Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis - Far Horizons (25 page)

“What? Do you want to negotiate with the thing?”

“O’Neill, would it not be prudent to see if this Penthos could be of assistance?”

Daniel nodded in agreement with Teal’c.

“Fine.” Jack leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. “Have at it.”

“Wait a minute, Daniel.” Sam slid into the pilot’s chair and enabled the HUD. “Penthos, if you’re really a Tok’ra, can you tell us the coordinates for the base you were stationed at before… Before losing your —”

“
Before losing my host?
” Another groan. This time thinner, more ragged. “
For the sake of my fellow Tok’ra, I cannot. While the Tau’ri were willing to share coordinates for their Alpha Site, you are many and my people few.
”

Jack’s eyes snapped open. “What’s an Alpha Site?”

“
Please, Colonel O’Neill. The Tok’ra knew of its location
.
Your General Hammond had offered sanctuary if ever the need arose.
”

Daniel was satisfied. “Sounds like a Tok’ra to me.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c said. “A Goa’uld would have lied, providing us with false coordinates.”

“
I am not Goa’uld!
”

Daniel raised his hands, unsure if Penthos could see the peaceful gesture for what it was. He turned around, searching for a lens that might indicate if the symbiote could see as well as hear.

There. Over by the HUD. A blue-tinged round camera lens, about two inches in diameter. Penthos had been watching them since they’d come on board. Why hadn’t he said anything until now?

“Uh, hello.” Daniel waved at the lens. “We’d like to believe you, but…”

“
You require a demonstration of my good faith. I understand.
”

The ship lurched forward. Daniel glanced out the window, and there it was, the prism-like streaks of hyperspace.

“Nice job.” Jack peered up at Sam. “Any way to tell whether that thing’s taking us farther into Goa’uld territory?”

Sam keyed the HUD. The translucent grid displayed a star map with a series of dashes leading from the center toward a cluster by the top-left corner. “That’s Cassiopeia. From there it’s only 11,000 light-years to home.”

“
Its nearest solar system contains a Stargate on the fifth planet that will take you home.
”

“Penthos… If that’s really your name…” Daniel sat down on the steps behind the pilot chair. “If you’re Tok’ra, what happened to your host?”

“
Haider sacrificed his life so that I could complete our mission,”
Penthos whispered. Then, stronger, flatter, he continued. “
Several months ago, we infiltrated Anubis’ base on Tartarus —”

Sam gasped. “My god… You’re the spy who gave away the Alpha Site’s coordinates.”

“
Never. I would rather die.
”

“But you didn’t.” Jack stabbed a finger at the intercom. “You’re still alive. Carter here almost lost her life to one of Anubis’s goons thanks to you. Over a hundred of my men did die, along with a few dozen of your Tok’ra buddies and a slew of Jaffa rebels.”

“O’Neill, it is possible that Anubis probed Penthos’ mind as he did Thor and Jonas Quinn.”

“
If what the Jaffa says is true, I am deeply sorry, Colonel
.
I have no memory of the time between my capture and being placed in the tank controlling this vessel.
”

“Which happened how, exactly?” Daniel asked.

Penthos sighed and the ship shuddered in response.
“Upon reaching Tartarus, my host and I posed as a minor Goa’uld in the hopes of obtaining intelligence on how the System Lord manufactured his warriors. One of Anubis’s Jaffa discovered our presence as we retrieved vital information from the data banks.”

“
And yet you live to tell the tale,
”
Teal’c said.

“
Half of who I was is no more. The other half ensnared in a device of infinite pain. Would you call that living?
”

Teal’c bowed his head. “I would not.”

“
We used the Jaffa’s zat’ni’katel to render him unconscious, but within moments the room filled with super soldiers. It was Haider who urged me to leave him, to hide within the Jaffa’s pouch until there was a way to escape into another host. He removed the Jaffa’s prim’tah. I protested, but Haider insisted. He knew word of how Anubis engineered the Kull warriors must be sent to our people.

“When Anubis wrenched me from the Jaffa… He could not have known that I was Tok’ra.
To him, I was merely a symbiote to do his bidding.
To Haider, I was — His final selfless act before dying was to save me,
but now… Now I am alone. I am — Ahhhh!
”

The deck keeled sideways. Daniel grabbed hold of the central console. Teal’c did the same while Sam gripped her chair. Jack began to tumble out of his, but managed to hold on. Outside, the stars streaked by, but at a more stuttered rate.

“Sam?”

“Something’s wrong with the hyper-drive.” Sam half-walked, half-crawled toward the console as the ship righted itself.

“Penthos?”

“
I will not permit Anubis to use me so! Please, you must disconnect me. I cannot separate from the pain.
”

Was it physical or had the loss of Penthos’ host become too much? Daniel knew how loss could swallow a person whole, but his experiences had to pale in comparison to losing half of what made a Tok’ra complete.

He turned to Sam. “There’s got to be something you can do.”

“The tank’s tied directly into the main crystal. If I…” She glanced at her backpack and her eyes lit up. “Penthos, do you have any control over the shields blocking access to the drives?”

Penthos didn’t answer.

The ship shuddered a third time and then settled down, its, jagged streaks replaced by smoother, more normal luminescent lines. The hyperspace window had been restored.

“
I cannot lower the shields around my tank, but I believe the main compartment can be accessed. Is it possible? Can you end my existence?
”

The pleading in his voice tore at Daniel, at a wound barely begun to heal. There were times he wondered whether the Stargate program was really worth all the loss.

Sam snatched up her pack and pulled out the red crystal from Anubis’s clone factory. “If we drop out of hyperspace, I can bypass the tank’s control by replacing the drive’s main crystal. That would at least take some of the stress off Penthos until we can get him to the Tok’ra.”

“Now wait a minute!” Jack pushed himself out of his chair. “Won’t we be sitting ducks?”

“I don’t think so, sir. The minutes we’ve spent in hyperspace should have taken us several light-years away from any threat from Anubis.”

“As far as we know.”

“O’Neill, would not Penthos’ rescue aid our current situation with the Tok’ra?”

“Teal’c’s right, Jack, and whether you like it or not, we need to get you to a doctor.”

Jack collapsed back in the chair. “I suppose.”

Daniel turned back toward the intercom. “Penthos, you haven’t said anything for a while.”

“
My life will not end.
”

“No.” Daniel recognized it was more a statement than a question, but he answered with as much optimism as he could muster. “If Sam succeeds, we can take you back to the Tok’ra.”

He left out that they’d need to find the Tok’ra first. There’d been no word from any of them since the alliance fell apart. Not even Jacob.

“
I ask a favor in return. That someone remain in contact with me while Jacob Carter’s daughter endeavors to bypass the hyper-drive.
”

“We’ll take turns,” Daniel promised.

“
Then we are in agreement.
” A sudden jolt and the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

Jack grinned, barely. Daniel recognized the attempt for what it was: bravado. “Carter, does the intercom work in the cargo hold?”

“It should, sir, but —”

“I’ll go first then.” Jack struggled to his feet again.

Daniel felt his eyebrows shoot up. “You?”

“Sure. Why not? Teal’c, fly this bucket while Daniel helps out Carter. Penthos can keep me company in the cargo hold so we stay out of everybody’s hair.”

With a silent nod, Teal’c sat down at the helm.

Daniel took Jack’s elbow, guiding him up and out of the cockpit. The fact that Jack didn’t resist spoke volumes.

“You’re not exactly at your best, Jack.”

“That’s never stopped me before.”

Daniel pointed at the lens and whispered, “And you hate the Tok’ra.”

“Hate’s a pretty strong word.” Jack didn’t even bother to glance at the lens.

“Well, as far as words go, it fits the —”

“Come on, Penthos.” Jack shrugged off Daniel’s hand and headed for the cargo-hold. “Let’s go chew the fat.”

Daniel watched him leave, hoping Jack would hold back his typical anti-Tok’ra sentiments.

Teal’c turned the ship to face a swollen red giant. The old star hung in space, a bloody ink stain against the black of space. “There are currently no enemy ships in our area.”

“Hopefully, it’ll stay that way.” Sam left for the engine room, her pack slung over her shoulder.

Daniel followed until he heard a crunch beneath his feet. He lifted his boot. Underneath was the broken pencil he’d given Jack. The crossword puzzle book lay beside it.

He picked them up, wondering exactly what ‘words’ Jack would have for Penthos.

5. Acceptance (n):
{psychology} — Coming to terms with the inevitable. Embracing the opportunity to make peace. A highly individualized stage not necessarily achieved by everyone.

The blink of an eye. A shift in one’s thoughts.

The change of one perspective for another.

A jagged current rippled across Penthos’ skin. He pushed the pain aside, enabling the cargo hold’s sensor lens so he might see Colonel O’Neill. He wished to understand why this man was both admired and disdained for his methods.

Penthos zoomed in on the man’s features. Tiny cuts covered much of O’Neill’s gaunt face. While a first impression would show an injured human sprawled out in repose to recover, Penthos noticed the agitation that lay within. Long fingers toyed with a bloodied bandage on his neck. Legs crossed and uncrossed.

“Well?”
O’Neill glared into the camera.

“
You are older than expected
.”
And yet, so young. So impossibly young.

Haider had been like that.

The cargo hold doors slid open. Daniel Jackson strode in, holding a black and white book and two pieces of yellow-painted wood.

“Everything all right in here?”
The doors slid closed behind him.

O’Neill turned his gaze toward his subordinate.
“Give it a rest, Daniel.”

“Says the pot to the kettle.”
He offered the book and wood pieces to O’Neill.
“If you and Penthos run out of things to talk about… Well, maybe you could try filling in a few of these.”

O’Neill did not move.

Daniel Jackson lowered his voice, but Penthos could still hear.
“You know she would’ve wanted you to keep doing them.”

“In a manner of speaking, she outranked me.”
O’Neill’s eyes narrowed.
“You don’t.”

“No… I don’t.”

A silence fell between the two men. Penthos could not tell if it was one born of companionship or woe. Daniel Jackson broke the peace, dropping the proffered objects into O’Neill’s lap.

“Think of it as a way to honor her memory.”

Daniel Jackson departed, his final words affirming Penthos’ decision.

Jack stared at the crossword book, hating everything it represented.

“
Does Daniel Jackson’s insubordination trouble you, Colonel O’Neill?
”

Jack snorted. “If you only knew.”

“
And yet I detect humor in your voice. I am not familiar with Tau’ri mannerisms, but you appeared to smile in response to my question.
”

“What’s your point?” Jack tossed the book aside. He’d volunteered for babysitting duty to keep the Goa’uld out of everyone else’s hair, not to be psycho-analyzed by a snake.

“
I suppose I have no point other than that I, too, have struggled with subordinates not understanding the need for a clean chain of command. Subordinates who meant well, bu
t —”

“Look, the last thing I need is command advice from a…” He stopped himself from saying the G word, but it wasn’t easy.

“
Does the book carry great meaning amongst the Tau’ri?
”

“This thing?” He scowled at the book. “More like it carries a proverbial pain in my butt.”

“
How can a book be so problematic for the great Colonel O’Neill?
”

“The ‘great Colonel O’Neill,’ huh?” Jack recognized a failed suck-up when he heard one. He thumbed the radio in his tac vest. “Carter? How’s it going in there?”

“
Penthos is as good as his word, sir. We’ve managed to isolate the line feeding into the control crystal without getting shocked. I just need to —”

“Yeah, I don’t need the details.” He glanced up at the blue fish-eye lens on the wall. If keeping it distracted would get them home, so be it. “Let me know if the situation changes. The faster we’re outta here, the better.”

Dropping his hand from the radio, he felt his fingers brush against the crossword puzzle book. The Goa’uld wanted company? All right. He could do that.

Opening the book to a random page, he picked up the leaded pencil half. “Right then, let’s start easy. One across: three letter word for ‘feline.’ Well, that’s simple. ‘Cat.’”

“
Please explain. Is your book some sort of dictionary?
”

“Nope. It’s a game.” He explained the basics, but then it occurred to him… “Goa’uld language and English aren’t the same, are they?”

“
I am not Goa’uld, Colonel
.” The wall speaker rattled; Jack tried to ignore how much it sounded like a sigh.

He scribbled in the word ‘cat.’ “Next up: a nine-letter word for ‘puzzle.’ First letter would need to be a ‘C.’ If it’s too hard for ya —”

“
As a spy within the Tok’ra network, I have learned many languages.
”

“Including ours?”

“
Enough to know that the word you seek is ‘conundrum.’
”

“That works.” Jack tucked away the fact that a Tok’ra spy knew how to spell Earth-English and penciled in the word.

“
Is this a common custom amongst the Tau’ri?
”

“Custom?” The next word wasn’t too hard. “Seven across, five letters for —”

“
Daniel Jackson said performing this puzzle would ‘honor her memory.’ I wish to learn more about honoring memories of the fallen. Whose memory did he mean, Colonel?
”

“No one you know.”

“
You have lost someone. I have lost someone.
”

“Yeah, well. Who hasn’t?” Jack slapped the book shut. “This is ridiculous. I’m not playing crossword puzzles. Not with a snake. Not with anybody.”