so_out_of_ideas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-05-12 04:21 pm
so_out_of_ideas) wrote2006-05-12 04:21 pm
Entry tags:
...boredom always had this effect....
It's raining. In fact, it's been bloody raining all week. Tammy wanted me to go to the movies with her and "the boy" tonight, but I'm waiting on a call from Sarah. *Hopes* Meanwhile, I've been bored, and the boredom has, for once, led to productivity.
Pretties...
Boy, the variation monster has apparently taken over my brain.
I have some D/V icon variations by request![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
martyfan and aruna7, some Ronon icons and their variations, and some Ronon wall variations because my variation monster seems to have also been bitten by a Runner bug.
I used the above textures foraruna7's icons, too, even though I already posted a bunch of examples of this texture set using Sam/Jack. They just seemed to work. Still haven't quite managed purple, but I'm happier with them than the last ones. I made a more purplish one, but it looked like Danny had an allergic reaction to alien grapes or something.
The walls are 800x600. I almost never make that size, as I have a gargantuan monitor, but I'd noticed that it seems to be neglected, and I do know some people that actually have screens that small still. So... from me to you. Happy Unbirthday.
Fic...
You asked for it, you got it! As a result of my latest fic spree and some help from the typoteers on IM, those following Rediscovered Hearts get to find out what happened to Daniel...eventually...
First, however, we have to check in with Vala and co. Yes, dear reader...you must continue to be patient. And if you skip ahead, you'll not only risk being confused later, but I will know...and I might just experience sudden writer's block. :p
Title: Arthur and Lancelot
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Jack ponders his relationship with Sam while maintaining awkward silence with Martouf...
Rating: PG for implied violence toward the end
Length: 476 words
Pairing: Sam/Jack and a bit of Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Drama, maybe a bit angsty
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series from Jack and Vala's perspective after White Knights. Ancilliatory to Trapped.
Arthur and Lancelot
He guessed it wasn't a very good analogy. Daniel would probably have spent an hour explaining why it didn't work. Lancelot had been Arthur's right hand man--his version of Teal'c. They'd been through all kinds of hell together, loved each other, probably would've died for each other without blinking. He and Martouf didn't have any of that going on. Throw in the fact that Guinevere had been Arthur's wife and the comparison pretty much went out the window. Still, that's what Jack felt like, staring across the ship at the man he knew still loved Sam as much as he did.
Martouf, of course, was free to do something about it. In fact, he had for a while. Jack wasn't sure what had happened; he and Sam had by tacit agreement skirted certain aspects of their personal lives for years. What one didn't volunteer, the other carefully didn't ask.
"How much do we know about this Brandy guy, anyway?" he asked, turning toward Jacob.
"Brannen," Sam's father corrected. "Brannen Daegar. He's a mercenary. Apparently a very successful one, recently become a figure of some prominence within the Lucian Alliance. Seems he owns the planet we're about to land on."
"Owns it?" Jack repeated.
"A large part of the Eastern continent is kept as his private retreat. The rest he leases out…mostly to smugglers, slavers…anyone needing somewhere hidden to set up an operation that authorities on other planets might not take kindly to hosting."
"Sounds like a real peach," Jack observed, then frowned for a moment toward the cockpit as the ship suddenly gave a strange lurch.
"Sorry," Vala's voice crackled over his radio.
"What happened?" Jacob asked.
"Nothing," she replied. "Hyperdrive hiccupped."
Jack's eyebrows rose as he asked softly, "Hiccupped…?"
Jacob spread his hands in a silent "I don't know," gesture, and Martouf only frowned in confusion.
"Listen, go take over for Vala, wouldja?" Jack asked Jacob. "She hasn't had much rest; I don't want her going into combat punchy."
"Yeah, sure," Jacob agreed. He started toward the cocpit, but turned back as he reached the door, looking cautiously from Jack to Martouf. "You two gonna be all right…?"
"We'll be fine," Martouf assured him.
"Just…great…" Jack agreed, flashing an ironic smile. Jacob sighed quietly, but walked off to relieve Vala in the cockpit.
Martouf kept his eyes on the other Tok'ra's back until Jacob was out of earshot, then stared thoughtfully down at the floor. "I…imagine she told you--" he began.
"No," Jack interrupted briskly. "She didn't."
"Ah," nodded Martouf, unsure of exactly where to take the conversation from there. He cleared his throat awkwardly, searching for words, but in the end found none that wouldn't only exacerbate the tension.
"But…" Jack spoke up again with a resigned sigh, "It's not really important now, I guess. What's important is getting her back."
So, now that we know Jack and Vala are still on the way...
Title: Time
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Time is running out for Daniel, and Jade makes a choice.
Rating: PG-13 for Dannywhumping
Length: 964 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Angst/Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from Daniel and Jade's perspective after Trapped.
Time
The cell door clanged shut and Jade heaved back the rusty grate. It only lurched about halfway, but the space was enough to squeeze her thin frame through, though Simone gave a grunt of protest. Still chained to the wall, Jackson hung limp, all his weight supported by the old iron chains. For a man who valued technology, Brannen took strange delight in keeping his prisoners in such archaic and brutal conditions, she thought as she scrambled quickly off the dirty and now blood soaked stone pavement.
All the cells down here had been constructed so that the floor dipped toward the grate. It made for easier clean up, Brannen liked to say, and as she struggled to pull the pack from her shoulders, Jade finally understood what he meant. The blood will drain off through the grate, she realized, pulling the hand device out and fitting it quickly over her fingers.
//"This may not even work,"// Simone commented, eyes flashing as she assumed control. Her other hand tilted Daniel's head back with surprising care, and she began to inspect the gaping wounds that stretched across the entirety of the archaeologist's upper body. Brannen had visciously plunged the serrated knife into his victim's left shoulder and pulled down diagonally to his stomach, then turned the blade and slashed down to his hip before starting back up to close what looked morbidly like an hourglass.
Just do it, Simone, Jade urged, but the Tok'ra's eyes were already closing in concentration. The yellow-orange beam flowed out of the crystal at the center of her palm, bathing Daniel's bloody torso what seemed to Jade a long enough time to have healed four of him. Finally, though, Simone too, sagged against the wall in exhaustion, and her eyes didn't open.
//"It's all I can do for now…"// she said apologetically to her host. //"Too much internal damage; I'll have to try later…"//
A soft groan issued from the Tau'ri, and Jade slowly opened her eyes, assuming control again to let Simone rest. Daniel's eyes were half closed, though she could see him struggling to focus on her face. "Who…?" he managed weakly.
"Jade," she smiled reassuringly. "Host to Simone of the Tok'ra…"
"Tok'ra?" Daniel tried to pull himself upright and winced, slumping back again. "Vala," he coughed. "Is she with you? I'm--"
"I know who you are, Dr. Jackson," she replied, her hand moving to his shoulder. "Try to keep still. Simone says your internal injuries aren't well healed and could reopen if you move around like that."
"My wife," he persisted, breath catching sharply in his throat. If there had been a rescue mission ordered, whether by the Tok'ra or the SGC, he knew Vala would have found a way to be part of it, and the last thing he wanted was a confrontation between her and Brannen while the mercenary was in a violent rage. Daniel doubted he would actually kill her, but he would enjoy hurting her…badly.
"She isn't here," Jade shook her head. "Not yet. Simone and I were under cover in Brannen's operation when you and the rest of SG-1 were captured."
Daniel's eyes slid closed and he sighed, unsure whether to be relieved for Vala or worried for his teammates. A dull thudding had begun in his temples, reverberating through his skull, but he allowed himself only a moment before forcing his eyes open again. "SG-1?" he asked. "Do you know where my friends are?"
"Outside in the preserve," Jade replied, biting her lip at the thought of the other Tau'ri.
"What's this…preserve?" Daniel asked, frowning. Brannen had mentioned it more than once. From the way the mercenary talked, he guessed it was some kind of private hunting ground outside the compound. Why the rest of SG-1 would be out there, though, he couldn't fathom. Of course, it might have been easier to think if the room wasn't spinning…
"The compound is surrounded by thick forest," Jade explained. "Brannen uses it to hunt the exotic game he imports from other sectors of the galaxy. To keep the animals in, the ground along the perimeter is covered by an energy field. It can't actually be seen until something steps on it…" she broke off with a slight shudder, recalling just how close Mitchell had come to doing just that when the bear had attacked.
Daniel's eyes widened despite his exhaustion. Vala had never mentioned anything about a hunting ground…and she would have had to get through it. He doubted seriously that it was a new addition, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know why she would leave something so important out of the story…
"Animals," he murmured, frowning pensively. "Or people--Listen, can you help them? SG-1? You must know how to shut the force field down…"
"There's only one way," Jade replied. "There are four poles…generator nodes that need to be shut down in sequential order, clockwise from the east."
"That can't be true," Daniel shook his head, but before he could continue, a wave of dizziness sent him sagging toward the ground.
Jade moved quickly to support him, her arms sliding under his, and she bit her lip again as she looked up to find her eyes inches away from his almost impossibly blue ones. "Um…" she stammered. "Here--let me help you."
"Vala's gotten out alone," Daniel insisted as the Tok'ra carefully lowered him to the floor, though there was little she could do to make him comfortable with his arms still chained. He couldn't really even sit, but at least the slower descent had prevented the knife wounds from starting to bleed again.
"If that's true, I don't know how," Jade sighed. Then her eyes narrowed as she abruptly made up her mind. "But I will find out."
You may be wondering by now exactly what the history is between Vala and Brannen. Or you may think you know. Here's a little glimpse. Find out how close you were:
Title: Running
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Vala had run...and now Brannen had Daniel...
Rating: PG-13 for violent content
Length: 417 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Angst/Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from Vala's perspective after Arthur and Lancelot and Time posted above.
Running
She could still feel the cold point of the blade as it pressed, first lightly, almost playfully, into the back of her shoulder. Vala squeezed her eyes shut tight, determinedly clenching her teeth, but just as Brannen's knife had pushed a cry from her fourteen-year-old lips, the memory now forced a hot tear out from behind each of her closed eyelids.
His sour, alcohol soaked breath beat against her neck as the serrated blade cut out the now familiar hourglass. "So little time, Vala," he murmured, strangely casual. "Every we second waste just drips away…like blood from an hourglass."
If she'd needed further proof of just how insane Brannen Daegar was, that image would have been enough. Blood from an hourglass. The child Vala shuddered as the scene she'd just witnessed flashed through her mind again. Voss tied to the tree outside, huge, terrified eyes locked on the gleaming blade as it drove downward, tearing its way through the meat of his shoulder. Then the screams began as Brannen carved out the effigy of his obsession on her brother's body.
"Never run away from me again, Vala," Brannen had warned. "Because it won't be you. It will be Danira…or Meagain…or whoever else you care about. Never you."
But she had run, finally. Once Danira was safely away, with her own husband--a magistrate, of all things, though she still didn't know exactly how her sister had managed to arrange that marriage--and Meagain with her. Vala had run, and now Brannen had Daniel.
The door opened behind her and she furtively wiped the tears from her eyes, then turned to face Martouf. The Tok'ra's naturally kind expression deepened with concern, but her eyes flicked away uncomfortably, and he said only, "We're entering orbit."
She nodded and quickly slid past him into the hall, moving with determined and unfaltering steps toward the ring room. Jack was already there when she and Martouf walked in, his eyes running over his P90 in a final check that was almost casual in its obvious expertise. He glanced up, immediately frowning.
"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked. "You can stay up here…"
Vala's expression hardened silently as Jacob made his way in from the cockpit. "Autopilot's set…we're behind the moon, which should prevent our detection…" the elder Tok'ra began, breaking off to look questioningly from Jack to Vala and back again.
"All right, dumb question," Jack admitted, his hand moving to her shoulder for a moment before he led the group onto the ring platform.
And now one final effort for the week...returning to Sam, Teal'c and Cam's POV. I hope I've sufficiently atoned for the cliffhanger now. ;)
Title: The Difference Between
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU We're not just going to leave him...
Rating: G
Length: 589 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from SG-1's perspective after Arthur and Lancelot and Time; ancilliatory to Running posted above.
The Difference Between
He wouldn't admit it, but as the day wore on, Cam was actually glad that Teal'c had thrown him in the river. With the sun beating down on them, even the Jaffa was beginning to show signs of being affected by the heat. It would have helped if there was something to do other than to sit around watching Carter pull apart that transmitter pole. There wasn't, though, and she'd been at it for a good hour.
"I think I know how to shut it down," she said finally, and both he and Teal'c sprang to their feet. "It should, at least turn off a section of the force field and let us through…"
"Wait!" puffed a breathless voice as a young blonde woman shoved her way through the brush at the edge of the clearing. Her foot caught on a root and she did an ungainly jig, trying to keep her balance as SG-1's weapons automatically rose.
"It's all right, she's Tok'ra," Sam spoke up a moment later, frowning slightly as she searched through the echo memories she still retained of Jolinar for the names of the host and symbiote.
"Tok'ra?" Cam's eyebrows rose.
"Jade," the woman said quickly. "Host to Simone…hello, Colonel Carter."
Sam nodded, starting to say something else when Cam cleared his throat.
"You…wanted us to wait?" he asked.
"Yes," Jade nodded emphatically. "Colonel Carter, all four transmitter nodes need to be shut down in sequential order or you'll alert Brannen and risk releasing the security drones he has hidden in these woods."
"Okaaay," Cam said slowly. "And you know this how?"
Jade's head bowed briefly, and her eyes flashed as she looked up again, signaling that her symbiote had assumed control. "Jade and I infiltrated Brannen's operation posing as a mercenary several months ago, Colonel Mitchell. Devising countermeasures for his security was one of our first objectives."
"Great," Cam sighed. "So how do we shut them all down in order? How do we even know what the right order is."
"Brannen is obsessed with the concept of time," Simone replied. "I believe the nodes should be shut down in a clockwise direction, starting here, in the east corner."
"You believe," Sam repeated. "You're not sure?"
"We have had no need to test the theory, nor did we particularly want to risk alerting Brannen if we were wrong," Simone said with a slight frown. "Although at present, when Brannen discovers Dr. Jackson still alive, any hope we had of salvaging our cover will be…"
"What?" Sam and Cameron cried at once.
"Why would DanielJackson not be alive?" growled Teal'c.
"Brannen stabbed him," Simone replied. "Rather severely. I have done what I could with a hand device, but he will require medical attention."
"And you weren't going to mention that?" Cam demanded.
"I thought it was more important to focus our attentions on disabling the security field," Simone replied calmly.
"Right," Cam rolled his eyes. "You obviously have a way inside. Let's go."
"It would be best not to move him, and we can always return after…" began Simone.
"We are not going to just leave him there," Sam declared, shouldering her P90 and pushing past the Tok'ra into the brush she'd come out of.
Teal'c followed, immediately scanning the area for a hidden tunnel or opening. Cam regarded her with hard eyes for a moment, then walked past.
"What do you intend to do once you have him?" Simone asked.
"I dunno," Cam said flatly. "But we don't leave our people behind."
Personal ramblings...
I don't do this often, but I'm feeling rather nostalgic and sentimental today.
I don't know if it's because Sarah's in New Hampshire or what. Granted, she's at Bill's or something atm, so I don't know why her mere PRESENCE in the state should make me feel nostalgic. But whatever. Tim and I were talking recently about how most of the people someone interacts with at a given point in his or her life will be out of that person's life again within five years. There are, of course, people who stay part of one another's lives for years and years...it just makes me wonder why it happens with some and not with others.
I consider myself incredibly blessed to have three people I consider my "best friends", who have been through all manner of crazy crap with me, been there when I needed them, and allowed me, in turn, to be there for them.
There certainly have been other people I thought would remain in my life forever. Some of them, I think about a lot, and I still feel a certain pang of emptiness--a feeling of, "Wow, how did I ever lose touch with so and so..." Others, I'm sad to say, when I think about them at all, it's to realize that, while we pick up the phone or get together fairly easily, the reason we don't is because there's really nothing for us to do or say anymore. Like, Tammy and I were talking about Josh the other night. We used to hang out and stuff all the time; once I couldn't have imagined a time when either of us would say, "What the heck would I even have to say to him anymore?"
I realize this is a natural part of life; people grow and change, and as they do, they don't always continue to grow "together" and all that jazz. It just makes me wonder. What is it that makes one person someone who you continue to find common ground with no matter how much either of you change, while another person becomes part of your past?
The simplistic answer is, "Well, I guess you weren't as good of friends as you thought..." but I know that's not true either. Five or six years ago, if anyone had suggested I'd be writing this, I probably would have told them off. Like, "You don't know anything about my friendship with [insert name]. You have no idea how much we've been through together and how close we are." And I'm not the sort to over-dramatize. If I say something like that, it's real.
Even a year ago, there was a friend I spent time with like EVERY day. And I mean, not just five minutes. Well, now we're lucky if we can catch up every few months...not, in this case, because we don't want to; it just seems like schedules are impossibly at odds. And we don't live in the same state, so if we talk, it's usually online.
That's another thing. Why is it that almost no one I love lives in New Hampshire anymore? Like, Tammy is the only one of my close friends who even lives in the same state as me now. When did that HAPPEN? lol.
...argh...and before I forget...can I just say how much I HATE telemarketers? The same one has been calling me all week. You'd think they'd get the flippin' hint...
Pretties...
Boy, the variation monster has apparently taken over my brain.
I have some D/V icon variations by request
martyfan and aruna7, some Ronon icons and their variations, and some Ronon wall variations because my variation monster seems to have also been bitten by a Runner bug.I used the above textures for
aruna7's icons, too, even though I already posted a bunch of examples of this texture set using Sam/Jack. They just seemed to work. Still haven't quite managed purple, but I'm happier with them than the last ones. I made a more purplish one, but it looked like Danny had an allergic reaction to alien grapes or something.The walls are 800x600. I almost never make that size, as I have a gargantuan monitor, but I'd noticed that it seems to be neglected, and I do know some people that actually have screens that small still. So... from me to you. Happy Unbirthday.
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Fic...
You asked for it, you got it! As a result of my latest fic spree and some help from the typoteers on IM, those following Rediscovered Hearts get to find out what happened to Daniel...eventually...
First, however, we have to check in with Vala and co. Yes, dear reader...you must continue to be patient. And if you skip ahead, you'll not only risk being confused later, but I will know...and I might just experience sudden writer's block. :p
Title: Arthur and Lancelot
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Jack ponders his relationship with Sam while maintaining awkward silence with Martouf...
Rating: PG for implied violence toward the end
Length: 476 words
Pairing: Sam/Jack and a bit of Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Drama, maybe a bit angsty
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series from Jack and Vala's perspective after White Knights. Ancilliatory to Trapped.
He guessed it wasn't a very good analogy. Daniel would probably have spent an hour explaining why it didn't work. Lancelot had been Arthur's right hand man--his version of Teal'c. They'd been through all kinds of hell together, loved each other, probably would've died for each other without blinking. He and Martouf didn't have any of that going on. Throw in the fact that Guinevere had been Arthur's wife and the comparison pretty much went out the window. Still, that's what Jack felt like, staring across the ship at the man he knew still loved Sam as much as he did.
Martouf, of course, was free to do something about it. In fact, he had for a while. Jack wasn't sure what had happened; he and Sam had by tacit agreement skirted certain aspects of their personal lives for years. What one didn't volunteer, the other carefully didn't ask.
"How much do we know about this Brandy guy, anyway?" he asked, turning toward Jacob.
"Brannen," Sam's father corrected. "Brannen Daegar. He's a mercenary. Apparently a very successful one, recently become a figure of some prominence within the Lucian Alliance. Seems he owns the planet we're about to land on."
"Owns it?" Jack repeated.
"A large part of the Eastern continent is kept as his private retreat. The rest he leases out…mostly to smugglers, slavers…anyone needing somewhere hidden to set up an operation that authorities on other planets might not take kindly to hosting."
"Sounds like a real peach," Jack observed, then frowned for a moment toward the cockpit as the ship suddenly gave a strange lurch.
"Sorry," Vala's voice crackled over his radio.
"What happened?" Jacob asked.
"Nothing," she replied. "Hyperdrive hiccupped."
Jack's eyebrows rose as he asked softly, "Hiccupped…?"
Jacob spread his hands in a silent "I don't know," gesture, and Martouf only frowned in confusion.
"Listen, go take over for Vala, wouldja?" Jack asked Jacob. "She hasn't had much rest; I don't want her going into combat punchy."
"Yeah, sure," Jacob agreed. He started toward the cocpit, but turned back as he reached the door, looking cautiously from Jack to Martouf. "You two gonna be all right…?"
"We'll be fine," Martouf assured him.
"Just…great…" Jack agreed, flashing an ironic smile. Jacob sighed quietly, but walked off to relieve Vala in the cockpit.
Martouf kept his eyes on the other Tok'ra's back until Jacob was out of earshot, then stared thoughtfully down at the floor. "I…imagine she told you--" he began.
"No," Jack interrupted briskly. "She didn't."
"Ah," nodded Martouf, unsure of exactly where to take the conversation from there. He cleared his throat awkwardly, searching for words, but in the end found none that wouldn't only exacerbate the tension.
"But…" Jack spoke up again with a resigned sigh, "It's not really important now, I guess. What's important is getting her back."
So, now that we know Jack and Vala are still on the way...
Title: Time
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Time is running out for Daniel, and Jade makes a choice.
Rating: PG-13 for Dannywhumping
Length: 964 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Angst/Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from Daniel and Jade's perspective after Trapped.
The cell door clanged shut and Jade heaved back the rusty grate. It only lurched about halfway, but the space was enough to squeeze her thin frame through, though Simone gave a grunt of protest. Still chained to the wall, Jackson hung limp, all his weight supported by the old iron chains. For a man who valued technology, Brannen took strange delight in keeping his prisoners in such archaic and brutal conditions, she thought as she scrambled quickly off the dirty and now blood soaked stone pavement.
All the cells down here had been constructed so that the floor dipped toward the grate. It made for easier clean up, Brannen liked to say, and as she struggled to pull the pack from her shoulders, Jade finally understood what he meant. The blood will drain off through the grate, she realized, pulling the hand device out and fitting it quickly over her fingers.
//"This may not even work,"// Simone commented, eyes flashing as she assumed control. Her other hand tilted Daniel's head back with surprising care, and she began to inspect the gaping wounds that stretched across the entirety of the archaeologist's upper body. Brannen had visciously plunged the serrated knife into his victim's left shoulder and pulled down diagonally to his stomach, then turned the blade and slashed down to his hip before starting back up to close what looked morbidly like an hourglass.
Just do it, Simone, Jade urged, but the Tok'ra's eyes were already closing in concentration. The yellow-orange beam flowed out of the crystal at the center of her palm, bathing Daniel's bloody torso what seemed to Jade a long enough time to have healed four of him. Finally, though, Simone too, sagged against the wall in exhaustion, and her eyes didn't open.
//"It's all I can do for now…"// she said apologetically to her host. //"Too much internal damage; I'll have to try later…"//
A soft groan issued from the Tau'ri, and Jade slowly opened her eyes, assuming control again to let Simone rest. Daniel's eyes were half closed, though she could see him struggling to focus on her face. "Who…?" he managed weakly.
"Jade," she smiled reassuringly. "Host to Simone of the Tok'ra…"
"Tok'ra?" Daniel tried to pull himself upright and winced, slumping back again. "Vala," he coughed. "Is she with you? I'm--"
"I know who you are, Dr. Jackson," she replied, her hand moving to his shoulder. "Try to keep still. Simone says your internal injuries aren't well healed and could reopen if you move around like that."
"My wife," he persisted, breath catching sharply in his throat. If there had been a rescue mission ordered, whether by the Tok'ra or the SGC, he knew Vala would have found a way to be part of it, and the last thing he wanted was a confrontation between her and Brannen while the mercenary was in a violent rage. Daniel doubted he would actually kill her, but he would enjoy hurting her…badly.
"She isn't here," Jade shook her head. "Not yet. Simone and I were under cover in Brannen's operation when you and the rest of SG-1 were captured."
Daniel's eyes slid closed and he sighed, unsure whether to be relieved for Vala or worried for his teammates. A dull thudding had begun in his temples, reverberating through his skull, but he allowed himself only a moment before forcing his eyes open again. "SG-1?" he asked. "Do you know where my friends are?"
"Outside in the preserve," Jade replied, biting her lip at the thought of the other Tau'ri.
"What's this…preserve?" Daniel asked, frowning. Brannen had mentioned it more than once. From the way the mercenary talked, he guessed it was some kind of private hunting ground outside the compound. Why the rest of SG-1 would be out there, though, he couldn't fathom. Of course, it might have been easier to think if the room wasn't spinning…
"The compound is surrounded by thick forest," Jade explained. "Brannen uses it to hunt the exotic game he imports from other sectors of the galaxy. To keep the animals in, the ground along the perimeter is covered by an energy field. It can't actually be seen until something steps on it…" she broke off with a slight shudder, recalling just how close Mitchell had come to doing just that when the bear had attacked.
Daniel's eyes widened despite his exhaustion. Vala had never mentioned anything about a hunting ground…and she would have had to get through it. He doubted seriously that it was a new addition, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know why she would leave something so important out of the story…
"Animals," he murmured, frowning pensively. "Or people--Listen, can you help them? SG-1? You must know how to shut the force field down…"
"There's only one way," Jade replied. "There are four poles…generator nodes that need to be shut down in sequential order, clockwise from the east."
"That can't be true," Daniel shook his head, but before he could continue, a wave of dizziness sent him sagging toward the ground.
Jade moved quickly to support him, her arms sliding under his, and she bit her lip again as she looked up to find her eyes inches away from his almost impossibly blue ones. "Um…" she stammered. "Here--let me help you."
"Vala's gotten out alone," Daniel insisted as the Tok'ra carefully lowered him to the floor, though there was little she could do to make him comfortable with his arms still chained. He couldn't really even sit, but at least the slower descent had prevented the knife wounds from starting to bleed again.
"If that's true, I don't know how," Jade sighed. Then her eyes narrowed as she abruptly made up her mind. "But I will find out."
You may be wondering by now exactly what the history is between Vala and Brannen. Or you may think you know. Here's a little glimpse. Find out how close you were:
Title: Running
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU Vala had run...and now Brannen had Daniel...
Rating: PG-13 for violent content
Length: 417 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Angst/Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from Vala's perspective after Arthur and Lancelot and Time posted above.
She could still feel the cold point of the blade as it pressed, first lightly, almost playfully, into the back of her shoulder. Vala squeezed her eyes shut tight, determinedly clenching her teeth, but just as Brannen's knife had pushed a cry from her fourteen-year-old lips, the memory now forced a hot tear out from behind each of her closed eyelids.
His sour, alcohol soaked breath beat against her neck as the serrated blade cut out the now familiar hourglass. "So little time, Vala," he murmured, strangely casual. "Every we second waste just drips away…like blood from an hourglass."
If she'd needed further proof of just how insane Brannen Daegar was, that image would have been enough. Blood from an hourglass. The child Vala shuddered as the scene she'd just witnessed flashed through her mind again. Voss tied to the tree outside, huge, terrified eyes locked on the gleaming blade as it drove downward, tearing its way through the meat of his shoulder. Then the screams began as Brannen carved out the effigy of his obsession on her brother's body.
"Never run away from me again, Vala," Brannen had warned. "Because it won't be you. It will be Danira…or Meagain…or whoever else you care about. Never you."
But she had run, finally. Once Danira was safely away, with her own husband--a magistrate, of all things, though she still didn't know exactly how her sister had managed to arrange that marriage--and Meagain with her. Vala had run, and now Brannen had Daniel.
The door opened behind her and she furtively wiped the tears from her eyes, then turned to face Martouf. The Tok'ra's naturally kind expression deepened with concern, but her eyes flicked away uncomfortably, and he said only, "We're entering orbit."
She nodded and quickly slid past him into the hall, moving with determined and unfaltering steps toward the ring room. Jack was already there when she and Martouf walked in, his eyes running over his P90 in a final check that was almost casual in its obvious expertise. He glanced up, immediately frowning.
"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked. "You can stay up here…"
Vala's expression hardened silently as Jacob made his way in from the cockpit. "Autopilot's set…we're behind the moon, which should prevent our detection…" the elder Tok'ra began, breaking off to look questioningly from Jack to Vala and back again.
"All right, dumb question," Jack admitted, his hand moving to her shoulder for a moment before he led the group onto the ring platform.
And now one final effort for the week...returning to Sam, Teal'c and Cam's POV. I hope I've sufficiently atoned for the cliffhanger now. ;)
Title: The Difference Between
Author: Lionchilde
Summary: AU We're not just going to leave him...
Rating: G
Length: 589 words
Pairing: Daniel/Vala implied
Genres: Drama
A/N: Continues the Rediscovered Hearts series. Picks up from SG-1's perspective after Arthur and Lancelot and Time; ancilliatory to Running posted above.
He wouldn't admit it, but as the day wore on, Cam was actually glad that Teal'c had thrown him in the river. With the sun beating down on them, even the Jaffa was beginning to show signs of being affected by the heat. It would have helped if there was something to do other than to sit around watching Carter pull apart that transmitter pole. There wasn't, though, and she'd been at it for a good hour.
"I think I know how to shut it down," she said finally, and both he and Teal'c sprang to their feet. "It should, at least turn off a section of the force field and let us through…"
"Wait!" puffed a breathless voice as a young blonde woman shoved her way through the brush at the edge of the clearing. Her foot caught on a root and she did an ungainly jig, trying to keep her balance as SG-1's weapons automatically rose.
"It's all right, she's Tok'ra," Sam spoke up a moment later, frowning slightly as she searched through the echo memories she still retained of Jolinar for the names of the host and symbiote.
"Tok'ra?" Cam's eyebrows rose.
"Jade," the woman said quickly. "Host to Simone…hello, Colonel Carter."
Sam nodded, starting to say something else when Cam cleared his throat.
"You…wanted us to wait?" he asked.
"Yes," Jade nodded emphatically. "Colonel Carter, all four transmitter nodes need to be shut down in sequential order or you'll alert Brannen and risk releasing the security drones he has hidden in these woods."
"Okaaay," Cam said slowly. "And you know this how?"
Jade's head bowed briefly, and her eyes flashed as she looked up again, signaling that her symbiote had assumed control. "Jade and I infiltrated Brannen's operation posing as a mercenary several months ago, Colonel Mitchell. Devising countermeasures for his security was one of our first objectives."
"Great," Cam sighed. "So how do we shut them all down in order? How do we even know what the right order is."
"Brannen is obsessed with the concept of time," Simone replied. "I believe the nodes should be shut down in a clockwise direction, starting here, in the east corner."
"You believe," Sam repeated. "You're not sure?"
"We have had no need to test the theory, nor did we particularly want to risk alerting Brannen if we were wrong," Simone said with a slight frown. "Although at present, when Brannen discovers Dr. Jackson still alive, any hope we had of salvaging our cover will be…"
"What?" Sam and Cameron cried at once.
"Why would DanielJackson not be alive?" growled Teal'c.
"Brannen stabbed him," Simone replied. "Rather severely. I have done what I could with a hand device, but he will require medical attention."
"And you weren't going to mention that?" Cam demanded.
"I thought it was more important to focus our attentions on disabling the security field," Simone replied calmly.
"Right," Cam rolled his eyes. "You obviously have a way inside. Let's go."
"It would be best not to move him, and we can always return after…" began Simone.
"We are not going to just leave him there," Sam declared, shouldering her P90 and pushing past the Tok'ra into the brush she'd come out of.
Teal'c followed, immediately scanning the area for a hidden tunnel or opening. Cam regarded her with hard eyes for a moment, then walked past.
"What do you intend to do once you have him?" Simone asked.
"I dunno," Cam said flatly. "But we don't leave our people behind."
Personal ramblings...
I don't do this often, but I'm feeling rather nostalgic and sentimental today.
I don't know if it's because Sarah's in New Hampshire or what. Granted, she's at Bill's or something atm, so I don't know why her mere PRESENCE in the state should make me feel nostalgic. But whatever. Tim and I were talking recently about how most of the people someone interacts with at a given point in his or her life will be out of that person's life again within five years. There are, of course, people who stay part of one another's lives for years and years...it just makes me wonder why it happens with some and not with others.
I consider myself incredibly blessed to have three people I consider my "best friends", who have been through all manner of crazy crap with me, been there when I needed them, and allowed me, in turn, to be there for them.
There certainly have been other people I thought would remain in my life forever. Some of them, I think about a lot, and I still feel a certain pang of emptiness--a feeling of, "Wow, how did I ever lose touch with so and so..." Others, I'm sad to say, when I think about them at all, it's to realize that, while we pick up the phone or get together fairly easily, the reason we don't is because there's really nothing for us to do or say anymore. Like, Tammy and I were talking about Josh the other night. We used to hang out and stuff all the time; once I couldn't have imagined a time when either of us would say, "What the heck would I even have to say to him anymore?"
I realize this is a natural part of life; people grow and change, and as they do, they don't always continue to grow "together" and all that jazz. It just makes me wonder. What is it that makes one person someone who you continue to find common ground with no matter how much either of you change, while another person becomes part of your past?
The simplistic answer is, "Well, I guess you weren't as good of friends as you thought..." but I know that's not true either. Five or six years ago, if anyone had suggested I'd be writing this, I probably would have told them off. Like, "You don't know anything about my friendship with [insert name]. You have no idea how much we've been through together and how close we are." And I'm not the sort to over-dramatize. If I say something like that, it's real.
Even a year ago, there was a friend I spent time with like EVERY day. And I mean, not just five minutes. Well, now we're lucky if we can catch up every few months...not, in this case, because we don't want to; it just seems like schedules are impossibly at odds. And we don't live in the same state, so if we talk, it's usually online.
That's another thing. Why is it that almost no one I love lives in New Hampshire anymore? Like, Tammy is the only one of my close friends who even lives in the same state as me now. When did that HAPPEN? lol.
...argh...and before I forget...can I just say how much I HATE telemarketers? The same one has been calling me all week. You'd think they'd get the flippin' hint...
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