Disclaimer: 'Stargate' and 'Harry Potter' both belong to their respective creators, so I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for the immediate moment in time and space
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Truth and Revelations
A few hours later, having looked over the more urgent translations and subsequently moved on to study some of the more minor linguistic conundrums that the SG teams had encountered recently, Daniel found himself accompanying Sam, Lupin and Hermione to the conference room in response to a call from General Landry, most likely connected to the earlier unscheduled offworld activation that had occurred earlier. As the four of them entered the briefing room, Sam and Daniel were pleasantly surprised to see Bra'tac standing at the window of the conference room, looking at the Stargate with a grim expression on his face as they entered.
"Doctor Jackson, Colonel Carter," Landry said, nodding briefly at them before he turned to look at the two wizards. "Minister Granger, Mr Lupin, this is Bra'tac, a Jaffa master and an old ally of ours."
"Oh, like Teal'c?" Hermione asked, looking at Bra'tac with the same eagerly inquiring smile that Daniel had long ago come to identify as her expression when she had the opportunity to learn something new. "Great to meet you; we've been hearing some very positive opinions about you since we got here."
"I am… gratified to hear that," Bra'tac replied, the old Jaffa master looking briefly embarrassed before he looked inquiringly at the two wizards before him. "Forgive me for appearing impolite, but you two are…?"
"Oh, sorry; this is Remus Lupin and Minister Hermione Granger," Daniel said, stepping forward with an apologetic look at Bra'tac as he spoke. "They're old friends of mine from Britain; I knew them several years ago, before I joined the Stargate program, and they're… currently helping us with a few new problems that have come up."
"I see…" Bra'tac said, looking uncertainly at the two wizards before his gaze settled on Lupin. "If I might ask, how are the two of you acquainted with Daniel Jackson?"
"Oh, Hermione here went to school with him for a few years, and I was an old friend of his parents; we lost touch with him a few years ago, but we recently made contact again and he invited us over here to help him," Lupin explained, quickly ascertaining that the man before them had yet to learn about the crisis that had merited Daniel contacting
"It's a long story, and given that I doubt this is a social visit, it'll have to wait until later," Daniel said, looking apologetically at the old Jaffa master. "So… what's the situation on Dakara?"
"It is… Teal'c," Bra'tac replied, a slightly uncertain tone in his voice; evidently he was still slightly confused by Daniel's explanation for the presence of the new arrivals, but had decided to accept it for the moment. "He left last night to consult with one of our allies. He was due back this morning but did not return."
"Uh… I know I'm new here, but couldn't he just be late?" Hermione asked, looking uncertainly at the Jaffa master. "I mean, Teal'c didn't strike me as the kind of man who'd do it on prupose, but things do happen, you know…"
"He missed an important council session," Bra'tac replied, the tone in his voice making it clear that he didn't believe Hermione's suggestion to be accurate for a second. "There have been unusual goings on as of late. I am here because I no longer know who I can trust on Dakara."
He paused for a moment, evidently wishing to ensure that the rest of the people in the room understood what he was saying, before he continued to speak. "And I'm certain something is gravely wrong."
As Hermione and Lupin exchanged anxious looks- Hermione might be Lupin's superior on paper, but she still tended to look to him and some of the other old Order members for advice if she felt it was necessary-, Sam, Daniel and Landry sat down around the table, indicating for Hermione and Lupin to sit down beside Daniel as well, thus positioning them opposite Bra'tac and Sam.
"So… what's the situation here?" Hermione asked, looking uncertainly at Bra'tac; evidently she still found it at least slightly had to take in the idea that she was currently sitting in the presence of an actual alien. "I mean, Ha-Daniel told us about how you and your people used to be slaves to those… Goa'uld things…but we haven't really had time to go into much detail about what you've all been doing with yourselves after they fell apart…"
"That is a simple enough question to answer," Bra'tac replied, nodding politely at the woman before him. "Since the fall of the System Lords, the Jaffa have taken steps to establish the Free Jaffa Nation, allowing us to live free without the control of the Goa'uld, but the transition has not been easy. Teal'c and myself have attempted to encourage our fellow Jaffa to make the transition from the current council in favour of a democratic structure, but this motion has spawned strong opposition."
"I know what you mean," Hermione replied, sighing slightly as she looked up at the ceiling before she looked back at Bra'tac. "I've been working on restructuring a society's leadership myself; it's taking an almost ridiculous amount of effort working out who in the old regime was actually a good person and how many of them were just there for the money…"
"I… see," Bra'tac said, nodding slightly at the British Minister, clearly uncertain about what she had said but willing to put it aside for the moment as he turned back to Sam, Daniel and Landry, once again returning to the issue that had brought him to Earth in the first place. "Obviously this motion to dissolve the Council in favor of elected officials has spawned strong opposition. Many who have reaped benefits under the current regime would lose their status upon passage of the vote."
"Anybody in particular you think would resort to kidnapping and blackmail to influence the situation?" Landry asked, looking inquiringly at the old Jaffa.
"I used to believe in the honor of many who have disappointed me of late," Bra'tac replied, only the slight hastening of the pace of his voice displaying his anger at the thought of those who had failed him.
"Well," Daniel added, as he looked over at Landry for confirmation, "we should probably start at Teal'c's last known whereabouts."
"Let me know if you need additional personnel," Landry replied, glancing over at Sam as he spoke; with Mitchell currently absent, Sam was SG-1's current highest-ranking officer, and hence the one who would automatically command the current mission.
"Thank you, sir," Sam replied, nodding briefly at him before she looked back at Hermione and Lupin. "I assume you two are all right with joining us?"
"The chance to go to more new planets?" Hermione asked, grinning broadly at the general as she stood up from her chair. "What's not to like about that?"
"'More'?" Bra'tac asked, looking over at Daniel for an explanation.
"When I said they're currently helping us with problems, I should have mentioned that the problems literally only just came up; they've only been through the Stargate once or twice by this point," Daniel said by way of explanation, shrugging slightly as Hermione and Lupin stood up and followed Landry out of the conference room to be shown to the changing rooms; unlike last time, when the upcoming fight against wizards meant that it was more practical to allow the wizarding members of the group to wear their own clothing, it had been agreed that any non-wizard-related missions would be carried out with their wizarding members dressed in BDUs like the rest of the SGC.
"I… see," Bra'tac said, nodding slightly as he continued to look curiously at Daniel. "If I might ask, what is this 'problem' in the SGC that requires their assistance?"
"That's… kind of a long story, Bra'tac," Sam said, looking apologetically over at the old Jaffa master. "We'll tell you about it later, but-"
"Of course," Bra'tac said, nodding in agreement as he stood up. "For the moment, Teal'c's safety is our priority."
"Exactly," Daniel said, nodding in conformation at the old man before he glanced over at Sam. "So, how shall we do this?"
"Well, you, Bra'tac and Remus should probably check out Teal'c's last known location," Sam said, before she glanced over at Hermione. "You can accompany me and SG-3 to Chulak- the Jaffa home world; if he found something disturbing about these changes in opinion it's likely that he decided to go there to investigate it directly."
"Sounds fine to me," Hermione said, nodding in acknowledge of her new friend's decision as she glanced back over at Daniel. "Is there… well, anything I should or shouldn't do while I'm there?"
"Something their culture won't approve of, you mean?" Daniel said, shaking his head reassuringly at her. "Don't worry; just follow Sam's lead and you'll be fine."
"Check," Hermione said, nodding slightly while allowing herself a small smile at the surprised expression that briefly appeared on Daniel's face; evidently he still wasn't entirely used to her greater willingness to allow others to take the lead in some situations after so long working as Minister of Magic.
An hour later, Daniel, Bra'tac and Remus were walking along the surface of an allied planet, Sam and Hermione currently accompanied by SG-3 as they investigated Chulak. With the initial situation having been addressed back on Earth, and the settlement on this planet a fair distance from the Stargate, Daniel had taken the opportunity to fill Bra'tac in on their current situation, reasoning that the Jaffa deserved to know about the addition of another potential danger to the galaxy.
"Incredible…" Bra'tac said, shaking his head as he stared at Daniel, his eyes wide as he studied the archaeologist. "You are saying that you can do by yourself things that the Goa'uld could only ever pretend to be capable of?"
"Well, there are still some things wizards can't do, of course- bringing back the dead is still impossible after a certain period of time, and immortality's definitely out of the question-, but in general there are definitely some bonuses to being a wizard that the Goa'uld wouldn't normally be capable of," Daniel confirmed, nodding at the old Jaffa master.
"Fascinating…" Bra'tac said, nodding thoughtfully before he assumed a more pointed expression as he looked at Daniel. "And you say that an old… wizard… enemy of yours has returned from the grave to seek his vengeance by combining himself with a Goa'uld?"
"Pretty much," Daniel said, nodding once again.
"I see," Bra'tac said, the group walking in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "It is… ironic, is it not?"
"That his old enemy returned to life in the form of one of the race that's now his current enemy?" Lupin asked, smiling slightly over at Bra'tac. "Trust me, you're not the only one who thought that; when we all heard what Harry had been up to over the last few years that was one of the more amusing topics of discussion."
"'One of'?" Daniel repeated, looking curiously at Remus. "What other topics were there?"
"Oh, what kind of places you've been to over the years, what kind of alien races you've encountered… just the usual kind of thing you'd think when you find out that a friend of yours has been hanging around with aliens for the last few years," Remus said, a slight smile on his face as they drew up to the camp, Daniel noting the basic tents and open fires around them. After Bra'tac had exchanged brief nods with a guard- the Jaffa master had sent word of their arrival earlier-, the three men made their way to a tent near the centre of the camp.
As they entered the tent via the open wall that served as its 'door', Bra'tac nodded slightly at the Jaffa before him, the other figure being an old man with a thin grey beard and a mark on his forehead that Daniel recognised as having been Cronus's symbol before his demise at the hands of Teal'c's duplicate. The tent itself was fairly comfortable, with various baskets both inside and outside it that were clearly intended to hold supplies for the tent inhabitents, along with various candles and cushions set up around the interior.
"Bra'tac?" the Jaffa said, looking in surprise at the elderly Jaffa master. "What is the matter?"
"Teal'c has gone missing, U'kin," Bra'tac replied, his expression grim as he looked at the other Jaffa. "You are, as far as we have been able to establish, the last person to see Teal'c before he vanished; I wished to confirm if he was here?"
U'kin shook his head apologetically. "I wish I could be of more help, Bra'tac, but Teal'c left last night barely an hour after arriving."
"Did he say where he was going?" Daniel asked, looking hopefully at the Jaffa, only for U'kin to shake his head.
"He said he was needed back on Dakara," the Jaffa replied simply, his straightforward tone making it clear that he had nothing else to say on the matter.
"Was anybody with him?" Daniel asked, inwardly cursing at the lack of information that this trip was presenting them with; didn't they have enough to deal with thanks to Voldemort having gained access to the Stargate network without having to deal with uncooperative Jaffa into the bargain?
"He traveled alone," U'kin replied, his tone a casual one that gave no impression that he was concerned about the situation. "Please, let me know as you as you have learned what has happened."
As Lupin glanced over at Daniel and Bra'tac for assistance- he had little real idea what, if anything, was the appropriate action to take in this kind of situation-, Bra'tac took a step towards U'kin, his expression a netral one that Daniel recognised all too well as the expression Bra'tac assumed when he was preparing to attack something.
"What is the matter, Brother?" U'kin asked, looking casually back at Bra'tac, as though he barely cared about the expression on Bra'tac's face.
"You call yourself a friend," Bra'tac replied, a smile on his face that put Lupin in mind of some of the expressions he'd felt himself forming during his werewolf period- he never had any control over his werewolf side when he transformed, but he often remembered what had taken place after his transformations were complete-, "yet you speak lies to my face!"
Daniel barely had time to blink before Bra'tac- whose voice had become hostile practically mid-sentence- had grabbed U'kin's robes in both hand and hauled him off his feet; there were times when he tended to forget just how strong Bra'tac could be, despite his increasingly-advanced age.
"Uh… I know that I'm new here, but is this really necessary?" Lupin said uncertainly as he looked at Bra'tac. "I mean, he answered your questions-"
"He answered them with lies; he is deceiving us," Bra'tac said, briskly interrupting Lupin before he returned his attention to U'kin. "Where is Teal'c?"
"Bra'tac…" U'kin gasped, looking back at the elderly Jaffa master with fear evident on his face, "what has come over you? I have told you what I know-"
Bra'tac's hands instantly shifted to grasp U'kin's throat, prompting a brief grunt of distress as his eyes briefly glanced towards Daniel and Lupin, only to return to Bra'tac as their expressions made it clear that they wouldn't offer him any assistance.
"I will not ask again," Bra'tac coldly informed the other man, Lupin and Daniel simply watching as the Jaffa master continued to glare at the Jaffa before him; Lupin evidently assumed that if Daniel was maintaining his distance right now he should do the same.
"He was taken from here…" U'kin replied, his voice weak against the choke hold Bra'tac currently held him in. "I do not know where!"
Bra'tac twisted his grip slightly.
"Ahh!" U'kin gasped, as his neck moved a treacherous few inches in a direction that could never be considered pleasant. "Please!"
After staring silently at the man before him for a moment, Bra'tac released his grip, U'kin tenderly raising his hands to his injured throat as Daniel, Lupin and Bra'tac turned around to leave the tent.
"What was that all about?" Daniel asked as soon as they were outside the camp;
"I believe he speaks the truth," Bra'tac replied simply. "He does not know where Teal'c is."
"Uh… correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he admit that he helped arrange for Teal'c to be kidnapped?" Lupin asked, looking uncertainly at the Jaffa warrior.
"And he shall be dealt with accordingly," Bra'tac replied simply. "Unfortunately for us, this situation is much worse than I imagined."
"How?" Daniel asked, stpping his pace to turn and look more directly at Bra'tac.
"U'kin has always been one of the strongest supporters of our cause," Bra'tac explained. "A Jaffa whose honor I never would have doubted. There is but one possible explanation for his actions. I saw it- in his eyes."
Daniel's own eyes widened in realization at the implications of the Jaffa master's statement.
"He's been brainwashed," he said; the responding nod from Bra'tac was all the confirmation he needed that his guess had been the correct one.
"Brainwashed?" Lupin asked, looking at Daniel in confusion.
"Essentially it's a… conventional method of doing what you'd do with Imperio," Daniel replied, turning to look at Lupin as they continued to walk towards the Stargate. "It's a lot more time-consuming, of course, but it's simultaneously a great deal harder to break; Teal'c was once brainwashed by his old master into believing that he'd never actually betrayed him and Bra'tac had to take him literally up to the point of death in order to get him back to normal."
"Uh… you had to 'take him to the point of death'?" Lupin repeated, shifting his head slightly to look at Bra'tac. "What does that mean?"
"You are aware that the Jaffa were once dependent upon a larval Goa'uld symbiote for their survival?" Bra'tac asked as he turned to look at the werewolf, receiving a brief nod in reply before he continued. "In order to reveal to Teal'c his true nature and allegiance after his brainwashing, I forced him to undergo the Rite of M'al Sharran, wherein a Jaffa's symbiote is removed, thus forcing them to relive their pasts, allowing them to re-trace key moments in their lives and thus re-learn where their true natures and loyalties have led them to. It is a difficult process, but Teal'c accomplished it and successfully completed the ritual, allowing me to restore his symbiote to him and thus restore him to full health."
"Ah," Lupin said, nodding slightly in understanding before he glanced back at Daniel. "Teal'c… doesn't have that… symbiote… any more, does he?"
"No," Daniel replied grimly.
"So, in other words, if he's subjected to the same treatment as U'kin apparently was…"
"It shall be far more difficult, if not impossible, to restore him to what he truly is," Bra'tac confirmed, nodding grimly at Lupin before he turned to look at Daniel. "I apologise for taking you away from your search for your old foe, Daniel Jackson, but-"
"I understand; Teal'c has to come first," Daniel said, nodding in understanding as he looked over at his friend. "Trust me; I'm not going to abandon him just because I have a problem to deal with at the moment."
Daniel could only hope that Voldemort was taking long enough to establish himself out in the galaxy that he wouldn't come to regret that particular decision…