LIBERTINES AND LIBERATION
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Stargate characters, ideas or themes. As a matter of fact, Stargate can have my ideas if they want them (wouldn't that be great). All standard applicable disclaimers apply to this piece. I have tried to source any materials quoted in furtherance of this story.
Spoilers: Probably some for Season 10 and beyond
Summary: Vala and Daniel centered storyline adventure (hopefully); relationship (okay yes); angst (yup); comfort; etc.
Rating: R to NC-17 in some parts.
Author's Note: This is my first Stargate fiction. I have no betas – not even a beta fish – not even sure what a beta is in fact.
This is the first chapter in the next installment. There's more to follow, probably tomorrow.
This story will have multiple chapters.
I took inspiration from Milena D's Misappropriation of Lives and a short story called Believe by Random. I really wish those two authors would write more on those two story lines.
I hope for a few comments.
Scrambling to Catch Up
Back on Danter, Cam was listening to Vala's last garbled, panicked message in real time. They had just dispatched the last of thugs that had caused them to lose sight of Sam. Apparently, the thugs had underestimated Teal'c if not Cam.
"Oh that's not good!" Cam said grabbing his radio, "Vala repeat. Where are you?" But there was no response. Either Vala had left the planet's surface, or someone had jammed the signal. He tried to reach Daniel on his radio, but he couldn't get through to him either.
After playing back Vala and Daniel's previous communications, Cam turned to Teal'c, "According to Vala, the Lucian Alliance has Sam and this little fight scene was a diversion. She radioed me that the Alliance has ringed Sam off world. And, Vala, maybe Daniel too, has followed Sam onto the Alliance ship."
Cam looked grim, "Not good on so many levels." he said.
"We must locate the rings Vala Mal Doran used." Teal'c said.
Cam got out his radio, "Odyssey this is SG-1."
"Yes SG-1" the Communications Officer on the Odyssey responded.
"We need a scan of the planet for rings." Cam said.
"Copy," Odyssey responded. Cam and Teal'c waited for the Odyssey to come back online.
"Colonel Mitchell we show four sets of rings within a four mile radius of your location," Odyssey informed.
"Can you tell when the sets of rings were last activated?" Cam asked.
"Negative," said the Odyssey Officer.
"Vala said something about leaving her watch at the ring controls." Cam thought aloud.
"Alright, Odyssey, I need you to send teams out to the rings. Have them search for a standard issue SGC watch. And, Odyssey, better beam the teams down. I want the rings secured and, I don't want anybody using those rings until we examine the control devices copy!" Cam ordered.
"Yes sir," Odyssey responded.
"It is unusual to have more than one set of rings in such close proximity to a marketplace." Teal'c commented.
"Jackson said Danter was founded by descendants of pirates with knowledge of the gate technology. It makes sense that their settlement would have extra means of escape – like rings don't it?" Cam said.
"It is strange that Laspul'gas did not mention the additional sets of rings. Was he not undercover on this planet for some time?" Teal'c asked.
"Princess did some fast thinking leaving her watch to mark the rings," Cam said with admiration in his voice.
"Did Daniel Jackson inform Vala Mal Doran of his research on Danter?" Teal'c inquired.
"Well Princess practically lives in Jackson's lab Teal'c. I guess she's doing more than just flipping through magazines when Jackson's droning on about his latest research." Cam said with a bit of surprise in his voice.
"Vala Mal Doran is quite resourceful." Teal'c added.
"Yeah, she can be, and she seemed to recognize those guys were a diversion from the start; she kept her eye on Sam that's why she saw Sam's kidnapping." Cam said shaking his head at not listening to her advice, but sometimes it was hard to listen over his irritation.
"Odyssey, what's going on with the trace on Carter, Mal Doran and Jackson's subcutaneous locators?" Cam asked.
"We're working in zone grids on and off planet, but so far we haven't turned up anything." Odyssey responded.
Teal'c decided to interrogate the thugs utilized in the distraction since they were still waiting to hear back from Odyssey about what the teams had found at the ring sites.
"Colonel Mitchell, one of our teams has located Vala's watch at rings located northwest of your position." Odyssey's Communications Officer came on over the radio.
"Can you beam us over to the location Odyssey? And get your geeks down there to take a look at the control crystal. I want to see if we can pull some kind of id off that crystal that will help us identify the ship they're on." Cam said.
"Yes sir." Odyssey replied.
SG-1 and the Odyssey had analyzed the ships leaving Danter and quickly come up with one that had two rapid succession ring transports for the window of time they were looking at. The ship was Lucian Alliance, based on information from witnesses and sources available on Danter. From Teal'c's interrogation of the thugs, he was able to obtain the name of the man who had hired them: Emeteo. Odyssey had caught a break with their long range scanners. They had seen a ship leaving Danter around the same time as the ring transports. Based on all available intelligence, Odyssey, together with Colonel Mitchell, has determined to risk moving towards this ship's likely course. But they didn't have a clear idea if the course they were following was the correct one.
"General Landry is checking for information on an Emeteo." Cam said to Teal'c.
On the Odyssey in pursuit of this mystery ship, Cam had no choice but to inform General Jack O' Neal that Samantha Carter was missing. Cam Mitchell was grim after he'd informed O' Neal that Sam, Daniel and Vala Mal Doran were MIA and confirmed to be back in the hands of the Lucian Alliance. Jack was uncharacteristically talkative during the briefing snapping out rapid questions about the operation. Cam thought it was some comfort to him that Vala and Daniel were probably with Carter.