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Family Feud 

Pedram watched as two ships continued to fire on one another, neither seeming to cause enough damage to destroy the other. He listened to his symbiote, and then insisted that he share the news with Bra’tac.

"We may have a problem," Vanshu said.

The old Jaffa jumped slightly. "Ah…Vanshu, is it not?"

Bra’tac nodded his acknowledgement of that meeting. "What problem might we have?"

"I have been studying the attacks that Ba’al and his clone have been launching against one another," the Tok’ra said quietly. "It seems that both ships are carefully shielded. If the others are also protected by such shields, even with the number of ships that will bombard Ba’al’s fleet, we may find that we have as little luck destroying them as they are each other."

"It is only because they aren’t moving," Bra’tac replied, a smile on his face. "Ba’al is not quite the ship builder he believes he is. In order to make it appear as if his engines and his shields are more powerful, he has tied both systems together."

Vanshu stared at the Jaffa Master for a moment. "That is...unwise. I’d even go so far as to call it folly."

"That is exactly what the Goa’uld engineers who worked on those ships said. Several of my Jaffa overheard those complaints numerous times," Bra’tac chuckled.

"IF he is so inclined. If he’s aware of the weakness, he may remain where he is, forcing us to continue to move closer to attack," Bra’tac replied. "However, I believe that we’ve come up with a plan that will be most suitable for enraging Ba’al enough to make him pursue us."

"And that is?" Vanshu asked curiously.

"We will soon have SG-1 on board," Bra’tac explained. "As the prisoners of Apophis, of course. It is not enough that Apophis has returned from the dead. He must be seen as striking out against his enemies. And none were more vexatious to him than SG-1."

"Very wise," Vanshu nodded approvingly.

"Because of their experience in dealing with Ba’al, I believe they will have a plan for their ‘captivity’ that will be most useful," Bra’tac added. "Of course, having Casey Jackson playing the part of Apophis’ obedient Consort will be a provocation that Ba’al will not ignore. He has declared to all that she is his Consort."

Pedram shifted uncomfortably, relieved that at the moment, Vanshu was in control of his body. His symbiote, however, noted the slight movement.

"I won’t be expected to…I won’t have to…" Pedram couldn’t even put his fears into words.

Vanshu chuckled. "Of course not. At the most, she will be required to behave as a consort, holding your hand, putting her hand on your shoulder or your arm. You will be expected to put your arm around her, to show your domination."

He let out a silent sigh. "Good. I respect her too much to do more. She is the wife of a very brave warrior, whom I also greatly respect."

His fears allayed, Pedram gave Vanshu a gentle pat. "Casey Jackson is quite amusing. I rather imagine we will have a good time while we wait for Ba’al to give up and die."

Vanshu roared with laughter, doing so out loud as well. He gave a sheepish smile to the Jaffa who turned to look at him. "Pedram was just telling me about Casey Jackson."

Bra’tac laughed. "She is quite a woman. She has a sharp tongue, which she doesn’t hesitate to use against those who anger her. Teal’c told me that when the team from the SGC located the real Ba’al, she sent a message along to be read to him."

"I take it that this message was amusing?" Vanshu asked.

"Well, it was to her teammates. And the Jaffa who overheard it," Bra’tac chuckled. "Let me see if I can remember…Teal’c told me about it." The older man closed his eyes for a moment. "I am not certain this is exactly word for word."

Vanshu nodded his understanding.

Bra’tac took a deep breath, then grinned. "Her message was, ‘Ba’al if you were half as smart as you think you are, you would find the farthest galaxy you can find, and hide your sorry ass there. But because you have more ego than brains, I am starting a betting pool on which System Lord pops your ass out of existence.’"

He blinked once. Twice. Pedram was howling with laughter. Vanshu joined him. "That is most amusing!" he gasped, once the peals of laughter have stopped. "I think Pedram…er…Apophis should mention this little piece of advice when he contacts Ba’al."

Bra’tac nodded, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "I do believe that would be something Ba’al should hear."

"Master, I have a message from M’zel," Lo’teal reported, a grin still on his face.

"And that message is?" Bra’tac asked.

"SG-1 is with them on the Hak’tyl. They will rendezvous with us in five hours," was the response.

"Very good." Bra’tac turned to Vanshu. "Now, we must prevent the other Goa’uld from attacking before the rest of Apophis’ fleet arrives."

"I do. You will tell the Goa’uld who wait that you have sent your ships to find SG-1, so that you may exact your revenge. And that you have just been told by your Jaffa that they are in the holding cell of one of your ships, on the way here," Bra’tac said.

Vanshu nodded. "That is something I believe Apophis would do."

"I am sure of it," Bra’tac muttered.

"Let us do this now. It will cause more worry for those who wait," Vanshu said. He looked at the Jaffa who was in charge of communications. "Open a link to all Goa’uld ships."

"Even those of Ba’al?"

"Especially Ba’al," Vanshu nodded.

Again, Vanshu nodded. He took a deep breath, then gave one sharp nod toward the Jaffa. "Hear me, Goa’uld. I have sent my ships in search of the Tau’ri who were responsible for my supposed death. My Jaffa have located them, and even now they are in a holding cell. They will be here soon. Know that I will not tolerate the impudence of those who have tried to kill me, nor those who have taken what is rightfully mine!" He gave a cutting sign with his fingers, unseen by those who watched the communications screens on their ships.

Bra’tac was nodding. "Very much like Apophis."

"Your diligence is apparent in the ease with which you assume his identity," Bra’tac said admiringly.

"Good. Because if any one of those Goa’uld start suspecting, we could all be in danger," Vanshu replied.

Apophis’ announcement resonated on hundreds of ships. The Goa’uld who waited did so with even more apprehension. Once Ba’al had been dealt with, there was no doubt in any System Lord’s mind that Apophis would then turn his anger on those who had taken what had once belonged to him.

Kali sent an immediate message to Amaterasu. "We must make certain to flee the moment we have determined that Ba’al and his clone are dead. If we are to protect our holdings, we must be there to do so."

Amaterasu sent a message in return. "Would it not be better to turn our attention to Apophis once we have defeated Ba’al?"

"Do you really believe that Apophis will risk his ships? We do not dare to hesitate to engage Ba’al, not now. But will Apophis? I am not confident that I will emerge from this battle with all of the ships that report to me," Kali responded.

"Then perhaps you are right. We will leave as soon as we have confirmation that Ba’al and his clone are dead. Apophis cannot follow all of us," Amaterasu acquiesced.

"He can if he has enough ships," Kali pointed out.

"But he will not have enough ships to take us on. Not all of us," Amaterasu insisted.

"You will do as you please. For myself, I am leaving as soon as I am satisfied that Ba’al is dead," Kali proclaimed.

The other Goa’uld – Yu, Keku, Tuoni, Pelops, and Morgan – were experiencing the same response to the message. Except for Pelops, all had held at least one of the Tau’ri known as SG-1 as prisoner. Four of them had held the entire team, as well as numerous other teams from the First World. None had held their prisoners for more than a few days. Several had held the infamous SG-1 for less than a few hours.

While none of them believed that Apophis would be any more successful in holding that most annoying group for more than a few hours...a day or so a most...the fact that one of the first things he had done upon his return was to search for them, and take them captive, was evidence of his wrath. Except for Yu, all of them had been quick to scoop up ships and Jaffa and any unprotected planets that Apophis had claimed. Ba’al had taken the most, that was true. But it seemed likely that Apophis didn’t care how much they had taken individually. Only that they had.

Pelops was too recently returned to have allied himself with any of the Goa’uld who remained…so many that he had known were gone, thanks the Tau’ri. While he agreed with Kali that Ba’al had brought the Goa’uld Empire to the brink of destruction, and must be disciplined...which for those gathered meant obliterated, he didn’t have a large enough fleet to take on Apophis. Not if he lost any of his ships in the coming battle. He, too, was making plans to flee as soon as possible.

Tuoni and Morgan had already struck a deal to protect one another during the upcoming battle. They were Goa’uld, however, and also were planning to turn on one another as soon as Ba’al had been killed, determined to best the other and steal what they could.

Keku was contemplating several possible avenues of action. The others had more ships than he, and could easily destroy Ba’al. He was there only to watch and gloat at the death of the Goa’uld who had taken such a strategic and useful planet from him. The fact that it had been retaliation for cheating Ba’al on a business arrangement was studiously ignored. He began to convince himself that Apophis was lying, and that the three ships the no-longer-dead System Lord commanded were the extent of his fleet. Having more ships than Apophis, it would be simple to kill him…again. As usual, Keku believed himself far more powerful and more skillful in the ways of battle than he actually was. Nor did he understand that his Jaffa were far from loyal to him…his cowardice had been a heavy burden for those ‘faithful ones’ to bear.

He settled more comfortably on his throne. Oshu stood beside him, as was expected. Yu motioned to the hundreds of ships they could see. "They are already plotting to kill Apophis. Or to run."

"Perhaps we should hold back," Oshu offered.

The old Goa’uld shook his head, his expression wistful. "We dare not. Ba’al must be destroyed. If we fail, he will destroy us. You can see that his fleet is much larger than any of us realized."

"But if Ba’al and his clone battle one another-" Oshu started.

Yu shook his head. "So far, they fire only upon the ships on which they sit. I do not believe Ba’al wants his fleet to battle against itself."

"Then there is the chance that we still may not defeat Ba’al," Oshu said, frowning deeply.

"I fear that the only thing that will be accomplished today is the complete destruction of the Goa’uld Empire," Yu said sadly. We were a dying race once…so long ago. Ra offered us so much…. He sighed deeply.

The Goa’uld had never been as strong, as capable, as intelligent as Ra had declared himself and his followers to be. In truth, the Goa’uld had always been – and always would be – nothing more than parasitical creatures using whomever they pleased for hosts, and taking whatever technology they could appropriate...or outright steal. Two facts that Yu himself had shoved to the very darkest corners of his mind. Ra had been responsible for finding hosts that would allow the Goa’uld to grow and thrive. He had been just as enthralled with the Tau’ri as Ra had been…just as delighted to find that the barely civilized humans were such enticing hosts, and such easily subjugated slaves. Ra had created the Goa’uld Empire. That Empire had allowed Goa’uld to live as gods. But his ego, his cruelty...his determination to be the greatest of all...had led Ra down a path of treachery and destruction, dragging the others with him

The eldest Goa’uld sighed again. Ra had done nothing more than prolong their inevitable extinction. Part of him would always believe that the centuries he had spent as a ‘god’ were worth any price. Part of him realized that the end of the Goa’uld – as an empire and a species – would long be celebrated among the star systems…and that the deaths of he and the other Goa’uld would be as painful as the Tau’ri could make them. Not out of malice. But out of a sense of justice. That damnable trait that humans carried – a belief in justice and fairness. A belief in a world…a universe…where all lived freely and happily. Dreamers, he snorted silently to himself. Do-gooders. Warriors…fighting a battle of honor. That thought made him squirm with agitation, his emotions roiling in a way that he never before experienced.

The clone glared at the ship that loomed in front of him. In spite of his attempts to take out the engines, and thus destroy the shields, he was not making any progress. "Contact my ships. Tell them to destroy that ha’tak," he growled.

The Jaffa looked at him. Then at the warrior beside him. Both were rebels. And both were willing to die to see Ba’al dead, and to know that the other Goa’uld would die as well. All of the ships the clone had commanded were now under the control of the Rebel Jaffa. At least a dozen ships that Ba’al commanded had been taken over as well…the rebel numbers had swelled each time Ba’al had been defeated by the Tau’ri. Now, not even the most loyal of Jaffa were willing to follow a clone, nor were they at all pleased at the situation Ba’al and his ego had put them in as ‘faithful ones’. Ba’al had set into motion a plan that would have seen many of them dead in battles against the other System Lords. A callous reminder that their ‘god’ viewed them as nothing more than cannon fodder, with as little value as slaves. "Yes, My Lord," he replied after a pause. He sent a message. Not the message the clone had ordered, however.

The Jaffa smiled with grim determination, and not a little excitement, as ships once under the control of Ba’al began to move. Not toward the ship of the System Lord. Not toward the planet. But toward the ship that had brought the Tok’ra who was impersonating Apophis. A total of fifteen ships moved away from the planet. Leaving Ba’al with only two-thirds of the ships he’d commanded. A loss, the Jaffa thought, that would make the ensuing battle more difficult for him to win.

"What are you doing?" the clone screamed. "I ordered you-" The sound of staff weapons charging filled the air. "You would dare to attack your god?"

"You are not a god. You are an abomination!" the Jaffa replied. He aimed, and hit the clone in the chest. Watched with detached patience as the Goa’uld dropped to his knees, then face first onto the cold, marble floor. He waited for the symbiote to crawl out of the man’s mouth...the symbiote hadn’t been damaged, only the host was dead. His frown deepened when it failed to appear. "Destroy the symbiote," he instructed one of the Jaffa standing nearest to the dead ‘god’.

With a nod, the Jaffa knelt down and ripped the shirt from the dead Goa’uld’s back. He took his knife, and slit open the back muscles, exposing the spine. A small, deformed symbiote barely moved. He slashed off the head, and ripped it from its place, leaving a hole in the back of the clone’s brain. The Goa’uld was dead before it hit the floor.

The Jaffa on the pel’tak stared as one at the creature. "Truly an abomination," one whispered.

Ba’al watched in horror – and with rage – as fifteen of his ships moved away…toward the ship where Apophis waited. How? When? He searched his memory trying to remember exactly where he’d placed the Jaffa he had taken control over when Apophis had been reported dead. Those reports had come from the Jaffa who had managed to escape from the doomed ship, which had been taken over by Replicators. They had watched it crash into a fiery ball on the surface of the planet that had been below them…or so they had claimed. Had he mistakenly put them into positions that would allow such a catastrophe?

The fact that it was impossible for Apophis to have survived what those Jaffa described remained hidden from his thoughts. Had he thought about it, he would have simply assumed that the Jaffa had been too cowardly to remain on the ship, and had thus exaggerated the events.

"Fire on those ships. I want them destroyed!" he roared. "Follow them! Destroy them!"

"My Lord," the Jaffa manning the weapons said, "We have taken several direct hits to the engine. If we move now, we could lose the engines, and the shields."

If his shields went down, every Goa’uld nearby would detect the loss. And he would be dead in a matter of minutes. Ba’al dropped onto his throne. "Remain here. Send the rest of my fleet after those who have betrayed me. Leave at least a dozen around my ha’tak, to protect it."

"Yes, My Lord." The Jaffa – who wasn’t a rebel, but was questioning the strength of his ‘god’ – wondered why Ba’al hadn’t simply destroyed those who had come against him. The thought that bounced through his brain surprised him…Ba’al wasn’t a god. Just a creature who used all those around him to do his bidding. It was the first time in his life the Jaffa balked at the thought of dying as a ‘faithful one’, particularly for nothing more than the ego of such a creature.

On the ship where Bra’tac and Pedram/Vanshu waited, everyone on the pel’tak watched with wide eyes at the number of ships moving away from Ba’al, and toward them.

"He is going to attack us," Bra’tac said hoarsely. "He must not be as afraid of Apophis as we had hoped."

The Jaffa monitoring communications whooped loudly. "Master Bra’tac! All of those ships are under the control of rebels!"

Bra’tac’s eyes went wide. He knew that his Jaffa recruited carefully, quietly. He’d not heard that they had been as successful as the current events indicated. "We did not have that many Rebels on board those ships!"

"Perhaps those Jaffa surmised the situation, and decided that to die for a false god on this day wasn’t such a pleasant idea," Pedram said.

"Or," Bra’tac frowned. "It is a ploy. We will know when they are close enough to fire on us."

Vanshu spoke, his voice soothing. "We carry the weapons created by the Tau’ri, those which will make quick work of Goa’uld ships. Those ships that will join us carry the same weapons. We will take this day. We must be patient…but always diligent."

Bra’tac hadn’t been aware of the additional armament, nor that the missiles that he knew were on board were the impressive weapons produced by the Tau’ri. He did recall Teal’c’s pride in the fact that Colonel Carter had been influential in creating the weapons; naquadah and trinium were significant components, and as such, far more destructive than any armament the Goa’uld possessed. A smile toyed at the corners of his mouth. The Tau’ri were, it seemed, determined to win against the Goa’uld.

Yu watched with mounting amusement. While the anticipated battle had yet to be fought, it was doubtful now that Ba’al would survive. He had only to make certain that his ha’tak remained in one piece, and he could return to his Jade Garden…and there he would stay. And one day die in peace. He gave a small, almost sad, smile. "You have done this to yourself, Hadu. Your hatred, your avarice…your ego…have brought you to this end. Goodbye, my Son."

The Goa’uld had spoken under his breath, unaware that Oshu had been able to discern every word. The First Prime did his best not to react to what he’d heard.

Daniel looked around as he stepped through the ‘gate and onto the sand of a desert planet. The heat was nearly unbearable. "I hope we’re not going to be here long," he said drolly.

M’zel smiled. "Not long." He lifted his arm and activated the communication device in the armband he wore. "We have the Tau’ri with us. We are ready."

Adal gathered SG-1 around him, M’zel and Aron moved closer as well. Seconds later, the unmistakable sounds of a ring transport filled the air. In a flash of bright white light, the team and their ‘captors’ were ringed to a waiting ship.

Smiling faces greeted them. "Welcome to the Hak’tyl," one of the Jaffa said warmly.

Daniel frowned slightly. "Hak’tyl…doesn’t that mean ‘liberation’?"

"Yes, it does," M’zel replied. "A very apt name for the ship from which Free Jaffa will strike at the heart of the Empire that once enslaved us all."

"I agree," Casey said, smiling at their hosts. "A very apt name."

"Indeed," Teal’c nodded. His smile was one of pride…and absolute joy. He’d only dreamed of the freedom of all Jaffa. Now that dream was about to become reality.

"We have prepared quarters for you," the Jaffa who welcomed them said. "It will be at least five hours before we arrive at our destination."

"We’ll use that time to rest up," Jack said. "Don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll need to be rested."

"As will we," Aron said. "We will all rest. And when we arrive, we will bring an end to the Goa’uld Empire."

The excitement in the room was palpable. Casey wrapped her fingers around Daniel’s hand as they followed the Jaffa into the corridor. It was instinctual to feel a moment of raw terror…being on a Goa’uld ship was never a good thing. But this Goa’uld ship was controlled by Free Jaffa. And the team was in no danger from them.

For so long, it seemed that they would never be able to defeat the Goa’uld. Now…Casey shivered slightly. She wouldn’t even allow a negative thought to form. They – every man and woman at the SGC – had worked too long…fought too hard…far too many had died...for this day. The Tok’ra and the free Jaffa had worked just as hard, made as many sacrifices, to bring an end to their tormentors. There was no way she was going to allow an errant thought jinx the entire affair.

"Case?" Daniel asked softly, when Casey’s hand tightened around his. Her fingers were slightly cool. "What’s wrong?"

She shook herself mentally, then smiled up at the only man she would ever love. "Not a thing," she smiled. "Well, I am a little pissed that I forgot to bring my phone."

"Planning to make a few calls?" Daniel teased gently.

She shook her head. "Planned to take a few pictures. I especially wanted one of Ba’al’s face when he sees us with Pedram…er…Apophis.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that is going to be a Kodak moment."

Casey sighed. "I just can’t help but feel that, even if we bring down the Goa’uld Empire, we’re still going to have to deal with a Goa’uld or two…or maybe even three. Not like we do now…but still…" She shrugged.

"If the Empire is gone, it will mean that the Goa’uld involved can see no need for the rules, or for the structure. They’ll be on their own, and they’ll be vicious," Daniel agreed. "But they won’t be as strong as they have been, or even as strong as they are now. And that will prevent them from doing anything that will put us on their tails."

"They’re going to avoid us like the plague, only because they’re going to be too weak to attack and too weak to defend themselves if we attack them," Jack predicted, having – as usual – heard the soft conversation behind him. "We brought down their Empire. Okay, they don’t know that, they’re blaming Ba’al for the entire mess. The snakes never believed they could fall, that their empire could collapse. I can’t see them trusting each other after this."

"Indeed," Teal’c said. "Any Goa’uld who survive the next few days will blame any others who survive. No doubt they will continue to squabble among themselves. Not enough to risk any damage to any ships or planets they may have. But enough to prevent the others from attempting to grow stronger."

"Like Zeus and Nergal," Casey said softly. "Those two are so determined not to give an inch that it hasn’t occurred to them that if they joined forces, they could dominate in two solar systems."

Sam shivered visibly. "What are the chances of them coming to that conclusion?"

Teal’c shook his head. "Both Goa’uld believes himself to be the strongest, the wisest. The Supreme System Lord. To work with another would indicate that there is a weakness in their plans. Their egos will never allow that."

"And if…no…when…we manage to knock them down to size, they’ll blame each other," Jack surmised.

"Indeed."

"So, business as usual," Jack grinned.

Their guide stopped in front of a door. "This was once the harem. There are separate rooms you may use. You may join us in what was once the throne room for the meal that is being prepared."

"Sounds good," Jack said.

The Jaffa looked at Teal’c. "If you would prefer to remain with SG-1, you may. If you would like to join us, you may. It is your choice."

"I will remain with my teammates," Teal’c said, giving a regal nod of his head. "But I thank you for your offer."

The Jaffa nodded in return. "I will send someone when it is meal time."

"And that would be...when?" Jack asked.

"Not quite an hour."

"So, we’ll just settle in, grab a bite to eat, and then get some sleep," Jack said. His team nodded their understanding.

‘Very well." With another nod, the Jaffa moved off down the corridor.

"Is anyone else feeling as weird about this as I am?" Sam asked softly.

"Weird?" Daniel asked.

"We’re on a Goa’uld ship…that always makes my skin crawl. But…we’re surrounded by Jaffa who view us as friends…as allies," Sam explained.

"Well, now that you mention it, this is a bit surreal, isn’t it?" Daniel admitted.

The team stepped into the main room of the harem. Casey immediately began to laugh. The erotic murals that covered the walls were themselves covered with graffiti. Splotches of paint reduced the multiple scenes of sex to nothing more than a few faces and feet. Symbols and hieroglyphs covered the rest of the walls.

Daniel laughed loudly. "Oh, this is great. ‘Death to the false gods’. ‘False gods have no manhood’," he read, pointing to two of the largest quotes.

The team burst into boisterous laughter.

"I guess the Jaffa on this ship aren’t crazy about harems," Jack gasped, still laughing.

"Too many Jaffa saw their home planets raided by rival Goa’uld. Wives, sisters, daughters…sometimes even mothers…were taken as slaves. Serving on the ships of their own false god, they understood what those women were enduring," Teal’c said quietly, bringing an end to the frivolity.

Once again the thought that life as a Jaffa had been brutal crossed Jack’s mind. "It’s nice to know that shit like that won’t be happening any more," he said, his voice quiet as well.

"Indeed," Teal’c replied.

"You would think that – because of their own family members’ fate – they would have been…kinder…to the slaves they were put in charge of," Casey said softly.

"Often, a Jaffa will strike out at the nearest target when he is angry, or has been wronged," Teal’c pointed out. "It is not an honorable fact, but it is a fact, nonetheless."

"Humans can react the same way," Jack assured the Jaffa.

"Indeed."

Sam peeked into the room to the right of the door they’d entered through. "This is a nice room. There are panels of heavy cloth on the walls. Almost looks like satin."

Casey had followed suit, and was peeking into the room on the opposite side. "Same here."

"Okay, since the ladies seem to have made their choices, let’s get settled in, shall we?"

"What about Teal’c?" Casey asked, frowning slightly.

The huge warrior smiled, and pointed to the oversized sofa against the far wall, and the pile of pillows that covered it. "I believe that will be most comfortable."

Another sofa and half a dozen chairs, also covered with pillows, filled another corner. It was to this spot that Jack led the team. "Okay, we have a have less than an hour. Anything we need to discuss?"

"If there are already Tok’ra agents to play the part of Goa’uld lackeys to Apophis, then I don’t think we’ll be needed for those particular parts," Sam said.

Jack studied Casey for a moment. "Casey, when you were on Ba’al’s ship-"

"Which time?" the seer quipped automatically.

"Ha ha. Doesn’t matter," Jack retorted. "When you were playing The Consort game…did any of the Goa’uld have lo’taur, or personal slaves?"

She closed her eyes, pulling up the bitter memories of days spent wandering the corridors of Ba’al’s ship; she had been so miserable and unhappy that she’d wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and never wake up. Pushing the emotions aside, she examined those memories. "As a matter of fact, yes they did. I know two of the Goa’uld who worked for Ba’al had lo’taurs…I remember the gold chokers around their necks. One of the others had a lo’taur and half a dozen slaves, that I remember."

"Okay, thanks," Jack said. "I don’t know if Bra’tac and Pedram have this worked out or not, we’ll find out when we get there. But it’s best if we have an idea or two, just in case.

"We know that Apophis will make Casey a consort, simply because Ba’al has claimed her as his," Daniel said. "We also know that he’ll be anxious to have Teal’c as his First Prime again."

"Agreed," Sam nodded. "So that leaves the three of us to play either slaves, or ‘new’ lo’taur."

Casey frowned, her gaze on her Husband. "It would be too soon for you to be lo’taur. You’d have to be appropriately trained."

"Not necessarily," Daniel objected. "Kali made me her lo’taur just a few hours after her Jaffa grabbed me. In spite of the fact that she knew I hated her. I even told her so. Didn’t make a difference. She snapped that damned collar around my neck and started giving orders."

"Indeed. It does not matter to a Goa’uld what the feelings of their slaves, or servants, or their lo’taur, might be," Teal’c added. "Usually those under the harsh rule of Goa’uld feel nothing but hatred. As long as the lo’taur obeys, feelings are irrelevant. Any misconduct is ‘corrected’ with painful punishment."

"It would be one of those prestige things," Daniel said, "to have a member of the ‘infamous SG-1’ as their lo’taur. It could raise the status of a minor Goa’uld substantially. Making me his lo’taur could make Apophis appear ‘untouchable’."

"Very true," Teal’c nodded.

"Okay, so we see about getting Sam and I outfitted as lo’taur to these Tok’ra. What about Danny…Teal’c any ideas there?" Jack asked. "Do you think he’d make Daniel his lo’taur?"

Teal’c frowned for a moment, then smiled. "I believe Apophis would find it quite amusing to force Casey Jackson into the position as his consort, and to place Daniel Jackson in place as his lo’taur. Not only would it irritate Ba’al, but it would be something the real Apophis would do…a way to torture Daniel Jackson with the knowledge that he was helpless to protect Casey, and perhaps even make him witness Apophis taking his wife."

Again, Daniel thought, shuddering mentally. This was just a ruse, not real. But somehow, the feeling that Apophis would have rejoiced in taking his second wife made his stomach turn over. It’s not real. It’s just a cover story, he told himself firmly. He pushed the uneasy feelings aside. Apophis was dead. And Pedram was not Apophis.

Jack nodded. "Okay. As soon as we’re on Pedram’s ship, we’ll tell Bra’tac what we’ve come up with. See if it’s similar to anything they’ve decided to do."

Casey, sitting on the sofa beside her Husband, cuddled closer to Daniel’s side. "So much pain. Physical…emotional…mental…" She shook her head. "To know that we’re bringing that to an end, it’s almost overwhelming."

"I know what you mean. It wasn’t but a few weeks ago we were certain we’d be fighting the Goa’uld forever…we just couldn’t seem to get a break," Sam agreed.

"Then Ba’al went especially stupid, his clone got away, and we found Pedram," Casey grinned.

"It’s amazing what one or two separate events can do to change everything," Daniel mused.

"Teal’c, what are the chances of any of the Goa’uld, but particularly Ba’al, trying to board Apophis’ ha’tak?" Jack asked, a slight frown on his face as he continued to make risk assessments for the mission the team had undertaken.

"Very low," Teal’c responded. "It would require having enough Jaffa to board and take control of the ship, and enough ships and gliders to surround it to prevent any others from interfering."

"From what we know about the situation, right now Ba’al has every one of his ships and all of his Jaffa," Jack replied. "That’s got to make him take chances. Especially if Casey is involved."

Teal’c frowned. "It would depend upon the actions of the Jaffa. How many will refuse to follow the clone, and also refuse any orders from the real Ba’al? I do not believe that any of the other System Lords would involve themselves if Ba’al did attack Apophis, and made an attempt to take over his ha’tak."

"Yeah, just sit back and let Ba’al do the hard work, and they come in and wipe out whoever is left.," Daniel speculated.

"That is exactly what they would do," Teal’c agreed.

"That might work if Apophis only had those three ships. But six more are about to join him, and two of those were Ba’al’s until a few days ago," Sam countered. "That’s gonna spook Ba’al as well. I mean, he doesn’t have a clue that those ships were actually taken over by Rebel Jaffa. All he’ll see is that two ships that answered to him are suddenly under the control of a System Lord everyone thought was dead."

Daniel shook his head slowly. "Illusions and perceptions. Smoke and mirrors. That’s all the Goa’uld Empire is."

"It almost makes you wonder if it’s always been that way, or if this is the result of Ra being tossed off the First World," Casey said thoughtfully.

"I think it’s always been that way," Daniel replied. "Ra was full of himself, and thought he was all powerful. But his power was more illusion than real. When his Jaffa were exposed, proven to be human, the people on Abydos were enraged."

"They were," Jack nodded. "I don’t think the fire that set them on the path of rebellion would have been lit if they hadn’t seen those faces. It made the possibility of defeating the Jaffa more plausible to them." Two of my men, he thought sadly. Two of the Jaffa who were exposed had been my men.

Casey rubbed her thumb over Daniel’s knuckles as he held her hand. "Do you think the Goa’uld have any idea about their real history…the truth about where they came from, and how they reached ‘god-hood’?"

"You would think there would be records somewhere," Sam said.

"Don’t bet on it," Daniel snorted. "None of them are going to believe anything that doesn’t have them personally as the center of the universe." His teammates snickered in agreement.

Jack rubbed his hands together, carefully examined each face around. "Okay, anything else we need to discuss?"

The tickle was there. Not much, not like the usual ‘warning’ signs she received. But is was enough to catch her attention. Casey tugged her lip between her teeth, listening carefully to the whispers only she could here.

He barely bit back a moan of frustration. "Radar?" Jack asked.

The seer shook her head. "It’s sort of...well, remember I said we need to act all scared and freaked out about Apophis returning?"

"I remember," Jack said softly. It had caused several moments of laugher among the teammates.

"We really need to do that." Casey held up her hand when Daniel opened his mouth to speak. "I don’t know why. Just that we have to pretend to be scared out of our wits."

"Except for Pelops, every one of the Goa’uld that we’re going to face has captured SG teams. I think all of them have captured us at least once," Sam said softly.

"And we were always our insolent, insufferable selves," Daniel added. "I think I understand. If the Goa’uld are already nervous about Apophis’ sudden return, to see us behaving totally against character-"

"Would make them even more freaked out," Casey finished.

"Then that’s what we do," Jack said. He frowned slightly. It was instinct for every member of the team to respond to Goa’uld with as much attitude and absolute disdain as possible. For SG-1, being captured always pissed them off. Of course there had been moments when they’d been afraid...terrified that their fabled good luck had run out. But they never, ever let the snake who was holding them see that fear. It was a strategic maneuver. One that was necessary to keep the other snakes off guard. He had no doubt that his kids had Technicolor memories of being prisoners. He could see those memories flicker in each pair of eyes. He gave them a smile. "I’m betting we can convince those snakes we’re as afraid of Apophis as they are."

"I want an Oscar if we pull this off," Casey huffed immediately.

Sam laughed. "Me, too."

The comments were enough to help the team reconcile, each of them in their own way, what they were about to face.

There was a tap on the door, and then it opened. Aron stepped into the room. "The meal is ready, and we are honored to have the great SG-1 join us."

Eyes dropped, cheeks went red, and the teammates stole embarrassed glances at one another. "Your words honor us," Teal’c said.

"Yeah, a lot," Jack mumbled.

Aron nodded, then motioned that the team should follow him. He would tell the others about the modesty of SG-1. It would do much to add to the reputation of the Tau’ri among the Rebel Jaffa.

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