Thanks Major Simi! I'm glad to hear it.

Greetings to theborgcolective, Robotech1984, and DuncH! Hope you enjoyed it.

Cam felt Erica shouldn't go with them at all, citing her status as a civilian and the fact she was on bereavement leave. Vala countered with the fact that the Sirian scroll addressed her by name and listed her before SG-1, therefore her presence was expected. She followed this up by saying Erica and her allies had been trying to stop or slow the Vs while they sat on their hands and did nothing.

"May sent us enough useful information to start throwing ideas around. We could have made a deal with the Fifth Column, maybe not the global network, but at least Erica's bunch. We could have offered Valerie some sort of protection from the Vs. When Ryan called me a threvast we could have contacted the Jaffa or the Sirians to engage the Vs in battle. We didn't. Why didn't we?"

Daniel sighed. Thiadon, Orlithe's mate, had told him more than once that attempting to keep the Tau'ri happily ignorant was not only stupid but also dangerous. There were ways to reveal information that didn't cause mass hysteria, but the decisions made at Stargate Command tended to stay at Stargate Command. They assumed that because they had experience dealing with aliens, then they should be the only ones dealing with aliens. Thiadon flat out said that their smokescreen wouldn't work forever, somebody out there either wouldn't get the message or pay it no heed, blasting their secret wide open. He said their attitudes were disappointing. Orlithe's anger he could recover from, but when her levelheaded mate said he was disappointed, that really hurt.

"The universe is evolving Daniel Jackson." He had said. "Earth cannot exist as an island forever."

"There is innocent blood on our hands CameronMitchell." Teal'c added, bring Daniel back to the present. "Our inaction led to the deaths of thousands, including EricaEvans' husband and son. Even if MayLamont can find it in her heart to forgive us for not preventing the deaths of her father and brother, Adria will not. The Ilvar will not." He tilted his head for a second, "The Ori will not."

That was shocking. Adria's voice sounded somewhere above them, "Explains the sudden weakness."

"Adria . . ."

"I wasn't using it, I just sensed it."

In the end Cam was outvoted. If they showed up at Stargate Command with a scroll addressed to Erica, but no Erica, the higher ups would want to know why her name was on it at all and why they hadn't brought her. If they showed up at the Sirian High Council's meeting place without Erica, the Sirians would blame Cameron and probably go get her themselves. It was one of those damned if they did, damned if they didn't scenarios. Hence how they found themselves packing their bags and driving to Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, a drive of several hours and requiring three vehicles. They did have to stop at the mall first to get Lisa a wardrobe, because Adria would set fire to the New York mothership before setting foot onboard.

Lisa was making those trilling sounds again as she moved between racks, touching everything that caught her eye. That most of those things tended to be a shade of blue or green did not please Adria, but she refrained from commenting. As the V wandered off, Adria asked, "Are you paying for this?"

May nodded sharply.

"How can you afford it?"

In answer May showed her a credit card. Rolling her eyes and muttering about strange Tau'ri customs, Adria pulled away to find Lisa. Her mind brushed against another telepath's, who at first reacted in fear before returning contact.

Where are you Lisa?

An image came to her of several racks of dresses. Adria muttered under her breath and went to collect her. Lisa selected one and watched Adria with pleading eyes.

"No."

She whined, a flurry of emotions making themselves known. Adria sighed, "They are pretty, and they would look very nice on you. Except maybe that one," she pointed to a dress that was a sickly shade of yellow. "We're on a tight schedule though. We have to grab the essentials so we can catch our flight. I'm sorry."

Lisa replaced it and allowed Adria to hug her. She was so lost right now it would take a lot of love and affection to heal her, not only mentally but emotionally. She ignored the irony of her actions as she stroked Lisa's hair and murmured, "Poor baby."

The Visitor squeezed her a little tighter and started to cry. Adria handed her a tissue and led her to Vala. With a whispered "Look after her" Adria went looking for May.

May was idly glancing at sweaters when she sensed her mate's approach and leaned into her arms.

"Is she okay?"

"She needs to be loved. My concern is that the only person she loves in return is you."

"Tenebris Angela, I know with Tyler gone she views me as a mate, and I'm trying to deal with it. I can't just ignore her though. I'll tolerate comfort-seeking but not courtship. Besides, if last night was any indication you'll never let me go."

Adria practically glowed with smug satisfaction as she turned to nibble May's neck.

"No. I won't."

Daniel made a strangled noise somewhere in the vicinity and Adria smirked against May's skin.

"We're in public Adria."

"I know how visible we are May, I just don't care."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

After a quick stop at the food court and three dragon shirts later (Daniel still couldn't believe May had talked him into it), the plane took off and headed for Colorado Springs. Erica was visibly disappointed in the lack of faster-than-light travel, to which May said, "The Tau'ri are a stubborn, shortsighted and arrogant species."

"We're trying to avoid detection by the Vs!" Daniel half-shouted. May rolled her eyes, "And the biggest bunch of chickens on the planet."

"Hm. Pity." Erica replied, facing Jack who started a brief lecture on how to behave that consisted of three things: (1) stay close to one of them, (2) don't shoot Delta, it's not her fault she looks that way, and (3) the word "cabal" is not to be spoken aloud. Nobody would say why.

"They left Delta alone didn't they?" Adria's tone was that of complete nonchalance as she, Lisa and May stood in front of the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain. SG-1 and Erica stood further back, the former trying to educate the latter as much as possible before they entered the proverbial warzone, unaware the base had been locked down.

May placed a hand against the blast door, beckoning to Adria with the other. Lisa backed away as the door was repeatedly heated and cooled until their combined telekinesis forced the door upward with a shriek of protesting metal. The two Alteran hybrids stepped back to survey their handiwork. The mountain would need new blast doors at the very least, and that was assuming Delta had curled up and hibernated while they'd been gone. The door was now jammed open wide enough for a person to slide beneath if they belly crawled.

"The hell?" Jack's expression was somewhere between confusion and concern at the sight of the badly damaged blast doors. Lisa screamed in alarm when a green hand shot out from beneath the door and swiped at her ankles. Vala managed to pin Erica's arms to her sides before she could grab her gun and shoot at it. May hissed something at the hand, which, incredibly, started drumming its fingers before the creature to whom it belonged rasped something in return. Rolling her eyes and shooting SG-1 a dirty look, she hissed again. The hand withdrew and the bizarre alien ran off.

Lisa's thoughts brushed against May's, briefly fighting herself for coherency before the correct word appeared.

Crystals?

Yes.

Why?

They have powers.

Lisa accepted the answer with a sharp nod. Within ten minutes Delta returned, pawed through what sounded like a bag of marbles, and held a flat yellow crystal under the door. Sam saw enough of it to realize it was the same size and shape as an ID card before May hissed and the hand withdrew. There was a sound like stone being dragged through metal, several clicking noises, and a few English profanities before the door slid up with a groan, leaving enough room to walk without hitting their heads against it.

"Delta." May sounded happy to see the creature, which Erica realized was a V without human skin the second Vala swiped her gun. Delta ignored them all in favor of rubbing her head and neck against May's leg, to Lisa's vocal displeasure. The claws had emerged from beneath human fingernails when Adria noticed and calmly ran her fingers through Lisa's hair, lowering the Visitor's protests down to a glare.

May scratched Delta's head, eliciting a sound Erica assumed was contentment because she had no other way to explain it. The exchange of hisses didn't require an explanation; ignore the fact one was a V and the other was an Ilvar and you had two good friends catching up. The name Woolsey was mentioned a lot, to the chagrin of SG-1. Put Delta, May and Woolsey in close quarters and somebody was gonna get hurt.

"Little weasel man decided it was a good idea to lock down the base after you left. He thought it would protect Stargate Command from the Visitors." May translated for the green alien.

"But it kept us from calling for help." Sam protested, confused. "Vala's right, we could have gone to the Sirians."

"Is Woolsey a V?" Erica asked. SG-1 exchanged looks of alarm. Woolsey knew enough about the Stargate Program to be a valuable asset to the Visitors, and cutting them off from allies just seemed like a V thing to do.

"No. Woolsey is misguided, stubborn, unintelligent bastard. A spineless worm and a sniveling coward." May replied coolly. Delta nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then what happened?" Daniel asked, Janet excusing herself to check on the state of the infirmary.

May's smirk did not bode well for Woolsey's mental health, "If he wanted to protect the base so badly, he shouldn't be allowed to leave. Delta made sure he couldn't."

Only Adria, via her telepathic connection with May, had any idea what Delta had been up to during their roughly two month absence. All of Woolsey's clothes were missing save a single pair of underpants, forcing him to sew up a cross between a dress and a toga out of ripped towels and bed sheets. His nice leather shoes had long since become Delta's chew toys. She'd been eying them for years according to Sam, to the point it didn't matter if Woolsey was wearing them or not when she started chewing on them. The pathetic little man had been pushed down stair cases, barricaded in empty closets, stalked, everywhere, and most recently tied to a wooden chair with his own belts and forced to listen to Disney soundtracks. Repeatedly.

The weird V – part eager pet, part close friend – had quickly learned how to read an analog clock face, which buttons to press to work a TV, DVD player, CD player, how to log on to a computer or laptop to surf the web, and on the more sinister side, how to force a lockdown and keep it that way. And while slowly driving Woolsey mad was fun, even Delta got sick of the same surroundings.

There was desperation in her hissing and May's translation, "Let me out Rasi! Let me out!"

May removed the scroll and hissed something. Delta shrieked and bounded from the room.

"Rasi?" Erica asked.

"'One who has changed.'" May replied, "It refers to a being born with a useful mutation. Such creatures are called Sayrin Rasi, or 'one who is changing.' If they reach adulthood, or in rare cases become a different species entirely, they're called Rasi. And Ivreseen means 'traitor' Daniel, and 'sic' is second-in-command."

Sam thought that last one made sense and even Daniel thought it was funny how May had answered his questions without his asking. Delta's shrieking was still audible, as was a person yelling, "Alright already! I'm coming!"

Delta bounded back into the room, taking a deep breath and exhaling through her mouth, and oddly human behavior for a V. It occurred to Erica then that Delta might never have interacted with her own kind before. She'd have to muse on Delta later though, because General Landry had just walked in and Vala was now blocking her vision.

"Really?"

"Can't be too careful darling."

Adria stood very close to May while Lisa ducked behind the two of them.

Landry could not believe this. Hammond had told him that May's status as a human/Alteran hybrid meant she had to live on base for her own safety, that her fluency in Sirian made her a valuable asset to the program, and that her closest friend was a bizarre looking alien called Delta whose visits were semi frequent and rarely lasted over a week. Of course after she leaves to visit her family does all hell break loose! Between the Visitor's arrival and subsequent chaos, Delta showing up, Adria escaping, the Fifth Column, and Project Ares, he'd hadn't had a decent night's rest in three months! And now SG-1 comes back with May, Adria, the V High Commander's daughter, and Agent Evans.

Delta had picked up on the tension in the room and stood on May's right in case she was needed as backup.

"What's going on here?"

May wordlessly held up a scroll that was instantly recognizable; the Sirian's scrolls were only used for official correspondence and unique for being opalescent and the messages written in bright green ink.

Fifteen minutes later saw everyone ensconced in the briefing room with May explaining the more important points of the previous three months:

The Visitors and the Sirians were the same species. The Exiles retained the name with pride while Visitor was the closest translation to what the Vs called themselves. Ba'al's interference pushed the Vs to the brink of extinction, forcing them to construct ships capable of interstellar travel to leave their dying homeworld. The Vs themselves were dying but still had a bone to pick with the System Lords, so they bred with various species that they believed would give them an advantage. The process itself took generations to refine, the Vs remaining near the species in question until the hybrids were perfect before moving on. The Visitors had been sending sleepers here for approximately fifty years before their ships arrived, studying humans and how they interacted and behaved, and abducting untold numbers of people for experimentation.

"No wonder the Asgard's abductees didn't add up." Landry said in an attempt to break the tension. May's withering glare promised pain so he kept his mouth shut.

The V sleepers dragged Earth to the brink of disaster; Anna overthrew Diana when the latter grew a conscience; Anna wanted total control of humans so interbreeding could take place, hence her attempts to uncover the source of emotion and destroy it; the Fifth Column was doing their able best to stop the Vs but weren't helped by the majority of people instantly accepting the Visitors at face value; the Fifth Column's eleventh hour plan was to have Lisa kill Anna so Diana could take her place, "And if the Sirians hadn't been blowing V ships to kingdom come left, right and center the majority of humans would have ended up Blissed." May snarled, glaring at her mother. Erica looked at her hands in her lap and refused to meet anyone's eyes as Vala's unspoken I-told-you-so hung in the air between them. Landry ducked in his seat and flushed with shame. There would be no mercy from the Sirian High Council, especially if Vortigern was still leading it.

Enough Caela Gemma, you're frightening Lisa. Adria thought softly.

Thank you Tenebris Angela. May replied, giving Lisa a much needed hug. The V purred in May's ear, trying to comfort her. It didn't help too much.

May held up the scroll, "Anna is in Sirian custody and will be tried when they meet in seven days. The presence of my mother and SG-1 is expected. Delta will guide us there."

The gleeful sibilant laughter from a back corner left Erica feeling unsure.

"And you'll be accompanying them in your capacity as ambassador and translator. What about Adria?"

The temperature plummeted so quickly Landry saw his own breath. Sam jumped in with what she hoped was a satisfactory explanation, "Sir, technically Adria hasn't done anything wrong since her return from the Ori galaxy, Daniel Zatted her so quickly it never registered in his mind. Orlithe's been teaching her for a couple years, not sure what exactly. Oh, and she and May are . . . uh, dating now."

Landry sank further down in his seat. Forget the Sirian High Council, Orlithe might actually kill him!

"Wait a minute. May and Adria are dating?" he asked in disbelief. The varying expressions on everyone else's faces told their own stories: Vala's expression was one of glee, Daniel's face was closer to purple than red, and nobody else looked up. Lisa glanced between them in confusion while Delta rose onto her back legs and sniffed the air. Adria and May stared into each other's eyes for a moment, a look so intimate Landry felt like he was intruding. Personally, he thought they were more than dating, but he knew better than to say that out loud. Instead he congratulated them and changed the subject, "Well Miss Lamont, since you're the closest thing to an expert we have on Sirians why don't you tell us what everyone will need for this trip?"

"Pretend you're going camping." Was all May told them before taking Lisa's hand and leading her from the room. Adria and Delta followed.

"Pretend we're going camping?" Daniel echoed in confusion, "Camping where?"

Jack grinned widely, "Those Sirians sure do know how to live don't they?"

Sam hated to burst his bubble but had no choice, "I don't know about that sir. Beaming technology is fairly advanced, and since they beamed that scroll to us, and that crystal into the Blue Energy Reactor too I bet, they must have ships of some kind. Their technology might be completely different from what we're familiar with but on par with our own ships."

"How long will it take before you're ready to move out?" Landry asked.

"Do you have hiking boots?" Sam asked Erica, who shook her head.

"A couple of hours sir."

Jack was thrilled at the prospect of roughing it for a week, making sure everyone had everything they needed in their backpacks before they left. The only one more excited than him was Delta, hopping around on all fours like a caffeinated toddler. Other than that, the only real shock was when May somehow talked Adria into wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt, though Vala was willing to bet it had taken some, persuasion, on May's part. It wasn't a bet anyone else would take.

Walter started the dialing process, "Chevron one en-AAUUGGHH!"

Delta swung the chair out of her way and pushed the correct buttons in order, literally bouncing into the Gate room afterward.

"I'm okay." Walter shouted, hauling his chair back to where it belonged.

"SG-1 you have a go." Landry said, but before he could say Godspeed Delta jumped into the active wormhole with a squealing sound.

"She's been here way too long." May muttered under her breath, gesturing for Uncle Jack to lead the way. He did so followed by Teal'c and Daniel, with Erica flanked by Sam and Vala, and Cam trailing behind them. Adria turned to wait for May and Lisa, as the latter looked near panic.

May took Lisa's face in her hands and looked into her eyes. Lisa met them, her rapid pulse slowing until she calmed completely.

I won't let anything happen to you.

Lisa cocked her head.

It's alright. Trust me.

Okay.

Squeezing her hand, May led her through the Gate with Adria close behind them. The rush was exhilarating, almost like flight, and in Lisa's opinion it was over too quickly. She landed on her feet with a squeal of delight, a squeal answered by a high-pitched shriek. Delta had vanished in the direction of a small group of trees, chasing something elk-like from them with a yowl and a hiss of, "Mine!"

"She jump in the river yet?" May asked, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders.

"No idea." Jack replied, looking happy to be on another planet where the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

Delta was still shrieking in the distance while Erica looked around. What part of the planet she could see was mostly grassland, save for a few small and scattered copses of trees. The distant sound of moving water was audible to her, likely fed by snowmelt from somewhere. A splash caught her attention, like something falling into the water. A wet Delta calmly emerging from the grass saw her revise that thought.

Delta's laughter sounded like a congested villain from a children's cartoon, as raspy as her speech, but nobody else seemed to care. Her tail was coiled around a bag that looked like animal skin and sounded like it was full a marbles.

"Been busy have we?" May asked with a wide grin, again shifting the backpack. It sounded like it was full of marbles too.

Delta nodded gleefully as she caught the ball of twine Adria tossed her way. A curious Vala was digging through her own pack, emerging with a granola bar in one hand, and a similar sack in the other.

"Darling May, what's this?"

May just kept grinning, though it was smaller now, and winked at Daniel before beginning, "Each of you has a sack of crystals in your packs, each one varying in size, shape and color, although the last one might be too difficult to detect with human eyes."

Curious glances were exchanged as May continued, "The Sirians don't have a currency but deal almost exclusively in trade. These crystals are the most common thing used, easier to find and transport off world that won't raise any eyebrows or have government agents come knocking. For the most part their economy works on a one-to-one basis. If you want something from a merchant, pull out a crystal you think is of similar value and offer it in exchange. Sometimes the crystal you offer is thought to be worth more than what you want, and you'll end up with two items thought to have the combined value of the crystal you're offering."

"Do we have to spend them all?" Vala asked, eying the gallon-sized bag of crystals with some speculation.

"No Vala you don't have to spend them all." May replied with a playful roll her eyes. "You don't have to spend any of them, or you could trade them for other crystals. Or gemstones."

Adria smiled. May knew exactly what buttons to push where her family was concerned.

"To a Sirian there is no difference between a crystal and an uncut gem. Shaping a gemstone is a foreign idea to them since they prefer things as nature intended."

"Do we have to trade for food?" Erica asked.

May shook her head, "All creatures need sustenance to survive. Why trade for something you could easily obtain yourself?"

Adria cleared her throat, glancing at her mother and then Daniel before looking at May. Whatever the message was, she seemed to get it, "Which brings me to the next point. Sirian wine is more potent than anything the Tau'ri among us have ever had. If you're a light weight, or named Daniel Jackson, you should probably avoid anything that's not water. If you absolutely must sample some, Vala, ask for it to be watered down."

Vala returned May's playful eye roll and wide grin. Adria's smile outshone hers. She had sampled Sirian wine before and was eager to do so again. The only cloud on the horizon was the particular drink she'd had was jealously guarded and probably worth more than everyone's crystals combined.

The Gate deactivated behind them and Delta practically flew to the DHD to punch in the next address. The next planet was so crowded with massive trees it was almost pitch black, and took several attempts to dial the third planet, which was nearly buried under ice and snow. Lisa cuddled into Adria's side while Delta curled up at her feet, leaving May to dial the next address which thankfully was accomplished before nightfall. They emerged in a cave on the fourth planet, this time being forced to set up camp while Delta tried dialing out every half hour for most of the night. Erica glanced through the cave entrance the next morning and saw a huge creature with batlike wings emerging from a nearby cave and take flight. Rubbing the kinks from her shoulders and back, she shivered and hoped they got wherever it was they were going before she got motion sick.

Planet 5's Stargate was inside an inactive volcano. The lava was too far beneath them to properly see, but was hotter than hellfire and had it not been for a lucky guess on Adria's part they would've camped there too.

"Nice place eh Adria?" Cam asked jokingly, only to get hit with a migraine of epic proportions. Teal'c had to carry him to the next planet, which unlike the last one actually did appeal to Adria.

The forest they emerged in was younger and sunlit, unlike the last one. Birds with bright plumage flitted from tree to tree, their songs lifting Erica's spirit more than anything had since before the Visitors' arrival. A tiny blue lizard skittered across her path and stared upward with beady eyes . . . before spreading a pair of wings and flying up to land on her shoulder.

"Okay." Was all she said before turning to face the others. A white hart entered the clearing, pawing at the ground and snorting at them. A purple bird landed on Sam's head and extended its neck to meet her eyes. Personally Erica thought it was funny, even the lizard now crawling up the side of her head.

Adria was similarly amused, until she glanced toward May. She was standing in a patch of sunlight that made her skin glow and her eyes glitter like the crystal in her ring. A butterfly landed in her hair, its jeweled wings scattering colored light with each lazy flap.

The sound Adria made was somewhere between a whimper and a moan, and it was clear to anyone paying attention that she wanted May and she wanted May now. That Lisa echoed the sound boded ill for all of them, especially when V and Orici attempted to out glare each other. Delta dialed out before there could be bloodshed, startling the hart and birds into flight. Erica's lizard flew after the birds.

They were forced to make camp on the next planet, an unsheltered plateau currently in the middle of a downpour that took two days to clear up. Day five dawned clear enough to dial out before it started again. The rest of that day was spent huddling in yet another cave due to a raging sandstorm. By evening May grew impatient and a burst of icy wind exploded from the cavern, overcoming not only the storm but her as well. They spent the night in that little cavern, Adria and Lisa both snuggling a sleeping May, while Delta tried dialing out for the rest of the night. She succeeded by 6 A.M. Earth time.

Upon reaching the next planet, Erica threw up and Lisa nearly passed out. Neither had been more pleased to see Delta turn away from the Stargate altogether and start loping in the other direction. It was a bit of a hike up mountainous terrain, during which Jack extolled the joys of being alive and everyone else wished he'd shut up. May helped Lisa and Adria over the more unstable ground and Delta proved she was impatient enough to scale the cliff side. After walking single file through a narrow passage and edging down a steep pathway to the ground, Delta led them up a sloping hill. There was an ocean to what Erica guessed was east, across which glided several craft she again guessed were ships, although she'd never seen a ship like that before.

The hulls were pointed ovals of various types of wood, while the sails on the masts were made of interwoven leaves, each leaf roughly two school buses long and a bus and a half wide at the widest. They were too far away for their occupants to be seen, but whatever horns they were blowing were clearly audible.

"Damn." Cam said under his breath.

"Incredible." Daniel breathed.

May smiled at their reactions of reverent awe. Here was proof that the Sirians were just as intelligent as they, destroying forever the belief that their lifestyles indicated a kind of primitivism found in early societies. She couldn't wait to see their reaction once they got to the top of the hill.

"Hurry up!"

"We can't run as fast as you Caela Gemma. Patience, they'll catch up eventually." Adria replied. Lisa wasn't too far behind, panting at the climb. Delta pranced in circles like a dog that needed to go out. It took ten minutes for the rest of SG-1 to catch up, stunned speechless at the sight that greeted them.

It looked like a cross between a temporary village and a Renaissance fair. A group of staves had been plunged into the ground near the beach, and as the ships anchored and the inhabitants disembarked, three Sirians stepped forward and plunged their own staves in the midst of the others, leading their clans into the throng. A short walk from the staves were several large fires, over which a variety of meats were suspended, and a short distance from them were booths hosting edible vegetation. The merchants weren't far from them, but whatever it was they were selling was too hard to see. Tents containing their teachers, healers, and shamans were located much further from the vendors, merchants, and general noise. They gathered in small groups, wandering from tent to tent greeting each other and sharing information. Furthest from the beach was a patch of ground bare of vegetation, where larger Sirians engaged each other in violent, instinct-driven hand-to-hand combat. Looming into the sky behind the large gathering was a mountain of such proportions Erica's mind had difficulty comprehending it.

"Holy shit!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Jack replied.

"It was on this world the first Exile set paw, and it is to this world they return for the meeting of the Council. This is where their Empire was born, this is the seat of their government . . . this is the Sirian Dakara." May explained.

That got their attention. Calling this the Sirian Dakara illustrated its importance to the Sirian Empire, although it likely predated the actual Dakara by millennia.

By the time the others quit staring and started after them, May, Adria and Lisa were halfway down the hill, the latter two shooting each other dirty looks.

"That's going to be a problem." Vala said.

"Yeah. Lisa's a sweet girl but I honestly hope a guy catches her interest soon. Pursuing May will just hurt everyone."

"That's not a fight I want to be caught in the middle of." Sam muttered under her breath.

"I think we lost our Exile guide." Daniel said, glancing around for Delta.

"Indeed." Teal'c replied, gesturing to the alien tearing through the grass and top speed . . . and crashing into a fruit vendor. The noise coming from the area couldn't be anything but swearing.

May rifled through her bag before pulling something out.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked, squinting.

"It is her flute. I didn't know she still had it."

The soft ethereal music floated to the large group of noisy Sirians and managed to silence all of them.

Adria caught a swaying Lisa, only for the completely placid V to start cuddling her. This was both awkward and out of her comfort zone, and it earned a laughing Cameron a flick between the eyes from Vala.

"Tenebris?"

"Help?"

"Come here Lisa."

If anything the blonde looked happier cuddling May, who turned to a still-laughing Cameron to state, "You know Cam, if you get hurt on this world you're stuck here until we leave. And the Sirians don't have anesthetics."

How she could say something like that with a light and sweet voice nobody knew, but it effectively silenced Cameron. The Sirians had made their dislike of him apparent since he took over leadership of SG-1. According to May, since Jack did not choose him as his successor nor did he defeat Jack in pitched combat, they would not recognize his authority. Instead they would turn to either Teal'c or Sam, the natural choices of successors due to both their seniority and combat prowess. If he got hurt here, the Sirians would find the slowest possible ways to fix it, assuming they fixed it at all.

Tramping down the hill, Daniel pointed out the large grey dragon that appeared to have been carved from rock, its ivory colored horns, claws and teeth gleaming in the sun. Its size rivaled the Odyssey, and Daniel wondered aloud what its purpose was.

"It's crafted very well." Daniel continued, glancing up at the overlapping scales on the dragon's body. On closer inspection, it looked more metallic. If the Sirians were metal workers, it spoke volumes about their intelligence.

"Daniel if you touch that and it breaks . . ." Sam warned him.

"I wonder what it's for?"

May took one glance at it before saying, "That's a ship Daniel."

There were a few moments of stunned silence before it was broken by Cam's audible, "Damn!"

"We're glad you approve." A sibilant voice replied, its owner a blue Sirian.

The Sirian flicked her tongue at them before introducing herself, "Greetings Tau'ri. The High Council appointed me as your guide for the duration of your stay on Izil."

"Easel?" Cameron asked in confusion. "Like what you put a canvas on?"

The Sirian rolled her eyes and hissed something under her breath before switching back to English, "The name I was given at birth is too complicated for human speech, nor does it have a simple translation in this tongue. Put simply, I am the pilot of the Dragon ShipGallifrey."

"And what are we supposed to call you?" Cam asked. As per usual, he was ignored until Erica repeated the question.

"Gallifrey." She replied as though this fact should be obvious. "This ship is Erebus. Rasi May informed us of the Tau'ri's aversion to being dirty and apparent inability to survive without running water."

"Was that an insult?" Vala muttered to Sam, who merely shrugged.

"Erebus has been temporarily equipped with such things, and if you like there are several empty quarters you can sleep in. We just have one rule: no sex onboard. The smell does things to us."

Daniel's triumphant grin slid off his face when Gallifrey continued, "Please note this rule only applies to ship. If you want sex you're free to have it so long as all parties consent. And by all parties I mean the ones interested in sex, not their harried parents or reluctant caretakers."

Daniel muttered angrily under his breath. Gallifrey rolled her eyes and muttered audibly, "Because you just can't help being a prudish moral guardian."

Vala choked down the ensuing giggles while the rest of them pretended not to see the look that passed between Adria and May. Gallifrey feigned ignorance and continued, "If you'll follow me, I'll show you where everything is including where you'll be sitting for the trial in the morning."

Even from the hilltop they had an idea what everything was, but Gallifrey threw in a few "fun facts" for every section:

"Every thousand days or so by the passing of this world's sun, Exiles make their way here from every part of the galaxy. Being so spread out exposes us to different environments, and we use the meeting of the Council to showcase them. The giant bonfires are for roasting meat, closest to the sea in case one gets out of control, the vendors over there have what you call fruits and vegetables, we don't eat grain unless we're desperate so there won't be any cake here O'Neill-"

Jack grumbled but wasn't surprised.

"Merchants display various items which you can trade for and at least six pairs of eyes will monitor your transactions. Healers, teachers and shamans are over there should any of you require their services, and I would avoid the pit if at all possible."

"The pit?" Erica asked, confused.

"The first of several trials to become High Councilor. The best fighters after five gatherings receive feral backing and proceed to other trials."

Erica just nodded and pretended she had some semblance of understanding. Gallifrey led them into the mountain itself, an impressive amphitheatre carved from solid rock and lit by crystals. The blue Sirian said the Empire was divided into roughly one hundred twenty Clans and showed them where they would be sitting: top row, far left if facing the room from the stage area. They'd have a good view of the room. Gallifrey said May had a standing invitation to attend any Clan's festival, including Council meetings, but somebody (and here she shot Daniel a dirty look) never let her. The archeologist rolled his eyes and muttered about everything being his fault.

After the grand tour Gallifrey set them loose and vanished. They saw Delta a little later, clutching her giant bag of crystals with both hands and dragging a basket with her tail. She greeted SG-1 with a nod before something else caught her eye and she dug through the bag for the right crystal. At some point May had taken Lisa's hand and beckoned to Adria, the three heading in the direction of the Healers' tents.

"Mal Doran." A Sirian rasped, easily nine feet tall.

"Hello Gladius." Vala replied, pretending she was fine until the reddish-brown reptile was out of sight.

"You know him?" Cam asked.

"When I was host to Qetesh he tried to kill me."

After a minute of silence Jack clapped his hands together and said, "Okay then, who wants whatever they call dessert here?"

May slid a tent flap aside and hissed to the occupant. The Sirian inside replaced the scroll and left the tent's confines, beckoning to the trio to follow. Lisa was told to sit on a pillow while the Healer placed two white crystals to her temples. The pair turned solid black and began smoking, turning so hot the Healer dropped them with a pained growl. Crystalfyre padded in and handed Lisa a cup of water before examining the crystals. A wide array of expressions crossed her face before settling on somebody about to deliver bad news.

Adria's hand found May's shoulder and squeezed it as Crystalfyre approached.

"The crystals show signs of malnourishment, dehydration, emotional trauma and multiple invasive procedures at the physical and mental levels. When was the last time she spoke aloud, in any language?"

May thought about it, "Over a week."

Crystalfyre squeezed her eyes shut, "It is as I feared. The damage is too much for her to recover from; every day her higher reasoning skills lose ground to low instinct. She's going feral more quickly than I've ever seen. Her condition is beyond our skill to heal Rasi. The best we can do is find a world where she can live out the rest of her life alone, since her false skin would be her death among other ferals. I'm sorry."

She never answered, a chill passing through her body. Adria felt her skin grow cold, "May?"

The ground beneath her feet iced over and May broke her grip and fled.

"It's like the gods enjoy abusing her." Adria commented, watching her mate put as much distance between her and the gathering as possible.

"Indeed. The Thunder Rasi have much to answer for. Much of the hell this galaxy went through can be placed at their feet when they decided it was easier to flee a war of ideals and ignore the suffering of us mere mortals." Crystalfyre replied with a derisive hiss.

Orlithe's rage could blow up enough stars to shatter Sam's record beyond repair as she turned to the Ancients with burning eyes, "Yes they damn well do!"

Morgan suffered a blow to the head that would have killed a human as the pissed Ilvar matriarch again sought Anubis, fully intending to kill him. The near-Ascended Goa'uld had enough strength to think Not again before Orlithe's fingers closed around his throat and electricity was forced into his spectral form. As the assembled Ascended looked on, Thiadon made his way undetected to Izil to check on his granddaughter.

"Are you alright young one?"

"No Grandfather."

"Tell me what ails you."

And May explained everything, including a possible solution. Thiadon cursed under his breath, sparks dancing between his fingers.

"Let me see if I understand this." He began. "Lisa is a V, a normally emotionless genetic chimera. Her false feelings for your brother and you became real and she appears ready and willing to pursue you regardless of Adria. Your brother's death and the trauma that followed was the catalyst for the quickest feralization in Sirian memory and they can do nothing to stop it. You worry that her deteriorating mental state puts you, her, and everyone around her in danger, you fear nothing can be done to help her but you love her and cannot cut her out of your life, is that about right?"

"Yes Grandfather."

Thiadon drummed his fingers against folded arms, "Very well. Your solution won't be overly difficult to, pull off as the Tau'ri say. It might cause both of you pain, it's interference in the highest degree, and a large number of beings will be angry because of it, but it should work."

He began to pace back and forth, "A large group of crystals will be required, along with both my and Orlithe's Clans. If the Ori consent we can use their energy to power the ritual. I'm off to gather the necessary materials. And hopefully keep your grandmother from rendering Anubis into an Ascended drooling idiot. I'll be back in about three days."

May stared after the amethyst energy being until he vanished from sight. Lisa's nuzzling startled her back to reality, as did the accompanying brush against her mind. This time there were no words, only sensations: concern for her, an awareness that something was wrong, but confusion as to what it was. May wailed, throwing her arms around the surprised Visitor as it started to rain. The blonde stared at Adria in bewilderment, and the spice-scented female rolled her eyes and sent an image of her with her arms around May. Lisa did so, but it didn't seem to help much. She licked sweet-scented female's cheek, which only made the wailing louder.

May welcomed the feel of Adria's mind and her attempts to ease the pain, knowing how hard it was to know one reason for Lisa's condition was close enough to die by her hand and resist the impulse to break her neck.

A sense of dark amusement made itself known along with Adria's voice, You have no idea Caela Gemma.

Between May and Adria, the two were able to alter a crystal for Lisa, giving it enough power to forestall further damage and allow her to communicate through human speech. A few strips of something like leather made it a simple necklace.

Lisa blinked a few times to clear the haze, remembering May taking her from the mothership and only fragments after that.

"Where are we?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Izil. It's where the Sirian High Council meets."

There was that word again, but she still didn't know what it meant. Seeing her confusion, May hissed something in the Old Sirian dialect. A creature emerged from behind a tent flap, easily seven feet in height, with sand colored scales, a velociraptor's head, and fierce yet intelligent yellow eyes. Lisa was struck by the sudden sense of kinship. She knew this creature. Hell, she'd been this creature at some point!

"I know you." she said, keeping May in her field of vision as she waited for a reaction. She wasn't sure if she would try and protect May or hide behind her, but she kept her in sight.

The Sirian's pupil widened. She flicked her tongue at Lisa and replied, "I know you too."

"How?"

"We are kin you and I. Once our race was united, but my ancestors were exiled and yours . . . fell from grace."

Lisa bowed her head in shame. True, it wasn't her fault that they'd interbred with and then murdered multiple species in their quest to become a master species and take down the System Lords, but she had believed they were doing the right thing. No, what her mother said was the right thing. Shaking her head slowly, she rubbed her temples and whined.

"Lisa?"

"I'm fine. Where's my mother?"

Nobody said anything. A sense of uneasiness stole through Lisa as she turned to May.

"May? Please?"

"In a holding cell. Her trial is in the morning."

Lisa nodded; she remembered hearing something about that.

"Is she . . . can she be turned? Feel emotions like I do?"

May glanced at Crystalfyre, who flicked her tongue and replied, "I've had no contact with her."

Lisa looked at May, taking in the pale complexion and red-rimmed watery eyes. She'd been crying, about her. Enfolding the redhead in her arms, she glanced at Adria and reached out telepathically. She shivered at the contact; Adria's mind was a place of fire and darkness, of power and knowledge far beyond her understanding.

What's wrong with me?

You're going feral, more quickly than the Healers have seen. Your crystal will be helpful for a while, but unless the Ilvar help you your future is very bleak.

Lisa's grip tightened a little and she wished she'd never asked. Knowing that she was doomed to become the animal she was beneath her human skin, that she could hurt May, her family, her mate (and it hurt to acknowledge that) was scary as hell. Nuzzling May's cheek, she stepped back and asked, "How long?"

"A few days maybe?"

She nodded slowly before taking May's hand in hers.

The strange little creature had run up with no warning, and Erica started nervously before remembering that nobody here was going to hurt her and she'd left her gun back on Earth anyway. Of course then she actually saw the animal in question and did a double take. It was a velociraptor. A tiny velociraptor, roughly the size of a cat, peering up at them with beady yellow eyes.

"Oh no." Daniel murmured under his breath as the tiny raptor cautiously moved toward Erica and sniffed at her. Its blue and yellow feathers ruffled in the breeze as it cocked its head and made a sound that was part barking seal and part person choking.

"Uh, hi?"

A second little raptor, this one with reddish brown feathers, edged forward, sniffing and growling lightly at Vala. A sharp snap from the first raptor silenced it, but the second had to drag away a third to keep it from taking a chunk out of Cameron.

The yellow and blue one then stalked over to Jack and stared upward for a long time, sniffing at him, and Teal'c who had moved to stand next to him. Tilting its head again, it turned to the other two and barked at them before running after them.

"Oh no?" Erica asked Daniel, who was standing as though expecting the worst. Sam explained, "We ran across her pack during May's Addams Family phase. She'd already seen Jurassic Park thanks to Jack, and she calls these little guys pygmy raptors. The yellow and blue feathered one answers to Wednesday."

"Okay then."

"They're telepathic pack hunters." She continued.

Erica's brain stopped working for a minute as Sam's words permeated it. Telepathic miniature velociraptors? How did dinosaurs get offworld anyway?

At that point, Wednesday returned along with twenty or so others, each one with a white sphere in each hand. Wednesday dropped the spheres at Jack's feet before running to the back of the line. The pile grew in size and it dawned on Erica what they were.

A raptor dropped one in Jack's outstretched hand and he stared at it disbelief.

"Golf balls?" he asked.

"Wasn't that the time May was trapped off world for three months?" Vala asked, cringing when she remembered the girl's mother was standing right there.

"WHAT?" Erica shouted.

Again Sam jumped in, this time to prevent bloodshed, "She'd gone to visit Delta for what we thought would be the night. Night turned into three months, and we found her later attending a festival in a Sirian village. I guess this pack was on Alaris or wherever you dialed when you were playing golf."

"They hit golf balls through the Stargate while my kid is offworld." Erica muttered under her breath.

"Well in our defense, I wasn't there, Daniel, Sam and Cam had no idea what was going on, so only Jack and Teal'c were worried." Vala said, receiving a glare in return.

"I know I don't own this many golf balls." Jack commented after the last raptor added to the pile. "How the hell am I gonna get all these back home?"

"Maybe a basket like Delta has?"

"I'll ask where she got it if we ever find her again."

Delta found them two hours later with a half empty animal skin bag and gladly pointed them to where she'd gotten her basket. Erica, who had yet to purchase anything, observed Jack and the merchant haggle over the price of one. He ended up with a good-quality basket in exchange for three crystal spheres, one red, one blue, and one green. The basket itself was lined with the skin of some mammalian creature, and big enough to hold the cache of golf balls. Wednesday rubbed her head and neck against Erica's leg, a sign of acceptance according to Daniel, barked at Vala, and gave Cameron a look that was the raptor equivalent of the evil eye.

"What did I do to make them hate me so much?" Cam asked in disbelief, staring after the retreating pack.

It was Vala who answered, "You are an outsider, a usurper, and a threat."

There were murmurs of agreement from the surrounding merchants, eying Cam with borderline hatred.

Adria shook her head when Vala opened her mouth upon the trio's return. Nobody else seemed to notice; too busy staring at what was apparently dinner with expressions conveying equal parts interest, horror, and disgust.

"What are we looking at?" Cameron voiced the thoughts of almost everyone. In the middle of a circle of large wooden bowls lay the smoked carcass of what looked like a ten-legged spider the size of a large dog, lying on its back with its legs curled up. It was, thankfully, headless, or some of them would have been sick. Shadowed by Adria and Lisa, May had gone looking for fruit, meaning one of them was gonna have to try this thing first.

The girls were back in time to see Erica rip a leg from the body and tear a chunk off of it. Her expression of surprise was amusing to watch, even after she washed the first bite down with a large gulp of water.

"Don't tell us, it tastes like chicken right?" Jack asked.

Erica shook her head, "No. Lamb."

"Are you serious?" Daniel asked, glancing doubtfully at the arachnoid.

Erica shot him an annoyed look, "Does it look like I'm joking Daniel?"

"Uh no."

Vala was the next to try it, face lighting up after a couple bites, "Well I've never had lamb, but if they taste this good on Earth . . ."

Adria's expression twisted in disgust. She didn't much care for giant arthropods, gladly accepting the softball sized fruit from May instead. The look on her face when she bit into it annoyed Adria; May was enjoying having the upper hand and whatever she'd just taken a bite of was so sour it made lemons seem mild by comparison. Stubborn, Adria ate the rest of it.

Lisa murmured in May's ear, "Why don't these taste as good as you smell?"

She shrugged, watching with amusement as Delta made off with the three remaining legs and left SG-1 staring at the carcass.

"Okay, what does this taste like?"

"We should decide quickly if we want any more." Teal'c advised. "Others are watching."

Sure enough, several pairs of yellow eyes observed from the darkness. Delta growled in their general direction, lifting the two remaining legs out of their reach. Wednesday barked, hopping closer to the carcass. A snarl from May and a hiss from Lisa put an end to that behavior, and Wednesday fled into the night.

"Do they sell knives or something here, or just use their claws and teeth?"

May pointed somewhere behind her, "That way."

Erica excused herself, heading in the direction of the merchants. When Jack had purchased his basket, the merchant in question did not speak English. Instead there was a lot of pointing, crystal offering, and wild hand gestures. Erica wondered if the Sirians found it as ridiculous as they did.

Finding a blade merchant, Erica did a double-take. These weren't traditional steel blades. These were fangs. Taken from something's mouth. Shuddering, she was about to greet the merchant when the lizard beat her to it.

"Can I help you Tau'ri?"

The thought Oh thank God, he speaks English was quickly followed by the spoken, "What . . . what are these?"

Realizing she sounded like an idiot she attempted to negate her mistake, "I mean, I think they're blades of some sort right? They look like teeth. Where'd they come from?"

"Deadly predators. These straight ones come from," and the ash grey Sirian hissed what Erica guessed were the animals from which they came. There were three varieties on display: straight ones, curved ones, and ones that looked like shark's teeth.

"Any of these come from Sirians?"

The Sirian cocked his head, "Our own teeth are too small to be much use as a blade. What sort of blade are you looking for?"

"We've got the carcass of something, about this big," Erica measured out the length with her arms, "It had ten legs, if that helps, and it was smoked."

The Sirian hissed something else, glancing at a few of the blades.

"What exactly are we eating anyway?"

"The closest translation in this tongue is ten-leg-poison-tooth. Call it whatever you wish, it makes no difference to me. Given the size of the beast in question, I recommend one of these," and he gestured to some curved fangs about the length of her forearm, "The outside curve has been sharpened to better cut through flesh, comes with what you call a sheath so you don't cut off something important by accident, and from what I understand of the Tau'ri it would make a good conversation starter."

Erica almost choked. No way would she be allowed to carry this thing off the base! Although part of her entertained the thought of a giant fang hanging over the mantle, anyone she told about it would be caught in the crossfire between curious Vs and memory-altering devices wielded by members of Stargate Command. Though with the sheath, it would probably escape notice . . . She started pawing through her crystals, examining each one minutely for flaws before replacing it. Nearly slicing her hand open on a bright orange crystal, she offered it to the Sirian and waited. The grey reptile examined the crystal minutely before deeming it a suitable match. He sheathed the blade and handed it to her before inclining his head. She returned the gesture before returning to the still smoking carcass, drawing the blade, and with Vala's help carved it into manageable portions.

The first words out of Jack's mouth after a bite were a sarcastic, "Why do the legs taste like lamb and the body taste like fish?"

"I like it." Cam protested with his mouth full. The scandalous looks from May and Adria made him close his mouth. Lisa seemed not to notice and gladly ate as much of the carcass as she could. She stilled when May's hand settled on her arm before turning and giving her an affectionate nuzzle. Adria's eyes narrowed, sending a sharp telepathic jab at Lisa along with a possessive Mine!

Lisa hissed at her, tail curling around May's arm.

"Behave you two." May said sternly, ignoring Adria's flickering orange eyes and Lisa's slitted reptilian ones. The Visitor seemed more willing to push her boundaries, tail winding higher and constricting around May's arm. May growled at her, again feeling her instinct submit. Lisa's tail slid limply from her arm and landed on the ground between them.

Adria watched from the corner of her eye but didn't comment. Though May appeared fine on the surface, Adria could still sense her pain over Lisa. At the moment the V had two personalities: the "human" who wanted to be May's mate for the rest of their lives, and the Visitor whose intentions were not as clear. She knew that after mating a Visitor Queen ate her unfortunate partner to nourish her unborn young, but no one was really sure if a Queen had ever taken a female as a mate, never mind what happened after.

If she was honest with herself, the mere presence of Lisa was starting to get on her nerves. She knew she had no reason to be concerned, that May was her mate, but she couldn't dismiss the feeling that Lisa was a rival. Lisa was certainly aware of it, mentally staking a claim but unable to back it up physically. And from her seat on May's left she had a good view of where Adria had bitten her. In Lisa's mind this meant she belonged to Adria, and there were harsh punishments for courting an obviously attached being. Unless May left her for Lisa, the V had no chance with her.

She squeezed May's hand, countering the remaining chill with her own warmth and trying to catch her eye.

Are you alright?

Not really. She replied, moving closer. Relaxing into Adria's side (and ignoring Lisa's whining) she wrapped her arms around her and drew what comfort she could from her presence. Vala tried to kick Daniel to shut him up but missed and kicked a pygmy raptor instead. It sailed through the air squealing, an action that saw Delta pursuing it and slapping it to the ground. When the raptor quit shaking its head, Delta shoved the last arachnoid leg into its claws and curled up next to Erica.

Gallifrey appeared from nowhere and led them all back to Erebus, showing them their rooms for the night. Erica was impressed with the hammock; she'd been expecting a pile of hay. There was even a blanket and a pillow, and it was quiet comfortable after a week in a sleeping bag. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Lisa curled up in her own room, falling asleep to May stroking her hair. She didn't feel the kiss May dropped on her temple before taking Adria's hand and leaving the ship. The half-Ori led her to a sheltered clearing in a copse of trees, a blanket covered pile of hay near the edge of it. There was a small fire burning in the middle, a bowl of fruits and a decanter of water nearby, and in the silence May let the tension drain from her body.

"We used to dance, when you lived on the Ori ships. I would be irritated, or angry, or unhappy upon my return, but then I would see you, see how happy you were to see me, and my own discomfort would fade away. I would take you in my arms and we would spin around my room, or stand still and rock back and forth. Do you remember?" Adria asked softly from behind her, squeezing her shoulders. May leaned into her touch with a whimper.

"Yes . . . I remember." She was quiet as she took in the clearing before breaking the silence, "Did you do all this for me?"

Adria grinned at her and nodded.

"When? You haven't left my side long enough to talk to anyone."

Pulling the unresisting Ilva into her embrace, she whispered in her ear, "You aren't the only one who can teleport."

And that's chapter 23. Next time, Anna's trial.