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Mutants & Masterminds: StarGate Freedom - Prologue: Jono and Kor


Caesar

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The Triumph of Olympus cut through hyperspace like a hot knife through soft butter. The engines hummed as the swirling blues, greens, and purples sped by outside of the view screen. The bridge of the Ha’tak was a simple open room. Near the screen at the front was a console, its dual pillars glowing as Sintar, First Prime of Cronus, piloted the vessel to its destination. Further back the throne stood, with the living god Cronus seating in a relaxed position as a slave in diaphanous toga fed him grapes. Two Titans, the elite Jaffa guard of Cronus, stood on either side of the dais, their staff weapons held vertically, their armor gleaming.

Off to one side Hephaestus, Jono in disguise, the symbiot having been removed by the Tok’ra weeks before, stood, his hand clenching into a fist and loosening repeatedly around the Kara’kesh, the other supporting his lame leg with a simple walking staff. On his left side a Jaffa stood ready, a staff in one hand and a Rod of Anguish in the other. His eyes were on the reptilian Unas that stood on Hephaestus’ left.

Even chained the Bashaak looked like it could kill a man in a single blow. Standing six and a half feet tall and pushing past three hundred pounds of indomitable muscle and bone it was little leap to see why Sintar insisted on three Titans just to control the beast. Of course three Titans were not needed because Hephaestus had somehow learned to control the beast, well enough to use it for menial labor when the Bashaak was not being used to test the mettle of new Titans.

The Bashaak had a name given to it by his parents and his people; he was Zo Kor Ska Nat. He was the alpha male of his tribe, the slave who had brought the others together as a people. Kor stared out the view screen, his eyes wide as the colors shifted. Magic like this was beyond his understanding. The chains at his neck, wrists, and ankles bothered him but were forgotten for the moment as he was simply overwhelmed by the power and magic on display. The golden walls of the room bore raised symbols, light came from the walls and yet they did not burn, there was a steady beat that he could feel in his feet but he could see no drums. Truly these beings were great sorcerers if not truly gods.

The tone of the ship's hum changed and the Ha’tak dropped out of hyperspace. The view screen changed as well; gone where the swirling colors of hyperspace, replaced instead by the stars and a great blue green orb that filled the screen. Sintar turned to Cronus, “We have arrived at the Tau’ri homeworld my Lord.” Kor barely heard the hated man, his eyes were taking in the new scene, he had no idea what he was seeing but it was like nothing he had seen before.

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When he had left Earth five decades before mankind had never stepped foot off the globe that was their world. At least, they hadn't as far as Jono knew. In the intervening decades he had learned otherwise, people from Earth had been taken to the stars as slaves thousands of years before by the Goa'uld. He had seen worlds from orbit, they were always beautiful, but this his own homeworld was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. In all the wonders he'd witnessed through the eyes of the snake that had possessed him none could compare with this moment. He did his best to keep his feelings from showing on his face. Cronus was nothing if not shrewd and observant.

Apparently something did register because the Gou'ald waved away the slave feeding him grapes and turned his gaze fully on Jono. "Speak Hephaestus, what do you think of the sight?"

Jono bowed his head respectfully and answered kicking in the voice modulator speaking with the deep reverberation of the Gou'ald, "I am reminded of the last time I stood on this world. It will be good to return triumphant, my lord."

Cronus smiled slightly but there was a menace in it. "As I recall you made a series of very poor choices during your last stay on Earth. I trust you will not fail me again."

Jono bowed his head and made a small gesture with the cane in his hand to draw emphasis to it and to the lameness of his leg, a lameness that Cronus had caused in response to the betrayal. "I was most unwise but you were merciful my lord. I will not fail you." He had almost said he wouldn't make the same mistake again, but that could have been taken the wrong way and the last thing he wanted was to draw scrutiny to himself.

Apparently satisfied that his underling was sufficiently cowed and not about to step out of line he turned his attention back to the screen where Earth had become much larger in the view. Without looking at Sintar his First Prime he spoke the orders that would begin his vessel's part in the attack, "Launch the death gliders, have one wing escort the ship and send the other wings into the attack. These Tau'ri are quite primitive and should pose us no threat."

Jono carefully kept his face neutral, if Cronus was so confident why did he have Hephaestus personally aboard this ship to make repairs in the event they were needed. Jono watched with growing relief as Cronus' Ha'tak rather than going toward one of the big cities flew instead toward the center of the European continent. He was afraid he'd be forced to witness the destruction of Washington or New York, but instead the ship seemed to be heading to a rural area in Greece. He didn't know what was so important about this place but there must be some reason to be here. After a moment, he realized - Cronos had once ruled from Ancient Greece; they were heading toward Mount Olympus. The Earthlings were putting up a fight. He could see images of the death gliders taking on some pretty incredible air planes.

For a brief moment his heart had surged with hope. If Earth had come so far in only 50 years maybe all was not lost after all. Those airplanes looked sleek and mean, but it soon became apparent that they were no match for the death gliders and al'kesh. He was afraid he would betray himself and so made excuse to leave the bridge to go back to his temporary lab lower in the ship in the event any system malfunctioned.

From there he tapped into images from other ships around the world where similar dog fights were occurring. Everywhere it was much the same. The people of Earth were making heroic efforts where defenses were being mounted but they were just no match for the overwhelming might of the System Lords.

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The pain stick brought Kor out of his reverie in the least pleasant way possible. The Bashaak maintained its feet however and the Titans, at once furious that the creature failed to fall and amazed at its incredible strength, tugged on its chains. Kor saw that Jono had started limping away and followed. The chains and shackles forced him to take small shuffling steps but Jono's own pace was slowed by the crippling he'd undergone and so the Unas had no trouble keeping up. The Titan's would occasionally prod him with the butt end of a staff weapon and once with the pain stick when something glowing and shiny caught his view as they passed through the corridors into the deep bowels of the ship.

Once in Hephaestus' lab the Go'uld dismissed the Titans, who left reluctantly to stand outside in the corridor should the beast get free. As the door slid shut Jono locked it by pressing and turning some of the golden symbols on the wall before releasing Kor from his bonds. "Jo-no, no want see home?" Kor asked, surprised by the choice his friend had made to leave the bridge. Kor himself often dreamed about being able to return to his home world, now a hazy memory of childhood, with his family and tribe. The Unas' voice was a low rumble, barely a whisper and yet still conveying the power of the speaker, "Jo-no, no happy see home?"

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Jono ran a quick check on the systems and made sure no spying on his lab was happening before replying, "It makes me very sad Kor. It is good to see my home again, but we are bringing slavery and destruction with us. My people will soon be like yours, kept at the whim of cruel false gods."

He brought up scenes from image feeds from Death Gliders and Al'kesh and Ha'tak around the world and stood silent witness to Earth's subjugation. "If only I could do something."

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Kor watched the video, silently for a time. "Jo-no tribe slave now?" he asked sadly as he watched the attack craft tear through Earth's defenses. He was able to piece together that if the Death Gliders had Jaffa in them the other steel birds must have people like Jono in them. He was dazzled by the explosions and the graceful deadly dance but he grew sad as he understood that Jono's people would soon be like his own. "Jo-no help tribe fight? Help run away?" He turned to the small man and looked at him quizzically, "Run from Onac? Hide. Free?"

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"My tribe may be able to help, but there is no where to run. We must bide our time and find others of my tribe who can help us fight. Someday my tribe will be free again. I do not think the Goa'uld can reduce my people back to the position they originally found us in. My people have long tasted freedom and will not go lightly into slavery. Many will fight, and more will die, but there is still hope especially if I can help them with the knowledge I have."

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Kor stood nearby watching helplessly. He was tremendously strong, and a fierce combatant, but he couldn't lift, push, bash or grapple with an entire System Lord's army. He wasn't terribly smart and this was a situation that needed thinking far beyond his ken. He opened his mouth and closed it, Kor started to wonder if his friend had at least warned his people to hide if they could, and not fight back lest they be killed. "Jo-no?" The human turned to the Unas and Kor tried to get his idea across. "Jo-no warn family? Warn tribe? Go hide? No fight Jaffa? No fight Jaffa, no die. Stay alive, go free after?"

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Jono considered it for a moment but said, "My family would all be dead by now. I was taken captive many years ago. As for sending my people a message, I do not know who to send it to, but that is a good idea."

It did spark the idea to check what bands were being monitored. It was likely that Earth was still using Radio even after 50 years whereas the Goa'uld used subspace communications devices. First thing to do would be to check to see if the Goa'uld were listening to bands other than their own. Next if they weren't he should try and find a band on which one of the military groups were operating, then if no one was listening perhaps he could make contact. From his observations of the Jaffa warriors it seemed that the chapa'i had been moved here beneath this mountain and that was why Ra's ha'tek was going here. Perhaps some local military element would be listening.

He started immediately punching symbols into the computer on his lab bench looking for what the Goa'uld were listening to. Even if he couldn't risk making contact right now, if he could track communications then maybe he could find them later when it was safer.

Click to reveal..

Rolling Computers: Crystaline: 9 +5 int bonus

(15:38:58) ChatBot: (Jono) rolls 1d20 and gets 18.

Total: 32

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"Kor do good," he rumbled happily as Jono sat at the console and got to work. Kor meditated on that fact for some time before he got bored and started to wander around the workshop. Even distracted and working Jono was, by habit now, able to utter the occasional "Don't touch that," to keep Kor from accidentally messing anything up. After a while the giant got sufficiently bored that he sat down in the corner and waited patiently.

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Jono found out that Ra was already occupying the radio lines. All of them, to send out a message. It made him sick, watching the image of Ra demanding Earth's surrender. It was worse knowing that the only outcome at this point was for Earth to surrender. But he learned a bit about the advances in radio technology; it was the dominate means of communication, though it had advanced to a dual signal set up where both people could talk.

persephone.jpg "Hephaestus," a voice said, carrying through the chamber. Jono and Kor looked up to see Persphone entering the lab. She glanced at Kor, her young face impassive before looking away, dismissing him with no effort. Her dark eyes returned to Jono, and when she spoke again, her voice boomed with the signature double-throated sound of the Goa'uld. "Cronus bid me tell you that he has a task for you. Hathor is missing, search the records of this planet and see if you can locate her, or her resting place."

The goa'uld fell silent and Jono waited nervously. "Is there more?" he asked, his left hand twitching with the desire to curl into a fist.

"I... have a proposal," she said, her dark eyes meeting his boldly.

Jono tensed. Until now, Hephaestus had been left out of politics, treated as little more than a tool to fix broken hara'kesh. Persephone herself was a minor Goa'uld, treated as a messenge-snake or gopher. Hades, her long-time husband, doted on her, but it was rumored that she hated him. "What?" he asked cautiously. "I will not betray Cronus." Not on your terms, he added silently.

"Neither would I!" she protested.

"Then speak," Jono ordered her.

The girl smiled eagerly, looking no more than fifteen with off-putting suddenness. She almost skipped forward to rest her elbows on his lab table. Faced with the full force of her personality, Jono had to remind himself that she was no child, but a snake older than his long-dead grandfather. "I have studied Taur'i history, up to the point we left. And there's something interesting. Seth, Osiris and Isis all disappeared around the time the Taur'i Chappa'ai was buried. What if they're all here, and have been for centuries? Do you think you could find them?"

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Jono allowed his face to betray the curiosity and surprise that he felt. Four Gou'ald had been abandoned on Earth before it rebelled? "I will search, but you must provide me with all the records you have regarding them for my search to have any hope of success."

It was unlikely that records would be useful. If Jono could find them it would be through searching out Gou'ald technology on Earth, specifically looking for energy signatures. That was something he might be able to do, but it wouldn't be easy, not with so much now here thanks to the invasion. Had he come here a week ago in a ship armed with the knowledge of their presence he most likely could have found them in a matter of hours. Now, he would be lucky to find them at all. He would need to narrow his search mostly to Egypt since all four of those gods were from there. They could of course be anywhere, but if they were in stasis then that is where they would be.

It also gave him another hope. If there were Goa'uld abandoned on Earth thousands of years ago, then there might be other Goa'uld technology still here as well. What if one of those Goa'uld had something useful?

He looked over to Persphone, "Please the records... with all the Jaffa flying about destroying things time might be of the essence. I warn you however, if we find them you will share full credit and any reward with me in equal measure. Do we have an understanding?"

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Kor had quickly stood up from his crouch when the door opened. Even standing slouched and slumped he towered over the girl who acted his superior. Kor wished to crush the life out of this Go'uld, this Onac, to destroy the pretty face and the snake behind it. He knew that if he did he would be tortured, he could bear that, but likely his tribe would suffer as well, and it would be his fault. He could not bear that. Persephone dismissed Kor without thought and spoke with Jono. They spoke quickly and Kor only caught the occasional word. He went back to crouching in the corner, waiting and watching. If need be he could cross the distance to the tiny Go'uld in three steps and snap her neck with a single blow. For the time being however he waited.

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"Yes, but we don't report our findings, if positive, to Cronus," she said, her dark eyes meeting him with a boldness that he almost never saw from the quiet goa'uld. "I have no interest in Cronus getting the credit for finding Setesh, Osiris or Isis." She flipped her hair back, a charming gesture that again emphasized her youth. She gave a coy smile. "After all, they are of Ra's line, not Cronus' - what business is it of his?"

She reached out and touched his arm, lightly. "What do you say? Will you help me curry favor with Ra, and escape Cronus' grasp?"

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Jono in his guise as Heph, narrowed his eyes, "We shall see. I will help you find them if they can be found and what we shall do with that knowledge we'll decide later. I've spent long enough lamed for the last mistake I made with Cronus. Not a thing I am eager to repeat, but as I say, we will see what we see if or when they are located."

He did not pull away from her, but did glance down at her hand on his arm as if to say he realized it was there as a calculated move, "I appreciate your coming to me with this. Whatever happens we shall share the rewards equally no matter who is giving them out. For now, the sooner you can provide me with the information the sooner I can start." He smiled at her as he met her eyes. Hades may be a favored underlord, but alliances shifted among the Gou'ald and Persephone knew who could help her in this. Jono wasn't looking to remain pretending to be a Goa'uld forever, but for now he needed to play their game until he could help his people. If undermining alliances helped then that was something he could attempt.

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"Ra could return use of your leg," Persephone pointed out, still with that charming smile. Her hand slipped off his arm as she stepped away. "Though I have one more condition. I want one of my slaves to assist you. I have secured a Taur'i slave, one who knows the world, even better than your host. He understands his place," she added with a smirk, "after I had him thoroughly conditioned. He'll help you, be your native knowledge." Her eyes were intense as she added, "It could be the difference between success and failure. And don't worry, he's trustworthy, as trustworthy as one of the Taur'i worms can be. I saw to that - personally." Cruel pride flashed in her eyes as she looked up at him, a centuries-old monster in a child's body.

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Jono smiled but it wasn't pleasant. "My leg... Ra might return the use of it to me, or he might not. Our ultimate master is every bit as capricious as our current one. As I said I will consider it. As for your other condition, send your worm to me and I will see of what use they can be." Jono looked at the monster in a child's body and just waited impassively for her to depart.

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Persephone inclined her head and turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "You and I are allies, even if you don't realize it yet, Hephaestus," she said. "You and I, we should speak privately sometime." She smiled slightly. "I'll send Charles with the data you need. Please treat him kindly." With those odd statements, she left the room.

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Jono watched her go, not without a little desire. Damn the snake for picking such a beautiful host. He felt weird about it, the body couldn't be more than 18 to outward appearances, but it moved like the body of a woman with thousands of years of experience at enticing men and she was definitely trying to win Jono's loyalty. Damn her!

With some frustration he turned back to the screens, and tried to concentrate on the new search. He had to take a few deep breaths... it had been over 50 years since he'd been with a woman. He could have any of the slaves he wanted, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. That would be the same as rape, they would be doing it to please a 'god' and he couldn't have a woman as himself without risking his life so he'd long ago given up. Having a thousands of years old woman swaying her hips at him in that body was just plain evil as far as he was concerned. There was hope though. Not that Jono was any prized catch in the looks department, but with all of the women on Earth surely there would be one out there for him, and they wouldn't be subservient or slaves. Not if he could help it anyway.

That brought him back to the matter at hand. If he could find those other Gou'ald it really could make a difference. He tapped into the other Ha'tak in orbit and above cities around the globe and started scanning for Goa'uld power signatures trying to eliminate the obvious and numerous ones that were the invasion force. He was looking for a needle in a haystack, but that needle was solid gold as far as he was concerned.

Since he was already in the systems on Cronus' ships it was no great difficulty to tap into the sensors of all the ships and feed their data to his terminal. Ra's ships on the other hand proved too difficult, he just wasn't familiar with their security protocols having not worked with them before.

He shrugged off the failure, he'd probably have to answer questions about that, but he could tell the truth if all else failed. In the mean time his terminal was streaming tons of data to be sorted. He quickly set up filters and search parameters to narrow down and try to find his quarry.

Click to reveal..

Ra's ships sensors

(12:01:10) ChatBot: (Jono) rolls 1d20 and gets 4.

+14 = 18 failed.

Cronus ships sensors

(12:01:15) ChatBot: (Jono) rolls 1d20 and gets 15.

+14 = 29 success

Sorting through the data to find possible sources of Goa'uld technology other than that of the invasion force.

(12:08:50) ChatBot: (Jono) rolls 1d20 and gets 16.

+14 = 30 ???

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charles.jpgJono and Kor were interrupted again. A man in a slave's tunic walked in, head down. He was uncomfortable and awkward in the strange clothes. Even more interesting, he looked wrong walking in such a subservient manner. This, Jono knew, was a man like himself, a man born free.

"Lord Hephaestus," the man said, lifting his head to reveal a lined, honest face with dark eyes. "Lady Persephone told me to come here and give you this." He extended a crystal to Jono, his face tense with nerves. Clearly, he was waiting for Jono to strike at him. He had a strong frame; Kor could take him but Jono wasn't sure he could.

"You are Charles?" Jono asked.

"Yes, sir." The reply was immediate and practiced. Jono had heard that precise snapped response before. The man was clearly military, and was American, by that accent. Dark eyes met his boldly before dropping self-consciously down.

This broken slave still had a great strength of will; whatever Persephone had done hadn't destroyed his personality completely. Jono could see the effort in him to keep his head bowed before one of the creatures that had invaded his world. Even Kor could see the damped fire in this man.

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Jono wasn't entirely sure what to do. His instinct was to help this man, but if he were too broken, too much Persephone's creature then that could doom them both. For now he would have to observe and be careful and test the waters.

He gestured for Charles to put the crystal on the bench. "You go by Charles?" At the least he could find out more information.

"How did they capture you, and more importantly where did they capture you? I had not thought Ra cared anything for this world. It rebelled thousands of years ago and he has not seen fit to come back until now. Why now?"

He had to be careful not to put too much emphasis on that last question, he was afraid it would come out sounding more like 'why me?' That was how he felt, nearly despairing, to have gained his freedom after 50 years of captivity only to have his home invaded before he could return to it. Now that was irony.

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  • 2 weeks later...

"Not usually Charles," Charles said, hiding a bit of a grimace. At Jono's glance, he seemed to weigh his answer, then replied, "Usually, it's Major Kawalsky. Or Charlie." He looked down, his eyes not really seeing the console in front of him. "I think that the lady likes Charles, though, so Charles it is."

He was quiet again; then he murmured, "It was our fault. We went through the gate... he got Jack. He must have read his mind for the information on how to get here." Charles fell silent again, his shoulders bowed. He seemed to feel guilty about that, but hadn't said enough to confirm for Jono whether that guilt was justified.

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Damnit... They couldn't have waited a few months to use the Chaapa'ai? If they had none of this would be happening now. Still, he felt some sympathy for Charlie.

"Charlie then. At least while you are serving me." He moved around Charlie as if inspecting him. He looked to the Unas who was his tentative friend and co-consparitor, "Baashak kree!" He hoped this would not turn violent. Once Kor's looming presence stood behind Jono and to his right Jono looked again at Charles.

"Kneel before me Charlie." Jono could see a great reluctance in Major Kawalsky's eyes and his jaw set firmly as he gritted his teeth but he obeyed slowly.

Jono raised his Kara'kesh hand ribbon device and held it before Charlie's forehead and activated it to read the man's mind. It was painful, but Jono tried to keep it from causing any more pain than necessary. He had to know if this man was really broken or not. If he wasn't then perhaps he could be an ally that could lead to an Earth resistance....

((Jono is looking into Kawalsky's mind to find out if he's really broken or not and examining the man's memories of the Stargate and how Ra came to find out about Earth. If there is a roll that needs to be made let me know.))

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  • 2 weeks later...
Originally Posted By: Jono
He looked to the Unas who was his tentative friend and co-consparitor, "Baashak kree!" He hoped this would not turn violent. Once Kor's looming presence stood behind Jono and to his right Jono looked again at Charles.


At the Go'uld command Kor heaved himself up from his position in the corner and fairly well stomped over to stand looming behind Jono. The Unas looked down over the frail human at the slave. He saw Jono raise his hand, the golden ribbon like device wrapped around the palm and fingers frightened Kor, it was a device of great evil in the Unas' eyes, used for torture, information stealing, and execution. He looked to his friend and wondered if his time possessed of a Go'uld had affected him in more ways than he was willing to admit.
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Rage flashed in Charles's eyes as the Kara'kesh was raised to his head. He remained still, beads of sweat rising on his brow as the golden light fell upon his forehead. He ground his teeth against the rising pain, but there was no mercy from the Goa'uld device - or its wielder.

Jono was concentrating on the sudden flood into his mind. He sought information on how and how badly Persephone had broken Charles, but all he could pull from the man was an image of a soldier kneeling before Ra, bleeding from his ears, eyes and nose as the 'god' relentlessly used the Kara'kesh on him. Jono watched through Charlie's eyes, reliving it, as the man, named Louis, finally slumped to the ground. Even from where he stood, he could see the man - Louie - was dead. Rage and grief tore through his heart like a knife as he/Charlie couldn't save his teammate and friend.

Click to reveal..
Charles's Will Save: 18

Jono's Mind Reading (vis a vis Telepathy) check vs DC 18: 14 - Failure

Jono knows that his probe wasn't successful and may try again next round, but just as a reminder, he is causing Charles pain each round he probes his mind.

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Jono breaks off for a moment and scans the room and Charlie in particular for devices that might be used to record or transmit what occurs in the room.

Assuming he does not find any...

"Charlie, please relax. I know this is painful, but the more you struggle against the the more painful it will be, it can even do permanent damage. I give you my word I am not trying to pry secrets from you, I'm sure Ra and others have already discovered all they need to know, but I need to see what Persephone has done to you. I know that you have no reason to trust me and every reason not to, but I ask for your trust anyway. Just focus your thoughts on your time with Persephone and try to allow me to see those thoughts."

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Charlie came to his feet, his broad body looming over Jono's lamed one. "You talk about trust, but you use that damned thing on me?" he snarled. Jono was glad that Kor was on his side as the soldier ranted, "I saw that fucker Ra kill my teammates and friends with those gloves, and he used it on me, to pick my brain. He would have killed me, too, had Persephone not interceded and asked for my life! She's the only one of you snake-heads to show me any kindness, and I'll be fucked before I give you any of her secrets." He paused, and Jono saw the concept of consequences pass over his features. "Sir," he added belatedly and with only a modicum of sincerity, as if Jono was a superior officer he'd just mouthed off to instead of a creature he was supposed to treat as a minor god.

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Kor looked back and forth between the two men. He wasn't sure what to do. He knew that Jono wanted to talk to this man without concern of betrayal but he also felt that using the ribbon device was wrong. His head oscillated between the two waiting, watching, hoping that Jono could recover the situation.

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Jono tried to keep a straight face. He wanted to smile at the fact that this man still had spirit, but he was afraid the man would take it for mocking. "Yes, trust. Trust me in this one thing and your trust will be rewarded beyond what you imagine. I'm not asking that you betray Persephone, I only need to ensure that you are not a spy sent here to probe my own secrets. Such games are common among the gods, and remember that kindness is a tool as much as the pain stick."

He gestured to a chair and limped over to stand next to it. "Now, please, sit and try to relax. It is not my intention to hurt you or force you to betray anyone, not Earth and not Persephone."

Jono looked to Kor to try and reassure the big Unas that all was well. With much reluctance and distrustful narrowed eyes Charlie moved over to the chair and sat. "Trust is earned, not demanded, sir." His frown deepened, "I don't have much choice, so it's not so much trust as lack of options."

Jono did smile then. "Understood Charlie. Trust is earned and it starts with small things."

Jono raised his hand and repeated himself unnecessarily, "Try to relax, it doesn't hurt nearly as much, although I can't promise you there will be no pain."

Initiating the Kara'kesh Jono started with a simple communication, I am sorry for using the hand device on you, but it is the only way I can speak to you with absolute certainty of not being overheard. This device allows two way communication, it's not just for torture. Jono was doing his best not to cause pain. It has the added benefit that if anyone is bugging my lab, it will appear as if I really am torturing you. Good for appearances. As for Persephone, powergames are constant among the Gou'ald and I suspect she placed you with me to spy on me. Is this not true?

Click to reveal..

(18:26:04) ChatBot: (Jono) rolls 1d20 and gets 16.

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He felt Charlie's mind fight him, then: Not spy. She wants to know who you serve: yourself or Cronus.

Charles pulled back, almost tipping out of the chair and breaking Jono's grip on him - not that Jono was trying to hold him. "That's the truth," he added, his dark eyes turbulent. "And that's the trust you're going to have to extend to me."

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Jono closed his extended hand and lowered it then looked to Kor, "Please sing something." The big Unas looked confused by the request but started keening something that sounded like the cry of a soul yearning for freedom. Jono nodded surprised, but then he put his ungloved hand on Kowalski's shoulder and leaned close to whisper in his ear, "I serve Earth. Have some hope friend and don't trust Persephone, she does not have your best interest at heart she is a Gou'ald, they do nothing that doesn't serve themselves. I worked for a secret government project back in the 40's to investigate a big round ring that opened gateways to other worlds. I went through and had the bad fortune to end up host to one of the parasites. They possess the body and control it leaving the mind trapped inside. I was rescued recently and the parasite was removed. I was trying to find my way back to Earth when your team stumbled through and kicked the hornets nest, now I'm trying to figure out how I can help our people. For now I'm pretending to still be one of them. How's that for trusting you?"

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Originally Posted By: Jono
Jono closed his extended hand and lowered it then looked to Kor, "Please sing something."

Kor looked at Jono quizzically, not sure what Jono wanted. Kor was about to reply that among the Unas only the females sing but under the insistent look from his friend, or at least the man he thought was his friend, Kor started an odd warbling cry. The mating call of a the ouhgouti was hardly pleasing to the ear, or at least Kor thought so, but it reminded him of the din that the humans and Go'uld called music. A long warbling cry that ranged in tone from low to high, Kor had learned the horrid sound from his father on the hunt. He watched as Jono crouched down next to the prostrate slave and began to whisper something into the man's ear, something that Kor could not hear. Now he understood, or hoped he understood, Jono wanted to make sure he could speak without being overheard.
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"That's a good start," Charlie whispered back, grinning. "I'm glad to hear you're on our side. What can we do for now to start to kick Ra's ass?"

The look of hope on his face made Jono glad. It would be men like this who would save the world and rescue it from the clutches of Ra. Kor continued to warble in the background, giving them a chance to talk.

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Jono smiled back, but became serious quickly, "I can't stress enough how untrustworthy the Goa'uld are. Their motivations are first and foremost to acquire power and advantage over each other. Persephone may have been kinder to you than Cronus, but not without motive of some kind that would benefit herself. They view us as little better than cattle to be used and disposed of at whim. I was host to Hephaestus for 50 years and he was less power hungry than most due to a defect that prevented him from rising in their ranks, but even he did unspeakable things and would have sacrificed Earth and it's billions of lives in a heartbeat if it would have gained him anything. So beware trust, and I say this knowing that you might not trust me, but I'd rather you trust no one including me than trust the wrong person."

Jono hurried on with the whispered conversation, "Persephone just brought me a proposal to look for Goa'uld that were left behind on Earth back when they left the first time. If we could find them first and pass the info to a resistance, or get to them first, it could be an advantage."

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Jono nodded seriously, "Be very careful, the fate of Earth literally rests on it. I won't claim to be humanity's savior, but I'm in a hell of a position to help as long as I can keep fooling them. Persephone assigned you to me so you are free to stay here for now. I'm going to work on finding that Goa'uld tech that was left over from before the rebellion, that's the best thing I can do at the moment. You can pretend to be a resentful barely willing slave in case anyone tries to monitor us. Meanwhile keep your eyes open and don't trust anyone. If you see anything useful let me know. When the time is right and I see an opportunity I'll try and help you escape so you can contact whatever resistance is forming. When it happens I'll give you a device that will allow us to communicate so I can feed the resistance information that might help. Any other questions?"

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"No, I got it," Charlie said, nodding and grinning. He seemed excited to be helping and useful. "Thanks for the trust, Jono." His eyes dropped and he shifted nervously. "For now, I'm just going to sit in the corner until Mis- Persephone calls for me or you have something for me to tell her. Unless you got something else for me to do in the meantime. Whatever I can do to help."

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Jono nodded hoping he had not just blown his cover. "Good, for now you can update me on how things stand on Earth since I left in the 40s, how did WWII turn out? I take it we won?"

He listened to the other man, occasionally amazed at the things that his people had accomplished in his absence. At the same time he went back to scanning the Earth looking for Goa'uld power signatures where there shouldn't be any. "Bashaak, you can stop singing now. Thank you."

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Kor ceased the horrid caterwauling with a grumble of general displeasure at the entire affair. Glad that none of his people would ever see that or hear of it he merely shot Jono a bitter look before moving his gaze to the other human and appraising the man through narrowed eyes.

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