Female of the Species

by Geonn Cannon

  “All clear, Jackson. Come on down.”

  Daniel looked at Teal’c, who gave him a nod. Daniel took a steadying breath and then went down the slide. He tucked his arms in against his chest and tried not to think about how obviously flimsy the tube was, and it was the only thing between him and the vacuum of space. Just one rip in whatever material they’d made it from and he would be dead before he knew what happened. Give him a trip through the Stargate any day.

  After a few seconds which felt much longer, his feet hit the floor of the other ship. Mitchell put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

  “You okay?”

  “Just a little disoriented.” Daniel looked around and saw they were alone. “Where is everyone?”

  Mitchell shook his head. He kept his voice low, just above a whisper, so it wouldn’t echo off the walls around them. “Not sure. The place was deserted when I showed up. I think I can hear voices coming from that way, though. Can’t tell how many there are.”

  Daniel took out his zat. “Let’s hope they’re willing to play along.”

  Mitchell said, “I like your optimism.”

  “Yeah, well,” Daniel muttered. “Glass half full, glass half empty, you still don’t want it spilled on your lap if you can avoid it.”

  They moved stealthily down the corridor. The voices of the supply ship crew got louder as they rounded a corner. The corridor dead-ended in a brightly-lit doorway. Mitchell stopped short so he couldn’t be seen from anyone within, his back to the wall, and Daniel took a position opposite him. Cooking smells wafted to them through the open doorway. Daniel tried to remember the last time he’d eaten and willed his stomach not to growl at the scent.

  Mitchell held up three fingers. He dropped them one at a time and, when he was holding up a fist, they moved forward together. Daniel nearly tripped over the edge of the door, but he turned it into a trot. He brandished his zat, holding it on the elderly man and teenage girl on his side of the room. He hesitated and looked at Mitchell, whose weapon was held on two women and a man who were all about the same age.

  “Everyone stay calm,” Mitchell said. “We don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  The elder of the group smiled. “That is quite a relief, given that you are holding weapons on us.”

  Daniel said, “Uh, Cam?”

  “Can this wait, Jackson?”

  “No, I don’t think it can. Look at their clothes.”

  All five of the people in the kitchen were dressed in black shawls with pale blue ascots tied around their necks. He didn’t recognize the denomination, of course, but some things were universal. This was some kind of a religious sect. He lowered his zat.

  “Jackson…”

  “We don’t need weapons,” Daniel said. “These people are… uh, what do you call yourselves? Monks? Pilgrims?”

  The elder said, “We are the Wayfarers. If the purpose of your deception was theft, we welcome you to take what you need from our cargo. All we ask is that you leave enough for us to make a delivery to the lost women of Viaxeiro. Do not ease your suffering by increasing theirs.”

  “We’re not going to rob you.” Daniel already had his zat tucked into his belt again. Mitchell reluctantly lowered his, but he kept it drawn just in case. “We apologize for deceiving you. It’s just that we’re a little desperate at the moment. We need to get into Viaxeiro because our friends have been wrongly imprisoned there. We came up with a plan to get them out, but it required us to be on a supply ship. Your ship.”

  The elder looked at the girl next to him. “I’m sorry, fellow travelers, but escape is impossible. Whether or not your friends have been wrongly imprisoned, no one leaves Viaxeiro. That is the law.”

  Mitchell said, “It’s a law being upheld by a bunch of computers.”

  “Cam,” Daniel muttered. “You’re being a little O’Neill right now.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “In this case, you probably shouldn’t.” He cleared his throat and faced the elder again. “We know about the prison’s reputation. But we’ve already come this far. We have to at least try. And you can still make the delivery as scheduled, all we ask is that you put me in one of the containers.”

  Mitchell added, “And keep quiet about it to whoever picks up the supplies.”

  The elder said, “We have no contact with anyone inside the prison, so you would not have to worry about us telling anyone.” He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow. “It is our mission to aid those who are in need, no matter who they might be. But your intention is to free criminals from a prison.”

  “They were wrongfully accused.”

  Mitchell quietly said, “Well, at least two of them.”

  Daniel shot Mitchell a look. He shut up and focused on the three younger people.

  “Hopeless causes, Father,” the teenage girl said. “Blind fools who seek impossible gains. It is our calling to help those who cannot help themselves, even if we cannot see the purpose behind their actions. Whether they are doomed to failure or success, it is not for us to judge.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Always the wisest of us, Moswen. You are correct, of course.” He looked at Daniel. “We have your word that you will not interfere with our delivery?”

  “Of course,” Daniel said. “Yes, you have our word. We won’t stand in the way. In fact, we need you to follow through as if everything is normal for our plan to work.”

  The elder nodded. “Then we will assist you. Have a seat and we will discuss what you need for the success of your mission.”

  Daniel sighed, relieved. “Thank you.” He looked at Mitchell. He didn’t say ‘I told you so,’ but he suspected his expression said it loudly enough to be annoying. “We really appreciate the help. Father…?”

  “Kourash,” the older man said.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Daniel Jackson, and that’s Colonel Cameron Mitchell.”

  Kourash stopped as he was about to take his seat. He looked at Daniel with suddenly cold eyes. Silence descended on the room like a veil, swallowing every sound except for the water boiling on the stove. The Wayfarers’ faces had been serene but now they were hard and cruel. Their postures shifted to defensiveness as one of them moved slightly in an effort to block the exit. Mitchell brought his zat back up.

  “Whoa, now. Let’s not go standing in front of doors. What the hell just happened?”

  “I have no idea,” Daniel said. “Did we do something wrong?”

  “Daniel Jack-son and Cam-uh-ron Mitchell of SG-1, of Earth,” Kourash growled. “Killers of gods, blasphemers and heathens, intruders in the holy places!”

  Mitchell backed toward the door. “Okay, really not liking the tone this meeting has taken, so we’re just going to head out…”

  “You are going nowhere!” Kourash shouted. “You are heretics who belong someplace much worse than Viaxeiro.”

  “We were getting along so well,” Mitchell said, “then you had to go and start calling us names.”

  Kourash nodded at the women. “Disarm them.”

  Daniel wasn’t sure if Mitchell intended to fight. He didn’t want to make the first move, be it to surrender or fire his zat. He doubted these people had weapons, but he knew a fight would most likely results in a lot of unnecessary injuries to both sides. After a tense moment, Mitchell exhaled and relaxed his posture. One of the women moved forward and took the zat from him. Daniel handed his to the younger man, then raised both hands to shoulder height. The younger man handed the zat to Kourash.

  “We really don’t want to harm you,” Daniel said. “We just needed to get down to the prison.”

  “To free more of your god-killers?” one woman sneered. She had taken a knife from the cutlery board and was aiming it at Daniel’s chest. “We should release them from the airlock, Father. It would be a far more merciful death than any they gave to their victims.”

  Mitchell said, “Which one ticked you off? Apophis? Goin’ old school, maybe, you used to kick
it with Ra? Which Goa’uld did you follow?”

  “We followed no Goa’uld,” Kourash said. “Our offense is borne from your actions against the religion of billions throughout the galaxy. You judged their faith and, because it was found wanting in your opinion, you destroyed it. You desecrated temples, stole holy relics — ”

  “Most of which were stolen in the first place,” Daniel said.

  “You killed gods!”

  Mitchell raised a finger. “Point of interest, by virtue of killing them, haven’t we proven they were never really gods in the first place?”

  Kourash waved the zat. “Virtue? You speak of virtue?”

  “Bad choice of words, maybe,” Mitchell said.

  “All gods in all religions are but masks worn by the one true deity, the Entity at the center of All. It is that force which we worship, and whose hand guided you to us this day. You will finally be made to answer for your many sacrileges. We know you typically travel in a group of four. Sam-un-tha Cur-tear and the shol’va, Teal’c. You must have left them behind on your vessel as backup.”

  Mitchell didn’t move, but Daniel could almost hear something click in his mind. “Yup. And if we’re not back with a report about what we found, they’re gonna get the heck out of Dodge.”

  “That is why you will summon them to this ship. We will capture you all without violence or bloodshed.” He stepped forward, his eyes cold. “That is, unless you force our hand.”

  “No, you got us,” Mitchell said. “We’ll go quietly. I guess you’ll escort us back to the hatch where we came in and we’ll give them the all-clear.”

  One of the women said, “Wait. We will tell you exactly what to say to ensure there are no hidden messages in your speech.”

  Kourash said, “Good thinking, Avongara. You will say this and nothing else: The ship is safe. We could use your help down here.”

  Mitchell ducked his head, nodding in defeat. “Okay. You’re coming with us, right?”

  Kourash smiled condescendingly. “Lead the way.”

  Mitchell went first, with Daniel following. Kourash was right behind them with the zat ready. The rest of the Wayfarers clustered behind him, and the whole group moved down the hall until they reached the hatch. Daniel looked up through the umbilical, but it had twisted so much he couldn’t see back into Pemphero’s ship.

  “Exactly as I stated it,” Kourash growled quietly.

  “Understood,” Mitchell said. He cleared his throat and tilted his head back. “Carter, Teal’c! The ship is safe. We could use your help down here.”

  There was a long silence. Mitchell tapped his fingers on his thigh, watching Kourash. “It’s a big ship. Maybe they’re — ”

  “Call them again.”

  “With the exact same message?” Daniel said. “That would be more suspicious than any coded message we might send.”

  Before Kourash could respond, Teal’c called them from above. “Colonel Mitchell. Colonel Carter is occupied with piloting this vessel. Do you truly require both of us?”

  “Yeah, T, tell her to stick the thing on autopilot. Could really use your help down here, buddy.”

  “Very well. I shall inform her.”

  Mitchell looked at Kourash. “So when they come down here, you’re going to zat them? Have you ever had to deal with a pissed-off Jaffa? It’s not fun, let me tell you. This one kicked my ass not long ago, and I’m still finding new bruises under the bruises that have started fading.”

  Kourash said, “Silence! You won’t distract us with your prattling.”

  The Wayfarers circled the opening, weapons drawn. Mitchell glanced at Daniel, who allowed a quick, worried shrug. Teal’c now knew something was up, but the second he dropped into the ship he would likely be greeted by a hail of weapons’ fire. They could only hope the warning had been enough.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  TEAL’C KNEW he had mere seconds to devise a plan. Colonel Mitchell and Daniel Jackson were on the other end, but the request for Colonel Carter had to be a warning of some sort. They were in danger, and following their instructions would surely endanger him as well. He stood on the edge of the opening and gazed into the pipeline. It reminded him of childhood games, chasing vierhiko through the forests of Chulak. They were tiny beasts and easily frightened. When startled they would return to their dens, visible only as small holes in the ground.

  Of course, he didn’t have the option of flushing his quarry from this hole. And rather than prey cowering in its burrow, he was dealing with predators lying in wait.

  Pemphero stepped forward and looked down as well. “Are you going down there?”

  “My team is in danger.”

  “But going down there is going to put you in danger, too.”

  Teal’c looked at Pemphero and began formulating a plan. “Not necessarily.”

  ~#~

  Kourash glared at Cam. “You warned them somehow.”

  “I repeated exactly what you told me,” Cam said. “How could I have warned them?

  Daniel said, “Look, they’re not hurrying because they think everything is fine. They don’t think there’s any reason to rush.”

  Kourash leveled the zat, his fingers tight around its grip. “If they do not arrive within the next — ”

  Whatever threat he intended to make was cut off by a sudden forceful jerk which pulled everyone off their feet. Cam and Daniel slammed into the ceiling of the tunnel along with the Wayfarers. Gravity seemed to have been turned off, and suddenly the entire group was clustered on the ceiling around the hatch. Kourash let go of the zat and Daniel had enough of his faculties to reach out and grab it. Cam kicked out one foot against the knife in the woman’s hand, forcing her to drop the weapon. Kourash threw himself at Daniel, but his progress was halted when Teal’c emerged from the tunnel and grabbed the back of the older man’s collar. He pulled with seemingly no effort and sent Kourash caroming into the far wall.

  As quickly as it had left, gravity returned. The entire group hit the ground hard, but Cam was able to recover faster than the pilgrims. “Ah-ah-ah,” he warned when one of them tried to get up. “Everyone just stay flat on your stomachs, hands on the ground with your fingers splayed. No one wants to hurt anybody here, okay?”

  Daniel had banged his hip and knee when he fell, but he limped over to Kourash. The man was unconscious, but his pulse was strong and steady. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked to make sure Cam had the rest of the group under control.

  “Thanks for the assist,” Cam said.

  Teal’c was wearing an oxygen mask and a thruster pack which he had used to maneuver through the umbilical without the aid of gravity. He pulled off the mask and dipped his head to Cam.

  “Pemphero provided the inspiration. I only regret there was no opportunity to warn you of the depressurization.”

  “Hey, what’s a rescue without a few bumps and bruises?” Cam rolled his shoulder. “We’ll overlook it this time. For now, we should probably figure out what to do with these guys, check the ship to make sure there’s no other crew. Either this thing is on autopilot or there’s a flight crew somewhere. Be nice to know which it is.”

  One of the women glared up at Daniel. “When there were no more gods to slaughter, it stands to reason you would turn on their followers.”

  Cam said, “No one is killing anyone here, okay? Just calm down. We’re going to borrow, borrow, your ship to save our friends and in a few hours we can pretend this never happened. Okay?”

  She spit in his direction. “You will be made to pay for this!”

  He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Great, we’ll add you to the big book of bad guys we keep at the SGC.” He patted Teal’c’s arm as he walked past. “Good plan, big guy.”

  Teal’c looked at Daniel. “Are you injured, Daniel Jackson?”

  “Nothing I can’t walk off. Help me tie these guys up while Cam goes to see if they have any boxes big enough for me to hide in.”

  Cam was waiting at the end of the corrido
r. “Bet you never thought you’d say that when you joined SG-1.”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Although it was a pretty wild ride right from the beginning. One time my allergy medication prevented the outbreak of an alien virus. You roll with the punches on this team.”

  “Yeah, you got a point there. Okay. One box big enough for an archaeologist special delivery, coming right up.”

  ~#~

  Lokelani didn’t pause to consider the sirens suddenly going off in the city. She adjusted her grip on the collar of Sam’s uniform and urged her down the stairs. The Goa’uld was pressing something into the small of her back and, without knowing exactly what kind of weapon it was, Sam was reluctant to try escaping. She also had nowhere to run. The stairs led down into what seemed to be a large, unlit cavern with multiple cells carved into the walls. Sam could see movement in the shadows behind the bars but no one got close enough for her to see them clearly. It seemed like Viaxeiro had a typical prison structure after all, it was just kept well out of sight.

  The sirens were still audible even through the thick stone. Sam looked over her shoulder at Lokelani. “You don’t need to go check on that?”

  “The Cai Thior will take care of whatever you set into motion.”

  “What makes you think it’s my fault?”

  Lokelani snorted. “Wherever the Tau’ri go, chaos is bound to follow in short order.”

  “It isn’t always our fault,” Sam said under her breath, channeling a little O’Neill-style petulance.

  They reached the bottom of the stairs and Lokelani shoved Sam roughly toward the nearest wall of cells. She stumbled but managed to keep herself from falling. Now the prisoners had come forward, hands on the bars, looking out at their newest neighbor. Imprisoned inside a prison. This had to be some kind of new achievement.

  “I guess these are all the other prisoners who have figured out your little secret.”

  “That, or they challenged my authority, or tried to kill me. There are multiple sins you can commit to end up down here.”