Author's Notes: I'd like to thank Judy A. Mason and Werrf for their help but especially to Val for being such a great Beta and sticking with it so long. Hope you people like it. Feedback very welcome.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
"Skaara, wait here!" O' Neill told him, "Just trust me."
Skaara was about to protest but took O'Neill's advice and went into the room to wait for them. SG-1 had inhabited the same room during the Triad. He recognised the symbol on the wall, it was the mark of the Tau'ri, like the symbol for his home world, Abydos, except that it had but one sun. He wondered briefly how they lived with only the heat of one sun to warm them.
Moving to look out the window at the activity outside, he saw his reflection in the glass. It was his face looking back. So many times in the last few years, he had seen this same image, but it was the cruel face of Klor'el looking back at him. He could hardly believe it was over. Part of him kept expecting Klor'el to take control again.
He was startled by an explosion outside and saw from the window that the mothership had locked onto different points on the planet's surface. They were destroying the ion canons that had eradicated Heru'ur's motherships. Lord Zipacna had told Klor'el there would be an escape plan if anything went wrong but he had been so confident they would win the Triad he had not gone into detail. If the Goa'uld managed to win this battle they would surely remove the Tollan device allowing Skaara to have control of his body. He would again be held prisoner in his own mind. Fear and anxiety gripped Skaara's heart. He had fought so hard for so long against Klor'el but he was beginning to weaken.
He wished he could be, fighting with SG-1 instead of remaining here, allowing his fears to take hold of him. O'Neill did not want to see him, he decided. From the moment they had arrived, he had talked about him as though he were not there. Instead of showing even the tiniest measure of happiness that Skaara was all right O'Neill had been far more interested in the Tollan's technology. Perhaps when he looked at Skaara all he saw was the Goa'uld who had tried to kill Daniel. Even Daniel had looked at him with suspicion, Skaara did not blame him. They had seen Sha're, beloved wife and sister, controlled by Ammonet. It had been hard for Skaara himself to see her face so often and know she was suffering his fate.
A wave of dizziness swept over Skaara, he stumbled towards a seat. It had happened to him a few times during the Triad, that he would feel himself waver like this. He imagined it was the Goa'uld wrapping his snake-like body around Skaara's throat, trying to choke him to death. The most likely explanation was that Klor'el was trying to reassert his authority over this body. It bothered Skaara to feel so inferior next to this being who could still exert influence over his life. At the same time, a small part of him wondered if it were true. Was he nothing more than a remnant personality, as Zipacna had claimed? Was it possible there was nothing left of him? He was nothing but a shell of his former self? He had changed so much in the years since he had been taken from Abydos. He looked down at his body, clad in the golden finery fit for a prince. Beautiful handmaidens, who thought he was their god, had woven his heavy hair, his eyes had been painted with kohl by eunuchs who had given themselves up in the service of the son of Apophis. He was no longer that filthy desert boy Klor'el ridiculed, for his ignorance and simplicity. Would he ever be again?
"Lord Klor'el, I have come to liberate you."
Skaara turned at the sound of the familiar voice and gasped when he saw a dishevelled Zipacna standing in the doorway, a large slimy grin spread across his lips.
Skaara stood and began to back away as Zipacna came forward. "You cannot do this, I won the triad, this body is mine!" He yelled at the Goa'uld.
Zipacna smirked and advanced, withdrawing a knife. "I cannot allow you to leave this world with the knowledge you possess." The taller man easily pinned the weak Abydonian to the wall, holding the knife to his throat. "Jaffa, Kree!" Two Jaffa entered. They held the struggling boy tightly by the arms while Zipacna examined the Tollan device on Skaara's chest.
Skaara tried to shout his protests but one of the Jaffa clamped a hand over his mouth.
Zipacna began pulling the device forcibly off Skaara's chest, exacting a muffled cry of pain.
Skaara could feel his control weakening as though Klor'el were pushing himself to the front of their mind. His eyes rolled in his head as his presence was pulled back into the cage he had known so well.
Klor'el cursed as he struggled against the power of the Tollan's device. He could see Zipacna and feel the Jaffa, but the foolish Abydonian fought bitterly against him.
Suddenly one of the Jaffa fell to the floor as he was shot in the chest. Zipacna turned as the other fell as well,
Teal'c stood in the doorway, aiming a zat gun right at Zipacna. "Move away from Skaara." He told the Goa'uld dryly.
Zipacna raised his hands in the air, but quickly punched the Tollan device, cracking the blue stone in the centre.
Skaara cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.
In a flash Teal'c was at his side, helping him up to a seat. He noticed the damaged device and the boy's quickened breathing. "Skaara, are you all right?" He asked.
Zipacna took his chance and backed out of the room quietly. The Shovah might have foiled his chances of rescuing Klor'el, and earning the young lord's favour, but he would not lose the opportunity to escape.
Teal'c looked up and noticed Zipacna's absence. He was torn between looking after Skaara and chasing the Goa'uld.
"I am not all right, but you must catch him. Lock the door, in case . . .." He trailed off, afraid to voice his fears.
"I understand." Teal'c stood and followed the Goa'uld out of the room, carefully locking the entrance from the outside. He prayed that on his return he would find Skaara rather than Klor'el.
Skaara lay back in the chair and tried to take deep breaths. The blue light flickered, though never turning to red. He touched the cracks on the surface. He could not allow his demon to win this battle, so he resolved to use all his will to fight him. He was in control now and would stay that way.
***
It was Daniel who finally came for him once the battle was over. "Skaara?" He sounded unsure of whom he would find.
"Daniel." Skaara gasped.
Daniel moved closer to his brother in law, seeing his discomfort. "How are you feeling?"
"I do not know how much longer I can fight him." Skaara struggled to reply. He then looked up to see Teal'c standing in the doorway.
"Daniel Jackson, the Tok'ra have arrived." The stoic Jaffa announced.
Daniel turned to help Skaara stand. The young Abydonian took a deep breath and looked at Daniel, confidence gleaming in his tired brown eyes. "I am ready."
***
The Tok'ra had appropriated a room in the Tollan Triad building, transforming it into a makeshift operating room. Skaara entered slowly supported by Daniel. One Tok'ra came forward to greet them. He was a middle-aged man with dark hair and tanned skin. His smiling eyes beheld the gentleness of an experienced healer.
"You must be Skaara," he said taking Skaara's arm and helping him sit on a bed. "My name is Kaltoff and that is my assistant Aldar. We are happy to be able to aid you." He looked over to Aldar who was just finished setting up a piece of Tok'ra machinery. "We're ready to begin the procedure."
Skaara lay on the operating table blinded by the harsh overhead lamp, waiting anxiously for them to begin. Daniel was hovering nearby trying to look reassuring but failing. Suddenly the Tok'ra began to restrain his arms and feet. Skaara panicked and tried to struggle free of their grip.
"This is simply a precaution, in case Klor'el should resurface. Please, it's for your own good." Kaltoff told him sincerely.
"It's okay Skaara. Like he said, just a precaution." Daniel told him calmly, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be right here if you need me."
Skaara swallowed, and nodded stiffly then allowed the Tok'ra to continue.
Aldar retrieved a device and handed it carefully to Kaltoff who explained, "This device is used to force the Goa'uld to relinquish its hold on your brain, it will cause some discomfort once the Goa'uld disconnects, you may feel considerable pain." Kaltoff positioned the device above Skaara's head. "Then it will simply be a matter of removing the Goa'uld from your body."
Skaara took a deep breath as Kaltoff turned the device on. His head immediately began to throb painfully, but he frowned and bore the ache. Soon he would be free of the parasitic demon.
Daniel watched a screen behind Skaara that displayed an image, like an x-ray, of Skaara's skull and neck. There in bright green was the Goa'uld. The image showed it to have coiled itself around Skaara's brainstem, but now as a beam of red emerged from the device Kaltoff was using, the Goa'uld was beginning to wriggle slowly about Skaara's neck. Daniel noticed that the Goa'uld's movement was causing his host considerable pain.
Skaara felt dizzy, like he had at the Triad, only there was nowhere to fall. That didn't seem to stop his body from feeling like it was falling. The throbbing in his head had developed into a heavy banging and he could feel something pushing the inside of his neck. It seemed to go on forever when suddenly he felt a white-hot burst of excruciating agony. He gasped for air and his back arched in spasm. He cried out in anguish before the blackness came and swallowed him up as it had always promised to do.
Daniel panicked when Skaara began to convulse.
"He's going into shock." Aldar told Kaltoff.
"The Goa'uld has disconnected, we need to remove it immediately." Kaltoff glanced at the screen, watching the parasite's slow migration down Skaara's spine.
"Is Skaara all right?" Daniel asked, concern in his voice.
"He will be if we remove the Goa'uld right away." The Tok'ra told him. "Prepare to make an incision." He told his assistant.
Daniel watched as Aldar cut a large square out of Skaara's clothes revealing a smooth bronzed midriff.
Kaltoff used the device again to force the Goa'uld down Skaara's spine towards the diaphragm, then to the left where Aldar was ready with a laser scalpel. "Make the incision."
Aldar did as ordered and cut a line along Skaara's waist. The Goa'uld suddenly pushed its disgusting head out of the gash and Aldar caught it quickly between a pair of forceps. He swiftly brought the squirming Klor'el over to a specially prepared container of fluid that would sustain him until he found a host.
Kaltoff sealed the wound with the laser scalpel, and checked Skaara's vitals. "He'll make it. He's strong."
"That he is." Daniel mumbled as he sat down at Skaara's bedside relief washing over him.
***
Silence was the first thing Skaara noticed as he regained consciousness. There was an eery stillness in his mind that he wasn't accustomed to. No deep voice of anger and hate tormenting him, not even the frustrated presence he'd been sharing his mind with during the Triad. His entire body felt weak and battered. His eyelids were heavy and difficult to lift. Once he managed to open them, his sight was blurry, but a face soon came into focus.
"Daniel?" The name scraped along a throat that was rough and scratchy.
"Yes, how are you feeling?" Big concerned blue eyes stared at him.
Skaara tried to lift himself up but found he was still restrained.
"Here, allow me." Kaltoff said as he released the restraints.
Skaara rubbed his sore wrists to allow the blood to run freely to his stiff hands. He stopped suddenly noticing the lightness on his chest. The Tollan device had been removed. "He is gone. Isn't he?" He asked the husband of his beloved sister as he sat up.
Daniel smiled and nodded.
"He didn't leave without a fight, you'll find." Kaltoff interjected.
At once Skaara felt the bruises on his neck and the pain in his side. His fingers found the hole in his clothes and then the tender scar above his hip.
"You may feel a little disorientated from time to time, it will take a while to get used to being yourself again. I suggest you to take it easy for a while." Kaltoff advised him.
"I thank you for your help."
"We were happy to oblige." Kaltoff bowed his head.
"Could I ask one more favour?" Skaara asked shyly.
Kaltoff and Daniel both leaned forward.
"May I have something else to wear?"
***
"O'Neill!"
Jack and the rest of SG-1 turned to see Skaara bound joyfully towards them. He stood before Colonel O'Neill eagerly anticipating his reaction.
Jack eyed Skaara from head to toe, appreciating the change of attire, but a little unsure if this was real or not. When he reached the boy's expectant eyes, so full of hope and admiration, he smiled.
"Much better." He hugged him warmly, glad to finally have the old Skaara back.
Skaara turned to Teal'c, his rescuer, and gave him a respectful handshake. Then he hugged Major Carter affectionately.
It was good to see him so happy again, thought O'Neill, no longer filled with anguish and pain.
"Quite an improvement, don't you think?" Daniel whispered to him. He was inclined to agree.
Carter broke his train of thought, as she asked the question O'Neill had wanted to ask himself.
"So, what will you do now, Skaara?"
"I do not know?!" He seemed surprised at the question. He had given it little thought.
"I'm pretty sure Kasuf would like to see you again." Daniel remarked.
"Of course, my father.... How could I have forgotten...?" Guilt washed over Skaara's features.
"It's all right. It's probably a little strange to be yourself again. It'll all come back to you soon." Sam reassured him.
"Ya know I wouldn't mind seein' Abydos again. What do you guys think about takin' a little detour before we go home?" O'Neill patted Daniel on the back.
"Sounds good to me." Daniel replied.
***
They steppedout of the gate to utter darkness. O'Neill and Carter lit up flashlights. Teal'c and Daniel Jackson followed suit.
"Woah, Deja-vu!" Muttered O'Neill.
Skaara and Daniel both looked around the familiar cavernous room. The timelessness of this place in comparison with the ever-changing direction of life made Skaara sigh.
O'Neill led them slowly outwards into the glaring afternoon sun. The twin obelisks stood guarding the entrance as they had for thousands of years. The team glanced back to take in the awesome sight of the towering pyramid.
Skaara reached down to touch the hot sand of his home. He held some in his fist, the tiny grains slipped between his fingers. Standing upright again he started to walk instinctively in the direction of home. His senses were heightened by the familiar surroundings he had been separated from for so long. He could feel the warm dry air on his skin and smell that spicy mix of incense, sand, and mastadge that was characteristic of his home.
Carter looked at O'Neill who shrugged and jogged to catch up with the wandering boy.
Daniel strayed behind them as they made their way to the city of Nagada.
Carter noticed his reluctant pace. "Daniel, you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh sure, I'm good." The young doctor told her, distractedly.
"Yeah? I thought maybe this might be weird for you."
"A little. Maybe. Strange." He removed his glasses and began to polish them with a handkerchief.
Carter nodded in acknowledgement but decided not to probe further.
***
"O'Neill, did you ever return here while I was . . .." Skaara asked as they walked.
"Yeah, twice. When the Harsesis, if that's what it's called, was born. And also for Sha're's funeral." Jack glanced at Skaara trying to gauge his reaction.
"She was buried here?"
"Yep, Daniel did this whole ceremony . . . with a feather?"
"We did not know what happened to Ammonet's . . . I mean Sha're's body when she was killed. I'm glad she is home." He stopped suddenly in his stride as they reached the top of a large sand dune. Before them, the city of Nagada stretched out in all its immensity.
Jack was reminded of the first time he had seen this place, all those years ago, and it still took his breath away.
"You know my demon dreamed of this." Skaara told him sadly.
"Yeah?" O'Neill said a little surprised Klor'el dreamed at all.
"He had dreams that he was me, that he returned to this planet and had to live my life, working in the naquada mines, as a slave." Skaara remembered his Goa'uld waking in fear after that dream.
"Well I don't think you have to worry about having someone else's dreams anymore." O'Neill placed a supportive hand on Skaara's shoulder as they made their way down the sandy slope.
***
Daniel called to the guards, asking them to open the gates. One of them immediately Daniel, and hurried to greet him.
Skaara hung back behind O'Neill as Daniel exchanged words with the lookout. He felt a little guilty for not wanting to be noticed but still did not want to draw attention to himself.
Daniel turned back to the team and waved them forward leading the way to Kasuf's home.
Skaara kept his head down in the hope that he would not be noticed, but as they reached his old dwellings he could hear the whispers growing and could feel the curious eyes upon him.
Daniel entered first, then Teal'c and O'Neill but as Skaara was about to go in he paused and turned around. A crowd had gathered to see him. He gulped and entered hurriedly.
Daniel was embracing his father-in-law but as soon as Skaara entered, Kasuf froze.
"Demon!" Kasuf shouted, grabbing his staff and beating the boy with it.
"No, Kasuf!" Daniel cried as he pulled the old man away. "It's Skaara." Daniel told him in the old Egyptian language. "The demon is gone. He is your son again"
Kasuf stopped and stared at the boy pulling himself wearily from the ground, rubbing the lump that was forming on the side of his head.
"Skaara?" Kasuf stepped forward, watching him in disbelief.
"Father." Skaara swallowed.
Kasuf pulled his son in a tight embrace. "My son." He cried repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes. He held Skaara's face in his hands and gazed deeply into frightened brown eyes. He had grown, the boy had become a man while he had been away. The greatest difference Kasuf saw was in his son's eyes. They were the eyes of one who had witnessed a great deal of hardship and tragedy. He hugged him again, not wanting to let go. "Daniel, you and your friends have returned my son to me, yet again I am eternally grateful to you." Kasuf told them in his mother tongue. All at once he strode outside, pulling Skaara with him.
"Everyone, my son has returned! He has been freed of the demon. Let us rejoice!" He held Skaara's arm up in triumph as the crowd cheered joyously. "Tomorrow night we will celebrate this wondrous event with a banquet in his honour and in honour of his liberators, the Tau'ri!"
Daniel watched the scene with a smile as Teal'c translated for Carter and O'Neill.
"Cool, a party! These guys know how to throw a party." O'Neill asserted. Bringing his lips closer to Carter's ear, he whispered, "Just watch out for Daniel's patented 'moonshine'."
***
O'Neill was wandering about Nagada. Teal'c and Daniel were talking to Kasuf, being the only ones who really could speak his language and Carter had gone to see the Naquada mines, so he was left to tour. The place had changed very little, but he did notice the signs that people were happier now. They wandered about the city talking merrily to each other, no doubt about the arrival of Kasuf's lost son, but he also spotted a few people writing on papyrus or stone. In Daniel's absence they still continued to develop their reading and writing.
He came across a group of woman huddled together. The sound of light feminine giggles reached his ears and he noticed they were all faced in the direction of an open square, where some young men had gathered. He smiled, no matter where he went, if the sun still shone, and stars still twinkled, young love would always follow. He suddenly realised the girls were in fact directing their amorous gazes towards one Abydonian in particular.
Skaara sat in the midst of the group. His long carefully braided hair made him stand out from his audience as they questioned him.
He had spent much of the hot afternoon trying to relate his experiences to them, but found he was growing more and more exasperated.
"You say you were not a god, yet you have not aged since you left. How is that possible?" One of them asked.
Skaara blinked. There was no way he could explain the concepts of sarcophagus technology to them when he barely understood it himself. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve.
Jack noticed the weary expression Skaara wore and walked over to save him. "Hey, I think he's had enough for one day." He told the group.
They looked at him with blank expressions.
"School's out. Give the kid a break." He began to usher them away. "Go on!"
The crowd shuffled away with out arguing. The man with the Tau'ri weapon was not to be challenged.
"Thank you O'Neill." Skaara said as he got up. "They ask me too many questions I cannot answer."
"Yeah? Like what?" O'Neill asked as they strolled into the shade.
"They want to know what it was like, what the demon did, how I was freed . . . how I have not aged, I know how only because Klor'el knew but I cannot explain these things to them." Skaara rubbed his burning face, his skin no longer accustomed to the sun after spending so much time in the Sarcophagus.
"These people do not understand the Goa'uld, some even think of them as gods. Khamen, one who was witness to the destruction of Ra, wanted to know if I was still a god!"
"Don't worry about it, they just need some time to get used to it." O'Neill offered, as he pulled out a canteen of water and gave it to Skaara. "Come on we got a banquet to attend."
***
Jack was extremely impressed by the spread the Abydonians put on that night. A huge array of food was laid out with musicians and dancers performing a lively show for them. It vaguely reminded Jack of a Turkish bellydancing act he'd seen at a bachelor party long ago.
He was seated with Daniel on his left, Carters and Teal'c on his right, and Kasuf and Skaara to the far left. Kasuf had said a solemn prayer at the opening of the feast. Daniel had described it as "their version of grace."
"So what'd you kids get up to today?" Jack asked as he picked at the strange brown vegetable on his plate.
"I checked out the mines." Carter told him. "They're still in full use, someone told me that they're trading with a few other races, including the Tok'ra."
"I hope the Tok'ra are giving them a good deal." Jack muttered sardonically.
"Actually, they are." Daniel interrupted. "Kasuf was telling us the Tok'ra have offered to supply them with weaponry to help them defend themselves against the Goa'uld."
"And when will all this be getting here?" Jack asked.
"Soon. I was going to talk to you, I was thinking we should hang around 'til the Tok'ra get here, you know, just make sure everything goes well." Daniel proposed.
"Sure Daniel, whatever. . ." Jack trailed off as he noticed Skaara arguing with Kasuf. Jack remembered seeing this picture before. Their first time on Abydos, he had seen Skaara and Kasuf argue when they rebelled against the Horus Guards. Father and son were equally matched in their conviction, clashes of opinion were probably common between them.
Skaara suddenly got up not wanting to hear anymore of his father's words, and stormed away from the banquet.
"Skaara!" Kasuf shouted after him.
"I'll go see what's up." O'Neill told his team as he got up and followed the angry young man.
***
It took some searching, but Jack finally found Skaara perched on the lookout's position. O'Neill climbed up, sat beside the boy, amazed at the beautiful view they had of the desert and the starry night sky.
"Nice spot you picked." O'Neill said calmly.
"I missed this view." Skaara replied, then looked at his hands.
"You know, it's nothing new for guys your age to argue with their dads."
"And what age is that?"
"I dunno, em, eighteen?".
"I am twenty-one years old."
"Sorry."
"It does not matter, I just . . ." Skaara sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I have changed so much inside, but I look the same as I did when I left."
Jack wanted to argue with him. Change was clearly evident in the way he carried himself, the style of his hair, but mostly in the pained eyes. Eyes that looked up at him now, full of frustration. "Is that why you left the party? Cos Kasuf is treating you like you haven't changed?"
"No, not at all. He wants me to be their new leader, to take his place."
"Man those are big shoes to fill." Jack whistled.
Skaara looked at O'Neill with confusion. "Even with all the English I have learned, you still manage to confuse me."
Jack laughed. "You and Teal'c should get together. What I meant was, that's a lot to live up to."
"He asks a great deal of me to lead these people, people I no longer fell I belong with." Skaara said with a frown. "Today, I realised that with all the knowledge I gained from the demon, Klor'el, I have grown beyond my people."
"No, that's not it, you just need to give it some time, get settled in." O'Neill argued, angry that the 'stinkin' Goa'uld had stolen yet another part of the boy's life.
"You are wrong O'Neill." He stared out into the night sky. "They know little of the conflicts, the battles that go on above them. I know too much, I cannot stay here and do nothing."
O'Neill ran a hand through his greying hair. He wanted so much to ask Skaara to come back to Earth with him but he knew it was a bad idea. "Where would you go?"
"Go? You're going somewhere?"
Skaara and Jack turned to see Daniel climbing up the scaffold, a wooden bowl of food balancing in one hand.
"Nice eavesdropping there, Jackson." O'Neill remarked sarcastically as he helped the doctor up.
"I came to see what was going on, you're missing dessert." Daniel explained as he handed the bowl to Jack. "You wanna tell me what's going on?" He looked at Skaara.
"Skaara's thinking about leaving." Jack replied as he put a lump of the mushy dessert in his mouth. "Mmm, this stuff is good!"
"I do not want to stay on Abydos." Skaara confessed to Daniel, ignoring the Colonel's yummy noises.
"Why not?" Daniel asked, giving Jack a curious glance.
"I do not belong here, I should be up there," Skaara gestured towards the stars. "Using all I have learned to fight the Goa'uld."
"Have you told Kasuf?" Daniel asked.
"No, he thinks I want to stay and he wants me to take his place as leader." Skaara's eyes shot downwards in sadness.
"That's what you were arguing about. You know you are his only son, you're all he has left now, with the Tok'ra coming next week, he's going to need all the help he can get."
"Way to guilt-trip him, Danny-boy." The colonel remarked, elbowing Daniel.
"The Tok'ra are coming here? I could go with them. What I learned from Klor'el would be very useful to them." Skaara said beginning to perk up.
Jack and Daniel exchanged unhappy glances.
"You don't want to go with them, they'd make you a host." Jack asserted.
"Not all those who work with the Tok'ra are hosts." Skaara told them emphatically. "My demon once caught a Tok'ra spy in his palace, he was not a host. Though that did not stop Klor'el from having him tortured to death."
"I guess we could talk to the Tok'ra when they get here." Jack shrugged.
"Jack?!" Daniel protested.
"No Daniel, it is what I want. I will explain to my father." Skaara rose and climbed down from the lookout.
"You gotta hand it to the kid, he put you in your place." Jack chuckled, as he finished off the last of the dessert.
"You want him to join the Tok'ra?!" Daniel asked incredulously.
"I want him to be safe and happy, and on Earth, but I'd settle for just happy." Jack noticed the disapproving frown on the Jackson's face. "He doesn't want to stay here. He wouldn't be happy sitting back and letting the Goa'uld do their thing. I know I wouldn't."
"He is a lot like you." Daniel admitted.
"Yeah?" Jack smiled.
"Hot-headed, stubborn, and impatient, but he's a man of action, if he says he's going to do something, he does it." Daniel related to him.
"Well, apart from the first bits, thanks." Jack climbed to his feet and made his way down the scaffold to the party.
"Anytime." Daniel followed him down.
"Oh, like you're Mister Patience?!" Jack grumbled.
***
The negotiations with the Tok'ra went well. Daniel helped Kasuf gain a fair agreement with the Tok'ra and in exchange for their naquada, the Abydonians were receiving a huge shipment of arms and a few large canons with which to defend the gates of Nagada. The Tok'ra also agreed to teach the Abydonians how to defend themselves.
Kasuf sat with Daniel and Teal'c in his home discussing his son. "Good son, are you sure he is doing the right thing?"
"Yes good father, he is. He can make quite a difference against the system lords, with all he has learned." Daniel told his father-in-law.
"The Tok'ra are noble in their quest to defend the Goa'uld, they will treat your son with great respect." Teal'c added.
"I trust your judgement, but I am not happy to let my son go again." Kasuf admitted to them.
"It's not the same this time, he'll be doing it of his own free will, I'm sure he'll visit from time to time." Daniel offered.
Kasuf nodded solemnly, taking Daniel and Teal'c's hands. "I have you to thank for saving him."
***
The Tok'ra camp was situated outside the great pyramid. Tents had been placed betweenthe twin obelisks, in nearly the same positions as those O'Neill's team had pitched on their first visit to Abydos. As he walked between Skaara and Carter, Jack lost himself in the memories of that time. A time long before the conflict with the Goa'uld, Klor'el, Ammonet and a host of other events that had plagued his team for the past three years. A shout from the camp broke his reverie.
When the three visitors were spotted on their way towards the camp the sentry alerted the senior Tok'ra.
Martouf stepped out of his tent to see what whom the commotion was about. "Samantha!" Martouf's face light up as he saw the Major approach.
She hugged him warmly; feeling that familiar sensation Jolinar had left her with.
"Colonel O'Neill, it is good to see you again." Martouf shook O'Neill's hand stiffly. "When I saw Daniel at the trade negotiations, I hoped SG-1 would be here as well."
"Yeah, we've got personal interest in the Abydonians. One of them is here to talk to you." O'Neill gestured towards Skaara who inclined his head respectfully at the Tok'ra.
At first Martouf thought it was Klor'el. He looked at Samantha in confusion.
Skaara began to worry. He knew that expression well. It was worn by those who still saw him as a demon. "I wish to help you fight the Goa'uld." He spoke hesitantly.
Martouf sighed with relief. "I do apologise, I forgot you were free of your Goa'uld. Please excuse my ignorance."
Jack smiled, thinking how refreshing it was to see a little humility from a Tok'ra.
"You say you wish to help us?" Martouf asked.
"Yes, I have a great deal of knowledge about the system lords. I want to help you fight them, I could work for you." Skaara asserted nervously.
"Your experience would certainly be of great use to us, we need all the help we can get . . ." Martouf looked the boy over. Klor'el, though not particularly powerful, had been an extremely active system lord, and his host would have gained a lot of insight into Goa'uld activity that would be very useful to them. "You realise the danger if you join us?"
"I know. I witnessed the deaths of many Tok'ra, one in particular, his name was Damarr." Skaara remembered the horrific death Klor'el had devised for that unfortunate victim.
"I remember him well." Martouf said, sadly. "He was a great man, a terrible loss to us." Martouf looked at the pained individual before him, trying to imagine the gruesome executions he had been forced to witness. "All right, I will take you with us when we leave." He took Skaara's hand. "Welcome to the Tok'ra."
***
The Event Horizon lit up the pyramid chamber where the 'gate was situated. The Tok'ra had packed up their camp, leaving only Martouf.
It seemed to O'Neill that half the population of Abydos had crammed into the pyramid to say good bye to Skaara. He was a little sad to see the boy go, but also happy that he was going with the Tok'ra, not that he was going to let on to Martouf that he felt this way.
"Now you better look after him, Marty, or I'll Zat your ass from here to Earth!" O'Neill hissed at the Tok'ra.
"I will do my best." Martouf offered.
"Your best? How do I know your best is any good?!" O'Neill muttered.
"Don't mind him." Daniel assured him. "He's just a little over protective."
"I realise Skaara must be very important to you." Martouf pointed out.
"Yeah, he is. So, don't try puttin' a worm in his head!" O'Neill threatened.
"As I explained to Skaara, we will not ask him to be a host unless he wants to, we understand his aversion to it." Martouf's patience was beginning to wear thin.
Sam noticed the rising tension between her commanding officer and the Tok'ra. "Colonel, have you said goodbye to Skaara?"
"No, give him a minute." Jack looked over to where Skaara was being mauled by the crowd of well wishers. When they finally let him go, he turned to where SG-1 was waiting.
"My friends!" He embraced each of them. "I am so grateful for all you have done for me."
"You look after yourself now, and come visit us some time." Jack told him seriously.
"Oh yes, this is for you." Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a GDO.
"It's a little going-away present." Sam smiled.
"You can use it to let us know when you're gating to Earth and we'll open the Iris." Daniel explained.
"Saves you from getting splatted." O'Neill added.
"It is very kind of you." Skaara grinned at them.
"I think we should be going now." Martouf said, laying a hand on Skaara's shoulders.
Skaara felt a lump welling in his throat. He hugged his father tightly and whispered in his mother tongue. "I will make you proud father."
Kasuf blinked and a tear fell from his eye. He was already bursting with pride for his brave son.
He finally let go of the young man and watched as he walked to the Tok'ra's side.
Skaara took one last look at his people, his home, his father, and friends, then stepped through the Chaapa'ai. He would do them all proud. He would make a difference.