Finishing his devotions, Tony closed his Bible and squinted out at the brilliance of Hovak's dawn. Since it was one of the farthest planets orbiting a binary pulsar, and therefore wasn't based on the gravity of just one star, Hovak promised some very interesting seasons and weather patterns.
Since yesterday, over half the Survivors had set up temporary shop there, leaving a skeleton crew back at the Redoubt. Securing the nearby villages had been relatively simple: the locals had no weapons, and were obviously not hiding any Jaffa. The mines were another story. They were extensive, branching out for almost a full mile underground, but Govis had found a map written in Goa'uld which had helped a lot. As for the Goa'uld facility, their prisoner had obligingly deactivated the security system to let them out.
Of course, Hargrove had been ready to spit iron shavings when he’d found out about the prisoner. He'd insisted that the alien be sedated and moved offworld immediately, and the Deuca had obliged, with Tony's permission. They'd had to try several different drugs to knock the parasite out, all the while enduring venomous glances from the creature.
Tony was just glad Blake would recover.
Haley had taken the news as well as could be expected. Despite being obviously tired from the mission, she'd absolutely refused to leave his side, in the triage center the Deuca had set up at the main mine entrance. Beds and emergency medical supplies had been brought in from the SR as well, making the entrance a crowded space. Tony had finally had to order her away, and it still took Blake's say-so to get her to obey. Despite giving him a nasty look at that, she'd hugged Tony very tightly, whispering her thanks.
Tony sighed at all the work he still had to do. The locals were keeping away, for now, but someone would have to talk to them, and explain what had happened. He was the obvious choice. The Pyrta had also relayed a request from the Deuca Boule; he still didn't know if that was a group or a person. They wanted him, one fighter, and one scientist to go offworld with the Pyrta, whatever that meant. Then there was the matter of the underground Goa'uld facility, and the fully intact ship inside. Teams were keeping clear of both, on his orders, but he'd have to have them checked out eventually. He and Desousa were the only Earthlings who'd ever actually flown anything, which made them the best candidates to eventually pilot that ship. As far as he knew, anyway; Hargrove might also have flight hours under his belt. At any rate, there was way too much to gain from both the facility and the ship to just seal them away.
And that brought up the prisoner, too. He still had no idea how to handle that.
God, give me the strength to lead my people well. And a little break from all the action would be nice, too.
As he stood and started heading back to the mine, he saw Nelson waiting for him at the base of the hill. He fell into step beside Tony on the way.
Nelson wisely waited for Tony to speak first.
"And what can I do for you today?"
"Govis and Prem have been going through the Goa'uld logs from the security station you found. From what they said, they can access the schematics, and basic security, but can't go any further without an override code. Apparently, the Goa'uld you picked up is named Seraus, and he was in charge of all the 'research' going on here."
Tony nodded. "As I thought. Pass that along to Hargrove on Savannah. Maybe he can get the code from our prisoner. Be sure to tell him that my earlier orders still stand."
"Uh, ok." Nelson sounded confused. "Oh, with Haley's help, they got the subspace comm array back up and were listening in on the local chatter. Apparently, word's gotten out that that Nereus is dead, and the vultures are circling. No indication that anyone knows about Hovak, thankfully."
"Good. Make sure they don't send any transmissions. We can't risk anything changing that." He noticed Nelson looking hesitant. "Was there something else?"
Nelson sighed. "Akleti died overnight. Looks like Marsu will make it, but his arm's a loss. Archie's talking to him about a prosthetic."
"There's that, at least." Tony stopped, and looked at him seriously. "That makes five now, Nelson. Five Survivors dead. I'm leading kids, and I'm getting them killed."
"You're doing more than that, boss. They knew the risks; we all made sure they did. And we won here, boss! We freed thousands of people! Just think what they can accomplish now. Oh, that reminds me. A few of our people reported some of the younger Hovak…ians?" He paused, "poking around the mine entrance. They ran off when our people spoke to them."
"That's another thing we need to worry about, Nelson. What will they do, now? We just stripped them of the only belief system they've ever had. Believe me, that can have some pretty serious side effects on a society." Tony's shoulders slumped with all the responsibilities he saw. "We'll have to be very careful about how to do this."
-.-
I'll have to be very careful about how to do this. Hargrove thought to himself.
"Acknowledged. Savannah out." He responded into his radio, and the 'gate shut off.
Planet Savannah was approaching midday, and the two guards he'd requested stood a good distance from the 'gate. As ordered, they kept a close eye on their Goa'uld prisoner, who'd been tied to a nearby tree.
Considering his tactics, he approached the alien and sent the guards back to the 'gate, out of easy earshot. Keeping alert, he checked the zip-tie binding its hands above a large branch and keeping it immobilized.
"Seraus, right? I'm Hargrove." He slowly circled the tree. "You and I have a problem."
"Only one?" The Goa'uld responded, in a human voice.
Hargrove was ready for that. The aliens had the ability to speak as their host, just as easily as they could with a deeper voice.
"We brought you here for your own safety, believe it or not. Our people wouldn't be too happy to see a Goa'uld, you see, and I doubt even direct orders could keep you alive around most of them."
"How charitable of you," the creature responded wryly, "but I find it more likely that you spared me for the knowledge I possess. Also, by now it should be obvious that we need not be enemies."
Hargrove let that statement mellow for a bit. In many interrogations, the prisoner started out by being friendly, in hopes of buying time before he could be released. Or rescued.
"This should be good." Keeping a fair amount of sarcasm in his voice, Hargrove sat on a large rock nearby. He could see both his guards keeping tabs on them from over by the ‘gate. "All right, I'll bite. Tell me. Why aren't we enemies?"
The Goa’uld twisted his hands slightly, apparently trying to get more comfortable. "Nereus, assuming he actually is dead, was as much a threat to me as he was to you. I was looking for an opportunity to be free of his control, and your attacks gave me exactly the chance I needed. Had you not succeeded in your…" he gave a derisive sniff, "campaign against him, I would have been the next scapegoat he chose."
"A good spin, but you can't expect me to believe that. I only have your word, after all."
"I healed your man, and kept the rest of your people alive by overriding the self-destruct. There's more, as well. You didn't think my pulse weapon sabotaged itself, did you? I wanted your people to recover the device, and be warned because of it!"
"Or," Hargrove drew out the word as he stood up, "you're trying to save your own skin with an elaborate story." He put on his most sardonic smile. "Oh, I believe you wanted out from under your boss' thumb, but nothing we've ever learned about your kind would convince me you see us as equals. How about I spin a story of my own, now? One I'm sure you'll appreciate just as much."
The Goa'uld only gave him a level stare. "Go on. Your approximation of intelligence amuses me."
Hargrove began pacing around in the shade, slowly.
"I think you're a lab geek. A scientist, through and through. I've met plenty like you. You’ve puzzled through some of the biggest mysteries and problems this universe has to offer, right? It's no wonder you were getting sick of being ordered around by 'lesser minds'."
The Goa'uld gave him a bored, 'move-it-along' look.
"Then we came along, and started causing problems for your boss. You saw this as your golden opportunity, didn’t you? Not just to be rid of him, but to carve out your own space in the process!" He stepped towards the tree. "It was Hovak, wasn't it? That was supposed to be your crown jewel. What could be more perfect for a lab rat like you? An isolated, resource-rich planet, with slaves to do your bidding and a bunch of Jaffa to keep them in line. Probably ordered to follow your instructions, right?" The creature's face was impassive, but Hargrove caught sight of the tiniest twitch in one cheek.
Feeling a tiny thrill of success, he dropped his voice to a whisper and leaned close. "It must just kill you that a bunch of primitives like us got it instead. All those resources, your ship, your research… all of it just gone."
His face contorting, the Goa'uld abruptly snapped the zip-tie and took a swing at him, but Hargrove was ready. He pivoted on his right leg, ducking under the blow, and swept the Goa'uld off his feet while he was off-balance. The alien hit the dirt with a loud thud.
From behind him, Hargrove could hear a shout from the ‘gate guards as they came running.
He raised a hand to stop them, as he pulled his zat gun and aimed it down at the prisoner's face. He spared a moment to glance at the zip-tie on the ground. "I figured you’d be able to break it," he said as insolently as he could, staring down at the Goa’uld. "You’re really not that bright, are you?"
[You will never access my database! I won't allow it!] Seraus spat in his native voice, looking up with hatred.
Hargrove grinned again. "So you do know the code. Now we’re making progress."
He lowered the zat towards its chest and fired.
-.-
By the time Tony, Haley and Cayo arrived at the 'gate south of the mountain, a small crowd of movers were already on their way through it to SR. On his orders, Nelson, Page and Avery were supervising the evacuation of their old base. It may not have been necessary, but several months ago he and Hargrove had agreed that a regular change of scenery would be a good safety precaution, just in case any Goa’uld decided to scout the planet.
Not to mention it was fast approaching winter here on SR, and he didn't want to deal with extreme weather any more than the others did. Tony remembered laughing at that. Most people he knew didn't have to go to another planet to get away from the cold.
He'd sent Desousa to talk to the locals, along with SR-3 in case they weren't friendly. Suna had asked to join them, and with Hargrove still offworld, it left just him, Cayo and Haley to respond to the Deuca invitation.
Blake had woken up again a few hours earlier, and had seemed much more aware, so Haley had been less reluctant to leave his side this time.
The Pyrta was waiting for them at the 'gate, next to one of the Deuca skimmers, and he gave an audible tsk upon seeing them. He scurried over and carefully examined each in turn. Tony had never seen him this anxious, not even in combat.
"You couldn't do any better in terms of dress, Colonel?" He criticized.
Tony wore his own rumpled uniform, and Cayo was in a borrowed duplicate from the Redoubt. Haley was wearing her own somehow-still-pristine lab coat, as well. It was the closest any of them could come to formal wear.
"You've seen our resources, Pyrta. You can't be that surprised." Tony responded placidly. "Why are we here, anyway?"
Argyros ignored his question, surveying the others. "Are you sure Cayo is the best choice for your warrior, Colonel?" He asked brazenly, right in front of him. "The other tau'ri all have years of combat experience instead of months, after all."
Cayo gave him a vaguely scornful look and said nothing. Tony spoke for him. "I'm sure, Pyrta. Don't bring it up again. Now, as to why we're here…"
"Yes, of course." Though he still looked unconvinced, the Pyrta visibly pulled his attention away from their appearance. "Our destination is my home planet. If all goes according to plan, you will meet with my superior, Proxen Thalus, on behalf of all the Survivors." As he spoke, he pulled a device out of his pack and pressed it to the side of Tony's neck, causing a sharp stinging sensation.
Tony bit back a harsh comment, as he remembered the feeling of a Deuca injector device. He rubbed his neck resentfully. "What was in that thing?" He demanded as the Pyrta gave the other two injections as well. The fact that they were apparently going to the top-secret homeworld of the Deuca took a few seconds to dawn on him, after the injection.
"The name is hard to pronounce, but it fortifies the immune system for at least two hours. You'll need it where we're going." He put the injector back in his pack.
"Don't you need some too, then?" Haley inquired, rubbing her neck as well.
Argyros shook his head turned towards his skimmer. Tony had noticed that this particular skimmer had a transparent canopy covering it, unlike any others he'd seen before. Reaching inside, the Pyrta threw a bundle of clothing to each of them. "Put those on, please."
Curious, Tony spread the bundle out, revealing what looked like a sleeved poncho. The set of protective gear each included a hood, black gloves of an unknown material, and tall boots. Despite being bulky and difficult to put on, it all felt surprisingly light.
As soon as Tony was done, he heard a faint hissing noise, and felt a slight breeze. He shared a startled glance with the others, and could see that the upper body gear had become skin-tight, probably through some kind of automatic air pump. He moved his arms experimentally, and felt little or no friction. It almost felt like a second layer of skin, on top of his own.
Argyros didn't give them much time to marvel at what they were wearing. Hurriedly ushering them into the skimmer, he then slid into the front seat.
"Please step to the other side of the controller, you two. I need to open the portal."
There was some hesitancy at the bluntness of his request, but at Tony's nod the two 'gate guards on duty stepped out of sight of the DHD's dialing controls.
Apparently this little excursion wasn't enough for him to trust the Survivors with his planet's 'gate coordinates. Tony resisted the urge to smile. It was typical, now that he thought about it.
Leaning forward, Argyros pressed a sequence of symbols from inside the skimmer's cockpit, and the 'gate opened. Giving them no time to be surprised, he closed the canopy and sped the vehicle forward and through the 'gate.
-.-
A split-second after arriving, Argyros pulled the controls towards himself, pilot-style, and the skimmer rapidly began gaining altitude.
Pressed back into his seat, Tony glanced back at the others. Cayo's eyes were shut tight, and his hands were gripping his seat, white-knuckled. By contrast, Haley's eyes were shining with excitement as she stole glances outside. She couldn't have seen much: they were apparently flying through a full-scale snowstorm.
After about ten seconds climbing, Argyros leveled them out, and apparently began moving in a wide circle. The snow was still falling, but this gave them a chance to look at their surroundings for the first time, and Haley gasped.
Tony could see why.
The 'gate stood on a stone platform on the edge of a sheer cliff. Anyone stepping through on foot would most certainly fall to their death. That wasn't as shocking as what was on the top of the cliff, though.
Sprawled out from the other side of the 'gate was a massive, modern city. Or what was left of one. Buildings had been blasted apart, and great craters marked street corners and skyscrapers alike. The few standing structures were nothing but their skeletal frames. It was hard to tell from their current altitude, but Tony guessed at least ten feet of snow had piled up around the broken structures, obscuring the streets.
There were no signs of life down there.
Abruptly a voice came through the cockpit. "Gamma One, scans are all clear. Come on home."
Argyros didn't hesitate to respond. "Acknowledged, Control. It's good to be back."
He broke them out of their holding pattern and set a more leisurely pace in a single direction. They could see more of the blasted city-scape pass by underneath them.
"As you can see," he began explaining before any of them could ask, "we've gone to great lengths to keep our presence hidden from any visitors. We even placed the portal on the edge of that cliff to make sure the snow didn't pile up around it, and we built these flight-capable skimmers so that we wouldn't leave trails in the snow."
Tony found his voice first. "What happened down there??"
Argyros grimaced. "You will hear the story, I am sure. Just not from me."
"Did you just dial the 'gate remotely?" Haley asked, and Tony winced. With their surroundings, he'd forgotten to ask about that. "How did you do that?"
The Pyrta pointed down at the control panel he'd used just before they'd gone through the 'gate, and Tony and Haley both looked at it with interest. Cayo was still gawking at the view outside.
It was triangular, and only about six inches across, but Tony could make out the thirty-nine individual symbols one would expect to see on a DHD.
"We discovered that the Ancients themselves used ships designed to travel through the portals." Argyros said quietly. "The devices they built to control the portals were very powerful: conceivably, they could open the portal from half a world away. Our own crude imitations are short-range only, but they serve us well. In addition, our version can be used to erase planetary coordinates, just as I've done by hand many times before."
Despite their surroundings, Tony was impressed. He'd always known the Deuca were comfortable with technology, but their limited interactions hadn't given him a true understanding of just what they could do. Until now.
He glanced at the skimmers controls admiringly. "How high can this thing go? Is it spaceworthy?"
Argyros shook his head. "No, the skimmers are for special transport only. When we need to transport crops, we temporarily move the portal above a larger cargo version to save time. Kalypso here-" he patted the steering column- "wasn't built for that kind of weight."
He gave Tony one of his rare smiles. "I'm grateful, in fact. Thanks to you, I have a reason to pilot one of them once again. It's a rare opportunity for most of us."
-.-
Light faded into blackness, which split into light again.
The interior illumination of the sarcophagus ended, and a widening shaft of natural light slowly replaced it as the covers slid apart.
The former System Lord, the now Serpent God of Hell, opened his left eye and stirred. Gracefully fingering the metal plate covering the right side of his face, he slowly rose and stepped over towards the window overlooking his new world of Delmak. Though unseemly, the plate was necessary to protect his eye as it regenerated. There were some wounds not even a sarcophagus could repair, not without help.
He felt a thrill as he noticed the Shards of Ne'tu rising on the horizon. A scar on the sky, a mark for all to see, and to know the power of their new god.
The destruction of its largest moon had begun extensive climate changes across the planet's surface. Tremors rocked the landscape, and the seas challenged their boundaries, day by day. Only time would tell if the damage could be contained.
He would hate to have to choose yet another homeworld. The ungrateful, heathen scum of Chulak had proven themselves unworthy of his presence. In their arrogance, they had thought to rise up against him, spurred by the treachery of one of his most trusted servants.
He smirked. He had made them pay dearly indeed.
The Serpent God was suddenly aware of someone at the door. The visitor remained with head bowed low, and clearly intended to stay that way until acknowledged by his god.
Good.
[Speak, Reshep.]
[My Lord Apophis, I bring news of great import. One of the Shu has been murdered, and the balance of power between them has shattered.]
Apophis gave him a disdainful look. [Why do you disturb me with such trivialities? The Shu are meaningless without Ra's protection.]
[My apologies, my Lord, but it is my understanding that he was killed by the tau'ri.]
Apophis said nothing for long heartbeats. Their very mention filled him with rage, but he wrestled it down. While the deepest layers of his mind began plotting schemes and counter-schemes, he could see a ghost of a smile appear on Reshep's lips.
When Sokar had perished, Apophis had had to move quickly to consolidate his power. Even with the majority of Sokar's forces immediately swearing to him, he'd had to kill more than a dozen of Sokar's Goa'uld minions before the rest fell into line. It had taken him weeks to break into Sokar's secure files, but there had been no complete listing of his territories. Even now, the loyalists likely plotted his downfall, and that could include Reshep.
He withheld a sigh. It could take centuries before he might find a few Goa'uld as loyal as his old court. It was one of the few things he did miss from his old life.
[You have confirmation of this?] He demanded, not really caring at the answer. If there was even a chance it was true, he had to respond.
Reshep bowed low. [Yes, my Lord. Subsequent searches of the Shu planets revealed projectile weapons debris, and interrogation of their slaves confirmed the attackers were human.]
[And the Cage?] He persisted. [Does it still hold?]
[Yes, my Lord. There has been no interruption to the energy holding it in place.]
Apophis smiled, excruciatingly stretching the scar tissue and distending the eye hidden beneath the metal plate. His smile widened further upon seeing Reshep's reaction to his facial rictus. [Send out search teams to the nearby Shu planets and probes to any world not already under the control of the System Lords. If you find them, I want them taken alive. Be sure your search teams share that understanding.] He moved his hand in a sharp dismissing motion, and the sycophant left, bowing obsequiously on his way.
Apophis turned away, lost in thought. Their planet had been Caged for months, and he had almost given up hope of finding any tau'ri outside the energy field. However, if there was one group with the sheer luck, audacity, and blind recklessness to have escaped, it was them.
And if it was them, he would make sure to torture them for years, bringing them back again and again, before finally letting them die one last time.
