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I'm sort of proud of this one. :) For the A Brief Encounter is Pivotal square in my bingo card: Sam's choices in In the Line of Duty had tremendous impact on the universe. 464 words. Rated PG, with multiple AU deaths and apocalyptic histories, and spoilers for various S2 through S6 episodes.
Thanks to Aelfgyfu for reassuring me that this actually works!
For Want of a Symbiote (the World was Lost)
Sam dropped to her knees before the wounded native, hoping the extra training she'd begged from Janet after the near disaster in Antarctica could help her save this man's life. Chest compressions, listen for a heartbeat, mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing...
Then the dying man's arm unexpectedly gripped the back of her neck, pinning her in place as Jolinar of Molkshur leapt forward, claiming Sam as her temporary host.
But in a different universe, where Sam did not try to save this particular life, Jolinar died in her Nasyan host. Earth never learned of the Tok'ra's existence, and the race was nearly wiped out a few short months later when Cordesh led Apophis to their secret home base. Those Tok'ra that were off-planet, undercover in various roles, struggled to keep fighting the Goa'uld despite the overwhelming losses, reduced to solitary assassinations and minor irritations.
Teal'c and Bra'tac died without symbiotes, for there was no friendly Tok'ra to offer them tretonin; Jack never made it off the moon where Harry Maybourne had so selfishly trapped him, for the few surviving Tok'ra had no cause to search for him.
But those deaths didn't happen, for Earth was lost a year before, when Anubis guided a naquadah meteor to intersect with Earth's path and destroy it. There was no ship to repair and fly to destroy the meteor, as Daniel's mission to assassinate the Goa'uld at their summit would never take place. Teal'c and Jack would not die long before that when the X-301's homing device sent them careering into deep space to asphyxiate without hope of rescue, because without the Tok'ra to alert the SGC that SG-1 had been captured by Hathor, the human members of the team would never return to Earth, and Teal'c would never stop looking for them.
But life on Earth was not wiped out by a massive meteor, because Anubis would have no cause to fear a planet whose entire population had been slain by the Reetou in their insane determination to destroy the Goa'uld by murdering all potential hosts. Even "Mother" would not be able to help if there was no way to detect the invading Reetou and kill them.
But the Reetou didn't have to bother killing all humanity on Earth, for the planet itself was long gone, a smoking cinder when Sokar destroyed it in his quest to acquire the dying Apophis. Without the Tok'ra to warn them, the SGC did not understand the danger Sokar represented until it was too late.
...but all that was in a different universe, for in this one, Sam tried to save a life. And while she couldn't keep the Nasyan host alive, the life she did save - if only for a few days - changed the course of Tau'ri history.
Thanks to Aelfgyfu for reassuring me that this actually works!
For Want of a Symbiote (the World was Lost)
Sam dropped to her knees before the wounded native, hoping the extra training she'd begged from Janet after the near disaster in Antarctica could help her save this man's life. Chest compressions, listen for a heartbeat, mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing...
Then the dying man's arm unexpectedly gripped the back of her neck, pinning her in place as Jolinar of Molkshur leapt forward, claiming Sam as her temporary host.
But in a different universe, where Sam did not try to save this particular life, Jolinar died in her Nasyan host. Earth never learned of the Tok'ra's existence, and the race was nearly wiped out a few short months later when Cordesh led Apophis to their secret home base. Those Tok'ra that were off-planet, undercover in various roles, struggled to keep fighting the Goa'uld despite the overwhelming losses, reduced to solitary assassinations and minor irritations.
Teal'c and Bra'tac died without symbiotes, for there was no friendly Tok'ra to offer them tretonin; Jack never made it off the moon where Harry Maybourne had so selfishly trapped him, for the few surviving Tok'ra had no cause to search for him.
But those deaths didn't happen, for Earth was lost a year before, when Anubis guided a naquadah meteor to intersect with Earth's path and destroy it. There was no ship to repair and fly to destroy the meteor, as Daniel's mission to assassinate the Goa'uld at their summit would never take place. Teal'c and Jack would not die long before that when the X-301's homing device sent them careering into deep space to asphyxiate without hope of rescue, because without the Tok'ra to alert the SGC that SG-1 had been captured by Hathor, the human members of the team would never return to Earth, and Teal'c would never stop looking for them.
But life on Earth was not wiped out by a massive meteor, because Anubis would have no cause to fear a planet whose entire population had been slain by the Reetou in their insane determination to destroy the Goa'uld by murdering all potential hosts. Even "Mother" would not be able to help if there was no way to detect the invading Reetou and kill them.
But the Reetou didn't have to bother killing all humanity on Earth, for the planet itself was long gone, a smoking cinder when Sokar destroyed it in his quest to acquire the dying Apophis. Without the Tok'ra to warn them, the SGC did not understand the danger Sokar represented until it was too late.
...but all that was in a different universe, for in this one, Sam tried to save a life. And while she couldn't keep the Nasyan host alive, the life she did save - if only for a few days - changed the course of Tau'ri history.
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(and also reccedd to The Fifth Race Facebook group (GEN only), because they like think-y stories)
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(FB is blocked on my filter, so I can't take a look myself. But thanks again.)