Chapter 203

Idavoll

Four hundred thousand kilometers from the outermost moon of the Asgard home world, Destiny dropped out of faster than light travel. Ten days, 3 hours, and eight minutes since her departure from Arkos station in the Milky Way, the Ancient had crossed through the Milky Way, the void between galaxies, and a significant portion of the Andromeda galaxy to arrive at her destination. Long before her arrival, long range sensors had detected the vessels approach. Scheduled for a duration of ten days, the voyage had been delayed midway to allow for the arrival of an honored guest.

The guest in question was someone the SGC came to know fifteen years previously. Merrin came from the world of Orban. Once a nanite-enhanced prodigy referred to by the Orbanian's as Urrone, this young woman had provided the knowledge that led to Earth's first generation of naquadah reactors. After the removal of Merrin's nanites in a ceremony named the Averium, which allowed for each Urrone's acc.u.mulated knowledge to be disseminated among the Orban people, she had been reduced to an intellectual level of an infant. Passing along lessons learned on Earth during the Averium, the Orban people embraced the process of study similar to those found on Earth.

As a technologically advanced civilization, Orban was seen as a key to a budding alliance of advanced worlds and cultures. While the ties between Orban and Earth were already strong, the ties between Orban and other races were not. When approached with the idea of forging strong bonds with two other races in the Tok'ra and Asgard, the Orbanian's leaped at the opportunity. Nominating a face well known to the allies of Earth, Merrin was put forth to serve as voluntary host to the second symbiote that had been cloned alongside Egeria.

Maneuvering towards Idavoll, Destiny established a high polar orbit with relative ease. As this happened, a prearranged series of events began. At incredible bandwidth's, all information gathered during Destiny's voyage since launch flowed towards an Asgard repository. In coming days, weeks, and years, this information would be studied closely. Had they been a more emotional race, the Asgard would have been very excited at the intellectual challenge that awaited them.

Standing on the observation deck of Destiny, Merrin and Captain Kathryn Hughes stood hand in hand. Both were excited, yet nervous. Jitters were not contained to those on Earth so it seemed. Any minute, they would be beamed down to a laboratory on the planet below, so they had been told to expect. Exchanging glances and smiles between themselves, the two women were engulfed in a shower of light and vanished from the vessel that brought them this far.

Seconds later, the two women appeared in a room adjacent to the cloning lab. Awaiting their arrival stood Heimdall, the leading geneticist and cloning expert of the Asgard. Fully aware of the process to come after a recent briefing from the Tok'ra, Heimdall was fully prepared for what came next. Already, the two symbiotes stood ready in stasis jars beside the two patient couches in what was being called the implantation room. Longtime enemies of the Goa'uld, this would be the very first time the Asgard had witnessed let alone condoned a procedure of this kind.

Taking their cues from Heimdall, the two women reclined on the patient couches. Making sure all was in accordance with expected norms, Heimdall initiated the symbiote release mechanism. Powering down, the two stasis jars powered down and opened near the faces of their recipients. Closing their eyes one last time, the two women opened their mouths as they had been instructed to do. Fully aware of the gift being provided to them, the two symbiotes slowly advanced towards the women to begin the act of blending. Kathryn's eyes remained closed as images began to flood into her mind.

Feelings, sights, and smells rushed into her every conscious thought. The late System Lord Ra stood before her. Callous, cruel, and cunning; Kathryn felt contempt and hatred for him on sight. All around her played out his actions as witness by Egeria that led to her contempt for him. Moving forward years of time in seconds, Captain Hughes watched as the first of those that would become the Tok'ra were born and matured. Their triumphs and failures flowed around her like a river. Filled with pride and sorrow, she witnessed the actions of these her children through their mother's eyes.

Flashing forward many years of time, Kathryn felt the agony of discovery and capture by the followers of Ra. Torture, humiliation, death, and revival played out repeatedly. Before it was over, the young woman found herself as witness to Egeria's extraction and internment in a stasis jar where she would rest for thousands of years. In the last few seconds of the blending of minds, Kathryn endured the mistreatment and exploitation of Egeria at the hands of the people of Pangar. Incredible sorrow griped her, as she watched her children slaughtered to create the Tritonin that would later free the Jaffa.

Opening their eyes as if for the very first time, the combined minds of Egeria and Kathryn cast their gaze towards the table beside them. Locking eyes with the woman they both now knew as Merrin, Egeria asked a question to the mind of her knew host.

"Kathryn, may I speak for a moment?" Egeria asked silently.

"You have much to say. This is now our body, so please do as you wish. Thank you for having considered my wishes though." Kathryn answered.

Both women sat up and turned towards one another. Confusion and a bit of uncertainty were clear on their faces. They sat silently looking at one another for several minutes before Egeria broke the ice.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Egeria, mother of the Tok'ra." Egeria began clearly.

"It is an honor to meet you Egeria. On behalf of the people of Orban, I am Merrin." The young woman replied.

"The honor is mine Merrin. May I ask who you have been blended with child?" Egeria asked.

Merrin's eyes closed as she looked towards the floor. She remained like this for a handful of seconds before looking back up. When she began speaking, it was with the deep and bass heavy voice of the symbiote.

"My mother Egeria, it has been many ages. I am Sel'mak." Merrin/Sel'mak replied.

"I never thought I would lay eyes upon you again my child. Truly, this is a miracle." Egeria replied.

"My last memory was of meeting my end while with another host. How we came to be here I do not understand." Sel'mak said.

"Much has changed since both of your passing. It is true that both of you have been cloned, but your genetic memory allowed for full restoration of your minds. We have revived you both at the request of our allies; those Tok'ra that remain. Your children need you if there is to be a future for your civilization." Heimdall explained.

"You said those that remain. Is that to mean the Goa'uld had harmed further of my children?" Egeria asked.

"While my knowledge of events is dated, I can assure you that much has changed since you gave birth to our people." Sel'mak interjected.

"Egeria, Sel'mak, the System Lords are no more. The last of them fell many years ago at the hands of the Tauri. Your fellow Tok'ra made possible a successive string of Tauri victories that brought an end to tyranny in this galaxy." Heimdall explained.

Many hours passed as the Asgard brought the two reincarnated Tok'ra up to date on events in the galaxy. On their return to the Milky Way, those aboard Destiny with the knowledge would fill in any gaps for them both. With precautionary medical checks reporting all was as it should be, both Egeria and Sel'mak were beamed aboard the vessel that awaited them. They would not be going alone though. Also beaming aboard were two Asgard additions to Destiny's crew. Ullr, Norse God of the Hunt, and Skadi, Norse Goddess of Winter, would be joining the quest to find the answer of all things.

Precious cargo aboard, Destiny broke orbit once the data transfer was complete. Gathering speed, she set course for Arkos. With her, she not only carried the crew that hoped to unlock the mysteries of the universe, but also the salvation of an entire race.