Hello Darkness My Old Friend
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
by LeeLee Robinson
Summary: Jack's rescue after a Re'tu attack comes at too high a personal cost. Jack despairs but doesn't give up hope. New alliances and surprises await.
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/other
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: adult themes, minor language, violence
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I 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 author(s).
Archived on: 01/18/04
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
Author: LeeLee Robinson
Email: leeleerobinson@comcast.net
Status: Complete
Category: Action/Adventure, Drama, Angst, Humor
Pairings: Jack/Other
Spoilers: No direct ones
Season: 7 or later
Sequel to: Bridge Over Troubled Water and I Am a Rock, I Am an Island.
File Size: 256KB (Word)
Rating: PG-13
Content Warnings: some violence
Summary: Jack's rescue after a Re'tu attack comes at too high a personal cost. Jack despairs but doesn't give up hope. New alliances and surprises await.
Disclaimers: All characters are the property of those MGM & Gekko guys et cetera. My original characters and the story are mine. If anybody else wants them, give me a holler.
Author's note: This is the end of a trilogy. Feedback appreciated.
HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND
CHAPTER 1 - CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Colonel Jack O'Neill writhed on the ground. His right leg was nearly completely blown away from the knee down. He screamed and cursed in his agony. He made no effort to conceal his pain, even if such an effort could have been possible. No one was there to see or hear him. He'd sent the rest of his team back through the gate.
For several months things had gone smoothly. He'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it did, it exploded.
* * *
SG-1 had enjoyed an unprecedented period of calm. Anubis and the System Lords were keeping each other busy. No one was trying to destroy the Earth for a change. SG-1's recent missions had resulted in new friends and allies and, remarkably, no injuries.
Even Jack O'Neill's life outside the SGC had been rolling along nicely. He was enjoying a very adult relationship with Chanah, a physically and emotionally scarred woman from another planet he'd met on a mission seven months earlier. Jack's relationship with her had developed quickly and oddly. They were quite a bit alike. Both had suffered tragic personal losses and were emotionally reserved, prone to expressing themselves physically rather than through words. After helping her deal with post traumatic stress syndrome following torture at the hands of the Goa'uld, Jack had arranged for Chanah and her now twelve year old son Micah to relocate to Earth and for her to work at the SGC.
Neither Jack nor Chanah was looking for anything more than fun from their relationship. Both wanted to tread carefully with her son. He'd lost his father to the Goa'uld almost two years earlier. Chanah and Jack took care to integrate him into their relationship, and to give him the individual attention he'd need. Jack even finally found a fishing buddy in Micah. Chanah was cool to fishing, giving Jack special time to bond with Micah. It wasn't hard. Micah was a good kid to whom Jack had opened an entire exciting world by pulling him off the "boring Zen rock" on which he had been living.
If Jack had one complaint, it was the competition he had for Micah's interests from Daniel and Carter. The boy was interested in science, like his grandfather, an inventor. Micah never hesitated to desert Jack for time with either of them in their labs.
Micah had even given Jack sort of an excuse to get a dog. By giving one to Micah, Jack effectively became a part of the dog's daily life without the responsibility for it. There was rarely a day when Jack was on planet that he didn't spend with Micah or Chanah.
Jack had bristled a little when Chanah and Micah named the dog MacGyver, after Micah's favorite old show on T.V. and upon Chanah's insistence that the guy on it looked like he could be Jack's younger, cuter brother. But Jack was obligated to get as good as he gave on a joke once in a while. He took it in stride and even played along.
"Now MacGyver, show me again how to mold a tennis ball into a tactical nuclear warhead."
"MacGyver, show me how you made the iron curtain fall by sniffing other dogs butts."
He cracked them up pretty good.
Oh, yes, it was all rolling along smoothly. Chanah had integrated herself into the SGC better than he'd expected. She'd been training SGC members in her unique hybrid form of martial arts, combining the techniques of the Jaffa and the People of the Oneness. During those lessons, she'd also been teaching the rudiments of the Goa'uld language to SGC members. Knowing her to be more of a tomcat than a nice girl, Jack was sure she was not teaching them politically correct Goa'uld as Daniel would. More likely it was nasty words. Kitchen Goa'uld, one might say.
Even Chanah's training to become an off world team member looked promising. Jack hadn't been entirely confident that would work out. Following orders was not Chanah's strong suit. She was capable yes; but a follower, no. She'd spent almost ten years of her childhood in a Goa'uld slave labor camp. It made her resistant to taking orders later. After that she'd fought the Goa'uld and Jaffa for several years with much success all by herself using a potent toxin. She liked working alone.
But Chanah surprised Jack. In the training program, she outshone younger recruits with her tactical sense and her attention to the welfare of the team. True, she had disagreements with the team leaders at time, but she raised valid concerns respectfully and followed orders in the end. She would be given the chance to go off world with a team.
She went on a couple of soft missions as an extra team member with good results. She shined on one that went bad, bailing out the C.O. with her energy staff and getting an injured teammate to safety. After that, she'd earned an assignment to a team.
Jack hoped General Hammond would integrate her into a team with a leader who would respect her experience and consider her views, just as he did those of Carter, Teal'c and Daniel. A hard ass, who just liked to shout orders and be in charge, would can her in no time. But given his personal relationship with her, Jack could say nothing to Hammond to influence his decisions.
He wasn't happy with her assignment to SG-9, but it was what was available. Her C.O. would be Major Will Frawley, a bit of a paper tiger who had yet to face down any truly nasty encounters with the Goa'uld as had SG-1 or Chanah. Jack thought him a little quick on the trigger and not too respectful of his men's opinions. Chanah could burn herself with him fast, but this was the military and she needed to learn to deal with all kinds if she was to make it.
Part of Jack was conflicted about her going off world. They'd see much less of each other because of scheduling rotations. And although he didn't mean to be chauvinistic, this was a woman he cared for a lot and he was afraid for her out there even trusting in her abilities. As he thought about it, he realized he was probably no less worried about her than she was about him.
But these were not things they discussed. Jack and Chanah were awkward at emotions. They expressed how they cared for each other in their physical interaction and competitive bantering. Neither spoke of love or commitment. Daniel Jackson was convinced that both were afraid that if they said such thoughts out loud, it would all crash in around them.
They also had to tread delicately at the Mountain. Since Chanah was an alien, she was akin to a civilian in the Air Force structure. Fraternization rules did not prevent their relationship, but Jack could not allow it to continue if it "eroded good order and discipline." It was necessary to distance themselves at work. He was not her C.O. and it was understood that she would not go on missions with Jack.
So it smoothly sailed for Jack and SG-1 for almost seven months since Chanah and Micah moved to Earth.
Until P8Q-307.
CHAPTER 2 - UNSEEN ENEMIES
SG-1's code was received only four hours after their planned return from P8Q-307, good timing by SG-1's standards. The iris opened. Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson dragged Teal'c through the wormhole onto the ramp.
"We need medics, stat," Carter shouted.
Klaxons were sounded as Dr. Frasier's medical team was paged.
Teal'c lay on the floor with a gaping hole seared through the side of his abdomen.
"Sir, we need to shut down the gate and redial P8Q-307," Major Carter pleaded as soon as General Hammond arrived in the control room. "Colonel O'Neill is injured. We couldn't bring them both back at the same time."
"Major, slow down a second and tell me what happened."
"Teal'c took fire first, then the Colonel was hit trying to cover Teal'c. Neither could get out on his own; the Colonel ordered us to bring Teal'c back first."
"What was the nature of the fire?"
"I'm not sure, sir. We never saw anyone or anything on the entire visit. Please we've got to hurry back for the Colonel. He's hurt badly."
Dr. Frasier cut Carter's pleas off short.
"Sam, I need for you to run and get the healing device and meet us in the infirmary. It's Teal'c only hope. There's no way I can fix this wound now that junior's gone."
"Go now, Major," Hammond ordered.
"Dr. Jackson, I need some idea what to expect before I send a team back after the Colonel."
"It's not entirely clear sir. We'd finished up our exploratory mission and were approaching the gate when Teal'c said he felt something was nearby. But we saw nothing. I dialed home and Sam entered the GDO code while Jack and Teal'c covered us. We heard an energy blast and then a second one followed. Teal'c went down first, and then Jack went down as he went towards Teal'c."
"Any idea of who they were or how many Dr. Jackson?"
"I think it might have been Re'tu, Sir."
"All right, let's get the MALP outfitted with one of those phase shifting weapons from the Tok'ra, a TER, and take a look. Sgt. Davis, get all available teams on base on standby for a rescue mission with every TER we've got. But until we have an idea of what's waiting on the other side, no one goes through."
"Sir, Jack's wound is really bad. His right leg is almost gone from the knee down. It was barely attached. I've never seen Jack in such pain," Daniel begged.
"Dr. Jackson, we'll do everything we can to get to him, but I can't risk sending men into an ambush. Give me a reason to believe I wouldn't be doing that."
"General, I can't be certain. It all happened so suddenly. But I don't think this was a planned attack. Only two blasts were fired, both in Teal'c's general direction. No shots were taken at Major Carter or me. I think Jack just got in the way of someone shooting at Teal'c."
"So if it wasn't an ambush, what do you think it was?"
"It's possible that a Re'tu saw Teal'c was a Jaffa and shot him. And then maybe Jack got in the line of fire. After it happened, there was no attempt to stop us from returning through the gate. I think maybe a Re'tu panicked at seeing a Jaffa."
"But this is all theory?"
"Based on circumstantial evidence, yes sir."
"Let's get the MALP through and see what we find. Hopefully we won't have to wait long. Sgt. Davis, who's available for a rescue mission?"
"SG-9 is the only unit on base now. I can recall SG-7 to the Mountain if you want. Everyone else is off world."
"Do it, Sergeant."
"Dr. Jackson, check in with Dr. Frasier and report back on Teal'c's condition. Stand ready to depart with SG-9 if I give the go."
"Yes sir," Daniel said weakly, feeling that Jack's time was running out.
CHAPTER 3 - A BUSY TIME FOR DOCTOR FRASIER
In the infirmary, Sam was wielding the hand device on Teal'c. It was working but the effort was draining Sam tremendously. When Teal'c was ninety percent healed, Sam nearly passed out. Dr. Frasier called a halt to her efforts and led Sam to a bed. Carter protested.
"Sam, you've given him an excellent chance to recover when he had none. Take a rest."
"Then I need to get back to help the Colonel," Sam argued, resisting being put to bed.
"Sam, I know the amount of energy this takes out of you. You're not going anywhere for a few hours. I want some I.V. fluids in you now."
"No one's going anywhere yet, Sam," Daniel said as he entered. "The General wants to make sure it's safe first."
"But the Colonel's injury . . ."
"Will have to wait, Sam. The Colonel is one tough bird." Dr. Frasier stuck her for the I.V.
Daniel sat down next to Sam and explained his discussion with Hammond.
"It makes sense, Daniel, your theory. We were all sitting ducks out there if Re'tus had wanted to kill us," Sam agreed.
"If I'm right, then we should be able to get Jack back soon. But Sam, you better rest up because if we can get Jack back, you and that healing device may be his only hope for keeping his leg."
"Okay, Daniel. Maybe we should try to contact Dad, just in case."
"I'll talk to Hammond."
"Who's going after the Colonel if General Hammond gives the go ahead?" Carter asked.
"SG-9, me and whoever else we can recall to base in time."
"Isn't that the team Chanah's assigned to?" Dr. Frasier interrupted.
"Yeah," said Daniel.
"I'm not sure I like the sound of this," Dr. Frasier said. She was a close friend to all of SG-1 and knew of Chanah and Jack's relationship.
"It's no different than any of us going out there for him, Janet," said Sam. It was true. They would all risk themselves for the others without a second thought.
"I'm not so sure about that," the petite doctor mumbled to herself.
* * *
Janet Frasier felt conflicted. She had some strong opinions but nothing she was willing or able to do with them.
One week earlier she'd done a full physical on Chanah. Chanah was anxious to get in and out. She was minimally cooperative. Like Jack, she viscerally flinched at the good doctor's poking, prodding and prying. Then, at a certain point, Chanah's answers seemed evasive to Janet.
Janet was doing the standard list of "female" questions starting with questions about her menstrual cycle, the inevitable first one being the date of her last period. A long time - months - Chanah told her. She'd not been regular for a long time, not since the Goa'uld who took her husband as host stabbed her baby to death in her abdomen eighteen months ago.
"Any chance of pregnancy?" Dr. Frasier asked.
Chanah shrugged, "nearly impossible."
Doc was unsatisfied. She already had Chanah's pee in a cup.
"We'll just do a quick test to be on the safe side."
A minute later, that question was answered.
"Why didn't you say you thought you might be pregnant?"
"I really did not believe it was possible, Dr. Frasier. I was lucky to carry Micah to term. The healers did not believe it would be possible under the circumstances. After that, I miscarried several times. Then after the Goa'uld stabbed me and killed my baby, I was sure it would never happen again. While the Goa'uld used the healing device on me, he did not heal me fully. There was great pain for some time. I believe there was permanent damage in addition to that previously there."
"I see. What was the difficulty with your pregnancy with Micah?"
"Doctor, I spent many years in a Goa'uld slave camp as a girl. Before the Jaffa Bim'lac took me into his family, gave me protection and taught me how to protect myself, there were . . . unpleasantries."
"Oh, God, I'm sorry. I should have realized. Chanah, I don't want to pry or dredge up bad memories, but there are certain questions that may be important to assessing your condition and the chances for this baby. Are you okay if we go on?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"Were there any pregnancies before Micah?"
"No. It is not believed possible for a Jaffa and human to reproduce. But there was internal damage. When I carried Micah, it was necessary to spend much of my pregnancy resting."
"Was the delivery normal?"
"Yes, though a little early."
"Chanah, do you have any idea how far along you could be?"
"No, I can't be sure. I really had nothing from which to measure. I was honest about that."
"We'll just do an ultrasound then. It will tell us most of what we need to know. It won't hurt and won't endanger the baby at all."
"I doubt it will matter, Dr. Frasier. This will end as the others, I have no doubt."
"We'll have a better idea in a few minutes, Chanah."
Dr. Frasier was quiet as she did the ultrasound exam. She kept he monitor turned away from Chanah. Dr. Frasier empathized with her previous losses.
"Chanah, before I tell you anything more, you need to tell me something. It's your right to choose. If this baby is healthy and you could carry it to term, is that something you would want to do? Or is this something you don't want at all?"
"Doctor, you must understand how many times I have been disappointed before. Yes I would want it very much, but I dare not believe it possible."
"Chanah, believe. You look to be about 18 weeks along judging by the size of the fetus. And your uterus looks to be in perfect health. No scarring or signs of injury at all. I see no reason why you could not carry this baby to term."
"I do not understand how this can be."
"Chanah, when I first met you, you had been tortured by the Goa'uld. I treated you for the injuries from a horrible whipping as well as the damage to your hands. Before that, had there been something else?"
"Yes, Doctor. Far worse."
"Were you healed in the sarcophagus?"
"Twice."
"I think we have our answer, then."
"I never thought beyond it healing the injuries inflicted at the time. It did not heal other old wounds, my scars for instance." After the whipping by Babi, Chanah had overtaken Jack in the "most scars" contest.
"We don't fully understand how the sarcophagus works, Chanah. Based on prior experience, it seems to me that the sarcophagus may not recognize previously healed skin damage as true bodily injury. But one thing is certain; there is no evidence of the internal injuries you received when your baby was killed or before that. Maybe something good came out of that experience after all."
"Maybe." Chanah still looked concerned.
"You're still worried. About the baby or something else?"
"Perhaps both."
"Given your age, there is a test you should consider strongly. The baby would be at some small risk from it. But at your age the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in the baby increases significantly. The test is called amniocentesis. We check the fluid in the sac in which the baby is surrounded to assess the fetus' health. I could do the test right away if you want. We have to send the test out to a lab for analysis. You'd have the results within a week."
"If it were you, would you do the test?"
"Definitely. But I would consider discussing it with the father first. Obviously he doesn't know yet."
"No. And if the risks are significant, I do not wish to tell him yet."
"Chanah, you do not have to discuss this with me and I won't put down anything in your chart about it. Speaking off the record as a friend, if the father is who I think it is, he'd want to be there for you one way or another."
"I appreciate your comments, Dr. Frasier. Let us do the test and await the results. I will decide what to tell him, if anything, after the test results. I will not give him false hopes or put him through losing another child."
"That's your call. There's one more thing you need to think about: whether and how long you want to stay on active duty. Given that you're not regular Air Force, I'm not sure how or if the rules would apply. But at a certain point, as little as a month or two, I won't clear you for off world duty. Until then, you can choose."
"I understand. There is much to think about. Let us do the test first and await results. I am not scheduled to go off world in the next week."
Janet Frasier was still awaiting the arrival of Chanah's amniocentesis as her infirmary filled with the members of SG-1. So when she heard that Chanah was to be part of a rescue should there be one, Janet could not help but worry. The day was proving horrific already. Teal'c had been gravely injured. Jack O'Neill's wounds sounded devastating and extracting him was going to expose others to danger -- including the mother of his child to be, a fact about which he was completely ignorant. Ethically, Janet had no choice but to remain silent.
Before Janet could think too much more about it, Daniel received a call to report to the gate room. He was to go after Jack with SG-9 immediately. SG-7 was not back yet. But as of now, the TER mounted on the MALP showed the gate area was clear with the exception of one wounded and unconscious Colonel. Dr. Frasier loaded Daniel up with some emergency supplies: a back board, an inflatable pressure splint and morphine. It was just enough to get Jack moved without doing more harm. Hopefully it was going to be a fast extraction without much time for triage.
CHAPTER 4 - INTO THE BREACH
Major Frawley led his team plus Daniel through the wormhole. The four team members of SG-9 fanned out to cover the maximum area with their TERs. There was no sign of any Re'tu.
Daniel tended to Jack. He was in shock but alive. Daniel was relieved Jack was unconscious after seeing the agony Jack had been in before and now that he saw the full extent of the damage. Jack's knee was pretty much gone. The leg was hanging on by some tendons or muscle - Daniel couldn't tell which -- and not much more. It was very ugly; Daniel's stomach turned.
Chanah tried not to look at Jack. With only four of them trying to cover the entire perimeter, she could not afford to be distracted. It would not help anyone. Still, she saw enough that her heart sank for Jack.
Daniel moved quickly to follow Janet's instructions. "God Jack, this makes Netu look like a scratch," Daniel said as he shook his head at the awful sight.
"Jackson, when you're done, get your TER up. Flank left of the gate. Chanah, stay on right flank. Gregson and Levitt back up to the Colonel, TERs covering my position while I dial. When I give the word Gregson and Levitt take the Colonel and then the rest of us get out of here as fast as possible."
Frawley dialed and the wormhole engaged. After he sent the GDO code, Gregson and Levitt carried Colonel O'Neill on the board through the event horizon. As they entered, Frawley yelled out to Daniel and Chanah.
"I've got something at 10 o'clock. Shit, there's a bunch of them."
"Sir, they seem to just be watching. We can probably make the gate," Chanah said.
"I suggest holding fire. They don't appear to be hostile, sir," Daniel urged.
"Tell that to Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c. Jackson go first."
Daniel was entering the event horizon when he saw Major Frawley's TER open fire on the Re'tu and heard Major Frawley yell to Chanah to "run for it now."
They both turned to break for the gate. Moments later a series of plasma energy blasts blew apart Frawley's chest and hit the DHD behind him. Part of the DHD exploded in a blast that rocked the ground. The DHD shorted out with a loud crackling noise seconds later and the wormhole disengaged.
* * *
A medical team was standing by in the gate room awaiting Colonel O'Neill's arrival and any other casualties. There was great relief when Gregson and Levitt arrived with the Colonel. Then Daniel entered and the wormhole disengaged.
"Where the hell are Major Frawley and Chanah?" General Hammond demanded.
"They were right behind me, sir. Major Frawley spotted some Re'tu. Just as I entered the gate he fired on them. I don't know what happened after that."
"Just great, now we've traded two men for one. Sgt. Davis, redial P8Q-307 and see what the MALP shows."
Colonel O'Neill started writhing again as the morphine kicked in and he returned to consciousness. It was not a good thing.
"Colonel, you're back at the SGC. You're going to be all right. Try to calm down and control your breath," Dr. Frasier encouraged him.
All that came out of O'Neill's mouth was a stream of pained curses.
"Give him another dose of morphine and let's get him to the O.R.," Dr. Frasier instructed her nurse. "Hang in there Colonel. The pain should be a little better in a few minutes." She didn't look like she believed her own words, however.
Dr. Frasier called out orders as they rushed Jack out on the cart.
"We'll get him stabilized and into surgery to remove those bone fragments. Then we'll give Sam a try with the healing device. If that doesn't work, we'll need to amputate above the knee, what little is left of it that is."
Dr. Frasier had seen wounds similar to this before from land mines. They were awful and presented few medical options besides amputation. It was all up to Sam unless another Tok'ra arrived. Not that Jack would ever take help from a Tok'ra again, except maybe Jacob Carter, thought the doctor.
After Janet spent over an hour fishing dozens of sharp bone fragments out of the tissue and skin which remained near where Jack once had a kneecap, it was Sam's desperate turn to help him. Janet wasn't sure that Sam had enough strength left to do the job after saving Teal'c, but she would not deny her or the Colonel the chance.
Sam somehow found the strength. She stood over Jack for fifteen minutes, taking him further along the road to recovery than years of conventional medicine would ever have. After a few minutes of rest, Sam finished the job. Jack's leg was reborn.
It astounded Janet and Sam that this could be done with the mysterious device controlled by the mind. In the near future, Colonel O'Neill would walk again. Teal'c was back from the brink of death thanks to the device.
But as they all recuperated in the infirmary, bad news came to them. General Hammond with Daniel alongside delivered it.
"Colonel, Teal'c, it's good to see you alive. Unfortunately, I have some bad news to deliver. Major Frawley was killed during the rescue mission and Chanah is missing."
"What do you mean missing?" Jack asked.
"I mean we don't know where she is. After Levitt and Gregson brought you through, Daniel came next. Apparently, Frawley was firing on some Re'tu as Daniel entered the wormhole, before he and Chanah broke for the gate. The wormhole disengaged after Daniel arrived. When we reopened it, the MALP showed what was left of Frawley's body on the ground. There was no sign of Chanah. The DHD was severely damaged."
"So she could still be alive, taken prisoner maybe," said Jack.
"That doesn't seem terribly likely under the circumstances, Colonel. I'm sorry."
"Sir, if she was in transit in the wormhole when the DHD was damaged and then we activated the gate afterwards, she would be lost," Carter explained eyeing Jack sympathetically.
"Then you made a lousy trade, General," Jack snapped.
"I'm sorry, Jack. We had no way of knowing about the DHD before we opened the gate again," said the General.
"You don't know if that's what happened, General. We need to get back there fast."
"Major Carter, is there any way to confirm your theory about her being lost in transit?"
"No sir, not after the gate was activated again."
"Colonel, even if I allow the remote possibility that she's wasn't lost in transit, that she's still there and alive, under the current circumstances I can't authorize a rescue attempt. With the DHD on the other side damaged, there's no way back. We have no idea how many Re'tu are present on the other side or where on the planet she could be. Plus we now have only three TERs left."
Jack tried to get out of his bed, but his leg buckled and he dropped to the floor grabbing the bed rail with his hands.
"Colonel O'Neill, get back in that bed! I know you're upset, but you can't walk yet. Just because the leg is healed doesn't mean you can use it. As far as your brain and those muscles are concerned, that leg is like one of a brand new baby that needs to learn to walk for the first time." Dr. Frasier helped him back into bed as she lectured him.
"General, we can't assume she's dead. I spent four months in a hell hole in Iraq when my team assumed I was dead on better evidence than this."
"Colonel, I'm not ruling out a rescue effort. Give me a reasonable plan, and I'll consider it."
With that the General left, leaving SG-1 to think about the options.
CHAPTER 5 - LIMITED OPTIONS
Carter, exhausted from her efforts with the healing device, nevertheless was thinking out loud already.
"We could take a naquadah reactor so we could manually dial out. We could also rig a second reactor to counter effect the phase shift like we did at the Alpha Site to make the Ashrak visible. It should work on the Re'tu also," Carter reasoned.
"How long would it take to set all that up?"
"We could get the reactor to make the Re'tu visible ready here for immediate use on the other side. But rigging the gate for a manual dial home might take an hour or more. If it's just a handful of Re'tu, we might be all right. But if there are a lot, that's a long time to be exposed with only three TER weapons. We don't have a lot of other effective firepower against the Re'tu."
Jack knew General Hammond wouldn't go for it so far.
"Maybe we can get more TERs from the Tok'ra?" Daniel suggested.
"Let's look into to it. I don't suppose the Tok'ra would help otherwise?" Jack queried.
"Given the effect the Re'tu have on their symbiotes, I doubt it, sir," said Carter.
"Teal'c, any ideas?" asked Jack.
"Would it be possible to take a ship there? There are many Jaffa who Chanah helped free who would participate in a rescue mission."
"We'd have to see how close any were to P8Q-307. It might take weeks or months to get ships there," Sam said.
"I think we need to consider another possibility here, that these Re'tu are not rebels. That maybe it was seeing a Jaffa that scared them. If we can find a way to communicate with them . . ." said Daniel.
."But they killed Frawley, Daniel. He was no Jaffa," Jack pointed out.
"To the best of my knowledge Jack, Frawley fired first. The Re'tu may have acted in self defense."
"How the hell do we find out if they're not rebels, Daniel? Anybody here do Re'tu screeching, for crying out loud?"
"Jack, remember the boy, Charlie?" asked Daniel.
"Crap. The boy the Re'tu created. He could communicate with them."
"Where is he, Jack?"
"Damned if I know. I haven't seen or heard from him in three years or more. Guess he got used to the Tok'ra and didn't need us anymore."
"Sam, can we get a message to Jacob to find out about Charlie as well as getting more TERs? Maybe Charlie can help," said Daniel.
"If Janet will let me out of here, I can."
"You have one hour Sam, then I want you back in this bed resting." Dr. Frasier was willing to give a little leeway under the circumstances.
"Teal'c, Colonel, it's time for you to rest. Daniel, out of here. I want to talk to you a minute."
Dr. Frasier took Daniel aside. "Daniel, I'm sorry to bring this up now but I didn't want to upset the Colonel further. What about Micah? Someone will need to tell him what's happened to his mother."
"I know Janet. But we don't have answers yet."
"He'll need to know something, Daniel. He'll need to stay with someone."
"I'll get him after school and bring him here."
After Daniel left, a nurse walked in oblivious to the ongoing situation.
"Chanah's lab results just came in, Dr. Frasier," the nurse said entirely too loud as she handed the file to Janet.
"Thanks," Janet said shaking her head at the nurse and checking in Jack's direction to see if he had heard.
"Lab results?" Jack had heard.
"Just from a standard physical, Colonel."
"You cleared her for duty without her labs in Doc. That's not like you."
Janet inwardly cursed that O'Neill knew her modus operandi so well.
"It wasn't anything that would have made any difference, Colonel."
"Is she okay?" Jack asked it reflexively without even realizing the absurdity of the question at the moment.
"Colonel, you know I can't discuss her medical records with you."
Janet couldn't help but think that whatever was in the file hardly mattered now. It only mattered that Jack never knew. Aside from the ethics of the matter, telling him about a baby he didn't yet know about and had probably lost would be rubbing salt in his wounds.
"I guess it is kind of stupid to worry about that right now, isn't it." Jack saw the light.
Janet couldn't stop herself from peeking at the results. Afterwards, she walked a fine ethical line.
"Jack, there's nothing bad in here, I promise. Just focus on finding her, all right?"
Janet tried to be reassuring, but she could not help but think how cruel fate had been to Jack and Chanah. Everything in the labs looked promising for Chanah to deliver a healthy child. But for the obvious intervention of fate.
CHAPTER 6 - NOT QUITE DEAD YET
Chanah was not dead. The blast which took out the DHD thrust an inch of shrapnel into her left temple before knocking her to the ground unconscious.
She woke up lying on a soft pallet in a spartanly furnished room. Her head throbbed and she drifted in and out of consciousness unable to figure out where she was.
She could have sworn the door opened and closed several times, but saw no one. It hurt too much to think about it though.
Then a man entered. He was older, maybe in his sixties. He was bald and reminded her of someone, but she couldn't think who.
"Hello. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you awoke."
"And you would be?"
"My name is Charlie. And you?"
"Chanah."
"Welcome Chanah. I am sorry for the sparseness of the accommodations. I am the only human here."
"Where is here?"
"Do you not know where you are, how you came to be here?"
"You are neither Jaffa or Goa'uld. I do not understand."
"I'm afraid that bump on your head has confused you. Where do you think you should be?"
"In the protection of Bim'lac, a Jaffa in the service of Rashnu."
"You live among the Jaffa and Goa'uld?"
"For many years now since I was taken as a slave and they destroyed my world."
"But you came here with the Tauri. You wore the clothing of the SGC."
"I do not know what you are talking about. The legend was that my people were descended from the Tauri, but I have never met one."
"Circe tells me that you are with child. Is that correct?"
"It is not possible. A human cannot bear the child of a Jaffa. Who is Circe?"
"Circe stands behind me. She is a Re'tu. She is not visible."
"A what?"
"Circe thinks your head is affected by your injury. How old do you believe yourself to be?"
"I do not know exactly. Time was measured differently where I was born than where I live now. Time matters little to a slave."
"Have you no idea?"
"About seventeen."
"You must rest. You seem to have lost much time. Perhaps it will come back to you with rest and nourishment."
"I must rest? You are the one with the invisible friend."
"Nevertheless, you must rest. When you are well, you must answer questions to satisfy my invisible friends or your life may be forfeit."
* * *
Meanwhile back at the SGC, no answer had yet been received from Jacob Carter about Charlie or more TERs. The possible use of a ship to rescue Chanah was looking less than promising. The closest friendly Jaffa with ships to offer would take months to arrive at the planet for a rescue. General Hammond was unwilling to spare SG-1 or any other team for that amount of time.
Jack was retraining his leg to walk again, pushing himself too hard and fast according to Dr. Frasier. For him, it was all agonizingly slow and frustrating. Teal'c was improving rapidly and was mobile. Even without junior, he had a remarkable constitution. Sam was back at full strength. Still standing down from missions, they continued to ponder Chanah's fate as well as what to do with her son.
Micah didn't want to go back to the People of the Oneness. He'd rapidly integrated into the SG-1 family. His grandfather was at the SGC or on the crystal planet as much as back on his old planet. There were some other relatives, but none that Micah wanted to be with as much as Jack and Daniel. And in truth, as much as it complicated their lives, neither Jack nor Daniel wanted to lose him either. Also, somehow sending him back would seem to be giving up hope for Chanah.
Yet so far, there was nothing happening to help change her situation if she was alive. Only Jack and Daniel held out real hope for her. Her whole life had been one story of survival against the odds. Much of it had been horrible, but she seemed to have a way of cheating death. Carter had bought into the DHD explanation. Teal'c, having been the target of the Re'tu fire, did too. He doubted the Re'tu would take a live prisoner particularly if Frawley had open fired upon them.
Without finding a way to communicate with the Re'tu, General Hammond was not going to authorize a rescue mission. Period. The unknowns were too great, he insisted. Jack didn't often lose his temper with General Hammond. He usually thought him fair and thoughtful. But this time was different.
"What happened to we don't leave our people behind?" Jack questioned him.
"Colonel, you and I know that sometimes that isn't the case. There isn't enough evidence to support a chance of a successful extraction, assuming she's alive to be extracted. We can't just throw other good people away on a speculation."
"You had no problem sending her in for me."
"Based on the circumstances at the time, it was an acceptable risk."
"It's because she's not one of us," snapped Jack.
"No, Colonel. You were by the gate. We didn't even know if it was Re'tu for certain then, and we saw none when her team departed. The mission was risky but limited. That isn't the case here. We have no idea where she could be on the planet if she's alive. We can't defend against an unknown number of Re'tu. Add to that a broken DHD, and it's very different."
General Hammond paused for a moment before, and then softened his tone from command mode to one of friendship.
"Jack, you are too close to this. Maybe you need to take some time off, take some time to grieve, son. You can't avoid it forever."
"I don't accept it. She's a survivor."
* * * Later that day, Sam approached Jack and Daniel. The memorial service for Major Frawley was the next day. Chanah's teammates and her martial arts trainees wanted to memorialize her too and asked if Jack and Daniel would speak about her. They knew her best.
Jack would have no part of it. Not yet, not based on what he knew.
Daniel wasn't eager either. Yet he understood the need of others for closure. He told Sam he'd think about it.
That night, Daniel went to Jack's house to talk. He didn't want to piss Jack off by participating in a service for Chanah if Jack was opposed. Jack could be unforgiving in the extreme. Daniel wanted to explore the options with Jack.
Jack was on the roof with his telescope and a beer.
"Hi, Jack. You okay?"
"Just peachy, Daniel."
"Jack, if it's all right with you, I'd like to say a few words about Chanah at the service tomorrow. If it's not, I won't. But I want you to know that if I speak, it's not because I'm giving up hope on her being alive."
"It's not okay."
"You want to talk about it?"
"No."
"You want to talk about her?"
"What's to say, Daniel?"
"That you miss her. That you're angry and hurt and sad. Whatever you're feeling."
"That's not me, Daniel. It wasn't her either."
"You guys never talked about how you felt, did you Jack?"
"I don't need goddamned Dr. Phil, Daniel. We were what we were."
"It's the now part that's got me worried for you, Jack."
"Go home, Daniel."
"Jack, even I have regrets, things I didn't tell Sha'uri that I wished I had."
"Stuff it, Daniel."
"Okay, Jack. When you're ready to talk, you know I'll be around."
"She's alive, Daniel, and we're not helping her by talking about her like she's not."
"Jack, I haven't given up hope, but you have to admit there's a possibility she's gone."
"Not yet, I don't. Not given all the other crap she survived."
"I'll concede it is kind of amazing that she made it this far, Jack. Something's been bugging me about that for a while. You know some of the stuff she did with that energy staff, making it discharge remotely and how she sometimes seemed to retrieve it by telekinesis. The Tinkerer created the staff and said it shouldn't have really done that. I think she may have survived with a little unseen help."
"Meaning?"
"Well, her whole planet was destroyed. I've got to think that some people ascended. I think maybe they gave her a little helping hand here and there."
"I thought the ascended weren't allowed to interfere."
"Well, technically, no. But it happens. Especially in subtle ways. If the last of my people were about to killed, I might be willing to risk a nudge or two in the right direction."
"So maybe they're helping her stay alive right now?"
"Or maybe they've helped her to ascend. She freed and cured a lot of Jaffa from the Goa'uld."
Jack's neck bulged with anger when Daniel said it.
"You still really don't get it, Daniel. She was about as much like you and Oma as I am. Don't glorify her. She and I have killed without hesitation or regret, Daniel, and we'd do it over and over again. If you gave her a choice between ringing one more Goa'uld's neck and ascension, I can assure you she'd take the Goa'uld. And if you gave her the power of the ascended, she'd have used it to blow Anubis and the rest of them into another universe. The ascended would have tossed her out on her ass by now."
"I'm sorry, Jack. I was just trying to give you some comfort."
"Daniel," Jack took a deep breath, "what I need is a way to find her, with or without Hammond's cooperation."
"Yeah, well, if I have any bright ideas, I'll be sure to let you know."
Daniel left feeling that it couldn't have gone much worse and worried that Jack was planning some kind of crazy end run around General Hammond.
* * *
Except for a giant loss of time, Chanah's health was fine. Weeks passed. Chanah's belly began to bulge, yet she was clueless as to how it came to pass.
Charlie befriended her and tried to pull her into his conversations with his invisible friend. Had Chanah not seen doors open and close without Charlie nearby, and even on occasion felt an unseen hand by her bed, she would have thought the man's story of invisible beings utterly ridiculous.
Charlie permitted Chanah freedom of movement in the building and close to it. There was no place she could go with the DHD broken. And since he insisted there were some Re'tu among them who were hostile to the humans because of some guy recently killing one, she stayed close to the building. She may have been lost in time and lonely, but at least she was free of the Goa'uld here. For that she was grateful.
Charlie, aided by the invisible Circe, tried different tactics to bring her into the present time. They pointed out the strange clothes she was wearing when she was found, the SGC BDUs. She didn't show any recognition. They let her handle the walking staff that had been cinched to her clothes when she was found. She could not place it in her mind. Yet her hands held it familiarly. She was allowed to keep it. No one knew what it could do, including her.
She instinctively begin to practice using the staff as a bo stick in martial arts. Every day, sometimes three or four times a day, she would execute a series of exercises using the staff that were ingrained in her body but foreign to her conscious mind. She could remember the Jaffa Bim'lac teaching her to use a wooden training staff of a Jaffa, but this stick was different. Yet it was so familiar. One day, she discharged it and shocked herself to discover that it was an energy weapon. Luckily, she had not injured anyone with it. After that, Charlie and Circe kept it from her. Charlie was kind enough to replace it with a plain staff he carved for her. He wanted her to remain active and engaged in thought with it, hoping she might still remember forward.
Ultimately, dreams of the staff discharging did take her into her future. She remembered her rescue from the Goa'uld by the People of the Oneness, after which she lived and trained among them. She shared these memories with Charlie. She understood that he was protecting her and appreciated it.
It came out all in a jumble. She had trouble remembering the order of events and was unsure what was dreamed and what was not.
"There was an old man, the Tinkerer, a scientist. He had a toxin to kill the Goa'uld and the Jaffa. I desperately wanted to use them and convinced him that I could. He made the energy staff I carried. I trained for many years among their warriors to learn their style of fighting. We found a way to kill the Goa'uld larva in the Jaffa but save the Jaffa."
"Why would you wish to save the Jaffa after what they had done to you?"
"When I first was taken as a slave, I wanted them all dead. But in time, I came to understand that the Jaffa themselves were no different than I. They too had been enslaved. They had been genetically modified to carry the larva, so their very existence was dependent upon the Goa'uld. Not all were evil. Many wished freedom, but did not know how to attain it."
"I met one such Jaffa among the Tauri, years ago. A man named Teal'c," Charlie volunteered.
Charlie saw no signs of recognition of the name in Chanah's face and let it drop. She was still not back to the present.
"There is more. I was married to one of the People of the Oneness. I had a son. Micah was his name."
"And the baby you now carry?"
"It must be my husband's. I must get back to the People of the Oneness."
"It cannot be done now. The stargate cannot be opened on this end. In time, the Re'tu hope to repair it."
"But I must go. The baby and I may need special care. I had a difficult time carrying Micah because of prior injuries."
"Circe will help as much as she can. She is very wise. But until the device which controls the gate is fixed, you must remain here. Even after, until the Re'tu can determine your culpability in the death of one of their own, you may not leave."
"But what of the child?"
"When it arrives, I promise I will see to its safety, whether in your hands or that of your people."
"I thank you for that Charlie."
"Meanwhile, you must continue to take care of yourself and to try to remember more. You arrived with the Tauri. There must be more to your story."
"And if there is not?"
"I cannot say."
* * *
After weeks of hearing nothing from the Tok'ra, word was finally received from Jacob Carter.
"We can't spare more than a few TERs. We don't have that many left for ourselves."
"What about Charlie, Dad?" asked Sam.
"He left over two years ago."
Jack took over. "What the hell do you mean he left?"
"Jack, the relationship between host and symbiote must be mutual. Charlie was unwilling to continue it after a while."
"Why?"
"I couldn't say for sure Jack. I think that Charlie was split into too many directions - being part human, part Re'tu, part Tok'ra. Maybe the Re'tu part of him was either too homesick or uncomfortable with the symbiote to stay."
"Any chance it was the other way around, Jacob? That the symbiote didn't want to be around a Re'tu given how that made him feel."
"I hadn't considered that possibility, Jack. But Charlie didn't have a physical effect on us. Still, it's plausible that sharing a mind programmed to fear and hate the Goa'uld could have been extremely difficult for his symbiote - Charlie's brain may not have entirely accepted that there was a difference between Goa'uld and Tok'ra. But we'll never know for sure. The symbiote unfortunately died after the separation for want of a new host."
"Figures. Why couldn't I have gotten a snake that kept a bargain?" Jack still raged at how Kanan had used him.
"Jack, I understand you're still angry and that you may always be. But it won't help anything. At least you're alive."
"Dad, wasn't it a security risk to let Charlie leave?"
"Yes. The high council almost refused his departure. It was dependent upon Charlie accepting a special memory blocking device. If Charlie tries to access any strategic information that he learned from the Tok'ra, he will experience pain or injury that will block him from doing so."
"Still sounds risky," Sam said.
"Any chance he's gone dark side on us, Jacob?" asked Jack.
"No one believed that Charlie had turned on the Tok'ra. We hoped he would be an asset out there, maybe help form an alliance between the Re'tu and other enemies of the Goa'uld."
"Do we have any idea where he might have gone?"
"He gated to a planet where Re'tu once lived. That place has long since been destroyed by the Goa'uld. For all I know, Charlie was with them then. I'm sorry I don't have better news."
"Well that was a freaking colossal waste of time," Jack complained.
They were still no closer to finding Chanah, if she was anywhere to be found.
* * *
Many more weeks passed. They passed slowly for Chanah in her near isolation. When Charlie was not with her, she began having imaginary conversations with his invisible friend Circe.
At last a new memory came in a nightmare. In it her husband was taken as a host by the Goa'uld. She somehow killed him, the Goa'uld and her husband. But it physically pained her to try and remember more. Then another night, her memories crashed forward again.
"I killed him with my staff. But he revived in the sarcophagus. I was with child. He stabbed me to try and kill my baby. I killed him with the toxin somehow. I can not remember how."
Details were still missing, but at least she felt some relief that the baby must have survived and that it was her husband's.
Charlie told her he didn't think it made sense. If a Goa'uld stabbed her to kill her baby, it would have not failed. Chanah knew that was true yet a part of her was too scared to remember from there.
But she had nothing but time on her hands. Day and night, she replayed the parts she could remember. And then the moment came when she wished she hadn't tried.
The Goa'uld with her husband's face had used the healing device on her after he killed her baby. Then he raped her. The toxin that killed him was not from her neck but from elsewhere. Her childhood experiences in the slave camp had led her to conceal the toxin there as well. She was panicked.
"Charlie, we must not let this baby live. It is of the Goa'uld. It will be evil."
Charlie was still skeptical.
"If it were Goa'uld, Circe would sense it. She does not believe it. You must continue to try and remember more."
"No, I cannot. I don't even want to anymore. Please just kill it and me with it."
"What of your son?"
"He is better off without me. I killed his father."
"I doubt that he would agree. Where is he now, can you remember?"
"He . . . he would have nothing to do with me when I returned. He shunned me."
"What did you do? Think."
For days she thought but could not go very far from that point. In her despair at believing she could be bearing a Goa'uld's child, thoughts of suicide entered her mind. But for Charlie's constant encouragement, she might have done it.
"I think I kept on with my work. I wanted to die, but I hadn't the courage to do it myself. I left it to the Jaffa and the Goa'uld to kill me. But each time, I survived. I tried to contact the Tauri. I heard they had allied with rebel Jaffa. I hoped to pass my knowledge of the toxin and cure to them so I could be done with it all."
"Did you find them?"
"I don't remember. I don't think so."
"You must have. You arrived with the Tauri."
"I don't know them."
"Chanah, after you killed your husband, do you remember being with child?"
"I only remember feeling dead, as a sleepwalker, for a very long time. I do not remember being with child. I think I would have killed it myself had I been. But I cannot explain it otherwise."
"Much time may still be lost to you. You must continue to try and remember. For your son's sake, for Micah. You must focus on the Tauri. Look at these clothes, the things in them. Something may spur your memory."
"Charlie, what do you know of the Tauri?"
"I was created by the Re'tu in the Tauri's image to communicate the danger to them from the rebel Re'tu. I have been to their world, through their stargate, about five years ago. I have some people I count as friends among them in the SGC. I believe at least one of them was among those injured here many weeks ago, a Jaffa named Teal'c. Another friend is Colonel Jack O'Neill. I took the name of his son."
Charlie watched her closely for any sign of recognition. There was none.
"Aren't you a little old to be taking the name of someone else's child?"
"I was a child then. I am genetically engineered. At that time, my body needed to age rapidly so that I would be physically mature enough to warn the Tauri of the threat from the rebel Re'tu. The body was flawed, however, and began to fail prematurely. After Mother was killed, I wanted to stay with the Tauri, with my friend Jack, but it was not possible. I went with the Tok'ra who healed me."
"The Tok'ra?"
"They are symbiotes who in body are identical to the Goa'uld but who, unlike the Goa'uld, only take willing hosts and share the mind and body equally. They healed my body. But I was conditioned to fear symbiotes and though the Tok'ra were kind to me, neither I nor the symbiote was quite comfortable with the other. So we parted ways. When the symbiote left me, the accelerated aging process continued in a more gentle fashion. Still, I am only eleven years old."
"So you are not human, Tok'ra or Re'tu. It must be difficult for you."
"It has been a challenge. I am most comfortable among the race that created me. Yet it has been my hope to help unify the Re'tu with the Tauri and the Tok'ra against the Goa'uld. There are not that many of my kind left, however, and they are afraid."
"As well they should be."
"Do your people, the People of the Oneness, know of the Tok'ra?"
"No."
"That is too bad. Still, as your child's birth nears, it might be possible to send a message to the Tok'ra. If you give me the coordinates of your world, the Tok'ra might send an emissary to arrange the child's safe passage home."
"You say they are friends in the fight against the Goa'uld?"
"Yes."
"Then you must not do that. There is a device on the gate of my world that would kill the Tok'ra immediately should they enter."
"We will not do that, then. It is probably just as well, for there may be danger to the Re'tu from sending such a message. The Tok'ra have been infiltrated by the Goa'uld on occasion."
"You are kind to even consider such a step on my behalf Charlie. Your mother, she must have been very special and wise."
"She was. I miss her. As I'm sure your son does you. For his sake, you must try to remember more. Study the things we found you with and perhaps they will jog your memory."
"I will Charlie, but you must promise me something. If my child is in any part Goa'uld, you will kill it or bring it to me to kill."
"If that should prove to be the case, I will."
* * * Seventeen weeks had passed since Chanah's disappearance. The members of SG-1 had all healed and returned to active duty. But no acceptable method of attempted rescue had been found to please General Hammond, and even Jack probably would have agreed had he been in the General's position. Nevertheless, he was bitter about it although he still had not given up hope entirely. His four months in a prison camp were a vivid reminder not to surrender to fear.
Small probes were sent through the gate on the Re'tu planet periodically to assess the situation but it was fairly pointless. The SGC could not afford to keep dumping TERs there; there were none to spare. So unless they happened to find Chanah camped out by the gate, the only thing really being checked was the DHD. It looked like there had been some work on it by someone, but it was still clearly not operational.
It was around this time that Dr. Frasier considered stretching her adherence to her Hippocratic Oath. She spoke to her good friend and colleague Samantha Carter.
"Sam, I may be about to cross a line here I ethically should not. Before I do, tell me if you think there is any remote chance that Chanah is still alive on that planet."
"You know what the Colonel says, Janet. There is always a chance."
"Do you believe that Sam?"
"I'm not saying I think there's much of a chance, but yes, I do believe there is some."
"If Chanah's there and alive Sam, she may need medical help soon."
"I don't understand. How can you possibly know that?"
"I really shouldn't be telling you that much Sam. I can't say more."
Sam pondered Janet's words for a few seconds, and then, looking startled showed she'd figured it out.
"Chanah was pregnant when she disappeared?" Sam asked.
Janet's silence was sufficient confirmation for Sam.
"Did Jack know?"
Janet gave the slightest shake of her head indicating no.
"Thank God. If Jack had known . . . losing Chanah has been bad enough for him."
"Sam, if you can come up with any way to look for her that Hammond might agree to, we need to give them both a last chance at this."
"Janet, I've been thinking about it for four months now. There are just so many unknowns. It's not even about solutions to the broken DHD or the invisibility of the Re'tu anymore. It's about a lack of intelligence. Without one shred of evidence that the place isn't swarming with hostile Re'tu, the General won't send anyone. The last time we thought we were looking for five or ten Re'tu, we ran into hundreds. We don't have enough effective weapons to deal with more than a handful of Re'tu and we don't know how to talk to them."
"Just think about it again, Sam, once."
"I will, Janet. There's one other possibility, but I don't think even Jack would be desperate enough to actually try it. And I don't see the General going for it either."
* * *
Chanah studied the BDUs she supposedly wore when found. They had long ago ceased to fit her, and she and Charlie had fashioned her alternative clothes. She studied a small knife in a holster that she supposedly had worn also. It was an extremely sharp double edged blade and was engraved: "Not for use on yourself! J.O."
She was clueless about it. Yet her hand took up practicing throwing it as if it remembered the knife. Mindless, endless hours she threw it into the wall and pulled it out. Her aim was getting quite good. Her memory, however, was not improving.
This mindless diversion was nearing an end, though. She started having irregular contractions. The time was drawing near. Charlie pressed her memory again.
"Once the child arrives, the Re'tu will seek justice from you for the death of their own. If you cannot remember the events and give evidence, you may be held accountable without a fair trial. I can only protect the baby in that instance."
"What if I do not remember because I am accountable? Then none of it matters."
"But if you are not, if your actions were not blameworthy or can be forgiven, you would be lost to your children. It would matter to them."
"I cannot remember, Charlie."
"Then we have one last option to consider. Time grows short. I can send a message to the Tok'ra to contact the Tauri to come. I can guarantee them safe passage. The device to operate the gate is nearly fixed from what I am told, so they will be able to leave safely."
"But what of the risk to the Re'tu if the transmission is intercepted or leaked to the Goa'uld? It is not a reasonable risk to take on my behalf."
"It is time for the Re'tu to look beyond themselves for their safety. I was created to be a link between the two races. Before the end of my life, I should do more to accomplish that purpose. The Tauri were fair with us before; they will help us again. There may be others who will join them."
"There are Jaffa - numerous Jaffa - who have been freed from the Goa'uld who I believe might help the Re'tu in the fight against the Goa'uld."
"Then let us craft a message to the Tok'ra and see what hope it brings us all."
CHAPTER 7 - A HAREBRAINED PLAN ABORTED BY A PLEA FOR HELP
Eighteen weeks after Chanah's disappearance, Sam brought a last ditch option to Jack's attention. She was pessimistic and unenthusiastic about it, but it was all she had.
Using DNA samples from the Re'tu who were killed at the SGC over five years ago, the Tinkerer crafted a new toxin. This one would kill Re'tu. It could be disseminated by MALP or UAV and could decimate the population quickly. If this was a small rebel faction dedicated to eliminating humans, then maybe use of the toxin would be acceptable.
But if it was a large population of Re'tu, Sam thought it would be akin to genocide. Unfortunately, they had no good way to figure out which it was. While Sam could rig a naquadah reactor to make the Re'tu visible within a certain range, that would tell them nothing about the entire planet's Re'tu population.
Jack was less troubled than Sam by those details. However many there were and whether they were rebels or not, they'd shot Teal'c and Jack, killed Frawley and did who knows what to Chanah. Jack added the toxin to his next rescue proposal to General Hammond. He had no real expectation that Hammond would go for it, which is why Jack was working on his own private last ditch contingency plan. The time for it was drawing near.
Hammond called Jack in to discuss the toxin plan.
"No way in hell, Colonel. If Daniel's right and these are not rebel Re'tu, but friendlies, you do this and we have a whole new massive enemy to worry about. Invisible ones that we have limited defenses against. The Re'tu took a big chance in warning us about the rebels several years ago. I don't think we can afford to repay them with genocide."
"Sir, sooner or later we have to take a chance and decide what we think they are. If we think they may be friendly, let me go in and try to make nice. If we think they are rebels, we go in with all guns blazing. It can't be both ways."
"No, Colonel. We don't have sufficient intelligence to guess which one it is and I won't risk our personnel on just a guess. You didn't believe I'd go for this half-baked plan for a minute, did you Jack?"
The look on Jack's face gave that fact away. No he didn't, but he tried going through all the legitimate channels. Now he felt free to try another way.
"General, I'm putting in a request for leave the next two weeks. Micah's out of school and would like to visit home for a bit. I'd like to go with him."
General Hammond was anything but nave.
"Didn't I see a memo about Carter delivering and setting up reactors there next week, Jack?"
"Wouldn't know sir. I have trouble understanding those reports about her gizmos."
"Colonel, should I also be expecting requests for leave from Teal'c and Dr. Jackson for next week?"
"Wouldn't be surprised if Teal'c wanted to visit Rya'c or Bra'tac. I have no idea about Daniel."
Jack did not. Daniel still believed the Re'tu were not hostile. He was leery of Jack's aggressive plan, especially if Jack was serious about using a toxin.
"Jack, don't do anything foolish. There's more at stake than Chanah's life here, if she is alive."
"Is that a yes to my request for leave?"
"It's an `I'll think about it and let you know.'"
Jack had lots of activity in motion already and would not be stopped. He'd find a way off world next week. Any safe gate would do for a start. By then, thanks to Teal'c and Bra'tac, two ships of Jaffa would arrive at the rock where Chanah disappeared concluding a long journey. For the next week, Jack would be hammering out the rest of the details under General Hammond's nose.
* * * Jack's unauthorized plan was forestalled by the arrival of news early the following week.
"Sir, we have an unscheduled incoming wormhole," Sgt. Davis told General Hammond over the internal phone line.
"Do we have an authorization code yet?"
"The Tok'ra, sir - Jacob Carter."
"Tell SG-1 to report to the gate room immediately. I'll be there momentarily."
Jacob Carter entered holding an armful of TERs.
"I have news, big news. We've heard from Charlie, the Re'tu."
"I thought you had no idea where he was," Jack was distrustful even though it was Jacob.
"We didn't. But he had a communications device to reach us. It was not to be used without good purpose."
"And?"
"Charlie is on the planet where Chanah was lost. She is alive. Charlie requests that SG-1 come. The Re'tu will guarantee safe passage in and out. The DHD will be repaired soon. He wants to form an alliance among the Re'tu, Tauri, Jaffa and the Tok'ra against the Goa'uld and asks for emissaries from each. He also requested medical help be sent."
"For Chanah? Is she a hostage?"
"Jack, I don't know. I believe the message is from Charlie. Beyond that, I couldn't say. There is one more thing, however. He suggests that those who come be prepared for hostilities with the Goa'uld should his message be intercepted. And I believe his concerns on that front are valid."
"General, I request permission to gate to that goddamned rock immediately."
"Let's take a minute to digest this Colonel. Even if we believe the message in its entirety, we need to be prepared if the DHD is not fixed to get out of there."
"I've got that covered, sir. I've got a naquadah reactor ready to be rigged to dial out. I can do it in an hour or so of arrival if the DHD is still inoperative," said Carter.
"What if it's a trick and the Re'tu are hostile?"
"I've got a second reactor rigged to generate a signal that will cause the Re'tu to be visible well beyond firing range of their weapons, sir," Carter added.
"So you can get out relatively fast, if things look bad. There's a lot riding on faith here, still."
"General, goddamn it, you can't wait until its perfect. I'm willing to go as is every member of my team. Let us get her out. And if we can make buddies with the Re'tu while we're at it, great."
"Jacob, tell me more about the threat from the Goa'uld possibly intercepting the message."
"It's a serious threat, George. The message from Charlie was relayed through a number of channels before it reached me. At least five days have passed since it was sent."
"What kind of force would you expect the Goa'uld to send if they knew?"
"Large. The Goa'uld perceive the Re'tu as a serious threat. They will bring in a lot of bodies, especially with the added prospect of taking out SG-1, the rebel Jaffa and Tok'ra too. Charlie's message would look like manna from heaven to a Goa'uld who found it."
"Can they bring in ships?"
"Not in the amount of time that has passed. This planet is way too remote. They'll have to gate in."
"What if they already have?"
"That's a possibility, although amassing a large enough force and enough TERs would take some time. I expect you could send through a probe to find out."
"All right, Colonel. Be ready to depart in forty-five minutes. Take SG-3 with you. We'll send the MALP through first and attempt direct contact with Charlie before anybody leaves this base."
"Yes, sir." Jack looked gleeful knowing that she was alive and that he finally had a chance to do what he'd waited to do for months.
"Jacob, can we count on you to represent the Tok'ra?"
"Sure George. I wouldn't expect any others though. The effect the Re'tu have on the symbiote is too unpleasant."
"Colonel, before you go, a word in private please. Is there anything else in motion - besides Carter's reactors - that you haven't bothered to tell me about? Things that might be additional assets going forward?"
"Hey, do I look like I'm in charge of the Jaffa rebellion?"
"Are you suggesting that I have a conversation with Teal'c?"
Jack gave General Hammond his "search me" look. General Hammond didn't buy it.
"Save me the time and spill the beans, Colonel."
"It's possible we might expect air support from a couple of ships, and a couple of dozen Jaffa to meet us at the gate on notice."
"Colonel, you better hope to hell that I never find out what you were planning on doing had this not played out this way." General Hammond was momentarily angry with Jack, court-martial mad perhaps, and then he softened.
"Jack, I know this has been hard on you. I hope you find what you expect and not too many good people get hurt in the process."
"General, if we start leaving our people behind, this stops being a fight worth fighting."
"Go and Godspeed, Jack."
CHAPTER 8 - REUNIONS
In only thirty minutes, SG-1 was at the gate. SG-3 and Jacob Carter stood ready too. Teal'c sent a message to Bra'tac to be prepared to arrive with his contingent of Jaffa after receiving word that SG-1 had safely arrived on P8Q-307. Carter was ready with her equipment, which filled the MALP and another cart. Yet a third cart was required for the vast amount of things Dr. Frasier inexplicably was bringing.
"Doc, are you planning on setting up permanent shop?" Jack was puzzled.
"I just wanted to be prepared, sir."
"As long as you're prepared to carry it," Jack joked. Dr. Frasier enjoyed hearing some jollity in his voice for the first time in months.
The MALP was sent through first with a two way video set up and a TER. Two Re'tu waited by the gate. When they saw the MALP, they scuttled away. Everyone waited anxiously to see what might show up next. Thirty long minutes later, an older looking man stood before the MALP's video camera and screen.
"Colonel O'Neill, is that you?"
"To whom am I speaking?"
"It's me, Charlie."
"That's not possible. Charlie would be, what, 10 or 11 now?"
"Mother would be disappointed in your narrow-mindedness, Jack."
"Is it really you?"
"Yes, Jack. A little older, a lot wiser. The accelerated aging process could not be entirely stopped by the symbiote."
"Yeah, well as you can see, I've gone a little gray myself."
"You will visit me, Jack?"
"You have Chanah, right? Is she all right?"
"Yes, Jack, she is here."
"A party of friendly Jaffa are scheduled to follow us, Charlie. Can you really guarantee their safety and ours?"
"The shootings of the Jaffa, I assume it was Teal'c, and the other man, were neither intentional nor planned, Jack."
"I was the other man, Charlie."
"I'm sorry Jack. I was afraid of that. I hope you are well now. The Re'tu who shot you panicked when he saw the Jaffa. These Re'tu are not rebels, but they are very scared of Jaffa and Goa'uld. Please come now."
"We're on the way."
On the other side, greetings were exchanged. They talked and walked, the contingent and their equipment following Charlie.
"It's still hard to believe it's you, Charlie. Hair's the same though." Charlie still had none.
"We have much to catch up on, Jack, but much to do first. I will take you to see your comrade before we get to the business end of the visit."
"Good. Charlie, exactly how many Re'tu are here?"
"Over three thousand, one thousand are adults."
"Productive little buggers."
"It's the purpose of this remote outpost to help regrow the population after the damage done by the Goa'uld."
"Where are they?"
"Here, all around."
"No, where do they live? Invisible houses?"
"Not exactly, Jack. It's rather complicated. You see . . ."
"Never mind, Charlie. Even Carter couldn't figure out how all this works the first time around. I have no prayer."
"Probably not, Jack."
"Do they all have weapons?"
"The adults, yes."
"Any extra plasma guns we can borrow if the Goa'uld show up, assuming we can see the guns?"
"Yes, Jack, as many as you would like."
"Oh, I'd very much like one of those babies."
Fifteen minutes later they neared an austere building, maybe eighty feet wide by fifty feet long.
"This is where I live, Jack. This is where Chanah is. I must warn you that she has no memory of the Tauri right now. She suffered a head injury. She has been recovering her memories slowly, but they are not all back yet. Only her uniform connected her with the SGC."
"Dr. Frasier will check her out."
"Good. Although the need for her services has largely been resolved since the message was sent."
Jack didn't understand. "That's good news, I hope?"
"It is, Jack. Come. You and your colleagues must help her to remember. I believe she is concerned that further memories will confirm her fears."
"Chanah doesn't frighten easily Charlie. Gets pissed off, kicks butt, but she doesn't do frightened much."
"And yet she believes she has reasons to be scared. I think your people will help resolve them."
"Do we have to talk in riddles? What's going on?"
"It would be better for her to see her friends as soon as possible. Let us enter."
"Carter, Teal'c, Daniel - get everything set up in case we have visitors. And make sure everyone plays nice together until I get back. Doc, you come with us."
"I would like the doctor to check up on a friend while you visit Chanah, Jack. Then I will bring her in to see Chanah."
"Okay, but I don't think Doc has too much experience with invisible patients."
* * *
Jack went to see Chanah alone. She was sitting up on a pallet. She looked healthy, but exhausted and lost. She didn't recognize him.
Jack walked up to her speaking.
"I knew you were alive. I'm sorry we took so long to come."
As he spoke, he reflexively caressed the scar on her cheek. She roughly pushed his hand away.
"I do not like to be touched by strangers." She had a bit of a wild look about her.
He backed away. "I'm not a stranger."
"Should I know you?"
"Down to my last scar," Jack said disbelievingly.
"I'm sorry. I don't remember you at all."
"That'll hurt a guy's feelings. Colonel Jack O'Neill, U.S. Air Force, fearless leader of SG-1. On base you call me Colonel. Off it, O'Neill, and sometimes, special times, Jack."
"No, I don't know any of those names."
"You also used to call me `relentless,' `incorrigible,' and `infuriating,' too. Ring any bells?"
"No."
"This is pointless. I don't remember you. Please leave."
"See now, you do remember. When we first met, all you did was ask me to leave constantly."
"Did you?"
"Nope."
"How about now?"
"I've come too far, taken too long already."
"I have nothing to offer you."
"Maybe I have something to offer you."
"Such as?"
"Your life back. Memories. A future. Your son Micah, he's waiting for you to come back."
"Why would Micah be with you? I don't understand."
"You don't need to figure it all out today. We'll take you back to Earth. You'll be among lots of friends who will help."
Before Chanah could respond, Dr. Frasier came in with Charlie and interrupted.
"Hi, Chanah. I'm Dr. Frasier. I understand you may not remember me, but I'm your doctor and I'd like to examine you."
Chanah looked to Charlie for guidance. He shook his head for her to cooperate.
"I understand you had a nasty head wound. It's probably why your memory is impaired. Can you show me where it is?"
Chanah lifted back her hair which had grown several inches since she last saw them to show the wound on her left temple.
"Oh, that's a beauty to add to your collection. When we get back, we'll need to do a CAT scan and MRI to see if there's any permanent damage or shrapnel still in there. Jack, can you and Charlie excuse us a couple of minutes?"
Jack shrugged and he left with Charlie.
"Chanah, I understand from Charlie that you delivered four days ago. Did it go smoothly?"
"Yes."
"No unusual pain, discomfort or fever after?"
"No."
"If you want, we'll wait till we get back to the SGC and I'll give you a full post-partum exam there."
"Doctor, have you examined the baby?"
Before Dr. Frasier could answer Chanah's question, the door opened and a baby seemed to float into the room suspended in midair. Dr. Frasier was nonplussed but a very puzzled Jack followed the bizarre sight into the room trailed by Charlie.
"Circe insists it is time to feed the baby, Chanah. You know her. She will not be put off," said Charlie.
"Circe?" Jack gazed around the room looking completely weirded out.
"It's a Re'tu holding the baby, Colonel," Dr. Frasier explained.
"Oh, that explains . . . not much." Jack was totally confused.
"Doctor, my baby, is it Goa'uld or not?"
"No, Chanah. That's not possible. Way too much time has passed since the Goa'uld did that to you."
Chanah was visibly relieved and brightened. She took the baby from the invisible arms and put it to her breast to feed.
"Doc, don't tell me the bastards used her to create another Charlie. No offense, Charlie."
"No, Jack. This baby is all human. Step outside with me for a minute," Dr. Frasier requested.
Outside the door, Janet paused. She didn't care for the position in which she found herself.
"Jack, it's Chanah's baby, it's human and ethically that's really all I should tell you."
"Are you telling me - or trying not to tell me - that she was pregnant when she disappeared?"
Janet stood silent.
"You knew? She knew? And no one bothered to tell me. Why the hell not?"
Seeing Jack's frustration and knowing that Chanah couldn't answer these questions in her current condition, Janet decided to tell him.
"She'd just found out a week before the rescue mission. She didn't believe it was even possible after what the Goa'uld who took her husband as host did to her. And but for the sarcophagus, she would have been right. But there were still serious risks at her age. She was waiting on amniocentesis results before telling you anything. She wasn't even scheduled to go off world until after the results came in, but then your rescue came up."
"Those were the lab results that came in the day my leg was blown apart, the day she disappeared."
"Jack, she didn't want to get your hopes up, or her own, before she knew the test results. She didn't want to put you through the loss of another child and she'd already miscarried several times before."
"I only knew of the one time, when the Goa'uld killed her baby."
"Jack, don't be angry with her. All she did was try to protect you, twice over."
"Mad at her? No, Doc. But I should have been with her this whole time; I should have found a way to get here. She thought she was having a freakin' Goa'uld's baby for god's sake. Now I see why she was scared."
"Jack, she probably still is. She's stuck somewhere in the past and knows it. It's got to be enormously frightening. We need to tread carefully and not overwhelm her with information. It might cause her to shut down."
"Meaning?"
"Don't push her memories unless you see a glimmer of recognition. When we get her back home to familiar surroundings and Micah, it might bring her back. There is a possibility though that she might never remember everything."
"But doc, the baby. Our baby." He shook his head in disbelief. "She needs to know it's mine. I won't miss out on anymore Doc."
"Chanah wouldn't want you to if she were herself Colonel. I think it's okay for us to tell her the baby is yours, but let's not give her an excess of information."
"Doc, we're talking about me here."
"Good point, Colonel. I'll have this conversation with Daniel, Sam and Micah instead. I think we can safely skip Teal'c."
Jack went back in to see his baby. He still wasn't convinced it was real. Then he realized he hadn't even asked if it was a boy or girl. He whispered the question to the doctor.
"Just look, Jack. You'll know."
Jack positioned himself by Chanah's head. "A girl. She's beautiful. Can I hold her?"
"Why?"
"You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what, O'Neill?"
"I'm her father."
Chanah looked at him, lost at sea, and then looked at Dr. Frasier who confirmed it.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I wish I remembered." She handed the baby to Jack.
"You will. And we'll have a grand time raising her," Jack beamed ear to ear.
Then the radio cackled.
CHAPTER 9 - THE VALUE OF NOT BEING SEEN
"Colonel, it's Carter. Do you copy?"
"Yeah, Carter, what is it? I'm busy."
"Sir, the MALP camera we set up to watch the gate is showing a huge column of Jaffa entering."
"Not the friendly kind, I suppose."
"No, sir. And they have a lot of TERs. It could turn into a bloodbath sir."
"Crap. I'll be right down. Charlie, I need you to come."
"Doc, Chanah, stay put no matter what. Radio me if you need me."
"Yes Colonel," Doc replied.
Chanah said nothing.
Jack wagged his finger at her. "I know you're still in there. This is an order and you are under my command now, for real."
Chanah shrugged at him.
"Doc, sit on her if you have to."
Janet Frasier nodded dubiously at Jack. She knew that Chanah had successfully beaten Jaffa by herself. Jack was kidding himself if he thought the petite doctor could keep her against her will.
Jack and Charlie rushed outside. Jack instantly changed from a gleeful new father back into the Colonel, and began barking out his plan as he formulated it.
"Charlie, get word to the Re'tu to stay well out of the firing range of the Jaffa amassing at the gate. Pull them back towards the compound flanking both sides of the Jaffa column."
"Carter, if you can use the naquadah reactor to make the Re'tu visible, can you also use it to help them stay invisible? To cancel the frequency of the TERs, like those headphones do with noise?"
"Piece of cake, sir." Sam had trouble believing that Jack finally seemed to understand one of her gizmos and even had a clever idea for modifying it.
"Daniel, Jacob, help her set it up. Carter, what kind of range will we have on it when you're done? Better than the Alpha site, I hope."
"Yes, sir. I can do much better by piggybacking the second reactor we brought to it. It might cover a square mile or even two with that power."
"Get it up and running and test the range so the Re'tu know where the safe zone is. And Carter, any chance you could set it to make the rest of us invisible?"
"Sorry, sir, no can do."
"And you were on such a good roll until then."
"Bra'tac, Teal'c - what's the situation at the gate now?"
"There appear to be approximately 1000 Jaffa gathered by the gate. They are sending forth scouts and preparing to march."
"Do you think we could convince some of them to change sides, Bra'tac? Maybe broadcast an invitation and show a little fire power from our friends waiting upstairs?"
"Yes, O'Neill. We may be able to diminish their numbers significantly. I will do it."
"Take it and run. Teal'c, get Bra'tac up and on the air. Once the column leaves, have the friendly Jaffa skirt very wide back to the gate and detain those who surrender. Most importantly, keep them there. The possibilities for crossfire with our invisible friends are nightmarish. I want you here with me, Teal'c."
"Yes, O'Neill."
"Charlie, I'm afraid that the Re'tu will have to be on the front lines on this one. They have the advantage of invisibility and better firepower. When the column's within range of the reactor's frequency, let them start ripping shots off the front and flanks of the column. With a little luck, it will be over fast. Tell the Re'tu to spread out and stay low. The Jaffa will aim wildly at invisible targets, probably at chest level. We'll get some air support for the Re'tu. Let the Re'tu know the ships are friendly. Meanwhile, send the children as far away from here as they can get."
"It's done, Jack."
"I need to find a way to communicate that fast." Jack just didn't get the whole business of how Charlie communicated with his invisible friends.
"And your people, Jack?"
"We'll hold the reactors and the compound. That's our responsibility - all nine of us," he said sardonically. "Keep your people at least 50 meters from the reactor or the building. I don't want any crossfire in this zone."
* * *
Master Bra'tac made an elegant speech to the Jaffa amassed at the gate preparing to attack. About three hundred Jaffa accepted his offer of freedom from the Goa'uld and laid down their arms after he explained that the TERs would not work leaving them to face an invisible enemy. It probably didn't hurt to have the two ships standing by do a flyover either. Bra'tac's friendly Jaffa then circled back to the gate well away from the advancing column and the Re'tu to secure the deserters.
Meanwhile the Re'tu were staying invisible within a mile and a half of the reactors. They easily picked off the Jaffa advance scouts.
The Jaffa column advanced steadily toward the compound. The Jaffa marched in a bunch relying on sheer numbers and firepower and not any brilliant strategy. TERs were aimed from the front lines and outside flanks of the column. Inside the column, the Jaffa mostly carried staff weapons.
This was good news. Staff weapons were neither as powerful nor accurate as TERs. The Re'tu would be less threatened after they picked off the easiest targets on the outside of the column.
The numbers were favorable but weren't as lopsided as Jack would have liked. Assets: One thousand Re'tu, who if all went right and that was uncertain at best, had the powerful advantage of not being seen, a couple dozen friendly Jaffa tied up with prisoners, two ships with mediocre fire power, eight SGC members and Jacob Carter. Versus Debits: 700 unfriendly Jaffa. Jack left the baby, Chanah and Doc off the list.
Before the battle engaged in full, Jack radioed Dr. Frasier.
"Doc, it's going to get noisy and rough out here for a while. Stay calm and stay inside unless you hear from me otherwise."
"Yes, Colonel."
"Everyone in there behaving so far?"
"So far, Colonel."
* * *
The battle commenced in earnest shortly after. Carter had worked her magic and the Re'tu stayed invisible even as the TERs were aimed at them. The numbers were looking much better now. It was still a bloodbath, but it was the enemy's blood. The Re'tu were good fighters with powerful weapons. The Jaffa could only guess at their locations. It was not the way the Goa'uld had planned it.
When the ships strafed the column, things were looking even better. More Jaffa laid down their weapons along the way. Those that continued were distracted by the distress of the symbiotes they carried caused by the presence of Re'tu. As Jack listened to the reports, he was becoming more and more enamored of the alliance with this invisible army.
The numbers of Jaffa who made it as far as the compound were small and easily managed by the eight SGC members and Jacob Carter. The powerful plasma energy weapons of the Re'tu were proving a boon over TERs and P90's.
But not every approaching Jaffa was spotted. Several made it around to the back of the building by swinging quite wide of the safe zone Jack had established from Re'tu/Jaffa crossfire.
Inside the building, a lady warrior was not content to stay still as she heard the sounds of battle. Nor was her unseen friend and nurse whose invisible hands brought Chanah her energy staff. Chanah holstered the mysterious knife she had played with for so many hours and held the staff, listening.
Janet Frasier did not attempt to restrain her, although she did remind her of Jack's words.
"Chanah, you heard the Colonel's orders."
Chanah looked at Dr. Frasier as if she was crazy to think that would matter to her. In fact, to Janet Frasier, Chanah just looked crazed. Janet didn't know her that well. She didn't know just how juiced battle made Chanah. Janet then realized that Jack did know and now understood his multiple requests to sit on her. "Birds of a feather" was the phrase that came to Janet's mind when thinking of Jack and Chanah. Somewhat scary birds who could switch back into nice, kind people when they wanted.
Janet Frasier backed into the corner of the room behind the door with the baby and crouched low.
"I'm not crazy enough to mess with your mother. Let her do what she does. If only I knew where the invisible nurse was," Janet whispered to the baby.
Chanah heard a noise near or in the building she didn't like. Jaffa boots, she knew the sound well. She put her finger up to her mouth to warn Janet to be quiet. Chanah pointed to the radio and mouthed silently to Janet to call O'Neill, very quietly. Janet hoped she'd said what she had to loud enough for Jack to hear out there. She wasn't sure, because she'd left the radio in send only mode to avoid a response squawking out their position.
Chanah left the room and closed the door behind her. There were two hallways that formed a H. The noise was from the back of the building where there were two entrances. The Jaffa could come down either of two corridors that met up with a central corridor. In the middle of the central corridor was the room in which her baby could be found. It was not an ideally defensible arrangement as the Jaffa could show up on either or both sides of the room.
There were sounds of at least two or more Jaffa. She leaned into the corner of the corridor from which she heard the sounds. There were two Jaffa clomping down that way. She waited for them to come closer. The moment the first one breached the corner, she fired her energy staff and took him out. Unfortunately, he lurched forward into her. The Jaffa behind him in the side corridor darted around the corner and was able to get off a shot with his staff weapon that grazed her left hand. He ducked back behind the corner before the pain in her hand caused her to drop her staff. It was a two handed weapon and now she had only one good one left.
She pulled out her knife and prepared to launch herself into hand to hand combat with the Jaffa when he next breached the corner. She led with a kick that sent his staff weapon flying. From there, it turned a little nasty for her. She absorbed a number of blows from the Jaffa. They fought into the far end of the hallway before Chanah, almost pinned, found an opening to use her knife to slit his throat. A bloody mess spewed forth over her.
She caught her breath a moment thinking it was done, when she heard more Jaffa boots from the opposite end of the corridor. More than one again. She was relieved when she heard cross fire in the corridor. Help had arrived. It was a good thing, because she didn't have much left in her. Her heart sank, though, when a Jaffa turned the far opposite corner into the central hallway and kicked in the door to the room where her baby was held by Dr. Frasier. Before she could get anywhere close enough to him, he fired his staff weapon in the direction where she knew her baby to be.
Terror and rage flashed across her face as she charged the large Jaffa. She disarmed him with a leaping kick into his side before he saw her. After that, she attacked him with the knife savagely. She sliced him up as no butcher of meat would do. She could not stop.
"Chanah, the baby and I are fine," Janet Frasier called out to her. "You can stop now."
But Chanah continued her assault several more seconds before she seemed to process Dr. Frasier's voice and words. Janet was shaken at the brutality of Chanah's actions.
More sounds of fighting continued in the side corridor. Janet stayed in place. Chanah waited where she was, her knife clutched with a death grip in her good hand. It was Jack who turned the corner. Jack's upper right thigh was bloody and raw from a staff weapon blast that grazed it.
"Is everyone okay? Except for the obvious," he said looking agog at Chanah's victim.
"The baby's fine Jack and so am I," called Dr. Frasier as she got up from her corner. "But I don't understand how. The Jaffa fired right at us. We should be dead."
"Circe?" Jack guessed. He radioed Teal'c.
"Teal'c, find Charlie. Tell him Circe is here somewhere, probably injured. Tell him we need . . . an invisible doctor?" The absurdity of this invisibility thing boggled Jack's mind.
Chanah had sunk to the floor by the victim of her rage. She was completely spent, drained and numb.
"Jack, she's a little scary. She just had a baby a few days ago and did that," Dr. Frasier said.
"Yeah, she's a tiger isn't she?"
Janet Frasier was slightly disturbed that it didn't seem to bother Jack. She suspected Jack was capable of equal violence, but had never witnessed him in that sort of act.
Jack knelt down by Chanah.
"Hey, princess of overkill. You did good. I think he's mostly dead now."
She seemed to snap out of the dark place upon hearing his words.
"What do you mean mostly dead? He's all dead."
"Hold on, let me check again." He paused. "You're right. He's stone cold dead, never to rise again, food for the vultures."
"I don't do mostly dead."
"You don't follow orders either."
"I don't remember enlisting under your command."
"Hell, probably just as well. If you had, it might not have worked out as well."
"And out there?"
"Pretty good. Invisible friends are a good thing. Don't let me discourage our daughter from playing with them."
"Not me. I was thinking I'd like to keep Circe as a nanny."
"We'll see about that." He rolled his eyes when he realized what he'd said. "Or not."
O'Neill," Chanah said wiping the bloody knife on her clothes, "this knife - "Not on yourself! J.O." - is this from you?"
"Yes."
"What does it mean?"
"Last time you had a knife like that, you slashed the back of your own neck with it before throwing it at a Goa'uld."
"To release the toxin?"
"Yes. But your aim, it sucked."
"Obviously it all worked out in the end. I'm still here."
"My aim was better."
"So, I owe you my life?"
"I'd say we were running about even on that count."
"My use of the knife today, has it improved?" She looked both ways along the central corridor where two of her knifing victims were dead.
"Definitely points for thoroughness."
"It vexes me when they come back to life."
"Extra dead is best."
"O'Neill, are all our conversations this inane?"
"No, some are worse," he laughed.
"Then our daughter is doomed," she laughed.
"Probably. Meanwhile, you should let Doc dress that hand and clean you up. You don't look very maternal just now."
"It's just a flesh wound."
Jack did a double take at her words.
"Your leg looks worse," said Chanah.
"Tis but a scratch," Jack shot back at her. She chuckled. Jack knew then that she was there, the present her, not too far from the surface. It was just a matter of time.
"Doc, clean her up as best you can. I've got some business left to wrap up. We'll head home soon."
"Your leg first, Jack." Jack yielded for a two minute patch job. It was no use fighting Dr. Frasier on such matters.
Just then Charlie arrived with invisible help for his invisible friend Circe.
"Is Circe okay, Charlie? She saved them both, my baby and the doctor. Thank her for us," said Chanah.
"She'll be fine in time."
"Charlie, would it be all right if I had Carter change the reactor thingy so we can all see other?" Jack asked.
"Sure, Jack. I think it's safe now."
"Casualties?"
"Astoundingly low. Most are non-life threatening injuries. Re'tu are pretty resilient creatures."
"You don't need to sell me. I'm a fan now."
"Then perhaps we should head out Jack and make a deal while most everyone is happy."
CHAPTER 10 - FAILURE TO READ THE FINE PRINT
Daniel, Bra'tac, Jacob and Charlie spent the next two hours hammering out treaty terms which would be refined later. Jack paid little attention except to the military points on which Daniel consulted him. He trusted Daniel's diplomatic skills much more than his own. He just wanted it done and to go home.
When the basic outline for the alliance was signed, sealed and delivered by the senior officials present, Jack was looking plum pleased about a whole lot of things that had gone right at last. He had a baby. This alone floored him. Chanah was back in his life. He was bringing home a sweet deal with the Re'tu for Hammond. The mission went as roughly planned and turned out as well as could be expected. It was time to go while the going was good.
"Okay, kids. Time to go home. I'll go collect Chanah, Doc and the baby."
"The what?" Teal'c and Daniel questioned in unison. Carter was mum.
"Meet the proud papa of a baby girl," Jack smiled.
"Jack, what the hell are you talking about?" Daniel asked.
"You heard me."
"Jack, are you saying Chanah was pregnant when she was captured?" Daniel continued.
"You do the math."
"You didn't know, did you?"
"And Doc's going to pay for that for a very long time," Jack sneered.
Teal'c and Daniel still looked puzzled, but Jack could see this wasn't entirely a surprise to Carter.
"Carter, the harebrained toxin idea you fed me the other week all of a sudden, you knew something?"
"Not until recently, sir," she squinted as she said it, wondering whether he would plan to torment her for her brief complicity with Dr. Frasier.
"Okay, campers, head `em up, move `em out. Daniel, come with me to get the lovely ladies, all three of them," Jack beamed.
"No, Jack," Charlie blocked their path. "You may leave with the baby, but Chanah is not free to go yet."
"Excuse me?"
"She must await judgment by the family of the Re'tu who was killed by her team."
"We just saved your sorry asses from 1000 Jaffa and you're telling me she can't leave."
"Jack, had I not sent the message to you on her behalf, the Goa'uld would not have come. It was done so that the child would be safe and with its own kind in the event she is found guilty."
"Of what exactly? A Re'tu open fires on Teal'c and me, nearly killing us. A rescue party comes for me. One of my men shoots at the Re'tu and gets killed in return. And we're somehow looking to hold Chanah responsible for all that?"
"It is our law. One present and participating in any act which leads to an unjustified death may be held as responsible as the one who does the actual killing."
"Jack, it's kind of like a felony murder charge back home. All of the bank robbers are responsible if one of them kills the teller."
"Whose side are you on, anyway, Daniel?"
"Except what I don't see is how the original act - the rescuing of an injured colleague - fits the bill of an underlying crime."
"Our law does not require that."
"Well that's goddamned stupid," said Jack.
"The law may be argued as unjust in her defense," Charlie volunteered.
"There's not going to be a defense Charlie. We're taking her out of here."
"Jack, you just signed a treaty which acknowledges the sovereignty of our laws. Are you to break a treaty so casually and quickly?"
Jack turned to Daniel. "I did what?"
"It's standard treaty language, Jack. When in Rome . . ."
"What about my pound of flesh and Teal'c's? The damn Re'tu open fired on us without provocation and nearly killed us. Do we get the same justice?"
"Should the Re'tu in question ever visit your world, yes. But there is no remedy for you here."
"That's bloody unfair."
"Jack, it's the way it works," said Daniel.
"Let's just call it even then and go."
"Jack, I think her chances of acquittal are reasonably good under the circumstances. But if she is not tried by our law, the alliance with the Re'tu will be terminated," said Charlie.
"Screw it then. She comes with us."
"That action may be construed as an act of war, Jack. Will you shoot your way past one thousand armed Re'tu?"
"Suppose I told you I had a toxin in my pocket that when released would wipe out all the Re'tu anywhere near us in minutes?"
"Then I would say you are not the Jack O'Neill you once were, the one Mother chose as the only fair arbiter of justice among your people."
"There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, Charlie."
"You wouldn't do it Jack, assuming you are not just making it up."
"Jack, there's another way to resolve this that makes more sense," said Daniel.
"You know what, Daniel. You brokered the damn deal, you fix this any way you can. But there is no chance in hell we leave her behind again. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Zero. Understood?"
"We can get around this, Jack."
Jack stalked off to go enjoy the happier company of his new daughter.
CHAPTER 11 - WHAT IS JUST
Daniel didn't bother to tell Jack that he might be about to put more than Chanah on the line. It didn't seem like a good time to do it.
"Charlie, the others who were here with Major Frawley's team but got out before the DHD blew, are they subject to the same charges?"
"Yes."
"Not Jack, though? He was unconscious from the Re'tu attack on him."
"Not Jack."
"Can the testimony of those others be considered in Chanah's defense?"
"Certainly. But they would have to come here to give evidence and thus also face trial."
"And if Chanah can't remember what happened in time, and no one else gives testimony, what happens?"
"She may be presumed guilty. Were it not for the life of the child she carried, she might have been executed months ago. If she cannot remember very soon, there may be nothing more that can be done. It is possible that the family will take into account her circumstances and the new alliance, but the son of the dead Re'tu is very bitter."
"He may now have two people to vent his hostility on, Charlie."
"What do you mean, Dr. Jackson?"
"I was here at the time, helping to rescue Jack."
"But you cannot be tried."
"Why not?"
"As a condition of treaty negotiations, SG-1 was guaranteed safe passage in and out. That agreement controls the matter."
"That's not very fair to Chanah. Can't we just include her in that umbrella?"
"No, Dr. Jackson."
"Then how about convincing the family to drop the matter somehow?"
"You may try, but do not get your expectations up. If it were my mother, I would demand a public trial."
* * *
Charlie was right. The process of a trial was wanted by the family. The good news was that Daniel didn't believe that Chanah's fate was sealed by that fact. So it came to pass that Daniel, instead of being Chanah's codefendant as he might have been, became her lawyer.
Jack spared no epithet on Daniel for failing to extricate her yet, and for putting himself at risk with his admission that he too was present. Chanah tried to calm Jack.
"Charlie undertook a great risk to the Re'tu for our child's sake O'Neill. I accepted the terms he gave. I will stand trial."
"Yeah, but you have amnesia. That deal won't hold water."
"O'Neill, I knew what I agreed to do whether or not I remembered what happened that day. I feel as though I can trust Dr. Jackson on this. Leave it be."
"Well, he did get Teal'c off for way worse than this before."
"Let us hope he has not lost his touch."
* * *
Daniel started Chanah's defense with a capsule summary of her life. He did not go into much detail because it was not her way. She was not interested in pity. He also told them of her efforts to kill the Goa'uld and their larva, and how she worked to free the Jaffa from Goa'uld rule despite the horrible things the Jaffa had done to her and her people. Daniel felt it important that the Re'tu understand how she came to be with SG-9 that day.
Then he reviewed the facts of the two incidents which Daniel insisted had to be viewed as one. It all started with the unprovoked attack on Teal'c, motivated by fear of him being a Jaffa and nothing else. The Tauri accepted that it had been a tragic mistake.
So, he argued, should the Re'tu accept that Major Frawley's action in firing upon the Re'tu had been a tragic mistake. Perhaps he panicked at the sight of many Re'tu - who had nearly killed two of his colleagues earlier that day - and fired, fueled by fears real or imagined. Who knew for sure if he had thought the Re'tu were about to fire first? If the sun glinted off a plasma weapon, fooling him into thinking that incoming fire was imminent?
In the end, it was Major Frawley alone who'd fired. The Re'tu did not dispute that fact. He was SG-9's commanding officer. Chanah was powerless to stop his actions. She had told him she thought they could get out without firing. But she had no way to stop his actions unless she fired upon her own superior. That could not reasonably be expected. If that was expected, should not the Re'tu have done the same to their own to prevent the shootings of Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill, he asked them.
Daniel also attacked the law itself as unfair. It was flawed. On Earth, a similar law existed but it had a safeguard that the Re'tu's law did not. You could be held responsible for the death of another which occurred if you were participating in an illegal act, but not a legal one. Had Chanah come as part of team to commit any crime on the Re'tu? No. She came to help rescue the injured father of her unborn child. Would not each of them have done that for their loved ones? Daniel did not expect that argument to carry much weight with the bereaved family, but it seemed a worthwhile appeal for public pressure to acquit.
In conclusion, Daniel reminded the Re'tu's family that Chanah was herself a mother. That if they took her life, they left two children including a newborn baby without a mother. Was that just for what she had done - simply being there when a rescue went wrong?
Circe and Charlie also spoke words that the humans did not understand in her favor. Circe's screeching was something to behold however. She'd spent four months as a caretaker to Chanah and then to her child. Although they had no way to speak, they had become friends of a sort.
Chanah spoke last.
"I do not yet remember the events of that day because of the wound to my head, so I have only a few words to offer.
I lost my entire planet to the Goa'uld, and then my husband and baby to them. In response to those events, I became an assassin. I have killed many Goa'uld and Jaffa in pursuit of justice and revenge. Today my body was covered in blood when I killed two Jaffa to protect my baby. Then I killed a third in an act of rage, mistakenly believing it had killed my baby. So as you can see, I can kill. I can kill like Major Frawley did, whether by mistake or intentionally. I will kill again if I live for I will continue to try and stop the Goa'uld from hurting others.
To the family of the Re'tu that Major Frawley shot in his fear, I am truly sorry for your loss. If holding me accountable for it will somehow lessen your loss, then execute me.
I can only say that I should regret if you choose to become what I am and are not prepared for the consequences. For as many as I have killed in the name of justice, there was not a single death of a Goa'uld or Jaffa I caused that has ever lessened by one iota the grief they caused me by killing my family and my people. So if you choose to condemn me, then I wish you better fortune than I.
Beyond that, it is not an easy thing to live with the responsibility for the death of another even when justified. To be responsible for killing a child's beloved parent, no matter how wretched the parent might seem to others. It is an ugly talent which, thankfully, only a few of us shall ever master."
Chanah looked at Jack as she spoke these last words. She may not have remembered him yet, but she knew already that he was one of the masters as was she. They killed with purpose and, with rare exception, didn't look back. They moved inexorably forward with their lives despite the ugliness that often intruded upon it. It was a formidable survival skill.
After a brief recess, Charlie informed them they were free to leave. None of them would ever know what persuaded the Re'tu's family to let her go. Only Daniel felt disappointed by that fact. Chanah, true to the way she lived, closed the lid to that box, and clicked forward to the next thing.
Jack was relieved. He wasn't sure Chanah's words, though true, would be understood as she'd meant. But he admired her honesty about herself and her choices. She wasn't ever going to go "Oma" on him. He saw passion and zeal in her where others just saw things that scared them, the horror of her background and what she could do. With him, though, it wasn't all doom and gloom and Goa'uld killing. There was an exciting physicality between them which replaced words along with a deeper understanding of being two of kind. He was happy to be taking her home at last, along with a present that he had never expected again in his life.
CHAPTER 12 - HOMEWARD BOUND
They cleared out quickly. Jack sent a message ahead to General Hammond that they were arriving with old friends and new ones. He asked Carter to turn on the reactor blocking the TER signal when they arrived home, before one of their new friends came through the gate. Carter wasn't sure what Jack had up his sleeve but agreed to play along.
Jack, Teal'c, Carter, Daniel and Chanah entered first. Carter hit the switch.
General Hammond greeted them from the control room above.
"Welcome back and congratulations, SG-1. It's good to see you back, Chanah. There's someone who's been waiting a long time to see you."
Micah flew through the gate room door into his mother's arms for an extended hug.
"Colonel, what the hell is that?" General Hammond asked moments later, his eyes popping.
Jack O'Neill was almost doubled over at the look on Hammond's face as a baby - his baby - appeared to float out of the wormhole.
"Colonel, what's so funny? What's going on here?"
"General, permit me to introduce - oh for crying out loud we haven't named her yet - Baby Girl O'Neill."
"Colonel, is this for real?"
"Oh yes, and this is her invisible nurse Circe," Jack said pointing to Circe and nodding at Carter to kill the reactor so Circe could be seen.
"Very amusing, Colonel." General Hammond headed down to the gate room to check it out in person.
"Colonel, would you care to explain all this to me. I'm a little confused."
"About the birds and the bees, sir?"
"About whose baby this is. Is it another Re'tu creation?"
"No sir, it's a Jack O'Neill and Chanah original."
"She was pregnant when she disappeared?"
"Would seem so, sir."
"Did you know?"
"Not a bloody thing."
"Well, I'm very happy for you Jack. She's a lucky little girl."
"Thank you sir. I think it's the other way around though. I'm the lucky cuss."
"No doubt. Is Chanah all right?"
"She's still missing a year or so, but she'll be fine."
"The Re'tu, it can't stay."
"General, she's a fine nanny. Plus how many little girls get to have a real invisible friend?"
"And a lifetime of psychotherapy to go with it."
"So that would be a no?"
"No."
"Could be a lot of fun."
"Go and take care of them, Jack. And give the poor girl a name," said General Hammond shaking his head in disbelief at it all.
* * *
In the infirmary, Micah was overwhelmed by all the information to absorb as well as the relief of having his mother back.
Dr. Frasier was overwhelmed too. The infirmary was filled with gawkers. All she wanted to do was run her tests, finish patching Chanah and Jack up, and kick them all out including her two uncooperative patients. But somehow she could not bring herself to throw anybody out in the middle of this happy reunion just yet.
Jack posted up by Chanah's head, holding the baby in one arm and stroking Chanah's hair with his free hand. Something felt different back here. Chanah wasn't protesting his touching her now. She even seemed to enjoy it.
"We never gave up hope, Mom," Micah gushed. "Jack, Daniel and I never gave up hope."
"Hope floats. Hope springs eternal. Hope is the thing with feathers. Hope for the future. Where there's life, there's hope. Help me Obi wan Kenobi, you're my only hope." Jack was on a clich-spewing roll.
Then Chanah gazed up at him and interrupted him with one word: "Hope."
"Hope what?" Jack looked confused.
"Hope O'Neill."
"I can live with that. How about you baby? Hopelessly in love with you," he began to croon.
"Jack, no singing," Micah whined.
"Micah, don't speak to - what exactly are you to us O'Neill?"
"Someone who missed you every day of the last four and a half months."
"So did my dog, probably."
"You remember a dog, but not me?" Jack eyed her suspiciously.
"Maybe." Chanah's smile gave her away.
The End. Feedback much appreciated.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to LeeLee Robinson
Heliopolis Main Archive
A Stargate: SG-1 Fanfiction Site
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
by LeeLee RobinsonSite Navigation
Support Heliopolis