It's not so much that he was taking a vacation. More that he was bored, and this seemed the thing to do until his next great inspiration struck him. He supposed it was relaxing, in a way. At least, he supposed it was supposed to be, since so many of those humans thought it to be the perfect vacation.Not that they would understand it, as it really was. The human mind was simply incapable of conceiving the reality of the situation. The closest any of those inferior sacks of flesh would ever understand would be the vision of a man relaxing on a sunny beach, comfortably reclined in a beach chair. There would be an umbrella shading him, and a cool mixed beverage of questionable origin in his hand.

Of course, this beach was in the middle of nowhere. Someplace that most beings in the multiverse didn't know existed, even some of the higher life forms. In fact, it was nowhere. It wasn't there. It was nothing. Which is why he enjoyed it so, as far as places to think went. He had never even seen his contemporaries there, which is why it seemed the perfect place to sit back and contemplate his next.....

"Q. The time has come."

Well. That settles that, then. But why did it have to be her, of all the beings? Talk about boring people....she didn't even take the time to dress for the occasion! It was, after all, a beach; would a bikini be too much to ask?

"My, my, Oma Desala. Imagine finding you here. I didn't think you Ascended beings even knew about this place."

"Most don't. It is but a void outside of our own universe, and as such immaterial to Ascended Atlanteans. I, however, have watched it for some time, to know you better."

"My dear, I'm flattered. All that attention, just for moi?"

"Not flattery. Self preservation. However, that is not my cause for being here."

"Then, my dear, by all means, feel free to....enlighten me."

"I have come to call the debt for which you owe me."

"Really? And why, pray tell, do you think I owe you anything? Why, with the slightest thought from me, and...."

"And nothing. You know as well as I that you can not harm an Ascended being, the Q would never allow you to break our pledge of non-aggression. The loss was too great for both our peoples last time that happened. Your own friends would be forced to prevent that, for even from here they would know what you have done. As would the Ascended....and the Ori."

Damn. Almost forgot about them. "Haven't you done anything about them yet?"

"We cannot. You know our rules. Their time of reckoning approaches, but I will not be here for that. However, the humans which will solve that problem are the reason I am here."

"Ah, the plot thickens." Q took a slow, contemplative drink of his cocktail. "Now, just to be sure, let me make sure I've got this straight: You want me to help the humans of your universe to defeat a being of your making, since your fellow Boring Ones won't interfere in the dealings of the Lower Beings. Have I got that right?"

"Indeed. As distasteful as it may be, my former student Anubis now threatens them, and they can not defeat him alone. You, however, can assist them where I cannot."

"Well, fine and dandy for them and for you! Why should I? More importantly, what do I get out of it? Sadly, I am not in need of any of your particular brand of enlightenment." Of course, being omnipotent and all, Q already knew the answer to that question. Still, one must keep up appearances.

"Then your debt to me will be no more. And more, my continued silence in regards to the matter of...."

"All right, all right, you've made your point. No need to dig up that old mess again! Besides, someone may be listening. You never know, and some things should NEVER be talked about."

"Then will you help?"

Sigh. "Very well. But they must never know....and to the other Q, it must not appear to be interference in your universe. This must be handled with great care....but who to send?"

The possibilities were endless. The Borg would make fast work of the problem....but then they would make fast work of everything else, too. A few Jem’Hadar? No, same problem, but messier. 

Ah ha! Jean-Luc....but no, this was not his style. Oh, sure, save the universe, again, and not even your own dimension this time! But no, he just didn't seem right for this job. Pity....the look on old Baldy's face would have been MORE than worth it...

Of course! The perfect choice! And even easier to accomplish, too, considering where they were at this moment.

"Oompa Loompa, my dear, consider it done. I shall be sending help in due course, and they should be more than up to the task at hand!"            "Indeed, Q. I should hope so, for your sake."

"Threats, my dear? So unlike you....and besides, as you yourself said...."

"Oh, no, Q, you misunderstand. I would not be the one to harm you. But should this fail, or should you ever refer to me as 'Oompa Loompa' again, I would then be inclined to find that attractive young Q you seem so fond of. Why, I'm sure she would be most interested to hear of your alter-ego in that other reality. What was it they called you again? Oh, yes 'The Most Impressive....' "

"Enough! Your point is made! No need for such harsh measures, my dear, you have my word, the problem is as good as dealt with, and none shall be the wiser."

"Very well. I take my leave of you now, so that you may do what must be done. Do not waste time, Q, for it is short in this matter."

"Yes, yes, on the clock, very well. Run along and let me do what I do."

And in a flash, she was gone. In that place that didn't exist, as only he could, Q sat in his chair that didn't exist, on the beach that didn't exist, and contemplated things a while longer. After all, it was not just a shift in dimensions they were talking about, but time as well, and these things simply could not be rushed. Then, with what a human would have seen as a very disturbing smile indeed, he snapped his "fingers".

"There, that should do it," he thought. Then, as an afterthought, he snapped again. And what might have seemed to be a TV to humans in the universe in question appeared in front of him. "Can't miss this show."

"Now where did that popcorn go?"

She strolled briskly down the corridor, working her way towards the holodeck, cup of coffee in hand. It was the thing most often seen by the crew, and the only known thing to be able to deflect her search for it was the Borg. Maybe even the occasional holodeck mishap could deter her. Otherwise, it was common knowledge among the crew to not be between her and that cup in the early morning hours. But for some reason, she had this desire to visit the beachfront this morning, she'd had the strangest dream about it last night, and since she had time....

"Bridge to Captain Janeway."

Ah, yes, nothing could bring the morning down like Tuvok. For some reason, she just knew this wouldn't be good. It was something in his voice. At least she had her coffee first. "Janeway here."

"Captain, sensors are picking up an anomaly off of our port bow. However, I can not penetrate it with our scanners, they do not register anything at all."

"Then how do we know it's there?"

"It was sighted visually by several crewmembers in the mess deck, and reported to the bridge. We have it on visual, but sensors can not detect it. I would estimate its range at approximately 1,000 kilometers, but I cannot be any more accurate than that."

"Keep scanning. Contact Seven, have her use the astrometrics sensors to try to penetrate it. Sound yellow alert, and raise the shields, just in case."

"Acknowledged. Tuvok out."

Well, so much for the beach. 

--- 

If he had known and understood the phrase, Thor would have certainly agreed with it. This was simply NOT his day. Actually, by Tau'ri terms, more like a week had passed, but still, it fit. He had lost several ships to the Replicators, and if he was correct in his tactical projections, the new home world of his people would soon be at risk. All in all, not much to make the Asgard happy.

And now, to start his new day off on the wrong foot, Thor's ship had been dragged from hyperspace on his trip back home, but his sensors couldn't tell him why. Most distressing, indeed. He might have simply ignored it and moved on, but there was little that could force one of the Asgard battle cruisers from hyperspace like that, and if this was a new threat to their race, he needed to know about it now.

His hands adjusted another control, and suddenly his monitors came to life. "Interesting, he thought. The constants of subspace are different, that's why...."

 And just as quickly, something totally unexpected happened. 

---

"Captain, I believe I have solved the problem."

"Go ahead, Seven."

"According to the astrometrics sensors, we are seeing a rift between dimensions. It would appear that the constants that define subspace on the other side of the portal differ from our own. That is why our sensors could not see it, they could not penetrate to an area where the laws of physics differ so."

"Any risk to us?"

"Unknown. I would advise a safe distance from the anomaly, until we can study...."

And all hell broke loose on board Voyager. 

---

"Q! What have you done?"

"Ah, Q, so good to see you. How has Q been lately, I haven't seen him in a while? Pull up a chair, you're missing the show."

"This is no time for games, Q! Just what do you think you are doing?"

"A test. It's been too long since Kathy and her little band of lost sheep have had a good test. And besides, if I'm right, not only will they learn a little something that will be of great use to them later, but they may even be able to help us out now with that little problem we got involved in over there. Relax, Q, this should be fun!"

"Q, you know this is a mistake! The Ascended...."

"Oh, posh. They can't interfere, remember? Besides, it's for their own good too, remember their good pals and ours, the Ori? And what the Ori don't know....will hopefully hurt them."

"You play a dangerous game, Q. If this goes badly, we will ensure that EVERYONE knows who is at fault. The Q Continuum will NOT be party to your childish and immature pranks when they destroy the fragile balance that exists. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, doom and gloom. Don't you know any other songs? That one is getting SO outdated, even for a Q."

"You've been warned, Q. We'll be watching."And with that, the other Q was gone.

With a shrug, Q sat back in his chair, and said, "Oh, well, in for a penny...." 

---

"Captain, we're being pulled in!"

"Full reverse! Red Alert! Engineering, I need everything and I need it now!"

"We're working on it, Captain! I can't seem to form a warp field, everything is totally out of whack down here!"

Ensign Kim, franticly stabbing at his console, called out the grim news. "Captain, full reverse seems to have no effect! We'll enter the anomaly in 5.....4.....3.."

"All hands, brace for impact! Tuvok, emergency power to shields and structural integrity! Hold on, everone!"

"...1....Contact!"

Most intriguing. In such a short amount of time, their systems seem to have adapted. Their computer systems were most impressive, once online. It appeared to be similar in some respects to Asgard technology, much of the principles seemed the same. Except where the Asgard used crystals, these humans had devised a way to manufacture some form of biological equivalent. Their ingenuity was indeed impressive.

Another panel flashed to life in front of him. Some form of communications signal! The computer seemed to take only moments to process it, and then the next shock of the day was indeed a strong one for the Asgard. The woman spoke the same language as most other humans in this dimension. The computer reported that the signal was actually composed of many different versions of the same greeting, but was able to differentiate between the original voice and the computer altered translations. Noting the contents of the message, he decided to respond in kind.

"Greetings. I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. May I be of any assistance?"

"I'm not sure, Supreme Commander. My ship encountered an unknown phenomenon which appears to have dragged us to your dimension. Was this of your doing?"

Thor understood the reason for her suspicion. "No. My ship was pulled from hyperspace by the same anomaly, shortly before your appearance. The rift which brought you here appears to have closed, as I can detect no trace of its existence. Is such an occurrence common in your dimension?"

----

"Hardly. One moment please, Commander." She turned and signaled Tuvok, who muted the feed. "Opinions?"

Chakotay stood and moved to her side. "Captain, we know nothing of where we are or the people will encounter. I don't think Thor means us harm, but until we know more, I advise caution."

Nodding, the captain turned. "Tuvok?"

Arching an eyebrow, the security chief replied. "I concur. Until more data becomes available, I cannot help but suspect the Supreme Commander's intentions."

Taking a moment to think about it, Janeway nodded, and turned back to the screen. "Supreme Commander, at this time, we are a little worried. We were already far from home, and now we appear to be even farther from where we were going. Quite frankly, I don't know what to think, and I'm hoping you can provide some answers."

"Any information I can provide I will gladly share with you. If I may be so bold, may I ask where 'home' is, in your original dimension?"

"We're from the United Federation of Planets, which is based on a planet called Earth."

----

Thor processed this tidbit of information, and came to the conclusion that, roughly translated from the original Asgard, meant "Well, that figures."

"Captain, Earth also exists in this dimension, although there would appear to be some noticeable differences. However, the Asgard are proud to claim friendship with the people of Earth. I can not take you directly there, as I do not have the time to spare. As a compromise, I can take you to a planet nearby, where they can be contacted via stargate, and they may be able to assist you."

"Stargate?" The captain glanced off screen. "I'm not familiar with that term."

"The stargate system is a very old method of interstellar travel, first devised by a race long gone from here. Through the use of artificial wormholes, it allows travel from one planet to the next. Do you not have something similar in your dimension?"

"No. More's the pity, we could really use something like that."

"Of that, I have no doubt. Regardless, I would be glad to take you to one, and assist you with contacting the people of this Earth. Would that be acceptable to you?"

----

Turning to her first officer, Captain Janeway quietly asked, "Well, Chakotay? What do you think?"

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "I say sure, why not? If they are friendly, then they may be able to help. If nothing else, it gives us somewhere to start. And in any case, I want to see one of these stargates up close and personal. If we can figure out how it works, we may be able to use it once we figure out how to get back to where we belong."

Pondering her options for a moment longer, she nodded. "Agreed."

Turning back to the screen, she said, "Very well, Supreme Commander. How do we do this?"

"I shall take your vessel in tow, and set course for the planet. We should be there within one Earth hour. Is that a measure of time you are familiar with?"

"Yes, it is. Very well, whenever you're ready. Janeway out."

Turning to her first officer, she ordered, "Warn the crew, we don't know what kind of ride we're in for."

At the helm, Ensign Paris exclaimed, "Pretty smooth, I'd say. We're already moving! And faster than light!"

Ensign Kim called out, "Captain, if I'm reading this right, we're doing what appears to be....warp 9.9995! And the readings we're getting should help us calibrate our warp drive to operate here. And I can detect no tractor beam technology that we're familiar with, I don't know how they're towing us."

"Understood. Keep scanning, Harry, I want answers. I'll be in my ready room. You have the bridge, Commander."

Staring at her computer screen, Captain Janeway didn't even look up when the door chime sounded. "Enter."

Appearing troubled, Seven of Nine and Harry Kim entered the room. "Captain, we must speak to you."

"What's the problem, Seven?"

"'Problems' would be a more accurate description. First, using the astrometrics sensors, I have been able to calculate the differences between where we were and where we are. The differences in normal space-time physics are minor, but subspace physics are entirely different. According to my calculations, we can indeed generate and maintain a warp field, but without an entry point into subspace, we will go nowhere, fast."

"Suggestions?"

"None yet. However, I have also been able to determine that not only are we not where we were, we are not when we were, either. One of two possibilities exist: Time is not running at the same rate in this dimension, or the rift which brought us here was not only dimensional, but temporal."

"How far off are we, time wise?"

"Assuming stellar phenomenon are similar, and they appear to be, I have calculated we are in what you would refer to as the early twenty first century."

"This complicates matters. Starfleet regulations are very clear about the temporal prime directive."

"I disagree. In reviewing my data, I do not believe that it will be an issue. Many of the races that are members of the Federation, including the Vulcans, do not appear to be in this universe. Further, I find signs of other species and vessels that have no match to anything from our dimension. Take for example, the Asgard ship. No mention of anything similar exists in any database I have searched."

"I'm not so sure, Seven. I looked in a slightly different database, old Earth mythologies. 'Thor' was the king of the Norse gods, many centuries in our own past. I find it curious that such a coincidence exists. What else have you found?"

At this, Harry Kim spoke. "Captain, I've also been reviewing sensor data. First, the Asgard ship is highly advanced in many areas, and similar to our own in other respects. First, their computer and sensor systems, although different in design and concept, appear to be roughly equal. I've also detected a transporter system that, if I'm right, has a much greater range than Starfleet designs. Their shields and weapons are all energy based, similar to our own in some ways, but much more powerful. Also, I can't tell what they're using for power generation, but they've got a lot of it. Estimates show that they are capable of generating enough power for several starbases."

"Go on."

Looking more nervous, he continued. "Beyond the Asgard, long range sensors have detected several other vessels as we have traveled. Scans show them to be of different construction from Thor's vessel, and less advanced. Most of the smaller vessels we have detected have been roughly the size and design of the Delta Flyer, and almost all unarmed. However, they've also had what appears to be cloaking devices installed."

"Romulan? Klingon?"

"Neither. Close, but not quite. None of the scanned ships had the associated tachyon residue we see in cloaked vessels from our dimension."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, ma'am. One other class of vessel I've scanned, on several different occasions. It appears to be of similar principles to the smaller vessels, but much larger. Along the lines of our own Galaxy class starships. Only they seem to be shaped like pyramids. All of them have basic shielding, and while their weapons appear less advanced, they have a lot of those weapons."

"Make sure Tuvok gets that data."

At that moment, the intercom came to life. "Captain, we have slowed down and entered orbit around a class M planet," her first officer's voice said.

"On our way."

As the captain walked from her ready room, Tuvok announced, "Captain, Thor is hailing us."

"On screen." Turning, she addressed the image of the grey alien. "Supreme Commander, I take it this is the planet you spoke of."

"It is, Captain Janeway. If you will permit me, I will transport you to the stargate, and make contact with the people of Earth for you."

Noticing the look on her first officers’ face, she replied. "Actually, Thor, I have a different suggestion. If you can tell us where to beam, my first officer will meet them, and transport them here. Given our current situation, our rules are pretty specific about the commanding officer of a Starfleet vessel transporting down to the surface."

Nodding, Thor replied. "I understand, Captain, I will transmit coordinates immediately." Looking down for a moment, Thor manipulated some controls off screen. "Will that suffice?"

Looking to his console, Commander Chakotay replied, "I think so. Is this stargate a circular structure in the middle of a clearing of trees?"

"It is. I will meet you there." And he disappeared from the screen.

"Commander, take an away team and meet whoever Thor brings to meet you. I also want a lot of scans of the stargate, if it's really a means of instantaneous travel across the galaxy, this could be a big help to us in our own dimension, when we get back there."

"Understood, Captain." Nodding to Harry Kim and Tuvok, the commander made his way towards the turbolift.

"And Commander...."

Stopping, Chakotay glanced at Katherine. "I know. Be careful. We will."

Nodding, she replied, "Good luck."

"Unscheduled off-world activation!"

The announcement, shouted over the usual sounds of sirens, brought the usual cascade of brass to the control room. Just going by the other sounds he could hear, Sergeant Walter Harriman identified the General, Colonel O'Neill, and Major Carter. He briefly wondered where the rest of SG-1 was, then decided he was better off not knowing. He sometimes wondered if it was a good thing to have them all here at the same time. He liked the colonel, really. But sometimes, the man's sense of humor was....well, not helpful was an understatement.

"What have you got, Sergeant?"

Returning his thoughts to business at hand, Walter replied, "Sir, no idea yet. SG's 3, 8, and 12 are off world, but none are due to check in for several hours yet."

Nodding, the general looked up. Moments later, the trademark "sideways flush" of the gate filled the room. As the protective iris started to close, the lights began to flicker.

"Uh, sir? I'm losing control of the systems!" Walter typed furiously at the keys, but to no avail. In moments, all the screens and lights went dark. Emergency lights kicked on, but nothing else. The iris, halfway closed, returned to the open position.

"Security, standby!" General Hammond bellowed the command, as Major Carter took the empty chair next to Walter. As she started to try to figure out the problem, a familiar shape emerged from the gate.

"Thor!" Colonel O'Neill ran from the room. As the gate shut down, lights and computers came back on, as if nothing had happened. "Hold your fire," Jack yelled as he entered the gate room. "Thor! Buddy! What's up?"

"Greetings, O'Neill. I have come on behalf of others, to seek your aid."

Nodding, the colonel replied, "Well, any friend of yours...."

Stepping into the gateroom, the general asked, "Thor, welcome to Earth. If I may ask, who are these others?"

"Humans, from an alternate dimension. Their ship appeared in ours a few hours ago, and they appear to be from Earth within that dimension. As of yet, they appear friendly, and I agreed to ask if your people would be willing to meet with them."

"What can we do to help them? Can't you just....push a button and send them home....or something?" The colonel looked slightly confused, not sure what to say just yet.

"No. Our people avoid dimensional research, so I have very little information with which to assist them. Further, our people's resources are needed in the war with the Replicators."

Looking sideways at his second in command, General Hammond added, "And you think they can be trusted, Thor?"

"At this point, General Hammond, I believe so. By all appearances, they were not attempting to arrive in our dimension. I detect no signs of hostility, only caution and confusion. Also, I believe that in their reality, things are very different than in ours."

Nodding, Jack turned to his superior. "Whadda ya say, sir? Think we can spare a cup of sugar for the new neighbors?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, the general replied, "Get your team ready, colonel. Meet these people, find out where they came from, and if we can help. But be careful."

"Of course, sir, you know me!"

"Yes, I do, and still, be careful anyway."

"General! I'm hurt!" The colonel turned and headed for the locker room, heard to mumble, "I'm always careful....well, except for that one time....."

----

Standing next to his team mates a few minutes later, minus one tardy archaeologist, and plus the diminutive Thor, the colonel counted down quietly in his head as the gate went through its dialing sequence. "Three....two....one....." And as if called, in trotted Dr. Daniel Jackson, busy making the final adjustments to his gear. "Ah, Daniel, so glad you could join us."

"Yes, Jack, well, some of us have more to do than wait around for something to happen. I was in the middle of...."

"Doing something boring with something old, I'm sure." Turning, Jack addressed his CO. "All ready to go, sir."

"Very well, SG-1, you have a go. And good luck."

"Thank you, sir." Turning back to the event horizon, Jack gestured towards the gate and called out, "Onward, campers, to the great unknown!"

As they walked up the ramp, Major Carter replied, "Actually, sir, this planet has already been surveyed. Mostly normal, two moons, uninhabited, and...."

"I know. Trees. Lotsa trees. Thanks for the reminder, Carter."

Smiling to herself, the major replied, "Anytime, Colonel. Glad to help!"

Mumbling again, his last words as he passed through gate were heard: "At least I remembered to set the VCR today. Hate it when I miss The Simpson's...."

Tuvok watched as Ensign Kim and Commander Chakotay scanned the object with their tricorders. Having done his initial survey, he chose to remain on watch. Having witnessed the operation of the 'Stargate' earlier, he was as curious as his ship mates. However, logic told him that he must remain watchful, for the slightest indication....

"Commander!" Tuvok called out, as the inner ring began to spin.

"I see it! Harry, back away from there!"

Moving to stand next to the control pedestal Thor had used, the ex-Maquis decided to be front and center when their new friends arrived. Moving behind the commander, Harry continued to scan the gate.

"Amazing, Commander. This device is made up mostly of a material I've never seen before. There are crystals all throughout, that are almost like dilithium in some ways, but they have other properties, as well. The same mineral is used as part of the metal alloy of the structure, and it's acting like some kind of super conducting, focusing the energy the crystals are putting out!"

"Where's the energy coming from?"

"Well, when Thor first activated the gate, it seemed to be coming from that pedestal. Now, though, I don't know. The crystals are generating it from...."

And with a roar, the ensign was interrupted as the gate connected. Moments later, Thor emerged from the gate, followed soon by four others, who appeared human.

Teal’c, having the fastest reflexes, saw three beings standing holding strange devices towards his comrades. He then observed the strange marking on the face of the one in the red uniform, and his warriors mind kicked into high gear.

"O'Neill! He bears a Goa'uld mark I have not seen before!" And with that, he lowered his staff, being careful to keep it where he could cover the three unknown beings with ease.

Picking up on his friend's distress, Jack altered his hold on his P-90. "Howdy, folks. New to these parts?"

The Vulcan security officer, seeing the heightened alertness of the new visitors, transferred his tricorder to his other hand, allowing for easier access to his phaser, should the need arise. Chakotay, seeing the same thing, realized part of the reason for it right away.

"I'm sorry, these are just scanning devices. We were trying to figure out this device. We mean you no harm."

Moving deliberately, he folded up his tricorder, and nodded at Harry and Tuvok to do likewise. Seeing this, SG-1 relaxed somewhat.

"Ah. Okay. Well. In that case, let's start again." He relaxed his stance somewhat. Grinning a little, he said, "Howdy, folks. New to these parts?"

Stepping forward, Thor interceded. "Allow me to introduce you. Commander Chakotay, this is Colonel O'Neill, commander of SG-1. Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."

Stepping forward, the commander addressed Jack. "A pleasure to meet you. This is Lieutenant Tuvok, our chief of security, and Ensign Kim, one of our operations staff."

Nodding at each in turn, Jack then turned back to Tuvok. "Um....Tuvok....right? Pardon me for asking, but....about the ears? And the....brows...."

Raising one of the afore mentioned brows, the Vulcan replied, "My species bodies developed for living on a desert planet, sir. These features allow for better hearing and sight, and protection from the desert conditions."

"Ah. Ummm.....Okay then. Well..."

Stepping forward, Thor interrupted: "Pardon me, O'Neill. I must return to my ship now. I am overdue as it is on our home world."

Turning to the voyager crew, he spoke again. "I give you my word, the members of Stargate Command, and SG-1 in particular, are true allies of the Asgard. I have no doubt that they will be able to assist you in your voyage home. I wish you well."

"We thank you, Supreme Commander. Safe travels."

Nodding, Thor disappeared in a flash of light.

Sotto voice, Jack mumbled, "Never get tired of that." On hearing this, he was rewarded with yet another Tuvok eyebrow.

"So, Commander. How can the United States Air Force be of assistance?"

"United States Air Force?"

Leaning towards his superior, Harry whispered, "Temporal displacement."

Overhearing the Asian man's comment, Sam's eyes grew big. "Uh oh...."

Glancing sideways, Jack asked, "Yes, Major?"

"Temporal displacement, sir. Time travel."

"Oh. Oh yeah. Oh crap. Oh.....kay, kids, now we have a problem."

"Yes, sir." Turning to the ensign, Sam asked, "Forward or backward? And how far?"

Looking a little sidetracked, Harry replied, "Um...backward. A few hundred years. Or so."

Looking even more worried, Sam turned back to her CO. "Sir, it's worse than I thought. The most we've ever been able to figure, is that even by using the stargate's path across a solar flare, we'd never get more than about fifty or so years. I'm not sure what brought them here, but it's new to us."

"Yeah, Carter, I got that much." Turning back to the Starfleet officers, Jack asked, "So, what now?"

"Well," answered Chakotay, "For now, I propose we return to our ship. There we can all try to figure this out. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what procedures to follow at this point, since not only are we in a different time, but a different dimension. Starfleet's rules on both of those issues are explicit, but very different."

"Yeah, ditto. So you folks have some experience with these kinds of problems? Time travel often?"

"Not really, not us per se. But Starfleet in general has had some rather serious brushes with both, and none of them turned out very pleasant. I take it you have?"

"Yeah, enough to know it gives me a headache. Space Monkey here," and Jack nodded toward Daniel, "has taken the dimensional ride a time or two, and all of us have done the 'Back to the Future' thing."

Sensing an inside joke, Voyager's second in command understood the gist. "Very well. In that case, may we invite you all aboard? I'm sure the captain would love to get in on this conversation."

"By all means, as long as we're back here within a few hours, gotta phone home and check in."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Tapping his comm badge, Chakotay called out, "Voyager, seven to beam aboard."

----

As he waited for the transporter effect to take him, several thoughts ran through Tuvok's mind. First, he was very glad for the security protocols in place for the transporters, several of which he had programmed himself. The weapons used by the other team would be rendered inert, allowing him some peace of mind. The second was that it seemed logical that once discovered, this fact was likely to make SG-1 very unhappy. On that note, he understood, for he would very much not like to have no means of protection aboard a strange ship. Still, it wasn't a strange ship, it was Voyager. And his oath to protect his crew mates took a higher place than his understanding of their probable anger.

His final thought as the sound of the ship's transporters filled the clearing was that he probably should have mentioned it, but that to do so would cause the already delicate situation to possibly break down. Therefore, it was better from both a diplomatic and a tactical standpoint to keep quiet.

It probably would have distressed the Vulcan to no end that he had just used logic to justify a human expression: "Better to ask forgiveness, than permission." But then, humans had all kinds of phrases best left unsaid, in his opinion.

What Tuvok didn't know about, and therefore couldn't take into account, was Teal'c and his senses. The warrior was very much in tune with the senses of his body, and thus knew, after the transport cycle was complete, something was quite amiss. Hefting his staff weapon a few times, he allowed his thumb to depress the arming stud. Nothing, the end wouldn't even open. No power, for the power cells had been removed.

He dropped the weapon, and, moving quickly, reached over to remove a P-90 clip from the vest of Major Carter. Right away, he knew: The gunpowder was missing from each and every round.

Except for their knives, they were unarmed.

"Colonel O'Neill, they have neutralized our weapons!"

"What?!?!" Allowing his voice to raise, Jack hefted his own P-90. Yep, barely noticeable, but lighter. An entire mag of gunpowder....gone, but the bullets themselves were still in there. Cool trick, actually. Turning to the Starfleet officers, he reached to his back, and kept his hand on the handle of his knife. "Mind explaining this?"

Stepping forward, Captain Janeway took over. "I'm sorry, I should have thought to warn you." Shooting her security officer a look, she said, "Our security systems disable any weapons as they are beamed aboard, unless otherwise authorized. I should have realized. They will be restored to functionality when you depart."

Looking miffed, and more than willing to show it, he reacted. "Ya know, why doesn't everyone just ask? I'm not unreasonable. But no. Show up, and wham! Someone shines a fancy light thingy and takes it all away from ya!" Turning to Daniel, he asked, "Is that too much to ask? Wait, never mind." Turning to Teal'c, he repeated, "T, agree with me, is that too much to ask?" Looking back at the captain, he put on his most calculated look yet. "Really. I'm hurt. Where's the love?"

Not sure what to make of this, she decided to stick to her guns. On reflection, she thought, that may not have been the proper phrase, considering.

"My apologies, sir. My name is Captain Katherine Janeway, commanding officer, U.S.S. Voyager. And you are?"

Sighing, the colonel decided to play along, for now. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, US Air Force. Major Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Teal'c of Chulak."

Nodding at each as they were introduced, she first addressed Daniel. "Doctor? I'm sorry, I hope you didn't misunderstand. We don't need any medical help."

"Oh, no, um, wrong kind of....doctor. My specialty is in Archaeology and languages."

"Ah, my mistake."

Unable to keep quiet, Jack spoke up as he stepped down. "Actually, we brought two doctors....Carter here is also a 'doctor.' In...."

"Astrophysics," she supplied, blushing slightly at the attention from the colonel. She was going to have to talk to him about that....

From the side, Harry, who had done well up to this point at keeping quiet, spoke up. "Astrophysics? That's.....perfect! Captain, we could use her help to...."

"Yes, Harry, one thing at a time." Turning to the Major, she elaborated. "We're working to figure out a few things about this dimension. Some of the laws of physics as we know them seem to be different than the ones in our own dimension. We're having some luck getting our systems back online, but there's still a lot we don't know."

Nodding, her mind slipped into overdrive. "I'm sure. I'd need to begin by looking at the base constants for your dimension, and figuring out...."

Knowing he had to head her off before she got really going, Jack interrupted. "Major! We'll get to it." Turning, he looked at the Starfleet officers. "So, ya'll need some numbers. OK, I think we can help ya there. First, if you don't mind, we'd like to start from the beginning. What's your story?"

Half smiling, the captain responded, "How long ya got?"

Not expecting that answer, Jack thought, 'Ooooo, boy, this has GOTTA be good.' Making a show of looking at his watch, he replied, "Oh, a few hours, I guess."

"Please, come with me, and we'll start getting through this."

As they turned to leave the transporter room, Jack muttered to Sam, "I like her."

"Thought you might, sir."

Allowing his practical joker side out a little, he couldn't help but add: "But I think you have an admirer of your own."

Glancing back, she caught the look Harry was giving her, and as he quickly tried to look away and not get caught blushing, she replied: "Oh, that's just great. Why me?"

Surprising both of them, it was Teal'c who answered: "Why not?"

They sat in the briefing room, taking turns. So far, Jack had fully understood maybe half of what had been said. It was showing, too.

"...Which is as far as we've been able to get with our propulsion systems." Touching a button to clear the screen, the ship's Chief Engineer, B'Elanna Torres looked at the visitors. The blonde, Major Carter, had impressed her so far. Knowing that they were in the twenty-first century, she had expected a level of knowledge comparable to someone from that era in her own dimension. What she got, however....

"Wow, the subspace barriers in your universe must be paper thin! No, it takes more than just setting up the hyperspace field here. You actually have to have a way to open what we call a window. It's like punching a small hole in the subspace barrier, extending your field through the opening, and letting it pull you into hyperspace, or what you call warp drive."

Nodding as she considered, the half Klingon nodded. "I get it, so we form the field, open the barrier, extend the field, and go?"

"In a nutshell, yes. Looking at the figures, your ship should be capable of going pretty fast, once we can figure out how to open the hole for you."

Seeing a potential bright spot, Jack took this moment to speak up. "Cool! Carter, why don't you go and help them figure things out. And take T, just in case." Turning, he looked at Janeway. "If you don't mind, Captain?"

"Of course not. I'd like another member of my crew, Seven of Nine, to join them, she should be a help, as well."

"No problem, sir." Standing, Carter headed towards the door, Teal'c following. He knew his assignment: Make sure that the Major remained safe and unharmed.

"Now, Colonel, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about some of the other races in your dimension. We've seen several types of ships running around these parts, and were wondering what you knew about them."

"We'll be glad to look and see who you've seen," Jack replied.

Hiding a smile, the captain activated the viewscreen again. "We've scanned a lot of these vessels since our arrival. Some appear to be cloaked."

"Goa'uld Scout or Cargo ships. Oh, boy." Jack decided that it was best to let her know what kind of trouble she was really in.

"OK, the Goa'uld are a parasitic species that take humans as hosts. They're kinda snake like, in a lot of ways, including looks. They enter the body usually through the neck or the mouth, and wrap themselves around the brain stem. Once there, they take control of the body, and go pretty much all bad. You can usually tell that someone is a Goa'uld by the fact that they're eyes will go all glowy on ya, and their voice is different, kinda low, and it kinda echoes. And oh, yeah, by the way, did I mention? Evil. Pure evil. They're favorite schtick is to pretend to be gods to enslave people. They steal any form of advanced technology they can get, and use it to either turn more people into slaves, fight each other, or destroy worlds that don't bow down to 'em. Those smaller ships usually won't do much more than run away or hide, but then they'll call in their boss, and they like to show up with bigger ships."

"These?" The captain pushed another button, and an image of a Ha'tak appeared on screen.

"Yep. Mothership. Lots of death gliders, lots of Jaffa, lots of guns. Those you gotta watch out for."

"Death gliders? Jaffa?" Janeway looked sideways at Tuvok, who listened with rapt attention.

"Yep. Gliders are small fighters, one or two pilots, short range, pretty fast, pretty maneuverable. Two medium blast cannons for armaments. And Jaffa are their soldiers. Very strong, good fighters, and usually they will do what ever their Goa'uld master tells them to do, even kill their friends or family. Teal'c is a Jaffa."

"Teal'c? Then how...."

"He's smarter than the average Jaffa. Figured out for himself that the snakes aren't really gods, and let me talk him into switching sides. Been a great friend ever since."

"I see. Any chance of negotiation with them?"

"Only as long as they know you can destroy them. And even then, they'll backstab ya any chance they get. Treaties with them last only until they think they can win, and then all bets are off."

Katherine pondered this. Jack could see she needed some extra convincing. "Look, the snakes are evil. The live a hell of a long time, hundreds or thousands of years. I have personally been brought back to life, just so some wanna-be god could have the fun of killing me again. On a scale of one to ten, I personally give them a 9.5 on the 'Shoot-On-Sight-O-Meter.' Be careful where they are concerned, I'm telling you."

Surprised at the sudden forcefulness, the captain was shocked when Daniel spoke. "One took my wife as a host. She was still alive, and knew what was happening, and could see and hear and feel everything that she was forced to do, but couldn't stop it. The Goa'uld took her body. She couldn't be saved, and ended up dead in my arms." He took a deep breath. "And now it's happened again, to someone I care about. Sarah was taken over, too. Now her mind is held prisoner while an ancient evil named Osiris uses her body to do unspeakable evil. The Goa'uld are pure evil. They rape and destroy for pleasure, and they do it to entire civilizations. And now there's Anubis."

Janeway was somewhat disturbed at this point. "We've come across our share of less than savory groups before. But what you're describing...."

Nodding, Jack spoke up. "Pure evil. Nothing less than that. Like I said, avoid 'em."

----

Walking down the corridor, two Starfleet officers were having a conversation they'd had before. And, knowing one of the two, it was a conversation that they would probably have again.

"She's an astrophysicist. She's perfect, just exactly what we needed! I mean, she can help us so much! What are the odds that she would just drop right into our laps like that, really? If she can just...."

"Harry, come on," said Tom Paris. "You've really gotta quit doing this. I mean, seriously, I don't mind cleaning up on the betting pools like this, but if you don't stop falling for every new smart chick that comes by to visit, you're going to set new records in Starfleet! She's trouble, man, I'm telling ya!"

Shaking his head, Harry had to defend himself. "It's not like that, Tom, really. I just think that she's....well, she's...."

"A hot blonde who happens to be this dimension's version of a genius. She's like a non-Borg Seven of Nine, and we all know how that ended up for ya! Please, Harry, I'm begging you. That big guy with the gold forehead that's following her around? I get the feeling he'd happily rip your arms off at her command, like having a Klingon for a big brother. And that Colonel O'Neill? I've seen it before, there's something there. If anyone's going to get anywhere with her, it'll be him. And I'm pretty sure he'd be happy to defend her honor in the meantime. Trust me, Harry, you're playing with fire here!"

"You've got it all wrong, Tom, it's not like that at all. I just think she's the key to us getting out of this dimension and back home, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Right. Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

Turing away, Tom began to walk towards the turbolift at the end of the hall. Thinking about it for a few moments, Harry turned down the side corridor, towards Astrometrics. Seriously, what could be the harm, he thought?

He would never get the chance.

"Red alert, all hands man your battlestations!" Chakotay's voice rang out, and Harry did a quick about face, running for the nearest turbolift. Arriving on the bridge, he overheard the ship's XO reporting to the captain. "...should be here in a minute, and after the intel given to us by the Colonel, we're going to be ready for them."

"Understood, Commander." Turning, she addressed SG-1. "Colonel, would you like to return to the surface?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see who's coming to visit. We might be able to help."

"Very well."

"Captain, they're here. Now entering a high orbit above us. We're receiving a hail."

"On screen." Turning, she saw an image form of a humanoid sitting on a chair behind several standing warriors. "This is Captain Janeway, of the...."

"I am Tu'roth. This planet and all that surrounds it belongs to my lord, Anubis. You will surrender and bow to your god!"

Shaking his head, Jack whispered to Daniel, "Yep, they never could come up with any new lines."

Ignoring the byplay, the captain responded. "We're not in the habit of surrendering to everyone who asks. And quite frankly, I'm not inclined to begin acknowledging any being as my 'god' because they say to."

"Then you will die, and we will dissect your ship for its secrets. The choice is yours, insolent human." With that final statement, the screen cleared.

Turning, she looked at O'Neill. "Not overly friendly. I take it this is the usual greeting for visitors?"

"Yep, pretty much the usual Goa'uld MO. You can expect the love tap in just about....."

And the crew were jostled as the ship rocked violently.

Seeming to be unshakable from his console, Tuvok reported, "Shields holding. Their weapons are preparing to fire again."

"Return the favor. Target their weapons array. Fire!" Turning, Janeway watched as Voyagers weapons flared against the Ha'tak shielding, then punched through.

"Direct hits, we've disabled one of their forward arrays. There are, however several more weapons ports, charging to fire."

"Hail them. Tu'roth, this is Captain Janeway. We don't wish to fight you, but will continue to do so if you don't cease fire. Stand down!"

Waiting, she looked mildly shocked as the Goa'uld mothership replied with more weapons fire. "Not the brightest of individuals, is he?"

She turned as Daniel answered her. "Probably afraid to go back to Anubis and admit he lost. He's not exactly the most forgiving of tyrannical overlords."

Catherine turned to tactical. "Introduce them to the photon torpedoes. Full spread. Fire!"

Wondering about this new weapon, the Colonel watched with interest as the glowing golden orbs plowed into the Ha'tak. The resulting chain reaction was impressive, as the sides of the ship were blown apart.

"We have hit their main power drive. Their ship is breaking up," Tuvok reported. Looking up, he watched as the pyramid shaped vessel exploded on screen.

Looking pleased, Jack commented, "I don't suppose you have a few of those to spare?"

"Sorry," replied the captain, with a slight smile on her face. "They're not for sale."

"Nuts." Looking at Daniel, he again whispered, "Big honkin' space guns. And they're not for sale. Story of our lives."

The captain looked back as the turbolift opened. Following Seven and B'Elanna, Carter and Teal'c walked onto the bridge.

"Sir, we think we've solved the problem with their faster than light drive. They're going to use a part of their ship called the 'main deflector' to channel the energy needed to open a hyperspace window."

Looking at her crew, the captain inquired, "Well?"

Looking pleased, the half-Klingon replied: "Yes, Captain, we'll need a few hours to make the adjustments to allow the deflector handle that much warp power at once, but it should work."

"Very well, get on it." Turning, she looked at the Colonel. "Well, it's a start, anyway. Now we just need somewhere to go. Any suggestions?"

Thinking about it, Jack smiled and said, "Well, it's not the one you left, but you could always try Earth, for starters. At least until we can find a way to get you to where you came from."

Turning back to B'Elanna, she asked, "What's our time to Earth, from here, once we're online?"

Thinking quickly, B'Elanna replied, "Well, we're still pretty far off. Figure a few days, maybe a week, considering the differences in subspace in this dimension."

Nodding, the captain turned to O'Neill. "Roll out the welcome mat, Colonel, guests are coming for dinner."

Smiling, the Colonel replied, "If it's okay with you, Captain, we'd like to return to the surface. We need to get back and report in. You know, set out the fruit basket, vacuum the carpet, polish the good silver? One question though, is there a way you can contact us when you get close? We'll need to coordinate and all that."

Nodding, the captain replied, "I think we can arrange something. We'll get you a subspace transmitter to use." Turning to her first officer, she ordered, "Get them a transmitter, Commander, and beam them back down to the Stargate on the surface."

Nodding to her, he turned to the Stargate team. "If you'll come with me please."

Speaking to Janeway one last time, the Colonel said, "Well, this has been fun. I really must thank you for a wonderful visit. And for getting rid of one more snake-head, I'm truly grateful. And impressed. And....very, very....happy."

Smiling at the Colonel, Katherine replied, "What can I say? He was rude. I hate rude people."

Looking thoughtful, he replied, "Really? I'm gonna HAVE to introduce you to a few people then....Regardless, we'll be off. Hope to see you soon, Captain, and if all goes well, we'll try to have some answers for you by the time you show up." Turning to the rest of the team, he ordered, "All right, all ashore that's going ashore, campers. Let's leave them to their thing, and report back to Hammond."

Turning and entering the turbolift, he commented to Carter, "I got a feeling we're gonna be happy to see them sometime soon...."

"Sir, after what I've seen here, I'm already happy to see them here. I just hope that by helping them, they can help us while they're stuck here."

"Ah, Carter, I just know this is gonna be great, I got a hunch...."

So far as Jack was concerned, this qualified as a bad day, Pretty much all the way around. Added to the weekend shaping up the way it did, he was NOT in a good mood. First the General's bombshell about being replaced. Then Bra'tac's little warning about Anubis, with Teal'c going off world to help find him a ship.

On the plus side, at least Dr. Weir seemed to have a backbone. She was willing to stand up to Kinsey, for the time being. Jeez, why didn't someone order a recount? How could anyone vote for that sleaze bag?

Turning the corner, he suddenly stopped. Looking thoughtful, he turned around and ran back towards the briefing room. Passing Daniel and Sam in the control rool, he rounded a corner and hit the stairs leading up at a run, finally skidding to a stop in Dr. Weir's office.

"Wait. We need to contact Voyager. They've got what I need."

Following him into the room, Daniel and Sam both looked confused.

"What are you talking about? They've got what?"

"I don't know. I just know we need to call 'em up and hope like hell they'll help us out."

Looking skeptical, Dr. Weir replied, "We don't know anything about them. We don't know if they're friendly, or if their technology can help us, or...."

"Look, I don't know why. All I know is you've GOT to let me call them up!"

Trying to keep things under control, Daniel interjected, "Dr. Weir, this is like last time. He didn't know why he did the things he did, but the knowledge the Ancient repository placed in his head drove him to do things that turned out to be just what we needed. If he's so sure we need their help, I'd say we need their help."

Looking unsure, Dr. Weir looked at Sam. "Can they be trusted?"

Nodding, Daniel replied, "Once we got past the initial stages of trying to figure out what happened, they seemed like just the kind of people we're looking for anyway. I think so, yes."

Looking impatient, Jack added in, "Hey, they're friendly, they're stuck here and seem to want our help, too. They may be just what the doctor ordered. Ya know....if....the doctor would just....order."

Raising an eyebrow, she chose to otherwise ignore the pun. "OK, you can contact them. See what they can do to help. But be careful what you tell them."

Turning, Jack smiled. "Yes ma'am. I just hope they can thast us."

Looking at Daniel, Dr. Weir started to say something, but he cut her off.

"Help. Thast is Ancient for help." Turning, he and Sam hurried after Jack.

Shaking her head, Dr. Weir could only wonder what she had gotten herself into....

***

"Captain, we're being hailed. It's Earth, through the transciever we gave them."

"On screen, Mr. Kim." Turning, she regarded the viewscreen as Jack's face became visible, and could instantly tell that something was wrong. "Colonel O'Neill. What's happened, is everything OK?"

"Negative, Captain. Uh, see, there's a couple of things, actually, and we....I....could REALLY use your help."

"How can we assist you?"

"OK, long story short 'cause I'm kinda pressed for time. I've had the entire collective knowledge of the most advanced species to ever inhabit our universe downloaded into my brain, and it's slowly gonna drive me insane and kill me, and we can't get it out by ourselves. On top of that, since we kinda got there first, Anubis is pissed, and on his way here with a big fleet of ships and a BIG chip on his shoulder. I'm kinda hoping you'd see your way clear to give us a lift, and maybe help us out with this."

Looking concerned, Janeway thought a moment. "We scanned a large assortment of vessels coming together near a planet. That is most likely his fleet. There were too many of them for us to face alone, I'm afraid we wouldn't last long against him."

"I know. See, thing is, I think I've got the solution in my head. As the knowledge takes over, I seem to know what to do, but don't know why at the time. I know you can't fight them alone, I just need a ride, and your help with few odds and ends, and maybe see if you guys have a way to get this stuff out of my fron!"

Looking surprised, Katherine was about to ask, when a voice from off-screen added, "Head, Jack. 'Fron' means head."

Looking annoyed, Jack shot a look to the side, then looked back. "Right. Fron. So. Is there any chance you can help us out?"

"Just a moment, Colonel." Turning, she nodded at Ensign Kim, who muted the audio. Turning back to Chakotay, she asked, "Well, Commander?"

"I'm not sure, Captain. He seems sincere. And we've come across stranger things. It just seems awfully convenient to me that now they need our help."

Looking up from his console, Tuvok interjected, "I agree, Captain. I am unsure what Colonel O'Neill is hoping to gain from us, but I suspect the timing of these events."

Looking up from his own console, Harry added, "Captain, I checked with the universal translator. That word he mentioned, fron, appears to be a derivative of several known languages from Earth's history. And one or two similarities from other planets, as well."

"Thank you, Harry." Turning back to Tuvok and Chakotay, she added, "Well, there's one indicator in their favor. If for no other reason, as far as I'm concerned, he's requesting medical help, and I can't deny that to a potential ally. I'm going to grant their request, within reason. But we'll keep an eye on them while they're aboard, and try to find out if they're motives for requesting help are something besides what they're telling us."

She turned back towards the screen. Taking his cue, Harry resumed audio.

"Colonel, we're willing to help you, if we can. One problem, though, we're still several days away from Earth. Will you be able to meet us somewhere?"

"Ummm....hold on a sec, let me get...." Turning to look off screen, he called out, "Hey! Carter! Come find out where they're at so we can meet 'em at the nearest gate!"

Switching places with her CO, she smiled at the Captain. "Um...hi. OK. In order to meet up with you, I kinda need to know where you are. Can you send me a chart of where you are and your current course and speed?"

"Of course. Harry?"

Nodding, Harry tapped a few keys. "On it's way, Captain."

Turning to her laptop off screen, Sam tapped a few keys and read for a moment. "OK, got it. Wow, on the edge of Anubis's main territory, that'll make it difficult. Now, pull up the database....OK, that won't work. Neither will that. Hmmm. Yep, that's better." Turning back to the screen, she smiled, and said, "OK, I'm sending you a chart of the planet safest to meet at."

Looking back at Harry, the Captain asked, "Harry?"

"Got it ma'am. Looks like a minor detour, about three hours at current speed. Sensors show no ships in the vicinity of the planet."

Facing front again, she ordered, "Mr. Paris, alter course. Colonel, we'll be there in about three hours."

Coming back into view, Jack smiled at her. "Great! Just great! I know this sounds derantis...."

"Crazy," came from off screen.

"...Yeah, derantis, but I'm sure that it's just perfect! Oh, yeah, one other thing....I'll be bringing some stuff with us. Don't ask, I don't know why, I just know we'll need it."

Hiding her curiosity, she wondered what kind of "stuff" he was refering to. "Very well, we'll have some cargo space prepared. We look forward to seeing you again, Colonel. Janeway out."

Turning back to her first officer as the screen reverted to the view of the starfield in warp, Janeway ordered, "Commander, prepare cargo bay 3 for our visitors. Warn the doctor as well, he's going to need to see the Colonel as soon as possible if he's going to be able to help him."

Giving her one of his sly smiles, Chakotay commented, "And maybe to verify his story?"

"That too. Regardless, I want him checked out as soon as possible."

"Understood." with that, he left the bridge.

***

Walking into the storage room, Dr. Weir looked at the vast amount of gear piled on the cart in the room, then turned to see Daniel and Sam standing against the wall, watching the show. "Teal'c just called in, he found a cargo ship and pilot. What's going on?"

Looking harried, Jack replied, "Voyager. They agreed. I'm just getting some supplies. Don't ask. But I'd rather go with them, easier to do what we need to do."

Daniel, already understanding, took pity. "Same thing as before, he just kinda grabs stuff. Then later he uses it to....do....whatever needs doing. He won't understand until later why he needs it, he just knows that he does."

Talking as he walked past towards a shelf, he casually commented to Daniel, "Ya think you can get a hold of T, let him know where to meet us? That cargo ship he found may come in handy."

Nodding, Daniel turned to leave the room. "Shouldn't be a problem."

Dropping a container on the cart, he pauses, then tells Carter, "Grab a naquadah generator, will ya? I don't think we'll need it, but they will." He turned away, heading towards the other end of the room.

"Um....Yes, sir."

Dr. Weir's head spun. "A naquadah....Colonel, are you sure about all this?"

"Nope. But whatever is bouncing around inside my head is. If I ever get to speaking to it I'll be sure to ask what it's up to. Daniel may have to translate the answer, though."

"I just hope it's...YOU'RE right."

"I promise, you'll be one of the first to know. I hope. I wonder if they got duct tape on starships?"