Chapter 58 - Worry
Sha're had convinced him to do it. Daniel planned for no interruptions, especially now that their schedule flowed fairly smoothly. But this dig, it reminded him of things from a long time ago, and Sha're seemed eager to join him offworld.
"You're sure the team won't need me?" he asked Jack.
"We're not doing much for a while, Daniel," said Jack. "Which is odd, you know, given our mission."
"Mission?" Daniel asked, eyebrows slightly risen in curiosity.
"You know, explore new worlds, boldly go, yadda yadda," Jack said dryly. "New civilizations, though, not dead ones."
Daniel smiled to himself. "Jack, that's Star Trek." He paused. "Hey, I thought you didn't like science fiction."
"I...don't," Jack said, his defense coming out quick but rather flat.
Daniel smiled to himself again.
Jack switched to his other defense. "Anyway, you two kids—and your kid—have fun in the dirt. We'll keep the light on here."
"Thanks, Jack," said Daniel. He wasn't sure if he himself would really use the word fun, but the way Jack meant it—yes, that was exactly what he intended to have.
ooooooo
Affairs were best termed tenuous on Dorieth, Jolinar decided. Sam had been more optimistic, calling them generally ripe for change. Jolinar reminded her enough times that change was not always good.
It was strange, watching how the ideal changed on its way to reality. Without any more words in person, it seemed that Kasuf was convinced. With the planet in a mess, there'd been no way to keep guards on him all the time, and so he'd been released among his people. That, along with what they would almost certainly tell him, sealed the deal.
Suddenly, the Abydonians were perfectly efficient. Suddenly, their boldness was almost always within the proper parameters. And suddenly, Sam and Jolinar's hints to the Jaffa seemed to prove correct.
That was the most touchy aspect, of course. Instigating doubt while maintaining the impression of utter loyalty—they were almost certainly failing, but it was the extent that mattered.
"Speak to their intelligence," Bra'tac had said. "For you cannot know their hearts, but a Jaffa will always have a mind that he values."
Jolinar had taken that, and as the planet mended, she'd dropped all the hints she could.
"Well done, Drey'dac," she said, as he reported that the fields were clean and proper cultivation could continue. "You have done the role of our god, protecting her interests."
Drey'dac contemplated her words openly for a couple seconds, and then moved on.
Jolinar prepared her next salvo.
"Just as Quetesh rules with intelligence and tolerance, so you have matched her in achieving much on this planet," Jolinar said to Sheryen, watching the now-cooperative Abydonians repair the last few buildings in the village in less time than planned.
Sheryen barely paid her mind, but she knew he would think of them later.
~These sound a bit cheesy, actually,~ said Sam.
*We have been subtle for some time. Heavy handed is allowed.*
Sam had to admit, Jolinar had her convinced when she reminded her of exactly how the Goa'uld spoke. Growing up in that kind of atmosphere—maybe the Jaffa wouldn't think it cheesy. Still, some of them were sharp-minded.
ooooooo
"Dan'yel, look at this," Sha're called across the ground. The sun was high on P3X-808, and Daniel had to squint to see her. She was with Lieutenant Thomas of SG-6, who was squatting by something.
Daniel walked over, avoiding the tools that someone had left lying along the pathway, his brow furrowed. "I thought there wasn't anything over here."
"Well, there was this weird lump here that we thought was a rock," said Thomas, sunglasses and a bandanna making him look less scholarly than he actually was. He indicated a non-descript lump in the excavated area.
"But I feel it, like the technology of the Goa'uld," said Sha're, her arms lightly crossed over her chest.
"You mean it has naquadah in it?" Daniel asked, curious.
Sha're nodded. "It feels the same, only lesser."
"And now look," said Thomas, using his big brush to clean off the top of it.
Daniel squatted, adjusting his glasses to get a good look. What had seemed merely lumpy before now seemed to be a broken design, probably of entwined snakes. "Oh, that is interesting."
"This is a bit strange for a Goa'uld world, isn't it?" Thomas asked, sitting back on his heels.
Daniel brushed more delicately at the still half-buried object. "Um, why?" he asked, not really paying attention.
"Well, we don't normally find abandoned worlds without good reason," said Thomas. "There are ruins, sure, but they're of cultures the Goa'uld wiped out. Goa'uld planets are taken over by other Goa'uld, so there's no technology left unused."
"Maybe there was an uprising," Daniel suggested. He tried to guess what kind of material it was made of, but it didn't look like a machine; he'd have to check to see if it really was naquadah, and if it was used for construction or power.
"Well, we haven't found evidence of civilization at all," said Thomas, standing up and stretching out his back. "That's what's weird."
"I did not even think to focus on my senses before," Sha're said, brow firm as she contemplated. "Only, when I was with the Tok'ra, naquadah was all around me. On Earth, I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Today—it was like the hint of an old smell, that those who do not know cannot notice."
Daniel stood up, looking to her. She seemed interested in it, but he wondered why the sense wasn't a painful reminder. The Goa'uld should not have been a pleasant reminder. Ah, but she had said Tok'ra—now he remembered. She gave him a slight smile when she caught him looking, and he thought about how much more of the universe she knew than him, or any of them.
"You may have quite the archaeological gift, then," said Thomas with a smile. "At least for SGC digs."
Sha're smiled back at him. "I should like to go around the rest of this place, maybe even more of the planet; I think I can find any Goa'uld technology if I concentrate on feeling it."
"Don't you have a kid?" Thomas asked, suddenly noticing that neither Daniel nor Sha're had the sling or backpack.
"But of course not," Sha're said earnestly. "Lieutenant, you must have been imagining it."
Thomas laughed, shaking a finger at her and her broad smile. "Funny."
"Major Matthews is watching him," said Sha're, more serious but still smiling. "He had too much sun yesterday, and so I did not want him to accompany me here."
"Matthews?" said Thomas, slight incredulity in his tone.
Daniel shared the same thought—kid friendly from a distance, maybe, but not a father. "Maybe I should go check on him."
"If you wish for a break, Dan'yel, perhaps you and he may come with me as I walk the forest to feel for more naquadah," Sha're offered.
"That sounds fine," said Daniel. "I'll get the little guy, then, if he's not napping."
They walked back towards the encampment. It was so quiet offworld, so natural. It wasn't anything like Abydos, but with Sha're and even Shifu it gave him that same feeling. Family and work all in one peaceful mixture. Their war with the Goa'uld made most of that impossible in the SGC, but Daniel appreciated times like these.
ooooooo
The plan was in flux on Dorieth now. Things had been set in motion for a while now, with a goal in sight, even if it wasn't firmly attached to a time yet. Frustratingly, however, they weren't the only ones capable of thinking and planning.
Kasuf managed to be near the gate as representatives were leaving, and managed to be on the alert for catching the address. As far as he knew, he reported to Sam and Jolinar secretly, it was the address to Quetesh's breeding planet. The planet where she used her slaves to breed more specialized slaves, as well as the hosts for her favorite lieutenants. They'd almost forgotten this point, and it was still unfamiliar enough for Sam that she shuddered on thinking about it.
"Many of my people are there," Kasuf urged. "I know that you are not here for them alone, but can you not find some way to save them before it is too late? We need only a little help to escape. Abydos is ready and waiting."
Jolinar didn't know that for sure, despite the fact that it was probably a good guess. The issue, however, was the danger of compromising their entire position to help the Abydonians.
They dismissed Kasuf for that day, needing time and space to think. Jolinar was ready to grit her teeth and say no—patience was important, and the eventual rescue of all these people was their goal. Sam was close to agreeing, but she had not been able to numb herself to the reality of what Quetesh was doing. Violation, not just humiliation.
Jolinar froze on that subject, not wanting to think on it. Sam couldn't distance herself that far yet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to, even though she thought she knew why Jolinar did.
But they didn't have time to make up their mind before Kasuf was back again. Jolinar's first reaction was frustration, but even Sam couldn't know why—maybe Jolinar didn't understand it all herself. She didn't seem to want to try. All she knew was that Kasuf was pushing, with very little regard to the precarious situation.
"Please," he begged, and her frustration couldn't be extreme because all they saw in his eyes was the urgent plea of a man who saw himself as the father of all these people. "Anything. We need only a chance."
Again, Jolinar barely gave a response, pushing him away so they could have more time to think.
*This may destroy our plan.*
~And it may not. What are a few hundred slaves in revolt, especially when they're already established as troublesome? How could it affect us?~
*Apart from the likelihood that our involvement will be obvious?*
~I don't know. I don't know.~
Other issues troubled them for a time, and Kasuf was not as pushy as he could have been. But it had only been a couple days, and they still had no idea what they should do.
~Is there a way that Martouf and Lantash could help instead? Or at least, we could get their opinion.~
Jolinar was unsure. They hadn't received any information about Quetesh, or Martouf and Lantash, since the Tok'ra's decree that contact should be lessened for security's sake. It was only natural, she supposed, but part of her worried. Why hadn't Quetesh done anything about Dorieth? Was she trying to keep up a good face by pretending that it wasn't a destruction of her plan? What about other, darker, possibilities?
Sam sighed, not wanting to get distracted by this. Not wanting to get distracted by Kasuf, either. They did not need more complications.
Except, they had come so far. Jolinar wasn't ready to let this mission take over the original purpose. Which was to save Sha're's people, since Sam and Jolinar were almost directly responsible for their current state. Once they both actively acknowledged this, they couldn't forget it again.
Hesitantly, they sent Kasuf a bare message: we will try.
ooooooo
"What do you mean we can't contact Earth?" Daniel asked, trying not to sound as worried as he felt. Sha're stood beside him, and seemed to unconsciously put out a hand to touch Shifu as he lay in Daniel's arms.
Major Matthews sighed, hand resting on the DHD. "I mean, we can dial just fine, but there's no connection to Earth.
The rest of SG-6 stood around as well, shifting, frowning.
Daniel thought out loud. "This is our scheduled time, right?" Matthews nodded. The next possibility came up just fast enough to be a little worrisome. "So, the gate's down?"
Matthews grunted. "That's my guess."
"Well, that happens," said Thomas, a bit more lightly. "I mean, we've all been there when it did."
"Yeah, I'll just try in a few hours," said Matthews with a sigh. "Y'all just get back to work, or rest, or something."
Daniel sighed. He wasn't really worried, other than the small part of him that was always a knot of apprehension about something.
"Dan'yel, are you really so impatient to leave a task of your specialty?" Sha're asked, finding amusement in something.
Daniel smiled. All the times he'd regretted joining SG-1 and dropping all the specialized missions—and now, he was being unnaturally opposite. "I guess I'm worried about the team," he said. "And Shifu—offworld isn't the safest."
"Offworld on this world, at least," Sha're corrected. She peered over the edge of the sling that Daniel was using to help cradle their child. "But he is remarkably asleep in any case."
Daniel looked down. "So he is."
"Strange how it seems remarkable some days," commented Sha're, exhaling and resting a hand on her hip. "Well, Dan'yel, perhaps another walk? We have not explored this place fully."
He had almost forgotten the rest of the planet, caught up in the strange ruins that so far had only given dead ends. "Yes, yes, of course," he said.
Waiting around would only make him jittery anyway, and it was unlikely that this delay meant anything in the end. They'd be checking in to the SGC in a matter of hours, and Mckay would be thoroughly protesting that it wasn't his fault, and that would be that. For now, there was still some of this planet that was possibly interesting, if only it were explored.
ooooooo
With all that was going on, nothing was happening slow enough for Sam or Jolinar. The Abydonians on the planet, the other slaves, the Jaffa, and their duty as Coron—all had been plenty of mental work. This request of Kasuf's was only going to be more difficult.
If nothing else mattered, Jolinar had no doubt that they could arrive on the breeding world, find the Abydonians, and get them offworld before their disguise faltered. But they needed this disguise. They'd need it for a long time yet.
*This is insanity either way.*
Jolinar already felt guilty for allowing herself to feel guilty for something they couldn't do yet—with all that, Sam wasn't sure what her own thoughts were. Except that as always, she would look for options.
~Can we just give them the keys, or something like that~ Sam asked. ~Surely they're motivated enough to make their own escape.~
Experience from a dozen missions made Jolinar want to say no, but she stopped herself short. *I'm not the one to know.*
That didn't surprise Sam, given the little glimpses she'd had about Jolinar's past missions. Only now had she been so focused on the human slaves. ~So, what does your intuition say?~
*Too simplistic,* Jolinar answered, and like most times, Sam felt confident in even such a quick estimation.
~Right ballpark, though?~
Jolinar almost instantly picked up on these idioms now. *Maybe.*
They figured out only a second later that they were missing one important factor—how Quetesh's breeding world operated.
Biting her lip at this complication, Sam waited until that late that night. Foregoing sleep again, as soon as the quietest and easiest shift was at work, she went through the gate using the address Kasuf had provided.
It was no different from the ones Jolinar remembered, or the one that Sam had seen on a world of Heru'ur (and that seemed so long ago). But they had become so close to this, so close to these people.
Evening marked this planet, and though children ran through the streets almost unguarded, everywhere else a heavy hand showed. Young men and women in clean fresh robes, escorted with heads low by Jaffa. Older men and women, shabbily garbed and their expressions matching their clothes. Most of these women appeared pregnant, but very few were on the streets. Neither Sam nor Jolinar wanted to imagine fully what went on behind the walls—people would always make the best of things, especially when children were at stake, but that didn't cover anything.
*Especially since Quetesh most likely does away with those who do not or cannot serve her exact needs.*
Sam couldn't think of the children as playful after that.
The slaves on this world were highly segregated, and the buildings had higher security than on Dorieth or other Goa'uld worlds. Here it was not for fear of rebellion, just for organization's sake. Jolinar made Sam aware that not all Goa'uld were like this; Quetesh was particularly obsessed with this aspect of her reign.
Sam wondered, doubting their plan for a moment. What if Quetesh made the connection between disasters befalling her two obsessions, the temple and this breeding world?
*We are not making a move yet,* said Jolinar, neither assuring nor assured.
~It is at least only a short distance to the gate,~ commented Sam, glancing at the heavily treed landscape beyond this cleared area.
They couldn't stay long, not when it was difficult enough to explain to the Jaffa who saw them that they were performing their duty; at some point, they would be bound to run across one who would have the authority to question that.
Frowning, worried, and with no firm plan to try in place, they made it back through the gate. It was near dawn on Dorieth, and no huge shadow of a temple in the grey light—Sam hadn't gotten used to that.
Only seconds after leaving the gate and walking down the path, however, they heard the rushing sound of an incoming wormhole. A chevron locked, and Sam whirled around. This was not expected.
No time to go back to the village, where they would normally be found, but would it look right to be standing there waiting?
*It's likely just an emergency message,* Jolinar said, hastily.
The swirl of the unstable wormhole burst forth from the gate, and Sam made her decision. Brow creased, she walked back up the path towards the stargate.
Her heart skipped a beat when no frantic messenger came through. Instead, two heavily armed and armored Jaffa, who then stood to either side.
Even Jolinar wasn't optimistic enough to think that it was Martouf and Lantash arriving as Tirnin, and Sam just worried in the few seconds there were. She took a deep breath, holding herself high. The Jaffa said nothing, and a few seconds later, Quetesh walked through the gate.
This was an answer to one of their biggest questions and worries—but with no context. Quetesh stood in the dim light, dark hair framing the contrasting pale skin of her face. Her eyes flashed like sparks in the night, and Sam was close enough to read her stance.
Anger.
—
Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for the feedback! It's been wonderful, and I wish I had more time to reply. Just wanted to say here, in two weeks I will be away from home on a long vacation. I should have fairly regular internet capability, so I'll be able to update this story since I have plenty of upcoming chapters already written; however, it may not be entirely on schedule. I'll do my best, but there's only so much I can do. But until I leave, we'll still be on the usual schedule.