A/N: Hi, this is MalagBaal's sister (Jenwryn) uploading this on his behalf. A bit unconventional, yes, but at the moment he's travelling up north, in the vicinity of Kununurra (go google it), and while he was able to send me an email with the chapters he wanted updating, he wasn't able to get on here to do it himself. And he told me I had to write this in the author's notes to explain why he isn't answering reviews at the moment. Cheers, enjoy his story, and comment!!

The Greater Powers

Angrily Adria glared out of the bridge of her warship. She could see two parties of Kull warriors advancing towards the ship and knew another three rings had been landed elsewhere. She turned away from the scene laid out before her, realising that for some reason she could not touch those on the ground. She should have been able to crumple Ba’al’s tin soldiers with her mind, but something was blocking her powers. She ran through the corridors of the ship, knowing that she had only one option to retain both control of her ship, and her life. No time for ceremony now…

She reached a window opening up onto the central circular hole in the ship where energy was generally generated – after the ships were activated. Warriors ran past her to guard the entrances as they had been commanded as she placed her hand on the wall of the ship – as close to the core as she could be. She focussed, and energy began to flow, somewhere in the ship’s systems. There was a massive flash of blue light and the core activated. She smirked to herself. Look who’s smiling now, Ba’al, she thought.

Ba’al sat forward on the control Chair in surprise. Far below, his sensors were detecting a sudden, massive surge of energy. The Ba’als on the ground confirmed. The Ori warship had activated seconds before, and was already beginning to take off. Only one of the Ba'als had even made it on board before the ship’s shields had activated. He gritted his teeth. Adria was forcing him to do something he didn’t want to do. He didn’t want to damage his new Ori warship. But now was the time to open fire, while Adria’s ship was in the atmosphere, still taking off. He and the Ba’als almost instantly came to an agreement (with the exception of the Ba'al onboard the ship) to break down the shields of Adria’s ship before she exited the atmosphere.

Adria smiled, despite the bittersweet taste of her victory. Now, she thought Ba'al would have to destroy her. And then she heard the sound of battle, and felt a deadness in her mind. One of the Ba'als had made it on board. And with one of those unholy devices the people of this galaxy had been using to block the given powers of the Ori. A contingent of her warriors rushed passed her and she followed. Whispers but nothing more suddenly spreading among the guards that their victory was assured, as the Orici had joined them. They rounded the corner and were met by a barrage of Kull warrior fire. The front rank of her warriors went down, smoking holes in their armour and she quickly ordered them back. Motioning her warriors back behind her she extended the protection of her personal shield around them. A greenish glitter lit the air around them, and she motioned her warriors forward. She smiled grimly as they unhesitatingly strode forward into the passage, trusting her powers. Yet this was the only power she held, which was not truly hers.

She stepped out behind her warriors, and saw that behind the enemy warriors at the other end of the passage lurked a Ba’al. Around his waist hung a small flashing device, which fitted a description that had been given to her of the devices which blocked her powers…

He stepped out slightly from behind his warriors… She wrenched a staff weapon from the hands of one of her surprised warriors, and snapped of a shot at the belt. With deadly accuracy, or amazing luck the bolt hit the device. Her knowledge inherited of the Ori also included traditional combat skills – to lead an army required after all not only great powers of your own, but knowledge of how your warriors fought… She felt a sudden surge of energy, like a great wet blanket had been lifted from over her mind… Now, she thought, this battle would be over in seconds…

Ba’al grunted in surprise as the blast caught him on the hip, and in a shower of sparks and with an acid smell the device at his waist burst into flames. Damn, he thought. We have a problem now… Around him, suddenly his warriors seemed to implode as the Orici (He’d thought he’d spotted her…) bent her will upon them. Then she turned his attention to him. She stepped forwards from among her warriors, more of which had just arrived on both sides of him, both from up the passage and behind him… He felt her power, poised to lift him off the ground by his throat, and then he pushed against it. He felt her surprise and felt a surge of amusement.

“The Ba’als have grown in power, as you can see, oh Majestic Orici,” he said sarcastically, bowing slightly. Then, without warning he raised his hand, and the red jewel upon it glowed brightly, as he released a wave of raw, brutal energy against her. She withstood it with ease, as if leaning into a strong breeze, but the warriors with her were not so gifted, and were slammed violently into the far wall.

Angrily, she raised her own hand. Orange red, refined power snaked out towards the Ba’al, who raised up a shield against it, which glowed red against it. But it was failing. Ba’al pushed back, and then grew weaker against her great power. Here was the end for him. Defiantly, his eyes glowed and he growled out to her, threateningly in the deep voice of the Goa’uld “You will defeat me, Orici, but there are many of us… we will defeat you – we will win the war – at all costs…” His voice faded away, and he was suddenly engulfed in roaring red flame. Ash floated to the ground where he had stood, in a small dark pile.

“Clean this up,” said Adria to a group of the men who had survived. Then she hurried away. Ba’als with the power of a prior… how could this have happened? And they had two of her ships… The control chair sat unoccupied, and the Warship was long since airborne. She had already felt one blast from a Ba’al controlled ship crash against her shields – as she sat down and viewed the situation she felt another two. She eased the ship upwards, its shields weaker in the atmosphere then in space… For now, all she had to do was escape into hyperspace – soon a fleet of some five ships more would be finished, and she would be able to face Ba’al and his war against her. If her ship was not destroyed first.

The Ba’als all felt the loss of their fellow clone. The Ba’al in control of the first Ori warship glared down at the Ori warship knifing up out of the atmosphere below him and fired again, the great yellow beam splaying out across the shields of the other ship. Another Ba’al confirmed it – the shields were about to drop.