"I must say, Brother, this is an interesting look for you. I like it. Why don't you come to my chambers and we can see what this little host is like in bed."

Ba'al was tempted to hit the other Ba'al, and at any other time, he wouldn't have put up with the teasing. But he was just too tired from the effort it was taking to keep from completely bonding with the human female while slowly making repairs to the injuries she sustained falling into the lava cave. The most difficult was the concussion that left his vision slightly blurred and made his temples throb.

A fistfight would only add more damage for him to repair. "Is there a sarcophagus aboard this ship?" he asked wearily.

The clone regarded him and his lack of willingness to fight, and shrugged, "This isn't my ship."

"Well, then, we have nothing left to say." Ba'al stepped around the other man and continued on his way.

"You might want to bathe before you think about using the sarcophagus," the other said.

"Why?" Ba'al asked, "You obviously don't."

Rather than take offense, there was laughter at his back. He rounded a corner and came face to face with another 'brother', but this one had more silver in his hair. This was no clone, this was their creator.

It was strange, but he could swear he felt an echo of surprise that wasn't coming from him. Impossible. An unpleasant side effect of the head injury, perhaps.

"Well... well... well," the other man regarded him thoughtfully. "I believe you have the distinction of being the first of my clones to resort to taking a female as host in order to survive. Perhaps I shouldn't have left you so long on the Tau'ri homeworld."

Ba'al smiled, "Just wait until you get the bill."

"Bill?"

"I would suggest you find a new host for me as soon as possible. I'm paying the Tau'ri girl one hundred thousand American dollars a day to inhabit her."

The older man was genuinely surprised. "Paying her? Was your host suffering from extensive brain damage? Why would you pay for something when you could just take it for free?"

Ba'al shrugged, "It seemed to prudent thing to do at the time given the extent of the injuries to my body. If I scared her away, there was no way to physically go and get her with a broken back and two broken legs."

"I saw the injuries. I'm surprised you held on long enough for another human to blunder into the cave under that field."

Ba'al smiled, "I've always been rather lucky."

"That you have," the older Ba'al agreed. "The sarcophagus will be ready for you shortly. There is a room prepared and the servants are already waiting with a small meal."

"That is... appreciated."

His creator lifted a hand and cupped one of the female's small breasts. It was surprisingly sensitive. "I'm sure we can work something out." His thumb circled the nipple.

Again, Ba'al felt the cold jolt of shock from outside of himself. It was followed by a second faint echo of emotion, desire. He smiled and pushed the hand away from him, "I need a bath. And a few Jaffa to act as an escort. Kathryn is still a virgin and would very much like to remain untouched. I warned her it would not be an easy request to honor. You know how we feel about petite redheads. I've already encountered one of my brothers who showed an interest in copulating."

"All this bartering with a potential host intrigues me. We will speak more of it later. Speaking of later, I lost my First Prime in a battle recently and I'm having each of your brothers submit one of their Jaffa into a tournament to battle for the honor of replacing him. You are welcome to attend and watch with me."

Ba'al nodded, "I look forward to it."

"As do I."

They nodded to each other and he followed a Jaffa to his assigned room to eat and prepare for his time in the healing chamber.

Ba'al was surprised to find his seat at the tournament the next day was the place of honor beside their creator. Part of him was flattered, and the other part want to know what he'd done to warrant preferential treatment. Other than taking an attractive female host, of course.

It occurred to him that maybe the other man was feeling possessive over him, but he dismissed it. Seating him next to the throne meant he would have a front row seat for any drama the other clones might cause because of his appearance. His brothers would be in for an unpleasant surprise should they decide to take what he wasn't offering by force.

The first thing he did upon exiting the healing chamber last night was to test the strength and agility of this body. He was much smaller, and his blows would not be as powerful, but he was light and fast.

The young woman was used to exercise and difficult working conditions. She had more muscle on her small frame than he expected to find. It would come in handy should someone try to rape him.

The first two rounds resulted in clean deaths after only short fights. The third round was between two evenly matched Jaffa and went on for nearly an hour. The fourth pairing was a bloodbath. By the time there was a winner, gore covered the floor and the thick odor of blood and raw meat hung in the throne room.

Ba'al felt revulsion so strong it was impossible to ignore. His stomach churned and bile burned the back of his throat. His reaction was strong enough to catch his creator's attention. The man frowned at him, and Ba'al knew he had to get out of the room before he vomited.

Showing weakness of any sort was completely unacceptable. Especially with a half dozen or so clones, and twice that many Jaffa, in the room. All eyes were drawn to him as he stood.

Ba'al gave them a smile and said, "The smell of raw meat is making me hungry..." It was as good an excuse as any, and it proved to be the best one, because his brothers laughed and nodded their approval.

Once he was outside the throne room and away from curious eyes, he vomited up everything he'd consumed for breakfast. A slave passed a minute later and Ba'al stopped her. "Clean that up. Immediately."

In the safety of his quarters, Ba'al fumed. What was wrong with him? Why was he able to feel the girl's emotions like ghosts in the back of his mind? How was she even aware of the things he saw? Hosts were rendered unconscious. It had always been this way.

The door to his bedchamber slid open, revealing the older Ba'al.

Ba'al rolled his shoulders and widened his stance, preparing to fight. Having the most powerful Ba'al in his private chambers set his nerves on edge. His instincts screamed danger.

"The tournament has ended. I decided I liked that last Jaffa for his sheer bloodlust," the older man stated. He crossed the room in two strides and stood towering over Ba'al. "Are you having trouble with your host?"

"Of course not." Ba'al winced at his own defensiveness. "I was hungry."

The familiar face smiled, "After vomiting out your breakfast, I can imagine you are. Now."

"Is there a reason I should be worried about the host causing problems?"

Older Ba'al frowned and stuck a hand in his pocket. It came out with a vial of small, white pills. "This is a sedative. It will return the host to unconsciousness for three or four hours. Use them sparingly or they can cause damage to the brain."

"Why are you helping me?" Ba'al smiled, knowing it was the wrong question as soon as it left his mouth. "What do you get out of helping me?"

The man returned the smile and nodded his approval. "Better."

"I'm not having sex with you in the girl's body. The fine for returning her soiled is one million dollars in addition to what I have already agreed to pay." It was a lie, but he thought it might work.

That got the other man's attention. "Why would a female wish to remain untouched? Does she not understand the pleasure she is refusing?"

"I've been through all her memories and she has... issues with men. A childhood with an abusive father. A young male attempted to rape her during her school years as well." He added, "She has participated in sexual explorations with women since reaching maturity, but such things are frowned upon by the Tau'ri military."

The older Ba'al frowned, "I had hoped..."

"I had similar hopes. If you were to take Lt Col Carter as a host, we could be in bed right now."

That made them both laugh.

"I'm going to assign a pair of Jaffa to watch over you until your new host is ready."

Ba'al was mildly surprised, but he covered it well. "How long do you think it will be?" The question sounded casual and didn't betray the urgency he felt.

"Give me a few weeks, perhaps as long as a month. Until then, you are my guest on this ship and I will let your brothers think I have claimed your unusual host body for my own pleasures."

"That isn't necessary. I can fight my own battles. This body is small, but fast and surprisingly strong."

There was a moment of contemplation. "I can't wait to meet this little female," he smirked.

"I'm almost certain she will enjoy meeting you, too. I think I felt a little thrill the first time she saw you and realized you aren't a clone."

"One week and a few days."

The amended timeline amused him, because it was most likely the truth.

"The sooner the better." Ba'al winced at the Tau'ri phrase as it slipped off his tongue.

His creator smirked, "I left you on Earth too long. They've made you soft."

"I'm offended by the suggestion..."

"Good." The dark eyes regarded him for some time before the other man added, "What a shame the girl was mistreated as a child. Had she been raised on one of our worlds such a thing would not have happened."

Ba'al agreed. "If it did, he would have paid with his life for it. I'd like nothing better than to return to Earth and find those two men. And a few other people from her memories who should be punished."

"I have no objection, but I have a mission for you to complete first." At Ba'al's surprised expression, the older man sighed, "Two of your brothers are plotting against me. Your payment for the new clone body will be to execute them for me. The bloodier and more public, the more it will please me."

"I'm to make an example of them?"

"Yes."

"Consider it done."

They both smiled in complete agreement. Order was maintained by making an example of those who stepped out of line.

As it turned out, it was fifteen days until Ba'al was able to leave the body of the Tau'ri female for a new clone. There had been a moment or two of concern for her safety before the process began, but everything went smoothly. The transition was quick and both hosts were unconscious throughout thanks to the mysterious pills.

The first thing Ba'al did was go to the mirror and look at his face, relieved to find the familiar graying hair and dark stubble along his jaw.

Ba'al was back and he had a mission to complete and a female Tau'ri plant Doctor to seduce.

Kathryn, her given Tau'ri name which Ba'al preferred to the less formal 'Katie', was taken to his room to rest and recover with armed Jaffa outside the door. She was not a prisoner aboard their ship, but a guest. The servants would tend her as an honored guest and pamper her.

Ba'al planned to act quickly and take steps to keep his creator and brothers from seducing the girl while he was gone. He already knew what he needed to do. Deception was second nature to him and might anger the young woman, but her anger was a small price to pay for making her off limits.

The Tau'ri had a saying about all being fair in love and war, and while he would never admit to feelings for the girl, he did feel... protective. Living in her body made him feel responsible for her welfare even after he returned to the host body he preferred.

Kathryn would hate his interference in her life, but she wouldn't be able to stop it.