trans_9 | Sobek the Immortal [Closed]

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Sobek the Immortal [Closed]

Planet Designation: Kalimba Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Unknown
Sentient Life: Ruins and step pyramids suggest the presence of intelligent life at some point. Currently: Unknown.
Water: 70.2% of the planet's surface. Heavy rainfall/monsoons.
Climate: Earth-like.
Landscape: Primarily jungle and swamp, some plains, severe arctic conditions in northern and southern poles.
Air: Type I (breathable)
Sky: Blue-green.
Warnings: Medium to high levels of megafauna. Watch your step. Conditions in the atmosphere make several forms of orbital scans and equipment unreliable.
Mission: Archaeological investigation of step pyramids and ruins, investigate for signs of source of abnormal energy signature in target area.

The first thing the group would notice was that Kalimba's air was humid and heavy, with a light breeze. The morning had long since burned off most of the mist, and in the distance, clouds lazily drifted onwards towards the horizon. The typhoon season was a long ways off.

The undergrowth was tangled and dense, seemingly impassable in places. Vibrant flowers and vines took up residence where some of the tree cover faltered. With limited sunlight available, it was every plant for themselves. Disturbed by the archaeology group, "birds", each easily half the size of a person and more salamander than avian suddenly took to the air in a flash of brilliantly colored wings. They were gone almost instantly, slicing through the air and leaving only the ear-splitting shriek behind.

The hill sloped down. The cover of trees broke as they came out onto the stone remains of path that must have once been heavily used. Now, just like everywhere else, massive roots and tanglers tore at the ground, slowly swallowing any signs of civilization back within itself. There were trees of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye could see, a rolling wave of jungle and rainforest. Tan and dirty gray step pyramids, all more massive than those found on Earth, and the occasional obelisk rose through the canopy cover like claws, dotting the landscape.

Stac's scans indicated much of the planet was covered in these structures, with the largest in this location. Aside from the archaeological mission, her scans also indicated the presence of an abnormal power that may be of interest.

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Jamie was helpless. The brief pain from the strange gun device had faded away quickly enough, and Eneesh's death grieved for. But the treatment Eva and Vala were undergoing remained there for him to see every day. Eva, broken like a rag doll, lying crumpled and unable to talk. Vala, left to fester in filth and blood and the remains of the ship's Captain who had done nothing wrong.

He could do nothing for either of them, and any attempt to try was rebuffed, met with stony silence, the guards not understanding or caring what happened to either of them. If he had been able to at least slip Vala a little of his food, he would have felt better about the situation. But that was not allowed either, and he watched her grow weaker and weaker.

Being separated from the morphers was difficult as well. He had grown used to having them there, feeling that faint hint of the Power even when they weren't active. And without them, he felt weaker himself, a little more tired, faintly cranky around the edges. His rations weren't much more substantial than Vala's - especially after he had been caught trying to set some aside to slip to her - but he had gone with as little before, on the days leading up to Culloden. So while hunger gnawed at his belly, it was only a small discomfort to be added to his withdrawal and the feeling of uselessness.

The only thing he could do was try and fix the clasp on his sporran. It had gotten bent slightly when he tried to pull Eva free from the bars, and the fight with the Jaffa hadn't helped matters any. It was good that it had, on one level. It meant that the guards thought it to be a decoration and didn't take it away. On the other hand, if he couldn't figure a way to get it open again it was just as useless as if they had. What he needed was a bit of metal to see if he could work it in and push the metal back into place, but there had been no chance to do so.

That is, until they had come for him. The fresh air was cool on his face, a welcome relief from the confines of the cell, and he took great deep breaths of it, not knowing when he'd have the opportunity to do so again. As he was brought into the seemingly empty room, he looked around to see if there was anything he could use - something small enough that he might be able to grab, should the opportunity present itself.

The System Lord watched from the depths of the shadows, eyes glittering. Curtains fluttered nearby, but he stood as still as the very guards at the door. He said nothing at first, electing to study Jamie, seeing how he searched and what for when he thought he wasn't in the presence of a God. He watched the man savor the air; for all his bravado, the time in the cell was having an effect.

Would the man try to satisfy his curiosity? Hunger and thirst? Would he try to find a weapon. Sobek remained where he was, waiting to see which Jamie would choose.

The God's voice seemed to come from all directions. "You are of the slave race yet you possess technology that is not within your mental capacity. Explain yourself."

Edited 2012-01-19 10:39 (UTC)

There was a table nearby that held a beautifully wrought pitcher. It had been recently filled with in anticipation of the God's needs, and beads of condensation on its outside promised that the drink within would be cool and refreshing. A small dish had placed underneath to catch any errant drips and prevent them from causing stains. Jamie watched one of those beads slowly form and run down the side, eventually disappearing into the dish and out of side. Without consciously realising it, he licked his lips, a part of him tempted by the thought of truly slaking his thirst.

Next to it was a plate piled with offerings of food, but apart from some fruit, not anything Jamie recognised. Perhaps whatever it was some sort of delicacy, or simply it was something set out to be visually appealing. He had no idea. The fruit, at least, was as tempting as the drink - and, more importantly, next to it was a small, two-tined fork with a intricately worked handle. Clearly it was meant to be used to pick out whatever choice bits suited the God's fancy when he passed. But Jamie thought that if he could get a hold of it and smuggle it back somehow it could do for getting the catch of the sporran open. Or possibly even the lock, if one of the others were any good at picking locks.

For a second, he almost wished Victoria were there - she could get locks open with hairpins, and a fork like that might work just as well. But the thought of her being in this situation was untenable, and she was much safer back on Stacy. Not completely safe, but at least not prone to the whims of a man possessed by a thing that thought itself a God.

His eyes darted from side to side, quickly, trying to see if there were any hidden guards about. Not spotting any, he made for the table, listening for the hint of any movement. If he heard it, he could reach for the fruit and claim hunger, which would be the truth. Closer and closer he came, hand reaching out and -

Sobek's voice echoed through the room, and Jamie's hand closed around the round form of something that might be an apple before he deliberately let it go again. Slowly he turned away from it, placing his back to the table and trying in vain to pin down the source of the voice. The insult to his intelligence made him bristle - he'd never cared for being called a barbarian or anything of the same ilk - but he kept a careful lid on his temper. He couldn't very well attack something he couldn't see, and he'd likely be struck down even if he could figure out where Sobek was to do so.

"And what technology would ye be meaning, exactly?" There was more than one thing that would qualify there, certainly - although he had his suspicions as to what might have caught Sobek's interest. However, he wasn't about to talk about the morphers willingly, and opted to try for a bit of a bluff instead, a scowl appearing on his face. "If you're referring to that holo bracelet-thingy, that was a gift from the Captain ye murdered."

Jamie moved slowly into the room, eyes roaming like prey looking for the hunter, knowing his time was limited and trying try to prolong it.

He wanted to see what he would do. Jamie, about to attend to his bodily needs, food and drink, or about to see what he could take? The human's hand fell from the food like a guilty child. Would he try again now that he knew he wasn't alone? The room remained partially lit, the flapping curtains and sounds making it hard to pinpoint exactly where the God was.

"The bracelet is meaningless. A toy easily made to pass the time," Sobek replied. "The other technology that was taken from you. Think carefully if it remains within your ability. Think carefully what happens to attempting to waste your God's time."

His hand rested on the table between the fruit and the two-tined fork, close enough to grab either, should he choose. Or at least attempt to. The lighting worked in his favor, or so he thought. Daniel had worn glasses, so couldn't imagine that he could see well in this dimmer illumination, Sobek or no Sobek.

But there were the other guards to consider, not to mention he still had no idea where Sobek was - so he left his hand where it was, making no move to take either fruit or fork at this time.

"My God is all knowing," he replied, letting the implication of those words speak for themselves. "But it'll do ye no good to know where the morphers come from. They'll not help ye any."

'His' God. Sobek smiled behind the helmet. Despite rejecting actual Gods with actual powers beyond their comprehension, the Tau'ri elected to believe in figures that didn't exist, elected to explain phenomena that their minds couldn't comprehend in this manner. It merely strengthened the System Lord's believe that humans were a weak, fledgling race, better conquered by someone who would watch over them first than anyone else. The matter of their subjugation was a matter of time, not possibility.

"And yet, 'Your' God is nowhere to be found when his subject in the presence of a real God." Sobek stepped out from one of the corners, slowly emerging from the shadows behind Jamie. Despite all the jewelry and finery, Sobek moved soundlessly. "They will not help you either if you're erased from existence."

Oh, He may not be there, phyiscally, but Jamie has his faith. It's a strength of many of the Tau'ri - one that Sobek may be underestimating. But it's not just that is helping to give Jamie confidence here. There's also his faith in the Doctor - that somehow, someway, he'll figure out a way for all of them to get out of this yet. And, well, there's his bravado, too.

"Ah, but ye won't do that, now will ye? You've questions I've not given ye the answers to. I'll tell ye this much. None of the others know what those are, so if ye kill me, you'll not get what ye want."

Jamie's not giving him the whole truth here. The Doctor might be able to give him a little information on the morphers, but he doesn't know everything, just what Jamie's told him. Then again, Jamie doesn't really know exactly how they work, apart from what Billy's told him and the transformations he's gone through. So if Sobek's looking for detailed explanations he's out of luck.

His hand shifts as Sobek draws nearer, lifting up and moving ever so slightly. Rather than go for the fork - because as tempting as it is, he saw what happened in the throne room and he knows it's a futile gesture. Instead, he grabs one of the pieces of fruit and takes a defiant bite of it, eyes slightly narrowed as he watches the so called 'God' approach.

Sobek didn't pluck the fruit out of his hands. He could easily remove it if he felt like it, punish him for daring, but underlying Jamie's defiance was the basic human instinct to take what it needed for survival. Show the same insolence again and it would begin testing his patience.

The God nodded, conceding the point to Jamie. He couldn't talk if he was dead. Of course, killing him didn't have to be permanent. Not for a God. Death was something easily overcome with the sarcophagus, but like his fleet, his sarcophagus had lain unused for the duration of his imprisonment, with no one to look over its condition or workings. Sobek hadn't tested it yet, and he wasn't willing to test it just yet on a possible valuable prisoner.

"You underestimate the value of your friends." The System Lord veered away, bare feet padding on the floor as he made his way to the window. He looked down, out onto the courtyard. "Come. Witness."

Edited 2012-01-24 07:28 (UTC)

Witness? Witness what? Despite the urge to balk at the command, try and keep that small shred of defiance he'd managed to pull off alive for just a little longer, Jamie found himself looking towards the System Lord stood. It was a trick. It had to be, Sobek trying to pull something, but he had no idea what it could possibly be. What purpose would there be in showing Jamie something there, apart from trying to prove to him he was actually underestimating the value of his friends?

Which, incidentally, he wasn't. He was well aware how valuable they could be, especially to someone trying to get at their secrets.

But even putting that aside, Sobek was up to something here, and the only way to find out was, well, to cooperate. Piece of fruit still in his hand - if it wasn't going to be taken away, he was definitely going to finish eating it - he cautiously made his way over to look out the window and down at the courtyard below.

The Tau'ri hesitated, a residual show of defiance, but in the end, Jamie came at Sobek's call. It did not surprise him. Humans. Another word for a species that best served as slaves, because they could not amount to much else on their own. Even Daniel's world had been built on the God's there, such as Ra.

Jamie was merely going with what his people were capable of. It was only a matter of time, no matter that Jamie hadn't been under the ruling hand of a System Lord in his lifetime; no matter how much defiance, humans only proved one thing, and that was that they needed, desired someone greater to guide them. Jamie came to the God's side and looked down on the courtyard, to find a crowd gathered, surrounding a larger platform.

Eneesh's crew were gathered there as well, ringed in by Jaffa like so much cattle. Even from here, it was clear they were nervous, feelers trembling violently and swaying, and as Jamie and Sobek watched watched, one was led out of the group. Alone, he stood, nervously twitching.

Sobek made no outward motion but it seemed some signal must have passed. A Jaffa below raised her staff weapon, aimed it, and fired a single shot. The bug didn't have a chance.

The scene below wasn't completely unexpected, save for Eneesh's crew being about. Jamie's seen the gatherings of people prostrating themselves over this so-called God of theirs, eager to do his bidding. With a faint curl of his lip, he bit back into the fruit, frowning even as he chewed and watched the gathering in the courtyard.

The crewmen were nervous, understandably so given the fact that Eneesh was dead. But she had been an example, something meant to punish them because they had been defiant. Never mind he had done it too, but that was because they had shot the Doctor after. Sobek had gotten his reaction, and surely that was enough. Besides, if the man wearing Daniel's face wanted information, they'd have some too.

So what was he up to? Jamie swallowed, and was about to take another bite when the lone bug was brought out and forced to stand alone. The Jaffa raised the staff weapon and fired. Jamie felt his guts clench, the piece of fruit he had just eaten like a lead weight in his stomach. Before he could think better of it, he turned to look at Sobek with a horrified expression on his face.

"Hey! What'd ye go and do that for? They've not done anything to anyone!"

Daniel's face registered only a flicker of interest as the insect fell to the ground with a gaping hole blasted through him. It was less explosive than Eneesh's death but no less brutal.

The horror on the human's face was mildly amusing, due to the fact that he was so surprised, so outraged. The demonstration of his godhood in the throne room clearly needed another reminder. Sobek did nothing but angle his head back to the display down below. While Jamie had turned to him, Eneesh's crew had panicked: without a leader that fit their hierarchy, no clear orders and an obvious execution awaiting them, they flinched as one, a herd of carapaces turning as one to push their way through, but the Jaffa formed a ring around them, further boxing them in with their weapons. Muscles strained and flexes as several stunned the closest bugs with blows to the head, others knocking their legs out from under them.

Even if the crew had managed to bowl over the guards, the thousands of worshipers in attendance would have made sure not a single one reached the jungle.

Like clockwork, another of her crew was singled out, dragged upwards, and forced to kneel next to the body. There was no mercy. Another shot boomed out from the staff weapon. The bug fell across the body already there. Another bug was taken, led up to the stairs.

Perhaps now Jamie could begin to understand about underestimating the value of those around him. Friends, innocents. He could deny his God. It was easy to be responsible for yourself. Going after the head and chest could be difficult, too strong and too well defended, but going after the further limbs, bleeding them dry and weakening the body, it brought down even the toughest prey. "This is your lesson. You will watch. Perhaps you will finally learn."

One by one, the crew was thinned out, the pile of corpses growing on the stand. Jamie was free to take whatever food he wanted.

Edited 2012-01-31 08:51 (UTC)

Jamie was no longer hungry. How could he be?? The round globe of the fruit lay forgotten in his hand as he was forced to watch the slaughter below, bile rising in his throat as yet another bolt of light seared into another bug and it crumpled to the ground below. And Sobek watched, smug and complacent that his lesson was being driven home

The man was a monster. As terrible as Benik - no, worse - with much more power at his fingertips. Once again, Jamie was glad that Victoria wasn't there. It would be all too easy for him to use Jamie's feelings for her against him, manipulate things to his own ends, and then throw her away like a broken doll that was no longer wanted. Just as he was throwing away the lives of Eneesh's crew, all to teach Jamie a lesson.

Or...to try and get him to talk, reveal the secrets of the morpher. If he said something, would the death stop? Another bug fell, a hole burned into its carapace, feelers twitching one last time before becoming still. Without entirely making a conscious decision to do so, Jamie blurted out, "The morphers. They were given to me."

Another bug was forced onto the stand. Sobek raised a hand, the motion unhurried and graceful. The Jaffa about to fire on the next victim lifted the staff weapon back up, death temporarily averted. The executions stopped. The Jaffa remained holding the group in place.

Morphers. Something to do with changing, maybe changing something into a weapon or changing oneself. He wanted more information than that. How did they work, more specifically, where did they come from? Jamie would have to keep talking. The lesson below was put on hold, but that was only for the moment. As soon as Jamie relapsed or attempt to lie or trick a God, they would continue. They would keep going until Jamie learned. The group below was - or had been - sizable. They still had more examples to go through.

The Crocodile God looked down at Jamie, with the same kindly air grandfather addressing a wayward child. The look in his eyes said otherwise. Answer but tell no lies. Your God knows your heart, your God sees all laid bare before him. "Continue."

Any relief Jamie felt over the executions being stopped was short-lived as he quickly caught on to the fact that the only reason it had stopped was because he had, in fact, said something. He knew that was kindly air was a ruse. Even if he hadn't already met Tobias Vaughan, who had acted much the same when the Doctor and Jamie had first met him, the still smoking corpses of the bug crew below were clear enough evidence of Sobek's intentions. Talk and they lived. Stop and they died.

The words came slowly, reluctantly, every last one of them something he didn't want to say, but was forced into doing regardless. "They were given to me by someone who wanted me to have something that would protect me against the Ohm. Help me to fight them better than if I've just a sword or a gun."

He gave Sobek a flat look, but there was truth in it all the same. "You've not met the Ohm. You'd not be so confident if ye had. They've destroyed whole worlds. Universes. If there's anything of Daniel left in there, he'll know about them. He's faced them too."

The executions remained on hold. The bugs looked up towards them, fidgeting and twisting, the anticipation choking them just as much as knowing death pressing in on them moments ago.

Sobek seemed unimpressed by the claim about the Ohm. His host had faced Gods, Ra himself, Jaffa, terrorists and fanatics, death itself. But the Ohm? Daniel hadn't met the Ohm in person, only read the texts given to them and the files, and privately had his doubts, but also had no proof that his universe had been destroyed by them, as the ship and the Daligig claimed. Their word alone. Daniel hadn't wanted to join a war just because he'd been told to point and shoot.

Daniel's hand waved off any threat of the Ohm, the metal of the hand device gleaming."Speak. The device helps even you improve in combat. How is it done?"

As far as the System lord was concerned, they presented as much danger to him as Vala's Ancients and Ori. Little. And once his fleet was ready, none whatsoever. Jamie would continue to tell him. While he spoke, the crew below would enjoy life that much longer. Perhaps if he was satisfied, they might even live.

Edited 2012-02-10 08:06 (UTC)

"Look, I'm telling ye, it's true...och." Oh, that just figures. Try and warn a man, and have it ignored. If they weren't held prisoner here, Jamie would almost wish the Ohm would show up. Then he'd see just how wrong he was. But clearly Daniel hadn't wound up close enough to the battle on Lirath for it to make any difference, and Jamie gives it up as a bad job.

The bug crew were still here, anyway. Better to maybe focus on seeing what he could do to delay things. Maybe if he got lucky enough, Sobek would be satisfied and let them go. The question is, how much information would be enough?

"When they're activated, it...changes ye. Gives ye armor, and makes ye faster. There's also weapons ye can call to ye, like magic. And, aye, it'll help ye in combat if you're not so good at it." Some of that defiance re-sparks in his eyes, coupled with a look that plainly states that no matter what Sobek thinks, he's certainly quite capable of fighting - and wouldn't mind doing so now if it wasn't going to get the others killed.

"I'll have ye know, though, not all of us need that help to fight."

"But someone greater than you thought you did need it." Sobek said.

The God didn't think he personally needed such a device in ground combat. His various bodies and skills, how he fought had always been enough. He was already at his peak. Whether he wanted these on Jaffa or not was something he would consider. Perhaps Jaffa that he had guided to another, less independent path: Daniel's memories of just this one traitor, Teal'c, were enough to put a seed of doubt when it came to the faithful warrior slaves. Just like hearing a god, Ra, killed by two humans was inconceivable, so too was the thought that the Jaffa could be turned.

But one had. And if one could, there was the possibility of the others. Bestowing this blessing only begged trouble. Application to Jaffa would be something in the future, Sobek decided, but not certain. For now, maybe it would be possible to engineer the technology onto the fleet. An extra form of defense and speed would prove invaluable

"Do you have the knowledge to build another device or reverse engineer from the one you have?"

Edited 2012-02-12 20:29 (UTC)

Greater than him? Jamie's brows disappear into his bangs briefly. Out of everyone he knows, Billy would certainly argue against that statement. And quite vehemently, too. He supposes he could continue to let Sobek think that some greater being was responsible for the gift of the morpher. And that might even be true, indirectly, given Zordon had given Billy his morpher in the first place. But something about that doesn't feel right, and he shakes his head. "No. My friend gave those to me because he thought I would be the best choice to have them. He'd not ever say he was greater than I was, just because he was familiar with them and I wasn't."

That in itself is actually an answer to Sobek's demand as well. Jamie's struggled enough with simple technology - to the point that if he hadn't gotten the encouragement he had from Billy and Kaylee to continue to try, he'd have quit Engineering long ago. And while he can do simple things, and follow directions well enough that he can assist somewhat on some of the more complicated projects, Sobek might as well be asking him to travel to the Moon without the help of the TARDIS.

His heart sinks, just a little, as the implications of what he's about to say sink in. There's no way that what he's about to admit will satisfy the System Lord, and he's afraid that that brief respite from death he's bought the bug crew is only going to be that - brief. Slowly, he shakes his head again, a reluctant admission of his failings. "No. There's nothing like it in my day, not even close. All I'd do if I tried is break the thing."

Jamie wasn't familiar with the technology, other than the basic use, which was something a God should be able to figure out swiftly. What he needed to know were the inner workings. Everything else about how it worked, not how to use it. Sobek's eyes searched the human's for a long minute. The alien gaze seemed to sear past the prisoner's face, seeking the inner truths, see if he was lying.

The human spoke the truth.

"A shame," was all Sobek would say. He'd learned all he could on the morphers. Jamie was of no more use to him on the subject, but rather than kill him, he still had a use when it came to leverage against the others. The God turned back to the window, and down below, the Jaffa nodded. The executions resumed.

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Sobek the Immortal [Closed]

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