In the Natural Course of Events
Description, Rating, & Disclaimers
TITLE: In the Natural Course of Events
AUTHOR: Elysium
SPOILERS: Maternal Instinct, Tok'Ra I and II, Into the Fire, Children of the Gods
SEQUEL/SEASON INFO: a few years in the future
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Biology unfolds on its inevitable path.
CATEGORY: Drama
AUTHORS NOTES: Beta'd by JB1 and by Anne S, with occasional comments by Lost and Bastet. The words to the quoted rite are an exerpt from Dr. Raymond Faulkner's translation of the Theban Recension of The Book of the Dead (which the Egyptians called The Book of Going Forth By Day), Chapter for going out into the day (Chapter 71)
DISCLAIMER:
All Stargate SG-1 characters are the property of Stargate SG-1 Productions (II) Inc., MGM Worldwide Television Productions Inc., Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp and Showtime Networks Inc. No infringement of those rights is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. This disclaimer was shamelessly copied from the 'Heliopolis' site.
Teal'c could hear the wax well over the edge of one of his candles, and trickle down its side to impact the iron candlestick upon which the pillar stood. He heard a softly stuttered, whispering hiss from the flames themselves, breathing as they so slowly consumed the wax and wicks which sustained them. The honey-scent of beeswax, faint when he began his meditation, seemed to permeate him now, as he rose from the otherworld of Kelnoreem.
The larva within him shifted slowly; he was aware of its weight, its skin smoothing along the interior of his pouch, comforting itself, comforting him. The sensation was hypnotic; he lingered in his meditative state simply to enjoy the feel of it.
And then he returned from the eastern edge of his imaginary Nile to face the daily challenges of living.
A sense of presence leapt out at Sam even as the elevator doors opened. She was not surprised to find Teal'c inside; in addition to the fact they were headed for the same briefing, she had become more adept lately at feeling the presence of his Goa'uld symbiote.
She smiled in greeting. Today Teal'c looked rather pleased with himself, like a cat who had played some prank which its owner had yet to discover. She chuckled inwardly at the metaphor, realizing a dog in the same circumstance would be hanging its head in shame. Teal'c was rarely a prankster, though he would play along with whatever might be in progress. Sam wondered if there might be some wry game afoot on the base.
She turned toward the door as it closed. The elevator descended. She felt Teal'c's hand rest casually on her shoulder, his forearm lightly touching her back. He was rarely so affectionate; the cameraderie felt good. All was right with the world.
Suddenly he reached past her, striking the button for the next floor and knocking Sam against the wall with the back of his shoulder. She pushed off the wall to regain her balance, and nearly smacked her face into Teal'c's back.
But he was already moving away from her. Sam thought she saw him clutch at his belly.
"Run," he said.
Her perception of time shifted. Elevator doors had never opened so slowly. She bolted into the hallway; there was no time to question his urgency. But when Teal'c did not follow behind her, she turned to see why.
And saw him catch his symbiote in mid-air as it leapt at her from his pouch. The eyes of the sinuous form flashed as it struggled against his grip, and its jaws snapped in Sam's direction.
Teal'c looked at her, then he looked with a horrified and mournful expression at the symbiote. Then he lifted his shirt and urged the writhing creature back into his pouch.
The Goa'uld life cycle had caught up with the Jaffa.
"Colonel, we have a problem," Sam said.
Jack could tell just by watching them enter the room; Sam and Teal'c were eyeing each other with the wariness of a pair of tomcats met in an alley, and Teal'c held his arms across his belly the way a human might after being punched. But he did not seem to be in any pain.
"Whoa whoa whoa. What happened, you two?"
"Sir..." Carter's expression was grim.
"Regrettably," Teal'c interrupted her, "the symbiote within me has matured. This Goa'uld seems to have deliberately hidden the signs. I believed there remained more time."
"Why?"
"It makes sense, sir," said Carter. "I mean, around here it's in an environment rich in humans who are not hosts. If it could hide its maturity from Teal'c it might have a chance of getting into one of us."
"Are you saying that thing is already intelligent?"
"In a rudimentary sense, sir--the same way a baby knows how to suck."
"You mean it's an instinct."
"Yes. On a world full of Jaffa--undesirable hosts--it wouldn't necessarily need to hide. In fact with their culture, the more warning the better."
"Were I on a Goa'uld world, a larva of this maturity would already have been collected from me, perhaps a day or more ago, and a new one issued in its place if my loyalty was approved."
"Collected?"
"Those larvae of no particular promise are collected by the priests. I do not know their fate, but I suspect their lives are short," Teal'c's face revealed the pleasure he felt at this possibility.
"And the ones with 'promise'?"
"Are allowed to remain within their Jaffa until the ceremony of transference, wherein the mature Goa'uld enters its new host." Teal'c looked considerably less pleased by this alternative.
"Colonel, with your permission..."
"Go to it, Major." The team had been planning for this eventuality for a long time; now Sam was off to set their plans in motion. They were still a team, thank God. In a few months, Sam would be getting a command of her own. It would be a hard transition for him.
She disappeared from the conference room.
"Teal'c, are you feeling okay?"
"I am fine."
"You're acting just a little bit--off."
"Am I?" he cocked his head.
"That thing hasn't, like, migrated up to your head or something."
"No. It has not." Teal'c's brow furrowed. He closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath.
"Are you in pain?" Jack had to fight his instinct to come close and help the Jaffa. He felt as though his friend had swallowed a live mine--something that would explode if Jack approached.
"I am fine," Teal'c opened his eyes.
Criminy! He's not just 'fine'. He's high!
"You feeling a little...euphoric?"
"I have just completed Kelnoreem," came the answer.
"Yeah. And...?"
The Jaffa blinked a few times, " I am, in your words," his brow furrowed again, "a 'happy camper'. 'Happy camper'," he echoed himself, shaking his head. He looked puzzled, then spoke slowly, "I believe my symbiote may be attempting to affect my judgment."
"That's what I thought. If you were human I'd think you were drunk."
"Jaffa can be drunk, O'Neill," Teal'c said, entirely missing Jack's point.
"Well take it from me, that thing has succeeded. Your judgment right now is toast, my friend."
Teal'c tilted his head for a moment, until his understanding came.
"I believe you are correct," he conceded.
Teal'c was locked in the embarkation room. The blast doors were down; the only way in or out was through the control room, and there were guards.
He was resting in a state near to Kelnoreem, hoping closer interaction with the Goa'uld would help him anticipate any future attempts it made to claim one of his friend's bodies.
His eyes were closed. The worm continued to caress the inside of his pouch; he felt a pleasant, warm flush on his skin. His mind--his thoughts, which the creature could neither control nor access--knew the symbiote must be releasing some chemical or hormone into his system--that he was drugged. But he felt very, very good.
No, 'good' was not the word, he felt very...affectionate? He had an urge to hug everyone in the SGC. The rational part of him realized this sudden affinity was the Goa'uld's way of driving him to proximity with potential hosts.
He craved human touch; he held onto himself. It wasn't satisfying.
The final chevron locked. He heard the familiar booming fizz of the gate activation; felt the mild inertial shock which surrounded the spatial distortion that shot into the room, and the prickle of static that resulted from its disturbance of the air. He detected a transient whiff of ozone.
The MALP creaked up the ramp; there was the sound of a ripple from the gate. Footsteps hurried lightly from the control room and across the floor. Teal'c knew them as Carter's.
He wanted to touch her; his mind lingered on the image of her pale hair, a color which had been vanishingly rare among the Jaffa of Chulak and which, after these years of friendship, still seemed exotic to him.
But the sound of her entering the gate's horizon put an end to those thoughts.
He heard O'Neill step down to the floor.
"S'all right, Teal'c, you can go," he said.
Teal'c opened his eyes; his friend stood twenty feet distant. O'Neill was so young, yet already showed the signs of age.
Teal'c felt the sharp teeth of his symbiote plucking at the edge of his pouch.
You want O'Neill, but you shall have only death, he thought.
He ascended the ramp and went through the gate.
When Jack arrived on the far side of the wormhole, he found Teal'c lingering by the DHD, and Sam about thirty feet beyond him. Their attention was on a lone figure, clad in a color nearly identical to that of the damp sand surrounding the gate, who approached on foot.
Martouf greeted SG-1 with a smile. "Greetings!" he called. He paused to meet Sam's eyes, then walked directly to Teal'c; they shook hands up to the forearm. In an uncharacteristic display of affection, Teal'c briefly laid his other hand on Martouf's shoulder.
Oh, yeah, he's high, all right.
Jack and Sam closed on the pair, stopping about ten feet from them.
Martouf's eyes flashed. "May I?" the voice of Lantash spoke from within him, and he reached tentatively toward Teal'c's belly.
Teal'c lowered his chin a nearly imperceptible fraction, and lifted his hand from over his pouch. Lantash laid his own hand to replace it, and smiled somewhat wistfully. The Jaffa closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply; Jack wondered what chemical tricks the larva now played on Teal'c's mind. Then Lantash nodded, lowered his hand, and glanced away as though mildly embarrassed.
"Good news." It was Martouf speaking. "We have someone who will host Teal'c's symbiote."
"Oh you do?" said O'Neill.
"Yes, and I believe you know her," Martouf smiled.
"We do?" Carter's brow furrowed, "Who?"
"Xochil."
"Excuse me, did you say Sushi?"
Martouf laughed, "Xochil is the woman in whom the traitor Kordesh sought refuge, when first you visited us."
"Ah. You mean she's still hanging around you guys? Sort of a spare host?"
Martouf blushed. "Her friends and family on her homeworld were killed in a Goa'uld attack long ago. We are the family she knows, and she is family to us," he said.
"I can understand her staying with you..." said Carter.
The Colonel shot her a skeptical look.
"...but, this symbiote is a Goa'uld, the offspring of Apophis. I'm not sure why anyone would be willing to be host to," she searched for a word, but apparently did not find it, "that."
Lantash spoke again, "There is knowledge to be gained from Apophis' line. And we have been working toward this eventuality, knowing that the need would one day come," he said. "She is prepared..."
"Speaking of need," interrupted O'Neill, looking at his feet and scratching his hair, "how have you been doing on finding a new larva for Teal'c? He *is* our primary concern here. Right?"
"Of course," said Lantash. "We Tok'Ra have no offspring of our own at this time, but we have stolen a child of a lineage which has produced Tok'Ra in the past. At one point we considered a child of Chronos..."
Jack could see Teal'c's jaw clench.
"...but knowing Teal'c's hatred of him, we have settled upon the offspring of Djehuty and Sia."
The Jaffa relaxed. Djehuty--"Thoth"--Jack knew. But Sia? He missed Daniel's input.
"So, this is good?"
"We hope it will be. But come, the child within Teal'c is eager to be free of him, as you have noticed."
"Yeah," said Jack, "I wouldn't stand too close..."
"I am in no danger; the child will not attempt to displace me. But your caution for yourselves is well counseled."
Lantash lead them away from the Gate.
Teal'c felt a frustrated writhe from the symbiote inside him; the touch Teal'c had enjoyed was not that of a suitable host. But the larva quickly resumed its hypnotic soothing. He followed Martouf.
This world was not unlike Chulak--two suns, cool, and forested. Teal'c missed his home there, the stone town on the hill, the view down the valley. That world had not existed for quite some time, now. But the memory of it made this planet feel comfortable.
The sand around the gate blended to a soft duff, which released an earthy, pine scent with an undertone of mushroom as they walked on it. Somewhere above them a breeze conversed with the pines, yielding a distant, hushed sound of wind that swelled and ebbed, punctuated occasionally by a faint pop or creak from the tree limbs.
Martouf-Lantash moved silently ahead of him, using skills honed by hundreds of years of fugitive life. Not a branch nor leaf was left with a readable sign when he passed; one could tell there had been some disturbance, but it more resembled the passing of a woodland creature than of a man.
He could hear the soft footfalls of the humans who flanked him. They were certain to be leaving a trail which a well-trained Jaffa could follow. Teal'c imagined the Tok'Ra would send someone back to obscure those signs--if such a person was not already following discreetly behind them.
They passed through a patch of suns-light; Teal'c paused to enjoy its radiant warmth on his skin. He heard his escorts--his loyal friends--pause with him. Martouf must also have heard them stop, for he turned, and flashed his bright smile.
With the subtleties of air and sound he could almost feel each of them in their positions; he could smell the faintly acrid, warm scent of the two humans, and the slightly mellower one of the Tok'Ra.
O'Neill and Carter--Jack and Sam--he never called them by those names--they were with him on this journey, despite the danger that it posed to themselves, solely on the strength of their shared friendship. He felt the urge to reveal the depths of his attachment to them, to hold them each till they were breathless and chuckling with embarrassment over his enthusiasm. They so rarely touched each other, unless one of them was injured.
Yes. My judgment is most definitely impaired, he thought.
"The transport rings are just ahead," murmured Martouf.
Together they resumed their path.
Teal'c and Martouf took the first trip through the rings; Sam and Jack would have had to come dangerously close to Teal'c in order to travel with them. They stood in the appointed spot, waiting for the devices to come for them. To Jack, it seemed like a long wait.
"What do you think they are doing down there?" Sam asked.
Jack shrugged. He trusted Martouf. But at the same time he had a great distrust of any unplanned separations of his team. Something was taking them too long.
The familiar 'whung' of the transport rings overtook them, and with a flash, the forest and sandy bank on which they stood disappeared, replaced with a view of tunnel walls made of oddly fractured blue octagons. They were inside the Tok'Ra base.
Martouf and Teal'c were gone. It was General Carter, host to Selmak, who greeted them.
"Sam," the General said, wrapping his daughter in a hug. "You look great, kid."
"You too," Sam murmured, returning her father's affection.
"Uh," Jack rocked on his toes and raised his eyebrows. The family reunion was touching, but as far as Jack was concerned, he now had a missing man.
"Colonel O'Neill," the General greeted, shaking his hand.
"General. Where's..."
"Martouf has taken him to rest until the young larva arrives. We thought it would be safer to get him away from you as quickly as possible."
An answer that is not an answer. How...Tok'Ra of you, General.
"He's our friend. We want to be there for him," said Sam.
"I know that Sam, but that worm in his gut has him high as a kite right now. It's got a mind like Apophis and quite frankly I don't want it anywhere near you."
"What about Soshi, or Sushi or whatever her name is? You don't mind it taking her over?" Despite their years of friendship to Earth, Jack would never trust the Tok'Ra's occasionally capricious sense of morality.
"She knows what she's getting into. She volunteered for this. We've been working with her to prepare for over a year now."
"Uh, yeah," said Jack. "Well I'd like to hear that from her, if you don't mind."
"What?" the General laughed. "Ok, Jack. You're still so suspicious."
"It's my nature, General. It keeps me alive."
"Well I have no objections to you talking to her, and I'm sure she won't either. Come on," said the General, "I'll take you to her."
"I found the incident with Kordesh to be greatly disturbing, as you can imagine," said Xochil. She turned her enormous, dark eyes away from Jack; he found himself admiring the flow of her hair and the smooth youth of her skin. She claimed to be over eighty.
"Actually, I can't imagine," he said. Actually, I don't want to, he admitted to himself.
They were sitting casually beside some of the reflecting pools in a commons area of the Tok'Ra base. Xochil dragged her fingers idly in the water. Jack realized he'd been staring at her hands.
She looked at Jack, then at Sam. "I was witness to a battle over my own body, within my own mind. Kordesh weakened my symbiote with the hara-kesh, but did not wait until he died before claiming me as his prize. Otherwise my symbiote and I would have willingly perished together, to deprive Kordesh of my body."
"You mean you had two Goa'uld inside you at once?" Sam winced.
"Briefly. One was Tok'Ra, my symbiote and friend. But Kordesh..." she winced.
"That's all right," said Sam.
"So why do you want to go through--a Goa'uld--again?" asked Jack.
Xochil fixed him with a hard, dark gaze, "I want my revenge. I have been practicing, studying. We have been using various devices to test and develop techniques by which a host mind might subdue that of the symbiote."
"Doesn't that make your snake-buddies around here a little nervous?"
Xochil pursed her lips. She shook the water from her hand. Jack knew his biases were making her uncomfortable, but the question had to be asked.
"It is a matter of trust," she said.
"What if it doesn't work?" asked Sam.
"Then the spawnling will be forcibly removed."
"Ya know, I don't know much about this but that sounds like it would hurt."
"Yes. But it would hurt him even more," Xochil smiled wickedly. "And then he would die."
Jack felt he was facing a sort of Tok'Ra Mata-hari. This woman was tough. He realized her former membership on the Grand Council of Tok'Ra had not been based solely on the strengths of her symbiote.
"What if you can control him? What if," Sam met Jack's eyes, "what if this Goa'uld has the potential to change its mind, and become Tok'Ra?"
"Then I will be a prisoner here, among friends, until it can be determined that its change of heart is sincere," she said. "You must understand, to us--to the Tok'Ra--your 'Junior' is a child. In our war we would like to protect the innocent, when we can. As yet this being is guilty of nothing beyond keeping your friend alive."
"Well, we are kind of grateful to Junior for that," quipped Jack.
"We wish to witness his character before sentencing him to death, and I am willing to be a part of that."
"He's the offspring of Apophis..."
"Then maybe while we're together I can find a way to make his father stay dead," Xochil smirked.
General Carter approached from one of the side passages to the chamber.
"Kids? The other symbiote has arrived."
Jack and Sam followed General Carter and Xochil. They arrived at a chamber which sprouted off a little-traveled corridor of the base. Xochil and the General turned and entered without pause.
Sam was stopped at the threshold by something she saw within. From the side, Jack could see her mouthe the word "whoa".
He caught up and looked over her shoulder.
Teal'c was Jack's friend. Most of the time, the fact he was an alien figured only marginally in Jack's mind. The fact he had been a highly ranked enemy commander was useful on some of their missions.
But on rare occasions one or the other of those facts would reach up and thwack Jack right between the eyes. This was one of them.
Teal'c sat, straight and quiet, on one of the wall-ledges which served the Tok'Ra as chairs. He had stripped to the waist. One hand rested over his pouch, and his attention was turned inward. There was tension in his face, as of someone patiently enduring something--but Jack could not discern if it was pain or pleasure. The Jaffa's skin glistened with a faint golden sheen, as though he sat under a colored lamp after a workout.
He was just sitting, doing nothing. But the difference between this alien, and the friend he knew, was like that between a peacock in full court compared to one at rest. He exuded charisma. His was a presence that could pause a System lord--and at some time probably had.
Jack could find no logical explanation for that impression.
He stepped around Sam and into the room; she followed. Instinctively, both stood close to the wall.
"Colonel," Sam murmured, "is it just me, or do you feel..."
"Oh yeah," he said lowly.
Xochil walked boldly to stand in front of the Jaffa. General Carter and Martouf stood back, observing.
"Teal'c," she said softly.
Teal'c stood slowly. Xochil laid a hand on his wrist, and guided Teal'c's hand from over his pouch. He smoothed his palm against his side.
The larva within poked its head out. Its skin had gone dark with maturity, and its multi-partite jaws bristled with sharp, bone-piercing edges.
The woman spoke softly and quickly to the larva, in Goa'uld, which Teal'c translated for them.
"I am your only choice," he murmured, "you will come with me now to another place. The Jaffa does not wish to see you enter my body."
The worm hissed and re-buried itself in Teal'c's pouch.
Teal'c turned his gaze to Jack; O'Neill could tell the larva still had him intoxicated. The Jaffa closed his eyes, his attention again moving inward.
Xochil laid her hand on his belly, beside his pouch. The head of the larva poked out indecisively, retracted, then poked out again. It snapped at the air, then laid its head on Xochil's wrist. From there it curved its way around her forearm, slipping slowly from its haven in Teal'c, leaving a trail of sticky-looking slime behind it.
Teal'c had reported that removal of an immature larva was an uncomfortable experience, but now, as the mature creature left him, his expression was one of ecstasy.
The moment the larva was clear of Teal'c's pouch, Xochil stepped quickly to exit the room, with General Carter close on her heals.
Jack caught Martouf's arm as he followed them out.
"How is Teal'c?"
"He is safe to approach now," said Martouf, looking anxiously down the corridor after the other Tok'Ra.
"What about the new larva?"
"There must be a brief delay," he said, then added, "for biological reasons. Excuse me. I will return shortly to explain, please..." Martouf lifted Jack's hand from his arm, and strode quickly away.
Xochil's touch made Teal'c shiver. His pouch felt heavy and full. Instinctively, he stroked his side, encouraging the symbiote to venture out.
The larva writhed indecisively, peering from him, hiding, then peering out again. The normally thin fluid of his pouch had become somewhat viscous, slicking the Goa'uld's every motion into a smooth caress that seemed not only to enhance the acuity of all Teal'c's senses, but the pleasure which he took in them. A part of his mind recognized that the sensations were a chemical manipulation--as certain as were Dr. Frasier's drugs-- not a rapture of enlightenment, as the false gods wished all Jaffa to believe. But he was also completely lost in the pleasure of the moment. All his attention, all his heightened senses were drawn into the dialog between his body and the symbiote's.
He felt a shift in the distribution of the Goa'uld's weight, and the push of its muscles as it pulled itself sinuously from his pouch. In a few slow seconds the weight slithered wetly from within him; his pouch became empty and still. But he was not yet disturbed by this sensation. The release of tension was as ecstasy-producing as the events building to it; he felt elated--but knew the euphoria was another Goa'uld manipulation, a reward, to reinforce a Jaffa's willingness to carry another larva to maturity.
"...brief delay for biological reasons..." Martouf's words somehow reached Teal'c through his rapture.
The ecstasy began to fade; his attention drifted outward. He opened his eyes. Carter had moved to Xochil's place in front of him, and the Colonel's hand touched warmly on his shoulder. His skin still craved contact with his human companions; and the weightless quiet of his pouch declared his existence free of threat to them.
He curled his arms around them both and drew them close, feeling their warmth and sinews against his own, smelling their human scents. They squirmed; he could feel Carter struggling in a battle with laughter. When in full control of his emotions he would never express such affection, yet he felt while in this altered state, he must; the opportunity might never rise again.
Oh boy. Still just a *bit* high! thought Jack.
"Teal'c. I can't breathe," he finally managed to say. Sam was both trying, and trying not, to laugh.
"I am glad you are here," Teal'c rumbled.
"Yeah, we know pal. Now let us go," Jack squeaked.
Teal'c complied.
Sam chuckled. Jack felt a stupid grin on his face, which he tried to fight by changing the subject. They scattered themselves on the 'chairs', and sat down to talk.
"What is this bit about a delay before giving you a new larva?"
Teal'c's brow furrowed. "I do not know. On Chulak, the time between when a larva was taken and a new one restored was filled with the recitation of rites. I believed this to be a cruel ritual, but perhaps there is some other basis for it."
"How are you now?" asked Sam.
"I am fine."
Martouf returned, carrying a small crate.
"Is that the new symbiote?" asked Jack.
"Not yet."
"Martouf," said Sam. "How is Xochil?"
"She and the symbiote are," he paused, "negotiating their integration."
Having a little struggle, sounds like. The thought stirred memories Jack would rather forget. He distracted himself by watching Martouf.
Martouf laid the crate on one of the ledges of the wall, and opened it. From within, he removed what looked like a ceramic carafe, and a bowl filled with clean gauze. He poured a milky-clear liquid from the carafe, over the gauze.
"What is that?" asked Sam.
"Palm wine," Martouf grinned. "It was once a tradition, that has perhaps fallen out of favor." He offered the bowl to Teal'c.
Teal'c seemed mildly surprised by the offer. He took some of the gauze and blotted away the sticky fluid which the Goa'uld had tracked when it left him. Then he carefully packed the remainder of the damp cloth into his pouch.
Jack picked up the carafe; it was warm. The residue inside had a slightly sweet smell that reminded him of sake. He handed it to Sam.
Martouf, meanwhile, retrieved a hand-device from the bottom of the crate, and waved it in front of Teal'c.
"What is this delay-thing?" asked Jack.
"His body is still filled with biological signals from the prior symbiote. If the new one is implanted too soon, its health may be affected. In some cases this has gone so far as to result in the symbiote's death, and the subsequent death of the Jaffa."
Martouf held up the hand device. "I will continue to monitor you periodically," he said to Teal'c. "We will give you the new larva as soon as it is safe to do so," He nodded deferentially.
"If you will excuse me," he added, "I wish to return to Xochil. I will bring you any news." The Tok'Ra hurried out into the passageway.
The priesthood of most Jaffa sects claimed that the discomfort of a vacant pouch was a message to all Jaffa, a physical metaphor for the spiritual void of a godless life. It was a reminder of how great was the gift bestowed upon them with each granting of a new symbiote. It was a reminder of the painful death that awaited anyone judged unworthy to receive a new larva. To interfere with the discomfort was to disrupt a Jaffa's spiritual journey and thereby weaken his bond to his god.
The wine and gauze Martouf offered provided a comforting illusion and mild sedation during the period when a Jaffa's pouch was empty--the time between the transfer of the mature larva, and the implantation of the new one. Since this would 'interfere with a Jaffa's spiritual journey', the ancient practice had become widely taboo, and was regarded as a sign of decadence, moral decay, and physical weakness.
It had also become a symbol of rebellion.
Until now, Teal'c had only heard of the ancient custom. He had never had the opportunity to try it for himself, and he was curious about its effects.
So far, he felt only a rush of heat, as his pouch quickly absorbed the alcohol from the wine. Otherwise, he was well; one after-effect of having delivered a fully mature larva was this prolonged period of normalcy after the symbiote had gone.
But eventually, Teal'c's body consumed the chemistry by which the Goa'uld had orchestrated his metabolism.
With no larva to sustain him, Teal'c began to die.
The change was subtle, at first. He could feel the strength seeping from him. Then he began to feel light-headed, and his hands and feet felt cold. His head began a slowly cresting ache, and he could feel sweat trickling down his chest. In a short while, as he knew from prior transferences, his muscles would begin to hurt, and his breaths would come only with effort.
But the gauze did help. The initial bristle of the fabric and the trace sting of the warm wine faded as the gauze absorbed fluid from his pouch. The fullness and weight it provided were indeed reassuring. He did not develop the anxiety that he had sometimes experienced while reciting the rites of transference in the shrine of Apophis.
Still, habit--conditioning--was hard to break. Though he need not say the rites, they played themselves out in his head. By tradition, failure to speak them correctly could result in the withholding of a new larva from a Jaffa. Therefore, every Jaffa knew them to fastidious perfection.
...If I reach you, may you reach me. If you live through me, may I live through you. May you make me to flourish with what is in your hands, the staff which is in your grasp. May you destine me to life annually. May you grant to me many years of life over and above my years of life, many months over and above my months of life, many days over and above my days of life, many nights over and above my nights of life, until I depart....
His inner litany was far from complete, when Martouf returned. Teal'c heard the faint whir of Martouf's monitoring device, and opened his eyes. The Tok'Ra had with him a clear container containing a young symbiote.
"Teal'c," Martouf's soft voice spiked through Teal'c's head, "You are ready."
Teal'c nodded his assent. Apparently the restoration practices on Chulak had been far longer than was required for safety.
Teal'c reached for his belly, but Martouf's hand reached it first. The Tok'Ra gently pulled the now-sopping gauze from Teal'c's pouch.
The Jaffa saw O'Neill's face wrinkle with distaste.
Teal'c's weakness, his pain, and the sudden emptiness in his belly made him feel vulnerable. But O'Neill's eyes were intently upon him. He was safe.
Where he had earlier craved the touch of a human, he now craved the sensations of weight and of motion within his belly. Martouf lifted the waiting larva from the fluid of its container, and held it within scant centimeters of Teal'c. The symbiote nosed outward, nuzzling its immature jaws between the flaps of Teal'c's pouch, then wriggled enthusiastically to enter him.
As it settled into place, Teal'c could feel that the larva was strong, and sound. Martouf had even taken the courtesy to keep the being warmed to the proper temperature. The touch of the Goa'uld flesh, which his mind so hated, immediately soothed his body. His pain faded, and he could feel his strength welling back to its glory.
He was well. He was safe. He was among friends. He was free.
Jack hadn't realized how tense he'd become, until the new larva was safely inside Teal'c, and he saw the Jaffa's faint smile. He felt like he'd just stepped out of the wormhole onto a low gravity world, where he and everything else were unusually light.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I will be fine."
"And the symbiote?" asked Martouf.
"It is strong," answered Teal'c. "I thank you for it."
Jack glanced at the others. Martouf--or maybe Lantash--grinned brightly, with perhaps a hint of embarrassment behind his smile. Sam's expression was a bit more thoughtful.
"What of the woman?" Teal'c rumbled, after a pause.
"She has proven that she can subdue Mahaf when she must," Martouf smirked. "There is much work to be done, between them. But I believe Mahaf is worthy of our efforts. You need not be concerned."
"Chip off the old block?" Jack ventured. He imagined the Tok'Ra trying to brainwash Apophis to their way of thinking; Junior's--Mahaf's--genetic memory probably made him a lot like his father.
Martouf's brow creased.
"Never mind," said Jack. He saw Teal'c wearing his 'stoic face', and knew the Jaffa was inwardly chuckling.
"Colonel," said Sam, "I'd like to spend a little time with my father before we go, is that all right?"
"Well, since it looks like we've accomplished our primary mission," he rocked on his toes, "Sure, go ahead."
"I'll take you to him," offered Martouf. He took her hand and led her toward the door.
"What is 'chip off...'" Jack heard the Tok'Ra murmur to Sam, as they left the room.
The SGC was quiet, late at night while most of the Tau'Ri slept. Teal'c lit the last of his array of candles, from one of those already burning, one flame giving life to the next.
He set the last candle securely on its pedestal, and breathed its faint sweet scent.
It was difficult, at first, to quiet his mind. The memory of the day's intense sensations kept distracting him. His euphoria as he carried the matured larva, his fear for his friends' safety, his fight to restrain his own affection for them, and the physical demands through which his body had passed, all left him feeling drained.
He wondered if this new larva--a creature of a Goa'uld bloodline to which his body was naive--would behave in the manner to which he was accustomed. Could he adapt, if it did not? Their mutual survival depended on it.
He focused on the steady amber of the flames, and listened for the faint hiss of their breath. He felt his weight against the floor, the texture of his clothes, the living stillness of the Goa'uld resting contented in his belly. He quieted his doubts and questions about the spawn of Djehuty residing in him, for they would soon be answered. He let his thoughts fade to inner silence, awaiting the waking dream of Kelnoreem.
When it came, he was not fooled by the gentleness of the current along the shore of his imaginary Nile. He knew the flow was broad, and deep, and powerful, and would bear him safely for many years.
3/27/00
