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 Family Feud

Gin’ra had been watching, remaining behind one of the doors in the corridor. The door preventing her from being seen opened to a storage room. She had heard the screams, and pressed her hands to her mouth to keep from crying out, herself. There had been nothing unusual in the demand for food. Nor for the presence of the two Goa’uld who, according to Bra’tac, had aided Apophis in his return. They will die for bringing that monster back, she thought angrily.

Nor was she alarmed to see Bra’tac and Teal’c, the Jaffa who had for so long been considered a shol’va among those of Chulak. There had to be a reason those two had chosen to follow Apophis once again. Maybe, she thought hopefully, they were doing so only to kill the Goa’uld, and to make certain he remained dead.

When Apophis hurried down the corridor, going once again to the room where the High Priest kept all records, accompanied by his lo’taur, her eyes followed the younger man. His cheeks were pale…no doubt he had endured as much as Casey, forced to observe his wife being raped, and unable to save her.

Confident that she would be able to offer some solace to the young Tau’ri, Gin’ra slipped from the closet, carrying a basket filled with towels. She kept her eyes lowered as she walked the gauntlet of Jaffa who guarded the only access to Apophis’ quarters, unwilling to risk meeting the eyes of one of the warriors. Too afraid that one might see her anger and her loathing.

Aron was still guarding the door itself. He smiled at the maid. "You are here to see to the needs of the Consort?"

"I am," Gin’ra replied.

He nodded and opened the door. "If you require anything, or if she requires anything, let me know."

Gin’ra bit her tongue. She nearly shouted that what Casey needed was to be freed, along with her husband. "Thank you," she replied stiffly. Then closed the door firmly.

Casey was sitting cross-legged on the love seat she had just been sharing with Daniel. She hadn’t expected to see Gin’ra until much later. "Oh…" she said, rising awkwardly to her feet.

"You are hurt, yes?" Gin’ra said, certain that the young woman had been sitting in such a position in order to ease the pain she was assumed her charge was experiencing in that moment.

"Um…well…" Casey hemmed.

"Come. What you need is to soak in warm water," Gin’ra said, putting her arm around Casey’s shoulders.

"That does sound nice," Casey managed to reply.

"I am so sorry," Gin’ra said.

Casey stopped, and turned to the woman. "Nothing that happens to me is your fault."

The servant lowered her eyes. "If I had more courage, I would have waited until he was…preoccupied…and slit his throat!" Gin’ra declared hotly.

"No. He would have killed you," Casey responded flatly.

"While he was killing me, you and your husband could have escaped," Gin’ra insisted.

"Only to be captured by Jaffa…again. What do you think he would do to us if that happened? We wouldn’t be ‘consort’ and ‘lo’taur’. We’d be mindless slaves, or killed. One or the other," Casey pointed out.

Gin’ra heaved a sigh, her shoulders drooping. "There has to be a way…" She paused, and looked at Casey. "Your people…they will rescue you soon, will they not?"

"I hope so," Casey replied, more anticipation in her voice than she realized.

The older woman nodded. "Good. Now, let’s get you into the tub. I have a soft towel you can sit on, it will ease the...discomfort."

Had prisoners of the real Apophis been treated with kindness…with gentleness? Casey wondered. Then shook her head. As far as she knew, Apophis went out looking for the ‘perfect’ host for Amaunet. And there was no need for gentleness or kindness when the Goa’uld was happily in control of that host. Including Sha’re. Would just a bit of kindness, just a hint that a servant or slave understood that she was ‘still there’ have helped the Abydonian woman? She shook her head mentally. There was no way Sha’re would have been able to respond to anything...and Amaunet had been a friggin’ Goa’uld. Probably a bitch to serve.

"Have you eaten?" Gin’ra asked, as she poured a yellowish oil into the water.

The oil that foamed in the water smelled almost like ginger, Casey decided. She wondered if the oil had ‘healing properties’. "I ate a bit," she confessed. "I ate…for Daniel. He’s…he doesn’t…he doesn’t need to worry about my health because I’m not eating," she said. And, that’s not a lie. Daniel always worries if I don’t eat.

The servant nodded. "Good. Rest here. I will change the sheets on your bed…we don’t want anyone to know that your husband slept with you for a few hours."

Casey frowned. "Will they smell anything when you wash them?"

Gin’ra offered a wide smile. "Not with the soaps I use!"

It was impossible not to giggle. "That’s a comfort," Casey replied. And, she thought, it really is. All we need is some Jaffa and his enhanced sense of smell picking up something from my sheets that he shouldn’t!

The outer door of the apartment opened, then closed. Gin’ra handed a large, soft cloth to Casey. "I’ll see who it is."

Almost as soon as Gin’ra had left the room Casey heard voices. The conversation was low…it almost sounded as if the two…she was fairly sure it was only two people…were whispering.

Doora followed Gin’ra back into the bathroom suite. "Are you all right?" Before Casey could respond, she shook her head. "Of course you’re not!"

"I’ll be fine," Casey said…hoping she sounded as if she were willing it to be so, and not just reassuring the woman.

"You are very brave," Gin’ra said.

"I’m just doing what I have to do, in order to survive," Casey replied truthfully.

"You are indeed brave," Doora echoed.

"When you have finished here, your bed will be ready for you. Rest is what you need. Sleep if you can," Gin’ra said. "Apophis will likely-"

Casey lowered her head when Gin’ra stopped speaking so abruptly. She knew what the woman had been about to say. Apophis would ‘bed’ her again tonight. What she needed to decide was…would she continue to scream, or would just crying be enough?

"I will see to your bed," Gin’ra said, practically running from the room.

Doora tested the water with her fingers, lowered the lever that allowed the water to drain, just a bit, then added more hot water.

Casey leaned back and closed her eyes. This mission was going in every direction but the one she’d expected. Oh, she’d known from the beginning that she would be playing the part of a captured Tau’ri, and making her Consort was an obvious choice, just to piss off Ba’al. Making Daniel ‘lo’taur’ was also a decision made according to expectations: Apophis hated Daniel for killing Amaunet. Oh, Daniel hadn’t actually killed his first wife, and the Goa’uld that had inhabited her body. But he’d been present, and that would have been enough for the snake. Taking me...Daniel’s new wife...and forcing him to be witness is a ‘no-brainer’, she thought.

It had been stressful enough to arrive at Chulak…but then learning that they were walking into a city that was a powder-keg – ready to revolt against the god they didn’t want back – well, that was just the cherry on top of the crazy, Casey thought. What I need…

She sat up so quickly that water sloshed over the sides of the tub. "Um…would you…I’d really like to be alone," she said, trying to gauge Doora’s response.

"Tears will help you heal," Doora said wisely. "I do not find them weak, but necessary."

"Often, it is best to shed the first tears alone," the woman continued. "I will be just outside the door. Call when you wish for me to return."

As it had before, the kindness, the gentleness the servants were showing her brought tears to her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

Doora nodded, then stepped into the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her.

Casey took a deep breath...closed her eyes...reached for the sunny meadow where she and Miss Eloise had their ‘chats’.

The old seer took two steps, and disappeared.

Casey opened her eyes. She reached for one of the towels that waited on a stool right beside the tub. Stood up, and wrapped it around her wet body. "Gin’ra? Doora?"

Both women raced into the bathroom.

"Do you trust me?" Casey asked bluntly

The two servants exchanged a nervous look. Gin’ra raised her chin slightly. "I trust you," she said.

"As do I," Doora added.

"Okay, I’m putting a lot of trust into the two of you right now," Casey admitted. "I need to get a message to Jack…Jack O’Neill."

"The lo’taur of the Goa’uld known as Micah," Gin’ra said.

"Yes," Casey nodded.

Gin’ra nodded in return. "And what is this message?"

She hesitated. She trusted these two women…to a point. What she didn’t want to do was put them in any danger. "Who is guarding the door right now?"

"I do not know his name," Gin’ra conceded.

Casey frowned. "If you open the door, and I’m just sitting in here, will he see me?"

She dashed to the wardrobe, where she had hidden the pack Vanshu had made certain accompanied her. She was fairly certain all five of the team members had access to their BDUs. She glanced over her shoulder. "Please…don’t say a word…and…trust me."

Doora’s eyes went wide. A prisoner was never allowed to keep anything from his or her ‘former’ life. "How…?"

"It’s a long story and one I hope I can tell you soon," Casey replied as she pulled on her uniform. She hurried into the main room, carrying her boots. She sat down on one of the chairs and carefully laced the standard tactical boots that were part of her BDU. "Okay, open the door."

Gin’ra frowned, but did as Casey had asked.

Adal was on duty, and his eyes went wide when he saw Casey. "What is going on?" he asked.

"I need to get a message to Jack…as in right now," Casey said, her voice filled with desperation. She tapped her forehead.

The Jaffa was well aware of Casey’s psychic abilities. He nodded, wide-eyed. "And the message?"

"Call Ferretti," the seer replied. "Jack will understand. And tell Ferretti not to hesitate. Move out now."

With a nod, Adal shut the door. He hurried to the intersecting corridor. Waved at one of the Jaffa, a rebel he had worked with before. He repeated what Casey had told him. Gave him another ‘message’ that would hopefully protect both of them. The Jaffa nodded and hurried away. He glanced around, relieved to note that none of the Jaffa appeared to be more than mildly interested in what was happening. As soon as the messenger had turned into the adjoining corridor, Adal returned to his post. If he was remembering the Tau’ri names correctly, Casey had just sent word that the SG teams waiting outside of the city were to commence with their rescue. Now, she had said. Something was wrong, he was certain of it.

Jack and Aldwin looked toward the door, and then at one another, when a hesitant tap echoed softly. Springing from the chair where he’d been sitting, writing up what had happened so far during the mission, Jack hurriedly stuffed the notebook inside his duffel, then shoved it under the bed he had slept in the night before. That he carried a notebook was a result of working for so long with one Daniel Jackson. He pushed aside the box of Poptarts Sam had packed for him, (a result of working with one Casey Jackson.) He took enough time to grin about the influence the two had been on him…on the rest of the team, then darted back to stand in place behind Aldwin’s chair. Aldwin had hurriedly hidden the communication device he’d been using to send a report to Jacob Carter.

"Enter," Aldwin called out.

The Jaffa, Dor’kek, entered the room, nodding as he closed the door. "The seer sends an urgent message" he said softly.

The room’s two occupants exchanged a second glance. "And the message is?" Jack asked.

"You are to contact one named Ferretti," the Jaffa replied. "And, Ferretti is not to hesitate. He must move out now. The seer was quite adamant about that point."

Jack puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. "Hooboy," he sighed.

"Did she say anything else?" Aldwin asked.

"Not that I am aware. Adal gave me the message, and said I must hurry. That is all he said," Dor’kek shrugged. "He gave me another task, one that will cover my visit to this chamber."

Aldwin nodded. "Good. Thank you."

Dor’kek nodded, and then slipped back out of the room.

"What do we do?" Aldwin asked nervously.

"Exactly what Radar told us to do," Jack responded. He was already reaching for his pack. He frowned at Aldwin. "Is there any way you can let Sam and Lorraine know about this? And we should probably clue in Teal’c and Bra’tac."

Aldwin rose to his feet. "I can visit Lorraine’s room on the pretext of discussing a matter regarding the servants with her. I don’t know if I can approach Teal’c or Bra’tac, not without bringing attention to myself."

Jack nodded, not pleased with the answer, but understanding that at the moment, they still had to remain as unnoticed as possible, especially by the priests who wandered the halls of the palace. Radio in hand, he moved toward a shadowed corner of the room. Dialed in the SGC’s ‘emergency’ frequency for radio contact. "Ferretti, this is one-niner. Come in."

For several seconds there was nothing but silence. Then a click. "Right here, General," Ferretti’s voice replied.

"Something went tits up, or is going tits up. Radar sent word that you’re to spring us, and now. She was pretty adamant about the ‘now’ part," Jack explained, grimacing a bit at being called ‘general’. No matter what Sam says, I am never going to get used to that! Training had him forcing all thoughts but the matter at hand from his mind.

"Right."

"Come in as black as possible. Try to remain out of sight until you’re actually coming into the city," the general continued.

"Right."

"How many teams?"

"Four teams. Sixteen men total," Ferretti said.

"Good. I have no idea what’s going to happen. We’re going to try to get word to Teal’c and Bra’tac. If we can do that, you should have Free Jaffa covering your back."

"That would be much appreciated," the Marine replied.

"Okay, move out now. Remember, stay out of sight until you’re walking into Chulak."

"You got it, sir. See you in a couple of hours," Ferretti promised.

Jack twisted the dial on the radio and shut it off…he wouldn’t dare to turn it back on until he was certain Ferretti was nearby. He didn’t need a servant or slave hearing a call if he and Aldwin weren’t in the room. What he really needed was to have a chat with the team’s seer, to learn all he could about her message. He turned to the Tok’ra who watched him carefully. "I need to talk to Casey."

Aldwin nodded. "I agree. We must learn what is happening."

"Any ideas?"

"If I knew exactly where Pedram and Vanshu are right now, I could use the excuse of requiring a meeting with ‘Apophis’ to get us into the chamber," Micah responded.

"Last I heard he was going to be giving the priests fits about the ledgers," Jack said.

"Yes, that was what he planned," Micah agreed. "Did not Casey Jackson report that the two women assigned as her maids are rebels?"

"She did," Jack confirmed.

Micah smiled. "You, as lo’taur, are going to the kitchen, as I find myself a bit hungry."

"I have no clue where the kitchen is," Jack admitted.

The smile turned to a grin. "Exactly. They are aware of who you are…at least, they are aware that you are a captured member of SG-1, serving as my lo’taur. Something tells me that if they see you, there’s a chance they’ll approach you."

"Didn’t Casey mention one of their names?" Jack asked, playing the meeting earlier over in his mind.

"I believe she did," Micah said.

"What the hell was it?" Jack muttered, more to himself than his companion. "Sounded like…something like ‘ginger’. I think."

"Gin’ra!" Aldwin said excitedly.

"That’s it!" Jack nodded. "Okay, I’ll go see if I can find her. Anything specific you want from the kitchen?"

"Maybe just a bit of fruit?" Aldwin suggested.

"I’ll see what I can find." Jack took a deep breath. "Wish me luck."

"You will do well," Micah said confidently. "Remember, you are my lo’taur, and as such, when you have been given a task, your first obligation is to obey me."

"Right," Jack nodded. He wiped his hands on his pant legs. "Well, here I go." He opened the door and stepped out. He remembered the way to the main corridor of the palace. From there he could ask directions to the kitchen. And hopefully run into one specific servant. "Not even Ferretti would touch the odds on this one," he muttered under his breath.

He’d gone halfway down the wide hallway, was nearly to the first intersecting corridor when a voice called out to him.

His heart jumped into his throat, and he turned around to face the Jaffa who had spoken. "The kitchen."

The Jaffa, one of the Rebels, nodded slowly. "Your master requires food or drink?"

Jack almost passed out with relief when he realized that he was speaking to one of the Jaffa he’d met on the Hak’tyl. "Yeah…uh…yes. He wants some fruit. He says he’s hungry."

"I will escort you," the Jaffa replied.

Jack waited until the man was beside him, then quickly looked around. "I need to find one of the servants…a woman named Gin’ra," he whispered.

"For what reason?" the Jaffa asked, keeping his voice low.

"I need to get a message to Radar…er…Casey Jackson," Jack replied. Then sighed. "What I really need to do is talk to Casey."

The Jaffa frowned. "I will see what I can do. I believe I have seen this woman. She is one of Casey Jackson’s maids, is she not?"

"Yes, she is," Jack said.

"I will do my best," was the response.

They were just turning the corner to one of the other hallways when a door halfway down opened, and ‘Apophis’ stepped out of the room. His lo’taur was directly behind him. Vanshu paused for a moment, and then approached Jack. "A daring escape attempt?"

Jack froze for a moment, then tried to look significantly cowed. "Noc," he muttered.

"His master has sent him on an errand," the Jaffa explained. "I was escorting him to the kitchen to fulfill that errand."

"I see," Vanshu said. He turned to look at the four priests who stood gathered behind him. "Do you not have tasks that you should be tending to?"

The High Priest gathered his robe around him. "Yes, My Lord. We will see to it that your orders are followed exactly." The four old men scurried away.

"What’s going on?" Vanshu asked quietly. He glanced over his shoulder; watched the still visible priests for just a moment. "So, you understand your place as a slave in my palace," he said loudly.

Jack lowered his head, and stared at the toes of his boots...hoping that anyone watching would see only Apophis taunting a new slave. "Casey just sent word…she had me contact Ferretti. The teams are on their way."

"Why?" Vanshu asked, surprise written on his face.

"No clue," Jack confessed. "My guess is she had a download."

Daniel, who had been standing just behind Vanshu, flinched slightly. "Is she okay?"

"No clue, Danny," Jack replied. "I do know that the Jaffa with the message said everything has to happen now."

Vanshu frowned. "I assume that Micah had an idea?"

"We thought we could get a message to Casey through her maid Gin’ra. With luck, Gin’ra could bring a message back," Jack said. "Since I don’t know my way to the kitchen, it was the perfect excuse for me to wander around a bit."

"I apologize for interfering," the Jaffa beside the Tau’ri CO said.

Jack shook his head. "Not a problem. We need to let Teal’c and Bra’tac know that the teams are on their way…should be here in a couple of hours."

"If Casey saw something, I’m betting she was able to see enough to protect Pedram," Daniel said quietly.

"Let’s hope so," Jack sighed.

"Carry on with your task," Vanshu said. He turned to the Jaffa. "As soon as you have escorted the general back to Micah’s chambers, contact Bra’tac and Teal’c. If anyone inquires why you are looking for them, it is because I have sent you to do so."

The Jaffa nodded.

"I will learn all that I can from Casey. There has to be a way to get word to you and Colonel Carter," Vanshu continued. "The idea of using Gin’ra to carry messages just might work. If we can trust her."

"Casey does," Jack replied. "That’s good enough for me." He glanced up at the Jaffa beside him. "Okay, let’s go get a bowl of fruit."

The four parted ways, confident that they hadn’t been overheard. While their conversation hadn’t been completely ‘private’, the ears that had listened were delighted at the turn of events. It was quite the surprise to hear the four speaking what he recognized as the tongue of the Tau’ri. The smile on the wrinkled face lacked all mirth. It would be much easier to get rid of a System Lord who wasn’t who he pretended to be.

In a palace – particularly the palace of a System Lord – servants and slaves were continually moving from one room to another, doing the tasks that were required: cleaning, mopping, washing windows…all things that were done without anyone nearby taking notice. The palace of Apophis was no different.

The priest who had stood eavesdropping on the conversation being carried on just a few feet from him, barely took note of the woman who was busy on her hands and knees, scrubbing the marble tiles on the floor. When he turned around, he was stunned to see her standing in front of him, a long bladed knife in her hand. Before he could make a sound, she shoved the blade into his stomach…then twisted it brutally.

She stepped away as he dropped to his knees. "Don’t make a sound," she hissed, when the priest opened his mouth.

Before the priest could even comprehend what was happening, a Jaffa stepped up behind the woman. He’d known this particular Jaffa for years. He gave a weak smile, believing that the warrior would strike down his attacker, and see to it that he was carried to a keir’os, so that his wounds could be tended.

"You are no better than a Goa’uld," the warrior hissed. The tall, dark-haired man raised a zat’nik’tel and fired. Once…twice…three times. The sound echoed in the stillness of the corridor. He glanced at the slave. "Can you clean this up before anyone comes?" he asked.

The woman smiled, looking at the blood that stained the floor. "Yes," she replied simply. She reached for her bucket. Tossed a handful of rags onto the floor where the blood had spilled. Then knelt down and calmly continued to clean, as if nothing had happened.

The Jaffa slipped the bloody knife into the sheath at his side. He turned and walked away.

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