"Here's what we're going to do," Rion advised, settling an arm around his son's shoulders. "From what we've learned so far, Ba'nal represents another named Sokar. If we play this right, we'll be able to deal with the…thing…that's holding your sister as a hostage."
Aris wasn't sure how that would be accomplished as easily as his father thought it would be, and said so. "So'kar might not even be here," he pointed out. "And if he isn't, that means he'd be far more likely to bring more Jaffa here to kill the rest of us."
His father shrugged. "That's always a possibility. But if he's not here, it'll be easy enough for us to set up a little 'misunderstanding' about Ba'nal."
Frowning thoughtfully, Aris looked down at the ruins of their city. For as far as the eye could see, Goa'uld ships and the army of Jaffa dotted the landscape and herded his fellow Ilempiri like animals. Privately, he just couldn't see what difference it would make – they were outnumbered and outflanked – but anything was better than simply sitting back and giving up. "What kind of misunderstanding?"
"If you were as powerful as this Sokar is supposed to be, how would you react when you found out that your 'representative' was keeping a stockpile of naquidah for his own use?"
Visions of a shadowed figure using a pain rod on Ba'nal made Aris glance up at his father with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I would kill him."
When they had finalized their plans and were walking down to the city, Aris couldn't help but feel that something was about to go very, very wrong. It didn't make sense for Ba'nal to simply wait for Sokar to pass judgment upon them; there was something his father hadn't yet revealed. When he'd asked about it earlier, Aris had been told to trust him and not to worry. Not worry. Right. Biting back the urge to ask about it once again, he followed his father's lead.
As they approached, several Jaffa lowered their staff weapons and formed a loose circle around them. The Jaffa escorted them to the Hall of Elders, and Rion made an angry sound in the back of his throat at the sight of what the Goa'uld had done to a place that had once been a symbol of fair justice for their people. They all were tired of referring to things in past tense, Aris thought to himself.
Ba'nal stood, eyes flashing yellow-white as he – it - looked down at them. "Where are the Jaffa that were sent with you?" he asked coldly, gesturing to a nearby soldier whose forehead symbol was limned with gold.
"Do you even care?" Rion countered when Aris opened his mouth to speak. "They were overcome quite easily-"
His words ended in a grunt as a Jaffa behind him knocked him to his knees, and Aris shifted uncertainly. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, why was he provoking it? Stepping forward quickly, Aris lowered his head just enough for Ba'nal to think it was a gesture of deference. "I've done what you asked, I brought him for Sokar," he blurted, hoping that the mention of the other Goa'uld would make this one's judgment of his father less hasty. "Please, may I see my sister, my…my Lord?" Aris asked, nearly choking on the honorific.
He'd been full of worry for Riah ever since seeing her as Ba'nal's captive and though he was terrified for his father's safety, Aris knew that he needed to look after his little sister first. At Ba'nal's slight nod, two of the Jaffa blocking the exits stepped aside to reveal Riah. She darted forward immediately upon seeing their father, but was stopped by a hand clamped around her upper arm. "Take her away," Ba'nal said negligently.
"Aris?" Riah whispered, eyes wide and frightened as she looked from him to the elder Boch kneeling with a staff weapon pressed against the back of his neck.
Aris tried to reassure her that everything would be all right, but he could only stare back at her mutely as she was shoved back in the corridor and the Jaffa moved to cover the exit once more. The thundering of his pulse was all he could hear as he forced himself to turn back around, but the sound of a staff weapon blast shocked him into full awareness. "Father!"
This wasn't supposed to be happening – they were supposed to be waiting for Sokar to be summoned, and then they would tell him that Ba'nal had been stockpiling naquidah…this wasn't supposed to be happening. Aris fell to his knees beside his father, willing this to be nothing more than a bad dream. When he slid a hand beneath the older man's head, the sticky dampness of blood cruelly confirmed the reality of the situation. Rion Boch was still breathing, but only with great effort; the staff blast had struck him in the stomach and he'd cracked his head against the stone floor of the council chambers when he'd fallen back. Pain-narrowed brown eyes looked up into anguished green as his father gripped the front of his tunic with fingers that still seemed as strong as ever. "Aris."
It was as if someone had a grip on his heart and was squeezing for all they were worth. "Not you too, don't go," Aris begged.
His father summoned a tired smile. "Only a matter of…of time."
"But-"
"Your Mai'ma and I were…" Rion began to cough weakly, and Aris wiped away the yellow flecks of blood on the older man's lips. "We were Joined, you know…know that."
Aris ducked his head, viciously gnawing on his lower lip to keep from crying. Not where it can see me, I won't do it, I won't… "Don't go," he whispered helplessly. The grip on his tunic began to loosen, and Aris pressed his father's hand in place roughly.
"You'll manage."
He could feel the pulse under his fingertips growing steadily weaker, and shook his head. "I can't."
"There's…there's not much choice," Rion said with another tired smile. "Remember where we taught you." His eyes drifted closed.
"Father," Aris insisted.
"Peace, youngling," his father sighed. "Araie waits for me."
Rion Boch relaxed into the grip of his final sleep and Aris placed trembling fingertips to his cheek in farewell. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ba'nal shift on his stolen throne and hatred momentarily forced grief away. One day, the Goa'uld would pay for what they had done.
tbc…