Jack sighed. “Okay. Forget the scheduled mission departure time. As soon as the medicine is ready to go, dial out and take it where it needs to be.”
Sam said, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m the general now. I can do cool things like disagree with myself for the greater good. If Walter gives you any trouble tell him to… Hell, he’ll probably have made the decision for me an hour ago.” He shrugged. “The clock is ticking, boys and girls, and the fate of an entire newborn nation is hanging in the balance. I think that offsets the expense of an extraneous gate activation, don’t you?”
“Absolutely,” Daniel said.
Sam said, “We just have to gear up.”
“Then go,” Jack said. “Gear. Go.”
They left, and Jack went into the observation room. Morello had disappeared, and he stood alone in the dark room to look at the former System Lord. She didn’t look imposing in the least despite her attempts at posturing. He saw her for what she really was, a frightened woman whose world had been ripped away from her in the blink of an eye. She had exiled herself on a dead planet and scrounged for food and shelter because it was too dangerous for her to do anything else.
After a long internal debate, he picked up the phone and ordered an airman to bring him something. He was very specific about what he wanted, insisting when the airman expressed confusion. He hung up and waited, and soon it was delivered to him.
“Is it all here?” Jack asked, looking under the lid.
“Yes, sir. Everything you asked for.”
He picked it up and carried it into the interrogation room. Kali tensed as he entered, giving away her anxiety by dropping her eyes to what he held in his hand. He placed it on the table, lifted the lid, and pushed it toward her. She looked at it and then raised her eyes to him.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Tuna fish on wheat,” Jack said, indicating the sandwich. “Potato chips. Plain, but I didn’t know if you would want barbeque or… well, plain is fine. I had them add the Jell-O because Carter seems to like it, but that’s dessert. You don’t get that until you clean your plate. Oh, and these are a little tricky even if you’ve had them your whole life.” He picked up the pint of milk and squeezed it open. “You can use the foil top of the Jell-O as a spoon. Just give the end a little twist.”
Kali continued to stare at him, ignoring the food in front of her.
“We’re not you guys. We don’t torture for information, and we don’t have a sarcophagus to plug you into if we go a little too far. As long as you’re here, you’re going to be treated humanely.”
“Outside of the threats you’ve leveled at me.”
“We’re responding to a threat, and you betcha we’re not going to just turn the other cheek. But we’re going to give you the chance to do the right thing, to concede defeat and give us what we want, right up until the moment that damned bomb of yours goes off. If that happens, we’re going to revisit this. But until that time, enjoy your dinner.” He picked up a chip and popped it into his mouth, chewing as he walked out of the room.
By the time he got to the observation room, Kali had picked up the milk carton to sniff the contents before she took a tentative sip.
Maybe not a great stride forward, but it at least was a start.
Vala usually enjoyed quick and dirty thefts, the kind of jobs that required only a little planning and netted medium rewards. They put money in their coffers and made sure they had the funds when they went after the big fish. The last big job she’d tried was an attempt to steal a ship from the Tau’ri. They were a big, loud, obnoxious people and she felt they could use a bit of a knock-down to remember their proper place in the galaxy. Besides, what did they need with a big giant ship like that? They were Stargate people, and they could travel between planets by pressing a few buttons and jumping through a shiny wall. Using ships was just lazy, in her opinion, and she could make a tidy profit selling it along to the next person in the line. The Lucian Alliance was always in need of a good ship with lots of cargo space.
Of course that had gone utterly to hell, so she was eager to prove herself with another truly big job. She was tired of pulling jobs to fund the next job. She wanted one big score to fund a little relaxation. A house, if not a home, and some scenery she could take the time to get sick of looking at. And using Kali’s treasure to fund that would be just poetic enough to sweeten the deal.
Tanis knew of a planet where they could hunker down and plan their assault on Wyrrick’s home, a rat hole known to the locals as Hinterland. The people who called the planet home were exiles and refugees from a more prosperous planet in the same system, thieves and brigands who were no longer welcome on their home soil. For an enterprising pair of thieves like Vala and Tanis, it was the closest thing they had to being amongst family. They only had a handful of days before Wyrrick threw his party, but Vala wanted to make sure they had all their crystals appropriately positioned before they made a play since it seemed unlikely they would get a second chance.
When they arrived, Vala arranged for the temporary rental of a cottage on a large acreage, which cost her at least four times what it would have a few months earlier. The towns of Hinterland were filled to the brim, not a loft or a bolthole to be found. It was bursting at the seams with people trying to get out, to escape, to find some safe harbor after the sudden shift of power in the galaxy.
“Places like this used to be quiet,” Tanis said. “You remember?” There was no answer, so she took another drink and answered herself. “I remember.” She was standing on the widow’s walk looking out toward the bell-shaped harbor. On the other side of the water she could see the lights of the village burning bright enough to cast a flickering shimmer on the waves. Too many people, not enough room. That was the problem with the galaxy, as near as she could figure. She lifted her bottle and used the moonlight to check the level of liquid that remained, then carried it inside.
“I have about a near-tipsy level left if you want.”
Vala said, “Nope, no thanks. I do my best work sober.”
“Are you telling me I’ve never seen you sober?”
Vala faked a laugh and looked down at her work again. She had transferred the information from the crystal onto a projector and then traced the lines onto the floor of the parlor. She’d magnified it enough that she could stand inside each room as she examined the weaknesses. Tanis moved along the perimeter of the blueprint with the bottle dangling from her fingers.
“You remember those days?” Tanis asked.
“What days?”
“When places like this were quiet.”
Vala said, “Quiet. There’s a concept…”
“The past few years it’s been getting crazier and crazier. I blame the Tau’ri. Killing Goa’uld left and right, inciting the Jaffa to rebel…”
“The Tok’ra have been doing the same thing for centuries. And would you prefer to have the System Lords still in charge?”
Tanis said, “At least they kept things in line. You can’t say things are better now than they were before.”
“Of course I can. Yeah, the Jaffa aren’t being used as incubators and slave labor, people aren’t forced to worship false gods, and those selfsame false gods can’t run around taking innocent victims as hosts. So yes, Tanis, despite the fact that your little hideaway is a bit overcrowded, I would say things are very much better now.”
She had surprised herself with the intensity of her retort, and she turned away to brush the back of her hand across her cheek. The silence became a third person in the room until Tanis finally risked shattering it.
“I’m sorry.”
“We never claimed we had to agree on everything when we started working together. At least we can agree on the important things, like our jobs.” She tapped the blueprint with her toe. “Let’s focus on making Dys Wyrrick just a little poorer, shall we?”
Tanis didn’t take the bait. “This treasure seems to be very sought-after for the spoils of a
lower-tier System Lord. Seriously, who cares about Kali’s treasure? Now all of a sudden we’re racing against the clock and running all over the known galaxy trying to get our hands on it first. I haven’t forgotten your behavior on Baleya’s planet. You passed up on a sure thing to keep chasing this boondoggle, and you risked our lives to get this information. I said I wanted answers, and I think I’ve been more than patient.”
Vala rolled her shoulders and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. “Kali and Qetesh had a… history. It never escalated to the point where we would consider each other a nemesis, but whenever the opportunity arose we would strike at one another. It was almost like a game. She would attack one of Qetesh’s strongholds, Qetesh would retaliate by hijacking one of Kali’s supply ships. When Qetesh was overthrown, Kali had just ransacked one of my temples. She left the place barren. She even took the tapestries from the walls. After years of back and forth, she won by default. So yes. I want this treasure so I can do something good with it, but also because doing this means that Kali doesn’t win.”
Tanis said, “So it’s a vengeance thing, on top of the redemption.”
“Basically, yes.” She looked at Tanis. “Still in?”
“Sounds like a valid reason to me.” Tanis walked around to the far side of the drawing and put her hands on her hips. “It’ll be a tough nut to crack.”
“It’s a vault,” Vala said. “Nothing was ever put into a vault without the intention of taking it out again. There is always a way to remove what you want no matter how strong the defenses. And remember, you cannot spell ‘vault’ without Vala.”
“I think you’re missing a letter or two.”
Vala grinned, her emotional outburst from earlier already forgotten. “My dear Tanis, when Vala Mal Doran is around, something always goes missing eventually.” She clapped her hands together and gazed at the puzzle before her. “Let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER ELEVIN
A patchwork leather soccer ball bounced toward the active Stargate, and Daniel moved quickly to bump it into a safer trajectory with the side of his boot. The ball narrowly avoided hitting the event horizon and instead went skimming along the dirt as a gaggle of children went scurrying after it, a few of them tossing gratitude over their shoulders as they continued their game. Daniel watched them go, then turned to see Sam smiling at him.
“What?”
“Daniel Jackson, soccer star, for the save.”
Daniel said, “I think you mean football star.”
Sam rolled her eyes and chuckled as she continued to the FRED. “At least it’s a friendlier reception than the last time we were here.”
The medical supplies were loaded on the vehicle, and she began unloading the bags. She had seen that Nicia was approaching with a small retinue that had been drawn by the activation of the Stargate, and she began preparing their offering for inspection. Nicia smiled and bowed her head when she reached them, pausing to scan what they had brought.
“Colonel Carter. Welcome once again.”
“Thank you.”
Nicia scanned the bags on the ground and let her gaze wander over everything left on the FRED. “I must admit, I did not expect quite this large a bounty. We are truly grateful for your assistance.”
Daniel said, “We have some rudimentary medical supplies, gauze and antiseptic, but we also included some extra artificial tretonin. It might not be as powerful as the real stuff, but it’ll do the job.”
Teal’c turned away from watching the children. “It is indeed a remarkable substitute.”
“It is something that we will certainly consider. If you will come with me to my home we may discuss my portion of the arrangement. I trust you will be pleased with what I have accomplished in the short time since we last saw each other.”
The group had started to move off, but Sam noticed Teal’c was again watching the children. She walked over and stood beside him for a moment and watched the group of boys and girls play the game. It seemed like a universal analog to soccer — or football, if you preferred — in which the children chose arbitrary lines and then tried to get the ball across the other team’s line. Finally Teal’c acknowledged her presence with a slight turn of his head and she smiled at him.
“Never thought you’d see the day, did you?”
“Indeed I did not. Those young women bear the tattoo of Camulus. They play on the same team as boys bearing the mark of Olokun. Mere months ago these children were being taught to fear one another, trained to kill each other. And now they conspire to win a frivolous game. I have spent too long in tents and sitting around council tables discussing the far-reaching consequences of our burgeoning nation. I had forgotten about the simple consequences of what we have accomplished. Thank you, Colonel Carter, for drawing me away and opening my eyes.”
Sam touched his arm. “If something good can come from such an evil plot, then maybe there’s hope. Come on. They’re getting ahead of us.”
She and Teal’c caught up with Nicia and her people just as they arrived at a small hut. The windows were open to the elements, covered only by thin curtains. Nicia led the way inside and motioned for the curtains to be pushed back in order to let light into the room. A table had been set up in the center of the space, and Nicia rounded to the other side to take a seat. Sam sat across from her with Daniel and Teal’c sitting to her left and right.
Nicia said, “There is a man by the name of Anton Bellee. He is an opportunistic little fool who hires himself out to others as a furnisher of throne rooms.”
“The Goa’uld have interior decorators?” Daniel said.
Sam said, “You thought it was a coincidence that they all had similar gaudy taste?”
Daniel shrugged.
Nicia said, “Bellee no longer requires his invitation to Dysmas Wyrrick’s party and would be willing to part with it.”
“For the right price?” Daniel assumed.
“The price has been paid, Dr. Jackson.” She slid a piece of paper across the table. “This is the address of Bellee’s planet. Go there and he will give you the invitation and the address of Wyrrick’s party. I’ve also asked discreetly about the items you seek from Kali’s palace. I have been assured that Wyrrick is a hoarder of treasures. He will occasionally sell an item once he becomes bored with it, but he would not have done so with Kali’s treasure. Not so quickly at least. I have no doubt that the item you seek will indeed be there.”
Daniel sighed and looked at Sam. “Well. Two more stops and a party. We’re halfway home.”
Sam tried to look optimistic. She didn’t want to admit she would be more comfortable raiding a ha’tak with her P90 blazing, but at least there she knew where she stood. And at least in those cases she would likely be able to wear combat boots instead of high heels. Attending a party to save an entire race of people and protect the balance of harmony in the universe? She supposed there were worse things, but at the moment she couldn’t think of many.
Still, she had hope. If Nicia was confident Wyrrick still had Kali’s treasure then the key to deactivating her devices would be found at his home. All they had to do was get there before anything unforeseen happened and before the devices reached zero and began spreading their poison through the galaxy.
Piece of cake.
Frances Morello once spent a high school summer working on cars in her uncle’s garage. It was an easy way to get money, and it taught her enough that she would never have to be the helpless woman stranded on the side of the road. She never thought her skills would translate to being flat on her back in an ancient temple with her hands inside the guts of a doomsday device programmed by a diabolical parasite as revenge for losing a millennia-long war. Then again, it was surprises that made life interesting.
They had traveled back to Kali’s planet, much to General O’Neill’s chagrin, but Jay Felger wanted to take a look at the Stargate to see if he could figure out how the domino process was rigged. A year earlier, he and Colonel Carter had created a virus that
inadvertently spread to the entire gate system. That was a fluke caused by a correlative update, and he suspected that Kali was utilizing the same system to deliver her virus. If he could find a way to disable it, the network would crash. He just needed to find a way to target only the Stargates on Kali-ruled planets rather than the entire galaxy as he had last time.
Morello had convinced O’Neill to let her return to the planet with Felger’s team so she could take apart the disabled device. It was built to resemble an altar, and she wanted to see just how it would have delivered its toxins. They had teams scouting for other planets on which Kali had left palaces, but there was no way they could search every palace. One was bound to slip through the cracks, and the result would be catastrophic. She dropped her hands to her side and stared up into the inner workings of the device. The Goa’uld may have been parasites who stole almost everything they had from other races, but there was a certain beauty to their work. The ancient and mysterious outer shell hid crystalline interiors and beautifully complex mechanical arrays.
She could hear Dr. Felger and his assistant in the main Stargate chamber, arguing about whether disconnecting any particular Stargate from the greater network would be enough to break the connection between the others in Kali’s web. She pushed herself out from underneath the altar and examined it once more, knowing she had done everything she could at this particular site. She had disabled one altar, the same as taking a single bullet out of a gun before playing a game of extreme Russian roulette. It killed her not knowing how much time they had left, how long SG-1 had before all their machinations became moot. The lives of every Jaffa in the galaxy hung in the balance.
They were doing everything in their power, but she couldn’t help but think there had to be another way they weren’t seeing. This was Stargate Command. This was a place where blowing up a sun was a particularly amusing anecdote in the newsletter. It was a place where, at that very moment, an alien powerful enough to convince entire civilizations that she was their god was sitting in a prison cell. Ordinary solutions wouldn’t work for extraordinary problems. They could dig around for the looted treasure and hope they were able to figure out how it worked in time. Or they could take a more proactive approach.
SG1-24 Two Roads Page 15
