Currentpresent 9
Hanka (PX9-987)
Milky Way Galaxy
October 1997
SG-1’s first mission with its new Tollan member, Capitaneus Septima, was not the best, in Teal’c’s opinion.
The issue had nothing to do with the Tollan officer, who was busy opening a small box to allow a half dozen Frisbee sized and shaped drones to fly into the air. Like O’Neill and Daniel Jackson, who were accompanying them, she wore a helmet, although hers was more of a transparent dome over her face than the plastic goggles and breathers the humans wore as part of the MOPP 4 hazardous environment gear. She also wore a woodland patterned camouflage smock over a black two-piece outfit made of a material with a metallic sheen to it, setting her further apart from the Tau’ri and their simple green field jackets.
No, the issue was that the people of this world had been killed, and the pastfuture Stargate Command had provided information that potentially averted that tragedy.
Or at least, that was what Daniel Jackson was arguing to O’Neill.
“Look, Daniel,” the colonel said, his voice muffled as they worked to tag the bodies of the natives. “I agree that it sucks that we couldn’t save anybody but SG-7. But I’m not sure what we could’ve done with what, two months of advance notice.”
To the Jaffa warrior, it was fascinating to see one of his own internal debates acted out by his comrades. Daniel Jackson voiced his conscience, the moral side of him that rebelled against the cruelty of the Goa’uld. O’Neill, on the other hand, was the pragmatic, military side, which counseled him against taking too many risks and only taking action when necessary. They both made good points, and Teal’c himself was unsure where he stood on the issue.
Septima, on the other hand, seemed to have had the debate and settled on an answer. As she manipulated the drones through a tablet, she said, “Dr. Jackson, there was no practical way to save everyone on this planet. Nirrti has an underground facility in the forest, which is probably how the observatory was detected. Given the genetic manipulation technologies in that facility, it was child’s play for a Goa’uld with as much scientific knowledge as Nirrti to create a bioweapon and deploy it.”
“Then why are we even here?” Teal’c sympathized with the powerless frustration in Daniel Jackson’s voice. Too often in his time serving Apophis, that was feeling he most struggled to contain in those moments when atrocity occurred. The guilt over not being able to make a difference, as Master Bra’tac had urged him to do, was always worse, but that would at least come later.
“Because there’s a survivor, and if enough things play out close enough to what you call the pastfuture, there will be justice done,” the Tollan officer assured him. “Also, we need to collect samples of this bioweapon for analysis on Tollan. The Curia are worried that if the war with Sokar goes badly, this kind of atrocity might become more common as the Goa’uld struggle to slow down his army.”
O’Neill got up and stretched, then looked over at Teal’c. “Any idea if that’s something to actually worry about?”
The former First Prime considered how best to answer that question. Many of the tales of Sokar that he knew of were almost certainly exaggerated in the millennia that followed the insane Goa’uld’s apparent death. He decided to choose a story that, even if not factually accurate, conveyed the general level of brutality that Sokar displayed. “According to legend, Ra and Sokar battled over the world of Tuat. Even during the war, Sokar worked to transform his realm into what you call ‘Hell’. Once he was driven off of Tuat, Ra attempted to repair the damage done. He eventually moved the few survivors to his part of the world, and used the blighted areas as a slow method of execution for traitors.” He paused, then added, “I have heard that those banished to those regions only survived for a few days at most.”
The humans looked at each other, then O’Neill said, “That sounds a bit… excessive.”
Which was a fair assessment of the Goa’uld in general, Teal’c thought. “There is a reason the rest of the Goa’uld feared Sokar, and why all would be wise to take the threat of his return seriously.”
“Yeah, well… I can see why the Tollan are worried now.” The colonel turned to the only civilian on the team. “I know it doesn’t make it right, but…”
“I get it, Jack,” was Daniel Jackson’s curt reply. As the Tau’ri said, the scholar wore his emotions on his sleeve, and it was impossible to miss the frustration roiling in his voice. “I know we can’t save everyone. But not even trying feels…”
“Master Bra’tac once counseled me on the burden of being First Prime, that the only comfort was the times we make a difference,” Teal’c revealed, seeking to ease the civilian’s mental burden by hinting at his own. Even the interrogators of the Tau’ri intelligence agencies had not extracted the full list of the atrocities Teal’c had committed in Apophis’ name, which he ascribed as much to genuine ignorance as feigned ignorance meant to recruit him to their cause. He had not shared them with SG-1 either, partly to avoid seeming weak, that he needed unending pity, but also because he had no wish to burden them with the massive amount of guilt he bore. “We must balance those times we fail with the victories that come when we are able to make that difference.”
“Bra’tac sounds almost Tollan in his wisdom,” Septima commented, still tapping away at her tablet. “I’d like to meet him.”
“We’ll probably run into him sooner or later,” O’Neill replied, returning to tagging bodies. “Just be ready for him to treat you like a fresh recruit just starting boot camp the first time you meet.”
As Teal’c returned to watching their surroundings, he wondered what his master was doing.
Chulak
Milky Way GalaxyHanka (PX9-987)
Milky Way Galaxy
October 1997
SG-1’s first mission with its new Tollan member, Capitaneus Septima, was not the best, in Teal’c’s opinion.
The issue had nothing to do with the Tollan officer, who was busy opening a small box to allow a half dozen Frisbee sized and shaped drones to fly into the air. Like O’Neill and Daniel Jackson, who were accompanying them, she wore a helmet, although hers was more of a transparent dome over her face than the plastic goggles and breathers the humans wore as part of the MOPP 4 hazardous environment gear. She also wore a woodland patterned camouflage smock over a black two-piece outfit made of a material with a metallic sheen to it, setting her further apart from the Tau’ri and their simple green field jackets.
No, the issue was that the people of this world had been killed, and the pastfuture Stargate Command had provided information that potentially averted that tragedy.
Or at least, that was what Daniel Jackson was arguing to O’Neill.
“Look, Daniel,” the colonel said, his voice muffled as they worked to tag the bodies of the natives. “I agree that it sucks that we couldn’t save anybody but SG-7. But I’m not sure what we could’ve done with what, two months of advance notice.”
To the Jaffa warrior, it was fascinating to see one of his own internal debates acted out by his comrades. Daniel Jackson voiced his conscience, the moral side of him that rebelled against the cruelty of the Goa’uld. O’Neill, on the other hand, was the pragmatic, military side, which counseled him against taking too many risks and only taking action when necessary. They both made good points, and Teal’c himself was unsure where he stood on the issue.
Septima, on the other hand, seemed to have had the debate and settled on an answer. As she manipulated the drones through a tablet, she said, “Dr. Jackson, there was no practical way to save everyone on this planet. Nirrti has an underground facility in the forest, which is probably how the observatory was detected. Given the genetic manipulation technologies in that facility, it was child’s play for a Goa’uld with as much scientific knowledge as Nirrti to create a bioweapon and deploy it.”
“Then why are we even here?” Teal’c sympathized with the powerless frustration in Daniel Jackson’s voice. Too often in his time serving Apophis, that was feeling he most struggled to contain in those moments when atrocity occurred. The guilt over not being able to make a difference, as Master Bra’tac had urged him to do, was always worse, but that would at least come later.
“Because there’s a survivor, and if enough things play out close enough to what you call the pastfuture, there will be justice done,” the Tollan officer assured him. “Also, we need to collect samples of this bioweapon for analysis on Tollan. The Curia are worried that if the war with Sokar goes badly, this kind of atrocity might become more common as the Goa’uld struggle to slow down his army.”
O’Neill got up and stretched, then looked over at Teal’c. “Any idea if that’s something to actually worry about?”
The former First Prime considered how best to answer that question. Many of the tales of Sokar that he knew of were almost certainly exaggerated in the millennia that followed the insane Goa’uld’s apparent death. He decided to choose a story that, even if not factually accurate, conveyed the general level of brutality that Sokar displayed. “According to legend, Ra and Sokar battled over the world of Tuat. Even during the war, Sokar worked to transform his realm into what you call ‘Hell’. Once he was driven off of Tuat, Ra attempted to repair the damage done. He eventually moved the few survivors to his part of the world, and used the blighted areas as a slow method of execution for traitors.” He paused, then added, “I have heard that those banished to those regions only survived for a few days at most.”
The humans looked at each other, then O’Neill said, “That sounds a bit… excessive.”
Which was a fair assessment of the Goa’uld in general, Teal’c thought. “There is a reason the rest of the Goa’uld feared Sokar, and why all would be wise to take the threat of his return seriously.”
“Yeah, well… I can see why the Tollan are worried now.” The colonel turned to the only civilian on the team. “I know it doesn’t make it right, but…”
“I get it, Jack,” was Daniel Jackson’s curt reply. As the Tau’ri said, the scholar wore his emotions on his sleeve, and it was impossible to miss the frustration roiling in his voice. “I know we can’t save everyone. But not even trying feels…”
“Master Bra’tac once counseled me on the burden of being First Prime, that the only comfort was the times we make a difference,” Teal’c revealed, seeking to ease the civilian’s mental burden by hinting at his own. Even the interrogators of the Tau’ri intelligence agencies had not extracted the full list of the atrocities Teal’c had committed in Apophis’ name, which he ascribed as much to genuine ignorance as feigned ignorance meant to recruit him to their cause. He had not shared them with SG-1 either, partly to avoid seeming weak, that he needed unending pity, but also because he had no wish to burden them with the massive amount of guilt he bore. “We must balance those times we fail with the victories that come when we are able to make that difference.”
“Bra’tac sounds almost Tollan in his wisdom,” Septima commented, still tapping away at her tablet. “I’d like to meet him.”
“We’ll probably run into him sooner or later,” O’Neill replied, returning to tagging bodies. “Just be ready for him to treat you like a fresh recruit just starting boot camp the first time you meet.”
As Teal’c returned to watching their surroundings, he wondered what his master was doing.
Chulak
Master Bra’tac walked the halls of Apophis’ fortress, secure in the knowledge that he was above suspicion, both as a Jaffa Master and First Prime. One would have thought it obvious that Bra’tac would be blamed for his protégé’s treason, but the gap of years between the choice and Bra’tac’s own anger at Teal’c’s rash decision to defect to the Tau’ri had stayed Apophis’ rage. It also helped that Apophis himself had a decent amount of blame to defect, since he had accepted Bra’tac’s nomination and announced the decision at the time of his choosing. The most convenient thing for all involved was to say that Teal’c had made the decision at the spur of the moment and avoid unpleasant questions about the length and extent of Teal’c’s lack of loyalty.
The fact that Teal’c’s family disappeared made things much more convenient, as he no longer had to waste time and energy maintaining a watch on safety. He would have preferred all of them being on the First World, but he could think of nowhere safer than the world of the Sodan, the first free Jaffa world, unknown to the Goa’uld to this day. It awed him, even though he was over 130, to know that such legends were grounded in reality, and to have met one of the descendants of the first Jaffa to throw off the shackles of the Goa’uld.
He marched into a small, yet ostentatious office of a Goa’uld named Pek’ris, a minor Goa’uld in Apophis’ bureaucracy that Bra’tac had long suspected of being a spy for other Goa’uld. Instead, he had learned that Pek’ris was in fact a Tok’ra agent under Sina’s command and would be his primary contact in their new conspiracy to save the Tau’ri. “You summoned me, lord.”
One had to play the game, especially when the eyes and ears of the enemy could be anywhere.
The Tok’ra agent’s host was a well kempt man of distant Persian ancestry, wearing fine purple robes with minor gold embroidery. The contrast of the two colors would distract most people and keep them from noticing Pek’ris hiding a hand in his sleeve, presumably to manipulate some device. “Indeed. Lord Apophis has deigned to grant you further supplies for his grand retribution upon the Tau’ri.”
Bra’tac bowed as though honored. “I am grateful for his beneficence.”
Pek’ris nodded, then said, “We may spreak freely.”
“What do you want from me?” the grizzled Jaffa asked. He was getting too old for games, at least when they were unnecessary. And to be honest, he did not trust Sina and her compatriots either. Those working in the shadows were always suspect.
“First, Apophis actually is providing you with more supplies for the attack on Earth.” The Tok’ra agent gave Bra’tac a grim smile. “He is also sending an Ashrak after Nirrti, who has attempted to destroy the Tau’ri and weaken his claim as Ra’s successor.”
Bra’tac frowned, concerned about Teal’c’s welfare, as well as that of the Tau’ri. They were not strong, but having met SG-1 in person, instead of from a distance, he could understand why Teal’c joined them. There was an unbroken spirit to them that made the impossible seem possible, especially once one knew they were responsible for Ra’s death. “This is not a danger to our plans?”
“Sina assures me Nirrti’s plan is doomed to failure.” Pek’ris sounded dubious on that point, but he clearly hadn’t gotten any more information on that point, so he pressed on. “We will use the extra supplies Apophis sends as the means of inserting certain agents aboard his Ha’tak, who will answer to you.”
Many questions bubbled up in the Jaffa Master’s mind, so he started with the most obvious one. “How will you accomplish this?”
“The agents will… sleep, for lack of a better term, inside of crates with false bottoms. Your role will be to wake them up when the mission has commenced,” the Tok’ra agent explained, turning to a shelf behind him and pulling a vo’cume from it and placed it on his desk. “Their appearance is quite startling. Prepare yourself.”
The image in the vo’cume shook Bra’tac. It was of a creature that matched the description O’Neill had provided, but that image provided details that the human had not. It was hard to tell what was armor and was flesh, and that disturbed him on a level he had not been aware of before now.
“That is a common reaction to the xeno-brids,” Pek’ris informed him, in a tone that told Bra’tac that he’d had a personal encounter with the creatures. “They are trained soldiers, so they understand the chain of command. They will follow your orders.”
“I see,” the Jaffa replied, although he was not sure he believed any of that. “By what means will I know where they are?”
The Tok’ra switched the image on the vo’cume. “They will be within this type of container, which will contain a top layer of zat’nik’tel storage.”
It was a cube with the traditional Goa’uld stylings, which made Bra’tac particularly suspicious. “Will the zat’nik’tels function?”
“Of course,” the Tok’ra assured him. “The most important aspect of the plan is to ensure that all the containers are loaded aboard Apophis’ ship. Apophis is scouting dead worlds for a chappa’ai to load aboard Klorel’s Ha’tak, which will allow the Tau’ri to board and capture Klorel. At the same time, you will take the xeno-brids and attempt to assassinate Apophis in Klorel’s name.”
That made sense to Bra’tac. Plenty of Goa’uld in his lifetime, mostly minor ones, had been usurped by their kin. It was a bit less common at the upper echelons of the System Lords, but if there was ever a time for it to occur, it would be when Ra’s succession was up for grabs.
Then he thought about the Tok’ra’s words again, and asked “Attempt?”
“Our plans do not require the death of Apophis, but if you can kill him, that would also be beneficial,” Pek’ris clarified. “There’s no particular need to risk your lives to accomplish that objective. Especially since it is likely Sokar will kill him at some point.”
The fact that Apophis was part of the alliance that brought Sokar low resurfaced in Bra’tac’s mind. It gave him little comfort that Apophis would be a target for Sokar. If the legends were even half based on reality, Sokar committed atrocities that made the crimes Bra’tac committed in the name of Apophis seem like child’s play. Having spent a large chunk of his life on Chulak, he could not imagine what the master of Delmak would do one of his enemy’s throne worlds, but he was certain it would be horrific.
Shutting down the vo’cume, Pek’ris handed a small piece of parchment to the Jaffa Master. It contained words to use when encountering the xeno-brids. “That is all, for the moment.”
Nodding, Bra’tac stepped out of the room, heading towards his own chambers, considering his next moves. If he was to proclaim himself as fighting for Klorel, he would be cutoff from Chulak until Klorel either conquered the world – unlikely, in his mind – or Apophis came to terms with Klorel and allowed free passage between their domains. He would need to keep a portion of his protégés off the mission, as well as introduce them to Sina’s agents, to ensure that his small resistance movement would survive.
He would have complained about the lack of time, but he knew that it was a blessing to have any at all. Apophis had scheduled his assault on the Tau’ri homeworld to take place a few days before the final announcement of Ra’s successor. That was a few weeks away, not quite a year and a half from the date of Ra’s death, about as far as Ptah could reasonably delay the decision without giving Sokar too large an opening to exploit. Anyone who knew about the timetable could see it was an obvious play for the throne, timed so Heru’ur could not counter the feat.
Bra’tac could only do his best to prepare his people. He just hoped the Tau’ri would do the same.
Author's Notes: So yeah, turns out having tons of future knowledge isn't really good enough to save everyone when you're super close to the point of divergence (at least for SG-1).
Singularity, aka the episode that introduces Cassandra (Fraiser) to the show, is episode 115. Thor's Hammer was episode 110. Sticking to my "SG teams generally do one mission per week" interpretation of SG-1, there wasn't a lot of time to do much of anything for the people of Hanka. Theoretically, the post-series SGC could've come up with a cure/vaccine for the virus Nirrti deployed on Hanka, but those guys were up to their necks in tons of alien tech and disclosure issues, so it probably fell to the wayside. And that's assuming the samples they collected in 1997 were any good decades later.
I actually rewatched Threshold (the SG-1 episode, not the Star Trek: Voyager episode) before writing this chapter, which is why it's a Teal'c and Bra'tac chapter. The reminder that Teal'c literally burned down villages means I really have to step up my game when it comes to atrocities committed by Sokar and Anubis, both in the historical record and in the future of this story.
We'll see how stuff works out IRL with updating both of my stories. It's a busy time for me, so I can't make any promises, besides that I'll try to keep both stories alive.