River of Stars Ch 7 bit – rare as hen’s teeth

Jack shrugged. “So, oh master of minions. If Kanzeon wasn’t the System Lord here fifteen centuries back, what happened?”

“She wasn’t the System Lord,” Sanzo stated. “She was one of Śakra’s Queens, with a serious bent toward genetic and non-Goa’uld tech research.”

“Śakra – that’s another name for the Jade Emperor, in Buddhism,” Daniel blurted out. Thank goodness for quick cramming on that group of myths when he’d realized they were dealing with Shangri-La again. “But the Jade Emperor is Yu. We’ve met him.”

“Different branch of the legends, different Goa’uld,” Sanzo shrugged. “This guy was definitely not Yu. He was Śakra, also known as Śakro devānām indraḥ. Śakra, Lord of the Devas. Though these days, people mostly call them kami.”

“Kanzeon’s offspring,” Sam exclaimed.

Sanzo fluttered a hand, yes and no. “Some of Kanzeon’s offspring are in kami. The Heavenly Army. Some are in ordinary people. Kanzeon’s Favored. And some kami are just themselves, wandering around getting into trouble. There’s not a lot of them, but they’re out there.”

Jack sat up, just a fraction straighter. “Hok’taurs.”

“Probably,” Sanzo allowed. “Stories say they have weird powers, and they’re even tougher than priests. Haven’t met any, that I know of.” He settled himself on the stool, looking into the distance as if organizing his thoughts. “Anyway. When the Asgard made their deal, Śakra thought he’d pulled one over on the gray guys. After all, what was he giving up? If Kanzeon managed to get herself into a pickle bad enough to need a sarcophagus, well, so sad, he had other queens.” Violet eyes creased, darkly amused. “And then, it looks like he started thinking. What did a bunch of telepaths know that he didn’t?”

“Those little gray bastards,” Jack smirked.

Sanzo smirked right back. “Oh, I bet she was scheming to take over even then. She’s twisty and smart and scary as all hell when she gets an idea. Remember that. But. I’d bet she wasn’t planning anything that would have killed him.”

“System Lords tend to exile their defeated enemies,” Daniel agreed. “That didn’t happen?”

“I want to dig into it a lot more, because it looks like things got messy,” Sanzo said soberly. “What I’ve found so far – one of the lesser Goa’uld in Śakra’s entourage, Li Touten, wasn’t of his lineage. Happens, usually isn’t a big problem, System Lords just keep them away from the really secret stuff. Only this particular Goa’uld was also into gene-mixing, and it looks like Śakra thought he could use the guy to undermine Kanzeon and scoop all her research out from under her, then leave her twisting in the wind for the Asgard to zap.” He drew in a long breath. “And then the Tok’ra stuck their fingers in.”

“Messy,” Jack reflected. “Do tell.”

“Like I said, I want to do more research,” Sanzo growled. “What I could get? There was a massacre. Running, screaming, things on fire. And at the end of the day Śakra and Li Touten are dead, so are half the Heavenly Army, there are monsters loose on Shangri-La we’re still dealing with today, and Kanzeon’s on the throne.” He paused. “And the temple records say even the trees in Heaven wept, because Kanzeon lost part of her family that day. She’s hated the Tok’ra ever since.”

Oof. “Um… we are allied with the Tok’ra,” Daniel had to remind him.

“Dr. Jackson. You of all people know you don’t have to like someone to work with them,” Sanzo replied. “I can tell you right now one thing Kanzeon’s going to want is for the SGC to officially tell the Tok’ra she’s asking them to get the fuck off her planet. That way you can tell the Asgard she asked, and she can squash the bastards if she catches them. Because this last mess with Gonou is one of a long, long list of Tok’ra making problems here, and she’s had it.” He stood. “So. You’ve got info. You’ve got some time to poke it. I suggest you use it. Kanzeon has a sense of humor.” He took a step away-

Stopped, and sighed. “Colonel.” Sanzo turned back toward them, violet eyes narrowed in pure irritation. “I have to apologize for the rash. Hakkai… has a vicious streak. Especially when the idiot thinks he’s protecting me. And I didn’t know enough to catch him at it. This time.” He glanced at Daniel. “And you’d better keep a close eye on what you’re eating. Only reason you’re not down with a rash is Hakkai managed to slip you the preventive medication. I’d love to know how. Rainfire tea tastes awful.”