I was being cared for. Of all the Goa'uld to possess an army the size of Sokar's, you're probably the only one who could be trusted with it."
That was unexpected, approval from a Tok'ra. Although, he could not help but wonder just how much Selmak knew about him, and by extension, the rest of the Tok'ra. Some knowledge was better left forgotten.
The remark was enough to lighten his mood, however, and even Martouf seemed to be nodding in agreement.
"That remains to be seen, although your words bring me some degree of assurance." Shezmu responded modestly, when suddenly several bright flashes of light blinded everyone's sight.
Through squinting eyes, he managed to make out the shimmering surface of Ne'tu as it shattered from the tremendous force built up in its core. Chunks of rock, both large and small, were expelled at incredible speed, most of it fated to traverse the universe aimlessly for all of eternity.
The red dot on the viewscreen symbolizing Sokar's Ha'tak vanished abruptly, and he shuddered to think what would have happened had they not been forewarned.
Nothing pleasant, that much was certain.