Complete
Drama
Set in the early 20th century
Disclaimers:
Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, The SciFi Channel, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is written purely for my own entertainment, and that of anyone else who may happen to read it. No infringement of copyright is intended. It is not intended and should never be used for commercial purposes.
The original characters, situations and ideas contained within this work are the property of the author.
Author's Notes:
Cosmopolitics is like geopolitics, but bigger.
Acknowledgements:
A thousand, thousand thanks to my beta reader, Sho.
Akrotiri, on the planet Kritos
Following the failed assault on Aeolchis and a two week journey through the void of space, it did Meriope's heart good to see the city of Akrotiri as they plunged out of the clouds. As they approached, Meriope hailed the hall.
"Tek ma'tek, Primus," Ilena replied. "Is all well with you and yours?"
"All is well with me and mine," Meriope replied, indicating to her commander that Captain Medusa was aboard the al'kesh. She could not hold back a tear at the thought of how untrue that statement was in and of itself. "How are things with you?"
"Precarious," Ilena said. "I have cleared the main landing pad; I will meet you there."
Meriope acknowledged the message and directed the pilot to bring the al'kesh in on the second pad; it was probably unnecessary to take such stringent precautions, but in the aftermath of the catastrophe on Aeolchis, the Captain was taking no chances.
The ship touched down without incident, and as the Jaffa unloaded their dead from the bomb bays of the al'kesh, Primus Ilena emerged to meet her Captain. Glaucus, the Gorgon who had served as Meriope's second-in-command, followed a respectable distance behind Ilena, as Meriope stood at Medusa's back.
"My Captain," Ilena said. "It is a great relief to see you safe. There is much news to tell you."
"Glaucus can see that I know all I need to know," Medusa replied. "You must..."
The Captain drew Ilena aside and continued in a low whisper. Whatever she said must have hit Ilena hard, because the powerful Jaffa almost stumbled; Meriope had never seen her looking so frail. She nodded once to her Captain, then made her way, unsteadily, to the loading hatch and the procession of wrapped bodies.
"What has occurred here, Glaucus?" Medusa asked.
"We have lost a third of the Gorgons," Glaucus replied, sadly. "Your own death was rumoured, My Captain; Demarch Ilena has been stalling the surrender of the hall to one of Minos' other Captains, but if you had taken a few days longer you might have had no hall to return to."
Medusa nodded her understanding. "And how is the God-King's mood?"
"Mixed," the Jaffa admitted.
"That is better than I would have expected," Meriope admitted.
"He is angry that his great assault failed," Glaucus went on, "but he could not criticise too much after word reached Kritos that Polythemus was dead."
"He is dead?" Medusa asked.
"Killed by his own ha'tak vessel. The shot that was meant for the Primus' al'kesh breached the fortress wall and destroyed Lord Polythemus'; his body was incinerated beyond all hope of resurrection."
"Fates be praised," Meriope gasped. "Please pardon my superstition, My Captain."
"In this case, you may be justified," Medusa allowed. "By pure good fortune we are saved from Lord Minos' wrath over his own incompetence and cowardice. It will be politically desirable for him to shower me with praise and we will, of course, be required to thank him for his divine aid in battle." She shook her head. "I will muster out some of the regulars to make a show of gratitude," she decided. "I would not ask it of my Gorgons; not at this time."
"What should we do?" Meriope asked.
"I shall close the hall," Medusa decided. "We shall mourn in private. Glaucus, bear these orders to the command chamber. All entrances and exits to the hall are to be sealed and my personal transport is to be prepared for flight to Knossos."
"Yes, My Captain."
As Glaucus hurried away, Medusa turned to Meriope. "You must go swiftly," she said. "You will not be permitted to leave once the gates are sealed."
"My Captain?"
"I grant you three weeks leave, Meriope, on the condition that you take the sad word of Rathe's death to his kin in the valleys. I shall, of course, speak with his widow anon, but while the other dead are, for the most part, from the coastal cities, I must send someone to Halicarnasus with that sad news."
Meriope bowed her head, joy warring with the sorrow in her heart. "As you command, My Captain."
"Try to cast sorrow and care aside for these weeks," Medusa added. "Your service has been outstanding and you may find that I lean heavily upon you when you return."
*
Meriope did her best to obey Medusa's instructions and while barely a day went by without her thinking of the deaths of her friends and comrades, she was at least able to relax by night, in the loving arms of her husband. She noted also that there were changes at the farm. Denaria, the girl that Medusa had asked Damos to take in as a labourer, was finally accepting her place. The young Jaffa had arrived in Halicarnasus with no idea how to work; unaccustomed, not merely to farm labour, but to any kind of effort whatsoever. Medusa had sent Denaria into hiding and so Meriope never asked who she had once been, but she could not help wondering; very few people on Kritos had no cause to work and fewer still would have been granted the personal protection of one of Medusa's Gorgons, as Denaria was.
But neither her husband's love, nor idle speculation could keep her mind from the dark memories of Aeolchis. The three weeks flew by and the pain was still with her when she returned to Akrotiri. On arrival in the city she went first to visit Nissa and her children, where she was pressed to stay for dinner. Looking around the table at the four children, Meriope remembered what she had said to Rathe on his deathbed. She had counselled him to think of his family and be proud; she felt that she had never given truer advice.
The eldest, Acastus, was twenty years old and planned to enter the bash'ak that summer. Meriope was sure that Nissa would resist this intention for a while, but that Acastus would become a warrior; he had too much of Rathe's bearing to think otherwise. The second child, Antigone, was a tall and spare-framed girl of nineteen, studious rather than dynamic and quiet, especially compared with her siblings. The third, Priam, was a daring fourteen year old and the image of his father in both looks and youthful temperament. The youngest, Helena, was just two years old.
To Meriope's surprise, they were joined by her closest friend among the Gorgons, Medusa's personal agent, Arachne. With the hall sealed, Arachne should not have been able to leave, but then, walls had rarely meant much to Arachne; that was why she was Medusa's personal agent.
"Can you tell me what has been happening in the hall since our return?" Meriope asked her friend, when the dinner was finished and Nissa's children were helping their mother in the kitchen.
"Ilena has been elevated to the rank of Primarch," Arachne replied.
"There is little surprise there," Meriope noted.
"Indeed; but something weighs heavily upon her."
"Ilena?" Meriope was surprised to hear of any sign of frailty from the redoubtable Ilena, but she remembered the Primus' posture on the landing pad.
Arachne nodded. "She has withdrawn to her new quarters and rarely sees her apprentices. Even Semele has been dismissed from Ilena's company."
Meriope nodded, thoughtfully.
"You do not seem surprised."
"Hmm."
"I would have thought that she would have sought comfort from her lover," Arachne went on.
Meriope smiled, sadly. "Semele is not Ilena's lover," she said. "I do not believe that she ever has been."
Arachne looked baffled. "I beg your pardon?"
"Ilena lost someone on Aeolchis," Meriope explained. "Someone very important to her, but Semele is a regular; she was not even a part of the assault."
"Then who?" Arachne demanded. "Surely we would have known if another woman were visiting the Primus?"
"There was no-one else coming to her; she went to her lover. She went and we all knew it."
"Not all," Arachne laughed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Meriope."
Meriope sighed, patiently. "Who did Ilena spend no less than an hour of each day with?" she asked. "Whose chambers did she visit, far more often than she retreated to her closet with Semele?"
"No-one," Arachne replied. "She was far too busy with her duties as Section Prime and aide to the Primarch. How could she have slipped away to meet her lover when she spent half of her waking hours in Anthus' quar..." Arachne stared at Meriope in astonishment. "No!" she gasped, scandalised.
"If her assumed relationship with Semele were just a cover, why would she want so much to keep her other affair secret?" Meriope challenged. "A fling with another woman? That would be nothing to hide; all of the unmarried warriors have affairs."
"As do many of the married ones."
"But if Ilena were lying with a man, especially the Primarch, there could be a scandal."
"It would be a sin under the laws of Minos," Arachne said. "To lie with a man unwed..."
"Shh!" Meriope hissed. "Do you not know that Nissa lay with Rathe before they were handfasted?"
Arachne's eyes widened in amazement. "No. I had assumed they were a pair of life-bound country lovebirds, like you and Damos."
"They had far less patience," Meriope replied. She stood and led Arachne to the quiet and isolation of the patio which overlooked Nissa's little garden.
"And yet he married her, even though she had surrendered to him?" Arachne no longer sounded scandalised; she sounded impressed, and a little envious.
"He loved her. He did not care that he had had her already; he did not care that she had been another warrior's woman."
Arachne made a small, choking noise. "She had an adventurous youth, your friend."
"Both of them did."
Arachne shook her head in amazement. "And you believe that Ilena and Anthus were engaged in such an affair?"
"I do, although you must never repeat that."
"Of course," Arachne agreed. "Ilena would have our helms; and the heads within them too!"
Meriope frowned. "Such talk is harmless between friends, but made public it could destroy the Gorgons. There can be no suggestion that Ilena was favoured for anything but her skill."
"I see," Arachne lied, then she admitted: "Politics was never my strongest subject." She sighed. "I should go if I am to return to the hall before my watch."
"How do you enter the sealed hall?" Meriope asked.
Arachne grinned. "That is for the Captain and me to know," she said. "I shall bid your friends goodnight and then go. I shall see you in the hall when the doors reopen tomorrow?"
"Absolutely."
*
Knowing that Arachne would treat the confidence of their discussions as a sacred bond, Meriope was rather shocked when, on returning her horse to the stables, she was ordered to attend on Ilena in the Primarch's office, immediately. She did her best to straighten herself out, but feared that she must look a terrible mess as she bowed before her new commander.
"Primarch." She snuck a glance at Ilena as she bowed and realised that her own, modest dishevelment was of no note in the Primarch's company.
Ilena's eyes were hooded from lack of sleep and raw with her grief. In public she must have managed to maintain her composure well, but here in her private office it was clear that she was holding herself together by sheer force of will. Meriope was shocked to see the Primarch allow herself even that small a slip; she had thought Ilena too proud to ever display her emotions to a common warrior.
"Be seated, Jaffa," Ilena said, her voice cracked and hoarse.
Somewhat disconcerted by Ilena's appearance, Meriope took the offered chair across the desk from Ilena in silence. That silence stretched on into minutes, until at last Meriope could not help herself.
"My sincerest condolences," she said.
Ilena inclined her head, making no attempt to dissemble. "He was a good man," she replied. "Only, he was too old-fashioned to admit to a warrior-wife; his mother's influence."
"You were married!" Meriope at once felt foolish for her outburst.
Ilena only smiled, wistfully. "In secret. He knew that his parents would never accept me, and so we told no-one. It always felt as though what I had should be enough. Until now. Now he is gone, and there is nothing left to me. In truth, I always wondered if he were not a little ashamed of me and now that doubt eats away at every happy memory that I try to summon."
There was another long, uncomfortable silence. This time, Meriope only coughed to relieve the pressure.
"There is much to be organised, Meriope," Ilena said. "The company is crippled, for now. I must select two section primes to support me, reorder the surviving members of the company, see to the disposition of the regular Jaffa...Even I never dreamed how much he did, and I was his right hand."
Meriope worried that Ilena was rambling. "Primarch?"
"That is the first thing I need," Ilena said. "A right hand; someone strong, disciplined and organised. Some time in the future the company will be up to strength again; at that time I will make you prime of the third section."
"Primarch?"
"You are, as I am often reminded, a Jaffa of exceptional gifts and potential."
"But, Primarch...you hate me."
Ilena looked Meriope in the eye for a long moment. Slowly, her raw, red eyes began to shimmer. Meriope thought that she must be about to cry, but instead she threw back her head and laughed out loud.
"Primarch?"
"My dear Jaffa," Ilena laughed. "If I truly hated you, I would have seen you dead by now. I was jealous of you, I admit it, but I know now that you are no threat to me."
"I have never had anything but the greatest respect for you as a commander," Meriope assured her.
"Even if you doubted me as a woman."
"I would not..."
"I admit to my flaws," Ilena assured her. "I feared, foolishly, that you would steal Anthus from me. I am not a beautiful woman, Meriope; Anthus was my sparring partner and he was impressed by my skill, not my looks. When Medusa chose another woman to train with her in person..."
"I had no interest in Anthus."
"I know," Ilena replied. "You were true to your vows, as I was to mine. You are a good and true Jaffa and that is why I need you now."
"But I am not the most senior Jaffa in the company."
"I do not want a senior Jaffa," Ilena assured her. "I do not want a veteran who will second guess my commands; I want a Jaffa who will serve me faithfully and protect my warriors if I can not. You have proven to me that you can do that. I thought that we had lost far more than we did on Aeolchis." In a whisper that Meriope could barely make out, she added: "I thought that we had lost her."
Ilena stood and walked to her stove, where a pot of klah'c was bubbling away. She poured two mugs and handed one to Meriope before returning to her seat.
"When I was your age, or a little younger even, Anthus – then only a section prime, it is true – made me his right hand. He has spent the last forty-five years grooming me to take his place and now I will do the same for you."
Meriope's jaw hung open, stunned into silence.
"Primarch?" Ilena prompted, aping Meriope's startled tone. "I know you are not ready to be Primarch," she went on, when Meriope still said nothing. "But you will be. I will make sure of that, and I plan to give you a good, long time to get ready." She took a long draught of her klah'c. "I will not be gentle with you, Jaffa; I will make you strong, but you will probably hate me for it often."
"You were your patron's wife," Meriope pointed out.
Ilena smiled, sadly. "Do not think that that means I did not hate him."
Meriope was taken aback. "You...hated your lover? Your husband?"
"Sometimes," the Primarch conceded. "I fully expect you to hate me, anyhow."
"And...the other?"
Ilena sat back with a weary sigh. "I am done with lovers," she assured Meriope. "You will serve only as my adjutant. You will take charge of the women's barracks, act as my messenger about the capital, assist me in dealing with sundry administrative matters, as well as advising me in formulating battle plans. When I enter battle you will be at my side, at least until I assign you to section command. If I am killed or otherwise incapacitated, you will take command of the company and the Captain's battalion."
Meriope blushed. "I am honoured that you think me able..."
"I do not," Ilena assured her. "However, I do not intend to be incapacitated."
"No, Primarch; of course not."
"Now, the bulk of your time will be taken up with study," Ilena said. "If you thought that your training as an apprentice was hard, you will soon come to look on those days as a time of idle contemplation. You will be overwhelmed, but I believe that you have it in you to master all that a Primarch must know one day."
"Thank you, Primarch." Meriope was beginning to feel overwhelmed already. Ilena was usually cool and laconic; for her to volunteer such a stream of information was almost unheard of.
"Do not thank me; I am not trying to flatter you, you know."
"Of course not, Primarch."
"And call me Ilena, damnit! I can't stand all this ‘Primarch'. While we are in private, call me Ilena; just not in public or people will think that you are my lover."
"Of course, Ilena. I mean...of course not; I think."
Ilena sighed, patiently. "You should know that this is a very special desk," she said. "There is a plasma weapon built into it. I have only to touch a switch and it will fire into whoever is sitting in that chair."
"What?"
"Listen very carefully, Meriope," Ilena said, seriously. "What would happen if I fired this weapon when our Captain was sitting where you are now?"
Meriope was briefly dumbstruck. "She...she would kill you," Meriope said, completely taken aback.
Ilena reached down and placed her hand on something beneath the desk. "Tell me the truth, or I will kill you, here and now. I have no time for a liar in my service."
Meriope swallowed hard, in real fear for her life.
"Meriope?" Ilena's voice brooked no further hesitation.
"She carries no shield," Meriope whispered. "She would die."
"How do you know that?"
"I struck her in training," Meriope admitted. "She bled. I realised then that..."
"You struck her!" Ilena roared.
"Yes, Primarch." Meriope's voice was almost inaudible.
Ilena took her hand out from under the desk and sat back, a look of something like awe on her face. "I was training with her for twenty years before I managed to land a tap. You truly are gifted, Meriope."
"I...I was lucky."
"Against the Captain, luck alone will not suffice. Formally, I am to take over your training, but I suspect that Medusa will want to keep control over it."
"Yes, Primarch."
"Ilena."
"Ilena."
"And Meriope...?"
"Yes, Ilena?"
"Please speak up. Very little annoys me so much as the sound of mumbling."
Meriope stared at the Primarch for a long moment. At last she spoke, and her voice was clear and strong. "Yes, Ilena."
*
The next day, Meriope dined with Nissa once more. Her old friend was delighted by the news of Meriope's promotion and insisted on making a fuss of her. She busied herself in the kitchen, while Meriope told the four children stories of their father; of his exploits in battle and of his qualities as a man.
"Are you sad that he is gone?" Antigone asked, watching Meriope with large, melancholy eyes.
"Of course," Meriope replied, and for the first time since she had sung his lament, she felt tears well up in her eyes for the loss of Rathe. "Your father was one of my oldest and dearest friends and I will miss him as greatly as I would miss my own heart if it were cut out. But the loss of a friend can be survived and we can take comfort in the manner of his passing. He was a warrior and he died a warrior's death; he died true. I hope that in my time I can pass with such honour."
"I will be a warrior one day," Acastus proudly declared.
"No!" Nissa snapped, hurrying in from the kitchen. "I will not allow it, Acastus! You will not die for Lord Minos!"
"Nissa!" Meriope scolded. "Quiet your voice or still your tongue. If you speak such words so loudly then all who hear will pay the price."
Nissa fell into scowling silence.
"I will see to the dinner," Antigone offered, rising to her feet so that Nissa could sit down, facing the guest. Helena leaned against her mother's leg and went to sleep.
"Thank you," Nissa said. "I am sorry, Meriope," she added, after a pause. "My heart is raw still; I did not think."
Meriope laid a hand over Nissa's. "You have cause for anger, old friend, but you have four causes for prudence. Moreover, Acastus has never spoken of serving Minos; only of becoming a warrior. You know that he would be well-used in Medusa's service. If he were taken into training with the battalion..."
Nissa looked up, hope in her eyes. "Could you...Would that be possible?"
Meriope turned to look at Acastus, who had been sulking since his mother's interruption. "He is a strong boy," she said. "His father has given him some training already; he has skilful hands and his balance is good. Primarch Ilena tells me that a Primarch's aide should have an apprentice," she added. "What do you say, Acastus?" She raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy, who turned to his mother.
Nissa stood silent for a long moment. She stared at Meriope in amazement, and then turned her eyes to Acastus. "I...Answer the Primus, Acastus," she said.
"Acastus?" Meriope repeated. "Unless of course...you are ashamed to train under a woman's guidance?"
Acastus' eyes widened into awestruck saucers. "Of course I am not...I am honoured, Primus."
Meriope smiled to recognise some of her own awkwardness in the boy's reaction. "You need not call me Primus," she told him. "You should address me as..." she paused for a heartbeat, to enjoy the realisation that she was about to become a Jaffa master. "Call me Tal ma'te," she finished. "And I am doing you no honour that you have not earned."
Acastus bowed. "Thank you, Tal ma'te," he said. "But it is an honour for me to train under the finest warrior on Kritos."
Meriope blushed. "I am far from the finest warrior in Akrotiri, let alone on Kritos," she assured him.
"That is not what my father believed," Acastus said.
For a moment, Meriope thought that her heart might burst with pride.
It was, Meriope felt, a simple fact of life among the Jaffa that, as they walked always hand-in-hand with death, so always new life followed close behind them. Rathe was dead, but his son was very much alive. Not long after Acastus joined the company of apprentices, this dichotomy was brought home to her once more, when another young life was placed in her hands. This too happened over a dinner, this time in the house of her lieutenant, Glaucus, briefly her section second and now her own aide. Her hostess, Glaucus' wife, Agema, seemed nervous and Meriope wondered what stories Glaucus had been telling about her.
Glaucus and Agema were both born in Kalipolis, a city along the coast road from Akrotiri and as they ate, Agema explained to Meriope the Kalipolitan office of yat'ka. Rathe and Nissa had followed Halicarnasan custom and attended to the religious and spiritual education of their own children, this was not the way in other regions. In the capital city of Knossos, for example, all children were educated from the age of six at the Temple of Minos. In Kalipolis, the parents would choose an older friend – a trusted friend or teacher – to instruct their newborn child; the yat'ka.
Meriope was somewhat baffled by this discourse on the child-rearing traditions of Kalipolis, but at the end of the meal, all was made clear. In another room of the house, a child began to cry and Agema left the table with such rapidity that she could only be the child's mother.
"It is many years since I was so successfully ambushed," Meriope noted.
Glaucus looked baffled. "You did not know?"
Meriope blushed. "I confess I had forgotten. I feel rather foolish; it returns to me now that I approved your leave to return to Kalipolis for the birth."
"Yes," Glaucus replied. "Although Akrotiri is our home now, we both felt that our child should be ‘of Kalipolis', as we are." He looked towards the door and his face lit up with pride. "And here he is."
Agema returned to the table and sat, a baby cradled in her arms. Meriope put out her hand and the child gripped her finger.
"He is strong," Meriope noted, gently releasing his grip. She felt a pang as she examined his tiny hand. She and her husband had never been able to have children and she envied other Jaffa their families. "What is his name?"
"Nestor," Agema replied. "Of course, he will not take much instruction yet, but we would both be honoured if you would agree to be his yat'ka."
"Once he is grown, he will need a strong hand," Glaucus said. "How could it be otherwise with his mother?"
With a cry of mock fury, Agema snatched an apple from the table and threw it at her husband. He caught the fruit with ease and took an idle bite.
"I trust that you can drive all traces of his father's beastly streak from him," Agema told Meriope.
Glaucus laughed. "I beg you not to, Primus," he said. "After all, it seems this beastly nature brought me his mother."
Agema blushed and Meriope chuckled.
"Why not hold him?" Agema suggested. With just a trace of reluctance, she laid her son in Meriope's arms and moved the warrior's hands to support the child's head and body.
Nestor gave voice to a sudden wail. Meriope was gripped by a sudden panic. "What...What should I do?" she asked. In desperation, she joggled the child up and down, as she had seen Nissa do with her babies.
Agema stood once more. "Perhaps..." she began, but then, as suddenly as he had begun, Nestor stopped crying.
"There! He has taken to you, Primus," Glaucus declared.
"Perhaps..." Agema began again, but her husband interrupted by catching her wrist and pulling her towards him. She allowed herself to be drawn into his lap and kissed Glaucus soundly. "Pig," she muttered. "You see why I need to know Nestor is in the hands of a yat'ka who can handle this brute?" she added.
Glaucus kissed his wife again and brushed his hand through her hair. "And do you see why I wish him every chance to find a wife like my own?"
"You flatter me," Meriope protested. "But I do not think...I have never been charged with such a responsibility before."
"I trust you, Primus Meriope," Glaucus assured her. "Agema?"
"He does like you," Agema pointed out, "and it is because of you that he has a father. I can think of no other to ask."
*
After a gruelling, greater month of her new duties, Meriope was once more given leave to return to Halicarnasus. Although it had only been a few weeks since her last visit, she felt years older. It was with a glad heart that she rode into Market and through to her husband's farm. Damos met her at the gate and Criton came out to take her horse.
"You've come a long way," Damos remarked, cradling Meriope in his arms.
"Mm," she replied. "But I still like it best when I'm here at home."
"I miss you."
"You could move to Akrotiri," Meriope suggested. "We could afford a fine house now."
"What about the farm."
"We could hire more hands to work with Criton," Meriope said, but she knew already what the answer would be.
"I can not leave."
"I know; just as you know I have to stay in the city."
Damos kissed her. "I know. Let us speak of it no more." He kissed Meriope again. "I love you."
"I love you," she replied.
"How long?"
"Just a week."
"Then why are we standing here, talking?"
*
The Gorgons were an élite force, in a much truer sense than the Taurus Guard. They were not merely the finest Jaffa warriors in Medusa's service. Simply to be the best was not sufficient; each and every Gorgon had to meet their Captain's exacting standards. This made them one of the deadliest and most feared companies in the Empire, but it meant that they were slow to recover from set-backs such as their losses on Aeolchis. For ten years, the company was below strength; for ten years, the regulars grew in numbers, but few had the skill and devotion to become Gorgons. The only bright side that Meriope could see was that the company remained in such relative disfavour that they were dispatched on few missions of great risk and importance.
Slowly, however, their numbers recovered, as young warriors such as Acastus joined their ranks. A decade after the debacle of Aeolchis, Ilena summoned Meriope to her inner office and informed her that she was at last reforming the third section of the Gorgons.
"It is high time that we had a third section in truth as well as on papyrus," she explained, "and moreover it is time that you had your own section. For my aide to be a squad leader is becoming an embarrassment."
"How will the company be divided?" Meriope asked.
"The first and second sections will retain their current responsibility for main assault and primary defence, respectively. The third section will be formed with an eye to reconnaissance and skirmishing; you have always shown a flair for those."
"Yes, Ilena."
"I have been considering your report on company logistics in respect of this reorganisation," the Primarch added. "I must admit that, although I have long known of your interest in this area, I did not expect the report to be so...voluminous. Your recommendations are unorthodox."
"The Captain encourages us to think beyond tradition," Meriope replied. "It was tradition – and in particular our traditional technologies – which failed us on Aeolchis."
"In what regard?"
"Communication," Meriope explained. "Hand signs and horns are insufficient. We need a means of communication is reliable, immediate and secure; something akin to the system used to maintain contact between a ha'tak vessel and its udajeet squadrons, but one which can connect our section primes and squad leaders."
"But what system could we use?" Ilena asked. "If the Captain wishes to communicate with her gliders in the field she must have an aide to carry the equipment. It renders them both vulnerable. If we were to assign a bearer to every squad leader..."
"Clearly we need something more compact than a stripped-down ship-to-ship array," Meriope agreed. "I have spoken with the ma'shen and even with the ma'djet at Stymphalia, but the design of communication systems is not their field of expertise; they simply copy age-old designs."
"I shall speak to the Captain," Ilena promised. "There may be something we can...acquire. In the meantime, I must ask you to focus on your new responsibilities. The Captain will see this report, but she requires a skirmishing section ready for tunnel combat within the twelve days."
"I understand, Ilena," Meriope said, although the time constraint was daunting. "Have you chosen the section?"
Ilena shook her head. "In think that you should be capable of attending to the disposition of the company by now, and so I have decided to delegate that duty."
"Thank you, Ilena," Meriope said, stifling a groan. Ilena's ‘favours' almost invariably added to her already substantial workload. There were days when she felt like slapping the Primarch, but she never complained; it was not for her to question Medusa's commander.
Ilena smiled the small smile that hinted to Meriope that she knew just how hard it was to meet her demands. Meriope often felt sure that Ilena was testing her, always pushing her to see if she would react with anger or despair. At other times she could not believe that the Primarch would expend so much effort just to antagonise her.
"In other matters," Ilena went on, "what were the spoils from our raid on Jedhara?"
"Most of the treasures and the cache of naquadah were taken by Minos," Meriope reported. "Just tribute for his benevolent aid in battle," she added, with a roll of her eyes.
"Of course," Ilena agreed. "So what was our final share?"
"For our blood, gold and jewels worth about five thousand sheshtas; furnishing and fabrics worth ten thousand more; three-hundred-and-fifty drachms of naquadah; and weapons for three hundred. The weapons are not up to standard, but the ma'shen will strip them for parts. In all, the takings from this raid will just about cover the costs of another raid; so long as Minos does not raise his prices."
"You grow bold, Meriope," Ilena cautioned. "The God-King deals with us in the justness of his infinite wisdom; you know that."
"Of course, Ilena. He is our lord, master and god," she added, wearily.
"And we must not forget it," Ilena agreed, her words more a warning than a rebuke. "Do you plan to include your student in your section?"
"I do. The boy is a natural skirmisher and after ten years of training I know his mind as well as my own. He understands my thinking just as well; if I had two squads of Acastus I would need no form of communication. He will not, I think, ever lead a section, but as a squad leader he will do very well in time."
"Oh, I do not question the boy's skill," Ilena assured Meriope. "I merely wondered if you would be comfortable with the boy in your field command."
"Why should I not?"
"He will take risks for you, Meriope?"
"I would take risks for you, Ilena."
"You would take risks in my service," Ilena corrected. "His concern for you is of a more personal kind and I know that it would hurt you if Rathe's son were to die for you."
"Ilena; I do not understand what you are saying."
Ilena sighed. "I suppose that it also escaped your attention that the father desired you as well?"
"Rathe loved his wife," Meriope declared, firmly.
"I do not doubt it, but he also desired you. I doubt that he ever stopped wanting you from the day he first kissed you."
"You know..."
"I know a great deal about my troops. You have uncovered such information for me in the past; does it truly surprise you that I have made such inquiries regarding you?"
"But Acastus...He is little more than a child."
"Nevertheless...Well; I shall leave this matter to your discretion; do you believe that this will make him reckless?"
Meriope thought for a moment. "No," she said at last. "I have fought beside him before. He is a consummate warrior; in battle he is not ruled by emotion."
Ilena nodded. "Very well," she said. "And who knows; it may be convenient if you grow homesick..."
"I have sworn oaths!" Meriope snapped, sharply. She regretted her reaction at once. "I...My apologies, Primarch; I meant no offence."
Ilena raised her hand to show that none was taken. "I understand that lying with another man is something more serious than tumbling another woman."
"It is," Meriope agreed, "but that is not the reason, Ilena. I would not..." She stopped again, aware that she should not seek to instruct her Primarch.
Ilena nodded, slowly. "What is your husband's name?"
"Damos, Primarch."
"He is a lucky man."
"He might not agree."
Ilena shrugged. "Is there another in his bed?"
"No!" Meriope half-stood, then sat back down, remembering herself. "Or...Or not that I know."
"Put it from your mind," Ilena said. "You have your duty; discharge it."
Meriope stood and bowed. "Yes, Ilena."
"One moment," Ilena said. She took a strip of papyrus, wrote a short message and sealed it in a message tube. "Take this to the aviary, immediately," she ordered. "It is to be dispatched to Halicarnasus for Criton's attention."
"For Criton...yes, Ilena," Meriope said, putting doubts and questions aside.
Meriope had a late night. When at last she retired to her squad room – as Primus, she had her own room, but none of the section primes used their private quarters for sleep – she found a sealed note on her pillow. It read:
I apologise for casting doubt into your mind. You husband is true and I do not think that he doubts his good fortune.
The message was signed with an elaborate capital iota. Meriope burned the note and slept well that night.
*
In the morning, Meriope looked at the lists that she had made the night before. She had at first been wary of the responsibility of organising the company into sections, but Meriope quickly realised that not only did she know all of the Gorgons well enough to make these decisions, but it had significant advantages. No longer could she be plagued by knowing that the warrior she felt that she needed was denied her. It was a rare freedom for a Jaffa to have complete control of her personnel.
First, she had made four divisions of the company: Those skilled in assault tactics; those stalwart in defence; those well-versed in stealth and reconnaissance; and those who stood out in no one field. These all-rounders would be distributed primarily between the first two sections, as Meriope intended to keep her own section small and mobile. She was determined to be fair in her division, but she still placed many of her closest friends in her own section. These included Acastus, but also her trusted second, Glaucus, and her piercer, Calibos. In fact, her command squad was virtually unchanged from the one she had led on Aeolchis.
Later that day, Meriope asked Arachne to come and see her, so that she could explain the disposition.
"Obviously, you answer first to the Captain," she said, "but in as much as you belong to the hierarchy of the company, I am assigning you a squad command in my section; they will be there to support you if you should need it. Your second, Giges, is a good warrior. You will like him, but more importantly he is capable of leading the squad when you need to go alone."
"You are a generous friend, Meriope," Arachne said.
Meriope laughed. "I know that the Captain values your skills; I would be a fool not to do the same."
Arachne smiled, but there was a shadow in the expression.
"Arachne?"
"I dream about my own death," her friend admitted. "A few months ago I was almost killed; ever since...I do not fear death, but I believe that death shall soon come for me. I can feel the weave of the fates drawing close around me."
Meriope was shocked. "Arachne; you must not talk this way."
"I...I have killed so many, old friend. I have killed people in their homes; in the bosom of their family I have brought them death." She sighed, wearily. "It is not a warrior's work that I do and I believe that I have shortened my own life by cloaking myself in so much death."
"Foolish superstitions," Meriope assured her. "You know better than to credit such notions."
"Simple sense, then. I take more risks even than you and I have no one to drag me to my feet if I fall."
Meriope took Arachne's hands. "Across the bourn of Hades, we will come for you, my darling. The Gorgons will not let you fall alone, beloved."
Arachne wrapped her arms around her friend. "You are kind, but it has never mattered..."
"It has always mattered," Meriope insisted.
Meriope was deeply troubled by Arachne's words. While she did not feel the same superstitious fear that might once have gripped her, she could see that her friend's spirit was gripped by a shadow. In all the years of their friendship, Arachne had been searching for something, for a love that she felt had been denied her. Despite her beauty, the younger Jaffa had experienced great difficulty finding and keeping a lover; Meriope wished that she could have helped, but Arachne's isolation was in part self-imposed.
Just at this moment, however, Meriope had no time to consider this. With only one week to complete the selection and training of her section for the complex business of tunnel fighting, she had no time to consider anything else. And the more she thought about it, the more Meriope worried. Tunnel fighting – confined, close-quarters assault – meant one of two things. The lesser of the two evils would be a raid against an enemy ha'tak vessel, but that would involve the entire company; all three sections acting together. But if it were not a ship that was to be assaulted, that left only one possibility; a possibility that did not bear thinking about, but that it was Meriope's duty to think of.
An attack against a Tok'ra stronghold.
This prospect frightened Meriope. She had heard stories of battles fought in the Tok'ra tunnels before; the Taurus Guards called the renegades demons and swore that they could melt into the rock at will and reshape their tunnels around themselves. Even though Meriope knew some of this to be no more than superstition, she did not discount the tales entirely. Their tenacity and ferocity in combat were beyond question; any group that could set themselves against the Goa'uld and not be wiped out in a matter of months must be a force to be reckoned with, after all.
Whatever the temperament of the enemy, what really concerned her were the tunnels. Even allowing for legend and hearsay, Meriope knew that the Tok'ra must possess technology which allowed them to open passages through solid rock at a moment's notice, or close them just as quickly, killing those trapped within as surely as a knife through the heart. Moreover, any complex of tunnels must favour the defender, rather than the attacker.
These were concerns which Meriope addressed when she designed a training scenario for the Maze. Based loosely on the design of the Labyrinth at Knossos, Medusa's Maze was one of the battalion's many training areas. It was a network of corridors which could be reshaped and dressed up in holographic projections to simulate multiple environments for close-quarters drill. It was perfect for Meriope's needs; so perfect that she had to wonder if Medusa had created it with the Tok'ra in mind.
Meriope programmed the Maze to produce a set of dark and deceptive tunnels, prone to collapse and rearrangement. Within this disorienting, claustrophobic environment, Meriope drilled her squads against groups of Gorgons and regulars who had full control of the tunnel layout. In this scenario, even the regulars presented the third section with a challenge; Meriope quailed to think what it might be like to fight the Tok'ra in similar circumstances. After three days of this exercise the section was becoming accustomed to both the methods of tunnel fighting and the eccentricities of the scenario, but although they were unfazed by the changes in backdrop and began to react swiftly to the shifting tunnels, the casualties were still higher than Meriope was happy with.
The section had just completed a sweep of a large tunnel complex with only five dead and seven injured when Medusa came to inspect their progress.
"Very good, Primus," she commended.
"Not good enough," Meriope replied. "This is a new kind of fighting for us, My Captain. The To...The enemy will doubtless be more accustomed to it than their regulars. If we only had another month in which to train..."
"Alas, we do not," Medusa interrupted. "I do not set this timetable and the attack must be carried out within two days. I have detailed intelligence regarding a particular Tok'ra outpost and I know that it is being abandoned as we speak. If we strike in the last day of the evacuation then the security will be at a minimum. There is material there that we must seize; we shall not have a better opportunity."
Meriope shrugged. "A half-abandoned system would be easier," she admitted. "I will continue to train the section at full resistance, however."
"Naturally."
"I have one concern still."
"Yes, Primus?"
"Forgive my impertinence, Tal ma'te, but surely any research material or sensitive technology will have already been moved to the new facility."
Medusa smiled, proud of her student. "Do not fear on that account," she assured Meriope. "You are quite correct, but that which we seek is not the result of recent research."
"Then what...?"
Medusa held up her hand, signalling an end to the exchange. "Two days remain, Primus. I have now programmed the Maze to replicate a Tok'ra tunnel system. You must be ready for the assault. I shall tell you then what it is that we seek; if it is needed."
Meriope bowed in acknowledgement, swallowing her frustration. "Yes, My Captain."
"Medusa spoke briefly to Phineas, the Prime of the third company of regulars, before she left. As the Gorgons practiced in the crystalline surroundings of the Tok'ra tunnels, they found the enemy moving with uncanny and deadly coordination and it was all that Meriope could do to withdraw with any surviving troops in the first encounter.
"Something is amiss," Glaucus said.
Acastus nodded his agreement. "No-one can plan such an accurate defence in advance."
Meriope grinned in sudden understanding. It was a burdensome realisation, as it meant that any casualties of this assault would be on her head. If she were right, however, then it would be worth the risk.
"Come, my friends," she said. "To the field again, but this time anticipate such accuracy. When one sees you, assume that all have seen you."
Glaucus and Acastus looked confused, but obeyed without question. That time, they did better. Meriope gathered her squad leaders and briefed them on her thoughts. The third time, they were able to accomplish their objective, although the cost was high.
"Better," Meriope said. "Now; let us try to stay alive."
*
Meriope had made her reconnaissance section smaller than the assault or defence groups, not only to maximise their mobility in combat, but also for the sake of Penelope. It was a peculiarity of the Olympian culture to name their starships and Meriope had given the al'kesh cruiser that she had captured from Aeolchis the name of the legendary first queen of Akrotiri. Since the massacre on Aeolchis, the al'kesh had been refitted by Icarus and his ma'djet, according to Meriope's specifications, to act as an armoured, long-range troop transport.
The third section was planned around the al'kesh. There were twelve warriors in Meriope's command squad three squads with seven warriors each and a platoon of fifteen commandos. With the crew of the Penelope, the section numbered sixty Jaffa, compared with over two hundred in each of the first two sections and three hundred in a section of regulars.
The flight from Kritos to the remote world of Janek was tense. The section sat in grim silence in the cruiser's functional transport bays, while their officers attended a briefing in Meriope's equally Spartan cabin. Laertes was the grizzled leader of the commando platoon, a veteran of more than fifty battles. Arachne's young second, Giges, would be leading the first squad, designated as advance scouts; the other general squads were led by two other young Jaffa, Lexos and Deineira. Having chosen to accompany this mission, Medusa was also present, with Ilena acting as her bodyguard, but she stood aside and allowed Meriope to lead the briefing.
"The key lies in trapping the ring frequency," Meriope was explaining. "If that can be done we will secure our entry and force the Tok'ra to scatter for their escape tunnels. They will pose less of a threat if they are divided than if they are converging on a single location."
"What if we do not secure the chamber?" Deineira asked. Meriope liked this young woman; she was thoughtful and inventive and not one to trust too far in any plan. Acastus spoke highly of her skill and Meriope – who remained far from convinced by Ilena's suspicions – believed that her apprentice regarded Deineira with some affection.
"It is the only exit anywhere close to the Chappa'ai," Meriope replied. "If we can not secure the chamber we shall use a low-level bombardment to scare the enemy from hiding while the ground force lies in ambush."
"But they could still scatter into the woods," Lexos noted.
"And probably will once they realise," Meriope agreed. "At some point, I expect them to run and we will let them. Our goal is not to capture or exterminate the Tok'ra in this base; we are here to capture a number of their communication devices. Arachne could of course steal a number of such devices, but the Tok'ra could track the devices; this attack is to provide an opportunity."
"Technological espionage," Laertes sighed, nostalgically. "That takes me back."
"It has indeed been some time since we were forced to expand our knowledge in this way," Medusa agreed, "but this lies beyond the experience of our technicians. It is possible that Tek udajeet Icarus might know something, but I am wary of approaching him."
"Surely he would not betray you," Ilena said. "His devotion to you is known to all."
"Perhaps so," Medusa laughed, "but he is loyal, ultimately, to the God-King and since Aeolchis...My reputation ultimately benefited greatly from that episode, but that has increased Minos' paranoia. He has been watching me ever since," she added. "Now that we are secure from surveillance, I can infirm you, my loyal commanders, that Minos has employed agents to spy upon me."
"That is monstrous!" Deineira spat in outrage.
"It is to be expected," Ilena assured her.
Laertes nodded his agreement. "Do you think that the Captain has no eyes in the God-King's palace?"
"This is true," Medusa assured them. "However, when Minos attempts to suborn my trusted warriors, I find that my temper is tested. He may find before long that he has inspired the very act of rebellion that he seeks to prevent."
"Your warriors?" Meriope was aghast. "Are you sure, My Captain?"
"Absolutely," Medusa replied. "There is one in this room who has, for some years, taken money in exchange for regular reports on my activities. Young Giges here."
There was a furious outcry as the commanders leaped to their feet. Some drew knives and turned on Giges; others held them back. Meriope caught hold of Deineira as Ilena pinned Laertes, but there were more attacking Giges than defending him and he would have died before he could react if Medusa herself had not placed herself in front of him.
"Calm yourselves," the Goa'uld instructed, her voice calm and placid. "Calm yourselves and be seated, please." She paused and waited while her commanders slowly settled, sheathed their blades and sat.
"I am disappointed," Medusa continued. "Did you not know that one of my Gorgons would never turn on me so coldly? Young Giges is wise for his years; he accepted the traitor's coin, knowing that if he were not King Minos' agent then some other would be. For six years, he has told the God-King's spy masters exactly what I have bidden him tell them."
Giges bowed his head. "I am sorry for deceiving you all," he told his comrades.
"That was my decision," Medusa assured them. "It was important that you know this, but it will not be spoken of again. Meriope; pray continue."
Meriope nodded. "Our goals on this mission: We will secure the communication devices; we must also secure a central communications terminal. Additional objectives are to identify and secure the mechanism by which the Tok'ra make and modify their tunnels and to avoid unnecessary casualties."
"Pay close attention to that last," Medusa added. "I shall need all of you if Minos should raise his hand against me."
"We shall not fail you, Captain," Meriope promised.
Medusa nodded.
"We shall approach the planet and enter a geostationary orbit just below the Tok'ra's primary, short-range sensor horizon," Meriope explained. "The wide-area and long-range sensors will be unable to resolve our aspect during the brief period when we must drop the cloak to release the scouts in descent pods. Once Giges' squad is away, the cruiser will draw back and wait.
"The scouts will bypass the base and secure the Chappa'ai. Arachne has already infiltrated the Tok'ra base and will attend to capturing the ring frequencies. She will use the rings to signal the Penelope. Of course, this will reveal her presence to the Tok'ra and so we will need to move into position swiftly; Laertes platoon will descend first and secure the ring chamber. Once the other squads have followed, Laertes and Lexos will sweep west through the tunnels; my command squad will sweep east. Deineira, your squad must hold the ring chamber."
"We will be exposed," Deineira noted. "Will my squad alone suffice?"
"You will if you collapse most of the tunnels leading into the chamber," Meriope assured her. "You will carry remote charges to do this, and to mine the open tunnels."
"But what if you become trapped in the sealed tunnels?" Deineira pressed. "If we..."
"We shall take the risk," Meriope interrupted. "The Tok'ra are prepared for flight; they will have many doors."
"Yes, Primus," Deineira replied, her trust in her commander allaying her misgivings.
"The keys to this attack will be surprise and speed," Meriope reminded them. "If the scouts or Arachne are detected, our sole concern will be to extract them and then depart. In a pitched fight, the Tok'ra will flank and destroy us. Be swift and remain mobile and we shall have the run of their compound.
"We shall fall back to the rings half-an-hour after the assault begins and evacuate to the Penelope."
Medusa nodded approvingly.
"Are there any further questions?" Meriope asked her squad leaders.
There were none.
The Tok'ra tunnels were as bad as Meriope could have feared. They were less enclosed, perhaps, but the luminescence of the walls seemed dimmer than it had done in simulation and the particular hue of the glow played havoc with the light enhancers in the Gorgons' helmets. It was fortunate that they had trained for low-light combat or they would have been as good as blinded.
The Tok'ra themselves had proven both cunning and tenacious. They had refused to break, which Meriope had feared above all, and had almost trapped the Gorgons by collapsing the ring chamber itself. It was only Deineira's quick-thinking and selfless courage that had averted disaster, but although her actions had saved the rest of the force, they had condemned her to a terrible death. When one of the Tok'ra had made a dash for the chamber heart with a crystal in his hand, she had wrestled him back. The crystal had been dropped and it had triggered the tunnel's collapse. Now Deineira and her foe were locked in an eternal struggle, frozen in the stone that closed around them.
With their numbers so low already, the loss of Deineira – and of four others – was a bitter blow. Medusa seemed particularly effected by Deineira's death, perhaps because there was no body for her to honour. Acastus also mourned for Deineira, although for all her experience, Meriope could not say if they were a lover's tears that he shed, or a friend's.
It was a slim comfort indeed for Meriope to know that the mission had been successful.
*
Meriope sat alone in her cabin on the Penelope, long after the ship had docked with Medusa's command vessel, the Hyksos.
"You should remember what you are."
Meriope turned to the doorway, where Medusa stood, watching her with her ancient eyes.
"You are a Gorgon and a leader of warriors, Meriope. You can not afford the luxury of grieving at your leisure. Moreover, the victory that you attained today was cheaply bought and of great worth. Your warriors have done you great service and they deserve to see your pride in them."
"It was not I who saved them," Meriope replied.
"You are not to blame for every death under your command," Medusa said, sharply. "Try to bear that burden and you will drive yourself insane. Deineira was a fine warrior and her loss will hurt us, but she is beyond all hope and despair now. Those who live are not so fortunate and it is they who are our care. On Kritos we shall mourn, you and I and Ilena, for what was lost. Here and now, we must give thanks for what was not lost; and for what was gained."
Medusa stepped forward and laid a Tok'ra communicator on Meriope's desk. "Many lives will be saved by these," she said. She laid a crystal beside the device. "And the secret of the Tok'ra tunnels may one day serve us well."
"Meriope stood and dried her eyes. "I am sorry..." she began.
"Do not apologise, for you have not done wrong, my dear Jaffa. It is merely that the time is not right for this."
"I feel numb inside," Meriope admitted.
"You have not sent anyone to die before now," Medusa replied. "How could you expect to feel otherwise? It will pass, but it will remind you always that you can not save everyone. Work will help you to cope and you shall have plenty." She tapped the communicator. "We have a new weapon, Meriope, and it shall be your part to determine how best to use it."
"Yes, My Captain," Meriope agreed, ashamed to find that her sorrow was almost immediately eclipsed by the intellectual challenge.
"But before that, other things must be done," Medusa went on. "You must tell the warriors that they have done well and on our return we must attend to our dead. After that I have another mission for you. I need more cloth for the Gorgons' robes; you will take a cargo ship to bring that cloth from your mother's house. At the same time, I grant you and all your section five days leave from service."
"Thank you, My Captain."
Medusa laid a hand on Meriope's tattoo. "I tend to the needs of those who tend to mine," she said. "Renew your love and rediscover your joy, my beloved Jaffa. Return to me whole and strong."
Meriope looked at her Captain with eyes that shone with love and devotion. At that moment, neither threat nor fear could have wrung better service or greater sacrifice from Meriope.
"I will, Medusa," she promised. "I will."