Chapter 5

Ba'al's lotar, Serai, finished with Ba'al's dressing ritual, and secured his robes from behind. This new lotar was nowhere near as efficient or as beautiful as his previous one. Curse O'Neill and ALL the Tau'ri! Curse the Tok'ra! Ba'al looked into the reflecting glass as his slave finished with the robes. She went to the small well contained within his bed chamber and drew fresh water. He watched as she heated it with her small hand device that he had made especially for her, and wrapped a drying cloth over her right arm, and then carried the water over to where he was standing for him to cleanse his hands again. Serai stood with the bowl out, and her head bowed to him, as any slave properly should. He sighed as he began to cleanse his hands...again. He cursed his host's mind as he had been doing for centuries. Ba'al could not escape the host's need to constantly wipe and clean his hands. It was more difficult to suppress this need of the host, than to simply heed to it. He found it very time consuming, and annoying, but he could no more ignore the desire to wash his hands than he could ignore this body's need for oxygen. The water was terribly hot, just they way he liked it. The torar, or soap, as the Tau'ri called it (he actually liked the word soap better) sat in the bottom of the bowl. He pushed his fingertips down into the soft soap, and scrubbed his hands furiously at first, then gently, washing under the folds of the knuckles and under the well-kempt nails as well. After the cleanse, Ba'al dried his hands on the cloth that hung over Serai's arm.

"Thank you Serai." Ba'al spoke softly. She bowed slightly, but did not speak.

He thanked her even though no words were necessary between Lord Ba'al and his slave. In fact, he preferred it when she didn't speak, as her teeth were very crooked, and he loathed to look upon them. But this was a lotar given to him by a very trusted source, and even though the slave was neither attractive nor fluid in her service, she would never betray him like the last one. Loyalty was the one characteristic that he held more important above all others, and he found the strength of her loyalty to be re-inforced if he showed kindness toward her. The other system lords felt the need to flaunt their powers to their lotars, by humiliating them into service. They did not know that Ba'al had learned his own unique methods from observing the Tau'ri. He watched her put away the bowl after emptying the water, and as she was coming back to stand at his side again, his first prime appeared in the door way to his chamber. Serai held Ba'al's own hand device out to him for him to put it on. He declined with a single small shake of his head. He only wore that wretched thing when the situation demanded it. His host's mind literally recoiled every time his fingers slipped into the caps.

"My Lord, the leader of the Mor'ei requests your presence for a dialogue." he bowed in reverence towards Ba'al, holding onto his staff weapon as he did so.

"Is he here now on the ship?" Ba'al asked as he started to advance toward the corridor.

"Yes my Lord. He wishes to speak directly to you." The first prime was still bowing, not making eye-contact.

"Very well. It has been several months since the last communication. I wonder if they've kept their end of our little bargain?" Ba'al chuckled as he walked past his first prime.

"He did not say, Lord Ba'al." the Jaffa turned to follow Ba'al. The lotar waited for both of them to pass, and then she too followed suit. The three walked past several patrols, all of whom stopped to bow before their master, as he made his way through the large mother ship. It was cloaked in orbit behind Che'ctala's small, orange moon. Ba'al made it a point to journey to Che'ctala to personally check in with the Mor'ei every few months. He had claimed this planet for his own over one hundred years ago, and besides Earth, it was one of his most favorite to visit. The planet held a fascination and a beauty for him, that even Ba'al couldn't understand.

When Ba'al entered the ship's common room, the large alien creature stood at it's center. Ba'al went to his throne without touching anything with his hands. He found that if he tried to keep his hands away from anything that could cause filth, it soothed his hosts burning need to cleanse them again...for a short time anyway. He had them tucked securely in the sleeves of his robe, and he seated himself without removing them. He sat for a moment looking at the creature staring at him through silver eyes. His eyes were as reflective as the glass in his chamber, and Lord Ba'al was slightly disturbed by the queer way the creature blinked at him. If the Mor'ei hadn't been such a passive race by nature, he would never have been able to dominate them and take control of their planet.

"Sootaal, my friend! What news have you brought forth to share with me today? Have the Tau'ri visited Che'ctala yet? I sent the intelligence to them months ago about your world. I had hoped to hear news of their capture before now." He stared steadily ahead as the leader of the Mor'ei began to speak to him using its powers.

"Master Ba'al. The Tau'ri have been captured as you requested. Unfortunately, the males were destroyed when we attempted to interrogate their minds. And according to our laws, the healing ritual could not be performed on them. The information that you seek has not yet been obtained. We are attempting to interrogate the female's mind, but she is strong. It just might take some time..."

"Sootaal did I hear you correctly? The MALES are dead? O'Neill is dead? Daniel Jackson is dead?" Ba'al was in a mild state of combined shock and euphoria! This was a most pleasant, unexpected surprise!

"Sootaal, what of the Jaffa that accompanied them to your planet? What happened to Teal'c? I asked that you not harm him and turn him in directly to me. Did his weak mind succumb as well?" Ba'al sat forward on his throne and flung his hands free of his robes, hopping down as he went. He walked over to the alien creature. Daring no to get too close, Ba'al watched as the ears wagged on Sootaal's head. Ba'al heard distinct ticking noises in his mind as he waited for the Mor'ei leader to respond.

"Master, the Jaffa did not accompany the Tau'ri. We only saw three come through the chapp'ai, two males and one female. We used the munitions device that you gave to us, rendering the Tau'ri unconscious as you instructed." Sootaal did not break eye contact, nor did he bow down to Ba'al. He stood where he was with his long, strong arms wrapped around his chest for safety.

"And you are certain they are now dead?"

Sootaal blinked at him, not moving or speaking. Ba'al took his contempted silence as a confirmation.

"But you don't have the iris codes, and you let Teal'c get away?" Again, Sootaal stood before him blinking. Ba'al was beginning to get agitated and angry. Now the silence was intolerable, when he had preferred it only a few moments ago. He took a breath to steady himself.

"Very well. Continue with your interrogation of the female, and inform me the moment that you have the information that I require. I will take care of the shol'va on my own." Ba'al started to leave the room, but as soon as his back was turned, a long smooth arm was around his neck, yanking him back around. Things happened very quickly then. Sootaal pulled Ba'al close enough to him, so that Ba'al could smell the alien creature's breath, sweet and putrid at the same time. His first prime quickly brought his staff weapon around to power it and aim it directly at Sootaal's strange head. Sootaal's other arm was wrapped around the neck of Serai, and his thin fingers squeezed her throat tight. Serai's eyes were wide, and she struggled feebly in Sootaal's grasp. Her toes did not touch the floor. Sootaal squeezed Ba'al's neck equally as hard, but Ba'al had the strength to withstand it. Ba'al reached up and grabbed the slick arm around his neck with his hands, and pulled it away slightly to keep some airflow going. He didn't panic, he smiled instead.

"It seems we have quite a situation here, my friend. Release me now Sootaal, or our deal is off. You see, if you kill me, then my first prime will kill you, and then simply place my body into the sarcophagus so that I may live again."

"Not if the neck of the host is snapped into pieces, and you are ripped from around his spine. Where are our children? ...Master...you have promised their safe return for three cycles of the moons. Where are the females? Our mates and our matrons? Our grand- matrons and healers? We want our familial units re-united! I did what you have asked. I have done what you have asked since you took our freedom and claimed our souls for your own personal livestock. Now give me one reason not to crush you into a bony little pulp."

With each word that Sootaal spoke into Ba'al's mind, he squeezed his foreign fingers deeper into Ba'al's flesh. Ba'al's strength, while a thousand times stronger than a human's, started to wan quickly, and he clawed at Sootaal's slippery skin with his fingernails. He could feel his host panic in the recesses of its mind, but he ignored it. Now Ba'al wished he had put on the hand device after all.

"Release me Sootaal, your females and your off spring are as safe as they ever have been." Ba'al gasped now as Sootaal continued to grip his neck with increasing force. He could feel the pressure on the back of the host's neck, getting closer to reaching him every second.

"You LIE!"

"No, my friend, I do not lie."

"Not your friend, Ba'al. A slave, like the female you keep here with you!"

Ba'al looked briefly over his shoulder at Serai hanging from the other end of Sootaal's long armspan. He could see she was absolutely terrified. She hadn't seen the Mor'ei before now. She was too new in his service to have made their acquaintance.

"Sootaal, I give you my word that the females have not been harmed. Your children are safe. Release me, and bring me the two bodies of the dead Tau'ri that you interrogated. Once I see O'Neill's body for myself, then I will send every one of your matrons and healers back to you. Once I have the iris codes that you learn from the female, I will then send the children as well. And I may even leave the Mor'ei in peace once again. Che'ctala is a beautiful planet, but I think I may have outgrown the need for it's sanctuary."

Ba'al could feel the pressure on his neck ease a little. Then a little more, and finally, Sootaal let him go. Ba'al took three huge steps backwards, and stood with his head down, and his hands on his knees gasping for air. He stood up again, when the staff weapon's muzzle engaged. His first prime did not fire however. Ba'al watched as Sootaal squeezed the last of Serai's life from her body, and let his lotar fall to the floor. Her head rolled across the room to stop at Ba'al's feet. There was no blood. The amount of force that Sootaal had used to squeeze Serai's head from her torso, cauterized the blood vessels as they were separated.

Sootaal spoke to Ba'al within his mind again.

"If you do not honor our agreement this time, I will see personally, that it be YOUR head that rolls. Even if I have to give my life for it...You have MY word." The alien swiftly walked past Lord Ba'al and headed to the ring room to ring back down to Che'ctala.

Ba'al looked down at the head of Serai, staring at him with open eyes, and her slack mouth showing her crooked teeth. Even the sarcophagus could not save her from this type of death. He looked up at his first prime.

"Burn the body, and find me another lotar. I will be in my chamber for the remainder of the day. Notify me immediately when O'Neill's and Jackson's bodies arrive."

"Yes, my Lord." the first prime watched as Ba'al left the room rubbing his neck as he went.

"And increase the power on the barrier forcefield on the planet to one hundred percent." Ba'al didn't wait for a reply as he headed with haste back to his chamber.

When he reached the warm, safe comfort of his suite, he went directly to the well and drew water into the cleansing bowl. He opened the glass container which held his soap, and scooped an enormous handful into the water at the bottom of the bowl. He reached over and grabbed the hand device, placing it on his right hand just long enough to power it up and heat the water almost to boiling. He discarded the device quickly, and dis-robed, leaving his arms fully exposed. Then Ba'al washed his hands and arms and neck several times over. He healed the host's skin as it blistered from the hot water and the scrubbing, as he went along. Curse Sootaal and his people. The Mor'ei would never see their wives and children again, as long as Ba'al had anything to do with it. He was certain the sweet and putrid smell would never come clean from him. After so many times cleaning his hands that he lost count, Ba'al dumped the water from the bowl and started all over again. He finished the rest of the day in his chamber, cleansing and drying his hands repeatedly, until his first prime appeared before him in the doorway many hours later.

"What is it?" Ba'al finished drying his hands again, and tossed the last of his drying cloths down onto the pile at his feet. He went to the closet and pulled another fresh robe, and put it over his shoulders, leaving it open and exposing his bare chest. What was he going to do until he found a new lotar?

"Sire, the Mor'ei are sending the bodies of the Tau'ri as you requested my Lord. I thought that you would like to witness their arrival at the ring platform yourself."

"Absolutely! I have waited for the day when I could see O'Neill's lifeless body lying once again at my feet. I wonder if it is also beyond the healing capabilities of the sarcophagus?" Ba'al was still disturbed at seeing the head of his new lotar smiling reverently up at him even in her death. The two of them made their way around the ship to the ring platform. A platoon of Jaffa parted to let Lord Ba'al pass. As the rings hummed to life, the familiar beam of light flashed through the center of them as they rose from the middle of the platform one by one. Ba'al grinned from ear to ear. The rings settled quickly back down into the floor as the rings shut down.

The two filthy, bloated Tau'ri bodies lay inside the circular shaped platform. The smell was nauseating, and Ba'al helped to neutralize the stench for his host. He arrogantly walked over to the rings to get a better look. From the condition of the two corpses, it was difficult to identify them from the corridor. As he strolled over to the rotten, dead men lying on the floor, he was looking at the patches on the sleeve of one their uniform shirts. It wasn't one that he recognized. He leaned in a little closer.

"SG-FM." Ba'al said. It wasn't computing. There were no numbers, only the letters followed by a tiny red cross. He looked up to the dusky, swollen face of the man inside the uniform. It wasn't anyone that he recognized. His host's heart-rate sped up. He quickly went to the other dead man, and checked him. It wasn't O'Neill, or Daniel Jackson. He did not recognize that the bodies were the ones of the field medics that had accompanied Janet Frasier to Che'ctala.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Ba'al roared. "NO! THOSE DAMNED FOOLS!" He stormed back out into the corridor, slamming into ranks of Jaffa as he left the room. He yelled back over his shoulder as his first prime followed behind him.

"Slit the throats...no...cut off the heads and deliver them to Sootaal in an empty symbiote container. He'll get the message. Then go to the chapp'ai and send the bodies to the Tok'ra home world. There is no doubt they will contact the Tau'ri with the intent to ship the bodies home to Earth." He continued to stomp loudly down the hallway of the great ship, giving orders over his shoulder to his first prime as he went.

"Before you send the bodies through the chapp'ai, I want you to brand them with my crest as hard as you can. Right in the middle of their chests. I want the Tau'ri to know that I have not forgotten them! In fact, mark the heads in the same manner before you send them to Sootaal. I want that shol'va to know just who he is dealing with." Ba'al smacked his right fist into his left palm for emphasis. He still heard the footsteps of his first prime behind him. He stopped and turned with fury in his eyes.

"What are you waiting for, you imbecile? Get moving right now!"

"Yes, my Lord." The Jaffa turned and almost ran back to the ring platform. Ba'al continued on back to his chamber. As he entered his room, the candles immediately soothed him. He found the music player that his engineer had designed for him, and turned it on full volume. He stripped off his robe and went to the well to draw fresh water. As he began the nightly cleansing ritual, he stood there shaking his head. "Where is SG-1?" but there was no lotar by his side to placate him. Sootaal would pay.