CHAPTER 4

One last stop.

The halls of the SGC were abnormally quiet as Sam made her way back to the General’s office.  After a light knock, she was bade enter.  She did and closed the door behind her.

General Hammond looked up as Major Carter came into his office.  She looked like hell.

“Have a seat, Major.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Major sat down slowly, exhaustion evident in her every move.  She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her legs, her face in her hands. 

“I am sorry about the gate room, sir.  I…the Colonel wasn’t angry enough...I needed to push him…more.”

“Well, you certainly did that.”  He said sourly.  Hammond watched as she sat up.  The sorrow in her eyes told him that hurting her friends had done just as much damage to her as to them.   “How soon before you meet the Tok’ra?”  He asked her gently.

“Two hours.  That will give me time to get home and collect a few things before I go.”  She answered.

It had been decided that using the Stargate would not be the best way to meet up with their allies.  Too many questions to answer about why a certain, about to be court marshaled, Major was taking jaunts through the Stargate. 

“My contact will pick me up there.  The Asgard modifications we asked Thor to make to the tel’tak will keep us from being detected.  Once my training is complete I will be placed within the goa’uld’s court as a servant.  From there I will gather information to help the Tok’ra and then be extracted.”

General Hammond nodded his head acknowledging what he already knew about the mission.  “This Goa’uld, Bastet, is based on a planet named Bubastis.” 

“Yes, sir.”  Sam concentrated on not looking guilty as she answered the General’s question. 

Bastet’s court was the first steppingstone in her mission for the Tok’ra, however this Goa’uld was not her target.  Bastet was an extremely dangerous system lord but if General Hammond was aware of her real target he would never have let her do this and she had to do this. 

“I should not have any problems once I am planted there.”  She continued. “Just the usually ‘go kick the Goa’uld’s butt and come home to brag about it.’ routine.” 

General Hammond gave her a slight smile, but she knew that her attempt at levity had failed.

Needing a change of subject, he asked, “What of your cover story here?”

“My ‘job’ at Area 51 is set up to start in one month and I have told my neighbors that I am going on vacation for a couple weeks, so my absence should not cause anyone concern. My wanting to get away for a while beforehand would be plausible.”

“And by anyone you mean…”

“Daniel and Teal’c,” She smiled slightly. “Daniel maybe accepting at the moment, but he will not stay that way.  I can tell he is already running everything through that mind of his.  He won’t let this go that easily and once he starts questioning everything then Teal’c and the Colonel will get curious too.” 

The General grimaced, “I almost wish I was disappearing with you.  The moment those three can’t find you I am going to have hell keeping them reined in.”

Especially, one Colonel Jack O’Neill, he thought, that man will be impossible to control.

They both knew that what she was doing would not remain a secret for long.  The men of SG-1 would figure it out sooner or later and when they did...well, lets just say, for Sam, the idea of going after an insane goa’uld was defiantly more appealing.

“What about your father?” General Hammond enquired.

“Dad and Selmac are undercover and should be for awhile.  By the time his mission is complete I will have been through training and in place.”  She glanced at the General clearly concerned.  “Sir, my father…”

 “I can handle Jacob, Major.”

“Yes sir.”  She glanced at her watch noting that she needed to leave.  “Before I go…” She reached into the box and pulled out a large brown envelope “I want you to hold these for me.  If something happens…”

Hammond took the envelope from her with a grim expression.  Ever since authorizing this mission a feeling of dread had been growing inside his chest making him regret agreeing to let Major Carter do this. 

Holding the envelope tightly in his grip, he fought the urge to abort this mission and tell the Tokra to handle it without using one of his people. Instead he met the Major’s gaze,  “I will take care of it.”

Sam exited the base and made her way to her car.  She had set the keys on top of the books in her box, but they had slipped down and she was now digging around trying to find them as she went.

She was exhausted.  More than anything she wanted to go home and sleep for a year.  She let out a slightly unstable laugh at the futility of that thought.

“Something funny, Major?”

Sam’s head came up so fast that she almost dropped the box.  Leaning against the trunk of her car was the one person she really was not up to dealing with right now. 

Jack O’Neill watched as his soon to be former 2IC stopped and just stared at him,  “What no caustic remarks about how I would not be smart enough to understand the joke?” He asked nastily.

“No, sir.”  She mumbled her reply.  God, she did not want to do this.  She did not have it in her.

“Oh, come on Carter!  Earlier you were just full of smart assed remarks!”

Sam passed him and went to stand near the back passenger door of her car.  “Go away, Colonel.”  She really wished he would, but she knew better.

“Not gonna happen, Major” Jack pushed off the car and came around to face her. 

She turned toward him, box still in hand and looked at him.  Pulling the box from her he slammed it up onto the trunk of her car.  “You’re not leaving until I have had my say.”

Sam glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.  While earlier today her anger had been an act that was not the case now.  He was beginning to tick her off. 

I swear if the man was not my superior I would…Suddenly she realized that technically he was not her CO anymore and she did have freedom to speak her mind.  She could say anything she wanted too. 

She grabbed the box and started looking for her keys again.  “I believe that ‘If you need my testimony at the hearing just let me know, sir.’, suffices as all you needed to say.” 

She was trying not to sound hurt.  After all, it was the result she had been needing to pull this off…still hearing him say it had been painful.

“Oh no, that barely scratches the surface.”   He replied angrily.  “Your actions today have done a lot of damage, Major.  Your insubordination aside what you did endangered our team.  I mean if it’s me you are pissed at, fine, but I know how much you care for Daniel and Teal’c.  Why would you endanger them?”  He ran his fingers though his hair in frustration.  “This is crazy, Carter!  I swear if you had not had your post mission exam I would be checking you for a scar on the back of your neck!”  He stared at her intently for a moment.  “You did have your exam right?”

She stopped searching for her elusive keys and turned to glare at him.   “I am not a Goa’uld.”  Although one of the hand devices would be a plus right now, one little pulse just to knock him on the ass…

“Then what about Tok’ra?”  He leaned forward and stared at her mouth “Been giving anyone off world mouth to mouth lately?”   

All right Colonel, she thought, you want this to get mean…fine with me.

Controlling the outrage at his snide question she instead gave him a deceptively sweet smile.  “Actually sir, the last mouth to mouth I had was with Pete.  And yes, it was amazing.”  He was still leaning toward her so she leaned in bringing her lips within inches of his.  “ Passionate and soul searing…” Jack’s eyes widened at her huskily spoken words.  Her eyes dropped to stare at his lips. “…and so not…”  she came a tiny bit closer as his hand came up to touch her face, “…the kiss of a military man.”  

Ouch.

Her eyes left his lips and rose to meet his.  He could almost feel the seething anger within the dark blue depths.  She was playing dirty now and that was just fine with him.  He ran his fingers along her jaw line to the back of her neck.  “Ever kiss a military man before, Carter?”  She started to respond, but he cut her off. “And Hansen doesn’t count, he was barely human.”  She glared at him as he continued.  “No?  Well, why don’t we test your theory?” 

He leaned in, his breath warm against her lips…she breathed in his clean scent, her lips opened slightly….waiting.  And then it hit her what she was doing.  She would not let her first and most likely only kiss with him be done in anger and revenge. 

Sam pulled away from him shaking her head.  His hand left her neck and immediately she missed its warmth on her skin.  Her anger with him disappeared in an instant leaving only a deep hollowness inside her.  It wasn’t that she did not want to kiss the amazing man before her.  She did, but not like this.  She stepped back from him and quickly changed tactics. 

Sam gritted her teeth to keep her voice from shaking. “Colonel, I am no longer under your command.  Therefore I am not required to qualify my actions to you.  Now if you will excuse me.”  She turned back to her box and once again went in search of her keys and to hide her flushed face and shaking hands from view.

Taking a deep breath to get his emotions back under control, Jack accepted Carter’s change of direction for his own sake as much as hers.  This whole situation was getting out of control!  He could not believe he almost kissed her like that!  He had been angered by the thought of Shannahan having the freedoms with her that he did not and wanted to show her that he had just as much passion as the younger man.   Okay, O’Neill, get back into military mode.  Back on safe ground. 

 “Commanding officer or not, I do outrank you, Major.  So yes, you will answer any and all questions I ask you.”  His voice sounded harsh even to him, but it was better than grabbing her and making her forget Shannahan. 

Well not better, but it was smarter.

She gave him a brittle laugh.  “I am about to be court marshaled.  Do you really think that one more act of insubordination is going to matter at this point?”  She felt the cool metal of her key chain and pulled it thankfully from the box. “Now, I would appreciate it if you would move.  I really have no desire to add ‘assaulting a superior officer’ to my list of charges.”  

Jack stiffened at her threat.  “Try it, Major.”  He informed her through clenched teeth. 

She was tempted, but gave him a slightly evil smile instead.  “Been there, done that and succeeded, if you recall.”   Had the situation not been so tense she would have laughed at the shocked look on his face.

Damn, Carter. Jack had always known that Sam had a caustic wit, but she had never turned it on him and he was finding himself a little unprepared for it.

When Jack did nothing, but simply stare at her she turned and unlocked the rear passenger side door. Grabbing the box, Sam shoved it into the back seat and slammed the door. 

Jack still had not moved and she found his lack of response to her earlier jab a bit disconcerting.  She could tell he was thinking again.  Never a good thing.

Resisting the urge to squirm under his scrutiny she sidestepped him so she could leave. 

Jack reached out and firmly grasped her by her arm halting her progress.  She looked up into her former CO’s face and had to force herself not to smile at the confusion she saw there.  No matter how irritating the man was she could not stay angry with him.  He really was the victim in all this and she could hardly blame him for being off balance.  Good ol’ reliable Carter was something he counted on, she knew that and truly wished she could have stayed that way. 

Jack watched as Sam’s expression changed from irritation to wistfulness and then…she looked like the weight of the world had been slammed down on her slim shoulders and she was barely holding it up. 

If she truly hated this place shouldn’t that weight have been lifted by her leaving it?  He looked down at his hand still holding her arm just below the sleeve of her  t-shirt.  Her skin was soft and warm from the summer sun above them and without thought he rubbed his thumb in small circles at he spoke.

“Sam, you have been my second for over seven years now and I…”, and he what?  Would miss her?  God, yes! Wanted her to stay?  Absolutely!  To be happy?  Yes. Even if it meant getting away from him? He took a deep breath.  “I want you to be happy.  Good luck at Area 51.  I hope they appreciate what they are getting.”  I wish I had. 

He loosened his grip and reluctantly released her arm.

Sam was speechless.  All she could do was nod her head in thanks and walk around her car to the driver’s side door.  He followed and held the door open for her to get in.  She turned toward him and gave him a fleeting smile.  “Thank you, sir.”

He gave her a sad smile.  “I thought you should know that the General and I agreed to simply accept your resignation.  No court marshal.” 

Sam’s throat closed up and she closed her eyes against the emotions she was feeling.  The damage she had to inflict today had not been fatal.  If she made it back, perhaps she could repair the damage after all.  If she made it…

Jack jumped when Sam suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a desperate hug.  He resisted all of a second and then responded in kind.  His arms wrapped around her body enveloping her and pulling her close.  God!  She felt amazing, even better than anything he had imagined about her.  He wanted it to go on forever, but her hold was strong and breathing was becoming an issue.  He pulled away slightly.

“Sam...”  His heart was pounding as he laid his forehead against hers.

“Colonel, do you trust me?”  Sam whispered urgently almost desperately. 

He looked at her confused by her question.  Trust her? After today?  One look at her and his heart gave him the answer. Of course, he always had.  He looked at her searchingly.

“Yeah, Carter. I trust ya.”

“Then no matter what happens….you have to remember that.”

Jack’s arms tightened around her as the warning bells began going off in his head.  “Carter?”

She smiled up at him sadly.  “I have to go, sir.”  She was running out of time, her meeting with the Tok’ra was in less than an hour and she still had to get home.

“No,” There was no give in his voice  “and that is an order, Major.”

“No more orders, sir.”  She stepped back and he reluctantly released her.  She gazed longingly into his dark eyes.  She did not want to do this mission alone.  She wanted her team to back her up.  She would be a fool to say she was not afraid of what was to come.  She was.  She was terrified.

Giving her CO a tremulous smile she got back into her car and started the engine. 

“Sam.”  Jack squatted down so he could be level with her.  “I’ll call ya tomorrow.  I…we need to talk.”

Sam nodded.  “All right.” 

Jack stood up and closed the car door for her.  She watched as he walked back toward the SCG. 

“I am sorry, Jack.  I wish I could be there to answer your call.” 

Chapter 5

Daniel Jackson was beyond frustrated. 

He had stayed up all night trying to translate the latest artifact that SG-4 had brought back from their last mission.  It was important that he get it translated, but his mind kept wandering from the ancient text to Sam’s strange behavior the day before.

With a frustrated sigh he pushed the tablet away and sat back in his chair. 

Letting his gaze wander over the organized insanity of his desk he noticed the book that Sam had returned to him.  It wasn’t anything special just a book with detailed information on Goddesses of Ancient Egypt.  Sam had asked to borrow it because Cassie had a homework assignment and needed a little help.  Picking it up he flipped it open to the first page and scanned the table contents.  It was a simple breakdown of chapters with the name of each goddess in English and ancient Egyptian.  He cringed slightly as his fingers brushed passed Hathor’s name and then on down the list mentally checking off the ones they had already killed.  He had only met one other goa’uld who had claimed an Egyptian goddess’s identity and that was Bastet. 

Thinking back to his first years in college he remembered that she was constantly identified with another goddess of the time.  Sekhmet.  Now there was a piece of work.

Thank God the goa’uld had not chosen that one to portray.  She was one nasty piece of work.  Tracing his fingers over Bastet’s pictograph the ancient Egyptians used for her name he wondered which of the many goddess listed in this book Cassie had chosen.

“Have you been here all night?”

Daniel looked up to see Jack O’Neill leaning against the open door of his office.

“Hey, Jack.”  Daniel acknowledged the older man’s presence and then turned his attention back to the book.

“Daniel.” Jack looked at the young man expectantly.

“What?  Oh!  Yes, been here all night.”  He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Jack walked over as Daniel picked up his coffee mug and turned to refill it from the pot on his desk.  Glancing down at the book Jack smiled at him.  “You in the market for a new girlfriend?”

The young man gave him a tired smile.  “Actually, Sam returned it to me yesterday.  She had borrowed it about a week ago to help Cassie with a homework assignment.”

Jack frowned as he looked at the book.  “Daniel, Cassie is on summer vacation.  She is out of the state visiting the Doc’s parents.” 

“Really?  Then why would Sam..” 

The blaring of the SCG’s sirens interrupted him “Unauthorized off-world activation! General Hammond to the gateroom.”  

Without thinking both men stood up and began making their way to the gateroom. 

“Any idea who might be knocking?”

Daniel shook his head. “Not a clue.”

Entering the gateroom a few minutes later they walked up to General Hammond and looked over to see who was coming through the open wormhole.  General Hammond looked back over his shoulder and then nodded toward the wormhole as Bra’tac exited the event horizon.  “He’s here to see Teal’c” 

“Anything serious we should know about?”  Jack asked.

General Hammond shook his head.  “I am not sure.  I believe it has more to with the Jaffa then with Earth.  I am sure if they need anything from us he will let us know.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The shimmering event horizon of the Stargate closed as Bra’tac strode across the gateroom and grasped Teal’c’s arm in greeting.

“Tek’ matte, Master Bra’tac,” Teal’c smiled as he inclined his head in respect toward his old friend and mentor.

Bra’tac could not help smiling at the younger warrior.  “It is good to see you as well, my friend.  How are do things fair with you and those of the SGC?” 

The joy in Teal’c eyes at seeing him left and an obvious sadness replaced it.  “Major Carter has procured employment elsewhere and is no longer with SGC.”

Bra’tac scowled at him, “Has Major Carter been injured in some way preventing her from continuing with SG-1?”

Teal’c shook his head.  “She stated that she was unhappy here and wished to leave.”

“That is very sad news, my friend.  The SG-1 has lost an honored comrade.”

“Indeed.”

Bra’tac slapped Teal’c on the shoulder.  “Come!  In light of this information we have much to discuss.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Entering his office Jack closed the door and sat behind his desk.  Glancing at the pile of paperwork in his inbox with disgust, he leaned back and stared at the phone on his desk.  His conversation with Sam before she left kept rolling over and over in his mind creating more questions than answers.

“Yeah, Carter. I trust ya.”

“Then no matter what happens….you have to remember that.”

“No matter what happens…”  Those words had kept him tossing and turning last night.  To the point he almost got dressed and went over to Sam’s to get her to explain what she meant.  However, he knew she wasn’t going anywhere.  Her job with Area 51 did not start for a month and he had agreed with General Hammond she need some time to think, so as much as he wanted to go charging over there he chose to exercise what little patience he had and give her that time.  He looked at the phone again.  She did say it was all right to call her though.  She agreed they needed to talk.  But what was he going to say?  What did he want to say?  He knew he wanted her to stay.  The idea of her working at Area 51 just rubbed him the wrong way.  She didn’t belong out there in some stuffy old lab she belonged with SG-1.  With Daniel and Teal’c and…with him. 

“….no matter what happens….”  He just couldn’t shake those words.  Looking at his watch and seeing it was 0600 he debated on whether it was too early to call her.  Carter by nature was an early riser…….before he could talk himself out of it he grabbed the phone and dialed her number. 

It was immediately picked up.  “This is Carter…” 

“Hey Carter!  Whatcha doin later tod……..”

“I’m not here right now, but if you leave a message I will get back to you as soon as possible.” 

“Damn!”  Jack did not wait for the beep and hung up the phone.  Maybe she was sleeping in.  Yesterday had been a hellish day after all.  He would just try her again later today. 

Ignoring the knot of apprehension that hearing the answering machine gave him he reached for the first memo in the stack of paperwork on his desk. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

General Hammond rubbed his head to try and stave off the monster headache that was trying to lay claim to his mind.  After speaking with Teal’c, Master Bra’tac had requested to speak with him and the rest of SC-1, the information he had for them was disconcerting to say the least.

He watched as the old warrior stood up and begin to pace as he spoke.

“We have lost a number of our Jaffa in the last few months and no one knows where they have disappeared too.” There was an uncharacteristic anxiety in his voice and movements as he spoke and it was unsettling to watch the normally reserved jaffa so agitated.

Jack sat quietly, slowly winding his pen through his fingers, watching the old man pace.  A slight limp was still evident from his time spent in the Ba’al’s prison camp with Teal’c’s son Rya’c on Erubus.  The toxic gases and intense heat of the mines their had taken a physical toll on the warrior, but not a mental one.  If anything Bra’tac was more committed to the downfall of the Goa’uld.

 “Could they be defecting to Ba’al or some other snakehead out there?”  Watching Bra’tac constant pacing was making Jack’s head hurt so he looked to Teal’c for his answer.

“That is unlikely, O’Neill.  A number of the missing Jaffa were loyal to our cause and would not have return to the service of a false god.”  Teal’c informed him calmly. 

Bra’tac took a deep breath and stopped to rest his hands on the back of the chair he had exited a moment before.  “It is not only the rebellion that is losing Jaffa, system lords are losing many among their ranks as well.  Even Ba’al has suffered losses.”

“I am sure the system lords are just loving that.” Jack replied to his new information.  “I assume they don’t know where they are going either?”

“No.”  Bra’tac pulled his seat out and sat down wearily.   “We have many Jaffa who have infiltrated the ranks of the various system lords and the Goa’uld are as baffled as we are.”  The old warrior glanced toward General Hammond.  “However, there is a chance to find out.  A few days ago a Jaffa was found wandering on an abandoned desert planet in the Brison system.”

Daniel leaned forward at the mention of the system.  “Brison, isn’t that on the outer reaches of Bastet’s territory?”

Having switched from twirling to disassembling his pen, Jack noticed General Hammond’s head jerk away from Bra’tac to Daniel.  A look of concern briefly crossed the man’s features before disappearing behind his normally neutral expression. 

“Indeed.” Teal’c answered the archeologist.  “According to the Jaffa that found him the tattoo on his head is unknown to them.  They are holding him at a rebel camp until he is well enough to be questioned.”

“Hammond of Texas,” Bra’tac turned to the General as he spoke. “I would like Teal’c to accompany me to question this Jaffa and see what information we can obtain.”

The briefing room of the SGC was quiet as General Hammond considered Master Bra’tac’s request.  Looking over at Jack who had reassembled his pen and was now beginning to click it repeatedly, the General glared at him a moment before speaking.  “Colonel?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders at the question.  “I don’t see why not.  SG-1 is on downtime for the time being and Daniel is still working on that tablet that SG-4 brought in so, sure.”  He looked over at Teal’c and smiled.  “You two go have fun doing the good cop, bad cop thing and we will hold down the fort here.”

The two Jaffa frowned at him obviously not getting the joke, but Daniel smirked slightly and even the General smiled at the thought of Teal’c and Bra’tac in those roles.  He was sure that Teal’c would be an excellent “bad cop”.  Shaking his head at his 2IC he told Teal’c he could accompany Bra’tac and requested they keep them up to date of anything they learned. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jack left the briefing with his mind full of the details that Bra’tac had given them.  The idea of so many Jaffa disappearing like that was down right disturbing.

After about ten minutes of wandering the halls he decided to go see Daniel and run a few things by him.  Glancing at his watch he noted the time and figured that by the time he was done talking with the archeologist he would slip back to his office and try calling Carter again.  She should be up and going by then. 

Feeling his stomach rumble he realized he had skipped breakfast that morning and was actually very hungry.  Changing direction he decided to skip Daniel and head to the commissary instead. 

“I wonder if they have any cake?’

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Doctor Jackson?”  General Hammond stepped over a stack of dusty books and entered chaos of Daniel Jackson’s office.  Making his way toward where he knew the desk was, he called out a little louder “Doctor Jackson.”

Apparently, the good doctor had fallen asleep at his desk again because the young man’s head jerk up suddenly almost upending a stack of books with his elbow.  Grabbing his glasses and quickly setting them haphazardly on his face, the General almost smiled at the owlish look in the young man’s blue eyes as he tried to wake up. 

“Oh, General Hammond!”  Daniel blinked a couple of times in an attempt to focus better.  “What can I do for you?”

The General walked around the desk to look down at the tablet that Daniel was studying.  “Are you making any progress on the tablet?” Daniel turned toward him and when he did the General did smile.  The young man had fallen asleep with the right side of his face lying on the tablet.  The general could clearly see the imprint of the text on the Doctor Jackson’s face. 

“I am afraid not.  The text is familiar, but I just can’t seem to figure out what the key to deciphering it is.” 

The General nodded in understanding at the doctor’s frustration.  “I am confident you will figure it out.”   He picked up a book that had fallen to the floor earlier and set it on a pile balancing precariously nearby.

“Was there something else you were needing?”  Daniel asked curiously.  He had never known the general to come to his office to ask about an artifact he was working on and his curiosity was peaked by the older man’s visit.

General Hammond cleared his throat before answering and Daniel had the distinct feeling that something was bothering him.  “Actually, yes, son I do.  This Goa’uld’s territory the Jaffa was found wandering in…”

“Bastet’s.”

“Correct.  I would like you to gather what information we have on her and put together a report for me.  Just in case it ends up being relative to what Bra’tac and Teal’c are investigating.” 

“Sure.  I will be glad too.”  Daniel covered a yawn and reached for book near him.  “There is a decent amount of information on her and….”

“Doctor Jackson.”

Daniel looked up from the book, “Um, yes sir?”

General Hammond smiled as he took the book from the young man and closed it.  “First go home and get some rest.  Hit it again in the morning.  That’s an order.”

Daniel smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Yes, sir.”  

The General turned and left his office shaking his head in amusement.

 Pushing the book aside, Daniel left his office to head toward the locker room and change into his civilian clothes.

Once there he walked into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. A glance in the mirror confirmed that he was in serious need of sleep.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” 

He turned his face and saw the imprint from the tablet on the right side of his face.

 “Well, that’s attractive.”

He leaned down to turn on the cold water when something caught his eye.  Looking up at his face again he realized he could read the text.  The tablet was written in a reverse image. 

“I am such an idiot!” 

Turning quickly he started to head back his office to look at the tablet again, but a wave of dizziness hit as he turned and he realized it would have to wait. 

He rubbed his face trying to clear his vision a bit and decided the General was right.  He would have to look at it in the morning.

As the day wore on the staff of Stargate Command were walking on eggshells.  The all knowing grapevine had spread the word. 

Avoid Colonel O’Neill at all costs. 

The Colonel had not been on a tear like this since Doctor Jackson ascended last year.  At times like these the only people brave enough to approach the Colonel was his team.  Unfortunately Teal’c was off-world and Daniel Jackson had gone home.  In their absence the rest of the staff simply stayed out of his way.

Jack stalked out of his office at exactly 1700 hours and headed for the locker room.   He had tried to call Carter numerous times during the day, but only received that damn answering machine each time.  He was so preoccupied that he did not notice a couple of airman talking in the corridor quickly disappear around the corner and out of his path. 

Reaching the locker room he walked over to his locker and wrenched it open.  It slammed back against Daniel with a bang that reverberated through the empty room. 

He could not believe that Sam was not answering her phone.  She had agreed to him calling!  He sat down on the bench in front of the lockers and let his head fall into his hands. 

Maybe she had changed her mind or maybe he had just missed her and she was out of the house running errands.  Or maybe she was with Shannahan…No, he so did not want to let his mind wander that way.  This whole situation really sucked.  He took a deep breath as he stood and began changing into his civies. 

He could go over to her place.  Nah.  That would not go with the “give her time” speech that Hammond had given him.   Still….he just had not been able to shake that apprehensive feeling that something more than just Carter wanting to leave was behind all this.  Closing the locker door he decided it wouldn’t hurt to check in on her. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam pressed herself against the golden walls of the enemies Ha’tak vessel listening for the ominous sounds of the Jaffa patrols that came though this section of the vessel frequently. 

She knew she should be scared out of her mind right now, but she was too pissed to let the situation she was in do more than make her alert to her surroundings.  She reached back and pulled at the zat’ni’katel tucked into the sash of her dress.  The weapon snagged the lightweight material and she glared spitefully at the garment.  Another reason she was going to knock Lantash’s host on his ass the moment she saw him next, she only wished she could do the same to Lantash.  She pulled at the sash to loosen its hold on her weapon. The gauzy and useless piece of cloth chosen by Goa’uld in command of this vessel was a constant source of irritation to her, but her mission required her blend in….so she blended. 

Pulling her weapon free she inched her way along the wall toward where the hallway turned and her destination lay.  Slowly, she peered around the corner and saw that it was clear.  Taking a deep breath she stepped around the corner and proceeded cautiously toward a doorway halfway down the hall. 

She caught her reflection in the golden walls and image caused her a moment’s hesitation.  She was unaccustomed to the long dark tresses that cascaded down her back and the way her dark skin showed through the almost transparent material wrapping her curves.  Soft violet hued eyes stared back at her in irritation so she looked away trying to push off the feeling that something was not right. 

She reached the door and entered the code, cringing slightly as the door opened with more noise than she cared for.  Quickly she slipped inside, closing the door as she went and scanned the room before her.   It was a laboratory with three separate tables stacked high with various technological gadgets from what looked to be several different cultures.  Ignoring these she looked around searching for the reason she was there. 

Finding a computer interface station, she hurried over and began entering the codes to access the research database.  Putting her weapon off to the side she began skimming through the data looking for the information she required. 

The sounds of Jaffa marching by just outside the laboratory door kept her nerves taut and she had to will her fight/flight instincts not to kick in.  For as much as she wanted to get out of there now, she had to have this information.  She glanced toward the door as the sound of another patrol met her ears. 

“Come on, come on!’ 

This was taking longer than she expected and it was imperative she not be caught and blow her cover just yet, not to mention the nasty things that would happen if they found out who she was. 

Willing the computer to hurry up she breathed a sigh of relief when the key word she had been looking for caught her eye. 

Ras’teeh.

She frowned when she realized that she had read the Goa’uld word so easily, then shrugged her shoulders, she had picked up a few words over the years perhaps she had seen it. 

She scanned the rest of the information briefly and felt her blood go cold at the import of what she was reading.  She removed a tiny orange crystal from her bodice and jammed it into the console and began downloading the information. She constantly glanced over her shoulder toward the door positive that any moment now the door would open and she would be caught. 

With a faint ping the information finished downloading and she pulled the crystal from the console. 

Removing a small piece of sharp metal from a hidden fold in her garment she cut a quarter inch slit into her arm just below her wrist and slipped the crystal into the cut. Finding it odd that the cut did not bleed, she gritted her teeth as she pushed the tiny crystal deep enough to avoid detection and then watched as the cut quickly closed and disappeared within moments. 

Letting out a breath she did not realize she was holding, she replaced the small piece of metal in the fold of her dress then closed down the console.  Walking to the door when she was overcome with a strange feeling of déjà vu, she had done this before.   Every nerve in her body began screaming for her to hide, but instead she stood there motionless, like a morbid spectator, as the door opened to reveal the Goa’uld Nergal.  She watched helplessly as the Goa’uld’s expression went from surprise to outrage at her presence in his domain, he stalked toward her and she felt herself cringe as the massive form of his host towered over her. 

“Shak’tiqua?!” He roared down at her.

What was she doing?  Even though her every desire was to tell him it was none of his damn business, Sam instead felt herself bow her head in reverence toward the huge being before. 

“My Lord, please I was sent on an errand by my mistress and lost my way!” she replied in perfect Goa’uld.

“Lost your way?”  Nergal replied mockingly as he began to circle her allowing his fingers to lightly glide over the bare skin of her shoulders.  Sam kept herself completely still knowing that the light touch was deceptive and the slightest movement would bring harsh repercussions.  “The door requires a code to open it.  You could not have entered without it.”

“The door was open, my Lord…..”  the blow to the back of her head was vicious and threw her into a nearby lab table.

“I did not give you permission to speak, hassock!”  The Goa’uld eyes flashed as he advanced on her as slow malevolent smile pulling at his lips.  His voice lowered to a horrible whisper as she felt the heat of his breath near her ear.

 “I only give you permission to scream.” 

Even at the fragile age of ninety-three, Miss Amelia Pendergast took her role as a member of the neighborhood watch very seriously.  There were crazies out in the world today and she made sure none of them came into her little corner of Colorado unnoticed and nothing escaped her notice. 

A month ago when little Bobby Gray from three streets over was going around selling his chocolate bars she watched the boy like a hawk.

When Mrs. Green went to the grocery store the other day, it was Miss Amelia that called the cops when she noticed that strange teenager hanging around the woman’s front door. 

Yes sir!  She watched out for her own.  So when she heard someone pulling up to Samantha Carter’s house across the street she immediately went to her window to investigate the visitor.  She frowned at the black pickup that pulled into the driveway next to Samantha’s pretty little car. 

Ms. Pendergast liked that car. 

Samantha had taken her for a drive more than once in it and she loved it.  That little car could really move! 

She watched as a casually dressed older man (well older in regards to Samantha, to her he was a spring chicken!) exited the vehicle. Keeping her sharp gaze on his every move, she picked up her phone just in case the man was bad news. 

The old lady was not concerned for Samantha.  The sweet young woman was on vacation for the next few weeks, but Amelia would be damned before she let anyone mess with her neighbor’s property. She watched as he walked up the front door and rang the doorbell. 

After a few moments he followed up with a couple knocks, but of course received no answer.  Amelia shook her head at the dejected look on the man’s handsome face.  She watched as he looked around as if unsure what his next step would be then tilting his head back and roughly rubbing his hands over his face in frustration he headed back to his truck.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jack O’Neill was irked to say the least. 

He leaned against the unopened door of his truck and studied the house before him.  Sam’s house was locked up tight.  And it was not in the just out for a day locked up, but the ‘I am not coming back anytime soon’ kind of locked up. 

The thing was he could not believe she would just up and leave like this.  It was so abrupt, so un-Carter like.  Of course the last twenty-four hours had been full of un-Carter like events so why should this surprise him.  It did surprise him though and everyone knew that Jack O’Neill did not like surprises. 

Scowling, he dug into the pocket of his jeans and fished out his keys, if Carter was hiding she had better hide well, because he was gonna find her and then give her the chewing out of her life.

Jack knew that his anger was covering up fact that Carter’s actions had hurt him.  He had let his hopes overshadow the obvious facts of the situation…Carter would be out of her mind to be interested in an old man like him.  His anger quickly dissolved at his own thoughts.  He knew he was not going to find her, well, he would find out where she was he just would not go after her. 

“Excuse me?”

The soft voice jerked Jack from his depressing thoughts and he looked up to see…..no one.  Frowning he looked about a foot lower and was met by a set of clear green eyes. 

The woman before him was probably the tiniest thing he had ever seen.  She could not have been more than five feet tall and he was positive that a stiff wind would knock her over.  If ever he would describe someone as delicate, it would be this lady before him. 

Her eyes studied him in returned and he had to fight the urge to squirm under her assessing gaze.  The woman was too much like his own grandmother for comfort, a frail body held up by a steel backbone.  Her eyes came back to his and he guessed that whatever she was looking for satisfied her curiosity because she gifted him with a smile and held out her hand.

Jack took her tiny hand carefully in his and gently wrapped his fingers around hers. He was sure that she might break if he squeezed even the tiniest bit.  However, he was very surprised when she grasped his large hand in a firm grip and gave it a solid shake.

“Amelia Pendergast,” she introduced, “I assume by your brooding nature that you did not know Samantha was on vacation.”

Jack scowled at her description, “I don’t brood.”

The old lady snorted her opinion of that, but let it go.  “Samantha left yesterday to go on vacation for a few weeks.”  She studied him as he digested her words.  “Are you a friend of hers?”  His expression went from thoughtfulness to a deep sadness that made Amelia’s old heart ache.

“No, ma’am.” 

Amelia’s lined face scrunched up as she studied the man’s face intently.  He was a good looking one that was for sure.  The look of sadness disappeared and an amused expression began to replace it.  Ah, now that’s better! She thought.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his truck obviously awaiting whatever she was deciding about him.  At her continued silence a half smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and he leaned in toward her, “If we keep staring at each other like this,” he looked around the neighborhood in mock suspicion, “people are gonna talk.”  

The bark of laughter that escaped her made him smile in return and she cuffed him on the arm.  “You, my dear boy, are a flirt!”         

Jack laughed lightly at her chiding, “Yes, ma’am, but only with a select few that catch my eye.”  She snorted again in disbelief. “I’m Jack O’Neill,” he introduced himself.  Her eyes opened wide in surprise at his name.

“You’re Samantha’s commanding officer!” She replied.

He frowned a little at her knowledge, “Yeah, I am.  How did you know?”

“Samantha talks about you all the time!”  She patted his arm, “She thinks quite highly of you, you know.”

Jack’s frown deepened in confusion, “No, I didn’t know that.”

“Oh, heavens, yes, even says she has the best job in the world and the best CO in the military!” 

“I don’t suppose she had said any of this recently?”  Jack asked.  Considering her actions the day before, he was sure it must have been quite sometime since the Major had felt that way.

“Earlier this week.  She came over to share lunch with me and we had such a nice time. As a matter of fact, that is when she told me she would be going out of town for a few weeks.”

“She knew earlier in the week that she would be leaving?”

“Yes.” 

Jack felt his earlier anger returning with a vengeance.  She had planned this!  Everything that they had thought was a snap decision brought on by his actions on the planet was wrong.  All her un-Carter like actions of the last twenty-four hours were nothing of the sort.  They very Carter like….planned down to the tiniest detail.

“Mr. O’Neill?”  Amelia felt slightly alarmed at the change in the man before her.   His expression of confusion had shifted into a thunderous scowl that was making her extremely nervous.  “Did I say something wrong?”

He turned his attention back to her and she almost wished she had kept silent. “No, Ms. Pendergast.  You have been very helpful.”  

She watched as he climbed into his truck and pulled out of the driveway.  From where she was standing she could see him angrily pull out his cell phone and begin dialing.  Then he was gone.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Daniel Jackson walked leisurely across the sands of Abydos enjoying the feel of the setting sun on this face and the slight breeze that scarcely stirred the sand at his bare feet. 

He was always content here and in these first months of ascension had come here undetected by the people of this planet he had once called home. He could relax here and used the time to sort through the boundless information ascension had brought him.  Now, he was simply walking through the most desolate area of the desert, a place where human or even alien had not trod in thousands of years. 

He enjoyed the tactile feeling of his feet sinking into the soft ground and the motion of taking solid steps always had a therapeutic effect on him.  He wandered without direction for what seemed like forever, when he felt something odd in the air around him, like an almost undetectable hum. 

Scanning the area for something out of place he only saw the sunset colored sand shimmering around him.  He continued looking trusting his intuition that something was there and then he saw it. 

A section of sand that was untouched by colors of the sunset, a rectangular area about two feet by four feet only a few steps away from him.  Daniel closed the distance and went down on one knee before the strange section of sand.  As brushed his hand against the sand an electrical jolt shot up his fingers making him jerk the appendage away. 

He wasn’t hurt, his reaction was more instinctual that anything else.  His curiosity peaked he pushed his hand through the invisible barrier again.  Electrical currents danced along his arm and he felt what he was sure was a hard surface about foot down.  Running his hand along it dropped off another foot down to a second level area. 

Steps! 

Daniel pulled his hand from the hole and stood up.  Without hesitation he stepped down into the hole and proceeded to step through the barrier into a darkened stairway.  Although unnecessary as he could see in the dark now, he created a light source from his hands to hang in the air and follow him as walked down the steps toward what he suspected would be an open chamber. 

The walls of the stairway were adorned in ancient goa’uld writings proclaiming the majesty of Ra.  Daniel ignored them for the moment his interest was concentrated below. 

The foot of the stairs opened up into a chamber vast enough that his light source could only illuminated a fraction of it.  He was about to increase the output when the light was caught in the reflection of a nearby mirror and then suddenly the chamber of filled with light.  Daniel looked up to see that his little source light had caught the first of many cleverly placed mirrors designed in ancient times to illuminate underground structures. 

He cast his gaze over the chamber and was amazed at the site before him.  The standard golden walls so loved by the goa’uld encased the room in a golden hue and reflected the brilliance of countless piles of gems and precious metals.  Stacks upon stacks of ancient scrolls and thick tomes were stacked high without care or order. 

It was an impressive sight. 

Apparently Ra had needed a place to stash his wealth and he had chosen Abydos.  Ignoring the mountains of gold and jewels, he made his way to the closest wall and began to read the text inlaid into the panels of gold fasten to the stone there. 

He had spent hours, days, maybe even months there, reading the walls, searching through the mountains of scrolls and books absorbing the information. 

The ancient history of the Goa’uld unfolded before him going back through the centuries beyond what even he had believed.  Thousand upon thousand of years of merciless dynasties as one goa’uld destroyed another. 

He read of the rebellion of the Goa’uld queen Egeria and the hunt for her and her offspring the Tok’ra.  It was obvious that Ra had taken her defection personally, the account of their battle on Pangar and her burial in a stasis jar was filled with Ra’s obvious rage at her betrayal.  Daniel wondered at their relationship before her change of heart.  Soon he even found that. 

In a tome title the “The First Dynasty” the story of Egeria unfolded.

Egeria and Ra ruled together as the first true Goa’uld rulers. The Goa’uld queen had been instrumental in the proliferation of her species and it was she who found the technology that was needed for the creation of the Jaffa.   She was the one who had birthed Hathor among other Goa’uld queens.  She was a Goa’uld in all aspects except one. 

She would not use a sarcophagus. 

Before the creation of the healing device, the goa’uld would simply acquire a new host every couple centuries.   She did not trust the device invented by Telchak and even tried to get Ra to abandon its use.  He refused.  Over time Egeria saw changes in Ra’s nature that caused her great concern.

Her consort was becoming more and more unstable insisting on staying in the young host he had taken on the Tauri homeworld and continually using the sarcophagus to heal the young body.   As the centuries past, Egeria changed hosts every couple hundred years and helped rule over the worlds she and Ra had populated with the Tauri. 

Although uneasy with Ra’s increasing cruelty, it was not until the birth of Sekhmet that the queen began to have second thoughts about the way of her life.  Ra reveled in Sekhmet’s penchant for brutality and proclaimed her his bodyguard and avenger.  It was the atrocities committed by Sekhmet in Ra’s name that caused Egeria’s rebellion.  She took those loyal to her and went into hiding beginning a centuries long battle against Ra. 

Daniel closed the book chronicling the story of Egeria and Ra.  He picked up the next tome chronicling the next phase of Goa’uld history and opened it’s pages.  The ancient Goa’uld text began on an ominous tone, “The great god Ra’s creation became his curse in the form of his avenger Sekhmet….”

Without warning a sudden tightness enveloped Daniel’s chest and he quickly closed the book.  Closing his eyes he let his senses roam the universe searching out each of his friends. 

He found Sam easily, pacing in her lab at the SCG agitation in every step as he observed she picked up a particularly complicated piece of technology and to his amazement threw it against one the concrete walls.  Worried, he began to search out Teal’c and found the warrior attempting, but obviously failing to kel’noreem.  Although his actions are not as pronounce as Sam’s it is obvious something is very wrong. 

He expanded his senses in an attempt to find Jack.  It took him awhile to find his caustic friend and Daniel was extremely disturbed when he did. 

Pinned against a wall by a heavy-gravity field Jack was staring down a system lord by the name of Ba’al who is holding a long dagger by his fingertips so that he gravity field caught it.  He saw the system lord release the dagger and watched in horror as it sank directly into Jack’s heart. 

“Son of bitch!” 

Without realizing it he instantly formed into energy converting the book he is holding with him and immediately departed Abydos to help Jack. 

The rush of countless planets and star systems flashed past him…to the tune of…the Simpson’s theme song? 

What the hell….?

Daniel opened his eyes to see at his cell phone dancing across his nightstand and playing that irritating tune.  He grabbed the phone and saw Jack’s name on the caller id. 

Daniel hit the button and yelled into the phone.  “Damn it, Jack!  Quit changing my ringtone!”  Expecting a lecture on the greatness of Bart Simpson, the archeologist was surprised at the brittle tone in Jack’s voice.

“Where are you?”

“At home…Why?"  He asked.

“I’m coming over.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Pha’esh of Malkshur had been with the Tok’ra resistance since he had blended with his first host over almost two thousand years ago.  He had seen the rise and fall of countless Goa’uld and their armies, had contributed to a number of them, but they never could seem to bring them all down.  There were too many of the enemy and not enough of the Tok’ra. 

There was some positive news however, the once rare Goa’uld queens were now almost non-existent and with what few birthings there were these were void of the desperately needed queens to continue the race. As encouraging as this information was there were still many Goa’uld bent on destroying all that oppose them, especially the To’kra and now more recently the Tauri. Their fight was long from finished.

Pha’esh felt a slight nudge from his host Breeshan.  “We are almost there.  Should we not wake…”

The sound of terror filled screams filled the cabin of the Tel’tak they were piloting causing both symbiote and host to bolt toward the cargo hold.  The inhuman cries rang through the ship as Breeshan fumbled with the keypad trying to open the hold door. 

“What is happening in there?  It sounds like something is tearing her apart!” 

Pha’esh quickly took over his panicked host and punched the correct code so the door could open.  He ran into the hold to find the Tauri female, Samantha Carter, writhing in pain on the floor. 

Another scream was ripped from her lips and her back arched dangerously  as she seemed to be trying to escape from a brutal attack.  Pha’esh raced over and grabbed the female concerned that if she continued she would do grave danger to herself. 

The To’kra’s touch elicited an immediate reaction from the woman.  Terror-filled eyes snapped open and before he could react he felt himself being thrown back against the wall and then unbelievably a large blade of some sort pressed against his throat.

The blue eyes watched him wildly trying to understand the sudden changes around her after being ripped from her terror filled moments before.

 A flash of pale yellow from the indicator light on the memory device implanted into Samantha Carter’s temple showed that she was no longer within her memories, but Pha’esh knew that coming out of some memories was not a easy as simply turning them off.  He cursed himself for not anticipating the Tauri woman’s possible reactions to Jolinar’s memories.

“Yeah, you could say that.” She said tiredly. 

“You should rest for a while and give your body a chance to regain its strength.”

Sam nodded to him and he rose gracefully from the floor then made his way to the door. 

“Pha’esh, wait.”  He turned back to her, “What does ‘ras’teeh’ mean?

Pha’esh frowned at her in confusion. “I believe it is an ancient dialect of Goa’uld…..it means….’to be reborn’. Why?”

Sam shook her head at him then leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.  “It was just something I remembered.”

Chapter 8

Pha’esh closed the door to the cargo hold allowing Samantha Carter to rest.  He walked to the front of the ship to stare silently out at the stars as they rushed by.  The ship was quiet, even the sound of the hyper drive engines seemed muted in the aftermath of the screams he had heard moments ago.  Pha’esh scratched at the paper-thin cut where Samantha had pressed her knife to his throat earlier.  It was already healing, but its existence was enough proof to the Tok’ra that his reservations about this mission were justified. 

When the plan to place a human spy among Bastet’s court was presented to the council, the Tok’ra’s governing body agreed it was a good way to infiltrate the elusive Goa’uld’s inner circle.  Intel had reported that Bastet was definitely working without the knowledge of the system lord’s on an unknown weapon that would strengthen the Goa’uld presence in the galaxy.  Unfortunately, Bastet did not trust the System Lords and had recently banished all Goa’ulds from her palace and now allowed only human slaves and Jaffa to see to her needs. 

Major Samantha Carter of the Tauri was a sensible choice.  She was already a trained warrior and extremely intelligent human.  She would be able to carry out the demands of the mission and if complications arose she had the experience to adjust to the circumstances around her.  So it was decided and Anise was sent to the Tauri.  

Then everything changed. 

Bastet was not working alone…..she was working for another.  Sekhmet.  The name alone sent a mental shiver through Pha’esh.  The rise of Sekhmet was the rise of a nightmare. 

Shaking off his dark musings, the Tok’ra let the silence around him calm his restless mind.  He knew the silence would not last long…..as least not the silence within him, the events ealier had shocked Breeshan for the moment, but his host would soon be voicing his concerns….loudly.  Pha’esh sighed at the argument he knew was coming. It was times like these he truly mourned for his last host Sonser. 

Sonser had understood the costs of war and would have simply have excepted what had to be done. The Tok’ra missed the company of his old friend greatly and had tried desperately to hold onto him, but no matter how Pha’esh tried he could not stop the human’s aging any longer and finally had to let his friend go.

Pha’esh felt the first stirrings from Breeshan and prepared for the verbal confrontation to come. 

‘What happened in there!’ the young man’s outrage reverberated through Pha’esh’s mind.  ‘You said the memories would not hurt her!’

‘She was not injured….’

‘How can you say that?!’

‘Major Carter is familiar with the risks associated with the memory recall device, Breeshan.’

‘But…’

‘Upset her!  She almost killed us!’

Breeshan felt the symbiote mentally sign, ‘I am sorry, Breeshan.  I should have realized that Jolinar’s memories of that time were extremely volatile and that Major Carter  would have adverse reactions to them.  I did not warn her and I should have.’

‘We are using her.’ The young man stated emphatically.

‘We are not using her.  She is well aware of the danger…..’

‘Danger, yes, but what about all the facts?  You have not told her the council ‘s  decision on this matter or of her new role in it.  Pha’esh could feel Breeshan’s agitation grow as he spoke, ‘Has anyone told her of the host?’ 

The man’s tension was uncomfortable to the symbiote and without thinking Pha’esh began adjusting Breeshan’s body chemistry to calm him.

‘Stop that!’  Breeshan exclaimed, ‘I hate it when you do that!’

Pha’esh sighed and stopped trying to regulate Breeshan’s system.  Deciding to change tactics, he did his best to reassure his host.  ‘The changes in the mission parameters were made after Major Carter’s  initial contact.  She was made aware of Sekhmet’s involvement before she left and she will be made aware of all other changes soon.  She will given the chance to reject the mission at that time.’

‘You know as well as the rest of those who have joined us that she has already committed herself too fully to this plan.  She will not reject it.’

‘Samantha Carter is a warrior of the Tauri, my friend.  She knows that danger is inherent in any dealing regarding the Goa’uld.’

‘She does not know Sekhmet!’ Breeshan’s obvious fear for the woman was hard to ignore.

 ‘She will have the full truth once we reach the base.  From this point we will bring her in on every aspect of this operation. You have my word, Breeshan.’

At this Breeshan quieted.  Pha’esh’s word was reliable and he would trust him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The moment the doors closed on Pha’esh, Sam reopened her eyes and stared at the golden door as she willed her heart to return to a normal rhythm. 

Despite Pha’esh request, she knew there was no way she was going to sleep so soon after reliving Nergal’s attack on Jolinar. And even though the exhaustion that she was feeling was pulling at her consciousness, the nightmares she knew those images would bring were motivation enough to keep her awake. 

Pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs to stop her shaking, she tried to put what she had seen in perspective. Jolinar’s memories had always been unsettling to her, but on some level she had always been able to disassociate herself from them. 

This time was different. 

This time she was experiencing the memory as if it had truly been her inside the host…the host…what was her host’s name…Azura.  The host’s name had been Azura.  Here again was a point of frustration…she had never met this Azura, but she knew everything about the woman and even remembered her loss at the hands of Nergal. 

Sam shivered at the memories she had just awakened from.  Jolinar had been violently torn from Azura’s body causing the severe brain damage to the gentle woman she had been with for over a hundred years. In her last act of friendship Jolinar had released a toxin into Azura’s body killing her instantly.

It had been a useless act. 

Nergal simply revived the woman in a sarcophagus and then tortured her for information whilst Jolinar was dumped into a liquid filled tank and made to watch in horror as the sadistic monster slowly killed her friend. 

A careless human servant who had wandered to close to her tank had been their salvation.   Although sickened by her own actions, Jolinar used the woman’s body to escape with Azure in a stolen tel’tak, but the damage to her friend’s body was too extensive and she died within hours of their escape. 

In her grief, Jolinar did the only thing she could do.  You took her friend back to her home planet of Malkshur and buried her quietly in a meadow overlooking the Stargate. 

Sam could feel the heartrending loss of Azure and fought against the desire to sob in response to the landslide of feelings running through her.  

Knowing she had to herself keep from being overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster she was on, Sam stood and began pacing the cargo hold.  She had to disassociate herself from the feelings of despair the memories conjured up and try to go over what the memory had shown her.  She had seen a lot of information in that console, but was unsure of what use if any the knowledge would provide.  Even if she could recall all of it the data was collected over a thousand years ago…..

Sam shook head. 

Forget how long ago it was done, think about what it said.

She sifted through the information and realized that the Goa’uld had a problem.  A thousand years ago, the Goa’uld Nergal realized that his race’s numbers were dwindling.  Since Ra had infested the first human on Earth, thousands of years ago, fewer and fewer queens had been born to carry on the genetic knowledge that the species relied on.

Sam thought back over the last seven years noting the number of Goa’uld queens they had encountered.  There were two that she was sure of….Hathor and Egeria both of which were dead. 

The infant Goa’uld that Hathor had spawned at the SCG had been destroyed and from what she could tell no more had been born when Colonel O’Neill killed her. 

Egeria was Tok’ra and Sam knew that she had not produced a viable symbiote in thousands of years. 

There was also Amonet, the Goa’uld who took Daniel’s wife Sha’re as host, but she was also gone now and it was never confirmed if she was a true Goa’uld queen or merely bore the title. 

As for the rest of the information, the majority of it was medical data, unfortunately, Sam’s comprehension of Goa’uld physiology was extremely limited. 

As far as she could tell no solution had presented itself at that time, but she would check with the Tok’ra and see what they had found out when they analyzed the data crystal Jolinar had made.  Sam stopped pacing and looked at her watch.  She could not believe that it had only been two days since she left Earth.  She wondered what the guys back home were up to.  Her thoughts were interrupted when Pha’esh opened the cargo hold door.

“We have arrived, Major Carter.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The event horizon snapped shut behind two shadowed figures as they descended the steps of the Chaapa’ai and stepped onto the sun-baked world of Isara. 

The two moons gleamed weakly in the twilight sky, but the two men did not seem affected by the lack of illumination.  Off in the distance a single light shone giving them a direction to go.  It was all they needed. 

“Is the gate usually left unguarded like this?”  Teal’c asked his friend and mentor. 

“No.” Bra’tac’s tense voice answered.  “The gate is usually guarded by at least three Jaffa.”  The old warrior scanned the dimly lit area listening for any sounds that might identify the reason there were no Jaffa at the gate.  However, only the normal sounds of a deserted prairie came to his ears. “There is something amiss here, Teal’c.”

“Indeed.” 

The two men made thier way silently toward the light staying alert to any sound of attack.  None came and they made it to the light without incident, but what the light illuminated before them made their steps falter. 

Bra’tac stared in shock as Teal’c entered the camp and began making his way slowly through hundreds of corpses that littered the ground.  Teal’c scanned the area searching for any sign of Jaffa, but none could be found.  No Jaffa, not even among the bodies that surrounded him.  Stopping at what seemed the center of the massacre the warrior crouched down and looked closely at the tiny body that had been left to die in the hot sun of Isara. 

Prim’tahs. 

There were hundreds of the infant goa’uld obviously taken from their Jaffa’s pouches and left to die, but where were the signs of battle? 

Where were the Jaffa? 

Thanks for all the reviews.  I am thrilled that people are enjoying the story.  If anyone has any questions (except “What happens next?”) or needs any clarification on something just let me know. 

OK, here we go…..

Chapter 9

“Ow!”

Daniel grabbed his foot cursing the stone artifact, he had just stubbed his toe on, fluently in ancient Egyptian.  He glared at the thing as if it was the inanimate object’s fault that it had been left in middle of the living room last night. 

Another round of banging on his front door had him changing the object of the colorful language to the man behind the situation in the first place.  

“I’m coming!”  He yelled as he pulled his front door open and was almost run over when Jack went pushing past him.  Looking out his door he saw the sun beginning to set on the horizon, so much for sleeping.

“We need to talk.”  Jack stated as he stomped into the living room. 

“Obviously,” the young man said sourly and began to follow Jack into the living room. Then thinking better of it, he switched directions and he strode into the kitchen.  Daniel could hear bits and pieces of Jack’s ranting he pulled a beer from his fridge. 

“Can’t believe…I swear…gonna find…and…damn it!…hit my foot….who the hell put…..rock here!”

Daniel rounded the corner from the kitchen to find Jack limping around the living room with a thunderous scowl on his face.  He handed Jack the beer receiving a grunt of thanks from friend.  “What’s with the rock?”

Daniel looked at him in irritation.  “The ‘artifact’ is from PX2-396, I was looking at it before bed last night.”

“You had to put it in the middle of the floor?”  Jack gripped at him.

He ignored Jack’s attempt to draw him into the ridiculous argument.  “What do you want Jack?”

The question seemed to increase the older man’s agitation.  “It’s Carter.”

Not the least bit surprised, Daniel nodded his head for Jack to continue.

Jack told Daniel about his conversation with Sam’s neighbor Ms. Pendergast.  Daniel listened quietly, mulling over what he was saying.  Jack finished and looked at the young man expectantly.

“Well?”

“Well, what?” 

“She planned all of it!  Sam knew a week before the preverbal straw broke her camel’s back that she was leaving.”

“That doesn’t surprise me Jack.  I mean she must have been looking to leave even before your confrontation yesterday, she already had the job at Area 51….”

“The job at Area 51 had been a standing offer for years now.  All that would require is a call from her to accept and in the locker room she said that she had an offer, not that she had taken it already.”

“So she had already decided to leave town before accepting the position?”

“Yes!”  Jack waved his hands toward Daniel in his usually ‘finally, you got it’ fashion.

“So you’re saying that Sam staged the confrontation in the gate room?”

“Yes!”  Jack exclaimed, thrilled that Daniel was catching on.

“Why?”

At this Jack’s bubble of enthusiasm popped, “I don’t know….” He turned around in frustration and walked toward the sofa.

“Jack, there is no way Sam planned what happened yesterday.  She would never mislead us like that.”

Jack sat down on the sofa and leaned forward resting his arms on his legs the unopened beer dangling from his fingers. “So you believed everything she told you yesterday, you don’t think she was hiding something?” 

“Well…”

“Aha!  I knew you didn’t buy it either.” 

The young man sighed, “No, not all of it.”  

Daniel could not deny that everything that had happened had an odd feel about it. It was almost deja vu like in nature.  Like he had been there before. 

He shook his head at his friend.  “Look, Jack.  Whether we believe it or not is irrelevant, it’s done.  Sam’s gone.  Don’t you think we should honor her desires to start a new life away from the SGC?”

“Hell no.”  Jack leaned toward the young man.  “She is one of my team, Daniel.”  He said intently.

“She was one of your team, Jack…”

“Oh,for crying out loud!”  Jack threw up his hands in frustration, clearly becoming angry with the archeologist.

Giving in, Daniel decided to humor Jack.  “All right, fine.  Let’s say that Sam’s actions were contrived and that there is something else going on.”  The young man almost smiled at the relief he saw on the Colonel’s face.  “Why would she do it? I mean think about it.  In the last seven years has Sam ever done anything remotely like this?”

Jack shook his head dejectedly.  She had never acted that way before, in fact if he really wanted to analyze (and didn’t that word gave him chills) her, he would say she was acting just like……

“You know Jack, the way Sam was behaving just like…..”

“…me.”

“…you.”

The two men looked at each other as each had just had an epiphany. 

It was at that moment Daniel recognized what he had been missing.  He had this same feeling when Jack had gone undercover on the NID sting.  He looked up to say something to Jack.

“NID.”  Jack voice was barely a whisper as he said the letters.  He looked up at the young man worriedly.  “In the locker room Sam made a crack about working for the NID.  It seemed odd at the time and I was gonna make her explain the it, but she…um….. said….um….. something else and I……..forgot.” 

Damn, he had let her distract him with that ‘might get laid’ comment. One would think that at his age certain body parts would not derail him like that anymore. He thought irritably.

“What was said in the locker room, Jack?”  Daniel asked curiously.

Jack shook his head at his friend.  There was no way he was going to discuss that conversation with anyone.  Not even Daniel. 

“Okay.”  He said.  “Is it possible that Sam is going undercover at Area 51?”

“It’s possible, but as her CO I should have been brought in on it.”

“And as her CO would you have been onboard with it?” 

“Sure.”

“You would have let Sam go undercover…..”

“Well…not without one us backing her up.”

“Ah.”

“What’s ‘Ah” mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, no, ‘Nothing’ never means nothing with you.”

“Jack, it’s Area 51.  It not like she is going across the galaxy and taking on a system lord.”

The thunderous look on Jack face at that observation had Daniel quickly changing the direction of the man’s thoughts.

“If Sam is undercover at Area 51 then what do we do?  I mean she won’t even be there for a month.”

“Tomorrow I talk to General Hammond, other than that,” He glared at the wall behind Daniel, “we wait.”

Daniel nodded his head in agreement, but then suddenly his head shot up and he looked at Jack in alarm.

Jack looked at him in concern.  “What?”

“I think I need to visit a sick aunt or something tomorrow…”

“You’re an orphan, Daniel, you don’t have an aunt.”

“I’ll make one up.”

“Daniel.”  Jack's patience was about up with him.  “What is the problem tomorrow?”

“Janet’s back.”

“Ah, crap.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“SHE WHAT!”  The SGC’s infirmary reverberated with the force of Janet Frasier’s outburst. 

Daniel cursed Jack for the hundredth time that morning for leaving him to tell Janet about Sam’s leaving.  He glanced nervously over at the tray of medical tools that had been set aside for SG-8 post mission check-up.  The needles were looking particularly dangerous at the moment and the archeologist was glad that he would not be on the receiving end of Janet’s ministrations today.  He would also remember to avoid SG-8 as well, because once she was finished with them they would be wanting to know who had pissed her off.

Janet glared at him a moment then began pacing in front of him.  “Why would she leave?”

“She said she was tired of the military and the danger of off-world missions and wanted to work at Area 51.”

“Bull-shit.” Janet replied caustically.

Daniel brows rose in surprise at the explanative that came from the typically reserved doctor. He shrugged his shoulders, “That’s what she said.” 

Janet speared him with a dangerous glare.  “And you believed that load of crap?”

“Well….we…uh”

“You guys just let her walk out of here without stopping her.” 

“It’s a free country, Janet, she has the right to leave.”

“This is the military, Daniel!  Why didn’t Colonel O’Neill lock her up or something till we figured this out?”

“Actually….Jack demanded her resignation after her actions in the gate room.” 

“He what!” Janet yelled, causing him to cringe.  “Where is he?”, the doctor requested in a menacing tone.

“He’s with General Hammond.”

“Perfect.” 

Daniel watched as Janet stormed out the infirmary to find Jack.  A small part of him felt guilty for delivering his friend to the wrath of the furious doctor, but then he thought of all the crap Jack had given him over the years………

Okay, no more guilt, he thought. 

Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his BDUs the young man ambled out of the infirmary toward his office whistling as he went.

Chapter 10

A guttural scream of outrage echoed through the crystalline tunnels of the Tok’ra cell base on the planet of Ulnina. 

The whine of a zat’ni’katel sent a charge through the air silencing the violent threats.

With fury in her eyes, Garshaw of Belote, former High Counselor for the Tok’ra, looked down at the body crumbled at her feet.  Without shifting her gaze she addressed the other Tok’ra in the room. 

“Pha’esh will be here momentarily with Major Carter,” nodding her head to indicate the body on the floor she raised her dark eyes toward an elderly Tok’ra.  Her eyes flashed white in anger, “Do it.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

 Pha’esh/Breeshan and Sam ringed down into the underground tunnels of the Tok’ra’s hidden cell bases.  Once the hum of the rings was gone she was extremely surprised by the silence that enveloped them.  She looked down the crystalline hall concerned at the lack of activity.  “Where is everyone?” she asked.  Tok’ra bases were usually bustling with activity.

“After experiencing heavy losses during the destruction of our main base on Revanna the Tok’ra High Council decided that operating from various cell bases instead of a central one would be wise.”  Pha’esh extended his arm toward a tunnel to the right indicating the direction they should go, then continued his explanation.  “At this time, we have exactly 23 Tok’ra on this base.”

“Is the Tok’ra Council here?”

“Two members are here currently to assist in your briefing for this mission and to answer any questions you may have.”

“When will I be meeting with them?”

“After you have rested.  At this time they are dealing with other matters pertaining to the base’s operations.”

Rest. The word seem a mockery to her, but the exhaustion that Sam had been fighting earlier was demanding attention and with a quick look at her watch she saw that it was 0800 hours Earth time.  Except for her forays into Jolinar’s memories earlier she had not slept since the Tok’ra had picked her up on Earth over twenty-four hours ago. She could put it off no longer.  She had to sleep.  Nodding her head to Pha’esh, she followed him to a small sparsely furnished room. 

“These will be your quarters during your stay with us.” He bowed slightly to her, “May your rest be peaceful, Samantha.”

Sam smiled weakly at him as he left.  “Peaceful.”  She murmured, “Yeah, right.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam’s sleep was not peaceful.  Random images of Jolinar’s life would flash through her mind giving her snapshots of people, places, hints that stayed just beyond her reach and nothing substantial for her brain to process.  After hours of useless tossing and turning she sat up on her bed weak from physical and mental exhaustion.  Sam scratched the memory device in her temple tempted to yank the thing out, but resisted for the moment.  She knew she needed sleep, but she did not want to damage the device or herself by being careless. 

I’m thirsty, she thought looking toward the entrance of her room. 

There was no door. The Tok’ra believed they had no secrets to keep from each other, so a door was unnecessary. 

Having “slept” in her black t-shirt and green BDU pants, Sam stood and raised her arms above her head to stretch out the kinks in her back.  Once that was accomplished, she slipped her boots back on and made her way out of her room in search of Pha’esh and hopefully something to drink. 

The tunnels were still eerily silent and devoid of movement.  Gazing at the crystalline walls she gave into the urge to run her long fingers over the surface and became entranced by the pearlescent beauty that the crystals created in the muted light used in the tunnels.  It was like touching the inside of an oyster shell hard and soft at the same time. 

“They are beautiful.”

Sam jumped at the human voice behind her and turned to see Breeshan standing a few feet from her.  Sam said nothing and after a few moments she realized she was openly staring at the man. It was a little difficult not to stare at Pha’esh’s host.  The man was striking in appearance.  His tall athletic form, chiseled features and dark hair reminded her of the statues from ancient Greece.  Realizing that she had been caught staring Sam quickly averted her eyes and began to study the toe of her boot with great interest. 

Breeshan stepped closer and came to stand beside her near the wall.  Reaching out his hand he ran strong fingers over the crystalline surface and smiled. 

It was a really nice smile and was reflected in his eyes. His dark hair, a bit long and unkempt, kept falling in his face reminding her of Daniel when he had first joined SG-1.  She resisted the urge to reach up and brush the bangs away from his violet eyes and put her hands in her pockets instead. 

He studied her a moment taking in her pale features and tired eyes. His smile dimmed a little as he gazed at her.  “You did not sleep.” He said concerned. 

She shook her head and gave him a weak smile.  “My brain wouldn’t shut down and let me rest.”  She shrugged her shoulders.  “To much information is running through my mind, I guess.” 

Breeshan frowned, “I will have Pha’esh deactivate the devices before you sleep tonight.  That will help.” 

“Where is Pha’esh?”  Sam frowned as well and then realizing what she said, “I mean I know where his is….” She waved her hand toward his body.

Laughing lightly, Breeshan dropped his hand from the wall.  “He is resting before we attend the meeting with the council members.”  Slowly his smile faded and Sam watched Breeshan fidget for a moment before he spoke again.  “As a matter of fact, I was coming to see if you might be hungry and like to eat something before the meeting.”

Sam resisted to impulse to smile at Breeshan sudden nervousness.  It was obvious that for all of his good looks that the young man was shy by nature and she wondered how he came to be the host of a Tok’ra.  ‘Well, only one way to find out.’  She thought then nodded toward him.  “I think food sounds great.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Daniel leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over head.  He had just spent the last hour working on the information General Hammond had requested on Bastet.  He scanned what he had already written about the goa’uld itself.

“A member of the Goa'uld System Lord, Bastet did not come to power until the Goa'uld's second ruling dynasty collapsed. Uniting forces with the System Lord Kali, the two made a treaty with the Goa'uld Sobek. Then, at the celebratory feast, they moved against him. Rumor has it that Sobek's head still decorates Bastet's palace in Bubastis.”

It wasn’t much.  Although a System Lord, Bastet had not come into conflict with the SGC or Earth so their information was limited.

Okay, Daniel decided, lets look into history a bit. 

The archeologist had learned long ago that Earth’s mythologies could come in very handy at times.  He reached over and grabbed the book he had let Sam borrow and flipped to the chapter on Bastet.

“The Egyptian cat-headed goddess, the cult of Bastet was centered in Bubastis (located in the delta region, near modern- day Zagazig) from at least the 4th Dynasty. In the Late Period Bubastis was the capital of Egypt.  She is depicted most commonly as a woman with the head of a domesticated cat or as a cat itself.  She was commonly paired with Sekhmet and Hathor.”

‘Ok, not much help there,’ he thought, ‘Hathor is dead so lets check out Sekhmet.’  He turned to the chapter on Sekhmet noted her hieroglyphic name and began reading.

“Sekhmet

A fiery and destructive Egyptian goddess associated with war and divine vengeance. Her name means "the Mighty One" and she was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness. Her main center of worship was the Old Kingdom capital of Memphis.” 

Daniel turned the page and noticed a tan sticky note with a star written on it affixed to the brittle paper.  The scholar frowned as he carefully pulled the note off of the page and threw it in the wastebasket next to his desk.  He hated the little notes being used in his books.  The glue could damage the pages. He wondered who could have placed it there, Sam was the only one to use the book that he knew of, but since the base only used the obnoxious yellow ones, it could not have been her.

Irritated and needing a caffeine fix, Daniel looked over to his coffee pot and scowled when he found it empty. 

“Oh, well.  I need to stretch my legs anyway.”  He stood up, made his way out of his office and toward the elevators.  Pressing the button, he tapped his foot to a random tune running through his head, then cursed violently when he realized it was that damn Simpson’s tune again. 

The irritated man was just about to take the stairs when the doors opened and one very pissed off Jack O’Neill stepped out.  He took a step back when Jack noticed him.  “Oh! I….um….”

Seeing Daniel, a dangerous look came into the Colonel’s eyes and he stepped menacingly toward him.  “Oh, you are sooooo dead!”  He yelled.  “I promise you, Daniel, the next time we meet one of those hostile tribes I gonna….” He broke off leaving the threat open and glared at the young man.

Daniel began back-pedaling as Jack advanced on him.  “I…uh…I guess Janet found you….” he asked trying not to laugh even though he was sure Jack was considering killing him at the moment.

“Ya think!” he said angrily.  “She threatened to castrate me, Daniel!

Daniel almost lost it when Jack cringed and shifted uncomfortable at the thought. The Colonel glared at Daniel’s obvious amusement to his predicament.  “ If the next time she has me under the knife and I come out singing soprano……”

The scholar decided a change of subject was needed and quickly.  Cutting Jack off he asked about General Hammond.  “What did he say about Sam and Area 51?”

Jack allowed the change of subject, but it was obvious he was not done with Daniel yet.  “The General said nothing.  Still I think there is something he’s not telling me, ya know?  He looked….well….uncomfortable when I started asking questions about it.” 

“That’s odd.”

“Yeah.  When Janet showed up and started yelling the roof down around us he almost looked relieved. Of course then the doc started talking about removing body parts….he finally had to call her down.”

“Your body parts will be safe, Jack.  Janet will cool off.”  The older man gave him a withering look.  “Come on, Jack.  She would never do something like that and you know it.” 

“Well, you better hope not.”

“Me? Why?” The young man asked suspiciously.

“Because I told her that you had agreed with Sam that working at Area 51 was a great opportunity and that you helped her pack.”

Daniel paled slightly at Jack’s words. “But I didn’t do that!”

Jack gave him an evil smile and brought up two fingers to create a scissor- like cutting motion at the young man as he walked away from him.  “Snip, snip, Danny-boy, snip, snip.”  

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam and Breeshan chatted amicably as they walked down the tunnels toward the meeting chamber.  Lunch had been a relaxed moment for both of them and Sam was almost sad to end it.  After the turmoil of the last week, a moment of peace had been wonderful. 

For Breeshan, the time spent in Samantha’s company had been welcome as well.  The young man felt a mental nudge from Pha’esh and the obvious amusement that symbiote was feeling.

‘What?’ His mind questioned his friend.

‘You are enamored with Major Carter.’

Sam saw Breeshan suddenly frown, “Is everything all right?” she asked.

The young man nodded, “Pha’esh is being…. What did you say earlier?  An….ass.”

Sam laughed and gave Breeshan a brilliant smile.  He laughed as well. Samantha’s laugh and Pha’esh’s indignant response made it impossible not too.

The tunnel they were walking down made a hard right turn and they entered the meeting room.  Upon entering, Pha’esh took over and directed Sam toward a group of Tok’ra inside the room.  The Tok’ra leaned over and spoke quietly in her ear.

“I am not an ass,” he said good-naturedly, “however, I would be very interested in meeting this Colonel Maybourne who you believe is.”  Sam smiled at him and he suddenly understood what Breeshan felt.

‘Ha!  I am not the only one am I….?’  The young man thought triumphantly.

‘Don’t be an ass.’

Breeshan’s laughter echoed though his mind and Pha’esh couldn’t help but shake his head at his host.

Sam gave him a curious look, but the Tok’ra was saved from having to explain himself, when Garshaw of Belote broke away from the group and approached them.

She graciously extended her hands taking Sam’s warmly in her own.  “Thank you, for assisting us, Major Carter.”  Yosuuf, Garshaw’s host, gave Sam a genuine smile.  “Your knowledge and expertise will be a great advantage to this mission.” 

“I am glad I can help.”  Sam replied returning the smile.

Yoosef bowed her head and Sam watched as she shifted to Garshaw.  The smile was replaced with the business like manner so common to the Tok’ra.  “Major Carter.”

Sam acknowledged Garshaw with a nod of her head.  “Councilwoman.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I understand from Pha’esh that you were able to access a memory of Jolinar’s on your flight here.”

Sam nodded and they got down to business. 

The Major proceeded to report to the Tok’ra the details of what she remembered. 

“The goa’uld Nergal was working on a way to stop the decline of the Goa’uld race due to the loss of too many queens over the centuries.”

Garshaw nodded that she was aware of this. “It has been the same concern with our people as well.  With Egeria gone we are unable to procreate and replenish our people.  It has been a minor consolation knowing that the Goa’uld also have this problem.  Our spies tell us that the death of Hathor signified the end of the Goa’uld queen’s lines.  There are no more.”

Sam nodded.  “Also, there was a ton of medical information that I could not understand and from what I can tell Nergal had not come up with a solution.  However, there was one word the did scare Jolinar, but I have no idea why.”

“What word?”

“Ras’teeh”

Garshaw frowned as she filtered through her mind the meaning of the word and then suddenly she paled noticeably.  She closed her eyes as Sam continued.

Watching the woman closely Sam continued, “When I asked Pha’esh the meaning he said it meant ‘reborn’.”

Garshaw shook her head despairingly, “No, that is not its true meaning.”  The Tok’ra opened her eyes and Sam was unnerved by the empty tone to her voice,    “It means to Re-create.”

The silence that filled the chamber at Garshaw’s words was unsettling.  Sam wasn’t sure what had upset them, but their reaction had been exactly like Jolinar’s had been when she had read the computer screen.  She turned questioning eyes on Pha’esh silently asking what was going on.

Pha’esh returned her gaze his violet eyes filled with worry and fear.  “I am sorry, Samantha, when you first asked my about this word, I did not take into account how the word had changed over the years.  It original meaning makes what Nergal was trying to do clear.”

Still confused, Sam motioned with her hand to continue. 

“He may have found a way to recreate the Goa’uld queens.”

Chapter 11

Garshaw walked out of the meeting room, “Please, come with me, Major Carter.”” 

They made their way through several tunnels and Sam quickly lost her bearings in the maze of passages.   “Since our last contact with you new information and an opportunity has been given us that you must be aware of before we continue.  Originally, you were to infiltrate Bastet’s court as a servant to ascertain the situation then report back to your contact and be extracted.”

“Yes.” Sam replied. “The ultimate goal was to ferret out this new goa’uld Sekhmet and gain as much information on a weapon she is believed to have created.”  Sam clarified.

“Correct.” 

They entered a small chamber with a large table in the center of the room.  Scientific equipment filled the table giving the impression to Sam that this was most definitely a lab, but what caught her attention was not the table, it was a liquid filled tank set to the right of the table.  Sam approached cautiously never taking her eyes from the symbiote that swam around the confined space in agitated circles.  She was only a couple feet from the tank when the snake-like creature suddenly stopped as if sensing something and whipped around to look at her.  Sam stopped immediately wary of its change in behavior.  

WHAM! 

Sam jumped back as the symbiote began attacking the transparent wall of the tank trying to break through the barrier.  She stared entranced at the violent reaction to her presence as a light blue tint began to color the liquid while the creature injured itself with its enraged behavior and its blood seeped into the fluid keeping it alive.

Garshaw watched Sam closely as she joined her in front of the tank.

“ Major Carter, a development has occurred that requires a change in the mission.”  

Mesmerized by the symbiote Sam said nothing as the Tok’ra continued. 

 “You will be a Goa’uld.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Cradling his phone to his ear, Jack O’Neill tapped his fingers against the gray metal of his desk, waiting for the ringing to stop and the line on the other end to pick up.

“Yeah, this is Burke.” 

Jack could hear the ever constant pop of the man’s gum as he identified himself. 

“Burke.”

“Jack!  Great to hear from ya.”

“Yeah, you too.”  He said shaking his head. “I need to ask you a favor.”

“A favor?  Sure.  Who did ya lose this time?” 

Jack scowled into the phone at the not so subtle reminder of Daniel’s kidnapping a few months ago down in Honduras. “No one lost this time” he lied, unrepentantly, “just need to track someone’s movements without all the red tape that tends to be involved.”

“Oooookay…….” Burke responded. 

“Are you gonna do it?”

“Are you kidding?  You got me out of that hell hole of an assignment, of course I’ll help!  “What’s the name and what do you want checked?”

“Samantha Carter. I just need to track her movements.  You know, hits on her credit cards, things like that.”

“Sure thing, Jack.”  Burke replied.  “ I should have something in a day or two.”

“That’ll work, call me when ya got the info.”

Jack hung up the phone and started to dial Daniel’s office.

”Unauthorized Off-World Activation!” 

The bases alarms began blaring throughout the base and Jack could hear the sound of military issued boots running passed his door.  Hanging up the phone he left his office and headed for the control room. 

“It’s Teal’c’s IDC, sir.”  Sgt. Harriman announced as Jack entered the control room. 

“Open the iris, Sergeant.”  General Hammond commanded as he turned to the stairs heading toward the gate room.  Jack followed.

Teal’c and Bra’tac exited the event horizon as the General and Jack entered the gateroom.  Both warriors looked tense as they descended the ramp and approached them.

The Jaffa bowed in greeting, “Hammond of Texas, we have troubling news to bring you.”  Bra’tac informed the Commander.

General Hammond waved his arm toward the exit, “Let’s go to the briefing room and you can update us on your mission.”

The General and Bra’tac walked passed Jack, but Teal’c stopped even with the Colonel.

“Has there been word of Major Carter?”  The warrior asked.

Jack shook his head. “Nah, but it’s only been a few days.  You should be more patient, Teal’c.”

Teal’c frowned at the Colonel thoughtfully.  “I am impressed, O’Neill.”

“By what?”

“By your patience.  I am confident that you and Doctor Jackson have deduced that Major Carter desire to leave was not genuine and began to investigate it.”

“Yeah…well…”  Jack hesitated. “Teal’c do you think Carter lied?”  Jack wanted his friend opinion.

“I believe she did not speak the entire truth.” 

“Yeah, neither did we.”

“Do you believe that Major Carter may be in danger?” 

Jack could feel the menace that came from Teal’c as he asked the question.  God help anyone who hurt Sam Carter.  Teal’c would tear them limb from limb…that is if there was anything left after he had finished with them.

“Daniel and I think that Carter is going undercover at Area 51.”

“Without SG-1 for assistance?”

“Apparently.”

“I do not like that, O’Neill.”  The Jaffa said with a trace of anger.

“Neither, do I.” Jack agreed.  “ I already check with Area 51 and she is not due to report there for another couple weeks, so I have employed a few methods to see if I can hunt her up.”  He clapped the big man on the shoulder as they exited the gate room. “I should know more in a few days.”

They entered the briefing room effectively dropping the subject, but Jack knew that Teal’c was far from satified with the current information on Sam’s whereabouts.  He took a seat next to the General and across from Bra’tac.  The old warrior looked exhausted and Jack felt a twinge of worry for him.  Teal’c seated himself to the Colonel’s right and waited for his mentor to begin. 

“We gated to the planet where the strange Jaffa had been taken, but when we arrived the settlement was deserted…somewhat.”

“Somewhat?”  Jack asked.

“No Jaffa could be found.” Teal’c continued, “However, the ground was littered with the remains of hundreds of prim’tah’s.

“Dead?”  General Hammond clarified.

Teal’c bowed his head. “Indeed.”

The General looked at Bra’tac.  “Master Bra’tac do you have any idea what could have occurred to cause hundreds of Jaffa to remove their symbiotes?”

“No.  To remove one’s symbiote without the aid of tretonin would be suicide.

“Could be a Jaffa Jonestown, sir.”  Jack added.

The General considered this, but the two Jaffa simply stared at him questioningly. 

Jack answered their unspoken question.  “Jonestown was a commune of people back in the seventies that were convinced by some nutcase to take their families, leave the world behind and eventually to commit mass murder/suicide.  They gave everyone poisoned fruit drinks killing over nine hundred men, woman and children.”

The Jaffa looked shocked at such a horrendous act.  “Jaffa warriors will gladly die in service to their god, but none would ever commit such a cowardly act of which you speak, O’Neill.”  Teal’c said firmly.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”  Jack admitted.

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“You will be a Goa’uld.”

Sam’s gaze jerked away from the aggressive goa’uld in the tank to stare at the Tok’ra next her.

Garshaw saw a momentary glimpse of fear in the tauri’s eyes before a steely gaze replaced it announcing to all in the room that death awaited anyone who tried to touch her.

Sam slowly stepped back from the tank ignoring the violent thumps of the symbiote trying to escape…trying to get to her.  Every instinct in Sam’s body screamed at her to run, but she knew it was pointless. Her firearm was in her room sitting uselessly on her bed and she was outnumbered five to one in this room alone. 

Her keen mind began running through every scenario of escape she could find and found none.  She watched Garshaw as the Tok’ra turned back toward the tank. Tok’ra.  Was Garshaw a Tok’ra anymore?  Was she now a goa’uld?  Sam reeled with the insight that she had just walked into a goa’uld-infested hole in the ground without the slightest fight.  She scanned the room again getting ready to fight her way back to her gun, when she realized someone was missing.

Pha’esh

Suddenly, strong hands grasped her arms and pulled her back against an unyielding chest.  Sam pulled against Pha’esh’s grasp, but the strength the symbiote gave its host was well beyond hers. She watched as Garshaw reached up to the lid of the tank and pressed a button emitting a slight whooshing sound as an air pressure mechanism was released.  Fear lanced threw her and she pulled at Pha’esh’s hold once more putting all her strength into the forward motion.

Chapter 12

Anise of the Tok’ra walked the corridors of the Tok’ra cell base on the water planet of Cerillan.  She was in deep concentration with Nasen, a member of the high council.

“Bastet’s forces have been growing despite the attacks being made by Anubis and his fleet of advanced ships.  It is disturbing to see her grow in power.”  Anise commented to her companion.

“Anubis is simply ignoring her for now.  He believes that no matter how powerful Bastet becomes she will not be able to withstand his army once he decides to deal with her.”

The two walked into the ring room as the rings activated and Jacob Carter materialized before them.

Selmak smiled as he spoke, “Our mission was completed ahead of schedule.  Ba’al is currently dealing with a large defection of Jaffa from his ranks. This made it easier to obtain the information we sought and come back all the quicker.“

“It is good that you were able to so safely.”  Nasen smiled in return.

“Thank you. I need to deliver a data crystal to the council and then Jacob and I will need to seek out the Tauri.  There was an odd symbol we uncovered while in Ba’al’s court that we need to see Daniel Jackson about.  I do not recognize it, but it is possible that he will.”

“You will be going to Earth personally?”  Anise asked.

“Yes, I would like to speak to Daniel myself and Jacob wishes to see his daughter.” Selmak replied.

They watched as Selmak left the ring room heading toward the council chambers. 

Nasen turned back to Anise, “Shall we continue to our meal?”

Anise shook her head, “I am sorry, Nasen, my host, Freya just told me she needed to speak to Jacob before he leaves.  I should catch him before he is engaged in conversation with the council.”

“Of course.”  Nasen bowed in farewell and left the ring room. 

Anise watched him go, but she did not follow after Jacob.  Instead she checked to confirm she was alone then activated the rings.  With a hum of energy and a whoosh of air Anise was gone.

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General Hammond always had many worries as the Commanding Officer of the SGC, but as he walked down the corridors of the SGC, only one worry filled his mind. 

Samantha Carter.

When the Major had come to him asking to go on the mission for the Tok’ra, he had been against it.  The idea of sending one of his people out there on her own, without SG-1 to back her up…he had refused.  However, the Major had her argument ready for him.

“Major Carter,” the General was getting upset with her insistence about taking this mission, “I am not sending you out there without back up.”

“Sir, the Tok’ra will be there to extract me as soon as I finish gathering the intel.  It is a simple in and out mission.”

“There is no such thing as an ‘in and out mission’, Major and you know that.  Sending you in without SG-1is not an option.”

“Why?” When he did not answer immediately she continued. “Colonel O’Neill’s undercover op to ferret out the NID mole in the SGC was done without back up.”

“Colonel O’Neill has years of black ops training….”

“All right, but what about Daniel?”

The General almost groaned when she brought up the archeologist. He knew that mission would come back to haunt him. “Doctor Jackson was the only one that qualified for the mission.”

“And according to Anise, I’m the only one who can do this one.  I have years of military training and years of field work with the SGC.”  When he did not respond a sad look came into eyes at his hesitancy.  “Sir, have I not proven myself over these last seven years to be a capable officer? Is your reluctance in denying me this mission a personal lack of confidence in my abilities?”

Hammond felt the sting of Sam’s softly spoken words and felt ashamed of himself.  Of all the reasons he did not want to send Sam on this mission, her abilities as an officer had never been one.  He sighed, resigned to his next words.

“Sam, my reasons for not letting you go are most definitely personal. However they should not be.  You are one of the most capable officers I have ever commanded and…you have a go.”

He had meant those words he had spoken to the Major, however, he could not shake the feeling that the Major was walking into a situation that no one person could handle.  The problem was he had given his word that her father and SG-1 would remain unaware of what she was doing.  Reaching his destination, the General stopped before a closed door and raised his fist.  There was one man on base for which he had made no promises…

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Master Bra’tac sat on the floor of his room among the flicker of hundreds of candles preparing his body to relax and meditate when a knock at his door interrupted him.

“Come!”  His strong graveled voice called out.  The door opened and Hammond from Texas entered with a grim expression on his face.

“I am sorry to interrupt, Master Bra’tac, but I would like to speak to you.”

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“Knock, Knock!”  Jack stuck his head into Daniel’s office looking for the wayward archeologist.   The young man had not been in the meeting with Bra’tac and Jack’s curiosity was peaked by his absence.

“Daaaniel.”  He walked into the office, but after a quick search soon saw that Daniel was not there.

Grabbing the phone, he called up to the front check point to see if Daniel had signed out.  He had not. 

Rolling over in his mind the places he had not checked yet, Jack sat down at Daniel’s desk and started idly tapping the keys on his friend computer as he thought.  The screensaver of the Pyramids at Giza flicked off and a memo Daniel had been typing to General Hammond caught his attention.  Jack scanned it a moment then sat back a little confused. 

Why had General Hammond requested an in-depth research done on Bastet?  Granted the strange Jaffa was rumored to be Bastet’s, but the General usually waited for a more solid confirmation before requesting Daniel to dig up info for him.

While he mulled these things over, Daniel screensaver came up again and Jack gazed at the serene scene before him.  A small half smile came to his lips as he leaned forward as put his hand on the mouse…

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Sam pulled against Pha’esh’s grasp, but the strength the symbiote gave its host was well beyond hers. She watched as Garshaw reached up to the lid of the tank and pressed a button emitting a slight whooshing sound as an air pressure mechanism was released.  Fear lanced threw her and she pulled at Pha’esh’s hold once more putting all her strength into the forward motion. 

Every muscle in Sam’s body tensed as she launched herself out of Pha’esh’s hands.  Ready for the pain that would come with wrenching her body from such a strong hold she was unprepared when she felt herself being released at the same moment she wrenched herself forward.

Over balanced from the force of her actions, Sam felt herself stumbling forward unable to control her movements or to stop her fall.  She hit the crystalline rock lab table nearby with a solid thud causing the instruments laying on its surface to fly everywhere. She could hear startled shrieks and cursing coming from the others in the room as they tried to avoid the sharp instruments flying towards them. 

Ignoring them, Sam looked up to see Pha’esh stare at her dumbstruck for the moment, but he soon shook it off and started toward her.  She noted that Garshaw was staring at her incredulously as if she had lost her mind, but her attention on the woman was short lived as Pha’esh blocked her view. 

Acting on instinct she kicked out her booted foot and connected solidly with the man’s chest sending him reeling back into Garshaw and the tank.  Garshaw shrieked and made an attempt to catch the tank before it could fall to the ground, unfortunately the tank was too heavy even for a symbiote’s strength and it fell to the ground with a crash. 

With the crash all hell broke loose. 

Thirty gallons of liquid splashed to the floor causing the rock to become slippery to those that scrambled toward the broken tank.  Garshaw struggled to her feet her eyes panicked as she scanned the room for the symbiote.  

Every inch of her body throbbing from her collision with the table, Sam got to her hands and knees intending to take advantage of the chaos around her.  Not trusting her feet on the slippery rock she moved forward carefully keeping an eye on the people in the room.  One of the “Tok’ra” ran past her slipping as he went past her and she felt his knee collide with the side of her head.  Crashing to the wet floor at the impact, Sam’s head exploded in pain and her vision went fuzzy to world around her.   She could see large bodies all around trying to regain some sort of order to the insanity that she had created and she found it odd that she was being ignored. 

Tentatively she pushed herself into a sitting position hoping it would help clear her head and provide a chance for escape.  Doing her best to focus her eyes she sensed a movement nearby and turned her head toward it.   The grayish blur raised its upper body from the ground and screeched at her in fury and in that moment, Sam knew she was screwed.  She threw up her hands in defense as the symbiote launched itself toward her its jaws spread wide to bore its way into her body. 

Suddenly, a large body threw itself between her and the monster hurdling toward her.  Enveloped by Breeshan’s large body she hit the floor hard and they rolled over and away from the creature’s grasping maul.

A gasp of pain escaped Breeshan as the symbiote sank its fangs into his back and attempted to burrow inside of him.

Cursing fluently in Goa’uld, Garshaw grabbed the Goa’uld before it could find its way past the man’s ribs and pulled out with a vicious yank.  The woman brought the creature up to her eye level and Sam was amazed at what she saw. 

She saw unadulterated hatred. 

In all her years working with the Tok’ra Sam had seen many facets of the Tok’ra’s emotions.  Sadness, anger, regret, arrogance and even fear, but never had she seen such hatred.

Garshaw’s gaze bore into the creature writhing in the woman’s obviously tight grip. 

“Kel tal shree, shol’va!”  Loathing dripped from every word Garshaw spoke as she shook the creature in her hand. 

“Replace this beast in another tank,” the Tok’ra said indicating the thrashing creature in her hands.  The symbiote was taken away as Garshaw watched her eyes still burning in fury.

Sam tore her gaze from Garshaw and looked back at Breeshan with a confused expression.  “Did I miss something?”  She asked completely baffled by all that had just happened.  

”Umm.”  Breeshan began, but was interrupted.

Garshaw shifted her attention to the confused tauri on the floor.  The hatred left her eyes as she relinquished control to her host Yosuuf.

“Major Carter,” Yosuuf started apologetically, “please forgive Garshaw, in her excitement for our new plan she was not conscience of how her words would sound to you when she spoke them earlier.” 

Still suspicious, Sam pushed away from Breeshan and carefully got to her feet.  “If the symbiote is not for me, then why did you grab me?” she asked the man now sitting up on the wet floor.

“Pha’esh was concerned for your safety.  He was pulling you back from tank so as not to put you at risk should the goa’uld escape. The moment he realized it was a mistake to grab you without warning he let go.  Unfortunately…”

“He did not realize what I was about to pull away so hard.”  Sam finished for him.

“Yes.  Pha’esh is truly sorry if you were injured in any way.”

“I’ll be fine.”  Sam jerked her head toward the Tok’ra who had just left with the creature writhing in his hand.  “Who was the symbiote?”

A look of cold satisfaction came over Yosuuf’s features and her smile chilled Sam to the bone as Garshaw voice sounded in the room.  “Sekhmet.”

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