Author's note: I don't own Stargate. I've decided to keep what I write of season two in this fan-fic post. Another big shout-out to my faithful readers and reviewers! :) I know a lot of you have been waiting for Skaara's return and I hope I do it justice. Warning: I've always disliked Klorel, on an epic level, so I apologize in advance if he seems a little dark here. Though the actor was great at being able to play both parts believably. Well, enough blather. Enjoy! :)
Chapter Fourteen
In the vast reaches of deep space a ship plowed its way across the galaxy. It was moving so fast that it wouldn't even register as a blur to anyone watching. It passed planets, stars, and blacks holes, leaving nothing in its wake, almost as if it was never there.
This fact was hard to reconcile with the chaos those aboard were trying to tame.
Jack approached his friend's body and looked into the eyes of a stranger. "Come on Skaara, fight it. You know me, I'm Jack, this is Erin and Teal'c."
I watched our captive closely, waiting for any sign of strain, but Klorel only smiled coldly. Steeling myself for what was to come, I slipped an emotionless mask over my face. I'd have to be careful.
"Ah, Teal'c, the traitor. I will take great pleasure in delivering his head to my father." He smiled again, glancing over his shoulder at Teal'c.
Jack's eye twitched in anger. "He's not your father." He snapped in a tone that I'd never heard him use before, especially with Skaara.
Then I had to shake myself. As much as he might look like him, and despite the fact that Skaara might be in there somewhere, it was not Skaara that we were talking to right now.
This much was evident when he spoke again with a voice devoid of anything except malice and cruelty. "He is my father. He seeded the queen mother. He chose the host in which I will live out eternity. Apophis gave me life."
"Your father only stole that life." I growled, lowering my zat and getting in his face as much as was safe. "We're not talking to you, we're talking to Skaara."
Klorel's eyes glowed brightly as he looked down at me. "Nothing of the host survives."
For a moment I let my carefully constructed mask slipped and the anguish I felt if what Klorel said was true was laid bare. Klorel had been watching me closely and his lips pulled up in a smirk when he saw this. Quickly I wiped the emotion off my face but the damage was done, and now Klorel knew what buttons to push.
"That's bullshit." Jack yelled. "Now let Skaara talk to us."
Klorel looked over at me with that sick smirk of his. "Your friend had a feeble mind. It suffered greatly and gave in easily." He ended with a laugh.
Before I knew it, my fist had curled up and shot forward. It connected with the right side of Klorel's face, whipping it to the side with its force. When he turned back to look at me with stunned disbelieve, there was already the beginnings of a bruise on his face.
Likewise Jack and Teal'c were equally dumbfounded and silent.
I glared at Klorel. "Don't push me." I said in a low voice.
"Nice one." Jack complemented, breaking out of his shock.
"Skaara taught me." I stated. Back on Abydos live wasn't perfect and Skaara had wanted to make sure I would be able to take care of myself.
Banging resounded from the door, alerting us to the fact that we'd been discovered, and that we'd have company very soon. Jack turned back to our prisoner, gripping his shoulders. "C'mon Skaara. Look at me. Try."
"I will kill you both, but not her." He jerked his chin in my direction. "She will make an excellent host. We do enjoy the fight and eventual defeat of our hosts."
Jack stood back from him sharply and held up his zat. "All right, promise me this thing won't kill him?" He looked at Teal'c who still held Klorel in an iron grip.
Teal'c nodded his head, "Two shots will. One shot will only cause him great pain."
"So here's the deal. Let him out, let him talk to us, or you get the whole load." He said to Klorel, holding up his zat for emphasis.
"You will only hurt your friend."
"He's tough." I said stepping out of Jack's line of fire.
It was obvious Klorel knew there was nothing he could do to stop Jack, but he gave one last ditch effort. "Your friend is too afraid to come forward. He enjoys my protection. He really does not wish to speak with you."
"Is that right? Let him go." Jack aimed his zat at Klorel's chest. Teal'c seemed reluctant to release him. "Teal'c. Let him go."
No sooner had Teal'c let him go then Jack fired his zat. The blue energy hurled forward and struck Klorel square in the chest. He collapsed into a heap screaming, but his voice no longer held that deep reverberation.
"Skaara?" I asked, falling to my knees next to him.
Teal'c had gotten a hold of him again just in case Klorel were to suddenly regain control.
"Sha're! Daniel!" His gaze whipped around the room, seemingly in shock at being in control of himself again. He struggled against Teal'c until his eyes came to rest one me. "Airen!"
"I'm here." I smiled down at him and took his head in my lap. Tears were streaming down my face, I knew we only had a few moments before he'd be gone again.
"Skaara. Hey there." Jack got on his knees and took Skaara's other hand.
"Forgive me." Skaara struggled to speak, losing control. Veins stuck out on his face, a testament to the struggle happening within.
I squeezed his hand, trying to will him the strength to stay a few moments longer. "Fight him." I urged.
"Can you forgive me for what we are about to do?" He pleaded, brushing his now free hand against my cheek.
"What are you about to do?" Jack shouted. "Skaara! Skaara, what are you about to do?"
"Please stay." My voice cracked.
"Forgive me." He said one final time before sucking in a gasp of air. Skaara scrunched his eyes closed, and when he opened them again he was gone.
"Jaffa! Nok kree tol!" Klorel shouted in anger.
The hand that had been cupping my face clamped around my throat. I coughed and instinctively dug my fingernails into the hand in panic. Jack ripped me away. I swayed on my feet and rubbed my bruised neck. Klorel's eyes glowed and he nearly shrugged off Teal's hold.
There was a loud blast behind us and the floor shook. At least a dozen jaffa stormed into the room, ready to shoot Jack and I. But they held their fire when they saw Teal'c holding his zat to Klorel's head.
"Drop your weapon. Release Klorel now." The head jaffa ordered.
"C'mon Skaara, help us." Jack whispered so only we could hear.
A flask of indecision came over Klorel and I knew that Skaara was pushing back with all he had.
The head jaffa had run out of patience. "Release him, or we will kill the humans."
Teal'c glared up at him. "If you kill the humans I will kill Klorel."
"And the host in which he resides?"
Teal'c lowered his zat and released his hold on Klorel. Klorel stood and picked up the zat in a huff. Without hesitation he aimed it a Jack and fired, causing Jack to immediately fall to the floor in convulsions. He then aimed the zat at me and I braced myself for the pain and closed my eyes. After a moment of nothing I opened them. Klorel looked down at me in confusion and lowered the zat. Clearly the fight that was going on in the control room wasn't the only one he was fighting.
Two jaffa came forward, their staffs alight with a blast ready to be fired at Jack and I. Klorel's eyes widened only a fraction before he hastly pushed their staffs down and away from us.
Shaking his head Klorel turned to his confused jaffa to explain himself. "The traitor and his recruiters. My father will be pleased."
He nodded to his jaffa who took us roughly by the arms and drug us up and out of the control room.
We were lead along the corridors all the way back to the gate room. Klorel came to a stop before the silver ball floating inside the gate and knelt.
The orb swirled to life to show a glowering Apophis. "Shin'tel, Klorel." He didn't sound exactly happy to see any of us.
If Klorel was aware of the warning signals pouring off Apophis, he didn't show it."Father, I wish to present you with a great gift. The traitor, Teal'c." A jaffa shoved him forward. Klorel then proudly swept his hand in our direction. "And, I present the humans that recruited him." We were similarly pushed forward.
Jack smirked up at Apophis. I shook my head silently at him to stop him from doing a stupid thing, as he always seemed to do around the bad guys. And as always, he ignored me. "Hey Pops." He said cheerily.
"Silence!" Roared Apophis before rounding on his son. "Klorel, where did they come from?" He demanded.
"I, I do not know." He stuttered. "We found them after departure.
"How many more came with you?" Apophis rotated glaring at us and Klorel.
"Thousands. We brought a whole army." Boasted Jack.
Klorel blanched, for all he knew we could have brought an army. Apophis turned his glare whole heartily to his son now.
"I assure you, Father, there could be no more."
"You should hope so, do not disappoint me my son." Apophis said.
"I will order a thorough search of the ship." Klorel gulped and snapped his fingers at a pair of jaffa. They bowed and strode out of the chamber. "What of them? Do you wish that I keep them until our rejoining?"
"No. Teal'c must suffer the most painful death a Jaffa can know. Removal of his prim'ta. Let his new masters watch him suffer and die."
For the first time I saw Teal'c's clench his jaw in what seemed to be fear, maybe even horror. Nothing had every made him react like that before, so this had to be bad.
"What about the humans?" Klorel asked.
"You may choose his method of death, but do it soon." Apophis was clear in his usage of 'his'.
Klorel glanced at me. "And the woman?"
"Do with her as you wish. It is almost time for remoc." The orb that held Apophis' image fizzed out.
"Yes, Father." Klorel added as an afterthought, though Apophis could no longer hear him.
A man and two women came forward, they each bore the silver symbol of Apophis designating them as priests. The man reached into his robe and pulled out a sheathed knife. Taking of the sheath he revealed a wicked two pronged dagger.
The horror on Teal'c's face was obvious but he rose to meet his end with dignity, refusing to tremble before the priest.
I turned to Klorel, trying to reach Skaara. "Skaara, don't let this happen. Don't let 'em do this." I pleaded.
"Na-nay." Klorel held up his hand stopping the preist. "Take them to the peltac." He ordered the surrounding jaffa.
They grabbed us and roughly lead us back to the control room. We were lined up in a row in front of the control console. I was in the middle, Jack on my left and Teal'c on my right.
"You wish to go home to your planet?" Klorel asked standing beside Teal'c.
"Of course." Jack answered with a bit of question as to where Klorel was leading this.
Looking behind him Klorel barked an order to a jaffa. "Jaffa, krel tak remoc."
Teal'c gave, what for him would be, a start and turned to us sharply "O'Neill, Clark, prepare yourselves for-"
Again there was that faint shimmering in the air around us. Then Jack and I went plowing to the ground and into the control console.
"Extreme deceleration." Teal'c finished with his raised eyebrow.
"Thanks, Teal'c." I grumbled, but bit the rest of my retort back when I saw what had replaced the swirling colors on the window.
"Oh my God." Jack breathed out in equal shock.
The viewing port showed that the ship was just about to pass Jupiter by, and in the far distance, and tiny blue sphere hovered in space. Earth.
Bracing his forearms on the console Klorel leaned next to me. "You will get to see your home one last time, before you, and everyone on your planet, are destroyed. And your kind will disturb the Goa'uld no more."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Our first sign was a faint hissing, then smoke came pouring out of one of the doorways. The jaffa guarding us went to investigate. Their departure was immediately followed by gunfire.
Out of the smoke Sam and Daniel burst in shooting the remaining jaffa. Teal'c stuck the jaffa behind him with and elbow to the nose, and Jack took another on with a kick to the gut.
Daniel had since ducked around the sarcophagus and was unaware of a jaffa about to send a blast into his back.
With a firm kick I sent the jaffa's staff upwards, and the blast meant for Daniel struck the ceiling. The jaffa glanced down at me and hesitated, underestimating my small stature. That was all I needed. I shoved my knee up into his gut and as he bent forward I plowed my fist into the side of his face, which immediately collided with the nearby wall. The jaffa was out cold. Now that move Jack taught me.
There was a clattering behind me and I whirled around. Klorel had knocked Daniel's handgun out of his hand and thrown him across the room.
I made a lunge for the gun and scooped it up in my left hand. But as I turned a bright red light pierced my vision, like a knife drive straight through my brain.
No sooner had I registered that Klorel had grabbed the gun away from me, my knees gave out. Klorel towered over my prone form his eyes glowing with an intent to kill. I frozen, like an ant caught in a magnifying glass.
"Skaara! Skaara, don't!" Jack's voice seemed to come from across a great distance.
"O'Neill, you must take action!" Teal'c shouted, sounding even further away.
My vision was darkening and I was losing feeling in my extremities.
Klorel's hand that held the gun seemed to rise of its own accord. Maybe not, someone inside was fighting back. It wasn't Klorel aiming the gun. He didn't notice, he was too intent on me.
Hear me Airen.
The arm jerked upwards and there was the resounding crack of a fired gun. Klorel fell backwards.
The burning on my forehead ceased, leaving only a sharp twinge in its place. Gasping I fell against my elbows sending shocks up my arms and into my shoulders.
There was a groan of pain and I crawled to Klorel, for I was to weak to stand. Red was spreading across his chest from the gaping hole near his heart.
"Airen" This time it was Skaara who spoke. "Goodbye." He brushed his fingers across my scar on my brow. He smiled for a final time before all his breath rushed out of him and he closed his eyes.
"No, nonono." I repeated, shaking his still body. Dimly I was aware that Daniel had knelt beside me and taken me in his arms. There was screaming. Was that me?
"O'Neill." Teal'c's grave voice called out from the front of the room.
Jack looked down at Skaara with haunted eyes. This was to similar to how Charlie, his son, had died. "Yeah. Give us a second, here."
"I cannot."
Somehow, I tore my eyes away from Skaara's body to look at the view screen.
"Earth." Sam breathed out in horror as our blue planet got closer and closer. "Colonel, we saw the death gliders. They're prepping for launch."
Author's Note: This is not the end, only the beginning. I'm going on a camping trip for a week, so no internet access. I may post the next chapter before I leave, but if I don't, don't panic, I haven't abandoned this fan-fic. I'll be working on it all while I'm gone. Until then! Also I would love to hear your reviews :).