Author: Kelral Orlyana

Title: Reunion

Category: Stargate SG1 x Red Dead Redemption

Rating: Currently a T… may change as story progresses.

Pairing: None

Spoilers: The Tok'Ra (Part 1 and 2) but very little of Red Dead Redemption will be revealed.

Warning: Contains angst, mild battle scenes and mentions abuse and cruelty… though it is very mild.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG1 or Red Dead Redemption and make no profit posting this story.

Italics represent symbiote and host communication.

Chapter 10: Troubled

Human methods of travel are the most tedious and tiring experience ever. I wish we had our technology, we could have made it here in a few hours. Instead we've wasted days listening to children and women whining and crying and men being arrogant, greedy fools. As for Firnan, if we have to deal with him throwing a strop every time we might as well leave him behind. A horse would be useful for a time but we can make do without.

Cordesh. Kirinian began, his tone of voice dark. There are times like these when I remember why I hate you. You are Tok'Ra. Patience is what you do best and as for leaving Firnan behind, he is the only thing we have of any value. Do you think the humans of this world will let us travel without payment? We only have so many weapons, the money Bonnie's given us is all but invalid here and we certainly can't give away all our weapons because we'll be defenceless when we find the gate and when we go through.

You would sell Firnan? You love that horse.

I am coming to realise that we cannot take him with us, getting him to travel is difficult and we cannot afford to keep maintaining him. Once we find the gate we may have to trade him for more weapons and supplies. I don't want to do it but needs must. At least you get your way. We'll leave him behind.

Kirinian…that's not what I…

It doesn't matter, Cordesh. We almost there, the moment we are on land we can start moving without having to deal with any more of these Tau'ri. This map says we have to head East. We could probably get another boat to take us further inland and therefore closer to Egypt but I doubt Firnan will cope with any more enclosed stables, he is after all semi-feral. Firnan will appreciate the chance to stretch his legs and you won't be surrounded by an 'inferior species'.

If Cordesh hadn't known he was in trouble, he did now. Kirinian rarely spoke so harshly to his symbiote since he was so afraid of Cordesh. Even now, when they'd supposedly made their peace Kirinian dared not say a word out of place. But Cordesh's thoughtless comments had pushed Kirinian too far over the edge. Kirinian would no doubt regret his angry words later and wonder why Cordesh had not punished him, but right now he simply walked stiffly to where Firnan was housed on the boat and clipped Firnan's leash to his bridle. Firnan rocked his head in an impatient angry fit before following the tug of the leash and stepping awkwardly out of his stable.

It was always the walk down the ramp that got Firnan most upset. Firnan didn't like the boat since it was constantly moving beneath his hooves but moving downwards on a constantly moving slope really got Firnan upset. The movement was minute to Kirinian, he felt the waves rocking the boat but it didn't matter, to a horse however it was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling, especially to one that was wild-caught and had never travelled on any man-made machine before he became Kirinian's steed.

Admittedly Kirinian felt bad for Firnan, he'd been captured, taken from his herd and had been sailed far from his home. Kirinian knew the humans would never take him back to America, the moment he turned his back Firnan would be sold to the highest bidder and most Tau'ri's were not kind to animals. He feared what they would do to his steed. How Firnan would suffer at their hands.

Cordesh was suddenly there, at the fore of his mind, pushing him from the thoughts. We take him with us. There is a planet known as Agrippa where many horse run wild. It is a paradise untouched by man. That is where we'll go.

Agrippa? Wasn't that where Egeria birthed her first brood?

Yes. It is a safe world, no Goa'uld knows of it. We cannot stay there, for I would never wish to bring the wrath of the Goa'uld upon such a beautiful world, but if you truly wish to leave Firnan behind then that would be the place to do it. A beautiful animal like him will be a blessing upon the world and the horses that inhabit it. New blood will always help the population and his speed and agility will be an added bonus to help the animals evade their natural predators.

Kirinian really liked that idea. Firnan was wild at heart, it showed in his instincts, his ability to anticipate predators and prey alike. He moved with a sixth sense that could not be trained in to any horse. Cordesh was right, he'd do well on Agrippa. But that raised the issue. What did they trade for supplies if not the horse?

Kirinian, we are Tok'Ra, I have lived for many centuries. I can and will find supplies, we do not need the Tau'ri's help in this. I know which fruits are safe to eat, I know how to craft traps and to hunt efficiently. We are not helpless. We ride to Egypt. It will take us longer than it would by boat but we can do it with ease. We need never deal with the Tau'ri again.

They had already had a small falling out, Kirinian was not prepared to push his luck by arguing with the symbiote again. Besides, he was kind of hoping Cordesh was right and that they could do things the way he claimed. Thank you. Kirinian said, instead, his mental voice little more than a whisper, but Cordesh knew how heartfelt the words were and merely wrapped a little tighter against Kirinian's spine and sent a wave of warmth. Kirinian had felt this warmth once before, before Cordesh became the monster most knew him as, and Kirinian had thought he'd never feel it again, that his memories of the first times were just a figment of his over-active imagination. The fact he was feeling it again suggest Cordesh had truly changed, but Kirinian couldn't help but be afraid and sceptical, after all he had no way to fight Cordesh if it turned out that Cordesh was tricking him and using him as he had before.

But Cordesh would not need to lie, why would he lie when he could simply take over with no Tau'ri none the wiser? He'd faked being Kirinian when the Tau'ri visited their base world so why wouldn't he do so now if he thought Kirinian was beneath him. The truth was, somehow, Cordesh had changed and for the better. But Kirinian could not look a gift horse in the mouth. The abuse he'd endured had been too much, he could never forget it but he had to hope otherwise he did not think he could continue.

But he had more to think about now, more to do. He had to get the three of them to Egypt. He had to make sure Firnan was safe. He'd already been forced to leave the other animals behind back in America, but Firnan was special, his first horse on this world. Then he had to help the Tok'Ra in any way he could. He was now a man out of time, but that gave him power no other man had, the ability to foresee what was to come, albeit briefly, and the chance to change history in some small way to help the Tok'Ra.

Once Firnan was watered, fed and had rested for a short while he mounted the animal, settled into the saddle and kicked the horse into a trot. Firnan was clearly ready for more but Kirinian kept him at a steady pace, he'd save Firnan's energy for when they needed it most.

Africa, as Kirinian now knew the continent was called, was a strange and interesting place. Full of different shades of sand, places full of life and other areas that seemed barren. Within one day he'd passed through an oasis and witnessed sand dunes that spanned as far as the eye could see. He knew he'd have to cross many of these places and they could easily claim the lives of his horse, him and his symbiote. Firnan was not used to so much sand and had a few fits and starts before Kirinian calmed him and got him back on track.

There was also the additional threat of new types of predators. Snakes even more venomous then those that dwelled in America, massive big cats that were far more ferocious than any puma from America. Then there were hyenas, predators with bone crushing jaws, cheetah's that could outrun a horse and herbivores that were aggressive and armed with massive horns. Fortunately, Firnan had a sixth sense and Cordesh enhanced his hearing so for the most part these new more dangerous threats were easily avoided. Still, it would not be wise to drop his guard, it only took one moment of weakness for a predator or enemy to exploit.

We have to consider the best way to travel. We may have to find shelter during the day to escape the heat of the sun and travel at dusk and dawn. Otherwise we'll drive Firnan to exhaustion and we ourselves will struggle to survive. If we stop now before we reach the worst of the dunes we can collect food, water and rest. I don't know how long it will take to reach the other side of this sand-dune and we do not want to be caught out should we find it is much farther than we anticipated.

Kirinian could not argue with this logic and brought Firnan to a slow walk before halting before a large tree. Fortunately, no predator was resting there and it allowed them to secure the horse before Kirinian turned to looking for food. Fortunately, one of Cordesh's previous hosts had been a hunter gatherer and so Cordesh knew where to look for edible plants and where to find water. There was also the additional comfort of sitting in the shade, as they'd travelled from the docks the heat had begun to seep into his skin and his clothes were beginning to stick to him with sweat despite Cordesh's best efforts to abate the heat's affect. Considering that Firnan could not sweat meant that the horse was probably suffering more than Kirinian was. In fact, the horse seemed more quieter and was content to stand in the largest patch of shade he could reach. Firnan was tired from the heat but otherwise okay, no lameness and no injuries so Kirinian gave him water and food before settling on a tree branch, beneath the shade of large leaves while he waited for the sun to begin its descent in the sky.

A few animals got close, a lone male lion and a small pack of wild dogs, but nothing Kirinian could not chase off with a few well-placed shots and Cordesh's enhancements to his strength. The male lion was still nearby but not foolish or desperate enough to attack an alert prey.

Still, the moment the sun was lowering enough to lessen the heat in their air Kirinian was back in the saddle and lightly cantering far from where the lion stalked. It chased them for a little while before deciding it would take too much effort and stalking away. It was a relief to Kirinian who didn't want to keep looking over his shoulder the whole journey.

We must always keep looking over our shoulder. We have no friends and those we think of as friends would quickly sacrifice us if they had something to gain from it. Cordesh warned, the symbiote forever paranoid, though that paranoia was not foolish, the Tok'Ra had very few friends.

We have to worry more about these sands. This environment could mean our deaths. We must keep our eyes open, for food, shelter, water, predators and more importantly birds. Vultures will lead to meat and other birds will lead to an oasis or to civilisation.

You can't call Tau'ri towns civilisations.

Do not be rude. Just because these people are not at our technological level does not mean they are inferior. Besides if they decided to harm us we could do little, we could disable or kill a few but not all. Were you never taught respect? You respect every life-form, especially those that can kill, a healthy dose of respect and fear is what keeps us alive.

I fear the Tau'ri. They are dangerous beyond measure.

I fear it too, if they become as advanced as the Goa'uld and are able to travel beyond their planet they will be a destructive force. But there is also a chance they can be a force for good. The Goa'uld do not have many worthy opponents, they have too strong a foothold in civilisations beyond this star, but the Tau'ri are evolving beyond the need for 'Gods' and their fear of Gods is fading too. Should they reach beyond their planet they could challenge the Goa'uld at a level that we cannot. This will either lead them into replacing the Goa'uld as the evil force of our universe or they could be a force for good that maintains peace within our universe.

You give the Tau'ri too much credit. But it is of no matter, either way. We cannot affect the course of history on this planet, we do not have the authority, influence or time to do so. We must get to the Chaappa'ai and leave this world.

And what do you suggest. That we just walk into a Tau'ri tomb and never emerge? If we are seen we risk altering history irrevocably.

The humans will never notice.

You place too much faith in stealth. No matter how good we are we can never anticipate our enemies movements. If Earth is anything like the other planets we've visited, there will be tomb robbers, gangs, rebels and generally nasty types of people haunting the tombs of the pharaohs. If the Tau'ri ever realise just what the pyramids are for we could unleash a cultural, religious and spiritual backlash that could change human history forever. The Chaapa'ai can never be found until the Tau'ri's we know discover it and that means we can make no mistakes. So kindly put your ego to the side and concentrate.

What do you suggest?

I do not know yet. We could play greedy tourists looking to tomb-rob or we could simply disappear and let the Tau'ri think we were captured and killed by the gangs living around the pyramids. It is too soon to say what our plan of action will be but we have to be ready for anything.

Agreed.

Firnan lost his footing and slid down the side of the dune before managing to steady himself and continuing to walk into the sea of sand. It was rather comforting to see the sand, it reminded him of the Tok'Ra homeworld, at the same time it was also saddening because it reminded him of all he lost.

We'll get it back. We just have to play the waiting game. You're right, we have to be patient, but that is something we are good at.

It is going to be a long time.

Once we get to where we are going it will feel like a blink of an eye. Have faith, Kirinian, have faith.

It is hard to have faith when I've already lost so much. It seems we are going to try an impossible feat. How do we know this will even succeed?

We don't but we have to have hope, Kirinian. So much has changed, we are in the past with knowledge of the future, we have the ability to change things for our people. We have the potential to save some of the Tok'Ra that were lost to us the first time. We could act as protectors for our people. We know where some were sent and who they are, we could be the silent assassin, killing the ones who would kill our kin. We may not return to the Tok'Ra for a very long time but we can still protect them.

True. But I am afraid. I am not sure if I can do what needs to be done.

We can. Together.

I don't have faith in that. Not yet.

I know, but I have faith in you. When the time comes you will be ready.

I hope you are right.

I am always right.