R is for Reassessment (PG)
Written for Bra'tac (and Jaffa) Alphabet Soup for Gen Fic Day!
Summary: Bra'tac dismisses the idea of Tau'ri as worthy allies... but then he has the chance to actually meet them. Spoilers for S1, particularly Bloodlines. ~1,200 words. Rated PG.
R is for Reassessment
Teal'c is not the first chal'ti that Bra'tac trains in both the noble art of war and the more subtle art of rebellion. But he is the first that not only survives, but thrives enough to reach highest rank: the only one, besides Bra'tac himself, who manages to attain the coveted status of First Prime. Bra'tac has great hopes for Teal'c as his partner in spreading quiet dissent and inspiring their fellow Jaffa to seek freedom from the Goa'uld.
So he is disappointed when he learns that, despite his counsel, Teal'c threw away his rank, his power, and his ability to suborn his fellow Jaffa, all for the sake of a few human slaves. There is no great victory over Apophis in the rescue of a motley group of rejected hosts! And now, officially branded shol'va, Teal'c cannot even protect his own wife and son from reprisal. What prompted Teal'c to act so rashly, to abandon the careful plan of decades and openly rebel?
In those first weeks after Teal'c's inexplicable open rebellion, Bra'tac tries to seek consolation in his former pupil's apparent escape from death by vengeance. Still, while he doubts that Apophis would fail to trumpet Teal'c's execution on every planet under his sway, the angry silence from official channels does not reassure him entirely. He uses other sources of information as well: those he has successfully suborned, canny veterans who still appreciate the leadership that assured their survival, awed young Jaffa who leap at the chance to curry favor with a former First Prime. He hears whispers, notes rumors, patiently sorts through half-truths.
The first murmurs of Tau'ri are initially dismissed as a mere child's tale, unworthy of note. Later, when he has a chance to question Shak'l about the debacle that took place in the regular hunt for the secret of true cloaking, he takes the mythological First World more seriously. Still -- humans! He does not use the common Jaffa epithet of slave, as so many do; he is all too bitterly aware that he and his fellow warriors are also enslaved, though most do not know it. But humans! What could possess Teal'c to throw away his every advantage, his wife and child, to first rescue some humans, then consort with them?
He finally meets the Tau'ri himself when they arrive on Chulak, apparently seeking to help Teal'c retrieve wife and son. Their initial meeting, with no guard posted to shield them, does little to ease his doubts. These soft creatures, "great warriors of skill and cunning"? Bra'tac easily overwhelms one, snaps his teeth in contempt at the second, and completely dismisses the third as a useless woman. It is true, as he himself admits, that none before have defied Apophis and lived; but what worth can Teal'c see in these humans, with their frail bodies and lesser strengths?
Despite his urge to dismiss the Tau'ri as weak fools, Bra'tac's greatest weapon lies not in his strength of body, but in the shrewdness of the mind that recognizes the Goa'uld for what they are and rejects their claims of godhood. So he watches, and listens, and slowly learns.
Their leader, O'Neill -- too loud, perhaps, and easily duped, but possessed of strength and remarkable free will. His very reluctance to follow Bra'tac's orders suggests a strong spirit of freedom and stubborn independence. So Bra'tac asks more questions, probing, wondering.
"Then you serve no one?"
"I serve the SGC under a General Hammond."
"So this Hammond is..."
"Just a man. A very good, very bald man. From Texas."
Bra'tac carefully analyzes this answer, even as he walks soundlessly through the forest and tries not to wince at the human's louder passage. O'Neill emphasizes three things about the one he serves: that he does not claim divinity, that he is good, and that he is bald. It is an interesting combination. Bra'tac is pleased to learn that the Tau'ri, like the Jaffa, see baldness as a mark of respect. "Texas" he sets aside for now, until he can question Teal'c privately and learn of its significance.
Reluctant respect for O'Neill slowly grows as he watches the human interact with Teal'c and his wife and son. He directs, yet allows Teal'c to choose. He possesses healing powders and speaks of medicines more potent still. The very existence of medicines tells him much, and Bra'tac tastes the heady flavor of a people that have wealth and power to spare. That is a freedom beyond Bra'tac's wildest dreams: to possess sufficient security and leisure to coddle the weak, to even allow them to grow strong! Part of him sneers at this waste of resources, but he also marvels at how the Tau'ri must value one another to even make the attempt.
But it is the actions of the other two -- the woman, and the young one he treated with such contempt -- that truly change how Bra'tac perceives the Tau'ri. For they meet them near the chappa'ai as Teal'c is dying, and the two Tau'ri have stolen a prim'ta from the sepulcher of the temple!
He blurts out the words: "You dare?!"
And even as he hears Teal'c's wife speak of sacrilege in wondering, scandalized tones, he meets their blank, puzzled gazes and replays his own words in his head.
You dare steal from the seplucher of the temple?
Even he, with his rejection of Apophis and the other false gods, is so conditioned from his youth that he considers their actions to be shocking, blasphemous... but the Tau'ri, who do not bear the crushing weight of servitude, do not even comprehend his dismay.
O'Neill reinforces this blinding realization with his impatient words. "So what?" he demands, dismissing their objections. "Is it going to help him?"
There is practicality there, and determination, and a blind courage that simply ignores what is so ingrained in all Jaffa. It is this, Bra'tac finally decides, that truly defines the Tau'ri: by overthrowing Ra so long ago, they have long since achieved not just freedom of movement, but also freedom of thought. That is even greater than physical freedom, and it beckons to Bra'tac in a great leap of hope for the future and its newly glorious possibilities.
He helps them reach the chappa'ai and easily dispatches the guards, then exchanges a few last words with Teal'c. "I have another young warrior to teach of new worlds," he tells him, and thinks to himself that teaching Ry'ac of the Tau'ri will be his newest and greatest challenge.
He grants them the salute between warriors as they depart, amused at the returned greetings. Then, as the link between Chulak and Tau'ri ripples into nothingness, Bra'tac turns and strides away. He is glad that he knows, now, that Teal'c acted wisely in choosing the Tau'ri as fellow soldiers in the struggle against the Goa'uld. He will do his own part to bolster that struggle: by training Ry'ac and other young Jaffa, by continuing to quietly spread insurrection, and by watching and listening for signs of movement against Earth. Before meeting the Tau'ri, he would not have thought the humans worth the effort; but now, Bra'tac knows that they will be great allies in the battle to bring freedom to all the Jaffa.
Summary: Bra'tac dismisses the idea of Tau'ri as worthy allies... but then he has the chance to actually meet them. Spoilers for S1, particularly Bloodlines. ~1,200 words. Rated PG.
R is for Reassessment
Teal'c is not the first chal'ti that Bra'tac trains in both the noble art of war and the more subtle art of rebellion. But he is the first that not only survives, but thrives enough to reach highest rank: the only one, besides Bra'tac himself, who manages to attain the coveted status of First Prime. Bra'tac has great hopes for Teal'c as his partner in spreading quiet dissent and inspiring their fellow Jaffa to seek freedom from the Goa'uld.
So he is disappointed when he learns that, despite his counsel, Teal'c threw away his rank, his power, and his ability to suborn his fellow Jaffa, all for the sake of a few human slaves. There is no great victory over Apophis in the rescue of a motley group of rejected hosts! And now, officially branded shol'va, Teal'c cannot even protect his own wife and son from reprisal. What prompted Teal'c to act so rashly, to abandon the careful plan of decades and openly rebel?
In those first weeks after Teal'c's inexplicable open rebellion, Bra'tac tries to seek consolation in his former pupil's apparent escape from death by vengeance. Still, while he doubts that Apophis would fail to trumpet Teal'c's execution on every planet under his sway, the angry silence from official channels does not reassure him entirely. He uses other sources of information as well: those he has successfully suborned, canny veterans who still appreciate the leadership that assured their survival, awed young Jaffa who leap at the chance to curry favor with a former First Prime. He hears whispers, notes rumors, patiently sorts through half-truths.
The first murmurs of Tau'ri are initially dismissed as a mere child's tale, unworthy of note. Later, when he has a chance to question Shak'l about the debacle that took place in the regular hunt for the secret of true cloaking, he takes the mythological First World more seriously. Still -- humans! He does not use the common Jaffa epithet of slave, as so many do; he is all too bitterly aware that he and his fellow warriors are also enslaved, though most do not know it. But humans! What could possess Teal'c to throw away his every advantage, his wife and child, to first rescue some humans, then consort with them?
He finally meets the Tau'ri himself when they arrive on Chulak, apparently seeking to help Teal'c retrieve wife and son. Their initial meeting, with no guard posted to shield them, does little to ease his doubts. These soft creatures, "great warriors of skill and cunning"? Bra'tac easily overwhelms one, snaps his teeth in contempt at the second, and completely dismisses the third as a useless woman. It is true, as he himself admits, that none before have defied Apophis and lived; but what worth can Teal'c see in these humans, with their frail bodies and lesser strengths?
Despite his urge to dismiss the Tau'ri as weak fools, Bra'tac's greatest weapon lies not in his strength of body, but in the shrewdness of the mind that recognizes the Goa'uld for what they are and rejects their claims of godhood. So he watches, and listens, and slowly learns.
Their leader, O'Neill -- too loud, perhaps, and easily duped, but possessed of strength and remarkable free will. His very reluctance to follow Bra'tac's orders suggests a strong spirit of freedom and stubborn independence. So Bra'tac asks more questions, probing, wondering.
"Then you serve no one?"
"I serve the SGC under a General Hammond."
"So this Hammond is..."
"Just a man. A very good, very bald man. From Texas."
Bra'tac carefully analyzes this answer, even as he walks soundlessly through the forest and tries not to wince at the human's louder passage. O'Neill emphasizes three things about the one he serves: that he does not claim divinity, that he is good, and that he is bald. It is an interesting combination. Bra'tac is pleased to learn that the Tau'ri, like the Jaffa, see baldness as a mark of respect. "Texas" he sets aside for now, until he can question Teal'c privately and learn of its significance.
Reluctant respect for O'Neill slowly grows as he watches the human interact with Teal'c and his wife and son. He directs, yet allows Teal'c to choose. He possesses healing powders and speaks of medicines more potent still. The very existence of medicines tells him much, and Bra'tac tastes the heady flavor of a people that have wealth and power to spare. That is a freedom beyond Bra'tac's wildest dreams: to possess sufficient security and leisure to coddle the weak, to even allow them to grow strong! Part of him sneers at this waste of resources, but he also marvels at how the Tau'ri must value one another to even make the attempt.
But it is the actions of the other two -- the woman, and the young one he treated with such contempt -- that truly change how Bra'tac perceives the Tau'ri. For they meet them near the chappa'ai as Teal'c is dying, and the two Tau'ri have stolen a prim'ta from the sepulcher of the temple!
He blurts out the words: "You dare?!"
And even as he hears Teal'c's wife speak of sacrilege in wondering, scandalized tones, he meets their blank, puzzled gazes and replays his own words in his head.
You dare steal from the seplucher of the temple?
Even he, with his rejection of Apophis and the other false gods, is so conditioned from his youth that he considers their actions to be shocking, blasphemous... but the Tau'ri, who do not bear the crushing weight of servitude, do not even comprehend his dismay.
O'Neill reinforces this blinding realization with his impatient words. "So what?" he demands, dismissing their objections. "Is it going to help him?"
There is practicality there, and determination, and a blind courage that simply ignores what is so ingrained in all Jaffa. It is this, Bra'tac finally decides, that truly defines the Tau'ri: by overthrowing Ra so long ago, they have long since achieved not just freedom of movement, but also freedom of thought. That is even greater than physical freedom, and it beckons to Bra'tac in a great leap of hope for the future and its newly glorious possibilities.
He helps them reach the chappa'ai and easily dispatches the guards, then exchanges a few last words with Teal'c. "I have another young warrior to teach of new worlds," he tells him, and thinks to himself that teaching Ry'ac of the Tau'ri will be his newest and greatest challenge.
He grants them the salute between warriors as they depart, amused at the returned greetings. Then, as the link between Chulak and Tau'ri ripples into nothingness, Bra'tac turns and strides away. He is glad that he knows, now, that Teal'c acted wisely in choosing the Tau'ri as fellow soldiers in the struggle against the Goa'uld. He will do his own part to bolster that struggle: by training Ry'ac and other young Jaffa, by continuing to quietly spread insurrection, and by watching and listening for signs of movement against Earth. Before meeting the Tau'ri, he would not have thought the humans worth the effort; but now, Bra'tac knows that they will be great allies in the battle to bring freedom to all the Jaffa.