Teaser
The
Starship Aurora quietly orbited the world dubbed Russell's Planet, Universe Designate R4A1, in the company of a handful of other local ships and defensive stations.
In the bowels of the kilometer-long starship, the green-eyed, dark-haired figure of the ship's captain was concerning himself with a matter outside of his duties toward his ship. Robert Dale was busy concentrating, wearing the training robes his security chief had procured for him and holding a wooden practice blade in his hands. Sweat covered his forehead and face, dripping into his eyes and messing with his vision.
Commander Meridina, said security chief, remained still. Her plain features were Human-looking, a source of many a confused blink from people who heard she was an alien, and she too was in a training robe. Her deep blue eyes looked to her other student in the Gersallian arts of
swevyra, Lieutenant Lucy Lucero, and stated, "You are not hesitating, but you have prolonged this duel. Why?"
Lucy had her own wooden blade at a ready position as she faced down Robert. Her curly dark hair had been gathered in a ponytail at the back of her head. Blue eyes remained focused on Robert, set in an oval-shaped face. Sweat glistened on her light bronze complexion. "I want to give him a chance," she said.
Robert kept his focus up. He could sense her plans, holding back to see what he would do, how he would attack. He forced his frustration down. Ever since this training with their "
swevyra" - with the strange powers that their "life force" had granted them, according to Meridina's own cultural tradition - he had felt second-best to Lucy. Granted, she had been training for at least five months longer, but he was approaching his fourth month of the training and his progress seemed to be slower than her own had been. Ever since Meridina had said he needed to train in these duels to learn finer control and focus, he had been repeatedly beaten by both of them. He simply couldn't read them well enough, or keep up with their enhanced speed and skill.
"It's frustrating, I know," Lucy said to him. "But you can't just stand there all day, Robert. Do you know how many weeks it took me before I put Meridina on her back?"
Robert replied with a frown. He forced a breath into his lungs. "You see everything I do before I do it," he said. "I don't see the point in attacking."
Meridina shook her head. "The point is not to attack or to defend. It is to learn to listen."
"Listen?" Robert looked at her. "Listen to…"
He felt it coming too late. After turning his head, his focus, to Meridina, he'd opened himself up, and Lucy took swift and complete advantage of his lapse. In a single strike she twisted his wooden blade impossibly, forcing it from his hand. Her leg curled under his feet at the shins. His feet lost contact with the training mat and he fell onto his back. The tip of Lucy's training blade went to his throat.
As she pulled it away, Robert made a growling noise of frustration. Before he could complain Lucy spoke first. "Listen to what's going on around you, for starters," she said. "Listen to what's
inside of you. Just like you did back in that Facility."
"You make it sound easy."
Lucy smiled thinly. She held her hand down toward him and helped Robert to his feet. "It's not," she admitted. "There are too many ways to distract yourself mentally."
"Indeed." Meridina stepped up to them. "This is why I train you with the blades. These matches teach and reinforce focus of mind, focus upon the
swevyra."
"You mean the life force."
"That term in your language lacks meaning for what our word conveys," Meridina remarked. "As you must have felt by now."
She had something of a point, Robert decided. "Life force" was a clunky term to say. It implied a force that sustained life or embodied it, yes. But the connection to the wider universe he'd felt when using this power was more than that.
But at the same time, the Gersallian term just felt off. It didn't fit right in his speech. He had once had the computer's linguistics programs transliterate the term into English and the computer spat up about four different pronunciations of it with six different spellings. He'd settled on "swe-veee-ra" as sounding the closest to how Meridina pronounced it. Even that seemed somehow inadequate to him.
As for learning how to focus on it, Robert's comeback was, "Getting smacked with a wooden stick is not the easiest way I've heard of to learn focus."
"Pain can be a motivator," Meridina pointed out. "The important thing, Robert, is not winning. It is learning to listen."
"Which hopefully leads to winning."
Lucy shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm still at like a ten percent win ratio with Meridina." She gave Meridina a bemused look. "And sometimes I think half of those wins are her letting me win."
Meridina did not deign to respond to that allegation.
"So, again?", Robert asked. "I've got another hour before we meet with the Russell's Planet colonial government to find out just why they called us here."
Meridina held her hand out and reached for her own training blade. It flew gently through the air to her hand. "Yes. I think..."
She stopped speaking. A bewildered look crossed her face, a look that was not often seen on her usually-stoic features.
There was a feeling. Robert started to sense it too, as did Lucy. Not of danger. But that something was about to…
There was a buzzing sound in the air. And out of nowhere a white light appeared in the middle of their training area, A single figure appeared within it as the light peaked and flashed away. The figure was small, with a bulbous head and a gray tinge to its inhuman exterior. It was completely uncovered and almost looked like a toy that way, given the absolute lack of any attributes, sexual or otherwise. Solid black eyes looked to him and a thin arm and hand came up in a peaceful gesture.
Lucy's hand was starting to go toward her mutlidevice. Robert tensed up and felt his mind race. Where could this being have come from? Why had it transported directly and so suddenly into the gym, of all places.
Before anything else could be said or done, the being began to speak with a sort of monotone voice. And in perfect English.
"Greetings. You are Captain Robert Dale of the Allied Systems."
Robert got the feeling it wasn't a question. He nodded. "I am."
The being nodded. "Then it is important that we speak. I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard."
"The… Asgard?" Robert thought about that. That sounded familiar.
"Yes. I am the source of the transmissions requesting your vessel come to this world. I have come to speak with you and your Alliance on a matter of extreme urgency."
"Pretty extreme if you just beamed straight to our gym," Lucy remarked with a slight, sarcastic grin.
Meridina gave Lucy one of her looks of studied and direct patience.
Thor seemed unperturbed by the interruption. He went on. "This mission is of vital importance to your future. The fate of this galaxy's Earth, and possibly of your entire Alliance, may hang in the balance."
At that, Robert had only response he felt he could give.
"I'm listening."
Undiscovered Frontier
"Diplomatic Maneuvers"
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Ship's Log; 8 April 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We're still at Russell's Planet awaiting the arrival of a high ranking official of the Alliance Government, called here in light of what I was told by Supreme Commander Thor yesterday.
The space over Russell's Planet opened up with the generation of an interuniversal jump point. A single Dorei starbird emerged. The
Layama-class craft was not the same size as the
Aurora but possessed a power of its own in its pleasant grace and look, like an aloft great bird soaring through space.
Robert and Julia were waiting at Transporter Station 3 when the ship arrived. A transport beam appeared, a pillar of white light that formed into a Dorei man of about Julia's height. His skin was dark ocean blue, which highlighted the teal spots running down his hairline and jaw down to his neck. Pale teal hair flowed over the back of his neck into an elaborate braid. His suit was of yellow and bronze, with purple trimming and a deep purple vest. Dark purple eyes looked at them in sequence, rimmed by the weary lines of the aged. "Captain Dale. Commander Andreys."
"Minister Onaran." Robert nodded to him. Lentiro Onaran was a respected Dorei statesman, a former First Minister of the Dorei Federation and former High Minister of the Leturan Republics, one of the internal Dorei states. Onaran had been a major player in the formation of the Alliance and had joined the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary to President Morgan. "Welcome aboard."
"Yes. I would like to dispense with the usual pleasantries and formalities, Captain," Onaran announced. "Your report to Admiral Maran indicates the situation requires immediate attention."
Robert nodded. "If you'll follow us, I've called my command crew for a meeting to discuss Thor's information."
"And will this Asgard being show himself?"
"He told me he would be ready to meet," Robert confirmed. "But we still haven't identified where his ship is yet."
"Concerning. What do we know of this species? Are they potentially hostile?"
"Our Science Officer, Lieutenant Delgado, has consulted what remains of our Darglan databases," Julia began to say as they emerged into the corridors of the ship. "From what we've seen, the Darglan considered the Asgard to be friendly. They traded technology with them during their time of multiversal exploration."
"But not interuniversal technology," Onaran pointed out.
"The Darglan apparently didn't give that to anyone," Robert remarked. "Even the Gersallians, and the Gersallians saw them as mentors."
"Yes." Onaran nodded. It needn't be said that the Dorei had for a long while, after their Unification Wars, seen the Gersallians as
their mentor species. "Well, let us see what the Asgard have to say."
The briefing room on the
Aurora was chosen, giving wider sitting space and room for the arrival of Thor. The command crew of the
Aurora and that of the
Koenig were seated at a series of tables looking at a central holotank. Generally the holotank was used for presentations and briefings. For the moment it was blank, projecting nothing.
Onaran was shown to a central seat at the central table, where Robert and Julia joined him and Zack. Jarod was at the nearest table with Lucy, Cat, and Scotty. Leo sat with Angel, Nick Locarno, and the
Aurora's Wing Command Officer Commander Patrice Laurent. Zack's officers - Lieutenant Creighton Apley, Lieutenants Magda Navaez, Karen Derbely, and April Sherlily, and the Dorei Doctor Opani - were gathered at the last table.
They had barely a moment to settle in before there was a short buzzing sound, followed by a sudden pillar of white light shifting into place to a deep electronic "vweee". The central place in the room was now occupied by the Asgard named Thor. "Robert Dale and crew. I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard. I have come to assist you in a matter of grave importance."
Caterina was almost vibrating with excitement in her chair. "An Asgard," she said, holding back barely-constrained enthusiasm. "An actual… I've got so many questions!"
Robert smiled gently at her before looking to their visitor. "Supreme Commander Thor, this is Foreign Secretary Lentiro Onaran of the Alliance, sent on behalf of our government."
"Greetings, Supreme Commander," Onaran said, inclining his head.
"It is good that you are here. We are faced with a matter requiring delicate diplomatic handling. You are aware of the Goa'uld System Lords?"
Leo gave the most visceral reaction, frowning deeply. Losing Joshua Marik to his illness was still a fresh wound, and the Goa'uld had come so close to imposing another defeat on him in their prior adventure in this cosmos. Robert nodded and answered, "Yes, we are. We faced a couple at Abydos. Heru'ur and Apophis."
"Yes." Thor inclined his head. He then turned to the holotank and held up a device in his hand. Light bridged the two devices and the holotank displayed a bald man wearing golden finery that looked like it belonged to the Bronze Age. Above it was another figure, a woman with a tanned bronze explosion and long dark hair.
"Sha're," Julia remarked.
"You refer to the former host of the Goa'uld Amaunet," Thor stated. "Whom you extracted from her host without consent."
"Fitting, since she took Sha're as host without consent," Leo pointed out.
"That said, your ability to do so and to save the host is a matter of concern to the System Lords," Thor stated. "Your technology has also drawn their attention. Specifically, this vessel, and its main armament."
Julia nodded. "Heru'ur ran when we hit him with our pulse plasma cannons. His ship had been taking hits from everything else."
"Indeed. Your nuclear-disruption energy weapons, while potent, are not a concern to the Goa'uld. The weapons you employ on this ship are, however, as they prove you have the capability to threaten the Goa'uld in space. The System Lords cannot abide this state of affairs." Thor waved his hand again. Another woman, also wearing the kind of Bronze Age-looking garb that seemed the staple of the Goa'uld, appeared. "And there is the matter of Earth. We too have encountered their Stargate Command. I believe you are familiar with Colonel Jack O'Neill and the SG-1 team?"
There were nods in reply. "We are," Robert replied verbally.
"They recently had a conflict with the former System Lord Hathor," Thor explained. "She was killed as a result. With this victory and their earlier defeat of the System Lord Apophis, they too have come to the attention of the System Lords. Now the System Lords fear that your Alliance will work with the Humans of Earth to threaten their empire. They will not let this come to pass, and have begun mobilizing their fleets to attack both your worlds and Earth itself."
A deep oppressive silence filled the room. "How big of an attack?", Julia asked.
"Hundreds of their strongest motherships. Each of greater power than the small vessel Heru'ur took with him to Abydos," Thor explained. With a wave of his hand on the holotank a massive vessel appeared, a pyramid-shaped primary hull with a gray secondary hull above the base of the pyramid.
Robert swallowed. Heru'ur's ship had seemed, if not their equal, then at least close to it. "Basically, hundreds of dreadnoughts," he said.
Thor considered that remark. "I believe you would rate these vessels at the same scale as the strongest of your 'dreadnoughts', yes. And while your own technology is formidable, the Goa'uld have acquired advanced technology over their millennia of scavenging the galaxy. You do not currently have the capability to stand against them on even terms."
"And that's not counting the fact that we are already in one big war," Julia added, sighing.
"Supreme Commander, I thank you for this warning," Onaran said. "Given your prior remarks I believe you consider diplomacy as a way to prevent this attack?"
Thor directed his dark eyes to Onaran. "We do, Secretary. The Asgard High Council has contacted the System Lords on this matter. We are preparing to provide them concessions in exchange for placing Earth under the Protected Planets Treaty, and to secure a non-interference pact and peace treaty between the Goa'uld System Lords and your Alliance of Systems."
"A non-interference pact?", Jarod asked.
"The terms will have to be discussed, but in general, it would forbid either side from interfering with the other's internal matters. The peace treaty would in turn protect either side from the other launching an attack directly."
"So we wouldn't be allowed to pull any Goa'ulds out of their hosts," Nick remarked.
"Or help people who are trying to fight them," Angel added.
"Yes," Thor stated. "Anything less will be insufficient to prevent a Goa'uld attack upon both your Alliance and Earth."
"It's bad enough that we have to worry about the Nazis inevitably finding how to work IU drives." Julia shook her head. "I don't want to even begin to think about the Goa'uld getting them."
"We would be interested in such an outcome, yes," Onaran said. "Are the Goa'uld ready to commence talks?"
"They have accepted my invitation to meet on Earth, in Stargate Command," Thor explained. "In four standard days. You will also be invited to participate in these discussions. Specifically you."
Thor looked directly at Robert.
Robert blinked. "Me?"
"You were in command of the mission to Abydos. Your vessel attacked Heru'ur."
"Julia's the one who punched him though," Zack pointed out.
"Perhaps. But the Goa'uld will be conscious of rank. Captain Dale led the mission in question. And he is of equivalent rank to the Earth member of the talks."
"And that would be?", Onaran asked.
Robert sensed the answer before Thor gave it. It made the most sense. "Jack O'Neill," he said.
"Correct." Thor nodded to him. "You and Colonel O'Neill will represent your people in this negotiation. You will be expected to be present in the SGC facility on Earth by that time."
Robert drew in a breath. He wasn't new to diplomacy now, but the stakes weren't usually quite this high. "Okay. Nick." He looked to Locarno. "We're what, about eighteen hours from Earth at standard warp?"
"Nineteen and a half," Locarno corrected.
"I am afraid you cannot have your vessel present at Earth," Thor said. "The Goa'uld will regard it as a threat."
"Would they know?", Angel asked. "If they're going to be in the SGC the entire time?"
"They would have ways of determining your presence," Thor informed them.
"Then I'll take the
Koenig," Robert said. "It can make it to Earth in four days too, and it's not a big ship."
"I am afraid any Alliance vessel present may be regarded as unacceptable. Only my ship will be allowed to be present. I am prepared to transport you myself. Although for the purpose of diplomacy, it may be advisable to travel by Stargate."
Robert's brow lifted at that. Use the Stargate itself? They'd never done that before. "The SGC has defenses, are they expecting us?"
"I have informed them you would be requested to join the talks," Thor stated. "And I suspect you have your own means of identifying your presence to them."
"We gave SG-1 a code for communications," Julia reminded Robert. "All you have to do is transmit it through the gate and wait for a coded reply, they should let you through."
"Alright." Robert put his hands together. He was really starting to feel uncertain about this. "Anything else?"
"No weapons will be permitted within the SGC during the negotiations. You must go unarmed."
"Oh come on," Angel protested. "Will the Goa'uld be unarmed?"
"Likely. They will honor the same terms, because they know that you would not risk harm to them," Thor explained.
"Am I limited in who can go?", Robert asked.
"I would suggest that your entourage be small," Thor advised. "Only three Goa'uld will be attending. You should not have more than four or five of your people."
"So myself, Secretary Onaram…" Robert looked around at the others. "Meridina to help with security, Lucy to assist her. And Doctor Opani if we need medical backup."
Leo gave Robert a slight look. Robert sighed and added, "Leo, you yanked one of them out, remember? I can't have you there, that would be as much an unspoken threat as anything else."
"Alright," Leo said, conceding the point.
"Your selections are well-considered, Captain." Thor turned off the holotank. "I will inform Earth and the Goa'uld that you are attending." He set upon the nearby table an item. "This will download into your systems a list of those Goa'uld System Lords attending the talks. Again, we meet in four standard days. Farewell."
There was another electronic buzzing sound, another flash of light, and Thor was gone.
"It looks like the Darglan developed their transporters off of Asgard tech too," Caterina said. "I wonder how much technology the Darglan got from them?"
Derbely chimed in. "If you ask me, Lieutenant, the real question is what the Darglan had to offer to them, if they didn't give them IU drives."
"Yeah, that's a good one."
Robert looked over the stone-like device Thor left. He picked it up. "Jarod, Cat, load this into a secured system so Secretary Onaram and I can see what we're up against. Nick, please get up to the bridge and set a course for Abydos, standard warp."
"We should be there with about a day to spare," Nick said. He stood from his chair. "If we go faster I can shave time off."
"It's probably best if you don't," Onaram said. "We will need time to examine this data and speak with the President on it."
"We'll also want time to speak with the SGC and Earth authorities about our plan," Robert pointed out.
Onaram tilted his head for a moment. "I see what you are thinking. But we must consider Alliance interests as well. We are in a delicate situation, Captain. If our interests demand an agreement that the Earth authorities want to refuse, we will be forced to stand apart from them."
"Wait." Zack stared. "You're saying that we might
abandon these people to the Goa'uld?!"
"I would prefer not to," Onaram insisted, turning his gaze to Zack. "But if they are intransigent, we may be forced to. We are already in one war Commander. We cannot fight a second one, especially not against a foe with this much power."
Julia let out a sigh. "I hate it, but he's right. Hopefully whomever Colonel O'Neill answers to will have the same view and we can make an agreement work."
"At what cost, though?", asked Jarod.
"Any cost that is bearable in this situation," Onaram replied. "That is our duty Commander, though it might pain our hearts."
Robert frowned. As much as he hated the thought of giving in to the slaving evil of the Goa'uld System Lords, he knew Onaram was right too. There were all sorts of concessions he might have to give to them for peace.
He just hoped he could stomach it.
A day out from Abydos, Zack was sitting in the Lookout staring out at the streaking lights of the warp field effect around them. A plate of cold cut meat sandwiches and potato chips was sitting half-eaten before him.
"Ye dinnae seem very hungry, lad."
The accent was a dead give away. Zack smiled slightly and looked over to where Scott was standing beside the table, a tray with his own lunch in his hands. He was wearing his usual non-standard uniform, a white jersey under a black engineering vest with Commander rank insignia on the vest. Zack motioned to him to sit and looked out the window again for a moment. "She's running like a dream, isn't she?"
"Aye." The old man nodded. "Still a beauty, she is. So, what's troublin' ye?"
Zack's smile remained on his face, but it had a thoughtful, even sad quality to it. "A little restless, I guess," he admitted. "On the one hand, it's great to have access to facilities without having to beam anywhere. And to have full-size quarters again. But since we've been back, the
Koenig's spent almost the entire time in dock."
"That it has. Tom an' that lass Derbely did a right fine job o' keepin' her up while ye were with those Colonials, but th' gal needed that wee bit o' downtime."
"Yeah. But it's been a couple of months now. I was starting to hope we'd get out there for a while. Run a few missions."
"What has ye so restless, Zachary?", Scott asked. "Not thinkin' of wantin' t' leave again, are ye?"
Zack almost denied it right off, but stopped himself. He couldn't honestly say no, could he? "The thought's crossed my mind a bit, yeah," he admitted. "But I know how much that hurt Rob and the others. We've been a group for ages. Running off on them again…" Zack shook his head. "I think it'd hurt them too much."
That prompted a nod from the older man. Scott finished the bite he was chewing with a quick swallow before he asked, "An' this widnae happen t' be about that sweet lass Tom says ye were seein' all th' time, wid it?" There was a knowing grin on the old engineer's face.
Zack matched the grin. "Clara," he said.
"The lass at yer father's funeral?"
"The same. She's working with the Fleet as a nurse." Zack looked out the window again for a moment. "Being with her made me think of my life so far. I mean, I've chased girls since I had the urge to, been with quite a few of them… but I don't think I ever really considered the idea of settling down with one. Not usually."
"Really?"
"Well…" Zack felt an old ache in his heart. "There is one. A girl who, if she'd ever asked me, I would have given up everything for. Someone I've truly loved for a long time. But she's never been interested in me. Not that way. And she made it pretty clear she would never be. But Clara… Clara is."
"Ah." Scott nodded. "An' that has ye thinkin'."
"It does."
"Well, lad, it's nae very easy t' balance out this sort o' life with havin' a lass an' a family of yer own," Scott pointed out. "So ye'll be workin' hard tae make that work, if that's yer choice."
Zack nodded at him. "So I guess the question is… is it worth it?"
"I cannae answer that one, lad. Dinnae think anyone can except for yeself."
"Yeah." Zack looked back out at the streaks zipping by. "You're right about that."
The meetings with Onaram were taking place in the same chamber, Briefing Room 1, that Thor had spoken to them in before the departure for Abydos. Robert, Meridina, Lucy, and Opani all sat around the table while Onaram took the main seat, looking directly at the holotank.
President Henry Morgan's face filled the holo-image above the tank. His dark skin was creased with thought and age, giving him the visage of a man long-used to the stresses of statesmanship. Robert thought he looked a bit older than he'd been on their first meeting about two and a half years before, when Morgan had been a leading foreign secretary for the Earth Confederacy of his home universe sent to negotiate over what became the United Alliance of Systems.
"Thor's information has given us an idea on what to expect from the System Lords negotiating this arrangement," Onaram said. "The one known as Yu will be the most agreeable to an arrangement, as he has few interests in this region of the galaxy. Nirrti is the most aggressive and the most likely to be hostile. Cronus will thus be the one to determine the outcome, we expect."
"
Do you have any idea what they will require of us?"
Onaram looked to Robert, who sighed. "We believe it highly likely they will require us to forswear removing any more Goa'uld from their hosts, as Doctor Gillam did to Amaunet last year. Restrictions on expansion and on relations with other species are also likely."
"They'll probably want us to drop any links to the SGC," Robert continued. "Thor seems to think that they're afraid we'll turn Earth into a force to use against them."
"
An interesting fear given our relative lack of involvement with Earth in that universe," Morgan noted. "
Perhaps it is for the best that we have kept our relations with them on a small scale. As for this business, if that is the limit of their terms, we will adhere to them."
"I think we'll be lucky if that's it." Robert shook his head. "Given how full of themselves the Goa'uld can be, they're not going to let us off easy." A bit of guilt flashed through him. When they'd faced Apophis, he hadn't been very diplomatic at all. They'd presented Apophis with his mutilated queen in a cylinder and he had threatened to do the same if Apophis made any further attacks.
That was not my finest moment.
"
How far out are you?," Morgan asked.
"We arrive at Abydos tonight," Robert replied. "We're due to go through the Stargate tomorrow morning, just before the Goa'uld are due to arrive. Thor made it clear that they might get suspicious if we arrive too much earlier than they."
"
And you have the communications equipment you'll need to keep contact?"
"We'll have a subspace radio capable of patching in to our IU transceiver on Russell's Planet," Robert assured him.
"
Good. Let me know of any final terms being mandated. Secretary Onaram will provide immediate consultations on all other matters. He knows the Cabinet's decisions on this matter."
Robert nodded. "Understood, Mister President."
"
Good luck, Mister Secretary, Captain. I don't need to tell you what it will mean if we can't get an agreement. Morgan out."
The President's image disappeared.
"What
is the plan if the Goa'uld demand too much?", Lucy asked. "If they demand we give them a new host for Amaunet or even new hosts in general? Or if they want the IU jump drive?"
Onaram frowned slightly. "As humiliating as it may seem, our backup plan is immediate evacuation."
"As in, we evacuate R4A1," Opani clarified.
"Exactly, Doctor. All colonies will be abandoned. Any sensitive technology we can't remove will be destroyed."
"And the Earth in this galaxy will be left to its own devices," Meridina noted.
Onaram nodded. "Sadly, yes. This is, of course, only a final resort. If the Goa'uld prove reasonable, and their terms are those we can reasonably accept, we'll be able to maintain our presence in this universe. And the resources we have to gain from the worlds and systems we have claimed are of use in the war effort. Abandoning these systems will complicate our war construction."
"But not vitally?"
Onaram shook his head. "No."
"Then we have at least some leeway. If their price gets too high, the Alliance can always leave." Robert's frown made it clear he didn't necessarily like that.
"And leave Earth to the mercy of the System Lords?", Lucy asked.
Robert shook his head. "It might be better than giving the Goa'uld a shot at getting our technology."
"That is our assessment," Onaram said. "May I suggest we go over the material one more time before we adjourn?"
"Right." Robert picked up his digital reader. "So Yu is supposedly one of the most senior of the Goa'uld. The Asgard information indicates he is something of a conservative on expansion and is generally content with what he controls…"
The next morning Robert woke up and felt stirring beside him. He turned and gently laid a hand on Angel's bare shoulder. "Hey."
She turned her head. Her hazel eyes were dulled with sleepyness, but she was awake. "Hey."
He could sense the stirring of emotion inside of her, just as he had before they'd fallen asleep. When they had been making love. His ability to sense emotions, to sense what was coming, through the life force powers he was learning, it had changed everything for him in their relationship. An irony since it was the single greatest strain on that relationship now.
"I know you wish you could come to," he said. "But our group can't be that large."
"And you need Meridina for her mind-reading stuff," Angel sighed.
"Yeah. Just in case. And Lucy's got a handle on some of that too." Robert frowned. "And just in case this is a setup, having two people who can fight without weapons could be useful."
Angel's eyes now glistened. "I can fight without weapons." The reminder was laced with anger and frustration.
"You can't throw someone across a room with a gesture." Sensing her emotions growing negative, Robert attempted levity. "A glare, yeah. You can make anyone gulp with that 'I'm going to kick your ass' glare you have. But that might not work on the Goa'uld."
Angel let out a growl and snarled slightly. She turned in the bed. "Yeah. Fine. You're right. I don't have weird mojo like you and Meridina and Lucy do. I'm not as good as they are, yeah."
Robert bit into his lip. "I didn't mean to…"
"Just go, Rob. Do your job." Angel didn't turn. "I'll be fine."
But not happy. Robert could feel that, and he didn't even need that knowledge to know it anyway. But there was nothing more to say. He got out of the bed and went for the shower.
Angel remained where she lay. She felt angry. Angry and ashamed. This… power… had changed everything for Rob, and for her. They'd gotten back together because, out here, any day something could happen to one or both of them. But now, between this and their duties… it was sometimes like they shouldn't have even bothered trying again. There weren't enough hours in the day for the two of them now.
Try as she might to fight the thought, it still haunted her. That this time wouldn't be unlike the others. That, yet again, she and Robert weren't going to last together. It would end again. Just like it had before.
By the time Robert came back out of the shower to get ready, Angel had gotten her things and left for her quarters. He sighed and went over to the bed for a moment. He didn't need to pick up the pillow she'd left behind to know it was now damp.
The wet spots left by Angel's tears were proof enough of that.