"I will not be able to provide all the necessary raw materials," Stevenson told Bra'tac as the two of them stood on a sandy hillside overlooking the plateau on which the base elements of the Jaffa's first shipyard were being constructed. Over fifty engineer-type replicators moved over the reshaped ground with steady efficiency, transforming the puddle-jumper like cargo sleds of supplies into foundation elements directly, using their molecular restructuring ability. "Eventually, the Jaffa will have to procure their own."

"That will be difficult," Bra'tac admitted. "The most abundant resources have long since been picked over, and the remaining ones are mostly in the hands of others. We will have to search long and hard to find new locations for our naquada mines especially."

"On the contrary," Stevenson said on a brighter note, "you simply lack the equipment to get at the deeper deposits. That I can provide you. Also, if you extend your search beyond the gate network I believe you will have more luck finding the 'easy' resources of which you speak."

Bra'tac smiled humorlessly. "For that, we must have ships…and to have ships, we must first have the resources. It seems we face a paradox."

"Our operation on Hoth will maintain a small, but constant supply of material to the Jaffa. At the worst, it will simply take time to accumulate enough to produce the first H'tel…though it may be wiser to build several Alket first," Stevenson suggested.

Bra'tac considered that. "How do the Alket fare against Goa'uld motherships in your simulations?"

"Depends on the design of mothership," Stevenson said, referring to the numerous upgrades the basic design had seen over the centuries. "Those of the Jaffa Nation, for the most part, require four Alket for an even match. Those that Anubis upgraded with Ancient tech require up to ten."

"Of which the Jaffa Nation has no less than twelve," Bra'tac told him. "I fear that they will move against us out of fear…and at present we have no defense against them."

Stevenson looked at him. "Would Teal'c?"

Bra'tac kept his eyes on the construction site. "I would think not…but then again, I did not expect him to react as he did earlier. It seems my feel for the Jaffa has slackened since my transformation. It seems I no longer think as they do, and I fear I may have misjudged their intent."

"Do not worry, Bra'tac," Stevenson said, looking back over the plateau as well. "I would not construct a shipyard without the means to defend it."

This time Bra'tac did turn to look at him. "How so?"

"It will be equipped with a strong shield and a cache of drones…once I get a drone production factory up and running. None survived the ages, and my current supply is running thin. None the less, I hid twelve within the monument, should you have need to use them."

Bra'tac's eyebrows rose. "Really. How am I to use them?"

"On the back side there is a removable panel. Use the neural interface within to control the drones…or if you just want to take a peak at what's in orbit. I included a full sensor package."

Bra'tac smiled. "You are devious, my friend. So much the better."

"We cannot take this lightly," one of the Jaffa Nation's high counselors stated slowly. "What Bra'tac has done is undermine our efforts and spit in the face of the democracy he once advocated. I fear his mind is no longer his own. Teal'c, you said that he had been changed into an Ancient…could not this Stevenson have done something to his mind as well?"

"It is possible," Teal'c admitted, "but I sensed no significant change in him. Anything radically different would have betrayed the change within him early on. He has been altered now for many months…it was only when he spoke of his present course of action did I detect a change of heart. I do not believe he has been brainwashed as you suggest, but his opinion has changed…and I do not know why."

Herran, the newly elected leader of the Jaffa high counsel stood. "I have known Bra'tac my entire life, and I can attest that he would never do anything willingly to harm the Jaffa. So either his current actions are not his own…or he sees reason to abandon democracy in favor of a return to the old ways…something that many of you also argued for in the past."

"What would you have us do then?" another counselor asked.

Herran placed his hands on the ring-like table where they all sat, save for himself. He perched over his seat, looking down at all those assembled…a common position for when he had finally made up his mind. "We must speak with Bra'tac…in person. Intermediaries will not suffice. We must know why he has given up his seat on the Council and declared himself to be the first of the new System Lords. Only then can we ascertain his true intent."

"What of this Ancient?" another counselor asked. "Is he for real, or is this all some sort of hoax?"

"I do not believe it to be a hoax," Teal'c said reluctantly. "But the one of which you speak was recently of the Tauri. Only through an Ancient device has he been given his powers and knowledge. To call him an Ancient is to grant him a title he does not deserve."

"And what of his warship?" the counselor argued. "That was real enough. Both you and I stood there when he revealed it, Teal'c…or do you suggest it was some type of illusion?"

"I do not," Teal'c admitted. "But possession of an Ancient warship does not undo the fact that we are dealing with a Tauri, not an Ancient."

"And how do you suggest that we deal with this Tauri?" Herran asked.

"We do not," Teal'c said determinately. "We must combat this return to the old ways by putting aside our pointless bickering. Many Jaffa have already joined Bra'tac on Dakara…and I have no doubt that this Counsel's inadequacies are in part to blame for this. We must act as one voice, with common purpose and true wisdom if we are to offer our people a credible alternative. We must also procure the ability to produce our own Tretonin, if for no other reason than to undermine the promises made by Stevenson."

"What of the proposed trade that this Ancient offered?" yet another counselor asked, deliberately using the term to offend Teal'c, one of his constant rivals.

"What of it?" Teal'c asked brusquely.

"Such trade could be of significant value to the Jaffa Nation…depending on what exactly he wishes to exchange."

Teal'c looked to Herran in surprise. "Are you really considering this?"

"Nothing is off the table, Teal'c," he said neutrally. "We are merely considering our options."

"We must offer stiff opposition to this…" Teal'c said, rising, both his body and voice. "The System Lords cannot be allowed to return…in any form. It is an affront to all Jaffa and a means that can be used to enslave us once again, whether now or a hundred years from now. We all know that Bra'tac would never do such a thing, but what of future generations. If the Ancients live as long as the Goa'uld, then this could be the beginning of a long term play for power, gradually reducing our freedom and creating a dependence on them to survive. We must retain our independence at all costs. There is no other choice."

"Would you suggest a military strike then?" one of Bra'tac's oldest friends asked.

Teal'c drew himself up to his fullest height. "Hear this, all of you. I will never condone us starting a civil war amongst the Jaffa. I know that Bra'tac feels the same. What we have to fight is a different kind of war…the battlegrounds are the minds of the individual Jaffa that must choose between service to the Ancients and membership in the Jaffa Nation. We must provide them an incentive to choose democracy. As we are now, with our internal divisions hampering us, we have little to offer them."

"Serve the Ancients or serve the Tauri?" Teal'c's rival asked. "You seem to be striding both sides of the fence, my friend."

"He has proclaimed both himself and Bra'tac to be Ancients, and that is the enemy we must counter, whether it be true or an illusion makes no difference, that is how the galaxy will see him. It is important that this counsel know the truth of his origins, but with his powers his claim to the Ancients' legacy will be impossible to deny…and we must not try. We must counter his offer with a better offer, and we must do it quickly before more Jaffa turn against us."

"What course of action are you suggesting, Teal'c?" Herran asked.

"I am asking that we air our private grievances here and now, and dispose of them so that we can stand as a united front. It is, in fact, long overdue."

"Indeed it is," Herran said with finality. "Yet it is easier said than done. How then, shall we proceed?"

"I suggest we start with what we all have in common, and work from there," he suggested wisely. "If we cannot come together in these counsel chambers, then we have no hope of uniting our people across the galaxy. It is here and now that we fight the first battle…against our own pride and superstitions. And given the reluctance of this Counsel in the past, I will make the first step…I hereby cede my position on the Jelnor Valley. I do not believe I was wrong…but given current circumstances it is of little consequence."

Herran nodded. "A noble gesture, Teal'c. I commend you for it. But let's not worry about the small things yet. Let us instead cut to the heart of the matter, and let us settle it once and for all…my election to this post."

From there the discussions and arguments raged for hours, with little progress. In the end some small gains were made, and the Counsel did agreed to forestall arguments on several issues until the situation with Bra'tac and the Ancients were dealt with, but it was hardly the consensus that Teal'c had sought.

He left the Counsel chambers dejected, knowing full well that what little hope they'd had just died amidst their useless bickering. The only thing that could now unite them against their common foe was a military invasion…and he knew Bra'tac wasn't that kind of enemy.

If the Jaffa Nation was going to find a solution, Teal'c was going to have to find it on his own.