Single Purpose

by Tittamiire

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ast/tittamiire/singlepu.php
Summary: RepliCarter survives the destruction of the Replicators and begins to rebuild her army.
Info: Written for a Sam and Janet ficathon on livejournal.

She couldn't feel pain, not physically at least. She had a memory of the physical sensation, but it wasn't the same. Still, feeling the destruction of nearly all of her kind and almost all of herself had been the closest she'd ever come to actually feeling physical pain.

The emotional pain had been excruciating. It was far worse than anything Fifth had ever done to her, or at least it felt far worse when those memories were viewed and thus reshaped with the knowledge that they had formed the individual she was now. She wondered what individual these events would fashion her into.

Organic based life forms gave pain too much power anyway. It was nothing more than the warning of physical damage or disorder, a warning that repairs were needed or that to continue would inflict more damage. She'd been receiving those signals constantly since the weapon had attempted to tear her and all of her kin apart and she acknowledged them as the tool that they were, but she gave them no power. There were more important things to focus her time and energy on.

For now she had to focus on finding resources that she could use to repair and rebuild everything. The search was hampered by their limited numbers and power. Never before had she sent such small units out, but each of them could be an eye and that was what she needed more than anything.

After the initial surge to put distance between themselves and those who would destroy them, they journeyed as efficiently as possible, which meant they travelled slowly. They used what little energy they had to get as far as possible because she didn't know where they would find what they needed, but it was okay; the longer they took the more the rest of the galaxy would have forgotten them and how to fight against them.

She wouldn't forget though.

Once her kin had been entirely ruled by a simple need to make more of themselves.

She, however, had been given an insight into human emotions and drives.

Revenge would be sweet.

XXXX

They found a planet at the far edge of the territory the Goa'uld had once controlled. Whichever Goa'uld had controlled it was no longer here, but there was enough resources left behind in buildings and weapons that they could use to begin to slowly rebuild.

Her sense of self-preservation baulked as she used a few of those resources and sacrificed a little of herself to make the beginnings of another human form replicator. Last time too much of their attack had depended on her sole existence, which had been foolish in hindsight.

Next time, the system would have redundancy. There would be another General for her army. Someone whom she alone had shaped and formed, one who would owe her their entire existence, one who would be strong, one who would know her plan and need for revenge intimately and who would walk beside her and delight in seeing their kin rise from the ashes. One who she would never betray and who would never betray her. Someone who would understand.

She was only the second of the kind to have a name. She formed the third and poured herself into it. She named it Janet.

XXXX

When Fifth created her he gave her the memories of the woman he had modelled her on. She had come into existence with a lifetimes worth of memories. As her kin began to develop and grow around her she went through those memories, paring and sorting them to find what she could give to the newly formed Janet to put her existence in context.

The grass is green, the sky is blue. This is what grass is. This is what green is.

This is what we are, these are our kin, their purpose is to further their existence, as it is for all life forms.

We have that purpose too and more.

This is what they did to us.

This is called revenge.

XXXX

By the time they had depleted the readily available resources amongst the abandoned Goa'uld technology, she'd developed ways to tap into and exploit the natural resources available on this planet. That was another thing that had been overlooked before. Consuming highly processed metals was easy and it made them strong, but they were also in limited supply and that was a weakness that would not be tolerated. This way might take more time, but it would make them stronger in the long run and they had the time.

Still, the old ways were quicker and easier. She sent Janet away with some of their kind to find another world with readily available resources to exploit. It was the first time they'd been separated since she created her.

Even though they were still connected mentally, it was a test, for both of them.

XXXX

The planet that Janet found had also been occupied by the Goa'uld. It was currently occupied by the remnant of their transplanted slaves. Janet and their kin initially consumed the resources available in the abandoned Goa'uld technology. Then they directed their energy onto using this planets natural resources.

They spread, consumed and dismantled the human's planet out from underneath their feet.

Then they moved on.

Slowly, but inexorably, the new tide of their kind spread across the galaxy.

This time they really would be unstoppable.