Gaia - The Princess 11

New Revelations (conclusion Of Gaia - The Princess)

by romansilence

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asr/rsilence/gaiath11.php
Summary: On the way to Gaia, Sam and Janet still deal with the aftermath of Sam's captivity, among other things.

THE PRESENT: ON BOARD OF THE SCYTHIA

The next morning Samantha's mind wandered back to their return to Gaia to take part in the trial. There was something about it sitting just at the edge of her awareness but staying stubbornly out of reach. It stymied her and she longed to get out of bed and pace, but she also didn't want to worry Janet who was still sleeping in her embrace and so she tried to keep herself still.

In the fortnight since the rescue, Xena and Gabrielle had completely recovered, physically at least. When she had looked into Xena's eyes after passing through Athena's Ring with Janet, Sarah, and the rest of SG-1 she had almost felt the dark-haired woman's simmering anger; an emotion to which she easily could relate.

The interrogation of the prisoners had given them a lot of answers but no insight into what Anubis had hoped to achieve with supporting these machinations.

The Jaffa, though wearing the marks of different Goa'ulds, had proudly admitted to being in the service of the ominous former System Lord. Their leader had told them that he and his warriors had been sent on this mission to prove that they were better warriors than the physically much stronger machine souls, and in his eyes they had succeeded, considering the ease with which the Tau'ri woman had taken them down.

After some prompting and being threatened with the use of a Za'tarc detector, the captured Tok'ra confessed to having been lured by Anise's promise that their host would become immortal. However, they had denied any affiliation with Anubis or any other System Lord. When asked about Osiris and the Jaffa they all had insisted on knowing nothing about her fealty to Anubis. They instead had claimed that the Goa'uld, according to Anise, had turned against her kin and wanted to join the Tok'ra.

Osiris and Anise had refused to answer any questions but thanks to the Tollan separation device, the Amazons had been able to get a lot from Freya and Sarah.

The archaeologist at first had been frightened. She had felt the symbiote's presence even though it had not been capable of taking control or influencing her in any way. It had taken a lot of prompting and Larina talking to her about her own traumatic experiences with Nirrti to get her to make a statement. And from what she had told them, Osiris had not seen beyond its own interests when working as Anubis' emissary. The possibility of gaining an immortal host simply had been too big a temptation for the symbiote. Osiris had apparently believed that possessing such a host would make him Anubis' equal.

At the time it had mystified the blond scientist why the powerful Goa'uld would risk such a competition to form but now she started to get an idea. Anubis had wanted to use Osiris but he didn't trust his fellow 'god'. Making him lie in wait for weeks for the High Queen and her consort to leave the protection of their planet had freed Anubis to prepare other more clandestine projects, like sending the naqada enhanced asteroid on a collision course with Earth to circumvent the treaty with the Asgard, like talking to Nut and who knows how many other minor Goa'uld, inciting them to seek revenge for one wrong or the other done to them over the centuries.

When she looked at it now, she was convinced that Anubis had been and still was preparing the field for something big; and that somehow their current problems with Earth and with the Trust were also part of his plan – a thought she quickly dismissed as paranoid.

Freya simply had been furious with her symbiote. Over the last twenty plus years she had become accustomed to the Tok'ra's single-mindedness and stubborn nature; and her quiet insistence more than once had been able to change the symbiote's mind. When she had started to argue against this newest harebrained scheme, the scientist had simply taken over and cut her off without regard. All she wanted now was to get rid of the troublesome presence of the symbiote who in her book had betrayed everything the Tok'ra stood for.

The trial against the unlikely co-conspirators had taken over a week, very short for Earth standards but long for the Amazons. The jury had carefully listened to all they eye-witnesses, and when Janet had given her statement concerning Consort Xena's and High Queen Gabrielle's injuries quite a considerable number of faces in the audience had turned grey and green and a few had rushed out to the nearest restroom.

In contrast to the trial against Nut that jury had only needed two hours to come to a decision about the sentences.

The Jaffa had been given the choice to either return to their master or to join the free Jaffa on Chulak, and only a handful of them had decided to brave the wrath of their God. Colonel O'Neill had argued against simply setting them loose, and though the Amazons agreed that this represented a certain security risk, they also were adamant about not punishing a warrior for following orders.

Osiris had been removed from Sarah's body and changed into a new personality, willing and eager to fight with the Tok'ra, though as far as Samantha knew Garshaw and Selmac were still keeping an eye on it.

Sarah Gardner was still in counselling but well on her way to recover from her traumatic experience.

Originally the jury had wanted the Tok'ra to deal with their renegade members but after learning how much they had been duped by Anise and Osiris they had asked to first be judged according to Amazon standards. Surprisingly the queen had spoken on their behalf and in the end they had been sentenced to undergo a lengthy purification ritual and to serve as slaves to the Amazon Nation for two season cycles. Most of them were with male hosts; so, they served their time on one of the Amazon planets where men were allowed. As far as the blonde knew their natural arrogance had created a few problems in the beginning and a few of them had a Tollan separation device put on them, but all in all it seemed to work out.

The decision about Anise had been the hardest because the High Council of the Tok'ra refused to accept her among their numbers even after the old personality would have been erased. They were willing to give the other renegades a second chance and to once again accept them, but Anise had betrayed everything the Tok'ra stood for by deliberately working with a Goa'uld. That had left the Amazon Council with quite a dilemma.

They finally had decided to separate her from the host and keep the symbiote in a suspension tank until a willing host could be found, but a few minutes before the extraction, Anise had poisoned Freya and herself with nerve gas. It had taken Xena's, Janet's and Garsahw's combined medical knowledge to save the host but there was nothing to be done to save the symbiote. Master Niva had told Samantha that Freya had stayed with them for a few months and was now back with the Tok'ra though she was not ready to become a host again.

Colonel Mackenzie's report to the Joint Chiefs via Admiral Chegwidden had been objective but it ended with a personal statement that spoke clearly of how impressed she was with the Amazons' sense of justice. To their, especially Janet's, surprise she had even fully accepted the physical punishments as an integral part of their culture. She had told them that like probably everyone else she had been sceptical at first but her talks with the Amazons had helped her to understand and now she could accept it because it was not forced on the delinquents, because it was their choice.

Samantha recalled all these details to keep her mind from wandering back to her own part in the trial. She had not expected that it would be this difficult or painful. Answering the questions of the members of the High Council when called to testify had not been too hard. She even had managed not to blush too deeply at the audience's reaction to her description of handling the chakram and Xena's sword. The difficult part had started when Egeria had been called to the stand.

~~~

THE PAST: GAIA – DURING THE TRIAL

When the mother of the Tok'ra told the jury about the staff blast hitting and killing Diti Samantha not only heard the words, but she also felt them as if it had been her body being ripped apart. She relived every emotion the symbiote related.

She tried with all her mind to distance herself, to rationalise her feelings by comparing them to Jolinar's memories. She was a scientist after all; she should have a better handle on her emotions.

During their first stay on Gaia she had learned to deal with Jolinar's memories and now what was left of the Tok'ra in her mind no longer intruded in her thoughts and dreams. She was now easily able to differentiate between Jolinar and her own memories, and could access both sets just as easily. She felt comfortable with it, but what Egeria now made her feel was different, very different.

It didn't feel like the experiences of someone else. It felt like it really was her pain, her feelings. It frightened her a bit, and at the same time she heard Egeria's inner voice telling her that she was sorry and that Samantha would be safe. It was disconcerting but she believed her.

Egeria then spoke about finding the queen with her heart almost ripped out and how they had healed her, but she didn't tell the jury everything there would have been to say. She made it sound like an ordinary healing, more complicated and draining because of the seriousness of the injuries but all in all no different than thousand others. Samantha only had limited experience with the healing device but she knew that there was something the symbiote didn't tell them and didn't want her to know, at least not yet.

She asked Egeria about it but the answer she got was at the same time final and no real answer at all. "Everything will be revealed when you are ready, Princess."

It made Samantha angry and she started to argue. "I'm not a child, Egeria, and I'm not a princess. I deserve an answer."

"Yes, you are, Samantha, just be patient, then you will understand."

~~~

THE PRESENT: ON BOARD OF THE 'SCYTHIA'

Now she was starting to understand what Egeria had been trying to thell her and felt that she had to share her new-found knowledge with Janet, Xena and Gabrielle.

This morning during her training with Master Bra'tac her mind continuously had wandered back to the trial and Egeria's death. Finally fed up with her lack of focus, the wise Jaffa had sent her to kel-no-rem, and upon her return, about three hours later, she had flown through her exercises without a hitch.

Now, she was sitting in Gabrielle's and Xena's quarters, and didn't know where to begin. She was sitting in a reversal of their usual position, safely ensconced in her lover's protective embrace and caressed by the soft tendrils of love and support Janet sent her through their link.

The Amazon Queen entered carrying a plate of refreshments and the blonde asked her to call Xena. Samantha said that Xena also needed to know what she had to say.

"I'll go and get her myself, Samantha."

The immortal woman left the room and Janet sought her lover's eyes. "Are you alright, Sam?"

"No, not at the moment, but I will be. This morning I found out a few things you, Xena, and Gabrielle have to know."

"You spoke with Egeria?" There was no surprise in Janet's voice, in fact she almost sounded as if she had expected something along these lines sooner or later.

"Yes, I think one could call it talking but at the same time it's more, different, deeper. It's hard to explain."

Janet kissed her worried lover, the door opened and she whispered, "Remember, Sammy, I love you, no matter what."

Queen and Consort took their customary places on a few cushions and Samantha took a deep breath.

"When Egeria died I told you that she had not left anything behind, no memories, no knowledge, nothing; and at the time I didn't know if I should be thankful for it or not. It turned out that I was wrong.

"While I was Nut's prisoner I heard Egeria's voice like a faint echo. It made me want to trust this Goa'uld despite everything she did to me. I later explained it with the fact that she was Egeria's sister but it's not that easy. Today, while meditating I learned that there's much more to it, but I don't know where to start."

The blonde fell silent and the other three women gave her the time she needed to find the right words.

"Before we went to find you, on M5X-179 Egeria asked me if I would consent to join with her should something happen to Diti. She told me that Diti didn't have much time left and that she also would die soon. I accepted but that was not her original plan. She never planned on blending with me. She only did it to make sure that the two of you would be alright, a contingency plan of sorts."

"But she told us that she wanted to touch the shadow of Artemis' essence via Jolinar when her life ended and that she needed to be with you to do this," Gabrielle said incredulously.

"Yes, I know. She wanted to touch my mind while dying. She had planned on ascending with Diti. Though Egeria was weak she could have regained her strength in a new host but she didn't want to. Though Diti's body was failing, Egeria wanted it to end. She wanted to be reunited with the other half of her soul."

Xena's and Gabrielle's face had turned simultaneously ashen white and the small Queen whispered. "She gave up an eternity of enlightenment to help save our lives. Dear Goddess, what have we done?"

"No, Gabrielle. She didn't see it this way, and her ascension was only postponed."

"So, that's why the concentration of naqada in your blood didn't change as it should have," Janet said. "And I thought my theory was wrong."

"It also explains why you didn't feel any other after-effects, and why you thought that she left without a trace." Xena added.

"Yes and no, Xena. This morning while meditating, I heard her voice in the stillness of my own mind. Though it wasn't a real voice; it was more like a quiet presence, very familiar, almost as if it already were a part of me. It had been there all the time but I had not been ready to listen. It needed some sort of trigger. I think she wanted to make sure that I didn't become overwhelmed with her memories and her knowledge."

"Her knowledge?" Janet asked with worry and surprise now evident in her voice.

"Yes, but I can't read it like an open book. I can't access it at will, but it will be there for me should I really need it. It won't make me more of a target for the NID than I already am but I would still appreciate it if it could stay out of the archives."

"Of course, Sam, it will not leave this room," Gabrielle reassured her.

For a few minutes silence reigned in the room and then Janet asked, "Why did she leave you with such a burden, Sam?"

"I don't think that it was intentional, Jan. Something happened before she died..."

"It happened," Xena said softly, her strategic mind already one step ahead, "when you both healed Gabrielle. The trauma to her body was so severe under normal circumstances it might well have taken decades to heal and even with a healing device it should have taken years. You both expended too much energy to make it work this fast, and that's when it happened."

"Yes... at least I think so. She not only touched my soul, she somehow bonded with me, on a deeper level than host and symbiote usually do, even with the Tok'ra. And she did all she could to protect me from it. She didn't make herself felt the weeks before the trial not only to regain some strength for her last journey but also to build some sort of protective screen that filters her memories and her knowledge. Like I said, it's hard to explain."

Feeling her partner's worry, she slightly turned to her left and added softly. "I will be alright, Janet. It's just a lot to take in all at once. And I'm reasonably sure that Egeria will be easier to deal with than Jolinar. And I won't be alone; this time, you will be there for me all the way."

"I love you, Sam."

"And I love you, baby."

Samantha refocused her attention on the other two women. "There is one more thing you both should know: Three hundred years ago, Athena came to Egeria and Diti and told her what had happened. Egeria knew that she would not be able to restore Artemis to her former self even before you returned to Gaia, Xena. She wanted to join her beloved even then, but Athena convinced her that she still had important work to do, for the Amazons and the Tok'ra.

"When you first told us about her, you said that her spiritual powers let her see into the minds of the enemy and that she saved a lot of innocent people – and it's true that her abilities surpassed the norm. The information she imparted on you and the Tok'ra on the plans of the System Lords or other dangers. However, most of the time came directly from Athena. The other Ascended were not thrilled by her actions but they also didn't stop her. Even after her death she continued to protect the Amazons."

"But why? The report you gave General Hammond on Orlin was very clear about what the Ascended think about interfering with mortals."

If Samantha was surprised that the leaders of the Amazon Nation were up to date with her reports she didn't show it.

"I don't know, your majesty, and only a couple of years ago I would have searched for a purely scientific explanation. Since then I learned to trust my instincts and my feelings, so, I like to believe that the other Ascended only allowed Athena to interfere like she did because even then they felt her bond with Diti and Egeria. I'd like to think that their connection was stronger than anything else, stronger than death, stronger than ascension, stronger than hundreds of years of separation."

"Just like your connection to Janet and mine to Gabrielle," Xena added softly.

~*~

After these exceedingly sappy words they quickly called it a night. Both of the smaller women wanted to show their closet-romantics how much they needed and how much they loved their tough warriors.

For Samantha and Janet, however, this night was not about making love or bringing each other to orgasm. It was about caressing the other's soul through their link. It still was very new for them to tap into their bond deliberately, but at the moment this was exactly what they both needed.

They both needed to reassure themselves that this newfound presence in Samantha's mind had not changed her or their relationship. The blonde opened her soul and let her partner all the way in. There were no barriers and no boundaries. Nothing was hidden, not her love for Janet and Cassandra, her love for her team and her godfather, and many others who had touched her life over the years.

Janet touched her beloved's fears and regrets. She read her greatest wishes and desires, and at the same time Samantha was exploring her lover's soul.

It was more intense than anything they had ever done before, and it was more than just therapeutic. Now, for the first time, they knew that they were not only bound to each other, they were one. They truly had one soul in two bodies.

~*~

THE PRESENT: GAIA – THE VILLAGE SQUARE

The next day they arrived on Gaia. The 'Scythia' beamed the leaders of the Amazon Nation, the Earth women, and the SG-teams down to the central square of the main village. Xena and Gabrielle were greeted by the members of the Council of Elders who had not taken part in the Grand Council. It seemed very formal at first but the atmosphere changed while the big plaza filled with other inhabitants of the village. The SG-teams were treated as heroes, especially when they tried to explain that they had not done much to free Major Carter.

THE   END

Author's Note: Feedback is always welcome, praise as well as criticism. I only know what you think if you tell me - and whatever you write I'll answer.