Daughter
Chapter 78 – Seat
Elda stepped down the ramp with a sleepy smile.
Jack was there waiting for her in the gate room with hands buried in his pockets.
"Is it Friday already?" she asked quietly, now back in her military attire.
He pretended to look down at his watch, which didn't actually tell him the day of the week. "Yep."
"When did you get in?"
"Early this morning," he said casually.
"Where's Gracie?"
"With her mom."
Elda nodded. She covered a yawn with the back of her hand.
The defense team members glanced at each other. They just could not figure out how Elda Mal Doran could have such a mundane conversation with the Head of Homeworld Command like this. She was even yawning in front of him. Who does that?
Jack gestured for her to follow him out.
The men watched them go, then shook their heads in awe.
"What about you?" Jack asked, reburying his hands in his pockets as he walked. "You don't look like you got enough sleep."
"That's because I didn't."
"And you're late again."
"Am I?"
"Yep. What happened this time? Another summons to the Jaffa High Council?" he quipped. Around them, military members of the facility stiffened up as Jack passed. A few of them were the SFs that used to tease Elda on the moon base, back when they were helping the Jaffa refugees. They watched curiously as she leaned into Jack a little for support as she walked, as if she was too sleepy to maintain her balance.
"Not a summons exactly. But they did order me to report to another planet for something."
"Yeah, right."
"I'm serious."
"Eh?" Jack glanced at her curiously. "For what?"
"To work a charm offensive. And guess whose idea that was?"
"Meil'nor."
"No."
"Ishta."
"Nope."
"Uhh… Teal'c?"
"Close."
"Elda."
"It was Rya'c!"
Jack stopped them. "You met Teal'c's kid?"
"Yup. He used me. For one of his ops."
"What!?" He turned them right around.
"Where are we going?" She thought they were heading to the family quarters. It looked like it anyway. She was glad to be going there. Elda wanted to lay down and knock out.
"General's office."
"Awwwww… can't I just tell you… over there?" she whined.
"Come on, Kid."
When Jack walked into Hank's office, Colonel Reynolds happened to be there. He barged in with Elda in tow.
"General?" Hank asked, a little annoyed to be interrupted.
"General. Colonel."
"Sir."
Jack pointed at the chair. "Sit."
Elda pouted and sat down. She covered another yawn with her hand.
Reynolds stared at her, glancing between Jack and Hank pensively. He wondered if she got in trouble. But she sure didn't look worried.
"General O'Neill? What's this about?" Hank prompted.
"I dunno, General. How bout we let Elda tell us?"
"Miss Mal Doran," Reynolds ordered. "Go."
She sucked in a breath and sighed. "The Council told me to go to wherever Rya'c was and talk to some human leadership there about how nice it is when Jaffa and humans cooperate with each other." She wiggled her fingers in the air and rolled her eyes. "Charm offensive." Elda hardly looked pleased.
"The Council?" Hank repeated. He huffed. "Not the Jaffa High Council again?"
Reynolds just looked at her funny.
"One and the same, Hank," Jack replied. "This is becoming a thing. And I'm not sure what to think of that."
Elda shrugged and bared her hands outward. "It's not like I'm trying to get assignments from them. All I did was go home to Tek'ron, hoping I could get some sleep. Instead, there was an urgent order to go to Rya'c and help him with his little challenge."
"Rya'c?" Reynolds asked. "Isn't that Teal'c's son?"
"Yes."
"What role is he inhabiting these days if he could call for you?"
Elda glanced at Landry, who nodded in approval to tell him. "He's the commander of the Free Jaffa Army. Technically, he is Jasuf's boss."
"Oh, now wait just a minute. Rya'c didn't call you over there because he knew about you and my Old Buddy, did he?" Jack asked.
Elda just looked up at him tiredly from her seat. She smiled tightly, which told Jack all he needed to know.
"For crying out loud."
"Old Buddy?" Reynolds wondered.
"Don't ask, Colonel," Hank said flatly. He sent Jack a glare.
"Elda," Jack now said, "tell us exactly what went down over there. What did they make you do?"
"I had to put on airs as a queen and impress them all. Then I had to defend my way of life to a group of grumpy old men who just couldn't believe that Jaffa would ever be so nice to humans. Apparently Rya'c's previous attempts to show the people that Free Jaffa were different wasn't working as well as he wanted. They were still afraid of them. He needed to turn that planet to the Jaffa's side so the Council could negotiate for access to some of their resources. And also, so those humans could spread the word that establishing relations with the Free Jaffa is a good idea."
Jack was incredulous. "Since when is the Free Jaffa Army doing politics!?"
"I have no idea. I thought they were supposed to be defending Jaffa strongholds from Goa'uld attacks."
"Sounds like their priorities shifted," Hank mused. "Any idea why, Miss Mal Doran?"
"You'd have to ask them. I only followed my orders instead of going to bed."
Everyone just blinked at her with varying degrees of astonishment.
She yawned again.
"Hit the sack, Kid," Jack said.
"Sorry?"
"Go to bed."
"Oooh, yay. Thanks." Elda got up, patted Jack's arm, and left the office.
Reynolds squinted at their awfully familiar exchange in confusion. "General Landry? Is that what the Jaffa were trying to call about while we were out on our mission?"
"Say what?" Jack asked.
Hank answered, "Master Meil'nor only asked if she was available to come home. He didn't activate our protocol to interrupt her work on SG-3."
"Alright, this is… nuts. I might have to go over there and give them a piece of my mind," Jack decided.
Reynolds looked up at him curiously. "Sir?"
"The Council! They can't just up and order our people around like that!"
Hank calmly pointed out, "General, I will remind you that the Council is scattered right now. For their security."
"Yeah, well, let's invite 'em here so we can have a little chat."
The other men widened their eyes.
"When?"
"Today. I have plans tomorrow. Tomorrow's no good for me."
When Elda opened up the door to her quarters, she smiled sweetly at Crawford. "Hey."
He stood there with a smile and hands in pockets. "Hey. I heard you got back in, but I couldn't find you. Everything okay?"
She let him come in. Elda pointed at the chair next to the desk for him to take a seat. She climbed right back into bed and snuggled there. "I was taking a nap."
"At ten in the morning?"
"I got no sleep last night."
"Jasuf came back?"
"No. He's still with the Army." She raised a finger into the air. "But… I did get a chance to see him. Very briefly. I got sent to work a manipulation job by the Jaffa High Council."
"Uhhh… What!?"
"Chase… not so loud," she whined.
Crawford realized she was going to keep using his first name whenever it was just the two of them alone. He kind of liked that. He leaned down to her and lowered his voice. "What kind of manipulation job?"
"Charm offensive," she reported with eyes closed. "I got sent out as soon as I got back to Tek'ron. Had to dress up and everything."
He swept hair out of her face. Even in her sleepy state, Crawford could tell she was telling him the truth. She wasn't messing with him. "Babe, what the fuck?"
Elda turned over and stared up at the ceiling. "It was politics, Darling. The details are honestly uninteresting. Just more manipulation on the part of Jaffa leadership. This time it was on a grander scale because the High Council was the one giving me the orders." She covered her eyes with a forearm. "And do you know I caught myself starting to think like them?"
"What do you mean."
"I started scheming to get my Tribe Father a seat on the Council without even realizing what I was doing. It was just a thought, Chase. Next thing I know, I'm already laying down the first pieces of the foundation to get that done." She groaned.
"I feel like I'm missing some details here, but okay."
"Sorry." She yawned. "I didn't get any sleep. It was like one of those all-nighter things you all talk about, except I was just on a completely different planet. And there was no night."
Crawford chuckled at her. He pulled the blanket up a little higher on her body. "Yeah, you're no good to us dead-to-the-world tired. Sorry I woke you."
Elda smiled at him. "It's okay. Thanks for checking on me."
He fought the urge to kiss her good night… err good day. "Come find me if you ever wake up."
"Okay, bye." Elda turned over to snuggle further into her covers. She heard the door click closed and knew he was gone. She smiled to herself, liking this new found closeness they had with each other. Maybe they would be okay.
"Sir? What's going on?" Smith asked as he watched a whole lot of Jaffa pass through the gate.
"Sergeant, you don't wanna know," Reynolds said flatly in the control room.
Baker appeared behind them. "I can't find Cakes."
"She's in her quarters asleep."
"Nobody answered when I knocked."
"Smith, wake her up."
"Sir."
Baker watched their subordinate go then leaned in toward Reynolds. "What's going on?"
"Elda pulled an all-nighter, Lieutenant. And when General O'Neill found out why, it got him all up in a tizzy."
"I'm sorry?"
Reynolds sighed, just as flabbergasted. He gestured toward the Jaffa. "Take a good guess. I'll bet you'll never figure it out on your own."
"If this has anything to do with Cakes, it's a foregone conclusion that it's gonna be good."
"Amen to that, Lieutenant.
The next time Elda opened her door, Smith was there instead.
"Did you have to knock so loud?" she complained.
"Colonel said to wake your ass up. Why the hell are you napping in the middle of the damn day anyway?"
Elda scrunched her face. "Why are you so annoying?"
Smith rolled his eyes. "Geez, you turn twenty-two and you become even more of a brat."
Elda grabbed his shirt and pulled him into her quarters. "Come here so I can beat your ass." She slapped his face lightly. He swatted her away. Then Elda turned around to go into the private washroom. "What does the Colonel want?" she yelled through the now closed door.
He leaned back on the wall to wait. "There's a shit-ton of Jaffa arriving through the gate."
"What?"
"There's a shit-ton of…"
The door shot open. "I heard you. But why!?"
Smith shrugged. "I dunno. Is that your fault?"
Elda's eyes went wide. "I hope not."
The briefing room didn't have enough seats, forcing the SGC personnel to stand and defer to their Jaffa guests. Thirteen elder Jaffa in robes inhabited the plush chairs around the table. Jack placed himself at the head of the table, with Landry adjacent to him.
SG-1 and SG-3 stood around the room as a show of power. Both teams contained members with a direct stake in Jaffa matters.
Elda blinked nervously at the High Council seated in the SGC. What the hell was her father doing!? He was only supposed to be in town for her birthday, not whatever this was!
Crawford noticed her expression. He could tell she was just as surprised as anyone else here.
"I invited you all here today to check in. See how the Jaffa are doing," Jack began.
One of the Council members spoke for the group. "We are well, GeneralO'Neill."
"Well, that is just so nice to hear. How's that whole Army thing going?"
The Jaffa exchanged confused glances. Some of them tried looking at Teal'c, posted with SG-1 behind Jack. He remained expressionless, choosing not to offer them any assistance. He was just as irritated as Jack was to hear what happened. It was even more irksome to know that his very own son was involved.
"The Free Jaffa Army is performing well."
"Good to know. We sorta figured you must have formed it because of that intel we gave you. After his wedding," Jack reminded, pointing a thumb back at Teal'c behind him. He twisted in his seat. "How is the missus, anyway, Teal'c?"
He smiled in amusement at Jack's digression. "She is well, O'Neill. She sends her warm greetings."
"Right back at her, T." He turned around. "So? Am I right?"
The Council blinked at him.
"About the intel leading to the formation of your army?"
Cautiously, they inclined their heads.
Daniel tried not to roll his eyes. Reynolds and Mitchell shifted uncomfortably while Hank tried to take calming breaths.
"Thought so," Jack said. "I got a little piece of interesting news this morning here on Earth. Thought you might like to hear it."
"Please share, GeneralO'Neill."
"Actually, I could be wrong, but maybe you already know this. One of our people seemed to have gotten roped into one of your shenanigans," he said irritably.
Elda's eyes went wide.
"Oh shit," Crawford muttered under his breath.
The other marines regarded him strangely. But they said nothing.
"If you are referring to our call for LadyElda to serve, then yes, she was tasked with a special assignment. It has now been completed," one of the Jaffa confirmed.
Jack's fingers drummed on the table.
Hank's eyes stared at those fingers apprehensively.
"Mind sharing what that was about?"
"The event which you are referring to is a private Jaffa Nation matter…"
Jack placed a pointer finger on the table. "Which happened to involve one of our personnel," he interrupted. "I think we have a right to know what's going on if there's going to be any joint operations." He made eye contact with everyone at the table in warning.
"Crap," Daniel whispered, starting to realize what was going on. His eyes shot to Elda.
She met his look with trepidation. She had no idea what her father was going to do.
"GeneralO'Neill, there was no joint operation. As my fellow Council Member stated, it was a private…"
Jack would have none of that bullshit. He interrupted again. "Did you or didn't you use Elda Mal Doran to achieve one of your objectives, with his son as the ring leader?" he demanded, pointing again at Teal'c.
Teal'c stiffened and raised his chin in challenge. He was very obviously displaying his own displeasure with the Council's poor decision-making here.
Everyone on an SG-team stared at Elda, who was frozen as she stared at Jack.
"It is true," one of the other Jaffa answered. "And LadyElda performed her task well."
"The humans on the planet of Shehadeh have now established formal relations with our government." A few Council members shot the female speaker an accusing glare for being so forthright. Apparently there was disagreement over how much to share with Stargate Command. But this Jaffa didn't shy away from her fellows' stares. "Up until LadyElda's involvement, Rya'c of Chulak was struggling to convince their human leadership to accept the Free Jaffa's offer of peace."
Teal'c breathed in to maintain his calm.
Jack shook his head once in aggravation. "Let me make something crystal clear. Elda is not yours to command. I don't care if she earned a title on a Jaffa planet and can blow all your asses out of the water with her talents, all twenty-five gazillion of them."
Elda started turning red. She tried to catch her father's gaze to plead with him to stop, but he was too busy glaring at the High Council. She really wished she had some wine or something in her hand right now.
Vala fought a laugh. She hid her lips in her mouth to force herself to remain silent.
Jack wasn't done. "Don't think for a second that she has to comply with anything you tell her to do. She works for us. She is one of us, first, being human. The next time you want her assistance, with anything, you will go through me." Then he corrected himself quickly. "Us."
Hank tried to distract from Jack's overly specific demand. "This request applies to all SGC personnel, including Teal'c."
The Council Members remained silent for a moment, taking in the sight of an irate human commander and his fearful subordinates surrounding him. They briefly gazed at Elda, who immediately adopted a measured and controlled expression. She met their eyes bravely.
The female Jaffa who was more forthcoming than the others spoke again. "We acknowledge your displeasure, GeneralO'Neill, and offer our sincere apologies. We will respect your authority over your own people in the future and consult you prior to tasking them with our matters."
Jack relaxed a little. "Well, thank you. That's all I'm asking for."
The Jaffa inclined her head and ignored the looks from her own colleagues.
Now Jack looked at his daughter. He tilted his head toward the Council.
She squinted and shook her head no.
He insisted. "Miss Mal Doran? Anything you want to add?"
Her mouth gaped briefly. She glanced at everyone around the room. When her eyes settled on the Council, they narrowed.
Well, if her father was giving her the space to do her thing, who was she to pass up this opportunity?
"I presume that the High Council realized my talents as a human courier would be useful for ending its occupation on Shehadeh," she said, both adopting her formal Jaffa speaking voice and outing the Council's dishonorable actions at the same time. "In light of that, I will point out that it is customary for couriers to be paid for their work."
Get 'em, Kid, Jack encouraged with his expression. He sat back smugly in his chair.
Reynolds thought he recognized the look of a proud father on his face. It made him do a double-take.
"Oooh," Vala said in delight.
"Princess, shut up," Mitchell whispered.
The female Council Member who seemed to be on the SGC's side responded to Elda. "What do you seek in return for your admirable work, Lady Elda of Tek'ron?"
She took a powerful step forward. "A seat on the Council for Tek'ron, at a time of our choosing."
Many of the Jaffa openly scoffed.
Teal'c took his own step forward. "Do not forget who speaks. This is Lady Elda of Tek'ron. Liberator of the Nameless. Heir Presumptive of Master Meil'nor. Fourth-in-line to the Hak'tyl. Warrior of the Tau'ri. And my kin."
Everyone held their breaths. Elda kept her chin up high.
Their female ally on the Council smiled in pleasure. "I support this."
A few others chimed in to agree. Eventually it came to a vote, with a majority in favor.
Jack raised his brow in an expression of utter satisfaction.
Crawford looked at Elda with an impressed and proud smile.
"You may have your seat, LadyElda."
"The seat will not be filled by me, Council Member. And it need not be filled now. Tek'ron will inform you of its decision in due time." Elda turned her head to Teal'c. He bowed his head in affirmation as a fellow representative of their planet.
Jack smiled deviously. "I think this calls for cake," he declared.
Reynolds could see through the glass that Elda and Jack were arguing. Landry was simply sitting there in his seat, tiredly watching them.
The Colonel's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Elda was gesturing with her back turned toward Reynolds. Jack was responding aloud, hands casually buried in pockets. Elda must have said something else because he lifted his hands to wave them around flippantly. He could tell by her body language that she was beyond frustrated with the General.
Reynolds was quite interested to know why. It was already confusing enough the way Jack reacted to the news that his subordinate had to work an op for a powerful ally. Reynolds, himself, was somewhat unsurprised. He could tell Elda was moving up in her Jaffa circle. It was only natural for her to get noticed the higher she went.
She was kind of hard to ignore in the first place.
What Reynolds couldn't understand was why Jack O'Neill, of all people, was acting like her father. What made him decide to take on that role for her? Did she really even need him to? Elda was Vala's sister. She didn't exist until recently. Why now? Why her? Jack already had a kid.
Then Reynolds reminded himself: Jack's dead son would have been about her age.
Maybe that was it. Maybe this was Jack's way of achieving a little inner piece and catharsis by being a father-figure to a twenty-something-year-old who represented what he no longer had. Put that together with Elda's innate ability to suck you in and make you like her with her superpowers, and you had this recipe for disaster.
Those Mal Dorans and their distracting charm, dammit, he thought. They were like magnets for people in powerful positions, bending them to their wills.
And they did it all with a smile.
Reynolds now wondered if there was some sort of alien influence at work. Well, something beyond the fact that the Mal Dorans were considered aliens and had obvious natural talents. Was Jack compromised in some way? Was Landry, too? Shit. What about himself? Was he brainwashed like that Chigu rep Perim?
He squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand down his face. All these possibilities and conjectures were a bit too much for his mind to handle.
"What's the matter, Colonel?"
He reopened his eyes to see Mitchell standing before him.
Reynolds flapped a hand toward Jack and Elda. "That's the matter, Colonel," he replied in a monotone voice.
The SG-1 leader glanced toward the General's office and cringed. "Yeah, that sure is… something."
"Mitchell. Are we compromised?"
Cam's eyes shot back to his. "What?"
"Sit down."
Mitchell complied.
Reynolds lowered his voice. "How in the Hell does Elda manage to do what she does? Vala, too?" He glanced distractedly in the direction of the glass. Now Jack was looking perturbed. They couldn't hear what was being said, but Reynolds could tell Elda was testing his patience somehow. "Maybe we need to ask Colonel Carter to conduct some special scans or something. Find signals."
"Signals?" Mitchell seemed confused.
"Influential signals, Mitchell. Things that make us gullible. Suggestible." He raised a brow. "Compliant."
Cam pursed his lips in worry. But it wasn't because of the potential security breach Reynolds was worried about now. He reached out to place a hand on the marine's shoulder. "You alright, Mal?" he asked with concern. "You seem awfully paranoid."
His face twitched irritably. "That is my fucking job, Mitchell."
"Yeah and maybe it's starting to get to you."
Reynolds groaned. "This isn't the least bit disturbing to you?"
"What is?"
"The fact that my subordinate has the Head of Homeworld Command and the Commander of the SGC wrapped around her little pinky fingers?" He gestured meaningfully toward the argument currently happening next to them.
Cam breathed, carefully deciding how he was going to respond this time. Reynolds's questions were only getting worse and worse. The family ought to just tell him already. "Reynolds. Think on that for a moment. Find the silver lining. You're lucky that she has that sort of influence at all."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No. Look, your subordinate is on our side. Loyal to you and the other marines. Willing to do what it takes for the missions. Having the Generals' full backing behind her can only benefit you and your team. That means: you have a lot more latitude to accomplish your objectives than most of us ever will. Elda gives you clout."
"Don't try to stroke my ego, Mitchell."
"Just pointing out the obvious, Mal." Cam found this whole conversation uncomfortable. He wondered what would happen if Reynolds ever did find out the truth and realized all the little white lies he'd been told to keep this gigantic secret. He'd probably be livid.
Reynolds brought two fingers up to rub the space between his eyes. He squeezed them shut in frustration. "I still don't get it, Cam."
Mitchell patted his shoulder. He turned around to note that whatever conversation was being had in that office was now winding down. Reynolds didn't see when Jack and Elda resolved their differences with a warm embrace. The marine was still rubbing his forehead in consternation.
The pair pulled away from each other just as Reynolds looked up. Then Jack noticed the two Colonels sitting there through the glass. His eye twitched. Cam could tell Jack didn't realize until now that Reynolds might have seen something. He shot him a look, silently ordering him to come find him later for a private chat.
Cam sighed silently.
"Shut the door, Mitchell."
"Sir." Cam turned around to do just that, effectively trapping himself inside the O'Neill Family Quarters with just Jack.
"Take a seat."
He did so.
"Now. Tell me. What did Reynolds see?"
"He saw you having your conversation with Gracie in General Landry's office."
"Duh. But what did he see?" Jack widened his eyes to emphasize the last word.
Mitchell stared down at the table for a second, then looked back up. "I think he's considering all sorts of possible scenarios to explain what he can't understand."
"Such as?"
"This latest round? He wondered if we're compromised by aliens." Mitchell guffawed.
"What do you mean, latest round?"
"Sir," he said, as if Jack should already know this, "Reynolds has been asking questions from the get-go."
Jack blinked.
"He can't fathom why Elda gets all this attention."
"What attention."
Mitchell looked at him pointedly. "Your attention, sir."
Jack just stared at him dumbly. Then his eyes wandered to the side as he realized how all this must have looked today. He did react pretty strongly. He summoned the entire Jaffa High Council to Earth for God's sake. That was kind of a big deal. "Aww shit."
Now it was Jack's turn to realize he had overreacted when it came to his daughter. Sam wasn't alone in that tendency.
"If I may, sir…" Mitchell started hesitantly.
Jack tilted his head to give him permission to speak his mind.
"I think we should read him in."
"Absolutely not."
"He's going to find out eventually," Cam argued. "And when he does, it might be at the worst possible moment. Shouldn't we try to head that off?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Gracie nearly got her brain turned to goo by a Head Sucker!"
"That… was a one time thing. She knows better now to avoid those things."
"Sir," Mitchell whined.
"Mitchell, we can't read anyone else in. It's too big already. The more people that know, the harder it is to keep this under wraps."
"I'm confident that he and the rest of SG-3 can maintain Gracie's cover."
"Oh, now you want to bring in all of SG-3, do you?" Jack challenged, incredulous.
Mitchell swallowed. "It would only be fair…"
"No! We're not telling them a damn thing!"
Cam became frustrated, but didn't respond.
Jack continued in his tirade. "My daughter's safety depends on that cover. And besides, the minute they realize who she really is, they'll start treating her different. I don't want that for her."
"I can see them having a bump in the road as they come to terms with her identity, but I'm certain that their high regard for her is already rock solid, sir. They'd come around. Then everything would make a little more sense and they'd be fine with it. I bet they'd even lean on it somehow for the team's benefit. SG-3 would still be SG-3."
Jack couldn't help but acknowledge Mitchell's reasonable prediction. But he didn't want to accept it. "That's not an experiment I'm willing to conduct."
Defeated, Mitchell simply replied, "Yes, sir."
"There's nothing we can do," Daniel said plainly the next day at his house.
Cam continued to scowl. He sipped his beer as music from the Oldies radio station played in the background.
"You do realize that Gracie isn't on board with it either, don't you?"
"What?"
Daniel sipped from his own bottle and stared in her direction in the backyard. She was busy laughing along with Vala over something. "Yup. The Mamas had their talk with her, as per your suggestion. She didn't feel comfortable reading SG-3 into her situation."
"Any particular reason why?"
"Vala said something about it being too complicated. I dunno. You'd have to ask Gracie."
Cam groaned. Her reasoning was probably the same as her father's. They really were two peas in a pod. "This isn't fair to Mal."
"But we can't go against the wishes of the two most important players in this scenario, Cam: Jack, because he's in charge, and Gracie, because that's her life."
"What do you think?"
"At this point? It doesn't even matter. Nothing I say or do is going to convince either of them to let SG-3 in on the biggest damn secret this family has ever kept. And we're not even really getting paid to keep this one." He flapped a hand around in the air. "Our hands are tied."
"Dammit."
Across the way, Teal'c stood with Jack as they watched Little Gracie play in the grass. She was holding a giant bubble wand and desperately trying to form large soap bubbles in the air. She was only mildly successful. Her technique could use improvement.
"We ventured to Tek'ron and met formally with Meil'nor and Ishta."
"What about my Old Buddy? Was he there?"
"Jasuf has yet to return from his duties for the Free Jaffa Army. They say he will be released soon."
"So what happened in your little meeting?"
"We congratulated EldaMalDoran on her guile and opportunism. Then we acknowledged your assistance in the matter."
"You mean when I gave her the floor to speak to the Council?"
"Yes, O'Neill."
"I did that because she had every right to tell 'em like it is," he said testily.
"And in doing so, Tek'ron is now afforded an even higher stature among the Free Jaffa. Your daughter has elevated the planet's status greatly."
"So what are you guys gonna do? Who are you picking to fill that seat?"
"EldaMalDoran strongly desires for her Tribe Father to inhabit that role after he hands over leadership to Jasuf."
"Her Tribe Father?"
"She is referring to Master Meil'nor."
"Is that what all the folks in their village call him?"
"Indeed. But perhaps you should know, O'Neill, your daughter regards him as another father. She even addresses him that way."
Jack just turned his head to his old friend in surprise. He took a moment to absorb that piece of news. Maybe he wasn't just hearing things when he last visited the Jaffa planet. He hadn't had a chance to clarify the nature of their relationship. They were all too busy reacting to Jasuf's proposal to her.
"So you're saying: they're close?"
"As if they are blood kin. I observed them regard each other with mutual respect and love."
"That's kind of… nice. Well, I guess if you're going to marry the guy, you marry his entire family."
"A curious, but fitting remark."
"When is all this supposed to go down?"
"Not for many moons yet. Meil'nor is not ready to step away from leadership of his tribe. EldaMalDoran afforded us time to join the Council at our leisure. She knew not to rush such a decision."
"Which only makes the whole thing seem more powerful. She's making them wait," Jack said, referring to the Council. He took special satisfaction in that. His daughter really stuck it to them. And they totally deserved it.
"Indeed. Ishta was most impressed. She quietly expressed something to me that you might like to hear."
"Oh yeah? What?"
"Your daughter has the makings of a queen."
Jack laughed aloud. His eyes focused on Little Gracie's failed attempt to make another large bubble with her giant wand. And now she seemed to be running out of bubble solution. She whined to Sam about it in her high-pitched voice.
"She did not say it in jest, O'Neill," Teal'c said with a smile.
"Eh?"
"She would support her rise, if she were to achieve a station higher than the one she already inhabits."
"Nah. That would only make her higher than her. I don't see Ishta doing that."
"If a Hak'tyl were to be installed as the leader of all on Tek'ron, then it would be one of her proudest achievements." Teal'c nearly rolled his eyes at his wife's long-term planning. She once dreamt of taking over the other village on Tek'ron as a display of Hak'tyl might. Ishta only declined to do so because she had grown to respect Master Meil'nor. She recognized him as a valuable partner worthy of respect and autonomy. Having a Hak'tyl marry into his family was a natural compromise.
Ishta told Teal'c she originally meant to pair Nesa with Jasuf. But that simply would not work; they hated each other. Then Elda appeared and made everything so much easier. She made the mighty son of Meil'nor fall in love with her, and Ishta didn't even have to give any orders or force an arranged marriage down someone's throat. Ishta suspected Nesa would defect from the tribe if she tried to do that.
"You're telling me: she wouldn't mind my daughter taking over the entire planet!?"
Teal'c laughed at Jack's incredulity. It had the rest of the family looking over in their direction. Jack just continued to look flabbergasted. He caught sight of Elda's curious stare and lowered his voice. "T, don't say a damn thing. She'll flip out and run for the hills!"
"I will heed your advice. I, too, believe she is not ready to accept such a station."
"Damn straight. That's a bit… extreme." Jack narrowed his eyes at his beloved Jaffa friend. "Don't you think?"
"I will support whatever choices she makes. My opinion is of little consequence in these matters. If she chooses to be queen and the people accept her, then let her be queen."
"Whoa." Jack gazed over at his elder daughter. By now she had returned her attention to whatever she was doing before. She had on a nice dress for her birthday party. He overheard her telling her mothers she just bought it from Dillards using a gift card from the marines. "I'll believe it when I see it, T."
The Jaffa smiled.
"I fucking hate Wednesdays," Reynolds muttered. His P-90 snapped to the right when he sensed movement in the dark corridor of the old facility they were in. It was just a rodent scurrying past.
"I feel you, Colonel," Baker whispered next to him, swinging his own weapon in wide arcs.
SG-13 was lost. Again. SG-3 was assigned to find them and bring 'em home.
The team was currently on a decommissioned manufacturing world. It was once active under Goa'uld rule. Collateral damage from the Jaffa slaves' resistance rendered this facility and others like it useless. Too many things were broken. And there weren't enough resources to fix them after the fall of the master. Thus, the world was abandoned.
SG-13 had chased someone here. Then they missed their check-in.
The radios clicked. "We're not seeing anything so far, Colonel," Crawford reported quietly.
"Copy."
"Sergeant," Baker called behind him to Smith.
"Sir."
"Any signals?"
He stole a glance down at the data pad he had in one hand. "Negative." His eyes returned to scanning the corridor behind them, carefully watching their backs. "Maybe we should try to outfit the Firefly to detect subQ transmitters like our cruisers. This would be a whole lot easier than roaming through the dark," Smith suggested.
"Not a bad idea, Smith. We'll bring it up to the eggheads and see what they can come up with," Reynolds replied.
"Would be nice if one of the cruisers could just come by here," Baker remarked.
"We're not there yet, Lieutenant. And besides, they're all busy."
Half-way across the facility, Elda and Crawford were carefully looking for their colleagues as well. Elda had her favorite blaster in one hand and a data pad in the other. "This is going to take us forever," she said quietly. "This place is huge."
"Yeah," Crawford agreed. "Be nice if the data pad could just home in on radio signals so we can go straight to 'em, if they're even here."
"I know. For whatever reason those frequencies aren't within its range of detection."
"Neither are the subQ transmitters, so go figure." Crawford's P-90 swung up then down, following the path of his eyes as they continued to search for signs of SG-13. "Maybe Smith can talk to the tech guys on the station about upgrading these things."
"What would we trade for in return?"
"I dunno. That's your department, Babe."
"I can't think of everything, you know."
They both spun their weapons toward a sound to their left. The pair let out a breath when they realized it was just another small animal moving about.
Elda resumed walking. "Actually, I was going to ask Smith to buy me a bottle of the station's best. I want to give it to Meil'nor."
"That's gonna cost a pretty zima."
"I'm good for the money, Chase. I barely spend my earnings from the SGC on Earth."
"That's cuz you're never on Earth."
"Exactly."
Chase smiled. "How's your Jaffa planet? What they think of you getting a seat on the Council for them?"
"Ishta was excited."
"I can't imagine her excited."
Elda chuckled softly, just low enough to prevent her voice from echoing on the walls of the hollowed out facility. "In her own Jaffa way, she was. It's hard to explain, Darling. But I saw it."
"I'll take your word for it. So who's gonna go rep the planet?"
"I want Meil'nor to do it. But he isn't ready yet. So we might just wait."
"They really just gonna keep a seat warm for you guys like that?"
"You were there. They agreed to it."
"People can change their minds."
They abandoned their conversation temporarily when they came upon a large room. The pair nodded to each other, agreeing to sweep it in opposite directions. They went in quickly, only to find it just as empty as the rest of the facility they had already cleared. And there was still no signal from SG-13.
They came back together at the opposite corridor. Apparently, the level they were on used to be offices and meeting rooms. Crumbling walls were all that were left.
"I gotta say," Crawford said, resuming their conversation, "you made one hell of an impression on those Jaffa."
"Ugh. Don't remind me."
He grinned. It was obvious no one was here. He paused them to lean in closer. "And you looked good doing it." There was a smooth quality to his tone that she liked.
It was enough to make her feel a little warm.
"Chase, you keep talking to me like that and we'll end up lost. Stop it."
Crawford laughed quietly. He hadn't even been trying to start something. He was just privately complimenting her. "Yes, Ma'am."
Elda smacked his arm but smiled as she did it. She bit her cheek in an effort to control herself. She realized this could be their clandestine little game. They could test each other and their limits.
It could be dangerous.
But also a lot of fun.
They reached the end of the level and confirmed no one was here. It was time to meet back up with the rest of the team.
Just in time, too, Elda thought. She needed to reset herself. Reuniting with the other marines would be like a cold shower. She glanced in Chase's direction and liked what she saw. Yes, a cold shower was exactly what she needed.
He quirked a proud smile. He had her blushing. Well, she deserved it after invading his dreams at night.
Crawford was about to make another remark when gunfire erupted in the distance.
Elda's eyes widened. "Oh shit."
"Stairs," he said, pointing.
They both rushed to the steps and quickly ran down. The level they reached was a platform that circled the facility. Further below were the large machines that made up most of the contents of the building.
Flashes could be seen as P-90s fired in one direction. When Elda looked, the rest of SG-3 had taken cover and were all shooting at the same set of combatants. She didn't recognize them.
She pointed and gestured, signaling to Crawford that they could come around above the assailants. Carefully, and using light steps to avoid attracting attention from up high, they rounded the corner until they were immediately above the group.
They stared down through the mesh grating that made up the floor. There were three men using blasters to shoot at their colleagues. One of them had a bag slung around his shoulder.
"Zat?" Crawford whispered, just barely able to be heard above the cacophony of the gun shots.
"Don't have a good angle. The blasts will just conduct back along this metal and take us out."
"We can't kill 'em. They might know where SG-13 is."
"I know."
They both scanned their surroundings, looking for better places to shoot them with nonlethal zats. There were none.
Elda let out a breath in consideration. "Hand-to-hand?"
When Crawford looked, there was a perfect spot to jump down and surprise the trio accosting their teammates. "I'm in." He clicked the button on his radio three times.
It clicked back three times.
Elda and Crawford nodded to each other. The signal was sent. The others knew what to do.
The P-90 fire stopped suddenly. The three men craned their necks to check if they had successfully taken out who they were shooting at. Carefully, one of them ventured forward out of cover. He was not shot at. This encouraged a second one to start moving as well.
The pair locked eyes and smiled. They agreed it was time to start.
They each picked a man in the back of the group and jumped down from the platform. The force of Elda's body dropping down caused her chosen combatant to crumple to the floor. He quickly pivoted out of the way of a forceful stomp that could have made contact with his face. She swung another foot and knocked his blaster out of his hand.
He hopped onto his feet and tried to lunge, but Elda was ready. She twisted herself out of his reach and came back around to elbow him in the gut. Then she sent an uppercut into his chin, stunning him. She punched him three times with alternating fists. Then another good knee to his stomach and the man doubled over.
A whistle.
Elda stepped back quickly and watched as a zat blast immobilized her combatant. He fell to the ground. She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. When she turned her head, the other two were similarly disabled on the floor nearby.
She went to Crawford, who was catching his breath. They wiggled their fingers together in the air in triumph.
"Tie them up," Reynolds ordered.
Smith and Baker moved in to secure their new prisoners' hands behind their backs. They had zip ties ready in their vest pockets.
"Any sign of SG-13?" the Colonel asked of Crawford and Elda.
"No, sir. Nothing. We had just finished clearing the upper level when we heard gunfire. Went straight to you to help take these fuckers out."
"Good work. When they wake up, we can ask them a few questions."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
Elda drew closer to the small group once they were secured in a little pile on the floor. "I'll check their pockets," she announced.
Smith moved in to help.
Meanwhile, Crawford examined the single bag the men carried with them. He held up a large, dark crystal.
Elda bit her tongue and squinted as her hands reached deep into someone's pants.
Baker started laughing just watching her. "Feel something you like, Baby?"
"I think…" She bared her teeth. "Got something." She held up a calling card.
"Well, shit, how about that. Wonder who that leads to," Baker marveled, recognizing the thin flat piece of metal with a chip in its center. It resembled a credit card to him, but he knew better. He took it from Elda's hand. Then his face twisted in disgust. "Ugh. It's warm."
"He was keeping it very close to his junk, Lieutenant," Elda reported with a smirk. "One of the most secure places on one's person."
Baker immediately dropped the card and began wiping his hands on his pants in absolute revulsion.
Crawford began to crack up. Smith was right there with him.
"You're such a neat freak, Baker," Reynolds commented flatly. He leaned down to pick up the card. He considered it thoughtfully. "Five bucks to anyone who can name who this calls."
"Chigu," Elda immediately responded.
"Zersha," Smith said.
"Uhh… bounty hunter," Crawford guessed.
"Baker?" Reynolds asked, looking at his 2IC.
He scrunched his face. "Goa'uld."
Reynolds tilted his head once to confirm everyone's speculation. "Cakes, Smith. Figure this out."
He handed it over to Smith, who held it up in Elda's direction. She raised her data pad toward it, finding the commands to copy the card's code.
"Got it."
"Back to the Firefly and run it," Reynolds ordered them.
Smith dropped the card on the ground. He nodded to Crawford, who promptly pulled out his beloved station blaster and shot the card. It was effectively destroyed now. There would be no risk of them being followed by whoever created it.
The pair left to go back to the ship parked outside.
Baker squat down to examine the unconscious people on the floor. "That was some ass whoopin' you and Cakes did, Sergeant."
"Thanks, sir. What do we do with this?" He gestured toward the crystal in his hands.
Reynolds answered, "We'll take it back with us. SGC can see what's on it."
Crawford placed it in his vest pocket.
Elda rounded the Firefly with her blaster raised. Smith kept watch in case anyone else was nearby. "No booby traps," she announced. She entered the open hatch, which had activated the moment the two of them drew near.
Smith followed her in, hitting the button on the way to lock the ship back up. He went straight to the co-pilot's station and activated comms. "Ready."
Elda set her data pad on the console and scrolled through its heads-up-display until it reached a set of coordinates. Smith promptly copied them into the ship's system. It chimed, then began cycling through star charts, determining where in space the transmission on the calling card would have been sent to.
The process usually took a few minutes, so Smith leaned back in the chair casually. "Why didn't you two just zat 'em outright?"
"Didn't have a good angle."
He accepted her answer without question. "Felt good to beat some ass, didn't it?" Smith smiled up at her proudly. He lightly punched her arm.
Elda grinned. "Little bit. Haven't done that in a while." She looked thoughtful as she smiled. The last time she jumped people in an abandoned manufacturing facility, she met her father for the first time in seventeen years. That only made her feel even more satisfied. She was still alive. And so was he. It was a good feeling.
She promised herself to call him right away and tell him what happened here. He'd probably get a kick out of it.
"What are you thinkin'?" Smith wondered curiously. "You're doin' that thing again."
"What thing?"
"That spaced out look you used to always get. Back when we were just getting to know you."
"Was I?"
"Yeah. Spit it out, Baby. What was going through your mind just now?" His face was full of friendly challenge, daring her to lie to him.
Elda almost wanted to tell him, but chose otherwise. "I was just thinking how fun it was to surprise those guys."
He guffawed. "They don't even know what hit 'em."
The console chimed, signaling that the system now knew where the calling card originated from. Elda leaned in. "Don't know this one."
"We'll have to see what the SGC has on this part of space." He leaned down to report the results to the Colonel on the radio.
Elda rolled her eyes. "Those scavengers had nothing to do with SG-13. They were just some guys trying to fulfill a courier contract."
Smith pointed at her in the briefing room. "Notice how she didn't actually refer to them as couriers." He was clearly entertained.
"That's because they were amateurs," Elda said plainly.
Crawford began laughing.
Landry was similarly amused. "Not everyone is at your advanced level, Miss Mal Doran."
She huffed. "Clearly."
"Tell me how you actually did find SG-13," Hank prompted.
Reynolds, who was also smiling, answered the General. "They were outside, hidden at the back of the facility. Unconscious. Looked like the guys we took prisoner disabled 'em, thinkin' they were competition."
"They were kind of surprised to wake up on the Firefly," Baker added.
"I'm sure," the General replied. "What did you do with your little prisoners?"
"Cut 'em loose," Reynolds answered. "More trouble than it's worth to keep 'em."
"We warned them not to mess with anyone in an SGC uniform again," Crawford supplied. "Pretty sure they got the message."
Elda's mouth quirked at him in admiration.
They locked eyes but said nothing.
Smith scrunched his face briefly. Something about that made him uncomfortable.
"And that crystal you confiscated?"
Baker responded. "Used by the manufacturing facility for its former operations. I guess they thought it was still valuable."
"In what way?"
Elda explained, "Data crystals are in demand. Fresh ones have to be mined and whoever controls the planets where they grow naturally can charge whatever they want for them. There's an aftermarket for used crystals, which can be refurbished. Not as good, but still usable. And a lot cheaper."
"So those folks went into that old facility to retrieve the data crystal and sell it?"
Smith said, "That's what they said. They claimed they already had a buyer. Looks like the calling card we found on 'em was from that buyer."
"Should we be worried?" Landry asked, looking directly at Elda.
"I wouldn't be. This sort of thing happens all the time. SG-13 just got caught up in it by accident."
"Is that your professional opinion?" Hank wondered with a smile.
Elda grinned. "Yes. Yes it is."
Elda pushed Crawford into his quarters and shut the door. She pointed a finger in his face. "You're trouble," she declared.
He adopted an innocent look. "What I do?"
"Stop complimenting me."
"Why can't I do that?" His face slowly drew into a mischievous smile.
"Because. It's trouble."
"If you say so. I'm just being nice."
Elda scoffed. "You know exactly what you're doing." She wagged her finger at him. "So stop." Her words didn't bite, though.
Crawford could tell she was actually enjoying this. He put on the sexiest smile she'd ever seen him give. "No."
Elda clenched her teeth. "You're horrible."
He laughed. He loved that he could have this effect on her. Time in that dreamscape had taught him a lot about what made her tick.
He knew what she liked.
But he wouldn't give her a damn thing.
He reached for the handle of the door. The motion had his body leaning into hers. Elda sucked in a breath.
The handle squeaked as it turned, but the door remained closed. "You should go," Crawford said in a low voice. His face was millimeters away from hers.
"Yes, I should." But she didn't move.
They could give in right now. The temptation was strong.
Elda's breath tangled with his as she whispered. "Do me a favor."
"Name it."
"Go home. Find Chelsea. Do her instead."
"Fine. I will. And when Jasuf comes back, let him do what he does."
"Deal. We need to be good, Chase."
"We can behave. We're behaving right now," he said in that smooth tone that could make her melt.
She blinked at him in disbelief. "You call this behaving?"
His hand let go of the door. He pushed her gently against it. Then he nuzzled his nose with hers. They both closed their eyes and breathed each other in. "That was. This isn't."
"I'm having trouble seeing the difference."
"It's a fine line we're walkin'."
"Chase," she whispered breathily, begging him to both stop and just kiss her already.
"Go." Crawford stepped back quickly, opened the door, and kicked her out.
A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews for the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed our characters being badass today. I'd like to announce that I started posting this on Archive of Our Own. FF Net sucks lately; it's so unreliable! I almost couldn't post the previous chapter because they glitched again. AO3 will remain behind until I can catch the chapters up over there (planning to post subsequent chapters every other day or so), so the latest updates will still be here. Working on Ch. 111 now.
Next time, we'll see humor and heat. Stay tuned!