Chapter 23

Netan sat in the command chair of the Al'kesh waiting. He was suprised to find that there was nothing onboard Ba'al's ship. No other warriors, no other Goa'uld waiting in the wings to ambush him when they ringed onboard. Just a sarcophagus like Ba'al had said. With utter urgency he placed Kebechet inside and watched it close. Hoping that it could repair the damage done to Aja's body, he took a seat in the command room. He had been there ever since.

That had been almost a day ago. At one time he had been a patient man but years of suffering had turned him into an impatient and often times, hot-headed, fool. It was taking everything he had not to storm into the room and see what was taking so long. He was about to rise to do just that when he saw her walk into the room, her wound no longer bleeding and color restored to her pallid cheeks.

"Don't look at me that way," she spat as she took a seat near one of the nearby consoles.

"In what way?"

"Like I am about to keel over at any moment, I didn't survive this long only to die from some silly fleshwound."

Netan sighed. He tried desperately to not be overprotective. Although the creature before him wore the face of his wife and lay in the body of his wife, she was no his wife. His wife was somewhere buried deep within and given what she had been thru, it was doubtful she would be able to escape.

"Can I asked you something?"

"What?" Kebechet asked as she looked at Netan as if utterly annoyed.

"You said before that you knew Ba'al was a clone and your response was rather veiled. If I am to help you, I need to know everything. No detail left out, or I won't lift a finger to help you."

"You dare defy me?" Kebechet said as she arose from her chair giving Netan a murderous look.

"I dare."

"And what makes you think I won't kill you where you stand?"

"Because you won't do that to Aja."

Kebechet could not respond. Netan knew that the rumors were true.

"You do care for your host."

"As if she were my sister."

"Then tell me everything."

"Where should I start?"

"From the beginning."

Kebechet looked at Netan, unsure how exactly she should respond. Finally she sat back down and looked at him with what could only be described as reverence.

"You should know, first and foremost, that it was no accident that we came to your world. Nor was it no accident that it was left untouched by the Goa'uld for so long. Now, we both know the stories: that your planet, Sedaris, was founded by five people who fled from an unknown Goa'uld occupied world. They knew not what the Goa'uld were exactly, but they knew enough to find a place on the further most reaches of known space to take refuge. That part is true. What is not known however was the fact that twelve people had escaped from this world and founded two other planets. One now called Langara and another, now decimated planet, known as Hanka. Out of the three Sedaris became one of the more 'technologically advanced', if you could call it that. Are you keeping up with me so far?"

All Netan could do was nod.

"Good. Now I mention this because the planet that they escaped from was under the control of my father, Anubis. It also happens to be the planet on which we are currently in orbit over."

Netan was dumbstruck. There was a time, back in what seemed like an entirely different life, when he dedicated his life to Sedarian history. To learning everything about who they were and where they came from. Even though so much of him had changed from that wide-eyed man that he once was, he could not help but be moved by knowing that they were over the planet where all life on Sedaris began.

"Netan!" Kebechet screamed trying to regain his attention.

"Sorry, its a lot to take in."

"Yes, well there are alot more bombshells to be dropped before this is over, so don't waste your astonishment on the first one."

"Do continue."

"As I was saying, the planet beneath us is where my father discovered the Ancient laboratory and the message giving the history of the Ancient people. Were you able to see all of it?"

"No."

"Where did you leave off?"

"Orion decided to stay with the Great Beings and the Doci returned to Altera."

"Allright, well the message covers alot more than that so here is the condensed version: Doci and his men return to Altera and began preaching about what they found there. Now, you must understand that Alterans were a people of logic and reason, not faith. So when Orion did not return with his party and given the outrageous story they had told about what happened to him, the people thought the worst. That Doci and his men had killed Orion. They were tried, found guilty and put to death for their crime. However, during the moment of their deaths they Ascended, Orion having spared them death in return for their unwavering belief in him and faith in Origin. The Alterans used logic and reason to explain what happened but when they couldn't the Great Divide happened, where the Alterans split between those who had faith in Orion and those who didn't. Those who believed in Orion were persecuted and there was this war, eventually the Followers of Orion or Ori as they were called drove the Alterans into hiding, eventually causing them to leave the planet all together. Orion, who had become upset by the Great Divide had seen his followers had become lost on the path and there was nothing he could do to lead them back. So he left to rejoin the Great Beings vowing to one day return. The Alterans, over time, to become extraordinarily advanced so by the time they reached this galaxy, they were a highly advanced raced we now know as The Ancients."

"The Alterans were The Ancients and The Ancients apparently created all life in this galaxy."

"It gets even better."

"How?"

"The Ancients did seed worlds with life. But that mission to seed worlds led them to eventually leave this world and travel into the far reaches of space. After millions of years some returned to Earth and physically spawned life with the primitive humans that lived there."

"So some people on Earth, are actually descended from the Ancients?"

"Not just Earth. There is evidence of this on several different planets. After several generations these traits become dormant and they appear as regular humans with one tiny exception. A gene that is adaptable to Ancient technology and under exposure to certain conditions can reactivate Ancient abilities. This information was also on the Ancient message."

Kebechet got up from her seat and walked over to Netan, bending down in front of him, placing her hands upon his knees.

"Now, you see, Ascension wasn't my father's ultimate goal when he discovered the Ancient research. He, like the Alterans, was a man of science. His journey that led him to the Ancient that finally Ascended him was a last resort so to speak. He was more interested in these Hok'tars as he called them. Advanced humans. To think of the possibilites of matching a Goa'uld to a human with the knowledge and powers of an Ancient. He was never able to do it before his Ascension. However, his two assistants Qetesh and Nirrti, continued his research. Finally, Qetesh was able to succeed. You see those twelve people who had left the planet beneath us thousands of years ago were let out for a reason. They were an experiment to see if under the right circumstances and conditions, this gene would flourish. It did on Langara and Hanka. But nothing like it did on Sedaris. Qetesh kept a close eye on this world for that reason, protecting it from other Goa'uld. That is until one generation produced a single family where the gene was most prominent. As I said it was no accident what happened to this world."

Netan got a sick feeling in his stomach that he knew what Kebechet was about to say.

"And it was no accident that your wife became my host."