The Enslaved
The Enslaved
by Amanda Eros
Summary: This is the third story in a series. It deals with what happened to the Tollan and some new Jaffa. Along with some personal issues that the Ancient known as Kyna must face.
Category: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Challenge, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Romance, Series
Episode Related: 116 Enigma, 315 Pretense, 318 Shades of Grey, 509 Between Two Fires
Season: Season 8
Pairing: other pairing
Rating: 13+
Warnings: adult themes, minor character death, minor language, sexual situations, violence
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-03-29
Security Station Sub Level 16
Daniel sat in one of the chairs monitoring a particular computer screen. He jotted down a few words on his note pad, and then leaned back in his chair.
Jack came into the room, "What ya watching?" He looked over Daniel's shoulder to view the screen.
"Second Breakfast..." Daniel observed the young woman who just finished eating before returning to lay back down on the bed in the middle of the small room.
"Has the Hobbit done anything, other than eat and sleep?" Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Jack, I'm surprised, you know what a Hobbit is?" Daniel looked up at him in disbelief.
"Ya... Teal'c wanted to see that Ring movie... I fell asleep some where in the middle." Jack felt uncomfortable for a moment but then said, "I talked with the President about her, and he's letting her stay here for the time being. He agrees with me that if she was to be moved off base that would give the Trust enough time to grab her."
Daniel raised a brow as he turned back towards the screen. "At least this President has some sense." He tapped his pen on his pad.
"Daniel something bothering you?" Jack rubbed his chin.
"How long are we going to keep her like this, it's been nearly two weeks," Daniel felt bad for her. He had not been able to speak with her since Lya left.
"Oh, I don't know, until I can trust her." Jack smirked for a split second.
"Well, I did promise her that I would teach her how to read. I have all the text books in my office." Daniel turned his chair towards him.
Jack looked back at the screen and watched the woman lay there as she did for the past two weeks. "Fine, teach the kiddo how to read." He started to walk out of the room, but turned back towards him. "And while you're at it, make sure she learns to talk in English."
An Hour Later in Daniel Jackson's Office
Daniel raised the next card.
"E" Kyna raises an eyebrow, she then identifies the picture on the card. "Elephant."
"Good." Daniel smiled; she was a fast learner that was only the second time around. He was about to raise the next card when the off world activation alarm went off. He put the cards down and moved over to the phone. He picked it up and dialed the Control Room. "This is Dr. Jackson, what's gone on down there?" He gazed back over to Kyna who was now flipping the pages of one of the basic elementary school level textbooks. "I see... I'll be right down." Daniel hung up the phone and was about to tell Kyna that he would be back later, but seeing that she was absorbed in what she was doing, he just left.
Briefing Room
Daniel entered the room and found Master Bra'tac and another Jaffa sitting at the table along with the rest of SG1 and General O'Neill. He took a seat, "What's going on?"
"Master Bra'tac was just going to inform us on the situation, Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c as he folded his hands in front of him.
"It has come to my attention though this loyal Jaffa that a possible ally of yours has been captured by the Goa'uld." He motions for the Jaffa, "his name is Enapay."
Enapay bows his head in greetings.
"He comes from a planet that was once under the control of Anubis. But in his absence, the Goa'uld who was the over seer has continued to work his slaves as if nothing has ever happened." Master Bra'tac leans forward in his chair.
"Which Goa'uld is that," Sam asks.
"Ictinike. Anubis gave him the order to extract information out of the humans that were from worlds which held great technology prior to his arrival." Enapay paused, and decided to give them a little bit of background information about his relationship with Ictinike. "I have served under him for many years, and was greatly disturbed when he surrendered to Anubis." The Jaffa cracked his neck.
Daniel searched his mind to place the name.
"Ictinike? Never heard of him." Jack tilts his head as he studied the Jaffa.
"I have, he is a minor system lord, that has not posed any threat in some time." Teal'c raises an eyebrow, as he muses about what type of trickery Ictinike might be up to.
Daniel's eyes widen, "Ictinike is the Sioux god of war. Though I hate using the term Sioux, since the name in itself means 'enemy', but I think it would be better to say that he is of the Northern Plans, possibly Iowan or Lakota." He was about to say more but Jack cut him off.
Sam's brows came together, "I didn't know that's what Sioux means."
"Yes, well it is the abbreviation for the French term, Nadouessioux. They learned about them from the eastern Algonquians who referred to them as 'little snakes' or 'enemies.'" Daniel stopped before Jack could cut him off.
"God of War. Got it. Now why have you come to us for help?" Jack taps his pen on the table.
"It was after Ictinike started to serve Anubis that I began to question if he was truly a god. It was also around this time that I heard rumors of Master Bra'tac and Teal'c's effort to prove to the Jaffa that the Goa'uld are false gods," he said in a clear deep voice.
"Now you said that this Goa'uld might be holding one of our possible allies?" Sam looked between Master Bra'tac and Enapay as she sat forward in her chair. She had an idea about whom they may be holding, but she didn't want to say the name out loud.
"That is correct." The Jaffa leans forward in his chair as well. "Tanith brought the survivors of a race called the Tollan to the planet for information extraction."
That caught everyone's attention, including Jack's. From a strategic point of view, he automatically started to fear that they gave up the information concerning their Molecular-structure alteration device. However, his facial expression remained neutral for the time being.
"We have not heard of the Tollan in some time. We assumed that they were all dead." Teal'c frowns wondering what this could possibly mean.
"Do you know how many survived?" Daniel felt bad actually asking that question, but he wasn't sure what else to say.
"There were forty three survivors that were taken for extraction. Though none had any information that Ictinike found valuable enough to inform Anubis."
Jack sat forward and waved both his hands, "How do you know that?"
"I was present for most of the interrogations." He showed no apparent emotion.
Jack narrowed his eyes for a split second. "Most?"
Sam cuts in. "Do you know what happened to them?"
"Once he gathered all the information out of them that he could, he killed those that were weak, and forced the rest to work in the Naquadah mines." Enapay looked directly at Sam.
She anxiously asked, "Do you know any of their names?"
"Among the survivors, there was one that I over heard talking about you. His name is Narim."
Sam could hardly believe it. "Narim?"
"I believe that is who he said Col. Carter." Teal'c raised an eyebrow wondering if she needed her hearing checked, or if she was just in shock.
"Tall guy, brown hair and eyes, fair skin?" Jack asked because he wanted to make sure that it was the same person. For all he knew there could be dozens of Tollan with the same name.
"That is the one." The Jaffa appeared to be at ease, but he was actually watching each of them carefully.
"When was the last time that you saw him?" Daniel asked. He wanted to know if he was still alive, and if so then they could possibly mount a rescue mission since he did sacrifice his world to save theirs and so many others. But then the nagging thought in the back of his head reminded him that it was the Tollan who put themselves in that position to begin with. Although that wasn't truly their fault either... his thoughts were cut off by Enapay's reply.
"Less then a fortnight ago. It was then that I started to leave during the night to find Master Bra'tac. I made sure that I was back though the chaapa'ai before the first light of dawn so that no one would suspect that I went missing during the night."
"Fortnight?" Jack wasn't sure exactly how long that was.
"Period of two weeks," Daniel translated.
"Ah, I see." Jack looked at the Jaffa with a bit of skepticism. "And you're sure that no one knew that you left during the night?"
"I am positive. The planet is lightly guarded. The main forces are in Ictinike's compound and in the slave holding camp."
"The planet in which Enapay speaks of is not known by many. It is in a star system that was thought to have had its Naquadah depleted." Master Bra'tac added in.
"All the original slaves of the planet were killed when Anubis learned that there were several Naquadah deposits left that on the opposite side of the planet. The chaapa'ai was moved, and now new slaves work the mines."
"Won't they be missing you by now," asked Daniel.
"At present it is night time there; although I should return soon."
"Right," Jack nodded his head as he looked over at his people.
"Sir, we have to try to help them. Being that both Anubis and Tanith are out of the picture and if everything that he said is true, then we can take out Ictinike, save the Tollan, and then mine the Naquadah ourselves." Sam saw this as a great opportunity.
"Exactly how many Jaffa are there?" Jack didn't want to commit his people to a rescue mission without knowing everything.
"There are sixty Jaffa total. There used to be three Anubis warriors, but they perished some time ago."
"Do you know if any of the Jaffa, of who you speak of, feel the same way you do about Ictinike?" Teal'c was thinking of their rebellion, and that this might prove to be a good chance to add to their numbers. Along with possibly having a new base of operations if Ictinike's compound could be spared.
"I would not doubt that some agree with me. But they do not speak of it in the open. If they where to be found out, they would be executed for treachery." Enapay frowns at the thought of that happening to himself.
"Aren't you afraid that they are going to do that to you?" Sam looks at him with some mild concern.
"I do not fear death. I only fear that my death will be meaningless." Enapay held a far off look in his eye. Too many of his Jaffa brothers died pointless deaths in the serves of false gods; it needed to end.
Jack twisted his lips thinking about the situation. "Bra'tac, you trust this" Jack wasn't sure what to call him, but he improvised, "fine young Jaffa?"
"I do. I believe that he is sincere." Master Bra'tac nodded.
Jack looked towards the members of SG1. "Any objections?" Seeing none he continued. "Alright, then I will get on the phone with the President. I'm going to want to send in two extra SG teams with you to watch your six. Got it?" He looks at each in turn. "Good, dismissed."
"Sir, when are we going?" Sam asked as she stood. She wanted to help Narim as soon as possible.
"Oh... tomorrow o-eight-hundred hours." He raised his brows to see if there were any objections, and being that there weren't any he turned towards the Jaffa. "You may return to your planet. I wouldn't want them to find you out today."
Enapay bowed his head. "Thank you, General O'Neill. I shall await your arrival at the chaapa'ai tomorrow." He hands him a piece of paper. "These are the coordinates."
"Thanks." Jack turns to Bra'tac seeing that he wanted to say something as well.
"I shall remain here, and go with your team in the morning." He nodded his head and then walked away with Teal'c and Enapay.
Daniel turned towards Sam, "Lunch?"
"Sure." Sam shoved her hands in her pockets and walked out with Daniel.
SGC Cafeteria
Daniel and Sam both sat down at one of the tables and began to eat their lunch. There was an awkward silence for several minutes before Daniel finally spoke up. "What's on your mind?"
Sam looked up from her food, and swallowed, "Nothing."
Daniel tilted his head than stares at her. "Sam, I know you better than that. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine with me." He took a sip of his tea.
"I'm fine Daniel." She looked down at her food then back up again. "So, Narim is going to show up again after all of this time. I have no idea what to say to him, nor do we know what's going to happen to him after we rescue him."
"Well, how about 'hello' or 'glad to see that you're alive'?"
Sam blinked, "It's not that simple."
Daniel reached over and touched her shoulder. "I know."
A Half Hour Later in Daniel Jackson's Office
Daniel was about to go into his office when he heard Jack's voice calling him.
"Daniel!" Jack jogged up to him.
Daniel opened door and started to walk in as Jack joined him. He looked at him, "Yes, Jack?" He turned and looked back into the room. His face dropped seeing Kyna sitting there still reading. He completely forgot that she was in there.
"Ya that was who I was coming to talk to you about." He followed Daniel into the room, and looked at the girl as well. He thought that she was just looking at pictures since it appeared that she was just flipping though the pages of one of Daniel's books.
Kyna finished the last page of the book, but she continued to hold it in her hand as if she was still looking at it.
"The President hasn't changed his mind about letting her stay on base, right?" Daniel looked concerned.
Jack shifted his gaze back to Daniel. "Oh, she can stay for right now. But I mentioned that you were teaching her how to speak in English..." Jack frowned. "The thing is that they want to interview her as soon as possible. To see what she knows, or what she is at least willing to tell us about what happened to the rest of her people. Perhaps even find out where on Earth she's from..."
Kyna closed the back flap of the Iliad, and placed it on the table. She watched the two talk with a somewhat peeved look on her face.
"Did you at least tell the President, that whatever she's been though, it was likely traumatic, and that we shouldn't pressure her?" Daniel still had an overwhelming need to protect her even though he didn't know why.
"Oh I did." Jack looked back at Kyna and raises his brows seeing the way that she was looking at them. "But the cabinet feels that she's an Ancient and can handle it." He looked back at Daniel. "Though the good thing is that General Hammond and Major Davis will be the ones conducting the interview, so we don't have to worry about having to deal with any crap from the Pentagon."
"Well, that's a good thing." Daniel looked back at Kyna again, and frowned. Under his breath, he cursed. And then walked over to her.
Jack was a bit confused, "What?"
Daniel looked at the books on the table, and frowned. He saw that the elementary, middle, and high school textbooks were all neatly piled up along with a dictionary next to them. He then tilted his head, and picked up the book that was in front of her. He pressed his lips together and taps the book several times against his hand. "Kyna?"
She had been staring straight a head, with no apparent emotion on her face. "Yes, Daniel." She shifted her eyes to look up at him.
"What did you think of this book?"
Jack was just about to say something when Daniel held up his hand motioning for him to give him a minute.
Kyna twisted her lips. "I found it to be wholly foul."
"Why is that?" Daniel rubbed his chin.
"A wooden horse? ... An earthquake hit, and the walls crumbled. That's what really happened." Her voice drifted off. "At least that is what I was told. But beyond that, the real details have been lost in the vacuum of time."
Both Jack and Daniel were dumbfounded. Jack threw his hands up, "She's speaking in ENGLISH!"
Daniel wanted to say something, then stopped, and thought it over and then said, "How can you be certain that's what really happened?"
Kyna tilted her head up at him, "My grandmother told me that our people once lived there, and that we had to leave before the earthquake hit during the middle of the night while the armies slept."
"Daniel, she's speaking in English!" Jack repeated himself. He didn't care about what she was talking about. All that he cared about was that now they could finally get some answers. But what had surprised him was that he knew that Daniel couldn't have been instructing her for more than forty-five minutes before Bra'tac and Enapay showed up.
"Actually I'm not surprised, the Nox learned our language just by listening to us. Up until now Kyna's have very little contact with anyone, so she didn't have that advantage."
Kyna smiled, "I just needed the tools in which to learn." She waves her hand over to the pile of books on the table.
Jack's brows came together, "So, you know exactly what we were just talking about?"
"About the interview?" She tilted her head and raised a brow.
"Ya...that." Jack put his hands in his pockets.
"Certainly." Kyna folded her hands in her lap.
"And you're okay with being interviewed?" Jack looked over to Daniel, and then back at the young woman.
"Well, as long as it is an interview and not an interrogation. In addition to that, I have one request." Kyna guarded her emotions.
"And that is..." Jack looked at her with suspicion.
"I wish to learn about your history. It has been around two thousand years since my people went into complete isolation. I want to learn about what happened during that time." Kyna smiled, "Meaning that I would appreciate having accessibility to any historical texts that you may possess." She looks down at the Iliad, "Well, those that are actually historically correct..." She presses her lips together while she clasped her hands together under the table.
"Well, that isn't such a bad request...I think." Jack looked over to Daniel.
"Are you sure there isn't any other reasons why you would want to read them?" Daniel studied her expression. For some odd reason he felt that there was more to this, but he didn't know why.
Kyna looked down as she searched for something else to tell him, "Well, it is the best way that I can think of to try to assimilate into your culture as fast as possible."
Jack's eyebrows came together. "How is that?"
"Well, to understand a culture one must start from the beginning and then work forward." She tilted her head as she came up with her explanation. "To learn of your struggles and your triumphs is a part of who you are and how you developed your current level of thinking. Physical evolution is an extremely slow process." Mentally she added in without the help of her ancestors of course, "but the evolution of one's cognitive abilities happens at a much faster pace with the willingness to open one's mind to what is possible." Her eyes lit up, she felt pretty happy with her explanation, even if she did just come up with it off the top of her head.
"Sounds reasonable." Jack shrugged, "You said that it has been about two thousand years...why's that?"
Kyna took a deep breath, "I shall answer your questions to the best of my ability during my interview."
"Okay then. Daniel, take care of it." He turned to leave, "And be sure she gets lunch too." He looked at her, "It's been a while since second breakfast right?"
"That is veridical." She saw the confusion on Jack's face. "Veracious?" Still confusion, "accurate?"
"Ah!" Jack put his hands in his pockets again. "Kyna, after your interview, I want you to start watching..." He thought for a moment, "Four hours of television a day to learn how to speak in our..."
Daniel cuts in, "vernacular."
"Ya, what he said." He raised his brows and walked out of the room.
Daniel turned to her as she stood. "You don't trust us?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, seeing right though her.
She tilted her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she were protecting herself. "Why do you say that?"
Daniel tilted his head. "Because it's true."
Kyna taped her fingers on her elbow, and then turned to lean on the table. "You're accurate. I don't trust them."
"Them?" Daniel blinked several times.
"Your people...humans." She pressed her lips together and stared hard at him.
"Why?" Daniel was some what confused by reaction.
"I do not know at this time." She looked down at the ground with a rather sad look in her eye.
"Alright then...do you at least trust me?"
She looked up at him and with sincerity in her heart she replied, "Of course I do." She motioned to the door, "I trust Jack too, and Sam and Teal'c." Her hand dropped, "It's just the rest of humanity that I am uncertain about."
"What are you searching for in the historical texts, perhaps I can help you?" Daniel was at least relived to find that she trusted them, but it troubled him that she held back her motivations in regards to her request.
Kyna shook her head, "I'm not sure yet. Though I will know when I find it."
"How?" Daniel was watching her carefully.
"I just do," She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him. Kyna suddenly realizes that there was a reason why she trusted Daniel above all others. "It's almost like how I feel that I known you longer than I've been here. Which does not make much sense, since I was alone for many years."
"No it doesn't make any sense, but I can understand what you mean."
Kyna's stomach started to growl. "Excuse me." She rubbed her stomach, "Hungry." She smiled.
"I'm sure you are." Daniel smiled, and motioned for her to leave with him.
"Back to the Holding Cell?" She moved though the door and into the hall.
"No, you get to go back into one of the VIP rooms." He stopped and turned towards her. "That is if you promise not to knock out any more people." He smiled.
She bit her lip, "Well..."
Daniel rolls his eyes, and starts to walk again. They arrived at the elevator and both of them entered it.
An uncomfortable silence fell upon them. She remembered some of the small talk examples that were given in one of the textbooks. "How has your day been so far?"
The elevator doors open, "It's been alright..."
"Just alright? What happened?" They start to walk out.
"The cafeteria ran out of coffee..."
Kyna stopped, "Now, who is holding back?" She smirked, "Daniel..." She turned her face slightly, and taped her foot.
He turned and looked at her, "I'm going to see a friend tomorrow, who I haven't seen in a very long time."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad." Now, she was the confused one.
"It's complicated." Daniel knew that he couldn't tell her more than that.
Kyna pressed her lips together, "I can respect that." She started to walk again.
"Good." He walked along side of her. "Though that means that I won't be here for your interview."
Her brows came together, she had hoped that he would be there, but she knew that this must be important to him. "Then you will simply have to write down your questions and I will try to answer them."
They reached the VIP room. "Sounds like a plan." He opened the door. "One other thing."
"Yes?" She appeared to be curious.
"I think someone missed you." Daniel smiled as the cat pounced on his mistress.
"Augustus!" She kissed the top of his head. "Oh! I've missed you!"
"Sam's been watching him." He smiled watching her with the cat.
"Extend my thanks to her." She walked into the room.
"I will. Lunch will be up shortly. Oh, I'll try to get all the history books to you before I leave in the morning. And if you need anything, just ask the guard." He closed the door, and walked away.
Control Room - 0800 The Next Day
Most of SG10 and SG12 were assembled in the Gate Room below them.
Master Bra'tac stood next to Teal'c with a staff weapon in hand. He grinned, "Today is a good day to kill a false god."
Teal'c smiled, "Indeed."
"Col. Wrzesinski, I want your team to keep the gate secure." General O'Neill ordered. "Col. Dmire your team's with SG1." He motioned for Walter to begin the dialing sequence.
"Oh, Jack!" Daniel moved over to him. He handed him a piece of paper that was folded several times.
"What's this?" He unfolded it and then he looked it over.
"Just some questions for you to ask Kyna during her interview." He pressed his lips together. "I gave her the last of the books this morning. That should keep her busy until General Hammond and Major Davis arrive."
Jack folded the piece of paper and places it in his shirt pocket. "Great." He lifted an eyebrow, "Not planning on being there?"
"Well you know nothing is ever as simple as we hope it to be." Daniel shifted his gaze towards the Gate.
The last chevron locked into place and the wormhole opens.
The MALP drove up the ramp and into the event horizon.
"We'll have a visual in, Five, Four, Three, Two, One..." Walter looked up at the screen.
Sam's eyes narrowed as she moved closer to the screen. "It's so dark there...switch to Infrared."
"Yes, Sir, switching to Infrared." The screen flickered and they saw a lone figure approaching the MALP.
"I take it this is one of your scouting devices." Enapay shifted his staff weapon to the side. "I have not been followed, the area is secure."
"We should leave then before the open gate causes us to be detected," said Teal'c.
"I agree; you have a go. Good luck!" Jack nodded and watched the two colonels, Master Bra'tac and SG1 go towards the stairs to head out. "Carter." He motioned for her to come over to the side.
She moved out of hearing range of the rest of the staff working in the Control Room. "Yes, sir?"
"Are you sure you're alright with this mission? I know I asked you earlier but you seem... different." Jack studied her carefully.
"Yes, sir, I'll be fine. In fact I think that this presents us with a great opportunity..." Sam searched the floor for a split second as she thought of something to say before she looked him straight in the eye again.
Jack cuts her off, "Ya I know, the mines and all that other crap. But what about you."
"I don't understand what you mean, Sir." She tightened her lips.
Jack didn't see any use to try to probe her further. "Alright... Alright...Good luck, and try to come back in one piece."
Sam smirked, "Is that an order, Sir?"
Jack just shook his head and went to go stand by the window.
Sam headed down the stairs towards the Gate. By the time she got there SG10 and SG12 had already cleared the event horizon.
Daniel came though the door and handed Master Bra'tac a pair of night vision goggles. "Put these on before going though the gate. Just keep your eyes closed as you go though it."
Master Bra'tac tilted his head.
"They allow us to have vision in the black of night." Teal'c placed his on his head and smiled.
"I see." Master Bra'tac walked up the ramp and over to the gate with SG1. He placed his down over his eyes and went though the gate first followed by everyone else except Sam.
Sam looked back up into the Control Room at Jack for a second or two before pulling her goggles down as well. She then headed though the event horizon.
"Interesting device this... what is this called Teal'c?" Master Bra'tac scanned the area to make sure that Enapay was not followed.
"Night Vision Goggles." He bowed his head, "Tek ma'tek Enapay."
Enapay bowed his head. "Tek ma'te Master Bra'tac. Tek ma'tek Teal'c. We must travel quickly; it shall be dawn in four hours.
"Agreed." Master Bra'tac started to walk forward.
Sam came though the gate and the event horizon closed behind her. "Alright, people, let's move out, you all have your orders." She moved forward and joined Master Bra'tac, Teal'c and Enapay.
"Col. Carter, we shall take point." The three of them moved ahead.
Sam's eyes went wide for a split second. It slightly bothered her when he did that, but he knew that was the command that she was going to give anyway.
"Col. Wrzesinski, we'll check in every hour. If you see any thing suspicious give me three clicks." Sam nodded.
"Yes, Sir." Col. Wrzesinski saluted. She motioned for her team to get into position.
SG12 followed behind SG1 and the Jaffa as they made their way up the path and away from the Star Gate.
Daniel spoke up, "how far away is the salve compound?"
"On the other side of the mountain." He motioned his staff weapon to the mountain in front of them.
"And you travel this every night, and have not been detected?" Daniel was starting to think that the situation was odd. Enapay had wanted them to hurry when there was only four hours of light left.
"I do." Enapay raised a brow.
"Exactly how long is nighttime on this planet?" Daniel asked.
"Sixteen hours during this season." He stepped over a fallen tree trunk.
Sam watched the tree line as they walk.
"I see." Daniel notices something; "You have no problems finding your way in the dark? There isn't a single star out." He shivered feeling the wind slap him across the face as they traveled up into the mountain.
"At first, I did find it difficult to make my way in the dark of night. But I have traveled this path over a dozen times, and I have less difficulty each time."
"His symbiote also provides him with the ability to see more clearly at night." Teal'c explained.
"Ah!" Daniel continued on as he tried to think or more questions to ask him. "How long is it going to take for us to get there?"
"One hour and a half. We will take the path though the mines that will cut our journey in half."
One Hour Later -- Hallway Sublevel 27 -- SGC
Jack stood outside the elevator as he awaited the door to open. Once it did he smiled. "Welcome back, General." He nodded, "Major."
General Hammond had a big grin on his face. "It's good to be back, Jack."
"It's good to have you back, Sir." They walked towards Jack's office. Major Davis trailed behind them.
"So, what has our girl been up too?" General Hammond entered the office and automatically went and sat behind the desk. "Hope you don't mind me sitting here." He smiled up at Jack.
"No, of course not." Jacked placed his hands in his pockets and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you know the usual, sleeping, eating, and reading."
Major Davis's eyes went wide, "Reading, sir?"
"Oh, ya. Lots and lots and lots of books; history books. Big thick books." He opened his thumb and his pointer finger as far apart as possible. "One was that thick, she read it in ten minutes."
"That's rather impressive." Hammond looked at each of them in turn.
"It is." Jack sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Why not just let her read the information off a computer?" Davis asked.
"Well, she asked for books so we gave her books. Besides I rather not risk her using one of the computers." Jack still didn't completely trust her.
"Have a seat Major." General Hammond motioned to the other chair.
Davis quickly sat. "Thank you, Sir." He looked at Jack, "Why not, if I may ask, Sir?"
"I don't know I just have this feeling that she's hiding something." Jack leaned back in the chair and rubs his chin.
"Well, I hope the interview will shed light on that subject." Hammond cleared his throat. "I also heard that you might have found the Tollan." Hammond leaned forward and clasped his hands together on top of the desk.
"You heard correct, Sir. Carter is leading a rescue mission as we speak." Jack nodded.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Do you have any idea what your going to do with them once you've brought them back here?" Hammond tilted his head.
"Well... no." Jack pressed his lips together. "We don't know exactly how many they may be bringing back. Or where the others may be from."
"Do you think that the Tollan would like to go back to their home world? I remember reading about how they didn't want to be refuges on a planet that wasn't technologically inferior to them." Davis thought out loud.
"They might, but from what I can gather about the scale of the attack against their world is that there was nothing left standing." Jack frowned.
"What other options are there?" Hammond looked at both men in turn.
"How about asking the Herbridans? They may not have the same cultural norms as the Tollan but at least they are technologically advanced." Davis suggested.
"The only problem that I see with them is that they have enough of their own people to deal with, I don't know if they would want to take refugees in as well," commented Jack.
"Other options?" Hammond liked the idea of asking the Herbridans, but he wanted a back up planet or two just to make sure that they would be able to find the right fit.
"What about the Tangeans from P3X-744? True they are about the same as us technology, but they have room to spare. Perhaps even be kind enough to set up a separate settlement for the refugees." Davis was doing his best to think of possible locations.
"I don't know about them... They are basically on the same level of thinking as our people and I don't know if the Tollan would accept that." Jack frowned again.
"Well, the Tollan are going to have to accept something. Unless they want to stay on the planet that they're on right now," commented Hammond.
"I think that both Teal'c and Carter have plans for that planet already. Though that is also a possibility as long as we can take out Ictinike and his Jaffa. Another option is to see if they wanted to stay here on Earth. Or even ask the Nox to take them in, and then there is always the Tok'ra. Although we haven't heard from them in a while." Jack leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. He then rubbed his face with his hands.
VIP Room
Kyna was sitting crossed legged in the middle of the bed. Around her lay several different piles of books. She had organized them by geographical location and then categorized them chronologically. Though with the last five hundred years she found that she had to make a separate pile that dealt with global expansion.
She had read though all the different books rather quickly. Though she had left little time for reflection. Many of the things that she read were too terrible to dwell on, so she tried to push on and see how things evolved.
Currently she was reading about the twentieth century. She placed down a book that was about the Depression in the United States, and then picked up one about European history that was from that decade and the one that followed it. With in a few moments she had read though several chapters before she ran across an image that laced her heart with fear. It was a simple flag, but upon seeing it she knew instantly that it was a symbol of death.
Kyna blinked several times, the light around her began to fade as her vision blurred. She fell back onto the pillow.
Accalvira walked down the hallway of the house and entered her son-in-law's sick room. She placed a bowl of fresh water on the nightstand, before turning towards her daughter. She asked her softly. "How fairs your husband?" She turned her head and coughed into a handkerchief.
"The his fever is running rapid." Tesmindar sniffled, as she tries her best to hold back her tears. "His lungs are filled with mucus and his throat pains him. He will not last though the night." She held on to his hand.
"Then we must help him find his way to the Great Path to travel to Avalon." Accalvira moved to the opposite side of the bed and placed her hand above his forehead.
"Kyna will want to say good-bye to him. Surely we can wait a few more minutes." Tesmindar coughed into a handkerchief.
"Kyna is almost as dead to this world as he is. I'm sorry, my daughter, but she will not survive this illness either." Accalvira closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. While Jethro traveled to one of the human cities, she had traveled to the surface and retrieved an ancient text that explained how to ascend. She recalled having to study the text daily during her youth, but she needed to refresh her memory.
"I will not allow her to die." Tesmindar held a determined look in her eye as she stared up at her mother. She shifted her gaze to her husband. "I will give her my immunities."
"You can not, you'll have nothing left to fight this illness!" Accalvira opened her eyes and leaned across Jethro. She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "I can not lose you too! Tesmindar think of what you are saying. Even with your immunities it will not be enough to save her."
"I want to give her a fighting chance. Would you not do the same for me?" Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Yes, you know I would. And I was planning on doing that. Out of all of us, you are the one who is best suited to survive this." She held a pleading look in her eyes. Tesmindar was her last link to Erastus.
Tesmindar shifted her gaze to her husband. "If she does not live then all that he went though will be for nothing."
Accalvira closed her eyes, her own tears started to fall onto the bedding below her. "I will give my granddaughter my immunities as well. Perhaps it will be enough to save her." She opened her eyes, "I wish that there was more time and that we could go though the records and find a cure of some sorts, but there isn't."
"We must help him now." Tesmindar placed one of her hands above her husband's head. She tilted her head and did her best to help him find his way.
Accalvira wiped her eyes and did the same. Within a moment, Jethro Dior took his last breath, as his body melted into a ball of energy.
Tesmindar watched him move though the floor "Have you ever seen anything like that?" She was in awe.
"Yes before you were born." Accalvira closed her eyes as she remembered the day. "Come we must attend to my granddaughter."
Tesmindar whipped her eyes, and moved though the door. Her heart was numb with pain. She moved as in a daze, down the hall and up the stairs towards Kyna's room. Not even the exquisite frescos of the cities of old comforted her as they once did when she was a child.
Accalvira went into the room first, she walked over to the side of the bed. "Her lungs have not filled yet, but the throat affliction has grown worse." She placed her hand on her forehead.
"She is so young... I fear that she won't understand." Tesmindar did not want to prolong her daughter's suffering any further. She went over to her and placed her hand over her head, she then moved the other one across her chest as she tried to heal her with ever-single white blood cell that she had in her body. She fell to her knees; with her defenses gone she felt the illness take hold of her. She lifted her head towards her mother. "I will not have her find my body. Nor will I want her to find yours. We shall both release our burden and join my husband on the Great Path to Avalon."
"My burden can not be so easily released." She scanned Kyna with her senses. "Her fever has diminished. Her body will be able to resist the affliction of the lungs. Though it is the affliction of her throat that is still present."
Tesmindar's eyes rolled as she tires to focus her thoughts on what her mother said. "Not easily released?"
Accalvira looked down at her daughter as she watched her trying to keep her mind together. "I never told you of what happened to our people because I never wished for you to despair as I have. But Kyna..." She took the child's hand into her own. "Will have to live among them... that is if she ever decides to leave this place. I will have to show her what I have seen so that she may be prepared to face the evil that lays within their hearts." She looked back at her daughter, "Join your husband before you no longer can. I will do the same in a few moments."
Tesmindar took Kyna's other hand and kissed it gently. "I will always watch over you and your decedents. That is a promise." She closed her eyes and released her burden. Her body shifted into energy and went though the floor towards the Star Gate below.
Accalvira watched her daughter ascend with a heavy heart. Although she was pleased that she was still able to do it with ease. She then focused her attention on Kyna, and said even though she knew the girl was unconscious, "I do not want you to remember what I am about to show you until the time is right. For it haunts my dreams every night. There are some humans who still chose to be evil. They will take advantage of you, and use you for their own means. Resist them, Kyna; resist them with every breath that you take." She knelt down next her and placed her forehead against hers.
"MINDRA! MIN..." Accalvira made a face and then smiled. She appeared to be much younger with not a single strain of gray hair in her dirty blond locks. She rubbed her arms trying to stimulate some warmth into them. She was not used to the fridge air that blew though the carved up mountain landscape. The shield and the cloak that protected the Fourteen Houses of the Isolationistic Ancients had been down for almost two weeks.
"Hush! Do you want your words to travel on the wind towards them?" Mindra stood at the bottom of a large staircase that leads towards the edge of the cliff. She was wearing overalls with a make shift coat. Her alabaster blond hair was tucked under a cap.
Accalvira lifted her skirts as she walked down the stairs. She had never bothered going towards the dome's edge before. "Your husband has sent me to tell you that you're missing the celebration; and to stop obsessing about watching if we are going to be noticed by the humans." She smiled as she moved next to her. She still could not believe that her sister had insisted on marring into the House of Agre, though she knew that she was happy living on the edge of the dome. She also recalled how she mentioned to her that she enjoyed sitting on the roof of her home to watch the snowfall above them. While at the same time, they relaxed in the artificial climate that the dome provided for them.
"I will celebrate once your husband and his team has brought the dome back up, along with the cloak. She shifted her terra cotta eyes towards the woods that lay in the distance. "I saw movement in the trees. There are men down there watching us."
For the first time in her life, Accalvira felt a prickle of fear run up her spine. "I spoke with Erastus last night, he said that they are almost done. They had to cannibalize many of Deshi's systems to fix the problem." She shifted her gaze towards the woods. She was able to make out two figures along the tree line. One was looking though some sort of glass while the other one was preparing some sort of short staff. Without realizing it she started to play with her six pointed Snowflake Necklace.
"I still feel that everyone should have been evacuated down to the old city while they fixed the problem..." Mindra placed her hand on her hips. "Especially you, you don't want to risk your child in this fridge air!"
"How did you..." Accalvira gapped, she was less then a month pregnant and was going to tell her sister about the baby later that day.
"I can sense her already. Her will is very strong." Mindra gave her a great big warm smile.
Roughly seven hundred yards away and about ten feet down soldiers gathered along the tree line. The ranking officer smirked. He then motioned for the raid to begin.
"And yes we shall talk more about her tonight. Though..." She grinned, "I was told not to return without you." She glanced towards the tree line and then back at her sister. "They are probably travelers that are just curious; nothing to worry about. The nearest village is far across the horizon."
"Yes, and that burnt down last night. There was only smoke when the first light of dawn broke. All the buildings were ashes." She noticed that her sister was playing with the necklace. "Stop that, you're going to reflect light, and they will see it."
Accalvira dropped her hand, and was about to say something when the air filled with a loud crack of thunder. To her horror she felt her sister's blood splatter across her arms.
Mindra fell to the ground. The bullet entered though her side and shattered one of her ribs.
All Accalvira could here was the sound of the weapon and a scream, but what failed to register that she was actually the one who was screaming. "Mindra! My sweet Mindra, I'm so sorry, we have to get you out of here!" She placed her hand over her head and her other one across her chest to try to heal her, but she felt her sister's hand on her arm.
"Not.. your fault...run.." Her eyes closed and she was no more. She turned into energy and sank into the mountain.
Accalvira shook her head, "No! NO! Come back! Mindra come back!" She could not believe that this was happening. Another loud thunderclap like sound filled the air, and she felt anguishing pain ripping though her arm. She turned her head and saw dozens of unified men running towards her position. Her eyes widened as she heard screams coming from deep down the main path. She picked up her skirts with her other hand and ran up the stairs. Whoever was attacking them had found the other several entrances into the mountain and was flanking them from all sides.
Those that chose not to go to the celebration began to come out of their homes that were on the terraces that littered the mountainside. The plots of land were twenty-five yards in width but several hundred yards long. They extended several thousand yards up along the mountainside. They were all artificially made with the help of Deshian technology, but they still needed families to work the land to produce enough food for everyone.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" She screamed as she ran down the path, there were too many stairs to climb up to reach those that lingered, but even as she said that she saw several drop from being shot.
Accalvira ran along the main path that leads into the valley. She passed the rows of pillars that were decorated with the six-pointed Ancient Snowflake. They were lit every night so that the people could move about freely when the cloak was covered in snow from the bitter winters that fell up the region. She desperately wanted to get to her great-grandfather's home and ring down to Deshi to warn her husband. Though as she ran she came closer and closer to the screams that bounced off the walls of the interior of the carved up valley.
Her great-grandfather was the elder of the House of Aria. His home was set off the main path that was close to the main cluster of houses that represented the economy, government, arts, and architecture. Accalvira ran, as fast as she could, but as she came closer and closer to the main cluster of houses where the festival was to taking place all she could see was people falling and strangers with red armbands firing their weapons at them.
She quickly turned off the main path and ran towards her grandfather's home, but several yards a head of her lay three bodies. Apparently they were running to the house as well to seek shelter. The mother and father melted into the ground, but the boy sat up, his healing abilities fixed the minor damage that the weapon had afflicted on him. He blinked as he looked at his parent's clothing and started to wail.
Accalvira ran up to him and picked him up in her arms. "Silence little one, other wise the men that did this to your parents will come back." She stood and started to run with him in her arms. She had not even noticed that her own wound had healed. Although as she came close to where grandfather's home should be her skirts became tangled around her legs and she fell forward. However she turned towards the side as she fell so that she would not fall on top of the boy.
She looked around and seeing that no one was within sight, she got up and ran towards the cloaked house. As she approached the cloak dropped automatically and the door opened. Her great-grandfather came out. "What is happening?" He saw his great granddaughter, and his eyes went wide with horror as he saw the blood on her and the boy's clothing. "That isn't bl...blood!"
"I'm afraid it is." She said with a sob in her throat. Accalvira rushed into the house, and pulled her grandfather back in so the cloak would come back p. But unknown to her it was too late; one of the soldiers was tracking her footprints.
Accalvira placed the boy down. "I have to ring down to warn Erastus and his team!"
"Ringing down to Deshi is forbidden! Except in extreme circumstances that's why there is only one ring platform!" He could not believe his ears.
"This is an extreme circumstance! Thousands of our people are dieing out there! The humans have created weapons that send projectiles at their victims with incredible speed. I know that we are not a violent people, but it doesn't even look like they are going to allow us to surrender. Which means that they will likely find the trails that lead to the tunnels that go down into Deshi! Erastus has to get the dome up along with the cloak and the automatic defense system before anyone else dies. We can't allow them to leave here and get reinforcements!" She gasped for air.
He looked down at the ground, not wanting to believe that this was happening but it was. He lifted his gaze to Accalvira's arms, "Who's blood is that?"
The young boy watched the two with fear and awe in his eyes. He was already missing his parents, but he could hardly believe that he was in the Elder of Aria's house.
"Mindra's... she ascended in my arms." She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"My Mindy..." He sat, and clenched his hand to his heart.
"Great-Grandfather, please, let me ring down before it is too late." She went on her knees and took his other hand into hers.
"Yes.. yes of course." He stood and walked across the floor to and knelt down. He placed his hand upon one of the snowflake tiles, then stood and moved back. Stairs that lead down to a lower level appeared. "Stand in the middle of the circle below, and press this. When you get down there move up the main path until you reach it's split. Go into the first building in front of you to the right. That is where they are working on the shield and cloak." He handed her his walking staff, and pointed to a crystal at the top of it.
She nodded, "Thank you." She took the staff and went to go down the stairs.
"Take the boy with you." He motioned for the child to follow her.
His eyes went wide; he did what he was told to do, and followed her down the stairs. When they both reached the bottom and then moved to stand in the circle the ceiling closed above them.
Accalvira pressed the crystal and rang down into Deshi. She stepped off the platform and the plaza around her filled with light. She then tired her skirt in front of her before picking up the boy and running to the indicated building.
Upon reaching the building she was out of breath. She placed the boy down and entered the long hallway that lead to the power control center.
One of the men that were working on fixing the problem blinked, "What are you doing here?"
Accalvira reached for Erastus.
He quickly moved to catch her. "My love, what's has happened."
The boy opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.
Accalvira swallowed, "We're under attack." She searched his eyes with her own. "There is so much screaming," She closed her eyes and began to weep.
Erastus pointed to one of the engineers, "Get that cloak up now!" He pointed to another one, "The shields!" He looked to another group several people staring at them, "This city must have an armory, find it and gather enough weapons for us to use. I won't let our lives and our homes be laid to waist!" For the first time in his life he felt enrage. One of the systems that they had cannibalized was the automatic defense system.
The other thirteen engineers ran to get their tasks complete. Within two hours they were able to get the cloak and shields back up. Those that had been assigned to find weapons came back with them in their arms.
Erastus distributed the weapons among the engineers.
"Where's mine?" Accalvira had gathered her courage. She wanted to help defend her people.
"You are to remain here. If the enemy comes down here your to press this." He shows her a place on the wall. "You remember that song I taught you with the colors; the one that I wanted you to sing for our daughter? That is the sequence for the city's self-destruct. It will be up to you to make sure that they don't get a hold of this technology."
"Yes but..."
"No buts Vira." He looked towards the rest of the engineers. "Let's go." He went to leave but Accalvira gripped his arm. He stepped towards her and took her faces in his hands. "I love you. Always remember that." He kissed her gently before running off to catch up.
Accalvira crumbled into a ball as she started to hyperventilate. The boy walked over to her and wiggled to move under her arm. He held on to her and started to cry. "It will be okay. You'll see." She closed her eyes to try to steady her breathing.
"I want my mommy," the boy wept, "and my daddy!"
"I know, I know..." She rubbed his back, "I don't even know your name."
The boy sniffled, and looked up into her kind eyes. "Jethro of the House of Dior."
She whipped his eyes with her handkerchief. "And how old are you Jethro?"
"Four." He sniffled again, and then laid his head on her breast before falling asleep.
Accalvira wasn't sure how long they sat there, but Jethro began to stir. His head came up and he smiled for a split second before he realized that it had not been all a bad dream.
"I can't stand it. We're going to see what's going on." She stood and held her hand out for the boy to take.
He stood as well, and held on to her hand.
They walked down towards the plaza passing what seemed like dozens upon dozens of rows of the same identical building that was carved out of the earth's crust.
When they reached the plaza they rang up to the house above. The ceiling disappeared for them and they walked up the stairs to the ground floor of the house. She turned towards the boy. "I want you to wait in here ok?" She led him into one of the bedrooms. "If you hear any one I want you to hide in here." She pulled up what appeared to be molding that ran along the floor but was actually a cubbyhole. "Just be sure to pull it back down. Got that?"
The boy nodded, he reached out and gave her a hug.
She kissed the top of his head, "I will return as soon as possible."
Vira left the boy and the house to find her great-grandfather's clothing on the path outside. She placed her finger though the hole that went though his chest. She bit back her sob and continued on. Along the path were dozens of pieces of clothing. At one point she found one of the female engineers outfits, and several hundred yards away lay several bodies of the invaders.
She dared not to go near them, but she continued on. In the main square it appeared that items from houses had been piled up. Many of them were trinkets from days of old when they traded with humans. She found several more engineers outfits, and dozens of the invaders' bodies.
For several hours she wondered aimlessly though the valley. It wasn't until she came back towards the spot of Mindra's death that she found the last of the engineers clothing. Among them was Erastus. Vira felt light headed, she even regurgitated her morning meal. Erastus was gone, he was everything to her, and now he was on a different plain of existence. She lifted her head and saw the remains of the last of the invaders. But what struck her the most were the flags that they had placed on the lamps on pillars that they had not destroyed. In her mind, that flag was a symbol of death.
Vira pulled away from Kyna. "You do not need to see anymore than that." She kissed her forehead. "Hopefully you'll never have to remember what I have shown you. But if you come across that flag again, you will remember. You will remember..." She placed her hand above her head and the other one above her chest. Her immunities were transferred.
She smiled sensing that the illness was going to dissipate and that she would live. Her heart was lighter now, and with that she made her way to the Great Path and Avalon beyond that.
Enapay's World
Enapay moved a head of the group. He looked both ways before motioning for them to follow him into the mines.
The mines were dimly lit with torches that went deep into the mountain. About every twenty yards the mine split into left and right tunnels. The group took off their night vision goggles and carefully made their way into the mine.
"We will keep walking on this path for half a mile before taking the right tunnel." Enapay said as he walked with his staff weapon in hand.
"When should we start seeing guards?" Sam didn't want to take any chances. So far they had not run into any problems. But now they were traveling farther and farther from the Gate.
"I recommend silence after we make the turn into the right tunnel. The patrol only comes this way twice a day. Once when the moon is directly above this mountain and then again when the sun is in the same position." His eyes scanned a head of them. "We don't want our voices to echo along the tunnels. That could possibly alert them of our presence."
"We should make haste then, and not delay." Master Bra'tac looked at each of them in turn and moved a head.
"Agreed." Teal'c followed.
Sam motioned for Enapay to go before her, "After you."
Enapay nodded and moved forward.
A Half Hour Later - VIP Room - SGC
Kyna was sitting on the bed in her room. She had completed reading all the history books that Daniel gave to her. They were piled up on the dresser.
She sniffled as she sadly gazed down at her grandmother's snowflake necklace. She had no idea of the amount of pain her grandmother had suffered as she bared witness to the genocide of their entire race.
Kyna turned her head as she heard a knock on the door. She sniffled again and then laid back against the pillows. She hid her necklace under the covers, not wanting them to take it away and analysis it as well.
Jack opened the door, "OH! Sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping." He slightly winces.
Kyna rubbed her eyes; she didn't want him to notice that she had been crying. "I wasn't sleeping. I was only in the first stages of twilight."
"You weren't sleeping?" Jack's brows come together. He noticed the books on the dresser. "Finished reading?"
"Yes," She sat up; she lets her hair cover her face before smoothing it with her fingertips.
"Find out anything interesting?" He noticed that her mannerisms had changed, although he didn't think much of it.
Kyna pulled the covers off of her. She stood up her back was facing the door, as she looked for her shoes. "All of it was interesting."
Jack nodded; he figured that she was probably groggy and didn't feel like talking, "Ah, well General Hammond and Major Davis arrived. So, will you be ready in, oh say, an hour?"
She nodded without turning to look at him.
"Good, I'll see you then." Jack closed the door behind him.
Enapay's World
The group headed out of the mines and traveled cautiously down the path towards the Slave Holding Camp. Sam moved next to Col. Dmire, "I want your team to secure our retreat. If you see any abnormal activity outside of the Slave Holding Camp, give me two clicks. Stay hidden at all times, if you haven't heard from us in a half hour contact Col. Wrzesinski."
"Yes, Sir." He motioned for his team to stop. He pointed to two of the members to go to cover the right side of the path while he went on the left with the third member.
Sam motioned for her team to stop, as well just above the ridge that over looked the camp. She took out her scope to survey the area.
"There are four points of entry. Two Jaffa guard each point. I suggest taking the western point." Enapay points towards the tree line. "The other three entrances are in visible view of the path leading up to Ictinike's Compound."
"That would seem the wisest point of entry." Master Bra'tac scanned the area as he looked for other obstacles.
"Indeed." Teal'c was doing the same.
"Well, we better get moving then before the sun rises." Daniel scanned the horizon.
Sam placed her scope away, "Right. Everyone stay low. We don't want to draw unwanted attention to ourselves." She moved out taking point.
Daniel and Master Bra'tac followed her. Enapay went next and Teal'c guarded their rear. They moved ever so slowly along the tree line and towards the western point of entry.
Ahead of them the two Jaffa stood looking straight a head, neither one of them blinked until it was too late. Sam took out the first Jaffa with two clicks of her Zat, and at the same time Teal'c fired his. Enapay and Daniel moved to pick up the first Jaffa and hide him in the brush. Teal'c and Master Bra'tac picked up the second one while Sam stood watch.
The group headed into the holding camp. They followed Enapay down several corridors. At one point they almost ran into a group of four Jaffa, but they were quickly taken care of with the Zats. They dragged them into a supply room near by before continuing to move towards the holding cells.
Within moments the group reached their destination. Four more Jaffa were Zatted, as they guarded the area.
The enslaved were mostly sleeping. Some cells held as many as six people, and others as few as one or two. They all wore the same badly worn out brown clothing. It was impossible to tell who was Tollan and who was not.
Sam's eyes scanned each cell looking for Narim. She turned towards Daniel. "Take a head count."
"Got it." Daniel started to count the people in the cells.
"There should be approximately a hundred and fifteen of them." Enapay said loud enough so that his voice would not travel down the hall.
She found Narim about half way down the row in a tiny cell made for a single person. She turned towards Teal'c, "Get this open!"
"With pleasure," Teal'c picked up a staff weapon and fired at the lock.
The sound of the blast awoke Narim. As his vision cleared Sam knelt down next to him. "The angel haunts my waking dream..." His voice was low and silent.
Tears came to Sam's eyes. She reached forward and cupped the side of his face in her hand. "Narim, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not an angel?" She gave him a weak smile.
His eyes widen, she was really there; he then grabbed her wrist. "Samantha, you should not have come."
"I don't understand." She looked confused. Behind Teal'c was moving towards the controls that would open all the cells. Enapay and Master Bra'tac were watching the ends of the hall to make sure that no one snuck up on them.
"His will is strong..." Narim drops his hand; "I can't fight it anymore..."
"Fight what Narim?" Sam felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight. She didn't know why she had not sensed it before.
Narim's hand wavered for a moment as it went to touch his other wrist. He looked straight into her eyes as his began to glow.
Jaffa dressed as slaves jumped up out of their places from with in several cells. They Zatted each of them in turn.
Teal'c was able to take out two of them before he was Zatted. Master Bra'tac and Enapay only got off one shot each, while Daniel didn't get off any.
Sam fell forward as she was Zatted as well. She had no time to react.
The Goa'uld that had enslaved Narim smirked. "My master Ictinike will be exceedingly pleased."
Two hours Later in Kyna's VIP Room:
Kyna was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. Augustus was on her lap. The cat was in his glory; his mistress had spent the last hour and a half petting his fur.
She looked up as she heard a knock on the door. As she moved to get up the cat jumped off her lap and stretched on the bed; he then wiggled his way under the covers to stay warm.
Kyna crossed the room and opened the door. She stepped back seeing a man wearing a blue military uniform. He was taller than her with brown hair and light blue eyes. "How may I assist you?" She blinked.
Major Davis puts his hand forward. "Hello ma'am. My name is Major Davis, it's a pleasure to finally met you."
She looked down at his hand and then up at his face. Despite how low she was currently feeling she managed to give him a decent smile while she took his hand into hers. "Daniel was pleased that you would be interviewing me."
He dropped his hand after he shook hers. "Was he now?"
"Oh yes, and so was Jack." Kyna tilted her head as she studied his response.
Paul grinned, he was pretty happy with that complement. He cleared his throat, "Well, anyway, sorry for keeping you longer then what we had expected. Something came up." He motioned for her to leave the room.
"I understand. Besides, I have no other location to travel to at this time." Kyna walked out of the room.
Paul closed the door and followed her down the hall. He was amazed to hear the way her voice sounded. There was hardly any accent. If he had not known, he would have guessed that she had been speaking in English her whole life.
Control Room
Jack stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His eyes narrowed. "Alright, have Col. Dmire pull back towards the Gate before their position is compromised."
"Yes Sir."
The event horizon dissipated.
"What are you thinking about doing Jack?" Hammond asked. He didn't like the situation.
"We need Dmire, to show us how to get to their current location. But beyond that I'm still thinking of a plan."
Walter came into the control room with a box in his hands. "I have it, Sir." He looked between Hammond and Jack.
"Thank you Walter." Hammond took the box. He turned towards Jack, "I'd understand if you wished to postpone the interview until this is over with."
Jack shook his head, "It's going to take Dmire a while to get back to the Gate, Sir. We might as well get this over with." He was extremely reluctant, but he didn't see any other reason to hold it off.
"Very well, son. After you." Hammond motioned for him to move towards the Briefing Room.
Jack entered the Briefing Room to find the girl sitting at the far side of the table. Hammond automatically went and sat at the head of the table closest to the control room. Major Davis was standing by the video camera. He turned it on and then sat at Hammond's right. Where as Jack sat on Hammond's left.
Hammond smiled at the girl. She reminded him of his granddaughters. "Hello, there, I'm General Hammond. You've already been introduced to Major Davis, and General O'Neill?
Kyna nodded, "that is accurate."
"Now, you understand that this is an interview and that we want you to answer all the questions to the best of your abilities?" Hammond sat forward, and folded his hands in front of him.
"I understand." Kyna held a neutral look on her face. She did not want to betray what she was feeling at that particular moment.
Paul smiled at her, "Great, well, then shall we begin?" He saw her nod, and then continued. "For the record, please state your full name."
"Kyna of the House of Dior. That's 'K', 'y', 'n', 'a'. And Dior is, 'D', 'i', 'o', 'r'. But, if you like you can shorten it to Kyna Dior."
"Great." Paul continued to smile, "how old are you?"
Kyna thought for a moment, she had not realized that since she had been at the SGC she had completed her twenty-fourth year. "A score and five."
All three of the men stared at her for a moment. Hammond spoke up first, "Your telling us that your twenty five years old?"
"I am." She frowned, "What's wrong with my age?" She didn't like the way that they were looking at her.
"It's just that you don't look twenty five." Jack couldn't believe it, all this time he thought that he was dealing with a teenager.
"How old do I appear to be?" She looked at each of them in turn.
"Fifteen or sixteen at the most." Paul couldn't believe it either.
Kyna blinked, she had not paid attention to her appearance beyond making sure that she was neat and clean. "Next question, please."
Paul snapped out of it, "Where were you born?"
"In Deshi." She gave the simplest answer as possible.
"And where would that be?" Jack asked.
"Underground."
"Exactly where underground." Jack didn't like how she seemed to be dancing around her answers.
"In the Continental crust... or do you mean the longitude and latitude?" She didn't want to press her luck.
"The longitude and latitude would be quite helpful, Ms. Dior." Hammond smiled.
"Oh, well, I don't know that." If she really wanted to she could calculate the location of the city that was left in her repository and then figure out the rate of continental drift. That would give her the location, but she didn't want to do that, so she didn't.
Hammond sat back in his chair as he studied the Ancient woman.
"How about a ball park figure?" Jack asked.
"Let's move to the next set of questions." Hammond felt that there was a reason why she was being vague. He opened the box and pulled out the device that she brought with her when she first came though the gate. He placed it on the table. "What is this object?"
Kyna's eyes slightly widened. "Well... it's..."
Jack picked it up. He had not looked at it yet. It unfolded in his hand. His eyes widened, "Did I do that?" He placed it down and it closed. Then he picked it up and it opened again. He repeated this several times.
Kyna stared at him; she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Jack, stop playing with it." Hammond ordered.
"Sorry, Sir." He shifted his gaze towards Kyna. "This is what you used to open the Iris, isn't it?"
Kyna nodded, "That is accurate."
Paul was curious, "How does it work?"
Jack couldn't help but think of the planet that SG1 was on. He wondered if this device would come in handy when they went to rescue them.
Alarms went off.
Walter ran into the Briefing Room. "Sir! The Star Gate is dialing out all by itself!"
Jack quickly placed down the device. The alarms went off. He turned towards Walter, "Find out what planet it was dialing."
"Yes, sir!" Walter left the room.
"Care to explain Ms. Dior?" Hammond didn't like the idea of their computers being over written by a hand held device like that.
"He is kin. Or at least an extremely distant kin." Kyna couldn't believe it herself. "It only works for those who have a certain genetic marker. Naturally I have it, but apparently he does too."
Walter came back into the room, he was breathing hard. "Enapay's world, Sir."
"Thank you Walter that will be all." Jack dismissed him.
"Your welcome, Sir." He left the room to resume his duties.
Jack points down at the device, "This thing, dials the Gate, and opens obstructions?"
"That is accurate." She hadn't wanted them to find that out, but since they did she had no other choice but to admit that was what it did.
"Does it do anything else, Ms. Dior?" Hammond asked.
"Not that I am aware of." She searched her mind, but nothing else came forward.
Hammond picked up the device and placed it back in the box. "Next, we would like to ask you the questions that Dr. Jackson left us for you."
Jack sat up, "Ah, yes," he reached into his pocket and unfolded the piece of paper. "Could you tell us about where your Ancestors came from? How they evolved?"
Kyna thought for a moment, "That is a very complicated and an extremely time consuming answer. I would prefer to submit several historical volumes on those subjects."
"All right then..." Jack looked down the sheet of paper, and then folded it. He felt that she would say the same thing about the rest of those questions since they mainly dealt with the history of the Ancients and their alliances. "Could you tell us what happened to your people and your family?"
Kyna looked down, she searched the tabletop, as she felt choked up for the moment.
"Ms. Dior, are you alright?" Hammond frowned. He didn't like how Jack had been so blunt about the matter.
She closed her eyes, "The events, are too anguishing to speak of."
"So, you're not going to tell us?" Jack was somewhat annoyed.
"No." Kyna opened her eyes, and stared at Jack. "But I can show you."
Now they were getting somewhere! "Ok, show us." Jack wanted to smile, but he knew that would not be the right thing to do.
"It's not that simple." Kyna took a deep breath.
Paul tilted his head looking at her, "We don't understand what you mean."
Kyna sighed, "I can't show you two, but I can show him. He is of my kin... his mind can handle the information. I don't know if yours could."
Jack narrowed his eyes, "What do you want me to do?"
She closed her eyes, "Come forward and knell before me. I will transfer the information from my mind to yours, as it was once done to me by my grandmother."
Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to do this, but he didn't see any real alternative. He stood and walked over to the woman, and knelt down before her. He watched her as she moved to press her forehead against his.
"Close your eyes, Jack." She concentrated as hard as she could to send him what her grandmother had sent to her.
Jack closed his eyes, and was thrown back into time. He saw her father's sick room, and heard her mother and grandmother's conversation before her father's ascension. Then he saw them move to her room. He witnessed her mother's ascension and then watched as her grandmother gave her the vision. That day that her grandmother lived all those years before flashed by his eyes. He lived every step, every heart beat that she had as she saw her world being ripped out of existence. The vision shifted back towards the sick room, before the grandmother ascended herself. The last thing that Jack felt was the wave of how these two different events made Kyna feel. Jack quickly pulled away and backed up several steps. He couldn't say anything; he just simply stared at her.
"Jack, are you alright?" Hammond looked between the two of them. He saw the girl open her eyes to study the floor.
Jack's brain registered everything that happened, and the first thing that popped out of his mouth was, "Damn Nazis!" He turned towards Hammond, "how long were we like that?"
"Less, then a minute, son." He narrowed his eyes, "What about the Nazis?"
"Nazi SS Troops, raided and killed every single damn one of them except for her pregnant grandmother and her father." He could hardly believe what he saw.
"What about her family? What happened to them afterwards?" Hammond asked.
"Her father left their cloaked mountain top village area and went to do something that still remains unclear to me at this point. When he came back he must have been caring pneumonia or strep throat, perhaps a combination of both. Without the proper medication or enough anti bodies to fight them, he then died or rather ascended. Her mother and grandmother healed her the best that they could, and then did the same."
Kyna concentrated on the floor she didn't want them to see her cry.
Paul was curious, "why did he leave Deshi?"
Kyna swallowed, "To set up a life for me. He loved me so much; he didn't want me to always be alone, so he left. It was very risky... but he didn't see any other choice. He took old coins, those from the days before my kind went into isolation two thousand years ago. He sold several, and bought me an identity, he placed all of it in a safety deposit box so that I may have it when I was old enough to leave."
"Do you know where this safety deposit box is located?" Hammond asked her, he knew from experience that if it could be helped a father doesn't travel far from his family.
Without thinking of the consequences she named the city, "Krakow."
Paul's eyes widened, "Poland? That explains nearly everything, the Germans hated the Poles, but I don't understand why they would murder all of her people."
"I think that I can answer that." Jack turned back towards her, "Kyna may I see your necklace?"
She looked up, "My necklace?"
"Yes, the one that looks like a snowflake, the one that was your grandmother's." He asked her softly. "I'll give it back to you in a moment."
Kyna sighed; she took it off and handed it to him.
"Thank you." He walked over and went in between Paul and Hammond. He placed it on the table, "Remind you of anything."
Paul nearly gasped but held it back. He now understood. "It looks like the Star of David."
"You mean to tell me that the Nazi SS Troops, whipped out the entire Ancient population because they thought that they were Jewish." Hammond felt disgusted at the hatred and stupidity of the action.
Jack picked the necklace back up, and started to walk back towards her. "That's correct, Sir. That symbol was on everything that they owned, from their buildings to their pillars, it was even in the design of the skirt that her grandmother was wearing when the attack happened." He handed the necklace back to Kyna. She quickly puts it back on and then she tucked it into her clothing.
Hammond looked towards Kyna, "My sympathies Ms. Dior. I had no idea. I'm sorry that you had to view that experience though the memories of your grandmother."
Kyna stared at the ground. She thought to herself, you're sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it! Sorry, will never bring any of them back! Sorry will never be good enough! All mankind knows how to do is hate and kill! That's why we hid! That's why we isolated ourselves! We wanted nothing to do with your kind anymore, the gladiator games, the conquests, all of it. You haven't grown up yet! Nothing has changed in two thousand years besides the means in which you kill each other! Sorry... do you think that would make the Holocaust and political prisoners feel any better? Or how about the Japanese Americans that were forced into concentration camps as well? Let's go further back, to the Native Americans! Your government put them in open aired camps, with little to no hope for a decent future. Where did you think the Nazis got the idea from in the first place about the concentration camps! It even says it in your textbooks that I read earlier! Sorry... Kyna held her tongue she refused to lash out at them despite how much she wanted to. "It has happened, none of it can be changed."
Paul tried to think of something to say to change the mood of the room, "At least we have an idea of where Deshi is, now, Sir."
"Indeed we do, Major." Hammond didn't like the way she was acting, but he could hardly blame her. He looked at Jack, "Could you pinpoint the location given the details that you saw in her vision?"
"I believe that I can, Sir, although during the attack, their shield and cloak was restored." Jack turned towards Hammond.
"Ms. Dior, would you be willing to help us find the city? We could really use your help." Hammond asked her as nicely as he could.
Kyna looked up, and at him. She rested her arm on the table, "No, I can not. I left the shield for less then a few hours twelve years ago, and have not done so since. Besides, the shield is programmed to only allow those with the proper genetic markers though at the precise locations. To everyone else it would simply be a mountain. It would feel like a mountain, even could be mined like a mountain." She wouldn't want to give them access to the mountain anyway. She thought, what possible reasons could you want to go there? To steal my Ancestors' technology? So that you could build it into your own economy? So that your corporations could make those that are living in nations that are less fortunate then yours suffer even more then they do now? I won't allow it!
"But there might be medical technology that we could possibly find to help many sick people, or possibly fertilizing technology that we could use to help feed countless amounts of starving people." Paul didn't want to say that they really wanted to see if there was weapons there first, and then afterwards look for the other things. Perhaps even a ZPM, which would be nice to find in order to power the Ancient Weapon in Antarctica.
"Yes, Kyna, think of all the people that you could be helping." Jack stared into her eyes. He was thinking along the same lines as Major Davis, ZPM and weapons; then later the humanitarian stuff.
"I'm very sorry about that, but I can't help you." Kyna stared up into Jack's eyes; she knew that she had to hold her ground.
Jack's eyes narrowed for a split second. He had to change his tactics when dealing with her. "You helped us heal those people a few weeks ago."
Kyna's stare hardened. "That was different."
"How so, Ms. Dior? I would very much like to know." Hammond looked between Jack and the young woman.
"The Pandorians were once a part of the Ancient Coalition of Planets. They wanted their freedom so my Ancestors gave it to them. In return they created The Plague. I did not want history to repeat itself." She broke her stare and shifted her eyes to the other two gentlemen.
Paul leaned forward in his seat, "So, are you saying that you would have felt responsible if another epidemic occurred?"
Kyna searched the table in front of her for several seconds, "Yes, I would have. Especially when I had the power to stop it. My people created the problem. I couldn't let it harm yours."
Jack slightly smirked for a spilt second, "Didn't your people create the Star Gates?"
"Yes, but what relevance does that have to anything?" Kyna looked back at him. She suddenly didn't like where this was going.
Jack sat back down. "Oh, it's quite relevant, quite relevant indeed."
"Please elaborate what you mean, Jack." Hammond thought that this might be interesting.
"You agreed that your people built the Star Gates." Jack watched her closely.
"Yes, I said that a moment ago." This was feeling more and more like an interrogation to her, but she was semi curious to see where this was going.
They used them to travel from planet to planet. Transport goods, move live stalk, things like that, correct." Jack leaned against the table. He looked as if he were relaxing.
"Yes, that is an accurate assessment of the Star Gates' main purpose, but I don't see..."
"They also used the Star Gate as a weapon. In the past, we've had that technology used against us." Jack continued to stare at the Ancient woman.
"What's your point, Jack?" Hammond wanted to know where he was going with this even though he had some idea.
"The point is, Sir, that her people are responsible for everything that has happened in this galaxy over the course of millions of years."
Kyna's eyes widened, "What are you..."
Jack tilted his head, "let me finish." He watched her withdraw. "Your people were the biggest litter bugs that we have ever known. They left their technology laying around on thousands perhaps even millions of planets to be found." He raised a finger, "Oh, and it was. For thousands of years a race known as the Goa'uld has been manipulating your people's technology to enslave billions of our kind. They stole them from Earth, and then sent them though the Star Gate, claiming that they were gods. But that is not where it ends. The Goa'uld have used your people's technology against us. They scavenge it and created weapons from it."
She shook her head, "We are not responsible for their actions!"
"Oh, yes you are. You are just as responsible for the actions of the Goa'uld as we are responsible for the actions of the SS troops that murdered your people!" He held a twisted grin. He had her there.
"That's completely different!" Kyna felt as if her heart had shriveled up and died. The rate of her breathing was steadily increasing.
Jack tilted his head, before he quickly stood up. "You still don't understand do you?"
She shook her head in disbelief.
"Right now. Right now on one of the planets that your people left a Star Gate, a Goa'uld is holding Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel captive. Perhaps even torturing them for information."
In a voice no louder then a whisper, "Daniel said that he was going to see a friend..." Kyna cared greatly for Daniel; she never wanted him to feel any pain. She didn't want any of her new friends to feel any pain.
"He was going to go save a friend. One that had been enslaved by a Goa'uld." Jack's eyes narrowed. "If anything happens to any of them. I'm holding you personally responsible."
"That's not fair..." Kyna had not felt this horrible since the day she woke up and found that she was truly alone.
"No it's not." Jack turned, and started to walk out. "We're done here." Over his shoulder he ordered, "Major, prepare SG5 for a rescue mission." He didn't wait to hear if his order was acknowledge or not. He slammed the door to his office.
Paul looked over to Hammond. "Sir?" He then looked back at the Ancient woman.
"Go a head Major." Hammond stood.
"Yes, sir." Paul gathered up his notes, and left.
Hammond crossed the room and went into his former office to confront Jack.
All alone once more, Kyna bent her head over the table and began to sob uncontrollably as the weight of what Jack had told her crushed everything that she felt.
Jack's Office
Hammond charged into the office, but he didn't slam the door. "What the hell was that?"
"What was what, Sir?" Jack looked up as he was going though the different folders on his desk.
"You just attacked that poor girl." Hammond pointed to Kyna though the glass.
Jack didn't look up, "I had to do what was necessary, Sir."
Hammond couldn't believe that he was hearing this. "Necessary? Please explain yourself."
"That woman out there, was going to blame us for what happened to her people. I had to show her that we're not the bad guys here." He didn't look up.
"You did a fine job of that!" Hammond raised both hands and then let them fall.
"We're going with SG5 to rescues SG1." Jack looked up with a neutral expression on his face.
"We're going? What are you talking about?" Hammond was confused. He knew that since he was here, that Jack could go off world, but he was hoping that he didn't want to include the girl in this.
"I'm taking that woman with me, and SG5 to go save our people." Jack was very serious.
"Like hell you are! That woman is very valuable to us right now!" Hammond was shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. The girl obviously had no, off world training. Hell, he didn't think that she been outside very much in her entire life.
"That woman is a paper weight. She blames us for what happened to her people, and by doing that she'll never in a million years help us against any of our current or future enemies." Jack sits down and leans back into his chair.
"Did you have to be so harsh?" Hammond asked him as he looked out the window. His heart went out to her as he saw her sobbing with her head down on the table.
"Yes, Sir, I did. I'm sorry that I had to be so hard on her, but as I said there was no other way to convince her other wise."
"For her sake, Jack, I hope your right." His voice was softer as he turned back towards him.
"I hope so, too, Sir." Jack had let his feelings get involved. He felt slightly helpless being safe at the SGC while Sam and the rest of the team was being held captive.
Gate Room, Forty-five minutes later:
SG5, Jack, and Kyna were all dressed in their off world gear. Kyna's hair was up in a tight bun that was pulled though the back of her cap. Hammond walked into the Gate Room. This felt like old times to him.
Jack turns towards Kyna and hands her a Zat.
"What's this for?" She took the Zat in her hand. She recognized it, but didn't know what it did.
Jack raised a brow, "You don't know what it does? You brought it with you though the Gate."
"I thought it looked interesting. I found it on the ground, so I decided to take it." Kyna spoke quietly; she could sense that everyone in the room was watching them.
Jack was pretty annoyed, but he held back his outburst. He moved to stand behind her. He placed it in her hand and he moved her thumb. "This is how you open it... You press this once, it stuns your enemy; twice it kills them; three times it disintegrates them. Got it?" He steps back.
"Yes, but I don't understand why I'm going with you." All Kyna wanted to do, was go back to the VIP room and hide under her covers for the rest of her life.
"You want to help Daniel don't you?" Jack hated using Daniel to make his point, but it was the only thing he could think of doing. He didn't want to say that he wanted to show her what they were up against, and that's why they needed her to tell them what ever she knew in that repository of hers.
"Of course I do." Kyna frowns. This whole thing didn't seem right to her.
"Good, I want you to be Major Davis's shadow, unless I tell you other wise." He looked at Paul.
They had talked about the mission less then twenty minutes ago. Paul understood that he was guarding her, and that the rest of his team was his back up. "And remember Ms. Dior, if we do go under fire, don't walk in front of us, we don't want you getting shot by accident."
Kyna gave Paul a weak smile, "Thank you, Major Davis, I'll remember that, and you don't have to keep calling me 'Ms. Dior', Kyna is fine enough."
"Dial it out!" Jack gives the signal for Walter to start the dialing program.
"Alright, then." Paul returned her smile. "My first name is Paul. Though you'll be the only one around here that can call me that."
Kyna tilted her head, and gave him a real smile, "I appreciate that."
Jack frowns as he just thinks of something; he turns towards Kyna. "They fed you right?"
Kyna turns back towards him; she didn't raise her eyes to his. "Yes they fed me..." She mutters. "They also had me stuff my pockets with energy bars." She pulled one out, "See?"
The last chevron locked into place, and the wormhole became established.
"Alright, let's move out." Jack waved his hand to move SG5 forward as he went up the ramp and though the even horizon.
The other three members of SG5 disappeared though the event horizon while Paul waited at the top of the ramp for Kyna.
Hammond stepped up behind the girl as she hesitated to move onto the ramp. "Good luck, dear." And it a lower voice he said, "Please don't hate us."
Kyna turned her eyes met his, she was able to sense the kindness of the man before her, and that he regarded her as he would one of his own family. She shook her head, "I couldn't hate you, even if I wanted to. But I don't."
"I'm glad to hear that." He motioned for her to move up the ramp, "You'd better go."
She nodded, turned and walked up the ramp.
Paul waited for her to clear the event horizon first before he stepped though it as well.
Enapay's World --- Ictinike's Compound --- Holding Cell
Daniel's brows came together as he felt his muscles and joints ach from being knocked out with the Zat. He blinked several times as the reality of what happened came to him. Ever so slowly, he was able to turn on his side and then he pushed himself up to a sitting position against the wall.
"Daniel Jackson, it is good to see that you are awake." Teal'c was leaning against one of the walls as well. He stood up, very slowly as his body was adapting to hit from the Zat.
Daniel looked around the cell. He saw Master Bra'tac stirring as well. He shifted his gaze around the cell again. "Teal'c, where's Sam and Enapay?"
Master Bra'tac sat up, "we were deceived!" He was annoyed at himself. He should have seen it was a trap.
"Apparently so, Enapay is missing..." Teal'c as annoyed that he had trusted the young Jaffa so quick and freely.
"Let's wait a second before we start suspecting Enapay of doing anything. We are not actually sure why he's not here, or what they are doing to him." Daniel wasn't entirely sure if Enapay tricked them or not.
"You are right, we should not hasten to make accusations." Master Bra'tac frowned.
Teal'c stood. He started to check the walls and the perimeter of the cell to find its weakness.
"What disturbs me the most is that Sam isn't here..." Daniel looked towards the ground and then at the other two men.
"Agreed." Teal'c finished his check of the cell; having found nothing he stands against the wall. "Col. Carter is quite capable of handling herself." He said it to remind Daniel of that fact, and to reassure himself.
Master Bra'tac started to look though his clothing to see if the Jaffa left any of his weapons. After finding none it hit him that they took something else as well. "My tretonin is missing." He frowned.
Teal'c went though his clothing as well, "as is mine." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Well, that's not good." Daniel frowns, he wasn't sure when the last time either one of them had taken it.
"Indeed it is not." Teal'c was annoyed by this weakness, but it was better then having to rely on a symbiote to sustain his immune system. At least if he was to die here, he would be dieing as his own master.
"At least we know that SG12 is still out there, they must have contacted SG10 by now." Daniel looked between the two men.
"You are right, Daniel Jackson. Although, I would not rely all our hopes on being rescued. They may very well be under attack at this very moment, or their position may have been compromised." Master Bra'tac stood and walked over to the bars and peered out. He went to touch one, but his hand revised a shock from the protective shielding that was in place.
Daniel leaned his head against the wall; he wasn't going to give up hope.
Enapay's World --- Slave Mines
SG5, SG10, Jack and Kyna cautiously made their way though the mines.
Kyna had made sure that she had not gotten in anyone's way the entire time that they traveled down the path and though the mines. Although at the same time she was ten times more alert then everyone else. Being that she was able to use her entire brain, where as humans use only about eight percent of their brain's abilities. She was able to turn up the information that her senses were receiving by concentrating on each of them in turn.
Paul had to check over his shoulder every now and then to make sure that Kyna was still there. The girl was a mouse, if he didn't know any better, he never would have guessed that she was no more then two feet behind him the entire mission.
Currently, Kyna was concentrating on her hearing. She was trying to focus on the sounds that were coming from in front of them. Her eyes widen, and she grabbed a hold of Paul's forearm.
Paul was surprised; he raised his fist to halt the two teams from moving any further. "Are you alright?"
Jack turned as well, "what's the hold up?" He asked in his normal stern voice.
"I hear breathing." Kyna watched how the tunnel split into two directions. She pointed towards the right. "Coming from that direction."
"That's the way we have to go, Sir." Col. Dmire looked at the girl and then at Jack. He didn't really like the idea of them having her with them, but he couldn't ignore what she said either.
"What type of breathing, Dior?" Jack was aware of how her senses were far superior then their own from the vision that she had given him. He recalled that her grandmother and her grandmother's sister had been able to see the soldiers that were going to attack them from over seven hundred yards away.
Kyna tilted her head as she listened, "Controlled very controlled. There are... ten of them." She turned around, and looked back the way they came, "We're being surrounded" She whispered. "Ten more are moving though the adjacent mines that way."
Col. Dmire takes out a stun grenade out of his vest pocket.
Jack nods, "perfect, let's keep moving." He turns towards Kyna as they continue to make their way down the mine, "how far down to the right is the first group?"
She focuses her hearing again, "Not the first turn but the second on the left." She eyes the stun grenade.
"Good, SG-5, I want you to take cover in the left tunnel, and SG12 take cover in the right. If Dior is right then I want to be prepared. I'll go with SG-12, Dior stick with Major Davis, and turn your senses down other wise your going to be in a lot of pain when Col. Dmire throws that." He motioned towards the stun grenade.
Kyna nods as they move down the right tunnel. They all get into position.
Col. Dmire cautiously makes his way towards the indicated tunnel and throws in the stun grenade.
They all hold their ears and close their eyes as it went off. From behind them ten Jaffa ran around the corner and started shooting their staff weapons. SG-5 and 12's P-90s went off, as they were able to take out all ten Jaffa.
Kyna's eyes widened as she saw them fall to the ground, she then quickly turned her head and fired her Zat as the Jaffa from the other direction started to recover from the stun grenade.
With in several moments, all the Jaffa lay dead. Kyna was so shaken up by what she saw that she moved over to the side and regurgitated her last meal.
Paul came over to her and handed her a tissue. "It happens to all of us the first time out." He patted her back. He was proud that she didn't freeze up completely, but he was also saddened that she had to experience combat.
Jack came over to them, and said quietly, "We better keep moving; it won't take them too long to realize that their trap failed." He wanted to give her more time, but he knew that they shouldn't linger under any circumstances.
Kyna whipped her mouth with the tissue. "Thank you." She moved forward with the rest of the group.
Ictinike's Compound --- Goa'uld Quarters
Sam blinked several times as her vision began to clear. For a moment she was unsure of where she was or what happened to her. But then everything began to come into focus. The rate of Sam's breathing began to increase, but she forced herself to control it.
Her eyes took inventory of her location. She was turned to the side on a large soft bed, to the far end of the room was covered in shadows; the rest of the room was dimly lit by candlelight. She couldn't see any thing that would resemble a door or window from the angle in which she was turned.
"It is good to see that you have finally awoken." Out of the shadows stepped the Goa'uld that was in Narim's body. He smirked, "you don't have to remain motionless. I shall not harm you." He motioned towards a table. "Please have a seat, refresh yourself with the morning meal."
Sam did her best to hold back a wince and then took her time sitting up. "How do I know that you are sincere? I am, after all in your room." She narrowed her eyes.
He walked over and stood by the table as he placed his hand on the back of the chair. "That you do not."
Sam slid off the bed and stood. "We'll that's comforting." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Please, sit." He asked her again. It annoyed him that she was being so difficult, but he couldn't help but being intrigued by her.
"I rather not." Sam held her ground. She didn't like this situation at all. "Why Narim? Why not one of the others? What made him so special?"
"Well, you of course." He grinned. He enjoyed seeing her upset like this; it was rather refreshing.
"I don' t understand." Sam shook her head as she stepped away from the bed and walked into the center of the room.
He stepped away from the chair to face her. "During our interrogations of the Tollan we learned that my host was the one that betrayed his people, and destroyed the technology that Anubis required."
Sam paced back and forth, and then pointed at him, "Narim did not betray his people! He upheld the principals that they lived by, and saved countless billions of lives."
The Goa'uld smirked and nodded, "Never the less, it was that action that destroyed his civilization."
Sam looked down and then she looked back at him. "Where are you going with this?"
"Impatient, I'll give you that." He crossed his arms across his chest. "You are the great Samantha Carter, one of the members of SG1. Need I say more?"
"Well, ya. Why not just kill me and be done with it?" She shifted her weight.
"Because my dear," He reached out to touch her face. "You would make such a lovely host for my consort."
Sam took his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder so that he fell onto the ground. "I won't let you touch me!"
For a moment, the Goa'uld lost control of the host, "Samantha, please help me!" Narim sounded very far away and weak.
Sam's eyes widened, she couldn't tell at first if it was a trick or not, but there was something in his eyes that lead her to believe that it was really Narim. "Fight him, Narim!" She stood over him, and puts her hand out to help him up. "I know you can beat him... you have to beat him."
"Samantha, I can't..." His eyes glowed and the Goa'uld resumed control. It quickly shifted his body, and brought his leg around to sweep the back of her knees so she too fell backwards. He stood up, and grinned as he glanced down at her. "The hatred that I see in your eyes fills my heart with joy." He walked back towards the table, and once again motioned for her to sit.
Sam stood back up; she refused to rub her throbbing head. "What heart would that be?"
The Goa'uld began to chuckle. "I find you to be extremely amusing." His features became as stern as stone. "Although you did not let me finish what I was saying before."
She put her hands on her hips. "And that would be..."
"Your punishment, well for you anyway, it would be punishment. But to countless thousands of loyal servants it would be rather joyful to be chosen to host one of their gods." He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his eyes glowed.
"You know very well, that I know you're not a god." Sam narrowed her eyes as well.
The Goa'uld did not fight her on this point but instead went on with his explanation, "The information that we shall gain from your blending will be most valuable. You will help us to finally bring down your world once and for all."
Sam felt slightly panicked, but she did not let him see it. "You still did not tell me why you picked Narim."
"Isn't it obvious? His feelings for you allowed us to manipulate the situation, to lore you to our world. It's true that we did not know the extent of your pathetic feelings for my host, but we knew that, as you might say, owe the Tollan one. Besides that we felt that you would not give up the opportunity to take down a system lord and confiscate his resources." He grinned.
Sam looked down; she felt like such an idiot, it had been a trap from the beginning.
The door opened along the far wall, letting a wave of bright white light to filter into the room. "M'lord Chayton, Master Ictinike would like to see you and the woman now." He bowed and then left the room.
"Apparently your new Mistress is ready for you." Chayton grinned, as he motioned for her to move forward. Upon seeing that she was not moving he said, "I could call the Jaffa in to drag you out there, although it would be a pity for them to leave bruises on your arms." His eyes scanned over ever inch of her.
Not liking the way he was looking at her, Sam moved freely though the door and into the hall.
Ictinike's Compound --- Throne Room
Sam followed the Jaffa through long iridescent black drapes into a large dimly lit Throne Room. The first thing that she saw was that Teal'c, Daniel, and Master Bra'tac were all ready present, and were on there knees in a straight line in front of an empty throne. Behind the throne it appeared to be decorated with a large spider web that reflected the candlelight that was bouncing off the thick silvery strains. "Hi guys!"
"Sam! Are you alright?" Daniel asked as he looked at her. He was surprised to see that Narim was following her though the drapes. His brows came together as he wondered what was going on. Narim was dressed in a terracotta two-piece leather outfit. It was hard for Daniel to see the details, but it looked as if feathers were edged into the leather.
"I'm fine for the moment..." Sam's brows came together. She stopped when she came into line with the others.
"On your knees!" Chayton pushed Sam down.
Teal'c's eyes widened, "What is the meaning of this?"
"He's a Goa'uld Teal'c..." Sam went reluctantly on her knees.
"That is rather unfortunate." Teal'c turned back towards the empty throne.
"I think not." Chayton's eyes glowed.
From the right side of the throne, the drapes were pulled to the side. Seven scantily dressed women walked out single filled. Each took her designated position around the throne. They wore black leather garments, with thick black lipstick and eye shadow. Daniel could only describe them as looking like they were dressed in Goth.
Teal'c was able to determine that three of the females were Jaffa by the eight-legged spider symbol on their foreheads, and that their stomachs were covered. The other four appeared to be Goa'uld; their stomachs were not covered.
"It looks like the harem has arrived..." Daniel rolled his eyes.
Out from the drapes appeared a broad shouldered man in a shimmering black leather outfit with a black cape that dragged on the floor behind him. He walked proudly towards the throne and took his time sitting down.
Chayton bowed his head, "Milord Ictinike it is an honor."
"Like wise." Ictinike eyed the prisoners. "Ah, so these are the warriors that were sent to bring me down?" He smirked, "Pitiful." He raised an eyebrow, "But very useful, indeed."
Master Bra'tac and Teal'c exchanged looks.
Ictinike took the tretonin from his pocket. "Interesting drug." He snapped the case, letting the tretonin spill on the ground. He then started to repeat that for each and ever single one that they found on Teal'c and Master Bra'tac.
"What do you wish to accomplish by destroying our only means of survival?" Teal'c narrowed his eyes.
Ictinike smirked, "Oh, I would not say that if I were you." He snapped the last vial, and then leaned back and crossed his legs. "I'm sure that your new god, will make much use of you before he kills you once and for all."
"Explain." Master Bra'tac narrowed his eyes as well.
"I am selling you. All of you, except for Col. Carter; she is my loyal servant's reward." He grinned as he looked at Chayton. "Besides that the information she will provide us as a host will be... extraordinary." He shifted his position and rubbed his hands together. "Yes, the amount of Naquadah we will receive for the three of you will be enough to power several Ha'tak."
Daniel's brows came together he, as would Teal'c and Master Bra'tac, would die before they allowed Sam to become a Goa'uld, "You're going to be selling us all together?" He looked at Teal'c and Master Bra'tac.
"No." Ictinike folded his hands together.
"What do you mean, by 'no'?" Daniel was confused he thought that perhaps if they were all together then they might be able to come up with a way to escape.
"The shol'va will go to one buyer, you, Daniel Jackson will go to another." Ictinike grinned.
"And who would that be?" Daniel narrowed his eyes.
Ictinike chuckled, "wouldn't you like to know?" He waved his hand.
From the same entrance that Sam and Chayton came though, Ictinike's First Prime walked proudly into the room. Behind him two Jaffa dragged Enapay into the line with the rest of them.
The young Jaffa had been basically stripped of his armor, and beaten. His lip was split, and he had two black eyes. There were cuts that ran down his harms, along with bruises, he even had several broken ribs.
"Kneel before your god, shol'va!" Ictinike's eyes glowed.
Enapay did his best to remain on his feet, but when the First Prime came over and hit the back of his knees with a staff weapon, he fell to the ground.
Teal'c and Master Bra'tac's eyes went wide; they thought for sure that Enapay had betrayed them, when in fact he had not.
"It pleases me to see the look of surprise on your faces." Ictinike motioned for his First Prime to step forward. "Approximately a week an a half ago, I sent my First Prime, Akecketa, to bring Enapay before me, but when he could not be found we became concerned. After that, Akecketa was charged with finding out his activities. It did not take long to discover that Enapay wanted to betray me." He narrowed his eyes when he looked upon the young Jaffa.
One of the Jaffa that had dragged Enapay into the room was handed a Torture Stick. He then used it on Enapay.
Sam's eyes went wide, "Stop it! Haven't you done enough?" She exclaimed; she was also surprised to see that he had not passed out yet.
Ictinike smirked, "I think not. We are far from being done with him." He brought his hands together, and leaned forward. "Although loyalty does have its rewards." He turned towards his First Prime. "Since you are the one who uncovered his plan, by following him off world, and talking with those whom he met; I will charge you with his punishment. You have full reign to do what you like with him."
"It would be an honor." Akecketa bowed his head and brought his forearm and fist to his chest as he thought of what to do with Enapay.
Daniel Jackson tried to go over the events in his mind. There was one point that still confused him. "So, when did Narim actually become a Goa'uld?" He thought that perhaps if he kept them talking it would give SG10 and SG12 to come up with some sort of plan to help them.
Ictinike tilted his head and grinned. "That was precisely why I had wanted Enapay to come to me a week and a half ago. One of the other Jaffa's symbiote was about matured, and I wanted him to pick its host from among the slaves. When I learned of his deception I decided that I would use it to my advantage. I remembered that from Akecketa's report of Narim, that he had ties to your world. Once the Jaffa's symbiote was replaced, I ordered him to secrecy. From there all we had to do was wait until you came to our world." He shifted his gaze back on Enapay. "He was good at covering his tracks, but Akecketa's abilities are far superior to his."
Akecketa grinned with pleasure. It was truly a great day for him because his god was praising him to non-believers. He looked back down at Enapay, when the perfect punishment came to his mind. "Milord, I have decided what I want to do with him."
"Excellent, please inform our... prisoners of your plans." Ictinike watched his First Prime carefully. He was curious to find out what he had in mind, but he didn't want to seem like he wasn't all knowing. Hence why he wanted Akecketa to explain his plan in front of them.
"We could remove his symbiote, and give it to..." Akecketa was cut off.
"Wachiwi," Ictinike smirked. He understood that Akecketa had eyes for the eighth and youngest member of his harem, but would never act upon his desires. If he did, Ictinike would make him pay dearly. He was fortunate that Wachiwi shared her twin brother, Enapay's, sentiment towards his First Prime. She despised him and his attention. It always made Ictinike grin whenever Akecketa would leave the Throne Room, and for a split second she would display a look of total disgust.
"Without his symbiote he will die," Sam's eyes widened. She felt completely helpless to be able to stop them.
"That is the point, Col. Carter." Teal'c narrowed his eyes. "In the state that Enapay is currently in, removing his symbiote will cause him to have an extremely slow and painful death."
Enapay's focus was currently still on the ground. He was concentrating as hard as he could to maintain some level of curiousness. When he heard his sister's name, his heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest. For years he had felt honored that her life had been spared and that she was chosen as one of his god's eight consorts. Although since he realized the truth about Ictinike, all he wanted to do was get his sister out of his clutches.
"Who's Wachiwi?" Daniel looked confused. This was getting more complicated by the minute.
It took all Enapay's strength to say this, "my twin sister..." He swallowed, "I had heard of your tretonin, and prayed that I would be able to free her before... before..." His eyes rolled, he couldn't focus anymore, and his shoulders went limp as he fought the pain.
Master Bra'tac's eyebrows went up, "To have two Jaffa that serve the same Goa'uld have both of their symbiotes maturing in less then two weeks is quite unusual. Considering your age, I would not be surprised if she was the second or third host to that particular symbiote."
"Agreed, but apparently it has happened." Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
Sam's stomach turned as the weight of what all of this meant came crashing in on her. If Wachiwi's symbiote was now fully mature, then they were going to put into her. She had hopped that there would take some time for them to find a Goa'uld in need of a host.
Chayton grinned; the timing couldn't be any more perfect than this. He motioned for one of the Jaffa by the doors to go and bring the Goa'uld and Jaffa woman to them. "Wachiwi has been without a symbiote for several hours, and has grown rather weak. Since we gave the last symbiote to the Jaffa that carried me, we have been without the ability to give her one as well... at least up until now."
Out from the left side of the throne, the drapes opened and a Jaffa came out into the room caring a large vessel. He placed it down on the ground. Everyone could easily guess that a Goa'uld was inside of it. Following him two Jaffa carried out, on what appeared to be a stretcher with a Jaffa woman on top of it. The Jaffa woman was very feverish. She was sweating and shaking from no longer having a symbiote to combat pathogens.
Akecketa walked over to Enapay, and reached into his stomach to pull out his symbiote.
Enapay's eyes went wide with hatred as the symbiote left him. He then collapsed before he could see what happened next.
Akecketa walked over towards Wachiwi, and had the symbiote enter her.
Wachiwi remained unconscious as the symbiote got used its new environment.
Chayton moved behind Sam. He took a handful of her hair in his hand. He pointed to the Jaffa that carried the vessel into the room to bring it over to them.
Sam clawed at his hands with her fingernails. "Let go of me!"
However before the Jaffa could do that, everyone was in the room was surprised when a bright light and a loud sound stunned their senses. Someone had thrown a stun grenade into the room.
As the stun grenade went off, Sam knew what that meant. Despite the ear piercing sound and bright white light, she pushed off the ground with all of her might, and back into Chayton.
Chayton was so stunned that he let Sam's hair go in order to cover his ears; he was even more stunned when he felt her weight push into him. He felt a blow to the back of his head as he was knocked off his feet and fell to the floor. The next thing he knew was that Sam's arm was around his neck in a chocker hold position, while he was pinned down to the ground.
Teal'c also acted at that moment. Even though he was blinded and his ears hurt, he was able to remember the last position of each of the Jaffa in the room. Since his hands were tied behind his back, he pushed off his knees and did a dive roll towards Akecketa. He maneuvered his body so that he would be able to flare his legs and roll on his shoulders to knock the Jaffa off of his feet. He then moved his legs and snapped the Jaffa's neck with his feet.
Ictinike was also on the move. He had just turned his head towards the drape that the stun grenade had been thrown from and was on his feet as it hit. He stumbled towards the exit to the right.
The harem was on their feet as well, they were screaming as they covered their ears and eyes.
The Jaffa that had placed the vessel on the ground stumbled into it, and knocked it over. The Goa'uld that was inside was accidentally stepped on so hard that it was squished like a worm.
It all happened so fast that Daniel was more in shock than anything else.
Master Bra'tac couldn't do anything even if he really wanted to.
Enapay started to come to again, although he was very feverish.
SG12 and SG5 filled into the room and took strategically positions behind the pillars that lined the walls.
Major Davis stayed in the adjoining hall with Kyna. Although he was making sure that their exit was secure at the same time.
Jack was at the entrance. "Alright, everyone put your weapons on the ground and no one gets hurt!"
Sam tightened her hold on Chayton. "Perfect timing like always, Sir!"
"Well, you know how I love to make a grand entrance." Jack grinned. He looked at the throne, and frowned when he saw that it was empty. "Where did the snake head go?"
By this time Ictinike was gone as were the four female Goa'ulds that were apart of his harem. The three Jaffa women were just as stunned at the remaining Jaffa in the room. One tried to fire his staff weapon but was shot by Col. Dmire. The remaining Jaffa lowered their weapons.
Jack motioned for Col. Dmire to follow after Ictinike with his team.
Col. Dmire turned back towards Jack after he scoped out the back room. "It's a ring room, sir. He's gone." The rest of his team began to disarm the Jaffa.
"Samantha... you're choking me..." Narim spoke out.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Umm... Carter?"
Daniel stood up slowly. "Narim has been taken as a host, Jack."
"Whoa! Didn't see that one coming!" Jack turned towards the hall. "Davis get in here, help Carter secure... the new snake head."
Major Davis shifted his gaze from the hallway towards Kyna; he motioned with his head for her to follow him. "Yes, Sir." He moved into the Throne Room and cautiously walked behind Sam. He helped secure Narim's hands behind his back.
Sam backed away, but Col. Dmire kept his weapon aimed on him.
Master Bra'tac slowly stood up. He looked at the Jaffa in the room. "Where has your god gone? He has retreated like the coward that he is. If he was truly all powerful, then he would not have the need to escape!" He started pacing in front of them. "He is not a god, but a parasite that has taken over the body of a defenseless human being. We are the ones that give the Goa'uld power. We are the ones that incubate their children, who fight their wars, and we are the ones who sacrifice our lives in their name."
Teal'c also made his way to his feet. "What Master Bra'tac says is true. We are the ones that give them power, and we are the ones that can take that power away. You have seen that for yourselves today." He looked into their eyes, "Join us in our struggle to be rid of the Goa'uld once and for all."
Kyna stood next to the drapes as she watched the scene before her.
Wachiwi's eyes fluttered, "Enapay...?" She said weakly as she started to feel better.
Daniel's eyes went wide as he remembered the barely conscious Jaffa on the floor. "We need help here!" He knelt down next to him.
Kyna heard Daniel's voice and looked over towards him. She stepped forward and knelt next to the Jaffa.
Daniel blinked, "What..." He looked at Jack, and then back at her, "are you doing here?"
Under her breath, Kyna said, "You're not the only one who would like to know that..."
Wachiwi sat up. She looked around and was very afraid by what she saw. She had no idea what was going on. She searched the room to find her brother, but finally found him on the ground. "Oh no!" She slid off the stretcher and knelt on the side of him.
Kyna looked at the woman. "He will be fine." She had tears in her eyes as she tried to give her a warm smile. She looked back down at the man and quietly said, "I may not be able to help all of your people but at least I can help you." She tilted her head and closed her eyes as she first waved her hands together, then motioned one over his head and the other one over his chest. It took most of her strength, but she was able to heal all of his injuries.
Wachiwi's eyes went wide as she saw the wounds disappear. "What type of magic is this?"
Daniel looked at her and smiled, "oh, the good kind." The different members of SG5 moved towards Master Bra'tac, Teal'c and Daniel they removed the ropes that bounded their hands.
Kyna's hands dropped as she finished. She was extremely pale. Without thinking much about it, she took a power bar out of her pocket and started to munch on it.
Enapay sat up, he looked at his hands and arms; there were no more bruises or cuts.
All the other Jaffa that were left in the room stared at Enapay in disbelief. Some even fell to their knees.
Master Bra'tac walked over to the young Jaffa and extended his hand towards him. "I fear that might not be enough to save you."
Enapay stood, and frowned. "I do not understand, Master."
Teal'c walked up to them as well. "With out a symbiote you will have no defense against infection."
Wachiwi stood up; she looked down at her stomach. "Enapay, this was your symbiote?"
Enapay shifted his gaze onto his sister, "It is your symbiote."
"No! You should take it back, I will not sit by and watch you die because of me!" Wachiwi went to draw out the symbiote, but Master Bra'tac stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
"That is a very noble thing to want to do, but it is not necessary." Master Bra'tac looked at Teal'c and then Enapay.
"You have another symbiote?" Wachiwi raised her eyebrows. Her eyes were a very soft brown with a gray tint to them. Despite all that she had gone though, she still held an innocent look in them.
"No my dear, but we have something even better." Master Bra'tac.
"Not to interrupt, but Ictinike destroyed all of your tretonin. You should really be getting back to the SGC to get some more." Daniel looked up at them as he adjusted his glasses on nose.
Jack flipped open his back pack and took out three cases of tretonin. He carried an extra one just in case. "Not necessarily." Jack grinned. He tossed one packet to each of them.
"Thank you O'Neill." Teal'c bowed his head; he slapped Enapay on the back. "Come I will teach you how to use it." The two of them walked into the hallway.
Daniel stood up, "now what?"
"Well, we could round up the remaining Jaffa, free the slaves, and head home." Jack shrugged.
Wachiwi extended her hand towards Kyna. "I don't know how to ever repay you for healing my brother."
"There is no need to." Kyna bowed her head, some of color had returned.
"Come brothers and sisters, let us gather the rest of the Jaffa and celebrate our freedom!" Master Bra'tac motioned for them to follow him. He knew that after what they had seen the Ancient woman do that there was no doubt in their minds that he had spoken the truth.
Col. Dmire looked back at Jack as the group moved towards the door. "Sir?"
"Let them go, Dmire." Jack trusted Bra'tac's judgment when it concerned the Jaffa on this occasion.
The group was about to reach the doorway when Chayton spoke up. "Pathetic! You will not succeed in your rebellion. Your god is only toying with you to be able to break your spirit!"
"Spoken like a true sore loser." Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Major Davis looked at Chayton and then back at Jack. "What shall we do with him, Sir?"
"Oh I believe the Tok'ra owe us one." Jack raised his eyebrows.
Chayton smirked, "I will gladly kill the host before I let the," he spat out the word, "Tok'ra touch me."
Kyna tilted her head, she sensed the creature that was in the man, and knew that it was evil. She then turned towards Daniel. "Where is the parasite located in the body?"
Daniel stared at her for a moment trying to figure out why she wanted to know that, but then he smiled. "It is coiled around the back of the neck and attached the base of the brain."
Kyna nodded, "It is a good thing that I haven't made any promises in the last two days." She smiled, knowing that Daniel would remember that he asked her not to do something in order to keep the V.I.P. room.
"Yes, it is a very good thing." Daniel smiled and shook his head. "Go a head."
"Daniel?" Sam looked at him and then Kyna, "what are you talking about?"
"You'll see." Daniel raised his eyebrows.
Kyna turned and walked towards Chayton. She circled him twice before stopping behind him and waving her hands together and then at the back of his head.
Chayton was knocked out, but Narim was not. He blinked several times. "What... what happened?" He turned around and looked at the girl.
"I put the parasite to sleep." Kyna smirked. "It will stay asleep for a few hours. I can always repeat the process if I have to." She took out another power bar and started to eat it.
"Nice." Jack smiled.
Master Bra'tac motioned for the Jaffa to follow him out.
Wachiwi lingered for a moment, but then she left the room and followed out the rest of the Jaffa.
SGC - Briefing Room - The Next Day
It was the afternoon after the rescue, but the SGC was a beehive of activity. The leaders of slaves had come to the SGC to discus their future, along with several Jaffa representatives. The pentagon had also learned of the success of the mission. Paul had been on the phone all morning discussing the government's interest in the mine and resources that the planet had to offer.
The SGC command had been put in an awkward position. Jack's main fear was that all three parties were going to lay claim to the planet and the Naquada that was left over in the mines. He thought that perhaps it was best to meet with the two different off world parties first and find out what they wanted before having everyone meet together to discuses their final plans.
Jack left his office with a lot on his mind. He looked up to see that General Hammond was already seated at the head of the Briefing Room table.
Hammond gave Jack a huge grin, "I hope you don't mind me sitting in on this one, Jack."
"Not at all, Sir. In fact I'm happy that you're going to be here. You know how much I just love these types of meetings." Jack sat on the right side of the table next to Hammond.
"Oh, I can remember quite clearly." Hammond shook his head and continued to grin. "Believe me Jack, I don't miss negotiating with aliens any more then you like doing it, but it has to be done."
Sam came into the Briefing Room followed by Daniel and Teal'c. They sat in order on the same side of the table that Jack was located on. Sam smiled, "Good afternoon General Hammond." She nodded to Jack, "Sir."
Daniel smiled as well, "Hi guys!"
Teal'c bowed his head in greetings.
"It's good to see you all together like this again." Hammond looked down the table. He missed being in command of this facility, but the job in Washington gave him the opportunity to see his grand daughters more then he was able to do while he was working here.
"Like wise, Sir." Sam smiled.
They all turned their heads when Narim, Kyna, and two other people filed into the room. Narim sat across from Jack and the other two people sat next to him.
Kyna sat in a chair that was against the wall behind Narim. She was concentrating on the Goa'uld that was still in him. She was focusing on making sure that it didn't wake up on them before they were able to get help to remove it.
"Howdy folks." Jack smiled, "for those who don't know who we are, let me take a moment for introductions."
Paul came into the Briefing Room with several folders tucked under his arm. "Sorry, I'm late, Sir." He was slightly embarrassed, but he didn't show it. He liked to be on time for meetings, but his bosses at the Pentagon had held him longer on the phone than he would have liked them to.
"That's okay, Major." Jack looked back at the people who were sitting across the table. He first motioned to Hammond. "This is Major General George Hammond, Head of Home World Security." He then shifted his position and motioned towards Sam, "Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Major Paul Davis." He stopped, and then smiled, "And I'm Brigadier General Jack O'Neill."
Narim smiled, "I'm sure that you all remember me, I'm Narim of the Tollan."
The pretty blond haired woman with green eyes bowed her head; "I am Tryne Wim from the planet Piet."
The man seated next to her had long shiny black hair that was braided behind him. He bowed his head, "I am Haru from Mamoru."
"It's nice to meet all of you." Jack smiled, but then his facial features turned serious. "I'm sure you all understand why we are meeting right?"
Haru nodded, "Of course, to discuses our future."
"We are here to represent all those that were freed from bondage yesterday." Tryne looked at both Narim and Haru. "For many months we have been discussing what we would like to do if we were ever emancipated." She closed her eyes and smiled, "Although many doubted that this day would actually ever come, some of us still had faith that one day we would be our own masters once again." She opened her eyes, "We passed on our sentiments towards our people and all have come to an agreement."
"Which is...?" Jack looked at each of them in turn.
Narim leaned forward, "to start over on Tollana."
"Really?" Daniel lifted his eyebrows.
Haru bowed his head. "Yes, Tollana is where we would all like to go. We feel that we have all become kindred though our common experience."
Tryne looked down, she held a sadness in her eyes for the loose of her people and her world, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do about it. "The majority of the slave population was from Tollana. Then the next largest group was from Mamoru and then Piet. The rest are from many different worlds were there were less then a hand full of survivors."
"I also believe that some of the central archives may have been spared during the attack. They are hidden deep underground and would not have been damaged from the bombardment of the planet." Narim folded his hands together. Going back to Tollana would be a very sad experience, but out of all the planets that they could chose from, it seemed like the best place to go.
Hammond rubbed his chin. "Are you sure you want to go there? We could try to find a planet that already has its infrastructure intact so that you could amalgamate into their society."
Tryne shook her head, "We already thought of that, and felt that the transition would be too difficult for us to endure."
"Many of us have already begun starting over. While we were in the mines I met my wife who is from one of the other planets." Haru smiled.
Sam tilted her head, "I thought that the Tollana Star Gate had been destroyed."
"It was." Narim's eyes were clouded as he remembered the day. "We were hoping that perhaps you could help us out as you did before. We would like to try to contact the Nox to see if they could transport us to Tollana."
Tryne raised her chin, "Although at the same time, we expect to take the Naquada that we mined in order to make a new Star Gate once we reach Tollana." She pressed her lips together, which suggested that the young woman would not bend on this particular point.
"Is that all that you require?" Teal'c asked thinking that wasn't much at all.
"For the most part, yes." Haru nodded, "Although we would be very grateful for any supplies that could be provided for us as we get our selves settled in."
General Hammond looked at Paul; he knew that the young man was the one that could verify what they could offer them and what they could not. "Major?"
Paul opened his folder. "We are willing to accept your terms. However, I have the authority to have the Prometheus take you to the planet of your choice." He smiled. This was going to be easier than he thought.
"The Prometheus?" Narim was a bit surprised he was not aware that they had a ship of such flight capability.
General Hammond smiled, "Yes, that would be a good idea. We should give the new hyper engines a test run." He thought to himself that he was glad that they could try out the engines before attempting to fly the Prometheus to the Pegasus Galaxy to see what happened to their people that were stranded there.
"If I may, Sir?" Sam looked over towards Jack and Hammond who gave her a nod. "The Prometheus is our first interstellar ship. It is a hybrid of Asgard and human technology. Quite frankly if it wasn't for the Asgard it would be a large piece of scrap metal."
"I see." Narim gave her a small smile, he hoped that their people were capable of handling such a piece of technology without letting it destroy them in the process.
"Anything else?" Jack looked at all of them in turn.
Narim shook his head, "Nothing else."
"Alright then, it's been nice talking with you folks. We'll get back to you on the final preparations." Jack smiled.
Haru and Tryne stood, and walked out. Narim hesitated for a moment, but then started to walk out as well. Kyna stood; she had not been paying attention to the proceedings. She was just focused on making sure that Chayton didn't wake up. She followed Narim out of the room.
Sam took a deep breath and sat back in her chair.
Daniel smiled, "That was pretty easy."
"Surprisingly so." Teal'c also smiled.
Jack pointed his finger at them, "Don't jinx it!" He lifted his eyes to see Walter escorting in Master Bra'tac, Enapay, and another Jaffa.
Walter motioned for the group to sit before leaving the room to attend to his duties.
Master Bra'tac adjusted his cape before sitting; he was dressed in formal attire since he had been meeting with the Jaffa from Enapay's world.
Enapay bowed his head, "Tek ma te." He smiled broadly. He was very proud of all that they had accomplished.
Teal'c bowed his head, "Tek ma te, brothers."
Enapay motioned towards the elderly Jaffa to his right. "This is Wicasa. He is one of the eldest and wisest among the Jaffa from our world."
Daniel smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
Wicasa bowed his head.
Jack picked up his pen and lightly pointed it to Teal'c for a split second. "Teal'c why don't you introduce everyone to Wicasa."
"I would be glad to." He looked towards his right. "At the head of the table is General Hammond, next to him is General Jack O'Neill, then Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson," he looked towards his left, "and this is Major Davis."
The Jaffa with the worn face, and deep brown eyes, bowed his head. "It is an honor. We owe you much for your help."
"Ah! It was nothing!" Jack leaned back in his chair.
Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Master Bra'tac all gave Jack a look that suggested that it was more then that.
Jack shrugged and then looked back at Wicasa. "We were curious to know what you are planning of doing with the planet now that you've joined Master Bra'tac and the Free Jaffa."
Wicasa looked at Enapay and then back at the group in front of them. He suspected that they wanted something in return for helping them out, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was just yet.
"With Ictinike still out there, and being that our numbers have decreased dramatically." Enapay paused, and looked over to Teal'c and then Master Bra'tac. "We felt that perhaps it would be best if the compound be used as a training facility for the Free Jaffa. Perhaps a place where all Jaffa can feel free to share their knowledge, but at the same time help to guard the world in case Ictinike decides to return."
Daniel tilted his head, "just how likely is that to happen?"
"Ictinike has little to no allies amongst his own kind. It is very likely that it will take him quite some time to build up his forces again." Wicasa leaned back in his seat as he studied the group in front of him.
"Well, that's good then." Daniel smiled.
"Indeed it is." Teal'c looked at Master Bra'tac.
"We would be honored to use your planet as a training facility." Master Bra'tac bowed his head.
"However, gentlemen there are matters that we need to be discussed." General Hammond looked at Wicasa.
Wicasa turned his attention towards the man at the head of the table.
"The former slaves that worked the mines would like to take the Naquada that they extracted to their new home world to build a their own Star Gate."
Wicasa went deep into thought before he looked up. "We thought that they might want the Naquada for themselves."
"It's only fair that they get it, after all they were the ones who dug it up." Sam looked at Wicasa. She hoped that he would at least acknowledge that.
"Yes, they did. But under our Jaffa's supervision..." Wicasa leaned forward, "We require one fifth of that Naquada for our own defenses for the time being."
"That is a fair amount." Master Bra'tac was pleased that they were at least willing to negotiate with them about this point.
Jack slowly nodded, wasn't exactly sure how much Naquada they were talking about or if it would be enough for them to work with. "We'll have to get back to you on that one."
"Another topic is the Naquada that is left. Do you plan on mining it?" Paul asked.
"We do." Enapay folded his hands in front of him.
"We were kind of wondering if we could have some of that." Jack looked at them.
"Some of it?" Wicasa's voice was hard.
Enapay whispered into Wicasa's ear for a moment.
Paul opened one of his folders. "We are authorized to give you mining equipment to extract the Naquada. Besides that we can also offer you supplies until you're able to produce your own food."
Enapay whispered in Wicasa's ear again as they all waited patiently for what he would have to say. "For that you may have, ten percent of the Naquada that we mine."
Paul looked down at his folder the Pentagon wanted at least twenty five percent. "We were thinking more along the lines of half of the Naquada from the mines."
"HALF!" Wicasa raised his voice. "Absolutely not!"
Jack rubbed his jaw. "There is also the question of the tretonin."
Enapay winced for a split second. He then whispered in Wicasa's ear again.
Wicasa took a deep breath. "That is true..." He thought of his people and how each of them would eventually have to rely on the substance for the rest of this generation. "Twenty percent."
Jack looked at Paul, who was motioning with his hand to raise it a little. "How about we say twenty five percent and we'll have a deal."
Wicasa thought to himself for a moment, and then bowed his head. "Agreed."
Gate Room - Several Hours Later
Sam stood watching the open gate. She smiled at Narim as he came back though it. "So? How do you feel?"
He smiled, "Like me again!" He raised his arms and then let them fall to his sides. "The Tok'ra were very happy to help."
Jack came into the room though the side door. "That's good to hear." He turned towards Sam. "They're ready for you."
Narim gave them a questioned look.
"The Prometheus!" Sam smiled brightly. "We have all of your people aboard and ready to go along with all the extra supplies and Naquada that you will need for several months."
"That's great to hear, how do I get on board?" Narim walked down the ramp and stood next to Sam.
"Well, actually right here." Sam looked towards Jack who gave Walter the signal.
The ring platform transported Sam and Narim up to the Prometheus.
Jack turned and went back up to the control room.
Walter turned towards him, "The Prometheus is ready to disembark."
"Give them the go a head." Jack entered the room, and turned to go back towards his office.
"Excuse me, Sir?" Major Davis walked up to Jack caring a rather large box along with several folders.
Jack turned towards him. "Yes?"
"I have the box you requested, and the paper work as well." Paul wondered what was inside.
"Ah! Thank you." He took the box from him, and smiled. "That was fast."
"Yes, Sir. General Hammond pulled some strings at the state department while you were gone yesterday."
"I guess it's good to have friends in high places." Jack turned to go towards his office.
"Um... Sir, if I may, what's in the box?" Paul was curious, he wasn't sure if he was crossing the line or not by asking General O'Neill this, but it was worth a shot.
Jack looked over his shoulder, "Actually, I'm not sure. But I know someone who might." He entered his office, and smiled when he saw her sitting in there. "Just the Ancient I was looking for." Jack looked over his shoulder at Paul. "Why don't we go into the Briefing Room?"
Kyna stood and walked out the room and took a seat at the table.
Jack slightly winced, but then went in to the Briefing Room as well. He wondered if she was still mad at him.
Since Paul had not been dismissed, he followed them and took a seat opposite of Kyna.
Jack placed the box next to him as he sat down, but the folders he kept in front of him. He turned towards Kyna, "you wanted to say something to me?"
Kyna looked at Paul then she looked down the table in front of her. She started drawing circles with her fingertip on the table's surface. "Well... after giving it much thought..." She looked at Jack. "I understand why you were..." She looked for the right adjective. "Why you were..."
"An ass?" Jack smirked.
"I don't know that, I think donkeys are rather cute. At least they look cute in the encyclopedia." Kyna went deep into thought. She'd never insulted anyone before, so she wasn't sure what insults to use. That wasn't covered that in her textbooks.
"What?! I'm not cute?" Jack appeared to be shocked.
Kyna's face fell, and she grew slightly pale.
Paul could see that Jack was just kidding. He cleared his throat. "If I may, Sir?"
Jack tilted his head, as he looked at Paul. He was curious to hear what he had to say, "sure go ahead Major."
Paul turned towards Kyna, he hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for saying this, but Jack deserved it. At least that's how he felt. "Perhaps just 'ass' isn't the best way to put it. Now, 'Jack-ass' would sound better. And don't worry about the donkey thing. 'Jack-ass' tends to refer to the way people behave sometimes when they aren't exactly being nice."
It took Kyna several seconds to process what he said, and then she started to giggle. "I get it! His name is Jack, and he was acting like an ass. So calling him a Jack-ass if very appropriate!" She kept on smiling, "Thank you! I like this name-calling concept. It gives people a new identity."
Jack didn't really like this, "Okay, okay. I acted like a 'Jack-ass' let's more on..." He pressed his lips together, "Now you said you understood why I was acting like that?"
Kyna nodded, "Oh yes, I think that I do." She started twirl one of her ringlets around her pointer finger as she thought out loud. "I believe that you saw how I felt when I gave you the vision. I was very hurt, and frustrated, and upset, and I wanted someone to blame. I felt that... at that time your government let the situation in Europe go from bad to worse, and that they could have stopped it before my people were..." She shook her head trying to move on without saying the word. She didn't need to start crying again. "Although in order to stop something like that from happening, you have to risk the lives of your own people. If a war does not mean something to them, then they aren't going to want to participate. It isn't until people feel threatened by some outside force, may it be imagined or real, that they are willing to act."
She swallowed, "you felt the same way that I did. Your friends were in trouble, and you stood there looking down at this ungrateful wretched girl who had the power to help you fight your enemies but simply refused to do so. You wanted me to see what you were up against, that's why you dragged me to that planet and into the line of fire." She sighed and looked very sad. "Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life. I never want to feel that way again. That's why I stayed up all night thinking about it."
Kyna shuttered, "I felt the mind of that parasite. It was evil, very evil... and all it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing." She looked up at Jack. She wasn't sure if she had said everything the way that she had wanted to or not, but at least it was a start.
Jack was deep in thought. He was leaning back in his chair rubbing his chin. "Your right about all of it... well, accept the part about you being ungrateful and wretched. I don't think that. I don't think anyone else does."
"I certainly don't." Paul gave her a smile. Perhaps she was going to help them after all.
"Don't misunderstand me. I simply can't give you weapons... but I can teach your people, preferably Sam, how to make other things." Kyna looked a bit worried. She hoped that they weren't going to be angry with her.
Jack leaned forward, and started to tap the folder on the desk. "What sort of things?"
"Defensive shields. Granted that you don't have enough power to shield your whole planet, but I feel that if you can shield..." Kyna looked up as she saw a very angry Daniel walking into the room followed by Teal'c.
Daniel was really pissed; he had just seen the tape of yesterday's interview. He really wanted to lace into Jack about how he treated Kyna. He felt that he should grow up, and learn to talk like an adult when he was angry with people instead of letting his emotions get involved and say hurtful things. "Jack..."
Teal'c had viewed the video as well. He attempted to stop Daniel Jackson from going straight to see Jack, but to no avail he ran right past him. At the same time, if Teal'c really wanted to stop Daniel from going to see Jack about the interview, he could have.
Jack raised his eyebrows, "Daniel..."
Daniel held back his anger, but spoke with a tone that suggested that he was extremely angry. "May I have a word with you..." He noticed Kyna, "in private? Now!"
Jack shifted his eyes towards the Ancient woman.
"Daniel," Kyna waited for him to look at her before giving him a warm smile. "Did you just see yesterday's interview?"
Daniel didn't want to sound rude to her, so he just nodded.
"I want you to know that I completely understand why he was acting like such a 'Jack-ass.'" She grinned.
Daniel walked around the table and sat next to her. "Are you sure?" He looked back at Jack.
Kyna nodded, "Yes, I am positive. Besides, it is obvious that when he is being emotional, he lacks the diplomatic skills that are necessary when dealing with someone who is just as equally emotional as he is."
Teal'c walked around the table and sat next to Major Davis.
Jack smiled, "See, nothing to be angry about." He turned towards Kyna. "Now, my dear, you were talking about shielding technology?"
"Yes, I was thinking that you could shield key locations in each region where people could evacuate to in case of a global attack. At least until I have taught Sam the math that is necessary for understanding how to build a Pontentia." She wasn't exactly sure how good her plan was, but then again she did come up with it around six o'clock that morning after not sleeping all night long.
"I have never heard of a Pontentia." Teal'c frowned.
Kyna started to explain the components of a Pontentia, "Oh, well it stores massive amounts of energy by..."
"Save the scientific babble for Carter, Dior." Jack was starting to get a slight headache.
"Oh, I think she means a ZPM." Daniel's eyes were wide.
"Ah, yes," Jack turned towards Kyna, and motioned with his hands. "A crystal like thing that's about this big, the bottom is round, it give the Star Gate enough power to dial other galaxies?"
Kyna nodded slowly, "I believe that is the same thing. Do you already have one?"
"Well, not exactly." Jack pressed his lips together. "It's out of power."
"I see." Kyna went deep into thought, trying to find in her mind's eye if there was a way to restore the energy of a Pontentia.
"Your plan would be ineffective." Teal'c had been thinking about what she had said. He tilted his head, "If the planet was under siege for many years there would be no way of feeding the people of this world. There are far too many to sustain in such a situation."
"Let's not totally reject the idea yet. It does have some merit." Jack gave Kyna an encouraging smile. This is exactly what he had wanted from her, cooperation. True she wasn't going to give them weapons, but he felt that they were opening the door to the possibility of her doing so in the future.
Paul leaned back in his chair. At least now he had something to tell his bosses at the Pentagon. However at the same time, something was bothering him about her story. "Kyna, I was just wondering something."
"Yes?" She looked at Paul.
"Did your people always live in Poland?" He frowned.
"No, but I will write up several detailed texts about our history." She started to twirl her hair around her finger again.
"Why not give us a summery." Daniel suggested.
"Oh... where would you like me to start?" She wasn't sure if she could simply summarize her ancestor's history.
"The Plague, what happened after that?" Jack suggested.
"The Plague? Well, what I know from that point on is not in the repository. I shall try to summarize it as best as I can. Most of the details have been lost." She didn't want to give away too much background information about herself. She knew that writing the texts books from the beginning would take years to accomplish, and hopefully they would get tired of the subject by then.
"That's alright, anything that you can remember is fine." Daniel gave her an encouraging smile.
"Well, we left this Galaxy and went to Pegasus. After several million years, we came back here though the Star Gate..."
"Why's that?" Jack was curious.
"I'm not sure. There are myths and things of that sort, but I don't know any facts. Anyway, soon after our return the humans of this world led a revolt against their masters. I'm guessing that they were the Goa'uld. After that we celebrated several ages. A golden age, when life was extremely good. A Silver Age, when things began to change, and then the Bronze Age, followed by the Iron Age. You have records that date back as far as the Bronze Age, but nothing further. By the time of the Iron Age, we had grown weary of life among humans. So, scouts were sent out to find Deshi. Everyone knew of story about how Deshi was an experimental city that our ancestors felt would out live any Ice Age." She yawned, "Some scouts never came back, others found no trace of the city. It wasn't until two thousand years ago that the city was finally located. At this time the core of the pure bloods was residing in what you would know as Italy. We left in secret for fear of being followed. Although once we reached Deshi, we disappeared from your history."
"So you lived in Deshi? I thought you said that it was underground?" Daniel was trying to follow what she was talking about.
"My ancestors did not live there, but I did, instead they lived above ground. There was no population growth. This way the resources of the valley directly above the city would not run out."
"You mean you lived underground, your entire life?" Jack was a bit annoyed by that. He was just asking that to clarify things for Paul since he saw it in the vision yesterday.
"Yes, out of fear of being caught with the shields down again, my grandmother refused to move back up to the surface." She took a deep breath, "When I was about eleven, my father decided to leave for a while. He came back a couple of months later, but was caring illnesses that were foreign to us. He was unable to fight them off... my grandmother and mother gave me their immunities in order to survive..." She shook her head, the memories were painful, but she had to say what happened in order to come to terms with it.
"When I woke up, I was all alone... all I found was their clothing. I searched and searched for them... I even left the safety of the cloak, and wondered out into the snow... That's when I found Augustus. He was hurt, it looked like he had been attacked by some animal, and was left there when they heard me approach. I was only twelve, but I wanted to help him. I brought him back to Deshi, and we lived there ever since."
"Now, how was it that you came back though the Star Gate?" Jack's brows were together. That was the part of the story that he just didn't get.
"Well, as a child I was only allowed to roam certain areas of the city. I stuck to those places for my entire life, but then I started to run out of food. There was a huge food storage facility that preserved food from millions of years ago. How? I'm not entirely sure, I really never thought of that. But it is likely that it was some sort of cryogenic process." She sunk into the back of her chair. "Anyway, I traveled down to the level beneath the city, and was amazed to find this teal circle in the wall. It was so pretty, I wanted to get a closer look at it."
"And that's when you got your head sucked?" Jack leaned back as well; he hated it when that happened to him.
"Yes, if you want to put it in those terms." She smiled, "That's when I met Oma. She told me what was happening, and suggested that I go retrieve the Obstruction Opening Device. It was located on a planet called Kheb. I was only there about a week when the food that I brought with me began to run out. I had found the device and was studying the writings on the walls. They were very interesting; they made me think of a book that I found in my grandmother's room that talked about ascension. That's when I decided to go home, but instead I found myself here."
Paul sat forward, "Let me get this straight, your saying that there is an underground city with a cloaked valley located in Poland. You lived your entire life in the underground city, and several weeks ago you found a repository of knowledge, accidentally had it down loaded into your mind, and then left by Star Gate to go to Kheb. After a week, you came back though the Gate expecting to find yourself in Deshi, but instead you found yourself here."
"Yes, that is accurate. I think that the Star Gate in Deshi was programmed to only send people out to other planets, but not accept incoming travelers. Although I would have to look at it in order to be sure that's what the problem is."
"That or Oma had something to do with it." Daniel's brows came together. "The house you lived in, did it have lots and lots of frescos on the walls? Many of them that were of Ancient cities?"
Kyna nodded, "Yes, how did you..?"
"I think I must have seen you when I was ascended, that's the only explanation for why I feel like I know you. Perhaps it's also why I feel this overwhelming need to protect you." Daniel was almost certain that was what happened.
"I think your right." Kyna smiled.
"Anyway..." Jack lifted the box off the ground and slid it over to her. "This belongs to you. Or at least we hope it does, it is registered under a Krystyna Dior. The location fits as does when it was registered. Although we aren't sure how to open it..."
Kyna took off her necklace and inserted it into a tiny slit on the side of the box. She then turned it counter clockwise. The box opened, and she smiled. "Yes.. I believe that's the name my father registered me under. I think it was the closest Polish name he could find that was like mine." She took out a stack of Polish money, followed by one of American hundred dollar bills. There was also a small box inside. She passed it to Daniel. "I think you'll find those to be interesting. Whatever coins that are still inside are the ones that my father decided not to sell."
"Thank you." Daniel opened the box, and blinked, it was still full of two thousand year old coins from all over the Mediterranean. "Wow! These are amazing." He passed the box to Paul.
Kyna then took out the paper work that was on the bottom. There were two passports; one for Poland, the other one was for the United States. She raised her brows, "Apparently he planed for me to come here all along." She slid them over to Jack.
"Is that it?" Jack took her paperwork, and started to go through it.
"No." She took out the last item. "This is a holographic projector. My father must have left me a message. I rather view it in private."
"That's understandable. Although there is one last thing that you should see." Jack handed her the folders.
She took them, and opened the one on top. It was a picture of a house, a rather large house with a detached garage, and a barn in the backyard. Very large trees surrounded it. "What's this?"
"That's yours. Apparently General Hammond felt guilty that you've lived underground your whole life and felt that you should live above ground for a while. The property belonged to his family, but the house hasn't been used in years." Jack felt that it was slightly unfair that she should get to have her own place to live where Teal'c still had to live on the base.
"What about the Trust?" Daniel's brows came together with worry.
"It's located less then a mile off the base, and quite frankly it's in the middle of no where. I went there once with Hammond. The place is falling apart, but since Ms. Dior has all that knowledge in her head, I'm sure she could fix it up."
"Thank you, I would like to do that." Kyna felt an overwhelming joy in her heart, she was going to get to live above ground where she could look at the stars at night, and hear the rain against the window pains.
"At the same time we were hoping that you could make up some sort of defensive perimeter around the house so that you were well protected." Jack informed her. "Although until then we want you to live on the base."
"That's understandable." Kyna smiled.
Tollana
The Prometheus touched down right outside the old capital city. The crew of the ship along with the ex-slaves started to unload the supplies that they brought with them.
Sam walked down the ramp with Narim. "Do you know where the Archive is located?"
"Yes, though the entrance is very well hidden." His eyes scanned the horizon. The city lay before him. Tears came to his eyes as he saw that it was completely leveled.
Sam felt bad for him. She couldn't imagine what he must be feeling. If anything like this ever happened on Earth, she knew that she would be a mess. Although, at the same time she would be one of the people that would be able to survive due to her intensive special forces training.
Tryne was only several feet behind them. She placed her hand on Narim's shoulder, "I will accompany you to find the Archive."
Narim only nodded.
Tryne took several steps forward. "I know that this is not easy for you, it is not easy for any of us. But perhaps if we celebrate the people of this world by remembering their accomplishments then they will be able to live on forever in our hearts and in our minds." She looked up at Narim. She had grown fond of him while they were enslaved. During the journey from Earth to Tollana she had even noticed that she felt jealousy towards Col. Carter. However she was mature enough to not let it affect her judgment or her attitude towards her.
"As we shall do for all of the worlds that are represented in our coalition." Narim walked forwards and started towards the city.
Sam followed him with Tryne by her side.
They walked silently towards the ruins. Much of the voyage had been in silence as well. Many of the ex-slaves had been resting from being completely exhausted. Some gathered in the different corners of the ships to discuss what they would do once they reached Tollana. Others thought that they should be called the Karel to celebrate their freedom.
Narim had been in different meetings with Tryne and Haru for most of the trip. That left Sam to help out where ever she could with the Prometheus crew.
They entered the city and headed towards the Archive. However to get to the Archive they had to pass the location where Narim used to live. He stopped there and looked at the ruins of his former home. The elements had done much damage to the infrastructure of the building.
Narim started to pick though the rubble to see if anything could be salvaged.
Sam stood there for a moment, but then joined him.
Tryne hugged her body as a cool wind slapped her face. She stepped into the area where they were searching in hopes of finding a little bit of shelter.
"That's odd..." Sam noticed a small pile of bones on the ground.
Narim moved next to her, at first he feared the worst. He knelt down on the ground, "Oh Schroedinger!" He felt like crying, he loved that cat.
"That's not Schroedinger. I'm no Veterinarian, but I know a cat skeleton when I see it, and it's head is too small to be his. Besides there isn't a tail." Sam knelt down as well.
"Then what do you...?" A faint meow cut off Narim.
The extremely thin Schroedinger made his way though the ruins towards his former master. In his mouth was a small rodent of some kind that he must have just caught. He then dropped it in front of him, and started to purr loudly.
Narim scooped the cat up in his arms. "I can't believe it, he's still alive!" He turned towards Tryne. "Tryne, come and meet Schroedinger!"
Sam scratched the cat's head, "He's a survivor!"
Tryne knelt next to him, "It is a beautiful animal." She smiled at him.
Schroedinger's eyes went wide, as he meowed at her.
"I think he likes you." Sam smiled; she was really happy that the cat was alive. It was hard for her to imagine how he could have ever survived.
Narim stood with the cat still in his arms. "Come, let's find the Archive."
Within ten minutes they were traveling down a long flight of stairs and arrived at a door.
Sam held her P-90 in front of her. She used the light on the scope to guild them down the stairs.
Narim turned towards Tryne, "could you hold him for a moment?"
She nodded, "Certainly." Tryne took the cat in her arms. She loved the way his fur felt.
Narim went over to the side panel on the wall. He manually operated the controls to open the door. He wished that he still had a Molecular-structure alteration device. This way he could have just walked though the wall.
After a few moments it opened a crack. Narim was able to pull the edges apart so that the door could open the rest of the way.
Once he stepped though the door, the back up power went on, and the room lit up. Narim smiled, "It looks like the Archive is still in tact!" He turned towards the ladies. "We should let everyone know!"
The Prometheus and its crew spent a week helping the Karel of Tollana to set up a small town of tents outside the ruins of the city.
Narim looked up at the sky as he watched the Prometheus fly into orbit. He was a bit saddened by the departure of Samantha, but he understood that she was needed on her own planet. He turned and smiled at Tryne. She was holding Schroedinger in her arms. There was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on, but what ever it was he knew that he would like it.
"There is much to be done." She stroked the cat's fur.
"That there is." He placed his arm around her shoulders. "But first let us eat lunch together."
They walked off to join the rest of the Karel as they held a fest in honor of their freedom.
(The End! Please let me know what you think. Thank you!)
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Amanda Eros
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