Vala flinched. “Ugh, don’t do that.”
Tanis held out her hand over the pile of goods. “Next time you need a more intelligent trickster to save your butt, come find me.”
“Done.” Vala gripped Tanis’ arm just above the wrist. “And if you ever need your fat pulled out of a fire, I’ll be around.”
Tanis released Vala’s arm and looked greedily at the treasure that was now entirely hers. “So what happens now? You take the al’kesh, or…?”
“You take the al’kesh. You’ll need it to carry all your loot. I’ll take the Stargate back to Lucia, see if I can hitch a ride with someone. I’m sure there are always people willing to give a lift to a damsel in distress. And if not, I can come up with a story they’ll fall for.”
“Yeah, you’re pretty good at getting where you need to be. Well… we had a good run, you and I.”
Vala nodded. “Indeed we did. Caused a little destruction along the way…”
“A sure sign of a successful career.”
“I shall sincerely miss you, Tanis Reynard.”
“Same to you. Vala Mal Doran… a force to be reckoned with. If only because you can never figure out just what the hell she’s going to do next.”
Vala preened a bit, then grinned. “Best of luck in the race, Tanis.”
“Best of luck wherever you end up.”
Vala went up to the cockpit and gathered her things, a few paltry items that she could fit into a shoulder bag. Tanis dumped in a handful of coins from the loot downstairs when she thought Vala wasn’t looking, and Vala pretended not to notice. They hugged at the doorway, and for a moment Tanis’ arms tightened around Vala’s waist. There was a moment when Vala patted her now-former partner’s shoulder and she knew they were having an honestly, human, emotional moment. She didn’t like it one bit, so she pulled away and sighed.
“Maybe on your way home you can stop by and see Baleya.”
Tanis raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Think she’d want to see me?”
“Oh, I’d count on it, Tanis Reynard.” She winked. “Be safe out there.”
“You too.”
Vala left the ship and moved a safe distance away, holding up her hand to block the dust kicked up by its engines. Tanis executed a sloppy turn and smiled at Vala through the glass. Vala cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted, “Perhaps I could stick around a bit longer! At least until you find a pilot who can actually fly!”
Tanis couldn’t possibly have heard her, but she lifted her hands to execute an obscene gesture nonetheless. She smiled, blew Vala a kiss, and began gaining altitude. Vala watched as the sun glinted off the sleek hull of the ship, keeping her eyes on its journey until it was obscured by clouds and distance.
Left alone on the planet, Vala sighed and walked to the local DHD to dial Lucia.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Morello splashed water on her face, blotted her cheeks and forehead with a paper towel, and then looked at her reflection in the mirror. She took a few steadying breaths, tugged at the collar of her uniform jacket, and finally walked out of the locker room. The pre-mission routine was just that, rote and familiar enough that she could go through it in her sleep. She had been on twenty missions with SG-9 so this morning should be exactly like any other.
She entered the gate room and saw the people she was temporarily assigned with waiting alongside General O’Neill, and her mental pep talk faded to silence. This was no ordinary trip, not by a longshot. She was going on a mission with SG-1. She might as well be walking on stage to sing a duet with Mick Jagger.
Teal’c, one of the first Jaffa to openly defy his god, the man who had done more to defeat the Goa’uld than any other single person, was once again wearing the green uniform of the SGC. Lately when he visited the base he only wore Jaffa robes, a symbol of his dedication to helping his people navigate the rocky seas of freedom after generations of enslavement. He looked comfortable in the BDUs, but she knew he belonged in the robes.
Doctor Daniel Jackson, her idol and real-life Indiana Jones, was speaking quietly to O’Neill. As soon as Kali had provided them with the address of the planet where the Purge was set to begin, Daniel had gone to work comparing Earth’s orbit with that of Kali’s planet so that he could accurately calculate how long they had before her device activated. Fortunately in the end they had added time, two whole hours, rather than deducting. But still, there was no point in hesitation. Twenty-nine hours were all that stood between the Jaffa and genocide.
Colonel Samantha Carter looked at Morello as she entered and offered a smile. Carter was also something of a mentor to her. A young captain when she started at the SGC, she had risen quickly through the ranks until she was commanding their flagship team. There were rumors all around that she was considering reassignment, and Morello knew that she could have her pick of postings from Atlantis to Area 51. Morello also knew that she would be incredibly lucky to have a career half as impressive as Carter’s, and if she did it would be because Carter had paved the way.
“Ready to go?” Carter asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She nodded and looked into the control room. “We’re ready for the prisoner.”
The technician nodded and picked up the phone, and Morello looked at the gathered team. She was going on a mission with SG-1. The SG-1, god killers and world savers. And they were going on a mission with a captive Goa’uld who, if she fulfilled her part of the bargain, they would let go. Part of her still felt like it was bargaining with the devil, but she supposed the ends would justify the means. They had to save the Jaffa, and the ticking clock cut their options way down.
Daniel and Sam checked the components of the pedestal while they were waiting. It had been loaded onto a MALP, which was positioned with its wheels on the ramp. Someone approached Morello, and she resisted the urge to jump when she realized it was General O’Neill.
“You okay?”
“Doing fine, sir.”
“You ever hear the story of Colonel Carter’s first trip through the gate?”
Carter looked up at the mention of her name.
“No, sir.”
“She got so distracted by the fluctuations in the event horizon that I had to push her through.”
Carter rolled her eyes. “I would have gone through on my own, sir.”
O’Neill said, “Yes, eventually. I’m just letting the captain know that it’s okay to be a little… awestruck by things. If you’re not taking a few seconds every day to have your mind blown about what you’re doing for a living, you don’t belong in this business.”
“Thank you, General.”
A group of airmen entered the room flanking the prisoner. Kali had been allowed to change back into her usual outfit, but she still looked diminished. The erstwhile goddess wore shackles on her wrists and ankles connected by a chain. General O’Neill approached her and, after an incredibly brief staring contest, the Goa’uld looked toward the gate.
“These are the coordinates I gave you?”
“Yep. We sent a UAV through earlier, just to make sure it was as abandoned as you claimed. Your little palace has seen better days.”
Kali scoffed. “Haven’t we all.”
“I don’t know. Things around here have been pretty sweet for the past little bit. Ever since you guys got booted to the curb… yeah.” He nodded. “The deal is, you send whatever code you need to send to keep this plague from being sent out, and then you take apart the network so we don’t have to deal with you ever again. My people confirm you’ve done that, we’ll send you on your merry way.”
“We have an accord, General O’Neill.”
She was escorted to the ramp, and O’Neill stepped closer to Daniel. “Think we can trust her?”
Daniel shrugged. “Normally I’d say a Goa’uld is a Goa’uld. But Kali kept a strong alliance with Bastet even through the rough periods when turning on her could have been beneficial. She plays the odds. Right now there’s nothing to prevent her from hel
ping us.”
“Hm. If you say so. Okay, SG-1…” He turned and gestured to Walter and the Stargate began to dial. “Have fun storming the castle.”
“We will, sir.”
Morello watched as the general left the room and then caught Daniel’s eye. “Did the leader of this base just quote The Princess Bride?”
Daniel said, “Yeah… uh. You get used to it. Eventually.”
The event horizon formed like a wave crashing on shore, an experience that still made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She blinked at it and looked back at Daniel.
“And that?”
“No,” Daniel said with a smile. “That, you never get used to.”
Teal’c went through first, followed by the contingent of security assigned to watch Kali. They were followed by Daniel using the remote to guide the MALP, leaving Morello and Carter to approach the event horizon together.
Carter lowered her voice. “Do you want me to push you through? It’s actually kind of fun.”
Morello grinned. “No, ma’am. But thank you.”
They passed through and Morello blinked in the sunlight. She took her sunglasses from the pocket of her vest and slid them on.
“Something else you never get used to,” Daniel said.
“I thought all of Kali’s palaces were dark… oh.” Her voice trailed off as her eyes adjusted and she saw the truth. They were inside one of Kali’s palaces, but several walls had been reduced to piles of rubble so that the sky was exposed. The MALP was parked on uneven ground formed by fallen rock and debris.
Daniel said, “I guess the Jaffa didn’t stop at just ransacking the place.”
Kali was staring at the devastation but seemed to physically shake it off. She lifted her shackled hands. “The pedestal was situated just beyond this wall.”
Daniel and Teal’c lifted the pieces off the MALP and followed Kali into the side room. There they discovered another table like the one that had started their quest. Kali indicated they should attach the pedestal to the end away from the Stargate. Sam observed and lent a hand when it came time to reconnect the control systems to the main device.
“Captain Morello?” she said. “You’re the one who took apart the systems on the other table. How does this look?”
“Oh. Um…” She moved closer and crouched down. Together with Sam she managed to reconnect the systems. There was a sudden frisson of energy as it was tapped back into its power source. “That should do it.”
Daniel looked at Kali. “Now what?”
“I send the signal, and it’s passed through the network. Once they receive the order, they return to stand-by mode. This time I will send the blackout signal. They will all go dark once and for all.”
“Hopefully you won’t be offended if we keep an eye on you as you enter the code.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
She stepped forward and took her position in front of the control panel. She rested her palm on a flat surface until the DHD lit up. She typed in a command, which Daniel and Teal’c both observed. “This will only prevent the next deadline. When that is completed, I will dial again with the complete shutdown.” She dialed the gate and they watched as a section of the wall slid out of the way. She rested her hand on a dome that resembled the central piece of the DHD. After a few seconds, the Stargate disengaged and she nodded. “It is done. The rest will be contacted in turn, and the Stargate here will open again when the circuit is complete.”
“How long should that take?” Sam asked.
“Not long. Approximately seventeen minutes.”
Sam checked her watch and did the mental math Daniel had come up with. Seventeen minutes on this planet roughly translated to twenty-four Earth minutes. “Can you send the kill code while we’re waiting?”
“No. The circuit must be completed before a second command is entered.”
Daniel sighed. “Okay. Looks like we’re sticking around for half an hour. Hope everyone brought a book or something.”
While they waited for the cycle to end, Sam and Teal’c did a quick perimeter search of the grounds to make sure the palace really was abandoned. When they returned to the room, Sam noticed that Daniel was watching Captain Morello. The young woman was across the room using her camera to record the carvings that had escaped destruction. Sam sat down next to Daniel and nudged his arm.
“Got a crush?”
“Hm? Oh. No… no, of course not. But she’s good. She’s very good. She convinced Kali to help us. I mean, that alone is impressive.”
Sam nodded slowly. “Yes, it is. It shouldn’t be a surprise, though. No one gets this far in the SGC without being in the top percentile.” She watched his face. “You’re looking for a replacement.”
He looked at her, smiled, and shrugged. “It would be nice to know there was someone who could take over if I ever make it to Atlantis. Not to mention the fact I’d feel like I was abandoning you.”
“SG-1 could take on a whole new meaning… one member left standing.”
“Well, if anyone could make a one-person team work, it’s you.”
Sam chuckled and bumped his knee with her fist. “I’ve been thinking along the same lines, actually. The next step. General O’Neill and Teal’c are both moving on, you’re trying to get to Atlantis come hell or high water. SG-1 would be an entirely different team anyway, so why be precious about something that’s already gone? I guess I’m just exploring my options at the moment.”
Daniel nodded. “Same here. I don’t want to sound egotistical, I know there have always been people qualified to take my place at the SGC at a moment’s notice. I knew they were out there. It’s just nice to have it confirmed so completely. As long as Morello is here, I feel confident being… elsewhere. You, though. I think you’ll be a little harder to replace.”
Sam scoffed. “Please. In a couple of years, Cassie is going to graduate and then I’ll be old news. In the meantime, I have an open invitation to Area 51. I might be able to do more good there than out here running from one planet to the next. I could have a lot of fun reverse engineering some of the things we’ve brought back over the years.”
“Just don’t make anything to replace iPods. I can’t afford to buy all my music again.”
She smiled. “I’ll do my best.” She tilted her head back and squinted into the sky. “Besides, there are a lot of things I’ve been putting off the past few years. A lot of decisions I put off making…”
Daniel smiled knowingly. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about professional considerations anymore?”
She looked away from the sky and smiled at him.
Teal’c approached and said, “It is time.”
“Yeah, I think it is.” Sam broke the moment she’d been sharing with Daniel and slapped her hands down on her knees. “Let’s go”
They stood up and gathered at the pedestal again as the Stargate came to life. Kali watched the display and nodded slowly.
“It is done. The machines have been silenced for this circuit. I will now send the code to deactivate them permanently.”
“You’ll forgive us if we take a little tour of your planets later to make sure you’re telling the truth.”
Kali smiled scornfully. “It is your time. Waste it as you wish. But you have my word that once this command is entered, each device on every world will be shut down. The Jaffa will be safe. And I have your word that you will follow your end of the bargain?”
“We honor our promises,” Sam said.
“Very well.” Kali activated the Stargate again and, after a moment, she began entering the code.
EPILOGUE
Jack looked up as Teal’c entered his office. The BDUs were gone, replaced by standard Jaffa robes. He leaned back in his seat and dropped his pen, sighing as Teal’c stood in front of him.
“I guess this is goodbye again.”
“Indeed. The news of Kali’s defeat must be spread among the Jaffa so they know it is once again safe to use their
Stargates. I feel I must also do… damage control, should there be any doubt following my subterfuge at Dysmas Wyrrick’s party.”
“Teal’c, trust me, anyone who knows you would understand exactly what you were doing.”
Teal’c inclined his head at the compliment. “Be that as it may, the more I am seen, the stronger the truth shall be.”
“Right.”
“And what of you, O’Neill? Have your concerns regarding this position abated?”
Jack took a deep breath and looked around the office. “Um. Yes. And no.” He drummed his pen on the desk before leaning back in his seat. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m the right guy to be making the decisions around here, to be honest. Someone who won’t play favorites.”
“Perhaps there are other possibilities for you in another position.”
“Yes,” Jack said thoughtfully. “Possibilities… Well, that can wait. For now, we need to get you back where you belong.”
He stood up and held out his hand. Teal’c gripped it tightly. When he tried to let go, Jack tightened his hold. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’re… coming back, right? Eventually? If just to say an official goodbye? See, we have this whole thing we do where there’s cake and… well. You know me and cake.”
Teal’c smiled. “I will return, O’Neill.”
“Good. Just making sure.” He released Teal’c’s hand. “I’ll walk you down to the gate room.”
“As you wish.”
Jack adjusted his jacket and gestured for Teal’c to lead the way out. He patted Teal’c on the shoulder as they passed through the briefing room.
“And, hey, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, it doesn’t even have to be an official visit. Swing by the cabin. We’ll fish, I’ll catch us some dinner, we’ll watch some hockey… Stanley Cup is right around the corner, ya know…”
Vala didn’t believe in miracles or quirks of fate. She thought the universe was a very structured place where bizarre things routinely happened. She believed it was the sort of place that would eventually reward her selfless gesture of giving Tanis the whole treasure, but she didn’t expect to step through the gate on Lucia to discover their stolen tel’tak sitting a few yards away.
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