The Face of the Enemy
by Sci-Fi Nut / J. Stockert
TITLE: The Face of the Enemy
AUTHOR: Sci-Fi Nut / J. Stockert
EMAIL: stockert@iname.com
CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Drama
PAIRING: Sam/Jack
SPOILERS: Small Victories, Upgrades, Divide and Conquer, Tangent, The Curse
SEASON / SEQUEL: 4
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: none
SUMMARY: Sam and Jack struggle to regain common ground after the events of Divide and Conquer while gating to a new planet to discover the secrets of an ancient civilization and unveil the threat of a new Goa'uld dominance.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
Chapter One
"None of this has to leave this room," she had said knowing they couldn't act upon the feelings each had declared just moments before.
"And.... we're okay with that?" he had questioned knowing he would never truly be okay with such a concept. Granted, this had not been the way he had envisioned telling her of his ever-growing feelings but they were out in the open now. At least amongst themselves and a few others that had been in the room during the testing procedure. How could one just take back those moments and bottle them up as if they had never occurred?
"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed slamming the papers down on his desk for the umpteenth time. Pushing himself away from the desk he walked out of his office and headed toward the mess hall. Perhaps a cup of coffee would help shake the thoughts that had kept him preoccupied for the better half of the morning.
It had been weeks since the Zatarc incident 'At least if you don't count the whole time loop thing' Jack thought to himself with a small smile. Yes, there had been far too many weeks of awkward silences and strained conversations between him and his 2IC. 'The whole Jonah and Therra thing hasn't helped matters either' an inner voice whispered. Somehow they were going to have to talk about the situation before things became irreversible. 'But how?'
Just as he reached the mess hall, klaxons sounded and the all too familiar words "unscheduled gate activation!" reverberated throughout the base intercoms. 'Now what?' Jack thought to himself as he headed for the gate room. The only team currently off world was SG-13 and they weren't due back for another eighteen hours.
The scene he arrived to was one of mass chaos. Staff weapon blasts hurled through the open wormhole, members of SG-13 were running and half dragging one of their injured teammates down the debarkation ramp, and Carter was frantically yelling at the young sergeant to 'close the iris.' Once the iris was closed, medical teams rushed in and herded the injured soldiers to the infirmary.
General Hammond took a deep sigh and, not for the first time, briefly remembered how this was supposed to be a quiet run of the mill last-stop assignment before (what he considered to be) a well-deserved retirement. Interstellar travel, body snatching power hungry aliens and constantly sending those under his command into unknown and often life threatening situations had never figured into his plans. However, fate always seemed to have a way of stepping in and throwing a curve ball whether you wanted it to or not and Hammond was no exception.
"Colonel Mailon what happened?" asked General Hammond as he surveyed the situation.
It was Jaffa, sir. They came out of nowhere and started firing. We headed back through the forest towards the gate but Major Janeson took a hit. We managed to dial home and well... you saw the rest sir."
"But I thought the MALP didn't detect any signs of civilization in the ruins" Hammond declared.
"Sir, they didn't come from the ruins. As a matter of fact, they came from the opposite direction and they were headed toward the gate" Mailon said with a haunted look in his eyes as he relived the events on P3X 861 in his mind. "Sir, permission to check on the condition of my team?"
"Go ahead son" replied Hammond "report to the infirmary. Debriefing will be at 1500 hours."
"Yes, sir" Mailon replied as he headed toward the infirmary to check on his teammates and complete his post mission physical.
It was a quiet SG-1 that occupied the briefing room two hours later. Each person lost in his or her own thoughts. As the General entered the room and took his seat, each member redirected their attention to the matter at hand.
"SG-1, I have asked you all here to discuss the recent events which SG-13 encountered on P3X 861. As you already know, the team encountered Jaffa and took enemy fire. Lieutenant Michaels suffered minor burns and lacerations while Major Janeson's injuries are more severe. However, Dr. Frasier seems to believe they will recover. Now, according to the data we collected from the MALP prior to the mission, this was supposed to be an uninhabited planet that showed evidence of Naquada deposits. So our next question would be, where did the Jaffa come from, who do they serve and what were they doing on P3X 861?"
"Ah, I believe that would be 'questions' sir and all good ones I might add," answered O'Neill as he looked around the room at his teammates. "I take it General, that you want us to return to the planet and find the answers?"
"Yes Colonel that is exactly what I want you to do. However, I am not authorizing any heroics. I want you all back unharmed. We need to know if there is something more important happening on this planet than Naquada deposits."
"Perhaps there is something within the ruins the MALP detected that might help to give us a clue as to what the Goa'uld might be interested in on the planet" said Dr. Daniel Jackson, the civilian archeologist assigned to the team. "Teal'c, do you know of any reason the Goa'uld would be interested in this particular planet?"
"I do not," answered the stoic Jaffa warrior. "This is not a planet in which Apophis ever showed an interest in."
"Perhaps there is some naturally occurring power source or mineral other than the Naquada deposits we detected" theorized Major Samantha Carter, astrophysicist and second in command of the team.
"Whatever the reason, I want you all to find it and report back. Any questions?" asked the General as he surveyed the room.
Upon hearing a resounding "no" from each member of the team he stood up and declared "SG-1 you are to exercise extreme caution. You leave in one hour. Dismissed."
"Colonel O'Neill, may I speak with you for a minute?" the General asked after everyone had left the room.
"Yes sir?" O'Neill answered.
"Colonel, things seem to be a bit strained on your team. Is there anything going on that I should know about?" he asked.
"No sir, not that I'm aware of" answered O'Neill with the most innocent expression he could muster.
"Very well son. Prep for your mission" the general replied as he gathered his reports and started to exit the briefing room.
'Whew, that was close' Jack thought as he made his way toward the door.
"Oh, and Colonel" the general's voice stopped him just as he was about to leave. "Whatever the problem is, hurry up and resolve it. SG-1 is my best team. I would hate to see things change."
"Yes sir!" Jack said as he hurriedly made his way out of the room and down the hall. 'Oh yeah' he thought to himself as he began gathering the necessary supplies for the upcoming mission. 'Carter and I are definitely going to have to talk.'
Chapter Two
One hour later the members of SG-1 were standing in the gate room waiting for the wormhole to engage.
"Chevron six encoded" echoed the voice over the intercom. Another resounding thud could be heard from the gate as the disembodied voice once again rang out "Chevron seven locked". The shimmering pool of light known as the wormhole sprang to life.
"Sg-1 your mission is a go. Good luck" said General Hammond into the microphone as the team stepped through the event horizon.
Although they stepped through the gate on to P3X 861 with weapons ready, all was calm. There was no evidence of Jaffa or any other hostile forces for that matter. Only the telltale signs of scorch marks on the surrounding rocks left by the staff weapons alerted them to the recent altercation.
"Alright kids, let's move out" O'Neill announced as he moved towards the forest. 'Great' he thought to himself as he viewed the surroundings, 'another planet full of trees. Why can't we ever visit a planet with a nice seaside resort?'
It was a long trek to the ruins and it took several hours before they reached their destination. It was now early evening and P3X 861 was an arid planet. Even with the lowering of the suns it was obvious to all that the night would be warm.
The trip through the forest had been an uneventful one. Occasionally a small noise could be heard but no danger emerged. Sam and Daniel quietly discussed possible reasons for Goa'uld interest in the planet while Jack and Teal'c maintained a steady vigil.
Upon arriving at the ruins it was decided that O'Neill and Carter would complete a check of the perimeter while Daniel and Teal'c would scout the interior of the ruins to be sure they were actually alone. Once they had assured themselves that they were indeed the only beings in the area they set up camp and made plans to search the ruins the following morning.
After finishing an evening meal of MRE's and a discussion of the day's events and possible theories as to Goa'uld interest of the planet, the team settled in for the night. It was decided that Daniel would take first watch followed by Sam, Jack and Teal'c.
So far the night had passed uneventfully and Sam had almost completed her watch. Soon Jack would arrive to relieve her and she could turn in for some much needed sleep. Not that she truly believed sleep would be easy to obtain if the last several weeks were any indication to go by. The events of those days flooded back to her as if they had just now taken place. She could see them so clearly in her mind. Martouf and Anise's arrival, the Zatarc testing, Lieutenant Astor's self destruction, her confinement to quarters and the Colonel's face as she had called out to him as he was being led down the hall to undergo the Zatarc removal procedure.
'Jack...' why did things have to be so complicated she thought to herself. 'It's not like we weren't already aware of the situation but we were dealing with it. Why did we have to be forced into a position where we had to verbally admit it? And to Anise of all people!" she thought as she remembered the incident.
Truth be known, the Tokra femme fatale was not her favorite person. First the arm band incident that had nearly cost the team their lives and now this. And to top it off she was sure the woman had designs on Jack. 'So what if she does?' a small voice inside her head questioned. 'It's not like you can do anything about it anyway. Move on and get over it. Regulations aren't going to change anytime in the near future so forget about it and find someone else."
"But I don't want to move on and forget about it" she sighed not realizing that she had spoken her thoughts aloud.
"What don't you want to forget about Carter?" Jack asked taking a seat beside her on the fallen log.
Startled out of her reverie, Sam looked up with the expression of a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Sir, I didn't hear you arrive," she stammered quietly as she began gathering her things to head back to her tent.
"Cut the "Sir" Carter, no one else is around to hear it," he stated flatly. He had decided a while back that it was truly the one word he hated more than any other in the English language (or any other language for that matter) because it was the one word that was the most effective in reminding him of the distance they must maintain on account of their positions. It was like having a bucket of cold water thrown in his face. And Carter was a master bucket handler.
"What don't you want to forget about Carter?" he repeated quietly as he took a moment to take in her appearance. She looked tired as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders in that one small moment in time. He recognized that look as being the same one that stared back at him from his own mirror during the past few weeks. It was the look of a person who had discovered something so big and so earth shattering that it begged to be shared with all. It was a look that said its possessor held a knowledge that must be kept hidden. It was a look that said the timing was completely wrong.
Placing her possessions back down on the ground she looked at him and considered her answer. Should she tell him the truth? After all, he already knew how she felt and on some level a part of her understood that he felt the same way. She knew he would understand her frustrations with the situation. The frustration of having to move forward while burying everything you felt, everything you knew was right, behind a brick wall. But at the same time she knew he understood it was something they must do because a greater purpose was calling them forth. There was so much more to consider then merely the two of them.
"Nothing sir, goodnight" she replied opting for the coward's way out. Gathering her possessions she stood to leave him to his watch but stopped short as she heard him say, "I'm sorry about Marty. I know he meant a lot to you." Carefully placing the items back on the ground and taking a seat she exhaled the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and turned to face him.
"Thank you" she quietly replied. "He didn't deserve to die like that. I was supposed to be there for him and I killed him." Jack had almost missed those last words because she had uttered them so softly. It was as if they were an afterthought but the emotion behind them could not be denied. Somehow she felt responsible as if the blame for Martouf's death lay with her and not the Goa'uld who had so effectively altered his mind.
"You did the best you could for him in a bad situation. You did as he asked. No one could have expected more from you and you shouldn't beat yourself up thinking that you could have done something to prevent things from playing out the way they did. There was nothing more you could have done," he said softly as he tried to allay some of the guilt he knew she was feeling. 'Heck, I feel bad about what happened to ole' Marty and I don't even have to deal with the whole Jolinar thing' he thought to himself.
"It wasn't fair!" she nearly shouted as the anguish that had been building for weeks bubbled to the surface. "He was a good person, he was trying to fight the Goa'uld, it shouldn't have happened like that!"
"No, it wasn't fair!" he all but shouted back giving in to some off his own pent up anger and Sam had the feeling he was referring to much more than Martouf's death. "It wasn't fair, none of it was but we all knew the risks going in," he continued more quietly this time.
Jack risked a look at Sam and was surprised to see her hurriedly wiping away a solitary tear that was trailing down her face. 'Great going Jack, good way to make a girl feel better' he thought to himself. Lifting her face up to look at him he tried again. "Marty wouldn't have wanted you to feel like this. He cared about you. This is the last thing he would have wanted, right?"
"Yes si...Jack" she replied with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. In truth, she was grateful for his words. The incident with Martouf was not one in which she could share with many people and she hadn't been able to bring herself to talk about it with Daniel or Teal'c although she was sure they would have had an idea of what she was feeling.
After a few moments of silence between them, Jack finally asked the question that had been on his mind since the incident. "Carter" he started somewhat hesitantly "what made you realize that we weren't Zatarcs in the first place?"
"I'm not sure" she replied as she began to think back to the moment when things finally started coming together. "I mean, I never felt like a Zatarc although I guess the others didn't either, but there was just a feeling that kept nagging me that something wasn't right. That there was something we were missing, you know?" she offered a shy smile as she looked up at him to see if he was following the thoughts and emotions that she was still trying to sort through herself. "I guess it was when Janet was putting me under that things started coming together. I remember feeling fuzzy from the drugs and flashes or images of everything that had happened started running through my head and I just knew. The test tagged us as Zatarcs because we lied."
"I did not lie" Jack exclaimed upon hearing her last words. "I may have left out a few ...feelings...but I did not lie."
"Yes sir" she grinned as she recognized Jack's words as those of someone trying to justify his actions. "But it was those feelings that caused us to be tagged as Zatarcs. The machine was reading the actual words and actions as well as the very thoughts that lie behind those actions. When we didn't disclose why you wouldn't leave...well...the machine read it as a false response. Or in this case, false memories."
"Carter, you understand why I didn't go into all of that...feeling business... when we were being tested the first time don't you?" he asked hesitantly. He was pretty damn certain she did understand but he needed to be sure and since it seemed they were finally talking he figured he may as well lay his cards on the table and get it over with once and for all. Besides, the strain on their relationship had been plaguing him more than having to admit those very feelings they had worked so hard to keep hidden.
"Yes" she replied with a rueful grin. "I understand that you kept quiet for the same reasons I did" she returned happy to know that he really did understand. 'If nothing else then at least that much is clear between us' she thought to herself.
"So...are we okay with this?" he asked again thinking back to the last time he had asked the same question and hoping that they truly were okay this time around.
Sam thought about his question for several minutes. Too many minutes as far as Jack was concerned since he was beginning to think that Sam would decide they were not 'okay' after all. At last she looked up and smiled "if you mean are we okay with not acting on those feelings we discussed earlier and continuing on with our working relationship then... yes."
This time it was Jack's turn to let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. 'Things may just finally be looking up a bit' he thought to himself as he sent her an answering smile. A smile that was quickly wiped off his face as Sam, who had picked up her belongings, turned back toward him and quietly said "For now."
With that she gave him a quick smile and headed off for her tent leaving Jack to complete his watch and ponder what 'for now' actually meant.
Chapter Three
The first thing Jack noticed as he opened his eyes were the two suns of P3X 861 shining down on him through the thin material of his tent. 'Ooh ... double vision. How much did I have to drink last night?' he thought closing his eyes to shut out some of the light. The events of the evening quickly rushed back as he remembered why they were camped just outside of the ruins on P3X 861. '"I think the drinks would have been the better way to go' he grumbled to himself as he looked out and took in his surroundings. 'No doubt about it, the trees don't look any better this morning than they did yesterday afternoon' he told himself as he went to relieve Teal'c from sentry watch.
"Morning Teal'c" he called to the Jaffa who stood silently surveying the area. "Any problems during your watch?"
"Indeed there were not O'Neill" Teal'c replied as he strode toward the Colonel's position.
After making their way back to the camp they found Carter and Daniel already awake and neatly packing their gear. A quick breakfast of ration bars followed and plans were made to begin examining the ruins.
"It looks as if no one has inhabited these dwellings for some time," observed Teal'c as they began an inspection of the crumbling structures.
"You're right Teal'c. It doesn't look like anyone has been around for at least a couple hundred years. I wonder what happened to this civilization? There must be some kind of clue as to what may have happened to all of the people." Daniel said as he searched for anything that might give him an idea as to what could have caused the population to vanish without a trace.
"Maybe they just needed a change of scenery. You know, oceans, beaches?" O'Neill offered as he pushed the dirt on the ground back and forth with the toe of his boot. Suddenly he felt a thud as his boot caught on something in the dirt. Kneeling down he started pushing away the dirt that covered the area and was surprised to uncover a small object that resembled a trap door.
"Ah Daniel," he called to the archeologist who had just left the dwelling to continue his search. "Could you come here for a minute?"
At the sound of the Colonel's voice, Daniel re-entered the dwelling followed closely by Carter and Teal'c.
"Well Teal'c let's open it up and see what's inside" the Colonel said as he ordered Daniel to stand back while he and Carter took positions on either side of the door with guns trained downward ready for the first indication of trouble they might encounter.
The trap door opened to reveal a dark dusty staircase that descended into a small room. "Okay kids, let's check it out but watch your backs" he said as they all pulled out their flashlights and cautiously made their way down into the room.
"What is this place?" Carter asked as she made her way down the staircase. With each footstep came an accompanying creaking sound as the old wood settled under her weight.
"Maybe a well stocked wine cellar?" Jack joked quietly as his eyes attempted to pierce the darkness.
"Uh... not unless the Goa'uld have taken up drinking." Daniel said as his flashlight illuminated the outline of a smooth metal surface with Goa'uld markings.
"This is a Goa'uld locking device." Teal'c noted as he examined the markings to the side of the door. A quiet hush fell over the group as questions began forming in each of their minds. After a few minutes of toying with the device, a small sound could be heard and the door slid away revealing a maze of hallways covered in Goa'uld writings.
"Déjà vu." Jack announced as he walked through the door and examined his surroundings. "Does this look disturbingly familiar to anyone else here or am I just losing it?" he questioned no one in particular.
"This looks to be the interior of a Goa'uld mother ship O'Neill" remarked Teal'c as he gripped his staff weapon and began steadily moving down the longest corridor.
"Ya think?" quipped Jack as he held onto his own weapon a little tighter and glanced uneasily around.
"The more pressing question is what is a Goa'uld mother ship doing buried in the middle of a city of ruins that show no sign of Goa'uld presence in the first place?" said Daniel as he tried to make out some of the writings covering the corridor walls.
"Ah...no Daniel. The question is whose mother ship is it and are they still around?" Jack returned glancing uneasily about the room.
"That would be 'questions' Jack," Daniel smiled as he recalled the Colonel's earlier quip to General Hammond.
Unable to hide her smile entirely, Sam looked between the two of them and playfully called "Play nice boys" as she also began to warily examine the corridors for any signs of life other than that of SG-1.
Jack settled for shooting a dirty glance Daniel's way and ordered they pair off into groups of two to begin a thorough search of the ship. Jack and Teal'c would head toward the control room to see what they could find while Carter and Daniel would continue to scout the lower levels.
"Keep your radios turned on. I want everyone to check in at ten minute intervals." He ordered as the two teams fanned out. "And Carter, see if you can do something about getting some power in here. This darkness thing is getting old."
"Yes sir" she answered as she and Daniel headed off to begin their search in earnest.
Twenty-five minutes and, two check-ins later they were still without answers to the questions they had raised. Suddenly a small hiss could be heard and lights flickered briefly as power was once again restored to the ship. "Sir, I've managed to restore partial power to the ship. Lighting and most of the subsystems should be available to all areas at this time." Carter's voice crackled through the static of the radio.
"Good job, Carter. Teal'c and I are almost to the control room. We'll let you know if we find anything."
"Yes sir" she replied depressing the button on her radio. Taking one last look around what passed for a Goa'uld engine room she turned and followed Daniel through the doorway to continue their search.
Meanwhile the Colonel and Teal'c had reached the control room and were just beginning to look around when Teal'c stopped and stared hard at the dusty panel in front of him. "O'Neill, I do not believe that we are the first to arrive," he said pointing to the telltale evidence that lay before them.
Jack walked over to stand beside Teal'c so that he could see for himself what the Jaffa had discovered. "Dust?" he questioned as he looked at the Jaffa in disbelief. "You called me over to look at dust?"
"Indeed not O'Neill. I summoned you to examine the lack of dust by these controls" he solemnly replied as he pointed to the controls in question.
Jack looked to his right where Teal'c had pointed and immediately saw the evidence that confirmed the man's suspicions. Sure enough the dust had been displaced and the outline of fingerprints and handprints could be seen scattered over one small section of the panel.
"Just great" he muttered. "Teal'c these prints can't be very old. The area hasn't had time for any more dust to accumulate."
"I concur O'Neill. Perhaps this was the reason the Jaffa were on the planet at the time of SG-13's mission" he theorized.
"But why would they come to what seems to be a long abandoned mothership and then leave through the stargate. What did they want? They couldn't have been here for a mere sightseeing trip." Jack pondered as they began looking throughout the room for any other possible evidence to the aliens' motives.
"And while we're asking the million dollar questions" Jack continued sarcastically "just how did they get in here in the first place? There were no signs of entry at the trap door thingy. That dirt hadn't been touched until we got there and the control panel on the door didn't show any signs of tampering."
"I do not know O'Neill. Perhaps the Jaffa entered by means of a transport device."
"You mean those rings that beam you back up to the mother ship? Well... so to speak" Jack amended as he realized they were already on the mother ship. Or at least they were on, "a" mother ship.
"That is correct O'Neill," the Jaffa replied missing the Colonel's rather dry sense of humor once again.
Pulling out his radio, Jack pushed the button to tell the others of the recent findings. "Carter, Daniel..." his voice called through the radio. "Be on the lookout. From the looks of things up here I'd say that we've had visitors recently."
"Visitors, sir?" echoed Sam's voice through the transmitter. "What type of visitors" she questioned looking at Daniel whose facial expression changed to one of unease.
"Teal'c thinks that maybe our not-so-friendly Jaffa friends from the other day may have dropped by."
"Technically they did not drop O'Neill, they "transported" through the use of a transportation device" interrupted Teal'c who had been listening to the radio conversation.
"Jeez Teal'c, it's just an expression" muttered O'Neill as he continued his conversation. "Teal'c thinks they may have "transported" here through one of those ring thingy's so be on the lookout. I wouldn't want anyone dropping in on us unannounced" he finished.
"Yes sir, we haven't found anything out of the ordinary yet but we'll keep an eye out for visitors while we continue our search. Any idea why they were here or what they might have been looking for?" Carter asked as she and Daniel finished a search of yet another room that held no helpful information.
"Negative, the only things that have been disturbed so far as we can tell are a few of the control panels but we'll keep..." his voice cut off as the ship began to shake and a large rumble could be heard throughout all levels. Suddenly, control panels that had been dark sprang to life and buttons and knobs began flashing throughout the room.
"Carter, what the hell did you push down there?" Jack shouted as he groped for something to hold on to.
"It wasn't me sir. We're nowhere near the engine room" she answered as she and Daniel were thrown to the ground from the force of the shaking ship.
"Well if it wasn't you then who or what was it?" he questioned.
Retrieving the radio that had dropped out of her grasp during the fall she replied, "I don't know. Maybe an earthquake?" she theorized while her mind was racing with possibilities of what might cause such tremors to reverberate throughout the ship.
"Ok, that explains the shaking but what about the additional power?" he queried.
"Power sir?" she asked confused since things had pretty much remained the same in the area she and Daniel had been searching.
"Yes, power, Carter. Doohickeys and lights and gizmos came on everywhere just after the shaking began" he all but yelled back into the radio.
"I don't know sir unless maybe the tremors caused some kind of electrical surge?" she suggested.
Just then Teal'c who had remained quiet during the conversation spoke up. "O'Neill, I do not believe this is the result of a natural phenomenon," he offered.
"Then what is it?" questioned Jack.
"I believe this ship is returning to outer space," he answered. Suddenly the tremors stopped and the Jaffa's words echoed ominously throughout the chamber.
Chapter Four
"Outer Space?" mouthed Jack in stunned surprise. A look of utter disbelief spread over his face as he thought to himself 'Great a small side trip to see the universe. AGAIN! Why can't we ever have a nice, boring mission for once? One that doesn't feature body grabbing snakes and life and death situations?'
Lifting his radio back up to his mouth, he depressed the button that would send his voice across the airwaves and deliver this latest news to Carter and Daniel. "Ah... Carter, Daniel?" he hesitated briefly as he waited for a response to filter back to him. As soon as he heard the all-too-familiar "yes sir?" from his 2IC he continued, "Teal's seems to think we're taking a little road trip. Meet us at the control room. We need to assess the situation."
"Understood. We're on our way sir," she responded as they made their way to the control room to join their teammates.
Minutes later they were all reunited in the control room. "Okay campers, the questions is how did this ship suddenly blast off?" the Colonel questioned looking to each of the members of SG-1.
" Perhaps it was some sort of delayed timing device like Apophis used in the retrofitted death glider." hypothesized Daniel.
"I believe I now understand why the Jaffa were here," said Teal'c.
"Care to share?" the Colonel quipped rubbing his forehead. 'Yep, no doubt about it. I'm getting the mother of all headaches,' he thought to himself. 'Jeez, I can't imagine why!'
Raising one eyebrow in a familiar gesture that had become so characteristic, the Jaffa continued his narrative. "Goa'uld ships can be made to return to a particular location at a future point in time."
"A homing beacon?" Sam asked wondering what the ship's final destination would be.
"Not exactly Major Carter. A person would have to enter the destination coordinates first. That person could then program the exact time in which the ship would begin its journey to those coordinates." Teal'c elaborated.
"It's a timing device then," clarified Daniel as he began pondering the implications this information had raised.
"So you're saying the Jaffa came here to program the ship. But where did they program it to go?" questioned Sam.
"That I do not know Major Carter" Teal'c replied.
"It doesn't matter because the destination is about to change" Jack said as a plan began to form in his mind. "Teal'c, how can we change the coordinates and take this thing back to Earth?"
"You cannot O'Neill. Goa'uld ships have a failsafe device that prohibits such an action. If you attempt to alter the coordinates the ship will self-destruct."
"Self-destruct? Isn't that a bit... harsh?" asked O'Neill in disbelief as he silently began directing curses toward every Goa'uld they had ever encountered in addition to those they had not.
"Indeed not O'Neill" replied Jaffa. "The return device was only used as a last resort during battle. In the event a Goa'uld ship were to be overtaken by the enemy the device would be activated thereby returning the ship back to its owner. As a result, the owner not only regained the ship but was able to punish the enemy as they were delivered directly to him."
"And should the enemy try to override the device then the failsafe would kick in and destroy both the ship and the enemy along with it" Sam surmised.
"That is correct Major Carter. Either way the Goa'uld would be able to defeat his enemy and win the battle."
"Okay... if we can't override the controls then maybe we could contact someone and try to arrange for a little help before we get to wherever it is we're going" Jack said switching to his newly formed 'Plan B'. "Carter, how long would it take to send a message to Earth to let them know of our current situation?"
"Well, sending the message wouldn't take too long sir, but the problem would be the amount of time it would take to reach Earth" she replied mentally computing the calculations.
"Okay, how long would it take?" the Colonel questioned.
"Well, sir P3X 861 was a long way from the Earth and even assuming we're traveling towards the Earth as opposed to the opposite direction...."
"Aaah" he waved his hands in frustration fearing that Carter was preparing to go into one of her long techno babble explanations "Bottom line Carter, how long?"
Looking directly at her CO she quietly replied "A very, very, very ... long... time sir."
Silence descended over the group as the finality of Sam's words hit home.
"And that, boys and girls, effectively squashes 'Plan B'" the Colonel's voice oozed sarcasm as he stood amongst his teammates and silently wondered how SG-1 was going to pull off another miracle in their current situation.
Chapter Five
It wasn't often that both Plans 'A' and 'B' failed before they had a chance to even be attempted but then this wasn't an ordinary situation. style='font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: style='font-size:Sam racked her brain trying to think of alternatives to their present scenario but truth be told, thing's were looking bleak.
Suddenly a light went off in her head and just as she was about to offer a new course of action Daniel spoke up and said, "What if we were able to contact the Tokra? Maybe they have an operative near enough that could pick us up before we reach our final destination."
Jack's mind began racing and Sam allowed herself a small smile. She had been about to offer the same suggestion. "Okay, first thing first" he said looking at the members of the team. "Teal'c, we need to know exactly where we are, where we're going and how long it will take us to get there. Also, I want to know how to trigger this self-destruct thingy. I intend to blow this ship if the Tokra can give us a ride."
Teal'c inclined his head and the Colonel continued. "Carter, I want you to find a way to send an SOS to the Tokra. Give them any information that Teal'c comes up with and have them contact General Hammond to apprise him of our current situation."
"Yes sir" she replied happy to have a task to focus on.
"Daniel" he directed to the final member of his team, "You and I are going to finish searching this ship. I don't want any more surprises. The last thing we need is Jaffa storming us from the cargo hold or something worse. Besides, there has to be something in this place that will give us an idea who this ship belongs to."
As Sam and Teal'c began fiddling with the control panel, Jack reminded them to check in every ten minutes. After synchronizing their watches he and Daniel left to finish scouting the ship.
Nearly an hour had passed when Sam leaned back in her chair and placed her face in her hands. She had tried all of the frequencies that she knew the Tokra monitored but so far hadn't received a response. 'We must be farther from Earth than I figured' she thought knowing that it may be a while before any of the Tokra might receive her messages.
For his part, Teal'c had figured a way to disrupt the failsafe device to blow up the ship but he had yet to figure out where they were going. Actually, where they were to end up wasn't really the question as he had just finished retrieving the coordinates from the ships' navigation system. The real question was 'who' was going to be there to greet them when they arrived.
"Any luck Teal'c?" asked Sam as she looked up ready to continue her task.
"I have had partial success with my appointed duties Major Carter" the Jaffa replied. "I have retrieved the coordinates but I still do not know when we will arrive or to whom we will be arriving to."
"Well, you're fairing better than I am at this point" she grinned as she tiredly shook her head. "I've yet to receive any type of a response on this thing" she said pointing to the control panel in front of her.
"I am certain you shall succeed" Teal'c returned hoping to offer her encouragement with his words. He had seen Sam come through time after time in situations that seemed to be utterly impossible. It was during these times that his respect for the members of his team and for the people of the Tauri in general rose even higher. He had no doubt that she would succeed in her current task.
Pushing his thoughts aside he returned his attention to the panel in front of him and renewed his efforts. Breathing in and deeply one final time, Sam Carter turned to the panel in front of her and continued her hails to the Tokra.
Meanwhile Jack and Daniel had almost completed their search of the ship and were heading toward the cargo room.
"Alright, Danny Boy, so far we've come up with a big fat zero" Jack indicated with a wave of his hand in the direction they had just searched. "How can a ship of this size not have a shred of evidence to tell us who it belongs to?"
"It's almost as if the Goa'uld were trying to erase any indication as to who owned it. Just like the ruins. There wasn't any indication of a Goa'uld presence there either until you found the trap door. Between that and the buried ship I would say that someone went to great effort not to be found" Daniel said trying to mentally sort through the pieces of the puzzle.
Reaching the cargo hold, Jack opened the door and both men momentarily stood motionless as they took in the scene before them. Statues and artifacts filled the room and the indirect lighting of the ship glinted back at them from golden amulets and various other objects.
"Well Daniel, I think we found those rocks that were missing on the surface," said Jack as he stepped inside the room and headed for one particularly large object that had caught his eye.
"Artifacts Jack, they're ARTIFACTS!" the archeologist exclaimed as he looked around in wide-eyed wonder reminding Jack of a small child that had just been let loose in a candy store.
At that moment Jack's radio began crackling and the voice of his 2IC could be heard throughout the cargo hold.
"Colonel O'Neill do you copy?" the disembodied voice questioned.
"What have you got Carter?" the Colonel asked studying the object that stood before him.
"Not much sir" she replied. "Teal'c has figured out where we're headed but he doesn't recognize it as belonging to any of the system lords that he is familiar with. According to his calculations we should be there within the next twenty hours."
"That doesn't give us much time does it Major?" he questioned and began rubbing his temples. 'This day just keeps getting longer and longer' he thought to himself. "Have you managed to contact the Tokra?
"Not yet sir but I'll keep trying," she answered.
"Daniel and I are in the cargo hold and it looks like we just hit the Goa'uld jackpot. I'll let you know if we find anything useful in a few minutes. Keep trying to contact Dad and his pals. We need to get off this thing and soon."
"Yes sir," she replied smiling at the Colonel's reference to Jacob. "He reminds me of dad in so many ways. They're both stubborn and sarcastic' she thought to herself as she shook her head. She smiled again as she realized it was these character traits that had helped to see them through more than one impossible situation in the past. Feeling somewhat more hopeful than she had just moments before she turned and once again focused her efforts on the control panel in front of her.
Having made his way to the far corner of the hold, Jack looked up at the statue that towered above him. His confusion was evident as his eyes took in the features of the 'artifact' that stood before him. It stood upright on two legs and had the hind legs of a lion and the tail of a crocodile. Its face resembled that of a hippopotamus and its stomach...
"Ah... Daniel," he called to the man who was eagerly examining a small tablet covered in hieroglyphs. "Could you come over here for a moment?" he asked.
"Sure, Jack what did you find?" he questioned. He could hear from Jack's tone of voice that the Colonel had found something that he didn't consider ordinary.
"Daniel... perhaps you could explain to me why we're standing here looking at what appears to be a big honking PREGNANT hippopotamus?" he asked as he came eye level with the statues' protruding round belly.
Chapter Six
'Jack you did it!" exclaimed the archeologist who had been so engrossed in the tablets that he had yet to see the larger objects near the far wall.
"I did?" questioned Jack with a look that clearly said the young man had better start explaining some things and fast. 'Either this hippo thing is more important than I thought or Danny's finally lost it once and for all' he thought to himself as Daniel examined a few other items that lay about the room.
"Carter" he called into his radio, "I want you and Teal'c to come to the cargo hold. I think we may have found something that might tell us who we're dealing with."
Minutes later Sam and Teal'c arrived and took in the scene in front of them. There was Daniel standing amidst several artifacts and excitedly chattering to Jack who looked... bored.
Jack allowed the glazed look to leave his eyes as he lifted his head to see the rest of his team standing in the doorway. 'Yes," he thought to himself 'the other adults have finally arrived.'
"Hey campers!" he called to Sam and Teal'c as they made their way toward him. "I told you we hit the Goa'uld jackpot" he grinned indicating the objects surrounding them.
"Hey Daniel. Care to tell the rest of us what's going on around here now?" the Colonel questioned as he indicated the presence of the remaining members of the team.
Daniel looked up with eyes shining and gave a distracted 'hello' to Sam and Teal'c as they all made their way toward the statue. Sam's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the object that had caused so much excitement for the young archeologist.
"Sir, is that what I think it is?" she questioned the Colonel as she took in the statues features.
"If you think it's a big pregnant hippo, crocodile, lion thingy then yes Carter, it is" Jack replied. "Although Daniel seems to think it's the answer to all of our questions. Either way it's not something one sees everyday" he finished flashing a big smile to his 2IC.
Sam's heart did a small somersault at the sight of his smile. 'Stop it and concentrate on the situation at hand' she sternly admonished herself. 'We're trapped in outer space on a ship flying to the middle of nowhere with our one solid clue being a statue of a pregnant hippo. Get a grip on yourself!'
"The statue that Jack found," Daniel started gesturing toward the hippopotamus "symbolizes the Egyptian goddess Taurt also known as Ta-weret, Taveret or Reret. There are other names but that's not important right now. What is important is that she was considered to be the protectress of pregnant women and infants. Hence the appearance of the statue" he said indicating the stone statue that had captured everyone's attention. "Anyway, she is considered to be the daughter of Ra, the mother of Isis and Osiris, who as you all know were husband and wife, and, some say that she was the wife of Seth."
"Talk about a big family" Jack muttered in disgust as he eyed the statue. "And might I add a very 'familiar' family."
"I have not heard of this system lord Daniel Jackson" Teal'c said as he tried to recall any mention of such a goddess.
"She may not have been a system lord. Or at least not as maniacal as the other system lords we've encountered. She was a very minor goddess even back on Earth although she did have a small following at the Temple of Thebes and Deir-el-Bahri. She was worshipped more by the common people of her time and was said to be very protective of them."
"So what, she was one of the good guys then?" asked Jack wondering if such a thing was possible. As far as he was concerned, the words 'Goa'uld' and 'good guys' had never been uttered in the same sentence.
"Well, she was a Goa'uld so maybe 'less evil' would be a better way to phrase it" the archeologist replied. "I found a book written in Goa'uld on the dais. Maybe it will tell us how she came to be on P3X 861 and what happened. It's not normal for a Goa'uld to pack up any artifact which paid tribute them. Usually they leave them behind so that anyone who comes after can be awed by their 'greatness' so to speak."
"Alright, Daniel grab your book and let's all head back up to the control room. We're going to be solving this mystery in person if we don't contact someone who can get us off this ship and soon. Teal'c how long will it take to rig this thing to blow?" the Colonel asked.
"Not long O'Neill. Five of your Earth minutes at most," the Jaffa solemnly replied.
"Well that's something," muttered Jack.
Static could be heard as they entered the control room. Sam hurried to the communications panel just as a voice speaking in a Goa'uld dialect rang out over the speaker.
"The speaker wishes for us to state our identity and the purpose for our communication" translated Teal'c.
"Tell him who we are and that we are in need of assistance but don't give him our location. The last thing we need is every system lord even remotely near to start coming after us," ordered the Colonel.
Sam stepped aside as Teal'c took his place at the console and sent the requested information. Moments later, the voice came back over the speaker and Teal'c could be heard returning a reply in Goa'uld."
"He wants to know why we're transmitting on a Goa'uld frequency if we are from Earth," translated Daniel. A few seconds of silence ensued and another string of dialect could be heard. Again, Teal'c sent a reply through the vastness of space.
"He says his name is Gran'uk of the Tokra. He is requesting the password to confirm we speak the truth," Teal'c said breaking from his conversation with the Tokra.
"Then send him the password," replied Jack.
"Very well O'Neill" the Jaffa replied as he relayed the necessary information. Minutes passed as the Tokra verified the password. Finally, SG-1 breathed a sigh of relief as the Tokra representative returned to the radio speaking English.
"As I said previously, I am Gran'uk of the Tokra. I apologize for doubting you but we must protect our interests. It would not be wise if the Goa'uld knew we occupied this sector of space. I assume that Major Carter is with you as well," queried Gran'uk.
"Yes," replied Teal'c.
"Please inform her that Selmak sends greetings and has promised what help the Tokra can offer."
"Somehow that just doesn't reassure me," muttered Jack as Sam put her finger to her lips warning him to be quiet so as not to offend what may be their only chance of getting out of the situation in one piece.
Grimacing, Jack remained silent as Sam stepped in front of the console and began speaking.
"Thank you Gran'uk, please send our best to Selmak. I am transmitting our current coordinates as well as the coordinates of our destination. Please be advised that we estimate time to arrival to be just over sixteen hours," she said as she forwarded the necessary information to the Tokra operative.
"We will need time to analyze this information," stated Gran'uk. "I will contact you shortly."
"Well, that went well," muttered Jack as they began waiting for the Tokra's response. "Daniel, you and Teal'c start translating that book and see if you can figure out what happened back there on that planet. Is the ship returning to this 'Tweet' person or did someone else trigger the timer? Carter, you and I are going to come up with a new 'Plan B' on the off chance that the Tokra are surprisingly less than helpful in getting us out of here."
"Yes sir" she said. 'Somehow, I don't think "stupid ideas" are going to work this time' she thought thinking back to the time she helped the Asgard against the replicators.
Chapter Seven
Nearly four hours had passed and still SG-1 hadn't heard anything from Gran'uk. Jack sat in the control room tapping his foot and staring blankly into space.
"Where is he?" grumbled Jack for the umpteenth time. "He said they would get back to us 'shortly' and I don't think four hours qualifies as a short amount of time. Especially when we're due to arrive at God only knows where in just over twelve hours."
Sam, who had been patiently listening to the Colonel grumble to no one in particular for the past several minutes decided to put him out of his misery and start up a conversation. Daniel and Teal'c were still deciphering the book and she knew they were too engrossed to notice his discontent. 'At least it will give him something to focus on' she thought to herself.
"Gran'uk probably had to give the information to the Tokra High Counsel. It will take a while to calculate our distance to their nearest operatives and make arrangements," she said calmly.
"Yeah but FOUR hours? Come on, it's not like we have a lot of time here. They could as least 'try' to pick up the pace a bit," he complained as he paced back and forth like a caged tiger.
"Maybe the Tokra don't consider four hours to be a long time," she offered. "Especially when you take into account the fact that their life spans are considerably longer than ours."
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"Well they are about to get considerably shorter if someone doesn't call back soon," he muttered unappeased as he sat down next to her on the hard floor.
"Ours or theirs?" Sam questioned with a glint in her eyes.
"What?" he asked, confusion evident on his face.
"Ours or theirs?" she repeated slowly as if speaking to a small child.
"Ours or theirs what?" he asked thoroughly confused. "Speak English Carter!"
"You said that 'they', the life spans, are about to get considerably shorter but you didn't specify if 'they' meant us or the Tokra. So, ours or theirs?" she explained trying not to laugh as the look on the Colonel's face went from one of utter confusion to one of ... well one of something else anyway. 'I'm not sure if it's one of shock that he didn't pick up on the question sooner or shock that I actually bested him for once in the sarcasm department. Well pseudo sarcasm at least" she thought to herself.
"Yours" he firmly replied having caught the twinkle in her eyes as she tried to hide her amusement. 'That's one thing I love about Carter. Even when the situation is at an all time low she still can manage to make me smile' he thought to himself. Aloud he said "You do know what they say about paybacks don't you Major?" he questioned good- naturedly.
"Whose 'they'?" she returned with a huge grin. 'Ok, so it was a stupid little joke but at least it worked' she thought happy to see him smile if only for a few minutes.
"Sam... Jack..." Daniel called to the pair as he wondered what all of the laughter was about. "Teal'c and I just finished the translation. It's quite a story!"
"Well Danny since it seems that we don't have much else to do around here at the moment and we do have all of this time... have at it" Jack said turning his attention to the exuberant archeologist.
"It all began... " the young man started.
'Great, one of those 'Once Upon a Time' stories. Well this one had better have a happy ending' he thought to himself as Daniel began his narrative.
"... thousands of years ago back on Earth. As you already know Taurt was known as the goddess of childbirth and the protector of infants. The book says she was loved by her people and that she protected them all. It didn't matter if they were of the nobility or the simple peasants from the fields. She treated them alike and ruled wisely next to her husband Seth."
Jack saw Sam flinch at the mention of Seth and gave her a reassuring smile.
"She was the mother of Isis and Osiris who later became husband and wife. Now, according to the book, Seth was jealous of Osiris and coveted his power. To that end he devised a plan to eliminate Osiris and take what was his. To accomplish this, Seth ordered a casket to be made to very particular dimensions, Osiris's dimensions to be precise. He then held a grand party. The details at this point aren't very clear but the text goes on to read that Seth had the guests play some sort of game where each person would lie down in the coffin. However, no one was able to fit in it. Finally, Osiris took his turn and fit perfectly. As soon as he was in the coffin, Seth closed the lid and poured molten lead around the edges to seal it. He then cast the coffin out into the unknown."
"Friendly family," muttered Jack.
"Daniel, is this the same Osiris or Goa'uld that was in the missing canopic jar? The one that took a new host and escaped?" questioned Sam.
"Ah, yes it is actually. The book goes into some detail as to how the symbiote was eventually placed in stasis," he answered.
"Well....?" Jack asked and gestured for Daniel to continue with the story.
"Right. The book goes on to tell of how Isis was heartbroken at the loss of her husband. So heartbroken in fact that she searched the land for ... an undisclosed amount of time... until she finally found him. Fearful of what Seth might do, she hid the coffin in the woods until she could make arrangements to have the body moved to a safe location."
"Let me guess," Jack interrupted. "Things didn't go as planned did they?"
"Ah, actually, no." Daniel said looking around at his teammates who were listening intently. "The book says that Seth found the coffin one day when he was hunting and, in a fit of rage, opened it and chopped Osiris' body into many pieces. He then scattered them throughout the land. Again, Isis was heartbroken and set out to find the pieces of her husband's body so that she might breathe life back into him. It says that Seth was so angered by her actions that he condemned her to share her beloved's fate for all of time."
"Banished into oblivion," Teal'c said as he remembered the Goa'uld symbols on the canopic jar.
"I believe so," answered the archeologist.
"So how does this tie in to this 'Tweet' person ending up on P3X 861?" asked Jack.
"Taurt" Daniel corrected. "The narrative continues to say that there was much unrest in Taurt's heart over the death of her children and many arguments ensued. Finally, fearing for her life, she escaped in the dark of the night to find a peaceful place to live out her days."
"P3X 861. So why did she leave the planet and why did she hide all traces of her presence? " Sam asked.
"The book also says that she knew Seth would not rest until he found and destroyed her because of her betrayal. So she found a small planet far away from the Earth and quietly made her home. According to the story she ruled over and protected the people of P3X 861 until a Jaffa scouting party arrived on the planet and discovered her whereabouts."
"Wait... I know this one. The Jaffa belonged to none other than our old buddy Seth, right?" asked Jack.
"That's right. Knowing that Seth would return to seek vengeance, she ordered her people to remove all tributes and writings from the city and had the artifacts placed in, what her people called, an 'iron bird hidden far below the surface'. The people then escaped safely through the stargate to... somewhere... the book doesn't say but they did escape. And that's where the narration ends," Daniel concluded.
"She probably had all of the tributes moved to the cargo hold with the idea of sending for the ship after her people had adjusted to their new location," Sam mused aloud.
"That makes sense Major Carter," said Teal'c who had remained quiet throughout Daniel's narration.
"But why didn't she just put everyone in the ship and fly them all to their new place. Why use the gate? And did she get through the gate before Seth's men arrived?" queried Jack.
"Perhaps she did not have enough time to prepare the ship O'Neill" Teal'c theorized.
"That could be sir," Sam agreed. "Remember, the ship didn't take off as soon as the Jaffa left. Maybe it takes time to charge the cells after sitting for so long."
"It didn't take Osiris long to power the ship back on Earth and escape," the Colonel observed.
"But remember, Sara... or rather Osiris, arrived before the rest of us. She may have had time to get everything ready," offered Daniel, closing his eyes as he thought of his former friend and lover who had been taken as a host by the awakened Goa'uld.
"So why didn't she come back for the ship? Daniel, you said so yourself, those ruins had been there for a long time," Jack asked realizing that this situation must be weighing harder on Daniel than the rest of them considering his friendship with the female archeologist.
"Maybe she's coming back for it now Jack. I don't know. Perhaps something happened on the planet they gated to or maybe she waited this long to be certain Seth wasn't still looking for her. Either way, it still leaves us with unanswered questions."
Suddenly, a communications panel gave out a small series of beeps. True to his word, Gran'uk had returned after completing his evaluation of the data Sam had previously transmitted.
"It's about time," Jack muttered quietly hoping the Tokra operative had managed to come up with a plan that would not only get them out of this mess but get them back home as well. Or at least, to a planet with a stargate and they could return to the SGC on their own.
"We have completed our analysis and the situation does not look good," said Gran'uk coming directly to the point. "Given the positions of our nearest ships in relation to your vessel, we are unable to rendezvous with you before you reach the coordinates. However, we do have knowledge of the region of space that your ship is heading for and can provide you with information to better prepare yourselves."
"We appreciate any help and information which you can give us Gran'uk," Sam said graciously as she realized they were no closer to a solution now than they were several hours ago. "Where exactly are we headed?"
A long pause came back to them over the radio as if Gran'uk was considering exactly how much information he should give them. Finally, his voice came over the speaker for all to hear.
"You are headed to a relatively unpopulated region of space. One that is not controlled by any of the major system lords at this time," the Tokra said.
"Yes, something in our favor!" Jack quietly exclaimed.
Sam looked at the Colonel and quietly shook her head to convey that something wasn't right. "Gran'uk, you said that there were no 'major' system lords in the area but you didn't say who this ship is en route to. What aren't you telling us?" Sam queried realizing the Tokra had delivered the news in a fashion that was too quiet and cautious. Somehow she knew the answer would not be one any of them wanted to hear.
"You are very perceptive Major Carter," Gran'uk replied. "You are correct in understanding me when I say that there are no major system lords in the area at this time. However, a Goa'uld has claimed that particular region of space and is currently building an army as we speak. It is a matter which the Tokra are investigating."
"Oh for crying out loud Gran'uk" the Colonel exclaimed. "Are you going to tell us who we're dealing with or not?"
Nothing but silence could be heard through the radio and just as Jack was beginning to think his words may have been construed as offensive, the Tokra's voice once again echoed throughout the room.
"The Goa'uld with whom you are 'dealing with' Colonel O'Neill is called Osiris..."
Chapter Eight
Silence ensconced the room as the members of SG-1 took in this latest tidbit of information. "Of course, who else would it be?" Jack questioned while kicking the nearest console with the toe of his boot.
"Osiris" Daniel whispered remembering their last encounter and the loss of his friend.
A look of resignation passed over Sam's face as past memories played out before her eyes. Teal'c simply raised one eyebrow and straightened his tall frame as he acknowledged the reality of Gran'uks words.
"Gran'uk, our calculations show that we should reach the programmed coordinates within the next four hours. We need a plan to get us off the ship within that time. Can the Tokra help us?" questioned Sam.
"Major Carter, as I stated earlier, the Tokra do not have any vessels within the area that could rendezvous with your ship prior to your scheduled arrival. We are hopeful that we may be able to offer a small amount of assistance after your arrival but we cannot guarantee success," the Tokra operative said in a very dubious tone of voice.
"Ah Gran'uk, what type of assistance?" Jack asked wondering why he bothered placing any faith in the friendly snakes at all.
"We are not able to say at this time Colonel O'Neill however please believe that we are trying to work on a suitable solution to your problem as we speak."
"What about the transporter rings on the ship?" Daniel questioned. "Is there some way we could use them to our advantage? Maybe transport somewhere else and escape from there?"
"Osiris occupies a planet at the far end of this region of space. It is an uninhabited planet without temples or cities. At this time it is used as a training base for Jaffa. There is no place to transport to unless your ship comes directly in line with Osiris's mother ship. You could then transport to the other ship. Although, I do not know how that would help you in your quest for freedom," Gran'uk said quietly wondering, not for the first time, how the Tauri managed to get themselves into such unbelievable situations.
"So much for the cavalry" Jack muttered. "Gran'uk does this training base have a stargate? I mean, wouldn't Osiris choose a planet with a stargate to make it easier to transport the troops?"
"Yes the planet does have a Chappa-ai although I do not see how that will help you since it is down there and you are up here in space," he mused unable to fathom what the Colonel might be thinking.
"Right, but if there were a way to get us from up here to down there then maybe we could get to the gate and return home before we get caught by Osiris and all the other snakeheads around here," the Colonel said thinking out loud. Suddenly realizing what he said about the Goa'uld and then who he was speaking to he muttered a sheepish "no offense Gran'uk" into the radio.
"I am not offended Colonel, Selmak briefed me on your unusual Tauri mannerisms. He took additional time to brief me on yours in particular," the Tokra operative replied.
Upon hearing the tokra's response, Sam lowered her head to hide the smile that was playing around her lips while Teal'c and Daniel stood back quietly watching their slightly embarrassed and confused CO take in Gran'uk's words.
"Oh..." he managed a little sheepishly as he noticed the reactions of those standing around him. With a slight grin he leaned over to Sam "Chalk one up for dear old dad, eh?"
"Yes sir," she quietly responded with a smile that said so much more. 'Not now Jack' he thought to himself as he took in that smile 'you've got Goa'ulds to annoy, ships to destroy and teammates to save.' But yeah sure ya betcha he was going to let himself think about that smile after this never ending day was finally over.
Bringing himself back to reality and focusing on the matter at hand he once again addressed Gran'uk and his team. "Ok kids, we're about out of time and we need to get off of this ship. We can't use the transport rings and the Tokra can't fly in and pick us up so what other options do we have?"
"If the failsafe device were not in place it would be possible to use the gliders and escape to the planet," Teal'c mused aloud.
Suddenly the other members of SG-1 turned to stare at the towering Jaffa as each member seemed to have the same thought all at once.
"What if..."
"We could..."
"How about..."
"Aah! For crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed looking at his teammates as they all tried to speak at once. "One at a time okay?"
"Well," Daniel began as he looked at the faces staring back at him. "Osiris wouldn't have expected us to be on the ship when it took off so what if we hid and then waited for our chance to leave? We could escape to the stargate and..."
"But you are assuming that Osiris intends to land the ship on the planet. From what Gran'uk told us I doubt there are any pyramids or bases for the ship to dock with," Sam pointed out.
"Major Carter is correct," Gran'uk interrupted. "Osiris will most likely maintain orbit around the planet rather than attempt to land the ship. However, if you were to conceal yourselves when Osiris boards the ship to deactivate the failsafe device then perhaps you could make your way to the gliders and escape to the planet once she departs."
"Of course, someone would have to board the ship to input new instructions or coordinates. It makes sense that the failsafe would be deactivated since the ship had arrived as planned," Sam theorized.
"Ok just hold it," Jack exclaimed waving his hands nervously in front of him. "What if Osiris and/or the guards don't leave once they board the ship and do their thing? And even if they do leave, wouldn't they notice if a couple of gliders suddenly left this ship and started flying toward the planet?"
"O'Neill is correct. Any vessel leaving this ship will be observed. Osiris' Jaffa would pursue our ships and open fire," Teal'c stated flatly.
"Then we are going to have to fly like bats out of hell'" Jack stated knowing that this was the best plan they were going to come up with under the circumstances. "Gran'uk, did you catch all of this?"
"Yes, Colonel. I would say that under the circumstances this looks to be your best option although the risks are many. Even if you do make it to the planet you will have to land and make your way to the Chappa-ai. I will forward the coordinates to you but keep in mind that it will be guarded."
"Thanks Gran'uk. Would you mind letting General Hammond know what we're planning? Tell him to give us another 48 hours before locking out our GDO codes. If we haven't made it back by that time then chances are we won't be coming back at all," Jack said grimly as he saw his own trepidation of the upcoming events mirrored on the faces of his team.
"Very well Colonel. I wish you success," and with that Gran'uk closed the channel and began contacting his own superiors and the Tauri General to relay SG-1's intentions.
"Ok campers we have just over 3 hours," Jack said as he looked at his watch. "So... here's the plan. We need to set C4 throughout the ship to rig it to blow. The last thing we need is some wanna be system lord getting its hands on another mother ship. That way when we leave in the gliders we blow the ship and Osiris gets zilch."
"It may prove useful in distracting Osiris while we make our escape." Teal'c observed.
"Or it may serve to make her all the more determined to come and get us," Daniel muttered. "Jack, I thought the ship was already set to detonate?"
"It is Daniel but it's set through the failsafe on the contingency that we were able to get off this thing while still in route. Once the failsafe is deactivated then detonation is no longer an option. So... we need to place the C4 and detonate ourselves. Either way, this ship is history," Jack concluded as he looked at the younger man. He knew this situation was hard on Daniel and just hoped that the next few hours passed smoothly so the young archeologist didn't have to endure any more emotional pain than he already had.
"Carter, you and Teal'c erase any indications that we were here. Coordinates, communiqués the works. It wouldn't do for anyone to discover we've crashed the party. Once you're done place the charges on the upper decks while Daniel and I take the lower decks. As soon as we're finished we'll meet up in the hangar and prep the gliders."
"Yes sir," Carter answered in full military mode.
"Come on Danny Boy," Jack said flashing a grim smile at the young man, "we've got some fireworks to set up."
Chapter Nine
One and a half hours later SG-1 stood in the hangar and took in the site before them. Surrounding the team was a large quantity of death gliders.
"You can say whatever you want about this 'Tweet' person being kind and friendly Daniel but from the looks of things here she sure was prepared to fight if she had to" Jack said indicating the gliders which surrounded them.
"Indeed" Teal'c remarked eyeing the machines.
Daniel simply grimaced and turned to inspect the ships.
"Carter did you and Teal'c finish placing the party favors?" the Colonel asked as he made his way toward one of the gliders nearest the hangar bay doors.
"Let's just say this is one party Osiris will remember for quite a while sir," she replied as she inspected the glider next to the one the Colonel had chosen.
"Good," he nodded as he looked over his team. "Carter and Teal'c will pair off in this glider," he said pointing to the glider Sam stood in front of "and Daniel and I will take this one here," he finished indicating the glider by the doors. "Teal'c we need to run a pre-flight check on these babies. I don't want any more surprises than necessary."
"I concur," replied the stoic Jaffa as he began the pre-flight sequence checks.
"Sir, if we hide out in the hangar bay then how will we know when the failsafe has been deactivated and when Osiris and her Jaffa have left the ship?" Sam asked.
The colonel stopped for a moment. Leave it to Carter to come up with the one thing he hadn't thought of. If they opened the doors before the failsafe was deactivated then the ship would blow. If they waited too long then Osiris had time to coordinate all necessary arrangements between the two ships and that would really reduce the team's "element of surprise."
"We're going to have to hide somewhere near the control room where we can keep an eye on things. Any suggestions Major?" the Colonel asked.
Sam took a moment to consider the layout of the ship before answering. "We could hide one level below near the lift. That way we could tell when they make their way back toward the transport rings and still maintain a bit of distance from the control room."
"Sounds like a plan," Jack agreed. "You and I are going to do a little spying on our snakey friends while Teal'c and Daniel hide out in the hangar."
"Should I not accompany you O'Neill?" the Jaffa questioned. "You may need assistance if you are discovered" he pointed out.
"I agree that you'd be a huge help Teal'c but I need you and Daniel to remain behind and set up the gliders. We'll signal you once the Jaffa are on their way back and you can have both gliders ready to go. Besides, you and I are the only ones that know how to fly these things. If Carter and I don't make it back you're to take Daniel and go home. Understood?" the Colonel asked with a finality in his voice that plainly stated he wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Understood" replied the Jaffa with a slow nod of his head.
"Okay, we have just under an hour before this party begins. Teal'c, get the gliders ready and then I want you and Daniel to stay out of sight. We don't know exactly what areas of the ship will be checked and I don't want the two of you discovered. Got it?" the colonel asked looking at both men. After receiving their assurances that everything would be ready and that they would stay out of sight he turned to his 2IC "Ready Carter?"
"Yeah sure ya betcha," she replied with a small smile as she reached for her Zatniktel.
Jack gave a pointed look at the Goa'uld weapon poised in her hand and then looked back up to Sam's face. "Pulling out the big guns Major?" he questioned as he turned to leave the room.
"I just want to be prepared Colonel," she answered as she followed him out of the hangar to their predetermined hiding spot.
Thirty-five minutes later as Sam and Jack sat quietly huddled in their hiding spot a rumbling was heard throughout the ship and suddenly everything seemed to stand still. With trepidation the two soldiers looked at one another knowing that their time was up and the countdown had all but come to an end. There would be no turning back and no more planning to be done. They had done all they could and now the moment of truth had finally arrived.
The ship had dropped out of hyperspace....
Chapter Ten
It wasn't long after the ship had dropped out of hyperspace that Daniel and Teal'c felt everything come to a complete stop.
"We must prepare ourselves Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said as he made his way toward a stack of crates that were nestled in the corner nearest the glider he had chosen.
"If by 'prepare' you mean hide then I'm right behind you," Daniel said nervously glancing toward the doorway. The young archeologist looked as if he expected to see a squadron of Jaffa heading his way at any moment. Squatting behind the crate he reached for his weapon as Teal'c lowered his staff and trained it on the doorway. If Osiris's guards did decide to tour the Glider bay then it would be the last stop they made.
Meanwhile Sam and Jack took their places on opposite sides of a small room filled with a few pieces of oversized furniture. From their vantage points they could view any activity that took place between the lift and the control room and hoped to be able to tell when the Jaffa made their way back to their own ship.
'That is IF they make their way back to the other ship,' Jack thought to himself amazed at the position the team now found itself. Moving his radio a little closer to his face he called Daniel and Teal'c to confirm they had managed to prep the gliders and move out of sight. Assuring himself that things were still going according to plan and both men were in position he turned his attention across the room toward his 2IC. Giving her an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up sign he indicated that everything was good to go.
Nodding her head she returned his smile and then sharply turned toward the doorway. Jack could see her body visibly stiffen and her eyes grow wide as she stared out at the hallway and readied her zatniktel.
Wondering what had sent her into a very obvious defensive position, he looked out at the hallway while grabbing for his own weapon. And then he heard it.... Boom... Boom... Boom... as if someone were steadily beating a base drum. Boom... Boom... Boom... their rhythm in perfect sync. Faint at first but growing steadily in crescendo until the noise was almost upon them. It was the sound of many feet hitting the floor all at once in a twisted cadence. It was the sound of a Jaffa squadron marching down the hallway. It was a sound that SG-1 knew all too well.
Dropping as low to the ground as she possibly could, Sam looked toward the doorway as a sudden wave of dizziness mingled with déjà vu slammed into her consciousness. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she glanced at the Colonel and shook her head to let him know that the passing Jaffa were not the last of the threats they currently faced. And then suddenly everything fell into place. Turning her attention back toward the hallway she spied the reason for her trepidation. 'As if the Jaffa weren't reason enough' she thought to herself with a wry grin and a small shake of her head. Passing in front of the doorway was a woman with long blond hair that fell in gentle waves around her face. Her dress was one of white fabric that reminded Sam of gauze. The airy fabric billowed around her feet as she strode past the room in which Sam and her commanding officer hid.
Breathing a small sigh of relief that the woman didn't seem to be aware of their presence, Sam looked to her CO and saw him relax his grip on his weapon ever so slightly. And then she felt it. The presence became stronger and seemed to invade her being. Looking up she saw the woman step back in front of the doorway and quietly survey the room as if she was expecting to find something.
'Wow' Jack thought to himself as he took in the sight of the blond woman. Sitting back quietly he allowed himself to wonder if this was the woman Daniel had told him about. The one he had left behind when he held true to his own beliefs of ancient Egyptian culture. He realized that Daniel had given up much to pursue his ideas only to find in the end that he had been right in his beliefs all along. Only to discover that those beliefs must be kept quiet from a world that wasn't ready for the knowledge in which the truth would bring.
The woman took another step towards their position and surveyed the room as if sensing something wasn't quite right. She had a look of confusion on her face but both soldiers could see the glint of determination in her eyes as she stopped and turned her head towards Sam's hiding spot. Seeing that the woman was about to make her way toward her, Sam readied herself and prepared for the fight that would inevitably come. Fearing they had been discovered, Jack also prepared himself to begin firing at the most opportune moment.
Suddenly, a Jaffa appeared in the doorway and the woman turned to face him as he stood waiting to escort her to the control room. With a final glance back towards Sam's position she allowed herself a small smile and her eyes glowed with a golden light as she turned and followed the Jaffa out of the room.
Jack and Sam both caught their breaths realizing just how close they had come to being found out. Instinctively they each knew that they were not in the clear and that they had only gained a brief respite from things to come. Instinctively they both knew that they had just gazed into the face of the enemy.
"That was... strange" Jack said as he quickly made his way over to where his 2IC had been hiding. "I take it that was Daniel's friend?"
"Osiris. Yes sir. I just hope we can get off the ship before Daniel catches sight of her. He's already been through enough during our last encounter and this just dredges up his memories of what Apophis did to Sha'ure."
"I know. I'm guessing she honed in on you because of the whole Jolinar thing?" he asked remembering how the Goa'ulds could sense one another just as Sam had so obviously sensed Osiris.
"Yes sir. I'm sorry, I should have thought of that before. Maybe we should split up. I could stay up here and radio back to you when the failsafe has been deactivated and you could go to the hangar and get things ready with the others..."
"Absolutely not Carter!" Jack said holding his hand up to stop any further musings of his 2IC. "No one gets left behind and I'm not leaving you up here to sacrifice yourself so the rest of us can get away."
"But sir, I..." she began and Jack angrily cut her off in mid-sentence.
'Aah not another word Carter and that's an order. I am not leaving you here to act as a decoy and that's final," he stated emphatically knowing her well enough to figure out what she was thinking. "Either we both head back to the hangar or we both stay here. Either way, you're stuck with me so deal with it. Understood?"
"Understood sir," Sam said sighing in defeat. She recognized the tone his voice had taken on and knew there was no arguing with him once he made up his mind. He was in full Colonel mode. "We should find another place to hide until the Jaffa leave. I'm sure Osiris is aware of our presence, or mine at least, and may come back with a contingent of guards."
"That would be bad," the Colonel agreed as he glanced around the room to make certain they hadn't left anything behind. "Let's move out."
Making their way to the lift they headed down a level and took up positions nearer the hangar. "Teal'c, Daniel, do you copy?" the Colonel whispered into the radio.
"Jack, are you and Sam alright?" Daniel asked. "We heard Jaffa walk by earlier but everything has been quiet since."
"Yeah, we saw them too Daniel. We've had to change our positions so we're a little closer to you than before. I want you to stay put until you hear from one of us. Understood?" O'Neill asked.
"Understood. Be careful" Daniel cautioned. Something in his friend's voice wasn't quite right. Something had happened that Jack either couldn't or wasn't going to go into at this point in time.
"Right, radio silence from here on in" the Colonel ordered as he concluded the conversation.
"Teal'c," Daniel questioned as he turned toward the towering Jaffa "is it just me or did Jack sound a little... off?"
"He sounded as he always does in the heat of battle Daniel Jackson" the warrior replied.
"Maybe but..." he paused for a moment shaking his head lightly from side to side. "I don't know Teal'c, I just have a bad feeling about this."
"Indeed" the man replied as he raised one eyebrow and concentrated his gaze on the doorway before them. "Indeed."
Chapter Eleven
It wasn't long after Jack ordered radio silence that the metallic humming of the lift was heard. Sinking further into their hiding spots, Sam and Jack waited with baited breath for the guards to pass by. Only then would the soldiers be able to make a break for the hangar and place their bid for freedom.
As the lift passed making its way to the lower level they breathed a small sigh of relief. 'Maybe we'll catch a break after all and Osiris will take her guards and leave' Jack thought as he fumbled for his radio to contact Daniel and Teal'c. 'Yeah, and maybe pigs fly south for the winter' mocked a small voice inside his head.
Annoyed at himself for the direction his thoughts had taken, Jack quickly shook his head and refocused his mind on the situation at hand. Lifting the radio closer to his face he called to his teammates in the hangar.
"Daniel, Teal'c do you copy?" he whispered softly in case any of the Jaffa had decided to stray from their main path.
"We are here O'Neill" Teal'c answered as the deep tones of his voice seemed to echo through the radio. "Have the Jaffa succeeded in deactivating the failsafe?"
"Well, they just headed back toward the cargo bay and those transport rings so I'm guessing yes. Carter and I could go check out the control room to be sure but I don't want to risk dragging her all over the ship while the Goa'uld are hanging around. It's too easy for them to hone in on her since the whole Jolinar thing."
"Agreed. Daniel Jackson and I will prepare for your return," replied Teal'c.
Just then the humming of the lift could be heard. "Teal'c, we gotta go. You and Daniel just be ready in case we have to get out of here really fast" Jack ordered as he placed his radio back in his vest pocket and silently peered around the pillar toward the back of the room. Suddenly, the lift seemed to stop and Osiris peered out as if looking for something.
Glancing over, the Colonel saw his major turn ghost white and a look of recognition cross her features as she realized that Osiris had once again sensed her presence. Would they be granted another reprieve as they had been earlier when the Jaffa had escorted Osiris from their previous hiding spot to the control room? Or would the pair find themselves surrounded by a vengeful Goa'uld and her personal guard?
A small smile crossed the face of Osiris as she turned and made her way back toward the lift. Stopping just short of the platform, she spoke quietly to one of the guards who merely nodded his head.
'This cannot be good' Jack thought to himself as he silently witnessed the hushed conversation between the two alien beings.
'There is no way she could have NOT sensed us this time" Sam thought to herself as nausea settled in the pit of her stomach and began to rise in her throat.
After shaking his head several more times in acknowledgement to whatever Osiris had been telling him, the Jaffa stood aside as Osiris made stepped on to the platform. The second guard who had been silently standing by also stepped from the lift and watched as her form disappeared from sight with the lowering of the platform.
'This is definitely NOT good' Jack thought as panic started to settle in. Something was obviously wrong. 'Why didn't I send Carter back with Daniel and Teal'c?" he thought to himself despairingly. 'At least then I could have radioed ahead to Teal'c and had him get her off of the ship before the guards had too much time to organize their movements. At least then she might have been safe.'
Grabbing his weapon determinedly he watched as the Jaffa made several hand motions ordering the younger guard to search the area in which Sam was hiding. Giving his 2IC a few hand signals of his own to let her know of his intentions, he grabbed his weapon as he leaped up and fired at the Jaffa heading toward him. The bullets ricocheted off of the Jaffa's headgear as the metal encased warrior lifted his own staff weapon and began to fire.
As the Colonel jumped up and began firing his weapon at the momentarily stunned Jaffa, Sam took advantage of the situation and fired at the distracted guard that was heading her way. Her own weapon found it's mark in the center of the Jaffa's chest and he fell to the ground in a display of electric charge. Seeing that her adversary had been hit and was now incapacitated, Sam ran over to him and fired a second and third shot from her alien weapon as she watched the guard die and disintegrate before her eyes.
Hearing the weapons discharge she turned to see her CO ducking behind a pillar as he returned the barrage of energy that was being hurled toward him from the Jaffa's staff weapon. Inching her way toward the lift, she crouched behind another pillar and began laying down cover fire.
"Sir, we need to make our way to the lift so that we can get out of here" she called to the Colonel as another blast from the deadly staff weapon came within inches of his head.
'Well, at this rate I won't need a haircut any time soon' he grimaced to himself as he felt the heat radiate from the blast as it passed dangerously close to his ear.
Laying down one final array of heavy gunfire, he turned and ran toward Sam who had managed to hold the lift while laying down cover fire of her own. Just as Jack leaped onto the platform she pressed the button that would take them away from the deadly blasts. Blasts that could still be heard as the duo made their way downwards into the belly of the ship.
Suddenly the lift came to an abrupt stop halfway between floors and an alarm began blaring throughout the ship. Sam and Jack looked at one another with a look akin to panic on their faces as a new noise assaulted their ears. From the floors above they could hear shouting and the heavy footsteps of Osiris's guards as they ran toward the lift.
"Okay, NOW we're trouble" Jack muttered as he and Sam heard the word 'Tauri' shouted repeatedly. Looking around for a means of escape he realized that the platform had stopped between levels and left them just enough room to drop to the floor.
"Carter, this is going to be tricky but we're going to have to slide out the bottom here and make our way to the next level" he told her as he laid down on the floor to shimmy his way out of the lift.
Pulling her pack from her back so that she could squeeze through the narrow opening, she lay down and tossed it to the Colonel as soon as he made his way to the floor below. Carefully lowering herself over the side she leaped down and felt Jack's hands clasp her around the waist to ease her descent as he gently lowered her to her feet.
Smiling gratefully, she leaned over to retrieve her pack as he did the same. Suddenly they heard a small whirring sound and looked up to see the lift begin an upward climb.
"We need to find a way out of here now" Jack said in a voice laced with urgency. "As soon as that platform reaches the top they'll realize where we're at and they'll be on us in no time."
"There's an access hatch on the opposite side of this level towards the front of the ship. We could use it to climb down to the hangar deck and meet Daniel and Teal'c" Sam said as she indicated the corridor to their left.
Her words had no sooner left her mouth as the blast from a staff weapon raced above their heads. Looking back they saw a very large and determined Jaffa lean down on the platform as he attempted to aim the weapon through the expanding gap between the platform floor and the level just above them.
"The party's over Carter, let's move now!" the Colonel exclaimed as he released a small volley of shots from his own weapon and turned to follow her down the corridor.
"Teal'c, Daniel come in," he shouted into his radio.
"We are here O'Neill" came the deep timbre of the Jaffa's voice through the tiny speaker.
"Not for long you aren't" Jack replied ducking yet another blast as he rounded the corner right on Carter's heels. "We've run into trouble. Take Daniel and get out of here now. Do you hear me?" he shouted.
"Could we not be of assistance O'Neill?" the man asked as he grabbed his own staff weapon and began heading for the door.
"Negative!" Jack shouted. "We've already talked about this remember? Take Daniel, get to the planet and get HOME. Someone needs to alert Hammond about what's going on here and there is nothing you can do for us. Carter and I will try to make it to the hangar and fly out on our own."
"Jack, we'll wait for you on the planet" Daniel said speaking into his own radio.
"No Daniel, you'll go home. Carter and I will have enough to contend with just getting ourselves out of this mess and blowing the ship. You will go to the gate, make your way through and wait for us at the SGC" the Colonel said as he ducked yet another round of weapons fire.
"Could we not send reinforcements through to the planet O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned.
"Teal'c, if we aren't back at the SGC soon after you arrive then there will be no reason to send reinforcements. Understand?" Jack asked, desperate to get to the access hatch and hopefully find some cover soon.
"Understood O'Neill. May you and Major Carter be victorious against the guards of Osiris. We will meet again at the SGC" the Jaffa said solemnly as he turned toward the glider, intent on following the Colonel's instructions to see Daniel safely home.
"You too" Jack whispered softly as he closed his eyes for a split second and wished the best for his friends as they made their way towards home.
Chapter Twelve
Jack came to a sudden stop as he ran straight into Sam who was hurriedly removing a plate in the floor. "Access hatch?" he questioned as he fired another shot at a Jaffa and watched as the wounded man fall to the ground, the staff weapon rolling out of his hand. . The man lay on his back and his eyes stared up into nothingness.
"Yes sir," she replied as she pushed the plate aside and cautiously began her descent to the floor below. Not seeing any sign of Jaffa she gave the Colonel an 'all clear' sign and stepped aside as he began his own descent pulling the plate closed behind him. 'Maybe that will confuse them a little and buy us some time' he thought to himself hoping the Jaffa wouldn't realize the humans had discovered the access hatch.
"One more level to go sir" Sam said as she bent down and began pulling an identical plate in the floor aside. With weapon ready, Jack took up a defensive position between his Major and the open doorway and watched for any sign of the Jaffa guards and Osiris.
Opening the hatch and descending the ladder, Sam again looked around the room below her. She could see no sign of the guards but still felt uneasy. 'Something isn't right' she thought to herself as the Colonel made his way through the hatch.
Looking at his 2IC he noticed that her face was drawn and she seemed to be a little more on edge than he would expect seeing there weren't any guards around. However he had learned over the years to trust her instincts, especially when it came to Goa'ulds.
"Sensing something Carter?" he asked quietly as they made their way toward the hangar.
"Osiris. I think she's nearby" she replied with a worried look on her face.
If Osiris was around that meant her guards wouldn't be far behind and not far behind was just a little too close for Jack's piece of mind. "Let's pick up the pace Major. I don't fancy being a guest of Osiris," he muttered as they began running toward the hangar.
They were within feet of the hangar when they saw her standing at the end of the corridor flanked by several guards. Her eyes began to glow and she slowly raised her hand. As she raised her arm Sam and Jack both noticed her hand was adorned with an all too familiar Goa'uld device.
Shoving Sam into the hangar Jack lifted his weapon and began firing at the approaching Jaffa as he followed her into the room. He heard a 'thwump' as the heavy door came to a close behind him and fired his weapon at the control panel blowing the circuitry so that Osiris and her Jaffa would not be able to enter behind them.
"Way too close" he muttered as he turned to make his way toward the glider. Carter had already positioned herself in the tiny ship and was waiting for the Colonel as he hoisted himself into the pilot's seat.
"Ready Carter?" he asked as the clear bubble began to close around them drowning out the sound of the blasts hitting the door as the Jaffa fired their staff weapons in an attempt to thwart their escape.
"Ready sir" she answered as the Colonel flipped the last of the switches that would launch them out into space toward the planet below.
Breathing a small sigh of relief Jack locked in the coordinates that would lead them to the planet and turned to look at his 2IC. "You okay?" he asked, concern flooding his voice.
She replied by nodding her head and giving him a small smile as he checked the gauges on the panel before him. "Carter, we need to blow the ship and the sooner the better. Maybe we can take out Osiris and some of her henchman before she does any more damage than she already has."
Silently agreeing, Sam pulled the detonator from her pack and made ready to flip the switch. Seeing a nod of encouragement from her commanding officer, she lifted the red plastic cover and pushed the small switch forward. Seconds later explosions could be seen as the mother ship that had brought them so far across the universe began breaking apart and falling aimlessly into the icy depths of space.
Just then their tiny glider lurched violently to one side. "What now?" Jack muttered in disgust wondering if this wasn't actually the voyage of the damned. Looking back he saw the Goa'uld death gliders gaining on them and realized that they had been fired upon. Taking the throttle he steered the ship through the maze of Goa'uld blasts.
"I guess our little firework display really ticked them off, eh Carter?" he quipped as he banked sharply to avoid weapons fire from one of the gliders.
"Maybe a little too much sir" she replied closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She knew Jack was a good pilot but she hated feeling so helpless. Trapped in the back of the death glider she realized there was little she could do to help.
"We're nearly there Carter, hold on" he called as he sent the ship into a nosedive which resulted in the destruction of the two death gliders that were firing on them from opposite sides. 'Serves them right,' the Colonel thought as he checked his coordinates one last time and began his descent to the planet surface. Just as it looked as if they would make it down unscathed they felt a jolt at the backside of the glider. They had been hit and their instruments were going haywire as malfunctions began to take over the small vessel. Jack released a volley of weapons fire and obliterated the offending Jaffa but the damage had been done. They were going down and they were going down hard....
Chapter Thirteen
Trying to slow the speed of descent and where they would 'land' was becoming more difficult by the second. Most of the controls were useless by now and navigation was sluggish at best.
"I'm going to try and make for that area of trees off to our left Carter" he indicated to his 2IC as the ship continued to shudder from the stress of the rapid descent. "It might provide some ground cover and make it harder for any gliders to spot our position."
Looking toward the area that the Colonel had indicated Sam had to agree that the dense vegetation would provide an excellent cover for any gliders that may try to swoop in and finish them off. But first they had to make their way down safely and in one piece.
"Hang on Carter!" the Colonel shouted as the glider reached the trees and began careening through them, snapping several of their trunks in the process as if they were mere toothpicks.
It was the last thing she heard as she saw the green of the forest whip by them and with a sickening thud she felt a particularly violent jolt as the glider lurched to a stop causing her head to snap forward and then back against the steel of the cockpit. It was then that everything went black.
She awoke to the feeling of something cool against her face and opened her eyes only to quickly close them in a vain attempt to block out the light which had sent pain shooting through to the back of head. Trying to sit up she felt a gentle but firm hand pushing her back to the ground.
"Easy Major, one thing at a time" the voice chided quietly. She instantly relaxed as she recognized the soft timbre of the Colonel's voice and allowed herself to rest momentarily.
"Where are we sir?" she asked in a cracking voice. Her throat was parched and it felt like days since she had last had anything to drink. 'How long have I been out?' she wondered as she felt Jack gently elevate her head and raise the canteen to her mouth.
"Let's put it this way, we're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy" he joked softly, concern evident in his voice as he tried to assess her condition.
Greedily drinking the water he offered, Sam cautiously opened one eye and smiled up at him. "I kind of gathered that already sir" she quipped thankful they had managed to survive the landing.
Relieved that she seemed to be coherent enough to participate in his casual banter, Jack smiled as he recounted the events since their landing. "From what I can tell, it looks like we've managed to land in the thickest part of the forest which should help provide some cover. Nightfall looks to be a few hours off and I estimate that we are approximately eleven hours from the stargate although considering our present condition it may take us a little longer" he finished as he removed a couple of pain killers from his pack and handed them to her. 'I need to remember to thank Janet for insisting we bring these things along' he mused to himself as he assisted Sam to a semi-seated position so she could swallow the pills.
As she swallowed the medication she took a moment to look around at their surroundings. Trees as far as the eye could see but the terrain seemed relatively flat. 'At least that will make our journey a little easier' she thought as her senses took in something else. Cocking her head to one side she looked questioningly at the Colonel. "Water?" she asked wondering if she was hearing things.
"Yep and I don't even have my fishing pole" he grinned as he pointed in the direction of a nearby stream. "I figure we can use it as a point of reference when we make for the stargate."
Nodding her head she sat up and winced in pain.
"Easy Carter" he said reiterating his earlier statement. "From what I can tell you've got several cracked ribs, a concussion, and a bump on the head the size of Texas. You need to rest and let those pain killers kick in."
"But shouldn't we keep moving? The Jaffa are bound to come looking for us and they should have a general idea of where we went down by now" she said trying to rise to her feet.
"Relax Carter. The ship is about a mile upstream and it won't be long before nightfall sets in. I doubt they'll send out the hunting parties until morning. Besides, they'll probably know that our next target will be the gate and double their efforts around that area. I just hope Daniel and Teal'c make it out before that happens," he said wondering how his friends were faring.
"You said the ship is about a mile upstream?" she asked as something began nagging at the back of her mind. "How long have I been out and how did we get here?"
"You've been out for a few hours. I was beginning to get worried. As for how we got here, I carried you," he said simply as he busily dug through his pack for ration bars which would pass for their dinner.
Accepting the MRE, Sam looked down and realized that he had bandaged her ribs and head. It was then that she realized his own face and hands were covered in scratches and his right foot was bandaged. 'He carried me in that condition and bandaged both of our injuries in two hours?' she thought to herself. 'That can't be right.'
Knowing his 2IC and realizing the direction her thoughts were taking he sighed and quietly said "Four hours Carter." As she looked questioningly at him he explained his remark to her. "You were wondering how I could have carried you this far and treated our injuries in such a short time, right?" Seeing her nod he continued, "You've been out for four hours from the time I came to back at the ship. I was beginning to worry that your concussion may be something more severe and I didn't want you to worry," he explained softly. "I should have known that it would take more than a mere crash landing to really damage that hard head of yours" he joked, becoming uncomfortable with the directions of his thoughts. In truth he had been very worried about her. Much more worried than he wanted her to know.
Amazed he could read her so well she smiled at his attempt at levity and merely replied, "Yes sir." She had learned a few things over the years about Jack O'Neill and knew that sarcasm was one of the tools he used to distance himself from a situation when his emotions became too involved.
Having finished his MRE, Jack prepared the campsite for the evening. Tents and equipment would not be necessary as they were shielded by several large rock formations that created a cave like structure. Not that he felt like setting up the portable shelters anyway. His foot was throbbing and he was beginning to wonder how he was going to be able to keep pace the next day on their trek to the Stargate. Carrying Carter and hiking to their current position had pretty much guaranteed swelling so that his foot had doubled in size. And what Sam didn't know is that he had broken a couple of ribs in landing making his breathing more of a chore than he would have liked.
After taking time to discuss their itinerary for the following day, they decided that it would be best to leave at the crack of dawn and follow the river for as long as possible. Each was mindful of the dangers that lay ahead and each realized that the clock was ticking. In less than two days the General would lock out their GDO codes cutting off their route home.
Telling Carter to get some rest, Jack hobbled over to the nearest log and sat down as he prepared to watch over the camp. Darkness had fallen and the soldiers had decided to endure the evening without a fire for fear that it may draw attention to their position. Sighing softly, Jack pulled his blanket a little more closely around himself and took a sip of water from his canteen. 'No doubt about it' he thought to himself as he stared out into the darkness 'it's going to be a very long night.'
Chapter Fourteen
As luck would have it, the evening passed uneventfully. Sam awakened halfway through the night and insisted on taking her watch so he could get in a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Although she didn't know the extent of his injuries she suspected they were worse than he was letting on. When she tried to inquire about them he merely mumbled, "it's nothing Carter" and busily continued with the task at hand. That was her first clue that he was worse off than he was letting on. The second clue was his labored breathing as he slept.
Morning arrived and they consumed another meal of MRE's and each took some aspirin before gathering their belongings and starting their walk to the gate. Neither opted for stronger pain medication since they needed to stay alert. If the Jaffa were searching for them then they would need all of their mental faculties to help compensate for the physical trauma their bodies had endured during the landing.
A couple of hours into their journey, Jack suggested they take a small break. All things considered, they were making decent time but his foot was beginning to seriously hurt and he noticed that Carter's face was becoming paler by the moment.
Looking around the area Sam spied a thick branch the Colonel could use for support as they continued on. He had refused to lean on her to relieve some of the weight and he wasn't about to slow his pace. As a result, his foot was quickly returning to its previous size of the night before.
Resuming their course they continued on for several more hours when they decided to stop for lunch. After consuming another meal of MRE's they tended to their bandages. By this time both soldiers looked weary and their movements were slow and jerky.
"How much longer do you think it will be before we reach the gate?" Sam asked.
"Probably another five hours maybe a little longer the way we're going" he grinned as he pointed to the 'cane' Carter had fashioned for him.
"How much resistance do you think we'll encounter once we reach the gate?" she questioned wondering if they were going to be in any condition to put up a fight against the Jaffa should the need arise.
"Well, Gran'uk said this was a training camp and no doubt they're all on alert after what happened earlier so it's hard to say. I don't think they're going to make it easy on us though" he grimaced thinking of the upcoming skirmish he was certain they would have to face.
"What if Osiris was on the ship when it blew? Do you think they would still come after us? I mean, we haven't seen or heard any signs of gliders flying overhead all day. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch a break for once" she said in a voice laced with heavy irony.
"Catch a break? Us? Why break with tradition now Major?" he joked as he thought about some of SG-1's past missions. True, they had managed to survive, 'or be brought back to life' he thought, but it was rarely easy and usually involved stress and chaos. And it usually involved Daniel ending up in the infirmary. Bringing his attention back to the present he considered her words. Was Osiris on the ship when it blew? He certainly hoped so. Not that he wanted to see Daniel lose another person he cared about but a Goa'uld was a Goa'uld and so far they had all remained true to form. Take a host, proclaim themselves Gods, wreak destruction and havoc throughout the universe and somewhere along the line manage to try and kill SG-1. 'Yep, it's always the same' he thought to himself. 'Why can't we ever just run into a Goa'uld who wants to hole up somewhere and live a simple, quiet life?'
"Let's move out Carter," he said as they once again continued their journey. Not long after they were forced to leave the path by the river and turn into the forest. Although plenty of daylight remained, the forest seemed darker due to the dense vegetation that shielded out much of the sun's light and gave the impression that evening was closer than it actually was.
They were coming upon the last part of their journey and both were exhausted and worn out. Deciding that one final stop would do them each some good they found a quiet area where they could rest and still see the area around them. Each knew they were getting close to the gate and trouble was a very real possibility. With only a few more hours until nightfall they gathered their belongings and once again set out for, what they hoped would be, the final time.
'Almost there' Jack thought to himself a little over an hour later when he heard a noise. Turning to Sam he motioned for her to get out of sight as they took refuge behind a hollowed out tree trunk surrounded by vegetation which had grown up around it over the years. Through the gaps in the trunk they could peer out and see the source of the noise. Jaffa, three maybe four, came into view as they made their way in the direction in which the soldiers had just come. Looking at his 2IC, he saw her unholster her weapon. Turning his attention back to the forest he wondered how many more of the guards were positioned just ahead. And then he felt it. A large hand grabbed his shoulder. A hand that didn't belong to his 2IC...
Chapter Fifteen
Jack's body stiffened as he felt the hand clasp his shoulder. Sensing the change in her CO's demeanor, Sam turned her head towards him in an attempt to see what had triggered it. That was when he saw her eyes grow wide as her gaze traveled up to the person who now stood behind him.
Fearing the worst and preparing to turn and tackle whoever might have sneaked up on them, Jack stopped short as her heard her utter a familiar name.
"Teal'c" she whispered in shock, "What are you doing here? Where's Daniel?"
'Teal'c?' Jack thought to himself as his mind began processing this new bit of information. 'Teal'c is the guy who nearly gave me a heart attack?' he muttered to himself as he let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed his posture ever so slightly.
"Daniel Jackson is nearby hiding from the Jaffa" he replied. If Jack hadn't known better he would have sworn he could just make out the slightest hint of a smile on the warrior's face.
"I thought I ordered you two back through the gate?" the Colonel questioned quietly so as not to attract the attention of the patrolling guards.
"That is correct O'Neill" he answered in hushed tones. "However the landing of our ships alerted the Jaffa to our presence. They have increased their numbers around the gate. Daniel Jackson and I have been observing their movements so that we might better plan for our escape."
Jack momentarily remained silent as he mulled over Tealc's words. They had expected this. After all, it made sense that the Jaffa would double security around the gate as it was SG-1's only means of escape from the planet. 'Okay, so the guards aren't stupid' he thought to himself as he pondered their next move. 'Misguided maybe but not stupid.' As he looked at the guards he realized that several of them sported different emblems on their foreheads.
"Teal'c..." he said as a plan began to form in his mind. "Why aren't the Jaffa all wearing the same tattoo on their foreheads? Don't they usually bear the mark of the Goa'uld they serve?" he questioned.
"Indeed" the Jaffa replied as he briefly looked back through the forest to be certain the guards had not began doubling back. "However, it looks as if Osiris is assembling her army from many sources. Eventually the brands that now adorn the foreheads of the Jaffa will be removed. Osiris will apply her own brand at that time."
"Teal'c, how is that possible? I thought the brands were permanent. A symbol of ownership that couldn't be removed" Sam asked.
"You are correct Major Carter. The Goa'uld do have a method of removal. It is not commonly used as Jaffa are expected to stay loyal to one God only. However, it does exist" the warrior answered as he thought back to the only time he had ever seen the procedure take place. He briefly closed his eyes as the memory rushed back to him and then, as if remembering their current situation he pulled his thoughts back to the present.
Seeing the uncharacteristic look on his friends' face was enough to leave Jack wondering about the whole removal process. "Ah, Teal'c," he began "how does this whole removal thing work?"
"The Jaffa in question is strapped to a table and his head held securely in place. Acid is then poured on the emblem and used in combination with a Goa'uld healing device. After this has been accomplished, a new brand is applied."
"And this works with all Jaffa?" Jack questioned.
"All except those who serve as First Prime" Teal'c replied.
"Because your brand is actually cut in and melded into your forehead?" Sam questioned as she thought back to what she had previously learned regarding the branding process.
"That is correct Major Carter. The procedure is effective on the other Jaffa because their brands are made of a natural type of permanent ink whereas mine is not" he answered.
"Sounds... painful" Jack muttered actually feeling sorry for the Jaffa that would soon undergo such a procedure.
"You are correct O'Neill," Teal'c solemnly replied. "The screams of the Jaffa as the acid is poured upon them will be heard by many."
Sam turned her head and quickly closed her eyes at the visual image that assaulted her mind. Not for the first time she marveled at the cruelness of the Goa'uld and shuddered as she wondered if they were ever capable of acts of kindness and compassion. Somehow, she seriously doubted they ever were.
Deciding it was time they moved forward in their efforts to escape, Jack began to mentally work on refining the plan that had been forming in his mind during their conversation. "Teal'c, have you and Daniel seen any signs of weakness in their defenses?" he asked the man.
"The guards are fewer around the gate at the onset of daylight" the Jaffa replied.
"First thing in the morning?" Jack asked hoping he had translated his friends' words correctly and wondering how early the team would have to make its bid for freedom.
Teal'c inclined his head as he replied to the Colonel's question. "Is that not what I just said O'Neill?" he questioned.
Giving the Jaffa a look that would have offended most, Jack turned to check on Sam. She looked pale and utterly exhausted but still managed to stay alert and keep an eye out for patrolling Jaffa. It was now nearing nightfall and they could see the guards returning to their camps. Not for the first time he marveled at the stamina of his 2IC. He just hoped they could both maintain their resolve until they reached the SGC. Jack was no fool, having Daniel and Teal'c there would hopefully increase their chances of making it back but he wasn't naïve enough to believe for one minute that Osiris's forces were going to make things easy on them. Yes, in a few hours they were most likely going to have to fight their way out of their current situation. With that in mind, he began sending up a few prayers that the infamous SG-1 luck held out yet again and would see them all safely home. And all the while he wondered to himself if they weren't already on borrowed time in the luck department.
Chapter Sixteen
"It looks like the guards are starting to settle in for the evening" Jack said noticing the hustle and bustle taking place in the Jaffa campsite.
"Indeed O'Neill" Teal'c replied observing the increased activity within the campsite. "Soon they will partake of their evening meal. Once that is complete they will retire for the evening."
"Okay, let's get back to Daniel. I have a plan that might help us slip by the guards a little easier but we still need to work out the details and I want Carter to get some rest before we attempt to implement anything" the Colonel said worriedly glancing at his 2IC.
"I'm fine sir" Sam protested as she felt a thread of annoyance run through her. 'He's in no better shape than I am' she thought to herself. 'If anything, with all of the walking we've done today, he's probably a lot worse off.'
"No arguments, Carter" he admonished her quietly. "Teal'c, lead the way."
With one final look around to make certain they were indeed alone, they stood up and made their way over to where Daniel had been maintaining his watch on the gate.
Hearing multiple sets of footsteps behind him and fearing the worst, Daniel placed his finger on the trigger of his weapon and quickly spun around poised to fire upon whoever was coming his way.
"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed seeing the look on Daniel's face and the archeologist's raised weapon "We come in peace for crying out loud!"
A look of utter amazement settled on Daniel's face and was quickly replaced by a huge smile as he took in the forms of not only Teal'c but those of Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter as well. "Jack... Sam... you made it off of the ship!" he sputtered as he rushed over to give Sam a hug. Hearing her sharp intake of air as he hugged her he looked down and took in her appearance as she gave him a wan but heartfelt smile. "Are you guys okay?" he questioned as the expression of happiness on his face quickly turned to one of concern.
"We're fine Daniel" Jack answered flippantly trying to ease the worry he saw etched on the young archeologist's face. "You didn't honestly think that Carter and I would let a battalion of Jaffa, an angry Goa'uld, a duel in space, a crash landing and an all day hike through enemy territory stop us now did you?"
Sam merely smiled as she listened to the Colonel's quips and saw the look of concern on Daniel's face run the gambit from puzzlement to amazement to sheer happiness as he took in his friend's words. "I guess not" he smiled shaking his head in disbelief as he realized that SG-1 had managed to once again beat the odds.
Sitting down to an evening meal of MRE's the group began to discuss their options and plan their next move.
"Teal'c," the Colonel began "if we could knock out one of those guards and have you switch uniforms with him then we might be able to get closer to the gate and disable a few more Jaffa before being noticed."
"Sort of an 'element of surprise' maneuver?" Daniel questioned as he began to see where Jack was going with this line of thinking.
"Exactly. If they think that Teal'c is one of them then it might buy us a little more time to get closer to the gate and dial out." Jack answered.
"There's just one problem sir" Sam chimed in as her thoughts whirled around her head. "That might work for Teal'c but what about the rest of us? The Jaffa will know that we wouldn't willingly walk beside one of their own."
"Major Carter is correct. There is also the fact that, although the Jaffa currently maintain various marks of allegiance upon their foreheads, I am not one of them. My mark is that of First Prime of Aphophis. If my reputation does not betray us then the fact that there are no other First Prime's present at this training facility will most assuredly do so."
"All we need is to fool them or catch them off guard for a few minutes" Jack said thinking aloud.
"What if we started a fight as a diversion and then pretended to be caught by Teal'c. He could say that he was to take us directly to Osiris and then instead of transporting to Osiris's ship, he could dial in Earth's address and activate the stargate" Sam offered.
"Ah... was Osiris on the ship when it blew?" Daniel asked. "Because if she was then there would be no reason for us to be taken to the ship. We'd probably be executed on the spot."
"That would suck" Jack muttered as he looked around at the group. "Okay, so there aren't any perfect solutions here. We'll just have to wing it. Teal'c, you and I will sneak up on one of the guards just before we're ready to get this show on the road, knock him out and take his uniform. Then we'll attempt to get through the stargate without any elaborate schemes. If we can't manage that then we'll have Teal'c pretend he captured us. If that doesn't work then we fight our way out. Any questions?"
"Yeah, what's Plan B?" Daniel asked looking uncomfortable and unconvinced that any of them had even the slightest of chances of pulling any of this off.
"Plan B?" Jack questioned as three pairs of eyes turned toward him awaiting his answer. Jack grimaced as he briefly mulled over Daniel's question. Finally, looking directly at each of his team members he took a deep breath and replied "Plan B is we run like hell..."
Chapter Seventeen
"We run like hell?" Daniel questioned in disbelief, his sentence hanging in the air.
"Okay, so you all run and I limp" Jack grimaced as another round of pain shot up through his foot. "What did you expect Daniel?" he asked seeing the young man's face fall a little. "We really don't have many options here so we're going to have to do what we always do. Fight our way through, cover one another's backs and make it home in one piece. I know it isn't going to be easy especially with the injuries Carter and I sustained but we have no choice. Hammond is going to lock out our access codes in less than eighteen hours if we're not back and we don't have any other way off this planet. And somehow I don't think the Jaffa are going to let us walk through that gate just because we ask them nicely."
"I know" Daniel quietly replied. And he did know. They had gone over every conceivable option possible. Their options were limited, their supplies were getting low and their time was almost up. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to happen. Something more than a mere exchange of weapons fire as they made their bid for the gate. Something much more dire.
"Let's turn in. It's 2100 hours now and we go at 0400 hours. We'll split the watch into increments of one hour and forty-five minutes. Teal'c, you take first watch followed by Daniel, Sam and myself. Any questions?" Jack asked as the team prepared to turn in for the evening. After saying goodnight to everyone he headed over to his pack and pulled out his canteen and some painkillers. He knew that the day had taken its toll on Sam and he also knew that she was too stubborn to say anything. He laughed quietly as he realized the same argument could be made for himself. His foot had again doubled in size and his breathing had become worse after the events of the day. 'Tomorrow ought to be a lot of fun' he muttered as he made his way over to where Sam had settled.
"Here Carter, these ought to help a little," he said as he handed her the painkillers and the canteen.
"It's not necessary sir," she responded quietly as she realized what now lay in her hand. "I want to be alert for the mission and these might impair my thinking."
"Dammit Carter, that's exactly why I want you to take these. You need to rest and you'll be better able to do that if you can relieve some of the pain if only for a little while. Besides, if you take these now, they'll have worn off by the time we're ready to go.
"Sir..." she began but the Colonel interrupted any further arguments on the subject by looking hard at her and quietly saying "Don't make me make this an order Sam."
It was the use of her first name that was her undoing. Although the expression on his face and the first part of his sentence was delivered in full 'Colonel mode' his voice softened considerably as he uttered her name. Not 'Carter' but 'Sam'. That in itself spoke volumes to her, letting her know just how worried he really was. They both knew the odds of successfully completing the upcoming mission were certainly not in their favor even if they weren't injured. But given their current physical conditions...
"Alright" she said softly taking the medication and the canteen "but only if you do the same. You're in worse shape than I am sir," she said giving him a shy smile to let him know that she wasn't trying to countermand his order but that she was worried about his own health.
Laughing softly, Jack slipped the bottle of painkillers out of his pocket. Popping the cap he shook a couple of the pills onto his hand and reached over to take the canteen back from her. After downing the medication he quietly told her to get some sleep and then headed back for his own sleeping bag.
Despite the pain and worries of their upcoming conflict he found that sleep came quickly.
Four AM arrived all too quickly and with a definite grimace they each grabbed a ration bar and gathered their belongings.
Fifteen minutes later they found themselves crouched behind a large clump of trees waiting to spring their plan on the unwary Jaffa standing guard a mere thirty feet in front of them.
Using the perimeter of the trees for cover, Jack and Teal'c quietly made their way to where they were positioned just behind the Jaffa. Just as they were within feet of the guard Jack heard a small crunch. Looking down he realized that his oversized foot had managed to step on a fairly large twig. 'So much for all of those years of Black Ops training' he thought to himself in disgust. It was at that moment that he realized that if he could hear the twig snap then the Jaffa probably could to. Just as he raised his eyes from where they had been fixated on the ground, he looked up just as the Jaffa turned to face their direction. For a brief second their eyes met. As if he were watching the scene in slow motion, Jack saw the Jaffa begin to raise his staff weapon as he was placing his finger on the trigger of his own weapon to begin firing. Suddenly, a bright flash of light exploded on the side of the Jaffa's head. The Colonel watched as a look of intense pain passed over the man's face and the force of the blow caused the guard to stagger back several steps before stopping momentarily and then falling face forward to the ground.
Looking over to his left, he saw Teal'c lower his staff weapon and cross the small distance that separated them.
"Thanks Teal'c" he said indicating the fallen guard. "Although I think this rules out the element of surprise."
"Indeed" the former First Prime of Apophis agreed as the sounds of Jaffa could be heard heading their way.
"Daniel, Carter" the Colonel called out to the other two team members hiding across the small clearing, "time to go!" he shouted as they all made a mad dash to the gate. Just as they made their way to the platform they saw the Jaffa rush into the clearing and begin firing.
"Daniel, get down behind that DHD and dial us home" Jack shouted as he returned enemy fire from his position behind one side of the gate. Looking over toward Teal'c he saw a shot from a staff weapon whiz by narrowly missing Teal'c as he stood shielded on the opposite side of the gate returning fire and wounding a couple of Jaffa in the process. Sam had taken up position behind the DHD and had managed to wound a couple more of the oncoming guards. The guards were getting closer now and suddenly the gate sprang to life. Grabbing her GDO, Sam entered SG-1's access code and shouted for the Colonel and Teal'c to hurry up. Firing wildly at the oncoming Jaffa as they backed up toward the wormhole, the team members heard a sound just as they began to step through the event horizon. Suddenly a light flashed in front of them. The last thing Sam saw as she followed Teal'c through the gate was the confused looks on the faces of Colonel O'Neill and Daniel as they were snatched away by Goa'uld transporter rings.
Chapter Eighteen
Stumbling down the ramp at the SGC, Sam quickly looked back hoping against all hope to see Daniel and the Colonel following just behind her. Instead she merely saw the wormhole disengage and the iris close with a small 'thunk'.
"Major Carter, report," boomed the voice of General Hammond as he strode into the gate room. "Where are Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?"
Realizing that his friends were not behind them Teal'c also turned to Sam to see if she could offer and explanation for their absence.
"General Hammond, requesting permission to return to the planet to mount a rescue operation for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson" she formally requested.
"Denied Major until I know exactly what is going on" the General replied wondering what could have happened that had the Major so distracted that she failed to immediately answer a direct order.
"Sir, Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson were directly behind us but at the last second were transported away by a set of Goa'uld transport rings. I believe they were transported to Osiris's ship," she stated.
"Major, you and Teal'c are to report directly to the infirmary for post mission physicals and then directly to me for debriefing. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Sam said realizing that she would get no further with the General until she had followed his orders. Teal'c inclined his head toward the General and followed her to the infirmary.
Two and a half hours later Sam and Teal'c sat in the briefing room waiting for General Hammond to arrive.
"I should not have entered the stargate first, Teal'c said as they waited the Hammond's arrival.
"It wasn't your fault Teal'c. I should have waited until they were closer to the gate before stepping through myself" she replied.
"I'm sure neither of you could have done anything differently to help Colonel O'Neill or Dr. Jackson" the General said as he stepped into the room.
"But sir, we..." Sam stopped mid-sentence as she realized who was following the General into the briefing room. "Dad?" she questioned upon seeing her father enter the room. "What are you doing here?"
"Now there's a fine greeting wouldn't you say George?" Jacob said directing his comment to the General while smiling at his daughter.
"George thought you might need our help. But first we have to know what happened" he said taking a seat as he looked at both Sam and Teal'c.
"So you can see why we need to mount a Search and Rescue mission," Sam concluded after recounting the events of the past couple of days from SG-1's trip to P3X 861 through the present.
"Now hold on Major," the General said as he looked around the room. "I am not going to just go and send a bunch of good men back through that gate so that they can be killed as soon as they exit the wormhole. And how do we know that you can even get on Osiris's ship or for that matter if the ship is still even in the same place?" he questioned.
"I think we might be able to assist you in that matter" Selmak said.
"In what way?" Hammond asked.
"I believe Gran'uk mentioned that we were investigating matters in that region of space did he not?" questioned Selmak.
"He did indeed," replied Teal'c waiting for the Tokra to continue.
"We currently have a Tokra operative on board Osiris's ship. It may be possible to arrange for the guards to be on maneuvers at the time you step through the gate. At most, resistance would be light." Selmak concluded.
"Then Osiris is still alive?" Sam asked. Upon seeing Selmak's nod of the head Sam muttered, "we hoped she was still on board when we blew the ship."
"Which by the way was a very good thing," Jacob said as he once again joined the conversation. That leaves Osiris one less ship and that much further away from gaining a stronghold in that region of space.
"Dad," Sam asked "if we could get back to the planet, could your operative manage to transport us up to the ship so that we could rescue Colonel O'Neill and Daniel?"
"It's possible but if you are going to mount a rescue mission then you will need to do it quickly. The longer Osiris has them in her grasp the longer she has to either break them, turn them into hosts or kill them" Jacob answered.
"How many Jaffa are we talking about here?" the General asked as he listened to the conversation.
"I observed anywhere from twenty to thirty Jaffa on the planet" Teal'c said.
"And our source said she has approximately the same number on the ship" Jacob added.
"George, we need to strike whether or not we can actually rescue Jack and Daniel" Jacob said as he saw the General contemplating his next move. "If Osiris is allowed to gain a stronghold now she will simply gather more and more power and wait quietly until she can make her next move. If we attack and take out at least half her forces then it will set her back and give us more time to plan an attack on Osiris herself once we can get our own people in position."
"Alright. Major Carter, Teal'c, you will join SG teams 3,4,6,and 11" Hammond said coming to a decision. "I want to make this clear now. Rescuing Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson is second in priority to wiping out the Goa'uld training camp. Does everyone understand? You are only to proceed in a rescue attempt of the remainder of SG-1 if the opportunity presents itself. I do not intend to lose anymore people over this."
"Yes sir" Sam answered while Teal'c also agreed to the General's conditions.
"SG-1 you have a go. You'll depart as soon as Jacob gives us the go ahead from the Tokra operative. Dismissed." Hammond concluded.
Jacob waited until Sam and Teal'c exited the briefing room before approaching Hammond with his concerns. "Are you sure it's a good thing to let her go on this mission George? She does have cracked ribs and a concussion."
"I realize that but Sam and Teal'c are the only ones familiar with the training camp and surrounding area. Besides, this is Jack and Daniel, do you honestly think she will rest while everyone else is away on this mission?"
"No, I guess not" Jacob replied. "It's nice to see that I'm not the only one she's so stubborn with," he said laughingly.
"Not a chance of that Jacob, not a chance" Hammond chuckled thinking that stubbornness seemed to be an inherent trait throughout all of the members of SG-1. He just hoped it was a trait that would help Jack and Daniel in whatever situation they were currently facing.
Chapter Nineteen
The first thing that hit Jack as he rolled over was the darkness. 'What happened?' he asked himself as he tried to recall recent events. 'The last thing I remember was fighting to get through the gate and then...' He stopped as he heard a moan come from somewhere close by.
"Ack... Ow... What the...?"
"Daniel?" the Colonel questioned tentatively as he tried to peer through the darkness.
"Jack? Where are we?" Daniel asked as he sat up and attempted to take in his surroundings. "And why can't I see anything?"
"Well, if I had to guess I would say that we were zapped up to Osiris's ship and zatted upon our arrival" the Colonel replied with a typical mixture of Jack O'Neill sarcasm and disgust. "At least Carter and Teal'c made it through the gate."
"Are you sure about that? Maybe they're being held somewhere else on the ship?" Daniel said speaking his thoughts aloud.
"No. Teal'c had already stepped through the gate and Carter was backing through when those ring thingies got us" the Colonel replied confident they had returned to Earth but less confident they would be able to mount a rescue mission.
Just then they heard a small electronic whirring and the door to their cell opened spilling light into the small room. Grabbing the opportunity, Jack quickly glanced around to ascertain that he and Daniel were indeed the only ones present in the cell. Looking back to the door he shielded his eyes slightly as the light shone directly on him.
"Tauri, you will come with us" came the booming voice of the Jaffa warrior.
"Yeah, well you see guys" Jack began as he squatted down next to Daniel, "that just doesn't work for us."
He was immediately sorry as the Jaffa stepped into the cell and bashed his arm with his staff weapon.
'Well, that accomplished a lot' the Colonel thought to himself as he grudgingly stood up and assisted Daniel in doing the same. Giving the offending Jaffa a glare that would have had most men cowering in a corner, Jack stepped out into the hallway of what was obviously a Goa'uld mothership.
"Here we go again," he said over his shoulder to Daniel as they were escorted to another room. The room was obviously a Goa'uld throne room. It resembled its counterpart on Taurt's ship however this room was furnished even more ornately and had a definite feeling of having been recently used. Just then, the guards assumed a kneeling position with heads bowed. Turning towards the door, Jack and Daniel saw the reason for the Jaffa's sudden reverence. There stood Osiris, flanked by two additional Jaffa and what looked to be a couple of servants. Walking into the room she headed toward the throne, her gaze locked on her prisoners the entire time. After she seated herself, the Jaffa again stood and silently watched the proceedings.
"Daniel" Osiris began as she scrutinized the two men "we are pleased to see you again. We have many questions that we didn't have time to ask when last we met."
"Ah no, actually I think we said all that needed to be said" the archeologist responded as the details of their previous encounter came rushing back to him. As before, he was finding it difficult to look at Osiris without seeing Sarah. 'Concentrate' he admonished himself.
Upon hearing Daniel's reply, her eyes flashed briefly, the only indication that she was trying to maintain her patience. Flashing a benevolent smile in Jack's direction she began again. "And you" she said motioning to the Colonel who stood there glaring, not bothering to hide the obvious distaste his felt for the Goa'uld "you we have not met before. Who are you?" she asked in a voice that defied any attempt of insubordination.
"Oh you know" he started in typical Jack-like fashion choosing to ignore the warning in her tone of voice "just your average guy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up here in the middle of a pit of snakes" he finished flashing a sardonic smile of his own in her direction.
"Insolence" she bellowed as she stood and raised her hand revealing a Goa'uld hand device. Jack went flying several feet backwards into the wall and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor with a resounding 'thud'.
'That's going to leave a mark' he thought to himself as he realized he had not only landed on his injured foot but had now damaged his ankle as well. Falling back down as he attempted to stand he saw two Jaffa head toward his position. Flanking him on either side, they roughly grabbed each of his arms and dragged him back to 'stand' before Osiris.
"We will not tolerate such insolence Tauri. You would be wise to heed our warning in future," she said, her voice softening ominously as she spoke those last few words.
"Osiris, threatening and torturing us won't get you the information you're looking for," Daniel said hoping to deflect some of her attention from Jack who looked as if he would pass out at any second. "I mean, it's not as if we haven't been through this routine before."
Upon hearing his words, she stopped and considered him thoughtfully. Suddenly a small smile played about her lips and for a brief second Daniel could almost believe he was standing there talking with his friend from so long ago. But as she began to speak, the familiar resonance of the Goa'uld inside could be heard and Daniel was snapped back to reality as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water.
"No, violence never was the way to reach you was it Daniel?" she said not so much as a question but as if remembering something from their past. Looking over to Jack she realized that his injuries were far worse than what she had inflicted with the hand device just moments before. 'Maybe he is the answer' she thought to herself wondering at how she would deal with these belligerent Tauri. 'Violence won't achieve what I want with these two but maybe Daniel would respond better to...' and with that line of thought Osiris made a decision to try a tactic she never would have tried or wasted her time with before. Turning to the Jaffa standing guard behind her she ordered them to return Daniel to his cell. "He is not to be harmed" she instructed the Jaffa as they turned to lead Daniel back towards the darkened little room he had awakened in not so very long ago. "And leave the lights on" she added almost as an afterthought.
"No wait!" Daniel said panicked as he realized he was the only one being led out of the room. "What are you going to do with Jack?" he shouted as he struggled ineffectually against the towering Jaffa.
"You need not worry yourself Daniel," she said in a soft voice. She could still hear his protests as he was escorted through the halls. 'Yes' she thought to herself 'this may indeed be a better way to reach these obstinate Tauri. Their concern for one another is their weakness. Now if I can just exploit that...' she stopped as she turned her attention toward Jack who was still being held up by the Jaffa which flanked him on either side.
"And you" she said to the Colonel as she walked up to him and softly touched his cheek. "You are of no use to us in your present condition." And with that she began speaking to the Jaffa in Goa'uld before exiting the room herself.
With a nod of their heads as she departed, the Jaffa turned their attention to the battered man that stood between them. They were the last things the Colonel would see as one of the Jaffa raised his hand and suddenly everything went black. And with that, Jack O'Neill was carried from the room.
Chapter Twenty
Samantha Carter had spent the last hour and a half pacing back and forth in the control room. She had spent the previous hour pacing in the briefing room and two hours prior to that in her quarters pacing when she should have been resting.
"What's taking them so long?" she asked practically pouncing on her father as he stepped into the room.
"Calm down Sam. Selmak warned you that it would take time to make arrangements. It's not like our operative can simply say 'Hey guys it's time to leave camp for awhile so the Tauri can storm the gate' now is it?" Jacob replied with a twinkle in his eye as he watched his daughter continue her pacing at the back of the room.
Smiling sheepishly she looked to where her father had pulled up a chair "I'm sorry Dad," she said as the man sat down. "It's just that I feel so useless! I should be out there finding a way to get them off Osiris' ship and instead here I am doing absolutely nothing!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say nothing" Jacob said and grinned mischievously. "After all, it looks to me as if you've worn a pretty nice pathway on the floor with all of that pacing."
Just as she was about to make a suitable reply to her father's comment, the klaxons began to wail throughout the base while the familiar words "unscheduled gate activation" were heard by all.
"Major Carter, we're receiving the Tokra IDC signal," the sergeant said as he reviewed the information displayed on the monitors.
"Open the iris" she ordered confirming his findings.
As soon as the iris opened the all too familiar swoosh of the wormhole was heard and the gate room was momentarily bathed in a blue light. A lone figure stepped through the gate and calmly looked around as the wormhole deactivated and the iris once again assumed its customary closed position.
"It's Ry'el" Jacob said as he exited the room to meet the Tokra visitor.
Sam followed her father along with Teal'c and General Hammond who had hurried to the control room when they heard the klaxons sound.
"Selmak" the Tokra greeted as Jacob entered the gate room.
After returning the greeting and completing the necessary introductions, the group made their way to the briefing room where they each sat down to listen to what the Tokra visitor had to say.
"We just received word from our operative on Osiris' ship. He has arranged for the Jaffa on the planet to commence with their latest set of training exercises beginning this afternoon. If an attack is to be launched then it will need to be done quickly" Ry'el said glancing at each of the people assembled at the table.
"Ry'el" Sam said as she turned her attention to the young man now seated before them "won't someone be suspicious if a training exercise is suddenly scheduled for no apparent reason?"
"Under normal circumstances that would be a very real possibility Major Carter" the Tokra responded. "However, our operative has convinced those on Osiris' ship of the validity of moving ahead with the training exercises given the recent events."
"Ry'el, has your operative been able to confirm whether or not our people are on board Osiris' ship?" the General questioned.
"Yes. Both Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson are currently being held as prisoners on board the ship" the Tokra responded.
"Do we know of their physical condition?" Teal'c inquired remembering the Colonel's previous injuries. If the Jaffa employed traditional torture techniques then it was going to make getting them off of the ship all the more difficult.
"We are told that both of your people are alive and have sustained minimal injuries, although it looks as if Colonel O'Neill requires medical attention" Ry'el replied delivering the last part of his news a little more quietly than before.
Sam briefly closed her eyes upon hearing Ry'els words, an action that Jacob Carter didn't fail to notice. 'They're alive' she thought to herself 'and somehow we will get them back' she promised knowing that even with the Tokra's help nothing was guaranteed. But at least it was a start.
"How long will these training exercises last?" Hammond questioned hoping they would have plenty of time to go through the gate and assume defensive positions before the guards returned.
"The exercises are scheduled to last several hours but will conclude prior to nightfall" Ry'el replied.
"Then that should give us time to go in and set up," the General declared. "Will your operative be able to assist us in getting Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson off the ship?"
"It is difficult to say as we do not know what Osiris has planned for either of your people. If the opportunity presents itself then our operative will assist you in any way possible" the Tokra concluded.
"We appreciate all of your assistance and understand the need for your operative to maintain his cover," the General said in an attempt to assure the Tokra he understood the gravity of the position in which the Tokra operative had placed himself.
"When will the training exercises commence?" Teal'c questioned having remained silent throughout most of the briefing.
"They are scheduled to begin in less than one of your Earth hours" Ry'el replied.
"Sir" Sam said looking to the General, "our teams are already prepped and ready to go."
"Thank you Major" Hammond replied looking at SG-1. "You have a go in ninety minutes. That should give the Jaffa time to get far enough away from the camp so that you have room to maneuver. Any questions?"
"Just one sir," Sam replied. "How are we to board Osiris' ship if the Tokra's operative is unable to help us?"
"We will give you a transporter device that should enable you to activate the rings. However you may need to adjust the frequency until you find the one that correlates to Osiris' ship" Selmak answered.
"Thank you Selmak" the General responded. Taking a deep breath he looked over to where Sam and Teal'c sat. He knew of the bond SG-1 shared with one another and that each would risk his own life to save the lives of the others. He also knew what this would do to Sam and Teal'c if they were unable to retrieve their teammates. However, even knowing all of this, Hammond realized he had to impart one final reminder as to the main objective for the upcoming mission.
"Major Carter, Teal'c" he began as he stood up from his seat "I am sure I don't have to remind you that while the retrieval of Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson is an important part of this mission it is not the primary objective. Your primary objective is to take out the Goa'uld training camp so that Osiris' efforts to amass an army will be delayed. Only then, and only if you can do so without unreasonable risk to your own lives or to the lives of any other members of the SGC, are you to attempt a rescue of Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir" Sam responded as she prepared to exit the briefing room while Teal'c acknowledged the General's words with a deep bow of his head.
Ninety minutes later SG teams 3,4,6 and 11 accompanied by Sam and Teal'c stood at the base of the embarkation ramp waiting for the wormhole to engage.
"Chevron six encoded..." came the disembodied voice through the base PA system. Sam and Teal'c looked at one another and briefly turned their eyes back to the gate in anticipation of the familiar aura of blue light that would take them to Osiris' planet.
"Chevron six locked..." the voice continued its countdown.
'Hang on Jack,' Sam thought to herself as the computer dialing sequence counted down the remaining few seconds.
"Chevron seven encoded..."
"Just a little longer guys' she said maintaining her silent mantra as she stood waiting for the final chevron to engage.
"Chevron seven locked... Wormhole engaged..."
"SG 1,3,4,6 and 11 you have a go" came the General's voice through the loudspeaker. And with that he watched with apprehension as the teams stepped through the gate to engage the Jaffa.
Chapter Twenty-One
The teams emerged through the wormhole and had just started to fan out when staff weapon blasts began whizzing by them.
"Take cover in the trees" Sam shouted as she spied four Jaffa bearing down on them from the direction of the campsite.
Ducking behind the DHD she began to return fire along with SG-4 and SG-11 who had arrived first through the gate and had already taken positions in the trees nearby. Within minutes the teams had managed to take out the Jaffa and had continued on to the campsite.
"Major Carter, we should destroy the campsite and then go after the Jaffa" said Captain Dennison of SG-6.
"I agree that we need to destroy the camp Captain but I don't think we should do so just yet" she replied looking around at the deserted site.
"Teal'c?" she asked looking around for the towering Jaffa.
"I am here Major Carter" Teal'c replied stepping from behind the members of SG-4.
Giving him a smile she asked "Didn't the Jaffa sit down to their evening meal at one time?"
"That is correct" he replied "with the exception of the guards patrolling the area near the gate."
"Which we've already taken out" she responded.
"Yes" he answered.
"Major Carter, what are you thinking?" asked Colonel Sandus of SG-6.
"Osiris' people are probably going to be expecting them to report in after these training exercises are over. Right?" she asked looking to both Colonels of SG-6 and SG-11. As she saw them nod in agreement she continued. "Well, if we waited to destroy the camp and attack them after they came back and reported in then it might buy us some time."
"Major, I'm not sure I follow what you're getting at" Colonel Sandus said trying to follow her line of thought. "Are you saying that you want the Jaffa to check in with the ship?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying Colonel. Think about it. The Jaffa will be tired from their training exercises and they won't be in top fighting shape. Couple that with the fact that they won't be expecting us to attack them while they're eating dinner and we've got a very big element of surprise on our side."
"I get it" Sandus exclaimed as the other surrounding members of the various teams started excitedly shaking their heads and talking amongst one another. "They'll be tired, unaware and their weapons will probably be elsewhere since they won't be expecting to need them during dinner."
"Exactly" she agreed more optimistic now that it looked like they might have formed a viable plan to carry out their primary objective. "And they will have already reported back to the ship so that Osiris will think things are proceeding as normal here on the surface..."
"Whereas if they weren't to report in prior to dinner then she might get suspicious and start transporting Jaffa down to investigate..." Sandus said continuing her line of thought.
"...And that would be much worse on us" she concluded as everyone stood quietly for a moment looking around at one another.
All of a sudden Colonel Allen's face broke into a big smile. "I think we've got our game plan. Now we just have to implement it."
"Upon their return, several Jaffa will check in with those guarding the gate" Teal'c said. "If they are unable to find them they will send up an alarm and it would give our presence away."
"Then we'll just have to take them out before they can report back to the main group at the camp won't we?" Colonel Sandus said. "Major Carter, SG-6 will position ourselves by the gate and stand ready to complete that part of the mission. Once we have accomplished this objective we will return and assist with the remainder of the camp"
"Meanwhile the remaining teams need to flank the campsite on all sides," Colonel Allen reasoned. "Therefore SG-3 will position itself on the south side of the camp, SG-4 will take the west side, SG-11 will take the east side and the Jaffa will be returning from the north so..."
"...So Teal'c and I will position ourselves on the north side of the camp after they have returned from training and SG-6 can backtrack and join us once they have disabled the Jaffa dispatched to the gate" Sam concluded.
"We should assume our positions now. The Jaffa will return to camp within the hour" Teal'c said reminding everyone of the amount of time that had already passed.
Each commanding officer assembled his team and began to make their way towards designated positions. With one last look at the camp, Sam and Teal'c found locations that allowed them to view the area while still enabling them to quickly make their way to the camp's entrance when the attack began.
All they could do now was wait.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jack opened his eyes to see two large Jaffa looking down on him. 'Okay...what's wrong with this picture?' he thought to himself as he realized he was lying on his back in a box-like structure. Looking back up he realized the Jaffa had grabbed his arms and were hauling him to his feet. Breathing in and mentally preparing himself for the pain he knew would follow when he put weight on his injured foot, he was surprised to find that he didn't feel the now too familiar stabbing sensation that shot through his ankle. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all. Looking down at his foot and then at the box he realized that the Jaffa were lifting him out of a Goa'uld sarcophagus. Wondering why Osiris would go to the trouble of mending his injuries, he thought back to her final words to him before she left the throne room.
"You are of no use to us in your present condition" she had said.
'So why not just kill me?' he thought to himself. 'Why bother to heal me?'
"No, violence never was the way to reach you was it Daniel?" she had asked the archeologist.
'Okay, so maybe she's planning on using me to get to Daniel. Fix my injuries and make Daniel think she's not so bad after all. Yeah right, like he would go along with that. But then he does believe that if the feelings of the host run deep enough the host can manipulate the Goa'ulds actions. At least that's what he said he believed happened with Shaure and the Harcesis child. Right? Just how close were they and was it close enough for the same thing to happen now?' he asked himself as the Jaffa led him through the corridors of the ship.
Several minutes later they stopped before the door that opened to reveal a sparsely furnished room. Pushing Jack inside, the taller of the two Jaffa walked over to the bed and pointed to a set of clothing that had been laid out.
"You will change now before we proceed," he demanded as he went to stand guard by the door to prevent any possible escape.
"I don't think so," the Colonel answered glaring defiantly at the Jaffa. "You see, gray really isn't my color and the fabric... well, it's all wrong ya know?"
The Jaffa glanced at one another and advanced toward him at the same time.
"Your God wishes you to change apparel before proceeding therefore you will change" the taller one said menacingly.
"Well see, now there's the problem. First, she's not 'my' God and second what if I don't want to change clothing?" Jack asked tiring of the jailer/ jailee routine.
"Then we will do it for you" the Jaffa all but spat out his reply as he handed his staff weapon to the other guard and started walking towards Jack.
Picking up the clothing, the Colonel backed up a few steps and pretended to examine the outfit. "Ya know, I think the lighting must be getting better in here. Now that I take a second look, this color isn't so bad after all" he said as he began to change into the pants and tunic.
Five minutes later he had changed and was again being escorted through the corridors when they met up with Daniel who was also being escorted by two Jaffa.
"Daniel, I see we have the same tailor?" he asked flippantly indicating Daniel's outfit which was the same color gray and cut from the same material as his own.
"Ah yeah, I guess you could say so" the archeologist responded amazed to see the Colonel walking completely upright on his own without any sign of difficulty.
"Jack, what happened to your foot?" he asked wondering what he had missed.
"Ya know it was the strangest thing but Guido and Fido here knocked me out and the next thing I know I was waking up in a sarcophagus" Jack replied.
"Oh" Daniel replied clearly confused as to why Osiris would bother to go to the trouble of healing either of them let alone Jack who, at their last meeting, she'd thrown against a wall with the aid of her hand device.
"Yeah" Jack agreed mirroring his friend's puzzlement "go figure, huh?"
"Silence Tauri" one of the Jaffa bellowed as they came to a halt in front of a large set of double doors.
Suddenly the doors opened to reveal a large dining table covered with many different dishes and at the head of the table sat Osiris.
Looking up as they entered, she motioned the men to take a seat on either side of her. Glancing at the Jaffa standing behind them and giving Daniel a small nod, Jack pulled out a chair and took a seat as Daniel did the same. Seeing that the Tauri had chosen to cooperate, she motioned the guards to leave and take their positions just outside the room.
"You must be hungry" she began as she motioned for the servants to prepare plates for each of the men. "We will share a meal while we discuss how you came to be on my ship."
"Now why do I get the feeling that we'll be doing most of the talking?" Jack asked assessing their current situation. 'One Goa'uld, a couple of servants and at least two Jaffa standing guard outside' he noted to himself. 'So much for making a break for it.'
"We would be happy to answer any questions you may have," she stated taking a drink from a gold inlaid goblet.
"Provided that we answer yours in return I suppose" the Colonel returned with a sardonic smile on his face.
"That would seem only fair" she replied with a penetrating stare while Jack nearly choked on his beverage as he wondered if the Goa'uld even knew what the concept of 'fairness' actually was.
"Thank you" Daniel said smiling to a young servant as she placed a large plate of food in front of him. The young girl, who couldn't have been more that sixteen, raised her head briefly and he could see a flash of pure shock reflected in her eyes. It was obvious the girl was unaccustomed to being appreciated for such services and Daniel wondered what game Osiris was playing by pretending to show courtesy to Jack and himself. With a small bow of her head, the girl silently acknowledged his words as she moved away from the table to stand across the room, patiently waiting for the next time her services would be required.
"Now" Osiris began after both men had been served "why were you on my ship?"
The question was a simple one and delivered in a deceptively calm tone of voice but Jack caught the flash of her eyes as she lowered her head to take another bite of food. Getting ready to deliver one of his usual sarcastic answers, he looked up just in time to stop the remark from exiting his mouth as he saw Daniel quickly shake his head. It was a warning to tread lightly with Osiris. 'Well, at least he knows she's up to something' he thought to himself glad his friend had not been deceived by the opulence which surrounded them and the seemingly gracious hostess act she was currently bestowing upon them.
"Actually, our ending up on the ship was a complete mistake" Daniel answered just before biting into something that resembled a potato.
"You expect us to believe you traveled to that planet and just happened to find a Goa'uld ship that was buried underground?" she asked with an edge of anger to her voice.
"Yes. We gated to the planet because we detected Naquada deposits. Of course we detected the city but it looked to be completely abandoned. We didn't find the ship until we went looking for answers as to what happened to the culture that had previously inhabited the planet" the archeologist continued.
Osiris stared at him as if trying to ascertain the veracity of his statement. The knowledge she had gained of the Tauri through her host told her that his words were plausible and from what she knew of this Tauri in particular it seemed even more so. After all, Daniel was an archeologist and a mystery such as the one that presented itself on the planet would definitely pique his attention.
"So" she continued "you found the city and the ship. How did you transport to the ship if you were not at the temple?"
"Temple?" Jack asked looking to Daniel for clarification. He certainly didn't remember seeing any temples on their visit to the planet, merely a lot of trees and dirt.
"The MALP showed a temple several miles in the opposite direction of the city" Daniel confirmed.
"What does the temple have to do with anything if it was miles away?" he asked mindful that Osiris was observing the two of them with great interest.
"I don't know unless..." turning to Osiris as a thought struck him he asked, "there was a transporter device in the temple wasn't there? That's how the Jaffa boarded the ship without using the main hatchway and that's why they were coming from the opposite direction when they were heading back toward the gate?"
"Of course" she conceded a little surprised they hadn't figured that out on the planet.
"So, your ship was never in orbit around the planet at all was it? The Jaffa arrived on the planet through the gate, went to the temple, transported to the ship to activate the return device and then transported back to the temple and returned to the planet below through the stargate" Daniel questioned glad to have unraveled one of the small mysteries that had been nagging at him since the beginning of the mission.
"You are correct Daniel," she conceded.
"So the reason we didn't find any marks or evidence of Jaffa in the city or at the ship's entrance was because..." Jack began as he looked toward Daniel for confirmation
"...They were never there in the first place," the young man said finishing the line of thought the Colonel had began.
"So you 'accidentally' found my ship. Why did you not leave? Did you really think we would allow you to keep it for yourselves?" she said as the edge on her voice grew a little sharper.
"We didn't know to whom the ship belonged to at first" Daniel replied mentally wincing at her tone of voice. "We were in the process of trying to figure that out when..."
"... The damn thing took off" the Colonel finished for him. "And besides, according to the book we found, that ship didn't belong to you anyway. It belonged to someone called Tweet."
"Taurt" Osiris and Daniel both said correcting him at the same time.
"Yeah, whatever. The point is" the Colonel continued, looking directly at Osiris, "that we didn't know whose ship it was. I mean it's not like we woke up that morning and said 'let's all go and visit Osiris for a while.' Believe me there are other things I'd much rather be doing right now than sitting here trapped on a floating tin can full of snakeheads. So if you don't mind, how about skipping the concerned Goa'uld act and just telling us what you want?"
Osiris's eyes flashed golden for a moment as she sat her goblet down on the table with more force than she intended to. 'Are all Tauri as obstinate as these?' she thought to herself wondering what it would take to extract the information she required. Directing her words at Jack she warned in a deceptively calm voice, "be careful Tauri. I have been lenient with you so far but my patience is wearing thin. I have healed your injuries and offered you hospitality during your stay on my ship but do not be fooled into thinking that I would hesitate in destroying you or your friend should the need arise."
"I have no doubts as to what you might be capable of Osiris" the Colonel replied before returning his attention to his meal. He had seen Daniel's look warning him not to make matters worse by angering the Goa'uld more than he already had.
"So, Osiris" Daniel began as he tried to turn her attention away from Jack, "what exactly is it that you want to know?"
"Given your archeological background and the fact that you found written records aboard the ship you must know that Taurt was our mother" she said continuing as she saw Daniel nod his head in agreement. "During our 'incarceration' she decided to leave your planet and settled on the planet which you previously visited. However, we have not been able to determine her current location. Therefore, what we want" she said looking at Jack as she stressed her last word "is her location."
"All of this because you're looking for your mommy?" Jack asked in amazement. He had expected to be asked details of their encounters with previous Goa'uld and other races or about Earth's defensive capabilities but this? 'What are we, babysitters?' he muttered to himself.
"You will disclose her location to us now" she said as she moved her chair back and came to a standing position, all pretence of compassion and concern wiped from her voice.
"But Osiris, we don't know where she is" Daniel began as she raised her hand to silence him.
"Enough of your Tauri lies. Why do you insist on withholding this information from us?" she asked. "Of what use is such information to you that you would willingly keep it from us?"
"It's of no use to us," Daniel said trying desperately to convince her of his sincerity. "All we know is that she left the planet along with her people after Seth's guards traced her location."
"And how do you know this?" she asked in a tone of voice that had become ominously quiet.
"Because we found a room on the ship filled with relics and writings. Some of those writings were contained in a book that detailed the events leading up to her departure from the planet" the young man said.
"And where is this book now?" she questioned as she made her way over to where Daniel stood.
"We don't have it," he answered dreading the reaction he knew was to come when she discovered what had happened to the book.
"We will ask you one final time Daniel," she said as her eyes continued to glow "where is the book now?"
"It was on the other ship," Daniel answered almost wincing in anticipation of her reaction.
"The other ship?" she questioned. "The ship you destroyed before you landed on the planet below?" she asked turning to Jack.
"Would you believe that we had nothing to do with that?" the Colonel asked wondering what she would do next now that she realized they didn't have the information she was searching for.
"No we would not believe such a thing you pitiful Tauri!" she shouted looking as if she would break into a temper tantrum at any second. Walking over to the door, she summoned the Jaffa and spoke briefly with them in Goa'uld. Jack looked over just in time to see Daniel give a small gulp as he listened to her words.
"Now you insolent Tauri, we have had enough of your pathetic lies and pitiful excuses. You will tell us the location of Taurt or you will be destroyed," she demanded.
"He already told you we don't know what happened to her. The book never said anything about where she went. It just said she went. Why is that so hard to get through your snake infested head?" the Colonel shouted knowing that all pretense of playing nice was at an end.
"We do not believe you!" she exclaimed and then stopped suddenly as she turned to stare thoughtfully at the Tauri standing before her. Walking slowly around each one of them as her eyes shone with the unnatural light of the Goa'uld symbiote she pondered over her next course of action. Coming to a conclusion she looked at both men and said in a quieter tone of voice "You may have until morning to consider our request. At that time you will tell us what we wish to know."
"And if we can't?" Daniel asked knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Then you shall watch as one another suffers unspeakable agonies before being put to death!" she exclaimed and proceeded to exit the room.
And with that thought in mind, Jack and Daniel were taken back to their cell where they were left to contemplate what "unspeakable agonies" Osiris might have in mind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It had been nearly an hour when Sam and Teal'c began to hear indications that the Jaffa had returned to camp. From her position Sam was able to count the number of men they would be fighting against as they entered the campsite.
"I count twenty-seven Jaffa including the two that just headed for the gate," she said turning to Teal'c.
"As do I. The Jaffa on the far side of the camp look to be the leaders" he said pointing to two men who stood a small distance apart from the main group.
"Taking them out in the beginning might create more confusion amongst the remaining ranks" she said thinking that the more chaotic the situation for the Jaffa then the better the chances of success for the SG teams.
"I agree. The Jaffa have begun to gather for their evening rations," he said pointing to a tent which stood a short distance from the Jaffa leaders."
"I guess it's just about time for us to circle back to our positions," she said shouldering her pack. "Ready?"
"Indeed" he replied gathering his gear.
Pulling out her radio, Sam called to the other SG teams. "Colonel Sandus, do you copy?" she asked speaking into the microphone.
"Go ahead Major" came the disembodied reply over the small speaker.
"The Jaffa have returned and are starting to settle down for dinner. We just spotted two guards leaving camp and heading your way toward the gate," she informed him.
"We're ready for them" the Colonel replied. "We'll join you and Teal'c just as soon as we've cleaned up here."
"Roger that" she said signing off.
"Major Carter, look" Teal'c called softly drawing her attention back to the Jaffa leaders who now stood in front of a small orb-like object.
"It looks like they're delivering their report," she said as they watched the men speak to an image that was being projected from the orb.
"Yes" Teal'c agreed. "We should hold our attack until they are no longer in close proximity to the communications device."
"Right, the last thing we need is for Osiris to send back up" she agreed.
"Indeed" he replied nodding his head as he continued to survey the scene.
"All SG teams this is Major Carter. It looks like the Jaffa leaders are currently in the process of reporting in to the mothership. Most of the others have entered the mess hall. I recommend we wait another five minutes before we begin our attack," she said into the radio.
The radio crackled momentarily with static before the deep timber of Colonel Allen's voice was heard. "Confirmed Major. We're all in position and ready to move. All SG teams will stand ready to commence attack in five minutes on your mark."
"Confirmed Colonel. We go in five," she said releasing the button on the radio and placing it back in her vest.
"Now we wait," she muttered reholstering her gun and opting for her Zatniktel.
Four minutes later they heard the voice of Colonel Sandus calling to them through the radio. "Major Carter, Teal'c do you copy?"
"Yes Colonel we read you" Sam acknowledged.
"Mission complete on this end. That's two less Jaffa we have to worry about. We're on our way back now," the Colonel said.
"Understood. We're ready to commence the attack so we'll see you soon" she said sending up a silent prayer of thanks that the first part of the plan had been pulled off successfully. Looking at her watch and giving Teal'c a nod to let him know that it was time she spoke into the radio once more. "All teams, this is Major Carter. We have a go to commence our attack. Repeat, commence attack immediately."
Suddenly several small explosions were heard as predetermined members of the SG teams tossed grenades into the area surrounding the dining tent. It had been decided that the teams would use the grenades just before entering the campsite in an attempt to create the most distraction amongst the Jaffa thereby giving the team members more of a chance to enter the camp without being noticed.
Upon hearing the explosions and feeling the shockwave from the blast, the Jaffa began to stumble out of the tent and look wildly around in an attempt to see who or what had caused the commotion. Taking advantage of the confusion, the SG teams swooped in from their positions and began firing at the guards who were now running in all directions. Meanwhile, Sam and Teal'c took to chasing the Jaffa leaders who were located in a tent at the back of the camp. As they rounded the side of the tent a staff weapon blast whizzed by Tealc's shoulder causing him to turn just in time to see one of the leaders retreating behind a neighboring tent. Hoisting his own staff weapon he set off in pursuit.
Sam had set her sights on the second of the two leaders. Seeing the man scurry out of his tent she lifted her zatniktel to fire but was stopped short as a blast from a staff weapon narrowly raced by her striking the tent and bursting into flames. Turning her attention in the direction in which the weapon's fire had emanated from, she was horrified to see that one of the Jaffa had a staff weapon trained directly on her and from such a close distance there was no way he could miss. With a sinister smile, the man took aim and went to discharge the weapon when suddenly his smile changed to a look of utter shock and disbelief as he fell to the ground. Glancing up from where the man had fallen, Sam was surprised to find herself staring into the smiling face of Colonel Sandus.
"You didn't think we'd let you guys have all of the fun did you?" he questioned turning to join the rest of his team.
Releasing a small sigh of relief she laughed and merely replied, "I guess not Colonel" as she followed to assist with the remaining Jaffa.
Within minutes the battle was over and the Jaffa lay scattered throughout the camp. As predicted, most of the men hadn't had time to regroup and retrieve their weapons after the grenades went off but unfortunately that couldn't be said for all. Some of the Jaffa had managed to retrieve their staff weapons and, as a result, several SG soldiers had taken weapons fire and were now suffering from various degrees of injury.
"Colonel Allen, we need to get these injured men back to the SGC right away. It's too dangerous for them to remain here and it looks like we have a couple of people who are badly wounded" Sam said quickly assessing the situation.
"Agreed" the Colonel said as he ordered the soldiers to stand together in their respective teams. In the end it was determined that six members of the teams had sustained injuries during the battle and two of the member's injuries were critical. Looking over the remaining personnel he came to a decision. "SG-4 and SG-11, you are to escort the injured personnel to the gate where SG-4 will accompany the wounded back to the SGC to receive medical attention. Once you arrive back at base you will inform General Hammond of our progress so far. SG-11 will stand guard at the gate to prevent any unwanted visitors from making an appearance. Understood?"
After hearing the various "yes sirs" from the team members he ordered them to proceed to the gate. "Major Carter, that leaves you and Teal'c in addition to what remains of SG-3 and SG-6 to get on that ship and retrieve Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson."
"I have the device the Tokra gave us to activate the rings" Sam informed him. "I just need a few minutes to fine tune it to the proper frequency."
"Is that something you can do while we walk back to the gate" the Colonel asked anxious to be on their way.
"Yes sir" she replied as they began the short trek to the gate. Looking over her shoulder she asked, "Teal'c, do you still have the package?"
'I do and the contents remain undamaged" he replied solemnly.
"Package?" a lieutenant from SG-3 questioned in confusion.
"Just a little something for Osiris if all goes well," Sam answered but didn't elaborate any further. A few minutes later they arrived at the gate. "Everyone stand here," she said, indicating the area in which she had seen Jack and Daniel vanish. "Ready?" she questioned as she looked over to Colonel Allen.
"Ready" he replied. "Combat positions boys, we should end up in the cargo hold but we have no way of knowing if there will be anyone present when we arrive."
Each person clung tightly to their weapon and assumed a defensive position as Sam activated the device the Tokra had given them. Suddenly a bright light could be seen as the transporter rings encircled them. SG-11 observed all of this from their vantage points around the perimeter. They heard the 'swoosh' of the rings and then there was nothing.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"So what do you think she meant by 'unspeakable agonies'?" Jack asked Daniel as they sat on the hard floor of their cell. It wasn't that he really wanted to know but they had been sitting there for hours and he was bored out of his mind. 'If we don't find a way out of this room and soon I'm gonna go nuts' he thought to himself as he wondered if this waiting could be classified as one of the 'agonies' Osiris had mentioned.
"I'm not sure I want to know" the young man answered watching as Jack began to pace back and forth.
"Any ideas of how we can bust out of here?" the Colonel questioned as he looked around the room. There was only one door and he knew that was guarded by Jaffa. 'No help there' he thought to himself as he studied the remainder of the room. The walls were smooth and flat and the only control mechanism for the door was on the outside. There was a small ventilation shaft near the ceiling but that wasn't a viable means of escape either 'unless of course you're the size of Mighty Mouse' he thought sourly.
Looking suitably depressed he turned back towards Daniel who sat quietly contemplating the recent turn of events. 'Who would have believed we'd be snatched by the transporter rings at the last second?' he asked himself for the hundredth time that hour. And yet it seemed to fit in perfectly with SG-1's track record. And then there was Sara... 'Osiris' he corrected himself as he thought about his friend and former colleague. Her initial display of congeniality had not fooled him. He knew from their previous encounter that Osiris could be ruthless in gaining what she wanted but would she really kill them if she truly believed they were the only link to Taurt's whereabouts? 'Probably so' he concluded thinking she wouldn't hesitate to kill at least one of them while attempting to extract the information from the remaining person using various methods. None of which held the promise of being easy or painless.
"So..." the Colonel said as he stopped his pacing and came to stand directly in front of him.
"So?" Daniel questioned in confusion. He had been lost in his own thoughts and hadn't heard Jack's previous question.
Giving a very audible sigh the Colonel took a deep breath and reiterated his previous question. "So, any ideas of how we can bust out of here?" he asked.
"No, but we'd better come up with something soon. Osiris seems a little... emotional... on this particular topic," the archeologist said searching for a word that would adequately describe the Goa'uld's previous outburst.
"Yeah, just our luck to get captured by a Goa'uld that misses its' mommy" the older man said in disgust.
"We could always lie" Daniel offered seeing no other means to buy some time.
"Okay... so we lie to her and say this Tweet person is on some out of the way planet. I see two problems with that option. First, she does away with us on the spot thinking she's got what she wanted or second, we all take a trip to whatever planet we throw out and she does away with us in a fit of anger when she realizes we lied. Either way we end up as toast" he concluded.
Nodding his head in agreement, Daniel looked up as the Colonel resumed his pacing. "At least Sam and Teal'c made it back" he said quietly, taking some comfort in the fact that his friends were all right.
"Yeah" the older man agreed, "as long as they don't do something really stupid like trying to mount a rescue mission."
"You think they might?" Daniel asked as a small light of hope shone briefly in his eyes.
"I think Carter and Teal'c will fight like rabid dogs to convince Hammond to let them have a go at it but I can't see the General agreeing to it" Jack said hoping the General had the good sense to deny such a request. He knew how hard it was to say no to Sam when she had her mind made up but a rescue attempt in this situation would only get both her and Teal'c killed.
"I guess so" his friend replied unable to hide the note of disappointment that ran through his voice. Closing his eyes his continued to contemplate their current dilemma while the Colonel resumed his pacing.
The two men remained like this until, without warning, they heard something that sounded like two small explosions just outside the door to their cell. Looking at one another with expressions that clearly asked 'now what?' they backed away from the doorway and strained their ears in an attempt to hear any additional noises.
Jack motioned to Daniel and they each took up positions on either side of the door as a small scuffling sound could be heard on the other side. The scuffling was quickly followed by an electronic buzz as the door slid open to reveal a solitary figure armed with a zatniktel. The figure cautiously entered the room and was immediately jumped by the captured members of SG-1. Realizing that his struggle was ineffective against Jack and Daniel, the man opened his mouth and began to speak.
"I am Donair of the Tokra. I have come to assist you in your escape" he said as his eyes flashed momentarily.
Despite the resonance of the Tokra's voice, Jack decided they were some of the best words he had heard in quite a while.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sam and Teal'c, along with the remaining members of SG-3 and SG-6, stood in the middle of a darkened cargo bay on board the Goa'uld mother ship.
"It doesn't look like anyone's home" Colonel Allen quipped looking warily around the room.
"Don't let them fool you Colonel, the Jaffa have a way of showing up when you least expect them to" Sam said remembering some of SG-1's past encounters.
"Or when you least want them to I'd imagine" the Colonel finished for her. Getting down to business he continued, "SG-6 will remain here in hiding to keep our escape route clear. If you don't have any objections Major, Captain Byers, Lieutenant Reardon and I will accompany you and Teal'c to look for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson.
"That sounds fine. Teal'c," she called turning toward the Jaffa, "where would the Jaffa most likely hold Daniel and Colonel O'Neill?"
"Security cells are usually maintained two levels above. We should begin our search on that level," he declared.
"Right. We should maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary," she told Colonels Allen and Sandus.
"Agreed" Colonel Sandus said motioning to his people to fan out and find cover behind the various crates and boxes in the cargo bay.
With one final look around Sam, Teal'c and SG-3 exited the cargo bay.
Meanwhile Jack, Daniel and Donair were making their way to the cargo hold.
"How do you plan on getting us off this tin can?" Jack asked wondering why the Tokra would risk exposure and aid them in their bid for freedom.
"We will have to use the transporter rings to reach the surface of the planet. From there you will be able to use the gate to return to your world" the Tokra operative replied making the entire situation sound as if a child could successfully accomplish such a task.
"Ah... one problem" he whispered to Donair as they rounded the corner and began walking down an additional hallway, "we tried that trick already and ended up here. The gate's guarded. The Jaffa would be on us before we could even dial out."
"I do not think so. The Tauri have mounted a rescue mission which involved sneaking through the gate and immobilizing the Jaffa at the training camp," Donair told him. "If they were successful then our task should not be all that difficult."
"Rescue mission?" he hissed incredulously wondering what argument Sam had used to get the General to agree to such a preposterous scheme. "Daniel" he said turning to the archeologist who was cautiously following along behind him, "remind me to kill Carter if and when we see her again, got it?"
"Sure Jack" he replied worried for his friends on the planet's surface. 'How did they plan to 'sneak' through the gate when they knew it was being guarded by Jaffa?' he wondered to himself.
Jack had been wondering the same thing but wasn't content with remaining silent. "So what made them think they could 'sneak' through the gate without twenty or thirty Jaffa hearing them come through" he asked the Tokra.
"I suggested the need for completing the Jaffa's training exercises early in order to get them away from the gate while your people came through and prepared for the attack" he said in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"And Osiris just bought that whole training exercise thing?" the Colonel asked dubiously.
"In light of recent events, she agreed it would be to our advantage to speed up the Jaffa training schedule" he acknowledged. "Your people should have completed their raid by now. We have not heard anything from the planet in regards to an attack so I assume their mission proceeded according to plan."
"You assume?" the Colonel asked repeating the Tokra's words. "Don't you think that's an awfully big assumption to make considering the fact that we might be beaming down into the middle of God only knows what?"
"If you would prefer I could ask the Goa'uld to attempt to contact the planet. If we receive no response then it would seem that our assumption would be correct" Donair returned, tiring of the verbal exchange.
"Would that be Tokra humor?" Jack asked Daniel as they turned the corner and ran straight into a squadron of Jaffa.
Diving into the nearest room, the two men ducked behind a large pillar while Donair returned the Jaffa's fire with his zatniktel.
"You wouldn't happen to have any more of those zats would you?" the Colonel called out to Donair.
"Regrettably no," he shouted over the noise of the Jaffa's weapons blasts.
"I was afraid you'd say that" Jack replied as he ducked behind the pillar again, narrowly missing the oncoming blast. Just as he was wondering how they were going to actually get out of their current predicament in one piece he heard a new type of noise.
"Daniel, is that what I think it is?" he shouted.
"It sounds like gunfire," the young man confirmed, not about to question any help they might receive from whatever source.
"It sounds like the cavalry" the Colonel responded as he saw the last of the Jaffa fall to the ground and the noises of the weapons fire come to a halt. Looking across the corridor he saw a familiar sight as Samantha Carter and Teal'c came running up to them followed closely by most of SG-3.
"So you finally decided to join the party eh Carter?" the Colonel asked with a smile that spanned from ear to ear.
"Sorry we're a little late, sir. We had to contend with a few party crashers first" she replied with an answering smile of her own.
Saying a quick hello to Colonel Allen and his team as well as Teal'c, Jack turned around and introduced Donair.
"Thank you for all you've done for us" Sam said to the Tokra operative. "We never would have been able to take the Jaffa by surprise if you hadn't sent them out on those training exercises."
"You are welcome Major Carter but now I think we should all hurry to the cargo bay. We are sure to encounter more guards shortly as I doubt this exchange of weapons fire has gone unnoticed by others on the ship."
Surprisingly, the SG teams met minimal resistance as they made their way back to the cargo hold. It wasn't until they were standing just outside the cargo bay doors that Sam felt her stomach lurch. Glancing at Teal'c she saw a look of recognition pass over his face and knew that her suspicions were correct. Running forward to warn Colonel Allen not to enter the hold she stopped and shuddered as the door slid open. Suddenly, several Jaffa rounded the corner behind them blocking any means of escape they might have.
Walking forward into the cargo hold they stopped short as they took in the sight before them. SG-6 stood at the back of the room with hands held over their heads as two Jaffa flanked them on either side, staff weapons raised and ready to fire at the slightest hint of resistance. And, standing directly in front of them, was Osiris.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Daniel," Osiris said as the door slid shut behind the SG teams "It seems we have company."
"Let them go Osiris" the archeologist answered in response. "You don't need this many people to tell you where Taurt is."
"Perhaps not" she conceded walking to where SG-1 and SG-3 now stood. Studying each of the soldiers as they stood before her, she noticed their countenance never wavered under her gaze. 'Belligerent Tauri' she thought once again to herself. Turning to Sam she smiled slowly, "We remember you," she said circling around the woman and stopping to stand directly in front of her. "Did you really think you could sneak on board this ship without us sensing your presence?"
"It was worth a try" Sam responded, her gaze never leaving Osiris's face.
"And you" she said turning her attention to Teal'c, "I have heard stories of the First Prime of Apophis that turned against his God to fight side by side with the Tauri."
"He was no God," the Jaffa answered allowing his true feelings to be heard through his words. "And neither are you" the man concluded as his lips twisted in a feral type of snarl.
"We shall see" she replied as her eyes lit up, showing her own contempt for the Jaffa traitor and his comrades. Glancing quickly she returned to stand in front of Jack and Daniel.
"We grow tired of such childish games" she began, directing her attention to Jack. "How did they manage to get by our army on the planet?"
"You call that an army?" the Colonel returned with a look of incredulity. "From what I saw I would have said first year cadets at best."
Seeing that Osiris's attention was focused on the Colonel, Sam took a small step back to where her actions would be shielded by Tealc's massive frame. Unnoticed, she slipped something out of her vest pocket and palmed it in her hand as she looked up in time to see one of the Jaffa roughly prod Jack in the back with the butt of a staff weapon in response to his insolent behavior.
"We will not ask you again Tauri, how did your people get past our army on the planet?" the Goa'uld demanded.
"How the hell should I know? If you remember, Daniel and I have been kinda busy up here listening to you spout the usual Goa'uld proclamations of greatness. Although frankly, I gotta tell ya, I think you give yourself way too much credit" he finished flatly wondering if he may have pushed Osiris just a bit too far with the last part of his comment. Within seconds he had his answer as her eyes flashed and she raised her hand to reveal the hand device he and Sam had seen her wear on the other ship.
"We will tolerate you no longer!" she shouted raising her hand in the Colonel's direction. Just as she was about to release the full power of the Goa'uld device, she fell sideways as one of her Jaffa hurled against her petite form and landed next to her on the cargo bay floor. Shocked, she looked up to see Sam turning toward her with her own hand device in place and poised for battle.
Momentarily forgetting about Jack, Osiris stood and devoted her full attention to Sam. "You may have been joined at one time but you are not Goa'uld and you do not know what it means to possess the power of Osiris," she boasted raising her hand toward Sam.
Correctly interpreting the intentions of their God, the Jaffa guarding SG-1 and SG-3 began quietly backing away as those guarding SG-6 looked on from where they stood. It wasn't the cavalry but it was enough of a momentary distraction for Jack O'Neill and the others to use to their advantage. Grabbing their weapons, which the Jaffa had not yet taken from their possession, they started firing at their captors while SG-6, whose weapons lay nearby, attempted hand-to-hand combat techniques.
"The time has come to put an end to your meddling Tauri presence" Osiris declared dispassionately viewing the chaos surrounding them. "Prepare to die," she snarled, viciously raising her hand in Sam's direction.
"Give it your best shot," she told the Goa'uld, channeling all of her anger through the device. The more anger she channeled, the brighter the energy ribbon glowed. Sam thought about the last few months, Martouf's death, the Zatarc reprogramming of unsuspecting SG-1 personnel, having to admit her feelings for the Colonel in less than ideal circumstances, the pain Daniel had suffered at the loss of Shaure and friend Sara, the confrontation with the Goa'uld on board Taurt's ship, the crash landing on the planet, the Colonel's recent injuries and his abduction by Osiris. So many feelings she had repressed she now allowed to surface so that she might use them to her advantage in besting Osiris.
Jack looked toward the two women and nearly gasped at the sight that unfolded before his eyes. Osiris stood in a flurry of white and gold, her arm outstretched toward Sam as her eyes glowed with an intensity that only matched that of her facial expression. A face filled with hate. Fifteen feet away stood Sam, her own arm outstretched as she battled with Osiris. Angry blue eyes met blazing gold as the battle between the two women ensued. A stream of energy was seen emanating from each device. The stream met in the middle as the battle of wills played on between the two women, a battle between good and evil.
Hearing gunfire just inches away, Osiris briefly turned her head in time to see the last of the Jaffa fall to the ground. Although her lapse in concentration lasted only a second, it was enough to turn the tide of the ongoing battle of wills in Sam's favor. Focusing every last ounce of energy she had left into the device, Sam saw the energy ribbon emanating from her hand device glow brighter and get closer and closer to Osiris. Finally, the energy reached the Goa'ulds hand device and, with a scream of pure shock and outrage, the woman fell to the floor.
Walking over to Sam, Jack caught her shaking form just as she collapsed and began a descent toward the floor. "Easy Carter," he said as a hush fell over the room. "You okay?" he asked as he made a quick visual evaluation of his 2IC to be sure she hadn't suffered any more physical injuries than she already had.
"Yes sir, just very weak" she replied quietly trying to look past him in an effort to see Osiris.
"Don't worry, you got her" the Colonel said as he saw the direction her eyes had traveled.
"Is she dead?" Sam questioned seeing that Osiris had not moved a muscle.
"No, she's just unconscious" he answered giving her a small smile. 'Leave it to Sam to be worried over the thought of killing a Goa'uld' he thought to himself. Looking at the SG teams standing quietly nearby, he indicated it was time to make their escape from the ship. "Daniel, keep an eye on our buddy there" he told the young man as he pointed to Osiris.
"We will need to transport to the planet in groups," Donair said, indicating that there were too many people to transport in one group. "And, we should take Osiris with us" he finished as several of the SG members' jaws nearly fell to the floor.
"Take her with us?" the Colonel questioned as if he was certain he had misheard the Tokra. "Are you crazy?"
"She may have access to information that would help the Tokra in our fight to rid the universe of the Goa'uld. We should take her with us, under guard of course, and let the High Council decide how she can best serve our cause" Donair replied.
"Fine, but take that hand device thingy off of her. SG-6, prepare to head back to the planet. We'll take her snakey-ness back with us" Jack said as he helped Sam to stand up.
"Sir, wait" she said as she looked over to Teal'c. "Teal'c, do we still have the package?"
"Yes Major Carter," the Jaffa responded pulling a small cylindrical device from his pack.
Everyone looked on in surprise but it was Jack who broke the silence. "Ah... Carter? What the heck is that?" he questioned indicating the object that Teal'c now held.
"It's a bomb enhanced with Naquada" she replied looking at her commanding officer as Teal'c placed the device near Osiris's unconscious form.
"A bomb?" he questioned in disbelief.
"We figured it's not a party until someone breaks out the party favors" she answered smiling when she saw the Colonel's facial expression. "We thought taking out her army and blowing the ship might go a long way in setting her plans back a while."
"I'll say" the Colonel answered impressed by their thoroughness considering the short amount of time they had been given. "But Carter," he said pausing as she looked at him questioningly, "remind me not to get you really mad any time soon, okay?"
"Why is that, sir?" she asked confused.
"Well, a hand device AND a Naquada bomb?" he replied indicating the equipment.
Smiling, she merely replied "yes sir" as she turned to Teal'c and instructed him to set the timing device on the bomb for ten minutes.
"Okay campers," Colonel O'Neill said looking at the group who was still on the lookout in the event any more Jaffa decided to join them or any of the unconscious ones woke up, "let's go home."
Gathering their gear, SG-6 took their positions within the transporter rings. "We'll see you on the planet, Colonel O'Neill" Colonel Sandus said as his team prepared for departure. Donair then pushed a button on a small device that he carried with him and the transport rings encircled the members of SG-6. In a brilliant flash of light, the team was gone.
"SG-3, you take Donair and transport to the surface next" O'Neill said as Donair handed the transporter device to Sam so that SG-1 could follow behind them. Turning to Sam as the team disappeared from the platform behind him, he asked "Carter, is everything ready?"
"Yes sir. We set the countdown for ten minutes just in case we ran into any unforeseen difficulties while transporting to the surface" she replied indicating the bomb that now showed just under eight minutes remaining before detonation.
Hearing a small noise behind them, Jack turned to see Osiris quickly making her way to the door. Teal'c lifted his staff weapon and dislodged a round of fire but it was too late. Osiris had already left the room and was running down the corridor.
Turning to look at Daniel he said, "I thought I told you to watch her?"
"Oops" the young man replied squirming a little under the glare the Colonel was giving him.
"Yeah... Oops" he repeated sarcastically as he looked toward the door.
"Dammit Jack it's not like I let her go on purpose!" Daniel said as he made his way toward the doorway.
"I know that!" the Colonel exclaimed exasperated. Seeing Daniel head for the doorway he asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To bring her back" Daniel simply replied as if his intentions should be obvious.
"I will assist Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said heading for the door.
"No. Both of you just stop right there. In case anyone has forgotten, we have a BOMB here that's ready to go 'boom'. We'll just have to leave Osiris behind," the Colonel concluded. "Carter, is there any way she could disarm that bomb after we're leave?" he asked motioning to them all to take their positions on the transporter platform.
"Only if she has the remote detonator sir. Otherwise, there isn't enough time for anyone to open the bomb and disarm it. I've rigged the device with several fail safes so that if anyone attempts to tamper with any of the mechanisms without really knowing what they're doing it will simply detonate on the spot" she said.
"And the remote detonator is...?" the Colonel began to question as he nervously looked around.
"...Right here sir" she said holding up the device.
"Good. Okay kids, time to leave this party" Jack said as they all took their places on the transport platform.
"But Jack, the Tokra wanted Osiris alive," Daniel began but stopped as the Colonel held up his hands to indicate the discussion was now over.
"The Tokra will just have to deal with it. It was a stupid plan anyway. Now let's get out of here before she comes back with more of her Jaffa buddies and we all go BOOM!" the Colonel ordered. "Carter, send us home."
And with that, Sam activated the transport device sending SG-1 back to the planet surface. The only indication of their presence that remained on the ship was a few wounded Jaffa and a naquada enhanced bomb.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Unscheduled gate activation!" the voice rang out over the loudspeakers at the SGC.
General Hammond hurriedly walked into the control room. "What have you got son?" he asked the Sergeant on duty as he pointed to the control panels that had lit up
Looking at the information that was now being transmitted through the gate, the Sergeant smiled as he replied, "It's SG-6 sir."
Hammond began breathing a sigh when he heard the Sergeant speak again.
"And it's SG-3 sir" the man said as he returned his attention on the readouts in front of him and a huge smile began to spread across his face. "And it's SG-1 sir!"
"Open the iris Sergeant" he ordered as he made his way to the gate room. 'Let's see how many of them made it back' he thought to himself. Reaching the oversized doors of the gate room, the General was surprised to see so many of the SGC personnel standing just outside the blast doors. "What's going on?" he asked one of the Captains that had been positioned toward the front of the group.
"Sir, we all heard the announcement that the gate had activated. We were hoping to see if it's the rescue party for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson" the Captain replied.
"I see" the General said knowing that just about everyone on base had been nervously awaiting news of the mission since it was launched. Indicating that the group should follow him, they all stepped inside as the gate opened and a stable wormhole was established. With baited breaths the SGC personnel waited to see who would step from the gate.
Suddenly, the three remaining team members of SG-6 emerged followed closely by Donair. Quickly moving down the ramp, they stood aside as SG-3 walked through the gate followed closely by Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill. Upon seeing the entire team of SG-1 the room burst into noise as SGC personnel began clapping and cheering and patting one another on the backs.
Looking around in amazement, the teams exited the ramp and were immediately met by General Hammond. "SG-1, 3 and 6" he began "welcome back."
"Thank you General and might I say on behalf of all of us that it's good to be back, sir" Colonel O'Neill replied taking in the familiarity of the gate room.
Nodding his head, the General looked at Donair and was about to ask for clarifications as to whom he was when the Colonel interrupted. "General Hammond, this is Donair of the Tokra. It seems he was working undercover on Osiris's ship. He was instrumental in getting us out sir."
"The Tokra operative. On behalf of the SGC, I thank you" the General said as he shook hands with Donair.
"You are welcome. The Tauri have assisted in dealing a crippling blow to Osiris. We thank you for your own efforts in disabling not only a growing army but Osiris herself" the Tokra replied.
"Disabling Osiris?" Hammond asked looking to Jack for clarification.
"Yeah, it seems that Carter and Teal'c brought along a little bomb with a BIG bang" the Colonel said as he spread his hands far apart emphasizing the word 'bang.'
"So Osiris is dead?" the General questioned.
"Well... as dead as any of the Goa'uld seem to ever be" the Colonel responded remembering their dealings with Apophis.
"I see" General Hammond said. Turning to the teams he continued, "I am sure this will make an interesting debriefing but first, I want you all to report to the infirmary so that Dr. Fraiser can complete your post mission physicals. In the meantime, we'll contact the Tokra to let them know of Donair's arrival. Debriefing will be in three hours."
After hearing a chorus of "yes sirs" from the various team members, Hammond left the room to contact the Tokra.
"Let's go campers" the Colonel called, smiling at the remaining personnel milling about the gate room. "I'm sure ole' Doc Fraiser has some needles with our names on them that are 'that big'" he said, again using his hands to emphasize the size of the hypodermic needles.
With smiles as big as the supposed needles Jack had been referring to, SG-1, 3, and 6, accompanied by Donair, made their way to the infirmary.
Epilogue
The debriefing was a long one and by the time it was over SG-1 wanted nothing more than to simply sit down and relax. Dr. Fraiser had confined them all to the base for the next forty-eight hours for observation to be sure they hadn't suffered any additional injuries. This of course brought a lot of moaning and groaning from Jack until Janet reminded him that, while he had been healed with help from the Goa'uld sarcophagus, Sam had not and was still fighting exhaustion and cracked ribs.
"Okay, Carter needs to rest" he said turning to look at his 2IC. "The rest of us can watch a movie in my quarters."
"With all due respect sir," she said pausing on 'sir' for emphasis, "I'd rather watch the movie."
When it looked like the Colonel was about to protest, Daniel stepped in. Giving Sam a small wink he said, "Ah Jack, you might want to listen to her. Remember, hand devices and Naquada..."
"Indeed" Teal'c said lending his support to Sam and Daniel.
Having the distinct feeling that his friends were ganging up on him he shrugged his shoulders and exclaimed "Oh for crying out loud! Okay but Carter's laying on the bed so she can 'rest' while she watches the movie."
General Hammond stood quietly outside the briefing room and listened to the exchange between the members of SG-1. Smiling, he thought about the individuals that currently occupied the room.
Daniel Jackson... SG-1's resident archeologist. He was a man that had lost so much and yet still maintained a childlike innocence. A man that had come a very long way since he stepped back through the gate from Abydos and a man who still usually ended up in the infirmary. 'Although this time he got lucky' the General thought to himself.
Samantha Carter... SG-1's scientific miracle worker. She was a beautiful young woman who had proven throughout her years in the military that there could be a balance between brawn and intelligence.
Teal'c... an alien turned turncoat against those who worked to enslave humanity throughout the galaxy. He was a quiet man that would remain loyal to his friends until the end.
Jack O'Neill... a twice-retired Colonel that held his team together through a combination of sarcasm, concern and intelligence. A man who had seen more than his fair share of suffering and yet still tried to make things better. 'Of course, he'd deny it to the end,' the General thought chuckling to himself as he envisioned the Colonel's reaction if he were to discover his current musings.
And they all sat together in that room lending their friendship, acceptance and support to one another. Hammond was glad to see that whatever had been disrupting the team's dynamics before the mission had obviously been worked out. He watched them for another moment before continuing the walk to his office.
Yes, it was the most diverse team you could find with each member having different backgrounds, different views, different methods and motivations. And yet they had managed to come together and create the best team the SGC had ever known. He knew of the respect and awe they were treated with around the base as was evident by the earlier display in the gate room. Yes, they really were the best and the brightest and once again they had managed, with help, to pull off the impossible. They had managed to come back alive. But Hammond was no fool. The Tokra had learned that Osiris had managed to reach an escape pod and leave the ship just before it exploded. That meant she was not only still out there but also that she now held a personal vendetta against SG-1, as did so many other system lords in the galaxy. And General George Hammond could only stand there and hope as he watched the playful interaction of the team, that when the next time came, SG-1 would fare as well as they did today.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Sci-Fi Nut / J. Stockert
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