“Well, I suppose if Bra’tac isn’t available…” She grinned. “How is the search going? Have we managed to track him down yet?”
SG-9 had been dispatched to Teal’c’s last known location before Sam and Daniel left for Lucia, but she wasn’t hopeful they’d made much progress. Judging from O’Neill’s reaction she was right to be skeptical.
“Teal’c is definitely making the rounds on the victory circuit. By the time Colonel Getty’s team got to the planet he was supposed to be visiting, the Jaffa there said he had already moved on. Same thing in the next two villages they checked. I’m starting to feel a little like a bill collector. But don’t worry, we’ll find him. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Hopefully we have that time, sir.” She looked down at her outfit. “Permission to go change before the briefing?”
“Granted. Briefing is in ten; can’t wait to hear the whole riveting tale.”
“Yes, sir.”
He went up into the control room while Sam and Daniel continued to the elevators. At one point Sam had to stop in order to let Siler pass, and she noticed Daniel stopped as well, even though he could have gone around the sergeant. When they reached the elevators he also stopped short and let her press the button. She debated whether to just chalk it up to coincidence or confront him and, as the doors opened, she decided on a quick test. She gestured for him to go first, but he smiled.
“Ladies first.”
“Right.” Sam stepped into the car and Daniel followed her. She pressed the button again, and Daniel took a position in the back corner. She turned to face him. “So are you going to explain this, or will I just have to figure it out myself?”
His face was the picture of innocence. “Explain what?”
“Why you’re acting so weirdly around me. This morning you nearly jumped out of your skin when you saw me in the briefing room, and the entire time we were on the mission you made damn sure I was never behind you.”
Daniel winced and adjusted his glasses. “Oh. I didn’t think you’d noticed.”
“I was willing to put it down to coincidence and nerves until just now. You practically tripped on your own feet walking down the hall. What’s going on?”
He sighed and looked at the ground. The elevator opened on Level 19 and they stepped out into the hall. He looked to make sure they were alone before he spoke.
“You heard about what happened after the Replicators abducted me.”
Sam nodded. “Vaguely. You were taken to their flagship where the Replicator version of me…”
“RepliCarter.”
It was her turn to wince. “Oh, God. Who is calling her that?”
He shrugged. “It’s not important. She held me hostage and tried to pry the secrets of the Ancients out of my head. She came damn close, Sam. You have to understand, I know it wasn’t you. No matter what she looked like, there was nothing in her personality or in her eyes… there is no way I would ever mistake you for her or vice versa. But despite that, despite knowing that beyond a doubt, it was still your eyes I looked into when she was torturing me. It was your face behind the blade she shoved into my chest to kill me. I saw your face as I died, and it… was not a friendly face at that moment.”
“Oh.” Her voice was meek.
“I thought I was okay with it, but I obviously need a little time to get over the fact it was wearing your face and using your voice. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure if I was in your situation I would feel the same way. Is there anything I can do to make you feel more at ease?”
“It’s not your problem to fix. But thank you for offering. I’ll do better to try and keep myself from reacting whenever you make a sudden movement.”
Sam nodded. “And I’ll try to keep any threatening movements to a minimum.”
“That’s all I ask.”
She started toward the locker rooms, letting Daniel lag behind her out of deference to his recent confession. “So what do you think our chances are of tracking down Kali’s device and stopping this ‘Purge’ thing from happening?”
“It depends on what we find at Teunus, I suppose. We’re not even certain what we’re supposed to be looking for. We may have to just hope SG-9 finds something in Kali’s temple that can point us in the right direction.”
Sam said, “Right. Maybe Kali left a directory and we can go around and disable them all without this treasure.”
He nodded without confidence. “Yes. But we’re dealing with a ticking clock and we have no idea how much time is left before it goes off. It would only take one device being active when the clock reaches zero.”
“Yeah. Are we any closer to finding out when exactly that will happen?”
“I haven’t had much time to work with the inscriptions, but I imagine it must be imminent. I’m positive the sequence has to be disabled manually. That said, Kali has had a lot on her mind this past year. What with Ba’al and the Replicators to worry about she wouldn’t have time to slip away to take care of her fail-safe.”
Sam said, “If she even would have bothered. The Jaffa rebellion was gaining footholds left and right, and destroying them completely would have given the Kull warriors a huge advantage. If the deadline had come up during the conflict, I don’t doubt Anubis would have told her to just let it happen.”
Daniel nodded. “We may not know exactly when it’s going to happen, but all signs point to sooner rather than later.”
“We’ll find a way to stop it, Daniel. The Jaffa haven’t made it this far just to be done in by some Hail-Mary time bomb. If push comes to shove and things start looking dire, we can tell them to hunker down and bury their Stargates until we’ve found a solution. I have faith that one way or another we will figure this out.”
Daniel said, “That’s actually a good idea. If Kali’s device works through a series of gate connections, all we have to do to protect the Jaffa is get them away from their Stargates until we’ve found the solution. It’s not a perfect or a long-term solution…”
Sam smiled and bumped his arm with her elbow. “See? We don’t always need General O’Neill to come up with the simplest solution.”
“I guess not.” Sam started to go into the women’s locker room, but Daniel said, “Sam? You wanted to know what you could do to help me get over the Replicator situation?”
“Yeah. Anything I can do to make it easier for you.”
He waved a finger between them. “This. More of this.”
She chuckled and nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
Baleya Pani hadn’t survived as long as she had by making friends or taking risks. She dealt with extremely valuable items from across the galaxy and she traded with some of the most wretched scum ever to step off their planets to venture out into the stars. In the past few weeks, she had become the go-to for anyone looking to move anything Goa’uld related that had been looted from ransacked palaces and temples that were now standing abandoned. She knew well that she was a target, knew that anyone who succeeded in killing her would inherit one of the richest warehouses in seven systems, and so she had arranged for the best security ever devised to protect herself. It spanned most of the city she called home, turning what had once been an ordinary town into a stronghold dedicated to keeping her alive. Anyone who attempted to break the perimeter without being identified suffered greatly at the hands of her defenses.
When Vala and Tanis arrived at her planet, they found it surrounded by a cluster of other vessels waiting to be allowed permission to land. Vala kept her distance, using one of the planet’s moons to obscure the ship’s signature while she eavesdropped on the radio signals passing between the ships and the surface. Some of the petitioners were Jaffa seeking property that belonged to their former masters, while others were merely treasure hunters who had heard there was new stock and wanted to see what was available for purchase. Baleya granted some of them access while others were turned away seemingly at random.
Tanis had broken open their rations and was eatin
g while she listened to some of the conversations. “Apparently she has some stuff from one of Lord Yu’s strongholds. That could fetch a good price. People go crazy for all that ancient stuff.”
“We don’t want ancient stuff, we want Ancient stuff. Capital A. There’s a reason Anubis crushed the other System Lords like mice. Some people pay for pretty, but everyone pays for power. We’ll wait until we have clear confirmation that she’s offering something from one of Kali’s worlds.”
Tanis finished her meal and tossed the empty container onto the console between them. “What’s so special about Kali? There’s gotta be an easier payday to go after. Not that I don’t appreciate a good treasure hunt now and then. I’m just wondering what the point is.”
“She was an impressive female System Lord. She didn’t rely on men for her power or to gather her wealth for her. When she joined up with Anubis, she established a partnership rather than something subservient. I mean, sure, it hasn’t exactly worked out for her in the long run, but I think it’s impressive.” She turned in her chair and laced her fingers on her stomach. “Besides, a lot of what was scavenged is bound to be of Ancient design. Fabulous toys, technology so advanced it will make our heads spin. The Jaffa out there might pay dearly for some dusty Goa’uld artifacts out of nostalgia or as a keepsake, but the things Anubis left behind? Oh, Tanis, darling, people will pay whatever price we ask for that.”
“Junk is junk,” Tanis sighed. “It just feels like a lot of work without a promise of a payoff.”
“Patience,” Vala urged.
They listened for a little longer before a message from the surface included the words they had been waiting to hear. “You’re in luck. We just got a shipment from Teunus including items from the realms of Olokun, Amaterasu, Kali, and Ares.”
Vala snapped her fingers. “That’s our cue! Bring us around the moon and try to get us queued up for a hello.”
Tanis brought the ship back to full power and sat up straighter in her seat as she swung them around to join the other ships. She opened a channel and, when she received the okay to transmit, spoke into the microphone hanging from her headset. “Two solicitors aboard an independent tel’tak requesting commerce with merchant Baleya. Please respond.”
They had to wait close to half an hour before the receptionist on the surface got to their request. “Independent tel’tak, please state your interests.”
“Am I speaking with Baleya herself?”
“Indeed you are.”
Tanis glanced at Vala, who motioned for her to go ahead. There was a subtle art to negotiating this sort of thing. Vala was great at the long con, slowly gaining trust so that it lasted even after she had gotten away with the goods, but Tanis was extremely skilled at the quick sale. She didn’t need the trust she built to last for weeks or even days, she just had to get them in the door. They needed her finesse with Baleya; they couldn’t give away exactly what they wanted or else the price would rise but they couldn’t be so circumspect that they were dismissed as window-shoppers. Vala trusted Tanis to strike the right balance between the two extremes.
Tanis straightened her shoulders and stared straight ahead, addressing Baleya as if the woman was in the ship with them.
“It’s an honor to speak with someone of your reputation, Baleya. My name is Tanis Reynard, and I’m here with my associate, Vala Mal Doran. We’re in the market for some treasures that have recently come under new ownership, and Siero of Lucia told us you were the woman to speak with. We’re hoping to find something a bit more feminine, if you understand my meaning. Something ladylike to spruce up a few of our bolt holes and second homes.” She tilted her head to the side and changed her voice slightly, making it just a bit more plaintive. “I don’t suppose you might have anything like that? Some trappings from a female-hosted System Lord?”
“You might just be in luck. What do you offer as trade?”
“Riches pilfered from a kingdom preparing for an economic shift. Literally a king’s ransom.” She winked at Vala, who grinned brightly in response. “More than enough to pay for a few shiny doodads.”
There was a pause as Baleya considered the offer. Finally there was an alarm indicating that their ship had been lassoed by the planet’s security system.
“Your ship has been locked in,” Baleya said. “Please use the rings to transport down to the planet so we can discuss an exchange.”
“As you wish. We thank you for your acceptance.”
When the signal went dark, Vala reached across the console and enthusiastically patted Tanis on the shoulder. “Well done, well done! Couldn’t have done it any better myself.” She stood up and walked into the cargo hold. She had hooked her jacket over the edge of the door and she plucked it down, swinging it on as she strode to the center of the rings. Tanis joined her after making sure she had a good selection of weapons concealed on her. She put on a short leather jacket that added a few more pockets where she could put anything small enough that caught her eye when they were on the planet.
“We would like to stay on this woman’s good side,” Vala reminded her. “Are you sure you want to risk that for petty larceny?”
Tanis said, “Depends on what the petty is.”
Vala grinned and remotely activated the rings. The floor opened around them and they were blinded by a bright flash of white-gold light. When it faded and their eyes adjusted they had been transported to a circular antechamber. The door to the corridor was blocked by two men with guns, so the ladies held their arms out to either side and allowed themselves to be scanned for weapons.
“Heavily armed,” one of the men reported.
Vala said, “Well of course! We would never insult a woman of Baleya’s stature by coming unarmed. We’re smart enough to know when we’re outmatched. We’re just trying to level the playing field. Purely a matter of false security, I assure you. If weapons are required I have no doubt that the lady of the house will have us outmatched quite easily.”
“You would be correct,” the guard said. He lowered his scanner, and motioned them forward. “Miss Baleya is waiting for you in her offices.”
They put their arms down and followed their guards-turned-escort out of the room. The corridor almost immediately branched out into a much larger warehouse, with sections separated by canvas walls that had been strung up with a metal framework. As Vala and Tanis were led through the maze, they used their periphery to scan some of the wealth they were passing. There were examples of alien technology, things that could either be weapons or energy converters, there were items Vala only recognized as headsets because they included goggles. Everything seemed to be stacked in a haphazard and sloppy manner, but Vala knew there had to be some kind of inventory to keep track of each and every bauble.
“Look at this place,” Tanis muttered. “We could forget about Kali and just loot one room. We’d never have to work again.”
“Settle down,” Vala said. “You saw the security she has here, and that’s just what she shows people to scare them away. I’m sure there are all kinds of hidden traps for someone foolish enough to try hitting this place.”
“True… but if you hadn’t lost my Kull warrior suit, we could have just strolled in here and taken whatever we wanted.”
Vala rolled her eyes and raised her voice slightly. “Oh, God! Are you still harping about that?”
“Do you know what I had to do to get that suit? Not to mention cleaning it out so it wasn’t a biohazard to put it on. Then I loan it to you for a simple shoot-and-snatch mission. But no, you had to go and leave it behind because a pretty boy flexed his muscles at you.”
“It wasn’t like that!”
“Sure it wasn’t. Whatever happened, when we met up again and I asked for it back you were empty-handed.”
“I was not empty-handed! I gave you seventy-five percent from our next score.”
“Hardly a fair trade for potential lost,” Tanis said.
Vala couldn’t put up a very good argument because, to be honest, s
he had made a huge blunder losing that suit. It deflected most energy weapons, it was mostly impervious to projectile weapons, and the majority of people would simply turn and run when they saw it coming. Tanis had acquired the suit on one of her solo jobs, when her attempt to pilfer a few Ancient artifacts resulted in a foot chase with one of the beetle-like soldiers. The warrior moved slowly but with dedication, unwavering as she desperately tried to find a way out of the stronghold that had become her labyrinth. She spent close to an hour hiding from the thing only to have it suddenly and inexplicably fall over dead. It seemed like a trick at first, but the thing was too mindless to try anything clever.
Eventually she risked approaching it and discovered it had died. She didn’t know what possessed her to even try moving the heavily-armored seven foot behemoth by herself, but somehow she managed to get it onto her ship. The hours and days afterward made her glad she wasn’t squeamish. The thing inside the suit was barely humanoid but it was close enough to make her feel like she was touching a corpse as she extricated it from the suit.
Once it was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, she put it on for a test run. She passed through force fields like they were water, she walked calmly past guards who were emptying their weapons on her, the energy blasts spreading harmlessly across the breastplate and helmet. When she got tired of being target practice, she could clear the room of security with a quick sweep of fire from her wrist-mounted guns. Then she could take her time clearing out their safes. It was the perfect accessory, and she thought it was going to change her life.
Then she got sick.
In retrospect it seemed like an obvious flaw. If she’d still had the energy she would have kicked herself for not seeing it earlier. Anubis had made the creature inside the suit to replace the Jaffa, and their genetic enhancements had been transferred to the golem. If she wanted to wear the suit for any length of time, she would need to be as strong, fast, and resilient as a Jaffa. Being a lowly human, the suit quickly sapped her of energy until she was too weak to even stand.
Fortunately Vala had found her and nursed her back to health. On their next job, Tanis figured out a way to disable most of the suit’s features so that it took a much smaller toll on its wearer. It wasn’t as indestructible as it once was, but they didn’t need it to be. They just needed to deflect a few blasts from security guards and pass through the occasional force field. They would use the suit only in the most dreadful situations, when every other method failed. It would be their secret weapon.
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