Nesert

1.27

Episode 5.15 "Summit" (bold)

Nathan stayed through the weekend as planned and Nes eventually worked up the nerve to ask about the rest of the family. She learned that her sisters were both married and Janie was even expecting a baby. Her parents were slowly coming back to life and Nes hoped their new role as grandparents would give them something to focus on.

She had to pull up Sekhmet several times to calm herself, but when she finally said goodbye to him with promises to meet up again when he returned to the academy, she walked straight back to her room and let Tessa grieve. She let her cry for the loss of her family, for the pain she'd caused them, for their future absence in her life. The bursting dam and her attempts to keep above the flood left her exhausted and she slept well into the next day, awaking with a headache that made the room spin.

Eventually, the pain in her head forced her to get out of bed and slowly make her way to the infirmary, seeking something stronger than anything she kept on hand.

Her puffy eyes betrayed the cause to Dr. Frasier. "Rough weekend with your brother?"

"No. Yes. Hard to think of my old life."

"I'm sure. Just give yourself time and I order you to rest today."

"Yes, ma'am." She mock saluted, but even the gentle touch to her forehead was too much, her eyes watering with the throbbing.

Nes spent the rest of the day in bed, but Sam stopped by to check on her in the evening.

"We got an interesting visit from the Tok'ra this morning. They've asked Daniel to infiltrate a meeting of the System Lords and release a symbiote poison."

"Why are the System Lords meeting? That's unusual."

"There's been a power vacuum left by the deaths of Apophis and Heru'ur, so they've called a truce to establish a new order of some kind."

"Well, that's not good." She was suddenly overwhelmed by guilt that perhaps this wouldn't have happened if she had helped the Tok'ra last year when they'd asked.

"No, but it's also an opportunity. If the poison can kill all of them at once..."

"Daniel going to do it?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's not thrilled about it, but he'll do it."

He was a better person than Nes. She'd have done it with bells on.

"The Tok'ra have asked us to come to their base tomorrow. They've requested your presence as well, if you're feeling up to it."

Even knowing what they would ask of her, she sat up far too quickly. "Definitely. Much better than sitting around here without any distractions."

Sam laughed at her enthusiasm. "Well, okay then. Get some rest."

Nes really had no love for the Tok'ra. She couldn't with Sekhmet's hatred for them lingering, but she also didn't trust entirely that the body was fully shared. She'd had her own personality, her mannerisms, her memories all displayed like a puppet for Sekhmet's purposes. No one would have been able to distinguish the real Tessa from the impersonation. So how could they really know that a simple change in voice meant a change in who was speaking?

The next morning, she entered the gate room with SG-1 and found SG-17, including Lt Elliot, already there ready to go.

Major Mansfield was looking over his team when they entered. "Ten hut!"

Nes chuckled a bit at the formality that Jack quickly dismissed.

"At ease. Major."

"Colonel."