TITLE: Reflections Reviews
AUTHOR: Roeskva
CATEGORY: Action/Adventure
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the
property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece
of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and not monetary purposes
and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Any similarity
to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
SUMMARY: SG-1 goes to an alternative universe where the Tok'ra don't exist. How has this effected the Galaxy and Earth? Written for the 2010 Tok'ra Resistance mailinglist contest.
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Sam/Martouf/Lantash
CHARACTERS: SG-1, Martouf/Lantash, Hathor, Ra, others
WARNINGS: Graphic and non-graphic sex (multiple partners, various combinations of males and/or females), mention of torture, rape, bestiality - most of this takes place in two chapters which are clearly marked and can be omitted. SG-1 are mostly only observers. Character deaths (minor).
STATUS: Complete
SPOILERS: SG-1 Divide and Conquer, Summit, Last Stand. Takes place in late fifth season.
AUTHORS NOTES: * denotes thoughts or symbiote/host communication.

----------------

[ 1: Discoveries (PG-13) | 2: Fighting (PG-13) | 3. Through the Looking Glass (PG-13) | 4: A Goa'uld (PG-13) | 5: A New Reality (PG-13) | 6: Earth (PG-13) | 7: A Minor Goa'uld (PG-13) | 8: The Human Slave (PG-13) | 9: Egypt (PG-13) | 10: Ra (PG-13) | 11: Goa'uld Entertainment (R) | 12: Back in Space (PG) | 13: Comfort (NC-17) | 14: Next Morning (PG-13) | 15: Solving A Puzzle (PG-13) | 16: Queens (PG-13) | 17: Hathor (PG-13) | 18: Going Home (PG) ]

Chapter 1: Discoveries.


Summary: SG-1 goes to explore some ruins found by the Tok'ra and get an unpleasant surprise.
Warnings: Non-graphic violence and character death.
Rating: PG-13


"This path appears to be well travelled." Teal'c said, as the Stargate shut down behind them.

"Yeah, so much for the Tok'ra claiming the planet's uninhabited." O'Neill grumbled.

"They did say their information was more than 5 years old. Obviously someone has been here recently." Sam pointed out.

"Well, let's just hope they're friendly." O'Neill glanced around. "Which way to the ruins?"

"Anise said they are located about 5 miles along the road through the forest...and I still think we should have taken her up on her offer to accompany us." Daniel said.

"No way I'm going anywhere with her! Let's keep this a snake-free mission, shall we?" O'Neill started off in the direction Daniel had indicated.

-----
They had walked just under 5 miles when the road left the forest and continued through a more open terrain. The ruins were easy to find. They were scattered across an enormous area, and most of them seemed to be in good condition.

"Wow!" Daniel looked at it in awe. "This could take several lifetimes to study completely!"

"Yes, Daniel, we don't have quite that long. Where are the best preserved buildings supposed to be?" O'Neill said.

"Over here." Daniel began walking.

"Wait!" Sam suddenly noticed tracks in the damp ground near a small group of trees.

Teal'c studied them. "Jaffa. They passed no more than 2 hours ago."

"OK, that's it, we're going back." O'Neill decided. "Come on, Daniel."

"Jack...it may only be a small scouting party and..."

"No arguing! With our luck some Goa'uld has taken up residence here and his entire army will come storming at us in a few moments. We're leaving!"

"Residence? Here? There's nothing but ruins!" Daniel scoffed, but he started back towards the others.

Suddenly, they heard shouting and turning they saw a group of Jaffa running in their direction.

"Damn. That's just typical." O'Neill exclaimed. "Take cover!"

They ran for the treeline, but another group of Jaffa showed up in front of them, and they were soon surrounded.

The fight was over almost before it began and O'Neill, Sam, and Daniel were captured. Teal'c had managed to get loose and O'Neill yelled at him to get away and return with reinforcements. Reluctantly, he obeyed, seeing the number of enemy Jaffa were too large for him to take on alone.

-----
Soon they were being marched towards a group of buildings that appeared to be almost intact.

"Why do these missions always end this way?" O'Neill complained.

"Silence! You were trespassing on Lord Segomo's territory and will be punished!"

The Jaffa took them to a large, beautiful building, that seemed completely undamaged.

"Inside!" The leader ordered, hitting O'Neill in the ribs with his staff weapon.

They were led to a large room, filled with a combination of Goa'uld and alien machinery.

In the center of what was obviously a vast laboratory stood a single man bent over a console and intently studying the read-outs on a monitor. His dress was typically Goa'uld, with garish colours and flowing robes. He did not turn when they entered or in any other way acknowledge their existence.

The Jaffa waited patiently - if somewhat anxiously - for almost ten minutes, before their leader stepped forward. He looked uncomfortable.

"My Lord...please forgive me for interrupting. We bring you three trespassers captured in the ruins. A fourth - a Jaffa - got away. We are searching for him now."

The Goa'uld turned, enraged. "And for this you disturb me? My work is far too important to be interrupted with trivial matters." He glanced briefly at the small group of humans. "Lock them up over there..." He pointed to a kind of enclosure towards the far end of the room. "Do not bother me again until you bring me the Jaffa you in your clumsiness allowed to escape." He turned back to his machines.

"Yes, Lord Segomo." The Jaffa bowed deeply, cherishing the fact that he had retained his head.

-----
O'Neill carefully touched the shimmering field in front of him with a fingertip, then quickly pulled his hand away when he felt the zap.

"Ouch!"

Sam studied the field. "It is some kind of force-shield technology, but I see no way of turning it off from the inside."

Daniel looked towards the Goa'uld. "Segomo was a Gaul war god. His name means 'mighty one'."

"He doesn't seem that mighty - he's only interested in these machines. A Goa'uld egghead..." O'Neill decided.

"He's probably only a minor Goa'uld. The Jaffa bore the mark of Camulus, so he's likely one of his underlings, no doubt working to further his position." Sam pointed out.

"I wonder what he's doing here?" Daniel said. 

"Who cares? Unless any of this is a weapon." O'Neill pointed vaguely in the direction of the assortment of machinery in the room. "What do you think?" He looked at Sam.

"I have no idea, but most of this stuff doesn't look Goa'uld. That thing over there in the corner resembles the quantum mirror we found on P3R-233, though it's larger and connected to some kind of weird device."

"Yeah, you're right." Daniel said. "Maybe it's a later version of it? Or an earlier version? Anise told me these ruins are at least 20000 years old, from some advanced civilization that existed here a long time ago."

"The other stuff that aren't of Goa'uld origin looks like it could have been made by the same people who created the mirror, don't you agree?"

"Yes."

"And this means?" O'Neill demanded.

"That Daniel is probably correct it was made by the civilization that once lived here - and that it's probably not a weapon. It's more likely to be related to research into alternate realities." Sam suddenly looked worried. "Sir, this could be very bad. If that Goa'uld has found something that gives him the ability to travel to other realities - and maybe even change the timeline of this one - he could cause untold disasters!"

"Yeah, but why would he? Goa'uld aren't usually interested in things unless it gives them power." Daniel interjected.

"Think about the possibilities! If he could find a way to remove his rivals he might get a better position - perhaps even be the leader of those he must obey today. Wipe out the competition before it even exists!"

"That does sound kinda neat..." O'Neill agreed.

"Neat?! It's incredibly dangerous to mess with the timeline! One small change could result in a cascade of other changes! Wipe out entire civilizations and change all of history. There is no way of knowing which side-effects changing something would have!"

"You just keep chattering away, thinking I do not pay any attention to what you say!" Segomo suddenly exclaimed. "Insulting me! Do you really think I would be foolish enough to risk everything without doing my research first? Risking my own greatness!"

"So, you're really trying to change history?" Sam asked.

"History! It belongs to the victors!" To me and the rest of the Goa'uld! Not to you Tau'ri." He gloated. "Oh, you thought I did not know? You keep underestimating me! The 'great' SG-1! Soon I shall have Teal'c as well. That alone will do much to reverse the current unfortunate state of affairs. Removing SG-1! Normalizing the state of the Galaxy! If I could only neutralize the Tau'ri - and your friends, the pathetic Tok'ra!" He spat the last word.

"The Goa'uld will soon be history. Many System Lords have already fallen and the rest will follow!" Sam said.

Segomo laughed. "How naive! Of course, you do not yet know of my cunning plan. And why should I not tell you? Let you enjoy my wisdom for a little while before I kill you."

O'Neill rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Do you guys have to overplay it? Seriously..."

"Silence!" Segomo roared. He pressed a button and several arcs of energy leaped from the force field, hitting them all.

They cried out, enveloped by the energy, before falling to the ground when Segomo let go of the button.

"Now, perhaps, you will pay more attention?" Segomo grinned. "I will tell you a secret. Using one of these devices, I have found the most marvelous alternate reality, where the Goa'uld - and I, of course - prospers and have attained the position which is rightfully ours. I am using this machinery here to find the correct changes to affect in order to turn this reality into a copy of that perfect universe. The others would thank me for my ingenuity, if they only knew!"

"Why don't you just go there and leave the rest of us alone here?" O'Neill suggested, sarcastically.

"Your tone is insolent, but I have considered it. However, my version there would have to be removed, so that I could take his place. Since my host is not the same it could be difficult. I am strong, there!" He looked proud.

"Why don't you just switch hosts, then?" Daniel wondered.

"Alas, I cannot find him in this reality." He sighed wistfully. "So, I shall change this universe!" He said, determinedly.

"How will you know what to change? You said the devices here could help you." Sam sounded genuinely curious.

"Ah! Behold my brilliance! I use these machines to create a stasis bubble located around the time and place I wish to study. I can then affect various changes and see the results, without harming this time."

"You create a parallel universe to experiment on?" Sam asked, surprised.

"No! Fool!" He scoffed. "If even a single molecule is different, the experiment is worthless. The result useless. No, it has to be identical." His eyes shone with a fanatic light for a moment, before he calmed down. "The reality is temporarily split in two - each are this reality. Then, when I have finished my tests, they are merged back. While they both exist, they are kept separate by a stasis field. The universe merges back to the original unless I am satisfied with the change. Then I can merge to the altered state."

"How can both be this universe? There can't be two me's unless...um...it's another reality...or something." O'Neill looked confused.

"Actually, it makes sense." Sam said. "I has to be that way, if you make real-time changes."

"What would happen if I killed one version of me - in the past, I mean." Daniel asked.

Segomo did not answer, but merely smirked. He turned to the console beside him and typed in a few commands, then pushed a button. A large, three dimensional image appeared on a platform in the middle of the room, showing SG-1 just as they arrived on the planet.

The Goa'uld then pushed another button and the image sprang to life. It was not just like watching a movie, but more like looking down at the actual scene, as it unfolded. Fascinated, they watched themselves discuss what to do, then begin to walk along the road - just as it had happened some hours ago.

Segomo grinned and zoomed in on Sam, then pulled a lever. The picture flickered for a moment, just in front of her. He then activated another lever and the events continued to unfold for a second or two more, then Segomo turned it off.

"Behold!"

A totally confused Sam stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

"What happened? Where...?" She turned and saw the other Sam, as well as Daniel and O'Neill inside the enclosure. Both Sam's eyes widened as they looked at each other.

Before the eyes of the others, both of them began to suffer some sort of distortion. It only lasted a moment, then all seemed normal again.

"Entropic Cascade Failure." The Sam inside the enclosure said. The other Sam nodded slowly.

"Possibly..."

"Isn't it happening much too quickly? Shouldn't it take a couple of days, at least?" O'Neill said.

"And only affect one of you?" Daniel added.

"No. This isn't just very similar people. We're identical - save a very small difference in age and experienced events. The increased entropy generated by two people who are actually the same and from the same universe..." Sam shook her head. "The effect would be exponentially worse."

She had barely finished the sentence, before the temporal distortion happened again, much worse this time.

Segomo watched with detached interest, then took out his zat'nik'tel and shot the latest arrived Sam, twice. She fell to the ground, dead.

He shrugged and shot her one more time, vaporising her.

The remaining Sam - as well as Daniel and O'Neill - looked on in shock.

"See? Killing a past-you in this way changes nothing." He smiled proudly. "As per default, the universe merges back into itself - already had when I closed down the machine,actually - and since the 'original' version was still alive...no changes. And now I have wasted enough time bringing my brilliance to the masses. I must return to my most important task of neutralizing the combined nuisance of the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra." He looked thoughtful. "I would just remove the Tok'ra and be done with it, if it was not - sadly - beyond the power output of this machinery to affect a change to the timeline so long ago. Now, shut up and do not disturb me or I shall have to punish you." He walked back to his equipment, mumbling to himself. "Hmmm...how best to undo this unholy alliance...hmmm..."

Sam shot a quick look at the place where an identical version of herself had died and been vaporized just minutes ago. She frowned and turned away.

"If it's all the same...uh...reality...and it was just split in two...well, don't you fell...um...I don't know...less, now? Like you're missing half of your, you know...essence...?" O'Neill looked as if he thought hard about it.

Sam laughed a little, lightening the dark mood.

"No, sir. It doesn't work that way. It must be some sort of quantum effect, were we both exist in exactly the same state at the same time. I don't know how it's possible, but there's obviously much we don't know yet. In any case, the modified stasis field would be needed to keep the universes apart. It is the same universe - and left to its own, it would continue to be the same, meaning it would spontaneously merge. I'm guessing that's what would have happened if Segomo had not made an opening in the field so I...she...could step through, and if the machine had not been shut down when it was. The Sam that was just killed." Sam swallowed. "She was me - from the past. Somehow those aliens who originally built these machines found a way to sort of 'drag' the universe out in two. A little like with quarks, I guess, where they also..."

"Never mind! What would have happened if she had stayed here. Alive?" O'Neill said.

"We would probably both have died from the entropic cascade failure - or perhaps one of us had died first and the other survived. There's no way to know which one, since this reality was hers equally much as it is mine."

"So you're saying it was actually a good thing Segomo killed her? In mean..." Daniel shrugged, looking apologetic.

"I'd rather he had left her...me...where I was, but...yeah...I guess it was. For me, at least." Sam looked guilty.

"Couldn't she just have been returned to the past?" Daniel suggested.

"No, as soon as the machine shut down, the universe merged back to itself and she... or I...was already there. There would be no 'free' place for her to go. Same reality, remember?"
 
They nodded and sat down to wait, hoping an opportunity would present itself for escape - or that Teal'c would hopefully return with back-up. Segomo kept working in his lab, and they eventually saw many different glimpses into the past.

"This is weird..." O'Neill stated as he sat down and leaned against the wall.

"It seems he's decided the best way to counter the threat from us and the Tok'ra is to break our alliance and stop any cooperation between us." Sam observed. She had been closely following Segomo working.

O'Neill scoffed. "Like the Tok'ra make any difference!"

"Many of our clashes with the Goa'uld would have gone much worse if we hadn't had the help, information, or sometimes technology - of the Tok'ra. I'm quite sure we wouldn't have been able to take down as many Goa'uld as we have without the Tok'ra. If we'd even have survived." Sam said.

"OK, I'll grant you they may have been of some assistance, but..."

"Honestly, the Galaxy would probably have been a much worse place if the Tok'ra hadn't kept the Goa'uld occupied - and divided - for the last couple millennia or so." Daniel said.

"Ah, come on! We've done more in a few years than they have in a thousand years!" O'Neill exclaimed.

"I'm not so sure that's actually true. We've stirred up the power balance, that's for certain...well, in any case, Segomo seems to agree with you, partially at least. He appears to want to stop us - and our cooperation with the Tok'ra."

"Whoa!" Daniel suddenly exclaimed. "I recognize that...it's the summit where we signed the formal treaty with the Tok'ra." He leaned forward a little. "Isn't that Per'sus?"

Sam turned to look. "Yes. Segomo may have decided to see if he can destabilize the alliance at that point. Perhaps by making the assassination attempt on Per'sus - or the president - succeed."

"How'd he do that, you think?"

"Perhaps by making sure the zatarcs succeeds?" Sam suggested, suddenly looking pained as she watched herself kill Martouf on the viewer. "The best way would be to either have another - undiscovered - zatarc, or let the summit be the first time we see them. That way we won't even know there's anything to look for."

"You think Segomo may stop whomever made them from sending any against Per'sus before the summit? To let it be a complete surprise and so maybe succeed in taking out both the president and Per'sus?" Daniel suggested.

Sam nodded slowly. "Yes...something like that, though probably not both of them. He would maybe want Earth to think the Tok'ra had betrayed them...or make the Tok'ra think we had, depending on who was murdered and by whom. Since we wouldn't know about the brainwashing, we'd never think to look for it - and the assassin would have committed suicide anyway, so there would be no proof. If it wasn't enough to outright destroy the alliance, it would certainly be enough to make us very suspicious against each other."

"But they never learned who was responsible, did they?"

"No, not with any certainty. We do, however, know which missions Martouf and the others were likely to have been made zatarcs on. Segomo can just look over one of these and see what happened."

As they were discussing this, the Goa'uld decided to do just that. He manipulated the controls for a moment.

The viewer activated again and now showed Martouf, as he stepped through the Stargate, presumably setting out on the mission that would result in him being brainwashed.



>> Chapter 2: Fighting (PG-13). Teal'c comes to the rescue - and gets help from someone surprising. PG-13. Warning: Non-graphic violence.