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Family Feud

Chapter 8

Amaterasu watched with mixed emotions. She had held SG-1 once; for not more than a few hours. It had been several years ago, when she had discovered them on a planet she had laid claim to. Her arrival had interrupted a meeting they’d been having with the local villagers…slaves beholden to her for their lives. The Tau’ri had managed to escape before she’d even been fully settled in her quarters. Attempts to recapture them had caused the loss of a dozen loyal Jaffa.

That SG-1 had allowed themselves to be taken prisoner, so that the villagers they defended could make good their escape, hadn’t meant much to her at the time. She had thought them to be too ignorant to save themselves. Now, she knew better. The Tau’ri had cultivated their reputation as ‘heroes’ to those who sought freedom from Goa’uld enslavement. And escaped from any Goa’uld who did manage to capture them. It was as if they held some magical power…she shook her head mentally. They are but Tau’ri. Cunning, perhaps...yes, they are most devious. But they hold no unique powers.

All had heard that Ba’al claimed the Tau’ri known as Casey Jackson as his Consort. She sat back in her throne. Apophis had broadcast to every System Lord, every minor Goa’uld, and every Jaffa in the sector a message the seer had sent to Ba’al. It had been more than insulting. It had been a blatant declaration of disdain. Not even the Tau’ri were afraid of Ba’al. By now he had to be crazed with anger. How dangerous will that make him in the coming battle? she wondered.

Ba’al’s clone had fought against him…and then that ship, as well as more than a dozen others…had simply moved away from him, each declaring their loyalty to Apophis. A most unexpected occurrence. It did, however, raise the odds of Ba’al being defeated.

When Apophis had been declared dead, Ba’al had swept in, taking more than his fair share in Jaffa, and planets, and slaves…and ships. How many of the Jaffa who had betrayed him had once served Apophis?

While that thought made her nervous – she tried to remember how many Jaffa once loyal to Apophis were serving on her own ships – it also set her thoughts on a different path. Ba’al would attack Apophis, who would then destroy that most useless Goa’uld. But in doing so, Apophis would certainly lose ships. Enough that if she remained far enough away from the battle, she could turn her ships on Apophis. Once she had destroyed him, she would demand allegiance from her ‘brothers and sisters’, although she would never declare herself as ‘Supreme System Lord’, a title and position that would only encourage the others to attack her. No, she would merely announce her superiority over them. Then she would return to the planets she held. And she would defend them mercilessly.

The other Goa’uld who watched, their fleets so small as to be unable to battle against Ba’al or Apophis without the aid of their ‘brothers and sisters’, were too afraid to plot against either one. Without a doubt, Ba’al would attack Apophis…for daring to claim the Tau’ri woman as his own…and for exposing the insult she had offered. Those two would battle. They would destroy one another. And then…the thought on their minds was to take what ships they had, and return to the planets and palaces they owned. They would fight only to protect what belonged to them. The Empire would end this day…and their only hope of survival was to avoid any further battles completely.

Near the edge of what Lord Yu considered his territory, two ships – ancient in design and appearance – moved slowly. The ‘Jaffa’ who served on those vessels watched the monitors carefully, expecting to see the signs of others at any moment.

Yamm paced the pel’tak, complaining under his breath. "Useless. All of them. Not one of them can see the advantage we would hold at this moment. That we hold," he amended, with a snort of anger.

Had the others joined him, he wouldn’t have to be so cautious. The number of ships Kothar controlled was nearly triple what the others had. Just the presence of such a fleet would have seen them through any territory without being challenged. No matter that the ships had little shielding…scans couldn’t detect the strength of the shields, only if the shields were present. An illusion brought on by his exile. Yamm had no knowledge of the advancement of Goa’uld ships and armament. A fact that would soon destroy his plans.

"What do your scans show?" Yamm demanded, stopping near the console where the Jaffa monitoring the space around them was standing.

"Nothing, My Lord," was the nervous response.

Yamm frowned. He turned to the man he had selected as his First Prime. Nearly fifty years old, Sin-nasir had served him well. It had been this First Prime who had contacted Lord Yu two years prior. "Shouldn’t we have encountered Yu’s ships by now?"

The man shifted uncomfortably. "We had not ventured this far into Lord Yu’s territory before we were challenged by his First Prime. A man named Oshu. A Jaffa named Oshu," the First Prime said, correcting himself. ‘Jaffa’ meant nothing to him, it was merely what Lord Yamm called his warriors.

Neither Sin-nasir nor any of the Jaffa around him were aware of the differences between themselves and the Jaffa of the System Lords of this galaxy. They had no idea that their ‘brethren’ were slaves to the Goa’uld in a most gruesome way – carrying larval symbiotes in their bodies. There had been no symbiotes taken from the First World when their Master had fled. They knew nothing about the true nature of the Goa’uld. It was nothing more than a word to them…a name used by Lord Yamm and the others to describe themselves.

"Then where are they? Do they hide themselves?" Yamm considered the report Sin-nasir had made upon his return…reports about much larger ships. Ships that were able to shield themselves from the scanners on his ships. "Do they prepare to attack us?" His voice was low, although the First Prime heard the question.

"I do not know, My Lord," Sin-nasir answered.

More agitated than afraid, Yamm settled on his throne. "Enough of our attempts to make a peaceful transit through this space. I want all available speed."

"Yes, My Lord," was the response from the helmsman.

"We will continue our journey," Yamm declared. "Lord Yu was kind enough to provide us with the coordinates where the final battle against Ba’al will be fought. We will join the others there."

The Jaffa exchanged glances. None of them had ever been in battle. And the stories the First Prime had told upon his return from these stars were of ships that could destroy what Yamm had without taking any damage at all from his attempts at defense. Not one of the men on the ancient ha’tak were willing to die. Not for nothing more than the ego of the one who called himself their Master. There was mutiny in those glances…

Two of the three Tok’ra on board the ship met with the Sam and Jack, to set up the arrangements of the Tau’ri ‘positions’. They were meeting in what was being used as a main dining room for the Jaffa. The two members of SG-1 had been delighted to learn that Aldwin and his symbiote Micah, and Lorraine…host to the symbiote Karinda, once joined with Sarah Gardner…were to be their ‘masters’.

"Selmak believed it would be much easier to work with those you were best acquainted with," Karinda explained, as the four settled at one of the long tables.

"I agree with that," Sam nodded, relieved that she’d not be working with a stranger.

"We felt that having worked together before, that we would find it less stressful under what are already extreme circumstances," Micah added.

"That makes sense," Jack replied. "Just so I don’t actually have to pick up your dirty socks."

Micah roared with laughter. "I promise, General, I will never request that of you."

"I believe that it would be most beneficial to have you as my lo’taur, Colonel Carter," Karinda said. "It would negate any questions of you being near me during any meetings between the Goa’uld that might occur."

Sam nodded her understanding.

"You will be my lo’taur as well," Micah told Jack. "For the same reason. It is not unusual for a Goa’uld to summon a lo’taur for a ‘private’ conversation during such meetings. Usually an order to bring food or wine, or some such thing."

"Gives us a chance to talk if we need to," Jack replied.

"Exactly," Micah said. "We will be…what is the phrase you use?…oh, yes. We will be ‘flying by the seat of our pants’ for the majority of this mission. We must do all that we can to remain in control of any situation."

"Having Danny as lo’taur to Apophis will help, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to send his lo’taur to give instructions to the Goa’uld who serve him," Jack said. "Casey will be in a position to be able to see and hear pretty much everything Pedram sees and hears. She’ll be able to pick up any vibes if something starts to go tits up on us."

Micah smiled. "Yes, just so."

"Then it seems that there is little to do now but wait," Karinda said.

"I hate the waiting part," Jack muttered.

"As do I," Aldwin declared. "If not for Micah, I’m certain I would do something rash, just to get things moving."

Jack chuckled. "I understand that feeling. Teal’c said that he’d let us know if we need to discuss anything. He, Danny, and Casey are with Pedram and Bra’tac right now."

"Good," Karinda said, nodding her approval. "It would be expected that Apophis would bed his new Consort immediately. Making his new lo’taur witness this…event…would no doubt help break both."

"That’s what we figured," Sam said. She shook her head. "Apophis was always a twisted bastard."

"All Goa’uld are twisted, Colonel," Jack pointed out.

"Bra’tac would also be instructed to see that Teal’c’s training was once again in control of his mind," Karinda continued. "So not seeing any of your team, nor Apophis, for at least two hours or so will not cause any suspicion."

"I just wonder how long it will take before Ba’al attacks Apophis," Jack mused. "You know he’s not going to sit back and let his enemy take the woman he has declared to be his Consort."

"He’s got to be upset about having Casey’s message to him disclosed in such a public way," Sam added. "That message was pretty brutal to his ego."

Karinda smiled. "It was most amusing. I wonder, with whom should I place my bet?"

Jack chortled. "I’ll have Ferretti put you down for five," he grinned. The grin faded. "Ba’al won’t let those insults go unchallenged."

"No," Aldwin said, "he will not. I suggest that we make certain that all on this ship are prepared for an attack."

Karinda shook her head. "Vanshu is most wise, and has placed all of the ships that deserted Ba’al as a shield around this ha’tak."

"That’s what Apophis would do," Jack said.

"All of the System Lords will protect themselves," Karinda said. "You will not see their ha’tak’s engage in any battles, not unless they are directly fired upon."

"With all the ships Apophis has, and so suddenly," Sam said worriedly, "I’m wondering if we haven’t upset the scale a bit."

Aldwin shook his head. "Micah believes that the others will wait for Ba’al and Apophis to attack one another. They will then attack whoever is left."

"Then, we might not see the end of the Goa’uld Empire after all," the astrophysicist sighed.

Karinda placed a hand gently on the Tau’ri woman’s arm. "All is not lost. The ‘System Lords’ gathered are such in name only. None of them control a large fleet of ships, nor hold enough planets that will allow them to rebuild at will. They are already defeated. From the rumors we have been able to hear, any battles today will most certainly see an end to Ba’al. The others will return to the few planets they hold. They will not allow any of their ‘brothers and sisters’ to rebuild, but I do not believe they will fight among themselves as they have in the past. It seems that the futility of their situation has settled in their thoughts. They defeat themselves with their own doubts and fears."

"How did Danny put that? Smoke and mirrors. It’s all illusions and lies," Jack said. "And the illusions are crumbling around them."

"Yes," Karinda said. "Not even the Goa’uld are able to ignore the truth when those fallacies begin to fall apart. Already, many Jaffa are fleeing. It's only a matter of time before the Goa’uld have little more than a few slaves to serve them."

"We’ll just have to make certain those folks have a chance to escape," Jack replied, resolve bright in his eyes.

Sam snorted softly. "Can you imagine any of those Goa’uld trying to take care of themselves? They’ll starve to death within a month."

"Works for me," Jack declared. He glanced at the door when it opened. "Hey, look who’s here!"

Teal’c, Daniel, and Casey walked into the room.

"Done being tortured are you?" Jack teased.

Daniel grinned. "For now. Vanshu wants to be on the pel’tak, he thinks Ba’al will attack at any time. After all, Apophis just took Casey as his Consort."

"Yeah, we were just discussing that," Jack replied.

"I did a search," Casey said, wrapping her fingers around Daniel’s hand as they sat down. "I can see a battle…mostly one sided."

"No kidding," Jack snickered.

"The thing is…" Casey heaved a sigh.

"No. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no," Jack said immediately, shaking his head.

"Ba’al might get away, Jack," the seer said softly. "But he won’t have much. Almost all of his Jaffa have turned against him at this point. He’s not aware of that, not yet…but making that clone of himself, and then setting the poor bastard up to be killed, along with who knows how many Jaffa…that’s pissed them off."

"Well," the team CO scoffed, "anyone could have seen that coming a mile away."

"The others…well, Apophis isn’t going to suffer the losses the other Goa’uld believe he will, and he’ll be able to attack them," Casey continued. "They’ll run, of course, but they don’t have too many faithful Jaffa, either. Between the Jaffa and servants revolting, the System Lords out there might get away on their ha’tak. But that’s about all they’ll have."

Sam grinned. "Please tell me you saw all that."

Casey smiled in return, and tapped her temple. "It’s going to be…interesting. The best thing is, Ba’al is going to suffer just as much as the others. He might get away…for now. But he’s not going to be able to do much. Goa’uld aren’t being seen as so powerful or terrifying now. Mostly just annoying. Miss Eloise says there are already trading planets that will refuse to even trade with the Goa’uld."

"And with no Jaffa to cause fear among the people of those towns or villages," Teal’c added, "the Goa’uld will be helpless."

"This also means that the Free Jaffa will have more ships to protect themselves," Daniel said. "There’s even a chance that we might be able to claim a few of those ships."

"The Tok’ra would also benefit from having ships," Karinda said quietly.

"How about we just split them all up between us?" Casey suggested. "I know the Jaffa will be willing to work with us, and it keeps us all safe."

The Tok’ra nodded slowly. "If the Jaffa are willing, that would be most beneficial to all involved."

"I will speak to Master Bra’tac," Teal’c promised. "I believe he will see the wisdom of this suggestion."

"If we get rid of the Goa’uld, just who will we need protection from?" Jack asked, a frown creasing his forehead.

"There are always pirates and ne’er-do-wells who will try to attack trade routes and cause trouble," Karinda responded immediately. "We might see the rise of some minor group or two, but they will have little to battle with, especially against well-armed allies. The ships will be most useful for trade between our peoples."

Casey sighed softly. "After so long, seeing the end of the Goa’uld…it almost doesn’t seem real."

"To be able to explore, to not worry about the Goa’uld," Aldwin sighed. "What a joy that will be."

"I agree," Daniel said. "For the first time we won’t be running around, trying to find a weapon or some means of defeating the Goa’uld. It means we can spend more time on each planet we discover…we can learn so much."

"I believe we will see the Tok’ra reaching farther out," Karinda sighed. "So much to learn."

"And the Jaffa will finally be able to live in peace, just as their ancestors did," Casey added. She wrapped the fingers of her free hand around those of her best friend. "You’ll stay with us, though, right?"

Teal’c smiled, and gently squeezed the slender fingers that held his. "Indeed. I do not believe Janet Frasier would be happy being anywhere but Earth."

"And you won’t be happy without Janet," Casey grinned.

"Indeed," Teal’c admitted, his smile going wider.

One of the Jaffa raced into the room. "Ba’al’s ships are moving toward us. Master Bra’tac says we must all ‘assume our positions’."

"On our way," Jack replied, on his feet immediately. He glanced at Aldwin. "I suppose we have to watch this from your quarters?"

"I’m afraid so. But I have an excellent view of one of the canons."

Jack grinned. "I can live with that."

The group split up. Casey and Daniel raced to the quarters where they would be staying, to put on the clothes required for them to wear as lo’taur and Consort. Teal’c refrained from going directly to the pel’tak, telling his friends that Apophis would send for him when it suited the Goa’uld to do so. As long as Bra’tac was at his side, Teal’c would be second in line as far as the Jaffa were concerned. He was the most able to move around, and see to any task that the team might deem necessary.

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