Disclaimer: Don't own it, yada yada

As I believe I've mentioned to some, there are things that Teal'c and others absolutely should have known at earlier points in the show, given later details, but that, because the writers hadn't mentioned it, never come up. Such as details about the Tok'ra having underground tunnels (which Teal'c says he'd been ordered to find, and which he says were spoken of in legends), things like Jolinar preferring female hosts and thus being a she (though this one might have been because everyone else assumed Jolinar had been in a male host previously), if she'd had a female host when she rebelled at Malkshur.

And details like, Asgard Motherships - he mentioned in Thor's Chariot that Jaffa legends spoke of them. I don't blame the writers, much - they were making things up as they went along, and they did better at that than a lot of other showrunners in the same boat do, but still, there's a lot of things Teal'c logically would have mentioned sooner.

Next chapter will be another trip through the Stargate.

Wasteland Gate

By Kylia

Chapter 11: It's A Wide World Out There

January 13, 2283

Gym, Cheyenne Mountain Sublevel 21

She'd checked in with Teal'c quickly after returning from Viluntia, but there'd been too many things going on for a long conversation. She'd spoken to O'Neill and Hammond - as long as Veronica was off-duty for the arm, they wanted her to stay on base, since one of her team was down. Victoria was... oddly fine with that. Part of her burned to go out to yet another world, keep exploring, keep going, but the other part of her wanted to stay. She didn't want to go out without Veronica by her side. She'd gotten used to having her by her side around the Mojave, and missed her on the way to and back from the NCR...

It was stupid, moon-eyed pathetic crush nonsense, mostly, but it was a good excuse to stick around, stay near Veronica, and pave the way for more missions, get more preparation in.

Not that the project was going to stay silent - joint NCR and CDV teams were going to be hitting worlds that Teal either didn't recognize the address of, or knew were empty, abandoned worlds the Goa'uld had no use for. Hammond was of the opinion that they shouldn't hit the Goa'uld too many times, too often. And of course, not hit Apophis again yet.

O'Neill was less ambivalent towards continued belligerence, but equally, he understood the merits of spreading the attacks out - as a Ranger, he knew the value of not letting potential enemies know too much about you, or expect your attacks. Apophis would no doubt find out about the attack on Viluntia soon enough, but if they attacked him again right after, then he might prepare all his words for more attacks from them, knowing they were a likely outcome.

Whereas if you have no idea if or where another attack will come, you can't always justify the diversion of force.

What Victoria really wanted was real-time or up to date front line intel about the front lines in all the wars, major and minor, the Goa'uld had going on. Teal'c had told them what he knew, and was still sharing, but his information would be increasingly out of date.

Hammond wanted to find a place that could serve as a steady source for food. O'Neill wasn't against the idea, but he did feel like it was a lower priority. But he had apparently decided not to force the issue right now, since Woolsey had decided he wanted to side with Hammond as well, on this. He wanted the joint project to find something more useful, saleable - goa'uld technology was good to have, and in the long run, the best thing the stargate could give the NCR - she'd seen how President Kimball had loved the idea of plasma weaponry in the hands of all the NCR's troopers, or even one plasma weapon per squad.

The real weakness for plasma weaponry was ammo - there just wasn't enough in the way of power cells that worked for them. And recycling old compatible cells, or trying to make new ones, and the like - it was expensive, and slow.

If they could figure out a way to power more conventional plasma weapons with the Naquadah the Goa'uld used in their inefficient staff weapons...

Well, that's the ballgame, isn't it?

But that would be expensive in resources, and take a long time to develop and make viable, in theory.

Food - well, you could get that in a few months, depending. Woolsey had argued that not only could it allow a surplus for Cheyenne and the NCR soldiers to be built up, but the sales of any excess food could help offset the costs of the more ambitious projects.

And sure, he's right, but farming is fucking boring. There's a reason I didn't stay at the family homestead back west. Well, a lot of reasons, and her family had only been part time farmers - their plot of land hadn't been big enough for that to be a full time job.

Still. Farming was boring, and talking about farming and the economics and business of farming even more so.

With the meeting over and nothing else immediately pressing on her time, Victoria did need to check in with Teal'c in more detail - she had a few more questions for him, and she should let him know that since his intel had checked out, Hammond had signed off on him going on off-world missions.

After asking around, she found him in the Gym on sublevel 21, lifting weights - when clearing the place out, the former occupants of Stargate Command hadn't taken those with them. He was lifting what looked like at least 200 lbs, and didn't seem to be remotely bothered by it. Victoria couldn't help but admire the movements of his arms and shoulders for a moment while he lifted. She didn't go in for lots of muscles on men, generally, but she had to admit Teal'c was an aesthetically appealing figure of a man, regardless.

After a few moments, Teal' finished his reps and set the weights on the metal holders, sitting up on the bench.

"Victoria Fernandez," He nods. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I have a few questions, but the first thing I wanted to mention was that Hammond has signed off on you being allowed to go on offworld missions now, since your intel checked out.."

Teal'c nodded, "That is indeed welcome news. I pledged my life to this world, to the fight against the Goa'uld. While the beasts of your world are indeed challenging foes, it is not the purpose I intended when I joined you."

"Well, you'll get your chance pretty soon. Hammond and Woolsey want to spend the next week running missions to those worlds you identified as empty or didn't recognize the addresses of, but after that, some more front-line missions. We'll have to figure out where to go, obviously, but - when we were raiding So'tal's personal stuff, I found this... orb. I touched it, and it turned on - some woman who works for Heru'ur showed up on it, talking, and she could see me."

"A long-ranged visual communications device. They are used by Goa'uld to speak - larger ones can be used to make announcements to larger groups of soldiers." Teal'c explained. He furrowed his brow, "So'tal was speaking with a servant of Heru'ur? Are you sure? I would not have suspected So'tal to conduct such treachery."

"Well, she had the symbol of Heru'ur around her neck," Victoria gestured to her own neck, though she wasn't sure why, "and she practically said as much - sounds like they were using him. When I said he was incapacitated, she told me Heru'ur had no use for traitors."

She shrugged, "Why wouldn't you think So'tal would be a traitor? From what you've said, I'd think betrayal is basically the Goa'uld way of saying 'hello'?" She chuckled a little, though Teal'c, unsurprisingly, did not react to her little joke.

"Treachery is a common thing among the Goa'uld, yes. But So'tal - Apophis once said that one of the few Goa'uld he did not expect to betray him was So'tal." Teal shook his head, "He believed that So'tal lacked the imagination for such conduct."

"Well, I guess he was wrong."

"Indeed." Tea'c nodded. "I suppose you have inadvertently aided Apophis by taking him prisoner."

"A little, yeah. But this also means he might be able to tell us at least a bit about Heru'ur," Victoria pointed out. "But that's not what I wanted to ask you about primarily - when the Goa'uld I was talking to realized I wasn't working for Apophis, she accused me of being 'Tok'ra'. She used the word like... I dunno, like I'd say pendejo or puta. But worse." Teal'c raised one eyebrow at her.

"Sorry - curse words. She said it like... like the word was something truly nasty."

"The Goa'uld hate the Tok'ra more than any other foe, even the Phantom Godslayers." Teal'c said. "But there is little I know for sure of them - there are legends passed among the Jaffa, and there is what I know from what orders Apophis has given me in regards to them, but I do not know much for sure."

"Well, let's start with what you do know." Victoria pointed out. Some sort of enemy of the Goa'uld, but one that is human. Would have to be, for her to be mistaken for one, right?

Unless they're other parasites? If there was one kind of body controlling parasite alien out there, couldn't there be more?

There was a pleasant thought, wasn't there?

"The Tok'ra are of the same being as the Goa'uld," Teal'c said, blowing Victoria's 'human Tok'ra' theory up in smoke. "Legends say that they are descended from a traitor queen, who birthed a brood of demons in place of gods, but some Goa'uld, such as Garshaw of Belote, and Jolinar of Malkshur, have been known to become Tok'ra." Teal'c explained, throwing unfamiliar names at her, but Victoria figured she'd ask about them later.

"Regardless of the truth, the Tok'ra take human hosts, as to Goa'uld, but they oppose the System Lords - all Goa'uld desire power, but the Tok'ra engage in subtle warfare, sabotage and spying." Teal'c shook his head, "They have no armies, no fleets, but they are experts at matters of espionage. More than once has Apophis had his plans ruined by Tok'ra infiltrators, as has every other System Lord. They fight without honor."

"So not the good guys then?" Victoria raised an eyebrow. Of course, if they took hosts, that was kind of a given.

"I have seen no evidence of such." Teal'c answered. "Though, Apophis ascribed all manner of evil powers to the Tok'ra ,and evil motives." He said that part carefully, but it was easy to gather his implication.

"And when it comes to the goa'uld, if they told me water was wet, I wouldn't take their word for it." Victoria nodded, and Teal'c did as well. "But that doesn't mean the Tok'ra are good guys. Still, they oppose the Goa'uld - you said most of them come from one queen?"

"That is what is said, yes. Each goa'uld inherits the knowledge of those who come before - and so it is believed that most Tok'ra, so different from most Goa'uld, come from one queen. Her name is unknown, but it is said that there was a Queen once, who birthed a race of demons - and as punishment, Ra sealed her away for eternity. But this was many thousands of years ago, if it happened at all." Teal'c explained. "If this Queen truly birthed the Tok'ra, I cannot say."

"It makes sense, but I suppose the question of where they came from isn't relevant. But you say they're different? Are no goa'uld capable of spying?" Given how arrogant and demanding the two she'd actually spoken to seemed, it didn't seem impossible that they were incapable of the subtleties required.

"Some, but they are uncommon, and even they are as arrogant and prideful as the rest. It is the greatest weakness of the Goa'uld - Apophis has failed in some of his ventures because of his own blindness to the weaknesses of his plans." Teal'c pointed out, but this was something he'd already told them, so that wasn't new information.

"The Tok'ra are said to lack pride," Teal'c continued, "or arrogance. To give their lives rather than be captured. I have seen Apophis, or his underlords take other Goa'uld prisoner, and trick them through his words to reveal what they know, by playing their egos against them. I have never seen him capture a Tok'ra alive, but it is said even when that happens, they will not speak, not even under the most dire of tortures."

"Well, gotta admire the stubbornness," Victoria mused. "So the difference is tactical and personality based? And the goa'uld hate the Tok'ra? That much?"

"Indeed. Little can unite the System Lords like a Tok'ra. Jolinar of Malkshur," Teal'c brought up the earlier name,"was once a servant of the System Lord Cronus, another old enemy of Apophis. She earned her name for the battle of Malkshur, when she led her forces against both Cronus and Apophis as they warred for the planet - but it is said that after her allegiance to the Tok'ra was discovered, the two allied against her forces, and crushed them. She fled, and has been hunted since."

"How many enemies does Apophis have?" Victoria asked, curiously.

"Every system Lord opposes every other System Lord eventually," Teal'c said, almost philosophically. "Alliances are merely matters of convenience for them. But Apophis reserves his greatest hatred for Cronus and Heru'ur, though it is said he held even greater hatred for Ra, when he reigned."

"Well, that makes sense. Hate the guy who forces you to obey him." Victoria shrugged. "Wonder why the Goa'uld hate the Tok'ra so much." She shook her head, "I suppose we'll find out someday, or we won't. If they're just as bad as the Goa'uld, it doesn't change much at all, though I suppose we can bear their animus in mind."

Play them against each other, a bit, eventually, maybe.

"There is little else known for sure about the Tok'ra, but it is said that they have the technology - the magic - to grow tunnels, creating vast underground homes for themselves in mere days." Teal'c went on, "Many words, Apophis ordered that I search for signs of such tunnels, but never once did I find them."

"That would be a useful technology to have," Victoria mused. It would make it easier to expand the tunnels here, or make vaults bigger, or just, build safe shelters for all kinds of reasons. Could help with mining too, potentially, though Victoria couldn't say for sure. "We'll have to try and steal it if we run into any Tok'ra."

"Do not count on it being a likely occurrence," Teal'c suggested. "The Tok'ra are not commonly found until after they depart."

"True, we aren't likely to trip and land in one of their tunnels," Victoria considered. If the Goa'uld couldn't find them, and still had to deal with this enemy threat for so long, then presumably they were very good at hiding themselves. Still, if they ever did find one, worth keeping in mind, but... well, there were other priorities.

Then something else that Teal'c had mentioned occurred to her, and she spoke, "Are there any other enemies of the Goa'uld then? For the Tok'ra to be the most hated, that means there have to be others. Beyond just the Phantom Godslayers and each other."

"The Goa'uld have fought many enemies over the millennia - stories of their destruction, the battles fought to defeat them pass down. Countless races have been destroyed by the Goa'uld for not being suitable as slaves or hosts, or the merest hints of resistance." Teal'c said, his voice seeming to be more than a little upset - though again, it remained hard to tell.

"But some enemies yet remain," Teal'c continued, "the Reetou, Ohnes and the Omeyocan among those who fight, but are too few in number or too weak in technology to pose much true threat. Only the Asgard are a danger to the Goa'uld, enough that the Goa'uld have accepted that certain words, certain parts of the galaxy are forbidden to them, on pain of further war."

"Powerful enough to make the Goa'uld make peace?" Now that sounded like Victoria's kind of alien, though they could be just as terrifying as the Goa'uld, she supposed.

"It is said that Asgard Motherships, great vessels shaped like hammers, can destroy many times their number of Ha'taks," Teal'c said. "The Goa'uld do not allow such speech to be made among their Jaffa, however. They speak of the Asgard as powerful enemies, however."

"Are they evil too?"

"I cannot say," Teal'c admitted. "Apophis and all other System Lords would claim as such, that the Asgard are demons as well, monsters that slay gods and Jaffa, but can be defeated with brave warriors and great skill..." he trailed off for a moment, then, "I cannot say that there is a legend of any victory of the Goa'uld over the Asgard, save for one - Ra, once, led the united fleets of all the Goa'uld to victory, but no other stories are told."

"Well, they're not Goa'uld, and they haven't tried to take over the galaxy, so let's just pencil them in as 'not the enemy' for now," Victoria considered. "We can worry about finding them another time. They protect certain worlds and regions of space from the Goa'uld?"

"Some, yes. Apophis would occasionally send his Jaffa to such worlds, to test the Asgard, as do other Goa'uld. No Jaffa return from such efforts." Teal'c warned. "I would not advise testing the Asgard."

"Probably a good plan. Especially not if you're with us." Victoria nodded. "Thank you, Teal'c. This has been enlightening. Always is when I have the chance to talk with you."

"There is much I know of the Goa'uld - more than I can tell in any single meeting," Teal'c nodded. "But I will always speak of what I know, and offer what may help."

"And we appreciate it. You're welcome to talk Mitchell or O'Neill about going offworld with some of the teams now, and like I said, when I go on my next mission, I'd like you by my side." Victoria offered.

"Gladly," Teal'c nodded. "You are a skilled warrior, Victoria Fernandez. To fight by your side would be an honor."

I don't think I've ever heard that before. Victoria resisted the urge to chuckle, worried Teal'c would take it the wrong way.

"Likewise," she said after a moment, which wasn't exactly untrue, even if she wouldn't have phrased it in terms of honor. "Maybe we'll be able to free more Jaffa from the Goa'uld."

"That would indeed be a welcome occurance. But I do not expect the day my people win their freedom to come in my lifetime." Teal'c admitted.

"Maybe not," Victoria agreed. "Big galaxy." Not that she'd had any idea how big it was - or what a galaxy really was - until recently. "But I never thought I'd see the day humanity left Earth, and now I've found out it happened ages ago." House's plans to abandon Earth had seemed so silly.

But he knew about the Stargate too, so I suppose this was his plan. Well, now it was her plan. Well, hers and the NCR's and Cheyenne's.

"Perhaps," Teal'c nodded. "Is there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"Not right now. I'll leave you to your workout," Victoria nodded and left the gym.

January 13, 2283

Veronica's Workspace, Sublevel 19

Cheyenne Mountain

"Back to working on the plasma weapons?" Victoria asked, knocking on the empty doorway. Veronica looked up from the plasma rifle she'd disassembled.

"Sort of, kind of" Veronica shrugged. "I've got an idea, but it's gonna take time, and probably a few more plasma rifles." Victoria looked over the pieces of the gun, then furrowed her brow.

"Looks like you've already got two there," she gestured to the table.

"One and a half. I got a broken one off a scavenger a few days ago. Most of the other people working on this don't agree with me, but I think we're never going to be able to jury rig a way to make this stuff," she picked up a vial of liquid naquadah from its place next to the staff weapon she'd take it out of, "power a conventional plasma weapon. At least not without making it too prone to blowing up on us."

"Not giving up on it?" Victoria teased.

Veronica smiled, "Of course not. I just... well, you know how much I complained about how complacent the Brotherhood got. I was just as complacent as they were - I wanted to go out and do stuff, find more old technology, but I didn't really think often about trying to make better technology. A bit, but..." she shook her head.

"So what, you want to make a new kind of plasma rifle?" Victoria assumed.

"Exactly." Veronica chuckled, "Granted, it'll be cannibalizing other plasma weapons, but these liquid naquadah cores last a long time. Imagine - no more microfusion cells. Just one gun, fire it for months, or even years." She picked up the empty staff weapon, and mimed aiming it - or trying to. The thing really wasn't made for aiming, as they knew well.

Or rather, Veronica tried to aim it. Her penchant for punching her way out of problems left her form and posture all wrong.

"Okay, no, no, that's now how you'd aim that if you were trying to do that," Victoria chuckled, moving to stand behind Veronica.

"Oh, like you'd know, Miss Pistols," Veronica countered, though there was no heat in her voice. Victoria put a hand on Veronica's shoulders, gently adjusting her stance a little, trying to ignore just how close they were.

Damnit Victoria...

"I've been known to shoot a rifle from time to time. I got my start as a courier with a hunting rifle, if you can believe that." She'd quickly decided she preferred pistols, but still.

"Oh?" Veronica asked softly, leaning into Victoria's hands a little, making it easier for her to adjust to Victoria's direction.

"Yup. The damn things are a dime a dozen in the NCR. Some made more recently by the Gun Runners or some other maker, but they're sturdy and solid - most of the ones out there go all the way back to before the Great War. With a bit of maintenance, it's hard to go wrong with one." She explained. "So when I decided to be a courier, going out and delivering packages and messages across dangerous areas... I bought one of my own - practiced on my parents' ones growing up after all." She hesitated a moment, and then moved her hands to Veronica's arms, careful to avoid the cast and to move the arm with it gingerly.

"And you need to hold it like this too. See, move this hand up a bit, and then readjust your hold on the trigger. Got it?" Victoria didn't realize until she was halfway through that her lips were near Veronica's ear as she explained, and pulled back, quickly, trying not to be obvious about it.

Damnit. She repeated again. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her pulse racing, and Victoria was pretty sure her breathing had grown just a little more shallow.

"And when did you decide you preferred pistols more?"

"When I realized that out on the road, when it's you, four raiders and no one else for miles, rate of fire is a lot more important than when you're hunting, or defending the homestead," Victoria shrugged. "And while I could have gone for something more like a semiautomatic rifle, ammo for that was just too expensive starting out."

"And now you could afford to single-handedly outfit an army." Veronica pointed out. "Or close enough."

"Hardly, but true, ammo costs aren't really a problem for me." She shrugged, "I can keep my eyes open for more parts for you," she added, as Veronica set down the empty staff weapon. "Do you have a specific design in mind, or are you just winging it?"

"Bit of both. What I need to do is increase the amount of juice that the plasma rifle can handle." Veronica gestured to the parts on the table. "The issue with just hooking these liquid naquadah cells up to the plasma rifle is, like I said, you'll just make the thing explode. So much power, the thing can't handle it. Fire it a few times, overheats, and at the very least your hands are unusable for a while."

"I'd still have my hands?"

"Depends on the condition of the gun. Plasma weaponry even before the war was touchy, so they were designed to handle overheating and components. They'd blow up more... mildly, if they blew up at all." Veronica explained.

I suppose that makes sense. The US government had been up to all kinds of nasty shit before the war, or so was her interpretation of the evidence she'd found in Vaults and old computer terminals - they certainly enabled a lot of horrible stuff, like at Big Mountain, and then gave rise to the Enclave and all that genocidal insanity, but they weren't going to give their soldiers a gun that would kill the user as often as the enemy.

"But these days, they're just as likely to blow off your hands if they overheat and you can't cool it down quickly." Veronica finished. "Worn, old components, repaired badly if all, replaced with substandard scavenged wiring and the like..." Veronica shrugged. "Better idea is to start over."

"And you have a plan for that?"

"Stack several capacitors into it. I'm not going to try to increase the power a plasma rifle actually puts out - the idea is to run a bank of capacitors for the power from the liquid naquadah to run through." Veronica showed Victoria the various sketches she'd made and the components she was using. "It's going to be a funky, bulky thing, but hopefully it will do the job."

"I'm sure you can figure it out," Victoria said. "Even if I really only understand one word in five on these sketches of yours. Once you figure it out, what then?"

"Easy. I hand a completed design over to Cheyenne and the NCR, let them make new ones. I don't want to just make plasma rifles over and over again. There's a whole galaxy of technology to discover and use out there," she gestured downwards, in the direction of the Stargate.

Sounds familiar. Even if her focus hadn't been technology. It was the similarity, and the sense of wonder Veronica had that Victoria shared - even if she was a bit more cynical about it - was one of the things that drew her to the other woman in the first place.

"How's the arm feeling anyway?"

"Hurts, but as long as I move the arm carefully and slowly, and don't jostle it in the cast... I can function," Veronica answered. "I took some Med-X, but half a dose and that's all I'm going to take for it."

"Using it when you're in pain isn't an automatic risk of addiction, Veronica," Victoria chided. She didn't want to see her hurting.

"I can function with the pain. I hit people in a fight. I'm used to my arms being sore," Veronica said, defending her choice. "It's as much about saving the Med-X for the people who need it more. Harder to make that stuff than stimpacks." She turned back to the table. "So what do you have planned for the next week?" She asked. "This is all I'll be up to, probably."

"I'm going to try getting some information out of So'tal at some point, but I'll probably want Arcade's help for that, and he's busy working on translations right now." Victoria answered. "Apart from that - I've got letters to send back to the NCR and Mojave to write - Frasier wants to see if I can get her more Broc Flower and Xander Root, from Zion Canyon. And setting up a secure and reliable caravan route from here to New Vegas is going to take some serious work."

"So boring logistics, in other words," Veronica teased.

"Boring, but important. I think I can get Cass to handle a lot of the work. There's money to be made, and I'm funding her new caravan, so I give her the resources... she should be able to try something. The communities that used to rely on the Legion for Protection are opening up to unrestricted trade again, because they don't have much choice anymore." Victoria explained. "And I'm boring you, aren't I?" She asked, as Veronica started fiddling some some of the electrical components on the table.

"No more than I bored you with my technical talk about the Plasma Rifle," Veronica replied. "Just a lot to do and so little time."

"True." Quickly, Victoria gave Veronica a quick hug from behind, arms around her waist for a moment. "I'll be stopping by periodically to make sure you eat and sleep."

"Don't trust me to do that on my own?" Veronica laughed.

"Never." Victoria chuckled, pulling away from Veronica, and heading back out into the hallway.

January 15th, 2283

Prison Cell, Cheyenne Mountain

So'tal was under guard 24/7. They didn't know if it was possible for the snake that was in his head could just... leave and grab a new host, but the orders were to shoot to kill him and the snake if it did.

But then... he is the snake, right? So killing the host seems pointless... Victoria shook her head. It was hard to get used to the idea that when she talked to what looked like a person, sounded like a person - sort of, mostly, usually - and yet... was really just a small, foot-long snake inside his head.

Still, the orders were in place, to be safe. Teal'c seemed fairly certain that once a Goa'uld left a host, they were gone from that host for good, but Hammond was less willing to take chances and Woolsey seemed inclined to agree.

So am I, for that matter.

Of course, the problem with keeping an eye on him so the snake didn't slip out is that the guy liked to talk. A lot.

"-you have not know torture until you have experienced what a painstick can do to you, human," So'tal said, his threats delivered almost conversationally at the CDV and NCR soldiers - one of each -standing just inside the doorway. He looked at her as she stepped through the now open doorway.

"You know, I expected you to try to escape by now," Victoria said, "Rather than just deliver an endless series of empty threats."

"I can assure you, the Goa'uld do not make empty threats. I will be free, and you will all suffer for the indignities you have wrought upon a god!" He growled, leaning forward quickly enough to rattle the chains that held him to the floor and table. He had very limited range of motion - just enough to eat, and while the Goa'uld had looked in disdain at the food given him, he'd apparently decided that eating the prepacked prewar shit they'd tossed at him was better than starving. The radiation seemed to have had no real effect on him. When she or most other people at them, she definitely had to take some time to throw off the effects of the rads in the food, if not just take some radaway and deal with it the hard way.

"For a god, you seem to be pretty powerless," Victoria mused, sitting across from him. "So, how have you found your captivity so far?" She cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"Your attempts to break my will by subjecting me to indignities will not work, human." He snapped at her.

"I have a name, So'tal. Can I call you So'tal?" Victoria asked, clasping her hands in front of her. "Or are you going to keep talking like a living cliche. Because I've met cliches before, and it's lot more fun when you have a personality."

So'tal looked at her, seemingly baffled by her words, but he recovered from his confusion soon enough. "Impressive your technology may be, but you are no match for the might of the Goa'uld. Do you think I will surrender the secrets you seek?"

"Not right no, probably. But given enough time, maybe. And no, I suppose we're not a match for the Goa'uld, but the Phantom Godslayers seem to be giving you plenty of problems."

"You are not the phantoms who hunt the Goa'uld," So'tal said confidently. "They do not take prisoners. They do not show their faces. They strike as cowards and leave only ash in their wake. Weaklings outside their armored suits."

"No, we're not them. But we've got all the same toys they do." Victoria shrugged. "We're from the same world they originally came from. Couldn't tell you where they are now though." She wanted to find out, one way or the other. She could guess it was Abydos - but they didn't have a Stargate Address for it. And while it was possible a Goa'uld might know it - like So'tal - Victoria didn't want to tip any hands by mentioning it just yet.

So'tal narrowed his eyes, saying nothing.

"Here's the thing, buddy. We know you were working with Heru'ur." So'tal tensed a little, but did not say anything or react more. He could do a poker face, or nearly so. Interesting. "Could probably just hand you over to Apophis with that."

"And what would that gain you?" So'tal pointed out. "Little more than killing me."

"Actually, killing you would at least let us dissect you." Though they could dissect Goa'uld taken from other Jaffa too. I wonder if we can surgically remove a Goa'uld from the host without killing either of them? She doubted it would be that simple, but maybe it was possible. She made a note to talk to Dr. Frasier about that. She doubted Teal'c would know, but she could ask him too.

"But," she went on, "You're underestimating the power of spite. Keep not talking, and we may just toss you through a Stargate with a note saying 'if found, return this traitor to Apophis'."So'tal, unsurprisingly, either did not get her joke, or didn't find it funny. I bet O'Neill would enjoy it.

"Your attempts at intimidation are not working," So'tal ground out, though at least was a little less... arrogant sounding.

"No, I didn't think they would. You're not getting the point here. I'm not expecting you to just fold like a deck of cards. That would be nice, but I don't expect it. But we've got all the time in the world for you to get desperate."

"Desperate for what?"

"Flavor. Sensation. You Goa'uld might be truly unpleasant snakes, but humans can be right bastards too, when we want to. The food you ate will be a luxury compared to what we could feed you." Tasteless gruel was actually hard to make - food had taste, just naturally. But it was doable. And solitary... even for a Goa'uld, being locked in true solitary for a few weeks should have an impact. "We'll find a way to make you talk, one way or another. Or you'll die." Victoria stood up and turned to the guards.

"Hammond and O'Neill will be ordering him moved soon." Well, she was going to tell them that they should, anyway. She was fairly certain she could convince them.

"There is nothing you can do that will sway me, human!" So'tal snarled as she left. "I will see you tortured a thousand lifetimes for this!"

"Please, go ahead, try," Victoria chuckled, closing the door behind her. Well. that was... well, I can't say interesting. Not even unique. It was like talking to a less charismatic Caesar.

Still, she thought she'd cracked the facade a little. She could hope, anyway. She really didn't want to die of old age before someone got So'tal to talk.