Daughter
Chapter 54 – Chigu
Today, only Teal'c was serving as Carolyn's escort around the station. Cameron felt the need to supervise Daniel and Vala in their next meeting with Station Command. He didn't want any more surprises from those two. He trusted the big guy to keep his girl safe.
They were invited back into the research facility by Eruce Thel. She led them to an office where they could sit comfortably and talk. A small table took up the space among a circle of padded chairs. It contained a holographic projector and virtual controls.
"Our researchers have completed the noninvasive autopsies of the Jaffa," she announced. "The logs attached to each one were found to be accurate." She reached a hand into the air above the holo-table to bring up a written report for her to refer to. "We have determined that Ventho was devolving his latest batch of test subjects in stages."
"Did you have a chance to review the logs for the ones who survived?" Carolyn asked politely.
"We did. The survivors were only devolved one or two stages back. There were plans among his notes to take them back at least five. They would have quite nearly become human if he was successful."
Teal'c's jaw clenched. "Is that possible?"
"Nothing is impossible, Master Teal'c," Eruce said respectfully. "However, this particular task would be very challenging to achieve without killing the subjects. I am not confident it could be done without further suffering. It certainly would not be achievable without egregious violations of ethics."
Teal'c inclined his head in thanks for her direct and clear answer. He was silently hoping she had a magical way to finally reverse the Jaffa's dependence on symbiotes once and for all. But he knew it was a dream. He could be realistic. At least they had tretonin as a viable alternative.
"Eruce, what are the chances that we could reverse what he did to the Jaffa survivors? They're desperate for relief," Carolyn said eagerly. This was why she was here.
The researcher looked thoughtful. "I believe there may be a way to turn on and off the genes that are responsible for their suffering. I will assign my team to direct their focus to that. I must caution you, though, anything we conclude will be theoretical. Without the subjects here themselves, we cannot be certain that our focused changes will work."
The doctor from Earth nodded in understanding. "Would it be helpful to bring them here?"
"It certainly could be. But are they well enough to stand the travel? My review of their files show they are at risk of death."
"Some of them died on the way to Tek'ron," Carolyn agreed glumly. She looked at Eruce to explain, "That's a Jaffa planet we arranged for them to stay on. My niece has a home there."
"DoctorLam, perhaps we could simply use the moon facility to reverse what has been done."
Eruce tilted her head. "That sounds appropriate."
"Teal'c, there's the problem of us being able to operate any of that equipment. We can't even read the displays."
The station researcher considered them carefully as they debated the merits of bringing their Jaffa patients back to the place that caused their suffering. She was burning with curiosity to see firsthand what Ventho had been up to. And she was also burning with guilt to have been the one to personally educate him in the field of genetics. He was a gifted student who tainted her hard work and reputation by engaging in such unethical behavior.
Eruce felt partly responsible for the suffering her former student had instigated.
But before she could make any further decisions or offers to help, she would need to consult with her cousin. Only the Station Master could authorize what she had in mind.
The staff weapon hit the ground instead of her. It thumped loudly as Elda jumped out of the way. She swung her own staff around in a wide arc to swipe at Jasuf's legs. He hopped in time to avoid it.
Jasuf raised his weapon to execute a specific sequence. It was the one they'd been practicing together lately. Grunts matched each of their parries and blocks.
Elda twisted her staff in multiple directions to receive his strikes. She found herself being driven back. He came around to attack from the other side, forcing her to pivot her torso to defend herself. Her staff made contact with his behind her. Elda loosened her grip just briefly to let the weapon slide vertically to the ground. When she re-gripped it, the stick tangled with Jasuf's ankle. He lost his balance momentarily.
She gave him a swift kick to the gut, pushing him back and away. Then she executed the sequence herself, staff swinging in intricate arcs. His staff parried her blows. At the end of the sequence, Jasuf's weapon made contact with hers in an X.
He pushed, driving her back into the wall of the training room.
The corner of the X drew upwards toward her neck.
Elda pushed back with effort. She bared her teeth as she grunted against the force.
Their chests were heaving.
Brows soaked in sweat.
Their eyes met and agreed.
They were done.
Jasuf thrust both of their weapons to the side forcefully. They clattered to the floor. He trapped her now in a different way, with his mouth over hers and his body keeping her in place against the wall.
She moaned into his dominating kiss. Her hands gripped at the muscles of his bare chest. There were no strings of a tunic to tug at possessively tonight. She didn't care.
He grabbed her legs and picked her up. Her limbs naturally wrapped around him, body still pinned to the wall. She let her head fall back as his mouth moved to her neck. Her hands roamed over his shoulders, squeezing and rubbing at the hardened muscles there.
No one was in the Ha'tak's training area but them. It was the middle of the night here on Tek'ron.
Elda glanced at the doorway. It was shut. And locked.
One of her hands forced his face back to hers. She leaned down to kiss him harder.
She had just a few hours left.
And she was going to make them count.
Crawford arrived to the briefing room early. He found Elda already there, head resting on her arms atop the table again. He steeled himself. He could sit next to her like he often did; nothing really had to change.
He settled into the chair next to her.
She didn't stir. She seemed to be asleep.
He could have poked her in the side playfully, the way Smith had before. But that wasn't allowed anymore. The two marines had agreed on it.
He tried clearing his throat instead.
"Hi, Crawfy," she mumbled into her forearms.
He wondered how she knew it was him. He never saw her open her eyes.
"Long night?" he asked lightly.
"Mmm hmm."
"You went to Tek'ron?"
"Yeah," she said sleepily. Elda waited for the inevitable comment about spending time alone with Jasuf. She was surprised when it never came.
He really was acting weird lately.
But she was too sleepy to interrogate him. Jasuf had kept her up the entire night. She really didn't mind. But she was only able to get a few hours of sleep here on Earth before having to get ready for the day.
Smith walked in next. He pointed at Elda. "Okay. Could be two things. A: She got promoted to a queen already. Or B: Jasuf banged her all night." He sat down across from them with a mischievous grin.
Crawford raised his brow toward the mop of blonde hair on the table.
Elda seemed to snore.
Smith laughed up toward the ceiling. "Duh duh duh. It's B," he concluded. He tilted his head to side to side in triumph.
Crawford let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"What about you?" Smith asked him.
"What about me?"
"You see Chelsea last night?"
"She had to work late. So no."
Smith nodded casually. "Ay. Let's all plan a get-together. Finally take Elda out around here."
Crawford shrugged. "Yeah, we could."
"What do you think, Baby?"
She simply hummed, only half-listening. Smith leaned over the table to pat her head affectionately. He pulled his hand back at Crawford's glare.
The remainder of their team and the General walked in. The marines stood deferentially, then re-took their seats. Crawford tapped on Elda's shoulder to prompt her to wake up for the meeting. She shot up and blinked rapidly.
"I read the report from yesterday," Landry started immediately. "Sounds like you had some excitement."
"A regular wild goose chase, sir," Reynolds quipped tiredly.
"At least you made it back in one piece."
"Yes, sir. There's that."
Landry passed out copies of a file. "Here, Hammond's report on those coordinates you found. They did a quick fly-by." The file placed in front of Elda was written in Goa'uld.
"It's a planet with signs of modern civilization?" Reynolds wondered aloud.
"Looks like it."
"No stargate there," Baker saw in the report. "Elda, you happen to know this world?"
She squinted down at the report. "Don't recognize it."
"It's not in our database, either," Landry declared. "You're going to check it out today."
"Yes, sir."
"I also understand that each of you had an opportunity to play crewman on Elda's ship," Landry noted.
Smith grinned. "That we did, sir. You're lookin' at the Firefly's Weapons Specialist." He pointed at himself proudly.
Baker snorted.
"That's a self-appointed title, General," Reynolds quickly added with an eye-roll.
The General smiled. "And the rest of you?"
"Baker's our navigator now," Elda said playfully.
"And comms," Reynolds said.
"How about you, Corporal?" Landry asked of Crawford.
He just smiled and shrugged. "I'll take suggestions on a title."
"Sensors?" Smith tried.
"Intelligence," Elda decided. Crawford turned to her curiously. "You collect data we need to make decisions, using whatever sensors are on board and knowledge of our situation."
Crawford tilted his head. "Eh. Okay."
Reynolds gazed around at his team. "This isn't anything formal. Don't get used to it," he reminded.
"Sure thing, Captain," Smith said with a playful grin.
Reynolds just glared back at him. His marines were always testing their limits with him.
Landry raised his brow in amusement. "And am I to understand those devices from the space station were useful, too?"
"Really useful," Reynolds replied. "Only wish they had an English-mode. Would be even better."
"At least you all took Dr. Jackson's crash course on Goa'uld, Colonel." Landry gazed around at the team. "When you get to that planet, do not engage. This is simply an information-gathering mission. SG-1 is requesting intel; you're getting it for them. I'll leave it up to Colonel Mitchell to act accordingly on what you learn."
Reynolds nodded compliantly. Then he looked at Elda. "We'll take the Firefly." She was unsurprised and in agreement. "And I'm guessing we should visit that planet incognito," he said, seeming to ask for her opinion.
"In… cog…"
General Landry helpfully translated, "In disguise."
"Oh! Yes, I would recommend that. Maybe we could pretend to be traders looking for new opportunities. That would explain our ignorance of the planet and its culture."
Baker considered her. "Traders of what?"
Elda shrugged. "I dunno. Take your pick."
"We sure do have a decent inventory of space ships on that moon," Smith suggested.
Landry held up a pointer finger. "Ahh, that's another thing we need to go over. Thank you for reminding me, Corporal. SG-1 already negotiated for use of those ships. They'll be used to ferry station tourists back and forth between our corner of the galaxy and theirs."
SG-3 opened their mouths, a bit surprised.
"Are we keeping the ships, sir?" Crawford asked.
"Yes, Corporal. But their purpose will be directed toward space station relations instead. At least for the moment. We'll also use them to deliver fresh food to the station on a more regular basis."
Everyone looked at Elda. Her face slowly drew into a smile. "So, I take it my sister…"
"Entered Earth into a contract with the space station, yes."
"What are we getting in return?" Elda wondered.
Landry smiled now. "Upgrades to our medical wards. I can imagine Dr. Lam is thrilled about that."
She gasped a little. She grinned and clapped her hands lightly. She had been thinking of that herself. Thank goodness her mother was still on board the station to handle that negotiation. Elda didn't see herself returning to it anytime soon. And she hardly thought the SGC would send her there just for trade. There were plenty of other people with much better knowledge of Earth's offerings that could be assigned to that.
"They ought to throw in a couple of stasis pods," Reynolds said.
"What makes you say that, Colonel?"
"Might be useful. Put critically-injured team members in there until we can get 'em the right help."
Landry tilted his head. "I'll make the suggestion in the next communique back. Anyone else?"
The rest of the team shook their heads.
"Did you suggest we acquire stasis pods because of what happened to you, Colonel?" Elda asked as they flew in the Firefly. Reynolds sat next to her in the co-pilot's seat as they traveled in hyperspace.
"Yes. But also because of what happened to General O'Neill."
Elda turned to him in interest. Her hands promptly activated autopilot so she could concentrate on her CO. "What happened to General O'Neill?"
"I figured you wouldn't know the stories. He's had to be placed in a stasis pod himself."
"Really?" she asked interestedly. "Why?"
"One word for you, Mal Doran. Well, two, actually. Head suckers."
"What?"
"There's these things left behind by the Ancients that grab a person's head and download a shit-ton of information into it like a computer. Problem is: the human mind isn't designed to handle all that data."
"So I take it this happened to the General?"
"Twice. First time was an accident, if I remember correctly. The second time? He did it on purpose."
"Does he still have that information now?" she asked curiously.
"Oh no. He always needed the Asgard to clean it out. But the second time, he had to be locked into a stasis pod to freeze him before his mind basically exploded."
"Aren't the Asgard now gone?"
"Yep."
"So what happens if someone falls victim to one of these Head Suckers again?"
"Don't know. The going order is to never let yourself get anywhere near one of those things, so no one has to find out."
"Eww."
"Yeah."
"What did General O'Neill do with the data in his brain?"
Reynolds smirked. "Lots. But the big thing was defend Earth. He took care of Anubis when he attacked. It's basically what got him promoted to General."
Elda's mouth dropped. She'd never had this explained to her before. She'd have to pester Cameron, hoping he'd tell her which mission files to look up so she could learn more. Or, she figured she could just ask her father directly about all this.
"How much longer?" Reynolds now asked.
She turned back to her displays. "Another thirty minutes."
"Alright. I'll send Crawford up here. Talk strategy for when we get there," he ordered.
"Yes, Colonel."
Soon Crawford was inhabiting the seat next to Elda. "What are we gonna do?"
"Figure out where exactly on that planet the signal went to."
"How?"
"Dunno. That's your job to figure out now," she teased.
Crawford let out a breath. He brought up the menus for the co-pilot's station. "Uhhh, I don't know where to start," he admitted.
"Well, we know the size of the burst. Something like that requires a decent receiver to handle it."
"Okay, so when we get there… scan for transmission towers? Look for bigger structures."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Then we go from there."
"Cool." Then he had a thought. "Are we sure we should be pretending to peddle ships while we're there? We don't even have the inventory with us."
"What about fruit instead?"
"We don't have that on board either."
"Hmm, no." She glanced down at his thigh holster. "We do have your station blaster, though."
Crawford shot her a look of alarm. "I just got this thing back." They all knew how happy he was when one of the Hammond's crew found his confiscated blaster down in the moon facility. He worried it was lost forever.
"Relax, Darling. The most you would need to do is demonstrate its use, if we even get that far with these covers."
He grimaced. "Okay."
Elda glanced back toward their teammates. "What do you think of making Baker the lead muscle?"
"What about the rest of us?"
"I can be the mouth piece. Reynolds can remain the decision-maker. You do the demo if we need it. Smitty?"
"Numbers guy."
"Yeah, that'll work."
Crawford smiled now. "Maybe this'll be fun."
She matched his expression. "Maybe." She considered him, wondering if she should bring up his strange behavior since they left the station. But he was finally smiling again. She liked it and didn't want to spoil it. Elda decided to ask him later. Maybe when they weren't about to engage in an op.
"AureliaThel," Teal'c intoned.
"Master Teal'c," the dark-haired beauty replied. She held out her hands to receive his.
He engaged in the local custom to greet her, while also inclining his head respectfully as any Jaffa would do.
She took a look at his companions from the SGC in the lobby of Station Control. It was enough that she had received one of them, as he was the first to say her name. She merely bowed her head to them and spoke. "Please, come in," she invited. Aurelia led them purposefully through the building, seeming to know exactly where they needed to go. No one was surprised by this. She was the daughter of the Station Master after all.
Several workers stood aside deferentially to her, letting the entire group pass before moving on themselves. Their dark blue uniforms stood in stark contrast to her crisp, white medical uniform. Aurelia waved an access card across a door. It slid open into the conference room Daniel and Vala had first been to. Eruce Thel was already there.
"Ahh, you have arrived," the researcher said. "I will summon Ziek'tu." She quickly stepped out into the main office.
Aurelia gestured for SG-1 and Dr. Lam to take seats at the table. She held out a hand toward another tall man sitting there. "This is Station Security Head Gesho Thel."
Her father and Eruce entered and took seats. "Welcome again, Earth representatives," the Station Master greeted.
"Thank you for having us, Station Master," Cameron politely replied. He waited, not exactly sure why they were having this meeting.
"We are here to discuss the matter of our late cousin's victims. Eruce."
She sat forward. "We understand that the distance between here and your patients is too great. Although it would be most beneficial to have access to full station resources in order to help them, they are unlikely to tolerate the long journey here. We can, however, utilize the facility that Ventho once commanded to perform our work. It is decidedly closer and more accessible to the Jaffa survivors."
The Security Head spoke now. "It is our understanding that your people have commandeered that facility."
"That's right," Mitchell acknowledged.
"With your permission, we are prepared to retake it and secure it for Eruce's purposes."
Mitchell leaned forward. "I would need to run that request by my Command. They would likely prefer to maintain control and security with our own forces. What exactly would you do there?"
Eruce responded, "Upgrade it to fit our needs, so that we may reverse what Ventho has done. Or at least try."
Cameron looked right at Carolyn. Her eyes seemed full of hope. She looked back at him pleadingly, begging him to allow this. He turned back to the station representatives. "I don't see a problem with that. How would you get there? We only have a small shuttle with us."
"I am authorizing the use of a station vessel for this voyage," the Station Master explained. "You may dock your shuttle in its bay and travel comfortably with Eruce and Aurelia as they journey to your part of the galaxy. They will be accompanied by a team of geneticists, a security detail, and the labormen required for our trade agreement."
Carolyn looked at Aurelia. "You're going, too?" she asked in slight awe.
"Yes. I'd like to serve as the medical advisor. That will allow my Aunt Eruce to focus on the genetic components of the work. I could offer the patients additional treatments to alleviate their symptoms. At least until their underlying conditions are resolved."
Carolyn smiled thankfully. "I would love to have you along." Her interactions with the woman so far had been nothing but pleasant. She felt they got along well. And having a peer with knowledge of this station's advanced medicine sounded like a learning opportunity. She couldn't wait to learn what they knew. Especially since Vala negotiated for them to share some of their goodies with the SGC.
Cam regarded her with hilarity. His girlfriend might have just found her new best friend.
He returned his attention to the Station Security Head. "You're welcome to send your own security. However, we can provide our own. Our people know the territory best. We can respond to threats appropriately. We can guarantee the safety of your personnel."
Gesho glanced at Ziek'tu, who seemed to approve. He inclined his head to Mitchell, quietly thankful that he wouldn't need to spare security forces if these Earthlings had their own. His people were spread thin and strategically placed around the station to maximize their efforts. Any significant reduction in manpower spelled a headache for him.
Mitchell addressed Eruce now. "This is a very kind offer you're making. We truly do appreciate the time and effort you're willing to put in. I think the Jaffa would likely say the same." He glanced at Teal'c, who nodded in agreement. "When do we leave?"
"At your leisure," the Station Master said. "However, we must consider station closure."
"Absolutely," Mitchell agreed.
"Eruce and Gesho will make the necessary arrangements." Ziek'tu stood. "I will greet you one final time before your departure. Until then, I shall return to my work."
SG-1 and Carolyn briefly stood in deference to him as he rushed out.
"Eruce," Carolyn began, "I can't thank you enough for offering to do this."
"I concur. Your generosity will not go unnoticed by the Jaffa," Teal'c promised.
Eruce smiled back humbly. She chose not to admit that her quiet guilt was the primary motivator for her actions. There were just some things that need not be said.
"What am I looking at?" Reynolds asked as he gazed out the forward port.
"Looks like it could be a commerce planet," Elda replied.
"What are all these things in orbit?"
Crawford already had the relevant sensors reporting on his side of the pilot's console.
Elda glanced over and interpreted the report in Goa'uld. "System says they're communication and security satellites."
"Anybody notice we're here yet?"
Crawford gazed at his displays. "No calls coming through, sir."
"Maybe this place doesn't have a centralized command," Elda guessed.
The co-pilot's console chimed. "Contact," Crawford announced.
They watched as another small ship seemed to pass by them, metal gleaming in the light from the local sun. It initiated atmospheric entry without delay. Elda took that as a sign that they could try to do the same. "Crawford, let's see if we can scan for those towers we talked about. Maybe that'll give us a clue for where to land."
His hands brought up the commands Elda had shown him earlier. He activated the scan. A 3D map began to draw itself in the air, showing large structures on the surface. Some of the buildings had tall spires attached to their tops. The measurements in Goa'uld showed the structures were close to 50 stories each.
Elda bit her cheek as she stared at the image. Her fingers twisted in the air, rotating the map around. "Which one, which one…" she murmured.
"If they're all the same, might as well just pick one. We could try asking the locals for directions," Reynolds suggested.
"Alright," she agreed. She pointed at one tower with a finger. It glowed red to affirm it had been chosen. Her other hand hit the command to demand navigation control to her side. Another screen rose up before her, where she requested the system to plot a course. The 3D map zoomed out and proposed a path for them to follow from orbit. She let her fingers brush against it in approval. The ship chimed in acknowledgement. "Go ahead and strap in for atmospheric entry, everyone."
As soon as the other marines were secured, the forward port glowed red. The Firefly descended toward the surface. When they were through the upper atmosphere and past the high clouds, a sprawling city could be seen below. Local vessels zipped along in neat lanes in all directions. As they drew closer to the surface, everyone could see that the lanes consisted of several levels. Each level was dedicated to travel in a specific direction. Elda made sure they didn't interrupt the path of any of the local transports.
"Ya know, we never got to visit places like this when I first started working for the SGC," Crawford commented.
"Really? Why not?"
"Cuz we mostly ever went to places with stargates. Almost none of those planets looked like these."
"And the worlds with stargates tend to be less advanced, because historically their development was suppressed by the Goa'uld," Elda intelligently stated.
"Right," he said thoughtfully. "Kind of a wonder that these places exist at all. These are the type of planets Command was gunning to visit back when things first started. At least, that's the impression I got."
"The Goa'uld had to tolerate some industry, or else they wouldn't have all their ships and toys."
"And I bet when a lot of the Goa'uld disappeared, these places just started growing like weeds."
"That's a funny way of putting it. But I think you're right."
"Would your Jaffa planet ever look like this someday?"
Elda tilted her head. "I dunno. They prefer natural landscapes." She gestured ahead briefly at the city they were observing. "This is hardly natural."
"Yeah." Then he pointed. "Check it out. Looks like a place to park."
Elda saw where other small vessels like theirs seemed to be settling onto the surface. She piloted the ship in that direction. Soon the Firefly made gentle contact with the ground amid other ships. The shuttle hissed as it powered down.
Everyone stood. Electronic hums sounded off as everyone checked their blasters. No one was in SGC-standard gear here. The marines had each donned different styles of galaxy-appropriate travel wear made of pleather. Elda had on her signature black suit with a long trench coat.
Reynolds pulled at the collar of his jacket uncomfortably. He hated this outfit. "Pop it open," he said to Baker.
The marine complied and ventured out of the hatch first. As lead muscle, that was his role today. Baker scanned their surroundings carefully. Random crewman from other ships were busy attending to their vessels. No one bothered to look in their direction. When his eyes wandered beyond the parking area, he noted that the spaces between the buildings were tight alleyways. They didn't have wide-open streets like where the marines came from.
All of the buildings rose high above them.
"Where to?" the 2IC asked.
Crawford, Smith, and Elda had already pulled out their data pads. They let them point in all directions. "Signals are everywhere," Smith commented.
"The strongest one I'm seeing is that way," Elda said, flicking her hand to the left.
"Same," Crawford agreed.
Reynolds took a good look around. "Might as well head in that direction. We have nothing else to go on. Move out. Eyes open. I don't like the look of these alleys."
"Yes, sir," the men quietly replied.
Baker motioned for Smith to take point with him, using his data pad to lead them. The rest carefully followed, critically eyeing anyone they passed. All the other folks on the surface were armed with blasters and knives. Their attire was similar to that of SG-3. The team seemed to be blending in for now.
The entrances to the tall buildings were all adorned with flashy advertisements. The writing was in Goa'uld, so Elda provided translations as they went. Shops seemed to inhabit the bottom levels, each selling a different ware of interest. Side entrances appeared to be for residents of the accommodations above them. Still more signage indicated that some of the levels were dedicated to administrative work and offices.
Other than the written language and the occasional spoken word they overheard, one could assume that the Goa'uld had little influence here. Elda idly wondered how these people got on this planet in the first place without a stargate. Were humans planted here by the Goa'uld with intentions of serving as their manufacturers? Did the disappearance of their former masters allow their development to proceed unchecked, as she and Crawford had guessed? She planned to ask Daniel for what he thought about that.
Elda never would have wondered about such a thing in her old life, when she considered herself Gracie Mal Doran. She didn't have time for those intellectual musings. She was too busy ducking and hiding instead. Maybe finally feeling safe everywhere she went, to a certain degree, finally freed up her mind to focus on other things. She marveled at how much she had changed.
Smith stopped them at a building. When the team gazed upward, it seemed so high that it almost touched the clouds.
"Apparently, this is an administrative building for a Chigu Conglomerate," Elda reported as she tilted her head at the writing. Something about the name was familiar, but she was having trouble remembering why.
"Never heard of it," Reynolds commented.
"Me neither," Baker agreed. He glanced at Smith's pad. "You sure this is it?"
"Yes, sir. Strongest signal is coming from somewhere in there."
Crawford gazed around. No one was paying them any mind. He looked back at the entrance. "Elda, is this a shop?"
"Uhh, dunno. Not seeing the usual racks or tables for tangible goods. Maybe we can go inside and just ask."
"Elda, do the talking," Reynolds said. "But remember, we're only here to gather intelligence and go home."
"Got it." She moved to the front of the group and walked in first.
They found themselves in a lobby. Tall, skinny screens were set up around plush seats, ready with advertisements for visitors to peruse. A single attendant stood by a set of double-doors on the opposite wall. He simply watched them silently as the team wandered around.
"Hello," Elda said while approaching the man. "We're a bit lost."
The man stepped forward. "How can I help you?"
"We're looking for a buyer, one whose interest is in weapons. Specifically: blasters." Elda looked behind her and motioned for Crawford to step up. "High-quality blasters," she said as she gestured toward his thigh. His station-made weapon gleamed brightly in the lobby lights. "But we're new here. I'm not certain we've come to the right place. Do you happen to know anything about that?"
Smith distracted himself with one of the screens while his friends talked up the attendant. He found the devices curious, like he'd seen some iteration of them before back on the station. They rose up out of the floor. His fingers lightly tapped at the physical display and a commercial immediately began to play. It seemed to be well-produced, artfully advertising some sort of manufacturing capability that this company had. Shiny images of machine parts seemed to flash on the screen. He couldn't understand what was being said, but he could sure tell they were trying to attract customers.
Reynolds raised an annoyed brow at him for losing focus. But then Baker did the same with another screen. He sighed to himself. Bunch of distractable kids watching too much TV. He had enough of that at home.
The Colonel's ears perked up when he overheard the commercial Baker activated mention something familiar. His eyes darted to the side. He leaned in toward his 2IC. "Did I just hear that say 'Zersha'?" he asked under his breath.
Baker furrowed his brow. "Maybe." He messed around with the controls on the screen and found a slider bar. He used an index finger to rewind the video and play it back.
As the men listened, they locked eyes.
"Okay," Baker agreed, "definitely heard it that time."
Reynolds now returned his gaze to Elda and Crawford.
"Really?" Elda said with feigned interest. She shared a glance with Crawford. "They'd be willing to witness a demonstration today?" She quirked her mouth. "Where?"
The attendant gestured upwards with a finger. "We have an appropriate shooting range upstairs. All virtual."
Elda offered him a friendly, professional smile. "Give me just a moment to confer with our Captain." She stepped away to pull Reynolds as far away from the attendant as she could. She lowered her voice, but kept the smile on her face. "Might be able to get us further in. I could ask questions while Crawford is distracting them with a blaster demo."
"Let's do it. By the way, that ad over there mentioned Zersha. Don't really know why."
Elda turned to see Baker quietly gesturing at the screen next to him. "Oh? Let me see." She stepped over to re-activate the commercial, then squinted at it. "Says no competitor is better at this than them, not even Zersha." She used the slider bar to skip through the ad. She saw that they were trying to show off their ability to manufacture ship parts. Elda spun around, seeing that the other ads were also focused on goods that Zersha was known to produce. "Hmm." Something was tugging at her memory, but she still didn't know why.
She didn't say anything more and returned to the attendant. "We are agreeable if you are."
He bowed his head slightly. "Give me a few moments to send word of your presence. Someone else will come to collect you and escort you to our shooting range. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the rest of Chigu's offerings." He gestured a polite hand around the lobby.
"Thank you kindly," Elda said with a friendly tone. She tugged on Crawford's elbow to pull him with her. The team spread out while they waited, keeping one wary eye on the attendant and another on the door. They glanced at the various ads but didn't focus on them much now.
The double-doors guarded by the attendant opened to reveal a lift. Another representative of the company was inside. The woman smiled politely. "Welcome to Chigu. Please, come with me."
SG-3 joined her. Baker's eyes darted around. It looked like a basic elevator car. There didn't appear to be any trap doors. He hoped there weren't any. The team felt themselves rising as the lift moved.
When the doors reopened, they found themselves in a blank room. It seemed to inhabit the entire length and width of the building. The Chigu representative ushered them to a pedestal nearby. She hovered a hand over the column to activate a heads-up display. It stood ready for input.
"My name is Yendira. I serve as an account representative between Chigu and outside parties. I am told you have an interest in partnering for the trade of blasters?"
Elda stepped forward. "Yes, that's correct."
"What manner of blaster are we talking about?"
Elda smiled slightly, adopting an almost haughty look of self-importance. It was all part of the act of overconfidence. She swept a hand out toward Crawford. "High-powered, newly-redesigned model with auto-targeting."
He dutifully unsheathed his weapon and held it up for the woman to see.
Her eyes narrowed just slightly as she gazed at the blaster. "I see. And where was this manufactured?"
"Our seller prefers to remain anonymous for now. They seek a distributor or a buyer. They are capable of producing a high number of these in a fraction of the time that others can. Should we enter into initial negotiations, then our seller will reveal their identity."
"So you are brokers?"
"That's right."
The woman eyed Elda. She half-believed it. "Please," she said politely, "show me how this performs."
Elda locked eyes with Crawford encouragingly.
The woman turned her attention to the console and brought up a menu. When she hit a command, a series of holographic targets appeared in the distance. They looked like simple floating discs. The circles were evenly spaced apart, but each one was set further and further back down the line. The Chigu rep inclined her head to Crawford.
Elda didn't miss the glint in her eyes when the rep gazed at his exposed biceps. All the men were wearing vests except for Reynolds. This was done at her suggestion, presuming he would end up distinguishing himself as the leader anyway. Wearing a jacket instead of a vest like the others reinforced this notion.
She glanced at Smith, who was standing back with their commanding officers and remaining quiet. Her eyebrow quirked to point out her observation, letting her eyes flit back and forth between the woman and Crawford.
Smith's face didn't move, but his eyes acknowledged her.
Crawford picked a spot directly across the first target on the left. He raised his blaster, ready to fire.
Elda announced, "My specialist will demonstrate the blaster at close range. No auto-targeting."
Crawford fired. A shot zipped out, quickly hitting its mark on the first disc. The hologram fizzled as the energy discharge was absorbed by the system. The charge seemed to be sucked away into the floor. He aimed toward the next target, further away. He glanced at Elda.
She nodded.
He fired another shot. It, too, hit its mark. Marines were always riflemen first.
The Chigu rep didn't seem impressed.
Crawford went on, firing at all the targets in order. Each one was a greater distance away than the last. He never moved from his original spot on the blank floor of the holo-room.
"What are your thoughts?" Elda asked.
"So far, I am seeing an expert marksman. And a blaster performing a basic function."
Crawford kept his face from scrunching. Did she just compliment him?
Elda's mouth twitched briefly. "I would not bring anyone but an expert, Representative Yendira. Perhaps now you are ready to challenge us with moving targets."
The woman entered new commands into the console. More discs appeared, floating aimlessly in the air at differing speeds and heights. "Show me how well the auto-targeting performs."
Crawford used his thumb to slide a lever back. The blaster seemed to whine differently as it charged up. He aimed, giving his weapon just a second to lock onto a single disc. He fired. The blast made contact, homing in on his chosen target with ease. The image fizzled and the room sucked the energy down into the floor once again.
Smith idly wondered how that even worked. It was a like a magnet was being activated the moment a blast hit a target.
Crawford continued on, choosing ever more difficult discs to fire upon.
Elda carefully observed that the woman seemed more focused on Crawford than his adequate demonstration of the blaster's capabilities. She hid her smile of amusement. Chelsea would probably get mad.
She glanced at her CO and caught his look of impatience. She got the hint. They needed to move on already.
Well, if Miss Yendira liked what she was seeing, why not give her more of it? The distraction could be useful.
"Perhaps now we could demonstrate a more lifelike situation," Elda suggested.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Have the targets be combatants. Ones who are shooting back."
Crawford's eyes whipped to hers. They seemed to ask, What are you doing?
She smirked.
He breathed in slowly, recognizing the naughtiness in her expression. She was going to use him to reach her objective. Something about that made him grate his teeth.
Elda nodded to him encouragingly, seeming to say, Put on a good show.
Crawford sent back a look of annoyance.
Smith tried to stop his face from cracking as he watched them. He wished he had popcorn now.
Yendira commanded the system to activate a virtual space. Suddenly, the team found themselves in a rendition of a manufacturing facility. Their eyes darted up and around to get a good look. Several places for cover were available to the half-dozen combatants that the rep programmed for this exercise.
"I will remind you that this is all virtual," the woman announced. "The shots from the holograms are not real."
"Thank you," Elda replied graciously. She turned to Crawford. "Attack at will."
Crawford frowned at her but stepped forward anyway.
Yendira's eyes followed him. With the rep now fully occupied, Elda glanced at Smith behind them, encouraging him to get started.
Smith surreptitiously pulled his data pad out to begin scanning. They had agreed ahead of time that it might be possible to determine how powerful these transmission towers were by pinging them with the station pad. The devices were equipped with that sort of feature, so they would know whether or not a signal was weak. The weaker the signal, the more juice the data pad would need to pump into pushing out a communication. It was originally intended for use by human cargo loaders who worked independently in the vacuum of space. If they ever got lost, their data pads would be their means of calling for help.
Crawford began darting among fake structures in the virtual facility, dodging blasts aimed in his direction. He kept auto-targeting on, successfully hitting a combatant that had ducked behind a machine. The fake enemy froze, glowed red, then disappeared into thin air.
Elda could see that Yendira's attention was trained squarely on her teammate. She looked at Smith, who nodded in affirmation. The tower on top of this building could have indeed received the powerful comms burst from the temple planet.
Crawford dove behind another machine as he avoided a couple of shots. He darted up quickly to fire another blast and force an enemy to dissipate into nothing.
Elda leaned in toward the representative. "As you can see, the blaster is performing quite well."
"Indeed," she agreed, eyes seemingly focused on Crawford's muscles. He continued targeting his opponents, venturing further into the virtual space.
"May I presume that you have an interest?"
"Perhaps. But I still require convincing."
"As I have said, our manufacturer is capable of producing these at scale. Name a number, and I can tell you how fast that could be fulfilled."
"Our security forces onworld number in the hundreds. Let's say, four hundred, theoretically."
"Of course, theoretically," Elda responded. She openly addressed Smith. "Run the maths," she ordered.
He pretended to look down at the pad in his hands to perform a calculation. Smith raised his chin. "Three days." He picked that number almost at random, thinking of how long it would take for SG-1 to come back before station closure.
"Three?" the woman repeated with slight surprise. Her eyes never drew away from Crawford, though, who was now breaking a sweat.
Elda watched this with satisfaction. She smelled opportunity.
"What if we tripled that order? With the intention of acquiring rights of resale and distribution?" the rep asked.
Elda nodded at Smith to keep pretending to be her numbers guy.
Smith waited a bit, not bothering to look down at his pad. The Chigu rep wasn't even turning around to see what he was doing. She was too engrossed in watching Crawford run around and take out his opponents with a single blaster. Smith announced, "Three weeks, plus a few days for transport. That order requires us to use a bigger vessel." He imagined the space station just might be able to do that, considering it was about to spend six months on the inside of a time dilation bubble. Not that they were really going to put in this order.
"That is impressive."
Elda breathed in. "That's what Zersha said."
Yendira snapped her head toward her. "You have already approached Zersha?" she demanded, mouth twisting around the name with obvious disdain.
"Of course we did. Our seller wants options."
"And what else did Zersha say?"
"They were ready to enter into a contract immediately. They saw the worth in our product," Elda lied. She sounded convincing with her condescending tone and confident tilt of the chin.
"Whatever they offered you, consider it a waste of your time," Yendira warned. "Chigu is the greatest conglomerate of all time. You would do well to partner with us over those back-stabbing imposters."
Touchy. Elda raised her brow with interest. The tables had turned and now Yendira appeared to be competing for their business. "What would you say are Chigu's greatest strengths then?" she asked curiously. "What industries have you mastered?"
"All of them."
"Such as?"
"Ship building and parts. Custom machinery. We are even expanding into medical advancements," the woman gloated.
"Medical?"
"Yes." The rep's eyes seemed to be undressing Crawford now as he dealt with his final opponent. The combatant had acquired one of his dead buddy's weapons and was firing two blasters in the marine's direction.
Elda glanced quickly at Reynolds. The transmission from the moon might technically fall under the heading of 'medical.' He tilted his head, encouraging her to keep up with this line of questioning. "I've recently brokered a few contracts for pharmaceuticals. It would seem the Jaffa have a growing need for tretonin," she reported casually. She wasn't technically lying with that statement.
Yendira turned to her now, haughty smirk all over her face. "Chigu is the leader in the manufacture of tretonin. We are also exploring alternative advancements that the Jaffa will one day find preferable," she hinted. "But you didn't hear that from me."
Alarm bells began to ring in Elda's mind. This boastful woman might have just confirmed what she was beginning to suspect. Maybe this was the silent backer Landry had told them to find.
Her eyes flitted to Reynolds, alerting him to her alarm. Yendira didn't notice this, too focused on Crawford as she was. He seemed to be struggling with the last combatant.
Reynolds tipped his chin up at Elda, telling her to keep going.
"Unless you can produce Goa'uld symbiotes, there will never be an alternative to tretonin," she challenged.
"That is where you are wrong. Tell your previous clients to keep Chigu in mind for the future. We are close to announcing a breakthrough."
Suddenly, the woman reached over to the console and shut off the holographic display, just as Crawford made a final kill shot. His head whipped around, surprised that everything disappeared. He barely got the satisfaction of watching the final guy die.
"Your demonstration is acceptable. Tell your blaster manufacturer that they may have a future with us… and it could be a glorious partnership." Out of nowhere, the rep flashed a calling card in the air for Elda to take. "Twelve hundred blasters in less than one month equals seven cases of naquedah. Refined." Yendira turned to Elda with a challenge in her eyes. "Don't think Zersha could beat that."
Elda blinked. That was a very enticing offer. She was tempted to actually put in the order. But that's not what they were here for. She expertly made the calling card disappear into the sleeve of her trench coat. "Hmm," she said, smirking with feigned satisfaction and interest. "Perhaps they cannot."
Yendira sneered, fooled into thinking she just might score a very big commission.
Elda made an obvious show of looking to Reynolds now, openly regarding him as their group's real decision-maker. He stepped forward, almost looking bored. "We'll take your offer into consideration," he said flatly.
Elda offered Yendira one final smile and bowed her head respectfully. It was the signal that she intended to leave. She drew closer to where most of her team was gathered.
Crawford took that as his sign to follow.
Yendira brushed his bicep with her fingertips, causing him to pause and look at her. "We should do dinner," she said.
He swallowed. And he purposely didn't look in Elda nor Smith's direction. They were about to eat him alive. "Maybe another time," he said politely.
The rep almost pouted. But she let him go.
SG-3 filed into the elevator.
When the door shut, everyone but Crawford snorted.
A/N: The next series of chapters will see a setting change and some fun mischief. Hope you'll enjoy it!