The Roots That Clutch 3

Wheeling And Dealing

by Tittamiire

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ast/tittamiire/rootst03.php
Summary: With Vala in tow SG1 attempt to get their ship repaired. Of course it doesn't go as smoothly as planned.

When she woke up the other woman on the ship was sitting nearby and flicking through a rather battered looking book with the Zat resting in her lap. She looked up when Vala stirred and Vala hunted in her memory for the name.

"Ahh, Doctor Janet Fraiser?" The woman nodded. "So, what can I call you that's slightly easier?"

She contemplated this for a moment, "Doc works, or Fraiser or Janet if you must."

Vala sat up and shook her long dark hair before she took a slow look around the room. Some of the bunks had people in them, though not as many as when Vala had fallen asleep. She could see the grey hair of the Colonel, the black hair of Teal'c and one other figure she couldn't immediately identify and of course the short Doctor who had tucked the book into the thigh pocket of her slightly too large green trousers and was watching Vala carefully.

"C'mon, let's not disturb anyone," Doc suggested, not unkindly, and indicated for Vala to lead the way out of the bunk room, pausing on the threshold to shut the door behind them.

"Breakfast?"

"Sure, why not."

Doc, Fraiser or Janet led the way into yet another room, this one fitted with a long metal, and again mismatched, table in the centre. Sam and Doctor Daniel Jackson were seated at the far side. Janet indicated one of the chairs for Vala and dropped into another herself. There was what appeared to be food in the centre of the table, which Janet reached for and tugged towards them. Sam and Daniel hardly looked up from what was occupying each of them as the two women entered. They were both engrossed in their work, Daniel had a book and Sam had something that looked complicated with wires and bits. There was silence in the room and it made Vala's skin itch, they all seemed used to it but surely they couldn't prefer to live like this?

Janet pushed the food across to Vala, who watched her spread something from one pot onto the bread before she copied her. Janet polished her helping off in record time, removed her dish from the table and wandered to the side of the room to wash it.

"What're you up to?" Vala asked as she chewed casually.

Daniel looked up at her. "Translating," he told her over his glasses.

"Repairing," muttered Sam without looking up from her work. Vala sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. She propped her head up on her hand and looked across the table, "At least Daniel I can sit and admire. Why couldn't you be assigned to keep me out of trouble?"

Daniel frowned at her as if he wasn't sure how serious she was.

Janet reappeared and removed Vala's plate to wash that up as well. "C'mon," she told Vala, "I have stuff to do."

"Fun stuff?" Vala asked hopefully.

"Sterilising and re-rolling bandages"

Vala dropped her head onto the table and groaned. "You people need to lighten up," she declared loudly from the tabletop.

"Maybe later," Sam commented without humour. Vala groaned yet again, but got up from the table and followed Janet to yet another room. As it was she didn't end up sterilising and re-rolling bandages. She did look round the room while Janet did though. She examined everything within it and resorted to harassing the Doc for entertainment.

"So, you're a Doctor huh?" It wasn't the most original of conversation starters and Janet didn't even dignify it with an answer.

"How come you guys are rebels?"

Janet gave her another look and continued re-rolling the bandage.

"So, your world ended?" That got the iciest glare of all. Vala shrugged apologetically and she went on more quietly. "Who was it?"

"Anubis," was Janet's answer. "He tried all sorts of crazy plans, eventually he resorted to the tried and tested method of turning up with a lot of big honking mother ships and blasted us from space. It cost him, but it worked." She finished that bandage, wrapped it and tucked it into a box before reaching for another one. She looked at Vala steadily, "Maybe we were worth it, maybe we weren't, but it happened."

Vala nodded understandingly, "you better have good stuff to trade for what you need though."

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Janet told her flatly.

Part Two

"We are approaching Woronsen," Teal'c's voice finally intoned over the ships internal communications and Vala jumped up to head to the control room. She was eager to be off this ship. She'd seen merrier funerals, much merrier ones in fact, but then she'd been to a few where everyone had turned up just to make sure the bastard in question was dead. Siler had been watching her and he had to drop what he had been working on to catch up with her (he'd been using a wrench? What on an Alkesh was repaired with a wrench?). He was looking rather relieved too, he didn't appear to have enjoyed Vala's company for the last three hours as she pinged around the room.

He overtook Vala to enter the control room first and then pulled up suddenly to a stop and attempted to look like he'd actually been in charge. The Colonel acknowledged him with a nod and looked towards Vala.

"We're in orbit around Woronsen," he informed her and gestured to the screen that showed the pleasantly blue-green planet below.

"Southern hemisphere, from our perspective anyway, there is a large city where the Stargate is."

Teal'c brought the Alkesh's scanners up and scanned around. He put an image up onto the screen, "This city?"

"That looks right."

"Set us down nearby," the Colonel ordered and stood up from the chair as Teal'c did as instructed. Sam, Daniel and he moved towards the door close to where Vala was.

"We'll get prepped, Siler, soon as she's down she's all yours."

"Yes Sir."

"So, Vala, where about are these contacts we need to meet?"

This time it was Vala's turn to hurry to keep up, "Guy by the name of Praysul, he has a base of operations near the city centre. But I'll get word to him and then we can meet up with him in a bar where there'll be less macho territorialism going on."

"And this Platypus will have what we need?"

"Praysul and yes, well I can't guarantee anything, but that's what he was into the last time I saw him."

The three others stopped outside a door and the Colonel opened it. They began to pull out weapons.

"Woah, woah, do you want to send this deal south before you've even started?" Vala protested.

The Colonel looked at her, his clip holding hand poised over his gun, and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sam and I will go in without obvious weapons. You guys can stay on the edge of town for back up or whatever, but no show of force."

"Why Sam?"

"Praysul has a soft spot for women."

Sam rolled her eyes and the Colonel looked warningly at Vala.

"Oh not like that," Vala tutted, "get your mind out of the gutter. He just underestimates us."

~~~

Sam's leg jiggled and shook the table while her hands toyed with the untouched glass of clear spirits in front of her.

"You need to relax," Vala warned her, "drink up."

"You haven't drunk yours."

"I don't look ready to break someone's face."

Sam scowled at her, but she did almost relax. She at least sat still though she looked like she was concentrating on relaxing, which perhaps missed the point, but got a similar result. Vala drummed her finger nails lightly on her glass and waited.

Praysul was predictably late. He liked the idea of people waiting around for him and the message of uncaring he imagined it conveyed. Vala thought he was a bit of a dick, especially when he walked in flanked by half a dozen extremely well muscled guards, but he had his uses. Praysul was small and looked disproportionately frail for his age as he arrived in the bar and sidled over to them.

"Ah, my lady, it is always a pleasure to see you."

"Praysul you slimy bastard, the last time you saw me was looking back as you accelerated away and abandoned me on that dung heap of a planet surrounded by some very angry people."

"Bygones my girl, bygones, who wants to live in the past hmm?"

"I'm just reminding you that despite the massive grudge I bear you I have willingly brought some business your way."

"Quite, well, let's see what business you've brought me first, hmm?" He looked towards Sam curiously.

"Carter. We're looking to purchase crystals and spare parts."

"Oh so harsh and to the point," Praysul mock winced at her words, "A business deal is a work of art and should be savoured." He took a seat on the remaining stool and waved for the bartender.

"Now then, what specifically would you like to acquire from us."

"Crystals for various systems within a Goa'uld Alkesh, cannon components too, casing and a power source as a priority and tools if you have them."

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"You don't have what we need?"

"Hmm? I do have some of the things you need, but no, I just don't believe you have anything to offer in return."

"We have knowledge and information that you may find useful. We have components of other Goa'uld ships that could be of use to you. We have access to unrefined naquadah."

Praysul shook his head slowly, "Nothing of use my dear. I have no access to any refineries for naquadah, it is useless for trade unless it is refined and I have all the information and spare parts I need."

"You rat Praysul, you never had any intention of trading with us," Vala said levelly and grimly.

The little man smiled coldly at her, "Of course not. I just wanted to finish what I thought I'd done when I abandoned you on that planet."

He clicked his fingers and slid from the stool out of their reach in a slick move as his henchmen encroached.

Sam and Vala slid from their own stools and Sam gave Vala a dirty look, "Is your entire life a cliché?"

"That or a running joke," Vala suggested. She reached for her gun from the small of her back and pointed it at the advancing henchmen who were reaching for their own weapons.

"Duck?" Vala suggested and she and Sam threw themselves behind the table as the henchmen opened fire. Energy and bullets ricocheted off the table

"Back way out," Sam declared with a hand already going to Vala's collar to fling her in the direction of the door. A fire fight against half a dozen men (albeit one of them missing an eye and thus lacking depth perception as well) wasn't balanced in their favour. Sam fired a couple of unsuccessful shots over the table before she followed and then they were running down steps and through the twisted maze of corridors that made up the underbelly of the inn. Vala whooped when she launched herself down half a dozen steps and skidded to fire discouragingly back at their pursuers. She never felt more alive than when someone was trying to kill her and the thrill of the chase was undeniable. Sam ran seriously.

"What did you do to that guy anyway?" Sam asked as they burst out of the back of the building and sent a bin of rubbish tumbling into the alley.

"I didn't do anything," Vala stated with a quick glance around before they set off again towards the main street and the hopeful obscurity of a large crowd. "It's not my fault his son fell helplessly in love with me. I tried to let the boy down gently, but he just thought I was playing hard to get."

They slowed down when they hit the crowds, threading and wending their way forward with many a backwards glance for their pursuers.

"Crouch Sam," Vala told her.

"Huh?" She asked, mid peer back.

"You're a little distinctive from a distance, even in this crowd."

"Oh," Sam's hand went to her hair and she did indeed endeavour to crouch a little.

"You should have a hat, a hat would work," Vala ducked to avoid a trader selling chickens at the top of his voice and then pulled Sam into an alley way. They paused for breath finally and Vala looked cautiously back the way they had come for any signs of pursuit.

"I think we lost them," she declared and relaxed. She was out of breath and she bent double to catch it back. Sam watched her calmly, she was breathing deeply, but nowhere near as out of breath as Vala was.

"Any other contacts?"

Vala shook her head, "We could try, but I am pretty sure that Praysul will have threatened the major players with retribution if they helped us and the smaller ones won't have what you need."

"Would they help us?" Sam asked, indicating herself and her absent crew and clearly excluding Vala.

"Probably, maybe if you sent in a couple of the guys. I can give you some names and probable locations."

"Excellent," Sam handed her a pencil and paper.

Vala wrote the names down and handed the paper back, "Well, it was entertaining at least. Thanks for the ride."

"Are you sure you want to stay here after what just happened?"

"Sure, why not? Oh Praysul, he'll get over it eventually."

"Why don't you go to a planet where no one wants to kill you?"

"Those planets are boring."

Sam shook her head, but smiled with it, "Thanks for this."

"Thanks for getting me off that horrible moon. Well, be seeing you," Vala tucked her gun into her trousers and waved at Sam before disappearing into the crowd.

~~~

It was Daniel that tracked her down several days later as she indulged in a little light-hearted and below the radar swindling on the outskirts of the town. He lurked impatiently while she finished the game, standing with his arms folded and those blue eyes scowling at her. She won the game and while her opponents looked hatefully at her she swept her winnings off the table and flounced over to Daniel. He considered the malicious looking crowd behind her.

"Haven't you ever thought of not pissing people off so much that they want to hurt you?"

"Where's the fun in that?" She shovelled the winnings into her pockets and obtrusively linked her arm through his to lead him out of the bar.

He pulled his arm away from her the moment they stepped out of the door, "Your contacts were no good."

"Ah, Praysul must have got to them, hmm, he must hate me more than I thought," she finished brightly.

Daniel shook his head at her, "Is there anyone else?"

"I gave you the name of everyone I thought would be able to help," she shrugged blithely.

"Think harder."

"Ah ah, I held up my end of the bargain, you guys held up yours. I don't do anything for free."

"We could work out some kind of payment?"

"That's more like it. How dirty are you willing to get your hands?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"There's a secret warehouse of a certain Goa'uld, which a small, but efficient team could easily infiltrate and steal from."

"It'll have what we need?"

"More than you could need. It's used to supply various ship yards."

"We'll need details and to discuss a plan."

"I want fifty percent."

"We'll need to discuss that too."

Vala linked her arm through Daniel's again, despite his glower, and walked with him out of the town towards the Alkesh.

"Isn't it so nice when everyone gets along?"

"Can you give me my watch back?" he asked.

Next: Plans Into Action