Ch.105

General Hammond said the SGC would remain open and should this credible threat pan out, it would remain so as a first line of defense for earth. He thanked me for the sacrifice I'd made for this planet before giving the team our orders to take two other teams and bring back proof of a planned attack. I told him that the stargate that was loaded to the second mother ship was likely where we were gating to so we needed to hurry before they break orbit or the gate address wouldn't work anymore.

I loaded up my weapons and Jack asked if I was going to be able to do whatever's necessary. I switched the guns to kill without a word and he sighed. "Let's just get this done then."

Daniel asked what the difference was and I asked him if he'd ever seen a butcher or slaughtered his own animals to eat. He shook his head and I grunted. "The difference is between a soldier and a civilian then. It's not the same when you kill a soldier that can fight back in a life or death fight compared to a whole sale slaughter of innocent civilians that can't fight back, scream in pain and beg for it to stop. You'll understand when you see a man fighting on two feet before his legs are blown out from under him and he can't stand let alone fight back while he's crying for his mother or God."

He looked green behind the gills and I sighed. "I don't want to be the executioner, but I'll play the role of the soldier if it means saving the lives behind and beside me. I can't pick and choose to play God, I refuse to become that cold and callous towards humans no matter the species they identify as because of their enhancements. Humans at their core are born with humanity and I won't give up what's left of my ragged piece of it. God help us all if I ever lose it."

The teams with us grimaced and agreed, having seen what I can do in combat practice and in the field. We left after the MALP went through and confirmed it was on a ship. Fifteen of us in the cargo hold while Daniel sent back the MALP. I stopped everyone after they passed out Zat guns we found and told them to hide.

I cloaked and they hid while six Jaffa came in. While the Jaffa were focused on the communication orb, I brought out may swords and appeared, killing three with quick precision. I stopped the others and put my swords away as I lowered my mask. "Bra'tac, it's been a while."

He lowered his hood and stopped his apprentices from firing. They did the same and everyone came out of hiding while I stripped the dead Jaffa of weapons and armor, taking it and d disintegrating their bodies with a zat gun. I put the armor and weapons in a chest that shrank as I put it away. Daniel told them not to ask before Bra'tac asked what we were doing here.

I told him. "Our orders are to assess the threat and eliminate it. But seeing as we're on a ship that just went into hyper space, I'm thinking we take this ship, use it to destroy Apophis's ship and or take his ship after I take his head."

He told us his plan and mentioned the ships of our world but I scoffed until Jack failed to explain things. I explained instead. "The fleet of earth isn't advanced enough to do anything. We're here to do what we can to change the terms of this war and if that means killing everyone and taking this ship before ringing over and killing Apophis when this ship meets his, all the better."

The Jaffa next to Bra'tac asked. "With just the few number you have here?"

I raised my hood and vanished before appearing with my swords at the throats of both apprentice Jaffa. "I alone could wipe out these people, but we're trying to spare as many lives as we can. Can't have a Jaffa rebellion if all the Jaffa are wiped out as well young warrior."

He swallowed and my swords retracted into my sleeves while I sat on a case of zat guns. Jack asked for their help systematically disabling or killing the Jaffa aboard the ship. I told them it would be preferable if we can knock them out and find a place to lock them up so he can talk them into joining the rebellion while I mount Apophis's head on a pike for them to worship their dead god if they believe so much.

He said the cargo bag here could hold a great many and there were other such places on the ship. I turned to Jack who sighed. "Zats only. Knock out and lock them up silently. If you get caught don't be a hero, we can save you so long as you're alive when the ship is ours."

He asked Bra'tac. "Can you fly this thing?"

Bra'tac nodded so we went to work and after Apophis's big speech, I knocked out all except the Tok'ra, capturing Klorel or Skaara as his real body was. I took his handheld device and emptied out all the crates in the gate room, leaving the knocked out people there. Jack asked about the two up and I gestured. "Tok'ra, symbiotes that appose the goa'uld like allied forces vs Nazis for humans. Both are humans and yet one's evil. In this case both are symbiotes but one is evil and the other is actively supplanting them."

The Tok'ra looked confused and I grunted, tapping my head. "Telepath. I'm an ancient, yes that kind and no, I'm not reading your minds. Your faces say it all. I just read your intentions, the barest skim of your thoughts and found you had no malice towards earth."

I left them to Jack and suggested they help, tossing one the hand held device while my suit surrounded Skaara. Moments later a symbiote's was ejected and I blasted it into oblivion with my particle magnum. Jack asked how Skaara was and I took my suit back telling him to save the chatter for later. I hunted down hundreds of Jaffa before we locked them all away without armor or weapons.

Once all the Jaffa were out of the way, Skaara played his part like I instructed using my suit to modulate his voice like a goa'uld's. When both ships got close, I ringed over with Bra'tac and barely kept the insane First Prime alive, wounding Apophis who managed to escape to a cargo ship while we had to fight through another army of a thousands of Jaffa this time. I knocked out the Jaffa and left the one Tok'ra alive here as well.

When it was over, the Tok'ra took one ship and Skaara gave the Jaffa the head of their snake god Klorel. He told them he was no god and neither was Klorel which meant Apophis was no god either. That got positive movement especially when I pointed out their god fled wounded and a coward while leaving them to die at my whims. I told them exactly what the goa'uld were, snake like parasites with a genetic memory that makes their young remember what they do, nothing more nor less.

They asked about the magic of the hand devices and I held it up before tossing it to the Jaffa. "The devices react to the naquadah in the blood of the user. Jaffa have naquadah in their blood so they can use them as well. It's no more magic than the staff weapons you have. Just clever science stolen from worlds your people have conquered in their name."

"The goa'uld depend on the Jaffa, but in truth the Jaffa are only as reliant on the goa'uld as far as the need for symbiotes to carry. So I say you use their kind as they have you and when they mature, you discard them and take their young, making their strength your own. You outnumber them and now you know they're no gods, just cowardly snakes who hide behind lies."

One Jaffa said it was lies because the goa'uld made the chapa'ai, the stargates. I growled as power surged from me like a fist and knocked him on his ass. I scowled. "The goa'uld did not make the stargates, my people, the ancients, the first beings of this form you all have, we made the stargates! The goa'uld are fucking parasites that used our technology to pose as your gods!"

I floated via telekinesis and lifted the Jaffa off the ground, pinning him to the ceiling. He coughed and I set him down, landing and shaking my head. I told them using both ship's coms who the ancients were and how they came to be before the goa'uld took on Unas as hosts because they shared the same home worlds, branching out, killing races and stealing their technology or finding abandoned ancient outposts and using the technology there to pose as gods.

I told them that my people were not perfect, but they abhorred the thought of using their gifts and technology to pose as gods like the religious faction they left behind wished to. I told them we were simply more evolved and some day their descendants would evolve to be like me naturally before joining the ancients in ascension if they choose to. Bra'tac, the Tok'ra and several Jaffa ringed to earth in the platform I'd brought back from Nirrti's place while the ships were hidden on the dark side of the moon.

From there they discussed things with General Hammond and the president by extension. I refused to step in so Bra'tac was given the ships while the Tok'ra took a cargo ship. Earth got several Death gliders and the schematics to everything when I suggested they may have homing beacons or recall devices so it was best if earth studied the technology and reverse engineered their own.

The president agreed with my wisdom so Bra'tac was more than happy to provide before he and the Jaffa left. Skaara stayed with me in the mansion and visited Daniel or vice versa every day. The Tok'ra didn't stay for pleasantries merely saying they couldn't be made known or it would cost more lives than their own. Still, they said they'd pass my request to meet with the Tok'ra high council up the chain.