Determination: Practicality

[beatrice_otter]

Title: Determination: Practicality
Author: beatrice_otter 
Fandom: Stargate: SG-1
Rating: PG
Characters: Sha’re, Teal'c
Word Count: 1,410
Betaed by: redbyrd_sgfic
Thank you to: quarryquest  for information on Egyptian naming conventions.
Summary: Sha're can't save her husband and brother alone.

Determination Part One

 

It did not take Sha’re long to find out who in this Stargate Command were the ones who really ran things.  As in any village on Abydos, and especially in the city itself, the head man and his advisors made commands, but those commands were carried out by others, and the ones who carried them out had much influence, as well as handling all the many tasks that a head man need not trouble himself with.  A few discreet questions led her to Sergeant Siler, who led her to Sergeant Harriman, who both commanded those who dialed the Chapa’ai—no, she must call it a Stargate now—and also the procurement of materials and supply until a person called a “quartermaster” could be found.  She would not discuss all things she needed with a man, but he was helpful in other ways.  He gave her a room to sleep in and another room to work in, and books to help her learn to read English (Dan’yel had taught her its alphabet, but little more) and how to better speak it.  When they sent her first pupils to her, she would be ready for them.

From Captain Carter she learned how to procure clothing and what the nurses in the Infirmary called “feminine hygiene products,” in the event she needed them.  (She did not think she would for some time, but she was not yet sure, and it was bad luck to say anything too early.)

But once she had her room as comfortable as it could be, and clothes that kept her warm even in this cold place (though she still felt exposed in the trousers), and the materials necessary to make herself more useful to her husband’s people, it could no longer be put off.

She stood in the hall outside Teal’c’s new room for a few seconds, gathering her composure, before raising her hand to knock.  There was no one to see her hesitation; now that Colonel O’Neill had gotten his way, the guards had been removed.  But there was nothing to be gained from further delay, and so her pause was short.  Nor did he keep her waiting once she had announced herself.

“Ha’amat Dan’yel,” he said, bowing to her as if she were a head man, or perhaps a god.

“Teal’c,” she said, accepting his bow with a nod as her father would have done.  It galled her that he knew one of her great names and she did not even know if Jaffa had great names as well as little ones.  “May I come in?”  The human greeting was far more blunt and crude than the traditional Abydonian greeting; but the traditional Abydonian greeting called upon Ra to bless the house and the visit, and though her people kept the phrase, now emptied of meeting, Sha’re had decided that she would not use it here, in the home of those who had killed him.

Teal’c stepped back and inclined his head as she passed into his quarters.  His silence fit what little she had seen of him; she did not know whether it was a trait of Jaffa or of him in particular, but at least it meant their meeting would likely be short.  This time.

His room was even barer than hers, she noted as he closed the door behind her.  It was the first time she had been alone in a room with a man she was not related to, except her meeting with General Hammond, in which several of his men had been within sight in the briefing room.  There was nothing to give her an indication of how best to appeal to him.  Straightforward simplicity it would be, then.  “Your language and mine are not the same, though they are similar,” she said, slipping into her native tongue with relief.  “Both were used commonly in Apophis’ dungeon.”  She could offer him help with his English, and learning to read and write, in exchange for what she wanted, but even in a simple negotiation such as this too much interest would hinder the bargaining.

“My language is that used by the false gods and their closest slaves such as the Jaffa,” Teal’c said.  “Yours is a variation of the most common language among the lower slaves and vassals.”

“I would learn your language,” Sha’re said.  “And I would learn more about the false gods, the better to advise General Hammond.”  It was carefully phrased, not a petition as from an inferior or a demand from a superior, but a statement of fact.  Neither too eager nor too disinterested.  She could insinuate herself into a position as advisor, she believed (and from there be one step closer to a place on a gate team), but only if she proved herself knowledgeable and wise.  She also wished to learn the arts of battle, but did not quite trust Teal’c enough to study under him.  Her memories of Apophis’ dungeon—and the battle with Ra’s Jaffa a year before it—were too fresh in her mind.

“I will teach you whatever I can whenever I am not offworld with SG-1,” Teal’c replied.  There was something going on behind his eyes, she could tell, but he held himself still and smooth, and she did not know him well enough to guess.

“Then you may come to my room of study tomorrow morning at the ninth hour,” she said, turning to leave.  Dan’yel would not object to the impropriety of her presence in another man’s room, and the Tau’ri would not care, but this was a matter she chose to ignore her husband-and-lord’s counsel on.

“Ha’amat Dan’yel,” Teal’c said as her hand reached for the doorknob.

Sha’re turned back silently, tilting her head and studying him.  He looked … more intense, than he had when she entered, fiercer, as if he had come to a decision.

Teal’c paced forward two steps, until he towered over her, then knelt gracefully at her feet.  “Ha’amat Dan’yel Siarat …”

“Kasuf,” she said, staring down at the back of his neck, curious enough to give him her father’s name.

“Siarat Kasuf, it was I who chose your husband and brother, both on Abydos and in Apophis’s palace.”

Sha’re’s vision went red.  She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, but she was the daughter of Kasuf and she had been raised to be a head-man’s daughter and possible gift to a god and she would not allow her rage to overcome her judgment.  “And?” she said harshly, drawing on every lesson in composure and self-control that had been drilled into her as a child.

“Vengeance is rightfully yours, Ha’amat Dan’yel Siarat Kasuf.”  Teal’c bowed his head further, not quite the obeisance due to a god but not much less than it.  “I have no weapon here, but can retrieve one from the weapons-store if you wish it.”

Sha’re spun around, fists clenching and unclenching, to face the door.  She could not stand to look at him now, not without trying to kill him with her bare hands.  It took her some few minutes to control her breathing sufficient to reply.  “You think me as foolish and hot blooded as a man,” she said at last.

“I do not understand,” Teal’c said.  She heard cloth rustling; he must be standing.

“A man can afford to throw away a tool because it angers him,” Sha’re replied without turning around.  “A woman must be more practical.  We cannot afford grand, foolish gestures.”  She pivoted until she was at right angles to both her enemy and the door.  “I will see my husband and brother free,” she said, looking him straight in the eye.  “And then I will see the false gods destroyed.  But I will need your knowledge of their habits and their tongue and their weaknesses.  And I will need your courage and skill in battle.  You will not die for me, Teal’c,” she said, lifting her chin high.  “You will live.  And you will teach, and you will fight.  And when the last Goa’uld is dead, then you may ask again.  But you will not offer this again, to myself or anyone else you have wronged, until that day has come.  Do you understand me?”

Teal’c bowed low again, with more true respect in his face than before.  “I will do as you say.”

“Good,” Sha’re said.  “Then I will see you in the ninth hour tomorrow morning.  For my lesson.”

 

Comments

[shallanelprin.livejournal.com]

I really like this story. The whole concept of Sha're being the on Earth instead of Daniel is very interesting and I really like your Sha're.

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you! I'm enjoying writing it. Sha're is a very interesting person to me, and we saw so little of her in the show.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Oh, interesting. And I have argued for a long time that the tone of Abydonian is much different from Goa'uld proper. (Daniel almost says as much in the pilot when talking to the Chulak priests).

Your AU is a very plausible way to insert Sha're into the workings of the SGC. I greatly enjoy reading them. It's like you've taken a black and white (or tan and blue?) picture of abydos and colored in all the lines to make it this vibrant living culture.

And Sha're's smackdown of Teal'c is so awesome.

[beatrice_otter]

This is a woman who could smackdown her god (or at least inspire her people to do so). A mere first prime would not daunt her.

Thank you for commenting!

[jedibuttercup]

Eeeee! *gleeful* Awesome.

Continuing to love your portrayal of Sha're. I'd wondered how her interactions with Teal'c would differ from Daniel's, given her very different cultural background. She's so strong and stubborn: I look forward to her further adventures with the SGC.

Also, this made me smile sadly for what didn't get to happen in canon:

She did not think she would for some time, but she was not yet sure, and it was bad luck to say anything too early

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you! I'm enjoying it myself. I have the germ of an idea for something a little longer, but don't know if it will bear fruit. As to what didn't happen in canon--they were married for over a year on a planet with no birth control other than the rhythm method. Given the fact that both are young, in good health, in love (and thus probably having lots of sex), etc., the odds are pretty good she either was already pregnant or would soon have become pregnant if she hadn't been taken as a host. Just one more tragedy in that story.

[silverblade219.livejournal.com]

Your Sha're is awesome. I don't really know the cannon that well, but from what I know this is so interesting.

[beatrice_otter]

Well, the thing about Sha're is that she had so little screen time in the series that there's a lot of room to play, despite how significant she is. She's not significant in just a "Women in Refrigerators" kind of way--despite being a host, she took control of her situation and it was her initiative that led to the search for the Harcesis child that led them to Oma Desala and the Ancients. She's strong, but she's from a completely different culture so she's not strong in the same way a modern Western feminist would be. She's a fun character to play with, particularly in an AU where she doesn't die.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

“You think me as foolish and hot blooded as a man,” she said at last.

I'm in love.

With both Sha're and you, I think. :)

Oh, I want more and more and MORE of this.

Love the delightful hints of her cultural worldview, and the way she carefully manipulates and maneuvers her way through the SGC, and that agonizing suggestion that she might be pregnant (OW), and the courage and strength that shines through her every word and gesture.

And Teal'c! Fantastic. The respect he gives her, his ritual offer and his greater appreciation of her when she truly challenges him. Absolutely marvelous.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you! Teal'c is my favorite of the team, though I love them all, and so I probably would have paired the two of them even if there hadn't been this issue to work through. And Sha're--she's smart, and determined, and flexible, and she's going to take the SGC by storm if given half an inch to work with.

As to possibly being pregnant, I read a post somewhere were somebody calculated the odds that Sha're was pregnant when taken by Apophis and it was actually fairly good. Most healthy young couples having regular sex get pregnant within the first year of marriage if they take no precautions. On Abydos, pretty much the only precaution they could have taken would be the rhythm method which is notoriously unreliable (and I think we can assume from Sha're and Daniel's good-bye before he goes to show Jack, Sam, and Kowalski the Cartouche in the pilot that they are having plenty of sex). So, unless one of them had a fertility issue, she was probably either pregnant or would soon have become pregnant if she had not been captured.

Alas, it'll probably be a while before the next installment comes up. I've got at least two other things ahead of it in priority--my sg_rarepairings fic and a Superman Returns fic I've been working on for about two years that I've finally figured out where it's going and how to end it and I just want to get that sucker done and posted. And a few other little things as well. I've already got an idea for what I want to write next in this series, but I think that some other things would have to happen in between here and there and I'm not sure if I can handwave them or if I need to write them.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I've just had the pleasure of reccing (http://community.livejournal.com/stargateficrec/1179022.html) this wonderful AU of yours. I know you said it might be a while before you continue it, but rest assured that we're eagerly waiting! :)

[quarryquest.livejournal.com]

Hey! You didn't tell me this had been finished! It works very well with the naming though, makes it sound very proper and authentic. If you do need me for the next one just give me a call.

And Yay! that Shau'ri gets her own personal Jaffa!

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you!

[beatrice_otter]

I didn't? Oops. Sorry. I wouldn't say it's finished, in that there may well be further episodes added, though each can stand on its own. I will certainly let you know if the next one needs some specific cultural details. Thank you again for all your help!

[narnia06.livejournal.com]

I love your Sha're and I'm really enjoying the whole concept of these stories. Is this a series? I'd love to read more!

[beatrice_otter]

There may eventually be more chapters, but not in the immediate future. Unfortunately, my writing time is finite and I have at least two other things ahead of it in priority. Did you read the first chapter? It's linked above if you missed it.

Thank you for reviewing!

[narnia06.livejournal.com]

I totally understand. Just putting in my two cents of encouragement that I think you're Sha're is beautiful and I would love to hear more from her if you're ever inspired at some point in the future.

I actually came in here rec'ed from StargateFicRec, and I'm so happy these two fics were rec'ed. I think I'm off to check out some of your other stuff now, since I enjoyed these so much!

Thanks for writing and for sharing.

[beatrice_otter]

Inspiration, I have. Time, I don't. Alas.

[normaltrouble.livejournal.com]

I think your Shar'e is very believable, and I am enjoying this series.

Thank you.

[beatrice_otter]

You're welcome!

[mongognom.livejournal.com]

Awesome

[alexseanchai]

*adores*

[beatrice_otter]

Thank you!