Chapter Forty Summary: The teams are as ready as they will ever be and the day of the Battle is fast
approaching. Sam and Kataya return to Avilion. While there, Artereos discloses to Sam just who
Morgasha/Bastet really are. She is shocked. After they return to the SGC, Sam talks to Kataya about Artereos's
revelation. She also frets because she could not yet manifest, even though Artereos, Merdwin, and Kataya all
assure her that it will not happen until she is in a pitched battle situation. The day arrives and the Battle takes
place. Sam takes her place as Katteri-enti and the Dragon.
Warning: Character Death: As promised by the women, it is temporary. They will return to their mates.
Et Aevum - Into/For Eternity
Igisadonis Animawyn - Beloved of My Soul
Aima Coeurawyn - Blood of My Heart
Coeurawyn - My Heart
Carusawyn - My Dear One, My Dearest One
Amat Wyn - My Love
“Italics” – Symbiote-Host or Telepathic Communication
The last few weeks certainly seemed to fly by. The teams worked harder than ever after
their practice run, when they managed to rescue Lieutenant Stevenson and Sergeant
Martin. Brialek, the Tok’Ra healer, was helping Ellen Stevenson to heal quicker by using
the healing device on her. There was a great deal of damage to her knees, legs, and pelvic
area, and Tau’ri medicine alone, could not heal such severe damage nearly as well. In
fact, Janet was of the opinion, that without the Tok’Ra’s intervention, Ellen Stevenson
would have been out of the service on a medical discharge, something that would not
happen now. As things stood now, physically, they were healing well, but especially
Lieutenant Stevenson, was dealing with the mental aspects of the ordeal they underwent.
The two other members of their team requested a transfer to one of the Special
Assignment Teams, and because half of their team was medically unfit for duty, the
General and Colonel O’Neill agreed. They would need to join other teams in the interim
anyway, so this would work out fine for the time being. When the tactics group working
on the Bastet operation decided three weeks ago that they wanted one more Special
Assignment Team, they added them to that one. They put in a lot of hard work to catch
up with the others, but their team was declared ‘Good to Go’ two days ago.
The Major and his Lieutenant were impressed with the teams during the rescue, and now,
after working with them, they were prouder yet, to be part of one. The job they had been
given was an important one, they knew. The entire mission was important to them all,
and its most important elements were Major Carter and Kataya. They were as concerned
as the rest of the teams that Major Carter and the Warrior Kataya were missing from the
daily routine. For the last three days, neither Major Carter nor Kataya had visited the
training area. Rumors were rife as to the reason: Some said one of them was ill. One
said the Major changed her mind about going in as Katteri. Another said that they were
off world for last minute instructions and training from Artereos, something they planned
to do all along. That one happened to be the one that was true.
The day before the Great Battle, they returned, but they went straight to Kataya’s
quarters. Those who saw them return said that they seemed fine. Major Carter had
appeared to be her normal self, and Kataya had been as serene as ever. Everyone relaxed
knowing that the two returned with no problems evident.
Had they been in Kataya’s quarters, their perceptions might have been different. “What
are we going to do, Kat?” Sam asked anxiously.
“We are going to defeat Bastet, Samantha,” was the placid answer. “We will go into battle.
The teams will perform flawlessly, and we shall destroy Bastet. That is what we are going
to do, and that is what is going to happen. Nothing has changed.”
“Yeah, I know. Not even me,” Sam said glumly.
“You will do fine. Stop worrying,” Kat said, as she smiled gently at her. “It will work out,
Sam, I promise you. You trust Artereos and Merdwin, do you not? They, also, are telling
you this is what will happen. We have not been wrong yet, have we?”
“No. No, you haven’t,” Sam said, still distressed. “But, are you sure I should not have
stepped into the fire? I mean, I know you and Artereos say that my soul is Furling, so I do
not have to, but my soul is also Tau’ri. What if that is the reason, why I cannot do it?
What if I need to do that first?” Sam asked, as she became more agitated. “Even you
stepped into the fire in your first living, so why don’t I need to? I really don’t understand.”
“Samantha, I was a very young woman, not long out of childhood, when I accepted my
destiny, and I had many livings to go through. I stepped into the fire, so that it might
forge my spirit into a cohesive whole; it would not desire to be reborn into another species,
or even to come back as a kit in order to learn my life lessons. You lived my lives during
the link, and you know that I have never again been a kit, and the time I spent with the
different races was spent as myself as an adult. Never have I been born as other than
who and what I am, Kataya of Cadwaellon, and I never shall be.”
“You were not forced to make that choice, since I have already done so. We share soul
threads; therefore, in a way, you have already been through the fire. There was no reason
for you to take my path, for your soul had many lessons woven into it from those my soul
had learned. I thought you understood, and I am sorry that I did not help you earlier to
understand why you have no need to take that step,” Kataya explained, solemnly.
“I should not have spent so much time cloistered, when I was not working with Merdwin;
my spirit would have been all right without doing so. I should have spent more time with
you as you went through your final practice sessions with Artereos. I am sorry that I left
you so much alone, Samantha,” she said, regretfully. I did not realize that you would not
understand why these things are as they are, and for that, I do apologize to you. You
should not have been suffering these self doubts because of this, but thankfully, it has
only been a short while. I am glad you did not try to manifest right away, and I admit I
am surprised that Father did not put your mind to rest.”
“He told me it would not work before I tried, but I thought he was just trying to make me
feel better, if I failed. I did not realize he really meant it, literally,” Sam said, still
sounding unnerved by her failure.
“Now, I am also telling you, so please, stop worrying about what did not happen. It was
not unexpected by either Artereos, or I, and we are not disturbed by it,” she explained,
quickly and calmly. “Samantha, a first manifestation always takes place during battle.
You got farther with it than either Artereos or I expected. You did manage some of the
physical changes. The fact that you could not completely change should not worry you.
As we told you, even I could not completely manifest, until I was in a pitched battle
situation. You experienced my first manifestation when we linked, did you not? I am sure
that you can recall the situation and my emotions. So, please, stop worrying. We did not
go for you to manifest, but to be with Artereos and learn more of Morgasha,” Kataya said,
sincerely and firmly.
“You didn’t learn anything new though, did you? You already knew about her and
Merdwin. I still cannot believe she would do that to him. Not to Merdwin. No wonder he
has never had another mate, and it explains part of why he has held so tightly to you, why
he wished for you as a mate. I am not suggesting that Merdwin does not love you deeply,
because he does, but still it explains a lot about him and his attitude,” Sam said,
thoughtfully.
“Does it? Then explain it to me because I have never completely understood it,” Kataya
replied, frowning. “Not,” she continued, “that I do not value Merdwin, and his love of me,
for I do and I love him just as fiercely in return. However, it has always seemed odd that
he would be fixated on me, when there were more beautiful woman all around him, many
of which made it abundantly clear, through the millennia, that they were quite eager to
attempt to make him happy. We have always had a close loving relationship, it is true,
but…there were so many beautiful women.” She shook her head as she contemplated
what appeared to her to be an aberration.
Looking amazed that Kat did not understand, she said, “It is obvious, of course. He feels
safe loving you. You were everything she was, but your intentions were pure good, where
hers were pure evil. He knows you will never do to him what she did.” Sam shrugged
and then continued, “I believe that Merdwin has always believed that you have never
loved him quite as passionately as you do Lantash or Daniel, but that you love him truly,
in a very, very deep, and eternal way. You would never betray his love, Kat, never, and
Merdwin has always known that on every level,” Sam exclaimed.
“Now he loves Janet. Soon, Morgasha will be dead, and he will be completely free of even
the knowledge that she is out there somewhere waiting to try to kill him and her brother
again. And, that is the other shock to me. I am still trying to get my mind around that.
Artereos is Morgasha’s brother. She is Merdwin’s mate and Artereos’s sister,” Sam
murmured, yet again, and then gasped, “Oh, no, she and Merdwin are not still mated, are
they? Please, tell me they aren’t, Kat.”
“They are not. However, oh, Samantha, the pain he went through because of her
treachery and betrayal. I do not know how he survived it without becoming hard and
uncaring, but thank the All, he did.” Sighing as she remembered the pain of that time,
she continued her answer to Sam, “The All dissolved the tie millennia ago, without
requiring that they go through the Sevesh. Her treachery made it unnecessary for
Merdwin to do other than request his blood be returned to him. It almost killed her, but
unfortunately, it did not,” Kataya said grimly. “It is no longer important now, for we shall
see to it that she is dead this time, very dead indeed, for the list against her and Bastet is
long, Samantha. If she had never done anything else, for what she did to Merdwin alone,
she deserves to die.” Eyes flashing and her voice laced with venom, she hissed, “When
you add in the thousands of innocent lives she has taken, and then my Dominic and our
Lantash, you must agree she will get no more than she so justly deserves.”
Drawing a shaking breath, Sam said, “This has to be a living nightmare for Artereos as
well as Merdwin.” Sam was still trying to take in what they were about to do. Quietly she
added, “I think I am still processing what she did to Merdwin. If she had managed to steal
the knowledge of his power completely, and trap him in stasis where he would never have
been able to escape, she would have been able to get to Artereos. It is,” she paused, and
then looked at Kataya, “What we have to do is so important,” she whispered. “What if I
fail, Kat? What if I can’t manifest and we fail?”
“Samantha, whether you manifest or not, Morgasha will be dead. I would prefer to do it
using both our powers, however, if for some reason you cannot, then I will see to it that
she is dead, no matter what I must do to assure that. Do you understand?” Kataya
asked, quietly.
“No. No, I do not. If you have the power to do it alone, the All would not have brought me
forth. So no, I don’t understand.”
“Samantha, Morgasha is a master Enchantress, and so am I. Merdwin taught me
everything that she stole from him, as well as any new chants and spells he discovered or
invented, so my power as an Enchantress is equal to hers and very possibly, it surpasses
hers. It is not common knowledge, but I have been studying with Merdwin for millennia,”
Kataya told her quietly. “The main problem will be the great regenerative power that she
has, as I am quite sure Artereos warned you. Even though our power is quite formidable
as the Dragons, still, neither you nor I, have the truly massive regenerative power that she
has. The All gave it only unto the First-born. And she will also have the healing abilities
of the Goa’uld.”
“However, because of our mother, I have one or two abilities that she does not, nor does
she realize their true power. If I must, then I can defeat her by becoming one with the
forces of nature. If for some reason you do not manifest, then I will not hesitate to do so.
Please believe me, Samantha. Morgasha will be no more, one way or the other,” Kataya
assured her earnestly.
Sam stared at Kataya for a long moment before saying slowly, as if thinking the idea
through as she spoke, “But, you would die. Not just, die to be reborn. You would die but—
you would not come back would you? That is why the All did not want that to happen.
That is why they brought me forth; so that you would survive. So that we could fight her
together, and you would not have to do that,” Sam said, as she realized what Kataya was
truly saying.
“It would depend on how badly she was depleted and how much energy I would need to
release. Certainly, if I had to use the greatest extent of the power, then the consequences
would be worse.” Kataya turned, walked across the room, and said over her shoulder, as
she poured herself a drink, “There is nothing that says I would die. I would certainly be
very weak, probably for a long time, but I would not necessarily die,” Kataya assured her.
Turning to face Sam again, she said, “Besides that, it simply will not come to pass. You
will manifest, Samantha,” Kataya reassured her, “You will manifest. Artereos is quite sure
of your power, and so am I. And Samantha, I have never, in all these long millennia,
known Artereos to be wrong.”
Seeing that her words had somehow relieved some of Sam’s distress, she walked back to
her, and said, “Sam, go home with Martouf and Lantash. Have a pleasant evening and
make love to them, as if it were the first time. Give them all your love and honor them by
accepting theirs. Tomorrow, and all it entails, will come soon enough. They are your
husbands, your mates. Enjoy them and that fact. You have had so little time together.
Please. For your sake, as well as theirs, stop worrying. Go, Carusawyn,” she told her, as
she urged her toward the door.
Sam hugged her briefly. “Kat, thank you. You are right, and I am not going to worry
about it any more. And, you are right about having a good evening. We should celebrate.
We have been married for five weeks now. Maybe I will take some port home with me,
and I should probably take some mead too. Lantash seems to prefer it.”
“Yes, the symbiotes do tend to prefer the mead, so take both,” Kataya, agreed with her.
“I can do that. See you in the morning, Kat.”
“Goodnight, Samantha. Have a wonderful evening.”
Once Sam had left, Kataya changed out of her uniform and into one of the dresses that
Daniel liked so much. He would return to her soon, unless some artifact or manuscript
distracted him and caused him to lose track of time. Somehow, she knew that on this
day, he would not have done so. He would be thinking of her and home, as she was
thinking of him, home, and the evening ahead.
Artereos had a portrait of her made from a picture that Daniel took their first evening
together in their home. He would have seen to its delivery today, and it would be waiting
there for them to arrive home for the evening. She hoped he liked it. After tomorrow, it
might be all he had of her for quite some time. However, that was tomorrow. This was
tonight, and she would do what she had told Samantha to do. She and Daniel would
sleep very little this night. Both knew what tomorrow could bring, but neither would
speak of it. They would revel in being together this one long night, as she had suggested
to Samantha, as if it were the first time. She looked up and smiled as Daniel came
through the door.
“Are you ready, Igisadonis Animawyn?” She asked, softly.
“Yes, I am, Aima Coeurawyn. Shall we?”
“Yes, my love.”
“It is breathtakingly lovely, Kataya. Thank you. When did you arrange to have it made?”
Daniel wanted to know, as he looked at the beautiful portrait.
“I contacted father our first night here, when you took your images, and asked him to
have it made. You mentioned that night that you wished a portrait of me, here in our
home,” she reminded him softly. “I sent the images to my father and asked him to choose
one, and then have it made for you. I decided to give it to you now, instead of after our
joining, since it was ready early. It is the gift of my promise to join with you as your mate
once again, Igisadonis Animawyn.”
“Now, you will have me with you always, Dayillon, even if I am not in this room with you.
It will remind you always of my promise to return to you soon, whether from the next room
or across the galaxy. You will know I am watching you and you will remember to have
unwavering faith in our love and my promise,” she whispered, as she brought his lips to
hers, in a kiss that caused him to forget everything, but the feel of her. “Promise me you
will remember, Daniel, please, promise me,” Kataya urged him softly, bringing him back
to the present.
“I will remember, love. I will cherish it, always. Will you not come to me and love me
tonight, Blood of my Heart?” He asked, his voice husky with desire.
“Yes, Beloved of my Soul,” she whispered, as his lips claimed hers in another kiss that
seemed to take both of them to some faraway place where only lovers could go. “Yes,” she
breathed, as his shirt fell to the floor and her lips played across his chest, as her fingers
found the fastening on his jeans. She would relearn every curve and muscle of him this
night. When the new day dawned, they would still be awake to greet it. “Yes, my love,”
she whispered once more, before they both became lost to words.
“Samantha you never cease to amaze and enchant me. I love you, Coeurawyn. Always.”
Looking down at the cake on his plate, Martouf laughed gently, “Lantash and I have
become extremely fond of this chocolate, in a very short time. Thank you for thinking of
this. It did not occur to me that it was an anniversary for us.”
Watching her from across the table, Martouf caught his breath, as he did so often when he
looked at her. She had given him more joy in these few short weeks, than he could ever
remember having before. Each day that she greeted him with her smile and a kiss was a
wonder to him. People often told him that when his Samantha entered the room, his face
lit up, as if someone had turned a light on. He believed it, for he felt as if she brought the
light with her into his life.
The joy with which she always greeted him amazed and awed him and Lantash, for it was
for both of them. She greeted both of them with joy. Her caring for both of them showed
in so many little ways, this evening a point in fact, as she had remembered the mead, as
well as the port. He did not know how he had survived before she came into his life, and
he did not know if he would survive if anything ever happened to her.
However, those thoughts were not for tonight. He had to tell himself that the mission
tomorrow would go well. Bastet would be dead, and he and his Samantha would join their
hearts and souls by the Furling joining rituals. Then they would be complete, bound even
more tightly, if that was possible. He watched her as she ate her cake and flirted with
him. Dear universe, how very deeply he loved her.
Sam laughed with him, as she ate another bite of her cake, “Well it is a pretty slim excuse
for cake and ice cream, and most people would consider this more birthday type stuff, but
hey, we both enjoy it, so I thought we could use any excuse to have some.” Smiling at his
enjoyment of the sweet, she added, “You do know that cake and ice cream are extremely
fattening. If we are not careful we are both going to end up gaining a ton.”
“Then we will just have to think of some form of exercise we could do that we would both
enjoy. Something we can do together. What do you say, Carusawyn, shall we clean this
up, and then begin our exercise routine?” Martouf asked lightly, as he stood and rounded
the table to stand beside her.
Sam agreed, as she finished her cake and port, before turning to gather up the plates and
clear the table. It would not take long, and then, they had the long night ahead of them to
make more memories. She wanted this night to live for them forever as a beautiful one.
She frowned thinking once again about Morgasha/Bastet. She would remember to tell
Martouf and Lantash who she was tomorrow though, not tonight. She would have time
before the mission, and it was something she felt he should know. He and Daniel, but she
knew that Kat would tell Daniel.
Finishing their tasks, they returned to the living room and sat close together on the sofa
simply holding one another, absorbing the wonder of being together. Soon he stood and
offered his hand to Samantha. “Will you not come to me tonight, Aima Coeurawyn, my
wife?” Martouf asked, his voice husky with desire.
She took his hand and stood. “Yes, Igisadonis Animawyn, my husband,” she whispered,
as his lips claimed hers. Soon, lost in the sensual haze their love always wrapped them
in, she pushed the now opened shirt off his shoulders and let her lips find their way
across the glorious skin of his chest and throat, moving back to his lips. “Yes,” she
breathed onto that skin, relishing and memorizing the feel of it. They had all night long to
revel in one another, and they would use each and every moment of it to do so, before
they greeted the sunshine of another day. “Yes, my love,” echoed softly, on the still night
air.
The arrival of the nine teams on Bastet’s world went like clockwork. There were no guards
on the gate, and the teams spread out to remain undetected as long as possible.
Their instructions were to use zats until it was no longer feasible. When they were close
enough to the compound, teams six and seven were to set up diversions to lure as many
Jaffa away as possible and once they reached the diversion, team nine was to lay down a
barrage to keep them pinned there, until the other teams had taken them out.
It was imperative that they keep the link open between each of those teams, and not one
member of those teams was concerned. They had spent hour after hour using this link
and it had become second nature to them, which was exactly as it should be. If they
managed to take out the Jaffa they had lured away, they were to make their way to the
compound to give assistance there, cleaning out pockets of resistance on the way.
At this time of day, Bastet walked in a garden near the courtyard in which Kataya wished
to trap her. She had to pass through it to get back inside. Teams five and four were to
engage and keep pinned down any returning Jaffa to keep them out of the courtyard.
Teams three, two, and one would take out the Jaffa around Bastet and inside the
compound, then assist teams four and five with the returning Jaffa. Absolutely none of
the Jaffa were to be able to re-enter the compound during the battle. Team eight was
medics. They would bring up the rear.
It had gone unbelievably smoothly. They had taken out a great many Jaffa quietly with
zats before they realized and raised a general alarm. The fighting became more intense
as the teams neared the compound, but it was nothing they had not expected. The ninth
team was doing a bang-up job, Jaffa were penned down, and the teams were taking them
out methodically.
The number of Jaffa the Katteri agent had said there would be was very accurate, as was
the information of where Morgasha/Bastet would be at this particular time of day. SG-1
made it into the courtyard of the compound, while she was watching the other contingents
close in on her and giving orders. When she entered the courtyard and saw them there,
she had laughed, until Kataya had stepped forward and removed the shield she had used
to conceal the fact that a master Enchantress of the Katteri was among them.
Jack turned as he heard the unearthly hiss and scream come from Morgasha/Bastet, as
she realized they fooled her and that she was not facing a small group of Tau’ri, but a
Katteri master Enchantress and a Dragon Slayer at that. She had sensed it, not only too
late, she realized, but only when the Enchantress facing her had wished her to realized it.
This one was powerful indeed, to be able to do that.
Jack wished he could watch, but they were inside the compound and now their job was to
keep the Jaffa outside. Man, that woman could screech. Jack reloaded and took out a few
more Jaffa. He saw some of the Katteri begin to manifest. Slipping their circlets on and
drawing their swords, they were amazing to watch. There was no ban on other types of
weapons this time, but they kept the swords, daggers, and circlets hidden. They fully
expected the Katteri to manifest, but not until after Kataya had shown herself to
Morgasha.
Never having actually seen a manifestation during battle, he had to admit it was startling
to see. He hoped they were not changing too soon, and then realized that they would
know when Kataya removed the shielding that hid who and what she was. They would all
have sensed it by now. He turned to look and gaped at the sight of Kataya, as she and
Morgasha/Bastet began to manifest. He watched as the two Dragons locked with one
another in combat. Holy smoke, Bullwinkle! They really did look like Dragons in a very
real way, and yet they still looked like women. If this was an illusion, it was a heck of a
good one, because you could not really tell where human flesh ended and dragon began.
Kataya was a truly magnificent sight. Dangerous and pagan, the power of the Kat-entity
was there, but other characteristics showed the dragon. Just as it had happened the day
she manifested for Daniel, ribbon devices appeared on both arms, but as a part of her and
the circlet around her head was no longer a separate piece that lay on her. It, too, was
part of her, the large amethyst, embedded in the iridescent scales forming on her
forehead, gleaming brightly as it glowed with the power of the universe.
Jack watched, fascinated, as a shield and sword appeared. As the energy swirled higher
around her, armor began to appear, clothing her in a tunic made of gleaming iridescent
scales, girded in gold. Kataya seemed to have grown taller, but he could not tell if that
was reality or illusion.
He watched, almost breathless, as she pulled large amounts of energy into herself, until
she seemed to glow from within. The energy swirled around her and seemed to encase
her for a time in a swirling cyclone of power, before calming and steadily circling as well
as entering her. Then as the energy once again became a wild and fierce entity, the feel of
it in air of the courtyard became so intense he felt the hair on his arms and head raise
slightly.
Jack turned his attention away and back to the fighting to protect their Dragons with
difficulty. He wanted to watch, but knew he would only be able to catch bits and pieces of
the battle. He hoped the energy they were about to start throwing around would not hit
any of them; without a shield, they would not stand a chance. Good thing they had one.
They were somewhat protected by low stone benches and statues and their Katteri group
shield being generated by Lanwin. He and Taesha had taken to using the Tau’ri weapons
like ducks to water, much as their mother had. Taesha had the link, and she was doing a
bang-up job of both keeping the link open and helping to fight and defend the Dragons.
He knew that soon, they too, would no doubt manifest. He soon realized it had already
started. He saw their eyes begin to glow and their claws come out. No doubt, their fangs
had burst forth as well. Oh, yeah, they were definitely Katteri-enti.
Daniel watched, fascinated, as the woman he loved became the Dragon of the Fire.
Intellectually, he had known that her abilities to pull energy in this form exceeded greatly
anything she was capable of at any other time. Nothing he had seen or imagined had
prepared him for this, though. It was almost as if she had become a part of the Universe.
It was beautiful, and fearsome, and he could not even imagine what it would look like
when she and Sam joined their power and manifested together, but he felt sure that those
who witnessed it were going to be awed. He certainly was, and it was not even both of
them yet.
He watched as the Dragons fought. Morgasha/Bastet was indeed as powerful as Kataya
had warned him she would be. No matter how many times Kataya struck her, still she
seemed to gather power and recover. Kataya herself was in a constant haze of wildly
pulsating streams and flames of energy.
As two of the Dragons fought, he became aware that Sam was not manifesting. She was
having trouble.
Sam was beside herself because of her failure to manifest. No matter how hard she tried,
she could not attain more than a standard energy draw. While her blasts seem to help,
they were not strong enough to drain Morgasha’s power. They were an annoyance that
helped draw her fire from Kataya, nothing more. And, it kept Sam busy dodging Bastet’s
energy bolts, when she did turn her attention to her.
Her thoughts were frantic. I was afraid I would not be able to do it, she thought bitterly.
As she watched, appalled, Morgasha struck Kataya hard enough to take her down. She
attempted to draw Morgasha/Bastet’s fire to herself once more, so that Kat could recover,
and she saw Kataya suddenly begin to glow with a blue-white flame. She had never seen
it before, but she knew what Kat was preparing to do, and she could not let her do that.
Not yet. No unless there was no other way.
Kat was turning herself into a flame of pure energy. She was drawing on the forces of
nature, as well as the universe, and she would become a massive bolt of energy in order to
take Bastet out. Only by doing so, she could die. Thank the universe, Sam thought, Kat
still had to continue to fight, so the building of the power was slow. It was keeping
Morgasha fully occupied attempting to keep her from gathering enough power to
successfully change.
Watching, Sam felt anger building in her that soon changed to a pure and white-hot fury.
Finally, beside herself with rage at her inability to manifest she shouted within her mind
to the All, knowing it could hear and feel her. “Damn you! I am CsillaBellawyna the
Beautiful Star! I am Morna’Catira the Beloved Warrior! I am Drawyn! I am the Dragon! I
am the Dragon of the Star and you will not deny me! Do you hear me? How dare you
refuse me my energy and power? I demand that you give me the power that is mine to
command.”
And, suddenly, she knew it was true. Standing, she looked outward to the universe and
shouted aloud, “I, Samantha Carter, am a Master of the power that is the All, and unto Me
shall be given the energy and the power that belongs to a Dragon of the All, for it is my
right, and it shall not be denied to me.” As she finally completely accepted herself as a
Dragon Slayer, she knew the shock of feeling massive amounts of energy flowing into her
body, and she gasped at the surge of pure power that infused her every cell.
“Carter, get the hell…down,” Jack O’Neill’s shouted command sank to a whisper on the
last word, as he watched the manifestation of the Dragon of the Star begin to take place.
Sam knew she had already thrown an energy shield around herself, and she could feel
the change in her appearance, as her uniform quickly melted away, and armor took its
place. The silver and iridescent scales of her tunic with its silver girding flashed in the
evening sunlight. She knew the ecstasy of pure power flowing into the ribbons, which
appeared and became part of her body, as did the circlet that encircled her head.
Lifting the sword she now held, she watched as it glowed bright with silver and blue bolts
of energy, and the blue and silver Mysts that suddenly swirled at her feel enveloped her
shield until she raised it, and it gleamed in her light. On it were a Dragon and a Lion
Rampant above crossed swords, and in one corner a falcon flew above a unicorn, the
symbols for truth and purity. The inscription read: The Dragon of the Star of the Universe
shall Prevail.
She was more than Katteri-enti. She was the Dragon of the Star, she was the Slayer of the
Blood and her sister, her spirit twin, needed her, now. As the circlet on her head grew
ever brighter, she felt the massive amounts of energy building, and she turned to Kataya
as she heard the howl of rage that Morgasha/Bastet released, as she realized that they
had kept the most important information hidden from her. This was not simply a
powerful Enchantress and Dragon Slayer. These were the souls of the prophecy, they
were here, and she knew she was indeed doomed. But, not without a fight. Perhaps she
could not win, but she would take them and as many of their own as she could, into death
with her.
Daniel watched, awed at the sight of these two truly magnificent women. When Kataya
had manifested to help slow the progress of her bleeding before the Sevesh, she had
seemed wondrous to Daniel, and he had thought at the time that it would be an awe-
inspiring sight when they both manifested, but it had in no way prepared him for this.
Her energy draw at that time had been small compared to the massive amounts of energy
she was pulling and using now.
Kataya was again the golden, yet iridescent being she had been before, but so much
more. Even in this pitched battle, there was poetry in her movements. Before, the flames
of blues, purples, and gold swirled around her and leapt from the Myst at her feet. Now,
those same flames seemed to burn hotter and brighter with reds and oranges apparent
among the other colors. They leapt higher and burned intensely as they flew from her
fingers, which were now indistinguishable from the ribbon devices, and they made her
stunningly beautiful and glorious.
The flames flew from her sword as they laced across her body and whirled and danced
around her. How absolutely breathtaking and terrifying she looked, he thought. As she
raised her shield again, he read: The Flames of the Fire Dragon bring Victory and
Vengeance. The emblem was the same as the one on Sam’s; only the inscriptions were
different. They held the same message though, he thought; Morgasha/Bastet was toast.
As Martouf and Lantash looked at the newly manifested Samantha, they saw a glorious,
pagan Amazon. The Dragon of the Star was truly majestic, as the energy she commanded
sizzled and sparked from her hands, now ribbons, and sword. Always beautiful, as the
Dragon of the Star, Samantha was unparalleled.
Unlike Kataya, who stood amongst flames of energy fed by the Mysts of the universe, Sam
stood among crackling arcs of silver lights and bolts of the purest shades of blue lightly
tinged with lavender. From the Mysts of the universe swirling at her feet, an occasional
deep indigo charge would race around her body and mingle with the silver sparks that
she emitted constantly.
The bolts of energy leapt from her body only to return and build ever more intense. From
indigo to silver, the energy that raced and twirled around her body turned the Mysts at
her feet into the deepest shades, and brightest auroras, of the skies of the universe.
Together these two women were overwhelmingly stunning.
Daniel and Martouf stood enthralled by what they were seeing. Born of the universe and
its power, their mates were the power of that universe and all that was beautiful in it.
With the light of the slanting sun shining off them, for a moment, Daniel imagined he saw
them each with wings spread wide. He shrugged mentally, knowing that dragons had
wings in fantasy, but he would be more inclined to think that if there were such things as
avenging angels, then they were seeing two of them now.
Martouf watched with him, and he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. What a
magnificent sight they were. “Martouf, as truly awesome as this is we must continue to
protect them from outside interference. We must keep the remainder of the Jaffa at bay,
until they are finished with that monster,” Lantash reminded him sharply, knowing he had
to get his attention.
“Yes, of course, I am sorry, Lantash. I shall get Daniel’s attention and we will take the far
wall, as no one else has thought to go there.”
“That is a very good observation, Martouf. Let us go before some Jaffa also figures that
out,” Lantash agreed.
Forcing himself to turn away, Martouf shook Daniel’s arm. “We must protect them,
Daniel. Much as we would like to watch them constantly and see all of this battle, we
must do our part to see them through it. Quickly, we must take a stance at the far wall
before some Jaffa get through there.”
Daniel looked at him blankly for a moment, before nodding swiftly and hefting his P-90.
For this mission, he insisted they arm him well. Kataya had backed him up, as had
Jack. It was not as if he was unfamiliar with or did not know how to use the weapon. He
was actually quite proficient with it; he simply rarely felt the need to carry one. This time
he did. He again nodded his agreement, and then motioned to a couple of openings in the
courtyard wall that Martouf had indicated, from which they would have a view of the
surrounding countryside.
The two men made their way to them in time to stop a few Jaffa from sneaking in. Daniel
had a few tense moments with a Jaffa in hand-to-hand combat, but surprised himself by
being the one left alive. Martouf and Daniel managed, somehow, to watch both their
respective posts, and the battle raging within the yard.
Having nothing to lose and everything to gain, Morgasha/Bastet was holding nothing
back. Samantha and Kataya began to do battle as they had practiced so many times, and
they worked in perfect harmony one with the other. Each knew exactly what the other
was about to do, and it was as if they were two arms of one being.
As the battle raged, the sight of the three dragons, locked in mortal combat, awed those
watching and protecting them from those trying to enter the courtyard and help their
mistress. How odd, Daniel thought, that the Dragon of the Blood would manifest and be
physically beautiful. Looking at her, he saw the resemblance between her and Artereos.
Morgasha was beautiful, with deeply wavy coal black hair, deep green eyes, and golden
skin. She was voluptuous in the extreme. Her energy was of black and green with
streaks of red, and it swirled and flowed around her. Only her eyes showed her true
malevolence. They gleamed and burned with pure, unadulterated evil. It was all Daniel
could do to look upon such ugliness within such beauty.
He heard her screaming, “I will take your mates and make them my slaves. They will
serve me in my bed, and you shall search for them for eternity, but they shall never
escape me. I will use them to pleasure me forever.”
“Not gonna happen, bitch,” Sam said, and he heard Kataya laugh. Then he watched as
Kataya worked her way to Sam and struck her lightly with her sword causing a slight cut
on her arm. Sam immediately struck and drew blood from Kataya on her arm. As the two
women joined the cuts and their blood mingled, the courtyard was flooded with brilliant
blue and purple lights, and everyone there now realized why there had been no blood
shed during their joining; it was the final ingredient needed to cause the complete union.
They joined their power, the two women glowed brighter, and the battle raged.
Morgasha/Bastet again howled with rage and renewed her fight with apparently increased
vigor. Each person watching was aware that they were seeing a beautiful, deadly, ballet
as Sam and Kataya seemed to dance together within the flames and arcs of their energy,
never once missing a step, a turn, a leap.
Jack had stopped trying to shoot Morgasha/Bastet when he realized that her shield kept
out any type of firepower they had. Only Kataya and Sam could break through it.
Moreover, they did, but the regenerative power of the First-born Furling blended with a
Goa’uld was immense.
Martouf also watched, fascinated, as he held his post and helped to guard his mate as she
battled. He and Lantash were aware that they were involved in and seeing, the greatest
battle they had ever witnessed. They despaired when they had to turn their attention to
the Jaffa trying to get into their position.
They were all aware of the other teams slowly, but methodically, taking out groups of Jaffa
all over the compound, working their way towards them, to give support to the battle that
raged inside.
Suddenly, Morgasha/Bastet tried to make a break for the doorway. Kataya threw a
massive bolt of energy that caught her off guard, threw her against the wall, and stopped
her forward momentum. Sam followed it up, and they began slowly forcing her towards a
corner of the courtyard. Morgasha/Bastet was finally weakening. Neither Kataya nor
Samantha let up as they came at her time and again.
However, Daniel and Martouf both realized that their mates were taking severe hits and
they, too, were losing power and energy. Finally, forcing Morgasha/Bastet into the corner,
Daniel watched as Kataya once again began to harness massive amounts of energy as
Sam kept Bastet concentrating on her.
Watching her, Daniel’s memories told him not only what Kataya was preparing to do, but
what the consequences to her could very well be. When he realized fully what it meant,
he stood; “No,” he screamed. As their eyes met across the courtyard, she sent him wave
upon wave of love, then released the bolt, which carried not only the energy of the
universe, but the fury and destructive power of nature’s forces.
It pierced Morgasha’s shield, as if it was not there, and was a perfect hit in the center of
her adversary’s chest. As her blood began to pour from her, Morgasha/Bastet looked first
at her chest, and then at Kataya, who stood almost defenseless before her, drained of all
major power sources, but smiling at Morgasha, nonetheless, for she had achieved her
purpose. Morgasha/Bastet would die—by her hand. Vengeance was there for all those
who had lost their lives, or loved ones to her.
With her last breath, Morgasha/Bastet harnessed as much power as she could. She
raised her arm, and as her final act, she sent the remainder of her energy straight at
Kataya in a huge ball of power. As she released the blast, the energy pulled her well
forward toward Sam and Kataya, as she fell in death. Sam tried to step in front of her
now unprotected sister to share her own shield, and the blast hit both of them with its full
force. The blast went into and then through the shared shield, and it was enough to take
both of them down. Spinning them around as it hit them; both fell forward toward
Morgasha/Bastet and onto their backs. As the two Dragons hit the ground, not even the
air seemed to move. Everyone watching seemed to freeze in place at the sound of Daniel’s
scream, and all of them watched in horror and disbelief, unable to do anything to help or
change what was taking place.
No one noticed that the blood of the Dragons was soaking into the ground and spreading
outward, turning the soil red and forming a pool in which the blood from all three dragons
mixed. From their statue like stances, they all watched as Kataya slowly turned herself
onto her side, and raised her hand. Using the last of her fire energy, she sent a surge into
the pooled blood, set it aflame, and fell back to the ground.
Though they all saw her do it, only the Furling realized the significance of the gesture.
Kataya and Samantha had fallen close together, and now they reached slowly for each
other’s hands. When they touched, and their hands entwined, each smiled as they looked
at that flame, for each knew that the prophecy was complete. Morgasha/Bastet was dead.
‘And the blood of the Dragons shall be shed upon the soil, and from the fire we shall rise
again and shine’.
The light of the All was safe. It would still take time for the Goa’uld to be completely
defeated, but it would happen. Moreover, vengeance was unto the heart of the Dragon of
the Fire, as had been promised, for at last Merdwin’s betrayal, Dominic and Lantash’s
torture and deaths, and the deaths of the innocent were avenged. And though despair
laid heavy upon her heart to be leaving her Dayillon when their time together had been so
short, still she was joyful, also, in her heart, for one more threat to the All, the universe,
and the races that dwelled there was ended.
The teams were making their way inside. The Jaffa somehow knew their queen was dead,
and they were giving up. The priestesses who had come were there, and they were beside
the two dragons that still drew breath, but they knew that time was short, and though
they moved aside for the Dragon’s mates, they remained close enough to touch their
dragon if needed. The spell the people watching had appeared to be under suddenly
seemed to break and they raced towards the two beautiful Dragons lying on the ground.
Daniel ran forward, stumbling, scrambling to Kataya’s side, and when he reached her, he
took her gently into his arms. As he caressed her face and touched her lips, he heard her
whisper to him softly, “Daniel, Amat Wyn.”
“Sh. Hush. Conserve your strength. You will be all right. The priestesses are here. We
will take you to Avilion,” he whispered softly.
“Daniel. You must promise me that you will go on. You must take care of Lantash and
Martouf. They will be lost without Samantha, and they have never waited for their
Soulmate to return as we have. You understand that I will someday return. They do not.”
“No, Kataya, not this time. I cannot survive without you again. I will go with you, and be
reborn with you this time.”
Kataya smiled at him gently. She was becoming weaker as her lifeblood seeped away.
She whispered to him, “Not this time, Coeurawyn. This time, I must go as the Dragon of
the Fire, and you cannot come with me on this journey. It is one that I must go on with
my spirit twin.” As Daniel looked down at Kataya and Sam’s hands, he realized that their
ribbons and hands had become completely and irrevocably entwined.
“No, Kataya, please, please, no. Don’t, don’t say that,” Daniel whispered, pleaded, his
voice anguished.
“You must continue to fight the Goa’uld, and you must care for those we leave behind.
Promise me. Please, Coeurawyn. You will not fail the ones that depend on you.”
Daniel could hardly breathe, “I promise,” he finally whispered. Almost choking on the
words, but knowing she needed to hear it all, he continued, “I will continue the fight
against the Goa’uld. I swear I will seek vengeance for this, the shedding of your blood,
and on that blood, I promise I will take care of Lantash and Martouf,” he managed to tell
her, his voice ragged and rough with tears and emotion, but also laced with steel as he
vowed his revenge. This was a promise he knew she would understand and believe.
“I love you, Kataya, Et Aevum,” his voice broke, as he struggled to speak to her.
She smiled at him, stroked his face, and touched his lips with trembling golden fingertips,
as she whispered, her voice weak and husky with emotion, “I must go.” She sighed softly,
and with a faint smile, she murmured for the last time, “I love thee eternally, Dayillon.”
Daniel continued to hold her, though her hand fell from his face and her amazing violet
eyes slowly closed. On some level, he was aware that she had stopped breathing.
Gwennetha took her mother’s hand in hers, and she looked at Daniel. “We must hurry,
we have little time,” she said urgently, as she nodded to the other two priestesses, who
also reached out and touched her mother. As they surrounded her, they began a low-
toned chant. Daniel did not even hear them.
He stared at her face, so beautiful to him, and as far as he was concerned, although he
might continue to live and breathe, the color, the light, and the joy were gone from his
world. Nevertheless, the vengeance would grow and bring a light into it. Not yet, but
soon, he knew.
As Martouf scrambled towards Samantha, he recalled an earlier conversation between
them.
“I do not think I would be able to survive if anything happened to take you from me,” he
had said to her.
She had looked at him, alarmed. Her voice was urgent, as she said, “Martouf, Lantash,
you must promise me that you will go on if something happens to me. You must. Please,
promise that you will continue to fight the Goa’uld.”
Martouf had frowned, “Samantha? What is wrong? Why are you saying this?” A feeling of
dread was building inside of him. “If that is truly your wish, my heart, but it will be very
difficult for me to do. Why are you saying this now?”
“I am a soldier; I could be killed at any time. You and Lantash know that, just as I know
that it could happen to you. Both of us must be prepared for that. We are going into a
fierce battle soon.”
Martouf felt as if he could not breathe, and Lantash was as stunned as he. They had
known, of course, but they had not acknowledged that knowing. Once again, he felt the
desolation he had lived through once before, only this time, the world was not just dark, it
was black. Forcing himself to draw a breath, he looked at her. “I do not know if I can do
as you ask, Samantha.”
“You must,” she whispered. “I need to know that you will remain if I am gone. That you
and Lantash will take care of one another, and continue the fight.”
He looked at her helplessly. “Samantha, I do not know if I can do as you ask. Neither
Lantash nor I would wish to continue without you.”
“It is important to me that you live on. Please.”
Martouf had sighed, but he finally agreed, “All right. I promise, if that is what you truly
desire.”
Lantash came forward and said to her, “You are my life, Samantha, and I truly do not
know how I would survive without you, but if that is what you need to ease your worry and
bring you peace, then I will promise you. Moreover, I will take care of Martouf; I promise
you that, also.
As Martouf held Samantha in his arms and watched as the blood seeped onto the ground,
he remembered that conversation of a few weeks earlier. She had known then, he
realized, that she would not survive the Great Battle. Only now did he remember
promising Kataya virtually the same thing. They had known; they had both known.
He held her to him, and he heard her whisper, “You are the Beloved of my Soul. You are
my eternal mates, my husbands. In time, I will return to you, I promise, but you must go
on, until I can come back to you. You must have unwavering faith in my promise and my
love of you. You must survive, and you must take care of and help Daniel, for he will feel
the loss of Kataya, perhaps more deeply than ever before. You must help each other.”
“Samantha, the Tok’Ra healers are here. The Furling Priestesses are here, also. We will
take you to Avilion. You must not give up, you must not.” He pleaded with her to hold on,
to survive. “You are the Blood of our Hearts. You are our eternal mate, and we will love
you into eternity,” Martouf whispered in a voice so choked with tears that he could barely
speak.
Finally, he said the words she needed to hear, “I promise you that we will remain, and I
will care for Lantash and Daniel. We will continue to fight the Goa’uld and do as you
wish, my love.”
Sam raised the hand not entwined with Kataya’s and stroked his face gently. “You have
given me so much. Passion, joy, enchantment, and a love deeper than anything I have
ever known. I love you both so much, Martouf, Lantash,” she gasped as pain shot through
her. When it had passed, she whispered softly, her voice full of love for them. “I will
always love you, my husbands.”
As Martouf watched, her breath stopped. “No,” He whispered. “No, no.” He felt a hand on
his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of their son. “I swear,” he said to Lanwin, “that
we will seek vengeance for this, the shedding of her blood, I swear for both Lantash and
myself. The Goa’uld shall pay for this,” he whispered fiercely, before turning back and
giving into his grief.
“Come, my fathers. Let the Priestesses take my mothers.”
“Your mothers?” he whispered.
“Yes, both of my mothers are almost gone. Please, you must let them take them to Avilion,
the Sanctuary, for that is where the All will wish them to be taken,” Lanwin said gently,
his voice laced with sympathy.
“I cannot,” he cried as he rocked the still, beautiful form he held in his arms. “I cannot do
this,” he said once again, his voice achingly forlorn.
“You must. You are strong. Both of you and my Mother’s beloved, Daniel, are strong. You
promised that you would not fail them.”
Suddenly, Jack O’Neill was kneeling beside him. “Martouf, look, I …” looking down at the
woman/dragon lying in Martouf’s arms, he caught his breath and swallowed hard, then
mentally shaking himself, he continued, “We have to go. We have to get them to the
Stargate.”
Still dazed, Martouf looked numbly at these men. He could not do what they all were
asking of him. His reason for living had just died. He shook his head refusing to release
his burden. Where was Lantash, why was he not aiding him? Lantash? Lantash! Still
on his knees, he swayed and O’Neill pulled Samantha from Martouf’s arms as he fell.
They all became aware at the same time of the large burn in his back. He was unaware
that the three priestesses surrounding Samantha had begun a low-voiced chant of
infusion and sustaining, and he did not see the flash of light that took Samantha, Kataya,
and the priestesses.
Daniel looked blankly at him as Teal’c reached down to help him up. Standing, he looked
at where Kataya had been lying only moments before, close in his arms, “She is gone,” he
said blankly, and then he felt Teal’c’s arms go around him. “She is gone,” he said one
more time in a harsh, broken voice before he collapsed. Only then did anyone realize that
Daniel, too, was badly injured. As his jacket fell open, they could see the blood soaked
shirt and vest underneath.
“Crap,” Jack exclaimed, at the sight. “Damn it, Daniel, don’t you dare die on me, too,” he
whispered roughly.
Laying him on the ground, Teal’c ripped his shirt open to expose the large jagged knife
wound. A medic ran up and quickly tended it by placing a pressure bandage on it and
starting an IV.
A few feet away, a medic looked at the burn on Martouf’s back, and said, “This one will
have internal injuries. It is medium high on his back, which means the symbiote’s injury
is severe, if he is even still alive. If he is, he is not going to be doing much healing for the
host, I am afraid. We need a Tok’Ra healer here,” he called, as he applied a temporary
dressing. “We need to move these two out of here. Okay, IV’s started, you are good to go,”
he said, as he rushed to the next person he spied with injuries.
“We should hurry, O’Neill,” Teal’c said, as he picked up and cradled his friend in his
arms. His voice urgent, he added, “We may have very little time.”
No one noticed that in the growing twilight, a new star shone forth and slowly rose into the
night sky.
TBC
Chapter 39 Home Chapter 41
Table of Contents
approaching. Sam and Kataya return to Avilion. While there, Artereos discloses to Sam just who
Morgasha/Bastet really are. She is shocked. After they return to the SGC, Sam talks to Kataya about Artereos's
revelation. She also frets because she could not yet manifest, even though Artereos, Merdwin, and Kataya all
assure her that it will not happen until she is in a pitched battle situation. The day arrives and the Battle takes
place. Sam takes her place as Katteri-enti and the Dragon.
Warning: Character Death: As promised by the women, it is temporary. They will return to their mates.
Et Aevum - Into/For Eternity
Igisadonis Animawyn - Beloved of My Soul
Aima Coeurawyn - Blood of My Heart
Coeurawyn - My Heart
Carusawyn - My Dear One, My Dearest One
Amat Wyn - My Love
“Italics” – Symbiote-Host or Telepathic Communication
The last few weeks certainly seemed to fly by. The teams worked harder than ever after
their practice run, when they managed to rescue Lieutenant Stevenson and Sergeant
Martin. Brialek, the Tok’Ra healer, was helping Ellen Stevenson to heal quicker by using
the healing device on her. There was a great deal of damage to her knees, legs, and pelvic
area, and Tau’ri medicine alone, could not heal such severe damage nearly as well. In
fact, Janet was of the opinion, that without the Tok’Ra’s intervention, Ellen Stevenson
would have been out of the service on a medical discharge, something that would not
happen now. As things stood now, physically, they were healing well, but especially
Lieutenant Stevenson, was dealing with the mental aspects of the ordeal they underwent.
The two other members of their team requested a transfer to one of the Special
Assignment Teams, and because half of their team was medically unfit for duty, the
General and Colonel O’Neill agreed. They would need to join other teams in the interim
anyway, so this would work out fine for the time being. When the tactics group working
on the Bastet operation decided three weeks ago that they wanted one more Special
Assignment Team, they added them to that one. They put in a lot of hard work to catch
up with the others, but their team was declared ‘Good to Go’ two days ago.
The Major and his Lieutenant were impressed with the teams during the rescue, and now,
after working with them, they were prouder yet, to be part of one. The job they had been
given was an important one, they knew. The entire mission was important to them all,
and its most important elements were Major Carter and Kataya. They were as concerned
as the rest of the teams that Major Carter and the Warrior Kataya were missing from the
daily routine. For the last three days, neither Major Carter nor Kataya had visited the
training area. Rumors were rife as to the reason: Some said one of them was ill. One
said the Major changed her mind about going in as Katteri. Another said that they were
off world for last minute instructions and training from Artereos, something they planned
to do all along. That one happened to be the one that was true.
The day before the Great Battle, they returned, but they went straight to Kataya’s
quarters. Those who saw them return said that they seemed fine. Major Carter had
appeared to be her normal self, and Kataya had been as serene as ever. Everyone relaxed
knowing that the two returned with no problems evident.
Had they been in Kataya’s quarters, their perceptions might have been different. “What
are we going to do, Kat?” Sam asked anxiously.
“We are going to defeat Bastet, Samantha,” was the placid answer. “We will go into battle.
The teams will perform flawlessly, and we shall destroy Bastet. That is what we are going
to do, and that is what is going to happen. Nothing has changed.”
“Yeah, I know. Not even me,” Sam said glumly.
“You will do fine. Stop worrying,” Kat said, as she smiled gently at her. “It will work out,
Sam, I promise you. You trust Artereos and Merdwin, do you not? They, also, are telling
you this is what will happen. We have not been wrong yet, have we?”
“No. No, you haven’t,” Sam said, still distressed. “But, are you sure I should not have
stepped into the fire? I mean, I know you and Artereos say that my soul is Furling, so I do
not have to, but my soul is also Tau’ri. What if that is the reason, why I cannot do it?
What if I need to do that first?” Sam asked, as she became more agitated. “Even you
stepped into the fire in your first living, so why don’t I need to? I really don’t understand.”
“Samantha, I was a very young woman, not long out of childhood, when I accepted my
destiny, and I had many livings to go through. I stepped into the fire, so that it might
forge my spirit into a cohesive whole; it would not desire to be reborn into another species,
or even to come back as a kit in order to learn my life lessons. You lived my lives during
the link, and you know that I have never again been a kit, and the time I spent with the
different races was spent as myself as an adult. Never have I been born as other than
who and what I am, Kataya of Cadwaellon, and I never shall be.”
“You were not forced to make that choice, since I have already done so. We share soul
threads; therefore, in a way, you have already been through the fire. There was no reason
for you to take my path, for your soul had many lessons woven into it from those my soul
had learned. I thought you understood, and I am sorry that I did not help you earlier to
understand why you have no need to take that step,” Kataya explained, solemnly.
“I should not have spent so much time cloistered, when I was not working with Merdwin;
my spirit would have been all right without doing so. I should have spent more time with
you as you went through your final practice sessions with Artereos. I am sorry that I left
you so much alone, Samantha,” she said, regretfully. I did not realize that you would not
understand why these things are as they are, and for that, I do apologize to you. You
should not have been suffering these self doubts because of this, but thankfully, it has
only been a short while. I am glad you did not try to manifest right away, and I admit I
am surprised that Father did not put your mind to rest.”
“He told me it would not work before I tried, but I thought he was just trying to make me
feel better, if I failed. I did not realize he really meant it, literally,” Sam said, still
sounding unnerved by her failure.
“Now, I am also telling you, so please, stop worrying about what did not happen. It was
not unexpected by either Artereos, or I, and we are not disturbed by it,” she explained,
quickly and calmly. “Samantha, a first manifestation always takes place during battle.
You got farther with it than either Artereos or I expected. You did manage some of the
physical changes. The fact that you could not completely change should not worry you.
As we told you, even I could not completely manifest, until I was in a pitched battle
situation. You experienced my first manifestation when we linked, did you not? I am sure
that you can recall the situation and my emotions. So, please, stop worrying. We did not
go for you to manifest, but to be with Artereos and learn more of Morgasha,” Kataya said,
sincerely and firmly.
“You didn’t learn anything new though, did you? You already knew about her and
Merdwin. I still cannot believe she would do that to him. Not to Merdwin. No wonder he
has never had another mate, and it explains part of why he has held so tightly to you, why
he wished for you as a mate. I am not suggesting that Merdwin does not love you deeply,
because he does, but still it explains a lot about him and his attitude,” Sam said,
thoughtfully.
“Does it? Then explain it to me because I have never completely understood it,” Kataya
replied, frowning. “Not,” she continued, “that I do not value Merdwin, and his love of me,
for I do and I love him just as fiercely in return. However, it has always seemed odd that
he would be fixated on me, when there were more beautiful woman all around him, many
of which made it abundantly clear, through the millennia, that they were quite eager to
attempt to make him happy. We have always had a close loving relationship, it is true,
but…there were so many beautiful women.” She shook her head as she contemplated
what appeared to her to be an aberration.
Looking amazed that Kat did not understand, she said, “It is obvious, of course. He feels
safe loving you. You were everything she was, but your intentions were pure good, where
hers were pure evil. He knows you will never do to him what she did.” Sam shrugged
and then continued, “I believe that Merdwin has always believed that you have never
loved him quite as passionately as you do Lantash or Daniel, but that you love him truly,
in a very, very deep, and eternal way. You would never betray his love, Kat, never, and
Merdwin has always known that on every level,” Sam exclaimed.
“Now he loves Janet. Soon, Morgasha will be dead, and he will be completely free of even
the knowledge that she is out there somewhere waiting to try to kill him and her brother
again. And, that is the other shock to me. I am still trying to get my mind around that.
Artereos is Morgasha’s brother. She is Merdwin’s mate and Artereos’s sister,” Sam
murmured, yet again, and then gasped, “Oh, no, she and Merdwin are not still mated, are
they? Please, tell me they aren’t, Kat.”
“They are not. However, oh, Samantha, the pain he went through because of her
treachery and betrayal. I do not know how he survived it without becoming hard and
uncaring, but thank the All, he did.” Sighing as she remembered the pain of that time,
she continued her answer to Sam, “The All dissolved the tie millennia ago, without
requiring that they go through the Sevesh. Her treachery made it unnecessary for
Merdwin to do other than request his blood be returned to him. It almost killed her, but
unfortunately, it did not,” Kataya said grimly. “It is no longer important now, for we shall
see to it that she is dead this time, very dead indeed, for the list against her and Bastet is
long, Samantha. If she had never done anything else, for what she did to Merdwin alone,
she deserves to die.” Eyes flashing and her voice laced with venom, she hissed, “When
you add in the thousands of innocent lives she has taken, and then my Dominic and our
Lantash, you must agree she will get no more than she so justly deserves.”
Drawing a shaking breath, Sam said, “This has to be a living nightmare for Artereos as
well as Merdwin.” Sam was still trying to take in what they were about to do. Quietly she
added, “I think I am still processing what she did to Merdwin. If she had managed to steal
the knowledge of his power completely, and trap him in stasis where he would never have
been able to escape, she would have been able to get to Artereos. It is,” she paused, and
then looked at Kataya, “What we have to do is so important,” she whispered. “What if I
fail, Kat? What if I can’t manifest and we fail?”
“Samantha, whether you manifest or not, Morgasha will be dead. I would prefer to do it
using both our powers, however, if for some reason you cannot, then I will see to it that
she is dead, no matter what I must do to assure that. Do you understand?” Kataya
asked, quietly.
“No. No, I do not. If you have the power to do it alone, the All would not have brought me
forth. So no, I don’t understand.”
“Samantha, Morgasha is a master Enchantress, and so am I. Merdwin taught me
everything that she stole from him, as well as any new chants and spells he discovered or
invented, so my power as an Enchantress is equal to hers and very possibly, it surpasses
hers. It is not common knowledge, but I have been studying with Merdwin for millennia,”
Kataya told her quietly. “The main problem will be the great regenerative power that she
has, as I am quite sure Artereos warned you. Even though our power is quite formidable
as the Dragons, still, neither you nor I, have the truly massive regenerative power that she
has. The All gave it only unto the First-born. And she will also have the healing abilities
of the Goa’uld.”
“However, because of our mother, I have one or two abilities that she does not, nor does
she realize their true power. If I must, then I can defeat her by becoming one with the
forces of nature. If for some reason you do not manifest, then I will not hesitate to do so.
Please believe me, Samantha. Morgasha will be no more, one way or the other,” Kataya
assured her earnestly.
Sam stared at Kataya for a long moment before saying slowly, as if thinking the idea
through as she spoke, “But, you would die. Not just, die to be reborn. You would die but—
you would not come back would you? That is why the All did not want that to happen.
That is why they brought me forth; so that you would survive. So that we could fight her
together, and you would not have to do that,” Sam said, as she realized what Kataya was
truly saying.
“It would depend on how badly she was depleted and how much energy I would need to
release. Certainly, if I had to use the greatest extent of the power, then the consequences
would be worse.” Kataya turned, walked across the room, and said over her shoulder, as
she poured herself a drink, “There is nothing that says I would die. I would certainly be
very weak, probably for a long time, but I would not necessarily die,” Kataya assured her.
Turning to face Sam again, she said, “Besides that, it simply will not come to pass. You
will manifest, Samantha,” Kataya reassured her, “You will manifest. Artereos is quite sure
of your power, and so am I. And Samantha, I have never, in all these long millennia,
known Artereos to be wrong.”
Seeing that her words had somehow relieved some of Sam’s distress, she walked back to
her, and said, “Sam, go home with Martouf and Lantash. Have a pleasant evening and
make love to them, as if it were the first time. Give them all your love and honor them by
accepting theirs. Tomorrow, and all it entails, will come soon enough. They are your
husbands, your mates. Enjoy them and that fact. You have had so little time together.
Please. For your sake, as well as theirs, stop worrying. Go, Carusawyn,” she told her, as
she urged her toward the door.
Sam hugged her briefly. “Kat, thank you. You are right, and I am not going to worry
about it any more. And, you are right about having a good evening. We should celebrate.
We have been married for five weeks now. Maybe I will take some port home with me,
and I should probably take some mead too. Lantash seems to prefer it.”
“Yes, the symbiotes do tend to prefer the mead, so take both,” Kataya, agreed with her.
“I can do that. See you in the morning, Kat.”
“Goodnight, Samantha. Have a wonderful evening.”
Once Sam had left, Kataya changed out of her uniform and into one of the dresses that
Daniel liked so much. He would return to her soon, unless some artifact or manuscript
distracted him and caused him to lose track of time. Somehow, she knew that on this
day, he would not have done so. He would be thinking of her and home, as she was
thinking of him, home, and the evening ahead.
Artereos had a portrait of her made from a picture that Daniel took their first evening
together in their home. He would have seen to its delivery today, and it would be waiting
there for them to arrive home for the evening. She hoped he liked it. After tomorrow, it
might be all he had of her for quite some time. However, that was tomorrow. This was
tonight, and she would do what she had told Samantha to do. She and Daniel would
sleep very little this night. Both knew what tomorrow could bring, but neither would
speak of it. They would revel in being together this one long night, as she had suggested
to Samantha, as if it were the first time. She looked up and smiled as Daniel came
through the door.
“Are you ready, Igisadonis Animawyn?” She asked, softly.
“Yes, I am, Aima Coeurawyn. Shall we?”
“Yes, my love.”
“It is breathtakingly lovely, Kataya. Thank you. When did you arrange to have it made?”
Daniel wanted to know, as he looked at the beautiful portrait.
“I contacted father our first night here, when you took your images, and asked him to
have it made. You mentioned that night that you wished a portrait of me, here in our
home,” she reminded him softly. “I sent the images to my father and asked him to choose
one, and then have it made for you. I decided to give it to you now, instead of after our
joining, since it was ready early. It is the gift of my promise to join with you as your mate
once again, Igisadonis Animawyn.”
“Now, you will have me with you always, Dayillon, even if I am not in this room with you.
It will remind you always of my promise to return to you soon, whether from the next room
or across the galaxy. You will know I am watching you and you will remember to have
unwavering faith in our love and my promise,” she whispered, as she brought his lips to
hers, in a kiss that caused him to forget everything, but the feel of her. “Promise me you
will remember, Daniel, please, promise me,” Kataya urged him softly, bringing him back
to the present.
“I will remember, love. I will cherish it, always. Will you not come to me and love me
tonight, Blood of my Heart?” He asked, his voice husky with desire.
“Yes, Beloved of my Soul,” she whispered, as his lips claimed hers in another kiss that
seemed to take both of them to some faraway place where only lovers could go. “Yes,” she
breathed, as his shirt fell to the floor and her lips played across his chest, as her fingers
found the fastening on his jeans. She would relearn every curve and muscle of him this
night. When the new day dawned, they would still be awake to greet it. “Yes, my love,”
she whispered once more, before they both became lost to words.
“Samantha you never cease to amaze and enchant me. I love you, Coeurawyn. Always.”
Looking down at the cake on his plate, Martouf laughed gently, “Lantash and I have
become extremely fond of this chocolate, in a very short time. Thank you for thinking of
this. It did not occur to me that it was an anniversary for us.”
Watching her from across the table, Martouf caught his breath, as he did so often when he
looked at her. She had given him more joy in these few short weeks, than he could ever
remember having before. Each day that she greeted him with her smile and a kiss was a
wonder to him. People often told him that when his Samantha entered the room, his face
lit up, as if someone had turned a light on. He believed it, for he felt as if she brought the
light with her into his life.
The joy with which she always greeted him amazed and awed him and Lantash, for it was
for both of them. She greeted both of them with joy. Her caring for both of them showed
in so many little ways, this evening a point in fact, as she had remembered the mead, as
well as the port. He did not know how he had survived before she came into his life, and
he did not know if he would survive if anything ever happened to her.
However, those thoughts were not for tonight. He had to tell himself that the mission
tomorrow would go well. Bastet would be dead, and he and his Samantha would join their
hearts and souls by the Furling joining rituals. Then they would be complete, bound even
more tightly, if that was possible. He watched her as she ate her cake and flirted with
him. Dear universe, how very deeply he loved her.
Sam laughed with him, as she ate another bite of her cake, “Well it is a pretty slim excuse
for cake and ice cream, and most people would consider this more birthday type stuff, but
hey, we both enjoy it, so I thought we could use any excuse to have some.” Smiling at his
enjoyment of the sweet, she added, “You do know that cake and ice cream are extremely
fattening. If we are not careful we are both going to end up gaining a ton.”
“Then we will just have to think of some form of exercise we could do that we would both
enjoy. Something we can do together. What do you say, Carusawyn, shall we clean this
up, and then begin our exercise routine?” Martouf asked lightly, as he stood and rounded
the table to stand beside her.
Sam agreed, as she finished her cake and port, before turning to gather up the plates and
clear the table. It would not take long, and then, they had the long night ahead of them to
make more memories. She wanted this night to live for them forever as a beautiful one.
She frowned thinking once again about Morgasha/Bastet. She would remember to tell
Martouf and Lantash who she was tomorrow though, not tonight. She would have time
before the mission, and it was something she felt he should know. He and Daniel, but she
knew that Kat would tell Daniel.
Finishing their tasks, they returned to the living room and sat close together on the sofa
simply holding one another, absorbing the wonder of being together. Soon he stood and
offered his hand to Samantha. “Will you not come to me tonight, Aima Coeurawyn, my
wife?” Martouf asked, his voice husky with desire.
She took his hand and stood. “Yes, Igisadonis Animawyn, my husband,” she whispered,
as his lips claimed hers. Soon, lost in the sensual haze their love always wrapped them
in, she pushed the now opened shirt off his shoulders and let her lips find their way
across the glorious skin of his chest and throat, moving back to his lips. “Yes,” she
breathed onto that skin, relishing and memorizing the feel of it. They had all night long to
revel in one another, and they would use each and every moment of it to do so, before
they greeted the sunshine of another day. “Yes, my love,” echoed softly, on the still night
air.
The arrival of the nine teams on Bastet’s world went like clockwork. There were no guards
on the gate, and the teams spread out to remain undetected as long as possible.
Their instructions were to use zats until it was no longer feasible. When they were close
enough to the compound, teams six and seven were to set up diversions to lure as many
Jaffa away as possible and once they reached the diversion, team nine was to lay down a
barrage to keep them pinned there, until the other teams had taken them out.
It was imperative that they keep the link open between each of those teams, and not one
member of those teams was concerned. They had spent hour after hour using this link
and it had become second nature to them, which was exactly as it should be. If they
managed to take out the Jaffa they had lured away, they were to make their way to the
compound to give assistance there, cleaning out pockets of resistance on the way.
At this time of day, Bastet walked in a garden near the courtyard in which Kataya wished
to trap her. She had to pass through it to get back inside. Teams five and four were to
engage and keep pinned down any returning Jaffa to keep them out of the courtyard.
Teams three, two, and one would take out the Jaffa around Bastet and inside the
compound, then assist teams four and five with the returning Jaffa. Absolutely none of
the Jaffa were to be able to re-enter the compound during the battle. Team eight was
medics. They would bring up the rear.
It had gone unbelievably smoothly. They had taken out a great many Jaffa quietly with
zats before they realized and raised a general alarm. The fighting became more intense
as the teams neared the compound, but it was nothing they had not expected. The ninth
team was doing a bang-up job, Jaffa were penned down, and the teams were taking them
out methodically.
The number of Jaffa the Katteri agent had said there would be was very accurate, as was
the information of where Morgasha/Bastet would be at this particular time of day. SG-1
made it into the courtyard of the compound, while she was watching the other contingents
close in on her and giving orders. When she entered the courtyard and saw them there,
she had laughed, until Kataya had stepped forward and removed the shield she had used
to conceal the fact that a master Enchantress of the Katteri was among them.
Jack turned as he heard the unearthly hiss and scream come from Morgasha/Bastet, as
she realized they fooled her and that she was not facing a small group of Tau’ri, but a
Katteri master Enchantress and a Dragon Slayer at that. She had sensed it, not only too
late, she realized, but only when the Enchantress facing her had wished her to realized it.
This one was powerful indeed, to be able to do that.
Jack wished he could watch, but they were inside the compound and now their job was to
keep the Jaffa outside. Man, that woman could screech. Jack reloaded and took out a few
more Jaffa. He saw some of the Katteri begin to manifest. Slipping their circlets on and
drawing their swords, they were amazing to watch. There was no ban on other types of
weapons this time, but they kept the swords, daggers, and circlets hidden. They fully
expected the Katteri to manifest, but not until after Kataya had shown herself to
Morgasha.
Never having actually seen a manifestation during battle, he had to admit it was startling
to see. He hoped they were not changing too soon, and then realized that they would
know when Kataya removed the shielding that hid who and what she was. They would all
have sensed it by now. He turned to look and gaped at the sight of Kataya, as she and
Morgasha/Bastet began to manifest. He watched as the two Dragons locked with one
another in combat. Holy smoke, Bullwinkle! They really did look like Dragons in a very
real way, and yet they still looked like women. If this was an illusion, it was a heck of a
good one, because you could not really tell where human flesh ended and dragon began.
Kataya was a truly magnificent sight. Dangerous and pagan, the power of the Kat-entity
was there, but other characteristics showed the dragon. Just as it had happened the day
she manifested for Daniel, ribbon devices appeared on both arms, but as a part of her and
the circlet around her head was no longer a separate piece that lay on her. It, too, was
part of her, the large amethyst, embedded in the iridescent scales forming on her
forehead, gleaming brightly as it glowed with the power of the universe.
Jack watched, fascinated, as a shield and sword appeared. As the energy swirled higher
around her, armor began to appear, clothing her in a tunic made of gleaming iridescent
scales, girded in gold. Kataya seemed to have grown taller, but he could not tell if that
was reality or illusion.
He watched, almost breathless, as she pulled large amounts of energy into herself, until
she seemed to glow from within. The energy swirled around her and seemed to encase
her for a time in a swirling cyclone of power, before calming and steadily circling as well
as entering her. Then as the energy once again became a wild and fierce entity, the feel of
it in air of the courtyard became so intense he felt the hair on his arms and head raise
slightly.
Jack turned his attention away and back to the fighting to protect their Dragons with
difficulty. He wanted to watch, but knew he would only be able to catch bits and pieces of
the battle. He hoped the energy they were about to start throwing around would not hit
any of them; without a shield, they would not stand a chance. Good thing they had one.
They were somewhat protected by low stone benches and statues and their Katteri group
shield being generated by Lanwin. He and Taesha had taken to using the Tau’ri weapons
like ducks to water, much as their mother had. Taesha had the link, and she was doing a
bang-up job of both keeping the link open and helping to fight and defend the Dragons.
He knew that soon, they too, would no doubt manifest. He soon realized it had already
started. He saw their eyes begin to glow and their claws come out. No doubt, their fangs
had burst forth as well. Oh, yeah, they were definitely Katteri-enti.
Daniel watched, fascinated, as the woman he loved became the Dragon of the Fire.
Intellectually, he had known that her abilities to pull energy in this form exceeded greatly
anything she was capable of at any other time. Nothing he had seen or imagined had
prepared him for this, though. It was almost as if she had become a part of the Universe.
It was beautiful, and fearsome, and he could not even imagine what it would look like
when she and Sam joined their power and manifested together, but he felt sure that those
who witnessed it were going to be awed. He certainly was, and it was not even both of
them yet.
He watched as the Dragons fought. Morgasha/Bastet was indeed as powerful as Kataya
had warned him she would be. No matter how many times Kataya struck her, still she
seemed to gather power and recover. Kataya herself was in a constant haze of wildly
pulsating streams and flames of energy.
As two of the Dragons fought, he became aware that Sam was not manifesting. She was
having trouble.
Sam was beside herself because of her failure to manifest. No matter how hard she tried,
she could not attain more than a standard energy draw. While her blasts seem to help,
they were not strong enough to drain Morgasha’s power. They were an annoyance that
helped draw her fire from Kataya, nothing more. And, it kept Sam busy dodging Bastet’s
energy bolts, when she did turn her attention to her.
Her thoughts were frantic. I was afraid I would not be able to do it, she thought bitterly.
As she watched, appalled, Morgasha struck Kataya hard enough to take her down. She
attempted to draw Morgasha/Bastet’s fire to herself once more, so that Kat could recover,
and she saw Kataya suddenly begin to glow with a blue-white flame. She had never seen
it before, but she knew what Kat was preparing to do, and she could not let her do that.
Not yet. No unless there was no other way.
Kat was turning herself into a flame of pure energy. She was drawing on the forces of
nature, as well as the universe, and she would become a massive bolt of energy in order to
take Bastet out. Only by doing so, she could die. Thank the universe, Sam thought, Kat
still had to continue to fight, so the building of the power was slow. It was keeping
Morgasha fully occupied attempting to keep her from gathering enough power to
successfully change.
Watching, Sam felt anger building in her that soon changed to a pure and white-hot fury.
Finally, beside herself with rage at her inability to manifest she shouted within her mind
to the All, knowing it could hear and feel her. “Damn you! I am CsillaBellawyna the
Beautiful Star! I am Morna’Catira the Beloved Warrior! I am Drawyn! I am the Dragon! I
am the Dragon of the Star and you will not deny me! Do you hear me? How dare you
refuse me my energy and power? I demand that you give me the power that is mine to
command.”
And, suddenly, she knew it was true. Standing, she looked outward to the universe and
shouted aloud, “I, Samantha Carter, am a Master of the power that is the All, and unto Me
shall be given the energy and the power that belongs to a Dragon of the All, for it is my
right, and it shall not be denied to me.” As she finally completely accepted herself as a
Dragon Slayer, she knew the shock of feeling massive amounts of energy flowing into her
body, and she gasped at the surge of pure power that infused her every cell.
“Carter, get the hell…down,” Jack O’Neill’s shouted command sank to a whisper on the
last word, as he watched the manifestation of the Dragon of the Star begin to take place.
Sam knew she had already thrown an energy shield around herself, and she could feel
the change in her appearance, as her uniform quickly melted away, and armor took its
place. The silver and iridescent scales of her tunic with its silver girding flashed in the
evening sunlight. She knew the ecstasy of pure power flowing into the ribbons, which
appeared and became part of her body, as did the circlet that encircled her head.
Lifting the sword she now held, she watched as it glowed bright with silver and blue bolts
of energy, and the blue and silver Mysts that suddenly swirled at her feel enveloped her
shield until she raised it, and it gleamed in her light. On it were a Dragon and a Lion
Rampant above crossed swords, and in one corner a falcon flew above a unicorn, the
symbols for truth and purity. The inscription read: The Dragon of the Star of the Universe
shall Prevail.
She was more than Katteri-enti. She was the Dragon of the Star, she was the Slayer of the
Blood and her sister, her spirit twin, needed her, now. As the circlet on her head grew
ever brighter, she felt the massive amounts of energy building, and she turned to Kataya
as she heard the howl of rage that Morgasha/Bastet released, as she realized that they
had kept the most important information hidden from her. This was not simply a
powerful Enchantress and Dragon Slayer. These were the souls of the prophecy, they
were here, and she knew she was indeed doomed. But, not without a fight. Perhaps she
could not win, but she would take them and as many of their own as she could, into death
with her.
Daniel watched, awed at the sight of these two truly magnificent women. When Kataya
had manifested to help slow the progress of her bleeding before the Sevesh, she had
seemed wondrous to Daniel, and he had thought at the time that it would be an awe-
inspiring sight when they both manifested, but it had in no way prepared him for this.
Her energy draw at that time had been small compared to the massive amounts of energy
she was pulling and using now.
Kataya was again the golden, yet iridescent being she had been before, but so much
more. Even in this pitched battle, there was poetry in her movements. Before, the flames
of blues, purples, and gold swirled around her and leapt from the Myst at her feet. Now,
those same flames seemed to burn hotter and brighter with reds and oranges apparent
among the other colors. They leapt higher and burned intensely as they flew from her
fingers, which were now indistinguishable from the ribbon devices, and they made her
stunningly beautiful and glorious.
The flames flew from her sword as they laced across her body and whirled and danced
around her. How absolutely breathtaking and terrifying she looked, he thought. As she
raised her shield again, he read: The Flames of the Fire Dragon bring Victory and
Vengeance. The emblem was the same as the one on Sam’s; only the inscriptions were
different. They held the same message though, he thought; Morgasha/Bastet was toast.
As Martouf and Lantash looked at the newly manifested Samantha, they saw a glorious,
pagan Amazon. The Dragon of the Star was truly majestic, as the energy she commanded
sizzled and sparked from her hands, now ribbons, and sword. Always beautiful, as the
Dragon of the Star, Samantha was unparalleled.
Unlike Kataya, who stood amongst flames of energy fed by the Mysts of the universe, Sam
stood among crackling arcs of silver lights and bolts of the purest shades of blue lightly
tinged with lavender. From the Mysts of the universe swirling at her feet, an occasional
deep indigo charge would race around her body and mingle with the silver sparks that
she emitted constantly.
The bolts of energy leapt from her body only to return and build ever more intense. From
indigo to silver, the energy that raced and twirled around her body turned the Mysts at
her feet into the deepest shades, and brightest auroras, of the skies of the universe.
Together these two women were overwhelmingly stunning.
Daniel and Martouf stood enthralled by what they were seeing. Born of the universe and
its power, their mates were the power of that universe and all that was beautiful in it.
With the light of the slanting sun shining off them, for a moment, Daniel imagined he saw
them each with wings spread wide. He shrugged mentally, knowing that dragons had
wings in fantasy, but he would be more inclined to think that if there were such things as
avenging angels, then they were seeing two of them now.
Martouf watched with him, and he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. What a
magnificent sight they were. “Martouf, as truly awesome as this is we must continue to
protect them from outside interference. We must keep the remainder of the Jaffa at bay,
until they are finished with that monster,” Lantash reminded him sharply, knowing he had
to get his attention.
“Yes, of course, I am sorry, Lantash. I shall get Daniel’s attention and we will take the far
wall, as no one else has thought to go there.”
“That is a very good observation, Martouf. Let us go before some Jaffa also figures that
out,” Lantash agreed.
Forcing himself to turn away, Martouf shook Daniel’s arm. “We must protect them,
Daniel. Much as we would like to watch them constantly and see all of this battle, we
must do our part to see them through it. Quickly, we must take a stance at the far wall
before some Jaffa get through there.”
Daniel looked at him blankly for a moment, before nodding swiftly and hefting his P-90.
For this mission, he insisted they arm him well. Kataya had backed him up, as had
Jack. It was not as if he was unfamiliar with or did not know how to use the weapon. He
was actually quite proficient with it; he simply rarely felt the need to carry one. This time
he did. He again nodded his agreement, and then motioned to a couple of openings in the
courtyard wall that Martouf had indicated, from which they would have a view of the
surrounding countryside.
The two men made their way to them in time to stop a few Jaffa from sneaking in. Daniel
had a few tense moments with a Jaffa in hand-to-hand combat, but surprised himself by
being the one left alive. Martouf and Daniel managed, somehow, to watch both their
respective posts, and the battle raging within the yard.
Having nothing to lose and everything to gain, Morgasha/Bastet was holding nothing
back. Samantha and Kataya began to do battle as they had practiced so many times, and
they worked in perfect harmony one with the other. Each knew exactly what the other
was about to do, and it was as if they were two arms of one being.
As the battle raged, the sight of the three dragons, locked in mortal combat, awed those
watching and protecting them from those trying to enter the courtyard and help their
mistress. How odd, Daniel thought, that the Dragon of the Blood would manifest and be
physically beautiful. Looking at her, he saw the resemblance between her and Artereos.
Morgasha was beautiful, with deeply wavy coal black hair, deep green eyes, and golden
skin. She was voluptuous in the extreme. Her energy was of black and green with
streaks of red, and it swirled and flowed around her. Only her eyes showed her true
malevolence. They gleamed and burned with pure, unadulterated evil. It was all Daniel
could do to look upon such ugliness within such beauty.
He heard her screaming, “I will take your mates and make them my slaves. They will
serve me in my bed, and you shall search for them for eternity, but they shall never
escape me. I will use them to pleasure me forever.”
“Not gonna happen, bitch,” Sam said, and he heard Kataya laugh. Then he watched as
Kataya worked her way to Sam and struck her lightly with her sword causing a slight cut
on her arm. Sam immediately struck and drew blood from Kataya on her arm. As the two
women joined the cuts and their blood mingled, the courtyard was flooded with brilliant
blue and purple lights, and everyone there now realized why there had been no blood
shed during their joining; it was the final ingredient needed to cause the complete union.
They joined their power, the two women glowed brighter, and the battle raged.
Morgasha/Bastet again howled with rage and renewed her fight with apparently increased
vigor. Each person watching was aware that they were seeing a beautiful, deadly, ballet
as Sam and Kataya seemed to dance together within the flames and arcs of their energy,
never once missing a step, a turn, a leap.
Jack had stopped trying to shoot Morgasha/Bastet when he realized that her shield kept
out any type of firepower they had. Only Kataya and Sam could break through it.
Moreover, they did, but the regenerative power of the First-born Furling blended with a
Goa’uld was immense.
Martouf also watched, fascinated, as he held his post and helped to guard his mate as she
battled. He and Lantash were aware that they were involved in and seeing, the greatest
battle they had ever witnessed. They despaired when they had to turn their attention to
the Jaffa trying to get into their position.
They were all aware of the other teams slowly, but methodically, taking out groups of Jaffa
all over the compound, working their way towards them, to give support to the battle that
raged inside.
Suddenly, Morgasha/Bastet tried to make a break for the doorway. Kataya threw a
massive bolt of energy that caught her off guard, threw her against the wall, and stopped
her forward momentum. Sam followed it up, and they began slowly forcing her towards a
corner of the courtyard. Morgasha/Bastet was finally weakening. Neither Kataya nor
Samantha let up as they came at her time and again.
However, Daniel and Martouf both realized that their mates were taking severe hits and
they, too, were losing power and energy. Finally, forcing Morgasha/Bastet into the corner,
Daniel watched as Kataya once again began to harness massive amounts of energy as
Sam kept Bastet concentrating on her.
Watching her, Daniel’s memories told him not only what Kataya was preparing to do, but
what the consequences to her could very well be. When he realized fully what it meant,
he stood; “No,” he screamed. As their eyes met across the courtyard, she sent him wave
upon wave of love, then released the bolt, which carried not only the energy of the
universe, but the fury and destructive power of nature’s forces.
It pierced Morgasha’s shield, as if it was not there, and was a perfect hit in the center of
her adversary’s chest. As her blood began to pour from her, Morgasha/Bastet looked first
at her chest, and then at Kataya, who stood almost defenseless before her, drained of all
major power sources, but smiling at Morgasha, nonetheless, for she had achieved her
purpose. Morgasha/Bastet would die—by her hand. Vengeance was there for all those
who had lost their lives, or loved ones to her.
With her last breath, Morgasha/Bastet harnessed as much power as she could. She
raised her arm, and as her final act, she sent the remainder of her energy straight at
Kataya in a huge ball of power. As she released the blast, the energy pulled her well
forward toward Sam and Kataya, as she fell in death. Sam tried to step in front of her
now unprotected sister to share her own shield, and the blast hit both of them with its full
force. The blast went into and then through the shared shield, and it was enough to take
both of them down. Spinning them around as it hit them; both fell forward toward
Morgasha/Bastet and onto their backs. As the two Dragons hit the ground, not even the
air seemed to move. Everyone watching seemed to freeze in place at the sound of Daniel’s
scream, and all of them watched in horror and disbelief, unable to do anything to help or
change what was taking place.
No one noticed that the blood of the Dragons was soaking into the ground and spreading
outward, turning the soil red and forming a pool in which the blood from all three dragons
mixed. From their statue like stances, they all watched as Kataya slowly turned herself
onto her side, and raised her hand. Using the last of her fire energy, she sent a surge into
the pooled blood, set it aflame, and fell back to the ground.
Though they all saw her do it, only the Furling realized the significance of the gesture.
Kataya and Samantha had fallen close together, and now they reached slowly for each
other’s hands. When they touched, and their hands entwined, each smiled as they looked
at that flame, for each knew that the prophecy was complete. Morgasha/Bastet was dead.
‘And the blood of the Dragons shall be shed upon the soil, and from the fire we shall rise
again and shine’.
The light of the All was safe. It would still take time for the Goa’uld to be completely
defeated, but it would happen. Moreover, vengeance was unto the heart of the Dragon of
the Fire, as had been promised, for at last Merdwin’s betrayal, Dominic and Lantash’s
torture and deaths, and the deaths of the innocent were avenged. And though despair
laid heavy upon her heart to be leaving her Dayillon when their time together had been so
short, still she was joyful, also, in her heart, for one more threat to the All, the universe,
and the races that dwelled there was ended.
The teams were making their way inside. The Jaffa somehow knew their queen was dead,
and they were giving up. The priestesses who had come were there, and they were beside
the two dragons that still drew breath, but they knew that time was short, and though
they moved aside for the Dragon’s mates, they remained close enough to touch their
dragon if needed. The spell the people watching had appeared to be under suddenly
seemed to break and they raced towards the two beautiful Dragons lying on the ground.
Daniel ran forward, stumbling, scrambling to Kataya’s side, and when he reached her, he
took her gently into his arms. As he caressed her face and touched her lips, he heard her
whisper to him softly, “Daniel, Amat Wyn.”
“Sh. Hush. Conserve your strength. You will be all right. The priestesses are here. We
will take you to Avilion,” he whispered softly.
“Daniel. You must promise me that you will go on. You must take care of Lantash and
Martouf. They will be lost without Samantha, and they have never waited for their
Soulmate to return as we have. You understand that I will someday return. They do not.”
“No, Kataya, not this time. I cannot survive without you again. I will go with you, and be
reborn with you this time.”
Kataya smiled at him gently. She was becoming weaker as her lifeblood seeped away.
She whispered to him, “Not this time, Coeurawyn. This time, I must go as the Dragon of
the Fire, and you cannot come with me on this journey. It is one that I must go on with
my spirit twin.” As Daniel looked down at Kataya and Sam’s hands, he realized that their
ribbons and hands had become completely and irrevocably entwined.
“No, Kataya, please, please, no. Don’t, don’t say that,” Daniel whispered, pleaded, his
voice anguished.
“You must continue to fight the Goa’uld, and you must care for those we leave behind.
Promise me. Please, Coeurawyn. You will not fail the ones that depend on you.”
Daniel could hardly breathe, “I promise,” he finally whispered. Almost choking on the
words, but knowing she needed to hear it all, he continued, “I will continue the fight
against the Goa’uld. I swear I will seek vengeance for this, the shedding of your blood,
and on that blood, I promise I will take care of Lantash and Martouf,” he managed to tell
her, his voice ragged and rough with tears and emotion, but also laced with steel as he
vowed his revenge. This was a promise he knew she would understand and believe.
“I love you, Kataya, Et Aevum,” his voice broke, as he struggled to speak to her.
She smiled at him, stroked his face, and touched his lips with trembling golden fingertips,
as she whispered, her voice weak and husky with emotion, “I must go.” She sighed softly,
and with a faint smile, she murmured for the last time, “I love thee eternally, Dayillon.”
Daniel continued to hold her, though her hand fell from his face and her amazing violet
eyes slowly closed. On some level, he was aware that she had stopped breathing.
Gwennetha took her mother’s hand in hers, and she looked at Daniel. “We must hurry,
we have little time,” she said urgently, as she nodded to the other two priestesses, who
also reached out and touched her mother. As they surrounded her, they began a low-
toned chant. Daniel did not even hear them.
He stared at her face, so beautiful to him, and as far as he was concerned, although he
might continue to live and breathe, the color, the light, and the joy were gone from his
world. Nevertheless, the vengeance would grow and bring a light into it. Not yet, but
soon, he knew.
As Martouf scrambled towards Samantha, he recalled an earlier conversation between
them.
“I do not think I would be able to survive if anything happened to take you from me,” he
had said to her.
She had looked at him, alarmed. Her voice was urgent, as she said, “Martouf, Lantash,
you must promise me that you will go on if something happens to me. You must. Please,
promise that you will continue to fight the Goa’uld.”
Martouf had frowned, “Samantha? What is wrong? Why are you saying this?” A feeling of
dread was building inside of him. “If that is truly your wish, my heart, but it will be very
difficult for me to do. Why are you saying this now?”
“I am a soldier; I could be killed at any time. You and Lantash know that, just as I know
that it could happen to you. Both of us must be prepared for that. We are going into a
fierce battle soon.”
Martouf felt as if he could not breathe, and Lantash was as stunned as he. They had
known, of course, but they had not acknowledged that knowing. Once again, he felt the
desolation he had lived through once before, only this time, the world was not just dark, it
was black. Forcing himself to draw a breath, he looked at her. “I do not know if I can do
as you ask, Samantha.”
“You must,” she whispered. “I need to know that you will remain if I am gone. That you
and Lantash will take care of one another, and continue the fight.”
He looked at her helplessly. “Samantha, I do not know if I can do as you ask. Neither
Lantash nor I would wish to continue without you.”
“It is important to me that you live on. Please.”
Martouf had sighed, but he finally agreed, “All right. I promise, if that is what you truly
desire.”
Lantash came forward and said to her, “You are my life, Samantha, and I truly do not
know how I would survive without you, but if that is what you need to ease your worry and
bring you peace, then I will promise you. Moreover, I will take care of Martouf; I promise
you that, also.
As Martouf held Samantha in his arms and watched as the blood seeped onto the ground,
he remembered that conversation of a few weeks earlier. She had known then, he
realized, that she would not survive the Great Battle. Only now did he remember
promising Kataya virtually the same thing. They had known; they had both known.
He held her to him, and he heard her whisper, “You are the Beloved of my Soul. You are
my eternal mates, my husbands. In time, I will return to you, I promise, but you must go
on, until I can come back to you. You must have unwavering faith in my promise and my
love of you. You must survive, and you must take care of and help Daniel, for he will feel
the loss of Kataya, perhaps more deeply than ever before. You must help each other.”
“Samantha, the Tok’Ra healers are here. The Furling Priestesses are here, also. We will
take you to Avilion. You must not give up, you must not.” He pleaded with her to hold on,
to survive. “You are the Blood of our Hearts. You are our eternal mate, and we will love
you into eternity,” Martouf whispered in a voice so choked with tears that he could barely
speak.
Finally, he said the words she needed to hear, “I promise you that we will remain, and I
will care for Lantash and Daniel. We will continue to fight the Goa’uld and do as you
wish, my love.”
Sam raised the hand not entwined with Kataya’s and stroked his face gently. “You have
given me so much. Passion, joy, enchantment, and a love deeper than anything I have
ever known. I love you both so much, Martouf, Lantash,” she gasped as pain shot through
her. When it had passed, she whispered softly, her voice full of love for them. “I will
always love you, my husbands.”
As Martouf watched, her breath stopped. “No,” He whispered. “No, no.” He felt a hand on
his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of their son. “I swear,” he said to Lanwin, “that
we will seek vengeance for this, the shedding of her blood, I swear for both Lantash and
myself. The Goa’uld shall pay for this,” he whispered fiercely, before turning back and
giving into his grief.
“Come, my fathers. Let the Priestesses take my mothers.”
“Your mothers?” he whispered.
“Yes, both of my mothers are almost gone. Please, you must let them take them to Avilion,
the Sanctuary, for that is where the All will wish them to be taken,” Lanwin said gently,
his voice laced with sympathy.
“I cannot,” he cried as he rocked the still, beautiful form he held in his arms. “I cannot do
this,” he said once again, his voice achingly forlorn.
“You must. You are strong. Both of you and my Mother’s beloved, Daniel, are strong. You
promised that you would not fail them.”
Suddenly, Jack O’Neill was kneeling beside him. “Martouf, look, I …” looking down at the
woman/dragon lying in Martouf’s arms, he caught his breath and swallowed hard, then
mentally shaking himself, he continued, “We have to go. We have to get them to the
Stargate.”
Still dazed, Martouf looked numbly at these men. He could not do what they all were
asking of him. His reason for living had just died. He shook his head refusing to release
his burden. Where was Lantash, why was he not aiding him? Lantash? Lantash! Still
on his knees, he swayed and O’Neill pulled Samantha from Martouf’s arms as he fell.
They all became aware at the same time of the large burn in his back. He was unaware
that the three priestesses surrounding Samantha had begun a low-voiced chant of
infusion and sustaining, and he did not see the flash of light that took Samantha, Kataya,
and the priestesses.
Daniel looked blankly at him as Teal’c reached down to help him up. Standing, he looked
at where Kataya had been lying only moments before, close in his arms, “She is gone,” he
said blankly, and then he felt Teal’c’s arms go around him. “She is gone,” he said one
more time in a harsh, broken voice before he collapsed. Only then did anyone realize that
Daniel, too, was badly injured. As his jacket fell open, they could see the blood soaked
shirt and vest underneath.
“Crap,” Jack exclaimed, at the sight. “Damn it, Daniel, don’t you dare die on me, too,” he
whispered roughly.
Laying him on the ground, Teal’c ripped his shirt open to expose the large jagged knife
wound. A medic ran up and quickly tended it by placing a pressure bandage on it and
starting an IV.
A few feet away, a medic looked at the burn on Martouf’s back, and said, “This one will
have internal injuries. It is medium high on his back, which means the symbiote’s injury
is severe, if he is even still alive. If he is, he is not going to be doing much healing for the
host, I am afraid. We need a Tok’Ra healer here,” he called, as he applied a temporary
dressing. “We need to move these two out of here. Okay, IV’s started, you are good to go,”
he said, as he rushed to the next person he spied with injuries.
“We should hurry, O’Neill,” Teal’c said, as he picked up and cradled his friend in his
arms. His voice urgent, he added, “We may have very little time.”
No one noticed that in the growing twilight, a new star shone forth and slowly rose into the
night sky.
TBC
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