Female of the Species

by Geonn Cannon

  Tanis had moved to the bed and sat on the tangled sheets. “I knew Tau’ri were ignorant, but I had no idea they were this naïve.”

  Vala said, “Hey, there’s no need to be rude.”

  “You think you can find a quiet way to escape? Just slip out the back door, no one the wiser?” She nodded at the door. “There are a couple hundred people out there who fill their days trying to distract themselves from thoughts of escape. Some of them have tried, all of them have failed, but they all have it at the back of their minds. If there’s even a hint someone is planning an escape, it’ll get around. And if you suddenly disappear, they’ll know it worked. There’s going to be a riot regardless. The only thing you can control is what happens afterward. Bring down Lokelani and leave a better world in your wake.”

  “How will anarchy be better than what you have now?” Sam asked.

  “She’s not talking about anarchy,” Vala said. “She wants to take over.”

  Tanis grinned. “The highest devil stands above the lowest angel.”

  “Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven,” Sam said.

  “I prefer my version,” Tanis said. “Someone has to be in charge around here. There are supplies from the Overseers to ration out, there are disputes to handle. Better me than an eyeshiner.”

  Sam said, “Sounds like a lateral move to me.”

  Tanis showed her teeth and clicked her tongue. Vala seemed horribly offended by the gesture but tried to cover it.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Just, uh, don’t worry about it.”

  Sam considered showing Tanis one of Earth’s offensive gestures, but decided not to.

  “Keep in mind,” Shein said, “that if we’re in charge, it’ll probably be easier to help you escape. Who knows what tricks and treasures Lokelani is hiding in that house of hers? The only people who ever spend time there are her Cai Thior guard.”

  “The uniformed women,” Sam said.

  “Right. They might be the only way in. By the time I realized they were the key, I had been here too long to start sucking up to Lokelani.”

  Tanis said, “And when I showed up, she made it abundantly clear in our ‘welcome interview’ that I wasn’t the kind of person she would ever trust. She probably paints Vala with the same brush.” She aimed her little finger at Sam. “You, though. She might be willing to trust you.”

  Sam considered that. “Yes, but we should keep in mind that Lokelani might have sensed that I’m a former host—she didn’t say anything, but that doesn’t mean she’s unaware.” She looked at Vala. “However, she did seem interested in rescuing me from Vala’s influence…”

  Tanis chuckled. Vala huffed.

  Shein said, “You would be a perfect candidate with your military training. Lokelani loves a soldier girl.”

  “Mm. She’s not alone,” Tanis said, looking at Sam. Shein jealously snapped her teeth. Tanis pursed her lips at her in response. “Relax. She might be a soldier, but she’s still one of the Tau’ri who locked me up. I’ll work with her but I’m not her friend.”

  Sam smiled coldly. “Fine by me.”

  Vala said, “Glad we can all get along. Now… back to your point… we pretend to have a falling out, Sam goes to Lokelani and asks for help…?”

  “She likes picking up strays,” Tanis said. “If she thinks someone is helpless and pathetic, she’ll swoop in to play savior. What do you think, Carter? Can you be even more pathetic?”

  Sam said, “If you’re offering to give me lessons based on your vast experience — ”

  “Ladies,” Vala said with an exasperated sigh. “Don’t make me be the referee, please. It’s far too much responsibility and we’ll descend into chaos.”

  Tanis scooted back on the bed, giving up the battle. Sam also withdrew and moved toward the wall. Vala began to pace.

  “Okay, here’s the plan so far. Sam and I get into a public biffo. Sam seeks refuge with Lokelani and joins her little group of not-Jaffa. That gets her inside the house where she can look for ways to get us home safe.”

  Shein said, “And for ways we can overthrow her.”

  “Of course,” Vala said. “We’ll need a way for Sam to keep in touch with us. Does Lokelani give her people time off? Nights when they can wander around unsupervised?”

  Tanis rubbed her thumb along her bottom lip as she thought. “They mostly live at the compound where Lokelani can keep an eye on them.”

  “Her own personal army,” Shein added. “Keeps them in line.”

  “And helps to prevent exactly the kind of conspiring we have in mind,” Sam said.

  Vala stood in front of Sam to grip her upper arms. “Yes, but now we have a plan! Which is more than we had a few minutes ago.” She slapped Sam’s shoulder. “Here for less than a day, and we’re already making progress!”

  “Go us,” Sam said flatly.

  “We’ll find ways to communicate,” Tanis said. “When I was locked up after my first encounter with SG-1, Corso and I were able to scheme about our own escape.”

  Vala cleared her throat and leaned closer to Tanis. “Maybe don’t bring up the fact you betrayed the last person you conspired to escape prison with.”

  “What I’m saying is that communication is always possible, especially when you aren’t literally under lock and key. You’ll be part of the system, one step below our actual guards. You should have plenty of freedom to move around and give us updates.”

  “And while I’m in the belly of the beast,” Sam said, “what will you be doing?”

  Shein said, “We’ll be talking with people who have been here longer than we have. Looking for vulnerabilities in both Lokelani and Viaxeiro. With the four of us working together, I think we have a real shot at getting out of this place.”

  Tanis laughed softly under her breath. When Shein looked at her, Tanis waved dismissively. “No, don’t pay any attention to me. I was just wondering how many people condemned here have said the exact same thing.”

  “We have something they didn’t have,” Vala said.

  “What?” Tanis nodded at Sam. “Her?”

  “Yes, her. And the rest of SG-1. I guarantee you they are out there right now, tireless, leaving no stone unturned until they find this place. Unlike everyone else who has tried to break out of this prison, we aren’t alone. Our white knights are right around the corner.”

  ~#~

  Cam’s head was between his knees. It was taking all his strength not to slump onto the floor and stay there for the rest of the month. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Three different people around him said, “Again?”

  With great effort, he sat up straight. He was green around the gills, eyes pleading for relief. “What kind of ship doesn’t have inertial dampeners?”

  “Oh, we have them,” Kimo said. “They’re just spotty and not very good.”

  Daniel said, “Are you going to be okay there, Shaft?”

  Cam grunted. “Are we there yet?”

  “Almost,” Adamaris said. She fitted something in her ear and began working with the radio. “We need to give the engines a rest from time to time or they have a tendency to kind of… shake off.”

  “That’s very comforting, thank you.” He slumped against the back cushion.

  Kimo turned in her seat so she was facing them. “The Overseers don’t like people showing up unannounced, so we’re taking this chance to let them know we’re on the way.” She smiled and stood up, patting his shoulder as she walked past him to the back of the ship. “And a chance for your stomach to catch up with us. I do apologize for the rough ride. Some people just aren’t cut out for traveling at high speeds.”

  Carolyn snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. Cam glared at her, his irritation undercut by the fact he looked close to death.

  “And why aren’t you in the same boat, Doc?”

  “Have you ever flown anywhere with my father?”

  “No.”

  She smirked. “Airsick ba
gs were for sissies. And surprising your daughter with an unexpected barrel roll is the height of hilarity.”

  Cam bent over double again at the mention of a barrel roll. Carolyn put a hand on his back, patted his shoulder, and looked at Daniel.

  “Hey,” she said. “Why aren’t you puking your guts out, too?”

  “Years of reading in cars, buses, planes…” Daniel shrugged. “I don’t really get motion sickness.”

  Cam said, “No, this isn’t motion sickness. I know motion sickness. This is something else. This is a motion sickness wrapped in a radioactive monster.”

  Kimo returned and handed Cam a small black canister. “Here, this should help.”

  “What is it?”

  “Diamondgut,” Kimo said. “It helps you deal with ships like these. I had to drink gallons of the stuff when I first started flying.”

  Cam uncapped it and took a drink. He gagged. “You sure that’s not turned to coal?”

  “Tau’ri,” Adamaris said. “There’s just no pleasing them. You better hold on tight, though. I just got confirmation from the station, and we’ve been cleared to continue on.”

  Daniel said, “Don’t worry, Cam. I’m sure the next leg will be smooth sailing.”

  Cam took a deep breath and downed the rest of the diamondgut.

  ~#~

  Ideally, Landry would never leave his post while any team was in danger. Jack had warned him about it, and said that George had felt the same way. “Walking away from that desk at the end of the day is one of the hardest things you’ll have to do,” Jack told him. “It might not seem like it, but when you’ve got teams out there in the line of fire, you’re going to want to keep your butt in the chair until every last one of them is home.”

  Hank understood. It was almost midnight and he was still sitting at the desk, reading reports that could have waited until morning. The lights in the corridor were low. Occasionally he heard the voices of night shift officers as they moved about the base, but for the most part he felt like the last centurion, standing guard. Most nights he was able to trust he was leaving things in good hands, but this time was different. This time it was his daughter out there, with SG-1, walking right into the lion’s mouth. He couldn’t have chosen a better team to watch her back. But still.

  The phone rang. It was two hours later on the east coast, but he didn’t even question who would be on the other end of the line when he picked it up. “Speak of the devil.”

  “That’s rarely a good way to start a conversation.”

  Hank laughed. “How are you, Jack?”

  “Oh, no complaints. Pining for the days when I could shoot at the people irritating me.” He paused. Hank imagined him staring out the window at the Washington Monument, lit against the night sky. “How late are they?”

  Hank didn’t bother to ask how General O’Neill knew SG-1 was off-world. “Technically they’re not overdue at all.” No response from Jack. “Not enough to be worried. What they’re doing… what they’re in the process of doing… is complicated.”

  More silence from Washington. “Well,” he finally said, “they’re good people. Whatever they’re doing, I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

  “Same here.”

  “Hank,” Jack said, “it’s late. Why don’t you get out of that chair and go home?”

  Landry smiled. “I’ll leave it when you do, Jack.”

  “Fair enough.”

  When the call was over, Landry stood up and walked out to the briefing room. The gate room was always brightly lit, never night. He was fortunate they couldn’t discuss mission details over the phone, and hoped he hadn’t lied to Jack about SG-1’s current situation. He also knew they couldn’t exactly send regular updates where they were going. As for Carter and Vala, he could only hope they were safe wherever they’d ended up.

  In a few hours or a few days, the Stargate in front of him would open again and he would be needed. At the moment there was nothing for him to do but go home, get some rest, and trust his people. He knew they would be trusting him to be ready when they needed him and that would require sleep.

  “The light is on, SG-1,” he said under his breath. “We’ll be here when you come home.”

  He stood there a moment longer before he went into the office and began gathering his things to leave.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THERE WERE no nights on Viaxeiro, at least not the way Earth and most other planets experienced it. Tanis explained to Vala what Sam had learned from Lokelani, that the light from the energy field dimmed every fifteen hours, giving them approximately fifteen hours of darkness. It was never completely dark but it was close enough for the condemned who were used to a diurnal existence. Shein knew of an empty cold-water where Sam and Vala could get some rest and took them there. It was extremely spartan: two beds on opposite walls, barely enough space between the foot of each for someone to walk between. There was a glowing glass orb attached to the wall over each bed. Vala went to one of the beds and sat on the mattress, legs folded in front of her.

  “We’ll meet up again in the morning,” Shein said. “We can work out the details of your fight to make sure Lokelani sees it happen.”

  Sam nodded. “Sounds good.”

  She held up a bag and tossed it to Vala. “Clean outfits. Hopefully by tomorrow, Carter will have one of the Cai Thior uniforms, but Tanis thought you might want something to wear just in case.”

  “Thank her for me.”

  Shein nodded and leaned against the door. “I believe you’ll succeed and get out of this place. If anyone can do it, it’s probably you. But if you don’t, you might have to get used to sticking around here. Well, unless Lokelani puts us all to death for plotting against her. My point is, Vala…”

  Vala’s voice was soft, compassionate. “Tanis and I were partners in crime. That’s all. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  Shein twisted her lips and kicked softly at the ground. “I just wanted to be sure I said it.”

  “Understood.”

  “Peaceful night,” Shein said as she left, shutting the door behind her.

  Sam went to one of the beds and sat down. She felt a lump in her satchel and took out the last burrito she’d made at Lokelani’s home. She was still hungry, but she knew Vala probably hadn’t had anything substantial to eat since they arrived. She walked over and placed it next to Vala on her bed.

  “It’s not much.”

  “Food?” Vala eagerly unwrapped the cloth napkin and tore into the bread.

  Sam went back and sat on the edge of her bed. After a moment she lifted her feet off the floor and stretched out.

  “What about you?”

  “I ate at Lokelani’s.”

  “No, I mean…” Vala swallowed her mouthful. “I mean, do you think we’ll be successful?”

  Sam said, “I have to believe. We plan for failure, but we can’t let ourselves believe it’s an option. That’s how this works. Same with the rest of SG-1. We always believe we’re going to win.”

  “Good,” Vala said.

  Sam lifted her head. “Why, do you not believe it?”

  Vala sighed and looked around. “I’ve been in a lot of prisons, Samantha. Good ones, bad ones, all kinds. This is a good one. A rock in the middle of nowhere, no ships on the surface longer than it takes to off-load supplies…”

  “There’s always a way out, Vala.”

  “I know.”

  “And the rest of SG-1 is out there right now looking for a way to get here and help us out.”

  “I know.”

  Sam said, “So relax.”

  Vala said, “I’m relaxed. I’m very relaxed. I just wanted to say that I’m intimidated by this prison. And if I have to be trapped in here with anyone, I’m very glad it’s someone like you. Now, you don’t have to say it back. I know you have the whole of the SGC to choose from and you’d probably prefer it if I was General O’Neill or Daniel or something, but — ”

  “Vala,” Sam said, interrupting t
he ramble. “I could have done far worse in terms of cellmates.”

  “Thank you, Samantha.”

  Vala finished eating and flopped down on her bed. Sam reached up and, after tapping on the glass a few times, figured out how to dim the light. Vala kept her light on.

  “Samantha?” Vala asked after a few minutes. “Are you still awake?”

  “Oh, God.” Sam put a hand over her face and laughed. “I’m having a slumber party.”

  Vala pushed herself up on her elbows. “A what?”

  “Never mind. But if you’re about to ask if we can put on nighties and hit each other with pillows, you’re out of luck.”

  “Now I’m really curious.”

  Sam shook her head, still smiling. “It’s a thing on Earth. Pretty much exclusively in movies made by men. For men, too. A bunch of young women get together to spend the night at a house, and they strip down to their underwear, jump on the bed, and hit each other with pillows. It’s very prurient.” She looked at the door. “Come to think of it, women-behind-bars is also a big thing on Earth.”

  “So the men who make these movies only wish to see women as sexual objects or in a cage?”

  “That’s the long and short of it usually.”

  Vala snorted and dropped down onto her back. After another long stretch of silence, Vala said, “I’m sorry I kept the fact this was a women’s prison from you. I really didn’t know it was a trap. I wasn’t trying to trick you. I only insisted on having you come with me because I thought it was a golden opportunity for you to see me in my element. Dealing with a criminal, crossing and double-crossing, that sort of thing. After the last mission when everything went — ” She blew air through her lips and flashed her hands out in front of her. “I just wanted you to understand what I could contribute to the team.”

  It was Sam’s turn to sit up. “Vala, I know exactly what you contribute. You’re an amazingly strong, smart woman. And I know you hide that strength because it’s always been better for people to underestimate you. I admit there are times when even I’m fooled by it, but that’s my fault for not looking past the surface. For you to have survived the things you’ve been through? Host to a Goa’uld, imprisoned by the Ori, giving birth just to have the baby taken away from you to lead an army…? My God, even one of those things would be enough to bring a weak woman to her knees. But you’re not only still standing, you’re stronger and more dedicated than you’ve ever been. You don’t have to tell me what you contribute to the team. I know your worth. And if sometimes I forget that, it’s my problem. Not yours.”